Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 257 It's better to lead a group than to rely on mediocre people.

"What's the meaning of this statement?"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Rong immediately frowned, looked directly at Zhang Dai, and asked in a deep voice.

He was somewhat arrogant by nature and could not tolerate being questioned by others. Especially after his previous success in managing the land and household registration, and his own position rising accordingly, he became increasingly confident.

The reconstruction of the Wang Mang River was a strategy he devised after personally conducting on-site investigations and summarizing the wisdom of past sages, following his administration of Weizhou. He believed that this plan could not only solve Weizhou's current predicament but also eliminate the Yellow River's floods in the long term, and bring about earth-shattering changes to the entire Hebei province!

Admittedly, this plan is ambitious, but what difficulty should a great man fear? Before him, other ministers had overseen the household registration system, but with limited success; only he had achieved remarkable results. He believed that this time, with the reopening of the Wang Mang River under his personal supervision, it would surely be a great success as well!
Although Zhang Dai gave the plan a very high rating, he didn't seem to think it was very good, even saying that the plan would fail in Henan. This naturally made Yuwen Rong feel dissatisfied and somewhat puzzled.

"Weizhou in Hebei is truly a majestic prefecture and a major city under heaven, a gathering place for people from all directions. Only a person of great talent and ambition can be competent for it. The prefecture is majestic, but great talent is rare. The benefits of rebuilding the Wang Mang River are obvious to all, but who else dares to devise such a plan? Only you, my lord!"

Zhang Dai then flattered Yuwen Rong again, and sure enough, Yuwen Rong's previously serious expression softened, and he simply raised his hand to signal Zhang Dai to continue.

"Bianzhou in Henan is similar to Weizhou in Hebei. Both are the most important prefectures in their respective regions, and only a capable leader can govern them well. I recently passed through Bianzhou and saw many signs that it could hardly be called well-governed. It is far inferior to Weizhou, which was governed by you, sir! The reason for this is that the magistrate of Bianzhou is that he is willful and arrogant, and imposes heavy taxes on travelers, resulting in the disappearance of people and goods on the roads and the people suffering from poverty!"

Zhang Dai continued, saying that he was already somewhat dissatisfied with Yuanfu, and now, with the comparison of Weizhou, he was even more disappointed with the situation in Bianzhou.

“Zhang Liu, you are mistaken. The two places are separated by a great river and are located in the north and south respectively. Their conditions are different, so their governance of the people cannot be generalized. Magistrate Yuan is a dignified minister with careful planning. How can you be so easily slandered!”

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Rong immediately frowned and said, "Yuan Fu is the son of my benefactor, Yuan Qianyao, and I certainly don't want to hear Zhang Dai speak ill of him."

"The reason why my plan will fail in Henan is precisely this! Although Governor Yuwen's plan is grand, Hebei has just suffered from disasters and the people are weak. Moreover, what we are worried about now is not only within the country. Last year, the Tubo harassed Hexi and Longxi. Although we suffered a defeat, it is enough to show that the barbarians around us are restless and cannot be ignored."

Therefore, last year, troops were stationed in five prefectures of Hebei to prepare for the Turks. Military supplies and the people's hardship have led to a sharp increase in taxes. If large-scale public works projects are undertaken at the same time, where will the troops come from?

Zhang Dai was not simply trying to sow discord, but rather following Yuwen Rong's line of reasoning: "Indeed, this matter is a major national undertaking and a wise plan for the country, but it will inevitably cost a great deal of money and requires long-term planning. The plan should not be limited to Hebei. If necessary, people from Henan, Jianghuai and other places should also be flexibly mobilized so that the matter is not easily abandoned."

Yuwen Rong didn't say anything when he heard this, which was obvious. It was clear that Hebei, which had just experienced a disaster, was not enough to complete this grand plan.

The reason he proposed this idea, besides considering various practical factors, was actually to gain greater power in personnel matters through this plan. However, this intention was obviously not convenient to reveal to Zhang Dai.

Even if he didn't say it, Zhang Dai could guess that although Yuwen Rong had been driven out of the central government and seemed to have lost power, he still held the power to deal with the most urgent matters. He was the governor of Weizhou, while Yuan Fu was in Bianzhou. He had control over the personnel resources on both sides of the river.

The two prime ministers in the central government, Li Yuanhong and Du Xian, seem to be competing fiercely, but in reality, their current power is not as great as that of Yuwen Rong.

After all, even if they make decisions from a higher level, they cannot ignore the fact that the disaster situation in Henan and Hebei is severe. The decisions they make are closely related to the development of the disaster.

Yuwen Rong devised such a massive plan to reopen the Wangmang River, and without even needing to consult the central government, he had already begun to implement it within the state.

Zhang Dai even speculated that Yuan Fu's policy of severely suppressing commerce and industry in Bianzhou was not only to protect his performance evaluation targets, but also to drive Henan's commercial resources to Hebei, especially to Weizhou, thereby concentrating resources in Weizhou to support Yuwen Rong.

While in most cases the resources controlled by merchants are far inferior to those of the government, this is precisely a relatively special period. Yuwen Rong has lost the ability to allocate overall resources, so he naturally needs to find other ways to compensate.

"Reopening the Wangmang River is not something that can be decided overnight. If there are any unforeseen circumstances, we will have to rely on support from elsewhere. However, the local conditions and people in Henan and Hebei are different. How can the worries of Hebei be the same as the difficulties of Henan?"

Especially now, Governor Yuan's actions in the prefecture have alienated the people and caused great hardship. The people are selling their children for food, and the markets are completely empty. If something happens in the north, how can we rely on him for aid? Even if aid is provided, public resentment will surely boil over, and how will public opinion be calmed down?

Zhang Dai's words were not an exaggeration. The people of Bianzhou were already extremely vulnerable due to Yuan Fu's actions. Even though the treasury was full due to the large taxes and customs, it could not be easily transferred out. If the money were used to subsidize the construction of the Grand Canal in Hebei, the people would condemn Yuan Fu to death.

"Is the situation in Bianzhou really that dire?" Upon hearing this, Yuwen Rong immediately frowned. He did indeed intend to use Bianzhou as a backup supply base, and hearing Zhang Dai describe the situation as so serious made him uneasy.

“Oppressive government is more ferocious than a tiger! Bianzhou is located on a vital waterway for grain transport and is a place where the best resources of Henan are concentrated. If even this place is in ruins, wouldn’t other places be even more like hell? It’s just that Governor Yuan is mediocre and doesn’t know how to use the right methods. His strict control of customs and heavy taxes on travelers have already made the prefecture desolate, and the income he has gained is not even as much as what I have gained in just a few days of my visit.”

Zhang Dai made no secret of the benefits he brought to Yuanfu; his aim was to undermine Yuwen Rong's confidence in Yuanfu and create a psychological barrier between them.

"Hmph, who does Zhang Liu think he can scare with his wild words?"

Yuwen Rong was no child either, and he was naturally displeased to hear Zhang Dai's blatant attempts to sow discord, so his tone became quite rude.

"I dare not boast of my wisdom before the magistrate. But if the one to compete with is only Magistrate Yuan, then I am not afraid to contend with him."

Zhang Dai adopted completely different attitudes and evaluations towards the two men, and then laughed and said: "Does Your Excellency know that a certain day I made a plan to use the flying money in the two capitals? In less than a year, this plan has already yielded a profit of over ten million. The reason why we are able to build textile workshops in various prefectures and save tens of thousands of people is also due to the profits from the flying money."

I recently traveled to Bianzhou and gathered wealthy people there, explaining this business to them. These wealthy men were very interested and eager to join the business. The money they raised amounted to no less than several hundred thousand strings of cash. I wonder if Magistrate Yuan's recent fundraising efforts have exceeded this amount?

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Rong's expression immediately changed again. He looked at Zhang Dai with suspicion and uncertainty, unable to tell whether what he said was true or false.

He was an official in charge of finance, so he had certainly heard of the prestigious "Flying Money" scheme. However, since those involved were either members of the Northern Imperial Guards or eunuchs, he didn't know much about the inside story of how Flying Money operated.

"Your Excellency may think I am merely boasting, but in truth, what I say is somewhat conservative. The profits from 'flying money' are astonishing; money and silk can cross mountains and rivers in an instant, and their gathering and dispersal are difficult to regulate, let alone tax. The court will certainly not stand idly by. Therefore, upon returning to the capital this time, I intend to submit a memorial to the Emperor, suggesting that a special system could be established to regulate this industry!"

Zhang Dai then looked at Yuwen Rong and said with a smile, "Anyone who wants to start this business must put up capital for the officials to inspect. After the officials verify the capital, they will calculate the capital and tax it, and then determine the tax amount and release the quota. Lord Yuwen has been in charge of the finance department for a long time. How much revenue do you think this business can generate?"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Rong's expression changed drastically. He had been quite proud of his generous policies towards merchants, which had led to a large influx of travelers and traders into the region. However, upon hearing Zhang Dai's ideas on the allocation and management of money and goods, he realized that Zhang Dai's approach was undoubtedly far more sophisticated than his own.

In ancient times, when it came to financial services like "flying money," credit was a crucial issue. Even a wealthy man like Wang Yuanbao was nearly forced to close down by a coalition of merchants in Luoyang.

The reason why the flying money in the two capitals was able to develop was not only because of the strong demand, but also because of the guarantee of power. Wang Maozhong of the Northern Office, Gao Lishi of the inner court, and even Consort Wu Hui were all powerful people who were deeply favored by the emperor, so they were easy to convince people.

As the two capitals' money-making ventures flourished, their astonishing profits naturally attracted envy and avarice. However, the entry barrier to this industry was simply too high; even if others were tempted, they lacked the necessary resources.

However, if the imperial court were to step in now and have wealthy merchants with such intentions verify their capital and pay taxes, thereby obtaining the qualification to operate, and granting them a certain amount of "flying money" based on the size of their capital, it would undoubtedly greatly expand the workforce, bring the industry under the management of the imperial court, and generate considerable revenue.

"Zhang Liulang has already achieved fame and is exceptionally talented; it would be a real pity if he remained in seclusion. If you are willing to stay here and serve, I will petition the Pacification Commissioner to appoint you as the Prefectural Judge to take over my duties!"

If Yuwen Rong had only admired Zhang Dai before, he now had the idea of ​​recruiting him. This kid's financial schemes were so ingenious that even Yuwen Rong hadn't considered them.

"Thank you for your appreciation, Lord Yuwen. However, my elders instructed me before I left that my return date must be set in advance, so I dare not delay."

Zhang Dai was quite pleased with himself when he heard Yuwen Rong's offer of a position, but he still waved his hand and refused. If he were to join Yuwen Rong's team just like that, his grandfather would probably be furious. Besides, his main purpose today was to sow discord between Yuwen Rong and Yuan Fu, not to find a job for himself.

Then he added, “Prefect Yuan relies solely on his official authority and is quite clumsy in handling affairs; he will certainly be unable to serve as a reliable support. If Hebei intends to undertake large-scale projects, it must ensure the smooth operation of the Grand Canal. Plans for reforming the canal transport system were already in place last year, but Prefect Yuan has made no changes since arriving in the prefecture, which is a real waste of time.”

If the grain transport is disrupted this autumn and rented goods are delayed, the crime will be grave, and it will also burden the affairs of Hebei. In truth, with Governor Yuwen's talent and strategy, what difficulty would there be in governing two prefectures across the river?"

These words were no longer subtle provocations, but blatant attempts to sow discord. However, upon hearing them, Yuwen Rong not only showed no displeasure, but instead lowered his head and pondered.

(End of this chapter)