eurekapd Chapter 1095 Preparing to Leave Shu
Chapter 1095 Preparing to Leave Shu
Back in Chengdu, the atmosphere was completely different from that in the mountains.
The oppressive atmosphere of a large army has disappeared, replaced by a bustling scene of rebuilding what was once a devastating crisis.
The officials who came to greet him at the city gate were in neat rows with standard smiles, a stark contrast to when Li Che first arrived in Chengdu.
Li Che had seen far too many instances of this kind of behavior—arrogance followed by obsequiousness.
Upon closer examination, these powerful families are no different from the Qiang and Man tribes; they all fear power but not morality, and prioritize profit above all else.
Ignoring them, Li Che went straight into the temporary residence, which had been converted from the former Shu King's palace.
The days that followed continued to be filled with the daily grind of paperwork.
The salt administration has been mostly resolved, but the iron problem remains unsolved.
Unlike salt, which was difficult to obtain due to the presence of the Liao and Qiang peoples, iron was controlled by powerful families in the Shu region.
It had become a common practice for many powerful families to privately establish iron mines and use government resources to mine and sell large quantities of iron.
Such evil deeds must be eliminated. What are you noble families doing with so much iron? Are you planning a rebellion?
This is the first thing Li Che needs to sort out!
Wang Yuanshan's "A Record of the Secret Collection of the Huan Family at the End of the Reign" played an unexpected role at this moment.
Although it mainly records events from the previous dynasty, the methods used by powerful families to conceal their wealth and manipulate the local economy are often consistent.
Li Che ordered his men to check the list and, in conjunction with the Embroidered Uniform Guard's investigation of officials, to focus on verifying the accounts and private assets of several prominent families.
After several rounds of investigation and verification, a number of government-owned fields that had been occupied under various pretexts, hidden private iron mines, and stockpiled iron ingots were discovered.
Caught red-handed, Li Che naturally showed no mercy and seized all the stolen goods.
Of the confiscated assets, part was added to the Shu Prefecture Treasury, and the other part was designated by him as a special fund for resettling the Qiang and Man tribes who had left the mountains.
As a result, the powerful families became completely obedient.
There was no other way; now that the emperor held military power and was in line with the will of the people, even the Liao and Qiang barbarians had been subdued.
Even if powerful families want to stir up trouble, they still need people under their command, right?
. . . . . .
"Your Majesty, this is a preliminary summary of the population, land, and taxes in Shu, as well as a list of water conservancy and official roads in various prefectures that urgently need repair."
Wei Xiang presented the thick book to Li Che.
Li Che flipped through the pages, his brows sometimes furrowing and sometimes relaxing.
The Shu region still possessed a prosperous foundation, and its treasury remained relatively full and abundant—something Li Che had known for a long time.
However, years of war, coupled with the Shu king's tyrannical rule and the land grabbing by powerful families, led to the situation where the land was annexed.
This series of actions led to the exhaustion of the people and the disrepair of many infrastructure facilities.
If restoration is to be achieved, the imperial court's assistance will be needed.
Li Che slowly said, "The taxes will remain the same for now, but those in disaster-stricken and impoverished prefectures and counties may be reduced or exempted as appropriate this year."
"For the repair of water conservancy and official roads, we should prioritize them and start with the key areas that are related to people's livelihood and grain transportation."
"The funds and provisions will be allocated from the confiscated funds and the treasury, but a special censor must be appointed to supervise them. I do not want to see the money go to waste, the roads remain dilapidated, and the canals remain abandoned."
"Your subject obeys the decree." Wei Xiang quickly took notes.
"Furthermore, the matter of the state-run salt well iron mine should be dealt with as soon as possible. The regulations should be detailed and the implementation should be strict."
"The salt quotas for the Qiang and Man tribes and the various local tribes must be clearly defined and publicly announced. No clerks or officials may manipulate them."
"Tell the people below that the salt and iron administrations are the touchstone of my new policies. Anyone who dares to embezzle here will have their claws chopped off!"
"Yes! Your Majesty, I will certainly supervise strictly!"
Li Che's expression softened slightly, and he said, "Wei Xiang, you have done well these days. Come with me to see the Prince of Jin tonight."
Wei Xiang was slightly taken aback, feeling a little disappointed at first, but he quickly cheered up.
He certainly understood what Li Che meant.
She had hoped that the emperor would take a liking to her and bring her back to the capital to become a close advisor to the emperor.
But now it seems that His Majesty intends to leave himself in Shu.
However, Wei Xiang was not the type to be ambitious and was not too discouraged.
After all, the emperor had recommended him to the Prince of Jin, who was now the governor of Shu Province, so his future status in Shu Province would not be too low.
That evening, Li Che summoned Prince Jin to an audience.
The two brothers met in the study. After bowing, Prince Jin sat down casually, with less of the formalities of the court, which made him resemble Li Lin and Li Che when they were together.
"Third Brother, you must have had a long journey." Li Che poured him a cup of tea. "You should be aware of the current situation in Shu. It's bound to be complicated and complicated, but the foundation is already in our hands."
"Militarily, the Shu army has won over the hearts of the people and is strong enough to suppress the Qiang and Man tribes and prevent the aristocratic families from acting recklessly."
"But after I leave, I'll need you, Third Brother, to take care of these matters in the Civil Affairs Department."
The Prince of Jin accepted the teacup with both hands, without any modesty: "Your Majesty trusts me, and I will do my utmost."
He also knew that the emperor was ostensibly entrusting him with a task, but in reality, he was testing him.
He then slowly said, "The Shu region is rich but complex. Although the powerful families have been suppressed, their latent influence still exists."
"The newly annexed officials and the Qiang and Man people are migrating. The conflicts of customs between them and the Qing people all require patient mediation and a combination of firmness and gentleness."
"Your Majesty's policy of relocating the Qiang and Man tribes is indeed a long-term strategy for peace and stability. However, there are many trivial and difficult aspects to its implementation."
“The selection of resettlement sites, the construction of houses, the distribution of grain seeds, the production training... every single thing requires painstaking effort, and cannot be rushed or done in a chaotic manner.”
In short, it's slow.
Take your time, there's no rush.
Li Che nodded: "What Fourth Brother said is exactly what I think."
"After I leave, you will have full authority to handle matters in Sichuan Province. I grant you the power to make decisions on an ad hoc basis, and you may make decisions first and report later in all matters."
“Anyone who outwardly complies but inwardly defies orders shall be severely punished, regardless of their background.”
"I want the future Shu region to be politically stable and harmonious, with the Qiang and Man tribes from the mountains at peace, becoming the foundation of the court's tax revenue and a bulwark for the southwest, rather than a source of turmoil."
The Prince of Jin's expression turned solemn. He rose and cupped his hands, saying, "Your subject will certainly not fail Your Majesty's trust."
Li Che helped him sit down, then summoned Wei Xiang to meet with the Prince of Jin, and acknowledged Wei Xiang's talent.
Prince Jin understood Li Che's meaning and immediately kept Wei Xiang by his side.
After the Prince of Jin left, Li Che's tense body finally relaxed.
Now that things in Shu are basically over, I can prepare to leave and continue south.
Li Che planned to refrain from political affairs for the next few days, relax, and enjoy the scenery of Shu.
Thinking of this, Li Che quickly walked towards the back garden.
Xiao Han's residence was arranged in the back garden, where there were bamboo groves, a pond, and a wooden platform specially built for it by craftsmen.
This little thing is really cute; no wonder it's a national treasure.
No matter how busy Li Che is, he always makes time to check on it.
Sometimes, after practicing martial arts in the early morning, covered in a light sweat, he would see Xiao Han sitting by the pond, munching on bamboo shoots, his adorable appearance making him chuckle.
Sometimes, when I was tired of reviewing memorials, I would stroll to its yard and watch it clumsily climb up and down the wooden frame through the fence.
Little Han seemed to know that Li Che was its long-term meal ticket. Every time it saw him come, unless it was fast asleep, it would always move its round body over and rub its furry head against his leg.
Or you could simply sit down, hugging his legs, tilting your head back, looking at him with your small eyes through your dark circles, and letting out a soft hum.
As dusk approached, the evening glow bathed the bamboo grove in a warm golden hue.
Little Han was lying sprawled out in its favorite grassy nest, its belly rising and falling with its breath, one of its front paws resting on a half-eaten bamboo shoot.
Li Che didn't disturb it, but simply stood quietly a few steps away and watched.
"Your Majesty, it's time for dinner."
It wasn't until Qiu Bai quietly approached and whispered a reminder that Li Che finally looked away.
He glanced one last time at the soundly sleeping Xiao Han, and said with a slight smile, "Let's go."
Just as he turned to leave, Xiao Han, who was still asleep, seemed to sense something and groggily opened his eyes.
Struggling, she rolled over, stood up unsteadily, took two steps toward Li Che, and let out a muffled sob.
Seeing this, Li Che couldn't help but smile and said to Qiu Bai, "Go and fetch two tender bamboo branches."
Qiu Bai agreed and quickly had someone fetch it.
Li Che took it, walked back, and handed it to Xiao Han, who was staring at him expectantly.
Little Han immediately grabbed him with its front paws, sat down on its bottom, and began to nibble on him contentedly, no longer paying attention to Li Che who had left.
"They're easy to deal with." Li Che shook his head and smiled before leaving.
. . . . . .
Dinner was a simple meal of four dishes and a soup, still steaming hot.
Just as Li Che was about to pick up his chopsticks to taste the food, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside, followed by a brief whisper between Qiu Bai and the newcomer.
Li Che frowned slightly and put down his chopsticks.
At this hour, unless it is something extremely urgent, Qiu Bai would never allow anyone to disturb him while he is eating.
Sure enough, the curtains rustled softly, and Qiu Bai strode in: "Your Majesty, a secret letter personally written by General Ma Jing of the Northwest."
"The messenger, carrying a falcon tally and covered in dust from his journey, said that he must present this to His Majesty immediately."
"Ma Jing?" Li Che's mind raced.
Ma Jing, stationed in the Northwest, held sway over the various Tibetan tribes. The letter he personally sent was definitely not simple.
Could it be that Tibet is making some unusual moves?
"Send word." Li Che completely lost his appetite.
Soon, a military academy student covered in dust was led in.
Upon seeing Li Che, he immediately knelt on one knee and held a sealed letter tube above his head with both hands: "This humble general, Zhao Meng, a captain of the Northwest Army Reconnaissance Battalion, is here by order of Commander Ma to deliver a secret letter to Your Majesty."
"The eagle tally is here; Your Majesty, please examine it!"
Qiu Bai stepped forward and took the letter tube and a black iron eagle token. After carefully checking that the sealing wax and the token's hidden marks were correct, he turned around and presented the letter tube to Li Che.
Li Che took it; it felt slightly heavy in his hand.
He waved his hand: "Give him a seat and some water."
He then carefully scratched off the sealing wax and pulled out the tightly rolled letter inside.
The letter was written on thick, tough mulberry paper specially made for the military. It began without any unnecessary formalities, getting straight to the point:
"Your subject Ma Jing bows his head a hundred times, disturbing Your Majesty's hearing, and deserves to die ten thousand times."
Li Che's gaze quickly moved downwards, his brows furrowing more and more as he looked, and his eyes becoming increasingly sharp.