Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 492 Heavy Rain
At three o'clock in the morning, the scouts rushed back to the Tang army camp. Li Guangbi woke up immediately after hearing the horses neighing and inquired about the news. He learned that more than 2,000 troops had crossed the Yu River under the cover of night.

"very good."

He took out a map and marked it, knowing that this was the beginning of the rebels' collapse. He immediately issued a military order to the garrisons in Xianyang, Jincheng, Yunyang, Jingyang, Weinan and other counties, ordering them to strictly guard the city and not give the rebels a chance to rob and steal food. At the same time, he sent out more scouts to find out which rebels had escaped.

The noise woke Xue Bai up, and he rushed to the big tent wearing his clothes.

"Just as you and I expected." Li Guangbi handed over the intelligence and said, "I found out that the one who escaped is Ashina Congli. He is a Turkic. He will definitely not return to Fanyang, but go north to the border."

Xue Bai also judged that this was the beginning of the enemy's morale being scattered. Afterwards, he looked at the map and frowned unconsciously.

"What? The King of Beiping thinks this is Cui Qianyou's plan?" Li Guangbi pondered, "If it is an ambush, it is too obvious."

"I asked Gao Lishi to take the imperial concubine to the south to serve the saint. Now they are in the Jincheng County area. I am afraid that Ashina Congli will run into them."

This was not a matter that would affect the war situation, so Li Guangbi did not take it seriously and only arranged for someone to pass on the message. Afterwards, he summoned all the generals to discuss who would be sent to pursue Ashina Congli.

"Most of the two thousand or so cavalrymen who fled are from the Tongluo tribe of the Turkic people. They once submitted to the Tang Dynasty. If we can kill Ashina Congli and recruit them to surrender, it will be of great benefit to the situation. Who is willing to go?"

That being said, Li Guangbi could not send many troops to confront Cui Qianyou. The generals wanted to follow the commander to destroy the main force of the rebels and make great contributions, and were unwilling to do such a small-scale task.

"Since no one is coming out, I will select the generals." Li Guangbi said calmly: "Zhang Boyi..."

Zhang Boyi was just thinking about his bad luck when Xue Bai spoke up and said, "I'll go."

Li Guangbi didn't want Xue Bai to take away too many people and was still hesitating. Xue Bai knew what he was thinking and took the initiative to express his position, saying that he would only take a cavalry unit of Lao Liang to chase them, and the matter was settled.

~~
Jincheng County.

Gao Lishi was old and had fallen ill when he reached this place, so Du Wulang had to stop the team while he prepared some matters.

At dawn that day, Yang Xuan arrived at Du Wulang's residence early and whispered, "I found the body you asked me to find. I picked it up outside the city."

Du Wulang woke up in a daze and confirmed again: "You really picked it up, right?"

"Okay, I'll tell you the truth." Yang Xuan didn't expect him to be so perceptive and didn't dare to hide it.

Upon hearing this, Du Wulang was terrified and immediately came to his senses. He asked, "You didn't... kill anyone, did you?"

"No, I wouldn't kill anyone, and don't ask me to kill anyone." Yang Xuan said, "I bought this body from someone. Do you know how much it cost?"

Du Wulang was puzzled and asked, "What do you mean by a purchased corpse?"

"After the war, there was no food in Guanzhong. Even the meat of a rat cost several hundred coins, not to mention a person this big."

When Yang Xuan talked about the changes in prices in the market after the war, Du Wulang felt a chill.

After packing up, they continued their journey. They only traveled twenty miles in the whole day and stayed at Mawei Posthouse west of Jincheng County at night.

The reason for choosing this place is that Mawei Posthouse is a relatively large post station on this road, and Emperor Zhongzong also held a farewell party here when he sent Princess Jincheng to Tubo.

Along the way, Yang Xuan rode side by side with Du Wulang, and he kept chattering about how many women admired him, saying that his family was originally a prime minister's family, he was handsome and rich, and many of the courtesans in the three songs were attracted by him.

"You don't understand. In fact, young ladies are more lustful than men. Sometimes it's not that I'm too flirtatious, but I'm always targeted by them. There's nothing I can do about it. Now I'm obsessed with women."

"I don't understand." Du Wulang said, "I have never seen a woman who is greedy for a man."

Yang Xuan said: "You are like me..."

Zhang Yunrong passed by and finally couldn't stand Yang Xuan's noise anymore. She rolled her eyes and said, "It's not enough to be handsome and rich like Yang Langjun. You need to have three points of talent, three points of interest, and three points of heroic spirit."

"Ah You!"

"Well." Du Wulang muttered softly, "It seems that I don't have a cent."

He didn't care about these boring things, just watched Zhang Yunrong help Yang Guifei down. Suddenly, he thought that Zhang Yunrong's description seemed to be talking about someone.

Coming back to his senses, he looked up at the Huangshan Palace on the mountain to the north and reviewed his plan in his mind.

He had been a county lieutenant here before, and he had some familiar subordinates. Last night when he was in Jincheng County, he made arrangements for them to dress up as rebels and attack the posthouse tonight. Then, in the chaos, in order to avoid being humiliated, Yang Guifei scratched her face in front of Gao Lishi and committed suicide. In fact, it was nothing more than smearing some blood, faking her death and escaping in the dark night, and hiding her identity from now on.

Just think of it as a repayment for the kindness that the imperial concubine had shown to the Du family in the past. He, Du Ting, was also a man who "must repay kindness and pay debts."

……

The moonlight shone into the courtyard behind the inn, casting a crooked shadow on an old locust tree like a dragon or snake.

In the dead of night, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from afar.

"The rebels are coming!"

There was a knock on the door, and someone opened it. A dusty military envoy appeared, his face covered in sweat, and he shouted, "A rebel army has arrived at the city of Jincheng, and their scouts will be here soon. Get ready quickly."

Gao Lishi was soon alarmed and called Du Wulang over, asking, "What does Du Sizhi think we should do?"

"It's too late to escape now. How about we take refuge in Huangshan Palace?" Du Wulang responded calmly.

Seeing how calm the young man was, Gao Lishi nodded approvingly and said, "Then let's do as Wulang says."

From the change in the way he addressed Du Wulang in these two sentences, it can be seen that he was willing to establish a private relationship with him.

Du Wulang was indeed calm, thinking that the so-called "rebels" were arranged by him, so what was there to be afraid of? He then made arrangements calmly, summoned the troops at night, and headed north to Huangshan Palace.

Yang Yuhuan changed into a polo suit, tied her hair up, and smeared her face with mud in front of Gao Lishi, saying, "I'm afraid of encountering bandits. What do you think of this, General Gao?"

"Your Highness is very thoughtful."

The group started to rush towards Huangshan Palace. The road was not far, but it was all mountainous.

Du Wulang led the horse and walked up the mountain. He whispered to Yang Xuan, "Has the body been arranged?"

Yang Xuan said, "Don't worry, it's exactly the same as the one worn by the imperial concubine."

At this moment, they heard some noise in the distance. They turned around and saw dozens of people running in the moonlight, almost reaching Mawei Posthouse.

What was strange was that in the distance, there were a dozen riders galloping towards them.

"Wow." Yang Xuan said, "You arranged the people so quickly. In a small county like Jincheng, there are so many people with great riding skills."

Although he couldn't see clearly because of the distance, he had an indescribable feeling that the figures that were attacking him were fast and fierce.

Du Wulang was stunned. He realized something was wrong. He scratched his head and asked someone, "Where is the messenger who just reported the news?"

"That."

Du Wulang hurried over, but he didn't recognize the man, so he asked, "Who sent you to deliver the message?"

"Li Jieshuai, the deputy marshal of the army and the governor of Hedong."

"Were you really sent by Marshal Li Jie?" Du Wulang came closer and whispered, "Or did someone tell you to say that?"

He also signaled the other party with his eyes to let the other party see that he was the mastermind.

"Does Du Sizhi doubt me?"

The messenger's face turned serious, and he immediately picked up a token. Du Wulang took a look at it and his face turned pale.

At this time, the dozens of people arrived at Mawei Posthouse and began to rush towards Huangshan Palace. Not long after, the dozen cavalrymen also rushed over, searched openly, and soon found the team going up the mountain, and immediately caught up with them.

"what!"

Screams were heard in the night.

Du Wulang knew what had happened. The people he arranged were shot and killed by the real rebels.

"quick!"

He hurriedly urged the team to enter the Huangshan Palace. Gao Lishi and Yang Yuhuan were welcomed in first, followed by some royal relatives, officials, and palace maids.

Du Wulang was the last one to fall behind. He heard the screams getting closer and closer. He turned around and saw a Hu soldier in the front wearing light armor and holding a long sword, chopping down the men from Jincheng County like chopping melons and vegetables.

"you……"

Du Wulang thought that he was the one who killed those people, and he didn't know what to do. Seeing the Hu soldiers rushing towards him, he wanted to run, but his feet seemed to be nailed.

"Go!"

"Oh!"

When the Hu soldier rushed to Du Wulang, Yang Xuan pulled Du Wulang into Huangshan Palace and closed the palace door.

The dozen or so rebels were just scouts. Seeing the situation, they did not attack forcefully, but rushed back to report.

Everyone was still in shock. Yang Yuhuan found an opportunity and whispered to Du Wulang, "Did you arrange this?"

"No, I... I didn't expect it either." Du Wulang said, "Don't act yet, Concubine. You can't leave now. Wait until I have arranged it, then you can act."

Yang Yuhuan gripped the dagger in her hand, thinking that perhaps it was fate that destined her to die early.

On the other hand, she was also wondering if Xue Bai would save her again. But how could there be someone in the world who would appear every time she was in danger?
The danger of the night was not over, and soon a blazing bonfire was lit at Mawei Slope.

More and more rebels began to gather here.

Du Wulang held a telescope in his hand, climbed up the high tower, and looked up at Mawei Slope. After a moment, he turned back and widened his eyes in surprise.

"What's wrong? What are they doing?" Yang Xuan asked.

Du Wulang did not answer, his eyes showing fear.

Afterwards, some rebels attacked Huangshan Palace and shouted, "The people inside are tender meat!"

This sentence brought them even greater fear.

~~
The next afternoon.

Yang Yuhuan, holding a dagger in her hand, turned her head and glanced at Gao Lishi, only to see that Gao Lishi was staring outside with a very nervous look.

Judging from the noise, the rebels are about to attack us.

At this time, the sky was bright, which was obviously not suitable for faking death and hiding. Yang Yuhuan thought to herself that she might have to kill herself with a knife.

She was not actually afraid of death, but she still had a wish unfulfilled.

The sunlight shone through the window paper and spread on the ground, stretching out little by little until it reached her feet. The noise outside the yard suddenly became louder, then quickly quieted down, leaving only the dense sound of footsteps.

Gao Lishi stood up.

Yang Yuhuan also put the dagger against her neck. She looked towards the hall and thought to herself, "It's impossible. He won't come again."

Then, she saw Xue Bai striding towards her.

……

"What a coincidence! You saved me again."

When Xue Bai saw Yang Yuhuan, she first stepped forward to salute, then carefully reached out and took the dagger from her hand. When the two got closer, she said this.

"It's no coincidence," he replied.

After hearing this, Yang Yuhuan raised her eyelids slightly, her eyes became a little rippled, and she whispered, "I have something to tell you."

"I'm sorry to scare the concubine."

Xue Bai raised his voice slightly, interrupted Yang Yuhuan, took a step back, and signaled to her with his eyes that it was not convenient to say more at this time.

Gao Lishi had already walked over quietly and said, "I'm glad that the imperial concubine is alright."

"General Gao, rest assured, the rebellion will be quelled soon." Xue Bai said, "Why not wait for a few days at Maweiyi? Perhaps the world will be at peace soon, and we can welcome the emperor back to the capital." "Then I, this old servant, should also go to welcome the emperor."

"Okay, once Li Jie defeats the enemy, General Gao will report the good news to the Saint."

As they spoke, Xue Bai and Gao Lishi walked out.

"I am half buried in the ground. I don't want to be involved in many things, but I want to remind the King of Beiping."

"General Gao, please speak."

"Everyone calls me 'Aung', I wonder if I have the right to be called an old slave by the King of Beiping?"

"Aweng."

"Okay." Gao Lishi sighed slightly and whispered, "King Beiping doesn't have to hide it from me. I have seen through Du Wulang's arrangement."

"I wonder what the arrangement is?"

"Don't pretend to be ignorant. There's a dead body behind the hall. I guess it's used to deceive people."

Xue Bai was about to explain.

"The Prince of Beiping is a man who can accomplish great things. Right now is a critical moment. We must not lose sight of the big picture because of small things." Gao Lishi waved his hand and whispered, "As long as you are recognized by the Saint, with your current achievements, is there any great cause that you cannot accomplish?"

Xue Bai knew the meaning of his words and was deeply touched.

Gao Lishi added, "After this chaos, the Saint has finally come to his senses. I don't blame you for vindicating the three concubines. Why do you have to anger him again? From now on, you will assist His Highness in governing the country, and I will accompany the Saint in his old age. This is a blessing for the country. The world cannot be in chaos because of the Imperial Concubine alone."

What he said makes sense. For the time being, it is crucial for the Chang'an regime to obtain Li Longji's recognition.

~~
When Du Wulang arrived at Mawei Posthouse, he saw Xue Bai dealing with the surrendered rebels.

He was curious about how Xue Bai managed to recruit so many ferocious enemies, so he found an opportunity to ask him.

"The rebel soldiers have been besieged in Chang'an for so long that they are already very hungry and tired. Not all of them are willing and able to eat human flesh. Under such circumstances, it is far better to surrender than to risk going back to Mobei via the plateau. Therefore, as soon as I arrived, they captured Ashina and surrendered politely."

"It's that simple?"

"This is the accumulation of momentum. The difficulty lies in the accumulation process." Xue Bai said: "It is difficult for drops of water to accumulate into a torrent. It only takes a moment to break the river bank."

Du Wulang said: "That was you. As soon as the flag was unfurled, they surrendered. I almost died."

"If you understand the situation, you can tell those soldiers who are loyal to Luo that you can lead them to 'serve the court together and enjoy the wealth together'. This will convince them."

"what."

Du Wulang thought, if he could do this, wouldn't he become the kind of powerful figure recorded in history books? Ordinary people would be so scared that they would not dare to talk to the rebels.

As they were talking, Ashina Congli was brought in. This man was very strong, and all his armor had been taken off, revealing his plump body.

"Prince of Beiping, I didn't obey you before in Luoyang, but I do this time. If you still dare to use me, I will persuade my grandfather to help you pacify An Qingxu and get rid of Li Heng!"

Ashina Congli was not as rough as he seemed. He apologized, put forward his own value, made promises, and even used provocation to prevent Xue Bai from "daring" to use him.

Xue Bai didn't even look at him, but looked at the surrendering rebels.

"It's good that you can turn back from your mistakes. But I have two kinds of people that I cannot forgive! One is those who surrendered and then rebelled again, ignoring the majesty of the court; the other is those who want to establish their own regime and split the territory of the Tang Dynasty. Ashina Congli is both of them, behead him!"

"King of Beiping, have you ever thought about..."

"puff."

With a sound, a head was picked up by the executioner.

Du Wulang was so shocked that he clicked his tongue. Xue Bai patted him on the shoulder and walked with him to a secluded place to talk about some private matters.

"Your arrangement has been discovered by Gao Lishi."

"What should I do?"

"I have asked him to write a letter by express horse to Shujun, informing Li Longji that the troops have been delayed for a while but are still moving forward. He agreed."

Du Wulang asked, "What about the imperial concubine?"

"You continue to escort him, take the Chencang Road, and drive slowly." Xue Bai said, "It won't be long before Guanzhong is pacified. By then, I will send someone to pick up Li Longji and take him back to the capital from the Ziwu Road, and we will avoid you."

"Well, I shouldn't have let Yang Xuan, this idiot, help me. Gao Lishi saw through it."

Du Wulang then went to tell Gao Lishi and Yang Yuhuan that they would continue their journey south in a few days. Gao Lishi was very pleased, but Yang Yuhuan's face darkened.

Afterwards, Zhang Yunrong found an opportunity and whispered to Du Wulang, "The imperial concubine wants to see the King of Beiping."

"I can't help it."

"Your Highness has something important to tell him."

"Then tell me." Du Wulang said, "I can convey it to him."

Zhang Yunrong then glanced at Du Wulang with disdain.

~~
The weather in summer changes suddenly. After a few muffled thunders, heavy rain fell from the sky.

At Mawei Posthouse, Xue Bai looked up at the rain curtain outside the sky and knew that this was a good thing. With the heavy rain, Cui Qianyou would have no chance of a decisive battle with Li Guangbi, and the rebels would only collapse.

He did not rush back, but instead sent people to contact Yan Wu and Gao Shi who were still in Fufeng County, and began to gather more and more rebels fleeing northward and restore order in Guanzhong.

After several days of delay, when the sky finally cleared, Gao Lishi urged Du Wulang to set off.

Du Wulang delayed for another half a day and went to Mawei Posthouse at night to ask Xue Bai.

"It's time to set off." Xue Bai said, "It's about time."

"Oh. By the way, the imperial concubine said she has something important to tell you."

"what?"

"I don't know." Du Wulang scratched his head, "You didn't tell me."

"Go ahead." Xue Bai sighed.

He also has to prepare to return to the Tang army camp tomorrow. As for the rest of the matters, they can be discussed after the rebellion is quelled.

At night, Xue Bai had another dream.

He dreamed that he was drunk and was reading to Yang Yuhuan the long poem that he had not finished reading last time. Suddenly, he was pressed down by her soft body and wanted to push her away. Later, the scene in the dream became blurry.

I vaguely heard her mocking words again.

"You can't have kids anyway."

"can."

"But I can't. What are you afraid of?"

The dream becomes more and more beautiful.

The dream became increasingly vague, and he could only remember some concrete things: a mandarin duck bag tied with a thin rope around her graceful neck, a light gauze shawl wrinkled like clouds, revealing her creamy skin, and red dancing shoes hooked on her jade toes that swayed and fell to the ground.

He seemed to recite poetry in his dream.

"The hair is like clouds, the face is like flowers, and the golden hairpin is like a step-shaking ornament. The hibiscus tent is warm and the spring night is spent."

After waking up, Xue Bai rubbed his head and looked towards Mawei Station. He knew that he had had another dream, and it was indeed just a dream.

After leaving his residence, he looked up and saw his flag with his title "Prince of Beiping" written in large letters on it.

He is the grandson of the emperor, he is the Prince of Beiping, he has paid too much to obtain this status, he will never give it up for anyone. In this vast world, there is only one person, Yang Yuhuan, whom he cannot touch.

Xue Bai then jumped on his horse and walked under his banner.

"set off!"

He knew that Yang Yuhuan had also set off for Shu County, but he did not turn back and prepared to go to the White Horse Temple to establish a great cause. Gao Lishi was right. The world's major events cannot be delayed because of a woman.

The wind blew the big flags and the sound of horses' hooves could be heard.

"Drive! Drive!"

After walking for most of the day, they saw fast horses galloping from the west, and they started shouting because their speed was slowed down by Xue Bai's team.

"Five hundred miles urgent!"

"The King of Beiping is here, what's the matter?!"

Xue Bai pulled the reins, turned around, and saw a messenger being brought over.

He then asked, "Where is the news?"

"News from Mr. Yamato."

Xue Bai's expression suddenly became serious.

"The Saint has called himself the Supreme Emperor, and sent Wei Jiansu and Cui Yuan to Lingwu with seals and tokens to acknowledge the succession of Prince Zhong, decree the abolition of Prince Qing, and deny the identity of the King of Beiping. Now Lingwu has gathered 200,000 troops from Anxi, Shuofang, Hexi, Longyou, Huihe, etc., ready to march eastward at any time to suppress... the rebellion!"

“Who is the rebel?”

Xue Bai asked this question even though he knew the answer.

Of course he understood that Li Longji and Li Heng must have known that he was about to pacify An Qingxu, which was why they suddenly turned against him.

Looking at the whole rebellion, if the father and son had made a little mistake, perhaps the Tang Dynasty could have continued to prosper for another hundred years.

But they are always planning carefully, and using their keen sense of nose to capture any threat. Any disturbance that can threaten their personal status will never escape their eyes.

Things will always take a turn for the worse.

Countless people tried desperately to stop the rebellion, to suppress it within Hebei, within Tongguan, within Guanzhong... but it was useless.

What's funny is that Gao Lishi also advised Xue Bai not to ruin the country because of a woman. This is a complete lie. It is impossible for a woman to harm the world. Li Longji was not even willing to wait until Yang Yuhuan arrived in Shu County before issuing an edict.

It seems that Li Longji thought that Xue Bai would negotiate conditions again, and he planned to support Li Cong for a while and Li Heng for a while, using the strength of others to defeat them, as if he was raising several poisonous insects that were fighting each other.

Xue Bai was about to jump out of the Gu box.

He has deeply understood that if he continues to consider the overall situation, the overall situation will not be good.

"As long as the saints die, the thieves will continue."

He murmured, making up his mind.

Inverted!

"boom."

Suddenly there was a muffled thunder in the sky, and it was going to rain again.

Xue Bai looked up at the gloomy dark clouds, wondering what to do next. Should he go to Chang'an first and let Li Cong become emperor, or go to the White Horse Temple first and personally persuade the rebels to surrender?

After thinking for a moment, he suddenly turned his horse's head and galloped away.

Raindrops as big as beans fell, but Xue Bai, who was running in the rain, felt that his mood had never been so open.

(End of this chapter)