Chapter 96: The Change of National Policy

During the Kaiyuan era, the Tang Empire carried out large‑scale military farms on the frontier to supply the need for military provisions.

As the number of military farms steadily increased, the central government's shipments of grain and forage to the border towns dwindled.

In times of peace, border towns could basically guarantee self‑sufficiency in grain and forage.

By the end of the Kaiyuan period, the empire had a total of 1,037 military farms, each covering five thousand mu of land.

Hexi had 154 military farms, ranking third among border towns, behind the vast cultivated lands of Hebei and the Longyou region that defended the capital against Tibetan incursions.

Yet, given Hexi's population size, the scale of its farms was astonishing, ranking first nationwide, and the proportion of military farms to total arable land far exceeded that of any other region!

One could even say that farmland in the Hexi Corridor had the highest military‑farm ratio. Those farm settlers also formed the main troops of the Hexi armies, serving long but non‑consecutive terms, which essentially ensured timely rotations.

Thus the social foundation here was that every family owned land, every household had a soldier, and land consolidation was greatly restrained. The system in place cannot be fully described as "Long March youths" or "fubing".

In fact, their nature resembled a weakened‑benefit version of the fubing.

That is: they need not bring their own equipment, food supplies are secure, rotations are punctual, spring and winter clothes as rewards are scarce, and combat offers essentially no material incentives.

Li Linfu's current military reform used the Hexi border troops as a model, made slight improvements, and then applied it to other regions.

Unlike the original Hexi military system, the Long March youths to be recruited whose families were not on the frontier would be relocated there and settled as military farm settlers.

Those already serving in the army, if their families were not local, would be moved by their prefecture or county to a border town.

Then the central government would fund the purchase of spring and winter clothes, either finished or semi‑finished, distributing them twice a year as pay for the garrison soldiers.

Indeed, the clothes were not issued for wear but given as cash equivalents to supplement their families.

The labor of garrison soldiers' families, according to military‑farm regulations, was entirely devoted to frontier military supplies, separate from the ordinary household taxes.

In theory, these people's economic burden was far lighter than that of ordinary households.

One must admit that the reform's system met the era's needs.

Since the Wu Zhou period, fubing desertions have severely disrupted social stability, creating a massive number of "black households"! These deserters, whose identities could not be exposed, fled with their families.

They either hid in mountains and forests, sought protection from powerful families as black households, or changed names and surnames to become illegal "clients" scraping by; in any case they vanished openly from official registers, also increasing many unknown ruffians who disrupted local security.

Li Linfu's reform was accompanied by a household‑registration sweep, arresting unidentified idle members of society, sending them to border towns for military service, settling their families, and converting their household registration to military‑farm enlistment.

The reform is slated to be completed within four years and has already received Li Longji's approval.

It is a grand military reform that fits the current Tang situation, offering a comprehensive solution to accumulated past problems.

It acknowledges a portion of "existence is justification," while omitting some burdensome, wasteful measures. Whatever is convenient is adopted.

Many see the reform's hidden risks clearly, but… only the lesser of two evils can be chosen.

The reform passed quietly through the Secretariat, was issued as an edict, caused no stir, and not even a single vocal opponent emerged.

It's not that no one has opinions on the reform; rather, officials and courtiers alike are impeaching Fang Youde for destabilizing border towns and squandering troops.

Many central officials resisted the decree; Li Longji, in favor of Fang Youde, actually granted his son Fang Chongyong the title "Guoyi Colonel"!

Originally, Xue Rengui accompanied Taizong on campaign; for his bravery he was awarded the Guoyi Colonel title as a commendation. Though the position now has little practical use, it still carries great honor!

A ten‑year‑old child, who had only once been on a battlefield (the kind that was besieged) and never even touched a sword, was granted the Guoyi Colonel position simply because he is Fang Youde's only son… Is there anything more absurd in the world?

This time was truly intolerable; aside from Vice‑Prime Minister Li Linfu's silence, almost the entire court, civil and military, opposed the appointment.

However, what the central officials did not anticipate was that there truly existed something more absurd than granting a ten‑year‑old the Guoyi Colonel title.

It was Li Longji bypassing the Secretariat and directly issuing an order to the Department of State Affairs: appoint Fang Chongyong as Governor of Ganzhou, to assume office immediately!

By now Chang'an no longer had a courtier like Zhang Jiuling—eloquent, steadfast, and high‑ranking. Anyone with eyes could see that Ji Ge was being serious this time, trying to force his own will.

Only the exact nature of the will to be imposed, even Li Linfu included, remained unclear to everyone.

The noisy court, like a duck with its throat strangled, fell completely silent.

…

The Lingzhou City of the Shuo‑fang region was, for the Tang, a border‑town metropolis of special significance, not merely because the Shuo‑fang Military Governor was stationed there.

After Emperor Taizong's decades of diligent governance, by the twentieth year of the Zhenguan era, following decades of strife and rampant warfare.

The so‑called "Eleven Tribes of the Iron‑Le Nine Surnames"—the Huihe, Bayegu, Tongluo, Pugu, Duolan Ge, Sijie, Adie, Qibi, Diejie, Hunbu, and Huxue—voluntarily submitted to the Tang dynasty, each sending envoys southward to pay tribute.

Taizong and his accompanying officials, here in Lingzhou City, witnessed the Tang's glory, its majesty spreading far, and all outer vassals submitting.

After receiving the court audience, Taizong was delighted and, after the envoys returned to their tribes, asked that their khans and leaders also come to Lingzhou for the alliance.

His wish was fulfilled.

In September of that year, Taizong set out from Chang'an, passed through Jingzhou and Yuanzhou, arrived at Lingzhou, and received and entertained the tribal leaders and their envoys who arrived for the meeting.

On the day of the alliance, thousands of tribal chiefs and envoys gave a grand welcome. They presented gifts to Emperor Taizong, petitioned to honor him as "Heavenly Khagan," and swore the oath: "May we become slaves to the supreme Heaven, our descendants likewise, and die without regret."

Whether that oath was ever fully kept is another matter, but at least this alliance infused the Tang with a powerful spirit unimaginable to later generations.

Tang society was spirited and inclusive; the principle of "the world as one family under our leadership" formally took shape from this moment.

Lingzhou City was a fine place, as Taizong thought then, and Military Governor Wei Guangcheng also thought so.

Only now he must bid farewell to it… perhaps forever.

Fang Youde stationed troops at Qikou, which infuriated and terrified Wei Guangcheng; worse, the other side not only refused to explain why they entered the Shuo‑fang army's defensive zone but also demanded he supply military provisions!

What could be tolerated? In a fury, Wei Guangcheng sent a memorial to Chang'an, portraying Fang Youde as a flamboyant, unruly border general.

Well, his words weren't entirely false. Judging by past military governors, it seems impossible to find anyone more "overbearing" than Fang Youde.

Wei Guangcheng originally thought that even if Ji Ge didn't investigate Fang Youde, he would at least transfer the Youzhou border troops away from Qikou. Unexpectedly, what he finally received was an order to dismiss and investigate him!

Wei Guangcheng couldn't grasp where the problem lay; he did nothing but lodge a complaint once, and this was the result.

Does the Tang still have any law at all?

What Wei Guangcheng didn't know was that his investigation stemmed not from that memorial, nor from Ji Ge's impulsive edict to Gao Lishi, but from a letter Fang Youde sent to Chang'an two days later.

It was that letter which prompted Li Longji to investigate Wei Guangcheng, fully adopt Fang Youde's plan, and ultimately promote Fang Chongyong.

In the letter, Fang Youde explained the reasons and objectives of the military operation.

The 'green‑tea bitch' Bayegu has not been attacked by the Turks; on the contrary, they are seeking, with Tang assistance, to encircle and annihilate the Turks!

Fang Youde told Ji Ge his plan: incite the Iron‑Le Nine Tribes to revolt, jointly carve up the directly controlled territories of the Turkic court! Then divide the steppe into nine parts! Directly turning the Turks into history!

This time, he found a man from the Pugu tribe among the nine Tiele surnames to act as an inside agent; the son of the Pugu tribal chief is named Pugu Huaien. Fang Youde asked Ji Ge to grant him a title, and then let him lead the way.

As for why they allied with the Khitan and the Xī people to "rescue" Ba Ye Gu, it was to muddy the waters and get the nine Tiele surnames to fight the Khitan as well!

In the future the steppe will become a Warring States era, and these tribes will unify to pay tribute to the Tang. As for their relations, the Tang will not intervene, but will covertly support some and marginalize others—whoever is strong will be struck down.

The Tang army garrisoned at Qikou, merely waiting for the outcome of their melee. Once the fighting subsides, they will send troops to the Turkic camp to reap the profit.

This is doing the most with the least money and the fewest soldiers.

When the nine Tiele surnames are finished fighting and the Turkic are utterly defeated, the remaining Turkic royal fugitives will be taken into Tang territory for settlement. When the Youzhou border troops return to Youzhou, they will send someone to question the Khitan why they seized the opportunity to loot and attack the Tiele tribes.

They can use the chance to extort and beat them up.

Thus the northern situation can be stabilized, and no major problems will arise within ten years.

As for why the Turkic are attacking Hexi, Fang Youde said he only heard about it recently himself, does not know the reason, and believes it has nothing to do with his military actions.

As for the Military Governor of Shuofo, Wei Guangcheng, Fang Youde never even mentioned him. Such a wine‑bag and food‑bag, he doesn't even keep him in his sight.

On one hand is the pragmatic faction that presents a stunning overall strategy and has already implemented it personally, requiring no concern from Ji Ge; on the other hand are the half‑grown children who only whine on the side and call for the "parents" to step in and dispense justice. Ji Ge, who has governed for decades, obviously knows which to choose!

Thus Ji Ge ordered the removal of Wei Guangcheng, the Military Governor of Shuofo, sending him back to Chang'an for trial, and appointed the fourth‑generation descendant of Zhang Houyin, the Censor‑in‑Chief Zhang Qiqiu, as the new Military Governor of Shuofo, fully supporting Fang Youde's campaigns on the steppe.

And he rejected the Turkic's previous requests for marriage alliance and trade.

Ji Ge also ordered the Military Governor of Pinglu, Li Shizhi, not to be lax and to dispatch more troops to patrol the north, lest the Khitan launch a surprise attack on Youzhou.

This counts as full support for Fang Youde's use of troops.

Originally the Turkic were not in such a dire state, because Ji Ge had previously been hesitant about breaking with the Turkic.

But this time the Turkic attacked Liangzhou first, while Fang Youde plotted the nine Tiele surnames' independence afterward; given that, one should not blame him for being ruthless.

The Tang war machine began to run at high speed, and in both Shuofo and Hexi directions, war clouds gathered, a massive battle as tumultuous as a storm about to erupt.

……

After writing a day's worth of "one‑coin family letters", Fang Chongyong is now famous, and even the garrison soldiers in Liangzhou city come to him to write letters home. Fang Chongyong accepts all comers; as long as they pay one coin, he writes, showing no sign of being a well‑connected official.

Although his popularity in Liangzhou city has become frighteningly high, Fang Chongyong's spirit is now low; the lofty ambitions he had before coming to Liangzhou were shattered by the battle at Baiting Sea.

Fang Chongyong now spends his days either writing letters for others or organizing military treatises, familiarizing himself with Hexi's local administration inside the office, and works until late each night before sleeping.

Ana Ye, who is usually sharp‑tongued and always retorts, has lately acted like a considerate little wife, cooking, delivering meals, washing clothes, and attending to Fang Chongyong's daily needs with extreme diligence.

That day, Fang Chongyong finally finished revising the Tibetan military code according to his own ideas, removing clearly outdated sections and loosening the severity of punishments.

He placed the revised volume as if it were a treasure, only to find Ana Ye sitting nearby, watching him intently.

"Um, I'm still used to your previously unruly self."

Fang Chongyong replied with a teasing smile.

"My father once said that those who can author books are great talents. Sir, you are already so formidable; why have your brows furrowed since returning from Baiting Sea?"

Ana Ye asked cautiously, her tone and demeanor truly like a household maid.

What can a ten‑year‑old child do?

The low end might still be wearing split‑crotch trousers; the high end is probably someone like Fang Chongyong.

Now Ana Ye is sincerely devoted to him.

Fang Chongyong was startled, then gave a wry smile: "I merely aspire to emulate the worthy; in some respects I'm just a paper‑military theorist, truly useless."

He sighed deeply, recalling the scene that morning when Wang Zhongsi led the Red Water Army to sweep the Turkic and personally went to Baiting Fort to receive him.

Everyone present bowed and worshipped Wang Zhongsi! That expression and demeanor could not be concealed or faked!

In the frontier towns, if you can fight and win, you become a god‑like figure.

Whatever you want, you get; everyone will obey you! Sometimes it's more effective than the emperor's edicts!

At that moment, Fang Chongyong felt a difference as vast as heaven and earth.

Earlier he had spent half the night pondering: after the Turkic successfully crossed, what if the ambush at Xinyunjing fails?

How should one defend Baiting Fort against the Turkic's fierce assault?

How to allocate the few troops?

How to employ the defensive armaments of the city?

A series of questions lingered in his mind; he racked his brain as if taking an exam that could end at any moment, never knowing how much time remained!

In the end, all the frantic effort was futile!

Baiting Fort doesn't even need this official from Chang'an to devise a rescue; everything is already coordinated by the Hexi Military Governor's Office.

War is a nation's paramount affair, a matter of life and death, the way of survival or ruin, and must not be neglected.

Saying it is simple, but doing it is hard! Military texts don't teach you how to handle every complex situation; a single misstep can lead to endless calamity.

The worst part is that once a person dies they cannot be revived; death is final! Opportunity only comes once.

Fang Chongyong realized he had learned much yet had no idea how to apply it, nor any battlefield to use it.

This made him feel useless; only when writing letters for the Hexi soldiers and seeing their sincere smiles and admiring gazes could Fang Chongyong feel he was useful here.

At that moment, Xiao Jiong, the Military Governor of Hexi, strode into the pharmacy, grabbed Fang Chongyong's sleeve and headed out, treating Ana Ye beside him as if she were air.

"What's going on?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a surprised face, already being pulled up by Xiao Jiong.

"Talk as you walk; something major has happened!"

Xiao Jiong said urgently.

"Even if something major happened, you shouldn't have come to me."

Fang Chongyong said helplessly, knowing exactly what sort of person he was: whether it's a deputy commander of the Baiting Fort army or a provincial staff officer, even a pig could be appointed—it's just a fluff!

Xiao Jiong has a major matter to discuss with him?

"It's truly a major matter: the court has appointed you as Cishi of Ganzhou; you must assume office within three days! In other words, you must set out now!"

Without further ado, Xiao Jiong dragged Fang Chongyong toward the Military Governor's office, where the imperial appointment document sent by the court awaited!

"What?"

Fang Chongyong suddenly stopped moving, doubting whether he had misheard.

(End of chapter)