"But why are there rumors that Nong Zhigao has led his army across the river and entered our territory of the Song Dynasty?" Wang Gui said with a worried look on his face.
"I've heard about this too." Zhang Fangping nodded and said, "That's why I invited the Qiongbu Sichuan headman who first reported the news today to inquire. I will treat him to dinner later, and if you two imperial envoys don't mind, you might as well
Are you going to attend too?"
"That's a good feeling."
"But when the time comes, it all depends on my eyes." Zhang Fangping said with a sly smile.
"We'll see!" Wang Gui smiled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the three of them turned to the main hall, they saw five dark-skinned middle-aged men with heads wrapped in black cloth, wearing black short clothes, barefoot on the left side, sitting on chairs, pretending to drink tea.
As soon as they saw Zhang Fangping coming, the five people quickly stood up and saluted, saying hello to him in blunt Chinese.
Zhang Fangping introduced them and told Wang Gui and Chen Ke that these five were local officials from Qiongbuchuan in Lizhou and Yazhou. However, he only said to the leaders that they were imperial envoys sent by the imperial court and did not mention that they were going out.
This is what makes Dali so miserable.
At this time, Lao Jun came up to report that the banquet was ready, and Zhang Fangping asked everyone to take their seats according to the guest of honour.
Although they were eating at the same table, the dishes were distinct. In front of Wang Gui and Chen Ke, there were exquisite wines and dishes. However, a group of local officials were not interested in delicacies. Each of them had a leg of lamb, a leg of dog, and a dog in front of them.
Fat pig's trotters. There is no need for cups for wine. In front of each person is a large wine jar, which contains the turbid wine drunk by the army.
The toasts didn't use chopsticks, so they just grabbed a leg with one hand, shook their heads and tore off a big piece of oily meat. They held the wine jar with the other hand, took a sip, ate meat and drank wine, and soon forgot what they were doing.
,act like a buffoon.
They looked like hungry ghosts reincarnated while eating, which made Wang Gui frown secretly, and he couldn't help but blame Zhang Fangping for letting us eat with such a group of people. Isn't that torturing us?
However, Chen Ke looked calm and took the initiative to chat with the leaders, asking them some innocuous questions about people and things, and soon they became familiar with them.
Zhang Fangping kept urging him to drink. After the leaders burped and their drunken eyes were blurred, he started to talk: "I bother you all to come here this time because the information you provided is very timely and important. But it is too brief. My officer
I can't report it to the court, so I ask you to tell me everything you know. Please help me complete this report." He said with a smile and said: "Of course, I will ask for credit for you!"
The five heads were already drunk. When they heard that they were going to ask for credit, their eyes suddenly glowed green. They kept talking to each other, fearing that others would take the lead.
But listening to their descriptions, which were so inconsistent and full of flaws, both Wang Gui and Chen Ke frowned... Some said that Nong Zhigao's troops numbered three to five thousand, some said three to fifty thousand, and some said there were dozens.
Wan. Some people say that he is already in Lizhou. Some people say that he has not crossed the river yet. Some people can describe Nong Zhigao's appearance, but some people can't even figure out which ethnic group Nong Zhigao belongs to...
All in all, it was a cloud of fog and was far from the truth, but Zhang Fangping not only accepted the order, but also said with a grateful face: "The information you provided is so important. I will sort it out and send it to the court as soon as possible!"
At this time, several of the leaders drank several bottles of wine. They were so drunk that they almost fell asleep, but they still did not forget the reward. They breathed the smell of wine and spoke with their big teeth: "This year's spring famine, the people of the tribe are going to be hungry, hiccup.
starving……"
"No problem." Zhang Fangping waved his hand generously and said, "In three days, a batch of military rations will arrive. It's all for you!"
The leaders cheered and thanked Mr. Zhang for his generosity.
"It's too troublesome for you to go back and come back." Zhang Fangping, the good man, finally said: "Why don't you stay here for a few days, I have enough wine and meat, you just need to send someone back and ask Ding Zhuang to transport food.
.”
"Okay, okay." The leaders were eager to enjoy a few more days in Ya'an City, so naturally they all agreed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After the drunken leaders were helped down, Zhang Fangping invited Wang Gui and Wang Gui to have tea in the back hall.
As soon as he sat down, Wang Gui couldn't help but said: "Dong Dao An, are you so flattering to those foreigners?"
"Haha..." Zhang Fangping twisted his beard and said with a smile: "The Fanyi people in Qiongbu River are very special."
"What special method?"
"The so-called 'Qiongbu River' refers to the Qiongbu people who live in the mountains south of Yazhou. They are also the most powerful among all the tribes. They often block trade routes and do something to 'think about this'.
Road, leaving behind the business of buying road money. But because the imperial court did not conquer Dali in one go after pacifying Shuzhong, it is impossible to eliminate them now... Once the army comes to suppress them, they will hide in the territory of Dali and wait until
If the wind blows over and they come back, you won't be able to catch them."
"So the government should not be lenient and restrictive, give them money and food, grant them official positions, and restrict them a little. Besides, the court also needs them to monitor Dali..." Because the lessons of the Tang Dynasty were overcorrected, the court has always been wary of Dali, so local officials can use it at will
The Qiongbu Sichuan and Tibetan people who traveled in and out of Dali served as an important source for them to collect military intelligence about Dali.
Then Zhang Fangping explained: "However, Qiongbuchuan did not simply serve the Song Dynasty. They were also used by Dali. They often served as envoys of the Dali Kingdom, passing through Western Shu to pay tribute to the Song Dynasty. They also helped Dali submit letters and deliver letters on behalf of the Song Dynasty.
Dali requested to be canonized. It can be said that they are spies who work at both ends. In this way, their reliability is greatly doubted. Once the information they provide is untrue, it will cause consequences to both the Song Dynasty and the decision-makers of Dali State.
Serious miscarriage of justice."
"So Mr. Zhang wants to call them here and ask them himself." Wang Gui understood: "Why do you have to drink wine first before asking?"
"Only when you are drunk can you tell the truth." Zhang Fangping said with a smile: "Despite their rough appearance, they are actually very cunning. If you listen to their lies when they are sober, you will be abducted and taken away from the sky."
"Do you tell the truth when you are drunk?" Wang Gui is a gentleman, and it is difficult to understand the thoughts of an old man like Zhang Fangping.
"I told lies when I was drunk, but when I got confused, I couldn't keep it straight. In addition, I said I wanted to ask for credit for them, so I rushed to act first. In the end, I told many lies and made many mistakes." Zhang Fangping said calmly: "At least I am sure.
They are lying."
"Why do they lie?"
"On the one hand, they are cunning and greedy, and always want to find ways to gain benefits from the imperial court. It is a good way to spread rumors and exaggerate the military situation, so that the imperial court has to rely on them, reward them, and give them armor and weapons."
Zhang Fangping said: "On the other hand, there was chaos on the trade road, so they pretended to be thieves and took advantage of the situation."
"As expected, they are a bunch of unfed wolves," Wang Gui gasped and said, "It's impossible to deal with people like this if you are not careful enough."
"There's no need to look down on them." Zhang Fangping sneered: "They're just a bunch of clever thieves, let's see how I deal with them!" Then he said to Wang Gui and Chen Ke, "Just stay in Ya'an City for three days, and you won't be able to sharpen your sword.
If you chop wood by mistake, it will be much easier to hit the road in three days than it is to hit the road now."
"Listen to Mr. An's arrangements." Wang Gui nodded.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, Chen Kezheng, Lu Huiqing, Zeng Bu and others were studying the route into Yunnan. Suddenly he heard the sound of drums in the front office hall, and another minor official came to invite him. He hurriedly changed into his official uniform.
Went to the lobby.
By the time he and Wang Gui arrived, Zhang Fangping was already sitting upright in the commanding position. In the lobby, civil and military personnel were lined up on the left and right, and there were tough armored men guarding the guard of honor, giving him a mighty and murderous atmosphere.
Instructing the two of them to sit down, Zhang Fangping slapped the crowd and said solemnly: "Bring them in!"
Then they saw ten tall sergeants coming in, twisting five tied-up Tibetan people, and without explanation, they knelt on the ground.
Chen Ke and Wang Gui took a look and found that they were the guests that day, five people from Qiongbu Sichuan.
As soon as the five people saw Zhang Fangping, they either felt aggrieved or shouted angrily. Although they couldn't understand what they were saying, thinking about it, they knew that they were asking him why he had turned against him.
"Shut up!" Zhang Fangping slammed the table and said angrily: "You are waiting for a big disaster to come, but you are still here and don't know how to die!"
"..." The five leaders were stunned, and one of the leaders who was awarded the title of Lizhou Magistrate asked: "We faithfully report to the imperial court, but how come we get into trouble?"
"If you are truly loyal, there will naturally be only benefits and no harm." Zhang Fangping said coldly: "But if you lied about the military situation and undermined the situation between the two rivers with your false claims, you will naturally be severely punished!"
"It's unfair, sir, we have indeed seen the traitor." The leaders shouted and said, "That's why you dare to report to the imperial court!"
"Then why did the imperial scouts search for more than ten days and still not find a single soldier of the enemy?" Zhang Fangping asked: "Could it be that the enemy is specifically looking for you, and the officers and soldiers disappear as soon as they appear?"
"There are hundreds of thousands of mountains, and tens of thousands of troops can be hidden everywhere. I'm afraid that the scouts won't be able to search them all in a short time..." Judge Ren argued.
"Since you said that the bandits have entered Sichuan, well, we might as well issue a military order." Zhang Fangping sneered: "If they appear in any town in the Song Dynasty within a month, I will invite you to be a consolation envoy. Otherwise, the whole house will be full of people."
How about copying and beheading?"
"Behead the whole family?" Several leaders were shocked. They had never thought that there would be such serious consequences.
"Now the imperial court is going to war because of your words, sending hundreds of thousands of troops into Sichuan. The governments in Sichuan are also preparing their troops and waiting for the enemy, spending hundreds of millions of money and food. If you lied about the military situation..." Zhang Fangping's eyes revealed.
Fierce Guang said: "Is it necessary to die without mercy?" He waved his big hand and said with a ferocious smile: "I have also detained all the clansmen who came to receive the reward, and they will be executed together when the time comes!"
"Do you dare to stand up?" As Zhang Fangping asked word by word, the five leaders' defenses completely collapsed, and they confessed their conspiracy to spread rumors and take advantage of the opportunity after they heard that Nong Zhigao appeared in Dali.
