Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 744: Officials Care About Their Reputation
Many things, many matters, before they are completed, the half-baked appearance is often very funny.

For example, the imperial palace in Bianliang City was like this.

A few years ago, the palace walls of such a large palace were much higher than the city walls.

It stands on the bank of the canal, with nothing around it, looking different and abrupt. Merchants and travelers coming and going can't help but joke with others when they see it. Many people even urinate on the side of the city wall to "declare their presence."

However, only a few years later, the imperial city and palace city of Bianliang City had been completed, and the outer city walls were about to be closed. At this time, the ferry near the imperial palace had become a ferry within the city.

The palace was majestic and the imperial city was well-maintained. People passing by could not help but remain silent, as they were intimidated by the tall palace.

People then discovered that through the construction of the new capital, the long-lost imperial majesty seemed to be slowly being established again. The magnificent imperial city in front of them was itself a manifestation of strength.

However, this majesty no longer belongs to the Li Tang royal family.

People outside the palace felt that it was majestic and could not be violated. However, the new emperor Li Qi who lived inside felt that it was a huge cage that trapped him and made him unable to move.

It is really hard to describe the thousands of feelings, just like a river of spring water flowing eastward.

Just as night fell that day, Li Qi was reading a vernacular novel commonly seen in the streets of Bianzhou in the imperial study. He looked dissatisfied and kept shaking his head and sighing.

"In the end, it's all about a poor boy studying hard and getting married to a daughter of a rich family. The rest of the story is also clichéd, with the protagonist passing the imperial examination, being appreciated by the government, and becoming an official in the government. He then marries the daughter of a rich family and lives a very happy life."

He put down the thread-bound book in his hand, feeling mixed emotions.

In recent years, many new things have appeared, such as this inconspicuous "thread-bound book".

In the past, books were preserved in the form of "volumes", and this is how the saying "read through ten thousand volumes" came about.

The reason for storing books in scrolls is that books are often exposed to moisture and need to be taken out to dry and well preserved. "Scrolls" are obviously easier to store and maintain than thread-bound books.

In fact, important official documents are still stored in the form of "rolls".

However, there are no such things as folk stories, legendary novels and other "cultural fast food". With Fang Qing's five-year layout, the papermaking industry in Bianzhou has now shown a blowout development trend, and the cost of paper has continued to fall.

As the reform of the imperial examination system was gradually advancing, the demand for ink, paper, woodblocks and other items among the people was also increasing. A commercial port must have the foundation of a commercial port. Not only did it trade here, but the local output was also very considerable.

Nowadays, the folk stories in Bianzhou also show signs of "industrialization", and naturally, the plots are also inevitably "homogenized".

Li Qi stayed in Yangzhou for several years. Although it was prosperous there, there was no sign of the rapid changes in everything in Bianzhou. It must be said that Fang Qing was a great talent, very extraordinary.

"It would have been better if the official had been born fifty years earlier."

Li Qi shook his head and muttered to himself, trying to calm himself down because he heard footsteps outside.

Soon, Huo Xianming came in, bowed to Li Qi and said, "Your Majesty, is this a secret letter sent by the emperor?"

Fang Qing?

Li Qi sat up straight unconsciously, took the letter and read it, and immediately his brows frowned.

He looked at Huo Xianming, then at the letter, and asked casually, "You've read the letter, right? What do you say?"

This letter did not have sealing wax, so it was actually open to anyone who read it. Huo Xianming was not Li Qi's confidant, so he naturally read it.

To put it bluntly, Huo Xianming is now the chief steward of the palace, and was left by Fang Qing to monitor Li Qi. Huo Xianming can only survive if he joins Fang Qing, and Li Qi has his own trusted eunuchs, so it is impossible for him to accept Huo Xianming.

"Your Majesty, I would like to ask you what you think."

Huo Xianming said cautiously.

Although he did not have to please Li Qi, the other party was the emperor after all. There was no problem in killing him, a eunuch. At most, he would be beaten up by Fang Qing, but he would not be seriously injured.

"Li Qi's family will go south to Guangzhou from the Grand Canal Ferry at midnight tonight. There are spies from the emperor with him. What is the meaning of the emperor telling me this?"

Li Qi asked as if talking to himself.

I heard that the current governor of Guangzhou is Zhang Jiuling's younger brother Zhang Jiugao, who is also an old bureaucrat during the Kaiyuan period. Guangzhou, or the Lingnan area, has an extremely ambiguous attitude towards the Central Plains dispute. They just keep developing themselves and don't listen to anyone's orders.

At present, the various factions in the Central Plains are fighting each other, and no one has the spare energy to extend their tentacles to Guangzhou. Even the most powerful court in Bianzhou is also working hard to manage the territory in the south of the Yangtze River, and will not send troops to Lingnan for at least ten years.

It seems obvious what Li Wei wants to do when he takes his family to Guangzhou.

Does Fang Qing feel embarrassed about dealing with Li Wei?

It’s not difficult at all, and can even be done quietly.

But he just wanted to write a letter to Li Qi and let the emperor make the decision. On the surface, he was respecting Li Qi, but in fact, he was forcing the emperor to express his opinion.

Should we take action against members of the Li Tang royal family?

If Li Qi cannot handle the matter properly, Fang Chongyong will have to deal with it decisively!

To put it simply: being shameless when given the chance.

"I understand."

Li Qi spread out a large piece of paper, wrote a note, and without avoiding Huo Xianming, handed it directly to the other party.

"You can go to the Kaifeng government office and hand it over to the government. The government will do what it sees fit. I will not interfere any more."

Li Qi looked worried and couldn't help wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

Huo Xianming said nothing, bowed and left. After leaving the palace, he could not help but open the note, which only had four words written on it:
Cut off the roots!

Huo Xianming was shocked, and then he burst into laughter.

Li Wei might hate Fang Qing, but he definitely didn't hate him the most, because the two of them had opposing positions, and sooner or later they would fight to the death, so it was normal to use any means.

Li Wei himself even wanted to blow up the gunpowder factory in Bianzhou! How merciful could he be?

However, Li Qi is different. He is not an "outsider" like Fang Qing. He is a member of the Li family.

The person Li Qi hated the most must be Li Qi, even more than Fang Qing. If it weren't for Li Qi's cooperation, Fang Qing would have to go through a lot of trouble to depose him as the emperor.

Now Li Wei decided to take a risk and take his whole family south to Guangzhou. What did he want to do? Wasn't it to establish another "Southern Court"?

Guangzhou is rich in products and has been developed for so many years. It is also considered a prosperous place in the Tang Dynasty. It has both food and money.

If Li Wei goes to Guangzhou to make some trouble, it will greatly increase the difficulty for the Bianzhou court to attack Lingnan and other places in the future.

In view of this, Fang Zhongyong's question is actually: Do you want to kill this person? If you don't, then I will kill him.

Li Qi didn't hesitate and gave a clear answer: Not only must he be killed, but his entire family must also be wiped out!

If he doesn't kill Li Wei's family, does he have to wait for these people to arrive in Guangzhou and spread the news about how he, the King of Sheng who was once personally appointed by Ji Ge, is "aiding and abetting the tyrant"?
The Li family's tradition of brotherly love and respect for each other was fully demonstrated at this moment. Since Emperor Taizong, brothers had killed each other and fathers and sons had killed each other repeatedly within the royal family.

However, among Ji Ge's descendants, Li Qi is considered a relatively normal person. At least he did not suggest keeping his nephew's wife for fun.

"The official's tactics are truly unpredictable. Now even the emperor has no choice but to side with him."

Huo Xianming couldn't help but sigh.

If Li Qi is killed, Li Qi will not be able to go ashore and can only be his puppet emperor. In the future, when the dynasty changes, the court will give him a good reputation.

If something happened to Fang Qing, Li Qi would not be able to take over and would die miserably.

Normal people know how to choose.

……

Early the next morning, the ferry outside the city of Bianliang was crowded with people. A grain-carrying ship, which was originally docked at the ferry, sank for no reason.

The boatmen and porters at the ferry are working together to salvage the ship, otherwise the wreckage will block the ferry and other ships will not be able to dock.

After all, this is a canal, not a seaside port, and transportation cannot stop at any moment.

On the shore, Che Guangqian, dressed in military uniform, looked sullen. He looked at everything at the ferry without saying a word. He was waiting for news. "Oh, how come there is still a dead person in the boat!"

Suddenly, a boatman screamed.

Che Guangqian's eyes fixed, and then he walked forward with his personal soldiers and asked sternly: "What are you yelling about? What's going on?"

"Sir, there are so many dead people in the cabin! There are men, women, old and young, it seems like a whole family."

The boatman who just shouted said in shock.

Che Guangqian winked at Huo Xianming who was standing beside her.

The other party stepped forward to observe for a moment, then nodded calmly.

"Hurry up and clear the ferry. The government hates to see the ferry crowded. There are tens of thousands of silver coins every hour. We can't afford any delay!"

Che Guangqian scolded, then left the ferry, mounted his horse, and headed for the government office.

After a while, he came to the government office study. Fang Zhongyong was discussing something with Yan Zhuang and others. When he saw Che Guangqian coming, he asked hurriedly, "How is the matter going?"

"The Duke Rang family was taking a boat at the ferry late at night, but the boat had fallen into disrepair and sank at the ferry in the middle of the night. The Duke Rang family unfortunately died."

Che Guangqian spread her hands and said, with a look of regret on her face.

"The Duke is living comfortably in his mansion, with no worries about food, clothing, and daily expenses. Why would he take his family to the ferry to take a boat in the middle of the night?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a puzzled look.

"I don't know about this, but it is absolutely true that the Duke's family died."

Che Guangqian shook her head.

"In that case, then we should submit a memorial to the Emperor, asking him to give Duke Rang a grand funeral and remove his title.

There’s no one to inherit it anyway.”

Fang Zhongyong nodded slightly, his face showing no emotion.

It's like talking about something insignificant.

After saying that, Fang Zhongyong pointed to the cushion in front of him and motioned Che Guangqian to sit down to discuss important matters.

"It's like this. Lu Qi wrote again, saying that his grandfather Lu Huaishen was the prime minister and had favors for many people, including the current Tangzhou garrison commander.

He can persuade the other party to surrender.

Furthermore, Li Lu also wrote to us to admit his mistake and expressed his willingness to cede the land of Hongzhou so that our two families would stop fighting.

Moreover, Li Guangbi has now locked the mouth of the Ganjiang River, and the navy of the Jingxiang Army cannot leave the Ganjiang River. But he said that the remnants of the Jingxiang Army were trapped in Yuzhang, and a strong attack was not advisable.

How to break the deadlock? "

Fang Zhongyong looked at Che Guangqian and asked.

Three letters, three messages, actually all revolve around the same thing: how to defeat the Jingxiang court!
The strategy of attacking Jingxiang this year was originally proposed by Che Guangqian. Now that Fang Zhongyong asked him what to do, it was not the wrong person to ask.

"Sir, there is actually no need to fight Yuzhang."

Che Guangqian expressed an opinion that surprised Fang Chongyong and others.

"How come there's no need to fight?"

Yan Zhuang asked curiously.

“Because once Tangzhou is captured, the gates north of Xiangyang will be wide open, and only Fancheng can serve as an outpost.

If Liang Chongyi is not stupid, he will know what to do when the time comes! "

Oh yeah, I forgot about this!

Everyone in the study looked at each other in surprise, and they all suddenly realized what had happened.

The so-called loyalty is not absolute, nor is it something like a label that can be put on casually.

Loyalties change constantly depending on the different situations people face and their circumstances.

When the power on one side is strong, even people with weak hearts will become loyal, because the conditions on their side are better and the other side cannot offer an attractive price.

Men don’t care about loyalty. The reason they are loyal is because the chips for betrayal are not enough!
Liang Chongyi was originally loyal because he held great influence in the Jingxiang court. If he defected to Bianzhou, his treatment would definitely decline.

However, once the gates north of Xiangyang were opened and Li Lu faced a test of life and death, Liang Chongyi's own survival would come first.

In 1949, he was given the post of corps commander of the Nationalist Army. So what?

"That makes sense. The best strategy is to go north first and then south."

Fang Chongyong nodded, agreeing with the strategy proposed by Che Guangqian.

"Your Majesty, it would be better to let Li Guangbi hold his troops in place and write a letter to persuade Liang Chongyi to surrender.

When the latter receives the letter, he will know that we will not touch him for the time being and will feel relieved and will not do anything desperate.

As for Lu Qi, you might as well offer him a high position and generous salary and ask him to give up Tangzhou first.

As for Li Lu, we can just deal with him perfunctorily for now, showing that we intend to continue sending troops to Hongzhou. We can even let Yangzhou pretend to send reinforcements to Xunyang.

But don’t do it.”

Li Quan also suggested.

Three letters, three different responses.

For Li Yu, I have to learn the same method as the bad woman raising fish, and deal with him first. Neither agree nor refuse, so that he can have illusions.

For Lu Qi, he should learn from the bad guys to promote girls, first promise all the benefits, then go to bed. He used glass diamond rings with eight arrows and eight hearts and high-limit credit cards to boost his favorability.

Anyway, for scumbags, girls are consumables. They will be dumped after having fun with them. There is no need to think about what will happen in the future.

Towards Li Guangbi, we should learn from the way a gangster boss treats his younger brothers, comforting them and giving them benefits, but requiring them to obey orders.

“Land marching is quite expensive, and it won’t be easy if a real battle breaks out, so we must be cautious.

You will lead the battle this time."

Fang Zhongyong pointed at Che Guangqian.

"Please rest assured, General Jie, I will do my best to kill the enemy!"

Che Guangqian clasped his fists and saluted Fang Chongyong.

Why doesn’t Fang Chongyong take charge himself?

Because Li Lu is a difficult person to deal with, it is difficult to deal with him both morally and rationally.

Emotionally speaking, Fang Chongyong and Li Lu are brothers-in-law, and logically speaking, it is not convenient for Fang Chongyong to directly attack the descendants of the Li Tang royal family.

Officials are careful about their reputation, but they still have to do some necessary dirty work.

So at this time, the close confidants around him cannot refuse.

Che Guangqian has been a black glove before and is steady in combat, so it is obvious that he is the best candidate.

Yan Zhuang and Li Quan and others looked at each other silently, as if they understood something but could not say it directly.

(End of this chapter)