Chapter 133: We Are Reasonable People

Smack!

Fang Chongyong hurled the bronze paperweight from the desk to the floor with all his might, like an infantryman throwing a grenade in close-quarters combat from his past life!

The entire prefectural hall fell instantly silent. The generals' chattering ceased abruptly, and in that vast space, one could seemingly hear even the sound of a pin dropping.

No matter how much of a child Fang Chongyong was, he was still a court official wearing a red official robe (albeit a resized one)—and formally appointed at that!

His not speaking up was an implicit "yielding" of command authority to Wang Silu—this was an "unwritten rule."

Once he opened his mouth, he represented the will of the imperial court.

Anyone who wanted to kick up a fuss had better think about the consequences. Many military affairs could be made either a big deal or a small one.

If Fang Chongyong casually pinned a charge of "desertion in the face of the enemy" on someone, they wouldn't even have a place to cry.

"Those who wish to pursue the Tibetan army may sign a military pledge, then lead their own troops into battle, organizing their forces according to wartime establishment.

If this battle is lost, regardless of whether or not you can bring your troops back, by law all shall be beheaded!"

Already thoroughly familiar with Tang military law, Fang Chongyong recited straight from the book and found a basic military order weighty enough to crush these grunts.

Organizing according to wartime establishment meant that one might not necessarily be able to select the trusted subordinates who normally served under one's own command.

And leading soldiers one was unfamiliar with, and who might not share much loyalty, deep into the night to pursue an enemy that had withdrawn of its own accord—

The risk was roughly on par with "a blind man riding a blind horse into a dangerous city at night."

Sure enough, the moment Fang Chongyong's words left his mouth, he could feel the atmosphere in the hall loosen up at once.

Pursuing enemy soldiers wasn't like chasing girls! Catch a girl and she gives you a kiss; catch the enemy army and they slash back with a blade!

This was no joking matter!

"Gentlemen, a hundred birds in the bush are not worth one bird in the hand. Since we have already annihilated the Tibetan army that besieged the small city, we need only wait for the court to reward us for our merits—there is no need to create unnecessary complications.

After dawn, we will send men to Luo City, and once we establish contact with them, we shall rebuild Shazhou's border garrison structure, reposition our defenses, and then liaise with the Hexi Military Command, awaiting the next step of the plan.

What do you all think?"

Fang Chongyong laid out these words with clear logic. The principle of not pursuing a desperate enemy was something everyone present understood perfectly well. They were merely covetous of military merit. Now that Inspector Fang had spoken to this extent, anyone who refused to listen and pushed back would surely be given the shoe in the future!

Considering Fang Chongyong's deep background and his native roots in Shazhou, it was better not to provoke this lord.

"We shall follow Your Excellency's arrangements in all things!"

Everyone, including Wang Silu, bowed in unison and submitted.

"All of you are dismissed. Rotate guard duty according to the shift order."

Fang Chongyong waved his small hand and announced the dismissal, entirely dispensing with any pleasantries like a "summary and pep talk."

After all the generals had left, Wang Silu stayed behind alone.

He scrutinized Fang Chongyong repeatedly with a complex, inscrutable gaze, and finally sighed with emotion:

"Those skilled in war have no spectacular feats. Victory in this battle depended entirely on Your Excellency anticipating the enemy's moves and preparing two months in advance.

The Tibetans' original intent was to catch us off guard with a surprise attack. After losing the initiative, the chronic ailments inherent in the Tibetan army began to erupt.

That initial period was the hardest."

He now greatly admired Fang Chongyong's "foresight."

"Alas, to boost morale, I have already emptied the treasury. If the court does not bestow rewards upon the officers and soldiers, Shazhou will truly be left eating the northwest wind."

Fang Chongyong said with a bitter smile.

The gold, silver, and valuables in the treasury had all been promised as rewards to the officers and soldiers of the Doulu Army and the private retinues of the city's great households after victory.

Payment could be delayed, but it absolutely could not be defaulted on. Otherwise, the morale of Shazhou's soldiers and civilians would collapse, and at that point, Fang Chongyong's word as Inspector would carry no weight either.

"Heh, Your Excellency need not worry too much about this."

Wang Silu chuckled.

He leaned in and lowered his voice, saying:

"We fought with our blood to protect Shazhou's security and safeguard the trade route to the Western Regions.

Those foreign merchants fattened on their profits ought to show their appreciation at least a little.

If they don't show us some appreciation, then they can't blame us for being unappreciative in return."

A smile appeared on Wang Silu's face that Fang Chongyong found very familiar—he had seen the same one on Xin Yunjing's face before.

What the other party intended to convey was already self-evident.

In Hexi, even a mouthful of clean water cost money! The officers and soldiers of the Tang army had eliminated the Tibetans who invaded Shazhou. Could these merchants who sat back and enjoyed the dividends of peace truly feel entitled to not part with a single copper?

That was a question for the grunts holding the blades—whether they were willing or not.

Of course, in Fang Chongyong's view, many things did indeed need to be done, but the atmosphere shouldn't be made so rigid.

The so-called "army and civilians are one family"—foreign merchants were civilians too, so there was no need to be too fierce with them. As long as these people paid every last copper they owed, then the Doulu Army would remain their guardian deity, protecting their safety along this stretch of the trade route.

Speak amicably, keep a horizontal saber at your waist—that was enough. There was no need to go around brandishing blades and intimidating people.

Of course, although the Tibetans had been defeated, there were many scattered remnants, and the trade route was temporarily unsafe. A few bands of marauding Tibetan stragglers popping up along the trade route to plunder—that would be quite normal, wouldn't it?

The Doulu Army's manpower was limited, and its energy likewise limited. Naturally, it could not cover everything and could only "selectively" protect a portion of the merchants.

After thinking through these matters, Fang Chongyong nodded slightly and said:

"We are a mighty force, a righteous force, and we must maintain our image.

We are completely different from those Tibetans who would even strip the clothes off the backs of their captives.

They are bandits; we are officials. We must make sure the people of Shazhou all see this clearly.

If those foreign merchants are unwilling to support the development of Shazhou, then so be it—do not force them.

As the saying goes, everyone has their own aspirations, and a forced melon is not sweet.

On any given matter, we must allow others to hold different views—this is what it means to seek common ground while reserving differences. Our hearts are broad and can accommodate those with differing opinions.

However, the trade route to the Western Regions is not very safe either. The Doulu Army is busy with military affairs on ordinary days and can only go to the rescue of those foreign merchant caravans that have generously supported the development of Shazhou. This is simply a case of human resources having their limits. We cannot demand that the soldiers in our army become attendants to those merchants who cannot even produce a single copper coin, can we?

So if those foreign merchants who have not paid to support Shazhou's development are plundered and appeal to us for aid, then the prefectural office can only decide based on the circumstances. Where we have the capacity to lend a hand, we will naturally do our best."

If the Doulu Army's military affairs are not busy, then they can go to the rescue—no harm done. If they are busy, then we are sorry but we cannot help. After all, there are degrees of closeness, and everyone has their own aspirations. When aspirations differ, you can't treat someone like family—isn't that the logic?

Convey these words to those foreign merchants and let them choose for themselves."

Fang Chongyong spoke at length, his tone mild as he addressed Wang Sili.

When a cultured man speaks, it really is something else!

Wang Sili was deeply shaken in his heart—Fang Chongyong's words were so perfectly put.

In the mid-to-late Tang and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, when soldiers agitated for back pay, they would often erect a large wooden post in front of the military governor's office. The soldiers would take turns performing their "performance art," hacking at the wood to display their "martial valor."

A military governor who witnessed this scene would either beg high and low to return to Chang'an and leave the place of trouble behind, or hurry to prepare the money, gather the pay, and distribute it to show his "compassion for the troops."

When a military governor distributes pay on his own initiative, that is called "loving one's soldiers as one's children." When soldiers storm the government office to demand money, that is a mutiny!

This was exactly the same logic as what Fang Chongyong had laid out.

What standing did the Shazhou government office have? How could it go begging to foreign merchants for "protection money" like a beggar?

Could the foreign merchants not be "overwhelmed with gratitude" and then voluntarily offer up military funds?

There was an unspoken rule here—"those who read the times are the outstanding ones." It all depended on whether these foreign merchants who prided themselves on their shrewdness were clever enough.

"What the Prefect says is absolutely right!"

Wang Sili slapped his thigh and said excitedly.

"The fighting with the Tibetans is far from over, I fear. I must trouble Military Commissioner Wang with all of it."

Fang Chongyong said earnestly.

"You may rest assured on that count, Prefect.

However, Shazhou has no natural defenses to speak of and relies entirely on the armies of Hexi. If the Tibetans come in full force, the situation would be as precarious as a pile of eggs.

The Prefect has a boundless future ahead of him. It would be best to leave Shazhou as early as possible. Even I may be transferred away after this battle ends."

Wang Sili leaned in close and said in a low voice.

"In the jianghu, one cannot always act of one's own free will."

Fang Chongyong left these eight characters behind, then took his leave of Wang Sili and returned alone to the rear courtyard of the government office.

With no one else around, the images of severed limbs and mangled bodies he had seen that day in the Tibetan camp by the banks of the Ganquan River surfaced again in his mind—those grotesque-faced corpses of Tibetan soldiers. The bile surged in his stomach once more, and he braced himself against the wall and began to vomit violently.

Though he presented himself before others as though he held every plan well in hand, strip away that wolf pelt, and Fang Chongyong was still just an immature child carrying an adult's soul, nothing more.

……

In the first year of Tianbao, the decisive battle between the Great Tang and Tibet began. The Tibetan army first broke Guazhou, then besieged Shazhou, attempting to use Shazhou as bait to lure the Tang cavalry into a relief march of a thousand li, where they could besiege the target and annihilate the reinforcements.

The newly appointed Hexi Military Commissioner Wang Zhongsi, who had just succeeded Xiao Jiong in his post, showed not the slightest regard for his future son-in-law who was serving as the Inspector of Shazhou, and suppressed every suggestion to dispatch troops to rescue Shazhou.

The Hexi border army held steady, fortifying Ganzhou, and concentrated the Tang elite forces to pursue and encircle the Tibetan detachment that had entered Dadouba Valley!

This order let everyone in the Hexi border army know the cold ruthlessness and ferocity of their new superior!

On the battlefield there is no father-son bond. If Wang Zhongsi would not even rescue his own future son-in-law, then which general in the army could act recklessly and expect such a man to show leniency when a subordinate violated military orders?

Just think about it—impossible!

As a result, military discipline across all the Hexi armies was rectified, and officers and soldiers alike were filled with reverence and submission.

Aside from the Doulu Army at Shazhou and the Dadou Army pursuing the Tibetan detachment, the main force of the Hexi Tang army did not, as the Tibetans had anticipated, rush to Shazhou. Instead, they gathered west of Ganzhou, forgoing a quick victory and honestly fighting a positional war against the Tibetans.

They faced off against the Tibetan elite forces within Suzhou territory, west of Ganzhou.

In Suzhou, the Tang army held only Jiuquan City, which had not yet fallen. The situation could hardly be called advantageous—they had barely managed to blunt the Tibetans' momentum to sweep across Hexi. For now, neither side could get the better of the other.

The unfavorable course of the war prompted Li Longji to begin settling accounts.

The former Inspector of Yangzhou, Zheng Shuqing, was found to have skimmed the military pay of the Hexi border army, causing morale to plummet and directly affecting the war against Tibet. An imperial edict was issued, ordering him imprisoned in the Court of Judicature and Revision, to be tried after the Hexi war concluded.

The former Hexi Military Commissioner Xiao Jiong, for failing to detect the Tibetan army's movements and neglecting military affairs, which led to a passive start to the campaign, had already been demoted to Inspector of Qizhou—and that was not the end of it. This time he was stripped of office outright, restricted from leaving Chang'an, and told he would be sentenced after the war ended.

On the surface, this series of personnel changes all seemed to stem from the Hexi war, but the undercurrents behind them were intriguing.

Zheng Shuqing and Xiao Jiong were both men of Right Chancellor Li Linfu!

Taking down both of them at once was no less than severing one of Li Linfu's arms.

Was this a prelude to replacing the chancellor?

The high officials of the central government in Chang'an would not say a word more in public, but behind the scenes they could not help buzzing with speculation.

That day, in the study of the Qinzhengwubenlou at Xingqing Palace, the Tang Emperor Li Longji, his face dark and brooding, was looking at Yang Shenjin, who held an account ledger in his hands. Several times he wanted to speak, but each time he held himself back.

"How is it that my inner treasury has no money?"

Li Longji could not help asking.

"To reply to the Sage: the grand construction at Xingqing Palace and the rewards for the northwest border army all came from the inner treasury. That is why there is no money now.

My accounts are clear, entry by entry. I beg the Sage to review them."

Yang Shenjin bowed with hands clasped and spoke with neither servility nor arrogance.

"No more, no more—just looking at them irritates me!"

Li Longji waved his hand impatiently, his tone thoroughly irritable.

Did he not know the inner treasury had no money? Did he not know what all that money had been spent on?

None of that mattered. What he cared about was when the inner treasury could be filled up again!

Damn it all! For the sake of the nation, for the border army, he, the Great Tang Sage, had even diverted funds from the inner treasury to pay the soldiers. Was being emperor an easy job?

"When will the wealth from Yangzhou Prefecture arrive? As soon as it arrives, it goes straight into the inner treasury, not a moment's delay!

You must personally oversee this matter, my dear minister. Under no circumstances may the Ministry of Revenue get their hands on this money. Do you understand?"

Li Longji could not help reminding him.

State finances had their own budget. The money to reward the armies was never part of the regular appropriation and could only be diverted from elsewhere. If the war dragged on, even more money would be needed. War was a contest of logistics, and everything about logistics ultimately came down to money.

Without money, nothing could be accomplished!

"Your humble minister obeys the decree."

Only, the Yangzhou Prefecture had already contributed several million guan last year; although the full amount hadn't been delivered, it still far exceeded the usual annual norm.

Now demanding on such a large scale, I'm afraid… it's very difficult.

Yang Shenjin said with evident difficulty.

"Of course I know it's difficult, but is the state not difficult? Are the border troops not difficult? I… am not difficult?"

"Let the Yangzhou Prefecture endure this grievance; I will reward it richly later! Go handle it!"

At that moment, Gao Lishi hurried into the study, his face alight with joy. Seeing that Yang Shenjin was also there, he had to lean close to Li Longji's ear and mutter for a long while.

"Excellent! I knew Yang Zhao was capable!"

Li Longji, after hearing Gao Lishi's words, laughed heartily, saying that the gloom on his face vanished completely.

He gave Yang Shenjin a slightly dissatisfied glance and said to Gao Lishi, "Come, go tell my Grand Minister of Treasury."

"Minister Yang, the Yangzhou Cishi Yang Zhao, has already collected three million guan of wealth for the Saint and has already transported it to outside Chang'an City.

We also request that you, without hesitation, send people to receive it."

Gao Lishi said to Yang Shenjin with a cheerful smile.

"Three million guan? Where did that much money come from?"

Yang Shenjin was greatly startled and couldn't help exclaiming.

"This concerns governmental affairs; it's normal that Minister Yang doesn't understand. Let's first go handle the errand."

Gao Lishi spoke as if hiding a needle in cotton, but he let out a sigh in his heart.

Yang Zhao scourged the Yangzhou Prefecture to the ground, forcing merchants and common folk to issue promissory notes desperately, just to complete his assigned task; locally he was said to be draining the marrow from bones. Now, whenever a Yangzhou person mentions Yang Zhao's name, they feel a burning hatred.

Petitions impeaching Yang Zhao have already piled up on the desks of the Secretariat.

Then why does Li Longji not punish Yang Zhao?

These matters, Gao Lishi cannot discuss with Yang Shenjin, nor does he need to tell him.

Great Tang, after all, is still the Saint's Great Tang; what right does a dog have to interfere in its master's affairs?

(End of chapter)