Bai Dinh Fort, a place called a fortress, is actually an observation deck. When looking at Baiting Sea from here during the day, you can see patches of white lake water complementing each other with green aquatic plants in the distance.
The fast-swimming fish are chased and killed by colorful water birds.
A scene full of vitality, it can be said that it is blocked by Jiangnan.
When viewing the scenery at night, you can see a bright moon reflected in the sparkling lake water, elegant and mysterious.
During the rotation in Hexi, no one was as comfortable as Bai Tingjun.
That night, when he was not on duty, Xin Yunjing, the commander of the Baiting Army, was signing the pledge room, slowly tasting the wine from the Western Regions "honored" by the Hu merchants in Liangzhou City.
At this time, his eyes were blurred and his expression was intoxicated! With a little bit of unnoticeable pride.
Putting aside the blood-licking knife edge, Liangzhou is really a great place!
Nothing is missing!
Xin Yunjing couldn't help but think with emotion.
"Haha, Cui Xiyi can't be the governor for a few days anymore, and he still wants to show off, is he worthy?"
He sneered and spat on the ground. Xin Yunjing, who is young and in a high position, is somewhat arrogant in his heart.
It's not that he looks down on the official position of Jiedushi, but that the so-called "weak" Jiedushi... is really just that.
Generally speaking, for a four-year term, you must first spend one year getting familiar with local military affairs, getting familiar with military contacts, and controlling the generals of various ministries.
Then we have to manage military affairs, guard against Tibet, and guard against Turks.
The energy is completely dispersed!
After finally getting familiar with the local customs and customs, he will be transferred away again by the imperial court, lest the Jiedushi envoy become powerful in Liangzhou!
The inherent flaws of this system allowed local wealthy families to find ways to deal with it.
That is "high-level officials pretend to be cowardly, and grassroots officials protect each other." Let the Jiedu envoys work happily for four years and then return to Chang'an to report on their duties!
Cui Xiyi only came here last year and did not even have complete control over the local armies. He was destined to be a weak military commander.
The operation after snatching the cassock of the Tianzhu monk was also a decision made by Xin Yunjing after careful consideration and weighing the pros and cons.
If you can't take money, never take it! The missing fish charm is the biggest flaw in the whole thing! There will be endless troubles if you take this stolen money!
We can only use the "black to eat black" method to kill the Turkic merchants who sold the stolen goods, plug the loopholes, and then Li Daitao is dead, and this matter can be considered safe.
Of course, the price paid was also considerable: because he killed and sold off stolen goods, he ruined his reputation.
I will no longer be able to "do private work" for several years, and the financial loss will be huge. This has some adverse effects on the military construction of the Baiting Army.
In fact, it is not exactly what Fang Chongyong thought. Sometimes the armies in the Hexi Corridor snatch money not just for the sake of drinking for the Qiu Ba people. The biggest way is to "raise private horses."
For example, the Baiting Army only has 200 horses in its establishment. What can these cavalry do in the Hexi Corridor?
Fewer horses than many caravans!
Therefore, the successive Baiting military envoys all liked to "equate private horses" to the infantry teams.
That is to say, it does not occupy the Tang army's establishment, and each army needs to raise money to purchase and raise horses.
After all, horses in the Hexi Corridor are very cheap, and compared to Chang'an, the configuration cost is very low.
Fighting in Hexi and the Western Regions often requires raids, even long-distance raids. Liangzhou soldiers and horses rushing to attack Dunhuang on the sandbank are one of the daily training subjects. How can an army without horses rely on such a long distance to complete a long-distance strategic transfer?
Therefore, the Hexi border army robbed merchants largely because they wanted to "raise private horses" and turn their infantry into "mounted infantry."
This is also one of the difficulties Bai Tingjun is about to face: it is difficult to find money to buy horses.
In theory, this is indeed a big trouble, but in reality it will always be a theoretical trouble. Xin Yunching is not worried at all.
Because the Tubo people are coming!
In the defensive operations in Hexi, at least the cavalry was not very effective in preventing Tibet. With such a small number of people, Baiting's army could not be asked to go south to block the attack channel of the Tibetans.
In short, it would be better to keep a low profile in the future. Who let some idiot drop the fish charm on the spot and get caught and hurt his feet?
"It's too humiliating for me to be the envoy of an army. I will definitely have to make a military envoy Dangdang in the future."
Xin Yunjing said to himself shamelessly, and then took a sip of wine that looked like blood.
"Envoy Xin Jun, please read the official letter sent by someone from Liangzhou City."
A soldier carefully handed the official letter to Xin Yunjing.
"Read it."
Xin Yunjing, who was already drunk, said casually.
"Uh, my subordinate is illiterate..."
The soldier replied with an embarrassed look on his face.
Only then did Xin Yunjing realize that he had said something ridiculous, and then he waved his hand impatiently towards the door of the custody room.
After the other party left, he opened the envelope of the official letter with squinted eyes, held an oil lamp and came over to read the words on it, and was immediately frightened awake by the contents of the official letter!
Xin Yunjing showed a panic expression that was rarely seen on weekdays. He quickly read the official letter several times by the light of the oil lamp, and then he felt cold all over his body! My back was wet with cold sweat!
The content of the official letter is very simple:
A Liangzhou citizen picked up a copper fish charm and handed it to Jiedu Mansion. After inspection, the inscription on the fish charm showed that it belonged to your department.
Please ask the Baiting Army envoy to go to Hexi Jiedu Mansion in Liangzhou to collect this talisman in person within three days. And state in writing who the fish talisman belongs to in your department, when and where it was lost, and the reason why it was not reported to Jiedu Mansion.
The report will be archived in Hexi Jiedu Mansion and will be written off after twenty-seven years.
This letter must also be filed in Baitingjun's accounting office and written off after twenty-seven years.
A gust of cold air went straight to Xin Yunjing's head! The hand holding the letter is trembling slightly!
The content of this official letter was unremarkable. It asked him to come to Liangzhou City within three days to collect the fish charms sent by others, and then submit a written report.
The report must clearly state who the fish charm belongs to, when and how it was lost, and the reasons why it was not reported.
It is then archived and destroyed after twenty-seven years. This "simple military task" is completed.
These are all daily affairs in the Tang Dynasty army, and they are extremely ordinary. Everything is law-abiding and well-documented, and there is no conspiracy.
It doesn't seem like a big deal, it's as simple as eating and drinking.
But, does Xin Yunjing dare to go to Liangzhou City?
Do you dare to submit this "report" after you go?
Most likely you won't dare.
Not just him, any general with a sound mind will not go! Don’t think too much, anyone who abandons this matter will die!
Where did the fish charm probably get lost? Is Xin Yunjing telling the truth, or making it up?
It's a bad idea to make it up, because it was obviously Cui Xiyi's trap.
As long as Xin Yunjing dares to lie, then a dog owner who is "not ignorant" will immediately come out to testify that he did not pick it up there, but at the place where the Tianzhu monks were killed.
Fighting lies against lies, Xin Yunjing will be unable to defend himself! It's useless to argue, because as long as he comes to Jiedu Mansion, he has already entered Cui Xiyi's home court!
In order to cope, Xin Yunjing had to explain why he lied. Next is the opponent's question session. Because the lie itself can be exposed as soon as it is poked, Xin Yunjing must use ten new lies to cover up one old lie!
Then we will see how enchanting the posture of being beaten to death is.
Even if you get past this, if you don't report the loss of the fish talisman to Jiedu Mansion, this is an unavoidable problem! At least the crime of lax daily management cannot be escaped.
And the most important thing is that others have the final say on when to pick up the fish charm! No matter how Xin Yunjing made it up, it can be said that the dog carrier was picked up on the day of the Tianzhu monk's accident.
No matter how Xin Yunjing makes it up, he can't justify it.
Okay, let's just think that Cui Xiyi is a "fool" and Xin Yunjing has fooled him into both of these two aspects. So this inquiry will be archived for twenty-seven years. This is not Cui Xiyi making things difficult, but Datang's archives management system is indeed like this.
Cui Xiyi acted completely according to the rules without any "tricks".
There is such a time bomb stored in the archives. In the future, no, it should be after a period of time, when Xin Yunjing has forgotten about this matter and relaxed his vigilance, someone may jump out and say that there is a problem with this file and that it is still needed. Check again about the missing fish charm and so on.
Bala, bala, when the time comes, Xin Yunjing will also be unable to eat and walk around.
So what happens if you just tell the truth?
To tell the truth directly, Xin Yunjing would have to explain to Jiedu Mansion why the soldiers of the Baiting Army appeared on both sides of the post road hundreds of miles away! You didn’t travel hundreds of miles to see the scenery, right? The fish charm itself can’t fly!
Where is the military order to mobilize troops for this march, who signed it, and why were the troops mobilized?
Can Xin Yungjing explain these?
As for the killing of Tianzhu monks, it is estimated that Cui Xiyit will not mention it. The Jiedushi will only pursue the issues related to the fish charm. Can Xin Yunjing guarantee that every lie is impeccable?
Of course, Xin Yunjing can also talk about it casually, for example, he doesn’t know how or where he dropped that so-and-so.
It can even be said that I didn’t know about it before.
Then Cui Xiyi will probably send him back to the Baiting Army for detailed investigation immediately, and then announce a few days later that he will be dismissed because of his incompetence and chaotic management of Yufu.
By then, no one in the Hexi army would sympathize with Xin Yunjing.
If you lose, you have to stand still and get beaten. This is an iron rule that applies wherever you go. If you can't win, don't play; if you can't afford to lose, don't gamble.
Cui Xiyi's "Fish Talisman Declaration" can be said to be a way to break the overall situation planned by Xin Yunjing with a small thing as big as the tip of a needle.
From beginning to end, the official letter from Hexi Jiedu Mansion did not mention anything about the golden Buddha robes and Tianzhu monks at all! This made Xin Yunjing's plan of "Turks robbing and killing" completely useless.
There is a solution to this matter, and this is also the way out that Cui Xiyi left for him: Xin Yunjing goes to Liangzhou City honestly, and writes the cause and effect of this matter into a file, and then this thing will become an almost "Dead files" that will not be consulted.
This is the price of winning people's trust. Cui Xiyi pinched the little braid.
Afterwards, Xin Yunjing admitted his defeat and found some excuses to deal with some people in Baiting's army. Kill those who deserve to be killed, and retire those who deserve to be retired, even as an explanation to Cui Xiyi.
He suddenly remembered that he seemed to have received an "inexplicable" official letter today from the Chishui Army. It said that the Qiu Bamen of the Chishui Army were coming to the racecourse on the south bank of Baiting Sea to personally select war horses, and asked the Baiting Army to withdraw the relevant patrol posts. , to avoid misunderstandings.
A simple summary is: The uncle of the Chishui Army is coming to choose a mount. Those of you who are watching the situation and have the sense to get out quickly.
Xin Yunjing didn't take it seriously at that time. The Chishui Army was the strongest army in the Hexi Corridor and even the entire Tang Dynasty, so it was expected that it would be domineering.
If the elders of the Chishui Army come to choose horses, then come and let the patrols of the Baiting Army take a break. Anyway, if you destroy the imperial system, someone will naturally stand up and beat them. It will not be their turn. Bai Tingjun is worried.
What's there to say about this nonsense?
But now that I think about it, this move by the Chishui Army is very unusual!
If the Chishui Army is really domineering, why not say hello in advance? It seemed like it was unnecessary and showed timidity.
Xin Yunjing quickly found this official letter in the signing room, compared it with the Yufu letter, and fully understood what had happened.
Qiu Ba of the Chishui Army did not come to choose horses. He came to Baiting Army's garrison to force the palace to wait for the order of the Jiedushi!
You have to go to this Hongmen Banquet whether you want to go or not!
Because these things, all of them, have a major premise that cannot be ignored: Why should Xin Yunjing, the boss, suffer for his subordinates? If he had to die, those people should die first before it was his turn.
After all, he is just an officer working in the Hexi military circles! Is there any reason to put your own future on the line in order to protect those incompetent Qiu Ba under his command?
After thinking about all this, Xin Yunjing gathered his mood, ordered his soldiers to prepare horses, and then set off alone, heading for Liangzhou City under the stars and the moon.
Xin Yunjing knew that he was ready to admit defeat in this round. After admitting defeat, he planned to stop by Jiedu Mansion to find out where and who he lost to.
…
Cen Shen wrote a poem in Liangzhou:
"...
Seeing the autumn grass in front of the Huamen Tower, how can we look at each other in poverty and poverty?
You can laugh a few times in your life, but you have to get drunk when you meet in a drinking competition. "
Huamen Tower is the largest restaurant in Liangzhou, very impressive. But it is also very accommodating. There is a small stall at the door, with many jars of wine randomly placed. There is an old man in his sixties who sells wine to the guests here. Many of the drinks are delivered to the Huamen Building.
Although Hexi is prosperous, resources are still relatively scarce. This place is prosperous but not luxurious, and it does not exclude the use of simple things; although there are many grand objects, there are not many redundant ones. Use them for what they are used for. Practicality is the folk custom in the Hexi Corridor.
This is completely different from Chang'an.
In Chang'an, a restaurant of Huamen Tower's size is not allowed to have an "unsightly" presence like an old man selling wine outside Huamen Tower at the entrance.
Cui Xiyi had occupied the entire third floor of Huamen Building and held a special banquet for Fang Chongyong. Of course, there was also the new deputy envoy of Hexi Jiedu whom he disliked very much.
At this time, the sound of Hujia on the third floor is sometimes sonorous and sometimes mysterious. Its timbre and music theory are very different from those in the Central Plains, but it has its own system.
In the center of the banquet, several extremely revealing orchids with slender waists and plump buttocks were twisting and turning, using their hands and feet together, frequently making some "obscene" and suggestive dance moves, and ogling the many officials at the banquet. .
Including Cui Xiyi, many Liangzhou officials were not surprised. They spoke when they should and applauded when they should. No one seemed to notice these Hu Ji who worked hard to be supported.
Perhaps, this level of "wild flowers" is actually not interesting to those officials of the Tang Dynasty who are pampered and have seen big scenes.
That's what Fang Chongyong thought. He is viewing these tawdry dances with a critical eye. I have to say, the dancing Hu Ji has a really good figure!
At this moment, an inappropriate voice sounded, causing all the officials present to frown.
"What's the point of dancing these women's dances all day long? If you want to come, let's do something tough. Is there any song for Prince Lanling entering the battle?"
At a glance, everyone saw that the person speaking turned out to be the new deputy envoy of Jiedu who had just arrived in Liangzhou City today: Xiao Jiong!
"Even if we want to watch the entrance song of Prince Lanling, we have to have a place to rehearse it. The first floor of Huamen Building is so big, how can we dance this dance?"
Cui Xiyi explained with an unhappy expression, but he knew in his heart that Xiao Jiong was Li Linfu's minion, and he came to Hexi this time to replace him! Now he serves as the deputy envoy of Hexi Jiedu, just to familiarize himself with government affairs.
"The scenery in Liangzhou is indeed not very good. It cannot compare with Chang'an. I think when I was in Chang'an, I heard that there was a nine-year-old prodigy who could write a poem:
I advise you not to cherish your gold-threaded clothes; I advise you to cherish your youth;
Flowers are ready to be broken when they bloom, but don’t wait to break branches when there are no flowers left.
Although Liangzhou is big, there are no such people! "
Xiao Jiong opened the map cannon without any shame.
Upon hearing this, Fang Chongyong, who was eating a piece of "mutton wrapped in mutton tripe", dropped the chopsticks in his hand on the table.
This dish is made by grinding pepper, ginger, salt, black bean, orange peel, scallions, pepper and other spices into powder, then sprinkling it on the mutton and stuffing it into the mutton belly. After being wrapped in mud, they are then grilled in a fire pit.
After taking it out, remove the mud and eat it. It tastes extremely delicious.
But he couldn't care less now.
Didn't Xiao Jiong say this poem "casually" in front of Lao Zheng? Why did it become a talking point in Xiao Jiong's mouth?
At the banquet, many local officials in Liangzhou looked at each other in disbelief. To be able to write such a poem at the age of nine is very impressive!
Fang Chongyong quickly piled vegetables in front of him.
Four or five small naan buns with raisins on top were piled up.
A rice bowl made of corn rice topped with cheese was placed on several plates.
The fruit bowls for mare's milk grapes and giant pomegranates are also huge.
The number of fancy pastries with different images is not small.
Fang Chongyong hoped that the food would cover his face so that the officials present would not notice him as a nine-year-old boy.
As a result, the food not only did not hide Fang Chongyong, but because the food was too much and piled high on the table, he soon became the focus of the audience.
"If you join the army in the state capital, can you write poetry?"
Cui Xiyi, who was sitting in the front seat, asked kindly, and Fang Chongyong secretly complained in his heart.
(End of chapter)
