The brush smoothly wrote down a series of beautiful regular scripts on the bamboo paper. In the end, the person holding the brush became angry and the handwriting became much more sloppy, gradually becoming a wild cursive. However, the momentum of the brush was not weak, but more sharp.
Xue Bai finished writing a letter and read it several times. He felt that the anger in his heart had been fully released, so he called for someone to come and handed it over.
"Send it to Yong County..."
He rubbed his eyes, stood up after a moment, and walked to the sand table to think about the situation. If Guo Ziyi went to Pizhou, Fangzhou, detoured to Hedong, and came out of Jingxing, then there might even be a decisive battle between Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi.
If other people think about it, just fight, and you may not win. In the worst case, you can recruit and surrender the rebels under the best conditions, win over Shi Siming, borrow troops from Huihe, borrow troops from Khitan, and Xi.
But it was this method of putting out fires with wages that prevented the rebellion from being quelled for eight years. After three emperors of the Tang Dynasty, four emperors of the Puppet Yan Dynasty, and two falls of Luoyang, there were many vassal towns since then, from Tianbao's Ten Jiedu to Thirty-six Jiedu.
The envoys, the capital fell six times, and the emperor moved nine times, which indirectly caused the chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms for more than seventy years.
Since he knew that the Tang Dynasty was in decline, there were things that Li Heng could do that Xue Bai couldn't do. He didn't want the possibility of a decisive battle between Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi in Hedong, so he had to do what others couldn't do. After thinking about it, it turned out that
There is only one way.
Xue Bai picked up a military chess piece and placed it on the sand table at the location of Yong County, which was Li Heng's Fengxiang Mansion in Xijing.
To capture the thief, capture the king first.
~~
Fengxiang, Xijing, palace.
When the guard guarding the gate of the small palace saw someone coming, he looked up, his face became solemn, and he saluted, "King Jianning."
"I want to see His Majesty."
Li Tan's face was calm, but there was a hint of anger. Although the guards did not receive the order, they always respected the young prince and did not dare to stop him, so they stepped aside and let him in.
Although this place is called a palace, it was actually renovated from an ordinary government office, and the area is not very large. Li Tan passed through the second courtyard, and because the people in the palace kept shouting greetings, he alerted Li Heng and Li Chu who were discussing matters inside.
Li Chu heard the commotion, said goodbye to Li Heng, exited the hall, and stopped Li Tan as if by chance.
"Sanlang, why are you here?"
With that said, Li Chu pulled Li Tan aside and asked in a low voice: "Are you here for the post of generalissimo of the world's soldiers and horses?"
"No." Li Tan said.
But Li Chu noticed the dissatisfaction in his tone, smiled bitterly, and said: "If you let me tell you, you are far better than me, and you are popular among the people. You are more suitable to be the marshal. This matter..."
"I know this matter very well." Li Tan said: "My father asked Mr. Li for advice and said that my brother would be made a prince sooner or later, so why should I be a marshal again? Mr. Li said that if I served as a marshal and made meritorious service, my father would not
How can the generals who have served me as my crown prince agree to this? Therefore, my father appointed my brother as marshal."
Li Chu's expression couldn't help but change slightly. After all, it was a bit embarrassing to bring this turbulent dispute for the reserve to the forefront, especially since the two brothers had been in good terms since childhood.
But Li Tan was very calm and said: "Brother, don't worry that I will be dissatisfied with this matter."
"I'm not worried." Li Chu said, "I just hope you won't be angry with Mr. Li because of this."
"No." Li Tan said, "I have thanked Mr. Li privately. The position of marshal is not easy to sit on."
Having said this, he smiled slightly as an encouragement to his brother and at the same time to express his sincerity.
Li Chusui also smiled and said, "That's good."
But he was a little unsure whether Li Tan said this out of sincerity or to show off his close relationship with Li Mi.
Now, the three of them, father and son, all want to get close to Li Mi, as if there is a hint of "competing for favor", but the subtle mentality here is not enough to explain to outsiders.
"Thanks to Mr. Li." Li Chu said with emotion, "My father still wanted to continue using Fang Guan. Fortunately, Mr. Li planned to stop him and finally convinced my father to use the right strategy..."
"I came here to ask about borrowing troops back to Hehe."
Li Tan interrupted Li Chu for the second time. He took out several documents from his sleeves and handed them out one by one.
"This letter is an edict from King Qing, accusing my father of being unfaithful, filial, and benevolent. At the same time, he announced to various officials that we were colluding with the Uighurs and wanted to plunder Chang'an and Luoyang. This was Xue Bai's letter, and hundreds of copies were copied.
Shoot it into the city and scold the father. This is the first publication of Chang'an Daily after defeating Hu Ni. Brother, take a look, what on earth did they say about us?!"
After speaking, Li Tan's face turned red, and he suddenly raised his voice and said: "I am so ashamed and embarrassed, I wonder what happens to my brother?!"
"Why do you care what other people say?"
Li Chu's attitude was calm and he seemed to have a strong will. He didn't look at the documents at all, he just folded them and put them away, and then said in a serious tone: "I told you that we will never let the Uighur cavalry kill our people.
"
Li Tan asked: "But you and your father made a promise to Ye Hu, right?"
"You can't just look at the surface of many things." Li Chu said: "This is the dispute between the Tang Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty. What we are protecting is the inheritance of our ancestors. We should not get stuck in small details..."
"If we join forces with the barbarians to plunder our own people, then who is the traitor to the Tang Dynasty?!"
"Silence, I will protect the people of the Tang Dynasty when the time comes..."
Li Tan was furious and asked: "The way to protect the people of the Tang Dynasty is to become brothers with the barbarians?!"
"Crack!"
Li Chu raised his hand and gave Li Tan a slap, pointed his finger hard at his face, and said loudly and forcefully: "I have my own sense of propriety, it's not your turn to teach me!"
Li Tan was not someone to be bullied easily. After being beaten, he punched Li Chu without saying a word. After that, he bullied him, knocked Li Chu down and beat him.
"Bang."
"Bang."
After receiving two punches in succession, Li Chu wanted to fight back, but his body and bones were exhausted recently. He was no match for Li Tan, so he had to curse: "What are you doing? Attack Chu... attack the marshal, I will deal with you according to military law!"
"I don't have princes or marshals here, only brothers who have done wrong things." Li Tan punched again, picked up Li Chu's collar, and said harshly: "There is no need to return to Hehe to plunder the people of the Tang Dynasty. I ask you to do it for me."
The vanguard is enough to recapture the two capitals."
"You are no match for Xue Ni."
"This man just died in battle, wake up!"
Li Tan wanted to beat him again, as if he wanted to wake up his brother. The next moment, a group of servants rushed up to him shouting. Li Fuguo, Cheng Yuanzhen, Xing Yanen, Luo Fengxian, etc. all hugged Li Tan and tried to start a fight.
In the chaos, Li Fuguo received a blow from Li Chu, causing his nose to bleed and one of his front teeth to fall out. Cheng Yuanzhen was even worse. In order to protect Li Chu, he received a heavy punch and fainted.
"The traitor!"
Suddenly, there was a loud shout, and Li Tan raised his head and saw Li Heng and Zhang Ting standing in front of the hall, looking at him coldly. This was the second time Li Tan had a fight in front of Li Heng.
~~
There is a map in the hall, which must have been used by Li Heng and Li Chu to discuss military affairs.
When Li Tan entered, he immediately bowed down and begged for mercy. Facing this old man, he was still very filial.
"I know that you are dissatisfied with the conditions I promised to borrow troops from Huihe. But the general situation is forcing me, what can I do?" Li Hengping stepped back and spoke slowly, and then sighed: "The matter of borrowing troops is actually
On the way out of Chang'an, the Supreme Emperor asked him to say that Xirong and Beidi had been favored by the Tang Dynasty and could be exploited, but when it came time to exploit them, how could they not pay the price?"
What he meant more than anything else was that the war was caused by the Supreme Emperor, and the greater responsibility lies with the Supreme Emperor.
"Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, it has been a custom to recruit Hui people to fight. Emperor Taizong loved the Huaxia barbarians as much as he did, and was revered as the 'Khan of Heaven'. Do you still remember the stone tablet under the Lingwu City? I am recruiting Huihe troops. This is
It’s an old custom! In the second year of Emperor Yonghui’s reign, the Western Turks Ashina Helu invaded the border. Emperor Gaozong ordered that Huihe send 50,000 troops to assist the Tang Dynasty in defeating the Turks in the Yin Mountains.”
Li Tan finally couldn't help it and asked: "Your Majesty recruited Huihe, why did you allow him to use the children of Tang Dynasty?"
"Is it my fault?!"
Li Heng was angry at Li Tan's interruption, stepped forward and kicked him over, and asked more directly: "The country has fallen into this situation, and it is not allowed to make heavy profits. Is it possible to levy it? Aren't I trying to save the building from falling?"
It’s just my subordinates, why can’t even you understand my painstaking efforts?”
Li Tan knelt down again and stopped talking.
Li Heng said: "Don't even think about it. If the two capitals are not recovered as soon as possible, when will the rebellion in Hebei be ended? There is no guarantee that the kings of Shu County will not have different intentions again! Then the world will be in chaos, the consequences will be endless, the lives will be devastated, and it will not only be the two capitals that will suffer.
the common people?”
"The child thought..."
"Your thoughts are superficial." Li Heng sighed: "You are too young to understand. I have other considerations about this matter."
"Your Majesty, please enlighten me."
Li Hengdao: "The Uighurs were originally just a small group among the Tiele tribes. However, since the Tang Dynasty destroyed Xue Yantuo, the Uighurs have gradually grown stronger, established themselves as Khans, and gained all the territory of the Xiongnu. They may threaten the Tang Dynasty. Borrow troops from the Uighurs.
, it can be used to consume both sides of rebellion, drive away wolves and swallow tigers, and achieve two goals with one stone."
Li Tan pursed his lips and was silent for a moment, then a word came out quietly from between his teeth.
"But hasn't your Majesty ever thought about it? Since the rebellion, all the elites of the Tang Dynasty have been transferred to suppress the rebellion, leaving the border defenses empty. It would be fine if the Uighurs don't know the details. Now that you are borrowing troops, your Majesty wants to drive away wolves and devour tigers. How can you know that the Uighurs will not
Are you ambitious? If he takes the opportunity to test the truth, we will lure the wolf into the house from now on, and we will be out of control!"
"Are you talking nonsense to contradict me?" Li Heng said: "The Uighurs come here for profit. As long as there are benefits, they can be used by the Tang Dynasty. I can use their troops to stabilize the court, and I can also consume the Uighurs' fighting power and make them
The snipe and the clam are fighting each other, so why worry about attracting a wolf into your house?!"
After hearing this, Li Tan raised his head and looked at Li Heng. His face gradually showed sadness, and he was about to shed tears. He said, "Master, have you lost your mind for the sake of the throne?"
"You deserve to die!"
Li Heng raised his hand angrily and cursed: "I don't know what you think! You instigated the generals to elect you as the generalissimo, but in the end you failed to seek military power. You are jealous that your brother and Ye Hu are brothers, so you don't want me."
Put down the rebellion quickly!"
Li Tan's expression changed in shock and he was frightened. He quickly kowtowed and said, "I never meant this!"
He had a keen premonition that something was wrong, and asked again: "I wonder who told Your Majesty this?"
Li Heng's face grew colder, and he was angry that Li Tan still hadn't thought about his fault until now. He snorted coldly: "Go back and reflect, and stay at home. Don't let me see you discussing state affairs arbitrarily again."
Having said that, Li Heng looked at the map again. It was the critical moment to pacify Xue Ni, and he did not want to let a little family matter affect his clear judgment.
~~
In the city, in the small courtyard where Li Tan lived temporarily, the palace maid named Xiao Mozi dipped her finger into some ointment and carefully applied it on the red mark on Li Tan's cheek.
Seeing his handsome face being beaten like this, she couldn't help but feel very distressed. She flattened her mouth and almost cried. But she still thought about him from Li Tan's perspective.
"Lang Jun, if you fight with King Guangping, will he be angry?"
??????????.??????
"It doesn't matter." Li Tan said, "Since we were young, we have fought countless times and we won't take it seriously."
Having said that, he could actually feel that since Lingwu became emperor, the relationship between father, son and brothers seemed to have undergone some subtle changes.
But at this moment, what he was thinking carefully about was who was hiding behind him to harm him. There must be such a person. He was very sure that someone was slandering the emperor, and that's why His Majesty said such words today.
Li Tan thought about it carefully, but he didn't notice that Xiao Mozi had been looking at him intently. It wasn't until a while later that he turned around and realized that she was very close.
"What's wrong?"
"Mr. Lang."
The little moth seemed to be crazy, murmured in a low voice, came forward and kissed Li Tan carefully, his movements were a little clumsy, and his cold lips trembled slightly.
After a while, Li Tan pressed her shoulder, pushed her away, and shook his head.
The little moth was ashamed, lowered his head, and explained softly to himself: "My husband has left Chang'an, and there is no one around to serve him. Isn't it very hard to endure it? I want to serve my husband, but I don't dare to ask for my title."
Li Tan said: "I'm hungry, let's eat."
"Don't you like me, sir? It's because I'm not pretty enough."
"Li Fuguo entrusted you to me to take care of you. I am entrusted by others and cannot guard you."
Speaking of this idiom, Li Tan seemed to find it interesting and smiled.
He was not yet married, but was engaged to the daughter of his consort Zhang Bian, and had no other concubines in the house. When he left Chang'an, he only brought this little palace maid with him. Of course it was not out of lust, as she was prettier than the little moth.
He has seen too many women, and he is purely out of commitment.
In such a chaotic situation at that time, some people could even abandon the concubine who had been with him for several years and gave birth to his eldest son. Some people still kept their promises and protected a person who was as insignificant as an ant.
Xiao Mozi looked at Li Tan's smile, and the admiration in his eyes seemed to overflow, and said: "But I and Brother Gou'er are just brother and sister. What I like is, yes, my husband."
Li Tan was a little surprised.
The little moth lowered his head and said: "I didn't understand the relationship between men and women before, but now I gradually understand... human affairs. I really only regard Brother Gou'er as my elder brother. He has been castrated, so naturally he regards me as his relative."
Jun, you..."
I don’t know where she learned about human affairs, and the difference between the castrated Li Fuguo and the non-castrated Li Tan. While talking, a small hand accidentally or unintentionally touched Li Tan’s legs, and she was shocked.
He jumped, and his cheeks immediately turned red.
The girl was just beginning to have a romantic interest, and when she glanced back, she looked shy and shy, which had a youthful but touching connotation. When Li Tan saw it, he couldn't help but be stunned.
The little moth then made a "squeak" sound, leaned into Li Tan's arms, and offered her soft lips...
~~
"Li Gou'er is here."
In the Marshal's Mansion, Cheng Yuanzhen was still talking to the eunuchs nearby. When he heard that Li Fuguo had arrived, he looked back, with a hint of disdain in his eyes.
In his opinion, Li Fuguo was just a substitute for Li Jingzhong, and his time with the saint was not long. How could he compare with himself, the slave who raised the eldest son of the saint?
Li Fuguo was also self-aware and did not dare to conflict with Cheng Yuanzhen. He just remained loyal to the saint honestly.
"I heard that Princess Guangping died of illness unfortunately." Li Fuguo stepped forward and said softly: "Your Majesty specially ordered your servants to come to express condolences."
This happened very suddenly. In the past two days, Li Chu had been busy replacing Fang Guan as commander-in-chief and regaining the two capitals. Today, after a conflict with Li Tanqi in the palace, he returned home and found that his wife Cui Caiping had died of illness. He was deeply saddened.
"Mr. Li, please come this way." Cheng Yuanzhen quickly raised his hand and led Li Fuguo inside.
"please."
Li Fuguo looked around and saw a scratch on Cheng Yuanzhen's arm, and couldn't help asking: "This is it?"
"This was injured by King Jianning."
Cheng Yuanzhen sighed and said: "I took a lot of blows and passed out. When I woke up, I heard that the princess had passed away. Alas."
Li Fuguo looked away and saw that the Marshal's Mansion was still busy and no one was attending funerals, so he asked: "Where is King Guangping?"
"King Guangping was grieving endlessly, but the situation in the country was serious. He could only endure his grief and continue to discuss with the generals about recovering the two capitals, so as not to delay the dispatch of troops. As for the funeral of the princess, it was given a small burial as she said during her lifetime, with the overall situation in mind.
"
Li Fuguo was in awe and said with emotion: "Prince Guangping and his wife have contributed a lot to the Tang Dynasty."
Entering again, I saw that Cui Caiping's body had been put into the coffin. The palace servants, dressed in sackcloth, were kneeling there and crying.
Cui Caiping married Li Chu in the fifth year of Tianbao and gave birth to two sons in succession, the second son Li Miao and the third son Li Si. Now one is eight years old and the other is seven years old. They both cried to death and looked very pitiful.
Because there was a Wu Zetian in the Tang Dynasty, the royal family was extremely guarded against the harem, and often did not have legitimate wives. For example, Yang Yuhuan was only a concubine, and Zhang Ting was only a good concubine before. Without a legitimate wife, there was naturally a lack of legitimate sons, so these two sons are rare for the royal family.
The legitimate son, but there has been no legitimate son for a long time, and the ministers have long considered the eldest son of the concubine as the legitimate eldest son. In addition, Yang Yuhuan was a disaster for the country, and Cui Caiping was Yang Yuhuan's niece. Therefore, Li Miao and Li Si did not get legitimate sons.
He received preferential treatment and his kneeling position was also behind Li Shi.
When Li Fuguo met, he thought that Shen Zhenzhen might want to take over King Guangping's harem, so he asked, "Will King Yichang be raised by Lady Shen in the future?"
Cheng Yuanzhen shook his head and said: "I will be raised by Lady Dugu."
Li Fuguo looked around, and soon found a very beautiful woman in the crowd, and he suddenly felt astonished. At this moment, he couldn't help but think of his little moth, saying that the powerful always had different ideas, but he only wanted to be with the person who was originally attracted to him.
This person can grow old together...even though he can no longer do human things.
He wailed twice and began to cry for Cui Caiping. In the evening, together with Cheng Yuanzhen, he sent the coffin out of the city for burial.
When Li Fuguo returned to the palace, Li Heng had already fallen asleep, but Zhang Ting was still reading the memorial, waiting for his reply.
"how?"
"Back to Concubine Shu, the servant thought that Cui Caiping did not die of illness, but that Cheng Yuanzhen strangled her to death."
Zhang Ting was unhappy when she heard the title of Concubine Shu. She was of noble birth and had done a lot for Li Heng. She should be named queen no matter what, but when Li Heng became emperor, he only named her Concubine Shu.
She knew that this matter was blocked by Li Mi. Li Mi said that he was doing good for Li Heng, fearing that others would think that Li Heng became emperor out of selfish motives. In fact, it was Li Mi who had selfish motives. Li Mi was worried that the Tang Dynasty would be destroyed again.
The second reason for giving birth to Wu Zetian was that she wanted to assist Li Chu as the crown prince in the future, but she was afraid that her son would compete with Li Chu.
In other words, if Li Chu or Li Mi could not be removed, it would be difficult for her to become the queen. Therefore, she paid great attention to Li Chu's movements.
"How did you know it was Cheng Yuanzhen who strangled him to death?"
Li Fuguo responded: "My slave asked, Cui Caiping was still alive and kicking a few days ago, and he didn't look like he was sick. In addition, Cheng Yuanzhen had scratches on his arms. He said they were injured by King Jianning, but my slave saw it with her own eyes at that time."
See, when he fainted, his arm was clearly intact..."
Zhang Ting was too lazy to listen to more evidence and quipped.
She had already guessed that Li Chu would not be able to tolerate Cui Caiping. This was originally a marriage without emotion. Li Chu married Cui Caiping because of the favor she received from her mother's family. Now Cui Caiping's most valuable life experience has become
It became a drag, and the Tang royal family was already afraid of his wife. How could Li Chu not want to get rid of Cui Caiping? As for Li Chu's falling in love, it was only a small part of the reason. In short, he killed three birds with one stone.
"I originally wanted to use the Cui family to deal with Li Chu, but he took away the handle in advance, so I was alert." Zhang Ting thought in his mind, hesitating for a moment.
She not only wants to rely on Li Chu to regain the two capitals and lay a foundation for her son, but also wants to get rid of Li Chu in time. At present, the best way is to sow discord and encourage Li Chu and Li Tan brothers to fight.
, but it seems that the effect is not obvious yet.
Because Li Fuguo had been favored by Li Tan, even though he was taught a lesson by Li Tan twice, he still favored Li Tan in his heart. At the same time, he had been helping Zhang Ting deal with Li Chu and Li Mi. At this time, he said: "I see, Concubine Shu still has to
Win the support of King Jianning."
"Go and tell Li Tan about Li Chu's murder of his wife." Zhang Ting said slowly, "You must let him know that Li Tan can even kill his wife, so how can he care about brotherhood?"
"Here."
Li Fuguo responded and left the palace overnight and arrived at Li Tan's residence.
He comes here often, often to see the little moth. Seeing her will calm his heart that is sinking increasingly in power. He talks about the countryside when he was a child and feels the uniqueness of the little boy period.
of throbbing.
He himself didn't realize that what he loved was not the little moth, but the self before he was castrated. But no matter what, this love was extremely deep.
Li Fuguo waited in the front yard for a long time, but still didn't wait until Li Tan and Xiao Mozi came out. He couldn't help but feel doubtful, so he got up and walked to the back yard.
There was no mistress in this house, and there were few guard slaves. In addition, Li Fuguo came often, so no one came out to stop him when he walked to the backyard. Gradually, the moans of a woman in the house reached his ears.
"..."
Li Fuguo's fingers trembled unconsciously. He rushed forward, hesitated, then lay down by the window, opened the window slightly and looked inside, and saw a scene that made him fall into hell.
He saw the little moth's desire to die and saw Li Tan's strong body.
Even he could feel the pleasure of the two people mingling with each other, but it was this that made him extremely painful.
At this moment, he lost not only his true love, but also his dignity.
Li Fuguo burst into tears, and his broken nose was bleeding. The mucus and blood were mixed together, making him extremely miserable.
He finally understood the meaning of what the saint and concubine said. In this world, only power can protect oneself, and only power can gain the favor of others.
Only power can surpass physical soundness and strength...only power.
~~
After several days of preparation, Xue Bai planned to send a surprise force to attack Fengxiang while Li Heng was still integrating the defeated troops before he made a comeback. Only in this way could it be possible to end the war before Guo Ziyi arrived in Hedong.
He then used Yan Zhenqing and Wang Nan to defend the city; Tian Chengsi led a cavalry force to bluff and pretend to attack Chencang, intending to cut off the communication between Li Heng and Li Longji and attract the Huihe cavalry; after that, he personally led four thousand fine cavalry to wait for the opportunity.
.
You have to have a chance. When attacking, sometimes you have to wait for the opponent to reveal a flaw, and sometimes it can't just be a small flaw.
Li Heng had an orthodox name, support from the border troops, strong reinforcements from Huihe, an extraordinary genius like Li Mi to advise, a famous general like Guo Ziyi, and an outstanding son... Come to think of it, at least he could maintain Fengxiang's solid defense.
Arrived.
But if Li Heng was really the British master, why would Xue Bai have to work so hard to reverse the decline of the Tang Dynasty?