Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 569 Be more serious

Chapter 569 Be more serious
Han Huang had heard of Bai Xiaode's reputation before. When Li Guangbi and Shi Siming were fighting in Heyang, Bai Xiaode challenged the general Liu Longxian alone and defeated the rebels.

Unexpectedly, such a majestic general was actually very elegant. When Han Huang arrived, he was reading a military book. After the two exchanged greetings, they first talked about calligraphy and painting.

When talking about excitement, Bai Xiaode even wanted to spread out his brush and ink and ask Han Huang to paint a picture on the spot.

Han Huang quickly humbled himself and finally brought the topic back to military discipline. He said, "I heard that General Bai beat to death a soldier who let his horse run without reason yesterday. He is strict in military discipline. I admire him."

"It was not my order." Bai Xiaode smiled bitterly and waved his hands, "It was a general in my army who acted on his own initiative. I had no choice but to take the blame for him."

Han Huang thought that this was an excuse he made up to save Guo Ziyi's face, and did not take it to heart.

The two chatted for a few more words, and Bai Xiaode patted Han Huang on the shoulder and said, "You came here, probably because the treasury is empty and the court can't provide the money and food needed for the war, so they asked you to come and comfort the soldiers?"

"General, rest assured. The imperial court will never let the soldiers who fight to the death go hungry."

When Han Huang answered this question, he couldn't help but feel fortunate. Although the imperial court was infamous for its destruction of Buddhism, at least it gained benefits.

It is like a person who used to squander and show off, who sold those luxury items he used to show off, and then happened to get a serious illness and needed money.

Obviously, this matter was beyond the expectations of the Northwestern generals. Bai Xiaode raised his eyebrows slightly, not believing what Han Huang said.

He thought that this was an excuse Han Huang made up to save face for the court, and did not take it to heart.

Han Huang then realized that this might help him complete his mission successfully, so he mentioned the purpose of his visit.

"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, General. I came here this time because of an old case in Hu County that caused a stir in the court and involved two soldiers under Guo Xi's command..."

After talking about an old case, Bai Xiaode hesitated and said, "I just offended the Marshal yesterday. If I use this old case to punish the Marshal's soldiers today, I'm afraid the Marshal will misunderstand."

Han Huang didn't expect that his judgment was wrong.

When he heard that Bai Xiaode had beaten to death a man riding a horse in the army, he thought he was a man of high spirits, but he did not expect him to be so cautious.

Things came to a standstill.

Just when I didn't know what to say, someone suddenly lifted the curtain and strode in.

"General!"

The man was in his thirties, with an imposing bearing and a dark complexion. The skin on his cheeks was a little flaky due to years of exposure to the wind and sun, and the blackness was tinged with red. He had the boldness of a soldier and the air of a scholar.

In addition to the scholarly air, there was also a bloody smell.

When Han Huang saw the person coming, for some reason, he first thought of Guan Yu. He couldn't help but cross his hands and salute, saying, "This general is polite."

"This is our army's military commander, Duan Xiushi, courtesy name Chenggong." Bai Xiaode introduced them. "Although Chenggong is a general, he was also a successful candidate in the imperial examinations, and is a master of both civil and military affairs."

Then they talked about Han Huang's family background and exchanged a few pleasantries.

When Duan Xueshi entered the tent, he had something to say to Bai Xiaode, but he stopped because of the presence of the censor.

Han Huang thought they had military intelligence to tell him, so he tactfully withdrew.

He glanced again and saw some blood on Duan Xueshi's boots. He couldn't help but wonder who he had fought with. Could it be that the Tibetans had already reached Bingzhou?
After leaving the tent and walking along the way, Han Huang found that the soldiers guarding the camp were no longer as solemn and orderly as before, and they all looked a little uneasy.

There were even a few generals in the front whispering to each other.

"Did you really kill him?"

"I'm afraid the matter has become quite serious..."

Han Huang was guessing in his mind when he suddenly saw soldiers riding horses galloping towards him in front of him, but they were stopped by the soldiers in Bai Xiaode's camp.

"Why are you riding a horse?!"

"Oh no! Everyone in Guo Xi's camp is shouting that they want to kill General Duan. Now they are all wearing armor and coming over!"

As soon as Han Huang heard it, he knew that the "General Duan" referred to Duan Xueshi. Thinking of what Bai Xiaode had said before, he immediately understood that it was actually Duan Xueshi who killed the horse rider in the army.

Compared with Bai Xiaode, who was a great and famous general, Duan Xueshi's official position and reputation were much lower, which made his actions even more commendable.

He turned around and saw Duan Xueshi walking out. He called out, "General Duan, where are you going?"

"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Censor Han." Duan Xueshi said, "I'm going to do some things. I'll drink with you later."

Han Huang followed him and said, "General, you are going to Guo Xi's camp. I will go with you."

"No need, this is my own business. Censor Han is here on behalf of the court, so it's inappropriate for him to get involved in this matter."

"General, do you know why I'm here?"

Obviously, Bai Xiaode did not tell Duan Xueshi the purpose of Han Huang's visit. Duan Xueshi shook his head, and Han Huang then told him the case of Hu County again.

After hearing this, Duan Xueshi asked, "Can you show me the portrait that Censor Han mentioned?"

"Wait a moment."

Han Huang asked his attendant to bring the package he was carrying and handed over the portrait.

Duan Xueshi read it and said, "In this case, there is no need for Censor Han to go."

"Why?"

"Because I have already killed these two people." Duan Xueshi said, "Together with the seventeen people who killed the people and looted the women with them, they have all surrendered their heads."

He looked very calm, but his eyes were righteous and full of dignity that could not be violated.

Just now, when he returned to the camp to see Bai Xiaode, he asked Bai Xiaode not to show up and that he would take care of the matter alone.

"Censor Han only needs to wait for a few days for the situation to calm down, read out their crimes, and then return to the court to report." Duan Xueshi said again.

After saying this, he clasped his fists and rushed straight to Guo Xi's camp.

Han Huang was stunned for a moment, but still caught up and said again: "I will go with the general."

"With the war in progress, it would be bad if this matter involves the imperial court."

"The court ordered me to come here to enforce discipline, not just to kill people. Although the criminals are dead, the discipline has not been enforced. What good is this to the country?!"

Duan Xueshi's eyes flashed with surprise and he couldn't help but praise him.

"it is good!"

~~
Piles of bonfires had already been lit, and Guo Xi's military camp was brightly lit.

The soldiers in armor walked to the camp fence, drew their swords, and shouted, "Duan Xiushi has gone too far, he must be killed!"

In their opinion, this was not the first time that Duan Xueshi had bullied their general. Just yesterday, General Yang, who was on good terms with their general, was beaten to death by Duan Xueshi while he was simply riding his horse in the camp.

Because Bai Xiaode stepped in, the Marshal did not punish Duan Xueshi. When their general went to seek justice, he was scolded instead.

As a result, today, Duan Xueshi brazenly killed another seventeen people in their camp.

If they don't take revenge, who will respect them in the future?

"Kill for life!"

"Kill for life..."

The shouting was carried by the wind and spread outside the camp and reached Duan Xueshi's ears.

Duan Xueshi took off the sword at his waist, hung it on the saddle, and then calmly tied the warhorse to a small tree.

After that, he walked towards Guo Xi's camp unarmed.

Han Huang said he would accompany him, but he never expected that he would come like this, without any soldiers or even weapons, and would be at the mercy of others.

To be honest, Han Huang felt a little regretful. It was the first time they met and they didn't even say a few words to each other, but he was going to entrust his life to Duan Xueshi based solely on his first impression.

But the words have been spoken, and I have to hold on even if it is just for the face of the son of the prime minister.

Han Huang had no choice but to muster up his courage and follow Duan Xueshi into the camp where the sound of killing was raging.

Suddenly, murderous aura was overwhelming him and the flash of swords forced him to stop.

Duan Xueshi was still walking forward. Han Huang raised his feet with difficulty to catch up with him. He felt his thighs trembling and his feet felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

"Duan Xiushi is here!"

"kill him!"

"Duan Xiushi, I'm going to cut off your testicles and sacrifice them to my brother!"

In addition to shouts of killing, what was heard everywhere were rude and vicious curse words, filled with malice and a pervasive disregard for life.

As for the law, in the eyes of these bloodthirsty people, they don’t even care about their own lives, so what does the law mean?
There were also fierce soldiers who looked at Han Huang with ferocious expressions, made a threatening gesture of wiping their necks, and licked their lips.

Han Huang was too terrified to move forward. A voice in his head kept persuading him that Duan Xueshi was seeking death and there was no need for him to accompany him. It was really not worth it for a promising young man from the Xiang family to die here.

He tried hard to resist this thought in his mind, resisting the urge to turn around and run away, telling himself that if he ran away, he would be laughed at. Even his father's reputation would be ridiculed.

Soon, he had no time to think about either of the two ideas. His mind went blank, and the desire to survive was like a small boat drifting in the ocean of fear.

Under such circumstances, Duan Xueshi calmly walked forward a dozen steps and said with a smile: "Why do we need so many soldiers to kill Duan Xueshi? I am here with my head."

Han Huang was greatly encouraged by this sentence and the calm and composed attitude in it. He calmed down, his body stopped shaking, and he mustered up his courage, took a step forward, and caught up with Duan Xueshi.

After getting closer, Han Huang was surprised to find that those angry and aggressive soldiers had no intention of rushing up to hack them to death immediately. Instead, they kept waving their weapons and waited for others to step forward first.

Sometimes, the more people there are, the harder it is to take the step away from the crowd.

Duan Xueshi continued to laugh and said, "I can die. You can kill me if you think I'm guilty. But if you mutiny today, it will implicate Marshal Guo and General Guo. Why don't you ask General Guo to come forward and bring me to justice?"

Han Huang hesitated, finally mustering up the courage to speak out: "I am here to comfort the army on the orders of the court. I have witnessed the right and wrong with my own eyes, and I will not tolerate the guilty."

Seeing that the imperial censor sent by the court had also spoken, the soldiers looked at each other for a while, and finally someone went to invite Guo Xi out. After a while, Guo Xi came. He was not wearing armor, and his military robe was half wrapped, showing his tall and strong figure, but also showing the scars on his chest and arms. His face was resolute and his eyes were calm.

This is the image of a middle-aged general who has experienced hundreds of battles, not the dandy man that Han Huang had expected.

In fact, although Guo Xi was not strict in military discipline and often indulged his soldiers, he was actually good at riding and shooting, fought bravely, and achieved many remarkable feats.

It can be seen that his soldiers respect him very much. When he comes out, everyone salutes him and supports him sincerely.

"Duan Xiushi, how dare you come here?!"

"I am not afraid of death, I just have a few words to tell the general." Duan Xueshi said.

Guo Xi glanced at Han Huang, greeted him, and said, "Let's talk in my tent."

But he did not order the soldiers to disperse.

The three of them entered the tent, and Guo Xi said directly: "Censor Han is here to explain things clearly. Duan Xueshi, why did you kill my friend first and then kill 17 of my soldiers?"

"For the Guo family." Duan Xueshi replied.

Guo Xi was furious and shouted, "If that's the case, should I kill your soldiers for your sake?!"

"My soldiers obey orders and have never harmed the people, which makes them hated by the world. In the future, they will not cause trouble to my family and ruin my reputation because of stirring up rebellion. There is no need for General Guo to do anything."

Guo Xi frowned and said, "You don't need to pretend. They are all my brothers who have been through thick and thin with me. If you kill them just because you want to, how can I lead the troops in the future?!"

Han Huang, watching his expression, thought that Guo Xi actually knew about the evil deeds of his soldiers, but perhaps he could not bear to punish them, which eventually led to disastrous consequences.

Duan Xueshi sighed and said sincerely, "Marshal Guo has made great contributions to the world. He only wants to have a good beginning and a good end. Now the general has allowed his soldiers to commit violence. Who will the world blame? People will not know their names. When mentioning these evil deeds, they will only mention the names of the general and the marshal. If this continues, the chaos will arise from the general's camp. How much will Guo's reputation be?"

Han Huang said: "General Duan is right."

After saying this, he took out all the written evidence he had and placed them in front of Guo Xi.

"General, your indulgence of your soldiers has indeed had disastrous consequences. The case of Huxian County has been debated endlessly in the court and has had a great impact, so the court ordered me to come..."

"At that time, there was war and chaos, and the world was full of cannibalism." Guo Xi said, "We pacified the world and killed tens of thousands of enemies. Why did Han Yushi come here for just a few lives?"

Duan Xueshi asked in return: "We kill the enemy and pacify the world, isn't it to protect these 'few lives'?"

"This is not just a few lives, it's the law." Han Huang said, "As General Feng said, once the drum of Chang'an City is sounded, even if Marshal Guo is not aware of the case, the whole court will talk about it, that the Guo family let the soldiers kill people. I came here not to punish General Guo, but to preserve his reputation."

Guo Xi was speechless, but his brows were still furrowed.

He understood the principle, but the difficulty lay in how to calm the soldiers.

"You can say nice things, but the soldiers fought bravely but received no reward, and they had to grow their own food. You kill me if you want to, and punish me if the court wants to. Now it's the people who are outraged, not me who wants to kill you, Duan Xueshi."

Han Huang pondered for a moment and said, "General, how about getting the overdue rewards for all the soldiers?"

"What do you mean?" Guo Xi was puzzled.

"Because of your request, General, the court will send a large amount of supplies and money to reward the soldiers."

This was something that was already in progress, but the army apparently had not yet realized that the court had suddenly become more affluent due to the destruction of Buddhism. Han Huang caught the army's expectations and simply did another easy favor.

This matter was very important to Guo Xi. He paced a few steps and said, "Has Censor Han informed my father of this matter?"

"I haven't had time to say it yet."

Han Huang thought about it and felt that the reason Guo Ziyi did not ask about money, food and supplies was most likely because he had been communicating with the court and knew that he was not here to deal with this matter.

But Guo Xi did not think of this, and thought he could use this incident to curry favor with Guo Ziyi, such as asking for credit, "I will persuade the court to send another batch of grain and grass here."

Guo Xi made a decision and personally went out of the tent to the front of the battle and shouted at his men, "You are lax in military discipline, and I am not able to discipline you. I have troubled General Duan to take action! What are you doing? Take off your armor and return to the team. Anyone who dares to cause trouble again will be killed!"

The soldiers were surprised, and some were worried that Guo Xi was being held hostage by Duan Xueshi, so they retreated reluctantly.

The matter was resolved at this point. Han Huang was secretly thankful that thanks to Duan Xiushi, his mission was completed smoothly.

However, Duan Xueshi still refused to leave and said to Guo Xi, "I'm hungry. Can I stay in the general's camp and have a meal?"

Han Huang couldn't help but think that the soldiers in the camp were still full of resentment, so why bother with this?
As a result, after finishing his meal, Duan Xueshi patted his stomach, stretched his legs, and said, "My old illness has come back. How about I stay in the general's camp tonight?"

Guo Xi was surprised, and Han Huang also looked bitter, but they both understood Duan Xueshi's intention to test Guo Xi, and they felt helpless and admired him.

~~
into the night.

The bed in the military camp was very hard and Duan Xueshi was snoring loudly.

Han Huang tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. At first he was worried that he would be killed by the soldiers, and then his thoughts were in a mess.

When the Crown Prince first wanted to investigate the case in Huxian County, the court officials actually didn't quite understand why. They thought that the war was imminent and they couldn't afford to lose the big picture for the sake of the small. But this time, it was clear that the Crown Prince and Duan Xueshi were of the same kind.

It is precisely because we are going to fight that we have to figure out why we are fighting.

Han Huang thought that after this incident, Duan Xueshi would definitely be valued by His Highness, and His Highness would also likely gain Duan Xueshi's loyalty. Although they had not met yet, this case was enough to make them appreciate each other.

The ruler and his subjects must have common views in order to get along with each other.

As he was thinking, he finally fell asleep.

After waking up, Han Huang was somewhat glad that he was still alive.

He opened his eyes and was about to get up when he unexpectedly found Guo Xi lying outside their tent, without undressing, just sleeping on a mat on the ground.

"General Guo, what are you doing?"

"I'm afraid the soldiers will kill Duan Xueshi."

Only then did Han Huang realize that it was Guo Xi, not Duan Xueshi, who was snoring at night.

As for Duan Xueshi, he was still sleeping soundly, not worried at all about being killed in Guo Xi's camp.

~~
Changan.

Intelligence from the northwest was sent to Chang'an every day. On this day, Han Huang's memorial was also delivered, reporting in detail what happened in the military camp.

After reading it, Xue Bai took out a booklet and wrote Duan Xueshi's name on it.

His booklet is very similar to the booklet in which Li Linfu wrote people's names. Some names are written in red cinnabar, some are written in ink, and there are also different marks.

But these were not political enemies he wanted to eliminate, but talents that could be used.

In addition to Duan Xueshi, there are also generals such as Li Siye, Ma Lin, Li Sheng, Hun Yu, Wang Sili, Li Chengguang, etc. It is very full.

Xue Bai held his chin with a writing brush, thinking about which troops to dispatch to support the northwest battlefield and how to provide subsequent defense.

He thought for a long time, then picked up his pen and wrote an edict.

The imperial edict was sent to the Secretariat, and the next day, Du Youlin came to ask for a meeting.

Judging from his appearance, Du Youlin had the demeanor of a prime minister, with a dignified appearance and three long strands of beard. When he saw Xue Bai, he pulled his beard and said, "Your Highness, I really don't understand the deep meaning of this action."

"What's so difficult to understand?"

"The last time Feng Changqing returned to the capital, he questioned Your Highness in public, and even bluntly said that Your Highness was suspected of plotting to usurp the throne, which was extremely treasonous. It was not easy to demote him, but now those who opposed Your Highness have not even opened their mouths, and Your Highness has taken the initiative to grant him military power again. Isn't this nurturing a tiger to cause trouble?"

Xue Bai pondered and said, "If it's only Guo Ziyi in this battle, he might be able to hold off the attack of Tubo, but to achieve greater results, or even connect to the Western Regions, we have to use the commander of Anxi. Li Siye, Duan Xueshi, Ma Lin and other fierce generals are all under the command of Feng Changqing. Only when Feng Changqing leads them can they fight with momentum, and sooner or later, they will counterattack to Hexi."

As he spoke, he looked at the map, his finger running across the large area of ​​lost land west of Longshan.

"In terms of the desire to recover Hexi, Feng Changqing is much stronger than Guo Ziyi."

Du Youlin said: "If so, Your Highness can use Zhang Guangsheng."

"I want them to cooperate again, so I will use Feng Changqing."

"But he is not loyal to Your Highness. If he returns to the Western Regions, he will obey orders instead of decrees, which will make him difficult to get rid of."

"He is loyal to the Tang Dynasty." Xue Bai said, "And my side is the Tang Dynasty."

Du Youlin couldn't say any more to persuade him. At least he had done his duty of reminding him. He sighed and was about to leave.

Xue Bai heard his sigh and suddenly thought of something, so he asked, "Mr. Du, have you seen Guo Suo?"

"Guo Suo?" Du Youlin asked, "Your Highness, are you talking about that loyal servant guard? I saw him once."

Xue Bai said: "I am asking, before I met him at Lantian Inn, have you seen him?"

Du Youlin was shocked and understood what Xue Bai meant. He shook his head and said, "How can your Highness think of this? It is absolutely not true."

It can be seen that he is not the kind of person who can do such a thing. After all, the words hanging in his study are "Be careful in what you say and do, and tread carefully on thin ice."

"I see." Xue Bai said, "I just think it's a bit of a coincidence."

However, Du Youlin has been through many ups and downs, so he is not completely without scheming. Today, we talked about the question of who Feng Changqing is loyal to, and mentioned the deposed Crown Prince Li Ying. There is something that has been bothering Du Youlin for a long time, and he also said it out.

"Your Highness's filial piety is touching. Now that you have become regent, why don't you ask the Saint to posthumously confer the title of Emperor on the late Crown Prince?"

As he spoke, Du Youlin knelt down awkwardly, adopted a serious tone, and formally requested that Li Ying be posthumously named emperor and given an honorific title.

Conferring the title of emperor on Li Ying posthumously was the best way to establish Xue Bai's legitimacy. Although his timing seemed wrong, it was actually brilliant.

Prior to this, Xue Bai's prestige had plummeted due to his destruction of Buddhism, and the situation was volatile. Du Youlin came up with this idea, but was afraid that he would make things worse and be attacked by the royal family.

Now that Tubo is invading, Xue Bai holds the military power in one hand and the financial affairs in the other. His position is somewhat stable, but it is unknown whether the generals he appointed will be loyal to him in the future. At this time, if Li Ying is posthumously honored, the royal family will not dare to object, and it will also consolidate people's hearts.

Du Youlin made this suggestion to tell Xue Bai that it was meaningless to investigate whether Guo Suo was arranged by someone with ulterior motives. The truth seemed to be less important as the general trend was unstoppable...

(End of this chapter)

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like