"I've gone to visit the wounded soldiers. Please give me the two commanders-in-chief."
Guo Ziyi was a little surprised when he heard this. Xue Bai didn't pay much attention to such a great achievement in capturing Shi Siming.
To try to win people's hearts at this time is a big deal.
With this thought in mind, he was welcomed into the camp, and wherever he looked, he really saw Shi Siming.
Looking at each other, Guo Ziyi breathed a sigh of relief but also felt a little worried.
The good thing is that the rebellion was finally put down, but the worrying thing is that Xue Bai captured the Khitan Khan and the rebel leader one after another as if he was sent by heaven, and his reputation grew and he was out of control.
"I need to bring the leader of the thief back to the camp for questioning." After thinking for a while, Guo Ziyi spoke.
He was an old man and was actually quite cunning. Taking advantage of Xue Bai's absence and without waiting for anyone to respond, he immediately sent his bodyguard to escort Shi Siming.
"Guo Jieshuai, wait a minute."
Diao Bing, who was guarding outside the tent, immediately stopped him and said, "King Yong has not finished his trial yet, so he cannot be taken away for the time being. If Guo Jieshuai has anything to ask, just ask him here."
Guo Ziyi couldn't succeed, so she smiled openly and looked at Shi Siming. In fact, she didn't have much to ask.
"Hu Ni, you are so favored by the imperial court, why do you act disobediently?!"
Shi Siming rolled his eagle-like eyes and glanced at Guo Ziyi, too lazy to answer such a boring question.
Guo Ziyi didn't take it seriously and glanced at Li Huaixiu who was standing aside. Knowing that this man had killed a princess married to the imperial court, he would definitely die this time, and there was nothing to say about it, so he walked out side by side with Li Guangbi.
"I'm afraid it won't work if I rob it by force, otherwise I will rob it."
"Why bother?" Li Guangbi said: "No matter whose hands the prisoners of war are in, it was the imperial court that put down the rebellion."
"You think about what it will be like when you return to Chang'an to present prisoners." Guo Ziyi said, "King Yong led his generals to first take the Khitan Khan and cut him in half in front of Zhuque Gate. Then he took Shi Siming and cut him in half in front of Zhuque Gate. How is it different from Dong Zhuo's entry? Chang’an Ping Shi Chang Attendant?”
He said it in a joking tone. Li Guangbi smiled bitterly and asked, "Can we avoid the ritual of offering prisoners? The court is waiting to restore its prestige."
"Although it is unavoidable, we have to fight for it." Guo Ziyi said: "Since he has taken all the limelight, we should also persuade him to release some military power."
That's why he deliberately expressed his position to let Xue Bai know that even if he captured two important prisoners alive, he might not be able to become famous in the world and pass his level.
The next day, Guo Ziyi sent someone to ask for prisoners again, and sure enough, Xue Bai came to talk to him in person.
"King Yong actually came in person?" Guo Ziyi said cheerfully: "That's not necessary, just take Shi Siming here. There are tens of thousands of soldiers here, and we have to let them see that Shi Siming is captured. If King Yong doesn't take him here, I have no choice but to escort the soldiers to meet you in your tent."
"Guo Situ is funny." Xue Bai smiled knowingly and said: "Guo Situ is the actual commander of this great victory. It is indeed time for Shi Siming to be handed over to you. I just want to ask a few more questions."
"What does King Yong want to know?"
"Fan Yang, the situation of Pinglu's generals, who will be appointed by the imperial court as the governor of these two towns, and how to limit the power of the governor." Xue Bai said, "This is the fundamental way to completely avoid future troubles."
Although Guo Ziyi felt that such national affairs should not be decided by Xue Bai, she also knew that what Xue Bai said had some truth.
He pondered and asked: "I heard that King Yong divided the powers of the Jiedushi into four parts in Henan Province."
"good."
Compared to Shi Siming, this was something Xue Bai was more willing to talk about, so he took the trouble to discuss his hidden worries about the separatist rule of the feudal town with Guo Ziyi in detail.
At the end, Guo Ziyi muttered: "This is feasible in Henan, but Fan Yang and Pinglu are different. They need to conquer Khitan for the imperial court. Moreover, the situation in Hebei is complicated. If the chief official does not have enough power and authority, he will be constrained in his actions, which is inappropriate."
"Now that the rebellion has been established and the Khitan Khan has been captured, it is the time to rectify Hebei."
When Xue Bai said this, he said in a slightly regretful tone: "If possible, I would be very willing to do this for the imperial court to avoid the disaster of separatism."
Guo Ziyi secretly thought: "I'm afraid you will cause the disaster of separatism."
But when he thought deeply about this matter, he could also realize that Xue Bai was making long-term considerations for the Tang Dynasty.
This made him sigh with emotion. It seemed that King Yong really regarded himself as a descendant of the Li family and was very concerned about the inheritance of his ancestors.
It's a pity. If it hadn't been for the case of three commoners that year, the handsome young man in front of him was the best heir to the Tang Dynasty. Guo Ziyi felt that she would have supported him.
"Mr. Guo? Mr. Guo?" Xue Bai called twice, "What is Mr. Guo thinking about?"
"Does King Yong want to take charge of Fan Yang?" Guo Ziyi came back to his senses and asked.
Of course he knew that the court could not let Xue Bai stay in Fan Yang for a long time, otherwise it would be a big disaster if the tail was too big to fall off.
But if we can temporarily put Xue Bai in the border town, it will also give the saint a chance to take power. On the other hand, after all, Xue Bai is a member of the clan and has the heart to revitalize the Tang Dynasty. Using him to deal with the unruly generals in the border town may be able to achieve the goal.
A certain balance...the key is a short period of time.
"Do you think it's feasible, Mr. Guo?"
Guo Ziyi laughed "hehehe" a few times and stroked his beard and said: "King Yong is appointed as the general marshal of the world's soldiers and horses, and he is willing to retreat bravely from the rapids?"
With the rebellion put down, it was clear that Xue Bai, the so-called generalissimo of the world's military, would be relieved of his duties. He had already thought about it. Rather than passively waiting for others to take advantage of him, it would be better to take the initiative to exchange it for benefits.
"I am a subject of the saint." Xue Bai said in an official tone: "When the country is in trouble, it is time to stand up. Now it is time to return military power to the saint."
Guo Ziyi didn't believe that this was true, but she already understood Xue Bai's thoughts.
Of course, he did not have the power to decide whether Xue Bai should go to Fan Yang to take charge, but he could give Xue Bai the responsibility of continuing to advance troops, stabilize Fan Yang, and conquer Pinglu.
Xue Bai can also afford it, after all, he was the one who defeated and surrendered the surrendered general Tian Chengsi.
In exchange, Xue Bai would hand over Shi Siming to Guo Ziyi, which was equivalent to giving up the opportunity to return to Chang'an to present prisoners to the limelight.
If this develops, Guo Ziyi can return to Chang'an earlier than Xue Bai and assist the saint; and Xue Bai may be able to establish power in Fan Yang. The reason why I say "maybe" is because this matter is more difficult and requires more time.
For a moment, Guo Ziyi couldn't predict how to better control Xue Bai, so he hesitated and remained silent.
Xue Bai seemed to be able to see his thoughts, thought for a while, and said: "If Guo Situ is thinking about how to check and balance me, why not think about how to do it better for the country. If you follow what I said today, I should be able to stabilize the north and create a better future for the country."
The Tang Dynasty was freed from disasters."
This sentence can be regarded as the final word for this conversation.
The next day, Xue Xin learned that Shi Siming was to be handed over to Guo Ziyi and taken to Chang'an as a prisoner, and he couldn't help but feel a little unwilling.
"Brother, aren't they taking credit?"
"no."
Xue Bai patted Xue Xin on the shoulder and said: "Don't worry, your risking your life to capture Shi Siming is very useful. In exchange for the most substantial power, no one can erase our achievements."
Xue Xin was overjoyed, grinned, and said, "My injury will heal soon. Can I go north with my brother?"
"Well, let's go to Fanyang."
Xue Bai turned his head and looked north, realizing that he had never been to the north in his life.
…
A few days later, Xue Bai led more than 10,000 people to Fan Yang.
In Anlu Mountain, after Shi Siming, another person with imperial aspirations came here.
He immediately stood by the Sanggan River and watched the river rushing away, as if it had reached the Yongding River hundreds of years later.
Looking up, the familiar city of Yanjing is mottled by time and looks extremely strange.
~~
Shi Siming, who was in the prison car, raised his head and looked at the majestic city wall of Chang'an City from a distance.
Memories were mottled in his mind, and he couldn't help but think of old things from many years ago.
It had been about ten years. In the first year of Tianbao, he went to Hajj with Anlu Mountain. The saint at that time appreciated his generals very much, gave him a seat, and talked with him for a long time.
"How old is Shi Qing?"
"I am forty years old."
"The day when Shi Qing will become a distinguished person is in the future."
The saint encouraged him in this way and gave him the name "Si Ming".
But now, he still hasn't figured it out. Is it wrong that he just aims at the world?
Thinking of this, Shi Siming turned his head and said to the soldier next to him: "I want to see the saint."
No one paid attention to him.
"If the saint doesn't see me, he will lose his place in the Xue family sooner or later." Shi Siming was scaring Li Cong like this, still making the last effort for his future and life.
At this moment, Li Cong was on the outskirts of the city, personally greeting Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi.
His illustrious military exploits in pacifying the Anshi Rebellion were enough to make him catch up with the ancestors and become a wise king who revived the Tang Dynasty. Of course, he was worthy of ecstasy.
When he first heard the news, Li Cong was discussing state affairs with Dou Wenyang. He excitedly held Dou Wenyang's hand and cried bitterly, not knowing what to say.
"It would be great if all these achievements were really made by me!" In the end, he lost his composure and said something that should not be said.
As a close eunuch, Dou Wenyang had known the level of the saint for a long time. He was not surprised when he heard this. Instead, he said in a stern tone: "How can your Majesty be so presumptuous? Who is not your Majesty's subject? Who's achievements are not your Majesty's?!"
"
"I made a mistake." Li Cong wiped his tears and cried with joy: "I made a mistake. Fortunately, you reminded me."
"I know that Your Majesty is worried about King Yong's misfortune, but you can't let his majesty destroy your own ambition. This great victory is the credit of all the soldiers in the army, and it does not belong to him alone."
Li Cong also relies on Dou Wenyang to run for him outside in everything. Power determines status. He speaks softly in front of Dou Wenyang, which is in sharp contrast to the ferocious scars on his face.
After that, news came from various places. While the Manchu Dynasty was rejoicing at the suppression of the rebellion, almost all officials requested the court to stop the troops and rest as soon as possible.
The reason is simple: the treasury is out of money.
The day after the good news came, Li Cong issued an order to recruit the rebels wherever he could, and the marshals from all walks of life to withdraw their troops as soon as possible.
When the joint memorial from Hebei arrived, proposing to let Xue Bai temporarily guard Fan Yang, Li Cong was taken aback. His first reaction was "How can we raise tigers to cause trouble?!"
But Dou Wenyang analyzed the memorial and saw clues from it, saying: "Your Majesty, this is not a bad thing. The "King Yong temporarily suppresses" mentioned in the memorial is not to serve as Fan Yang's military envoy, but to temporarily leave a stable army.
According to the current situation, it is said that "the court will choose another minister", which shows that the choice of Fan Yang's military envoy is still in the hands of the court."
Li Cong asked: "Can you master it?"
"King Yong is destined not to stay in Fan Yang for long." Dou Wenyang said, "I have a plan and I can call him back to the court at any time."
"real?"
Dou Wenyang smiled and nodded, and then said: "In this way, King Yong's short-term stay in Fanyang cannot separate one side. The court can also weaken his reputation and authority at this most critical moment."
Li Cong was pleasantly surprised to find out that there was such a good thing, so he guessed that Guo Ziyi supported him.
Because Huo Xianliang died in the army, Dou Wenyang hated Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi, and felt that they were all Xue Bai's party if they dared to kill eunuchs. But the biggest enemy at the moment was Xue Bai, so he still had to win over them.
Therefore, during the period when the army returned to the army, through repeated correspondence with envoys, they gradually confirmed that Guo Ziyi was loyal to the imperial court.
The reason why such an impression can be left is also related to Guo Ziyi's way of dealing with people, which is harmonious and open-minded.
In comparison, Li Guangbi's contribution to Li Cong was actually much greater than that of Guo Ziyi, but he was much more serious and cold-blooded. He hated eunuchs interfering in politics. He had a very clear attitude towards Huo Xianliang's affairs. He believed that King Yong killed anyone who dared to assassinate him during the war.
The commander's eunuch, this is military law and it should be.
Li Guangbi even scolded Guo Ziyi for pleading guilty to the court, saying that he "simply cannot distinguish between right and wrong."
For this reason, Dou Wenyang gave Li Cong an idea, thinking that Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi should pull one over and fight the other to drive a wedge between them, so as to suppress, win over and balance.
It was strange for a king to provoke his ministers, but Li Cong readily agreed and decided to do it.
Therefore, when the army returned today, Li Cong treated Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi with an attitude of giving equal merit but different rewards.
In addition to being granted an official title, Guo Ziyi married the Tian family and left Jingyuan to take charge of guarding against Tubo.
Li Guangbi heard that Tubo came to Fan many times and invited himself to guard Xichuan. Li Cong was stunned for a moment and said he would discuss it with the prime minister.
Regardless of whether the emperor had the right to decide these things, the neglect was somewhat obvious. Obviously, in his eyes, Li Guangbi and King Yong were too close.
After the red tape was over, a chamberlain came over and said in a low voice: "Sage, Shi Siming wants to see Tianyan."
"Presumptuous!" Dou Wenyang scolded: "A traitor dares to make demands, who is the one who passes the message on his behalf?"
The chamberlain was horrified and quickly said what Shi Siming said. Dou Wenyang scolded him again, but instead canceled the procedure for the emperor to interrogate the traitors in public.
For example, when Gao Xianzhi presented King Xiao Bolu to the palace, Li Longji personally went up to the building, with a stern voice, and asked Xiao Bolu why he betrayed him.
This is the best way to show off the country's power in front of its subjects.
But when Dou Wenyang heard that Shi Siming took the initiative to meet the saint, he realized that Li Cong had lived in the Ten Kings' House for a long time and lacked experience. It would be too inappropriate if he could not defeat Shi Siming and lose his momentum in front of all the people.
Li Cong was actually a little concerned about Shi Siming's remarks, but since Dou Wenyang said so, he listened.
Afterwards, there was a grand ceremony to reward the three armies and prepare the captives.
The most important thing in this matter is to downplay Xue Bai's contribution.
~~
Youzhou.
After Xue Bai came to Fan Yang, he was almost too busy to keep his feet off the ground.
He had to meet many people every day, especially the generals of Fanyang, to either intimidate or appease, and also to sort out the myriad chaos in Hebei.
On the other hand, news from Chang'an never stopped coming to him.
His news did not go through the court's post office, but established channels for delivering news based on banks and newspapers, and the speed was no less than five hundred miles for express delivery.
On this day, Xue Bai was preparing to meet the envoy sent by Zhang Zhizhong, the Pinglu military envoy who was later appointed by the puppet Yan. The messenger had already arrived and handed over a thick stack of news.
He opened a letter and looked at it, and sometimes handed it to Yan Zhuang.
Yan Zhuang is Xue Bai's right-hand man in handling Fan Yang's affairs, and he is often taken with him recently.
"The imperial court has a good plan. It doesn't want the world to know about the husband's merits."
Yan Zhuang sneered and flicked the letter in his hand, which was the imperial decree that Li Cong was going to issue during the prisoner presentation ceremony.
Obviously, many of Xue Bai's contributions were deliberately hidden in the decree. Unfortunately, there were people from Xue Bai in Zhongshu Province who still added credit to each of these contributions and copied them intact and sent them to Fan Yang.
"Can the world know without relying on this imperial edict?" Xue Bai said, "Do you know what it depends on?"
"Mr. Lang means...newspaper?"
"That's right." Xue Bai said, "When it comes to public opinion, no one in Chang'an City can control it better than me. Let them be. As for Fan Yang, I heard that Shi Siming also runs a newspaper?"
"Yes, Shi Ni seems to admire Lang Jun very much. He imitates Lang Jun in many things. He also runs a newspaper, publishes rumors that deify himself, and writes poems in the newspaper."
"Really?" Xue Bai asked: "How receptive are the people to his newspaper?"
Yan Zhuang could now understand Xue Bai's strange vocabulary and responded very smoothly: "The people in Fanyang like to read Shi Siming's newspapers very much. Oh, he also published one of his poems on the paper. Many people among the people
They can all be recited.”
Xue Bai was thinking about taking Shi Siming's newspaper for his own use, and asked casually: "Really? What poem?"
~~
In Chang'an, the teahouses are bustling with activity.
The storyteller glanced at the newspaper on the case, and without thinking, he started talking nonstop, and the short sentence in the newspaper was suddenly expanded into a long speech.
What he is talking about now is a story "Speaking of Yue" that was serialized in the newspaper. This story is not new. Halfway through it, it has been discontinued for a long time due to the war, and a new article has only been published recently.
"Yue Fei fell into prison and was filled with grief and anger, so he wrote a poem."
Having said this, the storyteller paused and squinted his old eyes to read the newspaper again.
"What poem?"
"Tell me, what poem?"
"It's not poetry, it's words."
The storyteller put down the shock in his hand, stood up, straightened his clothes, and took a deep breath.
"Although this word was written by Yue Fei in the story, I am deeply touched every time I read it. Please be silent and listen to me read it for you."
"Okay, read it quickly."
The audience gradually became quiet and waited with bated breath.
Only then did the storyteller speak.
"I was so angry that I leaned against the railing, and the misty rain stopped. I looked up, looked up to the sky, and roared, my heart full of passion."
"Thirty years of fame and dust, eight thousand miles of clouds and moon!"
A carriage, escorted by a group of warriors, slowly passed by the teahouse. Li Mi was sitting in the carriage, listening to these words with some confusion.
This was not the first time he heard it. He had heard the story Xue Bai told him before. But when he heard it again in this situation, his mood was different... The feat that Yue Fei failed to accomplish had been accomplished in advance.
Li Mi will be escorted to Fan Yang this time, and Xue Bai needs his assistance to stabilize the situation in the north. Although he is unwilling to assist Xue Bai, he cannot help it.
Before leaving, he had roughly heard about the recent events in Chang'an, and knew that today, the king's commander would sacrifice prisoners at the gate.
He also knew that the saint's intention was to cover up Xue Bai's military exploits, and he was deeply worried about this. He believed that this exchange gave the actual power to Xue Bai, and what the saint pursued was meaningless.
Sure enough, along the way, he heard that public opinion in Chang'an was gradually boiling.
"Do you know? The story in "Shuo Yue" was written by King Yong."
"I then said, who else but King Yong could write such lyrics!"
"King Yong was worried about the troubles in the country and was determined to go to the north, so he wrote such a loyal and courageous Yue Fei. How can he be the person who others say is plotting to usurp?"
"Just by looking at these words, you can tell that King Yong is full of loyalty!"
"King Yong led the army to quell the rebels, captured the leader of the thieves, and captured the Khitan Khan alive. Such great achievements were made, but the court covered up his achievements. Is it unreasonable?"
"Today I sacrifice the prisoners and put all the credit on others."
With the public opinion being like this, it is obvious that someone is secretly manipulating it. But no matter what, the people of Chang'an City have begun to pay attention to the conspiracy theory behind this prisoner sacrifice.
Because King Yong fought desperately, the Tang Dynasty did not develop a tragedy like that of Yue Fei in the story. But now that rewards are based on merit, King Yong was exiled to the frontier. Doesn't it mean that there are traitors around the saint?
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
When Li Mi left the city gate of Chang'an, solemn ritual music sounded in front of the Suzaku Gate in the imperial city. The officers and soldiers shouted long live, and Li Cong climbed up to the tower.
After the three-way drum sounded, Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi led the mighty cavalry forward and took Shi Siming and Li Huaixiu into custody.
Dou Wenyang held out the imperial edict and read it out in his thin and high-pitched voice, enumerating the heinous crimes committed by these two people.
In the past, King Xiaobolu, who was thousands of miles away, married a Tubo princess and even angered the Tang Dynasty. The sin of these two people was naturally ten times or a hundred times greater, which aroused the anger of his subjects. Even Li Cong, who was standing on the tower, looked at it from a distance.
You can see the people raising their fists to the sky and shouting loudly.
Li Cong obeyed the wishes of the people and made a sonorous and powerful decree to cut Shi Siming and Li Huaixiu in half to show the emperor's power.
"Holy edict, cut in half!"
The people became more and more excited, waving their fists and shouting in unison.
Li Cong was very pleased and said that the people still had a strong sense of family and country. It was precisely because of their loyalty to the Tang Dynasty that they had such momentum.
However, the content of their shouts seemed to be different from what was expected. After Li Cong listened for a while, he wondered: "What eight thousand miles? What are they shouting?"
Shi Siming, who was tied up with five flowers, listened to the shouting from behind, and was surprised to hear an excellent poem before he died.
He didn't know the story behind this word, and he didn't know how Fan Yang's rebellion was related to this story, but he could also feel the full and strong emotion of this word.
Loyalty, heroism, and deep love for the world.
Who could write such a poem? It was the foolish emperor of the Tang Dynasty who wronged a loyal minister, so people who had no way to serve the country could only use it to express their anger? So, the people who were watching read this poem in unison?
So, who is this loyal minister?
Could it be that Xue Bai left the town of Fanyang and joined the frontier army, and was considered to have been ostracized and exiled, and suffered a great injustice?
When he thought of this, Shi Siming was instantly startled.
He finally realized the big gap between the bad poems he wrote and Xue Bai's poems, which lacked the shocking power.
How on earth could Xue Bai create so many masterpieces? They are all rebellious, so why is there always a sense of loyalty to the country in Xue Bai's words?
Shi Siming really wanted to try again and write a poem that could rival Xue Bai's.
Behind him, he slashed hard with a knife.
~~
"This is Shi Siming's poem."
Yan Zhuang placed an old newspaper in front of Xue Bai and said, "This is a poem about pomegranates. It must also be Shi Siming's self-explanation."
Xue Bai's eyes narrowed slightly. He looked around, still a little confused, and murmured: "Is it self-explanation?"
"In March and April, in red flowers, in May and June, in bottles."
"Make a knife and cut through the yellow cell clothes, leaving six to seven thousand naked men and women."
~~
"puff!"
The knife severely severed Shi Siming's waist, and the internal organs and intestines in his stomach flowed all over the floor.
Shi Siming died, but only his poems are still circulating in Fanyang.
In Chang'an City, people are still singing the lyrics copied by Xue Bai.
Even to his death, Shi Siming did not understand that the difference between them was not in the rhythm, but in the pattern.