Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 548 Dou Family
"I knew the show would be amazing once the Dou family took power!"

After Liu Da's funeral, and in recognition of his achievements in governing the country, he was posthumously awarded the title "Zhang".
The newly appointed Empress Dowager Dou quickly took action.

She reappointed her lover Guo Ju and granted him the power to enter the palace to "discuss matters".

This was unacceptable to Liu Da, who had always believed he had absolute control over the harem.

He found his parents and said, visibly agitated, "My body isn't even completely rotten yet, how could she do such a thing?!"

It has been a tradition since ancient times for empresses dowager, secluded in their chambers and lonely, to keep several male concubines to relieve their boredom.

Liu Da can accept it.

But the Dou family... they moved way too fast!
There was no time to grieve for herself; the next priority was comforting her frightened cousin, wasn't it?
After resolving personal needs,
Dou was also eager to achieve his goals at the national level.

She is a capable woman.
Princess Biyang devoted a great deal of energy and resources to nurturing her.

Otherwise, Emperor Zhang, who had high standards for "beautiful women," would not have doted on her so much.

right now,

The emperor who suppressed her has disappeared.

The new emperor was the child she raised.
The Dou family's sons and relatives also occupied high positions in the imperial court.

Why couldn't she have displayed her talents and made a name for herself in history as a politician?
"If she can truly govern the country well, then the previous problems are no longer problems!"

Even if Liu Da wanted to rush up and commit domestic violence, they would definitely stop him.

If Dou's governing abilities were superior to Liu Da's...

Then they could slap the kid in return.

The former emperors of the two Han dynasties gathered together to express their opinions on this matter.

As for Liu Da?

Let's wait until he escapes from the entanglement of Consort Liang and Consort Song before making any decisions.

unfortunately,

Fantasy is always wonderful.

When Emperor Dou abolished the salt and iron monopoly system in the name of the emperor,

Emperor Wu of Han, who was enjoying himself with his former wingmen, immediately drove his chariot back to Haoli and launched a vigorous critique of the Dou family.

"What does she want to do?"

Salt and iron monopoly

This is a fundamental national policy that took many years and the efforts of many people to fully implement.

After all, farming cannot be done without an iron plow, and eating cannot be done without salt.

These are necessities for people today.

And such a fundamental need
For the sake of national stability, it is natural that the government should keep it in control.

However, some merchants can also see the potential profits involved and will take risks for them.

This tug-of-war is destined to last a long time.

Private salt dealers will inevitably emerge in large numbers.

What kind of talk is it to just scrap it?

“The East Sea has the benefits of fish and salt, and Princess Biyang has long harbored ambitions to seize the throne. It is normal for her to persuade her daughter to issue such an edict.”

Although Princess Biyang's fiefdom was in Henan, it was quite far from the Donghai Kingdom that her father, Liu Jiang, possessed.

However, after her daughter became Empress Dowager, Princess Biyang's status also rose accordingly. She was granted the title of "Eldest Princess," enjoyed the treatment of a prince, and her fiefdom was greatly expanded.

She reclaimed some of the places that the hateful Emperor Ming had dismantled and reclassified into counties after her father's death, intending to use them as a foundation to become a powerful vassal state that could easily shake the world.

The dead Liu Jiang sighed deeply, regretting that he had not brought his daughter with him when he took up his fief, which led to her being neglected in her upbringing and developing such a character.

Guo Shengtong was also glad that she had purchased property early after her death and separated from Guangwu.

"At first, it was like this, just to avoid resentment arising in one's heart when facing each other after death."

"Now that things are like this, I don't know how I can face him."

This is what Guo said to her son.

She missed her eldest son and was secretly saddened by Liu Xiu's words and actions, so she inevitably doted on her granddaughter.

Who would have thought that the little girl who always tried to please me was actually this kind of person?
Fortunately,

The salt and iron monopoly system originated in the Former Han Dynasty and has been in effect for over a century.

Even if she were deposed, it wouldn't immediately give Princess Biyang the result she wanted.

What followed was

That's what really got the previous emperors of the Han Dynasty all in an uproar.

Even Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, who was once besieged by the Xiongnu and suffered considerable humiliation at their hands, couldn't help but speak up:
"Why are you still picking on those down on their luck? Are you really going to wipe out the entire northern desert?"

"We might as well attack the Yan Kingdom!"

When Empress Dowager Dou became Empress Dowager, the already illustrious Dou family shone even brighter, like a second sun illuminating the millions of people of the Han Dynasty.

But this glory is not something to be enjoyed easily.

Many loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty worried that Wang Mang's story would be repeated with the Dou family, and because the Dou family's power was rapidly expanding and harming their own interests, they banded together to oppose them.

Unfortunately, although the Dou family enjoyed the benefits of the founding of the country thanks to their ancestor Dou Rong, most of their descendants were unworthy.

The officials often used the absurdities of the Dou family members as a pretext to attack and oppose Empress Dowager Dou's decrees.

Dou was furious.

Her elder brother, Dou Xian, then said, "Why not choose an enemy to establish our authority and let these people know the power of the Dou family?"

Dou agreed to his suggestion.

Then she pointed to the location of the Yan state on the map, "Should we attack here?"

Dou Xian quickly shook his head, "The Northern Yan state has been established for decades and is an agricultural land with a large population and strong cities, making it really difficult to attack."

Establishing authority requires a swift victory.

If you gnaw on them for too long, it will damage your claws and teeth;
If you can't finish it, that's even more embarrassing.

"Then attack here?"

Dou then pointed to the area inhabited by the Southern Xiongnu and asked.

Dou Xian shook his head again and said, "He's always been obedient, so it's hard to make a move against him."

"Then attack here?"

This time, "Dou" refers to the Yue Kingdom in central and southern China.

She was already somewhat dissatisfied with her brother's two refusals. "The descendants of the Qin have always had a grudge against our Han Dynasty. There is a saying that we should punish them as a 'nine-generation feud'."

Dou Xian shrank his neck and then rejected the idea, saying, "The journey is long and arduous, with mountains and rivers blocking the way."

then,

Dou no longer needed to point to the State of Qi, which was across the sea, and ask again.

Seeing his sister's eyebrows furrowed, Dou Xian hurriedly reassured her, "I already have a plan in mind. I will go and attack the northern desert and relive the legend of drinking from the vast sea!"

Although the Northern Xiongnu had long since fled far away,
However, there are still quite a few Xiongnu people left here.

Many of them were absorbed by the Southern Xiongnu, many were driven by the Xianbei and Wuhuan, and the rest scattered and integrated into other surrounding ethnic groups.

They were also known as Dingling or Rouran.

But the big men in the south have never bothered to distinguish between those miscellaneous things.

They directly identified them as remnants of the Northern Xiongnu, the soil and broken roots left behind after the Northern Xiongnu left.

"You have to nip it in the bud!"

Dou Xian told his sister this, and proudly declared that he had already communicated with the Southern Xiongnu, Wuhuan and other steppe forces.

When the Han army is dispatched, they will lead the way for themselves, thus accurately striking the enemy and quickly achieving victory.

In other people's eyes,

This makes them appear powerful and talented.
His past misdeeds, such as seizing the princess's land, bribing officials to obtain titles and ranks, and enticing his subordinates to abandon their wives and children to become sons-in-law of the Dou family, are now gone.

It's just a minor flaw, a little bit of hardship.

"Besides, the Xiongnu have been entangled with our Han Dynasty for many years. You ended it as soon as you took power. Doesn't that show your sister's ability even more?"

At the height of her ambition, Dou was tempted by the idea, even though her brother rejected it three times.

Therefore,

The Empress Dowager's order was passed down.
With the Han banner unfurled, the army charged forward.

This greatly excited the court officials.

"This is an act of one person's will to harm the lives of countless people!"

The Xiongnu have been defeated by the Han Dynasty.
This is an indisputable fact.

Although the Southern Xiongnu still used their name, after years of education, their Chanyu had long since adopted a Han surname, wore Han clothing, and spoke Han language.

He's the type who would absolutely flip the table and turn on anyone who calls him a barbarian.

So next,

Just digest it slowly.

They even pick up and eat the scraps left around them. Are they that frugal?

How did the Dou family's manor grow so big?
Moreover, if the northern desert were truly cleared, would it be the Han Dynasty, which was far away, that would benefit, or the neighboring Xianbei and Southern Xiongnu?

There are so many similar examples in history, yet I haven't understood a single thing.

They even dared to use the names of Emperor Wu of the Former Han Dynasty and Wei Qing and Huo Qubing!

But the dead Emperor Wu had a lot to say about this:
"I am fighting the Xiongnu at their peak, in order to expand our territory and prevent the Chinese from being blocked from exploring the world."

"Can Dou Xian's Northern Expedition compare to mine?"

"You know you can't compare!"

This is why the emperors of the two Han dynasties were so anxious about it.

"Does changing the capital and the lineage mean that the female protagonist is destined to bring ruin to the country?"

They all began to lament.

Only the masses, led by God, continue to pay attention to the developments in the mortal world and speculate on how the situation will change as a result.

Based on their experience, the dead focused their attention on those talented members of the imperial clan, believing that the events of the Former Han Dynasty would repeat themselves.

But the all-seeing God pointed to the location of the palace and said, "The variable is not outside, but here."

"Liu Da underestimated the women in his harem, and Dou Shi underestimated the child in front of her."

"There are definitely two types of people who can't sleep in the same bed!"

Following the conversation, the dead men noticed the ten-year-old emperor who had ascended the throne and was being treated as a puppet by the Dou family.

When he sat upright in the front court,

The other person's face showed a certain naiveté befitting their age, yet occasionally it also revealed the "qualities of a wise ruler" that a subject would expect.

When Liu Zhao was secluded in the inner palace, sharing a room with his elder brother whom he had grown up with, his words, actions, and thoughts revealed even greater wisdom and shrewdness.

He had already learned about his biological mother through his elder brother, Liu Qing.

Liu Zhao then used his status as a child to go to the palace where Consort Liang had died, picked a leaf from a large tree growing in the courtyard, and put it in his undergarment.

The child still misses his mother and longs for her love and care.

But the person he was looking forward to was no longer the current Empress Dowager.

"I will correct all of this!"

"I will not let my father down, nor will I let my mother down!"

Little Liu Zhao pressed his hand to the spot on his chest where the leaf had been, and silently made a vow.

after that,

He began reading history books.

Dou did not value his education.

Princess Biyang, the nominal maternal grandmother, hoped that the young emperor would grow up to be a foolish child whom she could manipulate at will.

Therefore, if he wanted to understand certain principles and make certain preparations, he could only learn on his own.

His brothers, who had also suffered greatly at the hands of the Dou family, smuggled a lot of historical materials into the palace for Liu Zhao, mostly about how emperors throughout history removed domineering ministers and consolidated power.

As for the things of our predecessors,
It will become an experience for future generations.

Looking at Liu Zhao's youthful face, which revealed a maturity and composure beyond his years, Ximen Bao couldn't help but sigh:
"He might become the second Duke Dao of Jin."

Duke Dao of Jin
He was the ruler of the State of Jin during the Spring and Autumn Period.

He was originally the great-grandson of Duke Xiang of Jin and the nephew of Duke Li of Jin, and belonged to the royal family of Jin.

According to the Zhou rites,

He originally had no chance of succeeding to the throne.

After all, they are three generations apart by blood, and their relationship is no longer close.

However, the State of Jin had its own unique circumstances. The famous story of Quwo replacing Yi, which took decades to unfold, was still fresh in everyone's mind.
Why can't the king's nephew inherit the throne?

Moreover, the Marquis of Jin at that time was ugly and behaved absurdly, and did not look like a ruler. The ministers in the country all disliked him.

However, Duke Dao of Zhou was a young gentleman with outstanding wisdom.

When he went to Luoyi to study, he was praised by the emperor, and his teacher, Shan Xiangong, even predicted: "He will surely become a feudal lord in the future!"

When the state of Jin was thrown into turmoil and Duke Li was assassinated, his ministers invited Gongsun Zhou to return to the state and succeed him.

Gongsun Zhou agreed to the request, but stopped when he left the Zhou king and entered the state of Jin. On the border, he used his power to oppress the powerful ministers in the state.

He said:
"The reason why a monarch is noble is because he has ministers who carry out his orders. If a minister only makes me the monarch but does not obey my orders, then I might as well turn my carriage around and return to Luoyang immediately."

"If you truly believe I am your sovereign, please tell me honestly now."

"I will never be a figurehead ruler like Duke Li!"

The affairs of the Jin state are already widely known, and there is an urgent need for a renowned monarch to return and take charge of the overall situation.

Therefore, the ministers had no choice but to bow down and kowtow again, and were made to sign an oath by Gongsun Zhou.

That year,

Duke Dao of Jin was only fourteen years old.

After entering the capital and ascending the throne, Duke Dao of Jin, despite being a young man, began to implement reforms.

Over the years,

He then consolidated power, reorganized the Eight Ministers, and engaged in alliances or wars with foreign powers, reviving the hegemony of the Jin state and gaining the strength to seize the Nine Tripods.

He was only twenty years old when he led the allied lords to defeat the State of Chu.

Those who know about the deeds of Duke Dao of Jin in later generations cannot help but marvel at his precocious maturity and wonder, "Could there really be naturally gifted geniuses in the world?"

When Ximen Bao assisted the Wei clan during his lifetime, the Jin dynasty was already a mere shell of its former self, and the valor of Duke Dao of Jin had been weathered by time and disappeared without a trace.

However, when officials look through the historical records, how could they not yearn for such a spirited and brilliant figure?
Seeing someone like Liu Zhao today, Doctor Ximen couldn't help but recall the simple yet chaotic Spring and Autumn Period.

He Bo snorted jealously from the side.

"I believe I also have the potential to become a young hero!"

Ximen Bao glanced at him, then looked down at his own palm lines.

He looked like he had seen through everything, was numb, and didn't want to talk.

He Bo ignored him, ran over and circled Liu Zhao, who was engrossed in his book, twice, and began by saying:
"Extreme wisdom will inevitably lead to injury."

"Duke Dao of Jin died at the age of twenty-eight. I wonder what will happen to Liu Zhao."

If there truly is a law in this world that allows one to exchange lifespan for wisdom,
It's likely that the previous emperors of the Han dynasty would have been quite happy to involve Liu Zhao in this deal.

The Dou family had only just taken power when they had already caused several major incidents, and they dared not delay any longer.

But if it were Liu Zhao's birth mother, Consort Liang...

They probably hope their child will live a long and worry-free life.

But how could he possibly do that while in the palace, surrounded by the sons of the Dou family?
"I'm going to the State of Qi!"

After strolling around the Luoyang Imperial Palace a few times and enjoying the grandeur of the imperial city, God waved his sleeves and prepared to leave again to visit the Zhao family in the State of Qi, who formed a contrasting element with the Han Dynasty.

"That kid Zhao Yu said he's going to take his talent to the Western Sea and asked me to come help him move!"

(End of this chapter)