Chapter 112: Like a Doormat

In late autumn Chang'an, the wind already carried a hint of chill. But the people in the Pear Garden imperial preserve within the Daming Palace could not feel it.

The wood-burning underfloor heating kept this place like spring year-round, with no need to worry about smoke exhaust.

At this very moment, the Tang Emperor Li Longji was watching Yang Yuhuan's newly rehearsed "Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Garment Dance." Yang Yuhuan was well-versed in music and shared much common ground with Li Longji in this regard. She told Brother Ji: the current accompanying dancers for the Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Garment tune were not worthy of the piece, and many parts needed refinement.

So recently Brother Ji had been bringing this "Daoist Cultivator Taizhen" into the Daming Palace every day, rehearsing songs and dances in the Pear Garden.

Gongsun Daniang's disciple danced alongside Yang Yuhuan, while Lei Haiqing, Li Guinian and others provided musical accompaniment, with Brother Ji serving as "artistic director" on the side — this luxurious lineup could not be matched anywhere else in all of Tang.

Li Longji watched Yang Yuhuan dancing gracefully on stage, took a sip of Qi-Soothing Suoyang Tea, and narrowed his eyes in contentment, the smile on his face barely holding back, looking somewhat meaningful.

It seemed as though he had thought of something that stimulated his nerves, something irresistible and delightful.

"Sage, Investigating Censor Wang Hong has submitted a memorial from the Liangzhou area, impeaching Ganzhou Inspector Fang Chongyong for embezzling funds allocated by the court."

Gao Lishi leaned in and whispered into Li Longji's ear.

"We know."

Brother Ji waved his hand and said, not even wanting to glance at the memorial Gao Lishi offered. Right now his mind was entirely on the Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Garment Dance — or more precisely, on Yang Yuhuan's gracefully twisting figure — and he had no attention to spare for anything else.

"Sage, the matter of the Ganzhou iron mine..."

Gao Lishi asked again.

"Never mind. Tonight, have the two chancellors come to Xingqing Palace to discuss affairs."

Li Longji finally turned around, sighed, and took the memorial from Gao Lishi. He read through it at a glance, then handed it back.

Li Longji's face showed a dismissive expression, exactly as Gao Lishi had anticipated.

"Have Wang Hong return to the capital to report on his duties.

This man has no sense of timing at all. After he returns, dismiss him from his post as Investigating Censor and have him wait at the Ministry of Personnel for a new appointment."

Li Longji waved his hand with considerable disappointment.

What kind of trash were these newly appointed central officials? They did not even have the intelligence of a ten-year-old child.

Li Longji was utterly disappointed in Wang Hong.

This fellow howled with eagerness to earn merit, rushing to the front lines so desperately that he failed to see even the basic routines of officialdom.

Yang Shenjing and Wang Hong's father Wang Jin were cousins; Wang Hong had been recommended by him.

When Yang Shenjing had previously recommended Wang Hong, he said the man had talent for governance and came from a family of deep learning. After a brief investigation, Li Longji awarded Wang Hong the post of Investigating Censor, placing great hopes in him and sending him to the Hexi region to audit the accounts.

Of course, auditing accounts was secondary; finding a handle on Fang Chongyong was the main objective.

And what did this fellow find?

Fang Chongyong had misappropriated public funds to buy medical books and purchase clothing for a local Hexi girl beside him, spending just over a hundred strings of cash in total. As for other problems, Wang Hong had not investigated them — mainly because the local forces in Hexi were deeply entrenched, and a newly arrived Investigating Censor could hardly dig too deep.

Wang Hong was simply too eager to climb the ranks, too eager for merit, and failed to think more deeply about many things!

Brother Ji did want to seize hold of Fang Chongyong's mistakes and then grant a special pardon, to display his "boundless imperial grace."

But he did not want this kind of handle that was an insult to his intelligence!

If this matter got out, everyone would say that he, the Son of Heaven, could not tolerate others and had deliberately framed a child — not even sparing a ten-year-old.

Wang Hong could not even write a proper memorial to sling mud. This man was too useless — he could not even be a good dog, and was not worth cultivating.

Thus Li Longji's impression of Yang Shenjing also worsened by a few degrees. But since this was precisely a time when talent was needed, and there was no other good candidate for the moment, he could only endure temporarily and observe him further.

That child Fang Chongyong, on the other hand, had considerable political awareness!

He knew that Ganzhou's status had suddenly surged, that various court factions were all fighting for control of Ganzhou, and that he as Inspector could not hold the position for long.

So he had voluntarily handed over a handle on himself, hoping to withdraw from Ganzhou smoothly and legitimately.

Li Longji could not help but feel a measure of admiration for this "prodigy."

After arriving in Hexi, Fang Chongyong had accomplished quite a few major things: participating in the planning to capture the Tibetan new city, participating in the defense of Baiting Fort, planning smelting and mining in Ganzhou, and so on.

Setting everything else aside, the fact that this fellow had barely arrived in Hexi before going deep among the frontier soldiers to write letters home for those grunts was not something an ordinary person could accomplish.

It was said that he wrote over a thousand family letters in total, back and forth!

Brother Ji felt that even if Fang Chongyong had no other means of making money, earning income from writing family letters alone could buy quite a lot of things — so why would he bother embezzling military supplies that the court had specially allocated to support Ganzhou?

Besides, it was merely a female slave by his side — why would he bother embezzling the court's military supplies to win her favor?

The various inconsistencies forced Brother Ji to seriously consider the deeper reasons behind Fang Chongyong's actions.

Because in his impression, that child seemed exceptionally intelligent!

If the son of a Military Commissioner wanted to collect money, there was no shortage of lackeys willing to offer tribute. And the foreign merchants of the Western Regions, the group led by the Sogdians, were especially fond of doing such things. By all logic and reason, if Fang Chongyong wanted to make money, he had far more, safer, and more covert channels available.

As for what Wang Hong's memorial claimed — that he was "young and lustful, behaving like a beast" — that was even more baseless nonsense!

What appeal could an undeveloped local Hexi girl possibly hold? Brother Ji silently mocked Wang Hong in his heart for being so unworldly.

This memorial should have seized upon some inconspicuous yet detail-light faults of Fang Chongyong's — such as laziness and neglect of duty, such as improper conduct, such as coarse speech, arrogance and obstinacy, and the like.

Just dig up some trumped-up charges at random, let the court's rod fall on Fang Chongyong's backside, and have him pack up and leave — end of story! That was the true way to play the role of Investigating Censor.

At this thought, Brother Ji's mood was completely ruined. He stood up and nodded to Gao Lishi, saying: "Return to Xingqing Palace. Have Daoist Cultivator Taizhen accompany the imperial procession as well."

……

When Li Linfu and the others arrived at the So line: Qinzhengwubenlou study, they saw Li Longji standing with his back to the door, staring intently at a map hanging on the wall.

It was a detailed local map of the Hexi region, with every single Tang army garrison and outpost clearly marked.

The Doudou Army stationed at Doudou Valley had been specially marked with red ink.

"Has the news about the iron mine in Ganzhou spread? How are things proceeding?"

Li Longji turned around and asked Zhang Shougui, who was bowing in greeting.

His expression was solemn, his bearing full of imperial dominance — a stark contrast to the eager, lustful look he had worn that afternoon in another building of Xingqing Palace, when he was in bed with Yang Yuhuan!

"To reply to the Sage, your subject has already dispatched agents into Tibetan territory to spread the news. I believe the Tibetan military leadership is already aware of the matter. However, how the Tibetans will act remains difficult to say. Your subject is closely monitoring the situation and stands ready to respond to any contingencies at all times."

Zhang Shougui said with great caution.

As for the detailed troop deployments, there was no need to discuss them here. Li Linfu was a layman in military affairs anyway — this was the sole remaining advantage he held as Left Chancellor.

Zhang Shougui's answer came as no surprise. Li Longji nodded slightly and asked Li Linfu beside him, "Genu, Niu Xianke is in charge of coordinating military supplies in Liangzhou. Does he still have any difficulties?"

"To reply to the Sage, last time Minister Niu submitted a memorial stating that the Hexi baggage and provisions are ample, and supplying the army's needs will pose no obstacle.

With him stationed in Liangzhou to coordinate, I presume there will be no difficulty."

Li Linfu clasped his hands in salute and said.

After a moment's thought, he added, "The Shuofang Army currently has no pressing military affairs, so troops could be transferred from Shuofang to Hexi."

Hearing this, Li Longji waved his hand and said, "Each to his own office and its duties. You need not concern yourself with these matters, Genu. I have a clear picture in my mind."

Rebuffed with this remark, Li Linfu retreated to the side in displeasure and said no more. Li Longji apparently did not wish for the Right Chancellor of the Great Tang to involve himself in the discussion of specific military affairs.

"Do the Tibetans know about the large quantities of funds and supplies being transferred to Ganzhou?"

Li Longji asked again.

"To reply to the Sage, these things certainly cannot be hidden from the Tibetans' intelligence network. When we were loading and transporting, we did not keep it secret."

Zhang Shougui bowed and said.

This great contest between the Great Tang and the Tibetans could be described as full of twists and turns, with each side gaining something.

The first clash was when the Tibetans joined forces with a faction of the Second Turkic Khaganate, planning to capture Liangzhou and sever the connection between the Western Regions and the Great Tang's frontier.

The specific plan was for the Second Turkic Khaganate to dispatch troops to attack Baiting Sea, probing and drawing the main force of the Great Tang's Hexi frontier army to concentrate at the easternmost end of the Hexi Corridor, then to continue military operations afterward, forming a standoff.

The Tibetan army would then strike out from the Huangshui region, capture the Tibetans' New City previously occupied by the Tang army (which had only a thousand soldiers stationed there), then forcefully attack Dadouba Valley, sever the Hexi Corridor, and from the direction of Ganzhou, pincer the rear flank of the Tang army concentrated in Liangzhou.

This plan could not be called a bad one, but it was interrupted by a major event.

Fang Youde, the Military Commissioner of Youzhou, led troops to the Shuofang Army's defense zone, to Qikou north of the Hetao, and incited the Nine Surnames of Tiele to rise up and jointly attack the Turkic royal camp!

Recently, the northern steppes had been thrown into chaos. The Second Turkic Khaganate was campaigning in Hexi, and because their rear was left empty, they took a heavy blow from Fang Youde and could only retreat to the royal camp to defend themselves, withdrawing their troops from north of Hexi.

Without the cooperation of the Turks, the Tibetans could not keep up their campaign, so they could only reluctantly cancel their plan to attack Liangzhou and quietly transferred their troops to Longnan.

In this clash, the Tang army won the strategic advantage but failed to convert that advantage into concrete results. The Second Turkic Khaganate took a blow for the Tibetans.

The second clash was that the Tang army's high command misjudged the direction of the Tibetans' strategic offensive, still clinging to outdated assumptions like marking the boat to find the sword, believing the Tibetans' target was still Hexi.

Little did they know that the Tibetans, having learned their lesson, had long since deployed their elite troops along the Longnan line and had no intention of competing with the Tang army in the Huangshui region.

In this clash, the Tibetans completely seized the strategic initiative. On the Longnan border, they bribed the Tangut people to cross over and had them sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight.

The Tibetan army advanced in several columns, converging in a pincer attack. They captured cities and seized territory all along Longnan, grabbing what they could and then running, with negligible losses of their own.

Under the Sage's delayed command, Du Xiwang, the Military Commissioner of Longyou, led his troops and was led by the nose by the Tibetans the whole way. Many horses and livestock died of exhaustion, yet they did not even obtain a single Tibetan head.

In the two clashes, the Tang army and the Tibetan army could be considered to have one win and one loss in terms of overall advantage, though neither side suffered any crippling losses.

So this time, to recover his dignity, the Sage set a trap in Hexi that the Tibetans had no choice but to fall into: Ganzhou!

Ganzhou was one of the few places in the Hexi Corridor with abundant water sources.

Aside from Liangzhou, only Ganzhou in the Hexi Corridor could supply provisions to the outside while being self-sufficient.

Now iron ore had been discovered here, as well as places where coal could be mined, and south of Shandan County there was also the largest horse ranch in the Tang state!

Occupying this place would mean that the Tibetans could at the very least obtain a stable supply of grain, horses, iron, and even weapons.

If they could capture Ganzhou and establish a foothold there, then the reach of the Tibetan army could extend further to all parts of the Hexi Corridor, and from the flank threaten Shanzhou, the seat of the Longyou Military Commissioner (the area east of Xining).

The Tibetans raiding the Longnan dungeon a hundred times would not yield as much as campaigning against Ganzhou just once.

The Sage was very confident that this time the Tibetans would definitely come.

"By the way, put out the word that a gold mine has already been found in Ganzhou. Then have the Ministry of Works dispatch a detachment to Shandan County to search around. Whether or not they find anything, make the Tibetans believe that Ganzhou definitely has a gold mine."

A cold sneer appeared on Li Longji's lips, and a chill flashed in his eyes as he instructed Zhang Shougui.

Previously in Longnan, he had been slapped in the face by the Tibetans, and now he had to return the favor! He wanted to teach the Tibetans a harsh lesson!

"I shall faithfully follow the Sage's decree."

Zhang Shougui said very obediently.

He could not refuse the Sage's command, and moreover, this plan had its own rationality, because Ganzhou happened to be right under the Tibetans' military spearhead, and the other side would not need to mount a distant expedition.

The Tibetans had not struck before because there was no point in doing so. If they deployed too few troops, they could not defeat the Tang army; if they deployed too many, the gains from Ganzhou would be disproportionate to the military expenditure.

But now the situation was different. Ganzhou had become worth the Tibetans' while to strike.

"By the way, Ganzhou is now of great importance. Let Ouyang Qiong serve as the Prefect of Ganzhou and concurrently as the Commander of the Jiankang Army.

As for Fang Chongyong..."

Li Longji got halfway through his sentence and actually stalled, momentarily unsure of how to arrange things next.

He pondered for a moment, then said to Li Linfu:

"Genu, Quanzhong originally came a thousand li from Dunhuang to enter Chang'an. Why not arrange a comfortable position for Fang Chongyong and let him return to his homeland for a visit?"

Li Longji suddenly recalled the youthful years of the past and could not help but sigh with emotion.

……

"The horse-wrangling man is mighty and robust..."

Fang Chongyong rode atop the mount specially prepared for him, that little red horse. Singing as he swung the slingshot in his hand, he was in the middle of a growth spurt and had grown much taller than when he had first arrived in Hexi.

A small clay pellet was flung from the slingshot, striking accurately the goat that was drinking water by the bank of the Black River!

The goat, hit by the clay pellet, seemed completely uninjured, but was so startled it instantly bolted.

In no time it had vanished from sight, its wariness extraordinarily high, leaving Fang Chongyong dumbfounded.

"You really are something. And here I was hoping to have mutton for dinner tonight."

Fang Chongyong sighed and muttered to himself. He had bought a goat, then released it, and finally imitated the Tibetans' hunting method, using a slingshot to shoot at the goat. He had been shooting all morning and only hit it that one time just now.

Could it be that he had no talent for it?

Fang Chongyong was puzzled but had no intention of giving up practice.

Sure enough, the difficulty of using a slingshot to fire stone pellets while riding a horse was still quite high, yet Tibetan cavalrymen could almost all do it, which showed how formidable their tactical skills were.

Fang Chongyong led his horse back and soon saw A Duan returning, having ridden off to chase the goat. The unlucky goat hanging from the saddle still had an arrow sticking from its eye, deader than dead!

"You say you're putting in all this effort, but you'd be better off if I killed you with a stone bullet."

Fang Chongyong let out a complaint about that goat's corpse.

When he reached the gate of Zhangye city, he suddenly saw Da Fu leading a horse out, indeed coming to find him and A Duan.

Seeing the two of them, Da Fu, face full of anxiety, said to Fang Chongyong: 'The court has sent people; they are now at the government office. Young master, hurry back to the government office to receive the imperial edict!'

At last they've come!

Fang Chongyong breathed a sigh of relief and said to A Duan: 'Finally we can return to Chang'an. This Ganzhou is being watched by the Tibetans; I can't sleep well every day.'

(End of chapter)