Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 556: Water flows into rivers, sand falls on the beach

That night, Fang Youde gathered all the generals to hold a meeting to discuss military affairs.

Everyone could see that Fang Youde had a dejected expression on his face, and he did not have the slightest bit of excitement of defeating a strong enemy.

"Li Guangbi will lead 5,000 men to guard Puzhou, Gao Xianzhi will lead 5,000 men to guard Tongguan. With your own troops as the backbone, you can recruit soldiers to unite with you."

Fang Youde gave the order in a calm tone with a hint of fatigue.

Although I don't understand where the other party's depressed mood comes from, there is nothing much to say about this military order. It is very normal and is part of the garrison operation after victory.

It also means that Fang Youde will have to return to Chang'an with other troops.

"Order!"

Li Guangbi and Gao Xianzhi saluted in unison and received the military order.

After this battle, Fang Youde's prestige in the army was at its peak and no one could disobey him.

"The rest of you can follow me back to Chang'an, and I will naturally reward you according to your merits when the time comes.

That's it, let's go now."

Fang Youde said with a sigh.

There was something obviously wrong with his attitude, but there were so many people present that those who wanted to ask were too embarrassed to do so. Everyone had to pretend that they had seen nothing.

After everyone left, Li Jiaqing approached Fang Youde and asked in a low voice, "Marshal, what happened?"

At this moment, the two of them had already tacitly come to a place under a locust tree where no one was paying attention.

"Li Heng killed the emperor, and things are going to change."

Fang Youde said softly to Li Jiaqing.

However, the latter was not surprised at all, but sighed with emotion: "If an old man does not die, he is a thief. If I were the emperor, I would probably kill him. But if the emperor dies at this time, the commander-in-chief will be in trouble."

Fang Youde was well aware of Li Jiaqing's straightforward temper and did not pay attention to these words, which he had considered to be "treasonous" in the past.

"It's a done deal. There's no point in talking about this now."

Fang Youde sighed and felt very confused.

"General, if the emperor kills his father, he will definitely not be able to hold on to that position.

Why doesn't the Marshal depose the emperor and support a new prince to take the throne, just like Cao Mengde did back then?

This is not only for the Marshal, but also for the Control Crane Army, and even more for the people of the world!"

Li Jiaqing lowered his voice and beckoned.

Isn't it just the emperor who killed the emperor emeritus? There are so many emperors! If this one is not satisfactory, just appoint another one!
"Han Jian, Li Maozhen, Zhu Wen and their ilk were not incapable of doing so, but simply chose not to do so."

Fang Youde sighed again.

Li Jiaqing was confused by what he heard, but he didn't know what to ask, so he just remained silent.

Anyway, Li Jiaqing also heard that Fang Youde seemed to have no interest in power and had no intention of doing anything outrageous.

He even secretly guarded against being supported by his subordinates!
"Marshal, what are your plans for the future?"

Li Jiaqing asked doubtfully.

"Jiaqing, the Control Crane Army will be handed over to you and Huaiguang from now on.

The soldiers fought bravely and shed blood to gain the reputation they have today, so you must treat them well."

Fang Youde patted Li Huaiguang on the shoulder and said.

"You can't do that, Marshal!"

Li Jiaqing immediately knelt on the ground and pleaded, "Marshal, you are the soul of the Crane Control Army. How will the soldiers cope with your departure?"

He could already tell that Fang Youde wanted to leave.

"I will go back to where I came from. Chang'an is not my home."

Fang Youde helped Li Jiaqing up, patted the dust off his body and said:
"I came from Dunhuang in Shazhou, so I will naturally go back to Dunhuang. I don't want to care about the troubles in this world anymore.

I am about to leave now. After you go to Chang'an to meet the emperor, you can make your own decisions on everything.

I will not interfere with what you like to do, and you don't have to send anyone to find me, let alone discuss it with me."

Hearing this, Li Jiaqing was shocked!
Fang Youde was actually going to go on his own right now! He was actually going to give up all his authority right now!
But after thinking about it, Li Jiaqing understood Fang Youde's painstaking efforts.

If he returned to Chang'an, he would not be able to escape for both moral and logical reasons. There would definitely be countless people kneeling in front of Fang Youde and asking him to "take charge of the situation."

If you have to stay at that time, it will go against your original intention and you will be taking over a mess. How can you talk about relief?
If we don't keep him, the history books will be merciless and we don't know how they will frame Fang Youde and put a lot of blame on him.

It would be better for him and everyone if he just left now.

At least he has stopped being framed. He has "retired", so others should stop putting those accusations on him.

"General, a real man cannot live without power for a day! If you leave and go to Shazhou, you will become an ordinary person. It doesn't have to be like this. Why do this?"

Li Jiaqing knelt on the ground and cried, holding Fang Youde's sleeves tightly and not letting go.

"What's wrong with being an ordinary person?

I have been working hard to maintain the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty all my life.

The world is now in chaos, and the only way to resolve this dilemma is to destroy it first and then rebuild it.

I am old and tired, and I don't have the energy to accompany those petty people anymore.

You can do whatever you want after entering Chang'an without worrying about my opinion."

Fang Youde helped Li Jiaqing up. This time, Li Jiaqing did not try to persuade him anymore. He could only nod slightly and sigh helplessly.

Fang Youde has lost all hope and no longer cares about external things such as wealth and fame. He is just an old man who wants to find a deserted place to spend his old age.

The person is not old yet, but the heart is already dead. How sad and painful.

"Understood, please take care, Marshal!"

Li Jiaqing wiped the tears from his face, clasped his fists solemnly and bowed to the other party.

"Life is unpredictable, so just go with the flow."

Fang Youde waved at him and walked alone towards the woods where the horse was tied.

……

This year should have been the thirteenth year of Tianbao, but because the retired emperor Li Longji "accidentally" fell from the Qinzhengwuben Building and died, the emperor Li Ying ordered the year name to be changed to "Baoying", and it became the first year of Baoying.

There was a "rumor" spreading throughout the city of Chang'an, saying that the death of the retired emperor was actually caused by Emperor Li Heng. However, the government insisted that the retired emperor accidentally fell to his death.

However, judging from the fact that the Jinwu Guards were arresting people who spread rumors and the fact that the retired emperor's coffin was hastily sent to the unfinished Tai Mausoleum, the cause of his death was very suspicious.

It is also obvious that the emperor dislikes the retired emperor and has no intention of fulfilling his filial duties.

Furthermore, more than one hundred guards, palace maids, and eunuchs who were on duty in the Xingqing Palace that day were sentenced to death after the incident on the grounds of "laziness and slackness" that led to the death of the emperor, which also made outsiders feel that there were many secrets behind this matter.

However, under Li Mi's management, various affairs within the court ran surprisingly smoothly.

After the government army won a great victory over the rebels in Hebei, Li Heng issued an edict, appointing Li Guangbi as the Defense Commissioner of Hezhong, leading troops to garrison Puzhou, and allowing him to recruit soldiers to supplement his troops.

At the same time, Gao Xianzhi was appointed as the defense envoy of Tongguan and led troops to guard Tongguan. Then the court ordered to divide the defense zone in Wugong, Guoxian, Yongxian and other places west of Chang'an, set up Fengxiang Prefecture, and station the Control Crane Army there.

At the same time, Li Heng also appointed Li Jiaqing as the governor of Fengxiang, and Li Jiaqing's son Li Huaiguang as the general of the Qianniu Guard, serving the emperor.

After Yan Zhenqing was "promoted", he was appointed as the Minister of the Central Secretariat and the Right Prime Minister; Li Mi was appointed as the Palace Attendant and the Left Prime Minister. Other vacancies in the central government caused by the war were also basically filled in a short period of time.

After all, it is hard to find a three-legged frog, but there are a lot of literati who want to be officials.

It is hard to say that such a sophisticated operation was done by Li Ying.

But anyway, the Chang'an Central Organization began to operate normally again. It seemed that everything was fine, as if nothing had happened.

But no one knows what the future will be like.

Because not only throughout the country, but even in Chang'an, there were undercurrents. The rumor that the emperor had killed his father and the emperor was spreading more and more fiercely in the circle of the powerful and wealthy, and it was almost known to everyone.

No one can predict how the princes who were sent to guard various parts of the country will deal with this matter.

No one can predict how the Li Tang royal family and the various dignitaries in Guanzhong who live in Chang'an will react.

Marshal Fang Youde, who almost single-handedly defeated the attack of the Hebei rebels, suddenly disappeared from the sight of all the court officials and dignitaries.

He didn't ask for anything, didn't say anything, and didn't even go to Chang'an. He just left without saying goodbye.

Fang Youde, wearing coarse linen clothes and without any jewelry on his body, looked like an old man with nothing.

He was like a grain of sand disappearing on the beach. After returning to Chang'an, he disappeared without a trace. No one knew where he went. But his legend of being a god in commanding troops and undefeated on the battlefield spread among people in the streets and alleys.

A month passed in a flash, and the undercurrent of Ji Ge's "sudden accident" death in Chang'an seemed to have gradually calmed down. People were busy with the autumn harvest, busy with storing grain, and busy with their own affairs. The rumors of patricide and regicide gradually subsided.

The autumn wind blows the fallen leaves, and there is a hint of chill in the crisp autumn air.

On this day, a middle-aged man in plain clothes came to Jinsu Mountain near Weinan County, where Li Longji's mausoleum is located. Even the sentry post at the entrance of Tai Mausoleum was built very simply, and it didn't look like it was meant to be stationed there for a long time.

Emperor Li Ying seemed to have a deep grudge against Ji Ge. He strongly opposed burying his biological mother Wu Huifei with Ji Ge, and was unwilling to complete the construction of Tai Mausoleum.

"Stop, who are you?"

A soldier from the Control Crane Army walked forward lazily and stopped the middle-aged man in front of him.

They were already unhappy about being assigned to guard the Tai Mausoleum. They only accepted the assignment because it was not a long-term job and they could be withdrawn at the end of this year.

"I want to go in and talk to the tomb owner, and I'll be out soon."

The man handed over a jug of wine.

The soldier of the Control Crane Army in front of him looked at his face carefully. Although he had changed a lot and his clothes were so shabby that they couldn't be compared with before...but wasn't this Marshal Fang?

"Commander!"

The few people who had stepped forward to search him all knelt down immediately.

"Get up, there is no more great commander, just follow Li Jiaqing and do your best."

Fang Youde helped everyone up, handed the pot of wine in his hand to them, and left the other pot.

"Marshal, I will lead the way for you. This way, please..."

The captain of the Konghe Army on duty made a gesture of invitation with great trepidation.

Fang Youde waved his hand, said nothing more, and went straight towards the main tomb chamber of Tai Mausoleum.

Soon he saw the inscriptionless stone tablet of Tai Mausoleum.

Perhaps because there was so much controversy about Ji Ge's achievements and faults during his lifetime, this tall, blank stone tablet did not have any inscriptions on it even for a month after he was buried.

This is enough to show that the ministers in the court are by no means a monolithic group.

Fang Youde sighed. He lived in Chang'an for a month under an assumed name, trying to gather information everywhere.

Then I discovered a ridiculous fact.

The lower class people don’t actually care whether Brother Ji lives or dies!
In other words, if Brother Ji died and Li Ying took over, or if Li Ying killed Brother Ji or something like that, those people would have no idea about it at all.

Their lives were just a struggle at the bottom of society, just to have enough food to eat. Just to survive had already exhausted all their strength, so how could they have so much energy to care whether the current emperor had killed his father?
You can’t grow any meat!

The reality is so simple, so simple that it makes Fang Youde doubt his life.

When they arrived at the stone gate of the tomb chamber of Tai Mausoleum, Fang Youde waved his hand, signaling the soldiers of the Control Crane Army following him to leave.

After everyone left, Fang Youde sat down on the ground.

"Sanlang, I'm going home. I'm going to come see you before I leave. I'll probably die in Shazhou. This is the last time we'll see each other."

Fang Youde sighed and continued, "If I had known that Li Heng would kill you, I would have spared you. This pot of wine is my apology."

Fang Youde poured the wine in the jug onto the ground until it was empty, then he threw the jug aside.

“Humans are not plants or trees, how can they be heartless?

Although I already know what kind of person you are, I still hope that we can get along well as ruler and subject.

I save the prosperous Tang Dynasty, you be a wise ruler, we each get what we need and don't bother each other. How wonderful it would be if that were possible.

Unfortunately, the world's general trend is determined by fate. What you say doesn't count, and neither does what I say.

I can’t tell whether you have tried your best, after all, I have never been an emperor.

But I really tried my best, and I really don’t owe you Li family anything.”

After saying this, Fang Youde sighed again. The trees in Tai Mausoleum rustled in the wind, as if they wanted to tell you something.

"The trend of separatist regimes in the Tang Dynasty has already taken shape, and your good sons will probably rise up in rebellion in the name of revenge for you.

All over the country, there will be people who will cooperate with them in raising armies in the name of fighting against injustice.

If I am not mistaken, no matter who Li Heng sends, they will not be able to defend Guanzhong."

Fang Youde picked up a small stone and threw it towards the tomb door. It hit the stone door and bounced back.

He became playful and lost the ball several times. It felt like he was playing polo with Brother Ji.

"It's hard to say who will be the next prince to rule Guanzhong. If he is smart, after he rules Guanzhong, he should delegate power, recruit rebels from all over the country, and give them the title of Jiedushi. Just let them pay one-third of the taxes.

From then on, there were military governors throughout the country in the Tang Dynasty, and the country would probably last for another hundred years if it could get by slowly and leisurely.

That's all. "

Fang Youde threw the stone and shook his head in disappointment.
"If you knew this, would you cry or laugh?"

A strange smile appeared on his face, and he said in his habitual sarcastic tone:

"If Li Heng kills you, he will lose the support of the people and his legitimacy, and give all the rebels a reason to rebel.

This is such a bad situation, I can’t handle it anymore!

If you want to blame someone, blame it on fate.

By the way, my bastard always said that we should believe in the wisdom of future generations.

Then you should also believe in the wisdom of the descendants of the Li family. I am already tired, so I will not get involved in your family affairs. "

After saying this, Fang Youde stood up and dusted himself off. He turned around and took a look at the tomb, then turned around and left without stopping.

(End of this chapter)