Chapter 543: Golden Wheel Dharma King

This is Fang Chongyong's first time sailing after arriving in this world; at this moment he stands at the prow of the sea vessel, feeling rather excited.

At the same time, he marvels at how the ancients, in their quest to explore new worlds, truly were fearless.

Even though the route they now sail was already opened since the Three Kingdoms period, the passage is extremely safe, and some even travel by small boat between Dengzhou and the Bohai Kingdom.

Yet, sitting on the ship now, he can also feel the great power of nature, which humanity cannot resist.

The rocking is truly fierce.

"Fang Jiedushi, this route follows the coastline, so there is no chance of getting lost. If a storm is encountered, one can anchor ashore to survive."

Liu Yan, worried that Fang Chongyong might be anxious about mishaps on the road, speaks to comfort him:

Fang Chongyong, leading the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army, marched dozens of li to the seaport at the mouth of the Hai River (the predecessor of Tianjin Guard), and easily found a sufficient number of sea vessels.

In fact, this is an important hub for trade between the Bohai Kingdom and Great Tang; commerce is very prosperous, far livelier than ordinary prefectures, and the notion of it being 'sparsely populated' is utterly absurd.

Furs, ginseng, deer antlers, and herbs from Liaodong, and porcelain, brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, crafts, and silk from Great Tang (mainly the Hebei region), all set sail from here. Although there are no other counties nearby, several market towns closely linked to sea trade have formed.

Its customs and local culture differ considerably from those of Great Tang's interior.

Of course, trading these ordinary goods alone is insufficient to establish a fixed trade route.

Moreover, slave traders here sell the Bohai Kingdom's 'hard currency': Silla maid!

The associated profits are enormous, enough to involve slave traders on both sides and even officials.

After arriving at the seaport, Fang Chongyong and his men easily 'borrowed' ten sea vessels with knives and also 'rescued' over a hundred Silla maids.

To thank the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army's soldiers for their strict discipline, those sea merchants voluntarily offered many Liaodong specialties as a gesture of goodwill.

Among them were several hundred fine horses.

Naturally, Fang Chongyong could not accept such generous hospitality for free; he promptly ordered Liu Yan to issue IOUs to the numerous sea merchants, so that when convenient they could go to the Ministry of War in Chang'an to collect payment.

Fang Jiedushi, the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army, and even Xuanwu Town will never take people's goods without paying; everything will be settled by the Son of Heaven in Chang'an.

"I am not worried about the return journey, but about the military supplies," he said.

Facing the salty sea breeze, Fang Chongyong let out a long sigh, saw that Liu Yan still seemed unclear, and explained:

"The Yinqiang Xiaojie Army intends to expand to ten thousand men; under its command are six prefectures, each requiring at least five thousand conscripted soldiers. Places like Bianzhou do not produce weapons; only Luoyang, Chang'an, Yangzhou and the like have large military workshops.

That aside, it can still be dealt with.

But the loss of horses cannot be solved; Magistrate Liu (Liu Yan, now appointed by him as Household Accountant Magistrate, in charge of finances), do you have a remedy for me?"

Fang Chongyong glanced at Liu Yan and asked.

"There is indeed a way," he replied.

Liu Yan nodded slightly and smiled, showing no difficulty.

"What method?"

Fang Chongyong asked in puzzlement.

Do not be fooled by Great Tang's once-plentiful armaments; after so many wars and countless looting, many weapons have ended up among the populace. A massive expansion may lack some equipment, and the shortfall must be produced internally.

Logistics are indeed complex; it is not merely about issuing a sword or turning a farmer into a soldier. Even the contents of a uniform are intricate, and depending on the theater and tactics, several types of boots must be prepared.

All these items require manpower to manufacture, which is already troublesome, not to mention raw material issues.

Even if we set aside a thousand steps and manage to resolve all those, the horses still cannot be secured.

Acquiring horses in the future is also a major issue.

"Hebei has been so disrupted by the Jiedushi that many disaster victims must cross the Yellow River southward. By receiving them and building military workshops, using labor as relief, we can solve the manpower problem for military supplies."

As for materials, it's merely a matter of wealth. I have already devised a method of using salt as a backing to issue jiaozi, alongside the salt tax.

"With the advantage of canals, transport is no concern; this method is feasible,"

Liu Yan said confidently.

In fact, when Li Linfu was in power, the issue of 'monetary taxes' was already being studied, advocating that tax collection prioritize 'light goods'—namely transport-friendly silk—so that the government could use these silks to purchase grain.

Of course, because there were no supporting policies, the effect was poor and it infringed on the elites' interests, so it faced resistance.

Referencing later experiences, the Qing heavily taxed salt, while the state reduced land and field taxes to fill the gap; in reality this increased the taxable population and also skimmed off the landlords.

This can be seen as an unconventional remedy in the feudal era to break the traditional tax deadlock.

Thus Liu Yan's proposal of 'light land rent, increased salt tax' is a viable way to improve finances. Especially Bianzhou, with its canal advantage, can collect grain with silk, facilitating transport and eliminating physical barriers to commodity flow.

Of course, his suggestions contain a core problem: the six prefectures under Xuanwu Town have no large-scale salt production, nor do the surrounding counties!

Sure enough, Fang Chongyong, one hand on the mast, extended his other hand to Liu Yan and asked, "Where does the salt come from?"

"Dengzhou has salt, and also horses,"

Liu Yan said calmly.

Now Fang Chongyong was shocked, incredulously saying, "Alas, I was so ignorant; today I learn that the seaside can also raise horses."

Hearing this, Liu Yan's mind went blank, and he couldn't help but 'educate' him: "Jiedushi, the seaside cannot raise horses, and Dengzhou itself does not produce them. However, the Bohai Kingdom has many horses. We can purchase them from the Bohai ruler on a large scale."

The route from Dengzhou to the Bohai Kingdom primarily trades, besides Silla maid 'hard currency', a major commodity: horses from Liaodong.

Naturally, to eradicate the illegal trade of Silla maid, which is deeply detested, Great Tang established the 'Gou Dang Xinluo Office' in Dengzhou, an official body that manages Liaodong (mainly Bohai Kingdom) sea trade.

Other ordinary goods require no 'management' at all; what needs managing is obvious to those in the trade, and the Great Tang authorities are well aware.

The joint management of Dengzhou and Bohai Kingdom sea trade is handled by a Great Tang official stationed here and a Bohai noble sent from that country. When disputes arise, each nation handles its own affairs.

Because the unruly Bohai ruler Da Wuyi was struck by Fang Youde into the palace and was ultimately frightened to death, the new Bohai ruler Da Menyi (formerly the palace guard known as Jige) thereafter served Great Tang with great respect.

Because of this, Dengzhou's sea trade, though prosperous, has never caused any incident, appearing relatively calm.

Fang Chongyong glanced at Liu Yan, nodded slightly and said, "Magistrate Liu seems to know Dengzhou very well."

The remark carried weight; fearing Fang Chongyong might misunderstand, Liu Yan hurried to explain, "I have long wanted to leave the Changlu Salt Field and have inquired about many matters concerning Dengzhou. Currently, the Bohai Kingdom's sea‑trade authority is the noble Da Qinmao."

Liu Yan thought for a moment, then let out a long sigh:

"After your father's surprise raid on the Bohai Kingdom, Da Qinmao served as his attendant for two years."

That was arranged by the Grand Emperor; during those years he had no freedom, essentially a servant.

Two years later, Da Qinmao was pardoned by the Taishang Huang and was assigned to Dengzhou to oversee sea trade.

Whether we will clash with Da Qinmao on this trip to Dengzhou is also hard to say.

Da Menyi now enjoys a reputation in the Bohai Kingdom that soars like the sun, and is honored as the Golden Wheel Dharma King. The Jiedushi still has to give Da Qinmao some face; tearing it off would be a lose‑lose situation and would harm us even more.

Liu Yan explained patiently, fearing that Fang Chongyong would, upon arriving at Dengzhou, let loose on plundering and, without knowing, accidentally slaughter Da Qinmao.

Da Qinmao is the nephew of the current Bohai Kingdom ruler Da Menyi. Da Menyi once served as Ji Ge's bodyguard and mingled in the Xingqing Palace.

Therefore Ji Ge placed Da Qinmao as an attendant beside Fang Youde for two years; in fact, the latter was only entangled by Da Wu Yi. In Ji Ge's view, Da Qinmao himself did not persuade his father (including being unable to persuade), which is the original sin.

But Da Qinmao's crime does not merit death.

After two years of pressure, Ji Ge's anger faded, and the next Bohai Kingdom ruler served the Great Tang very obediently, unable to insult Da Menyi's face. So he gave Da Qinmao a cushy, harmless assignment.

This fits Ji Ge's penchant for powercraft and his love of manipulating hearts.

The current issue is, during the two years he followed Fang Youde, does Da Qinmao bear resentment and seek revenge when he meets, or does he feel gratitude and intend to repay Fang Chongyong?

This is the worry Liu Yan has, because although he knows many things, they are only on the surface. Human hearts are hidden; Liu Yan does not know what kind of person Da Qinmao is, nor can he find out.

"We'll discuss Da Qinmao later; you were just saying that Dengzhou is important to us, right?"

Fang Chongyong frowned slightly and asked.

"Indeed, the Jiedushi needs a seaport, and Dengzhou possesses the largest northern harbor.

If Dengzhou cannot be obtained, the Jiedushi must immediately lead troops south to Yangzhou, and seizing it would also work."

Liu Yan said earnestly.

In his view, the difficulty of Fang Chongyong capturing Dengzhou is more than a hundred times easier than taking Yangzhou!

Yangzhou is a strategic stronghold; not only is its strategic position important, but it is wealthy and its handicrafts are thriving, and capturing it would draw much enmity.

Now taking Yangzhou is only theoretically possible.

And capturing Dengzhou, Fang Chongyong's only current obstacle is Prince Yong Li Lin, who is entrenched in Qizhou (Jinan) and other places.

Liu Yan does not mention this matter because Li Lin is a prince, and many things are inconvenient for him to say. As for Fang Chongyong's intentions and how the world will shift, it's enough to understand them in his heart; silence is golden.

A wise person would not state it outright.

"Dengzhou..."

Fang Chongyong muttered to himself repeatedly.

In fact, Che Guangqian had previously advised him that whether Dengzhou or Laizhou, he must capture at least one. Of course, Dengzhou is the first choice; its harbor facilities, supporting towns, and reasonable, mature sea routes are all ready-made.

Once the revenue is in the bag, it can be used directly.

Laizhou's harbor conditions are slightly poorer, not the first choice, and must be developed slowly on one's own.

Of course, securing Dengzhou is not the end; in fact, there is a hidden condition: establishing a stable and close trade relationship with the Bohai Kingdom.

Among this, gaining the Bohai Kingdom's recognition, and even achieving political cooperation, is essential.

Otherwise, how could sea trade even get started! Simply occupying a port on a blocked trade route is useless!

These matters are beyond what the "Financial Expert" Liu Yan can see.

Thinking of these vexing issues, Fang Chongyong feels wave after wave of helplessness. Liu Yan's suggestion seems to solve a problem, yet it raises a new one.

It's like pioneering, requiring constant cutting through thorns.

In the past, under the Great Tang framework, the army was ready-made, logistics were ready-made, outposts and supplies were ready-made, and diplomatic achievements were ready-made.

The Jiedushi only needed to command battles.

At that time, Fang Chongyong felt almost omnipotent, striking anyone he caught!

But once the Great Tang backdrop is lost, and now everything requires his personal effort, those previously trivial matters become massive headaches.

"The road stretches far and the journey is long; I shall seek up and down!"

Fang Chongyong sighed, "What on earth are these ridiculous things! The lousy father digs a pit for me again!"

Fortunately, the boatman said that sailing downwind to Dengzhou takes only two days. This route, with an extremely high safety factor and great speed, suddenly raises Dengzhou's strategic value.

At the founding of the Great Tang, because the brothers Chunyu Nan and Chunyu Lang gathered forces in Dengzhou to hold troops and resist chaos, they were later pardoned, but the court clearly harbored resentment toward the area and directly abolished the prefecture.

It was not until the late Wu Zhou period that it was reopened due to the need for sea trade.

This shows that the Great Tang court has always been wary of anyone traveling the sea route from Hebei or Liaodong to Dengzhou, thereby threatening the Henan flank.

Dengzhou, the Bohai Kingdom, Da Qinmao, Prince Yong Li Lin, Li Baochen, Luoyang... a succession of names and places flashed through Fang Chongyong's mind.

The new strategy of Xuanwu Town seems ready to emerge.

……

Inside the iconic circular bright hall of the Luoyang Imperial Palace, the unrecognized "false emperor" Li Wan stared in terror at the so‑called "court officials" led by Wei Jian, and then glanced at An Shouchong, who had brought news of the army's total defeat.

He was completely undone!

"General An, did Grand Marshal Huangfu really lose? That was over seventy thousand elite troops!"

Li Wan's voice trembled as he spoke.

Seventy‑thousand people! Including the scattered ones, it should be even more!

How could they be wiped out in a single battle?

"Your Majesty, that is indeed the case. The armies from Guanzhong surged like a mountain wave; Grand Marshal Huangfu perished in the chaotic battle, and none of the fleeing troops returned to Luoyang."

An Shouchong said calmly, his face unmoved and his heart untroubled, appearing very composed.

The front is almost completely annihilated; now Li Wan and this bunch of dead weight here dare to move against me?

If they act, who will clean up the mess?

He is now in a state of being brazenly fearless.

Sure enough, Wei Jian suggested to Li Wan: "Your Majesty, perhaps let General An rally the broken troops, then select young vigor within Luoyang to form a new army."

"Approved."

Li Wan uttered two words in as calm a tone as possible.