Chapter 501 Seeing justice and forgetting self-interest
Chapter 503 Seeing justice and forgetting self-interest
Huihe camp.
Cloth, shoes and hats were scattered everywhere, and the soldiers' faces were filled with smiles.
Outside the big tent, someone reported: "Ye Hu, the envoy has returned from Jingzhou."
Ye Huzheng was unhappy because his request was rejected by Xue Bai. Hearing this, he immediately ordered: "Let them come in."
Soon, the envoy he sent, Gesamo, quickly entered the tent and said: "Ye Hu, the Lord of the Tang Dynasty has agreed to our terms and will give us more gold and silk children. We will attack together in ten days."
Qizhou City.”
"So long."
Ye Hu knew that Li Heng, Li Chu and his son still needed to stabilize their morale, but he was still impatient. He was afraid that it would take too long. Xue Bai had reinforcements from Chang'an, and he did not want to attack the city.
Soon, Gessamer handed over the letter from Li Heng. Ye Hu understood it well, and Li Heng praised him highly in the letter, saying that he was "a man who has made great contributions to the hardships, saved his country with righteousness, and conquered thousands of miles of territory.
"With one virtue and one heart", he also promised to make him the King of Loyalty and Righteousness, and in addition to the agreed-upon children of gold and silk, he would also be given 20,000 bolts of silk every year.
Looking at the letter, Ye Hu smiled unconsciously, almost reaching his ears.
"Okay, okay, what I got is a real benefit, let the Tang Dynasty pay tribute to me. It's funny that they still treat me as a loyal minister, 'Isn't it just a seal of breaking the earth and a reward of swearing by the river'? I want to save face, I'm a clown.
"
Gessamer couldn't understand these words, but he could also feel the ridiculousness of Li Heng, so he laughed apologetically for a while, and then said: "Ye Hu, I caught a stunning woman on the way back, and I want to enter the palace."
for you."
"Really stunning?"
"Ye Hu can tell at a glance." Gesamo patted his knee and said, "Her skin is thinner than silk and whiter than the cleanest sheep on the grassland..."
When Ye Hu saw the woman, he discovered that Gesamo had not lied to him.
He stroked her smooth and delicate skin with his palms, leaned down, smelled her slightly fragrant hair, and took a long, comfortable breath.
"Woo!"
The woman screamed in fear, trembling, and her red eyes were full of endless begging. Her mouth was stuffed with cloth, and she was struggling hard to say something.
Ye Hu was willing to communicate with her and said teasingly: "Do you think I should untie this for you first? Or should I untie this first?"
"Woo! Woo!"
After a while, Ye Hu finally took off the cloth gagged in her mouth.
"Don't touch me, don't touch me. I am the woman of King Guangping of Tang Dynasty. I am the mother of Prince Fengjie. You can't touch me."
"Who? Who do you think you are?"
"My surname is Shen, and I am the biological mother of Li Chu's eldest son. His Highness told me that you and he are sworn brothers, and you cannot touch me."
Ye Hu didn't know whether he believed it or not, so he deliberately scared her and said, "Where we are, it's normal for brothers to share the same woman."
"Don't! If you dare to touch me, the consequences will be serious." Shen Zhenzhu was so frightened that she broke into a cold sweat. She threatened in a trembling voice: "My husband, my son will be the future emperor of the Tang Dynasty.
If you dare to touch me, you will definitely lose more than you gain."
"The gain is not worth the loss?" Ye Hu laughed again and said, "Woman, you taught me a new idiom."
Although he was teasing Shen Zhenzhu, he was still wary of Datang, so his interest faded and he asked a few more questions to confirm whether she was really Li Chu's woman.
After that, he approached Gesamo again and asked in a face-to-face manner: "How dare you rob the woman of Guangping King Li Chu?!"
"Ye Hu, I was robbed on the road, how could she be Li Chu's woman?"
"You go to Jingzhou again and ask him if he has any lost wives or concubines. If so, I will send them back to him." Ye Hu said, "The Han people have a saying, friends and wives should not be deceived."
~~
Two days later, a frightened Shen Zhenzhu was brought to Ye Hu's tent again.
"Do you know how to be a slave?" Ye Hu turned around and asked her.
Shen Pearl shook her head and looked outside the tent, trying to see the person Li Chu sent to pick her up.
"When I'm hot, you fan me; when I'm cold, you warm my bed; when I'm thirsty, you bring me water; when I'm hungry, you cook the sheep for me." Ye Hu said as if reciting a poem. Then he took off his coat and said again: "I want to vent, you have to satisfy me."
Shen Pearl's expression changed in shock, and she turned around and wanted to run away. Ye Hu stepped forward, grabbed her hair and dragged her back.
She cried loudly and reiterated her identity, trying to scare Ye Hu.
"As a slave, you are my property, my belongings. Don't let me see you trying to escape again, you will not end well."
"Let me go, I am your sworn brother's woman."
Ye Hu stretched out his hand and slapped him, saying, "You still want to lie to me? I have already sent someone to ask, you are not."
Shen Zhenzhu was stunned, or maybe she was confused because of his words.
"Li Chu has no lost wives and concubines at all. His family members are all safe and sound in Jingzhou. You are very smart to think of such a way to deceive me."
"No, how could this happen? No, my son is his eldest son."
Shen Zhenzhu secretly knew what Li Chu was thinking. He was willing to let their son be his successor, but he was worried that she would be like Wu Zetian or Wei Fei, so he deliberately alienated her. But she devoted her years to serve him After dedicating her whole life, all she wanted was peace and joy, which she thought she deserved...
Ye Hu suddenly rushed forward and hugged her. A strong fishy smell came out. He kissed her crazily and said: "If you give birth to a son for me, I will make you the Ketun of Huihe."
Shen Pearl screamed in fright and struggled hard.
"Crack!"
Ye Hu slapped her again, knocking her to the ground and shattering her dream...
"Let her go to the prison camp and learn how to be a good slave."
Shen Zhenzhu was taken out of the big tent as if she had lost her soul. When she came back to her senses, what she saw was a group of half-clothed women locked in a sheepfold. There were often scars around their necks. They were tied with ropes and kept crying.
Some people stood by the fence, calling for their children in a miserable voice, and were whipped again and again by the soldiers.
And their young children have lost the qualification to play and are milking cows, sweeping sheep dung... and learning how to be good slaves.
There were cries of despair everywhere. When Shen Pearl was here, she suddenly felt that she was the least worthy of sympathy among all the people. She might have asked for trouble, but these women and children were the beloved ones in the hearts of countless people in Guanzhong. .
They will be taken to distant grasslands and will be slaves forever.
~~
Qizhou Government Office.
Xue Bai was discussing the military situation with the generals, and his expression was not very good. At this time, someone came to report: "King Yong, the envoy to Jingzhou has returned."
"Call."
Soon, Gao Shen and others entered the lobby and detailed their experiences in Jingzhou. Everyone could not imagine that Pugu Huai'en could kill his own son. After discussing, they all thought that Pugu Bin had betrayed him, so they got angry. He urgently urged Xue Bai to kill Pu Gubin's family members as a warning to others.
Xue Bai, however, was not impatient and said he would wait until the exact news came back before discussing the matter. Then the topic turned to the war with Uighur.
"According to what Gao Shen and others have seen, Li Heng must have made an agreement with Uighur to attack us together..."
If Xue Bai's strategic purpose was to launch a surprise attack on Fengxiang and spread the news to all parts of the world, he would definitely have to wait until some local officials and generals surrendered, and Li Heng would definitely want to seize this time difference to reverse the situation.
Many generals in the hall thought that it was time to delay for a while. They did not have many troops and occupied the city for a month or two to let the world see Li Heng's incompetence.
After listening to these suggestions, Gao Shen couldn't help but feel anxious.
"No!"
Everyone turned to look, wondering why a general of Gao Shen's level was so eager to interrupt.
Gao Shen worshiped and fell to the ground, saying: "I am willing to be a vanguard, and I swear to die for King Yong to defeat the enemy!"
After hearing this, Lao Liang shook his head and asked: "The troops and combat power are not as good as those of the Huihe soldiers. How can you defeat the enemy with your passion? We are all warriors, so don't say stupid things."
Gao Shen was in great mourning. He was really not good at words. He wanted to be a lobbyist, but he couldn't make any sense. He could only plead with Xue Bai: "I will ask King Yong to defeat the enemy and save the wives and children of the people in Guanzhong as soon as possible." In water and fire!"
"It's all useless nonsense." Lao Liang was afraid that he would be dealt with by military law, so he said, "Go down and sober up."
However, Xue Bai seemed to understand Gao Shen's thoughts and said that we would discuss the military situation later and let him stay alone.
"Want to fight?"
"Yes!" Gao Shen nodded vigorously and gritted his teeth and said, "Fight to the death."
"Have you fallen in love with Shen Zhenzhu?"
Gao Shen was stunned, nodded, and apologized to Xue Bai.
"Confused." Xue Bai scolded: "You have made great contributions to the country now and have a bright future in the future. Why worry about not having a wife?"
"King Yong, I will never think of her falling into the hands of the Uighurs...I would rather die than suffer this humiliation!"
"Is this your shame? Li Chu doesn't even feel ashamed, why are you going to sacrifice your life?"
Gao Shen was so scolded that he felt heartbroken and hated himself for not being able to speak openly even if he wanted to save Shen Zhenzhu. But after his mood was extremely depressed, he recalled a sentence that had been burned in his mind, and he was finally able to answer loudly. .
"The last general is a soldier of the Tang Dynasty!" Gao Shen responded: "The last general will be ashamed of not being able to defend the country, and the common people in Guanzhong will be reduced to captive slaves of the Uighurs. The last general will have a sweetheart, and I don't want to stay with him forever. It's only a shame that I can't fulfill my duty as a soldier and protect her!"
As he talked about it later, he became more and more excited, his face flushed, and he said: "Li Chu can bear it, but I can't bear it! I don't care that he is the emperor's grandson and the prince, holding a heavy army. I only care about a dignified seven-foot man, and he will never be humiliated!"
Xue Bai looked at him deeply and said: "If you are so beautiful, I can marry you to someone younger and more beautiful than Mr. Shen."
"At the end of the day, I just want a battle, and I beg King Yong to grant it."
"But you want a fight? Are you the enemy of tens of thousands of people?"
Gao Shen's martial arts skills were not very good and he couldn't help but feel ashamed.
"I know where the ten thousand enemies are." Xue Bai said: "I have sent Zhang Guangsheng to Longzhou to persuade Feng Changqing to surrender. Originally, if you could make Li Heng and his son speechless in Jingzhou, you might be able to make Feng Changqing speechless. See clearly that they are not worthy of being followed."
As he said that, Xue Bai tapped his finger twice on the map and said: "You have returned, but Zhang Guangsheng has not sent back any news. I am afraid that something may go wrong. I want to send people to find out the situation. If it is bad, As a result, we tried to rescue him."
"I will go there eventually."
Gao Shen became extremely anxious when he thought that Shen Zhenzhu was suffering in the Huihe camp. He wished he could kill the Huihe camp immediately and rescue Shen Zhenzhu. But he also knew that gaining the support of Anxi soldiers and horses was the fastest and most certain way to defeat the enemy. way.
"Go ahead." Xue Bai said, "You don't have to convince me. Use your reasoning to convince the Anxi Army."
"The general will definitely live up to King Yong's trust!" Gao Shen took the order and left.
Xue Bai firmly wanted to fight the Uighur cavalry, but in the past few days, many people advised him to just defend the city. Once he defended the city, no matter how the Uighurs plundered it outside, this battle would be watched by the world. He came to drive away Li Heng, but leaving the city would be risky.
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What's more, some people advised him to raise a lot of money to buy off the Uighurs, citing many reasons why the Uighur cavalry were powerful and profit-seeking.
But he wanted to prove to them that the national power of the Tang Dynasty was still there, and the majesty of Tian Khan was still there.
It is indeed still there, provided that the Tang Dynasty will not continue to decline in endless internal friction.
~~
The waiting was excruciating. Xue Bai waited for three full days. Finally, Gao Shen came back and gave him a big enough news.
"Report to King Yong, Feng Changqing agrees to surrender!"
Gao Shen was very excited and prostrated himself in front of Xue Bai, holding up Feng Changqing's letter with both hands. He looked at Xue Bai expectantly, as if he was willing to fight back to Huihe camp at any time.
Xue Bai took Feng Changqing's letter and found that although Feng Changqing was a general, his handwriting was very good, fluent and sharp, and his articles were good, parallel and powerful. However, Feng Changqing's surrender was not
There are quite a few conditions.
He wanted Li Cong to welcome him back and return him to power after the rebellion was completely suppressed, and he also wanted Xue Bai to promise not to fight for the throne.
These two points are very unwise from Xue Bai's point of view. If it weren't for Li Longji's stupidity, the situation would not be in this situation. And Xue Bai was confident that he could revive the Tang Dynasty, so it was impossible to give up his ambition; but in
From Feng Changqing's point of view, if he wants to surrender, he naturally hopes that the Tang Dynasty will be stabilized quickly, and these two conditions are currently the most appeasing.
After all, from the perspective of the loyal ministers of the Tang Dynasty, regardless of whether Xue Bai was the real grandson of the emperor or not, as long as Li Cong canonized him as the prince, there was a possibility of giving away the Li family's country.
Xue Bai did not answer immediately, but first met with the envoy sent by Feng Changqing.
It was a military general named Zhao Zongxun. He looked very elite. His skin was rough and his hands were covered with calluses. He had obviously served in Anxi for a long time.
After seeing the ceremony, Xue Bai learned that he was Shule's envoy and said with a smile: "It turns out he is General Zhao. I have admired his name for a long time."
Zhao Zongxuan was stunned and said bluntly: "King Yong is indeed lying without changing his face. I have been in the Western Regions for a long time and I am not a famous general. How can you admire my name for a long time?"
Xue Bai asked: "Do many people think that I lie without compunction?"
Zhao Zongxun was not polite and said: "Not bad!"
"Maybe it's a misunderstanding from the world?"
"A person's name is like the shadow of a tree." Zhao Zongxuan waved his hand and said, "How can there be so many misunderstandings?"
Xue Bai then smiled and said: "Cen Shen and I are close friends. I have heard him talk about General Zhao's majestic deeds and I have admired him for a long time."
"Hahaha, really?" Zhao Zongxun still didn't believe it.
Xue Bai said: "Cen Shen has a poem that has been circulated among the Anxi army. I have also heard it. It is called "Song of General Zhao", 'The general wins every game and wins as much as a sable robe'."
This sentence scratched Zhao Zongxun's heart. He couldn't help scratching his cheeks, suppressing his pride, and said modestly: "I'm not that good at bow and horse. In the military competition, everyone gave in, and I could win nine out of ten games."
Field, Cen Shen exaggerated, exaggerated."
This man doesn't look very smart, and he seems to be easy to bribe. In fact, the reason why Feng Changqing sent him here is because he is very powerful. This is only reflected in the conditions put forward by Feng Changqing.
.
"Shuai Jie said that King Yong can only agree to these two conditions, otherwise there will be no need to negotiate!"
Xue Bai asked: "Where is the envoy I sent?"
Zhao Zongxuan waved his hand as a matter of course and said: "The envoy will not be let back either!"
Xue Bai asked: "If I agree, will Feng Changqing send troops to help me defeat the Huihe cavalry?"
"What's the use of your promise?" Zhao Zongxun glared and said, "You have to have the consent of the saint in Chang'an City!"
In this case, Xue Bai made a mistake. He nodded and said: "The saint can agree."
Zhao Zongxun said: "There is no basis for your words. How dare King Yong promise in person in front of the Anxi soldiers that he will not compete for the reserve position?"
Xue Bai pondered and asked: "How to make a promise in front of the soldiers of the Anxi Army?"
"There is a hope of Lutai outside the city of Qianyang. If King Yong dares to go there and make a blood alliance with the envoy and make a promise in front of the soldiers of the Anxi Army, the commander will lead his army to help Emperor An conquer Guanzhong and stabilize the world. From now on.
, If King Yong dares to covet the great treasure, the soldiers of Anxi will not show mercy!"
…
Many people under Xue Bai were opposed to Feng Changqing's request, thinking that Feng Changqing might be committing fraud.
This was another moment that tested Xue Bai's judgment.
Did Feng Changqing want to deceive him into ambush? It is indeed possible. There have been many such cases throughout the ages.
However, Xue Bai still believed that Feng Changqing really wanted to negotiate, because he believed that a general who garrisoned the Western Regions must have the ambition to defend his country.
As a man, especially a man from a powerful dynasty like the Tang Dynasty, if he had a choice, he would definitely not be able to bear the need to sell the wives and children of his subjects to the Uighurs and borrow Uighur soldiers to help the royal family fight for power.
Now that Xue Bai is guarding Chang'an, the situation is completely different. Feng Changqing can quickly speed up the progress of peace in the world with one choice.
Based on these judgments, Xue Bai dared to see Feng Changqing.
When he was about to ride his horse out of the city, he was blocked by Jiang Hai, who asked, "Why do you need to take risks?"
"Do you remember that when you first entered Chang'an, you were under Li Heng's command?" Xue Bai asked.
Jiang Hai was stunned for a moment and said: "The general has been loyal to me wholeheartedly and has no intention of being attached to Li Heng."
"I know." Xue Bai said: "I am just afraid that I will become Li Heng, so I have to go."
In fact, Xue Bai also learned a lot from Li Heng.
He understood that if those in power take more risks, the people of the country will suffer less. If those in power bear more responsibility, the people of the country will be more stable.
~~
Xiguan, Wanglu Terrace, Mianyang City.
This building was built by Yan Ji, a disciple of Confucius in the Spring and Autumn Period. Yan Ji was from Qianyang. He went to Shandong three times to follow Confucius for seventeen years and ranked fourteenth among the seventy-two sages. After he returned home after completing his studies, he set up a museum here.
He taught his disciples. Because he missed his mentor, he climbed up here every day to look into the distance. It is said that he used the lapels of his clothes to spread the earth and put his feet on it, and accumulated over eighteen years to form this high earth platform.
In July, the setting sun was like fire. This high platform, which represents gratitude and longing, was surrounded by square formations of Anxi soldiers. They had been in the bitter cold land of the Western Regions for a long time. They were afraid of the heat and sweated like rain.
Of course, many of them are from Guanzhong, who were recruited from the Western Regions. At this time, they are looking eastward, very much like Yan Ji a thousand years ago.
A group of people galloped towards them and broke into their sight. The leader was Xue Bai.
The soldiers did not expect that this traitor named the emperor's grandson, or that this emperor's grandson who was regarded as a traitor, would dare to come, and they were all talking.
At first, "Xue Ni" appeared more often in their mouths. Later, Feng Changqing led his men and horses to meet Xue Bai, and the group of people rode together to Guanlu Terrace.
As Xue Bai's heroic figure appeared calmly in their sight, gradually, the number of people calling him "Xue Ni" became less and less, and more people began to call him "King Yong". For example, some schools would urge the soldiers to move forward.
Stand and "make way for King Yong".
When Xue Bai climbed onto the viewing platform and looked at the soldiers, everyone could more intuitively feel that his morale was not inferior to that of Feng Changqing.
…
When the densely packed figures and the numerous swords and guns came into view, and the murderous aura soaring into the sky, such a scene naturally made people feel timid. The reason why Xue Bai was not afraid was because he had already died once.
While others didn't know who Zhang Guangsheng was with his scarred face, Xue Bai was sure that with him around, Feng Changqing would at least not kill him.
"How does King Yong feel?" Feng Changqing pointed out the square formations for Xue Bai and asked.
"They are all soldiers of the Tang Dynasty." Xue Bai said.
He told himself in his heart that he should not think that he was riding into the enemy's formation alone. Today, the future king of the Tang Dynasty walked into the soldiers who would definitely support him. So, he raised his hand and waved to them.
Feng Changqing couldn't help but squint his eyes, staring at Xue Bai's action. He didn't feel relaxed, but became wary in his heart.
"Come and introduce to King Yong... General Zuo Jinwu, the hussar, is stationed in the west of Zhenxi, and the military envoy of Beiting branch camp, Li Siye."
Xue Bai looked around and saw a general who could almost be regarded as a giant. His height of over two meters was extremely eye-catching.
It was too hot today, so Li Siye was not wearing any armor, and his upper body was half-naked. His arms on both sides were as big as two buckets, and larger than the average shoulder blades. He didn't know what kind of armor would be needed to cover him, and how heavy it should be.
Such a big man seemed to be able to collapse the high platform just by standing on the Guanlu Platform. What was rare was that Li Siye was not bulky, but was very flexible.
After meeting him, one has to admit that becoming a famous general really requires talent, not just hard work. Otherwise, the harder you work, the sooner you may die.
In short, Xue Bai fell in love with Li Siye as soon as he saw him. He even thought of the story about Cao Cao meeting Guan Yu, and said: "I have admired General Li for a long time, and when I saw him today, he is indeed a hero."
"This time what King Yong said about his long-admired name must be true!" Zhao Zongxuan laughed, and he was quite amused.
Xue Bai Wan'er asked: "But I don't know that General Zhao won every game, but even General Li defeated him."
Zhao Zongxun raised his head and glanced at Li Siye with some fear, shook his head, and said: "General Li doesn't bother to wait for Zongbo with me."
Li Siye didn't say much and just nodded.
Feng Changqing introduced several more generals. Seeing that the time was almost up, he said: "King Yong, please."
As soon as he gave the order, there were soldiers carrying wooden trays with water and daggers on them. This was to force Xue Bai to make an oath in public and stop fighting for the reserve position.
Xue Bai looked at this scene, but shook his head and said: "I came here to ask why the commander-in-chief did this? Li Heng fought for this prince, and Li Chu fought for it, why can't I? Why don't I take a look?
Whose position was the Crown Prince in the first place?!"
Feng Changqing said: "I don't want to argue with you about the reasons. I just know that this is the fastest way to end the power struggle."
"Why?"
"King Yong sometimes calls himself an official slave, sometimes he calls himself an orphan, and sometimes he calls himself the grandson of the emperor. It is inevitable that people will suspect that he is pretending to be the grandson of the emperor, and uses this to secretly usurp the Li family. I also ask King Yong to clear up the doubts of the world, so that we can become the emperor of Chang'an.
Efficacy!”
After saying that, Feng Changqing picked up the dagger, cut his palm and squeezed out the blood.
"Please."
Xue Bai closed his eyes and recalled the scenes when he scolded Li Longji and Li Heng for being selfish again and again, and seemed to see the time and space of thousands of years after the Anshi Rebellion from Qingshi.
At a certain moment, he strengthened his determination again. He took Feng Changqing's knife and slashed it, and blood dripped into the basin.
"Okay, let Commander Feng Jie rest assured that I will never use the name of the emperor's grandson to secretly usurp the Li family's kingdom!"