Chapter 35: White Wolf Mountain Water Interval (2)

  Cheng Dejun's sneaky behavior of stealing chicken and rice made Liu Renkong extremely ashamed, so he didn't even want to hear about Cheng Dejun's affairs. He just said: "Tell Wang Rong that this won't be an example, if he makes another mistake, I won't be so polite! As for Li Yan being appointed as the governor of Shen State, I agree with it. The military commander of Shen State will let Shou Guang take over, since it's his hometown, he'll put more effort into it."

  Liu Zhiwen nodded in agreement and asked, "General, now that the border is in urgent need, if we don't dispatch the Righteous Army to march north, then we can only fill the gap with the troops from the yamen. Already 2,000 yamen troops have rushed to Zhenyuan, and there are still 3,000 in Youzhou City..."

  Liu Ren-gong shook his head again: "Don't transfer the inner troops again, if we transfer them again, Youzhou will be empty."

  Liu Zhiwen's proposal was repeatedly rejected by the commander today, and he couldn't figure out what the commander was thinking. He simply stopped guessing and asked directly: "What does the commander mean?"

  Liu Rengong said: "All border states and prefectures will follow the example of Pingzhou!"

  Liu Zhiwen was startled: "General!"

  Liu Rengong sighed: "Qiancheng, I'm afraid being the Jiedushi is not easy! In those years, Li Kuangzhi was not benevolent and righteous. My brothers lifted me to this high position of Jiedushi, and at that time, I was full of confidence, wanting to make the Lulong Army flourish and let my brothers' careers advance further... But now it seems that thinking is easy, but doing is difficult! In the southern expedition, tens of thousands of brave soldiers stained the expedition route with blood. Every time I think about it, my heart feels like it's being cut by a knife, and I really can't eat or sleep peacefully. I also know that you and Shouguang's plan to rectify the army is to prevent me from being pushed down from this position by my brothers after the southern expedition failed, and to continue letting me safely be the Jiedushi."

  "In these days, I've been thinking that if I do this, won't I become the Li Kuangchao of back then? How will those old brothers look at me? They entrusted their sons and nephews to my care, and they themselves have all retired from office over the years, just telling me that they had no intention of competing with me for power. But now that I'm doing this, it's really making those old brothers feel cold-hearted. At present, Youzhou is in a precarious situation like a pile of eggs, with Xuanwu to the south and Hedong to the west, and the Khitan people are starting to stir up trouble again to the north. If we continue to do things this way, I fear that the hearts of my brothers will scatter, and the time when Youzhou splits apart is not far off! At that time, I will be the sinner of the Lulong Army for a hundred years."

  Liu Zhiwen's face turned gloomy, he knew that the pressure the military governor's mansion had endured before and after the rectification of the army had already made this military governor somewhat unbearable. Since the news of the rectification came out, the original military leaders of the Lu Long Army came to find Liu Ren Guang one after another, some with soft words, some with sarcastic remarks, some sitting quietly in the temple without a word, and even more directly scolding loudly. Even at Liu Zhiwen's mansion, when the door opened early in the morning, they would often see beheaded chickens and ducks, fresh blood splattered all over the steps.

  These people were the old military leaders who supported Liu Ren-gong when he opposed Li Kuang-zhou, and helped him take the position of Jiedushi. Although they had retired from their positions as generals, their sons and nephews were still serving in the army. Among them was Wang Jing-rou, who had served as governor of Yingzhou, Pingzhou, and Ruzhou, and as a military commander; Li Jun-zhang, former governor of Pingzhou and junior preceptor to the crown prince; Zhao Ke, former administrative assistant at the Jiedushi's headquarters and vice director of the Imperial Secretariat; and Zhao Yuan-de, former commander of the Lu Tai army... For Liu Zhi-wen, who had risen from a low-ranking official in the Lu Long Jiedushi's headquarters to a high position, these names were all too familiar. The influence of these old military leaders within the Lu Long army was not something that Liu Ren-gong could counter alone.

  Apart from the old soldiers, there were also some widows who came forward and cried in front of the governor's mansion every day, which annoyed Liu Zhiwen. The most famous among them was Gao Liu, the widow of Gao Sizong, a renowned general known as "White Horse Silver Spear" during the Youyan era. She had extensive connections with the wealthy families in Youzhou, and her two sons were also reassigned to Yizhou during this military reorganization. Gao Liu loudly scolded Liu Ren'gong outside the governor's mansion several times, even bursting into the hall to question him: "Have you forgotten who was the first to lead troops to support your ascension to the position of commander?" She also asked Liu Ren'gong if it was true that in this world, once a person leaves, they are abandoned like cold tea, and orphans and widows are really left with no one to care for them?

  Liu Ren Gong was at a loss for what to do with this woman who had such a deep background and qualifications, and even the serious crime of trespassing in the temple could only be acknowledged with a pinch of nose and not dared to pursue. Instead, he fled with his generals and staff on the spot, allowing the woman to occupy the temple for a whole day and night. Liu Zhi Wen was following closely behind Liu Ren Gong when they escaped, and was even hit on the back by the woman who had taken off her embroidered shoes.

  Thinking of these things, Liu Zhiwen's scalp felt numb again.

  Liu Ren Guang said, "Qian Cheng, the reorganization of the army has progressed to this point, and both the Yanei Army and the Yi'er Army have regained their footing. Let's be more generous and let each department take a breather as well. I've thought it through carefully, even if each department were to rebuild its camp, we wouldn't be afraid. Moreover, as long as I don't overdo it and don't violate the old rules of the Lu Long Army, they probably won't disrespect me either."

  Liu Ren-gong's words of heartfelt advice, Liu Zhi-wen listened silently, as a veteran official who had served in Fang Town for many years, he deeply understood the deep-seated problems of the three towns in Hebei. Since the Tianbao Rebellion, the three towns in Hebei gradually took shape, and they were able to resist the imperial court for over a hundred years without decline, becoming an independent kingdom within the territory of the Tang Dynasty. This was because of the inheritance and continuation of the military generals' families and the century-old convention. The military generals were familiar with military affairs, skilled in using troops, and each had a group of brave and daring soldiers under their command, who became the backbone of the military towns' survival in the long-term war, and also became the true fierce and powerful generals.

  These military leaders, who actually held the power in their hands, formed intricate relationships and entanglements over the course of more than a hundred years. It can be said that neither Wei Bo nor Cheng De, or even Lu Long, were truly controlled by the nominal commander-in-chief, the Jiedushi. While enjoying the enormous benefits brought about by military independence, these military leaders also inserted their hands deep into the power structure at all levels. At the same time, when their interests were threatened from outside, they would gather together and resist with force under the command of the Jiedushi.

  Once the governor destroys this tradition and convention, damaging the interests of the military generals, he will be abandoned by the military leaders at all levels without hesitation, and even encounter fatal disasters. There are countless examples of this, just take Lulong Town as an example, the governor changes as frequently as a lantern, but what remains unchanged are always those military general families.

  In the third year of Dazong's Dali era, the military governor Li Huai Xian was killed by Zhu Xi Cai and his brothers Zhu Shan and Zhu Chuo for abusing power and privately collecting taxes from the army. Zhu Xi Cai then took over as the acting military governor and was later officially appointed by the imperial court.

  In the seventh year of Dazong's Dali era, the Jiedushi Zhu Xicai was killed by his troops due to his cruel governance and brutal treatment of his officers. He had only been in power for four years when he was overthrown and killed by his generals, who then supported Zhu Mei as the new Jiedushi. The imperial court reluctantly recognized him and posthumously conferred on Zhu Xicai the title of Jiedushi.

  In the first year of Changqing in the reign of Emperor Muzong, Military Governor Zhang Hongjing employed personal favorites and trusted his secretary Wei Yong. As a result of private grudges, Wei Yong punished military officers, causing great unrest among the troops. The military officers killed Wei Yong, expelled Zhang Hongjing, and enthroned Zhu Kerong as the new Military Governor.

  In 830, military governor Li Zaiyi was driven out by his own officers...

  In 843, during the Taihe era of Emperor Wuzong of Tang, military governor Yang Zhen was driven out by his own officers...

  Emperor Xizong's Guangfu 2nd year, Jiedushi Zhang Gong was expelled by his own generals...

  In the first year of Qianning under Emperor Zhaozong of Tang, military governor Li Kuangchou was overthrown by his own soldiers in a mutiny and invited the army of Hedong Circuit to come and take over. Li Kuangchou was killed in battle, and the main conspirator behind the plot was none other than Liu Ren'gang, who is now the military governor.

  These are just some examples that Liu Zhiwen thought of in an instant, and there are many more examples that have not been thoroughly considered. Because of such conventions and traditions, the Hebei Three Towns established a solid military governance system, but also because of this system, after the rise of new prefectures such as Hedong and Xuanwu, the Hebei Three Towns began to decline gradually. How can dispersed military power and inefficient individual battles compete with those who have concentrated great power? Under the brilliance of Li Ke-yong and Zhu Quanzhong, the Hebei Three Towns are dull and lackluster.

  Liu Zhiwen was a man with great ambitions, he wanted to change the situation and make Lulong Army rise again, becoming a powerful vassal state that could compete for the Central Plains. He even secretly thought about the possibility of Lulong Army contending for the throne. With the support of Liu Shouguang in the government office, Liu Zhiwen drafted a plan to reorganize the army, with the key point being the direction of military power. He wanted to establish a military system where the governor could truly make decisions, he wanted the orders issued by the governor's office to be obeyed throughout the town, and he wanted the entire army and town to unite as one, gathering all their strength together to become one of the most powerful towns in the world!

  But Liu Zhiwen felt the helplessness in General Lu's words earlier. At present, the Lu Long army was surrounded on three sides, and the situation was precarious. If they continued to push for the whole army to surrender, they might face a collapse. After thinking hard again for a long time, he had to painfully admit that General Lu was right...

  "Just listen to Liu Ren-gong: 'As long as each state completes the tax collection of the military governor's office and still has surplus power, it can independently raise grain and recruit new troops. The new army will have three to five battalions, and the officers below the battalion commander will be appointed by the military governor's office and the prefecture. Commanders above the battalion level can be nominated and reported to the military governor's office for approval. In addition, the corresponding ranks of each officer should follow this example. Those below Ren-yong are determined by the army itself, while those above Yu-qin must be reported to the military governor's office for approval. If there is no special reason, they will all be approved as usual. Each state must strictly train and prepare for border troubles.' Now, according to this meaning, Jian-chen, you go draft the document."

  Liu Zhiwen nodded silently and stood up to leave. He knew that the plan for the entire Lu Long army had come to an end.

  Liu Ren'gong suddenly said: "Right, after Shou Guang's army was reorganized, he hasn't left Youzhou yet?"

  Liu Zhiwen was taken aback, and hastily turned around, but for a moment he didn't know what to say. Liu Shouguang had been visiting his mansion frequently in recent days, not only strongly supporting his military reforms, but also putting forward many adoptable suggestions on some of the content. Through this period of contact, Liu Shouguang's vitality and vigor left a deep impression on him, and he and Liu shared many similar views on the internal problems of the Lu Long army and the concept of reforming the system. Therefore, he still had a high opinion of this second son of the general's family.

  He is too indulgent in luxury, and has been known as a "prodigal son" in Youzhou City for many years. He has been lingering in the city's major brothels since the army was reorganized, getting drunk and infatuated every day. Liu Zhiwen had advised him to return to Hejian several times, but he would promise to do so only to end up sleeping off his drunkenness in a brothel again, leaving Liu Zhiwen helpless. However, this is a private matter of the general's family, and he really doesn't know how to respond to Liu Renkong.

  Liu Ren-gong angrily said: "You don't have to cover up for him, go tell that beast, tomorrow morning get the hell back to Hejian! I don't want to see him in Youzhou again! If the commander is not in the army for a long time, how can he command? How can he make his brothers obey? What if there's a battle, how will he give orders? Tell him that if he doesn't go back, he won't be needed as a commanding officer anymore, I'll appoint him as a brothel officer!"