Chapter 288: Interesting

This year's rain was particularly heavy; Chang'an had rain for half a month straight, sometimes heavy, sometimes light, but never stopping. Everyone in Chang'an, from high officials and powerful nobles to ordinary commoners, felt gloomy and listless in whatever they did.

Brother Ji's mood was like Chang'an's weather—gloomy and suffocating.

The promotion of jiaozi had not even begun before it met opposition from many courtiers. Brother Ji understood that many powerful nobles were keen on minting private coinage; as long as the minting quality was passable, the Tang government treated it as publicly issued "official coin" and did not deliberately crack down on it.

Once jiaozi appeared, minting private coinage would be tantamount to suicide, completely unable to achieve the former effect of "minting coin begets coin." No matter how low the cost of private coin, it could never be lower than the cost of printing jiaozi—this simple, easy-to-understand principle could be explained clearly by any noble's son.

In other words, jiaozi severely damaged these people's vital interests.

Of course, this kind of thing was only a temporary difficulty. Whether Brother Ji or Right Chancellor Li Linfu, both had time to slowly level these entrenched factions and forcibly promote jiaozi. Since the strategy had already been set, implementation was only a matter of time.

The powerful nobles in Chang'an would soon understand the wonders of jiaozi—if you can't beat them, join them. After fully grasping the new rules of the game, these people would come up with new ways to play! From resisting jiaozi, to enjoying jiaozi, to being unable to live without jiaozi.

Brother Ji was not at all worried that these people would cause trouble or resist.

The truly troublesome matter was something else entirely!

The Military Commissioner of Fanyang, Huangfu Weiming, had sent someone to Chang'an to submit a memorial, stating explicitly that the important garrison of Fanyang could not be taken lightly. His successor, An Lushan, had failed to arrive in Youzhou by the deadline to hand over military affairs, and he did not know what to do.

He asked the Sage to clarify how he should handle this matter—whether he should wait for An Lushan to come to Youzhou, or first proceed to Shuofang to take up his post and hand military affairs over to the Acting Military Commissioner!

During a defense handover, the outgoing and incoming Military Commissioners were to meet face-to-face to return the official seal and handle outstanding matters from the tenure; whenever conditions permitted, this procedure had to be followed. Only when there was no alternative would the Acting Military Commissioner serve as temporary proxy. So the problem Huangfu Weiming raised was both urgent and justified.

This was a conscientious and responsible attitude.

Of course, if Brother Ji issued an edict directly stating that Huangfu Weiming could first proceed to Shuofang to take up his post and let the Acting Military Commissioner of Fanyang hold the fort in Youzhou, that would also be fine.

But the first thing that puzzled Brother Ji right now was: why had An Lushan, after leaving Chang'an and traveling for nearly a month, still not arrived in Youzhou to take up his post?

One must know that An Lushan was no longer the Military Commissioner of Pinglu; he was merely "concurrently administering" the Pinglu garrison. So on this trip to take up his post, he could not go to the Pinglu garrison, nor did he need to go to Yingzhou to handle any "handover." Rather, he had to first go to Youzhou, as the edict announced, to replace the outgoing Military Commissioner of Fanyang, Huangfu Weiming.

Only then could he issue military orders from Youzhou and arrange the affairs of the Pinglu garrison—whether transferring trusted subordinates to Youzhou or adjusting troop deployments, all of that would come after taking over the Fanyang garrison.

This was the "procedural justice" deliberately left in the Tang's official rotation process. Not following it meant harboring ulterior motives!

Because under the Tang's existing political framework, all generals belonged to the state, not to any private individual. Only the staff that a Military Commissioner recruited himself belonged to the Military Commissioner personally; the court did not recognize their formal positions within the Military Commissioner's headquarters, unless the court separately appointed them.

Therefore, whichever general was transferred to wherever, that person had to go there; there was no official procedure that deliberately gave one the opportunity to bring one's old subordinates along to another border garrison.

Though such things were often unavoidable—Wang Zhongsi, for instance, liked to frequently bring his old subordinates along when taking up a new post.

On this day, heavy rain fell outside the window. In an ordinary private room within the Calyx and Petal Pavilion, Brother Ji held a polo mallet, practicing the force of his swing.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Gao Lishi hurry in, so he asked calmly without turning his head: "Lishi, why are you so alarmed?"

"Reporting to the Sage, An Lushan... did not go to the Pinglu garrison!"

The last place his party was seen was Huoyi County in the northern part of Jin Prefecture in the Hedong Circuit; to its north was the southern exit of the Queer Valley.

"The northern exit of the Queer Valley is in Jiexiu County. Your servant sent people to inquire—no one there had seen An Lushan's party. That was over five hundred elite soldiers! It's impossible for no one to have seen them!"

Gao Lishi said with great concern.

"Is General Gao saying... An Lushan may have been killed in the Queer Valley?"

Brother Ji frowned slightly, set the polo mallet on a specially made desk, his expression somewhat dark.

He had only recently ordered An Lushan to concurrently administer the two northeastern garrisons, and now this Hu Military Commissioner had died so inexplicably! Whose face was this slapping?

"Have the Right Chancellor send people to investigate. I want to see the person alive or the corpse dead."

Brother Ji said in a deep voice.

"Sage, investigating the case is one matter, but northern military affairs cannot be left unattended.

Fanyang is a major garrison; the position of Military Commissioner cannot remain unfilled indefinitely. Moreover, the position of Military Commissioner of Pinglu is now vacant as well."

Gao Lishi urged in a low voice.

His words hit the nail on the head. Who killed An Lushan could wait, but if the northeast fell into chaos, that would be no small disaster!

"Isn't Huangfu Weiming still in Youzhou? Just tell him not to hand over his command. As for the Pinglu garrison... let Huangfu Weiming administer it concurrently for now.

We'll discuss it after I free up my hands."

Brother Ji sighed somewhat helplessly. He knew this appointment might be exactly what some people were hoping for, but in this urgent situation, there was no better option.

At the very least, this appointment could stabilize the current situation.

"By the way, why didn't An Lushan return to Hebei by the original route through the Henei Circuit, but instead insisted on detouring through Taiyuan and taking the Queer Valley?"

Brother Ji suddenly recalled this point and stared at Gao Lishi with a puzzled expression. He too had recovered from his shock and realized that An Lushan's route back to Hebei was quite strange.

"Your servant heard that when An Lushan came, he wanted to bring five hundred personal guards into Guanzhong to Chang'an, but the five hundred Hebei soldiers were detained by Fang Quanzhong, who was garrisoning the three cities of Heyang, on the grounds that a Military Commissioner's troops could not enter Guanzhong without an edict.

So An Lushan had no choice but to come to Chang'an under the escort of the Divine Strategy Army.

This detour was likely because An Lushan did not want to be constrained again. Of course, Fang Quanzhong was also acting in the line of duty at the time."

Gao Lishi revealed a piece of "secret information" that was not really secret. Brother Ji had heard of it before too, but had not taken it seriously. A Military Commissioner entering the capital to report on duty indeed could not bring more than ten personal guards. Under ordinary unwritten rules, the entourage could not exceed sixty people either.

Five hundred elite soldiers sneaking into Chang'an could accomplish a great many things. Fang Youde's actions were indeed in accordance with the rules, though somewhat lacking in human warmth.

"Have the Right Chancellor look into Fang Quanzhong... No, send someone to have Fang Quanzhong return to Chang'an. I want to ask him about the situation in person. Do this quietly; do not let word leak out."

Brother Ji instructed in a lowered voice.

"Your servant will go attend to it at once."

Gao Lishi nodded gently and turned to leave. The rain outside the window seemed to be falling even harder, leaving Brother Ji's mind in turmoil.

An Lushan—why would he be killed? And killed even while under the guard of five hundred personal soldiers. How many troops would need to be mobilized to do it without leaving a single trace?

Brother Ji felt a dull ache in his head.

Those who killed An Lushan—today they could kill An Lushan, tomorrow they could kill princes and imperial sons, and the day after... they might assassinate the sovereign!

Such a trend absolutely must not be allowed to grow!

But who exactly would kill An Lushan?

Brother Ji pondered in his heart. He suddenly realized that seemingly many people had motive to kill An Lushan, including many high officials such as the father and son of the Fang family, who were not well disposed toward An Lushan.

A border garrison Hu holding the top military authority was in itself an extremely sensitive matter. Add to that holding two garrisons concurrently, and it was even more so.

Perhaps it was precisely because An Lushan wanted to control over a hundred thousand troops across two northeastern garrisons all at once that certain powerful nobles could no longer tolerate it, and thus struck ruthlessly!

For Brother Ji, the death of one An Lushan was a small matter; understanding these people's schemes was the greater concern! He absolutely had to obtain a clear answer!

"Some people just can't stand seeing me prosper!"

Ji Ge let out a long sigh, muttering to himself, a wave of irritation rising in his heart.

……

The heavy rain had long ceased, but Fang Chongyong did not cross the Yellow River; instead he sent He Changqi with a few personal guards to Liangzhou's Wuwei City, where a "Engineer Corps" of several hundred men—veteran soldiers and local craftsmen—was mustered, transporting a massive amount of stone, and they marched in great numbers to Wulan Pass to repair the bridge.

At one end of the floating bridge's pier at Wulan Pass, Fang Chongyong stared at the surging Yellow River, arms crossed, saying nothing.

In ancient times, productive conditions were limited; nature's power was indeed overwhelming.

Man cannot overcome Heaven!

"Jiedushi Fang, this Wulan Bridge is itself a floating bridge. Every May we have to relaid the floating bridge and adjust the height of the iron chains on both banks."

"When the Yellow River freezes in winter, we remove the planks from the floating bridge, pull out the boats beneath, leaving only the iron chains, and lower their height so the ice surface serves as the bridge. After next year's spring flood, we restore the boats and timber."

A white‑bearded old craftsman, while describing the Wulan Bridge's work procedure to Fang Chongyong, pointed to the "construction diagram" in Fang's hand and explained.

Indeed, the Wulan Bridge is not a "fixed bridge" but follows a routine maintenance cycle; it is not built once and then left to collapse before rebuilding.

In fact, all floating bridges require upkeep: first, whether the river freezes greatly affects their lifespan; second, the water level influences the height of the iron chains, and if seasonal level differences are large, the chain bases on both banks must be adjusted accordingly.

In short, floating bridges are repeatedly dismantled and rebuilt in a cyclical process. Materials are reused, and partial repairs occur frequently; there is no permanent solution.

The garrison of Wulan Fort has one primary duty besides inspecting travelers and goods at Wulan Pass: maintaining the Wulan Bridge!

This year the river surged and washed away the floating bridge because the flood season arrived earlier, the rise was fiercer, and the wind and rain came more abruptly. Though uncommon, it is not the first occurrence.

"Jiedushi Fang, military affairs are urgent; perhaps we should return to Wuwei City first."

He Changqi whispered the suggestion into Fang Chongyong's ear.

As the Hexi Military Governor, the accessibility of the Wulan Bridge is indeed a matter of governance under his jurisdiction. Yet as the commander‑in‑chief of Hexi military affairs, lingering here watching the engineering team rebuild the bridge seems rather inappropriate, doesn't it?

At least He Changqi thought so.

"If the Wulan Bridge is not repaired for a day, the road from Guanzhong to Liangzhou becomes impassable for that day. The Hexi border army still relies on the imperial court's continuous silk shipments.

In this Jiedushi's view, the bridge is a lifeline; until it is repaired, this Jiedushi will not go to Wuwei City to assume his post."

Fang Chongyong's expression turned solemn as he said.

He Changqi wore a helpless expression, crossed his arms, bowed, and fell silent.

The logic is as such, but he sensed that Fang Chongyong's temporary stay away from Liangzhou must have ulterior motives! Yet this confidential and critical matter is not something he can conveniently inquire about.

At that moment, Guan Chongsi arrived with a few personal guards, escorting a beggar‑looking man before Fang Chongyong, and saluted him, saying:

"Jiedushi Fang, I saw a sneaky beggar lingering nearby, apparently trying to cross the river to Wuwei.

After I captured him, he claimed to be a staff member of An Lushan and insisted on seeing the Jiedushi, so I brought him here."

An Lushan? Isn't that guy already dead and cold? Now even the dead have staff members?

Fang Chongyong wore a strange expression, ordered a search of the beggar's body, found nothing inside the tattered clothes, then stepped back, and asked the beggar, "You say you're from An Lushan's camp, yet you're not in Hebei; what are you doing in Hexi?"

"Jiedushi Fang, don't you recognize me? I'm Zhang Tongru. We met in Chang'an a month ago; let this subordinate wash his face, you will surely recognize me."

The man panicked and tried to run toward the riverbank, but Fang Chongyong gently waved his hand, indicating he need not struggle.

"Alright, you are indeed Zhang Tongru; this Jiedushi recognizes you.

What, did An Lushan send you to deliver a message to this Jiedushi?

Then how did you fall into such destitution?"

Fang Chongyong asked knowingly.

"He's dead, he's dead—An Lushan was killed. In Que Shu Valley, the ground is littered with corpses; those people will surely kill me too. Jiedushi Fang, could you protect this subordinate…"

Zhang Tongru babbled incoherently, kneeling and kowtowing on the ground like pounding garlic, clearly terrified.

Fang Chongyong understood internally but remained expressionless, gesturing to He Changqi in the distance. When He approached, Fang pointed at the kneeling Zhang Tongru and said, "Arrange for him to freshen up; later take him to the detention house in Wulan Fort. This Jiedushi wishes to interrogate him."

"Here you go!"

He Changqi bowed to Fang Chongyong, then, with an arrogant expression, kicked Zhang Tongru and asked in a sharp tone, "Did you walk yourself, or did I have to drag you?"

"I walked myself, I walked myself…"

Zhang Tongru scrambled to his feet, daring not even glance at He Changqi, and obediently followed him.

After the two left, Fang Chongyong approached a green‑robed junior official—the Liangzhou construction officer—and said, "Build the new Wulan Bridge sturdily; do not delay the grand expedition."

"Rest assured, Jiedushi, these are all within my duties."

The Liangzhou officer bowed respectfully and said.

The Wulan Bridge is Liangzhou's lifeline; if it stays broken for long, disaster follows, and no one dares to treat it lightly, especially since Fang Chongyong has personally emphasized its importance.

"Hmm, do your duty well; countless high offices and riches await you in the future."

Fang Chongyong painted a grand promise with his words, patted the Liangzhou officer's shoulder, and strode away.

A short while later, he arrived at the detention house in Wulan Fort, ordered a pot of loose‑leaf tea, poured a cup of hot tea for the freshly washed Zhang Tongru, and, rubbing his hands, assumed a leisurely demeanor, his expression calm as he faced the now penniless former staff of An Lushan.

"Well, to be precise, he is a former staff member, since the dead no longer need counsel."

"An Lushan was assassinated; the three hundred elite soldiers accompanying him were all wiped out in Que Shu Valley. I even took a detour on my way to Hexi to check."

Zhang Tongru, still shaken, said, and even though some time had passed, his words still carried a trace of fear.

"What about the two hundred elite soldiers who acted as a diversion with you?"

Fang Chongyong asked a strange question, yet it proved his meticulous attention.

Zhang Tongru was startled, then sighed, "They all fled toward Yingzhou; I don't know if they returned. Anyway, I sensed something was wrong, so I headed straight for the southern Jingxing, not with them to Yingzhou."

As a personal guard of An Lushan, even if they returned, what would it matter? Once news of An Lushan's death spreads, these men are likely to be killed by the new Jiedushi, since the new Jiedushi is probably implicated in the murder.

This is the "largest beneficiary is the biggest suspect" principle, not hard to infer.

Zhang Tongru thought that whether he went to Yingzhou or Youzhou, it was a self‑inflicted trap. Seizing the moment before Huangfu Weiming could act, he decisively slipped westward!

As a staff member of An Lushan, he would certainly know many secrets, so both the mastermind behind An Lushan's murder and the emperor's side would be keen to capture Zhang Tongru for interrogation.

As a staff member of An Lushan, he would certainly know many secrets, so whether it is the mastermind behind killing An Lushan, or people from the Son of Heaven's side, they would all be very interested in capturing Zhang Tongru to interrogate, interrogate.

Of course, if we could frame him a bit and slap a black pot on him, that would be even better.

After An Lushan's death, his staff must be the covert line of the plotters, acting as insiders who leaked his whereabouts—this speculation seems logical no matter how you look at it.

If Zhang Tongru is arrested, even if he had nothing to do with An Lushan's death, he would struggle to clear his name and is very likely to be made a scapegoat.

Zhang Tongru has been sharp since youth; he naturally knows he's in grave danger, and staying in Chang'an is a dead end—only by finding a new patron can he survive.

The world is vast—where else could he go?

No need to mention Hebei or Hedong; Guanzhong is also a dead end. To the south the land is unsuitable and there are no relatives or friends to rely on, so obviously only the west remains.

Even if he couldn't find a patron, joining a caravan of foreign merchants to the Western Regions would be an option! He hadn't even ridden to Liangzhou to locate the Hexi Jiedushi's headquarters when a broken bridge blocked the road and he was seized by Fang Chongyong's troops.

This also counts as achieving the goal by sheer accident.

"As this Jiedushi, I've crossed swords with An Lushan before; calling us enemies is no exaggeration."

"You, as a trusted aide of An Lushan, ask me to let you go easy—on what grounds?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a smile.

"This humble servant knows some quite interesting matters; I believe Lord Jiedushi Fang will certainly enjoy them."

Zhang Tongru lowered his voice and said.

"Well then, go ahead and speak; this Jiedushi is listening."

Fang Chongyong drew a delicate nail file from his sleeve, unhurriedly, and began trimming his nails in a pretentious manner.

The new grand curtain slowly opens, seeking votes at month's end.

(End of chapter)