Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 668: How Much is Fuck Worth?

Li Qijun's ability to speak eloquently, to read people's minds, and to master allusions was not acquired overnight. As early as when he was appointed to Anxi, he had dealt with many soldiers and was able to get along well with them and establish friendships with them.

Soldiers usually don't care much about those twists and turns, and they often have conflicts with each other. Li Qiyun's ability to get along well with soldiers is hidden under the water, and ordinary people can't see it.

The meeting between Li Qiyun and An Shouzhong and others was very successful, but some were happy and some were sad. Another person who lived in the post house outside Luoyang City was extremely anxious and worried all day long.

This man's name was Liu Zhongyi, and he was an eunuch who was not very prominent in the palace of Chang'an. In the era when Gao Lishi was in power, people like them had no chance to make a name for themselves.

After Gao Lishi's death, eunuchs like Liu Zhongyi, who were good at speaking, gradually emerged. Although the imperial power was greatly damaged, the country was divided and there were endless disputes. But because of this, there were many difficult jobs that were extremely dangerous and had no obvious benefits, which often fell to these eunuchs.

Liu Zhongyi was a eunuch who was specifically responsible for conveying imperial edicts to other places.

Not only was his life not rich, he didn't even have the best food. To put it simply: he got up earlier than a chicken, slept later than a dog, ate worse than a pig, worked harder than a cow, and his life was in danger at any time.

When An Shouzhong sent Li Tingwang to inform Liu Zhongyi that he would receive the imperial eunuch again in three days, the young eunuch, who had extensive experience in running errands, sensed something was wrong.

When local county officials received imperial edicts, no matter whether the emperor was a puppet or a powerful emperor, at least the power of the central government was not empty.

He was very efficient in receiving the imperial edict.

Even if the emperor has no power, there are always powerful ministers in charge. The eunuchs sent out convey not the emperor's will, but the will of the powerful ministers.

Who would refuse to obey an imperial order?
This situation is very wrong!
Late at night, in an ordinary room in the Luoyang Posthouse, Liu Zhongyi, with a beard on his chin, disguised as an ordinary person, was still sitting on the bed motionless.

Thinking about countermeasures in my mind.

"Why did An Shouzhong have to wait three days?"

Liu Zhongyi said to himself.

Suddenly, he seemed to have thought of something.

"Could it be that he is preparing to kill me as a sacrifice in three days?"

Liu Zhongyi thought of a terrible outcome.

This worst-case scenario might not happen, but he didn't dare to bet on it.

The current situation is very unfavorable for him, because judging from An Shouzhong's attitude, even if this guy is not plotting any conspiracy, he must be stalling for time.

Liu Zhongyi's task was not only to convey the imperial edict, but he also had to bring An Shouzhong's reply back to Chang'an.

In other words, in this round of game, he would either lose all his capital, that is, be slaughtered by An Shouzhong, or lose all the chips on the table, that is, return to Chang'an in vain and act as a mouthpiece.

It is basically impossible for An Shouzhong to obediently follow the imperial edict back to Chang'an after receiving it.

This also means that my trip here was in vain.

What should I do?
Liu Zhongyi was in a dilemma and couldn't find any good solution after thinking about it over and over again.

"Should we run?"

A bold idea suddenly popped up in Liu Zhongyi's mind.

"I can't stay in Chang'an any longer. I can go somewhere else. Why do I have to go back to Chang'an?"

He slapped his forehead and suddenly realized the truth!

Liu Zhongyi hurriedly packed his bag, but when he had packed halfway, he seemed to have thought of something and put the things in the bag in a conspicuous place.

Liu Zhongyi took out the imperial edict from his sleeve and read it again and again, then changed into a linen robe commonly worn by the common people, quietly walked out of the room, closed the door, and even left the oil lamp on.

The furnishings in the house remained the same, as if the guest inside had just gone to the toilet.

Early the next morning, the owner of the post station discovered that the imperial envoy had "disappeared" and immediately sent someone to report to An Shouzhong and told him what had happened in the house.

At this moment, An Shouzhong was entertaining Li Qiyun. When he learned that the eunuch sent by the court was missing, his smile froze on his face for a moment, and then his face became stiff, and he waved to the people sent by the post station, indicating that he already knew.

After the people from the post station left, An Shouzhong smiled at Li Qiyun and said, "The eunuch sent from Guanzhong was supposed to deliver the imperial edict, but he went fooling around somewhere! He must have been fascinated by the beautiful scenery on the Luo River."

"General An was just joking.

In my humble opinion, the envoy from Guanzhong must have seen that General An refused to accept the order and was afraid that the general would harm him, so he fled.

How can I have the mood to travel around Luoyang City?"

Li Qiyun laughed.

"Mr. Li is right. That's what I think. I was just joking just now. Alas!"

An Shouzhong nodded helplessly.

He also didn't expect that this dog eunuch would actually dare to run away!

"If the eunuch delivers the decree and the general accepts it, he will not be in any good situation, after all, General An cannot go to Chang'an. If the general does not accept the decree, he will inevitably be punished when he returns to Chang'an, and he may even lose his life. It is possible that General An is in a bad mood and finds an excuse to kill him as a sacrifice.

Therefore, if Li were the eunuch, he would have fled at this moment. After returning to Chang'an, he would directly file a complaint with General An, saying that all the soldiers and generals in Luoyang had rebelled. When Chang'an sent someone to inquire about it, the general would have rebelled even if he didn't want to. "

Li Qiyun sighed leisurely.

An Shouzhong felt uneasy after hearing what he said, but he had to admit that the envoy named Li in front of him was indeed extraordinary.

Bianzhou is truly full of talented people!

"Please sir, teach me."

An Shouzhong clasped his fists and bowed respectfully.

Li Qiyun waved his hand and said indifferently: "I am just a guest in Luoyang and will return to Bianzhou today. General An can send an envoy to go to Bianzhou with me and set up a memorial office in Bianzhou to facilitate communication between the two sides and keep it secret from the outside world. But I must not stay in Luoyang to give advice to General An. This is not appropriate."

Li Qiyun declined politely.

An Shouzhong nodded slightly. He also realized that Bianzhou had no intention of taking over Luoyang for the time being, otherwise they would not behave like this.

Seeing that An Shouzhong had taken his words to heart, Li Qiyun continued:
"However, I still have to remind General An. People have no intention of hurting tigers, but tigers hurt people's hearts.

Not to mention that Luoyang controls the land route from Guandong to Guanzhong, the two capitals are still bustling with people.

For example, the three cities of Heyang are very close to Luoyang, and they control the canal transportation to Guanzhong. General An has no intention of cutting off the canal transportation, but the people in Guanzhong may not think the same as you do.

Li Qiyun pointed out the biggest contradiction between An Shouzhong and the Guanzhong court, which was the geographical contradiction.

If Luoyang blocked the passage from Guanzhong to Guandong, then Guanzhong would have to defend itself. Guanzhong was narrow and could not support a city as large as Chang'an. Even though the population of Chang'an had been greatly reduced, it was not something Guanzhong could afford.

If An Shouzhong dares to block the passage, the people in Guanzhong will fight him to the death.

"Could you please be more specific, sir?"

An Shouzhong asked, not quite understanding what Li Qiyun had said just now. He didn't care about exposing his IQ and asked directly.

Li Qiyun patiently explained:
"Guanzhong hopes that General An will be submissive, but in fact, they just think that Luoyang is too profitable for General An to possess. The court in Guanzhong is afraid that General An will start a rebellion, because it will have a huge impact on them. And General An is also worried about those people in Guanzhong, fearing that they will plot against him.

The more you worry, the more you guard. The more you guard, the more you worry.

I can't say whether Guanzhong will send troops to attack Luoyang, I can only remind General An that you must be on guard against others."

An Shouzhong continued to nod, without commenting. In fact, he agreed with what was said, but it was inconvenient for him to sigh on the spot.

"How about you go to Bianzhou with Mr. Li?"

An Shouzhong instructed Li Tingwang.

As if worried that the other party would not go, An Shouzhong added: "It's okay, whether it's a reward or something else, I will leave a portion for you."

Hearing this, Li Tingwang clasped his fists towards An Shouzhong and said, "Then I will go to Bianzhou with Mr. Li." "General An, please rest assured that I will handle this matter thoroughly and will not let Guanzhong know. General An only needs to be careful and not let the matter leak out."

Li Qiyun said seriously.

"That's how it should be."

An Shouzhong nodded, agreeing with Li Qiyun's statement.

Since the eunuch who was delivering the imperial edict had disappeared, An Shouzhong and the others had no time to drink. Li Tingwang packed his luggage, took An Shouzhong's handwritten letter, and rode to Bianzhou with Li Qiyun.

……

"Silly bird! Stupid bird! You stupid bird!"

In the lobby of the mansion, a large five-colored parrot was roaring at Fang Zhongyong.

"It's only been a few years, why has this flat-haired beast become only able to curse and not say anything else?"

Fang Chongyong looked at Wang Yunxiu and asked.

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"Ask him."

Wang Yunxiu pointed at Fang Laique helplessly.

Fang Lai Que ran to the big five-colored parrot and said, "Silly bird! Stupid bird! You stupid bird!"

The five-colored parrot also said: "Silly bird! Stupid bird! You stupid bird!"

Fang Chongyong suddenly realized that there were a pair of stupid birds in the family, no wonder the slaps were so loud.

“If this five-colored parrot is well cared for, it can live for more than a hundred years.

I have a poem:
The flat-haired little beast starts spitting out dirty words.

A bird can pass down its life to three generations, and it will still be there even after people leave.”

Fang Zhongyong said, shaking his head.

Unexpectedly, the parrot stopped and roared at him: "Li Longji, you will not die well!"

Hearing this, everyone in the hall looked at each other in bewilderment. It seemed that no one had taught this flat-haired beast to say this on weekdays. Could it be that someone else taught it?

Fang Chongyong nodded thoughtfully. He remembered that the bird had changed hands several times before. It was possible that someone secretly cursed Brother Ji.

"Forget it. I'll be staying overnight at the government office. You don't have to leave any food for me."

Fang Zhongyong gave an order and prepared to go out. Wang Yunxiu nodded and said, "I'll send someone to deliver it to Alang."

"Well, I've been a bit busy lately."

He nodded slightly, turned around and left the lobby.

Fang Chongyong has been more than a little busy lately. He has been so busy that he has no time to rest. The construction of Bianliang City alone is a big deal. The previous imperial palace and imperial city were not so difficult to deal with. After all, their functions were relatively simple and they were all government buildings.

Now it is necessary to enclose the large area surrounding the imperial city. Not only do we need to build an outer city wall to strengthen the defense of Bianliang City as much as possible, but it also involves land acquisition, drainage, road planning and other matters. It is really not a small project.

As soon as he arrived at the government office, Fang Zhongyong saw Yan Zhuang approaching in a mysterious manner. He lowered his voice and said, "Sir, there is something important to tell you. Please follow me."

"go!"

Fang Zhongyong nodded and followed Yan Zhuang to the back hall of the government office, where he saw a young man wearing a linen robe and looking a little embarrassed. The beard on his chin had fallen off a little, which made people wonder about his identity.

"You are a eunuch? This is rare in Bianzhou."

Fang Zhongyong chuckled and made a gesture of invitation, inviting the other party to sit down.

This person was Liu Zhongyi who fled from Luoyang to Bianzhou!

Human hearts are so treacherous. Fang Chongyong did not deploy any plan to bribe the envoys sent by Guanzhong, but he did not expect that someone would come to surrender on their own initiative.

Of course, this so-called "surrender" is essentially a transaction.

After everyone sat down, Yan Zhuang said to Liu Zhongyi with a sneer on his face: "You are unwilling to tell me everything when you see me. You have to wait until you see the emperor before you are willing to speak. Now that you have seen the person, shouldn't you tell me the truth?"

"I am Liu Zhongyi, an envoy sent by Guanzhong to Luoyang to persuade An Shouzhong to go to Chang'an to serve as prime minister."

Prime Minister?

Those people in Guanzhong are really bold in saying that!

Fang Chongyong and Yan Zhuang looked at each other, and for a moment they didn't know how to evaluate the decision makers of the Guanzhong court.

Do you still think it is the Kaiyuan period now?

At that time, the generals in the border towns wanted to be prime ministers in Chang'an, and they were almost crazy. So much so that the biggest wish of An Lushan, Huangfu Weiming and others was to return to Chang'an to be prime ministers.

In order to become prime minister, they were not willing to rebel at all.

As a result, times have changed and the world has fallen apart, and only now does he think of using the position of prime minister to fool people.

This carrot is too watery and has no sweetness at all.

"Are you kidding me?"

Fang Chongyong asked in disbelief.

"Indeed, that is the divine will."

Liu Zhongyi took out a roll of yellow silk from his sleeve and handed it to Fang Chongyong.

After unfolding the imperial edict, Fang Zhongyong and Yan Zhuang both burst out laughing. The official title given to An Shouzhong by Guanzhong was not small, and he even had a lot of gold, silver and treasures, as well as a royal palace in Chang'an City, well, a former royal palace.

As long as An Shouzhong went to Chang'an, he would be immediately conferred the title of king, and given the titles of Minister of War, Prime Minister, and Special Advancement.

However, there was no mention of any rewards for the soldiers under An Shouzhong, his deputy general, or the officers in the army.

In other words, even if the Guanzhong court kept its promise and did not liquidate An Shouzhong, he was completely sidelined.

Why do I say so? Because if An Shouzhong follows the path of the Guanzhong group, he will not only be separated from his subordinates physically, but also draw a line between himself and those people emotionally.

To put it more clearly, An Shouzhong will be a wealthy man in Chang'an from now on, and he will no longer be able to call the shots as he did before.

Who else has encountered this kind of thing?

Fang Chongyong only thought of Guo Ziyi in history.

Except for this one, other soldiers could not stand the similar suppression from the Tang court.

Those who die will die, and those who rebel will rebel.

"If this is all your secret, then... I am indeed a little disappointed."

Fang Chongyong handed the imperial edict to Liu Zhongyi and shook his head.

"Doesn't the emperor want to take over Luoyang? Don't look at me as just a eunuch, but I can make Guanzhong fall out with An Shouzhong!"

Liu Zhongyi promised solemnly that he would not care about his moral principles at all!
"Oh, that's interesting. Can you tell me about it?"

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly, crossed his legs, squinted his eyes and waited for Liu Zhongyi to tell him his "brilliant plan".

(End of this chapter)