Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 585: Battle to Defend the Territory
In the evening, more than 200 cavalrymen arrived at a deserted village on the south bank of the Xijing River.

The leading general jumped off his horse, cursing.

"Eat dog intestines. If I catch Gao Hui, I will trample him into mud with my horse's hooves."

This is Guo Ziyi's third son, Guo Xi.

Not long ago, due to Gao Hui's disclosure of military intelligence, the Tang army was defeated by Tubo, and the Qin-Long defense line was in chaos, allowing Dazha Lugong to lead an army into Guanzhong.

Because of this incident, there was a lot of criticism against Guo Ziyi in the army. Guo Xi could not accept those words. He thought that Gao Hui was not Guo's old general, and he was already a general of Jingzhou before Guo Ziyi guarded Qinlong. He even had secret contacts with Tubo for a long time. How could he blame Guo Ziyi?

But the army didn't care about these reasons. Victory was victory and defeat was defeat. The only way to wash away the shame was to defeat the foreign army.

At present, Guo Ziyi is still reorganizing his defeated troops and is worried that Dazalugong will advance straight ahead. At the same time, he dispatches small groups of troops to find the route of his main attack and tries his best to intercept the Tubo army.

Guo Xi learned that Gao Hui had once investigated the deployment of troops in Pingliang and Bingzhou areas, so he followed him all the way.

He was also anxious, so he abandoned his infantry and baggage and led only the elite cavalry on the journey.

He cursed until his mouth was dry. He sat down in a dilapidated house in the village and just had time to take a sip of his water bag before the scouts came back excitedly.

"General, we have detected a large group of troops marching over there."

"Come with me and take a look!"

Guo Xi put down the water bag and strode towards the Xijing River. Standing on the shore and looking towards the other side with a telescope, he indeed saw a large number of footprints and feces.

He put down his telescope and wanted to cross the river to take a look, but he didn't know how to do it. So he asked the scout, "Did you feel it? Is it hot?"

"I touched it. It was cold."

"How hard? How hard?"

"It's a little watery inside after it was crushed. It must have been two days."

"Chase."

Guo Xi gave the order immediately.

The horses in his army had been running for a day and could not run at night, so they could only move slowly. If Dazha Lugong rushed to Chang'an, he would obviously not be stopped.

So he quickly sent two groups of scouts to deliver the news to Guo Ziyi and Chang'an respectively.

In fact, it was not certain whether Dazha Lugong would take this route. Similar news was sent to the central army from all directions, which often confused the commander. All Guo Xi could do was to report truthfully and test Guo Ziyi's judgment.

The team marched through the night.

Although Guo Xi was not strict in disciplining his troops and often allowed his soldiers to plunder, he did have a good reputation among his soldiers and was able to lead the team at critical moments.

As they marched, they were getting closer and closer to the Tibetan army, but their physical strength was gradually exhausted, and the rations they carried were eaten up. They were getting farther and farther away from the infantry and baggage in the rear. Even if they caught up with the Tibetan army, they would have no strength to fight.

The next day, they really encountered a troop of soldiers ahead, but Guo Xi did not dare to get close to them. He was even worried that the other side would discover him. He really had the mentality of Ye Gong who loved dragons more than they loved horses.

"Lower the flags, stop the drums, and wait for the scouts to get to the higher ground to see who these troops are."

"General, the enemy's cavalry is coming."

"Damn it." Guo Xi ordered, "Go up the hillside and occupy the high ground."

After a while, the enemy cavalry came over, and it was Bai Xiaode who was in front, inviting Guo Xi to join forces.

"When he says he is joining forces, he is just asking me to obey him."

If it were normal times, Guo Xi would definitely ignore Bai Xiaode. But now he was eager to win, so he went over.

When the two met, Bai Xiaode indeed asked Guo Xi to obey his orders. Guo Xi did not say anything, but only asked Bai Xiaode to supply food and grass.

That night, chewing dried meat, Guo Xi said: "I just can't understand, Dazalugong is heading towards Chang'an like this, isn't he afraid that my grandfather will cut off his retreat?"

"You really can't figure it out?" Bai Xiaode asked, his eyes seemed to be meaningful.

"What else?" Guo Xi asked, "What do you mean by that? If I figure it out, how can I not tell you?"

"Yesterday, I received an imperial edict that may be able to clear up your doubts."

"What imperial edict?"

Bai Xiaode glanced at the tent nonchalantly. Inside and outside the tent, all his men were already there. As for Guo Xi's men, after eating their dry food, they were so tired that they all went to rest.

Only then did he take out an imperial edict.

Guo Xi took it, unfolded it, and his eyes widened in surprise, and he was speechless for a long time.

The content of the imperial edict was not simple. It first said that the emperor had passed away. However, the current state of affairs was turbulent and the crown prince was away from home. The emperor was worried that there would be unruly ministers who would subvert the country, so he kept the death a secret for the time being and summoned a group of generals including Xin Jinggao, Li Guochen, and Bai Yuanguang to Beijing to report on their duties. The rest of the generals in the northwest were to stay in the city and not leave without permission.

As for the Tibetan army, the imperial edict said that Dazha Lugong had submitted his surrender and requested to go to Chang'an to pay homage, and the officers and soldiers of the army were not allowed to stop him. Then, the emperor also rewarded generals such as Guo Ziyi and Pugu Huai'en...

"how?"

Seeing Guo Xi staring blankly at the imperial edict, Bai Xiaode asked, "What do you think of this edict?"

"I don't understand." Guo Xi said, "Did Dazha Lugong go to Chang'an to pay tribute? How is that possible?"

"How is it impossible?" Bai Xiaode asked, "Can he capture Chang'an? Or even if he did capture Chang'an, could he hold it? If he didn't completely defeat Marshal Guo, could he take away all the gold, silk, and children and bring them back to Tubo?"

Guo Xi then realized that the Tibetans were unlikely to occupy Chang'an for the purpose of ruling, but were only there to plunder, which was not worth taking such a big risk.

"Are they really going to pay tribute? To whom?"

"The Great Emperor."

After hearing this, Guo Xi immediately understood.

Dazha Lugong did have the intention of peace talks, but he failed to reach an agreement with the then-regent prince. Now he suddenly pays tribute to the emperor emeritus, but it is more accurate to say that the emperor emeritus is asking him to borrow troops to eliminate the regent prince.

Looking at the generals whom the retired emperor recalled to the capital, they were all people who had not been well-known or had no achievements in the past two years, which meant that they were not valued by the prince and were most likely the retired emperor's men.

As for rewarding Guo Ziyi and Pugu Huai'en, it was to appease and win over them.

When reading this imperial edict, one cannot just look at what the retired emperor said, one must also look at what he did not say… Guo Xi glanced around and did not see any rare reward for the king.

After thinking it over in his mind, he still had some questions, so he asked, "General Bai, I am a straightforward person. Just say what you want to say."

"it is good."

Bai Xiaode pondered and said slowly: "Your Majesty has passed away. This war is no longer a battle between us and Tubo to defend our territory, but a battle for imperial power and to seize power. If I say that whether you obey the order today or not is not related to the greater good, it only depends on which side you think you can win by betting, what will you choose?"

"How do I choose? What is there to choose from..."

Guo Xi hesitated halfway through his words.

The current situation is that the retired emperor has implicitly expressed the idea of ​​borrowing troops from Tubo in an attempt to restore the monarchy, and he may have already taken control of the situation in Chang'an. At the same time, the Tubo army is approaching. Although the prince also has the opportunity to take control of the situation, the prerequisite is that Wang Nandi must arrive in Chang'an first. As a result, not only was Wang Nandi overtaken by Dazhalugong, but the prince also lost Chang'an when he wanted to meet Wang Nandi.

What should he choose? Guo Xi was willing to continue chasing Dazalugong, but in fact he couldn't defeat him even if he caught up with him.

This choice had a very low probability of success, but the risk was extremely high. If it failed, not only would he be punished severely, but Guo Ziyi would also be implicated.

Guo Xi finally realized that he had no decision-making power and the choice depended on Guo Ziyi's attitude.

He couldn't help but wonder, "Did my grandfather lose to Dazalugong on purpose?"

As soon as this thought came to his mind, his will collapsed in an instant.

After chasing for a long distance, he was already very tired, but he was sustained by the noble cause of defending the land for his country and the filial piety of helping his grandfather to wash away the shame of defeat.

But now, like everyone else in the army, he began to suspect Guo Ziyi, suspecting that Guo Ziyi had long known about the retired emperor's plan.

Yes, how could such a smart person be deceived by Gao Hui? How could he lose to Dazalugong?

Just by turning a blind eye, you can accomplish great things. Why not?

A thin layer of sweat gradually appeared on Guo Xi's forehead.

He did not answer Bai Xiaode's question, but asked in return: "What is General Bai's plan to choose?"

Bai Xiaode tapped the imperial edict gently and said, "As long as it can make us hesitate, its effect will be achieved..."

Guo Xi stopped talking.

He felt that this method of defeating people's hearts was sometimes more terrifying than swords and spears on the battlefield.

Seeing that he didn't say anything, Bai Xiaode raised the wine jug, drank all the wine in it, and called someone for more wine.

At this moment, someone outside the tent suddenly shouted, "General, the imperial edict has arrived!"

Guo Xi was stunned and surprised.

"Imperial edict? Whose edict?"

~~
Sweet spring.

Flags were waving above the not-so-big city, and the city gates were closed. No common people were passing through, and the atmosphere was filled with a solemn and murderous atmosphere.

Several riders on fast horses came from the west and verified their identities at the foot of the city.

"I want to see His Highness."

Li Mi only said one sentence, and naturally a soldier came forward to show his badge and reveal his identity as prime minister.

The gatekeeper quickly let him pass, but gave Li Mi a reminder.

"Now he is Your Majesty."

"what?"

Li Mi didn't hear clearly at first and asked back.

The gatekeeper did not answer and respectfully invited him into the city.

As he walked, Li Mi looked around at the ceremonial vehicles in the city. The expression on his indifferent face gradually became solemn, and his eyebrows were slightly furrowed.

Finally, he met Xue Bai.

After more than half a month, Xue Bai has not changed much. He is still wearing military uniform and standing in front of the sand table thinking about strategy.

"Eldest brother Yuan is here."

Xue Baitou didn't even turn around, but waved, with a relaxed attitude as if he was meeting an old friend.

"We have roughly confirmed the location of Dazalugong. You can come and take a look."

Li Mi did not step forward, but just said: "When we parted, His Highness said he would go back to Chang'an to do something small. But I don't know what he did?"

"He ascended the throne."

Xue Bai's relaxed and casual tone made Li Mi a little distracted.

He was not willing to let Xue Bai lightly gloss over such a sacred and serious matter...as if this would make the throne seem insignificant, and then make Xue Bai seem like he was naturally worthy of the throne.

"Why not say that he usurped the throne?" Li Mi said.

"Okay." Xue Bai said, "I'll go back to Chang'an and usurp the throne. What do you think?"

Li Mi said: "I will resign from my official position and retire to the mountains and forests."

"You don't have the qualifications. You seem to have forgotten that you didn't enter the government through family connections or by passing the imperial examinations. You were captured in battle. I will spare your life and give you an official position."

Li Mi was too lazy to engage in such a meaningless verbal dispute and said, "You already had a plan, so when I asked to go with the army, you agreed, just to get rid of me?"

"Yes, I will send you away, and then I will kill Li Heng and Li Chu."

Xue Bai said this casually, his eyes still looking at the sand table, as if he was simply talking about what to eat tonight.

But this incident had a great impact on Li Mi. He stood there for a long time without saying a word, digesting the sadness and anger in his heart. Many years ago, he was the prime minister left by Li Longji to the Eastern Palace. He was the teacher and close friend of Li Heng and his son.

If it weren't for the repeated chaos and the constant worry about the country's destruction, he would sometimes have to cooperate with the more powerful Xue Bai to stabilize the Tang Dynasty. If it weren't for this greater good, his position would be to help Li Heng and his son get rid of Xue Bai.

"You don't have to kill them." Li Mi said after a long time.

"You can, but it will be a hindrance." Xue Bai said, "For example, if you let them live, you will inevitably be troubled. Now, although you are sad, you can finally devote yourself to the country."

"Killing them will be disadvantageous to you." Li Mi spoke again, having regained his composure, and said, "You are in your current position because you are a descendant of the Li family, but now you are destroying your own foundation and your own Great Wall..."

"Dazarugong has passed Pingliang City."

Xue Bai got straight to the point, pointing at the sand table and talking about his plan.

"I plan to personally fight him. We will set up camp tomorrow and face him head-on in Bingzhou within three to five days."

Li Mi knew Xue Bai's habits and would prepare some war game demonstrations every time.

But at this time on the sand table, there were very few soldiers representing Xue Bai. To be precise, only a few of them could arrive at the battlefield in time.

However, Dazalugong had sufficient military force.

Judging from the current conditions, Xue Bai will definitely lose this decisive battle.

Of course, conditions can be changed, and there must be a way to mobilize more troops. This is the part that Xue Bai wants to discuss with Li Mi.

He did it on purpose, bringing out the difficulties and making the situation seem extremely critical in order to worry Li Mi and motivate him.

In the past, when Li Mi was unwilling to offer advice, he would always put the crisis of the country in front of Li Mi like this, and then this rare genius would be easily driven by him.

Unsatisfactory after all attempts.

However, this time Li Mi stood there in silence.

Xue Bai had no choice but to continue.

"Dazaru Gong knew that he couldn't occupy Chang'an. If he came to rob, it would not be worth taking such a big risk. He must have come to help the emperor to restore the throne. But I ended the palace coup with lightning speed and ascended the throne. He was greatly disappointed and his morale must have collapsed."

"I have issued an edict, ordering the troops from all states to come to Bingzhou to assist me in besieging Dazalugong. If the troops march immediately after receiving the order, there will be no need to worry about the manpower. But you also know that the difficulty lies in getting these military leaders to obey the edict honestly."

Speaking of this, Xue Bai smiled bitterly.

His attitude towards Li Mi was very natural. He laughed when he should laugh and complained when he should complain, without any grudge at all.

But when he turned around again, he saw Li Mi bowing and turning to walk out.

This time, the Taoist priest was hard-hearted and refused to say a word or offer any advice.

Xue Bai did not try to persuade him to stay, as there was no other solution for the time being.

He could only sigh helplessly.

"They forced him to become Xu Shu."

The trouble with this matter is that Li Mi's attitude, to a certain extent, also represents the views of some of the generals in the army.

There must have been many people who were loyal to the Li family. When Li Longji and Li Cong were alive, they were willing to obey Xue Bai's orders because Xue Bai was the successor recognized by the Li family.

Now, this successor has eliminated the Li family, and even though he has ascended the throne and become emperor, he is less orthodox.

Everything said now is just speculation. It is still uncertain whether the soldiers will obey the imperial edict.

~~
Tubo camp.

Dazalugong held up a telescope and looked into the distance.

He couldn't see Xue Bai's flag yet, but he had a premonition that he would encounter Xue Bai within two days.

"Brother."

Someone walked up behind him. It was his younger brother, Keida Marujizan. Because his name was too long, people often called him by his Chinese name, Ma Chongmu.

"The Tang Lord is dead. Wouldn't it be unwise for us to fight a tough battle in Chang'an now?"

"Do you think I was really attracted by the wealth described by Li Qiwu and was determined to rob Chang'an?" Dazha Lugong sighed and said, "To use the words of the Han people, those who know me think I am worried, and those who don't know me think I am asking for nothing."

"Brother, what are you worried about?"

"The newly enthroned Tang Lord Li Qian is such a terrible person." Dazha Lugong handed the telescope in his hand to his brother and said, "I must get rid of him before he can gain a firm foothold."

Ma Chongmu said: "But I don't think it's right."

"What's wrong?"

"This Tang Lord Li Qian has calculated the time so accurately."

Dazalugong frowned, thinking, and said, "What do you mean?"

"According to the information my brother got, he left Chang'an, fought his way back to Chang'an, ascended the throne, and then led the army in person, heading straight for us. I was wondering, when he left Chang'an, how did he know that their emperor was going to die?"

Dazalu Gong said: "He can read people's minds and knows they will kill Li Cong."

"If he could predict people's hearts, could he also predict our marching speed and route? How did he know that he still had time to return to Chang'an? After ascending the throne, why did he not waste just one day and rush to meet us before we arrived in Bingzhou?"

"You mean, there are spies in our army?"

"Brother can place spies in the Tang army, why can't he place spies in our army?"

"Where's the chance?"

Dazalu Gong had just asked the question when he immediately realized what was going on.

The person most likely to be Xue Bai's spy was the envoy sent to Chang'an for peace talks at that time.

After all, the envoy at that time, Basai Nang, supported Trisong Detsen to take power.

Ma Chongmu saw Dazalugong's eyes flickering, and knew that he had realized that something was wrong, so he said, "Brother, retreat. There is no need for us to fight the Tang army head-on."

Dazalugong hesitated.

He also realized that he might have been tricked by Xue Bai.

But the current situation was not completely unfavorable to him. He knew that Li Longji had issued an edict, saying that he was coming to pay tribute and ordered the troops in various places to stay put.

If you miss this opportunity, there won’t be such a good opportunity next time.

"We can win."

After thinking it over, Dazalugong said, "Li Qian's troops are too few. His only chance of winning is to mobilize troops from all directions to surround us. But he has just become emperor, and the orders he issued are completely opposite to those of the emperor. As long as the Tang army hesitates, we can win."

Indeed, as long as Tang Jun hesitates, he can win and win a lot of money, and there is a high probability that Tang Jun will hesitate.

……

Both sides made up their minds, and two days later in the morning, a flag appeared in Dazha Lugong's telescope.

That is the dragon flag representing the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

The flag is very imposing, but Xue Bai's military strength seems to be unmatched by its imposingness.

Across the Jing River, the scouts were not sure how many soldiers the Tang army had, but looking at the formation from afar, they believed that there should be no more than 5,000 people.

This looks like a trap.

As the emperor of a country, he only brought such a small number of troops to fight against the enemy army, and he even deliberately made a grand display and showed off in public.

No matter how fierce Dazalugong was, he did not dare to lead his army across the river to attack immediately. So he built a pontoon bridge and sent a small group of cavalry to attack Xue Bai's camp.

The small group of cavalry then turned north, made a big circle, and then quietly swam across the river and rushed towards the Tang army camp.

However, when they reached a valley, they encountered an ambush ahead.

"boom!"

The roar of firearms was heard. As soon as the battle started, the Tubo army suffered heavy casualties and had no way of estimating how many Tang troops there were.

They then retreated hastily.

Just as they reached the bank of the Jing River, another army came charging from the west, under the banners of Bai Xiaode and Guo Xi.

When the Tang army heard the noise, they rushed over to support. They were in high spirits and immediately charged at the Tubo army as soon as they saw them.

With few troops and having been ambushed, the Tibetan army was quickly defeated and fled in all directions.

The deserter returned to the camp and immediately reported to Dazalugong.

"General, the Tang army is indeed ambushed. They have a large number of troops and deliberately used a small number of troops to lure the enemy..."

~~
Xue Bai didn't actually bring many soldiers with him in such a hurry. He just believed that with his order, soldiers from all over the country would come to support him.

Coming to support or fleeing separately are two extreme outcomes.

The significance of the emperor leading the army in person was to force those who were originally planning to flee to come and support.

Of course, the first to arrive must be the loyal and brave ones, and then gradually lead the way.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me for being late in coming to your rescue!"

"No need to be polite. I will remember your contributions to the king."

Guo Xi raised his head and looked at the young emperor in front of him, still a little bit unable to believe it.

In fact, although he saw that Bai Xiaode received the imperial edict, he could not confirm it in a short time.

For example, what if Xue Bai was a liar? In fact, he might have been rejected from Chang'an and became a rebel.

The safest way is to hold back and observe for a few more days.

If this is the case, the opportunity to fight may disappear in the blink of an eye during the time they hesitate.

It is this time difference that Dazalugong is trying to seize.

But Bai Xiaode obviously had a plan in mind and was deliberately testing Guo Xi.

At that time, he had already decided to follow Xue Bai's order and lead his army to Bingzhou for support, and asked Guo Xi a question -

"We have been chasing him all the way, but we are still not sure of the route Dazalushe will take. Your Majesty lives in Chang'an, how did you know that the decisive battle would take place in Bingzhou?"

Guo Xi couldn't answer, but he was sure that Xue Bai had a great chance of winning.

Such a person is enough to give him confidence, and it is very likely that he has really ascended the throne and become emperor.

Well, now that the fight for the throne has come to an end, the battle with Tubo is a battle to defend the territory. It is a matter of righteousness and he has no choice but to do it.

Seeing Xue Bai at this time, Guo Xi couldn't help but ask: "How did your majesty know that Dazalugong was here?"

"Of course someone told me."

"Your Majesty, do you have spies in the Tibetan army?"

"That's right." Xue Bai said, "And arrange for this spy to be someone you know well, General Guo."

Guo Xi was stunned and didn't know what was going on.

He didn't know anyone in the Tubo army, and even thought Xue Bai was saying that he was collaborating with the enemy.

Bai Xiaode quickly understood and said, "So that's how it is. The army had already found out that someone was secretly passing on military intelligence. I guess they are using the same trick against us?"

(End of this chapter)