Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 757 You can’t have your cake and eat it too
Tibet, Buddhist temples, and obscenity, these three things that were originally unrelated were actually connected at some point.

In order to "purify the atmosphere and promote positive energy", the Bianzhou court launched a vigorous "crackdown on pornography and illegal publications" campaign in Bianzhou and neighboring counties.

If a woman is cheating on her husband or a man is having affairs with other women, once it is verified, they will be sent to Shanyuan Villa for "re-education through labor" without asking whether they are right or wrong.

Among these people, those who are rich can pay to go to jail and farm in Shanyuan Villa. Those who are poor, sorry, will be directly assigned to the auxiliary troops for transporting food and fodder.

When the war ends, I can leave the organization.

For a time, all the major temples in Bianzhou and neighboring counties became the hardest hit areas. Almost no one escaped the net and all of them were looted...searched.

All the properties belonging to the temples were also temporarily confiscated and seized by the government in the name of "investigating obscenity."

Under the court's severe crackdown, not only did a large number of monks return to secular life, but even the shop owners selling pornographic books in the city of Bianliang began to behave themselves and did not dare to act rashly.

They were afraid that the government would send them to the front line to transport food and fodder on the pretext of "cracking down on pornography."

The whole society's morale was lifted! It seemed that even rats crossing the street had to hold up a sign that said "harmless to humans and animals" before they dared to go out.

However, Li Baoyu, who was fighting against Li Baochen in Guanzhong, was facing a situation that was a hundred times more complicated than that of the people in Bianzhou.

Because Li Baochen actually sent someone to ask for peace with him!

Faced with Li Baoyu, who refused to enter Chang'an, refused to fall into the trap, and was almost unmoved, Li Baochen finally gave in!

In fact, it’s not that Marshal Baochen is too soft, but the situation he is facing at the moment is a bit dangerous.

The Tubo in the west was conquering cities and territories, and refugees fleeing from Longyou came in waves, bringing bad news one after another.

To the east, Li Baoyu led the Hedong Army to station at Baqiao and refused to move an inch.

Li Baochen, who was trapped in Fengxiang Prefecture alone, felt that these two were living devils who were here to take him away.

But in comparison, the Tibetans were more terrifying. So Marshal Baochen wrote a sincere letter to Li Baoyu, in which he asked:

You want to destroy me, then risk the annihilation of your entire army and face the Tibetans' swords with your troops and generals destroyed.
Or do you want to force me to surrender to the Tibetans and then turn around and attack you?

When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits. Now the Tibetans are the fishermen. Do we really have to fight to the death and then let the Tibetans take advantage?

Your family is a big clan that has been operating in Hexi for a hundred years. Don’t you understand this logic?

If this place won't keep me, there are other places that will.
There is no one to keep me, so I surrender to Tibet!
Just ask if you are afraid of it!
Li Baochen's letter can be described as soft yet firm, with a sharp edge hidden within.

Is Li Baoyu afraid?

Of course he was very scared and hated it to the core.

Li Baoyu, who had had many dealings with the Tibetans when he was young, understood what kind of people the Tibetans were like better than Marshal Baochen.

If Li Baochen were to surrender to Tubo out of desperation, the situation in Guanzhong would instantly become uncontrollable!
Li Baoyu couldn't even imagine how beautiful the scene was.

However, Li Baoyu also had his difficulties, because the vanguard of the Bianzhou army had already passed Tongguan! The intention was unclear!
The situation in Guanzhong is now very complicated and muddy, which makes Li Baoyu worried and he can't even think about Chang'an.

Li Baoyu was pinned down by the Bianzhou army, while Li Baochen wanted to perish together with the enemy. If Li Baoyu pushed him too far, he would surrender to Tubo and fight back as the vanguard of the Tubo army! Of course, that was when he was desperate, and Marshal Baochen didn't want to bear the blame.

Li Baoyu was still not very clear about the intentions of the Bianzhou army, so he was suffering more than Li Baochen.

Early in the morning of that day, refugees coming from the west brought Li Baoyu very bad news: the Tubo army seemed to have given up the plan to march westward and sweep across the Western Regions, and instead turned eastward, heading towards Fengxiang Prefecture, and was currently attacking Lanzhou!
This made Li Baoyu feel extremely anxious!
If the Tibetans' intentions were not clear before, now they are clearly revealed. They are heading for Guanzhong and Chang'an!
For a moment, Li Baoyu actually began to think of quitting and wanted to go back to Hedong to become a local bastard.

After all, they have been operating in Hedong for many years and have already established some foundations, so they don't have to keep their eyes on Chang'an. Even if they don't enter Chang'an this year, there will be more opportunities in the future.

"Brother, there is an envoy from Bianzhou. He is in the camp. Do you want to meet him?"

Just when Li Baoyu was getting anxious and angry, his brother Li Baozhen quietly came to the general's tent and whispered to him.

finally come!

Li Baoyu breathed a sigh of relief. He had been waiting for the envoy from Bianzhou recently. The Bianzhou army had already passed through Tongguan and entered Guanzhong. Although the number was small, it was obvious that they had strategic intentions.

In any case, even if it is to persuade them to surrender, someone should come here to make contact.

Unable to understand the intentions of the Bianzhou army, Li Baoyu became unable to sleep or eat.

Poisonous snakes and ferocious beasts are not scary. Humans have the specialty of "making good use of things". As long as we know the habits of these ferocious animals, it is not difficult to capture them.

The most frightening thing in the world is called "unknown". The unknown is the most frightening.

Because before you understand this thing, you will never know whether it is harmless to humans and animals, or can kill you in one shot.

"Come on! Forget it, just take me there!"

Li Baoyu suppressed his excitement and said that at this moment he felt as refreshed as if his constipation after a month was finally relieved.

In a secluded small tent, Li Baoyu saw Yuan Zai, who was exhausted from the journey. He coughed lightly to hide his excitement, and tried to keep his face calm as he asked, "I wonder what advice the envoy from Bianzhou has for me?"

Hearing Li Baoyu's question, Yuan Zai said nothing, but took out a letter from his arms and handed it to Li Baozhen beside him, maintaining a cold attitude.

Orthodoxy requires orthodox dignity. Yuan Zai decided to take a gamble and not indulge Li Baoyu.

Seeing Yuan Zai's serious expression, Li Baoyu frowned slightly, took the letter, opened it, and read it quickly. He had a puzzled expression on his face, as if he didn't quite believe it, and picked up the letter again and read it word by word.

The expression on his face kept changing, and finally he let out a long breath, but said nothing.

"What did the officials say?"

After a long time, Li Baoyu looked at Yuan Zai and asked.

"The government said that the An family's position in Hexi will remain unchanged, and the past is the past. No matter the grudges, they will be written off and will not be pursued again in the future.

Now we are facing a powerful enemy, and the Tibetans are about to enter Guanzhong. Nothing is more important than this. Anyone who is willing to send troops to fight against the Tibetans is a friend of our government and one of our own.

If Marshal Li is willing to change his flag, accept Li Qi as the emperor, and submit to the imperial court, then his troops can be retained and will not be disbanded for reorganization. We will be responsible for the logistics of the army. Of course, the Hedong area must be included in the jurisdiction of the imperial court. There is no room for negotiation on this matter. The An family's roots are only in Hexi.

The An family's descendants can come to Bianzhou to serve as officials, participate in the imperial examinations, and so on. We can discuss these things."

Yuan Zai explained in a serious manner, without any intention of persuasion, and almost all of his words were Fang Zhongyong's original words.

Li Baoyu nodded slightly, without commenting, "What Mr. Yuan said is of great importance. I need to think about it carefully. Why don't you just rest in my camp for a while? I will give you a reply tomorrow. How about that?"

"That's what should be expected. Marshal Li, please do as you wish."

Yuan Zai answered casually, seemingly not worried that Li Baoyu might have any strange ideas.

After settling Yuan Zai, Li Baoyu took Li Baozhen to the general's tent. After sending away the outsiders, the two sat down to discuss Fang Chongyong's recruitment of them.

"Fang Qing has great courage, he is not an ordinary person."

Li Baoyu took out the letter and read it again, sighing with emotion.

Others might not think much of Wang Zhongsi's suicide, but Li Baoyu knew it well, and Fang Qing would not forgive him!
Why do I say that? Because this is "public business" rather than "personal vendetta". Personal vendettas can be put aside, but public business must be done. Many of Fang Qing's subordinates are former subordinates of Wang Zhongsi, not to mention that Wang Zhongsi's daughter is Fang Qing's legal wife.

This hatred is not much different from the hatred for killing one's father.

Now that Fang Qing says he can let it go, it shows great sincerity. If you refuse... it's better not to refuse.

If you refuse, you will fail in the future and your entire clan will be exterminated!
Others have shown great sincerity, and if you reject it, then this sincerity will turn into hatred out of shame and anger. Even if there is no hatred, you will become enemies, let alone the hatred of killing your father-in-law?
"Brother, if I refuse this, it will be a life-and-death struggle."

Li Baozhen said in a deep voice.

Li Baoyu nodded, he thought so too.

The matter of giving up Hedong mentioned in the letter was actually the smallest matter, because it was related to the route that the An family of Liangzhou wanted to take. If they occupied Hedong, they would have to declare themselves emperor and conquer the world themselves.

Otherwise, they would be trapped in a corner of Hedong, and they would not even have the power to be a separatist force. If Hedong was separatist, any central government would be restless and would not allow you to be a separatist. It would be a life-and-death struggle!

The An family of Liangzhou did not have deep roots in Hedong. They entered Hedong just because they were the commanders of the Chishui Army. The Chishui Army had its roots in Hexi, and most of them were from Liangzhou.

Li Baoyu seemed to be very powerful, but in fact he had many constraints, and he could not decide everything. They themselves did not have the ambition to dominate the world, nor did they have such ability and connections.

For a family of one of the Nine Zhaowu Clans (and just one branch of the An family), it would not be easier to rule the whole of China and establish a unified dynasty than for the Mongols to establish the Yuan Dynasty.

For most people, their birthplace has already determined the upper limit of their lives. The upper limit of the Liangzhou An family is to exist as a noble family that rises and falls with the Tang Empire, nothing more.

"If you agree, Li Wan's banner will fall, and Li Qi will become the undisputed orthodoxy. We will lose Hedong, but we don't have to worry about our retreat being cut off, nor do we have to bear the infamy of allowing the Tibetan army to enter Guanzhong."

Li Baoyu said in a deep voice, with extremely complicated feelings in his heart.

In fact, Fang Chongyong's letter has already hinted: If they do not agree, the Bianzhou army will launch a large-scale attack on Hedong!

At present, the main forces of the Hedong Army are in Guanzhong. Faced with Li Baochen and the Tibetans who are not too far away, they are in a dilemma. It is not easy to return to defend Hedong.

Even if they don't want to give up Hedong, the Bianzhou army can take it themselves!
However, there are also many benefits to accepting the amnesty!
The first thing is to ensure the interests of the Liangzhou base, and then leave a good name in the history books. Of course, if Fang Qing cheats, then it is Fang Qing who will be discredited, not the Liangzhou An family.

In addition, the stability of the grain route and logistics is also a benefit that cannot be ignored. Accepting the amnesty means that there is no need to transport grain from Hedong.

The next step is to drive away the Tibetans and then return to the old nest in Liangzhou, which is also a clear way to go.

However, this also means that the business of Liangzhou An's family in the past few years has all gone to waste, and they have only saved their capital. As for how much they have earned... I can only say that in this chaotic world, not losing money is already a profit.

"The Bianzhou army entered Tongguan, probably to force us to accept the amnesty. If they were in a hurry, they would have reached Baqiao long ago and would not have moved so slowly."

Li Baoyu smiled bitterly and shook his head, feeling worried and anxious.

Fang Qing's conditions were right on the bottom line of the Liangzhou An family. If he gave more, it would be like working for the An family in vain; if he gave less, Li Baoyu would have had Yuan Zai beaten away by his men and would not even consider these things.

It was precisely because the conditions were just right that Li Baoyu found it hard to give up.

He has ambitions, but not much. He is unwilling to give up, but he is worried about the serious consequences if he does not give up. It is probably appropriate to describe him as "you can't have your cake and eat it too".

"Brother, if you don't make a decision, you will suffer the consequences. I thought we should accept the emperor Li Qi's offer of amnesty, not Fang Qing's persuasion to surrender.

Li Qi is a puppet emperor now, but with us joining, it’s hard to say what will happen in the future.

In any case, driving the Tibetans away and recovering Hexi are our top priorities. We can deal with the rest after we drive the Tibetans away.

The soldiers of the Chishui Army are all from Liangzhou. There are not many local soldiers in the Hedong Army, so we should focus on Liangzhou!"

Li Baozhen tried his best to persuade him.

His words reminded Li Baoyu. For Fang Zhongyong, whether they accepted the amnesty or not was just a matter of whether the Bianzhou army could fight smoothly or not.

If they don't surrender, when the Tibetans attack in the future, the Bianzhou court will randomly arrange a group of unscrupulous literati to spread the word that the An family of Liangzhou has surrendered to the Tibetans, and would rather fight a civil war than help the Tibetans enter Guanzhong.

At that time, Li Baoyu could not wash himself clean even if he jumped into the Yellow River!
When the Tibetans conquered Liangzhou and then swept across Hexi, they destroyed the foundation of the An family in Liangzhou, not the foundation of the court in Bianzhou. If a tree has no roots, how can it grow well?

Therefore, the current situation is not that Fang Zhongyong is begging them to surrender, but rather he is providing the best solution for everyone to put down their weapons and unite to face the outside world.

In the long run, it is beneficial to the An family of Liangzhou, although it may not be the most beneficial to Li Baoyu himself. To be honest, the An family of Liangzhou should thank the Bianzhou court for doing justice for them!
"How about this, seeing is believing, hearing is not, you and Yuan Zai go to Bianzhou together, it will only take a few days to go there and back.

You can try to find out what Fang Qing has to say. If you think he is sincere, we can discuss it carefully after you come back."

Li Baoyu said with a long sigh.

The constant approach of the Tibetans and Li Baochen's threat to surrender to the Tibetans made Li Baoyu realize the crisis behind him. In this situation, it is indeed too risky not to find a backer.

Li Baochen threatened to surrender to Tubo, so why couldn't he surrender to Bianzhou?

(End of this chapter)