Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 91
Bai Dinh Fort, a place called a fortress, is actually an observation deck.When looking at Baiting Sea from here during the day, you can see patches of white lake water complementing each other with green aquatic plants in the distance.

The fast-swimming fish are chased and killed by colorful waterfowl.

A scene full of vitality, it can be said that it is blocked by Jiangnan.

At night, you can see a bright moon reflected in the sparkling lake, which is elegant and mysterious.

During the rotation in Hexi, no one was as comfortable as Bai Tingjun.

Not on duty that night, Xin Yunjing, an envoy of the Baiting Army, was signing the bond room, slowly tasting the wine from the Western Regions "respected" by Hu merchants in Liangzhou City.

At this moment, his eyes were blurred and his expression was intoxicated!With a little imperceptible pride.

Putting aside the blood-licking knife edge, Liangzhou is really a great place!
Nothing is missing!

Xin Yunjing couldn't help thinking with emotion.

"Haha, Cui Xiyi can't be the governor for a few days anymore, and he still wants to show off, is he worthy?"

He sneered and spat on the ground.Xin Yunjing, who is young and in a high position, is somewhat arrogant in his heart.

It's not that he looks down on the official position of Jiedushi, but the so-called "weak" Jiedushi... that's really all there is to it.

Generally speaking, for a four-year term, you must first spend one year getting familiar with local military affairs, getting familiar with military contacts, and controlling the generals of various ministries.

Then we have to manage military affairs, guard against Tibet, and guard against Turks.

The energy is completely distracted!

After finally getting familiar with the local customs and customs, he will be transferred away again by the imperial court, lest the Jiedushi envoy become powerful in Liangzhou!

The inherent flaws of this system allowed local wealthy families to find ways to deal with it.

That is "high-level hypocrisy and submissiveness, low-level officials protect each other", let Jiedu envoys work happily for four years and return to Chang'an to report on their duties and it's over!
Cui Xiyi only came here last year and did not even have complete control over the local armies. He was destined to be a weak military governor.

The operation after snatching the cassock of the Tianzhu monk was also a decision made by Xin Yunjing after careful consideration and weighing the pros and cons.

Never take money that you can't take!The missing fish talisman was the biggest flaw in the whole thing!This stolen money will cause endless troubles!

We can only use the "black to eat black" method to kill the Turkic merchants who sold the stolen goods, plug the loopholes, and then Li Daitao is dead, and this matter can be considered safe.

Of course, the price paid was also considerable: because he killed and sold off stolen goods, he ruined his reputation.

I can no longer "do private work" within a few years, and the loss of money is huge.This has some adverse effects on the army building of the Baiting Army.

In fact, it is not exactly what Fang Zhongyong thought, the armies in the Hexi Corridor sometimes rob money not all for the sake of drinking and drinking for Qiu Ba, the biggest way is to "raise private horses".

For example, the Baiting Army only has [-] horses in its establishment. What can these cavalry do in the Hexi Corridor?
Fewer horses than many caravans!

Therefore, the previous Baiting military envoys all liked to "match private horses" for the infantry formation.

That is to say, horses that do not occupy the establishment of the Tang army and need to be raised by each army to purchase and raise horses.

After all, the horses in the Hexi Corridor are very cheap, and compared to Chang'an, the allocation cost is very low.

Fighting between Hexi and the Western Regions often requires running raids, even long-distance raids.Liangzhou soldiers and horses rushed to Dunhuang, Shazhou, which was one of the daily training subjects.Such a long distance, an army without horses, how can it complete the long-distance strategic transfer?

Therefore, the Hexi border army robbed merchants largely because they wanted to "raise private horses" and turn their infantry into "mounted infantry."

This is also one of the difficulties Bai Tingjun is about to face: it is difficult to find money to buy horses.

Theoretically speaking, this is indeed a lot of trouble, but in fact it will always be a theoretical trouble, and Xin Yunjing is not worried at all.

Because the Tibetans are coming!

In Hexi's defensive operations, at least the cavalry was not very effective in defending against Tubo.With such a small number of people, Baiting's army could not be asked to go south to block the passage of the Tubo people's attack.

In short, it would be better to keep a low profile in the future.Who let some idiot drop the fish charm on the spot and get caught and hurt his feet?

"It's too humiliating for me to be the envoy of an army. I will definitely have to make a military envoy Dangdang in the future."

Xin Yunjing said to himself without shame, and then took a sip of the wine that looked like blood.

"Envoy Xin Jun, please read the official letter sent by someone from Liangzhou City."

A soldier carefully handed the official letter to Xin Yunjing.

"Read it."

Xin Yunjing, who was already drunk, said casually.

"Uh, my subordinate is illiterate..."

The soldier replied with a look of embarrassment.

Only then did Xin Yunjing realize that he had said something ridiculous, and impatiently waved his hand towards the door of the signing room.

After the other party left, he opened the envelope of the official letter with squinted eyes, held an oil lamp and came over to read the words on it, and was immediately frightened awake by the contents of the official letter!

Xin Yunjing showed a panic expression that was rarely seen on weekdays. He quickly read the official letter several times by the light of the oil lamp, and then he felt cold all over his body!My back was wet with cold sweat!
The content of the official letter is simple:
A Liangzhou citizen picked up a copper fish charm and handed it to Jiedu Mansion. After inspection, the inscription on the fish charm showed that it belonged to your department.

Please ask the Baiting Army envoy to go to Hexi Jiedu Mansion in Liangzhou to collect this talisman in person within three days.And state in writing who the fish talisman belongs to in your department, when and where it was lost, and the reason why it was not reported to Jiedu Mansion.

The report will be archived in Hexi Jiedu Mansion and will be written off after 27 years.

This letter must also be archived in the Baiting military accounting room, and it will be written off after 27 years.

A gust of cold air went straight to Xin Yunjing's head!The hand holding the letter is trembling slightly!

The content of this official letter was unremarkable. It asked him to come to Liangzhou City within three days to collect the fish charms sent by others, and then submit a written report.

The report should clarify who owns the fish amulet, when and how it was lost, and the reasons why it was not reported.

Then archived and destroyed after 27 years.This "simple military affairs" is done.

These are all daily affairs in the Tang army, and they cannot be more ordinary.There are laws to follow and evidence to check, and there is no conspiracy or treachery.

It doesn't seem like a big deal, it's as simple as eating and drinking.

But, does Xin Yunjing dare to go to Liangzhou City?

Do you dare to submit this "report" after you go?

Most likely not dare.

Not just him, any general with a sound mind will not go!Don’t think too much, anyone who abandons this matter will die!

Where was the fish charm probably lost? Is Xin Yunjing telling the truth, or making it up?
It's a bad idea to make it up, because it was obviously Cui Xiyi's trick.

As long as Xin Yunjing dared to tell a lie, there would immediately be a Goutuo who "scavenged the money" to testify that he did not pick it up there, but at the place where the monks from India were killed.

With lies against lies, Xin Yunjing will be unable to argue with his mouth!Sophistry is useless, because as long as he comes to Jiedu Mansion, he has already entered Cui Xiyi's home field!

In order to cope, Xin Yunjing had to explain why he lied.The next step is the opponent's questioning session, because a lie can be broken at the first poke, so Xin Yunjing has to use ten new lies to complete an old lie!

At that time, we will see how enchanting the posture of being beaten to death is.

Even if he was fooled by this, then he did not report the loss of the fish amulet to the Jiedu Mansion, this is an unavoidable problem!At least the crime of lax daily management cannot be escaped.

And most importantly, the time to pick up the fish talisman is decided by others!No matter how Xin Yunjing made it up, it can be said that the dog holder was picked up on the day the Tianzhu monk had an accident.

No matter how Xin Yunjing made it up, he couldn't justify himself.

Well, as long as Cui Xiyi is a "fool", Xin Yunjing has fooled both of these.So this inquiry is to be archived for 27 years. This is not Cui Xiyi making things difficult, but Datang's file management system is indeed the case.

Cui Xiyi acted completely according to the rules without any "tricks".

There is such a time bomb stored in the archives. In the future, no, it should be after a period of time, when Xin Yunjing has forgotten about this matter and relaxed his vigilance, someone may jump out and say that there is a problem with this archive and that it is still needed. Look up things like the missing fish symbol.

Balabala, when the time comes, Xin Yunjing will be too hungry to walk around.

So what about straight up telling the truth?
To tell the truth directly, Xin Yunjing would have to explain to Jiedu Mansion why the soldiers of the Baiting Army appeared on both sides of the post road hundreds of miles away!You didn’t travel hundreds of miles to see the scenery, right?The fish charm itself can't fly!

Where is the military order to mobilize troops for this march, who signed it, and why were the troops mobilized?
Can Xin Yungjing explain these?
As for the killing of monks from Tianzhu, it is estimated that Cui Xiyi would not even mention it. This Jiedu envoy must only pursue the fish talisman-related issues. Can Xin Yunjing guarantee that every lie is invulnerable?

Of course, Xin Yunjing can also talk about it casually, for example, he doesn't know how that so-and-so fell, and he doesn't know where it fell.

It can even be said that he didn't know about it before.

Then Cui Xiyi will probably send him back to the Baiting Army for detailed investigation immediately, and then announce a few days later that he will be dismissed because of his incompetence and chaotic management of Yufu.

At that time, no one among the Hexi armies will sympathize with Xin Yunjing.

If you lose, you have to stand up and be beaten. This is an iron law that works everywhere.Don't play if you can't play, don't gamble if you can't afford to lose.

Cui Xiyi's "Fish Talisman Declaration" can be said to be a way to break the overall situation planned by Xin Yunjing with a small thing as big as the tip of a needle.

From the beginning to the end, in the official letter of the Hexi Jiedu Mansion, there is no mention of the gold-haired Buddha clothes and the monks from Tianzhu!This made Xin Yunjing's arrangement of "Turkic robbery and murder" totally useless.

There is a solution to this matter, which is also the escape route Cui Xiyi left for him: Xin Yunjing goes to Liangzhou City honestly and writes down the cause and effect of the matter in a file, and then this thing will become an almost "Dead files" that will not be consulted.

This is the price of gaining people's trust, and the little braid was pinched by Cui Xiyi.

Afterwards, Xin Yunjing admitted his guilt and found some small excuses to get rid of some people in Baiting's army.Those who should be killed should be killed, and those who should be retired are considered to be an explanation to Cui Xiyi.

He suddenly remembered that he seemed to have received an "inexplicable" official letter from the Chishui Army today. It said that the Qiu Bamen of the Chishui Army were coming to the racecourse on the south bank of Baiting Sea to personally select war horses, and asked the Baiting Army to withdraw the relevant patrol posts. , to avoid misunderstandings.

The simple summary is: the uncle of the Chishui Army is coming to choose a mount, you who are watching the scene, get out of here if you know the situation.

At that time, Xin Yunjing didn't take it seriously, the Chishui army was the most powerful army in the Hexi Corridor and even in the entire Tang Dynasty, so domineering is what it should be.

The elders of the Chishui Army want to come to choose horses, so come here. At that time, let the patrols of the Baiting Army take a vacation and take a bath. Anyway, if they destroy the imperial system, someone will stand up and beat them. It’s not their turn. Bai Tingjun was worried.

What's the point of this crap?

But thinking about it now, Chishui Army's move is very unusual!

If the Chishui Army is really domineering, why not say hello in advance?It seems to be superfluous, showing timidity.

Xin Yunjing quickly found this official letter in the signing room, compared it with the Yufu letter, and fully understood what had happened.

Qiu Ba of the Chishui Army did not come to choose horses. He came to Baiting Army's garrison to force the palace to wait for the order of the Jiedushi!
If you want to go to this Hongmen Banquet, you have to go, and you have to go if you don't want to!

Because of these things, everything has a major premise that cannot be ignored: Why did the boss, Xin Yunjing, have to suffer for those Qiu Ba under his command?If he wants to die, it should be his turn that those people die first.

After all, he is just an officer working in the Hexi military circles!Is there any reason to put your own future on the line in order to protect those incompetent Qiu Ba under his command?

After thinking about all this, Xin Yunjing gathered his mood, ordered his soldiers to prepare horses, and then set off alone, heading for Liangzhou City under the stars and the moon.

Xin Yunjing knew that he was ready to admit defeat in this round.After admitting defeat, he planned to stop by Jiedu Mansion to find out where and who he lost to.

……

Cen Shen wrote a poem in Liangzhou:

"...

Seeing autumn grass in front of Huamenlou, how can you look at the old from the humble and humble.

How many times can you laugh a lot in your life, and you must be drunk when you meet after a fight of wine. "

Huamen Tower is the largest restaurant in Liangzhou, very impressive.But it is also very accommodating. There is a small stall at the door, with many jars of wine randomly placed. There is an old man in his sixties who sells wine to the guests here. Many of the drinks are delivered to Huamen Building.

Although Hexi is prosperous, resources are still relatively scarce.This place is prosperous but not luxurious, and it does not exclude the use of simple things; although there are many grand objects, there are not many redundant ones. Use them for what they are used for. Practicality is the folk custom in the Hexi Corridor.

This is completely different from Chang'an.

In Chang'an, a restaurant of Huamen Tower's size is not allowed to have an "unsightly" presence like an old man selling wine outside Huamen Tower at the entrance.

On the third floor of Huamen Tower, Cui Xiyi has already packed up the entire floor, and specially hosted a banquet for Fang Chongyong to wash away the dust.Of course, there was also the new Deputy Hexi Jiedu who he didn't like very much.

At this time, the sound of the Hujia on the third floor is sometimes sonorous and sometimes mysterious. Its timbre and music theory are quite different from those in the Central Plains, but it has its own system.

In the center of the banquet, several extremely revealing orchids with slender waists and plump buttocks were twisting and turning, using their hands and feet together, frequently making some "obscene" and suggestive dance moves, and ogling the many officials at the banquet. .

Including Cui Xiyi, many officials in Liangzhou were not surprised. They said what they should say, and applauded what they should say. It seemed that no one took these orchids who were working hard to seek support.

Perhaps, this level of "wild flowers" is actually not interesting to those officials of the Tang Dynasty who are pampered and have seen big scenes.

Fang Chongyong thought so.He is viewing these gaudy dances with a critical eye.I have to say that the dancing Orchid has a really good figure!

At this moment, an untimely voice sounded, causing all the officials present to frown.

"What's the point of dancing these women's dances all day long? If you want to come, you have to be tough. Is there any song for King Lanling to enter the battle?"

Everyone looked at it, and the speaker turned out to be the new Deputy Jiedu envoy who just arrived in Liangzhou City today: Xiao Jiong!

"Even if we want to watch the entrance song of Prince Lanling, we have to have a place to rehearse it. The first floor of Huamen Building is so big, how can we dance this dance?"

Cui Xiyi explained with a displeased face, but he understood in his heart that Xiao Jiong was Li Linfu's minion, and he came to Hexi this time to replace him!Now he serves as the deputy envoy of Hexi Jiedu, just to get acquainted with government affairs.

"This Liangzhou scenery is really not very good, it is not as good as Chang'an. I think when I was in Chang'an, I heard that there was a nine-year-old child prodigy who could write poetry:

Advise you not to cherish the golden thread clothes, advise you to cherish the youth;
The flowers can be folded straight and must be folded.

Although Liangzhou is big, there are no such people! "

Xiao Jiong opened the map cannon without any shame.

Upon hearing this, Fang Chongyong, who was eating a piece of "mutton wrapped in mutton tripe", dropped the chopsticks in his hand on the table.

This dish is made by grinding pepper, ginger, salt, soy sauce, orange peel, scallion, pepper and other spices into powder, sprinkled on the mutton, and then stuffed into the lamb belly.After being covered with mud, it is then grilled in a fire pit.

After taking it out, remove the mud and eat it, and the taste is extremely delicious.

But he couldn't care less now.

Wasn't Xiao Jiong's poem "casually said" in front of Lao Zheng?Why did it become a talking point in Xiao Jiong's mouth?

At the banquet, many local bureaucrats in Liangzhou all looked at each other in blank dismay. To be able to write this kind of poem at the age of nine is amazing!
Fang Chongyong quickly piled vegetables in front of him.

There are four or five small naan with raisins inlaid on the surface.

A rice bowl made of corn rice topped with cheese was placed on several plates.

The fruit bowl of mare's milk grapes and large pomegranate is also a huge one.

The number of fancy pastries with different images is not small.

Fang Chongyong hoped that the food would cover his face so that the officials present would not notice him as a nine-year-old boy.

As a result, instead of hiding Fang Chongyong, these foods quickly made him the focus of the audience because there were too many foods on the table and they were piled high.

"If the state capital joins the army, can you compose poetry?"

Cui Xiyi, who was sitting in the first seat, asked kindly, and Fang Chongyong was secretly crying in his heart.

(End of this chapter)