Yang Fan said solemnly, "You want the barbarians to rebel, but at the same time, you have to do it within a controllable range. How confident are you of this, Duke Zhang?"
Zhang Jianzhi smiled and replied, "I have been in Jiannan for two years now, and this is the third prefecture I have been appointed as. I have a deep understanding of the local situation. The rebellion of the barbarians is nothing out of the ordinary, and they will rebel over even the most trivial of matters. Give them a sweet treat, and they will return to their farms. It has always been like this. "
Yang Fan asked, "Why haven't I heard of such matters when I was in the capital?"
Zhang Jianzhi replied, "Because the matter has been resolved smoothly, and the local officials have turned the matter into a minor one. In the past, it was either due to the royal court's unjust decree, or the royal court's responsibility. Or it was due to the fact that it was impossible for anyone to be responsible for the matter, and thus, everyone wanted to resolve the matter peacefully. But now, do you think that the local officials and chieftains will still be willing to resolve the matter peacefully with someone like Huang Jingrong? "
A glint flashed across Yang Fan's eyes, and he asked, "Duke Zhang said that they don't want to resolve the matter peacefully this time around. If that's the case, how can we control the situation?"
Zhang Jianzhi replied, "The crux of the problem lies with you and Huang Jingrong. If the culprit, Huang Jingrong, is executed, and if you, the imperial envoy, were to step forward to clean up the mess, what do you think will happen? Those chieftains are not idiots, and they have never been arrogant enough to think that they have the ability to stand against the royal court. However, they know that if the royal court were to send troops to wipe out the barbarians, they would have to fork out a huge sum of money. Thus, the royal court is unwilling to resort to violence when they can appease the barbarians. As long as we can strike a balance on this point, we will be able to control the situation … "
Yang Fan frowned, and after walking along the pond for a moment, he suddenly stopped and asked Zhang Jianzhi, "What does Duke Zhang intend to do?"
The two of them stood by the pond for a very long time.
Amidst the morning mist, their silhouettes could be vaguely seen.
The distant mountains, the nearby lake, the fake mountains, the little bridge, the pavilion, and everything else was shrouded in the morning mist, resembling a painting. As the sun became brighter and brighter, the morning mist gradually dispersed. Yang Fan and Zhang Jianzhi's figures also dispersed.
"Send two men to escort Miss Gu Yuan and her brother back. Hand them over to their parents personally!" Zhang Jianzhi stood in the courtyard and instructed the steward. He then turned around and walked to the study.
There were two rows of antique bookshelves in the study. On top of the bookshelves, there were a few pots of wisteria. The tender green branches and leaves hung down, adding a touch of liveliness to the quiet and elegant study.
A grey-robed monk was sitting cross-legged behind a few tables. There was a pot of incense burning on the tables.
The grey-robed monk sat cross-legged in meditation, counting the beads with one hand. His eyes were slightly closed as he softly chanted the scriptures.
Zhang Jianzhi walked into the study without disturbing him. He picked up a prayer mat and sat cross-legged across from him.
The grey-robed monk looked to be in his thirties. He had fair skin, light brows, and a handsome face.
The grey-robed monk chanted for a while before opening his eyes gently. Seeing that Zhang Jianzhi was already sitting in front of him, he hurriedly pressed his palms together and smiled, "Master Zhang."
Zhang Jianzhi smiled and said, "Yang Fan has agreed!"
"Oh?"
The grey-robed monk was overjoyed. He chanted the name of Buddha and said, "If that's the case, the demon Huang Jingrong will be executed. The plight of the people in Jiannan will be resolved."
Zhang Jianzhi said, "A few days ago, this old man has already submitted a petition to impeach the officials of the border prefectures. They have neither the heart to pacify the enemy nor the ability to govern the land. They are cunning and scheming, forming alliances with one another, supporting their children, and fleeing from the Central Plains. They view the lawless land of the border prefectures as a paradise.
Since Jin Yuanfang has agreed to cooperate with this old man, this old man is prepared to submit another petition to impeach Huang Jingrong, accusing him of extorting the local authorities and abusing torture. Wherever he goes, he will incur the wrath of the people. However, this old man is just an external official. In the eyes of the emperor, I am far less trusted than the officials of the imperial censorate. I will have to contact my comrades and submit a petition to impeach Huang Jingrong. I will have to trouble Master Fa Lin to handle this matter. "
The grey-robed monk hurriedly said, "I am willing to work for Master Zhang!"
This monk's surname was Chen and he was a member of the Chen clan of Ying Chuan. He was also a descendant of an aristocratic family. The reason why he became a monk was naturally because of a great change in his life. Therefore, he was a firm believer in the anti-martial faction. His identity as a monk was only a convenient condition for him to travel the world. He was not a true devout Buddhist.
Otherwise, as a Buddhist disciple, there was no reason for him to be on good terms with Zhang Jianzhi of the Li Sect and plot against Wu Zetian, the Great Protector of Buddhism, when Wu Zetian was a devout Buddhist who had raised the status of Buddhism.
Now that Buddhism was in vogue, Fa Lin, as a monk, roamed the various prefectures, visiting rich and powerful families and befriending officials, would not attract the slightest bit of attention. With this identity, he could cooperate with Zhang Jianzhi and contact more loyal and righteous officials who were determined to restore Li Tang's rule.
Fa Lin happily said, "Master Zhang's plan can get rid of cruel officials and protect the people. It can also attract the attention of the imperial court and strictly investigate the mediocre officials of the border prefectures. It can be said to be killing three birds with one stone."
Zhang Jianzhi stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Not only that! Wang Xiaojie has advanced step by step and won victory after victory. The four towns of Anxi are about to be recovered. At that time, our imperial court's military might will be unparalleled. When the army returns, it can even intimidate the barbarians. The barbarians rebelled today, we can pacify them and when the situation is stabilized, we can wear down their arrogance and make them more respectful to the imperial court in the future. "
Fa Lin's eyes flickered and she said happily, "This is called killing four birds with one stone!"
Zhang Jianzhi said, "After this matter, Yuan Fang will be in the same boat as me. This person is a new noble in the imperial court, young and promising. What's rarer is that even though he is in a high position, he does not forget his roots and is a righteous official of the country. With this person in the same boat as me, in the future when the wind and clouds meet, we can work together to restore the country. Won't he be a great help! "
Fa Lin clapped and laughed, "Haha, in that case, it is killing five birds with one stone! Master Zhang's talent is enough to stabilize the world and bring peace to the country. A mere provincial governor is really a waste of talent. If he becomes the Prime Minister in the future, he will definitely be able to bring peace to the world! "
Zhang Jianzhi smiled, "Master is praising me."
Fa Lin said, "There is no time to lose, this poor monk will go now."
Zhang Jianzhi stood up and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Master!"
Fa Lin cupped his hands and said, "This is a matter of supreme merit, this poor monk dares not to serve!" After saying that, he picked up his straw shoes and left.
Zhang Jianzhi knew that this monk was easygoing and did not like to be restricted by common customs so he did not send him off. After waiting for him to leave, he sat down behind the table and rotated the incense burner lightly. There was a faint smile on his face, 'Killing five birds with one stone, is it really only five birds?'
…
The imperial court's control over Yao Province was actually weaker than Feng Province.
After Yao Province submitted to the imperial court, the imperial court only started to set up a military governor's office in the first year of Tang Gaozong's Lin De. Since then, it was repeatedly set up and abolished. The local rich and powerful families hoped to be controlled by the imperial court in name but in reality still had complete autonomy. The imperial court tried to intervene in Yao Province to strengthen their control.
It was naturally as difficult as ascending to heaven to insert influence into a territory that was not won by force. After a long period of assimilation, perhaps after a few generations, the imperial court's influence would gradually seep in. However, the imperial court was too hasty and in the end not only did they not achieve their goal of strengthening and stabilizing their control over the area, but it also caused long-term unrest in the area.
In addition, the area was adjacent to Nanzhao and Tubo. The Yao Province's big clans and Nanzhao and Tubo were related by marriage. Nanzhao and Tubo were also related by marriage. Although Nanzhao and Yao Province's big clans were closer to Li Tang, once the imperial court tried to intervene in Yao Province's affairs, they would lean towards Tubo's side.
Therefore, if the imperial court tried to send troops to suppress them with force, they would not only have to prepare for war with the Yao Province's local tribes, but also for Nanzhao and Tubo to participate in the war. This was also the reason why the imperial court had a headache. They had to tighten their grip and loosen their grip. They did not dare to be too forceful.
However, Huang Jingrong did not understand these situations. He buried his head in books and poetry. After he became a Jinshi, he stayed in the capital. Then, because he latched onto the right person, he was brought into the Imperial Censorate by Lai Junchen. From then on, he devoted himself to the great cause of punishing people. He did not understand the current political changes, especially the situation in the remote border provinces.
He regarded the people outside the capital, especially the big clans in the border provinces, as country bumpkins. He did not know that he himself was a canary raised in a cage. In the capital, imperial power was above everything else. It was a power that could destroy everything. Therefore, with the imperial edict in his hand, he thought that he could call the wind and summon the rain. He was omnipotent.
Because of Yang Fan's obstruction in Yao Province, he could not show off his power and did not gain enough benefits. After arriving in Yao Province, his desire to make a fortune became even more urgent, and his methods became even more aggressive.
After Huang Jingrong arrived in Yao Province, he learned his lesson from Yao Province and refused to interrogate the cases step by step. When he was in Yaozhou, he pretended to round up the Liu people and tried to find a satisfactory reason before executing the criminals. This time, when he rushed to Yaozhou, the first thing he did was to round up the Liu people and kill them.
The Governor's Office in Yao Province was sometimes established and sometimes abolished. When the Office was established, there were refugees sent over. When the Office was abolished, the refugees would no longer be sent there. When the Office was abolished, the refugees would no longer be controlled by the government. They would leave the settlement designated by the court and scatter to various places in order to make a living.
Because of this, the number of refugees that Huang Jingrong had hastily arrested was very limited. There were only seven or eight families in total. These were all refugees and commoners who had not left the boundaries of Yao Province. Huang Jingrong was very dissatisfied with this. He felt that with so few people, it was hard to believe that they were rebelling.
However, it was difficult for him to arrest more people. On one hand, the Governor's Office and the Provincial Governor's Office had been abolished time and time again. The records of the government had been lost. Many of the refugees no longer had any household registration records and could not be found. On the other hand, many of the refugees were protected by the local commoners.
The commoners here did not care if you were a criminal exiled by the court. The families that were exiled were the families of officials. Their children were literate and well-mannered. The commoners here liked to claim kinship with these kinds of families. Once they became in-laws, they would naturally receive their protection.
In Wu Zetian's reign, in order to ascend the throne, the number of officials from the previous dynasty who had been attacked was innumerable. Just the aristocratic families and high-ranking officials of the third rank and above had implicated thousands of families and hundreds of thousands of people. These officials also had factions and subordinates in the local areas, so there were even more officials who were implicated. The number of refugees that had been sent to Yao Province was not just this few.
However, some of the refugees had lost the control of the government and moved elsewhere. Many of the refugees that had remained in Yao Province had received protection because they had married into the locals. The government could not capture these people, or perhaps they did not dare to capture them or did not want to capture them. Because the government had been abolished several times, the prestige of the government had fallen to rock bottom. The local commoners did not fear them at all.
The families that Huang Jingrong had killed were those who had not left Yao Province. They were from the aristocratic families of the central plains and were unwilling to marry into the barbarians, so there was no one to protect them. Huang Jingrong was at his wit's end and could only put his energy into gathering money and women. He was prepared to scourge other provinces when he had enough. Who knew that this scourge would cause such a big mess!
… …
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