The Chinese Valentine's Day has just passed, and the team that presented prisoners from Anlu Mountain may not have returned to Fanyang, but the team that came to deliver Qianqiu gifts has already arrived.
Early that morning, the broad Zhuque Street was once again blocked by traffic jams. Ren Mulan shouted that she wanted to take Nalanzhen to see the rare animals, but Nalanzhen said that she was tired of seeing them.
"Hey, you're tired of watching even the saints?" Ren Mulan said, "Fan Yang's Qianqiu ceremony is different every year."
"I didn't come to Chang'an to see any strange things. I came to learn power from the master."
"How can your husband be so powerful? He is wallowing in his nepotism all day long."
Nalanzhen didn't believe this at first, thinking that although she had a grudge against Xue Bai, she was still convinced of his abilities. Ren Mulan was clearly favored by Xue Bai, but she said such words.
But two days later, Xue Bai came back. She went to see him as a disciple. When she entered the hall, she couldn't help being surprised. The beauties in the hall were swaying, each with its own characteristics, just like a hundred flowers blooming.
She had never met so many beauties at once in her life. While she was deeply impressed, she actually felt a little inferior. This was an emotion she rarely experienced as a Tibetan princess.
Nalanzhen had no choice but to wake up in her heart. She did not serve others with sex, so she did not compare with them. But she felt deeply ashamed when she thought that she actually wanted to win over Xue Bai by marriage in Yunnan at that time.
"Let's go." Xue Bai also saw Na Lanzhen and waved, "I'll take you to meet my teacher."
"Teacher's teacher, what should I call you?"
"You can call me 'Yan Gong', you can also call me 'Master Shi'."
Nalanzhen felt that it was always beneficial to be sweeter when calling her master. The first rule of power is to be shameless.
After getting on the carriage, she sat down opposite Xue Bai, and finally put on the sweet smile she had learned recently. She imagined that by shamelessly pleasing the high-ranking officials of the Tang Dynasty, she would get the chance to take power and return to the country. She felt like Gou Jian, the king of Yue, watching
King Wu Fu Chai.
"Although I captured you, I don't regard you as an enemy." Xue Bai said, "I don't regard Tibet as an enemy either."
When Nalanzhen saw "Wu Wang Fu Chai" speak, she deliberately looked at him with admiring eyes, as if she was listening attentively. But in her heart, she did not agree with his words and believed that the Tang Dynasty was the biggest enemy of Tubo.
Xue Bai ignored her hypocritical pretense and said to himself: "Tubo will become a part of the Tang Dynasty sooner or later. This is your mission and the meaning of your worship as my teacher."
With just this sentence, Nalanzhen felt offended and suddenly became angry. She tried not to refute. Xue Bai said something that surprised her, saying: "You can go to Longyou with my teacher. If you have a chance,
If so, go back to Tubo."
When she heard that she was going to be released again, Nalanzhen was not excited, but carefully guarded against Xue Bai's possible conspiracy. The carriage drove into a government office and stopped in the yard. She got off the carriage and turned around
I saw a gloomy-looking man in his forties getting off the carriage behind him.
"Master, who is that? He looks so bad."
"Just call him 'Li Juro'. Also, where did you learn the wording?"
"Mulan taught me."
Entering the house, Yan Zhenqing was a majestic man. He looked not like a civil servant, but like a general. When Na Lanzhen saw him, he called him "Master", but secretly thought in his heart that the Tang Ting faction
If such a capable minister goes to Longyou, it will definitely be detrimental to Tibet.
"I will be leaving soon, and I have arranged for someone to take care of you."
Yan Zhenqing had an indifferent attitude towards Nalanzhen, the so-called "disciple". He waved his hand, and two dark-skinned strong women came forward to "take care of" her.
"Princess, please come this way."
The strong women spoke Tubo language, but with a strong Qiang sound. Nalanzhen also noticed that there were small yak heads carved from animal bones hanging on their necks. Among the Tubo tribes, Bailan, Supi, and Tangyan all spoke the same language.
Although they took the yak as their totem, she immediately concluded that they were from the Subi tribe.
Because Supi is a country of girls, there are the most female soldiers.
Then, why did an official in Chang'an City of the Tang Dynasty have female Su Pi soldiers?
~~
When Nalanzhen was taken away, Xue Bai asked, "When will my father-in-law set off?"
"I will meet with His Majesty tomorrow and report the progress, so we can just set off."
"I heard in Lishan that the governor of Pingyuan was in trouble, and Yang Guozhong intended to move his teacher to Shandong." Xue Bai seemed to be teasing, saying: "Compared to Longyou, this is a more stable official position."
Yan Zhenqing frowned after hearing this.
The two of them analyzed it and believed that Yang Guozhong's move was, firstly, to use them to suppress An Lushan, and secondly, because he felt threatened by Xue Bai and intended to release Xue Bai's father-in-law.
Fortunately, what Yan Zhenqing is doing is handled by the saint himself, and there is no reason to give up halfway. This time, Yang Guozhong will not be able to get his wish.
Judging from the results of the conversation, this is a good thing, but Xue Bai has another worry in his heart that cannot be expressed - he has indeed changed a lot of historical trajectories, but if Yan Zhenqing does not serve as the governor of Pingyuan, the Anshi Rebellion will still be
When an outbreak breaks out, who will initiate justice in the plains?
This worry gradually formed fear in Xue Bai's heart. He was afraid that the more he did, the worse the result would be.
And he didn't even have anyone to discuss this matter with...
The next day, after Yan Zhenqing had an audience with the saint, he was transferred to the position of interviewer and handler of Longyou Dao. This was the chief inspector assigned by the imperial court to each Dao. Most of them were people with experience as imperial censors, and they had great powers.
Those who hold this position are often officials whom the saints trust quite a lot. For example, Yang Shenjin once served as the censor Zhongcheng and also served as the envoy to the capital. Miao Jinqing served as the envoy to Hebei in the third year of Tianbao, and in the sixth year he was transferred to the envoy to Hedong Province.
Yan Zhenqing was promoted this time. If he made great achievements again, even though he would not be able to take the post when he returned, he would still be able to participate in the central committee affairs and be regarded as a prime minister.
It just so happened that the errand he was doing was very easy to achieve meritorious service.
In Xue Bai's plan, once Yan Zhenqing becomes prime minister and the situation changes, his control over the situation will be different from what it is now...
Farewell again in the west of Chang'an City, Xue Bai watched the team of carriages and horses galloping into the distance, but unfortunately he couldn't see Longyou as far as he could see.
~~
The banner of the Longyou Jiedushi stood in the wind and roared fiercely. In the distance, the roar of the Yellow River was faintly heard.
This is the latest junction between Tang Dynasty and Tubo. It is located south of Qinghai Lake and west of Riyue Mountain. It is called Jinchenggou. Geshuhan's tent is located on the hillside east of Jinchenggou, which is called Jintianjun Hall.
camp.
The place where the Tang army's troops were pointing was the Desert Gate City built by the Tubo.
In the tenth year of Zhenguan, the Tang army defeated Tuyuhun and granted Murong the title of Prince of Heyuan County, which was a vassal of the Tang Dynasty. In the first year of Xianheng, the whole territory was captured by Tubo and the Desert Gate City was built. In the sixteenth year of Kaiyuan, the Tang army defeated Tubo in Kebo Valley.
, broke through the desert gate city, captured many people, burned the camel bridge and returned; soon, Hehuang fell into Tubo again...
Counting all these, we can see how fierce the war between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo was here.
At the end of July, Yan Zhenqing and his party from Chang'an hurried to the Jin Tianjun camp.
It was difficult in the army and there was no time to arrange a banquet, so Ge Shuhan invited Yan Zhenqing to the tent to discuss it in detail.
Putting down the heavy curtain to block out the biting wind outside, Ge Shuhan limped to the big chair covered with bearskin and sat down with difficulty, humming twice in the process.
"Jie Shuai looks very haggard."
"Gout." Ge Shuhan did not shy away and said: "After this battle, if I can regain the land of the Nine Bends of the Yellow River, I will ask the saint for instructions, unload the saddle and horse, and return to Chang'an to recuperate. At that time, the army will
The people who can replace me are Wang Sili and Li Guangbi, depending on their respective methods."
Before he finished speaking, he skillfully dug out two wine bags from the box beside the chair, threw one to Yan Zhenqing, and picked up the other and drank.
"How can Jieshuai still drink when he has gout to such an extent?!"
"I can't die." Ge Shuhan said: "So what if I live a long time? As handsome as Wang Jie..."
He didn't say any more, and drank alone for a long time before saying: "You can trust me, Mr. Yan, if I were in Chang'an, I would sacrifice my high official position and salary to intercede for Wang Jieshuai."
"He died of illness, how could he ask for mercy?" Yan Zhenqing shook his head, stepped forward, handed a letter to him, and said: "This was written to you before he died of illness. Also, my husband-in-law was
I also sent a letter to explain to the generals of Longyou in Lishan Mountain."
Ge Shuhan took it and looked at it, without much expression change on his face. But Yan Zhenqing observed carefully and could still see that his tightly knit eyebrows had relaxed a little.
After reading the letter, Ge Shuhan folded the letter paper with his huge and rough hands, put it in his arms, and then continued to pick up the wine bag.
He said slowly: "After the death of the right prime minister, the situation in the DPRK and China has changed. Brothers An Sishun and An Lushan and I have never dealt with each other. Of course Yang Guozhong wants to recruit me to help. But what can he promise me? My official position
He has reached the peak of his career as a military official. He neither has the talent to serve as prime minister nor does he want to serve as military governor of various towns. He is ill and only wishes to serve in an official position."
These words were regarded as a statement, expressing his position and expressing his unwillingness to be involved in court disputes.
Yan Zhenqing immediately nodded to show his understanding. He was also someone who did not want to get involved in a power struggle. But unlike his brother Shuhan, who was old and sick, he knew that sooner or later he would not be able to avoid it.
Although Ge Shuhan is old and sick, he has always had a grudge against An Lushan. How can he really avoid it?
After that, the two got down to business and talked about the Tibetan affairs, until a soldier arrived outside the tent to report that a reception banquet for the interviewer had been prepared.
After leaving the tent, Ge Shuhan stood there for a while and saw Li Xiu greeting the generals one by one.
He didn't like this kind of behavior of winning over his generals, but Li Linfu had been a favor to him. Now that Li Linfu was dead, he couldn't treat Li Xiu too harshly, so he had to turn a blind eye.
But before the reception banquet began, he still asked Li Xiu in a dissatisfied and joking tone: "Are you familiar with all the generals?"
Li Xiu said: "But I didn't see General Wang Nan."
Ge Shuhan looked around, called Wang Sili and asked, "Where is the king's rare friend?"
"I heard that Mr. Yan is coming and has gone hunting for blue sheep."
"Eating dog intestines! When he comes back, he will be punished by military law!" Ge Shuhan immediately yelled.
The military years are actually not as exciting as others imagine. Although they often have to fight hard and for a long time, they are actually boring and boring many times.
The Tang army had been confronting the Tibetan soldiers and horses here for several months. The officers and soldiers were extremely bored and often liked to go deep into the enemy territory to hunt game and come back. Filling their stomachs was secondary, but to enjoy the sense of glory of being worshiped by the entire army.
Ge Shuhan did not like his soldiers to take such meaningless risks. In his opinion, those who lost their lives just for a few mouthfuls of meat deserved to be called fools. But the army was full of strong-blooded men.
Never get tired of it.
In the eyes of these soldiers, life is far less important than glory.
~~
Longyang Gorge.
"Longyang" is a Tubo language, meaning "precipitous valley." This place lives up to its name. Both sides of the Yellow River are covered with huge sedimentary rocks, as if they were chopped out by the uncanny workmanship of the gods.
The Desert Gate City stands in the northwest of Longyang Gorge. Looking from the city gate, the world is extremely open. The water of the Yellow River is very clear here, like a green belt, tying up the majestic canyons.
The wall stands thousands of feet high, but there are blue sheep walking along the wall.
Unless you see it with your own eyes, it is difficult to believe that this four-hoofed animal can walk on the cliffs. Even the hunters in Tibet have no confidence that they can hunt blue sheep.
However, that day, the defenders on the desert gate city looked around and saw a group of black spots chasing a blue sheep under a rock wall.
"Who is that?"
"It's the Tang Army. The Tang Army came to our territory to hunt again."
"Shoot them!"
…
On the other side, Li Sheng was galloping on his horse.
Last year, he was still on the battlefield in Nanzhao. After conquering Taihe City, he rushed back to Longyou without stopping and followed Ge Shuhan to regain Hehuang.
But a few days ago, a piece of news reached the army. He didn't believe it and felt very angry. As for why he got the news from Chang'an, it was because his grandfather Li Qin was Wang Zhongsi's general and had returned to Chang'an.
After settling down, he mentioned the death of Wang Zhongsi due to illness in his letter home. His words were very sad and he even reminded Ge Shuhan to pay attention to his position.
Li Sheng was in a depressed mood and wished he could start a war immediately and fight fiercely. However, the Tibetan soldiers and horses relied on the favorable location and defended the desert gate city. He had no choice but to use all his depressed energy and all his strength on hunting.
The horse's back jolted, but he let go of the hand holding the reins and clamped the horse's belly tightly with his legs. He picked up the bow and arrow with both hands and drew the bow and arrow while galloping.
The blue sheep ran too fast, giving him no time to stop and take aim.
"Ten thousand enemies!"
Qu Huan, who was running ahead, shouted, reminding Li Sheng that there was no road ahead.
Li Sheng had to slow down his horse, squint his eyes, and shoot the arrow decisively.
"Whoosh!"
The blue sheep was about to jump into the gap in the cliff, but was hit by an arrow and rolled down.
"Okay!" Qu Huan was overjoyed and immediately drove his horse forward to pick it up.
However, someone in the team already shouted: "The Tibetan army is coming!"
Everyone turned around and looked, and sure enough they saw smoke and dust coming this way. Although they were in a hurry, the number of Tibetan troops coming out of the desert gate city was two or three times their number.
However, these Tang soldiers who dared to hunt were all lunatics. Qu Huan actually picked up the blue sheep and carried it to his horse.
"Kill it!"
Amidst the roar, a horse came out first.
He was a general in his thirties. His horse was galloping so fast that people couldn't see him clearly. They could only feel the terrifying spirit of bravery.
Facing the larger number of enemy generals, he actually launched a charge without fear.
Quhuan carried the blue sheep and fell at the end, shouting: "Put up General Wang's flag!"
There was a "whistle" sound, and a military flag fluttered in the wind, with the message "Tang Heyuan Army Envoy King Rare". Seeing this flag, even the Tibetan soldiers who did not understand Chinese characters immediately became confused.
What kind of people are rare for the king?
The battle that made him famous was in the first year of Tianbao. Tubo launched a large-scale attack on Heyuan. Langzhidu, the eldest son of Chidai Danzhu, was appointed commander. With strong troops and strong horses, he personally went to the Tang army to call for battle within a stone's throw. At that time, Wang Nan was only more than 20 years old.
Not seeing such provocation, he single-handedly charged into the Tibetan formation and stabbed Langzhidu to death. Even before the Tibetan army could react, he led Langzhidu's horse to snatch the body back into the formation and beheaded it.
Lower his head.
In that battle, the Tibetan army unexpectedly lost its commander. Huangfu defeated the enemy and killed 30,000 of them. After the war, the saint personally gave the king rare robes in the royal palace and promoted him to the rank of General Jinwu.
The prince of a country was killed single-handedly in front of the battle. No one would believe the legend, but the king's rare reputation has become an extremely terrifying existence in the Tibetan army.
He did not dwell on his past achievements and still bravely rushed to the forefront of the war.
Because this is the Longyou Soldier of the Tang Dynasty.
"kill!"
With a roar, the gun shot out like a dragon.
The Tibetan soldier who was shocked by the roar had his throat pierced by a spear, and blood spattered out. But before the body fell to the ground, Wang Nannan had already ran more than ten steps.
The sunset was like blood, and a group of Tang soldiers returned to Jinchenggou carrying a blue sheep.
~~
Under the night, the bonfire was burning brightly, and the whole roasted lamb on the fire was already golden.
A group of soldiers were sitting there drooling, waiting and chatting, when suddenly they burst into violent cheers.
"They've been punished and come out!"
"Well done!"
Wang Nannan, Li Sheng, Qu Huan and others came from the direction of the big tent and were treated like heroes, because only the strong served in the army, and they were the strongest.
But when the mutton was roasted, Li Sheng cut off the best piece of meat and said, "I'll give it to Mr. Yan."
"good."
Wang Rao sat like a bonfire, looking a little silent.
When he is not fighting, he is a man of few words and desires. His back is slightly hunched, and he has a lonely posture that does not want to be disturbed.
In fact, his achievements in military neutrality were not limited to stabbing the Tubo prince to death in front of the battle. He also broke through Jishi City and captured Prince Tuyuhun and his son Xi Nong Shen and Xi Jia Zang. After that, he recovered the five bridges and conquered Shudun City.
Like his gun, he is hard, fierce, and indestructible. He is so strong that it is incredible, but gradually it becomes natural.
After making many achievements, he only added Baishui envoy to the army. Of course, at his age, it is rare to unite two troops, but it is slightly out of proportion to his achievements.
Looking at the bonfire at this time, what Wang rarely thought of was the scene when he returned to Chang'an to perform his duties that year.
The saint asked him to perform how he stabbed the Tibetan prince to death in front of the emperor. He rehearsed it several times, but the chamberlain always said it was wrong. First, he said that the action was too fast and it was difficult to see clearly. He should add some actions, such as blocking and spinning the gun.
Later he asked him if he could gallop to the beat of the drum.
Wang Ruo could not spin the spear at first, but after practicing hard for several days, he finally performed it in front of the imperial court. The saint Longyan Dayue personally put a brocade robe on him, composed a song for him, and wanted to keep him in front of the government to guard him.
That is the greatest honor for a general. If Wang rarely accepts it, his future will be brighter. But Huangfu Weiming wanted him to stay in the Longyou Army, and he was deeply favored by Huangfu Weiming, so he stayed. As a result, he arrived in Tianbao
Five years later, a sentence was circulated that almost ruined his future. According to the imperial censor, Huangfu Weiming once said to him, "You have received too much favor from the saint now. How can you deal with it when the prince succeeds to the throne?"
Fortunately, Huangfu Weiming knew that he would die, confessed his crime early, and Wang Zhongsi, who also served as the governor of Longyou, came forward, so the matter did not involve Wang Ran.
Wang Zhongsi was a commander who loved his soldiers as much as his son. When he was concurrently serving as Longyou, he had reached the stage where he did not fight for fame. Wang Nanwan learned a lot from him...
Just as he was thinking about this, Wang rarely felt someone pat his shoulder.
"Want to drink?" Li Sheng mysteriously shook the wine bag in his hand.
"Call the Commander-in-Chief?"
"The wine is small, just enough for you and me."
Wang Nan knew that Li Sheng had something to say, so he got up and followed him up the mountain.
The weather here was bad, the wind was dry and cold, and the two of them walked into a cemetery wrapped in dirty felt blankets.
This is the burial place of their brothers and sisters. Since the attack on Jiuqu of the Yellow River, many Tang troops have been buried in other places. However, the saint issued a strict order that Ge Shuhan must regain Hehuang. The imperial court also fully supported it and recruited troops from Guanzhong.
Delivered in a steady stream.
In front of a mass burial tomb, someone was sitting under the moonlight wiping the inscription.
"Who is this?" Wang Nan asked.
Li Sheng responded: "Li Shilang, the son of Li Linfu."
Li Xiu turned around and said, "I see a few familiar names on this inscription and would like to take a look."
"They are all generals transferred from other places. Maybe you have read the documents."
Wang Ruo was silent, and his sturdy figure seemed a little resistant.
Li Xiu didn't speak either. He didn't want to talk too much to people who didn't trust him. Among the generals of the Long You Army, only Li Sheng was whom Xue Bai trusted more and thought he could reveal some information to test his reaction.
Li Sheng's response was very positive, and he even took the initiative to bring Wang Rao, saying that Wang Rao was someone who could make plans.
The atmosphere between the two of them was originally very good when they were talking in secret, but now it became awkward when there was one more person.
"General, sit down. Juro has brought a token."
After being greeted by Li Sheng, Wang Nannan finally sat down, took the token, and looked at it under the moonlight. He saw that it was a completely blunt gun head. He was slightly startled and put it away.
Li Xiu waited for a while, but didn't wait for his reaction, so he had to speak first.
"General Wang has also seen it. What I have brought here is not the order of the Prime Minister's Mansion, but the token of Wang Jieshuai. I am not afraid of the general's ridicule. After my grandfather passed away, my family was like a tree.
It’s as powerful as it was back then.”
Only then did Wang Lan say: "Back then, I followed Marshal Huangfu to the capital, and thanks to the gift of the Right Prime Minister, Marshal Huangfu never returned to Longyou again. I will remember this in my heart."
"I'm not here for my grandfather." Li Xiu said: "To make the general laugh or even disbelieve him, the person I serve now is my grandfather's enemy in the past, and he has always been kind to Wang Jieshuai and the Longyou generals.
person."
"What do you want?"
"I'm assigned to Longyou, what else can I ask for, just to save my life." Li Xiu said, picked up the wine bag and said, "I'll drink first to apologize to the general. Please don't remember the past grudges between you and me."
"No need, just tell me what you want to think about."
Although Wang Ruolan had a calm expression and his body was as still as a mountain, his eyes looked unusually alert and always on guard, like a blue sheep guarding against a goshawk.
Li Xiu originally wanted to establish a good relationship first, then test the situation step by step, and gradually bring up the topic, but Wang Ruo's attitude of going straight to the point made him very embarrassed.
He was a cautious person. He would rather say nothing than take risks. He simply drank the wine in the wine bag and said, "I just want to apologize and say goodbye."
Li Sheng held him down.
"General Xin Wang, say."
Li Xiu was so drunk that he looked at Li Sheng's bright eyes and turned his head, only to see Wang Rao's profile as clear as a sculpture.
"Stop being indecisive. If you achieve great things, don't you regret your life?" Li Sheng also took out a piece of rock sheep from nowhere and stuffed it into Li Xiu's mouth. "This is the rock sheep that we hunted with our lives for you to eat. Now take it.
Your blue sheep come out."
"good!"
I don't know if it was the strong drink or the atmosphere outside the Great Wall that gave Li Xiu the courage to speak.
The sound was so small that it could not even be carried one step away in the low wind.
Faintly, only the four words "old and comatose" made people grit their teeth and say them louder.
Wang Rao listened carefully and his body gradually stiffened. Even though he was a very adventurous person, he felt that what Li Xiu said was... shocking.