A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 985 Lingnan Chaos

"Your Majesty, there is a rebellion in Luodou Cave in the south of Lingnan. Please return to Lingnan."

In Beihai, Taiji Palace, Wu Huaiyu accompanied the emperor on a boat trip, and Wu Huaiyu once again proposed to return to Lingnan.

"Why did the barbarians rebel in Luodou Cave?" the prince asked.

Doulu Kuan, Minister of the Ministry of War, said from the side, "I have received some reports from the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The rebellion in Luodou Cave was all caused by Dang Renhong, the governor of Guangzhou."

The Minister of War came well prepared, and today he wanted to bring down Dang Renhong.

He had long collected a lot of evidence of Dang Renhong's corruption. As a result, Dang Renhong committed suicide and started a barbarian rebellion in Lingnan. The scale of this rebellion was not small, and almost all the barbarians in Luo Doudong were forced to rebel.

Luo Dou Cave is a barbarian that is difficult to rule in Lingnan. It has always been unruly, and the competition between various forces here has always been chaotic.

In the previous battles between naturalization and anti-naturalization, Chen Longshu, Feng An, Li Guangdu and others failed to settle the matter. Later, Wu Huaiyu suppressed it forcefully.

But now it's the other way around.

Dang Renhong immediately sent people to ask Luo Doudong and other barbarian tribes for money.
The various ministries paid a tribute to the governor, but Dang Renhong was not satisfied, so he began to send troops into the mountains in the name of combating smuggling and encircling and suppressing bandits.
Dang Renhong captured many people from the barbarian tribe, including some of the leader's children.

They were unable to stand in Guangzhou, but they brought it upon themselves, and even the emperor could not protect them.

Now none of the barbarians could sit still and rebelled one after another.

Li Shimin looked at him, then looked at Wu Huaiyu, "Huaiyu, what do you think about Dang Renhong?"

Originally, these states were all under the control of the Feng family, the Gaozhou Dudufu, but last year the Gaozhou Dudufu was withdrawn, and the states east of Yunkai Mountain were all under the Guangzhou Dudufu.

Last year, Wu Huaiyu merged prefectures and counties in Lingnan, Douzhou, Panzhou, and Gaozhou were merged into Gaozhou, and Bianzhou and Luozhou were merged into Huazhou.

Dang Renhong also reported the victory to the imperial court and asked for credit. He said that Luo Doudong was a rebel. He personally led his troops to attack them and achieved a great victory. He destroyed seven villages, captured more than 7,000 people, and beheaded more than 1,000 people.

Later, he stayed in the Prince of Qin's Mansion, accompanying Li Shimin on his expeditions east and west, and made many achievements. Since then, he has worked hard to guard the southwest. Although some people have always reported that Dang Renhong was rough and greedy, the situation in the southwest was special, so the court only verbally reprimanded him a few times.

His observation of Lingnan and the management of the four provinces had to comply with the emperor's wishes. The emperor had already removed Fujian and Jiaozhou, and transferred 40,000 troops. How could Wu Huaiyu still not understand the emperor's thoughts?

Especially since Wu Huaiyu has been in Beijing for the past six months, Dang Renhong must bear full responsibility for the Luo Doudong rebellion.

"Dang Renhong deserves to be punished for his crime. If we don't kill Dang Renhong, it will not be enough to quell the anger of the people in Lingnan." Doulu Kuan said again.

"Your Majesty, after Dang Renhong arrived in Guangzhou, he was extremely greedy. He asked for bribes and accepted gifts everywhere. He embezzled more than one million yuan. This time Luo Doudong's rebellion was completely driven by his greed." Doulu Kuan's moves were fierce.

"Your Majesty, please recall Dang Renhong. If Dang Renhong doesn't leave, there will be no peace in Lingnan." What he said made Li Shimin unable to answer. Dang Renhong was originally a Sui general. When Li Yuan marched into Chang'an, he led two thousand troops. He surrendered and made great contributions to the capture of Chang'an.

Dang Hongren immediately led his troops to conquer, destroyed several villages, and captured more than 7,000 barbarians, old and young. He directly sold all these barbarians to slave traders. Two of the villages he conquered did not participate in the rebellion at all, but Dang Renhong ignored these and attacked and conquered them anyway, and then sold all the villagers, old and young, into slavery.

Li Shimin transferred him from the governor of Rongzhou to the governor of Guangzhou. He still valued his ability. Secondly, it was also because he had no personal relationship with Wu Huaiyu.
Unexpectedly, Dang Renhong caused such a big mess in such a short time in Guangzhou.

Originally, I wanted to reuse Dang Renhong to balance Wu Huaiyu in Lingnan, but now it seems that it was a mistake.

"I recommend Doulu Huairang, the governor of Shaozhou, to inspect the school as the governor of Guangzhou. He has performed well in Shaozhou and is famous for his political achievements and reputation. He is also familiar with the customs and customs of Lingnan. He can take office immediately.

Li Shimin frowned.

This time, Luo Dou Cave is indeed closely related to Dang Renhong. After he took office as the governor of Guangzhou, he reached out to make money everywhere, and reached Luo Dou Cave.

Doulu Kuan has long wanted to engage Dang Renhong,
This is not a handle that is brought to the door. I will take advantage of today's opportunity to report it directly to the emperor.

Wu Huaiyu's words not only blocked Dang Renhong's way back to Guangzhou, but also showed the emperor's attitude that he did not want to be the governor.

"Called Dang Renhong back to Chang'an to be investigated by the Third Division. The Three Divisions jointly sent people to Guangzhou for strict investigation."

The emperor looked at the water of Beihai Lake,

In short, Dang Renhong did not regard the barbarians as human beings.

There is Hou Junji in the front and Dang Renhong in the back.

Li Shimin knew Dang Renhong's greedy character in his heart, but now that Doulu Kuan had exposed it directly to his face, it was almost certain that this matter was true.

"Your Majesty, I apologize that I cannot act as the Governor of Guangzhou. I would like to ask Your Majesty to select a new Governor."

Douzhou and Bianzhou, where the two great barbarians of Yunkai Mountain were located, were both evacuated.

The emperor sighed,

He opened his mouth to the savage lion and threatened to kill these 'smugglers and bandits' if they did not pay. The tribe quickly sent money,

"Prince?"

"Huaiyu, I originally wanted you to stay with me in Chang'an, but now it seems that you have to clean up the mess in Lingnan."

"Let's go to Linhu Palace."

"Recommend a suitable candidate." The emperor took advantage of the situation.

"Your Majesty, I think that Dang Renhong is talented, but he is greedy. Now it is best to send a supervisor to investigate immediately."

But Dang Renhong has a big appetite. He wants more money, and even the lands of those tribes, the mines they own, etc.

The barbarians really couldn't afford much money, and they were unwilling to give Dang Renhong their tribe's most fertile fields, and they were even more unwilling to hand over the mines. Seeing that these people were dishonest, Dang Renhong publicly executed a group of barbarians. The barbarians took prisoners, which aroused the anger of the barbarians.
Several major tribes united and entered Xinyi City, rescued the imprisoned tribesmen, and finally robbed the county seat, killed the officials, and finally set a fire.

Wu Huaiyu, the governor of Guangzhou, was certainly not suitable to be the governor, and the emperor certainly did not want him to be.

"You can temporarily act as the governor of Guangzhou."

"Your Majesty, I also agree to send a supervisor to investigate immediately. It is best to suspend him first and recall him to Chang'an."

Your Majesty can let him inspect the school for a year and a half first, and then see whether he is in charge based on his performance. "

The oarsmen on the dragon boat rowed the oars and rowed the dragon boat southward from the North Sea, through the West Sea to the South China Sea. Relying on the shore, the emperor took the prince, Huaiyu and others off the dragon boat and came to the Linhu Palace on the shore.

Stepping into the Linhu Palace, Li Shimin couldn't help but think of the day he launched the palace coup in June of the 9th year of Wude, and he was sitting in command at the Linhu Palace.

"Doulu Huairang did a good job in Shaozhou, but his term as governor has not yet expired, and now there is a rebellion in Luo Dou Cave. No matter what the reason for the rebellion, the rebellion must be put down quickly.

The governor of Guangzhou not only needs to have the ability to govern the place, but also needs to have experience in commanding troops. In this regard, Doulu Prince Consort is somewhat lacking. "

Doulu Huairang is Li Shimin's brother-in-law. He knows this brother-in-law very well. He has no experience in fighting wars, let alone the ability. He can do things like civil affairs, finance and taxation.

"Pengcheng County Public Punishment Department, Inspector, Yongzhou, Liu Dewei is famous for his integrity and uprightness. He is also a veteran member of the Communist Party of China. How about letting Liu Dewei go to Guangzhou?"

The emperor's words seemed to be asking for opinions, but in fact it meant that he had already made a decision.

Wu Huaiyu was quite familiar with Mr. Liu. Wu Huaiyu had served as the Minister of Justice at that time. At that time, Liu Dewei was the Minister of the Left and he was the Minister of the Right. Liu Dewei's resume is very rich. He was a native of Pengcheng, Xuzhou, and was a general of the Sui Dynasty. He followed Pei Renji to seize the Jianghuai rebel army, worked with Qin Qiong and Luo Shixin, and later joined Li Mi together, and later followed Li Mi to the Guan and Tang Dynasties.

He was ordered to serve as Sima of the Bingzhou Governor's Office to assist Yuan Ji.

Li Yuan admired and trusted Liu Dewei very much, and even gave the clan daughter Pingshou County Princess to marry Liu Dewei as a continuation, and received the same treatment as Qin Qiong.

Liu Dewei successively served as Shaoqing of Dali, Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, Minister of Dali, Minister of Taipu, Governor of Mianzhou, Chief of the Governor's Office of Yizhou, Minister of Dali, Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, and concurrently inspector of Yongzhou Biejia.

Although he was only the Duke of Pengcheng County, he basically became a civil servant after four years in Wude, and he never achieved military merit.

But the ability of this ex-wife of the Zheng family in Xingyang, the successor of Pingshou County, to win the trust of Li Yuan and Li Shimin is absolutely extraordinary.

What's more, Wu Huaiyu knew that Liu Dewei, the Minister of Punishment, had been inspecting the six schools before.

The emperor said that Liu Dewei was straight and honest, but it would be better to say that he chose Liu Dewei this time. Firstly, he was going to investigate the background of his predecessor Dang Renhong. Secondly, he must also have the mission of balancing supervision of Wu Huaiyu.

"Your Majesty has a keen eye. Liu Gong, a veteran, will surely stabilize Guangzhou immediately." Wu Huaiyu immediately expressed his support, although he had promised Dou Lukuan to join the Party Renhong together, and then promoted Dou Lu Huairang to the governor of Guangzhou.

But now that the emperor doesn't agree, there's no need to force it.

He had no personal relationship with Liu Dewei, but Wu Huaiyu was not worried about any threat to him as the governor of Guangzhou.

Doulu Kuan was obviously disappointed, but he could only echo a few words.

"Huaiyu,"

"You and Liu Dewei go south together, get familiar with each other on the way, and discuss a strategy to stabilize Lingnan. I hope Lingnan can be stabilized and peaceful as soon as possible.

This time the imperial court has transferred a lot of soldiers and horses from Lingnan, but this is what the situation requires. I don’t want Lingnan to be in chaos again because of this,"

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. There are still 20,000 garrison troops and 10,000 government troops in Lingnan, which are enough to stabilize the situation."

Li Shimin nodded, "The sea trade and shipping business makes a lot of profits every year. I hope it won't be affected by this. Since the Battle of Songzhou, 50,000 infantry and cavalry troops were mobilized. This lasted until August and September, and the military expenditure was not small. "

"Your Majesty, Lingnan has mobilized tens of thousands of soldiers and horses this time. In the future, military expenditures will be reduced a lot, and local finances should be able to save more.

When I returned to Lingnan, I immediately took out 40,000 guan of money from the prefecture to pay tribute to cover military expenses. "

Forty thousand strings.

This is in addition to the share of Lingnan’s fiscal and taxation turned over to the national treasury.

Doulu Kuan was surprised when he heard this.

Wu Huaiyu is really generous. Now a piece of silk only costs 200 yuan, which can be exchanged for 200,000 pieces of silk. The price of rice in Chang'an is only five qian, and this money can buy 800,000 shi of rice.

Li Shimin was a little excited after hearing this, "Can Lingnan really spare such a large amount of money again?"

"Everyone, tighten your belts, try to save as much as possible, and always stick to the court first. Besides, the court has transferred tens of thousands of soldiers from Lingnan this time. These soldiers have twelve stones of grain and seven bolts of silk a year, plus new year's rewards. Wait, each soldier needs at least twelve stones of grain and twelve bolts of silk for a year. In addition, there are also a lot of expenses such as weapons and equipment.

Ten thousand soldiers a year require 120,000 stones of grain and 120,000 bolts of silk, and the expenses for camps, castles, ordnance, training, and raising horses and mules are also very large."

The annual military expenditure of 40,000 town garrison troops, the most basic of which is 500,000 stone, 500,000 bolts of silk, plus horses, equipment, training, camps, etc., it will cost over one million a year.

Li Shimin laughed loudly, "If all the ministers in the dynasty are like Wu Huaiyu, then why should I worry about prosperity?"

To be honest, Wu Huaiyu actually had no objection to the emperor transferring tens of thousands of troops from Lingnan. In fact, this was a huge expense burden for the previous imperial court to require Lingnan to retain its own finances and taxes to support the garrison troops.

Now the four Lingnan prefectures only have 20,000 troops left, which is a real reduction in the burden.

Nowadays, the situation in Lingnan is much better than in the early days of Zhenguan. It is true that there is no need for so many troops to guard the city. With the transfer of 40,000 troops, the emperor feels more relieved about Lingnan, and the burden on Lingnan is also much lighter.

It can be said that this is a double benefit for the court and the local government.
Previously, Dang Renhong led thousands of troops to conquer Luo Dou Cave, but he still defeated them until they abandoned their helmets and armor. He easily broke through several villages and captured 7,000 people.

Lingnan Road now has four prefectures and thirty-seven prefectures. Even if the imperial court transfers another ten thousand and only retains ten thousand garrison troops, plus ten thousand prefectural troops, it will actually be enough to maintain peace.

Forty thousand guan, for today's Lingnan Road, even though it has just been separated from the twenty states, Lingnan is quite wealthy now, and 40,000 guan is very easy to pay.

What's more, the money is not your own, so why feel bad? Rather than letting the emperor ask for it, it is better to take the initiative to pay tribute, which will give you more room.

Not long after Wu Huaiyu returned home, Liu Dewei came to visit.

"Wu Gong plans to go south one day?"

"When is it convenient for Mr. Liu to leave?"

"anytime."

"Then tomorrow?"

"it is good."

"Mr. Wu, I have a request."

"If you have anything to say, Mr. Liu, please feel free to speak up."

"My eldest son's name is Shenli, and he is currently serving in Zuo Xiaowei. I want to take him to Lingnan this time, and I hope Duke Wu can agree."

"I have heard of Mr. Liu's name for a long time. He is famous for his filial piety and his bravery."

Liu Shenli was born to Liu Dewei and his ex-wife Zheng of Xingyang. However, Zheng died early and he was raised by his grandmother Yuan. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, Liu Dewei accompanied Pei Renji to fight against thieves. Liu Shenli was still young and carried his grandmother from his hometown to cross the border. Jiang avoided the chaos and did not take his grandmother to Chang'an until the world was settled.

He is also very filial to his stepmother, Princess Pingshou, and he is also very friendly to his younger brothers. Although Liu Dewei has been a high-ranking official in recent years, he, like Li Daliang, does not own any property, and his salary and rewards are always used to relieve his tribe and help the poor.

The Liu family in Chang'an has a family of more than 200 people, most of whom are relatives from their hometown.

Even though Liu Dewei was a minister, he lived a relatively poor life. Liu Shenli was now serving as Zuo Xiaowei, and all his salary was given to his stepmother to help support the family.

There are really not many people like Liu Dewei nowadays.

And young people like Liu Shenli are also very rare.

Although Wu Huaiyu didn't like to see the Zheng family in Xingyang, he quite admired Liu Shenli. "If Mr. Liu is willing, he can serve in my military affairs army or in the Qing navy in Guangzhou."

"I am appointed as the governor of Guangzhou. It is not convenient for my son to be in the Qing Navy. It would be best if he can join Duke Wu's military affairs army and get personal training from Duke Wu."

Wu Huaiyu agreed immediately,

He didn't care whether Mr. Liu was Liu Dewei's spy placed beside him, or maybe someone from Six Doors.

He is not afraid of the emperor placing people around him.

(End of this chapter)