Chapter 350: Scholars of Xizhou
Chapter 350: Scholars of Xizhou (Added for the leader Wen Tianwuzuo)
Liang Fen was entertaining guests at home when she received the letter.
Most of the visitors were scholars from Xizhou, led by former Si Tu aide Yan Ding, whose courtesy name was Taichen and who was from Tianshui.
After Sima Yue passed away, many people left, and Yan Ding was one of them.
But he has no connections in the court, his own family background is not that good, and the court today has changed a lot from what it was a few years ago. There is really nothing he can do.
The Yan family's ancestral home is in Tianshui and Jincheng.
At the end of the Han Dynasty, there was Yan Wen, the deputy governor of Liangzhou, and Yan Xing, a general under Han Sui. Yan Ding was the third relatively well-known figure among the Yan family. He was first selected as a scholar in Qinzhou, and then was appointed as a military officer by Sima Yue, the then Taifu. His career path was very good.
But Sima Yue was dead, and Yan Ding had no choice but to run back.
Now his identity is the leader of refugees.
There were many refugees from Guanxi in Henan County. Yan Ding was born in Qinzhou and had a good reputation, so some people chose him as their leader and settled down in the mountain basin west of Mi County to cultivate the land.
The identities of refugee commander and fort commander were not favored by these scholars, but now there is no other way, right? It is better to have a force than to have nothing in hand.
In fact, for scholars like them who enjoy prestige among the refugees in their hometown, it is extremely easy to become a commander of a fortress or a refugee.
Wang Ru was a minor military officer in Jingzhao Prefecture, and everyone elected him as their leader.
Du Tao, a native of Shu County, was originally the county magistrate who suppressed the rebellion of refugees from Bashu. The rebellious refugees even chose him as their leader.
The refugees from Guanxi would naturally regard Yan Ding as their leader.
After one or two hundred years of development, things like family background and origin have been deeply integrated into social culture, customs, and traditions, and influence everyone subtly.
Even if some people rose up in rebellion and killed the gentry, they still had a vague sense of inferiority in their hearts. It was not uncommon for them to be willing to hand over leadership and serve them as their masters if the gentry were willing to cooperate with them.
Intangible things such as the spirit of the times and values are often more difficult to break than tangible manors and fortresses.
Shao Xun tried to reverse this atmosphere and values, which was a more difficult task than defeating the Huns. His idea was to start from the economic base, and his theoretical source was that "the economic base determines the superstructure." It was difficult to predict what the effect would be.
General Liang Fen is now one of the leaders of the Xizhou scholars in the court.
Scholars in the world are divided into different regions. Generally speaking, scholars from Xizhou did not do well in Luoyang.
In addition to Yan Ding, the others who visited the Liang Mansion today included Secretary Fu Chang and others.
Chang's father, Zhi, had recently been promoted to the position of Si Tu, a high position - but not much power.
Chang's brother Xuan was once the right chief secretary of Sima Yue. Later, he entered the court as an official. He was almost killed together with Gao Guang and others, but he was lucky enough to escape.
After General Wei Liang Fen, Fu Zhi of Niyang in the north should be the second.
But overall, there were still not many Xizhou scholars serving as officials in the court, and their base was still in Guanzhong.
For example, Liang Fen's cousin Liang Zong is now the prefect of Jingzhao, Liang Wei is the governor of Beidi, Liang Su is the magistrate of Pingyang, and Liang Zong's uncle Suo Chen is the governor of Fengyi...
The descendants of General Liang Ji were originally a wealthy family in Guanxi, but they declined somewhat during the previous emperor's reign. After Liang Lanbi became the empress, although General Liang Fen did not get involved in any political affairs, the Liang family members continued to receive benefits. In addition, they knew how to behave and had great power. Sima Mo, the King of Nanyang, also began to use the Liang family, and gradually their fortunes improved.
Liang Fen was the central hub of Guanxi scholars in the court, and many gatherings were held in his house. Yan Ding was envious and jealous of this, but given the circumstances, he had no choice but to bow his head.
"I know that you are ambitious, Minister." Liang Fen leaned on the couch, sighed, and said, "But Nanyang is not a good place. That Taibai Star sent six troops to guard Wancheng. What can I do if I go there?"
"Wang Ru..." Yan Ding said in a low voice.
"Wang Ru is ambitious and may not be obedient." Liang Fen said, "If I go to Wancheng, I may be able to win over some people, but Wang Ru will not surrender. Besides, I have no soldiers, which makes things even more difficult." "What do you mean by no soldiers, Lord Liang?" Fu Chang said, "In the past, when suppressing Zhang Chang's rebellion, every time an important official went south, the imperial guards would allocate a part of the troops and let him lead them. If Lord Liang goes south, the court will have to allocate thousands of troops, so won't we have troops? Besides, isn't Beigong Chun in the north of the city?"
Liang Fen did not comment, but said: "Beigong Chun has come to Luoyang several times and has indeed visited me several times. I also know a few of his generals. But they will leave eventually, so how can they stay in Luoyang for long?"
"Mr. Liang is wrong." Before Fu Chang could say anything, Yan Ding said anxiously, "A few days ago in Xin'an, I gathered a group of defeated soldiers, who were the defenders of Tongguan. Because their retreat was cut off, they were defeated by Zhao Ran. If Mr. Liang sent people to recruit them, he should be able to attract thousands more people. After the Xiongnu invaded Guanzhong, the return route to Tongguan was cut off. How can the soldiers from Liangzhou return?"
"Today, the emperor wants you to go out to command the city. Why don't you negotiate some terms and take the Liangzhou soldiers with you? Then transfer some of the imperial guards, or go to Hongnong to recruit the defeated soldiers from Tongguan. It will be no problem to gather 10,000 people."
"The Du brothers of Yiyang have always respected Lord Liang and have always been courteous to him during festivals. They are also from Guanxi. Their clansman Du Xun just came to Luoyang on the orders of Zhang Liangzhou to offer 500 horses and 30,000 felt blankets. Lord Liang might as well give him a try, maybe he can get some money and food here."
"Besides, I have several thousand refugees from Guanxi under my command, and they are willing to obey Lord Liang's orders."
"Lord Liang," Fu Chang said immediately, "There has been constant fighting in Guanzhong, and there will definitely be people from the Qiang, Di, Hu and Han tribes who will leave Wuguan and enter Nanyang. Lord Liang made friends with the Qiang and Di tribes in the past, and his prestige is high, so it won't be difficult to pacify them. Now that we have soldiers and people, what is there to fear?"
Liang Fen was silent for a long time.
After a moment, he stood up and paced back and forth, sighing.
Fu Chang was fine, but Yan Ding was extremely anxious.
Why didn't Lord Liang seize such a good opportunity? He was appointed as the governor of Wancheng, supervising the military affairs of Mianyang and northern Taiwan. If he followed him to take office, there would be great benefits, and the thousands of refugees from Guanxi who followed him would also have a place to stay.
"After all, Guandong is not our territory." Liang Fen sighed and said, "If I were in Chang'an at this time, I would take the lead without hesitation and give you a future. The situation in Jingxiang and Nanyang is complicated. There are important officials of the court such as Wang Cheng and Shan Jian, as well as refugee leaders such as Wang Ru and Yan Yi. Shao Quanzhong has teamed up with the local nobles in Nanyang to place private individuals and is ambitious. If I go there, I will definitely confront him, alas."
"Lord Liang! Lord Liang!" Yan Ding said anxiously, "Shao Xun's family is not prosperous, his power is not strong, and he has spread his business too far. Now he only controls a few places such as Luonan, Xiangcheng, and Chenjun. Yingchuan, Nanyang, Shunyang, and Luguo may be dependent on him, but they are not reliable. But he is still not satisfied and went east to Fan County to rob Sima Yue's inheritance. He has already eaten too much and can't control such a large area. Lord Liang went to Wancheng by imperial decree. Who dares to stop him?"
Liang Fen thought for a moment and asked, "Where is Shao Xun?"
"We have just received the order of the successor king of Donghai and the queen dowager to Kaocheng." Fu Chang replied, "He should still be deploying the defense of Yanzhou, trying to drive out the Xiongnu cavalry that are harassing from the south. In addition, Liu Cong sent Zhao Gu and others to lead the people to the east, enter Qingzhou, and try to join Cao Yi's army. Gou Xi fought a battle with Cao Yi last month and won a small victory. Gou Daojiang won three battles in a row, and his troops became fewer and fewer. Cao Yi lost three battles, and his troops became more and more. If Zhao Gu and others come again, Gou Daojiang may be difficult to defeat. The Qing, Yan, and Xu areas are about to change, and Shao Xun does not have much energy to take care of all parties. He intervened in Nanyang, but all military and political affairs were entrusted to local nobles. If Liang Gong went to Wancheng, it would not be as difficult as imagined. Moreover, the Hu and Han refugees from Guanxi are still constantly entering Nanyang, and there is no end to the support."
"Shao Xun..." Liang Fen closed her eyes and thought.
He often heard people mention "Shao Taibai" because he was so famous.
He also studied Shao Xun's past and admired him very much. If he were in his shoes, he would not be able to do the same.
He is brave, resourceful, knowledgeable and skillful. He does not seek quick success or advance recklessly, but instead lays a solid foundation, knows when to advance and retreat, and takes every step carefully. Could such abilities be a gift from heaven?
He remembered the prophecy.
Alas, it would be great if he was from Guanxi. Even if he was not a scholar, Liang Fen was willing to support him with a large sum of money - the Hu and Han peoples of Xizhou lived together, wars were frequent, and there were distinctions between family backgrounds, but they were not as important as the scholars of Guandong.
"Sometimes, I feel ashamed of the people of the world." Liang Fen suddenly laughed bitterly and said, "I enjoy a high position and generous salary, but I don't say a word and achieve nothing. I am like a puppet in the court. Shao Taibai can defeat the enemy with martial arts and pacify the people with literary skills. I am far inferior to him. It's not easy for him in Henan. He is in a place surrounded by wars and is exhausted. But there are still people who hold him back. Sigh. If this continues, the state will be ruined."
"Lord Liang..." Yan Ding felt a chill in his heart. Is this because he doesn't want to go to Wancheng?
Fu Chang was also slightly disappointed. But he had a good attitude and was not as eager for fame and fortune as Yan Ding, so he didn't have to go.
Everyone in the court is making repairs and trying their best to maintain the situation, and we will take it one step at a time.
"Ming Gong." An old servant came in from outside the hall. After glancing at Fu Chang, Yan Ding and others, he came straight to Liang Fen and whispered in her ear, "There's news from the palace that the emperor is very dissatisfied with your 'illness' and is furious. He will come to visit you soon and said...said..."
"What?" Liang Fen asked with a frown.
"If you are unable to get up, you can take a sedan chair to take up your post," said the old servant.
Liang Fen suddenly laughed so hard that tears came out.
Yan Ding and Fu Chang looked at him in confusion.
Liang Fen waved her hands, looked at the grass and trees swaying in the wind in the courtyard, and sighed: "People are like grass, even ministers are not immune."
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(End of this chapter)