To the north of Xiazhou, by the Wuyan River, was once the pasture of another tribe of the Tuoba clan. In the first battle of Shao Shude's northern expedition to the grassland, he defeated this tribe and captured more than 10,000 cattle and sheep.
Several years have passed, and now this pasture with rich water and grass has become Shao Shude's private hunting ground, with many kinds of animals.
Marshal Shao loved hunting, and he often invited military officials and tribal chiefs to hunt. This was a popular way of socializing in Xiazhou - the way of socializing among warriors.
Sometimes civil servants also participate, but not many, mainly people from aristocratic families. For example, a member of the Lanling Xiao family named Xiao Mao who just came to vote was very eye-catching because he was good at riding and shooting.
Xiao Mao did not have the title of Jinshi, but was only a tribute student of the Imperial College, which made Marshal Shao feel a little unhappy. It was not directed at Xiao Mao himself, but at the attitude of the Xiao family. Sending a branch from the branch to help me would be a big deal.
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However, Xiao Mao himself was quite talented and knew a lot of miscellaneous subjects. He was not too old and was in his thirties, so he was directly appointed as the construction judge.
His only shortcoming is probably that he is arrogant and looks down on his colleagues. After all, his noble ancestors can be traced back to Xiao Xun. His ancestor Xiao Heng married Princess Xinchang, the daughter of Xuanzong. There are many officials in the family for generations.
Prime Minister, relative of the emperor. For example, the great ancestor Xiao Sheng married Princess Gao Guo, and his brother Xiao Fu became the prime minister. Xiao Sheng, the daughter of Princess Gao Guo, became the concubine of Crown Prince Dezong.
It's a pity that at the time of its rise, everyone thought that the Xiao family was going to have another queen. Unexpectedly, because the prince (Tang Shunzong) fell ill, he was given to die to avoid misfortune. But it can't be said that he was unlucky, because Shunzong was
Eunuch Ju Wenzhen and others forced her to abdicate, and then collapsed. If Concubine Xiao had not died and became Empress Xiao, the Xiao family might not be able to get rid of her involvement.
Xiao Mao's branch is not as comfortable as Xiao Yuan now, and he is the Duke of Chu.
“Judge Xiao is good at riding, but I don’t know how his archery skills compare to those of my northern men.” General Chen Qi, the commander-in-chief of Kongmu, rode his horse over and said with a smile.
Xiao Mao glanced at him. This man was a relative of Chen Yishen, the judge of the Collection Department. He was a local scholar in Xiazhou. He had no intention of studying, so he went to the shogunate to find a job. That is to say, there was a real shortage of people at the time, so he worked among the officials.
After doing well, he was promoted to Kong Muguan.
Xiao Mao could see that he was slightly hostile to him.
The first batch of civil servants in the Xiazhou shogunate were basically from small landowner families who were not even poor, such as Chen Yishen. Most of them were from local and nearby places such as Yifang and Linshengfeng. In Xiao Mao's view,
He has neither talent nor grace, and his only saving grace is diligence and loyalty.
“How much did Chen Kong Muguan hunt today?” Xiao Mao asked.
“I hunted a sand fox.” Chen Qi mentioned the prey and said with a smile.
“Congratulations to Chen Kongmu, this thing is cunning and difficult to hunt.” Xiao Mao has not yet made any gains today, and his face is a little worried.
"Perhaps the ban on arrests in Guanzhong is strict, and Judge Xiao's hands are raw." Chen Qi smiled and said: "When we get to the north, we have to practice more. The commander-in-chief likes athletes who are good at riding and shooting, even if we are the shogunate
Liao Zuo. Also, monks and nuns are not popular in Dingnan Seven States, so Judge Xiao should not imitate them."
Xiao Mao's face immediately fell when he heard this, but Chen Qi had already galloped away, not giving him a chance to get angry.
Monks and nuns? Haha. These words have a certain meaning.
There are too many people in the Xiao family who have become monks and nuns. In the Xiao Yu family alone, there are four women and one son who have become monks, so there are four bhikshunis in one family. Almost all the Xiao family worship Buddhism from generation to generation.
As for the so-called ban on fishing in Guanzhong, it is indeed true, that is, fishing and slaughtering are prohibited on the ten fasting days of each month and the three long Ramadan months. Although the implementation is not very good, Buddhist monks often deceived many emperors to reiterate the order.
There were regulations in the Xuanzong Dynasty, such as "No slaughter, fishing and hunting is allowed on the first, seventh, and tenth day of every year, and from the 13th to the 15th day of each year"; "No slaughter is allowed on the two social days of the Spring and Autumn Period"; "No slaughter is allowed on the ten fasting days of each month."
Suzong added: "Three long Ramadan months and ten fast days, and it is appropriate to prohibit slaughter, and this will always be the norm."
After that, Dezong, Wenzong, and Xuanzong all issued edicts repeatedly. And they did not just talk about it, but sent people to arrest and sentence them, just like the religious police.
The so-called ten fast days refer to the ten days for observing the eight fasts, that is, the first, eighth, fourteenth, fifteenth, eighteenth, twenty-third, twenty-fourth, twenty-eighth, twenty-ninth, and third of each month.
During these ten days, practice the eight levels: do not kill, do not steal, do not engage in sexual misconduct, do not lie, do not drink alcohol, do not decorate your body with fragrant flowers, do not sing, dance or perform tricks, do not sit or lie down on a high and wide bed, and do not eat food out of season.
The three long months of Ramadan are January, May and September.
There are only thirty days in a month. As a result, you can’t do this or that for ten days, and you can’t do any of these things for three full months. Can ordinary people endure it?
Originally, festivals are a time for everyone to have fun and have fun. Isn’t it appropriate to drink alcohol and eat meat? Even ordinary people will find ways to get some meat to eat, but you banned it? Just kidding! You can imagine how strong the enforcement is. But no matter what
, more people were arrested, and in the end it had some effect. Many of our nation’s festival foods became vegetarian, but this was not the case before.
Xiao Mao felt that he was a little isolated. Maybe it was because of his conduct, maybe because he was entrusted with the important task of participating in the supervision of the construction of Huaiyuan New City when he arrived, but it was more likely because of his family background.
Is the struggle between aristocratic families and humble families inevitable in the Dingnan Army?
"Judge Xiao, why don't you go up and fight for the prey? Look at how much fun those men have in grabbing it." Shao Shude galloped over surrounded by his own soldiers and asked with a smile.
“I’m a little tired.” Xiao Mao replied.
"You have to take care of yourself. I have high hopes for the supervision of the construction of Huaiyuan New City, and Judge Xiao needs to work harder." Shao Shude got off his horse and ordered: "Burn the meat and let Judge Xiao recuperate."
Watching the sergeants dragging over the bloody wild deer and yellow sheep, Xiao Mao's face turned pale.
"After establishing the Feng'an and Xinquan armies, I will have to support more than 40,000 troops. Does Judge Xiao know how many household registrations there are in the seven states now?" Shao Shude suddenly asked.
“I don’t know.” Xiao Mao replied.
"Since the beginning of the petition for Huangchao, I have tried my best to immigrate from all over the world for seven years. Thousands of households have been immigrated every year without interruption. Last year, 5,000 civilian households and nearly 4,000 craftsmen households were relocated at once. At the same time, I compiled a farming party item
To enter the household registration, there was coercion with force, temptation with money and silk, and even the tribes that dared to disobey were slaughtered. All methods were exhausted. So far, there are nearly 100,000 households in 26 counties in seven states and a population of 40.
More than 60,000. In addition to the seven states, there are 200,000 Dangxiang in Hengshan, 200,000 in Pingxia Dangxiang, nearly 100,000 in Hexi Dangxiang, and tens of thousands in Tubo in Huizhou." Shao Shude said.
“One million people can support more than 40,000 troops, which is not an exaggeration in today’s world.” Xiao Mao thought for a while and said.
"It can't be calculated like this. The tribute that a Tibetan tribe member can pay is not as much as that of a Han citizen. Moreover, Dangxiang's rebellion is unpredictable. Hengshan Dangxiang and Pingxia Dangxiang are better. Hexi Dangxiang has not yet returned and pays very little tribute. I have nothing.
Ten thousand people, but not as much wealth as millions of people can contribute.”
In fact, if I had not persisted in immigrating for seven consecutive years, and at the same time organized households into all the weak farming parties and changed their customs, the number of Han people in the seven states would have been only 200,000 at most, which is equivalent to a loss of more than 260,000 people out of thin air.
There are really too many Tibetan people in the seven prefectures! In the fifth year of Emperor Guangzhenguan's reign, more than 300,000 barbarians were relocated and resettled at once. A few years later, there were another 200,000 people, and I don't know how to support them.
After the mid-Tang Dynasty, the Dangxiang people joined forces in large numbers and gradually became the dominant ethnic group in the two thousand miles up and down the He meander area.
Now my territory is still far behind that of Xixia. I have not captured the three prefectures of Lin, Sheng, and Feng, and I am missing a lot of the land of Helong. At the peak of Xixia, it was said that the population exceeded 3 million. I don't believe it, but 200
There should still be more than 10,000 people. If you exclude the Han people in Guanzhong and Guandong that you have obtained with your life, the number of Han people in Guandong is still more than one million short of the total population of Xixia. This will fall on the Tiande Army, Zhenwu Army and the old land of Helong.
There is a long way to go.
But then again, the quality of the population of more than two million is not comparable to that of the Guandong states. It is mainly reflected in tribute. From a military perspective alone, the problem does not seem to be big. There are dozens of strong Tibetan people.
Thousands of people, it is also relatively brave in fighting, and the number of soldiers is sufficient. The main reasons are that it can provide less goods, the level of industry and agriculture is low, the internal ethnic groups are complicated, and the tribal system is backward, making it very troublesome to govern.
"I am telling Judge Xiao this not to complain, but mainly to let you know that the construction of Huaiyuan New City requires the use of a large amount of property and Han people, and the town is not rich, so it is really not easy." Shao Shude said: "In this case
In fact, Judge Xiao is going to suffer a lot. Don't pay attention to the gossips of others. As long as the construction of Huaiyuan New City is completed, it will be a great achievement, and I will be generously rewarded."
“The commander-in-chief is so sincere, how dare I not do my best!” Xiao Mao stood up and bowed and said, “I will work with all the Cao officials to make Huaiyuan New City second to none and not lose the prestige of the commander-in-chief.”
"Okay, Judge Xiao said this, so I feel relieved." Shao Shude called his soldiers to bring over a yellow lamb leg, cut the meat and roasted it himself, and said: "When you get to the North, you have to get used to eating meat and milk. There is no need for meat.
The meat on the bones is sweeter than the meat on the bones. This kind of yellow sheep can run quickly, and the meat on the leg bones is extremely delicious. After it is roasted, Judge Xiao can have a taste. I, today is one of the three fasting months in Buddhism, and Judge Xiao can eat it.
Got yellow mutton?”
"Of course you can." Xiao Mao said, "How dare you let the commander cook the meat himself?"
"I'll let you eat as much as you like." Shao Shude flipped and roasted the meat skillfully and said, "Let's settle the matter and get it done without following the customs. There are so many Tibetan and Han people in such a mess. If we are poor all day long,
, I can’t survive this day.”
Xiao Mao chuckled when he heard this. He once heard that Wang Fu of Lingwu County came to Lingzhou and asked how much manure a bullock produced every year. This is indeed a practical general. He also does not harm the people and treats virtuous corporals, which is very rare.
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When he was hunting just now, he saw some rude prairie men, leaders of the Tibetan tribe, showing off their riding skills and archery skills in front of Prince Lingwu, and snatching away prey. Prince Lingwu just laughed and did not hesitate to reward him, which was quite impressive.
The heroic feeling that all the heroes in the world have fallen into my lap.
Perhaps only this kind of hero can rule so many Ban and Han people.
“I heard that you followed my father in the river as the Yongle Order. Have you said anything recently?”
“The king of the river collected silk and silk from various counties, and got one hundred thousand pieces, which he presented to the court.”
"Huh, Yang Fugong is a greedy person. How many pieces of Wang Shuai's one hundred thousand pieces of silk can the saint and the officials get? I also sent someone to donate a thousand good horses, but I don't know who got an advantage." Shao Shude said.
After the execution of Tian Lingzi, the power of the imperial court was restored, and more and more states and counties donated to Chang'an. Even Hexi Town in Liangzhou donated thousands of cattle, sheep, horses and camels.
However, Yang Fugong was too unlucky and caused the second town relocation turmoil, which made the court look a little unsightly. If he continues to mess with things, he doesn't know what will happen.
“Is everything going well for Prime Minister Xiao recently?”
"Yang Fugong was domineering and arrogant, and only the Ximen family could compete with him. There were 600 fake sons of the Yang family, dozens of whom were sent to other provinces and counties, and there were not many generals in the capital. His father was severely squeezed, and some of his disciples
Gujiu also switched his side to Yang Fugong, and he was left alone, making life really difficult."
Shao Shude handed the roasted meat to Xiao Mao, and Xiao Mao quickly thanked him.
"Xiao Xiang was not as wise as to protect himself and let Yang Fugong do whatever he wanted. Otherwise, if he was demoted from the capital, it would be too late to regret it."
In fact, Shao Shude is not very optimistic about Xiao Yu's future. But he also feels that it is not very appropriate if there are no checks and balances from officials in the capital. What he needs most now is for Chang'an to maintain stability and buy himself time.
Yang Fugong, don’t go too far! Should you ask Ximen to give him a message?
However, Xiao Yun was not actually a prime minister. The shogunate official Huang Tao once told himself an interesting story, that is, a scholar named Pei Jun proposed to Xiao Yun's daughter. After asking her birthday, she
Within a few days, he won the imperial examination. When Luo Yin, who had failed many times, found out about this, he wrote a poem on the spot: "It's really interesting to look at the moon carefully. It is known that Qinggui is close to Chang'e."
The scientific examination for Jinshi in the imperial dynasty was simply child's play, and it was completely reduced to a toy for the noble families. The scientific examination was a good thing, but it could not be controlled by the aristocratic families, and as long as this bottom line was adhered to, it seemed that the demise of the aristocratic families was inevitable.
Huang Chao and Zhu Wen's knives can't actually destroy the family from the roots, but scientific research can.
There are already Tianshui Zhao family, Hezhong Feng family, Xihe Song family, and Lanling Xiao family in the town. The power of the family has increased, although they are still not considered top families.
The aristocratic family brings not only management and internal affairs talents, but also an intricate network of relationships and various population resources. For example, the agricultural population, business talents, various craftsmen, etc. that they urgently need, they have a lot of them themselves. If they can cooperate
, contributing part of it will be extremely helpful to your own cause.
Next year, we will conquer Lanzhou westward. After conquering that land, the number of Tibetan people in the area under our control will be even greater, and we urgently need a large number of Han people to balance it. Doesn't this require the cooperation of these high-ranking families?
Therefore, the balance must be grasped. In the entrepreneurial stage, you need to cooperate with them in depth, but you must also be careful not to let them monopolize your official career. The degree of control is not easy to grasp, and it is no easier than fighting a war.
