knife

Chapter 322 First-rank officials are everywhere, and marquises are as common as dogs

Among the densely packed lists, Li Dachui finally found his own name and Xiao Changche's name.

It's relatively far back.

He himself was the Marquis of Lingwu.
Xiao Changche was the Marquis of Wu'an.

Upon seeing these two titles, Li Dachui couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Lingwu and Wu'an are both currently under the actual control of the Linghu clan, and are the base of Linghu Ye's ambition to dominate the world.

This is a blatant tactic to sow discord, and it is being told openly to Xiao Changche and Li Dachui outside the Great Wall.

I've given you the title and the land. Whether you can acquire these two plots and pass them down to future generations is up to you.

Hurry up and send troops into the pass to attack!
Go and poke Linghuye's chrysanthemum!
"This is incredibly disrespectful!" Li Dachui exclaimed. "I'm now a powerful regional governor with over 100,000 troops and millions of people under my command. Even the Northern Yuan trembles under my military might. Of the three princes, only the eldest lives far away and doesn't associate with me. The other two are practically begging to curry favor with me. The once arrogant Tiele now writes me a letter every month, calling me 'cousin' so much it's numbing me. And Wei Zhengdao just dismisses me like this?"

Wu De laughed: "He knows that even if he were to make you a king, you wouldn't pay any attention to him. You would only be focused on dealing with the Northern Yuan. He wouldn't care about someone who wouldn't be of any help to him."

"He'll regret this sooner or later!" Li Dachui said bitterly. "Look, look! Ma Dacheng has been ennobled, Chen Liang has been ennobled, Chang Xin, the eldest son of the Chang family, has been ennobled. I have a whole bunch of marquises under my command. Old Wu, do you think I can deny it? If I don't, I'm afraid Chen Liang and the others won't be happy either. Wei Zhengdao's move is really ruthless! And you, what kind of marquis are you?"

Wu De's name came up relatively early: Marquis of Qingcheng. Considering the fact that everyone was plotting against Shu, this Marquis of Qingcheng was a fairly plausible title.

If they succeed this time, then Wu De will truly deserve the title of Marquis of Qingcheng.

Therefore, Wei Zhengdao was not incompetent; behind each of his imperial edicts lay a profound purpose.

"On the day Li Anmin died, I secretly went over and took the Imperial Seal of the State. Without this thing, what did he stamp on the feudal edicts? If he didn't stamp it, I'm afraid the effect would be greatly reduced!"

"It's true!" Wu De exclaimed in surprise: "You took the Imperial Seal of the State that night?"

Li Dachui scratched his head: "Oh, I forgot to tell you, this thing is currently with Zhang Qingyun in Chang'an. Once the situation stabilizes, I'll have her send it to the border! Let me see that imperial edict of yours, what's stamped on it?"

Wu Deyi shrugged: "I didn't pay attention. As soon as the edict came down, I threw it into who-knows-where. But I remember that it was clearly stamped with the Imperial Seal of the State."

“Wei Zhengdao is incredibly audacious; he must have had one carved privately!” Li Dachui laughed. “However, most people have never even seen what the Imperial Seal of the State looks like, let alone been able to distinguish the real from the fake. Wei Zhengdao is also very clear-headed: if he wins, whether he has it or not is irrelevant. If he loses, it's even less important.”

“That’s exactly right. One scheme after another. Wei Zhengdao is indeed a man who has served as the chief minister for decades. He is not someone to be trifled with. In fact, his scheming is even more impressive than that of Prime Minister Kou!” Wu De now sincerely admired Wei Zhengdao: “If he pulls through, we will have to be extra careful when dealing with him in the future.”

Li Dachui unfolded the long list of feudalists in his hand and couldn't help but shake his head repeatedly.

"These days, first-rank officials are everywhere, and marquises are as common as dogs!"

“A title is a prestigious title.” Wu De also sighed with emotion: “When a prestigious title is reduced to rubble and pottery and has no value anymore, it also means that this dynasty has truly reached its end.”

Meanwhile, in the north, in the Hedong region, towards Yuncheng, a long convoy was traveling under the blazing sun.

Countless horses, oxen, mules, and donkeys pulled grain carts along the official road. Although the escorting soldiers were panting heavily like dogs with their tongues lolling out, not one of them took off their armor and went shirtless to cool off.

In this way, the laborers who drove the cattle and horses were more comfortable.

Many of them wore only a pair of calf shorts, bare-chested, their sun-darkened skin exposed, waving whips and shouting loudly to drive the livestock.

If they were lucky enough to come across an irrigation ditch by the roadside, they could take turns going into the ditch to wet their handkerchiefs and wipe themselves down. Some even scooped up a ladle of water and poured it over their heads, feeling incredibly refreshed.

Linghu Zhishu himself was also fully armored, his undergarments were already soaked through, and the sweat on his face was not dripping down one drop, but in strings.

He has to be careful.

This road is far from peaceful.

Ever since He Zudao and the imperial army fought a bloody battle on the east and west banks of the river, this once prosperous land has become rife with bandits.

The Linghu clan has occupied Hedong and Hexi for over a year now. Let alone restoring these places to their former prosperity, even returning them to their pre-war levels will not be an easy task.

Too many young and middle-aged men have been lost.

Linghu Zhishu, who had been exiled to a local area by Linghu Ye, had been the governor of Boling County for a full year.

Shame spurred Linghu Zhishu to action. He abandoned all his previous pride and reserve, rolled up his trousers and sleeves, and led the people of Boling to begin rebuilding their homes.

To attract more people and make better use of limited resources, Linghu Zhishu directly transplanted Li Dachui's land distribution system from Helan Plain to Boling County. No matter who you were, as long as you settled down in Boling County, you would be allocated land, livestock, and farm tools.

The people of Qin have an innate attachment to the land, so in this year, Boling's development far surpassed other places in the entire Hedong and Hexi region.

However, this also caused some discord between Linghu Zhishu and many of Linghu Ye's subordinates.

In other places, land was mostly granted to powerful and influential generals and important officials, and the original powerful families in Hedong had been basically wiped out. However, after Linghu Ye entered Guanzhong, new families were rising one by one. Even though it had only been a little over a year, the beginnings of new forces could already be seen.

However, Linghu Zhishu didn't care about what others thought.

Because his surname is Linghu.

Of course, his actions did not mean that he intended to fully promote this system in the future. He simply wanted to prove to his uncle that he, Linghu Zhishu, was still the most outstanding member of the Linghu family.

When governing a region, the methods are not important; what matters is the final result.

The Linghu clan aspires to rule the world.

Therefore, there is not much difference between distributing land to the common people and to the important officials and generals, as long as the final result is good.

This approach works better here, but in another location, perhaps a different method would be better.

All Linghu wanted was a result.

Sure enough, a year later, Linghu Zhishu received a new appointment from Linghu Yexin to serve as the general of the central army at the headquarters of the southern expeditionary force.

He also brought with him the harvest from Boling that year: a total of 500,000 jin of military rations.

And this was after he had left enough food for the people of Boling.

Linghu Zhishu still managed to earn a good reputation in Boling.

At least the common people still approve of him.

I felt that he was a rare and upright official.

This made their lives much easier.

Linghu Zhishu also enjoyed the affection the people of Boling had for him, but he would not become obsessed with it.

Because Boling is too small!

He wanted to receive this kind of love and respect from more people.

Three thousand Boling soldiers and five hundred thousand catties of grain were the congratulatory gifts he brought to his uncle.

Compared to other members of the Linghu family who governed the area east and west of the river, Linghu Zhishu was far more than just a protruding head; most of his body was sticking out.

If you're ahead of others, they'll be jealous and probably think about how to bring you down.

When you're so far ahead of others that they can only see your back or even not see your back at all, then all they can do is admire and respect you.

Linghu Zhishu is now racing down this path, leaving only a handful of people who can compete with him, such as Linghu Ye's eldest son, Linghu Duanzheng. However, Linghu Duanzheng's biggest advantage in challenging Linghu Zhishu is that he is Linghu Ye's biological son!

"Everyone, just bear with it a little longer!" Linghu Zhishu spurred his horse forward slowly, looking at the somewhat exhausted and weak army, and shouted loudly, "We'll reach our destination in thirty li. When we get there, there will be plenty of wine and meat!"

Seeing their commander, who was also sweating profusely from the heat, the entire Boling army raised their arms and shouted in encouragement.
At times like these, having an abundance of meat and alcohol is no easy feat. For ordinary people, being able to eat meat two or three times a year is already quite good, and for the army, if there is no war, it is also difficult to improve their meals and ensure that they have enough to eat.

Seeing the army regain its spirits, Linghu Zhishu nodded in satisfaction.

With such a disciplined army, the bandits along the way would naturally be wise enough not to provoke them. Wouldn't it be better to find a shady spot to take a nap? Who would want to put their head under a knife for no reason?

As the sun began to set, they finally saw the large flag fluttering at the edge of the wilderness. Everyone cheered. That was their destination. The two weeks of relentless work, without rest or rest, were finally coming to an end. Today, they could finally get a good night's sleep after a hearty meal.

In the distance, cavalrymen were rapidly approaching.

The person who came to greet Linghu Zhishu was his brother, Linghu Zhili.

(End of this chapter)