Although Ruan Yuanjia was a local, he was different from the local aristocratic families. He became an official by passing the imperial examination. Many people may not believe it, but he really took this path.
The local passages leading to the upper class were controlled by the major families. They neither allowed Han people nor those from poor families to come to power. However, with the reforms of the Tang Dynasty, they found that the original path was no longer feasible, so these people began to take a roundabout way and allowed scholars like Ruan Yuanjia to come to power.
No matter what, these people are still members of the Jing ethnic group. Even if something happens, it is easier for everyone to discuss it. But if a Han person were to become a local official, their lives would not be so good.
Take the current situation for example. Although the Tang Dynasty court had various levies, they were all fooled by various reasons. Ruan Yuanjia was promoted by them, so he could only listen to them. If he had some other ideas, or secretly reported to the Tang Dynasty court, then they could choose another one from the new candidates.
Inspired by the Tang Dynasty court in recent years, there are many local scholars, especially those from poor families. They are all able to pass the imperial examinations. In addition, with the efforts of the aristocratic families, these people have reached their current positions.
If Li Xiang had not come, these people's operations would have continued until they became independent. As long as there was chaos in the Central Plains dynasty, they could immediately declare independence.
Local soldiers have always been under their command, and they often preach some ideas that are contrary to the Tang Dynasty to the soldiers. Although this is the land of the Tang Dynasty, they tell the soldiers that all the money, food, and soldiers come from the local area, and have nothing to do with Chang'an City, so you don't need to be loyal to the Tang Dynasty.
It is said that if this kind of propaganda were to be known by Chang'an, no one would be able to save their lives. However, this place is too remote. It is several months' journey from here to Chang'an City, and it is unknown how long it will take to cross mountains and rivers. Even if someone wants to report the news here, there is no way to sue.
What they didn't expect was that Li Xiang actually came from Fusang. Although they had heard a lot about Li Xiang, they thought that Li Xiang would never look at such a poor place.
So when the local officials heard that Li Xiang was going to pass by here, they didn't care. At most, they would come over to kowtow to Li Xiang, and then take Li Xiang for a stroll around the local area. Then Li Xiang would turn from here and head to Nanzhao.
But unexpectedly, after Li Xiang arrived, he did not leave in a hurry. Instead, he investigated all the local officials. Suddenly, what they had done could no longer be covered up. Ruan Yuanjia was also a treacherous dog. Seeing the powerful army brought by Li Xiang, this guy actually defected to Chang'an.
That afternoon, all the major families received documents from the government, asking them to give up some positions. After all, according to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, at least one-third of the local officials must be Han people. Now that you have divided up all the official positions, if you don't give them up, how are you going to report to Li Xiang?
"We can't do that. If we surrender at the beginning, all our power in the area will be lost. I don't think he brought many people with him. No matter how elite they are, they can't be our opponents. Chang'an City is still far away from us. The worst that can happen is that we will rebel."
The person who spoke was Hu Liangzhi, the head of the Hu family.
The Hu surname is also a big surname here, controlling 1/10 of the officials in the entire state and also controlling the local transportation industry.
For a long time, they have controlled the passage to the inland, which has made their family earn a lot of money. If Li Xiang were to reshuffle the cards, it would mean that their family would lose the support of the government, and the profits earned by the family would definitely plummet.
At that time, let's not talk about how to compete with the major families. Just the hundreds of people in the family, how to feed them all is a big problem. You can't let these nobles farm, right? Not to mention that there are not many plains in the area.
"That's easy for you to say. Chang'an City is indeed not close to us and can't do anything to us for the time being, but Nanzhao is very close to us. Moreover, the land we stand on is still the land of the Tang Dynasty. Thirty percent of the people in our territory are Han Chinese. They are all looking forward to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to implement reforms."
In the past, when Nanzhao was still a country, they could be said to be very safe. If the Tang army wanted to come to them, they would have to walk a very long way. By the time they got there, many of their ambitions would have been worn down. If they were given some money and treated well, no matter how big the problem was, it could be solved.
But the situation is different now. Nanzhao has become a territory of the Tang Dynasty, and the Tang Dynasty has stationed a lot of troops in Nanzhao. If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince were to mobilize troops, the army on Nanzhao land would be able to attack us in two days at most.
In fact, they had overlooked one point, mainly because they did not know much about the Tang Dynasty. All their territories were on the coast. If the Tang Dynasty navy wanted to attack them, they would not need to transfer troops from Nanzhao. The Tang Dynasty navy led by Li Xiang alone was enough to give them a hard time. In some aspects, their armed forces could not even catch up with the Fuso people.
Everyone was talking at once, but in the end they couldn't come up with a plan. The main reason was that they had never encountered such a thing before. Li Xiang's way of doing things was indeed not that of an ordinary person. He didn't give them time to think and directly gave the order. This was truly a kingly act, but it made life difficult for those vested interests like him.
"Your Excellencies, Lord Ruan's documents have arrived again."
Before they could come up with anything to discuss, Ruan Yuanjia's document had already been delivered for the second time. Although this guy was a Jing ethnic group member, it was obvious that he was leaning towards Li Xiang's side.
"It seems this bastard has forgotten who put him in that position. We should teach him a lesson and let him know who is his master."
Hu Liangzhi said with a sneer, and the others nodded. Even though Ruan Yuanjia is a local official, it is easy to control him!
