Chapter 446: Big Brother Ji Strikes

"Hahahahaha! Jiedushi Fang, with you in Hedong, Taiyuan City is as steady as Mount Tai."

Below Taiyuan City, Yan Zhenqing looked at Fang Chongyong, who had rushed over from Yangqu covered in dust, and hurried forward to grasp both his hands tightly.

His inner excitement was beyond words.

That expression was by no means feigned. In fact, that Fang Chongyong had not obeyed His Majesty's edict and still led troops to Taiyuan was sufficient proof that he kept the greater picture in mind and was a reliable pillar of support!

"I heard about the edict from General Xin. The Sage does not understand the situation at the front, and the orders he issued are not appropriate.

In any case, it is all a misunderstanding. I, this Jiedushi, will submit a memorial to the court and handle this matter properly.

These twenty thousand elite troops behind me will also share life and death, advance and retreat together with Taiyuan. Please do not worry, Lord Yan."

Fang Chongyong said with a smile, very calm and confident.

"Good! Good! With someone as wholly devoted to the state as Jiedushi Fang in the Great Tang, suppressing the rebellion is just around the corner!"

Yan Zhenqing cupped his hands and bowed respectfully to Fang Chongyong.

The other party absolutely deserved this bow from him!

Previously, Yan Zhenqing had always held an impression in his mind:

This is the son of Fang Youde.

Fang Youde wielded troops like a god, and was utterly loyal to the Son of Heaven and to the state.

He could be said to accomplish what others could not!

No matter what great deed Fang Chongyong achieved, the thought in Yan Zhenqing's mind was always: This is indeed worthy of being Fang Youde's son; like father, like son.

Only today did he feel that Fang Chongyong was truly formidable!

This was a true pillar, one who could distinguish right from wrong at critical moments and could be relied upon.

If Fang Chongyong had insisted on returning to Puzhou, Yan Zhenqing would have had no way to stop him.

After all, that was exactly what the edict said. To return was to carry out the edict; to stay in Taiyuan was to defy orders!

How many people dared to defy orders and withstand the emperor's pressure during a war?

Such people were, in the end, rarely seen.

Moreover, such people mostly did not end up too well.

Yan Zhenqing worried about Fang Chongyong's future fate on the one hand, while on the other felt gratified that the situation in Hedong could finally stabilize.

Just then, in the distance someone came galloping on a fast horse, followed by a cavalry unit of dozens of men.

From afar, they had a rather arrogant air!

The man wore red palace attire and looked like a eunuch, about forty or fifty years old, an unfamiliar face.

Overall, he gave an impression of effeminacy.

In any case, Fang Chongyong did not recognize him.

"May I ask where Fang Guozhong is?"

The man dismounted, and upon seeing the purple official robe on Yan Zhenqing, asked him with an arrogant expression.

The tone was too aggressive, and Yan Zhenqing was also a man of temper. He suppressed the anger within and asked calmly in return: "I am Yan Zhenqing. Who are you?"

"I am the Neishi envoy Lin Zhaoyin, having received the Sage's mandate, appointed as the new Military Observer of the Shuofang and Hedong circuits!

I am responsible for rectifying military discipline across all armies.

Whoever is Fang Guozhong, step forward to receive the edict."

Lin Zhaoyin spoke while surveying the crowd, and his gaze soon landed on Fang Chongyong.

"I am Fang Chongyong. May I ask what instructions the Imperial Envoy has?"

Fang Chongyong put on a cautious demeanor and asked in a low voice.

"The Sage asks you, why have you not yet led your troops back to Puzhou! Are you, like Huangfu Weiming, intending to rebel?"

Lin Zhaoyin demanded sternly, provoking a stir of agitation among the soldiers behind Fang Chongyong.

Fang Chongyong raised his hand, signaling them not to act rashly.

Then he patiently explained to Lin Zhaoyin:

"Imperial Envoy, please hear this official's explanation. This official has been deeply graced by the Emperor; rebellion is absolutely impossible.

The Hedong circuit is of vital importance. If Hedong is lost, then Chang'an and Luoyang are in imminent peril. To hold Hedong, one must hold Taiyuan.

I request that the Imperial Envoy, upon returning to Chang'an, put in a few good words for this official before the Sage."

His attitude was very humble, but who knew that Lin Zhaoyin seemed to have no desire to hear his explanation at all.

"Fang Guozhong, the Sage has decreed: from this moment on, you are no longer one who commands troops. You will no longer oversee the Shuofang and Hedong armies, nor will you be the Military Commissioner of the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army.

You are to return to Chang'an and receive the Sage's questioning in person.

Furthermore, according to the Sage's edict, Yan Zhenqing will temporarily act as Jiedushi of the Four Garrisons, presiding over Hedong military affairs.

Lord Yan, you are responsible for supervising and transferring all of Fang Chongyong's duties, and for dispatching someone to escort him back to Chang'an immediately for trial. There must be no error!"

Lin Zhaoyin pulled a yellow silk scroll from his robe and shoved it directly into Yan Zhenqing's hands.

Was this really happening?

Not to mention Fang Chongyong's subordinates, who were nearly bristling with rage, even Yan Zhenqing felt that the Son of Heaven's approach was simply childish.

That was right—the edict did say to have Fang Chongyong hand over military authority, even to strip him of everything. But let alone the impossibility of Fang Chongyong submitting, even if the other party cooperated and accepted the edict, could they then oversee the various troops from different border garrisons?

Yan Zhenqing hurried forward and returned the edict to Lin Zhaoyin, saying righteously:

"There must be villains slandering before the Sage. Without Jiedushi Fang in Hedong, the armies will find it difficult to coordinate in battle, and I fear Taiyuan City cannot be held.

I ask Eunuch Lin to return to Chang'an and properly explain on my behalf. This official cannot accept the edict. This official will also submit a memorial to the Sage, and will not put Eunuch Lin in an awkward position."

"Yan Zhenqing, mind your station! You are the Sage's…"

Before Lin Zhaoyin could finish his sentence, he saw a flash of cold light before his eyes, whereupon his own head flew high into the air and then crashed heavily to the ground.

He Changqi, beside Fang Chongyong, suddenly erupted and struck, decapitating this arrogant eunuch with a single blade.

Almost at the same time, the cavalry of the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army, led by Wang Nande and others, directly surrounded and killed those dozens of escorting light cavalry—not a single one escaped.

Fang Chongyong wiped the bloodstains from his face, spread his hands, and said to Yan Zhenqing with a helpless smile:

"Once war breaks out, all kinds of strange things happen.

There are those who deceive their way into cities, those who urge surrender, and now even someone impersonating a eunuch army supervisor has appeared.

Huangfu Weiming truly stops at nothing in his efforts to throw Hedong into chaos.

An envoy sent by the Sage—how could there be someone so arrogant? He truly doesn't even know how to put on an act.

Please rest assured, Lord Yan—I, this Jiedushi, will personally submit a memorial to the Sage to clarify this matter. And I shall also inform the Sage that Lord Yan had absolutely nothing to do with this; it was I alone who took it upon myself to execute the impostor eunuch and his entourage."

"Eh? Jiedushi Fang is too courteous. I personally witnessed it with my own eyes—how could I pretend nothing happened?

Why don't you and I jointly sign a memorial to the court, so that we may mutually prove our innocence..."

Yan Zhenqing also shook his head with a bitter smile.

The expressions on both men's faces were similar; as for what they were thinking in their hearts, only they themselves knew.

"This is no place to talk. I invite the Jiedushi to continue our discussion at the Taiyuan Prefecture yamen. Matters of Hedong military affairs will also require much reliance on the Jiedushi."

Yan Zhenqing made an inviting gesture toward Fang Chongyong.

……

Ever since Huangfu Weiming declared "to purge the sovereign's side" in Youzhou City on the day of the Lantern Festival, earth-shattering events had occurred one after another.

For instance, Fang Youde and Li Mi championed Crown Prince Li Chang in Luoyang, rallying the military and civilians of Henan to hold Luoyang firm, and their prestige soared in an instant!

Or again, the rebel forces of Huangfu Weiming in Hebei advanced rapidly, sweeping all before them—now in all of Hebei, only Ye City in Xiang Prefecture was still holding out bitterly.

The rebel army had crossed the Yellow River, seemingly poised and ready to strike.

For Jige, however, these days could only be described as utterly wretched.

Huangfu Weiming had actually rebelled—how could he rebel, how dare he rebel?

Jige simply could not make sense of this question. Huangfu Weiming was already getting on in years—what meaning was there in rebelling?

He was a man of nearly fifty himself!

On this day, Fang Youde's personal letter was delivered to Xingqing Palace, placed on Jige's desk.

Suppressing the fury in his heart and the shame of betrayal, Jige finally opened the letter and had Gao Lishi read it aloud to him.

"To draw close to worthy ministers and keep petty men at a distance—this was why the Former Han flourished;

To draw close to petty men and keep worthy ministers at a distance—this was why the Later Han declined.

……"

The letter opened with this line, at once familiar and unfamiliar. Jige did not know whether Fang Youde was mocking him with dark humor, or whether the man simply had no learning and only knew this one quote.

Fang Youde had once written a "letter of admonition," delivered by Princess Yuzhen, and the letter had ended with this very same line.

In the letter, Fang Youde first recalled the past when ruler and minister had been in perfect accord, with endless sighs and laments.

Then he told Jige directly that all the current chaos was because "the state has no crown prince, and the crown prince is the foundation of the state."

With the state lacking a foundation, of course scoundrels and evildoers would come out to make trouble!

Only when the crown prince truly became what a crown prince should be would those demons and monsters vanish and not dare to come out and stir up trouble.

It was precisely because the Great Tang lacked the "righteous" that it could not suppress the "wicked"!

All of this was the fault of you, the Son of Heaven—how could you blame it on others!

Then Fang Youde declared that in this campaign to suppress the rebellion, he was resolved to live or die with Luoyang, and would use Luoyang as his base to thoroughly eradicate the Hebei rebellion.

As for the bond of ruler and minister between himself and Jige, that could only be discussed after the Hebei rebels were destroyed.

"Lishi, I search my conscience and find that I have never wronged Quanzhong.

I even elevated him into the Lingyan Pavilion, appointed his only son as military commissioner and grand envoy for the pacification of the Western Regions.

Why did he betray me?

Where did I wrong him?"

Jige set down the letter in his hand, let out a long sigh, and looked at Gao Lishi to ask.

His body trembled slightly, as if he were so furious from the betrayal that he could not speak.

Gao Lishi believed that even if Jige owed Fang Youde anything, it was truly not much.

Jige simply could not make sense of this question, and so his graying beard had turned almost entirely white virtually overnight.

To be betrayed by the person one trusted most—this feeling was too bitter to bear.

"The Sage has treated Fang Youde generously; it is he who has failed the Sage."

Gao Lishi spoke cautiously, fearful of provoking Jige's anger.

He had known Fang Youde for decades—if the man were going to rebel, he would have rebelled long ago. Why wait until today?

Gao Lishi was well aware that Fang Youde's loyalty to the Great Tang was visible to the sun and moon, unwavering unto death.

But his loyalty to Jige himself—that was not necessarily so.

Precisely because Fang Youde was a man of conviction, he could not be bought by anyone. What he set out to do was surely to devote himself utterly to the Great Tang, and he needed no one to buy him.

This time, Fang Youde's support of Crown Prince Li Chang was no less than driving a vicious knife into Jige's back.

But did he do this truly for personal grievance? For riches and glory?

Of course not.

Gao Lishi felt that in truth this was because many people, including Fang Youde—many who had originally been utterly loyal to Jige—had become completely disillusioned with him.

They felt Jige was beyond hope and unworthy of being the Son of Heaven of the Great Tang, so naturally they had to find an heir who could bear the weight of the Great Tang!

This was a course of action born of necessity!

Otherwise, how could Fang Youde have seized Luoyang without shedding a drop of blood, and even persuaded Luoyang's local officials and the people of Henan Prefecture to support the crown prince?

Was it not because Jige had already lost the hearts of the people entirely!

But Gao Lishi, as Ji Ge's personal eunuch, could he say such a thing?

Gao Lishi felt bitter inside; he actually also hoped Ji Ge would continue as emperor, and that the Great Tang would keep its brilliance.

If both could be satisfied, how wonderful that would be!

"How is the matter of Lin Zhaoyin proceeding?"

Ji Ge suddenly recalled something and asked in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Gao Lishi laughed helplessly and said, "Reporting to the Sage, as expected, Lin Zhaoyin was beheaded. Today Fang Chongyong and Yan Zhenqing jointly submitted a memorial, stating they encountered an agent of Huangfu Weiming disguised as an angel delivering a decree, and the agent was slain by a trusted subordinate of Fang Chongyong. They came specifically to the Sage to verify the truth of this matter."

"Hmph! I knew it would turn out like this! Tell them, well done!"

Ji Ge snorted coldly, complaining like a resentful woman in a deep boudoir, "Fang Chongyong and his father are cut from the same hide! Both are rebels! Both are treacherous wolves, betraying my generous favor!"

Although he said that, he also knew that Fang Chongyong was far better than his father.

At least, being willing to stay in Taiyuan to hold the line and not defect to a prince, his loyalty already surpasses that of most court officials.

"Sage, Hedong cannot be in chaos now. Since Fang Chongyong is to guard Hedong, let him hold it firmly; if he can counterattack and strike deep into Hebei, that would be even better."

Gao Lishi patiently urged, genuinely worried that Ji Ge might act recklessly. When he previously sent Lin Zhaoyin to test, he felt Ji Ge was giving a "both‑and" contradictory order.

He could not be blocked, and his counsel fell on deaf ears. As expected, a single test exposed the true colors of the Qiu Ba group.

Loyalty has limits and a bottom line. The "absolute loyalty" Ji Ge fantasizes about simply does not exist.

"Lishi, if this continues, it won't work. I still have to curb Li Chang."

Ji Ge suddenly spoke in a low, ominous tone. At the mention of Li Chang, his heart was unsettled, filled with anger and hatred!

For a father to hate his son so deeply—nothing is more tragic in the world.

But even more tragic is that all of this father's sons deeply hate him!

This is the sorrow of being born into an imperial family.

Gao Lishi suddenly felt a chill down his back and whispered, "Sage, what do you intend to do?"

"Appoint Prince Yong Li Lan as the Military Governor of Huaixi, dispatch him to Xuzhou to guard against rebel forces marching south into the two Huai regions.

Appoint Prince Ying Li Jiao as the Military Governor of the Southern Mountain East Circuit, dispatch him to Xiangzhou (Xiangyang) to gather provisions.

Appoint Prince Xin Li Huang as the Military Governor of Wuning, dispatch him to Xuzhou to defend against rebel incursions.

Appoint…"

Ji Ge, in one breath, appointed five or six princes as military governors, sending them out with authority but without specifying any conditions or support.

Gao Lishi, terrified and incoherent, hurriedly kowtowed to Ji Ge and said, "Sage, in this time of national turmoil, lavishly appointing princes as military governors, isn't that…"

He no longer dared to continue.

What chaos will the nation fall into after this!

"Li Chang now has civil authority and military command. The other princes also cannot favor some and neglect others."

"During the Hebei rebellion, Li Chang came out to help; the others should also take him as a model and contribute to the nation."

Ji Ge said in a calm tone, his expression gloomy, the murderous intent on his face undisguised.

One must admit, this move of his is truly ruthless!

Li Chang is not a 'sole dominant family'; now he even wants to 'establish a separate court'?

"Fine then, as your father, I'll arrange a few brothers to 'cooperate' with you, the Crown Prince, to quell the rebellion together."

Seeing Gao Lishi still kneeling on the ground, Ji Ge helped him up and asked, "Lishi, do you think something is amiss?"

"I, I don't know how to say it properly…"

Gao Lishi sighed helplessly, shaking his head repeatedly.

"I know everything you think; go draft the edict."

Ji Ge lightly waved his hand.

"Here you go."

Gao Lishi slowly walked out of Qinzhengwubenlou, and when he reached the doorway, he was unexpectedly caught by the threshold and nearly fell.

After he left, Ji Ge finally slumped onto the dragon throne.

His vacant eyes stared at the beam as he muttered, "Quan Zhong, I will not concede easily; just wait and see."

(End of Chapter)