Chapter 5272: The picture shows the dagger

Chapter 5272: The picture shows the dagger
Fang Jun arrived at Taiji Palace, entered the palace through Chengtian Gate and went into the Imperial Study. He found several ministers already seated. After exchanging greetings, he knelt down to Li Chengqian's right.

Li Chengqian, dressed in a bright yellow casual robe, appeared somewhat thinner under the lamplight, but was in good spirits. Pointing to a battle report on the table, he said, "The Anxi Army's battle report, just delivered to Chang'an, reports a great victory at Mulu City! Xue Rengui goes without saying; he's always been known for his outstanding strategy and unparalleled bravery, so his performance is to be expected. But Wang Xiaojie is someone I've never heard of before, yet his performance, whether in the fierce battle at Kesan City or the pursuit and annihilation of Aofu's forces, capturing the enemy chieftain alive, is truly astonishing!"

He truly admired Fang Jun's ability to cultivate and select talent. It seemed that no matter where he was or what position he held, there were always those previously unknown individuals who would suddenly rise to prominence and shine. To this day, most of the recognized young talents in the Tang army have, to varying degrees, benefited from Fang Jun's patronage.

One or two times might be luck, but the fact that so many promising young talents have been brought to the forefront by Fang Jun demonstrates his ability to recognize and utilize talent effectively.

Beside him, Liu Ji chuckled and said, "The Anxi Army has always been full of talented people and has strong combat capabilities. Only by having them guard the border can we ensure the safety of Hexi and the long-term peace of Guanzhong."

Fang Jun glanced at him but ignored him.

This fellow has consistently promoted the "Anxi threat" theory in the court, attempting to undermine the morale of the military. However, given the ongoing war in the Western Regions, no one dares to reduce the strength of the Anxi Protectorate, otherwise they cannot bear the consequences of potential defeat.

Liu Xiangdao put down his teacup, his face grave: "Since Kesan City has already defeated the enemy's main force, ensuring the safety of the Anxi Protectorate and even the entire Western Regions, is it possible that they will relentlessly pursue and launch a long and arduous expedition? You must know that 'a country, however large, will perish if it is fond of war!'"

This is also a very popular view in the court at present. However, San City has been captured, the main force of the Abbasid army has been defeated, and the empire has no intention of occupying the territory of Transoxiana for a long time. So why waste countless logistical supplies and send Xue Rengui to lead a detachment deep into the heart of the Abbasid Caliphate and head straight for Damascus?
To many, this is just like Emperor Wu of Han's "militarism," which, apart from wasting national resources to achieve great feats for a few people, has no other benefit.

Fang Jun was somewhat displeased. These civil officials spared no effort in suppressing the military, seizing any opportunity to exploit loopholes without any regard for long-term strategy. To call them short-sighted would be an understatement; they were fighting for the sake of fighting, disregarding national interests.

"Has the Imperial Censor never been to school?"

"Why do you say that, Grand Commandant?"

"Why does the Sima Fa only mention the first half of the saying, but not the second half? 'A country, however large, will perish if it loves war' is indeed a profound truth, but everything has its pros and cons, and one cannot go to extremes. Therefore, 'Though the world is at peace, forgetting war is dangerous.' The Anxi army's long march into the heart of the Abbasid Caliphate was not only about conquering cities and seizing land, but also about intimidating the Abbasids and making them dare not to easily invade the border again. This is a long-term strategy. How can the Imperial Censor only mention the disadvantages and not the advantages?"

Fang Jun stood tall and spoke eloquently, displaying a remarkable air of "debating with a group of scholars": "The world knows that the middle way is the way... A gentleman adheres to the middle way, while a petty person goes against it. The gentleman's adherence to the middle way is due to his timely and appropriate actions; the petty person's going against the middle way is due to his unbridled and reckless behavior!"

It's basically equivalent to pointing at Liu Xiangdao's nose and yelling "You're a scoundrel!"
Liu Xiangdao was so angry that his face turned red. The others, including Li Chengqian, looked at Fang Jun with great surprise, sizing him up and down and marveling at him.

This quote comes from the Doctrine of the Mean, which is a relatively obscure chapter in the Book of Rites. Its core idea is "to achieve harmony and balance," meaning to be impartial, avoid extremes, and achieve harmony among all things.

In the past, Fang Jun was renowned throughout the land for his "exquisite poetry and lyrics," and most people believed it was simply due to his extraordinary talent, his grasp of the essence of language, and his unique mastery of rhythm, which enabled him to create works that have been praised for centuries. However, he himself was "unlearned yet skilled," having read very few classic texts of history, philosophy, or literature…

But now he has even read the Doctrine of the Mean and can understand it thoroughly and apply it to other situations. Isn't that amazing?
Ma Zhou couldn't help but laugh and said, "Grand Commandant, you must have thoroughly read the Book of Rites?"

Fang Jun was quite pleased with himself: "In the past, because of my ignorance, I was often the target of people's veiled insults, and I was powerless to refute them. I was even unfamiliar with some of the allusions, which made me a laughingstock. So, I learned from my shame and became more courageous. I studied diligently and never stopped reading. Now I can even use words from books to insult people. It feels really good!"

"what!"

Hearing his amusing words, everyone laughed.

Liu Xiangdao also shook his head with a smile, saying disdainfully, "It's just reading a copy of the Book of Rites, nothing to brag about. My five-year-old can read it fluently."

Fang Jun laughed and said, "Would your son dare to call you a 'petty person' to your face?"

Liu Xiangdao couldn't help but laugh: "Of course he wouldn't dare, I'd spank him."

Even Li Chengqian laughed out loud this time, waved his hand, and said: "It is a good thing for the emperor to present his views and for everyone to express their opinions. This is a good thing for the people to speak freely and to humbly accept advice. However, it is wrong to read a few books and then start quoting classics to curse people."

Fang Jun admitted his mistake: "Your Majesty, I know my crime. Next time, I will not quote classics; I will just scold you directly."

Li Chengqian smiled and pointed at him, then shook his head helplessly and said, "The battle report says that Wang Xiaojie captured all of Aofu's group and wanted to send them to Chang'an to be presented as prisoners in front of the Imperial Ancestral Temple... In my opinion, this is really unnecessary. Since we have won a great victory and made a name for ourselves in foreign lands, why bother sending a few prisoners on a long journey just to Chang'an? Let them be disposed of on the spot, whether it's for building city walls and roads or for exchanging for ransom."

The ministers all nodded in agreement.

Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, it has been engaged in endless wars, conquering the world and unifying the eight wastelands. Countless countries have been destroyed, and countless Khans and kings have been imprisoned in Chang'an. It is common for emperors to sing and dance at banquets, let alone a few barbarian Arabs.
The ancestors enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple weren't interested either...

Cui Dunli nodded and accepted the order: "After I return, I will send a letter to the Anxi Protectorate to convey His Majesty's decree."

Li Chengqian hummed in agreement, then asked, "What's the situation in Lin-yi Kingdom?"

Cui Dunli said, "The arrow is on the string, and it must be released."

King Zhuge Di of Lin Yi gathered his army and people at the new capital, Tuolupura, to confront the Tang Dynasty royal navy in Da Nang. Tensions were high and a major battle was imminent.

Zhuge Di wasn't insane and thought he could defeat the invincible Tang navy. He simply hoped to change the previous contract with the Tang Dynasty, reducing the amount of rice imported into the Tang Dynasty each year and increasing its price, thereby saving his country's finances from collapse.

He believed that although the Tang Dynasty's navy was invincible in naval battles, it might not be able to annihilate the Lin-yi Kingdom's army on land. Moreover, Lin-yi Kingdom was characterized by its mountainous terrain and dense network of waterways, which would inevitably drag the Tang Dynasty into a protracted war of attrition. The Tang Dynasty might not want to get bogged down in such a quagmire of war, so his request should be taken into consideration.

Perhaps Zhuge Dizhi's original intention was to force the Tang Dynasty to the negotiating table by adopting an aggressive stance and clamoring for war, but he clearly misjudged the situation. The Tang navy was already prepared to settle the matter in one battle.

Li Chengqian nodded: "Tell Su Dingfang not to let the war drag on for too long. If we don't fight, so be it; if we fight, we must win, and we must win quickly."

"Here!"

Cui Dunli respectfully agreed and then said, "Yesterday, an official document arrived at the Ministry of War from Da Nang, stating that someone claiming to be the Prince of Funan fled there to avoid disaster. He claimed that his royal family was persecuted and hunted down by the King of Chenla, who destroyed their country, ruined their clan, and cut off their lineage. Now, Funan's homeland is being trampled by traitors, and the people of Funan are being abused by villains... It is certain that the Empire will send troops to help them suppress the rebels and restore their ancestral temples. Su Dingfang dared not act on his own, so he submitted the document and requested the court to make a decision."

Li Ji, who hadn't said much until now, asked curiously, "Didn't Funan perish a long time ago?"

The Book of Jin records, "Funan is more than three thousand li west of Linyi, located in a large bay in the sea. Its territory is three thousand li wide, with cities and palaces. The people are all ugly, dark-skinned, with clenched hair, and walk naked and barefoot. They are straightforward, do not become bandits, and make a living by farming. They plant one year and harvest three years later..."

The Book of Liang also states, "The Kingdom of Funan is located in the western bay of the South China Sea in Rinan Commandery, about 7,000 li from Rinan. It has a large river, ten li wide, flowing northwest and emptying into the sea to the east. The kingdom is over 3,000 li in circumference, with flat and expansive land. Its climate and customs are largely the same as those of Linyi."

Funan has had frequent contact with China since ancient times, and has paid tribute to China on many occasions, claiming itself to be a vassal state of China.

However, as is well known in China, it had already been destroyed by its vassal state Zhenla during the Northern Qi and Southern Liang dynasties of the Northern and Southern Dynasties period. Subsequently, Zhenla was divided into two parts: the southern part, near the sea and with many marshes, was called Water Zhenla; the northern part, with many mountains, was called Land Zhenla...

The Northern Qi and Southern Liang dynasties have been gone for nearly a century, so how can there still be a so-called prince of Funan who is determined to restore his kingdom?
The Tang Dynasty knew very little about Funan, but the Ministry of War now controlled the largest intelligence agency, with its trained and recruited spies spread throughout the country, and was very familiar with the ins and outs of Funan.

Cui Dunli said, “Funan has indeed been destroyed long ago, but its royal family has never forgotten the hatred of the destruction of the country even though they have been in exile in various places. For nearly a hundred years, they have been constantly seeking help from Lin Yi, Siam, and even countries such as Jawa and Dawaden, and contacting forces loyal to Funan in the country. They have launched uprisings and riots from time to time in an attempt to overthrow Zhenla, but all of them have ended in failure.”

After a brief explanation, he looked at Li Chengqian with a glint in his eyes: "Funan has always claimed to be a vassal state of China and has a history of paying tribute to China throughout the dynasties. When it was destroyed, it was thousands of miles away and China was unable to help or support it. Now that its king's descendants are asking the empire for help, the empire should send troops to help them suppress the rebellion and restore the rightful ruler."

For the Chinese dynasties, nothing was more important than "upholding the legitimate dynasty." Upholding the legitimate dynasty of vassal states was equivalent to upholding their own legitimate dynasty, and all rebellious ministers and traitors could be punished by everyone.

Liu Ji, who had been listening to the story with great interest, suddenly felt a jolt of fear and shock.

Suddenly, I realized a crisis where "the true colors were revealed"...