Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 178 Leading the Border General to Guard the Palace

"Young man, you've kept your true abilities hidden, yet you've gained the favor and protection of Prince Xin'an. It seems that even if I don't intervene this time, the prince's son can't do anything to you."

Upon arriving at the residence, Yang Sixu saw that Zhang Dai was completely unharmed and smiled as he spoke.

"I am ashamed, I am ashamed. I was caught off guard by the thieves and they have detained me here to make things difficult for me. If it were not for your kindness and generosity, I would not be able to escape today."

Zhang Dai quickly bowed and said, knowing that Yang Sixu was probably more interested in striking a blow to the arrogance of the Wang family than rescuing him. So he added, "The other day, Mr. Wang hosted a banquet for me at his private residence in Chengyi Lane. During the banquet, he gave me two female entertainers as servants, and I returned the poem to thank him."

Unexpectedly, this scoundrel concealed this story, accusing me of harboring his runaway slave. He then led a group into my residence and looted extensively, losing all my money and silk, including the brocade robe and jade belt bestowed upon me at the palace banquet years ago. The Wang family's servants, attempting to cover up their crimes, even burned down my house and gardens, and also raided neighboring houses—truly audacious!

"If what Zhang Lang said is true, then Wang's son cannot escape blame!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Sixu snorted coldly, then said in a deep voice, "Although his father enjoys great favor, there are always people in the world who are not afraid of power and uphold justice! I am here to offer my condolences to the Emperor on behalf of Zhang Lang. Can Zhang Lang appeal to the Emperor about the truth?"

“This villain framed me, and Duke Guo stood up for me. If I were to back down and remain silent, how could I face the world?”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai quickly added that since Wang Shouzhen had gone to such lengths to deal with him, he certainly wouldn't hold back.

However, even if Wang Shouzhen's eccentricity and arrogance were denounced before the emperor through Yang Sixu's accusation, it would not have a significant impact on Wang Maozhong. At most, he would be criticized for failing to properly educate his son.

If this matter cannot truly cause Wang Maozhong trouble and make him overwhelmed, he will still continue to harass and retaliate against me. Therefore, I must find Wang Maozhong's Achilles' heel.

What was the most important and awe-inspiring thing in Wang Maozhong's hands? Military power in the Northern Army!

Wang Maozhong is so arrogant because there is no one in his immediate field of vision who can check or even replace him. But as long as someone can threaten his position, even if it is just a hypothetical opponent, it is enough to make him nervous and uneasy.

"I wonder if Lord Guo has heard of the battle report from Hexi? The military governor of Hexi, Wang Jun, has decisively defeated the Tubo at Haixi..."

He asked Yang Sixu about this news, which he had just learned from Prince Xin'an.

Upon hearing this, Yang Sixu nodded: "It is indeed gratifying that the border generals are strong and capable, but what does that have to do with the current affairs?"

"The King's great victory over the Tubo demonstrates his admirable loyalty and bravery. However, it is a pity that he has served on the frontier for so long and has not attended court for many years. This is not the way to praise a meritorious official. If we could take this opportunity to summon him to court to take charge of the palace guards as a sign of commendation, that would be a good thing!"

In the Tang Dynasty, the government always prioritized internal affairs over external ones. This applied not only to local officials in prefectures and counties, but also to generals in border towns, whose treatment and future prospects were inferior to those of the imperial guards.

Wang Maozhong's entire family had already achieved high rank and honors without ever leaving the capital, while other border generals, no matter how meritorious they were, could only advance step by step. Especially in the early Kaiyuan period, border generals generally had very limited treatment and promotion opportunities.

By the Tianbao era, the power of the regional military governors had gradually taken shape, and the flow of military talent between the central and local governments had almost completely stopped. The central government had almost no commendable military talent and could only rely on the regional military governors to fight against them.

Zhang Dai also wanted to use the personnel struggle to make better use of personnel resources. He asked Yang Sixu to recruit Wang Jun, who had made great contributions and gained favor, from Hexi to the court to serve in the North Gate. He hoped that Wang Jun's tough and capable style, which he had developed in the border town, would help to rectify the atmosphere in the North Gate and also create a rival for Wang Maozhong.

At the same time, if the military affairs of Hexi could be taken over by someone with wisdom and courage, such as Xiao Song or Li Yi, who are more thorough in their actions, after the king leaves Hexi, it would be possible to avoid the great chaos in Hexi caused by the king's death in battle this autumn.

Upon hearing Zhang Dai's suggestion, Yang Sixu's eyes lit up at first, but he immediately shook his head and said, "Chinese and foreign countries are different. Although Wang Jun is well-versed in military law and skilled in border affairs, he may not be familiar with matters of guarding the palace. Moreover, the Emperor has always valued the selection of talents from the northern gate. It would be somewhat rash to bring border talents into the guard."

He doesn't care about anything! All the emperor can see are a few key locations on the upper level of the North Gate.

As for the factions and cronyism that developed under these positions, or the corruption and filth that festered within the lower ranks of the units, he didn't care!
However, Yang Sixu was right about one thing: the emperor was suspicious and wouldn't easily incorporate outsiders into the Northern Gate system. Even when Chen Xuanli finally escaped Chang'an during the Tianbao era, he was still considered a meritorious official of the Tang Dynasty, having commanded the imperial guards and launched the Mawei Post Station Mutiny.

Therefore, unless one was a former retainer of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang or a meritorious official who helped him rise to power, no matter how illustrious their achievements or official rank, it was impossible for them to control the military power of the Northern Army under his nose.

As long as the Northern Army remained under control, the emperor's personal safety could be guaranteed at a basic level. This is one of the reasons why, after the Mawei Post Station Mutiny, Crown Prince Li Heng was unable to kill his father in one fell swoop and allow him to flee to Shu, while he himself had to flee elsewhere.

Therefore, Zhang Dai's proposal was fundamentally unfeasible. Even if the king directly destroyed Tibet, he couldn't possibly gain the position of imperial guard based on such merit. However, Zhang Dai still brought it up, hoping for a contingency plan. Even if the person didn't serve as a guard for long, but only stayed at court for a short period, it could still drastically change the internal and external situation. Even if this ultimately failed, it would at least create a short-term disturbance for Wang Maozhong, serving as a warning to him.

"Even if this matter cannot be accomplished immediately, it can greatly dampen Lord Huo's arrogance and let him know that there are many talented people in the world who can take over the post of guarding the North Gate. If such a person cannot restrain himself, act cautiously, and be respectful in his duties, he may very well be replaced. After all, what is wrong with the emperor employing people?"

Zhang Dai also slightly copied Li Linfu's famous saying: "The emperor can use whomever he wants without any taboos. Who can say that Wang Maozhong is irreplaceable?"

Yang Sixu was initially uninterested in the matter, but upon hearing this, his eyes sharpened, and he clapped his hands and laughed, saying, "Not bad, not bad, how can ordinary people fathom the will of Heaven and the will of the Sage?"
Among the countless talented individuals in the world, Wang Maozhong was merely one among many to be selected. How could any position or power be exclusively reserved for such a person? When I was ordered to lead an expedition, who would have thought that an imperial eunuch could establish his own command and punish the barbarians?

If severely investigating and holding accountable Wang Maozhong's son for his arrogant and lawless crimes would only embarrass him but not diminish his power, then creating a competitor for him would be enough to make Wang Maozhong restless and uneasy.

The thought of Wang Maozhong scratching his head in anxiety and looking worried made Yang Sixu overjoyed. He then pointed at Zhang Dai and said with a smile, "I thought I came here to do a good deed and save people, but I didn't expect Zhang Lang to come up with another plan for me. Tomorrow I will send my disciple to report to the emperor and see how the Northern Gate Slave will deal with it!"

"Since Duke Guo has troubled Duke Huo with this, may I ask if we can leave Wang's son with you for the time being? I have other matters to attend to and need his help."

Seeing that Yang Sixu was clearly more interested in this plan, Zhang Dai took the opportunity to ask again. If Wang Shouzhen were led away by Yang Sixu, he would certainly suffer a lot of teasing and taunts, but nothing would be as satisfying as doing it himself.

Moreover, he wanted to make the most of Wang Shouzhen, both to get revenge and to squeeze out as much value as possible from the man.

Upon hearing this, Yang Sixu laughed loudly and said, "What kind of good stuff is it? Take it with you! I'd like to see how Zhang Lang will play a trick on this fellow."

Just as the two finished their discussion, a commotion arose outside, and then someone entered and reported, "Before entering the office, Lord Yan and the others urgently inquired about Young Master Zhang's matter."

When Zhang Dai heard that his grandfather had also come, he quickly apologized to Yang Sixu and then hurried to the Jinwuwei government office.

When he arrived at the entrance hall, he saw his grandfather looking at him with concern, followed by Zhang Jiuling, He Zhizhang and others. It seemed that they had rushed over after learning the news from Jixian Academy.

"I have acted carelessly and been troubled by matters, causing my father to run around and be frightened. I am truly unfilial!"

He hurriedly went to Zhang Shuo, kowtowed and bowed.

After Zhang helped him up, he couldn't help but look him up and down, and asked urgently, "Have you suffered any torture or hardship?"

"King Xin'an and Duke Guo came to my rescue one after another, saving me from torture."

Zhang Dai quickly replied, while Zhang Shuo's expression froze upon hearing this. He had rushed over to rescue his grandson after receiving the news, but he hadn't expected that this was already the third wave, and the previous two waves were also very powerful.

He didn't feel comfortable asking for details, so he quickly pulled Zhang Dai inside to thank Prince Xin'an and Yang Sixu respectively. However, neither of them seemed to take credit for it. Instead, they greeted Zhang Dai with polite smiles and said, "The Duke of Yan has a worthy grandson who is young, knowledgeable, and insightful. It is truly enviable!"

Although they all came to Zhang Dai's rescue, after their own conversations, they found themselves to be the ones who were most enlightened. Prince Xin'an gained a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the Helong border region, while Yang Sixu was pleased to have found a way to control Wang Maozhong.

The two men's reactions left Zhang Shuo even more bewildered. He had been extremely nervous when he first heard about the matter, and at the same time, he had no good ideas. He only planned to throw a tantrum at the Jinwuwei yamen and rescue his grandson first.

However, he had no time to think about these things at the moment. He immediately darkened his face and shouted angrily, "Where is Lord Huo's son now? He falsely accused my grandson, trespassed on my property, and acted erratically. What does he think of me? Such a disgrace is unacceptable! We must bring him before the emperor today, distinguish right from wrong, and each receive his punishment!"

He was truly enraged. Although he had lost power, he didn't think just any Tom, Dick, or Harry could bully him, especially since Wang Shouzhen was targeting his most valued grandson. He had even fallen behind in the rescue efforts, and if he didn't investigate thoroughly, he would lose all face.

Zhang Dai could understand his grandfather's anger and embarrassment. He was also prepared to make a big fuss about it, to the point that Wang Maozhong was in a terrible mess. However, it would be inappropriate to take the matter directly to the emperor. It was better to make a fuss step by step!
“Father, please calm down. I am not an official and my home was robbed. My residence in Huixunfang and all the neighbors were burned down by these thieves. This matter should first be reported to the Henan Prefecture, and then to the Censorate!”

He first held down his grandfather's arm, and then whispered words of comfort.

Zhang Shuo was so enraged that he couldn't think things through for a moment. After pondering Zhang Dai's words for a while, his eyes lit up. He patted Zhang Dai's shoulder hard and agreed with Li Yi and Yang Sixu's words: "I do have a virtuous grandson. I can't help but envy myself!"

(End of this chapter)