Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 666: Only the Living Can Talk About Justice

Late at night, Li Hua saw his uncle Li Qijun coming back drunk, so he helped him into the bedroom.

"Uncle, what's going on?"

Li Hua asked with concern.

Before, he was still worried that Fang Qing would find a reason to put Li Qiyun in jail after he went to the Bianzhou government office. But when he saw his uncle coming back and seemed to have drunk a lot of wine, he temporarily put his mind at ease.

Then Li Hua began to worry about another problem: whether something good would happen and how much this matter had to do with him.

“In nine out of ten places, one throws oneself into disobedience, and thousands of miles away from his hometown, he returns home empty-handed.

The severe frost invaded the human bones last night, and no one could read the high hall without giving them clothes. "

Li Qijun suddenly sighed and recited a poem.

"This poem was written by my uncle when he was in Anxi. Could it be that something happened to him this time?"

Li Hua asked curiously, handing over a bowl of Physalis.

Li Qijun drank the sour syrup in one gulp. The taste was sharp, dry and sour, which made his face wrinkle. Li Qijun put the bowl on the table and sighed again.

"When your uncle went to Anxi to make a living, I went through a lot of hardships, so I won't talk about them.

Now it seems like there is a chance for success, but it will cost you your life.”

Li Qiyun shook his head, motioned Li Hua to sit down, and continued:

"I will leave for Luoyang tomorrow. You don't have to go with me. You can take the imperial examination in Bianzhou. If I get into trouble, the government will directly select you as an official candidate, just like the Jinshi candidates, and you will just have to wait for the selection."

He said with a melancholy look on his face that now this was considered as making arrangements for his funeral arrangements.

"Uncle, why is this?"

Li Hua was shocked. He didn't expect that he would encounter so many weird things just by having a meal in the restaurant today.

He just came to Bianzhou to take part in the imperial examination!

"It's like this, now there is an opportunity to quickly enter the central circle.

Time is running out, and we cannot refuse now."

Li Qijun told Li Hua everything about his plan to go to Luoyang to persuade An Shouzhong, and only then did Li Hua feel relieved.

In other words, he was simply not aware of the danger.

"Uncle, I'm just delivering a letter. It's nothing."

Li Hua comforted Li Qiyun.

"If only it were as casual as you say."

Li Qijun shook his head and said, things are not that simple.

What he wanted to do was not just to be a "mouthpiece", but to alienate the relationship between Guanzhong and An Shouzhong.

The job of fanning the flames is not easy. If you are not careful, you may get hurt. My nephew Li Hua is still young and does not understand the risks at all.

Li Qiyun had dealt with many soldiers holding knives when he was young. Soldiers holding knives and killing people were so common that they were not worth mentioning.

How do you know that you won’t be the next one to be killed?

"Uncle, aren't you afraid that the people in Guanzhong will retaliate against us?"

Li Hua asked doubtfully.

Now the situation is obvious. He did not expect that Li Qiyun would get involved in the more critical affairs in Bianzhou so quickly.

If you look at it from a gambler's perspective, it's no different than a passerby observing the situation at the gambling table, suddenly coming up to the table and going all in.

This is a bit of a big deal.

"Don't worry, the government has already made arrangements, someone will notify your family to move quickly.

When we move our family to Bianzhou, those people in Guanzhong will just be left staring blankly at us."

Li Qijun said lazily.

Li Hua nodded. He began to understand why his uncle Li Qijun wanted to come along even though he was the only one taking the imperial examination this time.

It turned out that his uncle, who had dared to go to Anxi alone in his early years, came to Bianzhou this time to send him to take the imperial examination.

The most important thing is to find a job for yourself, and this job can’t be too shabby!
"Uncle, according to what you just said, isn't chaos in Guanzhong a foregone conclusion?"

Li Hua asked in a low voice.

It is obvious that Li Qiyun is involved in such a big thing, and his personal opinions and inclinations are already in front of us without any concealment.

“Well, with the separation of Luoyang, chaos in Guanzhong is only a matter of time.

The world is beginning to reshuffle. Oh my god, things are really going to change."

Li Qijun shook his head, looking melancholy.

People who have been officials and have seen the world will find it difficult to adapt to the world in recent years.

When he was in Anxi, the Tang Dynasty was still so strong. If the normal historical trajectory is followed, after Li Qiyun returned to Chang'an, he should have stayed in the central government for a while before being sent out alone as the governor of a higher state.

Finally, he was transferred back to Chang'an to serve in the six ministries. Whether he could become a minister or a prime minister depended on his luck.

But now?
It’s gone, all gone!
There is no longer any conventional route to promotion. Anyone who wants to get into the government must make their own way based on their abilities and connections. There is nothing to refer to.

If you join the team late, you have to fight for your life, there is nothing to say.

"Uncle, is it so difficult to be an official?"

After listening to Li Qiyun's explanation, Li Hua began to doubt his life.

If it is so difficult to become an official, why do people still take the imperial examination? Only a few are admitted out of thousands of people, and this is the result of screening.

"If being an official is difficult, then nothing in the world is easy."

Li Qijun warned Li Hua with a serious face.

……

In fact, alienating An Shouzhong from the court in Chang'an was just a "small matter" arranged by Fang Zhongyong. At least in his opinion, if you don't have the strength, then no matter what conspiracy you play, even if you succeed by chance, it will only benefit others.

Early in the morning, Fang Zhongyong came to the "Army Depot" newly established a few years ago in Kaifeng City. It was mainly used to store armor, cotton clothes and related raw materials.

In the past two years, Bianzhou has also implemented military reforms. There are many changes, the biggest of which is to return the weapons and armor that have been "privatized" to the public.

Soldiers can only come to the armory to collect armor when they are on a mission.

In normal times, only broadswords and short bows are allowed.

Gradually, it began to look a bit like a "country".

When ordinary soldiers are on duty, in addition to their military uniforms, they are only allowed to wear a leather vest inside that can keep out the cold and provide a certain degree of defense, and a silk lining to prevent arrows from penetrating the flesh.

Officers could wear armor when not on a mission, but soldiers could only wear paper armor when on duty. From the beginning, Bianzhou put the newly produced armor into storage and numbered it, but did not distribute it.

Separating these "strategic weapons" from the soldiers greatly reduced the success rate of the mutiny.

Without armor, even if several thousand people mutinied, they could be easily suppressed by elite soldiers wearing armor.

The soldiers' daily wear included special cloth for leggings and armbands, which provided some protection against arrows and facilitated the removal of arrowheads. In addition to keeping out the cold, it also prevented daily scratches from trees and stones, which would result in non-combat casualties.

The second is the "hat" worn on the head, which replaced the helmet. It has almost no ability to defend against arrows, but it is convenient to block wind, sun and rain, and is very practical.

Tassels of different colors can be placed on the top of the hat to facilitate identification of friend or foe. In winter, a layer of cloth or even fur can be put under the hat to keep warm.

Once this item was introduced, it was deeply loved by the lower-level soldiers. Unless it is necessary, the helmet is not only useless, but also extremely uncomfortable to wear.

Li Quan presided over the Privy Council and has worked hard in the past two years to regularize the army and standardize and diversify logistics.

Early in the morning, Fang Chongyong came to the "Army Depot" in Kaifeng City to conduct a surprise inspection of the inventory. Fang Chongyong strolled through the armory with narrow aisles and tall and spacious shelves, observing the results of Li Quan's military reorganization, and could not help but sigh at the importance of professional talents.

"It's interesting."

He couldn't help but sigh.

"Please see, Your Majesty, today's armor is different from the traditional style of the Tang Dynasty.

In the past, each unit was owned by one person and they were basically not separated.

After the reform, a set of armor, in addition to the helmet, is divided into the main parts of the helmet, breastplate, belly armor, shoulder pads, leg shackles, etc.

There are also small leather items such as wrist guards, knee pads, and neck guards that can be matched.

For example, the breastplate and belly armor can be divided into two halves. The front and back are made of different materials and provide different protection.

Can be matched as needed.

When making armor, it was also done according to what the officials called assembly line production, which greatly improved efficiency.

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Now in the armory, there are no less than 50,000 sets of iron armor, leather armor, and paper armor combined."

Li Quan said proudly.

In order to increase the army's armor coverage rate and to cope with the losses in war.

Fang Chongyong and his staff analyzed the bottlenecks in armor production from aspects such as labor quantity, raw material supply, and procurement costs, and determined the types and proportions of armor.

What to do if the production of iron sheets is limited? Use leather armor.

What to do with limited leather production? Use paper armor.

There were many papermaking workshops in Bianzhou, so paper supply was not a problem.

Break the armor into parts and make them in batches. If the quantity is insufficient in the future, just protect the chest and not the back! If something is missing, fill it up quickly. If you are in a hurry to fight, use whatever you have.

Everyone in the Bianzhou government was thinking about unifying the country. Under Fang Zhongyong's coordination, government affairs were running very efficiently. The results of the military replenishment in the past two years were obvious to all.

"Looking at these armors, I slept more peacefully at night."

Fang Chongyong laughed.

The advantages of choosing to settle in Bianzhou are gradually being brought into play. Especially after the capture of Huainan, the wealthy Yangzhou has been transporting materials and handicrafts to Bianzhou.

There are also a lot of commercial taxes.

The economy in Huainan area is also recovering rapidly.

Fang Chongyong checked the warehouse and found that there was nothing fishy, ​​so he left the armory with satisfaction.

He was only going to get a general idea, Lu Mai would bring someone to check the accounts. In terms of military equipment, anyone who dared to play tricks would be killed without any conditions.

Just as Fang Zhongyong was about to leave, Zhang Guangsheng led a general in leather armor to come forward and report: "Your Majesty, Che Guangqian's deputy general Liu Wenxi has come to Bianzhou to report his achievements to the court."

Liu Wenxi knelt down on one knee and raised the wooden box in his hand above his head.

"Head?"

As soon as Fang Chongyong saw the square size of the wooden box, he knew it was just enough to hold a human head.

As expected, Liu Wenxi reported loudly: "Your Majesty, last year General Che led his troops to fight a fierce battle with the rebels in Taizhou, and the rebel leader Yuan Chao escaped. Our army continued to pursue him, and Yuan Chao led his troops to flee in all directions. We chased him across four states before we killed him and put down the Yuan Chao Rebellion."

it is finally over!
The aftermath of Yuan Chao's rebellion was not fierce at all, and each battle did not involve more than 10,000 people. This was not because Yuan Chao did not want to concentrate his superior forces, but because he simply could not concentrate them, and the terrain did not allow it.

Yuan Chao first fought against the government troops in the north of Taizhou and was defeated. In that battle, 20,000 rebels were killed, and their bodies blocked a small river in Ninghai.

Yuan Chao fled back to Linhai, the capital of Taizhou, and put up a stubborn resistance, but was defeated again and again. After the city was broken, countless people were killed and wounded.

Then he led his elite troops to fight in Wenzhou, Kuozhou, Quzhou, and Muzhou, expanding his army while fighting. Finally, he was surrounded by 10,000 elite troops led by Che Guangqian at Sanhe Fort, south of Muzhou.

In the end, all the so-called "righteous soldiers" were killed in the battle, and Yuan Chao committed suicide on the top of the fortress.

The aftermath of this war was not large-scale, but it caused great damage to the fragile local economy. Many people in the south fled to Hangzhou in the north as refugees.

For a time, tigers, leopards and wolves in many local forests came down the mountains to the villages and towns to look for food. The elderly and the weak who could not walk were often eaten. It was a tragic situation to the extreme.

The harm of war is not how many people are killed on the battlefield, but the destruction of social and production order in the places where the armies fight. Those who do not leave will die of hunger even if they are hungry.

Fang Chongyong stared at the head sent by Liu Wenxi, without any joy in his heart.

This was a typical game of "better to lose than to win". The local tyrants and evil gentry certainly suffered a great loss, but the so-called "rebels" did not achieve anything in the end.

Whether it is the government army or the rebel army, they only need to fight, but the local people have a lot of things to consider.

There are different opinions on whether the rebels are truly "righteous". And whether the government really "rules for the people" is also worth discussing.

In the end, four or five states were reduced to a scorched earth and rivers of blood flowed.

Is it really worth it?
Thinking of this, Fang Zhongyong felt a little heavy in his heart. After all, he was the one who had to answer this question directly.

Anyone who wants to change the dynasty cannot avoid this issue.

"I will write a letter to Che Guangqian right away, and you can take it back.

If nothing unexpected happens, you should be dispatched to Huainan. Someone else will guard Hangzhou and pacify the local area.

You should hand over all the military achievements and rewards of the past few years to the Privy Council. We will make arrangements when the time comes. Not a penny or a piece of cloth will be missing."

Fang Chongyong comforted Liu Wenxi and made the promise on the spot.

The latter did not understand the profound meaning of Fang Chongyong's arrangement, but it was really great to be able to transfer troops from western Zhejiang to Huainan.

Before it became the Yellow River flood area, the Huainan area was one of the richest places in the world, and Yangzhou Prefecture was even known as "Yangzhou No. 1 and Yangzhou No. 2".

Going to such a nice place, Liu Wenxi's mood at the moment is just like his name.

I am happy to hear it!

"Thank you, Marshal, for your grace!"

Liu Wenxi took the order and went back to the post station to wait for news. In fact, Fang Zhongyong should have arranged Che Guangqian to be the governor of Huainan two years ago. It was just that Yuan Chao ran away, so he could not be promoted until the work was done.

If he didn't get promoted, the rewards for the soldiers under his command could not be delivered in full, and he only gave them a part of it first.

After learning about this, the soldiers under Che Guangqian wanted to hang the portrait of Yuan Chao's grandson on a scarecrow and use it to chop when practicing swordsmanship.

Since your rebellion has failed, why don't you come to the government and turn yourself in earlier? Running around like a rat makes things bad for everyone!
What's the point of this?

Many soldiers in the army hated Yuan Chao.

After Yuan Chao committed suicide, the soldiers refused to give up and wanted to chop Yuan Chao's body into meat paste and feed it to dogs to vent their anger, but were stopped by Che Guangqian.

Liu Wenxi felt very happy when he thought that the reward was finally in his hands.

After Liu Wenxi left, Li Quan came forward and complained to Fang Chongyong: "Yuan Chao is a hateful fellow. Many places in Zhejiang and Jiangxi are deserted because of him. If it weren't for this fellow holding us back, we might have already started attacking Xiangyang."

“How can it be so easy to distinguish right from wrong in this world?

When Yuan Chao died, he was defeated, that was all."

Fang Zhongyong sighed and said without responding.

No matter what the reason was for Yuan Chao's uprising, the result he finally led to was the worst. There must be something wrong.

Many times, good intentions do not necessarily lead to good results, let alone people with bad intentions.

Li Quan was just standing on the side of the ruling class and maintaining the "big picture" of the rulers. Of course, if Yuan Chao swept across Jiangdong and created a new "Eastern Wu", it is hard to say how Li Quan and others would evaluate him.

Anyway, the dead have no right to speak. Only the living are qualified to talk about justice and fairness with such confidence.

Thinking of this, Fang Zhongyong couldn't help but feel a chill on his back.

(End of this chapter)