Chapter 37 The wind started at the end of Qingping
Just after Li Longji killed three sons in one day, and when Fang Chongyong was imprisoned innocently to "experience life", another major event happened in the DPRK.
Last year (the 24th year of Kaiyuan), Tubo's ambitions expanded and they actually attacked Belu (the Ladakh region in eastern Kashmir) from the west in an attempt to cut off the Silk Road.
This is one of the key nodes of the Silk Road, guarding the transportation artery between the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia and the western and northwestern regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
The Bolu area itself is a lofty mountain, and its products are not worth fighting for between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo. However, it is a key section of the Silk Road. If Bolu is completely controlled by Tibet, the four towns in Anxi will be exposed to the Tubo army.
Next!
After being beaten, Bo Lu would naturally send an envoy to the Tang Dynasty to ask for help.
Datang had to step in to solve this problem, because if Tubo was allowed to run amok, the next step would be to compete with Tibet for the four towns of Anxi. The complete severance of the Silk Road was intolerable and unacceptable to Datang.
Things!
In view of the fact that they had maintained peace with Tibet for many years, and both sides were in peace, Li Longji simply sent an envoy to Tibet to order them to stop their troops.
However, the domestic political environment of Tubo has changed, and it has also changed its foreign policy, turning from conservative to offensive. It did not obey the imperial edict at all and brazenly attacked the Bolu Kingdom.
Li Longji was extremely angry, but in view of the domestic situation, he held back for the time being.
It is worth mentioning that although Tubo has a strong national power, its foreign policy and foreign exploration model are very stupid and clumsy. It often does things that cost one hundred yuan but only get ten yuan in return.
It is very good at destroying the interests of other countries, but it is not very concerned about maximizing its own interests. It often switches between being beaten without thinking and being beaten without thinking.
To put it simply, Tubo's own strong strength has not been effectively transformed into a channel to strengthen itself. Its level of application of foreign policy is far inferior to that of the Turks.
Recently, Sun Ji, an aide of Cui Xiyi, the governor of Hexi Province, came to the court to report that Cui Xiyi had made peace with the Tibetan border general Qilixu, and beheaded Baiju as an alliance, so that Tang and Tubo withdrew their garrison in the area bordering Hexi.
Fort, forming a demilitarized situation in the border areas.
Therefore, Sun Jie proposed suggestions to the imperial court and could take advantage of this opportunity to send troops from Hexi (Liangzhou) to attack Tubo and avenge his previous humiliation!
Although this cannot directly recapture Bolu, it can greatly restrain the Tibetan military power and reduce the military pressure on the four towns of Anxi.
This matter was just brought to the court for discussion, and then the courtiers from all walks of life quarreled again. Represented by the opinions of Right Prime Minister Zhang Jiuling and Left Prime Minister Li Linfu, the courtiers were also divided into two distinct factions.
Zhang Jiuling believes that the current expenditure of the imperial court has reached a terrifying level, especially the scale of bureaucrats and officials in the Chang'an area, which is unprecedented!
Two years ago (that is, the 21st year of Kaiyuan), the imperial court, under the auspices of Li Linfu, made relevant statistics in this regard:
The number of officials in Chang'an has reached 17,686, and the number of other subordinate officials is as many as 57,416. Moreover, due to family selection and imperial examination selection, many have obtained official qualifications.
But no one has been awarded the official title yet.
These people, together with the royal family, officials' children, as well as various servants, providers, etc., formed a huge group that was separated from agricultural production and needed support.
A conservative estimate would be at least 200,000 people!
Now four years have passed, and the number of officials has only increased!
So many people consume a large amount of central finance every year and consume a large amount of grain and materials transported to Chang'an. These have almost brought the central finance to the brink of collapse.
At this time, someone actually proposed to fight against Tibet. What did they think?
Where is the money? Who will pay for it?
Whoever insists on sending troops to fight Tibet now should stand up and fight me for 500 rounds before doing so!
Li Linfu's opinion was more direct: If we don't attack Tubo, the Tang Dynasty's road to the Western Regions will be cut off. If this road is cut off, the imperial court will not even be able to collect the business taxes and duties of Hu merchants, and the loss will be more than one trillion? p>
The caravans traveling to and from the Western Regions in Chang'an City, the dazzling array of Western Regions goods in the Western Market, and the related taxes, which are huge in amount and have minimal losses, will all disappear!
No one can bear this kind of loss.
Anyway, the current situation of people's livelihood in Chang'an and the situation of the court's maintenance of officials and soldiers are just the same. There have been no troubles in the past many years, and it is unlikely that anything will change for a while.
War will not wait for you to prepare everything before it happens!
Instead of thinking about "reducing expenditures", it is better to think of ways to "open source".
The Tibetan general Kilixu was superstitious about the contract oath. Isn't this the time to attack the enemy by surprise? If we don't send troops now, how long will it take?
As for honesty and trustworthiness, they should be treated on a case-by-case basis. Barbarians like Tubo are no different from livestock in the eyes of the Tang Dynasty.
People can talk about honesty and trustworthiness between people, but what moral principles can we talk about between people and animals?
To sum up: Just rush and win, no matter what you win, it’s easy to say.
Li Linfu's suggestion received widespread support from both the government and the public, but there were only a few people who supported Zhang Jiuling, only a few Zhongshu Provincial officials who were born in the imperial examination.
In fact, if you think about it, you will understand what is going on.
Because regardless of whether there is a war or not, according to Zhang Jiuling's idea, the number of officials in the capital must be greatly reduced, and at the same time, salaries and benefits must be cut, and many hidden benefits must also be cut.
If parents don't let their children have enough to eat, the children will complain, not to mention those officials in the capital who are already pampered and well-off in Chang'an?
Sure enough, Li Longji followed Sun Jie's suggestion and sent a eunuch named Zhao Huicong as a supervisor. He returned to Liangzhou with him and urged Cui Xiyi to use troops against Tubo.
It must be caught unexpectedly and no news should leak out!
As for things like killing three sons in one day, Li Longji has long forgotten about it. The war machine is about to start, and there are undercurrents inside and outside the court. Letters frequently exchange between Hexi and Chang'an.
The clouds of war were gathering on the border between Tang Dynasty and Tubo, and the situation became tense again, just like ten years ago.
……
"Didn't you say that you can go out in just one day? It's been three days, why are you still here?"
Yan Zhuang looked at Fang Chongyong with a mocking expression and asked.
"People stumble, horses stumble, and there are always accidents in life.
The people I’m waiting for haven’t arrived yet, but Dali Temple has a nice environment, so I just want to stay here for a few more days..."
Fang Zhongyong said with a smile.
He was so proud when he pretended to be cool in front of Yan Zhuang before, but now he is so miserable when he is slapped in the face.
What's wrong?
Fang Chongyong always felt that the progress of killing three sons in one day should not be like this. If you want to imprison people, you don't have to imprison Dali Temple all the time!
Dali Temple is an institution that reviews cases across the country, but it is also a place where important criminals are temporarily detained.
Temporary and critical, these two are key words!
In other words, for many officials with political problems, their first stop may be to go to Dali Temple to stay for a few days. Maybe after the emperor changes his mind, he can take them out of Dali Temple directly and reinstate them to their original posts!
If he is sentenced, he will be transferred from Dali Temple, and those who deserve punishment will be given a distribution, and those who deserve death will be sentenced to death.
Moreover, the conditions of the Dali Temple Prison were better than those in the Tang Dynasty prisons. The guards were stricter and more disciplined, and there was less interference from the outside. A jailed person who had been convicted of a crime would not be allowed to be jailed casually by the jailer.
Things like poisoning to death happen.
We will not let prisoners die of illness in prison!
Which link went wrong?
Fang Chongyong fell into deep thought and didn't care that he also smelled bad now and didn't look much better than Yan Zhuang.
At this moment, the prison door was opened, and Gao Lishi, wearing a yellow palace uniform, walked in with his hands behind his back, looking at Fang Chongyong thoughtfully.
"Let's go, the saint invites you."
Gao Lishi said softly, with a calm and indifferent tone.
People like them who serve the emperor have developed a professional habit of keeping their emotions and anger a secret. Sometimes a cold tone does not mean a cold mood, it is just a habit.
"It's a little late for the elder to come."
Fang Chongyong stood up, stretched his muscles and said with a smile: "I thought I could go out in one day."
"If you keep talking too much, I'm afraid you'll be locked up for a year. Why don't you leave?"
Gao Lishi laughed and cursed.
"Let's go, let's go."
Fang Chongyong followed Gao Lishi, and then slowly walked out of the Dali Temple Prison with Yan Zhuang's astonished eyes.
"Why are there so many differences between people?"
Yan Zhuang looked at Fang Chongyong's leaving figure and couldn't help but lamented.
Fang Chongyong could not hear the helplessness and sorrow in Yan Zhuang's heart at this moment. He followed Gao Lishi on the oxcart, and then came to the Xingqing Palace. Two beautiful ladies gave him a bath for an hour, and then put on his clothes again.
Comfortable brocade robe.
This dress is cut and sewn from white silk. The material comes from Wen Ling paid tribute by Henan Prefecture (governing Luoyang, today's Luoyang, Henan Province) and is expensive.
The clothes are embroidered with a pattern called "Hunting Brocade".
Among them are people riding and shooting, galloping animals, flying auspicious birds, as well as trees and flowers dotted among them, all concentrated in the round group of flowers.
The outside of the flower is dotted with bead-shaped patterns, with clear layers and compact structure.
This type of pattern, collectively known as "Lianzhu Tuangui pattern", was a popular decorative pattern among the nobility at this time.
After learning this information from these two young ladies, Fang Chongyong no longer dared to ask how much this dress cost and how much labor it cost.
All in all, the affairs of the nobility cannot be measured by money in many cases. Quality is what they pursue!
What shocked Fang Chongyong even more was that he didn't need to dress himself, there were two beautiful ladies to help him wear it! When he was bored, he asked these two pretty ladies whether there were people like them in the palace.
How much?
The answer I got was: "Maybe more than 10,000."
So Fang Chongyong thought, maybe this sentence is not an exaggerated rhetorical device, but a true description of the extravagance of the palace.
Under the guidance of these two beautiful ladies, Fang Chongyong walked into the main building of Xingqing Palace and saw a middle-aged man wearing a dark blue round-neck robe chatting with Gao Lishi. The two were talking and laughing.
look like.
Needless to say, this is Li Longji.
Fang Chongyong couldn't help but sigh in his heart, the emperor Li Longji was so controversial that it was difficult to explain in words.
"I have seen a saint."
Fang Chongyong bowed and saluted Li Longji.
"How do you know that I am the emperor?"
Li Longji put down the music score in his hand, looked at Fang Chongyong and asked.
"If he is not a saint, who can chat with General Gao here?"
Fang Chongyong said cautiously.
"Don't be cautious. If I wanted to chop off your head, I would have done it long ago. Tell me why you want to bury Li Ying and the others. Or do you have no idea who your father is?"
Li Longji asked resentfully.
"Back to the saint, I just think that the dead should be buried in peace. The prince who was deposed and sentenced to death is also the face of the royal family. The face of the royal family is the face of the saint."
Fang Chongyong continued to salute and said.
"Forget it, considering that you are young and ignorant, I will let this matter go and I will not pursue it any further. However, for those scholars who are messing around with you and taking the exam, I have decided to let them fail the imperial examination this year. No matter how talented they are, they will not be able to take the exam this year.
Accepted!"
Li Longji waved his hand and said.
This is what he really thinks. Fang Chongyong is a half-grown child and the son of Qian Di’s cronies. If he causes trouble, it can be forgiven if it does not cause bad effects
And Zhang Xun and others, who are already adults and are still scholars taking the scientific examination, actually participated in the mischief. Children are not sensible, so are you?
Just expelling these people from the imperial examination list as punishment is already for Fang Youde's sake.
"Thank you saint for your grace."
Fang Chongyong continued to bow and salute with a very humble attitude.
"In a few days, you go to the Imperial College to study. If you have nothing to do all day, you will be bored and you will easily get into trouble."
Li Longji said calmly.
Eh?
"Imperial Imperial College?"
Fang Chongyong was stunned. He still didn't understand what this place was for, but it just felt familiar.
"At your age, if you don't study, what else do you want to do, and what can you do?"
Li Longji looked at Fang Chongyong with confusion and asked.
In the Tang Dynasty, not every official could be taught by a famous teacher from his family. However, it was rare for Fang Youde to directly ignore his son. Most of the children of officials had to gain experience in the Imperial College. p>
Food, accommodation and school uniforms are provided there!
The Imperial College is located in the west of Wubenfang in Chang'an, which reaches the imperial city in the north and Xingdaofang in the west. It is 350 steps wide from north to south and 450 steps long from east to west (one step is about 1.65 meters).
The Imperial College covers an area of half a square. In addition to the Imperial College, there are also Jinzou Courtyard, Xiantian Temple where Fang Xuanling's residence was renovated, and numerous official residences.
In addition to the palace city where the central office is located, this is the place where most officials gather in Chang'an City.
Originally he wanted to ask "Can I not go", but out of the corner of his eye he saw Gao Lishi calmly nodding towards him, Fang Chongyong had no choice but to put his hands together and salute: "Thank you saint for your grace. But I have something to ask for your mercy."
."
"Just say it."
Li Longji is in a good mood. Publicizing this matter will be of great benefit to make up for his broken character.
"On the way back to Chang'an, I met a young official named Yan Zhuang from Youzhou who was sent to Lingnan. He said that he was wronged by my father. Now that the court is employing people, it is better to send him to Hexi Bian Town as a subordinate.
Officials can be regarded as making the best use of their talents.
If I am sent to Lingnan, I am afraid of dying, so why bother?"
Fang Chongyong did not forget Yan Zhuang and tried to find a way to intercede for him.
"Lux, please help with this little matter. Take him home and go through the back door of Xingqing Palace."
Li Longji looked relaxed, pointed at Fang Chongyong and said to Gao Lishi.
As for whether the whole thing was legal from beginning to end, he had no involvement at all.
In the Tang Dynasty, no matter how great the Dharma was, it could not be greater than the saints, so why bother talking about those nonsense?