Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 341 Revolution is not a dinner party
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Let go! It hurts! Let go!"

"Spare my life, spare my life, what are you doing? Ahhhhhhh!"

There were endless screams begging for mercy from the city gate. Wang Rao grabbed Qiu Ba, who was wearing an Anxi Army uniform, grabbed his long hair and dragged him hard on the ground!
The man screamed in pain and rolled and crawled behind Wang Ranran, looking very embarrassed.

Dozens of Tang soldiers guarding Zhang Sancheng, with crossbows in their arms, formed a formation and aimed at Wang Rao's back. They did not dare to shoot with their rat weapons. The scene in front of them was really visually shocking. The normally aloof guard was being grabbed and begging for mercy like a dog, which frightened them greatly.

Of course, there was another important reason why they didn't dare to act rashly. That was that the people from the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army had already mounted their horses and were ready to charge into the battle. It was obvious that the person who came here had bad intentions.

As long as Fang Chongyong gives the order, an internal strife between the Tang armies is inevitable!
Wang Rao pulled the man in front of Fang Chongyong, kicked him to the ground, and trampled him on the ground. Half of this man's face was in the sand, and he was so painful that he burst into tears.

"Jie Shuai, this guy is Zheng Dequan! It was this son of a bitch who blocked a certain signal flag brother from going to Yanqi Town.

He spoke in a very arrogant tone! "

Wang Rao said with an evil look on his face.

For Qiu Ba in the Tang Dynasty, one should never underestimate their ability to get things done; of course, one should never overestimate their moral limits. When they can use knives, they will never use their fists. When they can use their fists, they will never use their words.

Fang Chongyong reached out and patted Zheng Dequan's exposed face and asked, his tone cold and questioning.

Everyone looked at each other, they had never seen this thing before, they were all following Zheng Dequan's orders. In fact, this is also normal. Many times, the grassroots Qiu Ba just does what their superiors say and they don't know anything about military orders.

Fang Chongyong said to He Changqi beside him, without letting Wang Rao let go. Zheng Dequan was tortured to this extent and refused to tell the inside story. He must be relying on someone to act according to orders, rather than acting recklessly.

Fang Chongyong looked around at the soldiers and asked calmly. The momentum is compelling, and he is not angry but is intimidating.

Fang Chongyong waved his hand gently, and Wang Rao took his feet off Zheng Dequan's back, stood next to him, and put his hand on the handle of the horizontal sword.

Zheng Dequan wanted to say more, but found that Wang Ranlan's foot had stepped on the back of his neck! Now his whole face was in the sand, and even breathing became difficult.

"Go and call those Qiu Ba who are armed with crossbows to the commander of this section."

"A certain person is Fang Chongyong, the Western Region Economic and Strategic Ambassador appointed by the imperial court, who is in charge of the government and military affairs of Anbeiting. Before, you did not allow other Tang army troops to pass through the border. Who gave the military order?"

Just when Zheng Dequan was about to stretch out his hand to lift his body up, Wang Ran stepped on his back and yelled: "Be honest! Who told you to get up! Answer our handsome question!"

Fang Chongyong ordered with an indifferent expression.

Pity.

I originally wanted to spare this man's life, but it seems that in order to frighten the Anxi Army and scare the monkeys, I had to take action on this man.

After a while, more soldiers guarding Zhang Sancheng came out, and the soldiers who were holding crossbows just now were also called over by He Changqi. They were all so nervous that they held the handles of their swords and did not dare to make mistakes.

A brave soldier pointed at Zheng Dequan who was lying on the ground with Wang Raolan stepping on his neck.

"Who are you? Why are you arresting me? I want to see Gao Duhu! When Gao Duhu comes..."

"Do you have the military orders from the Anxi Protectorate? If you have them, go to the city and get them."

If he cannot establish his authority here, then he will have no authority at all in the Anxi Protectorate.

Fang Chongyong sighed secretly in his heart, this is how human beings are, using thunderbolt methods to show the heart of a Bodhisattva. If you want to achieve great things in the Western Regions, you must not make too much noise, and you must not allow anyone in the Tang army to go against you.

"Returning to the ambassador, yes, it was him who gave the military order."

Zheng Dequan may not be guilty of a serious crime. Even if he is guilty, the crime will not lead to death. But who makes him unlucky?

"You, a little Zhang Sancheng guard general, who gave you the courage to stop the scouts of the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army from crossing the border?"

"Go, one person, and bring all the generals Zhang Sancheng has captured to the commander of this section."

Fang Chongyong ordered He Changqi.

After a while, things got really big. A young man in his twenties, dressed as a civil servant, led a group of Qiuba out. He was slightly startled when he saw Fang Chongyong. He had obviously met Fang Chongyong, and then he crossed his arms and saluted and asked, "But Fang Jieshuai in person?"

"It's me. Who are you? It doesn't look like you are from the military."

Fang Chongyong asked with a puzzled look.

This guy has thin skin and tender flesh, but he doesn’t look like Qiu Ba from Anxi! No one believed him if he said he was the deputy guard trying to catch the messenger!
"I am Li Qijun, the judge of the Anxi Protectorate, who is on official business in Yanqi Town. I happen to be in Zhangsan City to guard and inspect the official documents, and have not returned to Yanqi City yet. I wonder why Fang Jieshuai is so aggressive... why?"

Li Qijun also couldn't understand what Fang Chongyong wanted to do. He was not a native of Anxi, but an official assigned here from Chang'an. He was the ancestor of the Li family in Zhao County. He had one of the six houses and a distinguished family background.

Li Qijun was appointed by the imperial court, partly to help Gao Xianzhi, and partly to monitor Gao Xianzhi.

Jiedu Magistrate is an official position within the Jiedushi shogunate, and was a special temporary post in the Tang Dynasty. Generally, the officials themselves would submit the memorials to others and assist Jiedushi in handling clerical affairs.

Because in this era, there was no rebellion by Jiedushi, so all Jiedushi judges were directly appointed by the court.

In the middle and late Tang Dynasty, this was not necessarily the case. At that time, depending on the nature of the vassal towns, some were appointed by the imperial court, while others were directly hired locally by Jiedushi envoys.

"Zhang Sancheng is guarding and intercepting the troops directly under my command crossing the border. This ambassador is checking who issued this military order. Judge Li is the assistant of the Anxi Protectorate. Do you know this?"

Fang Chongyong asked in a bad tone.

Li Qijun thought for a moment, shook his head slightly and said, "Unheard of."

He probably guessed what was going on, but he just didn't want to wade into troubled waters, and he didn't want to cover up for Gao Xianzhi.

"You heard me, what else do you have to say?"

Fang Chongyong looked at Zheng Dequan who was lying on the ground in a panic and asked.

"Someone...someone wants to see Protector Gao!"

Zheng Dequan replied very forcefully that it was useless to say anything now. He would be relieved when Gao Xianzhi came.

"General Duan Shi, please tell me, in the Tang Army's military law, what is the crime of falsely passing military orders?"

Fang Chongyong asked Duan Xiushi, who was wearing a mask next to him.

"Commander Huijie, anyone who falsely delivers military orders without any reason will be killed without mercy."

Duan Xiuyong replied in a cold tone. What does "without reason" mean?

Because sometimes the strategies used in fighting often deceive even one's own people, or confuse enemy spies hidden in the army. In this case, falsely passing military orders is just a war strategy, and there is no need to be held accountable after the war.

The most typical example of "falsely passing military orders without reason" is that a certain unit wanted to hold its position, but the chief officer was afraid of death and said that the superiors ordered the unit to retreat, which ultimately led to the failure of the battle.

In this case, the chief officer who falsely conveyed military orders would undoubtedly be fired. Any other similar false transmission of military orders is a capital offense.

"Execution!"

Fang Chongyong uttered two words, no mercy.

After hearing the order, Wang Rao grabbed Zheng Dequan's hair with one hand and drew the knife with the other hand.

puff!
The knife fell from his hand, and the bodies were separated. The blood spurting out from Zheng Dequan's neck splashed Wang Jinlan's face.

Pointing to the head in Wang Rao's hand, Fang Chongyong looked around and shouted:
"Zheng Dequan, who falsely conveyed military orders, has been executed on the spot! The Silver Spear Xiaojie Army has taken over Zhang Sancheng's defense. Other generals in the city, and perhaps Zheng Dequan's accomplices, this ambassador will examine you one by one! You are welcome to report illegal activities!
He Laohu, take a team of troops to Yanqi Town and ask Modao Army envoy Li Siye to meet me here! "

After saying that, Fang Chongyong went straight towards the city gate. Zhang Sancheng's guards and soldiers who blocked the road retreated and stood aside, as silent as a cicada. Seeing this, Li Qijun hurriedly stepped forward and said to those people: "You all should go back to the camp and rest. You are not allowed to wander around. I went to find Li Siye to take charge of the overall situation."

Li Siye was brave and good at fighting, and gained great military morale. This man was very famous in the Anxi army, and he was in charge of the entire Yanqi town. Zhang Sancheng's guarding was nominally following his orders.

Why do you say "nominal"?

Because Zheng Dequan was Gao Xianzhi's parachuted chief, not Li Siye's confidant, and he did not obey Li Siye's orders on weekdays, so Li Siye's management authority over the Shouchu was only nominal.

This situation is similar to the reason why Xin Yunjing, who was born in Dashantou, did not take Cui Xiyi, the governor of Hexi Province, in his eyes. The exercise of power requires specific channels, and this channel is often artificially blocked and cannot achieve the preset results.

Hearing that Li Qijun said that Li Siye would be in charge of the overall situation, Zhang Sancheng's sergeants all breathed a sigh of relief and followed the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army into the city honestly.

……

At the school ground in Yanqi City, although the sky had just turned white, a middle-aged man with strong muscles was already training in the school ground, wielding a Mo Dao that was about one foot long and weighed fifteen kilograms.

Behind him, there were hundreds of soldiers, all with their chests and arms exposed, practicing wielding the Mo Dao together. The entire campus is full of masculine vitality, just like the rising sun.

This person is Li Siye, the envoy of Modao Army. He is diligent in training troops and martial arts. The Modao Army under his command is the best in the Anxi Army. They are often dispatched to other places to put out fires and have extremely rich combat experience.

The Modao Army is undoubtedly the strongest army of the Tang Army in the Western Regions. It also participates in battles with the highest frequency.

Just as Li Siye's military training was in full swing, several fast horses came towards the entrance of the school ground. After the guards on duty let them go, the group came to Li Siye.

The middle-aged man in the uniform of the Anxi Army who was walking at the front got off his horse, hurriedly walked to Li Siye, and said in a low voice: "General Li, something big has happened."

"If you don't lead a patrol along the Fish Sea, why are you here?"

Li Siye looked at the person in front of him with a strange expression and asked.

This man's name was Bai Xiaode, and he was from the old Kucha royal family. In addition to the conventional horizontal swords and crossbows, the weapons he used were a pair of short spears. This pair of short spears was considered a special equipment of the Kucha army in the past. It can be thrown and used in horse-mounted combat. It is very flexible in use and often makes the opponent unable to guard against it.

Bai Xiaode originally led his cavalry patrol along Yuhai early in the morning, but found Li Qijun, the governor of the Anxi Protectorate, leading a group of Tang troops wearing different styles of military uniforms towards Yanqi City with murderous intent.

Confused, he led his subordinates to inquire, only to realize that something was wrong!
Zheng Dequan, Gao Xianzhi's confidant who stayed in Yanqi Town, was actually executed! Executed publicly in front of many people!
It is true that Zheng Dequan usually has his nostrils turned upward and walks sideways like a crab because he is Gao Xianzhi's confidant. He is really annoying and there are many people who don't like him.

But no matter what, he was killed like this. No matter how generous Gao Xianzhi was, the matter would not be settled easily.

This is no longer a matter of personal emotions, but a matter of power ownership!

What's more, Zheng Dequan died within the confines of Yanqi Town, and Li Siye did not protect his safety. This is an objective fact. Therefore, Li Siye had to give Gao Xianzhi an explanation.

Bai Xiaode and Li Siye have known each other for many years, and they are both in the Mo Dao Army. Of course, he can't ignore this matter!

The person who killed Zheng Dequan had a big background, even bigger than Gao Xianzhi! He is Fang Chongyong, the ambassador of the Western Regions Economic Strategy.

This position is not worth delving into, as long as it is confirmed that he commands the military power of the Second Town of Beiting, Anxi.

I had only heard that Fang Chongyong was in Yizhou under the jurisdiction of the Beiting Protectorate, which was quite far from Yanqi Town, so Li Siye, Bai Xiaode and the others didn't take him seriously. Now Fang Chongyong and Jian Cong led hundreds of people out to Yanqi Town in a light vehicle, making it clear that they wanted to compete with Gao Xianzhi.

Caught between the two, where Li Siye and others will go, as the parties involved, we really cannot take it lightly.

"General Li, Ambassador Fang is guarding Zhang Sancheng. Please make sure to go there."

Li Qiyun crossed his hands and saluted Li Siye, winking at him desperately. He Changqi and others on the side just looked at Li Qiyun negotiating with Li Siye with cold faces and said nothing.

After all, they are both bureaucrats and generals under the Anxi Protectorate, so it is easier to talk to each other. Although He Changqi acted recklessly, he was not a fool, and he understood this.

On one side was Gao Xianzhi, the deputy governor of Anxi, and on the other was Fang Chongyong, the ambassador for the Western Region Economic Strategy.

Li Siye pondered for a moment and immediately made a decision in his heart.

If Gao Xianzhi wants to come, he has to start from Qiuci and head east to Yanqi Town, which will take a lot of time.

And Fang Chongyong has already captured Zhang Sancheng. It only takes half a day to get here, and a quick horse can even arrive in an hour!
Where to go? Is there any need to choose?

"You come and organize the troops and horses, and we will set off soon."

Li Siye patted Bai Xiaode's shoulder and said.

"That's your order! General Li, don't worry, there's nothing wrong with Yanqi Town."

Bai Xiaode patted his chest and assured Li Siye.

Li Siye nodded slightly to him, and then said to Li Qijun: "Judge Li, please lead the way. I will go with you to Zhangsan City to guard the capture."

Seeing that Li Siye did not make any mistakes, Li Qijun breathed a sigh of relief. He came over and lowered his voice and said, "Ambassador Fang said that General Li saved his life in Shazhou and rescued Shazhou once. He should be fine here."

Hearing this, Li Siye seemed to remember what happened back then. At that time, in order to deal with Tubo, Mo Daojun was ordered to be transferred eastward to the Hexi Jiedushi to serve under him. As for whether there was a rescue of Shazhou, he didn't remember it for so long, because there were too many similar things.

Fang Chongyong...this name sounds so familiar.

Li Siye felt strange in his heart, and without saying anything else, he put on his military uniform and followed Li Qijun and others out of the school grounds.

(End of this chapter)