novelAbuy Chapter 104 After the Imminent Relocation of the Town
Chapter 104 After the Imminent Relocation of the Town
"You're talking nonsense, child!"
Gao Xingzhou immediately rebuked him: "Even if Shi Jingtang harbors treacherous intentions, how dare he commit such a heinous act!"
Fu Yanqing also found it unbelievable: "Although there have been precedents of vassalage, tribute, ceding territory, and marriage alliances in previous dynasties, ceding Lulong would mean the loss of all northern defenses, and that would leave a bad name for us for ten thousand years."
Gao Huaide thought about it and realized that made sense. Who could accept being despised and cursed for generations after death?
Gao Xingzhou then asked, "Lord Guan, what do you think our chances of victory are if Shi Jingtang joins forces with the Khitan?"
Fu Yanqing said confidently, "Eighty percent."
Gao Xingzhou smiled and said, "You're being too optimistic. Jinyang is a famous city. Back then, even Zhu Wen's six armies failed to capture it and he had no choice but to retreat. If troops are besieged under a fortified city for too long, things are bound to change."
Fu Yanqing also knew that attacking Jinyang was no easy task, and the two of them were just simulating and deducing at the moment, so there was no need to take it too seriously.
He said casually, "Zhu Wen's misfortune was due to the unfavorable weather; the continuous rain for ten days led to a shortage of fodder and provisions, and many soldiers died from dysentery and malaria. Do you think we'll be so unlucky as to encounter such prolonged rainy weather?"
"Besides, Xiazhou City is another famous city in the world, and we still managed to capture it. Once people's hearts waver, even the strongest city cannot be defended."
Gao Xingzhou nodded in agreement: "We were ordered to leave, which in turn earned the court's tacit acceptance of Xia Prefecture's allegiance. This place serves as a stronghold and retreat route, so we must manage it well. What if we need it someday?"
Gao Huaide listened to his father and Fu Yanqing discuss various plans, and before he knew it, they had passed Tongzhou and it was time to part ways.
Fu Rong finally listened to her sister's advice, lifted the carriage curtain and leaned out to say to Gao Huaide, "Brother Gao, I'm not angry with you anymore. Let's be happy next time we meet."
Fu Yun smiled and waved goodbye gently.
At the fork in the road, the group of over a hundred people split into two streams, like rivers branching out, and headed in different directions.
After parting ways with Fu Yanqing and his group, Gao Huaide remembered something: "The old man in the tower said that one must stay in Yanzhou for three years before one can change one's destiny, which means there is still a whole year to go."
"Stop talking nonsense!"
As expected, Gao Xingzhou scolded his son: "How can you believe in all things supernatural and bizarre? That old man was a wise and resourceful man. There is no such thing as a god who can predict the future."
Gao Huaide reluctantly shut his mouth and stopped talking.
……
Back in Yanzhou, it was early spring, February once again.
Gao Huaide dismissed his soldiers and ran into the hall.
New talismans were pasted on the back gate of the mansion, but Gao Huaide had no time to look at them closely. He couldn't wait to find his older sister and younger brother and eagerly presented them as gifts he had found in the capital.
The gift given to Gao Huaixuan was a jade bracelet, its texture delicate and warm. What was unusual was that, on a base color as black as ink, there were various natural patterns, the shape of which closely resembled plum blossoms.
Gao Huaixuan thanked her and put the bracelet on; the black bracelet accentuated the girl's fair wrist, making it appear as white as frost and snow.
Gao Huailiang hurriedly asked his elder brother what he had brought him. Gao Huaide kept him in suspense, extending his fists to let him guess.
Gao Huailiang looked left and right, hesitated for a moment, and then pointed to his elder brother's right fist. Gao Huaide opened his right hand, revealing a gold coin of an exotic design.
The obverse of the gold coin features a crowned, bearded, half-man figure with crosses on either side and inscribed with wavy characters along the edge. The reverse depicts a winged goddess holding a long-handled hook-like weapon in her right hand and a cross in her left, also with incomprehensible inscriptions along the edge.
"It's said to have come from the Qin Dynasty, thousands of miles away, and it cost me several strings of cash."
Gao Huailiang held it in his hand and examined it carefully, then asked curiously, "What if I choose the left fist?"
Gao Huaide opened his left hand, and in his palm lay a bright yellow coin. At first glance, it looked no different from ordinary large coins.
"Open, base, victory, treasure."
Gao Huailiang struggled to decipher the four Chinese characters in clerical script on the coin: "Ancient coin? And whose reign title is 'Kaiji'?"
Gao Huaide picked it up with two fingers, put it to his lips, and blew on it: "Take another look at the texture."
Upon closer inspection, Gao Huailiang realized it was a gold coin, quite valuable indeed. He was then puzzled, as he had never heard of any dynasty in the Central Plains using gold to mint coins.
Seeing that his younger brother didn't recognize the value of the item, Gao Huaide was smug.
"You don't understand, do you? These are Japanese gold coins. They were minted more than a hundred years ago by Emperor Shōmu."
"So there are so many countries outside of the Central Plains."
"The world is vast. Not to mention the East and the West, there are seven or eight countries in the south alone."
Gao Huaide went to the capital and, using the knowledge he had just learned, began to lecture his younger brother in a pretentious and old-fashioned manner.
"Alright, alright, go see your mother now."
Urged on by his sister, Gao Huaide chuckled and magically produced a box of pastries: "These are Japanese peony cakes, a gift from that merchant. They're said to have been invented by Empress Wu Zetian when she was a nun, carefully prepared from collected flower petals. Let's share them."
Gao Huaixuan looked at her silly younger brother: "The peonies won't bloom for several more months, where would you get peony petals now? You've been taken advantage of, wasting money."
"Well, that short-legged Japanese merchant dared to cheat me."
Gao Huaide was furious and yelled, "They said that when this pastry was introduced to their country, it was considered a treasure. There's a saying, 'A peony cake falling from the shed,' which means good luck has come. I bought that coin at a high price because this fellow was so eloquent, and now I've lost out."
"Pie doesn't fall from the sky."
Gao Huaixuan broke one open and smelled it: "Although it doesn't have the fragrance of peonies, the filling is made of red beans and jujube paste, so it must taste very sweet."
Gao Huaide took it and tasted it. Sure enough, it was sweet but not cloying. Coupled with the reunion with his siblings, his anger quickly subsided.
He vividly described the prosperity of the capital and the various grand scenes of the Lantern Festival, which made Gao Huailiang yearn for it, while Gao Huaixuan smiled.
"If I have the chance in the future, I would like to go and see it."
Before the imperial court had officially issued the decree, Gao Xingzhou forbade his son to leak it in advance to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.
Gao Huaide suppressed the urge to speak, thinking to himself that they would soon have their chance.
……
March 16th, Jia Chen.
The emperor appointed Yang Hanzhang, the Right Commander of the Divine Martial Army, as the Military Governor of Zhangwu Army in Yanzhou.
Upon learning of his impending transfer, Gao Xingzhou made several personnel arrangements in advance.
According to the current system, when the military governors and inspectors of various circuits leave their posts, they should submit a handover document. The new officials are required to analyze and report the document to the Secretariat and the Chancellery one month after taking office.
Because a military governor (Jiedushi) might not have time to complete the handover with his successor when he went to take up a new post, he would usually appoint someone else to act in his place—this is the origin of the position of acting governor (Liuhou). If a prefect (Cishi) left his post, he would appoint a person who could act as the prefect (Quanzhizhou).
The staff appointed by the regional military governors themselves must be clearly assigned, including which ones to keep and which ones to take away.
Gao Xingzhou appointed Liu Jingyan as acting governor. He was already seventy years old, had served as governor of Dan and Yin prefectures, was a native of Yan prefecture, and had a granddaughter married to Gao Yunquan. In terms of qualifications, background, and connections, he was the most suitable candidate.
"I urge Elder Liu to assist the new commander in managing relations with the neighboring towns."
"The General has entrusted me with this important task, and I, Liu, will certainly do my utmost."
Liu Jingyan readily agreed, showing no sign of reluctance whatsoever.
"If there's anything I haven't thought through, I'll just ask my good-for-nothing grandson-in-law for help."
Gao Xingzhou then dispatched another thousand soldiers from the prefecture, appointing Gao Junli as the garrison commander of Qingjian City. This place is strategically located at the crossroads of Yan, Sui, and Xia routes, making its position extremely important; therefore, the garrison strength exceeded the usual standard for a single garrison. (Note 1)
Gao Yunquan was appointed as the clerk, in charge of finances and materials; Gao Juhui was appointed as the judge, in charge of documents and official affairs. Both of them continued to serve in Yanzhou.
The Gao family is a prominent local clan. If it weren't for the significant age and prestige difference between Gao Yunquan and the local officials, appointing him as the acting governor and requesting an official title from the court to become a regular official would have been an option. However, for now, they had to settle for second best and chose Liu Jingyan.
Liu Jingyan is old and frail, and he is also a former subordinate of Gao Yunquan's father, Gao Wanjin. In the future, won't he hand over power to his grandson-in-law?
Gao Xingzhou holds this view.
……
When the military governor was on horseback, he commanded the army; when he was off horseback, he managed the administration. In addition to personnel arrangements, he also had to hand over the troops, weapons, military expenses, warehouses, money, grain measures, and population, and record them in the handover document.
After receiving the list from his subordinate, Gao Xingzhou glanced at it without comment, picked up his pen and casually crossed out the amount of money and grain, changing it to half, and also wiped out the thousand warhorses.
"When each town changes hands, it is customary to kill half of the horses to prepare for floods and droughts and to help with military expenses. This is a common practice. The horses were originally captured in the battle against the Dingnan Army and should not be recorded in the state treasury. They should all be transported to Xia Prefecture."
Gao Xingzhou instructed, "As for the departure allowance, it's unnecessary. There will be some money to use once we arrive at the new town."
Just as his subordinate was about to flatter him by saying that the general was honest and loved the people, Gao Xingzhou calmly ordered: "However, the new governor should not look too bad. As for the tax collection, let's set it at 300 coins per thousand coins."
When a new military governor arrives in a prefecture, in addition to the gifts and money given to him to welcome him, according to unwritten rules, a portion of the prefectural treasury's public funds will be allocated to the military governor for his private use. The percentage varies from person to person, with 30% being considered low, and some greedy individuals even taking half of it.
This deficit naturally cannot appear in the accounts, and the previous person would have to take the blame, so collecting it in advance is the usual practice.
Gao Xingzhou was just acting according to routine, and what he did was not excessive.
However, the green seedlings appear in February, a time of great hunger for the people. Collecting expenses for the officials at this time forces impoverished families to take out loans, and some even sell their children to pay the taxes, further burdening the people. (Note 2)
Upon learning that Gao Xingzhou was to be transferred, the garrison commanders and powerful clans, each with their own agendas, all requested an audience.
Jinming Town General Li Jidu arrived with his son Li Xiaoshun, presented the travel gifts, and then made a peculiar request.
"I deeply admire General Gao's strategic acumen and martial prowess. I wish to receive a character from your name as the name of my grandson, so that I may share in your good fortune."
Gao Xingzhou provided strong support for the reconstruction of Jinming Town, for which Li Jidu was deeply grateful, hence this request.
Gao Xingzhou smiled calmly: "Commander Li is too kind. Since you think so highly of me, please take any word you like."
Li Jidu was overjoyed, ignoring his son's embarrassed expression as he stood to the side: "I've already decided on a name for my grandson, Li Jizhou!"