Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 772: It’s better not to have a bent spine

Somewhere on the east bank of Baqiao, there were many flatbed trucks unloading goods. The auxiliary troops from Bianzhou transferred the grain to the local laborers organized in Chang'an, who moved the military rations into a temporary granary that had just been built not long ago.

"This way! This way!"

Zhang Guangsheng shouted, facing the refugees queuing up and the locals who wanted to leave Chang'an, he was very calm and directed them to get on the bus.

Strong men carried the women and children at home, and they would be replaced every few steps. The horses and mules of the caravan from Bianzhou were left behind, as were the auxiliary soldiers. The flatbed carts were given to the refugees, who were then led by special personnel to leave Chang'an for Bianzhou.

Fang Chongyong ordered the establishment of five "satellite cities" around the city of Bianliang. At that time, there was a shortage of labor, so those refugees went to Bianzhou and worked in exchange for relief, so that they would not become disaster victims.

After arriving in Chang'an, the Bianzhou court sent people to spread the word throughout the city, stating that anyone with a skill, even if it was just the ability to make Hubing, could go to Bianzhou under the guidance of the court to avoid the war after being verified.

This move demonstrated the legitimacy of the court.

Only a court that is capable of taking on responsibilities will have people listen to its words and can issue orders to local governments, which will be obeyed by everyone.

When the Tibetan army attacks, even if the imperial court cannot stop them from entering Guanzhong, it will evacuate the people and will not let them stand in the front to block the Tibetans' swords.

This is called responsibility!

For a time, Fang Chongyong and the Bianzhou court became famous in the Guanzhong area and won great popularity.

On the other hand, a large-scale purge of the Tianlong people in Guanzhong is in full swing. Fang Zhongyong has personally ordered Yuan Zai to be in charge of this matter.

Li Chenghong's descendants, wife's family, brothers, children's and in-laws were all within the scope of the purge.

It may not seem like much, but considering that Li Chenghong has two brothers, Li Chengning and Li Chengcai, and many children in the family.

His father Li Shouli had brothers Li Guangshun and Li Shouyi. If their relatives and families were also included, the standard of the purge was very clear, but the scope was quite large!

This is equivalent to wiping out the entire lineage of Prince Zhang Huai, as well as the Guanzhong Tianlong family that has a marriage relationship with them!
Late that night, in a room at Xinfeng Post Station, Li Qi looked at Yan Zhenqing kneeling on the ground, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond.

"Please stand up, Lord Yan. If you have anything to say, please stand up."

Li Qi leaned over and helped Yan Zhenqing up, then sighed. He probably guessed why the other party came. Recently, the news that Li Chenghong had surrendered to the Tibetans and proclaimed himself emperor had spread all over Chang'an.

Li Qi naturally knew all about it, but as a puppet emperor, he could do nothing but watch. Besides, Fang Qing would not do anything to you unless you provoke him.

If you mess with him, you'd better wish for the best.

"Your Majesty, Fang Qingzheng is using Li Chenghong's case of treason to implicate a large number of members of the royal family. You must step up and take care of this matter!"

Yan Zhenqing pulled Li Qi's sleeve, shook his head and sighed.

In fact, Yan Zhenqing also couldn't stand those parasites in the Li family clan.

However, without those insects, the foundation of the Tang Dynasty would be gone. Without the royal family, even if Li Qi was in power, he would be a real lonely man.

How could the Tang Dynasty still survive?
Fang Qing's plot was laid out in the open, and he did not seem to want to hide anything, nor did he use anyone else to do it, but personally instructed his subordinates to do it.

As for the reason for arresting people, it was naturally because these people were suspected of having secret dealings with Li Chenghong and attempting to cause chaos in Chang'an. They would be arrested first and interrogated slowly, and the rest would be discussed after defeating the Tubo army and capturing Li Chenghong.

In a word: the court will never let a bad person go, nor will it wrongly accuse a good person.

He Changqi led the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army to arrest people in the homes of various royal families in Chang'an City. They only arrested male members of the family, and even the personal servants were not touched.

Its political intentions are so obvious that they can be described as rampant.

Arrest the people first. If Fang Qing and the Bianzhou court are defeated, these people will be executed secretly, and the blame will be put on Tubo to the outside world, claiming that it was the Tubo people who massacred the Li clan.

If the Tibetans were repelled, whether Li Chenghong could be captured or not, who was guilty and who was innocent would all depend on Fang Qing's words, right?
Now that a large number of male members of the Li clan involved in the case have been arrested and imprisoned and are under strict surveillance, Yan Zhenqing must of course think of a way to rescue them.

"Fang Qing has already promised me that the descendants of the previous emperor will not be involved this time. It is not easy for me to interfere. After all, it is an irrefutable fact that Li Chenghong rebelled and colluded with the Tibetans."

Li Qi said with an embarrassed look.

Fang Qing had "reported" this to him and promised that the case would not involve Ji Ge's descendants. In other words, no matter how many people were killed, the emperor's own "second rank" would not be implicated.

As for the rest, haha, that’s all I can really say!

The Li clan is so huge! Not only the lineage of Emperor Taizong, but also the brothers of Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan and their descendants are also members of the Li clan!

If too many people are implicated, the impact will be too bad and it will be embarrassing.

Therefore, Fang Qing adopted the method of "taking one step at a time". This time, Li Chenghong had already been in the spotlight, colluding with Tubo and plotting rebellion. The Tubo people had issued a manifesto, so naturally there was no dispute.

Then, in this purge, none of his close relatives will be spared, and Fang Qing will take the opportunity to deal with the people of this lineage.

In the future, if the Li family makes any other moves, Fang Qing will follow suit and enforce harsh laws accordingly. Cutting today and cutting tomorrow, day by day, the foundation of the Li family will be cut off.

As for those within the royal family who have a distant relationship with Li Chenghong or whose identities are more sensitive, such as the descendants of Ji Ge, Fang Chongyong will not easily touch them for the time being.

Yan Zhenqing had spent decades in officialdom, so he certainly saw this clearly, but he didn't even know how to start speaking.

Because in this era, if one person started a rebellion, the whole family would participate. Li Chenghong's close relatives could not be cleared of the suspicion of participating in the rebellion. He could only blame him for being too arrogant. He did not expect the Tibetans to be so insidious that they issued a proclamation to sell him out.

Who dares to say that Li Chenghong’s close relatives were not involved?

Before the Tibetans "revealed" the truth, didn't everyone know about this? Chang'an fell because of this. Yan Zhenqing, how many heads do you have left to chop off?
Li Chenghong fantasized that after the Tibetans conquered Chang'an, he would stand up and "bear the humiliation" to clean up the territory of the Tang Dynasty. The Tibetans would never stay in the Central Plains for a long time, and anything could happen if the time was too long.

By then, his reputation will not be what it is now. Dazha Lugong's trick actually saw through Li Chenghong's plot, which was to prevent the old man from succeeding.

Li Chenghong's reputation was ruined, so he became more obedient and worked harder as a puppet. They schemed against each other, but in the end, Li Chenghong, who had fewer chips in his hand, suffered a great loss.

"Lord Yan, I...have no friendship with Li Chenghong. Outsiders may say that we are both relatives of the Li clan, but we are really no different from strangers."

Li Qi said with difficulty.

Li Chenghong is the grandson of Li Xian, while Li Qi is the grandson of Li Dan, so they are of the same generation. Their great-grandfathers are both Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi.

Are they related by blood? Yes! Not even distantly related.

Is there any family affection? Absolutely not!

Even within the Li family, incest between relatives of this degree is not an isolated case! Now Li Chenghong's line is in big trouble, and Li Qi is asked to save it... This puppet emperor is really not in the mood for that!

If it was Li Qi's son who was caught by Fang Qing, he would definitely give it a try, but he would offend Fang Qing for the sake of a relative who shared the same great-grandfather.

I can only say that Yan Zhenqing really thought too much.

Hearing Li Qi's evasive words, Yan Zhenqing looked at him in disbelief, with a look of disappointment on his face. This old minister who worked for the Tang Dynasty was always unwilling to admit that the emperor in front of him didn't care about his family at all!
In fact, even in Fang Zhongyong's previous life, if a distant relative of someone's family, or a distant relative of the same great-grandfather, had an accident, how sad would he be? It was normal to be indifferent.

"Your Majesty, those are the foundations of our Great Tang! Are you just going to watch Fang Qing dig up the foundations of the Great Tang and do nothing?"

Yan Zhenqing looked at Li Qi and questioned loudly, disregarding the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects.

"I have never heard of any so-called foundation colluding with the Tibetans to attack me. If there is such a foundation, it is better not to have it."

Li Qi didn't want to waste any more time and answered directly and coldly.

In fact, Yan Zhenqing overlooked a very critical issue!
The Tang Dynasty is the Tang Dynasty, and Li Qi is Li Qi! The two cannot be directly mixed together. If everyone's interests are really completely consistent, then why did Emperor Taizong kill his brothers at Xuanwu Gate?

The emperor, even if he is a puppet emperor, has his own vital interests. The royal family members like Li Chenghong are indeed one of the foundations of the ruling class of the Tang Dynasty, but they are not the foundation for Li Qi's survival!

Li Chenghong is even a threat to Li Qi now! He colluded with the Tibetans, issued proclamations and recruited puppet troops north of Chang'an, and was very scary!
Li Qi was very restrained in not ordering Fang Qing to shoot Li Chenghong. He still hoped that he could rescue those people. It can only be said that Yan Zhenqing had been blinded by the righteousness and could not see the conflicts of interest between people.

The greater good always needs smaller but more tangible interests as a basic support, so that it will not become an empty slogan.

Today, reviving the Tang Dynasty is just an empty slogan. Anyone with a normal brain would think about how to consolidate their position, or even go further, in the process of establishing a new dynasty.

This has nothing to do with loyalty or not, it is purely a matter of interest, and the people will prosper if they obey the will of others and perish if they disobey the will of others.

Finally, Yan Zhenqing gave up his fantasy about Li Qi and left in despair. The puppet emperor sat down on the stool and sighed helplessly.

The so-called revival of the Tang Dynasty is so foolish. Look at what Li Chenghong and others are doing! Li Qi shook his head in disappointment and remained silent. He was extremely disappointed with the royal family members.

None of those people have come to pay a visit to this puppet emperor. Perhaps, they also think that a puppet is useless and it is better not to meet him.

If not, why would Li Chenghong surrender to Tubo?
"Your Majesty, the emperor requests an audience."

Huo Xianming walked in slowly, lowered his head and reported, which frightened Li Qi so much that he shuddered all over. After all, he had just met Yan Zhenqing, and now Fang Qing asked to see him, which made him feel a little guilty.

This also shows that every move here is under Fang Qing's close surveillance!
"Please invite the official in."

Li Qi stood up and gave the order, trying to keep his face calm.

Soon, Fang Chongyong was led into the house by Huo Xianming.

"Your Majesty, the gang members of the traitor Li Chenghong have been arrested. Please issue an imperial decree to execute them as a warning to others and to enforce the law.

At the same time, the court will issue another decree that Li Chenghong and his followers have been executed, the case has been closed, and no one else will be implicated. "

As soon as they met, Fang Chongyong saluted Li Qi with his arms crossed without any courtesy.

So fast?
Li Qi was secretly surprised. He had heard from Yan Zhenqing that things could still turn around. The person had just been arrested but not killed. He didn't expect Fang Qing to be so ruthless and leave no room for compromise!
"Sir, this may... implicate too many people. After all, Li Chenghong is the only one who committed the crime. Killing his whole family is fine, but there must be many people in prison who are unaware of it."

Li Qi asked hesitantly.

There is a slight difference between Fang Qing ordering these people to be killed and himself, a puppet emperor, issuing an imperial decree.

Although Li Qi doesn't like trash like Li Chenghong, he doesn't want to get involved in muddy water.

“Your Majesty, in troubled times, severe punishments are necessary.

If someone else had contact with Tibet, it would be natural for him to fear the sharpness of Tibetan weapons. Although he was guilty, he was not sentenced to death.

But the Li clan members are the backbone of the Tang Dynasty. Their spines are already bent, so it would be better not to have them.

After dealing with this group of people, other people in Chang'an City will not have any wild thoughts, and this is also for the sake of the great cause of fighting against Tubo.

What do you think, Your Majesty? "

Fang Chongyong looked at Li Qi and asked. Although his voice was not loud, his authority was evident without him being angry.

Li Qi didn't say anything and seemed a little reluctant.

Fang Chongyong did not force him, but took him to a military camp not far from Xinfengyi, where all the royal family members of Li Chenghong's lineage were imprisoned.

All government offices in Chang'an are currently closed and not in operation.

Fang Zhongyong's principle was very clear, that is, he did not intend to re-activate Chang'an's function as a capital city. Instead, he openly used it as a preset battlefield!
What a huge organization the central bureaucracy of the Tang Dynasty was that Ji Ge had patched up for decades.

Fang Chongyong clearly remembered that according to the history books of his previous life, Bai Juyi had been prime minister for decades, but only half of the central institutions in Chang'an were still in operation.

In the current situation, no matter how many officials are sent in, Chang'an cannot be reopened. Since it cannot be reopened, it is better to abandon it!

Since the Dali Temple Prison in Chang'an could not hold prisoners, then a prison was set up in the military camp, which would have the same function.

Seeing Li Qi and Fang Chongyong coming, the prisoners locked in the wooden cells came over and shouted that they were innocent.

Li Qi felt his scalp tingling after hearing this.

"Your Majesty, if there is a group of people who knew about Li Chenghong's rebellion but did not report it, and then secretly helped him.

If Li Chenghong succeeds, they will reap the benefits. If Li Chenghong fails, they will cut ties decisively, pretending to be ignorant and claiming that the matter has absolutely nothing to do with them.

Do you think such a person should be killed?"

Fang Chongyong asked again, right here in the prison, in front of all the prisoners, asking Li Qi face to face.

"Your Majesty, don't listen to his nonsense. Li Chenghong deserves to die, but I know nothing at all!
Your Majesty, spare my life!"

A shrill cry came from the prison, almost screaming out loud. It was Li Chenghong's younger brother, Li Chengcai, who was much younger than Li Chenghong and looked to be less than 40 years old.

Li Qi took a step back, slightly away from the wooden bars of the prison.

But still no words were spoken.

"Your Majesty, should he be killed?"

Fang Zhongyong asked word by word.

"Kill them! They should all be killed!"

Li Qi took a deep breath, stamped his feet, complained angrily, and then turned and left. Immediately, there was a sound of ghosts howling in the prison, accompanied by a strong smell of urine.

After Li Qi left, Fang Chongyong called He Changqi over and whispered a few words in his ear.

(End of this chapter)