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Chapter 53 Money and People

"Qian Dalang's crime is punishable by exile. Why are there only these states he can go to?" Jingzhao Yin Sunkui looked at the form handed over by his subordinates. He was very depressed and complained.

The form was compiled by Fa Cao Shenjun himself. When he heard this, he said: "Ming Gong, this is the usual practice. All the prisoners who will be exiled this year will be sent to Jie, Kuo and Ganzhou."

Jiezhou was Wuzhou before the Anshi Rebellion and Wudu County during the Han Dynasty. At this time, it was sparsely populated and extremely depressed.

Kuozhou was captured by Marshal Shao when he conquered the Qing and Tang Dynasties, and there were many Tibetan people.

Ganzhou now has some appearance, because there were already many Han, Tubo, and Qiang people who were farming, and the household registration process was very fast.

Exiling prisoners to Helong was one of the achievements of Marshal Shao when he came to the capital to kowtow.

Not only those from Guanzhong will be exiled to the land of Helong, but also those from all walks of life in the world will be sent to the land of Helong. If their family members are willing to follow, please do as you please.

This year, the places of exile are in these three prefectures. Last year, they were arranged in the three prefectures of Liang, Chengdu, and Min.

Next year, it will be Shanzhou, Lanzhou, plus Lingnan and central Guizhou.

During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, Wuyue was also one of the destinations for exile. At that time, the Tubos, Uighurs, and Dangxiang people captured on the border were either exiled to Lingnan or to Wuyue. However, as the development of Wuyue deepened, exiled prisoners were now sent there to live there.

It seemed that they were a bit cheap, so they were slowly cancelled.

Although the entire Tang Dynasty was divided into vassal towns, the judicial system was still nationwide. If someone in a local prefecture or county committed a crime and should be exiled, should he be sentenced? If he was sentenced, then he should follow the court's guidance and stay within the town.

Is that still called exile?

The education system is actually pretty much the same.

Students from all the Taoist, prefecture and county schools in the world, as well as the vast number of rural tribute graduates who have not entered the official school but have obtained status after taking the local examination, will have to gather in Chang'an to take the annual "national examination"

.

Local vassals and governors also recognized Jinshi status and academic qualifications were valuable, which contributed to the gathering of a large number of talents in Chang'an.

Many of these people may never return to their hometowns in their lifetime, and there are still many who return to their hometowns after they become officials in old age. The best talents do not serve the local vassal towns, but serve an empty court, and may even be hired by someone.

It's quite discouraging to think about abducting people from some vassal towns.

But there is no way, the values ​​​​of scholars are like this. They have long legs, and you can't stop them. When Xie Tong went to Chengdu in the name of Zhu Wen and surrendered, the emperor made him the governor of Lingzhou, so Xie Tong

It can be seen that he happily accepted the offer and did not follow Zhu Wen to Xuanwu Town.

Unless someone comes and makes the imperial court fall apart, and then throws it to the ground and stomps on it a few times, completely losing its majesty, then the academic qualifications of the Jinshi will be devalued and the scholars will no longer flock to him.

But for now, there seems to be no such hope.

Scholars who go to Chang'an have many ways to become officials. In addition to court officials, county lieutenants from more than 20 counties in Jingzhao Prefecture are hot commodities. In addition, Weibei, Huazhou, and Jingyuan are not far from Chang'an.

, Xingning, Fengxiang, Shuofang and even Longyou Qinzhou are also secondary choices for many people.

"What a pity, these exiled prisoners eventually fell into Shao's gang." Sun Kui signed and sealed reluctantly and sighed.

"Ming Gong, the Prince of Lingwu County is quite obedient to the court. This year he has donated a large amount of cattle and sheep, and the tribute is endless. Now the court, doesn't it just like the vassal commander it offers? The prime minister judges the three divisions and spends the whole day

It's so annoying to be pressed for money and food, so how can you offend others on such a trivial matter?" The judicial officer who joined the military was actually from Weizhou. He stayed in Chang'an after passing the Jinshi examination. He was a new scholar who moved to Chang'an in the past ten years.

people family.

His salary depends on the towns. There are ten vassal towns around Jingzhao Mansion, nine of which are within the sphere of influence of Lingwu County King. Why bother to offend them?

As long as Shao Shude does not claim to be emperor or usurp the throne or try to control the court, then everyone can continue to cooperate. He does not believe that Shao Shude, who can build such a huge foundation, would be so unwise. From the current situation, apart from asking for some money and food from time to time, he has no intention of doing anything.

There is obviously a bottom line for intervening in the affairs of Jingzhao Mansion and leaving more than 1.5 million people to the Nanyabei Division.

"Can Tian Canjun recognize this thing?" After sighing for a while, Sun Kui took out something from his sleeve, put it on the case, and asked.

Tian Canjun glanced at it and said: "This is a silver note. It is said that it can be exchanged for silver yuan. According to the note, you can go to a government office in Tongzhoufang City to get silver. This government office is called the 'Clearing Bank', and you can get fifty coins."

"

"This is owned by a businessman in Wannian County. He owed some money for wine. In desperation, he took this thing to pay off his debt." Sun Kui said: "He owed money to the court, but the court only got a piece of paper.

If you want to turn paper into money, you have to go to Tongzhou. Doesn't it mean that Thief Shao took the money and kept it?"

When Tian Canjun thought about it, it was true. If all the merchants in Guanzhong did this, would it be necessary for Prince Lingwu to occupy Jingzhao Mansion?

The reputation does not need to be bad, but it is still beneficial. Is there such a good thing in the world?

"Tian Canjun, if the court uses this thing to give you a salary, do you want it?"

Tian Canjun shook his head and said: "Xialiao's family is very burdened, and we can't afford such things, which can only be seen and eaten. In addition, it's only a few hundred yuan, and I can't use that much unless I buy a house or a separate business."

.”

"But I heard that someone wanted it." Sun Kui said with a solemn face: "Someone in the capital offered a large cart of copper coins as a gift. The silk was too eye-catching, so he took the silver round notes with him and secretly paid bribes. This person's name is Tuoba Sijing, and Tian Canjun can

Are you impressed?"

"There are rumors in Xiazhou that Tuoba Si offered his daughter to seek honor, so he did a lot of business."

Sun Kui glanced at him.

The court officials in Beijing and the local officials in Jingzhao Prefecture seem to be very concerned about Lingxia's affairs. They even know such anecdotes about Guanbei. It seems that they have put a lot of effort into it, and at least they have had contact with visitors from the north.

"Shao Shude wants to open another market in Huazhou, Pizhou, and Jingzhou, specializing in trading silver yuan notes. If all the merchants from Jingzhao Prefecture are attracted there, how will they collect taxes in the future?" Sun Kui sighed: "The market in Jingzhong is questionable.

Taxes have already been reduced a lot. If they continue to be reduced, how can we organize a divine army? The saint wanted an army of 100,000 to fight, but now there are only 30,000 to 40,000, which is quite insufficient. The rewards for sergeants and the salaries of hundreds of officials may only be

Get one of them, alas!"

The commercial tax of Jingzhao Prefecture has always been an important financial revenue for the imperial court. It is not only the contribution of local businessmen, but also the taxes provided by businessmen from other towns.

Chang'an is the political center with an endless stream of business travelers. In history, Han Jian captured the saint to Huazhou and repaired the palace for him. Hundreds of officials followed him, and businessmen and scholars from various towns also ran there. In a few years, he actually saved nine

I don't know if it's true or not. It may be an exaggeration, but it shouldn't be too different.

Shao Shude didn't want to imprison a saint like Han Jian and ruin his reputation, so by attracting businessmen from all over the world to trade in the four cities of Tonghua, Ping, and Jing, he could also make a lot of money. And this money used to go to the imperial court.

of.

"The tax reduction may be due to the blockage of trade routes." Tian Canjun said: "Shaanxi, Guo, and Henan have been fighting continuously, making it difficult to enter Beijing. Only Lantian Wuguan Road and Shangshan Tianjin Road are still open, and the number of merchants has decreased.

, the tax will naturally be reduced."

Sun Kui nodded, partially agreeing with this statement, and after a long time he said: "Li Xiang, the gold merchant, is bedridden. Just like Zhuge Shuang of Xingyuan Prefecture, this town will probably fall into the hands of the Shao thief again.

If he has a disobedient heart and the sage spreads his message, what will happen from now on?"



In Xingdaofang, the house where Shao Shude once lived has changed residents. After Zheng Yanchang successfully became the prime minister, he moved his family into this house. Gu

In the Du Mansion in Kaihuafang, separated by a wall, Du Rangneng and his family were packing their things.

He has not yet been officially dismissed as prime minister, so he can continue to live in the mansion provided by the court.

This house was purchased by Shen Chuanshi, the Minister of Civil Affairs during the Jianzhong period, at a cost of 3 million. It occupies about a quarter of the area of ​​Kaihuafang. In the fourth year of Xiantong, when his son Shen Xun was appointed as the military governor of Zhaoyi, the sergeants rebelled and the whole family

After the family was exterminated and there was no one to inherit the house, it was taken away by the court.

Next to it is Jianfu Temple, which was originally the old residence of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty. It was later passed down by Xiao Yu, Princess Xiangcheng, and Zhongzong. In the end, no one wanted to live there, so it was changed into a temple.

Du Rangneng stood on the attic, looking at the monks in the temple who were doing evening classes, and remained silent for a long time.

Today, he met with the saint in the Linde Hall and discussed the affairs of the vassal towns in Guandong.

Li Keyong raised troops to attack Chengde, and won a great victory, beheading more than ten thousand people. Li Kuangwei of Youzhou raised troops to rescue, but Keyong retreated, but he still "plundered and returned".

The sage was very interested in Li Keyong and felt that he had a loyal heart and the Jin soldiers were so good at fighting, which may be a "blessing to the court". It seems that he had long forgotten that he almost sent troops to attack Li Keyong in order to plot Hedong.

Du Renneng could only explain in detail the subtle relationship between the two towns in Hedong and Hezhong. The saint was unhappy after hearing this.

Cui Zhaowei added fuel to the fire, saying that Du Xiao had been appointed Lingbao Ling, and also mentioned Shao Shude's massive deployment of state soldiers from various states and the recruitment of Qiang and Hu people to form a state-controlled army to defend Tongguan. The saint was in an even worse mood and had completely lost his feelings for Du Rongneng.

gained trust.

Cui Zhaowei was still very proud.

In fact, if the saint's last shred of trust in Du Ronneng cannot be dispelled, he still has a trump card, that is, the saint's concubine Pei Shi not only survived, but was also kidnapped back to the house by Shao Shude, where she was raped and humiliated day and night.

She is pregnant and has given birth to a child. If the saint knew about it, Du Rang would have no chance at all.

Fortunately, things didn't have to come to this. Du Rangneng took the initiative to take a step back and asked to go out to the town and stay away from the political center of Chang'an, which was considered a complete admission of defeat.

Jingzhao Du family and Cui Zhaowei don't want to offend too much. Since Du Rangneng is willing to leave, that's the best thing.

Not only must Du Rangneng be squeezed away, Liu Chonglu must also be driven away!

I heard that Xu Yanruo had bad luck after leaving Guangzhou, and he didn't know what kind of disease he got. After a few months of delay, he died unexpectedly. Sending Liu Chonggui to Guangzhou to replace Xu Yanruo was his next step.

After taking these two people away, Wei Zhaodu and Zheng Yanchang will be the only two opponents left in the court. Then we will figure out how to deal with these two people.

Du Rangneng had a clear idea of ​​Cui Zhaowei's thoughts, but he was too lazy to say anything else.

Just now in his study, he wrote a note to the saint, summarizing the changes in the country's situation since the difficult times, and proposing the strategy of "calming down the situation and slowly charting the course". At the end of writing, he almost shed tears.

But this is mostly useless.

Cui Zhaowei won over Ximen Zhao and conspired with the saint several times to eliminate the various officials in the Northern Division. He was extremely trustworthy and could not be overthrown just when the limelight was at its peak.

Seeing that Chang'an will become the center of the storm, if we don't leave now, I'm afraid it will be too late.

It's ridiculous that Cui Zhaowei still wants to drive Liu Chonggui away. In fact, if you don't drive him away, he will leave too. Such a confused person can also gain power. The national destiny of the Tang Dynasty is really...

"Master, Mr. Liu sent a message. He likes to eat lychees and wants to go to Guangzhou, so he has taken the first step." Du Guangyi, the eldest son, climbed up to the attic and said.

"What did Zhao Diguan say?" Du Renneng asked.

Zhao Diguan is Zhao Guangyin, the official of Shuofang Jinzou Academy.

"Zhao Di's official statement is absolutely correct. The Beisi side will not cause harm. Leaving Liangzhou is a certainty." Du Guangyi replied.

"I can't control this mess in the capital. Wei Zhengji returned to the capital from Shuzhong. I'm afraid he won't be able to play Cui Zhaowei, and Zheng Guangyuan probably won't be able to play either. He only has the grace and ability of the Minister of Household Affairs."

"I heard that the saint wants to make Liu Chongwang his prime minister."

"He can't do it either." Du Rangneng shook his head and said, "I really want to kill this thief and eliminate a traitor for the country."

"The Prince of Lingwu County has left Xingde Palace, and the teacher has returned to Lingxia." Du Guangyi said again.

This is inevitable. In fact, it was a bit late to leave. If it were those domineering sergeants who could not see their families for a long time, they might even mutiny.

"Prince Lingwu is waiting for an opportunity." Du Renneng said suddenly.

"Gold merchant?"

"It's just one of them, and there's Hezhong." Du Renneng said: "Ke Yong uses Wang Ke as his wife. This matter is complicated. I don't know how Prince Lingwu will proceed."

"Speaking of Wang Ke's marriage, I heard that the Xiao family of Lanling was so shameless. Xiao Yu's daughter, Xiao family, appeared in Xingde Palace and stayed there for several nights. Some people also saw Xiao family and Zhao family going out together."

Du Guangyi was surprised when he heard this gossip, then laughed, and told his father again today.

Du Rangneng's face froze and he scolded: "Xi Zi has been listening to these gossipy things all day long?"

"I know I was wrong," Du Guangyi said in apology.

He is the eldest son who inherited the family business, and his father did not allow him to become an official. He was really bored at home, and sometimes he would listen to such interesting stories to relieve his boredom.

"This time when we leave Hexi, we don't want to keep anyone in Chang'an. The whole family will move to Liangzhou."

(End of this volume)


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