Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 563 What is lost must be taken back

Daqinmao didn't let Fang Chongyong wait too long.

At nightfall the next day, he came alone to visit the Dengzhou government office and presented a list of gifts.

The contents written on it include: the garden of Taibai Mountain, the kelp of Nanhai, the drum of Zhacheng, the deer of Buyeo, the tether of Yunjie, the horse of Lubin, the cloth of Xianzhou, the cotton of Wozhou, the uranium of Longzhou, the iron of Weicheng, the rice of Lucheng, and the carp of Meituo Lake.

and many more.

Then the quantity was not stated.

This gift list is more of a product guide than a gift, summarizing the specialties of Bohai State. And these things are all very popular goods in the Tang Dynasty, especially horses!

What Daqinmao meant was that although the Bohai Kingdom was small in size, its output was considerable and should not be underestimated.

His move was like a soft move with a sharp edge, which not only hinted at his own value but also did not make Fang Zhongyong feel embarrassed.

I have to say, this guy is quite interesting.

In view of this, Fang Chongyong quickly asked Li Sheng to bring Daqinmao to the study in the government office.

In Fang Chongyong's impression, "northern barbarians" like Daqinmao should all be tall, strong and powerful people with thick beards.

However, when they met, they found that Daqinmao's age and dress were like the Bohai Kingdom version of "Zheng Shuqing". He had the demeanor of an old and weak civil servant, and the official uniform he wore was almost exactly the same as that of the Tang Dynasty.

No matter how you look at it, he doesn't look like someone who would take advantage of the upcoming chaos to seize power and profit!

Rather than being like Dong Zhuo, he is more like "Wang Situ".

Fang Zhongyong withdrew his gaze and deeply questioned whether he had made the mistake of judging people by their appearance.

"Your subordinate greets Marshal Fang Jie."

Da Qinmao, who was middle-aged but did not look old, bowed deeply to Fang Zhongyong.

Many of the nobles like him who came from the vassal states of the Tang Dynasty had studied in the Imperial College of the Tang Dynasty, and many of them became officials in the Tang Dynasty after graduation. Although Daqinmao had been "released" by Ji Ge, he was still the link between the Tang Dynasty and the Bohai Kingdom.

He is a bit like the head of the "Bohai Kingdom Tang Dynasty Office".

Of course, this situation belongs to the gray area of ​​"cannot be said clearly". The Tang Dynasty may have intended to hold Daqinmao in check and threaten Bohai Kingdom not to act rashly. Damen Yi used Daqinmao's connections to inquire about the domestic trends of the Tang Dynasty and obtain first-hand information on political changes.

On the one hand, if Damenyi disobeyed, Daqinmao could, with the support of the Tang army, go directly to the sea from Dengzhou, overthrow the Bohai regime and become the new ruler.

On the other hand, Daqinmao developed his own network through opportunities of official business in the Tang Dynasty.

As to who is using whom and who is seeking benefits for whom among the three parties, Datang, Damenyi and Daqinmao, all we can say is that each party has a different opinion and the relationship between them is complicated.

The long-term activities in the Tang Dynasty also made Da Qinmao look no different from ordinary local officials of the Tang Dynasty. If Da Qinmao did not introduce himself, Fang Zhongyong would not have known that he was from Bohai.

This is true both in appearance and clothing.

"What is your name?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a smile.

"In the culture of the Central Plains, 'Da' means the leader. Although my last name is 'Da', I don't want to be arrogant and competitive. Marshal Fang Jie can just call me 'Ren'an'."

Daqinmao said modestly.

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly. Daqinmao was indeed deeply influenced by Chinese culture and understood the unspoken rule of Chinese culture that "when the sky is crazy, there will be rain; when people are crazy, there will be disasters."

The surname "Da" is very bad and can easily bring disaster.

On the other hand, the benevolent are at peace with themselves. Doesn’t that sound much more pleasant?
Fang Chongyong had to admit that Daqinmao was indeed a smart man.

Ancient people called living things "insects", tigers were called "big insects", snakes were called "long insects", people were called "naked insects", etc. "Big" means king, leader, and it is very arrogant to use it as a surname, which is disliked by others.

Can this person's fortune improve with a name that naturally makes others dislike him?
Although what Daqinmao said was just an insignificant matter, it was enough to show that this person had a very clear mind.

"Then what do you want to teach me today, Ren An?"

Fang Chongyong asked calmly.

"My second daughter, Daejeong-hye, has been well-educated since she was young. She has been taught by a female official to behave in a gentle, kind, respectful and frugal manner.

I want her to serve the Marshal in the future, and that’s why I’m here today.”

Daqinmao stated his purpose directly.

ha?
Fang Chongyong thought he heard wrongly.

In his expectation, this Da Zhenhui should be prepared for Yongwang Li Lin.

And Da Qinmao came here to ask Fang Chongyong to help him to make friends with Yongwang Li Lin and place the bet on him. This is in line with normal human logic!
What's the point of giving me a daughter, your own daughter?

Daqinmao's train of thought made Fang Chongyong confused.

"Ren'an, what you said... I don't understand."

Fang Chongyong said with a sigh.

Daqinmao seemed to have guessed Fang Zhongyong's thoughts. He crossed his arms and saluted, explaining:
"Bohai has no intention of interfering in the internal affairs of the Tang Dynasty. Although the current emperor of the Tang Dynasty killed his father and the emperor, the Tang Dynasty is still the Celestial Empire. Even if a certain prince wants to restore order, Bohai should not bet on it, let alone participate in it.

It was extremely inappropriate for Princess Zhenhui to serve Prince Yong. It was even more inappropriate for her to go to Chang'an and serve a beastly monarch.

As a father, I just want her to have a good home."

Daqinmao spoke so earnestly that he almost cried.

Although it was clear that he was not lying, there was also a possibility that Daqinmao only told part of the truth and concealed a more important part.

Who says a good father can’t be a good politician?
"Ren'an's words are not entirely true. If you keep beating around the bush, there's no need to talk any more."

Fang Zhongyong, who always liked to tell half the truth to deceive people, immediately replied with a cold face.

Daqinmao's face froze, and then he let out a long sigh.

"Marshal Fang may not be very clear about the affairs of Bohai. When my lord Da Menyi entered the Tang Dynasty palace as a guard, it was already decades ago at the beginning of the Kaiyuan period.

Now Da Men Yi is old, and his descendants are all useless. If they succeed to the throne, Bohai will surely be in chaos.

Although I am far away in the Tang Dynasty, I feel deeply saddened by this. I want to make some preparations to deal with the disaster, but I have no help.

When I saw the mighty and majestic Silver Spear Xiaojie Army and General Fang Jie's divine command of the army, I was moved and came up with this bad plan. "

Da Qinmao leaned down and bowed deeply to Fang Chongyong.

Although he didn't say it directly, his meaning was made clear.

Fang Zhongyong laughed secretly in his heart. This Daqinmao had been with Fang Youde for two years, but he didn't learn any morality. He only understood one thing:

Son of Heaven, he who has strong soldiers and horses will do it!
But think about it, Fang Youde's character is obvious. If anyone refuses to obey, he will beat him until he obeys. If anyone can no longer be tolerated, he will have to endure it all over again.

If there is any virtue left in Fang Youde, it can only be "martial virtue".

Daqinmao saw that Fang Youde's son was also strong in military and military, and was good at fighting. Now he was ruling a separate region. He sent his daughter to win him over, and asked him to support him to ascend to the position of the ruler of Bohai State.

It seems to be in line with normal people's logic!
No matter how Bohai's leader Damen Yi arranged a marriage with Li Heng or sent his daughter to please Li Lin, it was all to establish a close relationship between Bohai and the Tang Dynasty. Daqinmao did not get any benefit from it, but instead had to sacrifice his own daughter!

Fang Zhongyong suddenly understood everything.

Daqinmao's thinking is exactly the opposite of his uncle Damenyi's.

Damen Yi hoped to test the strength of the Tang Dynasty by marrying Princess Zhenhui. Daqin Mao had been in the Tang Dynasty for many years and knew the strength of the Tang Dynasty very well. He wanted the forces on the Tang side to interfere with the dethronement of the King of Bohai!

Is this normal?
It's normal. Fang Youde, Fang Zhongyong's stepfather, did it back then. Without Fang Youde's interference, the current ruler of Bohai State should be Daqinmao. Because the former ruler Dawuyi, who was forced out of office by Fang Youde, is Daqinmao's biological father.

Father Fang drove "Big Father" off the stage, and then "Big Son" was brought to the stage. This cycle of cause and effect... is truly amazing.

"Da Zhenhui is good, but I don't want to harm her."

Fang Chongyong declined politely.

"I can use my connections with Bohai State to sell war horses to General Fang Jie at a very low price. This can be done over a long period of time as long as there is trade between the two sides."

Daqinmao persuaded calmly.

Fang Zhongyong raised his eyebrows and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Of course, he didn't mind taking Dae Jeong-hye into his pocket. But if he had to fight to the death to support his cheap father-in-law in Bohai, then it would be meaningless and the cost-effectiveness would be too low.

But a steady supply of high-quality war horses... this is indeed possible!

"Things like trade..."

Fang Zhongyong rubbed his palms, seeming to be unable to make a decision.

"There are also some specialties of Bohai. In addition, I am willing to take my third son, Da Yingjun, as a hostage to serve the commander-in-chief and let him do whatever he wants."

Daqinmao said through gritted teeth.

I heard that Da Men Yi's health is not good anymore. After his death, who will be the king has not been decided yet. Now the domestic political situation in Bohai State is basically brewing a drama of multiple sons competing for the throne.

If the opportunity comes, Daqinmao wants to give it a try.

"Okay, but there's one thing that needs to be changed."

Fang Zhongyong thought for a moment and said in a deep voice.

Daqinmao refused to return the girl and sent her to Nanqiang, forcing Fang Zhongyong to accept her.

If they refused, the other party would be angry and block the trade of Bohai State, which would cut off a source of income for Xuanwu Town. So they could not force the other party too hard.

Hearing Fang Zhongyong's words, Da Qinmao was overjoyed and immediately knelt on the ground to ask for instructions: "Please give me your instructions, General Fang Jie!"

After following Fang Youde for two years, Da Qinmao understood better than anyone what it meant to be "a king if you have soldiers"!
"I don't like the name Da Yingjun, it's too ostentatious.

"A minister should be sharp-eyed and sharp-eared. Why not call him the Great Smart?"

Hearing this, Daqinmao was stunned. He had never expected Fang Zhongyong to do this. He thought the other party was going to add some conditions.

I didn't expect that it was just a name change, and it was just the name of my third son.

What kind of request is this! Changing the name is easy!
Da Qinmao nodded quickly and said, "Marshal Fang is right. You are very smart. This is a good name! Thank you for the name, Marshal Fang!"

The stone in Daqinmao's heart finally fell to the ground.

He turned around and wrote a letter to Damenyi, saying that Dazhenhui and Dayingjun, no, now he was called Dacongming, had fallen into the water and died.

The day when Da Menyi dies will be the day for him to take control of the Bohai Kingdom.

Daqinmao's eyes were burning with fire. He was determined to prove to the people of Bohai that what he had lost could be taken back in the future.

"By the way, since you mentioned trade, please write a document."

Before Daqinmao woke up from his ecstasy, Fang Chongyong's voice rang in his ears, calm and serious.

"Please give the order, Marshal Fang, and Ren'an will obey it without hesitation."

Daqinmao said with lowered eyebrows.

Now for him, Fang Chongyong is his only hope, the only hope to rule the Bohai Kingdom.

And no prince, not even the Emperor of Chang'an, could help him.

"It's like this. Please write a document. From now on, anyone who wants to trade with Bohai will need a license issued by Dengzhou government.

Without this license, trade is illegal. I believe there were similar things in the past, but now they are all invalid. "

Fang Chongyong looked at Daqinmao with a half-smile and said.

"I will write it now, right here."

Da Qinmao gave a bitter smile. He wanted to play some tricks, but he didn't expect that Fang Chongyong would see through it.

The reason why Daqinmao had the confidence to participate in the power struggle in Bohai was because he controlled the commercial customs clearance procedures in Bohai. They had to obtain permission from him, that is, those merchants had to have private transactions with Daqinmao and his gang before they could do business in the commercial ports designated by Bohai.

I didn't expect Fang Chongyong to be able to see all these tricks at a glance. His intelligence and knowledge should not be underestimated!

He couldn't help but improve his evaluation of Fang Zhongyong again in his mind.

However, what Daqinmao didn't know was that these common trade methods were all left over from Fang Zhongyong's work in the Hexi Corridor. Regardless of whether there was such a model before, Fang Zhongyong would do it in Dengzhou.

Then they would capture those forces involved in the trade, treat them to a meal, behead them, and keep them as their dogs.

……

Sitting at the bow of the ship, Prince Yong Li Lin felt an indescribable sense of pride and high spirits.

Licheng is adjacent to the Jishui River, and before the Yellow River changed its course and eroded the Jishui River, the river actually led directly to the sea, and the water transport was very busy. If you want to go to Dengzhou, you can go east along the Jishui River from the Licheng ferry, and then transfer to a sea ship after reaching the seaside, which is very fast.

Much faster than by land.

"Wei Zichun, what do you think I should say when I see Fang Qing?"

Li Lin asked Wei Zichun who was beside him.

When Li Lin thought of the unstoppable Silver Spear Xiaojie Army under Fang Chongyong, and the six states of Xuanwu Town as a foundation, he felt that if he could reach an agreement in Dengzhou this time, he would have a great advantage in controlling Guanzhong in the future!

At least the potential is unlimited.

“Your Highness, don’t think too much about it, Fang Qing actually needs us too.

Your Highness is the king, and he is the minister, that's all."

Wei Zichun said calmly.

Li Lin nodded thoughtfully and did not respond.

(End of this chapter)