Pu Gujuan knew that to assassinate Guo Ziyi, he must not use veteran soldiers from Shuofang's army.
But if you think about it carefully, all his confidants who have been with him through life and death have been with him for many years, and they can be considered as having fought under Guo Ziyi. Although the news may not leak out, it is unavoidable to make people uneasy.
This uneasiness actually came from his own timidity, rather than from the fact that his subordinates just couldn't believe him.
"Go and call Ren Pen." Finally, Pu Gujuan ordered.
Ren Pen is a very young general, only twenty-two years old this year.
He was from Luoyang, and his family was originally very rich. He had been studying and practicing martial arts since he was a child, hoping to take the imperial examination and become an official to shine on his family. Unfortunately, when An Lushan's rebels invaded Luoyang, they killed everyone in his family, and he escaped alone.
After staying in Chang'an for a while, I met ten rangers of about the same age, and together they went to Lingwu to join the army.
Because he had seen the brutality of the rebels, he was quite ruthless in his actions. When he was bullied when he first arrived in Lingwu, he immediately disabled the opponent's hands and feet. Therefore, he caught the eye of Pugu Jian and was promoted.
However, there are many capable people in Shuofang's army, and in terms of seniority, Ren Pen was not considered to be outstanding in the past. This time, it was his chance to do something that no one else could do.
Soon, Ren Pen arrived. He was tall and strong. Only children from rich families could maintain such a figure these days.
"I've met Dalang."
Calling him "Dalang" instead of "general" means that Ren Pen is Pugujuan's private soldier, not a court officer.
Pu Gujun was very satisfied with him, nodded and said: "Although you are young, you are cruel and capable of doing things."
"If Da Lang orders me, I will definitely do it."
"Do you dare to kill someone?"
Ren Pen was stunned for a moment and looked up into Pu Gujuan's eyes, wondering why he was asking him such a question.
"The people we want to kill this time are not ordinary people." Pu Gujuan waved him forward and lowered his voice: "The person we want to kill is... Guo Ziyi."
When he spoke, he carefully watched Ren Pen's reaction, and saw that the young man did not show the slightest bit of shock or panic, and instead his eyes were filled with excitement.
"dare?"
"dare."
After hearing this decisive reply, Pu Gujuan's breath became even more rapid than Ren Pen's. He patted the other party's shoulder and said: "Okay, use your people. In half an hour, my grandfather will be there at the festival."
Meet him in the lobby of the Commander's Mansion. Finally, I will ask you to escort him to the garden on East Second Street. You do it in the yard and don't let others notice."
"Don't worry, Da Lang, I will make sure everything is watertight."
"Very good, I will give you a lot of rewards when the job is done."
After the arrangements were made, and after Ren Pen left, Pu Gujuan breathed a long sigh of relief, only to find that fine sweat was already flowing down his forehead.
He took a moment and stood up to greet Guo Ziyi.
dusk.
Guo Ziyi was greeted by Pugu Huai'en and entered the Commander's Mansion.
Along the way, Pu Gujuan deliberately kept the streets quiet, ensuring that except for the dozen or so personal entourage brought by Guo Ziyi, only close confidants of the Pu Gu family knew about the matter.
In this way, as long as it can be dealt with tonight, there is no need to worry about alerting the generals in the army tomorrow.
When they arrived at the lobby, Pugu Huaien insisted on letting Guo Ziyi sit down at the top. As he talked, his eyes gradually turned red.
"When Hu Ni rebelled, it was the commander-in-chief who asked me to come and assist King Zhong. I failed to live up to expectations. Instead, I became alienated from the current saint because of this incident. I feel uneasy every day. Today, the commander-in-chief is here, and I have a backbone."
"It's not your loyalty to the king that alienates you from His Majesty." Guo Ziyi said: "It's your stubborn temper that makes it difficult for His Majesty."
Pugu Huaien said: "Although I am stubborn, I am absolutely loyal, but today's saints don't believe it. What can I do?"
Guo Ziyi suddenly increased his tone and shouted: "Your Majesty doesn't believe it? If those like us who lead the troops in war all want to pass on military power to our sons, what will happen to the country?"
With these words, the atmosphere in the lobby froze, and Pugu Huaien also understood the attitude of his former boss.
"Since the nine surnames of Tie Le came to the Tang Dynasty, our Pugu clan has been passed down from generation to generation." Pugu Huai'en pointed at Pugu Jue and said: "It is precisely because it has been passed down from generation to generation that the loyalty of Khan Titian has been passed down to us.
Today, in order to defend the Tang Dynasty, how many people from the Pugu tribe have died from generation to generation, and now, the commander-in-chief feels that my son is not living up to expectations and his merits are not worthy of his merits and he will continue to defend the border of the Tang Dynasty?!"
"Stop messing around!"
Guo Ziyi cursed and was too lazy to talk nonsense with him anymore, and said: "The sage's decree is to transfer you to Zuopushe, the Chancellor of the School of Inspection, and to confer you the title of Ning Guogong. You will also appoint Pu Gujuan as the eunuch of the palace. You will enter the capital today. Shuofang's army will come to me."
It will be temporarily replaced."
Pugu Huaien stopped talking, obviously dissatisfied with this decree.
After waiting for a long time, Guo Ziyi didn't see his answer. She patted the table beside and asked, "Are you going to resist the order?"
"Commander, why on earth does that guy allow you to support him so much?"
Pugu Huaien's words simply poured out all the dissatisfaction in his heart.
"The loyal king used to call him 'Xue Ni'. In terms of his life experience, he is suspicious. In terms of prestige, how much prestige can he have at such a young age? In terms of talent, the commander-in-chief cheered. It is not difficult to overthrow him. Why do you always rely on him?"
?I watched from the sidelines and never saw him treat the commander favorably..."
"Enough!"
"But I don't understand!" Pugu Huaien shouted: "Commander, why are you like this? We old men see this and feel that you are not worth it, Commander!"
Seeing him like this, Guo Ziyi said: "Your Majesty never needs to win over me, because he is strong, confident, and so powerful that he can be the master of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. If I abandon your Majesty and support a mediocre king, the country will be in turmoil again."
What is it like? What you call 'favor' is that we are already in a position of great importance and have endless wealth and honor, so why should we be treated more favorably?"
"You are an extremely humane minister, so the commander-in-chief has never thought of taking any further steps?"
Guo Ziyi looked into Pugu Huaien's eyes and could see the flame of ambition burning and beating in it. This could no longer be extinguished by persuasion.
He sighed, shook his head and said: "If I want to go further, there have been countless opportunities since Mu Zong ascended the throne, but I will not wait until now. Pugu Huai'en, if you had rebelled earlier, you might still have a chance, but now the time has passed
Now, don’t bring yourself to death.”
"I don't want to rebel, I just want to fight for what I deserve."
"Let's go to the capital and tell His Majesty." Guo Ziyi said: "Where are Cao Lingzhong, Du Qi and others?"
When the conversation reached this point, the original friendship between them seemed to have faded a lot. Pugu Huaien's tone began to become distant and business-like, saying: "On his way back to the capital, Du Wulang was expelled from the ancient tribe.
Someone has been captured, and I am doing my best to rescue him. As for Cao Lingzhong, I don’t know who he is."
"That's it, I'll just look for it myself." Guo Ziyi said, "Please hand over a letter with the tiger talisman and come to Beijing as soon as possible."
"The commander-in-chief has just arrived, and the handover of military affairs will not be completed in a short time. Please go to the commander-in-chief to rest first and let me prepare."
Seeing this, Pu Gujuan on the side thought that in the end they couldn't reach an agreement and had to kill Guo Ziyi.
He turned around and saw that Ren Pen was already wearing armor and standing at the gate of the courtyard, waiting for orders. He walked out and shouted: "Ren Pen, come here."
"The end is here!"
"Escort Mr. Guo to settle down."
"Here!"
Pu Guyun raised his hand and said: "Mr. Guo, please."
"Just take care of yourself."
Guo Ziyi gave a final reminder, stood up, and walked out.
The father and son of the Pugu family followed to see him off. However, when they arrived outside the Jiedu Envoy's house, they saw a dense crowd of General Shuofang standing outside.
The setting sun had already set at this time, but the sky was not completely dark yet. In the last bit of light, the upright figures looked even deeper and firmer.
"Come on."
"Come on."
The calls made Guo Ziyi nod repeatedly, but hearing them in the ears of Pugu and his son made their faces look a lot heavier.
"What are you all gathering for?" Pugu Huaien asked: "Each of us should return to camp, otherwise we will be punished by military law."
"General, I haven't seen the commander-in-chief for so many years. Isn't it okay to take a break?"
"Hahaha, even in the past, military law was not so severe."
Before Pugu Huai'en could scold him, Guo Ziyi smiled and said to him, "There's no need to scold him too much. It's fine if they want to reminisce with me."
The tone of the superior's instructions was still the same as before, but in front of everyone, Pugu Huaien did not dare to refute, so he had to answer: "Yes."
Pu Gujun turned to look at Ren Pen, and saw that Ren Pen was looking at him with questioning eyes. He thought for a while, and finally shook his head helplessly, indicating that if there was no chance, he should not forcefully take action tonight.
As expected, the soldiers who rushed over gathered around Guo Ziyi and followed him to the place where he was staying, not giving Ren Pen a chance to assassinate him.
~~
"What's going on?"
"Guo Ziyi must have sent someone to notify the generals before arriving in Lingwu."
"wrong."
When Pu Gujun thought about it afterwards, he soon felt strange and said: "If Guo Ziyi had contacted them before arriving, why didn't we get any information? The prestige of my father and son in Shuofang's army has not been lost to this extent."
Ren Pen frowned, still upset that he couldn't kill Guo Ziyi to achieve meritorious service.
Pu Gujuan thought about it and said slowly: "And if someone summons these generals while my grandfather and I are going to greet them, who has such great ability?"
"No need to guess."
Following these words, Pugu Huaien strode over, glared at his son, and cursed: "You are so brave!"
"My child knows his fault."
Pu Gujun's mistake was not that he intended to kill Guo Ziyi, but that he made the mistake of not killing her.
In response to this, Pugu Huaien only cursed, without going into detail, and then said: "Those generals were called by your grandmother."
"What?"
Pugu Jian also knew that his grandmother had always opposed their rebellion against the Tang Dynasty, and had even beaten Pugu Huai'en for this, so all their plans were hidden from her.
"But...how did she know?"
"It must have been Duke Guo who sent her the news." Pugu Huai'en said, frowning and said, "It seems that Duke Guo doesn't believe me at all. He thinks I will assassinate him, so he was on guard in advance."
"Grandpa, the court's attitude should be reversed."
"Shut up!"
Pugu Huaien waved his hand impatiently and shouted: "You all go down."
Ren Pen and others bowed and left. Soon, only Pugu and his son were left in the room.
"Don't keep talking about rebellion." Pugu Huai'en said, "You don't even think about it, can it really happen? We only have a few soldiers and horses. The food and grass for Shuofang's army used to be supplied by the imperial court. Once a war breaks out, the imperial court has
How long can we sustain the endless taxes from Jiangnan?"
"It may not be impossible to win a quick victory. We have the support of Tubo and Uighur."
"If you rely on others to achieve great things but hope in others, the day will not be far away when the Pugu clan will die." Pugu Huai'en said: "Guo Gong is right, he will rebel before Xue Ni ascends the throne.
It was a good time, now it's too late."
"That……"
"Remember, what we want is for you to inherit the military power. If we unite with Tibet and Uighur, we may raise troops at any time. This is our threat to Chang'an. If we don't move, the court will never feel at ease. But if we really raise troops, that's not the case.
It’s not a threat, but a dead end.”
Pu Gujie said: "My child understands, but what should we do?"
"If the stalemate continues, Xue Ni will definitely be the first to fail."
"Why?"
Pugu Huai'en said: "It was only when Duke Guo came that I figured it out. The reason why the imperial court sent him here was precisely because the imperial court did not want to start a war. Don't you see that there were frequent mobilizations of officers and soldiers a while ago, but I have already seen it. To control Shuofang's
No pass or fortress has been threatened. This matter still needs to be discussed in the end. We only need to deal with Guo Gong, but Xue Ni will have to bear the pressure from all parties. In the end, he will definitely compromise and give you an official position...
We don’t want much.”
At the end of his words, he patted his son on the shoulder.
"Remember, with military power in hand, we have nothing to fear. Stay calm, be patient, and don't do stupid things impulsively."
"My child understands!"
Pu Gujian's eyes also became firm, and he realized that he did not need to kill Guo Ziyi.
This time it is a psychological game between him and Xue Bai, and the entire court will help him put pressure on Xue Bai.
~~
Guo Ziyi had a good sleep. After waking up, he summoned an entourage who came with him.
"Guo Gong."
"On the way here, I heard that you sang well. Let's sing another part."
"good."
After hearing this, the young attendant opened his voice and sang a section of "The West Chamber" gracefully. Guo Ziyi also enjoyed listening to this kind of children's play.
Finally, he nodded with satisfaction and asked: "I heard people calling you 'Luobo' on the road. You are from the Du family, but your name is 'Du Luobo'?"
"Back to Mr. Guo, the villain's name is Hu Luo, because his mother-in-law used to be the cook of the Du family."
"Could it be Hu Shisanniang, the chef of Fengwei Restaurant? I have eaten her food. I didn't expect that women can also be good at cooking."
"yes."
"Do you have your mother's last name?"
"Yes, the villain's grandpa is a heartless man who always gives up. He ran away from his job before the villain was born. It was the Du family who took in my mother-in-law."
While chatting, Guo Ziyi and Douluo left the main house and walked for a while. When they looked back, they saw that the maids who were sweeping the house could no longer hear them.
He then said: "Pugu Huai'en is determined not to obey the order. I want to show him my methods, so I'll rescue Du Wulang first."
"Thank you Mr. Guo."
"In the afternoon, I wrote a list for you to go out and buy something. After you go out, you find an opportunity to go to Kuanshi Alley, the third house from the west, there is a house with a lantern with the word "白", and look for a general named Bai Yuanguang. He
I will take you to Baye Gubu. You identified Du Wulang and brought him back."
"Is it that simple?"
Guo Ziyi always had an attitude of taking things lightly and said: "Now that I'm here, it's that simple."
Hu Luo received the order and acted accordingly.
In the afternoon, when he went out, someone was watching him, but the other person saw that he was a nobody and only went to the market, so he couldn't help but feel a little slack. Hu Luo suddenly blended into the crowd while eating soup cakes and got away from him.
Following the address given by Guo Ziyi, he found the house in Kuanshi Lane, knocked on the door, and saw a burly man. Upon questioning, he found out that it was really Bai Yuanguang.
Bai Yuanguang received the letter, read it, and was greatly surprised. He asked, "How did Mr. Guo know that I am recovering from my injury in the city now?"
"Guo Gong knows everything about Shuofang's army."
Bai Yuanguang was greatly awed and said: "But I don't know the whereabouts of Du Wulang."
Hu Luodao: "Guo Gong said that since Pugu Huai'en said that Wu Lang was taken by the Ba Ye Ancient Tribe, he must have really put the person there. General Bai only took the villain to ask for the person, and the other party did not dare not to give it."
"All right."
Bai Yuanguang nodded, still curious as to how Guo Ziyi knew where he lived just after entering the city. After thinking about it, which comrade should have said this.
The two left the city that day, stayed outside the city at night, and drove north for three days the next day. In the evening, they arrived in front of a large village.
"Whoosh!"
Suddenly an arrow was shot in front of them, and a horseman came forward shouting: "Who is coming?"
Bai Yuanguang then drove his horse forward without announcing his identity. He only took off the wind and sand-proof turban on his face.
"Hahaha, my son-in-law is here!"
The village soon heard cheerful voices, and Bai Yuanguang waved to Hu Luo without saying a word, asking Hu Luo to follow him in.
Hu Luo couldn't help but think to himself, it turned out that General Bai was the son-in-law of Ba Ye Gubu, and Guo Gong was really the right person.
The strange thing is that while the village is so cheerful, there is no happy look on Bai Yuanguang's face.
Passing by a large number of tents, finally, an old man in a white robe came out, looked at Bai Yuanguang majestically, and said, "You're finally here."
"My father-in-law, I came to pick up Du Wulang at the command of Mr. Guo."
"What? Pugu Huaien changed his mind again?"
Bai Yuanguang did not speak, using silence to express his personal position.
"Come in and talk." The old man in white robe invited them into the tent.
…
"Hey, someone is here to pick you up. Get up."
"Me?"
Du Wulang, who was squatting next to a ewe milking, stood up, wiped his hands on his crotch, and followed a dark-faced herdsman toward the tent.
He has been detained here for some time, and his originally white and tender face has become much rougher due to the wind and frost.
After opening the curtain, Du Wulang was stunned for a moment and said happily: "Hu Luo? Why are you here?"
"Wu Lang, I came to take you back after being ordered by Mr. Guo."
"Mr. Guo finally arrived in Lingwu."
Du Wulang was overjoyed, but did not leave in a hurry. Instead, he put the milk basin in his hand on the short table, looked at the old man in white robe, then looked at Bai Yuanguang, and asked: "May I ask the general's name?"
"This is General Bai Yuanguang." Hu Luo said, "It was he who brought the villain to rescue Wu Lang."
"Thank you, General Gaoyi." Du Wulang said, "Can I have a few more words with Chief Ba Yegu?"
"Bai Yuanguang, take him away." The old man in white robe obviously didn't want to listen to Du Wulang's nagging.
"Listen to me." Du Wulang said: "Pu Guhuai's refusal to kill me is obviously because he is still afraid of the imperial court and does not dare to rebel. What he wants is for Pu Gujun to inherit the position of Jiedushi, but
What good will this do to Banye Gube?"
"The Tiele people are originally one clan, and they are in charge of their own affairs. What's wrong with that?"
"It has been included for more than a hundred years, and they all say the same thing." Du Wulang said: "You also married your daughter to General Bai, aren't you from the same family as the Han people?"
"Shut up, I let you go because it was Mr. Guo who spoke. Shut up and leave."
Du Wulang refused to leave and said, "General Cao hasn't let go yet."
Even Hu Luo knew that things had to be done step by step. Fu Er whispered to Du Wulang: "Wu Lang, it's different. It was a misunderstanding that you were caught by the Ba Ye Gubu. Detaining General Cao is a serious crime..."
"Don't talk."
Du Wulang pushed Hu Luo and said: "Chief, I am very familiar with Your Majesty and know his intentions. Pugu Huai'en just wants to coerce you into making trouble and threaten the court. If you continue to make trouble like this, you will not end well. You
Don't be implicated by him and harm the clan. Drawing a clear line with him now will be good for the Ba Yegu clan. It also allows Pugu Huai'en to have no one to rely on. He listens to the order and enters the capital as soon as possible. This is to save him. This area of Shuofang,
The Tiele people cannot take it, but Your Majesty will never lose to the Tiele people."
"Bai Yuanguang, take this chirping little bird away."
"My husband, I think you can listen to what he has to say."
Bai Yuanguang has been thinking that since Guo Ziyi has arrived, he should return to his command, and he is worried that he will not have the chance to make meritorious deeds.
He had never heard about "General Cao" and wanted to listen carefully.
Du Wulang said: "Also, Your Majesty will definitely not let Anxi and Beiting be isolated from the Tang Dynasty. The Hexi Corridor will be opened soon. By then, you will still be able to hide the matter of detaining General Cao.
It’s better to make meritorious service now than we have been burdened with kindness. When the trade routes in the Western Regions are opened, you will be the first to benefit. I stayed with you for a few days, but I really had nothing. After all, the trade routes were blocked and business travelers could not come.
"
"If you dare to say that again, don't leave!"
"Don't be angry, chief. You are about to marry your daughter, so you can't live without beautiful silk..."
"Pugu Huaien will naturally bring it."
"Can you live by relying on others?" Du Wulang said quickly and continued: "You can rely on Pugu Huai'en today, but can you still rely on Pugu Jian tomorrow? You help him fight for the position of Jiedushi, and he puts the most
All the deadly sins are put on you!"
"Come here! Take him back to the sheepfold!"
Bai Yuanguang stood up, pulled Du Wulang over, and whispered: "Wu Lang, go see Mr. Guo first. I will tell you the benefits from my father-in-law's side."
At this time, some herdsmen rushed into the tent in panic and said: "Chief, the Uighurs have sent an envoy."
Upon hearing this, Du Wulang was also a little panicked, knowing that if he met the envoy of Yi Dijian, it would be difficult to leave. The Uighurs would definitely kill him to force Pugu Huai'en to rebel.
So, he nodded and prepared to leave honestly with Bai Yuanguang.
"Wait a minute."
Suddenly, the old voice sounded from behind.
Du Wulang immediately broke out in a cold sweat on his back. He held Hu Luo's arm with his hand, turned around and said: "The leader wants to keep me? What's the point of that? It's better to let the Huihe people kill me, and wait.
Pu Gujun becomes the military envoy to see if the ancient Baye tribe will follow the chickens and dogs to ascend to heaven, or whether they will be punished and exterminated."
~~
Lingwu.
Pugu Huai'en knew that he could not let Guo Ziyi meet Shuofang's soldiers, so he sent people to surround his residence.
In this way, he is openly resisting the imperial court's order. It depends on whether the imperial court will raise troops to attack him or give him an official. The possibility of the former is extremely low. There is a high probability that Xue Bai will remain in a stalemate for a period of time and wait until he can no longer be delayed before granting an official.
It was at this time that Dazhalu Gong and Yi Dijian's envoys arrived one after another and told him a big news.
The imperial troops marched westward to regain the lost territory occupied by Tubo. Tubo and Uighur were eagerly hoping that he would raise troops to rebel against the Tang Dynasty.
Pugu Huai'en was not surprised but overjoyed. He took the alliance letters between Tubo and Uighur and prepared to go to see Guo Ziyi.
On the one hand, he already has a lot of leverage to put pressure on him. On the other hand, since the court's intention is in Hexi and he only wants to give up his official position to his son, as long as we have a good negotiation, I believe we can still negotiate.