Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 321 Ji Ge breaks the defense

Zhang County in the west of Weizhou is close to Longma Mountain. The Tang army used Zhang County as a stronghold and deployed defenses near Longma Mountain to prevent the Tibetans from attacking Weizhou eastward.

Following Ji Ge's order, Fang Youde led ten thousand Shence troops to Weizhou and stationed themselves on the outskirts of Zhang County without entering the city. Although he came in a hurry, the front line around Longma Mountain was actually extremely calm.

The Tubo people did not launch an attack, but there were often Tubo army scouts on the mountain roads, and these scouts were extremely cautious in their investigations. The Tang army did not capture any prisoners, and they did not know what was happening on the Tibetan side.

Fang Youde changed his previous active combat attitude and spent all day fishing in the military camp, rectifying military affairs, eating and living with the soldiers, but did not arrange any combat tasks.

Then one early summer evening, Fang Youde received an edict from the eunuch Bian Lingcheng. It was a lot of nonsense and could be summarized in four words: "Return to Chang'an quickly."

It’s not enough to just go back, you have to “come back quickly”!

"I, the general, know that the main force of the Tibetan army in Shanzhou has withdrawn. However, the Tibetan army's partial divisions along the Weizhou route cannot be cured unless they are dealt with. How can the Shence Army just leave?"

In the commander's tent, Fang Youde asked Bian Lingcheng, who had sent the edict, with a confused look on his face.

"Oh, General Fang, you don't know, something big happened in Guanzhong two days ago!"

Bian Lingcheng was so anxious that Brother Ji wouldn't let him tell the truth, but he couldn't do it now!

Bian Lingcheng breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had walked past the gate of hell.

Fang Youde asked a question that seemed inexplicable to Bian Lingcheng.

When he heard that something happened in Pizhou, the first order Ji Ge issued was that the troops of various states were not allowed to move rashly! The Chang'an Forbidden Army is not allowed to leave Chang'an!

However, once something goes wrong and it is necessary to seek help from the outside world from Chang'an, many of the rules that were taken for granted in the past will no longer work so well. For example, this time, what if Fang Youde was bribed by a certain prince and returned to Chang'an to "persuade Jin" in the name of countering rebellion?

Just in time to take his Lingcheng's head as a sacrifice flag!

"It's a civil riot in Pizhou. No, no, no. It should be said that someone has rebelled and kidnapped Li Qiwu, the governor of Pizhou! They made Li Qiwu the emperor and the country was named Dazhou!"

Fang Youde held one hand on his sword and said.

"Something happened? What could happen in Guanzhong?"

He was even worried that Fang Youde would refuse to send troops and delay deliberately. When Bian Lingcheng set off, he repeatedly asked not to tell Fang Youde what happened!

Fang Youde was a little confused about the situation.

ha?

Fang Youde was stunned, where are these horses? Pizhou seems to be not far northwest of Chang'an. How could anyone rebel?

"General Fang, I have told you everything that should be said and should not be said.

Of course, the cost of coal mined by slaves is almost zero, and the court just uses it to sell favors.

"It's like this. When Chang'an was short of charcoal, Zheng Shuqing was the charcoal envoy, so he asked your son, Fang Jieshuai, the current Hexi Jiedu envoy, to find some charcoal.

Bian Lingcheng couldn't help but sigh.

Fang Youde didn't know why. He opened his eyes wide and stared at Bian Lingcheng and asked.

"But what does this have to do with the civil unrest in Pizhou?"

You can't put off this kind of thing, otherwise something big will happen if you put it off for too long! "

It is said that people's hearts are separated from each other, and any little risk is enough to ruin the emperor's empire, not to mention the "low-risk" service of the dragon, which is just a general escorting the prince to the throne?

"There should be many members of the Shence Army in Chang'an. Why doesn't the saint send those people to quell the rebellion?"

"How many Khitan slaves are there digging coal?"

Something happened to a Zhongzhou in the Tang Dynasty, and Brother Ji didn't care at all. He was only worried that this was a bait to divert the Forbidden Army away!

"That shouldn't be too much. People have to dig out the coal. If it dies, it's directly buried in a pit. At most, there were more than 10,000 people maintaining this place.

The Khitan slaves who were mining worked together to riot and kill the guards sent by the county government. Then they captured the county government and seized the weapons in the government treasury. They then captured the state capital before the court could react, kidnapped the governor, and established a grassroots team.

Fang Youde felt angry in his heart!

"Understood. This general is going to mobilize troops to destroy those rebels."

"In this way, the slave can go back and resume his life!"

Bian Lingcheng spoke eloquently, Fang Youde nodded and said nothing, because the other party did not lie.

Then Fang Jieshuai found a big mine here in Pizhou. Later, the imperial court thought it was profitable, so it sent the Khitan slaves sent by An Lushan from Hebei to dig coal there.

Fang Youde asked abruptly.

When Bian Lingcheng saw this posture, he couldn't help but sigh, and the other party Youde winked. The latter understood the situation, and after repelling his soldiers, he took Bian Lingcheng to a hidden forest.

In normal times, Brother Ji's government orders are unimpeded, and what he says is what he says. It is a very pleasant thing for eunuchs to pass orders, and they can also receive some small red envelopes and so on.

I like to rely on "conspiracy theories" for everything.

Bian Lingcheng told this absurd and bizarre story in one breath.

When he was training the Shence Army in Chang'an, he didn't hear that Chang'an was short of charcoal, and a ferry for transporting charcoal was indeed established at the ferry outside Chang'an Baqiao. The charcoal is stored in spring, summer and autumn and sold to the people of Chang'an in winter at a relatively affordable price.

If one batch dies, another batch will be replaced. The amount of charcoal being mined is increasing, and Chang'an is no longer short of charcoal in winter. "

Bian Lingcheng was so anxious that his throat was filled with smoke.

He felt that what happened in Pizhou was unbelievable to say that it was strange; it was inevitable to say that it was not strange, but it was bound to happen. The key point is that the old emperor who is in charge of Chang'an has different ideas from ordinary people.

How should I put it, this kind of thing seems like a fantasy to Fang Youde, but it actually happened!

The key point is that he had never heard of such nonsense in the prosperous Tang Dynasty in his previous life!

After killing An Lushan, wouldn't it mean that the Tang Dynasty would be at peace and the people would live and work in peace and contentment? Why did such a ghost thing happen?

Quickly lead the Shence Army to Pizhou to quell the rebellion! The saint was now frightened and did not believe anyone. He did not allow anyone to lead troops out of Chang'an to quell the rebellion.

"The Khitan slaves who dug coal killed the guards, and while many people from Sanshui County in Pizhou went to Chang'an to watch the prisoner sacrifice, the county government defense was empty. These people seized the county seat and the weapons in the county government treasury!

Later, they took advantage of the chaos and captured Xinping County, the capital of Pizhou, and kidnapped Li Qiwu, the governor. After finding out that he was a descendant of the Tang Dynasty clan, he forced Li Qiwu to be emperor and named him Dazhou! "

Not everyone participated in the rebellion, but there were at least 5,000 people here, right?

The leader's name was Yelu Mingguang, which may have been a pseudonym. Anyway, he was a Khitan man who didn't run away. "

It would be nice if the Khitan prisoners could just dig coal in peace, but they dared to rebel!

"If you don't tell the truth, I will not be able to obey your orders, General."

Fang Youde said stubbornly.

"General Fang, this kind of thing can't be answered by a little eunuch like me who often spreads imperial edicts, right?"

Bian Lingcheng smiled bitterly.

The man in front of him is really not as good as his son Fang Chongyong. If Fang Chongyong were here, Jiaozi or money would have been handed over long ago! Not to mention asking questions that are impossible to answer!

Bian Lingcheng complained about Fang Youde in his heart.

"Okay, we'll set off in an hour. Please accompany the army with us."

Fang Youde suppressed the unhappiness in his heart and shook his head helplessly.

The man who stepped on the horse and An Lushan were all dead, so there was such a rebellion in a place so close to Chang'an and he founded a country and proclaimed himself emperor. It is really unreasonable! Fang Youde felt as if he had eaten a fly, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

……

In the early summer of the eighth year of Tianbao, not long after Wang Zhongsi sent people to Chang'an to offer prisoners, a "big event" happened in Guanzhong that was shocking and made the emperor Li Longji lose face.

A group of Khitan prisoners who were supposed to dig coal until they died rebelled "without warning" in Pizhou, which is rich in coal, established a grass-roots group "Da Zhou" and forcibly established Li Qiwu, a descendant of Li Tang's clan, as emperor!

A man named Gao Hui appointed himself "prime minister". The "Generalissimo" leading the army calls himself Yelu Mingguang, a Khitan. Such a strange monster, Brother Ji was so stunned that he didn't dare to do anything to it!

It's not that Chang'an has no way to suppress the rebellion, but in Ji Ge's view, this matter can only be regarded as a "lead", or bait, or maybe just a "stand-in" who jumps out first to be beaten.

Brother Ji hasn't seen the real person behind the scenes, but he firmly believes that there must be a conspiracy!

The elite of the Shence Army happened to go to Weizhou to resist the Tibetans. This group of Khitan slaves rebelled sooner or later, but they rebelled when Chang'an's military strength was at its lowest. If no one cooperated with them, Ji Ge would not believe it!

Brother Ji firmly believed that the "man behind the scenes" wanted him to mobilize troops from Chang'an to suppress the rebellion. At that moment, it was time for him to take action!

Brother Ji, who was full of power struggles, suppressed his inner impulse and issued an edict: Guanzhong states should guard their gates and not act rashly. They were not allowed to send troops out of the state in the name of King Qin to suppress the rebellion. Violators would be punished as rebellion.

Immediately afterwards, he issued a second decree: the princes and princes' clans were not allowed to leave their prefectures and counties, and were not allowed to return to Chang'an from other places.

Brother Ji thought about it and seemed to feel uneasy, so he issued a third decree: an indefinite curfew in Chang'an, Jinwu Guard patrolling the streets, and searching for thieves in every city in Chang'an!

If the Khitans are so brave and dare to rebel, they must have some internal support. This is no longer an ordinary villain, he must hit hard!

At the same time, as soon as Ji Ge learned about the civil unrest, he sent Bian Lingcheng, who often participated in "field service" work and had extensive experience, to Weizhou secretly to inform Fang Youde to return to Chang'an, but did not inform Fang Youde. What happened to Youde.

When Brother Ji was most proud and thought he was invincible, these Khitan slaves gave him a slap in the face! He lost all face, and the illusion of a heavenly kingdom was exposed, and he became a joke that the powerful wanted to say after dinner but did not dare to say it!

When the emperor was angry, the earth shook and the mountains shook.

The Khitan slaves have not yet been liquidated, but the various little thieves in Chang'an City are in bad luck. Jin Wuwei went from house to house to check, especially in the mixed houses in the south of the city, and they were almost turned upside down.

Jin Wuwei was busy for half his life, and the culprit of the Pizhou bandits was not caught, but a lot of nonsense was discovered. There are temples where people have sex, and there are a lot of men's diseases treated in nunneries. The entire city of Chang'an was in a state of panic.

Ji Ge couldn't find anything he wanted, and no clues about the so-called mastermind behind the scenes were found.

This big-eyed Emperor of Chang'an is quite incompetent and angry.

On the second day of the Khitan slave rebellion, Chang'an was under martial law throughout the city.

Yan Zhuang and Cen Shen were originally going to the Ministry of Household Affairs to discuss matters related to Hexi Jiaozi and Chang'an Jiaozi, but they were also ordered not to enter or leave the courtyard gate.

"The defense in this level is really like paper."

Entering a study room in the memorial hall, Yan Zhuang complained to Cen Shen. Although many people still don't know what happened, with the channels that Hexi Jinzouyuan has secretly opened, they have already obtained the general situation from the government as soon as possible.

Only ordinary people in Chang'an were kept in the dark and didn't know what was going on.

To be fair, the defense of Chang'an City is pretty good. But except for Chang'an City, there are not many soldiers and horses in the prefectures and counties in Guanzhong. Once Brother Ji thinks that it is inconvenient for Chang'an's imperial army to leave the city, sesame will only be wasted by civil unrest.

It is not even ruled out that civil unrest will snowball.

"The saint is already in his sixtieth year. Any general who leads an army must think about what will happen after his death. There is a high possibility of being bribed by the prince.

The saint did not dare to send troops out of Chang'an, which was actually human nature. "

Cen Shen sighed and defended Brother Ji. They all understood the old emperor's thoughts very well.

No matter how chaotic it is outside, I will not send troops out of Chang'an anyway. Those ambitious people couldn't take advantage of the chaos to support the prince's rise to power.

Brother Ji is coping with all changes by remaining unchanged!

"On the surface, this Tang Dynasty is full of flowers, but in fact, hehe!"

Yan Zhuang sneered twice and drank the wine in one gulp without continuing.

At this moment, someone knocked on the door to the courtyard, and the sound was very urgent!

"I'll open the door."

Yan Zhuang pretended to be nonchalant, opened the courtyard door, and breathed a sigh of relief when he found a group of Zuo Jinwu Guards led by Zhang Guangsheng.

"Search! This is where the imperial court has its offices. Be careful when searching.

Anyone who encounters Khitan people or those coming from Hebei must be put on trial. "

Zhang Guangsheng said expressionlessly, pointing at Yan Zhuang and saying: "Although Dean Yan is from Hebei, he is a court official and does not need to be interrogated."

A group of Jinwu guards looked around the rather limited Jinzou Courtyard and asked several people in the courtyard. They all came from Qiu Ba in Hexi Province and had military status, so they came to report to Zhang Guangsheng.

"You all wait outside."

Zhang Guangsheng waved his hand to his subordinates and said, sending everyone around him away.

"General Zhang, something big happened?"

Yan Zhuang asked calmly.

"Hey, of course something big happened, I can't say more. The Khitan slaves digging coal in Pizhou rebelled. The saint suspected that there was an insider in Chang'an City, and also suspected that it was related to the prince, so he asked the Jinwu Guards to investigate carefully.

Alas, I didn’t go to Hexi with Fang Jieshuai to fight the Tibetans at first, so now I go to the temple every day to find out the affairs of men and women from powerful families, which is very unlucky!

I asked the sage to resign as the general of the Jinwu Guard, but the sage refused, otherwise I would have left long ago! "

Zhang Guangsheng couldn't help but complain!

Because he had the "rescue" that day, he was also on the list of people whom Brother Ji trusted. It is naturally impossible to get permission to resign from Jinwu Guard.

"Did General Zhang find anything?"

Yan Zhuang asked softly.

"It's a damn thing to find out! If we really wanted to find out, we wouldn't make such a big fuss!

Let me tell you, the saint feels..."

Halfway through Zhang Guangsheng's words, he suddenly felt that it was a bit inappropriate to say it. He quickly stopped talking, nodded cautiously to Yan Zhuang and warned: "Don't go out or enter the memorial hall these days, I guarantee you will be fine. This time the saint got angry and fell. No one can be saved without a single blow!"

He made a gesture of wiping his neck.

Yan Zhuang quickly took a few jars of good wine from the lobby for Zhang Guangsheng to hold, and sent him away from Jinzouyuan with kind words.

"Although Fang Jieshuai has thought of many solutions, the situation in Datang does not seem to have completely improved."

Cen Shen's voice came from behind Yan Zhuang.

"The Khitans are human beings too. If they are thrown into a coal pit as slaves and do not care whether they live or die, how can they not rebel?

The people of Chang'an have been enjoying these bloody coals in winter, why don't others resist? "

Yan Zhuang spread his hands and asked helplessly.

(End of this chapter)