Xiahou Bao raised his eyebrows and asked, "Please teach me, brother Shuda, how should I 'steal'?"
Xiahou Bao was originally a mounted general. If he were to let Xiahou Bao lead a mounted army into battle, he would be fearless. However, it is sudden for him to ask Xiahou Bao to govern a whole province, and it is a bit confusing for a time.
And at the beginning of the emperor's appointment of Sima Fu to assist Xiahou Bao, it is certainly such reasons that led to his decision.
Sima Fu said, "It's not that I'm here to teach you; I also learned quite a bit about matters in the Liang Province when I was at the Ministry of Works in Luoyang. Regarding the fact that my elder brother has not yet set out to accompany Your Majesty on the southern expedition, I specifically inquired about this matter from him."
Xiahou Bao said, "Sima Si Kong?"
Sima Fu nodded: "That's right. But my elder brother dislikes this title too long, so the Ministry of Works usually calls it simply 'Si Kung'.
Xiahou Bao treated Sima Fu with great respect. Although there was a sense of camaraderie from their shared service in Luoyang and Xiahou Bao's respect for scholars, beyond that, there was also the matter of showing face to Sima Fu's elder brother, Sima Yi.
The title of "Si Kong" during the current reign, as a top-ranking official and prime minister, is not something to be taken lightly.
Xiahou Bao continued to ask: "Brother Shuda, what is the view of the Ministry of Works on this matter, and what did Sima Si Kong say?"
Sima Fu did not answer directly, instead asking Xiahou Bao in return, "Zhongquan, since you said that the local aristocratic families and the leaders of the Qiang people have money, where do they get their money from?"
Xiahou Bao thought for a moment and said, "The Grandmaster of the Palace Architecture Ku Qiu Xing had mentioned this to me somewhat. He said that the local aristocratic families and the leaders of the Qiang people are wealthy, which is simply because they earn money through farming and cattle breeding."
Sima Fu said, "Ku Qiu Xing's words are correct, but not entirely correct. The wealth of the wealthy families and warriors depends on the operation of industry, but more importantly, it is related to trade."
"In the time of the Western Han Dynasty, the trade routes were open, and merchants from various small kingdoms in the Western Regions could come to the Yumen Pass of Dunhuang Prefecture without hindrance. If they wanted to travel to Luoyang, they could proceed eastward only after obtaining official documents from Dunhuang Prefecture."
"The Great General has been trading with the Western Regions for several years now. How many foreign merchants are there in Wuwei Prefecture? Have they increased?"
Xiahou Bao shook his head: "There are actually not many foreign merchants in Wuwei. And the items from the Western Regions, various treasures and so on, obtained in the city, are all resold by merchants from Dunhuang, not by foreigners themselves."
"Brother Shuda is implying that a significant portion of the tax revenue from Dunhuang Prefecture is being intercepted by the local aristocratic families?"
Sima Fu said, "In the previous chaotic times, how could there be talk of intercepting much? It is probably that these taxes have been divided among the big families in the county. Moreover, deception of foreign merchants in trade is certainly not uncommon."
Xiahou Bao nodded: "Such an act is indeed possible."
Sima Fu continued, "Apart from Dunhuang Prefecture, the other prefectures have different products, some raising livestock, others farming to accumulate grain. And among the various tribes of the Qiang people, there is also trade between them."
"Cultivating a lack of food, the tribals would seek to buy food from those with surplus. And if they could not buy food or had no money, they would naturally have to resort to looting. In addition to grain, livestock, woolen textiles, salt, and so on, all these are needed for trade."
Xiahou Bao asked, "Brother Shuda's implication is that Liang State can intervene in the trade between the Qiang people?"
Sima Fu nodded: "Of course! As the feudal ruler of Liang State, under the Son of Heaven's governance, and with an army at your disposal, how could you not intervene?"
"It's not looting from the hands of the local aristocrats or the Qiang people, but simply setting up markets to regulate trade in Liang State and collecting taxes from it. As long as fairness is maintained, isn't this a good governance?"
Xiahou Bao said, "Is this the intention of the Emperor for setting up the position of Commander of the Division of Provisions?"
Sima Fu smiled and said, "I've asked Sima Si Kong about this, and it is indeed so. The necessary tasks are simply to regulate prices and then allow the local aristocratic families and the Qiang people to trade under the supervision of the state government."
Xiahou Bao nodded: "Establishing markets. I understand this matter now. What about agriculture?"
Sima Fu spoke slowly, "Trade matters are indeed easier to deal with, but agricultural matters are more complicated. The mixed settlement of Han and Qiang in Liang State has existed for a hundred years, and the most fertile land in each prefecture has been largely divided among the local aristocratic families. If the fertile lands of these wealthy families were suddenly seized, it could easily trigger unrest again."
"I do have a method that might help ease the situation somewhat."
Xiahou Bao said, "Is it that the state government should buy back the land?"
Sima Fu said, "The euphemistic term is 'large families' or 'warriors,' while the unkind term is 'aristocratic clans.' If we were to kill the Qiang warriors, it would surely provoke uprisings among the Qiang people. However, if we were to kill the Han warriors who do not comply with the state government, it would be just killing them, as long as everything is taken care of afterward, who would dare to speak out?"
Xiahou Bao laughed, "Exactly. First we need to find out if they can withstand the imperial army before we decide."
Sima Fu said, "That's right, using both hard and soft measures. First, let's gather the local aristocrats to discuss and see if we can allocate some land to the people, so they can also repay their debts with their harvests. If there are any who disagree, we can just eliminate a few families, and there is no need to worry about anything not being accomplished."
Xiahou Bao laughed and said, "Brother Shuda's three words and two phrases have solved the problem I've been thinking about for days! The only thing I've been worried about is money and land. With Brother Shuda's two strategies, I have nothing to worry about now. I can also focus on pacifying the Qiang people and developing military strength."
Sima Fu said, "You and I have both come from Luoyang, and it's fitting for us to divide our tasks this way."
The two exchanged cups and shared a toast while listening to a song, finding great enjoyment in the peacefulness. As time slowly passed, the dance tune played by the Hu women changed one after another.
However, when Sima Fu was almost drunk, he asked Xiahou Bao beside him, "Zhongquan, where did the banquet at the Guzang Pavilion come from and where is this grape wine? Is it that someone has bribed you?"
At this point, Xiahou Bao was also nearly drunk and feigned an expression of slight anger as he said, "Brother Shuda, how dare you speak like that? Do you think Xiahou Zhongquan would take bribes? Do you even know my surname?"
Sima Fu looked at Xiahou Bao and said, "Who does not know that you, Xiahou Zhongbu, have the surname Xiahou?"
Xiahou Bao immediately pounded his chest and said, "My Xiahou family is quite affluent! A mere several catties of grape wine is of little consequence!"
"Very well, very well, I know that you, Xiahou Zhongbu, are wealthy." Sima Fu raised his cup again. "Come on, Zhongquan, let's have a toast!"
Xiahou Bao and Sima Fu raised their cups once again in mutual greeting, and then they drank them all at once.
At the Guzang Pavilion, the Governor of Liang State and the Commander of the Division of Provisions drank wine, naturally with no one dare to disturb. When it was late at night and Xiahou Bao and Sima Fu were about to leave from the Guzang Pavilion, several carriages had already stopped in front of the inn.
Sima Fu had just arrived in Liang State, and as the Commander of the Division of Provisions was a newly established position, he did not have his own residence yet. Therefore, he had to stay at Xiahou Bao's Governor's mansion. Although there were several carriages, they all headed towards the same destination.
Sima Fu, slightly drunk, was polite in front of the door and said, "Zhongquan, as the Zhongbu, you should get on the carriage first."
Xiahou Bao pressed down on Sima Fu's arm: "Brother Shuda, you are a bit older, so you should get on the carriage first. Today we drank to our hearts' content. We only talk about age, not official positions. You should go first!"
The two of them continued to push and pull each other for a moment, and finally Sima Fu got onto the carriage first. However, as soon as Sima Fu was seated in the carriage, two women with veils covering their faces, dressed like the attendants from the Guzang Pavilion earlier, also boarded the carriage.
Sima Fu was momentarily dizzy and looked at them a few more times before realizing they were actually two women.
Sima Fu quickly rolled up the curtain of the carriage and asked Xiahou Bao, "Zhongquan, what's your intention? How could this happen?"
Xiahou Bao laughed heartily, "What the subordinates give to their superiors is called a bribe, but what the superior gives to the subordinates is a reward. Brother Zhongquan, our positions are different; it certainly doesn't count as a bribe. Liang State is cold, and having someone to keep you company during the long nights is a good thing."
Sima Fu, after all, still had to maintain the face of a scholar, and reflexively rejected, "How could this be allowed? I have just arrived in Liang State, and you are already giving me two attendants. The King definitely would blame me!"
Xiahou Bao shook his head and said, "What would I be blamed for? These two attendants are the ones I bought. Give them to you and that's it. Don't forget, Xiahou Zhongquan has a fair amount of wealth!"
With Xiahou Bao's laughter echoing, Xiahou Bao also climbed onto the carriage in front. The carriage procession made no hesitation and, under the escort of the cavalry on both sides, set off forward immediately.
The carriage inside was dimly lit without any lights, and Sima Fu could only lift the side curtains of the carriage to borrow a bit of light from outside.
At this moment, Sima Fu noticed that a beam of moonlight was shining on the maids' arms, revealing the snow-white wrists.
Sima Fu snorted and then closed his eyes, sitting up straight in the carriage. He decided not to think about anything else.
...
Let alone that Xiahou Bao and Sima Fu are making preparations to achieve something significant in Liang State, a man from Shouchun City is also about to head to Liang State.
That's talking about Lu Sun, the former Governor of Jingzhou and the current Commander of the Qiang Protection, known as Lu Bo yan.
Lu Sun was originally from the eastern part of the country, and chaos had been raging since he was young. For people from Yangzhou, who came from Wu County, the word "Liang State" seemed like something far away in the heavens.
Lu Sun had only traveled as far north as outside of Hefei and had never been to the central plains, how could he have any feelings for the distant Liang State in the northwest?
The Five Classics didn't teach anyone about the matters of Liang State!
The order from the emperor came quickly, and it was urgent for Lu Sun to leave Shouchun City and head to Liang State within three days.
Lu Sun's immediate task was to first figure out what the Commander of the Qiang Protection was responsible for, then where in Luoyang he could receive his official seal and sash, and finally where he would go to assume his duties.
There's no way around it; Lu Sun truly knows nothing about Liang State. This has nothing to do with a person's intelligence or knowledge; it's purely because of the chaos across the empire and the great distance of Liang State. Even if you switch a person from Liang State to govern a prefecture in Jiao State, they would also be at a loss for a while.
Although he had already become a two thousand Li official of the officially recognized Wei Empire, Lu Sun still didn't know anyone. After thinking and thinking, he could only go to see Liu Ye, also known as Liu Ziyang, who he had only met once in front of the emperor's hall.
Today was the turn of Xin Zhi and Chen Jiao to serve as the emperor's escort, so Liu Ye was also sitting idly in his duty room. Upon hearing that the Commander of the Qiang Protection had come to pay a visit, Liu Ye frowned for a moment but soon broke into a smile.
After a glance at Huang Quan, who was also smiling across from him, Liu Ye got up and walked towards the door, as Lu Sun was entering from the courtyard outside.
(Chapter completed)
