There is an unwritten rule in the officialdom of the Tang Dynasty, and this rule has been constantly changing over time: that is, officials who come and go on the post road, if a low-ranking official encounters a high-ranking person, must not only give way, but also get off the horse and get off the car to salute, and there are often incidents of servants and even officials being beaten.

There have been so many similar vicious incidents that they have reached the point where officials do not hold officials accountable.

For example, when the great poet Yuan Zhi of the Tang Dynasty was supervising the imperial history of Dongtai, one day when he came to the water post on a business trip, a eunuch arrived from behind, forcibly knocked on the door of the post station, shouted and scolded and walked in.

Seeing that Yuan Zhi was blocking the way, the eunuch directly whipped Yuan Zhi with a horsewhip and injured his face! Afterwards, the eunuch was not punished in any way.

You must know that Yuan Zhen was a Beijing official at that time, but he served as the superintendent of the imperial history!

In fact, what happened to Yuan Zhen is not unusual, because since the early Tang Dynasty, similar things have often happened to post roads and post stations, and it is not always the eunuchs who are in trouble.

Officials with big backgrounds often bully officials and those with no background, and such examples abound.

The post station and the post road wonderfully bring together the height of the temple and the distance of the rivers and lakes.

And what kind of official is considered a high-ranking official, what kind of official is considered a petty official, what kind of salute should be performed when the two meet, and how to deal with being offended, all vary from time to time and from person to person, and the imperial court does not stipulate what should be done.

That also means that as long as there is no major incident, you can operate a fancy show. Killing a few slaves or even non-rogue officials is not something worth talking about.

The problem now in front of Fang Chongyong is: we must not lose the face of the future boss of the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army!

This time the face is shattered, and it will not be easy to pick it up again in the future!

In addition, there is a hidden problem: Ji Ge must not be allowed to feel that he has a good relationship with other Jiedu envoys or people from other military factions!

So now the two teams are blocking the same road and not giving way to each other, not only Fang Chongyong can't give way, he can't even let the opposite Huangfu Weiming easily give way! You have to "make it difficult" for the other party, and you can't say it if you are not arrogant!

"What about He Laohu?"

Fang Chongyong shouted outside the carriage, the tiger's back was bearish, and the burly He Changqi opened the curtain of the carriage, and the other party Chongyong bowed and asked, "What do you have to say about Young Marshal Fang?" ”

He was "sent" by Fang Youde to his side to fight on Fang Chongyong's side, in fact, it was Fang Youde who thought that such a "large establishment" as the Shence Army would bury He Changqi's talent, and he could better reflect his own value in the elite army.

Of course, it is not excluded that He Changqi requested it himself.

He Changqi is also an understanding person, he calls Fang Youde Fang Jieshuai, and Fang Chongyong is called Fang Shaoshuai. And Fang Yanei gave He Changqi the nickname "He Laohu" to make a strong statement, and he called him this nickname on weekdays, instead of calling him by his name.

The sedan chair carries people, and everything is in plain sight.

The two of them are considered to be "smelly and like-minded", and they have become acquainted with each other within a few days, and He Changqi is extremely attentive to Fang Chongyong's errands, even more enthusiastic than when he served Fang Youde.

"Go and ask the person on the other side if they dare to go head-to-head with you.

If you win, we give way, and if you lose, let them give way, and go cool.

Speak arrogantly, don't be crepe like a girl. ”

Fang Chongyong lowered his voice and gave orders to He Changqi.

"Okay, Young Marshal Fang will wait a while, and then I'll go and talk to them."

He Changqi laughed, then stepped forward and inserted the horizontal knife on his waist directly into the ground.

He counted, and the people on the other side must have been from Qiu Ba, but they were not wearing military uniforms or armor, and there were about thirty people, and the people in the carriage did not come out.

There are only ten people on his side, including Fang Chongyong, and there is definitely no chance of winning in a hard fight, and it is not worth it.

"Listen to the one on the other side, one-on-one heads-up, give way to the one who loses, get out of the way and go cool."

He Changqi shouted at the convoy on Huangfu Weiming's side.

This is already quite polite, and it is no different from a deliberate provocation. However, after a moment of silence on the other side, a person came out and shouted at He Changqi: "Two wins in three games!" One person is not allowed to play more than one round. ”

Is this Nima okay too?

He Changqi was stunned, and the opposite side did not play cards according to the routine, which also made him a little stunned. He Changqi returned to the carriage where Fang Chongyong was, leaned over and asked in a low voice, "Young Marshal, how can this matter be resolved?" ”

"Yes, you play the first game."

Fang Chongyong's face did not change, and he said softly.

"Well, my subordinates will do it."

There are rumors that He Changqi fought with the South China Tigers in Lingnan and won, but Fang Chongyong can't figure out whether this is the real thing, or He Changqi bragged to outsiders.

But it is an indisputable fact that this person killed all sides in the counterinsurgency during Li Heng's coup d'état, and he was unstoppable to break into a great reputation.

In Fang Chongyong's view, there is no suspense for He Changqi to win the first game.

Sure enough, before he could speak to Pei Xiu, he heard a muffled sound not far away, and someone was knocked to the ground, accompanied by an exclamation.

He Changqi swaggered to the place where Fang Chongyong's carriage was, lifted the curtain and said to him: "Huangfu Weiming's subordinates are just like that, knock them down with one move." How do you get the rest of the rounds? ”

Huangfu Weiming said that "two wins in three games" is not allowed to have more than one game, probably because he also saw that with He Changqi's physique and momentum, it is difficult for people on his side to win him, and they are afraid of being picked by He Changqi one by one.

"Didn't you boast that you had inherited your father's swordsmanship? Do you want to show me a hand? ”

Fang Chongyong asked Pei Xiu with a smile.

"Young Marshal Fang, this girl can't count on her thin arms and legs, why don't you wear a hat and pretend to be someone else to play another game?"

He Changqi coaxed on the side.

Do you think you won't be recognized by others if you wear a hat?

Fang Chongyong couldn't understand whether He Changqi was pretending to be stupid or really stupid, based on his understanding of this person, most of them were the former. Fang Yanei had no choice but to sigh and persuade patiently: "He Laohu, you press the formation on the side to avoid the people on Huangfu Weiming's side from cheating." There is no need to play in disguise, let's talk a little bit about martial arts. ”

"Young marshal, soldiers are not tired of cheating, what martial arts do we have to talk about?"

He Changqi continued to coax and roasted Pei Xiu on the fire.

"Shut up, you stupid ass! Do you think you won't be recognized by others if you wear a hat?

I'll play this game! ”

As Fang Chongyong expected, Pei Xiu roared at He Changqi, jumped up and jumped out of the carriage directly, ready to compete with the people on Huangfu Weiming's side.

"Keep your eyes open!"

She turned around and scolded the other party.

When she walked away, He Changqi lowered his voice and said to Chongyong: "Young marshal, this lady doesn't seem to have a bright head, can she really be a personal guard with this qualification?" ”

Sure enough, there is only Pei Xiu with a mallet here.

"So you want to get her out and have the saint send another smarter one?"

Fang Chongyong asked angrily.

"Hehe, I didn't say this, hahaha, I didn't say anything just now, I didn't hear anything, hahahahaha."

He Changqi touched his round head, laughed to himself and left. In order to make himself more able to fight, He Changqi shaved off his hair so as not to get in the way, and now he is a bald head, coupled with a horizontal body, he looks weird and scary.

But Fang Chongyong knew that this person was a typical "heart like a tiger, sniffing roses". There are many mountains and few fields in Lingnan, and the bureaucrats and Han people live together, and the people's feelings are extremely complicated. According to Fang Youde, He Changqi can be regarded as a top figure on the cards in the local area, how can he be just a fool who stands on his feet with courage alone?

Now that Chang'an is singing and dancing, the chance of making military exploits is extremely slim, to put it bluntly, if you can't judge that the world is in turmoil, it will be within ten years, and any Qiu Ba who hopes to make a difference will not take the initiative to come to Chang'an, so you can only mess around.

Chen Xuanli, who has been mixed for decades, was killed by Wu Zhiyi, who was born in Bian Zhenqiuba, during the coup, which is the disadvantage of living in Chang'an.

Fang Chongyong's expectations were good, He Changqi was indeed not Fang Youde who specially wanted to bring Chang'an to report on his work, and Lao Fang was not such a nosy person.

The truth is that He Changqi took the initiative to ask to follow Fang Youde to Chang'an to "see the world". Fang Chongyong even suspected that He Changqi was not deliberately sent to his side by Fang Youde, but this person took the initiative to ask for it.

But he had no evidence, and Lao Fang didn't say anything about it.

Just when Fang Chongyong was thinking wildly, there was another exclamation on the other side, and soon Pei Xiu got into the carriage with a proud face, tilting his head like a proud big rooster, almost writing "Come and praise me" on his face.

"Is this a win? Huangfu Weiming's guards are not very good. ”

Fang Chongyong couldn't help but say with emotion.

"Why can't you boast of my swordsmanship?"

Pei Xiu asked with a glare.

"That's it."

Fang Chongyong raised his hand indifferently and signaled Pei Xiu to shut up, so that the other party's stomach of complaints was blocked and he couldn't say it.

"He Laohu, let the opposite one give way, don't break your word and get fat."

From beginning to end, Fang Chongyong refused to come forward to shout, and so did Huangfu Weiming opposite. Fang Chongyong believed that Huangfu Weiming must know what he wanted to express.

At this moment, none of them can take the initiative. If you don't show up, you can still pretend to be confused, if you get out of the carriage, the situation will become a slap in the face of Hongguoguo, and it will become difficult to clean up.

Sure enough, Huangfu Weiming, like Fang Chongyong, did not get out of the carriage and show up. But their team of men and horses, probably instructed by Huangfu Weiming, obediently got out of the way, and stood on the side of the road without any misdeeds.

"They just got out of the way?"

Pei Xiu asked with a look of surprise.

Regarding the etiquette of officialdom, she actually understands much more than Fang Chongyong.

What officials care about most is face, and for this reason they do not hesitate to turn their faces in public and do unreasonable things.

For example, during a banquet for an official in the Tang Dynasty, he asked a dancer he had a crush on to toast him. The dancer refused in person for some reason, and the official directly pulled out a knife and killed the dancer without mercy!

This did not happen in the bedroom, but in the midst of a grand feast. After the incident, the official was not punished substantively.

It was hard for Pei Xiu to imagine that Huangfu Weiming had lost such a big face, and he didn't choose to turn his face! Does the other party not dare, or is it something else?

She couldn't figure out the joints.

"With your wisdom, it's hard for me to explain it to you. These truths will be understood by you after eating your brain. ”

Fang Chongyong closed his eyes and teased, as the carriage moved, the carriage gradually began to bumpy, and he was also a little sleepy.

"Uh, what's Brain Hundred Gold? Is it a medicine from the Western Regions? Can it really make people smarter? Where can I buy it? Is it expensive? ”

Pei Xiu asked curiously, asking questions one after another.

She vaguely felt that she didn't seem to be very smart, at least compared to people like Fang Chongyong, her IQ was a little worse.

It needs to be made up.

"Don't worry about the details. Brain Baijin is a miracle medicine in the Western Regions, which is hard to find. ”

Fang Chongyong was too lazy to say anything, and he suddenly had a strange thought: Pei Min, an old and cunning guy, should he just want to let him help him "take care of the child", right?

With Pei Xiu's shallow wisdom, he is an "embroidered pillow", and he is probably good at swordsmanship, but he really can't do anything!

The more Fang Chongyong thought about it, the more he felt that this possibility was very high!

"Is it true that you can't buy it with 100 gold?"

Pei Xiu said to herself with a look of regret.

"No, maybe you can still buy it later, and you can start saving now."

Fang Chongyong had a wonderful thought in his mind and said with a smile.

……

Shanzhou is the station of the envoy of Longyou Jiedu, and the territory of the Tang Dynasty includes Qinghai Ledu, Xining, and Huangzhong in Fang Chongyong's previous life. The altitude here is high, the grasslands are dense, the terraces can be seen everywhere, and the climate and terrain are very different from those in Guanzhong.

In Shanzhou City, Shanzhou City, in a certain signing room of the Yamen of the Longyou Jiedu Envoy, Du Hope, who served as the Jiedu Envoy, was checking the official letters and letters sent by Chang'an. This is the second time he has served as the envoy of the Longyou Festival, of course, he is just "ordered to be in danger", but he is very familiar with the terrain and humanity here, so he is only temporarily appointed.

Du Hope knew very well that he would not stay here for long, and his increasingly weak body would not allow him to deal with military affairs here for a long time.

Don't even think about leading troops to the battle.

The Longyou region is the real front line against Tibet. The Hexi region, in fact, can only be regarded as the "flank" of the Tubo attack. In other words, the reason why the Longyou Jiedu Envoy was established was to deal with the increasingly powerful offensive of the Tubo people, and there was no second reason.

Because the soldiers in the Longyou region have lived in the middle and high altitude areas for a long time, they can maintain endurance and adaptability in the process of confronting the Tubo people, and will not suffer from lack of oxygen. Soldiers transferred from other places are often unable to exert their full strength due to chronic lack of oxygen.

"Did he come here just to pick the brave?"

Du Hope muttered to himself and put down the secret letter in his hand. This is a handwritten letter written by the sage, asking him to fully cooperate with the supervision of the imperial history and the recruitment of brave envoy Fang Chongyong, select soldiers in the Longyou area, and enrich the "Silver Spear Filial Piety Festival" that will be the elite of the forbidden army.

This made Du Hope feel a little uneasy.

The selection of the forbidden army rarely relied on soldiers from border towns. On the contrary, the soldiers of Guanzhong were exported to the border towns for a long time, and many of them settled in the border towns and became Tuntian soldiers and did not return to Guanzhong. In the past, it was the practice that the government soldiers were conscripted from Guanzhong and fought in the places west of Guanzhong.

The forbidden troops of the South and North Ya were also recruited from Guanzhong in large numbers. Although the military government is now useless, the people in Guanzhong will not disappear because of the abolition of the military government!

Now the selection of the forbidden army is not selected in the many passes of the military government, but focuses on the Longyou area. This only says ...... The saint no longer trusts the soldiers in Guanzhong now!

This kind of distrust may be a disbelief in the loyalty of the soldiers in Guanzhong, or it may be that these soldiers are unbearable for training! Anyway, no matter which one it is, it is not a good thing for the country, which means that the entire territory of Datang has formed a pattern of "strong branches and weak cadres".

Even the emperor's pro-army is no longer selected around Gyeonggi, is there anything more worrying than this?

"Fang Chongyong, Fang Youde...... The saint only trusts the old man now, and he also appointed Li Jing as the crown prince, but he didn't want the prince to succeed to the throne at all! ”

Du Hope couldn't help but sigh, he actually had a close relationship with Li Heng, the king of loyalty, but he was not a core member of his circle, so he also escaped the last round of "Great Purge". But Du Hope also understands that he can't run away and return to his hometown.

"Well, we'll talk about that later. Fang Chongyong's father-in-law is probably coming to Longyou. ”

Du hoped to talk to himself while putting away the letters and sorting out all the official documents on the table. There are rumors that the center is going to use troops against Tibet, probably in the spring of this year.

(End of chapter)