Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 455 The Right to Prefer Older Things, Rejecting Younger Men

"Did Lord Yan discuss this matter with you before? I haven't heard him mention these things before. It seems I should pay him a visit and ask for his advice when I have time."

After hearing these words, Gao Lishi looked thoughtful. After a while, he slowly said, "When Duke Yan was in power, he planned and presided over all the changes in internal and external affairs. The current rulers really lack the courage and vision of their predecessors!"

At this point, he added with some disappointment, "If the generals of the Northern Gate are not enough to replace him, must we allow this scoundrel to continue to run rampant? Now that his son is about to be executed for offending the Crown Prince, his prestige and favor have been damaged. If we cannot take advantage of this opportunity to strike, it would be a waste of such a great chance!"

These eunuchs and the generals of the North Gate, such as Wang Maozhong, were all the emperor's trusted henchmen. Because of the differences in their status and authority, they inevitably had frictions on a daily basis, and the emperor deliberately indulged in such frictions and confrontations.

By now, in the minds of the powerful eunuchs like Gao Lishi, eliminating Wang Maozhong, the leader of the slave officials at the North Gate, had become an obsession, and they didn't want to miss any opportunity.

Zhang Dai certainly hoped that Wang Maozhong would fall from power as soon as possible, otherwise he would be on tenterhooks at work. However, Wang Maozhong was definitely a big fish, and it would be a waste to rush into trapping him without devising a proper plan for sharing the spoils.

During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, regardless of how the overall situation of the country changed, at least within the small circle of the imperial court, things remained very stable.

All the personnel elements that could easily cause trouble were effectively controlled, which allowed Emperor Xuanzong to remain stable until the An Lushan Rebellion broke through Tongguan Pass and he hurriedly fled, which led to the Mawei Slope Mutiny.

The root cause was that the Imperial Guards at the North Gate had always been firmly under Emperor Xuanzong's control, which was the basis for his ascension to the throne, so he attached great importance to them. The final mutiny was also due to the loss of control over the Imperial Guards.

Wang Maozhong was the absolute core figure of the Northern Gate Imperial Guard in the early Kaiyuan period. He was the most trusted, most powerful, and most influential Imperial Guard general during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong.

At the same time, his downfall would inevitably have a great impact on the Imperial Guard system. However, due to the closed nature of the North Gate system, the subsequent series of upheavals and adjustments were completely covered up.

With the downfall of Wang Maozhong, the presence of the Northern Gate Imperial Guards during Emperor Xuanzong's reign diminished dramatically. They reappeared on the historical stage when the Imperial Guards and the Imperial Cavalry followed Gao Xianzhi on a campaign to quell a rebellion in the east, only to suffer a major defeat. They also fought alongside Geshu Han at Tongguan, where they lost many battles. Finally, when Emperor Xuanzong fled in haste, the Longwu Army launched the Mawei Slope Mutiny.

Throughout the mid-to-late Kaiyuan era and the Tianbao era, the few traceable events are limited to the formation of the Inner Imperial Guards, which were supervised by eunuchs. Furthermore, their performance in the suppression battles at Luoyang and Tongguan indicates that during this rather long period of silence, the Northern Imperial Guards were not preparing for anything significant, but rather simply slacking off.

This also shows that after Emperor Xuanzong got rid of Wang Maozhong, he did not take a relatively positive approach to adjust and improve the Northern Gate Guards. Instead, he suppressed them for the sake of stability and clung to the old ways.

While this offset some of the turmoil and impact caused by the elimination of Wang Maozhong and others, it also directly led to the continuous decline of the Northern Army in the years that followed.

Zhang Dai may not necessarily want the Tang Dynasty's Imperial Guards to remain strong forever, but Wang Maozhong's downfall presented a rare opportunity to intervene and gain access to personnel resources and channels.

As he told Gao Lishi, as the size of the Northern Garrison Army expanded, filling vacancies became a problem.

Historically, there were two ways to solve this problem: the first was to gradually incorporate the cavalry into the Northern Army's organizational structure, and the second was to recruit a large number of street ruffians.

While these two methods maintained the size of the Northern Imperial Guards, they also led to their eventual defeat at the hands of the An Lushan Rebellion. Their killing of Yang Guifei and Yang Guozhong during the Mawei Slope Mutiny became their sole value and purpose.

Zhang Dai didn't care much about whether the Northern Military Command was rotten or not; in fact, he thought it was better if it was a little rotten. However, he wanted to take advantage of the situation after eliminating Wang Maozhong to obtain a designation within the Northern Military Command system and create an independent regiment for the Northern Gate—the thought alone was exhilarating!

Of course, for a mere court official like him to obtain such qualifications was nothing short of a pipe dream. But what if he were to attach himself to the eunuchs' power? Could he create an independent brigade of imperial eunuchs?
Whether it was Yang Sixu or Gao Lishi, Zhang Dai always emphasized that the reason they couldn't get rid of Wang Maozhong was because his role was irreplaceable.

Yang Sixu's attempt to introduce border soldiers was not very successful. When border soldiers such as Jiang Xingwei entered the court, they ultimately failed to gain the emperor's complete trust and become the core force of the imperial guards.

Gao Lishi, however, fantasized that by bribing some mid-level officers in the Imperial Guard, he could turn the tables on and replace Wang Maozhong. His thinking was far too shallow and one-sided. "There's the ancient tale of the 'two peaches kill three warriors'—the technique is simple, but once people fall into the trap, none can escape it. Ultimately, it's simply that people don't fear poverty, but rather inequality!"

Zhang Dai first briefly explained his general ideas to Gao Lishi, and then began to explain the specific methods: "The two Dukes Huo and Geng have a long-standing grudge. Now that Duke Huo is down on his luck, Duke Geng will surely be happy. Duke Bohai does not need to recruit more allies. He only needs to meet with Duke Geng frequently in the near future and talk to him happily. Duke Huo will become suspicious, and from that suspicion will breed hatred, and a battle is inevitable!"

He didn't know what tricks Gao Lishi had used to divert Wang Maozhong's hatred towards himself and Pei Guangting, but this approach was clearly not smart.

Regardless of how he himself would feel, Pei Guangting would certainly resist this forced binding of him to the war chariot. Moreover, the most crucial point is that he would gain nothing by helping Gao Lishi fight against Wang Maozhong, and would also leave himself with the infamous reputation of being a follower of an eunuch.

The truly smart thing to do is to find competitors who share the same ecological niche as Wang Maozhong, such as people like Ge Fushun.

The two men knew each other well and held similar positions of power. If Ge Fushun could replace Wang Maozhong, he would be more than happy to do so. Wang Maozhong, on the other hand, was well aware that Ge Fushun posed a great threat to him, and he would do everything in his power to eliminate any such threat.

A strong fortress is often breached from within; this is an eternal truth.

Gao Lishi understood this perfectly. Hearing Zhang Dai say this, he nodded repeatedly and said, "This is indeed a brilliant plan. I will invite Ge to a gathering tomorrow. If he is willing to come, he will surely be eager to replace Mao Zhong. At that time, everything will be handled more smoothly!"

While instigating infighting between Wang Maozhong and Ge Fushun was a clever tactic, Zhang Dai harbored grudges against both of them. Whoever was in power would inevitably seek revenge if given the opportunity. Therefore, the fundamental solution wasn't to encourage one to replace the other, but rather to throw their entire system into chaos.

"Although the North Gate bears the heavy responsibility of guarding the capital, its personnel are not entirely virtuous. In the duty of guarding the capital, loyalty comes first, so often fathers and sons take turns serving, and families of loyalty and righteousness pass on their traditions for generations. However, nowadays, there are too many old men in positions of power. These old men may have distinguished past achievements and be mature and prudent, but in archery, horsemanship, and physical combat, why should old men be valued?"

Zhang Dai then brought up a long-standing problem at the North Gate: the aging of the guards.

Although the duties of the guards at the North Gate were important, the danger they faced was not particularly high. Even during the Shenlong and Xiantian eras, which were rife with coups, usually only the ringleaders were executed; others, unless they were die-hard followers, were generally not subjected to a bloody purge.

At the same time, unlike the border troops who could earn merit by killing enemies and expanding territory, the guards at the North Gate could not stage coups. Therefore, they could only advance based on seniority, which resulted in a group of old men occupying high positions. Furthermore, due to the difficult nature of their profession, it was also difficult for their children and grandchildren to leave the North Gate system and seek other opportunities.

This series of reasons has resulted in a group of gray-haired old men standing guard, while the energetic second and third generations of the North Gate are impoverished at home, relying solely on their parents for financial support.

Upon hearing this, Gao Lishi couldn't help but sneer, "These Northern Gate slaves always take pride in continuing their lineage through blood, but little do they know that their family education is not even as good as that of the eunuchs! My children and grandchildren are all outstanding among men, which of the Northern Gate slaves can surpass them?"

He was only resentful that the generals in the North Gate often mocked their crippled officials and boasted about having descendants. He also gloated over the widespread phenomenon of adults living off their parents in the North Gate, without realizing that there was a good plan hidden in this.

"The elderly are no longer capable of relying on their strength and physique, yet the old men of the North Gate are all those who wish to defy fate with human power! This group is merely clinging to their positions and refusing to leave, not only failing to safeguard the imperial residence, but also preventing their children and grandchildren from achieving anything! Therefore, they should consider retiring in time and bring in the young and strong! The court can also reward loyal families and extend imperial favors, allowing the elderly to return home in comfort and the young and strong to serve with their weapons!"

Seeing that Gao Lishi still seemed somewhat bewildered, Zhang Dai immediately explained, "During the Han Dynasty, the feudal lords were enfeoffed and became powerful, leading to the Rebellion of the Seven States, which threatened the state. Later, Emperor Wu of Han issued the Edict of Grace, widely establishing feudal lords and granting them fiefdoms, thus making them obedient and no longer arrogant. Now, the father and son of the Beimen family have succeeded each other, and their power has been passed down in a manner no different from feudalism. If the old father does not yield to the young son, then the father and son will be at odds; if the elder brother does not care for the younger brother, then the brothers will break off their relationship! Therefore, all those who are employed are loyal, righteous, brave, and strong!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Lishi gradually understood what Zhang Dai meant. He not only wanted top generals like Wang Maozhong and Ge Fushun to fight amongst themselves for power and position, but also wanted all the families of the Northern Gate generals to engage in open and covert struggles for their respective positions!
"Zongzhi's plan is truly brilliant, absolutely brilliant!"

Having grasped this underlying intention, Gao Lishi immediately slammed his fist on the table and stood up, his face beaming with excitement, saying, "The Northern Gate disciples are greedy for power and influence, clinging to their positions even when they are no longer useful. If we forcibly take them away, it will be seen as ungrateful. The younger disciples of other families are resentful and disappointed, which has led them to seek favors with the Crown Prince..."

"To seize them not by force, but by affection and loyalty—this is a brilliant plan! These young men are brave but lack strategy, reckless and impulsive. They are fit for guard duty, but they are not suited for manipulating power!"

(End of this chapter)