Between Chang'an and Luoyang, there is a galloping road that is well maintained by the Tang government. Not only is there an endless stream of merchants coming and going, but it is also one of the main channels for transporting grain into the customs.
Thinking about it, no matter how much the imperial court attached importance to the main road connecting them, Chang'an, the upper capital, and Luoyang, the eastern capital, could not be overemphasized.
This road is not only convenient and safe, but also one of the lifelines for supplying Chang'an outside the customs. Every year, the imperial court would send officials from the Ministry of Works to inspect the road conditions along the way.
When a tree falls, it is necessary to plant a tree, when there is a hole in the ground, it is necessary to fill it up, when the mountain collapses, it is necessary to send people to open a road, and when there are bandits nearby, it is necessary to send troops to exterminate them.
In short, this is a demonstration project of the Tang Empire, which has extremely important symbolic significance and practical value.
One afternoon after autumn, the sun is shining brightly but not too hot. The climate is pleasant and it is a good time to go out and play.
An ordinary-looking carriage without any decoration, pulled by three horses, drove slowly and steadily on the galloping road.
Behind the carriage were four or five people dressed as ordinary caravan guards. Their long trousers and shorts did not have any special patterns on their clothes. They looked like some people in Chang'an who were paid to work as guards and were seeking a living outside for various reasons.
The costumes of these people are ordinary, but they all look energetic and capable, making it difficult for anyone to guess their background.
The driver was a middle-aged man with a strong build. At his waist was a horizontal sword common in Chang'an West City. There was no mark on the scabbard.
Anyway, they don't seem to be particularly rich, nor do they seem to be people in the government. They act very low-key.
Suddenly, a man and a horse appeared not far in front of the carriage, as if they were specially waiting for the people in the carriage.
"stop!"
A high-pitched shout came from inside the car.
The driver immediately tightened the reins and stopped the car.
"Who stopped the car? What happened?"
The driver driving the car had a loud voice, and his voice was like a bell, and he asked with overwhelming momentum.
"Huanhuan, I know you are inside, can you come out and see me?"
The man turned over and dismounted and said, he turned out to be Li Long, the longevity king born to Li Longji and Concubine Wu Hui!
Li Xuan's voice was pleading, without the prince's domineering tone at all, only a deep sense of sadness.
No one in the carriage answered, as if they didn't hear him.
"Huanhuan, do you know that I haven't had a peaceful sleep since you were no longer in the palace.
Now that you are gone, I feel like everything is meaningless. If you're not around, what's the point of my life? "
King Shou stepped forward to lift the curtain of the carriage, but was stopped by the burly coachman.
"Wantless! If you take another step forward, you will be killed without mercy!"
The driver drew his sword and glared at King Shou, shouting loudly!
"Li Chen, I am a Taizhen monk, not Princess Shou, and I am no longer Huanhuan. Please come back."
Yang Yuhuan's voice came from the carriage, with a soft, even humble plea.
But on the surface it seems cold and quiet.
Li Chen was overjoyed and took another step forward. Regardless of the fact that the blade on his neck was already touching his skin, he shouted loudly and affectionately:
"Huanhuan, I knew you must be here! Can you let me see you? Please! I just want to see you again!"
"Prince Shou, our relationship has long since ended, and there is no need to mention it again. If you continue to pester me like this, I'm afraid Saburo will misunderstand you!"
Yang Yuhuan's anxious voice of defense came from the carriage, almost sternly!
She has a gentle personality and rarely gets so angry.
"Sanlang? Who is Sanlang?"
Li Chen was stunned and asked almost as a reflex.
Could it be that Yang Yuhuan found another man? Calling so affectionately? He couldn't remember who Saburo was for a moment, but he only felt that the title was vaguely familiar.
"It's me!"
A sound that made King Shou's liver and gallbladder split was heard from the carriage!
deep! Short! Strong! powerful!
The longevity king Li Chen was immediately sweating profusely. He wanted to step forward to explain, but he was afraid that Li Longji would open the curtain of the carriage and come out to scold him angrily!
Li Chen slowly backed away, until he retreated to his horse, then quietly took the horse and pulled it to the side of the road.
The driver took the opportunity to put his sword back into its scabbard, glanced meaningfully at King Shou Li Xuan, and said nothing.
The curtain of the carriage opened a corner, revealing half of Gao Lishi's head. He waved his hand calmly to the coachman, and then the carriage began to accelerate towards Luoyang.
When passing by the Shou King Li Xuan, there was no disturbance, and Yang Yuhuan did not lift the curtain of the carriage.
After the carriage left, King Shou Li Xuan leaned against a tree and gasped in shock.
That beast was also on the carriage!
Why is this happening!
King Longevity Li Xuan finally found out that Yang Yuhuan was going back to his third uncle Yang Xuangui's house in Luoyang today to visit relatives. This was the only way to go!
Because Yang Yuhuan has never returned home since she married into Prince Shou's Mansion! He also did not interact with his relatives. From the moment the carriage left Xingqing Palace, his people were under close surveillance!
But why is that beast also on the carriage?
Why!
Why can't I hear any news before?
Li Chen really couldn't figure it out. Wasn't that dirty guy who picked up ashes afraid of being assassinated?
Thinking of this, Li Chen felt a sudden tremor in his heart, and some evil thoughts came to his mind.
if!
If he takes the opportunity now and sends people to catch up and kill the beast, will he be able to become the emperor and take back the ring?
As soon as this thought appeared in my mind, it was quickly replaced by the three corpses hanging from the beams in Chengdong Station.
Li Ying and the other three kings are already cold, but Li Chan doesn’t want to die yet!
Although he had not seen the shocking scene with his own eyes, it was already frightening to hear it described by servants who had seen it.
Is Li Longji's "White Dragon Fish Suit" really careless, or has he already arranged a back-up plan, using himself as bait to wait for someone with evil intentions to take action?
The longevity king Li Xuan didn't know, and he didn't dare to bet.
Even if he kills his beastly father, there is still no way he can secure the throne. All unrealistic efforts are paving the way for those so-called "brothers" who have been watching their own jokes.
What Li Chen didn't know was that his behavior of blocking the carriage not only did not make Li Longji angry, but instead made the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty even more excited!
Not long after the carriage left, Brother Ji pulled off Yang Yuhuan's belt regardless of his restraint, and took off her white...
Gao Lishi on the side turned a blind eye to this and turned his head consciously.
…
Fang Chongyong imagined that when the governor was appointed, he would be ostracized by local officials. Maybe there were people who deliberately refused to come out to greet him, and there might even be some thorns who would jump out to make things difficult for him, trying to slap him in the face as a "bicycle governor."
But in fact, when he came to the inn next to Ruoshui, he was about to cross the stone bridge to the west gate of Zhangye City, which was just around the corner. I found that beside the inn and the stone bridge, local officials in green robes were greeting me, which was very impressive.
There was even a middle-aged man wearing the attire of a high-ranking military attache.
A group of people were all gesturing to him with extremely respectful attitudes.
No matter which angle you look at it, this attitude is too strange.
"Comrades, what are you doing..."
Fang Chongyong asked with a puzzled look on his face.
Even if you are being polite, you shouldn't be so polite, right?
"Fang Shijun, we have been waiting for you! If you don't come again, we don't know what we will do!"
The official in military attaché attire introduced himself: "I, Ouyang Qin, am the military envoy of the Jiankang Army and the governor of Ganzhou. But from now on, I am no longer the governor of Ganzhou.
Here is the seal, and I will give it to Fang Shijun for safekeeping, so that I can go about my business with the Jiankang Army in peace, hahahahaha! "
The unshaven middle-aged uncle took out the governor's seal from his sleeve and put it into Fang Chongyong's arms with a cheerful expression. It didn't look like he was dismissed from his post, but rather like he had lost a big burden.
"Envoy Ouyang, I don't understand... you were supposed to succeed as the governor of Ganzhou, why are you so happy after resigning?"
Fang Chongyong asked with a puzzled look on his face.
It is easy to tell whether a person is really happy or fake! This military envoy Ouyang was truly happy.
Not fake at all.
So much so that this guy traveled more than 200 miles just to wait for Fang Zhongyong to enter Zhangye City and join the company!
No matter how you look at it, you can’t wait to see it and even cheer for it.
It's just that these days, which official would think that he has too few concurrent official posts? It's not like he can't hire staff!
"Your Majesty, it's hard to explain what happened in Ganzhou. Even if it doesn't go well, the sage will definitely not punish you, let alone the Hexi Jiedu envoy.
Just so that you can go to your post with peace of mind, I took my leave and returned to the military camp. "
Ouyang Kuan bowed and bowed to Fang Chongyong, then got on his horse and headed west.
He is cool and unrestrained, not sloppy, and has a very hard-working and efficient style in Hexi.
While Fang Chongyong was stunned, a green-robed official walked out of the crowd, held Fang Chongyong's hands very suddenly, and said excitedly: "But Fang Zhijun is in person? I am Zhangye County Lieutenant Yanzhuang!"
Yan Zhuang, who met an old friend in a foreign land and had a bumpy official career, was so excited that he almost cried when he saw that it was Fang Chongyong himself.
After a year of hard work, I finally got backstage.
why you?
Fang Zhongyong was full of doubts, and slowly pulled his hand away from Yan Zhuang's, and then looked at the other person thoughtfully, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.
There are so many things I want to say and so many questions I want to ask, that I feel like I don’t know what to ask first.
"Your Majesty, the situation in Ganzhou is complicated. This is not the place to talk. Tonight everyone from the government office will come to greet your Majesty. After the banquet, we will go to the study to elaborate."
Yan Zhuang leaned into Fang Chongyong's ear and lowered his voice.
"Understood, let's talk about it later."
Fang Chongyong nodded slightly, and then shouted at the top of his voice to the welcoming officials: "Comrades, please leave now. Come to the Ganzhou government office lobby to discuss important matters in three days. During the rest of the time, everyone can go about their own official duties. .”
He raised the seal in his hand and waved it.
"We all obey your envoy's orders!"
The group of green-robed officials thanked them and left, making Fang Chongyong couldn't help but sigh.
He had a bad feeling that someone had dug a big hole for him.
…
Zhangye City is much smaller than Liangzhou City. It only has a square main city with no ancillary structures around the city wall. It has four city gates in total. The market is in the west near the city gate. It can be enclosed with a fence, which is very worry-free and down-to-earth.
There are no squares or walls in the city, but most of the government agencies are concentrated in the southeast corner.
The official reception banquet held by Ganzhou officials for Fang Chongyong was very grand. The wine was wine from Liangzhou; the rice was steamed with the famous "black rice" here, which left a fragrant aroma on the lips and teeth. It was said that it was a tribute, and ordinary people could not eat it at all;
Not to mention common things such as roasted leg of lamb and haggis soup, Fang Chongyong was surprised that soup made from camel hooves and roasted and cut camel hump meat actually appeared on the dining table, as well as something similar to hand-made soup. Pilaf, a food called "Qiang Boiled", has rich and mysterious side dishes.
What is placed on this long and wide dining table is not just food, but the all-encompassing and rich atmosphere of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
With complex and inexplicable emotions, Fang Chongyong had a more intuitive experience of Ganzhou's wealth after eating this luxurious feast amidst the flattery of many bureaucrats. After drinking and eating, he took Yan Zhuang to the government office's study room, lit an oil lamp, and they had a long talk.
"Your Majesty, there is nothing unusual in Ganzhou. It's just that the central government's autumn prevention order is very problematic. No officials here dare to implement it, and no one dares to step forward."
Yan Zhuang said in a deep voice. Seeing that there was no sadness or joy on Fang Chongyong's face, he lowered his voice and continued:
"Lang Jun can find a way to be transferred to a post somewhere in Liangzhou. The trouble in Ganzhou was not caused by Lang Jun, and it is not up to Lang Jun to clean up the situation."
Yan Zhuang knew the inside story, but didn't know how to explain it to Fang Chongyong.
Local sentiments are deeply intertwined and cannot be summed up in two words: right or wrong. In other words, the contradiction between the local government and the central government will always exist, and there is nothing to say about it. The only difference between local officials is "implementation" and "non-implementation".
"The officials in Ganzhou already know the contents of the official document sent by Liangzhou Prefecture through other channels. But now everyone is generally unwilling to execute Liangzhou's official documents on the grounds that the governor of Ganzhou is the acting governor and cannot take charge of the overall situation. State orders.
The Liangzhou Prefecture probably didn't agree with the saint's decision, so it also deliberately delayed the autumn defense order. As long as the army wins a big victory on the front line, the Tubo people will be eliminated. So the implementation or non-implementation of the autumn prevention order actually means little. "
Yan Zhuang said calmly.
Fang Chongyong nodded slightly, noncommittal.
Brother Ji's order was a bit outrageous, and Hexi felt it was completely impossible to execute it. But they obviously couldn't disobey Chang'an's request, so they could only delay it in disguise. The local situation is very complicated, and Brother Ji doesn't know about it.
But what local officials need to ensure is local stability and that there will be no trouble on the border. As for Brother Ji's specific order, if it is inconvenient to implement, then just delay it. We must not mechanically implement a certain order and cause the situation in the border town to collapse.
The unlucky ones will still be the local officials.
However, it seems that playing this way for a long time is not an option. There must always be someone who can speak and take charge of the overall situation.
Take the blame by the way!
Fang Chongyong somewhat understood why those green-robed officials looked at him as if he were seeing his father.
"Guo Ziyi needs to train six thousand united troops. This is the top priority. Other government affairs must be put on the back burner."
Fang Chongyong said in a deep voice.
Hearing this, Yan Zhuang smiled bitterly and said: "The commander is right, the training of the united soldiers is one of the troubles."
trouble?
Fang Chongyong talked with Guo Ziyi, and the other party did not think that training united soldiers was a difficult task. The United Soldiers are not just mediocre soldiers with no foundation at all. In fact, many of them are veterans, and their basic combat strength is guaranteed.
"The training of united soldiers is not difficult, but it requires soldiers!"
Yan Zhuang sighed helplessly. As the county lieutenant of Zhangye County, he was doing similar chores.
"Zhangyecheng...doesn't have united troops?"
Fang Chongyong asked in shock.
Recruiting and training troops are two different things, and even the affairs of different organizations. He had only heard that Guo Ziyi was coming to Ganzhou to train united troops and rebuild Zhangye Shouchuo. No one told him that there were no united soldiers waiting for training in Zhangye City!
"Let alone unite the troops, we don't even have any troops."
Yan Zhuang told Fang Chongyong the answer he least wanted to hear.
grass! This horse riding joke is too big!
Fang Chongyong now even wants to rush back to Chang'an and stab Brother Ji to death!
The curtain opens
(End of chapter)
