Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 50: A rotten house cannot be repaired
On that day, Zhang Yu, Xun Yue, Guo Tu and Li Song chatted in the house for the whole afternoon. They started with the taxation issue in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and then talked about the land system, the state-run salt and iron system, and even the three-level local governance system of states, prefectures and counties.

Li Song took the initiative to ask, "During the Han Dynasty, the governors, inspectors, and censors were appointed to govern the counties. Is the governor a better policy now?"

Xun Yue pondered and shook his head, saying: "During the Han Dynasty, there were more than the above three ways to govern counties. There were also princes and kings governing counties."

"What is the best strategy?"

"I think the best policy is to suit the current situation. When Emperor Gaozu first pacified the country, he could not have pacified Guandong without the feudal system. When Emperor Xiaowu came to power, the feudal states in Guandong were destroyed and the counties were under the jurisdiction of the capital. It was necessary to have supervisory censors to inspect the counties, and then the provincial governors and provincial governors would govern them."

Xun Yue sat with his legs crossed and said, "Nowadays, the powerful are everywhere, and the government's policies are difficult to get out of Luoyang. Local orders are issued in pavilions and pavilions. At present, the county governor is an important position and is the key to the government's governance of the people. The only urgent thing is to make the government's orders reach the countryside."

"From today's perspective, there are only two feasible plans. The first is to weaken the power of the prefects and restore the duties of the provincial supervisors. The second is to curb the officials of the prefectures and counties, intimidate the local tyrants, and strengthen the power of the provincial governors. The former is good, but it is difficult to implement in the world. The latter is feasible, but it is a temporary solution and is not a long-term solution."

Zhang Yu had to admire Xun Yue's broad horizons.

As a scholar, Xun Yue never obsessed with a superior system that could be passed down forever by future generations. Instead, he emphasized that there is no best system, only the system that is most suitable for the social situation.

For example, judging from the situation in the early Western Han Dynasty, after pacifying the kings of different surnames, if the local area was governed by the three levels of states, counties, and prefectures, there would obviously be problems, so Liu Bang used the Liu clan to guard the Guandong region.

After the central government had recuperated for several decades and implemented the Han system throughout the country, when the princes threatened the court, the court began to reduce the power of the princes in order to centralize power.

At this point, the mission of the princes to guard the Guandong region ended, and they were replaced by provincial governors introduced by Emperor Wu of Han.

Because the empire was so vast, the court of the Western Han Dynasty found it difficult to govern. In addition, the county governors colluded with the local clans, so the court appointed provincial governors to supervise the county governors. As a result, the court lost its own authority and its control over the counties became weaker, so it had to strengthen the power of provincial governors.

Xun Yue was able to judge that the central government would continue to strengthen the power of provincial governors based on the relationship between the central government and local governments, and his prediction was very accurate. In history, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty had to adopt Liu Yan's provincial governor policy in order to control the increasingly uncontrollable localism.

Although Liu Yan had evil intentions, Emperor Ling of Han would never have agreed to it if it was not in accordance with the situation.

From this point of view, Emperor Ling of Han was a ruler with some wisdom, who could see the current situation clearly. However, due to his lack of wisdom and determination, he could only use small tricks and could not fundamentally solve the problems of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

After chatting for a while, Zhang Yu saw that it was getting late, so he stood up and said goodbye to Xun Yue.

After some persuasion, Zhang Yu, Guo Tu and Li Song returned along the way they came.

Zhang Yu held the reins and asked, "Gongze, Bosong, what do you think of Mr. Xun?"

Guo Tu hesitated for a moment and said, "Mr. Xun is knowledgeable and wise. I have always admired him. But today, I heard Mr. Xun's words on how to govern a country, but I don't agree with them."

"Since ancient times, there have been few sage rulers and wise ministers. Since the Qin Dynasty, the only one who can be called a sage ruler is Emperor Xiaowen!"

"Your Majesty is obviously not a sage ruler. Eunuchs control the court, and corrupt officials run rampant in the countryside. How difficult it is to reform the evils of our dynasty!"

Obviously, Guo Tu did not approve of Xun Yue's "sage king and wise ministers" ruling the country. At present, not only are there many problems at the local level, but the superstructure is also rotten. Expecting "sage king and wise ministers" to come and clean up the problems at the top and bottom is nothing but a fool's dream.

Li Song pondered for a long time and said, "According to what Mr. Xun said, the Han Dynasty has accumulated many problems for many years. It is like a rotten house with rotten beams and snakes and insects everywhere. If we want to eliminate the accumulated problems, we can only..."

As he spoke, Li Song realized that what he said was ambiguous, so he stopped talking abruptly.

Guo Tu first glanced at Zhang Yu's expression, then at Li Song's face. Seeing that the two did not react, he probably guessed that Zhang Yu and Li Song might have discussed this topic before. Thinking of Zhang Yu's visit to the wise men as soon as he arrived in Yingchuan, Guo Tu concluded that Zhang Yu was no ordinary person.

Seeing that Li Song's words were inappropriate, Zhang Yu changed the subject and said, "In today's world, although it may be difficult to find a sage king and wise ministers, you and I can do our best as officials. If you are in a high position in the government, you should worry about the people; if you are in a remote place, you should worry about the king."

"color!"

Guo Tu could not help but nod his head and praise, saying: "What Ji'an said about the court and the rivers and lakes is very insightful. Now that I live in Yingchuan, I only hope that the bandits can be eliminated as soon as possible and the world can be at peace."

"almost!"

Zhang Yu urged his horse forward and said, "With the abilities of the Left and Right Generals, the remnants of the Yellow Turbans will be wiped out sooner or later."

After a pause, Zhang Yu said meaningfully: "I am afraid that even if the Yellow Turbans are destroyed, people's hearts will be uneasy!" Guo Tu's expression changed slightly, and he asked: "It seems that Ji'an has a different opinion!"

Zhang Yu pointed at the bow and arrow with his whip and said, "The imperial court has lost its prestige and has let the locals fight the rebels on their own. Even if the Yellow Turbans are defeated, I am afraid that people will have dissent. Unless a 'sage king and wise ministers' come to the world as Mr. Xun said, it will be difficult to pacify the world."

Whether it is historical experience or current judgment, if the social ills of the Eastern Han Dynasty are not eliminated and the court does not reform itself, the main force of the Yellow Turbans will be suppressed, but the sparks will still be rekindled. Moreover, in the turmoil, seeing the weakness of the Eastern Han Dynasty court, the ambitious will grow their ambitions.

Guo Tu seemed to be thinking about something and agreed with Zhang Yu's words.

But now Guo Tu is sure that Zhang Yu is not a man who would settle for less. In these turbulent times, he must be determined to make a career in the future.

Obviously, Guo Tu was a close and trusted person under Yuan Shao, so he was not a dull person. Through his words and deeds when interacting with Zhang Yu, we can judge that Zhang Yu was not a law-abiding person. However, Guo Tu underestimated Zhang Yu, who had greater ambitions!
After walking for a while, Zhang Yu said, "Yingchuan has many talented people. Thanks to Zhongruo's recommendation, I was able to meet Mr. Xun. You are an accountant in the county. Do you have any wise men to recommend?"

Guo Tu thought for a moment and said, "There are many outstanding people in Yingchuan, but there are not many who can compare with Xun Zhongruo and Zhong Yuanchang in talent and learning."

Zhang Yu wanted to know more about Guo Jia, so he asked, "You come from a prominent family, and your family has many officials. I wonder if there are any talented people in your family?"

Guo Tu shook his head and said with a wry smile: "To be honest with Ji An, most of the clan members are not talented, and most of them are mediocre and incompetent, but talented people are rare."

After a pause, Guo Tu added: "There are some young people who are smart, such as my cousin Guo Jia, but because he is still young, I don't know how he will grow up!"

After hearing this, Zhang Yu understood the situation. It was not that Guo Tu was afraid that Guo Jia would steal the limelight, but that Guo Jia was young and was currently studying the classics.

Zhang Yu secretly felt sorry for a moment, but on the surface he flattered her: "You are a virtuous man, how can you say that the Guo family has no virtuous men!"

"Jian, you are so kind!"

Zhang Yu was not exaggerating. He had known Guo Tu for such a long time that he could probably tell what kind of person he was. Guo Tu might not be a man of outstanding ability, but he was able to serve as a senior accountant, which meant that he had some unique insights into politics.

Guo Tu's character was even easier to see through. The reason he contacted me was simply because he valued me as Wang's son-in-law and had Wang's support at a young age. In his desire to seek advancement, he often contacted him.

Probably because they were familiar with each other, the three riders returned to the county town chatting and laughing.

When he was about to return to the military camp, Zhang Yu saw Yu Yi standing at the gate of the army, as if waiting for him.

"Shaoran, do you have anything important to tell me?" Zhang Yu asked as he dismounted from his horse.

Yu Yi took two steps forward and said, "The war situation has changed. Envoy Wang has sent someone to urgently summon Ji An."

"Which side is the war taking place on?" Zhang Yu asked.

"The war in Runan is not going well!" Yu Yi picked up the key points and said, "After Peng Tuo was defeated by General Huangfu, he fled to Runan County and gathered the remaining troops in Shaoling."

"Where is the prefect of Runan, Zhao?" Zhang Yu asked.

"The governor of Zhao is stationed at Shenting with his troops. Now he has heard the news about Peng Tuo and is leading his troops to the north." Yu Yi said, "Envoy Wang is afraid that the governor of Zhao is no match for Peng Tuo. To be on the safe side, he wants to send troops to the south to attack him."

In order to help Zhang Yu better understand the situation, Yu Yi said: "According to Envoy Wang, the Yellow Turbans in Hebei are difficult to suppress. General Dong Zhuo has been dismissed and General Huangfu is heading north to lead his troops to attack Zhang Jue. General Zhu is blocked in Wancheng and has been unable to come down for several days."

"Many of the captives have returned home. If Peng Tuo is allowed to gain more power, the rest of the tribe will probably come and surrender, and then the situation will be urgent."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu realized the seriousness of the matter.

Previously, under Wang Yun's leadership, a large number of Yellow Turbans who surrendered were pardoned and recruited. Now Peng Tuo has revived, and if Wang Yun is not properly handled and the remaining surrendered troops are allowed to join Peng Tuo, he will definitely be held accountable and will most likely be dismissed from office.

"go!"

"The Book of Tang: The Chronicle of Taizu" states: "When the Han Dynasty was about to end, Taizu secretly planned for righteous deeds. Whenever he went to the countryside, he humbled himself to the people, gave money to support guests, and won the hearts of the people."

(End of this chapter)