Huo Xianliang went straight to Shangdang to find Guo Ziyi from Chang'an. When he arrived, he heard that Guo Ziyi had left with his troops. He said that there was an urgent edict to be announced, so the generals who stayed behind had to send someone to escort him to Xiangzhou.
After running all the way to the outside of Xiangzhou City, he saw the traces left after the battle and learned that the Tang army had won successive victories and defeated Shi Siming.
After pacing back and forth in the post house and waiting for a long time, I finally saw Guo Ziyi arrive.
"The chamberlain's young eunuch, the left eunuch's guard general, and Huo Xianliang, the envoy who observed the military affairs, have met Mr. Guo."
As soon as Guo Ziyi entered the door, he was surprised to see the white-faced and beardless eunuch spit out a series of names. His face immediately showed admiration and he hurriedly returned the greeting.
"When the envoy comes, he will be full of brilliance, but when he comes, he will be welcomed from afar."
Huo Xianliang felt proud when he saw all the famous generals respecting him so much.
He was castrated and entered the palace because of his humble origins. With the opportunity to serve the emperor, he suddenly became a powerful man above ten thousand people. His chickens and dogs ascended to heaven. This was the time when he felt that he was so great.
He thinks he is even rarer than Guo Ziyi to be where he is today. After all, Guo Ziyi was born in a general, and it is not unusual for him to be able to fight. But he relied on his extraordinary efforts and endured hardships that ordinary people could not endure. Looking at the world, he can be as good as him
There are really not many people who are capable.
"The reason why the saint sent me here is because of King Yong." Huo Xianliang said, "Didn't Duke Guo also submit a memorial?"
Speaking of this matter, even he felt aggrieved for the saint.
God knows where those rumors about King Yong's affair with Concubine Yang came from, and who did the saint ever instruct someone to assassinate King Yong? It was clearly King Yong's thief who wanted to catch the thief, but he defeated him, and even joined forces with Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi to help him speak out.
This frightened the saint, fearing that the three of them would rebel together.
Guo Ziyi could hear Huo Xianliang's probing intention, thought for a moment, and responded: "Yes, but the reason why I submitted the memorial is not for King Yong, but to consider the overall situation of the war."
"Okay." Huo Xianliang was overjoyed and clapped his hands and said, "I will say that Mr. Guo is loyal and dedicated to the country. He must be able to distinguish right from wrong."
Guo Ziyi said: "I also ask the envoy to explain to the saint on my behalf."
"Do we still need to explain?"
With a smile on his face, Huo Xianliang reached into his arms and took out a bright imperial edict. He coughed twice and said, "Guo Ziyi accepts the edict!"
Although there is only one imperial edict, its content is very rich.
First, he appointed Guo Ziyi as a disciple, acting as the duke of the country, and granted two marriages. One was to marry Princess Boping to Guo Ziyi's third son Guo Xi, and the second was to marry Guo Ziyi's fourth daughter on behalf of the crown prince Li Qiu.
Hearing this, Guo Ziyi, who was bowing his head, secretly changed his expression.
The rewards from the imperial court were too heavy. Ever since Wu Zhou Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty had been extremely wary of the harem intervening in politics. Even the queen did not dare to set one up. But now they want to make the daughter of a military general a crown princess. This is what the saint did to win over him.
compromise.
In this world, blessings and misfortunes depend on each other. If you let the saints compromise today, they will definitely cause disaster in the future.
Guo Ziyi was well aware of this principle and was thinking about it, but he did not dare to reject the saint's grace directly. He could only say: "I accept the order and thank you for your kindness."
With his agreement, Huo Xianliang became one of his own. He quickly handed the imperial edict into his hand and said, "Congratulations to Guo Situ, congratulations to Guo Situ."
"Thank you, envoy."
Since he was one of his own, Huo Xianliang lowered his voice and said, "There is one more thing. Although there is no imperial edict, there is an oral instruction."
"It doesn't matter if the envoy just says it."
Huo Xianliang said: "Since the rebellion, the people have been in dire straits. Look at the many soldiers and horses gathered in Hebei, spending countless money and food every day. According to the saint, it is enough for Guo Situ to lead the army to quell the rebellion."
As he spoke, his eyes flashed, he looked at Guo Ziyi, and asked: "If King Yong and Li Guangbi's military power are removed, will Guo Situ have the confidence to wipe out the rebellion?"
~~
On this day, Xue Bai went to Li Siye's camp.
Li Siye was the troops he sent to support Li Guangbi. During the expedition, he also recruited some other troops in Chang'an, and Xue Xin was among them.
But after he arrived, Li Guangbi ordered him to be stationed in the Sishui area in order to prevent Shi Siming from taking a detour to attack Luoyang.
So far in this battle, he has not made any achievements, so he is inevitably a little depressed.
Xue Xin followed Li Siye with a gloomy expression.
"Brother, can I have a few words with you?" Xue Xin couldn't help but ask after chatting about military affairs that day.
"Say it."
"Seeing that the rebellion is almost put down, the general has not yet gone to the battlefield and is wasting money and food every day, which makes people anxious." Xue Xin said, "It is better to send the general as the vanguard and behead Shi Siming."
Li Siye stood aside like a tower and said nothing, but he obviously wanted to challenge.
Xue Bai said: "Who told you that the rebels will be pacified soon?"
"Shi Siming has been defeated twice in a row."
"You only see that his army has been scattered, but in fact Fan Yang is still there, and his elite troops are still there. No matter how many casualties there are, he still has the strength to make a comeback. Fighting farther north is his territory, and that is a tough battle. Otherwise, why would the company continue to fight?
Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi have to stop and rest before pursuing the chase? Don’t worry, you will have the opportunity to make meritorious deeds."
As soon as he said this, Xue Xin's eyes lit up with murderous intent, and he nodded repeatedly.
Li Siye also felt inspired.
He came back from Anxi all the way and was transferred to Hebei by Xue Bai from Feng Changqing. Seeing Bai Xiaode, Hao Tingyu and others making meritorious deeds and becoming famous, he would inevitably feel that he had no chance because he was not Li Guangbi's confidant.
Only when I met King Yong did I feel like I had found someone to support me.
As he was talking, Xue Xin noticed a young and tall general in Xue Bai's bodyguard team. He was about the same age as him, but his rank was much higher than his, and he could already lead an army on his own.
"Who are you?" Xue Xin stepped forward and asked.
"Hunyao."
Xue Xin asked again: "I see you are as old as me, why do you hold a high position but come from a famous family?"
Hun Yao disdained to pay attention to him, grinned and said, "I made military exploits when you were nursing, so why do you need the shadow of your father?"
At this time, a Shuofang soldier came over and said: "King Yong, Guo Jieshuai invites you to a banquet at the south tower of the city tonight."
"knew."
"The little man will come back to pick up King Yong in the evening."
Xue Bai agreed. Not long after, Diao Bing came over in a hurry and reported a few words to Xue Bai.
Finally, Diao Bing said: "He secretly met the eunuch and invited the husband to a banquet. I'm afraid it was a Hongmen banquet."
"You also know about Hongmen Banquet."
"The villain is also studying now."
"Then take Fan Kuai with you."
Xue Bai joked casually and walked away. Diao Bing turned to look at several generals in the camp, and immediately recognized that Li Siye was Fan Kuai, so he went over and said, "King Yong asked General Li to go with him tonight.
feast."
"Here!"
Li Siye had a large appetite and liked meat, so he ordered it immediately.
~~
Over there, Xue Bai found Yan Zhuang and asked some more details about Li Cong sending an envoy to contact Wu Chengen.
"It seems that Chang'an is not peaceful recently."
"The sage is afraid of my husband, so he will inevitably make some small moves when he is not in the capital." Yan Zhuang said, "Why don't you return to Chang'an as soon as possible? Then Xiaoxiao who is surrounding the saint will be frightened by your husband and will be as silent as a cicada."
Xue Bai shook his head and said: "Being trapped in Chang'an and fighting over trivial matters is a dead end."
Yan Zhuang was stunned for a moment and quickly figured it out.
Counterinsurgency and mastery of military power are Xue Bai's true foundation. For this reason, it is worthwhile to temporarily give some power in the court to Li Cong.
"What about Guo Ziyi's Hongmen Banquet tonight?"
Xue Bai said: "I took Li Siye there not to let him become Fan Kuai. You can find Xue Xin later and help him do a few things."
He whispered a few instructions, and Yan Zhuang quickly understood.
"Don't worry, Sir, this is what I do best."
…
The setting sun soon turned the sky and the earth into orange.
Xue Bai went to the south building of the city for the banquet as promised.
Guo Ziyi is not as strict as Li Guangbi. He likes to enjoy. Tonight, he asked people to select the best wines and dishes in the city and put them on the table.
"Please, King Yong."
"Please, Mr. Guo."
There were only two tables placed in the lobby. Guo Ziyi originally wanted to talk to Xue Bai alone, but he did not expect that Xue Bai brought many people, so he had to have a few more tables placed and let Li Siye, Hun Yao and other generals sit down.
.
However, brothers Diao Bing and Diao Geng did not sit down, but stood behind Xue Bai, looking on guard.
With this attitude, he obviously knew that Guo Ziyi secretly met with the envoy from Chang'an.
But Guo Ziyi still did not talk about the imperial edict he had received, and said with a cheerful and kind attitude: "I thought of a faster way to put down the rebellion, and wanted to discuss it with King Yong, so I prepared a little wine."
"Guo Gong just said it doesn't matter."
"If the imperial court issues an edict of appeasement, as long as the rebel generals are willing to surrender, then bygones are bygones, and those who offer Shi Siming's head will be even more generously rewarded. Presumably, within ten months, the world will be settled. Li Guiren, the general of the Yan army, was once a Yong emperor.
If the king and one of my defeated generals send a letter to surrender and allow him the post of Fan Yang Jiedu, he will definitely kill Shi Siming."
Xue Bai said: "We are taking advantage of the great victory and are about to put down the rebellion, so why bother?"
Guo Ziyi said: "Shi Siming's strength is still there. If we continue to fight, I'm afraid there will be long nights and nightmares, and another accident will happen."
"Mr. Guo is reminding me," Xue Bai said, "I heard that the imperial envoy arrived, but he gave Gong Guo an idea."
"If you follow the envoy's wishes, I'm afraid..."
Guo Ziyi shook his head and said no more.
If Huo Xianliang's wishes were followed, the situation would definitely be worse. It was in order to avoid the worst situation that Guo Ziyi came up with such a compromise.
However, Xue Bai did not appreciate it and said: "In this battle, the imperial court spent a lot of money and finally won a great victory. How can we give up halfway and let the previous results be in vain?"
Seeing him like this, Guo Ziyi remained silent.
Behind the screen, there was a sound of "pah pah pah" claps. After three claps, a group of guards wearing armor rushed up to the lobby with a clanging sound and surrounded Xue Bai and others.
The candlelight reflected the knives and axes in their hands, giving them a cold light.
Li Siye frowned and glanced at Xue Bai. Seeing that he was still calm, he didn't act rashly and continued to grab the meat on the plate to eat.
Hun Yao had already stood up, wondering what he was thinking.
Someone came out from behind the screen. He was a middle-aged man with a fair face and a fair face. He spoke in a very soft voice.
"My slave Huo Xianliang has met King Yong."
"I've seen you." Xue Bai said, "Are you someone from the saint's side?"
"This slave has met King Yong many times."
Huo Xianliang didn't believe that Xue Bai would not recognize him, so he stopped worrying about such trivial matters and said: "King Yong was assassinated in Luoyang, and there were many words of slander in the capital. The saint was very worried about King Yong and asked his slaves to take him back to the capital."
"I think you want to kill me." Xue Bai asked, "Is this your intention or the saint's intention?"
Huo Xianliang narrowed his eyes. This question was too straightforward, making it difficult for him to answer.
When he left Beijing, the only order he received was to win over Guo Ziyi.
He handled this matter very smoothly.
After helping the saint marry Guo Ziyi, he happened to find that Xue Bai was in Xiangzhou City. So, he made a plan and decided to use Guo Ziyi's power to get rid of Xue Bai.
He had an idea, but it was difficult to convince Guo Ziyi. It was against the law to kill the prince without authorization, but Guo Ziyi did not dare to act rashly. Huo Xianliang told him that this was the wish of the saint, and that there was a secret edict, but the secret edict was sent to Luoyang.
At that time, Guo Ziyi asked: "So, the assassination of King Yong in Luoyang was indeed authorized by a saint?"
Huo Xianliang was stunned for a moment, a little confused by the question. After thinking about it, he felt that doing practical things was more important than the reputation of a saint, so he responded in a low voice: "Yes, everyone knows it, so Guo Situ doesn't want it."
If you have any concerns again, just do it."
Fortunately, anyone with a discerning eye can see the usurpation ambitions that Xue Bai has always displayed, which will inevitably lead to turmoil in the society.
However, Guo Ziyi was loyal to Sheji and had no personal relationship with Xue Bai, so he finally agreed and said: "In that case, I will order someone to detain him until the saint's decree comes and then deal with him."
Although Huo Xianliang prefers to kill Xue Bai directly, he also knows that this is the limit that Guo Ziyi is willing to do, and detaining Xue Bai is actually the same. As long as Xue Bai has no power, he is not allowed to do whatever he wants.
Worried that the matter would not work out, Huo Xianliang also gave Guo Ziyi advice, not to rush to the military camp to take action, but to hold a banquet to lure Xue Bai out.
At this point, it seems that it is done.
A matter that gave a saint a headache was actually accomplished easily by him. With so many Shuofang soldiers surrounding Xue Bai, how could he be allowed to escape?
After recovering from his pride, Huo Xianliang pointed at Xue Bai and shouted: "Of course it is what the saint meant!"
Xue Bai was calm and asked: "I guarded Chang'an and suppressed the rebellion. What crime did I commit? The saint wants to send you to kill me?"
At first, Huo Xianliang was really confused.
But what kind of person is he? He can rise from a lowly servant to a hot and powerful man. He is a genius.
"Does King Yong still have the nerve to ask?" Huo Xianliang said, "You dare to have an affair with the Emperor's favorite concubine, which has ruined human relations and brought shame to the world! The saint has no choice but to give you death. In the memory of your past
In terms of merit, I won’t declare your guilt and save your face.”
If he really wanted to be punished because he had lost all human relations, the Li family of the Tang Dynasty would have withered away long ago.
But this matter made Huo Xianliang consciously find an excellent excuse, and immediately ordered: "Get him!"
In the hall, the soldiers surrounding Xue Bai did not take action, but looked at Guo Ziyi.
"Guo Situ!" Huo Xianliang urged.
Xue Bai sat there with an expression on his face and said: "As the marshal of the world's soldiers and horses, I have been ordered to fight against thieves. You sent soldiers to surround me, do you want to rebel?!"
After speaking, he suddenly raised his voice.
Huo Xianliang was furious and shouted: "We are acting according to the order, you can't even think about making excuses. Guo Situ, do it!"
Xue Bai said: "If you act according to the decree, what is the purpose?"
Guo Ziyi touched the imperial edict in his arms, took it out, and held it high.
"Nian." Xue Bai still didn't move and said: "If it violates my will, why not unfold it for the soldiers to have a look?!"
Most of the soldiers in the hall were from Guo Ziyi. He didn't need to read, his eyes were a bit gloomy, and he was about to give the order to capture Xue Bai.
"Come on!"
Some soldiers hurried into the hall, rushed to Guo Ziyi, and whispered: "Li Siye's troops mutinied and occupied the granary. I want the commander to release them."
"What's going on?"
"I don't know what will happen next."
But Guo Ziyi quickly figured it out and sighed: "Is King Yong planning a rebellion?"
"I think it is Duke Guo who wants to rebel. He refuses to carry out the imperial edict and uses weapons rashly."
Xue Bai knew before arriving that this was a Hongmen Banquet, and also guessed that Guo Ziyi might be persuaded to deal with him in order to eliminate future troubles.
But he believed that even if Guo Ziyi did this, it was for the sake of the overall situation. This kind of person was the best to deal with. As long as he showed the courage to overturn the table, he could be frightened.
Therefore, Xue Bai asked Yan Zhuang to convey his military order, and asked Xue Xin to take Li Siye's order talisman and lead his troops to cause trouble. These soldiers were put aside to watch others perform meritorious services, and they had already suppressed their anger. Naturally, they
Burn.
Guo Ziyi originally agreed to capture Xue Bai in order to reduce the number of troubles, but now if it caused a conflict, it would cause trouble in advance, and he couldn't help but hesitate for a moment.
Xue Bai caught his hesitation at this moment and suddenly jumped into action.
"Thief eunuch, you falsely conveyed the imperial edict and attempted to murder the prince. Isn't it Shi Siming's fault?"
Huo Xianliang was stunned.
Xue Bai didn't care at all about Huo Xianliang's answer. He meant what he said to Guo Ziyi.
There are only two results today, either he insists that the saint wants to kill him and causes chaos; or Huo Xianliang falsely passes on the imperial edict and kills a eunuch to make things happen. Let Guo Ziyi choose whatever he chooses.
"King Yong, you are spitting blood..."
"Li Siye!" Xue Bai shouted, "Huo Xianliang faked the imperial edict, take it!"
When Li Siye heard that his generals were making trouble, he had already put down the meat in his hands. At this time, he stood up, almost pushing himself against the rafters.
He had no choice at this time and immediately strode towards Huo Xianliang.
"stop!"
A soldier from Shuofang's army tried to stop him, but Li Siye snatched the sword away and hit him on the shoulder. Then many soldiers became angry and surrounded him.
Li Siye was completely unafraid. Anyone who dared to stand in front of him would be kicked away and knocked down by him, as if they were gods descending from heaven.
Huo Xianliang was shocked and quickly backed away, shouting: "Stop him!"
"What are you doing standing still? Take down Xue Bai."
"Who dares to move?!"
Although Hun Yao didn't like Xue Bai, he was appointed as a personal guard general by Xue Bai, and his duty was to protect Xue Bai. After what he saw tonight, he felt that Huo Xianliang was even more unreliable than Bai Zhongzhen, and he was more inclined to trust Xue Bai.
So, when a soldier stretched out his hand to Xue Bai, Hun Yao immediately drew his sword with a bang.
Maybe someone's blood would be spattered on the spot next moment, so Guo Ziyi finally spoke.
"Everyone stop it!"
"This matter is a misunderstanding."
Guo Ziyi slowly unfolded the imperial edict in his hand and said: "The sage did not issue an edict to question King Yong. The envoy Huo Zhong made a mistake in this matter."
Huo Xianliang was stunned and said: "Guo Situ, how could you..."
Guo Ziyi raised her hand to express comfort.
Even with his patience, he couldn't stand this eunuch anymore.
"This matter has come to an end. I would also like to ask King Yong to appease the generals. Don't lose big because of small things."
In his opinion, people who join the army have hot tempers. It is normal to have such conflicts occasionally, and it is enough to reconcile with each other.
However, Xue Bai refused to give up and said with a stern tone: "Huo Xianliang falsely conveyed the imperial edict and murdered the general. The crime deserves death. Take it!"
Without saying a word, Li Siye strode forward, lifted Huo Xianliang down like a chicken, and pressed him down in front of Xue Bai.
This time, Guo Ziyi did not stop him, but just said: "Prince Yong..."
"cut!"
Xue Bai ordered again.
Hearing this, Hun Yao was stunned, while Diao Bing stepped forward, thinking that Li Siye did not dare to kill the eunuch.
"puff."
Li Siye had already chopped it down with one knife.
Huo Xianliang was still thinking about how someone with such a powerful hand could be captured. The knife had cut off his neck, and his head fell to the ground with a muffled sound.
Two drops of blood spattered far away and hit the imperial edict in Guo Ziyi's hand.
He looked at Xue Bai and knew that Xue Bai did it on purpose.
Huo Xianliang was just a slave, it didn't matter. What mattered was that the envoy sent by the saint died in his army, Guo Ziyi.
From then on, the court would inevitably suspect that Guo Ziyi had turned to King Yong.
This suspicion can no longer be eliminated.
"King Yong is so good at it." Guo Ziyi said with emotion.
"I was forced to have no choice but even Mr. Guo saw it."
~~
Guo Ziyi personally wrote a memorial, reporting that Huo Xianliang died suddenly of an illness after arriving in Hebei because he was not accustomed to the acclimatization and climate.
After this incident, although Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi have not yet supported Xue Bai, their relationship with Xue Bai is difficult for outsiders to guess.
At least, Li Cong no longer dares to use these two people to deal with Xue Bai.
After dealing with this matter, the next step is to continue to suppress the rebellion.
The Tang army was delayed for several days due to internal conflicts and problems with the supply of food and grass. In the past few days, Shi Siming had fled to Changshan County, occupied Hengzhou, gathered the defeated troops, stabilized the situation, and prepared for a decisive battle with the Tang army.
In order to increase his chances of winning, Shi Siming also sent envoys to Khitan, Xi and Huihe to borrow troops, and promised a large number of gold and silk children.
On the other hand, the Tang army was under greater pressure.
After Xue Bai and Li Guangbi experienced the sworn relationship, Li Guangbi became somewhat distant from Xue Bai, and Xue Bai and Guo Ziyi were unhappy because of the eunuch incident. The three of them did not belong to each other, and there was no unified command. Military orders were not as good as fighting independently.
Times come smoothly.
In addition, internal fighting continued in the court, and local officials also saw the clues. Various places were acting against each other, and the speed of military supplies slowed down again. Under this situation, Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi both believed that Xue Bai should return to Luoyang to coordinate the rear, and
It’s not about staying in Hebei and striving for merit.
There was disharmony within the Tang army, and even Shi Siming found out about it later.
"The monarchs and ministers of the Tang Dynasty began to self-destruct again." He commented.
Zhou Zhi added: "After taking this breath, Guo Ziyi was defeated, and Li Guangbi's opportunity came. I thought that your majesty did not have to rush to fight the Tang army. He only waited for the Khitan, Xi, and Huihe reinforcements to arrive, but the morale of the Tang army plummeted.
, one rises and the other falls, it can be a great victory.”
Shi Siming believed that what Zhou Zhi said was reasonable, so he allowed the Tang army to recover the prefectures and counties in Hebei south of Changshan, and dispersed the Tang army to garrison various cities.
After that, he and the Tang army faced off in Changshan for more than half a month, consuming the Tang army's food and grass. In the process, he spent a large amount of money to reward the generals and boost their morale. The morale of the Yan army recovered. Until the news came that Khitan Khan Li Huaixiu had personally
Led 10,000 troops south to support the Yan army, Shi Siming prepared for a decisive battle with the Tang army.
Soldiers and horses lined up on both sides of the familiar Hutuo River. Both sides were old rivals and had fought in this area before.
Shi Siming was full of confidence and pointed at the map and said: "This battle is very simple. The Khitan cavalry lies in the lower reaches of the Hutuo River. While I am fighting fiercely with the Tang army, they swim across the river and surprise the Tang army in the rear."
If he wins this battle, he will take over the world.