Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 314: Wuning Military Rebellion
"Drive! Drive! Drive..."

In mid-August in Chang'an City, the summer heat had not yet dissipated. The Northern Yamen Imperial Guards were lazily patrolling the streets, while the people in the city were honestly doing business.

To them, the world seemed to be still so peaceful, but to Yang Xuanjie from Changlefang, he frowned at this moment, unable to believe what he saw.

[On the fourth day of the eighth month of the Renwu year, I was ordered by Cui Shixiang to go to Longyou and arrived at Linzhou...]

At this moment, Yang Xuanjie was sitting in the study, holding tightly in his hand a letter written by his eldest son Yang Xuanjie, with a frown on his face.

He was very familiar with the handwriting on the letter paper. It was the handwriting of his own eldest son Yang Fuguang.

He couldn't believe that his own Dalang had actually gone to Longyou and even to Linzhou to discuss the horse trading matter with Liu Jilian.

Of course, the most unbelievable thing in the letter was one sentence...

"Liu Jilong used the 500,000 people in Longyou to raise 40,000 soldiers, all of whom were well-armored and elite, and were a force of tigers and wolves."

Yang Xuanjie repeatedly looked through the letter, trying to find any signs of forgery.

But whether it is the handwriting, the wording, or the secret marks on the letter paper, it is clear that this letter was written by Yang Fuguang.

He took a deep breath, feeling vaguely uneasy.

Forty thousand fully armored elite soldiers is by no means a trivial matter. If Liu Jilian really has any ulterior motives, the imperial court will face a huge threat.

"Someone... prepare the car!"

He did not dare to delay and immediately ordered people to prepare a car and hurried to Wang Zongshi's residence.

The streets of Chang'an are still bustling with people, the cries of vendors and the laughter of pedestrians interweaving together, making it seem extremely lively.

Yang Xuanjie in the carriage had no intention of appreciating the prosperous scene. He just held the letter tightly, with a myriad of thoughts in his mind.

Although they had long anticipated that Liu Jilian was very powerful and could even be compared with the three towns of Heshuo.

But now it seems that among the three towns of Heshuo, except for Youzhou and Lulong Town, Chengde and Weizhou are not as strong as Longyou.

Considering the emperor's previous remarks trying to suppress this rebellion, he had to have a good talk with the eunuchs in the Northern Department and make the emperor completely give up this idea.

When your mind is in a mess, time often passes quickly.

Before Yang Xuanjie had time to think about how to start his speech, he felt the carriage stopped.

"Deputy Envoy, we have arrived at the Prime Minister's residence."

The coachman's voice rang out, and Yang Xuanjie calmed himself down before getting off the carriage.

Looking up, I saw the magnificent mansion with carved beams and painted rafters. The long spear and black-headed gate in front of the gate were majestic, demonstrating the power of the owner.

"How much military pay did this guy eat..." Yang Xuanjie couldn't help but curse in his heart.

Since Wang Zongshi took control of the Northern Secretariat, his mansion has expanded several times and covers an area so large that it almost occupies 20% of the land in Changlefang.

The decoration inside the mansion was extremely luxurious, with precious items such as corals and sea pearls everywhere. There were hundreds of servants, and it looked like an emperor.

Yang Xuanjie knew clearly that most of these expenses came from the military pay of the Shence Army, but he did not hate Wang Zongshi. He just hated why he was not sitting in that position.

"Deputy Envoy Yang, please..."

A servant came out of the mansion and bowed. Yang Xuanjie said nothing, but nodded in response, then walked into the mansion with the servant.

After passing through the main hall and the long corridor, Yang Xuanjie was brought to the central hall of the mansion.

"Your green collar, my heart is always with you. Even if I don't go, why don't you send me a message..."

Before entering the door, I heard melodious music and singing.

Yang Xuanjie looked up and saw nearly a hundred musicians playing in the central hall and dozens of actors dancing to the music. The scene was grand, like a royal banquet.

Yang Xuanjie secretly shook his head in his heart: "With such extravagance, no wonder some people in the court keep complaining about it."

He straightened his clothes, walked past the actors, bowed, and said respectfully, "Prime Minister, I have something important to report."

Wang Zongshi was leaning on the couch, playing with a jade cup in his hand. When he heard Yang Xuanjie's voice, he raised his eyes slightly and said with a smile, "Erlang is here, please take a seat."

"Today, the musicians in the palace have arranged a new piece of music, so it's a good opportunity for us to enjoy it together."

Yang Xuanjie bowed and said, "Secretary, this matter is urgent and cannot be delayed."

Seeing his solemn expression, Wang Zongshi waved his hand, signaling the musicians and actors to leave.

After everyone left, the hall suddenly became quiet, and Wang Zongshi sat up straight and asked, "Erlang, what's the matter that makes you so hurried?"

Yang Xuanjie took out the letter from his sleeve, presented it with both hands, and said in a deep voice: "Secretary, this is a letter from a certain man, please take a look."

"Da Lang?" Wang Zongshi frowned slightly. He naturally knew that Yang Xuanjie's Da Lang was Yang Fuguang, who was sent by him to supervise the army in Xichuan.

But he was very curious about what Yang Fuguang had done that was worthy of alarming Yang Xuanjie, and even made Yang Xuanjie alarm himself.

Thinking of this, he signaled the actor next to him to take the letter and pass it to him.

Soon, he took the letter from the actor, opened it and read it carefully.

His eyes moved across the letter paper, and his expression gradually became solemn.

After a moment, he put the letter down, looked up at Yang Xuanjie, and asked with a hint of nervousness: "Is this true?"

Yang Xuanjie nodded and said, "Da Lang's letter is very convincing, and we know his character very well. He would never lie."

Wang Zongshi frowned, tapped his fingers on the table, and said thoughtfully: "Forty thousand fully armored elite soldiers... How did Liu Jilong support so many soldiers and horses, and what exactly does he want to do?"

Faced with Wang Zongshi's confusion, Yang Xuanjie glanced at the incense burner not far away.

Seeing his action, Wang Zongshi immediately knew the reason, and his expression became heavy: "Spices? Not surprising..."

In recent years, the Jinzouyuan shops in Longyou have been selling a lot of spices. Although no one has kept statistics, Wang Zongshi is very clear about how expensive the spices are.

After all, just in his own house, nearly 100 kilograms of precious spices, worth thousands of strings of cash, would be consumed every year.

If the other officials in Chang'an were the same, Liu Jilian would indeed make a fortune.

Thinking of this, Wang Zongshi sat up and asked solemnly: "Has he ever expressed his attitude towards the court?"

Seeing that Wang Zongshi had asked the key question, Yang Xuanjie said in a deep voice: "According to Dalang, Liu Jilong's attitude towards the court is indifferent, and there is no obvious change."

"But he has such a large army, it's inevitable that people will be suspicious."

Wang Zongshi heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this, but his expression remained solemn: "An indifferent attitude... may not be a bad thing."

"But these 40,000 elite troops are ultimately a hidden danger."

Yang Xuanjie nodded in agreement: "That's right."

"Although Liu Jilong has not shown any signs of disloyalty, he holds military power. In addition, we have proposed to pacify Longyou several times. It is hard to guarantee that there will not be someone who will instigate us."

Having said this, Yang Xuanjie bowed again and said solemnly: "Secretary, this matter needs to be planned early."

Wang Zongshi pondered for a moment and said slowly: "Don't worry, Erlang, I will make arrangements for this matter."

"Since your Dalang is dealing with Liu Jilong on the pretext of trafficking, you can continue to keep an eye on Liu Jilong's movements."

"I will definitely do my best." Yang Xuanjie nodded.
"However, Liu Jilong is a cautious person and I'm afraid he won't reveal his flaws easily."

Wang Zongshi sighed, with a bit of helplessness in his tone: "The situation inside and outside the court is complicated now. If we are not careful, we will be doomed."

"Erlang, you and I need to work together to keep the court stable."

Yang Xuanjie said solemnly: "What the Internal Minister said is absolutely right. Although I am not talented, I will definitely do my best to help the Internal Minister."

Wang Zongshi nodded with satisfaction, then returned to his lazy expression and said with a smile: "Now that we have finished discussing the serious matters, how about Erlang staying and enjoying the new music together?"

Yang Xuanjie bowed and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Minister. However, I still have some trivial matters to deal with in the army. I will bother you another day."

Wang Zongshi did not force him to stay, and waved his hand, saying, "In that case, I will not keep Erlang here... Come on, show him away!"

Yang Xuanjie stood up to say goodbye, and when he walked out of the hall, the sound of musicians playing rang in his ears again.

He paused for a moment, then immediately continued walking out with the servant.

Even so, he still couldn't calm down.

Liu Jilian's 40,000 elite troops were like a sword hanging over Guanzhong's head. If the supreme ruler in the palace insisted on conquering Longyou.

By then, even if Liu Jilian did not want to rebel, the generals under his command would probably help him to rebel.

The carriage slowly drove through the streets of Changlefang and gradually disappeared at the end of the street...

When the carriage disappeared, a fast horse hurriedly rushed into Chang'an City from Tonghua Gate and headed towards the Southern Court.

Half an hour later, the flag soldiers on the fast horses dismounted and handed the urgent silk book to the officials of the Southern Court.

This silk book was delivered to the desk of Prime Minister Pei Xiu not long after. When Pei Xiu opened it, his pupils shrank as he discovered that it was an urgent report from the Wuning Army in Xuzhou. Jiang Shen and Bi Zhen, who worked with Pei Xiu, noticed that something was wrong with him and immediately asked him about it.

Pei Xiu saw that the two had read it, and immediately told them the contents of the silk book:

"The Wuning Army in Xuzhou rebelled, expelled the Jiedushi Wen Zhang, and accused Wen Zhang of being disrespectful to the soldiers. We ask the court to punish Wen Zhang."

Jiang Shen and Bi Zhen were stunned when they heard this. They looked at each other and hurriedly tried to excuse Wen Zhang:
"Wen Zhang knows military affairs and treats his men with respect. It is impossible that he was expelled for being rude. I think there must be some other hidden reason."

"Exactly!"

Pei Xiu naturally trusted Wen Zhang more. After all, the Wuning Army had too many previous criminal records, so he immediately nodded and agreed:

"First send someone to find Wen Zhang and have him submit a petition to explain the whole story before taking any action."

"That's right!" Jiang Shen and Bi Zhen nodded in agreement, and Pei Xiu also decided to suppress the Wuning Army's memorial and wait for Wen Zhang's memorial.

Five days later, without waiting for Pei Xiu and his men to find Wen Zhang, Wen Zhang, who had fled to Songzhou and settled down, wrote a memorial and sent someone to deliver it to the Southern Yamen in Chang'an.

Pei Xiu first read the memorial and then passed it to Jiang Shen and Bi Zhen.

In the memorial, Wen Zhang stated that after he took office, due to the unruly generals of the Wuning Army, such as the Silver Swords, Carved Flags, Gate Spears, and Horse-Carrying Generals, he required the Wuning Army to train according to the method of "training once every five days and exercising once every ten days".

In addition, he enforced strict military law and warned the troops in Wuning Army not to harass the civilians.

When he encountered someone who violated military law, he personally led people to carry out the execution. After persisting in this way for more than half a year, he was able to initially rectify the military discipline of the Diaoqi, Gate Gun, and Horse-Carried Armies. However, the Silver Knife Army did not give in.

The general of the Silver Knife Army took the opportunity to expel him from Xuzhou and drove him to Songzhou when he sent his guards out.

After arriving in Songzhou, he immediately wrote a memorial and reported the matter to the court.

Facing the different opinions of Wen Zhang and Wuning Army, Pei Xiu, Jiang Shen and Bi Zhen looked at each other and said, "This is definitely not Wen Zhang's fault!"

"That's right!" Jiang Shen nodded in agreement, "The Wuning Army has repeatedly expelled the Jiedushi. Could it be that none of the Jiedushi sent by the court know how to behave?"

Bi Zhen nodded upon hearing this, and then said: "This matter is of great importance. This is the fifth time that the Wuning Army has expelled the Jiedushi. If we don't deal with it, I'm afraid the majesty of the court will be gone."

Pei Xiu and Jiang Shen nodded in agreement. Pei Xiu said, "The Wuning Army has been arrogant and domineering for a long time."

"Although Wen Zhang was strict, everything he did was for the good of the court."

"The Silver Sword Army's actions clearly show contempt for the imperial court's laws. If they are not severely punished, other vassal states may follow suit, with disastrous consequences."

Seeing Pei Xiu speak, Jiang Shen continued slowly, "Although Wen Zhang was expelled, his actions to rectify military discipline were not wrong."

"In my opinion, it would be better to transfer Wen Zhang to Bining Town to avoid the limelight temporarily, and then select a capable person to go to Xuzhou to thoroughly reorganize the Wuning Army."

After he said this, Pei Xiu and Bi Zhen both agreed with him. Pei Xiu also added:

"Wen Zhang can no longer gain a foothold in Xuzhou, so transferring him to Bining Town is indeed the best option."

"However, the matter of Xuzhou requires a person who has both prestige and means to suppress the Wuning Army."

Pei Xiu's conditions were a bit harsh. Jiang Shen frowned and said, "But who in the court can take on this important task now?"

"The Wuning Army has been arrogant for a long time, and it may be difficult for ordinary generals to win their support."

Pei Xiu pondered for a moment, and suddenly his eyes lit up: "How about the Annan Protectorate King style?"

"This man has a reputation for being a man of high rank and strict in military discipline. He has also made many military achievements in Annan. If he is sent to Xuzhou, he may be able to suppress the Wuning Army."

Bi Zhen frowned slightly when he heard this: "Wang Shi is indeed a good general, but he is now guarding Annan. If he is transferred away, the southern barbarians may take the opportunity to invade, and the situation in Annan will be unstable."

Pei Xiu first acknowledged Bi Zhen's concerns, and then refuted them:

"Annan is important, but the matter of Xuzhou is more urgent."

"As long as a capable general is selected to replace Wang Shi, the situation in Annan can be stabilized."

"But if the Wuning Army is not rectified, it may become a serious threat to the court."

Jiang Shen nodded in agreement with Pei Xiu's remarks: "Prime Minister Pei is absolutely right."

"If Wang Shi can quell the rebellion of the Wuning Army, the prestige of the court will be greatly enhanced."

"As for Annan, you can send Cai Xi or Kang Chengxun to take over. Both of them are capable generals and are capable of defending it."

Seeing that Jiang Shen agreed, Bi Zhen could only nod and say, "That's it."

"Okay!" Pei Xiu slowly stood up and bowed to the two of them.

"In that case, please come with me to Xianning Palace and ask His Majesty to make the decision!"

"Please..." The two of them stood up and gestured, then followed Pei Xiu to Xianning Palace.

At the same time, in the Xianning Palace, Emperor Li Yi was leaning on a soft couch, holding the latest volume of "Dream of Red Mansions" in his hands with a focused expression.

Ever since he learned about the internal corruption in the Shence Army and that the eunuchs in the Northern Division were openly drawing salaries without doing any work, he no longer mentioned the matter of pacifying Longyou. Instead, he immersed himself in listening to music and reading books in the Xianning Palace and the Zichen Hall every day.

Listening to music is still the same old routine, just watching the actors and musicians perform, and reading books is to read Liu Jilong's novels.

Of course, as he told Li Meiling, it was an examination and criticism to find evidence of Liu Jilong's treason.

But what the truth is can be seen from the fact that he withheld the three sets of novels left by Li Meiling for a long time.

At this moment, he was leaning on the couch, flipping through the book and thinking to himself:

"Although Liu Muzhi is a traitor, he wrote this book very well, but he wrote it too slowly..."

While he was thinking, Tian Yun walked up to him and reported quietly: "Everyone, the three prime ministers want to see you."

Upon hearing this, Li Yi put down the book and said calmly, "Call them in."

"Yes..." Tian Yun agreed and then retreated to the side hall.

Soon, Pei Xiu and the other two walked into the side hall and bowed respectfully to Li Yi: "May you live tens of millions of years..."

Li Yi raised his eyes and looked at them, and said calmly: "What important matter has the three gentlemen come to the palace at this time?"

Among the three, Pei Xiu took the lead and stepped forward, bowing and saying:
"Your Majesty, half a month ago, the Wuning Army in Xuzhou rebelled, and Wen Zhang was expelled from the country on the grounds of being rude."

"Wen Zhang has always been polite, so we suppressed the memorial. It was not until today when Wen Zhang's memorial arrived at the Southern Court that we learned the whole story..."

Li Yi frowned, thinking Pei Xiu's words were a bit long-winded, and couldn't help but urge him, "What's the result?"

Pei Xiu was somewhat helpless, but still responded respectfully: "This matter has been investigated. It was caused by the arrogance of the Silver Blade Army."

"Although Wen Zhang was expelled, there was nothing wrong with his actions to rectify military discipline."

"After discussion, we suggest that Wen Zhang be transferred to Bining Town to serve as the governor of Bining, and that another capable person be sent to Xuzhou to thoroughly reorganize the Wuning Army."

Upon hearing this, Li Yi sat up from the couch, with a hint of displeasure in his tone:
"This Wuning Army... the imperial court allocates a large amount of military pay every year, but they repeatedly expel the military governors. It's simply lawless!"

"If we don't punish severely this time, where is the dignity of the court?"

"Your Majesty is right." Jiang Shen quickly agreed:

"The Wuning Army has been arrogant for a long time. If it is not rectified, other vassal states may follow suit and the imperial court will find it difficult to control them."

"Your Highness recommends Wang Shi, the Protector General of Annan, to go to Xuzhou and serve as the military governor of Wuning Army."

"Wang Shi is a strict military commander with a reputation for prestige. He will surely be able to subdue the Wuning Army."

Upon hearing this, Li Yi's eyes lit up: "Wang Shi is indeed a good general, but he is now guarding Annan. If he is rashly transferred away from Annan, what will happen to the situation in Annan?"

Facing this question, Pei Xiu cupped his hands and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. As long as you select a capable general to replace Wang Shi, the situation in Annan can be stabilized."

"But if the Wuning Army's rebellion is not quelled in time, it may become a serious threat to the court."

Li Yi pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay!"

"Then follow your advice and transfer Wang Shi to Xuzhou to serve as the military governor of Wuning Army."

"As for Annan, you can send Cai Xi to take over and make sure the situation is stabilized."

Upon hearing this, Pei Xiu and the other two responded in unison: "Your Majesty is wise!"

"Go away!" Li Yi waved his hand, signaling the three to go away.

"I will take my leave now. May you live for tens of millions of years..."

Seeing that the emperor still maintained the rule of not holding meetings for more than three quarters of an hour, Pei Xiu and the other two felt helpless and could only slowly leave the Xianning Palace.

After they left, Li Yi picked up "Dream of the Red Chamber" again, but soon he read the latest volume for the second time.

Looking at the words "To be continued" on the last line, Li Yi couldn't help but feel angry.

"Liu Muzhi is just like the novels he wrote. He makes me feel uncomfortable!"

(End of this chapter)