Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 301 The Death of Lushan (End of this Volume)

At the turn of the spring and summer of Tianbao's seventh year, Ji Ge adjusted a large number of appointments of generals "without warning."

Except for Fang Chongyong who continues to serve as Hexi Jiedushi and Western Region Economic and Strategy Ambassador without any adjustment, there are more or less major personnel adjustments in other border towns.

Since the military pressure from the grasslands had almost disappeared, Ji Ge transferred Huangfu Weiming to Shuofang and served as the military governor of Shuofang. A total of 10,000 people were transferred from Shuofang's armies to enrich the armies under Fan Yang Jiedushi.

At the same time, An Lushan was transferred to Fanyang Jiedushi, and concurrently served as Pinglu Jiedushi deputy envoy, temporarily holding the military power of Yingzhou. However, the position of Pinglu Jiedushi was temporarily vacant and the vacancy was not filled.

In addition, Ji Ge also handed over the post of interview envoy of Hebei Province to An Lushan. Just like Fang Chongyong also served as the interview envoy of Longyou Road.

An Si obeyed Hedong Jiedushi and was transferred to Jiannan Jiedushi. His replacement was Zhangchou Jianqiong, the former Jiannan Jiedushi.

This transfer has profound meaning and has puzzled many people. But no matter how you look at it, An Lushan, a foreigner, has become the biggest winner of this dispatch! Not only has the former military power of Yingzhou not been lost, but it has also taken control of the prosperous Youzhou. Its power cannot be underestimated!

Fang Chongyong has no control over the court's arrangements. Because within two days of his fight with An Lushan, he left Chang'an for Liangzhou with a group of followers. The expedition to the Western Regions is imminent, and Liangzhou has been making preparations for the expedition. Even if Brother Ji wants to stop now, there is no way to stop.

It is a certainty that at least 10,000 fine cavalry will go out to fight. No matter how cowardly they are, they will have to visit many small countries in the Western Regions west of Congling to promote the prestige of the Tang Dynasty and then come back.

On the other side, An Lushan, who was also the governor of the two towns, came to Puzhou in a light vehicle and crossed the Yellow River to Fengling Ferry. He successfully met up with Zhang Tongru and 500 Hebei elite soldiers who had been waiting here for a long time. Any surprises happen!

An Lushan didn't think anything of it. When he saw the troops who were supporting him, his anxious heart finally returned to his stomach, and he discussed the march route with Zhang Tongru in the guest room of Fenglingyi.

Zhang Tongru analyzed An Lushan and said that although he is now very popular, people who want to take action cannot actually do it in Guanzhong. If something happens, it is most likely to happen in Hedong. An Lushan arrived at Fenglingdu safely, which strengthened Zhang Tongru's prediction.

Zhang Tongru spread out a large map of Anlu Mountain with many routes marked on it. Before An Lushan came, he had already planned his retreat, he just needed An Lushan to choose and confirm.

From Chang'an to Hebei, if you don't count the Yangchang Trail, there are generally three routes you can take, namely the northern route, the middle route, and the eastern route!

Taking the northern route, you need to walk countless mountain roads, from Yan'an to northern Shaanxi and then beyond the Great Wall, along the ancient Great Wall to Yanmen Pass, and from here to Youzhou! It can be said that it is done in one step!

However, this road is either a grassland or a desert or a Gobi mountain, so supplies are very difficult and the road is rugged and difficult to navigate. The only advantage is that the terrain is complex and suitable for hiding.

This is the escape route Zhang Tongru prepared for An Lushan. Well, the so-called escape is the path An Lushan took when he had no choice but to be dismissed from his post and investigated by Brother Ji and even wanted to exterminate his family.

If An Lushan leaves by this road, he will basically not return to the Tang Dynasty. In the future, he will wander around the grasslands beyond the Great Wall, wherever he goes.

An Lushan, who now serves as the military governor of the two towns, obviously does not need to leave Chang'an in such embarrassment. This kind of thing is a joke if it spreads.

After introducing the northern route, let’s talk about the eastern route. The so-called eastern route takes the main road from Chang’an to Luoyang, both on the south bank of the Yellow River, and passes through Tongguan and Hulao Pass. The characteristic of this road is that it is extremely wide and has numerous stops along the way, making it very comfortable and relaxing along the way.

But there are two downsides to going this route.

The first is that Fang Youde has a large number of troops stationed in Heyang, which can closely monitor the situation in Luoyang. If they really wanted to kill Sap, they didn't need to ambush him at all. After knowing An Lushan's itinerary, they could just find an opportunity to kill him around Luoyang.

The second disadvantage is that you have to cross the Yellow River by boat. Due to the rising water in the Yellow River at the turn of spring and summer, there is great uncertainty in crossing the river.

The biggest problem with taking this road in Anlushan is that the safety is extremely low! There are many opportunities to be plotted!

Even unofficial forces can find opportunities to carry out assassinations.

For example, when crossing the Yellow River and heading north in Anlu Mountain, it is easy for unexpected "accidents" to occur. To put it bluntly, when the time comes, a fisherman with a good water quality will quietly dig out the bottom of his boat in the middle of the Yellow River, and it will be enough for Anlushan to drink a pot.

Moreover, Tongguan is surrounded by mountains and peaks, deep valleys and cliffs. The mountains are high and the road is narrow. There is a narrow trail in the middle, which can only accommodate one car and one horse.

This is a good place to kill people and sell goods.

It was obvious that this path was not possible. An Lushan had never considered taking this path at all. Even when he came to Chang'an, he had no intention of leaving. When he passed through Heyang, he was "escorted" by Fang Youde's Shence Army, and then passed through Tongguan and entered Guanzhong.

So the only thing left to go is the middle road.

In fact, both Zhang Tongru and An Lushan were inclined to follow this line. They had already discussed it when they worked separately.

An Lushan's light carriage went to Puban, crossed the Puban Bridge to Fenglingdu on the other side of the Yellow River, and met Zhang Tongru and the 500 personal guards at Fenglingyi. Everything went well!

This is the starting point from Guanzhong to Hedong, and it is also the largest station in Hedong! Safety and supplies along the way are no problem!

When An Lushan wants to go to Hebei through Guanzhong, it is inevitable to pass through Puban.

The difference between An Lushan and Zhang Tongru now is that starting from Puban to Hebei, there are several forked roads to choose from. They have already won the first half of the game. How not to overturn in the second half is a question that tests their mental courage.

As An Lushan was a military governor with a shallow foundation and a second town, there were many people in the officialdom of the Tang Dynasty who were looking forward to his death and a share of the pie. No one can say whether someone will take the risk and commit an assassination.

Zhang Tongru's views were completely different from An Lushan's. The two had a red-faced argument in the guest room of the inn!

Zhang Tongru believes that the most convenient route is to go all the way east, take the Wangwushan Trail through Zhiguan, and then pass through Hanoi to Xiangzhou (Yecheng).

By the time we arrived in Xiangzhou, we were basically in the area controlled by the Hebei Road envoy.

In other words, whoever wants to deal with Anlushan in Xiangzhou and the east area will have to spend much higher costs than other areas! It can be considered that the route from Anlushan to Xiangzhou can basically ensure safety.

No wealthy family in Hebei would offend the Jiedushi who is also in charge of two towns in the Northeast!

In fact, An Lushan also took this road when he came to Chang'an. Among all routes, this route has the shortest "dangerous section" and the relatively easiest road.

The only bad thing is that you have to pass through Fang Youde's control area, and you have to pass through the Zhiguan City Tower currently taken over by the Shence Army. You might just run into Fang Youde!

Zhang Tongru believed that even if An Lushan passed by Fang Youde, the other party would not dare to do anything to him!

Even if An Lushan had fought with Fang Youde's son, even if there were rumors that Fang Youde couldn't stand An Lushan, and even if An Lushan had purged Fang Youde's old team in Hebei, the two had already had a grudge!

Zhang Tongru was still sure that Fang Youde would not dare to rebel, let alone what he would do to An Lushan in public!

But when he came, An Lushan had already been severely taught by Fang Youde. Therefore, this cunning envoy of the Second Northeastern Town knew that the so-called safety of taking this road was only theoretical safety.

Human nature cannot be judged. If Fang Youde went crazy at that time, killing An Lushan would not even take a stick of incense!

It is impossible for An Lushan to put his wealth and life on other people's compliance with the rules. What if Fang Youde is a lunatic and just wants to die together?

An Lushan, who has been shrewd and cunning since he was a child, has met all kinds of characters, and among them there is really no shortage of the kind of lunatic who says "I will drag you to death if I don't want to live"!

If Fang Youde's attitude cannot be determined, then this road will be the most dangerous route, bar none. If the Tongguan line is only within the control range of the Shence Army, then this road is right under Fang Youde's nose.

It was impossible for An Lushan to let himself be sent to Fang Youde's door to kill him!

Of course, there is another way back to Hebei, and it is safer, just a little detour.

Take the overland road from Fenglingdu to the north, and then continue north to Jiangzhou, the important town of Jinzhou, and all the way north to Taiyuan. Then go east from Taiyuan and exit Jingxing to Hebei. Next to Jingxing is Zhending (near Shijiazhuang).

This is already the deep area of ​​Hebei, and An Lushan, who serves as Fan Yang's military envoy, is basically close to the place where he will take office when he arrives here.

The areas on this road that Anlu Mountain cannot directly control are all under the jurisdiction of the Hedong Jiedushi. An Lushan's cousin An Sishun was the former Hedong Jiedushi. It is likely that the handover procedures had not been completed at this time and he still controlled the military power in Hedong.

Zhangchou Jianqiong has to come from Jiannan. It is a long way. It is probably summer and autumn when he reaches Hedong. This transfer will not be completed so quickly.

In An Lushan's opinion, this road is the only choice.

But these are normal routes. In addition, there are some "deviant" paths. There is a secret trail that starts from Fenglingdu and goes east, from Jiangzhou to Qinshui County in Zezhou. This road cannot pass the army and cannot supply supplies along the way.

When you arrive in Qinshui County, it’s easy to take the main road to Jincheng. You can go east from Jincheng to Fushuixing to Xiangzhou, or you can go north from Jincheng to Shangdang, and then go east from Shangdang out of Jingxing to Zhending.

The disadvantage of this road is that it is too tortuous and uncertain, and it is impossible to march in large groups. If you encounter an assassin with good swordsmanship on the road, you can kill An Lushan.

What's more, An Lushan is the military governor of two towns, so there is no need for him to go back to Hebei like a rat crossing the street. Therefore, this road was also rejected by An Lushan.

At this moment, An Lushan and Zhang Tongru were arguing. One wanted to go north and the other wanted to go east. No one could convince the other!

"Let's just do some divination!"

The fat An Lushan took out a roll of delicate paper made of sheepskin from his arms. It did not look like something from the Central Plains.

"This is called the Scroll of Joy, and it is a divination tool commonly used in my Zoroastrian religion.

On March 3 this year, Benjieshuai specially ordered someone to draw a star chart for that night, thinking that it would be used for divination. Now is the time to use it! "

An Lushan unfolded the sheepskin roll and placed it on the table. Zhang Tongru took a closer look and saw that it was densely painted with stars. It was a very well-made star map, and the craftsmanship was not inferior to those of the "old Jianghu" in Qintian Prison.

The astrological image on this star chart shows a human body with a snake's tail, a hand holding the head, a ball of fire on the head, a moon ball in the right hand, and a golden bead in the left hand. It can be said to be lifelike.

This is the picture, but it’s hard to say how to interpret it, and Zhang Tongru doesn’t understand it either.

Looking at An Lushan who was preparing for divination with a pious look on his face, he didn't know what to say. I have met many people who are outrageous, but An Lushan is fairly reliable, well, most of the time.

You think he doesn’t know a few words, but in fact he is a fat man who can do divination! He's still a priest from Zoroastrianism, he's very capable!

An Lushan took out two dice made of pure white bone and almost the same size, and threw them on the "joy roll". Then without looking at the number, he clasped his hands together, closed his eyes and prayed, speaking plausibly in Sogdian, which Zhang Tongru didn't understand at all.

Not long after, An Lushan suddenly opened his eyes, saw the dice on the table, and said with a smile: "The God of Fire said, go north, good luck!"

"An Jieshuai, this..."

Seeing the chattering An Lushan, Zhang Tongru was speechless to the extreme. He was so shocked that he couldn't say a complete sentence for a long time.

When you are in doubt, ask the ghosts and gods, are you right on horseback? If his fortune and life hadn't been placed on this Jiedushi, Zhang Tongru would have scolded his mother long ago!

"I have decided that there is no need to say more. I will leave for Taiyuan tomorrow!"

An Lushan raised his hand to signal Zhang Tongru to shut up. After the divination, An Lushan's hesitation was swept away, and all that remained was determination!

When we arrived in Youzhou, Tianbo was bigger than his second brother, the sea was vast and the fish was leaping, and he had everything he wanted!

A blazing flame ignited in An Lushan's heart!

……

That year, it was February of the third year of Wude in the Tang Dynasty (AD 620).

Taizong pursued the anti-Sui forces Liu Wu and Zhou Dynasty general Song Jingang in Queshu Valley. He defeated them in eight battles in one day, captured and killed tens of thousands of people, and lost all the baggage.

This battle laid the foundation of the Tang Dynasty and established Taizong's leadership position within the Tang army.

Queshu Valley, with a total length of dozens of miles, has narrow and rugged mountain roads, but it is the only way from Jinzhou to Fenzhou. It is also the only way from Anlu Mountain to detour from Taiyuan to Hebei, just like when Taizong led The army attacked Liu Wuzhou.

In order to paralyze those with evil intentions, An Lushan, who was cautious about sailing the Wannian Ship, divided the team into two.

Two hundred of them were led by Zhang Tongru, who showed the Jiedu envoy's staff along the way and beat gongs and drums. They set off from Fenglingdu, crossed the Yellow River, took the official road on the south bank of the Yellow River, passed through Tongguan and Hulao Pass, and marched all the way with great fanfare. He is also domineering from time to time, and will find fault with the locals whenever he passes by.

An Lushan took the remaining 300 people, covered up their armor with cloth robes, and slept in the open air through Jiangzhou, Jinzhou and Queshu Valley in a low-key way without any surprise or danger.

This is already the territory under the jurisdiction of the Hedong Jiedushi. Although there are no troops stationed nearby, it is not that difficult for outsiders to cause trouble here!

Thinking of Taizong's achievements in the battle at Queshu Valley, An Lushan squinted his eyes, his heart filled with lofty ideals!

The Li family is worthy of being the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, but I cannot be worthy of being the emperor of the Tang Dynasty?

Thinking of the terrible experience of walking on thin ice in Chang'an, An Lushan secretly made up his mind that he would never let others speak loudly in front of him in the future!

At this moment, countless rolling logs were rushing towards the mountain roads on both sides of Anlu Mountain!

"Formation!"

An Lushan drew his sword and shouted!

His response was not untimely, but it was still a little too late. The smooth march along the way made everyone in the team lose their vigilance.

When Anlu Mountain passed Queshu Valley, the scouts were only asked to set up their front station one mile in advance, without even confirming whether there were ambushes on both sides of the mountain road!

The rolling wood carried great kinetic energy and smashed An Lushan's soldiers into pieces. Countless "bandits" rushed down from the hillsides on both sides of the mountain road. Many of them were wearing the Tang Army's standard Mingguang armor, and they seemed to have no intention of hiding their identities.

An Lushan was so frightened that he was beheaded by a brave and vigorous "bandit" before he had time to hide.

The head rolled around on the ground like a ball and refused to rest in peace. The man stepped forward and kicked him twice, then picked up his head and walked towards a certain mountain.

On a hill not far away, a battle flag with the word "Huangfu" written on it was fluttering in the wind.

Fang Youde, dressed in gray cloth, crossed his arms and stared at the fighting on the mountain road. He said to He Changqi, who was standing motionless on the side, holding the head of Anlu Mountain: "You should go to the Western Regions to hide from the limelight, in case you are found out." You, just hide in the Western Region and don’t come back.”

"Here... Commander-in-Chief, is An Lushan really the man who brings disaster to the country and the people?"

He Changqi, who found an excuse to leave Fang Chongyong and went to Jinzhou to arrange the assassination, asked in confusion.

"Yes, kill him, and the peaceful and prosperous age of the Tang Dynasty will come. But in the future, it will be up to you to promote the power of our Tang army in the Western Regions."

Fang Youde waved his hand and said with waning interest, patted He Changqi's shoulder and walked towards the messy battlefield down the mountain.

"Jie Shuai, are you going to retire?"

He Changqi asked in shock.

"Retiring is not a big deal, but according to my unscrupulous son, this is called fishing.

After decades of tiredness, let me try my luck. "

Fang Youde turned around and sneered, with a calm expression on his face. (End of this volume)

(Next volume: The Great Wall is thousands of miles long, and the yellow sand is my hometown)

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(End of this chapter)