First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 563: From recruitment to counterinsurgency
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Hearing what his elder brother said, Pang Xiaojie was also very helpless.

Just from these few dialogues, you can see Pang Xiaotai's character.

One moment, it was said that the Ning clan was so powerful that it was difficult to completely eradicate them; the other moment, it was said that the imperial court was dominating the world, and it was difficult for the small Ning clan to compete.

It can be seen that Pang Xiaotai has no independent opinion at all, and only changes his personal opinions according to other people's opinions.

"Brother, no matter how tyrannical the Ning family is, they are only trapped in the corner of Lingnan. Now that Gao Jinglue is representing the imperial court in Lingnan, if the Ning family continues to be so rude and disrespectful, disaster will happen sooner or later.

The Turks are so powerful and 20 troops are pressing down on the territory. What will be the result?Gao Jing used a small plan to force them back. How does the Ning family compare to the Turks? "

Pang Xiaojie asked solemnly from the side.

Pang Xiaojie was startled and said without hesitation: "That's better than that."

"A person like the Turk Jieli Khan cannot defeat Gao Jinglue. Why do you think that Ning Changzhen, a dying man, can escape unscathed?" Pang Xiaojie continued to ask.

"A dying person?" Pang Xiaotai only heard these four words, "What do you mean?"

Pang Xiaojie looked around and said, "According to reliable information, Ning Changzhen is not in good health and may die not far away."

"What?" Pang Xiaotai suddenly changed his expression, "How is this possible?"

Ning Changzhen has been suppressing Lingnan for decades. The Baizhou Pang family has been attached to Ning Changzhen since Pang Xiaotai's grandfather. Hearing this news really shocked Pang Xiaotai.

"How is it impossible?" Pang Xiaojie said seriously: "Seventy years of life are rare in ancient times. How old is Ning Chang? He is almost eighty. How many more years can he live without death?

Once Ning Changzhen dies, do you think Ning Huizao can resist Gaozhou Feng An and Longzhou Chen Longshu?What's more, there is Gao Jinglue behind. Let me tell you the truth, brother, if you continue to look forward and backward, and be timid, sooner or later you will bring disaster to Pangzi. The court... cannot tolerate half-hearted people."

Hearing this, Pang Xiaotai trembled and glared: "Bullshit, I am loyal to the imperial court and will never have second thoughts."

Pang Xiaojie ignored him and just looked at him intently.

Pang Xiaotai met Pang Xiaojie's gaze and just shook his head and sighed, "Erlang, you are still young and don't know Ning Changzhen's methods. Three generations of my family have been attached to the Ning family. If the Ning family does not die, how can the Ning family take it easy after the imperial army retreats?" Spare my family."

"Then beat the Ning family to death completely, or even replace the Ning family." Pang Xiaojie slammed the table and shouted angrily: "In a word, the court and Gao Jinglue will never allow you to do that stupid thing again. Once you do it again, you will be punished." It is a crime to be accomplices in rebellion.”

Pang Xiaotai thought for a long time, then took a deep look at Pang Xiaojie and said, "According to Erlang's wishes, if a war breaks out, Pang will do his best... to suppress the rebellion."

After saying these words, Pang Xiaotai felt relaxed all over, and then waved his hand tiredly, "Go down and organize the army."

Pang Xiaojie bowed his hands and turned to leave.

In the barracks, Pang Xiaotai sat alone for a long time, with bitterness on his face. He played with the seal of the Baizhou governor in his hand and murmured softly: "I only know that I am indecisive, but I don't know that being in charge is not easy. I can have both sides, but I am also in a dilemma."

Pang Xiaotai is definitely a qualified governor and a qualified chief. Everything he does is for the stability of Baizhou, but he may not be a qualified minister or a qualified general.

He has no ambitions, no intention of becoming king and hegemony, and no intention of getting promoted to a higher position. He just wants to make Baizhou stable and prosperous.

The imperial court was powerful, so the Ning family was not powerful. In Lingnan, the policy of restraining the emperor had been implemented for thousands of years, and Pang Xiaotai saw it clearly.

Although the Ning family is disrespectful to the court now, once the Ning family expresses surrender and continues to pay tribute, the Ning family will still dominate Qinzhou and the western part of Lingnan. When the time comes, the court will still recognize the Ning family's status, and will even impose additional restrictions on the head of the Ning family. This is the strategy of restraining officials and becoming nobles.

What the court only needs is face, and Pang Xiaotai can conclude that once Ning Changzhen expresses his surrender, the court will forget about it.

By that time, Pang Xiaotai was very worried about where the Baizhou Pang family would go and how to deal with the retaliation from the Ning family.

As for what Pang Xiaojie meant, he understood very well that it was a taboo to try to have both sides, but he was in a dilemma. He was the head of the family, the chief of Baizhou Li Liao, and the governor of Baizhou. He was worried not only about the present, but also about the future. .

Since Erlang made such a statement, he would make a big gamble with him and try his best to cripple the Ning family. If the Feng family in Gaozhou and the Chen family in Longzhou really help, it might be possible.

Pang Xiaotai had already made up his mind. Although he was indecisive, he was facing the issue of the survival of his relatives and had to be cautious.

Now that the decision has been made, let's fight to the death. After all, Pang Xiaotai can secure the position of Baizhou Chief, not only because of his tolerant personality and respect, but more importantly because of his bravery.

Pang Xiaotai's mind was clear and his thoughts were clear. He stood up immediately and said, "Here comes, wear your armor."

A moment later, Pang Xiaotai, who was wearing a helmet and a sword hanging across his waist, strode into the camp and looked at the Baizhou soldiers who were preparing for war.

Pang Xiaotai ascended the general platform and said with a loud smile: "My sons, I will lead you to make great achievements this time. When you return to Baizhou, you will have a good time drinking for three days."

Dailao is the slang term for the chief.

All the soldiers clapped their chests and shouted, with high fighting spirit.

In February of the second year of Longshuo, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, it was snowing heavily by the Snake River in Goguryeo.

The five thousand soldiers from Baizhou in the south of Lingnan were completely wiped out here.

Pang Xiaotai, the governor of Baizhou and the chief of the Liao soldiers, led his thirteen sons to die on the battlefield, a heroic sacrifice for the country, how majestic it was.

The current Pang Xiaotai can do the same.

When an honest man gets angry, either you kneel down or I lie down, maybe that's the case.

Everyone said that Pang Xiaotai was cowardly and meek, but he was a loyal and loyal man.

The troops from Baizhou and Nanhezhou, plus Gao Chong's Jinglue Mansion Guards, totaling 3000 people, set off from Anchang County and headed straight for Hepu County.

Along the way, Gao Chong had already seen the changes in Pang Xiaotai. At first, he seemed cautious, just like the students in the school who were afraid of being called by the master, but now he was holding his head high and moving forward indomitably.

In response, Gao Chong just smiled knowingly and nodded to Pang Xiaojie behind him. These two Pang brothers were very useful.

"Jinglue, when I was in Hepu, the commander of the Hepu Military Mansion, Mo Zhongwen, was quite loyal and helped me to appease the people many times. If Ning Huizao refuses to cooperate, we may find opportunities from Mo Zhongwen."

As the team marched, Ning Chun rode up to catch up with Gao Chong and offered advice from the side.

"Mo Zhongwen..." Gao Chong nodded slightly, "I know this man. The Mo family is also a big family in Yuezhou. His brother Mo Bowu was the former Cheng of Xuwen County in the Sui Dynasty. He has some literary names. I heard that he died in shipwreck?"

Ning Chun's face showed surprise and admiration. He didn't know that Gao Chong was holding the Lingnan Wei Feng Guard. Seeing that Gao Chong was so familiar with the wealthy families in Lingnan states and counties, he felt a little awe in his heart.

The biggest difficulty for foreign officials in power is that they are not familiar with the local people and the distribution of power of local clans, especially in wild places like Lingnan. However, Gao Chong unknowingly became so familiar with Lingnan prefectures and counties. , no wonder Ning Chun was so surprised.

"Jinglue is really insightful."

Ning Chun nodded in praise and said: "As the economic summary said, the Mo family is the most important in Yuezhou. Three years ago in the Sui Dynasty, Hezhou was changed to Hepu County. Later, because there were too many counties under its jurisdiction, Xuwen County was divided into Xuwen County and Kangkang County in the Sui Dynasty. The county is the administrative seat.

Mo Zhongwen's brother, Mo Bowu, was the first county magistrate. Later, when Mo Bowu crossed the sea to Zhuya County, he encountered a hurricane and the boat was destroyed and everyone died."

Speaking of this, Ning Chun was quite emotional, "To say that these Mo brothers are really the first-class people in Yuezhou, it's a pity that Mo Bowu, a talented and elegant man, was buried under the sea at the age of only twenty. God is jealous of his talent." .

Hearing this, Tian Yangming was surprised and said: "This is called Mo Bowu, and he is actually a man of literary talent? Then is Mo Zhongwen good at martial arts?"

Ning Chun nodded and said with a smile: "Exactly, two brothers, the one who is famous for martial arts loves literature, and the one who is famous for literature loves martial arts."

"Since Mo Zhongwen is loyal, do you think Ning Daoming can tolerate him?" Gao Chong thought about it and asked directly.

Ning Chun's expression suddenly changed.Gao Chong continued: "However, the Mo family is deeply rooted in Yuezhou. Even if Ning Daoming is dissatisfied with Mo Zhongwen, he may not do anything to him. At most, he will seize his military power."

"Hepu Military Mansion is the Shangfu, right?" Tian Yangming's eyes widened and he said in astonishment: "A dignified fourth-grade military attaché, how dare he do this?"

Everyone felt helpless after hearing this.

Pei Xingjian rolled his eyes and said: "Brother Ziguang, Ning Daoming dares to rebel with just one state. What else do you think he dares not do?"

Tian Yangming slapped his head and grinned, "It's really haha."

Then the horse stepped forward and slapped Pei Xingjian on the head, "I am the same generation as your master, what do you call me?"

Pei Xingjian looked filled with sadness and anger, "Didn't you say that everyone should discuss things in their own way?"

Tian Yangming scratched his head again, "Is there any?"

"Of course there is." Tu Dijin immediately supported his senior brother, "Can't I ask you to commit suicide?"

"That's not okay, I can't bear it." Tian Yangming waved his hands.

Everyone laughed when they saw this.

Tian Yang is only in his early twenties next year, which is the age when he has an out-of-the-box personality. He has already been very familiar with Gao Kan and the others. The group of people walked together, laughing and cursing, but he did not feel bored at all. .

Gao Chong looked at it with a smile, already thinking secretly in his heart.

The Yuezhou Mo family is also a wealthy family in Lingnan. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, Mo Xuanqing was the number one scholar in Lingnan and the youngest scholar in China. Mo Xuanqing was from the Mo family in Lingnan. When Mo Xuanqing was the champion in high school, he was only 17 years old. He became famous all over the world in one fell swoop and has been famous throughout the ages.

Even if Ning Chun did not mention Mo Zhongwen, Gao Chong planned to find a breakthrough from the Mo family after receiving the information about the Yuezhou Mo family from the Wei Feng Guard.

In fact, along the way, Gao Chong's heart has become colder and colder. The reason is for no other reason than Hepu Ning's algae.

As the Lingnan economic envoy, he had already stayed in Anchang County, which was more than a hundred miles away from Hepu County, for one day and one night. It was impossible for Ning Huizao not to know about it, but he never came to pay him a visit.

"How far is it?" Gao Chong asked in a deep voice.

Ning Chun was one horse behind, and her face also turned pale, "Fifty miles, we'll arrive in the evening."He understood what Gao Chong meant, Ning was already very unfriendly.

Fifty miles away, there are only fifty miles away from Hepu County, but there is still no one from Ning Huizao. The Ning family in Qinzhou is really powerful.

"Do you think we will sleep outside the city tonight?" Gao Chong asked with a sudden smile.

Ning Chun was a little stunned and said with some uncertainty: "It shouldn't be the case."

At this time, Tian Yangming also came forward. Hearing these words, he immediately glared and said: "If he dares not to open the city, he is treason."

Pei Xingjian patted him on the shoulder when he heard this.

"What?" Tian Yangming turned around and glared.

"Ning, aren't you plotting rebellion?" Pei Xingjian asked weakly.

Tian Yangming paused, then nodded heavily, "Yes, Ning Huizao is following Ning Daoming to rebel."

Gao Chong was deep in thought, his eyes lit up when he heard this, and he suddenly raised his hand and patted Tian Yangming on the head, "You have reminded me, I will give you a credit."

Tian Yangming looked confused.

Ning Chun's face turned pale. He understood what Gao Chong meant, "Jing Lue, are you planning to attack the city directly?"

"Why not?" Gao Chong sneered coldly: "I originally planned to look at his posture before dealing with it, but now he has already set up a formation, why bother to pretend anymore."

Having said this, Gao Chong looked at everyone and said seriously: "Ning Daoming, the former governor of Yuezhou, conspired to rebel and rebel, and he was executed in Jiangzhou.

However, the counties in Yuezhou are still in the hands of thieves. Now I personally lead the army to suppress the rebellion and send troops to Yuezhou to suppress the rebellion and suppress the thieves."

Pang Xiaotai's face instantly became solemn, and after a slight loss of consciousness, he solemnly agreed.

Ning Chun hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth but didn't know what to say, so she accepted the offer with her hand.

Originally, the purpose of sending troops across the country was to appease the lost territory and provide post-war appeasement. Now, it is to suppress rebellions and suppress bandits, which has a completely different meaning.

Ning Huizao, who has been stationed in Hepu County, has been directly regarded as a traitor, and the meaning of this is very different from recruiting to suppressing the rebellion.

After all, the crime of rebellion was raised from Ning Daoming's personal level to the Ning family in Qinzhou, because Ning Huizao was the eldest son of the Ning family and the governor of Qinzhou.

To a certain extent, Ning Huizao represents the Ning family in Qinzhou.

"Jinglue", Pang Xiaotai suddenly came closer.

Pang Xiaojie's heart trembled, and he looked at his brother intently, fearing that Pang Xiaotai would be confused again.

But since Pang Xiaotai has made up his mind, he will not change it. People with this kind of personality are usually timid, but if they are determined on one thing, it is stubborn and stubborn.

Pang Xiaotai noticed Pang Xiaojie's eyes and just nodded and smiled.

"Since we want to attack Ninghuizao, we must take precautions in the direction of Qinzhou. Based on our strategy, we can send orders to Yongzhou, Chunzhou and other places to march towards Qinzhou.

This move can, on the one hand, confirm the intentions of the states, and on the other hand, it can deter the Ning clan of Qinzhou."

Pang Xiaotai raised his hands to Gao Chong and said.

Then he stopped talking, looked at Ning Chun, and said sincerely: "To be honest, I, the Pang family of Baizhou, have been attached to the Ning family for three generations. They have been in Qinzhou for a long time and have suppressed Lingnan. All the officials in various states have surrendered. If we attack rashly, Ning Huizao is afraid of forcing the officials of various states to rebel.

Ning Changzhen is far from comparable to Ning Daoming. Once Ning Changzhen declares rebellion, the war will definitely expand and harm the people of each state.

These are Xiaotai’s words from the bottom of his heart, and I will look at the scriptures and observe them clearly.”

After finishing speaking, Pang Xiaotai bowed deeply on the horse.

Gao Chong was quite emotional, controlled the war horse to get closer, and stretched out his hand to help it up.

"Don't you know An Cheng's golden words?" Gao Chong patted Pang Xiaotai's hand and praised, "I'll make arrangements now."

He turned around and told Xue Rengui: "Send the order, the military offices in Qin, Yong, Chun and other prefectures are not allowed to leave the country without receiving orders from the general office."

Pang Xiaotai, courtesy name Ancheng.Tai means peace; sincerity means trust, which is really a word to express virtue.

Pang Xiaotai suggested that all states march to Qinzhou, but Gao Chong felt that something was wrong, so he made a slight change. All state troops were not allowed to leave the country.

Because Gao Chong believed in his heart that Chang Yining was really old and cunning, so he never dared to start a full-scale war.

When the Central Plains was in chaos, Gao Chong came to Lingnan to appease him. After seeing Feng An's surrender, Ning Changzhen immediately joined him, fearing that Feng Ang would use the power of the court to suppress the Ning family.

The situation now is even worse than before. The Tang Dynasty unified the world, the Feng family in Gaozhou and the Chen family in Longzhou all surrendered. How could Ning Changzhen dare to start a full-scale war?

(End of this chapter)