I studied in modern times

Chapter 1003 Lü Huiqing's Advance (1)

Bao Cheng had specifically sent someone to pay a visit to the Wen family, hoping to use Wen Yanbo's influence to recruit talented people to Xihe.

After all, Xihe Road is too cold and harsh.

Not to mention the scholars in Guandong, even the scholars along the border avoided it like the plague.

Prefect You, relying on his personal connections and the slogan of rebuilding Hengqu, managed to gather about ten Hengqu scholars and tribute students to give lectures in Xizhou.

Among them, there were only three Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).

And they are mostly from Shaanxi.

There's no way around it; that's just how people perceive Xihe Road.

This is a wild and untamed land, inhabited only by barbarians, and plagued by constant warfare and danger.

Most people would hesitate to go to Xihe just by hearing the name.

Even the scholars from Qinfeng Road and Yongxingjun Road in the Northwest were the same; as soon as they heard it was Xihe, they shook their heads like rattles.

Unfortunately, Xihe needs talented people.

To be precise, it was the newly wealthy cotton plantation owners who needed talented people!
They needed someone to teach their children and nephews to read, then pass the imperial examinations, enter officialdom, and become their representatives and the cotton mill behind them.

These are principles that the people of Xihe themselves could not have imagined.

It was the newly arrived strategist, Prime Minister Lü, who taught them!
Thinking of that Minister Lü...

A hint of respect flashed in Bao Cheng's eyes, but also a touch of confusion.

Indeed, this gentleman's style of doing things is too unconventional, making it incomprehensible, unpredictable, and even leaving people wondering what his purpose is.
Moreover, his abilities and energy are too abnormal!
Although his tenure was short, he accomplished more than his predecessor, Prime Minister Zhao, who served for three years!

He had just taken office and hadn't even entered the government office of the military governor's office when he led his men to tour all the prefectures of Xihe.

He also inquired about the cotton plantation workers, inspected the canals in various places, and consulted with local elders.

Then they gathered influential figures from various regions and held a meeting.

It was at that meeting that Minister Lü raised a question—that the two relatives of the state, Xiang and Gao, would eventually return to the Three Offices for tea.

Although the former Prime Minister Zhao enjoyed the emperor's deep trust, he was getting old and might retire at any time.

If that happens, what will cotton farms in various places use to defend themselves?
It should be known that the scholars of the Song Dynasty abhorred being enslaved.

Xihe Cotton Manor, though they say they are all hired laborers.

But what is the actual situation?

Can you fool others, but can you fool yourself?
Therefore, Xihe must promote education.

Cotton plantation owners needed scholar-officials in the court and among the common people to defend themselves.

Otherwise, if the political climate changes or public opinion rises, the cotton farms in Xihe will be difficult to maintain.

As a result, almost everyone present was completely convinced of Lord Lü's abilities.

This led to the imperial examination, with various prefectures in Xihe vying to send people to the capital to take the test.

Even he, Bao Shun's grandson, was urgently sent to the Xizhou government office to participate in a special examination tailored for him. He obtained a place as a tribute student and then hurriedly went to the capital.

Logically speaking, according to the information that Bao Cheng and his grandfather gleaned from the words of Prefect You and others...

Someone like Prime Minister Lü, who could dissect and clearly explain the internal rules of the Song Dynasty to people like the Tibetans, Qiang, and Dangxiang, who were considered "barbarians" by the literati, was not only unprecedented in the past, but probably will never be again!

This is a bit outrageous!

But what that Minister Lü did was not just that!
He also taught the cotton plantation owners in Xihe how he did business in Fujian.

What about futures trading, joint-stock companies, fundraising...?

The powerful clan leaders of Xihe were immediately enlightened and broadened their horizons.

However, besides bestowing favors, that Minister Lü...

It can also establish authority!

Moreover, he never hesitates to kill!
Anyone who disobeys his orders or commands, whether a military officer below the rank of prefectural governor or a civil official below the rank of court official, will be killed without hesitation! After the killing, he will fabricate charges against them, issue notices to the prefectures and counties, report to the court, and even investigate their wives.

Therefore, although he had only been in office for a short time, everyone in Xihe was grateful and trembling with fear.

Everyone says – the grace of the Grand Marshal is never-ending!
The only problem is-

The imperial spies and confidants in Xihe Road seemed to be blind, completely oblivious to what this Grand Coordinator had done.

In any case, neither the official gazette nor the court documents ever contained a single word commenting on that Grand Coordinator.

The two relatives, Xiang and Gao, were all smiles all day long, allowing the Grand Coordinator to do whatever he wanted in Xihe.

So, before coming to the capital, Bao Cheng had even heard that the Grand Chancellor had met with the Prime Minister of the Burmese Medicine Family (Western Xia) and they had discussed a very big deal!

He didn't even try to cover it up.

As a result, almost everyone knew about the powerful clan leaders in Xihe Prefecture.

With these thoughts in mind, Bao Cheng had already gone downstairs when he saw a slightly overweight man in brocade clothes, who looked to be in his fifties, standing in front of the counter, fanning himself with a paper fan.

Bao Cheng quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully with the proper etiquette for a nephew he had learned: "Bao Cheng, a junior from Xizhou, pays respects to Uncle Wen Liu!"

Wen Jifu chuckled and stepped forward to help Bao Cheng up: "Nephew! We are old friends, no need for such formalities!"

……

When Bao Cheng met Wen Jifu.

Candles have been lit inside the imperial palace.

In the Funing Palace, Zhao Xu was playing with a golden seal that the Tongjiansi (the Bureau of Imperial Observation) had urgently sent in before the palace gates were locked.

The gold seal is simple and elegant, cast entirely in purple gold, with the inscription written in red ink, a standard Tang Dynasty style.

"Seal of the Military Governor of the Guiyi Army of the Great Tang Dynasty!" Zhao Xu read the seal on it softly, his smile never fading.

"Well done!" Zhao Xu held the golden seal in his hand and said to Shi Deyi in front of him, "Your Excellency, convey my oral decree to the Academy of Academicians, and instruct Academician Xing to draft an imperial edict according to my wishes and send it to Xihe for Prime Minister Lü!"

"Tell me that I am very pleased that Prime Minister Lü has redeemed the seal, regalia, and descendants of the Guiyi Army, the military governor of our dynasty!"

"Therefore, grant Prime Minister Lü a fief of one thousand households, a real estate of two hundred households, and bestow upon him tea and wine!"

"Other meritorious individuals shall be reported by Xihe, and the relevant authorities shall be ordered to promote them according to their merits!"

"Yes, sir!" Shi Deyi accepted the order and left.

Zhao Xu held the golden seal that had been sent back from Xihe by express courier, along with Lü Huiqing's memorial sent with it, and looked intently toward Xihe.

"We still need someone like Lü Huiqing!"

“The other civil officials are ultimately too conservative!” he said softly.

In fact, the ministers sent by the Song Dynasty to negotiate with the Tanguts were already very efficient.

Within a few months, the relevant conditions were basically agreed upon. They were just waiting for Zhao Xu to nod his head so that they could sign a contract and complete the transaction with Empress Dowager Liang of Xingqing Prefecture. At the latest, Zhao Xu would be able to get what he wanted by the end of the year.

Unfortunately, Lü Huiqing was too proactive.

He went directly to the prime minister, Liang Yifu, and then reached a deal through a secret relationship.

In order to expand the scale of iron coin imports and improve the conditions for introducing "Western Region laborers", Liang Yifu directly obtained the relevant gold seals and ceremonial regalia from Xingqing Prefecture.

As for the descendants of the Guiyi Army from back then?

They were directly under Liang Yifu's control!
So there was no need for any discussion; Liang Yifu simply sent the person to Xihe.

Of course, Liang Yifu couldn't possibly send all the descendants of the Guiyi Army over—that would be too many.

In theory, everyone in Guazhou, Shazhou, and Liangzhou could be considered descendants of the Guiyi Army—the Guiyi Army regime was effectively usurped by the Uyghurs in its later stages.

Therefore, Liang Yifu sent back more than three hundred descendants of the True Guiyi Army who had Han Chinese blood.

(End of this chapter)