Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 595 Psychological Warfare

Pugu Yan knew that if he wanted to assassinate Guo Ziyi, he must not use the old soldiers in the Shuofang Army.

But if you think about it carefully, his trusted subordinates who have been with him through thick and thin have been with him for many years and have fought under Guo Ziyi. Although the news may not leak out, it is inevitable that people will feel uneasy.

This uneasiness actually came from his own cowardice, not from the fact that he really couldn't trust his subordinates.

"Go and call Ren Pen." Pugu Yan gave the order at last.

Ren Pen is a very young general, only twenty-two years old this year.

He was from Luoyang, his family was very wealthy, he studied and practiced martial arts since he was young, hoping to become an official through the imperial examination. Unfortunately, when An Lushan's rebels entered Luoyang, they killed his entire family, he escaped alone, stayed in Chang'an for a while, met ten knights of similar age, and went to Lingwu to join the army together.

Having witnessed the brutality of the rebels, he acted quite ruthlessly. When he first arrived in Lingwu and was bullied, he simply crippled the opponent's hands and feet. As a result, he caught the eye of Pugu Yan and was promoted.

However, there are many talented people in the Shuofang Army, and they are promoted based on seniority. Ren Pen has not been prominent in the past. This time, something that others cannot do, is his opportunity.

Soon, Ren Pen arrived. He was tall and strong. In those days, only the kids from rich families could have such a body.

"Meet Dalang."

Being called "Da Lang" instead of "General" means that Ren Pen was Pugu Yan's private soldier rather than an imperial officer.

Pugu Yan was very satisfied with him, nodded, and said: "Although you are young, you are ruthless and can get things done."

"If Dalang has any orders, I will definitely do it."

"Do you dare to kill someone?"

Ren Pen was stunned for a moment, then looked up into Pugu Yan's eyes, wondering why he was asking him such a question.

"The one we are going to kill this time is not just an ordinary person." Pu Gu Yan waved him to come closer and said in a low voice: "The one we are going to kill is... Guo Ziyi."

As he spoke, he stared closely at Ren Pen's reaction, and saw that the young man did not show the slightest sign of surprise or panic. Instead, his eyes were filled with excitement.

"dare?"

"dare."

After hearing this decisive reply, Pugu Yan's breathing became even more hurried than Ren Pen's. He patted the other's shoulder and said, "Okay, use your man. My grandfather will meet him in the lobby of the Marshal's Mansion in half an hour. Finally, I will ask you to escort him to the garden on East Second Street. You do it in the yard and don't let others notice."

"Don't worry, I will make sure it's flawless."

"Very good, I will reward you handsomely after the task is completed."

After everything was arranged and Ren Pen left, Pugu Yan breathed a sigh of relief, only to find that beads of sweat were already running down his forehead.

He paused, then stood up to greet Guo Ziyi.

dusk.

Guo Ziyi entered the Marshal's Mansion under the welcome of Pugu Huai'en.

Along the way, Pugu Yan deliberately kept the streets quiet to ensure that apart from the dozen or so followers brought by Guo Ziyi, only Pugu's family confidants knew about this matter.

In this way, as long as we can handle it tonight, we won't have to worry about alerting the generals in the army tomorrow.

When they arrived at the lobby, Pugu Huai'en insisted that Guo Ziyi sit at the head of the table. As he spoke, his eyes gradually became red.

"When the Hu rebelled, it was the Marshal who asked me to come and assist the King of Loyalty. I failed to live up to my expectations and became alienated from the current Saint because of this incident. I was worried every day. Now that the Marshal is here, I finally have a backbone."

"It's not Prince Zhong that alienated you from His Majesty." Guo Ziyi said, "It's your stubborn temper that made it difficult for His Majesty to deal with you."

Pugu Huai'en said: "Although I am stubborn, I am loyal to my heart. But the saint of today does not believe me. What can I do?"

Guo Ziyi suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "Your Majesty, don't you believe it? If all of us who lead troops to fight want to pass on military power to our sons, what will become of the country?"

After hearing this, the atmosphere in the lobby froze, and Pugu Huai'en also understood the attitude of his former boss.

"Ever since the nine Tiele clans surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, our Pugu clan has been passed down from generation to generation." Pugu Huai'en pointed at Pugu Yan and said, "It is precisely because of the inheritance from generation to generation that our loyalty to the Khan of Taitian has been passed down to this day. In order to defend the Tang Dynasty, so many people of the Pugu clan have died from generation to generation. Now, do you think that my son is not up to the task and his contributions are not worthy of continuing to guard the border for the Tang Dynasty?!"

"Don't mess around!"

Guo Ziyi cursed and was too lazy to talk to him anymore, so he said, "The Holy Lord has ordered that you be promoted to the position of the Left Prime Minister and be canonized as the Duke of Ningguo. Pu Guyan is appointed as the Palace Supervisor. You are to come to the capital today. I will take over the Shuofang Army temporarily."

Pugu Huai'en remained silent, obviously dissatisfied with the decree.

After waiting for a long time, Guo Ziyi didn't see his answer, so he slapped the table beside him and asked, "Are you going to disobey the order?"

"Marshal, why on earth can that person make you support him so much?"

Puguo Huai'en's words simply poured out all his dissatisfaction.

"Prince Zhong used to call him 'Xue Ni'. In terms of his background, he is suspicious. In terms of prestige, how much prestige can he have at such a young age? In terms of talent, it would not be difficult for the Marshal to overthrow him with a single call. Why does he always give in to him? I have been watching from the sidelines, and I have never seen him treat the Marshal well..."

"enough!"

"But I don't understand!" Pu Gu Huai'en shouted, "Marshal, why are you like this? We old subordinates see it and feel sorry for you!"

Seeing him like this, Guo Ziyi said, "Your Majesty never needs to win me over, because he is strong and confident, and with such momentum, he is worthy of being the ruler of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. If I abandon Your Majesty and support a mediocre and weak ruler, how turbulent will the country be? What you call 'favorable treatment', we are already the highest officials, enjoying endless wealth and honor, why do we need more kindness?"

"You are at the top of the official hierarchy, have you ever thought of taking a step further?"

Guo Ziyi looked into Puguo Huai'en's eyes and could see the flame of ambition burning in them, which could not be extinguished by persuasion.

He sighed, shook his head and said, "If I wanted to go further, I would have had countless opportunities since Emperor Muzong ascended the throne, and I would not have waited until now. Pugu Huai'en, if you had rebelled earlier, you might still have a chance, but now the opportunity has passed, don't seek death."

"I didn't want to rebel, I just wanted to fight for what I deserved."

"Go to the capital and tell His Majesty." Guo Ziyi asked, "Where are Cao Lingzhong, Du Ting and others?"

At this point, the friendship between them seemed to have faded a lot. Pugu Huai'en's tone began to become distant and businesslike. He said: "Du Wulang was captured by the Bayegu tribe on his way back to Beijing. I am doing my best to rescue him. As for Cao Lingzhong, I don't know who he is."

"In that case, I will look for it myself." Guo Ziyi said, "You should hand over all the tiger seals and letters, and come to the capital as soon as possible."

"The Marshal has just arrived, and the handover of military affairs will not be completed in a short time. Please go and rest first, and let me prepare."

Seeing this, Pugu Yan, who was standing by, thought that in the end they could not reach an agreement and had to kill Guo Ziyi.

He turned around and saw Ren Pen already standing at the gate in armor, waiting for orders. He walked out and called out, "Ren Pen, come here."

"The general is here!"

"Escort Mr. Guo to settle down."

"Here!"

Pugu Yan raised his hand and said, "Mr. Guo, please."

"Just take care of yourself."

Guo Ziyi gave a final reminder, stood up and walked out.

Pugu's father and son followed to see him off, but when they arrived outside the governor's residence, they saw that the outside was densely packed with Shuofang generals.

At this time, the sun had already set, but the sky was not completely dark yet. In the last bit of light, the standing figures appeared even more profound and determined.

"Jie Shuai."

"Jie Shuai."

Guo Ziyi nodded repeatedly at the calls, but to the ears of Pugu and his son, their faces became much more serious.

"What are you all gathering for?" Pugu Huai'en said, "Return to your camps, otherwise you will be punished by military law."

"General, I haven't seen Marshal Ji for so many years. Can't you welcome him?"

"Hahaha, that's right. Military law has never been so severe before."

Pu Gu Huai'en was about to scold them, but Guo Ziyi smiled and said to him, "Don't scold them too much. It's fine if they want to reminisce with me."

It was still the tone of the superior's command as usual, but in front of everyone, Pugu Huai'en did not dare to refute and could only respond, "Yes."

Pugu Yan turned his head to look at Ren Pen, only to see that Ren Pen was looking at him with a questioning look. He thought about it, and finally shook his head helplessly, indicating that if there was no chance, he should not force himself to do it tonight.

As expected, the soldiers who rushed over surrounded Guo Ziyi and went to where they were staying, leaving no chance for Ren Pen to assassinate him.

~~
"What's going on?"

"Guo Ziyi must have sent someone to inform those generals before he arrived in Lingwu."

"wrong."

Pugu Yan thought about it later and was soon surprised. He said, "If Guo Ziyi had contacted them before arriving, why didn't we get any news? My father and I's prestige in the Shuofang Army has not been lost to this extent."

Ren Pen frowned, still feeling upset about not being able to kill Guo Ziyi and gain merit.

Pugu Yan thought about it and said slowly: "And if someone gathered these generals while my grandfather and I were going to welcome them, who would have such great ability?"

"No need to guess."

Following these words, Pugu Huai'en strode over, glared at his son, and cursed, "How dare you!"

"My child knows his fault."

Pugu Yan realized his mistake not because he intended to kill Guo Ziyi, but because he did not kill him.

In response, Pugu Huai'en only cursed and did not delve into it, and then said: "Those generals were called by your grandmother."

"what?"

Pugu Yan also knew that his grandmother had always opposed their rebellion against the Tang Dynasty and had once beaten Pugu Huai'en for this, so all their plans were kept secret from her.

"But...how did she know?"

"I guess Lord Guo must have sent someone to pass the message to her." Pugu Huai'en said, frowning, "It seems that Lord Guo doesn't believe me at all. He thinks I will assassinate him, so he is on guard in advance."

"Grandpa, with the court's attitude, we might as well rebel."

"Shut up!"

Pugu Huai'en waved his hand irritably and shouted, "All of you go down."

Ren Pen and the others bowed and left. Soon, only Pu Gu and his son were left in the room.

"Don't talk about rebellion all the time." Pu Gu Huai'en said, "Don't you think about it, can we really succeed? We only have so many soldiers and horses, and the food and grass of the Shuofang Army have always been supplied by the court. Once the war starts, the court will have an endless supply of taxes from Jiangnan. How long can we hold out?"

"It is not impossible to win a quick victory. We have the support of Tubo and Huihe."

"Rely on others? If you rely on others to achieve great things, then the day when the Pugu clan will be exterminated is not far away." Pugu Huai'en said: "Mr. Guo is right. If you want to rebel, the best time is before Xue Ni ascends the throne. It's too late now."

"Then..." "Remember, what we want is for you to inherit the military power. We will unite with Tubo and Huihe and start an uprising at any time. This is our threat to Chang'an. If we don't take action, the court will never be at ease. But if we really start an uprising, it will not be a threat, but a fight to the death."

Pugu Yan said, "I understand, but what should I do?"

"If the stalemate continues, Xue Ni will be the first to give up."

"Why?"

Pu Gu Huai En said, "It was only after Lord Guo came that I realized that the court sent him because it did not want to start a war. Don't look at the frequent transfers of officers and soldiers in the past period, but I have long seen that the various passes and fortresses that control the Shuofang area have not been threatened. This matter will eventually have to be discussed. We only need to deal with Lord Guo, but Xue Ni will have to bear the pressure from all sides. In the end, he will definitely compromise and give you an official position... We don't ask for much."

At the end of his words, he patted his son on the shoulder.

"Remember, we have the military power in our hands, and we are not afraid of anything. Keep calm, be patient, and don't act impulsively and foolishly."

"I understand, kid!"

Pugu Yan's eyes also became determined, realizing that he did not have to kill Guo Ziyi.

This time it is a psychological game between him and Xue Bai, and the entire court will help him put pressure on Xue Bai.

~~
Guo Ziyi had a good sleep. After waking up, he called over an attendant who had come with him.

"Mr. Guo."

"On the way here, I heard you sing a good opera. Can you sing another one?"

"it is good."

After hearing this, the young attendant sang a passage from "The West Chamber" in a very confident and graceful manner. Guo Ziyi also enjoyed listening to this kind of children's play with great gusto.

Finally, he nodded with satisfaction and asked, "I heard people calling you 'Lobo' on the road. You are from the Du family, but your name is 'Du Lobo'?"

"My name is Hu Luo, and my mother used to be the cook of the Du family."

"Could it be Hu Shisanniang, the chef of Fengweilou? I have eaten her dishes before. I didn't expect that a woman could cook such a good dish."

"Yes."

"You have your mother's last name?"

"Yes, my grandfather was a heartless man who abandoned me after having sex with me. He escaped from rent and labor service before I was born. It was the Du family who took my mother in."

While chatting about these things, Guo Ziyi took Du Luo out of the main house. After walking for a while, he looked back and found that the maids who were cleaning could no longer hear them talking.

He then said, "Pugu Huai'en is determined not to obey my order. I want to let him see my methods, so I will rescue Du Wulang first."

"Thank you, Mr. Guo."

"In the afternoon, I will write you a list and ask you to go out and buy some things. After you go out, find a chance to go to Kuanshi Lane. From the third house on the west side, there is a house with a lantern with the word 'Bai' on it. Find a general named Bai Yuanguang. He will take you to the Bayegu tribe. Identify Du Wulang and bring him back."

"It's that simple?"

Guo Ziyi always had an attitude of making light of a heavy matter, and said: "Now that I am here, it is that simple."

Hu Luo received the order and acted accordingly.

In the afternoon, when he went out, someone was watching him. But seeing that he was a nobody and was only going to the market, the other party was a little indifferent. Hu Luo suddenly mixed into the crowd while eating soup noodles and got rid of the other party.

Following the address given by Guo Ziyi, he found the house in Kuanshi Lane, knocked on the door, and saw a burly man. After asking, he found out it was Bai Yuanguang.

Bai Yuanguang received the letter, read it, and was greatly surprised. He asked, "How did Mr. Guo know that I am now recovering from my injuries in the city?"

"Mr. Guo knows everything about the Shuofang army."

Bai Yuanguang was in awe and said, "But I don't know where Du Wulang is."

Hu Luo said: "Mr. Guo said that since Pugu Huai'en said that Wulang was captured by the Bayegu tribe, he must have been put there. General Bai just takes me to ask for him, and the other party will not dare to refuse."

"Ok."

Bai Yuanguang nodded, still curious about how Guo Ziyi knew his address as soon as he entered the city. After much thought, he wondered which comrade had told him.

The two men left the city that day, slept outside the city at night, and headed north for three days the next day. They arrived at a large village in the evening.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly an arrow shot in front of them, and a rider came forward and shouted, "Who is coming?"

Bai Yuanguang rode his horse forward without announcing his identity. He only untied the turban that was covering his face to block the wind and sand.

"Hahaha, the son-in-law is here!"

Cheerful voices soon rang out in the village. Bai Yuanguang waved his hand and asked Hu Luo to follow him in without saying anything.

Hu Luo couldn't help but think that General Bai was the son-in-law of the Bayegu tribe. Lord Guo was really good at employing people.

What was strange was that although the village was so cheerful, Bai Yuanguang didn't look happy at all.

Passing by a large number of tents, finally, an old man in a white robe came out, looked at Bai Yuanguang majestically, and said: "You are finally here."

"Father, I came to pick up Du Wulang according to Mr. Guo's instructions."

"What? Pugu Huai'en changed his mind again?"

Bai Yuanguang did not say anything, using silence to show that this was his personal position.

"Come in and talk." The old man in white robe invited them into the tent.

……

"Hey, someone is here to pick you up, get up."

"me?"

Du Wulang, who was squatting beside a ewe milking, stood up, rubbed his hands on his hips, and followed a dark-faced herdsman towards the big tent.

He has been detained here for some time, and because of the wind and frost on the frontier, his originally fair face has become much rougher.

When the curtain was lifted, Du Wulang was stunned for a moment, then he said happily: "Hu Luo? Why are you here?"

"Wulang, I came here to take you back on orders from Mr. Guo."

"Mr. Guo has finally arrived in Lingwu."

Du Wulang was overjoyed, but he was in no hurry to leave. Instead, he put the milk basin in his hand on the low table, glanced at the old man in white robe, then looked at Bai Yuanguang, and asked, "May I ask your name, General?"

"This is General Bai Yuanguang." Hu Luo said, "He is the one who brought me here to rescue Wu Lang."

"Thank you, General." Du Wulang said, "Can I have a few more words with the leader of Bayegu?"

"Bai Yuanguang, please take him away." The old man in white robe obviously didn't want to listen to Du Wulang's nagging.

"Listen to me." Du Wulang said, "Pugu Huai'en didn't kill me, obviously he still fears the court and doesn't dare to rebel. What he wants is for Pugu Yan to inherit the position of Jiedushi, but what good will this do for the Bayegu tribe?"

"The Tiele people are originally a tribe, and it's not good for them to be the head of their own tribe."

"We have been annexed for more than a hundred years, and we are all saying the same thing." Du Wulang said, "You even married your daughter to General Bai. Aren't you one family with the Han people?"

"Shut up. I let you go because Guo Gong spoke up. Shut up and leave."

Du Wulang refused to leave and said, "General Cao hasn't let him go yet."

Even Hu Luo knew that things had to be done step by step, and whispered to Du Wulang: "Wulang, it's different. You were captured by the Bayegu tribe because of a misunderstanding. Detaining General Cao is a serious crime..."

"Don't talk."

Du Wulang pushed Hu Luo and said, "Chief, I am very familiar with His Majesty and know his intentions. Pugu Huai'en is just trying to coerce you into causing trouble and threatening the court. This will not end well. Don't let him implicate you and harm your people. It is good for the Bayegu tribe to draw a clear line with him now, and it will also make Pugu Huai'en have no one to rely on. Come to the capital as soon as possible to obey the order. This is to save him. The Tiele people cannot occupy this piece of land in Shuofang, but Your Majesty will never let the Tiele people suffer."

"Bai Yuanguang, take this chirping bird away."

"Father-in-law, I think we can listen to what he has to say."

Bai Yuanguang had been thinking that since Guo Ziyi had arrived, he should return to his army. He was worried that he had no chance to make any achievements.

He had never heard of the story of "General Cao" and wanted to listen carefully.

Du Wulang said, "Also, your majesty will definitely not let Anxi and Beiting be cut off from the Tang Dynasty. The Hexi Corridor will be opened soon. By then, you will not be able to conceal the fact that you detained General Cao. Rather than being implicated by Pugu Huai'en, it is better to make merit now. When the trade route to the Western Regions is opened, you will be the first to benefit. I have stayed here for a few days, but there is really nothing. After all, the trade route is blocked and merchants are not coming."

"If you dare to say that again, you won't be able to leave!"

"Don't be angry, Chief. You are going to marry your daughter off soon, you can't go without beautiful silk..."

"Pugu Huai'en will naturally bring it."

"Can you live well by relying on others?" Du Wulang continued, "You can rely on Pugu Huai'en today, but can you still rely on Pugu Yan tomorrow? You helped him fight for the position of Jiedushi, but he pushed the most deadly crimes onto you!"

"Come here! Take him back to the sheepfold!"

Bai Yuanguang stood up, pulled Du Wulang over, and whispered, "Wulang, go see Mr. Guo first. I will explain the pros and cons of your father-in-law's side."

At this moment, a herdsman ran into the tent in a panic and said, "Chief, the Huihe people have sent an envoy."

Upon hearing this, Du Wulang also felt a little flustered, knowing that if he ran into Yidijian's envoy, it would be difficult for him to escape. The Huihe people would definitely kill him to force Pugu Huai'en to rebel.

So he nodded and prepared to leave with Bai Yuanguang obediently.

"Wait a minute."

Suddenly, the old voice behind me sounded.

Du Wulang immediately broke out in a cold sweat. He held Hu Luo's arm with his hand, turned around and said, "Chief, are you trying to keep me here? What's the point? It would be better to let the Huihe people kill me. When Pugu Yan becomes the governor, we will see whether the Bayegu tribe will rise to prominence or be punished and exterminated."

~~
Lingwu.

Pugu Huai'en knew that he could not allow Guo Ziyi to meet with the Shuofang soldiers, so he sent people to surround his residence.

In this way, he is openly resisting the imperial court's transfer order. It depends on whether the imperial court will send troops to attack him or surrender and grant him an official position. The possibility of the former is extremely low. It is likely that Xue Bai will hold out for a while and grant him an official position only when the court can no longer delay.

It was at this time that envoys from Dazhalugong and Yidijian arrived one after another and told him a big news.

The imperial court's troops marched westward to recover the lost territories occupied by Tubo. Tubo and Uighur were eagerly hoping that he would rise up against the Tang.

Pu Gu Huai'en was not surprised but happy. He took the alliance letter between Tubo and Huihe and prepared to meet Guo Ziyi.

On the one hand, he already had a lot of bargaining chips for exerting pressure, and on the other hand, since the court's intention was in Hexi, and he only wanted to give up his official position to his son, he believed that as long as he talked properly, he could still reach an agreement.

(End of this chapter)