A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1143 Taking credit
Cheng Yaojin hurried into Wu Huaiyu's tent, still wearing his hunting clothes. With sweat on his forehead, he asked, "I heard that Guo Wulai has sent out troops, winning battles one after another, and has surrounded Gaochang?"

Wu Huaiyu poured him a cup of tea.

Old Cheng didn't even bother to drink his tea. "Didn't you tell him to stay in Yizhou? Why is this scoundrel trying to break into Gaochang City?"

"Guo Xiaoke violated our military orders." Wu Huaiyu said.

"Then send the troops quickly, and let's hurry to Gaochang. If it's too late, this scoundrel will get there first."

At this time, several figures came in from outside, first Niu Jinda, then Liu Lancheng, followed by Qiu Xinggong, Fan Xing, Li Xiuxing, Wu Huaiyi and Su Dingfang. These stewards all looked anxious and asked what was going on.

"It was Guo Xiaoke and his men who sent out the troops on their own, and that's how I learned about this."

"Damn it, Guo Wulai is so bold that he dared to disobey Erlang's military order."

"Now is not the time to talk about this. We can't go through all the hard work and let Guo Wuxia take advantage of the situation and capture Gaochang. Let's send troops quickly."

But Wu Huaiyu sipped his tea leisurely.

"Erlang, you still have time to drink tea, but Gaochang Kingdom is about to be taken over by Guo Wulai first."

"So what?" Wu Huaiyu asked Lao Cheng and the others, "Aren't the troops led by Guo Xiaoke and Qibi Heli part of my Western Expedition Army? Aren't they Tang troops?"

Old Cheng slapped his thigh anxiously, "That's different."

As he was about to go out, he said, "I will go and gather a group of elite cavalry. We will set out now and must arrive before Guo Wulai breaks into Gaochang City."

The distance from Luntai to Gaochang City is more than 400 miles, and can be reached in two days by light cavalry.

"Manager Cheng, please sit down first."

When Old Cheng heard Wu Huaiyu address him like this, he felt something was wrong, so he had to sit back down and said, "Erlang, this scoundrel Guo is trying to steal our credit. We cannot accept this."

Cheng Yaojin and Guo Xiaoke were both members of the Daigang, but they were not from the same mountain. Guo Xiaoke's real name was Guo Jing. It was said that he was young and had extraordinary integrity, but he did not manage his property. He was just a street urchin, and his father and brothers regarded him as a rogue. But later, when the world was in chaos, he threw down his hoe and gathered a group of young people from the village to join the Wagang, and became Li Ji's trusted general.

He is also considered a grassroots hero.

But this time, Old Cheng no longer cared about the previous relationship.
"Guo Wulai was originally the Protector General of Anxi, guarding Yizhou, but he was incompetent and caused chaos in the Western Regions. The Saint asked us to follow Erlang to conquer the Western Regions, but this guy didn't do anything and just stayed in Yiwulu. We traveled thousands of miles to attack Beiting, captured Yu Gushe alive, fought in Gongyue City, and attacked the Chishi tribe.

Erlang used both kindness and force to organize all the tribes in the Western Regions and lead the army to attack.

Now, the cities of Gaochang are under siege by the Western Turkic tribes, and this scoundrel Guo has ignored military orders and come here to take advantage and steal military merits. How could this happen?"

Qiu Xinggong was also indignant and shouted that he would beat Guo Wulai's head to pieces.

Most of these guys' qualifications, and even their current official ranks, are higher than him, who is only the Duke of Yangdi County.

The soldiers value bravery and hate people who try to steal credit.

Guo Xiaoke undoubtedly angered the public.

In particular, he not only stole the credit, but also disobeyed military orders and attacked on his own.

Wu Huaiyu was also annoyed with Guo Xiaoke, but he had quickly adjusted his mind. Since the incident had happened, it was useless to dwell on it now. He would definitely hold someone accountable, but not now.

What we need to consider now is how to adjust the strategic deployment.

Guo Xiaoke has already fought his way to the city of Gaochang and even defeated Qu Zhisheng outside the city. Now Qu Zhisheng is defending Gaochang to the death, but he will surely not be able to hold on for long.

Guo Xiaoke's army was also strong, not only the Yiwu army, but also the Qibi army of Qibi Heli, the Eastern Turkic army of She'er, the Tuyuhun army of Li Zhonglie, the Dangxiang army of Xifeng Bulai, etc., plus the inland troops who had already rushed to Yiwu, their number of troops exceeded 20,000.
This was also the reason why they were so unstoppable after the attack, especially in Tiandi City, where they defeated the Gaochang army and captured the city in less than a day.

The most crucial thing is that Guo Xiaoke also has the Shenji Camp and Shenji firearms, which is why they were able to break into Tiandi City in half a day.

With this deadly weapon, the fall of Gaochang City is only a matter of time, and it will definitely happen quickly.

I guess even if Old Cheng takes the cavalry with him now, he won’t be able to catch up.

"Please calm down, all the managers, and have a cup of tea first. I have some cold melons here, so eat them first."

Old Cheng is not in the mood.
"How is the chief steward going to deal with this matter?"

Wu Huaiyu sighed, "I'd better go there myself."

"Just let me, Old Cheng, go. I'll lead three thousand cavalrymen."

Wu Huaiyu shook his head. "You want to lead 3,000 cavalrymen to fight? I can go alone."

"what?"

Finally, Wu Huaiyu decided to take only 200 personal cavalry guards to Gaochang City. Although the journey was more than 400 miles, fortunately, all the cities of Gaochang, big and small, were being besieged by various Turkic tribes, so it was still relatively safe.

"I don't agree with the chief steward doing this. What if something unexpected happens on the way?"

Lao Cheng and Huaiyu's fathers-in-law also opposed it and said they wanted to go by themselves.

A group of people were arguing.

Cheng Yaojin and Qiu Xinggong even had a quarrel and wanted to have a duel, with the winner taking Wu Huaiyu's place.

"Don't argue, we're not going. I'll let Qu Yong go."

"Who?"

"Qu Yong, the Chief Secretary of Gaochang."

The group of people were stunned.

Wu Huaiyu wrote two letters, one to Guo Xiaoke and one to Qu Zhisheng.

The letter to Guo Xiaoke deprived him of his military power because he had sent troops without authorization. The Tang army under Gaochang City would be temporarily led by She'er, and he was asked to suspend the siege for seven days.

The letter given to Kou Zhisheng was a letter of persuasion to surrender.

No one understood what Wu Huaiyu did. He let the chief secretary sent by the Prince of Gaochang to deliver gifts go back alone?
"Don't worry, there will be good news soon."

"Within seven days, Qu Zhisheng will open the city and surrender."

Huaiyi hesitated for a moment, then said, "They are attacking the city and can break it at any time. If we capture their commander and ask them to suspend the attack for seven days, wouldn't that give Qu Zhisheng a chance to catch his breath? Guo Xiaoke is willing to hand over his military power, but those soldiers may not be willing to give up the fat meat in their mouths, right?"

"If you disobey my order, you will be subject to military law. Let's see who dares!" Wu Huaiyu said bluntly, "As for taking a breath, Gao Chang is in such a state now, what's the point of taking a few breaths? Can he get external aid, or where can he transfer troops from?"

"I predict that after Qu Yong returns to Gaochang, Qu Zhisheng will surrender!"

He had no other choice but to surrender.

"When Guo Xiaoke attacked the city, why didn't Qu Zhisheng surrender?" asked Old Cheng.

"Guo Xiaoke is attacking in a hurry, and Qu Zhisheng is still holding out hope, but we should suspend the offensive for a while, especially after Qu Yong returns and brings back the fact that the Western Turks have all submitted to the Tang Dynasty, Qu Zhisheng will no longer have hope. If I promise him some preferential treatment, he will have no choice but to surrender."

Qu Zhisheng wants dignity, and Wu Huaiyu can give him dignity.

When Qu Yong was called again and understood what Wu Huaiyu said, he was a little stunned.

"You don't want Gaochang to be ravaged by war after it is captured, do you? I heard that your ancestors are also descendants of the Han army in the Western Regions, and most of the people in Gaochang are also descendants of the Han people. I don't want them to suffer this disaster either.

I hope you can rush back to Gaochang and persuade Qu Zhisheng. If he surrenders now, I can still give him some respect, and even guarantee that the Gaochang Qu royal family will move back to Chang'an and still be rich and powerful."

Qu Yong was moved and thanked him.

"Quyong and Gaochang are grateful to the general manager."

"Go, the sooner the better. If you are late, I am afraid Guo Xiaoke will have already conquered Gaochang City."

Qu Yong did not dare to delay and immediately set off with his entourage, each with three horses, and rode back to Gaochang City at full speed. Cheng Yaojin and others still felt that Wu Huaiyu's arrangement was a bit hasty, and even felt that Qu Zhisheng was stubbornly resisting Guo Xiaoke's army, and it was impossible for Wu Huaiyu to persuade him with just one letter.

Can a letter be more effective than 20,000 troops?

Facts have proved that Wu Huaiyu's judgment was correct.

It took Qu Yong just over a day to rush back to Gaochang, break through the encirclement of the Tang army, first enter the Tang camp to meet Guo Xiaoke, and take out Wu Huaiyu's letter.

"This is a letter from Wuda General Manager to Guo Xiaoke General Manager. Wuda General Manager requested that this letter be circulated with Qibi Heli, Li Sheer, Li Zhonglie, Xifeng Bulai, Shi Wannian and other general managers."

at this time,

It had been three days since Guo Xiaoke and his troops entered Gaochang City.

Gaochang City was very strong and strong, and Qu Zhisheng also put up a tenacious resistance. Guo Xiaoke and his men had not been able to take it down in three days. However, both sides fought several rounds of attacks and defenses, and both suffered casualties. Gaochang suffered heavy casualties.

Now Guo Xiaoke was organizing people to openly build ladders and battering rams and secretly dig tunnels. He had the Shenji Camp dig under the city wall, build a blasting room, and use gunpowder to blow up the Gaochang city wall and break into the city in one fell swoop.

When they broke through Tiandi City that night, it was actually an explosion. It was just that the defenders of Tiandi City were not well organized at the time, so they simply blew up the city gate under the cover of darkness.

Guo Xiaoke took the letter, checked Wu Huaiyu's seal on it, removed the wax seal, and took out the letter to read.

He was not well educated, but he knew quite a few words.

The more I looked at him, the uglier his face became, and finally he turned pale.
He handed the letter to Qibi Heli and his generals in a trance, "Please read this letter from Prime Minister Wu."

Qibi Heli could speak Chinese, but he could not recognize many Chinese characters, so the letter was read by the Sogdian Shi Wannian, the chief historian of Yiwu.

The letter is not long.

The main thing is that Wu Huaiyu, as the chief steward, questioned Guo Xiaoke why he did not obey his military order and sent troops without authorization? Then Wu Huaiyu directly deprived him of his military power and asked him to temporarily transfer the military power to his son-in-law Li She'er. Li She'er and others were also warned that their crimes would be investigated in detail after the war.

"From now on, the troops here will be temporarily under the command of General Sheer."

Guo Xiaoke did not disobey military orders again and directly handed over his military power.

She'er took it and everyone was silent.

Qibi Heli was somewhat dissatisfied. "Do we really have to stop attacking the city for seven days? Gaochang City is already a ripe fruit, and we can take it at any time. Our tunnels are almost dug, and if we detonate them all together tonight, we will definitely take Gaochang City."

But no one responded to him.

Qibi Heli had always been bold, and in fact, it was he who instigated the army to go to war against orders this time. Guo Xiaoke and others also could not resist the temptation of military merit and went to war.

But unexpectedly, Chief Wu's punishment came so quickly.

This must not happen again. If you disobey military orders again, the consequences will be unpredictable.

She Er said helplessly, "Pass the order from the military minister, the whole army stops attacking the city, just siege but not attack."

Even though Qibi Heli was dissatisfied, he could only sigh helplessly at this time.

"If this letter had arrived one day later, no, one night later, we would have taken Gaochang City."

He looked at the messenger Qu Yong with an unfriendly expression, and Qu Yong retreated again and again.

She'er spoke up, "General Qibi, Qu Changshi still has a mission to complete, let him enter the city."

Qu Yong came to the city gate and knocked.

His appearance caused surprise in the city, and soon Qu Zhisheng also rushed over after hearing the news.

He had a basket lowered down and Qu Yong lifted up.

After some questioning, Qu Zhisheng saw Wu Huaiyu's letter of surrender.

Holding the letter of surrender, Qu Zhisheng stood on the top of the city wall for a long time, his back looking desolate, lonely and insignificant.

"Have all the Turkic tribes really submitted to the Tang Dynasty?"

"Yes."

"Will Guo Xiaoke outside the city really stop attacking the city for seven days?"

"Yes."

"Can Wu Huaiyu really guarantee the lives of the Qu family and the people of Gaochang after Gaochang surrenders?"

"Yes."

"For the sake of the people of Gaochang, I am willing to surrender."

"I surrender."

Qu Zhisheng gritted his teeth and said that he was completely desperate and had no other choice but to surrender. Wu Huaiyu's assurance also gave him a way out.

As Qu Zhisheng said the words "I surrender", first the ministers around him were excited, and then the guards around him, they all cheered.

No one wants to make unnecessary sacrifices.

Soon, the news of Gaochang's surrender spread throughout the city. Cheers rang out throughout the city, and many people cried with excitement.

outside the city,

The Tang army soldiers looked at Gaochang City with solemn expressions and listened to the cheers from the city.

"Gaochang has surrendered," Guo Xiaoke also heard the voice and sighed.

"Damn it, if someone doesn't know, they would think we are surrendering to them. We have surrendered after being defeated and our country has been lost, yet you can still be so happy? What is there to be happy about?" a general cursed.

Guo Xiaoke said, "That is the joy of surviving a disaster, and it is certainly worth being happy about."

The Gaochang Kingdom was destroyed, but countless Gaochang people survived, and tens of thousands of Gaochang families also survived.

The biggest winner is Datang.
But none of the soldiers outside the city were happy. They could have attacked the city tomorrow, added another military merit, and even captured a lot of spoils of war. But now, they could only stay outside the city and watch the Gaochang people cheering and rejoicing in the city.

Qibi Heli couldn't help himself.

"Since Gaochang has surrendered, shouldn't Qu Zhisheng come out and surrender? Shouldn't he open the city gates and hand over Gaochang City to us?"

Sheer looked towards Guo Xiaoke,
This former Anxi Protector, one of the seven military commanders of the Western Expedition Camp, has now been stripped of his military post by Wu Huaiyu.

"Mr. Guo?" She'er asked him anyway.

Guo Xiaoke thought for a moment and said, "Since the Minister of War has asked us to suspend our operations for seven days, I think he will definitely send someone over, and they may even be on their way.

Let's just guard the city gate and wait for the Prime Minister to arrive."

Although they should have asked Qu Zhisheng to surrender, and even held a surrender ceremony, they were not so shameless. They also attacked the city and persuaded him to surrender, but they neither captured the city nor persuaded Qu Zhisheng to surrender. Now Qu Zhisheng was persuaded to surrender by Wu Huaiyu.

How could they have the nerve to accept surrender?

He had already angered the Grand Administrator by sending troops without authorization, and if he accepted surrender privately, wouldn't that make things even more unpleasant?

"Okay, keep surrounding them." Sheer ordered.

Even if Qu Zhisheng came out of the city to surrender, they would not accept it and would wait for Prime Minister Wu to come.

(End of this chapter)