Chapter 54: Which place should be taken first?

  As spring gave way to summer, many things gradually fell into place, and Liu Xuan found that for a time he had nothing to do.

  In terms of internal affairs, Xun Yu has sorted out the population figures of Chang'an in recent days and began to pay attention to the specific situation of surrounding counties.

  For the time being, Liu Xuan is quite satisfied with the results he has achieved. After all, the world has not yet descended into complete chaos, and the area around Siyi has been affected by the Yellow Turbans' uprising to a relatively small extent. As a result, the population of the counties near Chang'an has not decreased significantly, and in fact has even increased slightly compared to more peaceful times.

  The fundamental reason is still the frequent wars in surrounding areas, coupled with the Yellow Turbans' atrocities, many people have fled to this place.

  If it were someone else, they would probably worry about how to accommodate the influx of so many people. If not handled properly, it could trigger another uprising, which would be even more troublesome.

  Liu Xuan didn't care about these things and instead was even happier.

  Under his private instructions, Wang Yun personally oversaw the burial of those talismans in designated places, then piled large stones on top or erected a stone statue. At the same time, he also presided over the distribution of grain seeds and encouraged the refugees to open up wasteland for cultivation - at that time, there was still much land available, and since the northwest region had not yet been affected by war-induced desertification, as long as people were willing to cultivate it, they could at least open up a plot of land sufficient to support their families.

  At the same time, Lü Bu returned to Beijing and brought back many blacksmiths, who were originally from Niu Fu's army. The arrival of these blacksmiths also solved another problem: farm tools!

  Originally, the blacksmiths were worried that they would be taken to the capital by Lü Bu and punished as rebels by the Emperor. Unexpectedly, not only did the Emperor not punish them, but he even arranged new jobs for them - although leaving their hometown was not very pleasant, it was better than losing their heads.

  In addition, the imperial court had not paid them their wages, and it was estimated that this task would not be completed until next year. At this time, it was not easy to find a business that could make a living, so the blacksmiths were not only dissatisfied, but they happily started working with joy.

  There are enough farm tools, there is a population, and the land still needs to be opened up. Although the newly opened-up land cannot directly become good fields, what kind of person is Liu Xuan? With countless methods in his heart, if he can't even solve this problem, he might as well wash himself clean and then take a knife to his neck for a quick painless death.

  They secretly sent people to work on these lands, although they couldn't instantly create a wonderland of thousands of hectares, but they could make these lands become somewhat better fields, and when harvest time came, it wouldn't be much different.

  This move was originally a great kindness, but unfortunately it's not suitable for widespread publicity at this time. However, Liu Xuan wouldn't let go of such an opportunity to boost his reputation, so he had made preparations early on. As soon as the autumn harvest arrived and the vast lands were all harvested, phrases like "The Son of Heaven has received heavenly blessings! Under the rule of the Son of Heaven, one should naturally be well-fed and warmly clothed!" would immediately appear.

  For this, Liu Xuan also had Xun Yu contact some fellow students from the same hometown. These people were not enough to enter the imperial court as officials, but they were most suitable for spreading rumors everywhere - scholars have a very high status in the minds of ordinary people, and when they say something, eight out of ten commoners will believe it, and the remaining two, although half-believing and half-doubting, will not go to think about what is wrong with it.

  It can be said that if these people are used well, the effect is not much different from that of thousands of troops and horses - at the same time, it is precisely this ability of these people that has made emperors of all generations extremely disgusted.

  Of course, if these people do things neatly and cleanly, Liu Xuan will not be stingy. It's impossible for a big official, but some small officials can still send some human feelings, and at the very least, they can give a small official position.

  Xun Yu would not have opposed this display of imperial power, so he went to work on it early. During this time, he didn't stay in the palace much, but Liu Xuan wasn't afraid that there was no one to discuss things with. Since Xun Yu had recommended Guo Jia, Liu Xuan directly asked Xun Yu to summon Guo Jia to the capital through a letter.

  At this moment, Guo Fengxiao was sitting right in front of him.

  Guo Jia was only twenty-one years old, which is a bit awkward for this era - already an adult, but not yet at the age of establishing a career and starting a family. Many people think that men of this age are still in the learning stage, even if they have some talent, they should be accumulating knowledge and experience everywhere, and basically no one would use such a young man.

  In fact, it's almost the same. Originally in history, Guo Jia was famous early on, but he was also idle at home until he was 26 years old before Cao Cao exceptionally appointed him (Yuan Shao that time was recommended by Tian Feng, but not reused), this is because he had a reputation for great talent, otherwise it's not impossible to be idle until thirty years old.

  "How has Filial Piety been lately?"

  Liu Xuan sat there very casually, then looked towards Guo Jia in front of him. This young man appeared to be very casual in front of many people, with a somewhat unruly meaning, not particularly valuing etiquette, but in his own face, he gathered all that up.

  After all, he was the emperor, and this identity had an extraordinary oppressive force on these scholars. Liu Xuan didn't play any tricks of being overly familiar, but directly did what he should do, and after examining him, casually granted him a position as a Shi Lang.

  This position also has no fixed number of people, and the power is similar to that of an imperial advisor. Cao Cao originally held this position.

  Generally, when entering the imperial court as an official, it is not uncommon to start with a position such as that of a Gentleman Attendant (議郎), and then decide on future promotions based on the current situation in the court and the individual's performance. However, Liu Xuan appointed Guo Jia as Gentleman Attendant, but had already made up his mind to make him his senior advisor.

  Apart from this, Liu Xuan also noticed that Guo Jia's body was not very good, and Guo Jia seemed to have a habit of taking elixirs, which had accumulated a lot of toxins in his body. Therefore, after the examination had already sealed his official position, Liu Xuan turned the topic to this matter.

  Guo Jia didn't hide this either, nowadays many people have this habit, especially among the wealthy and aristocratic families, it has become a trendy move, to the point where: if you haven't taken tonics, you'd be embarrassed to go out in public!

  Moreover, Guo Jia was originally physically weak and often caught colds and fevers. After seeking medical treatment, it was discovered that his lung meridian had congenital defects, so he took medicinal pills more frequently than usual in order to nourish his body.

  He naturally didn't know that the so-called elixirs he swallowed not only didn't help him in the slightest, but would actually make his body worse - perhaps nothing now, and he might even feel more energetic, but that's just because he's young now, and his body can still withstand this kind of torture. When he can't keep it up later, his time will be near.

  Liu Xuan also didn't hesitate and said: "This dan medicine is no good, don't eat it again in the future."

  Instead, he started discussing alchemy with Guo Jia, and only mentioned the current popular types of elixirs and their ingredients. Then, using a different method, he asked: "If a person swallows gold, iron, stone, and earth for many years, what will they eventually turn into?"

  Guo Jia was unhappy in his heart, but he also began to think about what kind of effect these things would have on his body.

  It's not necessary for Liu Xuan to say anything more at this point, so he let Xun Yu see Guo Jia off and leave the rest to him. As an emperor, would he still need to waste words with a subordinate? If he had any brains, he'd naturally understand what was going on.

  Guo Jia naturally had a good brain, and his brain was better than most people's. So as soon as he came out of the Xuan Shi, he asked in a low voice whether Emperor Cao's words were truly advising him not to be too obsessed with the Taoist way?

  At this time, Guo Jia was thinking in his heart not about the emperor's understanding of Taoist mysticism, but considering that the Yellow Turban Rebellion, which had caused trouble for several years, might have made the imperial court dissatisfied with the Taoists and want to take drastic measures, so he told himself to be careful, lest he get into trouble and be caught by others.

  Xun Yu's response was completely unexpected by Guo Jia, and he even suspected that Xun Yu was joking with him.

  "Does Your Majesty understand the mysteries?"

  He thought about it for three whole days after he went back, but still felt that it was a bit too illusory. As a result, Zhang Liao, the General of the Feathered Forest, personally sent over a wooden box. After seeing what was inside, he finally believed - in fact, at first, he didn't believe either, but Zhang Liao slightly demonstrated some of its mysterious aspects, and Guo Jia couldn't help but believe.

  Now that spring has passed and summer has arrived, Guo Jia has been living in Chang'an City for over a month. The practice of Liu Xuan's method sent by Zhang Liao also had some days, although it is not possible to have any immediate effect, but indeed cleared away many toxins from his body.

  The emperor summoned him today and asked again. Guo Jia replied truthfully: "At first, I only felt my hands and feet were weak, but in the past two days, I have been feeling much fresher."

  When I first started practicing, combined with Liu Xuan's prescription to drink medicine and detoxify, every day was a mess, it would be strange if my hands and feet were not soft. For those few days, Guo Jia couldn't even attend court, he could only claim to be ill.

  At that time, Guo Jia even suspected whether the emperor was poisoning him. But thinking about it, if the emperor wanted to kill him, there was no need to poison him, just let the guards chop him off, and besides, the emperor didn't need to do so.

  Xun Yu happened to have some free time and went to see him, while also bringing some things for Guo Jia to help him recover his energy. At this point, Guo Jia was certain that the Emperor valued himself highly.

  Now that this matter has been settled, Guo Jia is still a bit reserved in front of Liu Xuan, but compared to when they first met, he has relaxed a lot.

  "Your Majesty has summoned me, a humble subject, today, but I don't know what it's about?"

  As a Gentleman of the Imperial Secretariat, this official position is not high but not low either, and normally he wouldn't be summoned by the Emperor for no reason. This time the Emperor called him, it must be that there's something to ask about. These days have already made it clear that the Emperor indeed values himself, so he also needs to show some ability, and let the Emperor know that he didn't misjudge him.

  "Oh?" Liu Xuan glanced at Guo Jia, knowing that this Guo Fengxiao also wanted to prove his own ability, and smiled: "I am now stationed in Chang'an, looking out over the northwest counties. What do you think should be taken first?"