inspire-indiana 023 Private loyalty often gets out of control
023 Private loyalty often gets out of control
The night was deep, and candlelight flickered inside the armory.
“Look, this battle in the sixteenth year of Kaiyuan,” Zhen Xiaosi’s voice echoed in the empty warehouse, “Du Binke’s four thousand crossbowmen’s formation was a textbook example—backed by the city wall and flanked by the mountain terrain, forming a perfect crossbow fire network.”
Xia Linyu leaned closer to the sand table and adjusted the formation of several crossbowman models: "The crossbowmen's advantage has been brought to its fullest extent. I checked the historical records, and the Tang army's powerful crossbows had a range of up to 300 paces, while the Tibetan cavalry's horn bows had a maximum range of 150 paces. That day, the fighting lasted from dawn to dusk, and the Tibetans simply couldn't break through that 'iron rain'."
"It wasn't just a firepower advantage, but also a psychological deterrent." Zhen Xiaosi pulled up a yellowed military report projection. "The crossbowmen fired in unison, raining down arrows like a storm, unlike archers who needed to aim individually. Faced with such an impenetrable attack, even the most elite cavalry would collapse. Post-battle records say, 'The enemy was routed, scattered and fled into the mountains, their cries echoing everywhere'—that was true despair."
Xia Linyu switched the sand table to the terrain of Shibao City. The city model on the Chiling cliff cast a long shadow in the candlelight: "But what shocked me the most was the decision made by Prince Xin'an, Li Yi. Everyone opposed a direct attack because if they failed, the retreat would be cut off and the entire army would be wiped out."
“But he saw something that others didn’t.” Zhen Xiaosi’s fingers lightly touched the model of the stone fortress. “The Tibetans thought that the natural defenses were difficult to break and that there wouldn’t be many defenders. Li Yi first sent his elite troops to infiltrate the various paths to set up ambushes and cut off reinforcements, and then concentrated all his forces to launch a fierce attack day and night.”
"After capturing Shibao City, the Tang army expanded westward for thousands of miles, and the strategic situation in the entire Hexi Corridor region was completely reversed." Xia Linyu sighed softly. "But more than 20 years later, Geshu Han paid the price of tens of thousands of soldiers' lives in order to retake the city. Shibao City was simply a meat grinder for the Tang army."
Zhen Xiaosi paused for a moment, then pulled up another historical document for projection: "This is the crux of the problem. Huangfu Weiming, as Prince Zhong Li Jun's 'friend,' actually pointed out the key point—"
She cleared her throat and imitated the tone of an ancient scholar presenting a memorial to the emperor: "He said that the arrogant letters of state from the young emperor were likely forged by border generals! Because only by maintaining a state of war could border generals falsely report military achievements and steal supplies. This exposes a fatal flaw in the Tang Dynasty's military governor system."
The candlelight flickered, and the shadow on the wall swayed accordingly.
Xia Linyu straightened up: "You mean... if generals have too much power, they sometimes actually want the border to be unstable?"
Zhen Xiaosi nodded slowly and pulled up several financial records: "Take a look at this—the 'local self-sufficiency' model that was formed during the Kaiyuan period. Each regional military governor maintained the balance of their local finances by uniformly controlling all taxes collected from the prefectures and counties under their jurisdiction."
“Wait a minute,” Xia Linyu interrupted, “I remember that in the early Tang Dynasty, it was ‘centralized collection and expenditure,’ with the Ministry of Revenue’s Department of Finance handling all the allocations.”
“That was before Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian.” Zhen Xiaosi slid the projection to show the record in the “Record of the Third Year of Yifeng”: “After the border defense strategy shifted to a defensive posture, the Tang court began to establish many military towns, which were led by military governors. However, military expenditures skyrocketed, and the central treasury could not bear the burden. Therefore, financial authority was delegated to the military governors, who were allowed to ‘spend according to their income’.”
Xia Linyu suddenly realized: "That's why the military governors hold the power over local tax revenue and military expenditures..."
“That’s not all.” Zhen Xiaosi pulled up new information. “According to the ‘Tang Warehouse Regulations’ during the Kaiyuan era, when prefectures and counties distributed grain and salaries to officials, they first used the rent grain or land tax from the prefecture’s main granary. If there was no main granary, other taxes from the prefecture could be used, including household tax, grain purchase, and income from military farms.”
"This creates a self-sufficient cycle," Xia Linyu said thoughtfully. "The military governor controls local finances, supports his own army, and then..."
"Then there's the economic motivation to maintain a state of war." Zhen Xiaosi's voice lowered. "Think about it, if the borders were peaceful, what reason would the military governor have to control such enormous financial and military power? And how could he obtain rewards by falsely reporting military achievements?"
The armory fell into a brief silence, broken only by the crackling of the candlelight.
Xia Linyu re-examined the models of Qilian City and Shibao City on the sand table: "So, generals like Geshu Han were indeed expanding the territory of the Tang Dynasty on the one hand, and on the other hand..."
"On the other hand, they also became beneficiaries of this system." Zhen Xiaosi continued, "Geshu Han rose through the ranks from deputy military governor of Longyou to military governor of Hexi and was enfeoffed as the Prince of Xiping, all thanks to his years of military achievements against the Tubo."
"But the price he paid to capture Shibao City was too high." Xia Linyu pointed to the cliffside city on the sand table. "According to the Zizhi Tongjian, in the eighth year of Tianbao, Geshu Han led 100,000 troops from Shuofang and Hedong to attack Shibao City. Tens of thousands of soldiers were killed or wounded, and it took more than ten days to capture it. Was such a victory really worth it?"
Zhen Xiaosi did not answer directly, but instead pulled up another record: "Look at An Lushan. In the first year of Tianbao, the border army had reached 490,000 men, accounting for more than 85 percent of the total number of soldiers in the country. An Lushan alone commanded 150,000 soldiers in the three towns of Fanyang and others."
"And the Central Army is not only insufficient in number, but also in quality, and it is completely unprepared for combat in peacetime," Xia Linyu continued. "This situation of 'heavy on the outside, light on the inside'..."
"It was precisely the result of the excessive expansion of the Jiedushi system," Zhen Xiaosi concluded. "Initially, the Tang central government controlled the Jiedushi by frequently transferring them and restricting their concurrent command, which was indeed effective for a period of time."
"But what happened next?"
"Later, the 'officialdom' faction completely seized power, and Li Linfu, in order to consolidate his position as prime minister, promoted the policy of heavily employing non-Han generals." Zhen Xiaosi pulled up the records of prime minister changes, "After Zhang Jiuling was dismissed from his post, the 'literary' faction completely lost power. Li Linfu was worried that the Han military governors who had made great contributions might enter the court as prime ministers and threaten his own position, so he suggested that Emperor Xuanzong appoint a large number of non-Han generals."
Xia Linyu frowned: "The cultural level of the barbarian generals is relatively low. Unlike the Han generals, they are unlikely to be transferred to the central government. Therefore, the frequent transfers of military governors by the central government have lost their effectiveness against them."
“That’s right.” Zhen Xiaosi nodded. “There have been cases of long tenures and concurrent command of the military governors of the barbarian regions. An Lushan not only concurrently commanded the three towns of Pinglu, Fanyang, and Hedong for fourteen consecutive years, but also obtained privileges that other military governors did not have, such as the right to mint coins.”
She paused for a moment, her voice even softer: "But the problem doesn't end there. In the fourth year of the Tianbao era, after Xuanzong heard the illusion of 'extended lifespan,' he believed that he would live forever and no longer considered handing over the reins to Crown Prince Li Heng. Instead, he allowed Li Linfu to attack the Crown Prince and purge his faction—including Huangfu Weiming, Wang Zhongsi, and other generals from the northwest border."
Xia Linyu gasped: "So Huangfu Weiming exposed the border general's forgery of state documents not only out of a sense of justice, but also because he belonged to the Crown Prince's faction, and the border general system had already been controlled by people like Li Linfu and An Lushan..."
The candle flame flickered again, almost going out. Zhen Xiaosi quickly protected the wick, and the flame stabilized, illuminating her solemn face.
“Every inch of the stone fortress is soaked in the blood of the Tang and Tibetan armies,” she said softly. “And what drove the soldiers to charge again and again was not only the glory of expanding territory, but also the power struggle in Chang’an and the local military governors’ desire for wealth and power.”
Xia Linyu stared at the cliffside city on the sand table, as if he could see that bloody summer of the eighth year of the Tianbao era. Arrows rained down like locusts, rolling stones thundered like lightning, and the corpses of Tang soldiers piled up like mountains, while Geshu Han, in his rear tent, calculated how much land and titles this victory would bring him.
“When war is no longer just about defense or expansion,” Xia Linyu said slowly, “but becomes a tool for some people to maintain power and gain benefits…”
“The foundation of this prosperous era has begun to crumble.” Zhen Xiaosi shut down all projections, and the armory returned to darkness. Only the city models on the sand table stood quietly in the dim candlelight, like silent tombstones.
The distant sound of drums signaled the approaching night. Two young researchers gathered their materials, blew out their candles, and locked the armory door. Behind them, stories of war and power, loyalty and betrayal, were sealed away in the darkness, awaiting their next awakening to reveal once more the little-known cracks beneath the glittering Tang Dynasty.
Zhen Xiaosi is having trouble sleeping again.
This is the fourth day her boyfriend has been in Changchun to be with her. Ever since she got off the plane on Monday, an invisible pressure has been following her like a shadow. She can't explain why—what should have been a long-awaited reunion has turned into days of crying, her eyes so swollen she can barely see.
On Thursday evening, they sat in a cramped booth at a barbecue restaurant. The greasy menu trembled slightly in her hands.
"I'm not hungry." Her boyfriend stared at his phone screen, his brows furrowed slightly. "Order whatever you like. I'll just sit with you for a while."
His voice held a deliberate calmness, and his gaze never left the screen. Zhen Xiaosi bit her lower lip, that familiar bittersweet feeling welling up in her eyes again. She blinked quickly and ordered four skewers of the signature soy sauce tendon.
The aroma of the grilled skewers was irresistible when they were served. My boyfriend reluctantly took a bite, then suddenly stopped—his pupils dilated slightly, like two small lights suddenly lighting up in the dark.
“Mmm,” he chewed, his tone surprisingly light, “This is so delicious.”
Zhen Xiaosi forced a smile and pushed her own skewer in front of him: "Then you should eat more."
In the end, she only ate one skewer, and the other three went onto his plate. Watching his satisfied expression, the emptiness in her heart grew ever larger.
Last night's memory was still vivid. When she wanted to order beer, his comment, "Always ordering alcohol," was like a bucket of cold water poured over her. In the end, she only ordered a clay pot tofu soup and a cup of hot water, watching him drink two bottles by himself.
So today, as the saltiness of the vegetable roll spread across her tongue, she cautiously probed, "The vegetable roll is a bit salty... Would you like some beer? U8 has a low alcohol content..."
"Sure," he agreed readily this time.
The bottle was quickly emptied. Zhen Xiaosi observed his expression: "Would you like to order another bottle?"
He suddenly laughed, a mocking laugh: "Can't you be a little less stingy? At least order two bottles at a time."
Zhen Xiaosi's heart clenched as if something was gripping it, but she maintained a calm tone: "The table is too small to fit everything. Besides... wouldn't it be better to take only what you want to drink? You can drink as many bottles as you like."
In the cramped space, the heat from the oven intertwined with a silent tension. She watched him tilt his head back and drink the golden liquid, and suddenly understood the reason for her days of crying—it wasn't the joy of being together, but a premonition that something was silently shattering.
Relationship Analysis: Cracks Under Pressure
This interaction reveals several key issues in their relationship:
1. Unequal expression of emotions
Zhen Xiaosi is highly emotionally invested (insomnia, crying), while her boyfriend shows emotional detachment (playing on his phone, showing signs of dislike). This imbalance causes Zhen Xiaosi to experience continuous anxiety, worrying that she has "done something wrong" or is "not good enough."
2. Conflict Communication Model
The boyfriend used contradictory "negative-positive" messages:
First refuse the food, then praise its deliciousness
Criticizing the act of ordering alcohol while drinking freely oneself.
Accusing her of being "stingy" yet accepting her concessions.
This unpredictable reaction kept Zhen Xiaosi on her guard, cautiously testing the boundaries of his acceptance.
3. Dynamic imbalance of power
Zhen Xiaosi was clearly adjusting her behavior to please him (giving up food and the alcohol she wanted), while her boyfriend maintained his dominance through criticism and rejection. This "begging for permission" pattern undermined the equality of the relationship.
4. Unspoken gap between expectations
The boyfriend took time off work to accompany her, suggesting that both of them likely had high expectations for the reunion. When reality didn't match their expectations, disappointment turned into hidden pressure—Zhen Xiaosi expressed this through crying, while the boyfriend expressed his dissatisfaction through passive-aggressive tactics (disgusted expressions and contradictory words).
5. Root cause: Lack of emotional security
Zhen Xiaosi's persistent anxiety points to a deep-seated fear—she seems to disbelieve that she can be unconditionally accepted. Her boyfriend's contradictory signals exacerbate this insecurity, creating a vicious cycle of "the harder she tries, the more anxious she becomes."
This gathering, which should have been an opportunity to strengthen their relationship, turned into a stress test that exposed the cracks in their bond. To improve the situation, both parties need to establish more direct ways of expressing their emotions, renegotiate boundaries in their interactions, and confront unspoken disappointments and expectations. Otherwise, even sharing the same table, the distance between their hearts may silently grow further and further apart.
Her boyfriend tried to communicate with her again, but she, who had already given up hope, was hurt once more—his attempt was like rubbing salt into a high-voltage line of emotions, causing her brain to feel as if blood vessels were bursting, and her eyes to become even more swollen and red. He once again displayed that familiar indifference, disdain, and utter lack of understanding. Zhen Xiaosi still held onto a faint hope: perhaps this time, he could truly feel my pain?
But in reality, this is just wishful thinking.
He simply used a sharper blade to pierce her heart and mind once again, even deeper.
Xiaosi couldn't accept the reality of being dismissed from the university—nearly forty, she was suddenly "optimized" out. Even more absurdly, if she wanted to be dismissed, she would have to pay the university a sum of money. Her annual salary was only 150,000 yuan, but she had to deduct 180,000 yuan. She simply couldn't swallow this kind of institutional humiliation.
And what about the marriage? Having reached this point, leaving seems like madness to everyone. The husband earns millions a year, and life seems to lack nothing—except understanding, warmth, and those eyes that will never meet again.
Everyone else thought she should be content, should be patient, and should continue on this facade of perfection. But only she knew that every day she was swallowing unseen sand and gravel, and every "Madam" was followed by an empty echo. The fortress built of money was so solid, yet so silent, so silent that she could hear the crack in her heart spreading inch by inch, silently.