Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 551 We Need to Put More Effort

After Wu and Chu became subjects of Tang, they became vassal states of Tang.

In this way, the world is now seemingly unified.

In Luoyang, the officials held a special celebration to commemorate this event.

After all, this is the first time in more than three hundred years that the North and South of the country have been united.

However, the ceremony was just a ceremony, and the nominal unification was only nominal. Even if Xiao Gang and Xiao Yi were willing to submit, they still held the rich legacy left by the Southern Liang Dynasty, controlled a large number of troops and taxes, and could rebel at any time.

The territory now occupied by the princes of the Xiao clan is roughly the same as that of the Eastern Wu of yesteryear, bordering the Northern Dynasties along the Yangtze River. However, the resources they possess are incomparable to those of the Eastern Wu of yesteryear.

This legacy is the culmination of over three hundred years of chaos, during which northerners migrated south and vigorously developed the south.

Moreover, the Southern Dynasties had the blessing of the Mandate of Heaven and legitimacy, and the people were loyal to them, which was incomparable to the Eastern Wu, which was confined to a corner of the country.

For more than 300 years, the Southern Dynasties continuously developed the Jiangdong, Jingxiang, and Lingnan regions, building roads, promoting agriculture and sericulture, and developing commerce.

Jiaozhou, a remote region with a population comparable to that of a large prefecture in the Central Plains during the Han Dynasty, has seen its connections with Jingzhou, Xiangyang, and Jiangdong become closer with the development of the Xiang-Gui Corridor and Dayu Ridge Road. Agriculture has developed rapidly, the population has increased, inland trade within the region has become frequent, and overseas trade has flourished.

The Southern Liang dynasty even established a special agency in Guangzhou to manage and tax overseas trade.

Even though the territory of the Southern Dynasty is now fragmented, its overall strength remains formidable.

Li Shuang has no immediate intention to take action to achieve substantive unification, as he has just taken the throne and will need to deal with domestic affairs for a long time.

However, Li Shuang did not expect that the two in the south would submit so easily, without even putting up a struggle.

It seems that the two Xiao brothers are even more suspicious and wary of each other than of Li Shuang.

Footsteps echoed hurriedly within Hualin Garden.

Hou Jing hurriedly ran to Li Shuang, who was enjoying the scenery on Jiuhua Terrace, with a simple and honest smile on his face.

"Your Majesty, are you looking for me?"

Li Shuang glanced at Hou Jing and saw that he was covered in sweat, indicating that he had run there.

"How are you doing at the Left Guard Commandery?"

Hou Jing chuckled and said:
"Does the sage not know his subject? He works diligently every day to fulfill the sage's instructions and guard the gate for the sage."

Hou Jing's saying about guarding the gate was not just a metaphor, but also had a physical meaning.

The high value of the Left and Right Guards Offices can be seen from the location of their government offices.

South of the Taiji Hall, after exiting the Changhe Gate, in the imperial city, counting from north to south, the first row is the Left and Right Guards' Offices.

This layout is not a recent invention; it was already in place during the Northern Wei Dynasty. However, during the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Left and Right Guards did not need to manage so many soldiers.

"But I've heard that you've handed over all your affairs to Chief Secretary Wang Wei and are spending your days in leisure?"

Hou Jing's expression changed, and he cupped his hands in greeting, saying:
"I deserve to die!"

The Twelve Military Offices each had a Supreme General, a Grand General, and a General of the Cavalry, who commanded the troops under their command. They also had positions such as Chief Clerk, Registrar, Military Advisor, Cavalry Advisor, and Armor Advisor to handle various affairs.

Originally, military officers of general rank or above in the Tian Ce Prefecture could be promoted to the Twelve Military Prefectures. In fact, Li Shuang did just that.

"Now that the court has just been established, affairs are numerous and complex, like a tangled mess. Unlike in the past, this situation cannot be solved with a single stroke; it requires careful and gradual untangling. You must pay close attention!"

Hou Jing, upon hearing this, turned pale and bowed, saying:
"I understand!"

……

Today's Luoyang has a history of thousands of years, which can be traced back to the royal city of Chengzhou in the Western Zhou Dynasty. After expansion during the Eastern Zhou and Qin Dynasties, the city's scale was basically determined by the Han Dynasty and has been used ever since.

During the Cao Wei period, Cao Pi moved the capital to Luoyang and abolished the original Han dynasty system of the North and South Palaces. He adopted a single palace system, retaining the North Palace while reducing the size of the palace city and using a large amount of land in the city for government offices.

After the Northern Wei Dynasty moved its capital to Luoyang, it continued to use the city-building ideas from the Wei and Jin Dynasties.

However, the Northern Wei Dynasty built an outer wall around the original city of Luoyang, creating a three-city structure consisting of the palace city, the imperial city, and the outer city. The palace city of Luoyang can be roughly divided into three areas: the front hall, the rear palace, and the forbidden garden.

Hualin Garden is located in the restricted area.

Hou Jing left Hualin Garden and returned to the Left Guard's residence. Upon entering, he saw Wang Wei handling some business and stared at him with wide eyes.

Wang Wei didn't notice at first, but when he glanced up and saw Hou Jing, he was startled.

"Lord Liang, what are you doing!"

Wang Wei was originally a subordinate of Hou Jing, but now that he has entered the Left Guard Office, the relationship between them is no longer one of vassalage. However, Wang Wei remains Hou Jing's confidant.

"The sage just called me over and scolded me."

Upon hearing this, Wang Wei put down his pen, his expression serious, and asked:

"How did the sages curse?"

"The sage told me to be more diligent."

Wang Wei asked, somewhat puzzled:
How can this be considered an insult?

“You don’t understand. When a sage says something like that, it means he’s quite angry. I’ve followed the sage for many years, and this level of anger is only the third highest among all the sages.”

Wang Wei was confused about the relationship between the ruler and his subject, and he was also curious about the level of anger between the two ranks. However, he still had the professional qualities of a trusted confidant.

"What did Lord Liang do?"

"The Emperor said I was doing nothing in the Left Guard Office, so that can't be the reason. Can you help me figure out what I've done recently to anger the Emperor?"

Having spent all his time by Hou Jing's side, Wang Wei had no choice but to sort things out after hearing what he said.

"The Duke wanted to arrange a marriage between his wife and the Li family of Zhao County, but they refused. So the Duke simply forced the woman into the marriage?"

Hou Jing shook his head and said:

"The sage already knew that I was paying for my daughter's wedding; there's no need for that!"

"The Duke of the Prefecture forcibly sold his mansion in Luoyang to those aristocratic families from the south at a price several times higher than the market value. I heard that the aristocratic families were dissatisfied, and someone even reported it to the Censorate."

Hou Jing opened his mouth, wanting to say something but didn't, finally concluding:
"It's not that bad!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Wei suddenly realized something.

"Could it be that the Duke, while drunk at the music festival with the Prince of Chenliu, mentioned the Sage to him that day, and the Sage found out about it?"

"..."

Hou Jing was somewhat speechless and said:
"Even the Prince of Chenliu wasn't scolded, so why should I be?"

Wang Wei, after being scolded, stroked his beard and asked in confusion:

"Apart from that, the Duke has not caused any trouble recently, and he has not even accepted the bribes given by the Governor of Xiangzhou."

Hou Jing pondered these words and understood.

Should I accept this money?

After figuring it out, Hou Jing asked:
"What's that guy's name?"

"Lan Jing, son of Lan Qin".

"Call him here!"

……

(End of this chapter)