Chapter 458: A Famous General's Elegy (Part One)

"You smell so good!"

In the darkness, Fang Chongyong, lying on the bed, kissed Anaye's neck while his hands roamed restlessly everywhere. Both of them were completely naked, having made love from nightfall until late into the night before stopping.

Long-suppressed emotions were finally released completely.

Both felt pleasure to the utmost, an indescribable bliss.

"Alang is so rough. Your slave is going to be ruined by you."

Anaye murmured in a low voice, turned over with her back to Fang Chongyong, and went back to sleep. She occasionally wondered too—if she hadn't ended up with a general built like an ox, would each tryst be over in no time?

"If thirty thousand troops of the Chishui Army hadn't arrived, I wouldn't have dared touch you. I was afraid of neglecting important matters for the sake of dalliance with a beauty."

Fang Chongyong couldn't help but sigh.

Doing that sort of thing in bed wasn't a problem in itself, but the influence was somewhat bad. If the subordinate generals saw their commander carrying on like this, they would surely follow suit.

With not many troops in hand, to hold Taiyuan and even counterattack—the pressure was immense. Any small mistake could cause the situation to collapse.

"Alang, am I the illegitimate daughter of Li Yi, the Prince of Xin'an?"

Anaye suddenly asked.

After a long silence, Fang Chongyong let out a long sigh and said, "It's true, and it's a very sad story. You're better off not knowing."

"Sigh, so my bloodline is this wanton."

The princesses and county princesses of the Great Tang are all the sort who seek out paramours for no reason, and their reputation in Hexi is quite poor.

No wonder every time I told my father in private that those people were harlots, his face would show a very strange expression."

Anaye couldn't help but grumble, seemingly not caring too much about it.

Fang Chongyong knew that she had never had any fondness for Jige and his crowd, and had no desire to forge ties with the Li-Tang imperial clan.

"Don't you want to acknowledge your ancestry and return to the clan or anything?"

Fang Chongyong asked curiously.

"A birth father is not as good as an adoptive father. Does that even need to be said? Alang, you've really regressed. What does the Prince of Xin'an matter? You're the Prince Who Pacifies the West!

Isn't the Princess Consort of the Prince Who Pacifies the West a finer title than some illegitimate daughter of the Prince of Xin'an?

The Prince of Xin'an's family probably thinks I want to go back and demand a dowry! Who cares about that!"

Anaye grew angrier the more she spoke. In Fang Chongyong's view, she was still quite bothered about being abandoned by her birth father, and it seemed she no longer intended to reconcile.

Just as the two were chatting idly, the sound of drums suddenly came from outside the window!

Dong dong dong!

Dong dong dong!

Dong dong dong!

The sound was incomparably resonant, extremely piercing, and the beating was very steady!

"Damn it! Someone has struck the General-Summoning Drum!"

Fang Chongyong, who had just been in the land of tenderness, immediately scrambled out of bed, swiftly lit the torches on the wall, and then dressed at lightning speed!

"Alang, is it very urgent?"

Anaye rubbed her eyes and asked, pulling up the blanket to cover her fair skin.

"It's not urgent, it's a major incident! The General-Summoning Drum—only I have the authority to sound it! Now the drum is beating, and I did not order it!

This person absolutely harbors ill intent!"

Fang Chongyong was so anxious that sweat covered his head!

When he stepped out of the courtyard, he found He Changqi, Che Guangqian, Feng Changqing, and others already gathered there, every one of them wearing an ugly expression!

"Who is on duty today?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a stern face.

"Jiedushi, it is Guan Chongsi. I'm afraid he's been drinking again."

Che Guangqian said with deep concern.

"Let's go, to the government office!"

Fang Chongyong's heart had already sunk to rock bottom. When the group arrived at the government office, they found Yan Zhenqing, Li Guangbi, and others all present—not seated in the main seat, but lined up among the attendees.

The person sitting in the main seat took Fang Chongyong completely by surprise.

Jige!

Beside Jige was Gao Lishi, both staring at him unblinking.

"Your humble servant pays respects to the Sage."

Fang Chongyong crossed his hands and bowed to Jige.

"We have long heard that Guozhong governs the army with strict discipline. The General-Summoning Drum had only sounded five times, and Guozhong has already arrived at the government office. Not bad!

Truly worthy of being the iron army under Our command!"

Jige looked at Fang Chongyong with a smile and said.

"Your humble servant is overwhelmed. It is all part of my duty!"

Fang Chongyong hastily bowed humbly, not daring to show any expression of taking credit or being arrogant.

"Is everyone here?"

Jige looked around at everyone and asked.

But quite obviously, Fang Chongyong crawling out of bed from atop Anaye in the middle of the night was naturally the last to arrive—or rather, he and the generals of the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army were all the last to arrive.

"To reply to the Sage, all are present."

Yan Zhenqing bowed to Jige and said.

"Very well, then We shall proclaim the edict."

Jige nodded slightly, looking not the least bit weary. On the contrary, Fang Chongyong and Anaye had played in bed for most of the night, and he now looked merely ordinary, somewhat listless.

"Guozhong, I was worried about the military situation in Hedong, and after coming to Taiyuan, I worried that villains were causing trouble in Chang'an.

I now appoint you Defense Commissioner of Guanzhong.

You are to depart immediately, take the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army, and return to Chang'an to take over the defense of Chang'an and its surroundings, commanding all troops in Guanzhong!

My treasuries, the imperial clansmen, the palace gardens, and the elders of Guanzhong — I entrust them all to you."

Brother Ji's first imperial edict was earth-shattering!

Everyone present looked at Brother Ji in disbelief, not knowing what game he was playing.

If you say he came to seize power, yet Chang'an's defense was of the utmost importance, far exceeding even Hedong. To put it bluntly, if Fang Chongyong went ruthless, the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army was enough to bathe Chang'an in blood and exterminate the Li imperial clan. This level of trust could be called entrusting one's orphans.

But if you say he came to "entrust heavy responsibility," beating the commander-summoning drum in the middle of the night was no different from when Liu Bang entered Han Xin's grand camp to seize military authority! If the intent was to summon Fang Chongyong back to guard Chang'an, why go to such great lengths?

No matter how you looked at it, his actions were strange.

"Your Majesty, Fang Guozhong is the pillar of Hedong's military affairs. Now is precisely the time to march out of Hedong and sweep across Hebei. Changing commanders on the eve of battle is detrimental to the army."

The one who stepped forward to speak was none other than Yan Zhenqing!

In his view, Brother Ji's edict was extremely improper! Moreover, it had not been stamped by the Policy Deliberation Hall at all!

Who would have known that Brother Ji waved his hand dismissively and said, "Wang Zhongsong is Fang Guozhong's father-in-law, and will soon arrive in Taiyuan. My second edict is to appoint Wang Zhongsong as Vice Marshal of All Under Heaven's Troops and Horses, and Military Commissioner of Four Garrisons. His original military authority shall be taken over by An Chongzhang, Deputy Commander of the Chishui Army. I myself am Grand Marshal of All Under Heaven's Troops and Horses, and shall not directly involve myself in military affairs."

Your father-in-law comes to take over your post — do you yield or not?

The generals who had originally wanted to speak up for Fang Chongyong, such as Li Guangbi and others, immediately fell silent.

"This humble servant accepts the edict."

Fang Chongyong bowed and accepted the tally and letter of appointment handed over by Gao Lishi.

At this point, he had nothing left to say. This edict could not be refused — at the very least, he had to accept it now.

Otherwise, it would be a mutual annihilation, jade and stone burning together.

Even Fang Chongyong's subordinates such as He Changqi, Che Guangqian, Wang Nande, and others had nothing to say at this moment. After all, this was a return to Chang'an.

On the face of it, Fang Chongyong had no reason whatsoever to refuse this edict.

Moreover, he was face to face with Brother Ji — he could not even use the excuse that "a general in the field is beyond his sovereign's reach"!

"Go. Assemble your troops and march out at once. If anything happens in Chang'an, I shall not shrink from death a thousand times over."

Brother Ji said to Fang Chongyong without the slightest courtesy, ordering him about.

"Orders received. This humble servant departs at once."

After giving Brother Ji a crossed-hand salute, Fang Chongyong turned and walked out. The generals of the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army filed out after him, and the grand hall of the prefectural office was suddenly emptied of quite a few people.

Once they walked out of the Hedong Jiedushi's yamen, He Changqi suddenly stepped forward and whispered to Fang Chongyong in a low voice, "Jiedushi, this lowly general feels that something is not quite right."

If even He Changqi could see that something was off, how could Fang Chongyong not see it as well!

"Go to the grand camp. Assemble the troops and prepare to march out."

Fang Chongyong gave the order with a calm expression.

At this point, more talk was useless. Once back in Chang'an, he would have no shortage of means at his disposal!

He held a pent-up frustration in his heart. Brother Ji, this dog of an emperor, always loved to pull stunts. Now that the Great Tang had already rotted to this state, he still wanted to cause trouble!

Fine, you just wait for me!

Fang Chongyong clenched his fists, silently resolving in his heart that this time, returning to Chang'an, he would absolutely make this dog of an emperor pay the price.

By the time the various divisions of the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army had all lined up and were ready to march out, the sky had already begun to show the pale white of fish belly. Even Anaye had changed into a personal guard's military uniform and mounted his horse, ready to set off.

"Let's go. Back to Chang'an!"

Fang Chongyong looked around at his generals and said.

He noticed that Che Guangqian seemed to have something to say, so he patted him on the shoulder and said, "Say it on the road."

……

From Taiyuan back to Chang'an, there was only one road to take — the famous "Hedong Circuit."

The terrain of Hedong, with mountains and rivers forming natural barriers inside and out, was such that during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the wars between Eastern Wei and Western Wei, Northern Qi and Northern Zhou, were essentially fought around this very road.

Fang Chongyong led the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army contingent, departing from Taiyuan and marching steadily toward the southwest. The plan was to first pass through Qingyuan, Jiaocheng, Wenshui, and other counties to replenish some provisions, then arrive at Jiexiu, head south from Jiexiu, and pass through Queshu Valley!

The earlier stretches of the journey were not worth mentioning — it was marching within the Taiyuan Basin, as easy as walking on flat ground.

But Queshu Valley was different.

This was the boundary between the Taiyuan Basin and the Linfen Basin, stretching for dozens of li, with a narrow and long mountain path and treacherous terrain.

It was the southern gate of Taiyuan!

After a day's march, the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army had already reached the vicinity of Jiexiu County town — the entrance to Queshu Valley.

After Fang Chongyong ordered them to make camp on the spot, he dispatched some soldiers to the county town of Jiexiu to find supplies.

Che Guangqian hurriedly found him, and the two went to a secluded spot with no one around for a private talk.

Making sure no one was around, Che Guangqian said with great concern, "Jiedushi, this lowly general believes that His Majesty's edict has a great problem!"

"I also know the problem is great, I just cannot figure out the crux of it."

Fang Chongyong said with a frown. Along the way he had been pondering continuously, unable to figure out what Brother Ji's intention was.

"Jiedushi, think about it — Chang'an is of such vital importance, the very foundation of the Great Tang. Setting aside the high officials and nobles, His Majesty's own kin, the imperial clansmen, all reside there.

How could His Majesty entrust this place to a suspicious person like you, Jiedushi?

To put it bluntly, if you, Jiedushi, joined forces with the Crown Prince and opened up Chang'an's defenses, then what would His Majesty do?

Once we return to Chang'an, we will certainly meet with utter disaster!

I beg you, Jiedushi, by no means return to Chang'an — this is absolutely a scheme!"

Che Guangqian offered a truly terrifying deduction.

"Then in your view, what should be done?"

Fang Chongyong asked in a low voice. He too had realized that the problem had become very serious. Brother Ji having him take up the post of "Defense Commissioner of Guanzhong" was far too strange, violating the common sense of human nature.

"Jiedushi, we occupy Puzhou and cut off Hedong's supply route! Strangle Hedong's provisions.

Given enough time, the conspiracy won't stay hidden! No matter what tricks that dog emperor pulls, we'll remain in an invincible position!

Cut off their provisions and let's see what that dog thief eats! Add thirty thousand extra mouths from the Chishui Army—with supplies severed, let's see if they resort to cannibalism!"

Che Guangqie's face twisted viciously as he made a throat-slitting gesture.

"Let's head to Puzhou first and figure things out. We can't go back to Chang'an anyway."

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly and said.

It had to be said that Che Guangqie's deduction was reasonable.

"Jiedushi, the Inspector of Jinzhou is Li Liangchen, who was originally responsible for securing the supply route. We saved his life before.

Once we pass through Queshu Valley, we can pull Li Liangchen over to our side! This humble general will go be the persuader!"

Che Guangqie requested instructions.

Fang Chongyong waved his hand and said, "No rush for now."

At this moment his right eyelid was twitching wildly, and he didn't know if it was just psychological. As the saying goes, "Left eye twitches for wealth, right eye twitches for disaster," which made Fang Chongyong feel very uneasy.

That night, everyone in the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army, from officers down to soldiers, including Fang Chongyong himself, slept very poorly. This bizarre deployment had cast a shadow over everyone's hearts.

At the first glimmer of dawn, Fang Chongyong ordered the entire army to eat some dry rations and set out immediately.

After entering Queshu Valley, they had to march two abreast, tying people together with ropes to prevent anyone from falling behind.

After marching for one shichen, Che Guangqie suddenly had Fang Chongyong order the entire army to halt!

"Jiedushi, Queshu Valley is a vital route in Hedong. Though the terrain is treacherous, the roads have been continuously repaired for a hundred years. As we've seen along the way, the terrain is perilous but the road itself is not.

There is only this one road from Chang'an to Taiyuan, so how could we march for a whole shichen without seeing a single traveler?"

The two of them were walking at the very front of the column. Hearing these words, Fang Chongyong suddenly snapped to alertness.

That's right—why were there no travelers coming from the other end of Queshu Valley?

Just then, Fang Chongyong saw Tang army banners appear at the edge of his vision! Those people came closer and closer, and on the commander's banner approaching head-on was written an enormous character "Wang."

As this banner appeared, one after another, flags were raised from the hills and woods on both sides.

Countless elite Tang soldiers armed with heavy crossbows were aiming their bow mechanisms at the bewildered soldiers of the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army on the mountain path.

The hills and woods were packed densely with people, so many they couldn't even be counted!

Their entire army moved as one, silent without the slightest clamor. But this silence was terrifying—even a single glance to either side let one feel the rending agony of ten thousand arrows piercing the heart.

"Fang Guozhong, surrender and be bound."

The approaching army parted to open a path. Wang Zhongsi rode forward on horseback and looked at Fang Chongyong as he spoke.

"Wang Zhongsi, what crime have I committed?"

Fang Chongyong drew his Gale Phantom Blade and pointed it at Wang Zhongsi as he demanded answers, as if that man were not his father-in-law at all.

"Whether you are guilty or not, I do not know.

But the Sage has issued an order: the entire Yinqiang Xiaojie Army, from Fang Chongyong on down, is to be killed without mercy, executed on the spot!

The imperial command cannot be defied. If you come back to Taiyuan with me, I will plead with the Sage on your behalf.

If you do not come with me to Taiyuan City, then... I shall carry out the imperial edict."

Wang Zhongsi said with a calm expression, drawing his sword and pointing it at Fang Chongyong.

The generals mounted on horseback beside him included Gao Xianzhi, Li Siye, Wang Sili, Gai Jiayun, Geshu Han, and others—all of them formerly Fang Chongyong's subordinates, some even on good terms with him.

But at this moment, every one of them hung their heads, too ashamed to even look at Fang Chongyong.

A great battle was waiting only for the signal soldier beside Wang Zhongsi to wave the battle flag, ready to erupt at any moment!

(End of this chapter)