Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 264 Looking back, I am even more suspicious of the road ahead.

The relevant "inspection" work of the Inspection Institute chaired by Zheng Shuqing can be said to be very effective.

Not to mention calm, at least it can be said to be a whirlwind of events.

With Brother Ji's tacit approval, the "Inspection Envoys" of the Inspection Institute took action upon hearing the news. Whether it was the major yamen in Chang'an City or the homes of nobles, there were many of these people coming in and out, each with a calm expression and a sinister smile on his face.

They beat ninety-nine at the top and the children at the bottom. Whether he is the prime minister or the six ministers, or he is a young man with a title of Wuling, a son of a powerful person. As long as someone violates the rules, they can't escape being fined a sum of money.

As for the reasons for being punished, it can only be said that there are many types of punishments and cannot be generalized. In short, from typos in the copywriting to illegal construction of houses exceeding the prohibition, you will be fined if you are caught.

That’s right, apart from fines, the Inspection and Quarantine Office will not impose any other penalties. Anyway, if you don't pay, you will be dismissed from office and your title will be taken away. This move is feared by everyone in the powerful circles of Chang'an.

As for filing a lawsuit against the Procuratorate, no one cares about it at all. All impeachment memorials have been suppressed and not handled by Brother Ji. And to be fair, these "catchable or not" little braids are spread out in the sun, leaving no room for quibbles.

Are you still reasonable about wearing a "yellow mantle" under your brocade robe? This kind of thing is too abstract to go into detail.

Under various measures of high-intensity fines, the silk and silk transported to Longyou Army were piled up in the treasury, and they were transported to Lanzhou one cart after another, and then transferred from Lanzhou to Shanzhou, and finally distributed to the soldiers of Longyou Army.

Wang Zhongsi was lucky. Fang Chongyong had already paved the way ahead, so he did not need to deal with the issue of paying the border troops. Wang Zhongsi only had to think about how to deal with the Tubo onslaught in the autumn.

Of course, just because there is no shortage of military pay now does not mean there will be no shortage in the future. Things in the future can only be discussed in the future.

However, after a "big purge", bureaucrats at all levels and nobles from all walks of life in Chang'an City also learned the lesson. They began to dress meticulously and in full compliance with the regulations. Even if they took off their clothes, they would not be afraid of being found trouble by the inspectors.

They took the initiative to send people to dismantle the over-standard houses built by the nobles in the past. No matter how they were inspected, they were flawless. Some officials even transferred their homes to relatives and "rented" their own homes outside.

If the house I rent exceeds the limit, it has nothing to do with me, right?

As for typos, the response of officials at all levels is to avoid them when writing official documents. As long as I don't write official documents, you won't be able to catch me wrong.

If you have to write it down, check it over and over again and have colleagues review each other. As for whether this will affect office efficiency, then just do less and just get off work on time every day.

All in all, there are policies and countermeasures. Although "inspection" likes to take unconventional paths, the little pigtails it investigates can actually be classified into categories, and there are traces to follow.

To put it bluntly, there are only so many tricks that can be used. Over time, these tricks no longer work. After all, everyone is an official just for wealth and prosperity, not to cause trouble for themselves. With more rules, there are naturally ways to deal with them.

Yan Zhenqing originally wanted to take the opportunity to raise military expenditures to clean up the bad habits in Chang'an officialdom. However, the public atmosphere has indeed been somewhat corrected, but various unspoken rules have begun to prevail.

It's like officials really don't dare to accept money openly, but they can make money by selling poetry and calligraphy and painting! If your calligraphy is good, a rich man will buy a set of calligraphy pieces for thousands of dollars to enshrine and collect. Is there anything wrong with that?

Apart from making money, what kind of positive role can the Inspection and Inspection Institute really play in trivial matters such as detecting typos in copywriting?

Yan Zhenqing was worried about this and went to Zheng Shuqing to discuss countermeasures.

However, Zheng Shuqing didn't take it seriously and replied directly: Since the inspection is not effective, how about we suggest to the saint that we sell our official positions and get titles?

Yan Zhenqing was immediately speechless.

The two have different ideas and cannot talk about it. Zheng Shuqing just does whatever Brother Ji wants him to do. Since the inspection is no longer easy to do, the next step can only be to participate in the repertoire of all dynasties, "selling official positions and winning titles".

As for chores such as upgrading the officialdom, Zheng Shuqing didn't even think about it.

Saints are not anxious about this kind of thing. Why is he, a minister, anxious?

The two broke up unhappy, and Yan Zhenqing didn't want to bother with it anymore.

On this day, Gao Lishi came to the Inspection Institute and informed Zheng Shuqing to go to Xingqing Palace to discuss matters. When Zheng Shuqing arrived at the study room in the main building of Qinzhengwu, he discovered that besides himself, there was also a young man he had met several times. He should be a central official working in the Sixth Department.

"Zheng Aiqing, how much fines did the Procuratorate collect this month?"

Brother Ji asked with a smile, looking like a kind old man.

Zheng Shuqing did not dare to be negligent, crossed his hands and saluted, "Back to the saint, it's less than one hundred thousand guan."

Upon hearing this, Brother Ji's face twitched a few times, then he sighed and nodded slightly.

He looked at the young red-robed official in front of him and asked calmly: "Liu Yan, when I asked you to be the prince, how many characters did you correct?"

"Back to the saint, all the characters have been corrected, except the word "peng".

Liu Yan crossed his hands and saluted and replied.

The main strokes in Chinese characters are horizontal and vertical strokes. If there are horizontal and vertical strokes, it is "right". Only the word "Peng" for "Pengdang" is skewed. Liu Yan's answer not only demonstrated his wisdom, but also expressed his political views.

Forming cliques for personal gain is nothing more than a clique. How can it be "righteous"?

Brother Ji understood Liu Yan's answer, nodded happily, and continued:

"That's very good. In three days, I will take out a hundred treasures and show them off in the main hall of the Daming Palace.

All civil and military officials, as well as noble clan members, must participate. Bid to get the treasure, the one with the highest price gets it.

The treasures and silks sold were used as military expenses. The starting price of a treasure must be measured accurately.

Liu Yan, how about you handle this matter? "

Brother Ji asked with a smile.

Liu Yan quickly crossed his hands and saluted and said: "Such things that are beneficial to the country and the people will be done well by humble ministers, and they will not let down the expectations of the saint."

"Well, you were promoted to an official position by me since you were a child, and now it's time to serve the country. Go ahead, and the high chamberlain will tell you how to do it.

Now that this matter has been taken care of, I have another very important matter that I need you to handle personally. "

Brother Ji waved his hand gently and signaled the other party to retreat.

Liu Yan quickly took the order and left. After he left, Brother Ji waved to Zheng Shuqing and motioned for him to come to him.

"Three days later, you send a few trustworthy investigators to record the bids. Which ones paid more and which ones paid nothing.

Those who bid a lot, those who bid high, and those who don't get a dime, all are recorded for me. It will be of great use to me. "

Brother Ji said in a deep voice.

Zheng Shuqing didn't know why and had no idea what Brother Ji wanted to do. But it doesn’t matter, it’s just to record who spent a lot of money at the “Treasure Showcase Party” and who spent nothing.

This kind of trivial matter is easy to do based on pictures.

He quickly crossed his hands and saluted and said: "Sage, please don't worry, I will definitely handle it well."    "Well, go and do your work, I'm looking forward to it."

Brother Ji nodded expressionlessly.

Zheng Shuqing was very curious. Is the shortage of military funds now so short that the saint would sell the treasures in the palace and go to the powerful to raise funds?

But he didn't dare to ask any more questions, or even dared to look up at Brother Ji's expression, and cautiously exited the Qin Zheng Affairs Building. After leaving Xingqing Palace, Zheng Shuqing breathed a sigh of relief. He found that his back was covered with cold sweat and his clothes had been wet. The more he thought about it, the more scared he became.

The saint of the Tang Dynasty really wouldn't stop just because he was getting older!

There will be another good show soon.

……

The road from Lanzhou Jincheng directly to Liangzhou Wuwei is an official road, but the geographical conditions are relatively harsh. Going north along the Nishui River, there are mountains on both sides. The widest place is only two thousand meters, and the narrowest place is less than three hundred meters. Occasionally there are a few paths that lead from the mountains to the outside, but they are all unorganized.

During the Tang Dynasty, this place fell under the jurisdiction of Lanzhou.

Guangwu County (Yongdeng County) to the south of this road, and Changsong County (Gulang County) to the north of the road, the county towns are both built in areas with good geographical conditions on this road, and the population and cultivated land are extremely poor.

Even during the Tianbao period, the combined population of the two counties was only more than 2,000 households!

Fang Chongyong passed through Guangwu County with more than 300 elite soldiers of the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army, and found that there was neither a post station nor any officials such as the county magistrate or county lieutenant who came to greet them. After sending someone to inquire, they found out that the magistrate of Guangwu County had been vacant for many years, and no official from the imperial court was willing to serve as a magistrate here.

Local government affairs are all handled by the state government of Jincheng County, Lanzhou, and there are not many government affairs to deal with.

With a population of more than 1,000 households, based on six people per household, the county's population will not exceed 10,000. It is really not worth building a county government in the local area.

After all, it costs money to maintain the operation of the yamen. During the Tianbao period, there were nearly 1,600 counties in the Tang Dynasty, and not every county had a county magistrate.

This kind of "county but no official" situation has never been seen by Fang Chongyong before, but this time he has gained experience.

After walking for dozens of miles, after passing through Changsong County in the north, the terrain ahead suddenly increased and the mountain road began to suddenly become narrow and rugged! Heavy snow suddenly flew from the sky. Everyone in the team felt that their bodies were soaked in the cold wind and could not help but shiver.

The road under our feet also began to become steep and uneven, with mountains and rocks. Everyone on the horse had to dismount and lead the horse to climb the mountain on foot.

An Chongzhang, who was familiar with the terrain and acted as a guide, stepped forward and said to Fang Chongyong:

"Wei Qing and Huo Qubing crossed the Hongchiling Pass, attacked the Xiongnu from the west, built the Great Wall west of Lingju City (now northwest of Yongdeng County), passed through the Nishui River (Zhuanglang River) Valley, and crossed the Hongchiling (Wushaoling) A line of mountains.

The remains of the Great Wall built in the Han Dynasty are right in front of it. "

An Chongzhang pointed to the mountains not far away, where the ruins appeared and disappeared and continued:

"It snows here in June and is extremely cold. I have heard about the mountain people who accidentally freeze to death here every year. I also ask the commander not to order camping and to pass through this place quickly.

Across the mountains is the Wucheng Shouchu station, where the army can rest. "

Indeed, as An Chongzhang said, according to the records of the Ming Dynasty's "Xingdu Si Zhi": "The north of the ridge is connected to Gulangjie and is twenty miles long. In midsummer, the wind blows and the flying snow fills the air. Today there are earthen houses with several rafters on the mountain. As far as the eye can see, the mountains are winding. They connect to each other and go straight to the outside of the pass. The snow at the end of the ridge is bright and eye-catching. In the extreme west, there is a large mountain that rises high into the sky. It is suspected to be a snow mountain. Five miles down the ridge, fifteen miles away, there is a castle, located in the mountains. There is a clear path.”

"So good."

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly and said.

The terrain in the Longyou area is difficult, and only by knowing the geography well can we fight big and vicious battles. Once the Longyou barrier is lost, the Tubo people can bypass the Hexi Corridor and invade Guanzhong from Lanzhou.

Fang Chongyong originally thought that the Tubo people historically took advantage of the Anshi Rebellion to seize the opportunity from the fire, swallowing up Hexi and Longyou, and pushing the front line to Fengxiang.

But since he became the governor of Longyou, he found that this idea was a bit one-sided and taken for granted.

The Tubo people did not seize chestnuts from the fire, but had a long-term and careful deployment. Every subsequent step to conquer the city was planned. They were just patiently waiting for the opportunity. Their actions in conquering Longyou can be said to be bold and careful, with a comprehensive plan and no rush.

Even without the Anshi Rebellion, Datang's military deployment, which was beyond the support of national power, had reached as far as the area west of Kashmir in his previous life. In the end, it could not support it, and strategic contraction was inevitable.

Of course, the Tubo people were unlikely to have expected the Anshi Rebellion, but they may not have understood that it was only a matter of time before the Tang Dynasty's military contracted, and then it would be time to launch a massive counterattack.

In other words, the Tubo people had been planning to wait for the Tang Dynasty to shrink their strategy, instead of taking action when they saw an opportunity like the Anshi Rebellion.

Moreover, border towns such as Longyou in Hexi Province of the Tang Dynasty were not lost all at once. The number of Western troops who did not return to Guanzhong and Shuofang and chose to stay there was actually not large. There are historical records to check, including the Doulu Army in Shazhou, Hexi, and the Jiankang Army in Guazhou, but no one returned to defend Guanzhong.

They chose to stay in Shazhou as a whole and use it as their base camp to continue resisting Tibet.

There were also thousands of elite soldiers in Liangzhou who did not follow the Chishui Army to march eastward.

If these armies had a unified command and could unite, they would be able to give the Tibetans a run for their money.

It took the Tubo people ten or twenty years to take over areas like Longyou in Hexi Province.

Therefore, it is not so much that after the Anshi Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty Longyou army was empty and the Tubo people succeeded. It is better to say that the passage from Guanzhong to Longyou was immediately cut off by the Tubo people. The remaining Tang army units in the west lacked supplies and could only do their own thing. , they were defeated one by one by the Tubo people who had superior military strength.

Fang Chongyong felt that the route he was walking today looked like an excellent place to engage in an encirclement and annihilation war. As long as there are tens of thousands of strong troops in hand, it will be enough to survive slowly with the Tubo people.

Of course, Datang's fundamentals were in ruins, and no matter how desperately Bian Zhen struggled, it would be in vain.

Although Brother Ji is a prodigal, the abilities of the three successors, Suzong, Daizong, and Dezong, are equally unflattering. Even if there was no Anshi Rebellion, Ji Ge's descendants would still be unable to control the situation.

The emperor himself seemed to be able to change something if he tried hard, but he couldn't dwell on this kind of thing. Once you think about it carefully, you will find that the Tang Dynasty is already in trouble. The only way is to break and then build.

Members of the Li Tang clan, even the prince and even Brother Ji himself.

They can't ruin their own situation, right? If Li's people don't smash it, then who will?

Thinking of this, Fang Chongyong felt a shadow cast over his heart. He frowned and didn't talk to anyone. He just kept silent and led the team through Hongchi Ling (i.e. Wushaoling).

The poem "Wuling Towering to the Sky" by Qing Dynasty poet Yang Weichang seemed to be reciting in his ears:

Surrounded by thousands of mountains, I live alone in Chong, overlooking the rocky Daisong.

The road to Shu is as dangerous as the sky, and Kuanglu failed to dominate the Han Dynasty.

Thunder lies on the ground and roars quietly, and stars and cliffs dominate the sky.

Looking back, I feel more suspicious that the sky is approaching, and I suddenly feel that I am in the white clouds.

　Jishi County, where the earthquake just occurred, is where the Jishi Army under Longyou Jiedushi is stationed. You can guess what the economic conditions were there in the Tang Dynasty by looking at news pictures.

　　

　

(End of this chapter)