Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4721 Tubo Storm
The moment he admitted defeat, Zhang Liang breathed a sigh of relief and his whole body relaxed. The uneasy and precarious feeling he had felt in recent days immediately disappeared, and he even felt a little bit of anticipation in his heart.

If Fang Jun had been broad-minded enough to let go of past grudges and continue to let him sit in the position of General of the Right Jinwu Guard, he would be happy with it even if he was just a puppet and would immediately betray Liu Li and join Fang Jun's army.

His son was disabled because of Fang Jun, and the two families were in a feud, but if Fang Jun could nod and be willing to take him under his command, how could he refuse? Not only would he not refuse, he would even swear to follow Fang Jun wholeheartedly and let him drive him.

Wang Xuance asked, "I heard that Duke Yun is already over fifty this year?"

Zhang Liang's face was gloomy: "Why, do you want me to retire as soon as possible?"

He was willing to be a puppet, and also willing to be a dog under Fang Jun. The reputation and qualifications of the Zhenguan meritorious officials were shit, and he could lose face. But he would never give up all his power and retire to his hometown. If Fang Jun threatened him with this, he would rather die than surrender.

Wang Xuance smiled and said, "Duke Yun is young and strong, and it is time for him to make great achievements. If he retires now, it will be an immeasurable loss to the empire. You can naturally take the position of General of the Right Jinwu Guard. After a few years, the military system reform will be completed and the Privy Council will be established. The Military Affairs Council will be abolished and a new General Staff Office will be established in the Privy Council. With your qualifications and merits, perhaps you can strive for it."

Zhang Liang nodded.

Even if he were to be kicked out now, someone else would inevitably be parachuted in. The position of General of the Right Jinwu Guard would basically not be given to Fang Jun, and he might not be able to control the position if he replaced him... If he were to be a "puppet" honestly, he would not only prevent the possibility of someone else parachuting in, but also keep the Right Jinwu Guard firmly under the hands of Fang Jun. As compensation, Fang Jun promised to let him enter the Privy Council in the future.

Although it was very unpleasant to have his fate controlled by others, Zhang Liang found that he had no choice after weighing the pros and cons. Rather than being kicked out and losing face, prestige and becoming a laughing stock, it would be better to be a "puppet" honestly and wait for compensation in the future.

However, this would be equivalent to abandoning Liu Li, but it would not count as boarding Fang Jun's ship, so he would lose on both sides...

"This is a serious matter. Let me think about it and then give you an answer."

"Of course, I am not in a hurry. You can take your time to consider it. This condition is valid at any time."

Zhang Liang let out a breath and suddenly felt exhausted.

……

When he returned to the duty room, Wang Xuance saw Master Sun Renshi sitting on a mat on the ground making tea. He walked up to him with a smile, bowed, and then sat opposite him.

Sun Renshi poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of Wang Xuance, then asked with a smile, "What is your reply, Marshal?"

Wang Xuance took the teacup with both hands. "He said he needed to think about it, but he knew, and I knew, that it was just an excuse. He was delaying to save his face. That's all. He had no choice but to go this way."

The locust trees outside the window were lush and leafy. The sun shone through the gaps between the branches and leaves, casting a mottled light and shadow on the window. The summer breeze was cool. Sun Renshi was very moved: "The Marshal's love for protecting me and his kindness in selecting me, I can only repay him with my death, nothing else."

When Sun Renshi was appointed by Fang Jun as the General of the Right Jinwu Guard, his heart was filled with excitement and his blood was boiling. But when the imperial order and the central government appointed Zhang Liang, he was extremely depressed and frustrated. Even if Fang Jun still regarded him as his confidant, Sun Renshi, as a "surrendered general" who surrendered halfway, did not think that Fang Jun would disobey the imperial order and resist the central government for him.

But Fang Jun continued to support him as always, and even sent Wang Xuance to tell him that he just needed to be low-key, patient and follow the procedures, and the position of general would be his sooner or later, and Wang Xuance would take care of everything.

If he was considered Fang Jun's man, then Wang Xuance was the most direct descendant of Fang Jun's direct descendants. This soldier, who originally guarded the city gate, was selected by Fang Jun and entrusted with important tasks. He was in charge of the "Dong Da Tang Trading Company" with thousands of people and huge wealth worth tens of millions. Having such a person to assist him was enough to show how much he valued him.

I couldn't help but feel lucky that I made the right decision to break away from Zuo Yiwei and get rid of the Guanlong clan...

Wang Xuance smiled, took a sip of tea, and whispered, "The reason why the Marshal selected us is not to let us die for him, but to prevent our lowly strength from being buried in the grass and to enable us to serve the Tang Dynasty with all our heart and soul. In the eyes of the Marshal, the Tang Dynasty is supreme, and the interests of the Tang Dynasty are supreme."

Sun Renshi knew that he had said something wrong, but he didn't take it seriously: "The Marshal doesn't care about our loyalty, but we can't pursue national interests above all else without conscience. In my mind, since the Marshal always protects national interests and regards the Tang Dynasty as supreme, then loyalty to the Marshal is loyalty to the Tang Dynasty, which is not contradictory."

"I really like what the general said. Great minds think alike, haha!"

Wang Xuance smiled, raised his teacup and toasted Master Sun Ren with tea instead of wine.

People should not forget their roots and should have aspirations. Fang Jun was selected by someone, and his interests just happened to represent the interests of the empire. When everyone gathered together to work for the prosperity of the empire, with common interests and aspirations, how happy and comforting it would be!
Sun Renshi did not show any frustration or resentment about his position as a general being "stolen". He smiled and said, "You and I are of one mind, shoulder to shoulder, to take care of this family for the Marshal. It does not matter who is the commander in name. At any time, this is the Marshal's army and we will obey his orders."

Wang Xuance deeply agreed: "As long as the left and right Jinwu Guards obey the commander-in-chief, the commander-in-chief's foundation will be as solid as Mount Tai. Those evil spirits are just clowns. Wherever the blade points, they will vanish in an instant."

Sun Renshi nodded heavily: "That's exactly what I mean!"

*****
In summer, the Qinghai Lake is full of rippling blue waves, flying water birds, and green grass on the shore. Mountains stretch across the horizon, and countless peaks are still covered with snow. The sky is clear and the weather is sunny.

Snow-white sheep slowly gathered on the grass, and the Han merchant caravan crossed the Qilian Mountain Pass and headed south, circling Qinghai Lake and heading straight to Fuxi City, entering the city from the north gate. After entering the city, they were led by city officials to the cargo yard near the north city wall, where they unloaded and stored the cargo one by one.

Grain, cloth, medicinal materials, even steel knives, armor... The eyes of the Tibetan officials were red, and they were extremely excited to put the goods into the warehouse one by one, count the quantity, and register them. With these baggage equipment, the combat power of the Gar family's army increased by at least 30%. As long as they did not attack Luoshui City, they were enough to walk sideways in the Qinghai Lake area.

The leader of the Han merchant caravan was now a guest of Lu Dongzan.

Lu Dongzan's face was obviously red from the plateau. He was thin but energetic. He knelt on the mat in front of the window. The warm sunlight outside the window felt very comfortable on his body. He drank a sip of tea and praised, "What a good tea! You Han people are always able to make such wonderful things. It's a pity that we Tibetans live in a remote corner, with little land, poor people, and declining products. We can't even get enough food. We really can't afford such a gift from heaven."

Pei Xingjian on the opposite side had a handsome face and outstanding demeanor. Even though he was in a place ravaged by wind and sand, his brocade robe was still spotless, showing the demeanor of a young man from a noble family. He drank tea in a dignified and elegant posture, and there was not a trace of the decadent air of officialdom on his body.

"The way of heaven is like drawing a bow. It suppresses the high and raises the low. It reduces the surplus and gives to the deficient. The way of heaven is to reduce the surplus and make up for the deficiency. The sky has black and white, the moon has waxing and waning, and no one is perfect. It is the way of heaven to exchange what is needed with what is not needed. The Tang Dynasty is rich and has abundant resources, but Tubo also has war horses and yaks that the Tang Dynasty urgently needs. As long as the two countries are harmonious and friendly and increase exchanges, they will naturally get what they need and prosper together. However, the lords of Luoshui City are greedy and only know how to plunder with curved swords and horses, stirring up the border between the two countries with panic and war everywhere. They don't know what to do."

Lu Dongzan felt the same way and sighed, "They are just a bunch of short-sighted rats. They only know the sharpness of their swords and the bravery of their people, but they are completely unaware of the power of the Tang army's firearms and the strength of their strategies. They not only plunder the Tang Dynasty, but even I, the Prime Minister, am a thorn in their eyes and flesh. They need to be eliminated as soon as possible."

I felt very emotional.

To this day, Songtsen Gampo has unparalleled prestige and is the only dominant power. He cannot tolerate the existence of any force that might challenge his position. The Gar family is his biggest potential threat, so naturally all kinds of suppression come as expected.

It was a pity that he failed to marry a Tang princess when he was sent as an envoy to the Tang Dynasty. Otherwise, with such achievements, he would be able to win over more nobles and lords and compete with Songtsen Gampo. Why was he expelled from Lhasa City now, and was as panic-stricken as a dog that had lost its home?
Thinking of the marriage alliance, one naturally thinks of Fang Jun who had ruined the whole thing. He was one of the few hardliners in the Tang Dynasty court, and he even said tough words like "no marriage alliance, no tribute, no compensation". As a result, even Emperor Taizong, who was inclined to marry a princess in exchange for friendship between the two countries, had to reject Tubo's marriage proposal under pressure from public opinion.

In some ways, the reason why the Gar family is in such a state today is all thanks to Fang Jun...

Pei Xingjian put down his teacup and straightened his back, showing the aura of a frontier official. "Those who strike first will be the winners, while those who strike later will be the winners. This is the wise words of the ancient sages. Now the Gar family is being suppressed everywhere. The more they accept it, the more they will encourage the arrogance of the lords in Luoshui City. It is time to fight back and let those lords who are just sitting there and doing nothing feel the strength of the Gar family. Duke Yue once said something that I have always regarded as a guiding principle: unity is sought through unity, and unity is forgotten; unity is sought through struggle, and unity survives."

Now serving as the deputy governor and chief secretary of the Anxi Protectorate, he had traveled thousands of miles to Qinghai Lake just to transport food, fodder, bags and weapons to support Lu Dongzan in his fight back against the oppression of the Lhasa City.

Lu Dongzan was silent for a while. The more he pondered, the more he felt that this sentence contained the truth of the world. He exclaimed: "Duke Yue is a contemporary philosopher with unparalleled knowledge. I am not as good as him."

This is the difference between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo. Although Tubo was once powerful and invincible, and repeatedly gained advantages when facing the Tang army, the two sides were worlds apart in terms of foundation. It was just a dandy boy in the Tang Dynasty who was able to say such a wise saying not long after devoting himself to studying. It is enough to show how brilliant and unparalleled the Tang Dynasty's culture was.

Therefore, once Tubo went to war with the Tang Dynasty, it might be able to gain some advantages in the short term, but once the situation became stalemate, the final winner would definitely be the Tang Dynasty with its huge foundation and vast territory.