The World of Yellow Sky

Chapter 744 High Curb Xingyun (5k3)

Weiyang Palace, which is now Yingtian Mansion.

This place has been rectified by Yan Zhong and has changed quite a lot, and the momentum still exists, and it is still incomparably magnificent and majestic.

But the halls and pavilions with carved beams and painted buildings are a little less gorgeous and a little more simple.

A little less majestic, a little more friendly.

A little less cold, a little more popular.

In Yingtian Mansion, the names of many halls and pavilions have been changed.

Yongning Pavilion is located in the north of Xuanzheng Hall, which is the northern area of ​​Yingtian Mansion, and it already belongs to the category of the Harem.

But now, Weiyang Palace, a palace that used to be the Han Dynasty for hundreds of years, has changed, and has severed its relationship with the past.

The north of the Xuanzheng Hall is no longer the residence of the queens of the Han Dynasty, and many places have been converted into government offices for business.

However, Yan Zhong rebuilt several palaces and pavilions in a quiet place in Yingtian Mansion, next to the artificial lake, and used it as a place to live, and allocated it to Xu An to live in.

Xu An did not refuse, Chang'an City was not safe, the Embroidered Cloth Messenger and Mi Mei had assassinated many times in the past few years, but they were all blocked by the Eagle Wolf Guard and Teng Xiang Guard one by one.

Living outside will only increase the threat. Living in Yingtian Mansion, with a large number of guards to protect, can deal with all kinds of emergencies at any time.

The founding ceremony has been over for three days, and the Ming court's three mansions and six ministries have started to operate normally, and the chief officials from all over the country have also set foot on the road home.

The caravan headed to the Western Regions had already been prepared before, and hundreds of carriages were loaded with a large amount of porcelain, iron, paper, and handicrafts.
After the transfer order was issued, the Wuxiang Camp officially completed the handover on March [-]th. The tiger charm of the Wuxiang Camp was handed over to Guo Tai by Zhang Liao, and Yan Liang and Wen Chou also joined the Wuxiang Camp as Guo Tai. Adjutant.

Yongning Pavilion is a pavilion around the original Jiaofang Palace. The pavilion is not big, so it has been changed to the place where Xu An handles government affairs.

Another palace not far from Yongning Pavilion is called Yonghe Pavilion. The names of the two pavilions mean "Ninghe". Yonghe Pavilion is the office of cabinet members.

The two pavilions are not far from each other, which is convenient for office work.

The government offices of Zhongshu Mansion and Zhongjun Mansion are not far from here. As for the government office of the Taoist government, it is not in Yingtian Mansion but in Taiping Temple outside the city. not very far.

Basically, the three government departments and six ministries of the Ming court and government offices at all levels are centered on Yongning Pavilion and spread out in all directions.

In Yongning Pavilion, Xu An sat on a chair in the house. Most of the time, Xu An didn't like kneeling. Although kneeling is a tradition, it is really uncomfortable to kneel for a long time. And change.

Xu An is not the only one in Yongning Pavilion. The house here does not belong to the main hall office, but a side pavilion. It is a dining place and also a place where Xu An puts books and documents. According to Xu An's wishes, it has been renovated. After the episode, there was an extra round table, and now Xu An is sitting at this round table.

Sitting with Xu An were Guo Tai, Yan Liang, and Wen Chou.

There are a lot of dishes on the round table, this time it is quite rich, but there are not too extravagant dishes, they are all relatively ordinary dishes.

The dishes in front of Xu An were basically eaten, and there wasn't much left. The same was true in front of Guo Tai, but the dishes in front of Yan Liang and Wen Chou didn't eat too much, and they seemed a little cautious.

Xu An also noticed their restraint, even Guo Tai was a little cautious now, Xu An understood very well that the relationship between Guo Tai and the others had been alienated a lot since the founding of the country and becoming king.

A companion is like a tiger. He is not only the master of the Taiping Dao, but also the king of the Ming Dynasty.

Xu An was very aware of such a change, Xu An had already been mentally prepared for it early in the morning.

In fact, Xu An had already discussed with Guo Tai about reopening the Protectorate of the Western Regions before. After Guo Tai agreed, Xu An decided on the military post of General Zhengxi.

"Jia Xu will walk a distance with the army this time, and leave the team after arriving in Ji County. He will temporarily take the post of governor of Liangzhou to prepare military rations for you in Liangzhou, arrange logistics, and ensure your logistics supplies in the Western Regions. Dunhuang County We have already prepared a lot of armaments and hoarded food and grass, which you can requisition after you arrive in the Western Regions."

Although Yan Zhong was the governor of Liangzhou, Xu An did not let Yan Zhong rush back to Liangzhou.

Yan Zhong's health is getting worse every day, and his hair is almost completely white. Although Xu An appointed Yan Zhong as the chief assistant of the cabinet, Xu You is basically managing the cabinet now, and Yan Zhong has always been in Taiye. The pool rests.

The Tai Hospital was set up by Xu An in Guanbei of Taiping Temple, not far from Taiye Pool.

The newly built Taipingdao Medical Science Academy is on the left side of the Tai Hospital. The Tai Hospital is regarded as a government office, and the doctors in it are all well-known doctors who have passed the examination.

The Taipingdao Medical Academy is a place to train doctors. Students who graduate from the Meng Academy can choose to study in the county school or the medical academy.

Because of Xu An's order, and the continuous efforts to improve the status of doctors, the status of the medical school is much higher.

Hua Tuo served as the dean of both the Taipingdao Academy of Medical Sciences and Taiyuan Hospital.

Doctors in Taiping Dao implement a system similar to that of artisans. They are not classified according to the nine-rank classification system, but their salary and grade are determined according to the level of their skills.

Non-governmental doctors do not issue salaries, and salaries are only issued to military doctors and doctors in imperial hospitals, but they can all obtain grades.

Thinking of Yan Zhong, Xu An also looked sad.

When asked about Yan Zhong's body, Hua Tuo was also a little helpless.

Yan Zhong's health is deteriorating. Old injuries from his youth and overwork in recent years have been tormenting Yan Zhong's spirit and body.

Xu An came back to his senses, there was still business waiting for him to deal with, he couldn't keep thinking about other things.

"All localities are also recruiting people who want to expand their borders. The first batch of applicants has already reached about [-] people. When the Western Regions are settled, I will send troops to escort the first batch of immigrants to the Western Regions to enrich the area."

Unlike the previous Han courts who set up the Western Regions Protectorate or Changshifu just to control the trade routes and not interfere too much in the Western Regions, this time Xu An is going to make some changes.

In the name of Taiping Road, Xu An contributed funds to subsidize cattle, rice seeds, agricultural tools and land, and at the same time reduced or exempted the initial tax, and the people who moved their families could get a lot of land.

For immigrants who voluntarily go to the Western Regions, Xu An stipulates that no tax will be collected within five years, and the tax will be halved after another five years.

There are not many taxes collected by Taiping Road, only land tax and labor support money. When going to the Western Regions, there are tax exemptions, tax reductions, and various subsidies. Although the sky is high and the earth is thousands of miles apart, it is still Attracted a considerable number of people to sign up to participate.

The countries in the Western Regions of the Han Dynasty did not need to pay taxes to the Han Dynasty. The soldiers and officials stationed in the Western Regions of the Han Court received their supplies and offerings entirely from the farmland and the imperial court, and did not need to pay taxes from other countries.

However, such a model actually costs a lot, and the loss between Dunhuang County and Duhufu is quite large, especially since Dunhuang County is not yet a grain-producing area.

What Xu An wanted was to completely strengthen the control over the Western Regions, so that the countries in the Western Regions would not only surrender on the surface, but also identify with the Ming Kingdom from the bottom of their hearts.

"The Ministry of Rites has already learned about the situation of the countries in the Western Regions. The cabinet believes that the military strength of the countries in the Western Regions is weak. Our army can completely control the Western Regions and reopen the Protectorate of the Western Regions."

In the past, Xu An planned to abolish most of the old system in the Han Dynasty. When it stabilized after reopening the Western Region Protectorate, Xu An planned to demand tribute and tax from the Western Region countries, and also required them to send troops to assist in the war.

In the Han Dynasty, the communication and transportation conditions were low, and the population was not large. It is really unrealistic to maintain a too wide territory.

But in addition to direct control, there is another system worth learning, and that is the tribute system that has been gradually established since the Qin and Han Dynasties.

However, the tribute system has become a superficial work in the later stage, which is only used to whitewash the prosperity.

What Xu An intends is to establish a real tributary system, so that the tributary system is not just a system of whitewashing the prosperous age, but a powerful means to control the surrounding countries, using these surrounding tributary countries as the country's barrier, As a forward who continues to expand the territory.

Now the kings of the Western Regions are not weak, and they have a high degree of control over the country.

In the beginning, being bold and resolute will only arouse their resistance, but it will be difficult to gain a foothold. Although the Yellow Turban Army is not afraid of force, but the old events of the Huns period have triggered resistance, but it will cause economic losses to Taipingdao, which is not appropriate. , a small loss outweighs the big.

What Xu An wants to implement is the policy of boiling frogs in warm water.

The kings of Kucha, Shanshan and other countries are old and have strong control over the kingdom, but their successors do not have much prestige.

What Xu An wanted was to wait until a few years, or ten years later, the new king would replace the old one, and the Tweeting Order would also be implemented in the Western Regions.

However, the prerequisite for implementing the Tweet Order is to have a strong military force and legal recognition.

With a strong military force and legal recognition, Xu An has already prepared everything.

When the Western Regions are stabilized, Xu An will entrust the kings of the Western Regions. The big country is a marquis, and its king is awarded a marquis. China is an earl country, and its king is awarded an earl.

This has legal recognition. When the control of the Taiping Dao is strengthened, and new kings from various countries in the Western Regions successively succeed to the throne, it is time to implement Tweet.

With a strong military guarantee, the kings of the Western Regions have no choice but to oppose it.

"This time I went to the Western Regions, accompanied by hundreds of talismans. They all graduated from Taoist halls and had studied talismans at the National Academy and the County Academy. There were also more than [-] craftsmen from various industries."

"When the Protectorate of the Western Regions is reopened and the situation in the Western Regions stabilizes, let those craftsmen build my Taoist temples of the Way of Peace in the cities of various countries in the Western Regions, and then Fu Zhu will spread the morals of the Way of Peace, and then let the artisans under the control of our army In the area directly under the Central Government, if a college is to be built, the princes of the countries in the Western Regions must go to the college to study and study."

"The name is tentatively set as 'Daming Western Regions Protectorate College'."

"After bringing Dawan into the scope of the Protectorate of the Western Regions, we can begin to implement this system."

Xu An turned his head and looked at Guo Tai solemnly.

"The Western Regions are extremely important to our country and cannot be lost."

"For a long time, I have seen and remembered all the achievements you have made and what you have done for the Taiping Dao. Long live the peace."

"Going to the Western Regions is thousands of miles away from Chang'an. Everyone in the world thinks it's hard to leave their homeland, but sometimes they have to."

Xu An patted Guo Tai on the shoulder and sighed softly.

"Predecessors plant trees and future generations enjoy the shade. Each generation has its own mission. Our mission is to build a brand new country from scratch."

The Western Regions are too far away from the Central Plains, and the central part of the Western Regions is thousands of miles away from the Chang'an Road.

In this era, the distance between thousands of miles is almost the same as the distance between heaven and earth. It takes more than half a month to deliver an urgent military order of eight hundred miles. under.

"promise."

Guo Tai respectfully agreed.

"Serving the country, it's hard work."

Guo Tai's respect for Xu An was not out of fear, but out of respect.

Even now, he still remembers what happened in the third year of Zhongping (186).

With the destruction of millions of yellow scarves, there seems to be no hope for Taiping Dao. He led the soldiers and civilians who followed him to fight persistently in the deep mountains, and still did not give up. In general, the county soldiers of Shangdang County were defeated with a destructive force, and the entire Shangdang County was unified, allowing Guo Tai to see hope again.

On the north side of the Wangwu Mountains, the two armies after the reunion gathered together.

The shouts spread throughout the camp of the Yellow Turban Army at that time.

The deafening shout spread to all directions and resounded through the mountains!

Under the command of General Baibo, he followed Xu An all the way to the north and south, until now.

The biggest advantage of following Xu An's command is that it can save worry and effort, because Xu An has always made decisions before acting, and every order or order he issued is very clear, basically there is no ambiguity.

Guo Tai's trust in Xu An is actually not much worse than that of Gong Du and Liu Pi. Xu An has revitalized Taipingdao, developed and grown again, and has already won Guo Tai's loyalty.

……

In the morning of March 194th in the fifth year of Chuping ([-]).

The mighty official caravan of the Ming Dynasty officially set off from Chang'an Square.

In addition to the official caravan, there are also many private merchants who carry a lot of goods. They also drive their own trucks and follow behind the team. They also want to go to the Western Regions to exchange for some treasures in the Western Regions. sell inland.

Following the official caravan, all aspects of safety can be guaranteed, and their joining has also made the caravan much larger.

On both sides of the street, there were crowds of people watching. They had heard that Taiping Road was about to reopen the Protectorate of the Western Regions. Although the reopening of the Protectorate of the Western Regions had little to do with their daily lives, they still When they came out to see them off, they also felt honored to reopen the Protectorate of the Western Regions.

Huaxia people have always been proud, whether they are powerful families or ordinary people.

The send-off team was mighty, not even smaller than a caravan.

Xu An personally sent Guo Tai all the way to the west gate of Chang'an City. Not only Xu An, but also all the generals who knew or didn't know Guo Tai hurried over tacitly.

"When your term of office expires, we will probably unify the world, and we will wait for you to come back and have a drink together!"

Gong Du patted Guo Tai's shoulder boldly, and laughed roughly.

"Hahahahaha."

Hearing Gong Du's invitation, Guo Tai couldn't help laughing out loud, and everyone burst into laughter.

Even though Gong Du has now become the head of the military attache, apart from being above the imperial court, he still gets along with them as before in life.

"At that time, just don't be reluctant to give up good wine, but I heard that the wine made from grapes in the Western Regions is excellent. I will go to the Western Regions by then, and I will send you some every year."

Liu Pi's personality is somewhat different from Gong's, and his way of expressing emotions is more restrained.

He stepped forward and hugged Guo Tai solemnly. He is not very good at expressing himself with words, so he can only express it with actions.

The crowd was noisy, and everyone was saying goodbye to Guo Tai.

Although it was lively, it was hard to hide the sadness of the farewell in the hearts of everyone.

"Minggong."

Guo Tai walked to the front of the crowd and in front of Xu An.

"This trip to the Western Regions will definitely live up to Duke Ming's expectations. It is decided that we, Da Ming, will take down the Western Regions and reopen the Protectorate of the Western Regions, thinking that we are the barrier to the west of the Ming Dynasty."

Thousands of words gathered in Xu An's heart, but in the end they only gathered into two words.

"Take care of yourself."

Xu An patted Guo Tai on the shoulder, unable to say anything else.

The term of office of the Protector of the Protectorate of the Western Regions is tentatively set at ten years, and this time Guo Tai will leave for a full ten years.

When he and Guo Tai proposed the establishment of the Protectorate of the Western Regions, Guo Tai did not refuse, nor did he complain, and he accepted the task without much hesitation.

Just like Liu Pi and Gong Du, Guo Tai has already put everything on Xu An, and is willing to dedicate his life to the Taiping Dao. They are the most steadfast and pious members of the Taiping Dao. believer.

Guo Tai stepped on the horse beside him, and bowed solemnly to the people who were seeing him off.

"Take care of yourself!"

With the sound of horseshoes, Guo Tai's banner slowly moved westward, joining the winding procession on the official road.

On the official road, countless earth-yellow banners fluttered in the wind, one after another four-wheeled carriages loaded with goods ran over the smooth official road, and one after another, majestic soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army rode horses Slowly go forward from both sides of the official road.

"Go out the east gate and don't care about returning."

Guo Tai was startled, he heard Gong Du's voice.

"Come to the door, feel sad."

Another song sounded, and Guo Tai recognized who the owner of the voice was, it was Liu Pi's voice.

"There is no bucket of rice in the ounce, and there is no hanging clothes on the shelf."

Fog suddenly appeared in front of Guo Tai's eyes. It was the voices of the crowd. Although they were not in order, they could still hear the lyrics they sang.

"Draw out your sword and go to the east gate. The children and mothers in the house hold their clothes and cry."

The voice gradually became more orderly, and the singing gradually became louder.

"His family hopes to be rich and honored, and the concubine will feed the king with you."

Guo Tai's eyes were a little blurry, and he remembered what happened in the seventh year of Guanghe.

Wrapped in a yellow scarf and holding a sharp knife, he stood in front of the queue, surrounded by endless comrades wearing yellow scarves like him.

"The sky is dead, the yellow sky should stand, the age is in Jiazi, and the world will be prosperous!"

Shouting frantically, they stormed into the city, opened the granary in the city, and opened the granary to release grain to save tens of thousands of hungry people outside the city.

That night, in the camp, they were also so happy, they raised their arms and sang loudly.

North of Wangwu Mountain, the night he reunited with Gong Du and others.

Under the night sky, the singing in the camp is also so loud.

Tens of thousands of people sang the song "Dongmen Xing" together.

The high-pitched song spread to all directions and resounded through the mountains.

"The top uses Canglang Tian, ​​and the bottom should use this yellow mouth. This is not the case!"

"Hey! Okay! It's too late for me to go! It's hard to live with white hair these days."

In the west of Chang'an City, the singing is loud and clear.

The sound vibrates the trees, and the clouds move high.

(End of this chapter)