Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 117 Liaodong can only have one person in charge
Li Ming gave some money to the man who was forced to go to Yanshan, but did not take his fur, and left the market.

The expressions of the three people in the group were very solemn.

At first, I thought the biggest problem in Pingzhou was Goguryeo.

As a result, Goguryeo was at peace, and they believed that the problem with Pingzhou lay in the administration of officials.

But now it seems that Pingzhou's problem lies at a more basic and more difficult level -

The lower classes were out of control, and the imperial power was usurped by the nobles.

Oh shit!

One of the reasons for choosing Liaodong was that it was far away from the Central Plains and there should be no powerful aristocratic forces, so it would be easier for him to control the grassroots.

I never expected that there would be native-born nobles and dignitaries in this place!

How does that sentence go?

Power abhors a vacuum.

If the imperial power does not go to the countryside or guard the border, the landlords and powerful people will spontaneously fill this gap.

"Do you think what that man said is true? Murong Yan, do you really dare to raise private soldiers?" Wei Daijia was the first to break the silence.

He felt that this matter was a bit mysterious. It was the early Tang Dynasty, not the late Eastern Han Dynasty.

But not too fantastical.

After experiencing the Jiucheng Palace Incident and the rebellion of the imperial guards under his nose, he would not be surprised if there was a rebellion anywhere.

Especially in Liaodong, a ghost place on the edge of civilization, it is not difficult to understand why the wealthy families keep a few private soldiers.

"It's not surprising for powerful people in remote areas to keep a few private soldiers." Li Ming said:
"And this is not difficult to verify. Just ask a few more people and you will know."

The three people were worried, and as soon as they stepped out of the market, several strangers surrounded them.

"Where are you three going?"

The leader blocked the way with a fake smile.

They were all wearing loose robes, with a faint metallic sheen reflected at their elbows.

Hou Junji and Wei Daijia subconsciously separated Li Ming from them and placed their hands on the hilts of their swords.

"Do we know you?" Wei Daijia lowered his body, like a leopard ready to pounce.

Facing the hostility, the man relaxed and smiled calmly:

“The distinguished guests from Chang’an disdain to deal with us natives, but we have been keeping an eye on you all the time.

"Your carriage is truly an eye-opener for us."

I have been watched since I entered the city... Wei Daijia was startled and asked:
"Murong's family?"

"Oh?" The man raised his eyebrows with interest:

“Since you know my eldest son, then it’s easy to talk.

"Mountain and sea donation, please pay."

Wei Daijia snorted coldly:
"We don't sell anything, but we still have to pay?"

The man was stunned, then he put on a scoundrel smile:

"Anyway, you businessmen come to Pingzhou to do business, so it doesn't matter whether you pay early or late, right?
"Why don't you pay us 70% of the money you brought with you now..."

"Bah!" Wei Daijia said angrily:

"In public, if you want to rob, then rob. Why are you trying to use a tiger's skin to deceive people?"

Before Wei Daijia could finish his rant, Hou Junji patted him on the shoulder and pushed him back.

"We are just here to look for business opportunities. We only have one tael of silver with us. If you want to pay us back, take it."

Hou Junji threw a coin over.

The man took the money with contempt, weighed it, spat at Hou Junji's feet, and then retreated reluctantly.

Before leaving, he said viciously:

"Remember to close the doors and windows at night."

"I'm fucking your mother!"

Wei Daijia cursed at the servant's back.

He doesn't understand.

Although the other side had more people, he was confident that he could chop them down in the street.

Why is General Hou so cowardly?
"They are wearing armor under their robes," General Hou whispered.

"armor?!"

Wei Daijia was shocked.

In ancient times, you could carry a bow or a sword.

But if you hide the armor, I'm sorry.

If the intention is to rebel, the minimum number of people involved is three and there is no upper limit.

After experiencing the Jiucheng Palace Incident, Li Ming had a deeper understanding of this strict law.

This thing is simply a small tank. Once you put it on, you are truly invulnerable to swords and guns. It really needs to be strictly controlled!
"There are even armors. It seems that there is no need to re-examine the Murong family's raising of private soldiers. It must be true."

Li Ming felt that things were becoming increasingly difficult and smacked his lips.

"Murong Yan is planning a rebellion?"

Land annexation is not difficult to understand.

Setting up checkpoints to collect taxes on their own can also be explained by saying that the emperor is far away.

Even as late as the 1990s, there were still such village enclosure charges in remote areas.

However, they developed local armed forces that even the governor could do nothing about, and they even secretly kept weapons and armor.

That's a bit too much.

After experiencing the turbulent era of the Five Barbarians and Sixteen Kingdoms, the areas far away from the Central Plains were still full of vitality and everything was thriving.

There are ambitious and promising middle-aged people everywhere.

"perhaps……"

Hou Junji suddenly thought of something and stroked his beard:
"Perhaps, Murong Yan's raising of an army was tacitly approved by the imperial court."

Li Ming looked at him doubtfully:
“Can civilians have their own army?”

Li Shimin is not Li Longji, so how could he be so bold to give up power?
Hou Junji glanced at him:
"What's so strange about this? All the vassal states on the border are like this. They have both military and financial power."

“Although Pingzhou is a directly-administered prefecture, it is located in a remote area and is also the front line against Goguryeo.

"The court was pleased to see the civilians develop militia forces for self-protection."

It's true that private soldiers guard the country's borders, and the local tyrants die for the country...

Li Ming realized that in the feudal dynasty with inconvenient transportation, the ruling logic of the border areas and the Central Plains was different.

He pondered for a while and said:

"If Murong Yan was such a powerful local tyrant, Fang Xuanling's records should have recorded him.

"Let's go back to the inn and check this guy's background."

…………

When we returned to the inn, we ran into the three little ones who had been hitting the wall repeatedly in the lobby on the first floor.

"Have you made any progress?"

Seeing the three people looking hopeless, Li Ming felt secretly happy.

Let you naughty kids follow me...

"Let's go back to the room first." Chang Sun Yan glanced to the side.

There were other people sitting in the inn, and they also seemed to be from other places.

Yes, after hitting a wall a few times, he has become more sophisticated... Li Ming nodded in his heart and glanced upstairs:
"Meet in my room."

His Highness Li Ming naturally lived in the most spacious room on the top floor.

The window faces south and overlooks most of Lulong County.

A large number of "magic tricks" that Fang Xuanling had prepared for him were neatly stacked on the ground.

After discovering that the household registration in Pingzhou was far from the actual situation, he felt that the credibility of written materials was too low. He believed that what he learned from books was superficial and that he had to experience it himself to truly understand it.

It’s definitely not because I’m too lazy to watch.

But now, Li Ming feels that it is not a bad idea to refer to these background materials.

"Liu Xin's ability as an official...is indeed not very good."

Chang Sunyan reported to Li Ming exhaustedly.

These days he was like a ball, kicked from the city prison to the county government, and then to the provincial capital.

I have personally experienced the ills of the bureaucratic system.

He also gained valuable administrative experience from this negative example.

"However, the administration in Pingzhou is still relatively clean." Fang Yize's voice was a little hoarse.

Yes, although these officials pass the buck, they are still relatively upright in their duties.

It has reached the point where not a drop of water can get in.

The three little ones made various explicit and implicit statements, saying that they would not accept bribes. Of course, because of this, they would not speed up their work.

Drag things out in a very principled, honest and upright manner.

"Damn it, it's better to accept bribes! At least it can get things done faster!" Yuchi Xunyu was a little crazy.

The realistic education he received in the past few days has caused a deviation in his understanding.

He even felt that as long as it could make things more efficient, he didn't mind spending a little more money.

A useful corrupt official is better than a useless honest official!
It can be said that the officialdom of Pingzhou was also tainted with Liu Xin's influence.

Integrity, self-preservation, and incompetence.

“It’s basically consistent with the evaluation of the officials’ annual assessment,” Hou Junji commented:
"It seems that the Shanhai donation has nothing to do with Liu Xin."

"Mountain and sea donation?" The three children heard very unfamiliar words.

Li Ming then told him everything he had seen and heard along the way, as well as his encounter with Murong Yan's men.

"How could this happen! The aristocratic families are indeed a threat to the imperial power and should be strictly restricted!"

The three descendants of famous families came to the same conclusion as Li Ming.

This is what they wrote in the assignment "On the Aristocratic Families" submitted to Your Majesty.

"Ahem!" A certain Jingzhao Wei who did not want to reveal his name coughed a few times and changed the subject:
"Where did Liu Xin come from? How could he remain the governor of Pingzhou for more than ten years despite doing nothing?"

The local officialdom is tainted with his half-dead, middle-aged "Yang Wei" masculine aura.

Hou Junji replied:

"He was born into a poor family and entered the government after passing the imperial examination.

"It is precisely because he has no background and no talent that he has stayed in Pingzhou for more than ten years."

Although he held the title of governor, for people from the Central Plains, being an official in Liaodong was tantamount to exile.

It is easy to figure out Liu Xin's background.

And another person, the real local emperor of Pingzhou, is also recorded.

"Murong, Murong..." Li Ming quickly flipped through piles of information.

The key words were retrieved in a book called "Luolong County Humanities".

"The Murong clan of Pingzhou is a branch of the Murong Xianbei, a descendant of the royal family of the Former Yan regime?"

Li Ming was not surprised at all about Murong Yan's prominent background.

Every prosperous aristocratic family has a meritorious and noble ancestor.

The same is true in Liaodong.

From the Former Yan of the Sixteen Kingdoms of the Five Barbarians to the Tang Dynasty, this branch of Murong Yan, the "Murong", occupied the local area for almost three hundred years.

It can be said to be deeply rooted.

If nothing unexpected happened, the Murong family would probably follow the path of imperial examinations and develop towards the central government like other prominent families.

Then, when it came to Murong Yan's generation, an accident happened as expected.

An opportunity allowed this brother to unexpectedly seize military power.

"Recruiting soldiers?"

Li Ming read a word that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

History books say that the military service system collapsed in the middle of the Tang Dynasty and was replaced by the recruitment system.

However, in reality, there is no clear boundary between the two systems.

As early as the Zhenguan period, the conscription system had been implemented in remote areas where it was difficult to mobilize local soldiers, and local warriors were recruited to join the army.

Among them, Liaodong became the main source of recruiting soldiers because of its special geographical location, bordering the Turks to the west and Goguryeo to the north.

These young and middle-aged men who enlisted in the army for money were sent back home after the war.

But not quite home.

"Murong Yan gathered the retired soldiers, paid them salaries and trained them as usual?" Li Ming was shocked when he read this paragraph:
"What do you mean?"

"It means exactly what it says." Hou Junji said:
“Usually, Murong Yan helps the court raise troops, and when there is a war, they are called up on the spot.

"It is not cost-effective to set up a Zhechongfu in Pingzhou. Murong Yan is equivalent to the role of 'Zhechongfu'."

A major drawback of the military system is that soldiers and farmers are combined into one, and soldiers are not professional and must be rotated every two years.

The country has a large territory, and it would take almost half a year to travel back and forth. What's the point of garrisoning there?
Therefore, before the "Jiedushi Military Town" was officially born, Murong Yan, a half-civilian and half-official hybrid, was created.

Li Ming was greatly enlightened.

It doesn't make sense to understand Murong Yan as a commoner with military power and financial power.

But if it is understood as a "Jiedushi" who is superior to the local governor, then it makes sense.

If you have ten soldiers in the capital, you are a traitor. If you have a hundred soldiers, you are the leader of the Ashina Society.

But if you are in a border area, you have a thousand soldiers.

Then you are an important force in maintaining peace.

Even if they had to squeeze the local villagers dry, it was to raise military funds on behalf of the emperor.

Damn it, who is the Jiedushi? !

Li Ming was shocked to find that he was still misled by modern people's thinking.

I thought that ancient feudal states, like modern states, were monolithic.

In fact, the feudal dynasty was not feudal at all.

In areas where ruling power is difficult to cover, the means can also be flexible!
Li Ming felt that the Liaodong area he took over was a hot potato, and he had a headache:
"Is Yingzhou also like this?"

"That's not the case." Hou Junji shook his head.
"Yingzhou is closer to the front line, so it is under the military control of the Military Governor's Office, and the locals are under control. The military power has always been in the hands of the court."

In other words, Murong Yan took advantage of the situation in Pingzhou, which was on the front line but not that far ahead.

"You said, there happens to be a governor's office in Yingzhou next door?"

Li Ming pondered for a while and suddenly had an idea.

"Murong Yan is raising an army. Does he have any documents from the court?"

"Naturally there is."

"What about the armor that you secretly hid?"

"He probably stripped the armor off when he was cleaning the battlefield, and the court acquiesced."

"I'm not asking if you agree or not. What I'm asking is, is there any paperwork?"

"That shouldn't happen."

Li Ming punched his palm:
“Then it’s settled.

"Murong Yan secretly hid the armor and was planning a rebellion. Gather the troops from Yingzhou and go to Pingzhou to quell the rebellion!"

what?
Wei Daijia was somewhat confused when the "civilian hero" was suddenly tried in absentia:

“Murong Yan is guarding the border for the court, and he has the court’s permission.

"If you do this, I'm afraid you will just abandon me..."

"No matter how many grievances he has, he can go and cry to Sun Fujia." Li Ming waved his hand:

"It doesn't matter whether he was imprisoned in Chang'an, or enjoyed wealth and glory elsewhere, or even defected to Goguryeo.

"The important thing is that Murong Yan must be separated from the private soldiers he has raised!"

Wei Daijia suddenly understood what he heard, and Hou Junji crossed his arms and nodded silently.

Regardless of right or wrong, regardless of law, we must first control the source of power - the military.

The son has such a keen political sense, just like his father!

The three little ones were frightened into silence.

They inexplicably felt that Mingge had become very scary.

Li Ming's eyes sharpened, and he growled out from the depths of his throat:

"How can we allow others to snore on the side of the bed?"

The court’s past strategies of expediency are now a thing of the past.

Now, he is in control of Pingzhou and governs Liaodong.

No matter whether he is an incompetent bureaucrat or a local nobleman.

In Liaodong, there can only be one person in charge!

"We shouldn't stay here for long. Let's set off for Yingzhou tomorrow!" Li Ming gave the order decisively.

"Yes, sir!" everyone answered in unison.

at this time.

There were rapid hammering sounds coming from the road downstairs, as if it was raining.

However, at this moment, the autumn sunset was shining through the window into the room.

It’s a clear autumn day with a blue sky. Where does the rain come from?

Hou Junji listened attentively for a while, and his expression suddenly changed:
"The sound of horse hooves, urgent but not chaotic... is the sound of troops marching!"

(End of this chapter)