Chapter 4: Buying an official post, the "Pay-for-Emperor" Emperor Ling of Han
At this time, the two had arrived at a checkpoint a hundred miles outside of Luoyang City. Unlike the other checkpoints they had seen along the way, this one was no longer in a semi-abandoned state and was heavily guarded.

At a glance, there were at least tens of thousands of them, all elite soldiers in full armor.

However, when they were guarding the checkpoints, what they were guarding against were not bandits or the rebellious Yellow Turban Army, but ordinary people who gathered outside the city of Luoyang and fled with their families!
"It takes more than one day for the ice to freeze three feet thick!"

Ji Hao looked at those people who were being driven away by the officers and soldiers, who rushed forward desperately from time to time, and then were killed directly by the officers and soldiers. They died without being able to see the people of Luoyang, and his heart was filled with emotion.

This is the big man.

The people still remembered that they were Han people, so when they suffered a disaster, they would identify the capital Luoyang and go there for help.

But they came with full of hope, but what they got was not relief from the Han court. Instead, they were ruthlessly driven away and even suppressed, so that they would never get close to Luoyang City even if they died.

So as not to offend the nobles in the city!
The court is on its last legs. Is it really just because the imperial power has fallen into the wrong hands?
In the final analysis, it is because he has lost the support of the people and has lost the support of the people!

"Go in first!" said Cao Cao.

In fact, he was also heartbroken. Not to mention that he was not the future treacherous hero who would rather betray the world, even if he was, he would not ignore the lives of the people like the current Han Dynasty court.

However, he is powerless and has little influence. What can he do?

Nothing can be done.

Just turn a blind eye!

"Let's go!"

Ji Hao already had an idea in his mind, but he didn't say much. Instead, he walked into the checkpoint with Cao Cao. Since they were riding tall horses and dressed cleanly, they were obviously not refugees, so the officers and soldiers didn't even check them and let them pass.

While they were passing through, another wave of disaster victims wanted to take the opportunity to rush in.

But he was stopped by the officers and soldiers, who chopped him with their swords.

Seeing this, Ji Hao could no longer bear to watch, so he drew out his spear to block the knife, and then pushed the group of victims back, saying, "In a few days, someone will come to provide disaster relief!"

After saying this, he suddenly spurred his horse and rushed towards Luoyang.

Cao Cao followed closely behind.

After passing the checkpoint, there were no more refugees, and no more bones on the roadside. The 100-mile road was smooth, and no more bandits blocked the road. The surrounding area was peaceful and harmonious.

It seems like a prosperous time.

"The same world, separated by a checkpoint, seems like two different worlds." Cao Cao sighed and looked at Ji Hao and asked, "Brother Chengtian, what are you going to do next?"

There is no need to argue about the collapse of rituals and music anymore.

He just wanted to know what Ji Hao was going to do and how powerful the "Zhou royal family" represented behind him was.

"Go buy an official position!" Ji Hao said, "Only with an official position can you legitimately gather refugees, recruit soldiers and horses, and do something. I have prepared the most precious colored glaze, and I am ready to present it to the emperor in exchange for an official position!"

This is his subsequent plan.

But Cao Cao was not interested in the words themselves when he heard them. Instead, he said in horror, "Brother Chengtian, are you planning to assassinate me?"

Ji Hao: “???”

After looking Cao Cao up and down for a long time, he remembered that he was not facing the later Cao thief.

He is a young man in his twenties, full of passion.

The fact that he later assassinated Dong was obviously due to his extreme thinking. He still believed that "the problem can be solved by solving the person who created it". He probably thought that the world would be better if he assassinated the current emperor.

Is that possible?

"Meng De, you are joking. Why would I assassinate the emperor?" Ji Hao shook his head and said, "Don't be brave! The world has been plagued for a long time. It can't be changed by removing a certain person, even if that person is the emperor."

This made Cao Cao feel relieved.

Then he asked, "But how can we change this world?"

"Let the refugees outside the checkpoints no longer be refugees, let the elderly among them have someone to rely on, let the children among them have someone to take care of, and let the middle-aged have a place to earn money to support their families!"

Ji Hao smiled.

“That’s what I’m going to do next!”

...Xiyuan was a special department established by Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, the father of Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie, in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. It was not subject to the laws and regulations of the court and was directly managed by the emperor and was only responsible to the emperor.

There are "Eight Commanders of Xiyuan" in the army, commanding an independent army.

It can be regarded as the last army that truly belonged to the emperor in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.

The money to support this army did not come from the national treasury, but from Emperor Ling of Han himself. It came from the part of his "Western Garden" that was open to the public, and from the money collected from the open sale of official positions and titles!
The West Garden is divided into the inner garden and the outer garden.

The Eight Colonels all belonged to the Inner Garden, while the Outer Garden was turned into a market by Emperor Ling of Han, where various official positions were sold at clearly marked prices. Even eunuchs and palace maids opened shops in accordance with his orders.

Whoever sells an official position and makes money will get dividends.

"Our Majesty is also a man of talent. He has managed to sell official positions on such a grand scale and in such an orderly manner that even the capitalist tycoons would have to call him an expert if they saw it!"

Ji Hao said this, and together with Cao Cao, they came to the deepest part of the outer garden, to the shop located in the "main position".

There is a couplet at the entrance of the store.

The first couplet reads: There is no official in the world that is not sold.

The second line reads: Money and goods are of equal value, don’t come if you don’t have money!

Horizontal banner: Don’t joke.

Looking inside, there were eunuchs and palace maids serving, and guards from the inner palace. A middle-aged man was reviewing memorials on the desk. When he saw Ji Hao and the others coming, he said without even looking up, "If you want to buy with money, go and choose, and pay directly. If you want to exchange with treasures, check the goods first, and then choose after the official position is determined!"

Hearing this, Ji Hao saw that there were sand tables in the shop.

It is a map of all the provinces and counties in the world.

There were small flags flying around, with the official positions, prices, and terms of office marked on them.

Just like a vegetable market.

"I brought a precious glass cup. Your Majesty, please inspect it!" Ji Hao said, taking out the treasure chest he had prepared for a long time, opened the lid, and took out a glass cup from the cotton pad inside.

When Emperor Liu Hong, who was reviewing memorials, saw this thing, he was obviously stunned.

He immediately took it and started playing with it.

After a while, some more wine was poured and tasted from the cup.

Finally, he nodded with great satisfaction and said, "This treasure is great. You can exchange it for a term as a 'powerful county magistrate' or a lifelong 'extra-staff lieutenant'. You can choose!"

A county magistrate with real power is a real county magistrate who controls the people of the county and has a lot of money to make.

The extra-staff colonel was a military general.

He was a figurehead without substance, an official position without rank, similar to Cao Cao's unofficial captain, but of a higher status - Cao Cao, who later surrendered to Dong Zhuo, was an extra-official captain.

Cavalry Captain.

Although you may not have soldiers under your command, you can recruit them legitimately. As long as the number does not exceed the specified number and you can support yourself, it is legal and compliant.

This is also the purpose of Ji Hao's visit.

"I've taken a fancy to a place. Can we set up a separate military post there?" Ji Hao asked, pointing to a valley on the Luoyang sand table, just outside the Baili Pass.

He planned to gather refugees there and start his own business.

Being so close to the capital, it would never have been allowed in any other dynasty. However, in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, all places were allowed to recruit local militia, let alone an official position purchased with money?

Emperor Ling just smiled.

He said, "Don't you know that official positions are established by our ancestors and cannot be changed by future generations?"

"Your Majesty, do you still care about the ancestral system?" Ji Hao asked back.

"Of course!" Emperor Ling said solemnly, "The rules of our ancestors cannot be crossed. Violating them is unfilial and will lead to public criticism and impeachment by the censors!"

After saying that, he paused.

He said again: "You have to pay more!"

(End of this chapter)