Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 407: Spewing blood

He Qianqian was a Sogdian. He was named this because Anlu Mountain would give gifts to the saints every year during the Qianqiu Festival. He was very envious of those precious beauties and often said that he would be willing to live for a year like the saints. Why bother? Another thousand years?

The generals in the army often ridiculed him as a "disaster for thousands of years". Every time he lured the leaders of the Khitan and Xi tribes to come to drink, he would dig a big hole for thousands of years, tie them up and throw them into the pit after they were drunk, or It's to cut off the head.

He is a devout Zoroastrian and regards Anlu Mountain as the incarnation of the god of light.

When he rushed into Shiling Pass and personally beheaded a Tang soldier with a sword, he stopped on his horse and stretched out his hand to touch the cross lotus hanging on his chest, as if praying for the deceased.

This move made He Qianqian very calm. He was indeed not in a hurry. He was confident that he could defeat and even conquer the Heavenly Soldiers soon. Fan Yang's border army had a natural contempt for the Beidu garrison that had enjoyed peace for a long time.

The situation was as smooth as expected for thousands of years. The Heavenly Soldiers were unfamiliar with the battle and had chaotic command, and they were soon thrown into chaos.

Until the horn sounded, the flag on the stone ridge wavered, and the situation changed.

"what is that?"

He Qianqian was not very illiterate. After looking at it for a while, he asked his soldiers to ask. When he heard that it was the flag of the Hedong Jiedushi, he was shocked and came to a conclusion.

At the banquet, Fan Yang's army surrounded the Daizhou Governor's Mansion and killed all those who dared to oppose An Lushan. As long as they dared to deceive people, the senior officials of the Tang Dynasty were no different from the barbarian leaders who were tricked into getting drunk.

A thunderous shout came from the stone ridge, which frustrated his little thoughts.

"General!"

Thinking of this, He Qianqian laughed loudly and shouted: "Yang Fuyin was held hostage by the traitor Xue Bai! Rescue Yang Fuyin!"

In this case, the only one who could reluctantly be called Hedong Jiedu Envoy was Yang Guanghui. I heard that he was a villain who was good at making money and flattering horses, so he shouldn't have the courage.

"Look." He Qianqian pointed to the battlefield in the distance.

In fact, they were at a serious disadvantage.

Before Wang Zhongsi's death, even though everyone in Fan Yang's shogunate had different intentions, they never dared to express it openly. Only after Wang Zhongsi died did they dare to persuade An Lushan to raise troops. Just like a group of mice huddled in a hole, watching furtively whether the cat has left.

Sun Xiaozhe felt guilty when he was asked. He remembered that he had not hacked Wang Zhongsi to death on the spot, but thought that the man was seriously injured and might not live long. But the more guilty he became, the more certain his tone became.

"Rebels, listen, Prince Zhongsi of Qingyuan County is here! Put down your swords and kill only the evil leader."

More than twenty riders on the stone ridge rushed to the formation of the Tianbing Army. The figure of the leader gradually became clearer, and the passing Tang troops cheered.

It is obviously very simple to deceive and kill someone.

This kind of offensive and defensive battle was not conducive to Fan Yang's army, but instead slowed down the progress of their offensive.

As the war situation changed, He Qianqian gradually began to feel timid. This fear was beyond his control. Even if he hadn't met Wang Zhongsi yet, just hearing the name made him feel invincible. His confidence was losing. .

It should be noted that it was he who cut off the head of Han Xiulin of Hedong Jiedu with his own hands. At that time, An Lushan came to Daizhou in the name of entering the court, and Han Xiulin had to hold a banquet to entertain him.

However, the generals of the Tianbing Army seemed to be blind and did not realize that Wang Zhongsi was fake. They followed the command of the commander's flag and each commanded their troops to besiege Fan Yang's army.

Unfortunately, trust could not eliminate his fear of the emperor's adopted son. He asked: "Are you sure you killed Wang Zhongsi? Can he be resurrected?"

The imperial court may not know how much credit Wang Zhongsi had, but the border troops could have a deeper understanding of his power. The title of the Duke of Qingyuan County is simply insignificant compared to that of the Duke of Dongping County. However, the title can be obtained by pleasing the saints, but the great reputation can only be gained by fighting for it with real swords and guns.

"Occupy Shiling Pass!"

"This is impossible!"

"Jie Shuai! Jie Shuai..."

"Wang...Wang Zhongsi?" He Qianqian squinted, looked at the figure on the stone ridge, shook his head and said: "False, he is obviously dead, fake!"

Unfortunately, the effect this time was minimal. The Heavenly Soldiers began to line up amid the sound of the horns. They no longer panicked to meet the enemy, but retreated to the heights of the hillside, using their strengths and avoiding weaknesses, using bows and arrows to suppress Fan Yang Xiaoqi's charge.

There are three gates in Shilingguan. The north and south gates face the mountain road respectively, named "Dingsheng Gate" and "Keyuan Gate". The middle gate leads to the city wall and tower, named "Yao De Gate". .

Fan Yang's soldiers also shouted, trying to shake the morale of the Tianbing Army.

When he heard that Wang Zhongsi was there, he was immediately startled and exclaimed: "Impossible!"

"I hacked Wang Zhongsi to death at Mount Li!" Sun Xiaozhe emphasized, waving his hands to show off his ferocity, "I hacked to death Wang Zhongsi outside the emperor's palace."

When He Qianqian suddenly heard that name, the fear buried deep in his bones made him involuntarily startled.

Suddenly, the high-pitched horn sound interrupted the conversation between the two.

In Zoroastrianism, there is a kind of illusion. Zhu Zhu took an extremely sharp horizontal knife, stabbed his abdomen with the knife, and the blade came out of his back. Then he disturbed his intestines and stomach, causing bleeding. After a while, he sprayed water and chanted a mantra, and he recovered as before.

He Qianqian turned around and saw the dust and smoke flying on the road to the north. His first reaction was "It's over, we've been ambushed." Fortunately, a messenger arrived on horseback and reported: "Reinforcements are coming, led by Sun Xiaozhe." The Ministry came to support.”

"There is no Son of Heaven." At this juncture, He Qianqian was still stubborn in his belief, not believing that the Emperor was the Son of Heaven, but that the creator of all things was the Supreme God.

"Woo——"

At the beginning of the year, He Qian thought that Xue Bai was commanding, and was disdainful, thinking how could Xue Bai stabilize the situation by only holding Yang Guanghui hostage? It is impossible for the generals at all levels of the Tianbing Army to obey orders completely.

He Qianqian was worried that Wang Zhongsi could use this kind of illusion, after all, it would bring disaster to Yi Qianqian.

The oppressive feeling was like the heavy black clouds before a rainstorm, making the air feel dull.

He emphasized the last two words "fake" to give himself confidence. He believed that the generals of the Tianbing Army would soon be able to tell that it was a fake Wang Zhongsi.

"Of course, it didn't take long for the news of Wang Zhongsi's death to spread."

Seeing that He Qianqian could not quickly defeat the large and well-organized Tianbing army, he turned around and decided to occupy Guancheng first to wait for An Lushan's army.

~~
Sun Xiaozhe was very confused when he first arrived on the battlefield. He didn't understand why He Qianqian was stopped at Shiling Pass.

Although Fan Yang's army passed through Guancheng, they were still unable to occupy the city tower. After receiving the military order, they dismounted and attacked Yaode Gate. However, the garrison on the tower had already reacted, shot arrows and closed Yaode Gate with all their strength.

"That's Wang Zhongsi." He Qianqian finally lost his last chance and murmured: "How can I defeat Wang Zhongsi with these few soldiers and horses?"

"No, you have never been to Chang'an, you don't understand." Sun Xiaozhe shook his head and said: "He is dead, nominally dead. How can a dead person be the governor of Hedong? He cannot hold that flag, He’s not qualified, understand?”

As a Khitan, he was already trying hard to describe Wang Zhongsi's situation. All in all, Wang Zhongsi's command of the heavenly soldiers was unjust and unjust.

~~
"Come on!"

To the south of Shilingguan City, a Tang Army soldier was trying to stand up straight, performed a military salute, and shouted: "The leader of the second team of Liu Xiaowei Regiment of Tianbing Army Zuo Yuhou has met Commander-in-Chief!"

Wang Zhongsi, who was riding a horse, looked sideways and nodded firmly. There were too many people cheering for him in the army, and he could only respond to everyone with this small, time-consuming gesture.

Ren Xiaoniu immediately grinned happily and pushed out his chest so much that his body arched a little. Otherwise, it would not be enough to express his love for Wang Jieshuai.

Where did this love come from?
Let's start from twelve years ago, when the Xi people took refuge in the Khitan and frequently invaded the border areas. Ren Xiaoniu's grandfather was in the army. Due to the successive defeats of his team, he was almost punished by military law. Fortunately, Wang Zhongsi took over the Hedong Jiedu Envoy, organized the army for the Northern Expedition, and won three battles and three victories at Sanggan River.

Since the age of seven, all the stories Ren Xiaoniu has heard come from his grandfather's narrations, telling how they followed Wang Jieshuai to overcome hardships and defeat enemies, and talk about the glory of showing off in Mobei and returning home in triumph.

"Son, do you know what it means to be a man? Victory, never admit defeat."

In the land east of the river, there are countless men who, like Ren Xiaoniu, grew up hearing the reputation of Wang Zhongsi.

This love comes from more than ten years of loving soldiers like sons and winning every battle.

If people's hearts bought with small favors and sweet words are like the yellow sand in Mobei, which flies all over the sky when the wind blows; in the eyes of his admirers, a famous general is as silent and majestic as the Taihang Mountains.

"Jie Shuai, Jie Shuai..."

Amidst the constant calls, someone suddenly pulled Ren Xiaoniu.

He looked back and said hurriedly: "I've seen the brigade commander."

"follow me."

"But the enemy is about to be killed."

"Come here... Did you know that the imperial court has already announced the death of Wang Jieshuai? Now he suddenly appears here, holding the flag of 'Hedong Jiedushi' without the title of Jiedushi, and acting as a traitor. I'm afraid it's true. General Fan Yang said that he conspired with Xue Bai to rebel. I have to go back to Taiyuan City with Wang Xiaowei. You can escort me with someone, so as not to disturb others."

"Commander of the Brigade?"

"Let you obey orders."

"Boom-"

The war drums have been beating, and Wang Zhongsi's flag is at the forefront, calling on the soldiers from Hedong to retake Shiling Pass.

The ground beneath his feet also shook due to the sound of the drum, and Ren Xiaoniu felt that the beating of his heart in his chest was at the same frequency as the war drum, which was extremely powerful.

Not far away, Lieutenant Liu chopped down the deputy colonel with the handle of his sword, waved his general's flag, and directed the soldiers of the regiment to charge.

His blood surged, and Ren Xiaoniu immediately became excited, and shouted along with his comrades: "Kill!"

Military orders are like mountains, and the first person to issue military orders must be the towering mountains. As for some rumors, how can they shake the mountains?

~~
"It's him."

Sun Xiaozhe tightened the reins and stationed his horse at the foot of Shiling Pass. He stared closely at the figure that was getting closer and closer, and recognized Wang Zhongsi.

He Qianqian panicked and looked back at the tower. Seeing that his soldiers had not yet reached the stone steps, he said, "Retreat."

"No, you are afraid of him, I am not afraid of him!" Sun Xiaozhe shouted, "I will kill him!"

He had long been ordered by An Lushan to go to Chang'an to get rid of Wang Zhongsi, but that time was not considered a success.

It just so happens that we met on the battlefield today, so we can finish the unfinished errands.

Sun Xiaozhe thought like this, and when he looked at Wang Zhongsi, he felt like a hunter looking at his prey.

When the Turks perished, several tribal leaders killed Usumish Khan out of fear. Sun Xiaozhe was still young at the time and did not feel that fear. He felt that the Turks' demise was due to internal strife rather than the strength of the Tang army.

He was not as afraid of Wang Zhongsi as He Qianqian. On the contrary, during his trip to Chang'an, he saw Wang Zhongsi who was seriously ill, weak, foolish and loyal, and a weak man who could be manipulated. Outside the Huaqing Palace, he was hacked so hard that he didn't dare to fight back.

"Trash, coward, in vain."

Sun Xiaozhe sneered in his heart, raised his hand and shouted: "Fire the arrow!"

Arrows were fired at Fan Yang's army like rain. After all, the Heavenly Soldiers had more people and occupied a favorable location, giving them an advantage in long-range attacks. On the other hand, many of Fan Yang's soldiers were blocked in narrow city caves. With two rounds of arrow rain, the Heavenly Soldiers reversed their sluggish momentum and approached Fan Yang's army.

Sun Xiaozhe could already clearly see Wang Zhongsi's thin and sick appearance.

"Kill the enemy!" He roared and charged forward.

One sword, two swords... With the bravery of Fan Yang's soldiers, the short swords had the upper hand at the beginning. However, the soldiers of the day attacked from the valleys on both sides, and the troops were continuously replenished, but Fan Yang's soldiers in the city cave could not quickly provide support.

"puff."

Wang Zhongsi stretched out his arms lightly, swung his long knife, and casually chopped off Sun Xiaozhe's head.

Wang Zhongsi on the battlefield was completely different from when he was in Chang'an City. There was no bondage from his adoptive father or king, only the gold and iron horses that he was most accustomed to.

When he swung the knife, he didn't shout or show any force. His movements were as natural as picking up food with chopsticks. He didn't even look at Sun Xiaozhe, completely unaware that this was the man who hacked him in Lishan Mountain.

In comparison, Sun Xiaozhe slashed Wang Zhongsi with a knife in Lishan Mountain, and he was so excited that he could not express his emotions. However, Wang Zhongsi never cared about Sun Xiaozhe. He was worried about state affairs and had no mood to pay attention to Waji Tugo.

~~
He Qianqian looked back and saw the scene of Sun Xiaozhe's head falling to the ground. He couldn't help but recall An Lushan's story about how Wang Zhongsi killed the Tubo people with one for a hundred when he was in Longyou. Rivers of blood flowed.

Therefore, An Lushan often said, "I will never dare to raise an army until the king's loyal heir is removed." His words still rang in his ears, but Sun Xiaozhe did not listen.

"withdraw!"

He Qianqian immediately ordered the money to be withdrawn.

However, the city gate of Shiling Pass was very narrow, and Fan Yangjun's arrogance made them not think about exiting when they entered. In addition, Sun Xiaozhe came to support, and most of the troops were blocked outside, unable to get through. city ​​gate.

Cold sweat broke out on He Qianqian's forehead. He couldn't summon up the will to fight, and he didn't know where to retreat.

"General?"

"General, what should I do?"

He Qianqian turned to his soldiers and murmured: "The fire of light burns sins. I am a Zoroastrian. I died in battle today. There is no need to be cremated, and I cannot be buried. Place me naked on that stone ridge, and let the eagles and hawks fly." Peck my flesh.”

"General..."

"Kill the enemy!"

He Qianqian rubbed the cross on his chest, intending to boost morale and organize a decent offensive.

However, seeing Wang Zhongsi's attack, Fan Yang's soldiers, like their general, were already frightened. How could they defeat the opponent?
"puff."

He Qianqian lowered his head and saw a Mo Dao cut deeply into his arm, and blood spattered on his lotus cross.

He couldn't help but think that others said that he was a scourge for thousands of years, but he didn't expect that his name was backwards, but in fact, good people don't live long...

~~
Wild geese flew across the sky, and corpses were piled on the ground.

Several heads were put into wooden boxes covered with lime, and the headless corpses were thrown on top of the corpse pile. The firewood was ignited by torches, and a raging fire gradually started.

The flesh and blood were scorched and devoured in the fire.

The fire of light eventually burned everything.

……

"What is this?!"

When Yang Guanghui was brought there, he was shocked by the fire in front of him. With fire in his pupils, he pointed at Wang Zhongsi, looked at Xue Bai, and said, "You, you, how did you bring him out?"

"Did Yang Fuyin forget?" Xue Bai said: "We followed Yang Fuyin's team to leave Chang'an Pass, cross the Yellow River, and go north to Taiyuan."

"You, you...I...Wang Zhongsi, you know that if you do this...the saint will not be happy."

At that time, Yang Guanghui arranged for Yuan Zai to handle the case of Wang Zhongsi's assassination. In addition, Yang Guozhong was the person who could best understand the holy will. Therefore, Yang Guanghui also had some understanding of Wang Zhongsi's subsequent situation.

He knew that the saint's announcement of Wang Zhongsi's death was actually an opportunity to eliminate the hidden danger of this highly accomplished leader and supporter of the East Palace. However, out of the feelings between the adoptive father and his adopted son, the saint did not kill Wang Zhongsi, but settled him in China. The pepper garden outside the Qing palace was used to recuperate.

The Jiaoyuan is where the palace grew pepper. Zanthoxylum bungeanum is valuable, so the Jiaoyuan is heavily guarded. But I wonder how Xue Bai brought Wang Zhongsi out of the Jiaoyuan?
With such doubts in his mind, Yang Guanghui reacted and secretly thought that he must save his life first, and then find out some useful information to explain to the right minister and the saint.

In my ears, I heard Wang Zhongsi replying in a low voice: "I do this not to make the saint happy, but for the sake of the Tang Dynasty."

"Wang Jieshuai, you, you messed up the laws of Sheji, how can you say you are doing it for Sheji?" Yang Guanghui advised earnestly: "Stop it before it's too late."

"We brought Yang Fuyin here not to discuss these things."

When Xue Bai opened his mouth, he seemed to have the aura of "Taiyuan Mu" and ordered Yang Guanghui: "The governor has also seen that An Lushan has rebelled and sent troops to attack Taiyuan. The Tianbing Army envoy Zhang Xian resisted bravely and killed the rebel general He Qianqian. , Sun Xiaozhe and others... how about reporting the truth?"

Yang Guanghui glanced over and felt relieved when he saw that Zhang Xian was not dead yet.

He squatted there shrinkingly and took the pen and paper, but his hands kept shaking and he couldn't write at all.

Xue Bai saw it and asked, "What are you doing? Is it easy to deceive me when I'm young?"

"Xue Lang, please stop threatening me. I really don't dare."

"Did I threaten you?"

Yang Guanghui quickly apologized and said: "I'm old and confused. I really can't do things like treason. Please Xue Lang let me go..."

"Ahem, cough, cough." Wang Zhongsi looked over after hearing this and said, "I asked you to report An Lushan's rebellion. Who did you say was the traitor?"

Yang Guanghui's impression of Wang Zhongsi was more about the way he was repeatedly ostracized in Chang'an. Looking at his sick appearance now, he felt that he was easier to fool than Xue Bai, so he said cautiously: "Then, I'll just tell you. ?”

"The governor is humbled." Xue Bai said, "You are the biggest official here."

Xue Bai's tone was calm, but in Yang Guanghui's ears there was a sense of ridicule and murderous intent.

Wang Zhongsi said seriously: "You say it."

Yang Guanghui then moved towards Wang Zhongsi, not even smelling the strong smell of blood on his body.

"Let me tell you straight, Wang Jieshuai, you are so unauthorized...resurrection from the dead without authorization, which violates the holy will. I'm afraid you are more like a rebel than An Lushan. You said An Lushan attacked Taiyuan, but it was his The general was killed by you."

"Ahem, cough, cough, we have defended the Northern Capital. This place is the barrier of the Tang Dynasty."

"Listen to this, I'm afraid it has some meaning of 'the evildoers complain first'." Yang Guanghui shrank his neck and said: "That's not what I meant. What I mean is, if a memorial is written and submitted, what will the various guilds in the court think. "

He had a few more explicit words left.

Just now, he also guessed how Xue Bai got Wang Zhongsi out of Jiaoyuan. He must have used the relationship between Gao Lishi and Li Tan.

This is no small matter. A person whose background is unknown and involved in the case of three commoners had just participated in the Yi Chu incident not long ago, and then colluded with the saint's attendant, the prince, and the general of the border town, and violated the holy will to help Wang Zhongsi seize the military power in Hedong. Kill Lieutenant General Fan Yang.

With all these factors in mind, Xue Bai, the traitor, is firmly established.

He was not mentally prepared to follow Xue Bai in his rebellion.

"Wang Jieshuai, what I want to say is, should we... take it slow?" Yang Guangdi advised anxiously.

When Wang Zhongsi heard this, he looked at Yang Guanghui seriously.

This was the first time he took a serious look at such a treacherous minister.

"You mean, it wasn't An Lushan who rebelled." Wang Zhongsi asked word for word, "In your eyes, it was me and Xue Bai who rebelled?"

"Is it in my eyes?!" Yang Guanghui was startled and said hurriedly: "I am analyzing it for you. I, I, I mean, the rhetoric just now cannot be concealed from the court."

"Hahahahaha!"

Wang Zhongsi looked up to the sky and laughed as if he had heard something extremely funny.

Because it was so funny, he even laughed so hard that he couldn't breathe. In the end, he kept coughing and choked to tears. People around him quickly supported him and patted him on the back.

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter."

Wang Zhongsi waved his hands, sniffed, and said with a smile: "It's true, we are more like rebels than An Lushan. Ahem, when the news reached Chang'an, the saint must have said...must have said, 'Wang Zhongsi is really treasonous!' "

His last words were spoken so loudly that he choked on the blood that had accumulated in his heart. He didn't want to vomit, but he was imitating the sage's anger, so blood overflowed from his mouth.

"Haha."

Wang Zhongsi then made a joke and said: "Look at me, I am spitting blood. I intended to rebel and wronged An Lushan."

Yang Guanghui was frightened.

He clearly felt a surge of anger from Wang Zhongsi's smile. It was this anger that penetrated his heart and lungs, causing Wang Zhongsi to vomit blood. But the anger was still building up and had not yet fully exploded. He was really afraid that Wang Zhongsi would finally get angry at him, so he was so frightened that he became silent.

"I write, I write."

Yang Guanghui quickly picked up the pen to write a memorial, but this time his hand was really shaking. He quickly supported his right hand with his left hand and murmured: "Look, Mr. Xue, am I writing to the right minister or the saint?"

"Write whatever you want!"

Wang Zhongsi suddenly became angry and broke away from those around him who were trying to help him to rest. He punched the table with a loud bang, smashing the table into pieces and ink flying.

"The saint doesn't believe it! What did you write?!"

"Spare your life!"

Yang Guanghui was so frightened that he vomited his heart out and knelt on the ground, kowtowing like garlic.

"Please spare my life. You can do whatever you want me to do...I will go with you...together..."

Under fear, he showed his true feelings, which shows that he truly believed that Xue Bai and Wang Zhongsi were the rebels.

As for An Lushan, although he often impeached An Lushan with Yang Guozhong and had dissident intentions, it was precisely because of this that he knew that it was just a necessary means to eliminate dissidents.

Since even the news that "An Lushan will rebel" was fabricated by the Yang Party, how can anyone know the truth better than them?
"Xue Lang, I understand! I just had an epiphany!"

In fear, Yang Guanghui's thoughts were flowing smoothly, and suddenly a thought came to him. He suddenly raised his head and said: "Xue Lang, I understand who you are! Let me follow you..."

(End of this chapter)