Chapter 742 A combination of kindness and power

Chapter 742 A combination of kindness and power

Chapter 742 A combination of kindness and power
In the late twelfth lunar month, just a few days before the Chinese New Year, representatives of the four major families in Hedong rushed to Pingyang on ox carts.

A family named Jia, namely Jia Chong's family, came from Pingyang.

The Song family came to Xihe.

As for the others, either they had suffered heavy losses in the war and their families were on the verge of collapse, or they were not qualified and did not receive an invitation - in fact, the Xue and Liu families were not qualified either.

The Xue family is still contemptuously called "Shu Xue" today, which is a typical case of regional discrimination.

After the fall of Shu, 5,000 households and tens of thousands of people from the Xue tribe were relocated to Fenyin. In fact, this was also to let them fight against the Hu people. After all, the Hu people, mainly the Xiongnu, had already penetrated deep into the Fen River Valley during the Eastern Han Dynasty.

The group first stayed in an inn outside the city. After everyone arrived, the six families entered the city together.

The streets were still filled with soldiers. From time to time, wealthy families were surrounded, and then a large number of people were arrested crying. Men, women, young and old were all loaded onto cars and sent to Luoyang.

After arriving in Luoyang, the men were executed, while the women were sent to the Liang Palace to work in the palace washing clothes, growing vegetables, and feeding horses.

This is the price of failure.

The soldiers arrested people according to the list, which was very cruel. No matter whether they were Hu or Han, once the crime was determined, they would be executed immediately.

The people of the six major families looked solemn, but also somewhat relieved. They were relieved that they did not go down the same path with the Huns and end up with their families destroyed.

After entering the Han Palace, the group was led to Shangqiu Pavilion, west of Jianshi Hall.

"Greetings, my lord." Pei Xian, Liu Qi, Wei Zhan, Xue Tao, Song Le, and Jia You saluted together.

"Sit down." Shao Xun pointed to the couch opposite and said.

The six people made some concessions, and finally Pei Xian, Liu Qi, and Wei Zhan sat on a couch, facing Shao Xun.

There was a single couch on each side, where Song Le and Jia You sat.

Xue Tao took a look and saw only a small stool.

Shao Xun clapped his hands and asked his personal guards to bring another single couch.

Xue Tao bowed and thanked him, then sat down with her face flushed.

The dispute over seating deeply reflects the status of the six major families.

Needless to say, the Pei family holds the reins of the three counties of Hedong, Pingyang and Xihe, so they sit in the middle.

Wei Zhan sat on his left, and the Liu family, a small aristocratic family, sat on his right.

During the previous emperor's time, several members of Song Le's family served in government, some as prefects and some as generals in the army. Although the family is in decline now, its dignity is still there.

The Jia family had been severely punished and was no longer in good shape, but Jia You had been a tutor to the crown prince and held a high position, so he managed to get a seat.

The Xue family has the lowest status, although they may be the strongest in terms of military power.

"I heard that the Xue family once built fortresses on both sides of the river. Is the fortress west of the river still there?" Shao Xun sat on the Huchuang, looked at Xue Tao and asked.

"The fort is still there, but the people have been driven back to the east coast." Xue Tao glanced at Shao Xun and answered honestly.

“When was it built?”

"In the middle of Yongjia."

"Oh, when the world was in chaos." Shao Xun laughed and said, "Would the Huns not allow it?"

"Yes."

Shao Xun nodded.

The Xue family is called "Shu Xue" and has had a relatively low status until now. There is no one in the official circle, so they can only focus on reclaiming wasteland, cultivating crops, herding livestock, training their troops, and moving towards becoming a powerful military force.

Of course, this is also how the Jin Dynasty positioned them.

After the fall of Shu, the three brothers Xue Tao, Xue Zu and Xue Luo led three tribes and brought 5,000 households of ethnic minorities from Shu to settle in Fenyin. They were known as the "Three Xues" and used them to resist the constant infiltration and invasion of the Hu people and to protect Hedong.

Later, the Xue Zu and Xue Luo branches were defeated, and only the Xue Tao branch was relatively strong, so he "took charge of the three camps."

"It is rumored that your ancestors are Xue Yong and Xue Maochang who followed Liu Bei to Shu. Is that true?" Shao Xun asked with great interest.

Xue Tao was stunned.

Shao Xun laughed and understood.

In later life, he learned about the Hedong Xue family because of Xue Rengui. He was very confused when he was studying. The descendants of the Fenyin Xue family were obviously tribal leaders and Han-speaking barbarians. How could they be descendants of Xue Yong?

Xue Tao was just a local tyrant in the countryside and held no official position. Historical books recorded that he inherited the title of Duke of Anyi County and Governor of Liangzhou.

His father Xue Xing was also a local tyrant. According to historical records, he was the prefect of Hedong and the Duke of Anyi County.

In order to become Wang Meng's teacher and get to know Huan Wen, his son Xue Qiang pretended to be 98 years old and added to the drama.

It is purely because when later generations were compiling history, the Xue family had already become prosperous, so they whitewashed their ancestors and wrote nonsense.

"Xue's soldiers are famous on both sides of the river, but I don't know how many people there are?" Shao Xun asked again.

"Three thousand." Xue Tao replied.

"How much?" Shao Xun frowned and asked.

"Six thousand." Xue Tao said with a nervous heart.

"How much exactly?"

"More than ten thousand..." Xue Tao had sweat on his forehead.

"Mr. Xue, do you think I don't know how to count?" Shao Xun said unhappily with a frown on his face.

Xue Tao sighed, stood up and bowed to the ground, saying: "The Xue family in Fenyin has more than 13,000 followers and farmhands, but half of them are refugees who have been gathered in the past three years. They still need to be reorganized, so it is not convenient for them to fight hard."

Shao Xun then smiled and said, "I heard that the Xue family of Fenyin has not been included in the county family name until now. Is this true?"

"Yes." Xue Tao said bitterly, "Everyone calls me 'Shu Xue'. I have never done anything good. I have fought against the enemy army and risked my life."

Shao Xun waved his hand, and military strategist Zhang Bin immediately stepped forward.

"Send a message to the General's Mansion, and have the Grand Chancellor of Sizhou and the Chancellor of Hedong County assess the status of the Xue family in Fenyin. Give them a humble status first." Shao Xun said. "Yes, sir." Zhang Bin wrote it down.

Xue Tao was overjoyed when he heard this. Without saying anything, he kowtowed on the ground and choked up, saying, "Mr. Liang's kindness is so great that I will never be able to repay it."

Without family rank, it is really difficult to become an official. You can only try to get a chance to be a county official or a state scholar. However, with the discriminatory title of "Shu Xue", the possibility of you being selected as an official or a scholar is too low.

There may be some other ways, but they are very narrow and basically impossible for Xue.

Only by becoming a county magistrate and having their family status assessed can members of the Xue clan be allowed to serve as officials in large numbers, for a long period of time, and in a stable manner.

To put it bluntly, Shao Xun wanted the Pei, Wei and other families to cut off their own flesh and give the Xue family some quota, so as to get rid of their hidden control.

Now he was only given a Hansu rank, which was not high, at most the seventh rank. But for the Xue family, it was a breakthrough from zero, which was very crucial, so Xue Tao kowtowed excitedly.

"Get up." Shao Xun said, "Those who fight for me will naturally get benefits. I have never been stingy about sharing wealth with others. Do your job well and keep an eye on the Xiongnu for me."

"Yes, sir." Xue Tao stood up and sat back down.

He caught a glimpse of two women wearing the queen's robes sitting behind Lord Liang from the corner of his eye. He was startled and became even more respectful.

Liu Cong's queen even knelt at the feet of Lord Liang. He is truly the best man in the world. It is right to follow him.

Pei Xian and Wei Zhan looked at each other, feeling bitter.

When Lord Liang came, he divided and disintegrated the Hedong family. From now on, will the Xue family still be of the same blood with them? Perhaps, but the Xue family really has their heart set on Bianliang.

"I have heard that the Xue family has many brave and strong men. The commander of the army once fought a bloody battle with the Huns in Luliang, and many of them were injured. Mr. Xue may be able to recommend some capable people to join our army." Shao Xun said again.

"Yes, sir." Xue Tao agreed without hesitation.

This is a good thing, because Liang Gong's personal soldiers are often sent out to serve as officials. Although they are military positions, they are also very good.

"We have been fighting for a year and have captured and killed no less than 70,000 Xiongnu soldiers. After the battle of Wenxi, Liu Cong and his son were even more frightened." Shao Xun said, "This is the situation in Hedong and Pingyang. You are all powerful families, so you should take responsibility and send troops and food to the court to resist the Hu invaders. Those who have made contributions will be rewarded, and those who have made mistakes will be punished. That's all I have to say."

Wang secretly glanced at Shao Xun.

He has a strong build and is sturdy and majestic. When he speaks, he is full of energy and has a sense of authority without even getting angry.

She secretly compared Liu Cong again. She heard that he used to be quite strong, but he has been weaker since she entered the palace. He kept coughing while talking and his face was extremely pale, but he was indeed quite majestic, or fierce?

She twirled her sleeves with her fingers and bit her lips lightly. Her mind was in a mess and her eyes flickered. Occasionally, when she raised her head, she found that Queen Fan opposite her was also looking at her, and she immediately lowered her head.

She was only fifteen years old and had just reached the peak of her life, but suddenly she became a captive slave. It was really too exciting for her.

Fan was calm and composed.

She knew a little about Shao Xun. Others might focus on his military strategy, martial arts, and struggles with aristocratic families, but she was a woman and her focus was different from others.

In the past, when the sisters Zhang Huiguang and Zhang Liguang were still alive, as a personal maid, she heard the two of them teasing that Liang Gong was a living Cao Cao, and laughed at Cao Cao for being "the former general of the Han Dynasty who enlisted his wife to fight." Liang Gong was the same.

Maybe, she thought, she shouldn't be too submissive?

While the men were still talking about everything from the military to family matters, Fan was staring at the queen's crown and robes on her body, smiling gently in her heart.

Oh man.

The more a warrior emerges from troubled times, and the more he is a first-generation monarch, the stronger his desire for conquest.

After two or three generations, the emperor who was raised by the women in the deep palace was a completely different kind of person. I am afraid he rarely left the capital and was at the mercy of others.

The person she met was an ambitious and conquering emperor.

But then again, isn't it Liu Cong? She was able to escape from Liu Cong and was extremely favored, so she could also fascinate Shao Xun.

"That's all." Shao Xun patted the armrest of the Hu bed and said, "As long as you hold your ground, Liu Cong and his son will be helpless. I will leave a large army in Anyi, and you can just assist me."

"Yes." The six people answered in unison.

"Recommend some talented people from the family and I will employ them at my discretion. That's all. You can go on your own." Shao Xun waved his hand and said.

The six people stood up, bowed and left.

A moment later, Yang Qin came in to report: "Mingsir, General Yang has already taken over Wang's manor and returned with a load of treasures and women."

"Okay." Shao Xun stood up and said, "Pass the order down. There will be a military parade outside the city tomorrow. I want to reward those who have made contributions."

It is what we call the combination of kindness and severity.

The Xue family gained the greatest benefit, and other families were also able to have children become officials. This is called grace.

The entire branch of the Taiyuan Wang family in Pi County was wiped out. This is called power.

Only a two-pronged approach can achieve results.

"Have the Hu chieftains arrived yet?" Shao Xun suddenly asked.

"Dozens of people came."

"Invite them to watch the ceremony."

"promise."

"What else?" Shao Xun asked in surprise when he saw that Yang Qin did not leave.

"Queen Yang and others have arrived in Jinyang and are heading to Guanjuejin." Yang Qin said, "Also, Madam Yu has also arrived in Yiyang."

After saying that, he glanced at Wang and Fan.

Shao Xun hummed and said nothing.

Wang, who had just been held in her arms, cried out in pain, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Let's prepare for the ceremony first." Shao Xun put Wang down and said.

"Yes." Yang Qin bowed and left.

Wang quickly covered her chest.

(End of this chapter)