When will I go back and be an idler? I will watch a harp, a pot of wine, and a stream of clouds.
——Excerpt from "Xing Xiangzi·Reminiscences of Feelings" by Su Shi
…
Bai Fu suppressed his disgust, pretended to be a coward, and exchanged cups with others.
Bai Fu fully understood the principle of "harmony with light and dust".
If you only pursue the pinnacle of martial arts, you can naturally stand alone. Just like when you were studying in Qingcheng, as long as you have outstanding martial arts skills and surpass Shushan, you will naturally win the respect of your masters and the protection of your masters.
However, when you become an official or serve in the army, you have to put down your dignity and not follow your own temper. Pretending to be aloof will only make others jealous, set up troubles, cause endless trouble, and even worry about your life.
Even talented people such as General Zhongsi and Taifu Xu could not escape the fate of being suspected and framed.
When the moon is as cold as water, Taifu Xu often sighs: "As the saying goes, everything is different from political affairs.
The power field is as dangerous as the Three Gorges whirlpool. Neither a simple gentleman nor a simple sycophant can live long in the officialdom. Only those with complex temperaments, thoughtful thoughts, and sophisticated actions can survive to the end."
The official career is like a tiger, but you can't wait to see it.
Li Mi had another opinion on this. Before he retired to seclusion, Li Mi once said to Bai Fu: "Being in the world is the best practice, but becoming an official is the most difficult way to be in the world.
If one can have a righteous and solid Taoist mind and can survive among wolves, tigers and leopards, emerging from the mud like a lotus without being stained, then it will be better than practicing cultivation for ten lifetimes."
…
Taking advantage of Bai Fu's toast, Li Ruoyou pulled Bai Fu aside and said with a meaningful smile: "The rebellion of An Lushan reminded your majesty. Only when the clan controls the army can your majesty rest assured!"
It's gratifying for Brother Bai to take control of the military at such a young age, but it's also full of dangers.
If you want to go steadily and in the long run, you must plan ahead and understand the emperor's heart."
Bai Fu nodded frequently and pretended to be ingratiating: "Thank you, sir, for reminding me. I hope you will give me more support in the future!
However, matters such as the mobilization of troops and horses require the acquiescence of the supervisory army, please sir..."
Li Ruoyou snorted coldly and said: "Don't worry, Hu Fangxiang will be handled by me. If he dares to hinder you and ruin your majesty's important affairs, I will personally come forward to impeach him!"
Bai Fu smiled and said: "Then I have to thank you sir. Your Majesty is so majestic. If you have a grown-up in charge, young people will not dare to make mistakes."
When he arrived, Bai Fu did not forget to show his favor and gave Li Ruoyou a high hat.
Seeing Bai Fu's understanding, Li Ruoyou laughed loudly, touched the wine cups in his hands, and the two of them drank it all.
Wei Boyu gathered his ears and picked up Li Ruoyou's words without missing a drop.
Wei Boyu once asked Li Ruoyou whether Bai Fu would become the princess's consort.
Li Ruoyou smiled contemptuously and said: "The poor family and the royal family are separated by a chasm of heaven and a Milky Way.
Li Bai was banished to the mortal world, and Wang Wei came out of the world with a graceful appearance. Both of them were amazingly talented and the most outstanding people in the world, but they failed to marry Princess Yuzhen.
Why is he recovering in vain?
I asked my disciples and former officials in Chang'an to find out that Bai Fu came to open a pawn shop for Prince Qing's son and Princess Qingluan, play with antiques, and help the princess earn a lot of money.
But, at best, he is just a retainer of King Siqing and the princess.
Even if Taifu Xu was still alive, this might not be possible, not to mention that Taifu had already passed away.
The prince-in-law’s theory is purely because this kid is trying to put money on his face and boost his own worth.”
Wei Boyu secretly thought: "Li Ruoyou, an old fox, knew that Bai Fu had no background, so he started to snatch food from the tiger's mouth. He invited me here today just to support him and prevent Bai Fu from being attracted by Wei Zhi.
Now that I'm here, I can't come in vain, I also want to peck a piece of flesh from the Anxi Army."
Thinking of this, Wei Boyu raised his wine cup, swayed it, and came to Bai Fu.
Wei Boyu said boldly: "Brother, Hengmu used to be my personal military captain. I felt that he was still young and it would be a pity to be a retinue all his life, so I sent him to the Anxi Army for training.
If he does something wrong, you should hit him or scold him, but you're welcome."
Bai Fu thought: "Listen to the sound of the words and the sound of the gongs and drums. This is what he said. He just told me directly that Hengmu is his and asked me not to use him to establish his power."
Bai Fu smiled and said, "I know what I'm doing, so please rest assured, General Wei."
Seeing that Bai Fu was very sensible, Wei Boyu simply made it clear and said: "Brother, Shaanzhou is the last line of defense in front of Tongguan. If the rebels want to advance westward, they will definitely break through from here.
At that time, only a few Tang armies can fight together to repel the enemy. We brothers must work together to fight against the Yan. This is the best strategy.
This kid Dong Qin prides himself on having some military exploits, but he can't always see through this layer."
Bai Fu said with a smile: "General, I will finally understand. In the Shaanzhou area, the general will look forward to it!"
Bai Fu answered readily, and Wei Boyu suddenly felt happy. He hugged Bai Fu's shoulders and said with a smile: "This is a good brother!"
The two of them understood each other, drank it all, and laughed.
…
After the banquet ended, it was already midnight.
Bai Fu followed his position in the starry sky and galloped towards the military camp.
The sky in front of Bai Fu was like a dome, not high above, but arching down. The stars in the sky were dotted on the blue velvet-like sky.
Each star seems to be isolated and scattered, but in fact they are distributed according to a wonderful pattern, forming cloud pictures. These patterns seem familiar, lingering vaguely in Bai Fu's mind.
The dazzling Milky Way is far away in the horizon, but it seems to be within easy reach. It seems that as long as you gallop forward, you can break into the Milky Way and reach for the stars with your bare hands.
The vast universe rushed toward him, and Bai Fu's heroic spirit suddenly arose.
…
After three months of careful observation, Bai Fu finally took charge of the army.
Bai Fu took advantage of the situation and divided the 20,000 soldiers of Anbeiting into four armies. On the grounds of forming a horn and coordinating defense, he ordered the officers and soldiers of the four armies to garrison in different areas of Shaanzhou.
Although these four armies are still nominally under the command of the Anbeiting camp, the command of the troops has been indirectly handed over to the corresponding ministers.
There are only 5,000 Anbeiting elite soldiers left in the headquarters of the Anbeiting camp, plus 3,000 logistical troops.
These five thousand elites were selected from the list secretly sent to Bai Fu by Duan Xiushi, the former Anxi military envoy. They are all warriors who have followed General Li Siye for many years and fought across the Western Regions. They are not only brave and good at fighting, but also loyal!
The remaining 12,000 soldiers were divided into three armies, and were placed under the command of Wei Zhi, Li Ruoyou, and Wei Boyu respectively according to their backing.
Hu Fangxiang, the eunuch who oversaw the army, had already been bribed by Li Ruoyou and turned a blind eye to Bai Fuxing's garrison.
After the order to mobilize troops was issued, Hu Fangxiang took the opportunity to move his camp to Li Ruoyou's station. In his opinion, Bai Fu was still young and was no match for the rebels, so it was best to join Li Tang's clan.
As civil servants, Wei Zhi and Li Ruoyou were overjoyed to be able to indirectly command four thousand troops.
The biggest winner was undoubtedly Wei Boyu. He already had tens of thousands of troops camped in the four towns of Zhenxi. Now, he had four thousand more elite soldiers and generals under his command.
Wei Boyu was overjoyed. He ate the big meal that was served to him, so he naturally accepted it with peace of mind.
Hengmu and Shi Taiqing successfully brought the battalion of soldiers and horses they led back to Wei Boyu's garrison and set up camp.
Along the way, Hengmu ridiculed Bai Fu. He said to Shi Taiqing: "I thought Bai Fu was some great character. When General Wei made a move, he gave up and handed over the military power so easily.
There is no decree to divide the troops without authorization, let alone whether the court will blame him in the future. If General Guangbi orders him to lead the army into battle, how can these five thousand troops face the enemy in a decisive battle?!
I didn’t expect that the Tang Dynasty would have such useless soldiers and horses!”
Shi Taiqing did not fully understand Bai Fu's intention of dividing his troops. However, he was mature and prudent and did not fully agree with Hengmu's point of view.
He pondered for a long time and said to Hengmu: "There are many mountains on the hilltop of the Anbeiting camp. The commander can't command the generals, and the generals can't command the troops. It looks like 20,000 horses, but in fact it's a pile of scattered sand."
Just like you and me, we will definitely not sacrifice our lives for them. When the war is unfavorable, in order to preserve the troops under our command, we will definitely retreat first. General Wei has already had a secret order for this.
In this case, maybe dividing the armies is a good move.
Although Bai Fu is young, his insight and grasp of people's hearts are precise and clear, and he already has the air of a general.
There is a formula in playing chess, which is to discard the chess pieces that are no longer able to work, and then start over again and try another day.
If Bai Fu is using this method, then this person should not be underestimated.
Don’t let the clouds cover your eyes. In the face of interests, it is not easy to calculate the pros and cons.
Those who dare to make decisive decisions and cut off their wrists are all heroes!"
Hengmu smiled secretly, disapprovingly. He pointed forward and said, "Look, General Wei is greeting us personally at the gate of the camp!"
After that, he laughed proudly, whipped his horse whip, led the army, and galloped away.
…
As soon as the soldiers and horses of the Anxi army were obtained, Wei Boyu immediately turned his attention to Shaanxi, which was under the control of Li Zhongchen, and planned the two armies.
The Shence Army was originally his direct lineage, so of course he was reluctant to give it to Li Zhongchen.
The following days will be the time for the generals of the Shence Army to choose sides, which will not be stated here.