Shi Siming should have expected that the Tang army would launch an attack.
Since he sent his generals to Jianghuai and captured them, Xue Bai and Li Guangbi were unable to stop them, so they would definitely take advantage of the reduced strength of his camp to launch a sneak attack.
Even when he first made the strategic plan, his purpose was to force the Tang army to leave the city for a decisive battle. However, he was distracted by Yan Zhuang's instigation of Shi Chaoyi's rebellion in the past two days and ignored it for a while.
Xiao Qiang's misfortune, and the focus on the coach, had a much greater impact on the entire battle than expected.
"Accept the challenge!"
Shi Siming immediately got on his horse and personally led the Yan army to resist. His figure was the opposite of An Lushan, very thin, with high eyebrows, and an expression as fierce as an eagle. This domineering aura fell in the eyes of the Yan army generals, and they all became angry.
Follow him and kill the enemy with a cry.
However, misfortunes never come singly, and the news of Shi Chaoyi's death has spread to the camp.
As the eldest son of the Yan Kingdom and King Huai, Shi Chaoyi was kind and generous to others, and the number of soldiers betting on him far exceeded Shi Siming's estimate.
If the Tang army had not suddenly attacked, these soldiers should have used kindness and power to appease or deal with them. But now, when the horn sounded for the night attack, they would of course fall to the Tang army.
"Your Majesty, something serious has happened!" A soldier rushed over and shouted in panic.
Shi Siming, who was as powerful and fierce as an eagle and a kite, was about to kill the enemy. Hearing this, he turned around and shouted: "Speak!"
"Luo Yue's subordinate Zhou Zijun led his troops to rebel and shot and killed the general sent by His Majesty to frighten them!"
Before he finished speaking, Shi Siming killed the messenger on the spot with a knife. He listened carefully and saw that there were indeed shouts getting closer and closer in the night wind.
"King Huai is dead and it is difficult for the Yan Dynasty to prosper. Follow me to bring order to the chaos and seek wealth together."
"Kill Shi Siming and return to the Tang Dynasty without losing your future and achievements!"
"Kill!"
As the shouts came closer and closer, Shi Siming became furious and ordered his generals to quell the chaos first.
Cao You immediately led his troops out and rushed towards the camp, shouting at the same time: "Who dares to rebel? Kill without mercy!"
An arrow shot from the side of the ground and hit Cao You in the neck.
Immediately afterwards, Zhou Zijun came galloping on his horse.
This general was young and bold, and was not afraid of Shi Siming. He waved the bow in his hand and kept inciting the Yan army officers and soldiers.
"It has been more than a hundred years since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, and it has been prosperous. There are seven generations of emperors in the Li family. You don't want to serve. Instead, you work for a Hu Ni Shi Siming. Is it worth it?!"
For a time, the morale of the Yan army was shattered.
The guards who had returned from the defeat eagerly hugged Shi Siming and wanted to escape.
"Quick, protect Your Majesty!"
Shi Siming pushed away the guards and galloped towards Zhou Zijun. He knew very well that if the rebellion could not be suppressed, the army would be completely defeated.
Over there, when Zhou Zijun saw Shi Siming coming to kill him, he advanced instead of retreating, vowing to use the rebel leader's head as his ladder to the blue sky.
"Hu Ni, take your life!"
"puff."
A human head fell to the ground, and blood rose into the sky.
Shi Siming slashed with his sword, bathed in the rain of blood, reined in the reins, and stared hard at the people rushing over noisily in front of him.
After a long time, he spoke.
"King Huai's rebellion is the fault of one person, but no one will be implicated!"
Soon, the Yan army conveyed Shi Siming's decree in order to appease those who rebelled.
But the Tang army had already reached the camp gate, how could they still be appeased?
Not only Shi Chaoyi's cronies defected to the Tang army. There were also some people who were secretly close to Shi Chaoyi. Although no one knew about it, they were afraid of being implicated when they heard something happened. Even some generals who had only exchanged a word with Shi Chaoyi simply defected along with him.
This situation caused panic to spread rapidly.
Shi Siming finally used his mighty momentum to scare away the traitors who were rushing towards him, and the Tang army was escorted to the camp gate.
The fire ignited and roared fiercely.
When the army sergeants saw the fire, they became even more confused.
"What's going on?!"
"King Huai conspired to rebel and kill His Majesty. Those who take refuge in King Huai will not be implicated."
"What? King Huai has killed Your Majesty?"
"There are rebels supporting King Huai. It sounds like we have no choice but to surrender to the Tang army..."
I don’t know if the holy message to comfort the soldiers was misheard or mistransmitted, and the person who died became Shi Siming instead.
As a result, some generals who were loyal to Shi Siming also turned to join the Tang army.
After dealing with all these things anxiously, Shi Siming felt free and felt that the sky was getting brighter. When he looked back, he couldn't help but be surprised.
"Why did the fire start so fast?!"
"Your Majesty, the Tang army is good at using firearms. Fire and water are ruthless. If your Majesty is hurt, please retreat quickly."
"Don't retreat!" Shi Siming said angrily: "Follow me to kill the enemy!"
While he was talking, the fire suddenly surged much higher, and even he could feel the heat wave hitting his face.
The anger in his eyes was also burning.
His ambition to conquer the world has not yet been satisfied, the long-awaited decisive battle has just arrived, and he has to escape before his opponent can meet him.
"Ming Jin!"
The Yan army finally began to retreat northward in large numbers.
Shi Chaoyi's body was lifted up. At first, the soldiers of the Yan army did not want the body of King Huai of Yan to fall into the hands of the Tang army.
But before the camp was evacuated, the body had been thrown in front of the stable.
Horse hooves passed by it, and then pairs of feet stepped on the corpse. Soon, the fire spread, burning Shi Chaoyi's clothes and hair, causing oil to drip from his skin.
Shi Siming had already galloped out of the camp and ran into the night wind without looking back at his son.
It was just like when he took possession of the unknown Xi Ren female slave many years ago, he put on his clothes and left without looking back at the seed he left behind. At that time, all he was thinking about was how to survive.
It's the same today.
Behind him, the fire of the big camp ten miles away shot into the sky, and it was bright all night long, making the entire Mengzhou area look like daylight.
~~
Finally, the sun rose in the east, and the firelight and skylight merged together, illuminating the bloody earth.
A Tang army cavalry team chasing the rebels returned on horseback, led by none other than the general Li Guangbi.
Li Guangbi led his troops to attack at night and began to pursue the rebels before they even set foot in the Yan camp. The results of the battle have not yet been counted.
Burning the camp, taking in the rebel generals from the Yan army, and counting the results of the battle, all these things were done by Xue Bai. Therefore, he directly asked: "Where is King Yong?"
"In Beiying."
The so-called Beiying was the place where the rebels stored their supplies. Because they were prepared for fire attacks by the Tang army when they set up camp, they dug deep trenches between the camp and other camps, so that they were not affected by the fire.
Li Guangbi rushed to meet him before he could wipe off the blood on his armor. When he opened the curtain, he saw the scarred Yan Zhuang prostrating himself in front of Xue Bai, with a solemn expression that he was willing to die loyally to the Tang Dynasty.
"I am fortunate to have fulfilled my destiny and alienated the Shi family and his son."
"Get up." Xue Bai helped Yan Zhuang up with his own hands, "You have done a good job, and the court will not diminish your credit."
Li Guangbi did not get Shi Siming or Shi Siming's body, and he could not be sure which of the Shis and his sons were evacuated last night. After all, the scene was chaotic and there were many theories, including some saying that both the Shis and his sons were dead.
Hearing what Yan Zhuang said at this time, he thought Xue Bai's plan had come true. He couldn't help but smile bitterly and said: "The world is full of tricks. I didn't expect that your arrangement would really make them kill father and son."
The joy when I said this was mixed with some helplessness that I felt I was unlucky.
In fact, Xue Bai had already heard someone report that "King Huai was dead" and was regretting that he had lost the bet with Li Guangbi. He did not expect that the news would be delayed.
How can anyone in the world of power not be shameless? His eyes flashed slightly and he asked with a smile: "Are you willing to admit defeat?"
Li Guangbi sighed helplessly and reluctantly said: "I am willing to admit defeat."
"Prepare incense thread and rice wine." Xue Bai immediately ordered.
He was rarely happy and patted Yan Zhuang on the shoulder to indicate that he had done a good job.
Naturally, some people tried to dissuade him. Some generals under Li Guangbi tactfully said that it was very inappropriate for the marshal of the world's military forces to sworn a sworn sworn brotherhood with the deputy marshal.
"Isn't it appropriate?" Xue Bai then asked, "Can Li Chu, the king of Guangping, sworn sworn sworn sworn relationship with Ye Hu of Huihe, but I can't sworn sworn sworn brother?"
"But King Yong put down the rebellion of King Guangping, didn't he?"
"I'm willing to admit defeat without you having to talk."
So, in front of all the generals, Xue Bai and Li Guangbi each lit incense sticks and bowed to heaven and earth, becoming brothers, and each drank a glass of rice wine.
"Sworn brother."
"King Yong."
"Sister-in-law, just call me by my name."
"Okay." Li Guangbi was not happy, he sighed and called out: "Nothing to blame."
A sincere smile appeared on Xue Bai's face, thinking that on this trip, his goal of wooing Li Guangbi had basically been achieved, or it was impossible to do any better.
It would be even better if we could bring Guo Ziyi along with us and the three of us would become sworn brothers.
"I also have a sworn brother, let's include him together." That night, Xue Bai dreamed of himself and Li Guangbi saying this in his deep sleep.
Unfortunately, their loyalty did not last long.
A few days later, Li Guangbi strode to Xue Bai's tent with a displeased look on his face and threw a battle report in Xue Bai's face.
"King Yong, please take a look."
"Why doesn't my sworn brother call me by my name?" Xue Bai asked knowingly.
Li Guangbi said: "Shi Siming is still alive, so in this bet between you and me, you are the loser."
"Is Shi Siming still here?"
Xue Bai was taken aback. He focused on the major issue of countering the rebellion and said in deep thought: "If this is the case, we will not be able to counter the rebellion quickly."
Li Guangbi said: "Yes, he has fled back to Weizhou and gathered troops. All the rebels he sent to Jianghuai have also returned north."
"This is a good thing." Xue Bai said, "In this way, we can avoid the loss of life in Henan and Jianghuai. In this battle, my sworn brother's contribution lies in the common people."
"I can no longer bear the title of 'sworn brother' from King Yong. After all, I should be willing to admit defeat."
"Okay, I'm willing to admit defeat."
Xue Baiyun smiled lightly, raised his fingers to the sky, and said: "I swear that I will never disturb the Tang Dynasty. Are you satisfied, brother?"
"King Yong must never be so symmetrical again."
"This is because the rebels misrepresented the news. Maybe it's God's will. It's the fate between you and me as brothers."
Li Guangbi was cold and stern, and still said: "I can't afford it."
"All right."
Xue Bai doesn't force it either. Anyway, once many things get spread, it cannot be decided by the wishes of the parties concerned.
In the future, no matter how Li Guangbi denies the sworn friendship, it will only be regarded as guilty.
~~
"The general escort is late, please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Weizhou, Xue E, Wang Tongzhi, Xu Jingzhi and other generals of the Yan army who were recalled just after crossing the Yellow River worshiped in front of Shi Siming and apologized one after another.
They blamed the Heyang defeat on themselves for leading troops outside, which was just to give Shi Siming face.
Of course, Shi Siming could not really blame them. He helped them up one by one in a friendly manner and said: "Li Guangbi was cunning and used firearms to sneak attack the camp. I want to retreat to Fan Yang first, and then go south to conquer Chang'an after regrouping. How about that?"
"The Sage's Clear Principle."
Just as Shi Chaoyi said, the Yan army was still going to retreat to Fan Yang. Unfortunately, what he said was right but what he did was wrong.
The dead are dead, but the living are still alive. Shi Siming immediately sent an envoy back to Fan Yang to convey the decree and install Shi Chaoqing as the crown prince. The crown prince is the foundation of the country, and this move can stabilize Fan Yang's people.
After that, he issued an order, ordering Cai Xide not to attack Shangdang again, but only to suppress Fu Kou to ensure the safety of Xiangzhou.
With such arrangements in place, he personally led the defeated army and retreated to Xiangzhou.
Xiangzhou is where Shi Siming killed An Qingxu. He planned to not retreat after reaching Xiangzhou. He had to stabilize his position and repel the Tang army to ensure Dayan's territory.
The spring breeze of March caresses my face, and as we head north, it gradually becomes less warm.
In the distance, Xiangzhou City is in sight, and there are fast horses galloping ahead.
"Report——"
"Your Majesty, Cai Xide has left the city to greet Your Majesty."
When Shi Siming heard this, he raised his hand, stopped moving, and looked at him with doubts.
The generals were puzzled, so Xue E stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, what are your concerns?"
Shi Siming was actually very suspicious and jealous, otherwise he would not have killed his own son.
He mused: "In the past, Cai Xide and I were both An Shouzhong and Li Guiren, and we were all equally famous. Now I am the emperor, and they are ministers. They may not be convinced in their hearts. I know Cai Xide's temperament. This time
Hearing that I was defeated, you must have some thoughts, why would you go out of the city to greet me?"
"Your Majesty is saying that he has a different intention?"
Shi Siming himself had seized the throne of the An family, and of course he was worried about the retribution. Therefore, he called all his soldiers back before he dared to return north, and ordered the soldiers to be more vigilant.
The army continued to move forward, and finally saw Cai Xide's team coming to greet them.
~~
"Your Majesty is welcome to enter the city."
Cai Xide, wearing Mingguang armor, dismounted and walked up to Shi Siming, showing respect.
He looked a lot tired these days against Guo Ziyi, his thick and thick beard was already a little white, but his eyes were very sincere.
Unexpectedly, Shi Siming refused to enter the city but gave a signal with his eyes. Generals Xue E and Wang Tongzhi immediately led their troops, either controlling Cai Xide's generals, or riding their horses into the city to check.
"Your Majesty, what are you doing?"
Cai Xide was greatly surprised, with a sullen look on his face, and said: "Is your Majesty doubting me?!"
His demeanor made Shi Siming shaken, thinking that he was too suspicious.
At this moment, something unexpected happened ahead.
"Whoosh."
An arrow was shot from the top of the city, and Xue E, who had just crossed the moat, was shot off his horse.
"kill!"
Along with the shouting of killing, a big flag waved on the top of the city.
However, to Shi Siming's surprise, it was the flag of the Tang Army!
A troop of Tang Army cavalry had charged out from the city gate.
At the same time, there were loud shouts of death coming from the mountains and forests on both sides, with gray smoke billowing and the sound extremely powerful.
"It's Guo Ziyi!"
Finally, someone saw it clearly. What was the word "Guo" written on the majestic flag of the Tang Army if it wasn't the word "Guo"?
On the other side, the flag of the Tang Army general has the word "Cheng", which is the Tang Army general Cheng Ang who was captured by him.
Shi Siming expected that Cai Xide had a tyrannical intention, but he did not expect that Guo Ziyi had arrived in Xiangzhou quietly and was shocked.
"kill!"
Cai Xide's plan was to lure Shi Siming into the city and then kill him. He thought that Shi Siming would not doubt him because of their many years of friendship. He did not expect that Shi Siming would not trust him so much, and he couldn't help but be furious.
Now that the Tang army had launched its attack in advance, he was trapped in Shi Siming's army formation. If he retreated, he would die, but if he advanced, he might still have a way to survive.
So, he pounced on Shi Siming.
The heavy armor hit the war horse, knocking Shi Siming to the ground. Cai Xide was overjoyed and quickly pressed on with his heavy body.
"Die!"
The huge shadow came down. Shi Siming ignored the severe pain in his legs and rolled over. He pulled out the dagger from his boots and stabbed it. It hit Cai Xide's armor for the first time. With a "dang" sound, his neck was already
Being strangled.
"Don't even come here!" Cai Xide roared.
Shi Siming couldn't breathe, and was angry that no one could save him among the thousands of troops. He had no choice but to use his dagger to plunge into the gap in Cai Xide's hakama.
"ah!"
As the screams began, the strength in Cai Xide's hands relaxed a little.
Shi Siming stabbed Cai Xide hard twice, struggled out, grabbed a knife, and violently chopped off Cai Xide's head.
"What a waste! Why don't you save me?!"
"Your Majesty Shenwu, I can't wait in time."
Shi Siming looked up again and was surprised to find that Wang Tongzhi had also died in the battle. Guo Ziyi's banner had advanced from the mountains and forests to the left wing of the Yan army's line, trying to divide the marching Yan army into two.
Encountering such a sophisticated opponent, Shi Siming had no confidence to fight again and decisively ordered the attack. Even Xiangzhou City did not dare to enter, so he cut his way to the north and rushed north.
He must return to Fan Yang. As long as he returns to Fan Yang, today's defeat will be nothing. In a few years, he will be able to gather a strong army and go south.
Shi Siming was old in the army. He had won many battles and lost many battles. He was very experienced in fleeing after defeat. He did not gather troops and horses. The main force of the Yan army was mostly brave cavalry with fast horses. As long as he escaped from the battlefield and saved his life, he would return later.
.
Soon, he led more than a thousand personal guards to leave the battlefield and rush north.
However, Guo Ziyi obviously had no intention of letting him go and had already made preparations to capture him.
A troop of Tang army cavalry quickly caught up with them, roaring incessantly.
"The one wearing the imperial robe is Shi Siming, stop him!"
Shi Siming was shocked and quickly took off his imperial robe and put on the armor of an ordinary general while running away.
But the Tang army had a telescope and could clearly see the process of changing his clothes.
"The one wearing the golden helmet is Shi Siming!"
Shi Siming had no choice but to quickly take off the shining armor.
His hair was already sparse, and it fell out faster as he got older. He had already had a large patch of bald hair on top of his head. When he took off his helmet, the bald spot still reflected light, but the light shone softer.
"The bald man is Shi Siming!"
Shi Siming was furious, cut off a piece of cloth and wrapped it around his head. He raised his knife and shouted to the guard beside him: "Cut your hair!"
Each of the Yan soldiers had no choice but to take off their helmets and shave the hair on their heads, leaving them all bald.
~~
"Report! We have captured more than twenty bald men and are asking people to identify Shi Siming."
After hearing the report, Guo Ziyi no longer had high hopes for capturing Shi Siming. There was some thought in his eyes, worrying that the counter-insurgency would be a long night and a long dream.
The reason why he was in Xiangzhou was because he had defeated and captured Cai Xide a while ago. What was even more rare was that he took advantage of Shangdang's terrain to prevent the defeated rebels from crossing the Taihang Mountains.
Later, Guo Ziyi personally recruited Cai Xide and captured Xiangzhou City without spending a single soldier.
At that time, Li Guangbi's message happened to arrive, saying that the rebels had divided their forces and marched into Jianghuai. Guo Ziyi was hesitating whether to raise his flag and cut off Shi Siming's retreat in order to force him to return. The sentry horse reported the news that the rebels were defeated and returned.
Guo Ziyi then planned to ambush Shi Siming, but unfortunately the criminal was suspicious and did not take the bait.
"Guo Gong!"
Someone was shouting and walking this way, limping a little, but it was Cheng Ang who was captured by the rebels in Shangdang.
After Cheng Ang was captured, he was first detained in Weizhou by Shi Siming, and then transferred to Xiangzhou. After finally escaping, he rushed to the battlefield and fought fiercely, feeling very happy.
"Guo Gong has achieved such a great victory. I wonder why he has any worries?"
"The war is going on. Now that Shi Siming is gone, I'm afraid the imperial court will try to appease him again."
Cheng Ang was puzzled and asked: "With such a great victory, there are only a few steps left to suppress the rebellion. How can we still recruit people?"
He was also a military governor, and Guo Ziyi was willing to discuss some secret matters with him. After thinking about it, he slowly spoke.
"Recently, there have been some rumors in the court against King Yong. Moreover, King Yong was assassinated in Luoyang. He told me in a secret letter that it was the supervisor Bai Zhongzhen who did it."
Cheng Ang twisted his eyebrows. Although there was no evidence, he already believed that this matter was true.
He had also known about Xue Bai's controversy for a long time, but everyone deliberately suppressed it before the rebellion was over.
"After the rebellion is suppressed, the saint will definitely reduce the power of King Yong."
Guo Ziyi actually supported this, but still said: "I am afraid that due to the impact of this incident, the DPRK and China will be too hasty in countering the rebellion and fall short of the success."
Some things haven't happened yet, but he can already see the clues and smell the risks.
The Tang army was still counting the results of the battle, and horses came from the south, bringing news about Li Guangbi. After these great victories, the two Tang armies were able to join forces and pursue Shi Siming.
This was the second time that Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi cooperated to recover counties in Hebei and conduct the Northern Expedition to Fanyang.
Having learned from the previous failure, this time, what they were most worried about was not success or failure on the battlefield, but the various constraints imposed by the DPRK.
But this time Xue Bai was in their army, and many things could be discussed in person.
~~
"King Yong."
"Gong Guo must not be too polite. I also thought that it would be a good story if I could become brothers with Duke Guo and Duke Li and work together to put down the rebellion."
"Hahaha."
Guo Ziyi's character was very different from Li Guangbi's, much more cheerful. Hearing that Xue Bai meant to sworn sworn brothers, she laughed heartily and said, "Well, well, well, it would be an honor for me to be sworn sworn brother to King Yong. It also shows that I am not old yet."
ah!"
This kind of behavior is very pleasing.
Li Guangbi on the other side had a straight face every time he heard about the sworn vows, as if Xue Bai owed him 80,000 yuan.
But after Guo Ziyi laughed enthusiastically, she still waved her hand and sighed: "No, you and I will command the army. If we become sworn sworn friends, others will definitely say that we are conspiring to collude. We cannot explain clearly."
It is also a skill to be able to state the reason for rejection so naturally and without offending Xue Bai with the previous foreshadowing.
In terms of human relations and sophistication, Guo Ziyi is obviously much more sophisticated than Li Guangbi.
Xue Bai knew that it would be difficult to set a trap for Guo Ziyi this time, so he focused on countering the rebellion.
"To tell you the truth, now that we have defeated Shi Siming, the imperial court will probably not support us in continuing the Northern Expedition."
"King Yong holds great power, but he can't make the decision?"
"In times of danger, I can temporarily make some decisions, but it does not mean that I hold great power." Xue Bai said, "Now that more than half a year has passed since the siege of Chang'an was lifted, the power of the world has naturally been returned to His Majesty."
What he said was half true, but what he said next was the point.
"There must be someone in the court who thinks that you and I are colluding and does not want us to continue to lead the army. In addition to frame-ups and assassinations, there may also be officials appointed and restrictions on the supply of food and grass. When I left Luoyang, I blocked everything I could.
Next, if there is a holy will to call you back to the court, please do not follow the edict until I come forward to change things."
These words were a bit alarmist, but Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi knew that it could indeed happen. Although they felt that Xue Bai sometimes deliberately made the court suspicious of them, it was true that they got closer in the process of countering the rebellion and aroused the court's suspicion.
Following these words, someone came in from outside the tent and reported to Guo Ziyi: "Commander Jie, the envoy from the imperial court has arrived..."