Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 303 For blowing Sting

There has been a lot of rain this year. It rained continuously in Chang'an for half a month, sometimes heavy and sometimes light, but it never stopped. In Chang'an City, both high-ranking officials and powerful people, as well as ordinary people, all felt unlucky and lacked energy to do anything.

Brother Ji's mood was the same as the weather in Chang'an, gloomy and suffocating.

Before the implementation of Jiaozi began, it was opposed by many courtiers. Brother Ji understands that many powerful people are keen on casting private money. As long as the casting technology is acceptable, the Tang government will use it as publicly issued "public money" and will not go out of its way to crack down.

Once Jiaozi comes out, casting private money is tantamount to suicide, and it will not achieve the previous effect of "casting money to generate money". No matter how low the cost of private money is, it cannot be lower than the cost of printing Jiaozi. This is a simple and easy-to-understand truth that any rich man can tell you.

In other words, Jiaozi seriously damaged the vital interests of these people.

Of course, this kind of thing is only a temporary difficulty. Neither Ji Ge nor Right Prime Minister Li Linfu has time to slowly flatten these hills and forcefully promote Jiaozi. Now that the strategy has been decided, it is not a matter of time to implement it.

The dignitaries in Chang'an City will soon understand the beauty of Jiaozi. If they can't beat him, they will join. After fully understanding the rules of the new game, these people will also come up with new ways to play! From resisting Jiaozi, to enjoying Jiaozi, to being unable to live without Jiaozi.

Brother Ji is not worried at all that these people will cause trouble and boycott.

The real trouble is another thing!

Fanyang Jiedushi Huangfu Weiming sent someone to Chang'an to deliver a memorial, clearly stating that the important town of Fanyang should not be ignored. His successor An Lushan had not arrived in Youzhou to hand over military affairs overdue, and he did not know what to do.

Please ask the saint to explain clearly how he should handle this matter. Should he wait for An Lushan to come to Youzhou, or should he go to Shuofang and take up his post first and hand over military affairs to Jieduliu?

During the handover of defense, the former Jiedushi and the current Jiedushi will return the seal in person and handle the aftermath of their appointment. This must be done if conditions permit. Only when there is no other way, Jiedu will be left behind temporarily. Therefore, the issue Huangfu Weiming mentioned was urgent and justified.

This is a serious and responsible attitude.

Of course, if Brother Ji issued an edict directly saying that Huangfu Weiming could go to Shuofang to take up a post first, and let Fan Yangjiedu stay and take charge in Youzhou first, then there would be no problem.

But Brother Ji is now confused about one thing: Why has An Lushan not arrived in Youzhou to take up his post after leaving Chang'an for nearly a month?

You know, An Lushan is no longer the military governor of Pinglu. He is only "concurrently in charge" of Pinglu Town. Therefore, when he took office this time, he could not go to Pinglu Town, nor did he need to go to Yingzhou for any "handover". Instead, he had to go to Youzhou first as announced in the edict to succeed the former Fan Yang Jiedushi Huangfu Weiming.

Then he will issue military orders from Youzhou, arrange matters for Pinglu Town, dispatch his cronies to Youzhou, and adjust the military deployment. These are all matters after taking over Fanyang Town.

This is the "procedural justice" deliberately left in the official rotation process of the Tang Dynasty. If you don't follow this, you have bad intentions!

Because according to the current political framework of the Tang Dynasty, all generals belong to the state, not to any individual. Only the staff recruited by the Jiedushi are the official positions of the Jiedushi himself, and the court does not recognize their role in the Jiedushi. A formal position within the shogunate, unless appointed separately by the imperial court.

Therefore, whichever general is transferred to where, that person must go there. There is no official procedure that deliberately gives you the opportunity to transfer to other border towns with your old troops.

Although this kind of thing is often unavoidable, Wang Zhongsi likes to often bring his old subordinates with him to his posts.

It was raining heavily outside the window that day. In an ordinary wing of the Huaxianhui Building, Ji Ge was holding a polo club in his hand and was demonstrating the strength of the ball.

From the corner of his vision, he saw Gao Lishi walking in in a hurry, so he asked calmly without looking back: "Why is Lishi so panicked?"

"Back to the saint, Anlushan... didn't go to Pinglu Town!

The last place his team appeared was in Huoyi County in the north of Jinzhou, Hedong Road. To the north is the southern exit of Queshu Valley.

The northern exit of Queshu Valley is in Jiexiu County. Nu sent people to inquire. No one there has seen An Lushan's team. They are more than 500 elite soldiers! There’s no way no one has seen it! "

Gao Lishi said worriedly.

"General Gao is saying... An Lushan might have been killed in Queshu Valley?"

Brother Ji frowned slightly and placed the polo club on a special table with a gloomy expression.

Not long after he ordered An Lushan to take charge of the two northeastern towns, the Hu Jiedu envoy died inexplicably! Who is this slapping in the face?

"Ask the right minister to send someone to investigate. If you want to see the person alive, you want to see the body if you die."

Brother Ji said in a deep voice.

"Sage, investigating the case is one thing, but the military affairs of the north cannot be ignored.

Fanyang is a big town, and the position of Jiedushi cannot remain undecided. What's more, the position of Pinglu Jiedushi is now vacant. "

Gao Lishi persuaded in a low voice.

What he said was on point. Who killed An Lushan can be done slowly. If the Northeast is in chaos, the fun will be huge!

"Isn't Huangfu Weiming still in Youzhou? Just leave him alone. As for Pinglu Town... let Huangfu Weiming take care of it first.

Let’s talk about it later when I have my hands free. "

Brother Ji sighed helplessly. He knew that this appointment might be what some people were looking forward to, but in desperation, there was no better way.

At least this appointment can stabilize the current situation.

"By the way, why didn't An Lushan return to Hebei via the original route from Hanoi Road, instead of taking a detour to Taiyuan and taking the Queshu Valley?"

Brother Ji suddenly remembered this incident and stared at Gao Lishi with a puzzled look on his face and asked. He also recovered from the shock and found that An Lushan's route back to Hebei was quite strange.

"I heard that when An Lushan came, he wanted to bring 500 soldiers into Guanzhong to Chang'an. As a result, the 500 soldiers from Hebei were detained by Fang Quanzhong, who was guarding the three cities of Heyang. He said that the military commander had no orders. Not allowed to enter Guanzhong.

So An Lushan had to be escorted by the Shence Army to Chang'an.

This detour is probably because An Lushan does not want to be restrained anymore. Of course, Fang Quanzhong was also responsible at the beginning. "

Gao Lishi told a "secret" that was not a secret. Brother Ji had heard it before, but he didn't take it seriously. Jiedu envoys cannot bring more than ten soldiers with them when they go to Beijing to report on their duties. Under the unspoken rules, the number of followers cannot exceed 60.

Five hundred elite soldiers sneaked into Chang'an, which was enough to do a lot of things. Fang Youde's approach was indeed in line with the rules, although it was a bit unkind.

"Let the right prime minister check on Fang Quanzhong... No, you send someone to ask Fang Quanzhong back to Chang'an. I want to ask him about his situation face to face. This matter should be carried out quietly, and no news should be leaked."

Brother Ji lowered his voice and ordered.

"I'll do it right now."

Gao Lishi nodded slightly, turned around and left. The rain outside the window seemed to be falling harder, which made Ji Ge feel upset.

An Lushan, why was he killed? Still, he was killed under the guard of five hundred soldiers. How many soldiers and horses do you need to mobilize to make it watertight?

Brother Ji felt a dull pain in his head.

Those who killed An Lushan can kill An Lushan today, the prince and the prince tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow...then they may kill the king!

This wind will not last long!

But, who will kill An Lushan?

Brother Ji secretly speculated in his mind, and he suddenly discovered that many people seemed to have the motive to kill An Lushan. Many high-ranking officials, including the Fang family and his son, did not like to see An Lushan.

The control of the top military power by the barbarians in the border town is an extremely sensitive matter in itself. This is even more true when it comes to being a second town.

Perhaps it was precisely because An Lushan wanted to control more than 100,000 troops in the two northeastern towns at once that some powerful people could not bear it, so they killed him!

For Brother Ji, killing An Lushan is a small thing, but understanding these people's plans is a big thing! He must get a clear answer!

"Some people just don't like me!"

Brother Ji sighed and said to himself, feeling agitated in his heart.

……

The heavy rain had stopped long ago, but Fang Chongyong did not cross the Yellow River. Instead, he asked He Changqi to take a few soldiers to Wuwei City in Liangzhou, and summoned an "engineering team" composed of hundreds of people from Wuwei City. These people were not The senior soldiers were craftsmen in Wuwei City. They also escorted a large amount of stones and came to Wulanguan to build the bridge.

At one end of the base of the Wulanguan Floating Bridge, Fang Chongyong stared at the turbulent Yellow River water, folded his arms and said nothing.

In ancient times, productivity conditions were limited, and the power of nature was indeed too powerful.

Man cannot defeat God!

"Fang Jieshuai, this Wulan Bridge is itself a pontoon bridge. Every May, we have to re-pave the pontoon bridge and change the height of the iron cables on both sides.

When the Yellow River begins to freeze in winter, we will remove the wooden planks on the pontoon bridge and remove the canoe underneath, leaving only the iron cables and lowering the height of the iron cables to allow the ice surface to serve as the bridge deck. After the winter floods next year, the canoes and wood will be restored. "

An old craftsman with a gray beard was describing the operation process of Wulan Bridge to Fang Chongyong while pointing to the "construction drawing" in Fang Chongyong's hand. That's right, Wulan Bridge is not a "fixed bridge", but has a set of daily maintenance procedures. It does not mean that after it is built, it will be rebuilt after it collapses.

In fact, all pontoon bridges need maintenance. First, whether the river water freezes or not has a great impact on the life of the pontoon bridge; secondly, the height of the river surface will affect the height of the iron cables on the pontoon bridge. If the height of the river surface varies too much throughout the year, It is necessary to adjust the height of the iron cable bases on both sides of the bank in the corresponding season.

In short, floating bridges are demolished and built, built and demolished again, in a repetitive cycle. During this period, materials are used repeatedly, and parts are replaced when parts are broken. There is no one-and-done solution.

For the defenders of Ulanbao, their most important task, in addition to inspecting people and goods at Ulan Pass, is to maintain the Ulan Bridge!

The reason why the surging river water destroyed the pontoon bridge this year is because the flood season came earlier than in previous years, the water rose more fiercely, and the wind and rain came more violently. Although this situation is uncommon, it is not the first time it has occurred!

"Shuai Fang, military affairs are important, why don't we go back to Wuwei City first."

He Changqi whispered suggestions in Fang Chongyong's ear.

As the governor of Hexi Province, the smoothness of Wulan Bridge is indeed a political matter under his rule. But as the top commander in charge of military affairs in Hexi, it doesn't seem appropriate to always squat here and watch the engineering team repair the bridge, right?

At least that's what He Changqi thought.

"If the Wulan Bridge is not repaired, the road from Guanzhong to Liangzhou will become impassable. The Hexi frontier army still needs to rely on the continuous input of silk and silk from the imperial court.

In Benjieshuai's view, this bridge is a lifeline. Before the bridge is repaired, Benjieshuai will not take up his post in Wuwei City. "

Fang Chongyong said with a solemn expression.

He Changqi looked helpless and had no choice but to cross his hands and bow, speechless.

This is the truth, but he always feels that Fang Chongyong must have some agenda if he doesn't return to Liangzhou for the time being! It's just that it's not convenient for him to ask about such confidential and important matters.

At this moment, Guan Chongsi led a few soldiers and escorted a beggar-looking man to Fang Chongyong, saluted him and said:

"Fang Jieshuai, at the end of the day, I saw a beggar sneaking around nearby, as if he wanted to cross the river to Wuwei.

After the general caught him, he claimed to be An Lushan's staff and wanted to see the commander-in-chief, so the general brought him here. "

An Lushan? Isn't this guy already cold? Now even the dead have aides?

Fang Chongyong looked strange and asked people to search the beggar's body. After finding that there was nothing in the tattered clothes, he turned away everyone, looked at the beggar and asked: "You said you are from Anlu Mountain, then you are not in Hebei , What are you doing in Hexi?"

"Fang Jieshuai, don't you recognize me? I'm Zhang Tongru. We met in Chang'an a month ago. I asked my subordinate to wash my face. You must recognize me."

The man panicked and ran towards the river bank. Fang Chongyong gently waved his hand, indicating that he didn't have to worry.

"Okay, you are indeed Zhang Tongru, the commander recognized you in this section.

Why, did An Lushan ask you to give some advice for this section?

So how did you end up in such a miserable state? "

Fang Chongyong asked knowingly.

"Dead, dead, An Lushan was killed. There are corpses all over the ground in Queshu Valley. Those people will definitely kill me. Can Fang Jieshuai protect this official..."

Zhang Tongru spoke incoherently and knelt on the ground, kowtowing as if pounding garlic. He was obviously very frightened.

Fang Chongyong understood in his heart, but his face remained calm as he waved to He Changqi in the distance. After the other party approached, he pointed to Zhang Tongru who was kneeling on the ground and said: "Let him wash up and take him to the custody room in Ulanbao later. The commander wants to question him this time."

"Here!"

He Changqi bowed to Fang Zhongyong, then kicked Zhang Tongru with an arrogant look, and asked in an unhappy tone: "Are you going by yourself, or is Sajia carrying you?"

"I'll go by myself, go by myself..."

Zhang Tongru got up quickly, not even daring to look at He Changqi, and followed him obediently.

After the two left, Fang Chongyong walked over and said to a green-robed official, Liangzhou Si Cao, who was in charge of the construction: "Build the new Ulan Bridge firmly, so as not to delay the important event of the expedition."

"Please rest assured, Commander-in-Chief, these are all matters of humble duty."

The Liangzhou Secretary saluted respectfully and said.

Wulan Bridge is the lifeline of Liangzhou. If it is broken for a long time, big trouble will happen. No one dares to make fun of it, let alone Fang Chongyong's special instructions.

"Well, do your job well. Countless high-ranking officials and generous salaries are waiting for you in the future."

Fang Chongyong had a big cake on his face, patted the Liangzhou Sicao's shoulder and walked away.

After a while, he came to the detention room in Ulanbao and ordered someone to make a pot of loose tea. After pouring a cup of hot tea for Zhang Tongru, who had washed himself a little, he rubbed his hands and looked calm, looking calm. Looking at the An Lushan staff in front of him who was already penniless.

Well, to be precise, it should be the former staff member. After all, the dead man no longer needs others to give him advice.

"An Lushan was assassinated, and the three hundred elite soldiers accompanying him were wiped out in Queshu Valley.

On my way to Hexi, I made a special trip to see it. "

Zhang Tongru said in shock, even though some time had passed, there was still a little fear in his words.

"Where are the two hundred elite soldiers who accompanied you in acting as a cover-up?"

Fang Chongyong asked a strange question, but it was enough to prove that he was as thoughtful as silk.

Zhang Tongru was stunned, then sighed and said: "They all ran away, heading towards Yingzhou. I don't know if they have returned to Guijian. Anyway, I saw something was wrong, so I ran directly to Jingxing in the south without following them. Go to Yingzhou."

As a soldier of An Lushan, what would happen even if he returned to Jian? Once the news of An Lushan's murder spreads, there is a high possibility that these people will be killed by the new Jiedushi, because the new Jiedushi will most likely be inseparable from the murder of An Lushan.

This is the principle of "the biggest beneficiary is the biggest suspect", and it is not difficult to guess at all.

Zhang Tongru believes that whether he goes to Yingzhou or Youzhou, he will fall into a trap. Huangfu Weiming took advantage of it before it was too late or inconvenient to take action, so he decisively headed west to moisten it!

As An Lushan's staff, he would definitely know many secrets, so whether it was the person behind An Lushan's murder or the people on the emperor's side, they would be very interested in arresting Zhang Tongru for interrogation.

Of course, it would be even better if you could frame him and take the blame.

An Lushan died, and his staff should have been the plotters' secret agents. They acted as insiders and leaked An Lushan's whereabouts. This conjecture is logical no matter how you look at it.

As long as Zhang Tongru is caught, even if he has nothing to do with An Lushan's murder, it will be difficult to escape suspicion, and the possibility of being used as a scapegoat is extremely high!

Zhang Tongru has been smart since he was a child. Of course he understands that he is in danger now. If he stays in Chang'an, he will die! Only by finding a new supporter can we survive!

The world is so big, where else can we go?

Not to mention Hebei and Hedong, Guanzhong is also a dead end. If the south is not acclimatized and there are no relatives or friends to seek refuge in, then obviously only the west can do that.

Because even if you can't find a backer, sneaking into the ranks of Hu merchants and going to the Western Regions is still a way! Unexpectedly, before he rode to Liangzhou to find the station of the Hexi Jiedu Envoy, he was blocked by a broken bridge on the way and was captured by Fang Chongyong's men!

This can be regarded as achieving the goal by accident.

"Shuai and An Lushan have fought in the ring before, so it's not an exaggeration to say that we are enemies.

As An Lushan's confidant, you asked me to let you go... Why? "

Fang Chongyong asked with a smile.

"It's a humble job. I know some very interesting things. I'm sure Fang Jieshuai will like it."

Zhang Tongru lowered his voice and said.

"Then you tell me first, Shuai is here to listen."

Fang Chongyong took out a delicate file from his cuff and began to trim his nails unhurriedly, lowering his head in a pretentious manner.

　The new curtain is gradually opening, please vote at the end of the month

　　

　

(End of this chapter)