Chapter 356: War and Conspiracy (VI)

After the wheat harvest, the land of Guanzhong became hotter day by day. Most of the sky was dazzling blue. Under the scorching sun, the ground seemed to be on fire, and even the air seemed to be flowing. But at the most unexpected moment, the sky suddenly felt like a bottle of ink was overturned, and then lightning and thunder were roaring, and heavy rain fell.

On this day, the heavy rain had just stopped, and a few fast horses rushed in from Fengxiang. These were the Tang army messengers who detoured from Hexi Shuofang. They rushed towards Chang'an with the latest news.

"Li Guangbi sent out a surprise army to defeat the bandit army in Zhaozhou, beheaded more than 30,000 people, and killed Yin Ziqi, the general of An Lushan; Guo Ziyi conquered Boling, Shi Siming fled back to Youzhou, and then Li and Guo joined forces to advance into the depths of Hebei."

At the same time, news came from Tongguan that due to the critical situation in Hebei, An Lushan sent general Tian Chengsi to lead an army of 50,000 to Xiangzhou to guard the retreat route from Hebei. Luoyang was empty and the rebels returned to defense throughout the line. There were only more than 6,000 Cui Ganyou left in Shanzhou. It seemed that the balance of victory was tilting towards the Tang army.

In Shaanxi, Cui Ganyou's army camp, the night was already deep. The heavy rains for days made the air filled with mist, the clouds were low, and the ground was muddy.

The entire camp was very quiet, and the soldiers had already fallen asleep. Only Cui Ganyou's tent was still on, but the lights were weak. A gust of wind blew, and the lantern seedlings floated, stretching and bent the figures in the tent.

Cui Ganyou sat alone on a wooden box, his eyes stagnant until he stared ahead. He was about fifty years old, his face was covered with deep wrinkles, and his hair and beard were gray on his huge head. The severe situation filled his heart with anxiety.

A few months ago, the situation seemed to be floating in front of him, but in just over a month, the situation suddenly reversed. Shi Siming lost consecutive battles in Hedong, and most of the Eastern Army lost all. Now the Tang army has entered Hebei, while An Lushan is trapped in Luoyang and is in a dilemma. Advance is ahead of him, and it is impossible to overcome. Retreat will mean that all previous efforts will be wasted, which means that people's hearts will be dispersed. The Hu soldiers who came for profit will scatter, which will eventually mean that the failure of the uprising will be defeated.

Today's decline is caused by a series of strategic decision-making mistakes. When the foundation of Hedong is not stable, he rashly raises up his army. This is a mistake one; after the uprising, he divided his troops southward, resulting in insufficient troops and unable to fully control Hedong. This is a mistake two; after the southward, he did not advance to Yangzhou, Jianghuai, which was rich and empty, but was eager to attack Chang'an. This is a mistake three; An Lushan was too early to proclaim his emperor, exposed his ambitions, and was despised by the people of the world. Uprisings broke out one after another, which is a mistake four; after Shi Siming successfully attacked the Tang army, he did not return to Hedong in time, making Hedong empty and was taken advantage of by the Shuofang army, which is a mistake five.

Cui Ganyou fell deeply into his palm. The only way now is to capture Tongguan and attack Chang'an. Only then can the entire battle situation be resurrected. But the general of Tongguan is Geshuhan, who has experienced many battles. How could he come out to fight? Even if he is willing to fight, he has an army of 300,000, and the soldiers in his hands can disdain it. But there are still more than 100,000 Longyou Army and Hexi Army, so how can his 6,000 troops be matched?

"Is there really no way to do it?" Cui Ganyou pulled his hair hard and thought about it, but he couldn't think of anything.

"Who?" The soldiers outside the door shouted softly, and then his voice became frightened again, "Ah! It's Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty?" Cui Ganyou raised his head in surprise. He immediately realized that it was An Lushan's arrival. It was not his fault. His Majesty for decades was Li Longji, and he had already become accustomed to it. An Lushan was the emperor for half a year. He only went back to visit once after defeating Gao Xianzhi. He was named the crown prince's grand tutor, the right servant of the Shangshu and the Minister of War. This was an amazing high-ranking official, but Cui Ganyou always felt strange in his heart, as if he had played a game in his childhood.

Before he could stand up, he lifted the leather curtain and a clear night wind blew. The oil lamp went out, and an extremely wide figure appeared at the door, like a square box. There was probably only one person in the world with this shape, that is An Lushan.

Cui Ganyou knelt down and said, "My minister Cui Ganyou meets His Majesty the Emperor."

An Lushan's entourage immediately lit up the oil lamp and presented the face of the middle Tang hero under the bright light. After being the emperor of the Great Yan Kingdom for half a year, An Lushan was still the former An Lushan. His tightly wrapped apricot yellow dragon robe and the sky-sky crown on his head did not make people feel that he was the 95th emperor above thousands of people. He was like an actor who had not had time to take off his makeup, which made people unable to bear the urge to bow.

The right prime minister Yan Zhuang, who was following him, was thin and thin, and he didn't have the slightest stake in the prime minister, just like a resident who came out to collect rent with his master.

Next to Yanzhuang, the prince An Qingxu was also following the prince. An Qingxu was not as fat as his father. He had a big beard and had a strong physique. He did not have the heroic spirit of a prince, but instead had a somewhat rude and heroic spirit.

An Lushan had no expression on his face, nor did he raise his hand gently like Li Longji, and said, "I'm not giving a favor to you!" Instead, he thrust his butt on Cui Ganyou's seat, and waved his hand and said, "Everyone is my own. Don't be so polite. Find a place for me to sit down."

Cui Ganyou sighed secretly, "Since you can't put on the airs of the emperor, why bother to rush to become emperor?"

Several people found a place to sit, and the last general Sun Xiaozhe who came in even sat on the ground. An Lushan glanced at several people and said in a deep voice: "Everyone should know the current situation. Now I am here to Shanzhou to discuss countermeasures with you."

When Cui Ganyou saw that he actually ran to Shanzhou to discuss countermeasures, it goes without saying that the countermeasures he wanted to discuss must be how to capture Tongguan. Sure enough, An Lushan glanced at him and said, "Shangshu Cui, if I lure Geshuhan out 300,000 troops, how many troops do you need to defeat him?"

Cui Ganyou felt it in his heart. He lowered his head and thought about it, and replied: "Your Majesty, if you rely on the right place, you will need at least 80,000 elite soldiers."

An Lushan was silent for a moment, and sighed and said, "If Shi Siming is undefeated in Hedong, then I can give you 80,000 people, but Tian Chengsi has taken away 50,000 people, and there are only 50,000 troops left in Luoyang, and there are no more than 80,000 people."

"If Brother Shuhan can hit my plan, it is actually enough for 30,000 people."

"What Cui Shangshu said is in line with my wish."

An Lushan nodded with a smile, and then said to Yan Zhuang: "Secretary Yan, why not tell Cui Shangshu about your plan to lure the enemy."

Yan Zhuang stood up with a smile, first bowed to An Lushan, and then bowed to Cui Ganyou, saying, "The situation on our side is critical now, how can the Tang court not know? Your Majesty sent Tian Chengsi to Xiangzhou and has successfully made a gesture of withdrawing the army. This has created conditions for my counter-espionage plan. I just got the latest news that Yang Guozhong and Geshu Han suddenly had an evil relationship. This is really God's help to Your Majesty. I have sent the secret letter to Tongguan, and I will act according to the plan. I believe that Geshu Han will take the initiative in the future."

He glanced at Cui Ganyou again and smiled and said, "I'll see Cui Shangshu in the future."

Cui Ganyou suddenly understood, and he immediately stepped forward and half-kneeled to An Lushan and saluted, "Please rest assured, I will definitely win the flag and conquer Chang'an in one fell swoop."

An Lushan stared at him without saying a word, and finally he said word by word: "If you don't doubt the employment of people, I will hand over all the 50,000 troops in Luoyang to you, and I, An Lushan, will also hand over the second half of my life."

Two days later, a fast horse galloped from Chang'an to Tongguan. While the city gate was not closed, the fast horse ran into the city gate and soon arrived at Yang Guozhong's mansion. He turned over and got off the horse, rushed up the steps, and said to the doorman: "Tell Yang Xiangguo quickly, I came from Tongguan, and report to him if there is any major event!"

The military information was involved, and the sect did not dare to delay it. They urgently reported to Yang Guozhong that Yang Guozhong was washing his feet and preparing to go to bed. He suddenly heard that there was news from Tongguan. He was stunned and surprised. The confidant he had planted in Tongguan had been cleansed by Geshuhan. He had returned to Chang'an half a month ago. Why would there be news from Tongguan?

But even though he was surprised, he hurriedly said to the doorman: "Take this person to the outer study room, I'll come soon."

At this time, Yang Guozhong had completely turned against Geshuhan. Geshuhan spoke earnest advice in the letter, but in Yang Guozhong's view, he was a severe rebuke of him. Although Geshuhan expressed his willingness to give up the right prime minister to him, in Yang Guozhong's eyes, the right prime minister was originally his position. Geshuhan's words proved that he had ambitions for the right prime minister.

Politics may be like this. Two people who have different dreams come together for their common political enemies. When the political enemies fall out, conflicts between them will inevitably arise.

To put it simply, one mountain cannot withstand two tigers. If Geshuhan has been a general in the military, perhaps Yang Guozhong could tolerate him, but Geshuhan entered the government with the title of Xiping County Prince, and was appointed as the left prime minister, and the right minister of Shangshu was already very powerful. If he made great contributions again, it would be no longer a possibility, but inevitable to replace him.

Yang Guozhong tidied up his clothes a little, then quickly walked to the outside study room. The person who delivered the letter was already brought by the guards first and was pacing back and forth in the study room anxiously.

"Yeah!" Yang Guozhong coughed dryly, walked in slowly with his hands behind his back, and asked slowly: "Who was sent by you? If you have any major issues, you should hurry to see me!"

When the sender saw Yang Guozhong enter the house, he hurried over and said, "The villain's surname is Ma, and he is the confidant of Huo Baguiren, the deputy general of Tongguan. If you have any major issues, you should report them to the Prime Minister."

"Huobo Guiren?" Yang Guozhong thought for a moment and suddenly remembered that he was Geshuhan's confidant general? 'He actually reported something big to himself?"

Yang Guozhong was a little confused. He looked at the messenger coldly and said nothing. The messenger hurriedly took out a letter from his arms and handed it to him with both hands, "I will tell the general that the prime minister will see it at a glance."

Yang Guozhong opened the envelope in two or three times, shook the letter and read it roughly. Gradually, his eyes were filled with horror. To be precise, the letter was a letter of rumor, saying that the general Pang Zhong secretly advised Geshuhan to lead the army to the capital to kill Yang Guozhong to take power, but Geshuhan said: "In this way, wouldn't I become the second in An Lushan?"

‘An Lushan is second!’, Geshuhan really had this intention. Yang Guozhong became more and more afraid the more he thought about it. He hurriedly folded the letter and put it in his arms and ordered his family to take the messenger to rest. However, he himself did not care that it was getting late, and he got on the carriage and rushed towards Xingqing Palace.

In Xingqing Palace, Li Longji was ready to go to bed. Hedong news spread frequently in the past few days. It was just around the corner to conquer An Lushan's nest. The day to quell the An Lushan Rebellion was almost here. In addition, this year, the wheat harvest in Guanzhong was bumper, and Li Qing sent hundreds of thousands of stones of grain from Longyou. The price of grain in Beijing suddenly fell, and a grain crisis was resolved. The successive happy events made Li Longji feel very happy.

Just as he was about to go to the dragon bed to bed, a eunuch on duty suddenly came to report, "There are secret matters in Yang Xiangguo that must be reported to the emperor."

Li Longji was stunned for a moment. What big deal would he have if he came so late? If it were usual, he would have waved his hand, 'Let's talk about it tomorrow!'

But in the past two months, Yang Guozhong has performed remarkably in raising military pay and calming grain prices, which has satisfied Li Longji and has taken him seriously invisibly.

Li Longji thought for a while and said, "Take him out of the palace first!" He then put on a robe and walked out slowly.

"Your Majesty, something is not good! Brother Shuhan has the intention to rebel!" Yang Guozhong fell to the ground when he saw Li Longji come out, and hurriedly took out the letter of informing him from his arms. He handed it to Li Longji with trembling hands and said, "Your Majesty, please read this letter!"

Yang Guozhong's words were like a basin of water pouring on his head. Li Longji, who was sleepy, suddenly burst into a cold sweat, and his sleepiness disappeared. He grabbed the letter and read it up and down, but slowly let it go. The key point in the letter was the five words "An Lushan Second". Although this was inappropriate, it must be linked to the opposite meaning that Yang Guozhong said, which is a bit far-fetched.

He glanced at Yang Guozhong, and saw that his face was completely gray, he couldn't help but sneer in his heart. He was afraid that Ge Shuhan would lead his troops to kill him, so he was so shocked. He shook his head gently and said, "Yang Xiangguo, didn't Ge Shuhan refuse? Why are you nervous?"

Seeing that Li Longji was unmoved, Yang Guozhong said anxiously: "Your Majesty, my officers and soldiers are in Hedong, Hebei is a great victory. An Lushan sent another army to guard Xiangzhou. The intention of retreating north is already very obvious. Now Luoyang is empty, Cui Qianyou has only a few thousand people in his hands. Ge Shuhan holds an army of 300,000, but he refuses to take the initiative to attack. What is his intention?"

Speaking of this, Yang Guozhong sneered repeatedly, "I suspect that he wanted to delay time and take all 300,000 troops into his own hands. Your Majesty, the military strategy says: Don't forget the danger. Now there are less than 20,000 imperial guards in Chang'an. Once his brother Shu Han has a strange intention, what can we resist? Your Majesty! You must be careful of others!"

Li Longji was silent. Yang Guozhong did make some sense. Now it was a great opportunity to attack, but Ge Shuhan did not move his troops, which was indeed a bit strange.

He pondered for a moment and asked, "How should we deal with this matter based on the intention of the prime minister?"

"Your Majesty, I believe that if I go through two-pronged approach, I should be able to control Geshuhan. First, I recommend the Right General Du Qianyun as the deputy commander of the army. He can supplement the disadvantages of Bian Lingcheng's lack of military power; second, I order Geshuhan to send troops immediately to attack Cui Qianyou. Once the Tang army wins, he will be lifted from his military power and not give him too much time to slowly control the army."
Chapter completed!