Chapter 382: Three Choices

Compared with Li Linfu, Li Shizhi, Fang Guan and Liu Yan have far stronger public spirit—or ambition to achieve merit.

So when a major state decision is at stake and their opinions diverge, these people will never treat it as "nothing happened."

Thus the three each wrote a memorial, personally went to Huaqing Palace, and hand‑delivered it to Ji Ge.

Ji Ge's attitude was hard to read; he neither affirmed nor rejected any suggestion in person, didn't even look at the memorials, but used a soothing approach—he took the documents, then dismissed the petitioners.

In fact, similar matters have followed this procedure since the early Kaiyuan era; even a frontier official like Fang Chongyong petitioning a policy was routine, with countless precedents.

Only now Ji Ge is no longer the vigorous Ji Ge of those days, and most chancellors are also less capable than before.

So what was once easy to handle now proves difficult.

"Go transmit the edict; have the Council of State process it quickly."

Putting herself in others' shoes, Anaye knows this "distant cousin" learns quickly and is now a master of bedroom affairs!

Just picking up others' wisdom.

Fang Chongyong asked in puzzlement, having already guessed what had happened on the other side.

Gao Lishi put on a modest and cautious demeanor.

"Your Majesty, on such great matters, how could I speak up? I know nothing of frontier affairs."

Instead, conquering neighboring regions one by one and turning the Tributary Prefecture into a directly controlled one carries less risk.

Put bluntly: you must not overfeed the hawk dogs; if they eat too well, they'll slip out of control!

Overfed, they become lazy, spending days eating, drinking, and sleeping.

Overindulged, their tastes become picky and demanding.

Gao Lishi asked uncertainly, noting that anyone with eyes can see Fang Chongyong's plan has only just begun.

Recall Fang Guozhong to Chang'an and appoint him Deputy Commander of the Shen Ce Army. Unload all his burdens so he can focus on watching Chang'an for me.

Anaye glanced at Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Jinsikaiya, suddenly feeling a pang of compassion, thinking the slut was rather pitiful.

As for the merits of the Hexi and Western Regions armies, have Fang Guozhong report the rewards; all were approved. The Yinqiang Xiaojie Army's and Fang Guozhong's own rewards will be issued after returning to Chang'an.

"Opportunity?"

That morning Ji Ge just woke up, his spirit restored to a decent level. He was too lazy even to glance at the three memorials, simply because recent bureaucratic affairs had disgusted him.

But Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Jinsikaiya clearly enjoyed it and felt no shame.

"Return to the Jiedushi; indeed so, and also bring a so‑called gift."

Liu Yan's plan seems beneficial to the state, but for Ji Ge it is a huge disadvantage!

After all, once a person dies there's nothing left! Why worry so much? Spending money on dead people, he doesn't really care.

Let's see what Li Shizhi says; Li Shizhi is the Right Prime Minister.

He hadn't even intended to deal with the Stone Kingdom's prince, yet the other side still died. Truly, it's a blessing not a curse—misfortune is unavoidable.

Is the vast territory of the Great Tang, spanning ten thousand miles, all amassed by hoarding money?

Ji Ge could not in good conscience agree with Liu Yan's line of thought; of course he knows Liu Yan harbors no ill intent, it's simply due to personal expertise and limited perspective that he can only see so far.

……

He is now stuck in the bitter feud between the Left and Right Prime Ministers; perhaps keep his post unchanged but assign him the role of Henan Transport Commissioner, letting him handle affairs more quietly in Luoyang.

"Then open it and take a look."

"So let's do that—issue the imperial edict directly, no need to inform Li Shizhi and the others."

Ji Ge set down Li Shizhi's memorial with a disdainful expression and said.

"Brother!"

Use it; stirring up wind and rain isn't quite appropriate?

Ji Ge put down Li Shizhi's memorial and casually asked Gao Lishi.

"Well, you better comfort your distant cousin properly."

"The Great Sui killed the Stone Kingdom's prince and sent his head back?"

"That's that, why should I learn those? I'll just serve the Emperor."

This kind of policy‑making concerning the Tang's frontier defense is indeed not Liu Yan's strong suit.

Ji Ge stood up, pacing in the palace study, saying:

"If Fang Guozhong, still young, has achieved unparalleled merit, how should I reward him?"

"Should I tear a piece of Tang's territory and grant him a fief?"

"If his merit cannot be rewarded, then I can only give him a grand funeral. Now I am moving him out of the Western Regions—not to harm him, but to protect him; do you understand?"

Moreover, the Central River region is far from Chang'an, not even close to Liangzhou.

On the other hand, Fang Guan's words were spot on: time is truly short! Time waits for no one!

It's not that the Tang lacks time, but Ji Ge feels he lacks time; now each day passes with one less.

Fang Chongyong indifferently pointed to a small wooden box on the desk and said, "This is the so‑called Great Sui gift."

This is the Chang'an Zhezhi Dance; the former Princess of the Stone Kingdom indeed spent much effort to win Fang Chongyong's favor.

The scene made him and Anaye shudder, but having seen many dead before, they weren't as shocked as Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Jinsikaiya.

Fang Chongyong silently weighed the risks and rewards.

After reading the memorial, Ji Ge felt a whirlwind of emotions.

Although Anaye usually calls Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Jinsikaiya a "slut" in everyday speech, she doesn't intend to kick her when she's down.

Look, ever since Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Jinsikaiya got into your bed, what a mess she's become.

The Hedong Protectorate's chief protector, let Left Prime Minister Fang Guan receive it remotely.

She waved her hand impatiently at Fang Chongyong, clearly knowing he had important matters to attend to.

When the other party was ambitious and about to undertake a great deed, they were recalled, and the tasks in hand were handed over to someone else.

This was a rather unfavorable thing for a sovereign!

Brother Ji's assessment of this memorial was: short-sighted, conservative, and pedantic.

Is this not precisely the goal we should strive for? Has not our Great Tang built upon the legacy of six generations, and is now not the right time?

A hundred years from now, a thousand years from now, how will history judge us?

Blah blah blah—a whole outpouring of emotion.

Most of the military generals rather admired Anaye, and were not particularly taken with Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Jinsikaiya, who was purely "entertaining people with her looks."

Anaye grumbled in exasperation.

It was precisely because Gao Lishi was deferential and obedient that he could stand firm at Brother Ji's side for decades—this was not something an ordinary person could achieve.

Compared to the Tianbao era, during the Zhenguan reign, Taizong had even less money! And even fewer troops and horses!

Gao Lishi said with sincere admiration and conviction.

Then the Great Tang would establish the River Central Protectorate, centered on the Stone Kingdom's capital city of Zhezhi City. Reaching Talas City to the north, Anxi Alanmi City to the west, Huwen City (Kabul) to the south, and encompassing Greater Bolü and Lesser Bolü to the east!

Gao Lishi had long since seen through Brother Ji's mind; when it came to major matters of state policy, he, as a personal eunuch, was not in a convenient position to offer suggestions.

"Look how sluttily she dances—you can smell that whorish stench from a hundred zhang away. She's an out-and-out floozy, and she'll have Alang so worn out he won't be able to stand straight sooner or later!

Although expanding territory was important, Brother Ji felt that his own safety as the Son of Heaven came first!

To sum it up in one sentence, it was even more steady and cautious than the turtles Brother Ji currently kept, and more like turning the Tang Gaozong era's "map-based territorial expansion" model into actual control. The vision was indeed grand, yet wholly devoid of novelty!

The places mentioned in Li Shizhi's memorial were all places the Tang army had once set foot in—nothing remarkable.

In short, officials were like hounds and falcons; treat them too well, bestow too many rewards, and in the future these people's desires would not be easily satisfied, and they would become difficult to control.

As for expanding territory and so forth, Wang Zhongsi could handle it himself; let him serve as the new Grand Envoy for Western Regions Affairs, concurrently as Vice Protector of the River Central Protectorate.

He felt this was indeed a good opportunity! The Arabs had killed the Stone Kingdom's prince, so it was not the Great Tang's fault.

In a side hall of the Stone Kingdom royal palace in Zhezhi City, Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Jinsikaiya, dressed in a red dance gown, was leading two young girls in performing the Zhezhi Dance, accompanied by golden bells and hand drums.

The first had a pretty face, the second had wonderful breasts and waist, the third had a pair of beautiful legs.

When no one else was around, Feng Changqing pulled Fang Chongyong aside and said in a low voice: "Jiedushi, we were just worrying about having no excuse to teach the Arabs a lesson, and now the opportunity has come."

Feng Changqing said calmly, clearly not taking it too seriously. One had to admit, this Stone Kingdom prince was truly persistent! Like an unkillable cockroach—even Abu Muslim had been killed off and he still hadn't perished, still unable to forget the Tang army's destruction of his state, insisting on seeking outside aid.

Was it impossible that an even more formidable enemy might appear to the west of the Great Tang?

Moreover, the court's current expenditures were already increasing year by year. If they were to dig this pit again, it would likely be very difficult to clean up afterward.

Fang Chongyong was startled; he had not expected at all that the Arabs had actually sent someone to sue for peace!

"Sage, it seems Fang Guozhong has not yet finished his affairs in the Western Regions—are you having him return just like this?"

She also had to admit, this Holy Maiden truly knew how to play.

With one more piece of territory added to the frontier, Brother Ji himself could not go there and could only look at the map and imagine it in his heart—the sense of accomplishment it brought was truly limited!

And transferring Fang Chongyong and his valiant and battle-hardened Yinqiang Xiaojie Army back to Chang'an would have an obvious benefit for Brother Ji's control of the court. This young man and the young iron army under his command had now been tempered and forged.

Would the Arabs not amass their strength and make a comeback?

"Isn't that so—the daughters of noble houses are slutty, and princesses and commandery princesses are slutty too.

For areas that cannot currently be brought under actual control, employing both diplomatic pressure and military threats in tandem—that would be the primary mission of the Grand Envoy for Western Regions Affairs henceforth!

Li Shizhi's meaning was very clear: talk like Fang Guan's about fighting all the way to Persia or even Da Qin was mere child's play—fine for self-indulgent fantasizing, but impossible to truly implement.

Feng Changqing opened the wooden box, and inside was a human head preserved in lime. The face appeared to have been washed; it was a young man whose facial features bore seven or eight parts of resemblance to Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Jinsikaiya's.

Fang Chongyong smiled helplessly: "In your eyes, as long as a woman is beautiful, she's a floozy in every shape and every pose, and only you are a proper person, right?"

Brother Ji took out Li Shizhi's memorial, and after reading it through once, he was somewhat disappointed in him.

Of course, if a woman could achieve complete "self-consistency" both physiologically and psychologically, without falling into internal conflict, then she could truly live very happily.

The current situation was like three beauties standing before him, letting him, the emperor, make his choice.

Just as she was letting her thoughts wander, Feng Changqing quietly walked over, placed the box in his hand on the desk, and then whispered a few words in Fang Chongyong's ear.

"Transfer Fang Guozhong and his Yinqiang Xiaojie Army back to Chang'an for reorganization; leave the other troops and horses in the Stone Kingdom awaiting orders, and have Wang Zhongsi lead a portion of the Longyou Garrison to the Western Regions to replace him.

Fang Chongyong sighed softly, feeling somewhat moved.

"An Arab special envoy? Come to sue for peace?"

For a short-term military campaign in the River Central region, provisions could still be requisitioned locally in the Western Regions. But once the Tang army was permanently stationed there, it would greatly increase the logistical burden and add to the court's expenses.

But thinking about the teachings of the Zoroastrian faith, it seemed that place was also a breeding ground for floozies. There was nothing surprising about why Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Jinsikaiya was so skilled at playing.

Gao Lishi's meek and deferential manner greatly satisfied Brother Ji.

That Li Guangbi under Wang Zhongsi's command—does he not have considerable battle merits? Let him serve as Military Commissioner of Hexi, with the former Chishui Army Commander Guo Ziyi as Vice Military Commissioner of Hexi, concurrently serving as Acting Military Commissioner.

Since the most famous thing in Suiye Garrison was the Hot Sea, calling it Rezhou would also be acceptable—there was nothing much to say about that.

Just then, Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Jinsikaiya also stopped her dance and ran over to observe what good thing had happened.

It could be called killing two birds with one stone!

Brother Ji's calculations were clacking away briskly.

Simply put, the Great Tang could not afford such enormous military expenditures.

Truly shameless—even when dancing she has to make bedroom eyes."

With this as the foundation, all other factors had to take a back seat.

She was caught and held in the arms of the quick-eyed and quick-handed Fang Chongyong.

After Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Jinsikaiya saw clearly whose head this was, she let out a frantic scream, then her eyes rolled back and she fainted dead away.

A taboo!

Sure enough, Brother Ji nodded noncommittally, then sighed and said:

Three key central ministers, three different opinions—they could even be said to be poles apart, and not a single one was viable!

Liu Yan's opinion was the most conservative; he believed that this kind of vain drain on national power should not be undertaken. The policy of newly establishing the "River Central Protectorate" could not solve its logistical problems simply by issuing jiaozi.

Li Shizhi's plan was essentially built on Fang Chongyong's proposal, with a few additions — for instance, establishing "Rezhou" in the town of Suye, under direct court administration and managed by the Beiting Protectorate.

More importantly, these people had little connection to the powerful and noble families of Chang'an.

Anaye took a bite of the "brier pear," unique to the Stone Kingdom and other such places, and couldn't help launching into a commentary laced with profanity.

If the eunuchs in the palace all mastered these political arts, wouldn't they end up shitting on the Son of Heaven's head in the future?

This was absolutely unacceptable!

Brother Ji pulled out Fang Guan's memorial again to read, and after finishing it, he had to admit: Fang Guan did indeed carry Zhang Jiuling's shadow, and the style of his writing was the same — it made one's blood boil to read!

The singing girls are flirtatious, the dancing girls even more so — they're all the same. Only I care whether you'll wear yourself out from too much bedroom activity.

Would Tubo not recover from its turmoil?

Taking advantage of Tubo's current weakness, so they won't come stir things up, strike in one breath all the way to Persia, all the way to Daqin (Rome).

But expanding territory — that's a matter where time waits for no one, where every moment counts! Advancing step by step, when would that ever end? Ten years? Twenty?

Which one to choose?

Brother Ji's choice was: I want none of them!

"Lishi, you've read the memorials from the three key ministers. What do you think?"

Whether she's a floozy or not, do I even need to say it? Isn't it perfectly obvious?

What woman walks swinging her hips like that?"

"Go attend to your duties. I'll take care of her. You don't know how to prepare medicine, so you can't help much here."

Brother Ji said with a smile, his words so reasonable and sensible that they were impossible to refute. Of course, behind the tender words lay calculation to the brim.

Meanwhile, Fang Chongyong had his arm around Anaye's shoulder, watching the dance while whispering sweet nothings.

Transforming physical pleasure into spiritual satisfaction — the carefree existence of a canary!

To be honest, Anaye rather admired people like that.

They were far more reliable than the Shence Army!

Brother Ji sighed. Liu Yan, that "child prodigy," had been discovered by him back in the day.

Sometimes, when Anaye felt shy during their lovemaking in bed, she would cover her face with her hand, not letting Fang Chongyong see the expression of joyful abandon on her face.

"The Sage is skilled in the art of managing people; this servant is far from his equal."

"Lishi, you don't understand."

"Liu Yan is qualified to serve as Transport Commissioner. Send him out to Luoyang as Henan Transport Commissioner."

Brother Ji waved his hand, looking somewhat weary.

Fang Guan wrote in his memorial: The strength of the Great Tang is unprecedented in all of history! And now the Tang army strikes Dashi in the Western Regions like a stone crushing eggs! The court has toiled in the Western Regions for over a century, already exercising direct control over Xizhou, Yizhou, and Tingzhou, plus the newly established Lizhou.

Will the Western Regions ten years from now still be the Western Regions of today?

Only to end up swatted dead like a fly.

This method of managing subordinates was truly beyond words.

Feng Changqing looked at Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Thus Character: Jinsikaiya, who was dancing, unsure whether he should lay everything out in full.

On one hand, Fang Guan was indeed somewhat fanciful, positioning himself entirely opposite Liu Yan, completely disregarding the Great Tang's fiscal capacity, making Brother Ji feel his plan was unreliable.

Therefore, Liu Yan's stance was unequivocal opposition, without any reservation.

Brother Ji waved his hand. The weather was cold, and he wanted to go soak in the hot springs.

Taking advantage of his clear mind in the morning, Brother Ji spread out the three memorials from Li Shizhi, Fang Guan, and Liu Yan respectively — and then it was as if someone had force-fed him a lump of shit; he felt awful all over!

Brother Ji looked smug and chuckled, "General Gao, just follow Zhen. There's no need for you to learn these imperial arts of power."

With Fang Chongyong on the verge of establishing an unparalleled merit, he would be recalled and placed in another important position, reassigned. This way, neither would the meritorious official's heart be chilled, nor would he accumulate merit too quickly.

"Indeed so. The Prince of the Stone Kingdom crossed the great desert to find the Dashi people in the true city of Mulu, and then was beheaded."

If they could strengthen control over the Four Garrisons of Anxi and newly establish a River Protectorate, then naturally they could advance steadily. Fang Guozhong's strategy could be considered mature and prudent, crafted with painstaking effort.

"Convene the generals to discuss the matter of deploying troops, and decide then."

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly, noncommittal.

(End of this chapter)