Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 424 Lady Wei bows her head
At the end of the fourteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, the Tibetans took advantage of the fact that the Tang emperor and his ministers were not yet back from their eastern tour and once again provoked a border conflict. However, they were pursued and defeated by Wang Jun, the then governor of Liangzhou, who defeated the Tibetan army at Haixi.

In the autumn of the fifteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, the Tubo Kingdom launched another major invasion, dividing its forces into two routes. Its Zanpu (king) personally led his troops to join forces with the Turgesh to attack the Four Garrisons of Anxi, while its generals Xinuoluo and Zhulong Mangbuzhi once again raided Xizhou and other places in Hebei, plundering a large amount of wealth.

Because of his small number of troops, Wang Jun did not dare to engage in battle. After the Tubo withdrew, he organized a counterattack, but was instead assassinated by the four Uyghur tribes, which nearly caused the situation in Longyou and Hexi to collapse.

At this critical moment, Xiao Song, then the military governor of Shuofang, was ordered to go to Hexi to assume the position of military governor of Hexi and other posts. He quickly cleaned up the mess, arranged defenses, and used a counter-espionage strategy to make the Tibetan king kill his general Xinuoluo, thereby disrupting the Tibetan offensive rhythm.

When the Tibetans launched another invasion, they were met with a crushing defeat by the Tang army. The Tibetan army suffered successive defeats, and the Tang army even launched a counterattack as far as the area west of Qinghai Lake. As a result of his series of meritorious deeds, Xiao Song was able to enter the court and become prime minister.

Chiling, east of Qinghai, is the dividing line between the Tang and Tibetan armies in Longyou. Its mountains are high and the roads are rugged, but the Huangshui River and other rivers flow out from here. Tibetan troops often moved through this area to advance and retreat and raid Longyou.

Shibao City was an important military fortress located in the towering mountains of Chiling. Because it was in the hands of the Tubo, the Tubo had a great deal of initiative along the Chiling line, while the Tang army had to deploy heavy troops in Longyou and Hexi for passive defense. At the same time, the battle line was also divided and could not be connected.

Previously, the emperor dispatched Li Yi, the Prince of Xin'an and military governor of Shuofang, to discuss with the armies of Helong and Longxi to capture Shibao City. However, the generals of Helong and Longxi believed that Shibao City was easy to defend and difficult to attack. Moreover, it had fallen into the hands of the Tubo after the defeat at Dafeichuan and had been under their control for decades. It would be too difficult to capture it, so their cooperation was not high.

However, Prince Xin'an defied all opposition and personally led his troops in a surprise attack on Shibao City, capturing this fortified city in one fell swoop. This allowed the Tang Dynasty to regain the initiative on the Tang-Tibet border front and also brought about a huge change in the confrontation between the Tang and the Tibetans!

As news of the victory reached Chang'an, the entire court rejoiced. The emperor held a grand banquet for his officials and immediately dispatched envoys to Longyou to reward the troops.

However, amidst this jubilation, there were some discordant elements. First, there was Prime Minister Xiao Song, who had also entered the court through his military achievements. Previously, the court officials had been secretly discussing how stable Xiao Song's position was, but the sudden rise of Prince Xin'an would undoubtedly pose a certain challenge to his position.

Even if Prince Xin'an does not come to court, if he stays to govern Helong, he will inevitably make some adjustments to the personnel in Helong. After all, he has made his achievements under the circumstances that the cooperation of the generals in Helong is not very high, which will greatly disrupt Xiao Song's various personnel arrangements in Helong.

The next person to feel uneasy was Yuwen Rong. The Prince of Xin'an's capture of Shibao City and the rewarding of his meritorious soldiers was already a considerable expense. As the Tang Dynasty regained control of the front lines, the armies of Hexi and Longxi would inevitably launch a series of offensive operations, which would greatly increase both military supplies and rewards.

Yuwen Rong rose to prominence through financial acumen and also harbored ambitions for the position of prime minister. These increased military expenditures would undoubtedly fall on his shoulders. If he could not raise sufficient funds for the military, his importance to the political situation would be greatly diminished, thus significantly increasing the pressure on him.

After the banquet, Pei Guangting specially invited Zhang Dai to return home together. On the way, he couldn't help but sigh, "It's a pity that Zongzhi acted too early last time. If he had waited until the news of the victory reached the capital and then questioned the Ministry of Finance about its harsh methods in conjunction with the Ministry of War's reward list, Yuwen Rong would definitely be in trouble!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, sighing that these high-ranking officials were all ruthless and cruel, and he couldn't stand not fighting them for a while. Although those long-term conscripts who had been on leave were not the heroes of this campaign, the sudden revelation that the Ministry of Revenue was extorting and mistreating conscripts amidst the reports of a great victory from the border was truly a recipe for disaster for Yuwen Rong in this atmosphere of martial celebration.

Therefore, the situation can change in an instant, and even a shrewd and calculating fellow like Pei Guangting can occasionally miscalculate. Previously, when Zhang Dai was causing trouble in the Ministry of Personnel, Pei Guangting had warned him to know when to stop and to keep Yuwen Rong around to challenge the prime minister with him.

Now that the situation of the prime minister being dismissed is becoming increasingly clear, there is almost no chance of a comeback, and he feels that his rival Yuwen Rong is getting in his way.

However, the pursuit of the funds has now been largely completed. The border soldiers are still hoping for supplies in the autumn and dare not come forward to make a big accusation against the Ministry of Revenue. They have missed a good opportunity to attack Yuwen Rong.

Zhang Dai showed little interest in this level of struggle, and merely responded to Pei Guangting's lament with a smile.

While he was still considering other matters, with the capture of Shibao City by Prince Xin'an, peace negotiations and trade between the Tang and Tibetan empires were about to begin. Compared to the Turks and other non-Han tribes, Tibet was a more mature tea market. Yizhou and other places had their own channels to Tibet, and tea from Shannan flowed into Tibetan territory through these channels. Many Tibetans also adopted the habit of drinking tea.

The goods traded in private commerce are limited. If tea can be used as a commodity in the Chiling trade market after it is opened, and a sufficient supply can be provided to Tibet, it will surely make tea drinking popular in Tibet.

As Zhang Dai was making his plans, good news came knocking again early the next morning. Li Xia, dressed in a brand-new brocade robe, arrived at the Zhang family home early in the morning.

After the great victory at Shibao City, the emperor issued an edict posthumously conferring upon Li Kun, the father of Prince Xin'an, the title of Minister of Works and the posthumous title of Prince of Wu. Li Xia and his brothers went to the palace to express their gratitude and received generous rewards. The brocade robe he was wearing was one of the gifts bestowed upon him, and he couldn't wait to put it on as soon as he received it.

However, Li Xia's early morning visit wasn't to show off his gifts. He looked at Zhang Dai with a mysterious smile and said, "Do you know who visited my house last night?" "King Xin'an's power is renowned throughout Hebei and Longxi. His residence must be filled with congratulatory guests. My family sent someone to deliver a congratulatory gift. I know who visited!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai casually replied that although Prince Xin'an had not yet entered the court, his residence had already become one of the most popular places in the capital. People, whether they knew him or not, came to offer their congratulations, and there were even commoners who wanted to become his slaves or offer their family property for protection.

"I have many guests who come to my house, but who is worth talking to you about? It's the Wei brothers, Wei Zhi and Wei Bin. You wouldn't believe it, would you?"

Seeing that Zhang Dai couldn't give the correct answer either, Li Xia said with a smug look, "The brothers stayed at my house for a long time and even told me that they hoped I would come with you to their house to discuss some unfinished business!"

"Unfinished business?"

Zhang Dai was taken aback when he heard this, but then he couldn't help but laugh, sighing that these old money folks were really pragmatic, they wouldn't act until they saw the benefits!
He had previously visited the Wei family with great sincerity and even proposed a plan that took great care of their interests, but Wei Zhi had still managed to shut him down. Now that he saw the situation was going well, he was eager to approach them again.

As the two were talking, a servant came to report that a servant of the Wei family had come to deliver a letter, inviting Zhang Dai to their home for a chat. The letter did not specify a time, only saying that the two brothers would be waiting at home all day.

"Then let's go again. It's been a long time since I've tasted the flavors of Xun Gong's kitchen!"

Zhang Dai held up the invitation card and smiled at Li Xia, who then excitedly asked, "Can we lower the price to eight hundred strings of cash this time?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai chuckled again. It seemed this kid really thought the Wei family of Jingzhao was a pushover, trying to extort one person only to extort another? They were merely showing goodwill; they hadn't fallen into a vulnerable position to be slaughtered. If they couldn't reach an agreement, they would simply part ways.

"Since they have come to invite us with courtesy, we should also inquire with courtesy. There is no need to be aggressive."

He has ample funds, and the reason he treated Wei Heng that way last time was out of deliberate revenge. There's no need to do the same to Wei Zhi and his brothers. Besides, he doesn't have the means to control them for the time being. Making excessive demands would only create unnecessary enmity.

The two men, accompanied by their entourage, leisurely made their way north of the city. By the time they arrived at the gate of the Wei family's house in Anxingfang, it was almost lunchtime. The Wei brothers were already waiting outside the house and warmly welcomed them into their home.

After some casual conversation, Wei Zhi took the initiative to speak, saying, "I have been thinking a lot about what Zhang Lang mentioned when he came to my house the other day, and I have also benefited greatly from it. The land of Tapi has been idle for a long time. Although it is said that building a pagoda would benefit one's children and grandchildren, if one can perform good deeds in this life, it will also benefit both oneself and others."

At the time, I was preoccupied with other matters and did not consider this possibility, thus I declined Zhang Lang's kind offer. Now, I am deeply ashamed and beg for Zhang Lang's forgiveness!

"Doctor Wei, you flatter me. When it comes to managing a household, who doesn't want their family to prosper? It's inevitable to hesitate when you're deeply concerned. But as long as you can realize your mistake in time, you can still mend things!"

Zhang Dai did not mock Wei Zhi for going back on his word. He first smiled and replied, then said, "What I told you the other day still stands. If there are any oversights, I would appreciate your guidance, Doctor Wei."

"I dare not presume to offer my guidance, but Zhang Lang's plan is excellent, and I've heard that he has already set up camp in the south of the city. My brother and I are not very capable, but we would like to join you. I wonder if Zhang Lang would welcome us?"

Wei Zhi spoke again, and after expressing his meaning, he smiled and observed the changes in Zhang Dai's expression.

Zhang Dai hadn't expected that the other party wasn't trying to sell the land, but rather to use it for a joint venture, which made him ponder. As one of the wealthiest families in Guanzhong, the Wei family's focus was naturally not on financial gain; their willingness to cooperate was likely more driven by political considerations.

Although Zhang Dai was not short of money, he was not opposed to having another wealthy and influential partner in the village. While he had to consider the risk of being usurped, the partnership was still in its early stages, and there was plenty of room for cooperation. They could adjust the distribution of profits after they had achieved substantial returns.

So after thinking it over, he smiled and said to Wei Zhi, "I couldn't be happier to get your help!"

(End of this chapter)