Tibet

At night, a carriage slowly stopped in front of Dugu Mansion. Changsun Nanfang got out of the carriage, said a few words to Dugu Jinyang who greeted him, and the two of them quickly entered the mansion.

As a Guanlong noble who openly supported Li Ye, the eldest grandson's family was still doing well. The eldest grandson Nanfang was named Taiwei and Xu Guogong. His nephew eldest grandson Quanxu was appointed as Henan Yin and was granted the title of Zijin Guanglu doctor.

Of course, it is still a little worse than the Dugu family, and if the grand master Pei Fang had not died of illness last year, the eldest grandson family would still be ranked behind the Pei family.

But compared to other families, it's still much better.

The house was relatively dark, and there were no large lanterns installed. The Dugu family was still in mourning, and there were no lanterns or decorations. A maid led the way with a lantern.

The eldest grandson Nanfang was led to the outer study by Dugu Jinyang. Dugu Lie was already waiting at the entrance of the courtyard.

Dugulie clasped his fists and smiled: "If you miss me from afar, please don't blame me!"

"Where! I disturbed my brother's rest."

The two exchanged polite words and went into the house to talk. Dugu Jinyang also followed. He did not participate in the conversation, but sat at the door and waited. He would see off his father's guests later.

The two sat down respectively as guest and host, and a maid came in to serve them tea.

After the maid retreated, eldest grandson Nanfang whispered: "This morning, officials from the Ministry of Revenue came to my house to verify the number of manors. Does brother know about this?"

Dugu Lie chuckled, "Every household must verify it. The Dugu family confirmed it ten days ago, but I advise you not to hide it, it will be self-defeating!"

"Why?"

"It's very simple. The county government knows better than anyone how many manors there are in a county. For example, if the eldest grandson's family has a manor in Yunyang County, but they deliberately conceal it, the Ministry of Household Affairs will regard it as an ownerless manor and confiscate it. You say it is your eldest grandson's manor. If it’s not on the list you provided, the court won’t recognize it. Do you understand?”

“So register honestly and don’t leave anything to chance.”

"Yes! Disclosing assets openly is actually a kind of protection for oneself. Especially for a large asset like the farm, unless it is not in Guanzhong, it will be jointly investigated by the government in Guanzhong and there is no way to hide it."

"Before, it was the inspection of the clan's property, but now it is the inspection of the Guanlong nobles. Why is it so harsh?"

Dugu sighed, "This is all the trouble caused by the clan. The clan has farms in various places in Guanzhong. The total number of armed villagers is as many as 100,000. The number of villagers in Jingzhao Mansion alone exceeds 50,000, and they are all wearing armor. Wearing helmets and holding spears, don't you think! The city gate of Chang'an is not closed now, and there are no square gates. What will happen if these 50,000 troops suddenly attack Chang'an?"

"No way!"

"No? How did Li Lin die? He was training 8,000 troops in Hu County, and he was preparing to attack Chang'an at night after the regent came back. This was their plan.

Li Yu was the same. He trained 5,000 troops in Lantian County and planned to mutiny. Fortunately, their attempt was discovered by the inner guards in advance. If the inner guards had been delayed for two days, the rebels would have entered Chang'an City. "

"I understand, so the imperial court confiscated the Guanzhong Manor owned by the clan!"

"Yes! Even the regent's two manors were handed over to the Ministry of Household Affairs, as well as the Imperial Manor!"

Changsun Nanfang felt sad and said after a while: "The Changsun family has a total of five manors in Guanzhong, covering an area of ​​about 40,000 acres. Will the imperial court forcibly confiscate them?"

Dugu Lie shook his head and said: "Generally, there will be no forcible confiscation, unless the total number of your villagers exceeds 500, or you have accumulated a large number of weapons in the manor, which would raise suspicion of rebellion, then it is not as simple as confiscating the manor. I believe you should understand what I mean.”

"We have not violated these two prohibitions. We have not exceeded the minimum number of 150 people, and we have not stockpiled weapons in large quantities. All our weapons have been turned in."

"That's okay. The regent will not forcefully seize the Changsun family's property. If you don't want to sell it, the court won't force it, but..."

"But what?" Changsun Nanfang asked nervously.

Lone Lie said calmly: "But the eldest grandson's family has given up their future for a few manors. In another year and a half, the eldest grandson Quanxu will definitely be changed to the general of the Twelve Guards. Don't wonder why the regent treated the eldest grandson so coldly. Home? In fact, these five manors have already given you face?"

The eldest grandson Nanfang was speechless. He gave up his official career for five manors. How to settle this debt?

"What about the Guanzhong Manor of the Dugu family?"

Dugu Lie smiled slightly and said: "Of course I gave up. We have eight manors in Guanzhong, involving 200,000 acres of land. I chose the replacement method. The regent promised to give me an island as big as Jingzhao Mansion, or In the far west, give us a piece of land about the same size as Jingzhao Mansion. "

Changsun Nanfang was stunned for a moment, "Brother, I don't understand. Can you explain it in detail?"

Dugulie smiled and said: "If I choose Hebei, it will replace the manor of 200,000 acres. If I choose Hexi Corridor or Fengzhou, the land replacement will become 400,000 acres. If I choose Beiting or Anxi , the replacement land became 500,000 acres.

But if I choose the west of Congling, I will be given a city, and the city lord will be appointed by the Dugu family for generations. If I choose the west of the Aral Sea, then I will be given a mansion with an area equal to Jingzhao mansion. The Dugu family can be a marquis for generations. Local officials were recommended by the Dugu family and appointed by the court. "

Changsun Nanfang was surprised and said: "Isn't this a vassal state?"

"Of course it's not a vassal state. The Emperor of Zhou is an empty state. The Tang Dynasty is not an empty state. The army also belongs to the imperial court. I only have the local autonomy inherited from generation to generation. I am called the Marquis of Guanwai."

"I think it's still a vassal state, a vassal state without military power!"

Dugu Lie smiled bitterly, "Without military power, it's not a vassal state."

"What about the islands?"

Dugu Lie sighed, "I'm confused now! In the Western Regions, you can't have your own army, you can't be called a king, but islands can have armies, you can enthrone overseas kings, and even build your own kingdom, appoint officials, etc., and you don't have to file with the court. As long as you come to Chang'an every three years to meet the emperor and pay tribute to some special products every year, the court will not care. This is a real vassal state."

"The conditions on the islands are good!"

Dugu Lie shook his head, "The court will not give such good conditions for free. The key is that the islands are all deserted islands. Although the area is large, there are no people. A lot of wealth must be invested in construction, and Han people must be recruited to be islanders. It will not become an island country without hundreds of years. The main reason is that in the early stage, there are a lot of forest snakes on the island. Who can I find to cut down trees and reclaim land? ”

Chang Sun Nanfang lowered his voice and said, "I have a business in Quanzhou. I heard from the manager that when the Ryukyu Island was first developed, they went to Japan and Silla to recruit laborers, and each person was paid one string of money per month. They were fighting for it.

The Dugu family can recruit 10,000 people, which is only more than 300,000 strings of money in three years. One island can be almost handled, and the county town can be built. Then recruit farmers from the Tang Dynasty. ”

"I'm afraid that ordinary Han people don't want to go!"

"That's easy. Bring all the aristocratic slaves of the Dugu family over, and there will be thousands of families. Then get some young women from Japan and Silla to reproduce. It doesn't take a hundred years. I think a small country will appear in ten years."

Dugu Lie was really tempted. He mainly felt that the west of the Aral Sea was unsafe, with threats from Western powers such as the Arabs and the Qin Dynasty, but the islands were different. He could build his own army and was not afraid of pirate attacks. The key was that the Dugu family's dream of building a country for more than a hundred years could be realized in his hands.

"Does the Changsun family have any ideas? You also exchange an island. We can be neighbors. I will establish the Dugu Kingdom and you will establish the Changsun Kingdom. How about that?"

How could Changsun Nanfang not be tempted? When he was thinking of a solution for Dugu Lie, his saliva almost flowed out.

"We have too little land in Guanzhong, only 40,000 acres. How big an island can we exchange for?"

Dugu Lie smiled slightly, "You are confused. Your Changsun family has manors in Hedong, Zhongyuan, and even Jiangnan. How can you not have 200,000 or 300,000 acres in total?"

Changsun Nanfang suddenly woke up from a dream.