Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 371 A Strategically Important Place
The relationship between the Zhang family and Yuwen Rong was naturally not good. Even setting aside the old grudge of Yuwen Rong impeaching Zhang Shuo and causing him to be dismissed from his post, Zhang Dai's recent memorial to the throne led to Yuan Jie being sentenced to death, which also put Yuwen Rong in a very bad situation. This can be considered as seriously offending Yuwen Rong.

After gaining power, Yuwen Rong consistently promoted his cousins ​​Wei Heng and Wei Ji. Given the strained relationship between the two sides, Wei Heng was unlikely to easily agree to Zhang Dai's offer to sell land.

Zhang Dai circled the entire hillside and observed that Wei Sili's manor was located in the middle of the hill, while Duan's estate was situated on the north side of the slope, a shady area, and was relatively small. If he couldn't acquire the adjacent Wei family manor to the south, the value of Duan's estate would be very limited.

"Dou Lang, go to Wei Heng's house first and ask him if he has any plans to sell this garden property. Remember, remember, do not mention our work together at the beginning."

After thinking it over, Zhang Dai instructed Dou E, "If the Wei family has no intention of selling this business for the time being, then the Duan family need not bother them."

Dou E nodded upon hearing this, needing no further explanation, as he was well aware of the conflict between the Zhang family and Yuwen Rong.

The group then left and continued their journey south.

Chang'an has always been known as being surrounded by eight rivers. Apart from the Wei River and the Jing River, the rest of these rivers all flow from the south of the city. While these rivers have carved out large areas of flat and fertile land, they have also carved out gullies and plateaus of varying sizes.

Some of these plateaus are unsuitable for cultivation due to their high elevation or river diversions. Some scenic areas have been enclosed and developed into gardens, villas, or temples, but most of the rest remain in a rather primitive and desolate state.

The area Zhang Dai and his companions had previously traversed was called Fengqi Plain, and continuing south from there would lead to Shaoling Plain. To the northwest of Shaoling Plain was Weiqu, and further west of Weiqu was Fanchuan, a plain formed by the alluvial deposits of the Yu River. Duqu was located within this plain and was also known as Ducheng.

The phrase "South of the city, Wei and Du, only a foot and a half from the sky" refers to the Wei and Du families of Jingzhao, with Weiqu and Duqu being their respective clan residences. The Shaoling Plain between these two locations is particularly high, with a significant drop in elevation, resembling a pagoda standing tall south of the city. Therefore, this section of the plain is also known as Tabei.

Below the Tapi lies the Fanchuan River, lush with water and fertile land, while above the tapi are towering rocks and overgrown weeds, forming a stark contrast to the fertile fields and villas below.

This original ridge covers an area of ​​at least several hundred hectares. The Chan River and the Yu River flow around it, but because the ridge is too high, it is difficult to draw water from the river to the ridge. Therefore, this area of ​​land has been abandoned.

When Zhang Dai rode his horse to the foot of Tapi, he was immediately captivated by the unique terrain.

Although he didn't fully understand the intricacies of military geography, he could still discern the basic terrain elevation.

Shaoling was originally a terrain barrier in the south of the city, and Tapi was the highest area in Shaoling Plain. From this high vantage point, one could look down to the north and have a panoramic view of almost the entire city of Chang'an!
If we could gather troops here... and build a tea plantation, the tea carts would be able to easily reach the city walls from the bottom of the embankment. If we didn't want to take a cart, we could easily reach Chang'an via the Chan River, Huangqu River, and other waterways.

"Whose land is this at Tapi?"

Zhang Dai rode his horse halfway up the slope, but the slope became too steep to ride on. So he dismounted and walked up the plateau. Looking north, he could already see the neat layout of Chang'an City. He couldn't help but feel more and more satisfied. So he looked at Dou E, who was traveling with him, and asked a question.

"West of this is Huayan Temple, and Tapi is the property of Huayan Temple. The Xun family originally intended to carve a cave here, but the loose rocks could not be shaped, so they gave it to Huayan Temple. In fact, it is still the property of the Xun family!"

Dou E was truly a know-it-all, possessing an intimate knowledge of all the gardens and estates south of the capital. In comparison, Li Xia was rather useless, merely huffing and puffing as he struggled to climb the ridge.

Hearing that this ridge was no longer directly related to Yuwen Rong, Zhang Dai breathed a sigh of relief. He was even more interested in the Tapi area than in Fengqi Plain. It would be a great regret if he couldn't get his hands on it.

Xun Gong was Wei Anshi. After Wei Anshi died of illness in the early years of the Kaiyuan era, he had two sons, Wei Zhi and Wei Bin. Wei Zhi is currently serving as a senior official in the Ministry of Personnel, while Wei Bin is the son-in-law of the Prince of Xue...

When Zhang Dai's thoughts turned to this, he was startled again and hurriedly asked, "What position does Xun Gong's second son, Wei Bin, hold? Is he unmarried?"

This question touched on Dou E's blind spot. Upon hearing it, he simply shook his head and then chuckled, "Could it be that Zhang Liu, you have a daughter you wish to marry to Wei Bin? Isn't it said that Lord Zhang Yan likes to form marriage alliances with families from Guandong? I'm afraid the Wei family wouldn't be up to your standards, would they?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai couldn't help but roll his eyes. You guys just keep going on and on about my grandfather's annoying habits.

However, it's a good thing that Dou E doesn't know. If Wei Bin has already married Xue Wang's daughter, Dou E, the sage's cousin and future son-in-law, couldn't possibly not know. It seems that the two sides haven't formed a marriage alliance yet, so the conflict between himself and Xue Wang shouldn't affect the land purchase.

Thinking of this, Zhang Dai couldn't help but feel a great sense of crisis. He had unknowingly offended so many wealthy families, and Chang'an was a den of wealthy people. If he continued like this, he might become an enemy of the entire court!
It will be difficult to get him to stop offending people from now on. After all, the feuds he's formed with those families weren't largely due to him actively provoking them. Even if he swallows his pride and acts subservient, those people might not forgive him.

Therefore, the construction of this tea garden is becoming increasingly necessary. Since peaceful coexistence is not an option, why not quickly build up an army? Those old Qian families all have numerous servants, and he needs to quickly level the gap in manpower and influence between them!
"I will personally inquire at Xun Gong's house. You should visit the other families as soon as possible. If you can finalize a few deals quickly, that would be even better!" He was determined to acquire the high ground of Tapi.

Fortunately, he hadn't offended Wei Zhi's brothers much before. After Wei Zhi entered the court, he visited his grandfather a few times to exchange ideas on literary creation, so their relationship wasn't bad. If he sincerely went to visit and inquire, he would most likely succeed.

After descending from Tapi, head west through the northern plains of Fanchuan, and you will arrive at Changning Palace, a forbidden garden. This was built by Emperor Taizong of Tang during the Zhenguan era to pray for his mother. There are also many gardens and villas of the royal family and nobles scattered around this area.

The villa that Princess Yuzhen had previously instructed Zhang Dai to help oversee in his spare time was located on the south side of the Changning Palace Imperial Garden, near Zhongnan Mountain. However, Zhang Dai had not yet had time to go there.

"I also have a villa nearby, would you like to go and rest there for a while?"

Before they knew it, the group had been wandering outside the city for an hour or two. Seeing that it was already afternoon, some of them were tired and sleepy, so Dou E made a suggestion.

Zhang Dai and Li Xia exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement. They planned to rest there for a while before returning to the city and visiting the owners of the places they had chosen that day to inquire about their whereabouts the next day.

Dou E's family villa was located near the confluence of the Yu and Hao rivers in the valley. Across the river was a sizable and impressive temple, which later became known as Xiangji Temple.

Zhang Dai had some connection with Xiangji Temple, as it was built during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang to commemorate the founder of the Pure Land School, Master Shandao, and is therefore considered one of the ancestral temples of the Pure Land School. The Changshou Temple Pure Land Branch that Zhang Dai established in Luoyang also upheld the Pure Land School lineage, but his was a fake, while the real one was genuine.

Doujia Manor covers a considerable area, and some villagers live there to manage the estate. When Dou E led the group into the manor, villagers came forward to provide food and help feed the horses.

"Dou E, your garden villa is quite a sight to behold. Zhang Liu, why don't you compose a poem to praise it?"

The group climbed to the viewing pavilion, enjoying the panoramic view while eating and drinking, feeling quite content. Li Xia leaned on the railing, glancing sideways at Zhang Dai and saying with a smile.

Zhang Dai was too lazy to pay attention to the kid. While enjoying the beautiful scenery, he was also thinking about the poems describing the scenery of the south of the city. Of course, he would not recite them casually. He wanted to save them for future occasions. How could he just fool a fool here!

"There are also large areas of mountains and fields to the south of Changning Palace Imperial Garden, bordering Zhongnan Mountain. There are at least several hundred hectares of hills. If we could acquire them, planting tens of thousands of tea trees would be no problem!"

Dou E got into the swing of things much faster than Li Xia. He was already thinking about how to acquire more mountain land to build tea gardens, and he even had his eye on the imperial garden that Emperor Taizong had built for his mother to pray for blessings.

Zhang Dai naturally dared not hope to be able to plant tea in the imperial garden. Upon hearing this, he smiled and said, "There is no need to rush into things. Let's first select a few places and do a good job. After accumulating experience, perhaps the government will take the initiative to hand over unused mountain and marshland to us. Hopefully, we can create industries and benefit the people!"

"If that's the case, then all the better! We can not only profit from this, but perhaps we can even become the next Grand Minister of the Treasury!"

Dou E had lofty ambitions, even wanting to become a high-ranking financial official, unaware that his future would only be to marry a princess and then live a life of leisure and idleness.

"I don't want to be the Minister of the Treasury. My father often scolds me for not studying the classics or practicing any skills. If I continue to give up like this, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to become a guard with a spear in the future. I want to be a General of the North Gate, so that my father can see what I'm capable of. Even the emperor has entrusted me with guarding the gate, so he can't underestimate a junior like me!"

Li Xia is also very ambitious, and has already started clamoring for his father not to underestimate a young man's potential.

As the group was chatting, suddenly the fence on one side of the manor was struck hard. Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw people and horses crashing into the building.

"Where did this scoundrel come from, daring to demolish my yard wall!"

Dou E was furious when he saw this. He threw down his wine cup and hurriedly went downstairs. He summoned his servants and rushed straight to the damaged part of the fence.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Dai and Li Xia quickly called their respective followers to give chase.

(End of this chapter)