Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 483: Turning against guests
"General Jie, what do you mean?"

Li Jiaqing's smile was still frozen on his face, and he looked at Fang Chongyong in disbelief and questioned him.

He personally led people out of Kaifeng City to welcome Fang Chongyong, but what Li Jiaqing waited for was not laughter and warmth, but a cold knife at his neck.

Then he was tied up!

As soon as Fang Zhongyong saw them, the soldiers around him rushed over like wolves and tigers, disarming Li Jiaqing and his personal soldiers. Then, taking advantage of the lack of organized defense in the city, the soldiers of the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army quickly took over the city wall of Kaifeng.

The Xuanwu Army under Li Jiaqing were all taken prisoner. Of course, since all this happened too suddenly and there was no resistance from their side, the scene seemed peaceful and no one was injured or killed.

But Li Jiaqing just couldn’t understand. Fang Chongyong should be “one of their own”, so why should he directly disarm Fang Youde’s trusted subordinate?

Don't look at the monk's face, look at the Buddha's face. We should all have some friendship, right?
"General Li, right? In order not to embarrass you, I have no choice but to put up with you temporarily."

Fang Zhongyong chuckled, took Li Jiaqing's sword, played with it for a while, and then continued: "Don't worry, when I send you back to Luoyang, the sword will be returned to you in its original state."

Although he took on so much responsibility, what Li Jiaqing was worried about at the moment was not his own sword!
How much is a sword worth?
Li Jiaqing asked anxiously, "Marshal Fang Jie, could it be that you have defected to Huangfu Weiming and are now working for the Hebei bandit army? Why are you doing this?"

He did not think that Fang Zhongyong came to Bianzhou on the orders of Brother Ji, because this possibility was almost non-existent. In any case, Fang Zhongyong could not help an old emperor to deal with the promising prince and his own father.

It is not surprising that he surrendered to Huangfu Weiming.

"Huangfu Weiming?"

Fang Zhongyong seemed to have heard something extremely funny.

He laughed and said:

"General Li, you really think too much. Huangfu Weiming is just a pile of bones in a tomb. Is he worthy of my service?

Don't think too much about it. Just go to Luoyang for me and deliver a letter to the prince. It's good for you, for me, and for everyone.

Don't ask what you shouldn't ask, and don't know what you shouldn't know. If you are tied up and sent back to Luoyang, the prince will not doubt your loyalty. Do you understand?

I’m doing this for your own good!”

Hearing this, Li Jiaqing stopped talking, he knew that what Fang Zhongyong said was true. If he was sent back to Luoyang by Fang Zhongyong with a polite gift, it would be inevitable that outsiders would question whether he was in collusion with the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army and deliberately "sent" Bianzhou.

After sending Li Jiaqing away, Fang Chongyong didn't even have time to return to his home in Kaifeng City. He didn't even have time to talk to Wang Yunxiu who was eager to greet him. He took his subordinates to take over the Bianzhou government office in the core of Kaifeng County.

After placing many civil servants and clerks in the Bianzhou government office under centralized custody, Fang Chongyong issued three military orders in succession.

The first military order ordered He Changqi to take over the defense of Kaifeng City and to gather all the Xuanwu Army soldiers in the city to the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army camp in the suburbs for custody and to interrogate them one by one.

Those who were willing to join the army stayed, and those who were unwilling were directly dismissed.

The second military order ordered Wang Nan to take over the Xuanwu Army camp on the other side of the canal, and in the name of Crown Prince Li Heng, to restrain the soldiers from leaving the camp without permission.

The third military order ordered Che Guangqian to take over more than a dozen large and small ferry crossings near Kaifeng City, arrest the Xuanwu Army soldiers who were in charge of the security of the ferry crossings, and put them under centralized custody, and replace them all with soldiers from the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army.

Only after the military orders were issued and the generals left did Fang Chongyong breathe a sigh of relief.

This time, the capture of Kaifeng City was almost like stealing! The means were despicable and extremely dishonorable. However, Fang Zhongyong had to act swiftly and did not care about his appearance. Only by quickly controlling Bianzhou and creating a fait accompli could he gain a firm foothold and seek the next step of development.

The series of operations were carried out almost in a race against time, so much so that he didn't even have time to step forward and say hello when he saw Wang Yunxiu!
"General Jie, we have the situation under control now, but how should we respond to the Crown Prince? What we did is no less than slapping Crown Prince Li Heng in the face!"

Recorder Feng Changqing asked in a low voice. He was worried at the moment. He had to admit that Fang Zhongyong's decision was too radical and risky.

In fact, many things can be said in a nice way. After all, Fang Youde is in Luoyang now. What can't be said?

"Prepare your pen and ink. This section commander needs to write a letter now."

Fang Zhongyong patted the table in front of him lightly and said, suggesting Feng Changqing not to waste any more time.

Soon, the latter ground the ink, and Fang Chongyong immediately picked up his pen and wrote a very formal "memorial", and the person he reported to was the Crown Prince Li Heng.

In the memorial, Fang Chongyong first explained that as the imperial guards, he and the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army had always been able to overcome all difficulties, work hard, and fight bravely, making all enemy forces tremble in fear.

It was only because of his great achievements that he was not eligible for any reward that he was persecuted by the foolish Emperor Li Longji and had to flee to Bianzhou to avoid disaster.

Secondly, Fang Chongyong said that now that Hebei was in rebellion, the incompetent Emperor Li Longji, regardless of the safety of the capital, actually ran to Taiyuan to give blind orders, and made a series of stupid moves, including ordering the killing of the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army, which led to the demoralization of the Hedong army.

He predicted that in the next battle, the government troops would be defeated and the Hebei rebels would win a great victory.

If the rebels win, they will certainly be arrogant and look down on everyone, and will definitely move south.

By then, Henan will be in danger, like a lake hanging over its head, and may capsize at any time.

Therefore, Fang Chongyong requested to serve as the Jiedushi of Xuanwu Army, and coordinate the military, political and civil affairs of the six places of Bianzhou, Songzhou, Caozhou, Chenzhou, Bozhou and Yingzhou, select united soldiers, unify command and training, and organize them to resist the invasion of the bandit army to avoid falling into the dilemma of each acting on their own.

Finally, Fang Zhongyong expressed his earnest hope that Li Heng would agree to this request.

In his memorial, he emphasized that because of the betrayal by the foolish Emperor Li Longji, all the officers and soldiers of the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army were filled with resentment.

If this evil energy is directed well, it will be vented on the Hebei rebels and become a motivation for them to serve the country.

But if the guidance is not good, there will be a danger of mutiny. As for what will happen, Fang Zhongyong cannot predict it, so it should not be taken lightly.

Although he, as a military governor, was loyal to the country and the crown prince, and could not care about the stupid moves of the incompetent emperor Li Longji, he could not guarantee that all the soldiers of the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army would not get angry.

If he cannot control his soldiers, something bad may happen. If such a thing happens, it will be a pity for the enemy and his relatives to be sad.

Please make a quick decision, Prince. The military situation is urgent and there is no room for hesitation.

The memorial was very long, and the tone was very polite and humble, but the meaning was quite clear:

If you give me the post of Jiedushi of Xuanwu Town, I will help you to resist those hanged men in Hebei! From now on, I will obey orders instead of proclamations, and I will not be manipulated by you nor will I destroy your platform!

If you don't give it to me, then you just have to wait and see. The Silver Spear Xiaojie Army will never stop until Henan is turned upside down.

Not only will you have no one to help you fight, but the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army will also destroy your original government system. Maybe the rebels will fight all the way to Yangzhou. If that day really comes, I wonder if you will cry or laugh.

You'd better think about this carefully for me!
After writing the memorial, Fang Chongyong gave it to Feng Changqing for review.

"how do you feel?"

Fang Zhongyong asked curiously, he knew Feng Changqing always had his own ideas.

"General Jie, you are really brave!"

After reading the memorial, Feng Changqing said with a wry smile.

"This is a win-win situation. If Li Heng refuses, we will destroy Henan and flee to Lianghuai. The food and fodder we have now is enough for us to eat for half a year. The world is so big, there is no place we can't go."

Fang Chongyong sneered. It was obvious that he had never thought about being a loyal minister or a good general, and had completely put himself in the role of a "rebel", and his thinking was completely in line with those grassroots heroes who rose up in rebellion!
But to be honest, Fang Chongyong really didn't think Li Heng would refuse. And he thought that even if Li Heng wanted to fight with him, Li Mi, who was known as the "little prodigy", would not do so. "General, your idea is not bad. But as far as I know, Bianzhou is a place surrounded by wars. Can we really defend Bianzhou?"

Feng Changqing asked with some confusion.

He had studied the terrain of Bianzhou before. Although it couldn't be said to be impregnable, it was leaky on all sides. It was really hard to describe the difficulty of occupying such a place as a base.

It cannot be done without great wisdom and courage.

"You don't understand, it's like the great vulgarity is the great elegance, the great danger is the great opportunity.

Bianzhou will become the fulcrum of the entire Tang Dynasty in the future.

It's like the core of a storm at sea, but it's actually the calmest. You just have to wait and see what happens."

Fang Chongyong sneered.

Controlling Bianzhou means controlling the grain transport. Controlling the grain transport means controlling the economic lifeline of the Tang Dynasty.

By then, no matter whether it is Hebei or Guanzhong, as long as the canal in Bianzhou is blocked, those wealthy and powerful people will instantly know what "water outage on the 1st, 3rd and 5th, and intermittent water supply on the 2nd, 4th and 6th" means!
Of course, it is too advanced to tell these things to his subordinates now. They don’t understand how powerful the canal will be in the future.

"Go ahead and copy it, and have Li Jiaqing take it back to Luoyang."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand and finally felt relieved.

The government troops in Hedong are gathering, apparently intending to go deep into the heart of Hebei and engage in a decisive battle with Huangfu Weiming.

The latter would certainly lead his troops back from Yecheng and attack Shi Siming from both sides in an effort to counterattack.

This battle will have far-reaching consequences.

If the government forces win, Hebei will be pacified and the next round of purge will begin.

If the rebels win, the authority of the imperial court will collapse, the prince will take the throne to save the situation, and the Hebei rebels will rush straight to Chang'an with great momentum.

I don’t know how long this battle will last.

But it is obvious that no matter who wins or loses, the pressure on Henan will be greatly reduced!

This is a very rare window of opportunity, and taking advantage of it is enough to accomplish a lot of things.

"Why aren't you going?"

Fang Chongyong saw that Feng Changqing didn't move and asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"General, if the Crown Prince sends troops to attack us, what should we do? For example, if your father leads troops to attack us, should we fight or not?

How should we fight?"

Feng Changqing asked in a low voice.

"Don't worry, others may know this, but my father who behaves strangely will not bring troops to Bianzhou."

Fang Chongyong said slowly. He was very sure in his heart about what the crazy man from the Tang Dynasty would do and what he would not do.

This is incomprehensible to outsiders, because they cannot understand Fang Youde's mental journey. For the glory of the Tang Dynasty, even if it is false glory, he will struggle forward regardless of the world's criticism.

With the help of the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army, an ace army, to attract the main force of the Hebei rebels, what reason did Fang Youde have to refuse? Did he hope that the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army would continue to move south to Huaibei and Jiangnan, and stir up war in places where the Tang Dynasty was not in chaos?
Fang Chongyong is sure to defeat Fang Youde this time!

……

On this day, upon hearing that Li Mi had come to Shangyang Palace, Li Heng hurried to the palace gate to greet him. As soon as they met, he asked, "How is the situation in Chang'an?"

Li Heng had previously gone to Chang'an to contact various powerful people in charge, hoping that they would strongly support Li Heng in entering Chang'an and ascending the throne to become emperor.

But looking at Li Mi's calm face, Li Heng knew that the outcome of this trip might not be very good.

Even very bad!
"The time to take control of Chang'an is not yet ripe."

Li Mi shook his head in disappointment.

He looked for people from big families such as the Wei, Pei, and Du families.

Li Mi even looked for some people in the literary world, such as Yan Zhenqing.

But everyone had the same attitude: The government troops are still under the control of the saint, what do you want to do? If the saint brings troops back, can you stop them? Can the prince stop them? By then, more than one or two people will die!

Simply put, they don't think Li Heng can accomplish anything.

Brother Ji obviously has a large number of elite border troops in Hedong, what the hell are you talking about! These people from the aristocratic families didn't curse in front of Li Mi, which was already a great favor to Li Heng!
Of course, many people also expressed obvious disappointment with Brother Ji, but emotions cannot be used to feed people.

If it made sense to support Li Heng to rule Luoyang and supervise the battle at the front line as the crown prince, then for Brother Ji, leading Li Heng to Chang'an was an undisguised treason!
This is fundamentally different from before, so much so that no one among the powerful people in Chang'an dared to get involved.

"Is that so?"

Li Heng sighed. Although such a result was expected, when he heard the result from Li Mi's mouth, he still couldn't help but sigh.

The desire to take revenge on Brother Ji was like a poisonous snake, gnawing at Li Heng's heart every day, making him feel miserable. With the arrival of power, his dormant heart was activated, and the pain and regret in his heart were also activated.

"Your Highness, now is a critical moment for the situation to change. It is better for us to wait and see. It is too early to take control of Chang'an. It is better to defend Luoyang steadily.

Your Highness' efforts are visible to everyone in the world."

Li Mi comforted the depressed Li Heng and said.

At this moment, an eunuch hurried over, bowed to Li Heng and said, "Your Highness, General Li Jiaqing has come to Luoyang."

"Doesn't he come to Luoyang often?"

Li Heng asked with a puzzled look on his face, wondering what strange thing this eunuch was talking about.

"Your Highness... Alas, I don't understand. You should go and have a look. I will show you the way now."

The eunuch in front of Li Heng made a gesture of invitation.

"Your Highness, I will go with you."

Li Mi nodded and said.

"That's okay."

Li Heng sighed, feeling extremely annoyed.

(End of this chapter)