Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 784: No Rest for a Moment

The New Year passed quickly, and soon as spring came and the flowers bloomed and the snow melted, the canal ferry in Bianzhou began to become lively.

Perhaps it was because they were seriously injured, or because of the shortage of food and fodder, or perhaps it was some other plan, but the Tibetans were very quiet in Hexi and had even lifted the blockade of Shazhou City.

Only enough cavalry were left to patrol the cities in Shazhou at all times, and people in the cities were not allowed to transport food.

Simply put, the Tibetans had some logistical problems, causing them to shrink their defenses and hold on, waiting for the next opportunity.

However, this does not mean that all is well.

In fact, the Tang Dynasty was divided into pieces and the army was transferred internally. In recent years, many vassal states on the border have been ready to make moves.

It was the spring ploughing season in March when Nanzhao, located in the southwestern border of the Tang Dynasty, brazenly invaded Xichuan, Lingnan and other areas. There were even many Tibetans among their army!

Yan Wu, the governor of Jiannan, led his troops to take the initiative and attack instead of defend, and defeated the Nanzhao army at Qingxi Pass (not far west of Mount Emei), temporarily resolving the crisis in Xichuan.

However, the strategic environment facing Xichuan was very unfavorable at that time. The deep mountains west of Chengdu were all occupied by Tubo. In Tubo, not everyone shared Dazalugong's idea of ​​marching into Guanzhong from Hexi.

There was also a "Southward Advancing Faction" in Tubo. Because their tribe was close to Xichuan, their expansion target was not the Hexi Corridor, which was 18,000 miles away, but the nearby Chengdu Prefecture.

Tubo seemed to have sent envoys to agree to send troops together with Nanzhao.

After repelling the Nanzhao army, Yan Wu felt that Xichuan was in danger. Without support, it would fall sooner or later.

So Yan Wu asked his good friend Du Fu to go to Bianzhou with a handwritten letter to "submit a memorial" to the court.

That is, to recognize the legitimacy of the Bianzhou court, the legitimacy of the current emperor, the existence of Fang Qing as a powerful official, and request the establishment of a Jinzouyuan in Bianzhou to "manage" the affairs of the vassal state.

As for whether or not to surrender in reality, that is a matter for the future and can be discussed slowly.

Yan Wu's move was of course for self-protection, not only for the local people in the Chengdu Plain to see, but also for the surrounding Tubo and Nanzhao who were eyeing him covetously.

Regardless of whether he truly surrendered or not, at least in name, he and the Jiannan Army under his command were still vassal states of the Tang Dynasty, accepting the control of the Tang Dynasty. No matter what they did, they would have an explanation to the outside world.

So from the perspective of the local people in Chengdu, the Tibetans and the Nanzhao people, if they wanted to do anything, they had to think about the reaction of the Bianzhou court, which had dozens of states under its jurisdiction.

Right and wrong is about strength, and justice is not about people's hearts. No one cares about the interests of those losers who have fallen.

This is true for the princes who came and went like a revolving lantern, such as Ji Ge, Li Heng, Li Lin, and Li Wan.

Yan Wu, who was entrenched in Chengdu, actually controlled the Jiannan Army in Xichuan. He had no intention of seeking justice for the "old Tang Dynasty" and accepted the current Bianzhou court very smoothly.

Anyway, the emperor's surname is Li, and he is Ji Ge's grandson. This fig leaf is enough, and nothing else matters.

Du Fu went from Kuizhou along the Yangtze River to Yangzhou, and then from Yangzhou along the canal to Bianzhou. His mood along the way was like "the light boat has passed through ten thousand mountains."

Apart from a feeling of melancholy, there was no trace of tension.

Du Fu had a lot of old acquaintances in Bianzhou, so he was not panicked at all. His good friend Yuan Jie had even become the Jingzhao Yin of Bianzhou.

What does he have to worry about? The Tang Dynasty is a society based on human relationships!

As expected, when Du Fu just arrived in Bianzhou, he couldn't help but report his origins to the tax collector who collected commercial taxes when he got off the boat. As a result, someone immediately led him to... Guoqiao.

Then Du Fu was treated as a Tibetan spy and imprisoned in Shanyuan Villa.

It was not until the last moment that Du Fu realized that he had been deceived. When he was taken away by the jailer of Shanyuan Villa, he was confused and didn't understand what was going on.

Fortunately, two hours later, before it got dark, Fang Zhongyong and Yuan Jie came to pick him up. Seeing that Du Fu had not been mistreated, Fang Zhongyong heaved a sigh of relief.

He crossed his arms and saluted Du Fu, saying, "Brother Zimei, how are you? This is not the place to talk. Let's go to the Zhuangyuan Building in Bianliang City and have a chat."

Yuan Jie on the side held back his laughter, his face twisted and looking very weird.

Du Fu naturally would not object to this proposal. He was arrested without even knowing what Shanyuan Villa was doing. Fortunately, no one "took action" against him, otherwise it would have been a lot of fun.

After all, Du Fu's trip was carried out secretly on Yan Wu's orders, and the outside world did not know about it.

The three of them returned to Bianliang City, found a private room in Zhuangyuan Building, sat down, and ordered a pot of tea.

Fang Chongyong then looked at Du Fu and asked, "Earlier, the governor of Jiannan issued a letter saying that he would defend Xichuan and proposed to implement the Jinzouyuan in Bianzhou. Brother Zimei, did you come to Bianzhou for this matter?"

"Replying to the emperor, it is true. Du is the chief secretary in the Yanwu shogunate."

Du Fu said very humbly that over the years, he had also realized his own worth, and it was all because of his good friend Yan Wu's protection that he had no difficulty working in the government office.

But this does not mean that Du Fu has the ability to stand on his own.

"Yan Wu..."

Fang Chongyong was muttering to himself, looking as if he was thinking about something.

Yan Wu is a Minotaur lover!

Fang Zhongyong recalled a rumor in the martial arts world about a romantic affair of Yan Wu.

When Yan Wu was in the army, he was a neighbor of a military envoy. The military envoy had a beautiful concubine, who was later taken by Yan Wu.

Of course, similar things were not uncommon in the Tang Dynasty, though not everywhere.

For example, if Fang Zhongyong wants to play, he can play with as many of his friend's sisters, his subordinate's wives, his enemy's sisters-in-law, etc.

As long as the body can bear it, there is no limit. It is more likely that the parties will not feel ashamed and are willing to take the initiative to pay for it.

However, what Yan Wu did was excessive. After the military envoy reported to the government that he had seduced his concubine, Yan Wu took Niu Lai's beautiful concubine to the lake for a boat ride, and then pushed her off the boat and drowned her.

When the government tracked down Yan Wu, he was already alone. Since the adulterer could not be found, the adulterer certainly did not exist. Yan Wu refused to admit it, so the matter could only be left unresolved.

Now many beauties in Bianzhou dream of being favored by Fang Qing. That's because Fang is a man of good moral character, and following him would bring them happiness without any danger.

But there are many powerful and scumbag men like Yan Wu in the world, and people have heard of them. Pursuing this kind of wealth is life-threatening, and some "gold diggers" dare not try it easily.

"Official, is there anything wrong?"

Seeing Fang Chongyong in a daze when he heard the words "Yan Wu", Du Fu asked in confusion.

"There is nothing wrong with that. Yan Wu has made great contributions in defending Xichuan, and repelling the Nanzhao army is even more of a contemporary achievement. Not commending him will not be enough to comfort the soldiers and civilians in Shu."

What Fang Chongyong was thinking in his mind was that Yan Wu was a top-notch scumbag with questionable character, but all he said were nice words. In his mouth, Yan Wu seemed to have become a model of a military commander.

Du Fu was relieved to hear Fang Chongyong's praise. He was afraid that Fang Qing would target Yan Wu. After all, Yan Wu was his good friend, and Fang Qing had been very kind to him and had helped him many times at critical moments.

If the two of them were to become enemies, Du Fu would be very uncomfortable being caught in the middle. He took out Yan Wu's handwritten letter from his arms, handed it to Fang Chongyong and said, "Yan Wu's handwritten letter, Chengdu Prefecture was originally the territory of the Tang Dynasty, and now the Jiedushi has submitted a petition to establish the Jiannan Jiedushi Jinzouyuan in Bianzhou, which is also a logical thing to do."

Du Fu said seriously.

On the surface, this matter did not seem to matter a penny. Bianzhou would not give money to Shu to support its defense against Tubo and Nanzhao, and Shu would not pay tribute to Bianzhou.

It seems that it doesn't matter whether there is a statement or not.

However, in many cases, if the name is not right, the words will not flow. People live by their faces, let alone regions and even countries.

Yan Wu declared the affiliation of the Jiannan Army, just like a wanderer far away from home, making his position clear to others: I am still a member of this family, but I am not living at home for the time being! It is not convenient for me to give money to my family or take money from them for the time being.

Whether or not there is such a statement is extremely important!

Without this statement, you will have no backing and will have to shoulder all the consequences by yourself if anything goes wrong in the future. The risk is extremely high!

This statement also means that if the Bianzhou court wants to march into Shu in the future, it will have a suitable name.

Yan Wu's plan was to gamble on the future now. The big risks would be in the future, but the confidence and strategic security that the Jiannan Army had gained were real.

Fang Zhongyong unfolded Yan Wu's letter, read it word by word, and read it over and over again. Only then did he feel that Yan Wu was indeed a scumbag who could take the beautiful concubine of another Minotaur family. His mind was extremely meticulous.

To sum it up simply, it can be summed up in one sentence: recognize Li but not Fang.

Yan Wu said that he was a subject of the Tang Dynasty, and it was his duty to guard Xichuan for the Tang Dynasty and resist Tubo and Nanzhao.

Therefore, as long as the emperor of the Bianzhou court is a member of the Li family, then he, as a Jiedushi, has no choice but to do his own job! There is absolutely no reason for him to secede and establish his own regime, let alone surrender to a foreign country like Tubo!

The implication is: If the emperor of the Bianzhou court starts to have the surname Fang, then whether he will still submit to the emperor is another matter.

This is the meaning expressed in the letter but not directly written.

In other words, even if Fang Zhongyong changed the dynasty in the future, if the imperial guards under his command were strong enough to conquer Xichuan, Yan Wu could continue to be a vassal with flexibility.

Anyway, he didn't say in this letter that he would lead troops back to Bianzhou!
Not taking initiative, not refusing, not taking responsibility! This is indeed the behavior of a scumbag!
Fang Chongyong looked at Du Fu with some sympathy. This honest man who could only write poetry, even though he was born in a Tianlong family, did not even have a concubine.

Look at how Yan Wu dealt with the Minotaur, this is the difference in their vision!

“The court can agree to everything Yan Wu said, but he wants to leave a child to settle in Bianzhou, which is also reasonable. It is not Fang who is making things difficult for Yan Wu.

Now, all the military governors and generals in various places have their families in Bianzhou, without exception.

The same was true for people like Liu Longxian in Hanoi who later surrendered from the rebels.

Does Yan Wu have any problem with this matter? Can Brother Du make the decision?"

Fang Zhongyong asked solemnly.

Sending high-ranking officials to remote areas and leaving their sons in Beijing as hostages was not a rule unique to the Tang Dynasty. In fact, similar rules had been the norm since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and were frequently seen in historical records, so it was not surprising.

Before setting off, Du Fu also discussed this matter with Yan Wu, so naturally there was no obstacle at all.

If a ruthless person who could seduce someone else's concubine into his arms and then push her into the lake to drown really wanted to do something big, how could he care about the life or death of his son?

There won't be any psychological barriers.

When pushed to the limit, even if it means the end of the family line, we will not hesitate to do what needs to be done!

Yan Wu killed his "stepmother" when he was eight years old, just because his father Yan Tingzhi doted on this concubine. How could such a person care about his offspring?
"If the imperial court sets up a memorial office in Bianzhou, then Yan Wu's eldest son, Yan Chuqing, will come to Bianzhou to settle down within a month."

Du Fu spoke.

This was not something he said casually, but was what Yan Wu asked him to say. In other words, it was Yan Wu's own idea.

Yuan Jie on the side breathed a sigh of relief and his face was no longer tense as before.

He didn't know who Yan Wu was, but he knew Fang Chongyong very well!
This man is always decisive and unambiguous in killing, but he just doesn't talk about killing. When it comes to taking action, Fang Qing never shows mercy.

For example, some time ago, Che Guangqian reported that the emperor's son Li Yu had proclaimed himself emperor and rebelled in Yanzhou (Yan'an), and had raised an army of tens of thousands of people.

As a result, the rebellion was wiped out by the Bianzhou army in less than a month, and Li Yu died on the city wall of Yanzhou, beheaded by the rebel army.

Fang Zhongyong then issued an order to arrest all members of the Li Tang clan of the emperor's lineage. The males were to be executed immediately, and the females were to be remarried!
He is usually very easy to talk to, but no one can persuade him at this moment!

Don't ask, the real question is how Wu Meiniang dealt with the Li clan back then. Fang Qing is just imitating her.

Yuan Jie was really worried that Du Fu would touch Fang Chongyong's weak spot.

Fortunately, the atmosphere of tonight's meeting was very harmonious. Fang Chongyong did not mention Yan Wu's mistakes at all and agreed to all the requests made by Du Fu.

After having a full meal and being well-received, the group left Zhuangyuan Building. After Fang Chongyong settled Du Fu in Shangyuan Posthouse, he returned to the government office alone.

There was a letter from Lingnan on the table, and the story in the letter was similar to that of Yan Wu.

The Persians, Arabs, and Hu merchants from the Nine Zhaowu Clans in Guangzhou united in rebellion and killed Wei Li, the governor of Guangzhou. Zhang Jiugao, the governor of Lingnan, fled to his hometown of Shaoguan and defended the city.

However, after the rebellion, these Hu merchants were worried that the Tang army would return to settle accounts with them, so they fled to the sea and looted the Guangzhou Maritime Customs.

Now that Zhang Jiugao has no powerful troops under his command, the barbarians in various parts of Lingnan have rebelled, and the situation has become uncontrollable in a very short time!
What is the current situation in Lingnan? Zhang Jiugao didn't explain it clearly in a few words. But it reminded Fang Zhongyong of a word from his previous life: anarchy!
The clan power in Lingnan is very strong. The clan members cannot survive without sticking together. There is no justice or reason. The law of the jungle here is often not concealed at all.

There is only a balance between strong forces.

The rebellion of the Hu people in Guangzhou made Lingnan return to its original state before the Tang Dynasty invaded this place. Each small force defended its stronghold and took care of its own business. Whoever said something was only counted locally.

Even Zhang Jiugao had to hide in his hometown of Shaoguan. If he were somewhere else, the locals might sell him out in a blink of an eye.

Zhang Jiugao sent Zhang Jiuling's son Zhang Zheng to Bianzhou to ask the court for help. At this time, he didn't care whether the Bianzhou court was so-called orthodox!

Yan Wu of Xichuan and Zhang Jiugao of Guangzhou, although they had different endings, one was a winner and the other a loser, they had one thing in common: after losing the protection of the powerful central government of the Tang Dynasty, life became difficult for these local commanders.

It seems to be an irrefutable truth that children without mothers will be bullied.

"Lingnan and Xichuan started making noises almost at the same time.

Could it be that the Tibetans are behind this?"

Fang Chongyong murmured to himself that the cause of this incident was that Zhang Jiugao led his troops to resist the Nanzhao army that invaded Lingnan, leaving Guangzhou with a shortage of troops.

Fang Chongyong felt that how could such a coincidence happen in the world!
Could it be that Dazalu Gong was trying to trick him?
(End of this chapter)