Chapter 313: Uselessness Belongs to the Emperor

The aftertaste of this wine is really strong; you don't feel anything while drinking it.

It was late at night, and in the bedroom of the old Shazhou residence, Fang Chongyong squinted at a map of the Western Regions while complaining to Anaye, who was serving tea and water beside him.

This modest courtyard was where Fang Youde once lived as a child, and now it counts as a famous person's former residence in Shazhou. Fang Chongyong politely declined the invitation of Shazhou Governor Wang Huailiang, insisting on staying in this rather simple house to experience the mindset Fang Youde had when his spirit leapt from the late Tang Five Dynasties era back to the flourishing Tang.

To reflect on himself, Fang Youde deliberately gave himself the courtesy name "Quanzhong," showing how deep his resentment toward Zhu Wen, who destroyed the Tang, was!

"Alang, what are you thinking? You look so heavy‑hearted. The Tibetan forces that besieged Shazhou back then weren't like this, were they?"

Anaye's rough, calloused little hand brushed Fang Chongyong's face, asking with concern.

"All the affairs of past and present are reduced to jokes; better not mention them."

Fang Chongyong sighed and said he didn't want to continue the topic.

These days, the excessive troop numbers in the border towns and the huge fiscal drain have sparked heated debate within the court; it seems the problems all stem from the border regions, and the issue of troop reduction is likely to be put on the agenda.

But from what Fang Chongyong knows, at least during the Tianbao era, the Tang border towns—including the northern Hebei frontier under An Lushan's control—were places where imperial policies were better enforced and civilian administration was relatively good.

Using the simplest logic in reverse, if under An Lushan the people truly suffered, then when he tried to "purge the court," the locals would have tied him up and sent him to Chang'an long ago—what a pointless rebellion!

The real trouble lies in the "non‑military zones" directly governed by the Tang court: regions centered on Luoyang in Henan, the southern Hebei area centered on Beizhou, Bozhou and Weizhou, and Guanzhong centered on Chang'an.

In these places the civilian burden is extremely heavy, the populace harbors great resentment toward the court, and they are all densely populated regions.

At its core, the Tang's ultimate contradiction is too many people and too little land; the inability to sustain such a population is the root problem.

After the Anshi Rebellion, these three regions gave rise to a defensive fanzhen cluster headed by Xuanwu Town, the He Shuo Three Towns headed by Weibo, and, after the Guanzhong Shence Army fanzhen transformed, the "Eunuch Fanzhen Group."

Militarizing the "non‑military zones" is essentially a covert suppression of potential popular uprisings; the shift in military structure has always been closely tied to economic foundations and political ecology!

The situation is similar to the cause of death in diabetes.

Having excess sugar in the body seems harmless, but it actually causes functional disorders; diabetics die from complications, not from diabetes itself.

In short, the raging storms the Tang will face lie beneath the surface visible to the entire bureaucracy; no one truly sees where the problem lies. Since nobody even knows the problem, there's no way to prescribe a remedy. A great chaos in the future is inevitable, unstoppable, and pondering it is useless.

You can't treat a headache by only treating the head, nor a foot ache by only treating the foot.

How to restore order in the future, how to survive in chaotic times, is what Fang Chongyong is now contemplating.

This kind of matter—let alone that Anaye is just a young woman versed in medicine. Even if she held an office in the court, when Fang Chongyong voiced his worries, she would probably think he's merely being alarmist.

Being unable to accomplish something oneself yet staying clear‑headed is a very difficult situation.

"Those who know me say my heart is worried. Those who don't know me ask what I seek."

Fang Chongyong couldn't help sighing again.

"What do you seek, what do you seek?"

"Aren't you just eagerly eyeing those flirtatious and charming Hu women!"

"I don't care about you; find whoever you love!"

Anaye gave Fang Chongyong a hard pat on the shoulder, turned to leave, but he grabbed her arm tightly.

"Why the temper? I'm just worried about the state of the nation."

Fang Chongyong let Anaye sit on his lap to speak.

"Alas, you really don't need to coax me like this. Men are like that, I know."

"Alang was just worrying about the state a moment ago, and now his hand has slipped inside my clothes."

Anaye gave Fang Chongyong a plaintively resentful stare and complained.

"It seems I really have to discipline you."

Fang Chongyong had Anaye kneel beside him, spread a large sheet of paper on the desk, and asked her to grind ink.

When everything was ready, he wrote on the paper: "Hard times forge the brave."

"This is the founding of the Tang: Emperor Taizong swept the realm, even daring to kill his brother and usurp the throne. If one is not brave, cannot endure hardship, one will die."

"The so‑called survival of the fittest is just that."

Fang Chongyong's gaze was very serious; Anaye, shaken by his aura, could only nod lightly and stop thinking about romantic affairs.

Then Fang Chongyong continued writing on the paper: "The brave create an era of ease."

"Emperor Taizong inaugurated the Zhenguan governance; although Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu are controversial, the Tang's overall national strength rose, the country prospered, society was stable—no problem, right?"

Anaye gave a slight nod; though she didn't fully understand, she felt Fang Chongyong was now impressive, exuding masculine vigor and wisdom.

"But a golden age makes people weak."

"Now in Chang'an the aristocracy adore handsome youths, favor literature over martial arts, and indulge in pleasure."

"Isn't the officialdom gradually corrupt, full of incompetents, just as such?"

Fang Chongyong wrote again on the paper: "An era of ease breeds the weak."

"Is there another line?"

"Having never eaten pork yet having seen pigs run, Anaye knows Tang verses are often four, eight, or sixteen lines, with at least four lines forming a stanza."

Fang Chongyong said nothing, just wrote on the paper: "The weak return to hard times."

"Today's Tang probably lies between the third and fourth lines. The third line is finished; the fourth hasn't begun yet."

"But that is only a matter of time."

"What I worry about is exactly this."

Upon hearing this, Anaye not only didn't frown but burst into laughter, tears streaming, and after barely restraining her smile she asked:

"Alang, I have been by your side for many years."

"We don't know the future, but at least you've had your fun, right? The Military Governor's daughter is your wife; what more do you want?"

"Isn't my situation the same? If I hadn't met you, Alang, I'd still be working the fields till I collapse by day and being toyed with to death by night."

"This kind of life now—before I never even dared to imagine it."

"In the future, Alang's offspring will grow older and fight over inheritance; all sorts of trouble will arise. When I'm old and no longer attractive, I won't be able to serve you; how will I manage then? Isn't that worrisome?"

"But thinking about these now is meaningless."

As long as I am living well now, comfortable, isn't that enough?

Anyway, when the world is in chaos, I'm not the only unlucky one; at worst we'll all suffer together.

Even if I were a peasant woman, if I could see the emperor's princes' concubines reduced to brothel madams sleeping with clients, I'd feel satisfied.

"Happiness is measured against others. Even if misfortune leads to death, am I the only one to die? So many are dying with me; that's more than enough—what else should I worry about now?"

Hearing this, Fang Chongyong was startled and only then recalled that Anaye grew up locally in Liangzhou. Since childhood she gathered herbs everywhere, worked in a medical hall, and possessed a rugged frontier temperament, far from the delicate mindset of Chang'an's aristocratic ladies.

Rather than saying she wants her own well‑being, it's more that seeing others suffer makes her feel more at ease. After all, she's not unaccustomed to hardship; she never thought it was hardship then!

"I'm really scared of you."

Fang Chongyong sighed, for in fact Anaye's view represents the thoughts of a large portion of ordinary Tang people.

Life is going well, the mindset is rather bold, not worrying about tomorrow, which fits the mainstream spirit of this era.

In short: dying tomorrow is tomorrow's business; today I must enjoy to the fullest!

"Jiedushi, the Zhang clan has sent people; they're waiting in the main hall. Would you like to see them?"

At that moment, a voice from outside the door, He Changqi, sounded.

"Let them wait in the main hall; when this Jiedushi wakes up, he'll go."

Fang Chongyong replied impatiently.

After speaking, he blew out the candle on the table and lifted Anaye by the waist, placing her onto the bed.

He Changqi outside understood, and retreated silently.

"Not going… would that be, hmm, not very good?"

In the darkness, Anaye gasped on the bed, murmuring.

"Zhang Mi is what, a nothing, delaying my woman‑hunting; let him stay in the main hall blowing cold wind all night."

Fang Chongyong laughed and cursed, leaping at Anaye like a starving wolf, tearing at her slender neck.

……

"Why are there only five hundred of you?"

Looking at Gao Shi bowing before him, Ji Ge's face turned as black as a pot bottom, and he asked in an unfriendly tone.

When he seized command of the troops and led the Shence Army to Jingyang County, he found the Shence Army's main camp north of Jingyang was empty.

Although flags fluttered and many people rushed in and out, cutting trees to make rafts, it looked bustling, yet there were truly only five hundred soldiers.

"Returning, holy one, General Fang led troops on a detour, ambushing the rear of Binzhou via a side path. I, as a subordinate here, am merely a feint force, confusing the rebel scouts."

"This place is not very safe; if a flash flood occurs, the camp could suffer water disaster, so I ask the holy one to move the headquarters to Jingyang County for temporary refuge."

Gao Shi, in charge of the main camp, lowered his eyebrows and said meekly, his attitude very humble.

Ji Ge was pleased with his attitude, gave a slight nod without comment, his expression easing a bit.

After his hot‑blooded fervor faded, all that remained was worry and lingering fear. Sending him north to attack Binzhou, the son worth a thousand gold could not sit idle, and the Son of Heaven could not risk it.

Going is impossible; at most they can put on a show!

Upon learning that Fang Youde led troops on a detour to attack Binzhou, Ji Ge's anger subsided. At least the situation hadn't escalated beyond control; it was just that Fang Youde, to keep it secret, sealed the information so tightly that even the emperor didn't know!

Of course, if the emperor knows, his eunuchs know as well. And of the eunuchs around Ji Ge, who can guarantee they aren't secretly colluding with a prince?

Fang Youde's caution is not unfounded; it is closely tied to his personal experience.

At that moment, Ji Ge's dim old eyes suddenly spotted something drifting on the Jing River, carried downstream by the swift current.

It was too far away to see clearly what it was!

"Gao Shi, I command you to send men to see what that thing is."

Ji Ge pointed at a certain object on the distant river surface and said.

In fact, without his prompting, the Shence Army soldiers guarding the river had already moved that 'thing' to the shore. It was a water‑swollen corpse, its clothes tattered, the hair braid on its head not of Central Plains style.

"It's a Khitan youth."

When Ji Ge led men over to examine it, Gao Shi pointed at the braid on its head and said. He is a Hebei native, not unfamiliar with Khitan hairstyles.

Khitan men's hairstyles typically involve shaving the crown, leaving a small amount of hair at the sides or forehead as decoration. These hairs may hang freely or be woven into small braids.

Completely different from ordinary Tang civilians' hair, almost instantly recognizable.

Ji Ge gave a slight nod, quietly sighing in relief. He dreaded that the corpse might be a Shence Army soldier; that would be disastrous.

Soon, a second corpse appeared on the Jing River, then a third, a fourth… a chilling scene unfolded, with Khitan youth corpses drifting downstream one after another amid the rapid current.

In less than half an hour, the number reached several hundred! Undoubtedly, these Khitan corpses in the Jing River could only be the rebel Khitan slaves from Binzhou, some still bearing arrows in their backs.

But most of them bore few wounds on their bodies!

What the hell is going on?

Ji Ge frowned; he vaguely sensed that Fang Youde must have defeated the rebels. But why are so many rebel corpses appearing in the Jing River?

"Holy one, someone over there is paddling a skin raft toward us! Wearing Tang army uniforms, gesturing us not to fire arrows!"

Gao Shi pointed at the nearby Jing River surface and said, his tone unable to hide excitement.

The stretch of Jing River flowing from Binzhou to Jingyang has several treacherous rapids. Drifting southward on a skin raft for over a hundred li from Binzhou is not something ordinary people attempt. Even among the elite Shence Army, only those adept at water could manage such a feat. Ordinary people wouldn't dare do such a reckless thing.

The two on the raft saw the emperor's canopy and hurriedly jumped off, disregarding their drenched clothes, and bowed to Ji Ge, saying: "Holy one, I am a Shence Army scout. By order of General Fang, I report the military situation. Our forces have already taken Xinping County in Binzhou; when I left, General Fang had just captured Sanshui County and was wrapping up. Please, holy one, do not worry."

After speaking, he handed the bamboo tube hanging at his waist to Yu Chaoren; it was a handwritten letter from Fang Youde for them to pass to Ji Ge.

So it was already over!

Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this; the war ended without them fighting, nothing better than that.

Gao Shi suppressed his inner joy, knowing his contribution could not be denied.

Ji Ge's expression cleared like clouds parting; for the first time in days he smiled. He broke the seal on the bamboo tube, read the letter line by line, and felt his lingering anxiety finally settle.

Fang Youde told him that Binzhou had essentially been secured; some Khitan captives had fled, and he was leading the Shence Army to hunt them down, ensuring no lingering threats.

"By my command, dismantle the camp, raise the barracks, and have the entire army return to Chang'an."

Ji Ge laughed loudly and gave the order.

One day later, several thousand Shence Army troops returned to Chang'an without any mishap and were stationed at Xuanwu Gate, taking over the defense of Chang'an's key areas. Meanwhile, Ji Ge returned to Xingqing Palace, where he met Gao Lishi, and both let out a sigh.

Ji Ge brought Gao Lishi to the imperial study in the Qinzhengwubenlou, and couldn't help asking: During this period when the Tang Emperor was not in Chang'an, has anything major happened in the city?

However, Gao Lishi's answer left Ji Ge shocked!

Nothing happened in Chang'an! It was even calmer than when Ji Ge was there!

No princes rebelled, no officials panicked like ants on a hot pan, and certainly no government affairs stalled, nearly causing the state to collapse. Everything ran normally; even the Golden Guard specially opened the Golden Light Gate, allowing Western Region merchants to bring their caravans out of the city.

Only exiting, no entering; everything was orderly, with only the inspections being especially strict.

In short, aside from Ji Ge and Gao Lishi worrying about the political situation, everyone in Chang'an—from nobles and officials to common folk—was simply eating, drinking, and going about their business as usual.

There was absolutely no collusion among princes and officials to plot a big conspiracy to overthrow the Tang, and many people didn't even know that Ji Ge had left Chang'an!

At first, Ji Ge felt very relieved about this. The Binzhou rebellion had passed safely, truly a blessing.

But after thinking it over carefully, Ji Ge felt a strange fear welling up from the depths of his heart!

Putting down the rebellion didn't require the Tang Emperor to worry, Chang'an's daily governance didn't require the Tang Emperor to worry, and border garrison military affairs also didn't require the Tang Emperor to worry. Even the princes didn't come to cause trouble; nobles and officials were dutifully staying in their lanes, with no one heard saying they would oppose the Tang Emperor.

Such 'peace and harmony'—doesn't it mean that the Tang Emperor has no presence at all, that the Tang would be the same whether he existed or not?

What should be done about this! It's too terrifying!

Ji Ge suddenly realized that the Tang had become a 'useless emperor'! The emperor's existence seemed to be only in name; he fundamentally didn't need to do anything!

Then, as the emperor, the supreme ruler of the Tang, how should he conduct himself?

This matter was like a thick, impenetrable dark cloud, beginning to shroud Ji Ge's heart and refusing to dissipate.

(End of chapter)