20demayo Chapter 1064 Li Bai was still being conservative.
Chapter 1064 Li Bai was still being conservative.
In the study of the imperial palace, the morning sun was already visible through the window.
Li Che had just finished reviewing several reports and was having breakfast.
Seeing Qiu Bai enter with a chill in his air, he pointed to the seat opposite him and said with a smile, "You're back already? I thought you would stay at home for a while longer to handle clan affairs."
After bowing, Qiu Bai did not take a seat, but said respectfully, "The matters of the Qiu family have been settled as they should be settled, and severed as they should be severed."
"If they cannot adapt to the times, even if they have mountains of gold and seas of silver, they will be nothing more than withered bones in a tomb, sooner or later buried by dust."
"I have done what I could. The rest is up to fate."
Li Che nodded upon hearing this.
This is what he values in Qiu Bai: clear about right and wrong, decisive in action, never hesitant or dragging things out, and never held back by so-called family ties.
He put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and straightened his expression slightly.
"Very well, now that you're back, I'll leave the rest to you."
"It's time to close in on these few troublemakers in Jingzhou. Ying Bu is a skilled fighter, but I'm more at ease having you handle this kind of meticulous work."
"Your subject obeys the decree." Qiu Bai bowed and accepted the order without any hesitation.
For the next few days, an invisible frost seemed to hang over Jingzhou City.
Holding the emperor's edict, Qiu Bai mobilized the elite Imperial Guards and Night Watchmen who accompanied the emperor, and also requested the assistance of the local constables.
A swift operation to plunder the criminal families was launched.
Fully armed soldiers broke down the gate, and Qiu Bai's face appeared before the panicked patriarch.
These family heads would often lament that they had already handed over all their assets and didn't know what else His Majesty wanted.
However, Qiu Bai doesn't talk much, usually only a few sentences:
"In the East City Villa, there is a secret vault under the third foundation stone of the artificial hill in the back garden."
"Seventy steps west of the ancestral grave, below the roots of the old locust tree."
"Your third great-uncle's family's dye house has long been abandoned, with an underground cellar. The entrance is under the water vat in the southwest corner."
“The farmland outside the city leased to tenant farmers, the basement under the cowshed.”
His voice was flat and resolute, as if he had personally witnessed these treasure troves passed down through generations of families.
The heads of the powerful families were stunned, their Dao hearts shattered.
These secrets were kept tightly guarded; they dared not utter a single word even in their sleep, as they had always been core family secrets.
How did Your Majesty find out?
In fact, the booklet left by Wang Yuanshan, combined with the Night Watchmen's recent meticulous reconnaissance, had already marked most of these secrets.
It cannot be hidden; no one can truly possess these riches. Their ancestors were merely safeguarding them for the imperial court.
Over the next few days, the people of Jingzhou witnessed cartloads of heavy, sealed boxes being transported from their once-important mansions and joining the convoy outside the imperial palace.
Gold and silver ingots, jewelry and jade, antiques and calligraphy and paintings, bolts of fine silk... and even some obviously illegal items were hastily covered and transported away.
The carriages of the caravan became visibly heavy, their wheels sinking deep into the dirt road.
At the same time, several wooden-framed prison wagons drove out of the prison.
Those imprisoned inside are the ringleaders, the ones with the most serious crimes in these families.
They wore heavy shackles around their necks and iron chains around their feet, looking disheveled and their former prestige and dignity were completely gone.
These ringleaders will be escorted to the capital, where they will be reviewed by the Ministry of Justice and sentenced to death as a warning to others.
In just five or six days, the list of targets was cleared.
The confiscated goods have been put into storage, the people who should be arrested have been put in shackles, and the families that should be reprimanded and warned have also tremblingly handed over their fines.
On the seventh day, the first light of dawn appeared.
As soon as the gates of Jingzhou opened, the guards, still somewhat weary, saw the royal entourage, which had been stationed there for several days, already fully assembled and silently marching out of the city.
There was no drumming or music, no commotion, and not even the local officials were disturbed.
The imperial carriage moved in the middle of the procession, with the curtains drawn low.
When Prefect Du Qingcheng and several officials rushed to the city gate, they could only see the dust trailing behind the procession.
He paused for a moment, then bowed deeply to the departing banners, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
He then glanced back at the peaceful city of Jingzhou and realized that many things had changed.
Inside the imperial carriage, Li Che leaned back, flipping through the final list of confiscated items presented by Qiu Bai, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.
The harvest far exceeded expectations, enough to open a few more factories or support a few small-scale battles in the Northwest.
More importantly, after this shock, the resistance to implementing new policies in Jingzhou, a key city in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, will be greatly reduced.
The convoy headed west, steadily making its way towards its next destination—Sichuan.
Behind us, the walls of Jingzhou gradually disappeared into the morning mist and below the horizon.
The wind swept across the fields, and the grass and trees bowed low.
. . . . . .
It was late autumn, and the chill was growing stronger.
After leaving Jingzhou, the southern tour group traveled up the Yangtze River, passing through Yiling and Zigui, traversing the continuous mountains of western Hubei, and finally arrived at Jiameng Pass, the eastern starting point of the Shu Road.
The fortress guards the mountain pass, built against the cliff, its bricks and stones weathered and worn, its banners fluttering in the autumn wind.
At the foot of the city wall lies the beginning of the famous Jinniu Ancient Road, a narrow passage carved into a nearly vertical rock face, like a scar cleaved by a giant axe in the mountains, winding its way into the misty, layered peaks.
Li Che walked up a high slope and looked out over the majestic and perilous pass.
The autumn wind lifted the hem of his dark cloak, carrying a chill unique to the mountains.
The scene before him was vast and majestic, with towering cliffs and a narrow path suspended in mid-air, filling him with a surge of emotion.
Those lines of poetry, which had become somewhat blurred in my memory, now surfaced clearly in my mind:
"Alas! How perilous and high it is! The road to Shu is more difficult than ascending to the heavens!"
Li Bai's unrestrained and amazing words transcend time and space, overlapping with the real and undeniable perilousness before our eyes.
When Li Che was a teenager at school, his favorite classical Chinese text was Li Bai's "The Road to Shu is Hard".
Unlike other classical Chinese texts that rely heavily on allusions and preach grand principles, Li Bai's poems are characterized by their resounding rhythms, magnificent imagery, and ultimate romantic imagination.
Standing here now, I realize that the saying "Even the yellow crane cannot fly across, and monkeys and apes would hesitate to climb" is no exaggeration. It is the most genuine feeling of awe that the ancients felt when faced with natural barriers.
Luo Yueniang stood quietly to one side, leading the horse.
She changed into a more suitable outfit for mountain travel, with a soft leather armor over it, and her long hair was neatly tied back.
Her gaze calmly turned towards the depths of the pass, where her hometown lay.
"Your Majesty, only after passing through Jiameng Pass can we truly step into the threshold of Shu."
Seeing Li Che staring for a long time, Luo Yueniang spoke softly: "From here westward, on the Jinniu Ancient Road, there are still four important passes—Jianmen Pass, Fucheng Pass, Jiangyou Pass, and Baima Pass."
"Each pass is more dangerous than the last, especially Jianmen Pass, which is flanked by two mountains. It is a place where one man can hold the pass against ten thousand. It has been a strategic and dangerous place that military strategists have fought for since ancient times."
She paused, then continued, "Even if you manage to break through five passes and enter Shu territory, the trouble is only just beginning."
"The land of Shu is surrounded by mountains and cut by rivers. Many of the official roads have fallen into disrepair over the years, and most of the roads are connected by plank roads and side bridges built over the centuries."
"Those plank roads are suspended in mid-air above the cliffs, overlooking a deep abyss. The wooden planks are rotten and the iron chains are rusted. A slight mistake could result in the destruction of both men and horses."
"Moreover, the mountain climate is unpredictable, often shrouded in fog and mist, and miasma is frequently encountered. Without a local guide familiar with the route, even a large army could easily get lost and stranded."
Li Che withdrew his gaze, looked at Luo Yueniang, and nodded.
For forty-eight thousand years, it has not had any contact with the Qin region.
Li Bai's poems may seem exaggerated, but they also reveal the truth.
Such a natural barrier is indeed a formidable natural obstacle.
Li Che slowly said, "A barrier can defend against external enemies and also prevent internal problems. The powerful families in Sichuan have long held a strategic advantage and have poor communication with the outside world. Their thoughts and plans are probably different from those in the Central Plains and Jiangnan."
Luo Yueniang pondered for a moment before cautiously replying, "Your Majesty is wise. The roads to Shu are difficult, and news travels slowly. When the imperial decrees reach this place, their effectiveness often diminishes, or they may be misinterpreted by the locals."
“The powerful clans were deeply entrenched, controlling key sectors such as salt, iron, medicinal herbs, and mountain products. They also had complex relationships with the Qiang, Di, and Man tribes in various regions, forming their own system.”
"They respected the imperial court's military might, but they were not necessarily completely convinced."
Li Che gazed into the misty depths of the Shu Road and smiled faintly, "Then let's go in and take a look."
The team took a short rest, inspected the vehicles and supplies, and left some heavy supplies and vehicles unsuitable for mountain travel at the campsite behind the pass.
They then officially embarked on the Jinniu Ancient Road, knocking on the gates to enter Sichuan.
Once you pass Jiameng Pass, the world seems to suddenly tighten up.
As Luo Yueniang had predicted, most of the road was a plank road built by drilling holes and laying wooden planks in a nearly vertical cliff face.
The so-called 'path' is so wide that it can only accommodate two horses abreast, and so narrow that a single person must squeeze through sideways against the wall.
The wooden planks underfoot, weathered by wind and rain, creaked and groaned underfoot. Through the cracks, one could see the bottomless valley below, with clouds and mist flowing through it, making it seem even more desolate and dangerous.
The thick iron chains on the outside serve as railings; they are cold and slippery to the touch, with rust and moss growing on them.
Since the wheels could not pass, all vehicles were abandoned, and important items were instead transported by mules and horses.
The same thing happened to Li Tan's self-propelled carriage. He cried and refused to leave it behind, so Li Che had no choice but to send the Imperial Guards to escort the self-propelled carriage back to the capital.
Li Che also changed his mount to a small, steady, and hardworking horse from Sichuan, which was good at traversing mountains.
Yelü Xian initially found it novel, but after walking for a short while, he saw a bottomless abyss beside him, and the mountain wind howled as if it would sweep him away.
Her face was also a little pale, and she followed closely behind Li Che's horse, not daring to look around anymore.
Luo Yueniang remained calm, occasionally whispering reminders to the group to watch their step.
The mountain road winds and spirals upwards, sometimes plunging into dark, damp tunnels with the sound of dripping water; sometimes crossing a sloping bridge over a deep ravine, the bridge swaying with each step, the rushing water roaring below, white waves surging, dazzling the eye.
The weather was indeed unpredictable. Just moments before, the autumn sun was shining through the thin clouds, casting dappled patterns of light. But as soon as we rounded a bend in the mountain, thick fog appeared out of nowhere, instantly enveloping the entire area. Visibility was reduced to less than ten steps, forcing the group to tighten their belts, slow down, or even stop, waiting for the fog to dissipate.
Seeing this, Li Che couldn't help but sigh, "Li Bai was too conservative back then."