Establishing a thousand-year family from the nobles of the Western Han Dynasty

Chapter 121: Youzhou Situation, Pacification of Xiliang

The whole Jicheng city became busy. After learning that the new governor was about to take office, the prefect of Guangyang began to renovate the governor's mansion without stopping.

He had heard of this big shot a long time ago. He was a well-known official in Jizhou and served as the prefect of Qinghe. He actually held the power in Jizhou. Even the new local governor had to show some respect to him.

This time he became a local emperor like the governor of a state, not to mention his power. It is also said that when Xu Min came, he specially transferred a large amount of food and fodder from the Qinghe treasury to ease their logistical situation.

Youzhou is indeed much richer than Bingzhou and Liangzhou, and can support more troops. Chang'an is directly responsible for Bingzhou's food and fodder, while Youzhou has to rely on the support of other prefectures and counties in Hebei.

Among them, Jizhou is like the big brother on the list, responsible for most of the food and supplies, and even the replenishment of troops is provided to a certain extent.

Guangyang Prefect Zheng Lin had dealt with Qinghe Prefect many times, so they were old acquaintances.

As a result, although they were nominally peers before, within a few years he became my immediate superior, which is really sad.

The sun slowly set, and Xu Min's convoy for taking office soon arrived. After all, Qinghe is very close to Guangyang, so the scene was much grander than when Xu Yuan took office.

Cartloads of money and grain were brought in.

"I have met the governor of Xuzhou. You are still as elegant as ever."

Zheng Lin came forward attentively.

He has a strong and muscular body, and it is obvious at first glance that he is not a Confucian official or a legalist in the traditional sense. He should be from the Military Academy.

That's normal. After all, Guangyang often has to lead troops to fight in battles. Even though it's a remote location, there are still many battles.

After all, the military force is limited, and they have always been in a state of mutual support.

Xu Min also smiled. He did know this man and had a good impression of him. "Zheng Taishou is also a brave general. You have made a great contribution to the long-term peace in Youyan."

He was telling the truth. The Wuhuan people rose rapidly by relying on the old land of the Donghu. Their power was developing rapidly. They already had nearly 100,000 soldiers under their command. This was a very powerful force.

No less than the Northern Huns who occupied the desert and continued to confront the Central Plains court.

Under the suppression and division policies of Emperor Xuan and Emperor Yuan, gaps had gradually appeared among the Xiongnu tribes, and a considerable number of tribes were no longer willing to obey the orders of the Chanyu.

Then, under the instigation of Emperor Yuan, the Xiongnu fell into division into two parts, north and south. Nearly 300,000 Southern Xiongnu moved to the interior with their families and were settled in Shuofang, while the Northern Xiongnu continued to occupy the grassland and compete with the Central Plains.

However, its power has been fundamentally weakened, and now the lands it controls are probably only a few pieces in the south and north of the desert, and there is very little power left in the western regions of Liao.

Therefore, its population and military strength are not large. It is estimated that there are only a few hundred thousand people who can fight at most, so the scope of harassment is limited to Bingzhou and Liangzhou.

The focus is still on Bingzhou. The main threat to Yongliang is the Qiang people, and the harassment from the Xiongnu is secondary.

However, due to the civil unrest in the Central Plains, they have begun to extend their reach to the countries in the Western Regions.

"This is the credit of the imperial court." Zheng Lin did not take credit for it and smiled apologetically.

He knew that if he wanted to get promoted he could only rely on the governor of Xuzhou. As for the Wang family, it was very difficult. As a local official, it was naturally impossible for him to reach the top level.

Therefore, it would be good enough to be transferred to a more affluent place.

Following the prefect Guangyang, we entered the Governor's Mansion. The area here was comparable to that of the Prefect's Mansion and the interior was also acceptable.

At least it's much better than that poor place in Longxi Prefecture.

Xu Min saw Zheng Lin off, walked to the desk, and stroked the seal that symbolized the power of the governor, feeling heavy in his heart.

It is power, but also responsibility. The court sent him here not to enjoy himself, but to solve the problem of Wuhuan people blocking the border and harassing him!

It is obviously unacceptable for Liu Xin not to make some achievements. He is already under considerable pressure. At least Wang Gen and Wang Shang will not let it go and will intensify the impeachment.

But we must not forget that the Xu family also has political enemies!
The foreign relatives led by General Wang Gen have always been reluctant to establish a provincial governor, because this would allow the Xu family to legitimately control the place, which would not be good for them.

But because the place had actually been under the control of Xu a long time ago, no one continued to oppose it at the emperor's insistence.

But if no results are achieved, the handle will be handed over to Wang Gen. In this way, no one can say anything if the governor is removed. Although the Xu family is still in charge of the local area, it is not formal after all.

He flipped through the information he had prepared in advance, checked the local military organization, and then made plans.

In fact, in addition to completing the tasks assigned by the court, these governors must also successfully complete the control of these states! Only in this way can they compete with the Wang family who owns the central imperial army.

Hebei, in particular, is extremely important. It includes Qing, You and Ji, and has a dense population, a full treasury, horse farms and no shortage of cavalry. In addition, it is separated by the natural barrier of the Yellow River, making it a suitable place for the rise of a dragon.

Xu Bo had made a plan for the future a few years ago. Although it seems unlikely that the Wang family would usurp the throne now, it is always a good idea to prepare for a rainy day so as not to lose even the last bit of vitality.

The plan is to control the core lands of the six former kingdoms in Guandong. Even if the central government is lost in the future, this large piece of land can be used to establish a new king to fight against it. There are many relatives of the Liu clan. The reason why the Qin people were able to go east to destroy the six kingdoms and unify the world was mainly because Guandong fought each other and were not united.

In addition, after generations of development, the Qin people have sufficient food, fodder and military forces, and now the situation has been reversed.

Guanzhong began to gradually decline, and its main role was still strategic. Counties such as Longyou became even more barren. The only area that could serve as a foundation was the Bashu and Hanzhong areas, which was also the place where Emperor Gao rose to power in the past.

However, compared with Jizhou, Jingxiang and other places that have developed over a hundred years, the advantage is not that great. At worst, they can divide the world with them and restart the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

Moreover, the Xu family is confident that they can take it back in the future. It is unprecedented for a family to have always produced talents.

"The situation is good. Zheng Lin and his men are doing a decent job." Xu Min nodded. They are all elite troops who have received systematic training, not just temporary civilians. Their horses and armor have been maintained, and the military training has been recorded.

They are roughly divided into three types: cavalry, elite infantry wearing full armor, and light infantry wearing only partial armor.

The armor of the Han Dynasty was not very advanced, far from the level of being armed to the teeth in later generations, but it was also quite good, because the opponents were even poorer, and the iron smelting technology of the Xiongnu and Wuhuan was actually very backward.

Those who can wear armor are the elite among the elite. It is quite good for a medium-sized tribe to be able to gather fifteen sets of armor. Most of these are from the Western Regions or smuggled goods eliminated by the Han army.

The situation is the same with the Qiang people. That is, there are many people, but only a few hundred to a thousand of them have high combat effectiveness.

Armor was under very strict control in the Han Dynasty. Carrying weapons was nothing, as long as you paid some money the government would turn a blind eye. But privately possessing armor was out of the question, and if you possessed more than five sets, your entire family would be executed.

Only those powerful people in Liangzhou who had independent armed forces and were extremely rampant could ignore this rule, privately make armor, arm private soldiers, and sell them to Qiang people to make a profit. But their skills were relatively poor. Skilled blacksmiths were scarce resources, given the best treatment, and were strictly controlled by the government. Only the Xu family could have some.

But in fact, it was also compiled by the government.

Craftsmen have always been strictly controlled, and in this era, skills are generally not passed on to outsiders, but only to relatives or apprentices, so management is more convenient.

.........

At the beginning of the second year of Jianping, Xu Yuan, the governor of Liangzhou, personally led 3,000 troops and joined forces with the local county troops in Wuwei to encircle and suppress the powerful armed group of the Qian family.

Faced with a large number of defensive fortresses, they did not adopt a violent attack, but instead intensified internal conflicts and adopted a steady and cautious strategy from the outside. Finally, with the help of their guide Qian Zhong, they broke into the Qian family's main fortress.

The Baishui Qiang leader was killed on the spot, the Qiang people suffered heavy losses, and the Qian family had no ability to resist anymore. This local emperor of Wuwei went to destruction.

The news of this battle spread throughout Liangzhou. Xu Yuan's record of single-handedly killing the Qiang leader on the battlefield had a great deterrent effect. No one dared to underestimate the new governor anymore.

The warriors on the border were most fond of this. They also worshipped Xu Zhen and Xu Gong, especially Xu Gong, who was basically an enhanced version of Guan Yu in later generations. Not only warriors but also generals had to pay homage to this Han military god when they went out to war.

The time when Xu Gong went to the meeting alone to take the head of King Liu Bi of Wu was very famous. He was recognized as a super general who was no weaker than Overlord!

Therefore, the locals were not averse to Xu Yuan, and some even loved him because of his influence. This battle further eliminated their final contempt.

"The invitation to the Governor of Xuzhou has been prepared." The deputy general walked in exhausted.

"Well, then send it out." Xu Yuan had a cold face. He was also going to imitate Xiang Yu and hold a Hongmen Banquet.

He invited all the famous generals and powerful men in Liangzhou to come to Wuwei's own military camp, where they discussed the future together, made three agreements, and determined the rules for this area in the future.

The powerful Qiang tribes have already become part of Liangzhou. As the saying goes, existence is reasonable. Without them, it would be difficult for the imperial court to control the people. Therefore, it is not realistic to kill them all. It is enough to make them submit and obey.

Of course, this was a Hongmen Banquet, with Han troops everywhere. If they came, their lives would be in the hands of others.

This is exactly the effect Xu Yuan wanted. He wanted to determine who his enemy was. Politics cannot be achieved by just working hard. The most correct approach is to win over one faction and attack another.

This time the purpose is to win over those who are willing to obey. If they do not attend the banquet, or are just perfunctory, these forces will be Xu Yuan's targets in the future.

Even if no one comes, it's easy to deal with. He just needs to find a target to attack and continue to scare them. He has done his homework. There are more or less conflicts among the forces in Liangzhou, and they cannot be united.

This plan can be implemented. Once we win over the powerful people and Qiang tribes who are close to us, it will be even easier, and we won't even need to do it ourselves.

After systematic study, Xu Yuan also fell into enlightenment. The core of politics is checks and balances! He is an independent referee outside and tries to maintain his own military strength. In this way, he can naturally be invincible!
This was also the reason why the Xu family was able to prosper for hundreds of years. They never took the initiative to participate in party struggles, but just watched from behind, maintaining a neutral position. They could not personally take part in anything. From being a chess player to a chess piece, they were not far from destruction.

The Xuan Emperor's reign was severely damaged because Liu Xun forcibly pulled them out of power, while during the Li Emperor's reign there was simply no other way out.

Wang Feng is a very capable person. He would not just let the Xu family sit there and watch. After dealing with other political enemies, he would find ways to drag them into the water.

Xu Bo has become very Buddhist, but he still cannot escape, as a result of which he is now completely unable to extricate himself. The place has already placed its bets, and it is too late to leave the gambling table.

Now I have staked everything on this side, giving up would be seeking death!

The invitations were sent out quickly, and large tribes such as the Ma family in Longxi, the Chen family in Jincheng... and the Heishan Qiang and Wu Qiang all received them one after another.

Their first reaction was of course fear. What if it was a Hongmen Banquet? Then they would not even have the qualifications to resist.

But after careful consideration, most of them understood the government's intentions, which might be to win them over.

If it is not realistic to eliminate all the local tyrants, who will govern the local area for the court? By then, even military service and taxes cannot be collected. Moreover, the Xu family is a century-old family, and it should be impossible for them to do such a despicable thing.

After weighing the pros and cons, quite a few people chose to attend the banquet.

Among the Qiang heroes, even more chose to go. Generally speaking, they did not think too much about it and simply expressed admiration.

The shadow left by Xu Ning in the past has not disappeared, and they were completely defeated. This is how the Qiang people are, it is almost in their nature to admire the strong!
Wuwei Prefecture's Mansion.

Most of the important figures in the entire Xiliang gathered here. On the table were mutton, beef and other dishes, which were basically the food at local banquets.

Xu Yuan walked in slowly with a hearty smile on his face: "Sorry for the long wait."

"Greetings to the Governor of Xuzhou." Everyone stood up at the same time.

"No need to be polite, everyone." He sat down in the main seat.

Seeing Xu Yuan pick up his chopsticks, everyone started to eat one after another. Although the Qiang people were a foreign race, they still understood these rules.

It has begun to be gradually assimilated into Chinese culture, but it still maintains the tribal method of banding together for warmth.

"I didn't invite you here to hold a Hongmen Banquet. I mainly want to discuss the future of Liangzhou." Xu Yuan put down his chopsticks and got to the point.

"Governor, you are joking. You are an official appointed by the court. If we disobey you, wouldn't we be going against His Majesty?" The head of the Chen family was very sensible.

If you still go against the imperial court in this situation, you are simply seeking death. The next time, the army may attack you.

The Han army simply withdrew, not died.

"Correct."

"Yes, we are all Han people..."

Everyone agreed.

"Okay, since you all give me so much face, I will get straight to the point." Xu Yuan began to put forward his proposal for governing Liangzhou.

The focus is still on controlling the horse food business. The court must be responsible for setting food prices, and is required to set up checkpoints in various places to strictly prohibit smuggling.

Of course, in return he also made a lot of concessions, allowing these powerful people to gain many benefits.

(End of this chapter)