After eating the shabby banquet hosted by Qian Yuanke, Li Kuo asked for his resignation from the governor of Yingzhou and Eunuch Zhu, and returned to his room alone.
It is said that since their departure from Jianghuai Yangzhou, the army has only marched forty or fifty miles a day, which is not too far. However, Li Kuo always felt tired for no reason. He put his sword on the table and said,
Take a breath. Maybe this is the so-called inner demon at work!
In the past, when the Tang army was ordered to return to Beijing, they would always achieve great victory. On the way back to Chang'an, they were greeted by people lined with people and triumphant music was played. I can feel the pride and energy just thinking about it. But now, I was ordered to be in danger, and I was loyal to the king according to the order!
An Lushan's rebellion affected many people's nerves. Many generals who were usually "loyal" to the court and His Majesty took the opportunity to put on airs in order to maximize their own interests. This is human nature.
, which is understandable. But when all these dark backsides were exposed in front of Li Kuo, he couldn't help but feel angry.
If the country does not exist, how can General Mao be attached to it? These generals can't even understand this most basic thing, but they are still the generals guarding the emperor for the emperor!
Or, maybe they have never regarded Datang as their mother country, and in their eyes, Datang is just a backup body for them to grab profits?
Hebei fell, Hedong was in danger, Dongdu fell
If everyone had such thoughts, it would be no wonder that the Tang Dynasty was in turmoil.
"Yanji, Yanji!" Li Kuo would drink a pot of tea to moisten his lungs every night before going to bed, and this task was all done by his close friend Zhang Yanji. This time, he naturally thought of Zhang Yanji.
However, Zhang Yanji did not step in after he called twice, which surprised Li Kuo.
Just when he was about to get out of the house to investigate, the wooden door suddenly opened with a creak.
"Captain, I haven't slept yet."
Dou Qing was holding a tray in his hand, on which stood a purple sand clay pot that was emitting light smoke.
"Oh, Brother Dou, why are you here?" Li Kuo smiled slightly and nodded with one arm on the wooden table opposite him.
Dou Qing put down the teapot, sat down and said, "Didn't the governor call for someone? I will bring you tea right now."
Li Kuo smiled and said: "Brother Dou really loves me, but it's just Yanji. He has always done this."
Dou Qing choked slightly when he heard the words, and said Cancan: "Did the Governor forget that General Zhang had already sent to Anxi to garrison half a month ago?"
"Yes." Li Kuo responded as if he had been struck by a blunt blow and stopped talking. Yes, how could he forget that Yanji had already accepted the imperial edict and went to garrison in Anxi? Even though Yanji was unwilling to accept it in every possible way, he
What can he do? That is an imperial edict, how can he disrespect it?
Li Kuo still vaguely remembered the scene when Lieutenant General Zhang Yanji bid farewell to him on a snowy night. The boy was so affectionate that he couldn't hold back his tears and flowed down his face. He was like a little lady - made of water!
He persuaded him that Anxi was crucial to the Tang Dynasty. Now that the thieves were rebelling, the court had to focus on suppressing the rebellion and its attention on the four towns had naturally declined. But this did not mean that the Tang Dynasty would give up on the four towns. After all, it was to protect the
The Silk Road is the gateway to the Longyou Road of the Tang Dynasty. The existence of the four towns in Anxi can well resist the cannibals in the west, the Tubo people in the south, and even the Uighurs in the north.
There are no permanent allies in the world. Who can guarantee that after the civil strife in the Tang Dynasty, the Uighur Khan who used to be so submissive to Tian Khan will not turn back? After all, Hu'er only has interests in his eyes.
Isn't An Lushan's rebellion the best evidence?
But this Yanji is childish, saying that the capital of the Tang Dynasty cannot be defended, so why bother the four towns of Anxi!
I scolded him severely before he stopped complaining.
The snow is falling, making wine to practice.
Even though he was nine points heroic and one point drunk, the feeling of parting was not pleasant, not to mention that the person he was separated from was his childhood friend and his best friend who had been with him day and night for more than ten years and had never been apart!
"Dou Qing, how long do you think it will take for the court to quell An's rebellion?"
Li Kuo poured a cup of tea into his mouth, his expression full of loneliness.
"It's hard to say, but according to my subordinates, it can take as long as one year or as little as half a year for the court to defeat the confidence of the rebels. After all, our Tang Dynasty court is Zhengshuo, and Anlu Mountain is just a mess, what kind of capital does it have? Are you competing with His Majesty and His Majesty for the support of the people?"
Dou Qing thought for a moment and gave such a meek answer. After all, no one can say how long the war will last until the last minute. However, An Thief is obviously rebellious and cannot win the hearts of the people. This has been the case since ancient times. Those who win the hearts and minds of the people win the world. From this point of view, Datang completely had the advantage.
Your Majesty, has he really won the hearts and minds of the people?
Li Kuo smiled bitterly in his heart and refused to comment. If His Majesty decades ago was full of heroism and single-handedly created the prosperous Kaiyuan era through drastic reforms, he was worthy of the love and admiration of all people. In comparison, His Majesty now is much more powerful. To be disrespectful is to indulge in lasciviousness and completely lose the self-discipline and magnanimity that an emperor should have.
Could such a king ever be worthy of the respect of all people?
Li Kuo didn't know, nor did he want to know. There were some things that only time could test.
"No matter how much it is, you should have a good rest. We will set off tomorrow." Li Kuo forced a smile to himself and patted Dou Qing's shoulder.
He was already very tired, but he couldn't stop and had to keep walking. The landslide and the collapse of the country were not enough, so one or two people always needed to stand up, right?
Li Kuo asked himself that he was not a hero, but he was a man of the Tang Dynasty, a man of the Tang Dynasty who dared to hold a sword and ride on the formation to kill the Hu chiefs and protect his family and country.
This night, there was no words.
When he got up early in the morning, Li Kuo took out the wall chart he carried with him and spread it on the table, carefully thinking about his next plan.
Since ancient times, Tongguan has been a natural barrier. I believe that as long as it is deployed properly, Anlushan will not blindly march westward in a short time. In other words, he has enough time to bring this government army, mostly composed of Jianghuai children, to Guanzhong.
Therefore, what he urgently needs to solve at the moment is not the issue of time, but how to avoid An Lushan's main force.
The world is a chessboard, and Luoyang is in the middle of it.
Anyone who has played chess, no matter whether they are masters with superb chess skills or they can only see clearly the stinky chess pieces in the one-third of an acre of land in front of them, generally know the most important point of playing chess-building a pattern.
If the structure is well constructed, you can master it with ease, lift it with ease, and conquer the city with a snap of your fingers and a smile.
ps: An Lushan raised his troops at a very good time, so he was able to defeat several cities in a short period of time. I wonder if Qilang has any good way to stop An Lushan's strong offensive?