People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1606: Damming the Water and Flooding the Army

The valley is quiet and the river is gentle and wide.

In winter, the water flow in the Huangshui River is not abundant.

Li Xuan stood on the edge of the Huangshui River holding a torch, pacing back and forth, and even sending others out from time to time to measure something.

In the camp far away, Zhao Gong watched this scene from afar through the gap in the tent with a solemn expression.

"Uncle...what is King Peng doing?" Xue Shao changed his address to Zhao Gong in a somewhat unfamiliar manner, and at the same time carefully inquired about the purpose of Li Xuan who stayed at the edge of Huangshui River in the night.

Zhao Gong turned his head and looked at Xue Shao, his eyes turning slightly.

He is the Queen Mother's cousin, and the Princess's uncle, so it is okay for the Princess's husband to call him Uncle.

Fan Yunxian's miserable condition today really frightened Xue Shao.

Everyone can see that Li Xuan treated Fan Yunxian in this way today in order to use him to arouse the suspicion of all officials and civilians in the entire northwest region about the death of Emperor Zhongzong.

Nowadays, in the entire northwest, anyone who comes into contact with Fan Yunxian will die.

Zhao Gong was almost certain that even though Fan Yunxian was now at the gate of Lanzhou, General Song would definitely not dare to let him enter the city easily.

As soon as the two of them come into contact, people will immediately suspect whether General Song also knows the truth about the death of Emperor Zhongzong.

In this way, the people in Lanzhou city will not let him go, and the Queen Mother in the court will not let him go.

The most important person is Li Xuan. Li Xuan deliberately left Fan Yunxian at the foot of Lanzhou City, waiting for Fan Yunxian to enter the city.

Once Fan Yunxian entered Lanzhou City, Li Xuan would immediately use countless means to target her.

This could very well be fatal to General Song.

Xue Shao, he was also in Qianyang Palace that day.

He also knew how Emperor Zhongzong died, and he was afraid that Li Xuan's plot would fall on him.

Fan Yunxian's final outcome was definitely a situation where she could neither live nor die.

Xue Shao was naturally afraid of this outcome.

That's why he got close to Zhao Gong, hoping that Zhao Gong could protect him.

Zhao Gong sighed in his heart. Although he still had some influence on Li Xuan, it was obvious that Li Xuan placed Li Xian's death in a more important position.

In terms of justice, revenge is more easily accepted than seizing the throne.

Based on Zhao Gong's understanding of Li Xuan, Li Xuan must have arranged more people to spread the news of today's events throughout the northwest.

He is already preparing to open up the entire Northwest.

He shook his head slightly. There was no need to tell Xue Shao about these things.

Zhao Gong raised his head and looked at Li Xuan beside the Huangshui River, and said softly: "Does the Prince Consort know what King Peng is best at?"

"What?" Xue Shao was a little curious.

Zhao Gong sighed and said, "Although King Peng is fierce in killing and fighting, there are many people like him in the court. Heichi Changzhi, Li Duozuo, Wang Xiaojie and others are not inferior to King Peng. His real best point is the overall situation, and under the overall situation, his best skill is water attack."

Xue Shao was stunned for a moment, then looked at the entire valley, and then looked at the Huangshui River that was constantly flowing towards Lanzhou. His face changed, and he said in a lost voice: "Does King Peng want to flood Lanzhou City?"

Zhao Gong nodded slightly, then said helplessly: "Now is winter, it is a good time to dig and build a dam. Although the soil is frozen now, what he wants is not a long-lasting and solid dam, but a dam that can be dug at any time next summer. Now is the most appropriate time to start building the dam."

"Next summer?" Xue Shao asked subconsciously.

Zhao Gong nodded and said, "Of course it will be next summer. With what happened today, the court will send a large army to Lanzhou soon."

Xue Shao asked carefully: "Since my uncle can see through all this, then the generals sent by the court can also see through King Peng's methods."

"You underestimated him." Zhao Gong shook his head and sighed, "Back in the Tanggula Mountains, he started digging dams to store water in autumn and winter. Lun Qinling knew it, but the final result was that the flood washed away the Tanggula Mountain Road and finally the gate to Fanzhou was blown open. How could this plan be so easily deciphered?"

After a short pause, Zhao Gong smiled bitterly and said, "And it's not just that. You've seen what happened today. King Peng is best at attacking people's hearts. As long as the dam is built, the flood can pour down at any time, and the people in Lanzhou will inevitably be on edge all the time."

Xue Shao's expression couldn't help but change slightly.

Zhao Gong shook his head, raised his head and looked towards Lanzhou, and said softly: "Today, the reason why he did not take Lanzhou directly is to give up the city of Lanzhou. The Chinese army will come, with at least 30,000 and at most 50,000, and they will all enter Lanzhou. Even if there are arrangements behind, once Lanzhou is broken, the whole Longxi will be under his feet."

After a brief pause, Zhao Gong smiled bitterly and said, "The battle of Lanzhou is the last battle in his plan. After the battle of Lanzhou, he can go straight to Chang'an."

"It's not that easy." Xue Shao's face was full of disbelief.

"You don't understand. His most powerful men were never cavalry, but navy, the navy from Yangzhou, the navy that Longxi people are least used to." Zhao Gong drew a little map of Longxi on the ground, and then said: "You see, although the Yellow River flows north in Lanzhou, the Wei River converges in Tianshui, and there is no hindrance all the way to Chang'an.

Therefore, for this battle, the imperial army must gather in the 500-li area between Lanzhou and Tianshui, but west of Lanzhou is Hezhou, and the governor of Hezhou is Peng Wang’s father-in-law Qu Chongyu.

Xue Shao's eyes jumped, and then he said in confusion: "Then why didn't mother remove Qu Chongyu from his post as governor of Hezhou?"

"It's not that easy." Zhao Gong shook his head and said with emotion: "Before Prince Peng returns to Chang'an, he must not feel that he will not survive if he returns. If so, how can he return? Therefore, Qu Chongyu cannot be touched. At most, a chief secretary can be sent to hold him hostage. But...someone from Changzhou should have gone to Hezhou, and possibly Taozhou that day."

"Taozhou?"

Zhao Gong nodded and said in a serious tone, "Taozhou is the ancestral home of the Longxi Li family. They are very powerful in the local area. Originally, the change of emperors had little to do with them. As long as they were descendants of the Li family, it would be fine. But... has your Majesty heard the rumor that 'Tang lasted for three generations, and Wu replaced Tang'?"

Xue Shao's eyes couldn't help but twitch, and then he nodded with an ungainly look.

"I'm afraid that the Longxi Li family is about to take some action. If this happens, the royal families all over the world..." Zhao Gong paused here. He didn't want to say any more because he saw it very clearly that day. If nothing unexpected happened, Li Xuan should have sent people to Yizhou.

Shuzhong is a fertile land, and food and manpower can be obtained from Shuzhong. Most importantly, Shuzhong is next to Bazhou. There is also an important person in Bazhou.

Zhao Gong suddenly thought of something, raised his head, looked at Xue Shao with some concern and asked: "My dear Prince Consort, do you know if anyone from the court went to Bazhou a few days ago?"

"Bazhou?" Xue Shao's face changed, and then he said reluctantly: "My uncle knows. After my father was buried, Sanlang and my uncle set out to travel west together. I don't know what happened afterwards."

"Yes!" Zhao Gong nodded with a serious expression. Based on his understanding of Empress Wu, she would not let Li Xian go so easily.

……

Retracting his thoughts, Zhao Gong pointed to the map on the ground and continued, "Please look, Prince Consort, Lanzhou has been vacated. At least 300,000 to 500,000 troops must enter Lanzhou. There are threats from Hezhou and Taozhou in the south, and from Anxi in the north. Therefore, the remaining troops may only be stationed in Dingxi. The options are too small."

"So all this was within Uncle Wang's calculations?" Although Xue Shao found it a little hard to believe, he was gradually accepting it.

"We will take Lanzhou in one battle, and then we will march into Dingxi. As long as we break through Tianshui, we can go straight to Chang'an." Zhao Gong nodded heavily and said, "One battle, only one battle. After the one battle, everything will be resolved in a very short time. Now it depends on who the court will send and whether they can deal with Dalang's offensive."

Zhao Gong sighed and looked up at the river. At this time, there was no trace of Li Xuan.

The winter night is quiet.

……

On the second day, the army continued its journey westward.

The court keenly noticed that Li Xuan patrolled the riverside from time to time on his way back, leaving behind a group of people from time to time.

By the time he returned to Shanzhou City, Zhao Gong calculated that more than ten teams had been left behind.

Once a somewhat unfamiliar term fell into his ears.

step-wise.

Shanzhou City fell into the hands of Li Xuan. Soon, the black cavalry under Li Xuan quickly headed towards the surrounding counties in the mountains under Shanzhou and Lanzhou.

He stayed in Lanzhou City, but he had no plans to stay in the counties under its jurisdiction.

He wanted to form an encirclement of Lanzhou City in the mountains.

Once the imperial army arrives, there will be no choice.

……

One day, Xue Shao and Zhao Gong suddenly saw Li Zhu in the courtyard where he was imprisoned.

Li Zhu passed on Li Xuan's order, telling Xue Shao, Zhao Gong and other members of the delegation that if they felt bored, they could walk around Shanzhou City.

What does it mean?
Although Xue Shao and Zhao Gong guessed that Li Xuan must have some hidden agenda, they still chose to go out for a walk out of frustration.

However, when I went out, I found that black-clad soldiers could be seen everywhere in the city.

It turned out that not only they were given a short holiday today, but also the soldiers under Li Xuan, as well as people from the Western Regions and Tuyuhun, were given a short holiday.

After relaxing for a day, Xue Shao and Zhao Gong walked back. However, when they walked out of a tea stall, they both stopped in their tracks.

It turned out that at this moment in the tea shed, many Shanzhou locals were discussing the upcoming war.

The common people don’t care about the change of imperial power or the emperor’s illegitimate nature. The only ones who really care are the children of aristocratic families and scholars.

The only thing ordinary people cared about was the deaths caused by the war, especially in Shanzhou, which had only been peaceful for a few years.

With a sigh, Xue Shao and Zhao Gong returned to the provincial government. At this moment, a notice was posted.

As the chief commander of the Northwest Rebellion Suppression Campaign, he exempted the people of Shanzhou from taxes for three years.

Seeing this scene, Zhao Gong's face changed, and he couldn't help but quickly return to his residence. At this time, he realized that not all of his men had returned.

……

In the hall of the prefecture government, Li Xuan did not care about his casual means of appeasing people. Instead, he looked at Han Tai in front of him with a serious face and said seriously: "General Han, today I will appoint you as the governor of Shanzhou as the chief commander of the Northwest Road Rebellion Suppression. Before the imperial army comes, you will be responsible for building dams in Shanzhou to defend against attacks, as well as planting next spring."

Han Tai, the newly appointed governor of Shanzhou, bowed solemnly and said, "I obey your orders."

Li Xuan nodded and said gently: "Don't be nervous. I use you because I trust you have the ability. If Shanzhou is well governed in the future, you can choose Lanzhou and Changzhou. The Tang Dynasty will eventually return to stability.

The government and the people are in good order, which is the foundation of the world."

"Yes!" Han Tai nodded seriously.

"Your family is in Chang'an, right?" Li Xuan seemed to have thought of something and looked up and asked.

"Yes!" Han Tai's expression became serious.

Li Xuan nodded and said, "The situation is chaotic now, and it is not appropriate to bring them to Shanzhou. I will arrange for someone to bring them from Chang'an to Jiannan. If everything goes well, Brother Han will be able to see them in Shanzhou in the summer or autumn of next year. I think the war will be over by then."

"Thank you, Marshal." Han Tai breathed a sigh of relief.

Under the current circumstances, it is not easy to send people directly from Chang'an to Shanzhou. If you are not careful, you may lose your life.

On the contrary, it is much safer to go through Shuzhong.

Han Tai has not forgotten that Yao Yi, the former Changzhou Chief Clerk, is now the Governor of Panzhou.

Panzhou is between Changzhou and Shuzhong.

Li Xuan smiled gently. He had made arrangements for Han Tai's family, but what about his own?
(End of this chapter)