Chapter 467: My Father Is My Father, and I Am My Father's Son

Before coming to Heyin County, Fang Chongyong and the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army were dispirited, down-and-out lions with no clear path ahead.

But when they departed from Heyin County, the transport boats in their convoy were all loaded with various provisions, supplies, and silks — and even a fair amount of fine wine!

The officers and men of the army immediately surged with morale, brimming with confidence about the road ahead!

Eating hotpot, singing songs, brewing fine wine, enjoying the dishes.

At this moment, inside the cabin of a transport boat, Fang Chongyong had invited Lu Mai here to drink and chat together. Most of the commanders of the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army were also present.

Having pulled off a big job, of course they had to celebrate properly — this was also a common method for building camaraderie and maintaining morale.

But as far as Lu Mai was concerned, Fang Chongyong had robbed the Lu clan's treasury as brazenly as a thief covering his own ears, then invited him along to eat, drink, and make merry. It was hard to say this wasn't a form of "killing the heart along with the man."

In any case, the young and hot-blooded Lu Mai, sitting in the cabin, felt ill at ease no matter what. Like the crane standing among a flock of chickens.

After three rounds of wine, Fang Chongyong set down his cup and said to the crowd with a smile: "This Jiedushi will pose you a riddle. Whoever answers correctly gets a handsome reward!"

"Jiedushi, what kind of reward?"

He Changqi asked, his face full of excitement.

All the commanders looked at Fang Chongyong; only Lu Mai sat alone in a corner drinking, utterly unaccustomed to this kind of boisterous banquet packed with rough soldiers.

Nor did he care what Fang Chongyong might reward them with.

"If you want beauties, this Jiedushi will reward you with beauties; if you want wealth and silks, this Jiedushi will reward you with wealth and silks. How about that?"

Fang Chongyong laughed heartily.

The Yinqiang Xiaojie Army's expansion was imminent — even if someone asked for an official post, he could afford to grant it.

"That sounds wonderful! Jiedushi, please pose the question!"

He Changqi patted his chest with full confidence, as if whatever question Fang Chongyong posed, he would surely be able to answer it.

"Listen well!

Walking the streets with nothing to do, carrying a pot to buy wine;

Meeting a tavern, double it; seeing a flower, drink one dou;

Three times meeting tavern and flower, finish all the wine in the pot.

Tell me — how much wine was originally in the pot?"

Fang Chongyong stroked the short beard on his chin and looked around at everyone as he asked.

Huh?

A bunch of rough soldiers who could take up swords and charge into battle, ride horses and hack down enemies — they were all experts at that. But these convoluted riddles were a bit beyond their comprehension.

Wine this, tavern that, flowers this — what kind of bird-brained nonsense was all this!

"You're not allowed to speak!"

Fang Chongyong pointed at Che Guangqian and said.

Strictly speaking, Little Che was a scholar; joining the army was just a side pursuit. This kind of most basic math problem from the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art — he certainly knew the answer.

"Jiedushi, such a difficult question — your humble general can't figure it out!"

He Changqi scratched his head and said.

The other commanders were equally at a loss, their expressions largely the same as He Changqi's. The atmosphere in the cabin turned awkward at once.

"Jiedushi, it's seven-eighths!"

Lu Mai in the corner chimed in.

The whispering voices in the cabin abruptly stopped. Commanders like He Changqi were still puzzling over what exactly this "seven-eighths" meant.

"Seven-eighths means seven of eight — the same usage as 'two or three out of ten'! What he said is seven-eighths of a dou — less than one dou of wine!"

Che Guangqian whispered a reminder in He Changqi's ear!

"Oh! So that's how it is... I still don't understand it at all."

He Changqi thought it over, but still couldn't fathom why that was the answer.

"Not bad, Master Lu! Come, come, come — take the seat of honor!"

Fang Chongyong pointed at Lu Mai and said, beckoning him forward to sit beside his own table. Clearly, Lu Mai had answered correctly.

Lu Mai, startled and flattered, stepped forward and took his seat. He found that Fang Chongyong seemed somewhat easier to talk to than he had anticipated, so he summoned his courage and asked: "Jiedushi, you led men to raid the Lu clan's estate — was it because the Lu clan treated their tenant farmers harshly, provoking widespread public outrage? Were you acting on behalf of heaven to deliver justice?"

The moment those words left his mouth, the cabin — which had been as noisy as a vegetable market — instantly fell silent.

The rough soldiers who had been playing drinking games and swapping crude talk also stopped, all turning to look at Fang Chongyong at once. The previously casual atmosphere in the cabin suddenly grew tense!

"Master Lu, this Jiedushi must remind you of one thing."

Fang Chongyong paused, then continued: "These provisions in the transport boats were all given to us as military supplies by the managers of the Lu clan's estate. Moreover, we wrote IOUs, so once the turmoil subsides in the future, the Lu clan can seek reimbursement from the imperial court. There is no question of any plundering."

These words shut down any further questions from Lu Mai entirely.

We are the grand royal army, charged with protecting the realm and pacifying the people — how could we possibly engage in plundering the countryside?

Those killings and robberies must have been the work of bandits — at most, bandits wearing Tang army armor! It has not one copper coin's worth of connection to us.

You can eat carelessly, but you'd better not speak carelessly!

"The Jiedushi speaks truly."

Lu Mai said helplessly, feeling he could not win an argument with Fang Chongyong. Because every man in this cabin had a sword in his hand.

Sensing that Lu Mai was still somewhat unconvinced, Fang Chongyong then sighed and said: "However, those bandits who killed people — it probably wasn't for any so-called 'ridding the people of harm' either."

"I would like to hear the details!"

A surge of anger rose in Lu Mai's heart. He had remained unconvinced all along, believing that Fang Chongyong and his men acted with impunity simply because they had swords in their hands. In a proper point-by-point debate, they could never out-argue him.

"The managers of the Lu clan's estate — that is to say, a branch of your Lu clan. How they treated the tenant farmers, this Jiedushi does not know, but given the Lu clan's shrewdness, I imagine they would not have treated the tenants too poorly.

Consider those who tend sheep — they also try their best to keep the flock well fed; those who herd cattle also try their best to keep the cattle well fed.

Otherwise, how could these livestock plow their fields and bring them the things they desire? If the Lu clan treated their tenant farmers so poorly that they could no longer survive, then who would do the mountainous piles of work piled up in the estate?

This question, in truth, is very easy to understand."

Fang Chongyong explained patiently.

Inside the cabin, He Changqi and the others also pricked up their ears to listen. After all, they had always followed orders and acted accordingly, and had never seriously thought about why Fang Chongyong wanted to kill the collateral branch of the Lu clan.

And he killed five or six of them in one breath!

"Fine, let us assume the Lu clan treated their tenant farmers well, collected rent that was not high, and let them live somewhat more comfortably than ordinary independent farmers.

Then let me ask you: did the Lu clan pay enough in taxes to the court, and those corvée labor duties, and the corresponding silk and cloth—were the quantities paid in full?

If not, by how much were they short?"

Fang Chongyong looked at Lu Mai and asked.

This question was truly somewhat hard to bring oneself to speak of. Though Lu Mai was very simple-hearted, he was a rare intelligent man!

Since they were reasoning face to face, he could not hoodwink the other party, could not deceive others while at the same time deceiving himself.

The court currently collected taxes by "head count," and those tenant farmers were all unregistered households, not counted as "people"—the Lu clan only needed to pay taxes for a few managers.

The shady dealings in this, as long as one was not blind, one could see them!

"Actually, you know it too, don't you? The Lu clan's main household's food, clothing, and expenses in Luoyang—their brocade garments and jade meals—all come from the taxes you were supposed to hand over to the court!

The taxes those tenant farmers should have paid to the state, because they had no land, were collected on their behalf by you. But you did not hand them over to the state; instead, using official-sounding methods, you exploited loopholes in court regulations to wipe them clean and pocketed the difference yourselves.

You treat your own tenant farmers well, but that does not mean you treat those independent farmers who pay taxes to the state well too! In fact, precisely because of your existence, their burden has grown even heavier, to the point that whenever a disaster year comes, they must sell their sons and daughters!

And yet you still dare to claim you are innocent?"

Fang Chongyong looked at Lu Mai and said righteously.

Lu Mai stood stunned for a long time, digesting Fang Chongyong's arguments, trying to find a flaw in his words. Yet he thought for a long time and could not find where the other party had said anything wrong.

Wealth does not appear out of thin air; the Lu clan's mountains of gold and silver all came from the tireless labor of their tenant farmers. And to better seize and plunder, the Lu clan also leveraged official power, exploited defects in the court's system, and used various means to "evade taxes."

This amounted to intercepting the taxes that the tenant farmers should have paid to the state and keeping them for private use. Over time, the harm to the state was plain to see.

To put it plainly, they were parasites of the state!

"Have you figured it out?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a smile.

"I have figured it out. One's own sins are unforgivable."

Lu Mai's mouth was full of bitterness; he finally understood why Fang Chongyong wanted to kill members of the Lu clan.

Because given this Jiedushi's ambition, if anyone was going to intercept the court's taxes, it should be him—the Jiedushi who held the blade!

How could the Lu clan do such a thing?

Since it was all about intercepting the court's taxes, there was no distinction between good people and bad; everyone relied on their own ability. I have a blade in my hand—what gives you the right not to obey me?

This was the simple logic of a soldier.

"Good that you understand. After we arrive in Bianzhou, I have many documents to issue, and you will be very busy then.

But you can rest assured—your proper salary will not be shortchanged."

Fang Chongyong laughed heartily and said.

"This humble official accepts the order."

Lu Mai's heart was filled with mixed feelings; he cupped his hands and bowed to Fang Chongyong.

"Come, come, come, today we drink to our hearts' content! Once we reach Bianzhou, we must seize the city! Here's wishing you all a triumphant start!"

Fang Chongyong filled his own wine cup to the brim, raised it, and drained it in one gulp!

Wait—seize the city?

He Changqi and the others, who had habitually raised their wine cups, all froze in place, looking at Fang Chongyong with faces full of confusion.

"Jiedushi, will Bianzhou not open its gates to welcome the royal army?"

He Changqi asked in disbelief.

"Bianzhou will indeed open its gates to welcome the royal army, but... we are rebels—at least for now."

Che Guangqian added a remark from the side.

……

The ferry landing outside Kaifeng city was bustling with people coming and going, as busy as ever, utterly unaffected by the war.

If one truly had to name an effect, it was that it had become even busier than before!

Goods arriving from the Lianghuai and Jiangnan regions, once blocked at Bianzhou, would not continue onward, because ahead lay the front line where the two armies faced off, and merchants feared being plundered by the Hebei rebel army! This indirectly led to Bianzhou's prosperity.

Li Jiaqing, a subordinate general under Fang Youde, had been appointed by Crown Prince Li Chang as Jiedushi of the Zhongwu Army, responsible for transporting Bianzhou's grain and supplies to Luoyang.

The Crane Control Army was directly under Fang Youde's command; the Zhongwu Army only had some newly recruited militia troops with very poor combat capability, and for now could only handle logistics.

However, transporting grain and supplies by water to Luoyang was no easy journey either. Because the canal section from Bianzhou to Luoyang had been abandoned for over ten years, only small boats with very limited cargo capacity could travel it, relying on a grain transport method akin to ants moving house.

As for dredging the canal, no one knew when that would happen—at the very least, it could not be during a war.

Early that morning, Li Jiaqing had just mounted Kaifeng's city walls to inspect when a scout came to report that a large fleet of grain transport boats was approaching from the north!

Coming from the north, they could only have come via the Yongji Canal in Hebei, which meant their identity was all but obvious!

They could only be the Hebei rebel army! He had actually been worrying about this all along, and never expected that this scene would finally come to pass!

"Quick, quickly set up defenses! Close the gates of Kaifeng—no one is allowed to leave the city!"

Li Jiaqing hastily gave the order, his heart pounding wildly!

Given Bianzhou's current level of defense, they could only execute a "mobile defense," trading space for time and using the network of waterways to fight a guerrilla campaign against the Hebei rebels. Kaifeng city could not be held!

Before long, just as expected, a force—helmets gleaming and armor polished—disembarked from the grain boats and formed up below the city walls. They had both infantry and cavalry and looked very sharp and capable, though their numbers were only two to three thousand.

Kaifeng's city walls, according to court regulations, were of the second-to-lowest class, standing one zhang and five chi high. Because it was a commercial port, it was larger than a typical county seat, but its length and width were still less than two thousand meters or so.

If truly attacked by tens of thousands, it could not be held no matter what.

Seeing that the enemy's numbers were not great, Li Jiaqing breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Thwang!

Suddenly, an arrow shot onto the city wall from below. The personal guards picked it up and handed it to Li Jiqing.

Opening it, he saw written on it the sixteen characters: 'Yinqiang Xiaojie, obeying Heaven to pacify the rebellion; the crown prince ascends the throne, may he live ten thousand years without end.'

Yinqiang Xiaojie Army! Fang Chongyong!

After confirming the enemy's unit designation, Li Jiqing was overjoyed!

"Isn't that Fang Guozhong himself down there!"

Li Jiqing shouted toward those outside the city.

"Exactly! He is the son of Fang Quan zhong, leading troops to support the king!"

Fang Chongyong stepped out of the formation and shouted toward the city wall.

"Who can vouch for this?"

Li Jiqing still felt uneasy, after all, he had never seen Fang Chongyong. What if someone was impersonating him?

"There is Fang Laique, a household slave of the Fang family, inside the city as proof—just find him and bring him here!"

Fang Chongyong suddenly recalled that Fang Laique had left together with Fang Youde originally, and should now also be in Kaifeng City. As for whether Wang Yunxiu and the others had reached Kaifeng, Fang Chongyong had no idea and dared not bring it up.

"Go to the Fang manor and fetch Fang Laique."

Li Jiqing ordered his personal guards.

"Yes, sir!"

The guards received the order and departed.

Soon after, the dull-eyed, calm-faced Fang Laique, who had grown much taller than a few years ago, was brought by Li Jiqing's personal guards, accompanied by Fang Chongyong's principal wife, Wang Yunxiu.

"Is that person down there Fang Guozhong?"

Li Jiqing pointed at Fang Chongyong outside the city and asked Fang Laique.

"No, he is Fang Chongyong, not Fang Guozhong."

Fang Laique said this firmly, his pair of dead-fish eyes showing no ripple.

Ah, this boy is just a big fool!

Li Jiqing revealed a helpless smile, looking at Wang Yunxiu, hoping she would say something.

"General Li, what is there still to hesitate about? Open the city gate quickly! Outside are my husband and his trusted followers!"

Seeing Fang Chongyong riding on his horse, Wang Yunxiu trembled all over with excitement.

"My husband said, do not open the city gate for Fang Chongyong. Let him roll as far away as he can."

Fang Laique reminded Li Jiqing in a voice devoid of emotion.

"General Li, how could father and son harm each other? The Yinqiang Xiaojie Army has already been branded rebels by the foolish ruler; now they come with troops to support the crown prince—is there still any doubt?"

Wang Yunxiu urged Li Jiqing, then immediately shoved Fang Laique to one side.

Li Jiqing looked at Fang Laique, whose intellect was nothing like a normal person's, then at Wang Yunxiu, who was smart, capable, and spoke clearly.

He still decided to open the city gate and let the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army enter.

After all, my father is my father, and I am my father's son!

The principle that blood ties are not severed by distance—do we really need to elaborate further?

Grand Commander Fang's authority and wealth will eventually still belong to Commander Fang Jiedushi.

Father's legacy passes to the son, ordinary human ethics. Li Jiqing does not feel that offending Fang Chongyong now would gain him any benefit from Fang Youde.

They are the true father and son!

"Madam Wang makes sense. Come on, open the city gate and welcome the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army inside!"

Li Jiqing waved his hand and ordered the city gate opened.

Accompanied by a grating sound, the long-closed gate of Kaifeng City swung wide open; Li Jiqing, accompanied by his confidants, walked out to meet Fang Chongyong outside.

(End of chapter)