Second-hand time travel: Liu Bei, the big-eared bandit

Chapter 77 Reopening of the Trade Market
"No... Zhang Xiang did this so that he would no longer need Yuan Gong's guidance."

Wang Men's reply was quite meaningful.

Liu Bei nodded, not pressing further, but sighed softly as if talking to himself, "They're all sensible people..."

Wang Men remained silent for a moment, then asked in return, "Would Lord Xuande be willing to help me find another way?"

"Brother, do you intend to go to the Hu region to pacify the Wuhuan?"

Liu Bei keenly sensed Wang Men's intentions. Zhang Chun wanted to sever ties with the Yuan family, which might cause some conflict. Wang Men probably wanted to extricate himself from the situation.

Knowing about Zhang Chun's mess and the Yuan family's affairs, Wang Men would definitely want to take advantage of the opportunity to cooperate with Zou Jing to go to the Hu region, so as to avoid living in constant fear.

Having multiple connections does indeed provide more opportunities for survival.

“Lord Xuande has a keen eye for people’s hearts, and I admire him greatly…Lord Xuande is a close friend of Governor Zou, and I’m sure he can persuade Governor Zou to appoint me as the Governor of Hu and leave me to handle affairs in the Hu region.”

Wang Men looked at Liu Bei with a very sincere gaze.

Zou Jing wants to reopen the Wuhuan trade market, so he naturally needs more people who can contact the Wuhuan tribes. Wang Men not only has the ability to contact the Wuhuan, but also knows a lot about Zhang Chun and Yuan Shi's previous arrangements and trade routes in the Hu region. He is indeed the kind of manpower that Zou Jing urgently needs.

Although Wang Men was a subordinate of Zhang Chun, if it was a major matter for the court, such as reopening the trade routes, Zou Jing could request the court to send Wang Men to pacify the Wuhuan and station him in the vassal state as a historian, that is, a diplomat stationed in the Wuhuan tribe for a long time.

This was indeed the best way for the Wang family to escape.

“Actually, even if you hadn’t brought this up, I was already planning to recommend you.”

Liu Bei nodded in agreement, then looked at the king's gate and asked, "I wonder which Wuhuan tribe you intend to pacify, Brother Wang?"

“Liaoxi, Qiuliju tribe.”

Wang Men readily expressed his opinion.

The Liaoxi Wuhuan were the largest Wuhuan tribe. Their settlements bordered Yuyang to the west and the Xianbei to the east. The area from Liucheng to Lulong Pass was within the Liaoxi Wuhuan's sphere of influence, and they were very powerful.

but……

At this time, the Wuhuan people in western Liaoning did not submit to the Han Dynasty at all, but instead became closer to the Xianbei.

At this time, the Wuhuan were roughly divided into five major tribes.

The Chanyu of the Wuhuan in western Liaoning, Yuqiuliju, was very powerful and had the worst relationship with the Han Dynasty. It was said that he had tens of thousands of "luo". A "luo" can be understood as a household, usually consisting of five to ten people. The entire Wuhuan population was armed, and ten thousand "luo" could gather more than twenty thousand cavalry.

The Wuhuan chieftain of Shanggu, Yu Nanlou, remained neutral between the Han Dynasty and the Xianbei, and commanded more than 9,000 households.

The Supuyan tribe in Liaodong lived among various vassal states and were deeply Sinicized. They often joined forces with Han troops to resist the Xianbei invasion and annexation, and numbered about a thousand households.

The Youbeiping Wuhuan people were active north of the Yanshan Mountains and were opportunistic. Zou Jing managed these people in Wuzhong. The current Chanyu was named Wuyan, and there were about 800 households.

The Yuyang Wuhuan had always maintained close ties with the Zhang family, and there were about seven or eight hundred tribes, but there was no Chanyu (ruler) among them—in fact, the leaders of the Yuyang Wuhuan were from the Zhang family.

The tribes handed over by Zhang Chun were the Yuyang Wuhuan, which were scattered small tribes. They were the weakest among the Wuhuan tribes and the most friendly to the Han people.

Wang Men's desire to go to western Liaoning as the Inspector of the Hu (a region in Inner Mongolia) likely stemmed not only from a desire to escape his post, but also from a desire to make a name for himself.

If he could truly persuade Qiuliju of Liaoxi to submit to the Han Dynasty, or even just improve relations so that the Wuhuan of Liaoxi would no longer ally with the Xianbei, that would be a great achievement worthy of being ennobled.

But this was a life-or-death job; if the Han Dynasty clashed with the Wuhuan of Liaoxi, the diplomats would certainly die. Moreover, such overseas posts were not for a year or two; they required long-term efforts to cultivate relationships in the border regions.

However, this is a good thing in any case.

Such dangerous work is hard to find people to do. They need to be familiar with the Wuhuan people, as well as have courage and connections. Wang Men is indeed the most suitable candidate.

……

A few days later, Zou Jing went to Luoyang and formally submitted a plan to the imperial court to reopen the Wuhuan trade market.

But as soon as he arrived in Luoyang, he was stopped by Yang Qiu.

"Lord Fangzheng, the Wuhuan can now be pacified, so why not?"

Zou Jing didn't understand. This was a good thing both publicly and privately, and Yang Qiu even had a relationship with him. Why would he stop it?

"Without eliminating the eunuchs, this matter cannot be brought up to the Emperor... Although I previously executed Wang Fu, the traitors Cao Jie and Zhang Rang are still causing trouble. We must first eliminate the major evils, then deter the powerful and influential, and only after the court is clean can we proceed with this matter!"

Yang Qiu frowned and shook his head repeatedly. "Why? What does this have to do with eunuchs? Trading with the Wuhuan, pacifying the border troubles, and preventing the Xianbei invasion are precisely the plans for the peace and security of our Han dynasty!"

Zou Jing didn't understand.

“The Yuyang Horse Market was proof of Zhang Chun’s communication with the eunuchs, and it was originally intended to be used to kill Cao Jie… Now that Zhang Boyang has handed over the Yuyang Wuhuan to the court, it is his way of avoiding trouble, and we have nothing to say about it.”

"But I have now fallen out with Yongle Palace, and if I cannot kill Cao Jie..."

Yang Qiu gave a bitter laugh: "I have already alienated the imperial relatives and eunuchs, and I have no way out!"

"Lord Fangzheng, are you aware that most of the horse market in Yuyang is owned by the Yuan family of Runan?"

Zou Jing asked in a low voice, "The Yuan family's assets have now been completely transferred to me. What will happen if I don't report this matter to the imperial court?"

"Yuan Gong's properties?!"

Yang Qiu was clearly unaware that this matter was related to the Yuan family of Runan, and was greatly shocked: "But when I ordered the arrest of Zhang Chun, there was no news from the Yuan family of Runan... This... Lord Yuan... actually abandoned us?"

After saying that, he gave a bitter laugh, his eyes lifeless: "Sigh, hand over this plan, hand it over... Remember! You haven't seen me today, so never mention me again!"

What does Fang Zheng mean by this?

Zou Jing didn't react for a moment, but Yang Qiu had already pushed him out the door.

"The Yuan family of Runan, a prominent family in Guandong... What a court full of loyal ministers..."

Inside the room, Yang Qiu murmured dejectedly, "The Empress Dowager... the Emperor... powerful figures... eunuchs... yes, I've brought this upon myself. But this Han Dynasty... alas..."

……

At the end of October in the second year of Guanghe.

The emperor issued an edict to reopen the horse market for the Wuhuan people, and the court proposed a series of arrangements to pacify the Wuhuan.

The Protectorate of the Wuhuan Commandant's Office was moved to Ji County.

Liu Yu was transferred to the position of Governor of Youzhou, overseeing the pacification of the Wuhuan people.

At the same time, he appointed Wang Men as the Governor of Hu and pacified the Wuhuan tribe in western Liaodong.

Qian Zhao was appointed as the Protector of the Wuhuan Camp and Commander-in-Chief, overseeing the Han army to prevent rebellions by the Hu people and pacifying the Wuhuan tribe in Shanggu.

Xianyu Fu, a native of Yuyang, and Xu Rong, a native of Liaodong, were appointed as commanders of the Hu cavalry in the two regions to monitor the local Wuhuan tribes.

In addition, following Liu Bei's suggestion, Zou Jing proposed to the court to establish separate markets for the Hu people and the Guan people.

Changhu City was established in Juyong Pass in Shanggu, and customs cities were established in Guangning Pass, Yuyang North Pass, and Lulong Pass in Liaoxi.

Juyong Pass has a north-south road and a formidable pass, and it is close to Ji County. At that time, the area north of Juyong Pass was entirely occupied by the Wuhuan settlements of Shanggu and Yuyang, while the area south was occupied by Han Chinese villages. It was indeed suitable as a major trading location.

Changhu City remained open for a long time, trading goods such as salt, iron, rice, and cloth, in an attempt to acquire warhorses for the Han Dynasty.

Several passes were set up on the border and were only open in winter. This was mainly to solve the problem of the Wuhuan people lacking food and clothing in winter and to prevent them from raiding in winter. This was a measure to appease them.

These measures are in line with the current situation of the Wuhuan people. The Hu City and Guan City are all located not far from Ji County, which makes them easy to manage.

but……

Not long after the edict was issued, Liu He, the Minister of Works, Yang Qiu, the Commandant of the Capital Region, Liu Qiu, the Junior Minister of the Yongle Palace, Liu Na, the Commandant of the Infantry, and others were imprisoned.

On the day he was imprisoned, Yang Qiu hanged himself in the imperial prison.

Just two days later, the charges against the others were confirmed. The imperial court announced that Liu He and Liu Na had plotted a rebellion, and that Chen Qiu had acted as their accomplice...

Only Yangqiu was reported to have died of illness.

At the same time, Yuan Shu was removed from his position as Colonel of the Vanguard and demoted to Gentleman of the Palace.

He was demoted from a high-ranking official with a salary of 2,000 shi (a unit of grain measure) to a probationary official, which was clearly a complete stripping away of his position.

But it is said that after Yuan Shu was demoted, he was in high spirits and was running around Luoyang again. Moreover, after only a few days, he took leave and returned to his hometown of Runan.

(End of this chapter)