Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 717 A bowl of water is flat
“After the imperial court unified the country, the people could basically live a good life.

But after the unification of the country, it is basically impossible for the people to live a good life.”

In the study of the Bianzhou government office, Fang Chongyong wrote this sentence on a large piece of paper. The more he read it, the less funny it seemed.

This may just be a very realistic statement.

After defeating Shi Siming, the Bianzhou army could march into Hebei. However, the conflicts between Hebei and other places had been accumulating for hundreds of years. Without Shi Siming, there was only one less outlet for venting.

It is a very simple truth that those who are in charge cannot avoid being scolded. If the people of Hebei cannot scold Shi Siming, they will scold someone else in the future.

Fang Chongyong has already noticed that some people in the Bianzhou court are eager to formulate a "special decree" for the Hebei region, which is simply martial law.

In other words, the light taxation and loose commercial control policies implemented by the imperial court in Bianzhou and other counties may not be implemented in Hebei in the future. Don't ask, the answer is that there are so many bandits, and we can't just ignore them!

Things like imposing corvée labor and levying heavy taxes were all predictable.

Logically speaking, the idea of ​​"Great Harmony for All" should have been deeply rooted in people's hearts. Wherever the Tang Dynasty flag went, it was the territory, and all the people were the subjects of the emperor.

Logically speaking, the imperial court should treat everyone equally.

However, in reality, since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, there has never been such a thing as "equal treatment". It has never happened in the past, and it may not happen in the future.

How to take over Shi Siming's mess, how to bring Hebei under the rule, and how to strengthen the centripetal force and prestige of the court are all new problems facing Fang Chongyong.

At this moment, Da Congming pushed the door open and walked in. The other party, Chongyong, crossed his hands and saluted and reported: "Your Majesty, Liu Longxian, the defense commander of the three cities of Heyang, wants to see you. He said he has captured Shi Siming!"

Dacongming could not hide his excitement in his tone.

Youzhou is currently governed by Shi Chaoqing, the legitimate son of Shi Siming, so it is not necessary for him to kneel down directly.

However, the difficulty of conquering Youzhou is completely different with or without Shi Siming.

Behind Shi Chaoqing is Madam Xin, and behind Madam Xin is the Xin family, a local powerful family in Youzhou, and their network of relationships. In other words, now all Shi Chaoqing can rely on is his natal family, his uncles and so on.

These people certainly will not give up power easily, but they are targets for negotiation and winning over, which is fundamentally different from Shi Siming.

Their political demands were different from those of Shi Siming.

"Let him in."

Fang Chongyong was excited in his heart, but his face remained calm and he was very composed.

After a while, a burly man with a rough face walked into the study. His face looked very honest and a little confusing, like a rough guy.

Behind this man was a "beggar" who was tied up tightly. Even his face was black and he exuded a foul odor that could be smelled from a long distance away.

"General Liu Longxian pays respect to the emperor."

Liu Longxian saluted Fang Zhongyong with his fists clasped, looking a little reserved.

"The situation in Hebei is still unstable, and General Liu has a heavy responsibility. How could you ignore the defense zone and come to Bianzhou privately?"

Fang Chongyong pretended to be displeased and scolded. On the surface, it sounded like a rebuke, but in fact it implied that Liu Longxian was "extremely loyal" and the court had no doubts about him.

"Your Majesty, military affairs are indeed important, but this is Shi Siming. I finally caught him, and he is extremely cunning, so I have to personally escort him to Bianzhou and let you deal with him."

Liu Longxian lowered his eyebrows and said in a pleasing manner.

"General Liu is loyal and brave."

Fang Chongyong said with emotion.

It’s easy to talk to smart people. Many things don’t need to be really said out loud. Those who understand will understand.

Fang Chongyong looked at the "beggar" and felt that he looked like a refugee from famine. If Liu Longxian hadn't brought him here, Fang Chongyong would never have believed that this guy was Shi Siming.

"Well, I still have military duties to attend to, so I have to return to Beizhong City as soon as possible. I will complete the handover of Yecheng soon."

Liu Longxian reported calmly.

"The Ministry of War and the Privy Council of the imperial court are in need of some experienced officials. General Liu, it would be better for you to serve as an official in the central government in the future. There is a place for you in the Ministry of War and the Privy Council."

Fang Zhongyong hinted very bluntly.

Liu Longxian was overjoyed and left with many thanks, looking back every few steps to thank him.

Being an official in the central government is much better than being an official in the local area. Especially in the process of changing dynasties, the benefits of being an official in the central government are simply too numerous to count!
One travels thousands of miles to serve as an official just for food and clothing.

Is fighting and killing fun? Is being a general just for killing people?

After all, it’s all about money and power!

Liu Longxian knew that his gamble was right, so he sent Shi Siming to Fang Qing, who immediately promised to transfer him to Bianzhou in the future to serve as a Beijing official and to join the Ministry of War or the Privy Council.

You can manage military affairs without having to fight the enemy in person. How can the benefits of this be explained in a few words?

Liu Longxian was very happy at the moment. He thought that when Fang Qing launched a mutiny in Bianzhou in the future, he would come and "persuade him to ascend the throne". It was a wonderful thought.

After Liu Longxian left, Fang Zhongyong looked down at Shi Siming, who was being held down by his personal guards and unable to move, and asked jokingly, "Now that things have come to this, do you have anything to say?"

"Humph, the winners are the kings and the losers are the bandits, what's there to say!"

Shi Siming was very stubborn. He turned his head away and refused to say another word.

"Let's take him to Shanyuan Villa first."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand casually and didn't take Shi Siming seriously at all.

That’s right, before he was captured, Shi Siming was the so-called "Great Yan" emperor. He had tens of thousands of elite soldiers under his command, controlled more than a dozen states, and was invincible.

However, he was defeated and captured, so...that's it.

In Fang Chongyong's eyes, the difference between Shi Siming now and a dead person is probably that he can speak.

Since you are a loser, you have to act like a loser and you will be treated like a loser.

Fang Chongyong was not a member of the royal family of the Tang Dynasty, and there was no so-called "Anshi Rebellion" in this life. Shi Siming was just one of the warlords who jumped higher.

One more or one less of him wouldn't make much difference in this world.

"you……"

Shi Siming was stunned. He raised his head and looked at Fang Chongyong in disbelief.

Why was he treated like this? This was not right! He was the emperor of the Great Yan State. Didn't he have the right to be interrogated?

Shi Siming seemed to want to say something more, but Fang Zhongyong waved his hands impatiently. The guards beside him took Shi Siming away without giving him a chance to speak.

It looked like dragging a dead dog.

After Shi Siming was taken away, Fang Chongyong finally breathed a sigh of relief and his whole body relaxed.

Acting is for others, not for yourself.

In any case, there is probably no suspense about taking over Hebei. As for how to govern it, that will not be a matter of one or two days.

Unifying the world is a big step forward.

As if he had thought of something, Fang Zhongyong called Yan Zhuang to give him instructions. Liu Longxian probably did not hide his whereabouts and came to Bianzhou to speak freely. So the news of Shi Siming's arrest spread quickly.

When Yan Zhuang arrived at the government office in Bianzhou, he also learned about this. While he lamented Shi Siming's fate, he was also secretly happy.

"Sir, now that you've captured Shi Siming, are you really not going to give him a fair trial?"

Yan Zhuang asked doubtfully.

Fang Zhongyong shook his head and said, "Just deal with him casually. There's no need to give Li Wei face. Killing Shi Siming is like killing a dog."

Hearing this, Yan Zhuang pondered over it in his heart, and then he realized that Fang Chongyong was really meticulous.

Shi Siming was the so-called "Emperor of Great Yan". He established the so-called "Great Yan Kingdom", which was not to slap Fang Zhongyong in the face, but to slap the face of the Li Tang clan. Shi Siming was arrested and the Great Yan Kingdom was destroyed. The people who got the honor were the emperor Li Wei and the Li clan members.

Instead of Fang Chongyong.

Publicizing this matter would not bring any direct benefit to the other party.

Since they had already made up their minds to change the dynasty, there was no need to take Shi Siming's case too seriously. After catching him, they would kill him if he deserved to be killed, and sentence him if he deserved to be sentenced, that was all.

"What the government said is absolutely right."

Yan Zhuang saluted Fang Zhongyong with his arms crossed and did not object to this view.

"Shi Siming's arrest reminds me of something.

Starting from this year, for the next three years, Hebei will be exempt from taxation but not from corvée labor. What do you think?"

After Yan Zhuang sat down, Fang Chongyong asked solemnly.

"No taxes for three years?"

Yan Zhuang was surprised. Fang Chongyong's move was really big. Most people wouldn't have the courage to do that!

“Yes, we don’t collect taxes, because it’s not convenient to collect taxes, so it’s better not to collect them.

However, during these three years, corvée labor will be imposed in Hebei to build roads and bridges, restore people's livelihood, dredge the canal, and rebuild the government.

This is convenient for us and we can also win the hearts of the people, which is like killing two birds with one stone.

The people of Hebei are uncertain. They don't know what policies we are going to implement in Hebei. They are panicked and are inevitably taken advantage of by some people.

No taxes were collected for three years, and the Bianzhou army was the only royal army in Hebei, and no one could take the people away.

We’ll talk about everything after three years.”

Fang Chongyong said very seriously.

Yan Zhuang was so shocked that he was speechless.

It's good enough that Hebei is not taxed more heavily, but they actually exempted it from taxes for three years! Yan Zhuang was also shocked by Fang Zhongyong's generosity.

Of course, if you think about it carefully, this move seems generous and kind, but in fact it is also a helpless act.

If you want to collect taxes, you have to send people to collect them, so who should you send?
The people in the newly occupied areas of Hebei had not yet attached themselves to the territory. The local government officials were not from the Bianzhou court and had no connections with the local wealthy families.

If the imperial court sent people to collect taxes, they would be resisted openly or covertly. If they collected taxes by force, it would easily lead to civil unrest, or the right to collect taxes would be transferred to local wealthy families. In this way, the substance would remain the same, and Hebei would remain the same as before.

If the imperial court publicly declared that it would not collect taxes, then the words of the local tycoons would be useless in the local area. Although the imperial court did not collect taxes, the landlords still had to collect rent!

Because of this, the conflict between the court and the tenants was transferred to the conflict between the landlords and the tenants! This was conducive to the implementation of land reform in Hebei.

As for not exempting corvée labor, it was also an opportunity to rebuild the court's control over the local areas and improve the infrastructure that had been destroyed by the war.

Imagine that the imperial court has exempted taxes, and if every household is unwilling to do even corvée labor, then they deserve to be hung on electric poles, right?
Fang Chongyong's "delaying tactic" can be said to have been used just right, and it also put political pressure on Shi Chaoqing.

The court in Bianzhou did not collect taxes, but Shi Chaoqing wanted to collect taxes, even heavy taxes. It was obvious which direction the people of Hebei would go. As for three years later, we would talk about it then, and solve the problem of development with the method of development.

"This is a very good plan, the only problem is what will happen in three years."

Yan Zhuang smiled bitterly.

"Life is unpredictable. A serious illness could lead to death. Even if it's next month, I can't say what will happen, let alone three years later?"

Fang Zhongyong smiled and waved his hand, obviously feeling that it didn't matter at all.

three years?

Let's wait three years before we talk about it. Why think so much now? In a time of great contention, we are all competing for the initiative. Three years of tax exemption is enough for the Bianzhou court to gain the upper hand in the competition for Hebei!

Fang Zhongyong clearly remembered that in the previous life, when the Great American Dynasty was campaigning for votes, candidates had to promise a lot of benefits. Now was the time to seize the opportunity and sweep across Hebei.

Three years of tax exemption is just in time!
"What the government said is very true."

Yan Zhuang saluted Fang Zhongyong with his arms folded, and felt relieved.

"By the way, since Cui Qianyou went to Bohai State, no news has come. What is the situation over there?"

Fang Chongyong suddenly remembered this incident and asked doubtfully.

Because helping Daqinmao seize power was a confidential matter, Cui Qianyou and the tax police group did not send anyone back to contact them after they set off on the ship. If they failed, it would be a group of mercenaries trying to plunder in Bohai and then being killed in return.

These have nothing to do with the Bianzhou court or the Tang Dynasty.

Only if it succeeds, Daqinmao will send someone back to inform us of the situation. Calculating the time, it is the autumn harvest over there, and it is time to start.

"Official, this matter cannot be rushed. Now we can only wait."

Yan Zhuang tried to comfort him, but his heart was beating fast.

Fang Zhongyong's move was a direct interference in Bohai's internal affairs. If Daqinmao failed, then Bohai would almost certainly turn against him. In this way, there would be a huge hidden danger to the north of Youzhou.

It would be a lie to say that it is not important, it is just out of control. Now that the gambling game has started, how the situation will play out is often slightly different from what the operator thinks.

"If we control Bohai, we will suppress the Khitan and Xi people. Otherwise, Bohai will turn to the Khitan and other tribes, or join forces with them. In addition, Hebei is a newly occupied area, so this situation will make us very passive."

Fang Chongyong sighed. The current situation is a constant competition. Winning first is paper and winning later is money. Zhu Wen's Later Liang also had an advantage for a while, but it didn't operate well later and still collapsed.

Just as Fang Chongyong and Yan Zhuang were discussing how to send reinforcements to the Bohai Kingdom, Zhang Guangsheng hurriedly pushed the door open, holding a thin bamboo tube sealed with wax in his hand.

"Your Majesty, we have received a letter from Bohai State, saying that the tax police have taken control of the capital of Bohai State. Daqin Mao has been promoted to the position of the ruler. Please send someone to confer the title on him.

Daqinmao's son Dahonglin is waiting outside the government office!"

Zhang Guangsheng said excitedly.

"Good! Good!"

Fang Zhongyong stood up suddenly and clenched his fists.

This crucial step was finally accomplished! From now on, Hebei can become the rear area, and there is no need to worry about being shot at!

"Bring him in. Forget it. Let's go to Zhuangyuanlou for dinner together."

Fang Chongyong patted Zhang Guangsheng on the shoulder and laughed.

(End of this chapter)