Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 957
The first month of the sixth year of Qianning was bitingly cold.

Wang Shifan has already moved into a big house in Wubenfang.The house was originally vacant and was used by high-ranking officials.The servant Zhang Xuanyan who lived here before had already packed his bags and resigned.As for whether he really resigned from office or not, everyone knows what he knows, he has gone to Luoyang.

Wang Shifan's imperial position is a servant, Zhang Xuanyan's theoretical superior, but he is just a prosecutor, so he can't take it seriously.

But living in this house is also in line with status.

During the first lunar month, the sage gave the courtiers a banquet as usual, and watched lanterns together on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and the courtiers were ordered to compose corresponding poems.Wang Shifan also made two songs, which are quite satisfactory and have no bright spots.

This imperial court, he is very disappointed!
The prime ministers either have ulterior motives, or dawdle, or are too busy to touch the ground, but can't do anything.

The overall mood of middle and lower level officials is very negative, pessimistic and disappointed about the future.Especially those newly promoted officials, who are in arrears with their salaries. They are usually dependent on their families, and they can't even support their wives and children. How can they talk about doing things?
So don't blame so many people for finding their own way out.Life is a reality, and it needs money.Even if you are dissatisfied with Shao Shude and don't want to work for him, try to find a job in other feudal towns. Anyway, those feudal commanders are still happy to hire Jinshi as officials, such as Li Keyong.

The neighbor next door to Wang Shifan is Wang Yanchang, who, like Zhang Xuanyan, is a Jinshi who joined Xiao Yu in his early years and worked for Shao Shude.

Zhang Xuanyan, the servant of Qianmen who climbed the highest, won the tribute Jinshi in the first year of Qianfu (874). He started as a servant in the palace, and then went around Helong, and then entered the court as an official and was promoted. Very quickly, he became the servant of the door.Give him a few more years, maybe he can enter the political affairs hall and live the addiction of being a prime minister.

Wang Yanchang was a Jinshi in the second year of Guangming. He passed the Chengdu examination and is currently a member of the Ministry of Criminal Justice Wailang.

These Xiao Clan's party members are self-contained, and their power in the court is still very strong.

The only one who can break the wrist with them is Feng's party, and they are mainly concentrated in the Ministry of Rites, Yushitai, and Dali Temple.

Of course, in the eyes of the court officials, whether it is the Xiao Party or the Feng Party, in essence, it is the Shao Party, which has a loud voice in the court.Although it is not possible to completely control the court, it can indeed greatly affect the government.

"This ruined imperial court, I knew I wouldn't be here, so I'll just seek an official position in Luoyang." Wang Shihui said with a look of displeasure: "King Xia wants to mess with the world, and he must have bribed the military leaders in places like us. Lord, as long as you want to enter the court, there is absolutely no problem in becoming an official. I don’t think the court in Chang’an will last for a few years, and Xia Bing will take over sooner or later.”

"It's not necessary at all." Sitting around the stove, Wang Shilu kept rubbing his hands, and said, "I've been hollowed out every day, and now I can barely maintain a state of not falling apart. The Jiedushi of the Outer Town is not a fool, that's all. In this situation, the money sent will only be less. If the Shao thief takes the court to Luoyang, I doubt whether anyone is willing to send money."

"Whether to send money or not is a trivial matter. The Third Division has set up so many courts in various towns to collect taxes. In the past few years, they were either expelled and robbed by warriors, or they couldn't receive money at all. No soldiers, no power, no money. The Dushi and the governor don't bother to talk to you, how do you collect money?" Wang Shihui sneered.

In fact, to put it bluntly, it is still a matter of prestige.

The imperial court has no prestige, and there are fewer feudal towns willing to make offerings.The taxation agencies located in various places, such as the government office that collects tea money in a big tea-producing state, gradually failed to maintain these agencies, and the overall situation collapsed. A large amount of financial resources were intercepted by the local government and thrown into the war As a result, the fiscal revenue of the imperial court dropped sharply, making ends meet.

If most of the Shence Army hadn't been abolished and lost a lot of expenses, there would be nothing to eat.

"Fifth brother, you have been out and about a lot these days, can you get something?" Wang Shifan asked suddenly.

"Second brother, it's Chinese New Year, and the income is limited." Wang Shilu said: "As far as I know, the most talked about in Chang'an now is that King Xia recruited people to reclaim wasteland in Tang and Deng Sui. Notices are posted everywhere, and many people are very happy. heartbeat."

There are more people in Guanzhong and less land. This is an eternal contradiction and it is difficult to resolve.

In the most densely populated areas of Chang'an and Huazhou, it is impossible for a household to have ten mu of land, and there are many people without land.With the decrease in the inflow of money and food, the citizens of Chang'an who could barely survive have also suffered a great crime.Business is down, there is no job, what to do?The whole family is waiting for the rice to go into the pot.

Shao Shude's land reclamation order hit them seven inches in the face, and it was just right.

Citizens don't know how to farm, it doesn't matter, I go to learn slowly, I am patient, first enrich the local household registration for me.

When people are hungry, their learning ability is still very strong.

"Are there not many people in Tang Town?" Wang Shifan asked.

"Small." Wang Shilu said: "During the pacification of Huaixi, Tang and Deng went through wars with the states. Later, Huang Chao and Qin Zongquan enlisted in the army here, and they were overly cruel. After Zhe Zongben entered Tang Town, this place became the front line again. , was intruded by Ding Hui many times, and the place was dilapidated to the extreme. Last year, Shao Shude forcibly relocated [-] households in Yaozhou, half to Tangzhou and half to Zhengzhou."

According to the edict issued by the imperial court, the seventeen counties in the three prefectures of Tang Town have been merged into Shuofang Town—Shuofang is far away in the north of Guanbei, and Nanyang can be included in it, which is outrageous in itself.

If you don't count the Xiangwei people who migrated in batches, at the end of Zhezongben, there were actually about 20 people left.

This feudal town was very bitter, and it was the backbone of the southern line during the period of stalemate with Zhu Quanzhong. One can imagine how much it was consumed.

Considering that Nanyang had a population of one million in the Han Dynasty, there were only more than 40 people at the peak of the country, and it was 20 at this time. One can imagine how empty it is.

There is one thing to say, the state vigorously cracked down on the aristocratic families, and the number of hermits in Nanyang's population should be much less than that of the Han, Wei, Southern and Northern Dynasties, but there were still so few people that during the Xuanzong Dynasty, a large number of Turkic, Sogdian, and Tuyuhun descendants were resettled. In Nanyang, it is outrageous to divide them into pastures - pastures require a lot of land, and being able to set up pastures in Nanyang itself shows that the local population is sparsely populated.

"In addition to playing tricks in the city, people in Chang'an know how to farm?" Wang Shike couldn't help asking after listening for a long time.

"If you don't, you have to. There are already many people applying." Wang Shilu said: "Chang'an is seeing decline day by day, do you know if it can't support so many people? They will either go to fight as warriors, or open up wasteland and farm land honestly." .No one wants people from Chang’an to serve as soldiers, that’s too terrible. It’s still possible to farm the land, just learn it slowly.”

"How many people does Shao Shude want?" Wang Shike asked again.

"Ten thousand households."

"There are more than [-] poor people in Chang'an."

"He should only be able to afford [-] households for the time being."

"Huazhou, Tongzhou, Qianzhou, Yaozhou, and Chang'an. Over the years, Shao Shude has brought out tens of thousands of people from Kansai. He has planned and planned far-reaching." Wang Shike sighed: "In more than ten years, Henan will also It's totally his."

Wang Shifan listened silently.

Officials in Chang'an are flowing eastward, as are poor city people, and even wealth may be flowing eastward.

The officials who got official positions in Luoyang were grateful to Shao Shude, because they could support the whole family.

The people who got the land in Tang and Deng Sui were grateful to Shao Shude, and they could also support their families.

The merchant made money in Luoyang and praised Shao Shude.

The craftsman got a job in Luoyang and praised Shao Shude.

Chang'an's side is indeed broken.

Of course, this collapse is a long-term process, not a matter of a day or two, but the trend is unmistakable.

With this advantage, Wang Shifan can already foresee that in the not-too-distant future, a Xia army will go west to Guanzhong, or go south from Guanbei to Chang'an, and forcefully move the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty to make final preparations.

There was a noise outside, and several people looked around one after another, only to see Wang Shiyue walking in hastily.

"Second brother, I got some news." Wang Shiyue shook off the snow on her body, stomped her feet again, breathed a sigh of relief, rubbed her hands and walked to the stove, warming up, and said: "There is a Xia army coming from Guanbei to the south, Arrived in Yaozhou."

"Which Xia army, how many people?" Wang Shifan asked in surprise.

"I heard that there are tens of thousands of troops from Heizhu, Jindao, and Feixiong. They are mighty and mighty, and they don't avoid people at all. They are very powerful." Wang Shiyue said.

"I've heard about these troops. Haven't they been in Lingxia before? During the Ziqing war, I didn't see them dispatched. They have been in Guanbei for some years, right?" Wang Shifan asked.

"I heard from Wang Zhengeng, who entered the Zouyuan in Hezhong, that these three troops have been fighting Tatars, Uighurs, and Khitans on the grassland. The envoys are Yang Liang, Xia Sanmu, and Yang Hongwang, and they are all veterans on the battlefield." Wang Shiyue Said: "The three are all cavalry troops. Because the consumption is too large and the supply in Henan cannot be supplied, they have been stationed in Lingxia and raised on the grassland. I reckon that they are also here to change defenses. They come and go. The three Zhi is here, the flying dragon, iron cavalry, and Dingnan armies that fought with us in Yun, Yan, and Qi before should return to Lingxia."

Wang Shifan frowned, and said: "From Guanbei to the south, no matter which road you take, you should go south from Tongzhou. Why did you turn to Yaozhou? This is for Chang'an?"

Wang Shiyue was startled.

"No way..." He said uncertainly.

Master Wang sighed, and said: "When I first came to Chang'an, will the court be gone? Shao Shude is too impatient."

"There is another piece of news. I don't know if it's true or not. I also heard it from people who entered the Zouyuan from the Loyalty Army." Wang Shiyue hesitated, and finally said: "Shao Shude's eldest son, Shao Chengjie, was in Xiangyang to supervise the grain and grass. He didn't go back during the New Year. I have been inviting people to buy military spirits in the Weisheng Army. But suddenly I packed my luggage and headed north. Rumor has it that I will come to Chang'an, and I may be stationed here in the future."

"In the past, Liu Yu left his son Yizhen to guard Chang'an. Could these troops going south be the future team of Shao Chengjie?" Wang Shike asked.

As soon as these words came out, everyone was speechless.

But then again, Shao Shude's troops deployed in Guanzhong and Helong were indeed relatively small, even abnormally small.It's only a matter of transferring tens of thousands of people here. After all, when something happens, it's very troublesome to use troops.

"Xijing's stay-at-home is here, Shao thief really can't wait." Wang Shihui sneered, "I bet Shao Chengjie wants Jing Zhaoyin. A 14-year-old boy is Jing Zhaoyin, and his food is too ugly."

There was silence in the room for a long time, only vague sighs remained.

(End of this chapter)