He is a very scheming person, so he has never suffered any big losses in his life. Even his fight for the throne is mostly based on conspiracy and calculation. He doesn't think there is anything wrong with this. It is inevitable that some problems cannot be solved by just using tricks, especially the reform. For this kind of thing, the most important thing is to have a lot of enthusiasm, and to rush forward even if you knock your head to pieces and bleed.
And Guo Ziyi happens to be a strong enough opponent, even stronger than Li Longji and Li Heng on the battlefield. If Xue Bai can defeat him, he will gain the true awe of the world.
At that time, he will no longer be the traitor who usurped the throne through impersonation, but a king who changed dynasties with strength and courage.
He needs this victory so much, otherwise he will always be just a speculator in the eyes of his subjects and will not be able to accomplish great things.
Even if he doesn't win, he would rather lose than compromise.
Therefore, when Xue Bai heard Zhang Yong's earnest advice to get off the donkey, he did not appreciate it at all and refused outright.
"Go back and tell Guo Ziyi that it's time for him to fight for Li Tang."
Zhang Yong suddenly felt disappointed. Both Xue Bai and Guo Ziyi were high-spirited today. On the contrary, as the messenger, he had been hoping to calm the situation, but unfortunately he still failed.
After exiting the camp, he sighed deeply and was about to get on his horse, but the groom here whispered something.
"Mr. Zhang, come with me, someone wants to see you."
Hearing this rather mysterious tone, Zhang Yong had a premonition that things might turn around and nodded.
As the groom walked out of the camp and headed south into a mountain forest, Zhang Yong couldn't help but worry that he was going to be killed and thrown into the wilderness, until a dilapidated Taoist temple appeared in front of him.
Entering and passing through the main hall, someone is sitting quietly in the courtyard, with their Taoist robes fluttering in the wind, making them feel like they are in heaven.
Zhang Yong had a thought in his mind and said, "Could it be Li Shenxian in person?"
"I often dream about immortals, but I haven't become an immortal yet. I'm still suffering from the burdens of this world."
Zhang Yong was greatly surprised when he saw that it was really Li Qin, and said: "I beg Li Gong to resolve this military disaster and save all the people from the war."
Li Mi turned around, looked at Zhang Yong with a pair of eyes that seemed to see through everything, and said: "I do have a method that can eliminate the disaster of war, but I'm afraid I won't have enough time."
"Sir, if you have a way, feel free to ask me, but if there is anyone I can serve, I will never refuse."
Li Bisui took out a gourd from his sleeve, poured out a red pill, held it between his fingers and showed it to Zhang Yong, saying, "This is my method."
Zhang Yong asked doubtfully: "You want me to eat it?"
He actually took two steps forward and reached out to pick it up.
Li Mi took away the pill at once.
"This is a poison pill, you can't take it."
"Poison pill? Who do you want to poison sir?"
After Zhang Yong asked, he also thought about it in his mind, and soon came up with the answer, and then asked: "Could it be...the emperor?"
"That's right." Li Bi said, "I came out this time just to eradicate Xue Ni and bring peace to the world."
Zhang Yong was greatly surprised and did not dare to believe it immediately. He said: "But why did you tell me about such a big thing? Today we are just meeting for the first time."
Li Mi said calmly: "I have a keen eye and know that you are trustworthy. This is one reason. Secondly, I hope you will tell Li Qijun and ask him to buy time for me."
"Okay, I will definitely complete your instructions."
"If the matter is not kept secret, it will lead to failure. Except for Li Qiyun, there is no need to tell others, so as not to waste my life."
"What about Mr. Guo?" Zhang Yong said, "Can I tell Mr. Guo?"
Li Bi said: "It's useless for you to tell him."
Zhang Yong didn't know the reason at first. When he returned to the camp, he informed Guo Ziyi about the incident. He thought Guo Ziyi would be excited about it, but Guo Ziyi didn't react much.
"How can major military and national affairs be solved with a poison pill? Prepare for war."
"My father-in-law, if we can get rid of Xue Ni in a simpler way, wouldn't it benefit the people?"
Guo Ziyi said: "Do you know why he has reached this point?"
"Is he really not the emperor's heir?"
"He just uses heretical methods too much and cannot convince the public." Guo Ziyi said, "Even if Li Changyuan can successfully assassinate him in the future, can I let him into Chang'an today?"
As he said that, he glared at his son-in-law and told him to stop thinking about useless things and concentrate on preparing for war.
But Zhang Yong felt that Li Bi was really good at knowing things, and he was even more convinced.
He still found Li Qiyun and informed him of the matter.
Li Qijun is now under tremendous pressure. On the one hand, the officials and nobles in Guanzhong were at a loss due to Xue Bai's military power. They were shocked. On the other hand, Xue Bai was not without supporters. There were many officials who supported the new law.
Thinking that they are the ones who are rebellious, slandering the emperor, and plotting evil intentions.
All these problems are borne by him.
As you can imagine, when he heard that Li Mi had a simple way to solve all problems, he felt a lot more relaxed.
Of course, Li Qijun is a smart person and will not believe anything immediately.
"Li Mi told you about such a big event? He was not afraid that the matter would be exposed and Xue Ni would take his life first?"
"He said he knew I was trustworthy and told me to inform only Mr. Li."
This sentence made Li Qijun feel convinced that Li Mi understood him and trusted him.
He paced back and forth and murmured: "If we can deal with Xue Ni, there will be no need for wars again."
After thinking for a long time, Li Qijun made up his mind and explained something to Zhang Yong, who then invited everyone to discuss.
This time, fewer people came to discuss the matter. After all, a fight was about to begin.
"The Emperor is a bloodline recognized by Emperor Xuanzong himself. There is no doubt that this matter is false. Now he wants to restore the surname Xue just because he is angry. But we should not be impulsive in state affairs. In my opinion, we should welcome him back to Chang'an and slowly persuade him.
admonish."
As soon as Li Qijun opened his mouth, there was a huge change in his attitude, which made many people who didn't want to fight in the first place agree with him, saying that he finally figured it out.
Those who resolutely resist will inevitably become angry and curse.
"A bunch of cowards! Xue Ni wants your wealth, but you don't even dare to fight for it. You call yourself a hairpin from generation to generation. What's the difference between you and traders who are greedy for small profits? It's ridiculous to be with you and others!"
~~
Guo Ziyi ignored the surrounding interference. The next day, when Xue Bai's troops began to cross the river, he immediately ordered an attack.
No one can understand how difficult it was for him to issue this order, and how many interferences and obstacles he encountered.
But the war drums still sounded.
Some soldiers were uneasy at first, wondering how they dared to intercept the emperor. When they heard the familiar sound of drums, they put aside their distracting thoughts and started doing things in an orderly manner as usual in war.
In this battle, Guo Xi was the first to bear the brunt.
Guo Ziyi did not ask for a big victory in the first battle, but only asked that Xue Bai not be allowed to cross the river.
Before the battle, Guo Xi asked Guo Ziyi, there is no food in Chang'an, even if it can stop Xue Bai for a day or two, what is the point?
"Don't think so much. The important thing is to dare to fight him, or even win. Only by fighting will he understand the attitude of us ministers - Li Tang's ancestral temple cannot be shaken!"
Because of these last words, Guo Xi also put aside his worries.
He knows why he is fighting.
"Nike an arrow!"
When the soldiers and horses on the other side began to cross the river, Guo Xi waved his hand vigorously and shouted: "Fire the arrow!"
Arrows scattered all over the sky. He drew his sword and said loudly: "Li Tang Zong Temple cannot be shaken!"
Gradually, this sentence became the belief and slogan of the Tang Army on the West Bank.
In fact, they couldn't understand the guessing game between the emperor and the courtiers, and they didn't care about Xue Bai's true and false identity, but they needed a reason to fight this war.
If the emperor is a traitor who seeks to usurp the throne, they will destroy him; if the emperor is trying to get angry with his subjects, they will beat him until he surrenders. It's that simple.
This army finally gradually implemented the general's will.
In the west bank camp, on the battlefield, Guo Ziyi held up the telescope and did not put it down for a long time.
In terms of his ability to command battles, he was far better than Xue Bai, but there were not many people in the world who had the opportunity to command large armies in battle, and Xue Bai happened to have been trained in several large army battles.
It can be said that Xue Bai is a rare and good opponent that Guo Ziyi can meet.
Victory or defeat on the battlefield is not determined solely by command ability, there are too many other factors. In fact, in today's battle, Xue Bai was far superior to Guo Ziyi in terms of military strength, food, equipment, morale and other aspects.
Therefore, from the beginning of the war, Guo Ziyi fought very hard.
He was worried that Xue Bai would use a large number of firearms, so he chose a more conservative defensive strategy, losing the opportunity to preemptively strike and being passive everywhere.
But the enemy never used any firearms. Guo Ziyi guessed that it was because Xue Bai's intention in fighting this battle was not to hurt the enemy but to convince the crowd. However, he had missed the opportunity and could only make up for it slowly.
More than an hour after the battle started, a scout horse suddenly came running back.
Before Guo Ziyi heard the report, he quickly walked to the north of the battle platform and looked, and sure enough he saw a large group of cavalry galloping towards this side.
He was not surprised but happy, and murmured: "You are in a hurry."
If he were to change places and command Xue Bai's troops, he would not send out the cavalry so early, but would reserve it as a surprise force at the last moment.
Because of fighting on the battlefield, many people will die within a period of time. When the enemy is evenly matched, no matter how many strategies are used, the soldiers will cut back and forth, that is, they will cut down so many people. The winner or loser depends on the mentality, that is,
morale.
After exhaustion, the soldiers were tired, and their mentality was more likely to collapse. The war had just begun, and no matter how many surprise troops Xue Bai sent, it would be difficult to cause a huge psychological impact on Guo Ziyi's subordinates. Of course, the premise is that he is Guo Ziyi.
After Guo Ziyi saw the incoming general's flag clearly, he thought for a moment and issued an order.
"Ming Jin, retreat."
As the golden sound sounded, Tian Chengsi, who was galloping on his horse, couldn't help but have a change of mentality. He felt that Guo Ziyi was old and had lost all his energy, so he was scared away so quickly.
He also considered whether this was a feigned retreat.
But the strategy of feinting to retreat sounds simple and commonly used, but in fact very few generals can do it, because the soldiers can easily retreat and become a real rout. Even Guo Ziyi had to prepare in advance and could not improvise at the last moment.
A feigned retreat.
Therefore, Tian Chengsi did not hesitate to order the pursuit of Guo Ziyi, vowing to make the first contribution.
"Bite Guo Ziyi's banner and chase after him!"
"kill!"
Fan Yang's cavalry immediately increased their speed and pursued Guo Ziyi in the direction in which he was retreating.
…
On the battlefield on the east bank of Ba River, Xue Bai was also watching the changes in the battlefield with a telescope.
He also knows that the extraordinary troops cannot be sacrificed too early, especially the Fan Yang cavalry. As long as they have not appeared on the battlefield, they can invisibly give the enemy a kind of deterrence and psychological pressure. On the contrary, when they really come out, the opponent may
I feel like that's it.
But the reason why Xue Bai commanded like this was because he didn't have much confidence in controlling this army.
Back then, he surrendered them and established military camps in Hebei. Only now, when most of the soldiers have land and harvest food every day, does he dare to mobilize them and command them to fight. This is an attempt and a test.
In fact, it was only after Tian Chengsi was ordered to go south that Xue Bai decided to have a head-on conflict with the aristocratic family. Before that, he was not sure whether he could mobilize General Fan Yang.
And to this day, he still feels uneasy about Tian Chengsi.
At this time, seeing Tian Chengsi's cavalry chasing Guo Ziyi, Xue Bai frowned and immediately said: "Send an order for Tian Chengsi's troops to stop the pursuit and besiege Guo Xi!"
The flag order was issued here, but it was already too late.
Looking through the telescope, one can see the Fan Yang cavalry rushing at the front, turning their horses on their backs.
…
"Hey!"
The trip rope suddenly bounced off the ground.
The horses neighed sadly, and the knight on the horse immediately flew out, hitting the ground heavily with his armor, causing chaos.
Including Tian Chengsi, he also bumped into the soldiers in front.
He was shocked, wondering why there was a stumbling block? Did Guo Ziyi set up an ambush?
This thought made him shiver, and he couldn't help but feel frightened.
Even if he was like this, the soldiers under his command were naturally uneasy, and the soldiers immediately reversed course.
But at this moment, the sound of ringing gold suddenly stopped and was replaced by the horn of charge.
Ahead, the shaky Guo Ziyi flag changed direction and charged towards Tian Chengsi.
"Kill!"
The soldiers at the front were holding cleavers. They were frontier troops who had been fighting against Tibet for many years and had rich experience in fighting cavalry.
Not to mention that Guo Ziyi had detected Fan Yang's troops a few days ago. Even if he didn't, according to his fighting habits, he would still lay a lot of traps.
As for feigning defeat, which other generals were not sure of doing even once, it was a daily routine for him and his soldiers to fight against the enemy.
As a so-called famous general, he doesn't have many amazing strategies, but some of them have extremely solid basic skills.
Soon, Tian Chengsi began to retreat, trying to open the battle line.
He came with great momentum, only to retreat in embarrassment, which dealt a huge blow to the overall morale, and there were signs of the situation being reversed.
Fan Yang's cavalry, which shocked the world during the Anshi Rebellion, fell into Xue Bai's hands and could not defeat Guo Ziyi. It became more difficult for Xue Bai to achieve his goal in this battle.
"No retreat! The Chinese army is advancing. Defeat Guo Xi first!"
If it were to be a normal battle, if Fan Yang's cavalry were recalled first and readjusted, there would always be new opportunities.
There is little food in Chang'an, so it would be more beneficial for Xue Bai to fight this battle for a long time.
But he was thinking in a different direction and simply faced him head-on.
"Boom! Boom! Boom..."
This time the war drums were beating on the east bank, and Xue Bai used his main force to attack Guo Xi on the other side of the river.
From afar, Tian Chengsi saw this and immediately reacted.
He originally wanted to use the mobility advantage of the cavalry to withdraw from the battlefield, but at this time he pulled the reins and turned to attack Guo Xi, trying to capture Guo Ziyi's vanguard troops with the Chinese army.
The war situation then entered a stalemate.
The fight continued until the afternoon, and the two sides were still fighting fiercely and inextricably.
Regardless of winning or losing, at least Xue Bai has the strength to face Guo Ziyi head-on.
This obviously far exceeded many people's expectations.
~~
In the camp on the west bank of Ba River, Li Qijun looked at the stalemate battle situation, with a layer of sweat covering his forehead.
He really didn't expect Xue Bai to achieve such results.
A young man who rose to power through conspiracy and cunning was able to fight against a world-famous battlefield legend, making it difficult to tell the difference. This really changed their view of Xue Bai.
In the past, they always felt that Xue Bai's achievements came from the cultivation of Emperor Xuanzong and the support of famous generals. But now they saw it with their own eyes and felt fear in their hearts.
While Guo Ziyi is already old, Xue Bai is in his prime.
It is conceivable that in a few years, he will become an invincible and famous general in the world. It is not impossible to create a foundation with martial arts.
Li Qijun shook his head, throwing these distracting thoughts behind his mind, and his thoughts returned to how to maintain the Li Tang clan and stabilize people's hearts.
He could keep his composure while others were panicking.
"Guo Ziyi can't subjugate this traitor?!"
Even some officials who were firmly opposed to Xue Bai began to panic and began to shout.
"If we can't defeat Xue Ni today and Chang'an is short of food, what will happen in the future?"
Even if they were like this, let alone other people, everyone was talking about it, which only made the panic even higher.
Li Qijun finally found a chance to speak and said: "Masters, this battle is not meaningless. Only after fighting this battle can we better negotiate terms with him."
He was relatively rational and did not place all his hopes on Li Mi. He believed that it would not be too late to fight first and then talk about welcoming Xue Bai into the city.
But at this time, others didn't buy it.
"If we lose, then there will be nothing to talk about. You and I will both become rebellious officials and traitors!"
"No one wants to end up like those people in Dongdu."
These two sentences are extremely provocative.
To put it bluntly, none of them can't live a good life. On the contrary, they all live a life full of flowers. How could they risk their lives to fight with Xue Bai?
Previously, I just felt that Xue Bai had weaknesses and was easy to bully.
"No way? Guo Ziyi can still lose?"
Not long after, a change on the battlefield broke their luck.
To the west, in the direction of Chang'an City, a group of soldiers and horses came quickly. Although they were small in number, they were very energetic. They scouted the horse and reported the opponent's flag, and it turned out to be Xue Xin.
"Who is Xue Xin?"
"As a descendant of Xue Rengui, the saint took refuge in his home when he took refuge."
"What? Then Guo Ziyi is going to lose?!"
"what to do?"
"..."
Guo Ziyi had also received the news that Xue Xin had arrived, and calmly dispatched a troop of troops to resist.
Today, Xue Xin seemed to be able to act as a surprise soldier to break the situation. Unfortunately, this person was still too young. Perhaps he was concerned and confused. He rushed all the way. When he arrived at the battlefield, he was already exhausted, and it was difficult to speed up and form a powerful force.
impact.
Although Xue Rengui's descendants are good, they are still not good enough.
In Guo Ziyi's eyes, today's battle is basically over, and it is difficult for both sides to determine the winner. If it must be said, the losses on his side are indeed slightly greater, but a battle is by no means a temporary matter.
The final result is the result, and the winner is the king and the loser is the bandit.
At this moment, shouts sounded outside.
"No entry allowed! The commander is giving orders..."
"Get out of the way!"
Guo Ziyi turned around to look, his eyes were red and purple, but he saw a group of important officials from the imperial court rushing over.
"Guo Ziyi! You are so brave!"
Before he even got in front of me, an official started yelling at me.
"I have come to the outskirts of Beijing to pick up the emperor. What are you doing? Are you openly rebelling? Why don't you quickly order a strike and ask the saint for forgiveness?"
Previously, Guo Ziyi had nothing to do with the reform, and he had no intention of getting involved. It was because of Liu Zheng's rebellion and rumors of the emperor's death that he rushed to Chang'an with official documents from Zhongshu Sheng.
Later, because of the Luoyang Incident, he agreed to support Li Bin under the hard persuasion of these people.
Even now, he is still insisting on maintaining the Li Tang Ancestral Temple, but these people have changed their faces again.
With a "bang", Guo Ziyi said nothing, and said with a cold face: "I am not raising troops to protect your acres of land, let alone your instructions. I am fighting at this time, so please retreat!"
"Fighting? You're fighting a saint!"
"Since he is Xue Ni, I have the responsibility of guarding the land, so I cannot let him go to Chang'an."
Guo Ziyi's position is different from those of these people. She doesn't care about reform, but only cares about Xue Bai's name, which is exactly what others don't care about.
In front of people who are pursuing profits, his persistence seems a bit ridiculous.
"Guo Ziyi, why do you say that the saint is Xue Ni? Yes, he told the public the name he used when he took refuge, because that was his name back then! No one can deny that he is Xue Bai, but what can't be denied is that he is
The bloodline of the Tang Dynasty is the successor to Emperor Xuanzong and the previous emperor."
Guo Ziyi didn't want to pay attention to this sophistry and looked in the direction of the battlefield.
In just this short moment, the battlefield situation had changed, and he had no time to talk to these people.
But there are more and more sophistry.
"What's wrong with your majesty? He took refuge in Xue Bai's identity because he was persecuted by the Three Common People case. He has not forgotten the past since he ascended the throne. This shows that he is a person who misses old feelings."
"Yes, Li Xian conspired to rebel and slandered Your Majesty, which made His Majesty furious, which led to the major case in Luoyang today. Guo Ziyi, are you an accomplice of Li Xian?!"
Even Li Qiyun couldn't bear to listen to these uncharacteristic words.
When he was confiscated as a slave in the land, he cursed Xue Ni. Seeing that he couldn't be beaten, he couldn't wait to defend his majesty. The so-called hairpin family could not escape the greed and cowardice of human nature.
"Everyone get down!"
Guo Ziyi had no time to argue. He had to focus on the battlefield and ordered his soldiers to drive all these officials away.
At this time, it can be seen with the naked eye from the battlefield that Xue Bai's troops and horses have gradually formed an advantage.
Some officials were worried that Xue Bai would have to settle the score later if he won, so they were determined to make contributions at this time.
"Snatch his command flag!"
I don't know which official suddenly shouted, but actually rushed to grab the waving flag, causing a crowd of officials to grab it. This is a serious crime in normal times, but these people were all officials of the imperial court wearing red and purple, so it made
The soldiers on the battlefield did not dare to swing their swords at each other.
"No more fighting, I want to protect you..."
"Escort!"
On the battlefield beside the Bashui River, the fighting continued.
The soldiers were crawling around in a pool of blood, risking their lives to fight for the benefit of others.
On the battlefield, the nobles and nobles scrambled for flags, like a group of dogs fighting for a piece of meat at the vegetable market...