Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 452 Invisible Thread
Song Lingwen naturally understood what this meant, and said, "This power is innate. If he wasn't born into a scholarly family and was the only child in the family, he would have wanted to join the army to gain fame."

In this era, civil and military officials are inseparable. Except for a few truly unreasonable and reckless men, ordinary literati will not attack military generals with military merits. Instead, they are very envious of their heroic deeds in building achievements for the country.

That is why Yang Jiong expressed his deep feeling in his poems: "I would rather be a centurion than a scholar."

Song Lingwen was born into a well-off family, neither up nor down. Compared with the commoners, he had no worries about food and clothing and had enough time to learn calligraphy, but he had no connection with the wealthy aristocrats and lacked the opportunity to serve as an official.

Compared to breaking through the blockade of resources controlled by aristocratic families, joining the army is undoubtedly the best choice.

Song Lingwen was born with supernatural powers and had thought about joining the army to gain fame, but his parents did not allow it.

Chen Qingsi couldn't help but smack his lips when he heard Song Lingwen's Versailles words "This strength is innate". Looking at the man in front of him with a strong literary air, and thinking of his outstanding literary talent and solid calligraphy skills, he thought that he must have spent a lot of time practicing, and probably didn't have time to practice strength.

He has so much strength without any training. Did God feed him the wrong food?
"Where is Lingwen planning to go?"

Chen Qingsi admired the other party's talent in calligraphy and was also very interested in his arm strength.

Song Lingwen said, "On the way to Fengshan, I met a like-minded friend named Song Shoujie. We are close friends, and I came to Chang'an to join him. But just now I went to Huaiyuanfang to look for him, and learned that he and his friends went to Taibai Mountain to visit friends, and it would take three days to return."

He felt a little embarrassed when he said this, and said, "The accommodation here is too expensive. I heard that accommodation in the south of the city is relatively cheap, so I plan to stay there."

Chen Qingsi nodded to show his understanding. Huaiyuanfang is close to the West Market and is one of the most bustling neighborhoods with the largest population flow.

It is not considered an upscale neighborhood in Chang'an, but it is one of the most expensive neighborhoods to stay in.

"It's dusk now. If we go to the south of the city, we'll have to wait until curfew. The south city is not stable. You may not be able to find a good place to stay. How about this, you come home with me and stay at my house for the next three days."

Chen Qingsi's words were not alarmist. Chang'an's original planning was not reasonable and occupied too much area.

As a result, the south of the city was too far away from the center, had lost its political value, and had a sparse population. The neighborhoods in the corners, in particular, were somewhat deserted and had become gathering places for thieves and robbers.

Song Lingwen knew that he had won the favor of the great man in front of him, and hurriedly said, "Mr. Chen is so kind, how dare I refuse."

Chen Qingsi said to the guards behind him: "Help this gentleman send the wooden box back to the mansion, and give him a horse."

The guards acted as instructed.

Song Lingwen did not reject Chen Qingsi's kindness. He loosened the hemp rope around his shoulders and slowly put the large box on the ground.

Two guards came over to move the items, and then looked at Song Lingwen in surprise.

Apparently the box was heavier than they expected...

Song Lingwen looked at the warhorse in front of him and swallowed. He had a packhorse at home and often rode it for transportation, but the horse in front of him was a head bigger than the packhorse he usually rode. He felt guilty, but he didn't want Chen Qingsi to look down on him.

In this era, not being able to ride a horse is a shameful thing.

Song Lingwen gritted his teeth and got on the horse.

These horses were military horses provided by the imperial court. They were well-trained, obedient and brave and did not cause any trouble to the novice.

Naturally, Chen Qingsi saw all this.

Chen Qingsi deliberately slowed down until he arrived at Chen's house.

Chen Qingsi asked the housekeeper Jiang Chen to prepare a guest room for Song Lingwen and took him to the reception room for a chat.

Song Lingwen has excellent literary talent and excellent conversation and demeanor.

After the communication, Song Lingwen left a good impression on Chen Qingsi.

Of course, there were at least 800 talented scholars like Song Lingwen in Chang'an, so it was not worth making a fuss about.

The overall literacy rate in the Tang Dynasty needs to be improved, but there is no shortage of talents in Chang'an, the capital of the emperor.

What impressed Chen Qingsi about Song Lingwen was his physical strength.

"So, you've studied hard and practiced calligraphy since you were young, but you haven't deliberately practiced physical strength. Have you ever tried to see how heavy an object you can lift?"

During the chat, Song Lingwen talked about his past. He studied with his father in his childhood for ten years and made considerable progress. However, his calligraphy was too poor and he was ridiculed. He practiced hard for another ten years and incorporated calligraphy into painting. He was both a master in calligraphy and painting and was famous in his hometown. He then traveled around to gain more knowledge. Until he heard about the emperor's Fengshan ceremony, he followed him all the way and wrote "Taishan Fu", which made him known to the world.

Song Lingwen said: "I have never tried to see how heavy a weight this person can lift, but once I tried my best and almost got sued."

Chen Qingsi was very curious and asked, "Tell me about it?"

Song Lingwen said, "Two years ago, I was visiting Zhengzhou Chanding Temple. At that time, a water buffalo went mad and ran into people. The locals were helpless and could only build a wall to resist. The monks in the temple paid for a strong man to subdue it. At that time, I was short of money, so I thought it was just a bull, so what was there to be afraid of, so I took the job. But I didn't expect that the big water buffalo weighed a thousand pounds and rushed towards me. I couldn't escape, so I had to bite the bullet and fight. At that time, my mind was blank, and I only knew that if I didn't give it my all, my life would be in danger."

"So he grabbed the horns with both hands and pulled it up with all his strength, but he didn't expect the big buffalo to fall down, breaking its neck and dying instantly..."

Dig!

Chen Qingsi couldn't help but widen his eyes and exclaimed in his heart, "Wow!" This sounded a little unbelievable.

Song Lingwen smiled bitterly, "I helped the temple get rid of a disaster, but those unreasonable monks sued me and asked me to pay for the cow. Fortunately, Sima Hu spoke up for me and interceded for me, thus avoiding this disaster."

When he said this, he was still a little indignant.

Chen Qingsi burst out laughing. He did not despise the monks' behavior, but he could understand their actions.

A thousand-pound buffalo in its prime could provide as much labor as a dozen men. If they really wanted to kill, they would not be willing to build a wall to ask for surrender.

No matter how powerful the buffalo is, can it compare to bows and arrows, swords and guns?
All this trouble is just to subdue the buffalo and treat it...

As a result, Song Lingwen twisted his hands and broke its cervical vertebrae, which was very unacceptable.

If this guy is not bragging, then God has fed him too much.

Chen Qingsi judged that Song Lingwen was not bragging, he had such ability, so he said: "Lingwen's calligraphy and painting are two unique skills, but he is a bit modest. He should add one more skill, strength, calligraphy, painting and strength are three unique skills..."

"How about this!"

Chen Qingsi patted his thigh and said, "Lingwen's writing is so impressive to me, and it is fate that we meet again. You came to the capital to seek fame, and I value talents, so I will give you a chance. I will first recommend you as Fenglilang, and the decision will depend on your performance."

Fenglilang was a minor official of the ninth rank and had no actual job. He was just attached to the Ministry of Personnel waiting for transfer. He was an idle official and had a meager salary.

In the land of Chang'an, a ninth-rank official is no different from a nobody.

But Song Lingwen had a look of joy on his face. For a commoner like him, being a Fenglilang was a very good start, a leap from zero to one.

Besides, Fenglilang has another advantage. As an idle official, Fenglilang is directly recorded in the archives of the Ministry of Personnel.

Sometimes the three provinces, six ministries, and nine ministers are short of staff, so they will draw idle officials from the Ministry of Personnel to assist. If they perform well, they will have the opportunity to be promoted. Chen Qingsi wanted to recruit Song Lingwen as his subordinate. This scholar in front of him has good handwriting, is also good at painting, and has excellent literary talent. The key is that he has terrifying strength. He can be kept by his side as a clerk. At the critical moment, if he is given a Mo Dao or a spear, he will be a top warrior and a versatile person...

However, this is the first time I have met this person, so I cannot confirm his character.

We cannot be careless with the person who stays by our side.

Song Lingwen and Chen Qingsi said they were traveling around, but in fact they were running around everywhere in search of opportunities to enter the government, but they had been fruitless and had been rejected many times. It was inconvenient to complain, so they could only travel instead. This time they went to Beijing, they also had the mentality of giving it a try.

After all, the capital is an important place with many opportunities and more competition.

Who would have thought that he would meet his mentor right after arriving in Beijing? All the hardships he had experienced before were forgotten. He raised his voice unconsciously: "Lingwen will never let you down, sir."

Chen Qingsi reminded him, "When you have free time, you can practice riding. How can a good man of the Tang Dynasty not know how to ride a horse?"

Song Lingwen quickly agreed.
-
In August of the first year of Qianfeng, upstream of the Wuhu River in the Western Regions.

The Persian king Peroz sat high on his horse, and beside him was the Tocharian king Doreti.

Dolait looked at the long multinational coalition behind him, a trace of complexity flashed across his face, but was soon replaced by determination.

This time he came to the capital in person, with the purpose of asking for help, hoping to get the help of the Tang Dynasty and support the Persian King Peroz in restoring his country.

However, they did not get the support of the Tang Dynasty. Instead, they were asked to behave themselves and not to act rashly.

Duolaiti was not unwilling to follow the court's arrangements, but he just didn't dare to gamble.

Tocharistan was not like other countries in the Western Regions such as Yanqi, Kucha, Khotan, and Shule. It was located in the center of the Western Regions and was under the protection of the troops of the Four Anxi Towns of the Tang Dynasty.

Tocharia was close to Persia and far away from the center of the Western Regions.

The devil is right beside me, but the angel is far away.

Tocharians dare not bet on the evil of the devil, nor dare to be neighbors with the devil.

Now that the devil has finally taken a nap, if I don't seize this opportunity and drive the devil away from me, do I really want to become his neighbor?
Seeing Dorati's serious expression, Peruz said loudly: "Brother, we will win this time. I have people inciting those who are dissatisfied with the rule of the Arabs to riot in Baghdad. Their new king Muawiya is busy suppressing the rebellion. As long as we can capture Samarkand, the Romans will immediately cooperate with us to go south and attack the Arabs. The Arabs are already in turmoil. As long as we successfully undermine Muawiya's prestige, the Arabs will surely split."

Bilus raised his whip high and pointed in the direction of Samarkand city with a look of confidence that he would win.

Everything seemed to be under his control...

In his opinion, the Arab Empire had four defeats.

First, there was internal strife, and the party was divided into the Shi faction and the Shun faction due to the issue of succession.

Second, force the rich to convert to other religions.

The rich are elites with great influence. Their beliefs are devout and firm. Forcing them to convert to other religions will greatly lose the support of the people.

Third, do not let the poor believe in Arab law.

In fact, it is not entirely correct to say that the Arab Empire did not tolerate a second faith. Their faith was very flexible. People with status and position had to change their faith, but the poor did not have to or could not change their faith. This was because the people who believed in the Arab law were blessed by God and had the right to pay less taxes.

What if we convert the poor?

How come they charge more tax?
It's all about flexibility.

This kind of flexibility is most hurtful to the people.

Fourth, and most importantly, they provoked enemies everywhere without paying any attention to strategy.

Under the protection of the Tang Dynasty and Tocharian Empire, Peroz has learned a lot about the culture of the Central Plains and has a basic understanding of the principle of making friends with distant countries and attacking nearby ones.

This time, his brother Arohan had successfully gained the trust of the Byzantine King Constans II and agreed to their request to send troops together to attack the Arab Empire. Of course, there was a prerequisite: they had to capture Samarkand and prove their strength before he would send troops to cooperate.

For this purpose, Peroz formulated a surprise attack plan. In his capacity as the King of Persia, he called on the nobles of Baghdad to rebel, attracted Muawiyah's attention, asked him to lead troops to support him, and he himself took advantage of the cover of night to attack and capture the city.

Everything went as planned. The insider in Samarkand told them that Muawiyah had fallen into the trap and had led his troops out of the city yesterday and headed straight for Baghdad.

Samarkand is now short of troops...

Duolai didn't say much, and he really didn't find any problems with the overall plan.

Peroz led 38,000 coalition troops westward, marching through the night and arriving in Samarkand in the early morning mist.

What appeared before them at this moment was a group of 20,000 Arab warriors covered in white, with madness in their eyes and wrapped in white turbans.

Looking at the murderous army formation opposite, Bilus and Dolaiti could not help but look at each other: What is going on?
"No matter what, we have to fight first..." At this point, they couldn't escape.

It is better to take advantage of the fact that there are more people and win by numbers.

The anger of miscalculation turned Bilus' eyes into a wolf-like ferocity. He shouted, "The demons that took away our home are right before our eyes. Are you willing to follow me and crush them, drive away the demons, and take back our home!"

"kill!"

On the other side, Muawiyah, the king of the White Caliphate, looked at the enemy in front of him and raised his scimitar high: "God Allah is watching his servants in the sky. Let our only God see the bravery of his servants."

As soon as he finished shouting, the warriors wearing white turbans around him roared, their roars full of pride and fearlessness...

With this indescribable roar, they swept across the two armies like a whirlwind and tore the enemies in front of them to pieces.

The soldiers of the Arab Empire had no idea what fear was. All they thought about was showing their bravery to the true God. They crushed the enemy twice their size with ease until they reached the middle reaches of the Wuhu River...

Muawiyah stopped the pursuit and ordered a retreat.

"caliph!"

The loyal general came to his side and shouted unwillingly: "Why did you stop the attack?"

Muawiyah said: "It is the will of God that we retreat."

The general stopped talking. The true will of God is above all else.

Muawiyah turned his horse around, but looked back unwillingly.

There is no true will of God. It’s just that the Tang Dynasty drew an invisible line there.

(End of this chapter)