Chapter 496 The national destiny is not yet exhausted
Chapter 498 The national destiny is not yet exhausted
In Hezhong Prefecture, Puzhou, in a large house in the north of the city, there lived Li Guangbi's mother.
The old lady was almost seventy years old at the time. Although her mother's family was from the Khitans, she had adopted the surname very early. She was given the surname Wu and then the surname Li. She had studied poetry and calligraphy since she was a child, and was considered a talented woman with the title of "Talented Lady".
Because of the reputation of his clan, he was able to teach generals like Li Guangbi to follow Han etiquette.
On that day, several people rushed to Li's house after a long journey, and the nursing home in the mansion was also familiar with them and greeted them happily. After that, they took out Li Guangbi's letter, which was originally to pick up the old lady to meet her son.
"My son was first afraid of the danger in Taiyuan, and then said that Chang'an is uneasy, but now he is finally willing to come and take me home?" Mrs. Li was in good spirits. Although she deliberately complained about her son when she spoke, she could not suppress the smile on her brows.
The messenger responded: "Don't worry, old lady, Chang'an has been stabilized."
Soon, Mrs. Li packed up and headed to Chang'an under the protection of the guards sent by her son. Everyone took good care of her along the way, and it was not too hard. What she saw along the way was indeed a peaceful scene.
After crossing the Yellow River and walking for a few more days, the team entered a city. Mrs. Li couldn't help but lift the curtain and looked outside. She saw that the word "Fangzhou" was written on the city gate, and she couldn't help but be very confused.
But the doubts in her heart soon disappeared because she met someone she could completely trust.
"I almost thought that someone was using my son's soldiers as a trick on me, so I felt relieved when I saw Guo Jieshuai."
"It's been a hard journey, Madam." Guo Ziyi was more than ten years younger than Madam Li, so she greeted her as a son-nephew, picked up a long whip with both hands and handed it over, saying: "You really did trick Old Madam, if you have
If you are dissatisfied, just hit me to vent your anger."
"I don't dare to attack Guo Jieshuai. What's going on? Could it be that my son has rebelled?"
Mrs. Li had only heard of Guo Ziyi for a long time in Shuofang, and had gotten along with her in Taiyuan during the early stages of the counter-rebellion. She was confident that she was good at judging people, and believed that Guo Ziyi was loyal, hard-working and smart, and was not as stubborn and harsh as Li Guangbi and prone to extremes.
She knows better how to deal with others, so she would rather believe that Li Guangbi rebelled than Guo Ziyi.
"That's not the case." Guo Ziyi waved her hands repeatedly and said: "The current situation is complicated and far beyond what can be explained by the word 'rebellion'. Madam, please take a seat and let me explain to you slowly."
Guo Ziyi was also reluctant to trick Li Guangbi's mother. Unfortunately, it was King Guangping's idea. Taking her to Fengxiang Mansion to raise her would not only prevent Li Guangbi from going astray further, but also avoid a war.
It was a good idea for everyone. Li Heng listened and happily issued the order. Guo Ziyi had the emperor's order, so she had no choice but to accept it.
After he explained the recent changes in the court situation, the causes and consequences, Mrs. Li was still puzzled and asked: "Although I don't know about state affairs, I still read newspapers. The newspaper said that King Zhong was ordered to mobilize the army of Shuo and King Qin, but the result
If there is a rebellion, King Qing is the legitimate one."
Guo Ziyi didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said: "The newspaper is run by Xue Bai, how can you believe what the newspaper says?"
"I see." Madam Li, who had always regarded newspapers as something as credible as an imperial edict, was quite disappointed when she heard this.
Such a complicated power struggle was not something she could think clearly in a short time. She thought about it for a while and asked Guo Ziyi: "Guo Jieshuai thinks that the loyal king is Zhengshuo and can pacify the world faster, right?"
"
It may be seen from the second half of this sentence that Mrs. Li is loyal to the king in her heart. Prince Qing is both a prince and has been a prince. She has no intention of distinguishing who is more orthodox. Now she just wants to know where Guo Ziyi is betting.
She knew very well that her son often acted out of impulse and was too impulsive. Guo Ziyi must have thought more about this matter than Li Guangbi.
"Private discussion, there are some things I only dare to say to the old lady." Guo Ziyi said, "No matter what, Li Guangbi and I have the same loyalty to the Tang Dynasty."
"Don't worry, Guo Jieshuai, I know."
Guo Ziyi pondered and said slowly: "King Qing defended Chang'an, seemingly to everyone's expectation, but in fact he completely relied on Xue Bai's power. He issued an edict saying that Xue Bai was the son of Prince Ying, but the emperor did not admit it, and if King Ruo Qing
If he ascends the throne and the throne falls into the hands of Xue Bai, he will be suspected of usurping the throne. Now that King Zhong is proclaimed emperor, he can be called your majesty. The Supreme Emperor passed down the national treasure and should be regarded as Zhengshuo. Your majesty also rules Shuofang, Anxi, Hexi, Longyou,
Recall He's reinforcements, command 200,000 people, and appease the rebels. I believe that the seas and rivers in the world will soon be clear."
Afraid that Mrs. Li would be puzzled, he added in a low voice: "Think about it, how many years has your Majesty been the crown prince when he was hiding in the mansion? Where is Prince Qing? Ever since Prince Qing lost his appearance, he has never been treated as a crown prince.
Cultivation, how can there be a foundation?”
Mrs. Li nodded and said, "I understand."
"Li Guangbi's defense of Chang'an is a great achievement, and it is not for his personal future. His Majesty has made it clear on this matter."
Guo Ziyi stood up, took out an imperial edict with both hands and unfolded it. The jade seal was all on it. Li Heng indeed affirmed Li Guangbi's contribution and had no intention of blaming him. In addition, he promised that if Li Guangbi led his troops to surrender, he would forget the blame and receive a generous reward.
There is no need for him to attack Chang'an again and wait for peace in the world.
Once Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi expressed their stance, the forces in Hedong, Hebei, and Henan would turn to support Li Heng. Chang'an would be an isolated city, and the soldiers and civilians would not be as resolute as when they resisted the rebels. Surrender would only take less than a month.
This is a very clear way to pacify the world as quickly as possible...if nothing unexpected happens.
Mrs. Li finally understood it completely and said: "In this case, I have a letter from you, Guo Jieshuai, please give it to my son."
"It is the great fortune of the Tang Dynasty that the old lady understands the truth."
~~
An urgent report was delivered to Chang'an.
Xue Bai was training his troops, preparing for a surprise attack on Fengxiang. He went for a run around Bailuyuan and felt much more relaxed. As a result, he learned that Li Guangbi's mother had been secretly picked up in Hezhong Mansion.
He originally wanted to write a letter to Li Guangbi to clarify that Li Heng was definitely not the British master, but he changed his mind and thought that this would only have the opposite effect.
The reason why he dared to let Li Guangbi leave the town was that he trusted the other party very much. But today he realized that if Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi turned to Li Heng, he would not be able to resist, and the war would continue. Yu Datang would not
Good thing.
The only chance is to capture Fengxiang first.
The time left for him was even shorter, he had to find Li Guangbi before Guo Ziyi's messenger.
Xue Bai wiped the sweat of his horse, handed it to the groom, and said, "Feed it more fodder tonight, and prepare two more horses for me."
"Here."
"Give me the order and we'll set off tomorrow."
~~
On a map, several wargames were moved from the location of Chang'an City.
"Xue Ni sent the rebel general Tian Chengsi to pursue the victory and have reached the Mei County area." Li Chu said: "In my opinion, they are not trying to expand their victory, but to attack Chencang and cut off our communication with Shu County."
Li Heng asked: "How to deal with it."
"Tian Chengsi has many Fan Yangxiao cavalry under his command. We should send back the He cavalry to break them down and kill them with their vigor."
Li Heng agreed in his heart, looked at Li Mi again, and asked, "What do you think, sir?"
Li Mi was more concerned about the overall situation and said: "The key to this battle is not in Guanzhong, but in conquering the hearts of the people in the world. It is of little significance for the rebels to attack Chencang, and it is impossible to truly cut off our communication with Shuzhong."
Li Heng asked: "What if they want to plunder food and grass?"
"There is no need to come to Chencang to plunder grain and grass. In addition, in the fight for the throne, it is useless to attack the city and plunder the territory." Li Bi said: "Xue Bai cannot understand the situation, so this army may be an empty force."
"Whether the troops are weak or not, you will know in a test." Li Chu said, "Now my army has been regrouped. The thieves are here and they are just hitting the rocks with eggs."
After discussion, they still decided to send back the He cavalry to intercept Tian Chengsi.
Of course, even if there was fraud, it didn't matter. Li Chu quickly arranged for the generals to guard various important towns in Fengxiang Mansion.
Ever since Li Heng proposed that Li Tan be the general marshal of the world's military, but was dissuaded by Li Mi, he realized that allowing Li Tan to perform meritorious service would threaten the status of his eldest son. Therefore, although he knew that Li Tan was heroic, he did not want to do it unless necessary.
Let him go to the battlefield.
Therefore, after arranging errands for all the generals that day, only Li Tan was left behind.
Li Tan has been thinking about what Li Mi said: Xue Bai sent Tian Chengsi to be a false soldier, so what was his purpose?
He looked at the map in trance, and the generals took their orders one by one. The map was quickly filled with war games. After that, Li Heng ended the military meeting and asked everyone to retreat.
"I'll take my leave."
Li Tan was about to retreat when an idea suddenly came to his mind and he said: "Your Majesty, please guard Jiucheng Palace."
Jiucheng Palace is located in Linyou County, north of Fengxiang. It is the first palace in the Tang Dynasty. It was built in the 13th year of the founding of the Sui Dynasty. It was supervised by Yang Su and designed and built by Yu Wenkai. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty liked it very much and visited it five times.
I stayed there for half a year each time.
Li Chu had forgotten about Jiucheng Palace before. After hearing this, he thought for a moment and said, "Sanlang is worried that Xue Ni will send troops to attack Jiucheng Palace without success?"
Li Tan said: "Just in case."
"Assuming no."
Li Chu imagined this and then shook his head.
The reason why Jiucheng Palace got its name is that "Nine Levels" means "nine layers", which means it is tall. The palace was built on Tiantai Mountain to the north of Dushui, with Tongshan Mountain in the east, Fenghuang Mountain in the west, Shijiu Mountain in the south, and Shijiu Mountain in the north.
Yibicheng Mountain. The terrain is high and the road is not easy. This is why Li Heng did not choose to stay in Jiucheng Palace.
If Xue Bai wanted to sneak attack Jiucheng Palace, it would be difficult to hide from the sentry at first. By the time he hurried through the mountain road, the men and horses would be tired. And Jiucheng Palace has two walls and is surrounded by 1,800 steps, so it cannot be easily captured by Xue Bai.
Even if Bai wanted to attack by surprise, he would definitely go to Qiyang.
If Jiucheng Palace cannot be captured, it is impossible to bypass Fengxiang from the north.
"I don't have any official duties, so why don't you let me guard Jiucheng Palace?" Li Tan said again, he really wanted to be just in case.
"But the troops are strong."
"Five hundred people are enough."
~~
A few days later, the scouting horse reported back, and Xue Ni's soldiers and horses were suddenly discovered in Qiyang.
"Who will lead the troops?" Li Chu asked, "Can we surrender?"
"It's Xue Nibingma."
"I asked who led the troops!"
"Coming back to Generalissimo, this is Xue Ni. The enemy troops are flying a banner with the word "Xue" in their name. They have arrived outside Qiyang City. Looking at their formation, there are three thousand riders."
Li Chu felt a chill in his heart, secretly thinking that Xue Bai's march was very secretive. If he hadn't been cautious and sent more sentry horses, he might have allowed Xue Bai to kill Fengxiang City without knowing it.
Now that Guo Ziyi was away and the Uighur cavalry was away, he could only report to Li Heng immediately, then order all his troops and horses, with Pugu Huai'en as the vanguard, and go out of the city to meet the enemy.
After setting up the formation, Xin Yunjing, the general stationed in Qiyang, had already retreated. He went to Li Chu to plead guilty, saying that he was attacked by Xue Bai's elite cavalry and was too hasty to deal with it.
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As he spoke, dust was flying in front, and Xue Tui's rebel army had already arrived.
Although Li Chu's total force was large, it was divided too much, and the formation was scattered by the defeated troops. For a time, he could only fight with 6,000 forwards. The two sides quickly opened up their formations to fight, and the rebels took advantage of the fact that they were defeated not long ago.
Fang Guan's strong morale had the tendency to break Li Chu's forward line.
Once this happens, the rebels arrive at Fengxiang City, which will be another major blow to the court's prestige.
At the time of crisis, Pugu Huaien roared: "Sons! Follow me and kill!"
He personally jumped on his horse and entered the enemy's formation with a murderous sword. Behind him, his sons followed suit one after another. They killed several elite rebels and stabilized the formation.
During the melee, the horse of Pugu Huai'en's fourth son Pugu Guan was hit by an arrow and fell off the horse.
"Fourth brother?"
Upon seeing this, Pugu Huai'en's eldest son Pugu Jian immediately shouted to remind him and rushed to rescue Pugu Yuan. However, several rebel cavalry had already caught up with him. They raised their swords and cut off a head with one blow.
"Fourth brother!"
Pu Gujun was furious and smashed his weapons randomly. He was famous for his bravery and was known as the "Fighting General" in the army. He immediately killed and wounded many people.
"Grandpa, the fourth brother died in the battle!"
Pugu Huai'en showed no trace of sadness and shouted: "As my son, he deserves to die on the battlefield to defeat the enemy!"
When the general said this, the soldiers were all excited and their morale was high. Soon, the sound of gold could be heard among the rebels.
The battle lasted from afternoon to dusk. Li Chu was worried that the front line would not be able to support them, but he was deeply moved when he saw how brave Pugu and his son were. When they returned from their horses, he went up to them personally and held Pugu Huaien's hand.
At a loss for words, Li Chu could only say: "My condolences, General."
"Your Highness, you must never be like this." Pugu Huaien said, "I have been greatly favored by the Tang Dynasty, and it is my duty to kill enemies for my country!"
Li Chu saw the soldiers snatching away Pugu Wan's head and sewing it up with the body. He was greatly moved and couldn't help but shed tears in his eyes. He said, "I will remember the general's loyalty for the rest of my life and swear not to let him down!"
The news quickly spread back to Fengxiang Palace. When Li Heng heard about it, he couldn't help but feel lucky to have such an outstanding eldest son, otherwise he would have let Xue Bai attack the city.
~~
Jiucheng Palace.
The palace city is very magnificent. It is said that when the palace city was built, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty Yang Jian and his queen came here to escape the summer heat. When they saw it, they were furious and cursed: "Yang Su sacrificed the people's power to leave the palace and made the world angry for me!"
But because Queen Dugu liked this place very much, Yang Jian turned his anger into joy and rewarded Yang Su.
More than two hundred years have passed, and the magnificent palace remains the same, but blood is spread under the palace walls.
"Hold!"
"Quick! Bring the wood and rocks!"
Li Tan shouted angrily and pulled out the arrow stuck in his armor. The arrow shot was not shallow, and blood flowed out as soon as he pulled it out.
He didn't realize it, instead he drew his bow and arrow and shot at a rebel in the distance.
A small section of the palace wall had been blown down, and Li Tan had no choice but to lead his soldiers to defend it with their flesh and blood.
After he arrived at Jiucheng Palace, he observed and found that the palace wall was built along the watershed of the surrounding mountains, enclosing the commanding heights to prevent anyone from overlooking the palace. So he sent people to take turns to watch on the high platform, and restored Jiucheng Palace.
The imperial guard who has been in the palace for many years.
Although Xue Bai had a telescope, Li Tan was very lucky. The weather in Tiantai Mountain was clear for several days and the vision was excellent. His people still saw the enemy's advance from high places in advance. Only Xue Bai
He was caught off guard by using explosives to blow down the city wall.
Li Tan first blocked the attack with arrows and rocks. When the soldiers brought in wood and rocks, he pulled a war horse and rushed straight to Xue Bai's banner.
This made the soldiers who were attacking the city surprised. They did not expect that a prince and grandson could be so ferocious. Therefore, it was inevitable that some generals would not wait for Xue Bai's signal and go straight back to rescue him.
Seeing the right moment, Li Tan suddenly pulled the reins and changed the direction of his sprint. When he passed by the general, he thrust out a spear and stabbed the general under his horse!
"Wan Sheng!"
"King Jianning Wansheng!"
The morale of the palace defenders was greatly boosted, and Li Tan was no longer willing to fight. He galloped his horse in front of the rugged mountain road, bypassed the east city, and returned to Jiucheng Palace through Yongguang Gate in the south.
In this battle, facing Xue Bai's surprise attack, he used extremely cautious defenses and surprisingly bravery to block it.
~~
"Mingjin."
Under the banner of war, Xue Bai saw that it was getting late and the morale of the enemy soldiers was greatly boosted, so he simply ordered the troops to retreat.
According to his original judgment, he thought that there was a close to 90% chance that the Palace would not be garrisoned by strong troops. Unexpectedly, he encountered that 10% chance.
In terms of combat power, Li Tan's small force was no match for him, but Jiucheng Palace was really difficult to attack by force, and it occupied a dangerous terrain, making it difficult to get around.
"Let's explore the way." After Xue Bai thought carefully, he still summoned Jiang Hai and gave the order.
"Lang Jun, don't you want to attack anymore?"
"It doesn't mean much." Xue Bai said: "Li Tan must have sent an envoy to Fengxiang. No matter how fast we attack the city, we can't be faster than his messenger. Instead of wasting time here, it is better to find another way as soon as possible."
"Here."
That night, Jiang Hai found several hunters in the mountains to serve as guides, saying that there was a small road to the north of Jiucheng Palace. It was the post road used by Emperor Taizong to send envoys to Shuofang when he was stationed there. Now it has been abandoned, and maybe it can be used as a guide.
Walk.
Xue Bai then ordered the entire army to rest for the night, stay in the camp temporarily the next day, and leave quietly.
At five o'clock in the morning, Li Tan sent an envoy.
That was a forbidden soldier beside Li Tan, named Gao Xiaoyi. A few years ago, when Xue Bai was in Chang'an, we all played polo together. Thinking about it now, it feels like a lifetime ago.
"I haven't seen him in years, Xue Lang's style is even better than before." Gao Xiaoyi said as soon as he entered the account.
"You should be called King Yong." Diao Bing reminded him with a cold face.
Gao Xiaoyi did not agree with Xue Bai's title and said: "I am here to point out a clear path for Xue Lang. Whether Xue Lang is the son of Prince Ying or not, it is an indisputable fact that he disobeys the Supreme Emperor and intends to usurp him.
There are countless brave and loyal generals in the Tang Dynasty like Marshal Guo and General Pugu, and I swear that you will not be allowed to act like this. Why don't you surrender today, because of your contribution to guarding Chang'an, your Majesty will not treat you badly. When the time comes,
Whether your life experience is true or false, you are still the Prince of Beiping County of the Tang Dynasty."
"I don't care." Xue Bai said.
He didn't care at all whether his life experience was true or false, whether he was a prince or a prince. What he wanted was to personally hold the rudder of the huge ship of the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, no matter how much he said to persuade him to surrender, he didn't bother to listen.
Before Gao Xiaoyi could say anything more, Xue Bai waved his hand and asked, "Did Li Tan ask you to come?"
"good."
"He is a good man. Please tell him a few words."
"yes."
Xue Bai said: "If Li Heng is lucky enough to win, it will be absolutely undesirable for Huihe to plunder the two capitals, and there will be more places to use money in the future."
Gao Xiaoyi heard him calling Li Heng by his first name, and was about to reprimand him, but waited until later, but responded silently.
"Tell Li Tan that he will be ruthless when he should be ruthless. If he takes power, he must first not rely on eunuchs, secondly not tolerate rebellious generals, thirdly not condone Jiedu, fourthly not fall into the prestige of the court, and fifthly not despise Huihe and Tubo."
Although there is no sense of urgency like a knife on his neck, looking at the overall situation, he is now likely to be defeated at any time. Li Mi, Guo Ziyi and others took action without any surprises, directly hitting the lifeline. It can only be said that the fortune of the Tang Dynasty is not exhausted.
There are too many capable people, strangers, loyal ministers and good generals, and they don't quite recognize his identity.
However.
"National affairs must be considered in the long term, and we should not seek temporary convenience, reform the tax system, improve the livelihood of the people, repair internal affairs, and weaken the family... There is a lot to do, so I'll do it myself, and you can go."
When Xue Bai talked about it later, the little bit of dejection that happened by chance disappeared, and his eyes showed determination again.
He firmly believed that he could do better than Li Heng and his son, and that he could win.
Gao Xiaoyi was stunned for a moment and wanted to say more, but the Diao brothers had already stepped forward and kicked him out.
After leaving Xue Bai's camp, he returned to Jiucheng Palace and conveyed Xue Bai's words to Li Tan. Li Tan's first reaction was not to be furious, but to sigh in despair.
"I know that his heart is in the country, and he can be called a close friend. Unfortunately, the misunderstanding and estrangement between him and my father and brother are too deep."
In Li Tan's view, Xue Bai's "five impossibilities" were not something that a wise man like his father and brother would commit.
For him, now is not the time to think about these things. The crisis in Jiucheng Palace has not been resolved. His troops are too few. Whether Xue Bai attacks by force or takes a detour, there is a possibility of sneak attack on Feng Xiang at any time.
Li Tan then sent envoy Feng Xiang again to ask for Li Heng's support.
~~
"Report! Urgent report from Jiucheng Palace!"
A messenger, covered in blood and almost crawling, rushed into Fengxiang Palace, worshiped in the palace, and presented Li Tan's letter asking for help.
Li Heng saw it and was greatly surprised. He looked at the eunuchs around him with questioning eyes.
"Your Majesty, Xue Ni is clearly fifty miles outside Fengxiang City. How can he be in Jiucheng Palace?"
"Is this a letter from King Jianning?"
"Could Xue Ni's thousands of elites be fake?"
"..."
There were a lot of discussions in the palace, but Li Heng was not listening. He was about to summon Li Mi alone to ask for his opinion, but Li Fuguo stepped forward and made a report.
Li Heng's expression changed and he nodded. After a while, Zhang Ting arrived in the hall, sat next to him, and discussed with him in a low voice.
Speaking of what happened later, Li Heng suddenly raised his eyebrows and said in surprise: "Mr. Li actually participated?"
Zhang Ting sneered in his heart and said: "Your Majesty, he will know if you ask him."
Li Heng then pondered: "Xue Ni's appearance in Jiucheng Palace is no small matter. If it is true, we still need to send trustworthy people to lead the troops."
"It's time to send troops to guard." Zhang Ting said: "But where is Xue Ni? Your Majesty asked what the use of these slaves is. He sent people to the army outside the city. He will know as soon as he asks King Guangping."
This was reasonable, so Li Heng asked Li Fuguo to take people out of the city to ask.
After two hours, Li Fuguo came back in a hurry and reported back: "Your Majesty, after hearing the slave's question, King Guang Ping showed grief in his eyes and did not answer for a long time. The slave then asked again, and he said..."
"say what?"
"King Guangping said that if the main force of Xue Ni had not been outside the city, wouldn't General Pugu's son have died heroically in the rebels' feint attack?"