Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 686 I haven't made a move yet

A fight, or rather a one-sided beating ended, and the whole process was horrific.

There were more than a hundred people lying in a mess on the open field, most of them were motionless, while some were still wailing and groaning.

Because both sides were fighting with sticks, there were no large patches of blood on the ground. However, this does not mean that there were no casualties.

On the contrary, it was later found that dozens of sailors on the ship were killed and almost everyone was injured. The soldiers seemed to be no different from ordinary people, and the fight was not a formal battle, but the so-called "professionalism" was clearly revealed in this fight.

In front of a tight military formation, the scattered soldiers and brave warriors, though not completely useless, can be said to be insignificant.

These hastily assembled teams were no match for the Tax Police Corps. What was even more terrifying was that the soldiers of the Tax Police Corps knew that this military exercise was of great importance, and they were all trying their best!

He hits people with all his might, fearing that he won’t be able to kill them!

Daqinmao, who witnessed the whole process on the makeshift viewing platform, was so surprised that he couldn't close his mouth.

Daqinmao didn't mean to think that Fang Chongyong would fool him, but he played so seriously and seemingly killed quite a few people. Isn't that a little too much?
This kind of fierce and powerful army... is indeed used to accomplish great things!
At this moment, Daqinmao's heart was burning with passion.

"Your Majesty, the Bianzhou Army is indeed worthy of its reputation!"

Daqinmao laughed loudly. After the "inspection", he was obviously very satisfied.

Fang Zhongyong waved his hand calmly, stood up, put his hands on his hips, and looked at the mess on the empty field.

He laughed loudly and said, "It's okay. Bohai is a friendly vassal of the Tang Dynasty. We have always been as close as family. Now that Bohai has no ruler, it is only natural for the Tang Dynasty to help a virtuous person to rule Xiande Mansion."

"Then I will thank the emperor on behalf of the people of Bohai."

Daqinmao suppressed his inner excitement, bowed to Chongyong, and saluted him, with his waist bent almost to 90 degrees.

Fang Chongyong's face was calm as he accepted the salute. He left Da Qinmao alone for more than ten seconds, and when he saw that the other party was unwilling to straighten up and speak, he helped Da Qinmao up.

"In the future, the Tang Dynasty will also be able to use the Bohai Kingdom. This commander is indeed helping you, but I am also helping the Tang Dynasty. Do you understand this principle?"

"I understand, I understand. I understand very well. When I am firmly seated on the throne of Bohai State, I will do whatever the emperor wants me to do."

Daqinmao immediately patted his chest to show his loyalty, without any ambiguity.

"Well, that's great. Spring ploughing is approaching, and Bohai's military strength is weak at this time. It's better to start early rather than late. After a few days, when the food and ships are ready, we can go to war."

Fang Chongyong said it nonchalantly, as if he was talking about where we were going to have a meal in a few days, and it didn't sound like he was talking about a major operation that would affect the Northeast for decades.

It can be said to be a piece of cake!
Daqinmao left with many thanks, as he still had a lot of things to do.

Fang Chongyong decided to send troops and that was it. He certainly would not lead the team himself, but Daqinmao had a lot of things to consider.

Logistics, weather and monsoon, sea conditions on the route, military intelligence of Bohai State, news from the palace of Xiandefu, etc. Daqinmao must not miss any of them.

Of course, you have to take care of your own affairs yourself to ensure that things develop in the direction you want.

People who rely on luck for everything will eventually fail due to bad luck even if they succeed temporarily by chance.

After Daqinmao left, Fang Chongyong returned to the study room of Dengzhou government office, dismissed all the outsiders, and then called Cui Qianyou for questioning.

Just like doing business, after Fang Zhongyong has secured the customer, he naturally needs to prepare the "goods" so that the deal can go on and not fail halfway.

Sending Cui Qianyou to lead troops to attack the Bohai Kingdom seemed to be an unintentional move, but in fact it had a profound meaning and was a conspiracy to adjust internal factions.

This was done by Fang Zhongyong to prevent himself from being taken hostage by the Silver Spear Filial Piety Clique's army in the future, and he was also digging the soil and planting trees.

If all the younger brothers under a big brother are a group of people, then the big brother is often just a mascot supported by these younger brothers. Only by bringing in another group of people to balance the original brothers under his command can the position of the boss be stable.

But no one could say anything about this operation.

If the big brother has new followers and new businesses, it only means that the big brother has a wide range of connections and is successful, not that he is deliberately suppressing his former followers.

If Fang Zhongyong did not dig a new hole to plant trees, he would have to deliberately stir up internal conflicts among the Silver Spear Filial Piety faction generals and let them fight to the death. This would certainly not be hidden from anyone with a discerning eye.

Once the big brother did this, the younger brothers would understand and realize that the big brother was no longer able to control the situation. On the surface, no one would say anything, but when it was time to charge in the future, these younger brothers would hold back and would not rush forward with all their strength.

If people's hearts are broken, it will be difficult to lead the team.

While Fang Zhongyong was in a daze, Cui Qianyou clasped his fists and asked him, "Sir, was today's drill worthy of your attention?"

He had issued a death order last night. If anyone failed to execute the order in rehearsal, Cui Qianyou would order his personal guards to execute that person upon returning to the camp.

Anyone who stands in his way of promotion and wealth is his enemy! Not his subordinates!
Looking back today, the emergency mobilization last night was indeed effective. Between getting promoted and making money and being lenient, the soldiers decisively chose the former.

"Yes, I am very satisfied. I summoned you here today for this matter."

Fang Zhongyong nodded calmly.

"Uh, may I ask, what is it?"

Cui Qianyou had already vaguely guessed something, but he was not sure.

"Send troops to Bohai State and support Daqinmao to seize the position of king."

Fang Zhongyong said seriously, took out a map from the large cabinet behind him, and nailed it to the wall.

"This……"

After looking at the place names marked above and the dense annotations, Cui Qianyou discovered that Fang Chongyong had been planning this for a long time and had already made arrangements, just waiting for the right time to take action!

While he was still looking at the map, Fang Zhongyong began to explain, "The first step of the plan is to take a sea ship and land at the port of Longyuanfu in Dongjing, Bohai State, and occupy Yanzhou City on the coast. Then you will escort Daqinmao to Qingzhou City, the seat of Longyuanfu, where there will be an insider to pick you up."

"understood."

Cui Qianyou nodded. He understood immediately that this time he was not going to gnaw bones, as someone had already paved the way.

"I'm here to tell you the key points."

Fang Chongyong found a thin wooden stick, walked forward, pointed at the map, and explained to Cui Qianyou where the core of this battle was.

During the long-term maritime trade between Bianzhou and Bohai State, Daqinmao had used maritime trade to establish contact with officials of Longyuan Prefecture. After several years of infiltration, he almost semi-publicly controlled Longyuan Prefecture.

As soon as the troops from Bianzhou arrive, Longyuan Prefecture will immediately break away from the Bohai court, announce the news of Da Menyi's death (in fact, the officials already knew about it, but just didn't expose it), and issue a manifesto accusing Da Menyi's son of murdering the king.

Next, Longyuan Prefecture will be used as the base to continue to provide logistics for the army. Finally, Cui Qianyou will lead his elite troops over the mountains and quickly attack Xiande Prefecture in Zhongjing. Daqin Mao will accompany the army.

Since the old ruler Daimon Omega has died and the new ruler has not yet appeared, his control over the domestic military must be very limited.

According to Fang Chongyong's speculation, the troops of various prefectures in Bohai State are likely to remain on the side of whoever wins in the end and will not act rashly.

So although the tax police corps led by Cui Qianyou may seem small in number, they are actually the key force that determines victory or defeat.

The possibility of a massive killing spree is very, very small. Of course, there are all kinds of accidents on the battlefield, and no one dares to say that there will be no accidents, let alone a sure win.

All I can say is that if the odds of winning are high enough, then I'll take a gamble, that's all. War is all about betting on probability. After listening to Fang Zhongyong's explanation, Cui Qianyou let out a long sigh, and his heart finally settled down.

He clasped his fists and asked for battle: "Please rest assured, if we lose this battle, Cui doesn't have to live in disgrace in this world. I can just commit suicide to apologize."

Cui Qianyou knew that Fang Chongyong was giving him a good job.

Going to Bohai to help Daqinmao seize the throne may seem dangerous, but it is actually a win without effort. Because there are probably very few soldiers in Bohai who have the will to fight. The private armies of those competitors may be the biggest enemy.

As for the official army of Bohai State, as long as Cui Qianyou was not crazy enough to deliberately provoke them, with Daqinmao around, these troops would stay quietly in their respective cities and pretend that they saw nothing.

When Daqinmao becomes the king and issues an imperial edict, these generals will naturally go to Zhongjing Xiande Mansion to pay respect to the new king. By then, everyone will know what to reward according to merit, and no one will be dissatisfied.

It cannot be said that there are no idiots in the world, but the majority of people are normal-minded. A general of the Bohai Kingdom who would fight to the death with Daqinmao is probably harder to find than a three-legged toad.

In other words, this was the plan that Daqinmao had set up over the past few years, from sending Dazhenhui to Fang Chongyong, to infiltrating Longyuan Mansion, all he was waiting for was Damen Yi's death!

When Da Menyi was still alive, he was the ruler of the Bohai Kingdom appointed by the Tang Dynasty, and his influence was still there.

If Daqinmao suddenly launched an attack, it would be a slap in the face of the Tang Dynasty, and it would be difficult for the generals in the Bohai Kingdom to pretend not to see it.

But now that Damen Yi is dead, the legitimacy of the Bohai regime is no longer officially recognized by the Tang Dynasty. If any of Damen Yi's sons want to succeed him, they must get the nod from the Tang Dynasty.

They must at least obtain the Tang Dynasty's edict of enthronement so that they can become the legitimate ruler.

Otherwise you are a traitor!

Daqinmao took advantage of this loophole and used Fang Chongyong to steal the legitimacy of the Bohai Kingdom's ruler!
Daqinmao had no idea where Damenyi's sons were going to get the Tang Dynasty's enthronement edict.

But if he wanted to get it, all he needed was Fang Zhongyong’s nod, which was really too easy.

The price was a bit high, and they had to cede Longyuan Prefecture in Tokyo to allow the Bianzhou army to be stationed there. In the future, they would not be able to get rid of Fang Zhongyong's control, and they would still have to be obedient subjects. When the Bianzhou government needed them, they would have to pay when they needed money, and send people when they needed people.

Otherwise, since Fang Chongyong was able to support Da Qinmao to become the ruler, the Bianzhou Army of Longyuan Prefecture could also pull Da Qinmao down from the position of ruler and replace him with someone else!
This kind of war, with both civil and military attacks and finally sending troops to settle the matter, is a real war! If every battle is fought like this, how can we lose?
Cui Qianyou couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

If he was just armed and commanding the battle formations, he would be no problem at all. But using an old fox like Daqinmao as a chess piece and implementing a strategic layout was not something that an ordinary soldier could do.

Cui Qianyou recalled how Fang Youde had supported Da Menyi to seize the throne of the Bohai Kingdom. In comparison, Fang Zhongyong's tactics were more sophisticated and his control was stronger.

Of course, how Daqinmao convinces his subjects and explains why he should cede Longyuan Prefecture is his own business.

"Go ahead. This is a major event that will affect the next few decades. After we take care of Bohai State, we will have a place to stay in the north of Hebei.

In the future, dealing with Shi Siming will be a piece of cake.”

Fang Zhongyong made a gesture of turning his palm over.

"Understood, I will go down and prepare now."

Cui Qianyou clasped his fists.

"Pay attention to military discipline. Once we get to Longyuan Prefecture, we won't be short of the rare specialties there.

This time, all the rewards were provided by the seaport of Longyuan Prefecture and transported directly to the treasury of Dengzhou. The soldiers would not guard the border in Longyuan Prefecture, so don't think about stealing things, it's not convenient to take them.

When the army returns to Dengzhou, there will naturally be rewards, so that they won’t be greedy.”

Fang Zhongyong couldn't help but remind him.

It is better not to have too high expectations for the ideological awareness of the soldiers of this era. Only military law can be trusted.

When the Bianzhou army goes to the Bohai Kingdom, they have to behave like the "Heavenly Kingdom's Royal Army" and pay attention to their table manners when eating!

Since they have already obtained the benefits they deserve, they have to do the surface work well. Having already captured Longyuan Prefecture, it would be too low-class to go on a spree of looting and smashing, and would be despised by the people of Bohai State.

Since he is a "god", he must behave like a "god", and enforcing orders is the minimum requirement.

Fang Chongyong has already made it clear that whoever commits a crime will be killed without mercy.

"Don't worry, sir. I know what's going on."

Cui Qianyou sneered.

If anyone is blind this time, even if Fang Zhongyong doesn't want to deal with it, he will deal with it in advance to avoid it getting out and causing embarrassment.

……

The moon crescents over Jiuzhou, making some families happy and others sad.

When Cui Qianyou, who was leading his troops in Dengzhou and preparing to go to Bohai State to make great plans, was so excited that he couldn't sleep, An Shouzhong, who was staying in the palace in Luoyang City, couldn't sleep either.

But he was not excited, but afraid.

Recently, every hour, a personal soldier would come here to report to him the military situation of the three cities of Heyang. At this moment, it seemed that it was time for the next personal soldier to come here to report.

As expected, An Shouzhong, who was sitting restlessly in the Mingtang, waited for the next personal soldier to arrive. He saw that the other party was leading a messenger, who knelt on the ground and trembled with fear when he saw him.

An Shouzhong had a bad feeling in his heart, but he didn't say anything. He just waved his hand gently, signaling his soldiers to go out.

"What's the military situation?"

An Shouzhong asked in a low voice, his face calm, but his voice full of exhaustion.

"Reporting to the Marshal, the three cities of Heyang have been lost."

The messenger knelt on the ground and said tremblingly, fearing that An Shouzhong would take his anger out on him.

"Go and have a rest, and don't make this public."

An Shouzhong said helplessly, as if he had already accepted his fate.

The unfortunate man who was kneeling on the ground and trembling, felt as if he had been pardoned, and left Luoyang Palace in disgrace. When he walked out of the palace gate, he felt that he had just walked around the gates of hell, and his legs and feet were still shaking.

An Shouzhong, who was still sitting on the dragon throne in the Mingtang, had a slight smile on his face.

Yes, it looked like he was about to lose.

But did he really lose?
The smile on An Shouzhong's face turned into a sneer.

What's there to lose? He hasn't even made a move in this wave!

An Shouzhong admitted that he had underestimated the Konghe Army before and had gotten a little too proud of himself. However, war has a rhythm. The Konghe Army fought all the way from Zezhou to Huaizhou, and from Huaizhou to the three cities of Heyang.

Isn't it time for the old soldiers in the division to get tired?
An Shouzhong decided that he would immediately let this little brat Li Huaiguang see what military strategy is!

He stood up and walked out of the hall. Dark clouds covered the moon in the sky, and the distance was as black as ink.

(End of this chapter)