Chapter 311: Man Acts, Heaven Watches

The rain had fallen intermittently for several days, and today it finally stopped.

To Ji Ge's surprise, Fang Youde did not bring troops back to the Shen Ce Army main camp north of Li Quan County. Instead, he thoughtfully sent men from Lantian County south of Chang'an, redeploying the Shen Ce Army troops stationed at the southern line node of Chang'an to the Shen Ce Army main camp here in Li Quan, to safeguard Ji Ge's safety.

Except on the day of departure, Fang Youde sent someone to reply to Ji Ge, saying he had already led troops out to the outskirts of Jingyang; at other times, there was no word.

Days passed, and Ji Ge felt each day in the main camp stretched like a year. Since Gao Lishi was overseeing the overall situation in Chang'an and also had to monitor Li Linfu's administration, Ji Ge was attended by the eunuchs Bian Lingcheng and Yu Chaoren, who were not as considerate as Gao Lishi.

This inevitably made Ji Ge increasingly irritable, pacing back and forth inside the command tent each day like ants on a hot pan, yet daring not to step out of the tent.

That morning, Ji Ge could no longer hold back and summoned a Grand Commander of the Shen Ce Army—the one Fang Youde had transferred from Lantian County—to ask about the military situation.

The Grand Commander was named Lu Jiong, over seven feet tall, born of a military family, entering officialdom through family connections, and was a trusted confidant whom Fang Youde had originally promoted from Youzhou and recommended for a post in the Shen Ce Army. When Fang Youde transferred him to Li Quan this time, he did not mention that the Son of Heaven was within the army.

But the politically astute Lu Jiong had already sensed something amiss, guessing that Ji Ge was likely inside the Shen Ce Army main camp's command tent. Being summoned now merely confirmed his suspicion, so Lu Jiong appeared calm, showing no surprise.

"General Fang, where are you now?"

Ji Ge asked in a deep voice.

"Your Holy One, military secrets are not for a low‑ranking general to probe; General Fang has not disclosed his whereabouts, and I do not know either.

However, in my humble opinion, General Fang should be advancing toward Binzhou."

Lu Jiong replied cautiously.

"He hasn't returned yet…"

Ji Ge sighed impatiently; he was not worried about Fang Youde allying with the prince, but about the other's inability to quell the rebellion in Binzhou.

"Just a group of Khitan slaves—do they really need this much time? Is the front line fighting poorly?"

"Holy One, General Fang commands infantry; Binzhou is over a hundred li from here, a round‑trip march takes four or five days, so please be patient."

Lu Jiong urged Ji Ge.

"I understand, I understand—the journey is a bit far."

Ji Ge paced back and forth again, sighed, feeling he could do nothing now. The frustration made him feel as if he were punching at flowing water.

In fact, the troops that could be mobilized within Chang'an were not limited to this few. For example, the Southern Yamen Sixteenth Guard could muster a few thousand men. In extreme cases, the private armies, household troops, and servants of various nobles could be gathered into tens of thousands.

Moreover, the Shen Ce Army units scattered around could be assembled, easily reaching ten thousand, since the Shen Ce Army now has a strength of over twenty thousand.

However, the examples from the late Han and Three Kingdoms era lie before us; when suppressing a rebellion, more troops are not always better. After dealing with these Khitan slaves, what should be done next?

Should we grant rewards for merit? Should we give some people incentives? Might that spark someone's ambition?

Ji Ge had many questions and concerns in his mind; he dared not rashly magnify the impact of a small matter. In short, he did not want too many people involved!

"You are Lu…"

Ji Ge suddenly forgot the name of the Grand Commander of the Shen Ce Army before him.

"I, Grand Commander Lu Jiong, respectfully obey the Holy One's command."

Lu Jiong replied expressionlessly, his heart seething.

Riding the horse, the emperor truly couldn't even remember his own name!

"I order you to break camp immediately and march to the Shen Ce Army garrison north of Jingyang County."

Ji Ge suddenly made up his mind, gritting his teeth as he said.

"The Emperor commands personally?"

Lu Jiong was startled, unsure whether to obey this order. He trusted Fang Youde's command ability, but not the competence of this "Holy One" before him!

Fang Youde strictly forbade him from leaving Li Quan County and explained the reason clearly: the place is both attackable and defensible, close to water sources, free from flood danger, and the Li Quan city behind it provides a three‑shi retreat.

He also instructed that, no matter what, they must never go to Jingyang, the opening of the Zhengguo Canal, as heavy rain there could trigger flash floods.

Now the Son of Heaven insists on going—what can be done?

"Holy One, you must not—there, it's…"

Before Lu Jiong could finish, he saw Ji Ge draw a precious sword from the weapon rack in the command tent and press it against Lu Jiong's shoulder.

"I am the ruler of the world; can't I still mobilize the Shen Ce Army? Are you rebelling? Do you not fear I will exterminate your nine families?"

Ji Ge, eyes reddened, questioned.

The frustration and helplessness of these days had built up a bellyful of anger that needed to be vented.

Although Lu Jiong was properly attired, he had a family—parents, siblings, wife, children. When the Emperor became ferocious, Lu Jiong could not resist; even this so‑called "Holy One" could take down ten at once!

"The Holy One may kill a low‑ranking general, but you must never go to Jingyang!"

Lu Jiong fell to his knees and refused to rise.

"Yu Chaoren! Capture this man and deal with him after the battle!"

Ji Ge shouted toward the outside of the command tent.

A moment later, eunuch Yu Chaoren led several soldiers of the Qian Niu Guard, took the despondent Lu Jiong down, and retrieved the Shen Ce Army's fish token from him.

After Lu Jiong was taken away, Ji Ge said to Yu Chaoren, "Summon the remaining two Grand Commanders of the Shen Ce Army in the main camp! I want to question them!"

After the time it takes a incense stick to burn, the other two Grand Commanders of the Shen Ce Army were brought in. Under the Son of Heaven's pressure, they did not resist like Lu Jiong but reluctantly agreed to lead troops to Jingyang, then planned to rest there briefly before the whole army set out along the Jing River to attack Binzhou.

Of course, Ji Ge took Lu Jiong's former retinue as rear guard, while the other two Grand Commanders led the vanguard of the Shen Ce Army. Though angry and frantic, Ji Ge still retained a basic sense of self‑preservation.

Coincidentally, when Ji Ge consolidated the Shen Ce Army's command and decided to march the whole force to Jingyang, the sky cleared, a blazing sun rose, sweeping away the previous gloom.

This made him feel, as expected, that he was indeed a chosen one, with even Heaven on his side.

Without heavy rain, the Jing River poses no flood danger. A few thousand Khitan slaves cannot raise any wave; the advantage is ours! With elite Shen Ce troops deployed, there will be no trouble at all!

The sun rose, victory was about to arrive, and Ji Ge's confidence exploded instantly. The youthful zeal of personally leading a campaign surged again, making even his bones feel lighter.

……

At the city gate of Luocheng in Hexi Shazhou, a long line stretched from the gate all the way to the riverbank, densely packed beyond sight.

The families of the Doulu Army in Shazhou, not registered as Han households nor belonging to the Hu tribes beside the city, and living in Hu families in Luocheng, almost every household had someone queuing here to await naturalization.

After today, they will become Han‑registered households, officially counted among the populace, no longer having a "dual identity".

Indeed, these people are essentially remnants of the Tuyuhun tribe. After Tuyuhun's destruction, its people were split between the Great Tang and Tubo. In Tang's side, most were settled in Shazhou and formed the Doulu Army; a few were settled in Guazhou, forming the Moli Army.

As for the Tufan side, Sun Boju joined the Su Bi district and later broke away on his own.

Their status has always been ambiguous. They are not like the nine Zhao Wu families who joined the Tang at its founding and have already broken through the political ceiling. Nor are they like the Turkic and Tiele tribes that were settled as separate border tribes.

When they settled in Shazhou they were military households, making a living from frontier farms. Nowadays many have adopted Han names, speak Han language, and their appearance no longer reveals whether they are Han.

But the Tang has always been vague about their political status, giving them no official registration, and they are administered in a separate system from the Han residents of Shazhou.

This creates many unnecessary hassles for the daily administration of the border town.

In fact it's not that the Tang authorities don't want to straighten things out; the cost of governance is too high to be worthwhile.

In the westernmost part of the Hexi Corridor, Shazhou and Guazhou are garrisoned by the Doulu Army and the Moli Army, originally frontier troops reorganized from Tuyuhun migrants. After several decades, intermarriage has occurred and many Han soldiers from Guanzhong have joined, so their status can no longer be dealt with in a one‑size‑fits‑all manner.

Because these Guanzhong Han have had their original family ties severed, they have become part of the border‑town household registration, a lingering issue from the reform of the militia system.

It can be called a knot that cannot be cut and a logic that remains tangled.

Before departing, to implement his own "Tang Green Card" policy, Fang Chongyong took the three‑thousand‑strong Yinqiang Xiaojie Army to his hometown Shazhou, and outside Luocheng he directly carried out household registration for the people, completing the procedures openly and transparently before all the Shazhou residents.

A swift cut through the tangled mess! So that any related rumors have no soil to grow.

As long as your family has served in the Doulu Army, or anyone has ever served, the family is directly registered as Han households. From now on they speak Han, wear Han clothing, and taxes are collected uniformly without distinction.

"Jiedushi Fang, you really have the people's hearts in Shazhou. Your servant never even imagined this before."

Beside the registration booth, He Changqi saw that after each person completed registration, they would come forward to bow and greet Fang Chongyong, expressing countless emotions.

Following Fang Chongyong to Shazhou, they found the atmosphere completely different; people felt as if they were home and were especially welcomed. Of course, this was all thanks to Fang Chongyong.

"If you aren't worried that our logistics to the Western Regions will be cut off, then anything in Shazhou is fine.

If you still worry about supply lines, you must treat the people of Shazhou and Guazhou a bit better.

Because once these two prefectures fall into chaos, the link between the Western Regions and Guanzhong will be severed.

By then, even if you alone could defeat a hundred, without food or baggage you would starve to death.

Fang Chongyong smiled and said. Afterward he shook hands with the person who had just completed registration, exchanged a few pleasantries, as if he were very familiar with them.

In fact he had never met the person in front of him at all.

The Tang court had been unable, or perhaps unwilling, to resolve the Shazhou registration issue for decades, but Fang Chongyong solved it in one stroke!

It looks simple, but in fact it is not.

Solving this problem requires vision, boldness, and the courage to take responsibility.

In Fang Chongyong's view, the court's petty scheming is obvious. It's just underhanded, trying to treat these Tuyuhun remnants as expendable material, like border‑town militia, draining them more and more.

Expecting these officials to handle the issue from the lofty standpoint of the "Chinese nation" united front is unrealistic; it is a limitation of history. Their hearts are fine, but their vision cannot reach that far.

Of course, Fang Chongyong thinks that if his previous life had not had the Anshi Rebellion, the Tang could have enjoyed another fifty years of prosperity, and perhaps this "borrowing a knife to kill" move would have truly succeeded.

Unfortunately, the Anshi Rebellion came.

The choice of these Hexi Tuyuhun remnants was obvious: the Doulu Army of Shazhou and the Moli Army of Guazhou both explicitly refused to follow the Chishui Army to "share the national crisis" into Guanzhong. The two armies retreated to Shazhou for self‑preservation, forming a 20,000‑strong Tang force that held out for many years without surrendering.

Although they would not become slaves of the Tufan, they also did not wish to staunchly defend the Li Tang court. They accept their "Han" identity, but are not so supportive of the Li Tang dynasty's rule.

This is public sentiment and opinion—what you sow, you reap.

While Fang Chongyong and He Changqi were chatting, a young Tang officer came to request an audience—Yan Chao, the son of a local Shazhou big family who had once taken in Duan Xiushi!

"Jiedushi Fang, the Doulu Army's deputy commander Yan Chao sends his greetings, your servant has a request."

Yan Chao clasped his fists and saluted Fang Chongyong.

"You are here to join the expeditionary army, aren't you?"

Fang Chongyong asked casually.

"Yes, your servant wishes to bring his household troops into the Anxi expeditionary army, following Jiedushi Fang on horseback to the Western Regions.

Achieve merit and fame, die wrapped in horsehide."

Yan Chao, his face excited, made the request.

Seeing Fang Chongyong remain silent, Yan Chao added, "Besides your servant, many in Shazhou wish to pull the reins for the Jiedushi and seek a future in the Western Regions."

Indeed, war is fought for hearts! Being on the side of the people, you never have to worry about troops.

Fang Chongyong felt a surge inside but kept a calm face, grasped Yan Chao's hands and said, "Very well, go tell them that this Jiedushi will lead the fine sons of the Tang into battle to forge immortal achievements. Quality matters more than quantity; the roster is limited, so have them come to me quickly."

"Rest assured, they are all people you have met, well‑known to you."

Yan Chao said evenly.

"Go, I trust you to handle it."

Fang Chongyong patted Yan Chao's shoulder and said.

Registering the Doulu Army families as civilian households is a move to win the grassroots hearts of Shazhou; letting the big‑family youths enlist for the Western expedition is a move to win the upper‑level hearts. With these two tactics, if trouble arises later, Shazhou remains a stronghold to draw resources from.

Among those who know how to play politics, Fang Chongyong is the most capable fighter.

And among the most capable fighters, Fang Chongyong is the most adept at politics.

His super‑strong comprehensive quality shows its power unmistakably in Shazhou. Whether dealing with local big families, officials, or the Doulu Army, Fang Chongyong can essentially make a word carry the weight of nine tripods.

"Jiedushi, why didn't the previous inspectors use the trick of registering the Doulu Army families as civilians, since it works so well?"

After Yan Chao left, He Changqi asked, bewildered.

"Because doing it brings no benefit, and if something goes wrong you have to take responsibility.

If it were you, would you do it?"

Fang Chongyong waved his hand and retorted that, in fact, this action lies outside the authority of the Hexi Jiedushi, constituting a "over‑stepping of rank" that would be punished if exposed.

If he were merely a Shazhou inspector, registering the Doulu Army families would simply create trouble for himself; any benefit would be indirect and long‑term.

With the great army about to set out, stabilizing the rear is paramount.

Household registration, a beneficial yet cost‑free matter, is naturally handled "as a matter of course," letting the Hexi people see his decisiveness and methods. Even if problems arise, that is a future matter.

Of course, the court has always cared only about results, not about the procedural rules. If Fang Chongyong sweeps the Western Regions with his troops, then even his excrement would smell fragrant, and his actions in Shazhou would be insignificant.

If he loses, he will likely become a corpse in the desert of the Western Regions, and there will be no need to worry about these petty matters.

In short, everything is for winning; border garrisons only obey the strong.

Tonight, this Jiedushi and the local magnates of Shazhou have a banquet; you should join too. We need to gather some supplies for the expeditionary army; relying on Chang'an for everything is unrealistic.

Fang Chongyong looked at the sturdy small city across the river from Luo City, squinting his eyes as he spoke.

It's time to issue some government bonds and such; the grain stored in the treasury would be a shame not to eat.

Fang Chongyong secretly thought to himself.

(End of chapter)