In Chang'an, there were children chasing each other on Zhuque Street, unaware of the overall situation of the world, and playing carelessly.
Li Guangbi, who was galloping by, saw Li Guangbi, pulled the reins and slowed down his horse, a slight smile appeared on his stern face, and then rushed to the Marshal's Mansion in Pingkangfang.
The Marshal's Mansion actually replaced Li Linfu's residence with a plaque for temporary use. Now Li Cong has decreed that Xue Bai, the king of Beiping County, be appointed as the Grand Marshal of the World's Military and Horses, with Li Guangbi as the Deputy Marshal, making the situation more stable.
Normally, when military information from various places is delivered to the Marshal's Mansion, at least one of Xue Bai, Li Guangbi, and Yan Zhenqing will be there. Simple matters will be handled by whoever is there, while major matters will be discussed later. Today, Li Guangbi just arrived from Hedong.
The news came that Cheng Ang had sent troops from Shangdang to attack Wei County and cut off An Qingxu's retreat.
Cheng Ang was originally a general in Anxi, and as far as Li Guangbi knew, Xue Bai probably had no personal relationship with him, but it was quite surprising that he could be easily persuaded this time.
Li Guangbi then ordered someone to read the documents to see who Xue Bai sent to join the party. He thought he would be a capable minister, but it turned out to be an unknown young general.
"Zhang Guangsheng?"
Li Guangbi thought for a while and wondered who this person was, so he put the matter down. Cheng Ang must have followed the imperial edict before sending troops.
Looking at the situation again, Shangdang is located to the west of the Taihang Mountains, and you can enter Hebei by exiting the Taihang Trail to the east. This is a strong deterrent to An Qingxu. Of course, there are not many soldiers and horses in Hedong anymore, and Li Guangbi knows this best.
Cheng Ang's move was only a deterrent. The Tang army was insufficient in strength and still did not have the strength to attack Luoyang.
He stood in front of the sand table and played with war games. Not long after, Xue Bai also arrived.
"King Peiping, you must have heard about it?"
"Yes." Xue Baicai entered the hall and said in a decisive tone: "It's time for us to counterattack."
There is not much food and grass in Chang'an, which is not conducive to a long-term war. Of course, we must counterattack as soon as possible. In addition, the people in Guanzhong are in the Tang Dynasty, and there are folk rangers in various places to assassinate the rebels. The situation has indeed gradually turned around.
But on the other hand, the previously established strategy was not to engage in field battles with the rebels' elite cavalry. So, if he wanted to counterattack, Xue Bai's target was obviously not Cui Ganyou's troops trapped in Guanzhong.
He pointed his finger at the position of Luoyang on the sand table and said, "How about sending out an army to attack Luoyang?"
The reason is very simple. To sum up the situation in one sentence, the decisive battle in Guanzhong must be slow and the recovery of Luoyang must be fast.
The enemy has a weak-minded emperor. Defeating him will determine the situation. How can we not fight when we have the opportunity?
Li Guangbi said: "Cui Qianyou is still eyeing Chang'an, and there won't be many troops in Guanzhong."
"Three thousand people are enough."
"Three thousand people to recapture the eastern capital?" Li Guangbi whispered to himself, knowing that this was a big challenge, but it was also a great achievement. He asked: "Who does the King of Peking want to have as his general? Is it rare for the king to win?"
However, Xue Bai shook his head and said: "How about Wang Sili as the main general and Li Sheng as his deputy?"
"Wang Sili was defeated at Tongguan."
Li Guangbi and Wang Sili both served under Wang Zhongsi at the beginning. The gap between them has widened in recent years. One won a great victory in Hebei and the other was defeated in Tongguan. Then during the period of guarding Chang'an, Wang Sili was only average and had no ability.
Brilliant performance.
Sending troops to Luoyang was not a trivial matter, and Li Guangbi was very cautious about the candidates.
Xue Bai, however, had already thought clearly and said, "Give Wang Sili a chance to get up wherever he fell?"
~~
Two days later, Xue Bai placed wine at Chunming Gate to see Wang Sili off.
Wang Sili was only over 40 years old, but he was already an old man in the Longyou Army. As early as the fifth year of Tianbao, when he followed Wang Zhongsi from Shuofang to Helong, he and Ge Shuhan were the same military guards. Different from Ge Shuhan,
Wang Sili was a late bloomer. He grew up in a military camp. When he became famous at a young age, he was inevitably a little arrogant. The defeat of Tongguan was a big blow to him, and he couldn't get over it for a long time.
Although Wang Sili urged Ge Shuhan to support the East Palace when he was in Tongguan, after escaping back to Chang'an, he reflected on whether he was too selfish and led to the defeat. Instead, he did not attach much importance to the merits of supporting the throne and did not get too close to Li Cong or Xue.
Bai, looking a little frustrated.
Xue Bai knew where Wang Sili's heart was, and on the day he saw him off, he said to him: "We must regain Luoyang in this battle and wash away your shame in Tongguan."
"Thank you, King Peiping, for giving me this opportunity!"
"You should find an opportunity to have this letter delivered to Yongqiu. The rest is up to you."
Wang Sili took the envelope, took a look at it, and solemnly accepted it.
"Brother Shuhan is still in Luoyang." Xue Bai lowered his voice slightly and said in a private conversation: "He has surrendered the traitor. If you want the court not to pursue him, you have to perform meritorious service, and you have to let him perform meritorious service."
"I will take back Luoyang even if I die, and I will live up to the trust of the King of Peking!"
Wang Sili was not very good at flattery, but it was difficult to conceal his excitement for leading the troops this time and his gratitude to Xue Bai.
"Go ahead."
The sound of horse hooves faded away, and Xue Bai climbed to the top of the city, watching the billowing smoke and dust disappear into the sky, still deducing the situation in Henan in his mind.
But things that happen in the world are often unexpected, so how can he control everything? He may have overestimated Wang Sili, or he may have underestimated An Qingxu.
He has no regrets about making a move, he can only trust his own judgment.
~~
The Marshal's Mansion is still busy every day, with all kinds of news coming in and out.
The day after Wang Sili set out, an emergency report came from the south of the city, saying: "The rebels have entered Fanchuan!"
Xue Bai frowned, looked at Li Guangbi, and asked, "Did Commander Jie expect this?"
"That's right." Li Guangbi said solemnly: "The terrain of Fanchuan is not easy to defend."
Fanchuan is located twenty miles south of Chang'an City. It is a plain between Shaoling Plateau and Shenhe Plateau, formed by the long-term erosion of the Jianhe River. It was once a food town given to Fan Kuai by the Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, hence its name.
The transportation here is convenient and the fields are fertile. It is a favorite place for dignitaries to settle their separate businesses and has a large number of private gardens. At the same time, it is also home to temples, including the very famous "Fanchuan Eight Temples".
Such a place where fertile fields, beautiful houses, temples and temples gather together naturally has a lot of food.
After Xue Bai and Li Guangbi rescued the siege of Chang'an City, they immediately sent people to Fanchuan to collect grain and move people, so as to strengthen the walls and clear the country as much as possible. But this was not an easy task, and those dignitaries did not cooperate. The situation of hiding food slaves was probably Many of them, which are still under investigation, have been breached by the rebels. It is inevitable to recruit enemies. It only depends on how many enemies there are and how much impact it will have on the situation.
"It is impossible to fight every aspect of the war. I have given a warning. If Fan Chuan doesn't listen, he deserves to be rationed by the rebels." Li Guangbi seemed very indifferent to this. He was only worried that the rebels could hold on longer.
Then, he walked to the sand table, changed the subject, and said: "This matter may not be all bad. Fanchuan is surrounded by plains on both sides, which can limit cavalry charges."
"Recapture the Shaoling Plain?"
"That's right." Li Guangbi said, "Cui Qianyou wants to force us to fight to a decisive battle. Although we don't want to fight to a decisive battle, we can't move forward even an inch."
During the discussion, someone hurried in and said to Xue Bai: "King of Peiping, Du Youlin is here."
~~
Du Youlin waited for a while in the front yard of the Marshal's Mansion. He had also come here to pay a visit to Li Linfu. When he saw Xue Bai coming, he couldn't help but think to himself that Xue Bai had finally become the owner of this mansion.
When they met, Xue Bai immediately stepped aside so that Du Youlin didn't have to see anyone outside.
"I heard that the rebels captured Fanchuan, but is it true?"
"The news is true."
Du Youlin immediately showed a bitter look on his face, held his long beard and wanted to speak but stopped.
Xue Bai didn't ask him. After waiting for a while, he had no choice but to sigh and said: "The Du clan has fallen out, and they must ask me to see you. I have no choice but to come and explain to them. "
This attitude shows that Du Youlin does not want to force Xue Bai.
Xue Bai then asked: "The Du family has many properties in Fanchuan?"
"It is said that it is 'Jingzhao Weidu, go to Tianchiwu', but the original saying is 'Chengnan Weidu'. Since the Jin Dynasty, Du family and Wei family have lived on Fanchuan Road."
"Yes, Du Fu said, 'Wei Quhua is a scoundrel, and every family is angry and kills people.' It's a good place to go, leaning on the plains and facing the water."
Du Youlin's face became more and more bitter as he continued: "After the imperial court issued the order to fortify the walls and clear the country, I have repeatedly advised the Du clan to temporarily move into the city or avoid Ziqian Valley, and they all agreed well. Some people who refused to obey said that they were destined to live and die, and there was no need for me to meddle in their own business. Unexpectedly, they now said that there were still people guarding the door of Fanchuan's old house, or they had secretly hid the food, or even escaped. The officers and soldiers were killed, but the whole family did not move away."
Xue Bai said: "The matter has come to this, what is the use of talking about it anymore?"
Those people have actually influenced Xue Bai to suppress the rebellion, but he is too lazy to say how they are. Under the war, everyone is like an ant. Including Xue Bai himself, he may be trapped in a certain city at any time and lose his life easily. , he tried his best and was willing to admit defeat.
Du Youlin hesitated for a while and said softly: "The Du family, the Wei family took the lead, and people in the city who have other businesses in Fanchuan, all hope that I can persuade the King of Peking to send troops to recover Fanchuan as soon as possible to prevent it from becoming a
Hell on earth.”
Xue Bai said: "You go to appease them and say I promise you. The imperial court will send troops soon, so they can actively join the army and donate materials to serve the imperial court."
Du Youlin actually didn't want to disrupt the court's counter-insurgency rhythm. He said it as soon as he came. He came here as an explanation. He didn't expect Xue Bai to agree so simply.
"Then, when will we send out troops?"
"Waiting..."
Since Li Guangbi arrived in Chang'an, public opinion has believed that counterinsurgency is imminent. The military and civilians are confident that they will win a decisive battle and return to normal life as soon as possible. In Xue Bai's view, this excessive enthusiasm requires vigilance.
Keep telling yourself that now is the time when you need to calm down the most.
But the rebels' entry into Fanchuan obviously put great pressure on him.
Not only were they worried about their own business, the dignitaries in the ancestral home were extremely anxious, but even the common people were eagerly looking forward to the imperial court sending troops to regain Fanchuan immediately, because there were eminent monks in the temples in Fanchuan that they believed in very much.
The next day, people were wailing on Zhuque Street.
"Zhao Shao, the Zen master of Huguo Xingjiao Temple, was eaten by the rebels!"
"Zen Master Zhaoshao could have escaped, but he said, 'If I don't go to hell, who will?' and he was willing to stay and feed the thieves with his body. He only asked the rebels to let go of the children hiding in Xingjiao Temple..."
This incident had a great impact on public opinion. In addition, a general in the army gave an inappropriate response, saying, "When the imperial court was fortified and the country was cleared, the old monk hid the person, but now the rebels have found him.
Is it useful to feed a thief? The rebels will only think that his meat is old and poor, so they will still eat the tender ones."
As a result, the government and the public were in an uproar, and the officials who were worried about Fan Chuan impeached him one after another. Under pressure, Li Guangbi could only give the general thirty military sticks.
At this time, another bad news came.
"Wang Sili had just left Shaanxi County and was ambushed by An Shouzhong's men and was defeated."
Under this circumstance, another general Li Chengguang, who had escaped from Tongguan with Wang Sili, also came to ask to see Xue Bai.
~~
"Although Wang Sili has a strategy, he is not good at attacking. Especially he should not be allowed to command the general on the battlefield."
As soon as Li Chengguang saw Xue Bai, he began to belittle Wang Sili without hesitation. In fact, after Ge Shuhan suffered a stroke in Tongguan, the two men began to fight for power with each other, one in charge of infantry and the other in charge of cavalry.
Yes.
At the end, Li Chengguang expressed his true feelings and said: "If the King of Peking uses him, why not use me?"
Xue Bai said: "Although Wang Sili is not good at attacking, his military laws are strict, his soldiers obey orders, and they are all Longyou cavalry, so they can attack Luoyang."
Li Chengguang said: "Although the last general is an infantryman, he can defeat Cui Qianyou's tribe for the King of Peiping."
"You think the time has come?"
"It's still a little short of time, but we have to attack." Li Chengguang said, "Wang Sili's attack on Luoyang will be defeated. If the news comes back, it will strengthen Cui Qianyou's determination. Even if An Qingxu counterattacks Chang'an, Chang'an will be in danger. And if Cui Qianyou is defeated first
, the King of Peiping personally marched eastward, why worry about rebellion?"
Xue Bai said: "In a decisive battle with the rebels at this time, what are the casualties?"
"The rebels have been unable to defeat Chang'an for a long time and have exhausted their supplies. At this time of year, Fanchuan is close to the plateau and faces water, which is not conducive to the deployment of the rebel cavalry. The location is favorable. The rebel soldiers want to return to Fan Yang, and their morale is low. The Chang'an army is excited, and this person is harmonious. The right time, right place and right people are all mine, I will win!"
Li Chengguang stared at Xue Bai with great enthusiasm, and said: "I beg the King of Peking to give me a chance. I will never betray the trust of the King of Peking!"
If Xue Bai was a little hesitant, he might have agreed, but in the end he just waved Li Chengguang to leave.
"King of Peiping, you should continue to cut off the situation, otherwise you will suffer chaos!"
Li Chengguang still refused to give up and continued to persuade him when he left.
"Cui Qianyou is willing to fight now, and the chance of victory is mine. If you don't fight and let him go elsewhere, you will waste the opportunity..."
Yuan Zai came over with a few official documents. Seeing this situation, he asked Xue Bai: "Why don't you agree to him? In my opinion, we must win the decisive battle now."
"So what?"
Yuan Zai said: "Don't talk about saints and loyal kings, just talk about His Highness the Crown Prince. If you delay for too long, I'm afraid it will be detrimental to you. It's better to strike while the iron is hot and establish your prestige in one fell swoop."
"Cui Qianyou is willing to fight because his strength is still there. Although there are mountains in Fanchuan, the terrain is not dangerous. Once a war breaks out, the casualties will be heavy. Have you ever thought about what to do?"
"Li Guangbi is loyal to the saint, not to Lang Jun." Yuan Zai lowered his head and said: "The decisive battle now is the time to establish Lang Jun's status in the army."
Xue Bai thought to himself that Li Chengguang must have had the same idea before he came to convince him with confidence.
"Mr. Lang, a woman's benevolence cannot be tolerated." Yuan Zai advised again.
"Short-sightedness is even worse." Xue Bai's face turned cold, his tone was a bit stern, and he scolded: "All the elite soldiers and generals belong to the Tang Dynasty. The country of the Tang Dynasty will belong to us sooner or later. If we are complacent about 'driving away wolves and devouring tigers' today, we will be able to capture foreigners next year." There is an intruder, and you want me to run away like a lost dog?"
Yuan Zai felt a chill in his heart and did not dare to persuade him again.
~~
At night, Marshal's Mansion, Yanyue Lake.
"If possible, I really want to go to Luoyang in person, so as not to have to wait for news in Chang'an."
Xue Bai and Li Tengkong sighed while walking by the lake.
The Marshal's Mansion was not his private residence, but a government office, but sometimes he would quietly bring Li Tengkong in to see the familiar scenery.
"Now that your status is different, how can you do everything yourself?"
"That's all, don't be suspicious of the people you employ, and wait for the news with peace of mind. I want to learn from Xie An, who is calm and composed."
Li Tengkong knew that Xue Bai had been under a lot of pressure recently, so he wanted to comfort him, so he did not pretend to be aloof like before, but spoke softly, and was rarely willing to get close to him outside the house.
The two unknowingly walked into the bamboo forest and hugged each other for a while. After that, she pulled Xue Bai.
"no."
"Then let's go to your boudoir? I reserved that courtyard specially."
"Yes...that one is here." Li Tengkong was a little disappointed, "This month, I haven't achieved the righteous results."
Xue Bai was careless a few times when he was in Xie County, and he was worried, but now he breathed a sigh of relief.
Soon, he thought about Yang Yuhuan saying that he could not give birth to a child... Not long ago, he had just asked Du Wulang to escort Yang Yuhuan to the west with Gao Lishi's team. The team was moving slowly, and it must not have happened yet.
To Jincheng County.
In the next few days, Xue Bai was also dealing with various matters.
One time, he fell asleep alone in the lobby of the Marshal's Mansion while reading official documents, but he dreamed of Yang Yuhuan. She was still ridiculing him in her dream. Then, suddenly, the Forbidden Army surrounded them, and his ears were full of "
Kill! Kill! Kill!" shouts.
He then asked Yang Yuhuan in surprise: "Where is this?"
"Maweipo."
An idea flashed in Xue Bai's mind, and he was about to take her away when he was suddenly pushed twice. He looked up and saw that it was Diao Geng.
"Lang Jun, the news is here."
"Give me."
"The messenger hasn't entered the city yet. It seems to be news from Luoyang. The city gate asked if the city was open, but Li Jieshuai was not in the city..."
Xue Bai had already stood up and rushed to the city gate himself.
"Langjun, clothes." Diao Geng quickly picked up Xue Bai's robe and followed.
Riding his horse to the city gate, Xue Bai dismounted and felt a little chilled by the night wind. He turned around and Diao Geng put a robe on him.
"Mr. Lang, I called you all the way, but don't catch a cold."
Only then did Xue Bai realize that he had not heard Diao Geng's cry. After all, he could not take it as calmly as Xie An.
Over there, the messenger has been hoisted into the city on a hanging basket.
"King of Peiping, good news, good news! Wang Sili used a partial force to attract An Shouzhong, and the main force rushed to Luoyang around a small road. Zhang Xun also sent troops to Kaifeng. An Qingxu abandoned Luoyang and fled to Hebei to Mengjin Ferry. Wang Sili and Zhang Xun pursued them. They attacked from both sides.
Victory. An Qingxu only crossed the river with less than 5,000 men, of whom less than 1,000 were cavalry..."
"Congratulations to King Beiping for regaining the Eastern Capital!"
Xue Bai originally thought he would be very surprised when he heard the news, but in fact, he just smiled involuntarily and then felt relaxed.
The next day, the imperial court announced the great victory in Luoyang and the news of preparations for a decisive battle with Cui Qianyou. For a time, the people of Chang'an were excited.
Those who had previously scolded the imperial court for not taking back Fanchuan were still scolding them, but they could no longer make any waves.
Xue Bai did not hesitate in this matter. He led his troops out of Chang'an City, looked back on his horse, and then drove his horse south to fight Cui Qianyou.
~~
The Yanhe River originates from the Qinling Mountains, flows north, bypasses the Han Chang'an City and flows into the Wei River.
Li Guangbi's camp was stationed on the bank of the Jianhe River, stretching for dozens of miles.
When Xue Bai arrived on horseback, Li Guangbi was watching the formation on a high mountain plateau.
"Luoyang was victorious and An Qingxu escaped."
"I have sent sentry horses to deliver this news to the rebels to undermine the morale of the rebels." Li Guangbi said: "But Cui Qianyou still wants to fight a decisive battle with us."
Xue Bai resolutely refused to fight and said: "It's nothing more than the enemy advancing and me retreating, looking for the most favorable opportunity."
"Do you see that there? Xiangji Temple. Cui Qianyou is now stationed in the temple." Li Guangbi handed over his telescope and said: "Look at the mountains and forests in front of the temple. The terrain is complicated. I'm sure Cui Qianyou must have an ambush."
Xue Bai took the telescope and saw a corner of the temple hidden in the forest, and couldn't help but smile.
He no longer had to let the elite soldiers of the Tang Dynasty stain Xiangji Temple with blood. He had created enough conditions to watch the rebels gradually fall apart.
"I brought a lot of buns!"
"What?"
"In this first battle, we will send buns to the rebels. If the soldiers are willing to come out and eat the buns, we will give them a chance to change their ways."
~~
"I don't know Xiangji Temple, but it is only a few miles away from Yunfeng."
"There are no paths to ancient trees, but there are no clocks in the mountains."
This is "Crossing Xiangji Temple" written by Wang Wei, which Cui Qianyou also read.
But the reason why Cui Qianyou chose to set up his tent in Xiangji Temple is that it is not only the most advantageous place in the southern suburbs of Chang'an, but also has a large scale. There is a saying of "riding a horse to close the mountain gate".
Now, as soon as the rebels came in, the temple, which was once full of Zen sounds, was ruined and turned into a smoky mess, filled with blood gas everywhere.
Cui Qianyou wanted to fight decisively, but the prerequisite was to find out the Tang army's array. He sent out a lot of sentries. What made him very angry was that when these sentries came back, they only knew how to tell him in panic that the Tang army had conquered Luoyang. .
Afterwards, some heads were erected on the sacred field.
Many generals from the Yan army visited, and indeed there were many Yan officials from Luoyang.
Morale was naturally greatly shaken.
Cui Qianyou's nerves seemed to be made of iron. Faced with such a situation, he remained unmoved. He sat in the main hall, facing the Buddha statue, racking his brains to think about the arrangements for the decisive battle.
There was the sound of footsteps. He turned around and saw that it was his general, Ashina.
"The Tang army was cooking buns outside the camp, and many soldiers escaped from the camp and surrendered."
Cui Qianyou frowned and said, "Then let's cook buns too."
Ashina hesitated as he was polite and stopped talking.
"If you want to persuade me to surrender, just shut up." Cui Qianyou said: "The situation in Chang'an is definitely not as good as you think. We still have one last chance."
"Can……"
"Have you forgotten?" Cui Qianyou said: "You and Ashina Chengqing have already broken your promise to Xue Bai once. Others can surrender, but if you surrender, you will definitely die."
"I didn't want to surrender!"
Ashina responded resolutely, turned around and left.
He really didn't want to surrender. He negotiated with Xue Bai last time, but in turn attacked Xue Bai and helped An Qingxu get rid of the captured An Lushan.
But he turned around and summoned his subordinates, saying: "Cui has no intention of withdrawing his troops, and it is impossible for a large group of troops to break out of Guanzhong. It is easier for us, one or two thousand people, to go north and pass through Shuofang.
It is better to subdue a few tribes and let us separate ourselves from each other than to die here."