Baqiao in the Tang Dynasty was built in the third year of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty (AD 583). It was located at the strategic link between Chang'an City and Tongguan Road, Pujinguan Road, and Lantianguan Road. It had a very important strategic position. Ba Bridge was originally just an "ordinary" bridge on the Ba River outside Chang'an City.
The bridge itself is very ordinary, but it is the only way for many post roads, and because it is the "check-in point" for officials entering and exiting Chang'an, they are welcomed and sent to.
Therefore, the word "Baqiao" appears very frequently in the poems of literati. There are 133 poems in the Tang Dynasty that mention Baqiao. Various factors make this place very extraordinary.
The government set up a post station in Baqiao, which not only provided accommodation services for officials coming and going, but also provided necessary supplies for the troops hoarded here.
It was not yet past noon, and many tourists gathered near Baqiao Post. Everyone looked at the smoke ignited somewhere in Chang'an City in amazement, and everyone was so frightened that they could not speak.
When the smoke rises, there will be trouble. This is an iron rule.
Wolf smoke is not something that can be used just by burning anything. Its materials and formula are unique, and the thick smoke it emits is also unique and can be recognized at a glance.
There was smoke in Chang'an City. I haven't seen a similar scene in how many years!
"What happened in Chang'an?"
Pei Min, the general of the Youjinwu Guard, stood on an arrow tower set up in the temporary camp, overlooking the smoke in the direction of Chang'an.
Preliminary judgment shows that it should be located near the Imperial City! It’s not even far from Xingqing Palace!
He murmured to himself as he watched, his heart sinking to the bottom.
Letting all the Nanya Imperial Army stay outside Chang'an City is an extremely weird imperial edict in itself. This is even more true if we consider the embarrassing status of the Nanya Forbidden Army now.
Contrary to the estimates of most people in later generations, among the sixteen guards of the Nanya Forbidden Army in Chang'an, except for the "left and right Jinwu guards", "left and right Qianniu guards" and "left and right prison guards", there were fixed establishments.
The other ten guards have no fixed establishment, or to put it simply and crudely, they are called "arbitrary establishment."
If it exists, it will exist; if it does not exist, it does not exist. The specific scale depends on whether the military government offices around Chang'an can hand over their troops to Chang'an for "attack".
It is somewhat similar to the reserve system of the Israel Defense Forces in Fang Chongyong's previous life. Hang a sign in the Nanya. When soldiers come to Chang'an, they will be stuffed inside. Add a marching general to form an army and then pull it out to fight. That's it.
As for the army's equipment and supplies, that is not Nanya's concern and must be managed by the Ministry of War.
In the early Tang Dynasty, among the ten guards, one guard with 10,000 people was not that many. They often went out to the Tang border and participated in external battles. They were first-class elites. After the military system of the government was destroyed in the middle and late period, one guard with 100 people may not be enough. Got it all. Sometimes the entire honor guard has to recruit gangsters from the streets to make up the number.
It is a pity that these ten guards are now in the latter situation. They have basically become "paper data" and no longer exist as a fixed army.
This is a system that was established in the early Tang Dynasty, and it is also the tradition that "the elite soldiers of Guanzhong are the ten guards of Nanya"; the original system design was good, but Chengyefu defeated Yefu soldiers, and the military system disintegrated, and Nanya Naturally, the Forbidden Army only retains its most basic existence, which is commonly known as the "Sixth Army of Nanya".
Compared with the prison guards who are restricted to the palace city (not the imperial city), the Qianniu Guards, who are small in scale and not popular with Brother Ji, the Jinwu Guards have the largest establishment and the widest range of activities. They are also the Nanya Forbidden Army. The slowest to rot among them.
In this regard, Pei Min knows very well that he has a heavy responsibility!
This time there is smoke in Chang'an, and it seems that there are many people who can share the blame, but if something goes wrong, he and Wang Sijing, the newly appointed Zuo Jinwu Guards Zhonglang General, will definitely be the first to be unlucky. !
"General Pei, Zheng Shuqing, Yin of Jingzhao Prefecture, wants to see you. He is just outside the camp gate."
The soldier came over and whispered.
"Zheng Shuqing?"
Pei Min was stunned and secretly wondered: At this juncture, why did Jingzhao Prefecture Yin come to the military camp?
As a veteran who has been in the military for decades, Lao Qiu Ba is very familiar with the powers of the Jinwu Guards. The Jingzhao Mansion Yamen's jurisdiction over the Nanya Imperial Guards is in many cases theoretical, and the orders issued are just empty letters.
However, this is not the case for the Jinwu Guards who are responsible for security in the outer city of Chang'an. It wouldn't be a big deal if the other commanders of the Nanya Forbidden Army didn't listen to Zheng Shuqing's words; however, the Jinwu Guard Zhonglang General on his left and right had to take it seriously.
"What do you think of Zheng Shuqing?"
Pei Min asked the soldier beside him in a low voice.
"When I returned to the general, there was a sarcastic saying: Zheng Fu Yin always calls people Qian Aye when he meets them.
Probably...not a good person. "
The soldier told Pei Min in plain language what he remembered about Zheng Shuqing.
"Understood."
Pei Min nodded slightly. It seemed that the public's impression of Zheng Shuqing was highly similar to his own.
So he called Wang Sijing, the general of the Zuojinwu Guard, and the two generals who were the prison guards, and the four of them went to see Zheng Shuqing together. As for Qianniu Guard, Pei Min knew that Li Longji was very defensive about him, so he simply didn't call Qianniu Guard's people over.
"Aren't you Zhang Guangsheng?"
As soon as the group arrived outside the camp gate, they saw a burly man standing next to Zheng Shuqing. Pei Min recognized at a glance that this was Zhang Guangsheng, who had served in the Jinwu Guards.
"Generals, there is a rebellion in Chang'an City now, the smoke has been lit, and the saint is in great danger. Now, please follow me into the city to serve the King!"
Zheng Shuqing said to Pei Min and others.
"Yin Zheng, the imperial edict says that we are not allowed to enter the city. Now I just listen to your words and lead troops into Chang'an. Isn't this inappropriate?"
Pei Min refused with a calm face, and several other lieutenant generals also echoed a few words, obviously not taking Zheng Shuqing seriously.
What if someone lit up the smoke for fun?
"Everyone, the saint is indeed in great danger now. King Zhong is causing trouble and is about to take control of Chang'an City. If we go too late, the saint will be in danger."
Seeing that no one paid any attention to Zheng Shuqing's words, Zhang Guangsheng quickly crossed his hands and saluted.
"Whether there is an imperial decree or not, we only need to look at the imperial decree."
Wang Sijing looks like a scholar, but his speech is more direct, leaving no gaps.
At this moment, they are all migrant workers in Chang'an, Tang Dynasty. They lie down when they need to lie down, and fish when they need to fish!
Don’t do unnecessary things if you can!
"Generals, please obey your authority in urgent matters. How can I have an imperial edict here? I didn't know that King Zhong would rebel!"
Zheng Shuqing defended anxiously.
“Although Jingzhao Mansion has the power to mobilize Nanya’s army, its authority will not be greater than the imperial edict given by the saint.
The saint has said, let us stay here without moving.
Now Zheng Fuyin wants us to go to the city with you to serve the king. This is really against the rules.
If something happens, even if you and Zheng Fuyin's family are killed, it won't be enough to fill this big hole.
Therefore, we can only say that we are sorry, and the holy decree of the saint is great. Don't say it's you, even if it's a loyal king or something, if you come here to mobilize troops, we will have the same answer.
Without the decree, we will not move! "
Pei Min said righteously.
Zheng Shuqing took a look and found that the two generals guarding the gate seemed to be wavering and were not as determined as Pei Min. So he turned around and said to the two of them: "The responsibilities of the prison guards are important. Now you can take the prison guards back to the Imperial City, Daming Palace and other places to garrison there. Is there no problem?"
The two looked at each other and then shook their heads.
If it were someone else, maybe they would actually listen. But the person speaking now is Zheng Shuqing, who has been the governor of Jingzhao Mansion for four years!
This guy has no sense of moral integrity, and his backbone is softer than a soup cake. Who knows if he was ordered by someone to lead everyone into a big pit?
Maybe nothing happened to the saint at all?
"I am telling you that if something serious happens, you will die without mercy! If you don't go, I will go back to the Yamen now and summon people from Jingzhao Mansion to rescue him!"
Zheng Shuqing's eyes turned red with anxiety, and he shouted indiscriminately.
Why don’t these people listen?
"Zheng Shuqing, this general is not scared. The Nanya Forbidden Army is stationed at Baqiao. This is the order of the saint himself. Who are you to resist the order?"
Wang Sijing took a step forward and came face to face with Zheng Shuqing. He puffed his beard and glared, refusing to give in!
Pei Min, who was watching the situation from the side, looked thoughtful but silent. He heard that Wang Sijing had some relationship with King Zhong, and this man had just taken up the post of Zuo Jinwu Guard as the Zhonglang General of Jinwu Guard.
Now that he is rushing so far forward, is he trying to "reverse the diligent king"? Not the Saint Qin Wang, but Li Heng, the King Qin Wang Zhong?
Pei Min decided to take a look at the situation.
As soon as Wang Sijing said these words, the atmosphere at the scene suddenly froze.
At this moment, two people galloped over on horseback from a distance. The guards at the camp gate immediately raised their crossbows and aimed at them. They only listened to the chief officer's order and shot the two people into hedgehogs.
Upon seeing this, Pei Min quickly waved his hands to them, signaling to the camp gate guards not to be nervous. In the current situation, it is impossible for someone to break into the camp and cause trouble alone!
When the two men got closer and dismounted, everyone could see their appearance clearly.
One of them was wearing a red cloak, and he looked imposing and not angry. This man is Fang Chongyong's father, Fang Youde, Lingnan Economic Envoy. The other person seemed to be a guard. He was extremely tall and looked like a powerful person.
Neither man was wearing armor.
"There is smoke in Chang'an City and the Nanya Forbidden Army. Why are they stopping here?"
As soon as they met, Fang Youde rudely asked Wang Sijing, who was standing at the front.
"The saint ordered me to wait here and not enter the city."
Wang Sijing said with a guilty conscience.
In fact, for the Sixth Army of Nanya, although it is a matter of choice whether to enter the city at this time, it is no problem to at least send some scouts to the place where the smoke is ignited to have a look, right?
As a result, these people "mechanically" implemented the order and fished outside the city with the intention of "not doing well".
It is not too much to describe it with the phrase "his heart can be killed".
Of course, Brother Ji is not good to the Nanya Forbidden Army, and he is constantly cutting down the establishment. Of course, he can't blame the Nanya Imperial Army for being the fifth grader of junior high school.
"Why are you here?"
Fang Youde turned his head to look at Zheng Shuqing and asked in a bad tone.
"The loyal king rebelled, and the saint is now in danger. A certain Yin of Jingzhao Mansion sent troops into the city to quell the rebellion, but they did not listen to orders."
Zheng Shuqing said helplessly, trying to use Fang Youde as a life-saving straw.
"How could Prince Zhong rebel?"
Fang Youde asked in confusion, with a look of disbelief on his face.
"Whether you believe it or not, this is the fact, and it is not something difficult to find out!
The top priority now is to mobilize troops into the city to quell the rebellion! "
Zheng Shuqing complained angrily, making Zhang Guangsheng shake his head as he watched.
This Zheng Fuyin has no problem discussing important matters in his study, but if he really wants to implement them, there are too many loopholes. He is a typical example of someone who can't hold up the wall with mud!
"Is that so? Is that what Zheng Fuyin said just now?"
Fang Youde looked at Wang Sijing and asked.
"Yes, that is indeed the case. But yesterday's imperial decree kept us outside the city. Without Zheng Shuqing's imperial decree, how could we enter the city?"
Wang Sijing retorted confidently, and then he realized that he didn't know the person in front of him at all, and he said angrily: "Who are you? I am Wang Sijing, the general of the Zuojinwu Guard. Why do you question me?" ?”
"I am Fang Youde, Lingnan Economic Envoy. I was ordered to return to Beijing to report on my duties. I just passed through here."
Fang Youde said with a cold expression.
"Oh, that's it, then it's none of your business. Please get out of here quickly."
Wang Sijing said impatiently.
Of course he knew who Fang Youde was, but now, Wang Sijing had his own difficulties.
He did not dare to forget King Zhong's instructions for a moment. As long as he could drag the Nanya Imperial Army back to Chang'an, it would be a great achievement. Seeing that things are about to be done, how can we let others ruin the results!
"The general is outside, and military orders are not obeyed. Now Chang'an is in chaos. The saint could not have predicted the current situation before. He may be trapped and unable to issue an imperial edict.
It is the duty of the Nanya Forbidden Army to lead troops to go on duty where there is smoke and check the situation.
Are you trying to evade responsibility? "
Fang Youde asked with an unkind expression, and winked at the strong man beside him calmly.
"I said no, unless you have an imperial edict, the Nanya armies will never enter Chang'an.
Leading troops into Chang'an without an edict is treason! "
Wang Sijing said sternly, not giving in an inch.
Poof!
Wang Sijing's head instantly flew into the sky, and then rolled to the side like a ball!
The strong man beside Fang Youde suddenly attacked and beheaded Wang Sijing with a powerful and heavy sword blow. The blood spurted out and splashed all over Fang Youde!
Pei Min and the other three were stunned. They killed the general at the slightest disagreement. You are really planning to rebel!
"Now, a certain person is going to lead the Nanya imperial army to Chang'an to save the saint!
He doesn't care about laws and regulations, he just wants to repay the saint for his kindness. The king's favor is greater than the law. There is only one saint today!
Who among you would like to go to town with XX?
Your official position was given by the saint, and your work is the work of the saint, not the work of some anti-king!
You are not just a lazy monk who beats the clock every day!
Since the saint is in trouble, now is the time to be loyal to the saint. Do you want to follow me or not?
If you have any responsibility afterwards, just put it on someone on our side! But now, you just have to say, go or not!
Ask yourself, are you still loyal?
Loyalty to the Saint! Do you have it or not! "
Fang Youde pulled out his sword, pointed at Pei Min coldly, patted his chest with his other hand, and roared at everyone.
"I am willing to listen to Fang Jieshuai's instructions!"
In the shadow of famous trees, if Zheng Shuqing is a notorious dog official, then Fang Youde is a veritable pillar of the Tang Dynasty, powerful in the border areas, and at the same time, he was an old minister of Li Longji during his Qianlong period.
Not only is he wise and brave, but he is also unspeakably loyal.
It is certainly better to follow Fang Youde than to follow the dog official Zheng Shuqing!
"Very good, that person will now temporarily take over the command of Zuo Jinwu Guards' Zhonglang General and directly command Zuo Jinwu Guards.
Zheng Fuyin, please bring out the transfer order. "
Fang Youde looked at Zheng Shuqing very contemptuously, stretched out his hand and said.
"Okay, okay, sorry."
Zheng Shuqing hurriedly handed Fang Youde the decree of the Jingzhao Mansion that had been written in his arms.
"You've all seen it. When things are urgent, follow the authority. Jingzhao Mansion has ordered us here. Our entry into the city is not a mutiny, but a rebellion against King Qin.
If something goes wrong, it will be virtuous to kill me first in the future, and then kill this Zheng Fuyin. It is none of your business.
Go and deliver the order now! "
Fang Youde waved his hand, and Pei Min and others went directly back to the military camp, summoned the generals to prepare for departure, and returned to Chang'an.
"Fang Jieshuai, it's been a long time no see."
Zheng Shuqing rubbed his hands and said awkwardly.
"Okay, okay, I'll follow the army later. I don't want to talk nonsense to you."
Fang Youde shook his head impatiently, then turned around and said to the young and burly attendant beside him: "He Changqi, if you take the lead in killing the enemy later, someone will recommend to the saint that you be granted an official title."
"Okay, Fang Jieshuai, you'll see what happens later. They're just a bunch of rebels."
The young strong man named He Changqi had a ferocious smile on his face, clenched his fists, and looked eager to try.
(End of chapter)
