Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 344 King versus King

The yellow sand is endless and endless. If it were not for the guidance of a guide, it would not be easy for Fang Chongyong and his party to reach Qiuci Town, which is not far away in a straight line.

Along the way, we passed many city ruins that were in ruins and surrounded by wind and sand. These cities are not large in area. The largest one is said to be the site of Luntai in the Western Han Dynasty. The foundation of the city wall is only a hundred meters long and wide.

Not only is there no grass growing around it, it has been reduced to sandy and saline-alkali land, and even the once abundant water source has disappeared. It's like the past appeared here out of thin air, and then was mostly destroyed out of thin air.

Here, Fang Chongyong saw the rise and fall of civilization. What once existed was followed by death and nothingness.

During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Li Daoyuan recorded the grand occasion of smelting in Kucha in his "Shui Jing Zhu": There are mountains two hundred miles north of Quci (Qiuci), with firelight at night and smoke during the day. People take this mountain stone and smelt this mountain iron, which can be used by thirty-six states.

By the early Tang Dynasty, Qiuci's smelting was still on a considerable scale. However, in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, due to the severe ecological damage in the Kucha area and the Tang government's intention to restrict the smelting of local iron products, the smelting base located in the northern canyon of Kucha was closed and never used again.

Therefore, the grand occasion described by Li Daoyuan has no longer been repeated now.

"After the Han Dynasty, the kingdom of Kucha reached its peak. The King of Kucha ruled over more than 700 towns and cities in the Western Region, and he carried hundreds of thousands of soldiers and expanded the territory for thousands of miles. His power and wealth were unimaginable by today's people."

Li Qijun pointed his riding whip at the majestic Yiluolu City in front of him, and introduced Fang Chongyong.

"Zheng Dequan disobeyed orders and blocked the Western Region Economic and Strategy Ambassador from crossing the border. He was executed for falsely delivering military orders. Does General Xi want to be the next Zheng Dequan?

Many things, even if they are being prepared but not officially implemented, will not cause irreversible serious consequences.

The person who spoke was named Xi Yuanqing, and he was one of Gao Xianzhi's trusted generals. He could be regarded as "Zheng Dequan" who was not related to Gao Xianzhi.

Xi Yuanqing swallowed his saliva, then laughed and defended:
"I haven't seen Judge Li for a long time, so the general just made a joke. Since it is the Ambassador of the Western Regions Economic Strategy in person, entering Yiluolu City is naturally the same as returning home.

As expected, Gao Xianzhi hadn't had time to leave Kucha Town yet!
Fang Chongyong couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Fang Chongyong somewhat understood where Gao Xianzhi's inflated mentality came from. It was the prosperity of Yiluolu City that gave him blind confidence.

After hundreds of years of vicissitudes, the ruling center of the Kucha region has never changed. However, the Kucha Palace back then has become the current office location of the Anxi Protectorate.

Li Qijun asked with a smile on his face. He Changqi and others behind Fang Chongyong remained calm and held their hands on the handle of the horizontal knife at his waist.

The owner has changed, but the house has not changed that much.

Ambassador Fang is right behind someone. How many heads does General Xi have that he can chop off? Or do you want to compare which is the weight of Ambassador Fang or the weight of Senior Deputy Protector? "

Not to mention the Anxi Protectorate, not even the three states of Beiting have such a big city! If you want to find a city of the size of Yiluolu City elsewhere, you have to look for it in the Hexi Corridor. Even in Hexi, only Wuwei City in Liangzhou, which has a "plane with wings" pattern, can stand a fight.

"Military affairs are urgent. Please take this ambassador to see the Deputy Governor."

After explaining to Li Qijun, Fang Chongyong got off his horse and walked straight towards the west gate of Yiluolu City.

Since the opening of the Western Han Dynasty, the mentality of King Qiuci of the Western Regions has actually been quite inflated. He has always regarded himself as the leader and core of the Western Regions. After the decline of the Eastern Han Dynasty, it actually rose to prominence for a while. If there had not been the interference of foreign powers such as the Western Turks, Tubo, and Tang Dynasty, the Qiuci Kingdom might still be able to do great things in the Western Regions.

Today, Yiluolu City is divided into "inner city", "outer city" and "Macheng" from the inside out, maintaining the traditional "three-layer nesting" pattern of important towns in the Tang Dynasty. The outermost horse city is ten miles long and ten miles wide, so it is huge! Standing outside, you can feel the magnificence and splendor with a strong exotic style from the Western Regions.

If Li Qiyun didn't know what Gao Xianzhi wanted to do, he might have been frightened by Xi Yuanqing's words. But now that Fang Chongyong has revealed the cards, Gao Xianzhi's "hidden" military order seems a bit ridiculous.

Ambassador Fang, please come here. Deputy Protector Gao is at the Yamen on errands at the moment. "

"Ambassador Fang, please go this way, I will lead the way."

Li Qijun saluted Fang Chongyong and said, keeping in mind the "letter of surrender" signed in Yanqi City, hoping that the conflict between Fang Chongyong and Gao Xianzhi could be resolved peacefully.

Yiluolu City was the administrative and military center of Kucha Town, the seat of the Anxi Protectorate in the Tang Dynasty, referred to as "Qiuci City". This city is considered a big city in the Western Region. After all, the Qiuci Kingdom was also wider back then, and Yiluolu City was called "Yancheng" at that time. Yiluolu City was expanded on the basis of Yancheng.

Arriving at the city gate, a general on duty wearing camel leather armor and not even bothering to wear a helmet, but with a red ribbon tied on his forehead, stopped Li Qijun and asked, "Does Judge Li have the documents to enter the city? Kucha Town is currently under martial law. No one is allowed to enter the city without a document issued by the high deputy governor!"

At present, Gao Xianzhi is just frantically purchasing military supplies. As long as you haven't set off yet, there is nothing wrong with this move.

Fang Chongyong had no intention of giving Gao Xianzhi a serious beating. Otherwise, he could have returned to Yanqi Town to observe the situation closely. After Gao Xianzhi left for the expedition, he would send an envoy to chase him. After delivering the new military order, he would then send a memorial to Chang'an to complain to Ji Ge. Please refer to the book Gao Xianzhi.

It’s not that insidious tricks cannot be used, but everything must be based on the overall situation of the Western Region. Fang Chongyong's trip to the Western Regions was not to gain power, money or persecution.

"General Xi leads the way. This ambassador has just come to the Western Regions and is not familiar with everything here. He has to rely on capable people like General Xi who are familiar with the local military and people's conditions."

Fang Chongyong said with a smile, his attitude was very kind, but there was something vaguely hidden, making it difficult for people to continue.

Under the leadership of Xi Yuanqing, everyone walked into Yiluolu City. Looking around, the stalls on both sides of the streets were chaotic and lively, as if they were in Chang'an West Market.

There were officials wearing green official robes from the Tang Dynasty conducting inspections, but many of them had beige hair and blue eyes, unlike people from the Central Plains.

The merchants of the Tang Dynasty who sold silk wore brocade robes with round collars, soft-horned buns on their heads, leather belts and long boots. They were smart and elegant, and their image was relatively fixed.

As for Hu Shang, their attire is even more different. Hu Shang is just a very general term. Hu Shang, who are generalized by others, have colorful costumes.

The Turks who sell horses, carry a short sword on the left waist and a quiver on the right waist. They have long hair with small braids at the end.

The Sogdians who sell handicrafts and valuables often wear white clothes, with intricately patterned ornaments and belts, and have a straight nose.

As for the businessmen dressed in black, their clothes are much simpler. They are dressed in black, but they are of various races, and they seem to come from many different places.

These people are all uniformly classified as "Hu Shang". While Chinese is broad and profound, it is also quite "succinct and comprehensive".

"Jie Shuai, what will you do later?"

He Changqi walked up to Fang Chongyong, leaned into his ear and whispered inquiringly.

As close confidants, He Changqi and others knew that Datang could only have one voice in the Western Regions. Therefore, it is obvious that one of Fang Chongyong and Gao Xianzhi has to shut up.

Gao Xianzhi is now in great power and actually controls the four towns in Anxi. Will he voluntarily hand over power?

It's impossible even if you think about it.

This is a conclusion that can be easily drawn by comparing oneself to others.

"You must not act recklessly without my order."

Fang Chongyong scolded in a low voice.

The group of people came to the huge palace where the old Kucha royal family lived, and they were all shocked by the scale of this palace!
The inner city of Yiluolu City is the old palace of the Kucha royal family, where all the officials and generals of the Anxi Protectorate live. This large-scale inner city is the core of Iluolu City and is also a castle-like existence. Even if the outer city of Ma and the outer city have fallen, as long as the inner city is properly defended and has sufficient food. Then the defenders can hold on for a long time.

No wonder this place is used as the administrative seat of the Anxi Protectorate. It is indeed the accumulation of wisdom and experience of the predecessors, rather than a random decision made by some people.

"You go in and send a message, and the ambassador will not go in yet."

Fang Chongyong stopped in front of the moat and said to Xi Yuanqing who had one foot on the stone bridge, refusing to go any further.

This river, which surrounds the inner city and serves as a moat, is also one of the most important water sources in the city. Its role is mostly not to block the siege, but to provide a stable water source for the defenders.

Desert arid climate, without water there is nothing!

Seeing Fang Chongyong's attitude, Xi Yuanqing already knew that Yiluolu City would not be peaceful today. He cupped his fists and saluted the young "Ambassador Fang" in front of him, and then strode into the inner city.

The fight between the gods brings disaster to the pond fish!
Neither Fang Chongyong nor Gao Xianzhi can be offended by Xi Yuanqing. He informed Gao Xianzhi of the news of Fang Chongyong's arrival. Even if he "retired with success," the remaining matters were really beyond what he, a guerrilla general of the Anxi Army, could handle.

After a moment of burning incense, a general wearing silver armor and many bright feathers on his helmet walked out of the inner city surrounded by dozens of fully armed guards wearing leather armor. Apart from Gao Xianzhi, there can be no other person like this.

Each of these guards wore brightly colored brocade robes under their leather armor, and their helmets were all decorated with feathers like Gao Xianzhi's, but not as many as Gao Xianzhi's.

Seeing the strong aura of Gao Xianzhi and his team across from them, He Changqi and others behind Fang Chongyong suddenly changed their colors and became furious.

They didn't even put feathers on their helmets when they came here, but the other party actually did. It's simply unreasonable!
Why do sergeants have feathers on their helmets?
Because when the elite troops break the formation, they always play the role of "leading the army." After the elites break through the enemy's formation, wherever the follow-up troops of our army see their own "bright feathers", it means where our elites have gone!

They will consciously charge towards the place where the feathers are concentrated.

In other words, these soldiers with feathers on their helmets are the most elite backbone of an army. In most cases, they are close associates of the general.

On the contrary, if all the elites with feathers on their helmets disappear on the battlefield, it means that the battle is in danger. All the elites have been killed or fled, so if others can moisten their helmets, they should moisten them as early as possible!

This style of helmet is worn on a daily basis just to show one's identity as a trusted general or elite member of the army; during war, it is part of "identification of friend or foe". The difference between them is still quite big.

However, it is one thing for Gao Xianzhi and his entourage to wear "feather helmets" within the confines of the Anxi Protectorate to frighten the barbarians in the Western Regions; it is another thing to show off in front of Fang Chongyong, the Western Region Economic and Strategic Ambassador. Got it!
At this moment, the two sides were separated by a stone bridge less than ten meters apart. Neither Fang Chongyong nor Gao Xianzhi took the first step, let alone introduce themselves.

The atmosphere was so deadlocked for a while.

……

A few dozen miles south of Chang'an, there is the Cuiwei Palace Hall on the Huangyu Mountains. Li Longji, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, wore a white Taoist robe, his face was calm, without any waves.

He just stayed there quietly, looking at Prince Li Chen kneeling on the cushion in front of him, without saying a word for more than a stick of incense.

Li Chen also looked very indifferent, also silent, his eyes slightly lowered as he looked at the table in front of him, with a letter on it.

"King Yong reported that you planned to assassinate me and burn down Cuiwei Palace. What do you say?"

Brother Ji gently patted the envelope on the desk with his right hand and asked.

"Back to the saint, doesn't the saint know the child's attitude towards the saint?"

Li Xuan raised his head and looked at Brother Ji without any fear on his face.

"Presumptuous! Do you think I don't dare to kill you?"

Brother Ji suddenly slammed the table, pointed at Li Chen and roared.

"Saint, you have many young sons. In addition to these recorded in Zongzheng Temple, Yang Yuyao also gave birth to dragon seeds for you.

If you like, you can kill all the adult princes now and wait ten years later.

The child has no opinion on this and has no intention of doing anything.

As long as you are happy, saint, it doesn't matter what the child thinks. "

Li Chen had an indifferent attitude and didn't even bother to explain how outrageous the plan of "burning Cuiwei Palace" was.

If it were so easy to set a fire here, someone would probably have done it when Taizong was enjoying the cool weather here! Do we still need to wait until today a hundred years later?

"Hercules, take the prince back to the East Palace."

Brother Ji waved his hands tiredly and said.

He had to admit that what Li Chen said made sense.

In other words, if the people are not afraid of death, why should they be afraid of death?

Li Chen no longer thinks about any grandiose goals. He doesn't care about government affairs at all, and he doesn't even want to succeed to the throne!
Li Chen lay flat on his back, and for him, the road ahead became wider in an instant. This is a typical "as long as I don't worry, then others will worry!"
"My child, please leave."

Li Chen bowed expressionlessly.

Except for the lack of respect on his face, his other etiquette can be said to be very formal, and no one else can find anything wrong with him.

After the prince was taken away by Gao Lishi, Brother Ji felt a little sad.

He hoped that Li Chen would have a deep-seated hatred for him! As long as there is hatred, everything is still under the control of the emperor.

But now Li Xuan has almost no desires and desires. He is just short of becoming a monk in a Buddhist temple!
Regarding Brother Ji, Li Long's attitude is "not proactive, not refusing, and not responsible."

Whatever official position you give me, I will take it. Whatever reward you give me, I will take it. Whatever you want me to do, I will take it. But no matter what it was my turn to do, I just fished and acted without asking any questions!
This kind of hob meat really taught Brother Ji, who has rich experience in political struggle, a vivid lesson!
While Brother Ji was deep in thought, feeling depressed and irritable, Gao Lishi suddenly returned with Li Chen, and then with a panic on his face, he saluted him and said: "Sage, there is a fire halfway up the mountain. It seems that someone is deliberately setting the fire! The fire is quite fierce now. ah!"

Ok?
Brother Ji stared at Li Chen with his eyes wide open. He couldn't believe that Li Chen didn't even care about his own safety in order to kill him!
"You traitor! How dare you..."

Brother Ji stepped forward and grabbed Li Han by the collar, and a terrible guess suddenly flashed through his mind:

Could it be that someone wanted to stew him and Li Chen in the same pot?

Brother Ji slowly let go of his hand, looked around, and found that the eunuchs and maids around him were all frightened, and they were all waiting for him to give orders.

Only Li Chen looked calm, as if nothing had happened.

(End of this chapter)