Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 426 Jinyang Palace

The setting sun slowly sets, reflecting the majestic outline of a palace city. Jinyang Palace always stands silently, overlooking Taiyuan City and even the entire dynasty that prospered because of it.

The government office is relatively smaller, but not as deserted as Jinyang Palace. Before nightfall, a beautiful maid came into the study and lit the lampstands.

The candlelight woke up Wang Chengye who was lying there. He was tall and tall, with a big rosacea on his face. He was not ashamed of this nose, but thought it was a kind of beauty that could only be possessed by a true noble.

He squinted and saw a slim figure and a beautiful face. The grace of that beautiful maid was rare to see.

"I've woken you up." She stepped forward in a small step, praying in a gentle voice.

Wang Chengye raised his hand, held her catkin, and pulled the soft body into his arms. He took a deep breath and smelled the refreshing fragrance.

"Master Fu, no."

The soft voice of resistance made Wang Chengye excited. He took off her clothes in one fell swoop and pressed this beautiful maid under him like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey.

Hum hum hum, after an unknown amount of time, the sounds in the study gradually stopped.

There was probably someone standing outside the door. When he heard that there was no movement, he opened his mouth and reported, "Master Fu, Li Guangbi is here."

"No." Wang Chengye said.

"But he said that there are urgent matters to report."

"That's not seen either."

"Master Fu, he is coming with troops."

Wang Chengye stood up with a "humph", without dressing properly. He put on his robe and tied it with a belt, which showed off his broad and strong chest. He put on his shoes and walked out. He had the majesty of a general and the dignity of a general. It has the character of the Wei and Jin Dynasties.

When they arrived at the hall, Li Guangbi and a group of generals were all wearing armor. Due to the hot weather, their foreheads were covered with sweat, and Wang Chengye's cool attire gave off a sense of superiority.

"Why did General Li come to visit late at night? Could it be that Shiling Pass was breached?" Wang Chengye asked.

To be honest, he is not just a "general who sends money" as outsiders call him. Facing Cai Xide's offensive, he performed admirably. Firstly, he did not fall into Cai Xide's trick of luring the enemy. Secondly, when the rebels pressed the enemy, he performed well. He was very calm and composed under the circumstances, and did what he had to do, unlike some officials or supervisors who were startled.

Therefore, Li Guangbi still had some respect for Wang Chengye and said with a salute: "Don't worry, Mr. Fu, Shiling Pass is still there. In the future, I would like to introduce someone to Mr. Fu."

"Who?"

Li Guangbi then turned sideways and gave way to one person.

This is a young man, wearing armor and dusty from travels. He has obviously just arrived after a long period of work, but despite the fatigue, his eyes are still very bright. Wang Chengye deceived him because he was young, but still maintained his airs and said calmly: "Who is this?"

"Xue Bai, the prefect of Changshan, has met the prince."

"It turns out it's you." Wang Chengye raised his arrogance even higher and lectured with a straight face: "Do you know that it is a serious crime for you to be away from your post to guard the city without permission?"

Facing Xue Bai, his official tone was louder than that of Li Linfu, Yang Guozhong and An Lushan.

Xue Bai understood his arrogance and said: "The rebels are going south, and hundreds of thousands of troops often pass through the mountains and counties..."

"Then you abandoned the city and fled?!"

"I'm here to convey military information." Xue Bai said: "I have two things, please take a look at them."

Li Guangbi waved, and two sergeants immediately came forward with a wooden box and opened it. There were two heads inside.

Wang Chengye personally took the candlestick and looked at it carefully. He could see the ferocity in the other person's eyes and expression.

"This is the rebel generals Li Qincuo and Gao Miao."

Xue Bai roughly told Yuan Luqian's plan, as well as the rebellion among the rebels Dugu Wensu and Li Shiyu, and asked Wang Chengye to send troops to Changshan.

This was the first time we met, and he spoke from a very objective point of view without adding any extravagance.

While listening, Wang Chengye sat down on the chair, crossed his legs, and his legs covered with black hair were exposed from under his robe, shaking constantly. He was thinking about this matter.

Until Xue Bai finished speaking, the shaking of his foot had not stopped. After a short moment of silence, Wang Chengye suddenly reached out and slapped the table.

"Xue Bai, the governor of Changshan, abandoned the city and fled. Take it! The rest of the matter will be discussed after I find out!"

"Fu Jun?"

"Take it!" Wang Chengye looked at Li Guangbi with burning eyes, forcing him with the dignity of an official.

Li Guangbi then asked his soldiers to take Xue Bai down first, while he stayed in the hall and asked, "What are you doing, Mr. Fu?"

"Military affairs are not trivial. What he said is too strange and may not be credible. We will wait for further investigation." Wang Chengye said: "This young man is arrogant because of his talent. He does not have the power of the imperial court in his eyes, and he will kill him."

He judged people accurately. Although Xue Bai was not necessarily arrogant, it was true that he did not see the imperial court in his eyes. Even Li Guangbi could feel this. In addition, Wang Chengye was arrogant and did not cover up. He said he wanted to kill Xue Bai. With Bai's prestige, Xue Bai would not be killed.

But Li Guangbi still said: "It is an extraordinary time now. Xue Bai is young and passionate, and he is running and fighting to suppress the rebellion. What if his ambition is dampened and he feels resentful towards the emperor?"

"A Changshan prefect has fled to the border of Hedong. Doesn't it make sense for me to capture him?! If he is really capable, guarding Changshan and sending a messenger to deliver the letter is enough." Wang Chengye shouted: "Also, if I deal with him sincerely, I won't You know how to make a fool of yourself, why don’t you just let it go now?”

Li Guangbi had no choice but to point to the head in the box and said: "The enemy general's head is here. How can the military situation be false?"

Wang Chengye pondered, touched his chin and asked slowly: "How is your relationship with Gao Xianzhi?"

The topic suddenly turned to Gao Xianzhi. Li Guangbi was stunned for a moment, and then he understood.

According to the usual practice, the report of Gao Xianzhi's battle to destroy the Xiaobolu Kingdom should be that under the wise leadership of Jiedushifu Meng Lingcha and the cooperation of the generals, Gao Xianzhi received the military order and ran thousands of miles to capture Xiaobolu King. In this way, the rewards Gao Xianzhi will receive will not be reduced. The great power of throwing the sky is still enough for him to eat and drink for several lifetimes, and he can also gain many connections.

But Gao Xianzhi didn't do that, deliberately showing that Fu Meng Lingcha was a useless person who had nothing to do with his body. He was the only one in the four towns of Anxi who had the courage and knowledge to do what others didn't do. Therefore, when everyone thought that Gao Xianzhi had broken the rules, the saint still transferred Fumeng Lingcha because he was dissatisfied with Fumeng Lingcha's incompetence.

Now look at the incident before us. An Lushan rebelled, and Hebei fell in just over ten days. Jingxingkou is the most critical place in countering the rebellion, and is the main road connecting Shanxi and Hebei. If the war goes well, the Battle of Tumenguan will be the turning point in countering the rebellion.

When Wang Chengye thought about it, for such a great achievement, according to custom, the first credit should belong to the highest-ranking official, that is, the Hedong Jiedushi. How could it be a prefect who abandoned the city and fled, a long history who surrendered to the rebels, and two servants? A bastard thief?

After understanding this truth, Li Guangbi said tentatively: "Xue Bai is young and ignorant and doesn't know the rules. Regarding the battle report on the battle of Tumenguan, how about asking the governor to write another one?"

The reason why Wang Chengye asked him to take Xue Bai into custody was not only to give him a warning, but also to talk to him about the matter alone so that he could test Xue Bai's attitude.

Since Li Guangbi knew what was going on, Wang Chengye nodded.

~~
Xue Bai was not treated too harshly and was detained in a posthouse in Taiyuan City.

The handyman gave him hot water and let it cool down in a wooden bucket, but Xue Bai buried his head in the paperwork and forgot to wash it in the end.

When Li Guangbi arrived, he had already marked a military situation map.

In the early stages of such a war, the number of people in the world who can grasp the intentions of the rebels, the distribution of their forces, and how to counter the rebellion can be counted on one hand. In other words, such a map is extremely precious.

Xue Bai put down his pen, rubbed his eyes, handed the military situation diagram to Li Guangbi, and said with a smile: "I, the prisoner, confessed, and this is a confession."

"Xue Lang, please don't mind. Although Wang Chengye is a bit arrogant, he has no ill intentions towards you."

"It doesn't matter, as long as we can send troops."

Li Guangbi hesitated slightly, then spoke, trying to express Wang Chengye's intention as tactfully as possible, saying: "Xue Lang knows that there are certain rules and regulations for reporting merit to the court..."

"Okay." Xue Bai understood and agreed happily.

If the tragedy of Yan Gaoqing's family being slaughtered due to "the traitor's failure to save" is because Yan Gaoqing wrote a report with problems and made the same mistake as Gao Xianzhi, then well, this time Xue Bai can follow Wang Chengye's instructions meaning to write.

"Really?"

"As long as we can send troops to Changshan County, we can write the battle report according to Wang Chengye's wishes." Xue Bai answered simply, while observing Li Guangbi carefully.

Li Guangbi did not feel Xue Bai's scrutinizing gaze, and he wanted to advance the counter-insurgency matter as soon as possible, saying: "I will go and reply to the Lord, Xue Lang will wait for my good news."

Xue Bai said: "Why don't we go together? In this way, when Wang Chengye agrees, we can discuss the matter of sending troops as soon as possible."

As he spoke, he pointed to the strategic map in Li Guangbi's hand.

~~
This was the second time the two of them went to see Wang Chengye. After a lot of trouble, it was already broad daylight.

Riding his horse to the Taiyuan Yamen Office, he suddenly heard someone shouting from behind: "Is this Governor Xue in front of you?"

Xue Bai turned around and saw a group of Taiyuan soldiers bringing a few dusty-looking people over. He recognized a few of them, including Zhai Wande, the steward of Yuan Luqian's family, and Zhang Tongyou, the magistrate of Zhending County.

"Prefect."

"How did you get here?"

"Alang learned the news about Tumen Pass and ordered us to come overnight." Zhai Wande limped forward and said: "The Lord Fu heard that the rebels have crossed the Yellow River by chance and are in urgent need of attacking Luoyang. The situation is urgent. Anyway, raise the flag and send a message to the counties in Hebei."

"In such a hurry, Yuan Changshi is not afraid that the rebels will turn around and fight back to Changshan?"

"Alang said that it would be best to kill him and come back, so that we can break the siege of Luoyang." Zhai Wande said, "Besides, Governor Xue has already guarded Tumen Pass, so reinforcements must be available in time."

Because of these words, Xue Bai couldn't help but feel that the burden on his shoulders was heavier.

He didn't say anything, he just thought about getting Hedong to send troops as soon as possible.

Then, Xue Bai's eyes fell on Zhang Tongyou, and he frowned slightly. He had heard Yan Gaoqing introduce Zhang Tongyou, saying that "he was born as a Jinshi, and he has a good reputation", and he was the prefect of Changshan. During my tenure, I got along with Zhang Tongyou several times, and I can really feel his loyalty to the court.

But there is one thing that one of Zhang Tongyou's brothers, Xue Bai, also knew. It was Zhang Tongru who went to work in the Fanyang shogunate after failing the imperial examination in Chang'an in the sixth year of Tianbao and now became An Lushan's counselor.

At this time, meeting Xue Bai's scrutinizing gaze, Zhang Tongyou stepped forward, bowed solemnly, and said: "Xiaoguan's brother was trapped in a traitor, so he begged Yuan Changshi to come and report the news, in order to make meritorious service to the court and save the country." clan.”

Xue Bai nodded.

What's interesting is that he is actually the person in charge, but he is also the only person who is not allowed to meet Wang Chengye inside.

He could only wait in the front yard of the government office, watching the group of people walking towards the deep doorway, with no expectation of convincing Wang Chengye.

For a long time, Li Guangbi and others had not come out. Xue Bai was inevitably a little anxious thinking about the situation in various parts of the world. Finally, I simply found a shady place, swept away the insect corpses, lay down with my arms and clothes on my head, and used this time to catch up on some sleep.

The wind blew, and fallen leaves fell on his face. He opened his eyes and looked. He didn't know what kind of tree it was above. The branches and leaves were sparse, but from this angle, he could see the blue sky through the branches and leaves, which was not easy to see in the past. of beautiful scenery. He just lay there looking at the blue sky, tree branches, and leaves that were blown towards him, thinking that it would be great if the world was not in trouble, and he could lie leisurely like this all day long.

I don’t know how long it took, but the sound of a quarrel came through the courtyard wall.

Xue Bai then stood up and took a look outside the gate, and saw that Wang Nan had already arrived in a hurry.

~~
"Send troops? How to send troops?!"

In the lobby, Wang Chengye was angrily scolding Li Guangbi.

"You're going to dispatch the troops from Taiyuan just because you heard the one-sided words of a few fake officials who colluded with the rebellion?"

"With the head as evidence, how can it be a one-sided statement?"

"That's enough. I have my own judgment. I am the governor of Hedong!"

Wang Chengye stood up suddenly, walked to a large map in the hall, slapped it with his big hand, and said: "Do you know what situation we are facing? The traitor's plan is to attack Beidu and Dongdu together. Now it is I held on to Taiyuan, and they had no choice but to gather their forces to attack Luoyang."

This is correct. The rebel route he refers to is consistent with Xue Bai's strategic plan.

"I guarded Taiyuan, and Cai Xide's army did not advance an inch. However, all the counties in Hebei have fallen to thieves in less than half a month, and they are all useless."

"You can't say that." Li Guangbi said: "Taiyuan is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and the terrain is dangerous. But Hebei is a flat river with no danger to rely on."

"No need to make excuses for them!" Wang Chengye shouted, "I only saw them fleeing, rebelling, and abandoning the city. They asked me to send troops with only two heads. But I ask you, they came to invite me Are we really going to cut off An Lushan's return route by sending troops, or are we planning to let An Lushan attack Taiyuan with surprise troops?"

"Master Fu, don't you believe Xue Bai and Yuan Luqian?"

"I can't believe it." Wang Chengye said: "Xiongwu City is just to the north. Cai Xide's army is approaching the city. How dare I risk Taiyuan? Once I divide my troops and leave the city, I encounter Cai Xide and An Lushan's brave cavalry. Can I survive?"

"Master Fu, Xue Bai has designed to lure Cai Xide to divide his troops and go to Jingxing. This rebel army does not bring food and grass. As long as Master Fu sends a light cavalry to fight and blocks Jingxing in coordination with Tumen Pass, this rebel army will not be able to advance. Can't get out..."

"What kind of troops and horses does Taiyuan Prefecture have? What kind of troops and horses do Fan Yang and Xiongwu City have?" Wang Chengye said: "Changshan County can be lost, but if Taiyuan City is lost, Chang'an will not be able to defend it sooner or later. Who can afford such a Heavy responsibility?"

From his perspective, these words obviously make sense.

Without trusting Xue Bai and others, it is the safest and safest way to concentrate on guarding Beidu first and not be fooled by any intelligence.

As a General Habayashi who has never been on the battlefield, this idea is actually quite remarkable. Expecting him to be like Wang Zhongsi, leading unfamiliar soldiers and horses, venturing out of the city and accomplishing extraordinary feats, is indeed a difficult task in a way.

Li Guangbi was calm and resolute, but he was not a person who was good at debating. He was speechless for a moment.

At this moment, Xue Bai strode from the front yard and asked loudly.

"So, you are determined not to send troops?!"

"Of course." Wang Chengye narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Xue Bai, scolding: "Who asked you to come?!"

Xue Bai said: "Do you know that there are still many officials in Hebei who are interested in the Tang Dynasty? Do you know that you represent the majesty of the imperial court? As long as the retreat from Anlu Mountain is cut off, the rebels will collapse without a fight, and the rebellion will be suppressed."

"Let me ask you, who asked you to come?"

"If we don't send troops, how can we write a report? I'm afraid it won't be what you want."

When Wang Chengye heard this, he sneered and said: "This matter is not yours to decide. This is Taiyuan, not a place where you, a fugitive from office, can act arrogantly."

Xue Bai walked into the hall and asked, "Are you too confident?"

Wang Chengye's eyes became more and more arrogant. He raised his head confidently, raised his voice and asked, "Do you know why the saint sent me here?"

"I don't know."

"My surname is Wang, King of Taiyuan!"

The Taiyuan Wang family is of course a very powerful family, and the first queens of today's saints are all from the Taiyuan Wang family.

Wang Chengye and Empress Wang were of the same clan. They were the right guards of Nanliang and the queen of Zhongshu Ling Wang Shennian. In short, they had a distinguished surname and were promoted to the rank of General Yulin.

But after hearing his majestic words, Xue Bai shook his head in disappointment.

It seems that the logic does not make sense. At a time when the overthrow of the country is imminent, some people still cannot let go of the prejudice and arrogance of aristocratic families, so how can they place their hopes on them.

It doesn't matter, Xue Bai came this time not to convince Wang Chengye.

He came to persuade Li Guangbi.

"Deputy Commander Li, what do you think?"

"I ordered you to take down this fugitive official, why did you let him in again?!" Wang Chengye shouted when he saw Xue Bai turning to Li Guangbi.

"Master Fu, if we just want to write a report, we can discuss it..."

"Can't you see it yet? This guy is the one who is greedy for success." Wang Chengye said: "He wants to take risks in Taiyuan."

"Ah."

Someone chuckled, but it was Wang Rao who was standing behind Xue Bai.

When Wang Chengye saw it, he immediately scolded: "Why did you come to Taiyuan City without guarding Shiling Pass?"

"If we hadn't taken the risk, Shiling Pass would have been lost long ago." Wang Rao was too lazy to talk to him. He turned to Li Guangbi and said, "Do you still want to persuade him? Let's do it."

"What do you want to do?" Wang Chengye was furious when he heard this, "Wang Baowan, are you trying to instigate Li Guangbi to rebel?!"

Gradually, everyone's eyes fell on Li Guangbi. After all, this deputy envoy of Hedong Jiedu was the one who was truly talented, capable of controlling troops and horses, and capable of fighting.

One of his decisions is related to the safety of Taiyuan, the northern capital, the expectations of the counties in Hebei, the determination of the court to suppress the rebellion, and even countless lives.

Finally, after a long silence, Li Guangbi spoke.

"I have two memorials here. Please take a look at them first."

He took out two pieces of paper from his pocket and placed them on the table.

Wang Chengye picked it up and looked at it, and saw that the first memorial was to express his merits, saying that under Wang Chengye's wise decision, the Hedong Army foiled Cai Xide's plot to attack Taiyuan, contacted Changshan County officials, and killed Li Qincuo and Gao Miao. .

After looking at it, Wang Chengye shook his head with some disdain.

In fact, Li Guangbi did not need to repay his merits, he could do so himself, and Zhang Tongyou had just agreed to testify for him. Xue Bai, the governor of Changshan, abandoned the city and fled, and Yuan Luqian surrendered to the rebels. Who made the real contribution? Of course it is Wang Chengye, the governor of Hedong, who is now the top official in suppressing the rebellion.

"I don't know how to adapt."

Having made this evaluation of Li Guangbi in his heart, Wang Chengye picked up another memorial and read it.

When a few words fell into his eyes, he squinted his eyes, became furious, and stood up suddenly.

"Li Guangbi! How brave are you to frame me?!"

"The general is just telling the truth," Li Guangbi said.

"Fart!" Wang Chengye said: "When I arrived in Taiyuan, I didn't even set foot in Jinyang Palace. How can I taint the people of Jinyang Palace? When I don't know that you want to hold me hostage to seize military power? You are so brave."

It turned out that Li Guangbi's other memorial was to report that he had defiled the people of Jinyang Palace. Wang Chengye had been guarding the palace in Chang'an for a long time. How could he not know that this was a capital crime and he had never committed it.

"Last night, the prince raped the people of Jinyang Palace." Li Guangbi said, "Don't you want to admit it today?"

"you……"

Wang Chengye's expression changed. Thinking of the beautiful maid last night, he couldn't help but asked in shock: "How did you place someone next to me?!"

Li Guangbi did not answer, solemnly held the military salute again, and said: "I only ask the prince to resolutely resist the thieves, do not let down the majesty of the court, and do not let down the officials of Hebei in the Tang Dynasty."

"You!" Wang Chengye gritted his teeth and said word by word: "You are also a rebel!"

He raised his hand and pointed at Wang Nan and Xue Bai.

"I can finally see it. One by one, you are all rebels!"

Wang rarely smiled when Wang Chengye pointed at him.

He turned his head and looked in the direction of Jinyang Palace in the distance, and thought of a story——

In the 13th year of Emperor Yang's great career in the Sui Dynasty, Li Yuan was still in Taiyuan, serving as the palace supervisor of Jinyang. At that time, Li Shimin wanted to compete in the world, but knowing that Li Yuan would not agree, he secretly discussed with Pei Ji, deputy eunuch of Jinyang Palace. Pei Ji then arranged for the palace maiden of Jinyang Palace to sleep with Li Yuan, but did not tell Li Yuan her identity. It was not until they had a drink next time that she revealed everything and asked Li Yuan to raise an army. Li Yuan refused on the surface and wanted to send Li Shimin to the court. , but he had committed the serious crime of besmirching the palace people, and in the end he could only agree. He also said that he was forced to raise the army because of the deep love between father and son and could not bear to report his son.

Is this treason? Of course it's rebellion.

But precisely because of this conspiracy about Jinyang Palace, the prosperous age of "the Tang Dynasty was known, and God provided for all nations".

Emperor Taizong shot sharp arrows in front of Xuanwu Gate; Wu Zetian changed Tang Dynasty to Zhou Dynasty in Shangyang Palace; Emperor Zhongzong came to power again in Ziwei City; the saint in Daming Palace killed Empress Wei... The Tang Dynasty was never afraid of rebellion.

They are breaking the old and establishing the new for a better future.

Wang Rao turned his head and glanced at Xue Bai, his expression became more determined. He strode towards Wang Chengye and held him down.

"That's right! Then please invite Mr. Wang Fu to discuss the big plan with us!"

"Li Guangbi, did you see it? Do you dare to let them do whatever they want?!"

Li Guangbi did not stop him, he just sighed.

Wang Chengye's head was pressed, and he watched helplessly as Wang Rao took out a letter and ordered him to copy it.

When he saw the words "Please appoint a prince as the Grand Marshal of the Expedition", his face darkened again and he dared not shout anymore.

Because only now did he know that these people were the real rebels and they really dared to kill him...

(End of this chapter)