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Chapter 1255 Re-establishing the Grand Commander, A Letter from Home is Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold

This inspiration came from Lin Hao's earlier suggestion: besides the imperial edict that could determine the fate of the world, there was also the idea of ​​sending the young and strong men of the Tang Dynasty to the Western Regions.

If we train these young men into a mighty army and recall them in the future, could we suppress these regional warlords?

At that time, we can also start from the Western Regions and open up the Hexi Corridor, a golden route. Once this Silk Road is opened, the wealth collected through this golden route can also solve the financial problems.

"Can everything get back on track?" Emperor Dezong paced back and forth for a long time before stopping and looking intently at Lin Hao, asking:

"Besides recruiting young men, what kind of official title do you need?"

Lin Hao took a deep breath and said, "Both Commander Guo and Commander Yang are Grand Protectors and Military Governors, but the two regions are isolated. There is a need for someone to coordinate and oversee the defense and land reclamation of Anxi and Beiting, and to make decisions on the spot to resist the Tubo! Your Majesty, I request that you grant me this title!"

Emperor Dezong hesitated and did not agree immediately. Guo Xin was the Grand Protector of Anxi, and Yang Xigu was the Grand Protector of Beiting. The two of them already held the highest positions among the Protectors of the Western Regions.

But Lin Hao wanted to take over the positions of the two men, something he instinctively disliked as it meant strengthening the regional military governorship.

Emperor Dezong instinctively wanted to object, after all, whether from the perspective of the emperor's way of maintaining balance or the way of mutual checks and balances, he could not agree.

Just as Emperor Dezong was about to refuse, it suddenly occurred to him that the Western Regions were on their last legs and there was nothing to control them.

Or perhaps, since the Western Regions have nothing left to lose, they can concentrate their strength and rely on each other, which might allow them to hold out for a little longer.

Even if it develops in the future and can become a pillar of our society, all we need to do is bring Lin Hao back.

"I, the Emperor!" Emperor Dezong spoke slowly, his voice regaining some of its decisiveness.

"I hereby appoint you as 'General-in-Chief of the Military Affairs of Anxi and Beiting, concurrently serving as the Pacification Commissioner of the Four Garrisons, Yixi, and Beiting, and concurrently as the Acting Minister of War,' and bestow upon you a purple-gold fish-shaped pouch!"

During the Tang Dynasty, the fish-shaped pouch was a symbol of an official's status and rank. It was used to hold a fish-shaped tally. Officials of the third rank and above wore gold fish-shaped pouches, while those of the fifth rank and above wore silver fish-shaped pouches. The purple-gold fish-shaped pouch was a color-matching system, and only officials of the third rank and above could wear it. It matched the color of the official's robe (purple robe) and was a symbol of status.

"You are granted the authority to make decisions on your own initiative, overseeing the defense, land reclamation, and pacification efforts in both regions! As for the necessary provisions and supplies…!" Emperor Dezong paused here, then said with a hint of helplessness:

"I order the Ministry of Revenue to do its utmost to raise part of the funds, and the rest shall be raised locally as you have suggested! I await your good news!"

However, this appointment did not satisfy Lin Hao. The titles he was granted were all temporary, with no real power.

If one were to go to the Western Regions wearing this official hat, although it might bring temporary control, it would ultimately be illegitimate and would inevitably lead to future troubles and endless consequences.

Moreover, knowing the lessons of the Guiyi Army in the future, Lin Hao was definitely not happy. So Lin Hao looked up at Dezong again and continued to use the illusion skill.

"Your Majesty is wise!" Lin Hao then said firmly.
"What the Western Regions need now is to unify all forces. If we only bestow temporary titles, we may not be able to convince the tribes of the Western Regions. Even if we can subdue them for a while, in the long run, it will inevitably cause endless troubles and make us more likely to encounter unforeseen changes!"

Under Lin Hao's guidance, Emperor Dezong once again thought of using the power of Anxi and Beiting in the future, barely suppressing his vigilance.

Just as I had thought, the entire Western Regions was full of old soldiers with white hair, and it was uncertain how many years they would live. There was really nothing to be wary of.

"Then what official position do you desire to govern the Western Regions?" Emperor Dezong frowned, and finally asked helplessly:
"The Protector-General of Anxi and the Protector-General of Beiting are already the highest substantive positions in the Western Regions. The only higher positions are these temporary ones!"

Seeing that Emperor Dezong's vigilance had finally been dispelled, Lin Hao immediately said:
"Your Majesty, I remember that in the early years of the Tang Dynasty, a Grand General was appointed. Now that the Western Regions are in grave danger, perhaps we could re-establish the Grand General of the Western Regions!"

In the early Tang Dynasty, the system of the Sui Dynasty was followed. In important areas, the governor-general's offices were set up. The governor-general was in charge of military and administrative affairs and had considerable power. After the establishment of the Anxi Protectorate, its status and power gradually became equivalent to that of the governor-general's offices. However, in terms of administrative level, if a Grand Governor-General was set up, it was indeed slightly higher than the actual position of Grand Protector-General.

"Grand Commander!" Emperor Dezong couldn't help but think of the early Tang Dynasty, when he dominated the world and became the Heavenly Khan, and he couldn't help but yearn for it.

Recovering from the glory of his ancestors, Emperor Dezong looked at Lin Hao and said earnestly:

"If I were to grant you the position of Grand Governor of the Western Regions, could you truly pacify the Western Regions?"

"Your Majesty, I will certainly not disappoint you!" Lin Hao assured him without hesitation.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Dezong slowly descended the imperial steps and stood before Lin Hao, saying:

"Then when you have pacified the Western Regions and trained a strong army, I will let you lead the army back to Chang'an to assist me. Will you obey me?"

After Emperor Dezong finished speaking, he stared intently at Lin Hao's face, wanting to see what Lin Hao was really thinking.

"If Your Majesty has any orders, I will have no objection and am willing to serve Your Majesty with my life!" Lin Hao looked up at Emperor Dezong and then said resolutely.

"Excellent!" Emperor Dezong said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Then I will re-establish the Western Regions Grand General's Office and grant you the position of Grand General of the Western Regions, to govern the military and political affairs of the entire Western Regions. The actions of the Anxi and Beiting Prefectures will be under the control of your Grand General's Office."

"Your subject, Lin Hao, accepts the imperial decree and expresses his gratitude! He will certainly live up to Your Majesty's trust!" Lin Hao kowtowed deeply.

With the title of Grand Governor of the Western Regions, he was nominally the highest-ranking official in the entire Western Regions, possessing the power to control Guo Xin and Yang Xigu and oversee all military, political, and civil affairs in the Western Regions. He already had the right to a legitimate claim!

······
The West Market of Chang'an was bustling with activity. Lu Shisi, Guo Yuanzheng, and Lu Wenbin, a veteran from Xizhou, were dressed in new military uniforms. Although their faces looked young again, their eyes still carried the marks of the hardships of the frontier. In front of them were several heavy wooden boxes.

"Xuanwei Army, Maoniu City!"

Lu Shisi murmured, his hands trembling as he opened the bundle. There were 378 yellowed family letters, many of which had changed their names and were filled with a vast sea of ​​people. He had no idea where to begin.

Guo Yuanzheng and ten veteran soldiers of the Xuange Camp guarded the box of letters from the Kucha family, their faces solemn. Lu Wenbin, looking at the letters from the Xizhou army family, frowned deeply.

They have delivered dozens of letters today, but only a few have been delivered; the rest have not even found the recipients.

At this moment, Lin Hao appeared in front of them. Seeing their worried expressions, he asked in confusion:

"What's wrong? Are you having some trouble?"

The three hurriedly bowed, and Lu Shisi said in a hoarse voice, "My lord, Chang'an is too big, and many places have long since changed!" Lin Hao nodded, having already expected it. Lin Hao thought that Lu Shisi's letter back to Chang'an was probably a reference to the story of "Thirteen Warriors Returning to Yumen" from the Han Dynasty.

In 74 AD, the Eastern Han Dynasty re-established the Protectorate of the Western Regions and appointed Geng Gong and Guan Chong as Commandants of the Wuji Division.

The following year, the Northern Xiongnu Chanyu sent 20,000 elite troops to attack Cheshi, killing the Cheshi king. He then attacked the garrison of Geng Gong, who had been stationed there with several hundred men, and besieged the city.

At this time, Emperor Ming of Han had just passed away and was unable to send troops. Rescue troops did not arrive, and the Cheshi Kingdom betrayed the Han Dynasty and joined forces with the Xiongnu to attack Geng Gong.

When the Han soldiers ran out of food and were in dire straits, they boiled their armor and crossbows and ate their sinews and leather, refused the Xiongnu's offer of surrender, and held fast to the city.

It wasn't until Emperor Zhang ascended the throne that he sent troops to defeat the Xiongnu. When reinforcements arrived at Geng Gong's city, only 26 people remained in the city. By the time they returned to Yumen Pass with the Han army, only thirteen Han soldiers were left.

It is said that among these thirteen soldiers, there was one who undertook the same task as him. The last Han Dynasty veteran who survived spent the rest of his life delivering letters home to his comrades. By the time of his grandson's generation, all 757 letters had been delivered.

Geng Gong and his thirteen soldiers were lucky, because at that time the Han Dynasty was still powerful, and they could still send a large army to rescue them and recover lost territory.

Guo Xin and Guo Yuanzheng in the drama were unfortunate, because the Tang Dynasty was still weak at that time and had no way to rescue them. Eighteen years after Lu Shisi delivered the money to Kucha, the entire Western Regions finally fell.

Forty-one years later, Zhang Yichao gave away all his wealth and led the people of various ethnic groups in Shazhou in an uprising, driving out the Tubo who had occupied the Hexi region. Under the name of the Guiyi Army, he recovered Guazhou, Shazhou, Liangzhou and other prefectures and counties, expanding the territory by more than 4,000 li.

After Zhang Yichao's successful uprising, he sent a delegation to Chang'an to report the victory. When Emperor Xuanzong of Tang learned of the good news of the recovery of Shazhou, the emperor and his ministers were very happy. In the court, "hundreds of arms cheered and danced to congratulate him." Emperor Xuanzong immediately appointed Zhang Yichao as the Defense Commissioner of Shazhou to commend his loyalty and bravery.

Subsequently, as more envoys arrived in Chang'an, Zhang Yichao was successively appointed as the military governor of Guiyi Army, the inspector of eleven prefectures, the acting minister of rites, and the general of the Golden Guard.

The praise and commendation from the Tang Empire greatly boosted the morale of Zhang Yichao's rebel army.

Of course, that's another story. The later vigilance and wariness towards Zhang Yichao's Guiyi Army also marks the beginning of the story's tragic turn.

Getting back to the main point, Lin Hao saw that they were having such difficulty delivering the message, so he naturally didn't just sit and wait. After all, he was still waiting for them to return to the Western Regions with him, so he came up with a solution for them.

"Follow me." With that, Lin Hao led the three men and a group of guards to the Chang'an County Government Office. The county magistrate, having received instructions from Li Sheng and the Ministry of War, dared not neglect them.

Lin Hao revealed his official seal and edict, and said in a deep voice:

"I am the Grand General of the Western Regions, personally appointed by His Majesty, and ordered to oversee military affairs in the Western Regions. Here are thousands of letters from the soldiers of Anxi and Beiting, concerning matters of personal concern to His Majesty."

"I request that the county magistrate immediately dispatch clerks to assist in the investigation, comparing the records with the household registers! Regardless of life or death, an explanation must be provided!"

The magistrate broke out in a cold sweat. Good heavens, he hadn't heard of the title of Grand Commandant for many years, and he'd even heard it was highly regarded by His Majesty. So he hastily ordered:
"All clerks, cease your duties! Open the household registration archives and fully cooperate with the captains under General Lin!"

The government machinery was in operation, far more efficient than searching on one's own. Clerks flipped through the Yellow Registers, verifying names and addresses, while the two hundred-plus cavalrymen brought by Lin Hao were constantly compiling information based on the news!
"Zhang San from Yongningfang? He's already passed away!"

"Li Si from Anrenfang? Moved to Changlefang!"

"The wife of Wang Wu of Xuanwei Army? She lives in Fengyi Ward and makes a living by mending clothes!"

The news was mixed. The three men, each leading over two hundred people, categorized and organized the list, then distributed it. With the assistance of the six departments of the Chang'an County government, they delivered the letters to each of the new addresses.

Inside the low-rise house in Fengyifang, an elderly woman with white hair trembled as she accepted a letter from her husband, written thirty-four years ago, handed to her by Lu Shisi. She listened as he recounted the fall of Li Niu City and the entrustment of his comrades.

"Waaaaah~!" The old woman, tears streaming down her face, murmured to herself as she stroked the letter:

"After all these years, finally, finally I have a message to send back," she said, about to bow to Lu Shisi, but was hurriedly helped up.

In the small courtyard of Chang Le Fang, a middle-aged official (Li Si's son) reads a letter from his father from Kucha. In the letter, besides greetings to his family, the most frequent words are admonitions to him to be loyal to the emperor and love his country, and to become a good official in the future.

"His father just doesn't know that I've already become an official, albeit a minor one!"

The official bowed deeply to Guo Yuanzheng: "Please tell my father that I will not fail his expectations, but these past years have been hard on him..."

Zhao Liu, a soldier from Xizhou, had only his elderly parents left. Lu Wenbin handed the letter and a talisman to the old man, informing him that Zhao Liu was still holding out in Xizhou.

Tears streamed down the old man's face as he clutched the amulet tightly: "It's good to have news, it's good to be alive~, it's good to be alive~!"

Each family has its own joys and sorrows, each word a poignant expression of hardship. Thousands of family letters, like pebbles thrown into the vast lake of Chang'an, have created ripples that have allowed many families who had forgotten the Western Regions to rediscover that distant longing and sacrifice.

Lu Shisi, Guo Yuanzheng, Lu Wenbin, and others also re-examined the meaning they carried during the execution, and thus their eyes became increasingly firm.

The family letter matter is progressing efficiently, and at the same time, another massive plan of Lin Hao has also begun.

He carried the imperial edict and his new title, and first visited the Guo Ziyi family. Guo Xin was Guo Ziyi's nephew, and the Guo family had connections in the Western Regions.

Here, we met Guo Ai, the Duke of Dai. The title of Duke of Dai was bestowed upon Guo Ziyi. After Guo Ziyi's death, his eldest son Guo Yao inherited the title. Several years after Guo Yao's death, Guo Ziyi's sixth son, Guo Ai, inherited the title of Duke of Dai.

Guo Ai is not well-known in official history, but he is widely known in operas and folk tales for the reason of "drunkenly beating the golden branch". His wife was Princess Shengping, the daughter of Emperor Daizong of Tang.

Upon meeting these people, Lin Hao truthfully explained the current situation in the Western Regions. When the Guo family heard that Guo Xin was still alive, they were quite relieved.

Without Lin Hao even needing to use his skills to guide them, the Guo family immediately became worried about Guo Xin's future and took the initiative to ask Lin Hao how they could help Guo Xin.

So Lin Hao quickly shared his thoughts. To avoid trouble, Lin Hao used his abilities to guide the core members of the Guo family and described the prospects of the Western Regions, which earned him the Guo family's strong support.

The Guo family provided him with a wealth of connections for recruitment. Subsequently, Lin Hao, in the name of "Grand Commander of the Western Regions," issued recruitment notices for soldiers and civilians, posting them in Chang'an and various prefectures and counties:
"The Western Regions of Anxi and Beiting are still Tang territory! However, our soldiers are old and in dire need of reinforcements! Now, by imperial decree, we are recruiting righteous men to go west, to cultivate land and defend the border!"

"Those who wish to travel will be granted fifty acres of land and exempted from taxes for ten years! Seeds and farming tools will be provided! Food and lodging will be guaranteed by the local government along the way!"

"Those who kill the enemy and make meritorious contributions will be rewarded twice as much as those who are stationed in the interior! Those who recover lost territory will be generously rewarded!"

(End of this chapter)