Chapter 41: River West Tale

"Governor Zheng, are we going the wrong way?"

Fang Chongyong, who was following behind Zheng Shuqing, noticed that their party was heading toward the Springbright Gate on the east side of Chang'an. Not far beyond the gate lay the East City Post Station, the very place where Li Longji once "killed three princes in a day"!

"Let's go to the East City Post Station to meet that person."

Zheng Shuqing's expression turned a bit uneasy as he said, "Not long ago, three princes were hanged on the beams of the main hall at the East City Post Station. Yet now Niu Xianke can live there without a flicker of emotion."

"That must be the honest type who rose from the grassroots!"

Zheng Shuqing couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. When he first dealt with Niu Xianke, the latter's demeanor was exceedingly modest—hardly the bearing of a Minister of Works, but rather that of a low‑level clerk.

Back in Kuizhou, the men who had been scurrying after Zheng Shuqing to handle errands carried the same aura as Niu Xianke. When Zheng Shuqing said he would seek advice tomorrow, Niu Xianke answered without hesitation, agreeing wholeheartedly.

One must admit that Li Linfu gauged Niu Xianke's mindset precisely; the former clerk, suddenly transferred from a border town in the West River region to the central administration, beheld the grandeur of the imperial capital, recalled the tangled bureaucracy here, and the bitterness of being despised (by more than just Zhang Jiuling and others).

His desire to find a political ally was laid bare!

Having long toiled at the grassroots, Niu Xianke certainly knows the importance of connections. He rose all the way thanks to his superiors' patronage, didn't he?

"Um, you still haven't told me who you are? And you won't let me see the documents; why don't you write the memorial yourself?"

Fang Chongyong turned to leave, but Zheng Shuqing hurriedly grabbed his sleeve.

"Hold on! Since we're already here, let's go take a look. Old rule: I'm mute today, so you decide everything! This man is Niu Xianke, who worked in the West River for decades and has just been appointed Minister of Works. You'd better be courteous."

Zheng Shuqing quickly soothed Fang Chongyong, a cold sweat forming on his forehead. Abandoning one's post at a time like this truly spells death!

"Niu Xianke, that name sounds familiar,"

Fang Chongyong muttered to himself.

He recalled that he seemed to have seen this person in a history textbook in a past life, but couldn't remember any of his deeds.

"Fine, then just this once, Vice Minister Zheng,"

Fang Chongyong sighed helplessly.

"I promise it's the last time; I won't bother you again, hehe."

Hearing the title "Vice Minister" made Zheng Shuqing's heart swell with joy. With Niu Xianke's seasoned insight from the West River and Fang Chongyong's terrifying knack for making money, the two together could propel him onto the throne of Vice Minister of Revenue.

Zheng Shuqing felt that, though his mind was lacking, his maneuvering was quite adept.

As for why he didn't consult his staff on such a major matter, it's because in the Tang dynasty, staff members were also officials, the so‑called "Assistant Official." Once Zheng Shuqing ceased to be the Inspector of Kuizhou, those assistant officials no longer obeyed his commands.

That was the Tang way: there were many routes for civil officials to rise, but the assistant official path was a narrow one. Hence no capable person would willingly become a "pure staff" without an official rank.

The threshold for becoming an Assistant Official was low; anyone not of "low birth" could qualify, and some merchants even bought the position with donations. Of course, the official title itself mattered little—the real danger was the "assignment."

Fang Chongyong was still too young, classified as a "child laborer." Otherwise someone of his caliber would already hold office. As long as he wasn't serving under Zheng Shuqing, he could, in theory, completely ignore the soon‑to‑be Vice Minister of Revenue.

"Would it be improper for us to come empty‑handed today?"

As they neared the East City Post Station, Fang Chongyong suddenly recalled this issue and stopped, asking, "If we serve as 'consultants,' shouldn't we receive a consulting fee? That seems a bit uncouth."

"Do you think gift‑giving always involves dragging a cattle cart to deliver the presents?"

Zheng Shuqing also halted and retorted irritably,

"Then what else? You gave me a gift exactly like that, and that old ox even ate a handful of fodder before leaving."

Recalling the incident made Fang Chongyong angry; Old Zheng drove over to deliver a gift but didn't fill the tank, then siphoned off a whole barrel of gasoline before departing—utterly unreasonable.

"You know nothing. If I hauled the carriage over, wouldn't that plainly show I'm bribing high‑ranking officials? When I become Vice Minister of Revenue and serve alongside Minister Niu, wouldn't the Censorate impeach me?"

Zheng Shuqing produced a deed, waved it before Fang Chongyong, and whispered,

"This is a residential deed near the Chongxian Lane of the West Market. When Minister Niu first arrived in Chang'an, didn't he need to acquire property? This deed saved him a lot of effort, didn't it?"

"In terms of cunning strategy, I'm no match for you."

"In matters of court etiquette, you're still far behind."

"Got it—indeed, you're the one who knows how to play the game."

Seeing Zheng Shuqing's smug grin, Fang Chongyong gave a slight nod; the subtleties of court life really aren't worth mentioning—they're just trivial petty scheming.

Of course, Li Longji would also grant Niu Xianke a residence as a sign of favor; this deed may seem superfluous, but it actually expresses the Li Linfu faction's officials' efforts to win over and accommodate the outsider high‑ranking Niu!

The property Zheng Shuqing presented to Niu Xianke might not even be his own. Fang Chongyong no longer wished to probe the details.

In two words: very lucrative.

Compared to an official's rise, wealth and land are like flowers in a mirror, moon in water—nothing worth mentioning.

Without power, they're merely free custodians for others.

The two entered the East City Post Station, and Fang Chongyong subconsciously glanced at the beam where the three princes had been hanged, the gruesome scene still vivid in his mind.

All this seemed to constantly remind him that the court is treacherous, fortunes unpredictable. Navigating the official sea requires not only skill, but sometimes luck and background.

Not to mention, this flourishing Tang era has few good days left!

……

"The place is modest; please, both of you, have a seat. I'll brew tea right away,"

Niu Xianke, already in his sixties, dressed plainly like a peasant, with no airs at all.

"Minister Niu, no need for courtesy; Vice Minister Zheng suddenly fell gravely ill yesterday, unable to speak. I'll handle the inquiries as a mere youth. If any protocol is lacking, please don't mind,"

Fang Chongyong bowed to Niu Xianke and saluted.

"Where does this 'Minister' title even come from? The imperial appointment hasn't arrived yet; I'm just a commoner now, just a commoner,"

Niu Xianke fetched a simple tea set and began skillfully brewing. While crushing the tea cake, he smiled warmly, "Vice Minister Zheng, feel free to ask whatever you wish; it's all for the people of the West River, for border stability. I will be completely open, saying everything plainly, without delaying the West River's larger affairs."

I will be utterly unreserved; whatever I say, I will speak plainly, not hindering the West River's grand scheme.

Niu Xianke's demeanor was sincere, somewhat beyond Fang Chongyong's expectations. A high‑ranking official unknown to him could have given a perfunctory answer; there was no need to proclaim "I speak all that I know, and leave nothing unsaid."

What Fang Chongyong didn't realize was that Niu Xianke's agreement to answer Zheng Shuqing's questions about the West River wasn't merely out of Li Linfu's favor, nor even primarily because of that.

The true reason lay in Niu Xianke's own life experience.

Niu Xianke originally hailed from the Jingzhou Chun Gu people, born near the West River. He served in the West River corridor for decades, experiencing every role—from commoner to clerk, to official, to high official.

His extensive résumé in the West River, deeply rooted, makes him among Tang officials worthy of a thumbs‑up: Lang Bo Wan!

Hexi is Niu Xianke's hometown, the place that raised him and put him on the Qingyun Path. Niu Xianke's success in Hexi is not unrelated to his local background.

Now it is heard that the court is preparing to dispatch troops from Hexi to confront Tubo, and Niu Xianke naturally intends to give his all to contribute a share of strength for his hometown.

Zheng Shuqing pointed to his own throat, then pointed to Fang Chongyong, and gave Niu Xianke a slight nod; the meaning was clear: I cannot speak, so what this child says represents what I say.

"Minister Niu, may I ask, are the weapons, bows, crossbows, arrows, armor, horizontal swords, stranger swords, saddles, stirrups and other armaments of the Hexi arsenal locally produced or sourced from Guanzhong?"

Fang Chongyong asked in a deep voice, having already spread a large sheet of paper on the desk to record.

Originally Niu Xianke was still wondering what question a child might ask, but the first question directly pointed to the greatest weakness of Hexi's four commanderies!

"Young master may not know, all of Hexi's armaments come from Guanzhong, most of them from Chang'an. Moreover, many of Chang'an's bows and crossbows also originate from places beyond Guanzhong.

The Hexi Corridor consists largely of sandbars, with lush pastures but few trees. The timber needed to make bows and crossbows cannot be supplied by Hexi; there is not even time to plant trees, let alone trees to fell.

As for the materials needed to forge armor, besides iron ore for smelting raw iron, wood must be burned into charcoal. Hexi cannot produce any of these. Moreover, the bows, horizontal swords, and arrows required by the militia are largely sourced from Sogdian merchants, whose origins are varied and cannot be generalized.

Vice Minister Zheng indeed lives up to being a Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Revenue; his question was truly incisive. The problem of Hexi lies in its armaments.

Niu Xianke couldn't help but praise Zheng Shuqing.

"Hmm, I've noted all that. Then I'll ask Minister Niu another question: does Hexi lack grain? How much? Where is the shortage?"

Upon hearing this question, Niu Xianke and Zheng Shuqing exchanged glances, and Fang Chongyong's habit of 'lacking common sense' resurfaced.

Niu Xianke laughed heartily: "This is a question you, young master, are asking yourself, right? Hexi abundantly produces grain and fodder, and supplies the court with seventy thousand horses. However, the court's major colonized lands are only in Liangzhou and Ganzhou; other regions, including the Western Regions, rely on Hexi for grain and fodder.

When Guanzhong lacks grain, Hexi instead supplies grain and forage to Guanzhong.

Speaking of his hometown, Niu Xianke couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.

Fang Chongyong let out a light cough to mask his embarrassment; in his previous life, the interior ecology of Gansu had been so devastated that water scarcity left people's throats dry and painful.

But the Hexi Corridor now, especially the Liangzhou area, is a fertile region where the court has invested heavily in colonization. It can be seen as a grain and fodder depot for the Western Regions and the western part of the Hexi Corridor.

In fact, when Guanzhong lacked grain two years ago, Liangzhou even shipped a substantial amount of food to Chang'an!

"How many militia are there in Hexi? Are they still recruited locally, and are their families all residing locally?"

Fang Chongyong asked a series of questions.

Niu Xianke's expression grew distant, as if returning to bygone days; after a moment he shook his head and said, "These matters are truly hard to explain in a few words. Though they are still called militia, the old rules no longer apply.

In the villages, ten or eight out of nine men have military experience; indeed, the people are the soldiers, and the soldiers are the people. The court's textbook approach to handling Hexi affairs simply does not work.

Those on the militia rolls are all over fifty years old and no new recruits are added. The remainder are conscripts and local groups; border soldiers suffer, have not rotated for years, and most have settled permanently in Hexi, making it doubtful that the court's accounts can be trusted.

Niu Xianke introduced to Fang Chongyong the startling military system of the Hexi border towns.

The so‑called militia has long been merely a nominal term; as for its regulations, such as the 'two brothers enlist, one returns' rule, they are nothing but self‑deception.

Even conscripted soldiers, having not rotated for years, have largely settled, married, and had children locally. Meanwhile, Hexi's frequent wars bring in countless men from various recruitment channels.

If the aristocratic lords are exempted from service, and the elderly and weak are also excluded.

Then it becomes a situation where everyone is a soldier!

Niu Xianke said that when he served under the Camp Agriculture Officer, he had seen a 57‑year‑old militia member who later died on the battlefield. His son, twenty, also died on the battlefield the following year.

As for whether there are any extinct households, Niu Xianke does not know, because by then he had already risen in rank and taken an official post elsewhere.

Hexi's prosperity stems from two reasons: first, it lies on a crucial segment of the Silk Road, making its location highly strategic; second, the military colonies and extensive militarization have, to some extent, curbed land grabs.

It is destined that no great aristocratic households can arise here; those who align with the court become border towns, those who do not become warlords. In the current situation, the smoothness of governance in Hexi far exceeds that of regions beyond Guanzhong.

Aristocratic families want to practice land grabs? In Hexi everyone is a soldier; try to seize land!

"What products does Hexi have? For example, things rarely seen in Chang'an."

Fang Chongyong asked while taking 'notes', feeling deeply moved. The Hexi described by Niu Xianke bore no resemblance to the water‑scarce, economically lagging interior of Gansu that he imagined.

"Hexi has many specialties! First worth mentioning is the Sogdian brocade! Though it is not produced in Hexi, it was brought by the Sogdians."

At the mention of this, Niu Xianke spoke incessantly.

"Lamb, wine, luminous cups, Sogdian brocade— sigh, I couldn't finish even in a half hour. Let me tell you slowly..."

Watching him speak, his face lit with a soaring spirit, as if he had become several years younger.

Fang Chongyong thought to himself that although Niu Xianke has now been appointed Minister of Works, he probably still sees himself as the locally celebrated, radiant official of his hometown years ago.

As the saying goes, moving a tree revives a person, though counterexamples are not lacking.

Niu Xianke could clearly achieve great deeds in Hexi; why does the court bother to bring him to the center only to isolate and suppress him?

He is a good man, but may not become a good official at the center—what a pity.

Fang Chongyong sighed inwardly, his brush hand moving faster across the paper.