Chapter 126: Spring Tide Brings Rain, Evening Arrives in a Hurry

Customs duties and tax rebates—this seemingly insignificant tactic to outsiders actually holds great significance.

According to Fang Chongyong's plan, any luxury goods from the Western Regions that enter Dunhuang must be heavily taxed; otherwise it would be a disservice to the prodigiously extravagant Ji Ge and the countless wasteful aristocrats of Chang'an.

But this drain‑the‑wetland‑and‑fish approach has serious drawbacks and was not Fang Chongyong's original intention.

Steady, modest revenue is the true way; the manner of taking should not be too unsightly. If the Western merchants are pressed too hard, they'll turn to Tubo, which would be like overturning the table and backfire.

While making profit, binding these Western merchants firmly to the Tang war chariot is what a frontier prefect should do.

Thus, although heavy taxes are collected without fail, if merchants bring essential supplies like grain and cloth to Dunhuang, they can be granted a "tax rebate"! The rebate rate varies with the type of goods.

Considering that Shazhou lies over two thousand li from Chang'an, a round‑trip business venture takes at least several months. Moreover, if any of the Western merchants encounter mishaps during those months, the tax revenue is automatically forfeited.

Because each rebate recipient must correspond to a specific rebate document, no one else may act on their behalf.

Even if the merchants eventually receive the rebate, Fang Chongyong suffers no loss. During those months, the taxes remain stored in the Shazhou prefectural office, free for use.

As long as goods continuously flow in and out of the customs without war‑induced interruption, this "airborne" tax pool will amass into a colossal windfall—enough to resolve Dunhuang's chronic fiscal woes.

As for why this must be told to Zhang Quan, it's because without the backing of local Han strongmen, these policies could not be smoothly implemented. A policy on paper remains mere empty text; the force of execution is what makes it succeed.

Those who only talk cannot achieve anything in governance.

"Dunhuang's great households, you have defended the land. It is only fitting that the prefectural office grants you certain privileges.

Gentleman Zhang can gather the local magnates; the prefectural office intends to set an annual tax‑reduction quota for you. This will make the businesses you normally find hard to run become easy."

Fang Chongyong hinted meaningfully.

What does it mean for business to be easy? When you have cost‑saving channels, business naturally runs smoothly; those who understand need no further words.

Zhang Quan wore a thoughtful expression, gave a slight nod, and generally understood Fang Chongyong's meaning.

Previously, the trade route from the Western Regions to Dunhuang was monopolized by Sogdian partners who held pricing power; local Han strongmen could not intervene, and there were no partners at the source.

Now, with the official special approval of a "tax‑exemption quota," local Han strongmen also possess bargaining power on the Western trade route and can stand toe‑to‑toe with the Sogdians.

These local strongmen lack neither land nor auxiliary troops; what's missing is just this, right?

As for the drawbacks, Fang Chongyong thought… he's not the Tang emperor, nor is he Ji Ge! His four‑year term is ending; he can just pack up and leave. No one can think that far ahead. Solving the Shazhou prefectural office's military and fiscal problems now is a great achievement; there's no room to consider matters years later!

Future matters can be discussed later!

"Your strategy, Sir Governor, is indeed far‑sighted. However, these matters are of great importance; I dare not decide alone—can it be done this way?"

Zhang Quan hesitated slightly before asking further:

"In three days, please, Sir Governor, come here for a discussion; by then the local Dunhuang magnates will gather here. Today I will show them the edicts you intend to implement, letting them weigh them as well.

Someone thinks it's generally fine and should pose no major problem."

Zhang Quan smiled and nodded; Fang Chongyong felt deep admiration. Apart from the four words "the junior is formidable," he had no other term to describe him.

Anyway, when he was in his early teens, he lacked such ability.

"Although Fang Jiedushi was demoted to Lingnan as a Jiedushi, his reinstatement is only a matter of time. Fang Shijun need not worry excessively. As fellow natives, we will stand by Fang Shijun."

Zhang Quan comforted Fang Chongyong, saying,

Huh? Zha Die was demoted?

Fang Chongyong was startled internally; he had just learned this news, but kept a calm face and laughed, saying:

"Of course, I am also originally from Dunhuang; although I wasn't born here, how could I abandon my hometown affection?"

Everything now falls to Gentleman Zhang. I have official business and must return early, so I take my leave.

Fang Chongyong gave Zhang Quan a deep bow, then rose and left.

Zha Die being demoted to Lingnan—this horse‑riding joke went too far. Fang Chongyong decided that after returning, he would have Yan Zhuang investigate the matter to see what's really going on.

Just be sure not to ruin his major affairs in Shazhou.

……

On an early‑summer night, a crescent moon hung in the sky. Silver moonlight spilled onto the crescent‑shaped medicinal spring, shimmering beautifully and mysteriously. Fang Chongyong sat alone on the pier where a few pleasure boats were moored, quietly pondering the series of questions that have arisen since his transmigration to the Tang.

Yan Zhuang had already in Luocheng heard that a series of major events indeed occurred in Lingzhou this spring.

His Majesty Li Longji forged an alliance with the steppe Tiele tribes and erected a monument, a great success.

However, after the alliance ended, due to the accidental death of a female Daoist by his side, the emperor transferred Jiedushi of Youzhou, Fang Youde, to Lingnan as the Administrative Commissioner of the Five Lingnan Prefectures; his authority is essentially the same as a Jiedushi, only the title differs slightly.

At the same time, the unlucky Jiedushi of Shuo‑fang, Zhang Qiqiu, was reassigned to a mid‑lower tier prefecture in Hedong as a prefect.

As for the implicated generals, there were many more.

Yan Zhuang also caught a rumor: the deceased female Daoist was named… Yang Yuhuan, the former wife of the Prince of Longevity and also Li Longji's forbidden concubine.

Hearing this, Fang Chongyong felt extremely nervous; he even barely tasted a few bites of the feast Anaye had meticulously prepared before moving to the medicinal spring's bank to contemplate life.

"Everything's fallen apart,"

Fang Chongyong sighed; although Yang Yuhuan is gone, with Ji Ge's style, "Yang Guifei" cannot be escaped. The only difference is whether the person bears the surname "Yang," or perhaps how many there are.

Recalling everything from just now up to now, Fang Chongyong suddenly felt a strange sensation:

Is it because he's too capable that he encounters so many events?

If he truly slacked off, would his circumstances be different?

Had he not met Zheng Shuqing earlier, he might later have been taken by Wang Zhongsi back to Chang'an.

If he never made a name in Chang'an and didn't beg to go to the Western Regions, he would likely be idling in Chang'an's decadent world, living off scraps.

If he hadn't plotted and acted in Liangzhou and Ganzhou, he would just be wandering in Hexi and eventually return to Chang'an.

If he hadn't orchestrated grand plans in Dunhuang and instead idled, he would sooner or later be sent back to Chang'an by Ji Ge, staying at home unemployed, without these absurd mishaps.

In the end, these matters stem from his own stubbornness, self‑inflicted trouble!

As long as he acts a bit foolish and cowardly within the prefecture, and when necessary pretends to be a fool shouting for help, then… it seems he doesn't need to make his life so hard!

Feeling familiar footsteps behind him, someone sat beside Fang Chongyong; he then draped an arm over the other's shoulder and said, "Come with me to Chang'an later; I'll give you a good life, no longer this wandering hardship."

"Alas, I also wish so, but seeing you like this, it's probably unlikely."

Anaye sighed and leaned her body against Fang Chongyong.

"That's also right."

"Nowadays, in this world, it's like frying oil in a blazing fire; we can't stay peaceful for even a few years."

"Dunhuang here is still relatively good; around Chang'an, in the lands of the powerful, the roads are crisscrossed, but ordinary folk have not even a place to stand an awl. Not many can make a living for a family by running a clinic like your father."

"The court's expenditures grow year by year. As a prefect in Dunhuang, I'm already considered good at making money, yet I still find the treasury insufficient—let alone elsewhere."

"Local officials can't make money by ordinary means, so they have to think of ways to profit from shady deals. This world will only get worse until someone rises up in revolt."

"Fang Chongyong couldn't help but sigh."

"The court's corvée tax is damn messed up. Li Linfu's policy of reducing the corvée tax and increasing household tax has been implemented in many places across the country. It's not ineffective; it indeed adjusted the taxpaying population."

"But for Brother Ji, it's still far from enough."

"If the court won't provide money, then those below have no choice but to find every way to make money. The tax reform Fang Chongyong is implementing in Dunhuang, strictly speaking, is already a serious infringement on the Ministry of Revenue's authority. But since the court won't give money, not allowing those below to find ways to make money—wouldn't that be having it both ways?"

"So Fang Chongyong is quite sure that as long as he can guarantee a surplus in the prefecture's military, civil, and financial accounts on paper, the court will turn a blind eye to what he does locally."

"As long as the localities are trouble-free, the central high-ups won't go looking for trouble."

"Anyone with ability, in the frontier garrisons and localities, aside from rebellion, can do as they please."

"The central government is now overwhelmed; if Li Linfu can fill the pit Brother Ji dug, he's already a capable minister and diligent official—expecting him to solve Tang's century-old major problems is impossible!"

"Nobody has that kind of strength."

"Fang Chongyong considers himself not yet a villain, but among the tens of thousands of wandering officials in Tang, the corrupt ones are probably as numerous as carp crossing the river."

"It's foreseeable that Tang's grassroots will only become more lively."

"Youth knows not the taste of sorrow, yet loves to climb the tower; loving the tower, to compose new verses, forces itself to speak of sorrow."

"Now, having known the taste of sorrow fully, one wants to speak yet rests; wanting to speak yet resting, one says, 'A cool autumn sky is fine.'"

"Fang Chongyong sighed as if lamenting without illness."

"He's so worried, always relying on his scummy father's tiger skin as the military governor of Youzhou. Now he knows his own father killed Yang Yuhuan—should he, damn it, take his sister and flee?"

"Yang Yuhuan is dead; Tang is no longer habitable; those historical details in memory are utterly useless now!"

"I don't understand at all, but autumn hasn't arrived yet, right?"

"Ana Ye shook her head and said, she's studied medicine since childhood, heavily biased, almost illiterate when it comes to poetry and prose."

"Not understanding is fine, just fine..."

"Fang Chongyong had only spoken half his sentence when he rested his head on Ana Ye's thigh, exhausted and fell asleep."

……

"Three days later, to prevent the Western Region big Hu merchants, whose vested interests were harmed, from taking him out, Fang Chongyong arranged for Ana Ye and the others to stay in the rear courtyard of the prefecture's office in the small town, which is also where a prefect should reside."

"After nightfall, Fang Chongyong led a group to the Zhang family manor, when suddenly large raindrops began to fall, quickly intensifying into a downpour!"

"In a place where annual rainfall doesn't exceed fifty millimeters, a downpour actually fell. This left the rarely surprised Fang Chongyong astonished; since coming to Dunhuang, this was his first time seeing a heavy rain, let alone a light rain—he'd only seen one before."

"The local clan representatives in the hall of the Zhang manor seemed equally astonished by the heavy rain, each showing surprise; even the older ones appeared somewhat flustered."

"Master Zhang and all the clan elders, have you all considered this?"

"Fang Chongyong looked at the crowd and asked."

"As for the insurance fee, we have no objections; we firmly support the prefect's handling. If anyone refuses to comply, we will definitely settle the matter cleanly."

"Zhang Quan spoke on behalf of everyone, without changing expression."

"It's just a matter of spending money; this small thing is trivial for them. Nobody would foolishly come out to obstruct, saying it's against the rules."

"Something good for everyone, even if not a rule, will become one."

"As for tax reductions, we have no objections; we just want to know how much can be cut."

"Zhang Quan was no longer hinting; he directly voiced their doubts."

"If the reduction is large, the local big households will certainly be at the beck and call of the Shazhou prefecture."

"If the reduction is small, the local big households will merely go through the motions of the Shazhou prefecture's orders."

"Dunhuang's local grain output is no more than 300,000 dan per year. Though relying on snowmelt irrigation gives stable yields, agricultural income is indeed modest. These local big households, though appearing prosperous, merely have many tenant farmers and fields; they may not be wealthy."

"The tax-exemption policy is not just an extra windfall each year; it also lets the Western Region Hu merchants lower their guard to cooperate, so the amount of exemption is crucial!"

"It's a case of quantitative change leading to qualitative change!"

"Each year, 30,000 bolts of silk—you few households discuss the share. This is the preliminary target; I will adjust it based on next year's tariff revenue and your level of support for the Shazhou prefecture."

"Thirty thousand bolts of silk!"

"Looks small?"

"No, no, no—this is just the exemption amount!"

"Then how much related merchandise is there?"

"And how much business does this stimulate?"

"It will be more than imaginable!"

"Really, don't complain it's little—silk has strong purchasing power in Dunhuang!"

"Zhang Quan even felt his breathing grow a bit heavier."

"In the hall fell a deathly silence; Fang Chongyong said these big households together amount to 30,000 bolts of silk. So who should get more, and what obligations should those who get more bear?"

"This is not easy to handle!"

"Just then, a servant came running in, panicked, his clothes soaked through."

"In Dunhuang, a place that shows dryness everywhere, this scene is truly rare."

"That servant muttered into Zhang Quan's ear for a while, and Zhang Quan's face suddenly changed."

"Oh no, the Ganquan River (Dang River) has flooded and burst its banks!"

"How could this happen?"

"How could it not happen? This isn't the first time."

Why, of all times, now?

Those present chattered.

The Ganquan River is the mother river of Dunhuang Small Town and Luocheng; when the Ganquan River floods, the two towns are fine, but the situation outside them is uncertain.

Has there been a flood?

Fang Chongyong asked, puzzled.

Who among the family gets it? Why would there be a flood in the desert!

Fang Chongyong felt awful; he had never imagined that Dunhuang, which was desperately short of water, would actually flood!

Fortunately he didn't keep asking, lest he reveal his shallow understanding.

Please wait here, my lord; we are all the heads of the water‑community, and now we must lead the members to guard the canals. My lord, rest assured, this city has been tempered a thousand times and will come to no harm.

Zhang Juan said firmly.

At that moment, the great drum on the city tower began to beat, like a summons to death, echoing through the silent night sky.

Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!

It seemed to strike the heart of everyone in the hall.

Why is the great drum on the city tower sounding?

Zhang Juan frowned slightly and asked; this was truly unexpected for him.

The representatives of the other local great surnames were just like him, equally clueless, with worried or even fearful expressions.

Only when the small town is attacked by troops does the great drum on the city tower sound.

They're here! The Tibetans have come and are attacking the city walls!

At that moment, another servant, in a panic, rushed into the hall and shouted directly at Zhang Juan, no longer observing any hierarchy!

Everyone's gaze turned to Fang Chongyong, their expressions a mix of admiration, confusion, and lingering fear. They had originally thought that the rumor of a Tibetan attack was Fang Chongyong's deliberate trick to push his own scheme.

Before coming to the meeting today, they had confirmed this even more.

Who would have thought, this brat is really serious!

As the Militia Commissioner of Shazhou, I order you to bring your household retainers and assist the border troops in defending the city!

From today onward, your household retainers are to serve as militia soldiers under my conscription.

Within half an hour, I want to see you and your retainers in the conscription office on Shazhou's city walls!

Fang Chongyong then produced the fish‑shaped token of the Militia Commissioner hanging from his waist and displayed it before everyone!

Although he was panicking inside, to outsiders he showed no joy or anger, as steady as Mount Tai.

Everyone present had served in the Tang army, so they naturally knew Fang Chongyong was waving a chicken feather as a command arrow; the Militia Commissioner currently has no authority to mobilize militia soldiers.

But in emergencies, authority can be bent; the Tibetans are urgently attacking Dunhuang Small Town, and there's no time to debate whether this is reasonable, legal, or worth obeying.

To abandon food over a choke in the name of procedural justice is never the way of the border troops.

Now Fang Chongyong is the backbone; if the sky falls, a tall person will hold it up, so of course we must listen to him—what else could we do?

We solemnly obey the lord's command!

Everyone knelt on one knee and performed the salute.

I will go ahead first!

Fang Chongyong walked out of the Zhang family's manor; in a deserted, dark place, his body had gone limp and unable to move, supported by Anaye, his legs trembling.

My lord, can you manage?

Anaye whispered, at this moment the rain had stopped and even the stars were visible in the sky.

Fang Chongyong also recovered, he stood straight, took a deep breath, and said: 'Even if I can't, I must. If the city falls, I will kill you first, then myself, to spare you from being captured and enslaved.'

Hearing such resolute words, Anaye tightly gripped his hand and nodded slightly: 'Good! If we die, I will die with you, my lord.'

The wolf has come, are there any tickets?

(End of chapter)