noveltune Chapter 5460 Ruthless
Chapter 5460 Ruthless
Chapter 5460 Ruthless
Zhou Daowu was unwilling to sit idly by and wait for his death. Moreover, he believed that his strategy towards the Khitan was not wrong. Divide and balance...isn't that what has been done since ancient times?
Even if he is now required to take leadership responsibility for the internal strife within the Khitan, he shouldn't be condemned outright, right?
"I implore the Grand Commandant to show leniency and allow me to immediately lead my troops to Raozhou City to suppress the various Khitan tribes, quell the war, and atone for my crimes through meritorious service!"
Although the Khitan have now effectively split... in the end, the various tribes have not yet gone to war!
So far, it has only been an internal conflict within the Ōga clan. As long as the inter-tribal fighting is prevented, the outcome will be within an acceptable range.
Fang Jun shook his head and said calmly, "The Khitan have fallen into internal strife because of your poor decisions. How can I allow you to continue to hold military power and intervene in the conflict? To put it another way, you are now the source of chaos in the Khitan and have no right to continue serving as the governor of Yingzhou and in charge of Khitan affairs."
Zhou Daowu's eyes widened, and he said urgently, "The Khitan tribes haven't started fighting yet! As long as we go there in time to suppress the tribes in the name of the court, how dare those barbarian tribes act rashly? As long as we can suppress this internal strife, the entire Liao River basin will be as stable as a rock, and it will certainly not affect the grand plan of developing Liaodong!"
Although the development of Liaodong and the development of Dongting Lake are separate and competitive at a higher level, both are within the territory of the Tang Dynasty and are internal affairs of the Tang Dynasty. His Majesty is equally concerned about them, and the culprits affecting the development of Liaodong will naturally be dealt with severely.
However, as long as the internal strife within the Khitan did not actually occur and the uprising could not be initiated, he could offset the blame for his decision-making errors to the greatest extent possible.
Given his status and position, at most he would just give him a few words of reprimand or admonishment, and the matter would be resolved peacefully.
However, Fang Jun still shook his head, his expression calm: "If you make a mistake, you must bear the consequences. Why bother to deny and shirk responsibility like this? Don't worry, the court's punishment for you ends here, and you may have a chance to be reinstated in the future."
What he wanted was internal strife within the Khitan, so why would he give Zhou Daowu the opportunity to stop it?
Zhou Daowu said angrily, "Why is the Grand Commandant so stubborn? Rather than fighting with me here, let me quickly lead the army to Raozhou City to stop the internal strife of the Khitan!"
Fang Jun said expressionlessly, "Further words are useless. Quickly hand over military power, and I will allow you to return to Chang'an on your own, out of consideration for our kinship."
Zhou Daowu stared at Fang Jun for a while, somewhat incredulous.
When it comes to "strategic vision," Fang Jun is almost universally recognized as the "best of his time." He was praised by Emperor Taizong himself as having "the talent of a prime minister," and many bigwigs have certified that "one should have a son like Fang Yi'ai." "Inept at politics but skilled in strategy" is Fang Jun's most dazzling label.
Even a "common man" like Zhou Daowu knew that rushing to Raozhou City now could very likely quell this internal strife among the Khitans, so how could Fang Jun not know?
If you know this, why are you sitting here in the Yingzhou Governor's Mansion, so determined to strip him of his military power, yet indifferent to the impending internal strife?
Those are Khitans!
The most powerful nomadic tribe on the northeastern frontier of the empire, bar none!
The fact that such a nomadic tribe is embroiled in internal strife and war will directly impact the upcoming development of Liaodong... wait a minute?
wrong!
A thought flashed through his mind, and he realized a problem—for the national policy of developing Liaodong, a stable situation in Liaodong would naturally be the most advantageous, but whether it was organizing them into "corps" or building water conservancy projects and reclaiming wasteland, powerful tribes like the Khitan and Mohe were always a major threat to the empire.
If these nomadic tribes refuse to submit to the rule of the Tang Dynasty, or even rebel against the Tang and establish their own independent regimes, then the achievements of developing Liaodong, which have consumed countless human, financial, and material resources, may be destroyed in an instant.
For the empire, the most favorable situation was not stability, but rather a significant weakening and decline in the strength of the Khitan, Mohe, and other nomadic tribes, leaving them no choice but to submit to national policies such as being incorporated into the army and assimilated into civilization, with no power to resist whatsoever, and being gradually and completely assimilated into the subjects of the Tang Dynasty.
The current internal strife within the Khitan presents the best opportunity, allowing the empire to avoid the infamy of conquering the nomadic tribes and slaughtering foreign peoples, while simultaneously weakening and reducing the influence of these tribes and ethnic groups.
From then on, the entire Liao River basin was devoid of any power to resist the Tang Dynasty.
The only thing sacrificed was Zhou Daowu's personal future...
Therefore, this is why Fang Jun did not allow him to go to Raozhou to stop the internal strife of the Khitan.
But...why?!
The more Zhou Daowu thought about it, the clearer it became. His eyes widened, and he felt an uncontrollable surge of anger rising from his chest and abdomen.
He shouted angrily, "Fang Er! What vicious thoughts are you harboring? I have been stationed in Yingzhou for more than ten years. Even if I have not made any great achievements, I have certainly worked hard, right? Why would you kick me aside for your so-called ideals, ambitions, and political achievements?"
Fang Jun said solemnly, "What nonsense are you talking about? The decision to deal with you was made unanimously by the prime ministers of the State Council and the ministers of the Grand Council. How could I interfere in such a matter of state based on personal grudges? If you do something wrong, you should accept the punishment. Even if you are beaten, you should stand up straight!"
Zhou Daowu's eyes were bloodshot and his teeth were clenched: "Could it be that you were involved in the sudden internal strife within the Khitan?"
This fellow was in Chang'an, yet he arrived in Yingzhou in the blink of an eye, and it's almost certain that he knew about the Khitan's movements before him. Could there be some other reason behind this?
As is well known, Fang Jun's consistent approach to dealing with foreign tribes such as those from Japan and Southeast Asia was to buy off, divide, and win them over. He was particularly adept at instigating internal strife among them in order to defeat them one by one and gain control of the overall situation.
In this light, what happened to the Khitan was almost exactly the same...
If Fang Jun was indeed behind the internal strife in the Khitan, then the nature of the situation would be entirely different.
This is clearly using Zhou Daowu's career prospects, reputation, and glory to ensure that the development of Liaodong will be worry-free!
That woman is truly ruthless!
Fang Jun was getting impatient. He frowned and looked at Zhou Daowu: "The reason I am talking to you calmly is because you are the descendant of a meritorious official and also the son-in-law of the Tang Dynasty. We should save face for each other. If you continue to be stubborn and do not put the big picture first, then don't blame me for being ruthless."
Zhou Daowu was furious: "What do you mean by 'putting the big picture first'? Why should I be sacrificed for your big picture?"
"National interests come first. As a nobleman of the Tang Dynasty and an official of the empire, how can you be so selfish and disregard the overall situation?"
"I can go to you!"
Zhou Daowu cursed loudly, "I've finally seen through you! You, Fang Er, are a despicable, shameless, and power-abusing villain! You want me to hand over my military power and let you be at my mercy? Dream on! If you anger me, I'll make sure you don't leave Liuzhou City alive!"
Fang Jun wasn't angry. He sighed and said, "Things have come to this point. What's the point of resisting? It's pointless except for dragging down Prince Linchuan and his children. If you really have any guts, draw your sword and cut off my head right now. Do you dare?"
Zhou Daowu's face twisted in a grimace: "You think I wouldn't dare?"
Fang Jun remained calm and unmoved: "I bet you wouldn't dare."
Zhou Daowu roared angrily, "You've framed me like this! I wish I could drink your blood and eat your flesh! What harm would it do to kill you?"
Fang Jun simply ignored Zhou Daowu's clamor, calmly poured himself a cup of tea, and slowly took a sip.
Zhou Daowu: "..."
Seeing that Fang Jun was completely unafraid, Zhou Daowu sighed dejectedly, his whole body limp as if all his energy had been drained away, his gaze unfocused.
He knew the outcome was already decided and could not be changed.
Kill Fang Jun?
What a joke! Not to mention that assassinating the Grand Commandant of the current dynasty is a crime punishable by the extermination of three generations, which even His Majesty would not protect him from, Fang Jun's unparalleled bravery and superhuman strength are not to be underestimated. Whether he can kill Fang Jun is unknown, but if Fang Jun wants to kill him, it will be effortless.
Fang Jun was not in a hurry. He slowly sipped his tea and calmly watched Zhou Daowu's changing expressions.
After a long silence, Zhou Daowu finally let out a slow breath: "You orchestrated the whole thing, didn't you? The Li brothers' ruthless assassination of Abugu and the massacre of Abugu's family were also your conspiracy?"
Fang Jun naturally refused to admit it: "The reason why the Li brothers did such a rebellious thing is that you promised the Songmo Governor position, which originally belonged to the Li family, to Abugu. What you thought was a division and balance actually broke the existing stable situation and forced the Li brothers to take risks."
This statement is not wrong. While it is true that he had already contacted Mr. Zhao to instigate and incite the current situation, the root cause lies in the fact that the Li brothers are about to lose the position of Governor of Songmo passed down from their grandfather, Li Kuge.
Whether it's a country or an ethnic group, there is never a true balance. Everything is a zero-sum game, like rowing against the current—if you don't advance, you fall behind.
Losing the position of Governor of Songmo means that the Li family will not face a stable status quo, but rather Abugu's aggressive advance, until the Li family's power is completely wiped out from the Dahe clan. Only then can Abugu become the true Governor of Songmo.
The Li brothers aren't stupid; they can see this.
Of course, without Mr. Zhao's instigation and encouragement, the Li brothers might not have dared to take this step...
Helpless, Zhou Daowu poured himself a cup of tea and asked, "So how do we deal with this situation now? Are you just going to sit here and watch the various Khitan tribes fight each other, fall into complete chaos, and then restore order?"
Fang Jun laughed and said, "You're very clever, so why did you do something as foolish as supporting Abugu? It doesn't seem as simple as you say."
Zhou Daowu took a sip of tea and said with a wry smile, "I've already come to this point, so there's no need to kick me while I'm down, is there? I'll do whatever you say."
Taking on leadership responsibilities would only cut off his career, forcing him to return to Chang'an and live a quiet life as a member of the imperial family.
If his smuggling of contraband such as furs, salt, and even ironware with Abugu were to be exposed, he would face a thorough investigation by the Dali Temple. Not only would his income over the years be confiscated, but he might also be heavily fined.
Losing one's official position is bad enough; if one also loses money, what's the point of living?