First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 605 Arrive in Guangzhou
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The situation in the grassland is undercurrent, rushing thousands of miles away in Lingnan, completely unaware of it.

After half a year, he finally arrived in Guangzhou. The Guangzhou Governor's Mansion had already been repaired and he could officially move in just waiting for Gao Chong's arrival.

When they arrived outside Panyu City, Yang Shilue, the governor of Guangzhou and governor of Xunzhou, had already led a group of officials from Guangzhou to greet him outside the city.

After five years, Gao Chong returned to Panyu City again and met the slang commander Yang Shilue again.

In the land south of Lingnan, Han and barbarians live together. Generally speaking, the west is mostly composed of Liao people, and their leaders are called Liao chiefs, while the east is mostly composed of Li people, and their leaders are called Lishuai.

Yang Shilue is the leader of the Li people in eastern Lingnan. He comes from the Chaozhou Yang family. The Chaozhou Yang family is extremely prosperous. It is the largest wealthy family in eastern Lingnan and is a well-deserved leader.

Yang Shilue was a taciturn man, just like Feng Ang, who had no ambition to separate himself and stand on his own. In the troubled times of the late Sui Dynasty, Yang Shilue occupied Chaozhou and Xunzhou, that is, Yi'an County and Longchuan County in the former Sui Dynasty. With the land of these two counties, he dominated the southeast.

In the fourth year of Wude, Gao Chong was ordered to conquer Lingnan, and Yang Shilue immediately expressed his surrender.

For such princes who were aware of current affairs, Li Yuan was always generous with rewards. He changed Ngee'an County to Chaozhou and Longchuan County to Xunzhou, and made Chaozhou the governor, but still managed the two states.

In the fifth year of Wude, Li Yuan granted another reward and established the Xunzhou Governor's Office. Yang Shilue was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of Xunzhou, with jurisdiction over the three prefectures of Xunzhou, Chaozhou and Shaozhou. Later, the General Governor's Office was changed to the Dudu's Mansion, which is the Xunzhou Dudu's Mansion.

After Li Shimin came to power, he abolished the Governor's Office of Xunzhou, and Xunzhou, Chaozhou, and Shaozhou under his jurisdiction were all transferred to the Governor's Office of Guangzhou.

So far, the Guangzhou Metropolitan Governor's Office, as one of the four major governor's offices in the world, governs the fourteen prefectures of Guang, Shao, Chao, Xun, Duan, Feng, Song, Xiao, Jian, Qi, Wei, Fu, Yi, and Qin.

It was supposed to be the fifteen prefectures, but just a few months ago, Longzhou Governor's Office was upgraded to Longzhou Governor's Office, with jurisdiction over three prefectures: Longzhou, Tong, and Nanfu.

At that time, this was only the jurisdiction of the Governor's Office in Guangzhou. As for Gao Chong's highest official title, he was still the Lingnan Economic Envoy. The entire nine Lingnan prefectures were all subordinate to the Economic Affairs Office. This was Gao Chong's greatest authority in governing Lingnan.

Yang Shilue used to be the governor of Xunzhou. It can be said to be a great honor.

As the right-hand man of the Metropolitan Governor, Shi, the governor, leads the fourteen states. Furthermore, Yang Shilue is now also the governor of Xunzhou. Chaozhou, Xunzhou and other places are the traditional sphere of influence of the Yang family, so Yang Shilue not only has not lost any power , on the contrary, he reached the sky in one step and also had the power to govern the other fourteen states.

"Yang Shilue, I've met the envoy." Yang Shilue was as taciturn as ever. Seeing Gao Chong's arrival, he immediately tidied up his clothes and stepped forward to pay his respects.

Gao Chong got off his horse and came forward to greet him, "You don't have to be polite, Commander Yang." Then he patted Yang Shilue on the shoulder and said with a smile, "After years of separation, Commander Yang becomes more and more majestic."

"I dare not praise him in front of the envoy Jing Lue," Yang Shilue said humbly, "I haven't seen you in five years, and the elegance of the envoy Jing Lue is even better than in the past."

Gao Chong was startled, and then laughed loudly, "You are a powerful slang man in the southeast, and your verbal expressions are even better than before."

Everyone laughed when they heard this.

This Yang Shuai means Yang Shuai. The leader of the tribe of Li people is called Shuai, and the leader of the Yang family is called Yang Shuai.

It's just that they don't know that the word handsome has a deeper meaning, so Gao Chong felt a little strange when he heard the sentence, "I dare not call him handsome in front of you."

Then a group of subordinate officials came forward to pay tribute. When it was the turn of a middle-aged scribe, he shouted loudly, "When I came here, I passed through Gaozhou. Your uncle spoke highly of you."

"I am ashamed to be an official. I am deeply moved by my uncle's caring heart." The middle-aged scribe immediately bowed and responded.

He is Feng You, the Sima of Guangzhou, also known as Ziyou. His father is Feng Hun, who died in Guangzhou in the war. Feng Hun is the eldest grandson of Mrs. Xian and Feng Ang's eldest brother.

Then when he saw another person, Gao Chong was a little surprised in his eyes, nodded and praised: "Wang Canjun is so good-looking."

Wang Chang, a member of the Guangzhou Bingcao Army, was startled when he heard this. He did not expect that Gao Chong would comment on his appearance, and then smiled and said: "It's just a skin, far less elegant and majestic than Jing Lue."

This Wang Chang is eight feet long and has a well-proportioned figure. His official robe sets off his majestic body. Although he is over forty years old, he is elegant and graceful.

If Gao Chong hadn't known about it in advance, no one would have thought that such an elegant scholar could actually be a slang person.

What is even more surprising is that Wang Chang's father was Wang Zhongxuan, the Guangzhou slang commander who rebelled against the Sui Dynasty during the Kaihuang reign of the former Sui Dynasty.

When Wang Zhongxuan died, Wang Chang was still young. Generally, the court would not eradicate the rebellion of officials. After Wang Zhongxuan's death, the Wang family was not liquidated, but it was inevitable that it would decline. Unexpectedly, decades later, as Wang Zhongxuan's son, Wang Chang would still be Serve as an official and achieve the position of Bing Cao and join the army.

What's even more surprising is that Wang Chang actually worked with Feng You. You must know that Wang Zhongxuan rebelled and attacked Guangzhou, resulting in the death of Feng You's father, Feng Hun. There was a grudge against his father.

Of course, Feng You's uncle Feng An later sent troops to rescue Guangzhou and also killed Wang Zhongxuan. The grudges involved were also very complicated.

It's not uncommon for enemies to work together. During the Three Kingdoms period, Gan Ning shot and killed Ling Cao. Later, he still worked with Ling Cao's son, Ling Tong, and even risked his life to rescue Ling Tong during the Battle of Hefei. Even in this era, When Du Yan, the imperial censor, was in Luoyang, he had his nephew, Du Ruhui's eldest brother, killed. He is still a minister in the same palace.

This time, Gao Chong finally did not have to live in the post house, and could legitimately enter the Governor's Mansion, including the guards led by Gao Da.

In the evening, everyone gathered together to congratulate the Governor on his arrival.

After this night banquet, Gao Chong also understood that if he wanted to do something in Guangzhou, he could not do without the support of two people. One was Yang Shilue. As the commander-in-chief of the Yang family in Chaozhou, his influence in the eastern part of Lingnan , no less than Ning Changzhen in Qinzhou in the west.

The second person was somewhat unexpected, it was Wang Chang, a soldier of the army.

Although Wang Zhongxuan has passed away for more than 30 years, the Wang family in Guangzhou still exists.

Returning to Houya, Gao Chong did not rest, but studied the information about the Wang family in Guangzhou.

In this era, each state and county has a specific division of power, which is commonly known as local snakes. The Wang family is undoubtedly the largest local snakes in Guangzhou.

Wang Zhongxuan was not confused, on the contrary, he was quite strategic. Since he dared to rebel during the reign of Emperor Kaihuang of the former Sui Dynasty, he must have something to rely on, and this reliance was the clan power.

As a native of Guangzhou, Wang Zhongxuan clings to the Central Plains gentry and considers himself a branch of the Langya Wang family, making all the changes in Guangzhou. At that time, officially, the most powerful person in Guangzhou was Wei Yu, the then general manager of Guangzhou, but in fact, Wang Zhongxuan was among the people. More impactful.

When the flag was raised for rebellion, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses were quickly gathered in response to one call. Such a force should not be underestimated.

Wang Zhongxuan, as the Guangzhou Lishuai, once attached to Nanchen. He was a subordinate of Wang Yong, the general of Nanchen Town. Later, he attached himself to Wang Yong and became a brother. And this Wang Yong was even more extraordinary.

Wang Yong, also known as Shixiong, comes from the Langya Wang family, which can be said to be a famous family with eight classics. Wang Yong has studied hard since he was a child, is well-versed in classics and history, and has been an official for generations. Wang Yong's father Wang Qing served as an official in Nanliang and became the general of Annan. , he was given the title of Duke Lu, and his power was overwhelming for a while.

Later, Wang Yong also went to Nanchenguan to Zhennan, the general and the governor of the 24 states' military forces, and was stationed in Guangzhou, which was even more powerful than Gaochong now.When Wang Yong was in Guangzhou, he used Li people in high positions. As the Guangzhou Li commander at that time, Wang Zhongxuan was quickly reused. Later, they became close to each other. More recently, they became brothers with the help of the same surname. They considered themselves to be a branch of the Langya Wang family. This shows Wang Zhongxuan’s methods.

In the early years of Emperor Kaihuang's reign in the Sui Dynasty, Wang Yong died of illness. His son Wang Gan ascended the throne and was granted the title of governor of Puzhou. Later, Wei Guan took charge of Guangzhou. A few years later, Wang Zhongxuan, who was dissatisfied with discipline, rebelled. Later, Feng Ang became famous. , this is the origin of the Wang and Feng families.

Gao Chong was dizzy after seeing this. It can be said that the most troublesome thing for the frontier officials on the Mu Shou side is to deal with the local clan relations.

Thinking of this, Gao Chong couldn't help but think of his favorite history of the Three Kingdoms. Many people in later generations sneered at Liu Biao of Jingzhou, saying that Liu Biao had no ambition, was contented, had no measure, listened to slander, etc., and had many shortcomings.

However, in the first year of Chuping, Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, the 48-year-old Liu Biao went to serve as the governor of Jingzhou. The "Book of the Later Han" records: "riding into Yicheng alone."

Liu Biao conquered seven counties and 120 counties in Jingzhou within one year without any external assistance, and handled the intricate relationships among the Huang, Cai, Kuai, Pang and other clans in Jingzhou with ease. This ability should not be underestimated. , this kind of ability is already better than countless people.

Now that Gao Chong was released from the capital and Mu was guarding one side, he could better understand Liu Biao's excellence, especially in the complicated situation in Lingnan where Han, barbarians and slang officials lived together.

If it is not handled properly, it is very likely to trigger conflicts. Gao Chong's previous success in Qinzhou, Gaozhou and other places relied more on the "power" of the Ning family and the Feng family.

Now that he came to Guangzhou, it was naturally impossible for Gao Chong to ignore the local wealthy families in Guangzhou.

Although the imperial court was powerful and had the ability to destroy these wealthy families, such arrogant behavior was not in line with the imperial court's teaching methods.

When one wealthy family is destroyed, another wealthy family will rise. This has been the case for thousands of years.

Only by winning over one group, suppressing another group, and adopting checks and balances can we maximize the benefits.

For example, in the Qinzhou Governor's Mansion, Ning Chun was recommended to the throne, and at the same time, the Mo family of Yuezhou and the Pang family of Baizhou were supported.

In the Dudu Mansion of Longzhou, Chen Longshu was promoted to the position, and at the same time he also attracted Luo Li from Yunkai Mountain.

Later, in the Gaozhou Governor's Mansion, the same thing happened. He tried repeatedly to put pressure on Feng Anglie, who was already covering the sky with only one hand, and then appeased Feng's mortal enemy Tan Dian.

Although this method is simple and can be seen through by anyone with a little knowledge at a glance, it is extremely effective, especially in a short period of time.

Maybe a few years later, decades later, the Ning family subdued the Mo family again, the Ning family once again suppressed the Luo Dou officials, and the Feng family once again pushed the Tan family back into the mountains... But that is also in the future, at least for now, it is certain Gao Chong's decree is absolutely unimpeded.

Nowadays, the Governor's Office of Guangzhou has jurisdiction over various states. The Yang family in Chaozhou is the most powerful, and Yang Shilue has made rapid progress.

Compared with five years ago, the Yang family has gone further and completely expanded its sphere of influence from Chaozhou to other states and counties. Yang Shilue is also more diplomatic than five years ago.

The second is the native Wang family in Guangzhou. Wang Zhongxuan claimed to be the Langya Wang family by clinging to Wang Yong. Wang Yong also needed the Wang family's help, and he was noncommittal about this and had an ambiguous attitude, which also encouraged the Wang family's ambitions.

After so many years, many people have even gradually forgotten that the Wang family in Guangzhou is a slang person, and only know that the Wang family is a wealthy family in Guangzhou.

This gorgeous transformation of the Wang family was the work of Wang Zhongxuan, whose son Wang Chang was also well-known. He went further on the basis of Wang Zhongxuan, gradually raising a tribe of slang people to the level of a wealthy family with a slight cultural heritage.

Although in the eyes of the various ethnic groups in the Central Plains, they are still not on the stage and are not as popular as the Five Surnames and Seven Hopes, they are still quite powerful in the cultural desert of Lingnan.

Since it was so obvious, Gao Chong had a plan in mind.

As the saying goes, there is no room for two tigers in one mountain. Although the Wang family has weakened after the Wang Zhongxuan Rebellion, it is still one of the top local wealthy families, and the current head of the family, Wang Chang, is not low in reputation.

However, Wang Chang is now only an eighth-level soldier who joins the army, far less noble than the Yang family. If Gao Chong had not paid special attention today, Wang Chang, who was standing in the back row, would not have had a chance to show his face.

I believe that Wang Chang must have the same thoughts as Chen Longshu, to revitalize the family and restore the family's past glory.

There is also Feng You. Although he achieved the position of Sima, he was still unable to support himself in Guangzhou. He mostly relied on the Feng family in Gaozhou.

The situation has become obvious. While re-employing the Yang family, support the Wang family, and Feng You is the sharp knife in Gao Chong's hand. If he loses his balance, I believe Feng You, who is sharpening his knife, will be very happy to take his place.

Regarding this point, Gao Chong also communicated with Feng Ang that night. Feng You was definitely a usable person, and Gao Chong did not ride into Panyu alone.

At least now he has Tian Yangming, who has been appointed as the magistrate of Panyu County, and Pang Xiaojie, who has been appointed commander of the Panyu army.

Now there is Sima Feng You who is familiar with the situation in Guangzhou. Gao Chong is full of confidence and can definitely secure the position of military envoy and governor.

Thinking of this, Gao Chong shouted to the door: "Come here."

The door opened, and Xue Rengui and Gao Kan walked in side by side. They seemed to have been waiting at the door for a long time.

"Master, what are your orders?" Xue Rengui bowed and bowed, followed by Gao Kan beside him.

Gao Chong was startled when he saw this, "Are you guys on duty at the door?"

"Yes", Xue Rengui nodded and replied: "In case the master sends you at any time."

"It doesn't have to be like this," Gao Chong waved his hand and said with a smile, "Just go back to your room and rest, as long as Gao Da and the others are here."

In Gao Chong's eyes, these four young men are the stars and pillars of the future. He has high hopes, and it is not that he treats them differently.

It's just that these four people are either apprentices or disciples, and Gao Da and others are the sons of the Gao family. It is impossible for Gao Chong to really use the four people as servants.

Xue Rengui's face straightened when he heard this, and he said sternly: "If you have something to do, I will do my best. Master, please give me your instructions. I can also learn skills from it. If you can't even do such an errand as on duty, it will be difficult for you to do it in the future." Great weapon".

Gao Chong couldn't help laughing when he heard this, "Okay, I know you are the most cautious person, but what about those two?"

Xue Rengui and Gao Kan looked at each other and said, "We have made an appointment to change shifts in the middle of the night."

Gao Chong was stunned and said, "Good guys, your classes have been arranged."

He pondered for a while, "In this case, I won't offend you. When I take a rest, you can also go and take a rest. Don't stay up late if you are young." Seeing that Xue Rengui was still talking, Gao Chong glared, " This is a strict order and no objection will be accepted."

The two had no choice but to respond.

(End of this chapter)