The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 120: Western Shu and the Guiyi Army
The saint was exhausted from his paperwork and could not stand the tossing and turning. Wei Yi enjoyed himself five times and then let him go. When the saint fell asleep, listening to his snoring, Wei Yi sat up quietly, wiped off the strange dirt on her body, got up and combed her hair. After everything was tidied, she returned to the couch and tucked the corner of the quilt for the saint.

"I've been in the kitchen for three days, washing my hands and making soup..." Wei Yi murmured softly, and left Penglai Palace refreshed. Seeing her flushed cheeks and radiant spirit, the attendant Zhuo Mo, who was on duty early, recorded in the "Jingfu Notes": "The beautiful lady Wei Yi in the Xiaoxiaoyaogongfang is very eloquent, beautiful, good at responding, and charming, so the emperor loves her."

On February 16, the second year of Jingfu, the Jianxia Sanchuan Kuilu envoys reported that the remaining Cai troops of the Wudu and Lu Yanhong troops who had occupied Chengdu were ineffective in the battle with Yang Shouliang and others, and killed the posthumous Wei Hongfu Chongxi and ate his family. The beastly soldiers who went from Fengzhou to Shuzhong to fight for the country also killed the defense envoy Mancun and defeated Tubo in the west - "Every battle in the prefectures and counties, corpses were strewn on the road, rotten juice filled the canals, and white bones piled up like hills and towers; the living were gasping for breath."

As Sichuan had been in chaos for a long time, the imperial court appointed Shangshu Youcheng Yang She as the envoy of peace, to go to Sichuan to mediate and persuade Zhang Qianyu, Yang Sheng, Yang Shouzhen, Yang Shouzhong, Yang Shouhou and other generals to stop fighting - "We sincerely obey your orders and should return to our hometowns and await orders. If they continue to be violent and tyrannical and the bloody fighting continues, and the war does not stop in May, then the six divisions will be moved." Just give these killers a heads-up first, and see if it doesn't work.

The sage did not want to go to war in Bashu unless it was absolutely necessary.

The road is long and dangerous, and if you cannot conquer it with lightning speed, you will easily fall into a quagmire.

Second, the main force entered Shu, and Zhu Wen might take the opportunity to attack. Moreover, Chang'an has been without a master for a long time, will someone inside rebel and seize the throne? If they just have a royal family or a prince, and send reliable soldiers to guard Dasan Pass, and respect you as the emperor, what else can you do except stare blankly? Don't laugh, this is a farce that happened a few years ago...

The last and most important point is the logistical transportation and food consumption - transporting the food, drink, excrement, and weapons and equipment of tens of thousands of people over thousands of miles is, needless to say, an astronomical figure.

Go straight to Yinping? Are the bandits in Shu Liu Chan? In addition, setting up more than a dozen strongholds on this small road can make people miserable. Wei Zhaodu suffered losses when he conquered Shu. But he was still good. He took down all the scattered fortresses on the periphery, and the army of more than 100,000 was able to attack the bandits' nest directly. But in the end, facing the mighty city of Chengdu, the generals had no other way except to besiege it. Of course, if Wei Zhaodu had arrested the people like others, he might have been able to take it down. But why could the court do this? They claim that "everyone is like this" and cover their ears to steal the bell and join the beast soldiers. Why should the officials and the elders recognize the righteousness of the court?

Instead of attacking Shu, it is better to cause trouble for the Tanguts and Tubo people in the six states, and try to recover the lost territories of Hui, Min, Lintao, Jincheng, and Hewei that are close to Shu. The roads are smooth, there are few strong passes and fortresses, and the key is that the miscellaneous Hu are easy to bully...

During the Dazhong period, the Dangxiang people in the six states rebelled. The Shen Ce Army dispatched 10,000 people to defeat Pingliang.

In the fifth year of Xiantong, the Five Governors sent 5,000 warriors to sweep away tens of thousands of barbarians in Jiaozhou, and the barbarians fled in one battle. In the first year of Qianfu, Nanzhao attacked Xizhou (Xichang City, Sichuan Province), and 5,000 Chengdu generals marched southward and killed many people, and Nanzhao immediately knelt down.

Gao Pian defended Qinzhou and fought a few battles. More than 10,000 Tibetans surrendered. Pang Xun and several thousand other Xuzhou soldiers camped in Guizhou, and the barbarians dared not to speak. If you provoke the Xuzhou devil, he will really "eat you alive"; he can even cook the generals, so what's wrong with eating you?
Even the former number one enemy, Tubo, is not as threatening as the Pingxia tribe after the collapse of the central government. Fu Daozhao, with more than 2,000 Qi soldiers, can ride on the necks of the Tubo people and act arrogantly. It shows how powerful they are now. Wait, there is more fun to come. In the future, when Tuoba Dangxiang rises, they will be skinned and broken by the descendants of Sigong, and the nobles will change their wine utensils. Surprise, isn't it?

Fighting against the Hu is probably the easiest war to fight, as they have an innate fear of the Tang people.

But then again, if we are forced to do nothing, we will have no choice but to march into Shu with our halberds. Otherwise, according to the nature of these birdmen, they will wait for Sanchuan to turn into a den of ghosts. Let's take it one step at a time and wait for news from Yang She.

Anyway, the sage is not in a hurry, he has already put on his tortoise shell. To the east, he guards Tongguan Pass, to the south, he guards Wuguan Road and Baoxia Road. Wherever there is rebellion, he weighs the strength of the enemy and ourselves and then sends troops. Compared with other vassal states, life here is too comfortable.

……

The bright sunshine shines on the bustling Changlefang.

A woman with two daughters was working on a loom, an old man was holding a load of charcoal and bargaining with the owner. Two petty officials were randomly checking a group of merchants with pigtails and shaved heads, asking which states and counties they had passed through, while carefully checking the goods and asking for benefits from the merchants.

A Jinwu Guard who was patrolling the streets was hiding in a corner and lazing around, drooling.

On the top of the Wangxian Tower, the saint stood with his hands behind his back, overlooking the streets and children running and playing, and it was unknown what he was thinking about. This made Zhao, who had come up the tower, purse her lips slightly, revealing a mouthful of white teeth and smiled.

"Don't look at me, there's nothing wrong with my face." The saint turned his eyes to Zhao and found that the concubine's temperament had changed recently. She became more confident, more cheerful, and more feminine. She didn't look as dark and sad as before.

"Although we don't have beautiful faces, we are the most colorful flowers ourselves." Zhao held his face and said as they looked into each other's eyes.

...I would really appreciate it.

"I use it to describe everyone's excellence."

Hearing this, the sage took away Zhao's hands that were caressing his face and said, "I should be in my position and do my job. All I have done is to fulfill my responsibilities. Don't learn from those foreign officials who flatter and fawn on me."

"I understand, wise ruler." Zhao pinched his face, then took out an official letter and said with some emotion, "Who could believe that the unruly Zhang family of Shazhou would actually present a memorial to the court?"

"Oh?" The saint was slightly startled and was about to ask, but Zhao had already started talking.

"He has not paid tribute for thirty years, has not made pilgrimages for thirty years, and has been exercising his power for thirty years. He has only informed the court of major events such as dethronement and enthronement. Zhang Huaishen and his ilk have servants like clouds, with tiger flags and dragon festivals, and are as pompous as the emperor. If they were vassal states of Zhou, they would have long ago been stripped of their land, demoted, and conquered. If this isn't rebelliousness, what is it?" Zhao slapped the railing and shook her head, "Zhao, Wei, Yan, and Qi have sent people to offer congratulations and gifts every winter solstice. Have you ever seen the Zhang family...pay them a penny?"

The saint was speechless.

The Guiyi Army was regarded as a pity in later generations, but I didn’t expect that its reputation would be so bad at this time and that public opinion would have such a negative impression of it.

Not paying tribute is fine, the court can understand that it is financial difficulties. But not paying tribute to the emperor for 30 years, and taking control of the military and political affairs inside and outside the country, this is very domineering. The land was indeed recovered by the Zhang family, but the Guiyi Army was still a minister of the Tang Dynasty in name, right? The notorious Heshuo towns all worshipped the emperor, so why didn't the Guiyi Army come to pay homage every year?

Especially when compared with the Uighurs, who would send envoys from far away to pay tribute every now and then.

Don't say the road is blocked, the road is connected; when the sage was exiled to Hanzhong in the Guangqi period, three groups of envoys from the Guiyi Army came one after another. They were not here to serve the king - "This envoy has expanded the border and served the country, trained the righteous soldiers, fought the enemy every day, and paid loyalty to the country. Please allow the old rules to establish the Jiedushi." They came to ask for the imperial edict and the imperial seal and artifacts for Zhang Huaishen to be granted the title of Jiedushi.

Did the court give it to them? Definitely not.

Tian Lingzi, the general of the Tenth Army, refused to meet him, and the prime ministers such as Du Rangneng were also disgusted. The envoy, on behalf of Song Runying, refused to leave, and continued to file petitions and write visiting cards to Tian Lingzi and Du Rangneng, while bribing important officials everywhere, asking for help to intercede. But the top leaders unanimously decided not to give him the bribe. After that, facing the doubts of the Han and Tibetan soldiers and civilians of the Uighurs, Umu, and Tuyuhun under his rule, Zhang Huaishen, who was in power only with the legal status of the governor, kept sending envoys to ask for the actual appointment of military commanders - "writing documents and sending thousands of times, crossing the sand dunes."

However, he never achieved his wish. His so-called "Jiedushi of Guiyi Army" and "Shangshu Pushe" were just self-proclaimed titles. As a result, the chieftains of the Uighur tribes and the Han tyrants such as the Long family no longer obeyed his orders, and the Zhang family also fell into frequent civil strife. First, Zhang Huaishen was killed by his younger brother Zhang Huaiding, and then Zhang Huaiding was killed by his sister and brother-in-law Suo Xun.

The outcome was determined by the attitude of the Guiyi Army envoys during the struggle with the imperial court. At that time, Song Runying and others advocated continuing the negotiations - "If we don't get the seal, we will die and never return." The other faction demanded to leave - "What merits did the Minister of Justice have? Find him a seal!"

Do you think the imperial edict is important?

Is the court wrong? For feudal rulers, there is only the person who can rule, regardless of ethnic identity. The court only recognizes whether you are obedient or not. If you don't pay homage for 30 years, even the prince who was given the title is a thief. For the saint, a time traveler, he will remain silent out of emotion.

But he also wanted to ask a question.

Guiyi Army, why have you not paid tribute, made pilgrimages, and exercised your power on your own for thirty years?
I still vaguely remember that Zhang Chengfeng of later generations founded a country and called himself the emperor; the saints evaluated him as not as loyal as Wei Bo!

Recovering his mind, the sage opened the memorial to see what was going on: "The eunuchs in the court heard the merchant's words that Zhu Wen was in rebellion and had gathered troops, violating the laws of heaven, and ordered him to lead troops to attack the emperor and eliminate the evil around him. I, your servants, bow my heads in resentment and indignation. I humbly apologize to the previous dynasty for spreading the gossip and covering the emperor's carriage with dust..." No, the news of the war between the court and Zhu Wen had spread to the Western Regions? Very good, the court's influence had expanded again.

He glanced at the polite words briefly and his eyes quickly moved downwards.

"I, your subjects, bow my heads in accusation and pain! The rebel leader Suo Xun pretended to be the authority of heaven, abused the king's order, and usurped my position. He carried out unjust actions and exterminated innocent people. He used force and punishment, and was violent to his family. He deceived the heavens and was not tolerated by the military. He hurt the safety of the western frontier of the country and destroyed the lives of the people... Three generations of my father and son have served in four dynasties. The light of the nine heavens bathed the thousands of miles. We drove away the Tubo and defeated the rebellious Hu; we defeated the Western Rong in the south and swept away the barbarians in the north. My position as a vassal was appointed by the Dazhong Emperor, and my position was granted by Emperor Yizong. Suo Xun has the eyes of an eagle and the back of a wolf. He tried to steal the name and status, so he was charged with crimes and killed the leader to cause chaos... I am a dull and incompetent person, with little achievements. Whether I live or die, I beg the judgment of the heaven and the judgment of the saints... The enemies are spying on me from all sides, and I am afraid that I will not be able to present my feelings to the emperor. I am trembling with fear. I respectfully report."

This…

The sage closed his memorial.

The memorial was written in the name of Zhang Chengfeng, the grandson of Zhang Yichao, but the person who actually made the decision was Zhang Yichao’s fourteenth daughter, Zhang Shu…

Women of this era are so tough.

Rounu's heart was cut out.

Zhao killed more than ten eunuchs in a row.

Zhang Hui ruled the shogunate.

Li Keyong's wife Liu, who was full of wisdom and strategies, was almost the second counselor to her father-in-law.

Now there comes another person named Zhang Shu who contacts the imperial court to plan a coup.

Perhaps because they were forced too much by Suo Xun and his wife, the Zhang family's children decided to unite to deal with this family. Zhang Shu's intention was also very simple, that is, to ask the court to support Zhang Chengfeng for Zhang Yichao's sake. This coup in later generations seems to have developed in this way. If it weren't for this memorial, the saint would not have believed that the edict was so valuable that it would be useful in Dunhuang, which was isolated outside the Great Wall...

The emperor may not have much authority, but this old centipede of the Tang Dynasty... seems to still have some luck.

Should make good use of it.

"Ruxin, what do you think about this?" The saint asked casually, slapping the memorial on his palm.

"Suo Xun is Yichao's son-in-law. His wife is Yichao's daughter. Judging from Zhang Shu's words and intentions, it is just another power struggle among the Zhang clan." Zhao sighed in disgust and said, "Dogs bite dogs and only get a mouthful of fur. Why bother with it? If they don't pay tribute or make pilgrimages, they are a foreign country. There is no need to interfere. If the court has the time, it is better to think about how to destroy Bining."

"in spite of……"

The saint fell into deep thought.

We must manage it, as this is a good opportunity to increase influence. Although the court of the late Tang Dynasty was very weak, the envoys sent to Shazhou were always highly respected, both during the time of Zhang Huaishen and Zhang Chengfeng. The Records of Li's Re-establishment of Merits and Virtues regards the arrival of the envoys from Chang'an as a major event, saying that it is: "The majesty of heaven shines far and wide, and auspicious signs are presented to the frontier!" The people of Hu and Han lined the streets to welcome the envoys of the Tang Dynasty. In Hexi, there was also a story that when the envoys visiting Tubo passed by the manor, the remaining people stood behind the fence and secretly shed tears.

If we send another envoy, wouldn't it arouse everyone's thoughts of their homeland? The Zhang family can choose not to visit the emperor, but the emperor is kind and can send ministers to comfort the soldiers and civilians... Why not do something that is profitable without any investment?

Ruxin is really short-sighted...

But the sage was not very supportive of supporting Zhang Chengfeng. In later generations, this guy used military force to wage wars on all sides, causing the people under his rule to cry out incessantly and resentment to rise to the sky. He was eventually overthrown by the angry masses, and Cao replaced Zhang. How could he be a vassal if he had no sense of wit?

There is nothing wrong with helping the Zhang family restore its position, but the people they support have to be normal.

Forget it. Let's select a few reliable ministers to lead the delegation to Shazhou to observe; we can't bring a tyrant to the local people.

"Convey my meaning to the Hanlin Academy and the Secretariat," the saint ordered.

"As you wish." Zhao raised her eyes charmingly.

The saint was greatly encouraged.

"There is one more thing, I almost forgot." Zhao slapped her forehead and said dizzily, "I have read too many memorials, it's a bit confusing... Yes, the General of the Cavalry accused Cunxiao of secretly communicating with Zhao and Bian, and surrounded Xingzhou with his troops. Wang Rong wrote a letter to mediate, the Cavalry was angry, tore up the letter, and moved to Zhao to ask about the fault of luring Cunxiao. The Zhao people thought that the Cavalry was just an ordinary man, so they didn't care, and returned after three battles."

"This old thief!" The saint slapped the railing with his palm and cursed angrily: "I and the virtuous concubine have repeatedly told him that the Bian bandits are strong and we must resist Zhu urgently. Other wars should be avoided if possible. What is he doing? He is so willful and acts according to his own will. How can he last long?"

When he was young, he was very smart in thinking when he killed Duan Zai and fought against Huang Chao. Is he getting more confused as he gets older? Li Yazi must be his biological child, otherwise he wouldn't have learned this essence.

The saint really wanted to shout to the people downstairs of Wangxian Tower: My family, who understands!
In this case, he had to issue twelve golden orders - arrest Cunxiao and lock him up for a month, and wait for you to calm down and figure out the reason for the feud between father and son. Li Cunxiao secretly scolded Li Keyong many times, and also tried to find Zhu Wen, Wang Rong, and the court to make a retreat, but he had no intention of rebelling. After Li Keyong's troops approached the city, his mother-in-law Liu entered the city and asked him a few questions, then left the city crying.

If it doesn't work, bring Li Cunxiao to Chang'an.

Alas, this damn father-in-law is really troublesome.

"Let's go back to the palace. I'll discuss this with Concubine Xian." The saint was losing interest.

……

"I have sacrificed my life for more than twenty years to build my career. I have always regarded it as Heaven's will that I should leave the Tang Dynasty and abandon the Li family. I never expected that this child could save the day and revive the country. I see that he has a magic sword in his heart, and fate has given me a disease. If the remaining years are just around the corner, I would regard the son of pigs and dogs as my rivals. " In the bedroom, Zhu Wen could not help but sigh in dissatisfaction as he flipped through piles of official documents. He remained silent for a long time and gently knocked the bed with his fist.

The Shao rebels are in rebellion in Huaixi, and the Hu rebels are sweeping across the states of E and Yue; this is a worry. It's not a big deal and can be dealt with, but it has a great impact on the people's hearts in the town. Will the one who started it have no descendants? God knows who will rebel again one day!

Tian Xide, Shi Shenxiao, An Fushun and other remnants of An-Shi in Wei Bo mobilized an army of 100,000 and threatened to flatten Henan and capture Luoyang. This is the second worry. It was a big deal, and he began to miss Luo Hongxin. If this person was still alive, Wei Bo would not be re-stimulated by Shi Shenxiao and his ilk.

The court rejected his secret petition of "willing to change the etiquette of serving the emperor, continue to improve the tribute, and request to restore the official title". What's more puzzling is, should we really "take charge of the system" as Li Zhen suggested, and follow the example of the two saints An and Shi to gather people's hearts?

(End of this chapter)