Chapter 104: Purpose Determines the Means

It was already deep night, yet Fang Chongyong still hadn't slept, and he borrowed a Zhangye County "County Gazette" to leaf through page by page by oil lamp.

China's earliest nationwide local gazetteer is the "Yuanhe County and Prefecture Illustrated Gazette" compiled in 813 AD by Tang dynasty scholar Li Jifu, which consolidated the various regional gazetteers of differing formats into a single set of books.

Although that would only become possible decades later, books recording local population, geography, related history and even strange events still exist in the accounts of each prefecture. As the site where Emperor Yang of Sui held the "World Expo", Zhangye City naturally has such official records for praising achievements.

"Lord, why don't we leave Ganzhou? Going to Liangzhou or returning to Chang'an—either is fine; there's no need to stay here accomplishing nothing."

Beside him, Anaye also hadn't slept and cautiously suggested.

She knew how big a trouble Fang Chongyong faced, but she could do little to help.

Hexi differs from the Central Plains; a slight misstep here can easily spark military or civilian rebellions. If such a thing occurs, the rebels would surely invite Tubo forces to take over, and the situation would collapse beyond repair.

It all depends on how many heads Fang Chongyong has left to be chopped off.

"This book is really interesting."

Fang Chongyong closed the Zhangye local gazetteer and let out a deep sigh.

What a joke—who could possibly fill the huge hole left by the autumn defense decree?

Fang Chongyong knew his limits; Ji Ge's appetite was too big to be catered to.

No matter how he struggled, it was useless!

Whether it's the city side sending troops to save face, or the common folk tightening their belts to contribute money and grain, it's all futile. Even if he gets through this time, the future will be worse; perhaps it's better to rebel now—at least die with some vigor.

Because once this loophole for raising taxes is opened, any future tax hikes by the court will be a breeze; just keep squeezing them to death.

The logic is like this: if someone finished ten people's worth of work yesterday, would his superior sympathize and grant him five days off?

No, no, quite the opposite. The superior would think that if he can handle ten people's workload in a day, he should also be able to manage twelve people's workload.

Can you do it? If you can, then do more.

Therefore, if Hexi's local officials try to "plug the hole" in the usual way, they're already on the wrong path; the more mistakes they make, the clearer Fang Chongyong sees the situation.

Besides, even if you talk a thousand or ten thousand times, the Great Tang isn't under his jurisdiction!

This belongs to Ji Ge's empire!

Before Ji Ge dies from overwork, Fang Chongyong will never work himself to death! He guesses the Hexi officials think similarly.

Thus, Fang Chongyong's mindset has always been "breaking the deadlock", not being Ji Ge's lapdog running errands for his edicts.

From this perspective, the difficulty he faces is even greater than that of a regular Ganzhou governor. "The end justifies the means"; his goal is "extraordinary", meaning conventional methods are impossible.

"This book records a very interesting story; do you want to hear it?"

Fang Chongyong looked at Anaye and asked.

That delicate little face was truly never tiring to look at.

"Just say it quickly… I'm so sleepy."

Anaye yawned and replied weakly.

"The story goes: Black Water has a long history. Many years ago, not far southwest of Zhangye City, there was a lake formed by Black Water. Beside that lake lay the Black Water Nation, which at the time didn't even have a Zhou emperor."

"And then?"

Anaye, uninterested in these fanciful tales, asked casually.

"Then, the Black Water Nation was wiped out. Many years later, the Han army seized Zhangye and built a new city by the lake near the former Black Water Nation; this city persisted until the preceding Sui dynasty."

One day during the Sui dynasty, a high monk arrived at Black Water City, shouting "peaches, pears" at everyone, sprinting through the crowd, and then vanished.

A few days later, a sandstorm struck Black Water City, burying everything beneath the drifting sand.

This booklet records that story, of course, copied from Buddhist sutras.

Fang Chongyong smiled and said.

Buddhist tales are many, often gilding their own faces—like claiming that the sun rises because they lifted their hand.

However, sometimes these stories also carry traces of history, subtly recounting certain events.

"But that has nothing to do with us."

Anaye waved dismissively, already intending to go to sleep.

Fang Chongyong held her shoulder to stop her, gazed at her and said, "Hey, there's a big story in this small matter; just listen to me finish."

"What story?"

"Tomorrow, we'll go look for that place; I've roughly located it—just a ruin, with most of the structures buried in sand. We'll search that city; it hides gold and silver treasure."

Fang Chongyong fabricated a harmless lie.

Black Water City naturally needs to be found, but Fang Chongyong isn't after gold or silver; he wants to test a hypothesis in his mind.

In the late Eastern Han, the Liangzhou army led by Dong Zhuo wielded power across the lands, profoundly reshaping the political landscape and accelerating the dynasty's downfall. Given the era's conditions, the Liangzhou forces could sustain themselves militarily.

In other words, the Liangzhou region certainly had stable smelting workshops.

However, by the Tang dynasty, the Hexi Corridor's smelting had been completely abandoned; armaments relied entirely on external imports.

Three essential conditions for smelting are: first, iron ore not far away; second, a water source near the workshop for cooling; third, a stable nearby fuel supply, typically charcoal in feudal times.

Today the Hexi Corridor lacks large‑scale smelting workshops capable of equipping an army, nor the capacity to maintain them.

Su Zhou, Gua Zhou, and Sha Zhou are so water‑scarce they're maddeningly barren, making it irrelevant.

Liangzhou's geography is advantageous and has been little affected by warfare, essentially preserving the Han‑era layout. Yet Fang Chongyong has learned that Liangzhou never engaged in large‑scale iron smelting; even with Wuwei City expanding to seven towns, no big smelting workshops were seen.

Only Ganzhou remains a mystery; it may hold the secret of Dong Zhuo's north‑west rampage.

Otherwise, it would be impossible for the Tang dynasty—when technology had advanced greatly—for the Hexi Corridor still to be unable to do what was possible in the late Eastern Han centuries earlier.

Fang Chongyong wants to visit the ruins of the old Black Water Nation city to see if it holds the answer he seeks.

"Really?"

Mentioning gold and silver instantly kept Anaye awake.

"Of course it's true."

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly, thinking to himself: It is indeed treasure, but not the kind you imagine.

"If we find treasure over there, then the tax that Gan Zhou was supposed to levy could probably be waived, right?"

A Naye asked curiously.

Hearing that, Fang Chongyong could only smile wryly and shake his head.

A sudden influx of a large amount of gold, silver and other hard currency would only sharply raise local commodity prices in the short term, and then everything would become more expensive.

One can only say that fortune and disaster are unpredictable; the impact then would be far greater than the Autumn Defense Order! But Fang Chongyong would not dare to gamble like that.

What Brother Ji wants is to mobilize manpower and material resources. No matter how much gold or silver is unearthed, it cannot change Hexi's fundamental resources in a short time. What Fang Chongyong wants is not that effect at all.

But these words couldn't be spoken to A Naye, who knows nothing beyond medicine and foreign languages.

…

The next day, Fang Chongyong led A Duan, A Naye and others out of Zhangye City; Fang Dafu personally sent his son to the Western Travel Temple to become a monk, and the ceremony was held in great splendor. Fang Chongyong, of course, could not be present, for his presence would easily lead people to draw strange conclusions.

When Fang Chongyong's party arrived outside the city, they saw Xin Yunjing with fifty Tang cavalry ready to depart, accompanied by ox carts hauling supplies, already waiting for a long time.

Upon meeting, Xin Yunjing dismounted, leaned in and whispered to Fang Chongyong: "These are veterans of the White Pavilion Army, trustworthy brothers. They all believe Governor Fang will bring wealth to the old brothers.

But what mission does the Governor have this time?"

Guo Ziyi sent Xin Yunjing to assist Fang Chongyong, while he himself was personally directing others to rebuild the training camp on the basis of the original Zhangye garrison camp, and truly could not spare a moment.

Moreover, Guo Ziyi is now eagerly awaiting Fang Chongyong to deliver troops for his united forces, yet so far Fang Chongyong hasn't sent a single person.

"Go to the old site of the Heishui Kingdom and dig. Tell the brothers that whatever is unearthed must be turned over; I will take nothing, everything will be divided among them.

But if anyone dares to hide anything, don't blame me for being unkind."

Fang Chongyong said solemnly.

Hearing this, Xin Yunjing quickly pounded his chest and pledged: "Governor, you are truly generous! Rest assured, after returning to camp, I'll have them strip and search everyone, not a single needle will be hidden."

The old rule of sharing loot is understood by all of the White Pavilion Army, so this is no problem. Yet Xin Yunjing did not expect Fang Chongyong to be so generous.

But since they're going to dig for treasure and he takes nothing, is it just for the sake of fun and to hear the tale?

"Governor, such matters have been done many times by the Qiu Ba of Hexi. Those Hu merchants often like to bury things; once the news leaks, we won't be courteous—we must take what is ours.

But if the Governor remains empty‑handed, I'm afraid the brothers will feel uneasy."

Xin Yunjing, somewhat puzzled, tried to persuade him. Sometimes excessive generosity also raises doubts.

Fang Chongyong paused briefly, feeling that now is the time to release some information to "show sincerity."

"That's how it is."

Fang Chongyong made Xin Yunjing bend over and whisper into his ear, muttering for a while; when he finished, Xin Yunjing's face was horrified, his hands trembling slightly.

"Governor, this kind of matter, this kind of matter, is not a joke!"

Xin Yunjing whispered in alarm.

Fang Yanei is truly playful, daring beyond measure. Bringing his subordinates, this group of Qiu Ba, before him is not even impressive!

The magistrate's son from Chang'an is truly terrifying!

"Of course I know; if it succeeds, this matter cannot be taken lightly,"

Fang Chongyong said proudly.

Xin Yunjing nodded carefully, obediently, for this Fang Yanei truly does what others cannot. He dares what others fear!

Previously, when he was merely a provincial staff officer, Fang Chongyong already dared to present a 'health tonic' to the emperor.

Now that he is a governor, we still don't know how grand his schemes will become.

The party, led by a guide, headed toward the Heishui Kingdom Ruins.

The Heishui Kingdom Ruins lie about twenty‑plus li northwest of Zhangye City. Traces of surrounding lakes and marshes are faintly discernible, but now all have turned into endless yellow sand. A Han‑style city tower stands at a certain spot, its half‑exposed head no taller than three meters.

Xin Yunjing helplessly glanced at Fang Chongyong, then sighed: "Countless people have visited here long ago; the valuable and easy‑to‑take items have already been taken."

The location of the Heishui Kingdom Ruins is no secret locally; many people come here to try their luck, dig casually, hoping to find some rare goods.

It's like opening a blind box!

"Let's dig."

Fang Chongyong said expressionlessly.

In his past life he had watched documentaries; he's sure something he wants can be dug up here, just a bit of luck needed!

"Found it!"

A soldier shouted from afar.

He cupped the unearthed gold coins in his hand and handed them to Xin Yunjing.

A Great Qin gold coin, likely from the Han dynasty. Of course, that's normal, since the Heishui Kingdom Ruins were the capital of the Little Yuezhi. As a crucial choke point on the Silk Road, anything dug up here is unsurprising, as they could all be trade goods of the Silk Road.

Soon, many items were unearthed one after another.

For example, Han‑style pottery jars, Han bronze mirrors, and even many stone tools that were common only before the feudal era.

One after another they were brought before Fang Chongyong, neatly arranged.

Because they were buried by sand, they were remarkably well preserved, but... none of them were what Fang Chongyong wanted.

Xin Yunjing was also a bit disappointed, for aside from a few that could fetch a good price, the rest were worthless. For instance, who would want a Han‑style pottery jar?

"Governor, shall we keep digging?"

Xin Yunjing leaned in and asked quietly.

"Dig, don't stop."

Fang Chongyong sighed lightly and told Xin Yunjing: "Brother, go recruit some laborers to dig, tell them that the finds will be shared with them; I'm sure people will come here to try their luck."

"Understood, I'll go handle it."

Xin Yunjing also knew the matter was critical and could not be taken lightly.

They waited for a whole day.

During that time, Fang Chongyong kept frowning in thought; knowing is easy, doing is hard. Often ideas are good, but execution meets many setbacks. At this point, choosing to press on or cut losses tests one's wisdom.

Of course, Fang Chongyong thinks that a "known answer, seeking the process" approach is still much simpler than for ordinary people.

By the time the sun was about to set, the things unearthed here were all sorts, everything imaginable. There were many versions of light coins, and even some styles that Xin Yun Jing themselves could not recognize.

"I'll head back to Zhangye City first; we'll continue digging tomorrow. As for today's finds, distribute them among the brothers."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand feebly and said.

Why can't we dig it up?

He was filled with frustration.

A brand‑new trick you've never seen is about to arrive.

(End of chapter)