Chinese New Year

Chapter 1383 Prepare in advance
"The furthest I've ever been is Lushun. I stood on a mountain looking at the sea, but unfortunately, I didn't see Penglai. That sea... well, it was all water." Song Gongshao Ji spoke in an exaggerated and comical tone, which made everyone laugh.

"I also got a fine horse, even bigger than mine," Yuan Zhen said with a hint of envy.

"If you return to Liangcheng, what kind of fine horse can't you get?" Shao Ji rubbed Yuan Zhen's head and laughed.

"Thirteenth brother, did you also get an eagle?" Shao Wo looked at Shao Ji expectantly and said, "Can you give it to me? I'll trade you some beads for it."

“No good.” Shao Ji refused decisively. “Madam Yuwen said that there were only three eggs in that nest. She sent people to guard the nest on the cliff for a long time before she got them, and she also put a lot of effort into training them. Let me tell you, the eagle may have eaten meat.”

"Tienu, what kind of person is Lady Yuwen?" Princess Mi of Yan asked with a smile, holding her three-year-old son.

Shao Ji glanced guiltily at his fourth sister-in-law and remained silent.

Everyone laughed again, even waking Shao Xiu, who was dozing in the sun under the eaves. He struggled to open his eyes, and after seeing his grandsons and granddaughters-in-law filling the courtyard, he smiled contentedly.

Shao Xun sat next to his father, and he felt that he was starting to enjoy basking in the sun, as if he had entered old age ahead of time.

This is not good! I'm not old yet. Tonight I'll find some confidence by talking to the concubines. Anyway, they'll pretend to be dying of pleasure, whether they're comfortable or not.

After pacifying the Murong Xianbei, he now has a relatively leisurely life.

The imperial court abolished the position of prime minister and established the Hall of State Affairs, appointing Chancellor Fan Yi, Attendant-in-Ordinary Liu Runzhong, and Minister Yang Man as its "prime ministers." All affairs, except those concerning the imperial guards and palace guards, were handled jointly by the three, with Shao Xun making the final decision in case of any unresolved matters.

The term "Prime Minister" here is just a colloquial term; the formal title is "Pingzhang Zhengshi" (平章政事). The three officials work together in a government office called Zhengshitang (政事堂), where they quickly consult on and handle government affairs. If more people are to be added to Zhengshitang in the future, and this person is not the head of the three provinces, then they can be given the title of "Tong Pingzhangshi" (同平章事) or "Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi" (同中书门下平章事), allowing them to participate in government affairs legitimately.

Simply put, it turned one prime minister into three. The advantage is that power is distributed, making it difficult for powerful ministers to emerge under normal circumstances. The disadvantage is that the three people may fight over their own interests, reducing efficiency.

Each of the three candidates has a distinct background: Fan Yi is from Dunhuang and comes from Liangzhou; Liu Runzhong is a Hu (non-Han) person; and Yang Man comes from a prominent and prestigious family.

Old Liu paid a considerable price to get into the Council of State Affairs. If nothing unexpected happens, Shangdang County will be conducting a thorough land survey, but it seems to matter to him. For many years, he has been sending his neglected illegitimate sons to separate from the family and go to other places, each taking a portion of their household registration and property with them, making them quite dispersed.

Let's just settle for farming; there's not much profit left.

Compared to Du Tian, ​​Liu Runzhong was overjoyed to the point of weeping with joy at becoming the Chancellor. He never imagined that a non-Hu (non-Han Chinese) could become a chancellor. Even though he was the weakest of the three and certainly couldn't outmaneuver the other two, it was still an unprecedented event.

He knew perfectly well that the emperor had deliberately elevated him to this position, intending to show Yao Laoqiang and Wang Feng that they too had a path to advancement. But—who cares, I'll just have my fun first.

The establishment of the Council of State Affairs replaced the functions of the Prime Minister's Office, so Shao Xun remained relatively idle and did not have many political affairs to handle.

Further centralization of power meant even institutions like the Council of State Affairs were abolished. The Six Ministries, responsible for specific implementation, reported directly to the emperor. All memorials had to be sent to the emperor, just like Zhu Yuanzhang, who worked late into the night every day.

There's no need to do that in this day and age; he wants to live a little longer...

"Grandpa, shall we go to the inner room?" Shao Xun lifted the blanket on his father's legs and asked softly.

Shao Xiu seemed a little confused and began to give irrelevant answers: "In war, you can't be soft-hearted. The governor inspects the ranks, and anyone who hesitates to advance must be executed."

Shao Xun was speechless.

"Spring leeks are a wonderful thing; we rely on them to eat in spring."

"How come Liu Shan can run faster than me?"

Shao Xun summoned Hou San and asked, "Does the palace have any spring chives?"

"Yes," Hou San replied meekly.

"Make two different dishes with spring chives for lunch," Shao Xun said.

"As you command." Hou San quietly withdrew.

Shao Xun stared at his back for a while before looking away.

Shao Xiu seemed to have regained some of his senses at this moment. He turned his head slightly to look at his son and said, "Liu Shan wasn't buried back in the East China Sea?"

“No, he was buried in Bianliang,” Shao Xun said.

Shao Xiu sighed, said nothing, and just stared at the children, her eyes no longer showing much affection or reluctance.

King Shao Xu of Zhao walked over, sat on the other side of Shao Xiu, gently held the old man's hand, and said, "Grandpa, your hands are so cold, let me warm them for you."

"Liang Nu, my hands can't be warmed anymore. Go and treat the brothers well. Don't stop visiting them in the future, so as not to break their hearts," Shao Xiu said softly.

Seeing that his grandfather had mistaken him for someone else, Shao Xu remained silent for a moment before saying, "Alright."

Shao Xun looked at him and asked, "Has the situation in Kansai been resolved?"

"The rebellion has been quelled," Shao Xu said. After the disbandment of the Hebei military garrisons and the registration of the Fangtou Fu family as commoners, some Hu chieftains in Guanzhong were frightened and rebelled.

Shao Xun sent his son to Chang'an to assist Zhuge Hui in launching a campaign to quell the rebellion, capturing and killing over ten thousand people.

The Xianbei in the Helong region were somewhat restless at one point, but Wen Qiao pacified them without resorting to violence.

"I heard you entertained a group of foreign merchants in Chang'an?" Shao Xun asked.

"Yes." Shao Xu did not hide anything and replied, "Thanks to my father, the Hexi Corridor is now peaceful and the roads are almost smooth. All kinds of foreign merchants are flocking here, and business is booming."

“This is a great thing for the country,” Shao Xun said. “One cannot act in isolation, and the same applies to governing a country. We must maintain this connection, not just for the sake of trade.”

Of course, cultural exchange is indeed important, but commercial interests are also very attractive. There aren't enough foreign merchants coming yet, but things will be different in a few years.

He remembered a warlord from Guanzhong named Li Maozhen in later generations. After being defeated by Zhu Wen, he suffered heavy losses, but eventually managed to rebuild his strength by relying on the commercial profits from the Silk Road.

In those days, the Maritime Silk Road had not yet flourished, and everything depended on camel caravans on land. Whether the Kansai region could rise to prominence was also closely related to this.

"You are fluent in the Hu language, have drafted market laws, and are very knowledgeable about commerce. Why don't you personally go out and do business?" Shao Xun asked.

“It’s not like we don’t do anything at all,” Shao Xu said. “The Shen family has people stationed in Wuwei and also has caravans traveling between Luoyang and Wuwei. Every year-end, they give me some benefits, more or less.”

Shao Xun nodded, signaling him to continue.

“But if I were to personally participate, I wouldn’t be able to make so many friends,” Shao Xu said. “If I were to manage the Western Regions trade routes, I would simply provide the merchants with markets, food and water, and protection, and then take a cut. One out of thirty, one out of twenty, or even one out of fifteen would all work. This way, it would be less troublesome and would attract more merchants. The profits wouldn’t necessarily be much less.”

"Go to Luoyang and Xiangcheng in a few days," Shao Xun said with his eyes closed.

"What is it?" Shao Xu asked.

“Recruit some men and organize them with your royal guards to expand to five thousand,” Shao Xun said. “If these two places are not enough, go to Gaoping and recruit some of the remaining men from the Left Flying Dragon Guard. It doesn’t matter if you can’t recruit them all at once, take your time. If any soldiers from Ji County and the Fifth Battalion of the Wansheng Army are willing to follow you, you can also recruit them and train them well.”

"Would it be alright if they were from powerful clans?" Shao Xu asked.

“Anyone will do, as long as you can recruit them.” After saying that, Shao Xun looked at Sanzi in surprise and said, “You mean the powerful clans’ retainers…”

“The Xue family of Fenyin,” Shao Xu said. “They are quite capable fighters. This time, they mobilized several hundred men and did a good job sweeping through Liaoze.”

"The Xue family, they are quite remarkable. Back in the day, when they vied for supremacy with Liu Han, they crossed the Yellow River to build a fortress, fiercely resisting the Xiongnu. They had many brave and skilled warriors among them." After saying this, Shao Xun chuckled and added, "Should I find you a Lady Xue?"

“If Grandpa wants to do this, he must have his reasons,” Shao Xu said.

Shao Xun nodded and said, "I'll have your mother find someone."

After saying that, he added, "Do you still remember the amnesty edict for the change of reign title during the Zhenming era?"

"Remember some."

"After pacifying the Murong clan, we still need to take over the Western Regions," Shao Xun said. "Perhaps we won't need to resort to force, and Your Majesty doesn't want to either. But some people have been kings and tyrants for too long, and their vision has become limited. They won't behave themselves unless a large army marches to their doorstep. Therefore, after the nation's strength has recovered, Your Majesty will send a general to select elite troops to march west. You cannot be absent from this mission, so you must prepare now."

The best way to pacify the Western Regions would be to avoid war, but that would be too naive.

Historically, Lü Guang of the Former Qin Dynasty fought many battles to pacify the Western Regions, some of which were arduous. He mobilized 70,000 infantry and cavalry—some say 7,000, but that's unlikely. This is because Lü Guang had several tough battles, and once encountered a sudden flash flood that drowned many people. The casualties were considerable, and 7,000 men were not enough to sustain the losses. When he returned, he brought more than 20,000 camels, laden with treasures. It was also at this time that Kucha music was introduced to the Central Plains.

Shao Xun also found it hard to believe that seven thousand men could pacify so many city-states in the Western Regions.

"(Kucha) City was like Chang'an, with magnificent palaces." The King of Kucha "defended the city," and Lü Guang used both ant-like tactics and digging tunnels to break through the city with great effort.

The city of Kucha alone has suffered so much; one can only imagine the state of other cities. Therefore, he will inevitably have to send tens of thousands of people westward. Starting this year, they should gradually accumulate livestock, warhorses, grain, and weapons in Liangzhou, taking several years to minimize the impact on the country in the short term.

"You must put your heart into it..." Shao Xun looked at the three sons, wanting to say a lot, but in the end, he only said this.

Shao Xu nodded and said, "I understand."

This is his fate; he should accept it, whether he likes it or not.

A burst of laughter came from ahead.

Shao Xun looked up and saw the Empress arriving with a group of concubines.

It's another wonderful day for families to reunite.

(End of this chapter)