Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 268 The Imperial Residence Should Not Be Left Unoccupied for Long
Hearing Gao Lishi's words, Zhang Dai realized that such a personnel change had occurred in the Northern Court.

Earlier this year, when he had a conflict with Wang Shouzhen, in order to cause trouble for Wang Maozhong, he suggested to Yang Sixu that they could take this opportunity to recommend Wang Jun to the emperor for a position in the Northern Army, hoping to use a meritorious border general to counterbalance Wang Maozhong and others.

However, the transition from a border general to a member of the Imperial Guard was quite significant, and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was always very cautious about military adjustments in the Northern Army, so the matter was naturally dropped.

Zhang Dai never expected that after so much time had passed, there would be another development, and it was even brought up again with the abduction of Wang Maozhong's daughter. He couldn't help but sigh at the strangeness of life.

Wang Maozhong's daughter's elopement not only ruined the marriage alliance between the Wang and Ge families, but also exposed the utter laxity and negligence of the Northern Garrison system. This time it was Wang Maozhong's daughter who was taken away; what will be next?
It was only natural that the emperor was wary and dissatisfied with this, and Wang Maozhong, who had been in charge of the Northern Office for many years, was naturally also to blame. This time, he truly lost both his daughter and his army.

The Northern Palace Imperial Guards were divided into the Left and Right Feathered Forest Guards and the Left and Right Ten Thousand Cavalry. The Feathered Forest Guards were usually only responsible for ceremonial escorts and guarding the palace gates, while the Ten Thousand Cavalry were relatively more elite and their guard duties were more important.

According to Gao Lishi, the emperor only retained a few border generals from the Imperial Guards. This move was not very significant, only affecting the surface of the Imperial Guards and not delving into the core personnel issues of the Northern Army.

This shows that the emperor himself was also conflicted. On the one hand, he had begun to doubt the guards' ability in the Northern Garrison, and on the other hand, he did not want to give up the current personnel structure of the Northern Garrison.

After all, the main generals of the Northern Army were his trusted henchmen, the core troops he had trained alongside him in launching the coup. As for the soldiers outside, no matter how loyal and brave they were, they ultimately lacked this connection and were not entirely trustworthy.

Was the Tang emperor destined by Heaven, and was the Tang dynasty indestructible? Leaving aside the various military coups and political upheavals before the Kaiyuan era, a coup still occurred in Chang'an, the western capital, during the tenth year of the Kaiyuan era when Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was staying in Luoyang, the eastern capital.

Although this coup was like a farce and lasted only a short time, it did manage to occupy the palace for a time and even install an emperor, showing that there were still ambitious people in Chang'an who dreamed of creating their own kings and seizing power!

Under such circumstances, how could the emperor feel at ease allowing too many outsiders to enter the Northern Army system and take charge of the Imperial Guards?

It should be noted that when he launched the Tanglong Coup, he only recruited some lower-ranking officers of the Imperial Guard. People naturally have a very deep impression of the path they have walked and the path from which they achieved great success!

Therefore, the emperor only recruited a few border soldiers into the Northern Army, which did not necessarily mean that he was determined to carry out a profound personnel reform in the Northern Army. Rather, he wanted to treat these few people as outliers, like a catfish effect, to stir up the soldiers of the Northern Army to concentrate on their duties and not slack off.

Regardless of the extent of the effect of this matter, it undoubtedly sends a signal that the Emperor is very dissatisfied with the original personnel system of the Northern Court, especially with Wang Maozhong. If the situation does not improve, further adjustments may be made.

With the deaths or demotions of Tang Yuan meritorious officials such as Liu Youqiu and Zhong Shaojing, Ge Fushun can now be considered the foremost Tang Yuan meritorious official. Moreover, he has been rooted in the Northern Army for many years and was already a general of ten thousand cavalry before the Tanglong Coup, making his influence in the Northern Army more profound than that of Wang Maozhong.

However, Ge Fushun was not as well-connected as Wang Maozhong, who came from the prince's former residence and thus had to be subordinate to him. But he was still one of the few people in the current Northern Government system who could rival Wang Maozhong. That's why Wang Maozhong chose to form a marriage alliance with him.

According to Gao Lishi, Wang Maozhong and Ge Fushun are now at odds because their marriage alliance has failed.

It is unclear whether Ge Fushun harbored resentment towards Wang Maozhong's daughter for breaking the engagement and bringing shame upon him, or whether he realized that the emperor had become dissatisfied with Wang Maozhong and began to actively win over the hearts of the people in the North Gate, even resorting to assassination and intimidation against Gao Lishi, which shows how anxious he was.

"If there is indeed infighting and a power struggle at the North Gate, will Lord Geng grant Lord Bohai's request?"

After settling down in the main hall, Zhang Dai couldn't help but ask a question.

He gained a new understanding of how unscrupulous Bei Men was, and naturally hoped that they would cause as much trouble as possible.

The more they bickered amongst themselves, the less time they had to pay attention to outsiders. Meanwhile, the frequent infighting within the North Gate would likely displease the emperor, even making him feel insecure. He would then inevitably seek solace elsewhere, thus creating opportunities for others.

"He's dreaming!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Lishi snorted coldly and said in a deep voice, "This fellow claims to be shrewd and experienced, but he is even more violent and vicious than Mao Zhong. If he were willing to have a proper discussion with me, I wouldn't mind forming a temporary alliance with him. However, he has already extorted a great deal from the previous incident, yet he remains audacious and greedy. When he fails to extort money, he resorts to violence and intimidation. With such a mind and character, what great things can he possibly accomplish!"

Zhang Dai had only met Ge Fushun a few times on various occasions and didn't have a deep understanding of him. However, if it was indeed Ge Fushun who sent assassins to kill and intimidate, then one could imagine what kind of person he was. It can only be said that there was a reason why he had been subdued by Wang Maozhong for so many years.

These kinds of people who rose to power through political opportunism, frankly speaking, may not have had particularly high political acumen or wisdom. Especially during the period from the late Wu Zhou Dynasty to the Kaiyuan era, when the political situation was turbulent and coups occurred frequently, there were many such greedy and gloating individuals.

Some might not even know what was going on. They were squatting in the barracks when they saw everyone else running out, so they grabbed their swords and followed. In the blink of an eye, they became heroes of the restoration of order. Ge Fushun, as a proper hero of the Tang Dynasty, was suppressed for many years by Wang Maozhong, a deserter in the face of battle, which shows that even if he had some ability, it was limited.

After Gao Lishi finished speaking, he couldn't help but point at Zhang Dai and complain: "At this time last year, the boy presented me with the plan of flying money. I thought it was a great plan and tried my best to promote it."

Since opening, the business has seen considerable profits, but you're the only one who has truly benefited. The others are all burdened by personal matters, unable to withdraw their huge profits easily, and now they have even more worries, not knowing when they'll be able to collect their interest!

Feiqian started operating last year, and its profits were naturally very considerable. However, conflicts soon arose among the companies it worked with, and they began to hinder and fight each other, so that although Feiqian was still operating, the profits could not be withdrawn for a long time.

On the contrary, Zhang Dai, under the guise of Consort Hui, withdrew several sums of money and silk without being bothered by the personnel disputes within the organization.

Zhang Dai knew that disputes were inevitable when it involved huge interests; after all, even brothers who partnered in business could turn against each other. But he never expected their argument to be so fierce.

Hearing Gao Lishi's complaints, he couldn't help but sigh, "Young man, you haven't thought things through. You've underestimated the wickedness of the world. Money and silk are piled up like mountains, but people's hearts are like demons. Right now, it's just a few families fighting over this. If more people are drawn to this in the future, the disputes will only become more chaotic."

"There's no point in making such a lament now. Since the matter has already been accomplished and the profits are considerable, there's naturally no reason to give it up. If we back down now, not only will we lose all the profits, but we'll also be ridiculed, and other assets will likely be coveted by others."

Gao Lishi spoke again in a deep voice, but his tone was not very firm and instead revealed a sense of helplessness.

This was the first time Zhang Dai had seen Gao Lishi so dejected. Previously, no matter what happened, even without much strategy, he had always remained calm and composed. Now, being chased all the way, even after arriving in Bianzhou, he was still keeping a low profile. It was clear that he had been seriously tricked by his godson.

These eunuchs themselves did not possess any irreplaceable literary or military talents. Of course, a brave and powerful eunuch like Yang Sixu was an exception, but most eunuchs' rise to power depended on whether the emperor trusted them.

However, this time Gao Lishi had offended a general of the Northern Army who was no less favored by the emperor than himself. Moreover, he was in the wrong first, and the other party had more people and more power. Faced with the aggressive attacks from the other party, he was naturally powerless to resist.

No matter how much the emperor trusted him, he couldn't possibly turn around and become his bodyguard, could he? Similarly, he couldn't possibly decide to purge the entire Northern Army just because of Gao Lishi's situation.

Seeing Gao Lishi's predicament, Zhang Dai felt uneasy. It wasn't out of sympathy, but rather concern that he himself might still be relentlessly pursued. At least Gao Lishi had drawn the hatred away for now; if Gao Lishi fell, how many blows could his own thin arms and legs withstand?

"There are ways to get rid of all kinds of personnel disputes, continue to enjoy the benefits of making money, and even gain the favor of a sage."

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Dai spoke to Gao Lishi again.

"What's the plan?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Lishi's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward from his seat, leaning on the table, and said urgently to Zhang Dai, "If you can help me get out of this predicament, I will never let you suffer alone if you are ever troubled again!"

Take this with a grain of salt. It's not that Gao Lishi lacks loyalty, but if Zhang Dai really gets into trouble he can't handle, the other party must also be someone of high status, and he probably can't rely on Gao Lishi.

However, Zhang Dai had no intention of doing Gao Lishi any great favor; he simply wanted to help Gao Lishi recover. So he said with a smile, "Since this matter is so difficult to handle, why not directly present it to the Emperor and offer it to the country for its own use?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Lishi's enthusiasm immediately cooled, and he sighed, "All land under heaven belongs to the king, and as his subjects, how dare we have private interests? If the sage is pleased with this undertaking, he can accept it with a single word. The fact that the undertaking is still managed by his subordinates is simply out of consideration for their hard work. If I were to rashly offer it, it would go against the sage's will and the wishes of the people."

It wasn't that he was greedy for the money and unwilling to let go; the main reason was that the sage had never shown such an intention. If he offered it, he might win the sage's favor, but it would inevitably arouse the jealousy of those with vested interests, making it somewhat of a loss in terms of human relationships.

"I'm not talking about the money that's already in our hands, but the money that's just being created!"

Zhang Dai briefly explained his ideas for modifying the flying money system to Gao Lishi, and then said, "Since the Eastern Feng, the Emperor has been residing in the Eastern Capital. Last year, natural disasters caused widespread famine, and this year the situation will likely be even more severe. The treasury has been empty for a long time, which is certainly not a good situation. The imperial residence has been neglected for a long time, which is also not a good thing."

If this can yield a large sum of money and silk to replenish the treasury and be used for the Emperor's return to the capital, then this plan is excellent! The Duke of Bohai, with his sincere dedication to the country, has offered this wise strategy; His Majesty is naturally delighted and will be greatly honored!

(End of this chapter)