Chapter 291: Aid the Gods, Activate!

In the study of the Qinzhengwubenlou, Brother Ji listened expressionlessly to Gao Lishi's report.

Fang Youde's request was in truth quite strange.

Because by any normal person's reasoning, even if one wanted to retire in the Bianzhou area, one could not take only Bianzhou—one would also need to seize Zhengzhou to the west of Bianzhou and Huazhou to the north, building a regional command centered on these three prefectures to control the key nodes along the south bank of the Yellow River and the canal.

What use was a mere Bianzhou, with no access to the Yellow River in front and not fully occupying the entire canal route behind?

Not to mention, what could a thousand troops accomplish? Even if it were meant as an insult, Brother Ji could never issue such a decree!

"Quanzhong truly does want to retire!"

After a long silence, Brother Ji squeezed out a single sentence.

"Replying to the Sage, it is indeed so. If he had no interest in power and position, who would willingly relinquish the post of Grand General of the Shence Army just like that?"

Gao Lishi urged with an impassive expression.

"Let it be thus: combine Huazhou, Zhengzhou, Bianzhou, and Songzhou—four prefectures—into a single command, and establish the Xuanwu Military Commissioner. Each of the other three prefectures will garrison two thousand men, with one army stationed in each.

Bianzhou shall serve as the Xuanwu Military Commissioner's headquarters, with one army of four thousand men, for a total of four armies and ten thousand men. The cost of maintaining the troops can be collected from the canal's toll revenues.

Go ask Quanzhong again and see whether this arrangement is suitable."

Brother Ji said casually while adjusting his cuffs with his hands.

In fact, the idea of stationing a field army at a strategic location south of the Yellow River had long been proposed by court officials, the purpose being to suppress potential popular uprisings in the region between the Yangtze River to the south and the Yellow River to the north. Fang Youde had merely turned this proposal into actual policy.

It was simply a matter of policy being put into practice—nothing that could be called an original creation.

The reason Brother Ji was now scaling it up was not entirely to placate Fang Youde; he had his own comprehensive calculations.

The region south of the Yellow River and north of the Yangtze was the Great Tang's most important purse—how could such a vital purse have no troops watching over it?

Transferring soldiers from Guanzhong to the Lianghuai region and Henan was far too cumbersome! And the intensity of popular uprisings was not high. Establishing a military commissioner's office in several prefectures in Henan through which the canal passed and which bordered the Yellow River would allow blocking Hebei to the north and threatening Lianghuai to the south!

With only ten thousand men, the vast region east of Guanzhong would be brought under control! One had to admit, this layout was highly strategic.

In all fairness, Brother Ji's talent for armchair strategy was actually quite decent—at least in the eyes of the court officials, he was not an emperor who was an ignorant fool.

Brother Ji now wanted to persuade Fang Youde, to make him happily go take up his post in Bianzhou, rather than agreeing on the surface and then slacking off once he arrived, causing all sorts of trouble.

Having received his instructions, Gao Lishi hurried to the Fang family residence in Yongjia Ward, just on the other side of the wall. Before long, he returned together with Fang Youde to the imperial study in the Qinzhengwubenlou of Xingqing Palace to see the Sage!

The moment he saw Fang Youde arrive, Brother Ji knew the matter had not been settled.

His face displeased, he frowned slightly, sat upright on the dragon throne in the imperial study without a word, and did not greet Fang Youde.

"The Sage's edict vests too much authority. Your humble servant cannot accept such great power, and begs the Sage to think thrice."

Fang Youde knelt prostrate on the ground and would not rise, nor did he lift his head.

"Quanzhong, other generals all complain of having too few troops—only you complain of having too many. What am I to do with you!"

Brother Ji helped Fang Youde to his feet, sighed with emotion, and kept shaking his head without stopping.

"Sage, one thousand five hundred men in Bianzhou—this is your humble servant's bottom line. Now that the four seas are at peace, Bianzhou does not need that many troops!"

Fang Youde was extremely firm, simply refusing to accept Brother Ji's appointment.

"Let it be thus: expand to two thousand men, stationed in Bianzhou. I shall also give you the post of Canal Protection Commissioner. You will use these two thousand troops to maintain the canal banks and handle related affairs."

Brother Ji wore a mysterious smile on his face, just short of saying outright, "When the time comes, just help yourself and rake in the money."

Just how lucrative the task of maintaining the canal was, everyone in the Great Tang knew. The prefectures and counties along the canal had no warfare; for a man with a blade and official status, if he wanted to make money, there were plenty of ways.

Moreover, these gray-area incomes were all tacitly approved by the court.

Even an emperor wouldn't send starving soldiers! When soldiers patrolled the canal surroundings and earned a little hard-earned money, who did that bother?

"Sage, patrolling the river is simple, but managing canal affairs is something your humble servant cannot do.

I ask the Sage to assign me a partner, namely a Henan Transport Commissioner, to handle canal administration. The two of us would work in the same office and cooperate with each other."

Fang Youde proposed a new post—one that the court did not yet have, but that many people had suggested before!

That is, taking the existing post of Transport Commissioner from the court's central administration, separating it out, and dividing its authority by adding a regional prefix.

For example, logistics in Hedong would be managed by a Hedong Transport Commissioner, and logistics in Henan by a Henan Transport Commissioner. The current Transport Commissioner's power in the central administration was simply too great; dividing authority was imperative.

Of course, the Transport Commissioner would still be concurrently held by a Grand Councilor, and managing the Transport Commissioners of each region would count as a subdivision of administrative duties.

The Henan Transport Commissioner had to manage regional logistics, and having no personnel and no troops would certainly not do. Staffing was no problem—Li Linfu could handle that with a single word. As for troops, Fang Youde already had them ready at hand.

Having thought all this through, the gloom on Brother Ji's face was indeed swept away completely.

"Sage, Bianzhou connects four or five prosperous prefectures and commanderies. The court should use Bianzhou as a center to expand and roll out jiaozi; with the convenience of the canal, it would surely yield twice the result with half the effort.

Diwu Qi could be sent to Bianzhou to manage this matter, and concurrently serve as Henan Transport Commissioner."

Gao Lishi chimed in from the side.

Brother Ji nodded slightly; in fact, he had more or less the same plan in mind. Brother Ji brushed the dust off Fang Youde's clothes and said:

"Let it be thus: two thousand elite troops, recruited and trained by you yourself. Military equipment will be transferred from the Luoyang armory, and military expenses will be drawn from canal revenues.

Although the Xuanwu Command's headquarters is in Bianzhou, you are permitted to freely deploy those two thousand troops along the canal. That should do, right?

As for the matter of the Henan Transport Commissioner, I will have Genü handle it. In short, I will not let you suffer any loss."

"Many thanks for the Sage's grace!"

Fang Youde bowed respectfully, then turned and left Xingqing Palace cleanly and briskly.

Only after he returned home did he finally let out a long sigh. Elite guards were fierce—a thousand was enough.

In actual battle, several hundred elite guards, each worth ten, would be sufficient to turn the tide.

If he had ten thousand elite guards, he could run rampant across ten prefectures. What use were so many useless soldiers! He could not possibly train ten thousand elite guards, nor could he manage them!

Aside from wasting money and provisions while attracting attention, and being isolated by others, it would have no effect whatsoever.

After all, Bianzhou was the heartland of the Great Tang. Ten thousand troops would be far too conspicuous, and the Son of Heaven would have informants watching you at all times. Nothing could be accomplished then.

Two thousand troops was an order of magnitude smaller—like a tree hidden in a forest—convenient for quietly making preparations.

From top to bottom of the Great Tang's central administration, no one would pay attention to how a certain commander of two thousand men conducted himself day to day. Fang Youde would gradually "fade out" of the political arena—a case of "the greatest hermit hides in the court."

In truth, even two thousand men Fang Youde considered too many!

Of course, all his scheming now was merely a precaution; Fang Youde would not easily go that far either.

"As for what lies ahead, I can only hope things will not turn out as you say."

Fang Youde sighed, as if talking to himself.

……

Summer came early in Hexi. By early summer, the daytime sun was already shockingly intense, dazzling people's eyes.

Fang Chongyong holed up in the Jiedushi's study of the Hexi Jiedushi's mansion, reading official documents, while Anaye gave him a "physical examination."

"Hmph, apart from a slight kidney deficiency, everything else is fine. I will write Your Lordship a prescription to tonify the kidneys. Take it for a month and you'll recover."

Anaye shot Fang Chongyong a glare and said.

"That's just what happens when a breeding boar does his job. Don't make a fuss about it in the future."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand and said calmly.

He of course knew why his kidneys were depleted—it was from playing with women too much during his time in Chang'an, followed by not resting properly on the journey back. But there was no need to explain the specific details to Anaye.

"I told you long ago—the more aristocratic the woman, the more insatiable she is. You simply wouldn't listen."

Anaye muttered away while examining the new medical books Fang Chongyong had brought her, packed in several large wooden chests.

Fang Chongyong had no desire to engage with her coarse talk and stayed to one side, reading documents without a word.

"My lord, look, look—Chang'an truly has every kind of medical book! There are even ones that teach incantations!

Can incantations cure illnesses too?"

She turned to a book about treating illness through "casting spells" and began reading with keen interest. Every character on the page she recognized individually, but strung together she had no idea what they meant.

In the Tang dynasty, practicing medicine through incantations was not only widespread, but the medical examination for the imperial civil service even tested this!

Fang Chongyong reflected to himself that the common saying "no doctor is the best doctor" probably came from ordinary people being truly terrified by all manner of quack doctors. When falling ill, they would rather endure it themselves, and that counted as receiving medium-level medical care.

The suffering of the common folk was indeed no mere figure of speech.

Knock knock knock!

The study door was knocked upon, and Fang Chongyong was momentarily startled.

Actually, today he had originally planned to let Anaye use her charms to give him a "physical examination," but since someone said he had kidney deficiency, Fang Chongyong no longer had any funny ideas. Health preservation was health preservation—if you could nourish it, you should; don't ruin your own body over lust.

But earlier, Fang Chongyong had instructed his attendants not to knock and disturb him while he enjoyed his concubine—so why had the door still been knocked upon?

Just as he stood frozen, He Changqi's anxious voice came from outside the door: "Jiedushi, something major has happened! Please hurry to the yamen hall!"

"Go, go—don't disturb me while I'm reading!"

Anaye waved her hand perfunctorily without looking back, squatting beside the chests flipping through books.

Arriving at the hall of the Hexi Jiedushi's yamen, Fang Chongyong found that Guo Ziyi and the others were unexpectedly already in full military dress, properly attired and waiting. He gave a light cough to cover the awkwardness of his late arrival, surveyed those present, and asked: "What has happened that requires such urgency? Preparations for the western expedition have been ongoing all along—why have you all gathered here?"

"Jiedushi Fang, scouts report that a Tuyuhun army of four hundred thousand is urgently attacking Shubao City! They have split into three columns to assault the Longyou Jiedushi's defense sector!

Should we send troops to Shanzhou to reinforce them?"

Guo Ziyi clasped his hands in salute and asked Fang Chongyong. His expression was not particularly anxious, but his words were quite earnest.

The Tang dynasty's frontier garrison field armies were all highly alert. Their response to Tuyuhun raids was basically five to ten days faster than the imperial court's, and half a day to a day faster than the Jiedushi's yamen! This was also the very purpose of having frontier military commissioners—they could make their own decisions in emergencies.

Fang Chongyong did not even know yet about the Tuyuhun surprise attack on Shubao City, but the Chishui Army had already learned of it half a day in advance.

"Are there military orders from the court?"

Fang Chongyong asked in a low voice.

"Someone in the yamen has already drafted an official dispatch and sent it by fast horse to Chang'an. The messenger just left Liangzhou."

He Changqi whispered into Fang Chongyong's ear.

"Mm."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand lightly, signaling that he understood.

"Marching an exhausted army far away to Shanzhou—that's just sending heads to the enemy."

Fang Chongyong could not help but let out a long sigh.

On such rugged roads, by the time the troops reached Lanzhou, the soldiers and horses would be spent, and after arriving in Shanzhou they would still have to fight in battle.

It would be entirely fighting the enemy's strength with our own weakness!

The Tuyuhun had launched their campaign two to three months earlier than the Tang imperial court had estimated! This side of Hexi was preparing for the western expedition, and had originally scheduled deploying a ten-thousand-strong elite force to encamp north of Shanzhou a month later, to reinforce Wang Zhongsi!

Even after the troops arrived, they would still have to wait for the autumn harvests in Liangzhou and Ganzhou to transport grain supplies over before the army could be considered fully deployed. Otherwise, with Longyou short on grain, what battle could they possibly fight!

No one expected the Tuyuhun's timing to advance! And by so much!

In the past, the Tuyuhun's invasions of the Tang were highly seasonal: they would launch campaigns after the autumn harvest and winter in the warmer regions on the periphery of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Come spring, regardless of victory or defeat, they would return to the plateau for spring planting, and so the cycle repeated!

But now the Tuyuhun were ignoring all martial propriety by setting out in early summer—did they truly not care about harvesting their own grain?

In fact, it was not just Fang Chongyong pondering this question; everyone in the Jiedushi's yamen suspected that the Tuyuhun had gone mad.

"Jiedushi Fang, reinforcing Longyou's forces is imperative. It is not something we can avoid just because we wish to hide. I beg the Jiedushi to think thrice—speed is the essence of war!"

Guo Ziyi stepped forward, clasped his hands in salute, and offered his counsel.

"Jiedushi Fang, this humble officer could lead one thousand elite troops of the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army south to Shanzhou first, to scout the way."

Wang Nan stepped forward from the ranks and said.

One thousand men of the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army, deployed at a critical point, could reverse the tide of heaven and earth. Truth be told, Fang Chongyong was still reluctant to throw these men into Shanzhou as cannon fodder.

"Reinforcements—that is certainly necessary."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand, signaling the generals to quiet down. A single sentence set the tone.

Setting aside that the court would certainly order Hexi's forces to reinforce Longyou, on a personal level, the current Longyou Jiedushi was Wang Zhongsi—Fang Chongyong's father-in-law. How could he not go?

If he did not go, how would others view him?

Whether by public duty or private obligation, there was no escaping this battle!

"But we truly cannot go to Shanzhou. By the time we reach Shanzhou, our troops will be exhausted, our forces worn out, and short on supplies—how would we fight the Tuyuhun?"

Fang Chongyong looked around at everyone and demanded. This battle was not unwinnable, but after the Hexi troops went to Shanzhou, they would be at a severe disadvantage!

To put it bluntly, this was an attrition tactic, letting the Tang army grind flesh against the Tibetans along the Shipo Castle line. This style of fighting revolved around Shipo Castle, with the Tang and Tibetan armies attacking, defending, rotating, and reinforcing in an endless cycle, then cycling again.

Until one side could no longer hold.

Fang Chongyong had a grand plan in mind; he did not want to grind away against the Tibetans at Shipo Castle!

Battles were not meant to be fought like this!

"I will personally lead three thousand Yinqiang Xiaojie Army, combined with the Dadou Army from their original garrison, to make up ten thousand men. We will exit Dadouba Valley, head south over the mountains, and strike hard at the Tibetan heartland — relieve Wei by attacking Zhao!

The Chishui Army will maintain vigilance to deceive the Tibetans."

Fang Chongyong slammed his fist hard on the desk and declared! Shanzhou must not be gone to; going there would drain all the elite troops there!

Fang Chongyong's plan, to put it simply, was in fact extremely simple.

The plateau south of Dadouba Valley was a Tibetan logistics base (Menyuan County, Gansu), heavily guarded! Moreover, the mountain roads were rugged.

In the past, it was always the Tibetans who came north along this route, charging down the slopes into Dadouba Valley, and then attacking the Hexi border garrison's defensive zone.

Now, for Fang Chongyong to do this was a case of "wherever the enemy can go, I can go too."

But the Tibetans charged down the slopes, while the Tang army fighting back would have to climb uphill against the slope — could the difficulty be the same?

Inside the main hall of the Hexi Jiedushi's office, not a sound could be heard. Those generals who licked blood from the edge of a blade all obediently shut their mouths, unwilling to stick their necks out.

"When enemies meet on a narrow road, the brave prevail. Are you too afraid to launch a counteroffensive surprise attack?"

Fang Chongyong looked at the crowd, his face full of mockery as he asked.

"We all follow the Jiedushi's orders!"

The generals saluted with crossed hands in unison, their armor scraping against itself with a harsh, grating sound!

"It is hard for us, but even harder for the Tibetans. We can concentrate our troops, and the Tibetans can concentrate theirs even more.

A true man dons stout armor and wields sharp weapons — to die in battle wrapped in a horsehide, is that not exhilarating? Why put on the airs of a timid girl!

In this battle I will personally lead the troops — advance only, never retreat!"

Fang Chongyong drew the Gale Phantom Blade and struck the wooden desk before him with a single slash, splitting it in two.

"Anyone who speaks again of not sending troops shall end up like this desk.

All units follow orders — depart in one hour!"

Fang Chongyong sheathed his blade and walked straight out of the office hall.

(End of this chapter)