Chapter 1368: Release of Military Power

The new ship is actually not small, with a total of six or seven cabins. After removing unnecessary pomp, it can accommodate dozens of people.

However, apart from the ministers from the three ministries and nine temples, and the generals of the imperial guards, the only ones who could sit with Shao Xun were officials above the rank of Sima in the various towns in Hebei.

After three rounds of drinking, Shao Xun pointed to Hou Yu, the commander of Juyongguan, and said, "Hou Qing, is your uncle feeling better?"

The first commander of Juyongguan was named Hou Zhi. He was a local nobleman appointed by Shao Xun after he conquered Youzhou. For many years, his attitude towards the court was good. He was not particularly enthusiastic, but he was not rebellious either.

When the Wuhuan and Xianbei tribes outside the Great Wall were hostile to the Central Plains, he defended this vital point very well - occasionally suffering defeat, but most of the time he was competent.

Hou Zhi retired a few years ago, for no other reason than being old and sick.

He did not pass the position of town commander to his own son, but gave it to his brother's son Hou Yu.

Unlike the inland areas, the border is a very realistic place. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, it doesn't. Hou Zhi is old and sick, and can no longer command his troops and the small tribes that depend on them. So he has to abdicate and choose a suitable person from his clan to take the position.

The Shanggu Hou family has many descendants, and there are hundreds of men in the main and branch clans. After careful selection, there will always be a suitable candidate. Although he is not a top-notch talent, he can still be used as a makeshift one.

Hou Zhi first selected from his close relatives and soon determined that his nephew Hou Yu was the heir, and reported it to the court.

The Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War jointly sent people to investigate and did not make things difficult for Shanggu Hou, and finally agreed.

After Hou Yu became the town commander, he would certainly take care of his uncle's family. After all, if his descendants were not capable in the future, they would most likely need support from other Hou clan members. This was the experience summed up by the frontier nobles with blood and tears over hundreds of years, and it had even risen to the level of family rules - whether the clan members abided by them or not was one thing, but whether or not there were such family rules was another.

When Shao Xun was on inspection at Junduxing, Hou Zhi came to see him despite being ill.

Shao Xun ordered the imperial physician to treat the patient and gave him some money and medicine, so I am asking this question today.

After hearing this, Hou Yu seemed to be proud of it and immediately said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. My uncle is getting better now."

"They are all old friends, so don't worry about him." Shao Xun said, "For more than 20 years, the Hou family has served the court in the border defense, and no less than five of their sons and daughters have died in battle. I remember them all. From now on, as long as the Shanggu Hou family obeys the orders of the Yanshan Protectorate, they will be rich and powerful. Now I can recommend two sons of the Hou family to serve as officials in the court. I will order the Ministry of Personnel to recommend them and appoint them according to their abilities."

"I thank Your Majesty for your great grace." Hou Yu burst into tears of gratitude.

"Get up, sit down." Shao Xun said with a smile.

Hou Yu bowed again and returned to his seat.

The sound of waves outside the boat was his mood at the moment, surging and turbulent.

The Hou family was on the verge of decline at first, but was picked up from the ashes by the emperor. After more than 20 years of struggle, they gradually took control of the northern part of Shanggu County and this area where agriculture and animal husbandry meet. Not only did the number of their own farmhands increase day by day, but the small tribes they controlled also had a total of more than 10,000 people. They were the number one family in Shanggu County, and anyone who stomped their feet would tremble three times.

Shao Xun glanced at Hou Yu.

Frontier nobles like the Shanggu Hou family, who faced direct attacks from the Hu people, were not his targets.

Their family is somewhat similar to the Zhe family and the Yang family in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties.

The Zhe family claimed to be descendants of the Yuwen clan, who migrated from Yunzhou (Datong), settled in the Hetao area, and controlled many Dangxiang tribes. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, Zhe Zongben served under the governor of Zhenwu Army, served as the military commander of the five towns along the river, and competed with the Dangxiang Tuoba clan of Youzhou.

No matter how the Central Plains court changed, they had to win over the Zhe family, because this family was fertile and could mobilize 3,000 clan members. Together with the farming people of Linzhou and the neighboring Dangxiang tribes they controlled, they fought with the Western Xia until the last moment of the Northern Song Dynasty's demise.

With this family around, the Central Plains court not only had less worries, but also saved a lot of military expenses.

The Yang family migrated there from the Central Plains. They first studied and developed their business, then turned from civil to military, founded their own private army, and married into the Zhe family. The name Yang Ye, known as the Invincible Yang, was resounding throughout Hexi and Khitan.

In essence, these families are independent vassal states and countries within a country, but in the event of external threats, they themselves need the support of the court, including but not limited to money, food, weapons, etc., and they will only rebel if they are crazy.

Moreover, the imperial court only supported them at critical moments, and they had to bear most of the costs themselves. Just like the Zhe family said, since the end of the Tang Dynasty, countless children of their family have died fighting against foreign enemies, and even their ancestral graves have been dug up by the Western Xia. If the imperial court were to manage this area itself, how much would it cost? Would the money be enough to achieve this effect?
Therefore, Shao Xun didn't want to touch the Hou family.

It is unrealistic and unnecessary to centralize power everywhere.

But he could make concessions to Juyong Hou, but it was not certain for other places, for example -

Shao Xun's mind raced, and he looked at Wuqiang Town General Hu Yanjian, and said to his attendants with a smile: "Hu Yanqing is over fifty years old, but when he attacked Jicheng, he personally beat the drum to cheer, and he was still in full armor. He is really brave and strong."

The attendant Yang Man joined in the fun and said with a smile: "General Huyan is from a famous Xiongnu family, and his martial spirit is quite impressive. It is admirable."

The Imperial Censor Lu Rong also smiled and said, "General Huyan is indeed a role model for a warrior. Your Majesty may reward him and make him a role model for the world."

Shao Xun put down his wine glass as soon as he heard it, and seemed very interested, and asked: "How to reward?"

"General Huyan will first attack Jicheng and then lead his troops eastward. He has made great contributions in several battles. Your Majesty can promote him to a higher rank and let everyone in the world know that those who have made contributions will be rewarded." Lu Rong said.

"How to reward it?" Shao Xun asked.

"Right Cavalry Guard General Duan Gong fell ill during the Eastern Expedition and has difficulty walking. He has submitted a letter of resignation." Lu Rong said, "Why not promote Hu Yan Gong to Right Cavalry Guard General. It will be a good story if it spreads from a town commander to a commander of a guard."

Shao Xun asked again: "Hu Yanqing is originally a county magistrate, right?" Everyone looked at Hu Yanjian.

Hu Yanjian was overjoyed and said immediately: "I was granted the title of county baron at the beginning of the country, and later I made several military achievements and was promoted to the title of Yangxin County Master. After defeating Jin, I have been harvesting polished rice for two years."

"Is japonica rice tasty?" Shao Xun asked with a smile.

"It's delicious." Hu Yanjian said, "I gave it to my generals as a reward, and everyone praised it."

Shao Xun laughed and said, "Drink this cup to the full."

Hu Yanjian picked up the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp.

Shao Xun took a sip and said with a smile, "Yangxin County has only 500 households, which is too few. Hu Yanqing has fought for me for half his life, and the county magistrate has been wronged. Now you can be promoted to the title of Yangxin County Marquis, and the fiefdom of 1,000 households."

Everyone was a little surprised. Why was he rewarded so much for no reason? Even if he had contributed to the Liao expedition, to be honest, his contribution was not that great. He could only be promoted to a higher position and have an additional 100 or 200 households of food and land.

After Shao Xun put down his wine glass, he suddenly frowned and said, "There are still 20,000 men, women, old and young in Wuqiang Town. How can we govern without Hu Yanqing?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the smile on Huyan Jian's face froze.

"Your Majesty, what's the difficulty?" Liang Zong, the Imperial Court Minister, said, "Mr. Huyan has fought for half his life, and it's time for him to put down his affairs and enjoy his life. Wuqiang Town is located in the heart of Jizhou, with no external threats or internal enemies, but the people have to train frequently and even go out to fight, which is a hardship for everyone. It would be better to abolish this town and incorporate the 20,000 townspeople into the county to free them from suffering. Wouldn't that be wonderful? The talented sons of the Huyan family can be employed as officials, so that the Huyan family will not be treated unfairly."

Shao Xun hummed, then looked at Hu Yanjian and asked with a smile, "What do you think?"

For a moment, Huyan Jian felt like his brain was about to burn out.

Serving as a general in the imperial court may sound impressive, but it is actually quite useless. On a daily basis, you can only manage the military registration, and you have no contact with the daily training of the soldiers in the guard, the distribution of equipment, and the transfer of officials.

Even if they went to war, not all the troops of a guard would be dispatched, and the army would not necessarily be commanded by the general of the guard, but by the governor-general or the recruiting envoy appointed by the court.

The title of General of the Right Cavalry Guard is just a nice title, but he doesn't have much real power.

The title is a relatively practical reward, but compared with the more than 4,000 households in Wuqiang Town, it is not enough. In short, it is a loss and not cost-effective.

However, he soon remembered the Queen Mother and Queen of Goguryeo who were brought here on the way. He sighed inwardly and realized that it would be useless to confront the emperor. So he pretended to be grateful and said with tears in his eyes, "I am so happy that I don't know what to say."

Shao Xun looked at everyone and joked, "Hu Yanqing is so happy."

Everyone joined in the fun and laughed a few times.

Shao Xun seemed unaware and only ordered: "Make official uniforms and seals as soon as possible, and then send a letter to Bianliang to select the households of the people who will be given food."

Having said this, he paused, looked at Hu Yanjian, and said, "I will still be inspecting Youzhou for a while, so you can stay with me. As for Wuqiang Town, you can just send a letter and send a trusted confidant back."

"I obey your order." Hu Yanjian replied.

At this time, he only felt that the wine in his mouth was a little bitter.

If I'm not mistaken, the plan to abolish the garrison had been in the works for a long time, and would be implemented as soon as Murong Xianbei was pacified.

Maybe the imperial envoys are already on the way, and there may be imperial troops near Wuqiang Town. He and the main officials in the town are forced to follow the emperor, and they can't do anything. What can they do?

What kind of Hai Tian Sheng Yan is this? It’s obviously the Hongmen Banquet. The emperor is really evil.

The dust has settled in Wuqiang Town, and everyone present has almost understood it.

The commanders of the imperial guards and palace soldiers looked with glee at a large group of officials such as the town commanders, deputy town commanders, chief secretaries, and Sima officers, secretly laughing at the fact that these people had led the charge when attacking Murong Xianbei and Goguryeo, and that their elite soldiers had suffered heavy casualties. Now they were asked by the emperor to resign. They must want to die, right?

Some even looked at the town commanders with shining eyes, secretly wondering whether there would be any more military merits to be gained on the way back.

In the absence of a leader, it is not difficult to defeat a group of elite and weak soldiers who are left behind. It can be said that this is a piece of cake.

In addition, the emperor seems to have arranged the troops of various towns in the area of Beiping and Yushui, each of which is more than a hundred miles away. My mother, this has been prepared long ago. If anyone disagrees, we can beat the drums to gather the troops and go out to suppress the rebellion.

The military garrison officials also felt the ambiguous gazes of the imperial guards and the palace soldiers, and they all felt a chill in their hearts.

Shao Xun took in everyone's gaze, smiled, and said, "Lan Qing of Yijing Town has also worked hard and made great contributions—"

"Your Majesty, I am willing to enter the court." The town commander Lan Wu was very single and stepped out directly.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Shao Xun said with a smile, "Well, you can be appointed as the general of the front army and be promoted to the title of Marquis of Dianjiang County."

"I thank Your Majesty for your grace." Lan Wu said loudly.

"Puyangshan Town..." Shao Xun continued.

(End of this chapter)

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