The Great Tang General

The jasper makeup is one tree high, and ten thousand green silk ribbons hang down.

I don't know who cut out the thin leaves, the spring breeze in February is like scissors.

By February of the second year of the Qianyuan period, the campaign to eliminate low status and improve people’s moral character in Shannan and Jiangnan had been underway for more than half a year.

Compared with the vast plains, the road to eliminating inferiority and promoting good deeds in Shannan, Jiangnan and Huainan is long and difficult.

Here is the largest team sent by the imperial court, headed by Zhang Hao.

Troops from more than seven military governorates gathered.

As expected, there are many desperate people who will do something desperate.

But there is one thing in common with Henan and Hebei, that is, after the Jinyiwei infiltrated the countryside, the lower-class people did not follow the powerful families to revolt.

It won't take long for the powerful and wealthy families, who are like rootless duckweed, to be wiped out by the Tang army.

The moment those powerful families raised the flag of rebellion, they were on a path of no return.

When they were at the end of their rope, they had no choice but to abandon the land they had been devoted to all their lives and flee to the mountains.

For them, this is the only way.

There is no turning back when the bow is drawn.

In the past, those who fled to the mountains were civilians who were forced into a desperate situation, but now it is the powerful and wealthy families who have nowhere else to go.

The Tang army soldiers were just busy running around and delaying time.

Jiangnan West Road, Xuancheng.

Officials including Zhang Hao, Wang Changling, Zhang Xing, Yang Yan, and Wang Yu gathered together to discuss the next stage.

"It has been more than half a year since the elimination of the lowly and the good. Countless farmlands have been left barren and food has been drastically reduced. Although we can open the warehouses of the powerful families, and there are also the Changping warehouse and the charity warehouse. But we are the parents of the government, and we should prepare for a rainy day and cannot keep delaying."

Zhang Hao said to the officials present.

The wealthy areas of Jiangnan and Huainan also had to transport grain to the north along the Grand Canal.

It is better to raise the soup to stop it from boiling than to draw fuel from the bottom of the cauldron.

Although it was a radical move to eliminate the lowly and promote the good, Zhang Hao was in favor of it.

Land annexation and local tyrants ruling the countryside were like abscesses growing on the body of the Tang Dynasty that had to be painfully cut out with a knife.

"But there are too many mountains in Jiangnan, and many powerful families have already retreated into the mountains. We have used tough measures to continuously recruit families willing to change from lowly to good and punish families that disobey the imperial court's orders. Unless there is a military order from the imperial court."

Wang Yu spread his hands, and his disciple was helpless.

Their mission was to oversee the elimination of low status and the promotion of good people in the Shannan, Huainan and Jiangnan regions.

Now only Shannan West Province and Shannan East Province, which are close to the capital area and the capital area, have achieved the goal of eliminating low status and turning people into good people to a certain extent.

The resistance there is far less than that in the Jiangnan region.

When they were in Shannan last year, the governors of various counties in the south of the Yangtze River kept asking them for help.

The Xuancheng Military Governorate, Wuling Military Governorate, Yuhang Military Governorate, and Dongyang Military Governorate in Jiangnan have all been dispatched.

With the cooperation of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, they would attack if they disobeyed.

Even so, there are still huge drawbacks and progress is slow.

It is conceivable that the Jiangnan region could not even collect taxes, which shows how deeply rooted the system was.

Many county soldiers were controlled by powerful families, resulting in the killing of many Jinyiwei.

"In the past, when Shang Tang had his net open to all three sides, why not report to the Supreme Emperor and adopt a conciliatory policy to pardon the crimes of the tyrants in the Jiangnan region, and let them just hand over the land and release the serfs. Give them a chance to live. Now that things have come to this, they should understand that they are just trying to hit a rock with an egg."

Yang Yan believed that in this situation, the powerful people who bullied the local people could be pardoned to a certain extent.

Like the great families and the noble families, although they may suffer great losses, they can still survive.

The powerful families are scattered throughout the Jiangnan region, and resistance from any one of them would be futile.

The imperial court hoped that they could unite and fight a decisive battle in the wilderness with the 80,000 regular troops to establish their rule in the south of the Yangtze River.

The problem is that these powerful people are scattered and there is no possibility of unity.

"The reform should be once and for all, thorough and without leniency. We would rather use another two years than continue to cause trouble. The clan cohesion of the powerful families in the south of the Yangtze River is stronger than that in the north. They know that their crimes are unforgivable and have repeatedly killed Jinyiwei. So far, two prefects and thirteen county magistrates have died for the country. How can such crimes be forgiven lightly?"

Zhang Hao was the first one to disagree with Yang Yan's idea.

A reform should not only change the present, but also serve as a warning to the future.

It is imperative to make the great families of future generations understand that land annexation and the raising of serfs are a red line that cannot be crossed.

Because the generals who followed Li Xuan in his military career and the civil officials who followed Li Xuan's reforms all had descendants.

Now they have ideals and moral principles, but it does not mean that their descendants can uphold the beliefs of their ancestors.

By using such harsh methods to eliminate the inferior and bring virtue upon them, we cannot allow the descendants of today's high-ranking officials to cross the red line again, right?
Zhang Hao's words aroused the support of civil and military officials.

"I agree with what Minister Wang said before that the army is scarce. Jiangnan is different from other places. We can ask the Supreme to allow the counties in Jiangnan to gather tenants, organize militias, open warehouses, and distribute weapons."

"Once the elimination of the lowly and the good are complete, all militias will be disbanded and the common people will be allowed to return to farming."

Zhang Xing gave this answer.

Since we have to use tough measures, the only solution is to increase the number of troops.

"Yes, immediately report to the Supreme Lord and organize militias in various places to attack the powerful families in the mountainous area."

Zhang Hao nodded.

The mountainous areas and hills in the Jiangnan region are flat lands surrounded by mountains, and they have to enter.

"Minister Wang, Junior Minister Jing. More than half a year has passed, and the Huainan region has not yet completed the task of eliminating the lowly and turning them into good people. Please go to Huainan and supervise the process of eliminating the lowly and turning them into good people."

Zhang Hao then gave instructions to Wang Changling and Jing Kuo.

The Huainan Road is not big, but the progress is too slow.

Xuancheng is only one step away from Huainan, and Zhang Hao wants to see what is going on.

Zhang Hao was a disciple of the great historian Wu Jing and was highly regarded by Wu Jing.

When he was young, he traveled around Chang'an, entertaining himself with drinking and playing the zither, and was not good at interacting with outsiders.

If a noble invited him, he would go straight there, just to get drunk.

When he moves, he is like a king's teacher, and when he does not move, he is like an old man. This is a sentence to describe Zhang Hao.

During this era, Zhang Hao also received the true teachings of Li Xuan and acted decisively.

After a meeting, the Jiangnan region began a new round of adjustments, with people getting rid of their inferiority and becoming virtuous.

After their memorial reached Chang'an, Li Xuan's edict soon arrived in Xuancheng, allowing militia to be formed in various parts of Jiangnan.

However, the military power lies with the Governor's Office, not the Prefectural Office.

The military governor's office in each jurisdiction dispatched generals to lead the militia to hunt down and intercept the powerful.

……

Huainan Road.

After Wang Changling and Jing Kuo arrived in Huainan, they observed the situation of eliminating low-ranking people and turning them into good people along the way.

They passed through Anlu County and Qi'an County. Although these two counties were also mountainous areas, they were vast and sparsely populated, making it easy for the army to control the situation.

The 5,000 soldiers of the Mulan Mountain Army were stationed in Qi'an County.

In addition to these two counties, there is also Guangling County, where Yangzhou City is located.

The capital of Guangling Military Governor's Office was in Yangzhou.

Moreover, the imperial court had strict supervision over Yangzhou. The prefect of Guangling was Xiao Xin, a close confidant of Li Xuan who was promoted when Li Xuan was prime minister. He was shrewd and capable, and had the ability to judge people.

This made it easier to eliminate the powerful people in the Yangzhou area.

But the counties next to Guangling have always been in a state of confusion.

Wang Changling and Jing Kuo first arrived in Shouchun County.

This is also a large county.

Looking at the battle situation, there were eight battalions of Tianzhushan Army and five battalions of Chaohu Army in Shouchun County.

The military force is sufficient, but the county magistrate is a cover for the powerful families.

During the half year, three statistics were conducted on the number of released serfs and newly added arable land.

However, they were all rejected by Wei Zichun, the governor of Shouchun, who issued repeated orders that all counties must complete the task of eliminating the lowly and turning them into good people without any further bluffing.

Wei Zichun was also aware of the deep-seated entanglements between the powerful families and the county magistrate, county deputy secretary, and county lieutenant.

He personally led people to the county to investigate, but the efficiency was too low.

In the end, he could only discuss with Wei Boyu, the governor of Guangling, and mobilize troops to search.

The powerful families who refused to obey the investigation were gradually devoured.

Most of the powerful families in Huainan did not choose to fight to the death.

After Wang Changling and Jing Kuo arrived in Shouchun County, they also thought that Shouchun County was not a problem.

But Wang Changling learned from Wei Zichun that there was little progress in the campaign to eliminate the low status and improve the character of the people in Zhongli County.

The campaign to eliminate the lowly and make the good has been going on for nearly a year, but there has been almost no progress in one county, which shows that the governor of Zhongli County is deeply involved with the local powerful families.

When the governor of a county is unable to contribute, the government troops naturally cannot forcefully advance.

Wang Changling, who originally wanted to go east to Yangzhou, immediately followed Jing Kuo to Zhongli County, which was connected to Shouchun County.

Zhongli County was called Haozhou before it was changed from a prefecture to a county. There is a river called Hao in its territory.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, this place belonged to Zhongli State, hence the name.

In an extraordinary period, Wang Changling and Jing Kuo were escorted by five hundred Tiancewei cavalrymen, and they could not keep a low profile while marching.

In order to support Wang Changling, Wei Boyu, the governor of Guangling, sent six battalions of Yangzhou troops to Zhongli County.

Yangzhou does not need so many troops for the time being.

When Wang Changling was about to arrive at Zhongli County in his carriage, the guard reported: "Minister Wang, the governor of Zhongli is waiting to greet you three miles ahead."

"I know! Stop the car before you go in."

Wang Changling lifted the curtain of the carriage and saw endless farmland around him.

Plant a millet in spring and harvest ten thousand in autumn.

Many people were busy working in the fields.

I just don't know their identities, whether they are good families, tenants, or serfs...

Wang Changling is now nearly sixty years old.

His poetry has almost reached its peak.

Wang Changling, a master of seven-character quatrains, is well-known for his frontier poems. He can also write palace resentment poems that are profound and meaningful. His farewell poems are no less than those of Li Bai.

The beauty of seven-character quatrain and the strictness of five-character ancient poetry; the style is vigorous.

He is the greatest poet of the time.

Looking back on Wang Changling's life, it can be described as a life of great ups and downs.

When he was young, he studied Taoism in Songshan for several years.

After feeling that practicing Taoism was boring, he traveled to Hedong.

See the scenery of the border.

Not long after, he went to Hexi and Longyou, preparing to join the army on the frontier.

At that time, joining the army was the dream of every poet and writer.

Unfortunately, there was no war on the border at that time. After touring the border, Wang Changling returned to Lantian County near Chang'an and began to concentrate on preparing for the imperial examination.

In just one attempt, Wang Changling passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi.

He was just a proofreader in the Secretariat.

This year, Wang Changling turned 30.

But four years later, he took the exam again and passed, becoming a county lieutenant.

Afterwards he was demoted to Lingnan, but was returned when there was an amnesty.

Then he was appointed as the Prime Minister of Jiangning.

A talented man and a great poet spent eight years as a county magistrate, but no one cared about him.

It was not until Li Xuan became prime minister that Wang Changling was brought back and appointed as the Imperial Censor of the Palace.

Li Xuan was undoubtedly Wang Changling's benefactor.

Since then, Wang Changling was influenced by Li Xuan and made radical changes, following in Li Xuan's footsteps.

He has been working at the grassroots level for more than ten years and knows best what the people are like.

If things cannot be changed, disaster will occur sooner or later.

At that time, Wang Changling was at his most ambitious and vigorous.

When Li Xuan's reforms once prevailed, Wang Changling was promoted to the position of governor of Shangluo County and supervised the Longsha River gold mine.

When Li Xuan was dismissed from his post as prime minister, Wang Changling also suffered and was demoted to the position of Longbiao Wei.

When Li Xuan tried to seize power again, Wang Changling stood up again.

"Your subordinates greet Minister Wang and Junior Secretary Jing..."

When Wang Changling got off the car, Zhongli Prefect Luqiu Xiao bowed to him.

The thing he was most worried about finally happened. But Wang Changling and his party were like imperial envoys sent by Li Xuan, and they were guarded by imperial guards. Lu Qiuxiao had to come and see Wang Changling.

"No gifts!"

Wang Changling told Lu Qiuxiao and the others not to be polite and asked directly, "Why has there been no progress in the past six months in Zhongli County in getting rid of low status and turning it into good people? Doesn't Governor Lu think that Zhongli County is far away from Chang'an?"

Historically, when Wang Changling was passing by Zhongli, Lu Qiuxiao killed him because he was jealous of Wang Changling's talent.

It was the time of the An-Shi Rebellion, human lives were worthless, and the power of the county magistrates was extremely inflated.

The life of a great poet ended in such a cowardly way.

Luqiu Xiao should have been an unknown prefect, but he became famous for killing Wang Changling.

In the end, it was Zhang Hao who avenged Wang Changling.

Now that Wang Changling and Lu Qiuxiao meet, there is a sense of fate.

"Replying to Minister Wang, Zhongli's transformation from a lowly person to a good person has been completed, but we have not had time to report it to the court. Here is my document, please have a look."

Although Lu Qiuxiao was frightened, he still pretended to be calm and handed a document to Wang Changling.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

His eyes flickered and he was jealous of Wang Changling.

He believed that Wang Changling was appreciated by Li Xuan only because of his ability in writing poetry.

This is totally unworthy of the position.

As we all know, Li Xuan was very fond of appointing poets as officials.

In the imperial court, great poets such as Wang Wei, Wang Changling, Cen Shen, Gao Shi, and Du Fu all held high positions.

Wang Changling took the document.

The document stated that Zhongli County had freed more than 300 serfs, and the government had newly counted 150,000 acres of arable land.

"Zhongli County has a population of more than 20,000 households, with a total of more than 140,000 people. According to the data obtained by Shannan, it cannot be just this number."

Wang Changling handed the document to Jing Kuo and expressed his dissatisfaction.

After he was determined to achieve great things, he was very disgusted with this kind of fraud.

Lu Qiuxiao's eyes were wandering, and one could tell at a glance that he was hiding something.

"To Minister Wang, Zhongli County is small and sparsely populated, and the people are honest and simple. Successive governors have always been in a position to suppress land annexation, which is why land annexation here is not as serious as in other counties."

Lu Qiuxiao answered reluctantly.

He hoped that Wang Changling and Jing Kuo would leave quickly and stop bothering him.

He hoped by chance that Zhongli, who was sandwiched between Huainan Road and Henan Road, would be ignored by the court.

"May I ask how many tyrants the Lu prefect has captured in his efforts to eliminate the lowly and make them good?"

Wang Changling questioned Lu Qiuxiao again.

He believed that there were some places with simple folk customs, but Zhongli County was definitely not one of them.

The powerful grow over time, and if the powerful people in a place are not eradicated, they will always exist.

He had not heard of any signs of large-scale elimination of powerful people in Huainan in recent years.

"Reporting to Minister Wang, a total of thirteen powerful people have been arrested for breaking the law. The rest of the powerful families have committed minor crimes and have been released for the time being."

Lu Qiuxiao replied to Wang Changling.

He knew that without a scapegoat, he would not be able to succeed, and the explanation he gave to the court was not perfunctory.

The powerful families have already spent a huge amount of money.

In their view, it was the imperial court that had been persistent and had pushed them into a dead end.

"I hope what Governor Lu said is true."

Wang Changling frowned, but he needed evidence to arrest someone, so he couldn't just break up with Lu Qiuxiao for the time being.

After the movement to eliminate low status and promote virtue was launched, the issues surrounding freeing serfs and returning land had become quite mature.

Given time, they can easily find evidence.

If Lu Qiuxiao deceived him in anything, he would be in big trouble.

"Yes... yes, Minister Wang and Junior Secretary Jing have been traveling so long. You should go to the city to rest as soon as possible. I have prepared a banquet."

Lu Qiuxiao planned to invite Wang Changling to the city first.

"No, find the account books for this period of time. I want to compare them carefully."

Wang Changling refused Lu Qiuxiao's invitation to dinner, as he was determined to get to the bottom of this matter.

If Luqiu Xiao openly obeyed but secretly disobeyed, he would use Luqiu Xiao as an example to scare the monkeys.

These words frightened Lu Qiuxiao so much that his face turned pale.

How could Zhongli County withstand a thorough investigation?
He thought it would be over after just a bluff.

Wang Changling must be trying to get him.

But can he stop it? And on what grounds?
Seeing that Lu Qiuxiao was hesitant to speak, Wang Changling asked again: "Does Governor Lu have anything else to say?"

"no no……"

Lu Qiuxiao smiled awkwardly.

Wang Changling no longer paid attention to Lu Qiuxiao, and he and Jing Kuo split their troops into two groups.

Jing Kuo took people to ask the surrounding people about the situation and casually contacted the Jinyiwei of Zhongli County.

Wang Changling went to the city in person to review the account books.

At dusk, Wang Changling had just seen some clues from the account book when Lu Qiuxiao asked Tiancewei to report and ask for an audience with Wang Changling.

"I think Governor Lu will have something to say this time!"

Wang Changling asked Lu Qiuxiao with a smile.

There is no basis in the account books, as if it was directly recorded after verbal discussion in advance.

"I have long heard of Minister Wang's poetry and have great respect for it. It is a great honor for me to see it today. If my friends and relatives in Luoyang ask me about it, I will tell them that my heart is as pure as ice and jade."

As Lu Qiuxiao spoke, he took out a jade ring from his arms.

It is larger than an adult man's fist and is made of mutton-fat white jade, smooth and crystal clear.

"Why, Governor Lu?"

Wang Changling pretended to be confused.

"This is a famous jade carving, and there is only one in the world. After much thought, I can only give it to a gentleman like Minister Wang."

Lu Qiuxiao said with admiration, holding the jade pot in both hands and asking Wang Changling to accept it.

"It seems that you don't know what a jade pot of ice is."

Wang Changling didn't even take a second look at the unique treasure. He ordered the Tiance Guards: "Come here, Luqiu Xiao is not doing his best to be a good man, take him down."

"Yes!"

The Tiance Guards immediately stepped forward and held Lu Qiuxiao down.

In addition to account books, you can also conduct a thorough investigation of the powerful in the village.

Lu Qiuxiao couldn't hide the truth unless he rebelled.

Now he has no chance.

"Minister, I was just confused for a moment. I have an old mother at home. If I die, no one will take care of her. Please forgive me."

Knowing that he could not argue, Lu Qiuxiao knelt down and begged for mercy.

You can't tell, but he is still a filial son.

"Who can show mercy to the people of Zhongli County?"

"Take it down!"

Wang Changling didn't want to hear such words.

Because of Lu Qiuxiao, Zhongli was delayed for a long time.

Within a few days, the Yangzhou army began to forcibly liquidate the powerful families in Zhongli County.

Before, they were obviously in collusion with Lu Qiuxiao and tried to deceive their superiors.

Wang Changling wanted to let them know that there was no point in doing so.

Zhongli County's actions also served as a warning to other counties in Huainan.

It only takes a thought to suppress the powerful families here.

The imperial court will conduct a thorough investigation, and anyone who pretends to obey but actually disobeys will suffer the same fate as Lu Qiuxiao.

……

The area around Linhai and Yuhang is one of the rare plain areas in the Jiangnan region.

This place is flat and different from other places in the south of the Yangtze River. It has been a land of fish and rice since ancient times.

Apart from here, there is also the Taihu Lake area.

Unlike other regions, Linhai, Yuhang and Yuyao counties have the least powerful people.

Because more than ten years ago, Li Xuan had killed hundreds of powerful people here.

This should be the beginning of the punishment of the powerful.

Until now, the legend of Li Xuan's return to pacify the pirate Wu Lingguang is still circulating in Linhai and Yuyao.

There is a widely circulated proverb that goes, "If Qilang were to become the county magistrate, the common people would be willing to shorten their lives."

After all, Li Xuan never served as a prefect in the Jiangnan region, but he became a prime minister who cared about the people.

He became an emperor who was both civil and military!

The people felt Li Xuan's great kindness in another way.

They were the first county to respond to the imperial court's call to eliminate the lowly and promote the good.

The terrain here is flat, and the Qiantang Army is located on this plain. It was the first place to complete the trial of powerful families, release serfs, and return arable land.

After the imperial court issued the order to form a militia, several counties along the coast responded in droves.

They temporarily gave up farming, spoke Wu dialect, and followed the Qiantang Army to the mountainous Kuaiji County.

Under the oppression of force, powerful families collapsed faster.

More and more powerful families could not bear the pressure and surrendered to the court.

There are many southern barbarians in the mountains around Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and one's life or death is uncertain if one enters them.

It would be better for the head of a large family to be executed in exchange for the survival of most of the family members. Even if they are barely surviving or exiled to the frontier, the bloodline can be passed down.

The formation of militia enabled the imperial court to have enough manpower to deal with the powerful forces scattered throughout the mountains and rivers.

In the later period of the campaign to eliminate lowly people and bring good people into being, the most difficult place was Jinyun County.

Jinyun, surrounded by mountains, is like an iron barrel.

The county magistrates were the first to rebel. They were in sync with the people of Hebei and, in the name of respecting Li Longji, they coerced the unsuspecting people.

There were hundreds of powerful families, big and small, following it.

In addition, Jinyun Governor Cai Yi contacted Liaoman leader Lan Zhuangyi and raised a total of 3,000 troops to attack the Jinyun Mountain Army under the Dongyang Military Governor's Office stationed in Jinyun.

The Jinyun Mountain Army was located in the mountains, had no cavalry, and most of them were infantry. They were caught off guard and defeated, and were driven out of Jinyun by the Liaoman and Jinyun tyrants.

Afterwards, Cai Yun occupied the important mountain road of Jinyun.

When the news reached Dongyang, Liu Zhiru, the governor of Dongyang, immediately ordered the most elite heavy armored infantry stationed in Dongyang County to go and quell Jinyun's rebellion.

Wei Zhi, the governor of Dongyang, mobilized civilians to take charge of logistics matters.

After the army entered the Jinyun Mountain area, they encountered blocking barbarians and rebels and were unstoppable.

Finally, on the east side of Jinyun Mountain, they defeated the Liaoman and 5,000 rebels.

The Liaoman leader Lan Zhuangyi was beheaded.

After attacking the heart of Jinyun County for more than a month, Cai Yan knew he was no match for the enemy, so he faced Chang'an and committed suicide.

All other powerful leaders, big and small, who did not hide in the deep mountains and forests, were executed and their assets and land were confiscated.

According to Li Xuan's edict.

The family members of those defined as powerful and wealthy were exiled to the Western Regions along with their slaves.

There are many evil slaves of the powerful and tyrants, and they cannot be tolerated.

After arriving in the Western Regions, they were given farmland and registered as residents of the Western Regions, allowing them to take root there.

In two generations at most, their descendants will forget their dissatisfaction with the court and will remember that they are descendants of the Han people.

Li Xuan would publicize that they appeared at the border and came with a mission.

Zhang Hao ordered that the head of Jinyun prefect be sent to various counties, and that the head of Liaoman leader Lan Zhuangyi be sent to the mountains, so that the Liaoman tribes in the south of the Yangtze River would know the consequences of betraying the Tang Dynasty.

Even during the Kaiyuan Period of Prosperity, rebellions by the Liaoman and Wuximan were common.

They were not educated, and once instigated by Cai Yi and others, they ran out of the mountains to rebel against the Tang Dynasty, causing the tribe to be destroyed and their families to be separated.

If you want to conquer them, you must first show the Tang Dynasty's powerful military force, and then use both kindness and force.

The Jinyun incident was the death knell for the powerful people in the Jiangnan region...

(End of this chapter)