Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 438 is all right
Tongguan.

To the north is the roar of the Yellow River, to the south is the Qinling Mountains, to the east is the raging banditry, and to the west is the great trust of the country. No one can empathize with how much pressure Ge Shuhan is under.

He had lost count of how many attacks he had repelled in succession, but because he did not dare to leave the city to pursue them, he was unable to launch an annihilating offensive against the rebels. The enemy force continued as if it would never end.

Fortunately, the situation in Hebei is improving now. If we continue to hold on, the rebels will be the first to fail. Ge Shuhan was ready for a protracted war. He also brought his good friend Cao Buzhe from Chang'an to Tongguan to take care of his food and daily life.

In mid-October, the weather got colder and colder. Taking advantage of the lull in the rebel offensive, Cao Buzhe heated hot water and asked Ge Shuhan to take off his armor and wash away the blood all over his body.

"Look at you, you're so dirty."

"Now that I've washed myself, can I fight with you on the bed tonight?"

"Old man, please wash your mouth first."

Ge Shuhan leaned in the bath bucket, sighed comfortably, rubbed his forehead, took Cao Buzhe's hand, and said, "Go and get me a bag of wine."

"Stop drinking, haven't you drunk enough?!"

He is old and sick, has many children and grandchildren, and countless generals. He can die, but he must give a proper explanation to everyone under his wings.

"I can't move."

His eyes were shaking slightly and he couldn't see anything clearly. Cao Buzhe's crying sound reached his ears, and he thought that this evil woman would cry for him.

The people around him kept comforting him, saying that he would be fine if he could be raised, but he was too lazy to listen and said: "I'll send you a memorial and ask the saint to choose another good general."

"But it has something to do with Xue Bai?" Ge Shuhan asked, "Is Mr. Yan afraid that he will be implicated by this son-in-law?"

So, after his symptoms improved a little, he asked Yan Zhenqing to meet him alone.

Ge Shuhan couldn't sit up, so he turned his neck and asked, "Then, what is Mr. Yan still worried about?"

Yan Zhenqing said: "Not long ago, good news came from Hebei. Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi regained Jingcheng, Hejian, Xindu, and Zhaojun. They are currently preparing to attack Fanyang. In addition, the rebels' eastern strategy has been completely contained. Yong In the battle of Qiu, the soldiers killed more than ten thousand thieves and surrounded Anlu Mountain.

Ge Shuhan was still confused, so he heard someone say, "The doctor said you had a stroke." He was stunned, feeling sad and relieved at the same time, sad that his lifelong hero had ended up paralyzed.

"How is your relationship with Xue Bai?"

"Stop arguing, you go out...how is the offensive?" He opened his mouth, feeling that his tongue was weak.

He stood up from the hot water with his tall body and was about to step out of the tub when he suddenly felt dizzy. Then his vision went dark and he fell heavily to the ground.

"Which offensive is Commander Jie asking about? You have been in a coma for five days, and Mrs. Cao has been hanging on you with soup."

"To be honest, Mr. Yan, I am very worried." Ge Shuhan murmured: "I have been thinking recently, what will happen when the rebellion is put down?"

But two years ago, Ge Shuhan was not careful and let Li Xiu come under the curtain. He thought that Li Linfu's son had nothing to do with the East Palace. When King Qing became the prince, he suddenly discovered that Xue Bai was the leader of the prince's party, and Li Xiu was Xue Bai's Yan Zhenqing was Xue Bai's father-in-law. At that time, there were countless people among the Longyou generals who were attracted by Li Xiu. In addition to Wang Nannan and Li Sheng, there were also Wang Sili, Li Guangbi, Li Feiyuanli, etc.

"Even if it's not before the New Year, it should be within two months. The morale of the rebels and... Luoyang's food reserves will not be able to sustain it for long."

The name Tianliangqiu has not appeared in any merit books of the Longyou Army before, whether it was Shibao City or the battle to recover Hequ. The reason why Ge Shuhan asked him to temporarily replace him was because Tian Liangqiu was sent by the saint to keep an eye on the movements of the two hundred thousand troops. Although he did not have the name of supervising the army, he had the actual ability to supervise the army.

"You know I love you, just because I love the shaochun wine you brewed. Bring it quickly."

An Lushan's rebellion and the saint's order to kill Gao Xianzhi made him feel that General Hu was beginning to be mistrusted, and he always felt like a thorn in his back recently.

Ge Shuhan continued to soak for a while, and suddenly he heard the drums beating loudly on the top of the city, and the soldiers shouted "enemy attack" again.

"What does Mr. Yan think of the situation?"

At this point, it was no longer possible for Geshuhan to be alone, especially after the rebellion, the saint became more and more suspicious of the general and did not allow him to be ambiguous anymore. And even if he resigned due to illness after suppressing the rebellion, these things would be left to his descendants, The Ministry will be responsible for it in the future.

"Boom!"

Although Yan Zhenqing was tired, he always maintained a determined look, with only a hint of worry deep in his eyes. He did not answer when he heard this, but shook his head to show that he was not worried.

"Why?"

On the other hand, Ge Shuhan was not convinced about Tian Liangqiu's talents, and asked Yan Zhenqing to take charge of logistics, Wang Sili to command the cavalry, and Li Chengguang to command the infantry, deliberately letting them compete with Tian Liangqiu for power.

Previously in Longyou, Ge Shuhan had already reduced his drinking due to physical discomfort, but after arriving in Tongguan, he drank more and more. But she scolded him and knew that her brother Shu Han had been upset recently, so she had to go get him a drink.

In other words, the situation he faced was actually the same as that of Yan Zhenqing, so he really wanted to hear Yan Zhenqing's views on Xue Bai's matter.

Seeing that Yan Zhenqing was still so calm at this juncture, Ge Shuhan thought about it and summoned his general Wang Sili after meeting Yan Zhenqing.

"Maybe the rebellion can be put down before the New Year?"

But Yan Zhenqing let out a long sigh and said: "National affairs are the most important thing. What should we think about other things after putting down the rebellion? The commander-in-chief should relax and rest."

Ge Shuhan was paralyzed in bed and could no longer manage affairs, so he had to entrust military and political affairs to Tian Liangqiu.

I thought that this illness would relieve me of the heavy burden on my shoulders, but I didn't expect that the decree from Chang'an asked him to continue to serve as commander and put down the rebellion.

In fact, Wang Sili and Xue Bai had never met, but as soon as he heard this question, he immediately took a few steps forward to Ge Shuhan's bed and whispered: "Although I don't know Xue Bai, I feel for him Unfair.”

In this way, he would not only have to worry about the immediate war, but also make arrangements for the aftermath.

"Suppressing the rebellion is the most important thing, so why worry about your personal future?"

Based on the experience of Huangfu Weiming and Wang Zhongsi, the two governors of Longyou, he had always tried his best to avoid matters involving the crown prince, but as the saint grew older, this matter could not be avoided at all. As a minister, once you think about the future, it is difficult to refuse to get close to the East Palace, unless a sycophantic minister like Yang Guozhong only cares about the immediate scenery and is willing to suppress the prince for the saint.

"That's because I put ecstasy in the wine. Myrrh will kill you." Cao Buzhe scolded.

I don't know how long it took for him to wake up slowly. He struggled with his eyelids for a long time before he opened his eyes. He wanted to move but couldn't. He could only weakly curse, "Eating dog intestines, the ghost is on the bed."

Or, he wanted to know, had Xue Bai contacted Yan Zhenqing?

His tongue was weak, but he insisted on pointing out the situation faced by Yan Zhenqing, and continued: "I heard that the sage appointed Helan Jinming, the governor of Beihai, as the military envoy to Hebei, and Li Zhi, the governor of Dongping and the successor of Wu, as the military envoy to Henan. He just refuses to talk about Xue Bai's achievements in quelling the rebellion, and seems to want to escort him back to Chang'an? "

"An Lushan's heart has long been known to everyone on the road. The saint stubbornly refused to remonstrate, favored trust and indulged this bully, and led to rebellion, but he said that it was because Xue Bai forced Anlu Mountain to rebel. How foolish is it? The saint has long lost the wisdom in his prime. Now there is a sleepy old fool sitting on the throne!"

"Shut up, you are too presumptuous."

Ge Shuhan stopped Wang Sili. After a while, he asked again: "Did you put your fingerprint on Li Xiu's blood letter?"

"Does Commander Ji know about this?" Wang Sili's eyes changed, and he quickly confessed his crime, "If this happens, please Commander Ji, please kill me so as not to implicate Commander Ji."

"You are not afraid of death?"

"The last general followed Wang Jieshuai when he was thirteen years old. From Shuofang to Longyou, I saw him being wronged and suffered. Now I see the rebels attacking the east capital. I finally understand that if the saint does not abdicate, I will inevitably be with Wang Jieshuai sooner or later. , Xue Bai’s fate.”

When Ge Shuhan heard this, he stopped yelling. At this point, Wang Sili was no longer the only one who was ready to take action. He couldn't stop yelling. No wonder Wang Sili is like this. The saint's ignorance is indeed obvious to all. The original halo of wisdom and martial prowess has been shattered, and his prestige has plummeted.

The human heart is like a raging torrent that no one can stop. It is already difficult not to be buried in it.

"Since Commander Jie knows everything, I have long wanted to advise you." Wang Sili thought for a while and then said something even more treacherous, "The rebellion is about to be put down. Commander Ji will command an army of 200,000 people and sit down." Tongguan, have you ever thought about... planning for your descendants and the world? "

Needless to say, the meaning is very simple. No one knows what a foolish, headstrong, and jealous emperor will do. It is better to use the current military strength to support the crown prince. From now on, even if he becomes an official, he can enjoy wealth and keep his family. Children and grandchildren have no worries.

It's simple and the payoff is huge.

But Ge Shuhan lay there motionless, as if he didn't hear anything.

Wang Sili was overjoyed when he saw that he was silent, because he knew that Ge Shuhan had already considered the matter, and said: "When the rebellion is put down, the saint must take back the military power of the commander. If he is determined to help the country, the commander should make preparations early. …How about asking Yang Guozhong to be killed?”

"No."

"An Lushan raised his troops in the name of 'Qingjun side'. Yang Guozhong has unshirkable responsibility for this rebellion. This traitor is unpopular. If he is killed, the public will rejoice. The saint is no longer surrounded by traitors, so he will naturally not be poor. The officials are extremely extravagant and know that they are loyal and loyal to the country, so they will definitely support the East Palace."

Ge Shuhan had a stroke and couldn't move, otherwise he would have to kick Wang Sili and said: "In this case, I am treason. What is the difference between An Lushan and An Lushan?"

"An Lushan wolf is ambitious and rebellious. Commander Jie is motivated by loyalty and to preserve the country. How can they be compared?" Wang Sili said: "I only need to bring thirty cavalry back to Chang'an. In less than two days, Yang Guozhong can be hijacked to Tongguan and beheaded." To show off to the public, this is an act of my own accord and has nothing to do with the Commander-in-Chief."

Ge Shuhan had no choice but to reveal his real concerns and said: "You don't understand the saint. If you do this, you won't be able to suppress the saint. You will only anger him, and the consequences will be disastrous."

There are many generals like Tian Liangqiu in Tongguan who have been appointed by saints. Once they ask Yang Guozhong to be punished, they will definitely alert the snake and raise the saint's vigilance. It should be noted that the saint is already suspicious of him.

"Then just support the crown prince."

"No."

"Commander of integrity, if you keep cutting off, you will suffer chaos instead!"

"Shut up, this is absolutely not allowed, don't let me hear you mention it again!"

Wang Sili thought that if Xue Bai was in Chang'an, he might be able to push the prince. However, the saint might have been wary of this, so he ignored the situation in Hebei and Henan and couldn't wait to take Xue Bai into custody.

He thought for a moment and said, "If Yang Guozhong is not eliminated for now, we can kill An Sishun first."

"An Sishun?"

The topic suddenly moved to An Sishun's head, but Ge Shuhan began to think deeply.

He has always had a personal grudge with An Sishun, so let's not mention it for now.

In the past, he and An Sishun served under Wang Zhongsi together, and later served as military envoys to Longyou and Hexi respectively. Up to this point, they were still of equal strength until An Sishun also served as military envoy to Shuofang. Shuofang's army is truly elite, and its combat power is not inferior to that of Longyou Army.

After An Lushan's rebellion, the saint ordered An Sishun to return to the court and serve as Minister of War. At the same time, he divided Shuofang's army into two, and one part was led by Guo Ziyi to attack Hebei eastward.

As for the other part, according to secrets, they are now preparing to move south from Lingwu to support the defense of Guanzhong. So, why did the saint secretly mobilize Shuo's army to defend Chang'an after Ge Shuhan had led an army of 200,000 to defend Tongguan?
The answer is obvious, it must be to check and balance his brother Shu Han.

The reason why the saint transferred An Sishun back to the court was not necessarily because he thought An Sishun was colluding with An Lushan, but because he wanted to test his loyalty before deciding whether to use him to lead Shuofang's army.

Wang Sili is the son of Shuofang Army General Wang Qianwei. He has grown up in Shuofang since he was a child. The news about An Sishun and Shuofang Army was given to him by his old friend. He knew the matter very well and said: "Commander Jie Ruo." If we don’t get rid of An Sishun, we might be harmed by An Sishun.”

"I have always disliked An Sishun. Do you know why?" Ge Shuhan said slowly: "He has obviously had a good relationship with An Lushan since he was a child, but he deliberately pretends to be at odds with him; he also obviously respects his troops and secretly orders Hexi The ministries forced the imperial court to keep him in office; he forced Albuis to rebel and win over Li Guangbi. When the critical moment came, he did not dare to raise troops together with An Lushan..."

After counting An Sishun's major crimes, Ge Shuhan remembered something and asked, "Did Shi Chaoying escape?"

"Yes." Wang Sili said, "I was self-defeating. I didn't expect that she would escape."

"Where is the letter between An Sishun and An Lushan? Can it still be found?"

Wang Sili thought for a while and responded: "I can get it back."

The saint did not fully trust An Sishun, so it would be a safer way to accuse An Sishun of colluding with An Lushan and use the saint's help to eliminate a threat first than to directly kill Yang Guozhong.

~~
Changan.

Yang Guozhong walked out of Xingqing Palace with a very serious face. He called over Jinwu Guards and said, "Do you know where An Sishun's residence is?"

"know."

"Go get him!"

That day, An Sishun was teasing his grandson at home, and was extremely surprised when he saw Jin Wuwei crashing into the door.

He did not expect that he would be detained and thought that the crisis had been resolved.

Since An Lushan was preparing to rebel, he had written in advance to remind the court that An Lushan would rebel. After the order to dismiss Shuofang Jiedushi arrived, he resigned without hesitation and returned to Chang'an, showing his loyalty.

When the rebels conquered Luoyang, the saint was furious and executed An Qingzong, the eldest son of An Lushan who settled in Chang'an. However, An Sishun was not involved, which shows that the saint had believed him at that time.

On the day when Anqingzong was beheaded in front of everyone, the saint also decreed that Princess Rongyi should be killed. But now that Li Cong has become the prince and has some power, he actually goes against the cowardice of the past and fights for disobedience. Holy will also protect his adopted daughter. This incident made the relationship between the saint and the prince tense. For this reason, there was a secret turmoil in Chang'an City. The saint even secretly mobilized Shuofang's army to enter the court and considered recruiting An Sishun.

He never expected that what was waiting for him was not a letter of appointment, but a pair of iron shackles...

"Right Prime Minister?!"

When Yang Guozhong's figure appeared in the dark cell, An Sishun stood up from the thatch and asked, "What's going on?!"

"The letter you secretly sent to An Lushan was found." Yang Guozhong casually threw a letter into the prison, "Oh, I got it from outside Tongguan Pass."

"This is a frame-up. How can the right prime minister not see such a simple trick?!"

"It's not important." Yang Guozhong said, "I'm here today to see you off, and also to ask if you have any last words to say."

"What do you mean? Do you really dare to kill me?"

"It's not me who wants to kill you, but the saint who wants to kill you."

An Sishun shook his head and laughed, not believing it at all.

"Your right minister knows that I went into the palace not long ago to discuss the situation in Guanzhong with the saint, and discussed that Ge Shuhan might have made false predictions, made false claims in the East Palace, and criticized Cheng Yu. Now Ge Shuhan is the first to file a lawsuit against me, hoping to frame me. How can a saint believe it?"

His anger surged and he shouted: "Ge Shuhan is the one who wants to rebel! How dare he wrong me?! How dare he wrong me?!"

Hearing the familiar charge, Yang Guozhong also smiled, beckoned for people to come over with tables, seat cushions, wine and food, and drank and talked with An Sishun through the fence.

This move made An Sishun's heart go cold. He was silent for a long time, drinking wine and thinking.

"There are only two people who can get out of this death row. I remember only two people in my life. Unfortunately, you are not Xue Bai." Yang Guozhong said: "Don't think too much. No matter whether you recruit or not, you will definitely die."

"Why?"

"You chose the wrong path. You hold military power, but you only know how to show your loyalty to the saint. Did Gao Xianzhi die because of his disloyalty? I don't understand this. If you don't die, who will die?"

An Sishun was stunned for a moment, then sluggish for a moment, and suddenly woke up.

It wasn't until he was imprisoned that he understood from Yang Guozhong's words why he was trapped in death.

Since An Lushan's rebellion, Gao Xianzhi abandoned Luoyang. There was a nail in the saint's heart, and he could no longer trust these generals like before. However, the saint looked around and saw that only General Hu could be used, so he could only hold his nose and continue to use them.

Not only Hu generals, but anyone who might threaten the emperor's status would be jealous. After all, as early as the fifth year of Tianbao, the crime of "making false claims of prophecy" has never been eliminated.

It is impossible to eliminate suspicion, and it is useless to show loyalty. On the contrary, only by raising troops to rebel like An Lushan, or by supporting troops and respecting oneself like Ge Shuhan, can we protect ourselves.

"Do not."

An Sishun shook his head violently and said, "A saint would never be like this. He has always been broad-minded and the most tolerant. He is definitely not like this. The saint I know is definitely not like this."

Yang Guozhong didn't answer and just drank. He was not about to die, so there was no need to explain these questions thoroughly.

The reason why he came has his own purpose.

"For the sake of this feast of wine and meat, tell me, who can be trusted among Lingwu's Shuofang Army now?"

An Sishun shook his head and murmured: "If the saint doesn't believe in me, who can he believe in?"

Yang Guozhong said: "Of course it's me."

"Huh?" An Sishun laughed angrily, looked at the empty and dark cell, and said: "I am a dying person, why do you have to show off? Your so-called loyalty is different from An Lushan and Ge Shuhan. What's the difference?"

"The saint still believes in me, that's enough."

"That's because you are useless." An Sishun spat.

Yang Guozhong was too thick-skinned to argue with him, and said, "If you don't want to help me, that's fine. But your generals and staff, don't you want to help them too?"

An Sishun didn't answer, just drank and ate meat.

But as he ate, the taste was still bland in his mouth. He shook his head and sighed: "You know? The edict calling me back to the pilgrimage has arrived at Shuofang, and the envoy from An Lushan inviting me to raise troops has also arrived. If I make Different choices, sealing the king and splitting the earth are still unknown. "

Having said this, he did not expect Yang Guozhong to reverse the case for him.

But in retrospect, the reason why he did not dare to raise troops at that time was because he felt that most of Shuofang's soldiers were loyal to the imperial court.

At that time, Guo Ziyi found him privately and had a heart-to-heart talk with him, saying that if he rebelled, we would meet each other at war from now on, and the past grudges would be wiped out. When we meet on the battlefield, Guo Ziyi will never show mercy. And if he is willing to be loyal to the imperial court, even though he will step down as the military governor of Shuofang this time, he will always be the commander-in-chief in the hearts of their soldiers.

An Sishun had a premonition that he could not control the rebellion of Shuofang's army, so he decided to return to the court. At that time, he thought that the saint would honor him, and he had enough reasons.

"A saint shouldn't kill me!"

"is it?"

"I relinquished my military power and returned to the court. I recognized An Lushan as a loyal minister of the court! Ge Shuhan relied on the military strength to persecute the saint. He was so domineering, but the saint still relied on him. The emperor's prestige was bound to fall again. In the future, the generals of the vassal town If everyone follows suit, then the country will lose its power!”

"That's enough, you dare to criticize Chengyu?!"

"When people are about to die, why shouldn't I dare?! An Lushan's rebellion is not terrible. What I'm afraid of is that the saint's cowardice will be seen by the world. From then on, the imperial power will be gone, and the country will fall apart..."

"An Sishun!" Yang Guozhong threw the wine bottle in his hand and shouted, "You are indeed rebellious."

"Hahahaha, am I rebellious?"

An Sishun laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke.

But after laughing for a long time, he realized that like the hateful Ge Shuhan, he was not really a loyal minister.

He had been close to An Lushan since he was a child, but later both of them had military power. Because they were afraid of the saint's suspicion, they pretended to be at odds in order to keep their futures.

An Lushan offended Prince Li Heng and received Li Linfu's instructions to raise troops to prevent Li Heng from ascending the throne a hundred years after the saint. An Sishun also knew about this. And his approach was deliberately opposite to An Lushan.

He made good friends with Li Heng in private. For example, when Li Heng's confidant Du Hongjian was demoted to Shuofang, he promoted Du Hongjian several times and promoted him to the position of Jiedu judge in just a few years. He did instruct the chiefs of Hexi tribes to commit suicide in order to stay in office, and he also forced Li Guangbi to become his son-in-law because he admired him.

All these things are just things that generals in border towns often do. How can there be any such thing as loyalty or disloyalty, injustice or injustice? It’s just a matter of whether there is an opportunity.

Just as Xue Bai's poem at that time stated, "The Duke of Zhou was afraid of the day of rumors, but Wang Mang was humble and did not usurp the throne. Xiangshi died that year, who knows the truth in his life?"

It's just that this time he was not as good as others and lost to Ge Shuhan in one move.

But he believed that Ge Shuhan, Li Longji, and even the entire Tang Dynasty must pay the price for his death.

The next day, An Sishun was pulled out of Duliu Shu Prison and dragged to the execution ground. Before being cut in half, he shouted at Xingqing Palace.

"Unjustly accused!"

"Unjustly accused!"

……

"puff."

With a slash of his sword, another famous general fell.

But the saint's suspicion was far from over.

(End of this chapter)