Chapter 256: One Generation

Under the quiet night, camels walked one after another across the vast desert. This camel‑caravan was huge, with no fewer than two thousand camels, yet they moved secretly and silently at night.

They deliberately narrowed the column, keeping no more than two camels abreast, and tied up the bells that should have hung on the camels so as to make no unnecessary sound.

Whoosh!

A piercing sonic boom suddenly came from the front of the column.

A whistling arrow shot into the sky, its sharp cry breaking the night's silence.

A troop appeared ahead of the caravan; in the night darkness their uniforms and armor were indistinct, but the dense torches showed their numbers were certainly large, and they were all cavalry—at least far larger than the caravan.

Occasionally the leader of the caravan could hear armor scraping and horses snorting; each was terrified, their souls shaken.

"Woo‑woo‑woo!"

A mournful horn sounded; the cavalry commander had no intention of negotiating with the caravan. Under the horn's blare, the cavalry surged in like a flood, killing anyone they saw, clean and swift.

Some alert people in the caravan threw their cargo onto the sand and turned to flee, but the cavalry cared nothing for the goods on the ground and pursued the caravan personnel with all their might.

After more than an hour of fierce battle, this large caravan from the Western Regions was utterly wiped out, not a single survivor left.

On a small sand dune not far from the road, Hexi Jiedushi Fang Chongyong stood with arms crossed, coldly watching the Red Water Army cavalry and the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army soldiers clearing the battlefield with torches. He said nothing, his face expressionless, attitude utterly indifferent.

"Jiedushi, the killing is done—exactly the number the An clan gave: one thousand five hundred forty‑two. The brothers haven't finished counting the loot yet."

He Changqi bowed to Fang Chongyong, his tone as if he had slaughtered over a thousand pigs rather than over a thousand people.

"Clear the battlefield quickly; tomorrow everyone withdraws to the Red Water Army garrison. Leave the corpses here as a warning."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand indifferently.

"Received, I'll go deliver the order now."

He Changqi departed with the order.

"The rule I set back then—you think giving the An clan a few coins lets you swagger through Liangzhou and then unload in Lanzhou?

Are you dreaming too big?

My new rule hasn't even been established, yet you ignore the old one—who gave you the guts?

These uncontrolled Western Region luxuries, once they reach Chang'an, will only trigger a price war. If the rule collapses, re‑establishing it will be hard. I have no choice but to use you to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys.

I, the Jiedushi, will use your corpses to tell the merchants of Hexi and the Western Regions that someone of ours has returned. This time I am already the Hexi Jiedushi, no longer the prefect of Shazhou who had to watch everyone's face.

Fang Chongyong sighed lightly, turned, and took a few personal guards to join the thirty‑five hundred cavalry he had brought out.

After briefly emphasizing how the spoils should be divided among participants like Wang Nande, Fang Chongyong left five hundred men to clean the battlefield and led the rest to the White Pavilion Army's base at White Pavilion Fortress and the surrounding lakeshore for rest.

By the way, tally the loot—what belongs to the public goes to the public, what should be distributed is distributed.

Riding his horse, Fang Chongyong looked back at the battlefield where just moments ago shouts of killing shook the sky, now a silent, eerie expanse of corpses, and felt a deep sorrow.

He felt no pride or achievement in this one‑sided slaughter of caravans, yet it was a crucial part of his plan.

When Fang Chongyong first came to Hexi, he saw the White Pavilion Army kill monks and seize gold‑threaded kasaya robes; at that time he had even rebuked Xin Yunjiang over it.

His bearing was like that of a righteous passerby who draws his sword to slay a god—like a dragon‑slaying warrior.

Yet a few years later, the same man, in this very place of Hexi, personally led troops to ambush and slaughter smuggling caravans north of White Pavilion Sea, his methods ruthless, leaving not even a chicken or dog.

Compared to Fang Chongyong, Xin Yunjiang's conduct doesn't even qualify as that of a younger brother.

Initially Xin Yunjiang sent only fifty elite troops to kill a few dozen Indian monks, while Fang Chongyong once dispatched thirty‑five hundred elite soldiers and killed over fifteen hundred in one go.

"Once a dragon‑slaying hero, now he has become the evil dragon of Hexi, his hands stained with blood.

The old society turns men into ghosts; perhaps this is just life."

Fang Chongyong couldn't help but sigh lightly, yet in his heart he felt no regret for what he did.

Only blood can make those whose minds have been addled by money calm down.

To establish prestige you must kill; to warn the monkeys you must inevitably slaughter chickens. If you don't wipe out a caravan of a thousand people, someone will gamble on thinking themselves invincible and try their luck.

In the end, killing is unavoidable, so there's no need to dwell on who exactly was killed.

Thinking of this, Fang Chongyong couldn't help but recall the "jiaozi" that appeared from the Later Zhou to the early Northern Song—a product of new circulating goods that often arose alongside the decline of old things; the whole process is a history of blood and tears.

Many think jiaozi arose because the Song market economy grew huge and "naturally" produced it.

That's completely wrong!

In fact, the birthplace of jiaozi, Shu, did not produce it because of prosperous trade; rather, after the Song army invaded Shu and madly looted its wealth, they scraped clean the gold and silver vessels, copper coins, Shu brocade, and even palace treasures and sent them all to Bianliang, causing a severe shortage of precious metals that could serve as "money" in Shu.

Then the Northern Song copied the Southern Liang's iron coinage, issuing iron money in Shu for long‑term extraction, which the Shu populace fiercely resisted.

On one hand was the scarcity of precious metals; on the other, Shu's economic foundation was solid and its capacity for self‑generation strong.

Thus, within a couple of years, severe monetary contraction had already impeded economic operation, forcing the people to use grain as the anchor of the price system.

But grain, while usable for small trade, is too inconvenient for commerce and transport. Hence Shu's astute merchants, sensing opportunity, set up a service in their own money shops: depositors would hand over cash (including iron coins, silk, etc.) for the shop to safeguard.

The money shop recorded the deposit amount on a special‑paper scroll, returned it to the depositor, and charged a custody fee—generally about three percent—allowing withdrawals at any time.

Consequently, many merchants in Chengdu united to form a specialized "jiaozi shop" for issuing and exchanging jiaozi, setting up branches elsewhere. Because the shopkeepers kept their credit, allowing deposits and withdrawals on demand, jiaozi gradually gained high credibility and almost became a synonym for private "money."

Within Shu, jiaozi spread widely and became a common medium for large‑scale transactions.

Simply put, Shu could popularize jiaozi only because the early Northern Song emperors had drained the "blood"; otherwise, under what conditions would it have arisen, and that's still debatable.

In other words, jiaozi was actually forced out at knifepoint; it did not naturally emerge from commodity‑economic development.

In Fang Chongyong's series of plans to issue jiaozi, warm‑hearted situations simply do not exist.

Because as Hexi Jiedushi he controls the region's greatest violence machine: the Tang Hexi Frontier Army!

Why would he need to reason with the Sogdian merchants of the Western Regions and local magnates when he can use the military resources he commands to layout his grand strategy?

Sharp weapons and abundant martial virtue are the ultimate argument!

Thinking of this, Fang Chongyong's heart also turned cold and hard. The greater the ability, the higher the post, the greater the responsibility.

Let's speak with the sword, exchanging those tens of thousands of bolts of Western Region luxuries with the low‑level troops—not merely to stabilize morale and curry favor with them.

Hexi's five prefectures do not harbor idlers!

……

Fang Chongyong arrived in Liangzhou less than a month ago; a Sogdian caravan from the Western Regions was ambushed by thousands of unknown horse bandits in the desert‑grassland transition zone north of Ba Ting Sea.

Not only were the goods and camels seized, but all 1,500‑plus people were killed, leaving no survivor, and their corpses were left exposed in the wilderness.

The tragedy reached its extreme!

It is said that when the passing herders discovered the scene, the bodies were already drying in the wind!

This incident shocked merchants throughout the five western prefectures, yet it became a taboo topic; whether in the far‑eastern Liangzhou or the far‑western Shazhou, whether in the large night‑open tavern Hua Men Lou or in the small tavern with only a few tables, no one dared to discuss it publicly.

Rumor has it that the Red Water Army cavalry carried out the deed. No wonder they are Liangzhou's top elite troops—clean and efficient.

But some whisper privately that the caravan's origins were also dubious, and the location of the incident was very strange.

Otherwise why did they avoid the official road through the Hexi Corridor, choose a detour across the northern grasslands, and finally loop back to Liangzhou?

Anyone with a bit of sense can see that the caravan violated a taboo of the Tang army.

These people tried to take a "private route," bribing Liangzhou's border generals to smuggle Western Region goods into Liangzhou, bypassing the other four prefectures of the Hexi Corridor.

Similar cases have happened before; honestly, they range from big to small and need not be examined in depth.

According to old rules, even if the Red Water Army patrol caught them, a fine and some goods would settle the matter.

Within the Hexi frontier troops, no one would truly pursue them; in peacetime everyone only seeks profit, no need to kill indiscriminately.

Clearly, this time their luck was poor; the Tang army no longer wanted to follow the old "customs," and the newly appointed Hexi Jiedushi was making an example.

Of course, that is merely speculation, assuming the new Hexi Jiedushi Fang Chongyong wants to assert his authority in Hexi.

Yet this claim lacks evidence or witnesses; it is just a single opinion and hard to verify. Even if someone suffered a loss, they would not dare to speak of Fang Chongyong's fate.

Even if they knew the horse bandits who robbed the caravan were impersonating the Red Water Army, what could they do?

The people of Hexi are fierce and care little for any sense of benevolence or morality. If one's knife isn't fast enough or one's men aren't numerous enough, it's best to stay silent on the side and watch others perform.

Fang Chongyong had been back in Liangzhou from Ba Ting Sea for less than two days when he summoned local magnates—such as the An, Lun, Zhang, Li and Xin families—to gather in the Jiedushi's hall to discuss major affairs.

The matter under discussion was the preparation for issuing Jiaozi in the five western prefectures.

That morning, the Jiedushi's hall was dead silent. Everyone present was leafing through and examining a fresh document that looked neither like a document nor like a talisman.

It was a "painting" produced by carving a woodblock and printing onto paper.

Below the painting were landscapes rendered with aged brushwork; at the top were some oddly shaped copper coins and indecipherable "ghost symbols"; in the middle were the words "Liangzhou issuance, redeemable within the five western prefectures," and so on.

After looking at it for a long time, no one could make sense of it.

"Fang Jiedushi, with this thing we can exchange for silk, right?"

An Zhongzhang's father, now retired and only managing family affairs, An Zhongjing asked in doubt.

Using paper as money—such a thing has never even been heard of before.

"Indeed.

Silk is cumbersome to carry; each prefectural capital in the five western prefectures will open a money shop to issue this kind of Jiaozi bill.

The denomination printed on it can be redeemed at the corresponding money shop, which is very convenient."

Fang Chongyong patiently introduced. Today is only a trial; he merely wants to gauge the local elite's acceptance of this item.

Yet from the expressions of those present, he seemed to have been overly optimistic.

"Hahaha, this thing is excellent; the government opening such money shops also benefits the people and merchants, good, good, good."

The already white‑bearded An Zhongjing laughed heartily, and the many representatives of the great families in the hall also began to laugh.

The government opening these money shops does not conflict with their interests; if they want to open them, they can. Inviting them to discuss at the hall already shows great courtesy. Naturally, no one present would oppose this.

As for participation, forget it; the old foxes present chose to play the clueless fool.

Yet Fang Chongyong called them here not to let them watch the spectacle from the side!

Hearing An Zhongjing's words, Fang Chongyong realized his ideas were too advanced; the current Tang elite could not yet grasp their subtlety.

For paper money to circulate smoothly in the feudal era, certain conditions are necessary.

First, the usage attribute of silk must be restored and its trade attribute diluted. Here in Hexi, money shops will treat silk as the capital backing the issuance of Jiaozi, and must correct the merchants' habit of trading silk, with the government strictly controlling silk export quotas, treating it as a commodity, and issuing edicts to strictly curb barter.

Achieving this without securing the support of the local elite is unimaginable!

Second, Hexi can have only this government‑run "continuous‑number" money shop, establishing a financial monopoly.

Therefore, no so‑called "private competitors" may appear to disrupt the market. Bringing the local magnates in as shareholders is a necessary step; otherwise trouble will inevitably follow.

Once the local magnates invest, foreign merchants cannot establish a foothold for Jiaozi issuance. This works far better than an administrative decree.

So Fang Chongyong letting these local representatives know of the matter is an invitation to join the venture!

Finally, Hexi is a crucial border gateway of the Great Tang; controlling the outflow of precious metals is also necessary. These matters all require local magnate support to eradicate smuggling.

In short, the court's control over the regions in the feudal era is limited; pushing any reform without deep cooperation with locals is unimaginable.

"I, the Jiedushi, believe that if this money shop opens, the five western prefectures can primarily circulate this Jiaozi as both currency and silk, bringing many benefits; convenience for the people and merchants is only one.

However, given the scale of Hexi trade, the court and the Jiedushi's treasury are limited; issuing Jiaozi will likely still need others' assistance.

Therefore I, the Jiedushi, wish to call upon the local magnates to contribute generously, allowing those capable of sharing the burden to participate as shareholders.

What do you all think?"

Fang Chongyong looked around the crowd and asked.

The people, who had been debating, fell silent at his words, then looked around; no one was willing to step forward.

Fang Chongyong was not in a hurry; he slipped both hands into his sleeves and leisurely watched the silent crowd.

"Jiedushi, I have a saying, not sure if I should speak it, please forgive me."

An Zhongjing suddenly spoke, his tone very humble.

"Old Master An, please speak."

"I think this Jiaozi business, if the court handles it, we locals do, then it loses all its appeal.

It was when Jiedushi Fang was governor of Shazhou years ago that he dealt with those things, which were quite interesting.

I wonder whether Jiedushi Fang has any such business to introduce to us?"

An Zhongjing asked with a smiling expression.

It's not that taking money is prohibited, but smuggling offers better value!

"Yes, Fang Jiedushi, the past few years have indeed been good. Just tidy up the trade routes, that's enough; why bother with money houses?"

The western region also isn't short of money for printing.

Someone echoed An Zhongjing.

Hearing that, Fang Chongyong wore a stunned expression, wondering if he had misheard!

You don't do the money‑printing business, yet you insist on smuggling for a side hustle?

Is there any business better than printing banknotes in this world?

If there is, it must be a government monopoly, exclusive banknote printing!

I kindly share the cake with these local turtles, and they actually refuse it?

Fang Chongyong smiled coldly to himself; soon he will let these people know what "a generation version, a generation god" is!

(End of chapter)