Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 641 The Wind Rises

With thirty thousand taels of gold around his waist, he rode a crane to Yangzhou.

Yangzhou has been a good place since ancient times, and it is a place that scholars and poets yearn for.

Cen Shen did not have 30,000 strings of cash, nor did he have a crane, nor did he have the steps of ignoring his relatives. But when he arrived at "Tangzi City" in Yangzhou, he was warmly received by a group of people including Sheng Wang Li Qi.

After a grand welcoming banquet in the palace hall where everyone was flattering each other, Cen Shen was led by Li Qi to the palace's study.

Accompanying him were Gao Shi, the chief historian of the royal palace, and Lai Chen, the former military commander of Shouzhou and current military commander of Yangzhou.

At the previous banquet, Gao Shi deliberately led the topic to poetry. Cen Shen was a great poet himself, and with the praise of others, the atmosphere at the banquet was very warm, and both the host and the guests had a great time.

However, Cen Shen did not come to Yangzhou to drink and eat meat.

What he held in his arms was the imperial edict from "Son of Heaven" Li Lin!

"I wonder if Brother Cen is coming to Yangzhou for pleasure or business?"

After the four of them sat down, Gao Shi was the first to ask. He seemed to have been authorized by Prince Sheng Li Qi to deal with Cen Shen.

The last time he dealt with the affairs of Huainan, Gao Shi was very skilled in maneuvering and successfully "persuaded" He Changqi's army to withdraw from Zhongli, and successfully reached an agreement with Li Guangbi on the peaceful handover of Shouchun, achieving almost all the goals set in advance.

There was no such bad thing as the other party breaking the agreement, going back on their word and turning against each other.

So after Gao Shi returned to Yangzhou, Li Qi entrusted him with important tasks and consulted him first on any major matters. Gao Shi was able to handle these matters properly.

"Yangzhou has beautiful scenery and pleasant climate, so it is a good place to visit.

But this time, Cen came with the emperor's decree."

Cen Shen saluted Li Qi with his arms crossed, then took out a piece of ochre-yellow silk from his bosom and handed it to Gao Shi.

After the latter opened it and read through it quickly, he suddenly felt nervous.

This was a very formulaic imperial edict, the general meaning of which was to appoint Li Qi as the Jiedushi of Huainan, and to arrange specific official posts for important officials under his command, such as Gao Shi and Lai Chen present here.

At first glance, there seems to be nothing special, because Li Qi himself is the Jiedushi of Huainan appointed by Brother Ji himself!
But Gao Shi had worked in the Youzhou government before, and had returned to Chang'an many times to serve, and had been sent out alone, so he was extremely experienced! He saw at a glance that this was just for outsiders to see.

Because Li Lin was just a puppet emperor!

This person is like a jade seal, which can be used to stamp when needed! However, what is written on the paper with the stamp is not something that the jade seal can determine.

"Brother Cen, this is a bit unfair of you. I am sure that Marshal Fang must have some instructions, so why don't you let King Sheng read the handwritten letter?"

Gao Shi asked back pretending to be displeased.

He didn't mention the imperial edict, and there was nothing much to say.

Cen Shen smiled slightly, said nothing, took out a wax envelope from his sleeve and handed it to Gao Shi.

The three people present breathed a sigh of relief.

Who cares what Li Lin says? He's just a puppet!

What Li Qi, Gao Shi and others wanted to know was what the person behind the puppet said and what he guaranteed and promised.

"Marshal Fang is very grateful to His Royal Highness Prince Sheng for his contribution in preserving Huainan. He has no ill will towards all of you present here."

Cen Shen said calmly.

His words seemed to have some deep meaning. Fang Zhongyong had no ill intentions now, but what would happen if he had ill intentions in the future?

I dare not think too deeply about this kind of thing.

Gao Shi opened the letter and read it word by word, very slowly.

Fang Chongyong said in the letter:
Now that the world is divided, the normal inheritance of the Li clan has been cut off. To be honest, each has his own reasons. But the people still have to live, especially the people in Huainan, who are used to stability. How cruel it is to let them suffer.

King Sheng, your current situation is very delicate. If the shogunate bureaucrats and the governors of the Huainan states ask you who you regard as the orthodox court, how will you answer?
People like Li Baochen in Guanzhong inherited power from Huangfu Weiming. You won't regard him as the orthodox one, right?
So now Fang has a little advice for you, that is, to respect Li Lin as the orthodox, and I, the Grand Marshal of the Army, can guarantee that Huainan will not face military disasters. You can continue to be the governor of Huainan, and just issue a proclamation to the outside world to attack Li Baochen and his ilk.

The imperial examinations of the imperial court are now open to the people of Huainan. You can also apply to the court to send some officials selected through the imperial examinations to handle government affairs in local prefectures and counties.

You can pay taxes from Huainan according to the rules of the Kaiyuan period and send them to Bianzhou. Of course, you don't have to send large amounts of silk to the palace as before.

In this way, you don't have to worry about the problems under your rule, and the court will not squeeze Huainan Dao like a bone-sucking marrow. Otherwise, even if Fang doesn't send troops into Huainan, can you really defend Yangzhou for a long time?
You must know that a man is innocent but guilty of possessing a treasure. I hope King Sheng will think about this carefully.

There is no room for negotiation on orthodox righteousness, but if you think the taxes Huainan pays to the court are too high, you can still negotiate.

After reading the letter, Gao Shi didn't know how to explain it to Li Qi. He had no choice but to hand the letter to Li Qi, who read it and showed it to Lai Chen.

The huge study room fell into complete silence.

"Brother Cen, this is a serious matter. Why don't you go back to the inn to rest first and come to the palace tomorrow?"

Gao Shi asked softly, his tone quite polite.

"Of course, I will take my leave then."

Cen Shen bowed to everyone and then leisurely left the study.

After he left, everyone in the study looked a little ugly.

Because this summer, the Zhejiang typhoon swept through the coastal counties. Afterwards, Taizhou was hit by a major epidemic, and the local counties and prefectures were desperate to collect taxes. Yuan Chao, a clerk in Taizhou, killed officials and rebelled in Tangxing County (Tiantai, Zhejiang)!

To the north of Huainan Road is Henan, and to the south is Jiangnan East Road, which is where Yuan Chao rebelled.

Now the rebel army is unstoppable and is likely to sweep across Jiangdong!

Why did the uprising develop so rapidly?

Firstly, the ruling core of the Tang Dynasty has always been far away from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Secondly, the Tang Dynasty today is divided into pieces north of the Yangtze River and can no longer form a centripetal force that can bring together hundreds of people.

It is not surprising that the situation of "one person rebels and then everyone rebels" happens.

It was obvious that Fang Chongyong was a well-informed person and he also saw Li Qi's weakness.

Aren't you going to hug my thigh now?

If you don't curry favor with others, how can you be sure that there won't be another "Yuan Chao" in Huainan?

If you ask for help again, I won’t offer you this price!

Li Qi also had to admire Fang Qing as a master.

"What do you think, you two?"

Li Qi asked with some concern. He was a soft-hearted person and didn't have such big ambitions.

In fact, Li Qi felt that what Fang Qing said did make some sense. "General Lai will have to send troops sooner or later, cross the river and go south to suppress the bandits. Otherwise, Yangzhou is a fertile land, and the bandits in Taizhou will definitely be eyeing it.

In Gao's opinion, it's better to agree to it temporarily."

Gao Shi nodded slightly and said.

Lai Zhen didn't say anything, but he didn't object, and he couldn't object.

Leading troops across the river to suppress bandits was part of the plan.

At present, Huainan Dao has shown some signs of instability, as if someone wants to respond to Yuan Chao. Besides, Li Qi, the governor of Huainan, has "expired" power.

It is no exaggeration to say that there are internal and external troubles.

Should he go south to Taizhou to suppress the bandits, or go north to Huainan to confront Fang Qing's elite troops, or be annexed by the troops from Jingxiang?
In this situation where there are wolves in front and tigers behind, Lai Chen didn't dare to say anything.

After all, it was he who went out to fight with others! He has no place to pass the blame!
"I think it's the same if we agree to it first and let Fang Qing send troops to help us put out the fire. Even if Fang Qing is bad, he is now acting in the name of the court and he even opened the imperial examination a few days ago. I think our lives can be saved.

But if Yuan Chao's bandits come to attack us, it's hard to say whether we will be alive or not."

Li Qi said with a long sigh.

Fang Zhongyong's pressure was not too severe. He just needed to recognize the orthodox status of the Bianzhou court and pay normal taxes like in the Kaiyuan period. Yangzhou used to have great economic pressure because Brother Ji sent someone to Yangzhou to draw blood!

Which state or county can withstand such destruction?

Now Fang Qing just said that the normal taxes should be paid to Bianzhou, the loss on the road will be small, and the amount of taxes can also be negotiated.

This plan, in the long run, is of course harmful to Li Qi's power. For example, whether the throne can be inherited by successors in the future is a matter for the future.

However, at this critical juncture of internal and external troubles, the Bianzhou court has strong troops at hand and can protect Huainan from the worries of war, so it is still very reliable.

Who can tell what will happen in the future?
The rebellion in Taizhou was spreading very fast, and now tens of thousands of people have gathered! They have captured Taizhou and the neighboring Quzhou, Yuezhou, Mingzhou and other places.

Is it difficult to capture Yangzhou?
If the army was there to suppress it, it would be difficult, but if it could not be suppressed, the fall of Yangzhou would only take one or two months.

"I will be responsible for leading the troops across the river to suppress the bandits. Gao Changshi will be in charge of the rest."

Lai Zhen clasped his fists and bowed to Li Qi, which was considered as his approval of this plan.

Although this is a bit shameful for a general leading troops to fight, there is no other good way. War is to serve politics, not to fight on the battlefield.

If war can be avoided, it is better to avoid it as much as possible.

Lai Chen chose to keep silent at the critical moment.

"Chapter Gao, invite Cen Shen to the palace tomorrow and tell him that I agree to issue the proclamation. As for the tribute to be sent to the court, it will be based on the account books of the various states in Huainan Road in the 26th year of Kaiyuan.

If any state is unwilling to pay, please ask the court to send tax collectors to collect it.”

Li Qi said with a sigh.

The Jiedushi of Huainan was unable to collect taxes from certain prefectures and counties in Huainan Road!

This kind of thing seems absurd at first glance, but it is the norm after the Tang Dynasty fell apart. Of course, the "failure to collect taxes" here does not simply mean that the governor did not pay tribute to Yangzhou.

Instead, the local county government will prevaricate and drag their feet with various excuses, and only give a small symbolic amount.

It was impossible for Li Qi to send troops to suppress the rebellion.

Sending too many troops would not be worth the cost, and even the military funds could not be recovered.

If too few troops are sent, the local wealthy families and local government will collude with each other and it is hard to say who will bully whom!

Li Qi, the governor of Huainan, could not fully exercise his power. Of course, this was also related to his "expired power". He could not give too much power to his soldiers to prevent mutiny among the generals.

If things really get out of hand, Li Qi can't even explain clearly who he serves as the court, so how can he convince the soldiers under his rule?

The next day, Gao Shi went to the post station in person to take Cen Shen to Prince Sheng's mansion, and Li Qi and others prepared a few side dishes in the study. They discussed the matter while eating and drinking.

Li Qi wrote a letter to Fang Chongyong to express his submission, and agreed that the people from various counties in Huainan could go to Bianzhou to take the imperial examinations, and also asked the court to "fill vacancies".

In fact, Li Qi had long been dissatisfied with the "local emperors" in the counties and prefectures of Huainan.

The atmosphere at the banquet was extremely harmonious. Gao Shi and Cen Shen took turns writing poems and praising each other.

However, just when everyone was drinking too much, a personal soldier hurriedly opened the door and walked in with a governor in a red robe.

When the man saw Prince Sheng Li Qi, he knelt down and cried, "Your Highness, Fang Qing has rebelled! He has rebelled!"

ha?
Cen Shen dropped the chopsticks in his hand onto the table, looking confused.

Li Qi, Gao Shi and others were also shocked.

Fang Qing is now a powerful official, holding the emperor hostage to command the princes. His momentum is like the rising sun, and he has even begun to promote the imperial examination!

Is he crazy to rebel now? Rebelling against himself?

Gao Shi was the one who reacted the fastest. He helped the governor up and asked in confusion, "Who are you and why did you rebel?"

"I am Pang Jun, the governor of Shezhou. Fang Qing, a stubborn man under my jurisdiction, rose up in rebellion, killing officials. Now Shezhou has fallen, and the rebels are attacking cities everywhere!"

Oh, it turns out they have the same name and surname, I was scared!
Everyone in the study breathed a sigh of relief.

If Fang Qing in Bianzhou were to rebel, the situation in the world would be like a landslide or tsunami, and no one would know what would happen.

Fang Qing is a man who is known for his flexible skills and good communication skills. He is very trustworthy and tactful in everything he does. If this man can keep to his proper place, considering his power and status, it would be a blessing for the people of the world.

But if even he rebels, then the world will be one of people killing and eating each other. Who can bear that?

"Can't you just talk it out? Fang Qing is the Grand Marshal of the Army and the Right Prime Minister of the court. How can he be confused with a rebel from Shezhou?"

Li Qi scolded with an unhappy look on his face.

"Your Highness is right, but what should we do now?"

Pang Jun raised his head and asked in confusion.

Yes, you guys are good at pretending, but who is going to go to Shezhou and chop off that unruly Fang Qing?

You know, Shezhou is really not far from Yangzhou!

"How about this, I will go back to Bianzhou now and report this to Marshal Fang. General Pang, do you want to go to Bianzhou with me?"

Cen Shen looked at Pang Jun and asked.

(End of this chapter)