Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 491 Passing Xiangji Temple
In Chang'an, on Zhuque Street, children were running after each other, oblivious to the overall situation in the world, playing heartlessly.

Li Guangbi, who was riding past on horseback, saw this, pulled the reins to slow down his horse, a slight smile appeared on his stern face, and then he rushed to the Marshal's Mansion in Pingkangfang.

The Marshal's Mansion is actually Li Linfu's former residence with a plaque replaced for temporary use. Now Li Cong has issued an edict to appoint Prince of Beiping Xue Bai as the Grand Marshal of the Army of the World, and Li Guangbi as the Deputy Marshal, making the situation more stable.

Normally, when military intelligence from various places was delivered to the Marshal's Office, at least one of Xue Bai, Li Guangbi, and Yan Zhenqing would be present. Simple matters would be handled by whoever was present, and major matters would be discussed later. Today, Li Guangbi had just arrived when he received news from Hedong that Cheng Ang had already sent troops from Shangdang to attack Weijun and cut off An Qingxu's retreat.

Cheng Ang was originally a general of Anxi. As far as Li Guangbi knew, Xue Bai should not have had any personal relationship with him. It was quite surprising that he could easily convince him this time.

Li Guangbi then ordered someone to retrieve the documents to see who Xue Bai had sent to Shangdang. He thought it would be a capable official, but it turned out to be an unknown little general.

"Zhang Guangsheng?"

Li Guangbi thought about it and didn't know who this person was, so he let the matter go. He believed that Cheng Ang must have sent troops in accordance with the imperial edict.

Looking at the situation again, Shangdang is located to the west of Taihang Mountain. Going east through Taihang Pass, you can enter Hebei, which is a strong deterrent to An Qingxu. Of course, there are not many troops in Hedong, which Li Guangbi knows best. Cheng Ang's move is just a deterrent. The Tang army is short of troops and still does not have the strength to attack Luoyang.

He stood in front of the sand table and fiddled with the war chess. Soon, Xue Bai arrived.

"King of Beiping, I suppose you have heard of it?"

"Yes." Xue Baicai entered the hall and said in a decisive tone: "It's time for us to counterattack."

There was not much food and grass in Chang'an, which was not conducive to a protracted war, so of course we had to counterattack as soon as possible. In addition, the people of Guanzhong were loyal to the Tang Dynasty, and there were civilian knights assassinating the rebels in various places. The situation had indeed gradually turned around.

On the other hand, the previously established strategy was not to engage in a field battle with the elite cavalry of the rebels. So, if Xue Bai wanted to counterattack, his target was obviously not Cui Qianyou's troops trapped in Guanzhong.

He pointed at the location of Luoyang on the sand table and said, "How about sending out a troop to attack Luoyang?"

The reason is very simple. The situation can be summarized in one sentence: the decisive battle in Guanzhong must be slow, and the recovery of Luoyang must be fast.

The enemy has an emperor with a weak will. Defeating him will decide the outcome. How can we not fight when we have the chance?
Li Guangbi said: "Cui Qianyou is still eyeing Chang'an, and Guanzhong cannot send too many troops."

"Three thousand men are enough."

"Three thousand men to recapture the Eastern Capital?" Li Guangbi whispered to himself, knowing that this was a great challenge, but also a great achievement. He asked, "Who does the King of Beiping want to appoint as his general? Is it difficult for the King to do so?"

However, Xue Bai shook his head and said, "How about letting Wang Sili be the commander-in-chief and Li Sheng be his deputy?"

"Wang Sili was badly defeated at Tongguan."

Li Guangbi and Wang Sili originally served under Wang Zhongsi. The gap between the two has widened in recent years. One won a great victory in Hebei, and the other was defeated in Tongguan. Later, during the period of defending Chang'an, Wang Sili was just mediocre and did not have any outstanding performance.

Sending troops to Luoyang was no small matter, and Li Guangbi was very cautious in choosing the right people.

Xue Bai had already thought it through clearly, and said, "Give Wang Sili a chance to get up where he fell?"

~~
Two days later, Xue Bai held a banquet at Chunming Gate to see Wang Sili off.

Wang Sili was only over 40 years old, but he was already an old man in the Longyou Army. As early as the fifth year of Tianbao, when he followed Wang Zhongsi from Shuofang to Helong, he and Geshu Han were both military escorts. Unlike Geshu Han, who was a late bloomer, Wang Sili grew up in the military camp and became famous at a young age, so it was inevitable that he was a little arrogant. The defeat at Tongguan was a big blow to him, and he couldn't get over it for a long time.

Although Wang Sili urged Geshu Han to support the Crown Prince in Tongguan, after fleeing back to Chang'an, he reflected on whether his selfishness led to the defeat. Instead, he did not attach much importance to the merit of supporting the Crown Prince, did not get too close to Li Cong or Xue Bai, and seemed somewhat disheartened.

Xue Bai knew what Wang Sili was worried about, so when he saw him off, he said, "We must recapture Luoyang in this battle and wash away your shame in Tongguan."

"Thank you, King Beiping, for giving me this opportunity!"

"You should find a good time to have someone deliver this letter to Yongqiu. The rest is up to you."

Wang Sili took the envelope, took a look at it, and accepted it solemnly.

"Geshu Han is still in Luoyang." Xue Bai lowered his voice slightly and said in a private conversation: "He has surrendered to the enemy. If you want the court to not pursue him, you must make meritorious deeds, and you must also let him make meritorious deeds."

"I will recover Luoyang even if I die, and I will never let down the King of Beiping's trust!"

Wang Sili was not good at flattery, but he could not hide his excitement about leading the troops and his gratitude to Xue Bai.

"Go."

The sound of horse hooves faded away. Xue Bai climbed up to the top of the city wall and watched the billowing smoke and dust disappear into the sky. He was still deducing the situation in Henan in his mind.

But things that happen in the world are often unexpected, so how can he control everything? He may have overestimated Wang Sili, or underestimated An Qingxu.

He has no regrets in making his move, and he can only trust his own judgment in employing people.

~~
The Marshal's Mansion is still busy every day, with all kinds of news coming in and out.

The day after Wang Sili set out, an urgent report came from the south of the city, saying: "The rebels have entered Fanchuan!"

Xue Bai frowned, looked at Li Guangbi, and asked, "Did the commander foresee this?"

"That's right." Li Guangbi said in a deep voice: "Fanchuan's terrain is not easy to defend."

Fanchuan is located 20 miles south of Chang'an City, between Shaolingyuan and Shenheyuan, a plain formed by the long-term erosion of the Yuhe River. It was once the fief given to Fan Kuai by Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, hence the name.

This place has convenient transportation and fertile fields. It is the favorite place for dignitaries to settle down their villas and private gardens. At the same time, it is also a gathering place for temples, including the very famous "Fanchuan Eight Great Temples".

Such a place with fertile fields, beautiful houses, temples and palaces naturally has a lot of stored grain.

After Xue Bai and Li Guangbi relieved Chang'an City, they immediately sent people to Fanchuan to collect grain and relocate people, trying to fortify the city and clear the fields as much as possible. But this was not an easy task, as the dignitaries did not cooperate and there were probably many people hiding grain and slaves. Now they were still investigating and were broken by the rebels. It was inevitable that they would provide aid to the enemy. It only depended on how much aid they provided to the enemy and how much impact it would have on the situation.

"It's impossible to defeat all enemies in a war. Now that I've issued a warning, if anyone in Fanchuan doesn't listen, they deserve to be the rebels' food." Li Guangbi seemed very indifferent to this. He was only worried that the rebels could hold out for longer.

Then, he walked to the sand table and changed the subject, saying, "This may not be a bad thing. Fanchuan is surrounded by plateaus, which can limit the cavalry's charge."

"Take back Shaolingyuan?"

"That's right." Li Guangbi said, "Cui Qianyou is forcing us to fight a decisive battle. Although we don't want to fight a decisive battle, we can't just stand still."

While they were discussing, someone rushed in and said to Xue Bai, "King of Beiping, Du Youlin is here."

~~
Du Youlin waited in the front yard of the Marshal's Mansion for a while. He had been here before to pay a visit to Li Linfu. When he saw Xue Bai coming, he couldn't help thinking that Xue Bai had finally become the owner of this mansion.

When they met, Xue Bai immediately dismissed his attendants and told Du Youlin not to be so formal.

"I heard that the rebels captured Fanchuan, but is it true?"

"The news is true."

Du Youlin immediately looked bitter, holding his long beard and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Xue Bai did not ask him. After waiting for a while, he could only sigh and said, "The Du family members have fallen out and insisted that I come to see you. I had no choice but to come here to give them an explanation."

From this attitude, it can be seen that Du Youlin does not want to force Xue Bai.

Xue Baisui asked, "Does the Du family have many businesses in Fanchuan?"

"They all say 'Wei Du in Jingzhao, five feet from the sky', but the original words are 'Wei Du in the south of the city'. Since the Jin Dynasty, the Du and Wei families have lived on the Fanchuan Road."

"Yes, Du Fu said, 'The flowers in Weiqu are scoundrels, and every family is angry and kills people.' It is a good place to go, leaning against the plateau and facing the water."

Du Youlin's face became more bitter, and he continued, "After the court issued the order to fortify the city and clear the countryside, I have repeatedly advised the Du clan members to temporarily move into the city or take refuge in Ziqiangu. They all agreed, but some refused to listen, saying that life and death are determined by fate and I don't need to meddle in their affairs. Unexpectedly, now they say that there are still people guarding the door in the old house in Fanchuan, or secretly hiding the stored grain, and even some have escaped the soldiers and the whole family has not moved out."

Xue Bai said: "Now that things have come to this, what's the point of talking about this?"

Those people actually affected Xue Bai's efforts to suppress the rebellion, but he was too lazy to say anything about them. In a war, everyone was like an ant. Including Xue Bai himself, he could be trapped in a city at any time and easily lose his life. He tried his best and was willing to accept defeat.

Du Youlin hesitated for a while and said softly, "The Du family and the Wei family took the lead, as well as the people in the city who have other properties in Fanchuan. They all hope that I can persuade the King of Beiping to send troops to recapture Fanchuan as soon as possible to prevent it from becoming a hell on earth."

Xue Bai said: "You go and appease them and tell them that I promised you. The court will send troops soon. Let them join the army and donate materials to serve the court."

Du Youlin actually didn't want to disrupt the imperial court's pace of suppressing the rebellion. He said as soon as he arrived that he came here to give an explanation. He didn't expect Xue Bai to agree so readily.

"So, when will the troops be dispatched?"

"Waiting..."

Since Li Guangbi arrived in Chang'an, public opinion has believed that the rebellion is about to be suppressed. The military and civilians are full of confidence, and there is a strong call for a decisive victory in one battle and a quick return to normal life. Xue Bai believes that this excessive enthusiasm should be guarded against. He keeps telling himself that now is the time to calm down.

But the rebels' entry into Fanchuan obviously brought him tremendous pressure.

Not only were the dignitaries who were worried about their own villas and ancestral homes extremely anxious, but even the common people were eagerly looking forward to the court sending troops to recapture Fanchuan immediately, because the temples in Fanchuan contained eminent monks whom they deeply believed in.

The next day, people were wailing on Suzaku Street.

"Zen Master Zhao Shao of the Huguo Xingjiao Temple was eaten by the rebels!"

"Zen Master Zhao Shao could have fled, but he said, 'If I don't go to hell, who will?' He was willing to stay and feed the rebels, just asking the rebels to let the children hiding in Xingjiao Temple go..."

This incident had a great impact on public opinion. In addition, a general in the army gave an inappropriate response, saying, "When the imperial court was clearing the countryside, the old monk hid the man. Now he has been found by the rebels. Is it useful to feed the rebels with his own body? The rebels will only think that his meat is old and tough, and will still eat the tender meat."

As a result, the court and the public were in an uproar, and officials who were worried about Fanchuan impeached the general one after another. Under pressure, Li Guangbi had no choice but to beat the general with thirty military sticks.

Just at this moment, more bad news came.

"Wang Sili had just left Shan County when he was ambushed by An Shouzhong and his men and retreated in defeat."

Under such circumstances, Li Chengguang, another general who had fled back from Tongguan with Wang Sili, also came to ask to see Xue Bai.

~~
"Although Wang Sili has strategies, he is not good at attacking and fighting. He should not be allowed to lead the battle."

As soon as Li Chengguang saw Xue Bai, he began to belittle Wang Sili without any hesitation. In fact, after Geshu Han suffered a stroke in Tongguan, the two men, one in charge of infantry and the other in charge of cavalry, began to compete for power with each other, and there was nothing to be shy about.

At last, Li Chengguang spoke his mind, saying, "Why doesn't the King of Beiping use me instead of him?"

Xue Bai said: "Although Wang Sili is not good at attacking, his military laws are strict, his soldiers obey orders, and they are all Longyou cavalry, so they can rush to attack Luoyang."

Li Chengguang said: "Although I am in charge of infantry, I can defeat Cui Qianyou's troops for the King of Beiping."

"Do you think the time has come?" "It's still a little short, but we have to attack." Li Chengguang said, "Wang Sili will surely fail in his attack on Luoyang. If the news gets back, it will only strengthen Cui Qianyou's determination. Even if An Qingxu counterattacks Chang'an, Chang'an will be in danger. And if Cui Qianyou is defeated first, the King of Beiping will personally lead his troops to the east, so why worry about the rebellion?"

Xue Bai said: "How many casualties will there be if we fight the rebels at this time?"

"The rebels have been attacking Chang'an for a long time but have been unable to win. Their food and grass have been exhausted. This is the weather. Fanchuan is located on a plateau and faces the water, which is not conducive to the deployment of the rebel cavalry. This is the geographical advantage. The rebel soldiers want to return to Fanyang and their morale is low. The Chang'an army is excited. This is the people. The weather, the terrain, and the people are all on my side. We will win!"

Li Chengguang stared at Xue Bai with great enthusiasm, and said, "I beg the King of Beiping to give me a chance. I will never let you down!"

If Xue Bairuo had been a little hesitant, he might have agreed, but in the end he just waved his hand and asked Li Chengguang to leave.

"King of Beiping, if you hesitate to make a decision, you will suffer the consequences!"

Li Chengguang still refused to give up and continued to persuade him as he retreated.

"Now Cui Qianyou is willing to fight, and the chance of victory is in my hands. If we don't fight, and let him flee to another place, we will lose the opportunity..."

Yuan Zai came over with some official documents. Seeing this, he asked Xue Bai, "Why don't you agree to his request? In my opinion, we should win the decisive battle now."

"so what?"

Yuan Zai said: "Let's not talk about the saint or the loyal prince, let's just talk about His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. If we delay for too long, it will only be disadvantageous to you, so we might as well strike while the iron is hot and establish your prestige in one fell swoop."

"Cui Qianyou is willing to fight because he still has strength. Although Fanchuan has mountains and plateaus, the terrain is not dangerous. Once a war breaks out, casualties will be heavy. Have you ever thought about what to do?"

"Li Guangbi is loyal to the saint, not to you." Yuan Zai lowered his head and said, "Now is the time to establish your position in the army during the decisive battle."

Xue Bai thought that Li Chengguang should have the same idea, which was why he was confident enough to come and persuade him.

"My dear, a woman's kindness is not acceptable," Yuan Zai advised again.

"Short-sightedness is even more unacceptable." Xue Bai's face turned cold, his tone became stern, and he scolded: "The elite soldiers and generals all belong to the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty will belong to us sooner or later. If you are complacent about 'driving away wolves and swallowing tigers' today, when foreign invaders come next year, do you want me to flee in panic like a stray dog?"

Yuan Zai was startled and dared not persuade him any further.

~~
At night, Marshal's Mansion, Yanyue Lake.

"If possible, I really want to go to Luoyang in person, so as not to wait for news in Chang'an."

Xue Bai and Li Tengkong were walking by the lake and sighed like this.

The Marshal's Mansion was not his private residence but a government office, but he would sometimes secretly bring Li Tengkong in to see the familiar scenery.

"You are in a different position now. How can you do everything yourself?"

"Forget it. Trust your employees and wait for news. I want to learn from Xie An, who is calm and composed."

Li Tengkong knew that Xue Bai was under a lot of pressure recently and wanted to comfort him, so he did not pretend to be aloof as he did in the past, but spoke softly and was willing to get close to him outside the house, which was rare.

The two of them walked into the bamboo forest unknowingly and hugged each other for a while, and then she grabbed Xue Bai's hand.

"No."

"Then go to your boudoir? I kept that courtyard on purpose."

"Yes... that one is coming." Li Tengkong was a little disappointed. "This month, I didn't achieve the right result."

Xue Bai had been careless for a few times when he was in Jie County, and he was worried in his heart, but now he felt relieved.

Soon, he thought of what Yang Yuhuan said about her inability to have children... Not long ago, he had just asked Du Wulang to escort Yang Yuhuan and Gao Lishi's team westward. The team moved slowly and must not have reached Jincheng County yet.

In the next few days, Xue Bai also dealt with various affairs.

Once, he fell asleep while reading official documents in the lobby of the Marshal's Mansion. He dreamed of Yang Yuhuan, who was still mocking him in his dream. Then, suddenly, the imperial guards surrounded them, and all he could hear were shouts of "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

He then asked Yang Yuhuan in surprise: "Where is this?"

"Mawei Slope."

Xue Bai had an idea suddenly, and was about to take her away when he was suddenly pushed twice. He looked up and saw it was Diao Geng.

"My dear, there is news."

"Give me."

"The messenger has not entered the city yet. It seems to be news from Luoyang. The city gate asked whether to open the city. Marshal Li Jie is not in the city..."

Xue Bai had already stood up and rushed to the city gate himself.

"My lord, clothes." Diao Geng quickly picked up Xue Bai's outer robe and followed.

Xue Bai rode his horse to the city gate and dismounted. He felt a little cold in the night wind and turned around. Diao Geng put a robe on him.

"My dear, I have been calling you all the way, please don't catch a cold."

Only then did Xue Bai realize that he did not hear Diao Geng's call just now. After all, he could not be as calm as Xie An.

Over there, the messenger had been lowered into the city by a basket.

"King of Beiping, victory news, victory news! Wang Sili used a small force to attract An Shouzhong, while the main force took a small route to attack Luoyang. Zhang Xun also sent troops to Kaifeng. An Qingxu abandoned Luoyang and fled to Hebei. When he reached the Mengjin ferry, Wang Sili and Zhang Xun chased him and attacked him from both sides, winning a great victory. An Qingxu crossed the river with less than 5,000 people, of which less than 1,000 were cavalry..."

"Congratulations, King Beiping, for recovering the Eastern Capital!"

Xue Bai originally thought that he would be very surprised to hear the news, but in fact, he just smiled involuntarily and then felt relaxed.

The next day, the imperial court announced Luoyang's great victory and the news of preparations for a decisive battle with Cui Qianyou. For a time, the people of Chang'an were excited.

Those who had previously blamed the court for not retaking Fanchuan were still cursing, but it was no longer causing any waves.

Xue Bai did not dwell on this matter. He led his troops out of Chang'an City, looked back on his horse, and then drove his horse south to fight a decisive battle with Cui Qianyou.

~~
The Wei River originates from the Qinling Mountains, flows northward, bypasses the Han Chang'an City and flows into the Wei River.

Li Guangbi's camp was stationed on the banks of the Yu River, stretching for dozens of miles.

When Xue Bai arrived on horseback, Li Guangbi was watching the battle from a high plateau.

"A victory was achieved in Luoyang, and An Qingxu escaped."

"I have sent scouts to deliver this message to the rebels to dampen their morale." Li Guangbi said, "But Cui Qianyou still wants to fight a decisive battle with us."

Xue Bai was determined not to fight, and said: "It's nothing more than retreating when the enemy advances, looking for the most favorable opportunity."

"See that? Xiangji Temple. Cui Qianyou is stationed in the temple now." Li Guangbi handed over his telescope and said, "Look at the forest in front of the temple. The terrain is complicated. I'm sure Cui Qianyou must have an ambush."

Xue Bai took the telescope and saw a corner of the temple hidden in the mountains and forests. He couldn't help but smile slightly.

He didn't have to let the Tang Dynasty's elite soldiers shed blood at Xiangji Temple. He had already created enough conditions to watch the rebels gradually fall apart.

"I brought a lot of steamed buns!"

"what?"

"In this first battle, we will give the rebels glutinous rice dumplings. Soldiers who are willing to come out to eat the glutinous rice dumplings will be given a chance to reform themselves."

~~
"I didn't know Xiangji Temple was thousands of miles into the clouds."

“There is no path through the ancient woods, where is the bell in the deep mountains?”

This is "Visiting Xiangji Temple" written by Wang Wei, which Cui Qianyou has also read.

But Cui Qianyou chose to set up his tent in Xiangji Temple because it was not only the most advantageous place in the southern suburbs of Chang'an, but also large in scale. There is a saying that "riding a horse to close the mountain gate".

Now that the rebels have come in, the temple that was once filled with the sound of Zen has been destroyed and is filled with smoke and blood.

Cui Qianyou wanted a decisive battle, but the prerequisite was to find out the formation of the Tang army. He sent out many scouts, but what annoyed him was that after these scouts came back, they only knew how to tell him in panic that the Tang army had already broken through Luoyang.

Afterwards, some human heads were placed on Shenheyuan.

Many generals from the Yan army went to see it, and there were indeed many officials from the Great Yan in Luoyang.

Naturally, morale was greatly shaken.

Cui Qianyou's nerves seemed to be made of iron. Facing such a situation, he remained unmoved. Sitting in the main hall, facing the Buddha statue, he racked his brains to think of the arrangements for the decisive battle.

He heard footsteps and turned around to see that it was his general, Ashina Congli.

"The Tang army was cooking dumplings outside the camp, and many soldiers escaped and surrendered."

Cui Qianyou frowned and said, "Then let's cook doutuan as well."

Ashina Congli hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

"If you want to persuade me to surrender, shut up." Cui Qianyou said, "The situation in Chang'an is definitely not as good as you think. We still have one last chance."

"Can……"

"Have you forgotten?" Cui Qianyou said, "You and Ashina Chengqing have already broken your promise to Xue Bai once. Others can surrender, but if you surrender, you will surely die."

"I don't want to surrender!"

Ashina Congli responded firmly, turned around and left.

He really didn't want to surrender. He had negotiated with Xue Bai last time, but ended up attacking Xue Bai instead and helped An Qingxu get rid of the captured An Lushan.

But he turned around and called his men over, saying, "Mr. Cui has no intention of withdrawing his troops, and a large force cannot break out of Guanzhong. It would be easier for us, one or two thousand men, to march north, pass through Shuofang, and subdue a few tribes. It would be better for us to establish our own territory than to die here."

(End of this chapter)