The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 205: Hexi Important City
In the second month of the tenth year of Zhenguan, according to the solar terms, it should be the beginning of spring in Guanzhong now.

It’s just that it’s still snowing in the Hexi Corridor now. We passed through the four Hexi counties and arrived at the foot of the Qilian Mountains.

There are many herds of horses and sheep at the foot of the mountain. The herdsmen sit leisurely on horseback or sing songs at the foot of the mountain.

Li Zhen didn't understand the meaning of the language in the ballad, but he could hear the song's admiration for the current comfortable life.

Just as he was about to ride his horse forward, he heard the sound of horse hooves behind him.

A guard handed over a letter and said, "A letter from the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace."

Li Zhen took the letter and was about to read its contents, but saw that the other party had ridden away on horseback.

After untying the thin rope tied at the top and opening the oilcloth, what caught his eye was a booklet. Curious, Li Zhen read the contents of the letter and his expression immediately became serious.

Then he put the book away and continued to ride his horse further away.

Riding quickly between the successive herdsmen, we saw a group of soldiers standing in the distance. General Li Daliang was leading his troops on an inspection tour.

Li Zhen came close, dismounted, and saluted, saying, "I am the commander of the Hexi Zhechongfu, and I am honored to see you, General."

Li Daliang has been in Hexi for some time. His beard is very thick with streaks of white, indicating that he is a veteran in the court.

"Your Majesty sent Zhang Shigui to Tuyuhun, why did he arrange for a kid like you to come later? Isn't Li Ji going to come in person?"

"My father is still working in Chang'an and cannot come to the Hexi Corridor yet."

General Li Daliang's voice was harsh, but there was no malice in it.

He then asked, "You've grown so tall?"

"I am now working in Hexi Road..."

"That's enough." Li Daliang interrupted him and said impatiently, "Did you come to Hexi to look after your family business?"

"General, I'm here to supervise the construction of the Hexi Corridor."

Li Daliang led the team all the way back to Wuwei County. The light snow falling from the sky could not affect the murderous aura of the general at all.

Outside Wuwei County, there are many Tuyuhun people stationed here, and they still maintain their original lifestyle.

Tents and wooden houses are connected together, extending all the way to the foot of the Qilian Mountains in the distance. A large number of Tuyuhun people live here. Li Zhen is very surprised just by looking at the number of people. The crowd in the distance can only be seen as scattered moving figures.

Li Daliang said: "Don't look at it, there are 30,000 Tuyuhun people here."

"General, how come there are so many?"

"Haha, how do you think the Hexi Corridor was built? Li Yifu was arranged by the crown prince. Are you also arranged by the crown prince?"

Li Zhen wanted to say yes, but when the words came to his lips, he said, "I am here on the orders of Your Majesty."

Li Daliang smiled and said, "I am only stationed in the Hexi Corridor. At first, I killed a few of them to prevent them from causing trouble. Now they are much more obedient. You have to remember their habits."

"You will finally understand."

"Well, Li Yifu used to live on the city tower. Since you are here to take over his business, I will not interfere with you."

After entering the city gate, he said, "You are Li Ji's child. Due to our friendship, I remind you that after the four counties of the Hexi Corridor are repaired, it will be your business to decide how to deal with these Tuyuhun people."

"Here."

Seeing his confident look, Li Daliang couldn't help laughing, not knowing that his most difficult days were about to come.

Li Zhen walked up to the city wall of Wuwei County. He took out a booklet given to him by the prince. The booklet contained what he needed to do in the next three years.

Dig a hole in the desert, fill it with straw and then cover it tightly. This sand-fixing principle can be used to plant trees.

This is the tree planting task that the Tuyuhun people need to do west of the Qilian Mountains in the next three years.

Previously, in order to build four counties, Li Yifu recruited 30,000 Tuyuhun people. These Tuyuhun people even settled along the Qilian Mountains in the past three years.

There was a shortage of labor at that time, which is why Li Yifu recruited so many people.

Now there is only one county left of the four Hexi counties, so there is no need for so many people.

The Tuyuhun herdsmen, who were already accustomed to looting, would riot once they were left with nothing to do and were not paid enough.

It will also cause greater unrest and endanger the newly built Hexi Corridor.

Seeing General Li Daliang walking into the city wall again, Li Zhen put the booklet sent by the prince at the bottom. Before he finished reading it, he picked up the file left here by Li Yifu.

When General Li Daliang looked over, Li Zhen was sitting upright, looking at the file without saying a word.

"What do you think kid?"

When asked, he replied, "I thought that it would be fine to just kill any Tuyuhun people who were causing trouble."

Li Daliang shook his head and said, "If we kill too many of them, they will rebel. In the past, I just killed a few leaders. Moreover, Tuyuhun Khan Murong Shun is in Chang'an City now. These people are still Tuyuhun people. They even think that Murong Shun has abandoned them. It is not a bad idea to establish themselves as Khan and start a rebellion."

"According to the general, we still have to kill people."

Li Daliang laughed and said, "Killing people is the dumbest way."

Li Zhen said: "Let the Tuyuhun people move back and plant trees."

"Planting trees?"

Li Zhen explained: "As the general said, if the Tang people don't want them anymore, they will become bandits again if they return to Tuyuhun. In this case, we will let them go. They can settle down in the four counties of Hexi, but they need to plant enough trees and arrange them according to their skills. Those with good skills will stay and become craftsmen."

Li Daliang nodded and said, "How many things did His Royal Highness the Crown Prince tell you?"

He smiled and said, "I have already said that I came to the Hexi Corridor to supervise the construction of four counties under the order of Your Majesty."

Li Daliang smiled knowingly and said, "That's right, I follow your majesty's order."

Half a month after Li Zhen settled in the Hexi Corridor, he and Li Daliang wanted to let these Tuyuhun people migrate back.

According to Li Yifu's records, 3,000 Tuyuhun craftsmen with good skills were retained to continue building the last Jiuquan County.

The rest can be sent back to Tuyuhun.

At the beginning, there were the wailing of women and children, as well as shouting and cursing.

Li Zhen raised his sword high and said in a loud voice: "The Tang people have not abandoned you. As long as you go and plant trees, you can still get soap. In addition to women and children, every three households will send one strong laborer to go to your old homes and plant trees."

The Tang soldiers surrounded the Tuyuhun people, and there were war horses running all around.

The Tuyuhun people standing there were confused. They didn't know why the Tang people suddenly didn't want them anymore. No one listened to Li Zhen's words and left. Instead, they stood there blankly. Seeing this scene in front of him, Li Zhen looked at General Li Daliang behind him.

The other party smiled and had expected this situation.

It has been three years. The Tuyuhun people who have lived here for three years have already had children in their stable life here, and some Tuyuhun women have even married residents of the Hexi Corridor.

Li Zhen was faced with a very difficult situation to choose between.

Li Zhen had absolutely no intention of driving them away, he just wanted them to plant trees.

But Li Zhen read a second meaning in the eyes of the Tuyuhun people. The Tuyuhun people, who had lived here for three years, had long regarded these as their second home, but now the Tang people wanted to drive them away.

Li Zhen compromised and dejectedly asked the general to withdraw his troops. At this moment, he felt that he was simply unable to preside over these matters with his qualifications and abilities.

Not to mention that Minister Duan, who was originally in charge of the construction here, also returned to Chang'an.

Li Zhen looked into the distance towards the direction of Chang'an City. How should he explain to his father and how should he explain to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?

Just when he was at a loss, a man brought a caravan to the Hexi Corridor. Li Zhen was overjoyed by this man's arrival.

Think about it, Your Majesty restored Murong's surname and let him inherit the position of Tuyuhun Khan. What a wise decision it was.

Li Zhen followed General Li Daliang to the other side of Wuwei County and met Murong Shun.

Li Daliang whispered, "How many other things has the prince arranged? Can you tell me all of them?"

That smile had not appeared on his face for a long time. Li Zhen replied: "I have said it many times. I am here to supervise the construction of the Hexi Corridor in accordance with the order of Your Majesty."

"Hehehe..."

Li Daliang pulled a smile and said nothing more to him. Instead, he looked at Murong Shun who was leading the caravan. The caravan was huge, with ten horse-drawn carriages, and there were also many Hu girls and even Turks.

"What are you doing here?"

Murong Shun said in a clear voice: "Respected General, we are here to trade in the Hexi Corridor. We will stay in the Hexi Corridor to help you."

"How can I help?"

Murong Shun added: "After Master Du He received the news, he realized that the situation in the Hexi Corridor was complicated because no preparations were made to deal with the aftermath."

Having said this, he waved his hand and the black cloth covering several carriages was lifted. Six of the carriages were filled with bags of wheat. The black cloths of the following carriages were gradually lifted. The two carriages at the back were filled with soap, and the two after that were filled with large quantities of copper coins and silver cakes.

He explained: "Master Du He said that the Hexi Corridor will become an important trade pass in the future. I came to the Hexi Corridor to solve the problem of the Tuyuhun people and to help the Tang Dynasty make money."

"How to solve?"

Murong Shun bowed and replied: "I am the Khan of Tuyuhun. Regardless of whether I am the Khan of blood or the Khan of Heaven, I am the real Khan. Isn't that enough?"

"Okay." Li Daliang said loudly, "If there's any trouble, you'll be the first person I kill."

"Don't worry, General."

Master Du He is a good friend of the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace. Li Daliang's intuition has never been wrong. Looking at Murong Shun in front of him and then at Li Zhen behind him, these things were arranged by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Who else could have made these arrangements?

Even though Li Zhen kept denying it, Li Daliang was convinced that it was the Crown Prince who did it.

On the first day Murong Shun arrived in the Hexi Corridor, he had a big meal. On the second day, he walked into the residence of the Tuyuhun people. As soon as he arrived, he was welcomed by the Tuyuhun people.

By the third day, without the Tang army doing anything, the Tuyuhun people began to leave one after another.

Li Zhen looked at the long migrating team and let out a long sigh, feeling relieved.

The number of people who migrated out was not large, only a few thousand.

Murong Shun was going to build a village on the other side of the Qilian Mountains. This village would not have any walls, but would be a place for his people to live and work in peace.

Li Zhen asked: "If he is allowed to come here, won't the court be afraid that Murong Shun will cause chaos after gaining prestige?"

"This matter was arranged by you and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Why are you asking me?"

"I will serve you..."

"Shut up." Before he could say anything, Li Daliang kicked the junior. Considering his long-term friendship with Li Ji, it was only natural for him as an elder to enforce the law on behalf of his father.

"How could Li Ji, such a loyal man, have a foolish son like you?"

Li Zhen smiled awkwardly and said, "Please give me some advice, General."

"Look at the gold and silver on Murong Shun, and the money he brought with him. He is already a businessman. Everything he does is based on his own interests. Such a person will not cause chaos. Merchants will not abandon their wealth. He is just a merchant without will."

"I see. It's clear that Master Du He has trained him into a true businessman."

Li Zhen no longer had to worry about the resettlement of the Tuyuhun people. Murong Shun divided these people into five parts, one part stayed in the Hexi Corridor, and the rest built Jiuquan County.

Three thousand people were divided into the western side of the Hexi Corridor and settled there.

The remaining 10,000 people returned to Tuyuhun territory. After settling down, they could earn money by planting trees. After Murong Shun came back, he gave them money directly instead of soap.

And if a tree survives, you will be given ten cents, and if a tree dies, you will be deducted five cents.

Another two thousand people also remained in the Hexi Corridor, responsible for transporting goods to Murong Shun.

Another 10,000 people moved to the coast of Qinghai and settled there because they refused to follow Murong Shun's arrangements.

The burden of 30,000 people on the Hexi Corridor was completely relieved within these few days.

As for what means Murong Shun used, it was actually not a very clever one. After Fu Yun was defeated, many elders among the Tuyuhun people still knew Murong Shun.

Willing to obey the demands of the new Tuyuhun Khan, especially since the new Khan was not a Tang person.

Li Daliang recently discovered something. Since Murong Shun came to the Hexi Corridor, many merchants have also come here and are willing to pay full market taxes.

To the extent that Li Daliang had to sleep on a pile of money in the treasury every night.

As a result, I caught a cold.

Today, another merchant submitted a bag full of copper coins as city tax to the Hexi Corridor, which was used to do business in the Hexi Corridor. In order to obtain official documents allowing trading and to grab a foothold in the Hexi Corridor, they were very generous.

Li Daliang was really flattered by the merchants' enthusiasm. After catching a cold, he coughed frequently. Even though he had almost recovered, he still pushed all the blame onto Li Zhen, claiming he was seriously ill.

(End of this chapter)