Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 622: Killing and Burying

The study room of Kaifeng government office has now become a combat command center. Not only are maps of surrounding states hung on the walls, but various letters, military intelligence reports, etc. are also piled up on the desk in different categories.

Each unit that has been divided up will come here to report military intelligence once every hour.

"General, there's no need to worry too much about those villains."

Li Quan saw Fang Chongyong staring at the map and said in a low voice, "He thought the other party was too nervous, but that was not the case."

Fang Chongyong was considering another issue.

At this moment, he didn't know that Li Guangbi had "helped" him do something.

"Tell me, how dare those people do that? I didn't kill them all, did I?"

Fang Chongyong turned around and looked at Li Quan and asked, the confusion on his face was not fake.

He really didn't understand, is land really more important than life? Is it more important than the survival of the family?
Fang Chongyong could never understand the train of thought of those wealthy families.

“If the Marshal doesn’t draw his sword, many people will think that his sword is not sharp enough.

Therefore, it is necessary to kill the chicken to scare the monkey this time.

Given the current situation in the world, if the Marshal doesn't step up to clean up the mess, there will be no way to fix it.

There will always be some stubborn people.

The stubborn rocks that block the road can be crushed, and the Marshal's pace of progress cannot be stopped."

Li Quan saluted Fang Chongyong and said.

In his opinion, all the actions of those who were "starting a rebellion" and trying to kill Fang Zhongyong and overturn the table seemed so ignorant and ridiculous.

They did not hide their tracks when they started the rebellion, did not keep their communications confidential, their marches were a mess, and they could not even ensure uniform military uniforms.

They also had to concentrate their forces in Xiangyi County, for fear that others would not know that they were preparing to capture Chenliu.

All the operations are too amateurish. Of course, it can also be said that these people are indeed amateurs.

However, to kill a chicken you need a butcher knife, Fang Chongyong has already prepared a "set meal" for these people to enjoy.

Not ready to release water at all.

Just as Li Quan was thinking about it, the study door was pushed open and Zhang Guangsheng walked in with a soldier from the Hexi Army.

The other party was holding two bundles in his hands, which looked like two human heads. There was red blood under the gray-white bundles, but it had long since dried up.

"General, the Hexi Army has already defeated the main force of the rebels in Xiangyi County and is currently mopping up the remnants. Songzhou Governor Li Jiayou and Sima Yan Bojun have both been beheaded. Here are their heads, please check them, General."

Zhang Guangsheng pointed at the two bundles in the hands of the Hexi Army soldiers behind him and spoke, acting as a mouthpiece.

"Open it. I need to check it."

Fang Zhongyong said in a deep voice, intimidating without even getting angry.

He had observed these two people closely at a banquet, so he could definitely recognize them.

Soon, the bundle was opened, and inside were indeed the heads of Li Jiayou and Yan Bojun, both of whom died with their eyes open.

"Marshal Li Jie, is there anything you want to tell me?"

Fang Zhongyong looked at the errand soldier and asked.

"Marshal Li Jie only said that he would come to Kaifeng in person to report after the battle is over. The military situation is urgent, so there is no time for formalities now."

The errand boy spoke honestly and delivered everything Li Guangbi asked him to say.

"Go ahead and tell Marshal Li Jie that I know about this and give him credit."

Fang Chongyong took out a salt voucher with a denomination of "one string" from the desk drawer and handed it to the errand boy.

The other party was stunned at first, but then he was overjoyed! He thanked her profusely and left, even his steps made a sound of wind!

Fang Zhongyong, who has lived two lives, understands one thing very well: a little "pocket money" that is insignificant to the upper class is often just a few months' worth of wine for the grassroots soldiers, which is enough to make them happy for a while.

Moreover, letting his reputation for generosity spread among the grassroots would help stabilize military morale.

"So those people wanted to attack the Hexi Army. No wonder."

Fang Zhongyong muttered to himself thoughtfully, having figured out the cause and effect.

He had been puzzled before, but now he understood the reason after seeing the two heads sent by Li Guangbi. How could the local gang of wealthy families rely on the ragtag group of people they had put together at short notice?

Fang Chongyong is not the only one who knows how to repair the plank road in public and secretly attack Chencang.

But what those people didn't expect was that Li Guangbi was really cruel!

He actually didn't send anyone to inform Fang Zhongyong in advance. In fact, this was also to avoid the news leaking out. Who knows if anyone in Kaifeng is colluding with those aristocratic families?

Once the word gets out, the fish will run.

So Li Guangbi simply took advantage of the situation and stabbed them in the back under the banner of reinforcements! Without any prior notice, he just stabbed them as soon as they met.

It has to be said that Li Guangbi was indeed a man who could accomplish great things.

Many times, the same thing can have two sides.

That's right, Li Guangbi had indeed come to Bianzhou with the Hexi Army not long ago. Such a person and such an army could not rule out the possibility of being bribed.

At least they are not like those generals from the Silver Spear Xiejie Army under Fang Zhongyong, who are simply unyielding and cannot even be bribed.

But from another perspective, although Li Guangbi is Wang Zhongsi's adopted son and calls Wang Yunxiu his adopted sister, he also has to prove his "loyalty" to Fang Chongyong.

When I first arrived in Bianzhou, I had to gain a foothold and get into the core circles. How could I do that without showing strength and loyalty?
If you keep silent when something big happens, and have this wavering attitude, you are most likely to encounter unexpected events and be ostracized.

In other words, Li Guangbi was very eager to take the heads of these wealthy families to prove his "loyalty".

Once Li Guangbi strikes down the local tycoons who bribed him and stands firm on his side, his path will be wider and he will be able to walk faster.

This is what is called "loyalty is not absolute, it is absolutely disloyal"!
Taking sides is not just talk, it comes at a price.

If you stand on one side, you will offend the other side. There is no good thing in the world that you can have both.

"Send orders to all the tribes, telling them to focus on defense and plundering the land, and leave the task of killing people with knives to Li Guangbi."

Fang Chongyong gave Li Quan instructions, feeling relieved. Although he did not believe that Li Guangbi would rebel, he did not expect that the other party would go to such an extent.

"Understood, I will write the military order right away."

Li Quan nodded and said.

In his heart, he cursed those wealthy families as a bunch of blind bastards who simply couldn't understand the situation.

Why did Li Guangbi set up a counterattack?

Is it really just because he and Fang Chongyong are related in some roundabout way?
Or did the two of them have a friendship in the past?

Of course not, at least not the main reason.

In fact, the most important reason here is the so-called "righteousness" that seems insignificant.

This righteousness does not refer entirely to the feudal legal system, but rather a series of comprehensive factors including the legal system.

The people were content, and most of them did not want another war to break out in Henan. Fang Zhongyong supported Li Lin and ascended the throne to become emperor, thus completing the "political construction".

He did not start a new business, did not overthrow the Li Tang dynasty, and did not do anything out of the ordinary.

Therefore, under this framework, the lowest-cost way of operation is to allow talented people to hold high positions and perform their duties, while allowing ordinary people to live a stable life.

It is also a method that everyone can accept.

If the puppet emperor Li Lin was allowed to hold real power, although it would be better in terms of "legal legitimacy", the cost of implementation would be too high and it would cause severe turmoil.

There is almost no support for such "optimization".

If one cannot realize the dream of ascending the throne and becoming emperor, no one will easily destroy this system.

After all, Fang Chongyong was only the right prime minister, and he did not proclaim himself emperor. He was impeccable in terms of legality and did not commit any perverse acts. Ordinary people only wanted stability, so how could they follow those dissatisfied wealthy families to cause trouble?

Rebellion at this time is a task with extremely small benefits and extremely high risks, and it is impossible to gain widespread support.

This is the real trend.

The big families who rebelled did not even have this basic base, and Li Guangbi was not blind, so he could certainly see who was superior and who was inferior.

It's human nature to stand on the side of the winner.

He could get what the big families could give him by confiscating their properties, so why would he rebel and get a reputation as a traitor?
Many of the local wealthy people simply don’t understand that the world has changed.

They simply could not understand that a military leader like Li Guangbi would naturally be at odds with the local wealthy families.

No matter how many sweet words I use to cover it up, they can't hide those chilling words: If I kill you, all your things will be mine.

The thinking mode of a soldier is completely different from that of a noble family who owns large tracts of land.

How come those people can't feel the changes of the times?
Like Fang Chongyong, Li Quan also couldn't understand why land was more important than life.

If people are dead, what is the use of land?

"There are so many stupid people in the world that you can never kill them all."

Li Quan could not help but sigh, and while sighing he wrote a military order, ordering all the generals of the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army to lead their troops.

From now on, do not advance rashly, but slowly seize the land and control all the counties.

As soon as he finished writing the military order, he immediately called a team of scouts and divided them into several groups to deliver the order.

After finishing all these, Li Quan found Fang Chongyong staring at the map on the wall in a daze, as if he was distracted.

He quickly stepped forward and asked, "Marshal, everything is running normally. Do you have any other instructions?"

"Is there any news from Guanzhong?"

Fang Zhongyong turned around and asked casually.

In fact, Guanzhong was already a "safe and secure place" for him, and it was not the target to be dealt with next. Now was the spring ploughing season, and Marshal Baochen was unlikely to use military force against foreign enemies.

I'm asking this question out of pure curiosity.

"Does it count if Li Baochen goes on a killing spree in Chang'an City?"

Li Quan thought about it and replied casually.

ha?
Upon hearing this, Fang Chongyong was immediately stunned.

"Li Baochen finally entered Chang'an. Why did he start killing people instead of trying to stabilize the situation?"

Fang Zhongyong asked doubtfully, there are so many Tianlong masters in Chang'an, can they be killed at will? If they can be killed at will, he would have planned and laid out his plan with Chang'an as the center. Why bother coming to Bianzhou?

Li Quan spread his hands, indicating that he did not know. Now there are only sporadic news coming in that Li Baochen is eliminating dissidents in Chang'an, and the action is very big. But the right and wrong of it is unknown to outsiders.

……

Before Li Lin ascended the throne, Fang Chongyong suggested changing the new year name.

The puppet emperor naturally would not have any objection to such a thing, so after some internal discussions, Fang Chongyong made the final decision and designated this year as the "first year of Yuanhe."

The metaphorical meaning is "the beginning of peace", with a strong sense of "setting things right".

However, the first year of Yuanhe was not peaceful. At the beginning of the year, the government wanted to "redeem" the land of the wealthy families in various states, which led to these wealthy families organizing themselves and launching a large-scale rebellion.

However, although the scale of the rebellion was large, the level of organization and coordination was mediocre. The Zheng family of Xingyang, who was supposed to lead the rebellion, took the lead in defecting, and Li Guangbi, the governor of Huaixi, who had agreed to participate in the uprising, stabbed him in the back.

The rebellion was thus completely suppressed in a very short time, and countless noble family members were imprisoned or beheaded.

Everyone saw the huge gap in combat effectiveness between the regular army and the makeshift team!
The government took advantage of the situation to obtain the official land it needed, but the price was still countless lives, and the whole process was filled with blood and violence.

There is absolutely no such thing as "peaceful redemption".

Although this was not Fang Zhongyong's original intention, the situation was still developing in a direction he did not want to see. In the end, the conflict was intensified to the point of life and death, and the rebellion broke out.

Even though Fang Zhongyong had taken many preventive measures and made some compromises beforehand, those stubborn people still chose to draw their swords and fight against the trend.

In the hearts of those people, land is more important than life. It is the land they have fought for for ten or even hundreds of years and obtained through trickery and robbery!

There is no way to give up no matter what.

It must be said that judging from the performance of these people, Fang Chongyong felt that the appearance of Huang Chao was indeed not accidental.

Perhaps Huang Chao did not intend to do things to the extreme at the beginning, but later due to various reasons, especially the non-cooperation of those arrogant and powerful families, he had to take extreme measures.

During this rebellion suppression campaign, Wang Nandai pacified Bianzhou, He Changqi pacified Caozhou, and Li Guangbi alone suppressed the largest rebellion in Songzhou, as well as Bozhou and Chenzhou.

All the lands of all the families who participated in the rebellion were confiscated. The leaders of each family were beheaded, and the followers were sent to a newly built prison near Kaifeng in Bianzhou for "reform through labor".

The new prison was named "Shanyuan Villa" and was located in Guoqiao, not far north of Kaifeng City.

Why add the words "good karma"? Why not call it "prison"?

Fang Chongyong put forward his own opinion, which is: punish past mistakes to prevent future ones and cure diseases to save people.

The purpose of holding prisoners in "labor reform" is to make them reflect on their mistakes, punish them for their past actions, and enable them to become useful people to the country in the future.

Rather than killing them in prison.

So, this is a good relationship, so why not call it Shanyuan Villa? Calling it a prison is inappropriate.

However, this "Shanyuan Villa" is not newly built, and it is too late to build it now.

It used to be a "charity cemetery", a place for temporarily storing the dead.

With the rapid construction of the imperial palace in Bianliang City, the corresponding supporting facilities were also built at the same time. This charity cemetery is located near Kaifeng County, which seems a bit abrupt.

The landlords and wealthy people whose properties were confiscated this time simply happened to be in luck.

One day after the rebellion was quelled, Fang Chongyong brought Li Guangbi and others to visit Shanyuan Villa. While they were still watching from the fence outside, they saw a large number of prisoners working in the surrounding land, plowing the fields.

These people's movements were extremely clumsy, and it was obvious that they rarely worked in the fields. However, the guards on the side did not urge them at all, and just watched coldly from the side.

"Your Excellency, you manage the prison like you manage the army. I admire you."

Li Guangbi clasped his fists and saluted to Fang Chongyong beside him.

This is actually the truth. The person who can change the mode of imprisonment from "detention in jail" to "re-education through labor" is indeed an extraordinary person.

“It’s nothing special. If there are unruly people, just starve them for a few meals and they will behave themselves.

It's a pity to keep them in prison. It's better to let them work more and feed themselves. The court can also save money on providing them with food. Isn't it a good policy to kill two birds with one stone?"

Fang Chongyong sneered.

Forcing these landlords who never participate in farming to work in the fields is more painful than putting them in jail!

For these people, it really hit the most painful place.

Yan Zhuang added, "Marshal, Shanyuan Villa is still building a textile workshop. The cloth woven in the future can be used to make military uniforms for the soldiers. Why not?"

"That's right. We don't have any business with domestic prostitutes or official prostitutes, and we certainly don't have any business with kidnapping women and raping them, which would corrupt morals and military discipline!
No matter what noble family she is from, as long as her family is guilty, she will be sent to Shanyuan Villa to work on the loom!"

Yan Zhuang and Li Guangbi both nodded slightly. Although they felt that it was a bit of a waste of resources, wasn't this also a kind of "punishment"? It was only natural for people who committed crimes to be punished, right?

I have to say that Fang Zhongyong was quite upright in doing these things.

When the group entered Shanyuan Villa, they saw a group of prisoners burying bodies. The huge pit was filled with people who had rebelled before and were eventually executed.

There is a huge pile of them, layer upon layer, with no bottom in sight.

"In the future, the mulberry trees planted here will surely be exceptionally lush and flourishing."

Fang Zhongyong sighed softly and pointed at the horrifying pit.

(End of this chapter)