Where we come, there are old trees and big rivers. The scholar has no land to serve his country, and his head is blank for nine minutes. A cold night has passed, and thousands of miles of clouds have buried the mausoleum. It is hard to rest with hatred. I move to the frosty wind, and the setting sun accompanies me with sorrow.
——Excerpt from "Shui Diao Ge Tou·Dingwang Terrace" by Yuan Quhua (Song Dynasty)
…
Zhang Qiuqiong said foolishly: "Under the emperor's feet, there are hidden dragons and crouching tigers. The relationships between all walks of life are like the roots of a big tree, intertwined. The first task of the Jinwu Guard is to understand these connections. Then, peel off the cocoons and handle everything properly."
It is impossible to see the princes, nobles and high-ranking families bending their knees to please others and following the trend; nor is it possible to see the traffickers and lackeys.
When one is poor and down, one becomes bossy and arrogant.
It is true that wealthy families have ladders to climb to heaven, and murder swords are hidden in street corners and alleys. Those in power cannot use their power to bully others, use force to bully the weak, and those who go against the grain cannot use violence to counter violence or rise up against others.
The reason why the Kaiyuan era is called the prosperous age is because the rich and powerful have a sense of security, and the poor and humble people have hope of leaping over the dragon's gate..."
Bai Fu was a scholar from a poor family, so he nodded frequently when he heard this.
Zhang Qiuqiong said foolishly: "The Jinwu Guard is the most down-to-earth garrison in the Imperial Guard. It has a close relationship with the low-level officials of the imperial court and the petty officials of the Jingzhao Prefecture. It also has close contact with the local guards and neighborhood merchants.
He is very close and knows all the major and minor affairs of Chang'an.
Unlike the Qianniu Guards, who must be relatives of the royal family, and the Longwu Army, who must be "disciples of Yuan Cong", the Jinwu Guards select people regardless of their origins, so they bring together elites from all walks of life in Chang'an: some have a long history of being in charge of the Cao Cao and rich in strategy;
There are Cao Cao who are proficient in changing money and fodder in the market and join the army; there are fierce and brave Weiqi; there are even street envoys patrolling the six neighborhoods; there are also bad guys who wander in the dark places of Chang'an and are as sharp as hounds...
General, our Zuojinwu Guards are in charge of Wannian County. Most of the residences of royal relatives, princes and nobles are in Wannian County. If you want to run your errands well and be safe, you must deal with many bad people in Wannian County."
Bad people were created by the Tang government. In order to better control public security and save government expenses, the government recruited people with bad records to serve as small officials for investigation and arrest. Their managers were called "bad commanders".
The bad commander is the deputy of the thief-capturing lieutenant. He is a top official in the officialdom. He is responsible for catching robbers and public security. He has great power in the neighborhood.
…
With Zhang Qiu Qiongyu, an old Jianghu, to 'lead the way', Bai Fu quickly grasped the situation of Zuo Jinwu Guard's capable officials.
In the following days, Bai Fu held talks with the chief historian of Zuo Jinwu Guard and various Cao Cao soldiers one by one; he even visited the Left and Right Street Envoys, Wuhou Pu, and the bad people's office...
The one who impressed me the most was the bad handsome Xiong Badou from Wannian County.
This man lived up to his name, with a bear-like body, burly and stout, a flat nose, thick lips, a ferocious appearance, a deep scar on his face, and a dark evil energy in his words and deeds.
Because superior officials often called him "Xiong Ba", local ruffians gave him the nickname "Xiong Ba".
Bai Fu thought to himself, this person is by no means a good person. But I am afraid that only such a ruthless person can control the gangsters in Wannian County.
…
A few days later, Bai Fu once again brought Zhangchou Qionyu for discussion.
Bai Fu said: "Today, I went to Jingzhao Mansion to pay homage to Jingzhao Yin. Mr. Fu Yin informed me that in recent months, rich families in Chang'an have been repeatedly robbed.
Mr. Fu Yin hopes that our Zuo Jinwu Guards can also participate in arresting the thieves and help them.
In addition, after recapturing the two capitals, I have discovered that there are Tibetan spies hiding in Chang'an City.
According to recent intelligence reports, clues of Tibetan spies have been discovered again. I suspect that there are a large number of Tubo, Japanese and other Hu spies secretly lurking in Chang'an.
Searching for the remaining Maitreya believers, apprehending thieves, tracking various spies, etc., all require a Jinwu Guard with high quality and high energy.
I understand what you said last time.
I just want to ask, how can we give the existing Jinwu Guard a new look without arousing the suspicion of the courtiers?"
Zhang Qiu Qiongyu said: "It is very easy to avoid attracting attention and not being suspected by others, as long as you don't adjust the personnel and division of labor of Jinwu Guard.
Do you want to give the existing Kingo Guard a new look?"
Zhang Qiu Qiongyu pondered for a moment and said: "First, select elites from the existing Jinwu Guards, place them in key departments, and give them the power to make decisions on an ad hoc basis.
Second, increase the salary of Jinwu Guards officers. At least, pay the salary that is one year in arrears as soon as possible.
…”
Bai Fu, the new official, decided to select a group of elite soldiers from the existing soldiers without changing the personnel structure of Jinwu Guard.
All of this requires money!
Bai Fu visited the Ministry of Household Affairs and requested the Ministry of Household Affairs to allocate a special fund.
Liu Yan, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, knew very well that Bai Fu was a favored one by the Holy Spirit, so he was very polite to Bai Fu and personally greeted him outside the official office.
Bai Fu explained his intention, and Liu Yan immediately agreed and expressed his full support. The two sides talked happily.
I thought that this matter had been settled, but I didn't expect that ten days had passed, not to mention the money, and there was not even a rope for passing the money.
Bai Fu asked an insider in the Ministry of Revenue and found out that this batch of money had been approved by Liu Yan, the Minister of Accounts. When it was allocated, it was stuck in the hands of Tong Yan, the minister of the Ministry of Revenue.
Unlike Liu Yan, the Minister of the Ministry of Finance, who was born into a well-known family, Tong Yan, the Minister of the Ministry of Finance, worked as a minor official in the eighth grade and worked for decades to get to where he is today. He is famous for his plucking of feathers.
Precisely because he was good at calculating and calculating, he was always able to squeeze out oil and water from his teeth to balance the empire's huge expenditure when the court was most short of money.
Although every minister of household affairs dislikes this person, he has to use this person.
All the officials at the Ministry of Household Affairs know that the minister is a smooth soldier, while the boy waiter is the iron-clad camp.
Bai Fu paid a visit in person, but he didn't believe that he couldn't break this hard nut.
Tong Yan, the Minister of Household Affairs, obviously did not take Bai Fu, a newly wealthy man in the court, seriously.
Upon hearing Bai Fu's intention, Tong Yan shook his head like a rattle and kept talking to Bai Fu: "General Bai, it's not that I mean to make things difficult for you. It's really because the Ministry of Household Affairs cannot make ends meet and is short of financial resources."
When there was a flood in Shaanzhou, Bai Fu stayed with Taifu Xu. Taifu Xu taught Bai Fu many ways to raise funds through his words and deeds.
Bai Fu looked calm and sipped his tea as he said, "Master Tong, if the special funds can be received as soon as possible, the Accounts Department can withdraw 10% of the allocated funds as passage fees."
Wen Fei put down the teacup, his eyes rolled, he looked Bai Fu up and down, and carefully confirmed: "General Bai, are you serious about this?"
Bai Fu smiled and said: "Seriously!"
Wen Fei smiled broadly and said: "No wonder General Bai is able to win every battle at such a young age and holds a high position. Not only is he aware of the situation, but he is also so considerate and considerate. Such a pattern is far better than ordinary generals.
Since General Bai is so happy, I will never make any mistakes. I guarantee that, in addition, there will be no deductions from the special funds allocated, and they will be received within ten days!"