Hsu Fengnian looked around and had Hong Shuwen find a restaurant, as long as it was clean. After lunch, they continued toward Hwangnam County. Hsu Fengnian had bought a large marten hat for Huyan Guanyin at the last minute. It covered her forehead, brows, and eyes so that her beauty would not be too shocking. The three retainers, who had infiltrated Beiliang's local officialdom after leaving the Phoenix Battalion, never looked sideways, especially Hong Shuwen. From beginning to end, it was as if Huyan Guanyin did not exist. Mounting their horses again, they turned from the bazaar onto a branch of a relay road. Other than the division of Beiliang's relay roads into provinces, counties, and counties on the surface, there were also a few hidden relay roads between many passes. Many of the seemingly cumbersome relay soldiers were supported with large amounts of money. If it were not for Beiliang's lack of financial resources, Xu Xiao would have made a big move. At the insistence of Zhang Julu, the Liyang imperial court "poured" their taxes into the belly of the northern border. South of Jiangnan, most of the relay roads had been reduced to varying degrees. Regarding this, Zhang Julu sternly reprimanded a few local officials who were heading to the capital. After the incident, he changed his view slightly and immediately returned to normal. In addition, compared to the relay roads, Zhang Julu wanted to personally arrest the horse administration. The Grand Secretary did not have three heads and six arms, so he really did not have the energy to personally deal with the matters of the relay roads. Furthermore, the Gu Party had controlled the Ministry of War for a full 18 years. Not only did Zhang Julu meddle with the horse administration, he also directly took away the shockingly lucrative horse administration. The entire Ministry of War had long had complaints in their hearts. As a result, the popular Palm Eunuch Sun Tanglu had made a trip to Beiliang and returned to the capital to talk all night about the affairs of Beiliang that he had seen with his own eyes. After he mentioned the relay roads, the Emperor sank into deep thought and speechlessness for a long time. Hsu Fengnian did not whip his horse to gallop quickly. Beiliang's relay roads were developed under the iron hooves of the Beimang warhorses. It was a double-edged sword that could ensure that the troops, horses, and provisions could move quickly. At the same time, if the 350,000 border troops defeated the Beiliang cavalry, then they could cross the border in one spurt of energy. Without a doubt, the road to the south would be unimpeded. The reason the Zhao family had tolerated Xu Xiao time and time again, even turning a blind eye to the salt and iron matter, and not making things too difficult for the water transport over the years, was not that they were not worried that Beiliang's door would open and bring disaster to the Central Plains. In the future, when Chen Zhibao was enfeoffed as a prince and entered Shu, it was also because they did not think that Hsu Fengnian would be in charge of Beiliang's armaments. The court had prepared for the worst. In case the Xu family in Beiliang could not support the northwest of the Zhao family, at least there was Chen Zhibao's Shu land as a second line of defense. When one reached the level of Xu Xiao and Zhang Julu, conspiracies and machinations actually became meaningless. In the end, the one who had power still ruled the world.
Hsu Fengnian waved his hand at Hong Shuwen and said, "Commandant Hong, today Beiliang has an abundance of meritorious and dishonorable officials. Not to mention lieutenants and commandants, there are even generals all over the streets. If I remember correctly, Beiliang and Liyang share the same law. The civil and military official ranks and dishonorable official ranks add up to as many as 74 ranks. In addition to those scattered titles, there are simply too many to count. If one day I take back all of them, or eliminate most of them, tell me, what do you think will happen to Beiliang's officialdom? "
Hong Shuwen hesitated for a moment.
Hsu Fengnian laughed and said, "There's no harm in saying it directly."
Hong Shuwen said in a low voice, "Your Highness, then our Beiliang will really become a pot of porridge. If the people at the rear are not stable, those who work for the generals at the border will all have families to feed and will also not be at peace. For example, in Hong Shuwen's family, father was conferred the rank of a sixth-rank cloud cavalry officer because of his military exploits. Second uncle has some knowledge and was also conferred the rank of a sixth-rank Confucian scholar, which is considered not too common in Beiliang. These titles with ranks but no official rank are only used to give face to the elders and old brothers when they gather. If they really want to use these things to make a profit or to plunder the land, they can't do it even if they want to. If they were taken away all of a sudden, the old fellows' hearts would turn cold. Furthermore, it would be even worse than losing a few thousand taels of silver. Your Highness, I dare to speak from the bottom of my heart. This time, I heard from the elders in my family that a few thousand scholars from other places have come. They are all here to steal the old Beiliang's rice bowl. This time, when I went to the Lingzhou general's manor from Longqing County, I also heard a lot of rumors. They are all unfavorable to Your Highness. "
Hsu Fengnian nodded and said with a smile, "Many people are working together to fan the flames of evil and make the stove that is Lingzhou's officialdom very warm. I'm afraid there are still a lot of people who are conscientiously adding firewood to the stove. This year's end in Beiliang is very different from previous years. It really isn't cold at all. "
Hong Shuwen was a bit puzzled. His Royal Highness could still smile? Because Hong Shuwen was His Highness' close official, the local prestige of the Hong family did not join the crowd this time. They closed their doors and refused to receive guests. They did not care about disputes and were already isolated and alienated by many families who were originally on good terms with them. If he wanted Hong Shuwen to go into battle to kill the enemy, he would definitely not hesitate. Hong Shuwen always felt that men should shed their blood on the battlefield. Before he became a general that brought glory to his ancestors, he had already thought about where he would die on the battlefield. However, if he wanted to criticize the current situation, it would really be asking for his life. Since His Highness asked about this foul and disgraceful matter, this ruthless Hong who once dared to slap his concubine mother half to death in the family could only say what he wanted to say.
Hsu Fengnian slowly said, "Prescribing the right medicine for the right illness has a difference in urgency. Hong Shuwen, let me tell you something first. I plan to set up 14 rank 5 captains based on the geography of Beiliang. Captains are named after the important passes in the territory. If nothing goes wrong, there will only be three in Lingzhou. Wang Zhi will go to the Micang Mountain Pass that borders Western Shu to guard Lazikou. As for the other two, one will be given to Han Laoshan, who is temporarily the Deputy General of Lingzhou. The remaining one will be fought over by the entire Lingzhou. I don't believe that no smart people will take the bait for such a big piece of meat. As long as you become a captain, it means that you can stand out from the large group of captains who only deal with trivial matters. It would not be an exaggeration to call you a feudal lord. As long as someone is willing to lead an internal conflict, the following matters will be much easier to handle. Originally, I wanted to give Han Laoshan's position to you. However, you don't have much military achievements. After all, Han Laoshan has Xu Xiao's banner behind him. He can convince people wherever he goes, but you can't. Therefore, I will put you in the Lingzhou General's Manor to accumulate experience. Although I can't use a quick and decisive method to deal with the Lingzhou officialdom, if I don't see blood at all, it won't make sense. When the time comes, I will need you. Beiliang's local captains don't have many chances to kill people, so don't treat it lightly. In the future, when I leave Lingzhou, you will most likely have to help the new Provincial Governor Xu Beizhi. I believe you know my relationship with Provincial Governor Xu Beizhi. I believe you know about my relationship with Provincial Governor Xu. I'll say the ugly words first. If anything happens to him, you, Hong Shuwen, won't be able to compensate for that head on your shoulder. "
Hong Shuwen subconsciously wiped his neck and chuckled, "Anyway, I will do whatever Your Highness says without any objections. However, can I ask Your Highness for a favor?"
Hsu Fengnian laughed and scolded, "Why are you the same as Wang Zhi? If you have something to say, say it quickly! "
Hong Shuwen said softly, "Your Highness, in the future, if there is a war at the border, you can't forget about Hong Shuwen."
Hsu Fengnian asked, "Twenty years ago, so many people joined the army because there was no peaceful life anywhere. They were all aiming for glory and wealth. If they took a gamble, they might be able to get an official position. However, it's different now. Why did you, Hong Shuwen, give up being a stable official and insist on risking your life at the border? Is it very impressive to have your head tied to your belt? Or do you think that you can't be a high-ranking official on the ground? "
As long as Hong Shuwen grinned, he was naturally sinister, "Hong Shuwen is different from others. I just can't get used to living a leisurely and happy life. Especially after hanging out with Your Highness, I feel uncomfortable if I don't kill people for a day. I would go to the brothel to find soft and tender women to have fun with. After I'm satisfied, I would feel sick of it and couldn't help but want to break their necks. I don't think this illness can be cured, so I can only go to the border and kill people. "
Hsu Fengnian smiled and didn't comment.
In a time of peace, the people slept. When they woke up, their homes were still there and people were still alive. They worked hard every day. If there were one or two good thoughts, then this was a good world.
In the eyes of the people, Hong Shuwen was definitely not a good person. However, without people like Hong Shuwen and Li Hanlin, Beiliang's good world wouldn't last long.
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