Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 710 If I had known today, why bother?
Late at night, in the study of the Bianzhou government office, Che Guangqian stood beside Fang Chongyong with a conflicted look on her face, while Zhang Guangsheng held the hilt of the knife in his hand, but did not unsheathe it.

Two personal soldiers were guarding Li Guiren, who was tied up tightly, and they looked like they wanted to laugh but didn't dare to.

Fang Chongyong glanced at Li Guiren, who had a pale face and was forced to the ground without saying a word. For a moment, he could not find the words to describe his feelings at the moment, and he didn't know what to say to the other party.

"Li Guiren, have you eaten?"

After holding it in for a long time, Fang Zhongyong finally managed to utter such a sentence. Da Congming beside him couldn't help laughing out loud, and then tried hard to cover his mouth.

"Fang Qing, a gentleman can be killed but not humiliated! If you want to kill him, just kill him. Why bother making sarcastic remarks?"

Li Guiren raised his head, looked at Fang Chongyong, and shouted unwillingly, his eyes full of anger.

"It looks like he hasn't eaten yet. Someone, come and take him to the woodshed to eat something. If there's anything, it won't be too late to talk after he's full."

Fang Zhongyong waved his hand nonchalantly with a gentle attitude.

The two guards who had been eager to try dragged Li Guiren away, leaving everyone in the room staring at each other in an extremely awkward atmosphere.

I thought it was a reward for completing a level, but I didn't expect it to be given to me just by clicking.

The contrast was so great that everyone felt frustrated as if their power gauge was emptied but they couldn't use any special moves.

"what happened?"

After Li Guiren left, Fang Chongyong looked at Che Guangqian and asked.

“Reporting to the commander, Shi Siming secretly persuaded Li Guiren’s subordinates to rebel collectively, and now he has captured Yecheng.

Afterwards, Shi Siming sent someone to send Li Guiren to the Yinqiang Xiaojie camp in Huazhou.

The matter was of great importance, so I dared not neglect it, and personally escorted him back to Kaifeng. This is roughly what happened. As for the details, you have to ask Li Guiren himself. I don’t know more details. ”

Che Guangqian spread his hands. His inner feelings were actually similar to Fang Zhongyong's. They both thought that this matter was too ridiculous.

They were trying to figure out how to deal with Li Guiren, and were planning to launch a surprise attack on Youzhou, and were also planning to take advantage of Shi Siming's return to defend the city to tear out the tiger's heart!
As a result, Shi Siming actually executed Li Guiren and sent him directly to Bianzhou!
How should we evaluate this matter?
To be fair, Shi Siming has always been like this, with no tolerance for others, and he has a history of deceiving the leaders of foreign races in border towns.

Li Guiren was trying to get the skin of a tiger and it was entirely his own fault.

Back then, Li Guiren had done Shi Siming a disservice by falsely surrendering to him and causing him to fall off the city wall, almost to death. Later, because Shi Siming was seriously injured, Shi Chaoyi, who had long been dissatisfied, rebelled, and Shi Siming took many years to suppress the rebellion.

People like Cao Cao might be able to let go of this hatred for the sake of greater interests, but Shi Siming could not.

"In this case, should we fight this battle or not?"

Fang Chongyong looked around the crowd and asked.

Che Guangqian, Yan Zhuang, Zhang Guangsheng and others present all looked thoughtful.

In fact, everyone knew that if this battle was to be fought, it would be a bit hasty, after all, the next flood peak had not yet arrived! The flood issue was not over yet.

After the flood, there would probably be plague, and there might even be drought in the summer. After that, it would be the autumn harvest, and at that time, we had to be on guard against Shi Siming crossing the river to plunder.

Things happened one after another.

If we have to prepare for war at the same time, then the test of the Bianzhou court's execution ability will be extremely great!

"General, I think we still need to follow the established plan and give Shi Siming a good beating. Otherwise, we will be in trouble this fall.

Moreover, if other people see how weak we are and how we don’t fight back even when we are bullied, they may have some bad thoughts.

Li Guiren was sent here by Shi Siming, not captured by us. We are still venting our anger and have no way to explain to the insiders.

This is why Shi Siming had such a vicious intention to use us to kill Li Guiren."

Che Guangqian clasped his fists and saluted Fang Chongyong.

I have to say, his analysis makes a lot of sense.

Firstly, preparations for this war had already begun, especially in Dengzhou, and it would be troublesome to stop after starting. Changing orders every day would also damage morale and reduce the prestige of the court.

Secondly, does Fang Zhongyong hate Li Guiren? Does he want revenge?

Actually, that’s not the case, or rather, he and Li Guiren did not have any life-and-death feud.

Li Guiren was killed because it was politically necessary to kill him, not because Fang Chongyong liked killing people, and certainly not for revenge.

The reason for killing Li Guiren and occupying Yecheng was that this time, the army of Yecheng was a real threat to Bianzhou. As for whether it was Li Guiren or Shi Siming who was in charge of Yecheng, it didn't matter at all!

It is enough to know that they are enemies, and if they are enemies, they must be eliminated. How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed?

So the current problem is:

Fighting is necessary, but the court in Bianzhou is not in the best condition, and it is not the best time. It would be best if the war can be delayed until winter.

If we don't fight, the political impact will be very bad, and it will be difficult to delay the autumn harvest. Shi Siming will definitely come to Bianzhou to buy for free in the autumn.

Faced with such a situation, the person who needs to be in control of the overall situation must have vision, intelligence, courage and perseverance to face various situations and make the best choice.

There is no absolute good or bad, it is all about choosing the lesser of two evils. For example, if you are in a hurry to start a war, but you can't win, it is better not to fight.

"Your Majesty, if we don't fight now, when the autumn harvest comes, Shi Siming will definitely go south to Bianzhou to plunder. Then we will fight in Bianzhou.

The war destroyed so many people that it took several years to recover.

Li Guiren's army had just been annexed by Shi Siming, so the morale of his troops must be unstable. Shi Siming's foothold was not yet stable, so it was time to send troops."

Yan Zhuang also suggested fighting.

“We have to fight, but we can’t just fight like this.

The situation is different now, Shi Siming will not give up so easily. "

Fang Zhongyong shook his head slightly and said.

Many things are not as simple as Yan Zhuang said.

They had intended to deal with Li Guiren instead of engaging Shi Siming directly. If the military situation in Youzhou was urgent, Shi Siming would definitely abandon Li Guiren and withdraw his troops.

This is not difficult to understand.

There is a huge gap between Li Guiren's military strength and Shi Siming's military strength.

But now the situation has changed, Yecheng is also directly controlled by Shi Siming. If something happens in Youzhou, Shi Siming may not simply abandon Yecheng, but it is unknown how he will deploy it.

All in all, the difficulty of this battle has actually increased. What is the point of killing Li Guiren, other than venting one's anger?
In order to demonstrate martial virtue, Li Guiren must be captured personally and executed according to law.

"I wonder how the government plans to fight?"

Yan Zhuang asked doubtfully. Military affairs were not his strong point. Li Quan was in the Privy Council handling matters related to sending troops and was not here yet. For a moment, no one understood what Fang Chongyong wanted to do.

"Well, write a letter to Shi Siming to thank him for capturing the insane Li Guiren, who was hated by both humans and gods.

Then... send some gold and silver to show our weakness and make it appear that we are afraid of him."

Fang Chongyong folded his arms and said thoughtfully.

"Showing weakness?"

Everyone asked in unison. They never expected that Fang Zhongyong would show weakness. Showing weakness to someone like Shi Siming would only encourage his arrogance!
"General, different people have different ways of dealing with things. Shi Siming is treacherous and arrogant. Giving him money will only inspire him to go south and invade Bianzhou!
This is no different from feeding meat to a tiger.

If a tiger is locked in a cage, it would be fine to feed it some meat. But Shi Siming is still in the forest, so feeding him meat is not advisable."

Yan Zhuang became anxious and grabbed Fang Zhongyong's sleeve.

“If God wants to destroy someone, he must first make him crazy.

Shi Siming defeated Li Guiren without bloodshed, which would inevitably give people the illusion that all heroes in the world are no more than him.

It is inevitable that you will look down on me and the Bianzhou army.

If I give him some more money and speak respectfully, as if showing fear, Shi Siming will think that I am afraid of him and he will become more arrogant.

Whether he is so arrogant that he directly crosses the river to attack Bianzhou, or ignores what happens in Youzhou, it is beneficial to us.

Che Guangqian, you must return to the camp as soon as possible, withdraw the main camp of Huazhou to Bianzhou, and station at Guoqiao. Let Shi Siming see that someone of ours does not dare to face his edge at all.

Take a step back, make room, and let Shi Siming take two steps forward. "

Fang Zhongyong said in a deep voice, and with a wave of his hand, he decided on a strategy.

He is like this, everyone can speak during the discussion, and no one will be held accountable for any ideas. However, once he makes a decision, he will not hesitate or change his mind overnight.

For non-principle issues, we will not go back or reconsider our strategies.

Fang Chongyong felt that Shi Siming was ten times more cunning than Li Guiren.

Such people are often extremely confident in themselves, and will not listen to the advice of others. They always think that their ideas are the real insights and that others are fools.

The more you give in to him and the more you dare not fight with him, the more arrogant Shi Siming will become.

As the art of war says: First make yourself invincible, then wait for the enemy to be defeated.

Whether you can win often depends on whether your opponent is stupid or makes mistakes. On your side, you can only ensure that you will not lose, and plan the war based on the principle of not losing.

Once Shi Siming became arrogant, he was prone to making mistakes;
Once you make a mistake, it's easy to reveal your flaws;
Once a flaw is revealed, it's time to deliver a critical strike to him!
Fang Chongyong had been managing Bianzhou for many years, with well-trained soldiers, sufficient food and a stable territory. He had plenty of time to fight a protracted war with Shi Siming.

First show weakness to the enemy, make him arrogant, make him forget his own reasons, and thus create an opportunity for battle.

"Understood, I will set off now!"

Che Guangqian clasped his fists and bowed. He knew Fang Zhongyong's temper very well, so he turned around and walked out of the study in the government office without saying a word.

"Mr. Yan, please send an official document to Li Sheng. Everything should proceed as planned."

Fang Chongyong gave Yan Zhuang another instruction.

He gave orders to his trusted followers in the study room one by one, asking them to do their own things. Soon, except for Da Congming, Fang Zhongyong was the only one left.

"Li Guiren should have finished his meal, bring him in. Remember to tie him up with ropes, don't treat him politely.

Li Guiren is the criminal who dug the Yellow River embankment. There is no need to give him any respect."

Fang Chongyong instructed Da Congming.

"Order!"

Da Congming took the order with a smile on his face. He had wanted to give that bastard Li Guiren a kick for a long time, and now was the perfect time to do it.

After a while, Li Guiren, whose mouth was full of food and was interrupted in the middle of his meal, was tied up again and sent to the study in the government office.

Fang Zhongyong did not rush him, but waited patiently for the other to swallow the food in his mouth before asking, "Didn't you join forces with Shi Siming? Why did he take your city, seize your troops, and send you to Bianzhou?"

Fang Zhongyong asked in some confusion.

It seemed that he felt Fang Chongyong was easy to talk to. Li Guiren's desire to live took over. Without a second thought, he knelt down and begged for mercy, "Marshal Fang! I was bewitched and deceived by Shi Siming! He was the one who asked me to dig the Yellow River embankment! I have been in Yecheng for many years. If I wanted to dig, I would have done it long ago. Why wait until now? I was also deceived by Shi Siming!"

Li Guiren bowed his head to the ground, his waist bent like a shrimp, and he cried and sobbed.

This scene is so sad that anyone who hears it will cry. If you don't know what evil things he has done, you might really think that he is innocent.

"Li Guiren, now that you're full, do you just want to tell me this?"

Fang Chongyong looked at Li Guiren, who was tied up but still kneeling on the ground, as if he were a fool. He didn't understand why he was begging for mercy.

What the hell have you been doing so far?
When digging the river bank, we should have thought that this day would eventually come!
Even if the process is different, the result is destined.

Hasn't this guy ever thought that there will be retribution for doing bad things?

"I beg you to spare my life, Marshal. I am willing to be your pioneer and lead the way to pacify Hebei."

Li Guiren pleaded, his voice trembling.

"Thank you for thinking so highly of me. Come, take him to the Dali Temple Prison. Tomorrow, I will hold a public trial in the Dali Temple. Open the gates of the yamen and let the people come in to listen in."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand gently, too lazy to argue with Li Guiren.

"Marshal! Spare my life, I won't dare to do it again! From now on, Li will be your most loyal dog! I will bite whoever you want me to bite!

Spare my life! "

Li Guiren was dragged by two of his personal soldiers, sliding on the ground, shouting and crying, with all the dignity of a soldier gone.

Perhaps his conscience and dignity had been eaten by dogs when he ordered the digging of the Yellow River embankment. No opponent could believe or forgive him for doing such a conscienceless thing.

Why begging for mercy like this?

Seeing Li Guiren screaming loudly, a personal soldier immediately went up and punched him several times in the face, causing his nose to bleed.

Watching Li Guiren being dragged away, Fang Chongyong said to himself, "Misfortunes sent by heaven can be tolerated, but misfortunes brought upon oneself cannot be tolerated. If I had known this would happen, why would I have done it in the first place?"

Shi Siming wanted to kill someone with a borrowed knife, but Fang Chongyong thought it was okay. Li Guiren must be killed, otherwise it would not be enough to appease the public anger. Although Yecheng had not yet been captured, it would not hurt to collect some interest first.

At last, it gave some psychological comfort to the frightened people of Bianzhou.

"Sir, the world is in such a bad state now. These rebels are lawless and committing atrocities, causing great suffering to the people.

Only the government can clean up the situation.

I will serve you wholeheartedly and help you clean up these filth."

Da Congming came to his senses and immediately flattered the horse to express his loyalty.

"It seems that you are good at writing anti-rebellion manifestos. Don't worry, your chance to show your talents will come soon."

Fang Zhongyong patted Dacongming on the shoulder, a cold light flashed in his eyes.

Li Guiren was just an appetizer, Shi Siming was the real deal.

After getting rid of Shi Siming and taking control of Hebei, we can start the decisive battle to unify the world!

This matter can only be handled by someone from the other party.

(End of this chapter)