First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 624 Li Shou’s choice
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The Chenla king's family has a fine tradition, which is to be good at forbearance. Starting from the ancestors of Ishnavarman, they have endured hardships, endured and hid their weakness, and secretly accumulated national power. Suppress the two countries of Funan and Linyi.

Faced with Li Azhong's arrogance, Ishanavarman did not fall out on the spot. He still suppressed his anger and ordered Ronny. Then he casually bowed his hand to Li Azhong and turned around to leave.

Now is the critical period for Chenla to annex Funan, and Ishnavarman has no intention of getting entangled with Li Azhong.

"Bah," Li Azhong actually spat at Ishnavarman's back, "Barbarians are so rude."

Upon seeing this, Chenla officials glared angrily.

Li Azhong's followers all lowered their heads and lowered their brows, feeling extremely nervous. After all, one of his followers was timid. He leaned closer and said, "Sima, Sima, let's give them some face. If they are angered, we may not be able to leave." Get out."

Li Azhong raised his eyebrows and was about to reprimand, but looking around, all the Zhenla people stared at them with unkind eyes.

"Who is that?" Li Azhong swallowed, "Mr. Luo, how do you think this matter should be handled?"

"My lord, my king agrees to your request and can provide you with compensation," Ronnie said seriously, "but you can no longer interfere in our country's affairs."

"Who wants to interfere in your messy affairs?" Li Azhong waved his hand and said with a smile: "Those who travel over mountains and ridges will not suffer. Tell me, how much compensation will be paid?"

Then came the time when Zhenla officials were dumbfounded. After all, Li A-Zhong was from a collateral line of the Li family, and his official title was the Sima of a state. However, when it came to bargaining, he was like a grandma in a vegetable market.

Three days later, Li Azhong was finally satisfied and returned to Jiaozhou with the huge compensation from Zhenla Kingdom.

These compensations naturally fell into Li Shou's private treasury. Li Shou also ignored the unrest in the southwestern barbarians and allowed the Zhenla Kingdom to conquer the Tang Dynasty, even if it affected the Tang Dynasty's maritime trade routes, and even if the Zhenla Kingdom attacked the Tang Dynasty Li Shou turned a deaf ear to Lin Yi, a vassal state, and continued to make money on his own.

Until this day, Gao Chong's letter was sent all the way to Song Pingcheng, and Li Shou had a rare insomnia.

In the letter, Gao Chong directly inquired about the unrest among the barbarians in the southwest, and stated very solemnly that the unrest among the barbarians in the southwest had seriously affected Lingnan. Lingnan merchants could not go to sea, maritime trade was blocked, and it was difficult for the shipping department to continue its operations. He also asked Li The governor explained the situation.

Li Shou held this letter and had no sleep all night.

The next day, the officials were surprised to see Li Shou looking so haggard.

"Captain, what are you doing?" Sima Li Azhong, as a confidant, asked with concern: "Captain, if you have something that is bothering you, why don't you tell me and see if we can help you relieve your worries."

Li Shou raised his eyelids and handed the letter to Li Azhong. He rubbed his eyebrows and sighed: "The barbarians in the southwest have made a big fuss, which has attracted the attention of the Jinglue Mansion."

After reading the letter, Li Azhong circulated the letter to several other people. His expression was also gloomy. He concealed the turmoil among the barbarians in the southwest. He was also involved, and he also made a lot of shady money. If it involved too much, he would not be able to get involved. .

After a slight hesitation, Li Azhong asked tentatively: "Captain, how is your relationship with this envoy?"

"Don't think about it," Li Shou waved his hand tiredly, "The Gao family is the most powerful in the court, and I, the governor of a barbaric land, cannot be noticed by others."

Li Azhong paused. He also knew Gao Chong's great reputation, but he was still a little unwilling to accept it. "You are a member of the royal family, do you really mean that you don't give any face to the general?"

"A royal clan member?" Li Shou sneered at himself, "I'm just a down-and-out clan member. You think I'm Li Xiaogong and the others."

Turning around to look at Li Ashi's expression, Li Shou seemed to have guessed his thoughts and said bluntly: "If it were other people, they might be able to coerce or induce them, but I have been in Chang'an for many years and have heard about Gao You's reputation. These methods , of no use to him.”

"Then what should we do?" Li Azhong finally panicked, "We accept Zhenla's property, and everyone here has a share. If the court knows about it, how can it spare us?"

Li Shou rolled his eyes and said, "Shut your stupid mouth."

Then he looked at the other three people, "Have you ever seen Zhenla's belongings?"

These three people were all corrupt officials who followed Li Shou. They were all human beings. They immediately shook their heads after hearing this.

"No, I haven't seen it before."

"That's right, I've seen money. I don't even know what Zhenla's money looks like."

"Have you seen Sima?"

Li Azhong's eyes widened, "No, I haven't seen it before."

"Very good." Li Shou nodded slowly, "We have never seen him before."

"Go and call Tao Changshi," Li Shou said after pondering.

"Ah, Governor, that old man Tao Qian is not of the same mind as us," Li Azhong exclaimed.

Li Shou grabbed a piece of meat on the desk and threw it at it. "After all, he is a long history, so he must not be presumptuous."

Li Azhong hurriedly avoided, nodding and bowing in agreement.

Not long after, a scribe in official robes strode over. He was about fifty years old, his beard and hair were already gray, but he was meticulously combed. His face was square and dark, and he was approaching with great power.

"Tao Qian has met the governor." When the scribe came to Li Shou, he crossed his hands and bowed.

"Ming Zhi Gong is polite." Li Shou didn't care much, stretched out his hand and said, "please take a seat quickly."

Hearing this, a trace of doubt flashed in Tao Qian's eyes. He glanced at Li Azhong and others, his eyes were cold, and he sat down on his left side.

"In front of Chang Shi, why don't you salute quickly?" Li Shou saw this and glared at Li Azhong and others, "How ignorant."

Li Azhong and others reluctantly bowed their hands towards Tao Qiangong, bowed staggeringly, and spoke vaguely.

Tao Gan just snorted and ignored it.

As the chief historian of the governor's office in Jiaozhou, and as the governor's assistant officer, he had a higher status. As subordinate officials, Li Azhong and others did not know how to be polite and respectful, which shows Li Shou's vision in employing people.

Speaking of Tao Qian, he also had an extraordinary background. The Tao family has been based in Jiaozhou for hundreds of years. His ancestor was Tao Ji, the governor of Jiaozhou in Soochow during the Three Kingdoms period.Tao Ji, courtesy name Shuxian, was born in Danyang. He served as an official in Soochow and served as the governor of Jiaozhou. When Tao Ji came to Jiaozhou, the local barbarians lived in a mixed manner, did not know etiquette and justice, and did not even have the concept of marriage. They had random matings and even gave birth to consecutive children. No one knew his father. After Tao Ji took office, he began to advocate etiquette and justice, teach the way of marriage, the kindness of father and son, the way of teaching with propriety, and the use of punishment. He educated the place and made outstanding achievements.

After Tao Ji's death, his son Tao Huang succeeded him as the governor of Jiaozhou. Later, Tao Huang's son Tao Shu and Tao Shu's son Tao Sui successively took over as the governor of Jiaozhou. Until the Jin Dynasty, the governor of Jiaozhou was always held by the Tao family, and the Tao family became the largest in Jiaozhou. of gentry.

Now the person in charge of the Tao family in Jiaozhou is Tao Qian.

Tao Qian, courtesy name Mingzhi, served as Sima of Jiaozhou in the last years of the Sui Dynasty. The governor of Jiaozhou at that time was Qiu He, and the governor of Jiaozhou was Gao Shilian. Qiu He led the army to the north. When he conquered Xiao Xian, Gao Shilian accompanied the army, and Tao Qian was appointed to Jiaozhou. guard.

Tao Qian, whose name is just like the person he is, is serious, sincere and upright. After the whole territory of Lingnan was surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, Qiu He and Gao Shilian entered the dynasty, and Tao Qian was promoted to the position of chief historian due to his merit.

In fact, Tao Qian could also be directly appointed as the governor or the governor. However, firstly, Tao Qian was still relatively inexperienced and had no merit for the Tang Dynasty. Secondly, Li Yuan generously granted titles to the clan, and no one wanted to come to Jiaozhou, a remote place. Finally, Li Shou, a declining clan member, had no choice but to thank him with tears and go to Jiaozhou.

After arriving in Jiaozhou, Li Shou began to let himself go, indulge in extravagance, and amass money wantonly. Tao Qian, the chief historian, advised him many times, but Li Shou turned a deaf ear. In the end, he even handed over all government affairs to Tao Qian. If Tao Qian had not handled the state affairs, he would not have been able to handle the affairs of the state. Jiaozhou is not sure what the chaos will be like.

Therefore, Tao Gan looked down on these dandies like Li Shou from the bottom of his heart. However, he was loyal and polite by nature, and he did not dare to be rude to Li Shou, the chief officer, after admonishing him. Now looking at Li Shou's warm smile, Tao Qian's heart sank. It was very likely that this royal family member had something to ask for, otherwise he would never have been so courteous.

Li Shou coughed and was thinking about his words. Li Azhong said directly: "The Jinglue Mansion knows about the unrest among the barbarians in the southwest. Tao Changshi, you are not very knowledgeable. Can you tell me what to do?"

"Shut up!" Li Shou suddenly changed his expression, pointed at the door and said angrily: "Get out of here."

Li Azhong and others didn't know why, and looked panicked, but they didn't dare to disobey orders and had to leave in a hurry.

Tao Qian also had a look of surprise on his face. He stood up and looked straight at Li Shou, "Captain, what does Li Azhong mean? The barbarians in the southwest are in turmoil. Does the Imperial Government not know about it? Does the imperial court not know about it?"

Li Shou scratched his head in distress, looked up and saw Tao Qian's expression, he was also willing to give up, gritted his teeth and nodded.

Tao Qian's face was stern and he asked in surprise: "Captain, didn't you say you have already gone to the Jinglue Mansion?"

"I just regarded it as a small quarrel between the southwest barbarians and ignored it." Li Shou felt a little guilty and said in a low voice: "It's not a big deal."

"What the Governor said is totally wrong!"

Tao Qian beat his chest and stamped his feet, gritted his teeth and said: "Although Jiaozhou is located in a remote place, it has important responsibilities. It is close to the barbarians in the southwest, and we must always pay attention to their movements. If there is any abnormality, we should report it to the Ming court for response, not to mention the current situation in Zhenla Raising unjust armies and disrupting other countries has seriously affected our border with North Korea, blocked sea routes, and caused an influx of refugees. Isn’t this a big deal?
I have been wondering for a long time why the Imperial Government has not made any countermeasures yet. It just pretends that the journey is far away and the urgent report has not been delivered. It turns out that it is the governor who deliberately concealed it? "

The more Tao Qian talked, the more excited he became. He pointed at Li Shou and said bluntly: "Captain, do you know how to hide it and not retaliate? This is a serious crime!"

"presumptuous!"

Li Shou spoke softly before because of his guilty conscience. Now seeing how strong Tao Qian is, he is also angry, "It's just a few small countries making trouble. Tao Ming, you don't need to be alarmist here."

Tao Qian took a deep breath and asked in a deep voice: "Then the governor called the subordinates to come, why?"

Hearing this, Li Shou couldn't help but lose his momentum. With his head lowered and his eyebrows lowered, he took Gao Chong's letter from the side and threw it to Tao Qian, "Gao Youzhi is here to investigate."

Tao Qian took the letter and unfolded it, then slowly put it away with a solemn expression, "Captain, this matter... I'm afraid it will be difficult to resolve."

Although Li Shou is uneducated, he is not stupid. He also understands that Tao Qian is very talented, so he leaves all government affairs to Tao Qian. Now when something happens, he will find Tao Qian as soon as possible.

Seeing that Tao Qian was so solemn, Li Shou was a little panicked for the first time, "Are you being serious? It's just Zhenla, a small country using troops. What does it do to the Tang Dynasty? He is not a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty."

"Sea route", Tao Gan sighed: "The economic envoy has already stated that Zhenla's military expansion has blocked the southwest sea route, which has seriously affected the operation of the Municipal Shipping Department. How important the Municipal Shipping Department is, I believe the governor has also read it in the Di newspaper. ".

After Tao Qian mentioned this, Li Shou also clarified his thinking. Zhenla raised troops to disrupt the barbarians in the southwest, and the southwest sea route was the main channel for Lingnan maritime trade. In fact, Li Shou also heard about it. After the barbarians in the southwest were in turmoil, Jiaozhou Maritime merchants were also unable to go to sea, and some merchants mentioned this when they approached him. However, Li Shou ignored political affairs and received Zhenla's property, so he would definitely not be interested in this.

Originally, Li Shou only regarded it as a turmoil among the barbarians in the southwest, which would not affect the Tang Dynasty. Some refugees would be handed over to Tao Qian to deal with. Now that he looked carefully, he really underestimated the continuous impact of the Zhenla Kingdom.

Wanting to understand the joints, Li Shou felt a little flustered. He no longer dared to show his authority to Tao Qian and asked hurriedly: "What can Chang Shi teach me?"

"The Governor is asking you sincerely?" Tao Qian asked seriously with a solemn look on his face.

"This is natural," Li Shou said without hesitation, and then paced anxiously in the hall, "Although Li Shou has no great ambitions and no knowledge, I also know the importance and the good or bad. If I really miss the court's That's my fault, Li Shou."

Hearing this, Tao Qian was a little surprised. Li Shou knew this and was not considered a bastard.

Looking back carefully, after Li Shou arrived in Jiaozhou, although he did not do his job properly and only cared about drinking and drinking, accepting bribes from the wealthy chiefs and amassing money wantonly, in fact, Li Shou did not do anything harmful to nature and did not bully ordinary people. All government affairs were handed over to Tao Gan.

This was one of the reasons why Tao Qian tolerated him. An official who only cared about pleasure and did not want to take power, let him go.

If Li Shou was charged with living a luxurious life, being greedy for money and lasciviousness, and just having a corpse in front of the sky and having a plain meal, he could not be punished because of his royal family background.

But things are different now. As Li Shou said, it would be a sin to conceal the unrest among barbarians in the southwest and miss the important event of the imperial court setting up a shipping department.

"It would be great if the governor understood this," Tao Qian sighed: "In my opinion, if the governor does not take the initiative to admit his mistakes, I believe that the commander will not delve into it."

Li Shou's eyes widened, "Is this possible? Can the court believe it?"

Although Tao Qian was upright, he was not pedantic. When he heard this, he just shook his head and smiled, "The envoy will conduct an inspection of the nine Lingnan mansions. The specific matters are not decided by the envoy. As long as the governor has a good attitude and vigorously cooperates with the envoy to help him implement it." The Shishi Ship Division believes that the manager will have his own sense of proportion."

Li Shou suddenly realized that although Tao Qian's words were relatively obscure, he still understood them clearly. In short, as long as he was satisfied with the summary, everything would be easy to talk about.

But what Tao Qian said next made Li Shou a little surprised, "However, I have heard for a long time that the young manager joined the army and was strict in running the army. I am afraid it will not be so easy to get rid of the crimes that the governor previously concealed."

Li Shou was stunned for a while, then he rolled his sleeves in anger and said, "Aren't you inconsistent?"

"Is the Governor planning to escape unscathed?" Tao Qian seemed to have guessed Li Shou's reaction, and he just twirled his beard and chuckled lightly.

Li Shou looked at Tao Qianyun's calm appearance and was shocked, "Tao Mingzhi, what do you mean... my position as governor is not guaranteed?"

"Jiaozhou is remote, and the commander-in-chief is suffering here. He can also take advantage of the opportunity to escape. Why not?" Tao Qian looked directly into Li Shou's eyes. "If the commander-in-chief is interested, I am willing to do my best to help."

(End of this chapter)