Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 324: Humiliation of the Hall
"Sorry..."

"Don't walk around, just line up here!"

"Please report your household registration, name, age, and residence registration truthfully."

"Those who have committed crimes before will not be held accountable now that they are here, but if anyone lies about their identity, they will be severely punished!"

In August, as Hexi entered autumn, the area outside Zhangye City in Ganzhou was already covered with autumn colors.

Outside the city gate, thousands of people gathered, most of them wearing sackcloth and with messy hair.

They stood there and communicated with each other, but their language was the Xichuan dialect.

There were armored soldiers supervising them around, and flags with "Hexi Guiyi" written on them were fluttering on the top of the city.

At the city gate, more than a dozen Zhibai were setting up the table and starting to register the population, while in a thatched hut not far away, Jiu Juyan, the governor of Ganzhou, was talking to the person in front of him.

"Jiu Envoy, this is what the commander-in-chief told you to do. Please keep it in mind. After all, it is not easy to migrate people here."

The Longyou official in light green robes said respectfully, and Jiu Juyan, who was sitting at his seat, nodded after hearing this:

"Thank you for your help, brothers. I have learned about what happened on the road through the letters of Li Duhu and Li Shijun. I will definitely make good arrangements for these people."

"This is the reply letter from my commander to Commander Liu. Please take it back to Linzhou and give it to Commander."

Two brave captains stood behind Jiu Juyan, but he spoke sincerely and even presented the letter with both hands.

Faced with his enthusiasm and respect, the seventh-rank official from Longyou was also very polite. He took the letter with both hands respectfully, then bowed and left.

Seeing him leave, Jiu Juyan was not in a hurry to leave, but stayed in the straw hut, waiting for the household registration not far away to be completed.

Nearly two hours passed like this, and the thousands of people outside the city finally completed the registration process.

They were brought into Zhangye City by Zhibai and the soldiers. Apparently Jiu Juyan had already arranged accommodation for them in advance.

"Sir, I've counted them. There are 2,566 households and 6,237 people. They are all single men and brothers!"

An official from Ganzhou, wearing a light crimson official robe, walked quickly over and presented documents with both hands.

Jiu Juyan took the wine, flipped through it, and then told the official:

"Huide, most of these immigrants are from Xichuan. They have traveled a long way here, and I'm afraid many of them may not be able to adapt to the local climate."

"It's not easy for Marshal Liu to move them here. Please send the doctors to keep an eye on them and make sure nothing happens to them."

More than 6,000 able-bodied men, if they are well taken care of and settled, can assimilate an equal or even larger population, making the Hexi Guiyi Army's foothold in the Western Regions more solid.

However, judging from the content of Liu Jilian's handwriting, the people of Xichuan were still not very adapted to the climate of Hexi.

Although Xizhou is also an oasis, its environment is worse than that of Zhangye.

Jiujuyan planned to let these more than 6,000 able-bodied men recuperate in Ganzhou for two or three months, and then migrate to Xizhou.

"Sir, the men who died of illness on the road shouldn't be counted in the sale, right?"

Wang Huaide asked Jiu Juyan, who shook his head and said, "Marshal Liu Jie said that only the number of people sent to Ganzhou will be counted."

"In addition, Zhang Yaya just told me that three more groups of refugees will arrive in Ganzhou in the next two months."

"These people are particularly important. If we can move them to Xizhou, we can rely on Xizhou to seek to recover towns such as Qiuci, Yanqi, and Tingzhou."

Jiu Juyan smiled, but Wang Huaide said worriedly: "But the remaining Uighurs are powerful. Even if the population of Xizhou recovers to 40,000, our army..."

"Don't worry about that!" Jiu Juyan interrupted:
"The letter I just handed to Zhang Yaya is the reply from Jieshuai and Liu Jieshuai."

"After two years of rest, the Khitans will join us in the expedition to defeat the remaining Uighurs."

"What we need to do now is to properly resettle these refugees from Xichuan, and don't worry about the rest."

After Jiu Juyan finished speaking, Wang Huaide nodded to show that he understood, then left the hut and went to settle the refugees.

As for Zhang Huaishen's handwritten letter, it was delivered to Liu Jilong almost half a month later.

As expected, Zhang Huaishen naturally agreed to cooperate with the Khitans, but raised the issue of food.

The population of Hexi is only a few hundred thousand, and now with the influx of migrants, food is naturally in short supply again.

When Zhang Huaishen was preparing to transport spices from the Western Regions to Liangzhou in September, he also planned to trade 100,000 shi of grain with Longyou.

This amount of grain was nothing for Longyou, and since Zhang Huaishen was willing to trade for horses, Liu Jilong naturally agreed.

"Two hundred thousand dan of grain were transported from the official warehouses in Lanzhou and Hezhou to Liangzhou, of which one hundred thousand dan were reserved for the September trade with Hexi."

Liu Jilong gave instructions to Gao Jinda, while Cao Mao also walked into the main hall:
"General, Brother Li, Brother Ma, and Shang Duoluo have been settled and are now seeking an audience outside."

Cao Mao's words made Liu Jilong pause, but he recovered after taking a breath: "Let them in."

"Yes!" Cao Mao returned the greeting respectfully and then left the main hall.

Soon, Li Ji, Ma Cheng and Shang Duoluo appeared in Liu Jilong's sight.

Ma Cheng and Shang Duoluo looked even older. Judging from their ages, they would be sixty years old in a few years.

Compared to the two of them, 34-year-old Li Ji is in his prime and his face looks more mature.

"Jie Shuai..."

"Sit down."

After all, they were old brothers from the third group in the past, so Liu Jilong was not so polite when speaking to them.

As for Shang Duoluo, he was able to betray Shang Bibi and come to him. Liu Jilian always treated him as a brother and there had never been any rift between them.

His tone made Li Ji, Ma Cheng and Shang Duoluo gradually relax. The three of them took their seats at Cao Mao's invitation, while Gao Jinda tactfully got up and left.

Soon, only Liu Jilong, Ma Cheng, Li Ji, Shang Duoluo and Cao Mao were left in the hall. They were all old brothers who had known each other for more than ten years.

"Chen Jingchong and Zhang Chang have been transferred to Shanzhou to organize troops for battle, so they are unable to entertain you. I will host a banquet today so that we can catch up with each other."

Liu Jilong greeted Li Ji and others, but Li Ji and others were no longer the small generals of the past, but generals with high positions and power.

Faced with Liu Jilong's words, they did not blindly follow them as they had done before. Instead, they carefully considered what he said, worrying that he was reminding them of something.

Seeing them deliberating, Liu Jilong sighed in front of them and said, "We can't go back to the way things were before."

"Don't blame me, Marshal. It's us who are slow..."

"Don't blame me, Marshal..."

Seeing that Liu Jilong had no other intentions, Li Ji and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly explained.

Liu Jilong shook his head and said nothing more. He just looked at Cao Mao and said, "Let the chef serve the dishes."

"Yes!" Cao Mao agreed, and then ordered the soldiers outside the hall to serve the dishes.

After doing all this, he turned his gaze back to the hall. Liu Jilong did not speak, but waited quietly, taking a sip of the teacup from time to time.

Ma Cheng and others were on pins and needles, but fortunately the chef did not make them wait too long and the food was served in just half a quarter of an hour.

Liu Jilong led everyone to the side hall, where there were the Eight Immortals tables and chairs that he had improved.

Five people sat on several chairs around a round table, on which were laid four meat dishes, three vegetable dishes and two soups.

"Talk while you eat. Don't be too restrained."

Liu Jilong gave some instructions and then picked up his chopsticks and started eating.

If such a meal was served ten years ago, everyone would have eaten it with great delight.

But now that they were reunited, everyone ate slowly, which was completely different from their previous rude behavior.

"I think you have learned about the situation at the court through the blackboards in the government offices in various places, so I won't hide it."

"Given the current situation of the imperial court, unrest will begin in three to five years at most. By then, Longyou will definitely seek opportunities to leave Longyou."

"I called you back from your local areas because I don't want factionalism to appear in the counties and prefectures, and I also want to better deploy you to deal with emergencies."

Liu Jilong spoke to them frankly, and everyone felt nervous when they heard his words.

“No matter where you work, you will always have to deal with personal relationships.”

"But personal relationships are personal relationships. I still hope that people won't abuse their power for personal gain, which would lead to someone who is not worthy of his position."

Liu Jilong spoke slowly. Li Ji, Ma Cheng and Shang Duoluo looked calm, but they were not so calm in their hearts.

"The departure to the east is imminent, and no one can disrupt the plan."

"Yes……"

In response to Liu Jilong's words, everyone responded quickly and couldn't help but feel relieved.

They thought there was something wrong with the person they promoted, but now it seems it was just a warning.

However, now that officials from the fourteen states have been reassigned and officials from all regions have been broken up and reorganized, it is time to compete on ability rather than background.

It is much better to stumble now than to stumble later on the battlefield.

Thinking of this, Li Ji and the others tacitly picked up their wine glasses and toasted Liu Jilong, saying, "General, rest assured, I will ..."

Everyone showed their loyalty, and Liu Jilong smiled and nodded without finding fault or saying anything.

Although Liu Jilong didn't dare to say that he knew everything that Li Ji, Shang Duoluo and others did, he at least knew most of it.

He did have the mentality of trying to pressure them during today's banquet. Now that his goal had been achieved, there was no need to push them too hard.

Although they all have their own thoughts, they can still judge right from wrong.

"As for the Tuhun expeditionary army, I plan to let each of you lead the army for a year until the Tuhun tribe in the Tuyuhun area is completely subdued."

"The soldiers in the army also need to take turns to go to the battlefield. They cannot avoid it just because they are the children of officials." "If anyone dares to go to the battlefield through the back door, I will personally escort him to the front line to kill the enemy..."

Although Liu Jilong was smiling, his words made Ma Cheng and Li Ji feel a chill.

Ma Cheng was not frightened by Ma Yi's affairs. After all, Ma Yi had a stubborn temper and was transferred to Shanzhou Shancheng to serve as a soldier at the beginning of the year.

Now the Tuhun punitive army is being formed, but Ma Yi is, after all, a new recruit who has been in the army for less than a year, so whether he can be selected is another matter.

What's more, even if he is selected, there will naturally be someone to take care of him, so Ma Cheng doesn't have to worry.

What Ma Cheng and Li Ji were worried about were the second batch of more than 100 students in Linzhou.

Compared with the first batch, there are quite a few children of officials in the second batch of students, and they are only a few months away from the end of their rural service.

After joining the army next year, he might be selected into the punitive army in the next two years. Although the possibility is very low, the officials below still came forward to plead for him.

Before Li Ji and Ma Cheng could express their opinions, they were recalled to the Protectorate.

Now that their own commander had spoken these words again, the two of them felt somewhat frightened.

"Don't worry, General Jie. Soldiers have to eat food and go into battle to kill the enemy. It's useless for anyone to use backdoors!"

Shang Duoluo was quite tough. After all, the officials who were attached to him were mostly of foreign descent.

The barbarians were no match for the Han people in governance, so most of them chose to join the army.

If they want to stand out, the only shortcut is to kill people and gain credit.

Faced with the establishment of the Tuhun punitive army, these children of the barbarians and civilians were instead filled with enthusiasm.

"Well, I'm not worried about you."

Liu Jilong nodded in response, then looked at Ma Cheng and Li Ji: "Have a drink."

He raised his glass, and Ma Cheng and Li Ji also raised their glasses awkwardly.

Soon, the banquet ended and Liu Jilong asked Cao Mao to send the three of them back to his residence without saying anything else.

He believed that after this banquet, Ma Cheng and Li Ji should know what to do and what not to do.

If they didn't know, then the sinecure in the Protectorate would be enough to keep them rich.

As for positions with real power, they may not be able to get them...

Liu Jilong had no choice. In this era of great contention, he would not allow others to hold him back.

It’s not that you can’t enjoy wealth and honor, but you just can’t stop moving forward when it’s progressing.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong stood in the main hall and looked at the night sky: "Now the only one missing is someone who is angry..."

While Liu Jilong was saying this, in Yuanju County of Caozhou, thousands of miles away from Longyou, the Huang family's residence was brightly lit.

The lascivious music came from the central hall. Huang's father, Huang Chao, Huang Cun and others were sitting in their respective seats, and next to Huang's father was an official from Yuanju County wearing a green official robe.

Inside the hall, several Yangzhou actors were singing lyrics, and seven or eight musicians were playing music.

The fat official in a green robe stroked his short beard, his eyes constantly wandering over several actors.

Father Huang saw this and immediately smiled and said, "I wonder if there is anyone among these people that County Magistrate Wang likes?"

"Haha, both are good... both are good..."

County Magistrate Wang said this with a smile. Huang's father cursed him in his heart for being greedy, but smiled and said:

"In that case, I will send them to your house later to play for you for a few days."

“I’m afraid…” County Magistrate Wang hesitated, but he was reluctant to look away.

Father Huang stroked his beard when he saw this and said, "It's okay, it's just a few actors and musicians."

"Then I will respectfully obey your command."

County Magistrate Wang agreed readily, and it seemed as if his previous refusal was not what he said.

Father Huang chuckled at this and then asked, "I heard that the imperial court is going to increase the salt and iron taxes again. I wonder if Yuanju County will have a ..."

"Well..." County Magistrate Wang kept the question a secret, then said:

"This year, the government only needs to sell 7,000 buckets of official salt."

"Is that so?" Father Huang breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could ask, County Magistrate Wang said:
"The price of official salt this year is not much higher, per bucket..."

He paused, then said hesitantly, "Five hundred coins per bucket will do..."

"Five hundred coins?!"

Huang's father, who was still able to sit in his seat, suddenly raised his voice, and the musicians and actors stopped playing.

Seeing Huang's father's big reaction, County Magistrate Wang frowned and said, "Mr. Huang, there is no need to be so loud. I can do nothing about it. After all, this is the order of the court."

Huang's father knew, but he couldn't help but said, "County Magistrate, a certain family sold illegal salt and earned only more than 3,400 strings of cash."

"Now the imperial court sells salt for 500 per bushel, and the government wants to sell 7,000 bushels of official salt. I'm afraid my business won't be able to continue..."

Father Huang told the truth, but County Magistrate Wang, who had been smiling, suddenly turned gloomy and stood up and scolded:
"Huang Xie, I am not discussing this with you."

"The imperial court is in trouble now, and your Huang family has a lot of farmland and private salt, and the output is definitely more than 5,000 strings of cash."

"Your Huang family will only have to suffer for a year or two before you start complaining to me."

"Don't forget, the Huang family's illegal salt trafficking is a serious crime. If you hadn't had the protection of the government, you would have been exiled long ago!"

Huang Chao, who was originally silent at the first seat on the left, could not help but stand up when he saw his father being scolded. However, he still suppressed his temper and bowed to County Magistrate Wang, saying: "County Magistrate Wang, I..."

"When the elders are talking, there is no time for a junior like you to interrupt!"

County Magistrate Wang turned around and scolded Huang Chao, which made Huang Chao's blood rush to his head and made his face turn red.

He is now forty-four years old, and County Magistrate Wang is only thirty years old, but he always calls him junior, which makes him ashamed and angry at the same time.

If that were the case, he could still bear it, but County Magistrate Wang refused to give in and said:
"I now remember that you are the Mr. Huang that everyone is talking about?"

County Magistrate Wang said this with a sneer on his face: "I heard that you failed the imperial examinations many times. I guess you don't have any real talent or knowledge. You can only trade your wealth for a reputation."

"I have seen many people like you who live off their savings, and you dare to challenge me!"

Magistrate Wang looked at Huang's father and taught him a lesson: "Mr. Huang, please teach your useless Mr. Da a lesson. Don't squander the Huang family fortune and turn yourself into a hooligan."

"Yes Yes Yes……"

Huang's father was very angry when his beloved eldest son was scolded, but he still had to smile along.

"Seven thousand dou of official salt, five hundred coins per dou, not a single dou less."

"That's all I have to say. Mr. Huang, prepare your money early after the autumn harvest!"

County Magistrate Wang walked away with a wave of his sleeves. When he passed by Huang Chao, he snorted softly, which made Huang Chao's face turn even redder.

After County Magistrate Wang left, Huang Chao's nephew Huang Cun could not help but said to his father: "Hey, this bastard official humiliated my uncle so much, why are you still..."

"Shut up!" Huang's father scolded his grandson, then walked up to Huang Chao, patted his shoulder, and said soothingly:

"It's all because of Aye's uselessness that you suffered today..."

"Aye, I'm not in the way..."

Huang Chao forced a smile and then tried to change the subject: "Why did the court increase taxes on salt and iron?"

"Alas..." Huang's father sighed and said, "I heard that they were short of military pay and didn't want to increase the land tax for their reputation, so in the end it had to fall on us, the Salt and Iron Bureau."

"Yeah!" Huang Cun couldn't help but say, "If we take out the 3,500 strings of official salt, won't we have to pay for the business?"

"If you ask me, I'd better not do this private salt business. I still have farmland at home!"

Huang Cun had a good idea, but Huang's father shook his head and said, "The private salt in Yuanju County all passed through our Huang family's hands. It is not up to us to choose whether to do this business or not, but it depends on whether the government wants us to do it."

"If they want us to do it, we have to do it even if we have to pay for it..."

Huang Cun's eyes widened: "Isn't this bullying?!"

"Hehe..." Father Huang laughed dryly, shook his head and walked out, and a few words came out slowly.

"This is how the world works. Officials have an umbrella above their heads and two mouths below them. They have the final say..."

"Yeah, walk slower, I'll help you!"

Huang Cun saw his own Ye Ye staggering as he walked, so he quickly ran after him and supported him.

Huang Chao stood there without moving, just looking at his father's back, clenching his fists: "Official..."

He was filled with resentment, and especially when he recalled Magistrate Wang saying that he had no real talent and was unfit to be an official, he became even more furious.

But when he thought of his elderly father, he finally loosened his fists.

If he were alone, Magistrate Wang's head would probably have been placed in front of him long ago.

But he is not, he still has Aye and nephews...

"For Father..." Huang Chao let out a breath and left the hall dejectedly.

Now, he only hopes that the knowledgeable people in the court will petition the emperor to reduce the heavy taxes on salt and iron so that peace can be restored for the Huang family.

However, his expectations were ultimately dashed...

(End of this chapter)