Chapter 2 Tianhe (Part I)

Maybe he was moved by Jia Chang's carefully prepared rhetoric for Mrs. Qiuguo, or maybe he really felt that he owed too much to his cousin. A few days after receiving Mrs. Qiu's suggestion, Yang Guozhong discussed a very generous decision with his confidants.

For the time being, he left behind the suspicions caused by chasing and killing a few insignificant little people and Ge Shuhan and Feng Changqing. Focus on supporting the two major feudal towns of Hexi and Anxi, in the hope that the two can join hands with the Prime Minister's Mansion to jointly deal with the disputes provoked by An Lushan, the envoy of the three towns!

In the early morning of the next day, Song Yu, a member of the Zhongshu Society, and Zheng Ang, a member of the Ministry of Officials, jointly signed a book, requesting the imperial court to commend Ge Shuhan, Feng Changqing and other front-line soldiers for their deeds in breaking the thief, so as to encourage them to continue to kill the enemy in blood. As soon as the words fell, Hanlin Scholar Zhang Jian and Jingzhao Yin Xian Yutong immediately sang and harmonized. These are all capable generals under Yang Guozhong's command, and they can't wait for one nostril to breathe. Therefore, after a little pondering, the ministers of the court and the central government immediately understood that the rewards for the two towns of Hexi and Anxi could not be reversed. Therefore, he is not willing to come forward and be a villain in vain.

Chen Xilie, the prime minister of Zuo, is known as the prime minister of the seal, and he was attached to Li Linfu when Li Linfu gained power. Now seeing that Yang Guozhong and his henchmen are powerful in the DPRK, they have turned to Yang Guozhong. Seeing that none of his colleagues in the DPRK and China spoke out against the proposal of Song Yu, Zheng Ang and others, he also stood up from the special seat set up for the prime minister and strongly recommended Ge Shuhan and Feng Changqing.

Li Longji, the son of the Tang Dynasty, has been busy choreographing the latest song and dance with Yang Yuhuan and a group of Liyuan disciples recently, and he can't lift his spirits about such "trivial" "trivial things". In addition, the merits of the soldiers of Anxi and Hexi towns are indeed on the surface, so he waved his hand and ordered with a smile: "Since this is the case, there is no need to discuss it anymore." The two provinces of Zhongshu and Menxia will first draw up a specific reward charter. Send it to my study, and after I have seen it, I will hand it over to Shangshu Province to issue a commendation! ”

"Your Majesty Shengming!" Right Minister Yang Guozhong had long expected such a result, so he immediately stood up and responded loudly.

"Your Majesty! If the soldiers in front heard this news, they dared to kill the enemy without their lives? Chen Xilie, the left minister, Jing Zhao Yin Xian Yutong, Song Yu, the Zhongshu Sheren, Zheng Ang and others followed behind Yang Guozhong and sang praises in unison.

This atmosphere is much more harmonious than the previous two years when the right prime minister Li Linfu, Jingzhao Yin Wang Jie, and Yang Guozhong, the servant of the imperial history, fought for power, and has been the son of peace for more than 40 years. (Note 1)

Yang Guozhong had already prepared, bowed slightly, and responded with a smile, "Your Majesty's Hongfu, the place has been ripe for many years, and the wealth in Zuozang is almost impossible to put down!" Yesterday afternoon, the minister personally went to inspect and found that some hemp ropes wearing copper coins had been rotten! ”

He started in the position of a branch member and has a set of skills to collect money. Long before he replaced Li Linfu, he strongly advocated the sale of grain and cloth stored in various prefectures and counties, turning them into hard currency such as gold, silver, copper coins, and silk, and sending them to Beijing for unified distribution. After replacing Li Linfu, he even focused on the annual rent and land tax in various places, regardless of road loss, and required the local government to pay the full amount. In this way, the treasury seemed to be full in a short period of time, and when the palace needed to increase the allocation separately, the household department no longer dared to cry poverty to the emperor on the grounds that Zuozang was empty. And during the New Year's holidays, the candle money and firewood salaries of the Chinese military officials in Beijing have also doubled at a rate visible to the naked eye. (Note 2)

However, the warehouses were emptied by the center, and the local finances were inevitably stretched. In the event of a flood or drought or other emergency, officials simply have no resources left to deal with it. You can only write an excerpt to ask the center for help. And when the money and food of the center are allocated, most of the time has already passed, and even if the officials do not peel off the skin layer by layer, it will lose its due effect. However, the beneficiaries of this policy were the emperor himself and most of the officials in the court, so few people were willing to speak out against it. Even if there were one or two people who realized its drawbacks, one did not dare to face the suppression of Yang Guozhong's brothers and sisters, and the other did not dare to offend the anger of his colleagues, so he had to close his eyes and pretend that he didn't see anything.

At this moment, Li Longji, the son of the Tang Dynasty, doesn't have so much energy to pay attention to local difficulties. He is already in his old age, and he is more concerned about how to leave the strength to enjoy the comfortable time after the dispersal of the dynasty. Listening to Yang Guozhong's performance, he heard that the rope wearing the copper coins in Zuozang was rotten, and he didn't think about it, so he said with a smile: "Zuozang is full, what is the matter with Guan Zhen's Hongfu?!" This is all due to the dedication of your courtiers! Since the money in Zuozang can no longer be put down, he will take out some and repair the post road from Lingnan to Jingshi. lest the twists and turns over there always have to be delayed on the road for a long time. ”

"Yes!" It was Chen Xilie who took the lead, and everyone bowed down to respond.

His Majesty's reason for resting on the post road is really far-fetched, Lingnan is a place of exile for officials, and there is really nothing worthy of the court's attention except for the city of Guangzhou, where the world's maritime merchants gather. However, summer is approaching, and the lychees that the concubine loves need to be delivered in time. The color of this fruit changes in one day, the fragrance changes in two days, and the taste changes in three days. Even if you put it in an ice box after picking, you can't send it to Jingshi within seven days, and the color, fragrance, and taste are gone, and you can't smile anymore.

Listening to the response of the ministers, the voice was not as high as before, and Li Longji also felt a little weak. Fearing that the subordinate province would make things difficult for some reason, he returned his holy decree, thought about it, and said with a smile: "If there is still a surplus, the palace on the other side of Lishan will also be rectified." After the heat came, I went to Lishan with all of you to escape the heat. It's better than sweating like rain in this steamer-like Chang'an City! (Note 3)

The Son of Heaven is willing to rejoice with his subordinates, how can the ministers be unwilling? Remembering that His Majesty is blessed to share with everyone, everyone bowed down again under the leadership of Chen Xilie. Yang Guozhong originally wanted to speak out against it, but when he saw that everyone was elated, he had to frown and go with the flow!

It's just that the money he has finally collected from the local government has been spent on transporting lychees and overhauling the palace, and the rewards that were originally intended to be allocated to the soldiers in Hexi and Anxi will inevitably be affected. However, this little problem was not difficult at all for the humerus ministers of the center and the two provinces under the door, and after the dispersal of the dynasty, they immediately gathered in the political hall and came up with a very appropriate plan according to the needs of His Majesty the Emperor and the forces of all parties.

Ge Shuhan has the merit of opening up the territory and expanding the territory, and he was crowned the king of Xiping County. The meritorious soldiers he protected, such as Huo Ba Guiren, Gao Shi, Wang Sili, Hun Weiming, Yan Wu, Absi, Fall Sitai, etc., were all rewarded. In addition, the imperial court awarded each soldier two pieces of brocade, which were converted into copper coins, which were collected by Ge Shuhan on his behalf.

Feng Changqing's background is far more humble than Ge Shuhan, so although he has made great contributions at this moment, he cannot be crowned king. Only entered the Duke of Ningxi County, gave a mansion in the Beijing Division, and promoted a son to a five-grade civil official. The meritorious soldiers under his command, such as Duan Xiushi, Zhou Xiaofeng, Zhao Huaixu, Li Yuanqin, etc., were promoted according to their original positions and the size of their new achievements. As with the policy towards the Anxi Army, the imperial court also awarded each soldier two pieces of brocade, which were folded into copper coins, which were received by the Jiedu envoy Feng Changqing Dynasty.

However, because Hexi and Anxi were too far away from Beijing, the money, grain, and silk were greatly damaged in the process of transportation. Therefore, the imperial court was sympathetic to the people's power this time and made a little flexibility. Instead of immediately honoring the financial rewards allocated to the Anxi and Hexi armies, Ge Shuhan and Feng Changqing were allowed to withhold as appropriate from the taxes that should be escorted to Jingshi from the prefectures and counties under their rule. And it can be converted into more than one percent loss. In view of the sparse population of the two places, the taxes of the current year may not be enough to be deducted, so even the taxes of the next year, and even the year after, can be withheld to convert the military supplies and the rewards promised by the imperial court.

"As soon as this precedent is opened, the real power in the hands of the towns' festival envoys will be even greater!" Chen Xilie, the left minister, was steady, seeing that Yang Guozhong and others were only blindly thinking about how to save money for the treasury, but did not consider the long-term impact of the introduction of the strategy of allowing the Jiedu to withhold the imperial court's taxes to offset the military funds, he pondered for a moment and reminded with a smile.

"When Li Xiang was in power, the real power in the hands of the Jiedu envoys was already difficult to control! That's not bad! Yang Guozhong frowned and retorted unceremoniously.

"Old man, old man, ......!" Chen Xilie didn't expect his kindness to be treated as a donkey's liver and lungs, his face darkened slightly, and he muttered in response.

"Yang is reckless!" Yang Guozhong quickly realized that there was no need for him to be an opponent with a harmless peacemaker like Chen Xilie now, so he quickly hugged his fists and called the other party's words to apologize in a low voice, "Yang is not targeting Zhirougong." Yang was worried about national affairs and just lost his temper for a while. Zhirou Gong knows that since three years ago, the taxes in the three towns of Fanyang, Pinglu, and Hedong have not been paid to the treasury! is also opening up territory for my Tang Dynasty, Yang really doesn't dare to favor one over the other! ”

"It's the old man who is abrupt. I didn't expect that Lord Zuo's strategy still contains such a deep meaning! Although Chen Xilie was very unhappy in his heart, he obediently walked down the steps given by Yang Guozhong. An Lushan, relying on the support of Li Linfu, has always withheld the imperial court from paying taxes in the name of the war tension against the Khitan. But Li Linfu turned a blind eye to this and closed one eye. Now Yang Guozhong wants to use the power of Ge Shuhan and Feng Changqing to restrain An Lushan, and he has to give the same benefits. Otherwise, it will only make An Lushan's power stronger and stronger, but Ge Shuhan and Feng Changqing will not be able to grow themselves quickly because they are relatively abiding by the laws of the imperial court.

The reason is clear, but no one makes it too clear. With Chen Xilie, a good old man, taking the lead, the officials of other Zhongshu and Menxia provinces echoed their words. A few people also thought of how the soldiers of the Anxi and Hexi armies were grateful after receiving the rewards from the imperial court, and how they used their lives up and down.

Yu Wende, who has been promoted to the matter, saw his younger brother's name among the generals who were promoted by Feng Changqing, and always wanted to take the opportunity to seek some benefits for the family. At this moment, while everyone was happy, he took out the excerpt alone, pointed to the middle paragraph, and whispered to Yang Guozhong: "Since you have been in charge of the government, you have vigorously swept away the accumulated evils, cleaned up the source, and produced many talents in the government and the opposition. The subordinates just glanced at the meritorious service that Feng Jiedu gave to the soldiers of his department, and there were more than 20 rising stars at the rank of lieutenant alone. They are all between twenty and thirty years old, and in time, they will surely become the pillars of the Tang Dynasty to defend the west! ”

"Hmm!" Yang Guozhong stroked his beard and nodded with a smile. Yu Wende is his henchman, he is usually saddled before and after, hard work, and it stands to reason that this person's little request should not be dismissed. However, there is a big problem in the way of this list. Wang Xun, who was hunted down by Yang Guozhong's order last year, was also hidden in it, and was originally a noble who had fallen into power, with the hat of a viscount on his head, and his starting point was much higher than the others. If he was promoted to the rank of knight with everyone, Yang Guozhong felt very uncomfortable. If he is eliminated alone, it will be too easy to attract the attention of his colleagues here.

Just as he was hesitating, he heard Song Yu, a member of the Zhongshu House, say with a smile: "This letter is also good at being a person, and I actually wrote my younger brother Song Wu on it." He had only arrived in Anthy last spring, and it was only a small brigade at the time. How could it be possible to make such a big contribution. No, no, in order to avoid suspicion, I have to get his name out! ”

"Lord Song is too modest. How can there be such a reason to avoid suspicion?! The attention of Chen Xilie and the others was immediately attracted to the past, and they all spoke up, persuading Song Yu not to suppress his family too much. First, this is unfair to Song Wu himself, and second, once outsiders think about it, it will be suspected of selling his reputation and reputation.

Song Yu, a member of the Zhongshu House, was not originally intended to hinder his younger brother's promotion. At this moment, Datang is no longer the beginning of the founding of the country, and the officialdom pays attention to fairness and integrity. Lifting inwardly and not avoiding relatives is the king. Otherwise, a white dove suddenly appears in a flock of crows, and it will definitely be pecked to death by the beak of the flock. He did this just to remind Yang Guozhong that Feng Changqing himself had no intention of being an enemy of the Prime Minister's Mansion, otherwise, he would not have promoted Song's younger brother unusually. The Flying Dragon Guards who went to the White Horse Fort camp to join the army for a future the year before last were all hand-selected by Feng Changqing. With his shrewdness, it is impossible not to know the relationship between Song Wu and Yuwenzhi and Song Yu and Yuwende.

Sure enough, Yang Guozhong only groaned slightly, and then understood the trick. The rivers and lakes pay attention to laughter and enmity. Since I couldn't kill you, it's a good choice to find an opportunity to pull you into the same party. With the benefits, everyone will reap it together, and smart people will naturally not take the past grievances to heart.

Based on the life experience he learned from being a street gangster back then, Yang Guozhong quickly made a decision, "Lord Song, you don't have to be too modest, Yang feels that everyone's words today are very reasonable." If I want to stabilize the Western Regions for a long time, I must vigorously promote young talents. Don't look at where he came from, and don't look at what he's done before! Otherwise, when Feng Changqing, Ge Shuhan and their generals are old, who will garrison the Quartet for Datang? In this way, let's change the original resolution, for those who gave up the comfort of the Beijing division and went to the Western Regions to contribute to the country, especially the group of flying dragon guards who followed General Feng to Anxi in front of them back then, not only should they be rewarded for their merits, but also vigorously rewarded, thinking that they are an example for the young people in the world! You wait to add Yang's words in this paragraph, I believe that Your Majesty will also appreciate our decision after seeing the reason! ”

Note 1: Zuozang, that is, the treasury of the Tang Dynasty. Palm money, variegated, the world is tuned.

Note 2: Candle money, firewood salary, Tang Dynasty officials extra-salary subsidies.

Note 3: In ancient times, if the emperor's order was not taken into account, the emperor's decree could be returned and not issued.