After entering the house arranged by the state government, Zhou Jun told Sun Aying not to let anyone else disturb him except Liu Zai.
A quarter of an hour later, Liu Zai came to visit.
The servant led him into the study, where Zhou Jun met him.
After not seeing each other for several years, they finally met each other. They both felt that things were different and people were different, and they were filled with emotion.
Liu Zai cupped his hands and called him Prince Consort.
Zhou Jun shook his head and said: "What kind of friendship do you and I have? Why are we so different?"
Liu Zai smiled and said: "Zhou Zhoulang."
Zhou Jun: "That's it."
Liu Zai: "I'm afraid it's been more than three years since we said goodbye in the past."
Zhou Jun: "When you and Luo Nandou came to Dunhuang to take charge of the repair of the Daqi Trade Road, it was because of my introduction. However, when Luo Nandou returned to Chang'an, you chose to stay."
Liu Zai: "I don't like the hustle and bustle of Chang'an. I wanted to stay in Dunhuang and enjoy the desert alone, but I didn't expect that no matter where I went, the Tang Dynasty looked ordinary."
Zhou Jun: "What?"
Liu Zai sighed, and then said: "Zhou Lang returned to Chang'an, and he may not know much about what happened next. Since Wang Xie took over the Daqi Trading Road, the Guanlong gentry and the nobles in the court followed him one after another.
Later, he either worked as an official or engaged in business, and gradually established a firm foothold in Shazhou."
Zhou Jun nodded, Daqi Trading Road was very profitable. After the news spread to Chang'an, all the Gyeonggi families took notice and tried their best to move their officials or shops to Shazhou, just to get a piece of the pie.
Liu Zai: "When Wang Xian first came to Shazhou, he had to rely on these Guanlong nobles to issue government orders or mobilize resources. Both parties took what they needed and jointly profited from the trade routes, so it was a cooperative relationship. However, as Guanlong became more
As Long's power gradually grows in Shazhou, these people are no longer satisfied with making business profits, but have set their sights on something more valuable."
Zhou Jun: "What?"
Liu Zai took a deep breath and said: "Land."
Zhou Jun was stunned.
Liu Zai: "The Daqi Trade Road drove the development of Shazhou, with more and more caravans coming and going, and the population also increased. However, Shazhou is located in the desert, and the land that can be used for construction, management and farming is extremely limited. Therefore, Dunhuang
, the land value in Shouchang, Yangguan and other prefectures and counties is getting higher and higher, and it has become the object of covetousness by all parties."
Zhou Jun: "The Guanlong gentry and the nobles of the DPRK wantonly annexed land in Shazhou. Is the king also an accomplice?"
Liu Zai: "Wang He had to help. Firstly, the two of them share weal and woe. Wang He received their favor, and many things were handed over to them; secondly, Wang He, as a foreigner, would have to return to Chang'an sooner or later.
Of course, I don’t dare to offend these noble Guan Long nobles.”
Zhou Jun: "If this happens, the local wealthy people in Shazhou will be angry."
Liu Zai: "More than just angry, at first Wang Xian and his party members only affected taxes and trade routes. Although the Shazhou rich people were dissatisfied, they could endure it. Later, Guan Longxungui began to annex land. This move can be regarded as a turbulent move.
They have lost the lifeblood of the local wealthy families. If they lose their land, this will force people to a dead end."
Zhou Jun: "Hasn't Wang Zhi considered the consequences of fighting for land?"
Liu Zai: "Wang and the officials who came from Guanlong did not pay attention to the local opposition in Shazhou at first. In their eyes, Shazhou was just a barbaric land, and the locals were just a group of uncivilized border people.
, it is already a great kindness to seize their land and give some silk as charity."
When Liu Zai said this, he paused for a moment and sighed again: "The local powerful people in Shazhou, seeing that they could not reach a consensus, they gathered together and determined to fight against Guanlong. At first, it was just sporadic quarrels, and then it gradually developed into
Fighting with weapons. If at this time, Wang Zhi can realize the seriousness of the situation, step back from the brink and appease the locals in time, it will not be too late."
Zhou Jun frowned and asked, "Wang Fei committed a fatal blow?"
Liu Zai nodded: "He threw all those who dared to protest into prison, and selected some of them and tortured them until they were beaten into submission and confessed their crimes. Finally, he beheaded all the prisoners who confessed in public.
I plan to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys and calm down the trouble."
Zhou Jun said with a headache: "Wang Fei did a huge stupid thing."
Liu Zai: "At that time, the news of the defeat of the Talas reached Shazhou. In addition, the Sogdians colluded with the Tibetan people, and under the guise of religion, they set fire to Shazhou everywhere, sowing discord between the locals and the state capital.
conflict. Finally, the Tubo army entered Shazhou through Longle Mountain, and the conflict completely broke out. I am afraid you know everything that happened after that."
After Zhou Jun listened, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper.
Before he came, he knew that the situation in Shazhou was complicated, but he did not expect that it would be so complicated.
The Sogdians and Tubo people are now involved in the Shazhou tycoons and Guan Longxungui. It is not an exaggeration to say that the situation in Shazhou is a mess.
Thinking about it this way, the exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes set by Wang Xian on the Daqi Trade Road were only the inducements for the Shazhou Rebellion. The real root cause of the Shazhou Rebellion was the land dispute between Guan Longxungui and the Shazhou powerful.
Wang Fei thought he had great power and had the army to back him up, so he blindly favored one side. Coupled with the Tubo and Sogdian people adding fuel to the fire, the situation in Shazhou deteriorated beyond control.
Thinking of this, Zhou Jun asked Liu Zai again: "You just said that the Sogdians are colluding with the Tubo people and causing trouble everywhere under the guise of religion. What sect is this?"
Liu Zai: "The Sogdians originally worshiped Zoroastrianism, and the Tubo people originally worshiped Bon. A hundred years ago, Buddhism was introduced to Tubo and the Nine Surnames Country, and gradually grew in strength. Now it has faintly replaced Zoroastrianism and Bon. This time
During the Shazhou Rebellion, the Sogdians and Tubo people used the cover of Buddhism to secretly meet with Shazhou locals in various temples, exchange information, and plan riots."
Zhou Jun was silent.
Liu Zai talked for a long time and felt a little dry. Seeing Zhou Jun thinking deeply, he planned to get up and get some water to drink.
As soon as he stood up, Liu Zai's body trembled and he held on to the wall with a grin on his face. He didn't recover for a long time.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Seeing this, Zhou Jun asked: "Are you injured?"
Liu Zai was so hurt that he couldn't speak, so he could only wave his hands to indicate that it was okay.
Zhou Jun insisted on seeing the wound.
Liu Zai couldn't resist, so he could only lift up his sleeves.
Zhou Jun looked down and saw that there were stab wounds and burns on Liu Zai's arm. The wounds were large and yellow and white, presumably due to inflammation.
Zhou Jun couldn't help but ask: "What's the matter with this injury?"
Liu Zai said nonchalantly: "The Tibetan cavalry invaded Dunhuang, and the city was in chaos. Seeing that the guards were unmanned and the situation was critical, a certain man volunteered and rushed forward to temporarily take over the general's post."
Liu Zai said it easily, as if it was just a trivial matter, but when Zhou Jun saw those horrific wounds, he could already imagine the danger of that night.
Zhou Jun asked: "Where are the captains? Where are the generals? And where are the officials? Why are you the only one leading the army to resist the enemy?"
Liu Zai: "Since the Daqi Trade Road was opened, the official positions in Dunhuang County are considered as good places with plenty of money and water by the nobles in the court. Most of the state officials are officials who have not experienced battles and have been decentralized.
, when Tubo unexpectedly broke through the city, who would dare to rush forward? As for Wang, when he heard that Dunhuang was broken and the Tubo army entered the city, he didn't even take care of his concubine, and just fled out of the city with his own soldiers."
When Zhou Jun heard this, he pressed his right hand hard on the desk, with an angry look on his face. After a long while, he squeezed out a sentence from between his teeth: "The dirty officialdom will cause violent winds and thunderstorms to wipe out the surrounding areas."
After saying that, Zhou Jun took out a porcelain bottle from his arms, put it on the table, and said to Liu Zai: "The bottle contains good medicine for wounds. Apply it to the wound as soon as possible, otherwise it will take too long.
It will cause the disease."
Liu Zai picked up the porcelain bottle and opened the stopper. A pungent smell hit his face, causing him to sneeze.