Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 508 Harsh Governance, Difficulty in Rewarding Meritorious Officials

Prince Xin'an's home was located in Changxingfang, which was the area north of Yonglefang. Zhang Dai went home first to have his family prepare a gift before visiting, so it didn't take too long.

In Chang'an, the powerful and wealthy people mostly lived in clusters, not too far apart, just within a few neighborhoods, making it easy for them to visit each other.

When Zhang Dai arrived at the Prince of Xin'an's residence, he was surprised to find the Prince himself standing at the entrance of the main hall to greet him. He was flattered and hurriedly stepped forward to bow deeply, saying, "How dare I trouble Your Majesty to personally greet me? I am truly unworthy of such a favor!"

Prince Xin'an strode forward, lifted Zhang Dai's elbows with both hands, and laughed loudly, "Others may not be worthy, but Zongzhi is certainly worthy. The victory at Shibao City at the beginning of the year was largely due to your advice. Who could have imagined that the Tibetan defenses of such a fortress would be so lax? I was able to act decisively because I remembered your words. Although the matter has not been recorded in the merit book, I will keep it in my heart!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai felt even more ashamed. He knew that even without his reminder, Prince Xin'an would have acted decisively and successfully captured Shibao City.

His earlier warning wasn't intended to steal credit; rather, he was concerned that his deep involvement in the political situation might influence the course of events. It would be a great pity if it led to changes in his positive achievements.

The situation in the Hexi Corridor is not significantly different from that of the same period in history, and the Tang Dynasty has once again seized the strategic initiative and advantage. This is naturally the result of the arduous battles fought by the soldiers on the front lines, and Zhang Dai dares not claim credit for it. However, being able to gain the favor of Prince Xin'an is already a great fortune for him.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries in the front hall, Prince Xin'an personally led Zhang Dai to the guest hall to be seated. Besides the prince and his son, Zhang Dai was the only guest in the hall. This demonstrates the importance Prince Xin'an placed on Zhang Dai, as his influence and prestige had grown considerably since his return to the capital, with a constant stream of visitors and his home always bustling with activity.

When Li Xia returned home in the afternoon and informed Zhang Dai that he would be visiting in the evening, Prince Xin'an ordered his family not to accept any new visitors. After dealing with the afternoon visitors, he waited at home for Zhang Dai to arrive.

The reason is that Prince Xin'an discussed current affairs with Zhang Dai several times, especially on border issues. Zhang Dai showed great foresight. Although he was inevitably careless in details, his predictions of some trends were often very accurate.

Logically speaking, this situation is somewhat unreasonable, since judging trends is based on a thorough understanding and analysis of details. Without this fundamental understanding, it inevitably degenerates into empty talk and theoretical discussions.

However, military matters are inherently unpredictable, and most of the time, success depends on human effort but fate, leaving a great deal of room for metaphysics.

Regarding the defensive strength of Shibao City, many veteran generals who had long served in the Hexi Corridor said that the Tibetans would definitely defend this Chiling Fortress very tightly.

However, Zhang Dai, who had never set foot in the Hexi Corridor, boldly pointed out that the Tibetan general Xinuoluo was defeated by Xiao Song's divisive tactics, which shows that the Tibetan homeland has always been wary of the armed forces in Qinghai, and this has always been a tradition within Tibet.

As early as when the Gar family, led by Lunqinling, was in conflict with the Tang Dynasty, the former Tuyuhun territory around Qinghai was prone to the formation of powerful separatist forces that were difficult to control.

Especially after the death of Lun Qinling, the Gar family betrayed Tibet and chose to seek refuge with the Tang Dynasty, making this regional rift even more difficult to bridge.

Xinuoluo, who was in charge of the Qinghai front, was summoned back and killed by the Tibetan king due to his excessive fame and Xiao Song's divisive tactics. This also shows that the Tibetan government had no way to better solve this problem.

Once the Tibetan army in Qinghai gains the upper hand in its confrontation with the Tang army, a trend of local separatism will emerge, and the Tibetan emperor will try every means to suppress this trend.

After Xinuoluo was executed, the Tibetan army in the Qinghai region seemed to still maintain a strong desire to attack the Tang Dynasty, and the frequency of their attacks was even higher than before. However, they were repeatedly defeated by the Tang army and suffered heavy losses each time.

This shows that this series of attacks was not based on a meticulous and comprehensive plan, but rather on reactive responses from the Tibetan generals and Tuyuhun chieftains in Qinghai.

Fearing that the Tibetan emperor would launch a new purge and they would become targets, they repeatedly launched offensives against the Hexi Corridor region. However, due to the lack of a mature and feasible battle plan, as well as the absence of overall deployment and coordination, they suffered repeated defeats.

During this period, the Tibetan army focused on advancing and retreating, neglecting defense. Therefore, even with fortresses like Shibu City under their control, they wouldn't assemble a large force to defend the area inside and outside Chiling. In fact, anyone who dared to propose such a plan would likely be suspected by the Zanpu of harboring ambitions of self-importance due to the death of Xinuoluo.

Prince Xin'an largely agreed with Zhang Dai's deduction, and the enemy situation gleaned by his scouts also closely matched this assessment. Therefore, despite the dissent and lack of support from the local generals in the Hexi Corridor, he resolutely decided to send troops, and indeed achieved a great victory. Thus, even though Zhang Dai was thousands of miles away in Chang'an and did not personally go to the battlefield, Prince Xin'an was deeply moved by the support and encouragement Zhang Dai's judgment had given him during the immense psychological pressure he had endured before the battle.

"After returning to the capital, I heard that Zongzhi has been appointed as an imperial censor and has achieved considerable success. Would you be willing to accompany me to the border to supervise the army? There is no shortage of upright officials and incorruptible censors in the court, but there are very few highly intelligent people who can see the current situation and discuss military strategy with great insight. If you are willing to go with me, it will not be difficult to achieve outstanding merit within three to five years!"

After recounting the events of the past, Prince Xin'an looked at Zhang Dai with a hopeful smile and said...

At that time, it was not common to have eunuchs supervising the army. In the event of any large-scale military operation or to inspect whether the border generals were fulfilling their duties, the main responsibility was to have censors supervise the armies in the border regions. For example, former prime minister Du Xian had inspected Anxi as a censor in the early years of the Kaiyuan era. He was deeply admired by the barbarians for his integrity and uprightness, and was later appointed as the Grand Protector of Anxi.

Zhang Dai certainly had his own aspirations for military achievements; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so eager to associate with Prince Xin'an. Faced with the invitation extended by Prince Xin'an, he couldn't help but feel a little tempted.

But after thinking it over, he shook his head and said, “I have neither archery nor horsemanship skills, nor the courage to charge into battle. I may have some limited intelligence, which is useful for discussing matters and asking questions, but even if I were to go to the border temporarily, I would not be of great use. At present, the political situation in the court is changing and there are many affairs. It is appropriate for me to personally attend to various matters and hone my abilities. I hope that I can improve myself so that I can be worthy of serving under Your Majesty.”

In recent years, although the Tang Dynasty has gradually shifted to a more proactive and aggressive military posture, it has not yet completed a corresponding adjustment in the overall affairs of the country. There is a great disconnect between the military and the government, which also limits the development of various military operations.

Therefore, Zhang Dai has little room to maneuver at the border. He also lacks the martial arts skills and courage to truly charge into battle.

"Alas, the affairs of the state are truly a complicated matter. Though the court appears to be full of capable officials, many matters are difficult to coordinate and manage. We, the soldiers on the frontier, have endured hardship and slept through snow and ice, while the officers and soldiers have shed blood and shed tears to achieve merit on the frontier. Yet, we struggle to make ends meet, lacking food and clothing, and our merit records, once submitted to the court, have been delayed for a long time. We are even ashamed to face the meritorious officials..."

When the topic turned to the affairs of the state, Prince Xin'an couldn't help but complain, clearly harboring resentment for a long time and unable to calm down: "Only when rewards and punishments are clear can soldiers fight bravely in the face of the enemy. However, the people in the court regard me as a fraudster. All reports must be repeatedly verified. After a battle is over, there are no rewards or compensations for months. The generals can only rely on their own schemes, and as a result, they may be blamed for it."

Prince Xin'an's complaint wasn't an exaggeration; it was based on fact. However, the imperial court also had its difficulties. Even Prime Minister Xiao Song, who had also risen to power through military achievements, petitioned the court to allow conscripts to take turns resting, partly to conserve manpower and partly to save on military expenses.

The court's allocation of funds was certainly not reasonable, but this is a much deeper topic. Any attempt to change it would inevitably touch upon the very foundations of the dynasty. If adjustments were truly made at the root, let alone external expansion, the armies on the borders would likely return home and fight fiercely.

Yuwen Rong, who was in charge of finances, frequently pushed for the implementation of various policies. This was certainly related to his personality, but mainly because both internally and externally, there was a need to see his results as soon as possible.

Prince Xin'an rarely expressed his feelings in public. Seeing Zhang Dai remain silent, he continued, "The court may be facing financial difficulties, but the border generals are also struggling to make ends meet. In the past, there may have been some expedient measures to help, but the prime ministers do not like border officials in charge."

The salt fields of Yanzhou were allocated to Shuofang last year, and could still be used to exchange for horses and sheep with the Nine Clans to make up for the shortfall. Even these are being taken away again; how can anyone tolerate this?

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai's expression immediately turned awkward. He was unsure whether he should explain to Prince Xin'an that he had instigated Yuwen Rong to do it.
People have different positions and identities, so their perspectives and demands will also differ. Even if they are all serving the country, they all hope to have a greater voice and for things to be carried out more smoothly.

Prince Xin'an's numerous complaints about the court officials did not necessarily stem from his desire to expand his power in the provinces and establish a separatist regime. However, given his position, the court's lack of cooperation was indeed hindering various military developments, which naturally made him very unhappy.

If one day he were to enter the court and become prime minister, he might also feel that the power of the border generals was too great and needed to be limited, and that it would be reasonable for major military and political affairs to be decided by the prime minister.

However, according to Prince An, the imperial court seems to be very eager to extract resources from the salt fields in Yanzhou, to the point that it has become intolerable.

He has been so busy preparing for the Emperor's birthday banquet that he is not very clear about the decisions and trends in the court. He only remembers that Yuwen Rong once again tried to win him over to inspect the salt affairs, but he refused. Now it seems that new arrangements have been made, which is making Prince Xin'an very nervous.

(End of this chapter)