Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 636 Returning favors
Although Hao Tingyu's words made sense, Li Guangbi still wrote a battle report to Fang Chongyong and requested to send troops to Guangzhou.

Li Guangbi felt that Hao Tingyu's plan was good, but it had a "small flaw". Going out to fight without asking for permission when there was no major enemy situation was a taboo in military strategy.

Not informing the superiors not only means acting on one's own, committing the crime of "disrespecting the army", but also cuts off one's own retreat, making it impossible for reinforcements and supporting troops to arrive, which is very dangerous.

So after thinking it over again and again, Li Guangbi informed Fang Chongyong and asked him to wait for news first.

He waited anxiously for his personal soldiers who had gone to Bianzhou to return to Shouchun. However, unexpectedly, three days later, not only did his personal soldiers return on time.

There were a few other people who came back with the personal soldiers.

They were Fang Zhongyong and Zhang Guangsheng and others who were responsible for the accompanying guards.

"Marshal Fang, why are you in Shouchun?"

That afternoon, in front of the Shouchun city gate, Li Guangbi, Hao Tingyu and others saluted Fang Chongyong who had suddenly arrived, with a very respectful attitude.

Marshal Fang suddenly came to the southernmost tip of the "border", and it was definitely not for sightseeing. Li Guangbi and others could not figure out his true intentions for a while.

"Huainan is an important town. There will definitely be battles here in the future. It is not unusual for me to come here to inspect it."

Fang Chongyong laughed loudly, in a very good mood, and it was not at all obvious that he came here to call for punishment.

Li Guangbi felt fine, but Hao Tingyu, who was guilty of his crime, had already been soaked in cold sweat on his back. He didn't know whether it was because the weather in the south was getting hot too quickly, or whether he was worried that Fang Chongyong would single him out for revenge.

"Shouchun has a steep terrain, which makes it easy to defend but difficult to attack. It should not be underestimated."

Fang Chongyong climbed up the city wall of Shouchun City, looked at the Bagua Mountain in the north, and couldn't help but sigh.

"What the commander said is absolutely right. Shouchun is an important town in Huainan and its location is very strategic.

I originally planned to attack Shouchun with water, build a dam to raise the water level, and have large ships directly climb onto the city wall of Shouchun.

Unexpectedly, the commander-in-chief succeeded in feinting an attack on Zhongli, and by exchanging cities, he captured Shouchun without a single drop of blood."

Li Guangbi said cautiously, and after thinking it over again and again, he told Fang Chongyong about his battle plan.

It was a good plan, but it didn't come to fruition in the end. It would be a lie to say that you were willing to do it.

"Indeed, Wei Rui used this tactic when he attacked Hefei."

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly and said without comment.

"Why don't we go to the government office to discuss sending troops to Guangzhou now? The defense of Shouchun can be deployed slowly, there is no rush. I believe that there will be no war in Huainan within a year."

He turned around and looked at Li Guangbi and said.

"This way, Marshal."

Li Guangbi made a gesture of invitation. Since Fang Chongyong was no longer going to beat around the bush, he thought this arrangement was fine.

When the group arrived at the government office, Fang Chongyong found an unfinished sand table on the table. It seemed that Li Guangbi had already planned to stay in Shouchun for a long time, otherwise there would be no need to make a sand table.

Li Guangbi saw Fang Chongyong sitting down at the table, so he sat opposite him. Hao Tingyu, who looked nervous, felt his hands and feet were stiff. He sat next to Li Guangbi, his heart almost in his throat.

"Your plan to attack Gwangju is very appropriate if we only look at it from a military perspective.

Guangzhou is located in the south of Yuzhou and west of Shouzhou.

Now that we control Yuzhou and Shouzhou, if we can take Guangzhou, even if we station a thousand men in the local government, it will be enough to give us a few days of warning, preventing Li Yu's army from launching a surprise attack on us."

Fang Chongyong said with a smile.

Seeing that he had fully understood the strategic intentions of Li Guangbi and others, Hao Tingyu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

No matter how you look at it, it doesn't seem like Marshal Fang is here to cause trouble this time. Just knowing this will make you feel relieved.

However, compared with Hao Tingyu, Li Guangbi was more concerned about the "but" that Fang Chongyong was about to say.

As expected, Fang Zhongyong paused for a moment and then continued, "However, I still cannot agree with you sending troops to Guangzhou. I came to Shouchun this time because I am worried that you don't understand the reason and feel aggrieved and uncomfortable, so I came here to discuss it with you, hoping that I can convince you."

Hearing this, Li Guangbi immediately clasped his fists and explained, "General, you are too polite. If there is a military order, just issue it directly and have the soldiers deliver it to Shouchun. I am sorry to trouble you to come here in person. I and the soldiers of the Hexi Army are all very worried."

His words were not entirely polite, because Fang Zhongyong came to Shouchun in person to explain his strategic intentions, which showed that he looked up to them! Anyone with a little bit of brains would know how to appreciate the kindness of others.

Of course, this can be considered as Fang Zhongyong's way of returning a favor.

Since Li Guangbi did not make the decision to send troops to Guangzhou, it was reasonable and normal procedure to simply and crudely issue a military order to tell them not to act rashly.

But this was undoubtedly a lack of respect for Li Guangbi and treating him as an ordinary subordinate.

Fang Chongyong came here in person to explain that this was the proper treatment for winning over Li Guangbi as his confidant. In many cases, winning over subordinates does not rely solely on cold promises of benefits, but also includes some understanding and respect, empathy, and sympathy for the other person's situation.

Whether a superior treats his subordinates as human beings is something that only the person concerned can know. You can't deceive people for long by lying.

Such acts of winning over may not seem to be effective at normal times, but at critical moments, they can often save lives.

"Well, you should explain the reason clearly. I can certainly understand your desire to make great achievements.

Now that I understand, I have to explain to you why we cannot send troops to Guangzhou. I want you to know that I have no intention of suppressing you. The Hexi Army is my old army, so there is no reason to suppress them.

If there is anything you don’t understand, I will break it down and explain it to you until you understand it completely.”

Fang Chongyong laughed and waved his hand gently, signaling Li Guangbi and Hao Tingyu not to be nervous.

"I will listen to the commander's instructions!"

Li Guangbi and others clasped their fists.

"Well, actually, the reason is not complicated.

Because we are still very weak and do not have the strength to crush one side, we cannot start wars on all sides and start fires everywhere.

For example, if you ask me whether I can take back Huainan or destroy Li Qi, I can tell you clearly that it is absolutely possible.

It's just not necessary.

The territory is bigger, and more suitable officials are needed to govern it, and more troops are needed to garrison it. This is beyond the capabilities of this general and the court.

There are still powerful enemies in the north. Li Guiren has ulterior motives, Shi Siming is eyeing us covetously, and Hedong and Guanzhong are not at peace either.

I can assert that Li Yu and his men's goal should be to enter Chang'an via Wuguan Road. Before that, they can't focus on us. Even if they defeat us, it won't make much sense.

Therefore, if the two of you lead the troops to attack Guangzhou, Li Lu will immediately feel that he is under serious threat from the east, and will station heavy troops in Huainan, or even fight us to the death.

If we do not move to Gwangju, I believe that Li Lu and his men will not station troops in Gwangju. The two sides can consciously disengage and not interfere with each other for the time being.

In this way, we can free up our hands to take over Huainan in the south and Hebei in the north. What's wrong with this?

"My two generals, please remember: if you cannot bear the small things, you will ruin the big plans!"

Fang Chongyong persuaded earnestly.

I didn't expect that a battle would have so many twists and turns!
Both Li Guangbi and Hao Tingyu felt very shocked and a little scared.

Formulating a strategy is not as simple as leading troops to attack and calling it a day.

Apart from anything else, whoever is an enemy must be resolutely confronted, and whoever is not an enemy for the time being can be used as is. It is not easy for ordinary people to figure out these two problems.

Fang Zhongyong's strategy was to defend the north and attack Xihe in the south. In the north, he would prevent the Hebei troops from going south to seize the land, and in the south, he would look for opportunities to seize the Huainan area with Yangzhou as the core. In the west, he would try to avoid fighting with Li Lu and Li Baochen. Anyway, those two would fight sooner or later. Based on the achievement of retaking Chang'an, Yan Zhenqing would never give up attacking Li Baochen.

Recovering Chang'an, rebuilding the capital, and slowly recovering lost territory, this is the inherent thinking of the "old times". Nine out of ten literati today think so.

In their view, it would be meaningless to rule the country without making Chang'an the capital. A force that does not occupy Chang'an is like a soul that cannot return to its original body, and will gradually lose the support of all parties.

Because if there was no Chang'an City, those people would not know how the world should operate!
This naturally includes Yan Zhenqing.

Therefore, as long as Fang Zhongyong did not send troops to attack Li Lu, Li Lu, whose ruling core was far away in Xiangyang, would definitely not find fault. Their only goal was to go north to Wuguan Road, attack Chang'an, and take control of Guanzhong!

Then, fight to the death with Marshal Baochen.

Path dependence is a habit that everyone cannot avoid. If a method worked well in the past, people will look for similar solutions in the future.

Fang Zhongyong's first step in planning for the future was to break the path dependence and leave the dead end of Chang'an and Guanzhong. Everything that followed was based on this premise.

Now, Fang Chongyong, who supported Li Lin to ascend to the throne and planned to build the capital in Bianzhou, was the last to act, but he gradually showed the status of "coming late but winning first".

It is located in a place where wars break out on four sides, but it is the most stable one, and its regime has demonstrated strong vitality!

Many people may not be aware of the reason, but the phenomenon is visible to most people. Fang Zhongyong's growing prestige comes from the fact that everyone sees that the nascent regime seems to be thriving and on the right track.

If you do a good job, people will naturally want to follow you. It’s a very clear truth.

"The Marshal is saying that we should not anger Li Yan and make him wary of us, right?"

Li Guangbi asked doubtfully, in fact he was also looking for a way out.

"exactly.

Gwangju is just a state, like chicken ribs. Taking it will not make us grow rapidly, but will instead arouse Li Yu's vigilance.

Even if we want to attack Gwangju, we have to wait until Li Yu sends troops to occupy Gwangju before we take action.

If the enemy does not move, I will not move. If the enemy moves, I will move first. "

Fang Chongyong explained the "Twelve-word maxim" to Li Guangbi and others.

"We were impulsive and almost ruined Marshal Jie's plan. Damn it!"

Li Guangbi and others quickly confessed to Fang Chongyong, and it was fortunate that Marshal Fang came to Shouchun. If you don't talk to him face to face, you really can't explain such a thing.

"Hahahaha, now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, there's no business to discuss. Let's go to the bar and have a good drink today!"

Fang Zhongyong laughed loudly, and the previous solemn atmosphere was swept away.

Li Guangbi and Hao Tingyu looked at each other and thought to themselves: Marshal Fang's ability to handle difficult problems is as smooth as flowing water.

A great disaster was eliminated in an instant.

……

At night, Da Zhenhui was reading the manuscript Fang Zhongyong gave her in her bedroom. It was about the so-called "surplus value". There were many thought-provoking and shocking views in it.

For example, the "transaction inequality theory".

Fang Chongyong believes that all transactions are actually unequal. Even if they appear equal on the surface, it is because one or both parties in the transaction believe that the transaction is beneficial to them and they have gained an advantage, so they will make the transaction.

If this condition is not met, the transaction will not take place.

And the "labor embodied in commodities" does not only exist when merchants sell goods.

The rent collected by landlords can also be considered a form of "commodity transaction", that is, using the right to use the land to trade the output of the fields.

The right to use land actually includes costs, such as the need for landlords to build connections with local officials and bribe officials.

But all of this is borne by the lowest-level tenants, and the middle classes do not create wealth.

For the emperor and the country, it is best to collect taxes directly from the self-cultivating farmers, so that there are no "middlemen" and the profit chain is the shortest. Although it is also exploitation, it only goes through one layer of exploitation, and the tax burden borne by the farmers is naturally the lowest.

The more times the goods change hands, the more "middlemen" there are, and the heavier the burden on the lower-class people.

Fang Zhongyong clearly explained the nature of exploitation. Exploitation is to trade more labor time for a smaller price. This kind of "transaction" is often forced.

"What a dirty and ugly world."

Placing the manuscript on the table, Dae Jung-hye couldn't help but sigh.

Boom boom boom!
There were three knocks on the door.

Da Zhenhui quickly put away the manuscript, slowly walked over and opened the door.

Standing outside was Dacongming, holding a letter in his hand.

"Sister, my father gave it to you."

Da Congming handed the letter to Da Zhenhui without saying a word.

"it is good……"

Facing this half-brother whom she had never even met before, Dae Jung-hye didn't know what to say. There was no hatred between the two of them, but it seemed as if there was something between them.

Da Zhenhui is willing to tell Fang Zhongyong what's on her mind, but she doesn't want Da Congming to know her own affairs. Compared with Fang Zhongyong, Da Congming, who is related to her by blood, is more like an outsider.

After closing the door, Dae Jung-hui opened the letter and read it quickly. She felt ashamed and angry in an instant!
She was a very peaceful lady who didn't get angry easily, but Daqinmao's letter made her feel extremely angry.

Da Qinmao said in the letter: I heard that you are not favored by Fang Qing. I don’t know why you can’t attract him with your beauty, but you must try harder.

The health of the Lord of Bohai is getting worse day by day, and we don't know when he will pass away. When that time comes, we will really need Fang Qing's elite soldiers to escort your father to Bohai to seize the throne.

You should be more proactive. If he doesn't ask you to sleep with him, won't you take off your clothes and get into his arms? Do you need me, as a father, to teach you how to seduce a man?

"How can I not be favored? I am obviously very favored!"

Dae Jung-hye slammed her fist on the table, looking a bit angry and humiliated.

However, when she calmed down, Fang Zhongyong's discussion on "feudal monarchs" came to her mind again: the only characteristic of the feudal system is that it despises human beings and treats people as inferior. And feudal monarchs always regard people as inferior.

"Ugh!"

Da Zhenhui held her head helplessly with both hands. She was frustrated to find that Fang Zhongyong's "heretical" words were actually true. For example, her father Da Qinmao wanted to be the king, so he didn't treat his daughter as a human being.

Only then did she realize that it is often not a happy thing for a person's mind to become clear from being chaotic.

"To seduce a man?"

Thinking of what Daqinmao mentioned in the letter, Dazhenhui felt very helpless.

The relationship between her and Fang Chongyong has undergone a qualitative change, with more trust and support between the two. Or it can be said that Da Zhenhui has fallen into this relationship and has become much more cautious.

How could she do such a thing as taking off her clothes and crawling into Fang Zhongyong's arms! She was not some slutty woman who was currently living in the government office and inherited lustful blood!
"Let's wait until we're officially married before we talk about it."

Dae Jung-hye sighed and felt a headache coming on.

(End of this chapter)