Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 162 Wang Li (Part 2)

After several rounds of drinks, the music gradually subsided, and the Hu woman retreated to the corridor. Lü Shang stroked the rim of his rhinoceros horn cup with his fingers, his gaze sweeping over his subordinates in the hall. He noticed that most of them were slightly tipsy, except for Chief Clerk Li Gongting and Sima Wang Shilong, whose backs were straight and whose eyes seemed to gleam with a sharp light.

Lu Shang said thoughtfully, "This is the team that Yang Jian prepared for me!"

After the banquet, the officials and staff in the hall withdrew, and Lü Shang sat alone at the table, with his military advisor Fang An and the four generals Xiao, Yan, Huo, and Ling standing to his left and right.

Lu Shang pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Zi'an, what do you think of Li Gongting and Wang Shilong?"

"Li Gongting, Wang Shilong,"

The four generals, Xiao, Yan, Huo, and Ling, all turned their gazes toward Fang Zi'an, the military advisor.

Fang An was born into a noble family, the Fang clan of Linzi, Qizhou. He was also somewhat renowned and had served as a proofreader in the Secretariat for many years. Although his position was low, he worked in the Imperial Library and associated with no commoners. He knew more or less about the affairs between the nobles and officials in the court.

Lü Shang appointed Fang Zi'an as his military advisor, allowing him to accompany the army. This was not only out of a desire to acquire Fang Zi'an's talent, but also because Fang Zi'an truly possessed the necessary abilities.

After a moment's thought, Fang Zi'an, the military advisor, replied, "My lord, the Emperor's decision to appoint Li and Wang to assist you in governing is truly a well-intentioned one!"

Lu Shang frowned, looking at Fang Zi'an with a meaningful expression, and asked, "What do you mean?"

Fang An said, “My lord, you may not know, but these two men are of extraordinary birth. Chief Clerk Li Gongting is the son of Li Zixiong, the Duke of Gaodu, and Sima Wang Shilong is the son of Wang Shao, the Duke of Xiangcheng. My lord should know the weight these two men carry in the court.”

“Li Zixiong, Wang Shao,”

Lu Shang's expression shifted slightly, and he said, "It's actually the two of them."

He naturally knew Li Zixiong and Wang Shao. These two were heavyweight figures who were highly trusted by Yang Jian. Although their favor was not as great as that of the four nobles Gao Jiong, Yu Qingze, Yang Xiong, and Su Wei, they were still important founding ministers second only to the four nobles.

In the second year of the Kaihuang era, Yang Jian established the Hebei Circuit Administrative Office in Bingzhou, and Prince Yang Guang of Jin was appointed as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. Yang Jian transferred Li Zixiong, one of the Nine Ministers and Minister of Ceremonies, to be the Minister of War of the Administrative Office, and transferred Wang Shao, the Prefect of Lingzhou, to be the Chief Administrator of Bingzhou, so that the two of them could assist Yang Guang.

Li Zixiong was decisive and dignified, while Wang Shao was upright and honest. Even Prince Yang Guang of Jin was wary of these two.

Fang An said, "Duke Gaodu Li Zixiong followed Yuwen You, the commoner of Teng, in Qinghai during the previous dynasty. They defeated the Tuyuhun forces and killed many people. For his merits, he was appointed as the chief administrator of Liangzhou."

"Li Zixiong has pacified the Qiang and Hu tribes and secured the borders in the fourteen prefectures under the jurisdiction of the Liangzhou General Administration, and his influence is still considerable. His Majesty appointed Li Zixiong's son, Li Gongting, as the Prefect of Liangzhou, precisely to use Li Zixiong's remaining influence to solidify the title of our lord."

"In addition to Li Gongting, His Majesty also appointed Wang Shilong, the son of Wang Shao, the Duke of Xiangcheng, as the Sima of Liangzhou. Wang Shao is known for his family's loyalty, integrity and uprightness, which is extremely famous in Daxing. His Majesty's appointment of Wang Shao's son, Wang Shilong, to Liangzhou is likely to be Wang Shilong's assistant and even supervisor of the lord."

"Li Gongting, Wang Shilong,"

Lü Shang tapped the table lightly with his fingers, causing the candlelight to flicker on the lamp base.

Although Lü Shang held the title of governor upon assuming office, it was not an easy task for him to truly grasp control of Liangzhou.

Unless Lü Shang disregards officialdom rules and court regulations, relies on force, acts arbitrarily, and suppresses dissidents, he could not seize control of the military and political power of Liangzhou in the shortest possible time.

However, while earthly power is desirable, it is not a lasting solution.

Lü Shang entered officialdom not for wealth and glory, but to seek the path to immortality through the court's resources; he was not putting the cart before the horse.

Immortality! Immortality!
------

The next day,

As dawn broke, in the government office of the prefecture, Lü Shang changed into a scarlet official robe and sat in the main hall, slowly flipping through the account books presented by the six ministries.

It's said that a new broom sweeps clean, and the six military advisors were clearly afraid that Lü Shang, the newly appointed governor, would target them, his subordinates. Therefore, as Lü Shang had said yesterday that he would inspect the accounts of the six departments, before dawn today, the six departments had already delivered their respective account books to Lü Shang's desk.

After observing for a long time, Lü Shang sighed and said, "Indeed, Liangzhou is a place with 'ten thousand households in seven miles.' The position of Governor of Liangzhou is indeed very powerful."

His finger traced the household register, and looking at the red ink annotation of '72,316 households, 387,952 people,' he felt the weight of the matter even more.

It should be noted that although Liangzhou is located in the northwest, it is a key point on the Silk Road. The monthly tax report submitted by the Ministry of Revenue alone can be as thick as three inches.

The annual tax revenue from Sogdian brocades and spices, fine horse hides from Tuyuhun, and raisins and wine from Gaochang, transported to Daxing City via this route, accounted for more than 30% of the total tax revenue in Longyou.

Not to mention the glaring figures in the military records: the Liangzhou standing army numbered 34,000, with a staggering 8,000 warhorses, ten times more than the military strength of some prefectures and counties.

Not only were there soldiers and horses, but Liangzhou also had more than 800,000 mu of government-run farmland, whose annual grain and fodder could support an army of 100,000 for half a year.

Seeing this, Lü Shang realized with a start why Yang Jian had transferred him to Liangzhou.

He thought for a moment, then turned his gaze to Fang An beside him and said, "Zi An,"

Fang Zian leaned forward and said, "My lord,"

Lü Shang said softly, "Please double-check the accounts of the Six Ministries for me. I should go to the General Manager's residence to pay my respects to General Manager He Lou."

"Yes,"

The house is safe and secure, and that is the right response.

The He Lou General mentioned by Lü Shang is He Lou Zigan, the current General of Liangzhou, who is in charge of military affairs in fourteen prefectures. He is also the only high-ranking official in the current Liangzhou who can govern him, the Governor of Liangzhou.

This man succeeded Prince Wei, Yang Shuang, as the second governor of Liangzhou after the founding of the Sui Dynasty.

When Lü Shang first met Yang Jian, Yang Jian asked Lü Shang to go to the Imperial Kitchen to fetch Shu brocade and tea bricks as a gift for He Louzigan.

"Prepare the horses, prepare the gifts,"

Lü Shang stood up, straightened the sleeves of his crimson official robe, took the gilded and silver-inlaid governor's tally from the table and pinned it to his waist, then gave instructions to the guards nearby.

"Yes,"

The personal guards received the order.

Before long, the sound of light hoofbeats came from under the eaves. Lü Shang looked up and saw that Zidian Hanshuang had been led to the steps.
Xiao Ji and his men waited under the eaves, holding a sandalwood box containing Shu brocade and tea bricks.

"Walk,"

Lu Shang left the main hall, mounted his horse, and was followed closely by Xiao Ji and ten personal guards. The sandalwood box, wrapped in Shu brocade, was placed across the front of the saddle and swayed slightly with the horse's hooves as they left the mansion together.

The Liangzhou General Administration Office was located in the northwest corner of Guzang City, separated from Lü Shang's prefectural office by two streets.

Above the vermilion gate tower hangs a golden plaque inscribed with "Jie Zhen Xi Chui" (meaning "Guardian of the Western Frontier"), bestowed by the emperor. In front of the gate stand two gilded lion-shaped beasts, three feet taller than those of ordinary mansions, displaying their magnificent and imposing presence.

As Lü Shang and his men stood before the governor's mansion, they reined in their horses. A gatekeeper approached and bowed to their horses.

"Your Excellency, the chief steward has already ordered the main hall to be cleaned and has been waiting for you for some time."

(End of this chapter)