Chapter 182 The "True King" Appears (5k)
In the military camp, Su Ze was meeting with a young Han officer.
"Are you the new Gaochang Captain of the Ganliang West Army?"
"General Zhang Hui pays respect to General Su."
"Your grandfather's body has been buried. He died in the battle to save Dunhuang. You are my Han son. You should inherit your father's wishes."
Zhang Hui quickly expressed his gratitude to Su Ze. He prostrated himself and said, "General Su, please allow my three thousand Han people from Gaochang to return home!"
Su Ze helped Zhang Hui up and asked gently:
"Let me tell you about the situation of the Han people in Gaochang."
Su Ze had heard from Li Cunzhen that the Ganliang Western Army was not a close-knit organization. After the demise of Western Liang, there was no governor, and colonels were set up in various places, who were the leaders of the local Han people.
The Gaochang Captain is the young man in front of you. His father was attacked by Gaoche people on the way of transporting livestock into Dunhuang. His head was chopped off and paraded around the city as a demonstration, and it was just then that the cavalry led by Wang Hui snatched the head away.
After Zhang Hui succeeded as the commander of Gaochang, he immediately rushed to Dunhuang to collect his father's body.
Zhang Hui immediately said: "Gaochang has been a part of our Central Plains since ancient times! It's a pity that it has been stolen by the false ruler and is no longer Han territory!"
"During the reign of Emperor Xiaowen of the Wei Dynasty, the people of Chang supported Ma Ru as the King of Gaochang. Ma Ru paid tribute to the Wei Dynasty and requested that Gaochang move its entire nation to the interior. Emperor Xiaowen had granted permission, but a rebel named Qu killed Gaochang King Ma Ru and refused to return to the Han Dynasty. All the Han family members in Gaochang regretted this."
Su Ze tapped the table with his knuckles. It seemed that the influence of "Han" on the Western Regions was really great. If Gaochang's top leaders had not been unwilling to surrender, Gaochang would have almost surrendered to the Northern Wei.
"What is Gaochang's system like? What are its people like?"
Zhang Hui said: "Gaochang follows the Han system. The King of Gaochang has set up offices to govern the army and the people. Official documents are all in Chinese. The currency is also Han coins. The only difference is the left lapel."
Su Ze nodded. No wonder the former King of Gaochang almost surrendered to Wei. Gaochang was a Han Chinese country in the Western Regions.
Zhang Hui added: "In addition, the whole country of Gaochang believes in Buddhism. There is a large Buddhist temple in Gaochang City with 3,000 monks who chant scriptures day and night. During every festival, there is a 'parade of statues', where the Buddha statues in the temple are placed on floats and paraded along the streets of Gaochang City. At that time, the people of the city kneel on both sides of the road, and some believers even give up their homes to donate money to pray for the Buddha's blessing."
Su Ze was shocked when he heard that there were 3,000 monks. He had known for a long time that the Western Regions were devoted to Buddhism, but he had never expected that a small country like Gaochang would actually support 3,000 monks who had left their jobs to chant sutras.
Su Ze asked: "Why does the King of Gaochang support so many monks?"
Zhang Hui said: "Gaochang is located on a major transportation route, with merchants coming and going constantly. The merchant taxes alone are enough for Gaochang to use. The King of Gaochang collects 'Buddhist donations' from the monks of the Great Buddha Temple, and merchants are willing to donate and pray for a safe journey. In addition, the Great Buddha Temple will lend money to merchants. There are always merchants who return after several years, and they will donate large amounts of money to the temple."
So that's how it is. For the countries in the Western Regions, these monks are not only tools for maintaining their rule in the spiritual world, but also their financial officials.
The monks in the Big Buddha Temple have the functions of both collecting taxes and lending money, so it is no wonder that they can afford to support so many monks.
"Are there many people in Gaochang who want to return to the Middle-earth?"
Zhang Hui thought about it and said honestly: "When the former Gaochang King Ma Ru was in power, many people still yearned for their homeland, but in recent years, Gaochang's trade routes have developed, and many people do not want to return to their homeland."
Su Ze immediately understood what Zhang Hui meant. When the Northern Wei Dynasty was strong in the past, the people of Gaochang certainly wanted to return to their country, and even produced spiritual Wei people like Gaochang King Ma Ru.
But now the Northern Wei Dynasty itself is in trouble. Dunhuang has been surrounded by the Gaoche people, and the people of Gaochang have become rich through trade. Naturally, they do not want to return to the Northern Wei Dynasty.
The 3,000 men of the Ganliang West Army may sound like a lot, but in fact their number is only about the same as the monks of the Big Buddha Temple. There are also many elderly, weak, women and children among them, and they may not be able to defeat the well-fed and well-dressed Big Buddha Temple monks in a head-on battle.
Su Ze thought for a moment, then took out a cotton seed and asked, "Is this plant grown in Gaochang?"
Zhang Hui immediately said, "General, these are the seeds of the white sedge. They are widely planted in Gaochang and are a specialty of the Dafo Temple. The monks of the Dafo Temple would hire people to plant the white sedge and weave it into white cloth robes, which are very popular among the monks. The cloth woven from the white sedge is also called 氎布 in the Western Regions. Merchants often buy it in Gaochang and can exchange it for goods like silk."
Su Ze then remembered that cotton cloth at that time was called 氎布.
In the Tang Dynasty, cotton cloth from the Western Regions was already sold in Chang'an. Bai Juyi once wrote a poem, "A short screen covers the head of the bed, a black hat, a green felt, and a white linen coat. Drink a cup of wine and take a nap, and everything in the world is leisurely."
Moreover, according to Zhang Hui, the monks of Gaochang Great Buddha Temple have been cultivating cotton seeds for a long time, and even opened up fields specifically for growing cotton, and there is already a trade in the Western Regions using cotton cloth as currency.
According to Zhang Hui's description, the cotton grown in the Big Buddha Temple should be Xinjiang cotton, but this kind of cotton is still very different from the long-staple cotton of later generations.
The cotton fibers of Xinjiang grass cotton are relatively short, so the cloth woven from it is not as strong and comfortable as long-staple cotton.
But it is enough. Nowadays, the high-end textiles in the world are silk and cotton. As long as they are more comfortable and warmer than the linen used by ordinary people, it is enough.
In addition, cotton has an advantage over linen in that it is easier to dye. As long as the cotton is dyed, it can definitely be sold at a good price.
In this era, weaving cloth was like minting coins. Whether it was silk, cotton or linen, it was hard currency circulated throughout the country.
Su Ze sent Zhang Hui away and asked him to return to Gaochang to contact the Han people who were willing to return to the Central Plains, and also asked him to collect cotton seeds.
Su Ze also sent Su Bai, an envoy of the Bailu Cao, to return to Gaochang Kingdom with Zhang Hui to collect intelligence.
Next came the Gaoche people from Yumen Pass.
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"What!? Send troops to Yumen? Absolutely not!"
What Linghu Qiu couldn't understand was that sending troops to Yumen was obviously a very simple matter, but Liangzhou Governor Yuan Yu refused to do so.
Linghu Qiu said anxiously: "Yuan Governor! The Gaoche people have been blocked by General Su at Yumen. As long as you raise troops from Zhangye and block them from the east and west, you can force the Gaoche people to surrender. Why don't you take such a credit?"
Yuan Yu said, "War is dangerous! The Art of War says that the best strategy is to defeat the enemy without fighting. Now that the Gaoche people have regretted their actions, why not ask General Su to clear the way and let them return home?"
Linghu Qiu was furious when he heard Yuan Yu's answer. So many soldiers and civilians were killed or injured in Dunhuang, and the Ganliang West Army sacrificed so many people to support Dunhuang. But just because of Yuan Yu's words, he was going to release the Gaoche people who were besieged in Yumen Pass?
Linghu Qiu took a deep breath and said, "Governor Yuan, the Gaoche people are wolves. They will not attack again until they are hurt. If we can defeat the Gaoche people this time, Liangzhou will have a few years of peace!"
Yuan Yu said, "The Gaoche people have been defeated by General Su in Dunhuang. If we lose this battle, the heartland of Liangzhou will be in danger. I will write a letter and you can take it to General Su, asking him to negotiate with the Gaoche people and give way to them to let them return home."
Linghu Qiu was about to persuade him again, but Yuan Yu had already stood up and walked into the back hall of the Liangzhou Governor's Mansion.
Linghu Qiu stamped his feet in anger, but he was unwilling to give up, so he simply stayed in Guzang City, hoping to find an opportunity to persuade Yuan Yu to send troops again.
When Yuan Yu returned to the back room, Gao Hui, who was visiting Yuan Yu's house, came to greet him.
Gao Hui and Yuan Yu were old friends, and Gao Hui's persuasion led Yuan Yu to give Xiping, which belonged to Liangzhou, to Su Ze.
After Gao Hui persuaded Yuan Yu, he did not return to Luoyang to report, but continued to live in Liangzhou.
Both of them loved Go. Sometimes Yuan Yu would not even take care of government affairs and would play Go with Gao Hui in the mansion.
"Yuan Liang (Yuan Yu's courtesy name), what General Linghu said is correct. Sending troops now is the best time to hurt the Gaoche people. Why are you unwilling to send troops?"
Gao Hui knew Yuan Yu's character and knew that although he was a bit pedantic, he was not a fool.
These are benefits that everyone can see, so there is no reason why Yuan Yu can't see it.
If the Gaoche people were defeated, Yuan Yu might be able to leave Liangzhou and return to the coveted Luoyang based on his merits.
Yuan Yu dropped a child, and then he said: "Rong Xian (Gao Hui's courtesy name), you don't understand the situation in Liangzhou. This is a letter that someone secretly reported to the governor's mansion a few days ago."
Yuan Yu took out a bag. Gao Hui took it and saw the densely packed tiny calligraphy on it.
Gao Hui read it carefully.
This was a letter of denunciation, reporting that several major families in Guzang City in Liangzhou were plotting to launch a rebellion.
Gao Hui put down his pocket in surprise. Yuan Yu said, "Since I took office in Liangzhou, the local tyrants have been restless. The contents of this letter are three-tenths true and seven-tenths false, but the Liangzhou tyrants are increasingly rebellious."
"Rongxian, I don't have any private troops in Liangzhou. If I want to raise an army in Yumen, I can only rely on these heroes. Do I dare to distribute weapons and armor to them?"
Gao Hui was silent. He didn't expect Liangzhou to become like this.
Yuan Yu added: "In recent years, the imperial court has imposed increasing taxes on Liangzhou, and the road to the imperial court has been blocked. Naturally, the local leaders of Liangzhou have become increasingly dissatisfied." "In addition, there are also people who incite."
Gao Hui asked in confusion: "Someone incited? Someone incited the Liangzhou generals to rebel?"
Yuan Yu nodded and said, "I also sent people to investigate, but we still don't know where the instigator came from. We only know a name."
Gao Hui quickly asked, "What's the name?"
"True King."
Gao Hui murmured, "True king? There is no such king in our dynasty, right? Who is this demon who calls himself that?"
Yuan Yu shook his head and said, "I only know that the True King is very famous in Liangzhou."
"It's not just Liangzhou. I asked people to inquire. There are envoys of this man in several nearby border towns. They have colluded with local heroes and made plans to rebel."
Gao Hui was shocked. He put down the chess piece and asked, "Why don't you report this to the court?"
Yuan Yu sighed and said, "I reported it to the court last year, but with just a title, the court ignored it."
"Moreover, many border towns are like Liangzhou, relying on these local heroes to suppress the local area. If we set up a big prison for this, wouldn't it force them to rebel?"
Gao Hui also fell silent.
Yuan Yu said: "I am worried about the local heroes in Liangzhou. If they rebel, they will be much more terrible than the Gaoche people trapped in Yumen."
"So I hope that you, Rongxian, will go to Dunhuang in person, explain the reason to General Su in person, and clear the road for the Gaoche people to leave."
Gao Hui also felt unwilling, but if the situation in Liang Province was really as Yuan Yu said, and the local generals could rebel at any time, then Gao Hui was unwilling to take the risk of persuading Yuan Yu to send troops.
Yuan Yu sighed and said, "If our Great Wei could have a few more loyal and good men like General Su, the situation would not have come to this point."
Gao Hui also sighed, it was a pity that there was only one Su Ze.
"I will go to Dunhuang right away and persuade Su Ze to clear the road and let the Gaoche people return west."
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Gaoping County.
It has been almost half a year since Yu Jin took office as the governor of Gaoping County.
Gaoping County was also a military prefecture like the Six Garrisons a few years ago. Before the death of Emperor Xuanwu, it was reorganized into a county with its seat in Gaoping County (Guyuan, Ningxia), which belonged to Yuanzhou.
The northwestern prefectures and counties have always been a mixture of Han and Hu people. Yu Jin remembered Su Ze's instructions and kept an eye on several local generals after taking office in Gaoping.
One of them was named Hu Chen, a descendant of the Gaoche tribe. He had been settled in Gaoping for three generations and was very prestigious among the local Gaoche tribe in Gaoping.
One of them was named Wanqi Chounu, a Xiongnu and a descendant of surrendered soldiers who were settled in Gaoping. He was a general under Hu Chen and had a reputation for bravery in Gaoping.
One of them was named Su Qinmingda, a Qiang ethnic group. He was very prestigious among the Qiang people in the northwest and was also a local hero in Gaoping.
Yu Jin soon discovered the talents of the three men and tried to win them over, but Yu Jin also remembered Su Ze's instructions and sent people to infiltrate the tribes of the three men to collect intelligence.
The three of them had behaved normally over the past six months. Yu Jin originally thought that he was too suspicious. Su Ze had never been to Gaoping, so how could he doubt others' loyalty out of thin air?
But today, the spy he sent into Hu Chen's tribe reported a piece of news to him.
"Someone claims to be the true king and persuades Hu Chen to rebel?"
The spy nodded quickly, and Yu Jin paced back and forth and said, "True King? Where in the world are there such rebels in our dynasty?"
The Northern Wei Dynasty was not at peace in these years, with rebels everywhere. However, most of them, like the Mahayana Sect, were quickly suppressed by the imperial army.
He had never heard of Yu Jin, the traitor who called himself the True King, but the fact that he sent someone to contact Hu Chen showed that he had big plans.
"What's Hu Chen's reaction?"
The spy said: "The leader of the Hu army drove the envoy out of the tribe and ordered him not to set foot in Gaoping again."
Yu Jin was not satisfied with Hu Chen's attitude, but frowned even more.
Although Hu Chen did not respond to the True King's plan to revolt, he did not hand over the other party's envoy to himself, obviously wanting to leave a way out.
In other words, if the other party's rebellion really causes a huge wave, Hu Chen can also join the rebellion halfway.
This fence-sitting attitude made Yu Jin even more worried. It also showed that the rebel king who called himself the "true king" had secretly made friends with a very large force, so large that even Gaoping's powerful commander Hu Chen did not dare to do anything extreme and had to sit on the fence and wait and see.
Report to the governor? Or report to the court?
Yu Jin shook his head. He had no evidence in his hands and the court would not believe him at all.
In case the news leaked out and Hu Chen turned against him, Yu Jin was not prepared.
Since taking office in Gaoping, Yu Jin has been following Su Ze's instructions and trying to find ways to train his own army.
But training soldiers takes time. Although Yu Jin brought two hundred clan soldiers, some of Su Ze's confidants, and old subordinates from the imperial guards, this number of soldiers was too few for local heroes like Hu Chen who had lived in Gaoping for generations.
Moreover, Gaoping County was not rich in resources and could not afford to support too many county soldiers. Yu Jin could only train his troops during the slack season. So far, there were only 1,000 regular soldiers who could barely meet Yu Jin's standards.
This amount of troops is only enough to control the city of Gaoping.
Yu Jin thought about it and called the messenger that Su Ze left for him. He told the messenger the information about the "true king" and asked him to go to Hezhou to inform Su Ze.
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Guanzhong, Qinzhou.
After Hou Gang was demoted to a soldier in Qinzhou, he was always recruited by Jiangyang King Yuan Yi. He did not suffer much after arriving in Qinzhou, and local powerful people vied to entertain him.
Being demoted to a provincial or county soldier was considered a protective demotion in the Northern Wei Dynasty.
For example, Yang Dayan, a famous general of the Northern Wei Dynasty, was demoted to a Bingzhou soldier because of his mistakes in the Battle of Zhongli. Within a few years, he was reinstated by the court and finally appointed as the Governor of Jingzhou. He died in office as the Governor of Jingzhou.
Hou Gang's backers in the court have not fallen, and his relatives and friends are all in high positions. In everyone's view, his reinstatement is only a matter of time.
Even the Qinzhou governor Li Yan treated him with great courtesy and arranged for Hou Gang to have a comfortable job guarding the provincial capital, Tianshui City.
The person who got along best with Hou Gang was Mozhe Dati, a powerful Qiang leader from Qinzhou.
Mozhe Dati's family has also lived in Qinzhou for generations. After Hou Gang arrived in Tianshui, Mozhe Dati gave him a mansion in the city and servants. If Mozhe Dati's Qiang status had not been too low, Hou Gang would have almost become sworn brothers with him.
Today, the governor of Qinzhou held a banquet in his mansion again. Hou Gang and Mozhe Dati got drunk again. After personally sending Hou Gang back home, Mozhe Dati's fourth son Mozhe Niansheng helped him get on the carriage. As soon as he got on the carriage, Mozhe Dati sobered up.
His son Mo Zhe Niansheng said, "Today, that bastard Li Yan imposed additional taxes and even imposed Buddhist fees in Qinzhou. Can you still tolerate this, Grandpa?"
Mozhedati sighed. Li Yan, the governor of Qinzhou, was born into the Longxi Li family, which was the family of Li Bao of Xiliang who surrendered to the Northern Wei Dynasty. They were listed as one of the five surnames by Emperor Xiaowen and were a noble family of the Jia surname.
In the past, Li Chong also wanted to seek the position of Qinzhou Governor for Li Shizhe, but it was snatched away by Li Yan.
Li Yan was a greedy official and was harsh to his subordinates. He liked to use harsh laws and punishments to govern the local area. Once he encountered subordinates who were not satisfactory, he would beat, scold and torture them. He was very unpopular in Qinzhou.
However, he was born into a noble family, and other officials in the prefecture did not dare to advise him. The levies on the wealthy families in Qinzhou became increasingly severe, and the prisons in Qinzhou were filled with prisoners.
Mo Zhe Dati said, "Did the envoy of the True King ask you to persuade me to rebel? Although my family has been guarding Qinzhou for generations, our reputation is limited to the state. If we want to start a rebellion, we need a prestigious person to lead the way."
Mo Zhe Niansheng's eyes lit up and he asked, "So Grandpa made friends with Hou Gang? Just to get him to take the lead in the uprising?"
Transition Chapter
(End of this chapter)