My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 484 No Old Friends West of Yangguan

Beneath the walls of Hami, the north wind whips up yellow sand, carrying the stench of blood as it lashes against the mottled city walls.

The Ushnish chieftain Nalibulai stood on the high slope, his horse reined in. Behind him, thousands of Ushnish elite cavalrymen stood silently, with only the horses occasionally pawing the ground restlessly.

But on the front lines, a completely different scene unfolded – nearly a thousand local people, bound together by ropes, trembled under the whips, their bare hands forming the first bloody torrent of attack on the city.

There was no other way; there were no forests around Hami, and the Wushen people didn't have time to build siege engines.

However, this was exactly what Nalibulai was thinking. He didn't expect these heretics to attack the city; he just wanted to use the war to deplete their population.

"Beat the drums! Advance!" The powerful command was as cold as a knife.

The dull war drums suddenly sounded, and the cavalrymen cried out in despair, forced by the scimitars of the Wushen cavalry behind them to surge toward the city wall.

The Fire People guarding the city did not treat these people as their own, but instead fired arrows in retaliation under Mamahei's cold orders.

Arrows rained down like locusts, and boiling oil poured down! The vanguard fell in droves, their screams and the smell of burning flesh filling the battlefield.

The bloody battle lasted for half a day, and the enemy was almost wiped out, but the base of the city wall had been piled up with corpses and debris, forming several gentle slopes.

Hami City does not have a moat, only a shallow, gentle ditch.

The corpses of the cavalry have now filled the ditch, and the firemen in the city have also used up a lot of their arrows.

The sun in the sky had begun to slant, and it was already past noon.

Seeing that the time was right, Nalibulai gave the order:

"Officially launch the siege!"

With that powerful order, the last batch of captives were driven towards the walls of Hami.

Perhaps the battle in the morning had taken too much to handle, or perhaps the number of the hunters this time was too small, because the Fire Warriors' arrows were much sparser this time.

Surprisingly, quite a few of the enemy troops managed to reach the city walls.

Originally, the Fire Warriors didn't care about these enemies rushing to the city walls. Hami City had sturdy walls, and these unarmed and unskilled foes couldn't climb them anyway.

However, to the surprise of the Hami garrison, those who rushed to the city were not the cavalry, but rather disguised Wushen assassins.

These Wushen people had gunpowder strapped to their bodies, and when they arrived at the city, they lit the gunpowder on their bodies.

"Buddha's enemy, die!"

With a series of roars, a loud explosion erupted beneath Hami City, and after the smoke rose, a powerful blast ripped open a corner of the city wall.

"Charge into the city, leave no survivors!"

Nalibulai raised his scimitar, and all the Wushen people rushed towards the gap.

Liu Bing, who was watching from the sidelines, knew that the Fire Warrior had already been defeated.

On that day, Hami City fell. The Fire Warrior leader, Ma Mahei, led dozens of riders to escape the city, while the Fire Warrior soldiers left in the city were all massacred on Nalibulai's orders.

Liu Bing could only record everything and then send it to the capital.
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The people of the capital city were not concerned with the war that was thousands of miles away.

Unfortunately, despite the newspapers' propaganda and the calls for "reviving the Han and Tang dynasties," the Western Regions were too far away, and the people of the capital were more interested in talking about things closer to home.

For example, Li Yiyuan, the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, was about to leave the capital.

Inside the Office of Transmission, Li Yiyuan, the Transmission Commissioner who was preparing to depart, suddenly received a report from his subordinate Xu Shuli that Prosecutor Su had come to pay him a visit.

Li Yiyuan was somewhat unhappy.

Many people gloated over my departure from Beijing this time.

He was especially hostile to his mortal enemy and former Minister of Personnel, Yang Sizhong!

Yang Sizhong actually wrote Wang Wei's "Sending Yuan Er to Anxi" himself and sent it to him.

One of the lines, "No old friends beyond Yangguan Pass," is practically cursing himself!

I'm going to Dunhuang! Not Yangguan Pass!

Li Yiyuan was filled with hatred, but this departure from the capital was the will of the royal family and the cabinet, and he dared not disobey.

Su Ze, mindful of his former superior, came to see him off, which was a gesture of respect for Li Yiyuan.

Li Yiyuan asked Xu Shuli to invite Su Ze in. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Su Ze suddenly untied the bag at his waist and opened it.

A short while later, a plump pigeon flew into the office of the Ministry of Justice.

Li Yiyuan felt that the fat pigeon looked familiar. He remembered that when Su Ze was still in the Ministry of State Affairs, he had seen the fat pigeon sneak into the kitchen of the Ministry of State Affairs to steal rice. So the fat pigeon was raised by Su Ze.
Su Ze said:

"Lord Li, my pigeon can deliver messages over long distances. If you need it to send urgent messages back to the capital, just open the rice bag and it will come over."

Li Yiyuan found it rather strange. He had been traveling westward all the way, so how did this fat pigeon know where he was? And how was it supposed to send a message to someone who was moving?
Li Yiyuan would take it as a joke if others said it, but he believed Su Ze to some extent when Su Ze said it.

After all, people say that Su Ze is the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang. Surely Zhuge Liang must have some extraordinary skills?
Li Yiyuan then said:

"After I leave, Zilin, please take care of the affairs within the Office of Transmission when you have time."

"what?"

Li Yiyuan glanced at Su Ze and said:

"Since Zilin left the Office of Transmission, no one has filled the vacancy in the Office of Transmission. Now that I am about to travel west, the daily affairs of the Office are fine, but I can only turn to you for important matters."

Su Ze then remembered that all the talented people in the Office of Transmission had been sent out by Yang Sizhong, the former Commissioner of Transmission.

The position of Vice Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review was not permanent, and it became vacant after the previous Vice Commissioner retired. Originally, the second and third leaders of the Court of Judicial Review were the Left and Right Councilors.

Later, he was promoted to Tongyi, and then to Jianzheng Zhongshu Menxia Wufang. However, Li Yiyuan repeatedly asked the Ministry of Personnel to fill the vacancy, but the Ministry of Personnel could not provide a suitable candidate.

The reason is actually very simple.

The predecessor was Su Ze. Although Su Ze didn't do much during his tenure, everyone compares the current leader's achievements with Su Ze's.

If you do a good job, it's expected; if you don't do a good job, you'll be ridiculed.

Therefore, it was difficult to find a suitable candidate who could be considered by both sides.

Li Yiyuan cupped his hands and said:

"I hope the five departments of the Secretariat and Chancellery will take care of the delivery of memorials in the future. After all, you also handle this business."

Su Ze readily agreed.

Finally, Su Ze offered Li Yiyuan another suggestion:

"Lord Li, if you wish to check the condition of the post stations along the way, you may choose to travel incognito."

"Traveling incognito?"

Su Ze said:

"If you were to travel as the Commissioner of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the post stations along the way would certainly be on high alert, and you wouldn't see any problems."

"I suggest you go as a local official going to Shaanxi and Gansu to take up your post. That way you can see the true situation of the post stations."

"I will also petition His Majesty to dispatch an elite force from the capital garrison to escort them."

After listening, Li Yiyuan also felt that it made a lot of sense, so he accepted Su Ze's opinion.

Since the Office of Transmission issues official documents, Li Yiyuan had Xu Shuli prepare a set of documents, pretending to be a minor county magistrate on his way to take up his post in Gansu. He decided to use this identity to stay at a post station when leaving the capital region.
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To get to Gansu, you must first go to Shaanxi.

There are two main routes from the capital to Shaanxi.

One route was the one An Lushan took, which led south from the capital to Henan, then through Luoyang, and finally into Guanzhong via Tongguan. Another route went through Shanxi.

After passing through the basin in Shanxi, we entered Guanzhong via the Longmen Ferry.

Li Yiyuan chose the first route, which was the route through Henan into Guanzhong.

The reason is quite simple: the former governor-general of Xuanda was Wang Chonggu, while Qi Jiguang was in Datong, and Shanxi also had Wang Yongji, who was as famous as Hai Rui, serving as governor.

Shanxi was also one of the first regions to levy commercial taxes and conduct civil service examinations. Over the years, Shaanxi has consistently achieved good political results, and the local government has maintained strong control.

In comparison, Henan's performance was only so-so.

Therefore, Li Yiyuan decided to enter Guanzhong from Henan and take the opportunity to check the situation of the post stations along the way in Henan.

a few days later.

As dusk settled and dust swirled along the official road, a courtyard with a faded lantern bearing the character "驿" (post station) appeared particularly dilapidated.

Li Yiyuan, the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, disguised as a seventh-rank county magistrate named "Li Yuan" who was on his way to take up his post in a county in Gansu, arrived at the post station in Henan with Xu Shuli, who was disguised as his secretary, and several plainclothes guards from the Beijing Garrison.

Upon entering, one is immediately greeted by a stench of horse manure, sweat, and cheap liquor.

Zhang Gui, the postmaster, was a man dressed in a worn-out black servant's uniform, with his head bowed and eyes downcast, cleaning up horse manure.

Xu Shuli stepped forward, handed over the official document bearing the "carefully" forged seal of the Ministry of Justice, and said with a fawning smile:
"You've had a long journey, Master. We're here on our way to our post. Please arrange for us to rest, have some fodder, and prepare some hot food."

After saying this, Xu Shuli was about to leave.

During the time in the capital region, after a long period of rectification by the Six Ministries and the Censorate, the official post stations had become very strict.

Only the official himself and his family were allowed to stay at the post station upon taking office; the official's personal attendants and clerks were not allowed to stay at the post station.

Therefore, a peculiar sight was formed at the official post stations in the capital.

That is, around each official post station, several private post stations would spring up.

These private inns could provide the same, or even better, services as the official inns, and provided accommodation for the entourage and advisors of the appointed officials.

In some of the more prosperous post stations, the surrounding private post stations were even more magnificent and luxurious than the official ones.

Around the post station, local officials and constables were maintaining order, and tax collectors were inspecting commercial taxes; everything was in good order.

Of course, all of these cost money.

But everything changed after we entered Henan.

First of all, the condition of the post roads has visibly deteriorated, and some post roads have even been overgrown with shrubs that no one has cleared.

This post station was also dilapidated, and there were no other post stations nearby.

Xu Shuli was about to leave, but the postmaster grabbed him and said:
"Where does this clerk intend to stay? This area is the middle of nowhere; does he intend to sleep outdoors?"

Xu Shuli was somewhat puzzled, and the postmaster Zhang Gui said:

"We happen to have a few empty rooms at our inn, so please squeeze in. As long as this is the right place, it will be fine."

Xu Shuli immediately understood Zhang Gui's meaning. He took out a few brass coins from his pocket, and Zhang Gui immediately said enthusiastically:
"Please come in, everyone!"

This was obviously a violation of regulations, but Li Yiyuan had been in officialdom for a long time and knew what it was like at the grassroots level, so he didn't take it seriously.

The post stations in the capital region have a special background.

The long-term deterrent effect of the Six Ministries and the fact that the capital region was right under the emperor's nose meant that officials dared not be too presumptuous.

Shuntian Prefecture had long implemented commercial taxes, and the local area had ample financial resources and a strong commercial atmosphere.

But it doesn't work in Henan.

However, the young official Xu Shuli did not have a good impression of this post station in Henan.

Xu Shuli soon discovered that this post station manager was extremely capable.

The postmaster quickly took over the horse and poured hay into the trough. Although the hay was withered and yellow, clearly last year's old hay, at least there was hay.

Zhang Gui then fetched clean water and wiped the horse's body, which made Xu Shuli feel that the money was well spent.

After settling in, Xu Shuli's impression of Zhang Gui improved, and he started chatting with Zhang Gui.

Seeing Zhang Gui's competence, Xu Shuli took out a few more brass coins and gave them to him, saying:

"The postmaster has it tough too, earning only a little money for his hard work. Tonight, please prepare some hot water, wine, and food, and give our horses some extra feed."

Among local officials in the Ming Dynasty, serving in the southeast was the best option.

Now, Shandong and Shanxi have become the two provinces that levy commercial taxes, along with coastal cities that have opened to foreign trade.

When they took up their posts in these places, they did not pass through Henan.

Therefore, Zhang Gui, the postmaster, rarely saw an official so generous, and he was very pleasantly surprised. He quickly said:

"Thank you for your understanding. Food and drink are fine, but I really can't provide the horse feed."

Zhang Gui said with difficulty:
"The best soybean feed is reserved for 'important' gentlemen. The county also needs to come and collect it frequently, so we simply can't afford to supply it."

Hearing this, Xu Shuli didn't make things difficult for Zhang Gui. He figured they could just buy some more fodder when they got to a more prosperous area.

Xu Shuli quickly noticed that only the postmaster Zhang Gui was busy at the entire post station, and he asked:

"Zhang, is this also a medium-sized post station? According to the regulations of the imperial court, a medium-sized post station should have one postmaster and six postmen. Why are you the only one working in the entire post station?"

Zhang Gui sighed:
“There are regulations, but the post stations also need to survive! Look at my place, who would want to be a postman? The funds allocated by the higher authorities aren’t even enough to buy good feed for the livestock.”

“Our area is close to the capital, and all the quick-witted and helpful people here have been poached by the local post stations in the capital.”

"The wages paid by the post station are high, and the officials there are all very amiable, so you don't have to suffer any ill will."

Zhang Gui sighed and said:

“If I hadn’t been registered on the labor service register, I would have wanted to work at a post station in the Gyeonggi region.”

Xu Shuli asked:
"Isn't the money allocated by the imperial court enough for fodder?"

Zhang Gui sighed:
"Which provincial or prefectural officials pass through without paying a 'trouble fee'? How many times can the post station withstand such a drain on its limited resources?"

"This post station post is a kind of corvée that was assigned to me, and I can't shirk it! In order to keep the post station running, I racked my brains, bought rice on credit, and begged my neighbors for help. I was just short of turning myself into a mule and pulling a cart!"

Hearing this, Xu Shuli also felt bad.

The post station had become like this as soon as we left the capital.

After finishing his conversation with the postmaster, Xu Shuli returned to Li Yiyuan's room.

Is anything happening outside?

Xu Shuli quickly said:
"Nothing happened. Lord Li, you should get some rest and set off early tomorrow."

Li Yiyuan nodded. He was already the Commissioner of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and knew about the situation of the post stations throughout the country.

This post station in Henan, within the entire post station system, was relatively well-maintained. The postmaster was also responsible, and some things could be overlooked.

Unexpectedly, no sooner had Xu Shuli finished speaking than there was another commotion outside the door.

"Courier! Come out quickly! The county magistrate is on his inspection tour. Bring the payment for fodder immediately!"

(End of this chapter)