Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 157: Money and Desire
"My followers heard that Zhang Yichao, the governor of the Guiyi Army, and his men were marching east to Liang..."

At noon, the sun was shining brightly, but the atmosphere inside the Dunhuang government office was bitterly cold.

This atmosphere reached its peak when Wang Jingzhi read out the court's promotions to Zhang Yichao, Zhang Huaishen, Liu Jilian, Suo Xun, Li Yizhong, Jiu Juyan and others.

Inside and outside the main hall, hundreds of officials had different expressions.

There are "calm" people like Zhang Yichao, Li En, Suo Zhongyi, etc.

There were also people like Wang Jingyi, Kang Tongxun, Gao Jinda, etc. who clenched their teeth and breathed in a low and rough manner.

There are also those who have lively eyes and are indecisive.

Everyone has different thoughts and different ways of cultivating qi, so the actions they display are also different.

"The decree is as on the right. Please follow it and implement it. I'm very careful..."

"Zhang Yichao... accept the order!"

As Wang Jingzhi finished reading the last sentence of the imperial edict, Zhang Yichao calmly took the edict, turned to face everyone, and raised his hands.

Wang Jingzhi and his men took off his scarlet robe and changed it into a purple robe and a goldfish bag, and replaced the flag of the Jiedushi of the Guiyi Army with the flag of the Jiedushi of Hexi.

When the dust settled, Gao Jinda was the first to say, "How can the imperial court win the support of the people if it is like this?!"

"How dare you!" Suo Zhongyi interrupted him and scolded: "The Supreme has his own considerations. How dare you question the king and father?!"

"Why can't we speak out when the court is acting inappropriately?!"

"You should be punished for your outrageous words!"

"Damn it, don't think we don't know what you're thinking! You're just looking for profit!"

"There is a limit to seeking benefits. Hexi has finally been recovered and the people have finally been able to live in peace. You are helping the tyrant to commit atrocities. Aren't you afraid of retribution?!"

"Aiding the tyrant? You actually compared the Supreme Being to King Zhou of Shang!"

"A rebellious person..."

As Gao Jinda and Suo Zhongyi spoke, the Dunhuang government office immediately became a mess, with both sides holding their own opinions and attacking each other.

Li En remained silent and did not join in the verbal battle.

Not only him, even Cao Yiqian, who had just been transferred back to Dunhuang, did not join in.

Looking at the farce in front of him, Zhang Yichao took a deep breath and said, "Enough!"

The voice was not loud, but it was very intimidating. The quarrel gradually subsided the next moment, but the anger in the eyes of both parties could not be concealed.

Zhang Yichao glanced at the crowd, and the officials who supported the court lowered their eyes after looking at him, not daring to meet his gaze.

Even Suo Zhongyi did not dare to openly challenge Zhang Yichao's authority and could only look away.

The reason why the Shazhou Uprising was successful must be due to Zhang Yichao and Hong Bian. As for Li En, Suo Zhongyi and others, they can only come second.

The subsequent three eastern expeditions and two western expeditions were all led and successful by members of the Zhang family. Zhang Yichao's prestige grew higher and higher, and the powerful people in Dunhuang no longer dared to be as presumptuous as they had been before.

Even so, when it comes to interests, not even Zhang Yichao can stop their ambitions.

"The court has its own considerations for making such arrangements."

"Since the imperial court has divided Hexi into two parts, the affairs of the four states of Gansu, Liang, Lan and Hui will be under the full control of Huai Shen."

"Guasha Yisu will continue to be under my control."

With just one sentence, Zhang Yichao cut off the connection between the four western states and the four eastern states in Hexi.

In this way, the powerful people in Dunhuang would have no reason to go to Liangzhou to seek benefits.

Because of this, many officials' faces changed, while people like Suo Zhongyi and Li En who had settled in the four eastern states remained expressionless.

"This is the case. Send the documents to Huai Shen, Liu Jilong, Suo Xun, Li Yizhong, Jiu Juyan and others!"

Zhang Yichao walked away in a huff. Everyone panicked and said quickly:
"Sikong, there are very few people in the east who are good at governing. If we are missing, people's livelihood will surely suffer. Please think twice, Sikong!"

"Please stay, Sikong. Please think twice..."

They kept trying to persuade him to stay, but Zhang Yichao ignored them and disappeared in the corridor.

Wang Jingzhi, Gao Jinda, Wang Jingyi and others looked at each other and left in anger.

After they left, those who shared their opinions left one after another, and the dozens of officials left had no choice but to turn their attention to Li En, Suo Zhongyi and Cao Yiqian.

Seeing this, Suo Zhongqi raised the corner of his mouth slightly, obviously achieving his goal.

Both Zhang Yichao and Zhang Huaishen pushed the powerful people away, and what he had to do was to continue to accept them and support the Suo family to become the leader of the powerful people in Hexi.

"Everyone!" Suo Zhongyi bowed to everyone, his face still calm:

"My son has been appointed as the governor of Huining Army and the governor of Lanzhou. I will hold a banquet in my house tonight. If you are free, you can come. You don't need to bring any gifts!"

"Congratulations, Governor Suo!"

"Congratulations, Governor Suo..."

Seeing Suo Xun's invitation, many officials who were unable to get a leader flocked towards him.

During this period, Li En and Cao Yiqian also received smiles and invitations from some officials.

The two did not refuse and accepted the invitation one after another. A banquet was set up in the mansion and they were invited to attend.

After Gao Jinda, Wang Jingyi and others learned about these things, although they were very angry, they did not have a direct conflict with them because of Zhang Yichao's face.

A few days later, the news reached Sanwei Mountain in the south.

Upon learning of this, Wu Zhen paused his painting and let out a long sigh.

At the same time, an old monk in the main hall of the Sanwei Mountain Temple couldn't help but hunch over.

Under such circumstances, a team of thousands of people also arrived outside Guzang City.

In the northwest wind, the flags of the reorganized Chishui Army fluttered.

They were clearly on the imperial territory, but facing the Guzang army in the distance, they all wore armor and were on high alert, as if facing a powerful enemy.

What were fluttering in the wind were not only the flags of the Chishui Army, but also the flags of the Liangzhou Army under Zhang Huaishen.

Zhang Huaishen implemented a policy of strengthening the trunk and weakening the branches in Liangzhou, so the three cities of Fanhe, Changsong and Jialin each had only 1,000 defenders, while Guzang had 4,000 soldiers.

Among these four thousand armored soldiers, two thousand were elite cavalry, and their formation was much larger than that of the Chishui Army, which consisted of five hundred elite cavalry and two thousand five hundred infantry.

"Damn it, does this Zhang guy think we are the enemy?"

On horseback, Zhang Huaiman couldn't help but speak. After all, among their four thousand men, only less than one thousand elite cavalrymen were wearing armor, and the remaining three thousand were only wearing battle jackets.

On the other hand, Zhang Zhifang's three thousand soldiers were all wearing armor and formed a battle formation, treating them as enemies.

"drive!"

Zhang Huaishen shook the reins of his horse and rode towards the Chishui army led by Zhang Zhifang. Zhang Huaijian and Zhang Huaiman followed him, while Jiu Juyan stayed behind to be on guard.

"It's quite a big show, but it's a pity that they can't even get all the armor together."

"I heard that many of them started out as slaves, yet they dare to put on such a show in front of us."

"Humph, that Zhang guy had better be obedient. If he treats us harshly, I don't know who will be the one to suffer!"

In front of the Chishui Army, several generals behind Zhang Zhifang mocked Zhang Huaishen and his men, but Zhang Zhifang did not stop them.

Soon, Zhang Huaishen and the other two rode their horses to the front of the Chishui army.

"Hexi Defense Envoy Zhang Huaishen is here. May I ask which one is Governor Zhang?"

"This kid doesn't look like much more than a double-ten, can he fight?"

"Is this Zhang Huaishen? Grandpa thought he was a half-grown kid who ran away from some family."

No matter which army Zhang Huaishen was in, he was considered a rookie who had just joined the army. Therefore, after he showed up, the generals in the Chishui Army looked down on him even more.

They had already learned about the deeds of the Guiyi Army on their way here.

Among those deeds, the one who attracted the most attention was not Zhang Huaishen, but Liu Jilong.

After all, Liu Jilian was a commoner who was promoted because he had achieved four major military merits: beheading generals, seizing flags, being the first to climb the ladder, and breaking through the enemy lines.

Even in the entire Tang Dynasty, no one could accomplish this kind of skill in their lifetime.

Because of this, the generals in the Chishui Army all believed that Zhang Huaishen was just a second-generation rich man, and the only one under his command who could fight was Liu Jilian.

"Liangzhou Governor and Chishui Army Jiedushi Zhang Zhifang... greets the Defense Envoy!"

Zhang Zhifang, who was in his thirties, rode out on his horse, and Zhang Huaishen and the other two could not help but look at him. Although Zhang Zhifang was brutal, his father was Zhang Zhongwu, who destroyed the Uighur Khanate.

Even though Zhang Zhongwu had passed away, Zhang Zhifang had learned a lot of skills when Zhang Zhongwu was alive, and could be considered an expert in archery and horse riding.

He was of the same height as Zhang Huaishen, and the two were almost the same height on horseback, but he was more than ten years older than Zhang Huaishen.

"Defense Commander, where are you going to place our soldiers?!"

Zhang Zhifang looked down on Zhang Huaishen, not only because Zhang Huaishen was young, but also because he was of nobler birth than Zhang Huaishen.

Although being expelled from the Youzhou Lulong Army was not a good experience, he had served as the governor of the Lulong Army after all, and was later appointed as the Jinwu General by the Tang court.

In comparison, Zhang Huaishen's titles and honors are not worth mentioning at all.

Zhang Zhifang was very unhappy that the court transferred him to Liangzhou and let such a half-grown kid ride on his head.

If he had not beaten the Jinwu envoy to death while drunk, and the court had not asked him to lead troops to guard the border and make meritorious contributions while serving his sentence, he would not have come to this bitter and cold place of Liangzhou.

"I have ordered the people to build a garrison six miles north of the city. Please ask Governor Zhang to lead the army to follow me to garrison the city!"

Zhang Huaishen's tone was still polite, but as soon as he said this, the guards behind Zhang Zhifang couldn't help but shout:

"We have traveled thousands of miles from Yunzhou to Liangzhou, and now there is no wine or meat, and we are not allowed to enter the city. Now they are going to drive us to the north to work. How powerful!"

"Wine is fine, but there must be some meat, right?"

"I just came from the east and saw tens of thousands of herds of cattle. I wonder if there's any beef or mutton to try!"

Led by the three generals, more than 400 former veterans of the Tianping Army began to make a noise.

"Meat! Meat! Meat..."

They clamored for meat, but Zhang Zhifang had no intention of stopping them.

Soon, the new recruits of the Chishui Army were also mobilized and started clamoring.

Zhang Huaishen's face darkened, and he said in a deep voice: "Once we get to the garrison city, I will naturally arrange meals for you, and I will also cook sheep and slaughter cattle for the soldiers who have come from afar to guard the border...but!"

Zhang Huaishen gritted his teeth and said fiercely: "If anyone dares to make a noise like this, they will be punished by military law!"

"Meat! Meat! Meat..."

The three thousand Chishui soldiers didn't care what Zhang Huaishen said. They just kept making noise among themselves, as if they would not stop until they got the meat.

"Damn it! What are you yelling about!"

Zhang Huaijian had never seen such wild soldiers before, and couldn't help but curse them.

His curse immediately made more than 400 veteran soldiers look at him unfriendly.

But before they could react, the elite cavalry from Liangzhou in the distance galloped over.

The sight of two thousand elite cavalrymen galloping made many new recruits in the Chishui Army panic and they all shut their mouths.

Even the 500 veteran and elite cavalrymen, including their generals, couldn't help but change their expressions.

The dull sound of horse hooves seemed to weigh on their hearts, making it hard for them to breathe.

Originally I thought there were 1,000 cavalrymen, but now it seems that these 2,000 men are all elite cavalrymen, only 1,000 of them are not wearing armor.

“Who’s making noise?!”

Jiu Juyan rushed forward and shouted. Zhang Zhifang's face turned ugly. Just as he was about to lose his temper, he saw Zhang Huaishen slowly raise his hand.

In a moment, the elite cavalrymen at the rear reined in their horses.

The four words "obey orders and prohibit them" were fully reflected at this moment, and Zhang Zhifang and others realized that Zhang Huaishen in front of them was not just a simple second-generation.

The noise of the Chishui Army stopped, and Zhang Huaishen slowly put down his hand. He walked around Zhang Zhifang and came to the front of the Chishui Army, and taught them a lesson in a cold voice:
"I have already said that after you go to the garrison, I will naturally send people to cook sheep and slaughter cattle to reward you."

"But if anyone dares to incite a commotion, I will chop off his head first!!"

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Huaishen drew his sword and put it on the neck of the old soldier who shouted first.

The old soldier of the Chishui Army was sweating profusely. Zhang Huaishen looked at him coldly and said, "Since you don't know the military rules of Hexi, I will temporarily bypass you this time... This will not happen again!"

He sheathed his sword, turned his horse and came to Zhang Zhifang: "Please ask Governor Zhang to lead them to garrison the city. I will send someone to reward the army in half an hour."

Without waiting for Zhang Zhifang to answer, Zhang Huaishen shook the reins and rode away towards Guzang City.

Zhang Zhifang was very angry after being taught a lesson by Zhang Huaishen, but he did not lose his temper.

The behavior of the Liangzhou Army just now is still vivid in my mind. In terms of enforcing orders, they are even better than the Lulong Army.

A general who can train such an army must be of good quality.

The current situation is not suitable to fall out with Zhang Huaishen.

Thinking of this, Zhang Zhifang turned his horse around and ordered the three generals and the 3,000 Red Water Army: "The army will march north to the garrison city and set up camp!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he shook the reins and led 3,000 Chishui troops north to garrison the city, while Zhang Huaishen also led his army back to Guzang City.

The group hurriedly walked into the main hall of the yamen. Before they could sit down, Zhang Huaijian smashed the helmet in his hand on the table.

"Damn it, what a bastard! I have never seen such a wild soldier, he is no better than the foreign bandits!"

Zhang Huaijian cursed, and Zhang Huaiman followed suit: "I think the court sent a group of prisoners over here!"

For the Hexi Army, the only opponents they had encountered were the Uighurs, the Ummats and the Tibetans.

They had never come into contact with the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, but because Zhang Yichao strictly enforced military law, the military discipline of the Hexi Army was strict. The military law enforced by Zhang Yichao was basically in accordance with the "Tang Hui Dian", so they felt that there was no difference between the Tang Army and the Hexi Army.

Only after today's contact did they realize that although they were all "Tang Army", not every army followed the military laws in the "Collected Regulations".

Zhang Huaijian and his men did not understand the customs of the guards in Hebei, Henan and Huainan after the Anshi Rebellion, so they just thought that the court had sent a group of criminal soldiers to guard the border.

In their minds, only the military discipline of foreign soldiers and criminal soldiers could be so corrupt.

Although Jiu Juyan did not agree with the two, he thought so in his heart, so he bowed to Zhang Huaishen who was sitting down and said:
"Sir, this group of people must be restricted. If they disrupt the military discipline in Hexi, that would be a big problem!"

"That's right!" Zhang Huaijian and Zhang Huaiman agreed one after another, and Zhang Huaishen also nodded with a frown.

"I will naturally strictly require Zhang Zhifang to deal with this matter, but judging from his behavior, he obviously looks down on us."

"How about this, you lead the elite cavalry and the cooks to pick a hundred sheep and two cows to guard the city, and at the same time reward the soldiers and have them prepare to participate in the grand drill in ten days!"

"I obey your command!" Jiu Juyan bowed and said, "Do they have the same meals as us?"

Hearing this, Zhang Huaishen did not reply immediately, but instructed Jiu Juyan:
"When you go to the garrison, ask Zhang Zhifang carefully to find out how many days they drill and practice."

"Provide them with a certain amount of meat according to their training, not too much, not too little."

"Yes!" Jiu Juyan responded, and Zhang Huaishen also stood up and walked towards the inner hall.

At the same time as he settled Zhang Zhifang and the Chishui Army, the officials sent by Chang'an also successfully entered the Huining Yamen, the capital of Huizhou.

The dark green sixth-rank official robe showed off his official position, but for someone like Suo Xun who thought highly of himself, a sixth-rank official was not worthy of him looking up to. But the person in front of him was different.

The eldest son of the Bo Ling Cui family, a deputy minister of the Ministry of Shangshu, and the son of Prime Minister Cui Xuan...

Any of these three identities is enough for Suo Xun to treat with caution.

Because of this, even though he was sitting in the main seat, he had to lean forward and not dare to show any arrogance.

"The court hopes that Suo Huining (the governor of Huining Army) will protect Huizhou well and not listen to the instigation of others and do things that are detrimental to the court."

Cui Tan was in his twenties, but he spoke in a very mature manner, which made the straightforward Suo Xun feel a little depressed.

However, for the sake of his own future, Suo Xun immediately responded: "What the Yuanwailang said is very true. The Huining Army is an army of the imperial court, and I am also a minister of the imperial court. Naturally, I will not be instigated by others."

"It's just that Huizhou is short of food, and the court has set up checkpoints in Huizhou to Beiwuzhou, Lingzhou, Yuanzhou and other places, making it impossible for merchants to travel. There are many complaints in the city, and I can't control them all."

Suo Xun put forward the conditions for obedience, and in response, Cui Tan just said slowly:
"As long as the Huining Army does not become chaotic, everything Suo Huining wants will be slowly granted."

"Besides..." Cui Tan pondered for a moment, and footsteps were heard outside the yamen.

Dozens of soldiers in groups of four carried boxes and walked into the yamen one after another. They stopped in the yard and placed the boxes in a row.

Twelve boxes large enough to accommodate people were opened one after another, filled with brocade and other luxurious items.

At the same time, a soldier walked up to Cui Tan holding a long box and slowly opened it.

Inside the box, pieces of gold were placed in an orderly manner, and Cui Tan also said casually:
"Four hundred taels of gold, two hundred rolls of various brocades. The former is the salary of the Huining Army this year, and the latter is the reward from the court to Suo Huining. Please accept it..."

If the gold, brocade and silk were sold, they would be enough to pay the annual salary of the 2,000 Huining soldiers.

Even Suo Xun couldn't help but stand up and bow respectfully to Cui Tan:
"At the age of tens of millions, Suo Xun will never forget the support of the imperial court and the great grace of the Supreme Emperor!!"

　It's the beginning of the month, I'd like to send out monthly tickets to everyone, thank you
　　
　
(End of this chapter)