First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

...

The sun was high in the sky, and the Lingnan sunshine was scorching the earth. After finishing the morning exercise, I put on regular clothes and soon I was sweating profusely.

"The war hasn't even started yet, and people are already extremely hot." Tian Yangming was still muttering as he adjusted his armor.

Seeing Gao Chong's eyes narrowed, Tian Yangming quickly shut up.

"The next step is to see your performance," Gao Chong said in a deep voice, "show your arrogance and ferocity."

Tian Yangming looked stunned and nodded in response.

After Gao Chong got on his horse, Tian Yangming approached Gao Kan and asked, "Am I arrogant and cruel?"

Gao Kan looked Tian Yangming up and down and just pursed his lips and smiled.

Not long after, three thousand government soldiers and two thousand subordinate soldiers were assembled.

From the equipment point of view, the government soldiers are even better, at least they are uniform, with sword and shield soldiers, spearmen and crossbowmen in order and in clear queues.

But in terms of momentum, the two thousand Feng Xian soldiers seemed to be more intimidating. To a certain extent, these soldiers were private soldiers of the Feng Xian family. They were dressed in dark brown, wrapped in turbans, and held swords and shields. Although they were not as tall as Guan The soldiers in Xihedong are tall, but looking at them, they can see that the dark and silent soldiers are very capable and oppressive.

Feng An probably doesn't have many elite soldiers like this. It seems that Feng An is also very courageous, but Gao Chong may not be as he wishes.

"Let's go, Tian Yangming goes out to fight." Gao Chong had already planned the next deployment, but now he was very calm. He knew very well that this battle would not be fought.

But in the eyes of Pang Xiaojie, Lieutenant General Feng and others, Gao Chong suddenly became enigmatic. He was so calm before the battle, even without wearing armor. What kind of mentality was this, and he was worthy of being an expert.

When they arrived outside the stone city, the city was already heavily guarded. Tan Heng's face was solemn and he was already sweating profusely. However, looking at the frightened guards on the city, Tan Heng could only suppress his uneasiness.

"Have all the materials for city defense been prepared?" Tan Heng asked in a deep voice, "When I first entered the city, I saw that the street on the lower left had not been demolished yet. What happened?"

After hearing this, the deputy general wiped his sweat in a hurry and said hurriedly: "The city is so cramped that it can no longer be piled up."

Tan Heng looked around and saw that his palms were loose. The top of the city was already piled with rocks and logs, and only one person could pass through the corridor. Seeing this, he nodded, "Cheer up, under such a scorching sun, I believe they won't be able to hold on for long." . The rescue for the old man will arrive tonight at the latest.”

When everyone heard this, they also agreed silently.

However, the deputy general was still a little uneasy. He leaned closer and asked in a low voice: "Those are the officers and soldiers. I heard that they are the Lingnan Economic and Strategic Envoy. Do you really want to start a war?"

Tan Heng's eyes widened, "What do you mean?"

"No, no", the deputy general waved his hand and shook his head.

At this time, a horse came running down the city and stopped a hundred paces away.

"Is this the great man of the Tan family in the city?" Tian Yangming wore a helmet and armor, and his bright light armor was extremely dazzling.

It's just that the guy didn't like long soldiers. He originally used a horizontal sword, but later when he saw Pei's exquisite swordsmanship, he shamelessly pestered Pei Xingjian to practice swordsmanship. Now he holds the sword on his waist with his left hand and points to the city with his right hand, which looks very majestic.

"I am Tan Heng, who is here?" Upon seeing this, Tan Heng had no choice but to respond, "Why are you raising an army to invade?"

It seems that these questions and answers are extremely boring. In fact, this is the basic process before the war.

It is still relatively rare to start a battle directly without saying a word. Even before many offensive and defensive battles, the two sides will fight generals. Qin Qiong is famous for fighting generals.

"Whenever Taizong went on an expedition, there were brave generals and soldiers among the enemy, showing off their troops and horses, coming in and out, and Taizong was very angry."

Li Er couldn't bear to see other people showing off their power in front of him, which is commonly known as showing off, and he immediately got angry, "I always ordered Shu Bao to go and get it. Shu Bao obeyed the order and jumped on his horse with a gun. He was bound to stab him. Among the crowd, he was able to make a move." .

Now that Tian Yangming was so arrogant, if he faced a more powerful opponent, he would have gone out of the city to take his head long ago, but Tan Heng didn't dare.

"I am the Lingnan Economic Envoy, the Governor of Guangzhou, and the Champion General." When Tian Yangming saw Tan Heng talking to him, he suddenly became very energetic. He drew out his sword with a growl and pointed at the city head, "Tian Yangming, the vanguard of the Duke of Yan, you. The people are waiting for you to rebel against your superiors and occupy the city. Now that the heavenly troops have arrived, why don't you quickly leave the city and surrender?"

Gao Chong and others couldn't help laughing.

Pei Xingjian bared his teeth and said, "Master, you have made it clear to him that you have such a great name."

Gao Chong also cursed: "It's a conspicuous bag. Ask him later, is it enjoyable?"

Tan Heng was frightened when he heard this. When he heard the last sentence, he couldn't help but said angrily: "I thought he was an emissary. Damn me."

Then he shouted loudly: "Luozhou is originally Jisizhou County. We and other officials have the right to live in it. What does it mean to occupy it?"

Tian Yangming was also in a daze, and when he reacted, he started to curse loudly, blurting out words such as rebellious officials, traitors, evil thieves, etc. The curses made Tan Heng's forehead veins exposed and his eyes red with anger.

"Dalang, hold on, don't fall into the trap." The deputy general was also frightened.

Tan Heng took a deep breath, turned around and left, "If you dare to attack, fight back immediately."

Seeing that Tan Heng left like this, Tian Yangming was also at a loss. He licked his lips and felt his mouth was dry. He won the scolding battle, but how to deal with it next.

Looking back at the formation, I remembered Gao Chong's words: The people in the city must be convinced that the army is attacking the city. He shouted loudly: "Good thief, if you refuse to repent, then don't blame the ruthlessness of swords and guns. Wait until I build the siege ladder." You will surely die and your family will be destroyed."

Tian Yangming's voice was clear and his words were stern, but the situation was quite embarrassing. Tan Heng had already left, and no one answered. However, the guards at the top of the city heard clearly and their expressions changed.

Tian Yangming rode away and returned to the formation.

"Jing Lue, everyone, how did the general perform just now?" Tian Yangming took off his bag and chuckled.

"Are you satisfied with the blowjob?" Gao Chong smiled lightly.

"H-kou?" Tian Yangming paused. He didn't understand what it meant, but he turned around and grinned happily, "It's still quite enjoyable. Look at that kid Tan Heng, who was speechless after being scolded by me. Flee in disgrace.”

Everyone couldn't help laughing, Pei Xingjian joked: "My master's official titles are impressive, right?"

"Mighty, quite majestic", Tian Yangming raised his head and said happily: "This is the pressure of the general trend. Look at Tan Heng, his momentum has been completely defeated, and the guards at the top of the city have panic on their faces. This can't be faked."

After hearing this, everyone was thoughtful. Although Tian Yangming was a bit playful on weekdays, at this point, he really had some experience. Momentum was particularly important in the confrontation between the two armies.

This is why many generals will go out to provoke and show off their power during a battle. This is to overwhelm the enemy with momentum. After all, ordinary soldiers are the most susceptible to this trick. They don't understand the profound meanings. They just want to think that their generals are powerful and can win the battle. ,that's enough.

"The people who want to talk about the palace should be here soon," Gao Chong thought for a while, "Just do the whole show, pass the orders, cut down trees and build ladders, create a siege atmosphere. In addition, don't block the city gates, and withdraw all the cavalry."

The people took orders.

The Tang army came and left in a hurry. Five thousand soldiers lined up outside the city and soon receded like the tide. However, before the deputy general who defended the city could breathe a sigh of relief, he saw those Tang soldiers cutting wood outside the city, majestically guarding them. Siege machinery is being built right under your nose.

Tan Heng also looked gloomy, but now he could only stand firm and wait for help. He still didn't know what his father's attitude was, so he could only stick to this path.

Seeing Gao Chong directly withdrawing his troops, Pang Xiaojie and others did not behave differently and obeyed without hesitation. However, Vice General Feng hesitated a little. After thinking for a long time, Vice General Feng finally plucked up the courage to step forward and asked: "Dare you ask me about the strategy? Do you want to give up today?" Gao Chong was not surprised and laughed loudly: "You finally came to ask me."

Lieutenant General Feng was a little surprised and said, "Jinglue, please...please make it clear."

"Are you unwilling?" Gao Chong raised his eyebrows and asked with interest.

"I don't dare, I just have some doubts. If I don't fire an arrow with all my strength, then..." Vice General Feng didn't know how to continue.

Lieutenant General Feng was a member of Feng's family. When he came here, Feng An had specially told him to cripple the Tan family as much as possible and hit him whenever possible. He must be led by the military envoy to severely damage the Tan family. In fact, there was no need for Feng Ang warned, this is also the thought of all the Feng family.

After all, the Tan family betrayed the Feng family and dared to attack Gaozhou many times. The two families were essentially enemies.

Seeing Gao Chong withdrawing his troops now, although Tian Yangming shouted in joy and scolded fiercely, he always felt that something was wrong, but he did not dare to say it clearly, and he was even more afraid of offending Gao Chong.

"I know what you mean," Gao Chong nodded slightly, "I'm very happy that you took the initiative to find me. As you can see, the weather is hot and there are no siege equipment. Tan Heng has no choice but to retreat into the city."

Seeing the anxious look on Vice General Feng's face, Gao Chong waved his hands and said with a smile: "Don't worry, just listen to what I have to say. You can't attack in this city, but it doesn't stop you from attacking outside the city. As the saying goes, besiege the city and call for reinforcements. You Do you understand?"

Vice General Feng was stunned at first, and then quickly realized, "Jing Lue, are you talking about the reinforcements from Tan Palace?"

Gao Chong just smiled and said nothing.

Upon seeing this, Lieutenant General Feng hurriedly took out the map of Luozhou. After checking it, he said excitedly: "Coming from Panshe Ridge, you must pass through this big ditch..." Lieutenant General Feng became more and more excited as he looked at it and hurriedly put away the map.

Then he bowed to Gao Chong and said, "After a brief summary, the general will invite you to fight."

"Is this what you want to go by yourself?" Gao Chong did not express his position immediately, but just asked.

"Yes, regardless of victory or defeat, I will bear all the responsibility." Lieutenant General Feng was immersed in the excitement of annihilating Tan's reinforcements and ignored Gao Chong's intentions.

Seeing this, Gao Chong just frowned in thought. Under the expectant eyes of Vice General Feng, Gao Chong finally spoke.

"I know that you and Feng Tan's family have been grudges for a long time, but now that you are an officer and a soldier, you need to be careful in your actions.

If you ask for a fight now, I can agree to it, but I will also set three rules for you. You must not violate it, otherwise you will be severely punished."

Lieutenant General Feng was overjoyed when he heard this and said, "Please give me your orders, I will definitely obey them and will not dare to disobey them."

“First, don’t kill prisoners.

Second, direct descendants of the Tan family must not be killed.

Third, we can only lead our own troops."

Vice General Feng frowned when he heard this. He didn't care about the second and third points. After all, killing prisoners was rarely done, not to mention that they were all local people and led their own troops. He could accept it. After all, he was a member of his own department. There are only 2000 soldiers, which is more than enough for an ambush.

But the first rule was that he could not kill direct descendants of the Tan family, which really made him feel a little uncomfortable. Considering the personal grudge between Feng Tan and his family, he wanted to kill Tan Palace.

However, Gao Chong was an envoy and a general. He did not dare to disobey and had no choice but to agree immediately.

Seeing Vice General Feng leading two thousand troops away, Tian Yangming finally couldn't help but ask.

"In this case, doesn't it fulfill Feng An's intention?" Tian Yangming scratched his head.

Gao Chong looked away with his hands behind his hands. Hearing this, he just shrugged and said, "We didn't take action either."

Tian Yangming was stunned and speechless, struggling for a long time, racking his brains to organize his words.

"But, letting the Feng family ambush the Tan family's reinforcements will definitely weaken the Tan family. Of course, it is also possible that the Tan family's leading generals are better and kill the Feng family's soldiers. But no matter how you look at it, the Feng family has a greater chance of winning. Isn’t this Sui Feng An’s intention?”

Gao Chong nodded, looked at Tian Yangming, and smiled appreciatively: "That's a good analysis."

"First of all, Tan's rebellion and conquest of prefectures and counties is a serious crime of rebellion and must be severely punished.

Secondly, Feng's loyalty and sincerity should not dampen the hearts of loyal ministers.

In the end, the imperial court did not take action. This was a fight among their officials. He had nothing to say to the palace, and he did not dare to feel resentful. In the end, he had to surrender when he should. If he didn't give it a beating, believe it or not, wait for us. As soon as he left, he dared to draw his sword with Feng An again."

Tian Yangming suddenly realized, "So if you limit Vice General Feng's actions and prevent him from killing the direct descendants of the Tan family, you will also avoid completely forcing the Tan family to turn against him."

When Tian Yangming mentioned this, there were no outsiders around, and Gao Chong was quite emotional.

"Everything depends on a degree, and it is extremely difficult to grasp that degree."

When everyone heard the words, they were also contemplating. Xue Rengui was thoughtful, and after pondering for a while he said: "So the master first suppressed the Chen family, and finally rewarded the Chen family. First, he launched an attack at the night banquet to suppress Feng An, and now he fulfilled Feng Ang's intention to attack the Tan family. This is about grasping the degree."

Xue Rengui's father, Xue Gui, died young not long after he was born. The orphans and widowers depended on each other, and they always benefited early. After his mother died of illness, his personality became more and more calm. He did not have the high-spiritedness of a teenager at all. Among the four, he was the calmest.

Therefore, Gao Chong was not surprised when he heard Xue Rengui's words. He just reached out and patted his head and said with a smile: "Rengui is very good."

Hearing the praise, Xue Rengui's face turned red and he was a little embarrassed. Everyone joked and laughed when they saw this.

On the other side, Vice General Feng led his army to an unknown ravine and quietly ambush.

When it was almost dark, Tan's soldiers arrived.

The soldiers have always been unorganized when fighting in the mountains. The ravines are densely covered with rocks and there are streams and muddy soil, which is not suitable for troop formations.

Tan Fan was worried about the safety of Stone City, fearing that the army would ignore it and attack the city directly, killing his eldest brother Tan Heng. That would really cause trouble.

It's not that he didn't think of exploring the route, he also thought that there might be an ambush on the way, but Feng Xuan told him that the person leading the army this time was Gao Chong, the military commander. He came to persuade the Tan family to surrender with the purpose of appeasement, and it was unlikely that he would Tan moved his troops.

Tan Fan thought about it carefully and felt that it made sense, so he didn't take precautions along the way and headed straight to Shicheng.

As they were passing through the ravine, they heard the sound of a bull's horn. Tan Fan was startled and his face suddenly turned pale.

Before he could react, rocks were thrown down from the left and right. In just one moment, a large area was killed and injured.

Then a shout was heard, "Kill, kill all the Feng family." This sentence was shouted in the local dialect, and it was the voice of Deputy General Feng.

Tan Fan immediately drew his sword and said, "The thief is from the Feng family. Kill me."

Feng Xuan's face turned pale, and he hid under a huge rock and shivered. He was over sixty years old and had no intention of fighting with a knife, not to mention that it was the Feng family who ambushed him.

The ravine quickly fell into a chaotic battle. The soldiers' fighting style was a sharp-edged battle. There was no military formation or queue. They jumped around in the dense forest of rocks and only focused on fighting one by one.

Some people who are good at shooting quickly climbed to the treetops, bows and arrows in search of the enemy. In this dense mountain forest, the soldiers were at home like a fish in water.