Chapter 451 Donation for Food

Chapter 451 Donation for Food

Chapter 451 Donation for Food
The ox cart drove along the muddy country road and stopped in front of a fort.

Zhang Jin, a military official, got off the carriage, looked up at the towering wall, and shouted, "Where is Yang Gong?"

There was a noise on the wall.

After a while, the drawbridge was lowered with a bang, the gate of the courtyard opened wide, and an old man about fifty years old came out to greet them with dozens of his nephews, nieces and followers.

"It turns out to be Mr. Zhang. I haven't seen you for several months, but you're still as charming and elegant as ever." The old man called "Mr. Yang" said with a smile.

There seemed to be some worry hidden in the smile.

When officials from Yanshi County came to visit, nothing good ever happened. They either asked for donations or asked for people, and sometimes they asked for both.

But there was nothing they could do.

As the few fort commanders in Yanshi County, they have their own way of survival.

First, they need to be able to fight. They don’t need to be strong enough to defeat all enemies, but they should make the enemies besieging them pay a considerable price and feel that the gains outweigh the losses.

Second, be kind to others. As long as you don't push them to the point of no return, everything can be discussed - anyone can be discussed, the imperial court, bandits, the Huns, and even the various military leaders.

Zhang Jin, the military official, represented the imperial court, and Yang Gong seemed to have realized what he was here for.

"I have no choice but to come here today. I was forced to do so by my superiors." Zhang Jin first gave a "disclaimer" and then said, "The matter is urgent, so I won't talk about the past today. The governor of Henan has issued an order to collect people, money and grain from all the counties in Sizhou, and Yanshi County is also involved..."

Yang Gong was silent for a long time, then asked, "How much do you want?"

Zhang Jin actually has a certain degree of discretion, because the county magistrate only cares about the result, not the process.

Therefore, he completely tailored the treatment to the individual, and the indicators for each fortress and manor were different.

The owner of this fortress is said to be a distant branch of the Yang family in Taishan, but how can I put it? I have never seen the Yang family take care of them. Even if there is a relationship, it is unknown how many generations ago. Although they both have the surname Yang, they are actually two families.

But Zhang Jin is quite knowledgeable about the ways of the world and is very familiar with the local area.

As far as he knew, the tomb of Yang Xuanzhi, the father of Queen Hui Yang Xianrong, was in Yanshi. The old man in front of him often brought his sons and nephews to visit the tomb and was very diligent.

In Zhang Jin's opinion, this is purely shameless and an attempt to get close to relatives.

Of course, he didn't dare say this to anyone else, because there were rumors in the countryside that Yang Gong's father had accompanied Yang Xuanzhi to the capital as a distant relative of the Yang family - some said it was a family slave - and later for some unknown reason he fled to Yanshi, where he gathered fellow villagers and lived together to protect himself during the turbulent times.

It is difficult to tell whether the rumors are true or false.

But for things like this, it is better to treat them as real and not take them lightly.

Therefore, he thought for a moment and gave a number: "Three hundred strong men, arrive at Heyang South City before May 20th."

"Do you still need money and food?" Yang Gong nodded slightly and asked again.

"I'm not in charge of money and grain." Zhang Jin waved his hand and said, "But we need to prepare some millet, wheat, and hay. We may also need a few carts with draft animals, and we need to prepare drivers."

Yang Gong understood what was going on. He clapped his hands, and one of his nephews came forward carrying a wooden tray.

He took a piece of silk off the plate and handed it to Zhang Jin, saying, "Mr. Zhang, you have worked hard for the king."

Zhang Jin was not polite and asked his followers to put the silk back into the ox cart. Then he exchanged some greetings and left in a hurry.

Looking at the figures of the Bingcao clerk and his group walking away, Yang Gong's face darkened slightly.

This is a big deal!
News came from Luoyang that Shao Xun, Duke of Chen, led his troops into Luoyang and seemed to be planning a massive attack on the Huns.

Before troops move out, food and fodder must be sent ahead. Conscripting men and distributing grain are precursors to war, and everyone has long been accustomed to it.

Fight, fight, fight all day long! If we continue fighting, we will all die together.

Luoyang is peaceful this year, but there are still large crowds of people flowing south to Yangzhou and Jiangzhou.

When those who have some wealth have run away and gone to farm and fight for King Langya, let’s see what you can do!
"Disperse everyone and continue weeding." Yang Gong gave the order and turned back to the fort.

They are not alone.

Starting from late April, all counties under the jurisdiction of Henan Yin received orders to send donations and conscripts to Heyang for assembly - the earliest group would arrive on May 20th, and the latest would arrive no later than mid-June.

All of a sudden, people, supplies, and vehicles began to gather in the three cities of Heyang, and the situation changed drastically.

******
The scholars and common people in Luoyang city also could not escape "exploitation".

Starting from late April, the left and right guards of the imperial army dispatched troops to collect money and silk from every household.

Yes, they collected money and confiscated their food.

They didn't have much food, but they had a lot of money accumulated by their ancestors. After all, this was Luoyang, where talents and money from all over the world gathered. Many families had settled here since the Cao Wei period, and after several generations of accumulation, they still had a lot of wealth.

Early in the morning, the door of Prince Wu's palace was opened.

When Sima Yan, the fifth son of King Wu and King of Xindu, rushed out of the house angrily and was about to shout, he choked.

Dozens of fully armed soldiers were standing outside the door, apparently a team.

The team leader was respectful and only said, "In compliance with the Emperor's order, I ask the kings to donate money to support the cause."

Sima Yan's face changed for a long time before he swallowed his anger.

This isn't the first time.

During the reign of Sima Yi, King of Changsha, he exploited the nobles in every way and asked them to provide grain and money. In the end, Sima Yi was stabbed in the back and killed by Sima Yue, and the nobles and officials in the city also contributed.

But after Sima Yue came to power, he did the same things, and even worse.

Sima Yue himself was stationed in a remote vassal state, and his subordinates He Lun and Wang Bing repeatedly robbed officials and obtained money.

Everyone was intimidated by Sima Yue's power and dared not speak out.

In addition, as the situation became increasingly worse, his thoughts gradually changed, so he just endured it.

The only dissatisfaction was probably that He Lun and his men's methods were too crude and ugly, and the feeling of a successful military man was very obvious, which gave people a bad impression - Princess Lingshou was offended and insulted by He Lun, who even touched her face in public and snatched away her personal maid.

There is no doubt that this large-scale apportionment was instigated by Shao Xun.

I don't know where he got the courage from. Does he think that his foundation is solid enough to do things he didn't dare to do before?

This realization is a bit frightening.

Sima Yan, who was originally unwilling to pay, finally did not dare to say this out loud. Instead, he sighed, turned around and went back to ask his father.

King Wu Sima Yan was not in good health, and his eyesight was even worse. He had suffered from an illness when he was young and his eyesight was damaged. Now he was in his thirties, and his eyesight was so bad that he had to put his eyes on the book to see clearly.

Perhaps, this was the main reason why Sima Yue did not choose him but Sima Chi when he was appointing the crown prince - among the sons of Emperor Wu, only Prince of Wu Yan and Prince of Yuzhang Chi could be crown princes at that time. Prince of Wu had poor eyesight and "his talent was not as good as average, and the worst among the sons of Emperor Wu". Even if Sima Yue agreed, the ministers would not let a blind and foolish person be the emperor. It was really outrageous.

"After paying the money, can we still eat meat?" Sima Yan was stunned at first, then asked after listening to his son's report.

All the servants lowered their heads, not daring to listen or look any further.

Sima Yan explained attentively: "Don't worry, sir. In two months, the money and food for the fiefdom will be delivered, and we will be able to eat meat."

Although Sima Yan was blind and stupid, he was one of the only two surviving sons of Emperor Wu Sima Yan. To put it bluntly, if the current emperor Sima Chi died, the King of Wu would have a good chance.

In the tenth year of Taikang (289), Sima Yan was granted the title of King of Wu, with the three counties of Danyang, Wuxing and Wu as his fiefs. Later, these fiefs were taken away by Sima Lun, but then restored. Every year, he could receive one-third of the rent and taxes from the three counties - it is impossible to get the full amount now.

The King of Wu also had his own staff. Ge Hong from Danyang, who had just left Beijing for his hometown, was the son of Ge Ti, who had once served as the Minister of the Imperial Household of the King of Wu and later as the Governor of Shaoling.

The royal family's team is all in Danyang. If Sima Yue and the current emperor had not forbade the princes to leave the capital, it would be nice for the whole family to go to Danyang to enjoy themselves.

"Then give it to me." Sima Yan narrowed his eyes and said, "How much do you want?"

"A thousand strings of cash, two thousand pieces of silk, five large carts, and drivers and draft animals." Sima Yan said with some heartache.

Although he had been granted the title of King of Xindu, his fiefdom was in Liangzhou, where wars were frequent and he had not paid taxes for many years. He did not hold any official position and could only rely on his parents to support him.

How could I not feel heartbroken when such a huge amount of money was allocated to "support military supplies" this time?
But if someone asks for this amount, will you give it or not?

"Is it a lot?" Sima Yan asked after hearing the number his son reported.

Sima Yan was silent for a while, then said, "Not much."

"Then go find your mother and give her the money." Sima Yan said, closing his eyes.

"Okay." Sima Yan bowed, went to report to his mother Xun first, then took five large carts out of the mansion, stopped on the Imperial Street inside Dongyang Gate, and handed over money and goods to the soldiers.

At this time, the streets were bustling with people and cars.

As the most prosperous imperial road inside Dongyang Gate in Luoyang, it was crowded with dignitaries. The soldiers plucked up their courage and went door to door to ask for money, and then sent the collected money to Jinyong City, which was piled up full.

A big reward will always attract brave men. Without money, how can we motivate soldiers to fight bravely?
Given the current situation, in order to keep Luoyang and to win, officials and ministers would naturally have to bleed, especially the Sima kings.

******
Shao Xun returned to the long-missed Jingu Garden.

Because no one has taken care of it for a long time, the garden is overgrown with weeds and can be used to graze horses.

The crabapple blossoms have faded, leaving only a streak of red after being beaten by rain and blown by wind.

"The desolate scene is just like the counties in Henan Province," Shao Xun said with emotion as he walked in the knee-high weeds.

"Quanzhong, you are becoming more and more unconcealed." Wang Yan followed behind him and complained.

"My courtesy name is not Quanzhong." Shao Xun said helplessly: "Besides, what am I hiding?"

"Why does Quanzhong say that?" Wang Yan said in dissatisfaction, "You are where you are today thanks to the support of the nobles in Luoyang and the nobles in Yingchuan, right?"

"Yes and no." Shao Xun said with a smile: "It's just a little bit of money. The King of Changsha got it, the King of Donghai got it, but I can't get it? Why is that?"

"Five horses were taken away from my house," said Wang Yan.

"Haha." Shao Xun came closer and whispered, "General, what's the difference between you and me? When we defeat the Xiongnu in the future, I'll give you the Golden Valley Garden. How about that?"

Wang Yan shook his head and laughed.

He didn't really care about the money, he just took the opportunity to remind Shao Xun to be more careful.

You have just promoted military men to official positions and encroached upon the interests of scholars, and now you are exploiting the nobles in Luoyang. Your actions are a bit too drastic.

Of course, he wasn't too worried, he just gave a slight reminder.

Shao Xun acted with discretion and caution.

Two years ago, he would never rob the property of the nobles in Luoyang, but now he dares to do so.

Wang Yan thought about it and it seemed that there would be no big trouble. After Sima Yue's death, Shao Xun was already the biggest military leader around Luoyang, and the only military leader. Too many people wanted to get close to him.

After marrying Yu Wenjun, he became the political representative of the Henan gentry. With all kinds of honors upon him, he could naturally get whatever he wanted.

"What use do I have for Jingu Garden?" Wang Yan replied angrily, "Just know what's going on."

"I promised to give it to you, so I will." Shao Xun said, "After the three cities of Heyang were built, the situation in Luoyang became more stable, and the Golden Valley Garden can be tidied up a bit. When Wang Mi is driven out and killed in the future, the Golden Valley Garden can even recruit people to cultivate it and restore its former glory. Don't you really want it?"

Wang Yan was somewhat tempted.

He didn't like money very much, but the value of Jingu Garden could not be measured by money. There were so many things attached to it that really appealed to him.

"If the commander doesn't want it, I'll give it to—" Shao Xun hesitated for a moment.

Wang Yan looked at him doubtfully, his expression unchanged.

"Just give it to Huifeng." Shao Xun said.

Wang Yan surprisingly did not object.

"How about giving it to Jingfeng?" Shao Xun asked again.

"Nonsense!" Wang Yan finally couldn't hold it anymore.

Shao Xun smiled, changed the subject, and said, "The Xiongnu is attacking Guanzhong fiercely, and the court doesn't want to think of a solution?"

"Today is different from the past. Even if the court sends someone, people may not recognize him." Wang Yan said.

This is the result of the loss of central authority. Local princes no longer recognize you.

Of course, this is only part of the reason.

Since Hongnong was in the hands of the Xiongnu, Guanzhong had to go through Nanyang and then head north to contact Luoyang, which was quite inconvenient.

The geographical barrier created a psychological barrier, which made the military leaders in Guanzhong act on their own subconsciously. The direct consequence was a state of disunity, with no one obeying anyone else.

Faced with a powerful enemy, even though our friendly forces are in trouble, we remain as still as a mountain.

A while ago, the Huns defeated the princes in Guanzhong in Fengyi and approached Chang'an.

The two sides fought fiercely in Huangbai City. After Jia Pi's death, Qu Yun, who took over as the governor of Yongzhou, was defeated repeatedly. Jingzhao Yin Suo Chen, Chang'an Governor Liang Zong and others just sat back and watched.

This situation is obviously very dangerous.

You must know that after Jinyang was recaptured by Tuoba Yilu, the main force of the Xiongnu was stationed in Bingzhou, and did not use all their strength to attack Guanzhong. The war turned out like this, and the princes of Guanzhong are all responsible.

"We still have to find a way to mediate." Shao Xun suggested, "It's nothing more than a dispute over official positions. If it doesn't work, let Liang Fen go to Chang'an. He has a high prestige and may be able to lead the heroes."

Wang Yan glanced at Shao Xun and did not give a direct answer.

There is another intention behind this!

"Regarding the battle situation in Hebei, what do you plan to do?" Wang Yan asked.

"It won't work if you tell me." Shao Xun said with a smile, "General, why don't you help me find out the inside story of the Xiongnu?"

"Why don't you find Pei Zhongyu?" Wang Yan asked.

"The commander is more informed."

Wang Yan sneered and said, "Forget it, forget it. I will ask Hui Feng to come over right away. She used to sort out these things."

"Good." Shao Xun smiled and said, "In this case, I can go to Heyang without any worries."

Wang Yan was stunned.

(End of this chapter)