Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 393 There are always more solutions than difficulties

Weizhou.

Gao Ang rode his horse and led hundreds of cavalrymen on a patrol along the Qingshui River.

Behind him followed a group of officials from Weizhou sent by the imperial court.

Gao Ang was severely reprimanded by Li Shuang and ordered to retreat. It seemed that Weizhou had nothing to do with him anymore, but in fact, the officials of Weizhou still regarded him as their leader.

The reason is simple: the Yongji Canal passes through Weizhou.

Construction on this section of the canal will begin soon.

Without Gao Yang, these Weizhou officials, who had no military power, would not have been able to control the Xianbei prisoners of war.

Chen Yuankang followed behind Gao Ang, and couldn't help but sigh.

If this section of the Yongji Canal is completed, Weizhou will likely become the most prosperous place in Hebei.

The canal was a major transportation artery, connecting Hebei and Luoyang, and a large amount of money and grain would accumulate in the cities along the canal.

In addition, the canal can provide ample agricultural water to irrigate the surrounding fields.

Fertile fields, major transportation routes, and well-developed water conservancy were the prerequisites for Weizhou's prosperity.

Chen Yuankang followed behind Gao Ang and glanced at his own general.

This general was a highly decorated general, renowned for his military achievements and fearsome reputation among the northern barbarians. People called him a fierce tiger; he appeared rough and unruly, but his mind was exceptionally meticulous.

Quietly, this general and the one in Luoyang, working in concert, firmly grasped the land of Hebei.

Once the canal is open, the value of these lands will increase more than tenfold.

Gao Ang led his troops on a tour and returned to Yuancheng.

In recent days, envoys from aristocratic families have been visiting us one after another. Adhering to the principle of "if you can't beat them, join them," they have all expressed their willingness to contribute to the court's major policies.

Gao Ang did not refuse.

With the participation of these aristocratic families, the construction of the Yongji Canal will be accelerated and the resistance will be much smaller.

However, compared to other aristocratic families, Gao Qian, Gao Gao's own brother and the current leader of the Bohai Gao clan, did not seek out Gao Gao.

There is a rift between the brothers.

The person who broke down this barrier was someone Gao Yuan never expected.

"General, Gao Huan, the Grand Marshal of Hebei Circuit, requests an audience."

"Let him in!"

The person who made the announcement glanced at Gao Ang and then added in a low voice.

"General, your elder brother Gao Qian is also here."

Gao Feng was somewhat surprised, but he still let them in.

Gao Huan was the Grand Chancellor of Hebei Province, based in Ye City, and theoretically governed the provinces of Xiang, Ji, Wei, Cang, Yin, Ding, and Ying. However, in reality, Gao Huan could only truly govern the present-day Xiang Province and a small portion of Ji Province, Ying Province, and Cang Province.

Gao Ang treated Gao Huan with some courtesy, after all, the other party also held the title of "General".

Within the Tian Ce Mansion, the two were of equal rank.

With a smile on his face, Gao Huan led the somewhat awkward Gao Qian into the house.

"Ao Cao!"

Compared to his own brother Gao Qian, Gao Huan, his "relative," was actually more affectionate towards Gao Ang.

"He Liuhun!"

After the two bowed, Gao Qian awkwardly called out from the side, "..."
"Ao Cao!"

Gao Ang also responded, but the atmosphere between the two was very strange.

Gao Huan smiled and said:
“We are all from the Gao clan of Bohai, and now we are guarding a region for the imperial court. It is just in time for the imperial court to open the Yongji Canal. We should join hands so as not to fail the imperial court’s important mission.”

The Yongji Canal passes through four prefectures: Xiangzhou, Weizhou, Jizhou, and Cangzhou.

Xiangzhou was Gao Huan's territory, Weizhou was dominated by Gao Ang, and the powerful figures behind the various clans in Jizhou and Cangzhou were Gao Qian.

Gao Feng nodded and said:

"It's natural!"

After speaking, he looked at his elder brother. Gao Qian was furious about what Gao Ang had done after taking charge of Qugao City, but his attitude softened at this moment.

The bandit he once looked down on is now in charge of Jinyong City, and his younger brother, whom he thought had "gone astray," has become a meritorious official guarding a region. Gao Qian has to admit that they have surpassed him.

“Ao Cao, there were some things that you did wrong in the past.”

Upon hearing this, Gao Ang finally smiled and said:

"Let's not dwell on the past. From now on, we brothers will join hands and serve the King!"

After Gao Gao uttered the words "to serve the king," Gao Qian's expression turned grim.

At that moment, Gao Huan interjected again, saying:

“Ao Cao is right, the Gao clan of Bohai should do the same!”

……

Jinyong City.

"Your Majesty, He Liuhun took that old bastard Gao Qian to see Ao Cao, and the two sides have made peace."

Hou Jing, with a smile on his face, told Li Shuang the news.

Li Shuang was not surprised by this.

Without the cooperation of these three people, the opening of the Yongji Canal would have been very difficult.

Although Hou Jing was in charge of the matter, he clearly hadn't expected Gao Huan to be so proactive. Hou Jing simply had Wang Wei write a letter on his behalf, and Gao Huan immediately took care of it.

"Your Majesty, why would He Liuhun, a man who wouldn't do anything without personal gain, act this way?"

"Gao Huan wanted to connect Ye City to the Yongji Canal as well."

Today's Ye City is not the capital of the later Northern Qi Dynasty. The famous "Turtle City" is still the old capital left by Cao Wei, and it has not been expanded on a large scale.

As the capital of a state, it is more than adequate.

If Ye City wants to continue to prosper, or rather, avoid decline, it must be connected to the canal system.

Hou Jing did not find Gao Huan's idea particularly outrageous.

"This kid is really starting to resemble a local governor more and more!"

Li Shuang smiled, handed the documents on the table to Hou Jing, and said:

“There are some problems in places like You and Ying.”

"What happened to Yuwentai?"

Hou Jing frowned slightly upon seeing this.

Yuwentai actually controlled more land than Gao Huan, but the economic center of Hebei had always been in the Xiang and Ji areas, and the population and economy of Youji could not compare with those of Xiang and Ji.

As an outsider without the status of someone from the Bohai Gao clan like Gao Huan, Yuwen Tai was easily ostracized by the locals.

This resulted in Yuwentai receiving less money and grain than Gao Huan.

But he had to support a considerable number of soldiers from the six garrisons.

While he was in Luoyang, Yuwen Hu, stationed in Fanyang, couldn't maintain order and caused a lot of trouble. After Yuwen Tai returned, he managed to quell some of the problems, but troubles continued.

In the past, when faced with shortages of money and food, there were ways to deal with it.

After all, you can just rob it!
But things are different now.

How could Yuwen Tai, as the Grand Administrator of the Northeast Circuit, steal from himself?

"Your Majesty, as this document states, if Youzhou continues in this manner, the construction of the Yongji Canal will be further delayed!"
Once the Yongji Canal is completed, the money and grain from various prefectures and counties in Hebei can be transported directly to Luoyang via this canal, and the army in Luoyang can also be transported directly to Youzhou via this canal.

Li Shuang nodded and said:

"Things are a bit difficult."

Hou Jing tentatively asked in a low voice:
"Yuwentai needs to pacify the troops under his command in the six garrisons before he can continue the construction of the Yongji Canal. How about we allocate some money and grain from Jinyang and Pingcheng to Yuwentai for emergency relief?"

Li Shuang laughed and said:
"That's impossible!"

"..." Hou Jing was taken aback and asked:

"What about that?"

Li Shuang straightened up and handed the other documents on the table to Hou Jing.

"Give these to Yuwentai and tell him that wherever the canal is built, trouble will follow, and wherever trouble occurs, the canal will be built to that point!"

Hou Jing, somewhat puzzled, still cupped his hands and said:

"promise!"

……

Fanyang.

"Uncle, you called me!"

Yuwen Hu entered the room and saw several documents on Yuwen Tai's desk. Yuwen Tai, who was sitting behind the desk, was leaning against the backrest with his eyes closed.

Upon hearing Yuwen Hu's voice, Yuwen Tai simply waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down.

Yuwen Tai looked very tired, and Yuwen Hu said with concern:

"Uncle, are you still worried about money and provisions?"

Yuwen Tai slowly began to speak:

"The matter of money and provisions is not urgent. Some have already been raised. I have also petitioned the court to launch a northern expedition against the Khitan tribes, and the court has agreed. — Take a look at the documents on the table."

Upon hearing Yuwen Tai's words, Yuwen Hu picked up one of the copies and glanced at it hastily. He was somewhat surprised, and soon picked up another copy. After reading the whole thing, his astonishment was evident on his face.

"Uncle, where did these aristocratic families get the right to commit these illegal acts?"

"Sent from Luoyang!"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Hu quickly realized something and asked:

What exactly does the King of Qin mean?

Yuwen Tai sat up straight, looked at his nephew, and said:
"Isn't it obvious? Ohno Sō means that the business needs to be done, and we'll figure out the money ourselves."

Yuwen Hu's expression changed, and he said:
"In this way, we will make enemies of these aristocratic families."

Yuwen Tai shook his head and said:
"That's not what I'm most worried about. Just think about it, these illegal activities are extremely secretive. We are right here and we don't even know about them. How could Ohno Sou, who is far away in Luoyang, know about them?"

Yuwen Hu was speechless for a moment after hearing this.

This shows what?
The King of Qin had a wider network of informants than they did, and his control over Hebei was deeper than they realized.

Seeing Yuwen Tai's appearance, Yuwen Hu tentatively asked:
"Then what should I do?"

Yuwentai took a deep breath and made up his mind.

"It's better to die from overeating than from starvation!"

"promise!"
-
Luoyang.

Yonghe Lane.

Yongheli was originally built by Dong Zhuo, the Grand Tutor, during the Eastern Han Dynasty. When Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty rebuilt Luoyang, Yongheli was also renovated. The houses inside were magnificent, and there were two ponds in the north and south that never dried up in winter or summer. The roads were shaded by catalpa and locust trees, and paulownia and poplar trees were planted interspersed. The residents were all high-ranking officials of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

Changsun Zhi's residence was located in Yonghe Lane.

Now, with the restoration of Luoyang, the Changsun family's residence has returned to Changsun Zhi's hands.

However, most of the other nobles who used to live in the same neighborhood have disappeared.

Changsun Zhi was also deeply saddened by this.

What made Changsun Zhi even more dissatisfied was that several of the Changsun family members did not live in Yonghe Lane, a "noble lane," but instead moved to a neighborhood near Jinyong City.

He was like an empty-nest old man, guarding a large house.

However, he was comforted by the fact that his grandson, Changsun Si, still lived with him.

As a veteran figure who lived through the heyday of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and witnessed its decline, Changsun Zhi has a profound understanding of the changes in Luoyang today.

Luoyang City is still the same Luoyang City, but the Yuan family is no longer the same Yuan family.

Even the high-ranking officials began to change their tune and slowly shift their allegiance.

With Erzhu's example set before them, these nobles could accept whatever Li Shuang did to them. Compared to Erzhu's group, Li Shuang was far more normal.

After Li Shuang entered Luoyang, the Changsun family was given important positions, but Changsun Zhi remained unemployed.

As usual, after finishing his meal, Changsun Zhi went fishing by the pond outside the house. Changsun Si then came over and reported:

"Grandfather, the King of Qin has arrived!"

Despite his youthful appearance, Changsun Si was remarkably composed and astute.

Upon hearing this, Changsun Zhi was startled and was about to get up when Li Shuang arrived.

"General, there's no need for that!"

Li Shuang addressed Changsun Si, saying:
"Give me a fishing rod too!"

"promise!"

Li Shuang carried a stool and sat down next to Changsun Zhi. Soon after, Changsun Si brought over the fishing rod.

Li Shuang took the fishing rod, baited it, and cast it into the pond.

The two sat by the pond, quietly fishing, while Changsun Si stayed behind them the whole time.

A gentle breeze blew, and the trees provided ample shade. After some time, neither of them had caught a single fish.

As dusk fell, Li Shuang laughed and said:
"Unfortunately, it seems we will gain nothing today."

Changsun Zhi looked at Li Shuang and said:

"There were no fish in this pond to begin with, so how could we catch them?"

Upon hearing Changsun Zhi's words, even the usually composed Changsun Si's expression changed.

This may not seem like a big deal, but it's still a way of making fun of the King of Qin!

Changsun Si looked at Li Shuang with some worry, but couldn't see his expression clearly.

Li Shuang didn't care when he heard this, since he hadn't come here to fish in the first place.

"If there are no fish in the pond, then release some fish fry into it, and soon there will be fish again."

Upon hearing this, Changsun Zhi gave a bitter smile.

"The King of Qin is right!"

Changsun Zhi had been in Chang'an for years, but now he had returned to Luoyang, to the familiar Yonghe Lane, only to find that everything had changed.

Things have changed!

Changsun Zhi was naturally somewhat depressed. But he knew that the past was irreversible and he had to move forward.

Just like this pond in spring, once fish fry are released, it won't be long before the pond is full of fish again.

Changsun Zhi nodded, having already guessed Li Shuang's purpose, and asked:
"Is the King of Qin going back to Chang'an?"

Compared to Luoyang, Chang'an was not as luxurious or magnificent.

However, compared to Luoyang, Chang'an was Li Shuang's true base of operations.

"The old general was incredibly insightful!"

Li Shuang did not hide the fact that he could not stay in Luoyang forever and needed to return to Chang'an to take charge.

Therefore, Li Shuang had to find a highly respected person to be stationed in Luoyang and become the garrison commander of Luoyang.

Changsun Zhi is the best candidate.

"I have already reported to His Majesty that the old general will be appointed as Grand Tutor, concurrently in charge of the affairs of the Secretariat, and will remain in Luoyang to guard the city."

Changsun Zhi was not surprised upon hearing this. Looking at Li Shuang's face, she said:
"I will certainly defend Luoyang for the King of Qin!"

Changsun Zhi spoke bluntly and without any reservations. He knew perfectly well who was in charge of Luoyang now. Only by helping Li Shuang could Luoyang be defended.

Compared to the changed scenery, what Changsun Zhi was even less willing to see was Luoyang City being ravaged by war again and returning to its dilapidated state.

……

(End of this chapter)