Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 232 The Rules of Jianghu
There is an unwritten rule in the officialdom of the Tang Dynasty, and this rule continues to change as time goes by: that is, for officials traveling on the post road, if a low-level official encounters a high-level official, they must not only give way, but also It was common for servants and even officials to be beaten when they dismounted from their horses and saluted.

There are so many similar vicious incidents that it has reached the point where no one will be held accountable.

For example, when Yuan Zhen, the great poet of the Tang Dynasty, was supervising the censor in Dongtai, one day when a man went out on business and came to Fushui Post, an eunuch who served in the post came from behind, forced open the door of the post, and left shouting and cursing. Got in.

Seeing that Yuan Zhen was blocking the way, the eunuch whipped Yuan Zhen with a riding crop and injured his face!Afterwards, the eunuch was not punished in any way.

You know, Yuan Zhen was an official in the capital at that time, but he was also the supervisory censor!

In fact, Yuan Zhen's experience is not unusual, because since the early Tang Dynasty, similar things have often happened in post roads and inns, and it is not always the eunuchs who serve in the chamber.

Those with high official positions and high backgrounds often bully those with lower official positions and those with no background. There are many examples of this.

The post station and the post road wonderfully combine the height of the temple and the distance of the rivers and lakes.

What kind of official is considered a senior official and what kind is a minor official, what kind of etiquette should be performed when they meet, and how to deal with being offended, all vary from time to time and from person to person. The court does not stipulate what should be done.

That means that as long as nothing serious happens, you can perform fancy tricks.Killing a few slaves or even unofficial officials is not something worth talking about.

The problem facing Fang Chongyong now is: he must not lose face as the future boss of the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army!
This time my face was shattered, it will not be easy to pick it up again in the future!
There is also a hidden problem: Brother Ji must not be allowed to think that his office has a good relationship with other Jiedu envoys or people from other military factions!
So now the two teams are stuck on the same road, refusing to give way to each other. Not only can Fang Chongyong not give way, he can't even let Huangfu Weiming on the opposite side give way easily!You have to "make things difficult" for the other party, and it won't be justified without being arrogant and domineering!

"Where's the tiger?"

Fang Chongyong shouted to the outside of the carriage. The tall and sturdy He Changqi opened the curtain of the carriage. Fang Chongyong raised his hands in salute and asked, "What are your orders, Marshal Fang?"

He was "sent" by Fang Youde to Fang Chongyong's side. In fact, it was Fang Youde who believed that a "large establishment" like the Shence Army would bury He Changqi's talents, and that he could better reflect his own value in the elite army.

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that He Changqi requested it himself.

He Changqi was also a sensible man. He called Fang Youde Fang Jieshuai and Fang Chongyong Fang Shaoshuai.Fang Yanei gave He Changqi the nickname "He Tiger" to enhance his momentum. He was usually called by this nickname instead of calling him by his first name.

There are people carrying people in sedan chairs, everything is done without saying anything.

The two of them were "like each other" and became acquainted within a few days. He Changqi was extremely attentive when running errands for Fang Chongyong, even more enthusiastic than when he served Fang Youde.

"Go and ask the person on the other side if he dares to challenge you in a duel.

If we win, let's give way; if they lose, let them give way and go cool down.

Speak arrogantly, don't act like a pussy. "

Fang Chongyong lowered his voice and gave He Changqi some instructions.

"Okay, Marshal Fang, please wait for a moment, and I will go and talk to them."

He Changqi laughed loudly, then stepped forward and thrust the horizontal knife from his waist directly into the ground.

He counted and found that the people opposite must be from Qiu Ba, but they were not wearing military uniforms or armor. There were about 30 people in total, and the people in the carriage did not come out.

There are only ten people on my side, including Fang Chongyong. There is definitely no chance of winning in a head-on fight, and it's not worth it.

"Listen up to those on the other side. Let's fight one on one. If you lose, give way. Go and cool down."

He Changqi shouted to Huangfu Weiming's motorcade.

This was quite rude, and was no different from deliberately provoking.However, after a moment of silence on the other side, a man came out and shouted to He Changqi: "Two out of three games! No one person is allowed to play multiple games."

This Nima also works?
He Changqi was stunned. The opponent did not play according to the routine, which also made him a little confused.He Changqi returned to the carriage where Fang Chongyong was, leaned over and asked in a low voice: "Young Marshal, how should we resolve this matter?"

"Okay, you play the first game."

Fang Chongyong said softly without changing his expression.

"Well, this subordinate will do it now."

There are rumors that He Changqi fought with the South China tiger in Lingnan and won. Fang Chongyong couldn't figure out whether this was true or whether He Changqi was bragging to outsiders.

But it is an indisputable fact that this man killed everyone in the counter-rebellion during Li Heng's coup and gained a huge reputation for being unstoppable.

In Fang Chongyong's view, He Changqi won the first game without any suspense.

Sure enough, before he had time to speak to Pei Xiu, he heard a muffled sound not far away, and someone was knocked to the ground, accompanied by exclamations.

He Changqi swaggered to where Fang Chongyong's carriage was, opened the curtain and said to him: "That's all Huangfu Weiming's men can do, knock them down with one move. How to deal with the rest of the game?"

Huangfu Weiming said "win out of three games" and that one person was not allowed to play more than one game. He probably realized that with He Changqi's physique and momentum, it would be difficult for his team to win against him, and he was afraid that He Changqi would pick three of them one by one.

"Didn't you brag before that you inherited your father's swordsmanship? Why don't you show me your skills?"

Fang Chongyong asked Pei Xiu with a smile.

"Young Marshal Fang, you can't count on this girl with her thin arms and legs. How about I put on a hat and pretend to be someone else and play another round?"

He Changqi stood on the side and cheered.

Do you think others won’t recognize you if you wear a hat?
Fang Chongyong couldn't figure out whether He Changqi was pretending to be stupid or really stupid. Based on his understanding of this person, it was probably the former.Fang Yanei had no choice but to sigh and patiently persuaded: "He Laohu, you hold the line aside to prevent Huangfu Weiming's people from cheating. There's no need to pretend to be on the field, we have to show some martial ethics."

"Young Marshal, a soldier never tires of deceit. What else do we need to talk about about martial ethics?"

He Changqi continued to make noise, held Pei Xiu up and roasted him on the fire.

"Shut up, you stupid ass! Do you think others won't recognize you if you wear a hat?
I'll fight this round! "

As Fang Chongyong expected, Pei Xiu roared at He Changqi, jumped up and jumped off the carriage, preparing to compete with Huangfu Weiming's people.

"Keep your eyes open!"

She turned around and scolded Fang Zhongyong.

When she walked away, He Changqi lowered his voice and said to Fang Zhongyong: "Young Marshal, this lady doesn't seem to have a bright mind. Can she really be a personal guard with her qualifications?"

Sure enough, Pei Xiu is the only one here.

"So you want to get rid of her and ask the saint to send a smarter one?"

Fang Chongyong asked angrily.

"Hey, so-and-so didn't say that, hahaha. So-and-so didn't say anything just now, and didn't hear anything, hahahahaha."

He Changqi touched his round head and walked away laughing as if talking to himself.In order to make himself more capable in battle, He Changqi shaved off all his hair so as not to get in the way. Now he has a bald head and a body full of flesh, which makes him look scary.But Fang Chongyong knew that this person was a typical "heart like a tiger, sniffing the roses carefully".Lingnan is a land with many mountains and few fields, where officials and Han people live together, and the people's sentiments are extremely complicated.According to Fang Youde, He Changqi can be regarded as a top figure in the local area. How could he be just a fool who only relies on bravery to gain a foothold?

Nowadays, Chang'an is singing and dancing, and the chance of making military exploits is extremely slim. To put it clearly, if it is not possible to predict that the world will be in chaos within ten years, any Qiu Ba who hopes to make a difference will not take the initiative to come to Chang'an. He will only be confused. Just days.

Chen Xuanli, who had been hanging around for decades, was killed by Wu Zhiyi, who was born in Qiuba, Bian Town, during the coup. This was the disadvantage of hanging around in Chang'an.

Fang Chongyong's expectation was good. He Changqi was indeed not brought to Chang'an by Fang Youde to report on his work, and Lao Fang was not such a nosy person.

The truth is that He Changqi took the initiative to follow Fang Youde to Chang'an to "see the world."Fang Chongyong even suspected that He Changqi was not sent to him intentionally by Fang Youde, but was requested by this man himself.

But he had no evidence, and Lao Fang never said anything about it.

Just when Fang Zhongyong was thinking wildly, there was another exclamation from the other side. Soon Pei Xiu got on the carriage with a proud look on his face, raising his head like a proud big rooster, with "Come and praise me" written on his face. .

"Is this a win? The personal guards around Huangfu Weiming are not very good."

Fang Chongyong couldn't help but sigh.

"Why can't you praise me for my superb swordsmanship?"

Pei Xiu asked with wide eyes.

"Okay."

Fang Chongyong raised his hand calmly, signaling Pei Xiu to shut up, so that the other party's complaints were blocked.

"He Laohu, let the one on the other side give way. Don't break your promise."

From beginning to end, Fang Chongyong refused to speak out, and the same was true for Huangfu Weiming opposite.Fang Chongyong believed that Huangfu Weiming must know what Fang Yanei wanted to express.

At this moment, none of them can take the initiative.If you don't come forward, you can still pretend to be confused. If you get out of the carriage, the situation will become a slap in the face of Hong Guoguo and become difficult to deal with.

As expected, Huangfu Weiming, like Fang Chongyong, did not get off the carriage and show up.But their group, probably under Huangfu Weiming's instructions, obediently moved out of the way and stood on the side of the road without any unruly moves.

"They just got out of the way?"

Pei Xiu asked with a look of astonishment.

Regarding official etiquette, she actually understands much better than Fang Chongyong.

What officials care about most is face, so they do not hesitate to fall out in public and do unreasonable things.

For example, during the Tang Dynasty, an official had a banquet and asked a dancer he had a crush on to toast him.The dancer refused in person for some reason, so the official drew his sword and beheaded the dancer without mercy!
This incident did not happen in the bedroom, but in the middle of a grand banquet.Afterwards, the official received no substantial punishment.

It was hard for Pei Xiu to imagine that Huangfu Weiming had lost so much face and didn't choose to turn against him!Does the other party dare not, or is it for some other reason?

She couldn't figure out the joint.

"With your wisdom, it's difficult for me to explain it to you. You will understand these truths after you eat the brain."

Fang Chongyong closed his eyes and teased. As the carriage moved, the carriage gradually began to bump, and he felt a little sleepy.

"Uh, what is Naobaijin? Is it a medicine from the Western Regions? Can it really make people smarter? Where can I buy it? Is it expensive?"

Pei Xiu asked curiously, one question after another.

She vaguely felt that she was really not very smart, at least compared to someone like Fang Chongyong, her IQ was a little lower.

It needs to be replenished.

"Don't worry about those details. Naobaijin is the magic medicine of the Western Regions. It's something you can't find but can't find."

Fang Chongyong was too lazy to say anything more. He suddenly had a strange thought: Could Pei Min, a cunning guy, just want him to help him "take care of his children"?

With Pei Xiu's superficial wisdom, he is just an "embroidered pillow". He is probably only good at swordsmanship, but he really can't do much!
The more Fang Chongyong thought about it, the more he felt that this possibility was very high!
"Is it true that I can't buy it anymore?"

Pei Xiu said to himself with a look of regret.

"No, maybe you can still buy it in the future. You can start saving now."

Fang Chongyong had a wonderful idea in his mind and said with a smile.

……

Shanzhou is the residence of the Longyou Jiedu Envoy. During the Tang Dynasty, its jurisdiction included Ledu, Xining and Huangzhong in Qinghai where Fang Chongyong was in his previous life.The altitude here is higher, the grasslands are dense, terraces can be seen everywhere, and the climate and topography are very different from Guanzhong.

In Shanzhou City, Shanzhou City Government Office, in a signature room of the yamen of the Longyou Jiedushi Envoy, Du Hope, who serves as the Jiedushi Envoy, is checking the official letters and letters sent from Chang'an.This is his second time serving as the governor of Longyou. Of course, he was just "accepted in a critical situation". He was just familiar with the terrain and people here, so he only took up the post temporarily.

Du Xiang knew very well that he would not be able to stay here for long, and his increasingly weak body would not allow him to handle military affairs here for a long time.

Don't even think about leading troops on an expedition.

The Longyou area was the real front line against Tubo.The Hexi area can actually only be regarded as the "flank" of the Tubo attack.In other words, the reason why the Longyou Jiedushi was established was to deal with the increasingly powerful offensive of the Tubo people. There was no second reason.

Since the soldiers in the Longyou area have lived in mid-to-high altitude areas for a long time, they can maintain endurance and adaptability during the confrontation with the Tubo people, and will not suffer from lack of oxygen.Soldiers transferred from other places are often unable to exert their full strength due to chronic hypoxia.

"Is he here just to choose the brave?"

Du Xixi muttered to himself and put down the secret message in his hand.This is a handwritten letter written by the saint, asking him to fully cooperate with Fang Chongyong, the supervisory censor and recruiter, to select soldiers in the Longyou area to enrich the "Silver Spear Filial Festival" that will serve as the elite of the Forbidden Army.

This made Du Hope feel a little uneasy.

The selection of the Forbidden Army rarely relies on soldiers from border towns.On the contrary, Guanzhong soldiers have been exported to border towns for a long time. Many of them settled in border towns and became field soldiers and never returned to Guanzhong.This was the past practice. The government troops were recruited from Guanzhong and went to fight in places west of Guanzhong.

The imperial troops of Nan Ya and Bei Ya were also recruited from Guanzhong in large numbers.Although the military government is now in name only, the people in Guanzhong will not disappear because of the abolition of the military government!

Nowadays, the selection of the imperial army is no longer in Guanzhong, where there are many military mansions. Instead, the focus is on the Longyou area.This can only show that... the saint no longer trusts the soldiers in Guanzhong now!
This distrust may be due to disbelief in the loyalty of the Guanzhong soldiers, or it may be due to the feeling that these soldiers cannot be trained!Anyway, no matter which one it is, it is not a good thing for the country. This means that the entire Tang Dynasty, which spans thousands of miles, has formed a pattern of "strong branches and weak trunks".

Even the emperor's personal troops are no longer selected around the capital. Is there anything more worrying than this?
"Fang Chongyong, Fang Youde... The saint now only trusts the old man, and he also appointed Li Xuan as the crown prince. This is because he has no intention of the crown prince succeeding to the throne!"

Du Hope couldn't help but sigh. He actually had a close relationship with the loyal king Li Heng, but he was not a core member of his circle, so he escaped the last round of "big purges."But Du Xixi also understood that he could not escape and return home.

"That's all, let's talk about it later. Fang Chongyong's father-in-law is probably coming to Longyou as well."

Du Xixi muttered to himself while putting away the letters and organizing all the official documents on the desk.There are rumors that the Central Committee will use troops against Tubo, probably this spring.

(End of this chapter)