Chapter 509: Chapter 509

Xu Qing had anticipated this long ago.

The Garrison System established in the early years of the Country was indeed of great use; it was said to support an army of two hundred thousand in the Northern region without costing the common people a grain of food.

But nowadays, no one knows where the military grain produced by the garrisons has gone.

Moreover, in the early years of the Country, there was also the Policy of Opening Up to supplement military grain.

This involved merchants providing money and grain to help clear land or transport grain, and then being issued salt permits for profit.

But several decades ago, due to the corruption of the salt laws, the then Grand Secretary abolished the Opening Up Policy, gaining some immediate benefits and declaring the revival of Emperor Xiaozong, though this led to endless troubles.

Now, military grain for frontier defense requires the conscription of laborers and increased taxes on the people, further exacerbating the common people’s burdens and accelerating land consolidation.

The so-called revival was but a fleeting moment.

In fact, without addressing the root causes, the method of robbing Peter to pay Paul has always resulted in such ineffective outcomes.

The mess left by the predecessors could only be resolved through the wisdom of the successors.

Lord Zhou cannot magically produce money and grain.

Fortunately, the Court’s control over the Southwest hinges on militarily strategic towns; quelling the rebellion is difficult, but it is equally difficult for the Rebel Army to capture several key strongholds.

As long as Juzhou City is held, Yang’s rebellion will not escalate.

Having listened to his uncle’s grievances, Xu Qing comforted him, "Among the four Tusi families of Qian Nan Province, the Bozhou Yang family is the strongest overall, but their military might may not surpass the An family of Shuixi. Moreover, there are still the Song family of Shuidong and the Tian family of Sizhou. The Yang family is rebelling now, but I have heard that the other three families are remaining neutral. Therefore, although quelling the rebellion seems difficult strategically, it may be resolved through diplomacy."

The highest form of military strategy is to attack the opponent’s strategy, followed by attacking alliances.

Currently, the Court’s support is limited and slow; for the time being, we must stabilize the situation through other means.

Lord Zhou: "Gongming came all the way from the Capital, how is it that you are so well-informed?"

Xu Qing produced a booklet, saying, "Before I set out, the Grand Secretary gave me information on the Tusi of Qian Nan Province, and I also had my own people investigate. The overall situation is clear, but many details require us to work together to execute."

Lord Zhou took the booklet and read through it carefully. Much of the information was known to him, but the booklet’s content was more specific and detailed.

After reading, he closed the booklet and said with a smile, "With this booklet from Gongming, it’s as effective as having an army of fifty thousand."

He finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Because he had been administering Lingnan for a period of time, after restoring production, he had ordered a batch of grain to be transferred from Lingnan to solve the urgent crisis before taking office.

Although the grain had not yet arrived, it provided some reassurance.

Moreover, this batch of grain was being transported with the help of Xu Qing’s Recovery Society and the Red Flower Society, which was much more reliable than forcibly conscripting laborers.

Xu Qing: "Uncle, you overpraise me; this was all part of the Grand Secretary’s plan, and I’m merely acting on his behalf."

He emphasized the Grand Secretary’s plan to reassure his uncle, indicating that the Court had long been strategizing this issue, so there was no need for excessive worry.

In fact, the Grand Secretary believed that as long as the rebellion could be contained within the borders of Qian Nan Province and not affect other parts of the Southwest, it would be considered a victory.

Xu Qing then mentioned the key point: it was not yet time to hastily deploy troops; the priority should be securing strategic points and waiting for military grain and reorganizing the army.

While Xu Qing and Lord Zhou were reorganizing the army in Juzhou City, the head of the Shuixi An family sent a letter.

Upon receiving the letter, Lord Zhou became furious.

It turned out that the An family, seeing the Yang family’s rebellion, thought the Court would have no choice but to rely on them, and thus sent a letter hoping to seize the opportunity to abolish the nine post stations of Longchang.

They inquired about Lord Zhou’s and Xu Liushou’s opinions on the matter.

The current head of the An family holds the position of Assistant Governor of Qian Nan Province, equivalent to Mr. He’s position in South Zhili today, making him one of the top officials on the surface.

And the nine post stations of Longchang were under the control of the An family, so proposing to abolish them was not overstepping his authority.

On the surface, abolishing the nine post stations of Longchang seemed like the An family expressing loyalty to the Court, but it was clearly a test.

If Lord Zhou agreed, it would give the An family a reason to claim the Court disregarded the Tusi.

Then they could maneuver between the Yang family and the Court.

If Lord Zhou didn’t agree, later attempts by the Court to move the post stations of Longchang would merely serve as an excuse for the An family to evade.

One must admit, the An family chose their timing wisely.

Upon seeing the letter, Xu Qing laughed and said, "Uncle, the An family is testing the waters, which is the behavior of an opportunist and not worth mocking."

He then wrote a reply stating that since the An family head was the Assistant Governor of the province, any proposal to abolish the nine post stations of Longchang should be a formal document submitted to the Governor and discussed with the Governor, then submitted to the Central, rather than privately consulting with the Governor.

The summary was public affairs should be handled publicly, private matters privately.

The initial part of the letter consisted of formalities, with the crucial point following.

Xu Liushou also mentioned that he had heard the nine post stations of Longchang were a beautiful place, and he planned to visit them in a personal capacity, hoping for the An family head to host him.

Lord Zhou, upon seeing Xu Qing’s reply, worriedly asked, "Gongming, do you intend to subdue the An family?"

"The An family, being descendants of barbarians, fear power more than they embrace virtue. Right now, we require the An family’s strength to quell the rebellion, and they will only be driven once they realize our might." Xu Qing calmly replied.

He aimed to swiftly subdue the Yang family and acquire the Weiyang Sword.

Since the An family had willingly antagonized, he would take advantage and subdue this local bully for his use.

Ultimately, in this rebellion suppression, the priority was treating the symptoms first.

Of course, Xu Liushou’s standards for treating the symptoms were high.

Xu Qing’s reply soon reached the An family’s hands, causing a huge uproar among them.

"Xu Gongming dares to come to our An family’s territory and behave wildly. Does he not know the old saying in the Central Plains that a strong dragon does not suppress a local snake?"

Upon reading Xu Qing’s reply, everyone in the An family discussed among themselves.

They had merely been testing the waters; they hadn’t expected this Wenqu Star in mortal guise to be so bold.

Since he dared to come, they would show him what a real dragon’s lair and tiger’s den looked like.

The An family’s thousand-year dominance in Qian Nan relied on martial prowess.

"Father, our An family possesses both strength and means; we are not like the weak ones from the Yansheng Gong Mansion living among powder and rouge. If Xu Gongming dares to come, we will teach him a proper lesson."

"Indeed, even if a dragon comes here, it must bow." Having been situated in the remote Southwest for long, they generally showed little respect to the Court.

Even though Xu Qing had gained much fame in recent years, these Tusi from the An family only believed in visible strength.

Especially since the An family also possessed Martial Arts and witchcraft, with a long lineage.

The might of their unorthodox methods was not necessarily weaker than Martial Arts and Daoist Skills from Central Earth.

They were all filled with enthusiasm, as though they had already seen Xu Qing retreat defeated, beaten and bruised.

At this point, Song Yingming, the second son of the Song family head who had come to visit the An family to discuss joint action, said, "Uncle An, I have an idea that can make Xu Qing nervous all day once he leaves Juzhou City, and possibly even turn back halfway."

"Oh, what do you suggest?" The head of the An family looked deeply at Song Yingming.

Song Yingming had another identity; he was married into the Bozhou Yang family.

In essence, between the four Tusi, competition existed alongside matrimonial ties, constantly shifting based on circumstances.

Song Yingming did not directly invite the An family to ally with the Yang family because this did not align with the An and Song families’ interests, nor did he want the Court to easily quell the Yang family rebellion.

With Yang leading this rebellion, supported by Heshan Tao in the background, if the Court couldn’t hold, they would seize the chance to make it bigger, allowing each family to expand their territory.

If Yang couldn’t hold, then the An and Song families would take the opportunity to break Yang and share the spoils.

But if the Court grew powerful, the An and Song families would endure struggles.

So even if they didn’t win outright, making the Court expend more resources would greatly benefit them.

"I heard that Xu Gongming is said to be a Wenqu Star in human form, so we can spread the word that eating Xu Gongming’s flesh can grant longevity and draw the evil demons and unorthodox sects from miles around to move against him..."

This was a psychological tactic.