Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 305: So humble that it makes people feel distressed

In front of the administrative building of Xingqing Palace, Fang Youde took off his coir raincoat and gave it to a eunuch for safekeeping. Then he walked into the hall on the first floor, where he stood motionless like a sculpture.

Soon, Gao Lishi hurried downstairs. As soon as he saw Fang Youde, he grabbed Fang Youde's elbow, leaned over and whispered: "The saint will ask about An Lushan later, please answer carefully."

"I will suggest the saint to hand over the military power of the Shence Army to you later. Don't refuse."

Fang Youde nodded to Gao Lishi and said.

"How does this work?"

Gao Lishi was shocked and stopped and refused to go up.

"If you don't take it, the artifact will change hands! How can you not want it!"

Fang Youde said in a deep voice, with an irresistible chill in his tone!

"Hey, let's go up and meet the saint first!"

Gao Lishi sighed and went upstairs.

The two came to the imperial study room. Gao Lishi stopped outside the door and did not go in. He looked at Fang Youde and shook his head gently.

When Fang Youde walked into the imperial study, he saw Brother Ji, who was wearing an ocher yellow dragon robe, with his back turned to him. Naturally, the expression on his face could not be seen. But from Brother Ji's expression when he met him before, we can guess that the other person must be in a bad mood at the moment.

Gao Lishi screened away the eunuchs and maids in the study, carefully closed the door, and waited outside the door.

"Quan Zhong, do you know your guilt?"

Brother Ji turned around and asked with a calm face, looking at Fang Youde who was bowing and saluting, as if he wanted to read the other person's intentions from his calm face.

"Back to the saint, I have committed a crime and have come to ask for my resignation as the general of the Shence Army."

Fang Youde held up the official hat on his head with both hands, and then placed it on the ground.

This time it's Brother Ji's turn to not be calm! He originally just wanted to cheat to be virtuous, but he didn't expect the other party to be serious!

"Quan Zhong, when I was still the king of the county, you were by my side. Even if you killed An Lushan, I would not blame you.

That's just a bastard. How can he ruin the decades-old friendship between you and me, our king and our ministers? "

Brother Ji stepped forward and held Fang Youde's hand tightly, saying with an excited expression.

It would be one thing if Fang Youde was found to have killed An Lushan but he did not report the crime himself.

But if the other party took the initiative to confess before being found out, that would be another matter.

Many times, when it comes to the same matter, the king only cares about the attitude of his ministers, not the matter itself.

"The saint forgives me. Weichen investigated An Lushan privately, and the evidence of his rebellion was conclusive. But before Weichen had time to kill the thief, he was already killed.

Wei Chen investigated in private for five years and did not inform the sage because he was trying to deceive the emperor and it was his fault.

The evidence of An Lushan's rebellion is here. The low minister is not a false accusation. This person died unjustly. Please see it clearly.

A saint does not need to feel sorry for the death of a rebellious minister. Even if he is not dead, the minister will sooner or later kill the thief. "

Fang Youde took out something wrapped in oil paper from his arms, which looked like a stack of paper. He handed it to Brother Ji and then returned to his original position, maintaining the posture of bowing and saluting.

An Lushan was beheaded by He Changqi. It is true that Fang Youde was too late to behead An Lushan at the scene, and An Lushan did do some evil things. So at this moment, Fang Youde's eyes were sincere and sincere, and he didn't feel that he had lied.

It's just that the whole truth is not told.

"This is happening! An Lushan actually wants to rebel!"

Brother Ji sat back on the dragon chair, and then he shook his head helplessly as his mind fluctuated, and he put the oil paper bag aside, not even wanting to look at it.

"I don't allow you to resign, you should continue to be the general of the Shence Army!"

Brother Ji patted the table and said forcefully.

"Saint, Weichen has been with the saint since he was young. Decades have passed, the saint has become famous, but Weichen is also tired.

Nowadays, the Shence Army has become a hot potato that all the powerful people in Chang'an City are vying to win over. The ministers are not good at dealing with these things, and they are worried that they will lose their security if they are not careful in the future.

Therefore, Weichen wanted to give up the position of General of the Shence Army, hoping that Gao Lishi could hold the post concurrently.

There are only three thousand people in each city of the Shence Army. Even if one or two of the chief generals of the city are occasionally bribed, it would not be a big deal if you think about it.

The minister has made up his mind to leave. He just wants to be idle at home without an official position, so he asks a saint to help him. "

Fang Youde knelt on the ground and begged.

"Oh, what do you want me to do?"

Ji Ge lamented sadly. After hearing that there was "conclusive evidence" of An Lushan's rebellion, he completely forgot about this person!

He's just a bastard, and a dead man. What do you want from him?

"Sage, although there are many talented people in our Tang Dynasty, only Gao Lishi does not think about retreat and is loyal.

Even if he is a minor minister, he has to take care of his family and is not as rich as him. Now that the backbone of the Shence Army has been formed, the rest are not worth mentioning. If Wei Chen continues to serve as the general, it will only make things difficult for the saint and Wei Chen himself.

Please think twice, the saint, and fulfill the name of loyalty to the humble minister. "

Fang Youde knelt on the ground and bowed to the ground.

Having said that, Brother Ji didn’t know how to persuade him next. It is indeed possible to force him to stay, but the general of the Shence Army is the most important position in Chang'an, not one of them.

If someone else goes up to fish, something big will happen!

"You go home first and wait for your appointment. Let me think about it before talking."

Brother Ji waved his hand helplessly.

"Thank you saint!"

After Fang Youde saluted, he turned and left without stopping for a moment. The official hat of the general of the Shence Army was still placed on the ground, which looked very eye-catching.

After a while, Gao Lishi walked in cautiously, saluted Brother Ji and asked, "Does the saint have any instructions?"

"Burn this and stop investigating An Lushan's matter."

Brother Ji pointed at the oil paper bag sent by Fang Youde and said, this thing is currently placed on the table, just like An Lushan's head.

"Sage, why don't you take a look before you speak..."

Gao Lishi asked hesitantly.

"Quan Zhong will not betray me, but it does not mean that he will not avenge his personal revenge.

By burning these evidences, I can ensure that he has no selfish motives. "

Brother Ji sighed and said that he could not rule out that Fang Youde sacrificed his official position and position to get rid of some people he could not understand.

Brother Ji is not worried about his rebellion, but he cannot tolerate being led around.

"By the way, Quanzhong resigned from the post of General of the Shence Army and recommended you as the new General of the Shence Army. What do you think of this?"

Brother Ji looked at Gao Lishi and asked in confusion.

"Sage, this is absolutely unacceptable! Haven't you heard the story of the Ten Constant Attendants of the previous dynasty?"

Gao Lishi didn't even think about it and knelt down directly to Brother Ji!

The eunuchs are already active around the emperor. If they get involved in the military power again, sooner or later there will be a "chickenless Zhao Gao"!

"I have seen all the collusion between the princes and An Lushan.

Fang Quanzhong's words are not unreasonable. "Brother Ji stepped forward and helped Gao Lishi up, sighing helplessly:

"Nowadays, many people are worried about my sudden death, so they are unwilling to use their lives and have ulterior motives to leave themselves a way out.

You can have a chat with Quan Zhong later and see how he wants to withdraw. I cannot let my loyal ministers idle at home at will, as this will cause turmoil in the government and cause speculation among those who do evil things.

I don't want to see these bad things. "

"What the sage said is absolutely true."

Gao Lishi saluted and said, without saying whether he would accept the post of general of the Shence Army.

Brother Ji's worries are not unreasonable. Fang Youde is a die-hard confidant. If he just retires and returns home to stay idle, what will outsiders think?

I'm afraid that the ministers who were somewhat loyal in the first place will become disloyal and even rebel immediately after seeing Fang Youde's fate!

Brother Ji has been immersed in power for decades and has long been proficient in it. How could he make such a stupid mistake?

As for Gao Lishi being the general of the Shence Army... besides Gao Lishi, does Brother Ji have any other options?

Fang Youde is worried about the story of three men becoming tigers. Can other generals withstand the constant slander?

Gao Lishi naturally wanted to understand this, and his humility just now was just a routine matter. If he didn't refuse, Brother Ji would have started to wonder why he was so active!

"Go back in an hour and get rid of this thing first."

Brother Ji pointed at the "evidence" sent by Fang Youde and said.

……

Although the request was to go to the Fang family residence an hour later, Gao Lishi waited until evening to make it appear that the saint was "not in a hurry".

As soon as they met, Gao Lishi was led into the study by Fang Youde for a detailed discussion.

After the two sat down in front of the table, Gao Lishi took a deep breath and asked:

"The saint asked me to ask you what kind of job you want. If you retire and return to your hometown in plain clothes, outsiders will think that the saint is cold and unkind, or that you have committed a heinous crime, which will make the saint furious.

They say it’s easier to go up a mountain than it is to go down, and sometimes it’s not that easy to retreat! You have to consider the difficulties faced by saints.

Having said that, I still don't understand, how can you say that this Shence Army general is not suitable? "

Gao Lishi looked confused and couldn't figure out what Fang Youde was thinking. However, judging from past experience, Fang Youde is very forward-looking and never messes around. I believe it will be the same this time.

"My son has been honored as the Western Region Economic and Strategic Ambassador, and the number of troops that can be mobilized has already exceeded one hundred thousand. If I am still in the position of the general of the Shence Army, how will outsiders see me, and how will the princes see me?

This is just because I am afraid of authority to protect myself. If I really want to continue to be the general of the Shence Army, I will not be far away from killing everyone. "

Fang Youde said calmly.

Gao Lishi nodded slightly. He also agreed with this view. Fang Youde's words were similar to his prediction.

The Fang family and his son had two disciplines, one in charge of the border army and the other in charge of the imperial army. Now the saint didn't think too much, it seemed pretty safe. But if the saint becomes suspicious in the future, it’s hard to say how he will deal with it.

At that time, it is inevitable that the fish will die and the dog will die!

Now that Fang Youde has retired, his son is still carrying him. This is actually human nature, and it also shows that the father and son really have no intention of rebellion.

“Having said that, let’s not talk about Shence Army.

Are you just going to retire and become an official? At least let’s do some overt praise and covert criticism, right? Otherwise, how can a saint convince the public? "

Gao Lishi smiled helplessly.

Brother Ji doesn't care who lives or dies now, but he doesn't want outsiders to say that he is not good at this or that!

“Bianzhou is a key node of the canal, but its defense is extremely weak, which is a big hidden danger.

If you really want to return a favor to me, then recommend me to serve as the military envoy to Bianzhou. He only needs a thousand soldiers and horses under his command. He does not interfere in government affairs on weekdays and does not serve as the governor of Bianzhou.

I have already thought about the name of this Jiedushi, let’s call him the Jiedushi of Xuanwu Army.

I don't know how to govern, and all I can do is kill people on the battlefield. If you have nothing to do, train soldiers for the saint. Once you are proficient, you can be sent to the Shence Army as a soldier, so you don't have to worry. "

A military envoy with a quota of one thousand soldiers? Or is it built at the canal node? The jurisdiction is just one state?

Gao Lishi remembered that there were tens of thousands of canal workers in Bianzhou. With this quota of one thousand soldiers, this was a recruiting place for a mere state. Even a saint would be embarrassed to issue an imperial edict.

Because it’s so embarrassing!

Fang Youde is shameless, but Brother Ji is still shameless!

“Quan Zhong, you have good intentions in wanting to step back, but your thinking is too simple.

What can a thousand people do? How could a saint issue such a ridiculous edict? A team of 1,000 people is just trying to catch someone!

But this matter is not difficult to handle. I will tell the saint that you can use these three thousand people to manage the canal work. The saint will not object. "

Gao Lishi smiled and said, obviously the price offered by Fang Youde was too humble.

This is like the HR of a company in Fang Chongyong's previous life asking a new employee about his salary expectations. His psychological price was 10,000, but the employee quoted 3,000, and then said that the salary would not be paid and would be lent to the company for working capital.

This kind of employee makes people feel sick! No matter which angle you look at it!

"That's okay, but it must not exceed three thousand people. An ordinary army of our Tang Dynasty Frontier Army has about more than four thousand people. If the number of soldiers exceeds one army, it will be counterproductive."

Fang Youde pleaded.

Gao Lishi thought about it and found that it was really possible for Brother Ji to give an ordinary frontier army a quota, which was about four thousand people.

"You want the saint to establish Xuanwu Town in Bianzhou, and only take care of one state, regardless of government affairs, and only retain the name of Jiedushi, right?"

Gao Lishi summarized Fang Youde's needs. In short, he was to kick him to Bianzhou to deal with the canal workers. The wealthy Bianzhou would support an army of no more than 3,000 people, and would not interfere with Bianzhou. daily government affairs.

To understand it in disguise, it means the establishment of a small-scale army with the power to manage water transportation nodes. The finance and logistics are in the hands of the court, and it is just called "Jiedushi".

What a humble request for a loyal dog! It’s so humble that it makes people feel distressed!

This is the result of my "salary increase".

If Brother Ji really wants to give Fang Youde only a thousand men, he might even be bullied by the local forces in Bianzhou!

At this moment, Gao Lishi felt a sense of sadness that the rabbit was dead and the fox was dead.

"Yes, there is no war in Bianzhou. Once the soldiers are trained, I will send them to Chang'an to join the Shence Army and recruit a group of new soldiers."

Fang Youde said seriously.

"Alas, alas! Quanzhong! Why are you doing this! A saint would not treat a loyal minister so harshly!"

Gao Lishi held Fang Youde's hand and almost burst into tears.

"Just tell the saint what I mean. If the saint leaves me without an official position, that would be the best. But no matter what, don't give me more soldiers!"

Fang Youde reminded Gao Lishi.

"I understand. Since the power and position are gone, I will definitely say some kind words for you in front of the saint and reward you with a house and acres of land."

Gao Lishi patted Fang Youde's arm hard and comforted him.

Then he stood up and left.

……

"The floating bridge is not a problem after all!"

Fang Chongyong stood on the city wall of Wulanguan, folded his arms, looked at the rushing Yellow River water below the city, and murmured to himself.

In fact, in the Tang Dynasty, the bridge-building technology on the Yellow River had undergone profound changes, such as "floating bridges became wooden bridges". The core of its technology is that it requires several high-density "anchor weights" to sink to the bottom of the river to stabilize the bridge pier foundation.

In the early years of Kaiyuan, the Yellow River Floating Bridge outside Puban had been transformed into a Yellow River Wooden Bridge. It has been in operation for decades, greatly promoting the connection between Guanzhong and Hedong.

The key to achieving this achievement is that at that time, the Tang Dynasty gathered the power of the whole country to cast four thousand-jin iron oxen, four thousand-jin iron men, as well as the supporting iron piers, the seven-star Big Dipper and so on.

Using these things as anchoring counterweights instead of the common wooden piles in the past can ensure that the bridge foundation is stable. The fragile bridge deck can be replaced at any time, even once a year!

How about choosing a better place near Wulanguan and building a solid wooden bridge here?

This is the job of a woodcutter.

Fang Chongyong fell into deep thought.

But where does the iron come from? You can't say it was transported from Guanzhong, right?

Wulan Bridge is the lifeline of officialdom and is related to the expedition to the Western Regions. If it is not handled well and some natural disaster occurs, the connection between Guanzhong and Hexi will be cut off, and something big will happen by then!

Suddenly, Fang Chongyong thought of a good place to get enough iron materials! And not only is this place not far away, the road is not even difficult to walk!

　Seeking votes at the end of the month

　　

　

(End of this chapter)