Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 444 Transformed Elbows and Armpits
Hedong Jiedushi An Sishun has not had a good life in recent years.

In the middle of the eleventh year of Tianbao, Huangfu Weiming, the governor of Youzhou and Pinglu, wrote to the court, saying that An Sishun had rebellious intentions and wanted to collude with the Turks and some Tiele people to establish himself as the Turkic Khan! The court should arrest him and interrogate him!

An Sishun was a Turkified Sogdian, but in terms of using the name of the Nine Zhaowu Surnames, he was not the same kind of people as the Liangzhou An family who had already established connections with the court.

Although it is outrageous to say that he wants to "recreate the Turks", it is not groundless.

After learning about this, An Sishun wrote a letter to defend himself, saying that he was loyal to the court. At the same time, he accused Huangfu Weiming, who was in charge of Hebei, of being the real person who wanted to rebel.

Both sides are at loggerheads, and neither side has any solid evidence.

This kind of shitty thing was actually common in the Tang border army. From killing middle and lower-level officers for a disagreement to accusing and framing colleagues of treason, it was nothing more than the soldiers' cheap internal competition.

If they really wanted to rebel, they would have rushed to Chang'an with knives in hand. Who would quarrel with their colleagues?

Ji Ge knew this very well, but he still flew into a rage in front of the court officials and sent eunuchs to the two towns of Hedong and Hebei to "investigate". After the eunuchs arrived, An Sishun and Huangfu Weiming "managed" these eunuchs to be obedient.

After the eunuchs returned to the court, they told Ji Ge that the two men were loyal to the country, but because their defense areas were adjacent and various trivial matters had accumulated a lot of conflicts, they reported on each other and threw dirty water on each other, which was a common thing in the army.

Ji Ge expressed satisfaction with the results of the investigation. He simply issued an order to reprimand the two people, but did not take any actual punishment action.

In the autumn of the eleventh year of Tianbao, Huangfu Weiming wrote to the court again, saying that he wanted to attack the Khitan but lacked troops, and asked the court to dispatch troops nearby for support.

Perhaps because he knew that it was not convenient to dispatch troops to the border towns of the Tang Dynasty, Huangfu Weiming gave a "little suggestion" very considerately:
The Hequ area on the east side of the Hetao (at the junction of Shaanxi and Ningxia, within the Hetao) is the junction of the Shuofang Army and the Hedong Army. It is far away from the front line of the defense zone and there is no fighting on weekdays.

Previously, the Abusi tribe of Tongluo, one of the nine Tiele clans, surrendered to the Tang Dynasty and was settled here as a tribe near the city. Among them, there were more than 15,000 soldiers who were skilled in horsemanship and could fight at any time.

Why not transfer the Tongluo tribe to Yingzhou to cooperate with the troops from Youzhou and Pinglu in the northern expedition against the Khitan?

Brother Ji didn't even think about it, he just waved his hand and agreed!
Why would he agree to that?

Because such a thing would obviously intensify the conflicts among several Jiedushi in the north! Huangfu Weiming was really good at handling things!

Transferring a city at the junction of Shuofang and Hedong to Youzhou would offend both Shuofang and Hedong. In this way, they would not be able to unite with Youzhou.

If there were conflicts in the border towns, they had to rely on Ji Ge's mediation. In this way, the influence of the imperial power was smoothly extended to the border towns.

As for the Tongluo tribe itself, Ji Ge didn't care at all. It was just a Hu tribe that came to seek refuge. Who cared whether they were happy or not!
However, Ji Ge and the court didn't care, but the people involved cared very much.

When Abusi, the leader of the Tongluo tribe, learned about this, he was shocked and hurried to Taiyuan City to discuss countermeasures with An Sishun, the governor of Hedong.

The transfer order from the court has been delivered to him. Should he go or not?
This is a difficult matter.

If you go, you will be at the mercy of others and the outcome will be worrying. If you don't go, your elbows will be no match for your thighs.

"An Jieshuai, what do you think we should do about this matter?"

In the study of the Hedong Jiedushi's office, this Tiele man, whose original name was Abusi and was given the name Li Xianzhong by Ji Ge, asked in a humbly.

"The emperor's will cannot be violated! This matter is difficult to handle!"

An Sishun sighed. The Hedong Jiedushi, who was over fifty years old, felt very tired recently.

There has been a sudden disturbance in Shuofang recently. The former Jiedushi Li Guozhen and Yingtianshi Zhang Qiqiu were dismissed. The Silver Spear Filial Piety Army's military commander, Pingxi County Prince Fang Chongyong, brought the elite imperial guards to Shuofang and replaced Li Guozhen.

As soon as they arrived, they clashed with the Huihe people and fought a fierce battle with Feng'an City, which ended in a miserable defeat for the Huihe people! The Huihe Yehu was captured!

It would be fine if Fang Zhongyong was just good at fighting, but the problem is that this bastard is very scheming.

He first let Li Guozhen come to Hedong to "explore the way", and then sent his confidants to have secret talks about the same matter about the same time. His intentions were obvious!

But no matter who it is, An Sishun has the same attitude: ignore them!

An Sishun knew very well what the saint in Chang'an was superstitious about, and Hedong was a very sensitive place.

An Sishun didn't want the emperor to think that he, the governor of Hedong, liked to get involved with those ambitious people. Avoid suspicion, avoid suspicion, this kind of thing, I can only say that those who understand will understand, don't do what you shouldn't do, you will die if you touch it.

I am helping Fang Chongyong in defense today. If the Prince of Pingxi rebels tomorrow, do I have to "assist" him as well?
Once this loophole is opened, there will be endless troubles.

Of course, there is no need to tell Albus about these things.

"General An Jie, we are unfamiliar with Hebei. The Tongluo tribe has been operating in the Hequ area for many years, and now we are asked to abandon the developed land. Isn't this... inappropriate?"

Albus asked with a wronged look on his face.

To be fair, it is indeed quite inappropriate!

An Sishun also felt a little sympathetic towards Abusi. In order to make a living in the Tang Dynasty, he even changed his name. In recent years, whenever there was trouble in the border town of the Tang Dynasty, Abusi would give people to them; even if he didn't have money, he would still give it to them.

"How about this, you just pretend you don't know about this matter and let it drag on. As time goes by, the saint might forget about it.

Huangfu Weiming has no shortage of soldiers and horses, he just lacks unlucky people to be puppets and get beaten in front of him. "

An Sisun gave Abusi a suggestion, which can be summed up in one word: survive!
Don't move if you can. As long as the imperial court doesn't have a large army approaching, you can just stay put.

Now the prime ministers and ministers in the central government have a lot of things to do. They need to make money, deal with drought and locust plagues, dredge rivers, etc.

He really couldn't take care of this "small shrimp" trouble of Abusi.

An Sishun is not stupid. He has figured out Huangfu Weiming's thoughts and Ji Ge's thoughts.

Brother Ji is now lazy in politics, afraid of trouble, and tries not to do anything if possible.

Huangfu Weiming said that Abusi's tribe could be dispatched to Youzhou or Yingzhou nearby, but Abusi's Tongluo tribe was a tribe near the city and was not considered part of the regular army.

Brother Ji doesn't feel bad about using it, and he doesn't have to argue about the staffing issues.

So the matter was just handled smoothly.

As long as Abusi stayed put and made excuses not to go to Hebei, the court would either forget about it or ask for help from others at the urging of Huangfu Weiming.

Hiding is also a kind of wisdom! When you see through the situation, "hiding" is often the best solution.

"An Jieshuai is saying that I should keep making excuses, saying that it's inconvenient to go to Hebei, and delay it for a while, right?"

Albus asked doubtfully. It had to be said that this was quite far from his psychological price.

According to Abusi's idea, An Sishun should have the right to issue a "transfer order" to him and recruit Abusi's troops. Then he could get rid of Huangfu Weiming's trap.

However, An Sishun's approach was obviously a bit like "minding one's own business" and he was unwilling to take responsibility.

"Although your army spans the two towns of Shuofang and Hedong, and most of it is in the Hequ area of ​​Hedong, and you have a lot of dealings with Hedong. But your military registration is in Shuofang.

This commander has no authority to give you direct military orders."

An Sishun sighed helplessly.

This was another "check and balance" method used by the imperial court. Although most of the territory of the Abusi tribe was under the jurisdiction of the Hedong Jiedushi, they were given a military registration of the Shuofang.

In this way, whether it is Shuofang or Hedong Jiedushi who want to make trouble, there will be another invisible shackle on their body. Of course, having military status does not mean that you will join the army.

This just means that if something happens, you can obey orders. You can obey orders from wherever your military registration is.

A similar system is inherited from the "Fan Shang" of the early Tang Dynasty. Someone's military status does not mean that he is in the army.

For example, soldiers from Guanzhong were sent to serve in border towns, but their military status was still in Guanzhong. At any time, a transfer order from Guanzhong could transfer soldiers from Guanzhong, instead of following the orders of the local military and political chiefs.

These are the "old rules" of the Tang Dynasty, but Abusi, an outsider, doesn't quite understand these twists and turns.

But An Sishun, who had been in the army in Longyou Town since he was a child, knew it very well in his heart! He gave Abusi a military order. This kind of thing was a taboo for the court and even the saints.

"So, if I go to Shuofang to ask for a military order, then I don't have to be transferred to Hebei?"

Albus asked excitedly. From An Sishun's words just now, he found something that seemed "very interesting".

"There is nothing wrong with this move, but..."

An Sishun nodded slightly, wanting to say something but stopping himself. He actually wanted to say that the Tongluo tribe, which had the same origin as the Huihe people, was also one of the nine surnames of Tiele. Going to Shuofang at this critical moment was really a good time!

Well, since Abusi is so stubborn, An Sishun will let him go. Let him be beaten by reality, and his mind will become clear.

At this moment, the study was pushed open. Several of An Sishun's trusted men walked into the study and protected him. Behind them were a group of soldiers dressed as imperial guards and an eunuch in red palace clothes.

"An Sishun, someone has accused you of treason. The evidence is irrefutable and the sage is furious. Come back to Chang'an with us and defend yourself to the sage.

Your position will be temporarily taken over by the Jiedushi Liuhou! Here is the imperial decree!"

The eunuch took out a piece of yellow silk with an imperial edict written on it and said bluntly.

"rebellion?"

An Sishun asked back with a look of surprise, still in a daze.

"No need to waste time. If you have anything to say, just speak to the Saint in person. I am just delivering the Saint's message.

Someone, take him away!"

Before he could explain, the eunuch ordered the imperial guards behind him to arrest An Sishun.

"You guys, this..."

An Sishun felt hopeless when he saw that his subordinates, those trusted confidants who had vowed to live and die with him, unconsciously took a few steps back and kept their distance from him.

No resistance at all.

"I want to ask, do you have any evidence to prove that I am plotting treason?"

An Sishun looked at the eunuch and asked in a deep voice.

"You know best what you have done. As I said before, you can defend yourself after you meet the saint!"

The eunuch obviously didn't care what An Sishun said and ordered his men to take him away without further explanation.

"Who is you?"

The eunuch looked at Albus and questioned him with an extremely unfriendly tone.

"Hu Shang, I am a Hu Shang, doing business with An Sishun."

Albus laughed nervously, thinking in his heart that something was wrong.

"Then get out of here!"

The eunuch was too lazy to create unnecessary trouble and pointed to the study door with a wave of his hand.

Abusi was pardoned. He nodded gratefully to An Sishun's cronies, thanking them for not exposing his identity, and then quickly walked out of the governor's office.

Even after leaving Taiyuan City, Abusi still felt that the world was too absurd!

He, who was in danger of losing his life every day and had to move to Hebei, was safe for the time being. An Sishun, the governor of Hedong who was a high-ranking official just an hour ago, was arrested by the imperial court!
"Oh, right, let's go to Shuofang! We have to go to Shuofang!"

Abusi remembered An Sishun's reminder and seemed to have found a life-saving straw.

……

In the winter of the eleventh year of Tianbao, Huangfu Weiming wrote to the emperor saying that An Sishun had rebellious intentions and could not serve as a military governor. He also provided evidence: a handwritten letter from An Lushan, the military governor of Pinglu, to An Sishun, the then military governor of Hedong!

In the letter, An Lushan said that he had already found a prince in the court as his "backer".

By then, they, the An family, will jointly support this patron to ascend the throne, and Hebei and Hedong will rise up together, and they will gain the credit of following the dragon. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Moreover, this is not a rebellion against the Tang Dynasty, but the current saint is useless, and it is time to replace him with a young, strong, wise and brave prince.

An Sishun replied that the matter was absurd and vague.

But it is obvious that if loyalty is not absolute, it is absolutely disloyal!
The fact that An Sishun did not deliver An Lushan's letter to Ji Ge showed that he had evil intentions!
As the saying goes, "A lie repeated a hundred times becomes the truth." Huangfu Weiming has been attacking An Sishun, accusing him of treason, but he has no evidence to prove it.

Therefore, all the central government officials and Brother Ji also regarded it as a joke of dogs biting each other.

But this time it was different. The letter sent by Huangfu Weiming was said to have been "picked up" from an inconspicuous corner when the Jiedushi Yamen was cleaning. Although An Lushan had mysteriously disappeared, he was most likely dead.

But the rebellion in the past was still a rebellion, because that "ambitious" prince, who was also An Lushan's backer, was still alive!

This touched Brother Ji's reverse scale!

Loyalty cannot be questioned. Once loyalty is questioned, it must be dealt with decisively.

Either the border generals will have to rebel, or the emperor will take them down in advance.

Brother Ji is a master of political schemes, so he would never let An Sishun find an opportunity. He directly sent eunuchs to lead the troops to capture him, which can be said to be a quick and decisive move!
So, is it possible that An Sishun did not actually receive An Lushan's letter, and all of this was forged by Huangfu Weiming to frame him?
The answer is that it is indeed possible, but Brother Ji doesn’t dare to gamble!
For Brother Ji, his own rights and personal safety are the first priority. As for which dog was wronged, it is not within his consideration. In short, safety is the first priority.

Besides, An Sishun and An Lushan were indeed a family and good half-brothers in terms of clan relationship and personal feelings! An Sishun could not deny this.

The acting governor of Hedong was named Han Xiulin, an old subordinate of Wang Zhongsi, and thus he was able to temporarily take over the post of governor of Hedong.

However, the fact is that the Tang Dynasty is now in chaos and the various forces in the border towns are ready to make moves. Han Xiulin does not have the ability to handle the complex situation.

However, the court was in a heated debate over who would succeed the governor of Hedong.

Some people said that Fang Chongyong, the governor of Shuofang, could concurrently serve as the governor of Hedong. After all, when he was the ambassador to the Western Regions, he had successful experience in coordinating many vassal states.

But some people also recommended Tian Chengsi, deputy envoy of Hebei Pinglu Jiedushi and military commander of Lulong Army.

At this extremely sensitive juncture, no one dared to say anything definite, and the problem was thrown in front of Brother Ji again.

(End of this chapter)