Chapter 33 Economic Crisis

  Lu Zhi suddenly became enraged, stood up straight and rebuked in a stern voice: "Jia Xu, this is a plan to bring chaos to the world."

  Jia Xian remained silent.

  Lu Zhi turned to Liu Bian and implored, "Your Majesty, absolutely must not. The current situation is tense, Your Majesty should be cautious and patient, and not act impulsively. Once a great chaos erupts, the world will be irretrievable."

  Liu Bian looked at Lu Zhi, then at Jia Xu, and didn't know why Lu Zhi suddenly flew into a rage, directly accusing Jia Xu of being reckless. Lu Zhi was straightforward by nature and looked down on people from the Western Liang, but he wouldn't be so rude. He was really anxious. Thinking about how Jia Xu's plan had turned Chang'an City into hell in history, Liu Bian also couldn't help but reserve some opinions about Jia Xu's strategy.

  "Lu Qing, don't be in a hurry, aren't we discussing this? Liu Bian comforted: "You sit down first and speak slowly."

  Lu Zhi suppressed his anger and sat up again: "Your Majesty, you must know that since the time of Emperor Xiaohuan, the Qiang rebellion and land annexation have been the two major chronic illnesses of the Great Han. The current Great Han is already critically ill and can only be treated slowly; it is absolutely not permissible to indulge in temporary emotions. Otherwise, there will be great chaos throughout the country, which will be difficult to quell."

  Lu Zhi explained the general situation of the past few decades to Liu Bian. In a nutshell, one sentence: The Great Han has no money, and the imperial family has no money.

  Since the founding of the country by Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu, the Great Han had a heavy burden, that is, there were many local tyrants. These tyrants occupied a large amount of land, turning the state's registered households and civilians into their tenants and servants, encroaching on the state's financial resources. Emperor Guangwu once issued the Limitation of Land Ownership Order, but the resistance was too great, and it ultimately came to nothing.

  The national income is insufficient, and this is only one aspect. The Qiang rebellion has become another quagmire for the Great Han. Fighting wars requires military expenses, which is a bottomless pit. After decades of fighting, the Great Han has long been unable to make ends meet, becoming impoverished and exhausted.

  Otherwise, when the previous emperor was alive, there would be no need to increase taxes nationwide to rebuild the palace that had been lost in a fire, nor would there be selling of official positions in the Western Garden.

  The previous emperor could not have been unaware of the harm caused by increasing taxes and selling official positions, but he had no choice. He was bankrupt.

  The money is in whose hands? In the hands of aristocratic families, in the hands of local tyrants. Jia Xu was right, Zhang Letian and Zhao Zhong had occupied a large amount of good land and owned immeasurable wealth. Logically speaking, after Zhang Letian and Zhao Zhong died, their property and land could be taken over and several thousand soldiers could be settled down without any problem.

  But do you want these riches, and the aristocratic families don't? They've long since set their sights on them, and who knows if they haven't already taken action, dividing up all of these fields. Even if they haven't taken action, would Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong's family members be willing to contribute willingly? You're pushing too hard, and it will only push them towards the aristocratic families' side.

  Originally, the aristocratic families were at odds with the eunuchs, and the imperial family could balance them. If you want to seize the eunuchs' property, the eunuchs will immediately form an alliance with the aristocratic families and become enemies of the imperial family.

  So, Your Majesty, what else can you rely on? Can you oppose the people of the world with just these few thousand Xiliang soldiers?

  For now, the only plan is to be patient and tolerant, barely maintaining the situation, then appointing wise ministers, using the power of the aristocratic families still loyal to the Han Dynasty to counterbalance the aristocratic families, divide them, and use the accumulated prestige of the Han Dynasty over 400 years to slowly adjust. If we only seek temporary pleasure and use simple and brutal means, the aristocratic families will inevitably rise up in resistance, and the world will inevitably split apart.

  Lu Zhi said, staring fiercely at Jia Yu: "Jia Yu, you are very clever, but your experience in governing is too little, and you still need to be tempered. If you want to become a good instrument of the state, you should start from the county and prefecture, and go through more worldly affairs."

  Lu Zhi finished speaking, cupped his hands and left with a flourish.

  Jia Xian was motionless, his facial expression unchanged, like a stagnant pool of water.

  Liu Bian was very embarrassed. Lu Zhi openly criticized Jia Xian in front of him for being inexperienced and having unrealistic ideas, which actually meant that he didn't know how to use people properly.

  "wen he..."

  "Your Majesty!" Jia Yu bowed slightly: "Your Majesty, Lu Shangshu is not wrong, to be cautious and patient, to plan slowly, is indeed a more stable approach." He paused for a moment, then said: "However, can the Yuan family give Your Majesty the time to plan slowly?"

  Liu Bian blinked his eyes, as if he was thinking of something.

  "The former emperor was cautious and used patience, but died young; the great general was cautious and used patience, but died unjustly. Now that military power has fallen into the hands of the Yuan family, the Yuan brothers are slaughtering people in all directions within the palace, burning down the imperial palace, Your Majesty is leaving the palace to patrol the river, next step, will they not kill their way up to the great hall and drive Your Majesty out of Luoyang?"

  Liu Bian took a deep breath, his face turning extremely ugly. Lu Zhi was right, Jia Xun's words were equally reasonable. Even if he wanted to use patience and tolerance, how could the Yuan family possibly give him an opportunity? In comparison, Lu Zhi's opinion seemed somewhat naive. At present, the most urgent task is to ensure personal safety; without establishing a military force that can rival the Yuan family, not even one's life can be guaranteed, let alone talking about long-term plans.

  It's not that he didn't want to endure, it's not that he wasn't willing to endure, but simply couldn't endure. If he took another step back, he might fall into an abyss of despair, and at that point, the only place left for him to endure would be in hell itself.

  "Wenhe, the aristocratic families are pressing step by step, I cannot but rise up to counterattack." Liu Bian said carefully: "Now it seems that it's not just difficult to grant land to soldiers, it's probably not easy for Dong Gong to become Taishi either. Tomorrow at court, there will likely be a debate. Wenhe, go see Dong Gong and tell him to be patient, give me some time."

  Jia Xun understood intuitively and obeyed personally.

  ……

  Yuan Fu, Ding Yuanping's breathing was quiet, he sat quietly in the hall, and quietly moved his numb knee. He had been waiting here for half a day, but still hadn't seen Yuan Wei.

  Tomorrow is the grand court, and all officials will see the emperor. He is about to be appointed as the Jinwu. Before that, he personally rushed to the Yuanfu to request an audience with Yuan Wei, just wanting to express his gratitude and offer his loyalty.

  Ding Yuan was from Yiyang, Changsha. He had no Confucian background and rose to office through the clerical route. This path was not a orthodox way of entering officialdom, so no matter how well he did, it was useless. After decades of being an official, he was still just an unremarkable Wu Mao Xiao Wei.

  Yuan Wei was able to let him take a step into the ranks of the nine ministers, he would certainly be grateful to Yuan Wei and devoted himself wholeheartedly. Not to mention waiting for a while, even if it meant kneeling until his knees were worn out, he wouldn't mind at all.

  At this time, a footstep sound came from the back of the hall, without seeing anyone, but hearing the voice. "Jianyang, I'm really sorry to keep you waiting for so long."

  In the sound, Yuan Wei's straight and solemn figure appeared at the door. He had a smile on his face, with a hint of sincere apology in his eyes, which instantly turned Ding Yuan's discontent into nothingness.

  Ding Yuan danced with his large sleeves, and made a deep bow: "Changsha Ding Yuan, pays respects to General Yuan. General Yuan, who handles all matters daily, has taken the trouble to receive me, I am deeply grateful."

  "Hahaha..." Yuan Yi laughed loudly, hurriedly took two steps forward, and helped Ding Yuan up: "Jianyang, you're too polite. Soon you'll be one of the nine high-ranking officials, a national dignitary, how can I accept such great courtesy?"

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