Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 566: Seemingly Perfect Alliance

The open harbor, the pier that blocks out the sun, the large ships lined up next to each other, and the salty sea breeze blowing towards you.

These are all refreshing and make people feel the vastness of the sea very intuitively.

But Yong Wang Li Lin's face was as gloomy as the sea about to erupt into a tsunami. It was as dark as the bottom of a pot, on the verge of eruption.

"General Che, since General Fang Jie is ill, how about we go and visit him?"

Wei Zichun stepped forward and saluted Che Guangqian, saying that he was much more cunning than Prince Yong Li Lin.

How could there be such a coincidence in the world? Fang Chongyong didn't get sick early or late, but he got sick as soon as Li Lin arrived in Dengzhou?
I am afraid that the illness is fake, but the temptation is real.

As expected, Che Guangqian said with difficulty: "It may be inconvenient, why don't you stay in the harbor for a few days first, Your Highness Prince Yong."

The harbor is humid. Although the government has built many houses here, they are basically used by people on the ships, including all kinds of people, and the environment is very poor.

No matter what, Prince Yong Li Lin is a prince. How can he live here?
Che Guangqian’s meaning is very clear: If you want to wait, then wait. If you don’t, get out of here. I don’t want you.

"Your Highness, if you return to Qizhou, I'm afraid your reputation will be tarnished. It's best to be patient for now."

Wei Zichun whispered a suggestion into Li Lin's ear.

Either don't come, or if you come, demand a result. There is no reason to turn back halfway.
Li Lin nodded with a gloomy face and took a deep breath, which meant he accepted the suggestion.

What else can I do if I don’t accept it?

Fang Chongyong has elite soldiers at his command, and he can also lead them to fight!
There is no shortage of people who are good at talking these days, but it is hard to find a big boss who is armed to the teeth and has countless elite soldiers and generals under his command!

It is not Fang Chongyong who is begging Li Lin now. In fact, Fang Chongyong has many choices. Li Lin is only the best choice, not the only choice.

Li Bai stood aside, his face turning pale and blue. He had made a solemn promise to Prince Yong before, but when the time came, he was tricked and felt miserable.

"Please ask General Che to pass the message on for me."

Wei Zichun stepped forward to smooth things over.

"Well, that's natural."

Che Guangqian spoke in an official tone, thinking of Fang Zhongyong's previous instructions, that he should leave Prince Yong and the others alone for at least an hour.

He also vaguely guessed that Fang Zhongyong wanted to support Prince Yong to take the throne and fight against the current emperor's tyranny and patricide. This would explain why Fang Zhongyong wanted to delegate power to his subordinates yesterday.

This is to draw the big picture and distribute the benefits before Prince Yong comes. Even if Li Lin wants to arrange his own people in the future, he will find that the important positions have been blocked by Fang Chongyong's confidants.

You have been promoted to an official position, and if you want to go back, these soldiers will not be able to resist. They just promoted you to a position, and now you are taking away someone else's position. I dare not imagine what they will do next!
Aren’t you really afraid of a mutiny among the soldiers at the lower levels?

After Che Guangqian figured this out, she immediately admired Fang Chongyong for his meticulous work and his advance planning.

Before the negotiations even started, Yong Wang Li Lin had already been under his control and everything was arranged clearly.

After waiting for an hour, it was almost noon. Just when Li Lin and the others were getting impatient, a man came running over from a distance, sweating profusely. It was undoubtedly Fang Zhongyong.

At the moment, he was wearing a nightgown and looked a little embarrassed. As soon as he met Prince Yong, he crossed his arms and bowed to him and apologized, "I was ill and didn't know Your Highness was here. I am guilty of death!"

After hearing this, Li Lin and others didn't know what to say. They knew Fang Zhongyong was acting, but they couldn't point it out to him.

He said he was ill, do you really want to find a doctor to check him out?
This is the ladder that is being handed over to you, to let you step down. Now whoever tells the truth will be embarrassed, and it is best for everyone to pretend to be deaf and dumb.

Wei Zichun quickly stepped forward and saluted Fang Zhongyong, saying, "Marshal Fang Jie is so polite. He came to the harbor to greet us despite being ill. I am really touched."

Prince Yong did not say anything, but nodded slightly to Chongyong in a reserved manner.

"This is not the place to talk. Please come to the government office study to chat."

Fang Zhongyong made a gesture of invitation.

Li Lin, Wei Zichun and others secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

If Fang Chongyong didn't come, they would be afraid of both ends. They couldn't bring themselves to leave with shame, and they were worried about gains and losses.

Now that they have a way out, it is naturally impossible to hold Fang Chongyong accountable for "neglecting" them before.

He was clearly tricked, but at this moment he had to be extremely timid and restrain his temper. The wonders of human nature are really hard to describe.

The group came to the study of Dengzhou government office. After they sat down, Wei Zichun winked at Li Bai, indicating that he could leave the study.

However, Li Bai seemed to be completely unaware of the other person's expression. He sat steadily beside Yongwang Li Lin, not moving at all.

Seeing this scene, Fang Chongyong secretly laughed in his heart.

Li Bai probably didn't realize how much of an impact today's meeting would have on Li Lin. It's no exaggeration to say that the result of this negotiation was no less than a rebirth for Li Lin!
In order to prevent outsiders from causing trouble, Li Lin even left his trusted eunuch Gao Shang in Qizhou and did not bring him with him!

He was just afraid that that person would put personal interests above public interest and ruin the deal between him and Fang Chongyong.

However, Li Bai's identity, the respect he enjoyed in the palace, and his bad habit of bragging when he was drunk were not enough for him to know the secret.

Simply put, the fewer people who know about the PY transaction between Li Lin and Fang Chongyong, the better. Li Bai is not worthy of knowing given his status and character.

"Brother Taibai, my staff member Liu Yan has been a child prodigy since childhood and admires your poetry and prose. He is now working in the government office of Dengzhou. Can you guide him in poetry and prose?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a smile.

Li Lin glanced at Li Bai with a look of dissatisfaction on his face, but he did not get angry.

Having said that, Li Bai had no choice but to stand up, bow to everyone, and then leave in embarrassment.

Li Lin looked at Li Quan beside Fang Chongyong and saw that he was a stranger.

But Fang Zhongyong refused to introduce himself, so he had to suppress his doubts and said to Fang Zhongyong: "I have read the letter from Marshal Fang Jie. Marshal Jie said that I should come to Dengzhou to discuss it in person, so I came here."

“Some things cannot be elaborated in a letter.

I just want to ask Your Highness, what do you think about what happened in Chang'an and Li Heng's murder of the king? "

Fang Zhongyong suppressed the smile on his face and asked seriously.

How to treat?

Li Lin and Wei Zichun looked at each other and secretly felt relieved.

Before coming, Li Lin had already discussed it with his staff and had also guessed what Fang Zhongyong might say. Li Lin and Wei Zichun had discussed this question before and had already reached a consensus with the staff.

"Killing one's father and regicide is an outrage to both humans and gods. Although I am far away in Qizhou, I am always thinking about rushing back to Chang'an, restoring order, and tearing Li Heng, the traitor, into pieces!"

Li Lin spoke passionately, pounding the table. Of course, he was not sad about his father's murder, but he was very excited about the opportunity to become the emperor.

"Although Li Heng killed his father, he is still the emperor. Your Highness is determined to restore order, which will certainly reassure countless loyal ministers and generals.

However, the dust will not go away by itself unless it is swept. Does Your Highness have any good plan to eliminate the cruelty and violence?

Or do you only have the will to kill the thief, but no power to save the situation?"

Fang Zhongyong asked casually, speaking very slowly, fearing that Prince Yong Li Lin would not understand.

Li Lin calmly winked at Wei Zichun, who saluted Fang Zhongyong with his hands crossed, and sighed, "Li Heng has strong soldiers at his side, and the court officials are covering up his atrocities. We have the will to kill the thief, but we have no power to turn the tide. We are sorry to make a fool of ourselves, General Fang Jie."

"Yes, the Tianping Army has only 10,000 soldiers and no good generals. It is already very difficult to maintain the three states. It is really not strong enough to march west to Chang'an."

Li Lin was also sighing on the side, echoing the words of Wei Zichun and the others.

In fact, those words were already on the tip of their tongues, but the two men just kept silent, waiting for Fang Zhongyong to speak. "Alas, Xuanwu Town is still a vassal town that obeys the imperial court. Although Li Heng is cruel and inhumane, he always holds the righteousness, and the general and his soldiers cannot disobey his military orders.

General Jie, Xuanwu Town is adjacent to Tianping Town. If the emperor issues an order to attack His Royal Highness Prince Yong in the future, I am afraid that the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army will be the vanguard.

You must let His Highness go when the time comes, and don't do anything that would make your loved ones sad and your enemies happy!"

Li Quan, who had been watching the show for a long time without saying a word, suddenly started to "persuade" Fang Zhongyong.

"What Sima Li said is very true. When the time comes, I will definitely order a leniency and leave a safe passage for His Royal Highness Prince Yong to leave."

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly and echoed Li Quan.

Li Lin has a "wingman", and he also has one! And this wingman is also very talkative.

"The emperor is tyrannical and unjust, how can the general help him to be tyrannical?"

Wei Zichun questioned.

"Hey, you can't say that.

No matter how tyrannical Li Heng was, he was still an emperor who had ascended the throne.

Even His Royal Highness Prince Yong is unwilling to avenge his father and raise the banner of rebellion to restore order. How can we, the ministers, stand up?
If you are receiving a salary from the court, you should do some work for the court. Isn't this the way to be loyal to the emperor?"

Li Quan explained on behalf of Fang Zhongyong slowly and calmly in a casual tone, but this made Li Lin and Wei Zichun punch their fists in vain.

Li Lin then realized that he had not done a very crucial thing, that is: issuing a manifesto to suppress the rebellion.

If you don’t issue a manifesto, how can outsiders know what your attitude is?

If you don't issue a manifesto, even though your title is Prince Yong, your official position is the Jiedushi of Tianping Army appointed by the imperial court!

The military governorates were established to protect the central government. How could you possibly think of rebelling?
From the perspective of loyalty to the emperor, you should support Li Heng unconditionally!

Otherwise, you should now issue a manifesto to suppress rebellion and sever ties with the imperial court!
Now that Li Lin has not issued a manifesto, no matter what he thinks in his heart or what he says to outsiders, it does not mean that he holds the idea of ​​attacking the court.

You didn’t even issue a manifesto, what the hell are you talking about?

Li Quan's words were very insightful, and he said out loud what Fang Chongyong was not comfortable saying!

Now after a round, the problem comes back again.

It was precisely because Li Lin wanted to issue a manifesto that he needed Fang Zhongyong's full support. Both the elite Silver Spear Xiaojie Army and the six states of Xuanwu Town could greatly enhance his strength.

However, Fang Chongyong did not issue a manifesto and expressed that he did not know whether Prince Yong was discussing "important matters" here. Was he just complaining or just joking?

Still refused to express full support.

This creates a vicious cycle of "which came first, the chicken or the egg?"

Wei Zichun and Li Lin looked at each other again and saw the helplessness in each other's eyes.

Things were indeed developing in the direction we least wanted to see.

Fang Chongyong just wouldn't budge. As long as Li Lin didn't make a promise, he would keep playing Tai Chi and not reveal his plan.

At this time, who begs whom and who cannot live without whom becomes extremely important.

Fang Zhongyong had many choices, but Li Lin's choices were very limited. Apart from Xuanwu Town and the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army, he really didn't have many choices.

It is clear who is weaker.

In fact, no matter how stupid Fang Chongyong was, when he saw Li Lin coming to Dengzhou with his staff, he understood who was more anxious.

Since he has come, it must be that Li Lin is more anxious. No matter what tricks Li Lin plays in this negotiation, he can't cover up this point.

"Marshal Fang, the Tang Dynasty is now at a critical moment of life and death. Please lend me a helping hand to restore order, eliminate cruelty and violence, and restore the glory of the Tang Dynasty!
With your help, I will immediately raise the banner of rebellion and issue a manifesto to fight against the rebellion!"

Li Lin leaned down and bowed deeply to Fang Chongyong.

"No, no, Your Highness, please get up quickly."

Fang Chongyong hurried forward and helped Li Lin up.

He held the prince's hands and said, "You killed your father and your emperor, and you turned against the Heavenly Gang. Li Heng is immoral and unworthy of being the emperor. I, the soldiers of the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army, and the people under the jurisdiction of Xuanwu Town are all willing to serve Your Highness as our leader, raise the banner of justice, and fight against the unjust court."

Become!

The tense faces of Li Lin and Wei Zichun immediately melted away, and they were both overjoyed!
Then, Fang Zhongyong continued:
"Bianzhou is rich and well-connected, and it is also the base of the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army. Your Highness does not need to return to Qizhou. You can follow me to Bianzhou tomorrow. We need to start preparations for the coronation ceremony, and there is really no time to waste."

ha?
Li Lin and Wei Zichun were both shocked. They just wanted to raise the banner of rebellion, so how could they talk about ascending the throne and becoming emperor?
"General Fang Jie, it is reasonable to issue a manifesto to suppress the rebellion, but what is going on with this coronation ceremony?"

Wei Zichun asked doubtfully.

But Fang Zhongyong waved his hand calmly and said:
“Your Highness, if the name is not right, then the words will not flow, and if the words are not flowing, then things will be difficult to accomplish.

Those who follow Your Highness also hope that you are the supreme ruler, shepherding the country on behalf of the heaven. In this way, more and more people will follow the dragon.

The officials in Chang'an covered up Li Heng's atrocities and assisted Zhou in his evil deeds. How could you compromise with them?
You ascended the throne in Bianzhou and became emperor. Using this as a foundation, you can slowly build your future plans. If you cannot accomplish something in three years, then try five years. If you cannot accomplish something in five years, then try ten years.

You feel at ease, and those who follow you are rewarded, and they also feel at ease.

In this way, if we advance, we can take control of Chang'an, and if we retreat, we can still control Henan. Isn't this the best of both worlds?"

Neither Wei Zichun nor Li Lin expected Fang Chongyong to speak so bluntly, almost without disguising anything.

Fang Chongyong was afraid that Li Lin was too dull to understand what he was saying, so he threw away all the pretense and put forward his demands.

If you don't ascend the throne and become emperor, wouldn't the identities of those who follow you be very embarrassing?

If you don't claim the throne, how much money can you give them to reward them? What official positions can you offer them to reward them? Under what name can you collect taxes from the states and counties under your control?

If you are just a prince and a close relative of the royal family who serves as the governor of the Tianping Army, what can you bring to your subordinates?
What qualifications do you have to give them official titles?

This is not something that can be fooled by slogans like “setting things right”!
Even Wei Zichun did not dare to stand up and oppose Fang Zhongyong's proposal at this moment, because rejecting this proposal would be a betrayal of the group of staff under Prince Yong.

If I declare myself king slowly, I'm afraid people will be dissatisfied!
"As long as Your Highness agrees, I... no, I will rebuild Kaifeng City and build a new capital in Bianzhou. I will set up an altar to prepare for the heavenly sacrifice ceremony, select the officials, swear an oath to fight the enemy, and issue a manifesto to the world.

Your Highness, what do you think?
There are too many people in this world who are called Your Highness, so it is better to call you Your Majesty."

Fang Zhongyong said it directly, which was equivalent to putting forward his own conditions.

You issued a manifesto but did not ascend the throne to be emperor. What are you doing? Once Chang'an issues an imperial decree, all your men will run away!
Fang Chongyong pointed out a "bright path" for Li Lin.

"how?"

Li Lin leaned close to Wei Zichun's ear and asked in a low voice. At this moment, his heart was extremely complicated, and the latter was also struggling with his conscience.

It has to be said that Fang Zhongyong's proposal really hit the vital point.

Everyone followed Li Lin, and although they called him "Your Highness", they actually hoped to gain the merit of following the emperor. Otherwise, what ambitions could they realize by being a staff member of a prince, and what was the point?

If Li Lin did not proclaim himself emperor, and an imperial edict came down from Chang'an to confer official titles on the ministers around Li Lin, who would be willing to stay then?
Or in other words, under what name should we stay?
"Your Highness, what Marshal Fang Jie said... does make sense. Now the arrow is on the string and must be shot."

Wei Zichun said cautiously. He already knew that he had embarked on a path of no return and could no longer turn back.

Since you are going to go, put aside all distractions and go ahead bravely!
Hesitation will only lead to defeat!

(End of this chapter)