Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 104 The Outrageous Datang Officialdom

The political situation and court situation in the center of the Tang Dynasty are closely related to the situation in the localities and border towns.

For example, in the 15th year of Kaiyuan, the Tubo generals Xinuoluo Gonglu and Zhulong Mangbuzhi captured Guazhou (Jiuquan) and captured the governor Tian Yuanxian alive. They not only robbed the materials hoarded in the city, but also deliberately demolished Guazhou city ​​walls.

Also in this year, the former Hexi Jiedu Envoy Wang Jun was attacked and killed by Turkic tribes.

The drastic changes in the military and political situation in Hexi made Tang Ting very worried, so the Prime Minister Xiao Song, who was over [-] years old, was ordered to serve as the Minister of the Ministry of War as the Hexi Jiedu envoy to judge Liangzhou affairs.

This is a typical border town corruption, and the central officials end up presiding over the overall situation.Because ordinary bureaucrats in border towns can no longer bear the responsibility for the collapse of the strategy.

Similarly, officials who did a good job in the border towns will also enter the center to serve as important officials.Such as Zhang Shougui, such as Niu Xianke and so on.

This is also the normal flow of border towns and centers in the officialdom of the Tang Dynasty during the Kaiyuan period, which has a strong positive meaning.

Now, Wang Zhongsi led troops to conquer Tubo New City, coupled with Cui Xiyi's transfer, led to a new round of reshuffle in Hexi's power structure.Cui Xiyi's departure was not a major event, but according to the old rules of the regime in the Tang Dynasty, his staff and assistant officials were also dismissed.

These people who are familiar with local affairs in Hexi either seek employment elsewhere or switch to others.In short, this wave of changes has resulted in many vacant official positions in the Hexi area.For these vacancies, not only the local forces in Hexi are eyeing them, but the center of the imperial court is also very concerned about them.

Afterwards, specific battle reports and related affairs, and piles of memorials were sent to Chang'an by different officials in Hexi through the post station channel. Frequently appear in reports.

Almost all are compliments.

Even Wang Zhongsi did not hesitate to praise him, saying that his future son-in-law "although he does not have the merits of hard work and perseverance, he still has many good plans and is useful for armaments."Cui Xiyi said that Fang Chongyong was "benevolent and loving the public, he did not hesitate to work hard, and his morale was boosted by it."

It may be true that Fang Chongyong did something, but his father Fang Youde is the Jiedu envoy of Youzhou, and many bureaucrats are willing to carry people in sedan chairs, which is the key factor that cannot be ignored!

So Li Linfu, who saw the needles, suggested to Li Longji that Fang Zhongyong should be promoted as Sima of Liangzhou based on his merits, and he should not be biased because of his age.

The official position of Sima in Liangzhou is the second in command to assist the Liangzhou governor in managing Liangzhou's internal affairs. In a nutshell, he is the chief officer in charge of the specific affairs of Liangzhou City. State governor concurrently.

In the Tang Dynasty, a state generally had three administrative officials, one chief and two deputy officers. The chief officer was called the governor, the deputy officers were called Sima and the chief officer.

Sima and Changshi have no distinction between high and low official positions, and there is even no division of labor in the strict sense.Their work is assigned by the governor, and whoever is assigned the errand is the person who "does practical work".

Under these three people are the full-time Si Caos, that is, the Six Caos. For example, the Bing Cao is in charge of the development of the armed forces in the state, and the Law Cao is in charge of the law and so on.

The right to join the army in almost unusable state capitals.It's not a big problem to put a pig in charge, and pigs won't find fault anyway.

But Liangzhou Sima let a pig be in charge, that's a big problem!Originally Xiao Jiong served as Sima of Liangzhou and deputy envoy of Hexi Jiedu, but now Xiao Jiong serves as envoy of Hexi Jiedu. It is also reasonable to cede the position of Liangzhou Sima.

It's just that no one expected that Li Linfu would play like this!A ten-year-old child serving as the second in command of Liangzhou... is too exaggerated, but it is impossible for anyone with a normal mind to make such a joke.

The levels of the states in the Tang Dynasty were different, roughly divided into three classes: upper, middle and lower.The Sima in the upper state may be from the fourth rank, while the Sima in the lower state is the lowest from the sixth rank.The remote states are basically inferior states, so these Sima are only sesame officials from the sixth rank or so.

And Liangzhou does not belong to the upper, middle and lower classes, but belongs to the Liangzhou prefecture with the status of "Super Grade". The status is analogous to Shenzhen in Fang Chongyong's previous life!The population of the entire prefecture is close to one million, and Liangzhou City alone has more than 10 households with a population of [-].

It is unbelievable to think that such a large population should be managed by a ten-year-old child!

Without exception, Li Linfu's memorials were strongly opposed by the ruling and opposition parties.

Under Li Linfu's own instruction, even his own cronies fiercely opposed this matter.

Zheng Shuqing, the governor of Qizhou, also specially wrote to Li Longji to brush up his sense of existence, saying that Fang Chongyong is "young and ignorant, dissolute and invisible, and cannot be entrusted with important tasks." If the saint really doesn't know how to place him, he can be transferred to Qizhou as Sima .

Anyway, Qizhou Sima's term of office just expired this year and there happened to be a vacancy.Put this person in Qizhou, so that it is very close to Chang'an, and there will be no major accidents.

It was just a memorial that was similar to inviting favor and flattery, but was quickly submerged in the denunciation and cursing of Li Linfu by the civil and military courts of the Manchu Dynasty, saying that he "regards state affairs as a trifle and cannot be regarded as a prime minister."

Li Longji also felt hesitant and surprised by this.

What was surprising was that Fang Youde's unscrupulous son seemed to have some skills. After arriving in the border town, he was able to play tricks, which won everyone's praise, and so many people spoke well of him.

What he hesitates is that the position of Sima in Liangzhou is really too important, even far higher than that of the governors of ordinary prefectures and counties.

Not to mention giving this position to Fang Chongyong, Li Longji was a little hesitant even if his father Fang Youde took it.Because Lao Fang only knows how to fight and is not good at dealing with foreigners, he may not be a good hand at managing nodes in the Western Region.

If Fang Youde went to the Western Regions, he would definitely make a mess there.

Li Linfu suggested that Fang Chongyong be the Sima of Liangzhou, just to show outsiders that he is not "envious of the virtuous and capable".As long as he is talented, no matter what his status or age, he is willing to be promoted and reused.

Li Longji knew what he was thinking and didn't take it seriously. These are all the little tricks of the prime ministers since Kaiyuan.He is still very satisfied with Li Linfu's ability to handle government affairs.

The government and the opposition are scolding Li Linfu. Doesn't this just prove that the other party can always sit in the position of prime minister?If all the civil and military officials in the Manchu Dynasty had the same nostrils as the prime minister, then what use would it be for me, the emperor of Chang'an, the sage of the Tang Dynasty?

Li Longji did not alienate Li Linfu because he was scolded, but trusted him more.

However, Li Longji clearly rejected Li Linfu's ridiculous proposal to promote Fang Chongyong, a ten-year-old boy, as Sima of Liangzhou.

Su Zhilian was born in the Su family of martial arts. He has been the governor of Ganzhou since he was 24 years old, and he is familiar with Hexi affairs.Moreover, this person is in the prime of life, he is just 28 years old this year, and he has served as the governor for four years. He should also be rotated to be an official elsewhere, or he will be unemployed at home and wait for the selection of officials.

It is just right for him to be the Sima of Liangzhou, and it is very easy to handle things with his acquaintances in Liangzhou.

As for the vacancy of the governor of Ganzhou, Ouyang Jing, the envoy of the Jiankang Army of Ganzhou, will temporarily replace him.Ouyang Jin was brave and good at fighting. He was the envoy of the Jiankang Army who succeeded Zhang Shougui at the beginning, and has continued to this day. He can be regarded as Zhang Shougui's direct descendant.

Then there was a series of transfers and filling of vacancies of officials, but Fang Chongyong didn't have anything to do with it.He appeared frequently in the memorials, but he didn't even catch a hair.

As for Su Zhilian, he was able to serve as governor of Ganzhou at only 24 years old. In sharp contrast to Fang Chongyong, who was able to become an official in Hexi at the age of ten, it is not a problem.

The court center had no objection to Li Longji's edict, and the edict was smoothly sent to Liangzhou along with the station system.

This decree, which conforms to the basic organizational system of the Tang Dynasty, is like eating and drinking water for people in the officialdom, without causing any waves.

People with good deeds reversed Su Zhilian's experience as an official, and found that if this person was born in the imperial examination, he would have to be a Jinshi at the age of ten at least. Governor of the state.

They couldn't help but sigh with emotion that in the officialdom of the Tang Dynasty, it is really difficult for a child from a poor family to be an official.

After all, you can take the imperial examination at the age of 14, and you must be at least 16 years old when you take the Jinshi examination. After you have won the Jinshi, you have to wait for three years to choose officials, so you are 19 years old.The school secretary is already considered high, and he will be 23 years old after four years of work.Waiting for the rotation to be the governor, the earliest will be the year of standing, and it is normal to be the governor in the forties.

So Li Bai's dislike of imperial examinations is not all because of his background as a businessman.

The main reason is that he can only write poetry, and his talents in other fields are limited;Li Bai, who advocated "life is too short, go out at night with candles", naturally thought that instead of taking part in the imperial examination, it would be better to kneel and lick the rich and powerful, who would make him not a powerful?
……

Fang Chongyong didn't know that he had caused quite a stir in the court, he was very busy now, except that he didn't go to the yamen of Jiedu Mansion and Liangzhou Mansion at all, he was on tiptoe all day long.

However, his so-called "busy" was just walking around in and around Liangzhou City, watching, listening and learning more, without paying attention to any specific things.

On this day, Fang Chongyong came to Dr. Li's medical clinic again to see how the development of Brother Ji's health medicine was going.

However, this highly skilled medical officer handed an ordinary small clay pot to Fang Chongyong.

"The saint's medicine is still being tested, and we will soon have some clues. However, the things entrusted by Commander Fang are very easy to handle."

After the two sat down, they opened the ordinary-looking black clay pot, which was only the size of a palm.

"The envoy Fang Jun said to semi-carbonize the hemostatic medicine. I tried it. Anyway, there are related records in ancient books. I asked a few people who had been injured by the knife to apply the medicine, and found that the hemostatic effect was really good, and..."

"And the medicinal materials can be stored for a long time without spoiling, right?"

Fang Zhongyong asked with a smile.

Doctor Li was taken aback for a moment, then nodded slightly and said, "That's true."

The semi-carbonization of Chinese medicinal materials to stop bleeding has been mentioned in books since the Han Dynasty.It is just because of the lack of data, and there is no urgent need after the change of dynasty, so this direction has been shelved, and no substantial progress has been made.

Fang Chongyong asked Dr. Li to try "quick hemostasis" before, just to get a "battlefield first aid kit".

"Using sackcloth boiled in boiling water to bind the bleeding limbs, and then using semi-carbonized medicinal materials to quickly stop the bleeding is indeed a good way.

The key is that these two things can be packed in a clay pot, which can be stored for a long time, can be carried with the army, and can be used by everyone in times of war.

These things are actually not difficult to get out, but no one thought of them before.Now Fang Canjun thought that this alone could save countless lives of soldiers in the Hexi side army in the future. "

Sitting in a wheelchair, Doctor Li bowed deeply to Fang Chongyong and said.

He had seen quite a few "yamen", after all, when he was with Xin'an Wang Li Yi, it was not uncommon for people to come out of that circle.There are those who are deeply scheming, those who are naive and ignorant, and those who bully men and women who don't know what to do, but there are no people like Fang Chongyong who do practical things without seeking fame and fortune.

The temperament of this half-grown child is very strange, he is like a tourist who is free from the officialdom but does not enter it deeply.

"Hey, I'm in my position, I'm looking for something. I, the deputy envoy of the Baiting Army, are just bastards, and I can't carry a hand on my shoulder, but it's best to ask about specific military affairs.

Joining the army in the state capital is a position that can be managed but inconvenient.Now Hexi affairs, both civil and military affairs, are running smoothly, and there is no need for me to intervene.If I take care of those messy things, others will be annoyed when they see me. There are too many things to deal with and you have to spend time dealing with me. How annoying!

It's like now, I don't want to find fault, everyone in the Hexi government gives me convenience, I can go wherever I want, I can have whatever I want, no one will embarrass me, this is not very good. "

Fang Chongyong waved his hand and explained it indifferently.

Now that he is in Liangzhou, he is almost "walking sideways", because Fang Chongyong has a compulsion in his heart, not to interfere with the government and military affairs of local officials, and not to cause trouble for those people.

Anyway, he has a strong background and an official position in the state government to join the army. Wherever he goes, relevant officials will greet him and send him there, giving him the greatest degree of convenience.It's a bit like what Fang Laique often said, as long as you want, you don't have to spend money to eat anywhere, and you don't have to pay for shopping anywhere.

As long as Fang Chongyong, the "Yamen", is happy and responsible, the local officials in Liangzhou don't mind giving the green light. Fang Chongyong can go wherever he wants to visit. There will be people on hand to serve and escort him all the way, which makes him feel embarrassed!

Taking the two salaries of the state capital to join the army and the deputy envoy of the Baiting Army, as well as local officials at all levels sending people to wait and guide, this kind of high-level treatment with food and entertainment is probably the first since Kaiyuan.

Fang Chongyong has no doubts at all, the credit is that he is young, if he is a little older, he is afraid that he will have to play all kinds of orchids with different styles in the Hexi Corridor, and someone will offer them graciously for whatever type he wants. And you don't need to spend money, you don't need to think about the consequences, just play openly.

"Why don't you take the envoy of Fang Jun to visit the Chishui Army and present this thing."

Doctor Li said kindly.

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly, feeling a little emotional in his heart.

Fame and fortune are truly an iron curse that no one can escape, and the medical officer in front of him is no exception.

"That's natural, let's start now. Go to Chiwu Town, start now, and you can arrive before sunset."

Fang Chongyong said with a smile, he didn't take this matter too seriously.

Doctor Li seemed unable to wait for a moment, and he didn't mind being a favor.Compared with making "health-preserving medicine" for Ji Ge, Fang Chongyong thinks that the first aid on the battlefield is the great benefit of Hexi.

Before the two went out, Doctor Li told Anaye to watch the door of the clinic, and then took the initiative to find someone to rent a carriage.

Anaye pulled Fang Chongyong aside, lowered her voice and asked urgently: "I heard many people say that you are going to be promoted, why are you still so indifferent?"

Although she didn't say anything, she already regarded herself as the other party's future concubine in her heart, and her attitude was naturally very different from before.

"I just want to please my father, it's just human nature. My current official position has far exceeded the organizational structure I should have. I just need to return to Chang'an smoothly in the future. Why should I be promoted? You really think too much! "

Fang Chongyong laughed and shook his head.

He knew that many people wrote letters to Chang'an to give Ji Ge advice, saying that he, the Yanei, had done a lot of practical things in Hexi and should be rewarded.

These people are just selling out their scumbag father.It is estimated that if Brother Ji complains in his heart, he will put these nonsense on the shelf.

After all, to make a child less than ten years old to be a high-ranking official, Datang pills!
Fang Chongyong looked at Anaye, and found that this native girl from the Western Regions didn't seem very smart.

"Believe it or not, there was an official named Su Zhilian who came to Liangzhou City to see a doctor before. He was only 24 years old when he first arrived in Liangzhou City, and he was already the governor of Ganzhou! The disease my father treated him, he still left A pair of words, it says the benevolence of the doctor!"

Anaye said anxiously, Fang Chongyong climbed too fast, which made her feel indescribable.

"The 24-year-old governor of Bianzhen? Is the imperial court acting so outrageous?"

Fang Chongyong was taken aback, and found that he was not the only yamen in Liangzhou!There is actually an even more outrageous one!
Being a governor is not a sinecure like joining the army in a state capital!That is to do practical things!
You must know that Lao Zheng has such a strong background, he was in his 30s when he was the governor of Kuizhou!
"How do I know about the imperial court?"

Anaye rolled her eyes and said.

Seeing Doctor Li approaching, Fang Chongyong waved his hand and said, "We're going to the Chishui army garrison, we'll be back tomorrow."

After speaking, he pushed Doctor Li's wheelchair and left the hospital.

Looking at the backs of the two leaving, Anaye always felt uneasy in her heart, and for a while she didn't know whether to call Fang Chongyong.

　The details of the historical materials have been researched, and the outrageousness of the Tang Dynasty's officialdom is really outrageous.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)