On this day, the Khitan prisoners of war were finally escorted to Chang'an by five hundred soldiers from Youzhou Border Town. Li Longji, who played with Yang Yuhuan every day, was delighted when he learned about this incident and ordered to reward the meritorious soldiers.
If a person is captured alive, he will be rewarded with ten pieces of human silk; if he is beheaded, he will be rewarded with five pieces of silk; his merit, rank, etc. can be allocated by Youzhou Jiedu Mansion.
This reward was very generous, because based on the number of heads killed, it can be said that each of these soldiers was very rich.
You know, today is no longer the era of making achievements in the early Tang Dynasty. The land that the Tang State could obtain had already been acquired and consolidated. It is far more difficult to gain military merit than before.
The existence of the Fubing system in name only is largely due to the fact that war has become unprofitable and has become an "evil thing" purely for errands.
Even if they can occasionally defeat the enemy at the border and gain nothing, the grassroots soldiers will not get much benefit. The central government of the Tang Dynasty often used honorary officers and titles to pass the time.
Regarding rewards for military achievements, the imperial court was very generous in giving titles, but was very stingy in giving money and silk. To sum up in an idiom, it was a typical "word of mouth does not come true".
As introduced in "Mulan Ci", the military merits of the Tang Dynasty also implemented the "twelve turns" system.
During the Northern Wei Dynasty, if the battle was "twelve ranks of military merit", then the reward after the war would be "a reward for hundreds of thousands of strong men".
What is "turn"?
The general with the most outstanding performance in each battle can obtain the "three-turn" meritorious service.
The forces of both sides have reached a certain scale (battles that are too small will not count), and if you annihilate (kill prisoners) 40% of the enemy's forces in a battle where a small number defeats a large number, you can obtain the "Fifth Turn" meritorious service.
The superiors are responsible for calculating the number of revolutions for other beheading levels and the roles they play in battle. Merits from multiple battles can be accumulated. If you reach eleventh level, you can be granted the title of Zhuguo. After twelve or more rounds, you will be crowned as the Shangzhu Kingdom.
However, in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, this situation completely changed.
No one knows how many "Shangzhu Kingdoms" there were in the Tang State during this period, and the proportion is difficult to estimate. For example, Jiangnan and Shu are the imperial court's moneybags. There are very few people serving in the military, so the proportion is naturally pitifully low.
However, the situation in Hexi is that among local men, including those who have never served in the military, the number of people with the title of "Shangzhu Kingdom" exceeds 20%, nearly a quarter!
It is conservatively estimated that more than one of the five men is from Shangzhu Kingdom. Not only is this reward not worth boasting about, it is even humiliating to a certain extent.
With this great victory in the Youzhou vassal town, as a rule, Fang Youde would handle the rewards and pensions for these 500 people by himself. He would calculate the twelve military merits and give them to some honorary officers. Being able to ask for a reward without "entering the capital without an imperial edict" is a huge honor.
Of course, Li Longji may not agree every time, but who knows that he has just acquired the wife of his son, King of Life and Longevity Li Xuan, and he is having fun.
Fang Youde's military exploits became the capital for him and his "daughter-in-law" to brag about his civil, political and martial arts.
This was the luck of the soldiers in Youzhou Border Town, because they met a Jiedushi who was different from the previous commanders and had the life, death and interests of the soldiers at heart.
This is also the misfortune of the soldiers of Youzhou Border Town, because no matter how many military exploits they have created, they still need a powerful figure to fight for their interests. How many "Fang Youde" are there in the Tang Dynasty now?
When Li Longji is in a good mood, how many times are there?
What if the Tang sage happens to be in a bad mood when repaying his merits?
Of course, it's a pity that there are only 500 soldiers who need rewards and pensions. If there were more, Li Longji might just cover his pockets and fool around.
Just as the scholars of Chang'an Winery were praising the great victory in the border towns and the majesty of the Tang Dynasty was shining in all directions, not everyone was so rejoicing. For example, the only son of the Youzhou Jiedushi who made immortal contributions... .
In the study room of the Fang family house at the back door of Xingqing Palace, Fang Chongyong looked helplessly at Zheng Shuqing with empty hands, and asked feebly: "Are you here to mock me on purpose?"
"Why should I come to taunt you?"
Zheng Shuqing asked with a strange look on his face.
"I thought I was already famous."
Fang Chongyong sighed and described to the other party his experience of "dropping out of Weilong".
"Are you saying that you entered the Imperial Academy and were rejected because you were not old enough? Then you entered the Hongwen Hall and were expelled because of your father's advice?"
Zheng Shuqing looked surprised. This was the first time he had heard of such an outrageous experience, so he had gained a lot of experience.
"Yes, and then he gave me a Qianniu Guards Lieutenant General, a nine-year-old Qianniu Guards Lieutenant General. Do you think it's ridiculous or not?"
Fang Chongyong barely had the words "life without love" written on his face.
What did i do wrong! I'm still a child!
Fang Chongyong felt that the passing of the year was unlucky, and it seemed that everything he did recently was unlucky.
"Well, Ruizhong is eleven months old and was crowned king when he was less than a year old. I feel that your experience is not too outrageous.
Uh, but you were named Qian Niu Guards Zhonglang Jiang, shouldn't there be the word "inspection" in front of it? "
Zheng Shuqing comforted him kindly, but his words sounded like ridicule.
"Yeah?"
Fang Chongyong was stunned. Gao Lishi came to deliver the edict. The edict was too long. He didn't remember it, so he remembered the Qianniu Guards Lieutenant General. He took down the silk book from the bookshelf and looked at it. Sure enough, the word "check" was clearly written on it.
"Originally, this dynasty changed the reserve generals of the previous dynasty to Zhonglang generals, with two guards on the left and right. They were under the fourth rank. They were in charge of judging matters, serving in palaces, and passing on officials for rescue. It is a very big official. It can be said that he is a senior official. With high authority, many border town soldiers will never reach this position despite their hard work.
However, if the word "check" is added in front of it, it will be completely different.
The inspection of the Qianniu Guard Zhonglang General is equivalent to being specially approved by a saint. He has not passed the review in the outer court. He just has a name in the Qianniu Guard and does not have to perform his duties. Basically, nothing can be done. Who knows how many Qianniuwei Zhonglang generals there are now..."
The more Zheng Shuqing talked about Fang Chongyong, the darker his face became.
"Don't be angry. The monthly salary is one thousand five hundred and sixty-seven, which is eleven."
Zheng Shuqing, the Minister of Household Affairs, was "skilled in business", and his official salary was readily available.
Okay, you can do nothing and just sit back and get the money, although it's a bit small.
With a salary of less than 200 yuan a year, his income is not worthy of Qianniu Wei Zhonglang. It can be seen that Qianniu Wei Zhonglang must have extra income to support his family. Otherwise, basic expenses in Chang'an would be a problem, and this little money would not be enough to go to a better restaurant for a meal.
"That's why you came to me? I don't have Red Lotus Spring here anymore. I want you to make your own red yeast and brew it yourself."
Being bullied by Zheng Shuqing, Fang Zhongyong couldn't bear it anymore!
"No, no, no, no, I came to you this time for a good reason."
Zheng Shuqing looked mysterious and took out an invitation from his sleeve.
"Three days later, in order to celebrate the victory in Youzhou Border Town, the saint will set up a stage to hold an opera, song and dance performance in the Liyuan. With the invitation, you can go in and watch. There are not many opportunities like this."
Li Longji is going to hold a concert?
Fang Chongyong was stunned for a moment, and then he took the invitation. The seat number was even written on the back.
The ancients were not fools. If they didn’t write down their seat numbers in advance, then all the dignitaries would be there, and tickets were issued too much for various reasons. Wouldn’t there be a fight over the seat issue?
The seat itself is not a problem, the problem is that the face cannot be picked up if it falls on the floor.
So pretending to be a slap in the face in order to compete for seats is simply impossible these days. These crappy things have been completely considered when preparing for the show.
Zheng Shuqing's family is well-off. This kind of people no longer care about the so-called "little details". Instead, they regard face as the top priority.
Wanting to understand this situation, Fang Chongyong pushed the invitation back and sighed: "We are all so familiar, there is no need to be so polite. Just talk about what you have to say."
"Is such that."
Zheng Shuqing was not polite to Fang Chongyong at all. He took out a very bright silk fragment from his sleeve and handed it to Fang Chongyong.
"Sogdian Brocade? Mr. Zheng, your efficiency is really..."
Fang Chongyong was shocked.
It can only be said that everyone understands what kind of work efficiency was like in the feudal era.
If you don't want to delay, it will take a long time to go through the process; if someone deliberately messes up, it will take several months to complete a small thing. This situation is also very common.
"You don't understand. This is what the saint asked to do. Can you please hurry up? It's just that... the imitation Sogdian brocade is still different from the Sogdian brocade from the Western Regions. Alas!"
Zheng Shuqing couldn't explain the specific difference. Of course, it was just because of his insufficient oral expression ability. In fact, when he put the fragments of the two fabrics on the table, anyone could intuitively tell which one was the Sogdian brocade from the Western Regions and which one was imitated by the Tang Dynasty.
In fact, the first time Sogdian brocade was "dismantled" was in the early Tang Dynasty, but the direction of focus and the purpose of achieving it were different. Moreover, Sogdian brocades from the Western Regions are constantly being introduced. This can be regarded as a kind of business competition like holding hands in the air.
According to Fang Chongyong's original understanding, the so-called "imitation" means completely copying the other party's style. But in fact, this kind of thinking is just wishful thinking.
Copying is not something everyone can copy, nor can it be done casually.
After all, the style of fabric is not a text painting, but also incorporates the thoughts of painters and craftsmen. Some techniques are even passed down from generation to generation, becoming unique secrets that are passed down from generation to generation.
Every time a fabric comes out, craftsmen actually "write" their ideas on the fabric. The craftsmen did not understand the meaning of the Sogdian brocade from the Western Regions, so the imitations had no essence and were just crude imitations.
The dignitaries in Chang'an are used to seeing good things. How can they tolerate this kind of big deception?
When the time comes, not only will Zheng Shuqing not be able to make meritorious deeds, but he will also be punished by Li Longji!
Lao Zheng was not a fool. He knew it would not work, so he asked the craftsmen to give it a try and imitate Sogdian brocade according to his own ideas.
The good news is that this imitation Sogdian brocade looks better than the original.
This is also easy to understand. Datang crushed the West Asia region in terms of silk fabrics industry and raw materials. Silkworms are artificially fed and have sufficient nutrition. The silk they spit out is thick and long-fiber, with a bright and lustrous luster.
The bad news is, it's a little... a little bit less Sogdana-like.
The reason is actually quite understandable.
Zheng Shuqing described to Fang Chongyong the news he had learned from the textile workers.
The silk in the Western Regions in the past included not only domestically produced silk in the Tang Dynasty, but also "wild silk" produced in various countries in the Western Regions. Wild silkworms are native silkworms that have not been selected through generations of artificial domestication.
The silk that comes out is thin and short.
However, there is always a wrong approach. The Sogdian brocade made from mixed silk in West Asia has a different style.
In order to ensure high profits on the Silk Road, various countries in the Western Regions implemented a strict technological blockade on Tang's sericulture technology. Although Fang Chongyong couldn't understand this matter, the fact was that the country that was most afraid of silk technology being mastered by West Asia was not the Tang Dynasty.
Regarding the technology of various best-selling products in the Tang Dynasty, the country that was most concerned about was not the Tang Dynasty itself, but other countries on the Silk Road.
These countries assume the responsibility of "technological walls".
In addition, the paintings in West Asia are famous for their square and hard style, while the fabric patterns of Tang Dynasty are famous for their round and full styles. The two styles are different. If you simply copy them, you will only draw tigers but not dogs.
Therefore, the craftsmen under Lao Zheng’s command can’t say that it is not good, but it is not “Sogdian Brocade”. I have to say two things!
This situation is like saying that Li Longji wanted to play the electronic keyboard, but there was no electricity in the Tang Dynasty, so the craftsmen had no choice but to make a piano. The piano is very good, but does it have the bad tone of an electronic keyboard?
Could it be that Li Longji is just a bitch and likes the tune of the electronic keyboard?
Hard to say.
This was one of the reasons why Zheng Shuqing ran to Fang Chongyong to call for help.
“I think the imitation Sogdian Brocade is better than the original version.”
Fang Chongyong held the two pieces of fabric in his hand and gestured.
"It doesn't matter what you think. It doesn't work for you. It depends on what the saint thinks."
Zheng Shuqing retorted and looked at him eagerly, hoping that this little prodigy of the Tang Dynasty would have some ideas, even if they were bad ones.
"Saint, saint, saint, how can you never say anything away from a saint? You were not raised by a saint..."
Fang Chongyong was halfway through his words, but stopped because those three words were too insulting. Even if he already had a relatively deep personal relationship with Lao Zheng, he couldn't speak so openly.
"You just don't understand the officialdom of the Tang Dynasty at all."
Zheng Shuqing sighed, did not care about Fang Chongyong's gaffe, and continued:
"You think the left minister, the right minister, the minister, the governor, and the censor are all great, right? They hold great power and can decide the life and death of ordinary people, right?
In fact, there is only one rule for the operation of the Tang Dynasty, and that is, whatever the saint wants to do, he must have it. Other than that, it's all fake, just pasted up for outsiders to see.
It's like you didn't enter the Imperial College before, but actually it was the saint who felt that he had treated your family so harshly. There are more than 2,000 students from the Imperial College. How many students from the Imperial College can be found anywhere in Chang'an City?
Even if students from the Imperial College are awarded officials after passing the imperial examination in the future, they are just..."
Zheng Shuqing pointed at himself and said, "It's just a dog of a saint."
“And many people are not even qualified to be dogs and can only be manipulated like ants.
Later, you were admitted to Hongwen Hall under special circumstances. I originally thought you were going to have a successful career, but now... I can't understand it anymore.
Don't talk nonsense, just tell me what to do now, alas. "
"Of course there is a way."
Fang Chongyong already has a solution.
"Okay, how long will it take for it to take effect!"
Zheng Shuqing's face was filled with excitement. He now wished he could call Fang Chongyong daddy.
"Just today."
Fang Chongyong said three words calmly.
