Chang Sheng's cultivation was so advanced that in the early morning of the next day, when Li Xuan was having breakfast, he could still hear his miserable howl.
"Your Majesty said at the beginning that whenever outsiders get involved in the court, they probably have impure thoughts." Lin Feibao said bitterly: "Now it seems that this is indeed the case."
"What he said came true, but others are lying in the Gongling Mausoleum and will never see this scene again."
Li Xuan was thinking about that father's past.
He keenly saw the hidden worries in the prosperous age of the Tang Dynasty and put forward many suggestions in advance.
But apparently his efforts were in vain.
Li Xuan took a look at Chang Sheng. At this moment, the wooden stake was just about to go in.
"Sure enough, your cultivation is profound." Li Xuan praised, "Come here and help the real person wear some clothes!"
…
"My lord, there have been many incidents in the south, and those who were demoted have started to revolt."
Shi Zhongtang could not rest in the camp. News from all sides showed that the officials who had recently returned to the camp were restless, and many of them had already raised troops.
"My lord, why don't you go back to the army?"
Chunyu said: "Let's just stay in the south and watch Li Xuan and Chang'an fight."
"If we retreat, the morale of our officers and soldiers will be lost." Shi Zhongtang thought more. "It's hard to get up, but it's easy to get down. You can advance but not retreat."
Chunyu scratched his head, "What if Southern Xinjiang also rebels?"
When Shi Zhong raised troops in the Tang Dynasty, most of the troops were foreigners, so he naturally had no objections and was even very happy. He hoped to go to Chang'an to plunder.
But the people in southern Xinjiang are different. Most of them are people from the Tang Dynasty. Who the hell wants to see the country in ruins?
Moreover, Shi Zhongtang is from a different race and is not considerate!
Therefore, when news came that the people in southern Xinjiang were dissatisfied, Shi Zhongtang doubted his decision to raise troops for the first time.
"If we cannot break Jiagu Pass and Li Xuan is on the side, our army will have nowhere to go and will have no choice but to turn back and wipe out the rebels."
"Is it wrong to start an army this time?"
Shi Zhongtang fell into deep self-doubt, but he was a hero after all, and he quickly came out of that depressed mood.
"Ask He Zun, how is it over there?"
He Zun asked someone to reply: "My lord, don't worry."
He Zun was just under the pass and said to his subordinates: "Continue to show off our power and let the passer see our strength."
Thousands of soldiers were shouting and yelling at the gate, and the soldiers behind the gate were furious.
There are just a few thousand people, but with an army of more than 100,000 in Jiagu Pass, one person can crush these dogs to death with just one kick.
Dou Zhong was also watching. His subordinates asked for a fight, but he refused without hesitation, "We just need to hold on."
The news from Chang'an was not good. Although the emperor had given him the command of the thirteen thousand people, Liang Jing had openly attacked him in the court, saying that he had the intention of treason.
Just when Liang Jing opened his mouth, an old minister rushed over and covered his mouth, saying, "My dear Mr. Liang! Don't say it, don't say it."
He said to the emperor: "At first, Prime Minister Liang said that Shi Zhongtang was going to rebel, and it turned out that Shi Ni actually rebelled. Now..."
Shut that crow mouth of yours!
Dou Zhong knew that from the moment he resisted the order, there was no room for change between him and Chang'an. Either the emperor would kill him, or he would kill the emperor.
There is a third option, independence.
At this point in the world, the world has already made a mess of porridge.
Although the 10,000 troops were under the command of Dou Zhong, the leading general was from Liang Jing and did not listen to Dou Zhong's orders at all.
"Let him discuss matters."
Dou Zhong's eyes were dark.
Soon, the horse rushed over.
"I've met the general."
Ma Chong saluted so well that it was hard to find fault with him.
Dou Zhong said calmly: "I asked you to lead the army to Jiagu Pass, but you turned a deaf ear. Are you making fun of my general order?"
"I only obey the orders from the palace!" Ma Chong thought to himself, do you still dare to kill me for this reason?
"Domineering!" Dou Zhong waved his hand, "Kill him."
"You dare!"
Ma Chong drew his sword and jumped up.
A team of swordsmen rushed in from outside.
Suddenly, the room smelled full of blood.
Ma Chong was domineering and was beheaded by Dou Zhong.
The 10,000-strong army was officially put under Dou Zhong's command.
As a result, Dou Zhong eliminated the threat from his side and rear.
…
"Dog thief!"
Liang Jing said bitterly: "Your Majesty, Dou Zhong is probably planning to rebel."
The emperor went to the harem.
"Dou Zhong?" The Supreme Emperor drank wine and said calmly: "In this situation, unless you let Han Shitou lead the army, anyone else will have different intentions. Do you know why?"
The emperor naturally knew that "when the majesty of the emperor is no longer there, the ministers will have other thoughts."
The Supreme Emperor sighed, "The majesty of an emperor is not simple. When the dynasty is at its peak, the prestige of the emperor comes naturally. It was like this before."
In the past, the Tang Dynasty was stable, and this was the foundation that made the emperor as stable as a mountain.
"Now that the Tang Dynasty has lost its north and south, the country is in ruins. But you are still hiding in the pear garden just to enjoy yourself. This is stupidity. The world is in chaos and the emperor is stupid. You are taking the initiative to feed your ambitions to your ministers. To be honest, if Aye and Aniang look at it,
In the current situation of Datang, I don’t know if I will regret it, but anyway, I regret it.”
The Emperor smiled and drank.
"Don't think that I don't know that you have been jealous of your uncle." The emperor said coldly: "Otherwise, when I opened my mouth, you wouldn't have nodded in agreement and harmed your brother."
"I am jealous, but you are filled with hatred." The Supreme Emperor smiled and said, "You hate that you don't have a father like your brother, and you hate that you have a father who is obedient to your mother, hahahaha!"
"You are overthinking." The emperor said calmly: "The situation is critical now. I don't expect Dou Zhong to dare to rebel at this moment. But Tai'a has been holding on for a long time, and it is inevitable that he will have other thoughts. Chang'an is not in danger.
, once Dou Zhong counterattacks, Chang'an will not be able to stop it."
"There's not much you can do." The Supreme Emperor pondered for a long time and took a sip of wine. "You can't defend yourself."
"Dou Zhong was alert. I had just recruited more than 10,000 warriors, so he tried to test and wanted these more than 10,000 warriors. I had to give them..."
"If you could compromise with Northern Xinjiang like this, why would you do this?" the Supreme Emperor said sarcastically, and then sighed: "Now there is only one way."
"What way?"
"I heard that there isn't enough food in Chang'an?"
"The north and south are cut off, and there is not much food left in Chang'an."
"Can you afford an army of two hundred thousand?"
The emperor looked deeply at the Supreme Emperor and said, "I understand."
The Supreme Emperor smiled and said: "What's the use of knowing? Let me tell you, Shi Ni is a foreigner after all, and everyone in the world will oppose him, so even if he attacks sharply, he still can't make a difference. But that little brat is different, Erlang, that's filial piety
The child, he carries the blood of his brother...he will become a big problem."
"Therefore, I would rather abandon the south than dispatch a large army to Zhangzhou to block his move south."
At this point, Li Yuan and his son share the same goals.
"That little brat! I seem to see him gnashing his teeth. He is waiting to catch our father and son and cut them to death. Erlang, stop him..."
"I know it."
"Erlang, I want to visit the Ancestral Temple." The Supreme Emperor looked at the Emperor.
"Who are you going to worship? Aweng and grandma?" The emperor said coldly: "At this time, if you make such a stop in the imperial city, the whole of Chang'an will guess that something has happened to me."
After the emperor left, the Supreme Emperor stood up and "prepared some incense candles and paper money."
He burned some paper money outside the hall where he was imprisoned.
"My brother once said that the East Palace was not a safe place, and he was also worried in the East Palace. I didn't believe it at the time and thought he was being hypocritical. Now, all this has come true."
The Supreme Emperor squatted down with difficulty and put in a few sticks of incense, "Brother, do you hate me?"
The palace people stood on the edge, watching this former self-respecting man talking to himself.
"Of course you hate him, otherwise why did you try your best to get that child to leave Chang'an?"
"Now that he is coming, brother, are you happy?"
"You must be happy! Hahahaha!"
The laughter alarmed an imprisoned concubine.
"Is it over yet? Old man, be careful you laugh so hard that you can't even catch a breath."
"Ha ha ha ha!"
The laughter continued, and it took a long time before it stopped.
"I, I really wish I could die if I couldn't breathe like this."
"Actually, I can commit suicide. I have a knife and a rope, but I can't do it."
The Supreme Emperor looked into the distance, "Brother, you often say that I am worthless. Look, you are right."
The Emperor's words were conveyed to the Emperor word for word.
"Don't worry about him!"
The emperor rubbed his forehead and said, "Ask the abbot, how much grain is left?"
Han Shitou went to the Household Department in person. As soon as he entered, he noticed something was wrong. It was deserted.
He asked the clerk who was leading the way. The clerk looked around and said, "Many of them have taken leave."
A feeling that the building is about to collapse arises spontaneously.
Yang Songcheng remained the same, looking extremely calm.
"Money and food? Tell your majesty, it will be unsustainable in ten days at most."
"Ten days?" Han Shitou couldn't help being shocked.
"With the communication between the north and the south cut off, food from Shu cannot be sent out."
"The fertile wilderness in Guanzhong is thousands of miles away..." said the accompanying chamberlain.
"Thousands of miles of fertile land?" Yang Songcheng stroked his beard with a hint of sarcasm in his eyes. "But how many people do Guanzhong have to feed? A hundred years ago, there was not enough food in Guanzhong, so it was all transported from various places.
There were granaries in Luoyang, which could support millions of people. But now that the passage to Luoyang is cut off, where can we get food? You are here just in time. Please inform Your Majesty that in ten days, you will either go out to eat, or... prepare to go hungry!"
Have we actually reached this situation?
Han Shitou went back to report.
"I know it's hard to keep food and grass going!"
The emperor sighed, "Twenty thousand soldiers eat horse chews, which is an astonishing amount every day. It is difficult to be the head of the country."
At this moment, the two sons-in-law's positions are the same.
The King of Yue came to ask for an audience. When he heard about this, he took the initiative to hand over the grain stored in the palace.
"That's fine." The emperor smiled happily.
Immediately, the envoy went to Jiagu Pass.
"There is not much food left. Your Majesty asked the general, should we go to war, or... wait for food to run out and then collapse without fighting?"
The messenger was very tough this time and wrote a suicide note before setting off.
"Out of food?" Even though he knew that this would be the case sooner or later, when the news came, Dou Zhong still felt as if he had been hit hard.
The envoy resigned, and the staff said: "It must not be that urgent."
"But it is a fact that the north and the south are cut off and Chang'an is short of food." Dou Zhong knew this. "The isolation of Luoyang is the most fatal."
"But if we go to war..." the staff member said melancholy, "I'm afraid it's a trap."
"There are only two ways to go at the moment. Either wait until there is no food and the army collapses without a fight, or we can only make a desperate move... and go to war!"
Everyone looked at Dou Zhong.
If the rebels can be defeated, Dou Zhong's prestige will be at its peak.
But if the battle is defeated...
Dou Zhong rubbed his face with both hands until his old face turned red.
"There are still seven or eight days of food left."
Everyone knows that seven or eight days is a dangerous number.
Once there is no food, the army will collapse in an instant.
There are thousands of enemy troops outside the city.
…
"I conclude that Li Mi will definitely urge Dou Zhong to go to war, not only because of people's suspicion, but also because there is no food in Chang'an!"
He Zun shook the cattail leaf fan under the pass and said with a smile.
The generals just laughed.
"Luoyang was originally a large granary in Chang'an. Luoyang was captured by our army and Chang'an's grain and grass were cut off. I had originally sent people to Chang'an to inquire about it and bribed officials from the Ministry of Revenue to ask questions. The grain stored in Chang'an can only last for half a month at most."
But Yang Songcheng said ten days.
"Half a month, it's almost time."
…
"Inform your majesty, my lord, and obey your orders!"
Dou Zhong raised his head, and there was a touch of determination on his red old face, "My lord, we will definitely defeat the rebels!"
…
"Tell the Duke that it's time to prepare."
He Zun smiled.
Woohoo!
Before he finished speaking, the trumpet from the top of the city sounded.
In the early summer of the 15th year of Daqian Dynasty, the defenders of Jiagu Pass took the initiative to go to war because they could not sustain their supply of food and grass.