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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 256 Liaodong
Li Jian Cheng and Tongye Hu had a long conversation, during which they agreed on several matters, such as jointly eliminating the remnants of Tuguhun, opening trade routes, and establishing the Western Region Commandery.
The most important request from Tongye Hu was for the Tang Dynasty to dispatch a troop to escort him and the princess safely back to Qianquan City.
Of course, it would be even better if Your Majesty could return the captured Western Turkic Forces to him.
Tongye Hu nervously expressed his request, and after a moment of contemplation, Li Jian Cheng agreed. If Tongye Hu were unable to secure his position upon returning, then the Tang Dynasty's vested interests would also be at risk.
Thus, as a son-in-law, Tongye Hu safely settled in Chang'an. The only discomfort he felt was due to the customs of the Central Plains, which prevented the princess from meeting him before their wedding.
His last impression of the princess remained that day when she turned and nodded at him, deeply etched in his heart.
Before the wedding, the princess still did not come to see him. Instead, she sent a female official leading a young girl dressed in a delicate short skirt who looked like a finely crafted jade figure.
The female official said, "This is the princess's daughter."
Tongye Hu was quite surprised. He knew that the princess had been married before but did not expect her to send her daughter to meet him. What could this mean?
However, the little girl bore a striking resemblance to the princess, making Tongye Hu look forward to having children with her in the future.
He wanted to give some gifts; if he were still in his own country, he would not hesitate to offer treasures. But at this moment, he had nothing of value to present.
The Changsun Girl glanced at the tall man before her with some fear but bravely expressed her feelings.
The female official looked at her with some difficulty but translated nonetheless: "The young lady begs you not to take the princess away. She no longer has a father and does not want to lose her mother as well."
At this moment, the Young Lady had begun to sob. Tongye Hu, who was once a hard-hearted person, had children of his own but had never cared for them. In his eyes, as long as he was alive, it didn't matter how many children he had; whether one lived or several died was of no concern.
However, at this moment, he was moved by a child who was not of his bloodline, perhaps because of the delicate face that resembled the princess.
Tongye Hu frowned and asked the lady-in-waiting, "Is it not possible for her to accompany me and the princess back to the grasslands?"
The lady-in-waiting hesitated and shook her head. "The girl still has her grandparents."
Tongye Hu roughly understood the reason why the princess sent her daughter over. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I am not in a position to go out right now. I hope you can help me convey that if they agree to let the child go with her mother to the grasslands, I will guarantee with my surname that I will take good care of her. Furthermore, I will select the most handsome prince among the kingdoms of the Western Regions who will inherit the kingdom as her husband.
Of course, if she misses her hometown over the years, I will also send my personal guards to escort her back for a visit."
…………
In Pyongyang City, Zhang Hutan and Luo Yi were consulting on how to control those cities that were still wavering and where to procure some supplies.
After all, when spring arrives next year, they would likely have to send troops to fight against Silla and Baekje. They could not rely entirely on the court to dispatch supplies; that would be too burdensome and unstable.
The best option would be to gather supplies from within Goguryeo itself. However, according to current estimates, the common people were already at their limit; even without interference, they could easily rebel, let alone forcibly requisitioning grain.
Luo Yi spoke up, "Why not be straightforward and simply release troops to allow them to plunder what they need?"
Zhang Hutan shook his head. "If we were not planning to occupy this place, I would have done so long ago. But since His Majesty has ordered the establishment of the Andong Protectorate, this land is also part of our Tang Dynasty, and its people are subjects of His Majesty. How can we allow troops to kill and plunder?"
Luo Yi walked a few steps. "Then there are those who have supplies; they are the families that have submitted to us."
Zhang Hutan's expression did not change much. "Since there are no other options, order them to pay up. If they can't come up with the money or try to evade, send troops to confiscate their property."
"That would be no different from extorting the common people. They will absolutely not touch their savings unless it is absolutely necessary."
"Isn't that even better? When officials force the people to rebel, we have more reason to take action."
Luo Yi smiled and said, "It won't be easy to explain that to His Majesty, and Wei Zheng will be arriving soon. One of us will likely have to take the blame, after all, we need to put on a show for the remaining Goguryeo loyalists who are still hesitating."
"That's a minor issue. I'm not picky; it just depends on whether you want to return to the Central Plains or stay here in the Andong Protectorate."
Luo Yi naturally wanted to stay, but he also knew that His Majesty trusted Zhang Hutan more. With all of Goguryeo's territory plus Silla and Pyongyang, this was a foundation strong enough to stand alone.
Even if power would eventually be divided, as the commander of the Andong Protectorate, he would still be the de facto king here.
Moreover, His Majesty had mentioned granting this land as fiefs to meritorious officials. If that could be successfully implemented, many Aristocratic Officials would surely send their younger relatives here to manage it.
How large of a fief could the Andong Commander expect to receive?
In the end, Luo Yi couldn't help but say, "I want to stay."
"That's fine."
Zhang Hutan was not surprised by this response. He truly did not mind; the benefits of being Andong Commander were obvious, but there were also drawbacks. Being so far from His Majesty, how could he avoid suspicion?
With suspicion, the final outcome is often not good. Zhang Hutan wants to leave a stable wealth for his descendants.
After the two powerful generals reached a consensus, the forced requisition from the wealthy class began. Initially, it was no surprise that they refused to comply and sent their children to the Capital City to lodge complaints.
However, with the emperor far away, the deadline set by Zhang Hutan was not enough for them to hold out until the emperor's decree arrived. Thus, they unexpectedly shifted the conflict downwards, ordering their retainers to forcibly requisition from the common people.
The impoverished citizens, already suffering from natural disasters and man-made calamities, were unwilling to comply and began to resist. Some noble families even took the opportunity to establish themselves independently.
But since Zhang Hutan had anticipated this situation, he had already made preparations. His elite troops could even conquer Pyongyang; what could a small city in Goguryeo do?
After more than a month of back-and-forth probing and stalemate, the noble families finally compromised under pressure and offered up their stored grain.
It must be said that while the Goguryeo royal family could not even provide rations for their troops, these local noble families were surprisingly wealthy.
When Wei Zheng arrived, he immediately got into an argument with Zhang Hutan. However, after their quarrel, Wei Zheng began to devise a plan. Since the requisitioned grain was abundant, it should be distributed under the name of the Andong Protectorate to relieve the suffering of the people.
Zhang Hutan frowned and said, "Next year we don't know how long we will have to fight against Silla and Baekje. If we run short on supplies then, it could jeopardize important matters."
Wei Zheng scoffed, "The court is unaware of your self-sourced supplies. The emperor has already been preparing grain for next year's campaign in Hejian County; therefore, if there is a shortage, the court will make up for it."
………………
(End of Chapter)
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