Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 430 Private Soldiers
Yanshi County.

On the dock outside Yingxian Gate, the rebels seized a large number of ships and grain cargo, and gathered the plow workers.

In the heat of the day, Yan Zhuang rode up to the city gate and asked the gatekeeper: "Where is the nobility?"

"In Fenghui Branch in the west of the city."

The county town is "small but well-equipped". There are shops on both sides of the main street. Although the doors are closed, there are all kinds of signs. Fenghui is hidden in this bustling market. From the outside, it just looks like an ordinary facade. , but there is another pattern inside, extending in all directions.

When Yan Zhuang found Gao Shang, Gao Shang was squatting in front of a split wood pile.

"What are you looking at? The military affairs are busy right now, but you still have the leisure to stay here."

"This was split with a knife." Gao Shang reached out and touched the cracked surface of the wooden pile, stood up, pointed to a huge stone lock next to him, and said, "Take a look at it."

Yan Zhuang was also very strong. He walked over and held the stone lock, and when he lifted it hard, it didn't move at all.

"Ahao usually swings stone locks, but there is someone here who swings them harder than him." Gao Shang looked around the yard, "I can see that there are people who often practice martial arts here."

"The disease of ringworm and scabies should be dealt with after important things have been done."

"so what?"

"It doesn't matter," Yan Zhuang said, "a private army and some opportunistic things can't save Luoyang."

"Xue Bai will not aim without aim." Gao Shang thought and wondered: "He didn't even transfer these private soldiers to Changshan. Why?"

He looked at the Dragon Gate in the distance, unable to see Dayu's achievements in building stones to guide water. His eyes were full of desire for power and status. He called Zhang Tongru and asked: "They say fish leap over the Dragon Gate, but I don't think I look like a fish." , can you also jump over the dragon gate?”

Although Gao Shang laughed, his terrifying face was worse than not smiling at all.

"This is the most suspicious thing." Gao Shang said: "Yanshi County Chief Yan Chunqing is Xue Baizhang's cousin. Since he came to Yanshi, he has passed the exams every year. He has been replaced by two county magistrates. They were all ignored by him and the recorder Guo Huan, and they could not interfere with any county affairs. This time our army came to kill, and the new county magistrate Pei Ji surrendered, but Yan Chunqing and Guo Huan fled into Shouyang Mountain with their people. Not only that, Look how many people they took away."

"In this way, Mr. Fu was really foresighted when he bypassed Shouyang Mountain." Yan Zhuang said: "When we passed through Poppy Valley before, a Tang Army guard shot an arrow at Mr. Fu's carriage. If it had been that way. Explosives, I’m afraid the consequences will be disastrous.”

Gao Shang led Yan Zhuang around the alley and entered a warehouse, which was already empty.

"what."

"The Lord is a hidden dragon..."

"I know a person with such courage, named Fan Lao." Gao Shang said: "My sworn brother used to be a county captain here, and I had dealings with him. Unfortunately, this person later joined Xue Bai. In the past few years, Fan Lao often recruited refugees in the county and took them to Shouyang Mountain. Occasionally, he was seen staying in Yanshi, accompanied by more than ten gangsters. The traces in this courtyard were left by them. "

Yan Zhuang frowned impatiently, looked around, and murmured: "Look at the road surface and the threshold, the things being transported are very heavy..."

"what do you want to say in the end?"

~~
The next day, south of Luoyang City, Longmen County.

"Iron stone." Gao Shang said: "There are leather, beef tendons, and animal horns over there. These raw materials are purchased from various places and transported to Shouyang Mountain. They are made into armor, bows and arrows, saddles, leather boots and other items."

He stretched out his hand and gently stroked the raised scar on his face with his fingertips, reminding himself that he could never be too cautious when facing Xue Baiduo.

"What's the point of holding on? What's the point of trying to get Gao Xianzhi to gather more mobs for two or three days?" Yan Zhuang said: "It can only be said that they know very well that Luoyang cannot be defended."

I made up my mind and was about to cross the river when a letter horse hurried from the east and delivered a noble and solemn autographed letter.

Yan Zhuang shook his head and said: "It is normal for such a large Luhun business to recruit some people to guard the house and guard the courtyard. If there are really a thousand elites, how come Tian Chengsi did not encounter any resistance when he attacked?"

He pondered and said slowly: "It's not surprising. Xue Bai was the first person to guess that the prince was going to raise troops. I'm afraid he had been preparing for it very early."

"But how long has he been in Yanshicai? After leaving office for so many years, he still has such strong control over this place." Gao Shang's eyes flashed with memories, and he said: "There was a bad commander in the county government, Qi Chou, who used to join Brother Yu Yi also fled to Shouyang Mountain this time, taking most of the servants and officials with him. How could these people give up Yanshi so easily?"

Yan Zhuang became impatient and asked again: "So what?"

"But you know, Xue Bai has a thunder-like weapon in his hand."

"If what I predict is good, when Shouyang Mountain finds out that Fu Jun has bypassed Yanshi, he may even support Luoyang City."

Who could have expected that Li Fei Shouyu would kill Xue Bai's long-planned plan by mistake.

"You don't need to tell me, I know what I look like." An Lushan patted his belly, thinking about his humble life experience, and said, "I am a pig, and I want to jump over the dragon gate and become a pig dragon."

"There is a grain shop behind the alley, which is also Xue Bai's property. The account books have been burned, but judging from the taxes it left at the North City Gate and the rental records at the carriage and horse shop, they at least raised it on Shouyang Mountain. A thousand people.”

Of course it would appear timid. First of all, how could Xue Bai have predicted that An Lushan would pass through Luoyang several years in advance and prepared to set up an ambush? And there are more than 100,000 soldiers and horses in Anlu Mountain. How can they be afraid of a surprise attack by a mere private soldier?

Yanzhuang has already felt the emptiness of Yanshi County along the way.

"Private soldiers. Xue Bai has raised a private army on Shouyang Mountain, at least a thousand people. This is just my estimate. The actual number must be more than this."

Gao Shang nodded, feeling a little relaxed, and said: "I do suspect that Xue Bai has hidden an elite army in Shouyang Mountain, or has the intention of raiding the prince. But if he only reminds the prince with this trace, he will inevitably appear timid. ”

Yan Zhuang finally faced the matter squarely, and turned to look at the outline of Shouyang Mountain in the distance, which was hidden in the horizon. He suddenly thought of a possibility, frowned slightly, and said: "I never thought about it. The Lord of the Palace did not follow me." Yanshi passed through the border and went south of Yishui to Luoyang. "

An Lushan came here because of the name "Dragon Gate". He hoped that if he jumped over the Dragon Gate, he could become a real dragon.

"Why do you care so much? With a hundred thousand troops, it would be easy to defeat Shouyang Mountain."

But Gao Shang is the one who values ​​Xue Bai most among the rebels.

"Tian Chengsi is eager to attack Luoyang, leaving only a team of troops blocking Shouyang Mountain. However, the mountain road is narrow and one man is in charge, so he cannot attack it for the time being."

"Come with me."

"Guess what objects were originally stacked here?"

He has paid great attention to Shouyang Mountain these days. At this time, it seems that no matter what arrangement Xue Bai left in Shouyang Mountain, it will definitely come to nothing.

Although he is a believer in Zoroastrianism and promised to "burn the evil in the world with the fire of light" when he started the army, he still has a deep respect for the culture of the Tang Dynasty.

An Lushan heard someone read it, shook his fat hand, and ordered not to cross the river, saying that it would be okay if Longmen jumped later.

It turned out that their letter said that Xue Bai had hidden private soldiers and firearms in Shouyang Mountain. This army had probably rushed to Luoyang for reinforcements.

An Lushan had heard about the thunderous power of explosives and was wary of getting too close to the battlefield. It was decided to temporarily set up the big tent at Longmen to facilitate the command of the army and the dispatch of food and fodder.

"I just said, I guessed that he was bent on murdering me!"

Thinking of Xue Bai, An Lushan's mania started to attack again. He grabbed the whip and started beating the people around him. Even Zhang Tongru received a few whips from him.

It's really because over the years, Xue Bai has been targeting him everywhere. In the early years, he blocked him from getting rid of Wang Zhongsi, and now he even ordered the counties in Hebei to rebel against him. This is so upsetting.

His temper grew, he lost confidence again and became pessimistic about the situation.

"If I believe your lies, the way back will be cut off by him, and the way forward will be blocked by him. I will personally kill him and go back to Changshan to cut him into pieces."

"If the prince of the government calms down his anger, the imperial court is dominated by traitors, and the capital is corrupted, Luoyang will be defeated in one blow, and no human effort can stop it..."

"We have taken Luoyang but cannot pass Tongguan. In this situation, can I still be a dragon?!"

An Lushan couldn't control his emotions. His joy and sorrow fluctuated greatly like the tide. He also thought of his humble life experience and felt that he was not worthy of jumping over the dragon gate.

"Report!"

This time, Xinma came from the north, shouting in an excited voice from a distance.

"General Tian won the first battle and defeated Gao Xianzhi in Kuiyuan!"

"Our army won the first battle. Gao Xianzhi has retreated into the upper east gate. General Tian is taking advantage of the victory to pursue us!"

Although Gao Xianzhi was a famous general in the world, Luoyang only had a group of rabble with no battle experience. Zhang Tongru had expected this result.

An Lushan was a little surprised. Xue Bai made a lot of preparations in Shouyang Mountain, but ended up bypassing Yanshi himself. Now it was too late for his private troops to support Luoyang...

~~
Luoyang, Nanshi.

Lu Qi handed over a large bag of peppercorns and took the reins from the horse dealer.

The other end of the reins held two horses. He quickly mounted one of them and drove the horse towards the imperial city.

He carried a suitcase with many items in it, but there was no flying money.

There was a reason why Lu Qi didn't need to fly money, because he found out that the proprietor behind Fenghui Bank was probably Xue Bai, and he had a problem with Xue Bai. He originally had a good future and moved to the position of legal director of Jingzhao Prefecture at a young age. However, he offended Xue Bai in the Bamboo Paper Case, so he had to escape Chang'an with his father's protection and demoted himself to Shuofang. Because he was dissatisfied with the hardships at Shuofang, he resigned due to illness.

In addition, he knew very well that with the war now underway, Henan would soon fall into the hands of the rebels. It would be strange if Feiqian could still be used by then.

At this time, people in Luoyang City were in panic. When they heard that the rebels were coming, many officials and people packed up their belongings and fled. After Gao Xianzhi entered the city, he began to recruit young men, causing great chaos.

Now that the city gate is closed, many nobles are dissatisfied and want to break open the city gate and flee to Chang'an with their troops.

"Lu Qi!"

After bypassing Daodefang, Lu Qi was walking along Luoshui when he suddenly heard someone shouting to him.

When he turned around, he saw a group of students from Luoyang Imperial College. The leader was Lu Qi's classmate named Feng Sheng.

He didn't want to pay attention to Feng Sheng, so he drove his horse and started to leave. However, there was a crowd of people fleeing in front of him, and the horse couldn't move fast. Feng Sheng caught up with him in a hurry and pulled his reins.

"Lu Qi, we are going to help the officers and soldiers defend the city. Are you willing to go with us?"

"I'm going to the imperial city for official business." Lu Qi said, "You guys, please don't stop me."

"What's the matter? Do you want my help?"

"No, get out of the way!"

Lu Qi was not polite, sat on the saddle, raised his foot and kicked Feng Sheng away.

The two of them actually had a feud. When Lu Qi was young, he was also in the Imperial Academy in Luoyang. He always despised Feng Sheng for coming from a poor family. Once, in order to tease Feng Sheng, he even searched Feng Sheng's backpack and found that there was nothing except a piece of ink. Then they laughed at him. At that time, Feng Sheng was so angry that he stepped forward and snatched Lu Qi's backpack and shook out all the items inside. He found that there were two to three hundred copies of famous letters used to pay visits to officials. As a result, Lu Qi became famous among his classmates. The title of a "slave of fame and fortune".

When he moved his feet, all the disciples became angry and stepped forward to pull him away.

Someone scolded: "Fame and fortune slave! As the son of a high-ranking official, you have always promised to serve your family and country in the past. Today you just run away for your life. How can you still dare to hit others?"

The two sides started arguing, and in the chaos, the disciples tore off Lu Xuan's backpack, and a bunch of objects rolled out, including some gold, silver, soft goods and dry food, things for escaping.

Feng Sheng looked at it, stunned, and said: "Slave of fame and wealth, you are now a ghost!"

Memories from his youth flooded into his mind, and Lu Qi was furious and cursed: "Get lost, you bunch of meddling poor scholars!"

In a hurry, he simply picked up the riding crop and swung it at them. The conflict became more intense. Lu Qi was outnumbered and was quickly pulled off his horse. He quickly shouted: "My grandfather is the censor Zhongcheng who stayed in Taiwan. Who dares to bully me?!"

Because of this shout, a group of guards from Luoyang City were alerted, and they rushed over.

"It's really Mr. Lu, drive away those poor scholars! Quick!"

"Let us go, we are going to help the officers and soldiers defend the city!"

"How dare you touch Lu Duxian's husband?!"

"Eating dog intestines! The country is facing a crisis. Instead of protecting the people, you are here acting like dogs for the powerful. No wonder the rebels came to the Eastern Capital within a month!"

"Criticize Chengyu and take them all down..."

What goes up works and what goes down works, because everyone in the court likes to use the crime of "criticizing Chengyu" to exclude dissidents, and the same pattern is followed all over the world. Even if a student of the Imperial College falls into such a crime, it will be the credit of these guards.

Feng Sheng was quickly restrained, and his blood surged with anger, and his face turned red.

"Let me go! Although I am a scholar, I am willing to die killing a thief, not at the hands of a slave of fame and fortune!"

"beat!"

In the chaos, Lu Qi turned around and glanced coldly at his classmates before getting on his horse again.

Under the escort of the imperial guards, he finally ran through Tianjin Gate and rushed to the imperial city.

Luoyang is the capital of the East, and the sage still came to eat from time to time more than ten years ago, so it retains a set of left-behind officials with the same rank as Chang'an. Lu Qi's grandfather Lu Yi has now been moved to serve as the censor Zhongcheng who stayed in Taiwan.

Lu Yi had already asked his wife and children to secretly go to Chang'an with official seals, while he continued to the imperial censor's platform in the imperial city as usual.

After Lu Qi left the city with his family, he heard the latest battle report and came back again, wanting to take his grandfather away.

On that day, the huge Yushitai was empty, and the usual scene of officials coming and going was gone.

"Grandpa?!"

Lu Qi was not sure whether Lu Yi was still there, so he hurried into the lobby of the central courtyard.

Entering the hall, Lu Yi, wearing a red official robe, was sitting there reading a book.

This situation was exactly the same as every time Lu Qi came home after getting into trouble.

"Grandma!"

Lu Qi shouted and immediately fell down.

Lu Yi raised his head from the book, frowned slightly, and asked, "Why are you back?"

"Gao Xianzhi fought with the rebels in Kuiyuan and was defeated. He is now retreating to the upper east gate. I am afraid that Luoyang City cannot be defended. Grandpa, please come with me!"

Compared to his son's anxiety and panic, Lu Yi seemed extremely calm. He put down the book and said in a calm tone: "How can we hold on to the Eastern Capital with people like you who are obsessed with fame and fortune?"

He actually had the time to mock.

Suddenly there was a loud shout in the distance.

Lu Qi looked back and said: "When I came here, I saw a distinguished noble in front of Xuanhui Gate who was about to leave the city. The city gate must have been opened at this time. Master, please leave quickly. If you don't leave, the thieves will come."

"The thief is coming, but he still opens the city gate." Lu Yi closed his eyes and shook his head.

Lu Qi stood up and stepped forward, wanting to take his grandfather away by force.

"You dare?!" Lu Yi shouted, "The body can be killed, but the integrity cannot be taken away. If you dare to destroy my loyalty, it is unfilial!"

"baby……"

"roll!"

Lu Qi hesitated for a while, finally kowtowed twice, turned around and ran out.

He ran out of the imperial city and followed the crowd through the city gate that had been breached.

Gao Xianzhi did issue a strict order to close the city gate, but the people under Gao Xianzhi's command were not the Anxi Army that followed him for thousands of miles, but the people from Luoyang who were temporarily recruited. These people usually tremble when they see nobles, so how dare they Stop them?

Running out of Luoyang City, you can see people fleeing all over the mountains and plains.

In the face of danger, the slowest ones to escape were the untouchables who couldn't even afford salt and therefore had no physical strength, followed by the ordinary people who had no horses or dry food.

Lu Qi rode his horse and knocked away those who were blocking his way, quickly leaving many people behind.

After that, he could faintly hear the sound of tens of thousands of horses galloping at the same time, like muffled thunder, mixed with the sound of horns and drums.

The rebels have arrived.

I wonder how many more days Luoyang City can be defended?

Lu Qi looked back and knew that if he got into trouble again, he would not have his grandfather to take care of him anymore...

~~
Ten days later, Pingyuan County.

Yan Gaoqing stood on the top of the city, raised a telescope and looked at the enemy camp in the distance. A head appeared in his sight, hanging precariously under the rebel general's flag.

The person who was beheaded was a man in his fifties. Even though he died, he still looked upright. He must have been cursing the rebels impassionedly before he died.

The other party was a famous official. Yan Gaoqing had met him once when he was in Chang'an, so he recognized him as Zhongcheng, Lu Yi, the censor who stayed in Taiwan.

Hanging on the rebel flagpole together with Lu Yi were two other heads, which Yan Gaoqing did not recognize.

"City people, listen!"

Gradually, the rebels advanced to the bottom of the city wall.

"I would like to introduce you to these three important officials of the Tang Dynasty, Lu Yi, the imperial censor, Li Jing, the guard in Luoyang, and Jiang Qing, the interview judge in Luoyang! Hahaha, do you know what killing these three people means?"

The unbridled cry reached the top of the city, and Yan Gaoqing frowned. He had a premonition that Luoyang might have been lost, but he couldn't believe it. He was more willing to believe that this was a treacherous plot by the rebels to shake the morale of the army.

But he could not stop the rebel from continuing.

"Let me tell you, Fu Jun has captured Luoyang! Gao Xianzhi, the so-called famous general you had high hopes for, has been defeated again and again!"

With these words, exclamations suddenly sounded on the city. The reason why the generals and soldiers followed Yan Gaoqing and returned to the court was because they believed that the powerful Tang Dynasty could put down the rebellion. However, if the capital was captured, what would happen to them? The blow was huge.

When Yan Quanming saw this, he burst into laughter and shouted, "Who are you trying to trick with this kind of trick?!"

Having said that, the worries in the hearts of the soldiers in Jingsai County of Pingyuan County have not been dispelled...

"Luoyang has been conquered! It's not too late for the officers and soldiers in the city. Whoever kills Yan Gaoqing will be given an official title and a heavy reward!"

The general who led the rebels to attack the city was named Duan Ziguang.

Following An Lushan's order, he took the three heads to Hebei to show the public. After passing through Wei, Pingyang, and Guangping counties, he successfully threatened the county guards and successfully conquered the three counties.

But Pingyuan County was different. The county governor Yan Gaoqing was Xue Bai's in-law. Therefore, the rebels were very vigilant and even gave up trying to persuade Yan Gaoqing to surrender. After shaking his military morale, they prepared to attack the city.

The seat of Pingyuan County is in Pingyuan County. The terrain is flat and there is no danger to defend. Yan Gaoqing took office for a short time and did not have time to strengthen the city walls or even completely subdue the defenders. At this time, it was very difficult to face the rebel offensive.

After only half a day of fighting, the rebels had already attacked the city for the first time. It was Yan Quanming who personally led the troops to repel the rebels on the city, and he was able to hold on to this wave of offensive with great difficulty.

But not long after, dust and smoke billowed in the distance, and the rebel reinforcements arrived again.

As a result, the morale of the Jingsai Army was even more chaotic. Some generals were already hesitating whether to betray Yan Gaoqing in order to save their lives. At this time, they finally made up their minds.

As if destined, Yan Gaoqing still fell into the situation of being trapped in the isolated city.

However, he himself did not regard his life as a disobedience, and still calmly looked at the distant flag with his telescope.

"It's our reinforcements!" Yan Gaoqing suddenly put down his telescope and shouted: "Master Wang has arrived! Kill the enemy!"

Even Yan Quanming had some suspicions that his grandfather was lying to boost morale. However, as he looked far away, he gradually saw what appeared to be the words "Xue Bai, Prefect of Changshan" written on the flag.

"Counterinsurgency!"

When Duan Ziguang learned about the movement in the rear, he thought it was soldiers and horses supporting him. However, when the other party rushed closer, he discovered that they were reinforcements from the Tang Army, and there were eight thousand reinforcements.

Looking at the flags, there are Xue Bai, the prefect of Changshan, Wang Nanlan, the envoy of the Yunzhong army, and He Lan, the prefect of Beihai. Charged in front were two thousand cavalry, with their horns sounding, and they launched a ruthless attack on the rebels.

Caught off guard, Duan Ziguang was unable to organize a strong defense.

Tang Jun quickly tore apart his rear formation.

Seeing this situation, Duan Ziguang wanted to escape, but a fierce horseman caught up with him and stabbed him under the horse with one shot.

Immediately, with the sound of wind, his flag slowly fell down and hit the ground heavily.

The three heads hanging on the big flag also fell.

Someone rode forward, picked up the head, looked at it carefully, and took it into Plain City.

……

"No blame? It's really you!"

Yan Gaoqing strode out of the city gate, hugged Xue Bai with both hands, and said excitedly: "Why are you here?!"

Seeing that Yan Gaoqing was fine, Xue Bai breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

As far as he was concerned, Yan Gaoqing was not dead, so he dared to be sure that he was making changes little by little.

However, Xue Bai would not express this thought aloud. With a confident smile on his face, he responded: "I heard that the rebels will return north soon. I will come to support Prefect Yan."

While speaking, he noticed that the generals behind Yan Gaoqing were a little uneasy, so he turned around and looked in the direction where they were looking, and saw the three heads.

"fake."

Xue Baiyun said calmly: "I was a Yanshi county captain, and I know all the Luoyang officials. They are all fake. An Lushan was also desperate and wanted to escape back to Fanyang, using this little trick."

(End of this chapter)