Control your ancestors and create an immortal family starting from the Eastern Han Dynasty

Chapter 196 Heads Rolling By, New Maritime Trade Regulations (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Ryukyu.

The one currently in power in Ryukyu is Li Cong, the eldest son of Li Chengqian.

Perhaps due to his own experiences, Li Chengqian's way of raising his son was completely different, almost the opposite of Li Shimin's approach—he did his best to shield Li Cong from all the storms.

Of course, under such protection, Li Cong's temperament was indeed a bit gentler than that of his father, Li Chengqian.

However, this gentleness can also be called benevolence and righteousness, which made him a benevolent ruler.

Especially with the full support of the Gu family, the ruling foundation of the Li and Gu families in Ryukyu remained as solid as a rock, and no one could shake it.

It is worth mentioning that Li Cong has not yet proclaimed himself emperor.

He had a very deep affection for his father, Li Chengqian, and would never go against the direction his father had set.

Moreover, the Gu family holds the same position on this matter, which is even more unshakable.

At this moment, inside the Ryukyu Palace.

This palace was modeled after the Forbidden City in Chang'an, but compared to the Forbidden City, it appears somewhat cramped and simple.

“Brother, this is Uncle’s secret order.”

Gu Lang respectfully presented Gu Jing's handwritten letter to Gu Ming, but his gaze couldn't help but wander around the palace with a hint of curiosity.

Although they had heard many descriptions of this place before, the younger generation of the Gu family still found Ryukyu to be a place of novelty.

"Targeting pirates?"

Gu Ming took the letter and solemnly read it word by word.

As a newly appointed member of the Gu family stationed in Ryukyu, his loyalty to the family is beyond question.

After a moment's thought, Gu Ming nodded slightly: "I understand this matter, and I will definitely mobilize troops to cooperate with my uncle."

After saying that, he asked about the affairs of the Nine Provinces.

Without any hesitation, Gu Lang recounted everything about Kyushu in detail.

Gu Ming's expression grew increasingly serious as he listened.

In the end, even he felt a chill run down his spine.

He finds it hard to imagine.

How many people is Gu Jing going to kill this time?

It's likely that the entire Mingzhou and Donglai areas will be teeming with dead bodies, and the local forces involved will be severely weakened!

Gu Lang's assessment of this was merely a single sentence.

"These people are shameless!"

Changan.

This place remains the core foundation of the Guanlong Group.

Although the Tang Dynasty had long since moved its capital to Luoyang, the influence of Chang'an remained, and it was still a crucial part of the Tang Dynasty's political landscape.

At this time, the streets of Chang'an were bustling and noisy, with people coming and going in an endless stream.

Although the Tang Dynasty's commerce was also impacted by maritime trade, this wave seemed unable to shake the foundations of a major city like Chang'an. The smiles of peace and contentment could still be seen on the faces of ordinary people.

However, for those who are truly "big shots," a dark cloud hangs over their heads, one that cannot be dispelled.

There was just too much news coming in.

This left them no choice but to feel fear.

The once-prosperous Guanlong Group is no longer what it used to be. The deaths of Chu Suiliang and Changsun Wuji, coupled with Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi's deliberate distancing from it during his reign, have severely weakened the Guanlong Group.

To regain former glory?

That was already an unattainable dream.

Pingkang Square.

Outside, the wind howled, but inside, the stove was warm and inviting, creating an atmosphere even colder than the winter chill outside.

Several elderly men dressed in fine clothes with somber faces sat around the table; they were the few remaining core figures of the Guanlong Group.

The air was filled with the strong scent of sandalwood, but it couldn't suppress the anxiety and panic.

“The Wu family of Mingzhou is finished, and most of our connections in Donglai and Panyu have also been severed.” An elderly man with white hair and beard broke the silence with a hoarse voice. “Gu Jing’s knife is faster and more ruthless than we thought.”

"This time, he's determined to undergo the painful procedure, even the Empress Dowager is concerned."

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone present understood the unspoken meaning—even the Empress Dowager had personally betrayed Wu Sansi, so what hope did they have?
"We can't wait any longer!" Another slightly plump, sharp-eyed old man slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups clatter. "The army of Superchip and the black dogs of the Censorate are lurking outside!"

"The news is getting worse every day!"

"If this drags on any longer, this fire will eventually reach Chang'an and burn us down!"

"Gentlemen, don't forget the great battle between Gu Jing and Emperor Taizong in Liaodong back then. Although everyone knows that the massacre was caused by Emperor Taizong's wrath, who among us doesn't know that it was entirely Gu Jing's idea?"

"Then what do you suggest?" The old man at the head of the table, who had been resting with his eyes closed and playing with a blood jade thumb ring, spoke slowly. His voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.

He is the nominal backbone of the Guanlong Group today, and is Li Gong of a collateral branch of the Longxi Li family.

During the Wude era.

Li Yuan once claimed to be from the Longxi Li clan. Although later analyses have questioned this claim, the status of the Longxi Li clan today is undeniable.

"To save ourselves, we must cut off our tails!" the slightly overweight old man declared resolutely. "Gu Jing wants his head to fall as a warning to others, to quell public anger, and to intimidate everyone around him!"

"We'll just give him a few heads!"

"But it must be substantial enough, yet just right!"

"Otherwise, he will truly underestimate me, Xun Gui of Guanlong."

"Oh?" Li Gong slightly raised his eyelids. "Tell me about it."

"Cui Shi!" the slightly plump old man uttered the first name, "Magistrate of Chang'an County."

"Over the years, he has been indispensable in every aspect of maritime trade, from customs inspections to warehouse transfers."

"He's dishonest; the bribes he's received are enough to get him beheaded ten times over!"

"The location is just right, not too high, not too low!"

“And Xue Ne,” another elderly man with a sinister face interjected, “is the head of the branch of the Xue family of Hedong in Chang’an.”

"His family controlled several of the largest warehouses in the West Market of Chang'an, specializing in handling rare overseas treasures transported from Panyu and Mingzhou. They had unclear connections with the Wu family and even pirates."

"Xue Ne is greedy for money and goods, and he is not a core member of the Xue family. If we push him out, the Xue family members won't be able to say anything, which will help clear his name."

“Not enough.” Li Gong rubbed his thumb ring, his tone flat. “These two are still a bit lacking in weight.”

"What Gu Jing wants is a model that can awe the entire world."

After a moment of silence, everyone's eyes flickered and finally settled on a middle-aged man who had been silent all along in the corner.

The middle-aged man was dressed modestly, but the fabric was of excellent quality; however, his face was as pale as paper.

“Changsun Xin,” the slightly plump old man said slowly, his voice carrying a hint of coldness that was barely perceptible. “Although you are not a direct descendant of my Changsun clan, you still bear the surname Changsun.”

"Now... it's time for you to contribute to the family."

His tone was extremely calm, yet it exuded an undeniable air of authority.

Changsun Xin's face turned pale instantly, and he immediately knelt down, unable to utter a word.

This person took the lead in expressing his opinion.
As if a switch had been flipped, one after another, the top nobles of Guanzhong responded and brought out their respective collateral branches.

They cannot confront the Gu family head-on.

If it were another family, these people might have dared to give it a try.

But this is the Gu family.

Especially since the person in charge of the troops is Gu Jing!

This completely extinguished their will to resist, leaving them no choice but to swallow this loss.

This matter is now settled.

Those who were pushed out to take the blame had no room to resist and could only accept their fate and silently bear everything.

Similar scenes unfolded across the country as the news spread.

Although Gu Jingren did not come in person,
Yet, it used this overwhelming power to subdue all sides.

As these individuals bowed their heads one after another, a new round of purges quickly unfolded in major coastal towns such as Mingzhou and Donglai, targeting local officials.

Evidence?

The Censorate has no shortage of this.

The wealthy merchants who were subsequently arrested would eventually confess everything, and that alone would be enough for the Censorate to sweep across the land. Heads rolled in from all directions.

Cries of agony and pleas for justice echoed throughout the land.

But these sounds fell silent the moment Gu Jing stepped through the city gate.

With irrefutable evidence, who would care about their so-called injustice?

The whole world was in chaos.

The impact of this incident far exceeds that of any previous ones.

Not to mention the impact of maritime trade.

The mere fact that these officials have been arrested one after another is enough to cause unrest in various coastal cities.

Fortunately, there were many officials in the Tang Dynasty, and Gu Jing did not carry out large-scale implicating others, but this was still enough to cause turmoil throughout the country.

There's no way around it; coastal cities across the country are developing too fast.

The more people there are, the greater the chance of trouble arising.

Fortunately, Gu Jing had already mobilized troops, which kept the chaos within a manageable limit.

But this uproar is still enough to make everyone feel endless pressure.

Because even the slightest mishap could be enough to impact the Tang Dynasty.

Under such influence, ordinary small merchants dared not go out to sea anymore, lest they be implicated, even though the Censorate's code of conduct had always been in control.

But that's human nature, and no one can change it.

—It is precisely because of this that all industries that arose from maritime trade have been cut off.

The protests by the people led to the complete shutdown of production lines in various industries, and pressure from all sides came like a tidal wave.

But the good thing is——

Gu Jing had long ago made thorough preparations for this.

The specific regulations of the imperial court were spread to various places in just a few days.

The core of this was for the imperial court to establish a dedicated maritime trade department to control all maritime merchants.

The first requirement was that merchants participating in maritime trade must hold a license issued by the imperial court.

And this license is still tiered.

Class A license – allows operation of bulk goods, but requires a high security deposit;

A Class B license restricts trade within a specific region.

Furthermore, all merchants are prohibited from dealing in sensitive goods, such as copper, iron, and military equipment, as well as core means of production.

This is an extremely strict restriction.

In addition, anyone who dares to collude with pirates will be executed and their family's trading privileges will be revoked for three generations.

The Maritime Trade Office also adopted a more rigorous and clearly defined system.

The vague tax evasion system was abolished and replaced with a more detailed tiered system based on the value of goods. Merchants are now required to register the value of their goods, and those who conceal the value will be fined ten times the amount of tax evaded.

Both of these rights are directly under the central government, precisely to prevent others from infiltrating and influencing overseas affairs again.

Furthermore, Gu Jing also plans to establish a dedicated navy.

This was not only to guard against pirates, but also to supervise merchants engaged in maritime trade and to monitor smuggling in various regions.

The power of the Gu family's reputation was fully demonstrated at this time.

Gu Jing even held a special sacrificial ceremony at the Luo River for this.

This move was intended to appease small vendors and ordinary people across the country.

Tempted by enormous profits and trusting the Gu family, some were willing to take the first step, conforming to the court's new system and reopening the sea route under supervision.

As a result, the immense pressure began to gradually lessen.

Gu Jing was not in a hurry.

Maritime trade must be regulated; this is something he must accomplish, and even if it affects maritime trade in the short term, it cannot affect his determination.

at the same time--

The Ryukyu army also took action.

Gu Jing originally wanted to personally go to sea to fight against the pirates, but he was dissuaded by his family members and had to give up. Instead, he focused on preparing for the naval affairs.

The outcome of this battle was a foregone conclusion.

Whether it was the Tang Dynasty's officers and soldiers who had no experience in naval warfare, or the Ryukyu navy, their strength was far superior to that of these pirates.

The pirates didn't even manage to mount a decent resistance before their rampant sea harassment was completely wiped out.

Unfortunately, there was simply too little experience in naval warfare at the time.

Not to mention the Tang Dynasty's soldiers, even the Ryukyu navy would find it difficult to capture the enemy alive on this vast ocean and trace their exact origins.

However, for the Tang Dynasty as a whole, the current result is already sufficient.

Gu Yi had been silently observing all of this, showing no surprise whatsoever.

This is Gu Jing's strength.

He would only be surprised if he couldn't solve all of this.

Although Gu Yi believes that the current maritime trade system still has loopholes that can be exploited, this is inevitable.

No system is perfect; it can only adapt to different times.

Everything is already pretty good.

What truly concerned him was Gu Jing's health.

Whether it's his full head of white hair or his increasingly withered face, it all indicates that time is running out for Gu Jing.

This is what he cares about most.
------

In the winter of the twelfth year of the Da'an era, Grand Tutor Gu Jing, noting the unrest on the coastal frontiers and the disorderly trade routes, requested permission to lead an expedition to the border regions.

Emperor Longji held his hand and wept, saying, "Grand Tutor, you are of advanced age. How can I bear to trouble you with such hardships?"

Jing replied, “I have received great favors from three dynasties. Now, corrupt officials and wealthy merchants are colluding to commit crimes, embezzling national taxes, and secretly communicating with foreign barbarians. If we do not eliminate them as soon as possible, it will surely damage the vitality of the nation. Although I am old, I can still draw a bow.”

The emperor then bestowed upon Emperor Taizong a dragon bow to commemorate his departure, and all the officials, dressed in mourning clothes, saw him off outside the gates of Luoyang, where crowds of onlookers formed a dense wall.

Initially, the benefits of maritime trade began in the Zhenguan era and flourished in the Kaiyuan era.

However, merchants relied on their wealth to form cliques, and corruption became rampant among officials in prefectures and counties.

The Wu family of Mingzhou and the Cui family of Donglai either embezzled government funds or concealed acts of pirate raids, resulting in taxes exceeding three-tenths of the total.

Furthermore, the powerful families of Guanlong secretly held shares and reaped the profits.

After Jing set out, he ordered the Censorate to conduct a thorough investigation, which uncovered numerous embezzlement documents. Consequently, he was transferred to a key border post.

Upon arriving in Mingzhou, Wu Sansi still protested, saying, "How can I lightly humiliate my relatives and kin?"

Jing showed him the secret letter, and San Si prostrated himself on the ground, trembling and unable to get up.

He then imprisoned the entire Wu clan, along with seventy-two unscrupulous merchants from Donglai and Panyu, and sent them to Luoyang in cages.

Within a month, nineteen officials who had been embezzled along the coast committed suicide. Jingming hung their heads at the gate of the camp, their blood staining the banners.

The Guanzhong region was terrified upon hearing the news.

The Li family of Longxi presented three of their kinsmen as the first to be presented, claiming that they had "privately received gold and pearls from maritime merchants"; the eldest grandson family bound the head of a branch office; and the Xue family of Hedong personally beheaded twelve caskets containing the heads of the rebellious merchants.

More than a month later, Cui Shi, the magistrate of Chang'an, took medicine, and thirty-seven people from Guanzhong and Longxi presented their crimes.

Jing was imprisoned and said to his attendants, "If I had known that my neck would be stained with blood today, why did I embezzle so much money in the first place?"

Jing ordered that his head be hung at the gate of the Maritime Trade Office, saying: "This is the land of blood sacrifice of the Great Tang Dynasty, not a den of jackals and wolves!"

At that time, maritime merchants were terrified, and ships could not sail. Jing then promulgated the "New Regulations for Maritime Trade" to reassure the people, quelled the pirates to secure the sea routes, and eradicated their strongholds. The seas were then calmed.

The commentary states: Jing performed a thunderbolt-like act at the age of seventy, which was criticized by some as cruel.

However, considering Wu Zetian's imprisonment, the surrender of prisoners in Guanzhong, and the beheading of the whale, how could a century-old ailment be broken without thunderous action?
In the past, Guan Zhong promoted the trade of fish and salt, but this was not as effective as Jing Zhi's legislation to eliminate evil influences.

The peaceful and prosperous era that opened up the seas was all thanks to his achievements.

—From the Biography of Gu Jing in the Book of Tang

(End of this chapter)