Shanhai City, Xia Palace.
In the imperial study, Ouyang Shuo first went to see Yunnan's governor, Bai Hua.
The two of them were old friends. Bai Hua finally got what he wanted and became the Governor-General, overseeing the affairs of a province. Although he did not have absolute military power, his power was not much different from that of Lord Chunshen and the others.
The governor was in charge of the affairs of the province, the army, the civil and military, and the officials. This also meant that the local guards and reserve forces were under the governor's control.
As for the field troops stationed in the province, they were not under the governor's jurisdiction.
Even so, the governor was considered the highest level of officials. In the context of the dynasty's civil and military rule, there were few important officials who could supervise the civil and military.
Bai Hua was familiar with Yunnan, so Ouyang Shuo would not give him orders. He only mentioned Steel City, which was temporarily under the direct control of the Yunnan governor's office, in hopes that the governor's office would increase support for the steel industry.
Bai Hua took the initiative to ask, "The Privy Council ordered the governor's office to gather supplies. Is it because the court is going to use troops against Sichuan North?"
Ouyang Shuo shook his head. Bai Hua had guessed wrong this time.
Ever since Di Chen arranged for Zhang Yi to be poisoned, Ouyang Shuo had the intention to teach the Yan Huang Alliance a lesson. Handan City was far away and Ouyang Shuo could not do anything to Di Chen. He could only set his sights on the nearby Swordsman City.
This time, he must cut off one of the Yan Huang Alliance's arms.
Ouyang Shuo did not hide it and said with a smile, "It's not Sichuan North, it's Swordsman City."
Long before the war in Somalia, the Grand Council had already drawn up a huge military plan. The resources involved were not only the dynasty's army but also many allies.
There was no doubt that every confrontation between the Shanhai Alliance and the Yan Huang Alliance, no matter who started it or who was involved, would eventually evolve into a confrontation between two alliances.
Attacking Swordsman City was like pulling one hair and affecting the whole body. They had to be fully prepared.
Bai Hua was shocked, "Are we going to fight them head on?"
As a former member of the Shanhai Alliance, Bai Hua was eager to fight with the Yan Huang Alliance, but he was also worried. If the two sides really fought, it would be a battle to the death.
Ouyang Shuo nodded, saying, "Feng Wu told me that the [Yan Huang Alliance] is planning something big. Looks like they haven't given up yet. They keep provoking me, so don't blame me for being ruthless. "
Before, Ouyang Shuo had wanted peace, and didn't want to start a war with the [Yan Huang Alliance]. He didn't want to waste the strength of the China region.
When the sandpiper and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits.
However, Di Chen and the others kept playing dirty tricks, which made Ouyang Shuo realize that as aristocratic families, Di Chen and the families behind them, they had already placed the interests of their families above the interests of the country.
Although the Federation had been established and there were no more countries on Earth in the traditional sense, the representation of a country's territory in the game world would still arouse the emotions of family and country that flowed in the blood of players.
The aristocratic families didn't have this kind of family-state relationship, or rather, they didn't want to have it.
The Silver Hand was an organization that transcended national boundaries and only had family interests in its eyes. Just like the aristocratic families of ancient times, no matter how the dynasties changed, the aristocratic families would not perish.
Therefore, even if Ouyang Shuo stopped, Di Chen and the others wouldn't give in. They were always thinking of ways to contain the Great Xia Dynasty.
Realizing this, Ouyang Shuo wouldn't be lenient. If he didn't beat them up and cripple them, Di Chen and the others would really think that the aristocratic families were still ruled by the aristocratic families.
Bai Hua was silent. "Alright, it's time to end this."
Ouyang Shuo wasn't as optimistic as Bai Hua. As the saying goes, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse, and a centipede is still alive. Di Chen and the other big families wouldn't be defeated so easily.
Moreover, it was only the fourth year of Gaia, so Ouyang Shuo had plenty of time.
Before leaving, Bai Hua said, "Don't worry, I'll help you keep an eye on the Yunnan side."
Ouyang Shuo nodded. With such a confidante, what more could he ask for?
… …
After sending off Bai Hua, the governor of Southern Sichuan, Fan Zhongyan, walked in.
"Your humble servant greets the king!"
Fan Zhongyan bowed deeply, unable to hide his excitement.
Previously, when he was competing for the position of Guilin County, Fan Zhongyan had a secret confrontation with Xunzhou County's Governor Bao Shuya. Even though Fan Zhongyan had won, he could faintly feel the king's estrangement.
Fan Zhongyan never expected that the king would still choose him for the position of Southern Sichuan's governor. In this way, Fan Zhongyan really felt grateful to the point of shedding tears.
The feeling was really complicated.
Ouyang Shuo didn't feel that emotional. It was the art of an emperor.
In two to three years, although Fan Zhongyan had changed, Ouyang Shuo's transformation was earth-shattering.
The Ouyang Shuo of today was no longer the tiny Mountain Sea Village Lord of the past, but a world-class lord who dominated a region, the supreme king of the Great Xia Dynasty.
If it was said that when Fan Zhongyan first came to the territory, Ouyang Shuo had to humbly seek advice and serve Fan Zhongyan as a half-teacher, learning the ways of an official, then the Ouyang Shuo now had absolute control over the relationship between ruler and subject.
Fan Zhongyan was the same. He had long regarded himself as a pure subject, not daring to have any other thoughts.
The conversation between the ruler and subject lasted for an hour, and it all revolved around the planning of the Southern Sichuan Province. According to the system of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Southern Sichuan Province was a province of Zhili, and its status was extraordinary.
The governor of Zhili in the Qing Dynasty was the head of the eight governors.
However, in the Great Xia Dynasty, Ouyang Shuo didn't intend to deliberately highlight the status of the Southern Sichuan Province. The governor of the Southern Sichuan Province was the same as the other governors and didn't have other titles.
According to the official system of the Great Xia Dynasty, the governor of a province was a third-rank official.
If Ouyang Shuo wanted to promote the rank of a governor, he could be given the title of Deputy Minister of the Four Great Academies or even Minister of the Four Great Academies. He could be promoted to a second-rank official or even a first-rank official.
This method was the same as the Qing Dynasty governor being given the title of Minister of War. It was an empty position, and the governor's rank and treatment would be improved, so that the governor could do things more easily.
The four governors had just taken office and hadn't made any convincing achievements, so how could they receive such treatment?
…
It was already eleven o 'clock when they finished Fan Zhongyan's report. Huo Guang and Xun Yu's reports could only be arranged until the afternoon.
At noon, Ouyang Shuo held a banquet in the palace to entertain the four new governors.
To the governors, this was a supreme honor, and it showed their status as the new nobles in the imperial court.
There were more than a thousand officials in the imperial court. After the inner court elders, the four ministers, the deputy ministers, the Chamberlain of Honglu, and the Imperial Censor, the four governors had the highest status.
In terms of real power, the governors were second only to the inner court elders and the four ministers.
Therefore, the four of them were the new nobles in the imperial court, and they were favored by the king.
…
After the lunch banquet, Ouyang Shuo rested for a while, then he received Governor Huo Guang of Lingnan.
Huo Guang's ascension made the Huo brothers the focus of the imperial court once again. Of the two brothers, one was the commander of the imperial guards in the army, and the other was a local governor. They could be said to be extremely high ranking officials.
How could such an honor not make people jealous?
There were many rumors, and even the Imperial Censor wanted to impeach Huo Guang. They said that Huo Guang was a powerful minister in history, and that he was ambitious and couldn't be allowed to hold a high position, and so on.
This impeachment was suppressed by Ouyang Shuo.
In history, although Huo Guang was a powerful minister, not long after his death, the entire Huo family was executed. It was impossible for Huo Guang to not be touched by such a bloody lesson.
Moreover, Ouyang Shuo wasn't the emperor that Huo Guang had appointed. As the founding emperor, his power suppressed the four seas. Which powerful official could go against Ouyang Shuo?!
No matter who it was, as long as they had such thoughts, they would be faced with a destructive blow.
Huo Guang was a smart man. In history, when he walked the path of a powerful official, it was also because the times created heroes. This time, he was in the wilderness and in Great Xia, so he definitely didn't dare to have such thoughts.
Ouyang Shuo's main purpose in meeting Huo Guang was to appease this important official, so that Huo Guang wouldn't have any scruples and could do whatever he wanted in Lingnan Province.
When Huo Guang heard this, he shed tears of gratitude.
…
The last one to report was Governor Xun Yu of Minnan.
Xun Yu was probably already aware of the twists and turns in his appointment, but on the surface, he didn't show any flaws. His ability to maintain his composure was top-notch.
The ruler and the official didn't care about these small details.
In addition to reminding Xun Yu about the trade with Great Sui, Ouyang Shuo mainly mentioned that he hoped Xun Yu could use his influence among the aristocratic families to recruit more talents from the three kingdoms for the imperial court.
For example, Guo Jia and Xun You.
At present, Great Sui already had the strength and magnanimity to accommodate the aristocratic families.
When Xun Yu heard this, he nodded in agreement. This time, he was promoted to Governor of Minnan, which was enough to prove His Majesty's sincerity and magnanimity. Xun Yu also felt that the investigation should come to an end, and those people should also come out of seclusion.
In this way, the ruler and the official were naturally happy.
…
After the report, the four governors didn't immediately leave Wangcheng. Although the governor's appointment had been given, the governor's yamen was still just an empty shell.
For Governor Bai Hua of Yunnan and Governor Xun Yu of Minnan, it was fine. The provincial administration was in their original places of office, so it was more convenient for them to do things.
Fan Zhongyan and Huo Guang were miserable. They were in a foreign place and were unfamiliar with the people and the place.
The four feudal officials had to stay in Wangcheng for the time being and cooperate with the cabinet in the construction of the governor's yamen. Ouyang Shuo had already informed the cabinet that the governor had the right to recommend the subordinates of the governor's yamen.
In order to make the governor's yamen operate better and more smoothly, the four feudal officials naturally had to transfer a few satisfactory subordinates to the yamen.
In addition to cooperating with the cabinet in the selection of officials, even if the four were already feudal officials, they had to visit the various yamens of the imperial court, network and get closer to each other since they finally returned to Wangcheng with great difficulty.
Human relations were not unnecessary in the officialdom, especially between the local officials and the officials of the capital.
As the saying went, "A county official is better than a local official."
How could the future administration of the governor's yamen bypass the various yamens of the imperial court?
Ouyang Shuo could only turn a blind eye to this. As long as there was no bribery, he didn't care.
He thought that the four governors were all smart people and wouldn't do anything stupid. If they really did, there were two major agencies, the Shanhai Guards and the Imperial Censorate, watching.
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