His Majesty the Emperor ran away, and so did His Highness the Crown Prince. He didn't even have the courage to say hello to his subjects. He took advantage of the darkest time before dawn and left, leaving the entire people of Chang'an City behind.
No matter how loyal Ma Fang was to the Tang Dynasty, he could not explain this behavior with any justification. He could only sigh lowly and temporarily put away his plan to recruit Wang Xun for the prince.
Seeing that everyone was almost rested, the two decided to part ways. Ma Fang took those who were willing to "protect" the Holy Emperor and went west to catch up with the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, while Wang Xun himself protected his family members and went to Huating to meet with his tent.
The soldiers and horses gathered together. The neighbors in Chongrenfang were either rich or noble. At this moment, there were people in the family who were officials of the Tang Dynasty, and they all expressed their willingness to follow Ma Fang. On the contrary, Mrs. Xiangjun's family did not fall out after discovering that they had been deceived.
Instead, he once again solemnly stated that he was willing to advance and retreat together with Wang Xun.
This choice surprised Wang Xun, and he once again emphasized to Mrs. Xiangjun and her family that no matter what choice they made, even if they returned to Chang'an to join Bian Lingcheng now, they did not have to worry about suddenly falling out. Mrs. Xiangjun turned her head to the side,
He was angry and refused to speak. However, his husband glanced at Ma Fang secretly and explained to Wang Xun in a low voice: "The general is true to his words, and his family will never dare to doubt it. But my subordinates just thought about it carefully.
I feel that it is not appropriate to follow the Holy Master at this moment. As the old saying goes, it is difficult for the road of Shu to ascend to the nine heavens. And His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, in his prime, probably does not want to leave the country and the country behind like His Majesty!"
The words were very subtle, but people who understood him could hear it immediately. He was implying that the power struggle within the imperial court had reached the point of tense situation. Yang Guozhong led the Jiannan Jiedushi from afar. After the emperor arrived in the middle of Shu, the government would of course have to rely on Zhong and Li.
He and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince have always been at odds with Yang Guozhong, and they are definitely not willing to go into each other's lair. Once the two sides conflict on the way, I am afraid that many innocent people will die in confusion.
Wang Xun was worried about Ma Fang and immediately turned his eyes to the latter. Ma Fang shook his head nonchalantly and said with a smile: "Second brother, don't worry about me. The left and right Longwu Army and Feilong Imperial Guard are still completely under your Majesty's control.
Hand. As long as the old man doesn’t nod, no one can cause any trouble!"
"No matter what, it's always good to be careful!" Wang Xun had limited knowledge of the specific situation of the various forces in the court, so he could only nod and solemnly warned.
"Second brother, be careful too!" Ma Fang agreed with a smile. After a slight hesitation, he quickly named fourteen very capable soldiers from his subordinates and ordered in a deep voice, "You guys will see off the general for me and wait for him to meet with you."
The large group of people met and then turned around to catch up with me."
"No!" The soldiers who were called were obviously Ma Fang's cronies, and they bowed to accept the order without hesitation.
When Wang Xun set out from Huating County, he planned to sneak back to Chang'an quietly and pick up Aunt Yun and others without anyone noticing, so he only brought a few guards with him. At this moment, including his own servants, he was also ten
The number of four. Impressed by Ma Fang's carefulness, he could no longer say anything if he refused. He could only sigh and silently accepted the other party's kindness.
In addition to Aunt Yun and others, Wang Xun also had the family members of several other brothers to pick up during his trip. So he took the initiative to say goodbye to Ma Fang. Ma Fang reluctantly escorted him for another five or six miles until he passed Baqiao.
, then turned his mount and headed west.
That night, Wang Xun and others rested in the village of Fang Ziling's family. The Fang family was also considered a prominent family near Chang'an. Their ancestors once followed General Xu Shiji to conquer Goguryeo and made great achievements. Later, Xu Jingye's army failed to conquer Wu Zetian.
The family was also implicated, and the family fortunes were in ruins. It was not until Fang Ziling's generation that any clan members entered the official career again. However, the official fortunes of several direct descendants and nephews were not very good, and they only climbed to the sixth rank. On the contrary, Fang Ziling, a member of the clan who was not very popular
A side branch valued by the elders, because he went to the Western Regions with Wang Xun, and became a fourth-rank general at a young age.
Several elders of the Fang family were not aware of Wang Xun's embarrassment at this time. When they heard that the general was coming, they felt bright and happy. They immediately held a banquet, invited relatives and friends, and entertained the distinguished guests from afar. Thanks to Fang Ziling's repeated instructions,
He said that the general had a secret mission and could not reveal his whereabouts, so he did not send the invitation directly to the local officials.
During the dinner, Fang Ziling proposed to relocate the whole family to avoid the persecution of the rebels. The most respected elder in the clan, Fang Ziling's fifth uncle Fang Zheng, shook his head and flatly refused: "Our Fang family has been here since the reign of Wenjing.
We have been settled here for hundreds of years. What kind of military disasters have not happened during this period? If we had moved at every turn, we would have been scattered to pieces! If we don’t move! If we want to leave, Twenty-seventh Lang, you take the young people in your clan with you.
Let’s go, we old ones will stay in Zhuangzi to guard the ancestral hall for our ancestors!”
"But, but the emperor, the emperor and all the officials are gone, and the city of Chang'an has been robbed and devastated. That fellow in Anlu Mountain has a bad reputation..." Fang Ziling did not dare to compete with his elders.
Go around in circles and list the reasons for moving.
"The Emperor can leave, but we can't!" Even though there were distinguished guests present, Old Fangzheng did not intend to give face to the younger generation. He glared at Fang Ziling fiercely, his white beard trembling up and down. "Your great-grandfather's great-grandfather is buried here, and your grandfather is buried here.
Here, your father is also buried here. In a few years, I will also be buried here. Together with the ancestors of our Fang family, I will watch you juniors in the ancestral hall spread their branches and leaves, making our Fang family
Restore the lintel! I am not afraid of the general's anger. I would like to say something treasonous. Over the past few hundred years, the emperors in Chang'an City have changed so many times, but the ancestral hall and land of our old Fang family have not changed. Our roots are
Here, right on the edge of the Ba River!"
Fang Ziling was speechless and had no choice but to lower his head and take a gulp of wine. Old Fangzheng looked at him and then at Wang Xun, who was still drunk. He pondered for a moment and then said in a slower tone: "I understand what Mr. Twenty-Seven is thinking.
The world is going to be in chaos, and our Fang family must make more preparations to ensure that the incense in front of the ancestors' souls will not be cut off. Your eldest brother, fifth brother, and several children from the seventh brother's family can already ride horses. Let them follow you.
Let’s go. Follow the general with you and gain fame. For the other minors, I will arrange for someone to take them to hide in the mountains as soon as possible. When the chaos is over, I will bring them back!”
"So, where are you now?!" Fang Ziling finally breathed a sigh of relief, raised his head, and asked with some expectation.
"I?" Old Fangzheng laughed loudly, "Haha, I'm so old, what do I have to be afraid of! When it's time to go to the fields to supervise young people to work, go to the fields to supervise young people to work. When it's time to harvest crops, continue to harvest crops. Rebels
If you come to collect grain, and you want less, I will give it to him, which means you will lose money and avoid disaster. If it makes me unable to survive, I will pick up a knife and kill every piece of it!"
