Ban Weizheng and his colleagues had been busy for a day, checking the good status of the border residents, and decided to go to this restaurant to have some food and drinks.
As soon as he walked into the store, Ban Weizheng saw a circle of guards in uniforms beside the inner table. He couldn't help but frown and stopped in his steps.
Among the imperial guards at the wine table, there was a Shangguan with the highest rank. His eyes lit up when he saw the ban guard marching, and he smiled and shouted: "Ban Xiaowei."
Ban Weizheng looked at the Shangguan and replied coldly: "General Zhang Zhen."
Zhang Yanling stood up from the table, walked to Ban Weizheng, looked at the people beside him, and asked, "Are you all brothers from Beizhen?"
After getting the affirmative answer, Zhang Yanling said with a smile: "Nanzhen was sent to protect the prince. He just went out to hunt a lot of game. The store has already cooked it. Why don't we come and taste it together?"
The Jinyi guards in Beizhen have been very busy these days, but the food is not that good. When they heard Zhang Yanling say the word "game", their mouths suddenly became wet, and they turned their attention to Ban Wei Zheng.
Ban Weizheng glanced at his colleagues beside him, thought for a moment, and nodded slightly.
Upon seeing this, the Jin Yiwei from North Town cheered and came to the dinner table, eating, drinking and fighting with the people from South Town.
Zhang Yanling said with a smile: "That's right. We all came out of the same place, why should we separate ourselves from each other?"
Zhang Yanling saw Ban Weizheng standing still, so he pulled him into a cubicle, sent away the prostitutes, and ordered the store to serve some good wine and food.
Ban Weizheng hesitated for a while, but still wanted to leave.
Zhang Yanling said: "I have something serious to tell you... The situation in Anbei is complicated, and I'm afraid it will be a troubled time next."
Ban Weizheng was puzzled and looked at Zhang Yanling.
The latter forced him to sit down, poured wine, and said: "I used to work in Beizhen. When it comes to people I admire, besides Wang Liulang (Wang Hong), it is your classmate."
Ban Weizheng: "As you just said, do you have something serious to say?"
Zhang Yanling smiled and continued: "North Town is ordered to assist Anbei, and South Town is ordered to protect the Crown Prince. Both towns are working for the Holy Lord, so naturally they should be closer to each other. However, what the Holy Lord wants is not only
Rebuilding the Anbei Protectorate will also fill the national treasury and support the Northern Expedition. As royal guards, we should learn to figure out the holy will."
Ban Weizheng: "If you have something to say, just say it. Don't beat around the bush."
Zhang Yanling: "Who will manage the Anbei Protectorate in the future? It can't be those businessmen, let alone those northern barbarians. In the final analysis, the management of Anbei ultimately relies on officials. If you want to let officials
The best way to do things with all your heart is to adapt to the officialdom and help each other..."
Ban Weizheng interrupted him and said: "Official power protects itself and nobles form cliques, which has brought much harm to the Tang Dynasty. You should know how much harm it has brought to the Tang Dynasty. The purpose of your Majesty's order for merchants to operate Anbei is to prevent noble families from taking power."
Zhang Yanling shook his head and said: "There is no way to eliminate feudal clans. When old clan clans fall, new clan clans will be established. Those officials, with power in their hands, will naturally find ways to find a way out for future generations and build a foundation for the family.
This is the reason for the rise of clans. If we want to put an end to clans, unless we break the status quo of power being passed down from generation to generation, everything will be empty talk."
Ban Weizheng was silent for a moment.
Zhang Yanling: "Since you can't defeat us, it's better to join in... Whether it's Deputy Zhou of the Anbei Protectorate or you yourself, you must always leave a way out for future generations and the family, so that it can last long."
Ban Weizheng: "Why are you saying this to me today?"
Zhang Yanling: "Brother Bang, do you want to hear the truth or lies?"
Ban Weizheng: "Of course it's the truth."
Zhang Yanling: “Because of Brother Bang’s generosity back then.”
Ban Weizheng was stunned and asked: "How do you say this?"
Zhang Yanling: "Back then, I worked as an errand under Bang Geer and followed Sun Duhu in the north and south. Every time Bang Geer received a reward, he never took advantage of it privately and distributed it to us. Once, Yanling
Because I was greedy for merit, I was late and the general wanted to kill me to do the Dharma, but Brother Bang saved me with his life as a guarantee."
Regarding Zhang Yanling's words, Ban Weizheng recalled them quite vaguely, so he shook his head and said, "It's all in the past, don't mention it again."
After saying that, without even taking a bite of the food and wine, Ban Weizheng turned around and walked out of the cubicle.
A few days later, a minor accident occurred in Egu Town in the north of Baiting County.
According to the regulations of the Anbei Protectorate, all tribes that moved from the north were required to hand over all contraband items stipulated by the Tang Law before they were officially registered in the Tang Dynasty.
Among them, the most important thing is armor.
According to the "Laws of Shanxing" of the Tang Dynasty, if you hide one armor collar privately, you will be exiled for two thousand miles; if you hide three armor collars privately, you will be punished by hanging. Therefore, even if it is not a complete set of armor, just a piece of armor, it is considered prohibited.
Serious cases will result in death.
However, the so-called armor of the northern tribes, especially those small tribes, is nothing more than a large iron plate forged from pig iron.
This large iron plate looks a bit like an iron pot. Take two sides, tie them tightly with ropes, and put them on the warrior's body to form a primitive armor.
This kind of armor is extremely heavy and heavy, and its role in combat is very limited.
It's okay for blocking arrows, but if it's used against firearms, let alone artillery or muskets, it will fall apart even if it is affected by the fragments of the explosive barrel.
What's more, there are many poor tribes who even take apart this kind of armor and actually use it as pots, and they even treasure it like a treasure.
Therefore, the Anbei Protectorate has always turned a blind eye to this kind of crudely made "armor".
However, in Egu Town, I don’t know which official had a brain attack, and suddenly, in accordance with Tang law, they had to strictly examine the prohibited items of all tribes.
As a result, more than fifty pieces of this type of iron plate "armor" were found.
According to Tang law, fifty sets of armor was enough to warrant the death penalty.
After the merchants heard about this, they hurried to the official office in Egu Town to plead with the local officials, offering gold and silver and asking for favors.
After a lot of work, the merchants discovered that these local officials, uncharacteristically, accepted death and must hang these border residents who "hid their armor secretly".
After hearing the news, the tribal border people in Egu Town couldn't sit still.
I made it clear at the beginning that I would join Datang, where I would have a job, a monthly salary, and I would not suffer discrimination or abuse.
It's better now, I can't even save my life.
As a result, several offending tribes secretly plotted against each other, packed up their belongings, and planned to force their way in, escape from Egu Town, and return to the northern grasslands.
The guards of the Tang Dynasty, who were responsible for guarding the border residents, did not allow the tribes to leave, so a fierce conflict broke out between the two sides.
The tribe had a large number of people, and although the guards were well-equipped, they were defeated in the end, allowing the former to escape smoothly.
However, escaping the prisoner is still a trivial matter.
More than thirty people were killed or injured on the palace guard side. The most troublesome thing was that a seventh-grade officer was shot in the chest by a stray arrow during the melee and died.
Hiding armor privately, disobeying official orders, running away in fear of crime, killing palace guards and court officials, any one of these is a serious crime that cannot be forgiven.
The situation in the entire Anbei Protectorate suddenly became tense because of this unexpected incident.