A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 490 Once people's hearts are scattered, they're hard to win back.

Li Yi invited Zhang Zhiang for tea.
They were still drinking Da Hong Pao tea, which Zhang Zhiang sipped slowly and praised highly.

"The enjoyment of tea is not about quenching thirst, but about appreciating the beauty of nature. Therefore, teaware should be small, allowing one to appreciate the gentle breeze, the bright moon, the rustling of pines, the rhythm of bamboo, the blooming of plum blossoms, the clearing of snow..."

Good tea also needs good water. First snow water, snow water from plum blossoms, rain water from the hottest days of summer, as well as river water and mountain spring water—some must be drawn and drunk immediately, some must be stored for a year, and some must be buried underground. Some need to be shaken, while others should not be shaken at all…

"There are also rules about the heat when brewing tea and boiling water. The first boil should be like the sound of crab eyes, and the second boil should be like the sound of pine trees. Water that is not boiling enough is not drinkable, and if it is too boiling, it will lose its flavor and ruin the aroma of the tea. Even the type of water and the type of firewood used for boiling are important."

Li Yi's Kung Fu Tea Techniques
In front of this Prefect of Zhao Prefecture, it would seem somewhat like showing off one's limited skills before an expert.

"Haha, Uncle really knows how to appreciate tea."

Zhang Zhi'ang served as the Prefect of Zhao Commandery at the end of the Sui Dynasty. He came from the Zhang family of Fanyang, Hebei. In the first year of the Wude era, he surrendered Zhao Commandery to Li Yuan of Chang'an and was appointed as the Governor of Zhao Prefecture.

However, in the second year of the Wude era, Zhao Prefecture was captured by Dou Jiande, and the general manager Zhang Zhiang and the Hebei Circuit Pacification Commissioner Zhang Daoyuan were both captured.

Dou Jiande originally intended to behead them, but Ling Jing, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, strongly advised against it, so Dou Jiande simply released them.

Now, in the fourth year of the Wude era, he returned to Hebei to assume the post of Prefect of Zhao Prefecture.

Zhang Zhiang and Zhang Daoyuan both came from the Zhang clan of Fanyang, a prestigious clan among the Zhang families. Although not as prominent as the Lu clan of Fanyang, it was still a large clan in the prefecture. The two were cousins.

Therefore, Li Yi also called Zhang Zhiang "uncle".

Compared to Zhang Daoyuan, who was always frugal and simple after losing his father at a young age, Zhang Zhiang had the demeanor of a prominent aristocratic family, with etiquette and culture, but also a fondness for luxury.

Just like drinking tea, he is much more knowledgeable than Li Yike.

Not only tea and wine, this uncle is knowledgeable about everything. His weakest area is military affairs, but his horsemanship and archery skills are not bad. Li Yi once went hunting with him and shot more than a dozen rabbits and several pheasants in one day. His archery skills are excellent.

Zhang Zhi'ang was from Hebei and came from a prominent aristocratic family. He served in Zhao Prefecture for several years, first as the prefect of Zhao County, assisting in the administration of the prefecture, and later as the prefect. After surrendering to the Tang Dynasty, he served as the governor and then the governor.

Li Yi had also done some background research on this cousin.

He has a good reputation and is talented; he even achieved some political success in Zhao County.

Otherwise, Li Yi would have directly requested the emperor to replace him while he was in Chang'an. The governors of Xing and Zhao prefectures were important assistants to him in overseeing the Grand General's Office of Ming Prefecture.

The eight prefectures were reduced to three, and he himself served as the governor of one prefecture. The remaining two prefectures naturally required governors who were both reliable and capable.

Zhang Zhiang was very interested in Li Yi's tea-brewing technique.

“This is called Guan Yu patrolling the city, and this is called Han Xin commanding his troops. This technique is most suitable for semi-fermented oolong tea, and it brings out the aroma, color, and flavor best,” Li Yi said.

Zhang Zhiang learned these things very quickly; he understood them after only a few sentences.

"Your Kung Fu Oolong tea is truly a top-grade tea. The tea soup is bright yellow, golden in color, sweet and mellow, with a long-lasting aftertaste. It is truly a tea of ​​the highest quality."

Li Yi smiled.
"It is said that governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. When cooking a small fish, you can't stir it too much; you have to be patient. Governing a country also avoids reckless changes; you have to have a long-term vision and not change policies every day."

The downfall of Emperor Daye's kingdom was due to his excessive and disruptive actions.

I think that we, the governors and prefects, the officials who govern the people, are just like this Kung Fu tea. Not only do we need good tea and good water, but we also need good skills and patience.

"To brew oolong tea, you need both fresh water and a lively fire. The charcoal must have a strong flame, preferably Gangtan charcoal, which is smokeless and odorless, and when struck, it makes a sound like metal. The flame is light blue, lively, and the fire is even." Li Yi used the tea as a pretext to get to the point.

"The people of Hebei now are like small fish in a pot; they cannot be stirred, or they will fall apart."

But to brew good tea, you need a strong fire, yet you can't steep it for too long in boiling water.

Zhang Zhiang seemed to be deep in thought.

“My uncle is about to return to Zhao Prefecture. I believe that he has served as an official in Zhao Prefecture for several years and is more familiar with the situation there than I am.”

Now, Zhao and Luan prefectures have been merged into one prefecture, governing nine counties. The officials of Zhao prefecture have undergone a comprehensive reshuffle after assessment. Next, my uncle will return to Zhao prefecture to continue assessing and reshuffling the officials of the nine counties. The Grand General's Office will send someone to assist with this matter.

Zhang Zhiang nodded.

During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Zhao Prefecture was established by separating it from Dingzhou and Xiangzhou. It governed three prefectures and fifteen counties: Zhao County, Julu County, and Nan Zhao County. Later, during the Northern Qi Dynasty, it was renamed Zhao Prefecture to avoid the taboo of the name of the crown prince Gao Yin.

Before the Northern Qi Dynasty, there was Zhao Commandery but not Zhao Prefecture. Yin Prefecture was initially located in Guang'a County. Emperor Yang Jian changed the three-tiered system of prefectures, commanderies, and counties to a two-tiered system, and the area encompassing the three commanderies of Zhao Prefecture was divided into Zhao and Luan Prefectures. During the reign of Emperor Yang Guang, the system was changed back to a commandery-county system, and Luan Prefecture was abolished and merged into Zhao Commandery.
To avoid using the taboo name of Guang'a, it was renamed Dalu County, and the seat of Zhao County was moved to Baixiang.

Previously, the prefecture-county system was abolished and replaced by the state-county system. Zhao Prefecture and Luan Prefecture were re-established, with one administrative center in Luancheng in the north and the other in Baixiang in the south.

Now the two states are united again

Li Yi felt that Baixiang was too far south, right next to the border of Xingzhou. He proposed to move the seat of Zhaozhou to Pingji, which is the later Zhao County. This place is located between Baixiang and Luancheng, in the eastern plain.

“Since Luan and Zhao prefectures have been merged into one, it would be more advantageous to move the prefectural capital to Pingji in the middle,” Zhang Zhiang said, expressing his support.

When he defended Baixiang, he fought a bitter battle for several months, and eventually even engaged in street fighting. The destruction of Baixiang was quite significant.

“Pingji is located on the banks of the Xiao River. Going upstream along the river leads to Luancheng, and further upstream is Jingxing Pass of Hengzhou, which leads directly to Taiyuan in Hedong. Going downstream from Pingji along the Xiao River, it flows into the northern branch of the Zhang River, which allows one to travel northeast along the river to Jizhou or south to Xingming, making transportation relatively convenient.”

Bingzhou was relocated, and officials were replaced.
This series of moves was merely paving the way for Zhang Zhiang.

To achieve great order, the old guard must first be replaced, but that's not enough. Currently, many of Dou Jiande's former subordinates are rebelling, and this must be quelled quickly. Compared to Tian Liuan and Liu Zhan's forceful suppression and encirclement at Gaojibo and Douzigang, Li Yi prefers to appease first and then suppress.

If the root causes of those rebellions are not addressed, the more they are suppressed, the more numerous they will become.

"There is a Liu Wei in Luancheng who went to Fenglong Mountain in the northwest of Yuanshi County at the end of the Daye era. Does Uncle know him?"

"I've heard about it,"

At the end of the Daye era, bandits were everywhere. The government called them bandits or outlaws, but they called themselves righteous armies. They were as numerous as hairs on a cow. Liu Wei's small force was not well-known, but Zhang Zhiang knew a little about them and they were on the government's blacklist.

"Now Liu Wei has gone up Fenglong Mountain again and has already gathered several hundred men."

Zhang Zhiang said, "After I return, I will immediately ask General Li Xuantong for assistance in sending troops to wipe them out."

Li Yi shook his head.

"When I told you about Liu Wei, it wasn't because I wanted my uncle to lead troops to besiege him. If we really needed to use troops, a mere few hundred men would be enough to send any captain."

I happened to know something about Liu Wei's ascent to Fenglong Mountain. He was forced to go there; after retiring from the military and returning to his hometown, he was persecuted by powerful local clans who colluded with county and township officials to seize his land and property.
This kind of thing has happened in many places, and it's still happening now.

Especially Dou Jiande's former subordinates, these people had followed Dou Jiande to conquer most of Hebei. Now that they were returning to their hometowns and being treated like this, many of them couldn't bear it. Unlike ordinary people, they were used to it.

When you return to Zhao Prefecture and lead the newly appointed officials, the first thing you must do is investigate these matters.
In particular, Liu Wei's case should be handled with great fanfare and high profile, and those unruly powerful figures and corrupt officials should be brought to justice and punished accordingly.

This case must be handled properly, without any flaws. After the case is closed, Liu Wei should be pardoned, asked to return to his hometown, his property returned, and even some compensation given.

This should be used as a model.

"We must clean up corrupt officials and crack down on local bullies and gentry. We must make the people of Zhao Prefecture believe that the Tang Dynasty represents fairness and justice, and that it is not merely a system of official collusion and support for powerful clans. We govern the country by law and win people over with virtue."

"Uncle, once people's hearts are scattered, they will be difficult to lead."

If the imperial court loses its prestige among the people of Hebei, how can we maintain our rule here for long?

Zhang Zhiang sensed the seriousness in Li Yi's expression.

He was secretly surprised. Li Yi wanted to use Liu Wei to file a case, establish his authority, and rebuild the credibility and justice of the court.

However, this would challenge the current leaders of the local villages and towns.

The capital city did not extend below the county level; the villages and towns below the county level were controlled by powerful clans and local officials, who acted as their grassroots agents.
These people were also an important part of the imperial court's control over local areas.

Now, in order to appease Dou Jiande's former subordinates, Li Yi has chosen to wage war against them?
Is this really true?
He raised his doubts.

"Uncle, you've got this all mixed up. I'm not declaring war on the local powerful clans and clerks on behalf of Dou Jiande's former subordinates."
I am simply declaring war on lawbreakers.
Those local worthies remain the cornerstone of our Tang Dynasty's governance of rural areas. The county officials, township heads, village chiefs, and wardens are also the backbone of the government's operations.

This time, Li Yi instructed Zhang Zhiang to use the Liu Wei case as a pretext to launch a special campaign to investigate and address the official corruption issues related to Dou Jiande's former subordinates.

Any matter involving Dou Jiande's former subordinates should be given priority in handling, and may even be escalated to a higher level, and dealt with strictly.

Now there are many people like Liu Wei in Hebei who have raised the banner of rebellion against the Tang Dynasty. Their reasons for rebelling against the Tang Dynasty are mostly to avenge Dou Jiande, while many others have suffered injustice and oppression.

As long as Li Yi can quickly get this special operation underway,
That would be to cut off the fuel supply from the source.
If Liu Wei and others' grievances have been redressed and their demands have been met, then what is there left for them to oppose?
Even if they are determined to rebel to the end, how many more people can they rally to follow them?
Water without a source will soon dry up.

Compared to simple encirclement and suppression, this is the fundamental solution.

"Dou Jiande died from excessive worry and anxiety caused by some of his former subordinates rebelling in Hebei. He took an elixir of immortality, but accidentally ingested mica and died. His Majesty posthumously granted him the titles of Duke and Governor-General, and ordered his son to inherit the titles."

People in Hebei do not believe or spread rumors.

As for the injustice suffered by some people, it was caused by certain corrupt officials, most of whom were still local officials from the former Dou Gong area.

Our Great Tang will absolutely not allow these things to happen. We will conduct a thorough investigation and will certainly seek justice for everyone.

"I will not only grant Liu Wei a pardon now, but I will also appoint him as a sixth-rank military officer in my inner court."

Li Yi wanted to make Liu Wei a role model and set an example of accepting amnesty.

Although he was originally just a minor general under Dou Jiande and had no reputation, at this stage, there were no famous people among Dou Jiande's former subordinates who had rebelled.

In addition, Li Yi had a fairly clear understanding of Liu Wei's past. Both times, it was due to officials forcing the people to rebel. This man had a good reputation in the village before, and even though he went to Fenglong Mountain twice, he did not do anything to harm the people.

Offering amnesty, pardoning, and granting official positions is a good example of propaganda.

"This time I will have Liu Heita accompany you back to Zhao Prefecture. He and Liu Shiche will be in charge of the specific affairs of recruiting Fenglong Mountain."

Zhang Zhiang said, "Isn't General Li Xuantong enough?"

Li Yi smiled and said that he had asked Liu Heita to make this trip because Liu had been idle for too long and he was afraid that Liu would get restless. He needed to get some exercise.

Most importantly, Li Yi wanted to take this opportunity to see Liu Heita's performance and whether he had truly submitted.

(End of this chapter)