Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 46 The Story of Hexi
"Zheng Shijun, are we going in the wrong direction?"

Fang Chongyong, who was following Zheng Shuqing, found that the group of them was going to the Chunming Gate in the east of Chang'an City.And not far from the door is the place where Li Longji "killed three sons in one day": Chengdong Station!

"Let's go to Chengdong Station to meet that man."

Zheng Shuqing said with a somewhat unnatural expression.Not long ago, three princes were hanged on the beams of the Chengdong Station lobby, but now Niu Xianke can actually live there without changing his expression.

This is probably an honest person who came up from the grassroots level!

Zheng Shuqing couldn't help but sigh in his heart.That day when he contacted Niu Xianke, the other party's attitude was very humble. He didn't look like someone who had become the minister of the Ministry of Industry, but more like a junior official working at the grassroots level.

Back in Kuizhou, those people who followed Zheng Shuqing and did errands all carried the same aura as Niu Xianke.After Zheng Shuqing asked for advice tomorrow if he had something to do, the other party agreed without hesitation.

It has to be said that Li Linfu grasped Niu Xianke's mentality very accurately. Niu Xianke, who was born as an official, was suddenly transferred from Hexibian Town to the Central Center as an official. Seeing the majestic appearance of the imperial capital, he remembered the complicated officialdom here. And the sadness of being despised by others (not just Zhang Jiuling and others).

It is obvious that he wants to find a political ally!
Niu Xianke, who has been working at the grassroots level for a long time, doesn't know the importance of connections?Didn't he rely on the support of his boss to make it all the way?

"Uh, you haven't told me who it is until now? And you didn't show me the copy, why don't you write this memorial yourself."

Fang Chongyong turned around and was about to leave, but Zheng Shuqing hurriedly pulled his sleeves.

"Don't! You're already here, just go take a look. The old rule is, I'm mute today, you decide everything! This man's name is Niu Xianke, he has worked in Hexi for decades, and now he has just been awarded a job As a minister, you should be more polite."

Zheng Shuqing quickly comforted Fang Chongyong and said, cold sweat was about to break out on his forehead.At such a time, it would really kill someone to throw a pick!

"Niu Xianke, this name seems familiar."

Fang Chongyong muttered to himself.

He recalled it, and it seemed that he had seen this person in a history textbook in his previous life, but he couldn't remember any of his deeds.

"Okay, this will be the last time, Mr. Zheng."

Fang Chongyong sighed helplessly.

"Promise for the last time, I won't bother you in the future, hehe."

Hearing the word "shilang", Zheng Shuqing was in full bloom.With the insight of Niu Xianke, a senior bureaucrat in Hexi, and Fang Chongyong, who is terrified of making money, the combination of the two is enough to push him to the throne of the household servant.

Zheng Shuqing felt that although he was not smart enough to be an official, he was good at his wrists.

As for why he didn't discuss such a major matter with his staff, it was because the staff in the Tang Dynasty were also officials, so-called "assistant officials".When Zheng Shuqing was no longer the governor of Kuizhou, the assistant officials around him would no longer obey him.

This was the case in the Tang Dynasty. There were still many ways for civil servants to rise to the top, and the assistant officer was a narrow path that was not easy to walk.Therefore, no capable person would be willing to be a "pure staff" without official status.

The threshold for assistant officials is very low, as long as they are not of "low status", even some businessmen can obtain similar official positions by donating money.Of course, the official status is not important, the real thing is the "errand".

Fang Chongyong was considered a "child laborer" because he was too young.Otherwise, a person of this level would have been an official long ago.As long as he was not an official under Zheng Shuqing, Fang Chongyong could theoretically ignore the official who was about to become the Minister of Household Affairs.

"Wouldn't it be good if we came here empty-handed today?"

When he was approaching Chengdong Station, Fang Chongyong suddenly remembered this incident, stopped and asked.If you let someone act as a "consultant", shouldn't you pay consulting fees or something like that?This is a bit too informal.

"Don't you think that gift giving is always dragging an ox cart to deliver gifts?"

Zheng Shuqing also stopped and asked angrily.

"What if that's not the case? Isn't that what you give me as a gift? That old cow even ate a meal of my fodder before leaving."

Thinking of this incident, Fang Chongyong became angry. Lao Zheng didn't fill up the car with a car when he came to give gifts, and even used a tank of gasoline for himself before leaving.

"You know what a fart, if I pull the car over, wouldn't it be clear that I am bribing the court officials? In the future, I will be the servant of the household department, and I will be an official in the same dynasty as Niu Shangshu. Wouldn't this be impeached by the officials of Yushitai ?”

Zheng Shuqing took out a greeting card, waved it in front of Fang Chongyong, and said in a low voice:
"This is a deed for a house near Chongxian Square in the West City. Niu Shangshu first arrived in Chang'an, shouldn't he buy property? This deed will save him a lot of effort, right?

In terms of clever planning, I'm not as good as you.

When it comes to official etiquette, you are still far behind. "

I understand, you still know how to play.

Seeing the smug look on Zheng Shuqing's face, Fang Chongyong nodded slightly. The officialdom was really not worth mentioning. After all, it was just four words: "Flies in the camp and dogs in the doghouse."

Of course, Li Longji would also gift Niu Xianke's house to show his favor. This house deed may seem useless and redundant, but in fact it expresses the officials of Li Linfu's line of wooing and accepting Niu Xianke, a foreign official!

The real estate that Zheng Shuqing donated to Niu Xianke may not necessarily be Zheng Shuqing's own property.Fang Chongyong no longer wants to inquire about the inside story here.

To sum it up in two words: very smooth.

Compared with the high position of officials, these accessories of Caibo Tianzhu are all things in the mirror, not worth mentioning.

Without power, they are all free custodians for others.

When the two entered Chengdong Post, Fang Chongyong subconsciously looked at the beams where the three princes were hanging. That hideous and terrifying scene is still in his mind.

All these seem to remind him all the time that the officialdom is dangerous and fortune and misfortune are unpredictable.The ups and downs of the officialdom not only depend on one's ability, but sometimes luck and birth are also important.

Not to mention, there are not many good days in this prosperous Tang Dynasty!

……

"The place is simple, please sit down, please, please sit down. I'm here to make tea."

Niu Xianke is already an old man in his sixties, dressed plainly like a farmer, without airs at all.

"Niu Shangshu, don't be polite. Zheng Shilang was suddenly ill yesterday and couldn't speak. I, a boy, will inquire about everything. If you are not polite, please don't be offended by Niu Shangshu."

Fang Chongyong bowed to Niu Xianke and saluted.

"Where did the minister come from? The appointment from the imperial court has not come down yet. I am just a white person now, just a white body."

Niu Xianke brought a set of simple tea sets and began to make tea skillfully.While smashing the tea cakes, he said with a kind smile: "If Zheng Shilang has any questions, just ask them directly, it's all for the people of Hexi, and for the stability of the frontier.

I must have no reservations, and I will tell you frankly what I have to say, and it will not delay the overall situation of Hexi. "

Niu Xianke's attitude was very sincere, which was somewhat beyond Fang Chongyong's expectation.When a high-ranking official whom he doesn't know is questioned, he can just give a few perfunctory explanations. Is it necessary to say "I know everything and tell you everything"?

In fact, what Fang Chongyong didn't know was that the reason why Niu Xianke agreed to Zheng Shuqing's inquiry about Hexi was not entirely because of Li Linfu's face, and even this factor was not the main reason.

The real reason is closely related to Niu Xianke's own life experience.

Niu Xianke was originally from Quail Gu, Jingzhou, and was born near Hexi.He also worked as an official in the Hexi Corridor for several decades. It can be said that he has been an official from the people to the official to the official to the high official.

His experience in Hexi is rich and deeply rooted. Among so many officials in the Tang Dynasty, he can give a well-deserved thumbs up and say: Lang Bowan!
Hexi is the hometown of Niu Xianke, where he was born, raised, and sent to Qingyun Road.Niu Xianke did a good job in Hexi, which has something to do with his local experience.

Now that I heard that the imperial court is planning to use troops from Hexi to fight against Tubo, Niu Xianke naturally wants to give him all he can to contribute to his hometown.

Zheng Shuqing pointed to his own throat, then pointed to Fang Chongyong, and nodded slightly to Niu Xianke, the meaning was very clear: I can't speak, and what this child says represents me.

"Niu Shangshu, may I ask, are the weapons, bows, arrows, armor, crossbows, swords, saddles and stirrups and other armaments in the Hexi arsenal produced locally or from Guanzhong?"

Fang Chongyong asked in a deep voice, already spreading a large piece of paper on the table and preparing to record it.

Originally, Niu Xianke was still thinking about what questions a child would ask, but he didn't expect that the first question would directly point to the biggest weakness of the four counties in Hexi!
"Mr. Xiaolang does not know that all the armaments in Hexi come from Guanzhong, and most of them come from Chang'an. Many bows and crossbows in Chang'an also come from places other than Guanzhong.

The Hexi Corridor is mostly sandbars with luxuriant pastures but not many trees.Hexi cannot provide the wood needed to prepare crossbows, and they can't even wait to plant trees. Where are the trees that can be cut down?

As for the requirements for making armor, in addition to the iron ore required for smelting pig iron, it is also necessary to burn wood into charcoal.Hexi cannot produce these things on its own.Many of the bows, crossbows, and arrows needed by the soldiers to join the army came from Sogdian merchants, and their sources were mixed and cannot be generalized.

Zheng Shilang is worthy of being the servant of the household department, and his question really hit the nail on the head.The trouble in Hexi lies in its armaments. "

Niu Xianke couldn't help but praised Zheng Shuqing.

"Well, I have all these things written down. Then let me ask Niu Shangshu another question: Is there a shortage of food in Hexi? How much is the shortage? Where is the shortage?"

Hearing this question, Niu Xianke and Zheng Shuqing both looked at each other in blank dismay, and Fang Zhongyong committed the problem of "lack of common sense" again.

Niu Xianke laughed loudly and said: "This is what Xiao Lang wants to ask himself. Hexi is rich in grain and fodder, and he raises [-] horses for the imperial court. However, the most land for the imperial court is only in Liangzhou and Ganzhou. Other places Including the Western Regions, they all rely on this place to supply food and fodder.

When Guanzhong was short of food, Hexi had to provide food and grass for Guanzhong instead. "

Speaking of his hometown, Niu Xianke couldn't help being proud.

Fang Zhongyong coughed lightly to cover up his embarrassment. In his previous life, the ecology of the hinterland of Gansu had been destroyed badly, and the lack of water made his throat sore.

But at this time, the Hexi Corridor, especially the area around Liangzhou, was a fertile land where the imperial court spent a lot of effort to farm.It can be regarded as a grain and grass supply warehouse for the Western Regions and the western section of the Hexi Corridor.

There was even a food shortage in Guanzhong two years ago, and Liangzhou shipped a lot of food to Chang'an!
"How many soldiers are there in the Hexi Prefecture? Are they still recruiting locally, and are their families all in the local area?"

Fang Chongyong asked several questions in succession.

The expression on Niu Xianke's face was in a trance, as if he had returned to those years. He thought for a while and shook his head and said: "These things are really difficult to describe. Although those people are still called Fu soldiers, they are no longer the rules of Fu soldiers.

Nine out of ten males in the village have served in the army. It can be said that civilians are soldiers, and soldiers are civilians.It will not work for the imperial court to deal with the affairs of Hexi according to the scriptures.

All kinds of people with military status in the government soldiers are all over fifty years old and will not increase.The rest are conscripts, soil regiments, and frontier soldiers who have not been rotated for many years. Most of them have settled down in Hexi, and the imperial court accounts may not be believed. "

Niu Xianke introduced to Fang Chongyong the shocking military system in Hexi Bian Town.

The so-called Fu soldiers have long been a nominal term. As for the rules of Fu soldiers, such as "two brothers join the army and return one brother", it is an act of self-deception and pinching one's nose to coax one's eyes.

Even if it is recruitment, because there has been no rotation for many years, most of the soldiers recruited from the mainland have settled down in the local area, married and had children.However, there were frequent battles in Hexi, and countless men joined the army through various channels.

If the noble masters are exempted from military service, and the old and the weak are also excluded.

That is all people are soldiers!
Niu Xianke said that when he was working under the command of Yingtian Guan, he met the 57-year-old Fubing, who died on the battlefield later.His son was 20 years old and died on the battlefield the following year.

As for whether there is no extinct family, Niu Xianke doesn't know, because at that time he had already been promoted and went to be an official elsewhere.

The reason why Hexi is prosperous is that it is on the key passage of the Silk Road, and its location is very critical.Second, the military settlements and large-scale militarization restrained land annexation to a certain extent.

It is doomed that there cannot be any big family here. When facing the court, it is a border town, and if it is not facing the court, it is a warlord.Judging from the current situation, the smoothness of government orders in Hexi far exceeds that in other places outside Guanzhong.

Does the family want to engage in land annexation?Everyone in Hexi is a soldier. Try annexing them!

"What products are there in Hexi? For example, they are rare in Chang'an."

Fang Chongyong was very emotional while making "notes" while asking.The Hexi in Niu Xianke's mouth does not match the hinterland of Gansu in his mind, where economic development lags behind due to lack of water!
"There are so many special products in Hexi! The first thing worth mentioning is the Sogdian brocade! But it is not from Hexi, it was brought by the Sogdians."

As soon as this is mentioned, there will be an endless stream of Niu Xianke.

"Lamb, wine, luminous cup, Sogdian brocade, alas, I can't finish it in a short while. Let me speak slowly..."

Seeing him talking with a cheerful expression on his face, he seemed to be several years younger.

Fang Chongyong thought to himself, although Niu Xianke is now appointed as Minister of the Ministry of Industry, he may still regard himself as the local bureaucrat who shined in his hometown and was widely loved and praised.

As the saying goes, the tree moves the dead and the living, but sometimes there is no shortage of counterexamples.

Niu Xianke could do great things in Hexi, why bothered the court to get him to the center to be isolated and suppressed?
This is a good person, but he may not be a good official in the central government, which is a pity.

Fang Chongyong sighed inwardly, and the hand holding the brush wrote faster on the paper.

(End of this chapter)