Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 156

Li Ji thought for a moment and agreed. Although breaking out of the government office was not a good idea, if Xue Song really had malicious intentions, his wife would not be safe outside either. It would be better for the two of them to help each other and perhaps turn the danger into safety.

So they entered Xiangzhou and, together with Cui Cuo, went to Xue Song's banquet. As expected, Xue Song summoned his maid Hongxian again, who played the ruan (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument) to entertain the guests during the banquet.

After exchanging pleasantries and drinking until they were halfway through, Xue Song finally got to the point: "Many of my officers and generals came from Weizhou. Their relatives and friends are still in Weizhou. The other day, I asked Commander Li to take care of them a little. Why then did you seize their property and arrest their families? Does Commander Li not want to get along with my Zhaoyi Army?"

Li Ji asked blankly, "What is it that you are referring to, Commander Xue? I have just returned from Chang'an and several months have passed since then. It feels like two years have gone by. I am truly unaware of what has happened in the town recently... I humbly request that you enlighten me, Commander Xue."

It turned out that a month ago, Li Ziyi and other garrison troops had instigated a rebellion, which was quelled by Yang Shigu. Yan Zhenqing not only saved dozens of rioting soldiers from Yang Shigu's blade, but also urgently summoned Lei Wanchun back, conducted a thorough search of the army, and uncovered many more who had instigated the rebellion. Through detailed interrogation and careful analysis, the origins of those rumors could be roughly determined—

These were wealthy families in the state who were dissatisfied with Yan Zhenqing's tax increase policy. They secretly conspired and spread rumors, attempting to incite a rebellion and force Yan Zhenqing to change course, or simply drive him out of Weizhou.

In fact, during the previous turmoil, military men wielding large armies exploited not only ordinary farmers but also many wealthy families and scholars—just as Yan Zhenqing once said to Li Ji: "During the time of the puppet Yan dynasty, various prefectures in Hebei routinely levied taxes on horse breeding, road transport, house construction, seedling planting… even for military governors taking concubines, a general dowry fee was charged"—this should have been commonplace. The problem is that Yan Zhenqing is now imposing additional taxes based on acreage, on the premise of reducing or exempting rent and taxes. We, the common people, can afford to pay more, but the peasants are paying less? What kind of logic is this? Isn't this a reversal of order and a disruption of moral order?!

Thus, with Yang Shigu's secret instigation, the rebellion was instigated. After the rebellion was quelled, Yang Shigu even helped the government follow the clues and quickly implicated those wealthy households. As for his sixth uncle, who had not actually participated in the rebellion, he was also identified as the ringleader.

Yan Zhenqing was ruthless in his actions. He immediately ordered Lei Wanchun to lead troops to assist the county and township officials in raiding more than twenty wealthy households. All the people were arrested and imprisoned, and their land was confiscated by the government.

Land consolidation was rampant within the jurisdiction, something Yan Zhenqing had long disliked. He even mocked Du Huangshang's policy of suppressing wealthy landowners, which he had presented to Li Ji, as too slow and ineffective in addressing the immediate crisis. So, taking advantage of this opportunity, he seized upon, or rather fabricated, their faults, and seized large tracts of fertile land in various counties to take over the jurisdiction of the military governor, before distributing and rewarding them to the tenant farmers.

However, this stirred up a hornet's nest for the Zhaoyi Army—many wealthy households in Weizhou were entangled with the Zhaoyi Army's officers and generals, and Li Ji had previously hesitated to engage in large-scale Robin Hood-style plundering precisely because of this—many went to Xue Song to plead their case, begging him to intervene. Xue Song sent a letter to Yuancheng, but Yan Zhenqing remained silent—the old man both looked down on Xue Song and harbored an innate aversion to these surrendered generals, and simply refused to acknowledge him.

Left with no other choice, Xue Song had to stop Li Ji, who was returning to town, and ask him directly, "Shouldn't you be in charge of Wei Bo? You have to take care of the dirty deeds your Sima has been doing."

Li Ji was completely bewildered and had no choice but to ask Xue Song for the reason. Xue Song gave him a rough explanation. Of course, due to their different positions and being outsiders, Xue Song's account of the inside story of Weibo was quite distorted. Fortunately, Li Ji was shrewd enough to try to understand from a different perspective and quickly grasped the key point of the problem.

No sooner had Xue Song finished speaking than Li Ji, emboldened by the alcohol, slammed his hand on the table, suddenly stood up, his buttocks off his calves, raised an eyebrow and shouted, "This is Xue Shuai's fault!"

His actions and posture could be interpreted as either an instinctive reaction to excitement or a prelude to a sudden attack. Xue Song, seeing this, was startled and instinctively leaned back. Beside him, the sound of the ruan paused, and Hong Xian, seemingly intentionally, loosened her grip on the ruan strings with her right hand…

Li Ji and Cui Cuo couldn't help but glance sideways at the woman.

Fortunately, Xue Song saw that Li Ji only straightened up but did not pounce. After all, he had seen many storms and quickly calmed down. He immediately asked in a deep voice, "How is it my fault?"

Li Ji retorted, "Commander Xue governs five prefectures: Xiang, Wei, Ci, Ming, and Xing. These are vast and rich in resources, while I only have two prefectures: Wei and Bo. Does Commander Xue intend to seize even a few plots of fertile land?!"

"Why would I steal your land..."

"The land in Weizhou is all under the jurisdiction of my Weibo Town. Whether it should be confiscated by the government or distributed to the people is a decision that Commander Yan can make himself. Why should Commander Xue bother to ask?"

"This statement is utterly futile..."

"What I said is reasonable! Although Commander Xue has left Weizhou, he still uses the names of his subordinates, officers, relatives, and friends to seize my farmland. With the vastness of Xiang and Wei provinces, is there not an inch of land to reward them? Before Commander Xue could speak, I sent a letter to Fuyang mentioning this matter, just to avoid damaging the harmony between our two families and to hint to Commander Xue to deal with it as soon as possible. Who would have thought that Commander Xue would pretend to be stupid and turn a deaf ear..."

Li Ji naturally had to support Yan Zhenqing. Whether viewed from a later perspective or from the standpoint of a competent local official in the present day, he believed that curbing the tide of land annexation and returning land to small farmers was entirely correct. Although he was not fully aware of the current situation in Weizhou and somewhat resented Yan Zhenqing for acting too hastily, once the step was taken, there was no reason to back down—if he retreated now, would he have another chance to deal with those powerful landlords?

Whether Yan Zhenqing's strategy was appropriate or his methods were cruel, I can investigate, discuss, and adjust them after I return to Weizhou. Before that, I will never admit that Yan Zhenqing's actions were wrong.

However, despite this, Li Ji could have responded to Xue Song in a different way, such as by claiming ignorance of the situation and offering a perfunctory excuse, suggesting they discuss it further upon his return. But Li Ji felt that in this situation, he absolutely could not give Xue Song a friendly look or show weakness. Instead, he had to clearly stand on Yan Zhenqing's side and directly rebuke Xue Song—"Don't interfere in the affairs of my Weibo Town!"

Because the connection between Weibo Town and the capital region was severed by the Zhaoyi Army, and both copper, iron, and warhorses had to be purchased from the Zhaoyi Army, although the two sides appeared to be on good terms and even had the intention of forming an alliance, Weibo was ultimately in a subordinate position, which Li Ji was dissatisfied with. To be honest, if Xue Song had not possessed five prefectures, a large population and a strong army, and had the best reputation among the surrendered generals in Hebei, he would definitely have first plotted to protect Xiangwei in order to open up the western route.

Therefore, Li Ji always wanted to find an opportunity to turn the tables and truly be on equal footing with Xue Song. Coincidentally, during the banquet today, Xue Song asked about Yan Zhenqing's arrest of wealthy households in Weizhou. His words were quite accusatory, which naturally made Li Ji furious. He used wine to cover his face and made Xue Song lose face.

Moreover, Li Ji slammed his hand on the table, making as if to rise up: "Otherwise, I'll return to Chang'an right now, petition the court, and hand over Weibo to Commander Xue as well. Are you satisfied now?!"

Xue Song panicked on the spot.

He genuinely wanted to stand up for his subordinates and preserve the Zhaoyi Army Group's external assets in Weizhou, but he didn't intend to completely break ties with Li Ji. Previously, when Li Ji visited, although his words were neither humble nor arrogant, they implied that securing his position in Weibo still depended on Xue Song's support, which made Xue Song somewhat arrogant. This is why he dared to stop Li Ji today and question him directly.

Who would have thought that Li Ji would be like dry tinder coated with oil, ready to ignite at any moment, even going so far as to offer up the two prefectures of Wei and Bo! But was it really an offering? If he returned to Chang'an and submitted a memorial stating that Xue Song wished to concurrently govern the Wei and Bo garrisons, what would the court think? They would surely believe that Xue Song harbored great ambitions, leading troops to prevent Li Ji from returning to the prefectures and plotting to seize them—that would be no different from raising the flag of rebellion!

He quickly waved his hand, saying, "General Li, General Li, why are you going to such lengths? I was merely discussing matters with you and had no intention of interfering in the affairs of Weibo." He then glanced at the red line and ordered, "Come here and offer General Li a toast to apologize on my behalf. Please, General Li, take a seat."

Hongxian hurriedly placed Ruan beside her, then crawled forward on her knees to Li Ji's table, poured a cup of wine, held it with her delicate hands, raised it above her head, and said: "If my master's words were disrespectful, I apologize to Commander Li on his behalf. Please drink this cup to dispel your worries, and sit down so we can discuss things properly."

Li Ji kept a close eye on Hongxian's movements, which seemed somewhat rude to onlookers, perhaps because the young man was being swayed by her beauty... In reality, he had noticed that the young woman was skilled in martial arts and was afraid that she might use the pretext of offering a toast to launch a surprise attack. Only after Hongxian presented the wine did Li Ji lower his guard slightly, take it with one hand, and drink it all in one gulp.

He then instructed, "You should also offer a toast to Commander Xue on my behalf, as a return gift."

Hongxian bowed respectfully and then walked to Xue Song's desk. Li Ji sat down firmly again, then his brows furrowed, and he lamented, "General Xue, although Wei is a large province and its resources are considerable, it has long been occupied by rebellious armies, and war has raged everywhere. When I entered the province the other day, I found the treasury empty; even the rats and sparrows were distressed... I am different from General Xue; I have just been appointed as a military governor and have no money left in my pocket. Even if I wanted to give up my personal wealth for public service, I could not..."

The implication is that Weizhou was originally under your jurisdiction, so when you were the governor of the west and the commander of the guard, did you take all the money and grain that should have been left to me?

Xue Song had just drunk the small half cup of wine that Hongxian handed him and was about to explain when Li Ji said, "Commander Xue led his officers and soldiers westward, leaving behind tens of thousands of soldiers who had no food or clothing. When I entered the town, they gathered and made a fuss, begging to be taken in—but where would I get so much money and grain to feed the army? I was forced to empty the granaries and give some old silk to my men, ordering them to go to the Huai River to buy 5,000 bushels of grain for emergency use."

"The Huai River had a bumper harvest the year before last, and even last summer, the price of millet was only forty coins per dou; however, when it was transported north by waterway, passing through Xiang and Wei to Weizhou, the price doubled due to the taxes levied at various checkpoints, reaching more than seventy coins!"

Xue Song exclaimed in surprise, "Is that so? I had no idea!"

Actually, Li Ji had already discussed the commercial tax issue with Xue Song during his last visit. Xue Song agreed to reduce or exempt taxes at various checkpoints for goods passing through Weibo Town, with a total tax rate of only 0.5%. The problem was that Bao Zitian hadn't bought the grain from Cao, Yun, Hua, and Bian prefectures in northern Henan Province—because there weren't any available—and was forced to go to Xu and Si prefectures in Huaibei. So, on his return journey, he had to pass through military districts like Wuning, Xuanwu, and Yicheng. Those places didn't have trade agreements with Weibo, so there were numerous checkpoints along the way, resulting in repeated tax collections and ultimately, the price of goods nearly doubling.

However, Li Ji's words seemed to imply that the doubled tariff was all collected by the Zhaoyi Army—Xue Song, you are being very dishonest!

What? You don't know? Of course you don't know! You can look it up yourself when you have time.

Before Xue Song could think it over, Li Ji said in one breath, "Most of the soldiers in Weizhou are former subordinates of Commander Xue. Although Commander Xue abandoned them, I am ordered to guard Weizhou, so I cannot fail to take them in to prevent them from starving to death in the ditch. The tens of thousands of Wei soldiers need 400,000 bushels of grain and 400,000 bolts of silk every year. I am not a god who can conjure up so much wealth."

"As for the land in Weizhou, it is mostly in the hands of wealthy families, but they receive very little from rent and taxes—General Xue is naturally aware of the drawbacks of the imperial tax system, so I need not elaborate. That is why I sent a letter to Fuyang, implying to General Xue that some of the land that originally belonged to Weizhou should be returned to me..."

Xue Song thought to himself, "Were there any hints in your letters the other day? I really didn't see them..."

"If Weizhou lacks funds and provisions, the soldiers will inevitably rebel in the long run. Many of them are former subordinates of Commander Xue. If we expel Li, they will surely want to welcome Commander Xue to Weizhou..."

This was also something Li Ji cared about. In the past, when he toured the various camps and inquired about the soldiers' intentions, many of them would constantly mention how great Commander Xue was, always comparing Xue Song, who had once abandoned them, to Li Ji, who had generously accepted them. It was because of this that Li Ji felt, "If I don't find an opportunity to suppress Xue Song's arrogance, he could use these old soldiers to interfere in Wei affairs at any time. Isn't that a cause for concern?"

"Commander Xue already commands five prefectures in the fertile lands of the interior, making him a superior commander. If he were to covet Wei and Bo as well, he would surely incur the wrath of the imperial court..."

Xue Song hurriedly clarified: "I have absolutely no intention of coveting Weibo!"

Li Ji ignored him and continued to speak to himself: "Moreover, Qin Rui and Tian Chengsi are unpredictable and are eyeing us covetously. If Weizhou is in chaos, they may intervene first, take over Weizhou and head west, and then Zhaoyi Army will be in danger! Tian Chengsi once guarded Xiang and Wei. If Commander Xue still cares about Weizhou, does that mean I, Tian, ​​will not covet Xiang and Wei?"

"I, Li, am only following the orders of the court and have no ambition for the positions of Chancellor or Commander of the Guards..." Of course, this was a lie—"Moreover, many of my subordinates are former troops of Commander Xue, and they will not turn against him. If I can secure my position in Weibo, I can work closely with the Zhaoyi Army to stabilize Hebei for the court. In my humble opinion, my presence in Weizhou would be beneficial and harmless to both Commander Xue and the Zhaoyi Army. What does Commander Xue think?"

“What Li Shuai said is very true, and I, Xue, share the same thought.”

"However, the land is barren and the granaries are empty, yet we have been forced to take in tens of thousands of General Xue's former soldiers. How can we support them and prevent them from rebelling? The land in the prefecture belongs to me, and I hope General Xue will return it to Weibo. If not, I request that General Xue pay me 500,000 shi of grain and 500,000 strings of cash annually, and I will be willing to defend Wei for General Xue!"

Chapter 46, The New Policies of Weibo

Xue Song controlled five prefectures and commanded an army of 50,000, but he was also facing financial difficulties—otherwise, he would have already gradually recalled the old soldiers from Weizhou to Fuyang. Li Ji immediately asked, "Give me 500,000 shi of grain and 500,000 guan of money every year so I can securely defend Weibo." Xue Song thought to himself, "You're not a god, and neither am I. Where are we going to conjure up so much for you?!"

"Li Shuai is joking..."

Li Ji said solemnly, “I am not joking. If Commander Xue cannot provide me with annual tribute and grain, and yet expects me to pacify Weibo and cooperate with him, then the only way is for me to give all the land in Weizhou to him without any hindrance, and then gradually support the region for several years until the tribute and grain can barely cover military expenses. Moreover, the output of Weibo is all from the fields, with no surplus. We must purchase copper and iron, horses, and other miscellaneous goods from Commander Xue. Even if we import them from other prefectures or sell silk in other prefectures, we must still pass through the Yongji Canal and the territory of Zhaoyi.”

"Money and goods must circulate to generate more money. If Commander Xue can freely trade with my Weibo, merchants from all directions will surely flock here. Our two towns are strategically located at the crossroads of Hebei, Henan, and the capital region. To the south, we can manage the Jianghuai region, and to the west, we can influence the two capitals. As for Yan and Zhao, there is no need to elaborate. If we can develop these two towns into the trading center of Guandong, there will be no need to set up many checkpoints or collect heavy commercial taxes. Money and grain will flow in like rivers flowing into the sea."

"By then, both towns will be wealthy enough to support a large army. How would Qin Rui and Tian Chengsi dare to look south again? If they dare not harbor their ambitions, Hebei will be stable, the court will be pleased, and Commander Xue may have a chance to be enfeoffed as a king, further highlighting your grandfather's virtue—does Commander Xue have no such intention? Why then is he so eager for even an inch of land in Weizhou?"

Li Ji's words left Xue Song dazzled and bewildered, feeling both confused and impressed... However, he already knew that maintaining a good relationship with Weibo would be of great benefit to his family.

Because Xue Song had no ambition for expansion, he only wanted to hold onto his five prefectures and ideally pass them down to his descendants… Tian Chengsi had coveted Xiang and Wei for a long time; he was cunning and fierce, and Xue Song believed he might not be a match for him in a direct confrontation. Therefore, if he wanted the Zhaoyi Army to be safe and sound, he needed to find a strong ally—Li Ji was the emperor's favorite general. As long as he remained loyal to the court and did not harbor any disloyalty, Wei Bo would certainly be on his side.

Li Ji boasted about the close relationship between the two towns, but Xue Song couldn't think that far ahead yet. For the sake of some peripheral industries of the group, offending Li Ji would definitely not be worth it.

He nodded repeatedly, saying, "What General Li said is like parting the dark clouds, allowing me to see the blue sky—truly a wake-up call!" He then changed the subject, saying, "However, General Li has misunderstood. I have absolutely no intention of interfering in the affairs of Weibo or coveting the land of Weizhou. The reason I invited General Li here today is simply to plead for the gentry of Weizhou."

"It is said that they incited the army's morale and offended Commander Yan, which is indeed unforgivable. When I first heard about this, I was also indignant. This act of spreading rumors and inciting dissent is a serious violation of moral principles and national laws. If this were to happen to the Zhaoyi Army, I would certainly kill them all..."

"There are only a few dozen large households, and the masterminds are only one or two. As for the accomplices, once their businesses are confiscated, their punishment can be delayed to avoid unrest in the state. Moreover, many of them have ties with the officers and soldiers of Zhaoyi Army. I was afraid that Commander Li would suspect my intentions because of this, so I invited Commander Li here so that I could explain my true feelings."

As he spoke, Xue Song pointed to the sky and declared, "I, Xue, am loyal to the Emperor and the court, as Heaven and Earth can attest. I have absolutely no ill will towards Commander Li, and I dare to lay bare my conscience before this banquet!"

Li Ji thought to himself, "Go ahead and cut it open. Do you want me to lend you a small knife? I have one hidden in my boot."

He said, “So that’s how it is. It was my rude nature and drunkenness that led me to offend you before you could finish speaking, Commander Xue.” He then raised his wine cup and offered a compliment: “Your wine is indeed excellent, and with Commander Xue’s extraordinary appearance, I have become intoxicated without even realizing it. Please drink.”

After sharing a drink, Li Ji stated, "Before returning to the capital, I had already entrusted the affairs of Weizhou to Yan Sima. Yan Sima is known for his hatred of evil, and Commander Xue must have heard of this. Therefore, the current arrests and convictions may be a bit too harsh. Let me return to the town and conduct a thorough investigation. If those who were coerced into following him are willing to confess, their property will be confiscated, which will be sufficient to atone for their crimes. Perhaps they will not need to be punished further."

The dark clouds seemed to dissipate that day, and the two drank heartily until they were completely satisfied. Afterwards, Cui Cuo glanced sideways at Li Ji and asked in a low voice, "Were the women playing the ruan at the banquet beautiful?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ji's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly replied, "I was engaged in a fierce debate with Xue Song, how could I have the mind to look at what that woman looked like?"

Cui Cuo pouted and said, "Don't try to deny it. I clearly saw you staring at her."

Li Ji whispered, "I was looking at her hands..."

"Her hands are very beautiful?"

"I'm not Jing Ke, so why would I care if a woman's hands are beautiful? It's just that the woman's behavior and mannerisms suggest she's no ordinary person, but rather a martial arts expert. Therefore, I'm worried that she might have misunderstood Xue Song's intentions and actually launched a sneak attack at the banquet..."

Cui Cuo was only joking around—such bickering between husband and wife was common—and when he heard Li Ji say this, he immediately nodded: "I have the same feeling. Although this girl is young, she has probably been trained by a strange person and has some extraordinary skills. It's a pity that she is in Xue Song's household. If she could be with my husband, she would be a great help."

Li Ji laughed, "With you by my side, why would I need any other help?" Then, his smile faded, and he slowly said, "However, it's true that she's being wasted on the Xue family. The other day, Qin Rui said that Xue Song was like a skeleton in a tomb, but that was originally a metaphor for Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu also had ambitions to become emperor, while Xue Song was just a mediocre man who only cared about protecting his family..."

Cui Cuo smiled and said, "It seems that you, young master, are quite interested in acquiring this gem?"

Li Ji flicked his sleeve: "You doubt me again after less than three sentences! Who would be moved by such a young girl?"

Cui Cuo nodded and said, "As expected, my lord prefers older women, like me, like Zou Shi... Let's wait until she is two or three years old. My lord will first take Zhaoyi Army into his hands. When this girl has grown up, she can come and return to me."

Li Ji figured he couldn't win an argument, so he might as well just surrender...

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At the same time, Xue Song was questioning Hong Xian: "Just now, Li Ji suddenly lost his temper, and Ruan Xian hesitated. Did you mean to draw your sword against him?"

Hongxian hurriedly knelt down and begged for forgiveness: "It was my panic that made me fear he intended to harm my lord..."

Xue Song raised his hand to help her up: "I am not blaming you. Li Ji's sudden outburst surprised even me... But although he is rough and reckless, with his wife sitting beside him and his concubines and daughters outside, he would never dare to cause trouble at the banquet." He paused, then suddenly had a strange idea: "What do you think, if I were to request to go to court?"

Hongxian hurriedly said, "I think it's unacceptable."

"Why?"

"If our lord goes to court, the emperor will be pleased, but the garrisons of Yan and Zhao will resent him. If they form an alliance to plot against the Zhaoyi Army, our lord will be in grave danger!"

Originally, the military governors were not nominally separatist forces. Even if they were, it was common for them to submit to the Tang Dynasty and pay homage to the emperor. For example, Yuchi Sheng, the King of Khotan, not only led his troops to the capital to serve the emperor but also refused to return to the Central Plains. He was truly "happy in Chang'an and did not miss Khotan." However, the military governors in Hebei were all generals who had surrendered to the An Lushan Rebellion. They had not been with the Tang Dynasty for long and inevitably harbored doubts. In addition, they had learned from the example of Lai Zhen, so none of them were willing to pay homage to the emperor.

Li Yu was well aware of this, and in order to stabilize the situation in Guandong, he did not specifically summon anyone to court—except for Li Ji, who was completely different from the Yan and Zhao vassals.

Therefore, if Xue Song were to proactively request permission to go to Chang'an to pay homage to Li Yu, Li Yu would undoubtedly be overjoyed and bestow upon him generous rewards. Perhaps, as Li Ji suggested, he would indeed be granted a princely title, or even be allowed to permanently garrison the Xue family in Zhaoyi Army. However, this would only deepen the Tang court's suspicion of the other garrisons—Xue Song has set a good example for you; why don't you follow suit? Do you harbor ulterior motives?

Of all the vassal states in Hebei who surrendered, only Xue Song truly harbored no disloyalty. He only wished to protect his territory and its people, and to enjoy wealth and honor in the long term, which is why he dared to return to the capital and pay homage. As for Tian Chengsi, Li Baochen, and Li Huaixian, they were merely forced by circumstances and were not truly loyal to the Tang Dynasty—Qin Rui, on the other hand, was wavering between two opposing stances—since they harbored such intentions, how could they dare to easily leave their own territories and go to Chang'an? If Xue Song were to set an example of loyalty to the Tang for them, he would surely incur their resentment.

Therefore, Hongxian advised Xue Song: "Entering the court may be beneficial to the Xue family, but I believe the time is not yet ripe. If you and Li Weibo can truly support each other and suppress the other vassal states without fear of being hated, then it will not be too late to invite him to the court."

Xue Song nodded slowly: "You are right. Let's wait and see in a year or two."

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After bidding farewell to Xue Song, Li Ji hurriedly set off to return to Weizhou, where Yan Zhenqing led his staff to the outskirts of Yuancheng to welcome him.

After entering the yamen and taking their seats, Li Ji inquired about the past events. Yan Zhenqing recounted them in detail, and Du Huangshang added a few points from the side. After listening, Li Ji stroked his beard and remained silent for a long time.

His soul came from the future, and he had a very clear understanding of the social relations of this era—although the timeline was different, the basic social structure remained unchanged, so he had more than 1,500 years of experience than others. While he could not be said to have perfect insight, he could easily grasp the key points of the contradictions.

He knew that the main foundation of this feudal empire was the landlord class, who, on the one hand, controlled the most important source of production—land—and on the other hand, controlled knowledge and public opinion. The scholar-officials, as representatives of the landlord class, formed the government and controlled the country. Therefore, as a local official of the Tang Empire, Li Ji should have sided with the landlords. Regarding the conflicts between landlords and gentry and tenant farmers/self-cultivating peasants, he could only try his best to reconcile them, but could not completely comply with the wishes of the common people, such as overthrowing local tyrants and redistributing land…

Unless he intends to launch a peasant uprising... and even if a peasant uprising does occur, as long as the basic social structure remains unchanged, only those who align themselves with landlords and gentry will have a chance of success.

Of course, landlords' greed for land is insatiable. If they are allowed to annex land at will, causing most self-cultivating farmers to go bankrupt, the country will inevitably fall apart—even from the perspective of the landlord class, we cannot help them dig their own graves.

Therefore, Li Ji initially leaned towards Du Huangshang's suggestion regarding the redistribution of arable land within his jurisdiction, advocating a gradual approach and avoiding haste. Whether landlords or small farmers, they would all resort to desperate measures if pushed too far. However, the problem was that small farmers, accustomed to exploitation, possessed greater resilience and were unlikely to revolt as long as there was a glimmer of hope. Landlords, on the other hand, viewed the state as belonging to the gentry, and officials were expected to speak in their favor. Even the slightest deviation was seen as undermining the foundation of the nation and utterly unforgivable!

Yan Zhenqing merely increased taxes based on the amount of land, and the tax wasn't even that heavy, yet the gentry in the prefecture were already generally dissatisfied and planned to launch a campaign to overthrow Yan. This gives us a glimpse into the situation.

However, the social structure is very complex, and specific problems must be analyzed specifically. After the ups and downs of the turmoil in Weizhou, Li Ji finally understood that the most powerful people in the state were not the gentry and landlords, nor the local scholars, but the soldiers.

The eight-year An Lushan Rebellion shattered the old ruling order in Hebei's prefectures. Not only did ordinary people go bankrupt, but many traditional powerful families also suffered heavy blows, even being dismembered or exterminated. As a result, a previously insignificant class suddenly rose to prominence, which could be loosely described as—the lumpenproletariat.

This group of people did not engage in production, nor did they directly control the means of production. In other words, having lost their land and original occupations, they would have inevitably become thieves or urban hooligans in times of peace. However, taking advantage of the An Lushan Rebellion, this group gradually grew in size and joined the army, becoming ordinary soldiers and lower-ranking officers. They had no other skills or desires, only wishing to live off the state or local stipends for life, and to repay with their lives when disaster struck.

This group of people looked down on the producers who toiled in the fields, but they didn't necessarily respect the parasitic landlord class either. As long as they could feed them, killing landlords was as easy as cutting melons and vegetables, without any psychological burden.

After repeated reshuffling, the power of the old landlords in Hebei Province was greatly diminished, while the new landlords had shallow foundations and could not stop those thugs at all, not to mention that the military governor's office, representing the local government, stood behind the thugs.

This is precisely the main reason why the gentry of Weizhou were dissatisfied with Yan Zhenqing's tax increase policy, but dared not openly resist it. They could only resort to underhanded tricks. Once they pushed Yan Zhenqing to the brink and he raised his troops against them, they would scatter like birds and beasts.

All they had left was to cry and plead with their old acquaintances in the Zhaoyi Army. The key issue was that Hebei was the former territory of the pseudo-Yan state, isolated from the Tang court for eight years, so very few gentry families could connect with officials of the central government.

Li Ji thought to himself, "Perfect timing! I've just suppressed Xue Song, making him afraid to stand up for these landlords anymore. Why not take this opportunity to sweep across the two prefectures and reshuffle the deck according to my wishes?"

After pondering for a while, he told his colleagues about his meeting with Xue Song, and concluded: "We must give Commander Xue some face. It is said that Commander Yan has seized twenty or thirty households. Since we have taken their land, we can expel the people without having to exterminate their entire clan."

Yan Zhenqing thought to himself, "I never intended to start a massive purge and kill so many people. Temporary imprisonment is merely to teach them a lesson and to make it easier for me to confiscate and dismantle their land." Just as he was accepting his orders, Li Ji asked, "But are there only twenty or thirty large households in the prefecture?"

"The general's meaning..."

"Let them accuse us and drag out more. From now on in Weizhou, unless someone in the family is an official, no household can own more than ten qing of land..." According to custom, only officials of the third rank or above in the provinces are entitled to ten qing of official land. Now, among the officials in the prefecture at the third rank, only Yan Zhenqing is entitled to it—"The rest will all be confiscated!"

He paused for a moment, then said, "We will first rectify Weizhou, and then extend that to Bozhou, following the same precedent. Furthermore, from now on, all taxes will follow the policies of Commander Yan last year, with reduced rents and levies, and each household will be charged separately according to the actual amount of land they own."

Chapter 47, Major Financial Matters