roccoschili Chapter 5459 Dismissal from Official Post
Chapter 5459 Dismissal from Official Post
Chapter 5459 Dismissal from Official Post
The troops gathered in Liuzhou City. Upon learning of the Grand Commander's military order, the city's residents and merchants were bewildered, and the sudden outbreak of war inevitably caused widespread panic. The army's assembly was followed by a prolonged delay, with densely packed cavalry units, fully armored and poised for battle, filling the city gates and streets with even greater anxiety.
Could it be that something major has happened in the city that requires the mobilization of troops to suppress it?
It wasn't until the south gate opened and Grand Commander Zhou Daowu, fully armored and riding out, stood motionless outside the city that the people and merchants in the city realized someone had arrived.
But who exactly could make Zhou Daowu personally come out of the city to welcome him?
……
On the official road, a troop of cavalry galloped from south to north, their hooves raising dust, their thunderous sounds creating an imposing momentum.
In the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the cavalry approached the city gate and suddenly stopped.
The man at the front was clad in armor, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. His slightly dark face showed no signs of fatigue or exhaustion from the long journey; instead, he exuded heroic spirit and imposing presence.
The two sides stood facing each other in front of the city gate, remaining completely still.
Zhou Daowu and Fang Jun sat on horseback, staring at each other for a long time before Zhou Daowu reluctantly threw off the saddle, knelt on one knee, and saluted.
"Zhou Daowu, Governor of Yingzhou, greets the Grand Commandant!"
Although both are imperial sons-in-law, the Grand Commandant is the highest military rank in the empire in name only. Apart from Li Ji, who holds the title of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, all imperial soldiers are theoretically subordinate to Fang Jun. Therefore, the two should greet each other when they meet.
Fang Jun then dismounted, strode forward, and put his hands on Zhou Daowu's shoulders, laughing loudly, "You and I are sons-in-law, not brothers but closer than brothers, why such a grand ceremony? Please rise, please rise!"
"Ya Xu" is an honorific term used between the husbands of sisters.
Zhou Daowu's lips twitched, feeling utterly disgusted. If you really considered me your "son-in-law," why did you wait until I bowed before saying this?
This guy is so hypocritical...
He stood up and replied with a smile, "Although kinship is important, it is not as important as official rank in the court. The Grand Commandant is my superior, and I am his subordinate. We cannot disregard the proper etiquette."
Fang Jun, with a solemn expression, patted Zhou Daowu on the shoulder and said seriously, "Grand Commander Zhou is right, well said! Our relationship is based on official rank first, then kinship, so today we will put official business first and personal matters second. If there is any impoliteness, please forgive me, Grand Commander Zhou!"
Zhou Daowu's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly asked, "I wonder what brings the Grand Commandant to Yingzhou?"
Although this fellow travels around all year round, he doesn't seem to be fixated on maintaining his power in Chang'an. Instead, he prioritizes the implementation of new policies. The current booming development of the Dongting Lake and Liaodong regions is his doing.
But what in Liuzhou City, or even the entire Yingzhou, could make Fang Jun condescend to come alone?
Moreover, this was at a critical juncture of internal strife within the Khitan...
Could it be that this guy has already received the news?
But I just received news that Fang Jun is in Chang'an. Could he possibly be able to predict the future?
Fang Jun did not answer, but instead looked up and glanced around, his face full of majesty: "Elite troops and iron cavalry are ready to go. Is Grand Commander Zhou gathering troops to welcome me? Is he going to try to win me over with courtesy first, or is he going to ambush and kill me in this Liuzhou city?"
"Grand Commandant, you jest. How could I dare to have such thoughts?"
Zhou Daowu quickly explained, then pondered for a moment, feeling that the news of the Khitan internal strife could not be concealed no matter what, so he said frankly: "I just received news from Raozhou City that Li Kuge's two grandsons assassinated Abugu and slaughtered his clansmen, causing the eight tribes of Khitan to fall into internal strife. I am preparing to mobilize troops to go to Raozhou to quell the rebellion."
Fang Jun sighed: "You handled this matter... terribly!"
Zhou Daowu was startled: "Why does the Grand Commandant say such a thing?"
Fang Jun said, "Your memorial had just arrived in Chang'an when I predicted that the Khitan might be in trouble. So I set off from Chang'an and rushed here day and night. But I was still a step too late."
He patted Zhou Daowu on the shoulder: "Let's go inside and talk in detail. There are some things that are not suitable to say in public, so as not to embarrass you."
Zhou Daowu: "..."
When have I ever been so close to you that you would care about my feelings?
Shouldn't you be happier the more you embarrass me in public?
……
Inside the main hall.
Princess Linchuan was waiting there. When she saw Zhou Daowu and Fang Jun enter, she stepped forward to greet them. After Fang Jun returned the greeting and sat down, he stared at Princess Linchuan.
Princess Linchuan blushed, gritted her teeth, glared angrily at Fang Jun, and had no choice but to turn around and leave.
Fang Jun then said, "It is not that I am being disrespectful to His Highness Linchuan, but it is a matter of vital military importance to the Empire, and it is not appropriate for anyone to listen in."
Zhou Daowu nodded: "Please speak frankly, Grand Commandant."
Although I was very dissatisfied.
This is his territory. His wife, a princess of the Tang Dynasty, was stared at so rudely by Fang Jun. How could he save face?
However, there are priorities, so we had to put it aside for the time being.
Fang Jun said solemnly, "His Majesty asked me to ask you why you recommended Abugu to succeed as the governor of Songmo, but abandoned the descendants of Li Kuge?"
Zhou Daowu explained: "Li Kuge has made outstanding contributions and has a great reputation, which has made the Dahe clan too powerful to control. Fortunately, he is mature, prudent, low-key and patient, and can still maintain the stability of the Khitan. However, Li Kucaoli is reckless and Li Jinzhong is tyrannical. These two are full of anger and ambition. If they succeed to the position of Governor of Songmo, they may affect the stability of Liaodong. If Abugu is appointed to share their power and control their hearts, it may be possible to continue to maintain the stability of Liaodong."
Since the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Khitan people suffered from war and turmoil, resulting in a sharp decline in their population. After entering the Sui Dynasty, they were able to recover, and by the time they submitted to the Tang Dynasty, they had "34,000 elite soldiers." "Elite soldiers" refers to the elite troops. Given the Khitan people's tradition of universal conscription, they could raise an army of 100,000 people under extreme circumstances, and their population was roughly around 500,000.
After submitting to the Tang Dynasty, the Khitan had few wars and were able to recuperate, but because the time was too short, their total population would not exceed 700,000, and their army would remain at around 100,000.
This is an extremely powerful force. Once it breaks free from the rule of the Tang Dynasty and is allowed to run rampant and act recklessly, it could unleash a massive catastrophe throughout the Liaodong region.
Divide and balance – this was the consistent policy of the Central Plains dynasties towards the nomadic tribes.
Fang Jun shook his head and said in a deep voice, "But the current situation is that because you supported Abugu, the Khitan have been thrown into turmoil, and the Liaodong region has fallen into chaos. This may cause setbacks or even severe damage to the ongoing development of Liaodong."
Zhou Daowu remained silent.
No matter how valid the reasons are, the results are what matter.
As a result, the Li family's succession to the position of governor of Songmo was stripped away, leading the Li brothers to launch a coup in an attempt to seize the leadership of the Khitan, which plunged the various Khitan tribes into chaos.
This was a mistake on his part, and he must bear leadership responsibility.
There's no way around it.
The key lies in how to punish and what consequences to bear.
But since Fang Jun has traveled all the way from Chang'an, it means the consequences will be extremely serious and the punishment will certainly be severe.
He suddenly remembered something. Logically speaking, Liuzhou was closer to Raozhou, so he should have received news of the Khitan internal strife earlier than Fang Jun. Could it be that Fang Jun had some kind of divine calculation that the Khitan would inevitably fall into chaos? Otherwise, why would he have come all the way from Chang'an in person?
And the timing was just so coincidental.
She couldn't help but look at Fang Jun with suspicion...
Fang Jun sighed, looking troubled: "This matter is of great importance and cannot be taken lightly. Therefore, your official position will be temporarily revoked and you will be escorted to Chang'an to await review by the Court of Judicial Review. After things have stabilized, His Majesty will make the final decision."
Zhou Daowu was stunned for a moment, thinking that he was hallucinating.
Then, he flew into a rage and slammed his hand on the table: "Fang Jun, are you trying to settle a personal score?"
stripped of his official post?
To be escorted to Chang'an?
Should it be handed over to the Court of Judicial Review for investigation?
Good heavens!
Are they treating me like a traitor to the empire?!
Fang Jun shook his head, ignoring his anger, and said helplessly, "There's no need to get so agitated. Although I, Fang Er, dare not call myself a gentleman, I am not a petty person who kicks someone when they're down. Even if I were to punish you, I would not use national affairs as leverage. You yourself know how important the situation in Liaodong is. The funds invested in developing Liaodong this time exceed ten million strings of cash, and the manpower and resources mobilized are countless. We absolutely will not allow the slightest threat."
He certainly wouldn't kick someone when they're down, because he was the one who created the current situation; he was the one who dug a huge pit for Zhou Daowu.
Since entering the Tang Dynasty, the Khitan people have been recuperating and multiplying, and now their strength has grown so great that they have become uncontrollable. They have transformed from a force that originally stabilized Liaodong into a hidden danger that threatens the stability of Liaodong. If left unchecked, they will surely become a great disaster in a few years.
When Emperor Taizong launched his eastern expedition, he conscripted elite troops from the Khitan and Xi tribes to participate in the war. In addition to bolstering his forces, he also intended to take the opportunity to weaken the Khitan and Xi tribes. However, Li Kuge was also very cunning. He led his people to wander around the periphery of the battlefield and never participated in the main battle, so his losses were naturally minimal.
The imperial court could not send troops to conquer them. After all, the Khitan were legitimate subjects of the Tang Dynasty, and their people were nominally treated the same as the subjects of the Tang Dynasty. If the court sent troops to conquer them because of their strength, what would the other non-Han peoples such as the Turks and Tuyuhun who were also subjects of the Tang Dynasty think?
This would inevitably lead to a situation where the loss of one ally would cause the loss of the other, and the loss of one ally would cause the loss of another, thus having a very negative impact on the overall national strategy of the Tang Dynasty.
Therefore, upon receiving Zhou Daowu's memorial in Chang'an, Fang Jun immediately realized that this was a golden opportunity. It would not only save the Tang Dynasty from having to send troops to conquer and damage its reputation, but also allow them to weaken the Khitan's strength. Naturally, he went with the flow.
It wouldn't be difficult to incite those two incompetent fools in the Li family to launch a mutiny...
However, although the imperial court could remain uninvolved and preserve its reputation, someone still had to bear the huge blame for it.
This is a huge burden that no one else can bear, but Zhou Daowu, who comes from a noble family and wields great power, is just right for it.
Zhou Daowu, unaware that he had fallen into a trap, was still struggling and trying to salvage the situation: "Dividing and balancing the Hu tribes is a consistent strategy of the empire. What's wrong with me suppressing the powerful Li brothers and supporting the relatively weak Abugu? The Li brothers brazenly killed Abugu, what does that have to do with me? This is Liuzhou City, under the jurisdiction of my Yingzhou Governor. If you dare to strip me of my official position and escort me to Chang'an, ask the tens of thousands of soldiers in this city if they agree!"