Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 113 The Troubled Bicycle Governor

After two days of marching, Guo Ziyi took [-] soldiers and [-] horses, entered Ganzhou from Liangzhou, and settled in Shandan County.

Fang Chongyong and his party are also walking with the team, safe and sound.

The terrain of Shandan County is surrounded by mountains on three sides. Qilian Mountain stands in the south, Yanzhi Mountain dominates in the east, and Longshou Mountain is a barrier in the north. It has undulating hills and crisscrossing ravines.It belongs to a terrain of "surrounded by three mountains and central plain".

To the south is the Shandan Horse Farm, the largest in the Hexi region, where countless livestock graze.The Xiongnu folk song goes: "The loss of my Qilian Mountains has deprived my animals of their ability to feed." It refers to the fact that the Xiongnu lost their Shandan Horse Farm because they were defeated by the Han army.

It is also because of the large and small horse farms in the Hexi Corridor that the Central Plains Dynasty can continue to obtain high-quality horses to train cavalry and maintain military advantages on the border.

It was a bitterly cold autumn night in Shandan County, and Fang Chongyong and his party were warming themselves by the fire in the military tent.Anaye was checking her medicine cabinet.

This trip, I almost emptied the ready-made medicinal materials at home and packed a few big boxes.

Fang Laique was still dozing feebly, while Fang Chongyong was listening to Fang Dafu's explanation of the scenery of the Western Regions.

Fang Dafu actually served in the Anxi Governor's Mansion back then, and even fought against the Tubo people!
"Lang Jun can talk to Guo Shouzhuo, and go to Shandan County tomorrow, and then ask the army to help harvest pasture."

Fang Dafu said with a smile.

Fang Chongyong was taken aback for a moment, then nodded slightly, without saying a word.

Seemingly sensing his doubts, Fang Dafu added:
"Do as the Romans do. Sending troops to help income is a common practice in the Western Regions. Since Mr. Lang is already the governor of Ganzhou, it is reasonable for Guo Shouzhuo's soldiers to harvest pasture.

This is about to go through the winter, and people don't need to worry about rations, but livestock need pasture to feed.Now it is the right time to harvest it, even if Lang Jun does not move now, he will definitely issue a similar decree when he goes to Zhangye City.

Rather than being in a hurry by then, it's better to just drop in and get things done now. "

Sure enough, ginger is still old and spicy!

"So good."

Fang Zhongyong was sincerely convinced that Fang Dafu's move was a good thing, he also took the benefits, and showed his presence.

There is always a big gap between theory and reality. Policies are all changed after arriving in a place and doing as the Romans do.Regardless of whether the border troops on the Hexi Corridor are government soldiers or recruited soldiers, whether they are government soldiers or Long March athletes.In order to survive, they cannot turn a blind eye to the surrounding affairs.

It is a written rule that the local frontier army participates in farming during the spring plowing and autumn harvest seasons, and it will not be abolished as long as there is no war.The military rations in Tuntian itself are military supplies, and this is what they should do.

The governors of the Hexi states are not in charge of direct military affairs, but they are inseparable from military affairs.This kind of experience is not known to the old fritters that have not been local for many years in Tunza.

"It's just that if you fail to arrive in time, you will be punished by the court..."

Fang Chongyong asked with some embarrassment.

"Isn't it a good thing to be rewarded for being late? It will be much easier for Mr. Lang to be an official in Ganzhou, right?"

Fang Dafu said meaningfully.

Fang Chongyong understood in seconds.

The institution that assesses Ganzhou governors is the Hexi Jiedu Prefecture.Only matters that cannot be determined by Hexi Jiedu Mansion will be reported to Chang'an.This is also since the mid-Kaiyuan period, when the Chang'an Center devolved a certain degree of local governance power to the Jiedushi level.

When Zheng Shuqing was in Kuizhou, because Kuizhou was not under the jurisdiction of any Jiedushi, the governor was directly responsible to the Chang'an center and was directly under the jurisdiction of the center.

As for the Hexi Jiedu Mansion in Liangzhou, everyone knew Fang Chongyong's identity, and the relationship between them was established.

Fang Chongyong was late because he was passing through Shandan County to help the local villagers harvest pasture... This is not a big deal, is it?

Anyway, he will definitely not be punished.

Although this is just a trivial matter, what will the officials in Ganzhou think when they hear about it?

At least no one will jump out and slap you in the face without thinking, right?

"It's better to write a letter to Ganzhou first, to be prepared."

Fang Chongyong pondered for a moment and said.

"Mr. Lang is really talented and intelligent."

Fang Dafu praised, there seemed to be deep meaning in his words.

Fang Chongyong often lacks common sense in doing things, but every time he can "get it right" and make up for any subsequent mistakes.His ability to do things is far superior to that of his peers, and is not even below the level of capable bureaucrats.

At this moment, Guo Ziyi walked into the military tent, his face was blue with cold, obviously it was not an easy job to patrol around the camp.

Fang Dafu took a look at this posture, hugged Fang Laique and went out of the military tent, looking for somewhere else to keep warm.On the contrary, Anaye left and neither stayed nor stayed. After being stunned for a long time, she finally knelt down beside Fang Chongyong like a little daughter-in-law, bowed her head and did not speak.

"Guo Shouzhuo has something to do, but it's okay to talk about it."

Fang Chongyong pointed to Anaye and said in a deep voice.

Guo Ziyi nodded calmly and said, "Mr. Fang, in the Qilian Mountains in the south of Ganzhou, there is a mountain road that only herdsmen will take when they have to. Even livestock are not allowed to go."

He picked up a branch at random and sketched a sketch on the ground.

"Under normal circumstances, this road is inaccessible, and it is almost impossible for anyone to walk. If a large army is marching, it needs to rely on manpower to carry the luggage. If there is a strong wind and heavy snow, it is estimated that there will be countless deaths!
Therefore, the imperial court did not take this road seriously. "

Guo Ziyi's words were very cautious, because everything was his guess, and when there was no sign, he would be responsible for disturbing the morale of the army by talking nonsense!

"Guo Shouzhuo is saying that the Tubo people may take this unusual road and not ride horses to attack Ganzhou City?"

Fang Chongyong asked in disbelief.

Unlike what Guo Ziyi thought, Fang Chongyong not only knew this road, but was also quite famous in his previous life!
A quarter of the troops died because of the bad weather!On the contrary, he doesn't quite remember the specific deeds, but he just felt that it was extremely shocking at that time.

It is not difficult to understand this principle.

There was severe cold, strong wind and lack of water, and there was no supply.Crossing the Qilian Mountains without relying on livestock is unlikely to be a wonderful experience.It is very appropriate to describe it as a narrow escape.

When crossing the mountains, it is easy to cause hypothermia and get lost due to heavy wind and heavy snow, and then a large number of troops are reduced without timely treatment!Taking this road as the marching route is risking your life!
"What Fang Shijun said is true. The Tibetan dignitaries do not regard their soldiers as human beings. Even if half of the soldiers die, as long as they can achieve military merit, it is not a big deal."

Guo Ziyi sighed and said that he had a very intuitive experience of the fighting madness of the Tubo people.

In a serfdom country where people in their 30s generally die from various reasons, dying on the battlefield is not unacceptable.

Even if you don't have to go to the battlefield to live on the plateau, you will die from the hard work in the low-oxygen environment on the plateau.

"So, what's Guo Shouzhuo's plan?"

Fang Chongyong asked calmly.

Guo Ziyi came to have a secret talk at this moment, obviously not just to make daily routines, but to ask for help from others.Everyone is now in the officialdom, and the official positions are not comparable.

There is no such thing as who belongs to whom, and who wants to kneel and lick whom.

"Although the Jiankang Army is an organizational system in Ganzhou, its establishment is mainly to prevent the Tubo people from attacking the Hexi Corridor from the Western Regions after conquering Guazhou, and to support the defenders of Yumen Pass at any time.

It was not prepared to defend the south of Ganzhou.In fact, that road, perhaps in Guo's lifetime, he would never see that army foolishly taking it. "

Guo Ziyi said with a wry smile.

Things are troublesome here.

The establishment of imperial military towns is a routine situation to deal with.The opposite of the normal situation is the special situation.

Sending troops from Tubo to cross the Qilian Mountains to surprise Ganzhou is such a low-probability, high-risk job.

Without evidence, how could Guo Ziyi report this situation to her superiors?
You can't say that a report is just such words as "I think", "I think" and "I'm worried", right?
And the exit of this road is very close to Zhangye City, the state capital of Ganzhou, even closer than the Jiankang Army's garrison to Zhangye City!If there is such a day, it will be the [-] elite defenders of Zhangye, plus [-] united soldiers to defend against the enemy.

On the surface, it seems that the risk is not great, because the Chishui Army does not seem to be far from Liangzhou to support Ganzhou!
However, since the Tubo people sent troops to sneak attack, they must have a comprehensive plan. At that time, the main force of the Hexi army may have already confronted the main force of the Tubo people in Qinghai Lake, ready for a decisive battle!

When the time comes, the hinterland of Ganzhou will be attacked, the Shandan Racecourse will be robbed... This series of fire incidents in the rear will greatly affect the logistical supplies of the Tang Army on the front line.

It's hard to say who will win this war!

Wang Zhongsi ordered Guo Ziyi to train troops near Zhangye, Ganzhou, and he meant to guard against the Tubo people's surprise attack.It's just that he can't allocate more resources, everything depends on Guo Ziyi's own efforts.This might not be an opportunity for Wang Zhongsi to give Guo Ziyi a chance to make contributions in order to reward this "fellow townsman".

The armies in Hexi were led by the Chishui Army.When the Hexi Jiedushi is not in charge, the military orders of the Chishui military envoy can replace the military orders of the Hexi Jiedushi.Wang Zhongsi had good intentions, and Fang Chongyong felt the same at this moment.

"This road is indeed risky, but...how can I help you?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a sigh.

"We only need Fang Shijun to strictly implement the autumn prevention order. This move will definitely offend local officials and people in Ganzhou. In the end, it may be in vain and be laughed at for being as timid as a mouse... Alas!"

Guo Ziyi looked helpless, not knowing what to say.

Datang has not issued an autumn defense order for a long time.The locals in Hexi are actually quite resistant to this, thinking that this is superfluous, so that the troops who should have changed defenses cannot be changed. It is strange that there is no resentment.

Not only that, we must also strengthen the walls and clear the country, organize military training for united troops, increase patrols, and increase treasury expenditures.That's right, both the united troops and the border troops who are stranded and unable to go home must be paid!These are all paid out of the local government treasury in Hexi.

Moreover, the labor tools used in farming, such as straight plows, cattle, stone mills, etc., were all provided by the government.The frontier soldiers could not be rotated, and those who used to farm at home were temporarily conscripted as Long March athletes, so the farmland managed by the government would be left uncultivated, and only women, old and young, could go to battle.

This will have a great negative impact on the economic operation of border towns.

All of this has little to do with Guo Ziyi, but has a direct and significant interest relationship with Fang Chongyong, the new governor of Ganzhou.

To put it simply, as a "bicycle governor", he is specially supervising the work of the border towns!

Guo Ziyi succinctly explained these to Fang Chongyong, making this Fang Ya Nei from Chang'an feel bad all over!
Fang Chongyong's idea is to lie flat and travel in Ganzhou, and be a happy shopkeeper.Anyway, he still has Ganzhou Sima and Ganzhou Governor Shi under his command, so it's fine to assign the task to those two.

Anyway, there is no war in Ganzhou, so just rest assured.I heard that the scenery near Zhangye is very beautiful. He also traveled here in his previous life, and it feels really good.

Ganzhou is known as "the top of the south of the Yangtze River". It is a place where water systems converge. The air is good, there is no sand, no shortage of water, rich products and a small population!
Fang Chongyong thought very clearly. The Jiankang army envoy Ouyang Zhen also served as the governor of Ganzhou. On weekdays, everyone was in the Jiankang army barracks. The station was at the junction of Suzhou and Ganzhou, more than 200 miles away from Zhangye City.

Even if he is a mascot, he can't be worse than Ouyang Qin who barely cares about anything, right?
No matter how bad it is, can it be so bad that it can add negative buffs to Ganzhou?

Although Ji Ge's appointment is ridiculous, it is not outrageous.Because this kind of state and county has the jurisdiction of Jiedu Envoy, Yingtian Envoy, and Duzhi Envoy, the power and responsibility of the governor is much smaller than that of ordinary states and counties.

The 24-year-old governor of Yanei has been the governor of Ganzhou for four years, and nothing happened to him?
Fang Chongyong thought so before, but now when he heard Guo Ziyi say it, his mood instantly fell to the bottom.

When the Tubo people came, he had to be frightened, experience military disasters, and if he was not careful, he would become a prisoner of the Tubo people.

If the Tubo people don't come, if he enforces the autumn prevention order forcefully, he will be scolded by local officials and people to the point where he dare not go out, confirming his "young and ignorant" character.

In short, whether the Tibetans come or not, this trip will be a chore!

"What do Fang Shijun think?"

Guo Ziyi asked cautiously.He knew very well that Fang Chongyong, who had a strong background, could say no to this matter.

No one can ask a half-grown child to take on such a responsibility, even if the child is really smart.

"I understand, I will do my best to do this matter."

Fang Zhongyong nodded and said.

"If that's the case, then thank you Fang Shijun."

Guo Ziyi crossed his hands and saluted with a very respectful expression.

"Tomorrow, can the military envoy Guo make arrangements for the sons and daughters of the army to help Shandan County harvest pastures for military supplies?"

Fang Chongyong did not forget Fang Dafu's instructions, and made his own request to Guo Ziyi.

"This is what should be done. Even if Fang Shijun doesn't say anything, Zhangye Shouzhuo will cooperate with this matter. Shijun is so diligent in government affairs, Guo Mou is a little worried."

Guo Ziyi thanked her and left, and Fang Chongyong saw Anaye looking at him intently, with a strange look in her eyes.

"What are you thinking about?"

Fang Chongyong sighed, lay down on the straw mat, and rested his head on Anaye's legs habitually.

"Jiedu envoys, military envoys, all talk and laugh with you. I don't know how to describe Lang Jun as the governor when he was only ten years old."

Anaye said with a bitter face, very worried about her future.

This branch is a bit high, I don't know if I can climb it!She felt that the gap between herself and Fang Chongyong was getting bigger and bigger, and it was so big that it was scary!
"Come on, give me a smile."

Fang Chongyong stretched out his index finger as if playing a prank, and pressed it on the bridge of Anaye's straight nose.

"Ganzhou...is it dangerous?"

Anaye gently put Fang Chongyong's hand away, and asked with some uncertainty.

"Who says it's not...in short, it's just a huge, deep pit."

Fang Chongyong closed his eyes tiredly, muttered to himself, and soon fell asleep.

(End of this chapter)