Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 575 Don’t talk nonsense

I don’t know if it was because of the psychological effect of being intimidated by Fang Zhongyong, but Prince Yong Li Lin had a very bad impression of Kaifeng City, and it could even be said that he hated it very much.

The low city walls, the prosperous business, the bustling ferry, and the crowds of people were far from the "royal majesty" that Li Lin expected. It was filled with an indescribable atmosphere of philistinism.

What's more terrifying is that this is Fang Zhongyong's lair. Most of his confidants, family, friends, and troops are gathered here.

If they fall out in the future, these people will be enough to control Kaifeng City tightly. Just thinking about it makes Li Lin feel cold on his back.

Therefore, the choice of His Royal Highness Prince Yong was also very clear. After a perfunctory reception at the welcoming banquet, he left Kaifeng County with Gao Shang and a group of staff and came to Chenliu County, south of Kaifeng County, to stay temporarily.

Fang Chongyong readily agreed and asked Guan Chongsi to lead troops to escort Prince Yong and his entourage to Chenliu.

Li Lin asked Wei Zichun to work in Kaifeng County, responsible for the liaison between the two parties, and to assist Fang Chongyong in building the "Bianliang City" that was under construction.

Before the construction of the capital was completed, Li Lin would not return to Kaifeng County except for the necessary steps to ascend the throne.

Fang Zhongyong didn't care about this. The further away Li Lin's group of people were, the more he could do whatever he wanted.

Prince Yong and his staff have not yet felt the changes of the times. They still have some illusions about the prosperous Tang Dynasty and refuse to put on airs.

Fang Chongyong was also happy that these people continued to dream.

When Fang Chongyong returned to his deserted home in Kaifeng City, he felt an indescribable sense of loneliness as soon as he opened the door.

After all, there was no one at home to welcome us.

Wang Yunxiu and her family had already moved to Qiao County, Bozhou, and had not yet returned to Bianzhou. Many of her wives and concubines were pregnant. Even Fang Dafu and Fang Laique were there.

Without people, a home is just an empty house.

Although Zheng Shuqing arranged for several servants to clean the house every day and had united soldiers guarding the surroundings, the courtyard and the room were very clean and had never been visited by thieves.

But here it was dead silent and lifeless.

Even the personal soldiers behind Fang Chongyong felt that their commander-in-chief indeed lived a simple life.

After settling the house and guarding it, Fang Chongyong had someone prepare a pot of wine and went to the study alone to read the pile of letters that had been sent here recently.

“Life is full of crossroads, and even mortals have to be generals, ministers, and gods to succeed.

The rise and fall of dynasties repeat themselves day by day; the river wind blows down the trees of the previous dynasty.

There is no proof of fame, wealth, and effort, and the money always goes to waste.

Three cups of muddy wine make me drunk, but I don’t know where the flowing water and withered flowers are.”

Sitting at the desk, Fang Chongyong thought of the opening words of "The Scholars" and could not help but sigh. He suddenly lost the mood to work.

A person pursues fame, wealth and power and ends up being alone. Is this the true meaning of "gaining is like losing"?
I feel a little melancholy, a little helpless, a little confused, but there is no way to retreat.

Fang Chongyong knew very well that he had no choice but to go down this path.

No matter what's blocking the way ahead, kick it away!

If someone stands in the way of a person, he will kill someone; if someone stands in the way of a Buddha, he will kill the Buddha!
In this cruel world, there is still family affection, love, and mutual appreciation, but there is no sympathy.

Whoever is weak will die!

Just as he was feeling melancholy, He Changqi, who was temporarily serving as the head of the imperial guards, walked into the study, saluted Fang Zhongyong who was casually flipping through a military book, and said, "General, there is a porter outside who wants to see you."

"Porter? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

Fang Zhongyong put the military book down and threw it aside, then asked with a puzzled look on his face.

A porter from the Bianzhou ferry came to find me... It’s a bit unbelievable to think about it!
"Hui Jieshuai, that's true."

He Changqi answered honestly.

"Then bring it in."

Fang Zhongyong waved his hand lightly, not taking it too seriously. This porter probably came to ask for protection and planned to join the Silver Spear Military.

After a while, He Changqi brought the middle-aged man in front of him.

Fang Zhongyong took a closer look and found that he was actually... Cui Qianyou! However, he had an untidy beard, deep eyes, dark skin, and many traces of time on his face.

"You have fallen to this point?"

Fang Chongyong was greatly surprised and quickly asked He Changqi to leave the study.

"I hope Marshal Fang Jie is well."

Cui Qianyou sighed, took off his hat and put it into his sleeve, then saluted Fang Chongyong with his fists clasped.

"Come, come, sit here."

Fang Zhongyong quickly stood up and pulled Cui Qianyou to the table. He poured a full glass of the wine that he had not had time to drink just now for this former confidant of Ji Ge.

He knew how powerful Cui Qianyou was, and Fang Chongyong first learned military tactics from Cui Qianyou.

“At first, Cui was stationed at Tongguan, but Li Heng took a detour via Wuguan Road, and finally ascended the throne with the support of a group of powerful people in Chang’an.

At that time, one of his subordinates rebelled and the situation was hopeless, so he had no choice but to leave Tongguan and head east alone.

So Cui settled down in Bianzhou, hiding his identity and hanging around at the ferry, watching the situation.

Cui Qianyou drank the wine in the glass and let out a long breath. He could have come to Fang Zhongyong a long time ago, but he chose to wait and see.

The porters at the ferry can easily get all kinds of information from travelers coming and going.

"The saint was killed by the current emperor, your father-in-law Wang Zhongsi was forced to commit suicide, your father retired out of despair, Huangfu Weiming was defeated and died... So many things have happened in the past year that it is hard to know what to do.

Later, the general led his troops to attack Hebei, and Cui wanted to find you but had no way to do so, so he had to wait in Bianzhou. "

Cui Qianyou poured himself a glass, his heart full of melancholy.

Why has the world become like this today?

Cui Qianyou didn’t know, but one thing was very clear: the current situation was still quite chaotic, and it was unclear who would be more successful in the future.

Not to mention the laugh at the end.

Since coming to Bianzhou from Tongguan, Cui Qianyou has used his organizational skills to gain absolute prestige among the porters. Now he is considered a leading figure among them. He has a group of younger brothers who obey his orders. They are a bit similar to the gangster boss in Fang Chongyong's previous life.

I came here tonight to talk to Fang Zhongyong about the current situation and what path I should take in the future. To put it more clearly, I came here to see if Fang Zhongyong is still worth joining me, what I can do under his command, and what conditions he can offer.

In other words, Cui Qianyou is now penniless and has lost all his foundation. Even if he joins Fang Chongyong, he has to negotiate the conditions and reach a consensus.

As a general who had served in a region and mastered the art of deploying troops, how could Cui Qianyou possibly start from scratch and start as a small soldier?

This is actually a question of two-way choice, not a simple and rough surrender.

“General Cui, although Li Heng killed his father and his king, it is probably difficult to expect someone else to break through Guanzhong in the short term.

Therefore, I believe that there may be unexpected changes in the city of Chang'an, but the fall of the court in Guanzhong may not happen overnight.

Even if Li Heng is gone, other princes will be brought to power.

The court is in a state of being old but not dead, and sick but not collapsed. I am afraid it is inevitable."

Fang Zhongyong poured himself a glass of wine and spoke slowly.

"Indeed, Li Heng only cared about personal grudges and ignored the interests of the country. The first person to do this will have no descendants.

Moreover, even if Cui returned to Chang'an, he would be liquidated and would have no place to stay."

Cui Qianyou said with a sigh.

Obviously, Fang Zhongyong was helping him analyze a way out, but the route to Chang'an was simply not feasible.

Li Heng was an emperor who neither cared about things nor could he control them. The shrewd people in Chang'an would surely take all kinds of benefits like wild horses. If Cui Qianyou, an outsider, went there, who would offer him an official position? Forget it.

Even if Cui Qianyou wanted to find a backer to be loyal to, he couldn't find a specific and reliable person.

"In the Hebei rebel army, Huangfu Weiming was considered a top figure. Judging from his deeds rather than his heart, he fulfilled his duty as a subject by supporting Li Wan.

However, after Huangfu Weiming's death, the Hebei bandit army was leaderless and each acted on its own. Some acted impulsively like Li Baochen, while others lurked in secret like Shi Siming.

These people are just dead bones in a grave. They will be defeated and destroyed in three to five years."

Fang Chongyong shook his head and said.

Hearing this, Cui Qianyou sneered: "Yeah, I heard that Li Baochen took fifty concubines not long after entering Luoyang! How happy he is." Is Marshal Baochen so powerful?
Fang Chongyong was stunned, and then he remembered that Cui Qianyou's information channels all came from the public, so it was no wonder.

The news that was spread from one place to another was always seriously distorted. Every time it was passed on, there was at least a 20% deviation. This was a rumor. Who knows how many concubines Li Baochen actually had? It might have been Wei Jian and his gang who were throwing mud at him!

But then again, Li Baochen's absurd behavior has been criticized, and this should not be blown up. Although rumors are absurd, they are generally not groundless.

Fang Chongyong suddenly remembered that when he was ten years old, someone in Chang'an spread a rumor about him, saying that he was not honest at all when he was the governor of Hexi, and committed rape, looting and other evil deeds every day.

The rumor was probably too outrageous, so no one believed it after two days. A 10-year-old kid learning foreign languages ​​and playing poker with a woman in bed every day, he must have the corresponding ability to have the mood!
Fang Chongyong felt that Li Baochen had been jumping up and down since he entered Luoyang...it would be difficult to end it in the end.

“I heard that the imperial court has appointed a group of new military governors in the south to rein in those princes who are ready to make trouble.

I wonder if Fang Jieshuai has any opinion on this?"

Cui Qianyou suddenly mentioned something that Fang Zhongyong didn't know yet.

"Is this true?"

Fang Chongyong was suddenly shocked.

"Indeed, there were envoys from the imperial court who secretly passed through Bianzhou, and I heard that some people took the Wuguan Road. Most of these Jiedushi were provincial governors who were originally on official business in the local area."

Cui Qianyou said very affirmatively.

Although the Guanzhong court was far away from Jiangnan, Lianghuai and other places, they would try to create a certain balance in those places, so that the Jiedushi would check and balance each other, and they only needed to pay tribute in time.

The Guanzhong court's move was an attempt to save itself and survive, which is not difficult to understand.

Of course, what should we do if the tribute goods cannot be transported via the canal?

The Guanzhong court still has two options.

The first one was to take the sea route from Yangzhou, and then go upstream along the Yellow River directly to Chang'an.

The second way is to go through Jingxiang and enter Chang'an from Wugu Pass.

It can be considered a water route and a land route. But no matter which route is taken, even if both are used at the same time, they cannot replace the transportation function of the canal.

Not to mention the first sea route, which requires replenishment and ship change in Dengzhou along the way, and Dengzhou is now controlled by the Silver Spear Xiejie Army.

Therefore, no matter whether it is Li Baochen or the Guanzhong court, once they have time, they will attack Bianzhou, and they will do so regardless of the cost or casualties!

Since the forces in Guanzhong and Hebei are not effective, the remaining options are obvious.

Fang Zhongyong coughed lightly and said:
“I plan to form a new army, the name of which is the Tax Police Corps, which will be responsible for collecting taxes on weekdays.

The quota is 3,000 people, and the scope of activities is... as large as the territory of this commander. If anyone resists taxation, the tax police will come to collect it by force.

This army is still under construction and lacks a commander. I wonder if General Cui is willing to take on the task.

General Cui can recruit and select soldiers on his own."

Fang Chongyong finally came up with a plan on how to accommodate Cui Qianyou.

"Taxes..."

Cui Qianyou nodded, roughly understanding what it meant.

The name of the Tax Police Corps sounds good, but to put it bluntly, what they do is to confiscate properties and exterminate families. They do dirty work and will definitely have a bad reputation in the future.

But this is also an opportunity to make a comeback.

Why do I say that? Because the Silver Spear Military has been integrated internally, and most of them are assigned to specific positions. Officers and soldiers are familiar with each other and work well together.

Even if Cui Qianyou was arranged to go in, it is estimated that those people would be unlikely to trust him.

In this case, it is better to start from the beginning and recruit people from the beginning. Although this process is slow, it is a steady step.

"Can we recruit peddlers and hawkers?"

Cui Qianyou asked in a deep voice.

From what Fang Zhongyong said just now, it was obvious that he intended for him to recruit some soldiers on his own.

"Yes, it's better if you are local and don't have any family members. It's not good to have local people involved in tax inspections."

Fang Zhongyong hinted calmly.

There are many things that need to be done, but they cannot be done openly. If something goes wrong, someone needs to take the blame.

In any case, recruiting refugees is necessary.

Therefore, the initial personnel of this "tax police corps" do not need to be educated people or "good family members". After the future tax structure is stabilized, they can gradually transform it and replace the original soldiers.

The group of porters is very suitable.

Cui Qianyou nodded slightly, he already understood what Fang Zhongyong meant.

Give them a sign, recruit soldiers on their own, and make them responsible for doing the dirty work and cleaning up the big guys who refuse to pay taxes.

This is a good choice right now.

"Liu Yan is in charge of taxation, so you just need to follow his orders. However, he will not inquire about the specific implementation, the situation of the troops, or manage the daily training and recruitment of soldiers.

You are fully responsible for everything. If you have any questions, just report them to me directly."

Fang Chongyong said calmly, he believed he had made himself very clear.

"Please rest assured, Marshal, I will build the military structure within a month. Within three months, the selection will be completed and the troops will be fully equipped."

Cui Qianyou saluted to Fang Chongyong with his fists clasped.

I was secretly relieved.

The conditions offered by Fang Chongyong were actually very good, at least much better than staying in the Silver Spear Xiejie Army.

Although that army was one of the best in the world, it had nothing to do with Cui and he had no connections at all.

Even if the so-called "Tax Police Corps" does not have any members now, they can recruit them by themselves. It can be said that everyone knows each other well.

Fang Chongyong's move of letting Cui Qianyou take the lead in recruiting soldiers was actually intended to balance the Silver Spear Xiejie Army.

It can only be said that this general's political tactics are really very clever. Without making a sound, he has already begun to plan for the future.

"Come to the government office tomorrow, and I will introduce Liu Yan to you and ask him to allocate the money you need to recruit soldiers."

Fang Chongyong handed Cui Qianyou a pair of copper fish symbols, front and back, which were blank and had nothing written on them.

"Find someone to carve the words, one for you and one for Liu Yan. The matter is settled."

Fang Chongyong said with a smile.

When he was in Dengzhou, there were many craftsmen of all kinds near the harbor. Fang Zhongyong asked someone to make a batch of the same style of copper fish talismans without words, in preparation for future military expansion.

It comes in handy now.

"Please rest assured, Marshal Jie."

Cui Qianyou put away the fish talisman, and the other party saluted with a fist, and the heavy stone in his heart finally fell. Since he was stranded in Bianzhou, he couldn't help but wonder if he would continue to live a ridiculous life like this until he died of old age.

Now that I have seized the opportunity again, it is really not easy.

Cui Qianyou looked around and found that there was no one in the study, so he lowered his voice and asked, "Marshal Jie intends to support Prince Yong Li Lin to ascend the throne. This should be just a temporary measure, right?"

"I noticed that both of you are like this. You knew about this before I even opened my mouth."

Fang Chongyong smiled helplessly and did not deny this "secret" that was not a secret.

In fact, anyone with a little insight could easily guess what Fang Chongyong was trying to do after knowing that Prince Yong Li Lin had come to Bianzhou.

"Please rest assured, General Jie, no matter what happens in the future, Cui will stand by your side. If you disobey me, I will be punished by heaven and earth."

Cui Qianyou raised his right hand and swore to the sky.

He believed that Fang Chongyong must understand what he meant.

"Eh? There are gods above us, and we can't make random oaths."

Fang Zhongyong smiled and gently pressed down Cui Qianyou's raised hand.

(End of this chapter)