Chapter 197 Killing Li Xuan, the Gentleman Changes
Most of the cruel officials in ancient times pursued wealth and glory. In order to achieve their goals, they would stop at nothing and were willing to be a sharp knife in the hands of the emperor.

However, Zhidu was fair and honest, loved the people, and enforced the law without avoiding the powerful and royal relatives, so he was called "Goshawk".

He was called a "cruel official" because he used violence to fight violence.

However, when the powerful oppress the people, it is often difficult to find evidence, and fighting violence with violence is the best method.

Of course, this will inevitably lead to wrongful convictions!

Sheng Yuliang had tried his best to welcome Li Xuan, but now not only was he rejected by the court, but he was also not given a chance to live.

Those skilled Dunhuang musicians were waiting in the banquet hall, holding instruments such as the pipa, huqin, and 羯鼓.

Those women in yellow dance costumes and wearing gorgeous jewelry were no longer able to present a wonderful dance.

The fragrance of the fine wine at the banquet will soon fade away.

As for fruits and meat, no one is interested in them.

After Li Xuan scolded Sheng Yuliang, he asked him to get on with the case as soon as possible.

Li Xuan continued to stay in the mansion, bathing and changing clothes, using the simplest method to wash away the dust of the world.

……

Sheng Yuliang’s residence in Dunhuang City.

"You are going too far!"

"Snapped!"

Sheng Yuliang returned to the house angrily and smashed the porcelain in front of him into pieces, thinking it was Li Xuan, but he could not get rid of the hatred in his heart.

"This is driving me to death!"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, and he overturned the table in front of him. The women in the house were so scared that they huddled in their rooms.

After a while, Wang Cong, the deputy governor of Dunhuang, came to Sheng Yuliang's residence.

Thinking that the two of them were on the same boat, he let Wang Cong enter the room.

"Why is the governor angry? The governor was appointed by the sage, and the governor is a high-ranking official. Li Xuan cannot kill you for no reason!"

Seeing the chaos in the house, Wang Cong asked Sheng Yuliang to stay calm and not panic.

In fact, he was not sure, so he came to find Sheng Yuliang immediately.

"Others can't do it, but Li Xuan dares to. Back in Linhai, Yuyao prefect Gao Wei was chopped to death by Li Xuan on the spot. Linhai prefect Huang Wangheng was also forced to commit suicide. Maybe the saint gave Li Xuan another privilege. Don't forget, he is the Duke of Chu, a Duke of Chu with 800 households."

Sheng Yuliang paced back and forth, clapping his hands and speaking.

Logically speaking, the interviewer had no power to kill the governor in the scarlet robe.

According to the procedure, in order to deal with local officials, their crimes must first be reported to the emperor, then they will be dismissed by the Ministry of Personnel, and then they will be investigated by the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice, and finally they will be escorted to Chang'an for punishment.

It was rare for a prefect to be killed directly in the local area. Often, if a county magistrate broke the law, he would also be escorted to Chang'an.

But the bloody lesson made Sheng Yuliang worried.

"There must be a way out when the car reaches the mountain. Governor, wait a little longer, maybe there will be a chance of turning around!"

Wang Cong was silent for a moment before speaking to Sheng Yuliang.

He also understands the interests involved.

"Li Xuan, this brat, relied on the fact that he is a royal family member and the son of the prime minister to achieve such success. If I had such a background, why would I have to endure such an insult?"

Sheng Yuliang's eyes turned red when he thought of the embarrassment of being scolded as a grandson just now.

He believes that Li Xuan was able to reach a high position at a young age because he has a strong background and was ahead at the starting line.

Unlike him, he had to study hard, pass the imperial examination, and then be selected by the Ministry of Personnel before starting his career as a county magistrate. Even so, it only took him a dozen years to become a county governor.

Sheng Yuliang hated privileged and powerful people like Li Xuan.

"Sir, I would like to report to the court and impeach Li Xuan."

Wang Cong said to Sheng Yuliang.

Although he went astray, he had a clear understanding of himself. They were corrupt officials and would not flaunt their reputation.

He knew that Sheng Yuliang did not hate privileges, but hated himself for not having greater power and hated himself for not having the same status as Li Xuan.

If so, all mistakes can be exempted from punishment.

"I'm afraid that before the impeachment memorial reaches the Saint, Li Xuan will have chopped off my head. I think Lin Chaocheng has betrayed me, and Li Xuan is well prepared and can arrest me at any time."

Sheng Yuliang had previously held out a glimmer of hope, thinking that Li Xuan would recover Jiuqu and wage a war against Tubo, and that the matter would be hastily closed.

Who would have thought that Li Xuan was meddling in other people's affairs? He was clearly a general commanding a large army, but he kept interfering in local affairs.

Which of the previous Huangfu Weiming, Fu Menglingcha, Wang Jue, Gai Jiayun, Du Xiwang, etc. would do so?

What's more, Li Xuangang has just served as the interview ambassador for Hexi and Longyou.

He didn't even have a chance to withdraw.

"Then how to do it!"

Wang Cong was also frightened. If Sheng Yuliang fell, his life would be in danger.

His crime will surely lead to the death penalty.

"Wang Biejia, do you think I should commit suicide out of fear of punishment like Huang Wangheng? Or should I be beheaded by Li Xuan like Gao Wei?"

Sheng Yuliang suddenly became calm and asked this question.

"Is there no third way?"

After living in wealth and glory for so long, neither path was the ending he wanted.

For corrupt officials, they only regret when disaster strikes. When they are abusing their power and enjoying money, beauties and pleasures, they only regret that their power is too small and they cannot get more.

"Have!"

"Kill Li Xuan!"

Sheng Yuliang said something shocking.

"Li Xuan is the Duke of Chu, a member of the royal family, and the commander of two frontier towns! Killing Li Xuan is treason. Not only will we be in danger, but our families will also be implicated, and our descendants will be cut off!"

Wang Cong was speechless; he was shocked by Sheng Yuliang's words.

Originally I just wanted to collect some money to make myself richer.

In the end, ambitions grew and desires expanded, and they were out of control.

He knew that he was a corrupt official hated by the people and that he was wrong, but he found it difficult to turn back.

Because corrupt officials have no way out. Once they step onto the bridge of greed, with every step they take, the bridge behind them collapses, and they can never go back. They can only grit their teeth and move forward.

Some bridges of greed are very long, while others are very short.

But they all have one thing in common, that is, the end of the bridge of greed is a cliff.

People's eyes are black and their hearts are red.

Once the eyes turn red, the heart turns black.

When their promotion speed cannot keep up with the speed of their expanding desires, the bridge will collapse faster and faster.

At this time, Sheng Yuliang was in a state of jealousy.

"Our families enjoy the wealth and glory we bring. Now we are just taking risks to continue to fight for them. Even a rabbit will bite when it is cornered. If Li Xuan wants to kill me, will I still wait to be killed?"

Sheng Yuliang grabbed Wang Cong's collar and yelled, "Can you do it? Can you do it? Can you do it?"

Three times in a row, each one louder than the last, hysterical.

Wang Cong was shaken until he felt dizzy.

"cannot!"

In the end, Wang Cong also uttered these two words.

Li Xuan came prepared, and he also realized that this was a moment of life and death.

If one is not careful, he will die under Li Xuan's knife and be nailed to the pillar of shame in history, thus making Li Xuan famous.

After hearing Wang Cong's words, Sheng Yuliang finally let go of Wang Cong's clothes.

Wang Cong couldn't help but ask Sheng Yuliang: "But it's not easy for us to get rid of Li Xuan. It is said that he can tear a tiger apart alive, and ten thousand people can't defeat him. The Yumen Army in the city can be mobilized to support Li Xuan at any time. Besides, even if we kill Li Xuan, what should we do?"

This is what Wang Cong is worried about.

Everyone knows about Li Xuan's outstanding achievements!

"Humph! A tiger is so ferocious that ten hunters can kill it. It is said that Li Xuan can defeat ten thousand enemies and is as brave as a king. I don't believe it. After all, he is a flesh and blood body. The maximum he can kill on the battlefield is a hundred. What's more, if Li Xuan didn't have a warhorse, would he still be so powerful? Ten people can rush over and knock him down."

"We will find the thief merchant, lure Li Xuan out of the city, and go to the manor at the foot of Longle Mountain in the south of the city, where we will ambush and kill Li Xuan."

"After killing Li Xuan, we will pin the blame on the three Hu caravans, and then kill all three of them."

Sheng Yuliang quickly thought of a plan.

"We followed Li Xuan to Longle Mountain. Li Xuan died, but we are still alive. The Saint will definitely interrogate all the officials, and we will not be able to escape death by then!"

Although Wang Cong thought the plan was brilliant, it was not enough to exonerate them. They summoned Li Xuan to the manor at the foot of Longle Mountain, but the powerful Li Xuan died. If they were alive, everyone would suspect them.

Li Xuan is the most beloved minister of the sage. How could he easily let it go?

"Take off Li Xuan's head and surrender to Tubo. You should be able to maintain your wealth and glory, right?"

Sheng Yuliang thought about it and realized that this was the truth. If Li Xuan died, it would be difficult for them to survive.

If Li Xuan lives, they must die.

He simply gritted his teeth and defected to the Tubo Kingdom.

Li Xuan repeatedly struck heavy blows at Tubo and conquered Jiuqu, which severely damaged Tubo's vitality and caused the national strength to drop significantly compared to the first year of Tianbao.

Until now, Li Xuan still has 100,000 infantry and cavalry in Jiuqutun.

His purpose of annexing Qinghai was as clear as Sima Zhao's heart, and was known to everyone.

If Tubo lost Qinghai, it would lose the opportunity to go north to Helong.

Li Xuan was a thorn in the side of Tubo.

At this critical moment, if someone took Li Xuan's head to the Tibetan king, he would definitely be promised a high position and generous salary.

"Then we need to kill Li Xuan and break through Yangguan without alerting the Yumen Army. We need manpower, and the county soldiers may not all obey us."

Wang Cong said to Sheng Yuliang.

"Half of the county soldiers have received benefits. If they don't want to be punished, they must help us. I will also let the powerful families in Dunhuang County send people to ambush Longleshan Manor. I have leverage over these powerful families. Once Li Xuan finds out, he will massacre them. The powerful families dare not disobey. The Hu merchants in Longleshan Manor can also gather a team of 200 people. We will not be less than 1,500 people in total. Even if Li Xuan brings all his personal guards, he will not be our opponent when he enters the manor and loses his warhorse."

Sheng Yuliang imagined the county soldiers, household slaves, sons of powerful families, servants of powerful families, and Hu merchants who could be mobilized.

He thought he could kill Li Xuan by surprise in the manor.

Then they broke through Yangguan and escaped.

There are only 300 soldiers guarding Yangguan. We can definitely take it by a surprise attack.

"Huh! When are we going to do it!"

Wang Cong knew there was a huge risk, but they had no choice.

If you don't resist, you will die.

Li Xuan could punish Sheng Yuliang simply by accusing him of the disappearance of more than seventy decent women!

What's more, Li Xuan already has evidence against them.

In order to prevent the border troops from catching the thieves, Sheng Yuliang deliberately hid the thieves in the manor in Longle Mountain.

These thieves and merchants were very smart. On the surface, they were three teams, but in fact there were several cooperating Hu caravans in the Hexi Corridor that only the thieves and merchants could contact.

Those Hu merchant caravans only engaged in legitimate business and had clean backgrounds.

The key point is that Sheng Yuliang didn't know the details of those Hu merchant groups, so he didn't dare to kill them to silence them.

Several thief business leaders told Sheng Yuliang that if they died, their companions would definitely report Sheng Yuliang and others because they had solid evidence.

Sheng Yuliang had no choice but to swallow his anger. He not only had to find a shelter for the thieves, but also had to cover their whereabouts.

"It's the third day! If Li Xuan doesn't fall for it, or calls for the Yumen Army, we'll just have to wait for death!"

Sheng Yuliang saw a jade Buddha on the bookshelf and clasped his hands together.

This was a rare thing in the house that he had not broken.

He didn't believe in Buddhism, but at this moment, he prayed for Buddha's blessing.

……

Prefect's Mansion.

After Li Xuan finished washing and bathing, he called Yan Zhenqing into the house for dinner.

A plate of mutton, a plate of cabbage, and a few Hu pancakes are already a delicacy.

"Li Shuai is pushing Sheng Yuliang too hard. We must prevent him from jumping off the wall in desperation!"

Yan Zhenqing watched Li Xuan eating mutton and cabbage wrapped in Hu pancakes with gusto. He lost his appetite because of this.

"If you just want to arrest Sheng Yuliang, there's no need for me to come here in person. I want to find clues about the thieves and bring them all to justice. It would be best if I could take the opportunity to execute a group of tyrants."

What Li Xuan wanted was to make Sheng Yuliang desperate.

In the city of Dunhuang, even if Sheng Yuliang joined forces with the powerful, he would not be as strong as the Yumen Army.

"I'm relieved that Marshal Li has a plan. But you don't have to become the Goshawk Zhidu to be respected by the world. Why don't you consider the consequences?"

After taking a bite of the Hu pancake, Yan Zhenqing couldn't help but ask Li Xuan.

Even a saint is unwilling to make an enemy of the world's powerful people, but Li Xuan did so, which would bring endless troubles and make it difficult for him to move forward in the future.

No matter where Li Xuan went, the powerful would easily rebel against him.

He had heard that some powerful people sold their land and moved away from Helong.

Li Xuan had hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses under his command. If Li Xuan did not have the military power in his hands, these powerful people would tear Li Xuan to pieces.

"The rich have fields stretching for miles, while the poor have no place to stand. The life and death of ordinary people is decided not by the government but by the powerful. Tenants are like slaves, and like the private soldiers of the powerful. Sooner or later, they will directly affect the court and break the country. In the future, it will be either "Are there any kings, princes, generals, or ministers who are of the same species?" in the rainy night of Daze Township, or "The blue sky is dead, and the yellow sky should be established" in unison outside Guangzong City. The powerful have become maggots attached to our bones. If they are not eliminated, there will be no land under the sky. From the mirror of the Han Dynasty, we can see the rise and fall of dynasties, and the lesson of the Yin Dynasty is not far away. I would rather risk the disapproval of the world and make changes..."

After Li Xuan finished eating the Hubing, he answered Yan Zhenqing slowly.

"No one in ancient times has done what you did! I'm afraid there will be unpredictable consequences if there is no reference."

Zhidu's fate was to be unjustly killed by Empress Dowager Dou. Yan Zhenqing felt that this was not the right fate for Li Xuan with his talent.

Like Huo Qubing, he conquered the Wolf's Lair and expanded the territory to thousands of miles.

However, Li Xuan's thoughts and political ambitions were never about military achievements.

"Zhuge Liang launched the Northern Expedition knowing that it was impossible. I have the courage to go forward even if there are tens of thousands of people. If I am just like Liu Chong and Huang Ba, with a reputation for integrity, what is the point? Zhu Yun broke the railings, and Bigan died after giving advice, but someone else did it. There are too many famous prime ministers like Yao Chong and Song Jing, who were nothing more than prime ministers who saved the time. Is it really brave to kill a few people on the battlefield like Yuchi Gong and Cheng Zhijie? Is it really what I pursue to make outstanding contributions like Wei Qing and Li Jing? If I die one day, it will definitely not be on the battlefield. I should be torn to pieces like Shang Yang, or commit suicide like Li Kui..."

"That's all I have to say. Even if no one helps me in the future, this is still my wish."

After Li Xuan finished speaking, he waved his hand.

This is what he thinks.

He does not want to be an honest official, a minister of remonstration, a famous prime minister, a fierce general, or a military god.

His existence is to strive for supreme power and to make changes.

Being powerful is one of his biggest stumbling blocks.

In the early Han Dynasty, because of the policy of laissez-faire, many powerful people emerged throughout the country.

But the Tang Dynasty was different.

The three major foundations of the early Tang Dynasty: the equal-field system, the rent-and-labor system, and the military service system.

The core of the equal-field system is to distribute unowned land to common people for cultivation according to the population, and the land will belong to the cultivator after a certain number of years of cultivation.

The lands of those big families were not included in the equal-field allocation system, which was designed to ensure that farmers had a certain amount of land to guarantee their survival and prevent excessive concentration of land.

The implementation of the equal-field system affirmed the ownership and possession of land, reduced land disputes, and facilitated the reclamation of unowned wasteland.

The rent-and-labor system was a tax and labor service system implemented on the basis of the equal-field system.

Rent refers to the rent for land, which is two shi of millet every year.

Yong was forced labor, which meant serving twenty days of labor for the court every year, and the labor period could also be offset by using items.

The tax is a household tax, that is, the male adult pays according to the output of the local area.

The Rent, Labor and Tax System stipulated that all households in the equal-field system, regardless of the amount of land granted to them, had to pay a fixed amount of taxes and perform certain corvée labor. The formulation and implementation of the Rent, Labor and Tax System required the coordination of the equal-field system. Once the equal-field system was violated, the Rent, Labor and Tax System would fail.

The characteristic of the fubing system is the integration of soldiers and farmers, that is, farmers engage in farming in peacetime and become soldiers to fight in wartime.

The implementation of the fubing system not only saved the country's military expenditure to a certain extent, but also ensured the development of agriculture.

Under the Fubing system, soldiers were required to bring their own food, weapons, and even horses during their service. This system required soldiers to receive military training during the slack season, and to be assembled into an army to go to war as needed. After the war, the soldiers were disbanded and returned home to continue farming.

The destruction of the equal-field system will directly affect the Zhechoufu across the country, because without land to grant, there will be no soldiers to hand over.

It can be seen that these three systems complement each other, and if one prospers, all will prosper, and if one declines, all will decline.

The three major systems all collapsed at the end of the Kaiyuan period. There was no land left to be distributed under the equal-field system. A lot of powerful people were paying rent, labor service and taxes, and they could not collect them, but they dared not touch them. The government soldiers went bankrupt and the Zhechou government had no soldiers to hand over.

This also led to the emergence of the conscription system, and the Jiedushi, who were in charge of both the military and financial affairs, came onto the stage of history.

The collapse of these systems is directly related to the land annexation by powerful local tyrants.

Until now, they are still concealing taxes and exploiting the people.

After hearing what Li Xuan said, Yan Zhenqing stood up and bowed respectfully to Li Xuan: "The Book of Changes says: A great man changes like a tiger, a gentleman changes like a leopard, and a villain changes his face. You are a great man who changes like a tiger, and Yan Zhenqing will follow General Li until his death."

At this moment, he was moved by Li Xuan's words and was about to cry.

For the first time, he was convinced by a person's character.

"No... I am a gentleman who has transformed into a leopard!"

Li Xuan helped Yan Zhenqing up and said solemnly.

(End of this chapter)