Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 517: Spring and Autumn

Xue Bai looked at the fish eye and could roughly guess Li Longji's intention.

He just thought that Li Longji was daydreaming. With his current prestige and power, this little trick could not threaten or coerce him.

"I grew up among servants, and was poor from childhood. I am not used to eating such precious things."

Xue Bai tilted his head back slightly, rejecting the kindness from his "grandfather". At this moment, he forgot to maintain the identity of "Imperial Grandson Li Qian". He had always been seeking this identity, but now he felt that it made him uncomfortable.

Li Longji was stunned and stood there in despair. His eyes, which were originally full of expectation, dimmed. He stood there stiffly, looking increasingly old and pitiful.

Everyone in the palace was surprised. Li Yuetu couldn't bear to see her grandfather so disappointed, so she came over to persuade Xue Bai, "Brother, don't make the emperor sad."

This was another stupid thing she said, and it was obviously impossible for Li Longji to be sad.

Xue Bai stood up and said, "I am not feeling well, so I will take my leave now."

He looked at Li Cong. Li Cong was used to not refute his opinions, so he said, "Go ahead."

Over there, Princess Boping Li Yiniang was just standing up, thinking about how to persuade this brother, but she was stunned to see that he had left without even looking back.

~~
"You men are like this. You don't know how to cherish what you get."

Afterwards, when Xue Bai talked about this with the Du sisters, Du Jin couldn't help but complain to him, saying: "Your power now comes from your status as an emperor. Aren't you afraid that they will take the opportunity to say that you are fake? It's what they want."

"It's useless for them to say anything. Chang'an City is under the control of our people." Xue Bai said, "The court reports are all in your hands. Even if they said it?"

Now, the palace, the imperial city, the ten kings' residences, the Baisun Courtyard, and even the residences of some officials are full of spies planted by Du Jin. They can deal with any disturbance in time. Including the "Puppet Chant" that Li Longji thought he only chanted to Gao Lishi, which has long been on Xue Bai's desk. If he wants to investigate, he can just say that the emperor rebuked the emperor.

"It's easy to say a few nice words, why do you have to make a scene in public?" Du Yan said softly, "It's not that this is wrong, but you used to only care about making progress, and what you did today is not like your style."

Xue Bai pondered and said, "So trying to please him doesn't count as progress?"

"I think you are just too proud." Du Jin spat, "I don't know who said that there is no right or wrong in the political arena, only pros and cons."

In their opinion, Xue Bai's performance that day made him seem like an impostor of Li Qian.

But in the next two days, Du Jin sent people to monitor and inquire, but she did not hear any clan members say that Xue Bai was not Li Qian because of this incident. There were even some strange statements, such as the conversation between Princess Boping and Ge Niang.

"Then Ge Niang said, 'It seems that Prince Yong still hates the emperor.' Princess Boping said, 'He has suffered too much since he was a child. How can he let it go so easily? He is a descendant of the Li family. He cares about the ancestral temple and the country. He has worked hard for the Tang Dynasty, but he can't help but hate the emperor in his heart. In fact, don't I hate him too? Ge Niang, how can I get closer to him?'"

Du Jin listened to the spy's report, her eyebrows knitted into a knot, she raised her hand to stop him, and said, "You are being hypocritical."

"Keep on investigating. If you find any news that is unfavorable to Prince Yong, report it to me immediately."

"Yes."

In this light, Xue Bai's "inability to appreciate favors" in front of Li Longji made him look even more like Li Qian, which was an unintentional benefit.

~~
When Yuan Zai learned about this, he had a different opinion.

"It seems that the emperor wants to fulfill the reputation of Prince Yong in exchange for Prince Yong's kindness to him."

"Oh?" Xue Bai said, "He probably doesn't want me to compete for the throne."

"Some court officials did not allow Langjun to compete for the throne, simply because they were worried that Langjun would not recognize his ancestry until he reached adulthood, which might cause controversy. But the emperor did not have such concerns. He knew that Langjun was his grandson, so it was obvious who he preferred, a mediocre son or a wise grandson."

Xue Bai looked over and saw that Yuan Zai's face was serious and his eyes were thoughtful. It was obvious that this nonsense was the result of his careful thinking.

On second thought, only Xue Bai and the Du sisters knew that he was pretending to be the grandson of the emperor. The reason why Li Longji, Li Heng and others said he was fake before was that they didn't care about the truth at all, they only cared about power.

Now that Xue Bai has become powerful, this matter requires normal judgment. It is actually possible that Li Longji may have judged that he is Li Qian. After all, even Gao Lishi has always believed that he is really Li Qian.

These people don't seem normal.

"Lang Jun?"

Yuan Zai noticed that Xue Bai was distracted, so he asked cautiously, "Are you in a bad mood because of the unjust case that happened back then?"

"Let's talk business. I plan to have you serve as the transport envoy of Huainan and Jiangnan East and West to raise food and grass to pacify Shi Siming, but I have two requirements. Can you do it?"

Before Xue Bai could say which two requests he had made, Yuan Zai observed his expression and said politely, "We will not add burdens to the officials, and we will not dare to engage in corruption in the slightest."

He was considerate in his conduct and actions. However, Xue Bai felt that it was a bit slick and didn't like it, but he couldn't say what was wrong with it.

"Economic money is your strength. If you can do it well, go get the report and take up the post."

"Yes."

Yuan Zai walked a few steps, looked out the door, closed the door, and said in a mysterious and loyal tone: "My dear, I have one more piece of advice."

Xue Bai knew at a glance that what he was going to talk about was a sinister plot, so he nodded nonchalantly and allowed him to speak.

"Now you are in charge of the government, holding the emperor and the sage hostage. Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi, Feng Changqing and other famous generals, as well as officials in the court, all obey you. Why? Because the rebellion has not been extinguished and the country is in turmoil."

As he spoke, Yuan Zai once again bowed to Xue Bai and said, "I serve you with all my heart. But they obey you only as a temporary measure. Once Shi Siming is removed and the rebellion is quelled, what will they do?"

"how?"

"They will certainly follow the Saint's orders and ask you to give up your power and return the government to the government." Yuan Zai sighed worriedly, "By then, you will not be the crown prince, nor will you be the military power. Your hard work today is all for others."

"What do you think I should do?"

"I dare to say that." Yuan Zai apologized first, then said: "Shi Siming's rebellion should not be put down quickly. You should use the opportunity of suppressing the rebellion to clean up the court and place your trusted aides in various prefectures as local officials."

He also knew that these words were outrageous, but he was gambling that Xue Bai was a person as ambitious as he was.

Only if one is ambitious enough can one put aside propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame and achieve great things. For example, Feng Changqing asked Xue Bai to give up the fight for the throne before he would submit to him. Such a loyal person must be eliminated.

Although it is risky to say these words today, Yuan Zai can only achieve success with Xue Bai and gain greater trust if he points out the right path. This risk is worth taking. They are very similar, both ambitious and on the same path.

Yuan Zai paused for a while, only to see Xue Bai remaining silent, waiting for him to continue, looking quite interested.

"You can assign Wang Nandai, Yan Gaoqing, Lao Liang, Jiang Hai, Yan Wu, Tian Chengsi, Tian Shengong and others to Hedong, Guannei, Duji, Henan, Huainan and other places as military governors. If they are not qualified enough to lead an army alone, they can also be governors of states. For example, in the name of guarding against Shi Siming, you can appoint Yan Gaoqing as the governor of Bian and Song, so as to strangle the lifeline of the Grand Canal; send Lao Liang to Tongguan; appoint Jiang Hai as the governor of Tong and Hua. These two states are close to the capital, and once there is a change in the world, they can quickly enter Chang'an; in addition, although Guo Qianli has a deep friendship with you, he does not know how to adapt. You can appoint a confidant to lead the imperial army..."

Yuan Zai spoke for a while, and finally said: "These appointments would be difficult to accomplish in times of peace. People like Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi, and Feng Changqing would not agree to it, only now."

"Will they do it now?"

"You can use a little trick." Yuan Zai said, "Guo Ziyi originally followed Prince Zhong in rebellion and is guilty. You can invite him to the capital, and he will not dare not come. Then give him a sinecure and let him be idle. You can send Wang Nan to replace him in commanding the Shuofang troops. As for Feng Changqing, you can promote Li Siye as the governor of Hexi and Longyou, divide his troops with Feng Changqing, weaken his forces, and then order him to attack Pugu Huai'en. If he loses, demote him to the governor of the four towns of Anxi. If he wins, call him back to the capital to offer captives. In this way, Li Guangbi will be unable to support himself, and the logistics and food are in your hands. In this way, you don't have to worry about him opposing your bid for the throne."

Xue Bai asked: "In this case, if Shi Siming conquers Luoyang, or even Tongguan, what will happen? Can I also escape from Chang'an and go to Shujun?"

Yuan Zai replied: "It won't come to that. Shi Siming had a hard time besieging An Qingxu."

Seeing that Xue Bai was not satisfied with this answer, he thought for a moment and said, "People's hearts are in the Tang Dynasty. The generals under Shi Siming may not all be willing to help the tyrant. They are just too disappointed with the emperor. Once you become the crown prince, you only need to pardon them and promise them a future. You will surely be able to pacify them and make the Hebei soldiers offer Shi Siming's head."

Xue Bai asked again: "What if these Jiedushi in different places rebel in the future?"

"They are all my lord's confidants, how dare they betray me?"

"What if, as time goes on, Wang Nande, Yan Wu, Tian Chengsi, and Tian Shengong want to pass the Jiedushi's banner to their sons?"

Yuan Zai was stunned and felt that Xue Bai's question was a bit difficult.

The next moment, Xue Bai raised his foot and kicked him to the ground.

"Lang Jun?"

"I overestimated you." Xue Bai scolded, "Rather than appointing someone else as the governor, it would be better to appoint you, Yuan Zai, as the governor of Gyeonggi Province."

"My dear, I have absolutely no such intention!"

"I asked you to be loyal and diligent to the country, but you only care about your own private interests. If you let the world be ruined, what use is there for me to be the heir?"

Yuan Zai is a man who deserves a lesson. If Xue Bai wants to use him, he has to teach him a lesson from time to time.

However, it was difficult for Xue Bai to explain his true thoughts to Yuan Zai.

The reason why he wanted to take power was that the Tang Dynasty in his heart never belonged to the Li family alone, nor to a certain person. It belonged to everyone on this land, and hundreds or thousands of years later, it would still be the pride of everyone.

He despised Li Longji's selfishness and would never repeat Li Longji's mistake and betray the Tang Dynasty.

No one in the world at that time could understand this feeling. People at that time never thought that perhaps in the next few hundred or thousand years there would never be another dynasty that would be so powerful and prosperous, so they always trampled on it at will.

~~
Someone rode into the imperial city on horseback.

This was a dark and strong colonel with a small mustache on his lips that he had never shaved. He looked very tough and mature, and seemed to be in his thirties, but he was actually only nineteen years old.

He jumped off his horse nimbly, and an official waved to him from a distance.

"Xue Zhan, you dare to ride a horse in the imperial city. Minister Du saw you and summoned you."

"I have something urgent to see you, brother!"

Xue Zhan responded and strode towards the Secretariat. He took out the command token and pushed away the two guards.

He rushed into the government residence and saw Yuan Zai kneeling dejectedly in front of Xue Bai, looking like he was going to be demoted.

"Brother! There is an urgent report from Hebei." Xue Zhan said,

Xue Bai turned around, took a deep breath, and said, "Go ahead."

Over the years, Xue Zhan looked much older than Xue Bai and looked more like Xue Bai's brother.

"Shi Siming is probably going to capture Xiangzhou soon!"

Xue Zhan said as he handed the military report to Xue Bai, and then eagerly asked, "Brother, can you let me go to support Hebei?"

He had been with Lao Liang and Jiang Hai for the past two years, and although he had gained some experience, he was always suppressed and could not make any particularly outstanding achievements. He had long been holding his breath and was determined to make achievements on his own.

In addition, his two elder brothers, Xue Song and Xue Kui, were both suppressing rebellions in the north. Every time they wrote back, they always boasted about their military exploits, which made him even more eager to participate in suppressing Shi Siming's rebellion.

Xue Bai had mentioned this several times before, but he ignored him. This time, after reading the intelligence, he was relieved.

"I will send Li Siye to support Heyang." Xue Bai said, "You can join Li Siye's army, but don't tell me about your relationship with me." "Of course not!" Xue Zhan said, "A real man should achieve fame and success right away, how can he rely on his brother's influence?"

"Go."

Xue Zhan knew that Li Siye was now stationed at Dongbianqiao to make preparations for the expedition. After getting his promise, he went back excitedly to pack his luggage, but he met Du Wulang at the door of his house.

No one knows what Du Wulang is busy with lately, and he appears and disappears without a trace.

"Brother-in-law, why are you here today?" Xue Zhan pulled Du Wulang over and asked in a low voice, "I heard that brother-in-law bought a large villa outside, is it true?"

Xue Zhan was very small and skinny when he was young, but in seven or eight years he grew to a height of six feet four inches, much taller than Du Wulang. In addition, he was wearing armor, so when he leaned over to ask questions, it looked like he was interrogating a case, which scared Du Wulang.

"Don't talk nonsense. Where did I get the money to buy an outhouse? I just happened to be a guest at a friend's house and was seen by your sister."

"My brother-in-law has a lot of bad friends. Try to avoid them."

Du Wulang rolled his eyes and muttered, "I would like to have less contact with him."

He answered every question, and then he remembered that he had another question, so he answered, "I came to bring some winter clothes to my mother-in-law. What about you? Aren't you on duty today? Why are you back so early?"

"I will only tell my brother-in-law, don't tell anyone else." Xue Zhan whispered again and told him about going to Hebei to quell the rebellion.

Du Wulang hated this kind of dangerous thing the most. He felt a little worried when he heard this and said, "If you go, how can I explain it to your sister?"

"Descendants of the Duke of Pingyang! Born to fight for the country!"

Xue Zhan slapped his armor until it made a banging sound, and without waiting for Du Wulang to say anything more, he went back home.

He had grown up in poverty and didn't have many things in his house, not as many as in the military camp. He only packed up a few volumes of military books handed down by Xue family on the bedside and put them on his back. He quietly walked to A Niang's main room and leaned on the window to watch Liu socializing.

After watching for a while, Xue Zhan knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times to his mother across the wall.

That day, he brought dozens of soldiers under his command to Li Siye's camp.

Li Siye's troops were recently recruiting soldiers. Xue Zhan handed over the transfer order and looked up at the giant Li Siye with his eyes fixed.

"What are you looking at?"

"General! I want to be as tall as you!"

"How old are you and still growing?"

"Report to the General! I'm nineteen!"

Li Siye then looked at Xue Zhan again, and finally found a trace of childishness in those murderous eyes.

"Shi Siming is a famous general of the time. We can grow taller after he survives."

~~
Xiangzhou.

On a giant siege vehicle five meters high, a large flag with the Chinese character "史" was blaring. Finally, the siege vehicle reached the top of Xiangzhou City, and teams of soldiers jumped onto the top of the city from the ladders.

"The city is broken!"

"An Qingxu killed his father and his emperor. Do you still want to rebel against him? Put down your weapons and I will forgive you for what you did!"

"..."

There were loud shouts from the top of the city wall. Inside the city, brother and sister Cao Buzha and Cao Buzheng were running towards Geshu Han, holding sabers in their hands.

Geshu Han was sitting on a chair in the east tower watching the battle.

An Qingxu's eighth brother, An Qingxi, came running over and said, "General Geshu, the sage asks you what to do now?!"

Cao Buzha rushed over and raised her knife to kill An Qingxi, because she was going to rescue Geshu Han and join the government army. This was of course difficult, as she had to fight her way out of An Qingxu's army and then break through Shi Siming's encirclement, but she was a woman who refused to admit defeat and was willing to give it a try.

However, Geshu Han turned around and stopped her actions with a stern look.

"Please ask the King of Xiang to tell the Saint that we can break out from the north gate and return to Fanyang." Geshu Han looked at An Qingxi and said, "I will cover the Saint's retreat."

"Okay, then you stay behind."

An Qing was delighted with the promise and immediately turned to look for An Qingxu. He was flustered and had no aura of a prince of Dayan at all.

Cao Buzhe rushed to Geshu Han and said, "I'll take you away."

"I can't leave."

Geshu Han was very calm, his big chestnut eyes looked deeply into the sky, and said, "My legs are useless, I can't ride a horse, and I can't leave Xiangzhou."

"How do you know if you don't try?!" Cao Buzhe insisted on helping him up and called Cao Buzheng to come forward to help.

Geshu Han's body was as heavy as a mountain, not moving an inch. He said, "Listen to me, I surrendered to An Lushan once, and I must not surrender to Shi Siming again. Otherwise, I will become a slave of three families, and my reputation will be wasted."

"Being alive is better than anything else."

Cao Buzha still wanted to move him away. This female rascal from the streets of Chang'an always had a stubborn spirit that refused to admit defeat.

Every time Geshu Han saw her, he would think back to his youth. In fact, what he liked was no longer the young beauty, but the self who wandered the streets of Chang'an back then.

"Do me a favor." He looked at Cao Buzha, a smile appeared on his face, and he said, "Go back to Chang'an."

"I'll take you back."

"Don't forget, you still have a lot of flying money, and there are gold, silver and jewelry buried in the yard. Since I failed to give you a name and heirs, I will leave those wealth to you."

Cao Buzha tried hard to carry Geshu Han on his back, pursing his lips stubbornly and not saying a word.

Geshu Han kept chattering.

"Go back to Chang'an and tell them that I am guarding Xiangzhou to protect the Tang Dynasty."

"Go and tell it yourself!"

"Although I am a Hu, I have read the Spring and Autumn Annals and know about loyalty and righteousness. I am deeply indebted to the country. After the defeat at Tongguan, I should have died to atone for my sin, but I was misled by the fire. When I joined An Lushan's army, I wanted to die for my loyalty, but a single thought ruined my reputation. I have made great military achievements throughout my life, but it is a pity that I could not die..."

Cao Buzhe was stunned for a moment, and finally stopped, because she heard the man sobbing.

Turning around, I saw that his eyes were indeed red.

She didn't quite understand why he was crying now. He didn't cry when he had a stroke and was disabled, nor when he was captured and humiliated. But now, when he talked about his past glory, he cried like a child.

Since she couldn't take him away anyway, she simply hugged his head and comforted him, "It's okay. Merits are merits, and mistakes are mistakes."

"No, you have to tell everyone in the world that I am protecting the Tang Dynasty today. Tell them that I died in battle. I am very happy that I still have this opportunity to clear my name."

Cao Buzha looked at Geshu Han for a long time. Finally, she nodded and said, "Okay. If the court doesn't believe it, I will publish it in the newspaper and will definitely not tarnish your reputation."

"Hahaha, good!"

"go!"

At this time, Cao Buzha was very straightforward. He stuffed the sword into Geshu Han's hand, got up and left without saying a word.

The knife was a little shaky.

The hand holding the knife was clearly very thick and covered with calluses, but it seemed somewhat weak, as if it couldn't hold the handle of the knife.

Geshu Han gritted his teeth and tried hard to control his fingers, and finally he stabilized the sword and it stopped shaking.

He was very happy, grinned and murmured a song.

Although the song was soft, it was desolate and bold, attracting the soldiers under the city wall to sing along with him.

Soon, a fire broke out on the city wall, making crackling sounds. Geshu Han seemed unaware of it and just sat there the whole time.

Gradually, the sounds of killing and shouting were getting closer. He heard Huoba Guiren die in battle outside and a scream was heard. Finally, some enemy soldiers rushed into the city wall and killed the few people around Geshu Han.

"Who are you, Ashina Chengqing?!"

Geshu Han was unable to move, he smiled contemptuously, and tried hard to raise the knife in his hand.

When an enemy soldier came forward to capture him, he swung his knife and clumsily tried to chop the enemy's neck.

"Tiger--"

The knife was moving very slowly, and the soldier dodged it by retreating. Looking back, he said, "The fire is getting bigger, let's go!"

"This enemy general cannot be taken away."

"Take his head away!"

"come!"

Geshu Han shouted and swung his sword again with difficulty.

"puff."

A knife slashed his neck and blood splattered.

It was too easy for those soldiers to kill a crippled man like him. But even so, he still died in battle.

A head was separated from the body, and the corpse was leaning there, with the knife in his hand still held tightly, holding it there, like an unfallen flag.

Faintly, there seemed to be singing.

It was a soldier who had fallen to the ground but was not dead yet. He stared at the sky and slightly opened and closed his lips with his last bit of strength.

"The Big Dipper is high, Ge Shuye carries a knife."

"I still dare not cross Lintao when I spy on the horses."

(End of this chapter)