Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 800: Jincheng Alliance
Jincheng is located south of the Yellow River, and across the river is Jincheng Pass, the key to Longyou.

The history of this pass is much older than that of Jincheng. There are a series of Yellow River ferry crossings around Jincheng Pass, with different numbers in each dynasty, but all of them were set up for expeditions and defense of Jincheng Pass.

The original purpose of establishing Jincheng was to establish a stronghold near Jincheng Pass, to provide a seat for the imperial court to control the area, and to provide a place for travelers to stay for business.

After dealing with the affairs in Hexi, Fang Zhongyong left Wang Nandi and his troops to guard Liangzhou, and recruited soldiers locally to rebuild Hexi's defense system.

He returned to Lanzhou with the main force of the Bianzhou Army. At this time, the season had changed from early summer to autumn harvest. The local people in Lanzhou were busy harvesting in the fields, and it seemed that they were not affected by the Tibetans at all.

Fang led the imperial army to conquer Hexi, brought it back into the arms of the Tang Dynasty, and opened up the road to the Western Regions. The people in the border towns felt as if they had traveled back to the Kaiyuan era decades ago, the glorious days when the Tang army could beat anyone they wanted.

As for the justice of the war, they didn't care at all. The pride of the Tang people made them not want to delve into whether the Tang Dynasty's looting of slaves in the surrounding areas was reasonable. The hidden benefits of the slave trade made them avoid talking about the dark side of these things.

Fang Chongyong saw an old lady in Shazhou and bought a 14-year-old Hu girl named "Lvzhu" for 17 pieces of silk. She dared to give her such a name, so I think she must be quite pretty.

There is no love or hate without reason in the world. Behind those narratives of family and country ideals are naked conflicts of interest.

However, the current situation is far from as stable as the people in the border towns imagine.

Scouts reported that Tubo had built a series of castles and fortresses in Shanzhou at a huge cost, which was not easy to achieve given the living environment and transportation conditions in the northwest.

It is not an exaggeration to describe it as the whole country's strength.

Although the Hehuang Valley only accounts for 8% of the area of ​​Qinghai Province in later generations, it contributes 90% of the province's grain output. Fang Zhongyong speculated that Trisong Detsen's move might not be for expansion, but to consolidate his regime.

Although this increase in grain may seem insignificant, it does not seem to have much impact on a serfdom country of the size of Tubo.

But in fact, sometimes just a little bit of increase, from no surplus food every year to some grain reserves, can ensure that a plateau country with frequent natural disasters can overcome difficulties.

Their determination to fight for this place is unmatched!
It was a clear and crisp autumn day, and it was the time agreed upon for the meeting with Tubo.

The meeting place was outside Jincheng Pass on the other side of Jincheng.

Fang Chongyong was a little uncomfortable with choosing this place for the alliance. In his opinion, the alliance should be held at the foot of Shanzhou City, which is further west. He just wanted to sign a "city alliance", but unfortunately it was sternly rejected by the Tubo side.

The area under the jurisdiction of the Longyou Jiedushi was mostly mountainous, barren and inconvenient for transportation. Attacking with elite troops would not be worth the cost, and the supply line was extremely long. If we did not attack, the area where Lanzhou and Hexi met would be like a human throat, and it would be easy for the Tibetans to strangle it.

After weighing the pros and cons, Fang Zhongyong had to give up the plan to attack Shanzhou. In a word, he couldn't afford to waste time. Even if he took it, he might not be able to hold it in the future.

To hold this place, a prosperous Tang Dynasty during the Kaiyuan period is needed. If you don't have such national strength, don't try to waste your strength in meaningless places.

Behind Fang Chongyong, a team of heavily armored soldiers were lined up in full gear, and not far away there was a team of elite cavalry ready to charge at any time.

They all saw a team in the distance slowly and steadily walking towards them.

"Sir, the soldiers on the other side are all elite soldiers."

Che Guangqian whispered something beside Fang Zhongyong.

"Ah."

Fang Zhongyong sat down with his horse and sword. To his left was the Yellow River, with rapids hitting the rocks on the shore. In front of him was an incense table with three animals and an incense burner on it.

The meaning of the "blood alliance" with Tubo can only be understood by those who understand.

The team approached and stopped within an arrow's reach. A burly middle-aged man in a Tang Dynasty brocade robe came forward and saluted Fang Zhongyong in a clumsy Chinese: "I am Shang Zanmo, a great Tibetan scholar, and I am here to see the Lord Fang."

The newly appointed Tibetan minister was extremely humble and respectful towards Fang Chongyong, which made Emperor Fang feel a little strange.

He knew very well what Da Lun meant in Tubo.

The person who holds this position has the power to overthrow the Tibetan king! His power is far greater than that of the Han prime minister.

"Where is Trisong Detsen? Why did you come to the meeting instead of him?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a slight frown.

Trisong Detsen was sincere in negotiating peace, and he was even more eager to stabilize the political situation in Tubo. He would not play the "hard-to-get" game on such a matter.

Shang Zanmo showed a look of surprise, then clasped his fists and said:

"Your Majesty, your status in the Tang Dynasty is no different from that of the Tibetan Grand Councilor. You have set up the incense burner and offerings at Jincheng Pass, so it is not wrong for me, the Tibetan Grand Councilor, to sign the covenant with you, which is a soldier against a soldier and a general against a general.

If the Zamp comes here, then the Tang Dynasty will also ask the emperor to sign. This is a matter of course. What is there to be surprised about?"

Uh, after hearing this, Fang Chongyong was speechless for a moment.

You say that what Shang Zanmo said is unreasonable, but he said it very logically and there is no flaw in his logic.

But if you listened to his lies, you would have fallen into Trisong Detsen's evil scheme!

If there is another great theorist in the future, Trisong Detsen will immediately turn his face against him and say: What does the treaty you signed with the great theorist have to do with me, the king? That great theorist has been imprisoned, he betrayed the interests of Tubo, etc.

Fang Chongyong could imagine what might happen in the future.

The Tubo Kingdom changes its ministers very frequently, only slightly less frequently than Ji Ge's replacement of prime ministers.

"Since Trisong Detsen can't come, I think the alliance is not finalized!"

Fang Chongyong stood up and overturned the table in front of him!
All the soldiers behind Fang Zhongyong drew their bows and aimed their arrows at Shang Zanmo.

The personal soldiers behind the Tibetan king also raised their bows and arrows and aimed at Fang Chongyong. For a moment, the originally quite relaxed atmosphere suddenly became tense to the point of exploding.

"Official, what do you mean by this?"

Shang Zanmo asked with an unhappy look on his face.

"Hmph, if Trisong Detsen is sincere in signing the treaty, he should come here in person. Otherwise, let's continue to talk with swords."

Fang Zhongyong snorted coldly and waved his hand gently.

The soldiers behind him put down their bows and arrows and formed a shield wall, clearing the way in the middle. Fang Zhongyong, along with a few of his trusted followers, turned around and left without stopping.

A helpless smile emerged on Shang Zanmo's face. He sighed and ordered his personal soldiers to put down their bows and crossbows so as not to embarrass themselves again.

"This little bit of cleverness really can't be hidden from Fang Qing. But, he was so foolish back then, but now he is as cunning as a fox, how come it is so?"

Shang Zanmo muttered a few words quietly. He was very sure that this "child" whom he had seen countless times had forgotten what happened back then.

Fang Qing didn't recognize him at all!
A day later, Shang Zanmo returned to Huangshui City. A Buddhist temple was being built outside the city.

Seeing him coming back, Trisong Detsen, who was observing the construction of the temple, asked, "Has the meeting not been completed? You came back a little early."

His voice was still as calm as ever, even with a hint of feminine softness. But no matter how you looked at it, Trisong Detsen was undoubtedly a man.

The character of this Zamp can be said to be the type that uses gentleness to overcome strength, and his political skills are very mature.

If you don’t move, you will be killed. If you move, you will be killed!

Shang Zanmo was very respectful to this Zamp in his heart.

More fear than admiration.

"Reporting to the Zamp, Fang Qing immediately flipped the table and left when he learned that you were not going to sign the treaty."

Shang Zanmo recounted the scene of his meeting with Fang Qing outside Jincheng Pass.

"Oh my, my brother is angry with me." Trisong Detsen smacked his lips and smiled, but didn't say much. This made Shang Zanmo, who was standing beside him, nervous.

The two of them watched in silence as the serfs grunted and carried the wood for building the temple.

"I plan to send monks to the Middle-earth temple to practice Buddhism. Where do you think is a good place to go?"

After a long time, Trisong Detsen suddenly asked a question that was completely unrelated to the current situation.

"Return to Dalun. It's better to go to Luoyang. There are many Buddhist temples there."

Shang Zanmo said cautiously.

"Well, that's fine. Then we can send one hundred monks to various temples in Luoyang to practice Buddhism."

Trisong Detsen nodded, smiling and seeming to be in a good mood. He did not feel angry because Fang Zhongyong overturned the table.

"Zanpu, there are already many Indian monks in Lhasa. Why do they still need to go to China to practice Buddhism?"

Shang Zanmo felt very confused. Of course, he used to believe in Bon religion, so his understanding of Buddhism was almost non-existent.

"The Chinese land is vast and rich in resources, so it must have something outstanding. Since we are going to sign an alliance, we might as well take this opportunity to send people to learn Buddhism there and use it for our own benefit."

Trisong Detsen said calmly.

You say he is wise, but he is extremely religious and superstitious. He builds temples wherever he goes.

But if you say he is ignorant, he still knows the principle of "learning from the barbarians in order to defeat them".

"Zanpu is wise and said it very well."

Shang Zanmo gave a perfunctory compliment and then didn't know what to say next.

Perhaps because he was tired of watching the serfs building the Buddhist temple, Trisong Detsen turned to Shang Zangmo and ordered: "Send someone to Lanzhou and tell them that I had just recovered from a serious illness and was unable to walk. Now that I have recovered from my illness, we can sign the covenant outside Jincheng Pass and erect a monument as a witness."

Uh, you're changing too fast, aren't you?
Shang Zanmo complained in his heart but didn't dare to say anything more. He just bowed and left.

The previous attempt to be clever was just to test the opponent's wisdom. Now that the test has been made, the covenant must be signed.

The Tang Dynasty needed to rest and recuperate, and Tubo naturally needed it as well.

For Trisong Detsen, the top priority was to suppress the influence of Bon religion and popularize Buddhism in Tubo.

As for the war with the Tang Dynasty, since it can be stopped now, it can be started in the future. Nothing is constant.

Even if they did not invade the Tang Dynasty, Tubo could extend its tentacles to West Asia, which would not hinder their expansion at all.

There is no need to hang yourself on a tree.

Suddenly, Trisong Detsen seemed to remember something and called out to Shang Zangmo who was already walking back.

"When you met Fang Qing, did he recognize you?"

Trisong Detsen asked doubtfully.

Shang Zanmo was the captain of the guard in the fiefdom where Princess Jincheng lived. Naturally, he had a lot of contact with the young Fang Qing at that time.

"I didn't recognize him. I should say I didn't recognize him at all."

Shang Zanmo sighed and said.

"Okay, got it, go do your job."

Trisong Detsen waved his hand and said nothing more.

……

A few days later, it was still outside Jincheng Pass, still the same place, still the sound of waves on the bank of the Yellow River, and even the same table and incense burner.

Fang Chongyong looked at Trisong Detsen who was sitting across the table from him and felt that this person looked... completely unimpressive to him!
“My brother was very kind to me back then. Although I was Princess Jincheng’s adopted son at that time, she treated me as her own son.

It’s okay for me to call you brother.”

Trisong Detsen said with emotion.

National affairs have nothing to do with personal feelings. Even if Fang Zhongyong became the Tibetan king, even if he knew that his parents were Han Chinese and his mother was a member of the Tang royal family, he would still stand on the side of the Tibetans!

Be a real Tibetan king!

In other words, no matter how good the relationship between Trisong Detsen and the "young man Fang Qing" was in the past, he will now consider the overall interests of the Tibetan nobles.

Everything else has to come later.

"Since ancient times, no one has ever died, leaving a loyal heart to illuminate history."

Fang Zhongyong sighed and uttered a classic seven-character sentence that can be used in many contexts.

"Write it down, translate it into Tibetan, and carve it at the entrance of my bedroom."

Trisong Detsen gave instructions to a Yigeba (official title, the chief secretary of a high-ranking Tibetan official) beside him.

"See if there is any problem."

Fang Zhongyong picked up the covenant on the table and handed it to Lun Weizheng beside him.

The latter read it word by word, leaned over and whispered to Chongyong, "No problem, it is consistent with the Chinese translation."

The expression on his face was very conflicted, or perhaps it was one of deliberate forbearance.

There was no problem with the wording of the treaty, but Lun Weizhen really did not want the Tang Dynasty to sign an alliance with Tubo.

He wants revenge.

If it were a foolish ruler, Lun Weizhen might really do some tricks, but Fang Qing is not an ordinary person.

He could only suppress his inner anger and unhappiness.

"Erect a stone tablet, engrave Chinese characters on the front and Tibetan characters on the back, that's it."

Fang Chongyong stood up and was too lazy to drink blood wine with Trisong Detsen.

"Brother, the covenant has not yet been completed. We still need to swear an oath of blood."

Trisong Detsen also stood up and gave a gentle reminder.

“The oath is in the heart.

If you have Buddha in your heart, then Buddha will be at ease.

If there is no Buddha in your heart, even if you chant sutras all day long and build thousands of Buddhist temples, it is just like covering your ears and stealing the bell.

You and I both know whether there is an alliance between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo. Does it matter whether you drink the cup of blood wine or not? "

Fang Chongyong asked back, and without waiting for Trisong Detsen to answer, he turned around and left, leaving behind a handsome back.

(End of this chapter)