Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 302: People are counted as tigers, and tigers are also counted as humans

Boom!

At the turn of spring and summer, it rains heavily. The water in the Yellow River surged and became turbulent.

The yellow muddy sand, like an angry dragon, rushed towards the downstream area, breaking down the unreinforced embankments on both sides of the river bank and bringing the sand into the rapid river water.

There was water everywhere in the dim space, and it was unclear whether it was river water or rainwater flowing on the ground, forming trickles of water running around. On both sides of the Yellow River, whether it is the gravel-paved post roads or the rugged hills, there is not even a single person in sight!

Spanning the Wulan Pass on both sides of the Yellow River, on a hill near the east bank of the river, the Tang Dynasty built the Ulan Fort here many years ago to guard the pass.

It is standing in the wind and rain at this moment.

This was not originally the station of the "Xinquan Army" under the command of Hexi Jiedushi.

However, due to soil erosion later, the springs where the Xinquan Army was originally stationed dried up (hence the name Xinquan), so the Xinquan Army moved eastward to a key node on the Silk Road, near Wulan Pass, a ferry on the Yellow River.

Ulan Fort was built high on the hill. The Xinquan Army was downgraded to "Xinquan Shouchuo", and the number of soldiers was reduced from 4,000 to 1,000. They stationed here to guard the pass and no longer participated in daily patrols.

Since the end of the Kaiyuan Dynasty, this army has continued to be downgraded, becoming a border town garrison force that is not under the jurisdiction of the Jiedushi. It only retains the name "Xinquan Army", and its number of soldiers has been reduced from 1,000 to 200, specifically responsible for The daily affairs of Wulan Pass are no longer Datang’s border town field army!

Although it has been upgraded from "Shouchuo" to "Army", Xinquan Army has changed from an army name to a place name, generally referring to Ulanbao.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In the rain with extremely limited visibility, the turbid and violent Yellow River water directly destroyed the Ulanguan Yellow River Bridge with wooden iron cables!

Those expensive iron and wood materials were washed into the turbulent Yellow River by the flood and disappeared in an instant.

The Xinquan Army garrison hurriedly came to the detention room, saluted Fang Chongyong who was reading the relevant files of Ulanbao under the torch and said:

"Fang Jieshuai, it rained heavily today and the river surged, destroying the Wulan Bridge! If you want to cross the river to Liangzhou, I'm afraid you have to take a detour and take a raft. I suggest you wait for two days to wait until the river water stabilizes before crossing. Liangzhou is far away from here. It’s not far away, just go to the west..."

"I understand, go ahead and do your work. If you have anything to do, just report it directly!"

Fang Chongyong waved his hand in an easy-going manner, and the Xinquan Army guard general breathed a sigh of relief, bowed and left.

“It seems that an autumn and winter march is inevitable for an expedition to the Western Regions.

I wonder if this heavy rain disaster will affect Wuwei City. "

Fang Chongyong couldn't help but sigh. Autumn in Hexi comes earlier and goes earlier. Winter gets cold quickly, and it gets colder the further west you go. For teams marching long distances, this climate is a big challenge.

Suddenly, the door of the room was pushed open. He Changqi, who was soaked in the rain, stood outside the door with a tired look and refused to come in. He seemed to be waiting for the rain to lessen on his body before entering the security room, so as not to damage the stone floor in the room. Get wet.

From the looks of it, he looked like he was driving in the rain and galloped for an unknown number of miles.

"Go take a bath, drink some ginger soup and come back. Don't be in a hurry while burning incense."

Fang Chongyong raised his head and said calmly, not standing up at all, but not angry or intimidating.

He Changqi didn't know whether it was because of the cold or a guilty conscience, he couldn't help but shiver, said "Okay" and turned around to leave.

Sure enough, within less than a moment of burning the incense, he wore the black military uniform of the Hexi Tang Army, quietly walked into the signing room, and closed the door behind him.

He Changqi knelt down in front of Fang Chongyong and waited for him to lecture him.

"More than ten days ago, you said that you had to leave the team because of something and you would go back to Liangzhou on your own, so I didn't ask any questions.

Now that you have returned to the team, should you give me an explanation? "

Fang Chongyong put the file in his hand on the desk, held it down with a paperweight, then looked at He Changqi with a smile and asked.

"Can you not tell me?"

He Changqi swallowed his saliva and asked.

"You don't have to say it, but after the rain stops, you will return to Chang'an and run errands under my grandfather.

My confidants cannot have second thoughts about me. "

Fang Chongyong said indifferently.

"The last general received the order from Commander Fang Laojie and went to the Queshu Valley in Fenzhou. After finishing the work, he came back to build his army."

He Changqi said insincerely. He did not lie, but it only told half the truth.

Fang Chongyong asked doubtfully:

"What are you going to Queshu Valley for? Are you going to observe how Taizong defeated Song Jingang?"

"Well, I'm not in the mood to enjoy the scenery. I just went there to behead An Lushan."

He Changqi gritted his teeth and said.

"what?"

Fang Chongyong thought he had just hallucinated something.

"Who did you say you killed?"

He repeated it again.

"An Lushan, former envoy of Pinglu Festival."

He Changqi said word for word.

At this time, a gust of cold wind blew into the house from the cracks in the wooden wall. The firelight on the torch swayed, and the figure illuminated on the wall twisted a few times, as if it were a ghost.

Chongyong understood this.

He stood up suddenly and looked at He Changqi with a horrified expression. Then he seemed to have thought of something and sat down slowly again.

Fang Chongyong rubbed his temples with both hands, slowly pondering the impact of this incident in his mind.

"It's all up to you?"

After taking a few deep breaths, Fang Chongyong suppressed the shock in his heart and asked.

"No, there were a thousand elite soldiers lying in wait in Queshu Valley for three days and three nights. In the past, a certain person was only responsible for commanding, and by the way, he killed the general with his own hands to avoid future troubles."

He Changqi said in a low voice that he didn't feel anything bad about it at the time, but now that he has calmed down, it frightened him.

That was the Pinglu Jiedushi who commanded tens of thousands of troops in Yingzhou!

"Anlu Mountain, Anlu Mountain, a thousand elite soldiers... How can my grandfather mobilize the troops of the Shence Army to Fenzhou?"

Fang Chongyong suddenly realized that this matter might not be simple!

There is no edict, and the imperial army is mobilized without saying hello to Brother Ji. No matter how many saints are there, they can't handle it!

"Shuai Fang Laojie did not mobilize the imperial army.

It is true that he controls the Shence Army, but the troops of the Forbidden Army cannot be dispatched at will without an order. An Lushan has five hundred personal guards. If we don't have enough people, we can't kill An Lushan. If there are too many people, it's easy to expose our whereabouts, so we can only join forces with others.

They are the Lord and we are just there to help. "

Eh?

This thing seems to be different from what I imagined!

Fang Chongyong secretly speculated in his heart that Fang Youde wanted to kill An Lushan because of his obsession. But why do others want to kill An Lushan?

Judging from He Changqi's tone, although Fang Youde planned this incident, there was someone else who was the main force behind it.

Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind, and he couldn't help but ask He Changqi:

"Them? Who are they? Could it be... Huangfu Weiming?"

This time it was He Changqi's turn to not be calm!

"How did Commander Ji know that it was Huangfu Weiming who did it?"

The reason why He Changqi knew it was because Fang Youde told him, Xu Yuan told him, and they found out at the scene. But Fang Chongyong didn't go to Queshu Valley and didn't participate in it. How could he know that it was Huangfu Weiming who sent someone to do it?

“Huangfu Weiming’s clan sister was the concubine of the saint before he ascended the throne, and her family has deep connections in Chang’an.

If the saint wanted An Lushan to control the two northeastern towns, then this matter must not be hidden from Huangfu Weiming's eyes and ears.

It was related to the rise and fall of the family, and Huangfu was obviously unwilling to give up the position of Fan Yang Jiedushi to An Lushan, a barbarian.

My grandfather only needs to write a letter stating the interests and benefits. I believe it will not be difficult at all to persuade Fan Yang Jiedushi Huangfu Weiming.

Xu Yuan came to Chang'an to find my grandfather. My grandfather went to Heyang at that time. He should have come to deliver a message. Huangfu Weiming was already ready and ready to take action at any time! "

Fang Zhongyong said slowly, with an expression of sudden realization. The more he spoke, the more he felt that his guess was good.

"Fang Jieshuai, you are really clever! The facts are indeed what you said!

Huangfu Weiming was very worried that he would be deposed by the saint. As long as An Lushan was eliminated, he could not only continue to stay in Youzhou, but also have the opportunity to concurrently serve as Pinglu Jiedushi.

This is what people count as tigers, and tigers count as humans.

When An Lushan was secretly plotting the position of Youzhou Jiedushi, why wasn't Huangfu Weiming plotting against him?

Fang Laojieshuai is just taking advantage of the situation and leveraging his strength! "

He Changqi looked at Fang Chongyong with admiration and said.

"People die for wealth and birds die for food. It's not worth mentioning."

Fang Zhongyong said with waning enthusiasm, the wheel of history twisted and An Lushan was wiped out.

But he believed that even if there was no An Lushan, as long as the court did not solve the problem in Hebei, there would still be Liu Lushan, Zhang Lushan and so on. Previously, Fang Chongyong had adopted the prejudice of his previous life and believed that only Fang Youde wanted to kill An Lushan. But if you think about it carefully, things are not that simple.

Now that the Anshi Rebellion has not broken out, An Lushan is just a slightly ambitious Hu general, and his ability is not top-notch.

In the eyes of the powerful, such dogs are not worth killing.

However, specific situations must also be analyzed on a case-by-case basis.

From the perspective of the Anshi Rebellion, An Lushan is not worth killing now; but from the perspective of a political opponent and a stumbling block, this person is worth killing and ashes!

Back then, when Ge Shuhan was still the deputy military envoy, in front of many people, he killed a deputy military envoy who was at the same level as him and who was usually quite at odds with him. No!

In the Tang Dynasty, it was very common for generals in border towns to fight and fight with each other.

Seeing blood or even dead people is just normal, and reporting to the court afterwards is what everyone does.

For example, Wang Zhongsi reported many people to Brother Ji!

Many times, the perpetrator is punished with three drinks.

The unlucky guy is dead when he dies. Dead people have no use value and have no right to speak!

In fact, compared with Huangfu Weiming, An Lushan, who has no foundation, is the vulnerable group! This is something that can easily confuse travelers!

Now An Lushan is just a barbarian with no foundation and who is suppressed politically.

He not only occupies the position of Pinglu Jiedushi, but also plans to control two towns with one person. He has touched the political red line of many Chang'an dignitaries!

What's more, among the two towns in the northeast, Fanyang is a big town and Pinglu is a small town. The economic strength and resource potential of the area under the jurisdiction of Pinglu Town is far from comparable to that of Fanyang Town.

The number of soldiers and horses was also greatly reduced.

The value and political influence of Fan Yang Jiedushi was far greater than that of Pinglu Jiedushi.

What An Lushan wanted to do before was a bit similar to the merging of small sects in aristocratic families!

Why did Huangfu Weiming, who had connections in Chang'an, let it go and watch An Lushan "progress" instead of raising the butcher's knife?

Who is stupider than whom, and who is kinder than whom?

In fact, some powerful people in Chang'an did not mobilize their connections to stop this matter, allowing Ji Ge to easily issue a decree to re-appoint An Lushan. It was because someone deliberately stopped and did not exert any efforts!

In their view, An Lushan was already a dead man. Since he is a dead person, allowing him to enjoy more glory during his lifetime is just a matter of smiling and watching his ugliness from the sidelines.

These people have such deep thoughts and sophisticated methods that even Fang Chongyong can't help but feel chilled!

But there was still a problem that Fang Chongyong didn't understand.

He hurriedly found a beautifully drawn, formal map issued by the Ministry of Industry of the Imperial Court from his suitcase, and spread it on the table.

"He Laohu, there are at least three routes from Guanzhong to Hebei. To go from the official road of the two capitals to Hebei, you have to cross the Yellow River. It is understandable that Anlu Mountain is afraid of water and refuses to go, so I won't go into that.

But the route from Fenglingyi to Hanoi via Zhiguan is fast and easy to walk, and the route is still short. Why doesn't Anlu Mountain take this route instead of going north to Taiyuan and taking the Queshu Valley? "

Fang Chongyong asked a question that hit his soul.

This question is of great historical depth to people of this era. If He Changqi was not a leading general, it would be difficult for him to answer it.

From the struggle for hegemony in the Northern Qi and Northern Zhou Dynasties to the struggle for hegemony among the heroes in the late Sui Dynasty, Queshu Valley was actually a battleground for military strategists. Even though it is rugged and narrow, it has to become a traffic artery.

Because according to the pattern of confrontation between the two armies, if the army's supplies do not come here, there will be no way to go!

This is the junction of Linfen Basin and Taiyuan Basin, and the key to the competition between the Northern Zhou Dynasty and the Northern Qi Dynasty was the repeated tug-of-war over the Linfen Basin!

Later in the late Sui Dynasty, similar geographies produced similar patterns of political and military struggles, making Queshu Valley's strategic position remain high!

And Taizong of the early Tang Dynasty became famous in this battle!

But after a hundred years of peace in the Tang Dynasty, political power was no longer divided by the inner and outer customs or Hedong and Hebei, so the geographical pattern also changed along with it! The Queshu Valley back then has now become inaccessible and overgrown with weeds.

Because people in Taiyuan Basin no longer need to risk taking this road, they have a better way to Guanzhong!

Fang Chongyong remembers it very clearly. It seems that in his previous life, Queshu Valley was also an inaccessible tourist and adventure place! Rather than a traffic artery.

"An Lushan came to Guanzhong via the Hanoi Road. At that time, Fang Laojieshuai deliberately made things difficult for An Lushan.

On the way back, An Lushan was already the governor of the second town. He didn't want to be made trouble by the Shence Army anymore, and he was also worried that Commander Fang Laojie would kill him to vent his anger, so he deliberately took a detour.

This is what the general guessed. As for the facts, he can only ask An Lushan. "

He Changqi spread his hands and said with a smile, he just tried to figure it out from An Lushan's point of view.

There is no need to explore what An Lushan was thinking now. Anyway, this person is already dead.

He Changqi felt that the three cities of Heyang were also adjacent to the Yellow River. If Fang Youde asked his men to tie up An Lushan and throw him into the Yellow River to drown, and then report that An Lushan accidentally fell into the water late at night... Although this excuse is stupid , but what is the point of the saint speaking out for the dead?

An Lushan is not a powerful person with deep roots!

Fang Youde was killing people right in front of his eyes. Could it be that he still couldn't think of a way? It’s going to be a bad debt afterwards anyway!

An Lushan's worries are actually very easy to sympathize with, and He Changqi can understand the uneasiness in An Lushan's heart.

It was normal for him not to take the Hanoi Road where Fang Youdeka died.

"You mean, my grandfather was sure that Anlu Mountain was going to Queshu Valley, and then he informed Huangfu Weiming and asked him to send his cronies to ambush at the top of the mountain near Queshu Valley..."

Fang Chongyong raised his chin and fell into deep thought, muttering to himself.

Judging from the strategy of the Northern Qi Dynasty at that time, it was nothing new for Hebei soldiers to enter Bingzhou from Jingxing and ambush in Queshu Valley to kill people.

For example, it would be much more reliable for Youde to send someone to assassinate An Lushan! The route is also very close!

Fang Chongyong thought for a while, and he felt that the success of this ambush was unexpected and reasonable.

If An Lushan had kept his car simple, or not walked here at all, nothing would have happened! A person is sitting in a carriage, who knows who is inside! There are many tourists coming and going in Queshu Valley on weekdays, so it is impossible for an ambush to kill everyone on sight.

If An Lushan really wanted to rush to Queshu Valley with only a few followers, he would actually be safe.

The army ambushing in Queshu Valley judged that they were the ones to deal with by observing that hundreds of people in Anlu Mountain's team were marching together.

The combination of various factors announced that An Lushan was on the road of no return. This was his fate!

Fang Chongyong figured out all the joints.

Of course, if Fang Chongyong learned that An Lushan had performed a divination in Fenglingyi and that An Lushan himself was going north to Taiyuan, then he would definitely feel that time is also destiny.

If a person is very unlucky, no one can really help him.

"Fang Jieshuai, An Lushan will definitely die.

Even if the ambush in Queshu Valley fails, Huangfu Weiming will prepare a hard meal in Youzhou for An Lushan in Hebei.

You don't even think about it, the saint is now past his sixties and won't last many years.

No one can be more trustworthy than the long spear in your hand. Only by having soldiers and horses in your hand can you ensure the safety of your family.

Why was Huangfu Weiming willing to be manipulated by the saint? "

He Changqi said in a low voice, which could be said to wake up the dreamer.

So that’s it!

Fang Chongyong suddenly stood up again!

The only knife that Brother Ji can control now is Fang Youde and his Shence Army!

Fang Youde didn't want An Lushan to be the governor, so the sword became blunt!

It was because of Fang Youde's promise and "prompts" that Huangfu Weiming dared to kill An Lushan!

Because he knew that as long as he joined forces with Fang Youde, Ji Ge would not be able to do anything to him in the end.

All the stakes are clear.

An Lushan is just a dog. If he dies, he will die. Brother Ji will try to find another one.

The exchange of interests between Fang Youde and Huangfu Weiming was Hong Guoguo's. If you don't consider that Lao Fang was "eager to pay back his wish" by killing An Lushan, he suffered a loss in this round of transactions. In addition to having a "little secret" to advance and retreat together with Huangfu Weiming, "Except, almost nothing was harvested!

"My grandpa will definitely resign. If he doesn't resign, I won't be surprised if he is hidden away by a saint in the future."

Fang Chongyong said with a sigh.

Fang Youde's resignation was a sign of submission to Brother Ji and showed that he had no intention of gaining power. Even if Brother Ji doubted him and didn't get the irrefutable evidence, he would naturally have no choice but to let the matter go unnoticed and not expose it.

Fang Chongyong was speechless and choked for a while. Fang had such a strong obsession with killing An Lushan that no one could stop him!

This father is really good at digging holes, so what if he kills An Lushan? Hebei will still be in chaos when it should be in chaos in the future!

Fang Chongyong felt that Lao Fang's vision was too narrow.

"Fang Jieshuai, how did you know?

Fang Laojieshuai said the same thing! He said he would touch fish in the future... yes, he would touch fish in the future. "

He Changqi said with a surprised look. I am very impressed by Fang Chongyong’s “magical calculation”!

"Follow me wholeheartedly from now on. What happened before will never happen again."

Fang Chongyong looked at He Changqi with deep eyes and said. The latter was so frightened that he knelt down on the ground and did not dare to move. He only felt that the young Hexi Jiedushi in front of him was scary from the bottom of his heart, as if he could see through what you were thinking at a glance. .

"Get up, this section commander needs minions, not slaves.

Listen carefully, in the future, even if the commander of this section raises troops to clear his side, you will still have to clear the way in front of me, do you understand? "

Fang Chongyong helped He Changqi up and patted the dust on his body.

"The last general dares to die if he refuses to obey!"

He Changqi said with excitement.

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly and couldn't help but say thank you to Fang Youde.

He Changqi killed An Lushan with his own hands and slapped Brother Ji in the face. He could only follow his own path until the end.

This is a sharp knife that Fang Youde gave to himself before he "retired"!

(End of this chapter)