Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 940 - 778: The Pastoral Revolution of the Grasslands (Vote for Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 940: Chapter 778: The Pastoral Revolution of the Grasslands (Vote for Monthly Tickets)

Although Li Xuan himself was not particularly concerned about the "clarity of the Yellow River," even considering it a harbinger of large-scale drought in the upper reaches of the river.

He still underestimated the impact this event had on the hearts of the Jin Dynasty’s people and its scholarly community.

As the Yellow River’s waters became clearer and clearer, the entire region north and south of the Yangtze River started to stir.

By mid-October, this ill wind had blown its way onto the plains.

The term "ill wind" was uniquely identified by "former left Qiandu Yushi of the Inspectorate," now serving as the "right Buzhengshi of Ningyuan," Zhang Jiuling.

Other civil officials of the Ningyuan Zhihuishi Division, together with Zhang Jiuling, were actually quite pleased after hearing this news, and felt honored by association.

After all, there is an old saying that when a Saint emerges, the Yellow River will become clear.

The Saint that corresponded to this saying could neither be the Princess in charge of the Jianguo nor the elder statesmen assisting with the governance. It could only be the current Hufa of Neo-Confucianism, the one truly in charge of The Court’s administration, Li Xuan, the County Prince Fenyang.

This Prince Fenyang was not only a grand scholar with high prestige in his era, with a character as pure as Haoqi Liuli, but he also wrote such grand and pragmatic works such as "Recognizing Things" and "Political Theory."

The crucial point is that his achievements in civil governance and military prowess were comparable to the Confucian Saint, Duke of Zhou, who once assisted in governing the state, ensuring that the Ji Zhou dynasty could enjoy a reign of 2,400 years.

They believed that the "clarity of the Yellow River" was a sign from heaven, acknowledging the achievements of Prince Fenyang.

Zhang Jiuling really could not stand all the praise his colleagues heaped upon Li Xuan, so early in the morning, he ran out of the Yamen, braving the wind and snow as he headed in the direction north of Ningyuan City.

The Court had recently set up the Ningyuan Zhihuishi Division, whose jurisdiction roughly encompassed the former territory of the Ning State, which includes the left wing of Datan and the land of the three Wei of Duoyan.

The capital of the Ningyuan Zhihuishi Division was set up in the former capital of the Ning State, Daning City.

the place Zhang Jiuling was rushing to, called "the ninth guard of Ning."

After Jin subdued Meng Wu, several Datan tribes were defeated and reorganized to form this Weisuo, with three Qiuhu Offices and twenty-four Baihu, spread over a vast grassland stretching 300 li to the north of Ning.

Before the great victory at Podi Mountain, Prince Fenyang had petitioned The Court, requesting the establishment of official Yamen and provinces both north and south of MoBei, to register households and assimilate the citizens.

However, this proposal met with opposition from several regent ministers, as well as from Zhang Jiuling and many others from the Qingliu.

Many officials at the time believed that only Han and Tang Dynasty policies could be emulated in the grasslands, adopting a system of loose rein over distant territories. They firmly believed Prince Fenyang’s plan to establish bureaucracies and assimilate the citizens was unworkable and would only serve to enrage and turn the Meng Wu people against us, creating endless hidden dangers that would drain the state treasury during periods of quelling unrest.

With no choice left, Prince Fenyang had to take a step back and, within the framework of the Dudu’s mansion, set up four large Zhihuishi Divisions in MoBei and MoNan, to win the support of several regent ministers.

Zhang Jiuling, who was then serving as the left Qiandu Yushi, was very pleased with himself for thwarting Prince Fenyang’s plans. He thought that should MoBei and MoNan suffer loss, the responsibility would all fall on Prince Fenyang.

The four Zhihuishi Divisions, being part of the army system, could not receive funding from the Ministry of Revenue or financial support from The Court.

Unexpectedly, in the days to follow, Li Xuan achieved an unprecedented victory on Podi Mountain by annihilating nearly a million of Meng Wu’s army in one fell swoop, thereby crumbling the fate of Meng Wu and returning to the south with his glorious military success, subduing the entire Court.

Thereafter, Zhang Jiuling was appointed by Li Xuan to an important post and was transferred to the plains to serve as the "right Buzhengshi" of the Ningyuan Zhihuishi Division.

In the Jin Dynasty’s Zhihuishi Division, there is no official position as Buzhengshi.

The Zhihuishi Division, Buzhengshi Division, and Anchashi Division are the institutions that Emperor Tai of Jin established in various provinces throughout the country, where the three divisions are parallel to one another and do not have jurisdiction over each other.

However, Li Xuan established four major departments in MoBei and MoNan in preparation for setting up provincial governments in the future. Therefore, under these four major departments, there were additional Buzhengshi Divisions and Anchashi Divisions set up, one in charge of administration and the other in charge of justice.

Zhang Jiuling, as the right Buzhengshi, was the deputy of the Ningyuan Buzhengshi Division—he had been transferred from such an important position as the left Qiandu Yushi and yet he was still a "deputy."

Zhang Jiuling was naturally unwilling to come, even with a promotion of three ranks, he did not wish to come to this desolate and bitterly cold frontier land of MoNan.

But Prince Fenyang, with righteous words, said he admired Zhang’s talent and character, and wanted to use his virtue for the benefit of the local people.

Now that the Meng Wu had submitted to Jin, they were the subjects of Jin. Millions of people on the other side were starving and waiting for Zhang Jiuling, the great talent of Confucianism, to come to their rescue, to nurture them, to educate them.

Zhang Jiuling had no choice. He knew that if he refused, Li Xuan would certainly strip him of his office and never employ him again.

And he would do so with a perfectly justifiable reason, with no objections from the entire court, civil and military alike.

Ultimately, Zhang Jiuling chose to endure in silence. On the day he left the capital, he wrote the words "Wait for the clouds to clear and the moon to shine," which he presented to several colleagues who were also "transferred" to MoBei and MoNan.

Zhang Jiuling’s thought was to let Prince Fenyang have his moment of satisfaction for now, and when the time comes for the Emperor to rule personally, he would seek retribution for today’s humiliation from Prince Fenyang one by one.

Then, he planned to show the world Li Xuan’s true face: the tyrannical, presumptuous, self-indulgent behavior of a traitorous minister!

But this hinged on his own survival within the corridors of power, preferably with the opportunity to come into contact with the Emperor someday in the future.

So after arriving in Ning, Zhang Jiuling still accomplished some tangible things.