Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

"It's time to beat the drums and blow the trumpets!" Under the banner, Master Shen whispered.

"Don't move on the right wing, there is only one missing among the three!" Wang Wenzuo said in a deep voice.

With the sound of drums and trumpets, more Tang Army cavalry appeared on our left wing and center. Under their fierce attack, the rebel right wing and center army had completely collapsed. Under the squeeze of the Tang Army, they fled towards our left wing. In order to avoid being disrupted, the left wing of the rebels had to shoot arrows at Paoze's spears to drive him away. The fainting defeated soldiers also drew their swords and faced each other. People stared at each other angrily, gnashing their teeth, and their faces were covered with blood. Fight on the convulsing body of the wounded, military order! No shouting or anything else could be heard. All that could be heard were the terrible shouts of death, the groans of the wounded, and the clash of weapons, all of which merged into terrible music.

This fierce battle lasted for about half an hour. There were so many corpses on the battlefield that the height of the post was raised by more than ten feet, making it impossible for the Tang army's cavalry to gallop, lest their horses stumble and fall off their horses. In the end, the rebels' courage and strength were completely exhausted, and they did not even have the strength to escape (the Tang army had the advantage of cavalry, so it was difficult to escape). Thousands of people dropped their weapons and knelt limply by the roadside. And on the battlefield, no matter what the victors do, all that can be heard on the entire battlefield are miserable moans and pleas. This sound seems to originate from the ground, as if it comes from mid-air, and as if it comes from the ninth level of the sky; it is like thousands of ghosts and resentful spirits. , sighing loudly, hovering over the battlefield and drifting in the wind. Even the bravest warriors will shudder and be frightened when they hear this sound.

At this moment, Wang Wenzuo, riding a war horse, climbed onto the high hill, with the flag flying above his head, like a giant spirit in folklore, patrolling his territory. The victorious side gave out thunderous cheers, which instantly drowned out the lamentations of the losers. Wang Wenzuo raised his right hand, and the cheers suddenly rose and soared into the sky.

"I didn't expect that the martial arts of Ying Gong and Wei Gong would appear today!" Di Renjie sighed in a low voice.

"Yes!" Lu Zhaolin said: "After this battle, Haidong will be at peace for at least twenty years, and the emperor will have no worries about looking eastward!"

Di Renjie turned around, glanced at Lu Zhaolin with a strange look, and whispered: "Mr. Lu, I think the general will not stop here!"

"What do you mean?" Lu Zhaolin asked: "After this battle is over, can the rebels rise again?"

"The rebels are indeed finished, but the beggar Si Biyu has not yet been crowned!" Di Renjie said: "I'm afraid the general will not give up!"

"Begging for Si Biyu?" Lu Zhaolin laughed: "It's just a fish that slipped through the net. As long as a large reward is offered, someone will naturally send his head. Why bother the general?"

"What you said is not bad!" Di Renjie said: "If it is just to beg Si Biyu's head, it is true that the general does not need to do it himself, but I am afraid that the general wants to take advantage of this opportunity to expand thousands of miles and create a business that will leave a name for future generations. An eternal legacy!”

"Ten thousand miles across the border?" Lu Zhaolin was surprised. He looked around: "It's only October, and it's already so cold here. Moreover, along the way, there are swamps and dense forests everywhere, and there are few people on them. It's like the beginning of the wilderness. Thousands of miles further north, where is that place? Even if it is really taken, what is the use? How could the general do such an unwise thing!"

"Whether we can do it or not, we will know soon!" Di Renjie said: "But you should also know that although this land east of the sea is bitter and cold, it has fertile land and crisscrossed rivers. As long as it is developed, it is actually no less powerful than the rivers." In the land of Luo, it only takes three or five years for results to be effective. But don’t forget, the general has many sons, and he also has many military ministers under his command who are like wolves and tigers!"

"Son? Military minister? Huaiying, what do you mean?" Lu Zhaolin was confused and asked in confusion.

"Of course we are splitting the grass and splitting the soil, thinking that it will last forever!" Di Renjie said with a smile: "Actually, you and I don't have a chance!" He pointed at Lu Zhaolin, and then at himself.

"You? Me? Split the grass and split the earth? How is this possible?" Lu Zhaolin shook his head repeatedly: "You can just pay it back. I am just a scribe, and I have never gone to battle to defeat the enemy and made any meritorious service. How can I be granted a title? Besides, I have always been in the Tang Dynasty. They all live on stipends without coming to the country. Even the heroes who founded the country only paid for a thousand households and paid taxes for 2,000 households. How can they divide the land and come to the country to be kings!"

"It's up to you whether you believe it or not!" Di Renjie said with a smile: "Anyway, when we return to the army from this expedition, this matter will be revealed. You are working next to the general. I'm afraid you will know about it earlier. By then, there will probably be some clues. Many people come to you, so you have to stand firm! This kind of thing involves too much, and those people are not good men and women. If one of them is not good, your life will be hard to save!"

After hearing Di Renjie's last words, Lu Zhaolin's face turned pale with fright. He nodded repeatedly and did not dare to speak.

During the rest of the day of victory, Wang Wenzuo did not order an all-out attack on Wuerta City. According to the confessions of the prisoners, the rebel commander Jian Moucen and the last remaining remnants should be hiding in that small city. In his opinion, taking this small city was a very simple matter, but when the overall situation was determined, it was not a wise move to waste the precious blood of the soldiers to attack the city. As long as you wait a day or two, it will not be difficult to use other means to defeat without a fight.

That night, the Tang Army's camp was full of laughter. The joy of victory and the expectation for a better future made everyone smile. But the battlefield is now in deathly silence. This is an eternal sleep. Those men who were pierced by spears, chopped by swords, and hit by arrows will sleep here forever. The slowly rising moon sprinkles its moonlight on this land of death, reflecting the pools of solidified blood everywhere. The moonlight swept over the corpses, and then over the pile of corpses, staring into a pair of round and dead eyes, illuminating the dead green faces, illuminating the clusters of broken spears, illuminating The remains of war horses. The moonlight became paler and paler, and he seemed to be frightened by the scene in front of him.

However, here and there, a few ghosts are vaguely visible on the battlefield. They are people who rely on corpses to live. After every war, there are always these people groping on the corpses and robbing the dead, as if they are following them. The lion's jackals, they are accompanied by death. These guys who made money from the dead walked among the piles of corpses, and the sounds they made were blown by the night wind and echoed through the trees in the surrounding fields.

"General, did you hear it? This noise!"

On the wall of Urta, the officer keeping watch whispered to Jian Moucen.

Jian Moucen listened attentively: "What's the sound? Is it a night bird?"

"No, if the army fights for a day, even the birds will be frightened and fly away!" The officer smiled bitterly: "I once heard someone say that the souls of those killed on the battlefield linger and cling to their corpses. Every night, , will wander around the battlefield, moaning and wailing, this should be it, right?"

Jian Moucen sighed: "Maybe! But we probably won't survive for a few more days. We can join them then!"

"General, in fact, you don't have to die!" The officer suddenly whispered: "The Tang people have won such a big victory. They will definitely have a feast to celebrate tonight. The siege will definitely not be tight. If you escape tonight, you will definitely There is a chance!"   "Escape?" Jian Moucen showed a wry smile: "Where else can we escape? There were so many people who united, the Silla people, the Mohe people, the Khitan people, and us. We thought we had finally We can defeat the Tang people and revive Goguryeo. But as soon as Wang Wenzuo came back, Silla changed its king and became his ally. The Mohe people and we were defeated miserably, and the Khitan people's demise was a matter of time. So many troops, so many The country is in ruins, thousands of soldiers are dead and corpses are scattered all over the land, what should I do to survive?”

"As long as you are alive, there is hope!" The officer tried his best to persuade: "When a person dies, there is nothing. General, the city of Urta is so small that it is impossible to withstand the attack of the Tang people. If you don't escape tonight, I’m afraid there will be no chance tomorrow!”

"No, if you want to escape, just run away!" Jian Moucen patted the other party's shoulder: "Besides, if I escape, the Tang people will probably massacre the remaining people in the city to vent their anger. They have followed me until now, I can at least trade my life for the Tang people’s lives!”

At dawn the next day, a long horn sounded from the Tang Army's camp. Two knights held flags and came to the city of Urta. One of them shouted loudly into the city: If the guards open the city gate before dark, put down their weapons and ensure that the city is safe. If their houses and belongings are all intact, the general can ensure their lives, otherwise, they will not be spared.

The guards on the city did not keep the shouting knights waiting for too long. After only about half an hour, the city gate opened. The first people to come out were women, old people, and children, and then the injured men. Behind them are groups of soldiers, with bare hands, bare heads, and only wearing backward sheepskin jackets. They all look dejected. The last one is a stretcher, with a person lying on it, with a pale face. Lifeless.

"General! Mou Cen, the leader of the thieves, has committed suicide by taking poison!" Aktun reported.

"Have you confirmed it's me?" Wang Wenzuo asked.

"I have already asked people who know him among the prisoners to identify him. There is no doubt that it is him!"

"Very good, what about the fake King Anshun?" Wang Wenzuo asked.

"According to the prisoners, the false king was not in the city before the army arrived!"

"Not in the city? Where did you go? Did you follow Qi Sibiyu?"

"I don't know. Maybe he escaped with Qi Sibiyu, or maybe Jian Moucen secretly arranged to send him away secretly!"

"That means that except for himself, no one else knows?" Wang Wenzuo pointed to the body on the stretcher.

"Yes!" Acton showed a wry smile: "My subordinates will immediately investigate strictly!"

"Well, go check it out!" Wang Wenzuo nodded. He knew that King Anshun was still a child, and the real instigators of this rebellion were Qi Sibiyu, Jin Famin and the man lying on the stretcher. , but even if it is just a puppet or a flag, if it falls into the hands of someone with ulterior motives, it will cause huge trouble.

"Yes!" Acton responded: "Where is the body of this thief?"

"Corpse?" Wang Wenzuo looked at the man on the stretcher: "Cremate him! Bury the ashes under a random tree in the forest. Don't let outsiders know!"

"As ordered!"

There is not much gold and silver in the warehouses in Urta City, but there is a lot of food and military supplies. While Wang Wenzuo ordered to reward the soldiers, he also sent out reconnaissance cavalry to find out the whereabouts of Qi Sibiyu and his party who had recently left Urta and entered the wilderness. When the generals learned that he planned to lead the pursuit in person, they unanimously expressed their opposition. The reason is simple: Wang Wenzuo is a rich man, and there is no need to risk going deep into the wilderness just to beg a traitor like Si Biyu. This kind of thing can be left to a deputy general to lead the troops to pursue it. Wang Wenzuo was extremely resolute and ignored everyone's persuasion. This caused a strange rumor to spread among the generals: Qi Sibiyu took away a huge amount of property when he escaped, so that's why the general behaved like this He persisted and personally led the troops in pursuit.

This rumor convinced some people, but those who had followed Wang Wenzuo longer and knew him better scorned it. The reason was simple. They knew how rich Wang Wenzuo's treasury was, and he was not greedy for money. War How could he risk his life for the sake of money? However, this argument did not last long, because a few days later, an even more shocking news reached Ulta. Compared with this, it became irrelevant who went after Qi Shibiyu.

"King Pei has left Fan Yang?" Wang Wenzuo looked at Lu Twelve with a solemn expression: "Are you sure this is true?"

"It's absolutely true!" Lu Twelve replied: "Previously, the general ordered his subordinates to pay attention to King Pei's daily dealings. His subordinates sent people to monitor him morning and evening. However, half a month ago, it was discovered that the amount of mutton purchased in the mansion was higher than usual. There is a lot missing, and after checking, I found out that King Pei has been away from King Pei for five days!"

"In other words, you only found out five days after King Pei left Fan Yang?" Wang Wenzuo's eyes were already looking fierce.

"Exactly, this subordinate deserves to die, please ask the general to punish him!" Lu Twelve lowered his head, gritted his teeth, and was ready to accept his fate. But he didn't hear the order to drag him out and punish him. A few minutes later, he heard Wang Wenzuo's voice: "Well, King Pei has a distinguished status. There are some things that you can't do, so I can't blame you!"

"Thank you, General!" Lu Twelve felt the pleasure of escaping from death. He looked up and saw Wang Wenzuo with a solemn look on his face, muttering to himself: "I didn't realize it until five days after I left. It took another fifteen days on the road. That is to say, King Pei had left Fan Yang twenty days ago. If everything went well on the road, he should have arrived in Chang'an by now, or at least Luoyang. Something must have happened in Chang'an, otherwise he would not have done this. After all, the emperor He was ordered to come to Fan Yang to supervise the army, and to return to the capital without an edict is to resist the edict..." Wang Wenzuo's voice became lower and his face became more solemn as he spoke, and by the end he could no longer hear clearly.