A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1156: Red Heart
The new leader of the Zhuxie tribe in Chuyue was called Zhuxie Chixin. His original name was not this. He was the cousin of Yuanshijin Ajue, but he had a great grudge against Ajue. This was a blessing in disguise. When Ajue and Helu rebelled against the Tang Dynasty, he did not participate with his own tribe.

After Ajue was beheaded, Wu Huaiyu asked the Zhuxie tribe to nominate a new leader. After learning of the existence of such a person, he summoned him and gave him the name Chixin.

The other leaders of the Zhuxie tribe were not stupid either, so they tactfully recommended Chixin as the new Jijin.

Zhuxie Chixin was a man who knew the times. When he saw Wu Huaiyu, he knelt down and kissed his boots. He also called Wu Huaiyu "adult" and called himself "slave Chixin".

Of course Wu Huaiyu was unwilling to acknowledge a son who was much older than himself, but his attitude still satisfied Wu Huaiyu, so she requested the title of General of the Central Army for him.

The Jin Manchu Governorate of the original Zhuxie tribe had been abolished and replaced by Zhengzhou and Tingzhou, which were directly under the imperial court. Futu City and Mohe City were occupied and controlled by the Tang army. The Tang army also set up Hanhai Army, Shenxian Town, Xianquan Town, Qinghai Town, Dushan Shouzhuo, Juliucheng Shouzhuo, Zhangbao Shouzhuo, and Wuzai Shouzhuo on the original territory of the Zhuxie tribe.
In addition, the new Jingsai Army was established in Luntai Town.

Tingzhou was originally the territory of Zhuxie tribe, and it is said that there were a large number of Tang Dynasty military garrisons and castles.
The two armies, three towns and four garrisons, had no fewer garrison troops than those in the Western Province.
As the seat of the Anxi Protectorate, Xizhou was protected by Tingzhou and Yizhou, so the garrison consisted of only the Anxi Ya Army, the Tianshan Army, and a Chiting Guard.
The Tang army stationed in Tingzhou was the largest in the Western Regions at that time.

The Hanhai Army was stationed in Khanfutu City, the largest city north of Tianshan Mountain, and the Jingsai Army was stationed in Luntai, the most important Baiyangkou passage between the two states in the west.

Each army had 5,000 men, with three towns and four garrisons under them belonging to the two armies. To the west, the four newly established garrison castles in the Yanpozhou Governor's Office had a total of 4,000 men and were also managed by the Jingsai Army.

The two armies of Tingzhou commanded 14,000 Tang troops.

The Ya Army, Tianshan Army and one guard in Xizhou only had a total of 6,000 troops.

Tingzhou became the most important place in the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty and the focus of its operations.

This was originally the territory of the Chuyue Zhuxie tribe, and the Chumi tribe was nomadic. Wu Huaiyu's strategy was to focus on suppressing and weakening the Zhuxie tribe, and as for the Chumi tribe, he moved most of them to the south of the Eso Mountain, letting them live with the Yanqi and Shunishi people, leaving only some small tribes to roam west of Luntai Town.

The Zhuxie tribe was the most severely suppressed by Wu Huaiyu.

They had already suffered two to three thousand casualties in the war, and tens of thousands were captured. Tens of thousands of livestock were also taken away, and the most prestigious leader was even beheaded.

Wu Huaiyu selected a small tribal leader and named him Chixin, and made him the new leader. Then he kept the captives and made them do hard labor to build cities and roads for a year.
The remaining Zhuxie tribesmen were also re-divided into different regions east of Luntai. They became nomads under the jurisdiction of Tingzhou. They were registered, given leaders at all levels, and taxed and conscripted.
The remaining tribes of the Zhuxie tribe can only roam within the designated areas and are not allowed to cross the boundaries.

Wu Huaiyu gave Zhu Xie some of his property.
Zhuya Chixin was the chief of the tribe, and was a member of the Tang Dynasty. He was granted the title of General of the Central Army and concurrently the Sima of Tingzhou. The rest of the tribes were also assigned to the various military garrisons of Tingzhou and placed within the scope of the military city, becoming the city-side tribes.

Wu Huaiyu divided pastures among them. General internal affairs could be handled by their respective leaders, just like the clans in the mainland handled their own affairs. However, matters involving military, criminal and other matters were handled uniformly by the military garrison to which they belonged according to the law.

The leaders of the various Zhuye tribes were also granted military service and other positions.

The Zhuxie tribe lost the power to set up a vassal governor's office and state, and could only completely become a city-side tribe of the Tang court state, losing many of their autonomy, and their tribe also had to perform military service.
Each tribe would organize a city-surrounding army in peacetime. In their spare time, they would herd sheep and horses, and would be called up for training. Once a war broke out and the military garrison called them up, they would have to provide their own food and clothing and ride horses to assist in the battle.

The tribes around Tingzhou City are mainly Zhuxie, Chumi, Chumukun, and even Karluk.

Tingzhou has such a large oasis and excellent pastures. Originally, there were many Hu tribes, but now Wu Huaiyu has redistributed them.
The imperial court directly governed Zhengzhou, and had two armies, three towns and four guard posts stationed there. Then it would move some Han people from the inland areas, Gaochang and Yiwulu to this area to cultivate land and graze.

The situation in Tingzhou will definitely be relatively complicated in the future.
However, Tingzhou has 10,000 garrisons and is in charge of another 4,000 garrisons. In addition, the tribal soldiers nearby the city can also be recruited at any time for tens of thousands. Therefore, the prospects for Tingzhou are still very good.

Zhuxie Chixin is a man who knows the current affairs, has a broad perspective, and has a good vision. Although he was suppressed by Ajue in the beginning, he has a good vision and abilities.

Wherever he went, everyone in public called him "Wu Huaiyu" (an adult). He did not act like Shi Jin of the Zhuxie tribe at all. However, he was not ashamed of it at all but proud of it. He also did not allow people from the Zhuxie tribe to call him Shi Jin anymore, but instead called himself Sima of Tingzhou and Lieutenant General of the Left Wuwei Guard of the Tang Dynasty.

If Wu Huaiyu had not firmly disagreed, he would even have changed his surname to Wu, to Wu Chixin.

Four heads weighing 100 kilograms,

The two Khans, Mishe and Bobu, were greatly frightened. The two minor Khans, Buzhen and Moheduo, plus Dachu and Dashijin of the Ten Arrows Tribes in the east and west, as well as Shijin of other tribes, and the kings of the Western Regions,
All were shocked.
No matter how much you say, it won't be as effective as putting four heavy heads in front of them.

"The Khan of Heaven was merciful and issued an edict that all the barbarians from various countries who had submitted to the Han Dynasty would be divided into nine classes: the fourth class and above were upper classes, the seventh class and above were lower classes, and the eighth class and below were lower classes.

The tax for upper-class households is ten cents, for lower-class households it is five cents, and for the lowest-class households it is exempt.

For those who have been in the army for more than two years, the upper households shall pay two sheep, the lower households shall pay one sheep, and the lower households shall pay one sheep in total. In places where there are no sheep, the estimated value of white sheep shall be used as a light commodity. If there is a conscription, the conscripts shall be required to provide their own saddled horses. If the conscription is more than 30 days, the conscripts shall be exempted from paying sheep that year.

All children born after surrendering are treated as common people and cannot be considered as foreign residents. "

Wu Huaiyu announced another decree in public, which was a taxation policy.

Regardless of whether it is the Fanhu tribes in the vassal prefectures and states, or the Fanhu tribes in the city walls of the Tang Dynasty's main states, they will all be taxed and pay taxes in the future, but the tax will be light.

That is, taxes were not levied entirely in accordance with the two-tax system of the mainland. Instead, household status was determined first, and then household taxes and sheep were collected according to the status. A high-level household was taxed ten cents in silver and two sheep a year.

This tax rate is not high. After all, ninth-class households are exempt from household tax, and every third household only needs to pay one sheep.

Of course, there is one last thing.

This light tax system was actually limited to the newly surrendered barbarians.
The sons they give birth to in the future will automatically become registered citizens of the Tang Dynasty and will no longer be registered as foreign citizens. Naturally, they will have to pay taxes according to the two taxes.

If a tribe has a population of 10,000, and the average household loses five cents of silver per year, that would be 50,000 silver cents per year. If each household loses one sheep per year, that would mean a total of 10,000 sheep.

Fifty thousand silver coins and ten thousand sheep a year should not be much for the Wanzhang Tribe. However, after all, there was no such tax in the past, and it will still add some expenses if it has to be paid every year.

Take the Ten Arrow Tribes of the Turks in the Western Regions for example. On average, each tribe has more than 10,000 accounts. So the Anxi Protectorate can earn at least 500,000 silver coins and 100,000 sheep a year.

There are also city-states such as Yanqi, Qiuci, Shule, Kangju, and Shiguo.
So theoretically, it would not be a problem for the Anxi Protectorate to collect one million silver coins and two hundred thousand sheep a year.

One million silver coins is equivalent to 32,000 strings of cash, and 200,000 sheep are worth at least 20,000 to 30,000 strings of cash.

This tax revenue was very good for the military expenses of the Anxi Army. Of course, for the tribes, this was only the tax levied by the court on the barbarians and the people who had surrendered to the emperor. The tribes and leaders also had to pay tribute to the emperor every year according to custom. This tribute was mainly based on the output of their respective territories, such as jade, good horses, carpets, felt, etc. In short, the annual tribute was also a considerable expense.

but,

After Wu Huaiyu finished speaking,

But no one objected.
Zhuxie Chixin stood up immediately. This man with a full beard and a thicker body than the dead Ajue, at least two meters tall, punched the strong and hard pectoralis major with his huge fist, making a loud bang.
"Please rest assured, sir. We are also the subjects of the Heavenly Khan and a member of the Anxi Protectorate. Paying taxes and serving in the army is our obligation.
Today, the Khan has shown us a favor by reducing taxes. We are very grateful and will pay the taxes in full.

Moreover, if the imperial court calls for conscription, our Zhuxie tribe will immediately prepare saddles, horses, clothing and food and gather to obey orders without hesitation."

"We still have 7,000 accounts in our Zhuxie tribe. We are willing to pay this year's taxes immediately."

"I will hand over 100,000 coins and 10,000 sheep when I return."

The Zhuxie tribe was the strongest of the three tribes in the Chuyue Alliance. Although the Chuyue were a branch of the Turks and not real Turks, they had followed the Turks for many years and thus had made great progress. Before the Tang army entered the Western Regions, the Zhuxie tribe alone had reached an astonishing scale of 10,000 tents. They also occupied the best oasis grasslands in the north of the Tanhan Mountains and the south of the Shatuo Desert.

But this time Zhuxie's troops also suffered heavy casualties, some even suffered serious injuries.

The battles of Futu City and Helu City, coupled with the Tang army's retaliatory raids, caused 2,000 to 3,000 casualties to Zhuxie's army, and more than 10,000 people were captured.
The loss was more than 30% at once. Although Wu Huaiyu promised to release the captives after they had served one year of labor, no one could be sure what would happen in the future.

In other words, the Zhuxie tribe not only lost its own vassal state and completely became a city-bordering tribe of Tingzhou, but also had more than 10,000 hostages in the hands of the Tang army.

How dare they not be obedient?

There were 7,000 accounts left. According to the light tax system, they could not pay so much silver and sheep. However, Zhuye Chixin shouted out 100,000 silver and 10,000 sheep, and they had to pay them in advance.

This was all to show his loyalty, both to maintain his currently unstable position as leader and to provide some security for the Zhuxie tribe.

One hundred thousand wenyin is only three thousand two hundred copper coins, plus ten thousand sheep. They can still afford it with seven thousand tents in Zhuxie. If they can have a stable guarantee, it is worth it.

Zhuxie Chixin licked very vigorously and vigorously.

Ajue was very tough, but only his head was left in a box in front of everyone.

Zhu Xie Chixin's flattery made the other leaders speechless. They were not sure whether to follow him or not. Not following him would make them seem disloyal.
Then I started to feel uncomfortable and even nauseous.

Beiting Khan Ashina Mishe stood up and expressed their support for the will of the Tian Khan and their willingness to immediately hand over all the household silver and sheep for this year. They also said that to support Anxi's castle construction, post station repairs, and garrison expenses, they were willing to pay a little more, just like Chixin, to make the total up.

Mishe's statement, of course, thin cloth can't lag behind,
Then the leaders of the five Dulu and five Nushibi in the east and west wings had to bite the bullet and promise to pay this year's taxes immediately, whether they were willing or not.

At this time, Wu Xiangguo might not be able to remember who is more active, but he will definitely remember who is not active or even silent.

The kings of Kucha and Yanqi could not fall behind, of course. Fortunately, their countries were small and their populations were few and far between, with only tens of thousands of households. The tax silver and sheep were not much. It was just that the nine surnames of Hu in Hezhong, Zhaowu, Sogdia, etc. were far away, and it would be a long journey to transport sheep to Xizhou.
Wu Huaiyu smiled brightly, "For all the countries and tribes that are unable to transport sheep to Xizhou due to the long distance, they can exchange them for gold and silver at the market price."

Wu Xiang was very considerate. Since the journey was far, he didn't need to herd the sheep. He could just convert the money into silver or gold and send it over.

Wu Huaiyu didn't mind at all that they paid this year's taxes in advance, and he didn't mind that they rounded up the amount and paid more, because these were not given for free.

Those were conquered by the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty with iron and blood.

If the Tang army had not marched westwards and fought so fiercely and achieved such impressive results, who would be so willing to pay taxes and serve in the army?

This is what the Tang Dynasty deserves.

Wu Huaiyu accepted the loyalty and kindness of the barbarians with a smile.

He pounded on the table with his hands.

"That's the deal. Now let's talk about the next thing."

"I am planning to build a new Anxi Military Academy in Gaochang and am now recruiting students from the Western Regions and various tribes of foreigners and barbarians."

There were 3,000 students in the first term of the Military Academy, and the course lasted three years.

The recruitment criteria were mainly the noble sons of the Turkic tribes and the Western Regions, and the age requirement was between 18 and 25 years old, young and strong.
After passing the assessment and being selected to become a student at the Military Academy, they also had another identity, that is, the Anxi Army Guards. These Hu people guards had another potential identity,
That's the hostage.

"After these selected elite children from various tribes have been trained in the Military Academy for three years, I will recommend the outstanding ones to Chang'an to join the imperial court's Northern Court Forbidden Army and become the emperor's personal army. The rest of the outstanding ones will also be granted official positions after graduation."

Selecting 3,000 elite children of Turkic and other nobles from various countries to enter Xizhou to join the Military Academy and the Ya Army can not only increase the combat effectiveness of the Tang army, but also give them more leverage. With 3,000 elite children of nobles as hostages, they have to think twice before doing anything.

Wu Huaiyu's calculations were so well known that even the Khan of Chang'an could hear them.
The khans, Chushe, Shiqin and kings all understood clearly in their minds, but they could not refute it. The Prime Minister was willing to choose your children to be his personal guards and even teach them military tactics. It was a grace and a blessing. Why didn't you agree?

You are not loyal!

However, there are so many tribes and countries in the Western Regions, and sending 3,000 hostages would not be a big deal for each tribe or country, so it is barely acceptable.

Zhu Ye Chi Xin stood up again and expressed his wish that he could go to the Military Academy to receive training in person and accept the instruction of the Prime Minister. Unfortunately, he was too old, but he hoped to send all his seven sons who were of the right age to the Military Academy so that they could all listen to the Prime Minister's instruction and become his personal soldiers and attendants to guard the Prime Minister.

"I, Zhuxie Chixin, have no other abilities except the ability to give birth to sons. I have more than thirty sons, seven of whom are between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five. Send them all to me."

Wu Huaiyu laughed, "I also have more than 20 sons, and you have more than me. Well, since Zhuxie Sima is so enthusiastic, I can't reject you. Let them all come. I will admit them all as an exception."

(End of this chapter)