First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

...

After returning to Yongning City, Gao Chong took Bao Cong directly to the post house.

The Chen family, father and son, returned to the county government office for a secret discussion.

"Now it is certain that the envoy is dissatisfied with the Chen family because of the tax collection in Nanfu Prefecture."

Chen Longshu's face was gloomy. After sitting down in a muffled voice, he banged the table on the desk.

"Jin Kui is seeking his own death. He is just looking for me and does not dare to use troops."

Chen Jiyuan stepped forward to pour tea while frowning, "Aye, I don't think it's Jin Kui. As you said, he doesn't have the courage."

Chen Puguang's face remained as usual. Although he was in the secular world, his heart was already in Buddhism. He was neither happy nor sad. He just said lightly: "In any case, Chen has not offended Jinglue now. This is already very good."

Chen Longshu ignored the "Buddha-like" eldest son and just looked at Chen Jiyuan, "Do you think it's not Jin Kui?"

"He had no such motive."

Chen Jiyuan nodded hesitantly, and said thoughtfully: "That day, Aye, you went to Jiangzhou to pay homage to the governor, and I led the troops to Jindong to interrogate the charges. Jinkui's attitude was respectful, although he did not admit that he was responsible for attacking the county government. , but he also offered a large amount of placer gold, with the hidden meaning of making amends and using the placer gold to deduct taxes.

Now that this matter has been revealed and he doesn't have the guts to completely fall out with me, Mrs. Chen, why would he go to Tongzhou to file a complaint? "

After hearing this, Chen Longshu also felt that it was reasonable. He understood very well that although Jin Dong was the most prosperous among the many Liao tribes in Teliang County, Nanfuzhou, and its leader Jin Kui was also unruly, Jin Kui would never dare to fight with Chen Longshu. His face was torn apart.

Once Mr. Chen is completely offended, most of Jintang's placer gold will be smashed into his hands. Placer gold is gold raw material that has not been purified and smelted, also called raw gold. Although it can be traded, it is difficult to produce its effects without professional refining. Some value.

The reason why Jindong is rich and has Jin as their surname is that they live deep in the Yunkai Mountains, their clan land produces gold sand, and most of their people make a living by panning for gold. This also destined the people of Jindong to be more dependent on the Chen family.

In Longzhou beyond the mountains, only the Chen family has the ability to digest so much gold sand. The two parties have also cooperated stumblingly for many years, so Jin Dong will never dare to fall out.

“Nanfuzhou is more than just one county that shines brightly.”

Just when Chen Longshu and Chen Jiyuan fell into silence and were puzzled, Chen Puguang, who was quietly drinking tea by the side, suddenly said quietly.

Chen Longshu reacted immediately, "Luo Li?"

"It must be that guy!"

Chen Jiyuan suddenly woke up and said through gritted teeth. His expression seemed to be betrayed, his eyes were red, and he looked filled with grief and anger.

In the former Sui Dynasty, Nanfu Prefecture was called Huaide County. It governed an extremely large area and had no real name.

In the fourth year of Wude, two counties, Xinyi County and Tan'e County, were analyzed in Huaide County. All three counties belonged to Longzhou.

Later, Chen Longshu opened up a new state in the Yunkai Mountains and asked for the establishment of Nanfu Prefecture, which governed Teliang and Fulai counties. In addition, Huaide, Xinyi, and Tan'e counties were merged into Nanfu Prefecture.

As a result, the newly born Nanfuzhou has five counties. Its vast area is one of the largest in the world. However, in fact, only the original Huaide County (including Xinyi and Tan'e) accepted the jurisdiction of the imperial court. In essence, it was Under the jurisdiction of Longzhou, Nanfuzhou is in name only.

As for most of the other counties, they are located in deep mountains and dense forests, which are truly uncivilized and barbaric places where wild beasts are rampant, smoke is dense, and there is no human habitation.

The reason why I had not thought of Luo Li before was because the Luo Dou tribe where Luo Li belonged was located in the north of Yunkai Mountains and on the boundary of Fulai County. Fulai was in name only, and there was no county government or official.

Although Luo Li's character is a bit generous, he has always been respectful to the Chen family in Longzhou and does not dare to disobey in the slightest. He almost obeys what is said. At least on the scene, he firmly supports the Chen family.

When Chen Longshu went to Jiangzhou earlier, he led 500 soldiers and recruited [-] soldiers from Luo Dou. Luo Li responded positively to the call without saying a word and recruited [-] soldiers for Chen to drive. He also brought his own food and grass. He was definitely Chen's leader. A loyal fan of the family.

Therefore, Chen Longshu and his son never thought of Luo Li. They all thought it was Jin Kui. After all, that guy dared to attack the county government not long ago.

But after Chen Puguang mentioned it and thought about it carefully, it really might be Luo Li.

"Can Luo Dou's taxes be paid?" Chen Longshu looked at Chen Jiyuan.

Chen Jiyuan had a resolute personality and was quite prestigious. He had always been responsible for collecting taxes.

When Chen Jiyuan heard this, he lowered his head and lowered his eyebrows, not daring to look directly at his father, "No, no."

"Why didn't you pay?" Chen Longshu was immediately angry, "Why didn't you pay?"

Chen Jiyuan lowered his head and responded in a muffled voice, "That fellow Luo Lin has been complaining to me. He only said that the flood last year caused serious damage. He asked me to give him some time, and then he got me drunk. When I woke up, It’s hard for me to mention it again.”

Chen Puguang just looked at his second brother and said nothing. He silently picked up the teapot and poured tea for his father.

Chen Puguang knew his second brother's temperament. Many knights from nearby counties mentioned Chen Jiyuan's name and praised him with admiration.

In terms of life experience, he has an extraordinary birth, and he is the direct son of the Chen family; in terms of force, he is quite brave and is good at wielding a horizontal sword; in terms of status, he is a military attache in the imperial court and serves as a special general in the army; in terms of character, he is loyal and generous, and has always valued righteousness over wealth.

In the Longshui (Xijiang) basin, Erlang Chen was a heroic hero who was famous in several states.

Chen Longshu was helpless when he heard this, so he could only glare at him fiercely, pick up the tea cup and drink it all in one gulp.

"Huh, I'll teach you a lesson."

After calming down for a while, Chen Longshu snorted coldly and reprimanded angrily: "In the past, you claimed to be benevolent, righteous, brave, and a heroic knight in Guangjiao Prefecture and County. Do you think that in Lingnan, you are a heroic hero no matter what you can't do?"

Chen Jiyuan was famous outside, but he was extremely benevolent and filial. He did not dare to disobey his father, so he could only bow his head and listen.

"Although Na Luo Li is from the mountains and is not literate, he is very clever. Do you think he can win over the Luo Dou tribes to unite tightly and secure the position of the chief? It is because of him, Luo Dong force?

He relies on his brains and his methods to defeat those idiots in Dou Xi. He just sees that you have good face, cares about your reputation, and is even more conceited, so he dares to deceive you! "

Chen Longshu kept tapping his fingers on the desk and scolded him.

"What Aye said is true," Chen Jiyuan clenched his fists tightly, "I must take this as a warning."

"It's not just Erlang." Chen Puguang also laughed softly at this time: "The Tongzhou governor Yang Hou must have been tricked by Luo Li."

"Yes, Yang Hou must be involved."

Chen Jiyuan came to his senses, quickly adjusted his emotions and said in a deep voice: "Without Yang Hou's help, the manager would not have known about the taxation. Yang Hou did not dare to offend me, Mr. Chen. Luo Li really thinks he is smart. Incomparable.”

At the end, Chen Jiyuan also gritted his teeth and said sarcastically. "If he wasn't smart, how could he confuse you and Yang Hou?" Chen Longshu scolded lightly.

Then he shook his head with deep emotion and sighed: "In the end, he killed two birds with one stone. He didn't have to pay taxes, and he also got the protection of the economic envoy. In the past, I still underestimated this person."

"Since that guy has been protected by the envoy, the tax can only be given up."

Chen Jiyuan is also a very strategic person, so he naturally knows how to deal with it. "It's just that he arranged this, so I can only look for good opportunities in the future."

The people in front of him were his father and his brother, and Chen Jiyuan did not hide his inner thoughts.

When Chen Puguang heard this, he just shook his head, sighed softly, and closed his eyes without saying a word. In his personal opinion, when will the injustice be repaid, but now from the perspective of the clan, this situation cannot be laughed off, otherwise how will he be able to gain a foothold in the future? .

Chen Longshu was deep in thought and suddenly raised his head and said: "The taxation can be waived. This is to comply with the order of the Jinglue Mansion. However, our Chen family has been based in Longzhou for a hundred years. How can we let him, a thief, scheme against us? After Jinglue leaves, Erlang, you can directly lead the army." Go to Fu Lai to scare Luo Dou. If Luo Li is smart, he should give an explanation, and you can train soldiers."

Chen Jiyuan nodded in response when he heard the words. He was extremely convinced of his father's arrangement in his heart. It could be said to be quite relieving and in line with his temperament.

This may be one of the reasons why Chen Jiyuan is famous for his filial piety. He is extremely filial to his father. In his heart, all the decisions made by his father Chen Longshu are so correct.

The Chen family and his son sat opposite each other for a night discussion. On the other side, the front hall of the post house was also brightly lit with candles.

Gao Chong was sitting in the main seat, accompanied by Tian Yangming, Pang Xiaojie and others. Tian Yangming's eyes were blurred and he was yawning continuously, but he still managed to gather his energy and pretended to listen.

There are four other young men waiting on one side, either grinding ink and laying paper, writing quickly, pouring tea or water, or lighting a lamp to refuel.

Bao Cong in the hall has been narrating for an hour, and his mouth feels dry. He also insists on maintaining the demeanor of a monk, calm and peaceful, neither arrogant nor impetuous.

Just watching Gao Chong again, he was still very interested. Even with Bao Cong's mentality, he couldn't help but feel a little confused.

Although Gao Chong was immersed in it, he could also see everyone's demeanor.

He immediately stood up and bowed deeply to Bao Cong, saying, "I have troubled the Master tonight."

When Bao Cong heard this, he took a deep breath and bowed his head.

"Okay," Gao Chong glared at Tian Yangming helplessly, "Go back."

Tian Yangming stood up suddenly as if he had received an amnesty, and blurted out: "I'm going to see the Master off."

After Bao Cong and others left, Pei Xingjian rubbed his sore wrists, sorted out the bundle of manuscript paper in front of him, and handed it to Gao Chong, "Master, my junior brother's calligraphy is also good. Let him write from now on."

Suddenly Dijin was agitated when he heard this. He woke up from a nap, and he could only look at Pei Xingjian resentfully as he was not good at words.

Gao Chong picked up a thick bundle of manuscript paper and was extremely satisfied when he saw that his words were rigorous and the whole article was fluent and coherent.

Hearing this, he laughed and said, "You, the Secretariat, will take turns writing. Whoever summarizes the best, I will let him be the Secretary-General."

"Secretariat?" The four teenagers heard a novel word again.

They do know about secretaries. Since the Han Dynasty, there have been secretaries, secretaries, secretaries, and others. The officials who are in charge of secretarial documents are called secretaries. This is the first time that the secretary-general has heard of them.

"Well, I'm just an assistant who handles daily affairs and some sundries," Gao Chong said casually, looking at the manuscript paper intently.

"Isn't this just the residence of others and the record room?" Pei Xingjian was a little stunned.

Gao Chong came back to his senses and said directly: "Let's put it this way, after arriving in Guangzhou, if there is not enough manpower, I will definitely entrust you with some things to do. This is also an opportunity for you to practice. This is not an official career, and I will not give it to you. The book you create is just to provide you with a platform for training."

The four of them were overjoyed and agreed one after another.

They are all smart people, and they know very well how rare this opportunity is. It is difficult for other disciples from famous families to enter the yamen for field training before becoming officials. After all, people are scary, but in a place like Lingnan, even Gao Chong They are not afraid of arrangements, and these experiences will become valuable experience after they officially join the workforce.

"What do you think of the Southwest Yi?" Gao Chong asked while flipping through the manuscript paper in his hand.

This is a record compiled by Pei Xingjian based on the questions and answers between Gao Chong and Bao Cong. At first glance, it seems quite similar to "The Analects of Confucius". Gao Chong came to ask questions, and Bao Cong came to answer. The two of them asked and answered, covering a wide range of topics. widely.

Bao Cong came from a wealthy family in Aizhou and was very familiar with the barbarians on the peninsula. According to him, since he escaped into Buddhism, he has traveled around the world, seeking scriptures and Buddhism. , came to the mainland to continue worshiping Buddha.

In Gao Chong's view, in this era, if you want to know about the customs and customs of a certain place, it is best to find Taoist priests or monks.

For example, Huan Fasi, an ordinary person almost never leaves the county in his life, but Huan Fasi, in the name of visiting immortals and seeking Taoism, has traveled all over the country, reaching Youyan in the north, Lingnan in the south, Wuyue in the east, and Xiliang in the west. In this era of inconvenient transportation, talents are definitely scarce.

The same is true for Master Bao Cong in front of me. If you ask for details about a country in the southwest, you may be able to find a suitable person in the states and counties in Lingnan. However, there are very few people like Bao Cong who are familiar with the barbarians in the southwest. They are rare and rare.

After Gao Chong's inquiry, Bao Cong answered that in the eastern part of the Indochina Peninsula, among the countries that have the closest exchanges with the Tang Dynasty, the most powerful one is the Zhenla Kingdom. The Zhenla Kingdom is powerful and deserves to be a first-class power. Linyi State is second to Zhenla State and is a second-rate power.

In addition, there are dozens of small countries such as Fallen Heluo and Langyaxiu. These small countries are dependent on other large countries. Some so-called countries are no more than the size of a castle and have no independent army or system, so they are not worth mentioning.

Of course, these are only the eastern countries, and they are also the southwestern barbarians closely related to Lingnan in the conventional sense.

There are other countries in the west, such as the Pyu Kingdom and the Lion Kingdom. However, these countries are further west, and they really travel across mountains and seas, and generally have little contact with them.

Gao Chong also knew a little about the barbarians in the west, especially the Piao country, which had a good reputation.

The Pyu State is located on the east coast of the Western Ocean (i.e. the Indian Ocean). It was founded very early, during the Cao Wei period, and it has been more than [-] years.

It was not until the [-]th year of Zhenyuan of the Tang Dynasty that Nanzhao surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. At that time, Piao State and Nanzhao had close contacts, and after hearing the news, they also wanted to annex themselves to the Tang Dynasty.

Seven years later, in the 17th year of Zhenyuan, King Yongqiang of Piao State sent his son Shunanda to Chang'an to present Piao State's national music.

Emperor Dezong of the Tang Dynasty awarded his king Yongqiang the title of Tai Changqing and his prince Shunanda the title of Tai Puqing. The famous poet Bai Juyi and others specially wrote "Piao Guo Yue" for this purpose, and the "New Tang Book·Piao Guo Zhuan" also recorded this.

According to Bao Cong, this Pyu Kingdom should be at its peak now. It has its capital in Pyaimai City, governs eighteen vassal states, and dominates the western part of the peninsula.

The current situation on the peninsula is basically that the Chenla Kingdom is the most prosperous in the east and the Pyu Kingdom is the most respected in the west.

Of course, Gao Chong's current focus is on the eastern part of the peninsula. He is currently not interested in countries such as Piao State in the west.

The boatman said earlier that the chaos in the southwestern barbarians, which prevented the mainland fleet from going to sea, was also due to the countries in the east of the peninsula.

To be more precise, it should be the Kingdom of Chenla.