It was June, and the huge Jade City was bustling with activity.
However, in the Liao Kingdom, the tallest building was the Climbing Cloud Platform built by His Royal Highness the King of Liao.
It is more than five feet high, twice as high as the city wall. From its commanding height, the entire Jade Capital City can be seen at a glance.
On the high platform at this time, the King of Liao was wearing a close-fitting robe, with his long hair tied up, and a hint of melancholy on his handsome face:
"The white jade capital in the sky, the five cities on the twelfth floor."
"The Immortal caressed my head, tied my hair and received eternal life——"
At this time, a soft male voice sounded from the side.
The King of Liao looked back and saw a young man in his twenties, wearing a black python robe, leaning on his back with his hands, leisurely.
If you look closely, you will see that he looks very similar to him, but is slightly taller and looks younger and more energetic.
With this foil, the King of Liao seemed more stable, no longer as frivolous as before.
This person is the fourteenth son of the emperor, King Zhu Cunxi of Xing, who is twenty-four this year.
The same mother as the King of Liao was born to the virtuous concubine Sun Xuan'er, and he was the second among three brothers.
"Brother, you feel quite comfortable!"
Looking at his younger brother in front of him, King Liao couldn't help but sigh:
"When you enter the Xing Kingdom, you will understand the difficulties of running the country. In a foreign country, there are constraints everywhere!"
When King Xing heard this, he said casually: "My younger brother is not as attentive to the Xing Kingdom as my elder brother. The prime minister of the country manages it well, Xiao Gui and Cao Sui."
"Your academic reform has made the Liao Kingdom very lively, but I can't do it. After all, I don't have the skills of a big brother!"
Listening to these lazy words, King Liao was so angry that his liver ached.
He originally thought that he was famous for being frivolous, but who would have thought that his second brother was even more outstanding.
Holding back his anger, he said in a deep voice: "Without innovation, where will the royal power come from? Where can there be long-term peace and stability?"
"You have to know that we, the vassal kings, are outsiders. If we don't take action to eliminate the old evils, how can we let the stagnant palace become chaotic? Only with chaos can we have a chance!"
Having said this, he couldn't help but feel proud:
"In the past, someone moved the capital to Yujing City and abandoned Bukhara. As a result, the nobles thought they had an opportunity and occupied the city all at once. Instead, I lured the snake out of the hole and got the opportunity all at once!"
The King of Liao shook his head and said proudly: "Local tribes were destroyed in various ways, most of the old nobles were wiped out, and those who were high in the sky and emperors far away were also forced to surrender."
"Now, when I carry out educational reforms, how many people dare to oppose them? Those monks do not have the support of the nobles, so they can only be at my mercy!"
"Jade Capital City is already a prosperous country in the Western Regions!"
As everyone knows, King Xing disagreed with this: "Brother, isn't this tiring?"
"Those Bukhara people are ignorant people. As long as they show kindness and pull and hit them, they can be used by me!"
After saying that, King Xing shook his head and said: "You are like Lu Hou Boqin back then. You have to cut people into a decent shape before you stop. It's a waste of time!"
"Oh? Then what are you going to do?"
Having not been contradicted by anyone for many years, the King of Liao became a little angry for a while.
"His tribe is no less than a country. I will let his master go to the capital to enjoy wealth and honor, and his son will rule it in the tribe!"
"Isn't there a younger son guarding the stove on the grassland? I will wait until his death and the eldest son will succeed to the throne, and support the younger son in seizing power."
"In this way, the tribe's strength will be consumed. I will work together to divide the tribe into two and order it to surrender."
The King of Liao was silent.
This method is indeed good, but it takes a little time.
"Then he wants to live for ten years?"
"I will send someone to pretend to be an enemy to assassinate you and provoke a confrontation!"
"You boy, you are so sinister!" King Liao sighed repeatedly.
"Brother, this is using your brain!" King Xing said with a smile, "That's what the saying goes, go to war and attack!"
"I'm just lazy. Fighting is too troublesome and wastes money and manpower."
As he said that, he put away his smile: "Besides, my Xing Kingdom is not like your Liao Kingdom. It has Anxi as its back, has soldiers and horses to support it at any time, and can easily supply money and food. If it really doesn't work, you can still escape!"
"And my Xing Kingdom is right next to Persia, and there is also the Mughal Empire nearby. Only you, the Liao Kingdom, can rely on one or two."
"If there is too much noise, the Persians may not be able to bear the loneliness and want to regain their old territory."
This made the King of Liao silent.
"You are blaming me!" King Liao sighed: "I just wrote to my father, I really didn't expect it to be you."
"It's too late to say this now!" King Xing shook his head and said with a bitter smile:
"Although the territory of the Xing Kingdom is large, it is thousands of miles away from the Ming Dynasty, and the Persians are eyeing it. It is really like marrying and roasting on the stove!"
"Brother, you have to make it up to me!"
"Oh, are you waiting for me here?" King Liao smiled and said nonchalantly: "You and I, brothers, can't live without you, right?"
"Our Liao Kingdom has a vast territory and there is no shortage of cattle and sheep. To help your vassal, how about giving a thousand cavalry as a gift?"
"Do you have any armor?"
"nature!"
King Xing showed a hint of joy, but he was not satisfied: "Brother, the number of Mongolian heroes I have recruited is only three thousand. It doesn't matter if there are one thousand more."
"Then what do you want?" King Liao asked curiously.
"Talents!" King Xing corrected his attitude and said seriously: "Brother, my father said that whether it is conquering the world or governing the world, money, food and materials are the least important, and the most important thing is talents."
"The Taizu was able to open up the country because of Li Shanchang, Zhongshan Wuning King Xu Da and other civil servants and generals. Liu Bang became successful because of Xiao He, Zhang Liang, and Han Xin. When my younger brother left the vassal, what he lacked most was talent."
"oh?"
The King of Liao and him walked into the house, sat cross-legged, and drank tea.
"As far as I know, you have recruited hundreds of civil and military personnel, literati, officials, generals, and craftsmen from Beijing. There is no shortage of them all."
"These people can't stop me!"
King Xing took a sip of herbal tea, shook his head and sighed:
"What I need most now is literati who are knowledgeable in Persian and monks who are knowledgeable in teaching affairs!"
"These two kinds of people can help me stand firm!"
"Oh?" This answer was beyond his expectation, but it was natural.
The indigenous people of the Liao State and the indigenous people of the Xing State are essentially the same ethnic group, with the same language and beliefs, and they are both deeply influenced by Persia.
For example, the official system, writing, and even language of the previous Bukhara Khanate were all Persian, and the religious sect was also Shiite.
Even a lot of the population migrated from the Liao Kingdom in history.
In this case, it is most effective and convenient to draw on the bureaucrats of the Liao State to govern the country.
"Yes!" King Liao was very generous to his second brother: "In addition, I will also support you with 20,000 sheep and 1,000 cattle."
In the end, he even said with envy: "The Amu Darya River Basin is different from our Liao Kingdom, but there are many towns and cities where people cultivate land and can eat steamed buns and rice!"
When King Xing heard this, he immediately clapped his chest and said: "Brother, if you say anything, you and I are brothers, and we will surely provide you with thousands of stones of food every year!"
"How can I take advantage of you?" King Liao pretended to be angry: "I am not short of food, so how about exchanging it at the ratio of one sheep to one piece of cloth?"
"Then my brother will take advantage!"
In the Central Plains, a sheep is worth about one yuan, and a piece of cloth is only about five cents.
But this is in the grassland, where there are many sheep but little food. Even if the nomadic countries can weave cloth, there are no materials available and there is a shortage of cloth.
The Amu Darya River Basin was the place of exile for the Yuezhi in the past. It was called the Living Country in "The Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty" and it was called the "Ji Huan City" in the "Old Book of Tang Dynasty".
Over the years, the Liao Kingdom continued to reclaim wasteland and the cultivated land area continued to expand. However, the increase in the number of farmers was limited, and most of the people in the country were nomadic.
In the Xing State in the Amu Darya River Basin, there are half nomads and half farmers, and there are a large number of urban and rural areas where agriculture has flourished and other handicrafts have also developed.
As one of the only two major plains in Afghanistan, the Amu Darya Plain is fertile and has developed natural handicrafts.
It is just right to exchange a sheep for a piece of cloth.
The two brothers drank wine and talked about state affairs.
Local forces, religious issues, the army, officials, and most importantly, money and food.
The King of Liao said with great sincerity: "In the past, the Chongzhen Dynasty was short of money, so it levied three salaries, which led to rebellions. It can be seen that the country cannot be without money for a day."
"When I first became a vassal, I brought millions of silver coins from the capital so that I could have the confidence to take over the government and lead troops to suppress the bandits."
"When you go to Xing State, the first thing you do is to gain financial power so that you can exercise power!"
"It must be noted that those indigenous nobles see small profits and forget the great righteousness, and do not know loyalty and filial piety..."
After lingering in Yujing City for half a month, nearly 20,000 people got rid of their fatigue and headed towards Xing Kingdom in high spirits.
The capital of the Xing Kingdom was formerly Kunduz and is now Blue Moon City.
The reason why it was named Lan Yue naturally dates back to the Dayeshi people in the past. It is more convenient to use this easy-to-understand name.
Of course, the main reason was that King Xing thought Tocharo was ugly, and there were not many good names in the country.
This is also the main governing concept of King Xing: to integrate into the local area as much as possible to make the kingdom long-term and stable.
Just like the Qi State that was governed according to customs.
After all, he is a smart man. The Liao Kingdom relies on Anxi, while the Xing Kingdom can only rely on the Liao Kingdom. As for the Jedi Corridor (Wakhan Corridor) connecting Anxi, it is a problem for small-scale trade.
In this situation where everything is almost completely outside, it is naturally the best choice to follow the customs.
However, when he saw the square and neat Blue Moon City, he couldn't help but sigh.
This gives a familiar feeling.
Looking back, I saw everyone behind me looking relaxed, with faces filled with wonder and joy:
This is the city of my hometown.
The moat, antlers, the city gate inlaid with copper nails, the city wall, the parapet, the arrow opening, and the street have been restored almost one to one.
Who doesn’t feel emotional?
Yes, this is the current Xing Guoxiang who was born as a martial artist. After Jia Daihua's conquest, he left the deputy general, Viscount Xu Fang, to guard it.
In addition to being appointed and dismissed as the Prime Minister, it has been five or six years.
This country mirrors the gourd and paints the scoop, and governs completely in accordance with the domestic model.
In each village, a Jiabao system was established; in each town, counties and towns were established, and the local people were appointed as county magistrates and granted the power to govern.
However, he sent his troops to station in various counties and serve as patrol camps.
The national capital, Blue Moon City, is reproduced one-to-one according to the model of a prefectural city. It feels like returning home.
King Xing was quite dumbfounded: "How can this be governed by customs?"
"Your Highness, I really don't know much about running a country. After asking some literati for advice, I understand that it is nothing more than taxing, garrisoning, and educating."
Xu Fang said honestly: "So the general will take Xuzhou City as an example. The counties and prefectures are all ready!"
King Xing looked at these tall-nosed and deep-eyed natives wearing tolerant official uniforms, and his mind was full of thoughts.
"Actually, this is pretty good..."
The Xing Kingdom may not look big, but the Amu Darya Plain actually supports a lot of people.
Xing Guo has six prefectures, 24 counties, 320 towns, 50,000 households, and 320,000 residents.
Among them, there are about 100,000 herdsmen, and the rest are farmers, responsible for farming and cultivating the land.
The capital of the country, Blue Moon City, only has 50,000 people, but it is already the largest city.
"Why is there not a single native in this inner city?"
King Xing discovered the clue.
"Your Highness, the natives cannot be trusted!" Xu Fang said with a serious face: "Allowing them to live in the outer city is already a great kindness!"
King Xing shook his head: "No, in this case, the estrangement will only become deeper and deeper, and the country will be unstable!"
And it seems that after hearing that he, King Xing, was seeking vassal status, the neighboring Persians suddenly made some small moves.
…
At Jinzhou Port (Dalian), a lot of people suddenly gathered densely at this time. A large number of officials in green and scarlet robes were waiting at the port, looking anxious.
Yao Qisheng, the governor of Liaodong, stood with his head bowed. He could hear the whispers in his ears, but he was noncommittal.
At this time, someone suddenly came from behind and shouted: "The governor has entered the city, you don't need to wait any longer."
These words caused an uproar.
His Royal Highness actually entered the city directly? When?
Yao Qisheng frowned, and he heard the voice-over.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is issuing orders in his capacity as the Governor-General of Northeast China.
Everything must be done in a formal manner.
Therefore, this is because the grand ceremony of welcoming everyone is too big.
Helpless, everyone took the car and returned to the city.
When they arrived at the governor's office, everyone came together to pay homage to the prince.
His Royal Highness has a short beard and looks quite mature. He is dressed in plain clothes and exudes an impressive aura.
People nourish their Qi, and Qi nourishes people.
With such momentum, no one would believe him even if he was not a prince.
"Get up!" Zhu Cuqu said casually: "I am speaking to you today as the governor of the Northeast. Don't be too restrained."
"Give me a seat!"
"yes!"
Having said that, the only people left in the living room were the governor, chief envoy, inspector, academic administrator, and general soldier, plus the general soldier of the Bohai Sea Navy who came to see the prince.
The six people, half of their buttocks touching the stool, were careful in their words and deeds, not daring to go beyond the rules in the slightest.
Zhu Cunqu didn't take it seriously and said: "The model rushed from the south to the northeast under the holy order to control the four places. Liaodong is near the capital, and it has the most money and food. It is the most important arm."
"I need your cooperation in the future!"
"This is what I should do."
Even Yao Qisheng didn't show any coyness or ulterior motives at all, he only cooperated wholeheartedly.
The prince is also a king!
Seeing this, Zhu Cunqu didn't talk nonsense and asked directly:
"How much food is left in Liaodong?"
"Report to the governor, there are still 230,000 yuan left in the reserve, and 300,000 dan in grain. However, the autumn harvest will be done in a few months, and the treasury will definitely be full."
The chief envoy hurriedly said: "Even if we use troops, it can last for several months."
"What kind of soldiers?" Zhu Cunqu said helplessly, "I'm not here to stir up trouble."