Chinese New Year

Chapter 1491 Eastern Capital
While the Crown Prince was vigorously carrying out land surveys in Yongzhou, the palace in Luoyang was organizing various utensils and records, sending them to Bianliang in cartloads.

This is what happens when a country has two capitals. Even if most of the data is in both locations—as a backup—there are still many things that need to be carried, making migration very troublesome.

However, the multi-capital system also has its advantages.

The prefecture where the capital was located was generally called a prefecture, which was half a grade higher in rank—and it was not uncommon for it to be a whole grade higher—so the imperial court had a deeper control over it and could greatly suppress the growth of local power.

The Tang Dynasty had Chang'an as its western capital, Luoyang as its eastern capital, and Jinyang as its northern capital. By the Five Dynasties period, there were even more capitals. The Northern Song Dynasty, which inherited from the Five Dynasties, even had four capitals, with Bianliang being only the eastern capital.

The extent of local separatism during the Five Dynasties period is well-documented, and the court's use of the multi-capital system to control key or prosperous areas was out of necessity.

The heartland of the Great Liang Dynasty didn't yet have such strong separatism. The reason for establishing two capitals was simply that Bianliang's location as a transportation hub was too important, even more so than Yecheng. Moreover, with the rapid development in the south, Bianliang's value was becoming increasingly apparent—to put it bluntly, Luoyang only had a high political status; economically, it would be increasingly overtaken by Bianliang.

When the news reached Bianliang, all parties immediately sprang into action. Not only did the palace servants begin to work, but Chenliu County, Kaifeng, Junyi County, the Imperial Household Department, and even the Left Jinwu Guard all mobilized manpower to sweep courtyards, clear weeds, repair buildings, level the ground, and so on.

Even the Sand Sea has been expanded: Chenliu Prefecture diverted water from the Bian River, causing the Sand Sea, which had been gradually shrinking in recent years, to expand for the first time—they even poured a lot of fish into it.

As the commander of the troops under the Pingqiu Longxiang Prefecture, Feng Bazhi brought three hundred men to help. Their main task was to maintain order and prevent chaos. It was impossible for them to do menial tasks; it was absolutely impossible. If they really had to do that, what were the troops for?

"General Feng."

"Prince Fu".

Upon hearing the words "imperial son-in-law," Fu Jin, the registrar of Junyi County, looked somewhat uneasy. Calling him registrar was enough; the title of imperial son-in-law had no actual duties, and he felt something was amiss. Fu Jin came from the Fu clan of Beidi and entered officialdom through family connections. He married Princess Shao Yu of Luling (whose mother was from the Jing clan) in February of this year.

"General Feng, didn't you bring three hundred men? Why are there six hundred?" Fu Jin pointed to the soldiers lined up not far away and asked in surprise, "Is there a transfer order?"

Feng Bazhi immediately said, "Don't worry, I still know the order that the soldiers of the garrison must not leave the garrison without permission. These six hundred men are all under the command of the Left Jinwu Guard. Three hundred men will be sent to the desert for garrison duty, and three hundred men will travel south by boat to Jianye."

Fu Jin immediately understood: the Left Jinwu Guard had dispatched three hundred soldiers south to conquer the Linyi Kingdom.

"This journey must have been long and expensive, right?" Fu Jin said.

"It's not small, but we can still manage," Feng Bazhi said. "The expedition to the Western Regions a few years ago wasn't short either; the furthest expedition even started from Jingzhou with the Left Divine Martial Guard. Actually, we didn't lose out. We plundered so much stuff; even the cheapest items brought us over ten strings of cash. Someone even brought back a red-haired Hu woman from the Kingdom of Weixu. I saw her in Luoyang. She was so rare! Hey, that guy couldn't bear to use her himself, so he sold her directly in Luoyang. There were so many bidders that she sold for over a hundred strings of cash."

Buying a female slave for over a hundred strings of cash? They're probably obsessed with the bidding. I wonder how they'll ever make that back, maybe they never will.

Fu Jin shook his head, feeling a little envious. He knew he could never take a concubine in his life unless the princess agreed—but even if she did, the chances were slim. Would the emperor agree?
As the saying goes, every gain has its loss. Many people say that he will definitely be the next magistrate of Junyi. Even the assistant officials at the county and prefectural levels are not confident that they can compete with him. This is the benefit of reality.

“I’m afraid we won’t be able to seize that much wealth from the Kingdom of Linyi,” Fu Jin added.

Feng Bazhi glanced at him and thought that apart from his handsome face and well-proportioned figure, this prince consort really had nothing special about him.

“The registrar is unaware of this,” Feng Bazhi said. “The Kingdom of Linyi has a great many treasures. There are dozens of gold mines, silver mines, and copper mines in the country. In addition, merchants from various countries gather there, and the treasures accumulated over generations are countless. It is probably no less than the treasures of the Western Regions.”

"Oh? Is that so?" Fu Jin asked in surprise.

He was from Guanzhong, and in his impression, merchants from the Western Regions were relatively wealthy. But were merchants from the South China Sea also that wealthy? To be honest, he had never seen a single merchant from the South China Sea in his life. If what Feng Bazhi said was true, then attacking the Kingdom of Linyi was indeed worthwhile.

Furthermore, many goods from Jiaozhou were indeed transported to the north in recent years, and many of them were quite popular, such as the once-popular sugar cane, the still-selling spices, and even the increasingly discussed sandalwood among scholars.

Judging from this, the Kingdom of Linyi is probably not poor at all.

Of course, Feng Bazhi wasn't really that clear either.

Hearing Fu Jin's question, he hesitated for a moment, looking somewhat embarrassed, before finally saying, "I heard it from someone else. But so what if it's false? It's just that I'm too old to go on a campaign anymore, otherwise I would have gone south to Guangzhou to fight for the emperor and cut off the heads of the Lin Yi bandits to make a Jing Guan (a mound of skulls).

Fu Jin was speechless. So what if they killed him? What's wrong with them wanting to create a mound of corpses?
"From what you've said, Linyi must be quite prosperous. It's just that it's unbearably hot and humid there, so we need to finish this quickly after winter sets in." Fu Jin, being from a prominent family, quickly pointed out the key point: "In my opinion, after winning, we should empty the treasury, demand a sum of money and grain, and then withdraw our troops. After such a crushing defeat, Linyi should not dare to invade Daliang's territory again for decades."

"Why not occupy that bird country?" Feng Bazhi disagreed, saying, "No need for many, a few thousand people stationed in various places in Linyi will suffice."

Fu Jin shook his head and said, "If the people of Linyi want to rebel, you will have to station a large army. And once that's done, who knows how many people will die. General Feng may be strong and healthy, but can you say you won't get sick if you go there?"

Feng Bazhi couldn't guarantee it, but still shook his head and said, "But we've taken them all..." "Let go when you should. With several thousand troops, half of them will be dead in less than a year. What if the bandits use their geographical knowledge to harass you from all sides and don't fight you head-on?" Fu Jin said, "This is different from Jiaozhou. Since the Han Dynasty, the Central Plains have occupied Jiaozhou for hundreds of years. The local magnates and barbarian chieftains aren't so eager to rebel, which is why it's barely maintained. It's like horses; some are used to being ridden, while others are wild horses, fierce in nature, and not so easily subdued."

Just as Feng Bazhi was about to say something, he heard a cheer coming from not far away.

The two looked in the direction of the sound and saw a military academy officer raising his right hand, while three hundred people shouted in unison, full of joy.

Listen carefully, and you can faintly hear words like "pearl," "spice," "coral," and "sandalwood."

Feng and Fu exchanged a glance and then burst into laughter.

Feng Bazhi laughed especially heartily, and at the end he even jokingly cursed, "These bastards only think about money and goods, just like I was back then."

Fu Jin sighed, "Where is the royal army's demeanor now?"

Feng Bazhi ignored him and turned to go elsewhere.

The demeanor of a royal army? Do you want to hear what I've heard? You rushed over thousands of miles, braving miasma and snakes, fighting bravely, and you haven't even received a penny of pay. What are you thinking?
Feng Bazhi was certain that if the King of Linyi hadn't fled, his fate wouldn't have been much better than Liu Shan's back then.

What a pedantic person!

******
At the end of May, just as the various halls of Liang Palace had been almost completely cleaned, the vanguard arrived from Luoyang.

The once quiet and deserted neighborhoods of Bianliang suddenly became lively and full of life.

Yes, this was the case in Bianliang, a city that implemented the neighborhood system. For example, Shangshan Ward, located in the center of the south side of the palace, was entirely inhabited by high-ranking officials and nobles.

Cao Yi, the former Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Household Department; Wang Xuan, the former Minister of the Imperial Household Department; Su Shuyan, the former Chief Secretary for Protecting the Barbarians; Yu Liang, the former Chief Secretary for Encouraging Agriculture and Promoting Farming; Yu Kai, the former Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Household Department of Liang; and Pan Tao, the former Grand Protector, all settled here. Even though many of them have passed away, their homes are still inhabited by their families.

When the emperor was in Luoyang, the main gates of these grand mansions were often kept tightly closed. Only a few nephews and nieces lived there with their servants. When they went out, they usually did not use the main gate, and there was almost no social interaction. In short, the mansions were desolate.

It's different now.

The emperor is about to arrive in Bianliang again, and these wealthy and powerful families will soon be full of people. As long as there are people, there will be food, clothing and other necessities, and the prosperity of Bianliang will reach a new level.

Feng Bazhi helped out here until the first day of June, when he encountered three hundred soldiers from the Left Feather Forest Guard's Zuoting Longxiang Mansion heading south.

After some conversation, I learned that it was an order issued by the Crown Prince. He could choose which guards to send south, and the various guard offices in the capital would send people to relay the order and issue the troop deployment tally.

Feng Bazhi seemed to be deep in thought. Even the mobilization of the imperial guards was being handled by the Crown Prince. Could it be that His Majesty was already old and ill and bedridden?

He was somewhat wistful, having imagined so much.

Back then, beneath the walls of Ji County, the Emperor sat high above, commanding with unwavering resolve. His generals fought bravely, charging the city walls several times and decimating the enemy. After the battle, rewards were immediately distributed: he received a wife, Lady Han, and was promoted to the rank of Commander of a Separate Division, marking the beginning of his family's rise to prominence.

Feng Bazhi kept this matter in his heart for the rest of his life and often talked about it with his children and grandchildren, so that they would be grateful and repay the kindness.

If he had the chance to see His Majesty, even though his hair had turned gray and he could no longer fight, he would still be willing to keep watch for His Majesty and guard against the thieves.

What was that called again? Right, isolating China from the outside world. Anyone who dares to isolate China from the outside world and harm His Majesty, Old Feng will kill their entire family.

After imagining the whole picture, Feng Bazhi sighed again, a hint of melancholy in his voice.

On their way home, over a hundred Shangdang cavalrymen roared along, their spirited demeanor exactly the same as the Zuo Jinwu Guard soldiers who had gone south earlier, their eyes filled with a thirst for war merits and greed for wealth.

Feng Bazhi glanced back at Bianliang City, which was now just a vague outline, and thought to himself that he should send his young children out to serve as soldiers in the government army. This would both expand the family and give them a chance to make a name for themselves.

On the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, the area outside the Bajiaolongxiang Mansion west of Bianliang was filled with carriages and carts, and the passing troops stretched as far as the eye could see.

Everyone knew that the Emperor was coming to Luoyang and would stay there for several years, but no one knew how long the reign title Longhua would last.

(End of this chapter)