Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 472 Lingwu
At the foot of Helan Mountain, the surging Yellow River flows through the Ningxia Plain. There is a city beside the Yellow River called "Lingwu".

In the 20th year of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty ordered generals Li Daozong and Xue Wanche to attack Xue Yantuo. They were victorious and powerful in the northern frontier. Therefore, the eleven tribes that originally relied on Xue Yantuo, including the Huihe, Bayegu, and Xuexue, sent envoys to pay tribute and "return to the emperor and beg for Han officials." Taizong agreed and went to Lingwu in person to accept the submission of the tribes. Therefore, there are also people here It is known as "Shoujiang City".

From then on, Lingwu was the residence of Shuofang Jiedushi, commanding the seven military mansions and governing Sanshoujiang City.

The gate tower in the south of the city is very majestic. When Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty arrived, thousands of envoys from various ministries greeted him here. They respected him as the "Khan of Heaven" and swore that "I would like to have the Supreme Lord of Heaven as my slave and the Son of Heaven's Khan." "My descendants will always be the supreme slaves of Heaven, and I will have no regrets in death." So Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty wrote a poem and recorded it on a stone.

More than a hundred years have passed, and Emperor Taizong's writings are still engraved on the city gate downstairs.

"Avenge the humiliation and reward hundreds of kings, eliminate the evil and repay the eternity."

"I used to ride on a horse, but now I'm driving thousands of horses here."

That day, someone stood in front of the stone carving and stared at it for a long time. He stretched out his hand and wanted to touch the writing on it. When his fingertips were about to touch the cold stone, he stopped again, fell to his knees, and cried endlessly.

"Hey, get up!" A group of soldiers came out of the city and shouted: "You evil man, don't stand in the way!"

After a while, the wailing man raised his head. He is in his forties, wearing shabby felt clothes, with disheveled hair, angular cheeks, straight nose, and deep eyes. He looks like a typical Hedong man.

A group of people came on horseback from the west city wall, and the leader was Li Heng.

Feng Changqing stepped forward, lame on his feet, and said: "I was anxious to see you, so I left the army and came here alone."

"He is the deputy governor of Anxi. He is the deputy ambassador of the four towns' management, support and camp. He has the power to know the affairs of the country."

He did not directly say who he was anxious to meet, because he was already anxious when he heard that Gao Xianzhi was beheaded and the saint abandoned Chang'an and fled. After receiving the imperial edict, he immediately led his army back eastward. When he arrived in Zhangye, he met the messenger sent by Li Heng, who told him to go to Lingwu in vague words. He thought he was going to see the saint, wanted to say something good for Gao Xianzhi, and asked him to escort the saint back to the capital, so he immediately rushed over without stopping. , even the accompanying guards were left on the road.

He quickly led Feng Changqing to the tower and reassured him: "Your Highness will be here soon, please wait a moment."

Feng Changqing then quickly climbed to the city and caught up. Just as he was about to salute, Li Heng had already dismounted and held his hand.

And with the military support of Feng Changqing and the four towns of Anxi, he would dare to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor.

"The saint..." Du Hongjian suddenly began to cry sadly, unable to restrain himself, and said: "The saint passed away..."

"But His Highness is unwilling to do so."

"With the arrival of the Anxi soldiers, the Tang Dynasty will be saved."

"Don't get in the way here. We are going to welcome the Anxi Protector and the Jiedushi of the Four Towns. If you collide with us."

"General Yuan, tell me, did the saint really die?"

"The Fengjie Commander is worthy of being the Qiancheng of the country."

Li Heng wiped away his tears and looked back. Behind him, there were important ministers like Zhang Bian and Li Qiwu. If Feng Changqing could not be convinced, there were also concubines in the city who were the saint's closest concubines, such as Mei Fei and Fan Zhaoyi. It proves that what he said is true.

"Yes, the Imperial Guards coming from your Highness are all sons of Guanzhong. They miss their return day and night, and follow the loyal king all the way. They are all looking forward to regaining the two capitals and making military exploits. If the loyal king does not succeed to the throne, how can he reward the soldiers? People's hearts are at a loss. If they are scattered and can't be reunited, why don't you take care of them and follow them?"

"I wonder where the saint is?"

The reason why Li Heng has not yet ascended the throne is because he lost his reserve position, and his reputation and strength are not as good as before. Du Hongjian couldn't wait to talk to Feng Changqing about persuading him to join Li Heng, hoping to use his support to attract Feng Changqing to be loyal to Li Heng.

Du Hongjian nodded, looked towards the top of the city, and after a while, said: "Here he comes."

He has a very unique temperament. He has the ferocity and murderous aura of an outlaw, but at the same time he has a strong bookish flavor. When he spoke, his Mandarin language was not accurate, but his words were elegant.

"Okay, it's a pity that His Majesty couldn't see you..." Li Heng said, tears streaming down his face, and he could only wave his hands and let someone behind him come forward to speak.

Du Hongjian looked Feng Changqing up and down, and based on the information he had originally learned, it was said that Feng Changqing was usually very frugal. He rode a stagecoach when he went out to the army, and his private stable only had two horses. No wonder he was dressed like this.

As everyone spoke, their eyes turned to Feng Changqing. Du Hongjian asked first: "Are all the Fengjie commanders from Anxi?"

"It's Feng Changqing." The old man responded.

"Hey, are you any different?! Who are you to teach me how to do things?"

On that day, Feng Changqing first cried and sacrificed to the saint, then collected his emotions and discussed with various civil and military officials about protecting the country.

Du Hongjian talked about the details of the Chencang Incident, accused Li Cong and Xue Bai of their evil deeds, and finally sighed.

After he became a criminal, he was exiled to Anxi with his grandfather since he was a child. Fortunately, he was appreciated by Gao Xianzhi and favored by the saint. Within a few years, he was promoted to be the governor of the four towns. Although the Tang Dynasty was founded by military exploits, in this age when it was increasingly difficult for ordinary people from poor families to get ahead, his fortunes were extremely rare. So I remember your kindness and wish you could repay it with death.

"Seeing Taizong's imperial pen, I forgot my feelings for a moment and laughed."

"I also hope it's a lie." Yuan Siyi said, "How dare I tell such a lie?"

Soon, the city gate was opened, and Du Hongjian, the judge of Shuofang Jiedu, hurried out, repeatedly bowed his hands to Feng Changqing, and said: "Some are not welcome from a distance, and some are not welcome from afar. Your Highness has not seen the soldiers and horses from Anxi coming. , I didn’t know that the Fengjie Commander had arrived and could not leave the city to greet him. "

As Li Heng arrived in Lingwu, some local officials and loyal people were gathering one after another to express their opinions. The topic soon turned to persuading Li Heng to ascend the throne.

"That's right." Du Hongjian said: "The sacred weapon of the clan must be returned somewhere. If His Highness is allowed to retreat and lose the hearts of the world, then the big thing will be over. How can we talk about regaining the two capitals?"

Feng Changqing stopped and stood on the stone steps to the city, digesting the news. He couldn't believe it.

Of course Feng Changqing remembered Yuan Siyi. It was when he returned to Chang'an from the Western Regions after following Gao Xianzhi to destroy the Xiaobolu Kingdom, and was deeply impressed by everything he saw at that time.

However, Feng Changqing was not fooled by this achievement and murmured: "Is His Majesty really gone?"

It was a white-faced and beardless eunuch who wiped away tears and said: "Old slave Yuan Siyi, I met the Fengjie Commander at the imperial banquet for prisoners, do you still remember?"

This sentence touched Feng Changqing deeply, and he responded: "I swear to the death to pacify Hu Ni and regain the two capitals!"

Feng Changqing nodded.

This time, the one who rushed to speak was Wei Shaoyou, deputy envoy of Shuofang's water and land transportation, saying: "The so-called 'divisions are famous', what's the use of talking about how to organize the army? We should first ask His Highness to succeed."

"A country cannot live without a king for a day. Your Majesty has passed away, and King Qing has rebelled against you. According to etiquette, you should invite a loyal king to ascend the throne, but we have repeatedly urged him to come, and His Highness refuses to ascend the throne."

"Of course not." Feng Changqing said: "When the imperial court recruits troops, it recruits people from all over the world."

Du Hongjian said again: "In that case, how about we persuade you to come in tomorrow?"

"Okay." Feng Changqing also said decisively, "Tomorrow I will die to ask for advice and advise His Highness to take into account the overall situation."

~~
It's night, and the moon appears in the easterly part of the sky. It's bright and bright, making people miss their hometown especially when they see it.

The Yellow River is wide and sparkling, flowing quietly beside the official road leading to Lingwu. There is news that Ma Zheng is galloping on the official road and arrives at Lingwu overnight.

"Five hundred miles urgent. King Guangping has an important letter to deliver to His Highness."

At the same time, Li Heng was standing in front of the window with his hands behind his hands, looking somewhat complacent.

"Do you think Chang'an City has been breached?" He suddenly asked Zhang Ting behind him.

Zhang Ting was mending a crown gown. When he heard this, he said, "Isn't that a matter of time?"

"I'm worried that Li Cong and Xue Bai have escaped, and I'm even more worried that His Majesty is in their hands..."

"fake."

Zhang Ting shook his head and said: "How can it be such a coincidence that only the saint's face was burned? It won't take long for it to be exposed naturally."

This is not the first time that the couple has talked about this, but they are just struggling to wait for the exact news.

Just as he was talking, Zhang Ting heard rapid footsteps coming from outside. Afterwards, the news came that Li Fuguo ran out to receive the news.

Li Heng was anxious and pushed the door open. He stood there and watched Li Fuguo leading the messenger over. He took two deep breaths and waited to hear the news.

"Your Highness, Hu Ni conquered Chang'an and declared to the world that King Qing had committed regicide."

He seemed to be able to see the city of Chang'an burning in the fire, burning away the grievances and uneasiness he had felt over the years.

However, the messenger held a scroll in both hands and said: "Your Highness, Chang'an has sent a decree to confer Your Highness the title of Shuofang Jiedu... King Guangping asked Your Highness how to respond?"

"What did you say?"

Li Heng was greatly surprised. He did not expect his brother to have such a trick. This caught him off guard and simply asked: "Chang'an City is still there?"

"According to what Chen Xilie said, Chang'an is impregnable, and His Majesty summoned the palace people to return to Beijing to serve."

"Fake!" Li Heng responded decisively.

He took the letter and read it carefully, and tore it into pieces angrily. At the same time, he calmed down, knowing that Li Cong's purpose was not to really ask him to go back to King Qin, but to win over the people of the border town and make people believe that the saint was still there. Chang'an.

"Tell Li Chu that the news must be blocked and Chen Xilie's edict must not be known to others!"

~~
A few days later, Feng Changqing was still waiting in Lingwu, becoming increasingly anxious.

He and others persuaded King Zhong to ascend the throne, but King Zhong refused one after another. Finally, today will be the fifth time to persuade King Zhong to ascend the throne. King Zhong must have agreed.

Then there will be rewards, and then finally the army can be assembled for the eastern expedition.

But Feng Changqing thought that after the defeat of Talas, if Gao Xianzhi had not taken the initiative and returned to the court to explain, but had found someone to take the blame, such as him, then he might have been beheaded in Tongguan, and his current reward was originally They all belong to Gao Xianzhi.

With this strong regret, he woke up before dawn, climbed up the tower again, and looked at the distant rivers and mountains.

At dawn, several cavalrymen from the Anxi Army arrived at Lingwu and waited outside the city gate together with some business travelers, knights, and loyal people, waiting to enter the city.

For some unknown reason, when the city gate was opened, the gatekeepers did not let people into the city, but conducted interrogations because they were worried about Hu Ni's mischief. Feng Changqing then came forward and allowed his soldiers to enter the city.

"Jie Shuai."

The person who caught up was a middle-aged man in his thirties, tall and dignified, with a dark face. He was actually Cen Shen, the elegant Jinshi scholar back then.

Cen Shen is now the judge of Beiting Jiedu. He is under the command of Feng Changqing and is very familiar with him. He said with a smile: "Jie Shuai is leaving so fast. General Li has not yet arrived in Wuwei. Already arrived at Lingwu.”

"How fast." Feng Changqing pointed to his lameness and immediately asked the question he was most concerned about: "On the way back to the army, did the army rob and capture the people?" He was a rare military envoy. People who come from a humble background know the difficulties of the common people and are particularly concerned about military discipline issues.

"Don't worry, Commander Jie. As soon as you leave, General Li will cut off his arm and make an agreement with the generals that Qiu will not offend when the army passes by."

"That's good, let me persuade you to come in."

"Persuading you to come in?" Cen Shen was greatly surprised.

Feng Changqing nodded, looked up at the sky, and murmured: "The sky has changed."

He told everything he heard in Lingwu.

Cen Shen heard this, thought about it for a long time, and lowered his voice and said: "Commander Jie, I heard some news on the road. The saint has returned to Chang'an and sent Chen Xilie as an envoy to Shuofang to deliver the message..."

As soon as the news came out, Feng Changqing was very surprised and confused, and said to himself: "What is going on?"

The two talked for a while, and then Du Hongjian came from the city.

"Commander Fengjie, why are you still here? I must convince His Highness to come in today. Come over quickly."

~~
"Your Highness, I'm afraid the news cannot be blocked. There are not only envoys coming from Chang'an, but also agents who spread the news."

Li Fuguo leaned over and whispered to Li Heng: "Today, Feng Changqing released a group of people into the city. I'm afraid he already knows about it."

"If I ascend the throne, Li Cong will definitely accuse me of usurping the throne. How many people in the world believe him?" Li Heng asked his biggest concern at present.

Li Fuguo looked embarrassed. He hesitated for a while and said, "Slave, are you telling the truth?"

"explain."

"If Chang'an City is still there, I'm afraid people all over the world will believe in him even more."

"It's obviously fake, you can't even see the face."

Although he spoke harshly, Li Heng knew that Li Fuguo was right. As long as Li Cong could hold Chang'an, he would be more convincing. And now that he has accepted the order and can legitimately order the border troops, once he takes the throne, he will be accused of treason.

But the officials had already persuaded them to go in four times, and the arrow was ready and had to be fired.

Only then did Li Heng realize that he was actually forced into a dilemma by this imperial edict.

He paced back and forth, and finally murmured: "Chang'an must be lost as soon as possible in order to undermine Li Cong's credibility."

Li Fuguo glanced over and saw that he was biting his fingers, so he tried to help him find a solution.

"I believe that His Highness should resolutely ascend the throne so that he can show confidence. As for His Highness's concerns...as long as the rebels capture Chang'an, it won't matter."

"The problem right now is that it actually held on!"

"The reason for holding on is that the rebels thought that the saint was still in Chang'an City." Li Fuguo whispered, "Then as long as His Highness sends someone to tell the rebels that the saint is fake..."

Li Heng's face twitched, he was a little surprised, and said in a hoarse voice: "Are you asking me to cooperate with the rebels?"

"I don't dare. I just think that Li Cong and Xue Bai's regicide is more outrageous and more sinful than Hu Ni.

After a moment of silence, Li Heng murmured to himself.

"Yes, the situation was stabilized by Xue Bai again."

Afterwards, the two whispered a few words, and Li Fuguo hurried out.

Li Heng sat there alone, his breathing a little rapid and his nerves tense.

He somewhat forgot why he made the decision he did just now and what decision he made. All he could think about was becoming the emperor immediately, and he would never let anyone or anything stop him from ascending the throne.

"Your Highness."

At some point, Du Hongjian came to him and said, "Your Highness, Feng Changqing is a little hesitant."

"Why is he hesitating?!" Li Heng trembled angrily and said, "How could His Majesty be willing to return to Chang'an? Didn't he just escape because it was risky to guard Chang'an? How could he go back if he escaped? Anyone with a discerning eye would know at a glance is fake!"

"Yes, I have spoken to Feng Changqing."

"Li Cong and Xue Bai are rebellious ministers. How can the news spread be trusted? How did Feng Changqing become the governor of Jiedushi because he is poor and ignorant. He is so easily deceived?"

Du Hongjian said hurriedly: "He also knows the truth and trusts His Highness even more. However, after hearing the news from Your Majesty, it is inevitable that he will feel lucky in his heart."

Li Heng calmed down and asked, "How will he treat me if I ascend the throne?"

"It won't happen to him. It's just that he wants to support Chang'an as soon as possible."

"Chang'an, Chang'an again."

Li Heng frowned, feeling more and more that Chang'an City's persistence was very obstructive.

He reasoned in his mind that if he ascended the throne, he could still make Feng Changqing bow his head and obey orders for the time being. The problem is that Feng Changqing and some generals are eager to save Chang'an, and the matter cannot be delayed for too long.

But once the troops are sent out, if Chang'an City has not been breached when the army arrives in Guanzhong, or even if it is breached, Li Cong and Xue Bai are not dead, but have escaped. So, the Anxi Army will inevitably be attracted, but what will be done then?

He needs a troop of soldiers and horses that can completely obey orders. When he orders this troop of troops to kill Li Cong and kill the fake saint held hostage by Xue Bai, this troop of troops and horses will not hesitate at all. This point will be left to him for the time being. The Forbidden Army led by Li Chu couldn't do it, and neither could the Anxi Army led by Feng Changqing.

"Your Highness?"

Du Hongjian waited for a while, but saw no response from Li Heng, and then said: "Your Highness has borrowed the talents of Lei Sheng to have a reputation in the world, Yuan Zhen, all nations, for more than 20 years. Today, Yin You Qi Sheng, please give me the opportunity to The community is the most important thing.”

"Encourage us to come in, you encourage us to come in." Li Heng said, "But let me ask you, which army is really loyal to me?"

Du Hongjian only thought for a moment and said immediately: "Shuofang Army."

Li Heng folded his hands and remained silent.

Du Hongjian said: "I have been in Shuofang for a long time and know that Shuofang's army Zuo Wufeng envoy Pugu Huaien is from the Pugu tribe. His ancestors led their tribes to the Tang Dynasty in the 20th year of Zhenguan, and they swore to serve as the emperor of the Tang Dynasty from generation to generation. , his descendants are slaves of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Pugu Huai'en is extremely loyal and filial, and he will bear in mind the oath of his ancestors. As long as your Highness summons him, he will not hesitate to die."

"Where is he now?"

"He was originally stationed in Dingxiang. He has come here according to His Highness's orders. He will probably arrive soon." Du Hongjian said, "As soon as he arrives, he may be able to persuade Guo Ziyi to come to Shuofang for Your Highness."

Li Heng nodded, pondered, and said: "If we want to regain Chang'an, we may not have enough troops."

"Chang'an..." Du Hongjian naturally knew that Chang'an had not been breached yet.

"Hu Ni is not the only one who is dangerous." Li Heng sighed.

His posture, wanting to ascend the throne but hesitating again and again, made Du Hongjian very anxious when he wanted to be crowned but was always just a little short of being able to support him. Soon he began to plan for Li Heng.

"Your Highness, the Uighur tribe in the north has been surrendered to the Tang Dynasty since the Zhenguan period. Their tribe makes a living by copying bandits and is good at riding and shooting."

After thinking for a long time, Du Hongjian finally thought of a way and spoke slowly.

"In the first year of Tianbao, there was civil strife in the Turks. Their chief, Ye Hujieli Tufa, joined forces with Ge Luolu and Basi to kill the Turkic Khan and granted him the title of King of Yi. In the third year of Tianbao, Ye Hujieli Tufa defeated Basi. Mi, claiming to be Khan; in the fifth year of Tianbao, he attacked and killed the Turkic Baimei Khan again, sent envoys to the dynasty, and named him Huairen Khan. The land of the ancient Huns.”

Li Heng knew all this, and he knew what Du Hongjian meant as soon as he heard it. The reason why he sent Du Hongjian to Shuofang was to do business with the Uighurs so that he could have money and food to win over people's hearts.

"In the sixth year of Tianbao, after Ye Hujie Li Tufa died, his son succeeded to the throne and named himself 'Gel Khan'." Du Hongjian added: "I had some contact with Gel Khan. I once sent Sogdian merchant Shi Dingfan to trade with Huihe. According to Shi Dingfan, Gel Khan still admires the Tang Dynasty very much. If your highness needs troops, maybe... borrow troops from Huihe?"

Li Heng turned around and looked at the map on the desk, reassessing the situation.

Now, Li Cong is guarding Chang'an with only a few thousand elite troops. He is just recruiting the strong men of Chang'an. Once the city is broken, only a few thousand people will be able to kill them. There is no chance of failure. Uighur is the most suitable, and he will not be able to kill them afterwards. But the rebels have more than 100,000 border warriors who are very good at field battles. Although it is not a good opportunity to fight with them now, Feng Changqing is eager to send troops to save Chang'an, so he will definitely have to raise more than 100,000 troops.

If the timing is good, it may be possible to eliminate the traitors in one fell swoop and defeat the rebels when the rebels invade Chang'an and have an unstable foothold.

"Borrowing troops," Li Heng said, "Is it feasible?"

Du Hongjian then whispered: "It's feasible. Gel Khan is greedy and short-sighted, and regards wealth as his life. Your Highness only needs to promise benefits and he will be happy to come."

"Do I have any gold or silver treasures as a reward?" Li Heng spread his hands.

"His Highness just promises." Du Hongjian said: "When the two capitals are recovered, His Highness will be rich all over the world. He will certainly understand."

"Okay." Li Hengsui nodded.

The most important role of borrowing troops was to give him the confidence to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor.

"Your Highness, please ascend the throne and send the envoy back to Hehe." Du Hongjian persuaded again, with excitement in his tone.

Seeing how eager he was, Li Heng had no choice but to agree to meet the officials who had been waiting outside for a long time.

Before going out, he looked back and saw that the imperial uniform that Zhang Ting had sewn was quietly spread out on the table... waiting for him to rule the world.

He had been waiting for this day for too long.

Since becoming the crown prince, he has shouldered the expectations of his subjects and endured the persecution of traitorous officials. He has silently endured countless attacks and injustices over the years, and finally survived this extremely painful process.

Li Heng walked out of the shabby and cramped residence and walked towards the Nancheng Tower.

He saw the stone tablet erected by Emperor Taizong and the oaths sworn by the grassland tribes. He did not feel ashamed and believed that one day he would be able to eradicate rebellion and regain the majesty of the Sky Khan. He climbed to the top of the city and looked at the Helan Mountain in the distance, feeling only the joy of realizing his lifelong ambition.

He was thinking, what did he rely on to get through the painful and lonely nights?

Then, he thought of the lights on Yuan Ye in Chang'an.

"Chang'an is so beautiful."

That year, he stood on the Calyx Xianghui Tower, raised his hand and pointed at the dimly lit Chang'an City, and swore to protect Chang'an and the prosperous age. He said to Xue Bai eloquently: "Everything I do is for the greater good." Tang people!"

(End of this chapter)