The setting sun slowly sets, reflecting the majestic outline of a palace city. Jinyang Palace always stands silently, overlooking Taiyuan City and even the entire dynasty that prospered because of it.
The government office is relatively smaller, but not as deserted as Jinyang Palace. Before nightfall, a beautiful maid walked into the study and lit the lampstands.
The candlelight woke up Wang Chengye who was lying there. He was tall and tall, with a big rosacea on his face. He was not ashamed of this nose. Instead, he thought it was a kind of beauty that could only be possessed by a true noble.
He squinted and saw a slim figure and a beautiful face. The grace of that beautiful maid was rare to see.
"I've woken you up." She stepped forward with a small step, saying "Blessings", and softly apologized.
Wang Chengye raised his hand, held her catkin, and pulled the soft body into his arms. He took a deep breath and smelled the refreshing fragrance.
"Master Fu, no."
The soft voice of resistance made Wang Chengye excited. He took off her clothes in one fell swoop and pressed this beautiful maid under him like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey.
Hum hum hum, after an unknown amount of time, the sounds in the study gradually stopped.
There was probably someone standing outside the door. When he heard that there was no movement, he opened his mouth and reported: "Master Fu, Li Guangbi is here."
"No," Wang Chengye said.
"But he said that there are urgent matters to report."
"That's not seen either."
"Master Fu, he is coming with troops."
Wang Chengye got up with a "humph", without dressing properly. He put on his robe and casually took a belt to tie it, which showed off his broad and strong chest. He put on his shoes and walked out. He had the majesty of a general and the dignity of a general.
It has the character of the Wei and Jin Dynasties.
When they arrived at the hall, Li Guangbi and a group of generals were all wearing armor. Due to the hot weather, their foreheads were covered with sweat, and Wang Chengye's cool attire gave off a sense of superiority.
"Why did General Li come to visit late at night? Could it be that Shiling Pass was breached?" Wang Chengye asked.
To be honest, he is not just a "general who sends salary" as outsiders say. Facing Cai Xide's offensive, he performed admirably. Firstly, he did not fall into Cai Xide's plan to lure the enemy. Secondly, when the rebels pressed the enemy, he
He was very calm and composed under the circumstances, and did what he had to do, unlike some officials or supervisors who were startled.
Therefore, Li Guangbi still had some respect for Wang Chengye and said with a salute: "Don't worry, Mr. Fu, Shiling Pass is still there. In the future, I would like to introduce someone to Mr. Fu."
"who?"
Li Guangbi then turned sideways and gave way to one person.
This was a young man, wearing armor and dusty from all the travels. He had obviously just arrived after a long day of work, but even though he was tired, his eyes were still very bright. Wang Chengye bullied him as a young man, and still maintained his airs, saying calmly: "This is
who?"
"Xue Bai, the prefect of Changshan, has met the prince."
"So it's you." Wang Chengye raised his arrogance even higher and said with a straight face: "Do you know that it is a serious crime for you to be away from your post to defend the city and to leave your post without permission?"
Facing Xue Bai, his official tone was louder than that of Li Linfu, Yang Guozhong, and An Lushan.
Xue Bai understood his arrogance and said: "The rebels went south, and hundreds of thousands of troops often passed through the mountains and counties..."
"Then you abandoned the city and fled?!"
"I'm here to convey military information." Xue Bai said: "I have two things, please take a look at them."
Li Guangbi waved his hand, and two sergeants immediately came forward with a wooden box in their hands, opened it, and found two heads inside.
Wang Chengye personally took the candlestick and looked at it carefully. He could see the ferocity in the other person's eyes and expression.
"This is the rebel general Li Qincuo, Gao Miao."
Xue Bai roughly told Yuan Luqian's plan and what happened to Dugu Wensu and Li Shiyu among the rebels, and asked Wang Chengye to send troops to Changshan.
This was the first time we met, and he spoke from a very objective point of view, without any added jealousy.
While listening, Wang Chengye sat down on the chair, crossed his legs, and his legs covered with black hair were exposed from under his robe, shaking constantly. He was thinking about this matter.
Until Xue Bai finished speaking, the shaking of his foot had not stopped. After a short moment of silence, Wang Chengye suddenly reached out and slapped the table.
"Xue Bai, the governor of Changshan, abandoned the city and fled. Take it! The rest of the matter will be discussed after I find out!"
"Fu Jun?"
"Take it!" Wang Chengye looked at Li Guangbi with burning eyes, forcing him with the dignity of an official.
Li Guangbi then asked his soldiers to take Xue Bai down first, while he stayed in the hall and asked, "What are you doing, Mr. Fu?"
"Military affairs are nothing to play with. What he said is too strange and may not be credible. We will wait to find out more before discussing." Wang Chengye said: "This young man relies on his talent and is arrogant. He has no eyes for the imperial court. He wants to kill him."
He judged people accurately. Although Xue Bai was not necessarily arrogant, it was true that he did not see the imperial court in his eyes. Even Li Guangbi could feel this. In addition, Wang Chengye was arrogant and did not cover up. He said he wanted to kill Xue Bai.
With Bai's majesty, Xue Bai would not be killed.
But Li Guangbi still said: "Now is the special season. Xue Bai is young and passionate, and he is running and fighting to suppress the rebellion. What if his ambition is dampened, and he will feel resentful towards the emperor?"
"A Changshan prefect fled to the border of Hedong. Doesn't it make sense for me to capture him? If he is really capable, guarding Changshan and sending a messenger to deliver the message is enough." Wang Chengye shouted: "Also, if I really deal with him, I won't
It will fall into your hands, why don't you just let it go now if you want?!"
Li Guangbi had no choice but to point to the head in the box and said: "The enemy general's head is here. How can the military situation be false?"
Wang Chengye pondered, touched his chin and asked slowly: "How is your relationship with Gao Xianzhi?"
The topic suddenly turned to Gao Xianzhi. Li Guangbi was stunned for a moment, and then he understood.
If we follow the usual practice, the report of Gao Xianzhi's battle to destroy Xiaobolu Kingdom should be that under the wise leadership of Jiedushifu Meng Lingcha and the cooperation of the generals, Gao Xianzhi received the military order and ran thousands of miles to capture Xiaobolu King. In this way
In the future, the rewards Gao Xianzhi will receive will not be reduced. The great power of throwing the sky will still be enough for him to eat and drink for several lifetimes, and he can also gain many connections.
But Gao Xianzhi didn't do that, deliberately showing that Fu Meng Lingcha was a useless person who had nothing to do with his body. He was the only one in the four towns of Anxi who had the courage and knowledge to dare to do what others didn't do. Therefore, when everyone thought that Gao Xianzhi had broken the rules,
The saint still transferred Fumeng Lingcha because he was dissatisfied with Fumeng Lingcha's incompetence.
Now let’s look at the incident in front of us. After the rebellion in Anlu Mountain, Hebei fell in just over ten days. And Jingxingkou is the most critical place to suppress the rebellion. It is the main road connecting Shanxi and Hebei. If the war goes well.
, the Battle of Tumenguan was the turning point in countering the rebellion.
When Wang Chengye thought about it, for such a great achievement, according to custom, the first credit should belong to the highest-ranking official, that is, the Hedong Jiedushi. How could it be a prefect who abandoned the city and fled, a long history who surrendered to the rebels, and two servants?
A bastard thief?
After understanding this truth, Li Guangbi said tentatively: "Xue Bai is young and has little knowledge and does not know the rules. Regarding the battle report of the Tumenguan battle, how about asking the emperor to write another one?"
The reason why Wang Chengye asked him to take Xue Bai into custody was not only to give him a warning, but also to discuss the matter with him alone so that he could test Xue Bai's attitude.
Since Li Guangbi understood what was going on, Wang Chengye nodded.
~~
Xue Bai was not treated too harshly and was imprisoned in a posthouse in Taiyuan City.
The handyman gave him hot water and let it cool down in a wooden bucket, but Xue Bai buried his head in the papers and forgot to wash them in the end.
When Li Guangbi arrived, he had already marked a military situation map.
In the early stages of such a war, the number of people in the world who can grasp the intentions of the rebels, the distribution of their forces, and how to counter the rebellion can be counted on one hand. In other words, such a map is extremely precious.
Xue Bai put down his pen, rubbed his eyes, handed the military situation diagram to Li Guangbi, and said with a smile: "I, the prisoner, confessed, and this is a confession."
"Xue Lang, please don't mind. Although Wang Chengye is a bit arrogant, he has no ill intentions towards you."
"It doesn't matter, as long as we can send troops."
Li Guangbi hesitated slightly, then spoke, trying to express Wang Chengye's intention as tactfully as possible, saying: "Xue Lang knows that there are certain rules and regulations for reporting merit to the court..."
"Okay." Xue Bai understood and agreed happily.
If the tragedy of Yan Gaoqing's family being slaughtered due to "the traitor's failure to save" was because Yan Gaoqing had a problem with the report he wrote and made the same mistake as Gao Xianzhi, then Xue Bai can follow Wang Chengye's instructions this time.
meaning to write.
"real?"
"As long as we can send troops to Changshan County, we can write the battle report according to Wang Chengye's wishes." Xue Bai answered simply, while observing Li Guangbi carefully.
Li Guangbi did not feel Xue Bai's scrutinizing gaze, and he wanted to advance the counter-insurgency matter as soon as possible, saying: "I will reply to the prince right now, Xue Lang is waiting for my good news."
Xue Bai said: "Why not go together? In this way, when Wang Chengye agrees, we can discuss the matter of sending troops as soon as possible."
As he spoke, he pointed to the strategic map in Li Guangbi's hand.
~~
This was the second time the two of them went to see Wang Chengye. After a lot of trouble, it was already broad daylight.
Riding his horse to reach the Taiyuan Yamen Office, he suddenly heard someone shouting from behind: "Is this Governor Xue in front of you?"
Xue Bai turned around and saw a group of Taiyuan soldiers bringing a few dusty-looking people over. He recognized a few of them, including Zhai Wande, the steward of Yuan Luqian's family, and Zhang Tongyou, the magistrate of Zhending County.
"Prefect."
"How did you get here?"
"Alang learned the news about Tumen Pass and ordered us to come here overnight." Zhai Wande limped forward and said: "The Lord heard that the rebels have crossed the Yellow River by chance and are in urgent need of attacking Luoyang. The situation is urgent. We have already
Raise the flag anyway and send a message to all the counties in Hebei."
"With such urgency, Yuan Changshi is not afraid that the rebels will turn around and fight back to Changshan?"
"Alang said that it would be best to kill him and come back, so that we can break the siege of Luoyang." Zhai Wande said, "Besides, Governor Xue has already guarded Tumen Pass, so reinforcements must be available in time."
Because of these words, Xue Bai couldn't help but feel that the burden on his shoulders was heavier.
He didn't say anything, he just thought about getting Hedong to send troops as soon as possible.
Then, Xue Bai's eyes fell on Zhang Tongyou, and he frowned slightly. He had heard Yan Gaoqing introduce Zhang Tongyou, saying that "he was born as a Jinshi, and he has a good reputation", and he was the prefect of Changshan.
During my tenure, I got along with Zhang Tongyou several times, and I can really feel his loyalty to the court.
But there is one thing that one of Zhang Tongyou's brothers, Xue Bai, also knew. It was Zhang Tongru who went to work in the Fanyang shogunate after failing the imperial examination in Chang'an in the sixth year of Tianbao and now became An Lushan's counselor.
At this time, meeting Xue Bai's scrutinizing gaze, Zhang Tongyou stepped forward, bowed solemnly, and said: "Xiaoguan's brother was trapped in a traitor, so he begged Yuan Changshi to come and report the news, in order to make meritorious service to the court and save the country.
Clan.”
Xue Bai nodded.
What's interesting is that he is actually the person in charge, but he is also the only person who is not allowed to meet Wang Chengye inside.
He could only wait in the front yard of the government office, watching the group of people walking towards the deep doorway, with no hope of convincing Wang Chengye.
For a long time, Li Guangbi and others had not come out. Xue Bai was thinking about the situation in various parts of the world, and he was inevitably a little anxious. Finally, he simply found a shady place, swept away the corpses of insects on it, and lay down with his arms and clothes as pillows, using this time to make up for his illness.
A sleep.
The wind blew and fallen leaves fell on his face. He opened his eyes and looked. He didn't know what kind of tree it was above. The branches and leaves were sparse, but from this angle, he could see the blue sky through the branches and leaves, which was not easy to see in the past.
of beautiful scenery.
He just lay there and looked at the blue sky, tree branches, and leaves that were blown towards him, thinking that it would be great if the world was not in trouble, and he could lie leisurely like this all day long.
I don't know how much time passed, but the sound of a quarrel came through the courtyard wall.
Xue Bai then stood up and took a look outside the gate, and saw that Wang Nan had already arrived in a hurry.
~~
"Send troops? How to send troops?!"
In the lobby, Wang Chengye was angrily scolding Li Guangbi.
"You have heard the one-sided words of some treasonous and puppet officials, so you are going to dispatch Taiyuan troops?"
"With the head as evidence, how can it be a one-sided statement?"
"That's enough. I have my own judgment. I am the governor of Hedong!"
Wang Chengye stood up suddenly, walked to a large map in the hall, slapped it with his big hand, and said: "Do you know what situation we are facing? The traitor's plan is to attack Beidu and Dongdu together. Now it is
I held on to Taiyuan, and they had no choice but to gather their forces to attack Luoyang."
This is correct. The rebel route he refers to is consistent with Xue Bai's strategic plan.
"I defended Taiyuan, and Cai Xide's army did not advance an inch. However, all the counties in Hebei fell to thieves in less than half a month. They are all useless."
"You can't say that." Li Guangbi said: "Taiyuan is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and the terrain is dangerous. In Hebei, there is a flat plain with no danger to rely on."
"No need to make excuses for them!" Wang Chengye shouted, "I only saw them fleeing, rebelling, and abandoning the city. They asked me to send troops with only two heads. But I ask you, they came to invite me
By sending troops, are we really going to cut off An Lushan's return route, or are we planning to let An Lushan sneak attack Taiyuan with surprise troops?"
"Do you not believe Xue Bai and Yuan Luqian?"
"I can't believe it." Wang Chengye said: "Xiongwu City is just to the north. Cai Xide's army is approaching the city. How dare I risk Taiyuan? Once I divide my troops and leave the city, I encounter Cai Xide and An Lushan's heroic cavalry. Can I survive?"
"Master Fu, Xue Bai has designed to lure Cai Xide to divide his troops and go to Jingxing. This rebel army does not bring food and grass. As long as Master Fu sends out a light cavalry to fight with Tumen Pass and blocks Jingxing, this rebel army will not be able to advance.
Can't get out..."
"What kind of troops and horses does Taiyuan Prefecture have? What kind of troops and horses does Xiongwu City have, Fan Yang?" Wang Chengye said: "Changshan County can be lost, but if Taiyuan City is lost, Chang'an will not be able to defend it sooner or later. Who can afford this?
Heavy responsibility?!"
From his perspective, these words are obviously very reasonable.
Without trusting Xue Bai and others, it is the safest and safest way to concentrate on guarding Beidu first and not be fooled by any intelligence.
For a General Yulin who has never been on the battlefield, this kind of thinking is actually very remarkable. I hope that he will lead unfamiliar soldiers and horses like Wang Zhongsi, venture out of the city, accomplish extraordinary feats, and become famous in some way.
To put it bluntly, it is indeed difficult to force others to do so.
Li Guangbi was calm and resolute, but he was not a person who was good at debating. He was speechless for a moment.
At this moment, Xue Bai strode from the front yard and asked loudly.
"So, you are determined not to send troops?!"
"Of course." Wang Chengye narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Xue Bai, scolding: "Who asked you to come?!"
Xue Bai said: "Did you know that there are still many officials in Hebei who are interested in the Tang Dynasty? Do you know that you represent the majesty of the imperial court? As long as the retreat route to Anlu Mountain is cut off, the rebels will collapse without a fight, and the rebellion will be suppressed."
"Let me ask you, who asked you to come?"
"If we don't send troops, how can we write a report? I'm afraid it won't be what you want."
Wang Chengye heard this and sneered: "It's not up to you to decide this matter. This is Taiyuan, and it's not a place where you, a fugitive from office, can act arrogantly."
Xue Bai walked into the hall and asked, "Are you too confident?"
Wang Chengye's eyes became more and more arrogant. He raised his head with confidence, raised his voice and asked, "Do you know why the saint sent me here?"
"I don't know."
"My surname is Wang, King of Taiyuan!"
The Taiyuan Wang family is of course a very powerful family, and the first queens of today's saints are all from the Taiyuan Wang family.
Wang Chengye and Empress Wang were of the same clan, and they were the right-guard generals of Nanliang. After Zhongshu Ling Wang Shennian, in short, because of his prominent surname, he was promoted to the rank of General Yulin.
But after hearing his majestic words, Xue Bai shook his head in disappointment.
It seems that the truth does not make sense. At a time when the overthrow of the country is imminent, some people still cannot let go of the prejudice and arrogance of aristocratic families, so how can they place their hopes on them.
It doesn't matter, Xue Bai came this time not to persuade Wang Chengye.
He came to persuade Li Guangbi.
"Deputy Commander Li, what do you think?"
"I ordered you to take down this fugitive official, why did you let him in again?!" Wang Chengye shouted when he saw Xue Bai turning to Li Guangbi.
"Master Fu, if you just want to write a report, we can discuss it..."
"Can't you see yet? This guy is the one who is greedy for success and hastened to advance." Wang Chengye said, "He wants to take risks in Taiyuan."
"Oh."
Someone chuckled, but it was Wang Rao who was standing behind Xue Bai.
When Wang Chengye saw it, he immediately scolded him: "Why did you come to Taiyuan City without guarding Shiling Pass?"
"If we hadn't taken the risk, Shiling Pass would have been lost long ago." Wang Rao was too lazy to talk to him. He turned to Li Guangbi and said, "Do you still want to persuade him? Let's do it."
"What do you want to do?" Wang Chengye was furious when he heard this, "Wang Baowan, are you trying to instigate Li Guangbi to rebel?!"
Gradually, everyone's eyes fell on Li Guangbi. After all, this deputy envoy of Hedong Jiedu was the one who was truly capable of generals, capable of controlling troops and horses, and capable of fighting wars.
One of his decisions is related to the safety of Taiyuan, the northern capital, the expectations of the counties in Hebei, the determination of the court to suppress the rebellion, and even countless lives.
Finally, after a long silence, Li Guangbi spoke.
"I have two memorials here. Please take a look at them first."
He took out two pieces of paper from his pocket and placed them on the desk.
Wang Chengye picked it up and looked at it, and saw that the first memorial was to express his merits, saying that under Wang Chengye's wise decision, the Hedong Army foiled Cai Xide's plot to attack Taiyuan, contacted Changshan County officials, and killed Li Qincuo and Gao Miao.
.
After looking at it, Wang Chengye shook his head with some disdain.
In fact, Li Guangbi did not need to repay his merits, he could do so himself, and Zhang Tongyou had just agreed to testify for him. Changshan prefect Xue Bai abandoned the city and fled, and Yuan Luqian surrendered to the rebels. Who did the real credit? Of course.
Wang Chengye, the governor of Hedong Province, is now the top official in suppressing the rebellion.
"I don't know how to adapt."
Having made such an evaluation of Li Guangbi in his heart, Wang Chengye picked up another memorial and read it.
When a few words fell into his eyes, he squinted his eyes, became furious, and stood up suddenly.
"Li Guangbi! How brave are you to frame me?!"
"The general is just telling the truth," Li Guangbi said.
"Fart!" Wang Chengye said: "When I arrived in Taiyuan, I didn't even set foot in Jinyang Palace. How can I taint the people of Jinyang Palace? When I don't know that you want to hold me hostage to seize military power? You are so brave."
It turned out that Li Guangbi's other memorial was to report that he had defiled the people of Jinyang Palace. Wang Chengye had been guarding the palace in Chang'an for a long time. How could he not know that this was a capital crime and he had never committed it.
"Last night, the king raped someone from Jinyang Palace." Li Guangbi asked, "Don't you want to admit it today?"
"you……"
Wang Chengye's expression changed. Thinking of the beautiful maid last night, he couldn't help but asked in shock: "How did you place someone next to me?!"
Li Guangbi did not answer, solemnly performed the military salute again, and said: "I only ask the prince to resolutely resist the thieves, not to lose the majesty of the court, and not to let down the officials of Hebei in the Tang Dynasty."
"You!" Wang Chengye gritted his teeth and said word by word: "You are also a rebel!"
He raised his hand and pointed at Wang Nan and Xue Bai.
"I can finally see it. One by one, you are all rebels!"
Wang rarely laughed when Wang Chengye pointed at him.
He turned his head and looked in the direction of Jinyang Palace in the distance, and thought of a story——
In the thirteenth year of Emperor Yang's great career in the Sui Dynasty, Li Yuan was still staying in Taiyuan and leading the Jinyang Palace. At that time, Li Shimin wanted to compete in the world, but knowing that Li Yuan would not agree, he secretly discussed with Pei Ji, the deputy supervisor of Jinyang Palace. Pei Ji then arranged for Jinyang
The concubine of the palace attended Li Yuan's bed, but did not tell Li Yuan her identity. It was not until they had a drink next time that she revealed everything and asked Li Yuan to raise an army. Li Yuan refused on the surface and wanted to take Li Shimin to the court, but he had already committed a crime.
In the end, he had no choice but to agree to the serious crime of defiling the palace people. He also said that it was because of the deep love between father and son that he could not bear to report his son, so he was forced to raise the army.
Is this rebellion? Of course it is rebellion.
But it is precisely because of this conspiracy about Jinyang Palace that the prosperous age of "the Tang Dynasty is known, and God provides it to all nations".
Emperor Taizong shot a sharp arrow in front of the Xuanwu Gate; Wu Zetian changed Tang Dynasty to Zhou Dynasty in Shangyang Palace; Emperor Zhongzong came to power again in Ziwei City; the saint in Daming Palace killed Empress Wei... The Tang Dynasty was never afraid of rebellion.
They are destroying the old and establishing the new for a better future.
Wang Rao turned his head and glanced at Xue Bai, his expression became more determined. He strode towards Wang Chengye and held him down.
"That's right! Then please invite Mr. Wang Fu to discuss the plan with us!"
"Li Guangbi, did you see it? How dare you let them do whatever they want?!"
Li Guangbi did not stop him, he just sighed.
Wang Chengye's head was pressed, and he watched helplessly as Wang Rao took out a letter and ordered him to copy it.
When he saw the words "please make a prince the generalissimo of the conquest", his face froze again, but he did not dare to shout any more.
Because only now did he know that these people were the real rebels and they really dared to kill him...