Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 433: Gathering strength to accomplish great things

Chen Qingsi's confidence was not just an act; he was mentally prepared for the situation he was about to face.

When I took over the task from Li Ji, I already knew that it was not an easy task.

The reason is simple. After the experience in Baekje, Chen Qingsi's military knowledge is no longer limited to theoretical talk. Instead, he has become a real military expert and has commanded tens of thousands of troops.

In fact, it's a bit difficult.

During the Chu-Han period, Liu Bang and Han Xin had a conversation.

Liu Bang asked Han Xin how many soldiers he could lead. Han Xin replied 100,000. Then Liu Bang asked Han Xin how many troops he could lead. Han Xin replied that the more the better.

This simple conversation clearly explains the key to commanding troops in battle.

When commanding troops in battle, the first thing you need to master is not how to defeat the enemy on the battlefield, but how to command the troops under your command.

Dealing with the eating, drinking, defecating, urinating and sleeping of tens of thousands of people gathered together is by no means an easy task, let alone hundreds of thousands or millions of people.

The number of people performing Fengshan ceremony together exceeded 10,000, but controlling their movements was no less difficult than commanding a hundred thousand soldiers.

Because the army has its own rules, but the Fengshan team does not have so many rules.

Not to mention the emperor and empress combination like Li Zhi and Empress Wu who were second only to the emperor, even the ministers, noble ladies, and rich girls, which one of them was easy to deal with?

Manage their eating, drinking, defecating, urinating and sleeping along the way...

Who wouldn’t be confused?
But Chen Qingsi still accepted it. The reason was simple: among the four Fengshan envoys, he had the lowest status, and no one else was willing to take the blame.

Xu Jingzong wouldn't do it, and neither would Li Yuanli. However, Li Ji had the possibility, but as the chief envoy of Fengshan, he was not suitable for doing this. What's more, Li Ji was already very old, so how could he be allowed to do this?
This matter cannot be avoided no matter what.

Since you can't avoid it, just face it calmly.

Chen Qingsi has never been afraid of challenges and is capable of taking on big responsibilities.

Of course, we won't fight an unprepared battle...

Raising his whip, Chen Qingsi thought to himself, "Today I will let those villains know that no matter how despicable and vicious their intentions are, they cannot stop a life of cheating."

Li Ji sat in the carriage, looking out the window at the familiar scenery outside, his eyes were a little blurry. This familiar yet strange place brought back his memories of the past...

The land of Shangluo, that is where the Wagang used to gallop...

It is true that Zhai Rang and Li Mi were not wise rulers and were far inferior to Emperor Taizong, but Li Ji at that time was also an ignorant young man with great ambitions!
Now that I’m older, I feel more melancholy than ever before.

"Grandfather! What are you looking at?"

Li Jingye, in high spirits and high spirits, rode his horse and came closer.

Li Ji's originally good mood immediately turned cloudy the moment he saw his beloved grandson.

The old faces full of wrinkles were squeezed together.

"Why are you here?"

Li Jingye said: "My grandson happened to pass by and saw my grandfather jumping out of the window and looking into the distance, so I came up to say hello."

"Asshole, how can you accomplish anything if you can't distinguish between public and private matters?"

Li Ji suddenly burst into a swearing voice: "Yu has been away from home for more than ten years and never came back to see me. But you, you and I have only been apart for more than an hour and you have already left your work to greet me. What's wrong? Will I die tomorrow or what?"

"roll!"

Li Jingye was scolded so hard that he didn't even dare to breathe. He ran away in shame like a dog that had lost its home.

Li Ji felt like he was disappointed with his friend.

He has two sons and five grandchildren. His family is not prosperous, and most of his descendants are useless. Only this eldest grandson is skilled in archery and horse riding, well-versed in military strategies, and has some of his style in the past. He is also the most favored...

But as he grew older, Li Ji gradually realized that something was wrong.

His eldest grandson was capable, but he was frivolous, impulsive, and adventurous. Such people often acted without considering the consequences and could easily go down a path of no return. And he did not have enough ability to turn the path of no return around, so in the end, it was very likely that he would bring the entire family down with him.

It must be said that Li Ji was very good at judging people, and he left a special message: "The one who will destroy my family will be this child."

For some reason, there is also an unofficial history that tells the story that Li Ji wanted to kill Li Jingye.

Of course it's all made up...

Li Ji knew very well that Li Jingye could be of great use but could not act on his own as he had too many character flaws and needed someone to keep him under control.

Chen Qingsi is undoubtedly the best choice.

As a result, today when Li Jingye was doing things for Chen Qingsi for the first time, he was distracted because he was greeting himself.

Thinking that there was such a big difference between two people who were not much different in age, he couldn't help but get angry.

Looking at Li Jingye who was fleeing in panic, Li Ji suddenly thought of the day when Li Zhi had set the date for departure.

That day, Chen Qingsi came to ask for a meeting.

As soon as the two met, Chen Qingsi bowed and shouted: "Mr. Ying, save me!"

Li Ji certainly knew why Chen Qingsi came. Being responsible for the itinerary of the Fengshan team would be a huge test for anyone.

The reason why I chose Chen Qingsi was that I wanted to give him great wealth.

Of course, the prerequisite is that Chen Qingsi must be able to accept this huge wealth.

The burden this time is the test.

So he pretended not to know and asked, "Why did Mr. Chen say that?"

Chen Qingsi said, "I was impulsive and accepted the heavy responsibility. I went back and thought about it carefully. The more I thought about it, the colder my spine became. Everyone can bear this heavy responsibility, but not me?"

Chen Qingsi had sufficient reasons. As a nobleman born in a humble family, he was also a leader of the literati in the court and a pioneer in reforming the imperial examination system. He had long been a thorn in the eyes of the Guandong gentry.

The descendants of the Guandong samurai families were spread across the grassroots level, including in the imperial court and as local officials.

They dare not do it openly, but deliberately leave a loophole, deliberately do nothing on something, and deliberately stir up a storm.

Isn't the entire Fengshan team in chaos?
Li Ji looked at the aggrieved Chen Qingsi and also wanted to know how this boy could break the impasse.

With his keen eyesight, he naturally saw that Chen Qingsi was acting. If the other party really had no confidence at all, he would never respond so readily.

She didn't continue to act with him, but asked him to directly state his purpose.

Then Chen Qingsi took out a list and said with a bit of grievance: "If you want the horse to run, you have to feed it. How can I accomplish such a difficult task alone? I have to mobilize people from the six departments and let me arrange and deploy them. I am a junior and have no authority to speak. As long as the people are here, the matter will be accomplished."

Li Ji took the list from Chen Qingsi and saw the following: Pei Yan, Cui Zhiwen, Xue Yuanchao, Guo Daiju, Cen Changqian, Guo Zhengyi, Wei Xuantong, Zhang Jianzhi, Wei Yuanzhong, Shi Wuzi, Li Jingye, Li Yuansu, Huangfu Wenfang, Liu Qixian, Yuan Shuji, Jinghui, Wei Yuantong, Wang Tongjiao, Liu Xizhi, Zheng Rong, Qian Weidao…

There were more than thirty names, some of which Li Ji knew and some of which he had never heard of.

But the names that Li Ji knew were, without exception, all good people who left a deep impression on him.

Especially Li Yiyan, when he was the top leader in Taiyuan, Li Yiyan was just a minor official in Taiyuan, who was not in his eyes at all. But it was this minor official that made him lose face, pointed out his shortcomings in public, and exposed his shortcomings.

Li Ji was so angry that he almost went berserk, but he suppressed his anger and thought calmly, and found that what the other person said made a lot of sense. After getting to know him carefully, he found that the other person was very talented, so he recommended him for important positions. However, Li Yiyan's status was too low at the time, and his recommendation only made him the head of a county.

But gold will always shine, and Li Yiyan was promoted to the Ministry of Rites with his own abilities.

Li Yiyan is just one of them. There are also people like Guo Daiju, Cen Changqian, and Guo Zhengyi, who are all very famous rising stars.

Li Ji looked at the list and realized that this was Chen Qingsi's idea.

Simple and clear, gather everyone's strength and accomplish great things.

The Fengshan team was too chaotic and mixed, and unexpected things could happen at any time and anywhere.

Some of these things are man-made, and some are accidental.

But no matter whether it is man-made or accidental, it must be dealt with as soon as possible, and it must be dealt with cleanly and efficiently without leaving any room for gossip.

Let a group of elites cast the net and nip the danger in the bud as soon as possible.

This is indeed the dumbest yet most effective way.

only……

Looking at Li Jingye on the list, Li Ji felt more and more uncomfortable. How could his grandson be qualified to be on this list?
It's obvious that the other party is giving him face...

This is also one of the reasons why Li Ji was angry: he was obviously just there to make up the numbers, and he didn't perform well, which was an eyesore.

There are always good horses, but there are not always good horses.

But for a person who has a lot of talent, Chen Qingsi is the best of all.

He knows exactly which gold will shine in the future.

He asked half of the future prime ministers of the Tang Dynasty to assist him in dealing with various accidents that occurred along the way of the Fengshan Army...

If this still cannot guarantee that there will not be chaos, then Chen Qingsi will accept it.

"Mr. Chen!"

A dark figure came in front of Chen Qingsi.

The man was not tall, but very strong, and his voice was as loud as a bell.

His name is Zheng Rong. He is the county magistrate who was parachuted into Qingxi County and a direct descendant of the five-surname Zheng family.

Back then, he was gentle and elegant, and was parachuted into Qingxi County with outstanding demeanor. But now his face is weathered and he has none of the demeanor of a young man from a wealthy family. However, his eyes are firm and his glance is extremely imposing.

Just as Chen Qingsi thought, Zheng Rongru did not stay in Qingxi County for long.

The Zheng family sent him here to cause trouble for him. After he arrived in Beijing, there was no need for Zheng Rong to stay.

After only three months, Zheng Rong was transferred and left Qingxi County.

But Zheng Rong's trajectory was not really what he thought.

The three sons of Zheng Wen, the Prince's Secretary of the Later Yan Dynasty, were the foundation of the Zheng family of Xingyang. The descendants of the eldest son, Zheng Ye, the General Jianwei and the Prefect of Ruyin, were called the Northern Ancestor; the descendants of the second son, Zheng Tian, ​​were called the Central Ancestor; and the descendants of Zheng Jian, the Military Advisor of Pingnan of Wei, were called the Southern Ancestor.

The Northern Ancestor of the Zheng family was the most prosperous of the three branches, and Zheng Rong was the descendant of the Sixth Branch of the Northern Ancestor, Zheng Xi, the sixth son of Zheng Ye, the Secretary General of the Northern Wei Dynasty and Duke Wenling of Nanyang. He was also the direct descendant of the Youlin Branch of the Northern Ancestor, and had a good family background.

According to his family background, he should have moved to a wealthy county to become the second or third in command to gain experience.

This is a rich county with unique conditions. After working there for a few years, he can go to a county or city with good development prospects to become the top leader.

The Zheng family has connections, and if they invest a little resources, it will be hard for the resume to not be impressive.

However, Zheng Rong did not take this route. It was not because he did not know how to take a shortcut. He was inspired by Chen Qingsi and went to a poor place to suffer.

This is not ambition, this is stupidity...

It was because Zheng Rong was unwilling to cooperate in framing Chen Qingsi during the family meeting that he was punished and arranged to be the county magistrate of Dangli County.

Dangli County is located in Donglai, East China Sea, close to the sea. It has just suffered a flood and the situation can be imagined.

Faced with this situation, Zheng Rong wanted to cry but had no tears. However, thinking about the situation in Qingxi County, he gritted his teeth and followed Chen Qingsi's actions in Qingxi County. He personally called on the people to fish and dry salt, and often even did it himself.

His actions moved the local people and successfully helped Dangli County out of famine. He also helped the local people improve the salt-making method and helped them get rich. He won the love of the people and the recognition of the Zheng family.

For a thousand-year-old family like the Zheng family, their tolerance for talented people within the family is almost unlimited.

Even though Zheng Rong was not on the same page with them regarding Chen Qingsi, it was better to just stay away from him.

After all, Zheng Rong is a member of the Zheng family, and his achievements are the achievements of the Zheng family.

With his outstanding achievements in Dangli County, Zheng Rong was recommended by the Zheng family and appointed as the Sima of Rongyang Prefecture. He was promoted to the third in command of Zhongzhou Prefecture.

After the training in Dangli County, Zheng Rong no longer looked like a nobleman from an aristocratic family in order to fish and dry salt. He also got used to the new style of being an official and was doing very well in Rongyang.

The carriages heading east for Fengshan had to pass through Rongyang. Chen Qingsi had heard about Zheng Rong's experiences over the years and recruited him under his command.

Looking at the almost unrecognizable person in front of him, Chen Qingsi signaled him to speak his mind.

Zheng Rong said: "There is a group of people who want to forcibly stop the car..."

Chen Qingsi asked: "Do you understand the situation?"

Zheng Rong said, "I understand. It was Lü Wei, the son of Lü Lingjia, the magistrate of Gong County. He relied on his father's power to occupy farmland, demolished people's ancestral graves, and beat people to death, causing two deaths. The local authorities suppressed the situation, and the woman had no one to turn to. She was instigated and deceived, and planned to disturb the emperor to appeal for justice."

"It's probably true. That woman never thought about living..."

Jung Rong gritted his teeth.

In fact, he used to see this kind of thing quite often, and he even knew that the Zheng family had not had clean hands since its establishment.

But in the early years, in his eyes, the lives of the untouchables were like grass and were not worth even a second glance.

But as I have gotten closer to the people over the years, I have felt their real sufferings and developed a resonance with them. Now when I see such things again, I will no longer be able to deal with them calmly.

"Let Zhang Jianzhi handle it immediately..."

Zhang Jianzhi is now the secretary of Dali Temple and is qualified to intervene in this matter.

"Settling the woman down and telling her that she will be given justice."

Zheng Rong nodded: "Don't worry, sir, the person has been comforted."

Chen Qingsi nodded slightly.

This is the role of talent.

If a mediocre person encounters such a thing, and he does not handle it properly and fails to calm the woman's emotions, allowing her to do something or someone to die, the situation will be out of control.

Zheng Rong calmed the woman down first, and then Chen Qingsi handled the matter neatly and efficiently.

Although it is not the best of both worlds, the trauma suffered by the woman is irreversible, but it will minimize the impact and harm and will not affect the itinerary.

(End of this chapter)