Pei Huaijie, who was in Luoyang, was also shocked when he received the news that the big bosses of the "Three Law Division" came to Luoyang together.
As long as the wisdom is above the level, who would take the words "insulting the prince and his concubine" seriously? "Henan Yin" is one of the best feudal officials in the world. The entire land of Henan is under his jurisdiction. Pei Huaijie himself is a descendant of the Wenxi Pei family. He has a high position and a noble birth. What kind of woman can't be found? Why bother with the prince's concubine?
Although he was worried at first, he was more worried that the court would use this to criticize him, which would damage his reputation, and then he would be transferred to Beijing and lose his official position as Henan Yin.
However, now it seems that this is not an attempt to make him fall into the capital, but an attempt to completely defeat him...
Pei Huaijie couldn't hide his anger and threw the cup: "How could your Majesty listen to slander and persecute loyal people like this? I have been in Henan for more than ten years and have made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty. Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, he is eager to eradicate dissidents. It is simply ridiculous!"
He was the minister who stayed in the residence of His Majesty Li Er.
In the fourth year of Wude, King Qin Li Shimin led an army to capture Luoyang and defeated the coalition forces of Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande. King Qin became famous for his outstanding military exploits, but Emperor Gaozu was embarrassed because the King of Qin at that time had gathered "Taiwei, Shangshu Ling, Shaanxi Daoxingtai Shangshu Ling, Yizhou Daoxingtai Shangshu Ling, Yongzhou Mu, Liangzhou General Manager, Left and Right Wuhou General, Shangzhu Kingdom..." and other official positions have been sealed. There is no reward.
However, how can we do it without reward?
Emperor Gaozu spent a lot of time and desperation and finally came up with a solution: he conferred the title of "General Tiance" on the King of Qin. He was placed on the throne of the princes and led Situ and Shaanxi Daxingtai Shangshu Ling. He also allowed the King of Qin to open a mansion and build a government office. This is "Tiance Mansion".
Among them, King Qin Li Shimin, as the "Tiance General", was in charge of national conquests and the general judge of government affairs.
The ambitious King of Qin immediately formed an entourage of about fifty people, including Du Ruhui, Fang Xuanling, Li Jing, Yuchi Jingde, Cheng Zhijie, Hou Junji, Qin Qiong, Changsun Wuji, Chai Shao, Luo Shixin, Shi Wanbao, Li Ji, Liu Hongji, etc., including Pei Huaijie who served as the "Recorder of Tiance Mansion"...
It can be said that Pei Huaijie contributed and made contributions to His Majesty Li Er's imperial hegemony, and then guarded Henan for more than ten years, and he also made outstanding achievements.
As a result, now, does the new emperor actually intend to erase half of his lifetime achievements with an extremely ridiculous charge?
"It's tolerable, but what can't be tolerated!" Pei Huaijie shouted angrily.
Duan Baoyuan sighed and said: "You can't bear it, but you have to bear it. Back then, we could still support Changsun Wuji and King Jin, but who can we support now? We can't stand up and raise the banner ourselves? No one will support us, They will only regard us as rebellious officials and traitors and attack us in groups.”
Times have changed.
Since the two Jin Dynasties, aristocratic families have controlled population, land, food, and knowledge. They can make ends meet when the world is in chaos. They can support interested factions to compete in the Central Plains, and they can even fight for hegemony themselves.
But that's no longer possible.
The system of three provinces and six ministries has been very perfect today. The imperial power has been concentrated unprecedentedly. More than half of the world's armies are directly under the emperor's command. The chief officials of all states and counties are appointed by the emperor. This has become a constraint for the aristocratic families everywhere. The aristocratic families want to be as good as they have been for hundreds of years. It is impossible to control a place like that.
After the great chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, the people's sentiments had been determined. Anyone who wanted to rebel at this time would become a rebel and traitor, and they would attack in groups.
How can one family and one surname go against the general trend of the world?
In particular, the Guanlong and Jin kings suffered huge defeats in their two consecutive mutinies, causing unprecedented losses to the world's nobles. The wealth and vitality accumulated since entering the Tang Dynasty have been almost exhausted. What can they use to fight against the Tang Dynasty, which is loyal to the emperor and armed to the teeth? Forbidden army?
Even if someone as powerful as Changsun Wuji, who was as powerful as Changsun Wuji, could only raise troops under the banner of "deposing the prince" when the Guanlong clan was at its peak, he did not dare to have the slightest intention of coveting the throne, otherwise he would become a public enemy in the world.
Pei Huaijie was speechless: "The reason why I said I couldn't bear it anymore was because I didn't intend to sit back and wait for death. When did I say I would raise troops to rebel? Even if I wanted to, I would have to have troops in hand!"
There were no sixteen guards stationed in Luoyang. The defenders were assembled from various families. When Liu Rengui led the navy to attack Zheng Rentai, they had already suffered heavy losses, resulting in serious losses to the private soldiers of each family. Although "Henan Yin" was in name only He is the highest military and political officer in Henan Prefecture, but where can he mobilize soldiers now?
Even if you can raise an army, you only need to think about the fact that the naval fleet defeated the famous Zhenguan general Zheng Rentai and surrendered, and you know that there will be no future at all. I am afraid that the army just erected here Those who rebelled against the banner were brutally suppressed.
As Duan Baoyuan said, times have changed, and the idea of aristocratic families rising up in troubled times has long been abandoned by the times.
Taking another cup and pouring tea, Pei Huaijie took a sip, calmed down, and asked, "Is there anything unusual on the King of Wei's side?"
Duan Baoyuan shook his head: "His Royal Highness the King of Wei stays in the official residence all day long and does not summon officials. The entire Shangshanfang is like an iron barrel. Everyone entering and leaving must be closely checked. No one knows what he is doing."
"What is Ashina Tadashi doing?"
Pei Huaijie frowned and asked. Duke Xue had acted like a lackey after King Wei had just met King Wei. Maybe King Wei had something to hide from outsiders, but he asked Ashina Zhong to handle it on his behalf.
Duan Baoyuan said: "There are some abnormalities. Ashina Zhong gathered all the private soldiers and generals in the Duke's palace together and drilled them strictly every day."
The imperial guards carried by the King of Wei plus Ashina Zhong's subordinates were an extremely impressive armed force. In addition, Xi Junmai led a brigade of navy to cruise in Luoshui. The three parties were united. It was enough to cause a big commotion in Luoyang City, which was depleted of soldiers.
With a sudden move, it is possible to put Pei Huaijie, the Henan Yin, under house arrest...
Pei Huaijie was worried: "How come one or two people don't follow the rules?"
Now is the time of peace. All fights in the officialdom are based on rules. Each party shows off their skills within the framework of the tacit consent of all parties. Whoever wins and who loses must be willing to admit defeat. The winner will rise to the top and have a prosperous official career, while the loser will resign sadly and withdraw from the political arena. , it is rare to break the rules, otherwise it will cause public anger and become the target of public criticism.
However, when Fang Jun arrived at the Hedong Salt Farm, he wanted to return the ownership of the salt farm to the central government after a disagreement. He completely ignored the Hedong Family's investment in the salt field and the importance of Yancheng to the Hedong Family. His attitude was staggeringly tough and he didn't care about whether you retreat or not. Progress, the way of weighing and choosing, open and close, you die and I forget.
The King of Wei was even more like this. He immediately tried to slander him with such despicable means...
He has been immersed in officialdom for half his life, and he knows the rules of officialdom well and is skillful in applying them. Otherwise, he would not have sat in the position of Henan Yin for many years and governed the Henan area clearly, and all the noble families in all parties would not fail to comply.
But when he encountered such methods that broke through the rules, he was a little confused and unable to do anything...
Duan Baoyuan was helpless. He called himself a "strategist" and was full of wisdom and strategizing. However, in the face of this situation of "one force defeats ten groups", there is no place for a hero. You can make all kinds of calculations and take all kinds of precautions, but he will not be able to do it at all. Ignore it, but come up and hit someone with a stick. What can you do?
He sighed again and said depressedly: "My subordinates will thoroughly clarify the accounts and warehouses, and will never let anyone from Chang'an get the slightest clue."
In the final analysis, the so-called "insulting the prince's concubine" is simply a lie. Even if it is true, there is no evidence. Even if the "Three Law Departments" come together, they cannot convict Pei Huaijie.
On the contrary, it is necessary to prevent the other party from making false claims in the east and west, secretly investigating the accounts in order to thoroughly investigate the "insult of the prince's concubine" incident, and being caught financially.
As the governor of Henan, coordinating the family members, it is inevitable that there will be some matters that cannot be brought to the table and must be operated in secret, such as taxes, corvee, etc. Money and silk exchanges are inevitable. If you investigate carefully, no matter how honest an official is, Can't stand it...
Even if the power of the imperial court is thunderous, Pei Huaijie will not sit still and wait for death. He has been in Henan for many years and has a deep foundation and outstanding prestige. How can he surrender without a fight?
If you can't help but have a fight with the "Three Law Divisions".
*****
The spring breeze slants and rains, and the water rises.
The Wusong River is mighty and sparkling. Looking out of the window of the official house, there are boats and ships on the drizzly river with white sails. Inside the military port, warships are docked at the berths. Many craftsmen or Repairing the ship in the rain, or nervously loading supplies, it was a busy scene before setting off for the expedition.
Su Dingfang withdrew his gaze, took a sip of hot tea, and looked again at the information in his hand about the hydrological conditions of the canal and various sections of the Yellow River.
The spring rains in the south of the Yangtze River are continuous and the climate is mild. The water levels in all rivers have risen, making it easier to navigate. The canal to Banzhu is also fully open to navigation. Only the Yellow River still has scattered ice floes. Rushing to sail may cause damage or capsizing of ships.
However, the spring equinox is approaching, the south wind in the north is gentle, the ground is getting warmer, and some ice floes will completely melt.
Putting down the hydrological information in his hand, he picked up another secret letter from Fang Jun and read it again carefully. Then he sighed softly and looked up at the drizzle outside the window again.
When one wave fails, another wave arises.
Although the letter did not describe it in detail, Su Dingfang vaguely understood Fang Jun's intention. He used the Hedong family as a breakthrough point and suppressed it forcefully, in order to test the reaction of the families in the world.
Su Dingfang had no objection to suppressing and weakening the aristocratic families. Compared with the people in Guanzhong who still knew that there was an emperor, the people in Jiangnan who were under the jurisdiction of the Jiangnan gentry did not even know who belonged to the world and what the name of the country was. They worked hard and worked hard under the gentry for generations. Paying taxes, undertaking corvee labor...birth, old age, sickness and death were all within the scope outlined by the gentry.
Like livestock.
If such aristocratic families are not suppressed and weakened, the empire will not be able to truly unify people's hearts and the people will not be able to get rid of brutal exploitation.
But now there is a dangerous situation in Chang'an City, but there is a big war in Hedong. What if the situation gets out of control?
However, these doubts only appeared in his mind, and after a while, he suppressed them forcefully.
"Pass the order, the warship repairs will be accelerated, the artillery and ammunition will be put on board, and the whole army will set off early the next morning!"
The situation in the court is beyond his control, and he does not need to worry about it. He will neither question nor disobey Fang Jun's orders. Soldiers don't have to worry about politics, they just have to obey orders.