Chapter 234: A Not Insignificant Vision

Inside the commander's tent of the central camp at the Heyuan Army's military camp, the Secretary belonging to the Longyou Jiedushi's command looked with a troubled expression at Acting Longyou Jiedushi Fang Chongyong, unable to understand what this man was really playing at.

Before coming, Fang Chongyong had said he wanted to "put a scare into the Heyuan Army people." By rights, at this point, Wang Nande should have caved, dismissed everyone, and privately reported the phantom soldier situation to Fang Chongyong, rather than risking angering Fang Chongyong by stubbornly saving face.

After all, the Longyou border army had been owed pay for years, not to mention countless other sordid messes—enough to fill a whole book and then some.

For example, after the great battle with the Tibetans back then, many fallen soldiers' bodies were never found. Not only did the Longyou border army at every level publicly declare these men to have "defected and fled to Tibet," but their families were later implicated and suffered great misfortune.

These matters were no secret within the Longyou border army, yet no one ever raised them. Why was that?

The answer was that in recent years the Tang and the Tibetans had maintained general peace, the border army's military budget had been cut substantially, and regular pay was frequently delayed. Reporting fewer deaths meant they could save a bit on pension money!

Besides, if the border army reported too high a number of deaths, it would also make the border generals look incompetent. The vacant numbers could also be used to draw phantom soldiers' pay, serving as a stopgap when the court fell behind on military salaries—killing two birds with one stone, was it not?

Compared to those "secrets that cannot be told," the widespread practice of drawing phantom soldiers' pay in the Longyou border army was hardly worth targeting. Once spoken plainly, that matter was simply what it was.

Given all this, why had Wang Nande still not caved?

The Secretary looked at Wang Nande. The brawny, powerfully built man had some beads of sweat on his forehead and appeared a bit nervous, but showed not the slightest intention of begging for mercy.

Could this man still think he could muddle through?

Not only the Secretary, but even He Changqi and the others on Fang Chongyong's side could not understand it either.

"Do you feel that your current post as Secretary is too dull, so you wanted to find some amusement for yourself?"

Fang Chongyong looked at the Secretary beside him and asked in puzzlement. His bearing was imposing, authoritative without even needing anger.

"This humble official's mind just wandered, wandered."

This Secretary hastily apologized, then called out loudly: "Roll call begins now! First Battalion of the First Regiment—Yao Erniu!"

The Tang border army's organization differed slightly from that of the imperial guard, and personnel review was not as meticulous.

In the roster, the "battalion" was the smallest unit for deployment and scheduling, with roughly four hundred soldiers and one battalion commander. Below the battalion level, the organization was not further subdivided. Which squad a soldier within the same battalion belonged to could be rearranged at will by the battalion commander without needing to report it, much less change the roster.

At first glance it seemed like nothing, but on closer thought it was deeply alarming. As the smallest deployment unit of the border army, the battalion commander's power was clearly not to be underestimated.

"Go summon everyone from the First Battalion of the First Regiment to stand before the commander's tent and await orders."

Wang Nande said in a low voice to a general beside him, secretly giving him a meaningful glance.

Before long, this general brought a plain-looking, hesitant middle-aged soldier into the commander's tent.

He cupped his fists in salute to Wang Nande and said: "Yao Erniu pays respects to Military Commissioner Wang."

"You—go trim the thumbnails of this brave soldier Yao."

Fang Chongyong pointed at one of his own plain-looking bodyguards and said. Though this man was also a bodyguard in the Lintao Army's roster, he was an "orderly" rather than a professional combatant.

This person was specifically responsible for trimming and grooming the beards and hair of the officers in the army.

Tang men's habit of keeping long hair and beards did not mean they let their hair grow wild! Whether in the army or in noble households, there were dedicated personnel responsible for grooming hair. Though few in the Heyuan Army recognized this man, Wang Nande recognized him at a glance.

Back when Du Xiwang was still around, this man had been following at his side, attending to him before and after his horse.

Wang Nande had only not understood why Fang Chongyong brought along this "craftsman," but now seeing it, everything clicked. His heart sank as he silently cried "This is bad," his scalp tingling with anxiety.

Yao Erniu, an ordinary soldier of the Heyuan Army, was completely baffled and still had not grasped the situation when he had both his thumbnails clipped just like that.

He carefully placed the clipped nails into his sleeve, and was then promptly sent away by Fang Chongyong.

"Next—Li Dashi!"

The Secretary called out loudly, and soon another Heyuan Army soldier strode into the tent. He too, just like Yao Erniu, had both his thumbnails clipped.

After Li Dashi walked out of the commander's tent, Fang Chongyong looked at Wang Nande with a smile and asked:

"The Heyuan Army has many men, no fewer than ten thousand. Verifying them one by one does indeed take time.

We might as well open several more tents for inspection, and trim the soldiers' nails while we're at it—quite a fine thing too.

What does Military Commissioner Wang think of this Jiedushi's proposal?"

Seeing that the other party had already seen through his little scheme yet had not exposed it outright, Wang Nande bowed with hands crossed in salute and said sheepishly: "Jiedushi Fang, please pause for a moment. This subordinate has a confidential matter of importance that must be reported to the Jiedushi alone. I beg the Jiedushi to step aside for a word."

He had finally caved, because the clipped nails could not grow back in this brief moment. The trick of having the same person slip in to "clock in" was probably no longer usable.

Seeing that the expected outcome had finally come to pass, everyone around Fang Chongyong breathed a quiet sigh of relief without showing it.

Fang Chongyong was indeed a "newborn calf unafraid of tigers," but they were genuinely afraid that Wang Nande would flip the table and incite the Heyuan Army to mutiny!

"Secretary, all of you go outside the camp to tally the men on the roster. This Jiedushi needs to speak with Military Commissioner Wang about the important matter he mentioned."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand at He Changqi and the others and said.

The various generals of the Heyuan Army under Wang Nande's command also looked at Fang Chongyong thoughtfully, and after bowing in salute, they too withdrew from the central commander's tent.

At this moment, the spacious tent was empty save for Fang Chongyong and Heyuan Army Military Commissioner Wang Nande. The atmosphere was awkward and heavy!

"Jiedushi Fang, I know that last year in Chang'an, your father, in order to suppress the rebellion, did indeed put my father, Wang Sijing, to death.

To an ordinary person, it would seem I should hold a grudge and cause you embarrassment.

But in truth, all of that was official business, not personal enmity, and the causes and consequences were quite clear.

Why must Jiedushi Fang, out of worry that I harbor resentment, strike first and move against me, Wang?"

Wang Nande asked with a bitter smile.

He was truly at a loss for words. He had not gone looking for trouble with this young master Fang, yet it was this young master who refused to let him off!

Wang Nande's family, from his father's generation onward, had been on the closest of terms with Li Heng's line.

The personal friendship between Wang Sijing and Li Heng was even closer than that between Li Heng and Wang Zhongsi! Li Heng's failed rebellion and the slaughter of his entire family meant that the Wang family had completely lost its prospects—all the connections they had previously invested in were reduced to zero.

How could Wang Nande possibly cause trouble for Acting Longyou Jiedushi Fang Chongyong at a juncture like this!

Of course, it was not surprising that Wang Nande did not want to make trouble, yet trouble came looking for him instead.

Because Wang Nande did not know whether Fang Chongyong had received Li Longji's instructions and come to Longyou specifically to "clean house"! This possibility was not only not small—it even fit the logic of political maneuvering perfectly: pull up the roots!

"On that day, I was a member of the Dragon Martial Army, serving as a guard at His Majesty's side.

It was I who carried His Majesty on my back to a safe place, allowing His Majesty to escape danger. Otherwise, the traitor Li Heng might well have succeeded.

Let me tell Military Commissioner Wang another secret. The reason Palace Censor Zheng Shuqing went outside Chang'an to mobilize troops at that time was precisely because this Jiedushi informed him the day before, telling him to prepare early.

But he still could not get the Golden Guard to move. The main reason was that your father interfered from within. One could say your father nearly pushed Li Heng onto the throne."

"Therefore, this Jiedushi can conclude that Wang Junshi's father, Wang Sijing, was Li Heng's diehard confidant and accomplice, and participated in the rebellion as an inside agent. If this Jiedushi truly wished to deal with Wang Junshi, there would be no need to do anything—just wait for an opportunity to send a letter to the Sage at Chang'an, recounting many details of that day."

Fang Chongyong said unhurriedly.

Hearing these words, Wang Nande was instantly frightened out of his wits!

He never imagined that on the day of Li Heng's rebellion, there were actually so many life-threatening inside stories!

What Wang Nande's father had done back then was, in fact, all private speculation by him, the son stationed far away as a frontier general; he had no solid evidence in hand.

Wang Sijing had not revealed anything to Wang Nande back then, nor had he made any arrangements for Wang Nande to dispatch troops in support. Afterward, the dead could not testify, and outsiders did not know whether Wang Sijing was merely an unlucky scapegoat killed by Fang Youde to warn others, or whether he truly had a guilty conscience and was killed for futilely resisting the inevitable.

In short, the court never reached a definitive conclusion; the matter was simply left unresolved.

Perhaps precisely because of this, when the Brother-in-Law purged Li Heng's faction back then, he did not touch Wang Nande, nor did he settle accounts with Wang Sijing's family. Of course, the Brother-in-Law also very likely secretly sent someone to observe Wang Nande, found that he had no unusual movements and did not appear to have a guilty conscience, and ultimately let him off lightly.

After all, though the Brother-in-Law was very wicked, he was by no means stupid.

He knew very well that the more one pursued certain matters, the more one would draw attention and invite criticism.

It was enough to eliminate those who had to be eliminated; there was no need to expand the scope of the purge indefinitely. The network of Chang'an's aristocratic class was deeply intertwined—take out one and a whole group would be dragged out. Killing alone could never finish them off.

Killing too many would instead produce the opposite effect.

"I am not quite sure what Jiedushi Fang is talking about. At the time, I was in the Longyou frontier army and knew nothing of what happened in Chang'an."

Wang Nande could not even bother to wipe the cold sweat from his brow, and forced himself to argue.

"Is that so?

Then this Jiedushi will tell you clearly and unequivocally: your father, Wang Sijing, participated in the rebellion that Li Heng launched back then, and served as an inside agent in the Jinwu Guard, preventing the Southern Commanderies' imperial guards from outside the city from entering to suppress the rebellion—a crime of the utmost severity!

He deserved death a hundred times over! A hundred deaths could not atone for his guilt!

This Jiedushi has spoken thus—do you understand?

My father, Fang Quanzhong; the Vice Censor-in-Chief, Zheng Shuqing; and the Right Jinwu Guard General of the Household, Pei Min, who served alongside your father and was also on the scene, can all testify that your father plotted treason.

Does Army Commander Wang have anything else to say!"

Fang Chongyong rebuked without the slightest courtesy, shattering Wang Nande's last sliver of illusion.

These words left Wang Nande speechless.

He knew very well how much weight the other party's words just carried. Setting aside Fang Youde and Zheng Shuqing, take Pei Min alone—he was the "Sword Saint" personally titled by Li Longji, and at the time was also in the Jinwu Guard, right at the scene of the incident.

As long as Pei Min said to the Brother-in-Law: "At that time I felt Wang Sijing was acting strangely, inexplicably opposing the plan to lead troops into the city to suppress the rebellion with all his might—perhaps he really was colluding with Li Heng."

Then Wang Sijing's killing would be settled as fact!

The label of the Wang family colluding with Li Heng to plot rebellion could never be removed, and the entire family being killed or exiled would go without saying.

In other words, if Fang Chongyong now wrote a letter to the Son of Heaven at Chang'an to report this matter, their Wang family would be utterly finished!

As for whether Pei Min would testify, and whether Fang Chongyong could summon this great figure—Wang Nande did not know, but he dared not gamble.

Because he believed that Fang Chongyong's willingness to say so much to him meant there must be something he needed. Writing a letter took no more than the time of one stick of incense; if Fang Chongyong were going to write it, he would have written it long ago.

"If Jiedushi Fang has any orders, please speak plainly.

If this subordinate officer can accomplish it, I will certainly lend my full support, working tirelessly before and behind, willing to be the Jiedushi's hound and right hand.

If this subordinate officer is of no use, or if the Jiedushi is merely acting on the Sage's orders, then I ask Jiedushi Fang to send someone to bind me and return me to Chang'an for the Son of Heaven to deal with."

Wang Nande could not care less about a man having gold under his knees; he knelt directly before Fang Chongyong, swiftly and decisively.

"Ah, General Wang, you overthink things. What I said just now was merely a probe. We are all working for the Sage—please do not take it to heart, General Wang."

Fang Chongyong smilingly helped Wang Nande to his feet, and the two took their seats at the desk.

Seeing the meaningful smile on Fang Chongyong's face yet no words from him, Wang Nande still felt uneasy and could not help asking, "May I ask if Jiedushi Fang's arrival here is because of the Heyuan Army's recent trouble over unpaid wages?"

"Yes, and no.

It is certainly wrong for the frontier army to mutiny over wages, but the court was delinquent in paying the military pay first, and this Jiedushi also fully understands and considers the hardships of the officers and soldiers of the Longyou frontier army."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand dismissively and said.

"Then the Jiedushi came to the Heyuan Army... could it be to audit the accounts?"

Wang Nande was a smart man; he immediately understood Fang Chongyong's true intention.

"General Wang, this Jiedushi believes you are a man of talent and should not be left buried.

This Jiedushi is also someone who eagerly cherishes talent. The Sage has heard of the problems in the Longyou frontier army but does not know the details, so he ordered me to investigate privately.

Over the past few years, up and down the Longyou frontier army, they have been drawing pay for phantom soldiers for a long time. The Sage is furious and has ordered me to investigate the details.

Other monstrous goings-on within the army must also be investigated together. Does Army Commander Wang understand what this means?"

Fang Chongyong pulled his letter of appointment from his robe, and also placed the waist plaques of Investigating Censor and Army Supervisor on the desk. Only then did Wang Nande feel that things had gotten serious.

Because an "unexpected pot of trouble" had been thrown onto Fang Chongyong's head, making outsiders think he was a scapegoat, an unlucky fellow, and overlook what this person's actual official position was, and what his original authority in coming to Longyou was!

Simply put, Fang Chongyong's original duties, apart from selecting soldiers for the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army, were to monitor and investigate illegal activities within the Longyou army.

Of course, this sword could not be drawn from its sheath; it was merely a "nuclear weapon" lent to Fang Chongyong by the Brother-in-Law, and the greatest function of a nuclear weapon was deterrence!

Wherever Fang Chongyong wanted to select soldiers, the frontier army there had to cooperate, or else Young Master Fang would "investigate illegal activities" within that frontier army. Under such circumstances, who would fall out with this imperial envoy over a few soldiers?

The Brother-in-Law gave Fang Chongyong the positions of Investigating Censor and Army Supervisor precisely for this reason.

But this did not mean Fang Chongyong could do as he pleased, play the hero, and become a true "army supervisor," much less set out to resolve the various systemic problems within the frontier army.

If Fang Chongyong truly steeled himself to stir up trouble, it would surely throw Longyou into chaos. If a frontier general then defected to Tubo, the consequences would be enormous.

This was where Fang Chongyong was formidable: he treated the power in his hands as a deterrent trump card, and would never truly play it. No matter how things stirred, the situation remained within his control.

"The many problems within the Longyou frontier army are truly hard to sum up in a word; I myself know only a drop in the ocean."

Wang Nande said with a sigh. At this point in the conversation, continuing to argue was pointless. Issues like drawing pay for phantom soldiers and reporting fallen soldiers as deserters were everywhere in the Longyou army—no one could withstand close scrutiny!

"There are brush, ink, paper, and inkstone all ready in the tent. Please write down what you know, General Wang. I will consider putting in a few good words for you before the Sage. After all, when white sand enters the dye, it turns black with it—I believe the Sage will also understand General Wang's difficulties.

By the way, General Gai Jiayun has already written one previously. Would you like to refer to how he wrote his?"

Fang Chongyong pulled out a folded sheet of paper from his robe with a false smile, held it in his hand, and waved it at Wang Nande.

"No need, no need—the Jiedushi must be joking."

Wang Nande gave an embarrassed laugh, looking worse than if he were crying.

This young Jiedushi Fang had already prepared a fully-loaded "feast" for them frontier generals, employing both the carrot and the stick. Wang Nande was certain he was not the second unlucky one—there would surely be others after him!

He had no choice but to honestly grind ink, spread out a large sheet of paper, and write down the figures and proportions of ghost soldiers drawing pay in the Heyuan Army. Which vacant wages had been used for emergencies, and which had been embezzled by officers at every level.

As well as which soldiers who had died in battle—originally deserving to be honored as martyrs—had been falsely declared as deserters by frontier generals in order to pocket the compensation money, and so on.

After finishing, Wang Nande read through it again from beginning to end, feeling as though his entire body had plunged into an ice pit. If the Son of Heaven in Chang'an ever saw this thing, the people involved would be skinned alive even if they didn't die!

"When the water is too clear, there are no fish. General Wang, you need not overthink it."

Fang Chongyong tucked this "confession" into his sleeve and said calmly.

"I humbly ask that Jiedushi Fang speak well of me before the Sage in the future. Your humble general would be endlessly grateful."

Wang Nande knew he had boarded a pirate ship and pleaded.

He was also well aware that Fang Chongyong would never show this confession to the Son of Heaven in Chang'an, because it would benefit no one! Unless it came to mutual destruction, the sword hanging overhead would not fall. This was the power of deterrence.

Of course, as the price, Wang Nande would have to obediently follow Fang Chongyong's commands. Such were the cold, hard rules of political maneuvering.

"Easily said, easily said. This Jiedushi has pressing official business and will not linger in the Heyuan Army any longer. Farewell.

As long as Army Commissioner Wang is willing to serve the Sage faithfully, there is no need to worry about those petty threats."

Fang Chongyong rose to his feet and nodded at Wang Nande, speaking with profound meaning.

The Longyou frontier army was truly one pitfall after another—one misstep and you were done for. Fang Chongyong silently rejoiced in his heart that he had now secured the leadership of the Lintao Army and the Heyuan Army, bringing these two largest "factions" under his control.

Even if he couldn't make them work with peace of mind, at least they wouldn't cause him trouble and headaches. The next step was to deal with the problem of unpaid wages in the Longyou frontier army—damn it, another massive pitfall.

Stepping out of the camp tent, Fang Chongyong couldn't help but let out a long breath. Though he had won over Wang Nande, he didn't feel the slightest bit relaxed.

If there are any typos, mark them, and I'll have someone fix them with a click. No need to point out which character is wrong in the comments—I'm not in a position to proofread right now.

(End of this chapter)