Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 500: Rather than embarrass yourself, it is better to disgust others

"Marshal Jie, please!"

In the private room of Wanhua Tower in Kaifeng City, Lu Yu handed the freshly brewed tea to Fang Chongyong.

"There is salt and tea, that's all. The tea ceremony may seem like a minor path, but it actually contains the great principles of life."

Fang Chongyong took a sip, placed the exquisite tea bowl on the table, and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

When Lu Yu makes tea, the main emphasis is on "fineness", and he pays attention to every detail.

Whether it is the quality of tea leaves, the type of water, or even the steps of making tea, everything is done with excellence. The process of making tea is like acting, which is pleasing to the eye.

However, Fang Chongyong is a wild boar that cannot eat fine bran, so he didn't feel any sense of superiority when drinking it.

In Fang Chongyong's opinion, it was just a sip of tea. To be so pretentious was nothing but an artificially created pretense by the aristocracy.

The well-pretended sophistication ultimately serves the rich and powerful. Fang Zhongyong was not impressed by this kind of pretentious superiority.

Lu Yu's tea ceremony is not about tea, but about the shaping of aristocratic customs. Of course, there is no need to talk about these things in front of Lu Yu.

As the saying goes, if you want to hit someone, don’t hit them in the face!

Seeing Fang Zhongyong nod in satisfaction, Lu Yu sat aside and waited quietly for the next words. He did not realize that the commander in front of him, Fang Jie, did not really agree with his so-called "tea ceremony".

"Mr. Lu's tea is excellent, but..."

Fang Zhongyong paused for a moment and put the tea bowl down on the table.

"But what?"

Lu Yu asked nervously.

He came here today not only to show his "talent", but also to shoulder the important task of promoting tea for the "financial sponsor" behind him!

If Fang Chongyong was not interested in his tea ceremony and the related teas and tea-making techniques, then it would be like a foolish dream for the tea from Jiangnan and Lianghuai to enter the northern market.

"Lord Lu's tea ceremony is extremely elegant and exquisite. He pays attention to everything, from the tea leaves and water to the teapot and tea stove, all of which are of the best quality.

From this point of view, it is considered the best in the world."

Fang Zhongyong praised him first, then paused for a moment before continuing:

“It’s a pity that tea is meant for people to drink after all.

The way of tea is the way of man.

Mr. Lu’s tea is for dignitaries. It is good, but like mountain streams, it is not available to ordinary people. The price of a pot of tea is equivalent to a month’s food expenses for an ordinary family.”

After saying that, Fang Zhongyong took out a small paper bag from his arms and poured the broken tea leaves inside into an unused tea bowl.

Then, he said to He Changqi behind him: "Pour the tea."

"Order!"

He Changqi asked the servant in the store for a pot of boiling water, and then poured the water into the tea bowl in front of Fang Chongyong.

"This is my tea ceremony, Mr. Lu, please give it a try!"

Fang Chongyong pushed the tea bowl in front of Lu Yu.

"This is……"

Seeing the extremely simple tea in front of him, Lu Yu was completely shocked.

He had drunk a lot of tea, but it was the first time he had seen someone drink tea so casually like Fang Zhongyong!
Lu Yu took a sip casually and found it bitter and astringent, the taste of which was hard to describe.

Overall, it's almost like torturing your mouth.

Lu Yu frowned slightly, took a sip reluctantly and was unwilling to take a second sip, so he slowly placed the tea bowl on the table.

"What do you think, Mr. Lu?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a smile.

Lu Yu just shook his head. He didn't want to tell a lie, nor did he want to deny it and offend the other party.

After all, he couldn't afford to offend Fang Chongyong.

“Tea is, after all, for people to drink.

Allowing everyone in the world to drink tea in a relaxed and effortless manner is the greatest tea ceremony.

Apart from this, I think everything can be simplified and there is no need to pursue perfection.

The method of brewing tea has just started, and there are still many steps that are not perfect, and the tea is also unsatisfactory.

However, if we improve the tea-making method gradually, we can benefit people all over the world. Although tea ranks last among the necessities of life, it is also a necessity.

If drinking tea eventually becomes a self-entertainment activity for the rich and powerful, then it is better not to drink the tea.”

Fang Chongyong said calmly, and made himself another cup of tea. He blew away the foam floating on the surface of the tea, and took a big sip.

Lu Yu remained silent. He actually disagreed with Fang Zhongyong's point of view. But he also saw that the other party really thought that way in his heart, and he was not just pretending.

"Mr. Lu, your request to transport tea through Bianzhou to Chang'an and Luoyang has been approved by the commander.

Bianzhou will not collect any additional customs duties.

But I have something to say to you in this section."

Fang Chongyong put away the smile on his face and said seriously, he had already seen that behind Lu Yu, there were actually many tea merchants from Jiangnan and Lianghuai. Promoting the tea ceremony was also paving the way for expanding tea sales and setting off a trend of drinking tea among the noble families.

Otherwise, where did Lu Yu get the money for food and drink when he came all the way from Yangzhou to Bianzhou? He was accompanied by Li Jilan!
"Please enlighten me, Marshal Fang Jie."

Lu Yu bowed to Fang Chongyong and said.

“Only lowly people would deliberately create mystery and perform some lofty rituals to prove that they are superior to others.

Don’t go astray in your tea ceremony.”

Fang Zhongyong said while tapping the table with his index finger.

"Thank you for your teachings, Marshal. I will definitely keep it in mind."

Lu Yu bowed to Fang Zhongyong respectfully. Afterwards, he packed up the tea-making utensils he brought with him, wrapped them up, and left neatly.

As for whether he took Fang Zhongyong's words to heart, people's minds are hidden, and no one present knew what he was thinking.

After Lu Yu left, He Changqi said to Chongyong thoughtfully, "General Jie, what you just said to Lu Yu seems to make sense!"

"Of course! What bullshit about the rich and powerful, what bullshit about the wealthy and powerful, the common people are the source of power.

We have to rely on the grassroots people for everything we do. Those damn powerful people are useless at the critical moment. They can make a shitty tea! They are just pretending!
If you have that much free time, you might as well read some books!"

Since Lu Yu was not there, Fang Chongyong could not help but stand up and curse.

Just as he was about to go downstairs to inspect the ferry outside the city, Che Guangqian came hurriedly with a booklet in her hand.

"General Jie, a report from the imperial court!"

Che Guangqian handed the booklet in her hand to Fang Chongyong.

"Eh? The imperial court? The imperial newspaper?"

Fang Chongyong was stunned. He was shocked by the news sent by Che Guangqian.

It was a rare thing for the imperial court to issue a report. Fang Zhongyong took the booklet, which was more than ten sheets thick, with a puzzled look on his face. He flipped through the pages one by one, and his expression suddenly became solemn.

"Let's go back to the governor's office and talk about it!"

Fang Zhongyong turned around and walked downstairs. His close associates looked at each other in confusion, not knowing what had happened.

After a while, the group arrived at the study of the Jiedushi's office.

After He Changqi left the study and stood guard outside the door, Fang Chongyong asked Che Guangqian to call his aide Zhang Tongru, his brother-in-law Wang Yanshu, Wang Zhongsi's adopted son Li Sheng, as well as Yan Zhuang and Cen Shen, who had recently followed Li Sheng to Bianzhou from Chang'an.

All of a sudden the study was full of people, but Fang Zhongyong didn't say anything and no one else said anything.

"The imperial court's report has been delivered to the Bianzhou Jiedushi's office today. I believe that the governors of other states should have received it as well.

You all can take a look at it.”

Fang Zhongyong said in a deep voice, handed the court bulletin to Che Guangqian, and then circulated it to everyone in the room.

Not long after, everyone finished reading what was written above, and each of them had a complicated expression on their face, wanting to speak but hesitant.

An awkward silence permeated the entire study.

"The crown prince has ascended the throne in Chang'an and has changed the reign title to Shangyuan, corresponding to the original Kaiyuan. From now on, the year will no longer be called Zai. The emperor is also called Your Majesty, not Saint.

And the former sage of the Tang Dynasty was revered as the Supreme Emperor.

What do you think the impact of this is?"

Fang Chongyong looked around the crowd and asked.

There were other things mentioned in the official report, but this one was the most important one.

It was not surprising that Li Heng ascended the throne in Chang'an, or it could be said that this was definitely a necessary step in the plan of that group of people and would happen sooner or later.

But the problem lies in sending the official bulletin.

It is not known how many copies of this court report were printed, but considering the financial resources of the Chang'an Central Government, it is not difficult to widely distribute the court report. The distribution of the court report indicates that Li Heng or the people behind him are very confident that they are the orthodox.

In terms of politics and public opinion, the supreme imperial power in Li Longji's hands was legitimately deprived! And the world was informed!
A small official report contains enormous power and its political influence cannot be underestimated. How can we take it lightly?
"General, if Li Longji learns of this, he will definitely lead troops from Hedong to suppress what he sees as rebellion in Guanzhong. This will be another battle between dragons and tigers!"

Yan Zhuang showed an inexplicable smile on his face and said excitedly.

Although the process was somewhat tortuous and different from what he had imagined, the troubled times indeed arrived as he had expected.

The others in the room nodded slightly. It was obvious that Yan Zhuang's judgment was correct. In other words, this matter was obvious.

"According to the scouts' report, Li Longji has led his troops out of Taiyuan City, but for some reason, he stayed in Jinzhou.

But no matter what, his target must be Puzhou. Controlling Puzhou is equivalent to controlling the key to entering Guanzhong."

Fang Chongyong said with a worried look on his face. Obviously, this was not good news for him, at least not entirely good news.

"Seeing a great war about to happen, Huangfu Weiming, who was sitting on the mountain watching the fight, should have woken up with laughter even in his sleep, right?"

Zhang Tongru said with disdain.

His former benefactor, An Lushan, died as a result of Huangfu Weiming's conspiracy and plot. He feels angry when he thinks about it now.

"Yes, the problem is that no matter how much fighting and commotion there is in Guanzhong, Huangfu Weiming in Hebei will not sit idle. He has at least 200,000 troops under his command, and he will definitely find a place to stretch his muscles.

What do you think the next target of the Hebei bandit army will be?"

Fang Zhongyong asked with a sigh.

No one answered, or there was no need to answer, this question, the answer was obvious.

"General Ji, these things are actually acceptable. The trouble is the latter one."

Che Guangqian said cautiously.

The court report said that Li Ying ascended the throne and that Ji Ge automatically became the emperor, which of course was a "news headline". But the next thing mentioned in the report should not be taken lightly.

“Yes, the Chang’an Central Government probably felt that it could no longer control the vast area south of the Yellow River, so it announced a major event.

Each state could organize its own army, and as long as they reported their numbers to the imperial court, they would become official troops once approved. Their military pay and supplies were all provided by the states and counties themselves.

The provincial government can also retain a portion of the materials collected locally. They only need to obey the orders from Chang'an and supply them according to demand.

To put it simply, the provincial governors are now local emperors. "

Fang Zhongyong looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice.

This is most likely the work of Yan Zhenqing.

Since the imperial court had lost control of many prefectures and counties, instead of handing these places over to the Hebei rebels or some powerful warlords (such as Fang Chongyong), it would be better to voluntarily give up control and make it more difficult for opponents to control these places.

To put it simply, even if I can't eat this bowl of rice, I'll pee in it so that others can't eat it either!
A true strategy of fighting poison with poison.

"The world is in chaos and destruction as fast as a meteor falling to the ground, in just a moment. What a pity! What a pity!"

Cen Shen, who had the sentiments of a poet, sighed.

Only a few years have passed. Has the Tang Dynasty already reached the stage of "autonomy of prefectures and counties"?

"This is not unusual. Chang'an has everything they need. They are just missing one thing."

Fang Zhongyong raised the report in his hand and said, "The only thing missing is a powerful army that is invincible in the world!"

This statement is very insightful.

After Li Heng ascended the throne, why did the people in Chang'an relax the autonomy of prefectures and counties, allowing the governors to recruit soldiers and handle taxes on their own?

Because those people knew that they did not have a strong army, they could not capture cities, and naturally they could not deal with those local governors who had ulterior motives!
Instead of hiding your incompetence from outsiders, it is better to relax restrictions and let everyone have fun together!

At the very least, this move made Fang Chongyong, the governor of Xuanwu Army, very uncomfortable!
Fang Zhongyong originally wanted to continue to control several states outside Xuanwu Town, and it would be best if he could extend his tentacles to Huainan! And now that the imperial court is playing such a trick, it is obvious that Yangzhou, with its abundant wealth and sufficient manpower, can easily raise an army of tens of thousands of people.

"General Jie, these small actions of the imperial court will not cause us any trouble for the time being.

The main thing is Huangfu Weiming's side. If there is no major change, the day when the Yellow River freezes in winter this year will be the time for the Hebei bandit army to move south.

When the time comes, they will attack from multiple directions and divide their forces to attack our weak points. How should we deal with it?"

Li Sheng, who basically never spoke at the military meeting, suddenly interrupted.

"Not bad!"

Fang Zhongyong uttered two words and said nothing more.

In fact, although this is very likely to happen, it cannot be inferred from the content of this report.

It was a strategic foresight to determine that the Hebei rebels would move south to Henan and take advantage of the window period when Ji Ge led his troops to attack Guanzhong to seize land.

Fang Chongyong glanced at Li Sheng and decided to assign him more important military duties in the future. This cheap brother-in-law still had some strategic vision.

"You all go back and think about it. If you have any ideas, don't talk about it everywhere, don't discuss it with others, just come here and talk to me alone.

If you don't have anything else to do today, just go away."

Fang Chongyong immediately announced the adjournment of the meeting, and everyone in the study slowly walked out of the room with a feeling of being unsatisfied.

Obviously, a major test concerning life and death has been placed before everyone!

(End of this chapter)