This place also belongs to Fengxiang Prefecture and borders Longzhou to the north. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty once blocked the Xiongnu from Longshan here, and the Silk Road passed through Longguan and passed through the Western Regions.
In July, when the fire broke out, the soldiers temporarily stationed in Mianyang were counting their provisions. The general at the head was named Wu Jiu. He was a little worried because Xijing kept sending people to urge them.
Seeing Wu acting like this, the chief secretary under his command couldn't help but complain: "If the saint hadn't appointed Fang Guan as commander and let Commander Ji command the troops, he would have put down the rebellion and recovered the two capitals long ago."
"Is it so simple?" Wu wiped the sweat from his face and said: "Our soldiers are all from Anxi. They are not afraid of the cold, but they are afraid of the heat. Now is the hottest time, so it is right not to use us as the main force.
Moreover, both Shuofang and Anxi have strong armies, and we cannot favor one over the other, so we make Fang Xianggong the commander-in-chief."
"It was a careful consideration, but it's a pity that it failed."
"Be careful, we are in Gyeonggi Province now, not as good as Anxi." Wu Jiu scolded.
"But if we don't settle down anymore, the Tibetan army will attack Longzhou."
Wu Jiu turned to the northwest with a worried look and said: "The governor has his own sense of proportion, you don't need to worry about it."
Since the Anlushan Rebellion, Tubo has been tentatively invading the territory of the Tang Dynasty. First, the Jiuqu of the Yellow River, Qinghai Lake and other places recovered by Ge Shuhan have been returned to Tubo. Recently, the Tibetan army passed Lintao and left.
Longzhou is not far away.
Feng Changqing believed that when the autumn harvest came, Tubo would probably invade Longyou on a large scale and test Longguan. However, the imperial court was busy recovering the two capitals and had no time to take care of this matter. In the end, Li Mi thought that the soldiers in Anxi were not able to do so.
In order to withstand the heat, he persuaded the saint to let Feng Changqing garrison Longguan, but he also transferred part of his troops to Fang Guan, and was defeated in the Weishui River.
Wu Jiu was a little dissatisfied. He had suffered from guarding the border for many years. This counterinsurgency made him feel that they were working hard to expand their territory, and the powerful people in Guanzhong didn't seem to care at all.
At this moment, a soldier came running from the top of the city and reported: "Judge Wu, there is a messenger asking to see you."
Wu then went over to meet him.
He was a young man with a dark complexion and very energetic. When he saw Wu Jiu, he looked at him with a puzzled look and asked in a tentative tone: "Are you the judge of Anxi Jiedu?"
"good."
"Mr. Shantou?"
"What?" Wu was surprised.
"May I ask the judge your name?"
"You came to me, but you asked me what my surname is." Wu Jiu said: "My surname is Wu, Wenshui Wu family. Do you have a letter to give to me?"
The messenger hesitated for a while, but did not take out the letter. He only said: "I have been asked to deliver a letter from home. May I ask, is there only one judge in Anxi Jiedu?"
Wu Jiu laughed when he heard this and said: "You were looking for Cen Shen. He acted as the judge for Anxi Jiedu on my behalf, but before I was given the new post, An Lushan rebelled. So the army called us all
As a judge. He went to Pingliang on official business, please give me your family letter."
The messenger didn't expect such a thing. He was stunned for a moment, and then he took out the letter with some hesitation. Wu Jiu took it and took a look at it. He saw that the envelope was signed by Cen Shen's brother Cen Wei. He didn't think about it.
Otherwise, let the messenger go.
That night, Wu recalled this incident and vaguely realized something was wrong. In fact, he had a good relationship with the Cen Shen brothers, and he recognized Cen Wei's handwriting, which was clearly different from that on the envelope.
He then cut the letter open, but to his surprise, there was a piece of white paper inside.
The next day, he sent a ranger to the southern post station to ask about the whereabouts of the messenger, but the result surprised him even more. Just this morning, a cavalry team used the words of the judge of Anxi Jiedu and transferred the five hundred men who had been transferred to the inn station.
Stone, grain, grass and baggage.
Wu Jiu was keenly aware that there was something fishy about this matter, so he ordered people to guard the city. He ordered all the cavalry in the city and led more than 200 people to chase southward.
After running for more than thirty miles, I finally saw the soldiers and horses in front of me escorting grain and grass south.
"Stop!"
Wu Jiu's soldiers shouted loudly, drove their horses over to stop the enemy, and asked, "Whose order did you follow to adjust the grain supply?"
Then a powerful general in armor came out and responded with a stern look: "Xijing is in short supply of food, and King Guangping is leading his army to resist the enemy. He ordered us to transport the food and grass there as soon as possible."
This batch of grain and herbs was about to be transported to Xijing, but now Longzhou has begun to harvest wheat. Wujiu was short of manpower, and originally planned to transport it together in a few days. When he looked around, he saw that the other party was escorted by more than a thousand cavalry.
There are only 500 stones of food and grass, but there are more than a thousand horses per person. The food and grass are hung directly on the horses, and there are many empty horses in the team. Looking at them, they are all brave riders, and most of them have good horses.
It would be overkill to escort food and grass.
If Xijing sent elites to escort the grain and grass, they should have ordered him to collect more grain as soon as possible, organize carriages, and transport it with force. They could just accompany him on both wings.
With all these suspicious things, Wu Ji couldn't help but have a guess in his mind - Cen Shen might have secretly attached himself to King Qing and given the rebel order Fu Junzhi, so that he could quietly march to Mianyang. As for the messenger yesterday, he must have planned to
When I went to Liyang City to contact Cen Shen, I didn't expect to meet him, the "Martial Judge".
What to do?
His military strength is inferior to that of his opponent. If this matter is revealed rashly, the two sides may not be able to gain the upper hand if they meet each other. It is best to pretend not to see through, save your life, and then send someone to inform Xijing.
"I see, I hope King Guangping will be victorious." Wu Jiu pretended to be calm, clasping his fists and about to walk away.
"Judge Wu." Suddenly someone called him.
Wu Ji reined in his horse and looked around. His eyes widened in surprise, and he saw a heroic young man coming in armor with a graceful bearing.
He recognized the other party. It was a few years ago. At that time, the other party was dismissed from office. Envoys such as Long You and Fan Yang wanted to recruit him to the shogunate. Wu Jiu also sent a letter of appointment on behalf of the Anxi Army. At that time, the other party was still famous in Chang'an.
"Xue Lang" is now impersonating King Yong Li Qian, and is rebellious with the intention of overthrowing the Tang Dynasty.
But how dare Xue Bai Qingqi go deep and appear here?
For a moment, Wu Ji didn't dare to recognize Xue Bai, for fear of immediately fighting with swords. But Xue Bai seemed very calm, drove his horse to a place only two steps in front of him, and said with a smile: "Long time no see."
Wu didn't know what to say.
Xue Bai said: "The reason why I came here in person is to avoid some avoidable fierce battles and to convince you as much as possible. We are not rebellious. Prince Qing was originally the eldest son of the royal family and the officially canonized prince. He stayed alone in Chang'an when he was in decline.
, ascending the throne and proclaiming the title of emperor is just and right, it is the orthodoxy of the Tang Dynasty. Li Heng colluded with Tubo and faked the imperial edict to invade, so he was a rebellious minister and traitor. Now you want to be rebellious? "
This time, Xue Bai was very unlucky. He originally led four thousand cavalry to attack Fengxiang in person, but was intercepted by Li Chu. He then divided his force with one thousand troops and detoured to Jiucheng Palace, where he met Li Tan. He then detoured north and planned to contact Li Chu.
Cen Shen acted as an internal agent, but Cen Shen was not found and met Wu Jiu instead.
Sure enough, Wu Ji disagreed with him and said: "I have seen with my own eyes that the Supreme Emperor passed down national treasures to saints..."
"The Supreme Emperor is old and dim." Xue Bai said unceremoniously: "The Tang Dynasty has become what it is today because the Supreme Emperor made mistakes. Do you want to follow his mistakes?"
These remarks about righteousness were not enough to convince Wu Jiu. Both sides said that they were orthodox, and the princes were both emperors. Whoever was expected to calm down the situation faster would be able to get the support of his ministers. Now in his opinion, Li Heng's
The troops should be stronger.
Wu Jiu said: "I only act according to the orders of Commander-in-Chief."
He is looking for a suitable opportunity to withdraw, then send a horse to inform Xijing, and report the matter to Feng Changqing. If there is a fight, he is confident that he can escape. After all, although he has a small number of men, he is also a cavalry, and he will definitely not be wiped out.
.
Xue Bai also knew that if he could not persuade Wu Jiu, he would definitely leak the news, so he said: "I will introduce someone to you."
Wu Zuo thought it was one of his relatives who was in Xue Bai's army, but he saw Xue Bai waving to a general and shouted: "Zhang Guangsheng!"
The general was tall and his face was scarred with many scars. He couldn't even see his face clearly, it was very scary. Only a pair of extremely sharp and transparent eyes showed through.
"Zhang Guangsheng?"
Wu was stunned for a moment when he heard the name, and looked straight at the other person. After a long time, he shook his head and said, "No, you are not Zhang Guangsheng."
Because they were both in the Anxi Army, Wu Jiu actually recognized Zhang Guangsheng. He was a soldier beside Gao Xianzhi. He was tall, handsome, and very young. But the man in front of him was not only disfigured, but also had white hair on his temples.
If it happens, it will definitely not be Zhang Guangsheng.
A military card was taken out and thrown into Wu Jiu's hand. Wu Jiu took it and looked at it. On it was the number "Anxi Army Zuo Zhang Guangsheng Certificate". On the other side, the heavily worn and bloody pattern proved that it was Anxi.
Things in the military.
"How come you have it?" Wu asked.
"Of course I do." The man named Zhang Guangsheng spoke, his voice hoarse and filled with vicissitudes of life.
When Wu heard the voice, he immediately stared straight ahead as if he had been shocked by electricity.
Zhang Guangsheng looked at him and said, "I haven't seen him for many years."
Wu Ji couldn't believe it. He got off his horse and ran in front of Zhang Guangsheng. He looked up and said hesitantly: "Jie...Jie Shuai? Is that you?"
"I am no longer handsome, I am Zhang Guangsheng now."
Wu Jiu looked shocked, looked at Xue Bai, and asked: "What is going on?"
Xue Bai said nothing, but said: "Fan Lao, please talk to him."
~~
Fan Lao is a brave and loyal knight-errant. He has followed Xue Bai for many years, and now his official position and power are quite high.
But he never believed that he could become a famous general because he had seen with his own eyes how real famous generals failed.
In the early days of the counter-rebellion, when Xue Bai was still struggling in Hebei, Fan Lao once defended Luoyang. As Gao Xianzhi retreated one after another, Hanjiacang was out of food, and the promised rewards could not be paid. The soldiers were mixed with complaints, and the officials of the Eastern Capital had their own thoughts.
...Finally, they retreated to Tongguan, and the sage sent the eunuch Wu Yuanzi to kill Gao Xianzhi.
Therefore, Fan Lao and Yan Chunqing, the Prime Minister of Yanshi County, worked together for Gao Xianzhi. They went to see Yan Zhenqing, who was serving as a marching commander in Ge Shuhan's army at that time, and tried to ask Ge Shuhan to stop Wu Yuanzi and then intercede.
However, while they were still discussing, they heard Gao Xianzhi's mournful cry on the execution ground at the head of Tongguan City, and the roar of Anxi's soldiers.
"Chang'an is far away, and there is no reason to visit. Tongguan is far away, and there is no time to express my feelings..."
"Unjustly accused!"
"Unjustly accused!"
The soldiers recruited in Luoyang said that Gao Xianzhi was withholding rewards, but the soldiers Gao Xianzhi brought back did not comply. In anger, they actually went to the top of the city and rushed directly in front of Wu Yuanzi.
When Fan Lao climbed to the top of the city, he saw such chaos. He was extremely disappointed with the mediocre saint and was happy to see Anxi soldiers kill the eunuchs and rescue Gao Xianzhi.
??????55.??????
However, at this moment, Yan Zhenqing ordered "Stop" and asked Fan Lao to stop the Anxi soldiers, and then said something.
"You are so stupid! Today I killed the envoy and rescued General Gao, just to show off for a short time. Will General Geshu let you and others out of the city? If not, you will die. If he is released, the court will convict him and Tongguan will be released.
It will be broken, won’t you have a wife and children in Guanzhong?!”
After saying this, the trembling Wu Yuanzi finally saw the hope of survival and repeatedly said yes. Yan Zhenqing drove the soldiers off the city wall and said that he would forget the past.
It was at this time that a young Anxi soldier stood up and said: "I am willing to die handsome on behalf of the emperor!"
"You can't do it for me." Wu Yuanzi pointed at him and said sharply, "I came here under the order to bring Gao Xianzhi's head back to Beijing."
The soldier ignored him, took out his dagger and slashed his face hard, causing blood to flow out, and then said: "I am willing to die on behalf of the commander-in-chief!"
"You!" Wu Yuanzi quickly looked at Yan Zhenqing and said, "Yan Sima, why don't you deal with this thief?"
"Zhang Guangsheng, stand down." Gao Xianzhi shouted.
"I would like to die handsome on behalf of the festival."
One stab after another, the soldier named Zhang Guangsheng slashed his face for more than twenty times, leaving his face bloody and bloody. It frightened Wu Yuanzi and made Yan Zhenqing, Fan Lao and others moved.
"Yan Sima, please say something."
Yan Zhenqing let out a long sigh and said, "Please ask the envoy to tell you after he returns to Chang'an that Gao Xianzhi has no face, so he should cut his face to apologize."
That day, as Wu Yuanzi said "Behead", a bloody human head fell from the battlements of Tongguan City, fell into the sand, and rolled.
Gao Xianzhi held a dagger in his hand and pointed it at his famously handsome face, stabbing him once and again...until he cut himself into a ghost-like shape. Wu Yuanzi made sure that no one would recognize him before he dared to let him go.
"I will cut my face now to thank Your Majesty."
Gao Xianzhi murmured and took out an Anxi Army certificate from Zhang Guangsheng's body.
From then on, he became Zhang Guangsheng.
~~
After Wu listened to Fan Lao's story, he didn't believe it at first, and then looked at Zhang Guangsheng in front of him, as if he was in a dream.
He knelt down in front of the horse and said, "If Marshal Fengjie learns about this, he will definitely be overjoyed. And Li Siye, if he sees Marshal Jie again, I don't know how happy he will be."
"What about you?" Zhang Guangsheng asked.
"I'm so happy."
"Do you want to pacify the bandits, or do you want to gain support?" Zhang Guangsheng asked again, his tone a little cold.
Facing his colleagues in the Western Regions, he did not appear enthusiastic, but rather wary. He did not care which prince won the throne, he only cared that if he failed to hold Luoyang, he would have to conquer Fan Yang, pacify the bandits, and win back the throne. Lost dignity.
King Qing who guarded Chang'an was naturally more to his liking than King Zhong who fled to Shuofang.
Xue Bai watched coldly, waiting for Wu Jiu's reaction.
For Xue Bai, Zhang Guangsheng was his big trump card. Not only was he brave and good at fighting, he could stand alone, but he also had a very high prestige. It was he who sent him to the Shangdang and convinced Anxi, who was once under his command. The famous military general Cheng Ang asked Cheng Ang to send troops to Hebei to force An Qingxu away.
The reason why he dared to surprise Feng Xiang was precisely because of this famous general who once attacked Xiao Bolu by surprise.
The idea of taking a detour to Jiucheng Palace and Longzhou to impersonate the Anxi Army was too risky in Xue Bai's opinion. On the contrary, Zhang Guangsheng was bent on replicating his glory in the Western Regions and strongly encouraged Xue Bai to do this. Today's Thousands of people are just like Xi Yuanqing's troops who attacked Anuyue City.
Of course, there is a seemingly more convenient way, which is to ask Zhang Guangsheng to go directly to Feng Changqing and Li Siye, and maybe he can persuade them to rebel. But it is just a possibility. After all, no matter how good the relationship between individuals is, it may not be able to influence decisions on major matters. Over the years, they have seen too many betrayals for the sake of power.
At the moment it's hard to say whether Wu can be persuaded.
After a long time, Wu Jiu finally responded: "I am willing to follow the example and do the hard work of the dog and horse."
Back then, he recruited Xue Bai for the Anxi Army, and now, they can finally fight side by side.
So, the team continued to march towards Fengxiang, Xijing with the grain and grass.
~~
Feng Xiang.
At the city gate, Wu Jiu nervously handed over the talisman and official document and said: "Wu Jiu, the judge of the Anxi Army, is here to transport food."
He didn't think he could easily open the city gate, because their team was not well disguised. The soldiers were strong, the horses were fine, and they brought little food but everyone wore armor. As long as the generals guarding the city paid close attention, they might
Just have to figure it out.
You know, this city now has many famous generals in the world.
But there was no way, the military situation was urgent, and Xue Bai had no time to waste any more, otherwise the Uighur cavalry would have to return to the division.
"Finally, food and grass have arrived."
The general responsible for guarding the city today is named Kong Deyao. He was originally a colonel in the Forbidden Army. He flattered Li Fuguo and fell into the eyes of Li Heng. He was appointed General Jinwu and was responsible for the defense of Xijing.
Of course, there is General Jinwu above General Jinwu. General Jinwu was originally a brave general. He followed Li Tan on his way to the west. He fought first in battle and protected Li Heng's safety. However, he was dismissed a few days ago. Naturally,
It was because it was involved in the major case of Li Tan trying to murder his brother.
Kong Deyao was busy purging those who were dissatisfied with him in the army these past two days. He changed several generals in succession. He was worried that he would not be able to reward his confidants. Seeing that food and grass were delivered, he wanted to use his power to deduct some.
After all, I will give gifts to Li Fuguo later.
"Transport it to that granary." Kong Deyao raised his hand and pointed.
Wu didn't expect that he could get away with it so easily. Instead, he was stunned for a moment, and then waved his hand for the team to transport food into the city.
So, rows of elite cavalry slowly passed through the city cave. It was not until more than a thousand people entered the city that Kong Deyao asked: "Where is the food and grass? Just a little bit?"
"There are more behind." Zhang Guangsheng raised his hand and pointed to the west.
Kong Deyao then stretched his neck to look, frowned and said, "Is there any?"
The sun reflected on the knife, and the light flashed.
"puff."
As soon as there was a sound, Zhang Guangsheng took Kong Deyao's head in his hand and shouted: "Master Wang, put down the rebellion! Those who don't want to join the rebellion surrender immediately!"
Although he failed to defend Luoyang, he had already told Xue Bai that he was confident that he could attack Fengxiang by surprise and would definitely capture the city today.
So, he, Xue Bai, Jiang Hai, Wu Jiu and others immediately divided their troops to seize each city to prevent Li Chu from returning. In this way, the strength of a thousand men was somewhat insufficient. We had to hurry up and control the city, then we could wait.
Three thousand elite soldiers outside responded.
Fan Lao went to fetch Li Heng.
"Kill!"
Fengxiang Palace did not have a palace, only simple courtyard walls. Fan Lao was worried that Li Heng would escape during the fight at the door, so he ordered someone to light a pack of explosives on the courtyard wall and blow it down.
Soon, everyone rushed into the palace.
~~
Today is Li Tan's funeral, and Li Heng is quite sad.
He felt that he was becoming more and more like Li Longji, and now he could understand the state of mind of having no choice but to kill his son for the sake of the Tang Dynasty. This made him feel that Li Longji had always been quite kind to him.
The hatred in his heart decreased, which made him feel a little disappointed and felt that the grievances he had suffered back then were in vain.
In addition, he regretted killing Li Chu. If Li Chu repeatedly made military exploits and gained too much prestige in the future, there would be no one left to check the eldest son.
At this moment, there was a sudden loud noise.
Li Heng first thought there was thunder, and then he heard someone in the palace shouting: "The traitors are coming!"
He didn't know why, so he got up and walked outside, and saw a commotion outside.
"Your Majesty! Go quickly!"
When he turned around, he saw Zhang Ting arriving, followed by the eunuch holding Li Ji.
She pulled him and ran away in a hurry. After running for two steps, she turned back. Seeing that Li Heng was still stunned, she couldn't help shouting: "Has your Majesty forgotten that he buried Xue Bai alive?!"
For a moment, Li Heng was so shocked that he suffocated, his back was chilled, and cold sweat broke out immediately, and he rushed to follow Zhang Ting.
Familiar fears and panic surged up, and Li Heng seemed to have returned to the winter of Tianbao's fifth year. Although he buried Xue Bai alive, he himself felt locked in an airtight cage.
He finally regained his hatred for Li Longji. If Li Longji hadn't suppressed the forces in the East Palace and blindly believed in traitors and traitors, how could the state affairs be like this?!
~~
Following the crowds pouring out of the palace, Zhang Ting had a clear purpose and took Li Heng directly to the Marshal's Mansion, where there were many capable ministers and good generals who were most likely to protect Li Heng's safety.
Sudden.
"Ouch!"
Zhang Ting looked back and saw that Li Heng had fallen to the ground. She couldn't help but be impatient, blaming him for messing up at such a time. When she looked around, she noticed that Li Heng's head was already covered with white hair.
She had only thought of him as the prince and the emperor before, but now she realized that he was so old, but he was only in his forties...
"Quick, stop the pursuers... Saint, leave quickly!"
In the panic, someone came with troops and stepped forward to help Li Heng up, but it was Li Fuguo.
Li Fuguo had already changed into a cloth, and with a cloth in his hand, he directly put it on Li Heng, supported him and fled quickly.
"Li Heng is there!"
Someone in the distance shouted something like this, and Li Heng was horrified when he heard the words.
"My slave, go and distract them." Li Fuguo said quickly. He was about to leave when he took a look and said, "Sage, bearded man."
Li Heng couldn't care less and quickly took a single knife and cut off the beard under his chin and handed it to Li Fuguo.
Li Fuguo took off his cloth clothes, took this dragon beard, covered his mouth with his hand, and turned back to attract the rebels.
Seeing this, Li Heng couldn't help but be deeply moved, and ran a few more steps. Sure enough, he heard someone behind him shouting: "Li Heng is going over there!"
He couldn't help but feel lucky to have such a loyal servant who sacrificed his life to save him.
Over there, someone yelled a few more words, and while approaching Li Fuguo, he whispered: "Does the saint believe it?"
"Since I believe it, wealth can be found in danger."
"Mr. Li, please leave quickly, the rebels are coming to kill you soon."
"good."
With a "pop" sound, Li Fuguo stabbed his henchman to death, wiped his blood on his face, put on his cloth again, and fled in the direction of Li Heng.