During the Han and Wei Dynasties, the center of Hebei Province was around Yecheng, but by the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Youzhou gradually became an important town in the north.
"What aristocratic families are there in Youzhou?"
"Many, since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Fanyang Lu family, Shangguhou family, Bolingcui family, etc. outside Youzhou have been powerful families for hundreds of years, especially the Fanyang Lu family. Most of their family members are serving as officials in Youzhou. Although I
Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, there have not been many Lu family members in the court, but they have occupied absolute real power in Youzhou. Before that, whether it was Li Jing, Xue Shixiong, Luo Yi in the former Sui Dynasty, or Li Yuan, Wang Junkuo, Li Xuandao, etc. in the current dynasty
In You, everyone respects the Lu family very much. In the early years, there were even those who did not know the emperor but only knew the Lu family."
In Youzhou City,
Li Jinyan, the second son of Tudiji, stood with Wu Huaiyu at the top of Youzhou City and introduced him seriously.
He is different from his eldest brother Duho, who is brave and brave. Li Jinyan's original name is Wuji, but he is born with a lame disability. He is even a bit ferocious in appearance. Even Tu Diji despises this son, especially his biological mother was a Goguryeo.
In order to control their tribe, a Goguryeo woman was forced to come over.
However, although Wu Ji was born with crippled legs and ugly appearance, he 'accidentally' fell into the fire when he was a child and burned half of his already ugly face. However, he who was disliked since childhood has grown up and become a bit better.
He is lonely and unsocial, and he only likes to study, so he is laughed at by his brothers.
After Wu Huaiyu adopted Tudiji's youngest son as his adopted son, Tudiji changed the name of his bravest eldest son to Li Jinnuo and asked him to move to Chang'an with his wife, concubines and children.
When Huaiyi was seeing him off, he unexpectedly discovered something special about this second Li.
Later, he specially called him for a chat and found that this second son was very smart. Tu Diji was an old fox, but in terms of intelligence, he might not be as good as his son. It was a pity that no one of them had taken him seriously before.
Wu Huaiyu gave his second son a name and some words of sincerity.
Li Jinyan, who is in his early forties, is very familiar with the situation in Youzhou and knows everything about Wu Huaiyu.
"Wu Gong, it is no exaggeration to say that the Lu family has long been the local emperor of Youzhou. The Fan Yang Lu family has played a decisive role in the stability and stability of Youzhou. If Wu Gong wants to make a difference in Youzhou, there is absolutely no way around it.
Open them."
"Is it really that powerful?"
"Compared to the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Lu family today is indeed not as good as before. At the end of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, there were many rebellions in Youzhou. In the Northern Zhou and Sui dynasties, the military control of Youzhou continued to strengthen. The Fan Yang Lu family
The influence and control of the state have weakened a lot, but a skinny camel is bigger than a horse after all!"
Huaiyu smiled and listened to the second brother's introduction.
"Now that the world is stable, the influence of the Lu family has actually decreased again. After all, they are already an old force, and the Guanlong clan is the emerging force. The two forces will inevitably fight in Youzhou, and the old and the new will naturally compete for each other.
However, the Guanlong clan and some Shandong military upstarts joined forces to attack the old Guandong nobles, and the offensive and defensive momentum had already changed.
During the Sui Dynasty, the peasant uprisings in Shandong and Hebei were the most violent, and the Fan Yang Lu family and other old gentry were also suppressed and devastated the most, just as Hou Jing's rebellion completely devastated the Jiangnan gentry like Wang Xie."
Youzhou is close to the frontier and is the so-called hometown of armies and horses. For a long time, it has a vast territory and sparsely populated areas. Since the Han Dynasty, people have vigorously cultivated fields in Youzhou area.
After the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, the eight states under the current Youzhou Governor's Mansion were a large area with a small population, and there were many Hu people among them, many of whom were of mixed Hu and Han descent. The situation here was still very different from that in the mainland of the Central Plains.
of.
Fanhu, aristocratic families, these are very important issues.
Li Jinyan suggested to Wu Huaiyu, "If you want to govern Youzhou well, the key is to strengthen the armament and increase the number of troops. Only in this way can we fundamentally deter the local snakes of the Lu family and other aristocratic families, as well as the unruly Fan Hu, etc., and as long as
Only with strong soldiers and strong horses can we guard the frontier and prevent the Turks, Xiqi, Goguryeo and others from invading, and then we can have a stable life, otherwise nothing will happen."
"If you want to station troops and garrison, the key lies in money and food, especially grain. I suggest that you strengthen farmland. Nowadays, Youzhou is vast and sparsely populated, and there is a lot of land that can be cultivated and cultivated. My preliminary estimate is that at least 200 troops can be stationed here.
,"
Wu Huaiyu calculated that a village of 5,000 acres would be one million acres. Harvesting one stone per mu would also be one million stones of army food.
Having food can not only raise troops to prepare for war, but also raise horses to strengthen the army.
"Increase troops, garrison the fields, and then open up business." Li Jinyan pointed to the north outside the city, "Youzhou is close to the border fortress, and Hu merchants have always gathered there. The merchants traveling from south to north are extremely active. Turks, Xi, Qi, Lin, Mohe, Shi
Businessmen from Wei, Goguryeo, and even Silla, Baekje, etc. are all vying to trade here. As long as the market is opened to attract investment and trade is liberalized, the profits here are extremely high.
Rare goods and local products from all over the world can be traded at extremely high profits, and taxes and profits can also be collected."
Although this place is far away from the Guanzhong area, the core of the Central Plains, because of this, the imperial court needs to strengthen its control more and more, otherwise it will be beyond its reach. Once a dispute breaks out, it will be the most vulnerable to separatist rebellion.
In the whole of Hebei, compared with the economically developed and densely populated Jizhou area, Youzhou appears relatively barren, with a vast land and sparsely populated areas.
According to statistics from Daye Zhong of the Sui Dynasty, Qinghe County in Jizhou at that time had a population of 300,000 households, with an average of more than 20,000 households in each county. Xindu, Wei County, etc. all had hundreds of thousands of households.
There are only 80,000 households in Zhuo County, more than 30,000 households in Shanggu County, more than 3,000 households in Yuyang County, and more than 2,000 households in Beiping County.
For the Central Plains, Youzhou is an important gateway to the north, especially the only passage to western Liaoning and eastern Liaoning. It is a battleground for military strategists.
However, he has unique geographical advantages, which makes his status continue to improve, and he will inevitably become the center of the military and politics of the northern frontier.
The higher its status, the greater the power the court will invest, which will inevitably further suppress local forces.
The decline of the old aristocratic families also prompted the birth of new aristocratic families.
In the Sui Dynasty, the Grand Canal was built and connected directly to Youzhou, which further enhanced the status of Youzhou, strengthened the Central Plains' control over Youzhou, and weakened the powerful local families.
The Li family has been attached to the Central Plains for more than 30 years. From western Liaoning to Youzhou, they have witnessed with their own eyes the power of the Central Plains court like a dragon crossing the river. They have also seen how the old clans such as Fan Yang and Lu family have declined rapidly in recent years. Although now
They're starting to look up again, but overall, they're not as good as they used to be.
Of course, he still advised Wu Huaiyu to be cautious when facing them.
"I heard that when Duke Wu was in Chang'an, he had a good relationship with Duke Lu Chengqing of Fanyang County?"
"good,"
"With this kind of relationship, Duke Wu can spend more time with the Lu family. I suggest that Duke Wu can find a matchmaker to marry the Lu family of Fan Yang. Duke Wu can come to the Lu family to take a side branch or a concubine as a concubine.
, you can also make an engagement with the Lu family for your children,"
Wu Huaiyu just smiled at this suggestion.
People in this era like to use marriage, or in other words, even in later generations, this is also the most common method among wealthy families.
Simple yet very practical.
In fact, Wu Huaiyu has done such things in recent years. He and Fan Xuanfu are considered special, but later, with the Qiu family, the Yun family, and even the Tang family, the Han family and the Duan family in Shuofang, they were actually political marriages, including with the royal family.
He smiled and said, "I'm afraid that the Fan Yang Lu family may not like me either."
Li Jinyan also smiled and said unabashedly, "In the earlier years, even twenty years earlier, even with Duke Wu's status and talent, Fan Yang might have really looked down on them. They used to be famous.
People are conservative, especially among direct lineage families, and marriages are only between five surnames and seven families. But now, it is no better than before.
From the time when the Northern Zhou Dynasty destroyed the Northern Qi Dynasty, and then through the Sui Dynasty, and then through the civil unrest and chaotic wars at the end of the Sui Dynasty, Fan Yanglu could no longer be so aloof and aloof. To be honest, I, Aye, who is so attached to the Fan Hu, would have been earlier.
Nian Kedu took the Lu family's daughter as his concubine. At that time, Hebei was in turmoil and the Lu family was also in danger. I, Aye, had thousands of tribesmen and horses, and the soldiers and horses were strong. The Lu family also took the initiative to win over us and sent their daughters out."
"Later, my brother also took a daughter from a branch of the Lu family as his concubine."
Of course, at that time and now, the Tudiji family wanted to marry the Fan Yanglu family again, but they looked down upon it.
"Do you know why I, Aye, like little Thirteen so much? It's all because his biological mother is Fan Yanglu."
In order to protect themselves in the turmoil at the end of the Sui Dynasty, the Fanyang Lu family had to marry off Mohe's subordinate chiefs like Tu Diji. Naturally, Dou Jiande, Luo Yi, Gao Kaidao, etc. were all Zeng.
Head bowed.
Of course, this does not prevent them from becoming arrogant again.
In fact, aristocratic families are most afraid of troubled times and turmoil, because that is when there are no rules. What they like most is the prosperous world. They occupy a lot of resources, and ordinary people can't beat them by playing by the rules.
Of course Wu Huaiyu's family was not worth mentioning before, but now that he has served as prime minister, is the emperor's favorite, and is given the title of Emperor's Heart, naturally his family has become a prominent branch of the Taiyuan Wu family. Even the Taiyuan Wu family cannot compete with the five surnames and seven
Compared with the family, the Lu family is not prosperous now. Wu Huaiyu came to Youzhou to be the governor, and the relationship between Wu Huaiyu and Lu Chengqing was not bad before. If Wu Huaiyu really comes to propose marriage, whether it is to get a concubine for himself or to arrange a concubine for his children.
Dear, Fan Yang and Lu will be willing to accept it.
"It's not urgent." Huaiyu waved his hand.
If you come to ask for help, you will lose the initiative. Although Li Jinyan also made it clear that if you want to show your power in Youzhou, you must get the full support of the Fan Yanglu family, otherwise it will be very troublesome, but Wu Huaiyu is still not in a hurry.
Standing on Youzhou City, Wu Huaiyu fell in love with this big city the more he looked at it.
Youzhou is also called Jicheng. It is nine miles from north to south and seven miles from east to west. It has ten gates and a circumference of thirty-two miles. There is a sub-city inside. This is a large city that is slightly longer from north to south and narrower from east to west. The sub-city where the Dudu Mansion is located is not
It is surrounded by the outer city, but is located in the southwest corner of the city, adjacent to the west of Youzhou City and built on the south wall of the city.
There are eight gates in the outer city, and two more gates are opened in Youzhou City in the north of the city.
Zicheng has four gates, the south gate and west gate are also outer city gates, and the east gate and north gate lead to the outer city of Youzhou.
Youzhou City also has a lane system, with a total of twenty-eight lanes.
Touching the battlements with his hands, looking down at Jicheng, he was full of pride and said, "Let's start from this Jicheng!"
"Report to the Governor, Lu Chengye pays homage." An Lushan, who was dressed in leather armor, reported to the city.
"Is it Brother Lu Chengqing?" Huaiyu asked.
Li Jinyan nodded, "Lu Chengqing's fifth brother is twenty-eight this year. He has been studying at home and has not been an official. It is said that he is preparing to take the imperial examination and marry a daughter of the Zheng family in Xingyang. Zheng's grandfather is Zheng Jingshan, the governor of Guangzhou in Wei, and his father is Zheng Boyai, Sicang of Ezhou in Sui Dynasty.
"
"How do you like reading Lu Chengye's book?"
"He is extremely talented and famous, and has martial virtues. Emperor Zhenguan called him to serve as an official several times, but he resigned and refused. He has both talented and virtuous reputations. He is very talented in Youzhou. Although he has only just established, he can be in the Lu family.
The family has a high prestige."
The main branches of the Lu family in Fanyang include the Northern Ancestral Fang, the Southern Ancestral Fang and the Imperial Master's Fang. Among them, the four branches of the Northern Ancestral Fang are all descendants of the fourth son of General Pingdong of the Northern Wei Dynasty and the Marquis of Gu'an, Lu Dushi.
The emperor's master's room also originated from the northern ancestral house, because the three sons of Lu Jing, Taichang Qing of the Northern Wei Dynasty, served as the emperor's master of Wei, Qi, and Zhou Dynasties respectively. Therefore, the family was called the emperor's master's room, and it was also divided into four rooms.
The brothers Chengchengqing and Lu Chengye came from the eldest of the four houses of the Northern Ancestor. Their ancestor was Lu Dushi's eldest son, Secretary Jian Lu Yuan, also known as Yangwufang.
In addition to these fixed houses, the Lu family has many other houses, some of which have been weakened over the years and have even become ordinary people.
But in Youzhou, as long as your surname is Lu, it is extraordinary.
Although Lu Chengye has not yet become an official, he has always had a high status in Youzhou City. No matter who comes to be in charge, he must pay a visit first. However, Wu Huaiyu has been in Youzhou for a while, and he is still a powerful Youzhou family.
I haven't even visited.
Now Lu Chengye took the initiative to visit first.
"The Lu family of Fan Yang has inherited Confucianism since Lu Zhi, and the family education is characterized by the 'Three Rites'. The Fan family is fond of learning and elegant, has a rich collection of writings, and has left a large number of poetry and prose works. Its family achievements are mainly concentrated in Confucianism, calligraphy, painting, and literature.
In the four aspects of history and history, Lu Chengye is outstanding in all four aspects."
Li Jinyan suggested that when Wu Huaiyu meets Lu Chengye, he must be respected enough.
"It is estimated that countless people in Youzhou are watching this meeting."
