Chapter 2334 Decline
Bai Shan looked at Liu Huan and Yin Huo. Bai Erlang didn't need to look, because he didn't know, and Bai Er would know even less.
Liu Huan said, "I'm not familiar with it either."
Yin Huoze said, "I've heard my father mention him. He's a good man. He inherited the title of Duke of Qiao. Your Majesty has a close relationship with Princess Zhao and the former Duke of Qiao, so he's very kind to his two nephews."
Bai Shan understood it immediately, so this person was promoted by the influence of his ancestors, but there was nothing wrong with his character and talent.
When they arrived at the Protectorate, General Guo came out to greet them with red eyes.
He still lives in the Protectorate, but he has already prepared to move out and is just waiting for the new Protector to arrive so he can take over.
Bai Shan saw that his eyes were red, so he asked, "Has His Majesty's decree come down?"
General Guo couldn't hold back his tears again and nodded, saying, "Your Majesty has dismissed my father from his post. I, I may not be able to carry the coffin back home."
The emperor was so angry with General Guo that General Guo naturally could not submit a petition to the emperor to ask for his coffin to be carried back to his hometown at this time. Therefore, he could only temporarily place the coffin in the National Temple for later, or bury it in Xizhou.
General Guo wanted to wait for a few years. After two years, when the emperor's anger had almost subsided, he would then bring up the matter of carrying the coffin back to his hometown.
Bai Shan could only sigh and patted his shoulder.
Manbao didn't know how to comfort him, so he could only take turns patting his shoulders. Yin Huo saw that they all patted his shoulders, so he couldn't help but pat his shoulders, so he walked up and patted his shoulders too.
When Zhou Liru saw it, he also stepped forward and patted it.
General Meng on the side also raised his hand, and General Guo raised his head and looked at him with red eyes.
General Meng was a little hesitant to do it, so he put it down as if nothing had happened and said, "Go in, General Ashina and Protector Chai are waiting inside. I'll move it for you after we've handed it over."
Bai Shan immediately said, "We'll help you move too."
Not to mention General Ashina, Protector Chai was also very polite to them, especially to Zhou Man and Bai Erlang. After all, the emperor and the prince had just mentioned them before they came.
He didn't expect to be so lucky that they were still in Xizhou City, so he asked Zhou Man about the cowpox with a smile.
Man Bao said, "We have performed three rounds of vaccinations here, and the results have been quite good. We have decided to bring those who have been vaccinated back to the Imperial Hospital for a unified review."
She paused and said to Protector Chai, "Because the test subjects are all soldiers in the army, General Guo promised us that we could take them away..."
Chai Duhu smiled and said, "Since General Guo has promised you, everything will naturally remain the same."
Manbao breathed a sigh of relief and said to Protector Chai with a smile, "Thank you for your leniency, sir."
Chai Duhu didn't understand why they were so lenient. When he found out, his subordinates had already come to him with the bill to settle the bill. They were going to take away a total of 46 people, and it happened that they were either wounded soldiers or very old veterans. Such soldiers were considered retired when they returned home, so they had to be given resettlement allowances.
In addition to the resettlement fee, it also listed travel expenses and the one hundred taels of silver that General Guo had promised to give.
Of course, it wasn't one hundred taels per person, otherwise even the emperor couldn't afford it. The one hundred taels were shared by forty-six people.
The official who came to report the expenses explained, "General, except for this one hundred taels which was paid by General Guo, the rest must be paid through the official account."
Unlike General Guo, Chai Duhu had never been born poor, and he was not as extravagant as General Guo, so he did not value money very much. He only felt a little sad and signed the bill.
He said, "Bring out the accounts of the Protectorate so I can see them."
If he didn't have money, he would have to find a way to get it. The Anxi Protectorate was not only in charge of local government affairs, but also military affairs. Although the Ministry of War provided military pay and armaments, there was definitely a shortage. Soldiers needed money for food, drink, and shelter, not to mention that they would have to patrol the border and guard against counterattacks from other small countries in the Western Regions, which would require even more money.
Chai Duhu pondered for a moment and asked, "Is the trade route from Suiye and Tianzhu open?"
The official immediately reported: "The fighting between Bolor and Daboluo has ceased, with no clear winner. The trade route to India is now open again."
Protector Chai nodded and said, "Please draw me a map of Khotan later. We will set up post stations and garrisons along the way."
The official was stunned. "Stationary troops?"
Protector Chai nodded and said as a matter of course: "There are many bandits along the way. In order to protect the caravan, we stationed soldiers at the post station to protect them."
Since it is protected, commercial taxes must be collected, and the local government should also hand over a portion of the money to support the troops. It doesn't have to be a lot, but when accumulated with the commercial taxes, it should be able to guarantee the expenses of stationing troops at the post station.
Moreover, the post station can also entertain passing merchants and travelers, which is also a source of income.
Protector Chai calculated this in his mind and felt even less sorry for the money. After handing the list to the official, he said, "The chief steward Ashina is about to leave, and Lord Zhou will be accompanying them. You should complete this matter as soon as possible."
The emperor is still waiting for Bai Er to go back and get married, and the prince is also waiting for Zhou Man to go back and report on the smallpox matter.
With Protector Chai around, the Protectorate handled the procedures for Bai Shan and others very quickly, and they could be completed almost as soon as they were requested.
The soldiers who were following behind Bai Shan and waiting to register and receive their money sighed that it was indeed easier to get things done with someone. In the past, when they came to the Protectorate, they would be lucky if they could get one thing done after three trips, but following Master Bai, they could get it done in one day.
Bai Shan himself lamented this kind of differential treatment.
When they came to the Protectorate to do business in the past, even with General Guo's instructions, they would occasionally be left out in the cold.
Especially Mr. Zhuang, he had been sitting on the bench for three consecutive days in the Protectorate.
Bai Shan led the remaining soldiers and veterans to receive their resettlement and travel expenses, then took them out and asked them to return to the barracks first. "We will set off the day after tomorrow. You have one day tomorrow to say goodbye to your comrades and prepare your things. Go ahead."
Everyone looked at each other, motionless for a moment. Then the oldest one took out his purse, took out half the money from it and said, "Mr. Bai, we agreed that if you can take us back to the Central Plains, we will give you half of the money we earn."
Others also opened their wallets to take money.
Bai Shan was stunned for a moment, then smiled and pushed the money back: "Bai is not so short of money. This is the settlement allowance given to you by the court and His Majesty. It is the court's reward for your many years of guarding the border and defending your country. If I take even this little money, I am not worthy of being a human being."
He said, "Please keep the things. When we return to the capital, I still owe you a piece of silk cloth."
Because a group of twenty-two people came in later, Bai Shan and his friends did not have that much cloth ready-made, so they had to owe it first and deal with it after returning to the capital.
The silk cloth here is too expensive, and it’s not cost-effective to buy it for them.
The soldiers had long given up on the cloth and were even prepared to give half of it as resettlement allowance. Now that Bai Shan didn't want it, it was like getting the money for free. They were so happy that their eyes turned red with joy.
See you at 9pm
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
