Sanyuan is located in the northern part of the Guanzhong Plain. It is named after Fengyuan in the south, Menghouyuan in the west, and Bailuyuan in the north. Of course, this Bailuyuan is a different place from the Weinan Bailuyuan known to later generations.
Li Tai and his party stayed in Jingyuan for one day and then continued westward. Along the way, they sent troops to search and investigate within the territory, but no obvious clues were found. It was not until the third day that they arrived at Sanyuan.
"Master Sir, after I heard the news in the north, I traveled day and night and arrived in the countryside last night."
As soon as Li Tai and his party entered the country, there were scouts who led Mao Shijian and others who were waiting to greet them on the road ahead. After Li Tai expressed his acceptance of Mao Shijian and his fellow countrymen by the Luoshui River, Mao Shijian no longer regarded himself as a simple subordinate, but
Consider yourself a disciple.
After coming in to pay homage, Mao Shijian introduced several fellow countrymen to Li Tai. When he saw how powerful Li Tai's troops were, he couldn't help but ask: "The former sent an unknown report, Master Lang has sent troops here, but what do you want?"
What's the matter? The servant in the village still has some ruthlessness to rely on. If you need anything, Master Lang, please give me your instructions."
Among the Sanyuan celebrities known to later generations, the most famous one is Li Jing in the early Tang Dynasty. But of course there is no Li Jing at the moment. The most powerful one here is the Beidi Mao family.
The Mao clan was a Di powerful chieftain who had been rich in the North for generations, especially the two brothers Mao Hongyuan and Mao Hongbin. When Wanqi Chou slaves and Xiao Baoqi rebelled in Guanzhong, the Mao brothers called on the village guards to resist the rebels.
Therefore, Emperor Xiaoming of the Northern Wei Dynasty named Beidi County Beiyong Prefecture for his role in suppressing chaos in the countryside, named Mao Hongbin the governor of Beiyong Prefecture, and established Sanyuan, the ancestral home of the Mao family, as Jianzhong Prefecture in recognition of his contribution. The enjoyment of Guanxi power
There is nothing more glorious than this.
When Xiaowu moved to the west, he led Mao Hongbin to guard Tongguan, but he was kidnapped by the Eastern Wei Dynasty. He died in Bingzhou. Mao Hongyuan, who stayed in Guanzhong, entered the court and became minister together with Zhou Huida, and died in office.
Mao Hongyuan was Mao Xia, and Mao Shijian was his youngest son. Since Li Tai came to China to work, of course he had to call this local tycoon to come and discuss the details.
"Shi Jian, there is no need to be polite. I will leave all the matters in Beizhou to be discussed later. I have something else to do when I call you back home. This trip is because of Dr. Liu..."
Li Tai briefly narrated the matter. After hearing this, Mao Shijian raised his eyebrows and said: "Such a monster happened in the country! Please rest assured, Mr. Lang. After the tribes have settled in the country, I will visit the village and I will investigate it as soon as possible!"
"
After hearing this, Li Tai nodded and turned to look at Liu Min, who was traveling with him. Liu Min naturally had nothing to say. He had no power to rely on in this situation, so he had no choice but to listen to Li Tai.
So the group, led by Mao Shijian, headed for a suitable camping location.
While Mao Shijian was riding his horse to lead the way, he frequently looked back at the entourage behind Li Tai. Li Tai followed his line of sight and saw Zhang Shinu in the team who was also flirting with him, so he asked with a smile: "
Are you two old acquaintances?"
After hearing this, Mao Shijian nodded: "When I was young, I was interested in Taoism and visited the wonders. I also wanted to go to the master Chen's door to watch. Unfortunately, my relationship with Taoism was shallow. I met Shi Nu a few times. How could he become the master's follower?"
When Li Tai heard this, he was a little surprised. No wonder you, the boy, were not merciless in killing the Samanas in the north. There is also such a reason for the relationship. He admires the Taoist immortals in his heart, so naturally he is not afraid of the Samanas Buddha.
He raised his hand to signal Zhang Shinu to come forward, and let the old acquaintances walk and chat together. After traveling more than ten miles north, he asked again: "How far is it from Yong'an City? I am very grateful to you, Shi Jian, for your ancestors' great achievements."
I’ve heard about it for a long time.”
Yong'an City, also known as Hongbinzha, was named after Mao Shijian's uncle Mao Hongbin. It used to be the prefecture of Beiyongzhou, and is now the county seat of Jianzhong County. It is the biggest proof of Mao's glorious hometown in the north. Li Tai may not be too curious, but since
Of course, when you come to China as a guest, you should also give a few compliments.
But after hearing this, Mao Shijian looked a little embarrassed and gloomy, and said in a deep voice: "My clan members have not lived in Yong'an for many years. Due to the quarrel with the prince, they have now moved to Bailuyuan...
"
Li Tai was a little surprised after hearing this. Seeing Mao Shijian's expression, he soon realized that it might be another plot of a powerful man losing power and not being tolerated in the countryside. Moreover, it seemed that the situation was quite serious, forcing Mao to no longer dare to live in his ancestral property.
Move elsewhere.
"Now that you have entered the country, it is natural for the guest to do as he pleases. However, it would be rude to not inform the county guard when passing through the border."
Li Tai was not sure whether official forces were involved in this matter, so he did not plan to use the power of local officials to investigate. But he had so many people entering the country, and he didn't know how many days they would stay. If no notice was given, misunderstandings would inevitably occur.
contradiction.
So he led his men towards Yong'an City and informed the county guard, naturally using the same excuse as before.
On the way, Mao Shijian told Li Tai angrily about the specific situation of his family in the county. In short, it was difficult to explain in a word.
When the Mao Hongyuan brothers were still alive, the Mao family had unlimited natural beauty and was promoted as the leader of the alliance by the villagers. It was once able to influence the entire power structure in Guanzhong, as can be seen from the rewards given to them by the Northern Wei Dynasty.
When Xiaowu moved westward, the Mao family was also very active. Mao Hongbin led his fellow villagers to welcome him in large numbers, and also delivered a large amount of supplies, so that the people traveling westward could have enough to eat.
However, Mao Hongbin was arranged to stay in Tongguan. After the fall of Tongguan, he disappeared from the Eastern Dynasty. Only a few of his troops who went eastward could come back. As a result, Mao's family suffered a great loss in his hometown.
Such an arrangement is, to put it bluntly, a trap for big business, and it means you will die. Whether it is Yu Wentai's Beizhen Legion or the Luoyang dignitaries who followed Xiaowu in moving west, they certainly do not want such a strong independent local force to still exist in Guanzhong.
, and the home base is on the Weibei Plain, one step away from Chang'an.
After Mao Hongbin's death, although Mao Hongyuan was still serving in the government, he was no longer in danger, and Mao Hongyuan also passed away not long after.
After the death of the two brothers, the once-famous Mao clan in the North declined rapidly. No matter in government or in the opposition, there was no leading figure to represent this local force.
This can be regarded as the common fate of powerful men in troubled times. Even the powerful Heba brothers inevitably end up making wedding clothes for others. There are very few who can really stand out and taste the fruits of victory.
Mao Shijian also had an older brother who led the remaining troops of his army to serve as a general under Li Yuan in western Henan. However, his local influence had been almost wiped out. Otherwise, with Mao Shijian's family background and power, he would not have just been in Bafu.
Li Tai, who came forward, worked under him and even considered himself his disciple.
The current governor of Jianzhong County is named Wang Qingde, a member of the Jingzhao Wang clan, that is, the Wang Zhi clan who made Gao Huan lose his temper in Huazhou City before the Battle of Shayuan.
According to Mao Shijian, there should be some old grudges between the two families. Therefore, after Wang Qingde took office, he also targeted the Mao clan members a lot, making their clan's situation even more difficult.
However, even if there is no grudge against each other, as a local governor, he does not want to have an overly powerful wealthy family under his rule. Although the Mao family is gradually declining in the countryside, it still has local influence. After all, the establishment of Zhong County is for the sake of promotion.
It was established because of the merits of the family, and of course it will kill you while you are sick.
After learning this, Li Tai looked at Mao Shijian and Zhang Shinu riding side by side in front, and sighed in his heart, you two are really inseparable.
But having said that, if the local power had not been greatly suppressed, these two people and their respective clans might not have been able to be used by themselves.
The folk customs in Guanzhong were xenophobic, and Li Tai was able to gain a foothold in Shangyuan. First, Huazhou was the headquarters of the Bafu, and there were many military leaders. There was no strong force. Both of them were also able to win the favor of local people because of the construction of Longshou Canal in Dayi County.
Recognition and acceptance.
Li Tai would just listen to this kind of nostalgia fight. As long as it doesn't harm his own interests or there is no obvious benefit to be gained, he doesn't bother to intervene.
Although Mao's nostalgia has been greatly reduced, his emaciated camels are bigger than horses. He still owns hundreds of hectares of manor land in Bailuyuan, and has hundreds of tribesmen gathered there. It is more than enough to receive Li Tai and his entourage.
However, Li Tai had just made a small fortune by suppressing bandits, and with Liu Min, a rich man, reimbursing the money, he had enough supplies for this trip. He only needed to stay at Mao Shijian Village, so he didn't need to use too many supplies.
Bailuyuan is an extremely vast plateau. It is home to not only the Mao family, but also many manors and villages, and many kilns are billowing smoke.
Li Tai was sensitive to handicraft production. When he saw this, he smiled and said: "The people of Sanyuan are quite happy to work. What kind of utensils are being fired in those kilns?"
Mao Shijian looked at the billowing smoke, a trace of disgust flashed in his expression, and he lowered his head and replied: "These are villagers worshiping Buddha and burning and smelting statues. Every year in the first month of spring, believers will build statues and parade, so at the end of the year
Busy."
Li Tai knew about the ceremony of performing Buddha statues. The Empress Dowager Hu who brought chaos to the country in the late Northern Wei Dynasty and her father Hu Guozhen were devout Buddhists. At the age of eighty, they had to walk to participate in this ceremony. After returning home, they fell ill from exhaustion.
, died soon after.
But now that he heard this, he suddenly felt something bad in his heart. He and Liu Min looked at each other, with worries in their eyes.
The missing batch of materials, grain, silk and other miscellaneous items had no obvious markings. Only the confiscated metal Buddha statues were conclusive evidence. But if the perpetrators took advantage of the time when the Buddha statues were being cast in the countryside to re-install those utensils,
After being melted and cast, it would be difficult to discern and investigate.
After he expressed his worries, Mao Shijian quickly said: "There are only a few places in the village that can make grand smelting statues. I immediately went to visit and investigate. If the goods come into this village, they will never be allowed to disappear into thin air!"
After hearing this, Li Tai nodded, and asked Liu Min to describe the characteristics and details of his branch's personnel. Then he avoided Liu Min, motioned to Mao Shijian and Zhang Shinu to come closer, and whispered: "While visiting, I
, let’s see where there are models for casting various evil Buddha statues, and order a few.”
Although the Bafu has abolished the prohibition of obscenity and worship, the current policy implementation is mainly aimed at temples. It will take some time for it to sink into the countryside. There should be such craftsmanship in the countryside.
Li Tai is always prepared when doing things. It would be best if he can track down the real culprit and recover the lost goods, but if he can't, he can't go all the way in vain. If the old one is gone, he will find a new one. Anyway, the Buddhas are very rich.
He doesn't pick and choose, and that's the real thing when money and food are in his pocket. This chapter has been completed!