Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 759 To avoid liquidation, you must be loyal!
The distance from Chang'an to Bianzhou is not far. If you don't take a detour and avoid the guards at the pass, you can reach it in a few days. Yuan Zai brought Li Baozhen back to Bianzhou quickly. At this time, Li Baochen's eldest son Li Weicheng had just set out from Yong County.

Li Baozhen was more thoughtful than his brother Li Baoyu. After arriving in Bianzhou, he did not directly ask to see Fang Chongyong, but instead traveled light and visited the newly built Bianliang City and all the major ferry crossings on the Bianzhou Canal.

It would have been fine if he hadn't seen it, but once he did, Li Baozhen's heart sank.

In his eyes, the city of Bianliang can only be described in four words: "prosperous atmosphere"!
Because this city was not formed naturally, but is a magnificent capital guided by people, supported by policies, and designed and planned.

Its concept has surpassed this era, especially since there was no "wall" planned at the beginning of the design. This made the commercial atmosphere of Bianliang City far surpass that of Chang'an in the heyday of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Baozhen even felt that this was not a back garden built specifically for the emperor, but a dedicated administrative and economic center. It did not have such a strong imperial flavor, but had a more rigorous and scientific plan.

Li Baozhen has never eaten pork, but he has seen pigs run. He cannot design a city, but he can sense what is good and what is bad.

Fang Qing has a lot of capital!
Li Baozhen couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Originally, he had some luck on the road and wanted to fight for some better conditions for his family, striving for a state where the "nominal emperor" coexisted and each was independent of the other.

However, this idea now seems a bit naive.

To have such a big city, it is built up bit by bit, just like raising a tall building from flat ground.

With people like this and a court of this size, it is impossible for them to allow local separatism and each region to rule on its own.

After a tour around Bianzhou, Li Baozhen's heart finally settled.

The next day, without saying a word, he went straight to Yuan Zai and asked to meet Fang Chongyong.

However, Yuan Zai told Li Baozhen that he wanted to reconcile with the An family of Liangzhou. After learning about this, Fang Chongyong's wife Wang Yunxiu was so angry that she went directly to her brother Wang Yanshu's house.

Wang Yanshu is now the governor of Bozhou, and his whole family lives in Bozhou. So Fang Chongyong is not in Bianzhou now, but has gone to Bozhou to "do business", and it is uncertain when he will come back.

Li Baozhen suddenly felt very uneasy.

I almost forgot about this.

From a personal perspective, Fang Chongyong was able to see the big picture after Wang Zhongsi's death and would not stop his progress in the future because of someone who had already died.

However, it was obviously impossible for Wang Yunxiu to let it go easily.

There is still room for discussion on this matter.

However, this further proves that the proposal put forward by Fang Chongyong was sincere.

As the saying goes, good things take time. Li Baozhen felt that if he was warmly received as soon as he arrived, the other party would agree to any conditions he put forward.

That would be very abnormal.

The current situation in Bianzhou, where there is noise inside, is just what it should be.

Very stable!

So Li Baozhen wrote a letter to Li Baoyu, saying that the matter was still being processed, but he had already inspected Bianzhou and so on, and described the situation in detail.

Li Baozhen hinted in the letter that the Bianzhou court was powerful and already looked like a central authority. There was no point in playing some small tricks on his side now, as it would only bring shame upon himself.

People like Li Baozhen and Li Weicheng, before coming to Bianzhou, all thought, "I can do it too, Fang Qing is just so-so, he just got lucky."

However, when they arrived in Bianzhou, they made a careful inspection and found out: I really can't do it! Fang Qing is so terrifying!
This is a bit like an investor inspecting a manufacturing company. He is very contemptuous before going to the factory, but after taking a tour of the factory, he has a better idea in his mind and his attitude changes drastically. It can be said that he is arrogant at first but respectful later.

Battle reports may deceive people, but the battle lines will not, and the economic conditions in the capital will certainly not deceive people.

A few days later, Fang Chongyong came back alone, and it seemed that the "matter" was not done. When he learned that Li Baozhen wanted to see him, he immediately summoned him.

In the study of the Bianzhou government office, Fang Chongyong repeatedly looked at the burly and rugged-looking Li Baozhen, and always felt that he looked completely different from Li Baoyu.

Could it be that...something bloody happened?

Fang Chongyong thought to himself.

He suppressed the urge to explore and asked calmly:

"What does your brother say about the emperor personally leading the army?"

A personal expedition?

Li Baozhen was stunned, and then his mind turned several corners before he understood what Fang Chongyong was talking about.

The Bianzhou army entering Guanzhong is equivalent to the emperor leading the army in person, and it is equivalent to whether Li Baoyu and others want to come to "welcome the emperor".

If you come to welcome the emperor, then you are already a subject of the emperor Li Qi. This is just like a remarried man and woman living together quietly. There is no need to delve into how wild they played in bed with others before. Everyone can just live their lives tacitly.

Fang Chongyong didn't have to point at Li Baoyu and say that he had turned from evil to good and that this was the greatest good thing.

We are all decent people, so we should do things in a decent manner.

What if you don’t come out to greet me?

Haha, that emperor personally led the army to fight not only against the Tibetans, but also against Li Baoyu who was in collusion with the Tibetans!

As to whether Li Baoyu really colluded with the Tibetans, it doesn’t matter at all.

What's important is that after they fall, they will leave a lot of profits, and many people want to serve them on the table. Is right and wrong so important?

Thinking of this, Li Baozhen couldn't help but sweating coldly on his back!

"The emperor is leading the army in person. I, along with my brother, are willing to go to the king's defense. But we are still a little concerned about some details."

Li Baozhen weighed his words carefully and finally uttered these words.

"The An family of Liangzhou has made contributions to the country, and the court will issue a red-lettered iron certificate to promote their achievements and announce them to the world.

As long as their descendants do not betray the country and surrender to the enemy, their sins will be pardoned. If anyone wants to deal with the An family of Liangzhou, unless the country is about to collapse, someone will definitely seek justice for you."

Fang Chongyong said with a solemn expression.

Li Baozhen couldn't help but sit up straight.

This promise was very serious, and it could be said that he had staked his entire political reputation. If the An family of Liangzhou were to be destroyed in the future, I'm afraid many people would be saddened.

At that time, the "Red-lettered Iron Certificate" that the Bianzhou court had painstakingly produced would become a piece of scrap iron, and would be too cumbersome to use to forge swords!
"In this case, the Li family is willing to accept Li Qi as the emperor and Bianzhou as the legitimate government. We are willing to obey the government's orders and send troops to Liangzhou!"

Li Baozhen was very respectful and bowed deeply to Chongyong.

He was waiting for Fang Zhongyong to propose conditions.

When doing business, you can't always expect to get something for free.

If "changing the flag" could be done by just nodding, then what was the need for him, Li Baoyu's younger brother, to come to Bianzhou?
They could have agreed to Yuan Zai at that time! This would not be a bad thing for the An family of Liangzhou!
Not only could they promise something verbally to Bianzhou, they could even fool Tubo! Everyone can talk big!

Real political deals are never so easy or frivolous.

Sure enough, Fang Zhongyong stretched out his finger and made a "two" gesture. He nodded slightly and said, "In that case, I will speak out. Since the emperor has given me full authority to handle this matter, I still have to speak out the ugly truth up front."

"Please speak, Your Majesty." Li Baozhen saluted with his arms crossed.

"First, the An family of Liangzhou can retain their own private army, which is reasonable, but the Chishui Army is not the private property of the An family. To be honest, I and my father-in-law were both military commanders of the Chishui Army. My sworn brother Li Guangbi also served as a military commander of the Chishui Army.

If we insist on saying that the Chishui Army is the main force of the Liangzhou An family, this... is a bit inappropriate, right?"

Fang Chongyong's eyes were as bright as lightning as he stared at Li Baozhen and asked.

The latter suddenly felt that he was being stared at by the tiger, and subconsciously lowered his head as if he was in deep thought, but in fact he was extremely panicked.

Sure enough, it came anyway!

Li Baozhen secretly groaned.

Before setting out, Li Baoyu felt that he might not be able to maintain command of the Chishui Army, and now it seems to be true.

Fang Zhongyong's meaning was very clear: I don't want to take your army, but you must hand over the Chishui Army, this is the bottom line. The rest of the troops will still be commanded by your people!
You can't say that you trained the Chishui Army, right?

If he is unwilling to hand over the command of the Chishui Army, then Fang Zhongyong will probably order him to leave immediately! There is no point in talking about turning the table over!
Only by handing over the Chishui Army can Li Baoyu express his sincerity in negotiations!

However, if Li Baoyu handed over the Chishui Army, it would be equivalent to losing most of the elite troops of the Hedong Army, and his strength would no longer be sufficient to establish his own regime.

Having said that, since the An family of Liangzhou wanted to serve the emperor, they still retained a large and elite army and refused to hand over command.

So, are you here to serve the emperor or just have fun?
Serving the emperor and retaining military power are inherently contradictory. The only situation is when he is Cao Cao and serves the emperor to suppress rebellion.

Now that the Bianzhou court already has Fang Qing, the "Cao Cao", is Li Baoyu going to be the "second Cao Cao"?
Li Baozhen felt that his eloquence was limited and it was difficult for him to justify himself.

"These involve changes in officer positions, so I'm afraid it will be difficult to do it all at once. We need to think about it over the long term..."

Li Baozhen swallowed and said with some embarrassment.

"Officers, if you can place them, then do so. If you cannot, I will do it.

This is the bottom line and cannot be discussed. If you do not accept it, I cannot guarantee the consequences. Only by giving up the command of the Chishui Army can the An family of Liangzhou gain a foothold in Liangzhou in the future.

I have always been disgusted by the idea of ​​a woman marrying two men. If you don't want to talk about it, you can go and talk to the Tibetans.

The unification of the country and the resistance to the invasion of the Tibetans will not stop because of you. In the future, it will be good for everyone to have your participation in defending and building the country. But you are not indispensable."

Fang Zhongyong's expression suddenly changed and his tone became serious!

If you don't hand over the military power, then what's the point of negotiation? Everything can be negotiated, except military power.

Silence, awkward silence.

Li Baozhen's face turned pale and blue after hearing what Fang Chongyong said. He wanted to give up, but he was worried about the serious consequences of this matter.

That's not something he can afford!
There are hundreds of people in the An family of Liangzhou. They may be wiped out just because of a thought of his now. How can he agree or refuse so easily?

"Sir, I will return to Chang'an to discuss this matter with my brother before giving you a reply. This is a matter of great importance and I cannot make the decision."

Li Baozhen said in a deep voice.

The game of interests is naked! Tear off all the veils of warmth to divide the ownership of power!
"That's as it should be."

Fang Zhongyong nodded slightly and said, "My second request is also made on behalf of the emperor."

Without waiting for Li Baozhen to answer, he continued:

"In this world, one emperor is enough. If there are more emperors, who will the ministers listen to?
I heard that there is a Li Wan in your place who also claims to be the emperor.

How come so many emperors suddenly appeared?
The man in the imperial palace in Bianliang City was very unhappy about this and felt offended.

Since you want to worship him as the emperor, you actually hold another emperor in your hands. How do you explain this?"

Fang Chongyong looked at Li Baozhen with a half-smile and questioned him, his tone was already quite stern!

Li Wan?
Li Baozhen suddenly realized that he and Li Baoyu had not regarded this person as the emperor, so they brought him with them like a mascot! They had long forgotten about this person. Unexpectedly, they really forgot about it, but Fang Zhongyong had not forgotten it.

After this reminder, Li Baozhen suddenly felt that there was something fishy going on!

"Well, the emperor, please be clear. The story that Li Wan is the emperor is completely false. It is totally untrue."

Li Baozhen flatly denied that they had indeed announced to the public that Li Wan was the emperor. But...wasn't that a temporary political necessity?

Now that it is no longer necessary, just deny it directly, it won’t be a problem at all.

Would Fang Zhongyong and the Bianzhou court still pursue such a boring matter? Would they still punish him?

Li Baozhen said shamelessly that he would never admit it even if he was beaten to death!
“Having said that, the emperor already has doubts in his heart.

The emperor admired the ability of the An family in Liangzhou in the past, but what he needed more was loyalty!
Without loyalty, the greater the ability, the greater the harm!

Now, the Liangzhou An family has been tarnished in terms of loyalty because of Li Wan's incident.

Therefore, you need to wipe it off a little and express your loyalty to the emperor.

Rather than just talking without doing anything.”

Fang Zhongyong shook his head slightly, stretched out his right hand, and made a wiping motion back and forth, as if he was wiping away invisible dust in front of his eyes.

Li Baozhen suddenly had beads of sweat on his forehead because he actually understood what the other party was saying!
You say you are loyal, but are you really loyal?
True loyalty needs to be expressed through actions, especially when it is questioned.

If a person runs red lights every day, can he just stop running red lights in the future to show that he has changed for the better?

It is far from enough. If it were just that level, outsiders would say: You see, he just ran a red light once and was hit by a car, so he was afraid and didn't dare to do it again. It's not that he has reformed at all.

In order to show that he has turned over a new leaf, the person who ran the red light may have to stand guard at the checkpoint for many days before he can express a little bit of "repentance".

Therefore, it is far from enough for the An family of Liangzhou to say now that they will not accept Li Wan as the emperor!

Don’t think that everyone doesn’t know what you did in the past!

"Official, we will..."

Li Baozhen was about to explain, but Fang Chongyong waved his hand to interrupt him, saying, "Don't tell me. It's the emperor and the people of the world who are watching you, not me. Sima Yi swore an oath by the Luo River and then broke it, leaving a bad name for all eternity. It will be extremely difficult for the Sima family to cleanse themselves of their sins in the future. You should understand this. What to do is not my concern, but yours."

Fang Chongyong's words were so meaningful that Li Baozhen's heart sank to the bottom.

Sure enough, even if you want to step down, it is not so easy to step down. Even if your whole family will not die, there will be various constraints.

"I understand. I will return to Guanzhong now to discuss this matter with my brother. I will give the emperor a satisfactory answer as soon as possible."

Li Baozhen swallowed and promised word by word.

But the smile on his face was extremely bitter, almost like crying.

(End of this chapter)