Chapter 468: Turning the Tables

"Jiedushi, what is the meaning of this?"

Li Jiaqing's smile was still frozen on his face as he looked at Fang Chongyong in disbelief and demanded.

He had personally led men out of Kaifeng City to welcome Fang Chongyong, yet what Li Jiaqing received was not laughter and warm fellowship, but a cold blade pressed against his neck.

Then came the full binding!

The soldiers beside Fang Chongyong pounced like wolves and tigers the moment they met, disarming Li Jiaqing and all his personal guards. Then, taking advantage of the fact that no organized defense had been mounted within the city, the soldiers of the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army swiftly took control of Kaifeng City's walls.

And Li Jiaqing's Xuanwu Army under his command all became prisoners. Of course, since all of this happened too suddenly and his own side had hardly resisted, the scene still looked relatively peaceful, with no casualties as a result.

But Li Jiaqing simply could not understand—Fang Chongyong should be "one of their own," so why disarm him, a trusted subordinate of Fang Youde?

Even if you don't respect the monk, you should at least respect the Buddha; surely they could show some regard for their mutual ties?

"General Li, is that right? So as not to make things difficult for you, we'll just have to put you through a little inconvenience for now."

Fang Chongyong chuckled, took Li Jiaqing's sword, toyed with it in his hand, and continued, "Don't worry, once you're sent back to Luoyang, the sword will be returned to you as is."

Though he made such a sweeping promise, what Li Jiaqing worried about at this moment was hardly his sword!

How much was a sword worth anyway!

Li Jiaqing asked with an anxious expression, "Jiedushi Fang, have you thrown in with Huangfu Weiming and are now working for the Hebei rebel army? Why put yourself through this?"

He had not considered the possibility that Fang Chongyong was acting on Brother Ji's orders to come to Bianzhou, because that possibility was virtually nonexistent. No matter what, Fang Chongyong could not possibly help an old emperor against a promising crown prince—and his own father to boot.

On the other hand, throwing in with Huangfu Weiming would not be so surprising.

"Huangfu Weiming?"

Fang Chongyong looked as though he had heard something extremely funny.

He laughed heartily and said:

"General Li, you truly overthink things. Huangfu Weiming is nothing but dry bones in a grave—does someone like him deserve my allegiance?

No need to think too much. Just make a trip to Luoyang for me and deliver a letter to the Crown Prince, and everyone comes out fine.

Don't ask what you shouldn't ask, and don't know what you shouldn't know. If you're sent back to Luoyang bound and tied, the Crown Prince won't doubt your loyalty. Understood?

I'm doing this for your own good!"

Hearing these words, Li Jiaqing fell silent. He knew that everything Fang Chongyong said was true. If he were courteously escorted back to Luoyang by Fang Chongyong, he would inevitably be suspected by others of being in cahoots with the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army, of deliberately "handing over" Bianzhou.

After sending Li Jiaqing off, Fang Chongyong did not even have time to return home in Kaifeng City, nor even a moment to speak with Wang Yunxiu, who was eagerly stepping forward to exchange pleasantries, before leading his subordinates to take over the Bianzhou prefectural office located at the heart of Kaifeng County.

After gathering and confining the many civil officials and clerks of the Bianzhou prefectural office, Fang Chongyong issued three military orders in succession.

The first military order: He Changqi was to lead men to take over Kaifeng's city defenses, and concentrate all Xuanwu Army soldiers within the city at the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army camp outside the city for detention, interrogating and screening them one by one.

Those willing to enlist would stay; those unwilling would be dismissed outright.

The second military order: Wang Nande was to take over the Xuanwu Army camp across the canal, and in the name of Crown Prince Li Chang, restrain the soldiers from leaving the camp without authorization.

The third military order: Che Guangqian was to take over the more than ten large and small ferry crossings near Kaifeng City, arrest and confine the Xuanwu Army soldiers responsible for security at those crossings, and replace them entirely with Yinqiang Xiaojie Army soldiers.

Only after issuing the military orders and the various generals accepting their commands and departing did Fang Chongyong breathe a sigh of relief.

This seizure of Kaifeng City was tantamount to theft! The method was underhanded and extremely inglorious. But in an emergency one must bend the rules, and Fang Chongyong could not afford to worry about appearances. Only by rapidly controlling Bianzhou and establishing a fait accompli could he gain a firm foothold and pursue his next steps.

This series of operations was a race against time—so much so that when he saw Wang Yunxiu, he didn't even have time to step forward and greet her!

"Jiedushi, the situation is now under control, but as for the Crown Prince's side, how should we reply? What we've done is no different from slapping Crown Prince Li Chang in the face!"

Record Keeper Adjutant Feng Changqing asked in a lowered voice. At this moment he was deeply worried—he had to admit, Fang Chongyong's decision was far too radical and risky.

In truth, many things could have been discussed properly. After all, Fang Youde was right there in Luoyang—what couldn't be said?

"Prepare brush and ink. I am going to submit a memorial now."

Fang Chongyong said, lightly patting the desk before him, hinting that Feng Changqing should not waste any more time.

Soon, the latter had ground the ink, and Fang Chongyong immediately took up the brush and wrote a very formal "memorial," addressed to none other than Crown Prince Li Chang.

In the memorial, Fang Chongyong first stated that he and the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army, as imperial guards, had always blazed trails through thorns, performed meritorious service through great hardship, fought bravely and skillfully, and struck fear into the hearts of enemy forces on all fronts.

It was only because their merits were now so great that there was no reward left to give, that they had been cruelly persecuted by the incompetent Emperor Li Longji, and had no choice but to flee to Bianzhou to escape disaster.

Secondly, Fang Chongyong said that now, with the Hebei rebellion underway, the incompetent Emperor Li Longji had disregarded the safety of the capital and instead gone to Taiyuan to issue reckless commands, including a series of foolish orders such as ordering the massacre of the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army, which caused the morale of the Hedong army to collapse.

He predicted that in the coming battle, the government forces would surely be defeated and the Hebei rebel army would certainly win a great victory.

If the rebel army won, their arrogance would surely be rampant, looking down on everything and everyone, and they would certainly march south.

By then Henan would be in peril, like a lake suspended overhead, ready to burst and flood at any moment.

Therefore Fang Chongyong requested to be appointed Jiedushi of the Xuanwu Army, and to coordinate the military and civil administration of the six regions of Bianzhou, Songzhou, Caozhou, Chenzhou, Bozhou, and Yingzhou, to select and train militia forces, to unify their command and training, and to organize them to resist the rebel invasion, so as to avoid the predicament of each acting on its own.

Finally, Fang Chongyong earnestly hoped that Li Chang would agree to this request.

In the memorial he emphasized that because they had been betrayed and sold out by the incompetent Emperor Li Longji, the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army—from officers down to soldiers, the entire army—was seething with resentment.

If this resentment were properly channeled, it would be vented upon the Hebei rebel army and become a driving force to serve the nation.

But if it were not properly channeled, then there would be a danger of mutiny. As for what might happen, Fang Chongyong could not predict; in short, it must not be taken lightly.

Though he, as Jiedushi, was loyal to the nation and to the Crown Prince, and could overlook the foolish orders of the incompetent Emperor Li Longji, he could not guarantee that everyone in the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army would swallow their grievances without acting out.

If he could not restrain his soldiers when the time came, disaster might erupt at his elbow. Such a thing—pain to friends and joy to enemies—would truly be regrettable if it came to pass.

Which path to choose, he asked the Crown Prince to decide quickly. Military matters are as urgent as fire, and allow not the slightest hesitation.

This memorial was very long, and its tone was very polite and humble, yet the meaning it conveyed was quite clear:

Give me the post of Jiedushi of the Xuanwu Command, and I'll hold off that bunch of Hebei bastards for you! Henceforth I'll follow orders but not summonses—I won't be manipulated by you, and I won't undermine you either!

If you don't, then just watch—the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army will not rest until they've turned Henan upside down.

By then not only will you have no one to help you fight, but the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army will instead destroy your existing government structure. The rebel army might well fight their way all the way to Yangzhou. If that day truly comes, I'd like to see whether you cry or laugh.

You'd better weigh this carefully!

After finishing the memorial, Fang Chongyong handed it to Feng Changqing to review.

"What do you think?"

Fang Chongyong asked curiously, knowing that Feng Changqing always had ideas of his own.

"Jiedushi, you certainly have nerve!"

After finishing the memorial, Feng Changqing said with a bitter smile.

"This is a matter of mutual benefit. If Li Chang refuses, then we'll destroy Henan and flee to the Lianghuai region. Right now we have enough rations to last us well over half a year. The world is vast—where can't we go?"

Fang Chongyong scoffed. Clearly, he hadn't given the slightest thought to being some loyal official or fine general. He had already fully cast himself in the role of a rebel, his mindset perfectly matching those grassroots heroes who rose up in arms!

But truth be told, Fang Chongyong genuinely didn't think Li Chang would refuse. Moreover, he believed that even if Li Chang lost his head and wanted to fight it out with him, that so-called "child prodigy" Li Mi would not.

"Jiedushi, your idea can't be called bad. But as far as I know, Bianzhou is a land surrounded by battlefields on all sides. Can we truly hold Bianzhou?"

Feng Changqing asked with some doubt.

He had previously studied the terrain around Bianzhou in rough outline. While it couldn't be called impregnable, it could certainly be described as leaking wind on all sides. Using such a place as a base was truly somewhat hard to put into words.

None but one of great wisdom and courage could undertake it.

"You don't understand. It's just like how the utterly vulgar becomes the supremely elegant—the greatest peril is the greatest opportunity.

Bianzhou will become the fulcrum of the entire Tang.

It's like how the very core of a storm at sea is actually the calmest. You just need to sit back and watch the show unfold."

Fang Chongyong gave a cold, mocking laugh.

Controlling Bianzhou meant controlling the canal transport. Controlling the canal transport meant controlling the economic lifeline of the Tang.

When that time came, whether it was Hebei or Guanzhong, the moment the Bianzhou canal was choked off, it would instantly make those bloated, corrupt aristocrats understand what "water cut off on odd days, intermittent supply on even days" meant!

Of course, telling his subordinates all this now was far too ahead of its time. They wouldn't understand just how powerful the canal's impact would be in the future.

"Go. Copy it out and have Li Jiaqing bring it back to Luoyang."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand broadly, his suspended heart finally settling down.

The imperial forces in Hedong were massing, apparently intending to push deep into the heartland of Hebei for a decisive battle with Huangfu Weiming.

The latter would surely lead his troops back from Yecheng to combine with Shi Siming in a two-pronged pincer, striving for a counter-kill.

The impact of this battle would be extremely far-reaching.

If the imperial forces won, Hebei would be pacified and the next round of purges would begin.

If the rebel army won, the court's authority would collapse, the Crown Prince would seize the moment to take power and save the day, and the Hebei rebel army would surge forward like a rainbow straight for Chang'an.

No one knew how long this battle would last.

But clearly, regardless of who won or lost, in the meantime the pressure on Henan would be greatly eased because of it!

This was an extremely rare window of opportunity. Using this window, more than enough could be accomplished.

"Why haven't you gone yet?"

Seeing that Feng Changqing hadn't moved, Fang Chongyong asked with a puzzled look.

"Jiedushi, if the Crown Prince sends someone to raise an army and punish us, what should we do? For instance, if your father leads troops here—do we fight or not?"

And how should we fight?"

Feng Changqing asked in a lowered voice.

"Rest assured. I can't speak for others, but that eccentric father of mine will not lead troops to Bianzhou."

Fang Chongyong said leisurely. He was completely certain in his heart about what that Tang eccentric would and would not do.

This was something outsiders couldn't understand, because they couldn't comprehend Fang Youde's inner journey. For the glory of the Tang—even a hypocritical glory—he would press forward, heedless of the world's censure.

With the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army, that trump-card force, helping to pin down one of the main Hebei rebel columns, what reason did Fang Youde have to refuse? Did he hope the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army would continue south into the Lianghuai and Jiangnan regions, stirring up war in the parts of the Tang that hadn't yet fallen into chaos?

This time, Fang Chongyong had Fang Youde dead to rights!

……

That day, hearing that Li Mi had arrived at Shangyang Palace, Li Chang hurried to the palace gate to welcome him. The moment they met, he asked, "How are things in Chang'an?"

Li Chang had previously gone to Chang'an to liaise with the power brokers among the various aristocratic families, hoping they would fully support Li Chang in taking control of Chang'an and ascending the throne as emperor.

But looking at Li Mi's calm face, Li Chang knew the outcome of this trip might not be very good.

It might even be very bad!

"The timing for taking control of Chang'an right now is not quite ripe."

Li Mi shook his head with some disappointment.

He had sought out the people of the great clans—the Wei, the Pei, the Du.

He had even approached figures from the literary world, such as Yan Zhenqing.

But everyone shared one attitude: the imperial forces are still under the Sage's control—what exactly are you trying to do? If the Sage leads his troops back, can you stop him? Can the Crown Prince stop him? The dead then won't be just one or two!

Simply put, they didn't believe Li Chang could succeed.

Over in Hedong, Brother Ji clearly held a massive bloc of elite border troops—what the hell were they even talking about! That these great clan members didn't curse at Li Mi to his face was already showing Li Chang considerable face!

Of course, many people also revealed obvious disappointment toward Brother Ji, but emotions couldn't be eaten as food.

If supporting Li Chang in taking control of Luoyang earlier, using the Crown Prince's status to supervise the battle at the front, still had some reason to it; then drawing Li Chang into Chang'an, as far as Brother Ji was concerned, was naked rebellion!

This was fundamentally different from before, to the extent that none of the Chang'an aristocrats dared to get involved.

"Is that so?"

Li Chang sighed. Though this outcome was more or less expected, when he actually heard it from Li Mi's own mouth, he still couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

The desire for revenge against Brother Ji, like a venomous snake, tore at Li Chang's heart every day, making him wish he were dead. As power came within his grasp, his dormant heart was reawakened, and so too were the pain and regret within him reawakened.

"Your Highness, this is a critical moment of shifting tides. We would do well to watch and wait. Taking control of Chang'an is premature. Better to steadfastly hold Luoyang.

Your Highness's efforts are visible to all the world."

Li Mi said, consoling the dispirited Li Chang.

Just then, a eunuch hurried over and bowed to Li Chang, saying, "Your Highness, General Li Jiaqing has come to Luoyang."

"Doesn't he come to Luoyang often?"

Li Chang asked with a puzzled look, not understanding what was so remarkable about what this eunuch was saying.

"Your Highness... sigh, I can't explain it clearly; you'd better go see for yourself—I'll now guide you."

The eunuch before Li Chang made an inviting gesture.

"Your Highness, this humble official will accompany you."

Li Mi nodded and said.

"That's also acceptable."

Li Chang sighed, feeling extremely vexed.

(End of chapter)