Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 667 Free Money

In the Mingtang of Luoyang City, the tall An Shouzhong, wearing leather armor, paced back and forth.

He had sensed something bad was going on, so he was always accompanied by dozens of guards. Besides sleeping and eating, he always wore a sword and armor on his waist. He was on guard against assassins secretly sent from Guanzhong.

"General An, an envoy has been sent from Chang'an. It's a eunuch. Are you really not going to see him?"

Deputy General Li Tingwang walked into the Mingtang and asked An Shouzhong with a fist salute.

“No, no, no, when those people in Guanzhong raise their butts, I know what kind of shit they are going to pull!”

An Shouzhong scolded impatiently.

An eunuch from Guanzhong was sent over today, saying he wanted to deliver an imperial decree. An Shouzhong made an excuse, saying he was too busy with military affairs to serve him, and asked the eunuch to stay temporarily at the posthouse outside Luoyang.

In fact, he was just expressing his dissatisfaction, not really disappearing.

The current situation is that Chang'an wants to transfer An Shouzhong away from Luoyang in the name of "reasonable and legal" so that his troops and generals can be separated from him.

But there have been too many cases of similar practices in the past. Not to mention An Shouzhong, even a three-year-old child could not be fooled.

However, what An Shouzhong was helpless about was that although Chang'an had ill intentions, they had no intention of resorting to violence. And An Shouzhong himself did not have the strength to counterattack Chang'an.

Therefore, at present, the two sides are still in a stage of pulling each other and making excuses for each other, and their true colors have not been revealed.

An Shouzhong's strategy is to delay and wait for changes.

"Well, I will go and send him away now."

Li Tingwang nodded and walked away.

After he left, An Shouzhong went up to the second floor of Mingtang and looked out into the distance. In his field of vision, Luoyang City was divided into four districts by the river. The imperial palace was located in the northwest corner, and Hanjia Granary was also built here.

The city walls in this area have relatively strong defenses.

However, the other three areas are basically in a state of "no strategic location to defend". To put it bluntly, this is a battlefield.

If a war breaks out in Luoyang, people's livelihood will be ruined easily. An Shouzhong felt it was not worth it to fall out with Chang'an over the transfer order.

He also had a "trump card", which was to control the three cities of Heyang and cut off the Yellow River transport to Guanzhong! However, this move had a great sequelae, which was equivalent to a direct fallout with Guanzhong, and a war was inevitable.

An Shouzhong feels that the situation has not yet reached the point where both sides will be destroyed.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain the status quo. If I give up my military power, I will probably die without a burial place.

Is there any other way to go?
An Shouzhong asked himself a question.

There is a high probability that there will be, for example, if one feels that one cannot support the situation alone, an external force can be introduced to form a new balance with Guanzhong, and then the situation can be supported.

Bianzhou!

The answer is actually not complicated, and many people can think of it. The difficulty lies in how to operate, how to grasp the degree, and how to maintain balance.

Annoying! Very annoying!
An Shouzhong wandered around like a lost horse. He visited almost every corner of the Luoyang Palace for a whole day.

Still haven't thought of a good solution.

Returning to his mansion at night, An Shouzhong dismissed all the outsiders and drank alone in his study, falling into a state of madness.

"General An, the eunuch is already resting at the post house. I told you that you will have time to meet him in three days."

Li Tingwang pushed the door open and spoke cautiously.

"Oh, I see."

An Shouzhong pointed to the cushion opposite the table and motioned Li Tingwang to sit down and have a drink.

After Li Tingwang sat down, he poured a glass of wine for the deputy general and then sighed.

"I have thought about it over and over again today, but I still can't find a perfect solution. Even if we delay it now, it will only be a temporary solution, not a permanent one.

If they do not accept the imperial edict, war is inevitable, and both sides will suffer losses, allowing Bianzhou to gain an advantage for nothing.

If I accept the imperial edict and go to Chang'an, I will have no foundation and no connections, and my life will be dependent on others.

What can be done about it? "

An Shouzhong told Li Tingwang about his doubts. As for the letter he wrote to Bianzhou to express his "goodwill", it was just a last-ditch effort and he could not rely on it at all.

"We may attack Xingyang and keep the enemy at bay. When the Bianzhou army attacks Luoyang, Guanzhong will naturally not be able to force the commander."

Li Tingwang gave An Shouzhong a bad idea.

Of course, it cannot be said that this idea is completely unacceptable. However, it is still unclear whether Guanzhong can benefit from the enmity with Bianzhou. However, An Shouzhong has entered the game and it is extremely difficult for him to get out.

To put it bluntly, you will be skinned alive even if you don't die.

Even if An Shouzhong defeated the Bianzhou army, he could not rest easy.

Because the Bianzhou court controlled dozens of states and actually controlled Henan, Jiaodong, Huainan, western Zhejiang and other places, the rebellion in eastern Zhejiang had just been suppressed and was still in the process of integration.

Such a huge monster obviously should not be provoked easily.

If you lose, it will be even worse. If you surrender after being attacked, you may still be able to survive, but if you take the initiative to provoke, your head will definitely be hung on the city gate as a warning to others after you lose.

It's a death sentence either way!

"This is a last resort, a plan to drag Guanzhong into the water and burn both sides together. It's too early to say now."

An Shouzhong shook his head, obviously not agreeing with this method which was tantamount to suicide.

"The Marshal may agree to the envoy on the surface and pretend to receive the order. As long as Guanzhong sends an official to take up the post, we will be on the way..."

Li Tingwang gestured at his neck with his palm.

There is a lot of water around Luoyang. It's normal for officials who come to take up their posts from other places to fall into the water, right?

I have to say, this despicable method is actually a good one.

However, it is only a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution.

"It's not impossible, but Guanzhong and Luoyang are very close, and it only takes a few days to travel back and forth. An official in Luoyang was just murdered, and they are urging me to return to Guanzhong to take up my post. In this way... I can't delay it for a few days, and it will be exposed in the end."

An Shouzhong waved his hands, his face gloomy.

Before that, he had already gone back and forth with the Guanzhong court for several rounds, and he had found all the excuses he could.

Again, if the vassal states were loyal to the imperial court, the imperial court could freely appoint military commanders. If the vassal states refused to obey the imperial court's appointment, they were disloyal to the imperial court, and once there was any disturbance, the two sides would fight.

This is the so-called "loyalty is not absolute, it is absolutely disloyalty". An Shouzhong wanted to use this trick to deceive the Guanzhong court, but it was impossible. You know, Li Baochen was originally a general of the vassal state, and he followed Huangfu Weiming to start an army!
The current Guanzhong court can itself be considered to have "successfully rebelled."

"General, why don't we obey the court in Bianzhou, but not issue a letter to attack the court in Guanzhong? This way, we can have the best of both worlds, okay?"

Li Tingwang suggested again, feeling extremely disgusted.

An Shouzhong just wants to eat fish but he doesn't like the fishy taste. He doesn't want this or that. Which founding emperor didn't fight his way through a sea of ​​blood and corpses? Just kill those bastards in Guanzhong!
Why are you hesitating?

Although he cursed An Shouzhong in his heart, he dared not show it on his face. Rebel generals like Li Tingwang who followed Huangfu Weiming to start the rebellion now also feel what it means to be in the rivers and lakes and have no choice. The passionate adventure when starting the rebellion and the grand narrative of changing dynasties. In the end, it became a military life full of fear and fear, not as good as the best but better than the worst.

This kind of life is not what they want, but things have come to this point and there is no way to change the status quo, so they can only live one day at a time.

At this moment, a personal soldier pushed open the door and handed An Shouzhong a visiting card, saying, "General An, there is an envoy from Bianzhou outside the palace asking to see you."

"Okay! Please come quickly!"

An Shouzhong excitedly stood up from his seat, took the visiting card, and read it quickly. It was mostly nonsense, and the only useful information was that the person who came to visit was called Li Qiyun.

In the aristocratic circles of the Tang Dynasty, one needed to send a visiting card when visiting someone's home. Of course, ordinary families did not have to go through such cumbersome formalities.

A visiting card is a name card used by the aristocratic circle when visiting others. It is similar to a business card, but it only states the basic purpose of the visit. In the Tang Dynasty, when visiting someone, you must first hand over a visiting card. If the other party agrees, you can visit them.

An Shouzhong thought to himself: The people in Bianzhou are very sincere and impressive.

A soldier like him used to be straightforward in meeting and visiting people, and never used such things as "visiting cards". The person who came this time was probably a veteran who had been in the officialdom for a long time.

An Shouzhong thought of many things, but his expression calmed down.

Read more latest popular novels at 6.9*shuba!

Soon, Li Qiyun was brought in by his personal guards. As soon as they met, An Shouzhong felt that Li Qiyun was very graceful. Although he was dressed simply, his temperament was indeed extraordinary.

"After receiving General An's letter, my master was very concerned and specially asked Li to come to Luoyang with gifts. Here is the gift list."

Li Qijun took out a gift list from his arms, presented it with both hands, and handed it to An Shouzhong.

"The gifts have been delivered to General An's residence."

He then added.

An Shouzhong's eyes widened. The gift list was filled with golden Buddhas, silver tableware, boxes of copper coins and so on.

Very sincere indeed.

He immediately smiled and handed the gift list to Li Tingwang, who was also stunned. He didn't expect that Bianzhou would be so generous!

"Is it the Emperor's intention, or Marshal Fang's intention?"

An Shouzhong asked with narrowed eyes.

Li Qiyun said calmly, "To be honest, this is Marshal Fang's sincerity."

An Shouzhong breathed a sigh of relief. If that was Li Lin's intention, he could send the guest away now. Because if Li Lin was "friendly" with him, it was obviously an attempt to get him involved in the fight with Fang Qing.

This kind of thing is too risky, it’s better to go back to Guanzhong.

"Is there anything Marshal Fang wants to teach me?"

An Shouzhong asked calmly. In addition to the gift list, Li Qiyun also gave him a letter in the envelope.

He didn't want to watch it yet.

"How can Marshal Fang teach General An what to do? The gift is just a token of goodwill. If General An encounters any injustice or is desperate, Marshal Fang is willing to lend a helping hand, that's all.

I have no requirements for General An."

So, now this money is free?

An Shouzhong felt a little unbelievable. He opened the letter and read it word by word, and then he believed that what Li Qiyun said was true.

Fang Qing did not raise any excessive demands, and even praised An Shouzhong in the letter for protecting the territory and the people in Luoyang. In short, this is a bit like the past when the vassal states went to Chang'an to find a way to send gifts to the officials of the court.

You say they are seeking official positions, but those generals in the border towns don't say it clearly. Anyway, they just keep giving gifts and that's it.

But can you say that those generals in the border towns really have nothing to ask for?

I’m afraid that may not be the case.

An Shouzhong was a little confused about Fang Qing's intentions, but he didn't think he had any bad intentions. To put it bluntly, this was just an attitude of asking someone to do something for you.

"I have received Marshal Fang's kindness. Thank you very much."

An Shouzhong said to Li Qiyun in a deep voice.

"In that case, I will go back to the inn to rest. It's getting late, so General An should also rest early."

Li Qiyun clasped his fists and saluted An Shouzhong.

Both parties stood up and walked out of the study together. An Shouzhong sent Li Qiyun to the gate of the mansion before returning to the study.

"What do you think?"

An Shouzhong looked at Li Tingwang and asked.

"Marshal An, Fang Qing's actions are incomprehensible."

Li Tingwang did not exchange pleasantries with An Shouzhong and spoke directly. The two of them fell into silence, and for a moment they were a little hesitant.

An Shouzhong asked the servants in the mansion and got the answer he expected: the things Li Qiyun sent were already in the mansion's warehouse, and they were exactly as written on the gift list.

It’s actually real! Those gold and silver utensils, golden Buddhas and so on are all real and have been delivered!
"Then, shall we accept all these treasures?"

An Shouzhong asked back as if talking to himself.

Li Tingwang nodded, but he added: "General, as the saying goes, it is not the lack of wealth that is worrying, but the inequality of wealth. It is useless to keep gold and silver. It is better to use them to reward the soldiers in the army, recruit new soldiers, and purchase weapons. Many weapons in the Luoyang treasury have been used up, and it is time to replenish the inventory."

An Shouzhong glanced at Li Tingwang, nodded slightly and said nothing.

Li Tingwang was indeed selfish, because he wanted An Shouzhong to share some of his wealth with him and not eat it all alone.

So it was done in the name of "rewarding the soldiers".

But this is also the truth. Li Tingwang wants a share, and so do the other generals in the army. If the generals share, they have to let the soldiers under them get some of the spoils as well.

This matter itself cannot be concealed. If everyone knew that An Shouzhong had a lot of gold and silver treasures at home, but was not willing to give them out to reward the soldiers, then there would be no need to say what bad things would happen next.

"Half will be used to reward soldiers in the army, and the other half will be used to purchase military equipment."

An Shouzhong narrowed his eyes and said, "He is good at commanding the army, so he naturally won't be greedy for gold, silver, and other things. Moreover, at this critical moment, it is impossible for him to be so disrespectful."

That is the way to death.

"We will hold a banquet tomorrow and invite Li Qiyun to attend. We need to find out more about this person. I am still a little suspicious. Do you think there is anyone in this world who would give money away for no reason?"

An Shouzhong sighed, as if trying to convince himself.

"General, it's alright. We've already got the money, so there's no need to worry. We just listen to what Li Qiyun says, and we won't lose out either way."

Li Tingwang smiled.

What the two men did not notice was that while they were discussing the matter, their tone of voice and their inner thoughts had already begun to waver and shift unconsciously.

(End of this chapter)