Chapter 218: The Glory of the Great Tang

In the Tang dynasty, traveling west from Chang'an, one had to take the Longguan Road. Along the Longshan range, from east to west, were posted Dazhenguan Relay Station, Fen River Relay Station, and Malu Relay Station, among others, providing officials traveling to and fro with lodging, meals, and horse-changing services.

The Longguan Road, also called the Longban Road, Longdi Road, or Qianlong Road, was a vital transportation route from the Guanzhong Plain through Longshan to southern Gansu, and its opening could be traced back to the Qin people's expansion into the Longnan region during the Western Zhou period.

The Longshan terrain was strategically imposing, a natural barrier between Gansu and Shaanxi. It was a boundary mountain running northwest to southeast at the Gansu-Shaanxi border, and also the dividing line between the Wei River and the Qian River (anciently called the Qianshui) and the Jing River.

Fen River Relay Station sat at the foot of Fen River Ridge, and this place called Fen River Ridge was the very origin of that "adjective" — rivers divided at this point.

Outside the gate of Fen River Relay Station, Fang Chongyong looked up at the vast mountains surrounding him, yet what he thought in his heart was: this land was the dragon-rising ground of Qin, Han, and even the Great Tang; who would have expected that a thousand years later, this place would become utterly obscure, completely removed from the political and economic center?

The seas turn to mulberry fields — it is no more than this.

However, the present Fen River Relay Station was not only not deserted, but unusually bustling.

Even though it was nearly dark, people still came and went in steady streams. Many officials, after the start of spring, were heading out to take up posts in other regions and had to pass through this place, some not hesitating even to travel by night.

There were only two major roads on the post road heading west out of Chang'an: one led to the Hexi Corridor, and the other went toward Longyou — which was the road Fang Chongyong and his party were now taking.

Compared with the endless stream of Western Region merchants traveling toward Hexi, the parties heading to Longyou were mostly officials taking up posts and civilian laborers transporting grain. These people, covered in dust, would briefly resupply at Fen River Relay Station before hurrying back on the road, appearing busy and shabby.

Fang Chongyong's party, by contrast, did not look at all rushed — the very picture of people intending to stay at a relay station.

"One relay station passes to the next, relay riders flowing like stars. At dawn they set out from Xianyang, by dusk they reach the head of Longshan. The waters of Long cannot be listened to — their sobbing brings sorrow. Sand and dust strike the horse's sweat, mist and dew congeal on the sable fur..."

Cen Shen, beside Fang Chongyong, could not help but chant poetry.

Right now the sky was on the verge of dark but not yet dark; they would certainly have to spend the night at Fen River Relay Station before moving on. As Fang Chongyong's retinue member, Cen Shen, though only serving as a "Judge," had his authority closely tied to Fang Chongyong.

The Tang dynasty "Judge" actually had nothing whatsoever to do with criminal punishment; if one had to put it in words, it could be translated as "executive officer." That is to say, he followed the superior official's orders — whatever he was told to do, he did, without needing to ask the reason.

An Investigating Censor traveling with a Judge — Fang Chongyong's journey to Longyou was clearly serious official business, fully prepared.

"Hey, not bad — Judge Cen's poem is quite good!"

Before Fang Chongyong could speak, sounds of admiration came from Pei Xiu behind him.

"You understand poetry too?"

Fang Chongyong turned around and asked; his words were as if he were asking Brother Ji: does the Great Tang also uphold the law?

"Why would you think I don't understand poetry?"

Pei Xiu asked in return with a baffled expression.

To prove that she was someone who "understood well," Pei Xiu deliberately added: "When I was serving as a palace maid beside the Sage, I heard Li Taibai recite poetry no small amount — things like 'the waters of the Yellow River come from heaven above, surging into the sea never to return' — all fine poetry."

As she spoke, Pei Xiu looked at Cen Shen and asked curiously, "Judge Cen, is your poetry better, or is Li Taibai's better?"

She had asked a foolish question that only a blockhead would ask.

Cen Shen glanced at Fang Chongyong; seeing Young Master Fang wave his hand very casually, Cen Shen understood and said, "Lady Pei jests. In letters there is no first, in martial arts no second — who would dare claim their own poetry is the best? Such things are not worth comparing."

Seeing Fang Chongyong looking at him with keen interest, Cen Shen continued, "Poetry is but a minor art — to call it entirely useless would not be an exaggeration. A true man should establish merit and achievement, not show off cleverness in verse. The question Lady Pei raised — I will simply leave unanswered."

Though Cen Shen did not openly say that Li Taibai was "just so-so," his words already carried the pride of "those on different paths do not scheme together."

Even if Li Bai wrote poetry brilliantly, even if you could write better than him — so what?

Could it defend the nation and protect the homeland?

Could it bring benefit to the common people?

It could do neither!

Cen Shen's ambitions did not lie there; he wanted to establish merit and achievement at the frontier. Cen Shen already had the connections of the father-and-son Fang family, which meant his path to officialdom had entered the fast lane — who the hell would go back and compete with so-and-so over the "minor art" of poetry!

Could writing good poetry somehow grow you an extra arm?

Sure enough, Fang Chongyong walked over with a smile, patted Cen Shen on the shoulder, and said, "Judge Cen bears a heavy responsibility; once you reach Shanzhou, you must be diligent in your official duties."

"With Censor Fang's patronage, how could this humble official not devote himself fully? I shall certainly serve before the saddle and behind the horse to get things done.

Please wait here a moment, Censor Fang; I shall go now to Fen River Relay Station and make arrangements."

Cen Shen very attentively performed a crossed-hand salute, then unfastened the horse's harness and led the horse into the relay station. Cen Shen's emotional intelligence was exceptionally high; though he had come up as a prodigy, he had absolutely none of a prodigy's arrogance. He clearly knew he was an official, yet very attentively did the work of a servant — one could say that the years he had whiled away in Chang'an had already made him understand the way of the world.

But a blockhead like Pei Xiu hadn't even found the right direction.

"You see? Real men all want to establish merit and achievement. That romantic poetry stuff — only young ladies like you enjoy it."

After Cen Shen left, Fang Chongyong suddenly needled Pei Xiu.

The latter gnashed her teeth in resentment, yet knew her own tongue was clumsy and she could never out-argue Fang Chongyong. What Pei Xiu did not know was that the "poetry" stored in Fang Chongyong's belly had already far exceeded the limit of what she could imagine.

It was just that to Fang Chongyong, these were nothing more than small tools for showing off, without any practical significance whatsoever. Unless necessary, using plagiarized poetry to gild one's own face was nothing but self-deception — saving face through a slap.

The Great Tang hereafter was, after all, the golden age of rough soldiers! What the hell use was plagiarizing poetry!

Fang Chongyong sighed softly, lamenting Du Fu's ill-timed birth.

"Hmph, I think you're just being stubborn because you can't write poetry."

Pei Xiu made a middle-finger gesture behind Fang Chongyong's back — something she had learned from him.

Suddenly, Pei Xiu noticed He Changqi sizing her up with a strange look.

She immediately turned around and coldly scolded him: "Has General He never seen a beauty before? Must you stare at me like that?"

"Hahahahaha! I've seen those who can wield a sword, and I've seen blockheads, but I've never seen a blockhead who can brandish a sword like you.

Hehe, I'll go feed the horses, feed the horses."

Along the way Pei Xiu had already learned what the words "blockhead" meant; hearing He Changqi mock her, she hastily reached to draw her sword and hack at him, only to see He Changqi already jogging into the relay station, chasing after Fang Chongyong's footsteps, seemingly saying something, the two of them laughing heartily as though very pleased.

"I'm so mad I could die!"

Pei Xiu stomped her foot in fury, yet was helpless. She was also very clear that she was merely a chess piece.

……

Fen River Relay Station was one of the notable large relay stations on the Great Tang's post roads, and naturally had no shortage of buildings — it even had three dining halls. Right now it was dinnertime, and there were many people eating, but Fang Chongyong glanced around and saw that, with very few exceptions (such as their own party), all the rest were extremely shabby.

At a glance, they were clearly neither wealthy nor doing well.

Among the diners, many were non-rotating officials, and many of their official robes looked as though they had been worn for years without replacement.

This situation was very common in the Great Tang's circles of non-rotating officials: the robes worn by Person A, upon retirement, were handed down to Person B; when B retired, they were handed to Person C — the government establishment did not provide them with publicly funded clothing replacement at all.

Many official robes were patches upon patches; robes that were originally green had been washed so pale that their color and patterns were nearly unrecognizable.

Not only were they shabbily dressed, but these people were also treated differently by the relay station's couriers. At Fang Chongyong's table, the complimentary meal included minced mutton and flatbread, some spring fruits picked from who knows where, and some unfiltered wine.

Whereas at those people's tables, there was only coarse "vegetable rice," plus a little "sauce" made from who knows what, and that was it.

The people of Guanzhong had a tradition of eating "sauce," dating back to pre-Qin times, and the Qin army had further developed it as military rations. By the Tang dynasty, the varieties of sauce had multiplied to the point of "one sauce per locale," too many to count. Many places had their own unique methods and recipes for making sauce.

One could say the nobility ate the nobility's sauce, and the poor ate the poor's sauce, neither interfering with the other, and neither knowing what the other's food tasted like.

"Shanzhou and other regions are heavily garrisoned, and every year the rations required all come from Guanzhong. What's consumed along the long, distant road is beyond counting.

If not for Censor Fang, what we eat would probably be the same as theirs."

Cen Shen pointed at the table not far away and said to Fang Chongyong in a low voice.

Pei Xiu glanced over there; she couldn't even recognize what was placed on that table. In any case, raised on fine clothes and gourmet food since childhood, she had never eaten anything like that.

"If vegetable rice is made well, it will certainly leave a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth.

But if made poorly, it becomes so coarse it's hard to swallow, as if a saw were repeatedly dragging back and forth in your throat."

Fang Chongyong sighed softly, not wanting to say more. Whether the vegetable rice at the next table tasted good or not, one only needed to look at the expressions of the two non-rotational officials eating it to know.

Grain prices in Chang'an were still fairly stable, but in Guanzhong, grain prices had in fact been slowly rising all along, going up a bit each year, never dropping in recent years.

Fang Chongyong had noticed this phenomenon long ago; he just didn't know what to do about it. Acting recklessly could make the situation even worse.

Seeing the big picture from small details, from the "pig slop meal" served to non-rotational officials at the relay station, one could appreciate just how severe the grain shortage in Guanzhong had become.

Of course, this was also because the non-rotational officials' salaries were meager and they didn't want to spend extra money.

If they were willing to pay the relay station's couriers, they could eat just as well. After all, the "pig slop meal" was provided free by the relay station; having something to eat was already quite good—what more could one expect?

Not only did people eat differently, but officials of different ranks and statuses were also provided different horses by the relay station. Many people couldn't even get a horse at all and could only ride donkeys!

As the saying goes, it's provided for free—take it or leave it! If you want better service, you have to pay extra; that's only natural.

At this moment, the clear and rigid hierarchy was on full display; only someone like Pei Xiu, who had never tasted hardship, would remain completely unmoved.

"Have you heard?"

"What is it? Tell me."

"Over in Shanzhou, the Tibetans seem to be getting restless."

"Who told you that?"

"Lots of people are saying it; it's not exactly a secret."

A wave of whispering drifted over from the next table.

Fang Chongyong, Cen Shen, and the others looked at one another. They never imagined that just when Li Longji was about to make a move on the Tibetans, the Tibetans would actually want to strike first!

Brother Ji might like to act recklessly, and Chang'an might be plagued by frequent chaos, but the Tibetans didn't know these things!

Besides, news couldn't possibly travel that fast!

On the surface, the Great Tang was still an invincible existence—how would the Tibetans dare to clash head-on with the Great Tang at a time like this?

Many people, including Cen Shen, couldn't make sense of this.

The shadow of war seemed to be slowly closing in; men scheme against tigers, and tigers likewise scheme against men. Unlike the others, Fang Chongyong understood clearly in his heart: the Great Tang needed to expand its borders to divert the contradictions of land concentration, and the Tibetans had their own pressures too—they likewise had their own demands for outward expansion.

"The Great Tang and Tibet have been at peace for four or five years; it seems they will resume fighting and settle the matter in Longyou."

Cen Shen said in a low voice.

Seeing that he knew quite a lot, Fang Chongyong asked curiously, "Why do you say so, Judge Cen?"

"Censor Fang, do you know why, in the dynasties before the Great Tang, nothing like this ever happened in Longyou—there was no enemy like the Tibetans?"

Cen Shen didn't answer Fang Chongyong; instead, he asked a seemingly unrelated question.

"Why is that?"

Fang Chongyong played the straight man and asked.

"Because no dynasty had ever been able to fight its way to where the Longyou Regional Command now stands.

This is precisely where the Great Tang's glory resides.

If no one had even fought their way there, how could there be any talk of enemies?"

Cen Shen said with a face full of pride; one could tell it came from the bottom of his heart.

Cen Shen's meaning was already quite clear: that the Great Tang could stand in opposition to the Tibetans in Shanzhou was itself a testament to martial vigor! If martial vigor had not flourished, the Tang army wouldn't have been able to reach that region at all!

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly. He had to admit that the area around Qinghai was indeed one of the fruits of the Great Tang's century of border expansion. As for the Hexi Corridor, it was merely the Sogdian barbarians' pledge of allegiance back then—not quite "bloody combat," more like taking in underlings and then banding together to go chop people up.

Every inch of land the Great Tang held in Longyou was carved out, blade by blade, by the officers and soldiers of the Tang army, reaching distances no predecessors had ever reached.

That was why during the Han dynasty, the area around Liupan Mountain, at the border of Gansu and Shaanxi, was considered Longyou.

By the High Tang, even Qinghai Lake had become part of Longyou! The headquarters of the Longyou Military Commissioner had moved right to the foot of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau!

Fang Chongyong somewhat understood why Brother Ji had required the first stop to be in Longyou to recruit elite soldiers and fierce warriors for the Silver Spear Filial Piety Festival.

If the Tang army had a martial soul, then the Longyou border army must be where that soul resided.

"Bang!"

In a corner of the relay station's hall, someone slammed a hand down hard on a table!

"The Anren Army hasn't been issued winter clothing for two years—fight my ass! When the Tibetans come, the soldiers of the Anren Army will just drop their weapons and run! Let's see what those motherless bloodsuckers who feed on soldiers' rations do then!"

A middle-aged man dressed in leather armor, looking like a common soldier, took a swig of sullen wine and couldn't help cursing.

His voice wasn't quiet; having probably heard people discussing the potential conflict between the Great Tang and Tibet in Longyou, he couldn't help blurting out a complaint, as if talking to himself!

Fang Chongyong looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the man's eyes were bloodshot, as if he were on a drunken rampage, or perhaps just seething with frustration. For a moment, Fang Chongyong hesitated over whether to go over and check.

The reckless words this fellow had just spoken could be taken as either trivial or serious! It all depended on whether bystanders wanted to deal with him.

Taken lightly, it was nothing more than loose talk after drinking, and one could pretend not to have heard it.

Taken seriously, it was colluding with the Tibetans to surrender a city and defect! That was no small matter!

"What are you looking at? If you've got the guts, arrest me and haul me off to the Court of Judicature and Revision!

My name is Guan Chongsi, and I don't change my name wherever I go or alter my surname wherever I sit!"

That soldier noticed Fang Chongyong looking at him, slammed the table hard, and shouted belligerently, unwilling to show weakness.

Hearing these words, He Changqi, who was holding a piece of chicken with his chopsticks, set them down and looked at Fang Chongyong, seemingly seeking his advice.

"Friend, you can eat carelessly, but you mustn't speak carelessly."

Fang Chongyong walked over without batting an eye, sat down across from that soldier, and said calmly.

(End of this chapter)