HLnovel Chapter 69 General Liang Jianfang makes his appearance!
Chapter 69 General Liang Jianfang makes his appearance!
652 AD.
The Tang army's offensive, which was originally unstoppable, suddenly came to a standstill and they had no choice but to retreat eastward.
One day in April of the 22nd year of Zhenguan, General Liang Jianfang led his troops to attack a tribe called Songwaiman.
General Liang is a master of battlefield tactics; he conquered seventy-two tribes in one fell swoop!
This story is recorded in the Old Book of Tang; yes, this is not a joke.
Hey, Brother Zhinu, I heard General Liang is a monster-slaying expert. Have you leveled him up yet?
Zhi Nu said, "Don't even mention it, I'm already feeling a bit frustrated."
Initially, there was a local official named Liu Boying who, seeing that the Songwai Man tribe had recently surrendered and then rebelled again, couldn't help but say:
"Those barbarians outside Song are utterly shameless! We have to send troops to teach them a lesson, otherwise our road to Xier and Tianzhu will be completely blocked!"
Li Zhi said: "When I saw this, I knew it was terrible. I immediately sent Zhang Shigui and Liang Jianfang with more than 20,000 troops from thirteen prefectures in the Bashu region to suppress the rebellion."
Liang Jianfang brandished his sword and laughed loudly: "Haha, these barbarians from Songwai dare to rebel? Let me teach them a lesson!"
At his command, the troops of the thirteen prefectures of Sichuan and Chongqing descended like tigers from the mountains, rushing straight towards the tribe.
The leader of the two tribes trembled as he brandished his spear in an attempt to resist, but Liang Jianfang reacted swiftly and beheaded him with a single stroke.
Sizi said, "Oh my god, this is terrifying."
Zian said, "Not only are you scared, but people from other tribes also fled into the deep mountains when they saw this."
"What should we do then?"
As a result, the tribe's chief, Shuangshe, led his men to resist. Liang Jianfang immediately attacked, killing over a thousand people and capturing over a thousand others – a true example of "killing the chicken to scare the monkey."
Zi'an said, "General Liang Jianfang still has a way. He is not flustered. He calmly sent out envoys to explain the advantages and disadvantages. As a result, seventy tribes came to surrender one after another. In a short time, 109,300 households gathered and knelt down to beg for mercy."
"Wow! Really? These tribal chiefs are quite pragmatic!"
Li Zhi said, "Yes, at that time my General Liang was very proud of himself, and I was overjoyed. I even approved his memorial, allowing these tribal leaders to become county magistrates and manage their own tribes. Everyone was so happy!"
Zi'an interjected, "Of course! With the Emperor's support, everyone has become a legitimate member of the system, and they even get the benefit of 'double the happiness with each promotion'!"
Upon hearing this, Li Zhi's eyes lit up. "Then, Liang Jianfang sent someone to the Xier River. The leader, Yang Sheng, was originally planning to flee, but after the messenger spoke according to General Liang's words, he obediently surrendered! He wasn't such an easy opponent to talk to!"
Zi'an asked, "Your Majesty, it is said that during court yesterday, a minister mentioned something about the mountains. A man named Qiang Wei, for some reason, organized the people to build a large number of ships, which displeased the Liao people in the mountains. The Liao people in Ya, Qiong, and Mei prefectures have all rebelled. Is this true?"
Li Zhi nodded.
Si Zi looked excited, her eyes shining like stars: "Liaoren? Is it the 'alluring' of the night?? And where are Ya, Qiong, and Mei? I've only ever heard of 'first Qiong, second Ya, third Chengdu,' that's a saying used to describe beautiful women in Sichuan!"
Zi An smiled and said, "What Sichuan beauties? Mei is Meizhou, but don't underestimate it!"
Si Zi immediately perked up, patting his chest: "Oh, of course! Meizhou is a place with a captivating literary atmosphere! I was fortunate enough to visit the 'Three Su Shrine,' the hometown of the great writer Su Dongpo, a city of poetry and books, a place where culture and talent converge! Have you been there?"
"'The Temple of the Three Su'? I've never been there, never even heard of it. And who is Su Dongpo?" Brother Zhinu was completely bewildered and scratched his head.
Si Zi beamed: "Of the eight great prose masters of the Tang and Song dynasties, three are from the Su family of Meishan: Su Xun, Su Shi, and Su Zhe!"
Li Zhi was amused by Si Zi's strange and elegant style.
Zi'an said, "This is truly a true reflection of 'a family of three literary masters, father and sons, who have become four great writers throughout the ages'!"
Si Zi was stunned. Wang Bo shouldn't know about Su Shi from the Song Dynasty, and he didn't write this couplet either! "Zi An, how do you know this couplet?"
Zi'an continued to think carefully, and slowly said, "The 'Three Sus' mentioned in the first line not only wrote excellent prose, but also composed poems with ease! These three poets refer to the Su family of Meishan: Su Xun, Su Shi, and Su Zhe!"
Si Zi pinched Zi An's hand to make sure she wasn't dreaming: "Brother Zi An, you, are you also from the future? Oh my god! Then you can be my little helper from now on!"
Zi'an winced as Si Zi pinched him, "As for the second line, 'the four great masters of literature throughout the ages,' some say it's Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan, Ouyang Xiu, and Su Shi, but opinions may differ!"
Brother Zhinu looked confused, not knowing what the two fake eunuchs were talking about, and was still thinking about these important national affairs that were giving him a headache.
Li Zhi then continued, “The so-called ‘Liao people’ is a derogatory term used by the imperial court to refer to some ethnic minorities in South China. Liao people are often referred to together with Li people as ‘Li Liao’ or ‘Yi Liao’.”
"Oh."
"At that time, because Qiangwei organized the people to build ships, suddenly, the Liao people in the mountains revolted. I immediately sent Liang Jianfang and Zhang Shigui to lead 20,000 troops to suppress the rebellion."
"Wow, General Liang is truly mighty."
"After a fierce battle, the Liao people surrendered one after another. Liang Jianfang presided over military affairs in Jiannan for several years. He has always been my capable assistant."
Si Zi said worriedly, "But this serious matter isn't just something that His Majesty is aware of..."
Li Zhi sighed: "In the first year of Yonghui, Ashina Helu rebelled, proclaimed himself Khan, and occupied the Western Regions."
General Liang once again led an army of 30,000 and 50,000 Uyghur cavalry, together with Qibi Heli, to a great victory over Chuyue Zhuxie Guzhu at Laoshan, killing 9,000, capturing more than 10,000, and seizing 70,000 head of cattle and horses.
Zi'an looked very admiring, "Haha, General Liang has made another great contribution. The southwest region should be much more stable from now on!"
Li Zhi nodded, then shook his head. "Back then, my subordinates said they saw General Liang laughing heartily, but he was too full of himself. It's all because I didn't have real power at that time..."
Si Zi knew that at this time, although the Tang Dynasty was powerful, the conflict between peasants and landlords was intensifying, and ethnic conflicts and disloyal ministers were also causing headaches for his brother, the emperor.
Zi'an continued his analysis: "Actually, since the Sui Dynasty, there have been far fewer wars in Jiannan, and the people have lived quite well. The rivers also connect to the East China Sea."
"Wow, that should be considered a resort destination."
"However, the previous war had been too costly, causing prices in Jiannan to rise sharply, which the common people could not bear, ultimately leading to a rebellion by ethnic minorities,"
"Wow, this is truly a 'seductive version of Who Moved My Cheese' comedic skit!" Si Zi continued, playing the straight man.
Zi'an said that guarding this area is really a reliable person.
Li Zhi nodded and said, "Yes, otherwise, with the emperor so far away, I would have no way to control them."
At that time, Liang Jianfang did indeed stay in Jiannan for a long time while suppressing the rebellion.
"After the rebellion was quelled, I had to learn from the experience and start providing state subsidies to the shipbuilding industry. It seems that the economy still needs to be stabilized!"
Xiao Si understood. "So, General Liang has been in charge of military affairs in Jiannan for so long that he's practically a local."
Zi'an nodded, "Yes, later he even became the Grand General of the Sixteen Guards (Grand General of the Left Martial Guard), truly a typical example of 'conquering the country and sitting in the high position'."
Si Zi said, "Although looking back at him in civilized society, General Liang's suppression of the uprising was a bit... a bit too much."
However, given the historical context of the early Tang Dynasty, it did stabilize the southwest region to some extent, which greatly helped the Tang Dynasty's administration!
The benevolent but timid Li Zhi's elder brother agreed: "Alas, sometimes, being in the royal family and holding a position of power is indeed helpless, yet one is caught in a dilemma..."