Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 210 Linzhou News
"Drive! Drive! Drive..."

In late December, as the temperature dropped, heavy snow began to fall on the grasslands in Hexi.

In the wind and snow, thousands of soldiers approached Changsong until they arrived at the foot of the city.

Under the hazy vision, the Sanchen flag was waving under the city, and the city gate slowly opened after a moment.

Zheduosibie rode out of the city with dozens of generals and dismounted in front of the big banner.

"Sir, the barbarians plundered tens of thousands of herds in the southern valley three days ago and then retreated northwards. It was my incompetence!"

Zheduosibie knelt on one knee and bowed to report Changsong's situation.

The wind and snow were howling, cutting people's faces like cold knives, and the water vapor from the breath froze into frost on the eyelashes.

In the dim light, several generals dismounted from their horses and walked in front of Zheduosibie.

"It's not your fault!"

Zhang Huaishen helped Zhe Duoxibie up, and then immediately ordered: "The army should enter the city first to avoid this white-haired wind!"

After saying this, he patted Zheduosibie on the shoulder, turned around, mounted his horse, and walked towards the city.

Soon, more than 7,000 reinforcements slowly entered Changsong City and set up tents along the streets to rest.

Zhang Huaishen led Jiu Juyan, Zhang Huaijian and Zhe Duoxibie into the Changsong County Government Office, the snow on their cloaks falling off with their steps.

Taking off his cloak, Zhang Huaishen sat in the main seat, looked at everyone and said, "Sit down!"

As he called out, everyone took off their cloaks and sat down, and Zheduosibei also hurriedly explained:
"Tens of thousands of herds were plundered by the Umoth in the southern valleys. Only a few valleys in the west were spared because of the arrival of the white-haired wind."

Hearing this, Zhang Huaishen said in a relaxed tone: "I see, it's not your fault."

"The barbarians deliberately chose the day when Yanzhi Mountain was blocked by wind and snow to invade. It was not easy for you to defend Changsong City."

"As for Umo, next year I will organize an army to march north to Baitinghai. We must give him a taste of his own medicine!"

Seeing that he was not discouraged, the generals gradually returned to normal. At this time, footsteps were heard outside the yamen.

"Envoy, Guangwu's reinforcements are here!"

A lieutenant walked into the courtyard and bowed to report, but Zhang Huaishen frowned and asked, "How many people are here? Who is leading the troops?"

"Hundreds of elite cavalry have arrived, led by Rebajian, a brave and resolute commander under Governor Li."

"Call him in!" Zhang Huaishen nodded, and Jiu Juyan bowed and said:
"This Li Yizhong has repeatedly pretended to obey orders but actually disobeyed them. This time he actually sent reinforcements. I think he has some plans. Your Excellency should be careful."

"Yeah!" Zhang Huaishen did not deny it but responded:
"Since he refused to report to Guzang two years ago, I have cut off his financial support."

"Based on Guangwu's situation alone, Li Yizhong simply cannot afford to raise troops on his own."

"I'm afraid the reason why he was able to hold on for so long was because of Suo Xun."

"However, given Huizhou's situation, it is impossible to support so many soldiers for Li Yizhong. I think he has insufficient money and food, otherwise he would not send troops here."

"You will see my expression later. If Rebajian dares to disobey the military order, you will arrest him!"

"Yes!" Everyone said in unison and made preparations.

Two quarters of an hour later, Rebajian, wearing a Tang Dynasty armor, walked into the county government office, trotted into the main hall, and then bowed to Zhang Huaishen:

"Rebajian, the brave commander of Lanzhou, pays respect to the envoy..."

"Rebajian, do you know your crime?!"

Before Rebajian could stand up, he was scolded by Zhang Huaishen. He quickly looked up, his eyes full of confusion.

In front of him, Zhang Huaishen scolded with a cold face: "I dispatched the Guangwu Army to rush to Liangzhou last year, why didn't the reinforcements arrive?!"

"My lord, it's because the heavy snow cut off the official road to Hongchiling." Rebajian breathed a sigh of relief and tried to explain.

"That's enough!" Zhang Huaishen interrupted his explanation and raised his hand:

"You have failed to arrive on time, and your crime is unforgivable. I will now take back your military power and will not grant you any position for the time being!"

"I..." Before Rebajian could finish his words, he saw Jiu Juyan and others around him put their hands on the hilt of the knife.

Rebajian, who was already afraid of death, immediately shut up and bowed: "I will take your order..."

Jiu Juyan stood up and stepped forward with extended his hand, and Rebajian had no choice but to hand over the talisman obediently.

Seeing this, Zhang Huaishen continued to scold with a cold face: "Go down!"

"Yes..." Rebajian nodded and bowed, then carefully left the county government office.

Seeing him leave, Zhang Huaishen immediately looked at Zhang Huaijian and said, "When the snow recedes, you will lead another 1,000 elite cavalrymen to Guangwu and serve as the governor of Guangwu Army!"

"Yes!" Zhang Huaijian immediately understood Zhang Huaishen's idea. It was not possible to touch Li Yizhong. After all, the Li family was in its heyday. If Li Yizhong was touched directly, it would easily make the powerful families in Shazhou suspect that Zhang Yichao wanted to eliminate the powerful and join forces to resist.

Facing external enemies, at least Hexi must not be in chaos internally.

As long as the Guangwu Army is in the hands of Zhang's descendants, Li Yizhong will not be able to cause chaos even if he wants to.

If Li Yizhong resisted, it would be Li who would take action first, and Zhang would have no choice but to take action later.

Taking action first and taking action later have completely different meanings.

"Everyone, go down and have a rest. After we resolve the issue of Guangwu, Jiujuyan, you will go to Longyou in person and ask Liu Jilong when he will return the Five Springs."

"Yes!" Jiu Juyan bowed in response, but then hesitated and said, "If Envoy Liu doesn't return it, then..."

"Ask clearly first." Zhang Huaishen interrupted with a frown, and Jiu Juyan stopped talking.

Over the next few days, the white-hair wind in Liangzhou did not stop for a long time and continued to blow until New Year's Eve.

At the same time, Li Shangyin, who followed Wang Tao north to Longyou, also arrived in Didao County, Linzhou on New Year's Eve.

"Aye, is this Di Dao?"

"Why is this place bigger than Pi County?"

In the carriage, the childish voice of Li Gunshi was heard, and Li Shangyin, who was riding a horse outside the carriage, was also looking at Didao.

They were still six or seven miles away from Didao. As it was New Year's Eve, no one was working in the fields, but they could still see many fields planted with wheat.

Two or three miles away, the Didao City, which spans the river valley, looks extremely majestic.

The structure of rammed earth covered with bricks made Li Shangyin, who had been an official in Chang'an for many years, sigh inwardly that this was a fortified city.

Although he saw many cities in Wuzhou and Minzhou that were covering their rammed earth walls with bricks along the way north, none of them were as magnificent as Didao City.

"Li Beijia!"

When Wang Tao's voice sounded, Li Shangyin looked back, but saw that the team stretching for several miles behind was advancing slowly, and Wang Tao was shaking the reins of his horse, walking slowly from the rear.

"Li Biejia, Didao is right in front of us, how do you feel?"

Wang Tao asked with a smile, and Li Shangyin nodded and said, "Compared to Longnan, Didao is wider and flatter, and there is a lot of land suitable for farming."

A few years ago, Longnan was truly a "foreign country". Although Li Shangyin once yearned for the poems written by Shaoling Ye Lao Du Fu in Longnan, he always thought that those poems written by Du Fu in Longnan were exaggerated.

However, this time when he went north, after seeing Hanxia and Qiang River with his own eyes, he realized that there was nothing wrong with Du Fu's description.

Although the Qinling Mountains and the Bashan Mountains are dangerous, they are far less complex and harsh than Longnan.

Now that he has walked out of Longnan and suddenly saw the Linzhou River Valley washed out by the Tao River, he suddenly felt that Didao was not bad.

"Haha, that's right!"

Wang Tao was still smiling, and then he shook the reins of his horse and walked side by side with Li Shangyin towards Didao City, saying:

"My commander is courteous to the wise and humble to the common people. You don't have to be nervous. But you have seen along the way that, except for some children and the hungry migrants, the local people can't understand the official language at all and can only speak Tibetan."

"If you want to achieve something here, you still have to wait until you are settled and find someone to learn Tibetan."

"Thank you for the reminder." Li Shangyin naturally knew all this in his heart, but he felt warmed by the fact that Wang Tao could offer suggestions.

Next, the two began to exchange pleasantries, and while doing so, they walked into the south gate of Didao.

Walking into Didao, Li Shangyin's eyes lit up at the wide streets, and the brick and tile courtyards and houses along the streets astonished him even more.

Wang Tao smiled and explained: "Most of the people living in Didao are relatives of soldiers who sacrificed their lives to recover the states. The governor sympathizes with them and allocates money and grain from the government to build brick and tile houses for them. During festivals, they even send gifts directly to their homes. You see..."

Wang Tao motioned Li Shangyin to look in his direction, and Li Shangyin indeed saw several Zhibai chatting with an elderly couple and a child in front of a courtyard gate, and then handed over a bag of things.

"Such a small bag should contain flour or mutton. If it is corn, it should be a whole bag."

Wang Tao explained. Li Shangyin took a deep breath and asked worriedly:

"Marshal, are you not afraid that the soldiers will become spoiled and arrogant if you treat them so kindly?"

"Ah?" Wang Tao was stunned. After a moment, he came to his senses and laughed:

"The soldiers under the command of the general are not comparable to those guards of the vassal states." "What's the difference?" Li Shangyin asked in confusion, and Wang Tao explained:
"The soldiers in the Longyou Army train every morning, have a big drill every three days, and spend the rest of the time on literacy."

"Literacy?" Li Shangyin frowned, and Wang Tao smiled and nodded: "Yes, literacy!"

"According to what the commander said, it is to make them literate, know why they are fighting, and who pays their military pay."

"What's the point of this?" Li Shangyin was puzzled, and Wang Tao also said awkwardly:
"I can't explain it in detail, but according to Marshal Jie, this is called... this is called... yes! This is called political education and theoretical study!"

Wang Tao thought for a long time before he remembered it, and Li Shangyin frowned as he listened.

In his opinion, it would be better to free up money and increase training instead of teaching soldiers to read.

“Isn’t this Wang Yashang?!”

Suddenly, there was laughter coming from the front. Wang Tao looked over and said with a smile, "Zhang, you have returned triumphantly from Hezhou?"

After he responded, he quickly introduced Li Shangyin: "Li Biejia, this is Zhang, the governor of Linzhou."

"Li Beijia?" Zhang Chang, who was walking slowly while shaking the reins of his horse, showed a puzzled expression. After a moment, he realized what was happening and said, "You are Yishan Beijia, right?"

Li Shangyin was somewhat embarrassed by Zhang Chang's address, but he still bowed and dismounted, saying, "I am Li Shangyin from Xingyang, Zhengzhou, courtesy name Yishan, and I am honored to meet Governor Zhang."

"Zhang Chang from Jiuquan, Suzhou. I don't have a courtesy name. You can just call me Zhang Chang."

Zhang Chang responded with a smile and a bow. Although his behavior was not polite, he was very polite in addressing Li Shangyin, which made Li Shangyin have a good impression of Zhang Chang.

"Are you going to the state government office to report on your work?"

Zhang Chang asked Wang Tao, and Wang Tao nodded quickly. Zhang Chang smiled and said, "Don't worry, let's settle down first."

As he spoke, he continued to look at Li Shangyin and said politely, "Li Biejia, today is New Year's Eve, there is no rush to report, I will take you to your place first."

"Why bother Governor Zhang? Just tell the others to take me there."

Li Shangyin was somewhat flattered, but Zhang Chang smiled and said, "Of course, of course. With your coming, the burden on my shoulders has been lightened."

Zhang Chang smiled very happily. After all, in his opinion, Li Shangyin would be his right-hand man in handling state affairs in the future, so he should be nicer to him.

"I'll lead the way, this way."

Zhang Chang motioned for them to follow, and then led them towards the Protectorate.

There were many courtyards between the Protectorate and the provincial government. Upon learning that Li Shangyin had been recruited, Liu Jilian ordered people to vacate a courtyard early on.

This courtyard is only fifty steps away from the provincial government office and more than eighty steps away from the Protectorate, making it very convenient for officials to do their work.

There are not so many decorations in the yard because Liu Jilong did not require it and also because there are not so many craftsmen in Longyou who are proficient in ancient methods.

Under the blue bricks and gray tiles is a four-foot-deep main gate. When you push open the relatively new main gate, what appears before your eyes is not a screen wall, screen door and outer courtyard, but a wide courtyard.

Li Shangyin was somewhat surprised by such a structure that did not respect etiquette but only sought convenience.

The courtyard is about three or four meters deep, with the east and west wings on the left and right, and on both sides of the main entrance are gatehouses with four rooms on each side, and at the end is the main hall.

The gatehouse, the east and west wing rooms, and the main hall are connected by a circular corridor, and of course you can also walk along the main road in the atrium.

"This is the courtyard that the Marshal specially reserved for you. It covers an area of two acres and has three main houses: the main hall, the middle hall, and the inner hall, four side rooms, four side rooms, four gatehouses, and six side rooms."

"There are animal sheds, firewood sheds, rice sheds, and silver sheds. I will hire four strong women to take care of your daily life for you later."

Zhang Chang introduced the courtyard generously. Li Gunshi looked at Li Shangyin and said, "Aye, I like it here."

"Hmm..." Li Shangyin naturally liked it in his heart. At least after he was involved in the Niu-Li factional struggle, he had not lived in such a spacious courtyard.

Even though the construction of this courtyard was not in accordance with etiquette and was not exquisite and beautiful enough, he still liked it.

But while he was liking it, he also heard Zhang Chang talking about hiring slaves.

He did not ask immediately, but followed Zhang Chang into the main hall and sat down.

There were all kinds of things in the house, but there was no hot water, and Li Shangyin did not bring any tea, so there was naturally no tea to drink.

"Your Excellency just mentioned hiring a strong woman?"

After Li Shangyin took his seat, he couldn't help but start chatting with Zhang Chang who was sitting next to him.

"Yes, there are no slaves or indentures in Longyou. If you need someone to take care of you, you can only find a good family to sign a contract and hire someone to take care of you."

"A person who hires a person shall not injure or beat the person he hires. If the person he hires makes a mistake, he shall be fined a portion of his wages according to the degree of the mistake."

"If the hired person does something illegal, the master will report him to the authorities and punish him, and confiscate his property to compensate the master."

"If the employer deliberately designs to make the hired person make a mistake and refuses to pay the wages, the hired person can also report it to the authorities."

After Zhang Chang finished speaking, Li Shangyin looked at Hong Liu and said, "I bought this girl in Zizhou. I wonder what I should do with her after I come to Longyou?"

"This..." Zhang Chang also hesitated, and after a moment's hesitation, he said, "According to the law, he should be restored to good status. I will ask the commander later."

"Why bother the commander with such a small matter?" Li Shangyin shook his head and then looked at Hong Liu:
"Hongliu, I will return your indenture to you later and have Governor Zhang restore your status as a good citizen."

"If you are willing to stay, you can stay as my adopted daughter."

"Thank you, my dear!" Hong Liu knelt down and kowtowed, and Li Shangyin nodded and said, "Okay, you take my husband down to clean up the house."

"Yes……"

Hongliu stood up and took Master Li Gun away, and Zhang Chang also continued:

"There is a school in the city that can teach simple knowledge. If Li Biejia doesn't mind, I can send you to the school to study."

"School?" Li Shangyin looked at Zhang Chang in confusion. Zhang Chang also told him about the various people-friendly policies and facilities in Longyou.

Schools where children study, orphanages that take in widows, widowers, and orphans, pharmacies that treat illnesses for the common people, and cemeteries in various states and counties for unified burials...

Liu Jilian moved almost all the welfare systems that could be implemented in ancient times to Longyou in advance. All he required was for the people to pay the full five-tax tax.

It sounds good, but with the medical level of this era, serious illnesses cannot be cured, and minor illnesses can be treated with medicine, and the price of medicine is not expensive.

Huimin Pharmacy has an independent medicine field, and the medicinal materials are basically obtained from the field. It only charges the people a few to more than ten kilograms of grain as medical fees.

Among the four public welfare facilities, the main expenditure is still on schools.

"Let the children of the people go to school? Can the government afford such expenses?"

Li Shangyin was shocked. He didn't expect Liu Jilong to be so ambitious that he even wanted all the children in Longyou to go to school.

“It’s certainly expensive, but it’s worth it.”

After all, Zhang Chang was the governor of a province, so he naturally knew the expenses of the school. Not to mention anything else, just the books and copybooks used by the students of Linzhou School would require more than 300 workers from paper mills and printing factories in the three counties of Linzhou to work to meet the paper needs of more than 2,000 students in Linzhou.

The workers were paid one stone of grain per month, in addition to extra supplies such as oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea, etc. Together with the output from farming at home, it was enough to basically support a family of five or six.

For Li Shangyin, such a way of governance was simply a fantasy.

"How could it be possible? With such a government, where would the money and grain come from? If too much is collected, won't the people rise up in rebellion?"

Facing Li Shangyin's puzzlement, Zhang Chang smiled and said, "The tax rate in Longyou is one-fifth of the total tax rate. In addition, the military pay and salary are not as high as those in the Central Plains. There are also merchants selling goods, so it is natural that they can support more than 20,000 students in Longyou."

Zhang Chang's smile seemed so ironic to Li Shangyin. After all, he had seen the mental outlook of the people in Longyou on his way north.

In terms of living conditions alone, the people of Longyou are undoubtedly richer than ordinary people in Chang'an and Chengdu.

Because of this, he was eager to know how all this was done.

"I want to see the commander." Li Shangyin asked calmly. Zhang Chang shook his head and said:

"New Year's Day to the fourth day of the first lunar month are holidays. Apart from basic shifts, the Protectorate and the county offices do not hold meetings."

"Until the fifth day of the first lunar month, the military commander will lead the Didao officials to the National Cemetery in Phoenix Mountain to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers. I will see if I can introduce you to the military commander on that day."

As Zhang Chang finished speaking, seven or eight soldiers walked in from the main gate of the courtyard.

They carried firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea, and bedding into the courtyard. Zhang Chang stood up and said with a smile:
"Tomorrow I will take you, Li Biejia, to the Protectorate to report to Gao Changshi, but if you want to meet the commander, you will have to wait until the fifth day of the first lunar month."

"Okay, I've almost finished what I've said. Li Biejia, you should have a good rest. I'll take my leave now."

After Zhang Chang bowed, he walked out. Li Shangyin stood up and saw him out of the courtyard. He watched him mount his horse and leave. When he turned around, he saw six soldiers bowing to him.

"Li Beijia, everything is ready, but if there is anything else that needs to be done, just tell me!"

The six soldiers smiled and bowed, very politely, which was very different from the soldiers and officers from various towns that Li Shangyin had come into contact with in the previous 42 years of his life.

Looking at them, Li Shangyin reached for his chest as usual and said, "Thank you for your help."

"Don't dare to do that!" Seeing Li Shangyin was about to put the money in his hand, the captain waved his hand quickly, and then took the other five soldiers and left.

Looking at their "fleeing" backs, Li Shangyin looked down at the money in his hand that he had not been able to give away, couldn't help but smiled bitterly and shook his head, then closed the gate...

(End of this chapter)