Chapter 261: Anti-Counterfeiting Technology for High-End Paper

"Dispatch troops to Little Balur?"

Seeing the edict that Gao Lishi had personally delivered to his home, Li Linfu looked stunned, then a sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart.

The Emperor directly having a Secretariat drafter write an edict to a chancellor — how long had it been since such a thing last happened! Generally, only matters of utmost military and state importance would prompt such an action.

Even so, the Emperor would previously convene the chancellors for discussion. Only when encountering fierce opposition, yet the Emperor was particularly determined to act, would he use this method to forcefully push things through.

But an edict that had not been stamped by the Council Hall, personally delivered to his home by Gao Lishi — this was the first time in over ten years. This showed that the matter was the firm will of the Emperor himself, and absolutely could not be brushed off with delay or evasion.

Sure enough, Gao Lishi smiled and said:

"This is the Sage's intention. The Right Chancellor must treat it as a matter of great importance."

His professional fake smile made it impossible for Li Linfu to read what he was truly thinking, nor to fathom the Emperor's real intent from it.

"General Gao, would it not be better to bring this matter to the Council Hall for discussion? Could this chancellor arrange matters after an audience with the Sage?

For no other reason than the fear of delaying the Sage's great affairs."

Li Linfu said with some hesitation. Though he raised an objection, his attitude was extremely humble.

The Emperor bypassing the Council Hall, giving no prior notice and not consulting with the chancellors, directly handling major military and state affairs — this was too much!

Li Linfu's power as Right Chancellor had been invisibly stripped away far too much by the Emperor. If this continued, he would inevitably lose his decision-making authority over major military and state affairs!

In the future, he would only be able to handle routine, miscellaneous administrative duties!

Once it reached that point, what meaning would there be in serving as Right Chancellor? Would it not be just the same as when Zheng Shuqing served as Mayor of the Capital!

In the past, no matter what, the Emperor would at least go through the motions. When major matters arose, he would convene several chancellors for a meeting to brief them. Though in the end things would still be done according to the Emperor's wishes, at least the chancellors were informed.

But now, whenever the Emperor had some decree, he no longer briefed the Council Hall at all. Whatever he wanted to do, he simply issued an imperial edict, and both the Left Chancellor and Right Chancellor alike had become mere decorations.

This could not go on!

Even though Li Linfu knew he was the Emperor's dog, he still had to strive for the dignity a dog deserved!

A dog with a pack of even lowlier dogs beneath him — how could he have no dignity?

Li Linfu's dissatisfaction was nearly spilling over in his words, only his phrasing was very tactful.

"The Sage has said that Little Balur accepted Great Tang's enfeoffment first, then turned to Tubo. Their two-faced behavior can only be answered by razing their court to the ground; nothing less would suffice to display the might of our Great Tang."

"The King of Little Balur humiliated Great Tang, which means he humiliated the Sage. Is the Right Chancellor trying to persuade the Sage to curb his anger?"

Gao Lishi asked with a hollow smile.

"Not at all, not at all. This chancellor is merely worried that the Sage toils day and night and may harm his dragon body. I have no other intentions."

Li Linfu said with a dry laugh. With things having been said to this point, what else could he say?

"The Right Chancellor's diligent service to state affairs — the Sage sees it all."

Gao Lishi bowed to Li Linfu and said calmly, then turned and departed.

After he left, Li Linfu sat at the desk in his study, silent in thought, repeatedly examining the edict in his hands.

Appointing Fang Chongyong as Grand Envoy for the Western Regions, coordinating the military forces of Hexi and the Four Garrisons of Anxi, with the objective of capturing Little Balur, and Fang Chongyong overseeing all matters related to the campaign.

This appointment granted tremendous military command authority!

Li Linfu did not doubt why Fang Chongyong had secured such great military power — after all, it was the merit of saving the sovereign. In the Emperor's eyes now, at least half the court officials were rebels who wanted to revolt but had not yet done so. He trusted only a limited few.

The Grand Envoy for the Western Regions was a "commission" without rank. Without the Emperor's authorization and corresponding supporting offices, the position was nothing, of no use whatsoever.

This temporary commission was very similar to what, in Fang Chongyong's previous life, would be a project general manager when the state led the organization of numerous central state-owned enterprises to undertake super-large overseas engineering projects.

Each major central state-owned enterprise could be seen as a Military Commissioner, and the subordinate enterprises under a central SOE could be seen as a particular army under a Military Commissioner's command.

The Grand Envoy could allocate any military resource within a large jurisdiction, including but not limited to troop deployment, personnel appointments and removals, and materiel allocation. It was just that generally he did not interfere with the daily training and recruitment of the armies under the Military Commissioners.

Likewise, he generally did not directly participate in frontline combat command.

This was a product of the mutual checks and balances in Great Tang's military organizational structure since the early Tang dynasty.

Simply put, the Grand Envoy had only troop deployment authority and broad strategic command authority, and did not interfere with specific combat details or peacetime army management.

This position, which held real power but no official rank and was closely tied to frontier military affairs, occupied a very delicate status.

It could be understood as commanding troops in battle, or it could be understood as dismantling the existing organizational structure of the Northwest Military Region.

What it specifically amounted to depended on what Fang Chongyong would do in the Western Regions in the future. It also depended on whether he could get things done.

Through this method, the Emperor could use the opportunity of attacking Little Balur to "integrate" the Western Regions Tang forces — which had been preparing to band together — by means of Fang Chongyong's hand, making it impossible for them to enthrone a frontier general and declare independence in the Western Regions.

The Western Regions were vast, and uprisings by small states occurred nearly every year. Here there was no talk of loyalty or betrayal — only naked exchanges of interest.

The Tang forces had been stationed in the Western Regions long-term, with no rotations for many years. Many soldiers were recruited from local small states and settlements near the garrison cities. In such a political environment where "the banner on the city walls changes with every new king," would "local emperors" emerge?

Could a place like the Western Regions, vast and sparsely populated, also establish an independent state?

The Emperor did not know the answer, and neither did Li Linfu.

But several hundred years later, in the history books of Fang Chongyong's previous life, a regime called Western Liao and a man named Yelü Dashi told later generations: this was entirely possible. That regime even endured for nearly a century — by no means a fleeting flash.

Now, appointing Fang Chongyong as Grand Envoy for the Western Regions — was this the Emperor rewarding one of his own, or was he plotting something major?

Li Linfu pondered in secret, somewhat uncertain.

The emperor's art of mind was terrifying. One could never figure out what the Emperor was scheming.

Li Linfu also had another appointment sitting at his side. Because it concerned the imperial clan, it did not need approval from the Council Hall — it only required notifying the chancellors.

This personnel appointment was also far from simple.

"The Crown Prince as Mayor of the Capital, the Prince of Ying as Magistrate of Wannian County, the Prince of Yong as Magistrate of Chang'an County..."

Li Linfu felt waves of powerlessness in his heart. Compared to the confusion over the previous appointment, this time what the Emperor wanted to do was practically plastered right in his face — he had no intention of concealing it at all.

After the Li Heng rebellion, and nearly two years of quiet in the court, Chang'an was about to become turbulent once more.

Only this time, as chancellor, whose side should he take? Or rather, should he take a side at all?

Li Linfu thought it over and found that the answers to this question were far too numerous — so numerous that he dared not think any deeper!

How to choose his own stance depended critically on how much longer the Emperor could live. The time the Emperor had left would yield vastly different answers, even diametrically opposite ones.

Though it was already the warmth of spring and flowers were blooming, and wearing only a thin brocade robe outdoors would not be cold, Li Linfu still felt a chill rising from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head.

It's cold at the top; he has already reached the position of Right Chancellor of the Tang dynasty, and cannot be promoted any higher.

The higher his position, the fewer people around him; even on matters such as how long the emperor has left to live, he has no one he can trust to discuss it with.

Standing on the mountain peak, the view is indeed fine, but there is little room to stand and the wind is strong; while enjoying the boundless scenery, he could at any moment fall off the cliff.

Li Linfu rose from his seat, left the study, entered a narrow secret chamber, locked himself inside to think in quiet. He pondered from morning until deep night, then emerged exhausted.

He finally knew how to deal with the issue of picking sides.

……

"Are these the Kunlun slaves?"

Arriving at the largest 'human resources' market in Liangzhou City, Fang Chongyong pointed to several short black people whose ankles were shackled, who were eating millet rice nearby, and asked.

"Yes, Lord Jiedushi, these slaves—I will have them delivered to your residence shortly."

An Arab merchant in white robes said somewhat ingratiatingly.

Fang Chongyong shook his head slightly, waved his hand, and said: "As Jiedushi, I merely asked this question; I do not particularly value Kunlun slaves."

Rarity makes value; Tang nobles like to show off their Kunlun slaves to compare, merely a curiosity-driven mentality.

If others have something I lack, I feel uneasy; if I have something others lack, I feel pleased!

Such a comparative mindset is at work.

However, unlike the legendary tall and sturdy Kunlun slaves, the so‑called Kunlun slaves Fang Chongyong saw were mostly unusually short, resembling people from Southeast Asia in his previous life, like these few before him.

Legend says they have dark skin, slender builds, and are especially skilled in water!

Many Tang nobles reportedly used Kunlun slaves as 'divers', throwing them into wells to fish out objects; since arriving in Tang, Fang Chongyong has heard such rumors many times.

It is evident that, because they sell for a high price, their food is considerably better than that of other slaves.

Feudal society had a slave system, with a considerable proportion of the population being slaves; such occurrences were commonplace. The Tang dynasty was a classic aristocratic society, everything modeled after the nobles' demands and tastes, and the equation of slaves with livestock was written into the Tang Code.

Naturally, the slave trade was never lacking; these slaves were often buried alive with their masters, meaning that in life they had no autonomy, and in death they lived or died at a master's word.

By the Qing era, the practice of burying the dead with the wealthy was still occasionally heard of, showing that enslaving others is a human flaw that does not disappear with the passage of time.

Only the means of enslavement have changed, becoming more concealed and harder to detect, but the essence remains unchanged.

Thinking of this, Fang Chongyong frowned slightly, pulled the Arab slave trader aside for questioning.

"Lord Jiedushi, what do you wish to ask? I, too, have some knowledge of the southern seas of Tang; these Kunlun slaves come from there."

This Arab slave trader spoke standard Chinese; if not for his appearance, one could hardly tell he was a foreigner.

The two stepped outside the market gate; Fang Chongyong had the guards keep idle persons away, and they spoke privately.

Fang Chongyong looked at the man's somewhat aged face, half‑smiling, and asked: "These days, west of the Congling Mountains, the Shi'ite uprising of the Black‑Clad Arabs is raging; yet you have always worn white—were you formerly an official in the White‑Clad Arab realm?"

Hearing this, the Arab trader's expression shifted slightly. He had thought his disguise was quite good, posing as a traveler from South Asia by sea and land who had wandered across much of Tang; he did not expect the other to see through his ruse in a single sentence.

"Lord Jiedushi, you jest; I left the Arab lands many years ago and have been at sea for a long time, so I know nothing of these matters."

The Arab trader gave a dry laugh.

But he did not know that even in Chang'an nowadays, White‑Clad Arab merchants are rarely seen; indeed, Arab merchants in general are few, and if any appear they are uniformly Black‑Clad or conceal their identity entirely.

Such sectarian strife is utterly unreasonable. A White‑Clad Arab merchant is like a firefly in a pitch‑black night, his face bearing the mark of being a 'minority'.

"Someone, take him away and interrogate him slowly!"

Fang Chongyong shouted that line; He Changqi, accompanied by two soldiers of the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army, led the Arab slave trader away.

"Lord Jiedushi, was that man just now a spy of the Black‑Clad Arabs?"

Yanzhuang came running up, lowering his voice to ask.

"Isn't that obvious? He pretended to be an Arab coming from the southern sea; with information blocked, he should still be White‑Clad Arab and thus wear white. But in fact, Arabs arriving from the south, whether Black‑Clad or White‑Clad, after landing at Guangzhou and entering Tang, no longer wear white but Shu brocade; they conceal their identity, so outsiders cannot tell. This man is clearly a Black‑Clad Arab spy sent to scout Tang military movements; they think disguising as a slave trader is perfect, fearing our suspicion, so they dare not wear black but wear white."

But in reality, the Arab people coming from the south, whether they were Black‑clad Arabs or not, after landing in Guangzhou and arriving in the Tang, no longer wore white robes but wore Shu brocade; they did not reveal their identities, and outsiders simply could not tell.

This person is clearly a Black‑clad Arab spy sent to scout the Tang army's movements; they think disguising as slave traders is ideal, fearing we would suspect them, so, guilty as thieves, they avoid black clothing and wear white.

Fang Chongyong waved his hand indifferently and said.

Upon hearing a report that Kunlun slaves were being sold in Liangzhou City, he wanted to see what they really looked like and whether they matched his imagination; he never expected to discover that the slave trader was a White‑Clad Arab in white robes.

The Tang army's scouts actually had a grasp of the general situation in West Asia; they were not completely in the dark.

The White‑Clad Arabs are now undergoing the historically famous Shi'ite great uprising; moreover, their suppression forces suffered a decisive defeat a few years ago, after which the Black‑Clad Arabs seized power and began hunting down the White‑Clad Arab royalty and officials.

Nowadays, the occasional merchants appearing from the Western Regions are all Black‑Clad Arabs.

Unlike White‑Clad Arab merchants, the Black‑Clad Arabs have implemented a border‑blockade strategy against Tang; their traders now rarely come to Hexi, so goods from west of the Congling Mountains reaching Chang'an have plummeted off a cliff, which is also an objective reason for the sharp decline in smuggling profits along the trade routes.

The mind of this spy posing as a White‑Clad Arab merchant is not lacking in flexibility; he merely did not anticipate the appearance of Fang Chongyong, this bug. The newly appointed Hexi Jiedushi actually knows that at this time Tang and the Black‑Clad Arabs will erupt in border conflict!

Often, when one does not know the standard answer and tries to guess, one ends up taking many detours; but knowing the answer in advance and working backward to the question is remarkably straightforward.

"Lord Jiedushi, you are truly well‑versed and knowledgeable!"

Yanzhuang could not help but praise, not daring to look down on Fang Chongyong.

This young sir before us may be youthful, but at a glance he is not someone easily fooled.

"Right, you came to see me as Jiedushi—do you have some matter? You are not currently preoccupied with issuing the exchange notes, are you?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a puzzled expression.

"Ah, yes, yes, the exchange notes, the exchange notes.

Ma Daifeng returned from Shu and brought back this mulberry paper; this paper is indeed… hard to describe. Jiedushi, you should return to the residence and have a look."

The Jiedushi should still go back to the manor and have a look.

Yanzhuang said somewhat anxiously.

"Understood."

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly, brought Yanzhuang to the Hexi Jiedushi's office; then, following Yanzhuang's guidance, they went to the newly built 'Archives Hall' on the second floor of the office to examine the paper samples Ma Daifeng had brought back from Shu.

This paper is somewhat different from what was imagined.

First, it has a natural slight wrinkle; second, its texture is closer to cloth, not easily torn when pulled; finally, it is very thin.

It is much thinner than the thickest paper of this era, and even slightly thinner than the paper used for daily office work by the government.

This paper is white with a hint of brown, and it has some faint black short lines, like parasites under a microscope, evenly distributed.

Each short line looks irregular and different, but overall they are evenly distributed.

Let alone the craftsmanship, just seeing it, Fang Chongyong counts it as the first time he has seen such paper today.

That's an eye-opener!

He dares to say that this kind of paper alone is a natural anti-counterfeit feature. Especially those faint black fine short lines, they are highly recognizable. Ordinary people can spot the feature at a glance, making it very convenient to use as an anti-counterfeit mark.

Moreover, without knowing the paper's craft and materials, outsiders would find it hard to imitate.

"Doctor Ma, you've gone to great trouble."

Fang Chongyong couldn't help but praise him.

Ma Daifeng walked over, clasped his fists toward Fang Chongyong in salute, and lowered his voice to say: "All dozens of members of the artisan family that makes this mulberry paper have followed me here to Liangzhou; the original workshop was burned to the ground, leaving nothing behind."

"Hmm, this Jiedushi will report merit to the Sage on Doctor Ma's behalf."

Fang Chongyong smiled and said, exchanging a look with Ma Daifeng; everything was understood without words.

"How dare I, how dare I; we are merely serving the Sage, this humble official dares not claim credit."

Ma Daifeng said modestly.

This person, no wonder he's an artisan working beside Brother Ji; knowing the matter is important, when planning the mulberry paper he was truly meticulous. If counterfeit paper money appears in the future, he will certainly not be blamed.

Ma Daifeng has already done as much as possible to keep the technology secret and block the news.

Mulberry paper is a broad category; the products made by each workshop in Shu region differ slightly. Even the same workshop will subdivide its product types according to user demand.

Without professional guidance, outsiders would need years of trial and error to roughly imitate this kind of specialty mulberry paper, and even after achieving that they would still have to deal with other anti-counterfeit measures.

How easy is that to say!

"Now everything is ready, only the east wind is missing!"

Fang Chongyong stretched and said.

"Jiedushi, the paper is settled; what ink should we use?"

Ma Daifeng suddenly raised a strange question, leaving Fang Chongyong stumped.

New Year's chapter, votes are coming in. Let's see if I can manage a double update today.

(End of chapter)