Reborn as Murong Fu: This time I am the protagonist

Chapter 555 Qingzhou
"Brother Aguda, in your opinion, how does the local customs and culture of the Song Dynasty compare to those of the Liao Dynasty?"

On the official road, Murong Fu and his entourage rode leisurely, with Murong Fu and Aguda each riding a horse, leaving the rest of the group far behind.

"The wealth of the Song Dynasty far surpasses that of the Liao Dynasty. On my journey south, I have seen many brave and courageous warriors among the common people. However, the exorbitant taxes and levies along the way are also numerous, even exceeding those of the Liao Dynasty. Along the way, I have seen many wealthy families adorned with gold and silver, but the sheer number of impoverished people, barely clothed, is equally shocking. In my opinion, both the Liao and Song Dynasties are rotten to the core. Although they appear to be behemoths, they are actually not worth fearing."

After some thought, Aguda commented bluntly that the demeanor of a great ruler was beginning to emerge.

Murong Fu sighed inwardly: Just as Sima Qian said of Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, some people's talents are truly bestowed by Heaven. Take Shi Le, for example, an illiterate slave who was able to unify the north and become emperor. Talent is a mysterious and unpredictable thing.

Murong Fu was puzzled, but asked calmly, "How do you know?"

Wanyan Aguda said, “Take our Wanyan tribe as an example. In the tribe, whether it is the chief or an ordinary tribesman, the food, clothing and daily necessities are roughly the same. All adult men must hunt, farm and fight. All property belongs to the whole tribe. Even the chief, if he uses the tribe’s property for private matters without permission, will be punished by being publicly whipped.”

"All women must perform labor and care for the elderly and children; there is no exception."

"Looking back at the Liao and Song dynasties, all I saw along my journey were fields of wealthy families stretching as far as the eye could see, and countless servants. Countless masters and mistresses lived a life of luxury and ease, while the farmers who actually toiled in the fields rarely had a full meal, not to mention the countless refugees and beggars who didn't even have a shelter from the wind and rain."

"Imagine if war were to break out one day, how could an army composed of refugees and beggars have the will to fight to the death? They would all be thinking of survival and would collapse at the first touch. This was the case with the Liao Dynasty, and it was even worse with the Song Dynasty."

Aguda sighed, "The Jurchens have been oppressed by the Liao for over a century. Since the reign of the incompetent Yelü Hongji, the Liao's exploitation of the Jurchens has become even more severe. Every year, the various Jurchen tribes have to pay far more tribute to the Liao than ever before—pearls, furs, fine horses, and gyrfalcons—for their enjoyment and extravagance. It's just a pity that our Jurchen tribes have long been fragmented. Our Jurchen warriors live in harsh, cold lands, and are all brave and skilled in battle. If we could unite as one, how could we allow the corrupt Liao to bully us?"

"In my view, the magnificent empires of the Liao and Song dynasties are like a paper house built on a pile of dry firewood. As long as a single spark jumps on the firewood, it will immediately burst into flames. It's just that the time is not right yet, and we need to wait for the sun to dry the firewood a bit more."

As soon as he finished speaking, a middle-aged scholar dressed in gray robes and wearing a scholar's cap appeared in front of the two men from around the corner: "Gongye Qian greets the head of the family!"

The visitor was none other than Gongye Qian, whom Murong Fu had sent to Shandong on official business. Murong Bo had amassed tens of thousands of bandits in Shandong by essentially raising them. These men were a motley crew, undisciplined, and had caused considerable harm. To expect them to become a so-called righteous army and achieve anything significant was a joke. However, with Murong Bo's support over the years, they had gained considerable influence and their connections in Shandong were deeply entrenched. Even Murong Bo himself would have difficulty controlling them, let alone Murong Fu.

However, even a broken ship has three thousand iron nails, which is still a force not to be underestimated. It would not be worthwhile to waste them. So, after imprisoning Murong Bo in West Lake to live out his days in peace, Murong Fu ordered Gongye Qian to follow the map and find out the situation of the bandits in Shandong who were raised by Murong Bo.

After exchanging greetings with Murong Fu, Gongye Qian said, "As per your instructions, my subordinates have thoroughly investigated all thirty-eight major mountain strongholds in Jingdong South Road. I will explain them to you in detail later. I have heard that you have now entered the court as an official. What are your plans for taking office?"

"Well, let's see how things go first and discuss it further. You've been in Qingzhou for quite some time, so you must be familiar with the local situation. Tell me about the current situation first."

Gongye Qian said, "In terms of the overall situation, it's nothing more than the old story: natural disasters and man-made calamities. Since autumn, due to the long-term disrepair of the river embankments, breaches have caused flooding in six of the eight counties under the jurisdiction of Qingzhou Prefecture. Fields have been inundated, and the autumn harvest has been reduced by more than half. Local gentry have taken the opportunity to collude with local officials to borrow grain at high prices and seize land. Grain merchants, on the other hand, have taken the opportunity to drive up grain prices and cooperate with the gentry in seizing land. As a result, the disaster has not only worsened but has also become a major crisis. In fact, it's not just Qingzhou Prefecture; the six neighboring prefectures have all been affected to varying degrees by this flood. Since Qingzhou Prefecture was the most prosperous of the prefectures in the past, disaster victims have flocked to Qingzhou Prefecture. It is now roughly estimated that there are more than 100,000 disaster victims in the suburbs of Qingzhou."

"With such a severe disaster, why didn't the prefect of Qingzhou submit a report to the imperial court?" Murong Fu asked.

Gongye Qian sneered, "Hmph, what a greedy and stupid pig, still dreaming of getting rich at a time like this. This prefect of Qingzhou, Huang Renbiao, has been bullying people in Qingzhou for many years, relying on his uncle being the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. He acts like a local tyrant. Now that you've come to Qingzhou, young master, you must remove this cancerous tumor."

Murong Fu said with a smile, "Of course. Not only do we have to pull them out, but we also have to deal with the whole bunch of people who will follow. If we don't cut the weeds at the root, they will grow back in the spring."

Murong Fu knew very well that his brother-in-law had just gained real power and needed such an excuse to promote newcomers and eliminate the malpractices left over from the reign of Empress Dowager Gao.

Given the resentment the younger brother-in-law harbored towards his grandmother, if Empress Dowager Gao hadn't voluntarily relinquished power, the young emperor might have done anything, aside from bestowing upon his grandmother the title of Grand Empress Dowager, after her death. When Murong Fu left the capital, Zhang Dun had already been promoted to Minister of Personnel, showing signs of returning to the position of Chancellor. It's likely that the next step would be to recall those from the Xifeng era, and a major reshuffle of the court would soon follow.

Murong Fu laughed and said, "They say you have to consider the owner before beating a dog, but this time it's the dog and the owner who are being beaten together. Let's wait and see what a good show it is!"