Chapter 191 The thief never escapes
Sanyuan is located in the northern part of the Guanzhong Plain. It is named after Fengyuan in the south, Menghouyuan in the west and Bailuyuan in the north. Of course, this Bailuyuan is a different location from the Weinan Bailuyuan known to later generations.
Li Tai and his party stayed in Jingyuan for one day and then continued westward. Along the way, they sent troops to search and investigate within the territory, but no obvious clues were found. It was not until the third day that they arrived at Sanyuan.
"Master Sir, after I heard the news in the north, I traveled day and night and arrived in the countryside last night."
As soon as Li Tai and his party entered the country, scouts led Mao Shijian and others who were waiting to greet them on the road ahead. After Li Tai expressed his acceptance of Mao Shijian and his fellow villagers at the Luoshui River, Mao Shijian no longer regarded himself as a simple subordinate, but as a disciple.
After coming to visit, Mao Shijian introduced several fellow countrymen to Li Tai. When he saw that Li Tai's troops were so powerful, he couldn't help but asked: "The former sent an unknown report, Master Lang has sent troops here, but what do you want?" What's the matter? I'm a servant in the countryside, so if you need anything, please give me your instructions."
Among the Sanyuan celebrities known to later generations, the most famous one is Li Jing in the early Tang Dynasty. But of course there is no Li Jing at the moment. The most powerful one here is the Mao family in the North.
The Mao clan was a wealthy Di people who had been wealthy in the North for generations, especially the two brothers Mao Hongyuan and Mao Hongbin who were the most famous. When Wanqi Chounu and Xiao Baoji started to cause chaos in Guanzhong, the Mao brothers called on the village guards to resist the rebels.
Therefore, Emperor Xiaoming of the Northern Wei Dynasty named Beidi County Beiyong Prefecture for his role in suppressing chaos in the countryside, named Mao Hongbin the governor of Beiyong Prefecture, and established Sanyuan, the ancestral home of the Mao family, as Jianzhong Prefecture in recognition of his contribution. There is no greater glory than this for the mighty men of Kansai.
When Xiaowu moved westward, he led Mao Hongbin to guard Tongguan. He was kidnapped by the Eastern Wei Dynasty and died in Bingzhou. Mao Hongyuan, who stayed in Guanzhong, entered the court and became minister together with Zhou Huida, and died in office.
Mao Hongyuan was Mao Xia, and Mao Shijian was his youngest son. Since Li Tai came to China to do work, of course he had to call this local tycoon for details.
"Shi Jian, there is no need to be polite. We will discuss everything in Beizhou later. I have something else to do when I call you back home. This trip is because of Mr. Liu..."
Li Tai briefly narrated the matter. After hearing this, Mao Shijian raised his eyebrows and said: "Such a monster happened in the country! Please rest assured, Mr. Lang. After the tribes have settled in the country, I will visit the village and I will investigate it as soon as possible!" "
Li Tai nodded after hearing this, and then looked at Liu Min who was traveling with him. Naturally, Liu Min had nothing to say. He had no power to rely on in this situation and could only rely on Li Tai.
So the group, led by Mao Shijian, headed for a suitable camping location.
While Mao Shijian was riding his horse to lead the way, he frequently looked back at Li Tai's entourage behind him. Li Tai followed his gaze and saw Zhang Shinu in the team also flirting with him, so he asked with a smile: "Are you two old acquaintances?"
After hearing this, Mao Shijian nodded: "When I was young, I was interested in Taoism and visited the wonders. I also wanted to join Master Chen in the building. Unfortunately, my relationship with Taoism was shallow. I met Shi Nu a few times. How could he become the master's follower?"
When Li Tai heard this, he was a little surprised. No wonder you, the boy, were not merciless in killing the Samanas in the north. There is such a reason for the relationship. He admires the Taoist immortals in his heart, so naturally he is not afraid of the Samana Buddha.
He raised his hand to signal Zhang Shinu to come forward, letting the old acquaintances walk and talk. After traveling north for more than ten miles, he asked again: "How far is it from Yong'an City? I have done great service to the ancestors of the world." I’ve heard about it for a long time.”
Yong'an City, also known as Hongbinzha, was named after Mao Shijian's uncle Mao Hongbin. It used to be the prefecture of Beiyongzhou and is now the county seat of Jianzhong County. It is the greatest proof of Mao's glorious hometown in the north. Li Tai may not be very curious, but since he is entering the country as a guest, of course he has to pay a few compliments.
But after hearing this, Mao Shijian's expression became a little embarrassed and gloomy, and he said in a deep voice: "My clan members have not lived in Yong'an for many years, because they had a bad relationship with the prince and envoy, so they have now moved to Bailuyuan... "
Li Tai was a little surprised after hearing this. Seeing Mao Shijian's expression, he soon realized that it might be another plot of a powerful man losing power and not being tolerated in the countryside. Moreover, it seemed that the situation was quite serious, forcing Mao to no longer dare to live in his ancestral property. Move elsewhere.
"Now that you have entered the country, it is natural for the guest to do as he pleases. However, it would be a bit rude to not inform the county guard when passing through the border."
Li Tai was not sure whether official forces were involved in the matter, so he did not intend to use the power of local officials to investigate. But with so many people entering the country, and no one knows how many days they will stay, if there is no notice, misunderstandings and conflicts will inevitably occur.
So he headed towards Yong'an City and informed the county guard, naturally using the same excuse as before.
On the way, Mao Shijian told Li Tai angrily about their family's current situation in the county. In short, it was hard to describe.
When the Mao Hongyuan brothers were still alive, the Mao family had unlimited natural beauty and was promoted as the leader of the alliance by the villagers. It was once able to influence the entire power structure in Guanzhong, which can be seen from the rewards given to them by the Northern Wei Dynasty.
When Xiaowu moved westward, the Mao family was also very active. Mao Hongbin led a large number of villagers to welcome him, and also transported a large amount of supplies, so that the people traveling westward could have enough to eat.
However, Mao Hongbin was arranged to stay in Tongguan. After the fall of Tongguan, he disappeared from the Eastern Dynasty. Very few of his troops who pursued him from the east came back. As a result, Mao's family suffered a great loss in his hometown.
This kind of arrangement is, to put it bluntly, a trap for big business owners, and it will make you die. Whether it is Yu Wentai's Beizhen Army or the Luoyang dignitaries who followed Xiaowu's westward movement, they must not want such a strong independent local force to still exist in Guanzhong, and their home base is on the Weibei Plain, one step away from Chang'an.
After Mao Hongbin's death, although Mao Hongyuan was still serving in the government, he was no longer in danger, and Mao Hongyuan also passed away soon after.
After the death of the two brothers, the once-famous Mao family in the North declined rapidly. No matter in government or in the opposition, there was no leading figure to represent this local force.
This can be regarded as the common fate of powerful men in troubled times. Even the Heba brothers inevitably end up making wedding clothes for others. There are very few who can really stand out and taste the fruits of victory.
Mao Shijian also had an older brother, who led the remaining troops of his army to serve as a general under Li Yuan in western Henan, but his local influence had been almost wiped out. Otherwise, with Mao Shijian's family background and power, there would be no need to serve under Li Tai, who had just made his mark in the Bafu, or even consider himself a disciple.
The current governor of Jianzhong County is named Wang Qingde, and he is a member of the Jingzhao Wang clan, that is, the Wang Zhi clan who made Gao Huan lose his temper in Huazhou City before the Battle of Shayuan.
According to Mao Shijian, there should be some old grudges between the two families. Therefore, after Wang Qingde took office, he also targeted the Mao clan members a lot, making their clan's situation even more difficult.
However, even if there is no grudge against each other, as a local governor, he does not want to have an overly powerful wealthy family under his rule. Although the Mao clan is gradually declining in rural power, it still has local influence. After all, this Jianzhong County was established to promote the merits of the family. Of course, it will kill you when you are sick.
After learning this, Li Tai looked at Mao Shijian and Zhang Shinu riding side by side in front, and sighed in his heart, you two are really inseparable.
But having said that, if the local power was not greatly suppressed, these two people and their respective clans might not be able to be used by themselves.
The folk customs in Guanzhong were xenophobic, and Li Tai was able to gain a foothold in Shang Yuan. First, Huazhou was the headquarters of the Overlords and the headquarters of the army, so there was no strong force. Both of them were also able to win the favor of local people because of the construction of Longshou Canal in Dayi County. Recognition and acceptance.
For such nostalgia battles, Li Tai would just let it go. As long as it didn't harm his own interests or there was no obvious benefit to be gained, he didn't bother to intervene.
Although Mao's nostalgia has been greatly reduced, the emaciated camel is bigger than the horse. He still owns hundreds of hectares of manor land in Bailuyuan, and has hundreds of tribesmen gathered there. It is more than enough to receive Li Tai and his entourage.
However, Li Tai had just made a fortune by suppressing bandits, and with Liu Min, a rich man, reimbursing him, he had enough supplies for this trip. As long as he stayed at Mao Shijian Village, he didn't need to use too many supplies.
Bailuyuan is an extremely vast plateau. It is home to not only the Mao family, but also many manors and villages, and many kilns are billowing smoke.
Li Tai was sensitive to handicraft production. When he saw this, he smiled and said: "The people of Sanyuan are quite happy to work. What kind of utensils are being fired in those kilns?"
Mao Shijian looked at the billowing smoke, a trace of disgust flashed in his expression, and he lowered his head and replied: "These are villagers who worship Buddha and burn and smelt statues. Every year in the first month of spring, believers will make statues and parade, so at the end of the year Busy."
Li Tai knew how to perform the rituals of Buddha statues. In the late Northern Wei Dynasty, Empress Dowager Hu and her father Hu Guozhen were devout Buddhists. Even at the age of 80, they had to walk to participate in this ceremony. After returning home, they fell ill from exhaustion and died soon after.
But now that he heard this, he suddenly felt something bad in his heart. He and Liu Min looked at each other, with worries in their eyes.
The missing batch of materials, grain, silk and other miscellaneous items were not clearly marked. Only the confiscated metal Buddha statues were conclusive evidence. But if the perpetrators took advantage of the time when the Buddha statues were being cast in the village to re-melt the utensils, it would be difficult to investigate and investigate.
After he expressed his worries, Mao Shijian quickly said: "There are only a few places in the village that can make grand smelting statues. I immediately went to visit and investigate. If the goods come into this village, they will never be allowed to disappear into thin air!"
After hearing this, Li Tai nodded, and asked Liu Min to describe the characteristics and details of his branch's personnel. Then he avoided Liu Min, motioned to Mao Shijian and Zhang Shinu to come closer, and whispered: "While visiting, I "Let's see where there are models for casting various evil Buddha statues and order a few."
Although the Bafu has destroyed the ban on obscenity and worship, the current policy implementation is mainly aimed at temples. It will take some time for it to sink into the countryside. There should still be such crafts in the countryside.
Li Tai is always prepared when doing things. It would be best if he can track down the real culprit and recover the lost goods, but if he can't, he can't go in vain. When the old one is gone, find a new one. Anyway, the Buddhas are very wealthy, so they don’t choose. Only when the money and food are in their pockets is the real thing.
Happy birthday to the motherland! ! ! I wish everyone a happy holiday. It’s the beginning of the month. Please ask for a guaranteed monthly pass. . .