Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 442: One Arrow Repulses Hundred Thousand Soldiers

It was late autumn, and the air was already a little chilly. Wrapped in a blanket on the corridor of Hua'e Xianghui Tower, Brother Ji began to miss Huaqing Palace, where it was spring all year round except in summer.

In the cold season, it is so pleasant to take a nap in a hot spring.

I don’t know if it’s because of old age, or the invasion of that mysterious disease, but Brother Ji feels that this late autumn is particularly cold.

He felt a hint of fear of death.

"saint……"

Seeing Gao Lishi coming downstairs quickly, and then taking small steps forward, he was right in front of him in the blink of an eye. Brother Ji frowned slightly and asked, "Is there something wrong? In Shuofang? Can't the Shuofang army defeat the Huihe people?"

There has been no major incident in the court recently, or Ji Ge thinks there is nothing major. Then it can only be the matter of the Huihe people in Shuofang.

"It's about the situation in Shuofang. It's just a mixture of good and bad news."

Gao Lishi was confused, not knowing what to say. After all, the things in Fang Zhongyong's memorial were too magical.

"Say it, I'm listening."

Brother Ji said expressionlessly, looking at the yellow fallen leaves in the courtyard below the corridor.

"Yes. Saint, Fang Guozhong and Yan Zhenqing jointly wrote a letter saying that the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army severely damaged the Uighur Yazhang cavalry in Feng'an City and captured the enemy chief, Uighur Yehu Guli Peiluo alive. This is considered a happy event."

Gao Lishi said in a calm tone.

"really?"

Hearing this, Brother Ji suddenly became excited!

Gao Lishi lowered his eyebrows and said: "Indeed."

"Oh, I haven't been to Lingzhou for a long time. Should I go to Lingzhou?

The Huihe Yehu was unruly and unruly. This time he was beaten by my fist, so he should stop. I want Lingzhou to enthrone a new Huihe Yehu as a warning to others!"

Ji Ge's political mind started working and he immediately came up with a way to pick peaches.

That’s right, the emperor will tour Hetao and enhance the prestige of the Tang Dynasty!

Gao Lishi immediately smiled bitterly and said:
"Saint, there is another thing mentioned in the memorial. That is, Guli Peiluo suddenly died of a serious illness on the spot in front of everyone. He died just like that.

Thousands of Lingzhou soldiers and civilians witnessed the incident, and the news has now spread like wildfire.

I think that since Lingzhou is now under threat of war, it would be better for the Saint not to go there, so as not to disturb the Saint. "

Gao Lishi urged Brother Ji not to commit suicide in Lingzhou.

ha?
Ji Ge was stunned. He looked at Gao Lishi and asked, "What on earth is going on? Why did Huihe Yehu die after being captured?"

He simply couldn't believe that such an outrageous thing could happen.

"Here is the memorial, please have a look at it, Your Majesty."

Gao Lishi handed the memorial to Ji Ge and obediently stepped aside.

He read the memorial in his hand again and again, not missing a single word. While he was impressed by Yan Zhenqing's brilliant writing, Ji Ge was also impressed by the impermanence of the world.

It was supposed to be a great thing, but because of a small flaw at a critical moment, it has now become difficult to deal with.

"The death of Huihe Yehu was so unclear. So originally we were the winner and in the right, but now we are in the wrong?"

Brother Ji asked back with a look of disbelief.

Gao Lishi answered honestly: "Your Majesty, it is true. Now we are in the wrong."

Ji Ge didn't care about the cold anymore, he stood up and paced back and forth in the corridor, thinking about how to deal with this matter.

"What do you think?"

Brother Ji asked in a deep voice.

This matter could be a big deal or a small one, the key would depend on the reaction of the Huihe. If the Huihe refused to give up, then this matter would have to be dealt with like the Tang Dynasty dealt with the Turks, with a ruthless killing.

As a result, the Tang Dynasty also lost its "master style".

They captured the Uighur leader Yehu, taught him a lesson, removed his title and returned him to the emperor, then established a new one. This was called "the style of a great country."

But if the Uighur leader Yehu was captured and died at the hands of the Tang army, and the Tang army was forced to fight a fierce battle with the Uighurs, that would be a different story.

No matter what, it ultimately lost its morality and the style of a great country.

“Saint, the oath monument in Lingzhou was erected by you personally, which can be said to be an achievement comparable to that of Emperor Taizong.

No matter whether the Huihe Yehu lives or dies, we cannot give in to the Huihe. Since we are wrong, we can only make the best of it. There is no other way.

Just follow the suggestions in Fang Guozhong's memorial.

Since the Huihe want to fight, we have no choice but to fight them to the end until they surrender!"

Gao Lishi suggested cautiously.

To be honest, Brother Ji didn't really want to go to war because the central government's finances were already in dire straits, and if another war broke out, wouldn't it be even more difficult to make ends meet?

But in many cases, wars are not determined by the will of the emperor. If the country needs to fight, then it must be fought.

Gao Lishi's words were indeed mature and prudent. This was one of the reasons why Gao Lishi had been able to stand firm beside Brother Ji for many years.

He does have some real ability in handling government affairs, and he didn't just get to where he is today by flattering Brother Ji.

"How about this.

Issue an order to Fang Guozhong, asking him to guard Hetao.

No matter what, do not lose the dignity of your country and do not lose my face."

Brother Ji said lightly.

"Saint, it's all right to say that. But those people in the border town are so crude, will they not understand your will?"

Gao Lishi asked hesitantly.

Well, actually he didn’t understand why Brother Ji said that.

What is national dignity? What is the shame of a saint? These seemingly ambiguous words actually have the right to interpret in the hands of Brother Ji himself.

In the end, what he says is what it is, and just hearing that makes your blood pressure spike.

However, Gao Lishi had no obligation to worry about the soldiers in the border towns. Not to mention that he really didn't understand, even if he understood, he pretended to be ignorant.

"Draft an edict. I don't want to say more."

Brother Ji waved his hands a little tiredly and said.

His energy is not as high as before, and handling government affairs has already consumed a lot of his patience. Don't count on him for more things.

Gao Lishi naturally knew this, so he bowed and took his leave.

A gust of cold wind blew, and Brother Ji wrapped the blanket tighter around himself.

It's only late autumn, why is it so cold?
……

The autumn wind is bleak, the grass and trees are withered; the Yellow River is roaring like thunder.

Outside Lingzhou City, on the north bank of the Yellow River, countless cavalrymen lined up in front of the floating bridge. They were the elite troops of the Huihe people, and not only that, they also included many other Tiele Nine Clans. It looked like a huge force, with more than 100,000 people.

On the south bank of the Yellow River, there were only 3,000 Silver Spear Xiaojie soldiers lined up on the pontoon bridge, confronting them.

Obviously a lot thinner.

It looks like the Uighurs are about to capture Lingzhou!
However, a true warrior never needs to rely on numbers to give himself courage. Who is more guilty at this moment is hard to say!
At this moment, a Uighur cavalryman stepped forward and tried to ride across the pontoon bridge.

But then an arrow came from the other side of the river with great force, nailing him and his horse to the ground on the other side of the floating bridge!

The death was extremely horrific!
This is a special arrow for the crossbow. The arrow shaft is cut into two parts by a spear, and an iron tip is put on the front.

This thing is extremely powerful! No matter what kind of armor you wear, it can kill you with one shot.

The disadvantage is that the bed crossbow is a bit inconvenient to move.

Seeing this, the Uighur cavalry, who were ready to move, almost unanimously retreated a few steps to the rear.

There was a commotion in the team.

Their previous arrogance was suffocated as if someone was strangling them by the neck!

Sure enough, the Shuofang Army is still the same as before. They will not be reasonable if they can, but prefer to answer with their fists and are too lazy to talk nonsense.

They didn't want to talk to the Uighurs about right and wrong at all.

"I am the son of Guli Peiluo, the Uighur Khan Gelu, and I invite the commander of the Shuofang Army to come out and have a chat!"

Someone from the Uighur cavalry rode out on his horse, passed the spear shaft nailed to the ground, came to the pontoon bridge, and shouted to the other side of the Yellow River.

He shouted three times, and Fang Chongyong then rode forward and confronted the new Uighur Khan, within an arrow's distance.

"If you have something to say, please say it quickly. The commander is very busy this period!"

Fang Zhongyong rode on his horse, raised his head slightly, and shouted sternly. There were only two guards following him.

"Yehu" was an official title conferred on the Uighurs by the Tang Dynasty, while "Khan" was a self-proclaimed title by the Uighurs and was not openly recognized by the Tang Dynasty.

In other words, the new Uighur Khan would have to accept the Tang Dynasty's enthronement in order to maintain the legitimacy of his rule within his tribe.

Otherwise, he would not be an officially recognized leader of the Tang Dynasty and could be killed by his subordinates at any time!
This has been a popular way of playing since the Kaiyuan period.

"The Shuofang Army killed the Uighur Yehu for no reason. We need an explanation for this major event. Otherwise, the Uighur cavalry will flatten Lingzhou!"

Geluk Khan drew his sword from his waist and pointed at Fang Zhongyong and questioned him. The Huihe people also didn't want to waste words, even though they knew that there were no wounds on Guli Peiluo's body and it didn't look like he died of poisoning. Maybe he really died suddenly from an acute illness.

Similar situations are actually not uncommon in grassland tribes.

However, the facts are one thing, and how to use them to achieve one's goals is another.

"You want an explanation, right? This is the handsome explanation for this section!"

Fang Zhongyong did not hesitate to pull out an arrow from the quiver hanging on the saddle, drew his bow and shot the arrow. The arrow flew towards Gele Khan as fast as a meteor.

He was very confident that with his unskilled archery skills, it would be extremely difficult to hit Gelek Khan!

This move was for no other reason than to be arrogant and domineering and not take the Uighurs seriously.

At least, that's how it should appear to outsiders!

The Huihe people will not talk to you about propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame. The only tool for debate is the sword!

However, Fang Chongyong had no idea that his arrow, which was as fast as lightning and had no expectation of accuracy at all, would actually hit the target in the head!
However, instead of blowing up Gelek Khan's head, he shot an arrow at the head of the opponent's horse, blowing up the horse's head.

The horse was wounded by the arrow and was in unbearable pain, so it ran back and forth like crazy. Geluk Khan was caught off guard and was thrown off the horse, rolling on the ground for many times.

When he stopped, he actually fell to the ground and didn't move. I don't know if he died from the fall or just fainted.

The Uighur camp was eerily quiet and everyone was dumbfounded. Even Geluk Khan's guards did not expect Fang Chongyong to do this.

How can you just draw your bow and shoot an arrow after just a short conversation? That's too unethical!
Seeing the Uighurs in shock, Fang Zhongyong knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He immediately drew out his Phantom Blade, pointed at the Uighur cavalry and shouted, "All the soldiers, follow me and kill the enemy!"

His order was decisive enough, but the actions of the Uighurs were even more decisive.

Their own commander has fallen off his horse and is unconscious, and this is a tribal army that is just a patchwork group. What's the point of fighting this war?
The Uighur cavalry had a plan this time. If the Tang army was eager to fight, they would immediately retreat and continue to observe the battle situation!

I had never intended to fight to the death with the Tang army!
The guards of the Yazhang rushed forward, tied Gele Khan, who didn't know whether he was dead or alive, to his horse, and then ran away!
The massive campaign to punish the culprit ended up just like a clown, escaping away.

Fortunately, it takes time to cross the pontoon bridge, otherwise, this group of people would have to leave behind some elite cavalry to resist the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army so that the others could escape, which might have been a disastrous defeat.

"General Jie! That arrow you just shot was great! With one arrow, you drove back 100,000 Huihe cavalrymen!

nice! nice! ”

He Changqi rushed over with his personal guards and gave Fang Chongyong a thumbs up in praise.

They knew that Fang Zhongyong was resourceful, but this was the first time he had demonstrated archery.

“Haha, if the tiger doesn’t show its might, people will think I’m a sick cat!

Pass the order down, no need to chase, sound the retreat! "

Fang Zhongyong laughed dryly with lingering fear in his heart, not daring to say that the arrow he had just shot hit the target by chance.

The forehead of a horse is actually not the most critical part of the horse. There is a very hard bone protecting the brain, so it is difficult for an arrow to kill a horse from here.

On the contrary, shooting the side of the horse's head can kill it with one shot.

But the bad thing this time was that Fang Chongyong's arrow made the horse go crazy and threw the Uighur Khan off the horse.

Many people don’t know the secret, they just think Fang Zhongyong is assisted by God and is invincible!

"Go back and deploy defenses. We have already fallen out with the Huihe people. It will be a life-and-death battle from now on."

Fang Zhongyong waved his hand to the generals and looked out at the grassland in the distance. He was not as relaxed as he appeared to be.

The Hetao region often gives people the illusion that it is incredibly large. The grassland tribes usually run far away and then come back to make trouble.

But in fact, outside the Hetao area, there are only large areas of poor-quality grassland. There has been a long-term lack of reliable water sources and people have to rely entirely on the weather for their livelihood.

Moreover, these grasslands are interspersed with many deserts and Gobi areas, where there is almost no grass.

The grassland people can go there to escape, but they really can't survive there for a long time.

Therefore, the nine Tiele clans, including the Huihe people, even though they were widely distributed, mostly moved around the north bank of the Yellow River in the Hetao area.

It is not far from the core defense area of ​​the Shuofang Army.

The large territory makes early warning easier, but this is just an illusion held by some court officials.

Fang Chongyong feels that the current situation in the Hetao region is already quite dangerous. The Uighurs are still strong, so we must not be complacent.

"General, these Huihe people are as cowardly as mice and cannot withstand a single blow. I don't think they are anything to worry about."

He Changqi came over and whispered.

"Hearing you say that, it seems to be the case."

Fang Zhongyong sighed but kept shaking his head.

(End of this chapter)