Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 345 Only magic can defeat magic
Anyone who has seen a wildfire knows that it is very easy to put out a wildfire before it starts burning. In the summer, the natural mountain forests have lush leaves and are not completely dry and devoid of moisture. It is definitely not that easy to burn them.

But once the mountains and forests are ignited by humans, they really burn and become a climate. It will be like the wind and the remaining clouds, which cannot be stopped by human power and cannot be extinguished by anything.

Only by cutting down all the surrounding trees to form an isolation zone, and waiting until there is nothing left to burn, can the purpose of extinguishing the fire be achieved.

If the fire is not extinguished in time, the mountain fire may burn for a month and burn to a white ground for dozens of miles! This is by no means an alarmist statement!

This time, the fire in the Huangyu Mountains where Cuiwei Palace is located was definitely started by someone with ulterior motives. It was ignited with kerosene, and even kerosene from a workshop under the Ministry of Works in Chang'an City was used.

The quality is absolutely top notch!
Brother Ji walked out of the palace anxiously and looked down the mountain, his expression suddenly changed.

Well, in fact, there is no need to check carefully, because the thick smoke has already risen, just on both sides of the mountain road going down the mountain. The firelight was not very obvious under the scorching sun, but the scorching air waves still vaguely hit my face.

The chimney effect means that smoke and heat move upwards.

Feeling dizzy from the sun, Brother Ji returned to the main hall of Cuiwei Palace, his face instantly becoming extremely gloomy.

The possibility of this wildfire burning him to death is very low, but the negative impact it will cause cannot be underestimated. What does the mastermind behind the scenes want to do?

"Tell me the truth, I don't blame you. Did you really not start this fire?"

Brother Ji's trump card for suppressing many princes was their thoughts on the throne. However, once the princes lose any thoughts about the throne and no longer have enthusiasm for aristocratic life, they are like a dirty oil rag.

Li Xuan is in Cuiwei Palace. If the mountain fire comes, he will definitely die. Could he just burn himself to death like this?

His words directly broke Brother Ji's defense! The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, who thought he was in control of everything, was so angry that he couldn't say a word for a long time!
Indeed, no matter what Li Chen says, Brother Ji will never remove his suspicion on him!
And Li Chen is now hopeless, lying flat and dying, leaving Brother Ji helpless.

Is it the Yong Wang Li Lin who "told the news"?

"The child said I didn't do this, does the saint believe it?
If the child says I did it, will the saint believe it?
What's the point of admitting or denying it? "

There was a fire, and in order to put out the fire, the Shence Army's organization was in chaos, and the situation was also chaotic. It's hard to guarantee that there won't be people at the bottom of the mountain who want to fish in troubled waters and want to go up the mountain to assassinate people in the name of putting out fires.

"Stay back, I don't want to see you anymore!"

Gao Lishi reported cautiously.

After saying that, he returned to his original seat, then pointed at Li Heng and shouted: "Prince, come and sit too!"

Ji Ge stared at Gao Lishi and asked.

"Go back!"

Li Chen replied calmly, just like the fire at the foot of the mountain, it had nothing to do with him.

There are currently two levels of danger for Brother Ji:

On the first level, the mountain fire was uncontrollable and eventually burned everyone in Cuiwei Palace to death.

Brother Ji waved his hand gently and said with a very calm tone. After saying this, the imperial guards, eunuchs and maids all filed out of the hall. Only Li Longji, Prince Li Chen and Gao Lishi were left.

But if it wasn’t Li Chen, who else could it be?

Who could be so stupid?
Ordinary people would definitely not be able to do so, but Li Chan couldn't tell for sure, because Li Chan was the one who got along with Brother Ji at the beginning, and at that time, the prince wanted to die together with Brother Ji. Who dares to say that he no longer has this intention?

"Back to the saint, I just asked the accompanying Shence soldiers to put out the fire, and did not send anyone back to Chang'an. The mountain road is blocked and cannot go down the mountain. Cuiwei Palace is still safe for the time being."

Besides, can each of the eunuchs and maids around Brother Ji be guaranteed to be loyal and not be bribed by others? Can each of these Shence soldiers guarantee their loyalty to Brother Ji?
Perhaps there is no need to question their loyalty to the Tang Dynasty, but whether these people are of the same mind as Brother Ji himself is another matter.

Brother Ji looked at Gao Lishi and asked in a low voice.

There was no sadness or joy on Li Chen's face, as if the person Ji Ge wanted to kill was not him.

Or maybe it was some princes who took action after hearing the news?
Or even the clans of Brother Ji?
Since the founding of Li Tang, it has been common for roommates to fight each other. Who will it be this time?

The real concern is the second layer.

Brother Ji ordered in a deep voice.

Many questions flashed through Brother Ji's mind, but what he needed to find out now was whether Li Chen was the person behind the scenes.

"Lux, do you think I did something wrong?"

If there is water here, the fire can be blocked.

Brother Ji waved his hands tiredly. He was afraid that if he continued talking, he would really stab this unscrupulous man to death.

Brother Ji said to Li Chen through gritted teeth.

Once the fire breaks out, will these people take advantage of the chaos to assassinate?
"No one is allowed to leave Cuiwei Palace! I am waiting for rescue here!"

But this possibility is actually very small, because near the top of the mountain, there is a large pool formed by mountain streams, which is also the water source of Cuiwei Palace.

"When you return to Chang'an and Xingqing Palace, I will kill you!"

Brother Ji frowned slightly, looked at Li Chen and asked. Suspicion breeds secrets. Brother Ji now looks like everyone is a thief, especially Li Chen, who is extremely suspicious.

After he left, Brother Ji let out a long sigh and looked a little lonely. Intuitively speaking, he believed that Li Chen was not the mastermind behind the scenes. If he was, it only meant that he was really good at pretending! Pretend to hide it from everyone!

"Lishi, you didn't send anyone to move reinforcements into Chang'an City, did you?"

A sarcastic look flashed across Li Chan's face. He slowly walked to the soft cushion opposite Brother Ji, knelt down and sat on it without saying a word.

Li Chen bowed to Brother Ji and then walked out from the back door of the main hall of Cuiwei Palace.

If the emperor does not run away, the eunuchs and maids cannot run away. Gao Lishi took the sword handed over by Brother Ji and stood beside Brother Ji and Li Chen with the sword in hand, as if he would raise the sword to kill people if they disagreed.

Anyway, it’s up to you!
"Then kid quit."

"Sage, you are the lord of the world. You can do whatever you like. It's up to you. Children don't matter anyway."

"What's wrong with saints?"

Gao Lishi asked with a confused look on his face.

"Yes, he can't refuse what I gave him.

If I want to take it from him, he can't refuse it.

Why should he hold a grudge? "

Brother Ji heard from Gao Lishi's words the privileges belonging to the king. Originally, he still felt a little guilty, but after hearing these words, he gave up the idea.

"Sage, there should be a path that can be walked down the mountain from Cuiwei Palace. This is what I heard over and over again, but now this path may be hidden by trees and weeds."

Gao Lishi suddenly came over and whispered.

"Huh? Seriously?"

Hearing this, Brother Ji was overjoyed, and his anxious heart suddenly relaxed.

Then he changed his mind and thought, if Gao Lishi knew this road, would some caring people also know it?
Another "little" question emerged in Brother Ji's mind, and the relief he just felt disappeared with the wind.

Could someone be waiting for them on this narrow, deserted path? Could it be that everything was fine at first, but ended up taking a small path and getting out of trouble?

"For now, it's better to stay the same in the face of ever-changing circumstances."

Brother Ji said in a deep voice, suppressing his inner impulse.

"The slave sent someone to check around." Gao Lishi said cautiously, fearing that the increasingly suspicious emperor would doubt himself for no reason.

"Well, that's fine. But if you can, try not to take the small path down the mountain. I... I'll just sit in Cuiwei Palace and watch how the monsters and monsters in Chang'an City below the mountain are going to perform!"

Brother Ji looked at the black smoke at the end of his field of vision and said with a murderous intent in his tone.

……

In front of the inner city gate of Yiluolu City in the core of Qiuci Town, Fang Chongyong and his party were confronting Gao Xianzhi and his subordinates at both ends of the stone bridge, and the atmosphere was quite tense.

"Oh, Fang Jieshuai! Why are you here, Fang Jieshuai!

What are you doing? Why don't you bow to Fang Jieshuai when you see him? Do you want to be punished by the court? "

Just when the two sides were in a stalemate, a middle-aged man wearing red palace clothes came out from behind Gao Xianzhi. To be precise, he was a middle-aged eunuch.

It was the eunuch Bian Lingcheng who was often sent to the border town by Gao Lishi!
He pointed at the guards behind Gao Xianzhi and shouted loudly, with a very stern tone!

Seeing Bian Lingcheng trying to smooth things over, Gao Xianzhi, who was standing at the front in a dilemma, got off the slope and walked straight across the stone bridge. He clasped his fists and saluted Fang Chongyong and said, "Ambassador Fang has worked hard to come from afar. In the end, he will have military affairs with him and cannot stay away." Welcome, please forgive me."

"What are you talking about, Senior Deputy Protector? The troops in Anxi are quite majestic and have the aura of a king! This is all because the Senior Deputy Protector has managed them well!"

Fang Chongyong laughed heartily, stepped forward and put his hands on Gao Xianzhi's shoulders affectionately, patting him again and again!
As soon as these words came out, the tense atmosphere was instantly resolved. Gao Xianzhi glanced at Bian Lingcheng next to him with gratitude, but he happened to see Bian Lingcheng sighing helplessly, and he suddenly felt that something was wrong.

Gao Xianzhi made an invitation gesture to Fang Chongyong and said: "There are too many people here and this is not the place to talk. Ambassador Fang will invite you inside later."

"please!"

The two walked hand in hand, as warm as superiors and generals who had known each other for many years, completely unable to see that the two sides were almost at war with each other just a moment ago.

After entering the inner city of Yiluolu City, which was the former Qiuci Palace, Fang Zhongyong walked around and had a look, which can be regarded as gaining some knowledge.

The inner city of Yiluolu City is built on the mountain. Not only is there a palace on the top of the mountain, but there are also storage rooms dug in the middle of the mountain. The city wall built around the mountain is ten feet high! The width can run a horse!
If the outer city and Ma City of Yiluolu City are in a mess and have not been well planned, then the inner city, which is the renovated Qiuci Palace, was clearly arranged by the Tang Dynasty.

This place is not only well-planned but also scientifically arranged.

The former royal palace has now become a large military camp!
The officers of the Anxi Army and their families, as well as the officials under the Anxi Protectorate and their families, all live here. The inner city is also divided into many areas, separated from each other by thin inner walls.

In particular, the warehouses dedicated to storing grain and fine wine occupy a huge area. Due to the dry local climate, large-scale cellars were dug in the inner city and filled with various supplies.

To say that Gao Xianzhi is arrogant, it turns out that the other party has the capital to be arrogant, and Yiluolu City is Gao Xianzhi's biggest capital.

Historically, the Anxi Army's expedition to Xiaobolu had few soldiers. This was not because there were few soldiers in Anxi, but because the road conditions and supply points along the way could only support so many people at most. The Anxi Army was far more powerful than that!
We arrived at a very large holding room that was obviously converted from a palace. There were many officials and minor officials busy in and out.

Fang Chongyong was led by Gao Xianzhi to a separate "study" in the palace to discuss important matters. It is said to be a study room, but there is not a single book on the bookshelf. All kinds of treasures are displayed. There are different types of gemstones, different styles of gold handicrafts, etc., but they all exude a noble atmosphere.

Only three people were allowed to enter the "study", Fang Chongyong, Gao Xianzhi and Bian Lingcheng. After entering, they all looked solemn, no longer showing the light wind and clouds outside the inner city gate.

Seeing that no one spoke, Bian Lingcheng smiled sarcastically at Fang Zhongyong and said, "Fang Jieshuai, I know you are a little dissatisfied with the Senior Deputy Protector. It's just that there is a little misunderstanding here. It's impossible not to speak out."

Bian Lingcheng made a "little" gesture. Gao Xianzhi on the side did not speak, waiting for Bian Lingcheng to smooth things over.

"I just want to know, the ambassador just wants to know why, without X's order, the senior deputy governor went around collecting supplies and wanted to send troops to Tochara."

Fang Chongyong asked expressionlessly, looking directly at Gao Xianzhi with a serious tone.

"Ambassador Fang, the general is actually doing this to check and balance Tibet.

Within Tochara, there are tribes who want to take refuge in Tubo, just like the young King Bulu married the Tibetan princess. After the incident was completed, Datang fell into a passive position and has been unable to resolve the matter to this day.

In order to prevent the situation in Tocharo from getting out of control, the general wanted to let the pro-Tang faction in Tocharo lead the way and deal with the tribes who tried to defect to Tubo in advance.

Then he took these Tocharian tribesmen and attacked Xiaobolu together. After Little Bolu has established a foothold, take care of Big Bolu. In this way, the door for Tubo to invade the Western Regions can be blocked. "

Gao Xianzhi said with sincerity.

Although what he said is not unreasonable, it sounds like it is true, and it is a "preemptive strike", which is quite feasible.

But this doesn't explain why Gao Xianzhi left Fang Chongyong to go it alone! To put it bluntly, Gao Xianzhi just felt that this wave was a sure thing and wanted to make contributions on his own.

If Fang Chongyong leads the Anxi army on an expedition, the other party will eat meat, and Gao Xianzhi, the deputy governor of Anxi, will drink some soup.

What enterprising general would want to be dispensable and just follow others?

This is actually a structural contradiction, not a personal grudge. Because there are only so many military merits, if you take them, others will not be able to take more, and those people will naturally be unhappy with you. This is a very simple and straightforward truth.

There is no such thing as a situation where you are good, I am good, and everyone is good.

"The Tocharian envoy asked the saint for help, and the saint ordered his slaves to serve as supervisors and come to Yiluolu City to supervise the execution of the high deputy guard and cooperate with the high deputy guard in running errands.

The sage just hoped to do what he could to prevent Tocharo from falling to Tibet. The matter was actually not as complicated as Ambassador Fang thought. "

Bian Lingcheng hinted very openly, passing the blame by the way.

The saint's meaning is to "act according to one's ability", but when things came to Gao Xianzhi, it turned into a "big fight", that was his own problem.

Hearing this, Fang Chongyong looked at Gao Xianzhi, stretched out his hand and said coldly: "Deputy Protector-General Gao, please show this ambassador the imperial edict. It's not that I don't believe you, Deputy Protector-General Gao, and you and I have no personal grudges. It's just that This ambassador is responsible for his duties, his official position was given by the saint, and his power was also given by the saint. I cannot live up to the saint's grace, and I really cannot turn a blind eye to this."

Sure enough, when Gao Xianzhi heard this, his facial muscles tensed, and then he sighed softly, reluctantly took out a yellow silk scroll from the drawer, raised it with both hands, and handed it to Fang Chongyong.

The latter opened the scroll in front of Bian Lingcheng and Gao Xianzhi and read ten lines at a glance.

Well, I get it, but not completely.

Fang Chongyong repeatedly weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

Jige's imperial edict did not mention anything about Xiao Bolu at all, let alone Da Bolu, and even the word Tubo did not appear. In layman's terms, the Tocharian region was unstable and the political situation was turbulent. Some tribes asked for help from the Tang Dynasty, hoping that the power of the Tang Dynasty would intervene.

Since Tocharo was the Jisi Prefecture of the Tang Dynasty, it was naturally necessary for the Tang Dynasty to send people there to uphold justice.

Therefore, I sent the eunuch Bian Lingcheng to follow the Tocharian envoy to the Anxi Protectorate and asked Gao Xianzhi, the deputy governor of Anxi, to handle the matter as appropriate.

As for the "discretionary" method, it is not stated in the imperial edict, and of course it is unlikely to be clearly stated in such an occasion.

Fang Chongyong was wondering at this moment, what did Brother Ji mean by sending troops? Or not to send troops?
After turning around in his mind, Fang Chongyong felt that according to his understanding, Brother Ji still hoped to send troops to interfere in Tocharo's internal affairs.

He just doesn't want to look too ugly!

This nature is a bit like the Tang Dynasty sending a "military advisory delegation" to Tochara to direct the local people to fight, and to fight against each other.

You said I would send troops to intervene? If nothing happens, it's just you tribes fighting each other.

This policy is very flexible and can be said to be able to advance and retreat freely.

When we arrived at Gao Xianzhi, it became the case that the Anxi Army sent troops to Tocharo. After that, they continued to sweep through the Big and Small Bolu.

Make a great contribution!

Once the established facts are established, will Brother Ji still think that his country is too big? Do you still think that Datang has won too many battles?
If he can win, Gao Xianzhi will definitely make money!

If he wins, Gao Xianzhi can find any excuse. For example, the opposition forces within Tochara are strong, someone in Tocharo is disrespectful to the Tang Dynasty, etc. The Anxi Army must send troops to enhance the prestige of the Tang Dynasty!
It seems reasonable to say that. Anyway, Brother Ji is also a person who completely depends on the results. If he wins, there will be no taboos.

Thinking of this, Fang Chungyong took the imperial edict in his hand, then slammed the table and shouted at Gao Xianzhi: "Gao Xianzhi, you are so brave, how dare you accept bribes from the Tocharian envoys in private!"

Suddenly, Gao Xianzhi and Bian Lingcheng froze on the spot, their eyes flickering, and the expressions on their faces became unnatural.

(End of this chapter)