girl let me check

Chapter 304 Secret Talk

"Uehara Wang." Fang Weihan paused, "What do they want to do?"

"You want to drive me off this throne, what else can you want to do?"

Fang Zun stood up, walked to the window of the main hall and stood there, looking at the scenery outside the window.

"But how dare they?"

"They didn't really want to rebel, but they were putting pressure on me."

Fang Zun turned his head and glanced at Fang Weihan with a half-smile.

"Don't pretend to be stupid. I don't believe you if you don't see the secret here."

"Fourth uncle thinks highly of me. I'm just an ordinary dandy prince waiting to die. How can I know so much?"

Fang Weihan smiled sarcastically.

The emperor ignored him, leaving him with a thin and upright figure.

After a while, Fang Zun suddenly asked: "Are you satisfied with the official position given to you in this investiture ceremony?"

"I'm satisfied. I'll be satisfied with whatever official my fourth uncle gives me."

Fang Weihan replied with a smile and continued to say nice things.

"Oh...that's it. Originally, I wanted to replace you with General Youlong Wuwei, but there happened to be a free post there. Looking at it this way, I might as well forget it."

Fang Weihan's face stiffened.

This is the real power official position in the Northern Army that he dreams of. Damn it, are you using this to test cadres?

Fang Zun glanced at him and couldn't help but sneered:

"Fang Weihan, you and I are in the same boat now, and you still don't plan to tell me the truth? Why, you don't believe me, your fourth uncle?"

Since Fang Zun spoke so directly, Fang Weihan had no choice but to continue to deal with it.

"Isn't Fourth Uncle hiding something from me?"

Fang Weihan simply spoke bluntly, trying to take the initiative in speaking.

"I am the emperor, you are?"

Fang Zun asked rhetorically.

Fang Weihan: "..."

His reasons were so strong that I couldn't find any words to refute him.

"Weihan, as you grow up, you have a lot more eyes."

Fang Zun looked at the pavilions, waterside pavilions and bricks and jade tiles outside the window and breathed a sigh of relief.

"As far as the Fang family and the country are concerned, it's a good thing, because they have one more talented person who can take on a big responsibility. But personally... I still prefer the you before."

"Although you were impulsive and naive at the time, at least you would tell the truth, unlike now when you even lie to me."

Fang Weihanquan was happy to hear what Fang Zun said.

Before?

If I didn't fuse my memories, but continued to live in ignorance as before, wouldn't I become your pawn in the end?

A very useful chess piece to test the attitude of aristocratic families.

If he didn't know that his fate was to be deposed as a commoner, he might have believed it.

"What my fourth uncle said is true, but people always have to grow up."

Fang Weihan's answer was impeccable, with just the right expression of nostalgia and indulgence, which was easy to believe.

Fang Zun looked at him deeply, not knowing whether he believed it or not.

"As long as you understand my good intentions."

"Weihan, you have to know that as a member of the Fang family, I will never act against the interests of the Fang family. I hope the same is true for you, so that our positions will never conflict."

"Don't worry, fourth uncle, I will definitely live up to my title as King of Guangling."

Fang Weihan's words came from the sincerity.

Against Fang's interests? A simple summary is to rebel or become a traitor, which Fang Weihan obviously cannot do.

If you want to reform, you must first kill the aristocratic family, instead of starting from your own side, otherwise it will be putting the cart before the horse. He's not that stupid yet.

"Okay, now that we've finished talking nonsense, it's time to talk about the serious business of calling you here this time."

Fang Zun brushed his sleeves, turned around and sat back on the chair, looking at Fang Weihan deeply.

"Do you know why I gave you such an official position as the leader of the East Palace Guards?"

Fang Weihan shook his head honestly: "I don't know."

"Because the army led by the East Palace Guards is the last army without an owner in Changming City." Fang Zun explained calmly, "You should know what troops are left behind in Changming today, right?"

"The north and south camps, plus the four guards of Huben, Yulin, Qimen, and Xuanzhong in the city, total 16 guards of 200,000 people. This is all the armed forces that I can directly mobilize."

Fang Zun spread out a map of the entire empire on the long table in front of him, which clearly marked the boundaries of various cities and states within the Great Zhou Dynasty, as well as the locations of important geographical units.

"I have more than one million sergeants in Great Zhou, except for the 200,000 Changming Forbidden Army. The other 800,000 are more or less not under my direct control."

Fang Zun pointed his finger at the northern border of the empire, drawing a long arc from Liaoze to the Western Regions.

"The Changyuan Iron Guard has a total of more than 300,000 people. They are scattered among many scattered strongholds centered on Jiuzhen. They guard the border all year round and resist foreign invasion from the south. It seems to be a patriotic act, but these people are loyal to the Zhou Dynasty. In fact, I have already lived my own little life."

Fang Zun sneered.

"When Emperor Gaozu established the nine-border system, he gave the Jiedushi of the nine towns great power, so that they could truly integrate local military and political affairs. They stationed fields to guard the borders, but in fact split the soil and sealed the king. Xisan Town and Zhongsan Town is quite honest, but Dongsan Town, which is very close to the Fan Yang Lu family, is not like that. As far as I know, Zongfu, the governor of Dongning, even made his official residence extremely luxurious. The style of the Deputy Imperial Palace.”

Fang Weihan frowned and said nothing.

What he received was always positive news from Changyuan Iron Guard. Like defending the country and guarding the border to fight against foreigners, persisting in resistance despite being short of food and clothing, and living in a bitter and cold environment without any complaints.

In a sense, all three of these points are true.

The Changyuan Iron Guard was indeed resisting alien invasion, but at the cost of creating a situation similar to a vassal-like separatist regime. They did not receive any supplies from the imperial court because they did not need this assistance.

As for the bitter cold at the border and the excessive extravagance of the Jieduzhi...there seems to be no conflict. Soldiers suffering from the cold and generals being immodest are very common things in frontier fortresses. In the absence of effective supervision agencies, the regime's behavior depends entirely on the preferences and temperament of the top leader, which can easily breed corruption.

But damn...why don't you hear any negative news? Where are the conspiracy theorists?

After Fang Weihan hesitated for a moment, he decided to ask the question.

"Fourth Uncle...the news I heard seems to be different from yours."

"Yes, the Changyuan Iron Guard guards the border, and our loyalty is evident from the sun and the moon." Fang Zun is obviously very knowledgeable about these rumors, "Do you know where the news in the market comes from?"

Fang Weihan was silent for a moment.

"Literati?"

"Hmph... To be more precise, he is a scholar."

Fang Zun corrected Fang Weihan slowly.

"After so many years...haven't you discovered a problem? Why do people say that joining the army is a low-level job, but why can they praise the status of Changyuan Iron Guard so high?"

This question... Fang Weihan really hasn't thought about it.

Now that Fang Zunyi brought it up, he felt something was wrong.

Yes, these two statements are essentially in conflict. It is impossible that no one would want to go to a high-status profession, so where does the saying that one would rather die than join the army come from?

"Because scholars want to be officials, or...study is to become officials. But most of the officials in the Great Zhou Dynasty are in the hands of aristocratic families." "Some Changyuan Iron Guards have already reached an agreement with the scholars of aristocratic families. , such as Dongning, Changping and Xuanfu in Dongsan Town. The aristocratic family is responsible for mobilizing the literati to raise their status so that they can continuously obtain reinforcements of soldiers. Then they use various means to force them to stay here and not be able to go home. Or they can be sent out to fight against foreigners and die, which not only allows them to claim credit, but also makes it easier to kill people and silence them.”

Fang Zun sneered, his eyes full of angry gloom.

"The common people's sons joined the army, but never came back. In the end, what they returned to their hometown was just a piece of eulogy and a meager pension. The people were definitely not happy, but they didn't know the truth behind it. The people were dissatisfied. , will point the finger at the court, at me, the emperor! Perfect reincarnation, again and again. In the end, these bastards gained both fame and fortune, but I took the blame for them!"

"Do you think that Wang Uehara dared to challenge the imperial court only with his tens of thousands of Bingzhou soldiers and cavalry? Behind him are these 100,000 Changyuan Iron Guards who have experienced hundreds of battles!"

Fang Weihan frowned, and was shocked by the news he heard for the first time.

He continued to ask: "Then Mr. Tao..."

"Although Tao Yan is the general of Changyuan Dutong, his influence is limited to Xisan Town and Zhongsan Town. He is the target that Wang Tun and I are trying our best to win over."

Fang Zun paused for a moment when he said this.

"But because of your contribution, now he has completely swung to our side. I'm afraid Wang Tun won't be able to sit still."

Fang Weihan: "..."

My credit for co-writing is seducing someone’s granddaughter, right?

"In addition to the 200,000 Imperial Guards and 300,000 Changyuan Iron Guards, where are the other 500,000 people?"

Fang Weihan asked.

"Hedong Bingzhou has been a warlike place since ancient times, and it is close to the border. The people are fierce and fierce. There are more than 100,000 soldiers, scattered in more than a dozen military divisions, obeying the orders of the Shangyuan Wang family."

Fang Zun's finger pointed at the location of the Taihang Mountains, and then moved eastward.

"Youji Prefecture, the gateway to the northeast, is a strategic hub. It is mainly controlled by the Fan Yang Lu family. There are more than 100,000 soldiers and horses in total, including 70,000 Youzhou sudden cavalry. Their combat power cannot be underestimated."

Youzhou sudden cavalry, Fang Weihan had heard of this unit. It is said that the ancestors of Fan Yanglu's family brought their private army to join Fang Ganyi's rebel army in conquering the world. After that, his private army further developed and formed the later famous Youzhou Tuqi.

"The Zhenhai, Ninghai, Pingbo and other military divisions in the Jianghuai area brought with them the Jiangnan drill troops, the Jiangnan camp garrison, and the Dajiang navy, totaling more than a hundred thousand people."

Fang Zun sighed.

"Living in the hinterland, there has been no war for a long time. Don't have high hopes for the combat effectiveness of this unit."

"In addition to the above, there are also the Southern Border Guard, the Western Region Guard, the Dongzhou Guard, and the rural army and militia scattered in various places. This is the number of troops in the entire Zhou Dynasty."

Fang Zun slapped his hand heavily on the map, making a dull collision sound.

"Do you know now? If the Uehara Wang family really wants to rebel, then with our current strength, we will not be able to stop their troops."

Fang Weihan nodded in agreement.

This is the truth. Judging from the paper data, it is impossible for our side to be the opponent of Heshuo Three Towns.

"So, we must expand our army. But we also need a good excuse to shut up the family."

Fang Zun said calmly.

"My influence is tightly restricted to the west of Tongguan, and I cannot advance even an inch. And west of Tongguan, the only army that I can legitimately rebuild and leave the family speechless is the army led by Donggong Wei."

"Fifteen years ago, I ascended the throne. Since I didn't have a prince, I announced the abolition of the East Palace Guards and added the original guards to the Beiya Imperial Guards, which expanded the Forbidden Army. The title of the East Palace Guards was shelved until today."

"Fifteen years ago, I didn't have the ability to shake the family, but today, everything is different."

"Now...I give this task to you, King Guangling of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

Fang Weihan: "..."

He suddenly asked: "Is this why you don't establish a prince?"

"Just one of those things."

Fang Zun replied calmly.

"His Royal Highness Prince Guangling, what do you think of this official position now?"

After Fang Weihan understood the whole story, he couldn't help but admire Fang Zun's foresight.

When he first came to the throne, he planned the use of this force led by the East Palace Guards. The fact that he has been able to hide these trump cards for fifteen years shows his calmness.

Judging from the attitude and patience with which Fang Zun talked to him just now, he didn't even regard himself as a junior or a minister, but as an equal partner.

This may be the result of the complex network of interests involved in Fang Weihan.

Otherwise, just by asking Fang Weihan bluntly, "Why don't you establish a crown prince?", he could have someone cut him off.

I have to say that today's conversation made Fang Weihan understand Fang Zun to a higher level.

"Fourth uncle, I will do this."

Fang Weihan solemnly agreed to Fang Zun's request.

Rebuilding the East Palace Guards will not only enhance the power of the royal family, but also allow him to directly control the army and have the ability to protect himself in the future chaos. It is a win-win choice, and he has no reason not to agree.

"But I have a few conditions."

he added.

"explain."

The emperor looked at him calmly, with unclear meaning in his deep and dark eyes.

"First, I need all the taxes from Guangling County."

"Oh, that's right. This was originally your thing. Now that you are leading the army, it's time to give it back to you."

Fang Zun agreed directly.

"I will order the Shangshu Mansion to take charge of this matter soon. But you have to be mentally prepared. The imperial court's tax collection in Guangling County is very low, and most of the taxes are not paid to me."

"Where did that go?" Fang Weihan was a little confused.

"Ask your ex-fiancée."

Fang Weihan: "..."

"Second, no matter what actions I make in the future, I will do my best to protect me in court battles."

He continued to add.

Fang Zun nodded: "It should be so."

"Third and last thing."

Fang Weihan raised his head and made a request that surprised Fang Zun.

"I want to go into Hanzhen Hall to pick something up."

"Is this the request?"

Fang Zun couldn't help but laugh.

Let him choose, even if Hanzhen Palace is emptied, what's the harm?

"I'm sure."

(End of this chapter)