Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 557: Marshal Baochen's Spring

"Quick, move faster!"

On the bank of the Changlu section of the Yongji Canal, Duan Xueshi was directing the laborers to sink all the canal boats on the bank, dismantle the pier at the ferry, bundle up the wood and throw it into the river to build a wooden dam.

No one could guarantee that the pursuers would not follow along the canal. This river was truly a place where “the enemy could go wherever they wanted.” Fang Zhongyong had just dealt with Gao Miao when he ordered the Yongji Canal to be blocked. This was also a kind of “destroy if you can’t get it.”

At this moment, Duan Xueshi saw a horseman galloping towards him from the south. When the horseman saw him, he dismounted and asked, "Where is the commander? I have important military information to report!"

This person was Li Sheng, who had just returned from investigation.

"Oh, the commander is in Changlu County, and the enemy is chasing us? It doesn't look like it, I didn't see any scouts."

Duan Xueshi asked with a puzzled look on his face.

If visibility is good during the day, there will be signs of an enemy attack, and the first thing that will happen is that scouts will go out to investigate.

If the enemy has too many scouts and a large number of scattered cavalry are hanging around in front of you like flies, it proves that the enemy is likely to launch a surprise attack.

On the contrary, it means that the enemy will either not come or will launch a night attack and will not blindly alert the enemy.

"Alas! They are not coming here, they are running away! Li Baochen's troops are going crazy, heading west along the Yongji Canal. Tens of thousands of people have evacuated, and the smoke and dust can't hide their tracks at all!"

Li Sheng sighed, exchanged a few more words with Duan Xueshi, then rode away on his horse in the direction of Changlu County.

Ran?

Duan Xueshi folded his arms, looking confused.

Although they defeated Gao Miao the day before with the help of Pei Min and others, Li Baochen still had 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers under his command! Even if they were bad, there were always 10,000 to 20,000 elite soldiers.

It's not true that Li Baochen ran away in fear after Gao Miao was killed, right?
In fact, what Duan Xueshi didn't know was that Fang Chongyong was no longer in Changlu County at this moment, but was leading a team of cavalry to attack Lucheng in the northeast, and successfully took over this empty city with no soldiers stationed.

In Lucheng, Fang Chongyong met a person who surprised him, someone who should not be here.

Liu Yan!

In Fang Chongyong's impression, Liu Yan should be working in the Ministry of Revenue in Chang'an, rather than selling salt in the salt fields in Hebei.

But fate likes to play tricks on people. Liu Yan was squeezed out to Hebei, where he presided over a pilot reform of the salt tax and collected salt tax in Hebei with the Changlu Salt Field as the center.

Why choose Changlu Salt Field?

Because the Changlu Salt Field was so large, it almost took on the responsibility of providing salt for the people of Hebei. This tax was a "production tax", which was collected based on the amount of salt produced, and was collected from merchants at the moment the salt was transported away.

Instead of collecting the salt directly from the people who bought the salt, the government did not collect it through local government offices or county yamen.

In order to standardize taxes, Liu Yan also specially ordered people to make standard sacks, each sack could hold 500 kilograms of salt.

In fact, the salt tax was not that much, only 200%. The original salt tax was 10 wen per catty, but now it is 20 wen per catty.

However, after Huangfu Weiming started his rebellion, all the salt taxes that had just been collected benefited the Hebei rebels and became one of their main sources of military expenditure. Liu Yan was so good at collecting taxes that he was detained in the Changlu Salt Field to continue collecting taxes.

Liu Yan, who "followed the bandits", did not dare to flee back to Chang'an, for fear of being liquidated by the court.

Liu Yan originally wanted to issue Jiaozi with salt tax as collateral, but because of the war, this plan had to be temporarily shelved.

All in all, Liu Yan's life here was not very satisfactory, and he was just muddling through his days as a monk.

"How did Minister Liu fall to this state?"

On the beach outside Lucheng, Fang Chongyong held Liu Yan's hand and sighed with emotion.

"Oh, let's not talk about it. The world is in chaos right now, and once these things are brought up, we can't stop talking about them."

Liu Yan sighed and pointed to the large salt ponds along the beach. All of them were brine formed by the introduction of seawater and exposure to the sun.

Fang Zhongyong said nothing, waiting for his next words.

As expected, Liu Yan pointed at the salt ponds and continued, "The technology of making salt in Changlu is already quite mature. First, take seawater and expose it to the scorching sun to make brine. After the brine is formed, it is introduced into the salt stove to heat and precipitate, and the waste brine can be discharged. If the salt field cannot be moved, it will definitely be the source of revenue for the rebel army in the future."

The "waste brine" mentioned by Liu Yan is the magnesium chloride solution after the sodium chloride is taken out. The core of extracting salt from seawater is to take out the former and keep the latter by taking advantage of the difference in crystal concentration between the two.

A beach is opened on the seashore, seawater is diverted and sprinkled on the water, brine is obtained through sun drying, and then boiled to obtain salt. This method is called brine sprinkling and salt frying.

The method of salting with brine is very mature and reliable, and the cost is very low. As for the sun-drying method in the Ming and Qing dynasties, it actually has its own advantages over the salting with brine. The sun-drying method produces more salt, but the quality is not as good as the salting with brine.

The method of "boiling salt" has been used even in the advent of the industrial age.

"With the Changlu Salt Field in hand, the Hebei bandit army will not lack food and money. It just depends on whether they know how to use it.

The salt from the salt field was used as collateral to issue Jiaozi, and then the silk, gold, silver and other items in hand were used to buy grain from Henan and other places, so that the baggage could be replenished quickly.

Hebei has a large population, and the bandit army under Huangfu Weiming's command should not be underestimated."

Fang Zhongyong also sighed and said.

If the Changlu Salt Field was not basically a natural facility made from local materials that were difficult to destroy, he would have given the order to start work long ago.

Fang Chongyong's words coincided with Liu Yan's thoughts.

Salt tax is the lifeblood that drives the finances of the various states in Hebei. Controlling salt means controlling the economic lifeline of Hebei.

If Huangfu Weiming was smart, he would have collected less land tax and rent and labor service, and replaced it with a high salt tax. This would have increased tax revenue invisibly without oppressing the lower classes too much.

Because everyone needs to eat salt, but there are countless people who evade rent and labor service, so the high salt tax is equivalent to spreading the tax burden evenly among the powerful and landlords.

As long as the tenants' rent can be reduced at the same time, the purpose of recuperation can theoretically be achieved.

The only fear is that the salt tax will increase, but other taxes will still be collected.

This is why there is a common saying in the world: We are not afraid of no good things, we are just afraid of no good people.

If people’s hearts are bad, any policy that is implemented will be bad.

Hebei is the base of the kingship, but not everyone can control it.

While Fang Chongyong and Liu Yan were chatting, Li Sheng, who had been galloping all the way, came over, exhausted. As soon as they met, he clasped his fists and saluted Fang Chongyong and said, "General, Li Baochen of Beizhou has withdrawn. The entire army has withdrawn. It doesn't seem like they are pretending. Tens of thousands of people are marching westward."

Ok?
"That shouldn't happen. Why would Li Baochen withdraw?"

Fang Zhongyong asked doubtfully, this matter was really too unreasonable.

Now that Gao Miao was defeated, Li Baochen absolutely could not sit back and relax. Even if it was just for show, he should pursue the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army to the north.

At the very least, Fang Chongyong must be escorted out of Hebei with courtesy. Otherwise, how can he explain to Huangfu Weiming?
"General, I heard something from the salt merchant a few days ago."

Liu Yan suddenly spoke.

Fang Zhongyong nodded slightly and asked, "I'd like to hear more details."

"I heard that Huangfu Weiming is leading his troops to attack Tongguan, and Li Guiren is attacking Puzhou. I wonder if Li Baochen's withdrawal is related to this."

Liu Yan told everything he had found out.

A few days ago, a big merchant who came to Changlu to sell salt told Liu Yan that the trade routes between Guanzhong and the outside world were cut off and the only way was to go through Wuguan Road. Puzhou and Tongguan were both in constant war and ordinary people could not pass through.

Liu Yan didn't take it seriously at the time, as it was only a matter of time before Huangfu Weiming attacked Guanzhong. But now that Li Sheng said that Li Baochen had withdrawn his troops, he felt that things were not simple.

"What do you think?"

Fang Zhongyong looked at Li Sheng and asked.

He knew that his little cousin had a very active mind and should not be underestimated.

Li Sheng thought for a moment and said uncertainly, "General, I think... maybe Huangfu Weiming was defeated in Guanzhong, and Li Baochen rushed to Luoyang to seize power?"

Defeat! Seize power! Justice!

Fang Zhongyong was shocked when he heard this. What Li Sheng said was a little unbelievable, but when he thought about it carefully, it was perfectly logical. Because Huangfu Weiming was defeated in Guanzhong and even died in Guanzhong, the Hebei rebels were now leaderless.

However, even if Huangfu Weiming died, Li Wan was not dead yet!

Therefore, for the powerful leaders of the Hebei rebels, whoever enters Luoyang first and controls Li Wan can command all the troops in Hebei!

Of course, this is only theoretical, and it is possible that someone will overturn the table.

For example, Shi Siming.

But what’s the difference between a person without dreams and a salted fish?
Fang Chongyong knew that Li Baochen had a dream, a "dream" that was ignited by someone personally.

If there were two paths before Li Baochen, one was to pursue the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army and fight this powerful enemy head-on, with countless casualties under his command, and after winning, even the person who would give out the rewards would be gone.

The other option was to take control of Luoyang, control Li Wan, and become the "common ruler of Hebei."

If you are lucky, you can gain a foothold in the chaos of war among the heroes, and it is theoretically possible even to conquer the world.

Will Li Baochen choose the former or the latter? The self-satisfied Baochen will definitely choose the second path.

"That... the canal ship has been destroyed?"

Fang Zhongyong asked with a sigh, feeling extremely regretful.

Li Sheng smiled bitterly and nodded.

This time Fang Chongyong's cleverness backfired. If his own canal boats had not been destroyed, he could have gone anywhere, whether south or north!

It would be better if I could act slower. Sometimes being efficient is not a good thing.

"General, a few dozen miles north of here, there is a ferry crossing where many ships are moored. Following the north wind, we will go south and land at Penglai, Dengzhou, and leave the Hebei territory. The Dengzhou ferry crossing has been in operation for hundreds of years, and its facilities are complete and there is no shortage of supplies.

This is a very safe path.”

Liu Yan suggested calmly. It was obvious that he had planned this route many times and naturally asked insiders for details.

It was just that he was afraid of being purged by the court, so he did not go. Otherwise, Liu Yan would have escaped on a ship long ago.

Dengzhou and Laizhou both have government-owned sea-going vessels docked at the port, which are very convenient for replenishment. Of course, if you are bolder, you can also land at the mouth of the Jishui River, but then the army will not be able to be replenished and repaired, and will need to attack nearby county towns and prefectural cities.

It is obviously safer to dock directly at the ferry port in Penglai, Dengzhou.

"General, Dengzhou and Laizhou are currently free of war and are also under the control of the imperial court.

It’s better to…”

Li Sheng made a chopping gesture towards Fang Zhongyong.

If you occupy the unowned land, doesn't it have an owner? Why are you being polite? Li Sheng's words reminded Fang Zhongyong.

"Go to Changlu County and inform the entire army to set out for the northern port, taking only the necessary supplies."

Fang Chongyong instructed Li Sheng.

"Understood, I will pass the message on right away!"

Li Sheng clasped his fists and bowed, feeling so excited that he could hardly control himself.

He has selfish motives. After Fang Chongyong captures Dengzhou and other places, he will definitely need someone to guard them. Isn't he the most suitable candidate?

But what Li Sheng didn't know was that Fang Chongyong's plan was not what he thought.

Fang Chongyong had an idea in his mind, but he couldn't be sure yet. He needed more information before he could make a judgment.

If Huangfu Weiming is really finished, then the situation in the world should enter a short intermission. Because if the various ambitious people want to go out and work alone, they must clean up the internal affairs, eliminate dissidents, and accumulate strength.

No one would rashly go straight up and use a big move.

Considering the logistics supply cycle, this time will take about one to two years, which means waiting for one or two autumn harvests and having some grain stored before taking action.

Of course, small-scale fights involving thousands of people cannot be ruled out.

The era of competing in explosive power has passed, now it is time to compete in endurance. The rules of the game will also become very different.

"Does the commander still obey the imperial court?"

Liu Yan suddenly asked nervously.

“It is important for the military governors to obey the imperial court, but what is more important is what kind of imperial court they obey.

If the court is unjust, then I do not want to obey such a court."

Fang Chongyong said something meaningful. Liu Yan was very smart and immediately understood the hidden meaning of the commander-in-chief's words.

"The Hebei rebels are traitors and traitors. I am deeply ashamed to be associated with them. If the commander-in-chief does not abandon me, I am willing to serve as his aide and help him to do the accounting and money management."

Liu Yan took the opportunity to show his trump card.

The Hebei rebels were clearly in a bad shape, and had probably already suffered a disastrous defeat. There was a high probability that he was on the wanted list in Chang'an, and he would be waiting to be liquidated if he returned.

At this time, following Fang Chongyong, the governor he knew, and seeking asylum was probably the last and best chance.

"Let's go to the harbor now, without further delay."

Fang Zhongyong patted Liu Yan on the shoulder and said.

……

A large army of tens of thousands of people was marching southward along the Yongji Canal, with the goal of reaching Liyang, where a lot of the Hebei rebels' baggage and weapons were stored.

As the commander of this army, Li Baochen was riding on his horse. Although he tried to pretend to be mysterious, the slightly raised corners of his mouth still exposed his inner ecstasy.

It's fate!

These four words kept echoing in Li Baochen's mind.

It turns out that I have been blessed by God!
He couldn't help but sigh in his heart that life is unpredictable.

Li Baochen had received top-secret information that Huangfu Weiming was dead, and the army attacking Tongguan was completely annihilated. Moreover, Li Guiren, who was attacking Puzhou, was also defeated, and was defeated miserably. However, Li Baochen did not know what this guy was doing yet.

But he understood that he had to march quickly!
Whoever enters Luoyang first will be king!
Luoyang was empty and had few soldiers and horses. Li Wan and "all the officials in the court" were also in Luoyang.

It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Li Baochen knew that the troops under his command were the Hebei Field Army, which was closest to Luoyang.

In other words, as long as he took these tens of thousands of men to Luoyang, he would immediately become the most handsome guy.

Control Li Wan, and then let Li Wan appoint himself as the Grand Marshal of the Army of the World, and control all the troops in Hebei.

Then the trend is set!
Once you occupy this C position, you can slowly expand your influence.

Just like Huangfu Weiming before!

Imperial power is as unpredictable as the clouds in the sky. It was once so far away, but now it is so unbelievably close.

Li Baochen recalled his experience at Longxing Temple and the magical stone slab without any words on it, and felt that all this was arranged by fate.

To put it simply, he is the emperor, chosen by God, and no one can stop him!

"Pass the order down, speed up the march!"

Li Baochen gave orders to the messenger beside him.

His heart felt like it was on fire, and he wished that Fire Wheels could grow under his feet and the BMW under his crotch could travel thousands of miles a day.

(End of this chapter)