Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 447 Dark Clouds from Hebei

After negotiating the "agreement" with Fang Chongyong, Tian Chengsi returned to Mayi without stopping. This was the garrison of the Datong Army under the Hedong Jiedushi, and it was also the place where Hedong produced horses.

Since the Kaiyuan period, there has been a long period of peace, the border towns have been relatively tranquil, and the battle line has continued to move northward.

Now, the focus of the Hedong Jiedushi's defense zone has shifted from Taiyuan to Mayi, Yunzhong (Datong, Shanxi) and other places further north, which are far away from Taiyuan, forming a narrow and long defense buffer zone.

Taiyuan (Jinyang), as the "rear base", also prospered and gradually became a regional economic center. Most of the families of officers and soldiers from the Hedong frontier were settled in Taiyuan and its surrounding areas.

The reason is nothing but wealth.

But Tian Chengsi was an outlier. Since coming to Hedong, his whole family had lived in Mayi City. To some extent, he was betting everything on his future.

On this day, Tian Chengsi returned to Mayi from Lingzhou in the cold wind. As soon as he got home, his cousin Tian Tingjie and his younger brother Tian Tinglin hurried forward to help him lead the horse.

Tian Chengsi, who was exhausted, completely relaxed. He asked casually, "Has there been any changes in Hedong during the time I was away from Shuofang?"

He was just asking casually as a matter of routine, but his cousin Tian Tingjie said solemnly: "For some reason, Xue Song was also transferred to Hedong to serve as the governor of Weizhou and the military commander of the Hengye Army! He has arrived recently!"

Hearing this, Tian Chengsi frowned slightly, and then couldn't help shaking his head and sighing.

"Brother, no matter what Xue Song does, he won't interfere in our affairs, right? To be honest, the Yokono Army is under the control of the Hedong Jiedushi Deputy Envoy?
Why are you worried, brother?"

Tian Tinglin asked doubtfully.

Unlike Tian Tingjie, he does not have the ability to lead troops and participate in politics, and he cannot communicate with Tian Chengsi, so he does not understand many things.

In the Tang Dynasty, any simple transfer of official positions may be full of profound meaning and should never be taken lightly.

"Let's talk in the study."

Tian Chengsi waved his hands, thinking in his heart that something was wrong.

Both the Yokono Army and Xue Song have prominent backgrounds.

The Yokono Army was stationed near Weizhou in Hedong Road with the aim of "helping" the nine Tiele tribes in the north to resist the Turks.

In name of encouragement and support, but in reality it is secret surveillance.

The Yokono Army had nearly 9,000 soldiers, including a large number of cavalry. Although it was not as large as the Chishui Army of more than 30,000, it was still quite strong.

And this Xue Song is not an ordinary person either.

Xue Song was born into a military family and was a descendant of Xue Rengui. He lived with his father between Yan and Ji since he was young. He was strong and skilled in archery and horse riding. He was a man of heroic character and hated evil.

Of course, this is a nice way of saying it.

To put it bluntly, this person has brute force and knows a little bit of kung fu, has a straightforward personality, is not scheming, and easily offends others.

His father was Xue Chuyu, the fifth son of Xue Rengui, who had served as the governor of Fanyang and Pinglu.

But later he was accused of dereliction of duty and dismissed from his post.

Of course, this was also Xue Chuyu's own fault. In fact, dereliction of duty was a minor crime. Xue Chuyu's real problem was that he falsely reported military achievements and violated certain political taboos, which led to his loss of power.

For some reason, when Fang Youde and An Lushan were the governors of Youzhou, they did not promote this man. So he has been living in Hebei depressed and frustrated.

However, after Huangfu Weiming came to Hebei to serve as the governor, he vigorously promoted Xue Song, who had not been promoted for a long time, and made him his confidant. Xue Song naturally returned the favor and followed Huangfu Weiming's lead.

The Xue family was a frontier army family with connections to the imperial court, and its roots were in Hedong. I don't know which way he got there, but he was transferred to Hedong and served as the governor of Weizhou and concurrently as the military commander of the Hengye Army.

This is a typical case of being promoted easily by doing servile work. In any case, Xue Song is Huangfu Weiming's die-hard supporter, and there is absolutely no doubt about it.

Everyone entered the study, Tian Chengsi sighed helplessly, and said to the two brothers:

"Huangfu Weiming's move of pretending to build a plank road while secretly attacking Chencang was a good one. Everyone thought that Tian had surrendered to him and was promoted by him to be the deputy governor of Hedong. But who knew that after I left, the Lulong Army was directly controlled by Huangfu Weiming.

Xue Song is the chess piece that Huangfu Weiming has placed in Hedong!"

Hearing this, Tian Tingjie asked in a low voice: "Cousin, what you mean is that Huangfu Weiming will let Xue Song pick him up in the future, right?"

"That's right. The troops from Hebei left Youzhou from the west and their first stop along the Sanggan River was the Yokono Army.

The Yokono Army’s base was on the bank of a tributary of the Sanggan River.

By controlling the Yokono Army, the troops in Hebei could enter Hedong without a fight. Then they could continue marching westward along the Sanggan River and take Yunzhou and Shuozhou.

Next we can take over the entire Hedong!

The Yokono Army is our last barrier in the east. If the Yokono Army is controlled by Huangfu Weiming, we will bear the brunt of it!"

Tian Chengsi said with a serious expression.

At first glance, the court seemed a bit "stupid" to allow a "rebel" to take on such an important task. But if you think about it carefully, you will find that Xue Song is indeed suitable to be an official in Hedong. This move is not so much a conspiracy as it is an open plot to take advantage of the situation.

Often, both parties involved in the plot can see the opponent's actions, but they may not be able to see through the opponent's intentions. By the time you see through them, the situation has already been determined and there is no way to change it.

It is obvious that Xue Song is from the Hedong Xue family. His family roots are in Hedong and he also has connections in Hedong.

The imperial court appointed him as the military commander of the Yokono Army only because someone "recommended" him and it was just a matter of going with the flow.

As for the "rumors" that Xue Song was Huangfu Weiming's confidant, it is impossible to investigate them in reality. Because if you just investigate them casually, you will find that all bureaucrats are traitors.

Or in other words, they are inseparable.

We all hang out in the same circle, and no one’s identity is truly “clean and spotless” without any flaws.

Marry each other, support each other, you are in me and I am in you, this is the rule of the game in the circle.

Who dares to say that he has no flaws?
Princess Taiping was Ji Ge's aunt, why did Ji Ge want to kill her?
However, Xue Song getting what he wanted was not a good thing for Tian Chengsi, because now he has chosen to stand against Huangfu Weiming.

At the very least, they are openly uncooperative and unresponsive!

"Cousin, are you saying... Hebei may be in trouble?"

Tian Tinglin, who was listening in on the conversation, no matter how stupid he was, came to his senses at this moment. He lowered his voice and showed a look of horror.

As expected, Tian Chengsi nodded slightly and said, "Huangfu Weiming's layout in Hebei is almost complete, and we just have to wait and see when the east wind will gradually rise. The only thing I don't know now is who is Huangfu Weiming's backer, which prince it is. It seems that they have some internal support in the court."

Everyone in the study had a solemn look on their faces, wondering if anything could remain unscathed in such a collapse.

Once it breaks out, civil war is inevitable, the only uncertainty is how long it will last.

To be honest, Tian Chengsi was not very optimistic about the imperial court, or rather, about Brother Ji.

Why do you say that?
Because the emperor is over sixty years old today, but the crown prince is like a puppet and has no power of his own to take over the government.

This situation is like holding Tai'a upside down!

Chaos in the world is inevitable, the only uncertainty is when and who will do it!
The act of "rebellion" is considered as a heinous crime only in the eyes of Brother Ji, and it is just an unpleasant statement relative to him personally.

Even if it was Tian Chengsi, if a prince promised him great benefits and the situation was favorable, then Tian Chengsi would also bring his family members to participate deeply. It was no big deal, as Emperor Taizong was succeeded by a prince in a coup.

Now, Huangfu Weiming can do it, Xue Song can do it, and Tian Chengsi can do it. Even that "Fang Jieshuai" may be able to do it!

As long as the world still calls itself "Tang" and as long as the basic interests of the circle can be guaranteed, it doesn't matter who becomes the emperor, it's no big deal.

Everyone can accept this way of playing.

"Brother, why don't we just wait and see in Shuozhou? We should remain unchanged in the face of ever-changing circumstances."

Tian Tingjie suggested calmly.

But Tian Chengsi shook his head and sighed:
"We have no foundation, and being indecisive is the way to death. Huangfu Weiming has plotted against me many times, and this rift cannot be resolved. Our Tian family and he have long been irreconcilable.

Even if we surrender now, Huangfu Weiming comes from a wealthy family in Guanzhong circle, so he will definitely look down on us. Besides, it will be difficult to gain his trust.

It would be better to choose someone else as your backer."

Tian Chengsi hinted very bluntly.

Considering his official business trip to Shuofang, Tian Tingjie and Tian Tinglin already understood that the "new backer" Tian Chengsi found was Fang Chongyong, the newly appointed governor of Shuofang and Hedong and the ambassador of Hetao!

"What kind of person is Marshal Fang Jie?"

Tian Tingjie asked with a puzzled look on his face, feeling that Tian Chengsi was a bit hasty. At the very least, he should wait and see. Of course, if you enter the game late, you will get less.

He felt that his cousin was usually taciturn, bold and careful, and could judge people very well. Huangfu Weiming had also tried to win over Tian Chengsi, but the latter thought that Huangfu Weiming liked to select talents based on family background and connections, and it was difficult for him to achieve great things, so he always pretended to be nice to him.

Tian Chengsi was kicked out to Hedong, but it was not entirely Huangfu Weiming's attempt to exclude dissidents. I bribed you, and you neither accepted nor refused, so I had no choice but to kick you out, which was also human nature.

"Fang Chongyong was a man of great talent and strategy, even Cao Cao of the late Han Dynasty could not match him.

He reminded someone that the Uighurs might go south along the Zihe River to Wuzhou City and then invade Yunzhou.

I also think this possibility is very high. "

As Tian Chengsi spoke, he secretly tried to figure out Fang Zhongyong's thoughts. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this man was truly unfathomable.

Many people know that there will be a war between the Uighurs and the Tang Dynasty, but they just don’t understand how the war will be conducted.

Only Fang Zhongyong firmly believed that the Huihe needed the Tang Dynasty, and the Tang Dynasty also needed to maintain the existing "Grassland Alliance" framework. Therefore, the scale of the war could not be expanded indefinitely, let alone a war of annihilation.

It was necessary for the Tang Dynasty to teach the Huihe a lesson, and even to teach them a lesson severely. But they could not be beaten to death with one blow, which would be very passive politically. Because no one knew whether the Tibetans would make a comeback in the future.

How could you kill a force that could be used to contain Tubo? If you kill the Uighurs, the nine Tiele clans will worry about whether they will be the next Uighur.

The so-called awe is the lasting force. Making others fearful may sometimes backfire.

The same principle applies to the Uighurs.

The Tang Dynasty was too powerful and its territory was too vast. Since they could not destroy the Tang Dynasty, they could only find a way to coexist with it in a way that both sides found appropriate.

Then, the only option is to seize a piece of land in the border town of the Tang Dynasty, use it as a bargaining chip, and sit down at the table to have a good talk.

So which place has such value that can force the Tang Dynasty to the negotiation table?
Fang Chongyong told Tian Chengsi: The Huihe people will definitely take Yunzhou (Datong, Shanxi)! You must be on guard against the Huihe people moving south along the Zihe River.

This was because Yunzhou was the gateway for the grassland people to enter Hedong, and there was also the case of the Turks who transported troops and weapons through the Zihe River to support Liu Wuzhou's rebellion in Shuozhou.

If the Huihe people don't come to Shuozhou, are they so stubborn that they must fight to the death with the Tang army in Lingzhou?
No matter how Tian Chengsi thought about it, he felt that Fang Chongyong's eyes were as sharp as a torch.

The ability of a man who had been a big boss in a border town and could see through the key points of a complex situation at a glance was clearly visible.

You know, Yunzhou has actually been the activity area of ​​the grassland peoples for a long time.

After the Huihe people took Yunzhou, they had bargaining chips to negotiate with the Tang Dynasty. Even if they had to compromise in the end, they could rob Yunzhou and return it to the Tang Dynasty.

The Uighurs did not lose out at all!

At the very least, they proved that they are not easy to mess with and increased their voice on the grassland.

Although the Uighurs are currently using cavalry to harass border towns, their activities cover a range of thousands of miles. From the east of Liangzhou, to Shuofang, to Hedong, and finally to the west of Hebei, this vast border line has Uighur cavalry harassing everywhere.

However, such "scratching the surface" cannot achieve any political purpose except showing one's own incompetence. These are just a cover-up before the real "killer move".

Fang Chongyong was certain that the Uighurs would come to Yunzhou to cause trouble, and this place happened to be the junction of the two military towns of Shuofang and Hedong!

Of course, all of this is based on the wise decisions made by the leaders within the Huihe. If a madman really messes around, it will be unpredictable.

The Tang Dynasty and the Huihe fought a war over Yunzhou to see which side had more bargaining chips. After the battle, they took the bargaining chips in their hands to the negotiation table to end the war.

Then they would meet again in Lingzhou.

This is the unwritten rule of the game. Only wise people can see everything. Most people are in the fog, not knowing how the war will be launched, how it will proceed, and how it will end.

Just looking at this point, Tian Chengsi felt that Fang Chongyong was not to be underestimated!
"Brother, if Huangfu Weiming wants to rebel, will the generals of Hebei really join him in the rebellion?

Xue Song's grandfather is Xue Rengui, will he join him in the rebellion?"

Tian Tinglin asked in confusion.

That's a rebellion, and if it fails the whole family will be killed!

It would be fine if Huangfu Weiming worked alone, but how could so many people be willing to follow him?

“You don’t understand this.

The saint is old, and he can sit in that position, and so can the prince.

Supporting a prince to ascend the throne can ensure the family's prosperity for 20 to 30 years. Why not do it? This kind of thing is worth a gamble.

Besides, the losers are called traitors.

The winner is called "following the dragon", which brings honor to the family. "

There was a gleam in Tian Chengsi's eyes, and he muttered to himself.

"If Huangfu Weiming rebels, will Marshal Fang Jie follow suit?
Uh, what I want to say is that he is definitely not the same kind of person as Huangfu Weiming.

But will he become the forerunner of another prince?"

Tian Tingjie asked a question that Tian Chengsi had never considered.

"What you said... well, well, it's really interesting."

Tian Chengsi muttered to himself, lost in thought, not saying a word, and no one knew what he was thinking about. Tian Tingjie and Tian Tinglin did not want to disturb their eldest brother, so they quietly left the study.

(End of this chapter)