Chapter 258: Born Human, I Am Sorry

"Surrender your life!"

"Surrender your life!"

Under the pale moonlight, before Fang Chongyong was a dense mass of "people" shambling forward like zombies. Each one carried a gleaming blade, advancing ceaselessly.

Fang Chongyong knew this was a dream, and knew it was his subconscious playing tricks, but he simply could not wake up, as if pinned down by a ghost. The soldiers who should have been at his side were nowhere to be seen; he faced the dense mass of "people" alone.

The wounds on the bodies of those slain people all seemed clearly visible. Some even had their heads severed. Like phantoms, they passed through his body, then walked aimlessly forward, the vast procession finally disappearing from sight.

Before him remained only the pale moonlight falling upon the sand. In this lucid dream, Fang Chongyong could not dodge, could not turn back, had no one to help him—and of course, in the end, suffered no retaliation whatsoever.

The sun was already three poles high, brilliant sunlight falling upon Fang Chongyong's face. He slowly opened his eyes and found himself covered in cold sweat. Beside him, Pei Xiu was watching him with a face full of concern, looking as though she wanted to speak but hesitated.

"Was I talking in my sleep?"

Fang Chongyong asked without batting an eye.

"My lord kept saying: you all deserve to die. Just those four words."

Pei Xiu said, still shaken.

"No wonder the soldiers of the Five Dynasties all believed in Buddha."

Fang Chongyong muttered under his breath, letting out a long sigh of relief.

For a normal person, killing people—or directing others to kill—was not in itself something that brought pleasure or any sense of accomplishment. It was just that many times, although war was not aimed at killing people, such things could never be entirely eliminated.

Whether soldier or general, it was merely a profession. How to kill efficiently and cleverly was the core skill of this trade.

More often than not, once on the battlefield, it was either you kill or be killed—no one had a choice.

Fang Chongyong had done a great deal of work for the An clan of Liangzhou before getting them to temporarily abandon the idea of pursuing smuggling and join a grander undertaking.

The information about that merchant caravan had also been sold to Fang Chongyong by the An clan of Liangzhou, as a pledge to prove their allegiance. If the people of this smuggling caravan were not killed, Fang Chongyong would have no way to carry out his deployments in Hexi.

Fang Chongyong did not enjoy killing, but this time he had no choice. Born human, he was sorry.

"I hope my sins will not fall upon you to share in the future."

Fang Chongyong placed his hand on Pei Xiu's flat abdomen, gently stroking it.

"My lord, the Sage is already very old. If something unexpected happens in the future, then..."

Pei Xiu frowned slightly and could not help asking. She had been turning this question over in her heart for a long time.

Fang Chongyong being appointed Military Commissioner of Hexi did not put Pei Xiu at ease; instead, it cast a shadow over her heart.

"What is there to fear? Whoever dares to touch me, I will kill!"

Fang Chongyong retorted irritably. No one understood better than he how the world would change in the future. The peaceful days would not last much longer; the coming age would be one where reason was argued with blades. All power without the backing of force would be thrown to the ground and ruthlessly trampled.

Seeing Fang Chongyong's resolute attitude, Pei Xiu immediately fell silent.

If anyone else had said that, it would surely have been empty boasting. But Pei Xiu knew that Fang Chongyong truly dared—he dared to do anything outrageous! This man had no reverence whatsoever for imperial authority.

"Didn't I write a letter last time? My father wrote back saying that after the child is born, it should be sent to the Pei clan to be raised quietly..."

Pei Xiu said, somewhat embarrassed.

She had received the letter several days ago. Pei Min had also spoken many practical truths: the Military Commissioner of Hexi drew too much attention and must keep a low profile no matter what.

Pei Xiu had pondered for a long time over how to bring up such a matter, and ultimately decided to speak the truth.

"Understood. We will do as your father says."

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly and said.

"Hey! What kind of person are you! That is our child!"

Pei Xiu stood up, eyes wide, staring at Fang Chongyong, her face full of dissatisfaction and on the verge of fury.

"Today I will have Guan Chongsi escort you to Youzhou. In the future, I will announce to the outside world that you were gravely injured from a fall off a horse and need to recuperate."

Fang Chongyong said with a long sigh, not changing his mind. Pei Xiu's head was not clear, but her father Pei Min saw things very plainly.

The political landscape of Great Tang was quietly undergoing changes.

"What are the two of you doing..."

Pei Xiu covered her face with both hands and began to sob softly.

"The winds are changing. Your father is doing this for your own good. In all things, you must plan for the long term."

Fang Chongyong said helplessly, gently putting his arm around Pei Xiu's shoulders. The wind had risen. Those with keen senses could already feel the chill of winter in the breeze.

The strange behavior of Prince Ying, Li Zan, was enough to show that the political situation at the center of Great Tang had begun to gradually destabilize. Princes taking sides was becoming public—something even Brother Ji could no longer suppress. If he forced it down, he would either produce another Li Heng, or he would have to kill all the princes.

Perhaps next, achieving a new balance of terror within the ruling core of Great Tang would be Brother Ji's next round of maneuvering. Letting the Crown Prince contend with the other princes—these men would not be content with merely trading insults; they would surely seek allies.

Keeping the struggle within certain bounds so it did not spiral out of control—this was Brother Ji's fundamental goal. He would not consider anything beyond that; he would place his own pleasure first.

Many officials, even key ministers of the court, were already considering how to chart their own path after Brother Ji's passing. This was, in truth, only human nature. After all, Brother Ji was already over sixty this year—how many more years could he live it up?

And whether it was Fang Chongyong or Fang Youde, both were at present steadfast "royalists" who did not belong to any prince's faction. In other words, Brother Ji was the sole backer of their father and son.

In the future, such people would be the diehards who must be eliminated at the very first moment after a new emperor ascended the throne! Dismissal from office was merely the baseline; exile to Lingnan was the norm; in more severe cases, even extermination of the entire clan!

Not only had Cen Shen understood this, but Pei Min had likely seen it as well.

Having Pei Xiu bear an illegitimate child and raising it in the Pei household under the name of a Pei clan descendant was also a way to preserve a bloodline for the Fang family. Fang Chongyong felt that by the customs of people of this era, given that there was no explicit taking of sides, Pei Min had already been very decent about it.

However, Fang Chongyong felt things could go one step further.

Rather than waiting for Pei Xiu to give birth to a son and sending the child back, arousing suspicion, it would be better to send Pei Xiu back to Pei Min's side now and let her give birth in another half year or so.

If things calmed down in the future, he could then bring Pei Xiu and the child back;

If something truly went wrong in the future, then... execute the contingency plan.

Rebel from the border garrison! In any case, Fang Chongyong would not sit idly awaiting death.

By then, Pei Xiu would also be safer with the Pei clan. With such an arrangement, there was a path whether advancing or retreating.

"Must it really be this way?"

Pei Xiu said, still unwilling to accept it.

"Yes, and moreover, I have a grand plan that may require me to travel about for a long time, so it would not be convenient to keep you by my side... Returning to your father's place would also set my mind more at ease."

Fang Chongyong mentioned it vaguely, not daring to explain too clearly to Pei Xiu, lest he frighten this naive girl.

"Sigh, so be it then."

Pei Xiu was like a frostbitten eggplant, completely wilted.

Now it seemed to her that the "filter" that had once covered her eyes had been taken away. The world she saw now was full of crisis and uncertainty.

……

"Jiedushi! Fang Jiedushi!

You've finally returned! Finally returned!"

In the study, Yan Zhuang, who had just entered, threw aside all decorum, clung to Fang Chongyong's arm and wailed loudly, crying rivers of tears.

"Enough, let's skip the pleasantries. How are things in Shazhou right now?"

Fang Chongyong waved his hand, signaling Yan Zhuang to sit and explain in detail. At this moment he commanded authority without even showing anger, carrying the powerful aura of a frontier army commander-in-chief.

It made Yan Zhuang sigh with emotion.

"The situation is passable. The Jiedushi's lingering prestige remains, but the prominent local families are also growing restless."

Yan Zhuang said with a face full of exhaustion.

"What about Zhang Quan? Wasn't he keeping things in hand?"

Fang Chongyong asked in puzzlement.

"Uh, on the very day Zhang Quan took his twenty-third concubine, he died of a stroke on the bed while consummating the marriage that night. Because the matter was too humiliating, the funeral was hastily concluded. It's no surprise the Jiedushi didn't know."

Yan Zhuang said with endless sighs.

"When I left Shazhou, he had just taken his twelfth concubine. It's only been a few years, and he added eleven more?"

Fang Chongyong asked in stunned disbelief. This old brother was old in years but not in spirit—he really knew how to live it up!

"Who knows. In Shazhou, who doesn't seize the day and make merry? Any day now you might end up like that recently wiped-out merchant caravan—dead and gone clean."

Yan Zhuang said dismissively, then lowered his voice and asked, "Does the Jiedushi have some important matter for me to handle? Just give the order—I can hardly wait!"

"There is indeed something, though it concerns the Jinzou Yuan. I intend to recommend you go to Chang'an and serve as a Jinzoushi within the Jinzou Yuan."

Fang Chongyong gave Yan Zhuang a detailed explanation of what the Jinzou Yuan did.

"Jiedushi, are you… are you trying to set yourself up as a king?"

Yan Zhuang asked with a calm expression.

A flash of sharp light passed through Fang Chongyong's eyes, and he casually laughed it off: "You really are overthinking things. In truth, I just want easier communication with the court."

"No, no. If it isn't a state within a state, there is absolutely no need to dispatch an envoy to reside in the capital.

Though the Jiedushi said nothing, having the court establish a Jinzou Yuan is in itself an act of carving out a separatist domain. Even if the Jiedushi doesn't do such a thing, someone will in the future.

Inside the Jinzou Yuan, troops could even be hidden in the future! To carry out the deed of changing the rightful ruler!"

Yan Zhuang said this without the slightest shame, having filled in many scenes in his own mind, and now had a sense of where things stood.

He was genuinely afraid that Fang Chongyong was a man of foolish loyalty, so the moment he heard what the Jinzou Yuan was for, he knew that this Fang Jiedushi before him had a mind of extraordinary depth.

If it weren't a nation, what need would there be for a foreign ministry?

As long as someone intends to steal, even if ordinary people can't understand his actions, in the eyes of a thief, whatever this person does cannot escape a "sharp-eyed" observer.

"Enough of this talk about separatism and independence. Mention it no more.

If it reaches outsiders' ears, I wouldn't even know how to explain it.

If the Sage learns of it, my head won't be safe either!"

Fang Chongyong said to Yan Zhuang with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Yes, yes, yes, I spoke out of turn just now. Please don't take it to heart, Jiedushi.

I will certainly do well as the Jinzoushi—rest assured, Jiedushi!"

Yan Zhuang said, making a solemn pledge.

"Mm. In a couple of days, accompany me back to Shazhou. There's an important matter to handle."

Fang Chongyong spread out a large sheet of paper, seemingly writing a letter of recommendation, speaking as he wrote something on the paper without once looking up.

"Back to Shazhou? Could it be that the Jiedushi is going to Shazhou to arrange the jiaozi matter?"

Yan Zhuang had just come from Dunhuang County in Shazhou, and now he had to go right back—he couldn't help feeling something was a bit odd.

"Yes, back to Shazhou to handle things, but mainly not for the jiaozi. Rather, the prominent local families in Liangzhou haven't been very friendly to me. So I've decided to relocate the entire Hexi Jiedu Office to Dunhuang County."

After finishing the letter, Fang Chongyong waited for the ink to dry, then stamped it with the seal of the Hexi Jiedushi.

He then handed it to Yan Zhuang and said:

"This is your letter of introduction. After you arrive in Chang'an, give it to Gao Lishi. Whatever you do, do not go seek out the Right Chancellor.

The Right Chancellor's current stance is unclear—it's not out of the question that he's already an enemy."

"Uh… what did the Jiedushi just say? Move the Jiedushi's seat to Shazhou?"

Yan Zhuang thought he had misheard. That sentence before the one about going to Chang'an—was it about relocating the seat of the Hexi Jiedushi?

"Correct. I intend to submit a memorial to the court, stating that Liangzhou is no longer suitable as the seat of the Hexi Jiedushi, and that I wish to relocate the Hexi Jiedushi's seat to Shazhou, to aid our Great Tang's campaigns in the Western Regions."

Fang Chongyong said matter-of-factly, picking up his brush and beginning to draft a memorial.

"Jiedushi! Liangzhou has been a vital border stronghold since the end of the Han! In all of Hexi, besides Liangzhou, where else could serve as the Jiedushi's seat!

Shazhou is unsuitable, unsuitable!"

Yan Zhuang turned pale with alarm. One had to admit that this Fang Jiedushi before him really knew how to shake things up. The outrageous moves others wouldn't dare attempt—he actually had the nerve to pull off!

"Let me ask you: compared to Lanzhou, how is Shanzhou?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a calm expression.

Yan Zhuang had no words to reply, and could only sigh softly: "Lanzhou is prosperous and wealthy. Shanzhou naturally cannot compare in the least—one can understand this even without inspecting both places."

"Then why is the seat of the Longyou Jiedushi in Shanzhou rather than in Lanzhou?"

Fang Chongyong asked a question that struck straight at the soul.

A Jiedushi's defense zone and headquarters were determined by military strategy, not by placing the headquarters wherever a region happened to be prosperous.

The Longyou Jiedushi was a classic example.

The Longyou Jiedushi was headquartered in Shanzhou, yet this place—let alone ranking second—was not even as prosperous as Didao County in the south of Lanzhou!

Fang Chongyong's proposal to move the Hexi Jiedushi's headquarters to Shazhou's Dunhuang naturally had his reasons.

"Could the Jiedushi be intending to…"

Thinking of a certain possibility, Yan Zhuang's expression shifted slightly. But Fang Chongyong waved his hand and said, "It's enough that you understand in your heart—don't say it out loud."

"Understood."

Yan Zhuang sighed softly; he already knew about the issuance of "jiaozi," as Fang Chongyong had already told him of this in his letters.

Fang Chongyong was the kind of person who, faced with difficulties, would not shrink back but would find ways to solve the problem.

The location of the Hexi Jiedushi's headquarters would greatly influence the allocation and deployment of military resources across Hexi. According to the principle that those nearest the pavilion get the moon first, the local powerful families closer to the headquarters would see their sons rise faster in the Hexi border army and wield greater influence.

In other words, this move would greatly affect the interests of the prominent local families.

One had to admit, this Jiedushi Fang truly knew how to grab them by the throat.

"Tomorrow, I will convene a meeting of the prominent local families and the commanding generals of each army. You will attend as well. We will discuss matters further when the time comes."

Fang Chongyong seemed unwilling to say more and simply sent Yan Zhuang away.

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(End of this chapter)