Chapter 5: Summoning an Army to Demand Justice

North of Kui City, farther away, it is all mountains and hardly any roads can be seen. Now Fang Chongyong stands on the rammed‑earth north city wall and can see the fierce flames raging over the deep green mountains in the distance!

Thick smoke billows! It blocks the sky and obscures the sun!

This wave of Liao rebellion—who knows how many forests they'll burn down.

Fang Chongyong couldn't help but whisper to Zheng Shuqing beside him, "Governor Zheng, the Liao are causing such trouble—does the prefectural city ignore them?"

"These are internal affairs of the Liao; any help we give will only make things more chaotic."

Zheng Shuqing let out a light sigh, saying that many matters cannot be explained to Fang Chongyong in a few words.

The Liao are like the peoples of the mountain‑valleys, scattered in groups of three to five, without organization or any chieftains to lead them.

In Shu and the far southwest they appear everywhere; Kui Prefecture only has the riverside Kui Prefecture capital city and the eastern Wushan County city populated by Han, while the farther, more mountainous areas are Liao settlements.

Although Han and Liao often clash, Kui Prefecture capital is a trading port that offers the Liao many livelihood opportunities, so their relationship is more like separate streams that do not interfere—deeply integrated, with no open hostilities. In fact, they cooperate frequently; merchants often hire Liao as guides or servants to earn a living on ships.

If a Liao causes trouble inside the city, Zheng Shuqing represents the authorities to handle it, and most of the time it's just trivial matters.

The so‑called big issues are only between Liao themselves!

At that moment, a few Liao—dark‑skinned, wearing blue headscarves and short jackets with long trousers—danced wildly and shouted loudly from the closed gates of Kui City, their words vaguely sounding like "save me," though the pronunciation was strange. They were clearly demanding that Zheng Shuqing order the gates opened so they could seek refuge inside.

Fang Chongyong hadn't even spoken before the pursuers arrived behind those people—more than a dozen Liao wielding knives and axes, dressed identically to the fleeing Liao—who rushed in, slashing with white blades and withdrawing with red ones.

The few Liao could barely resist; after being cut down, their bodies were dragged away by the pursuers, leaving long streaks of blood on the ground. Soon, aside from the dark‑red stains, it was as if nothing had happened.

On the city wall, Zheng Shuqing, Yang Ruoxu and others stared expressionlessly, calmly watching the brutal, bloody slaughter without uttering a word.

"Since people have been killed, the mountain fire should die down as well,"

After a long while, Zheng Shuqing whispered to Fang Chongyong, and, as if confirming his words, the distant mountain fire had indeed diminished considerably.

Seeing that Fang Chongyong still seemed doubtful, Zheng Shuqing explained, "The Liao solve problems by killing outright; a father's death does not excuse the son, they act like beasts. Such atrocities could be stopped by the city's united troops, but there is another matter that cannot be prevented."

"Please, Governor, enlighten me."

Fang Chongyong humbly asked for guidance, noting that Governor Zheng seemed to be doing a fine job in Kui, and that he had indeed underestimated others' governance.

"When the Liao burn mountains, they are burning the She lands. After the fire, there are She fields, which they will farm the following year. When the soil loses fertility, they move elsewhere to burn again. During the burns they often perform rain‑seeking sacrifices and kill enemies as offerings to heaven… How can the authorities possibly stop this?"

Zheng Shuqing said with a helpless expression.

The Han of Kui no longer farm much, but the Liao have no grain or cloth trade with merchants; they still practice primitive slash‑and‑burn agriculture. Under such conditions, the harvest and quality of any crops they grow are easy to imagine.

These products have no market competitiveness in Kui's trading port; the visiting merchants are seasoned and would never buy Liao‑produced goods to resell elsewhere. The items the Liao trade with merchants belong to a different realm altogether.

Zheng Shuqing felt he had no need to explain this to a green‑horn youngster.

"The Liao readily slaughter entire families of their enemies, with no regard for law or order…"

Fang Chongyong muttered to himself, his heart a tangle of emotions.

The pitiful inevitably have hateful aspects; if people lack propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame, and have no legal restraints, they will indeed become like those Liao outside the city.

The Liao come to Kui City and behave honestly not because they wish to, but because the Tang authorities are strong and Kui's trading port is prosperous; they can only rely on it for livelihood.

The world turns people into beasts and then turns "beasts" back into people; nothing else.

At that moment, Zheng Shuqing's attendant slipped over and whispered in his ear, "Governor, General Wang from Dongyang Prefecture has arrived, apparently intending to raise an army and prosecute. He is waiting at the prefectural office gate, bringing many troops to show force."

Hearing this, Zheng Shuqing's face fell, and he sighed helplessly. He shouted to Yang Ruoxu, "Come with me into the prefectural office and disperse these united troops."

Now there truly was nothing left to do; Yang Ruoxu gave a few orders to his subordinates, then followed Zheng Shuqing cautiously, his face very tense—leaving Fang Chongyong bewildered.

"You come as well; after all, you're already here."

Zheng Shuqing felt irritated, suspecting that the man had come to verify whether Fang Youde was still alive. Given Fang Youde's rigid nature, he wouldn't abandon his son in Kui without any arrangements. The Wang fellow's arrival was too coincidental to not be part of Fang Youde's prior planning.

That fellow must have gone to Chang'an to lodge a complaint!

Just thinking of Fang Youde made Zheng Shuqing's teeth ache with resentment.

Indeed, Fang Youde's personal integrity is admirable, but he clings to old ways and lacks adaptability.

He only insists on his own principles, caring nothing for others' lives, constantly spouting "Serve the country loyally, and die only after the duty is fulfilled."

To file a complaint, he would simply abandon his own son; such ruthlessness is beyond ordinary people. Zheng Shuqing had no doubt that if Li Longji let Fang Youde kill his own son, the latter could certainly carry out the deed.

The party arrived at the dilapidated prefectural office, where the main hall reeked of wood rotting from dampness. Fang Chongyong frowned slightly; he now understood that Zheng Shuqing lived in a lotus‑pond annex for comfort, refusing to reside in the unfunded, unrepaired office.

These officials, born of aristocratic families, lived in extreme luxury in all aspects and did not rely on the meager official salary. Holding office was merely to ensure continuous profit flow, safeguarding the territories of their own families.

As for why local officials neglect repairing the prefectural and county offices, it's clear—if they repaired them, it would imply the government was wealthy.

And when disaster relief is needed, the local government would have to spend money, wouldn't it?

Having money to fix the office but none for disaster relief? How can they then have the face to levy the local gentry?

Just as Fang Chongyong's thoughts wandered, he saw a towering general clad in bright‑light armor leading dozens of fully armed prefectural troops lined up before the main hall.

These troops wore a horizontal sword on the left side of their waists, two short‑handled axes on the right, quivers and horn bows on their backs, plus padded armor, shoulder plates, small round chest guards, riveted helmets, and front‑opening cuirasses—truly armed to the teeth.

Their formation was immaculate, their gear uniform, their presence imposing!

The prefectural hall seemed insignificant to them.

Compared with the fifty crossbowmen under Yang Ruoxu, these troops were true killing machines.

"Prefect Zheng! The Liao of Kui have been burning mountains, and you have repeatedly stood by as they slaughter, disregarding the majesty of the Great Tang! Today I hear the Liao are burning mountains and fighting each other; I have specially led my men to assist—why have you abandoned your post?"

That towering General Wang, surnamed Wang, pointed at Zheng Shuqing and ranted furiously, throwing high hats onto him one after another.

"Wang Zhongsi! You were demoted to idle exile in Dongyang Prefecture because you recklessly criticized Shu's military affairs! Do you still think this is Tibet? I have not yet prosecuted you for trespassing the prefectural office!"

One does not strike a person's face, nor expose a person's shortcoming. Zheng Shuqing was not easy to provoke; with a single remark he laid bare Wang Zhongsi's current situation:

Idle exile!

Zheng Shuqing need not be courteous to Wang Zhongsi, for Wang is a friend of the Loyal Prince Li Si Sheng (later Li Heng), while Li Linfu protects the Longevity Prince Li Chang!

Wang Zhongsi had previously fought the Tibetans on the frontier, earning numerous merits and Li Longji's trust, but now he has been demoted for uttering a forbidden remark.

Of course, there may be other reasons, but officially he was demoted for "recklessly commenting on state affairs."

The problem still lies with the Jianshan Military Governor Wang Yu.

While on the Tibetan frontier, Wang Zhongsi wrote a memorial critiquing Wang Yu and the Jianshan troops, stating that Wang Yu's strategy for the Shu border towns was "unwise." Consequently, Wang Yu's brother‑in‑law Huang Fu Weiming framed him as having "heterodox intentions."

So, for reasons unknown, Li Longji stripped Wang Zhongsi of all his ranks and demoted him to Left Guoyi of Dongyang Prefecture. This godforsaken place was not only extremely far from Chang'an, but also within the sphere of influence of the Jiannan Military Commissioner. Much of Kuizhou's funds and provisions were allocated to the Jiannan Army.

Li Longji's blow was devastatingly ruthless.

So what kind of official was the Left Deputy Commander? The Left Deputy Commander was the deputy to the Zhechong Military Commissioner, specifically responsible for training militia, managing the Zhechong Prefecture, and even deciding whose son could serve as militia and whose could not!

Was the power great?

Well, it once was—very impressive, in fact—and was one of the important ladders for ordinary men to climb after joining the army. Many Tang dynasty generals had experience serving as subordinate officers in military prefectures before making their names.

But what about now?

Now it was essentially no longer a real office, barely a step above being a commoner! To put it bluntly, it was nothing! Completely useless!

Wang Zhongsi's authority as Left Deputy Commander of Dongyang Prefecture was far inferior to that of Zheng Shuqing, the Inspector of Kuizhou!

The reason Wang Zhongsi could stand here and challenge Zheng Shuqing was that he had once been a favorite at Li Longji's side, a general specially groomed for greatness, and shared an unbreakable bond with Li Heng.

He was formidable simply because he was Wang Zhongsi, and because of his "imperial favor"—not because of some Left Deputy Commander office.

The military prefectures of the mid-Tang, though not yet abolished, were essentially existing in name only. The common people all saw entering a military prefecture and serving as militia as a great calamity; those who evaded service were everywhere, and the officer ranks and titles within the military prefectures were entirely worthless.

Measured in society, these were demerits, not merits—even matchmakers would frown and prefer not to mention that particular detail.

The times had changed. It was no longer the Zhenguan period, when serving as militia was a glory and families had no worries about marriage prospects.

This militia training outpost was located one li outside the county seat of Wushan, not far east of the Kuizhou prefectural seat. Not only was it dilapidated and small, but Kuizhou itself was a commercial port with no military conflicts, and with the Equal-Field System now existing in name only, where was there any militia to conscript?

The dozen-odd fully armed elite soldiers now in the prefectural hall were Wang Zhongsi's entire "assets"—not one left behind, all dragged out to hold the scene.

As glorious as the militia once was, that was how wretched they now were.

But Wang Zhongsi had ambition. He wanted to earn military merit, return to Chang'an by it, and once again enter Li Longji's field of vision! He wanted to prove to Li Longji that no matter where he was, he was a loyal subject and a fine general.

Fang Chongyong glanced at Yang Ruoxu, whose expressionless face seemed to hold no further expectations for life, and thought to himself: this one had perhaps long since seen through life, idling away his days in the Kuizhou prefectural seat, harboring no more extravagant hopes.

Wang Zhongsi, on the other hand, had only recently arrived in Kuizhou and did not know "how things stood." He would sooner or later understand that serving as a military officer here in Kuizhou, unless the whole realm fell into chaos, would amount to nothing no matter how much he bounced around.

Fang Chongyong could not help comparing him to a newly initiated courtesan, his mind conjuring scenes of being trained by the madam in how to receive clients...

That psychological gap must be quite large, wasn't it?

The burly Wang Zhongsi and the delicate courtesan—however you compared them, it was jarringly incongruous, yet they surprisingly shared somewhat similar plights. The moment Fang Chongyong thought of this, he wanted to laugh out loud, and in the end actually couldn't hold it in and laughed aloud.

"Heh, heh..."

At this, not only Wang Zhongsi and the militia behind him, but even Zheng Shuqing looked at Fang Chongyong with astonishment.

Zheng Shuqing truly could not have imagined that Fang Chongyong, as the only son of Fang Youde, would actually mock his father Fang Youde's old friend.

I mock Wang Zhongsi because I am Li Linfu's man, and it's impossible for me and Wang Zhongsi to piss in the same pot; but what are you mocking Wang Zhongsi for?

Zheng Shuqing sank into deep puzzlement—could this be the legendary rebellious son?

Because of Fang Chongyong's bizarre laughter, the swords-drawn tension between the two sides dissipated, replaced instead by an awkwardness in which no one knew how to break the stalemate.

"General Wang, seeing the Liao people fighting has stirred something in me, and I have a poem I would like to offer you. If General Wang finds it acceptable, why not take the militia back to Dongyang Prefecture? This Liao people's brawl is over, and the mountain fire was set by them—they will naturally put it out themselves. Why should General Wang waste his military strength for nothing?"

Fang Chongyong suggested cautiously.

Wang Zhongsi gave him a thoughtful glance and nodded slightly.

"Say what you will."

Wang Zhongsi studied Fang Chongyong carefully; that weathered face, slightly dark-red, remained utterly impassive, and he did not reveal his true purpose in coming.

"Draw the bow, draw the strong one; use arrows, use the long ones.

To shoot a man, first shoot his horse; to capture bandits, first capture their king.

Even killing has its limits; each nation has its own borders.

If one can deter aggression, what need is there for mass slaughter?"

When the poem was finished, everyone present fell into deep thought. Yang Ruoxu, in particular, looked at Fang Chongyong with profound meaning, impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Seeing that no one spoke, Fang Chongyong explained with an awkward look on his face: "The Liao people of Kuizhou are scattered in their dwellings and have no unified command. If you try to annihilate them, they will flee into the deep forests and be impossible to find. Once the militia withdraws, they will come back to provoke again—there is no reasoning with guarding against thieves every day.

Though I am young, I also understand the principle of combining grace with severity, of using law as a cage. Many Liao people of Kuizhou serve as attendants in the city, and there is no shortage of guides and boatmen among them. Resorting to force alone may well backfire. The crude customs of the Liao people cannot be corrected in a short time; a measure of control will suffice—there is no need to mobilize the troops over this."

Fang Chongyong quickly finished saying everything, only to see Wang Zhongsi and Zheng Shuqing still lost in thought without speaking, and no one interrupted their reflections.

Originally, the trouble stirred up by the Liao people this time was a martial world feud. It was only because there was truly no military merit to be had here in Kuizhou that Wang Zhongsi, Zheng Shuqing, and the others were all eager to try their hand—ideally turning this martial world feud into a "popular disturbance," or even a "rebellion." That way, wouldn't the merit come rolling in?

But if the incident occurred in Kuizhou, Zheng Shuqing would not escape the charge of "provoking popular unrest." Compared to that little bit of military merit that would very likely be offset by his fault, making money was more important. Therefore, he could not let Wang Zhongsi run amok either.

The realm had been at peace for so long—for those generals who could not go to the frontier garrisons, what means did they have for promotion?

The answer was that no ordinary path remained open to them! So, creating a few problems where there were none was the road available to those ambitious generals.

This was not any single person's problem—it was a problem of the times, of the state, of the court.

"Inspector Zheng, you had best look out for yourself."

Wang Zhongsi gave a cold snort and turned to leave. Having arrived a couple of two-hour periods too late, it was already too late to intervene now; he could only see whether any opportunity might arise in the future.

He led the dozen-odd militia out in single file, departing the prefectural hall. The grating sound of their armor rubbing against one another made every person left behind feel a chill in their heart.

"You may go with Wang Zhongsi; I will not stop you. He still has some friendship with your father."

Zheng Shuqing turned around rather haughtily, his back to Fang Chongyong.

"Your Excellency jests. I still understand the principle that once a word is spoken, even four horses cannot overtake it."

Fang Chongyong said with a sheepish smile.

Run? Where else could he run?

If one went by the history books, Li Linfu could still serve as chancellor for another twenty years. Was he supposed to hide starting now and only emerge after twenty years to play with An Lushan?

Zheng Shuqing's probing was truly far too clumsy.

Fang Chongyong couldn't even be bothered to scold him.

"Mm, the young can be taught."

Zheng Shuqing turned back around, nodded with a smile, and was very satisfied with Fang Chongyong's knowing discretion.