Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 485: Vigorous Performance Art (Part )
In the study room of his own house, Fang Chongyong looked at Dugu Li who had come from afar, and listened to him talking about those irrelevant "grand plans". For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

Compared with Li Heng, Prince Ying Li Yu had two huge gaps that were difficult to make up.

The biggest difference was that Li Yu was not a crown prince. If he ascended the throne and became emperor, his legitimacy would not be much stronger than that of the Hebei rebels. However, Li Yan was a crown prince, and this title alone was enough to attract many people to his side to conspire for his great cause.

The second difference is the "first-mover advantage". Li Ying was the first to stand up against Brother Ji. Those who don't plan to jump ship will definitely stand on Brother Ji's side. Those who plan to jump ship will first jump to Li Ying's side.

What advantage does Li Lu have?
I really don’t know where Dugu Li’s confidence comes from!

"Supporting Prince Ying to ascend the throne in Xiangyang is tantamount to treason. I cannot do such a thing."

Fang Chongyong said slowly.

However, Dugu Li was obviously not so easy to fool. A disdainful smile appeared on his face, and he could not help but sneer: "Everyone knows that the emperor has killed you and the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army, and you still say you are afraid of rebellion. The person in the world who is least afraid of rebellion is you, Fang!"

"That's true, but I don't want to support Prince Ying. The situation in the world has changed drastically now, and there's no going back.

If Dugu still wants to bet on multiple parties as before, I am afraid he has made a wrong calculation. "

Fang Chongyong decided to give Dugu Li one last piece of advice. If Dugu Li really didn’t listen, then there would be nothing else to do.

Path dependence is actually a very useful and scary thing.

Path dependence allows people to deal with things that "don't require too much attention" with high efficiency, allowing them to focus on key issues.

It worked fine before, and it should work just as well in the future if I use the old method.

The Northern Wei dynasty was replaced by the Northern Zhou dynasty, the Northern Zhou dynasty was replaced by the Sui dynasty, the Sui dynasty was replaced by the Tang dynasty, and the Guanlong dignitaries always stood on the side of the winners by taking every speculative bet. They were very skilled in playing this kind of "path dependence".

I also habitually think that I will be able to do it next time.

"You know nothing! I want to help you for the sake of Shisan Niang. Don't think that I can't do it without you!"

Dugu Li left with a harsh remark and walked away angrily. If you don't agree with someone, it's hard to convince someone with different ideas.

Fang Zhongyong guessed correctly that Ying Wang Li Yu was just a "project" invested by their Dugu clan. As time went by and the war situation changed, there would be more and more "projects" to ensure that the core interests of the Dugu clan could be maintained under the next emperor.

Fang Chongyong sent Dugu Li out of the hospital, turned around and saw Wang Yunxiu looking at him, as if she had something to say.

"I heard from my brother that my father wanted to kill Alang in Queshu Valley. Is this true?"

Wang Yunxiu asked calmly.

When Wang Yanshu told her about this, Wang Yunxiu felt the deep fear from the bottom of her heart for the first time in her life.

She remembered the story of a man who could be slept with by anyone clearly. When her father and husband went to war, who should she help?
This is a question that tests human nature and is also a difficult question to decide.

If Wang Zhongsi really massacred the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army in Queshu Valley, the devastating blow to Wang Yunxiu's life would be self-evident.

"It's nothing. Don't listen to Wang Yanshu's nonsense. It's all an act."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand indifferently.

He thought about it and decided not to tell Wang Yunxiu about the danger of Wang Zhongsi leading his troops to attack Hebei.

"The world has changed, and nothing can go back to the way it was before."

Fang Zhongyong put his arm around Wang Yunxiu's shoulders and sighed helplessly.

……

In the early summer of the twelfth year of Tianbao, Crown Prince Li Heng, who was stationed in Luoyang, officially appointed Fang Chongyong as the Jiedushi of Xuanwu Army, in charge of the military, political and civil affairs of six places, namely Bianzhou, Songzhou, Caozhou, Chenzhou, Bozhou and Yingzhou.

He holds military power, financial power, and the power to appoint and dismiss personnel!

In addition, he appointed Ying Wang Li Lu, Yong Wang Li Lin and others as Jiedushi, each of them guarding one side and working together to fight against the bandit army in Hebei.

Although Li Ying's behavior was suspected of "taking off pants to fart", all these bad things were challenging Ji Ge's authority.

There was no reaction from Hedong. According to Ji Ge's idea, if they led their army directly into the rebels' rear area and won, all of Li Heng's tricks would melt away like ice under the scorching sun.

In the face of absolute victory, these conspiracies and tricks are not worth mentioning!
Putting aside the fact that the imperial court was gathering a large army in Hedong and preparing for a decisive battle with the rebels in Hebei, there were also many new changes in Bianzhou.

Fang Chongyong ordered Duan Xueshi to gather nearby civilians and force them to do labor service to build another fortress on the other side of the canal in Kaifeng County.

This is actually as it should be, because the east bank of the canal itself needs a small city to support Kaifeng City and ensure the basic defense of the local area. In addition, there are many warehouses on the east bank of the canal, and a city is indeed needed to guard against bandits.

When the wooden wall was still under construction, merchants set up stalls around the wall and consciously moved closer to it.

This is very similar to the Jiankang city without outer walls. There are small castles inside, and residents continue to move to settle near the castles, and finally the whole city is connected.

Many people originally thought so, but soon they realized that something was a little wrong!

For example, some merchants saw soldiers from the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army pushing carts in and out of the new city. In the cages on the carts were tigers... and a slightly smaller leopard!

I have to say, it's a little abstract.

For example, the howling of tigers and the cursing of soldiers could often be heard in the city.

The merchants who had gathered near the city wall moved away overnight after hearing the tiger's roar, and in the end, not a hair was left of them.

In this absurd style of painting, 20 days later, the construction of this strange new city was completed. At the entrance of the city gate, there was a huge plaque with black characters hanging.

The words "Hu Ben" are written on it!
Early in the morning, outside Kaifeng city.

Yuan Jie, wearing a red official robe, held a gong in his hand and shouted to the crowd while beating it: "Don't miss it if you pass by! Warriors fighting tigers is something that can only be seen once in a hundred years! It only costs a penny! You can't be cheated with a penny, you can watch warriors fighting tigers in Huben City with just a penny! If you miss this opportunity, you will never see it again!"

As he shouted, peddlers, merchants and travelers in and around Kaifeng city all headed towards the newly built "Hu Ben City" with great interest.

There is a ticket booth at the entrance. You can throw a Kaiyuan Tongbao into the box and go in to watch the show. Bianzhou is rich, and ordinary people can still afford a penny.

Moreover, they had never even heard of such a show as hand-to-hand combat with tigers, let alone watched it!
"Marshal Jie, why are you here..."

At this time, Che Guangqian, who was selling tickets at the door, saw Fang Zhongyong coming with a female relative. Although the woman was wearing a veil, Che Guangqian recognized her as Anaye at first sight.

"It's a celebration for all, so I'm here to join in the fun."

Fang Zhongyong, dressed casually in a cloth robe and unrecognizable in a crowd, threw two Kaiyuan Tongbao coins into a wooden box and slowly walked into the new city which had been completed only a few days ago.

At this moment, there were already huge crowds of people inside, and the soldiers who were maintaining order were shouting at the top of their lungs, warning the crowd not to push or run around.

When the city was built, it was designed for performances. The central parade ground was where warriors fought tigers. The surrounding platforms were raised one after another until they were flush with the city walls.

Fang Zhongyong arrived late, and the better seats were already taken. He and Anaye had no choice but to sit on a high platform close to the height of the city wall. It was a bit far from the parade ground, so the view was not very clear and they could not observe any details.

"When they select slaves in Hexi, they sometimes let them fight with lions and tigers. But it's unheard of for Alang to do such a big thing."

Anaye teased Fang Zhongyong.

This kind of routine of humans fighting against wild beasts has existed since ancient times, but it has always been very controversial.

On the one hand, the violent element in human genes makes this cruel and bloodthirsty activity widely praised, making the audience excited and excited.

On the other hand, it is so bloody and seems not very "civilized", which is somewhat incompatible with the development direction of the times.

In short, the onlookers all have a "stinky tofu" mentality towards this.

It smells bad but tastes good. Usually in front of outsiders, they look down on this violent and bloody sport and even criticize it!

But when they have the chance to watch it, they will still come to watch it without hesitation.

"Ah Lang, can this man beat a tiger? Oh, how cruel."

A few seats away from Fang Zhongyong, a woman wearing the same veil as Anaye asked a man dressed like a wealthy businessman next to her. Her voice was so soft and coquettish that it gave people goose bumps.

According to Anaye, you can tell she is a slut just by listening to her voice.

If nothing unexpected happens, this woman should be the "standard Hu Ji" of the merchant next to her, a bit like "a secretary when there is work to do, and a secretary when there is nothing to do". The kind that can serve both daily life and bed. Merchants in the Tang Dynasty generally liked to have a beautiful Hu Ji to serve them personally, and take them wherever they go. In addition, if they have the conditions, they will also use Kunlun slaves as bodyguards, and at the very least, they will hire a Sogdian warrior to accompany them as a guard.

When Xuanzang went to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures, he was not followed by Wukong, but a Sogdian warrior, who fought with him throughout the whole battle.

"Don't, don't shout, Ah, Ah Lang.

"People, people fight, can't beat the fierce, fierce tiger."

The young man next to the woman actually had a slight stutter and spoke haltingly.

It was hard to imagine that a stutterer could be a businessman! Of course, this was just Fang Zhongyong's guess based on the other person's attire, and the actual situation was unknown.

"what happened?"

Noticing that Fang Zhongyong had been looking at someone else, Anaye asked curiously.

"fine."

Fang Zhongyong waved his hand gently, thinking that there was no need to tell Anaye those boring stories.

Just as the two were chatting, drums sounded loudly from all four corners of the city!

Boom, boom, boom! Boom, boom, boom!
Boom, boom, boom! Boom, boom, boom!
The "military band" of the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army began to beat drums.

With its unique rhythm, everyone on the platform felt like they were on the battlefield.

The drumbeats are getting more and more anxious!
Fang Chongyong looked around and observed the expressions of the audience. He saw that each of them was full of anticipation, and many of them even clenched their fists.

Very good, the atmosphere is almost set.

Fang Zhongyong couldn't help but nodded slightly.

In his view, the war of public opinion is also a war. This performance is to use the power of "journalism" in later generations to create an "ace iron army" with social public opinion.

Abbreviation: Internet celebrity army!

Whether you can fight or not is not the most important thing. You must make outsiders believe that you are very good at fighting!
When the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army first arrived in Bianzhou, the people were dissatisfied. Fang Zhongyong told others how powerful this army was in the Western Regions, and how he defeated the Hebei rebels in Hedong.

It's all useless.

Ignorant people do not know the value of these battles. They may think it is simple, and the enemies are all selling their heads.

Even if Fang Zhongyong explained the strategies and tactics to them, those people didn't understand and didn't want to listen.

However, when the Warriors play the Tigers, it is very exciting, very intuitive, and very exciting! Full of visual impact!

If an army's soldiers can kill a tiger, how can they lose the battle?

How powerful it is to be able to beat a tiger! How could the enemy on the battlefield be more powerful than a tiger?

Therefore, there is no need for Fang Zhongyong to explain too much. After watching today's "warrior fighting tiger" drama, the name of the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army will spread like wildfire.

And it was passed on by word of mouth! It even became more and more outrageous!

But in fact, organizing a well-trained team is much more difficult than finding a few warriors to fight a tiger! On the battlefield, a warrior who can fight a tiger is just a warrior in front of the battle.

If you encounter a foolish commander, no matter how brave you are, you will be beaten to death by the enemy. On the battlefield, the commander's command and dispatch are much more important than finding a few warriors who can fight tigers!

But ordinary people, and even some wealthy and powerful families, don’t understand these things!
The more violent and bloody the scenes are, the more eye-catching they are, the more excited they become.

They don’t understand strategy or tactics, nor do they understand fighting in battle formations, but they can see how the man-eating tiger was defeated by the warriors!

Fierce, brave, and powerful!

One short and vivid word after another will strike their nerves, leaving in their minds the impression that "the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army is invincible", and then generate awe from the bottom of their hearts.

"Eh? Isn't that He Lao Hu?"

Anaye impatiently lifted the veil that blocked her view and pointed at the "warrior" holding a stick on the training ground.

"He is really a tiger."

Fang Chongyong also saw the man's body shape clearly, it could only be He Changqi.

He was the only bald man in the army, so he was easy to identify.

“This time, the performance includes a single person fighting a tiger, a single person beating a leopard, and three people hunting a tiger.

Watch slowly, Ah Duan trained them how to catch tigers. In fact, many things are practice makes perfect. After knowing the habits of tigers, it is not difficult to deal with them. At least it is much easier than killing enemies on the battlefield.

No matter how powerful a beast is, it cannot be as ferocious as a human."

Fang Zhongyong said pointedly.

"Brother, brother, you said it well! People are the most terrifying."

The young man dressed as a wealthy businessman next to him stammered and gave Fang Chongyong a thumbs up.

As a sharp whistle sounded, a gate made of iron bars at the edge of the training ground opened, and a huge white-browed tiger with hanging eyes slowly walked out of the cage.

Impressive! Mighty and majestic!
The pair of yellow vertical pupil eyes stared at He Changqi.

Alas!

Everyone in the stands held their breath, some even covered their eyes with their hands, but then they couldn't help but open their fingers, leaving a crack!

The show has finally begun, it’s worth the money!

The tiger circled around He Changqi vigilantly, and the latter also followed the tiger's footsteps, always facing the tiger.

"Ouch!"

Suddenly, the big beast showed unparalleled explosive power. It suddenly exerted force with its hind legs, stretched out its front paws, and swooped down swiftly!

If you get caught, the game is over and you can eat your dinner.

But He Changqi stood still at first, until the fishy smell from the tiger's mouth was already overwhelming him, then he suddenly exerted force, dodged, and smashed the wooden stick hard on the tiger's waist!

"woo woo woo woo!"

The big beast whimpered a few times in pain, then turned around and ran away, instantly escaping back into the iron fence and never refusing to come out again!

"Silver Spear Filial Piety, invincible!"

He Changqi raised the wooden stick and yelled!

"Silver Spear Filial Piety, invincible!"

"Silver Spear Filial Piety, invincible!"

"Silver Spear Filial Piety, invincible!"

On the four sides of the stands, one side was composed entirely of soldiers from the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army. They immediately followed He Changqi in making a fuss, bringing the atmosphere to a climax!

"How's it going? Is it okay?"

Fang Zhongyong asked Anaye beside him with some pride.

"It turns out that He Lao Hu really can fight tigers. I used to think he was just bragging."

Anaye muttered to herself.

(End of this chapter)