Chapter 236: The Sage Asks Me to Deliver a Message

Although the charcoal shortage in Chang'an has eased, it will inevitably return this winter. The court lacks experienced officials to handle it; you were previously the Charcoal Envoy, and now I wish you to continue in that role.

Li Longji helped Zheng Shuqing to his feet and said with a smile.

Zheng Shuqing performed the salute anxiously, grateful to tears, yet in his heart he was unconvinced, wishing he could spit at Brother Ji.

Stop bragging; without a sufficiently high‑ranking official title weighing on you, whoever takes the Charcoal Envoy post will be beaten into a dog's head!

Seeing Zheng Shuqing's decent attitude, Brother Ji sat back down, signaling him to sit and chat slowly.

After the latter sat down, Li Longji dismissed Gao Lishi, then in a deep voice said: "You previously held the post of Deputy Censor-in-Chief, an upright and uncorrupt official, so I wish to establish a new bureau, parallel to the Censorate, and have you serve as its chief."

Why are you still spouting nonsense? Zheng Shuqing thought inwardly that this was not good.

Because the emperor in Chang'an kept beating around the bush without ever stating what he intended, it could only mean trouble. Having floated in the official sea for decades, Zheng Shuqing, who had seen the world, felt his muscles tighten at once, awaiting what came next.

He was so anxious it boiled inside him, yet he pressed it down, refusing to show it.

Seeing Zheng Shuqing not taking the bait and refusing to state his position, Li Longji sighed and said:

"This bureau is called the Examination and Inspection Office, tasked with policing officials and nobles for misconduct; it can also curb the Censorate and investigate its officials. Its head must be a person of great virtue and reputation."

Zheng Shuqing remained silent, because he knew his current reputation had nothing to do with being 'of great virtue and reputation.'

If he were considered of great virtue and reputation, then any stray dog caught on a Chang'an street could be called that as well.

Zheng Shuqing thought that this so‑called 'Examination and Inspection Office,' according to Brother Ji's wording, was meaningless—a mere power nesting doll. Such nesting‑doll games had long become tiresome across the dynasties, already possessing a mature operating mechanism.

This situation is similar to the late‑Tang incidents with the 'tooth soldiers'—the military governors used tooth soldiers to restrain local troops; when the tooth soldiers got out of hand, an Institute Army was set up to suppress them, and when that also got out of hand, they relied on so‑called adopted sons to stabilize the scene—a classic endless nesting.

Before Brother Ji disclosed his true purpose, Zheng Shuqing did not intend to agree, pretending his old eyes were dim and he hadn't understood what the emperor was saying.

"You, my subject, the nation now lacks military funds, the treasury is tight. I also do not wish to reach out to the people and stir up popular resentment.

Therefore, I must ask you to collect money for the state."

Li Longji sighed emotionally, unable to resist wiping the crocodile tears from the corner of his eye.

"Please, holy one, give your command; I, your humble servant, will not refuse even unto death."

Zheng Shuqing exhaled, and respectfully performed a bow to Brother Ji.

Raising money, it's a small matter; he's very familiar with that.

Seeing Zheng Shuqing had agreed, Li Longji finally nodded in satisfaction.

Old Zheng is good in this way: his bones are soft, easy to steer, he says no conditions and doesn't need to play big moves.

"The Examination and Inspection Office, responsible for policing officials' discipline, I will also assign the Palace Censor to your command, so its functions won't duplicate those of the Censorate."

As for what to investigate, you think that yourself.

I have only one requirement: treat minor offenses as major, collect money as atonement. Of course, however you investigate,

you must not cause a big commotion.

The major matters inconvenient for you to handle need not be dealt with; just investigate the minor ones.

As long as you can squeeze money from officials and nobles without stirring trouble, I will give you my full support; whoever gives you a stumbling block, I will deal with them!

I appoint you as Director of the Examination and Inspection Office, and also promote the Palace Censor Yan Zhenqing to Deputy Director to assist you.

To prevent anyone from violently resisting the law, I will dispatch a battalion of elite 500 soldiers from the Divine Strategy Army, with a palace eunuch as supervising commander, ready at all times; you may call them whenever. Even if it is my brother or my prince, you may investigate them as you wish.

As for the atonement money, it will be uniformly called 'penalty money,' used as frontier garrison expenses, earmarked exclusively. Paying money for crimes is one of Tang laws, so my doing so is not excessive.

Brother Ji spoke at length, and Zheng Shuqing automatically filtered a series of constraints, remembering only the dozen or so words 'treat minor offenses as major, collect money as atonement, no one is beyond investigation,' his mind buzzing.

He understood Brother Ji's intention: simply to extract money from officials and nobles. The emperor felt embarrassed to ask directly, so he found a poor fellow to do the job.

But the problem is, what counts as a minor matter and what as a major one?

Zheng Shuqing was quite perplexed, because this standard was extremely vague, even explosively distorted.

For the powerful in Chang'an, plotting rebellion and assassinating the emperor in Chang'an is certainly a major affair, but killing a few household slaves is not considered a matter at all. Even Tang law states that household slaves are not persons, placed alongside livestock, so their killing is merely killing livestock.

To outsiders, murder is a major issue; to the elites, it is not.

Thus this scale is hard to control; mishandling it could lead to deaths and disaster.

Yet Brother Ji still did not clarify; clearly, he either does not know or has not probed the tolerance limits of officials and nobles.

If enforcement is light, there is no deterrent and little money is collected.

If enforcement is heavy, it will inevitably provoke strong backlash from officials and nobles, throwing the political situation into chaos.

The difficulty of this matter lies in the degree of enforcement.

"Holy one, this matter…"

Zheng Shuqing had not finished speaking when Brother Ji raised his hand, signaling him to shut up.

"I know it's difficult, but the repeated delays in frontier garrison pay are no small matter. The Examination and Inspection Office will surely be criticized by future historians, but I do not fear the scorn; you may proceed freely, the state comes first."

Brother Ji's words made Zheng Shuqing want to cry.

"You, riding a horse, are just watching the drama from the side; the one who gets blamed by posterity is me, okay!"

If Brother Ji were not the emperor, Zheng Shuqing would have left in a huff long ago, but who would allow others to be reborn?

Choosing the lesser of two evils, Zheng Shuqing thought that being the director of this so‑called Examination and Inspection Office was far better than the Zheng clan of Xingyang fading away without any prominent figure. Let the scolding come; after all, enough people have already berated him.

"I understand, my humble servant, and can ride out tomorrow to assume the post."

Zheng Shuqing crossed his hands and saluted Li Longji, saying.

"Eh, that's not quite so urgent. Establishing the Examination and Inspection Office still requires procedures from the Secretariat, so give it a few days."

I have heard that now you are idle at home; Fang Guozhong strongly recommended you for this post in his letter, so you should thank him properly.

Brother Ji said with a smiling squint, and in the blink of an eye sold Fang Chongyong.

"Fang Guozhong?"

Zheng Shuqing for a moment could not grasp who this fellow was, though he vaguely recalled hearing the name somewhere.

"It's Fang Chongyong, whom you know well; he now serves as Military Governor in Longyou."

Brother Ji said calmly, deliberately omitting the word 'acting.'

"Longyou Jiedushi?"

Zheng Shuqing was greatly startled; Fang Chongyong, that kid, had already become a Jiedushi?

Ji Ge waved his hand, not wanting to discuss Fang Chongyong.

"The matter of the Examination Bureau is rather critical; I, your humble servant, will take my leave first and think it over at home before speaking again."

Seeing that the Son of Heaven had nothing more to say to him, Zheng Shuqing could only bow and depart, full of questions.

Watching his departing back, Ji Ge seemed thoughtful.

Fang Chongyong gave him a pair of overt and covert combo plans to solve the urgent military funding problem. The Examination Bureau is the overt scheme; there is also a covert one. But who should handle the covert scheme?

Ji Ge kept pondering a suitable candidate, yet remained at a loss.

……

The passage guarded by the Anren Army has a pleasant name: the Xingxiu River.

This road is the essential route from Longyou to Dadou Ba Valley. Of course, a middle segment lies in Tubo‑controlled territory, scarcely traveled and harsh, with no Tubo outposts there.

Yet they can dispatch troops from here: northward to attack Dadou Ba Valley, southward to assault Shanzhou. The Tang army in Longyou has long been strategically passive; the aggressor is actually Tubo, so the decision to fight or make peace rests with Tubo, not the Great Tang.

Frankly, the Hehuang Valley is a breezy, marshy lowland; to hold it against Tubo requires a massive garrison, with no alternative for now.

Just two days after the HeYuan Army's central command subdued Wang Nande, Fang Chongyong led a group of those imprisoned at the HeYuan Army camp—troublemakers who had taken part in the Anren Army mutiny—to the Great Tong City on the Xingxiu River.

Also called the Great Tong Fortress.

Compared with the scattered HeYuan Army camps, the Anren Army's camps and forts show an integrated trend, a stone city surrounded by wooden forts, managed with great rigor.

Seeing the Anren Army's orderly camps, Fang Chongyong couldn't help but nod; at last he found a reliable person in Longyou. One must admit, Ge Shu Han is somewhat capable—he does more than his official duties, continuously strengthening the fortress defenses, expanding the outer camps, and filling the area with arrow towers and chevaux de frise.

Of course, Ge Shu Han also dug his own pit.

The shortage of troops on the Longyou side is actually a matter spanning many years, lasting decades, not something that appeared overnight.

Moreover, such matters are highly flexible.

When Tang–Tubo relations ease—say, during the period Princess Jincheng married into Tubo—the war halts, and the Longyou troops begin to lack manpower, receive idle stipends, and release conscripts to return home and farm.

It may seem unbelievable on the surface, but the frontier armies' budget pressure forces it.

Fang Chongyong recalled an internet‑famous battle case from a past life titled "Tang army's great victory over Tubo".

According to the histories, the Anren Army near Longyou, at a place called Hunya Peak, was led by an unnamed commander who, with five thousand men, repelled a Tubo force of four hundred thousand and won, dispersing their offensive.

Putting aside other issues, the key information is that the Anren Army had five thousand! In other words, at that time the Anren Army numbered only five thousand, or could field only five thousand.

Fang Chongyong thought that with four hundred thousand Tubo pressing the border, the Anren Army still kept half its troops in camp, sending only a hand to fight—far too optimistic and illogical.

Thus those five thousand were likely the entire strength of the Anren Army.

He had originally dismissed such "viral histories," but today he realized the historian might not be wrong—just reluctant to admit idle stipends.

At that time the Anren Army could field only five thousand; receiving idle stipends was one reason, and many wounded could not leave camp or casualties were not yet replaced. Yet the Tang Longyou troops sometimes fell short of expectations, which was not a problem.

In the past life the Anren Army's military commissioner was probably not Ge Shu Han, and Fang Chongyong did not know what changes occurred after that person took the post.

However, after investigation Fang Chongyong found that Ge Shu Han, as the Anren Army's military commissioner, actually received the fewest idle stipends among all Longyou units!

Thus when the court fell behind on pay, the Anren Army, whose "small treasury" held the least money, could not balance its books and finally erupted in mutiny!

The other Longyou units, however, had military commissioners with a modest treasury, enough to patch things up and issue some spring and winter clothing, so their unrest was less severe.

Simply put, Ge Shu Han is an honest man who failed to adapt to the new workplace changes.

In Fang Chongyong's view, whether an action is executed correctly or incorrectly also depends on the external environment; there is no absolute good or bad, only an unseen flexible tacit rule.

"I, the junior commander, pay my respects to Jiedushi Fang!"

Ge Shu Han, whose beard was already half‑white, now showed fatigue as he knelt on one knee to salute.

He is a Turkic cavalryman; he entered the Longyou frontier army relatively late, at forty. Though he rose quickly, he is actually the oldest among the Longyou military commissioners.

He is considerably older than Wang Zhongsi, who now serves as the Hedong Jiedushi.

Fang Chongyong instantly understood that Ge Shu Han did not climb by sheer brute force; he must be rich in strategy and tactics, adept at commanding troops, otherwise his rapid rise would be inexplicable.

In fact, Ge Shu Han's age also prevents him from recklessly fighting on the battlefield.

"Ge, the military commissioner, the Anren Army mutinied a few days ago; I have come to handle it. The dozens of Anren Army troublemakers behind me should first be brought back for proper placement, awaiting the court's edict. Until the edict arrives, they must not be killed, lest we erase evidence."

Fang Chongyong said calmly, his complexion unchanged, that because Wang Nande had revealed many inside details, and combined with the information previously given by Guan Chongsi, he was perfectly clear on the Anren Army's internal situation.

However, now he must pretend to know nothing.

"Understood, Jiedushi Fang, I await your command."

Ge Shu Han made a gesturing of invitation, his brows lowered and eyes compliant, exceptionally respectful, showing none of the arrogance typical of border officials. In fact, even without defecting to Tubo, his mental fortitude is already strong; another person might have fled long ago.

The Anren Army had several thousand captured by the HeYuan Army, with a few hundred missing; the loss was considerable. Fortunately, Ge Shu Han was attending a meeting at the Longyou Jiedu Office, with many witnesses to prove his innocence; otherwise the charge of "inciting mutiny" would have been quickly confirmed.

"Hmm, to the Central Army."

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly, saying, his calm authority unruffled. At this moment, the entire Anren Army was tense. They knew their fate largely depended on Fang Chongyong's advice on handling the court's petition.

If this acting Jiedushi became displeased, the consequences would be severe.

Entering the Great Tong Fortress, Fang Chongyong curiously observed the stone citadel of great strategic importance.

It sits on a hill along the Baoku River, guarding the narrowest throat of the Xingxiu River; truly a mountain‑by‑water feng shui treasure, never lacking water, sufficient to supply a ten‑thousand‑strong army.

The narrow passage below the hill is less than ten meters wide; whether Tubo infantry or cavalry passes, they will be ambushed by Anren troops atop the hill. On one side of the road is the mountain, on the other the Baoku River— even immortals would only shake their heads in sigh.

One must admit, the Tang general Guo Zhiyun, who chose this site for the fortress, had extraordinary foresight. The HeYuan Army camps were unremarkable and could be easily broken, as they were merely to hold a node; one should not overextend where defense is impossible.

The Anren Army's fortress, however, was built with great effort, following the principle "spend only what is needed, save only what can be saved."

Led by Ge Shu Han and others, Fang Chongyong entered the Anren Army commander's office—also Ge Shu Han's residence.

It is the highest dwelling on the hill; aside from its sturdiness, all other furnishings are starkly simple. Living there long‑term is indeed harsh, yet it is the best quarters within the Anren Fortress.

Under such bitterly cold garrison conditions, the court still owed two years' worth of winter clothing and supplied too few spring garments.

Fang Chongyong probably also understood why the Anren soldiers mutinied first.

Putting aside other matters, in this case the court is truly a dog! It wasn't the Anren officials deliberately causing trouble; the life was hard, pay was poor, and wages were owed—who could endure that?

After ordering everyone to step back, Ge Shu Han knelt and kowtowed to Fang Chongyong, saying, "The Anren Army's encampment conditions have also been seen by the Jiedushi; please, Jiedushi, raise your noble hand! All the soldiers of this generation's Anren Army bow in thanks to the Jiedushi!"

"Alas, General Ge Shu, stand up first before we continue."

Fang Chongyong helped Ge Shu Han to his feet, let out a long sigh and said, "The Anren Army has set a very bad precedent; the Sage is enraged, and this army, I'm afraid, cannot be kept."

He made a chopping motion with his hand.

Is it that serious?

Ge Shu Han had already stood up; hearing that, he fell backward onto the stone bench beside him, stunned into silence.

(End of chapter)