First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 625: Famous Family in Jiaozhou
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After Tao Gan finished speaking, there was a silence in the hall.

Li Shou collapsed on the back of the couch, his eyes fixed on Tao Qian, his throat rolling, and he said word by word: "Tao Mingzhi, have you been waiting for this day for a long time?"

Tao Qian twirled his beard and smiled noncommittally. He couldn't tell what he was thinking, but he just said in a deep voice: "It's not important anymore. What's important is that the governor can escape safely."

Hearing this, Li Shou nodded numbly, then stood up with difficulty, walked to the door, and suddenly stopped in his steps, "Even if I leave, I'm afraid it won't be your turn, Mrs. Tao."

Then he strode away. He was about to write a letter to the court to apologize. Li Shou understood that Tao Qian's words were correct. He could not stay in Jiaozhou any longer. For the current plan, he was the only one who actively cooperated with the Jinglue Mansion and then took the initiative to write a letter to apologize.

In this way, Li Shou could gain Gao Youzhi's favor on the one hand, and on the other hand, the court might have given him some mercy because he took the initiative to plead guilty and was born in the royal family, so that he would not be accused.

Tao Qian was the only one in the hall. Tao Qian's face was solemn now, and his brows were full of worries. Whether it was public or private, it was the best outcome for Li Shou to leave Jiaozhou. However, Li Shou's words before leaving also made him palpitate.

Jiaozhou, counting back 200 years, was ruled by the Tao family. However, after the Liang and Chen Dynasties in the Southern Dynasties, the Tao family declined and could only appear in the officialdom of Jiaozhou as an assistant official. Although Tao Qian had no great achievements, he also had great aspirations to revive the lintel.

Li Shou concealed the news about the turmoil among the barbarians in the southwest. Did he, the chief historian, really not know about it?The reason is unknown, but Li Shou is obviously not a kind person.

After Li Shou returned to the study, he thought for a long time and finally made up his mind to lay down paper and pick up a pen.

The general idea is that since I was ordered to come to this wild land of Jiaozhou, I have been unaccustomed to the climate and soil, and have been in constant discomfort. I have been recovering from illness for several years. In response to government affairs, the prefecture and county have all appointed Chief Minister Tao Gan. Tao Gan is also a famous person in Jiaozhou. , noble character, loyal and diligent, Jiaozhou mostly depends on Tao Changshi.

I was shocked to hear that the turmoil among the barbarians in the southwest was caused by my neglect of state affairs and my fault of neglect. I was really unworthy of the saint's trust. Now I have sent envoys to the barbarians in the southwest to analyze the causes of the turmoil, with the intention of mediating the disputes and restoring restoration. I am Lingnan Haidao, and I have written to the court to take the initiative to accuse you. I will definitely obey the orders of the envoy.

After the ink marks were dry, Li Shou looked at it from beginning to end again and nodded with satisfaction, "Yes, my words are sincere and impartial. I believe Gao Youzhi should understand my painstaking efforts."

After ordering someone to rush this letter to Guangzhou, Li Shou continued to write two letters in succession, one of which was handed over to Zongzheng Temple. Minimize penalties wherever possible.

The second letter is Li Shimin's confession, which makes people cry even more when reading it.

Li Shou shook the confession letter and sighed, "After all, we have the friendship of the same clan."

He now hopes that his status as a royal family member can bring him some dignity, not to mention that he really does not want to stay in Jiaozhou for a long time. If he can take this opportunity to be transferred from Jiaozhou, even if he goes to the Central Plains region to serve as the governor of Xiazhou, he will It's better than serving as the governor in this barbaric land.

As for Tao Qian, Li Shou had an inexplicable smile on his lips, "Let's see if you can do it."

On the other hand, Tao Qian also had mixed feelings. He served in Jiaozhou during the Sui Dynasty and later joined the Tang Dynasty. Although he had no great achievements, Li Yuan promoted him to show his kindness. It has been more than five years since.

For five years, Tao Qian assisted Li Shou, the pleasure-seeking governor, and worked conscientiously in managing state affairs. He was called a long history, but he was actually a governor. Since Shou can escape from the barbaric land of Jiaozhou, he may also be able to get what he wants.

But what Li Shou said before leaving made him feel a little uneasy. Li Shou should not harm him, because now Li Shou still needs Tao Qian's help. For example, if he leaves Tao Qian for state affairs, he can It's really a mess, and Tao Gan needs to cover up his mistakes.

Now it seems that Li Shou's words may have a deeper meaning. Thinking of this, Tao Qian was also unwilling to give up. The powerful chiefs such as the Ning clan of Qinzhou and the Feng clan of Gaozhou all ruled in their own states. Why was it that Tao Qian, the governor of Jiaozhou, could not have his turn? .

After much thought, Tao Qian decided to put his money on Gao Chong, the military envoy. Only the powerful economic envoy recognized Tao Qian's achievements, and the position of governor of Jiaozhou might still have a chance to work.

Then Tao Gan started writing and compiled all the information about the unrest in the southwestern barbarians that he had collected since settling the refugees into a book.

A few days later, Gao Chong received an urgent letter from Jiaozhou. After reading it, he laughed angrily.

"Li Shou, you are quite clever." Gao Chong shook the letter and threw it to the four junior staff.

Gao Kan and others circulated it one by one, also thinking deeply.

"Master, the Governor of Jiaozhou is shirking his responsibility," Xue Rengui said with some disdain.

"Yes, I have been recovering from illness for many years and have not taken care of government affairs." Pei Xingjian curled his lips and said directly: "To say that it depends on Tao Changshi is not to pass the responsibility to Tao Changshi."

"The main reason is that Jiaozhou is remote, and the outside world doesn't know the specific situation." Gao Kan shook his head and sighed: "Although I have never gotten to know this governor, judging from his words, he is really, really a smart man."

After hearing the words of several people, Gao Chong also smiled and said: "He just relied on his being a royal family member to try to get the court's understanding by committing a misfortune and shirk responsibility. Just a crime of negligence cannot cure his crime."

"Then Master, how do you plan to deal with it?" Xue Rengui asked curiously.

"Rengui, what do you think?" Gao Chong did not answer, but asked instead.

"There must be something fishy about this matter," Xue Rengui replied with a serious frown.

He shouted loudly, then laughed loudly and said: "It makes sense, there must be something fishy."

The four of them looked confused and didn't understand why the master was laughing.

After Gao Chong stopped smiling, Gao Kan said: "Since Governor Li has made it clear that all state affairs are entrusted to Chang Shi, then I think the words of Chang Shi may be credible. Brother, why don't you ask Chang Shi?" history?"

"Yunzhi, your character is too loyal. Don't accept one side of the story on some things." Gao Chong looked at Gao Kan with an honest face, "Otherwise, you will easily suffer losses in the future."

Gao Kan was stunned, blinked and asked, "Brother, are you saying that Tao Changshi can't be trusted?"

Pei Xingjian was a little helpless when he heard the words, and said directly: "My good brother, the master's words are very clear, but they cannot be trusted. You cannot just rely on one side of the words. People's hearts are unpredictable. Everyone has different positions, and we don't know what his intentions are."

"Not bad." Gao Chong looked at Pei Xingjian and nodded in approval: "It seems that Shou's knowledge has improved recently."

At the same time, he thought to himself: He is indeed a Confucian commander who is famous for his knowledge of people. He "knows yin and yang and understands human nature". It is really terrifying.

Gao Kan was deep in thought. His greatest advantage was that he was loyal and straightforward, but this was also his greatest disadvantage. People who were too honest would easily suffer.

"If it is not broken, it cannot be established."

Gao Chong immediately made up his mind and said loudly: "Li Shou has been in Jiaozhou for five or six years and has made no achievements. Judging from the hidden meaning in his letter, he also has the idea of ​​​​transferring. It is better to help him. I believe that the saint knows the situation. Later, I thought the same thing."

"When the time comes, the new governor of Jiaozhou will surely understand the court's intentions."

"It's just that what this Tao Gan is like is beyond our ability to decide. His merits and demerits are left to the sage to decide."Immediately, Gao Chong sorted out some scattered information collected by Wei Fengwei, sealed Li Shou's urgent letter, and sent it to Chang'an as a haste.

Although he was the Lingnan economic envoy and held the power of accepting orders and conferring orders, he actually never used this privilege once after coming to Lingnan. Even if he held the position of commander of the army like Pang Xiaojie, he followed the system. Report to the court for ruling.

In short, even if some power is given to you, you cannot use it casually. The most important thing in life is self-awareness. Moreover, it is not an urgent matter. You do not need to exercise your privileges unless it is absolutely necessary. This is the most basic thing. The principle is also a manifestation of self-knowledge.

Although the rebellion of the southwest barbarians affected maritime trade, if it were serious, the Tang Dynasty would not have the right to intervene. Among the southwest barbarians, only Linyi State paid tribute to the Tang Dynasty and considered itself a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty. But now Zhenla State has made good friends with Linyi State while The capture of Funan State did not directly infringe on the rights and interests of Datang.

If the Zhenla Kingdom used troops against the Linyi Kingdom, then the Tang Dynasty would be famous for its military strength. After all, Linyi was a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty.

It's just that the Linyi Kingdom is short-sighted and has no idea of ​​the truth behind the death of lips and teeth. Seeing that Zhenla Kingdom is strong, they just sit back and watch Zhenla Kingdom attack Funan Kingdom, allowing Zhenla Kingdom to break the balance between the three countries.

Little did they know that once the Zhenla Kingdom completely annexed the Funan Kingdom, the next target would definitely be the Linyi Kingdom.

Unifying the eastern part of the peninsula was the ambition of Chenla King Ishnavarman.

Now, if Lin Yiguo has some knowledge, he must try his best to maintain the balance of the three kingdoms, unite with the weak Funan Kingdom to compete with the powerful Zhenla Kingdom, and at the same time, fake the power of the tiger, and move out the backer behind it, the Tang Empire, to frighten the real country. The Kingdom of La.

It would not have reached this point now. The Funan Kingdom is about to be destroyed, the Zhenla Kingdom is brandishing its butcher knife to show off its power, and the Linyi Kingdom is trembling in the east, not daring to say a word.

Thinking of this, Gao Chong had an idea in his mind and said directly to the four junior staff: "Do you think it is feasible if I send an envoy to Linyi secretly to persuade Linyi to send troops to rescue Funan Kingdom?"

Gao Chong never regarded the four as children. If they were ordinary children, then all the officials in Lingnan would be regarded as savages in the mountains.

The four of them were also surprised when they heard Gao Chong's idea.

"Brother, is there something wrong with this?" Gao Kan said hesitantly: "Interfering in other countries' internal affairs would be somewhat disgraceful if it spread."

"Pedantry!" Gao Chong raised his eyebrows and reprimanded: "Then was it inappropriate for General Chang Sun to divide the Turks back then?"

"Rengui," Gao Chong turned to look at Xue Rengui.

Xue Rengui swallowed his saliva, nodded and said: "From the perspective of the Tang Dynasty, it is better to have a scattered southwestern barbarian than a single country."

Master, with your glare, I dare not say no.

"Very good", Gao Chong nodded and looked at Pei Xingjian.

"I think it's feasible," Pei Xingjian nodded hurriedly, "but it's just a small country in Linyi, and its military level may not be as good as Zhenla's."

Linyi Kingdom is the former Rinan County Xianglin County. The capital of the country is in Champa. It is also called Champa State. It is actually just a county. The country has a small army and few soldiers. For many years, it has been dependent on the Central Plains Dynasty to barely survive.

According to data, the Linyi Kingdom had only ten thousand soldiers, while the Zhenla Kingdom, as the overlord in the eastern part of the peninsula, had over one hundred thousand troops. Even among the barbarians surrounding the Tang Dynasty, the Zhenla Kingdom was an extremely powerful existence.

Furthermore, the Linyi Kingdom has not experienced a serious war for many years. Since the establishment of the Xianglin County Gongcao District in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, it has always been in a state of "fight and surrender", sending troops to plunder from time to time. In the border area, he would surrender when the Lingnan government sent troops to collect troops.

This went back and forth, called a country, but actually a bandit. Until the period of Emperor Wu of the Southern Song Dynasty, Liu Yu couldn't bear it and directly destroyed the country. After the Liu Song army left, Lin Yi actually re-established the country.

Later, history repeated itself again. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty sent general Liu Fang to destroy Linyi and reset the counties. However, Liu Fang died of illness and the Sui army withdrew, causing Linyi to rise again.

In short, Lin Yi's so-called army has not fought a real bad war for hundreds of years. If it wins, it will plunder the people in the border areas. If it cannot win, it will flee to the sea. If you expect this kind of army to compete with Zhenla, it may not be possible. .

Gao Chong also understood what Pei Xingjian meant, and immediately raised a treacherous smile on his lips, "The people in Linyi are not good at military, that's because the generals are not good."

"Master's intention is to send our generals to sneak into Linyi, and then guide Linyi to fight?" Pei Xingjian asked in surprise: "Even if the tactical level has improved, their military equipment is not good. I heard that Linyi has few sets of armor in the whole country. ".

"It doesn't matter. There are abundant products in the rainforest and you can pick them up on the ground." Gao Chong waved his hand and smiled.

The four junior staff looked astonished.

"No more nonsense," Gao Chong stretched out his waist and said with a smile, "Chen Longshu and his son shouldn't have left yet? Call Chen Jiyuan over. You can go down and have a rest."

The four of them accepted the promise.

That night, Chen Jiyuan stayed in Jinglue Mansion until midnight.

Jiaozhou, Song Pingcheng, Li Shou came to a large house in the north of the city overnight.

The word "Du House" is written on the door plaque of this house.

In the study, the lights were flickering, and Li Shou was sitting at the top. Opposite him was a man in his forties or fifties, with a strong build and a neat beard.

"Brother Zaide," Li Shou took a sip of tea and said softly, "Since I came to Jiaozhou, you and I have known each other for five years, right?"

"Yes, for five years." The majestic man opposite didn't quite understand Li Shou's intention, so he could only respond in a muffled voice. His senses about Li Shou were very complicated.

On the one hand, after Li Shou came to Jiaozhou, he promoted him and put him in a high position. On the other hand, Li Shou really didn't do serious things. He indulged in pleasure and made money wantonly. Although he was not allowed to rob the people, he was allowed to He was also very disdainful of covering up some shameful things.

He still remembered that time when he went to Chenla, he had more than ten carts and belongings. He was really ruthless, but in the end he shared some of it without conscience.

His name was Du Zhidao, with the courtesy name in De, and he came from the Du family in Jiaozhou. In the late Sui Dynasty, he was the prefect Qiu He and his generals. After Qiu He entered the court, Du Zhidao became the Sima of Jiaozhou.

After Li Shou came to Jiaozhou, he handed over the government affairs to Tao Qian and also handed over the affairs to Du Zhidao, who also served as the commander of the Songping Military Mansion.

It can be seen that Li Shou is definitely not a fool. While he is greedy for pleasure, he is also proficient in the art of checks and balances. He separates the military and political affairs and entrusts one person to each, so that he can sit back and relax without any worries.

The most important thing is the famous families in Jiaozhou. When it comes to power and fame, two families are the leaders. One is the Du family, which is a branch of the Jingzhao Du family, and the second is the Tao family, which is a branch of the Danyang Tao family.

(End of this chapter)