Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 423 Encourage
Taiyuan City, the headquarters of the Heavenly Soldiers Army.

Li Guangbi walked out of the granary with a look of unnoticeable thoughtfulness on his brows. Immediately, a soldier came forward and said, "Deputy Commander, Wang Nan is here."

After a few days, the king rarely came to see me again. It must be something important. Li Guangbi then ordered the people to be taken directly to the official mansion.

Wang Rao came alone today. He was not wearing armor, but was wearing a robe. The huge muscles on his arms seemed to burst the robe, giving people a strong sense of aggression. When he entered, he bowed hastily and asked Li Guangbi if he had a map, and then spread the map on the table with a swipe.

"An Lushan has rebelled! Send the vanguard Tian Chengsi to attack Luoyang. The troops and horses have already reached the north bank of the Yellow River. The main force has just passed through Changshan County. I got the exact news today that the rebels Li Qincuo and Gaomiao are rushing to attack Tumen. Guan, Guancheng only has less than a thousand troops, including servants, and is in urgent need of support. "

"Exact news? How did you get it?"

"Xue Bai and Li Sheng are at Tumen Pass."

Wang rarely spoke quickly, and Li Guangbi accepted it quickly. After asking a few more detailed questions, he probably had a grasp of the situation.

"I will immediately ask Wang Jieshuai to report to the court."

"and then?"

Li Guangbi was about to turn around and go out, but was caught by Wang Ruohan. He looked back in surprise and said, "What else is going on? Can't I deal with you?"

Having been with each other for many years, Wang Rao should have known that he would not neglect his duties and would immediately find ways to deal with this sudden chaos. Of course, it would be really difficult for him to ignore the imperial court and send troops according to the king's rare wishes.

"I also want to say something, I will not accept the order of the king." Wang Nan said: "The saint blindly trusts An Lushan, I'm afraid he won't be able to make a decision soon, we..."

Li Guangbi suddenly frowned and asked in a low voice: "What's going on with you recently? Do you know how many times you have 'criticized Chengyu'?!"

"What does it mean to criticize Chengyu?"

"It's a serious crime of decapitation!"

"Have you and I seen too many heads falling on the ground? I honestly say that the saint was just confused and caused such a mutiny. More than 100,000 elite soldiers from the two towns marched southward. If the rebellion cannot be put down quickly, life will be ruined. Now, what if I criticize Chengyu?"

"Wake up!" Li Guangbi scolded: "What are you anxious about?"

"Eager to protect our family and country." Wang Nan said.

Back then, he fought to the death among tens of thousands of troops in Longyou, picked up the Tibetan prince with his spear, and blocked the enemy soldiers from the mountains. If it was just for wealth, why should he stain the yellow sand with blood? Joining the army to defend the border means firstly "protecting the home and the country".

These are all aspirations written in Tang poetry.

Li Guangbi realized that Wang Nan must have something unsaid, and asked, "Have you thought about the consequences?"

"I thought about it."

Wang rarely opened his mouth and criticized Chengyu again. He said slowly in a deep voice: "I think the saint should also bear some consequences."

If someone else had said this, Li Guangbi would have already drawn his sword. That is to say, Wang Rao continued to listen.

"The rebellion has started, even if it is put down, the saint is willing to issue an imperial edict to punish himself? The first emperor took the throne two times and gave up the world three times. Now that the saint is in his sixtieth year, can he abdicate in inner meditation?"

Li Guangbi's pupils shrank slightly, and for a moment he felt a little unfamiliar with Wang Rao in front of him.

He didn't know what was going on in the world. When he came to Shuofang, An Sishun insisted on wooing him as his son-in-law, hiding his different intentions. When he arrived in Hebei, his former comrades made treasonous remarks. Not to mention that An Lushan has rebelled, and the world has gone from great rule to chaos, as if just in the past.

Wang Nan waited for a while, giving Li Guangbi a buffer and giving him time to capture him. After seeing that he didn't move, he continued talking.

"You and I are on the battlefield, why should we obey Wang Chengye's orders? A mediocre person with a name in his name will delay the war. It would be better to hold him hostage and order the soldiers and horses east of the river. Please report to the court and appoint the prince as the general marshal of the expedition. We will assist the prince. Put down the rebellion, only then can we act freely, why should we fear the consequences..."

Before Wang Nan could finish his words, Li Guangbi grabbed his collar, his eyes full of scrutiny.

"Who told you these words?"

"Voice from the heart." Wang Nan said.

"You can't hide it from me." Li Guangbi said coldly, "You are not a person who can have these thoughts without the instigation of others, and you cannot make up these rhetoric."

Wang Nan could not speak, so he kept silent.

He was not afraid of being punished by Li Guangbi for criticizing Chengyu, but he was unwilling to betray others.

But if these trump cards are not thrown out, it seems difficult to persuade Li Guangbi.

"Tell me." Li Guangbi's expression grew colder and he said, "How have those people been bewitching you behind your back these days..."

At this moment, rapid footsteps were heard in the distance.

"Deputy Marshal, Wang Jieshuai would like to ask you to come over and have a brief talk."

"What's the matter?!"

"Wang Jieshuai said yes, Cai Xide took the Khitan prisoners and explained the matter of Yanmen Pass."

When Li Guangbi heard this, he immediately looked at Wang Rarely.

"Another group of rebels is coming." Wang Nannan encouraged: "Make up your mind, the situation is urgent, and you will not be able to accept your orders."

~~
Changshan County, Neiqiu County.

A group of soldiers and horses escorted the baggage to the camp outside the county town. Yang Qixuan turned over and dismounted, took a long stretch, and thought about an idea in his mind.

He had been running around with the army for a long time, and he really wanted to relax, so when the military affairs were settled, he summoned a county official and asked in a low voice.

"Are there any prostitutes in the city?"

The county official was obviously stunned and looked at Yang Qixuan with surprised eyes.

Yang Qixuan was startled by this look, and he felt intuitively that this clerk knew that he was An Shouzhong's son-in-law.

"You...what do you think I'm doing? I'm asking for help from my colleagues."

"The general is really energetic. There is a prostitute in the city. I want you to take the general there?"

Only then did Yang Qixuan realize that the other party was surprised that he still had such energy after working hard on the horse. Moreover, it was the first time that he heard someone call him "general". He was relieved to know that the other party did not recognize him.

"Then go ahead and let me change my clothes."

All the way into the county town, into Nanshi, after twists and turns, we finally walked into a rather simple and elegant courtyard.

Just looking at the furnishings in the courtyard, you can't tell that he is doing a living in flesh and blood. From this, Yang Qixuan was looking forward to it with great anticipation. He liked the gentleness of a good woman, which was the opposite of his two wives.

The yard seemed small, but the courtyards were layered one after another. He was finally led to a house, where he saw a large bathtub with steaming water and flower petals sprinkled on it.

Yang Qixuan didn't expect such a style to exist in a small town in Hebei, so he happily took off his clothes and bathed in the bucket, closing his eyes and taking a nap.

There were slight footsteps behind him. He thought it was a prostitute coming, and opened his eyes with longing...

A dagger was pressed against the back of his neck.

"what?"

Yang Qixuan didn't have time to turn his head, only to see that the servants had removed the screen, and there was a man sitting leisurely behind the screen.

His eyes widened in surprise and he shouted: "You? Why are you here? Aren't you at Tumenguan?"

Xue Bai did not answer these boring questions at all, and said: "I suddenly thought of the first time I met Yang Zhao. He was just as eager to go whore as you were, and his weakness was easily found."

"weakness?"

Yang Qixuan looked down into the bucket and fell into silence.

"But Yang Zhao is now the right prime minister." Xue Bai said: "What about you? Are you planning to get a high position in the rebel army?"

To be honest, Yang Qixuan has been very conflicted recently. On the one hand, he occasionally thinks of his children and even his ex-wife in Chang'an, and Xue Bai has taken advantage of him, so he has to become his spy; on the other hand, he really can't bear this. The psychological pressure is so great that I really wish I was a pure member of the rebels.

But he would not admit it, and said with an apologetic smile: "I didn't. I remembered to do things for you. If you want to know anything, just ask. It doesn't have to be like this, it really doesn't have to be like this."

Xue Bai rubbed his fingers slightly on his knees, thinking about it for the last time, and said slowly: "I want you to betray me."

"Here is a list. You need to say different things to the people on the list. Now memorize it..."

~~
The next day, Dugu Wensu, who was busy preparing food and grass, received a greeting note. After opening it, he was slightly confused.

"Playing dominoes? At this time?"

"Yes. Yang Langjun came in person and was waiting outside."

Dugu Wensu couldn't possibly have time to play dominoes with Yang Qixuan right now, but since the other party had already arrived, he had no choice but to invite people in and make tea for him.

"To be honest, Mr. Dugu, I am here to ask for advice."

"Oh? But it doesn't matter."

Yang Qixuan carefully looked around and said in a low voice as much as possible: "I feel very uneasy because someone wants to harm Mr. Fu."

"how you said that?"

Dugu Wensu felt that Yang Qixuan was talking too much and didn't think he could say anything useful.

He was still busy, and when he was feeling a little impatient, Yang Qixuan leaned forward and said: "That man is Xue Bai, he is in Neiqiu City..."

"what?"

Dugu Wensu was finally shocked and didn't believe it. He didn't react immediately, for example, he was busy recruiting people to capture Xue Bai. Instead, he leaned over and listened to Yang Qixuan's details.

"Does Mr. Dugu know? Xue Bai has always been plotting against the prince. In Taiyuan, he was waiting for the prince. Now he deliberately forces the prince to raise troops in order to attack him from both sides and take his life."

"Maybe I know." These are not new news to Dugu Wensu.

Yang Qixuan added: "In addition, there is someone around Fu Jun who colluded with Xue Bai and intended to assassinate Fu Jun."

"Who?" Dugu asked Su and raised his eyebrows.

Yang Qixuan swallowed, his eyes flashed twice, and said: "Erlang."

"Which Erlang?"

"An Qingxu."

"Is it possible?" Dugu Wensao didn't believe it at all and said, "Erlang has been urging the emperor to raise troops."

Yang Qixuan became increasingly mysterious and asked, "Have you ever thought, Mr. Dugu, that all of us...including the Lord of the House, have all been taken advantage of?"

"Yang Langjun, are you sick?"

"We all know that Fujun has a quarrel with Li Heng. Once Li Heng ascends the throne, he will not let Fujun go. But Xue Bai has a grudge against Li Heng, why never cooperate with Fujun? Because Xue Bai has always been with Erlang There is contact."

Dugu Wensu was stunned. He felt that everything was so sudden and inexplicable.

"The vassal towns of the Tang Dynasty have never been hereditary. If the emperor dies, what will Erlang mean? Others only think that Erlang encouraged the emperor to raise troops for the throne. But in a time of great rule, rebellion is not easy. How many places in the world can Duke Dugu know? Are the officials concerned about the Tang Dynasty? Xue Bai has been supporting King Qing for a long time. Now he has made King Qing the crown prince, deliberately forcing the prince to rebel, taking the opportunity to help King Qing gain military power, make great achievements in suppressing the rebellion, and then blame him for the chaos. Forcing the saint to abdicate."

At this point, Yang Qixuan answered Dugu's question to Sucai and said: "Then the new emperor will naturally reward An Qingxu, the hero of Conglong."

"This is too ridiculous." Dugu asked.

Yang Qixuan ignored his reaction and just talked to himself.

"Everything is a conspiracy."

"No." Dugu Wensu said: "Xue Bai is just a young man. It is impossible to set up such a big plan. It is absolutely impossible."

Yang Qixuan had finished all the speeches he had memorized and stopped talking. But he was actually very nervous and had no idea how Dugu Wensu would react.

The two faced each other in silence.

After a long time, Dugu asked Su: "How do you know this?"

He didn't wait for Yang Qixuan to answer, and immediately asked: "Are you Xue Bai's lobbyist, instigating rebellion against me?"

"I……"

Yang Qixuan was shocked before he remembered that he had another excuse and said, "I'm here to save Dugu Gong."

"Traitor!" Dugu Wensu suddenly slapped the table and shouted, "How dare you betray the Lord."

"what?"

"Come here! Take him down!"

Dugu Wensu attracted his confidants, and when he looked again, he saw that Yang Qixuan was so frightened that his face turned pale and he was trembling.

~~
A group of sergeants dressed in civilian clothes hurried through Neiqiu County and rushed into a courtyard near Nanshi. After searching for a long time, they came out empty-handed.

When the vendors in Younan City saw this scene, they passed on the news calmly.

Xue Bai had moved to a farmhouse outside the city. After hearing the news, he asked Diao Bing, "What do you think?"

"Mr. Lang misjudged Dugu Wensu. He is loyal to An Lushan and cannot be easily instigated."

The information about Dugu Wensu was obtained by Cui from among the women. It was nothing more than some places of origin, resumes, hobbies, and some past words and deeds. Xue Bai believed that Dugu Wensu could instigate rebellion based on these alone. The basis seemed insufficient. .

Diao Bing felt it was a pity that in order to instigate a rebellion against Dugu Wensu, he sacrificed Yang Qixuan, the hidden figure.

"Lang Jun, I'm afraid it's no longer safe in Neiqiu right now, shall we take a detour back to Taiyuan?"

Xue Bai pondered: "I feel quite confident that I can win over Dugu Wensu."

He decided to win over Dugu Wensu, largely because of the information Yan Yan told him when he was still around.

For one thing, Dugu Wensu did not marry Li Shiyu for a long time when he arrived in Fan Yang. Instead, he waited for Li Shiyu to be demoted before marrying his widowed sister. This was not for beauty, but because she had the same loyalty as Li Shiyu. And Li Shiyu was If a person who was a Jinshi and was suppressed by Li Linfu and involved in the Du Youlin case had some integrity, why would he be like this? Just submit to Li Linfu.

Secondly, Dugu Wensu is from Luoyang. Although the rebels passing through the border are not barren, they are not prohibited from burning, killing and looting. After all, there are only a few people in the world who are willing to lead such rebels to their hometown. Xue Bai was able to reach Neiqiu County safely, which shows that Dugu Wensu is maintaining order.

The Tang Dynasty has always been a prosperous age, and there is no shortage of ministers loyal to the country everywhere. The key is to see how to live up to their integrity.

Over the years, the emperor and prime ministers have made them suffer a lot, and An Lushan is not the solution to the problem. In fact, these officials urgently need someone to lead them out of a new way out.

Xue Bai can now feel this expectation. He hopes that they do not have to wait until the new king ascends the throne in Lingwu.

Of course, the judgment of Dugu Wensu depends entirely on his speculation. He didn't dare to meet rashly, he only dared to test it first.

"Have you noticed? Dugu Wensu was arrested in plainclothes, and there was no fanfare. He must have intended to talk privately. Let's wait and see."

~~
Yang Qixuan thought he was going to die.

He was locked in a secret room by Dugu Wensu. After about two days, he felt as long as ten days.

Finally, that day, Dugu Wensu ordered someone to take him out. Yang Qixuan was so frightened that when he saw him, he begged: "Dugu Gong, don't hand me over to the Lord. I am really not a traitor..."

When Dugu Wensu saw that he was as limp as an insect, he understood in his heart and said: "Let's not mention this for now, I just think you are joking with me."

"Ah?" Yang Qixuan was stunned.

"I'm asking you, do you know Liu Ji?"

Yang Qixuan and Liu Ji were once fair-weather friends, but when they suddenly heard this question, they really didn't know how to respond, so they asked tentatively: "He is already dead, why did Dugu Gong ask this question?"

"My brother-in-law is here, and with him is a grandson of Li Beihai, whose handwriting is quite good. By the way. He said he is a good friend of Liu Ji and has a close friendship with you. He asked if you would like to play dominoes together."

"Playing dominoes?"

Yang Qixuan became more and more surprised, and also felt a sense of surprise. He nodded repeatedly and said, "Of course I do!"

He didn't know what happened, but he knew that he would probably come back to life again.

The table of dominoes was in a Taoist temple outside the city, located at the foot of Taihang Mountain.

Riding his horse to the Taoist temple, Yang Qixuan hurriedly followed Dugu Wensu and couldn't help but ask: "I wonder which grandson of Li Beihai is here?"

"Li Qian."

Yang Qixuan was a little confused and couldn't remember which of the wine parties with Liu Ji he had seen this grandson named Li Qian.

Accompanied by the long bells in the Taoist temple, they walked around the main hall and entered the backyard. They saw more than ten Taoist priests meditating, but they did not look like practitioners, but more like tough guards.

There were two people playing dominoes in the hall, making a crisp sound.

Seeing someone coming, a gentle middle-aged man stood up, it was Li Shiyu.

"Brother." Dugu Wensu greeted calmly.

"Come, let me introduce you to Li Qian. As the third brother among brothers, you can just call him Li Sanlang..."

Yang Qixuan stood behind him, looked around, and was immediately shocked.

He never expected that Xue Bai would dare to come in person. After all, he had not convinced Dugu Wensu yet.

"Come to the table and chat while we play dominoes."

Dugu asked Su: "But I don't know how strong Li Sanlang is?"

"I'm not very skilled, but luckily I can always have some luck. It's funny."

Yang Qixuan saw Xue Bai's humble appearance and cursed endlessly. He was the one who invented dominoes, so he said he was not good at it.

This was a card game that he had never imagined in his dreams. One day he would play cards with Xue Bai and two important counselors from An Lushan.

It was a hot summer day, and Yang Qixuan was sweating profusely in a short while, but the other three people were calm and naturally cool, and quickly won a lot of chips from him.

In the crisp sound, the conversation started with calligraphy.

"Sanlang's handwriting is certainly good, but it doesn't seem like 'Beihai Ruxiang', but rather Zhang Xu's writing style?"

"Dugu Gong has a good eye. My calligraphy is not learned at home. My teacher once learned brush writing from Mr. Zhang."

"Oh? But I don't know who the commander is?"

"I'm not good at studying, and I'm afraid of tarnishing my teacher's reputation."

"Could it be Yan Qingchen? If so, Sanlang and Xue Bai are still from the same school?"

Yang Qixuan listened to this conversation and thought that Xue Bai couldn't hide it anymore, but Xue Bai took advantage of the situation and brought the topic to the case of Du Youlin.

Li Shiyu was also implicated in the case and was demoted to Fan Yang. However, he was not actually familiar with Liu Ji. Instead, like Du Youlin, he was close to the East Palace and was excluded by Li Linfu.

The supervisory censor, who was in his thirties and had a promising future, was framed by false accusations. Naturally, he was very dissatisfied.

But today, "Li Qian" said: "Speaking of which, Li Sima was not completely unjust. Liu Ji did discover some major secrets at that time and reported them to Li Linfu."

"Oh? What's the secret?"

"Du Youlin did indeed falsely claim to have read the prophecy and criticized the imperial carriage, but he did not frame the Eastern Palace at that time, but the Eastern Palace today."

"what for?"

"Du Youlin supported Prince Qing from the beginning."

Yang Qixuan's hand shook when he heard this, and he put down a wrong card. But he was thinking in his heart that the words of these power holders cannot be trusted at all. There is no truth at all. Just say whatever is beneficial to them.

"This matter has to start with the case of the Three Common People, which was the beginning of today's saints becoming ignorant kings. After the Three Common People's Case, Du Youlin, together with Zhang Jiuling, He Zhizhang and other famous officials, protected the deposed prince's line and celebrated Wang Ze adopted the son of the deposed prince in order to bring order to the chaos..."

The following content corresponds to Yang Qixuan's words, but Xue Bai's focus is different. He mainly talks about the current power of Prince Li Cong's family.

"We put down the Nanzhao rebellion and found the support of the southwestern generals; in Longyou, we won over Ge Shuhan and seconded a group of generals from him to Hedong; in Hedong, the battle at Shiling Pass, It is enough to prove our strength; in the court, Gao Lishi is also one of ours, and soon the prince will lead the attack on Anlu Mountain. "

While talking, Xue Bai was still playing dominoes calmly and messing around.

Everyone else was digesting what he said, but he was shuffling the cards while still continuing to talk.

"According to the plan, once the prince takes command and goes out to fight, An Lushan will be killed immediately. When the troops and horses from Hedong are swept out, loyal officials will respond one after another, and the rebellion will be put down...Dugu Gong, please roll the dice."

"and then?"

"Naturally, we invite the saint to take the throne as the Supreme Emperor, and the new emperor ascends the throne to bring order to the chaos and continue the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty."

"It's a bit naive."

"An Lushan has neither virtue nor talent, and he still wants to raise his troops and become emperor. As the eldest son of a saint, the prince has a heart for the common people, is courteous to his brothers, protects his nephews, has high hopes for the world, and spreads his benevolence to the world, but he succeeded to the throne as a naive person? In this case, Why did you two come here?"

Li Shiyu touched the dominoes in his hand without playing them out. He shook his head with a wry smile and sighed to Dugu Wensu: "I really thought he was Li Beihai's grandson."

"I guessed that Xue Bai would send someone again, but I can't believe that he came in person."

Yang Qixuan did not dare to speak. He looked over and saw that Xue Bai had already placed a high number of chips in his hand.

Xue Bai calmed down and said sternly: "The saints have been ignorant in these years, the two of them have been wronged in the officialdom, and the country has encountered big problems, but rebellion cannot solve the problem. Why don't you two follow the new emperor and realize your true ambitions?"

At this moment, what Xue Bai was thinking about was not what would happen after Li Cong succeeded to the throne, but the death of Deng Siniang.

The fact was not that he deliberately forced An Lushan to rebel as he said to Yang Qixuan. The death of Deng Siniang made him feel sad, not to mention the chaos in the world.

The reason why Dugu Wensu was willing to come was that he was deeply worried that once Tian Chengsi invaded Luoyang, he would inevitably commit rape and plunder, and he had to stop it as soon as possible.

Li Shiyu was talented, qualified at a young age, and had a bright future. To be honest, following a talentless and virtuous person like An Lushan, the anger in my heart is ultimately unfair.

The card game stopped unconsciously.

"How can I believe you if you say nothing?" Dugu Wensu said first, "Although the words sound nice, how many percent can they be realized?"

Xue Bai said: "How can I prove it? Can I ask An Qingxu to kill An Lushan now?"

Li Shiyu smiled and said: "Since Mr. Xue wants to persuade us, he should show some sincerity."

The reason why we still ask this question is that, in the final analysis, Li Cong's foundation is too shallow and his prestige is not convincing enough. So far, he has not performed well in the eyes of the world.

It is inevitable for people to be loyal to such a prince who has just become the crown prince.

Xue Bai couldn't even prove that what he did was on Li Cong's orders.

"Alright."

Xue Bai looked straight ahead and happened to see Yang Qixuan, who was a little overwhelmed.

"I haven't told any officials about this yet, so I will tell you two today at the risk of losing my life. I work hard for the prince, because I have a share in the Tang Dynasty. For this great cause, I must Made.”

"what for?"

"You want to achieve the feat of following the dragon." Xue Bai said, "It is far better to follow me than follow An Lushan."

"when."

With a soft sound, Yang Qixuan thought of a rumor, opened his mouth in surprise, and the domino in his hand fell to the ground.

Dugu Wensu and Li Shiyu were puzzled and continued to ask, "Why?"

"Lang Jun."

Suddenly there was a call. It was Yang Qixuan who was squatting down to pick up the dominoes and fell to his knees on the ground.

He spoke in a panic and bumped into the corner of the table.

If Xue Bai was allowed to reveal his identity on his own, it would be a lack of pomp and circumstance. He almost rushed to speak and told Dugu Wensu and Li Shiyu that Xue Bai's identity was about to be revealed.

"Don't you understand? The person in front of you is the saint's direct grandson, the former prince's son, and the current prince's adopted son!"

Yang Qixuan lost a lot of money today, but he handed a piece of Conglong Gong to Dugu Wensu and Li Shiyu in the most direct way.

These two people are already important figures in the rebel army. Even if they have compassion for the people and retain a sense of integrity, it will be difficult for them to return to the rule of the current saint unless they have made great achievements.

So, Xue Bai's identity is what makes their minds aglow the most...

(End of this chapter)