Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 801: Guoqiao Mutiny (Part )

Fang Zhongyong signed a so-called "covenant" with Trisong Detsen, stipulating that the Tang Dynasty was the uncle and the Tubo was the nephew, and that they would address each other as such. This was considered to have put an end to the war between them.

The Tang Dynasty retained the Five Prefectures of Hexi and maintained its connection with the Western Regions, but Tubo occupied the Hehuang Valley and could farm and graze at the throat of the Hexi Corridor. The probability of accidental conflict between the two countries in the future is extremely high!
Therefore, all those who participated in the meeting, even the soldiers standing guard with knives, knew that this was not a covenant, but an armistice agreement that would last for an unknown period of time.

Once either the Tang or Tubo recovers, they will break the alliance and go to war. Another fight is inevitable, the only uncertainties are the time, scale, and outcome of the war.

After dealing with this most important diplomatic event, Fang Chongyong led his troops back to Guanzhong.

By the time the army arrived in Chang'an, it was already winter. The rivers had already frozen, but it hadn't snowed yet. The crops in the fields had already been harvested, leaving only bare land, which looked a bit desolate and bleak.

A little observation will show that Guanzhong is far from emerging from the depression.

Fang Chongyong found Yuan Jie, the prefect of Guanzhong Prefecture, and asked Yuan Jie to issue a decree: those who were willing to settle down in Bianzhou could ride on the mule and horse carts used by the Bianzhou army to transport supplies and move for free.

Anyway, when the army returned, the food and fodder were left in Hexi and Lanzhou, and a large number of livestock came back pulling empty carts, just sitting there doing nothing.

It would have been fine if this order had not been issued. Once it was issued, the entire Guanzhong region was in an uproar. Many people who had not been allocated land or houses, or who were unable to manage the land, or who had no capital to start a family or career, all signed up enthusiastically.

At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, there was a plan to weaken Guandong and Hebei, and a large number of people were moved from outside the pass to Guanzhong. Now, Fang Chongyong is also consciously "reducing the burden" on Guanzhong and moving its household registration out of Guanzhong.

After all, the Tang Dynasty had been established for more than a hundred years, had a deep foundation in Guanzhong, and was surrounded by mountains and rivers. If there was a disturbance, the consequences would be disastrous.

If people are gone, then everything is gone. Whether it is building a city or rebelling, everything is inseparable from the population, especially the young and strong labor force.

This move of cutting off the fuel supply from under the cauldron has far-reaching consequences, but it does not harm the natural order, does not take lives, and does not involve any act of cunning or robbery. It can be described as a classic tactic of simmering over low heat and working your way up over time.

This time when he came to Chang'an, Fang Chongyong could no longer see the prosperous past. Chang'an was divided into three parts, and the streets were completely changed due to reconstruction.

Some places are being expanded, some places are being demolished; some roads are blocked, some roads are being opened; some places are deserted, some places are showing new vitality.

It can be said that a thousand ships pass by the side of the sunken boat, and a thousand trees bloom in front of the dead tree. They are demolishing and rebuilding at the same time, and there is order in the chaos.

Fang Chongyong gave Yuan Jie a warning, telling him to "rest with the people" when he was governing. Farmers who could not afford to pay taxes and had less than 100 mu of land at home could delay paying part of the taxes first and pay later when they had more money.

He also specifically requested that large households that left large areas of land uncultivated be severely punished. If the amount of land left uncultivated exceeded 100 mu, the excess land would be fined in the first year, and directly confiscated in the second year, with the land deeds revoked.

It is easy to understand that we should rest with the people, but Yuan Jie really didn't understand what Fang Zhongyong meant by "severely cracking down on abandoned land."

The so-called wealthy family does not simply refer to a wealthy and powerful family, but can also be a family with large wealth and many people in the village.

Such people, although no longer employed, still live with their clansmen and tenants. They have a common local memory and are more appealing in the local area. They are definitely not the corrupt and immobile Guanzhong Tianlong people.

It can be roughly believed that the aristocratic families are bureaucratic powerful people, and the powerful people are armed wealthy families.

It has been a "good" tradition for many years for large households to leave large areas of land uncultivated, cultivate small areas, and concentrate a large number of tenants to cultivate the land intensively. The benefits of this to the parties involved are too numerous to be described in a few words.

Because land itself does not produce anything, all output can be regarded as the crystallization of human labor. Occupying a large amount of land but using only a small part of it is not only to leave enough fertility for the land, but also to preserve and possess more means of production.

In other words, it means concentrating the land in one's own hands under seemingly reasonable circumstances.

Fang Chongyong's move will inevitably stimulate land transactions and squeeze out the excess land bubbles among large households.

Every policy has its countermeasure. If the imperial court wants to crack down on land annexation, there will inevitably be people at the local level who pretend to obey the policy but actually go against it, competing with the imperial court's policies in a battle of wits and courage.

A new round of troubles has begun.

Yuan Jie felt that no one can be good for a hundred days, but he accepted the order without hesitation. He himself came from a wealthy family in Henan. His ancestors were members of the Yuan clan during the Northern Wei Dynasty, and their family was also very wealthy.

But his family's situation was not as important as his future. After all, the imperial court had not ordered his family to be exterminated, and these policies to prevent land from being abandoned were not specifically aimed at him.

Moreover, it was only implemented in Guanzhong and not popularized in Henan, let alone Bianzhou. Since he couldn't see Fang Zhongyong's true intention, he naturally wouldn't say anything more.

After this harmless episode, Fang Chongyong led the Bianzhou army eastward, passed Tongguan, and arrived in Luoyang.

The prefect of Luoyang Prefecture was a member of the Xue family, named Xue Jintong, who was also a veteran governor during the Kaiyuan period.

The officials of the same generation in this family include Xue Qitong, Xue Huangtong, Xue Jintong, Xue Rongtong, Xue Yantong, Xue Xiangtong, Xue Fengtong, Xue Yuntong and more than ten others!
They are a genuine family of officials, descended from the Hedong Xue family, and originally had great power.

However, it was torn to pieces by Brother Ji back then. Although the ancestral home of this branch of the Xue family was in Luoyang, the family members were scattered around as officials, and they were all civil officials, most of whom were provincial governors.

Fang Chongyong had some friendship with Xue Yuntong, and he also knew that Xue Qitong had led the Bianzhou army when they attacked Luoyang.

But this Xue Jintong was the first time he had met him. Letting him be the prefect of Luoyang Prefecture was just an exchange of interests between him and the Xue family. Others led the way and served as dogs. Even if he could not enter the core decision-making circle, it was only natural that he should be given a bone.

However, it is hard to say whether this person will be able to hold on to his position in the future.

Therefore, Fang Zhongyong was very polite to Xue Jintong, speaking kindly and without making any demands. For a family that he would seriously evaluate in the future and would not be afraid of suppressing, there was no need to speak ugly words upfront.

Just follow the rules when the time comes.

No one, at any time, can escape the shackles of the four words "closeness and distance". Trusting one's own people and rejecting outsiders is human nature formed in order to protect oneself.

Although Fang Zhongyong appoints people based on merit, he will give priority to those who are closer to him. Those capable confidants will easily be promoted, and their promotion speed is unmatched by ordinary people.

I heard that many refugees from Guanzhong wanted to settle in Luoyang. Fang Zhongyong waved his hand and handed them over to Xue Jintong. There was no natural barrier between Luoyang and Bianzhou, and they were very close to each other, almost like twin cities. Therefore, it was harmless for these refugees to settle in either of the two.

The only exception is Guanzhong, a place surrounded by mountains.

However, just when everyone thought that the imperial guards would soon return to the Guoqiao base, Fang Chongyong brought his men to Zhengzhou for rest and decided not to leave for the time being.

……

The news of the army's triumphant return had already reached Bianzhou. From Liangzhou to Bianzhou, a fast horse would only take six or seven days, but if they marched, even if they rode non-stop, it would take at least more than twenty days.

Logically speaking, opening up the Hexi Corridor, recovering the five states of Hexi, and the nominal submission of the Shuofang Army to the imperial court were all good things. However, Yan Zhuang, who was stationed in Bianliang City, was not happy.

Because Fang Chongyong failed to accomplish the most important thing, which was to inflict heavy damage on the Tubo army and capture or behead the Tubo leader alive. They did not get this great achievement.

Without the organized destruction of the Tubo army in Hexi, this military achievement would have been lacking. It was indeed a great victory in Chang'an, but Chang'an was after all Guanzhong, the core base of the Han people, and the nominal capital of the empire.

It was only natural to beat up the Tibetans here, and even if we won a big victory, it was not worth bragging about. However, the matter that Fang Zhongyong wanted to do could not be compromised at all! It had reached the point where the arrow was on the string and had to be shot!

Early in the morning of that day, Zhang Guangsheng came in a hurry to visit, went straight into the Council Hall to find Yan Zhuang, and brought a handwritten letter from Fang Zhongyong.

Seeing Zhang Guangsheng's nervous expression and looking at the sealing wax on the envelope that had not been touched by anyone, Yan Zhuang's heart rose to his throat.

The better the situation is, the stronger the psychological expectations are, and the more nervous you will be at the last minute. If you are desperate, you can do it without thinking about other things.

After opening the letter, Yan Zhuang's expression changed several times. Finally, he sighed and said nothing more.

"Mr. Yan, what does the government say?"

Zhang Guangsheng asked doubtfully.

"You can see for yourself. It won't be a secret soon anyway."

Yan Zhuang handed the letter to Zhang Guangsheng, who took a look and understood it instantly. Sure enough, what was supposed to happen would still happen. The reason why an accident is called an accident is that it doesn't happen often.

"General Zhang, go and make some preparations. Three days from now, there will be a celebration ceremony, and then everything will be clear."

Yan Zhuang nodded slightly and said.

In fact, Fang Chongyong did not say anything special in the letter. He just said that in three days the army would go from the Guoqiao camp to Bianliang City to offer prisoners, and all the civil and military officials in the court, including the emperor, would attend the court meeting.

The venue of the court meeting was the imperial palace in Bianliang City. He asked Yan Zhuang to arrange the relevant matters of the captive offering, the public security inside and outside the city, and the procedures for the captive offering, all of which should be prepared in advance.

At first glance, the letter seemed normal and there was nothing special about it. But at the bottom left corner of the last page of the letter, there was a pre-agreed mark.

Whenever this mark appears, it means that something "unspeakable" is at the final stage and is about to start!
In view of this, both Yan Zhuang and Zhang Guangsheng were very nervous and excited.

This "surrender of captives" was most likely not fake, that is to say, the captives were indeed to be presented to the emperor, and the elite troops were to be "inspected" by the emperor in front of the imperial palace in Bianliang City.

To outsiders, that's what it looks like.

But in fact, apart from these things, it is hard to say what else will happen. Even if this letter falls into the hands of outsiders, no one knows what Fang Zhongyong wants to do, and at most they can only vaguely guess it.

This official Fang was extremely meticulous in his work. Even Yan Zhuang only knew part of the plan. As for what to do specifically at that time, just follow what Fang Zhongyong clearly stated in the letter.

For example, all non-direct troops could be transferred to outside the city of Bianliang, or even outside Bianzhou!
For example, all streets in Bianliang City were under martial law that day and no one was allowed to go out.

For example, Empress Wu and the emperor had to be controlled in advance, and the guards of the imperial palace in Bianliang City had to be replaced with a group of new faces in advance.

There are many seemingly insignificant details to take care of, like this.

For a moment, Zhang Guangsheng also felt that the matter was of great importance. Even his breathing became less smooth and he could only feel his heart pounding wildly.

"Well, I will prepare it now."

Zhang Guangsheng bowed to Yan Zhuang and left. After leaving the house, the cold wind outside instantly cooled his feverish mind.

If anyone else had done that in Bianzhou, it would have been no different from courting death, even if that person was the emperor of the Li family. Li Wei's example is a warning to those who came after him.

However, if that person was Fang Qing...there wouldn't be any difficulty at all.

At this moment, Zhang Guangsheng was not thinking about whether the task could be accomplished, but what role he would play in it.

Things have come to this point, so don't say it's inconvenient to save face. At this time, you have to show your loyalty nakedly!
In a word, absolute loyalty is not enough, you have to let the officials know that you are absolutely loyal!
So, what should we do?

Zhang Guangsheng was thinking as he walked, and suddenly he came up with a good idea.

……

After the meeting, Trisong Detsen gave Fang Chongyong a very thin and short but extremely beautifully decorated "spear".

The spear head has a blood groove, and the root is inlaid with gems of different colors. The entire spear head is made of gold, which looks dazzling.

The key point is that there is a name engraved on the spear head that makes Fang Zhongyong feel very upset, that is "Brahmin".

Fang Chongyong also specifically sought out Tibetan monks in the Han area to inquire about the so-called Brahmin. They said that a certain prayer language has a magical power. When the magical power increases, good people will be blessed and bad people will be punished. Therefore, the priests who perform the prayers are called "Brahmins."

To put it simply, it is used here to represent the boundless power of mana.

It was obvious that Trisong Detsen had a very special intention in giving such a thin spear as a gift.

On this day, Fang Chongyong was playing with the "Brahmin" in the military tent of Guoqiao Camp. The spear was less than a quarter of the length of an ordinary spear. Suddenly, he seemed to have completely understood the secret of the Celestial Dragons.

You are a noble, I am a noble, and we both hold power.

We were just playing around and having fun. We are all noble people, we respect each other, and we should know when to stop and not lose our dignity.

Therefore, I give you a Brahman spear to show my recognition of your identity. In the future, the war between our two countries will be just like playing chess on a chessboard, just a game in this life.

As for the others, they are all untouchables, who cannot be compared with us. They are actually two-legged animals.

I don't care about their lives, not because I like killing, but because they are not of the same kind as us, so killing them doesn't matter whether it is good or evil.

After understanding this line of thought, Fang Zhongyong suddenly became enlightened and figured out many things that he had been unable to understand in the past.

"It is true that the braids on your head are easy to cut, but the braids in your heart are hard to cut."

Fang Zhongyong sighed, and the expectation for a change of dynasty in his heart immediately became heavy.

There are countless people who think like Trisong Detsen. They think it is natural and right. When they were powerful, they tried their best to say that their destiny was bestowed by heaven, until Huang Chao came out of nowhere to teach them how to be human.

These people know that you cannot take it for granted that you are superior to others just because you are powerful.

With such bad habits, Fang Zhongyong felt that he would have to teach them a lesson in the future.

(End of this chapter)