Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 513: Disturbing the Pool of Autumn Water

"You are Yin Ziqi?"

In the lobby of Beizhou government office, Fang Zhongyong looked Yin Ziqi up and down and asked curiously.

There is a hint of frivolity in the words.

All the generals under Fang Chongyong followed behind him and thought to themselves: This man is finally not "Charlotte".

They held back their laughter and looked away, not looking at Yin Ziqi.

At this moment, the Hebei rebel general had not changed his clothes yet, his body was covered in blood, and he looked a little embarrassed.

He lowered his head and dared not look at Fang Zhongyong. He clasped his fists and saluted, saying, "I am Yin Ziqi."

Seeing that this person still seemed a little unconvinced and did not "kneel down and lick" him, Fang Zhongyong frowned slightly and said:

"Oh, that's not right, I know you.

Back in Ji County, Nan Jiyun led less than 500 soldiers and defeated you who commanded 20,000 troops.

When General Benjie heard Yuan Jie talk about this, he didn't quite believe it and thought he was lying about his military achievements.

But judging from yesterday's battle situation, they should not have lied.

If I had known in advance that you were the one guarding Beizhou, I wouldn't have had to spend so much time planning."

Fang Zhongyong waved his hand casually.

Well, there are many flaws in this statement. The generals behind Fang Zhongyong looked at each other in bewilderment. It seemed that they had learned a new trick to curse people in a roundabout way.

Fang Zhongyong was trying to get close to him, but in fact he was hinting that Yin Ziqi was a fool. In the past, he was defeated by 500 men with 20,000 men. No wonder he lost the granary.

Hearing this, Yin Ziqi was so angry that his face turned purple, but he suppressed his rage and did not dare to lose his temper.

Your life is in the hands of others, and pretending to be cool at this time is just seeking death!

He lowered his head like a wounded beast, almost howling a few times.

Fang Zhongyong felt unhappy when he saw Yin Ziqi like this.

You loser, what's wrong with me mocking you?
"He Lao Hu, send someone to prepare some dry food for General Yin and let him go. Don't stop him wherever he goes."

Fang Zhongyong said calmly, as if he didn't think this was a very important matter at all.

Yin Ziqi was stunned when he heard this. He never expected that the other party would be so easy to talk to!

"General, the enemy general must not be let off lightly!"

He Changqi quickly clasped his fists and bowed to dissuade him.

"Oh, it's alright.

Of course, if we capture Li Guiren, Cai Xide and other rebel generals, we must keep them well under control. Letting them go is like letting a tiger return to the mountains.

But General Yin is harmless, so it's no big deal, just let him go.

We are not murderers, so there is no need to embarrass General Yin."

Hearing Fang Chongyong say this, Yuwen Kuan, the governor of Beizhou who was standing nearby, looked at Yin Ziqi with some sympathy.

The Fang Jieshuai in front of me is really a ruthless person who likes to make sarcastic remarks in a sarcastic tone.

Is harmless to humans and animals used in this context?
Yuwen Kuan, who had been well-read since childhood, felt confused.

But he soon had no time to think about these trivial matters, because Fang Zhongyong really sent someone to send Yin Ziqi out of Qinghe County!
Yuwen Kuan looked at Fang Zhongyong helplessly, secretly blaming himself for being a little slow in thinking.

However, he saw that Fang Zhongyong was looking at him with a half-smile, so he could only sigh and say, "Please come to the study of the Marshal's Mansion to have a chat."

Fang Zhongyong nodded in satisfaction and followed Yuwen Kuan to the government office. As soon as he sat down, Yuwen Kuan handed him a map and said:

"Huangfu Weiming plans to go south to Bianzhou in early winter this year, and this map is the grain transportation route map.

Bozhou, Weizhou, Xiangzhou, and Weizhou each had a military route and a grain route, all of which were supplied by Beizhou through the canal.

As for the specific plan, I am not aware of it."

Yuwen Kuan told Fang Chongyong everything he knew about the military situation.

Yin Ziqi was a bit slow-witted, and perhaps he didn't realize how powerful Fang Chongyong was. But Yuwen Kuan was born in an official family, and he had been exposed to Fang Chongyong's skills since he was a child. He knew a lot about Fang Chongyong's high-end skills of killing people without bloodshed.

If Fang Zhongyong lets Yin Ziqi go back, the latter will definitely go to Huangfu Weiming and push all the responsibility onto Yuwen Kuan.

I guess they would say something like the governor of Beizhou had secret dealings with the enemy commander, which led to the rapid fall of Beizhou and that the responsibility was not his.

Otherwise, Yin Ziqi would definitely be beheaded by Huangfu Weiming as a warning to others.

In this way, once Yuwen Kuan returned to Yecheng, it would be difficult for Huangfu Weiming to let him go because of their personal relationship.

Even if Yuwen Kuan and Yin Ziqi confronted each other, the result would most likely be that both of them would be beheaded. If Yuwen Kuan did not return, Huangfu Weiming knew that now was the time to use people, so he could only listen to one side and let Yin Ziqi make meritorious contributions while guilty.

Even if Yuwen Kuan was not responsible for the loss of Beizhou, he could not explain it clearly.

Fang Chongyong used this method to block all of Yuwen Kuan's escape routes.

"The old villain Huangfu has a good plan. He attacks from all four directions.

Once the army is mobilized, it will be like a mountain falling on one's head. Even if Han Xin were resurrected and Bai Qi were alive again, they would not be able to turn the tide. "

Fang Zhongyong snorted coldly.

"That's exactly what the old villain Huangfu planned, but despite all his calculations, he still didn't expect that the general would force his way across the Yellow River and attack them by surprise!"

Yuwen Kuan couldn't help but flatter.

"You are quite good at talking."

Fang Zhongyong stood up, looked at Yuwen Kuan and smiled, "But this commander also hopes that you can do things as well. Send someone to notify all counties and towns in Beizhou now, and ask the northern warehouses to open and release grain! You will take care of this matter yourself!"

ha?
Yuwen Kuan thought he had heard it wrong.

"General, how do we open the warehouses to release the grain?"

He asked somewhat confused.

"Open the granary and empty it out. You can handle the details.

This is called the wind blowing the eggshell, the money is gone but the people are happy. "

Fang Zhongyong was in a good mood and even teased Yuwen Kuan.

"Empty it? What will the government eat?"

Yuwen Kuan asked back with a confused look on his face, almost blurting out the question.

He didn't understand what Fang Chongyong was thinking. The government had to operate, but without money and food, how could it maintain its operations?

"If you can't bear to part with this Beizhou governor, you can wait in Qinghe County for Huangfu Weiming to come to Beizhou, and then ask him for food and money in person."

Fang Zhongyong slowly said this and strode out of the government office's study.

Yuwen Kuan was horrified.

Fuck, he almost forgot that Fang Chongyong came to Hebei just to hang out and leave, and he had no intention of retaining the territory. Since the other party had no intention of occupying the territory, why would Fang Chongyong care about how the local government operated?

Yuwen Kuan suddenly felt that Fang Zhongyong had a kind of "elegant cruelty".

He didn't beat, scold or kill indiscriminately, but he did everything to the extreme without leaving any room for mercy.

……

Four long lines formed in front of the granary on the south bank of the canal in Qinghe County. They were all people from Bozhou, waiting for the government granary to release grain. At this moment, they had simple smiles on their faces, and were telling rustic dirty jokes in groups of two or three, and they were all in a very relaxed mood.

Only a very few people had sad faces, as if they were worried about something bad.

At this time, Fang Zhongyong rode a horse and led a few soldiers to check here. Che Guangqian, who was organizing the distribution of grain, hurried forward and saluted, saying: "General, so far everything is normal. But the granary is too big, it will be difficult to empty the grain and fodder in a short time."

"Give me the iron horn."

Fang Zhongyong nodded calmly without saying any nonsense.

Che Guangqian handed the iron horn in her hand to Fang Chongyong, and was also very curious about what the other party was going to do.

"My fellow villagers, I am Fang Qing, the governor of Xuanwu Army.

The Silver Spear Filial Piety Army is the team guarding the six prefectures in Henan. We have no way of staying in Beizhou and Bozhou for a long time.

You guys should hurry up and collect the food. The bandit troops under Huangfu Weiming may arrive in Beizhou at any time."

After these words were spoken, some people in the crowd suddenly started crying.

"Marshal Fang, you can't leave!"

"Yes, yes, we have finally waited for the dawn, what are we going to do when you are gone?"

Just like a few drops of hot water falling into a frying pan, the crowd queuing for food immediately became boiling.

Bang! Bang!
Che Guangqian on the side started beating the gong frantically, and the crowd finally quieted down.

"I am worried that after we leave, the bandit army under Huangfu Weiming may come to the village and forcibly collect grain from you.

Anyone who comes here to collect food today may be treated as a mob, and then the whole family will die!

So those who are afraid of death, put down the food, and now you can go home empty-handed. "

Fang Zhongyong shouted while holding up an iron loudspeaker.

He thought many people would leave, but he overlooked the fact that this was the Tang Dynasty, not the Song Dynasty, and the people were full of courage and bravery, and the martial spirit was prevalent.

Someone immediately shouted, "We killed someone last night anyway, so let's follow Fang Jieshuai! What if the old thief Huangfu comes? Damn him!"

Fang Zhongyong glanced at Che Guangqian in surprise, as if asking: Is this the agent you sent out?
Che Guangqian shook his head slowly and waved his hand gently, indicating that this matter had nothing to do with him.

This is a wild rebel!

Fang Chongyong was secretly surprised. Hebei was indeed a powder keg that could be ignited at any time!

"Eat his mother, drink his mother, Fang Qing is here and won't pay any grain!

As long as Marshal Ji is in Bozhou, no one can touch us!"

Someone else shouted loudly, and it sounded like it was a scam.

Fang Zhongyong glanced at Che Guangqian, who whispered, "General Jie, the people's hearts can be used."

Seeing that there seemed to be no need for the "atmosphere group" to incite, Fang Zhongyong continued to shout to the crowd: "This commander is outside Qinghe County, and has prepared weapons and crossbows. You go home with your weapons, and form associations in the villages and countryside to protect yourselves! Kill the bandits when they come, and even if the old thief Huangfu comes, you will not be slaughtered like pigs and sheep! Those who are willing to lead the weapons will follow this commander!"

After hearing this, the crowd quieted down and did not move.

The farmers have basic survival wisdom, and most of them understand that after receiving the food, they can still use the excuse that "the law does not hold everyone responsible".

But accepting weapons is equivalent to actively participating in the rebellion.

This is a road of no return.

These people were a little hesitant for a moment.

"Everyone, you killed a lot of granary guards last night, right? That was nearly two thousand people!

When the old thief Huangfu comes, will he not investigate these things? By then, he won't care whether he has wronged you or not!
Are you pinning your hopes on the old thief Huangfu to play dumb?"

Che Guangqian snatched the iron horn from Fang Zhongyong and shouted to the crowd.

"Good! With the weapon, I can have someone to take with me before I die!"

A strong man walked out of the team and ran to Fang Chongyong.

Led by him, strong men came out one after another, many of them with blood on their bodies.

Fang Zhongyong knew clearly that they had broken the precept of killing last night. Killing one person yesterday was killing, and killing one person tomorrow was also killing. There was no turning back.

As long as he had weapons in his hands, he would still have a fighting chance when Huangfu Weiming led his troops to Bozhou to settle accounts. If he was unarmed, he would be at the mercy of others.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Fang Chongyong mounted his horse and headed towards the wooden bridge at the ferry.

There was a long line behind him.

Soon, Fang Zhongyong arrived at the south gate of Qinghe County, and saw Yuwen Kuan directing the county officials and soldiers to arrange boxes of horizontal swords, wooden spears, wooden crossbows, crossbow arrows, etc.

And the number is still increasing. It is surrounded by simple wooden fences. He Changqi and his guards are guarding here to prevent villains from taking the opportunity to steal weapons.

Yuwen Kuan saw that Fang Chongyong had already dismounted from his horse, and looked as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. But in the end, he swallowed what he wanted to say and just saluted Fang Chongyong with his arms crossed.

He Changqi, on the other hand, did not shy away from it. He stepped forward, clasped his fists and saluted, and asked in a low voice, "General, are you really going to give weapons to those rioters?"

He didn't quite understand.

In fact, from the founding of the Tang Dynasty to the Tianbao period, the stockpiles of cold weapons were already in serious excess. The armory in Chang'an City could easily arm 500,000 light infantry. Of course, although there were many weapons, consumables were relatively insufficient, and a large amount of arrows, fierce fire oil and other items had to be replenished every year.

A large number of weapons are also stored in the warehouses of the provincial capitals.

This is also the important reason why we only heard about people starving to death but not about the army's lack of weapons during the period from the Anshi Rebellion to the separatist rule of the feudal lords.

As the "Northern Storehouse of the World", Beizhou not only stored grain, fodder and silk, but also a large amount of weapons, with an inventory far greater than that of ordinary prefectures.

Based on the principle that it is better to beat the children on a rainy day than to have nothing else to do, Fang Zhongyong waved his hand and decided to open the armory of Beizhou "by the way".

So that the people of Bozhou who come to collect food can also be given a knife.

I believe that when Huangfu Weiming sent troops to Beizhou and Bozhou to "suppress the rebellion", the expression on his face must have been very interesting.

"What mob? They are Hebei heroes!

You know nothing. Huangfu Weiming wants to kill them, but he doesn't allow the heroes to hold a knife in their hands!"

Fang Zhongyong scolded in a low voice.

"That's not right, General Jie. We were the ones who asked them to come get food and fodder, and we were also the ones who gave them weapons. Isn't this a bit..."

He Changqi thought for a long time and didn't know what words to use to summarize it.

Isn't this hypocrisy?

He Changqi thought to himself.

He was about to speak, but heard Fang Zhongyong scold him: "If you can't speak, shut up!"

Fang Zhongyong walked up with a smile on his face, handed a horizontal sword to a farmer who was lining up to lead the soldiers, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Hold the sword tightly in your hand, and protect your family!"

"Thank you, General Fang!"

The farmer was so moved that he was at a loss for words. He imitated He Changqi and others and saluted Fang Chongyong. As a result, he lost his grip on the knife and dropped it to the ground. He picked it up with a silly smile and held it in his arms, as if he was afraid that the knife would be snatched away.

Left in a hurry.

Watching his departing figure, Fang Zhongyong murmured to himself and sighed, "Not teaching the people to fight is to abandon them! If I die now, I will die. If I make a big plan, I will die too. Is it okay to wait for death and die with the country?"

He looked at the farmers who were waiting to receive their weapons with anticipation, and couldn't help but sighed in a low voice: "Forget it, there has never been a savior. Happiness can only be carved out with your own hands, one sword at a time."

(End of this chapter)