Chapter 143 Liangzhou City Development Plan, Return to Chang'an
Seeing that Li Xuan was serious and not just pretending, the Hu merchants went to the government office to report the tyrants in Guzang for their robbery and robbery, not limited to Guzang City, and asked Li Xuan to uphold justice.

Li Xuan asked his assistants to record everything and verify it later.

Soon after, it was discovered that things in Guzang City were blocked and money was required before they were allowed to pass.

There are also checkpoints to inspect goods. The guards and soldiers will only let the goods pass after receiving money, otherwise the goods will be seized on false charges.

Li Xuan was ruthless about this and dealt with it seriously even if it was the military.

The commander guarding the pass was beheaded and the order was passed to all the troops.

At the same time, he ordered inspectors in plain clothes to patrol the Hexi Corridor to see whether any such situation occurred in the troops under their jurisdiction.

Li Xuan was not afraid of angering the army because only a few officers could receive such benefits.

Besides, even if they were to be beheaded, they would only kill the defending generals to serve as a warning to others.

It is impossible to deal with the soldiers who were given money.

If there are too many such extortion checkpoints, it is likely that businessmen will find ways to bypass them, even if it means traveling through mountains and rivers, resulting in unnecessary accidents.

It will also dampen the enthusiasm of merchants. If they travel thousands of miles to the Tang Dynasty to do business and fail to make money after one trip, the volume of trade routes will decrease in the future.

Some of the burdens of collusion between officials and businessmen will be passed on to the people.

In short, Li Xuan wanted to ensure that the area he managed could obtain more tax revenue so that the people would not have to bear a heavy burden.

The purpose of establishing the Jiedushi in the Tang Dynasty's mercenary system was to allow the Jiedushi to be as self-sufficient as possible within their own jurisdiction without having to ask the court for money and food.

If the Jiedushi were not given the power to support the army and cultivate the land, the army would have to rely on the court for support. Not to mention how much food an army of hundreds of thousands would need, even the cost of transporting food and cloth along the way would have to increase exponentially.

It seemed that the Jiedushi had great power, but the court was helpless. At least in the Tang Dynasty, the court had no idea of ​​how to check and balance the Jiedushi.

Only the military inspector is the emperor's eyes and ears!

This must ensure that the military supervisor is absolutely loyal to the emperor. If the military supervisor is corrupted and has other intentions, it will be the beginning of disaster.

"General Li, Imperial Censor Liu requests to see you."

When Li Xuan was looking at the scroll about Hexi customs and people, his subordinates reported to Li Xuan.

Li Xuan let him in.

"Meet the Governor!"

Liu Zhu went inside and bowed to Li Xuan.

"Imperial Censor Liu has arrived. What advice do you have for me?"

Li Xuan has never been impressed by such censors.

The imperial court usually has fifteen censors, and they do not inspect wherever they want, but have a purpose.

Liu Zhu started inspecting the Hexi Corridor in December of the third year of Tianbao, and now his inspection has ended here!
Li Xuan had always known that the Censor was in Guzang City, and he also knew that Liu Zhu was a descendant of Liu Shi, the Prime Minister during the reign of Emperor Gaozong.

But Li Xuan did not summon him.

Because when the Censor-in-Chief was on inspection, local officials and generals were not allowed to meet with him privately.

"I saw that the streets of Guzang City were full of soldiers, as if a major threat was approaching, and people were in panic, so I came to ask." Liu Zhu asked Li Xuan.

"When a powerful person assassinates an official of the imperial court, we must be on high alert."

Li Xuan did not avoid the question.

It is the duty of the Censor-in-Chief to ask these questions.

He has already determined that the assassination of Lu Sigong was the work of a powerful person.

As the interrogation continued, the head of the Ma family was always implicated.

"The Guzang magistrate was unharmed, and the assassin committed suicide out of fear of punishment. This incident should have nothing to do with the Guzang tribes, and should not involve more people and hinder the operation of the Hexi Corridor!"

Liu Zhu spoke to Li Xuan with certainty.

"I don't quite understand what you mean!"

Li Xuan narrowed his eyes and spoke to Liu Zhu in a deep voice.

I thought the Censor was going to say something, but I didn't expect him to fart by taking off his pants.

Plead for the powerful?
Is this something the Censor-in-Chief can interfere in?

Li Xuan was very disappointed with the prime minister's descendants.

"If you just show some mercy, I will report to the saints and sing your praises!"

Liu Zhu had no choice but to beg for mercy. He lost control of his desire for a moment and the evidence fell into their hands.

"Military Supervisor Guo Quan and the Supervisory Censor of Longyou impeached me. Now one is dead and the other is demoted. If I don't show some leniency, will Censor Liu go and impeach me again?"

Li Xuan asked Liu Zhu back.

"I dare not! I am also considering the governor. If the commotion is too big, it will not help your reputation."

Liu Zhu smiled awkwardly. He was afraid that Li Xuan would not respond to his persuasion, so he could only persuade him seriously.

"The censor should consider the people, not me! Not to mention the assassination of the Guzang magistrate, even the act of bullying the market is unforgivable. If I condone them once, won't they break the law again?"

Li Xuan didn't give Liu Zhu any face.

He would not make things difficult for the big families or the rich peasants, but only for the powerful.

These people were greedy, and Li Xuan became angry every time he thought about having to pay a hundred coins as "protection fee" for a piece of silk.

But Li Xuan also knew that the growth of powerful people was also due to human nature.

After one tyrant is dealt with, another one will appear soon. This new tyrant may be a commoner.

"My father once knew Uncle Dudu, and he also admired your reputation!"

Liu Zhu was unwilling to give in and played the family card to Li Xuan.

"see a visitor out!"

Li Xuan felt even more annoyed after hearing this and simply waved his hand to the Censor to leave.

Li Xuan is the only one in the world who dares to be so disrespectful to the Censor.

Because Li Xuan knew that Liu Zhu wanted to impeach him and he had to think twice.

Having said that, Liu Zhu could only leave with a grim face.

He was powerless and could only hope that the powerful people would not bite people like dogs.

Not long after Liu Zhu left, Lu Sigong came to see Li Xuan.

"Reporting to the governor, Ma, Yan, Bai and others have given Guo Changshi a thousand acres of good land. In the north of Guzang City near the Macheng River, there are also two concubines of Guo Changshi, who were given by Bai and Ma respectively. Guo Changshi also helped the powerful to cover up murder cases."

Such a major event naturally has to be reported to Li Xuan.

The county magistrate has no right to touch the chief clerk. Even if the chief clerk makes a mistake, it is not the county magistrate's turn.

"Is the evidence conclusive?"

Li Xuan only asked this question.

"We have evidence that the fields outside the city are managed by Guo Changshi's family," Lu Sigong replied to Li Xuan.

"Then there is both witness and evidence!"

Li Xuan nodded and instructed Luo Xing: "Take people to arrest the Wuwei County Chief and interrogate him. His family members are not allowed to leave Guzang City for the time being."

If Guo symbolically signed and sealed the document, Li Xuan would report it to Li Longji and at the same time recommend Lu Sigong as the chief historian of Wuwei County to handle the government affairs of Wuwei County.

He will set the development direction for Wuwei and ensure that Wuwei completes its transformation within three years.

Li Xuan will even renovate the city's appearance and develop it into a large western city.

In agriculture, Li Xuan has drawn up blueprints for changing farm tools and drum wheels these days, and ordered craftsmen to manufacture and test them to ensure that manpower and material resources can be saved.

"What does Magistrate Lu think of Imperial Censor Liu?"

Li Xuan asked Lu Sigong about Liuzhu. This guy actually pleaded for the powerful, which made Li Xuan feel uncomfortable. If he was found guilty of accepting bribes and concealing criminal facts, Li Xuan would definitely impeach him.

"I don't know whether I should say this or not!"

When Lu Sigong heard something, he didn't know how to say it.

"But it doesn't matter!"

Li Xuan told Lu Sigong not to worry.

"Imperial Censor Liu has just arrived in Hexi. The people in Hexi call him the Dog-barking Imperial Censor!"

Lu Sigong said softly.

"Heh... this must be an insulting name. I've only heard of the Golden Bull Censor and the White Rabbit Censor, but this is the first time I've heard of a dog called the Censor. Why is that?" Li Xuan asked Lu Sigong.

During the Wu Zetian era, in addition to the many cruel officials, the inspectors were also very strange.

Among them was a censor named Yan Shengqi, who loved to eat beef. He cooked and slaughtered a lot of beef in the counties he visited during his inspection tours. He was also a corrupt official. He would not pursue any problem, no matter how big or small, as long as gold and silver were paid. Therefore, wherever he went, the price of gold and silver skyrocketed. People at that time ridiculed him as the "Golden Bull Censor."

Another censor was Wang Hongyi, who was once Lai Junchen's younger brother. During his inspection, he asked a melon farmer for a melon, but was refused. Wang Hongyi then claimed that there were white rabbits in the melon garden and asked the county officials to send people to catch them. As a result, all the melon vines were trampled to pieces. The people were so angry that they called him "White Rabbit Censor."

"It is said that Liu Zhu was once bitten by a dog, so he was very afraid of dogs. Whenever he saw a dog barking at him, he would send people to beat the dog to death, claiming it was mad. In Guzang alone, seven or eight dogs were beaten to death. He was inspecting all the way and no one knew how many dogs he had killed. Many people witnessed this and called him the 'Dog Barking Censor.'"

Lu Sigong explained to Li Xuan.

"It really deserves this title!"

There are always weird things, Li Xuan was speechless.

However, Li Xuan could impeach him for being "immoral" and "provoking public anger."

When the powerful people in Guzang City learned that the chief secretary had been arrested, they were all panicked.

When the powerful were at their most arrogant, they were definitely protected by local officials, who also had many evidences of the powerful doing evil.

The powerful man did not want to sit and wait for death, but the city was full of Red Water Army soldiers.

Especially in the residences of the powerful, the alleys were blocked completely.

It is nothing but a pipe dream to think of resisting with only the servants without any preparation.

Guo Zhengyi didn't hold out for long before he gave out all the local tyrants in Guzang City who were in collusion with him.

Li Xuan ordered the arrest that day.

There were even a few powerful families who resisted arrest because they knew they were committing crimes punishable by death and they wanted to survive.

Of course, they failed.

In total, Li Xuan sentenced fifty people, including scoundrels and officials in the city, to death and hundreds of people to exile. The sentences would be executed after review by the Dali Temple.

The lands of Ma, Bai, Yan and other powerful people were confiscated, their money and silk assets were returned to the governor's office, and their gold, silver and jewelry were presented to the imperial court.

There were several families whose crimes were relatively minor, and Li Xuan was not unreasonable. He gave them lenient punishments and did not confiscate their property.

Others were just fined some money.

This reassured some of the big families and noble families in the city. They also knew that Li Xuan was a sensible person, and as long as they did not break the law, they did not have to worry about their lives and property.

But in order to please Li Xuan, they still reduced the rent of the tenant farmers.

In Li Xuan's opinion, the crimes committed by the Wuwei tyrants were not as serious as the Wu Lingguang pirate case.

Li Xuan doesn't want to dig too deep now. His goal is to shock the Hexi Corridor and keep the trade route unblocked.

All the items that were extorted from the Hu merchants were returned.

Ma also has an account book that records what was obtained and when.

Li Xuan asked the Hu merchants to go back and spread the word and see if anyone they knew had been blackmailed in Wuwei. If so, they should tell the time of the blackmail and the quantity and names of the extorted items. After confirmation, the governor's office would return the items.

As long as Wuwei's reputation can be established, Guzang City will be a place where merchants will stop on the Silk Road.

Li Xuan also encouraged Han merchants to bring goods from Chang'an and Luoyang to Wuwei City, making Wuwei City another large transit point.

If you encounter extortion in Longyou or Hexi Corridor, you can report it to the government office.

Li Xuan's execution of the powerful showed his determination not to tolerate criminal officials and his kindness to merchants.

Li Xuan also asked Lu Sigong to re-plan the market, expand the market area, and divide it into more areas.

There are clear requirements for streets and shops entering the city to make rectifications within one year.

The series of movements alerted the nobles, officials, and military leaders.

Li Xuan knew that there was a water shortage and farmland was in stagnation in the area from Dadou Army to Fanhe, so he ordered Lu Sigong to plan water conservancy and solve the water problem.

He encouraged handicrafts and told merchants that if anyone opened a workshop on ceramics, lacquerware, textiles, papermaking, wine, etc., he would allocate land outside the city for free and provide assistance.

On the northern grasslands, Li Xuan used the cattle, sheep, and camels obtained from the powerful and the cattle, sheep, and camels originally belonging to Hexi to set up official pastures.

Hire common people to herd cattle, and supervise them by officials.

Inform the troops that cattle and sheep will be distributed to them as rewards before and after each battle and during festivals.

Those landless tenants will be allocated some arable land as perpetual land, and good land should not be wasted.

Li Xuan ordered the officials of the Yafanfu Yamen to supervise the Hu tribe and severely punish any Hu people who broke the law.

There were always Hu people in Hexi who committed crimes and then ran back to their tribes to seek refuge.

Li Xuan ordered that if the criminals ran back to their tribes, any tribe members who sheltered them would be directly eliminated and expelled from Tang territory by sending troops.

Just seven days after he issued the order, hundreds of Hu people who had committed crimes were sent to Guzang City for punishment.

Li Xuan's reputation was too great. The Hu tribes that were affiliated with the Tang Dynasty were all small tribes. If they were expelled, they would have no place to stand.

Even if they united, they would not be able to defeat the Chishui Army's charge.

This series of actions won the hearts of the people of Wuwei. Compared with Fu Menglingcha who only cared about military achievements, Li Xuan was able to punish evil immediately after taking office, and acted vigorously and vigorously, which made him the fatherly official that the people dreamed of.

In mid-March, Li Xuan returned to Huangshui City with his personal guards.

Yang Wan was appointed as the governor of Hexi to handle daily affairs, while An Sishun was in charge of training the troops. The generals were responsible for defense and patrolling the border, waiting for orders at any time.

On March 20th, Li Xuan returned to Huangshui City.

Liu Yan, who was meeting Li Xuan at the city gate, immediately reported to Li Xuan: "General Li, three days ago, I received a secret report that the tyrants in Xiping County wanted to ambush you when you crossed the Haomen River. I cooperated with General Wang to take action in advance and catch them all in one fell swoop."

"The Xiping County tyrants may have committed other crimes, but there is no need to look for them. Just sentence them for the crimes of ambushing the Jiedushi and plotting a mutiny!"

Li Xuan remained calm and left the matter entirely to Liu Yan.

After punishing the evil tyrants in Hexi, he was not surprised at all by such a thing.

The rabbit is in a hurry and even bites!

What’s more, the powerful people know that their sins are difficult to atone for.

When Wang Zhongsi was dealing with the local tyrants in Daizhou, Li Heng reported to Li Longji that he was afraid that Wang Zhongsi would be killed by the local tyrants, so he quickly transferred him back.

There is a very good saying in later generations: Revolution is not a dinner party. Li Xuan wants to kill the powerful. If the powerful have any blood in their veins, they will fight to the death with Li Xuan.

But it was a bit far-fetched to think that a county tyrant would ambush Li Xuan.

After the Battle of Qinghai, Li Xuan recruited another one hundred brave rangers according to the standards of the Shen Ce Guard.

The Shen Ce Guards were fully staffed and followed Li Xuan. They were a motley crowd of powerful servants, and no matter how many there were, they could not withstand the charge of the Shen Ce Guards.

Even if Li Xuan only brought a few personal guards, he could shoot them all.

Everyone knows that Li Xuan is brave, but the local tyrants in Xiping County are really anxious.

Originally, Li Xuan had no intention of touching them, but now this was a good excuse for him.

"As ordered!"

Liu Yan understood what Li Xuan meant. The crime he mentioned was much more serious than oppressing the people and taking human lives.

Li Xuan was the governor of Hexi and Longyou, commanding an army of 150,000. If anything happened, Li Longji would treat the powerful man as a traitor and skin him alive.

"Who informed the tyrant that they were going to ambush me?"

Li Xuan asked Liu Yan.

"He is a powerful tenant farmer. He is short of manpower, so he is recruiting trustworthy people among the tenant farmers. It is said that he is a big family in Hexi, and they want to inform you that you will be back soon!" Liu Yan replied to Li Xuan.

"After raiding the tyrant's house, reward the tenant with two hundred acres of land!"

Li Xuan nodded.

With his current prestige in Longyou, even the tenant farmers who depend on the powerful will trust and support him.

"How is Tibet doing lately?"

When Li Xuan and Liu Yan entered the city, they asked him about military affairs again.

"Ever since Mujie Sangdongzebu carried gold, silver and jewelry to Chang'an, the Tibetans have been restrained. Their patrols, which used to frequently enter our Tang territory, now no longer set foot in. Even in the boundless wilderness under the Red Ridge, there is no trace of Tibetan cavalry, as if the Shibao City did not exist." Liu Yan told Li Xuan.

"The Tibetans have retracted their sharp claws and have not bared their fangs. It seems they really want to rest and recuperate!"

Li Xuan laughed.

But he would not give Tubo a chance.

When the autumn comes and the horses are fat, that will be the time for the next war.

After returning to the city, Li Xuan first went to the armor workshop to observe the making of the Modao Army's armor.

The craftsmen from Hexi arrived in Longyou a month ago.

It is planned that one thousand sets of armor with masks, including special inner armor, will be completed before June.

The number of Mo Dao is sufficient.

But a spare Mo Dao is needed.

In addition to Qiushan Iron Mine, there are two other iron mines in Hexi.

Li Xuan sent people to supervise the transportation of good iron to Huangshui City.

Outside the city, the expanded Lintao army, with 20,000 soldiers, was ready.

Except for farming time, training is done every other day.

The tactics of using Modao swords, heavy armor and powerful crossbows, and the coordination between light cavalry and elite cavalry are all training items.

Li Xuan will definitely use a battle to prove the mobility of the multi-horse cavalry!
After only five days in Huangshui, Li Xuan set out for Chang'an.

Now the initiative on the battlefield is in Li Xuan's hands, and Tubo is seeking peace with Chang'an, so the probability of a battle is very small.

If there is a war, Liu Yan will stay behind and cooperate with Gao Xiuyan and Wang Nandi to deal with it.

If there are signs of a major war, Li Xuan will rush back immediately at an expedited rate of 800 miles.

Li Xuan went to Chang'an this time because he was summoned by Li Longji. Li Xuan had to obey, otherwise it would arouse Li Longji's suspicion.

When returning to Chang'an, Li Xuan only brought ten personal guards including Luo Xing and Liao Shisan. He could not enter Chang'an City with two hundred personal guards.

The remaining guards, led by Xue Cuo, trained in long-weapon combat techniques on a daily basis in the Jiedushi's government office.

Li Xuan went ahead and later looted the jewels from the powerful people in Wuwei and Xiping counties, which would be escorted to Chang'an by county soldiers.

With four horses galloping at full speed, Li Xuan arrived in Chang'an in early April.

(End of this chapter)