Chapter 46: Raising the Banner (III)

Gao Shi stepped up to Ge Shu Han’s side and whispered a few words in his ear.
Upon hearing this, Ge Shu Han frowned deeply and said, “Just now, Secretary Gao already discovered that Chen Yike is not the only one who betrayed the country. I had been wondering how such a minor deputy governor of Shanzhou could have the means and courage to negotiate with the Tubo. It turns out there’s a powerful family behind him!”
At these words, everyone present let out sighs. They all came from distinguished families—did Ge Shu Han’s words mean they were all under suspicion?
Ge Shu Han glanced at the crowd below and said coldly, “Of course, I haven’t yet figured out which powerful family is behind this betrayal, but I believe it will be revealed soon!”
After saying that, he nodded at Gao Shi.
Gao Shi bowed to the crowd and said, “This is what I think: With the tense situation in Longyou and the insufficient supply of troops and food from the court, I and General Ge Shu Han have discussed collecting military provisions from you at market prices. What are your thoughts?”
This caused a great stir. Representatives of various families in Longyou began whispering among themselves. Families like the Wei clan of Longyou, the Pei clan of Hedong, the Chen clan of Luzhou, and the Chai clan of Ruyang were all wealthy and influential. Although some of their ancestral halls were not located in Shanzhou, that didn’t mean they had no say or influence in Longyou. Longyou was a strategic location for the Tang Dynasty, connecting Anxi in the west to the interior regions in the east and serving as a vital route on the Silk Road—how could they not invest heavily there?
Although the descendants of these noble families considered trading shameful, they all secretly owned numerous businesses and warehouses. The reason was simple: with such large families came large expenses. Without a stable source of income, how could they support their numerous descendants?
However, these tasks often fell on the illegitimate descendants, who, due to their humble origins, had no chance of entering officialdom. To gain more influence within their families, they had to compromise and travel far to raise money and collect rents for their clans.
And the prosperous city of Shanzhou naturally became a target for these powerful families to compete for, driven purely by self-interest.
Chai Rong, the representative of the Chai clan of Ruyang in Longyou, complained, “It’s understandable for the army to collect military provisions, but if it’s to be bought at market prices, how exactly will the cost be determined? There must be some standard.”
Chen Yu, the second son of the third branch of the Chen clan of Luzhou, shook his head and said, “Besides, the army should also tell us roughly how much needs to be collected so we can prepare in advance.”
“Yes, exactly.”
The crowd murmured in agreement, and the hall became chaotic, like a marketplace.

Geshu Han felt annoyed. These sons of noble families usually acted polite and sensible, but once it came to sacrificing something, they pretended to be foolish and nitpicky—truly a major nuisance!
“Enough! Starting tomorrow, this commander will send people to your households to collect grain. Take as much as there is, at fair prices! Those who refuse to sell or sell too little will be charged with treason!”
He was truly furious and roared in anger.
At his outburst, the complaining crowd fell silent and turned their attention to Wei Jianrui, the head of the Wei family. Among the noble families present, only the Wei family held significant influence. Moreover, this was Longyou, the birthplace of the Wei family. If even Wei Jianrui, as their leader, couldn’t suppress Geshu Han, everyone would suffer heavy losses and have no choice but to accept their fate.
Wei Jianrui was around forty, with exceptionally delicate and fair skin. A short beard covered his chin, and he carried himself in an elegant manner, typical of a scholar. Seeing everyone looking at him, he understood immediately.
He cleared his throat and bowed to Geshu Han, saying, “When the country is in crisis, we noble families must fully support it. But after all, the money and grain are earned through hard work. If they are all purchased at fair prices, it may not satisfy everyone. Perhaps the commander could levy taxes based on each family’s stock—more from those with more, less from those with less. This way, everyone will be convinced.”
His words were neither humble nor arrogant, yet full of logic, earning unanimous praise from those present!
Since Wei Jianrui had put it so clearly, Geshu Han couldn’t be too harsh. Those lower-class descendants of smaller families were insignificant; he could ignore them, but he couldn’t disregard the face of the Wei family leader of Longyou. Although the Wei family’s influence in the court had been suppressed by the emperor due to the crown prince’s presence, as the saying goes, even a hundred-legged insect doesn’t die easily. The Wei family had many allies across the land. Geshu Han didn’t want to risk being stabbed in the back. Besides, the emperor was aging, his strength declining day by day. To speak disrespectfully, who knew when he might pass away? Once the crown prince ascended the throne, might he not favor the Wei family? Geshu Han wouldn’t risk his life and wealth by attacking the Wei family!
Geshu Han laughed and said, “This commander was rash. Well, what Wei sir says makes sense. I’ll have people prepare to act accordingly!”
Wei Jianrui nodded in gratitude to Geshu Han.
Although the noble youths felt aggrieved, they managed to keep some of their grain, so they said no more.

Geshu Han had achieved his goal. Full of pride, he raised his cup, toasted Song Hun to his right, and then drank it down in one gulp. Song Hun’s heart sank as he forced a bitter smile. This banquet to welcome him was truly ingenious—first, they eliminated dissidents under the pretext of catching spies, using killings to establish authority. Then, leveraging that power, they forced various noble families to supply military grain, instantly solving the food problem. Under normal circumstances, these noble descendants might not have paid any attention to Geshu Han’s orders, but now, with a corpse lying before them, even the most resolute would have their resolve shaken. This barbarian was quite interesting; perhaps he could truly achieve extraordinary feats for the emperor! Song Hun thought, stroking his beard lightly.

“Brother Ke, Marshal Geshu Han was truly majestic just now. With just one banquet, he subdued so many noble families!” Zhang Yanji said, clenching his fist in admiration.

“Oh, governing troops requires an iron fist. Using tactics at the right time can yield unexpected results.”

In fact, Li Ke was well aware of these tactics. As a child, his grandfather often taught him the rules of navigating the political arena, including how to deal with various kinds of people. With superiors, one must be humble without appearing lowly; with subordinates, one must exercise authority while remaining kind; with gentlemen, one should maintain a close relationship but not stay constantly together; with scoundrels, one should keep distance without speaking openly… The complexities of politics were mind-numbing. Even someone as high-ranking as his grandfather eventually fell victim to the scheming Li Linfu and lost everything.

Therefore, the young man was resistant to such things—not because he didn’t know, but because he didn’t want to reopen long-healed wounds.

“That bunch of bastards! They enjoy wealth and comfort every day, but when help is needed, they all clench their wallets!” Dou Qing snapped through gritted teeth. Coming from a humble background, many of his military achievements were credited to those with connections. Those people were good-for-nothing who relied on their ancestors’ influence to easily obtain what others might never achieve in a lifetime—how could that not be detestable? Those noble families were nothing but lice in people’s pants! If only they could be crushed sooner, the world would be cleaner! They not only drained the blood of the poor but also the vitality and youth of the nation!

“Don’t generalize. Not everyone is as idealistic as you say!” Zhang Yanji said, puffing out his chest.

Only then did Dou Qing realize Zhang Yanji was sitting beside him. He forced an awkward smile. “Could it be that they’re so reluctant to sell grain because they want to hoard it for high prices later?”

Li Kuo pinpointed the core of the problem with precision—hoarding goods to drive up prices was the nature of merchants, but they were simply too foolish.
“Damn it! Even the commander didn’t mention it, and my old man didn’t expect it either. These parasites are real bastards, trying to profiteer from national disasters!”
Dou Qing’s anger, which he had barely suppressed, flared up again as he cursed loudly. “These fools! They’ve seen what the Tubo people are like before. If they really let the Tubo people seize Longyou and march forward, nothing will be left—neither chickens nor dogs! Whether you’re a nobleman or a poor wretch, you’ll end up with your insides ripped out and your head cut off!” (Note 2)
Zhang Yanji moved aside resentfully, raised his jade cup, and silently drank the Gaochang wine.
By now, a row of singing girls had entered the hall one after another, with the sounds of silver zithers and sandalwood drums echoing in succession. They were beautiful and charming, a sight of splendor.
Yet something seemed missing amidst this beauty and peace. The bright moon illuminated the scene, the music was intoxicating, and everything was splendid, but it paled in comparison to the thrill of starting out with weapons in hand.
“The so-called noble families are nothing but rotten old trees—seemingly tall and strong on the surface, but they collapse and bend at the slightest wind.”
Just like the delicate flowers and plants carefully nurtured in the palace—without the soil that sustains them, they mean nothing, absolutely nothing!…
Note 1: You may find it hard to imagine just how powerful the Wei family was. During the Tang Dynasty alone, there were fourteen prime ministers who came from the Wei family. Look at Empress Wei, Princess Anle, and the Wei Jian case to get an idea.
Note 2: This is history that actually happened. After the An Lushan Rebellion broke out, the Tang Dynasty sent elite troops from Hexi, Longyou, and the Western Regions to the east for support. Taking advantage of the chaos, the Tubo people invaded, and the local defenses were unable to hold back. Hexi, Longyou, and the Western Regions were successively occupied by the Tubo. In October of the first year of Guangde (763), the Tubo, along with 200,000 troops from Tuyuhun and the Dangxiang, advanced triumphantly, approaching Chang’an. Emperor Daizong fled in panic to Shanzhou, and the Tubo army occupied Chang’an.