I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 417 I am also a Jinfan thief
In this way, Gan Ning left Chengdu, crossed Guanghan County, and headed eastward to his hometown, Linjiang County, Ba County.

When he arrived in Ba County, Gan Ning was warmly welcomed by the county officials along the way.

After serving as an official for so many years, Gan Ning is no longer the young and naive man he used to be. He also knows that being called a "Jinfan Thief" was not a good word.

Gan Ning felt a little confused as he was treated so well.

However, he had become more sophisticated over the years and would not hold the hands of the county governors who greeted him and say that he was no longer the Jinfan thief who would rob at the slightest disagreement.

Just like that, a few days later, Gan Ning met his old acquaintance Yan Yan, who was from the same hometown as him, and only then did he vaguely understand something.

As expected, after a brief greeting, Yan Yan made clear his purpose without hiding anything - "Lord Xun has long heard of Xingba's reputation, and now that he has heard that Xingba has returned, he specially sent me to visit him and want to host a banquet for Xingba."

"Tomorrow, in this county, I just wonder if Xingba will have any inconvenience?"

Gan Ning was very satisfied with Xun You's behavior.

Although Xun You did not come in person to invite them when they met for the first time, it was not considered rude to send Yan Yan.

Gan Ning immediately agreed: "I will be there on time tomorrow!"

Seeing the joy of completing his mission on Yan Yan's face, Gan Ning suddenly asked, "Tomorrow's banquet, won't it be the Hongmen Banquet?"

"That's certainly impossible! Lord Xun comes from a prominent family, how could he do such a thing? Besides, I'm here!" Yan Yan said sternly.

Gan Ning laughed loudly and said, "I don't know what kind of person the Xun Mansion Lord you are talking about is, but I believe what you, Yan Xibo, say. I was just joking!"

Seeing that Yan Yan didn't smile, Gan Ning didn't feel embarrassed.

In the evening of the next day, Yan Yan personally drove a carriage to greet Gan Ning and took him to the tallest building in the county.

Xun You had already understood Gan Ning's character through Yan Yan's narration, and treated Gan Ning politely without appearing too distant.

When Gan Ning arrived, Xun You was already waiting in front of the building.

For a high-ranking official to treat a commoner, who is not even a famous scholar, like this would be enough to show his respect no matter where he is.

But Gan Ning seemed to be deaf to such attention.

His behavior was very innocent - he seemed to have simply been invited to have a meal.

No matter what topic Xun You and Yan Yan talked about, he just muddled it over with a few casual remarks or some "hmm" or "ah".

All he had eyes for were the wine, meat and delicacies at the banquet.

He also eats voraciously.

Yan Yan felt a little embarrassed about this, but seeing that Xun You, who was sitting in the main seat, was still calm, he was able to sit down calmly too.

When Gan Ning had eaten and drunk his fill, he stood up, bowed to Xun You, and said, "Gongda..."

As soon as Gan Ning uttered the word, before he could say anything else, he heard coughing at the banquet.

It was his old friend from the same hometown as him, Yan Yan.

In Ba County, apart from a few respected and older celebrities, who would dare to call Xun You by his courtesy name in person?
Do you really think that the saying that the two thousand stone officials are the princes of a place is a joke? The title of the Lord of the Prefecture comes from the princes who can establish a prefecture.

"No problem, if Xingba wants to call me that, then let me call you that!" Xun You still acted humble.

Seeing that Xun You was not angry, Gan Ning smiled and said to Yan Yan, "Xi Bo is not as good as me, who is meeting him for the first time."

Xun You said: "Xingba is wrong this time. A gentleman is harmonious but different. Although Xibo behaves differently from Xingba, he has always been the one who understands me."

This was the first time that Xun You refuted Gan Ning during the banquet.

Gan Ning, who always valued his reputation, was not angry or annoyed when he was refuted, just like Xun You. He said, "Gongda, I didn't enjoy today's meal enough. I don't know when Gongda will leave. I want to have another meal with my brothers who have been following me tomorrow."

"In that case, I will hold a banquet here again tomorrow!" Xun You agreed readily.

This goes on for three days.

Xun You hosted banquets every day, and Gan Ning would come with his men on an empty stomach to have a big meal every day, and then leave after saying hello.

There was nothing to do except eating and drinking.

Even Yan Yan, who was from the same hometown as Gan Ning, felt a little hesitant at this moment.

When Yan Yan finally couldn't sit still anymore, he went to look for Gan Ning but to no avail, then he found Xun You and advised, "My Lord, I went to look for Gan Xingba again this afternoon. This time I guessed wrong. There may be no hidden reason behind Gan Xingba's resignation."

Xun You was not in a hurry at all, and was in a mood to comfort Yan Yan, saying: "Xi Bo, wait a few more days and see. I think your previous judgment was correct. There must be something hidden behind Gan Xingba's resignation, and it must be a big deal!"

Another day, Gan Ning continued to come perfunctorily, but Xun You treated him the same as before.

Gan Ning also brought his men to the table for dinner as he did in the previous few days.

But this time, after finishing his meal, he did not take people away directly as he did before.

Instead, he waited until Xun You and Yan Yan both put down their cups and chopsticks before he stood up, bowed solemnly to Xun You, and said, "I am sorry for disturbing you these past few days. I hope you will not blame me for being rude and disrespectful."

Xun You said: "Since ancient times, people of extraordinary talent often do things that ordinary people cannot understand. Xingba has great talent, so why would I care about a little courtesy?"

Yan Yan, who was listening, was filled with awe after hearing this. He thought that he was worthy of being Lord Xun. If it were him, he would definitely not be able to think of this sentence at once.

But Gan Ning seemed unmoved - "In fact, I know what the Lord wants these days. There are indeed things in Shu County that are unknown to the public."

"But to be honest with you, sir, when I left, in order to take my people away safely, I promised the Shu County official who led the troops to chase me that I would not tell anyone about this."

Yan Yan couldn't help getting a little angry at this time. If he had said this earlier, why would he have been delayed here for a few days?
But Xun You remained emotionally stable.

He said, "Since Xingba has made a promise, I will look for someone else. I also want to thank Xingba for pointing out the direction."

Gan Ning praised: "As expected of Lord Xun. I have sent people to inquire around these days, and they all say that Lord Xun is fair and just, and has the demeanor of ancient sages. From what I see today, the rumors are true."

As early as when he first entered Ba County, Gan Ning secretly sent people to contact his old friends.

These few days, he not only wanted to consider Xun You's temperament, but he also needed time to find out how the people of Ba County viewed Xun You.

The results of his inquiries were almost consistent with what he observed, which led to their frank communication today.

Since we have to speak frankly, it is not enough to just point out the direction. Gan Ning continued, "But there is no need to look for others... Zhang Yue, you come and tell Lord Xun what happened in Shu County!"

Even Xun You was stunned for a moment before he reacted after hearing such words.

Although he wanted to know what happened in Shu County immediately, Xun You still reminded him: "Although this method is a trick, Xingba has made a promise after all. Aren't you worried that it will damage your reputation if it gets out?"

Gan Ning smiled heartily upon hearing this, which was considered as complete recognition of Xun You, and responded: "I am Gan Xingba, the Jinfan thief!" Zhang Yue, who had been eating with Gan Ning for several days, had already received Gan Ning's instructions, and had already prepared a draft in his mind, so he slowly told the story of Shu County -

The situation of the barbarians in Shu County is different from that in Ba County.

Although there are many barbarians in Ba County, in the eyes of the Han people, they are all the same and are all barbarians.

But in Shu County there were Man, Qiang and Di. These three names were used by the Han people, which was enough to explain the differences in customs among the three.

Among them, the Man and Qiang are the most numerous.

There is no need to say much about the barbarians. As for the Qiang people, the reason is that the west of Shu County is the Qiang Center outside the Great Wall, which is the Qinghai region in later generations.

Going northwest from Shu County through Qiang Zhong, you will reach the three counties of Jincheng, Longxi and Wudu in Liangzhou.

The roads here are inconvenient, but for the locals, it is not a problem once they get used to it.

Since a large number of Qiang people migrated from the Qiangzhong area outside the Great Wall to low-altitude areas due to climate change around the time of Emperor Guangwu, there are still many Qiang people left in Qiangzhong.

And because Yizhou's performance in accepting Qiang people was better than Liangzhou and Sanfu, including the more distant Bingzhou, if the Qiang people outside the Great Wall wanted to move inland, they would of course prefer to go to Shu County and Guanghan County under Yizhou. These two counties, because of their proximity to water, received the most Qiang people moving inland.

As the number of barbarians in the two counties increased, in order to reduce the pressure of governance, during the reign of Emperor An more than 80 years ago, the imperial court split the southwest of Shu County to establish the Shu County vassal state, and split the northwest of Guanghan County to establish the Guanghan County vassal state.

This is also a custom that has gradually formed since Emperor Wen of Han and Emperor Wu of Han. For places with many barbarians, vassal states were set up, and they were allowed to "follow their old customs" and a commander was appointed to govern the vassal states.

But just as some Han people look down on the barbarians, there is also a chain of contempt among the barbarians, especially in places like Shu County where the composition is more complicated.

As long as there is enough land, these extra people are big pieces of fat meat in the eyes of the local tyrants and powerful people. Even if there is not enough land, the powerful people can find ways to squeeze out a few ounces of oil.

Throughout history, humans have always learned how to stir up disputes by supporting white gloves, and all they have to pay is morality.

The Qiang people outside the Great Wall came from a cold and bitter land, left their homes and were often slaughtered at will.

But now, a tough guy has emerged among the Qiang people.

As a result, the local barbarians who were instigated by the local tyrants in Shu County to cause trouble began to confront the Qiang people who migrated from the Qiang people outside the Great Wall.

Gan Ning was not clear about the specific details, and Zhang Yue, who was responsible for the narration, knew even less. He only knew that the two opposing forces eventually led to a major conflict - the Qiang people, the barbarians, and a small number of Han people who were affected... rivers of blood flowed.

The casualties exceeded ten thousand.

After hearing this, Xun You was shocked.

He had never imagined that such a tragedy could happen under the rule of the emperor.

And if Gan Ning had not been here, he would not have been able to hear it.

That's right, it's just the lives of some barbarians. Even if they want to relocate the Qiang people, so what? What if it affects some Han people? How many people care?
But Xun You would care, and he knew that His Majesty would care too!
Xun You stood up, looked directly at Gan Ning and asked, "For such a serious matter, why didn't Xingba file a petition to impeach him?"

If a fight broke out, Gan Ning would certainly not take Xun You seriously, and it was not impossible for him to even boast that he would beat ten of them.

But facing Xun You's questioning, he couldn't stand up.

He sighed and lowered his head for the first time in many days: "The people of Shu County are united. Without evidence, who can be trusted by my empty words?"

"Even if it was Lord Xun, after hearing what I said, I'm afraid he would have to send someone to investigate before making a decision!"

Xun You continued to ask: "The governor of Shu County? The supervisor of Shu County? The county chiefs?"

Gan Ning shook his head: "There are those who share the same fate, and there are also those who are indifferent."

——It’s just an internal fight among the barbarians. Why should the Han officials be held responsible?
The banquet ended hastily. Xun You was preparing to write a letter to report the bad things that had happened in Shu County, but he suddenly received an urgent letter talking about the new tax system.

This was sent by the Emperor, who wanted him to be prepared in advance so that he wouldn't have to wait until the moment came and be at a loss as to what to do.

According to the letter, the news of the new tax system should reach Bashu in seven or eight days at the least, or ten days at the most.

Xun You was shocked when he saw it.

He originally thought that as long as he reported the matter of Shu County to the court, all he needed was an imperial edict from the emperor to thoroughly investigate the matter and punish the culprit.

But now... there is a new tax system, and he did not conceal the fact that he had invited Gan Ning to a banquet. Xun You was worried that someone would take advantage of the new tax system reform to take risks.

He must consider the worst possible outcome!

With this in mind, Xun You quickly called Cheng Yu, the son of Cheng Ji, the governor of Hanchang, and ordered him to pass a message to Cheng Ji, asking him to recruit more Bandun barbarians as soldiers.

After dealing with all the affairs, Xun You thought that sending only Cheng Yu might not be enough, so he went to Hanchang County together with Yan Yan and Gan Ning.

Sure enough, I met Cheng Yu on the road.

Cheng Yu conveyed Cheng Ji's response to Xun You: "The original purpose of recruiting Qiang soldiers was to maintain stability in the county. Now the governor has rashly recruited soldiers. If you have other intentions, I dare not obey your order! I will never do anything unjust, even if I have to die."

It seemed that he suspected that Xun You wanted to use the Bantun soldiers to do something unspeakable, and he decisively rejected Xun You's request for conscription.

However, time waits for no one, so Xun You could only speed up his pace and go to persuade Cheng Ji in person.

Cheng Ji, the governor of Hanchang, who was loved by Xun You, had not sent away the memorial impeaching Xun You for half a day when he was wandering in the backyard of the county temple, feeling worried. When he looked up, he saw that his son Cheng Yu had actually led the prefect Xun You and some warriors into the county government office. Because of his son's relationship, no one stopped them, and Xun You was able to enter a deserted place.

Cheng Ji recognized one of them as the once notorious Gan Ning. Seeing that his son was willing to be a guide, he immediately had a bad premonition.

When the two sides met, before Xun You could speak, Cheng Ji said, "Don't dream. I will never help you recruit Qiang soldiers, help Zhou to commit atrocities, and bring disaster to the village!"

Xun You looked at Cheng Yu with a question mark on his forehead, wanting to know how he persuaded his father...

But now is not the time to worry about this matter. He came to Cheng Ji and said sincerely: "Ji Ran has misunderstood me too deeply. Let me explain it in detail first..."

After Xun You made all this clear to Liu Bei in person, he finally convinced Cheng Ji, a loyal minister who had followed Liu Bei until his death in Yiling, to agree with his judgment. Relying on their reputation among the Qiang people, he was able to recruit the Qiang soldiers, who were mainly Bantunman.

Xun You made preparations in advance.

If everything is fine, he will just have to spend some money, but if something unexpected happens, his advance preparation is crucial!
At the same time, Xun You's urgent report was on the way to Luoyang.

……

On the other hand, as the news of the new tax system reached Shu County, thieves Ma Qin, Gao Sheng and others started an uprising in Li County of Shu County, gathering tens of thousands of troops.

Coincidentally, there were two powerful families, Ma and Gao, in Pi County, and they had their own military forces for generations.

As soon as the rebel army was formed, they could not wait to march towards Qianwei County, one of the Three Shus, and its vassal states.

(End of this chapter)