Chapter 1236: Carrying on the Past and Opening the Future (One Hundred and Twenty-Six) Wrath
The quiet hall was suddenly filled with exclamations. Many of the councilors present had no idea who the Minister of Works was. Since the founding of the Han Dynasty and the establishment of the Great Council, the Minister had only been in Jicheng for a few days. He had never been present at any of the inquiries since last year. But those who had not seen him did not mean that they had not heard of his name.
He was Gao Yuan's most respected minister. For more than ten years, he had been running around on one construction site after another like an old craftsman. Almost all of the famous cities and roads of the Han Dynasty were built by him. He was also a legend. Before the age of fifty, he was a slave of the Xiongnu Gongsun tribe. After the age of fifty, he became a subordinate of the Eastern Expedition Army because the Eastern Expedition Army marched into the prairie. In more than ten years, he grew from a slave to the Minister of Works, one of the six ministries of the Han Dynasty, but no one ever thought that he was unworthy of this position.
&n＊Pig＊Pig＊岛＊Novel w.zuzdbsp; Such a person died in office, which is a huge loss for the Han Dynasty. Just look at the king's face and the faces of the councilors on the stage.
The questioning of the Ministry of Industry ended hastily because of Guo Quan's death. The councilors got up and left. The death of a minister of the Ministry of Industry represents more than just himself. For the government of the Han Dynasty, its impact is also obvious.
When the councilors headed by Jiang Jiaquan and the ministers of various departments came to the second-floor box, Gao Yuan was still standing quietly on the second-floor terrace, staring at the empty lobby. Everyone did not dare to disturb him and stood behind him silently. Everyone present felt sorry for Guo Quan's death.
"A loyal minister of the country, my arm and leg, God has not given him a long life. I feel sad, sigh and regret!" Gao Yuan sighed to the sky, and the face of the old man who always had a hunched back, a face full of wrinkles but always had a satisfied smile seemed to appear in front of him. "It's my fault. I should have called you back to Jicheng to enjoy your old age."
Turning around, looking at the ministers, "On the day of his death, Lord Guo personally supervised the successful blasting of the last east-west traffic artery on Cuiping Mountain. He finally completed the task assigned to him by the king. Ten years, two roads. Throughout the entire Han Kingdom, this achievement should be recorded in history."
"Your Majesty is right!" Jiang Jiaquan stepped forward, "Lord Guo worked hard until his death. As a man and a minister, he should be a role model for our generation."
Gao Yuan looked at everyone and smiled strangely. The voice suddenly dropped, "Is that so? Everyone present here, ask yourself. Can you really be as devoted and dedicated to the Han Dynasty as Lord Guo is?"
The sudden questioning shocked everyone in an instant. They also felt panic, some aggrieved, some ashamed, and their faces varied.
"The Han Dynasty has been established for several years. The country is getting stronger and stronger, swallowing Wei and Han. It conquered Qi, pressed Chu in the south, and Qin in the west. Everyone present here,
all have made great contributions, and all of them are in high positions, but many people are satisfied with this, and want to live on their merits, muddle-headed, and muddle through. Do you think the Han Dynasty can rest easy?" Gao Yuan raised his voice and said sternly.
"The Qin State is a centipede, and it is still alive even after death. It can mobilize a million troops at any time. Fan Sui is trying to survive and is ready to make drastic reforms to the internal affairs. He is fighting to the death. If he doesn't live, he will die. Such courage is impressive. The Chu State in the south is vast in territory and prosperous in population, which is better than our Han Dynasty. They have been peaceful for many years. Although their military preparations are slack and there are many problems, they have been working hard to govern in recent years under the oppression of our Han Dynasty. Both the military and politics have improved greatly. They have become the strongest opponent of our Han Dynasty. The enemy is working hard, but some of our senior officials are decadent and think they are invincible. If this continues, how can the Han Dynasty not be defeated?"
He slapped the chair beside him with a heavy palm. With a click, the chair could not withstand the heavy blow and collapsed immediately. The ministers were already a little confused by Gao Yuan's roar at this time. Under the leadership of Jiang Jiaquan, they all knelt down silently.
"Lord Wu!" Gao Yuan turned his eyes to Wu Kai who was kneeling behind Jiang Jiaquan.
"I'm here!" Wu Kai's voice trembled.
"You are in charge of the renovation and expansion project of Jicheng. How have you done?" Gao Yuan asked.
"I am ashamed to have failed the king's trust. I have been idle and neglected the Ministry of Works, which has led to many problems!" Wu Kai whispered.
"Did the parliamentarians tell lies today?" Gao Yuan asked.
"Although I may be biased, what I said should be true." Wu Kai said dejectedly.
"Mr. Guo from the Ministry of Works has been away all the time. Mr. Wu, you once presided over the construction of Jishi City. The king entrusted you with an important task, but you became a hands-off boss and ruled by inaction, so that Wu Kui, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of Works, deceived his superiors and bullied his subordinates, and manipulated the Ministry of Works. The Ministry of Works was in a mess, and the people and merchants complained. Do you know your crime?"
"I know my crime!"
"From today on, you will serve as the Minister of Works and rectify the Ministry of Works. The reconstruction and expansion of Jicheng must be completed within this year. Do you have any objections?"
"I obey your order."
"He Weiyuan!"
"I am here!" He Weiyuan took a step forward.
"Immediately arrest Wu Kui, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of Works, and transfer him to the Procuratorate. Investigate all of Wu Kui's illegal activities within a certain time limit."
"Yes!"
"He Cheng, the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Works, was demoted to a deputy minister and fined one year's salary for knowing the facts but not reporting them. Anyone suspected of corruption in the Ministry of Works will be dismissed and sent to the police station and the Procuratorate for arrest and interrogation. They will be punished severely and will not be tolerated."
Listening to Gao Yuan's rage, everyone was silent. Gao Yuan had never been so angry and lost his composure, but everyone understood that this did not mean that the King of the Han Dynasty was a good-tempered person. On the contrary, once a person with such a temper gets angry, it will definitely be a thunderstorm.
"Lord Wu, remember this, you can't lie down on the merit list. Ruling by inaction is not feasible in my Han government. No merit means fault. Occupying positions without doing anything, what do I want these officials to do!"
Wu Kai, a veteran of the Han Dynasty, was scolded by Gao Yuan without giving him face, which made everyone else feel awe-inspiring. Wu Kai, an old friend of the king, was like this. Who will be the next one?
"Cao Tianci!"
Cao Tianci, who was behind the crowd, was startled and raised his head, "I am here."
"As the Minister of Police, it has been half a year since the local guards and constables were disbanded. More than half of the police stations in various states, prefectures, and counties have not been completed so far, resulting in a security vacuum in the local areas, bandits are rampant, and the people are suffering. The police department is slow in action and has a sluggish style. What do you have to say?"
"I have nothing to say!" Cao Tianci cried out in grievance, but he did not dare to defend himself. He knew that the king was upset about Guo Quan's death. But he could only swallow this bitter fruit. The construction of the police station was due to the sudden outbreak of war between Han and Qin, which made him shift all his focus to it. This side naturally slowed down. I didn't expect that today would become the reason for the king's outburst. "I promise the king that within three months, the police departments in various places will be able to start operating normally."
After the outburst of two important ministers, Gao Yuan's anger seemed to be reduced and he let out a long breath. "Everyone, please stand up. Don't feel wronged. Everyone should think that everyone has their own difficulties. But look at yourself in front of Guo Quan. Are you working hard and are you wholeheartedly for the Han Dynasty?"
"Don't dare!" The ministers kowtowed.
"Stand up, and disperse. This king is unhappy. But I vent my anger on you." Gao Yuan waved his hand, "Mr. Jiang, Li Councillor. Tianci stays, and the others go. Lord Xun, Minister Guo passed away. Liaoxi County Governor Zheng Jun is carrying the coffin to Jicheng. It will arrive in Jicheng in about ten days. For Lord Guo's funeral, the Ministry of Rites must have a rule. First, draw up a rough plan, and then discuss it with the councillors."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Minister of Rites Xun Xiu bowed.
In an instant, everyone dispersed, fearing that if they stayed a little longer, the king would catch them and scold them.
Only Gao Yuan, Jiang Jiaquan, Li Can, and Cao Tianci were left in the room.
"Tianci, move a stool for Mr. Jiang. He is old and can't stand for a long time." Gao Yuan said to Cao Tianci.
"Thank you, my king!" Jiang Jiaquan thanked Gao Yuan and sat down sideways. He was already seventy years old. He had just stood and kneeled, and his body was indeed a little bit unbearable.
Gao Yuan's eyes turned to Li Can. This unusually fat councillor looked a little panicked at this time, and big drops of sweat fell down his face.
"Li Councillor, are you hot?" Gao Yuan asked lightly.
"No, not hot!" Li Can quickly answered.
Gao Yuan laughed, but Li Can's body was shocked.
"Some councillors have a proposal against you today. Do you know?" Gao Yuan's voice was small, but it sounded like a bolt from the blue in Li Can's ears.
"I know." Li Can whispered.
"Of course you know. I also know that you have contacted many senior councillors and are ready to veto the other party's proposals in the voting process when the other party attacks, right?"
Li Can's face was sweating even more. After struggling for a while, he knelt down with a thump, "Your Majesty, I know my crime."
Staring at the councillor in charge of maritime affairs, Gao Yuan said slowly: "Li's shipping has already been the leader of the Han Dynasty's shipping. Why are you still dissatisfied and attacking and excluding other sea merchants, and even wanting to collude with the commander of the navy to unify the shipping, Li Councillor, what are you doing?"
"Your Majesty, I have no other intentions, I just want to make more money." Li Can fell to the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.
Hearing this, even Jiang Jiaquan on the side looked at Li Can in surprise. These things, even he didn't know.
"This king plans to build a naval university in Fenzhou. It lacks a principal who is proficient in the navy and shipping." Gao Yuan said.
"I am willing to go." Li Can reacted very quickly and immediately heard Gao Yuan's hidden meaning. "I am willing to resign from the post of councilor and go to Fenzhou to build a naval academy to train more naval talents for our Han Dynasty."
"Very good!" Gao Yuan nodded, "Thank you for your hard work, Lord Li. The Li family is too big, so why not divide it up? Your second brother is also a talent. Don't let him stay at home all the time, don't you think?"
"I obey your command!" Li Can's voice trembled. He knew in his heart that the king was going to dismember the Li family, but the current situation was also a great honor for him.
"Go ahead and take care of yourself."
Watching Li Can leave, Jiang Jiaquan was surprised and asked, "Your Majesty, why are you treating Li Can so harshly?"
"Sir, do you know that last year the Qiu family's shipping fleet was attacked by pirates in Ryukyu and sank at sea?" Gao Yuan let out a long breath, "If it weren't for Li Can's great contributions to the country, Li's shipping would be the leader of our Han Dynasty's shipping. How could it be so easy to let it go!"
Jiang Jiaquan was so shocked that he couldn't speak. After a while, he said, "Now that Li Can is gone, who will be responsible for maritime affairs in the government hall?"
"Let's call Kou Shuguang back." Gao Yuan said. (To be continued...)