Late Tang Dynasty: I

Chapter 152 Changes in the Situation (a must-read for the big chapter)

Hearing Jingxiang's suggestion to exchange Xing, Ming, and Ci states for Heluo, Li Ye was a bit reluctant, but from a strategic point of view, He and Luo were much more valuable than Xing, Ming, and Ci states.

The three prefectures of Xing, Ming and Ci were surrounded by the three towns of Chengde, Weibo and Hedong.

But Luoyang is different. Luoyang has the benefits of the eight passes, the danger of the Yellow River, the north and Luzhou form a corner, and the south is the Shannan East Road.

Strong enemies come from Zhu Wen in the east, Qin Zongquan in the southeast, and Li Hanzhi in Zezhou in the northeast.

The imperial court can maneuver here and there, it is useful!
When Li Ye and Jing Xiang were discussing the possibility of restoring Luoyang, the eastern capital, the guard reported Zhu Zhen's urgent military situation.

Li Ye hurriedly summoned messengers to meet him.

"How is the military situation in Chengdu?"

"Your Majesty, Wang Jian has already breached Chengdu. Commander Zhu knocked on the door. Wang Jian refused Commander Zhu to enter the city on the grounds that the city was newly established and it was not suitable for receiving foreign troops. Commander Zhu humbly asked whether he wanted to storm Chengdu."

Li Ye thought to himself: "It's broken", but he still didn't catch up.

"Return to Commander Zhu, set up camp outside Chengdu for the time being, and wait for my army to come."

"promise!"

As soon as the messenger left, Duan Kun, the commander of Yushan's personal guard right army, asked to see him.

"Your Majesty, it was reported that Wang Jian held a banquet last night for Tian Lingzi and Chen Jingxuan. After the banquet, he detained the two of them immediately, and sent his generals Wang Zongkan, Wang Zongbi and others to take Chen Jingxuan's army with restraint."

Li Ye raised his brows and said, "Chen Jingxuan has an army of one hundred thousand, how could he be confiscated so easily?"

Jing Xiang said: "Chen Jingxuan's army is mostly old and weak, and it is still impossible to defend the city by itself. What's more, now, and most of the army is from Chengdu. If Wang Jian is forced by the people of Chengdu, it will be easy to surrender."

Duan Kun said: "What Jing Sima said is true. Wang Jian told the soldiers of the Chengdu Army that if they don't obey, all the people of Chengdu will be slaughtered."

Li Ye nodded, let Duan Kun back down, and said to Jingxiang: "The army attached to Wang Jianxin probably cannot fight. What I am worried about now is that Chengdu will be caught in the flames of war. This is what I don't want to see."

Jing Xiang said: "When the Son of Heaven comes, Wang Jian will come to see him. If Wang Jian lives alone, Chengdu will be destroyed."

Li Ye shook his head and said, "I expect Wang Jian will not dare to see him."

Jing Xiang also can't say...

After crossing Mianzhou and Fujiang River, there are good fields and dense villages along the way. This is already the territory of Hanzhou. This place is occupied by Gu Yanhui, and it seems that it has not been looted.

"Your Majesty, there is a canal here called Guangji, which irrigates more than [-] mu of fertile land, and there are many mountains in front of it, and there is a mountain called Jinling."

"Golden Ridge?"

Yang Shouhou, the governor of Mianzhou, said: "It's called Jinling. It is rich in gold, silver, and iron. There are salt ponds and Glauber's salt in the mountains."

Xichuan is rich in nitrate. I wonder if this thenardite is the same as gunpowder nitrate?
"Your Majesty, Glauber's salt is not fire nitrate. It can relieve constipation, relieve fire and clear swelling. It is a rare good medicine."

Li Ye nodded and said, "How much gold, how much silver, and how much salt and iron can be produced here?"

Yang Shouhou said: "Your Majesty, the annual output is thousands of taels of gold, 10 taels of silver, countless irons, and 30 stones of salt. This place originally belonged to Mianzhou. After Gu Yanhui forcibly occupied Hanzhou, he seized this place again..."

Li Ye looked at Yang Shouhou, and the complainant came.

"Of course I uphold justice!"

Li Ye thought to himself: How can such an important mineral be developed by the state and county? It must be presided over by the imperial court.

"How far is it to Hanzhou?"

"Less than eighty miles!"

Li Ye said to Zhao Xi: "Has the governor of Hanzhou, Gu Yanhui, come to see me yet?"

Zhao Xi shook his head and said, "I haven't received the notification yet!"

"When was my edict issued to him?"

"Five days ago!"

"Zhao Xi, go to Hanzhou yourself and tell Gu Yanhui face to face that I want to see him!"

"promise!"

Hanzhou is a large state with more than 30 people. Yushan's personal guards also found out that Gu Yanhui had [-] soldiers in Hanzhong, while the three towns of Mianzhou, Longjian, and Weirong combined did not have [-] troops.

The Tang court ordered it in the Yuanhe period, and the number of soldiers in Xichuan Jiedu in Jiannan was only 2.

Li Ye felt a little tired. The feudal towns all over the country were recruiting soldiers without restraint. They couldn't drive all these people to the mountains to mine.

Two days later, when the imperial army arrived in Hanzhou, Gu Yanhui had the guts to line up [-] troops outside the city without hiding anything.

Li Ye was promoted in the army, Pingxi County King Yang Fugong, Zuo Shenwei Army An Fujiang, Zuo Yulin Army Zhang Yi, Right Hanzhou Army Commander Yang Shouzhong, Dragon Sword Jiedu Envoy Yang Shouzhen, Mianzhou Governor Yang Shouhou, Weirong Army Jiedu Make Yang Sheng, Cai Shuxiang, deputy governor of Xichuan in Jiannan, governor of Tongzhou, governor of Quzhou... line up on both sides.

Gu Yanhui led more than twenty generals to meet the emperor.

"The governor of Hanzhou, Gu Yanhui, pays his respects to His Majesty. His armor is on. Your Majesty, please forgive me for not being able to fully salute."

Li Ye's face was as usual, but he was very angry. This Dongchuan Gu family is very domineering. First, he privately appointed the deputy Jiedu to lead the army. The emperor endured it, and then there was an unknown assassin, the emperor also tolerated it.
And this Gu Yanlang, who is known as the governor, even paid respects to the emperor as a general.

The parade soldiers are in formation, and the meaning of the demonstration is obvious.

The emperor calmed down and said: "I have issued many edicts, why don't you come!"

Gu Yanhui said with a blank face: "Your Majesty, the army is wasting money to go back and forth. I think that it is enough to meet His Majesty in Hanzhou."

The military generals and governors on both sides shook their heads. None of them were blind. The East and West Rivers had become one, and Wang Jian and Gu Yanlang were both wearing a pair of trousers.

Now that Wang Jian has captured Chengdu, most of Xichuan has already fallen into Wang Jian's hands. The combined strength of the Eastern and Western Sichuan is no less than 20. With soldiers around, the waist is naturally strong.

Gu Yanlang also looked at Li Ye, his eyes were obviously very calm.

Li Ye took a long breath and decided to put the overall situation first.

"Please, Shijun, gather your troops and follow me to Chengdu."

Gu Yanhui said: "Your Majesty, there is no need to go to Chengdu now? After the Yongping Army Jiedu stayed, Wang Jian has already pacified Chengdu, and the envoy who asked for merit has already taken the rebels Chen Jingxuan and Tian Lingzi out of the tent."

After Gu Yanhui said this, everyone in the tent changed countenance.

After the Yongping Festival?The imperial court has not yet sealed it, so you dare to call it that in front of His Majesty the Emperor, this... is really audacious.

But think about it and sigh, Dongxichuan has become a powerful force, with an army of 10,000+, His Majesty the Emperor has to weigh it!

Li Ye was furious, but his expression didn't change. Then he smiled and said, "General Wang Jian has finished all the things I have to do. Okay, all the officers and men, dear dears, what do you think? Do you still want to go to Chengdu?"

Gu Yanhui was confident, and he also looked at the civil servants and military generals around the emperor. When he saw Yang Shouhou, he saw his eyes dodge.

Coward!

No one in the tent spoke.

On the contrary, Yang Fugong coughed and said: "Your Majesty, this servant does not know that the imperial court has set up the military title of Yongping Army, it deserves death!"

Everyone in the tent did not expect Yang Fugong to say this, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Gu Yanhui's face was also red, and he looked at Yang Fugong angrily, thinking: It's all a tacit operation, there is no need to put it on the table, this old eunuch is really low.

His Majesty the Emperor didn't want to have a laugh, so he just passed by, and said to Gu Yanhui: "The king of Xiping County doesn't know, and I don't know either, General Gu, please help to clear up the confusion!"

Uncle Cai on the side was sweating. He didn't expect that His Majesty the Emperor would dare to explode at this time. He is really young and vigorous.

He brought 1 horses, Gu Yanhui had 3 horses, a total of 4 horses, Zizhou had 8 horses, and Wang Jian had at least [-] to [-] horses!
Gu Yanhui didn't change his face, and said: "Your Majesty, let the envoy of Wang Shijun speak!"

Li Ye said: "Let's pass it on, and I will also increase my knowledge."

In the process of waiting for the messenger, Li Ye also kept weighing.

According to this situation, Wang Jian and Gu Yanlang shared weal and woe, advancing and retreating together.

After a while, the envoys came to enter the account, and Chen Jingxuan and Tian Lingzi also came to enter the account.

Tian Lingzi, who used to be so beautiful in the past, is now shattered, and his whole body is tied up with ropes, and Chen Jingxuan is even more miserable, his pants are already wet.

The envoy presented a memorial, and then said: "Your Majesty, on September 27th of the first year of Dazhi, Lizhou Inspector Wang Jian led his army to attack Chengdu and captured the rebels Tian Lingzi and Chen Jingxuan. The envoy asked us to report the victory to Your Majesty."

Tian Lingzi listened to the lecture, and looked at the envoy with resentment, showing unwillingness on his face, but Li Ye's thoughts were not on this eunuch.

Li Ye looked at the memorial to the victory, and sure enough, at the end of the memorial, he still asked the court to grant the Jiedu envoy, but this time it was different from the last time, he asked for the Jiannan Xichuan Jiedu envoy.

"Does Wang Shijun have anything else to say?"

The envoy said: "Return to Your Majesty, Xichuan has been newly established. Wang Shijun is afraid that people will be uneasy and Xichuan will be in turmoil. Please Your Majesty to grant Jiannan Xichuan Jiedu envoy."

"call!"

Except for Gu Yanlang and Cai Shuxiang, the faces of all the officers and governors of the prefectures changed drastically.

Li Ye turned around and whispered to An Fujiang, the commander of the Zuo Shenwei Army.Gu Yanlang and Cai Shuxiang had doubts at first, but when they saw An Fujiang leaving the tent and took Tian Lingzi and Chen Jingxuan away, they no longer doubted.

Li Ye said to the generals and the governor: "What do you think?"

Gu Yanhui was very active, he stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, Wang Jian has made great achievements in sweeping out traitors for the imperial court, and he has done great service for the people of Xichuan. I and my elder brother Jiannan Dongchuan Jiedu envoy Gu Yanlang all thought that he was awarded Jiannan Xichuan Jiedu stayed behind."

Seeing this, Cai Shuxiang naturally couldn't let his young master fight alone, so he hurriedly stepped forward and said: "The minister seconded the proposal."

Li Ye looked at the officials and said, "Is there anyone else who seconded the proposal?"

Gu Yanhui turned his head to look at Yang Shouhou, then at Weirong Jiedu envoy Yang Sheng, and at the prefects of Dongchuan and Xichuan.

Li Yanzhao, governor of Tongzhou, said: "The minister seconded the proposal!"

Fei Cun, the governor of Pengzhou, said: "The minister seconded the proposal!"

Then three more state governors came forward to express their views, and they all seconded.

"I don't agree. Wang Jian is also a dog thief. He plundered the twelve prefectures of Xichuan along the way. Although he has captured Chengdu, at most he will make up for his mistakes. How dare you ask Jiannan Xichuan Jiedu envoy."

It was Mao Xiang, governor of Qiongzhou who spoke.

Subsequently, Yang Sheng, the governor of Rongzhou, Jiazhou, Yazhou, and Weirong Army, disagreed.

Yang Shouzhen, Yang Shouzhong naturally disagreed, and Yang Shouhou, the governor of Mianzhou, finally stood up. For him, agreeing was also a dead end.

Li Ye took a look, and found that all the governors who opposed Xichuan had been harmed by Wang Jian, while the governors of Dongchuan mostly agreed, except Yang Shouhou, the governor of Mianzhou who was not under the control of Dongchuan.

Li Ye looked at Gu Yanhui, and saw that he looked at the opposing governor with an unfriendly expression.

Said: "All the lovers have different opinions. It is better to invite the king to come to me, and I will teach him personally."

The envoy said: "For His Majesty to break through Chengdu as soon as possible, he took a shot at himself. Unfortunately, he was hit by a stray arrow and is recuperating in bed. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Li Ye's face became serious gradually, and Jing Xiang beside him also narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Since that's the case, I want to meet the great hero!"

…………

Xichuan, Chengdu

Wang Jian was quite disturbed.

Li Jian said: "Commander, is it appropriate to ask the imperial court for envoys and envoys at this time?"

Wang Jiandao: "Since we disrespected the imperial edict and attacked Xichuan privately, it is doomed. If the imperial court does not compromise, there will be a war. This time, we will ask for the festival and test our ears!"

Li Jian said: "We have 15 powerful soldiers, the imperial court will not dare to use swords."

Wang Jian shook his head and said, "Your Majesty is young and energetic, and I don't know how things will go. The troops stationed outside the city haven't left yet. It seems that Your Majesty wants to test the strength of our army?"

Wang Jian didn't want to fight with the imperial court at this time, since he had always commanded the whole army with the court's righteousness, and when fighting with the imperial court, he was naturally on the wrong side.

Secondly, at this time, what he needs most is time, to digest Chen Jingxuan's troops, to surrender new soldiers, with limited combat power, and to weed out the old and the weak, who are of no use other than to consume the army rations.

After the integration, it is estimated that there will be one hundred thousand troops, and with one hundred thousand troops, he can fear nothing.

Marching Sima Wang Bangzhong said: "Wang Chongrong and Li Keyong rebelled against the imperial court in the past, but in the end they were restored to their original posts and even added titles. This is the reason for the strength of the army. Why don't the commander follow suit?"

Wang Jiandao: "How to imitate!"

Wang Bangzhong said: "There are more than 1 imperial guards outside the city, and there are more than [-] imperial guards around His Majesty. These troops are the bones of the emperor, and the rest of the town's soldiers and horses are nothing to worry about.

If the commander-in-chief smashed the emperor's bones, wouldn't the matter be decided by the commander-in-chief?When the time comes to plead guilty, what else would the emperor not agree to? "

Li Jian also nodded and said: "Commander, Jiannan Dongchuan Jiedu envoy Gu Yanlang is on our side, can the situation be better than this?

When the emperor leaves Xichuan, the commander-in-chief only needs to send a general to attack the Jiange. Since then, the two rivers have been separated from Chang'an. Will we still be constrained by the court?This is a humble plan for the commander-in-chief! "

Wang Jian hesitated.

Wang Zongbi said: "Father commander, the final general is willing to lead three thousand loyal soldiers and defeat the forbidden army outside the city. If Zhu Zhen's dog's head cannot be removed, the final general is willing to bring his head to see him."

Wang Jian quickly waved his hands and said: "Don't underestimate the enemy. I see that the imperial guards outside the city are well-armored and have strict military discipline. Don't underestimate them!"

Wang Zongbi laughed and said: "Father Commander, what kind of dog the Shence Army looks like, the general knows very well, so I will go and get rid of these bastards for Father Commander!"

(End of this chapter)