noveltune Chapter 5461 Showing an Open Face
Chapter 5461 Showing an Open Face
Chapter 5461 Showing a Chance
Zhou Daowu admitted defeat, and his attitude was very clear—let's leave it at that. I will fully cooperate with you, and you don't need to dig anymore.
If they really dig deeper, even His Majesty won't be able to save him.
Moreover, His Majesty might not be willing to risk everything to protect him...
Without hesitation, Fang Jun nodded, personally poured Zhou Daowu a cup of tea, and said gently, "This matter has nothing to do with personal grudges, but is all about the greater good. You just asked me why I should sacrifice you for the greater good? In fact, the greater good is the national interest, and the national interest is above all else. In the face of the national interest, everyone must make sacrifices."
He was not targeting Zhou Daowu, but it just so happened that Zhou Daowu's actions were enough to incite internal strife within the Khitan, which would be more beneficial to the national interest. That's all.
Even if someone else were to take up the post of Governor of Yingzhou, as long as he were capable of instigating internal strife within the Khitan, the outcome would be no different.
Fang Jun continued, "This can be called a sacrifice, but it is also a consequence of your own actions, because your actions have sown the seeds of internal strife in the Khitan. Even if it wasn't today, the Li brothers would inevitably have internal strife in the future."
There are many ways to divide and balance, but directly depriving one party of its interests and giving them to the other is the most basic method.
Zhou Daowu shook his head and sighed, remaining silent for a long time.
Outside the door, Princess Linchuan, who had been holding back for so long, could no longer bear it. She strode into the hall, glared at Fang Jun, and angrily shouted, "Such remarks are nothing but high-sounding sophistry! Fang Jun, you are truly shameless!"
Fang Jun glanced at her, but didn't respond, instead lowering his head to drink his tea.
Zhou Daowu advised, "Princess, there is no need to say more. I did something wrong, and it is only right that I accept the punishment."
Princess Linchuan was unconvinced and retorted, "If there really is a need for internal strife within the Khitan, we can instruct you to act in secret, instead of waiting for you to make a mistake and then jumping out to preach righteousness and spouting 'national interests'!"
In her opinion, since the court needed the Khitan to have internal strife to weaken their power, wasn't this the perfect opportunity? Even if Zhou Daowu didn't do anything wrong, he was at least not at all, right?
Furthermore, the court should have secretly instructed Zhou Daowu to instigate internal strife among the Khitans, rather than sitting idly by while the Khitans were in turmoil and then holding Zhou Daowu accountable.
Fang Jun was somewhat speechless. He looked at Zhou Daowu and said, "The head of the family should take some responsibility. He doesn't have to be a man of his word, but he should at least establish prestige and be able to make decisions on important matters. Making mistakes is not a big deal, but letting an unreasonable woman cause trouble is a disaster for the family."
He certainly looked down on Princess Linchuan.
The matter is quite clear: the court needs the Khitan to break out into internal strife, but the court cannot bear the infamy of instigating internal strife among the Khitan. Therefore, someone must take on this responsibility, and Zhou Daowu is the one who should take on this responsibility without hesitation.
Not only did he directly cause the internal strife in the Khitan, but he also made mistakes in the first place.
Even if Zhou Daowu was wrong, given his willingness to bear the responsibility, even if he is stripped of his official position and sent back to Chang'an, His Majesty and the court will surely compensate him. Perhaps he will be allowed to be reinstated elsewhere, or perhaps this compensation will be bestowed upon his descendants.
In any case, Zhou Daowu did not lose out.
However, if Princess Linchuan is unreasonable and fails to see the difference between the two sides, and continues to make trouble, then Zhou Daowu will inevitably be the one to suffer.
Because once this matter escalates, the imperial court must clarify its position and give an explanation to all parties.
Accepting bribes, instigating internal strife among the annexed Hu tribes, affecting border stability, and hindering the national policy of developing Liaodong... any one of these charges is absolutely unacceptable to Zhou Daowu.
Zhou Daowu's eyelids twitched, somewhat speechless. Fang Jun's words were tantamount to mocking Princess Linchuan as a "spendthrift woman" to his face...
Seeing that Princess Linchuan was red with anger and about to speak, he quickly advised, "Princess, please calm down. This is already the most dignified way. There's no point in making a scene any longer."
Princess Linchuan angrily said, "Are we just going to let this scoundrel bully us?"
Zhou Daowu said helplessly, "I was the one who made the mistake first, there's nothing to say."
"It's all this bastard's conspiracy!"
"Whether it was a conspiracy or a calculated move, things have come to this point, what more can be said?"
Princess Linchuan glared at Fang Jun, then turned and left.
Zhou Daowu gave a wry smile: "The princess is a bit stubborn, Grand Commandant, please don't mind... How should we deal with the current situation?"
Fang Jun said, "The news has spread that the imperial court has begun to investigate your case. During this period, the troops under the jurisdiction of the Yingzhou Governor's Office are strictly ordered to assemble inside the city and not a single soldier is allowed to step outside the city. Anyone who disobeys will be dealt with according to military law."
Zhou Daowu pondered for a moment and said, "Is this to embolden the Li brothers, to embolden their supporters, and to make the situation even bigger?"
Fang Jun nodded: "The Khitan have multiplied and increased in population over the years, gradually threatening the stability of the Liaodong frontier. We cannot sit idly by and let them continue to develop. A weak Khitan, which has experienced internal strife, is more in the interest of the empire."
Zhou Daowu sighed again.
Since the court is thoroughly investigating his problems, it means that promising the position of Governor of Songmo to Abugu was a mistake, and the court agrees to grant the position to the Li brothers.
In this way, the Li brothers' killing of Abugu would have a justifiable cause, and the court would most likely not pursue the matter or would give them a lenient punishment. This would naturally boost the morale of the Li brothers and their supporters, and they would take the opportunity to wipe out the various tribes that supported Abugu and opposed the brothers, thus eliminating the opposition within the Khitan and re-establishing a tribal alliance with the Dahe clan as its core.
The court's reason for sitting idly by while the Khitan were in turmoil was quite clear: because he, as the governor of Yingzhou, had made a mistake and his stance was problematic, in order to prevent his troops from taking actions detrimental to the Li brothers, the entire city of Liuzhou was placed under martial law.
By the time his case was investigated and he was escorted to Chang'an, the various Khitan tribes were in complete disarray and severely weakened. Fang Jun calmly led his troops to clean up the mess.
All the conspiracies and foreshadowings have come to light.
They are truly ruthless and heartless. After this chaos, the Khitan will likely suffer more than half their casualties and will no longer have the power to influence the stability of the Liaodong border...
The most tragic thing is that he was completely ignorant, thinking that he had control over the entire Khitan people and that his power had greatly increased, only to plunge headlong into this huge pit.
But you can't blame Fang Jun, because Fang Jun wasn't targeting him. He was the one who was clever enough to step into the trap and take the blame himself.
Zhou Daowu's mouth was full of bitterness. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "If I had not recommended Abugu to be the governor of Songmo, could I have extricated myself from this?"
Fang Jun laughed and said, "No one else can bear such a sin."
All the nomadic tribes in the world are watching. If the internal strife of the Khitan is not resolved satisfactorily, it will inevitably make the other nomadic tribes feel the pain of losing their own people and harbor rebellious intentions. No matter what Zhou Daowu does, he will ultimately bear the responsibility.
Only someone with the status of a Tang Dynasty prince consort and governor of Yingzhou could provide a perfect explanation to all parties.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Daowu felt relieved and forced a smile: "So, I guess I've made a contribution to the empire?"
Fang Jun thought for a moment and agreed, "In a sense, yes."
Although Zhou Daowu acted entirely out of self-interest, he inadvertently became the most suitable person to take the blame, thus resolving the major problem of the Khitan. He had both faults and merits.
As for the degree of error and the extent of merit, let His Majesty worry about that...
Now that things had come to this, Zhou Daowu stopped dwelling on it: "When will I return to Chang'an? Surely they won't actually send troops to escort me?"
Fang Jun shook his head: "How could that be? We can still maintain our dignity. Our family and assets can be transported back to Chang'an. In addition, a new dock has been built on the coast of Ruluo, with naval ships patrolling the sea and transporting supplies. I can write you a letter to take with you, and then you can take a sea ship to Sanhui Port, and then transfer to a river boat to return to Chang'an along the canal."
"Shouzhu" was a military institution established by the Tang Dynasty on the frontier, with a scale below "jun" and above "zhen". "Ruluo" was an important military town located between Shanhaiguan and Liaoze, facing the sea to the south and backed by mountains to the north.
Zhou Daowu was overjoyed: "In that case, thank you, Grand Commandant!"
Having managed Yingzhou for many years, he had amassed considerable wealth. Hearing Fang Jun's suggestion that he could even sell some of his properties and land and return to Chang'an with the money, how could he not be overjoyed? Moreover, he could travel by sea and avoid the hardship of a long journey overland.
He now fully understood that his current predicament stemmed from his position as the Governor of Yingzhou; anyone in that position would bear the blame for the internal strife within the Khitan. Fang Jun's decision not to pursue past grievances to the death showed remarkable magnanimity.
Although he lost his position as Governor of Yingzhou, being able to bring his accumulated wealth back to Chang'an and spend a few years settling down before making a comeback was already the best possible outcome.
A career in government is inherently full of ups and downs; there is no such thing as a smooth journey.
*****
Autumn has arrived, and the grass and leaves have turned yellow and withered.
The Huangshui and Tushui rivers meander and flow across the land, eventually converging into one place, their turbid waves rushing eastward. After joining several other rivers, the water volume increases significantly, then turns westward, overflowing and roaring all the way to the sea.
On the banks of the Huangshui River, within the city of Raozhou.
The main hall of the Songmo Governor's Mansion was filled with jubilation.
News has just come from Liuzhou that the Grand Commandant of the Tang Dynasty has arrived in Liuzhou. He not only publicly announced the punishment for Zhou Daowu, but also imposed martial law on the entire city, prohibiting all troops from leaving the city. This means that the court not only failed to approve the appointment of Abugu, but it is also possible that the position of Governor of Songmo will still be granted to a member of the Li family.
Previously, the Li brothers were somewhat worried and apprehensive after killing Abugu and slaughtering his forces, fearing that the court would punish them for killing their clansmen and causing internal strife. Now, they are all relieved.
Mr. Zhao stroked his beard, looked around at the Khitan tribal leaders in the hall, and said with a smile, "As far as I know, Grand Commandant Fang Jun and Zhou Daowu have a long-standing feud. This time, he will surely take the opportunity to strike at Zhou Daowu and even bring him down completely. In this way, perhaps this is our best chance!"
The Li brothers, along with the tribal leaders of the Fenwen, Tubian, and Ruixi tribes, were laughing and joking, almost raising their arms in celebration.
what chance?
Naturally, he would take the opportunity to severely damage the tribes that supported Abugu, rebuild the prestige of the Li family, and lead the entire Khitan!