Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 243 Ship Pirates and Highwaymen
Where there are many people, there are bound to be many troubles, especially in a large transportation hub like Guancheng Post Station where people of different backgrounds are complex and interests are intertwined. As expected, Zhang Dai and his group encountered a similar situation shortly after their arrival.

They entered the city in the morning, and by the afternoon, the transport convoy had arrived as well. With more than two hundred carts of goods, it was a very eye-catching sight even in a bustling place like Guanchengyi.

Since there were no official signs indicating the shipment, pedestrians outside the city were speculating about where this wealthy merchant came from and where he was headed to make a profit with such a large amount of goods.

While the passersby were still gossiping, a broker stepped forward and loudly inquired, "May I ask where you come from? What kind of goods are you transporting? Are you passing through Guancheng or selling them here?"

"You servants, get out of here at once! This is the private property of a noble family from the Eastern Capital. If you continue to harass them and something goes wrong, you'll all lose your lives!"

Besides An Xiaochen, Ding Qing, and others, the escort team also included a military advisor surnamed Zhao who had previously greeted them at the border. This military advisor Zhao knew that Guancheng Post Station was a place of all sorts of people, and many of them were cunning and treacherous. As soon as people approached, he shouted and cursed loudly, refusing to reveal any details about the convoy.

"From the Eastern Capital? People from the Eastern Capital must also abide by the rituals and procedures of the Imperial City!"

Seeing that Zhao, the military advisor, was using his power to drive them away, the brokers could only retreat reluctantly, but they were still muttering under their breath.

The area around Guancheng Post Station is crowded with people and eyes, making it difficult to prevent various accidents. In addition to ordinary supplies, this batch of goods also includes many rare medicinal herbs. If it stays outside the city, there is bound to be some mishaps. Therefore, it is necessary to temporarily use the warehouse in the city for storage.

These matters naturally did not require An Xiaochen and his group to handle. Zhao, the military advisor who accompanied them, took the prefectural government's order and went into the city to negotiate with the Guancheng County government.

However, An Xiaochen and the others waited outside the city until dusk before Zhao Canjun finally returned. However, his expression was not very good. He said to An Xiaochen and the others, "Something is not right. Before it gets dark, we should quickly inform Zhang Lang and ask him to go and negotiate in person."

"Even with a warrant from the prefectural government, Military Advisor Zhao was still harassed by the county magistrate?"

Upon hearing this, An Xiaochen frowned and said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Zhao, the military advisor, looked embarrassed and explained softly, "Although Guancheng is under the jurisdiction of Zhengzhou, the inns and transportation hubs here are quite large and are not under the jurisdiction of the prefecture. Instead, they are managed by officials sent by the Ministry of Personnel in the capital."

Guancheng Post Station, located beside the Bian Canal, was a major post station serving both water and land transportation. It was directly managed by post station generals dispatched by the Ministry of War under the Ministry of War. The Guancheng Transportation Office, which was responsible for the conversion of rent rice from the Jianghuai region, was managed by the Left Treasury Office under the Ministry of Revenue.

Although Military Advisor Zhao held the prefectural government's order, and local officials would generally give the prefectural magistrate some face, the sheer volume of goods being transported this time made coordination difficult. Despite Military Advisor Zhao's best efforts to persuade them, he couldn't achieve a satisfactory outcome.

Seeing that the sun was already setting, An Xiaochen and the others dared not waste any more time and could only quickly send someone into the city to inform Zhang Dai.

Zhang Dai was still reviewing the various expenses in Guancheng since last year when he learned that the caravan could not enter the city. He immediately put down what he was doing and went straight to the transport office in the city.

The transport yard was an official transfer yard for rented and other goods. The transport yard in Guancheng mainly accepted rented goods from the Jianghuai region. Rented goods from the Jianghuai region often needed to be exchanged for rice with cloth. In order to ensure that rented goods could be smoothly transported to the capital every year, a transport yard was specially set up here to assist in the buying and selling.

Because storing money, silk, and grain requires a large number of warehouses, the transport depot in Guancheng also has many warehouses available within the city. Zhang Dai's large shipment of supplies could only be temporarily stored in the transport depot's warehouses.

When Zhang Dai arrived at the scene on horseback, he saw his fellow student Yang Jian coming from the other side of the street. He reined in his horse and asked Yang Jian, "Young Master Yang, what brings you here?"

“A cousin of mine is serving as a judge here. He was passing through this place, so I came to visit him and inquire about the local customs and traditions, hoping to broaden my knowledge so I can answer my superiors’ questions when I return to the capital.”

Upon hearing this, Yang Jian smiled and said, but seeing the anxious look on Zhang Dai's face, he asked, "Sixth Brother, is there something you need here?"

“My fellow caravan was refused entry to the city. It was getting dark, so I came to inquire why I was refused entry, fearing that delay might lead to trouble.”

Zhang Dai answered, and Yang Jian's expression changed upon hearing this. He immediately said, "Let's go together, my cousin is judging the outcome of this match!"

Zhang Dai was overjoyed to hear this. Yang Jian was in his early twenties, but he was quite low-key and not as flamboyant as other people his age, so much so that Zhang Dai often didn't notice him.

But in fact, when it comes to lineage, Yang Jian was the most distinguished among the thirteen of them. Although he was not from the legitimate Hongnong Yang clan, his lineage was even more prestigious. He was a descendant of the former Sui Dynasty Yang clan, a descendant of Emperor Yang of Sui, and a descendant of two princes who were state guests of the Tang Dynasty!

However, a fallen phoenix is ​​no better than a chicken; the Li family is ruthless even when killing their own members, so a mere descendant of the former Sui dynasty is really nothing special. Perhaps because of his family background, Yang Jian was rather reserved and didn't deliberately boast about his family history. Hearing Yang Jian say this, Zhang Dai also remembered that he was a true third-generation official; his grandfather was Yang Chongli, the Minister of the Imperial Treasury, and his father was Yang Shenjin, a notorious exploitative official during the Tianbao era who was persecuted to death by Li Linfu.

The Guancheng Transportation Center covers a vast area, and Zhang Dai felt its immensity even more as he walked from the cramped inn into the center.

The two had not walked far when a middle-aged man in plain clothes strode towards them. From afar, he greeted Yang Jian with a smile, saying, "When did you arrive, Eleventh Brother? Why didn't you send someone to inform me first so I could come out of the city to welcome you? A letter from home brought the good news that you had passed the imperial examination and brought glory to your family. I am truly overjoyed..."

Although the Yang family was a family of two princes, they did not have much of a good reputation. Yang Chongli and his son were mostly employed based on their abilities as commoners, or what could be called officialdom. It was probably because Emperor Yang of Sui killed Xue Daoheng that their literary fortune was damaged.

Only in this generation did Yang Jian, who was exceptionally talented, successfully pass the imperial examination after many twists and turns, becoming the only member of his family who did not rise from humble beginnings. This must have been of extraordinary significance to the Yang family.

"I traveled with my classmates after the imperial examination and passed through this area. I will tell you about our parting later, but I have something to ask my cousin first."

Yang Jian greeted his cousin and pointed to Zhang Dai, introducing him briefly: "This is Zhang Dai, Zhang Zongzhi, a virtuous grandson of Zhang Yan, and also the top scholar in the same examination as me. We brought supplies from Luoyang to the prefecture to help the disaster victims, and we need to temporarily store some items here. The prefecture has agreed. May I ask where it is inconvenient for you, cousin?"

"So this is Zhang Liulang. I've heard so much about you!"

The middle-aged man first bowed to Zhang Dai, then said, "Since Eleventh Brother is also interested in this matter, then I will no longer hide it. Just now, Military Advisor Zhao from the prefecture did come to invite me, but I refused. However, I did not intend to make things difficult for you. May I ask, Sixth Brother Zhang, did you send your disciples to inform the various trades and guilds in the city before you delivered the goods?"

Within this city, people have their own relationships, and things have their own rules; if these are not followed, unrest and disorder are inevitable, and many inconveniences will arise.

"May I ask Supervisor Yang, what are the proper customs and etiquette here? We are newcomers and have no intention of offending anyone. If it is within the bounds of custom, we will naturally abide by it."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai immediately spoke in a deep voice, while Yang Jian looked at his cousin and said, "We came to the state to provide disaster relief and help people, not to be merchants seeking profit. What offense have we committed?"

"So-called love affairs are nothing more than the accumulated evils of worldly people's greed. Since it is Eleven Lang who has come to ask, let's first send the goods into the warehouse, and you two can come in and listen to my detailed explanation."

Supervisor Yang was quite considerate of his cousin. He had previously refused to accept him, but now he made an exception, took out his token, and sent someone out of the city to meet the cargo team. He then invited the two men into the hall.

“I have heard about Zhang Liulang’s actions. His generosity and public-spiritedness are truly admirable. Last year, your family brought a large sum of money to the prefecture and made many purchases. With the help of the prefectural government, they were not subject to any difficulties here. But now, bringing such a large amount of goods into the country is bound to raise suspicions.”

After everyone was seated in the hall, Supervisor Yang began to explain the local rules: "Normally, when large shipments enter the country, we must first report to the various trades and guilds here. Merchants gather here, each with their own stockpiles. If they are dumped and the market is severely damaged, everyone will inevitably suffer losses. In addition, the import and export of goods also require hiring local transport ships and soldiers; otherwise, the goods will not be accepted..."

"Isn't this bullying, monopolizing the market, or acting like a highway robber?"

Although Yang Jian was low-key, he also had youthful spirit, and upon hearing this, he immediately snorted coldly.

"That's the matter, but there's also a reason behind it. In Guancheng, the gathering and dispersal of goods are all at their own pace, and people can make profits according to the rules. If the market suddenly rises and falls, then all industries will inevitably decline. In addition, the smooth flow of the Bian Canal relies on the labor of the people on both banks to dredge and maintain it. They also have to undertake various transportation tasks, so naturally they also hope to earn more money to support their families!"

At this point, Supervisor Yang smiled apologetically at Zhang Dai and said, "I didn't dare to include him directly before, not because I was trying to make things difficult. Although I hold this position, I still need to rely on the local people for everything I do."

Zhang Liulang, your cargo caravan has its own carts, horses, and accompanying soldiers. If those laborers can't profit from this, they'll cause a disturbance and refuse to cooperate. I'm in a difficult position. I'm just a passing official here to receive my assessment, but these boatmen, porters, and pack animals are all local gangs, led by local heroes. Their methods for climbing the ranks are endless..."

"I had heard about this, but I didn't expect it to be this serious."

While it's said that the common people shouldn't fight against officials, each situation must be considered individually. The fact that Supervisor Yang even used the phrase "enduring officialdom's wrath" suggests that he must have had some dealings with the local power brokers before ultimately choosing to compromise.

The people living along the canal have undertaken more labor to keep the canal running smoothly, so it is understandable that they want to control the logistics capacity along the canal. After all, people live off the land and the water.

However, things become complicated once local powerful clans get involved. For example, Zhang Dai and his group were just passing through and were not there to trade for profit, but because they didn't hire a local transport team, they couldn't even enter the city, which was clearly a bit excessive.

(End of this chapter)