Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 456 Don’t abandon, don’t give up

"Why do you have so many people chasing us?"

Late at night, in a simple military tent, Che Guangqian was interrogating a Uighur prisoner.

Feng Changqing understood Turkic and translated Che Guangqian's words.

The Uighur officer didn't hesitate and started talking a lot.

"General, the Uighur Khan said that whoever can capture your flag will be given the Hetao area."

Feng Changqing said with a helpless look on his face as he spread out his hands.

No wonder the Huihe people went crazy. With such a big stake, if it were him, he would have chased after them relentlessly!

In order to boost morale, the Uighur Khan also spent a lot of money!
Fang Zhongyong couldn't help but praise in his heart, "The boss is very generous."

"When did the Hetao area become your Huihe people's?"

Fang Chongyong asked curiously, feeling that the logic seemed a little off.

No matter how much trouble the Huihe people make, they are just children asking for candy. They cannot be bold enough to annex Hetao.

The Tang Dynasty has hundreds of thousands of border troops ready for battle at any time, not just the Shuofang Army.

The Huihe people asked for Hetao as soon as they opened their mouth, not even afraid that the strong wind would blow their tongues away!
"Ask him if Huangfu Weiming has any deal with their Khan."

Fang Zhongyong instructed Feng Changqing.

Sure enough, the man talked a lot again. Feng Changqing explained to Fang Zhongyong: "Huangfu Weiming has formed an alliance with the Huihe people. He uses the Hetao as a gift and asks the Huihe people to help them fight to Chang'an!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the military tent looked at each other in disbelief, as if they had heard that the Tang Dynasty had fallen.

"Huangfu Weiming is really brave enough to say that."

He Changqi shook his head and said with emotion.

Fang Zhongyong's face was as gloomy as water. He had already guessed something. Things were indeed developing in the worst direction.

"Take it down."

He waved his hand gently.

After the captives left the military tent, Fang Zhongyong looked around at everyone and asked, "What do you think?"

"It is impossible for the border troops to rebel successfully, but..."

Che Guangqian stopped talking halfway.

"No need to hide it. You mean that if Huangfu Weiming supports a certain prince to purge the emperor's court, it may not be impossible to succeed, right?"

Fang Zhongyong added in a calm tone.

"General Jie, it is true. If Huangfu Weiming did not have the prince, he would definitely lose!
However, if he had not raised his army under the slogan of proclaiming himself emperor, but had shouted the slogan of rebuilding the Tang Dynasty like Li Ji's descendants did, he might have been supported by others.

The risk of clearing out the emperor's entourage is much smaller than directly rebelling."

Che Guangqian said softly.

All the generals in the military tent nodded silently.

"General, there is nothing to protect about the old emperor. It would be better for you to support a prince and let him rule Hexi, Longyou, Shuofang, and Hedong and then see how things develop. Then he may become the most powerful one among the emperor!

If Huangfu Weiming doesn't even support the prince, he will be a piece of fat meat on the chopping board. After we kill him, except for Guanzhong, almost all places north of the Yellow River will be under our control.

By then, won't the court have the final say? "

He Changqi said bravely.

"You are risking the world's disapproval, General, you must not be so reckless."

Che Guangqian tried to persuade him, fearing that Fang Chongyong would follow He Changqi's bad idea.

It was precisely because Huangfu Weiming rebelled that Fang Chongyong could not rebel!
No matter how you look at it, now is the time to seize power. If you don't set up the right people, who will listen to you?
"After we meet up with Li Liangchen's troops tomorrow, we will shrink the battle line. All troops will be concentrated in Taiyuan to prevent troops from Hebei from invading Hedong through Yanmen Pass."

Fang Chongyong said in a deep voice.

According to him, the troops under his control should voluntarily withdraw from Weizhou, Daizhou, Xinzhou and other places, and defend Taiyuan to the death!

Don't underestimate the people under his command. They fought against the Uighurs and the armies of small countries in the Western Regions as easily as cutting melons and vegetables, with a few thousand of them often defeating ten thousand.

But if you estimate the combat power between the Tang army and the Tang army, or the border army and the border army, even if you judge it based on a one-to-one ratio, it is not very safe!

Now, among the Hedong Army, the Hengye Army has probably been controlled by Huangfu Weiming, and it is difficult to rescue it. The other troops are relatively scattered, and it is not convenient to support each other because of the rugged mountain roads.

At the critical moment, dividing the troops is a taboo in military strategy!
The only core of Hedong is Taiyuan, which is also the birthplace of Li Tang and must not be lost! As for Weizhou, Daizhou, and Xinzhou, which are close to Hebei, it is difficult for Fang Zhongyong to take care of them all.

More importantly, Fang Zhongyong discovered that the food and fodder for his army was actually supplied directly from Taiyuan! If Taiyuan was lost, they would have to run to the grassland to eat grass!
When faced with two evils, choose the lesser one. In some places, you just have to give up first.

The number of people in the two towns of Hebei in the Ministry of War's account book was more than 100,000, but this did not mean that Huangfu Weiming only had more than 100,000 people. You know, Hebei supplied a large amount of grain and fodder to Chang'an, so it seemed so difficult.

But if they intercepted all the food and fodder for their own use, it would be no problem to feed 300,000 soldiers. The army during the Northern Qi Dynasty is a typical example.

"Take my handwritten letter and ask Li Guangbi to lead the Chishui Army to take over the Hetao defense zone. The Shuofang Army is preparing to advance eastward to Taiyuan to prevent the Hebei troops from breaking through Hedong and entering Guanzhong from Puzhou (Puban).

If the imperial court also issues a military order, then let him decide for himself what to do.”

Fang Zhongyong instructed Che Guangqian. He was also worried that the court would directly order the Chishui Army to enter Guanzhong to deploy defenses.

"Order!"

Che Guangqian clasped her fists and saluted, also feeling relieved. Fortunately, Fang Zhongyong was clear-headed and not as dizzy as He Changqi.

"Everyone, please withdraw. This general is loyal to the court and will never rebel like Huangfu Weiming.

Your family is all in Chang'an, so you can rest assured."

Fang Zhongyong said pointedly.

"General, opportunities are rare and will never come again! How can a man be so cautious when doing great things?"

He Changqi was still unwilling to give in and kept trying to persuade her, but Wang Nanyi, who had been silent the whole time, tugged at his clothes, signaling him not to meddle in other people's business.

After all the generals withdrew, Fang Chongyong took a deep breath and then let out a long breath, as if he had exhaled all the foul air in his chest.

What happened to Huangfu Weiming?

Fang Chongyong was deeply impressed by this man and intuitively felt that he was an old coin.

He suppressed his doubts, and without a desk, he spread the paper on a piece of wood. After grinding the ink, he lay on the ground and wrote a sincere letter to Li Guangbi.

Fang Chongyong didn't waste any words, but analyzed Li Guangbi's situation in a reasonable and logical manner.

First, you are a Khitan, and you were appointed as a Jiedushi because you were valued by the court. Your official position was given by the court, by the saints.

Now that you have severed ties with the Khitan tribe and become a general of the Tang Dynasty, how will others view you if you betray the court?
Second, it might be useful for the Chishui Army to enter Guanzhong directly, but the route was too long. After a long time, the soldiers would be homesick, and the long expedition would not be worth it.

Shuofang Town is east of Liangzhou, closer, and more similar in customs and culture. The Tang Dynasty always needs people to garrison the border, and you sending part of the Hexi troops to Shuofang to fill the position is also a great achievement.

Third, the troops from the two towns in Hebei are coming aggressively, and the war is unlikely to end in the short term. The Chishui Army plays a greater role in the border towns than in Guanzhong.

After writing the letter, Fang Chongyong held it in his hand and read it again and again. Feeling that there was no problem, he put it into a bamboo tube and sealed it with sealing wax. Only then did he feel relieved.

The riot broke out in Hebei, and I don’t know how many people will be buried in a foreign land.

Although Huangfu Weiming's action was sudden, the conflict between Hebei and Guanzhong was not sudden at all!
The conflict between the Tang Dynasty court and the Hebei local government can be said to be a long-standing grievance. Any words of defense are powerless, and only blood can wash away the hatred!

There is no right or wrong in this matter, it is just that everyone wants to live a better life. Where there is oppression, there is resistance.

"Without further ado, let's go now."

Seeing Che Guangqian coming in, Fang Zhongyong handed the bamboo tube in his hand to her and said.

Seeing Che Guangqian didn't say anything, Fang Zhongyong asked doubtfully, "Anything else?"

"General Jie, is there really only one Huangfu Weiming in this world?

Li Guangbi, do you have the same idea?"

Che Guangqian asked quietly.

"Don't worry about that. Li Guangbi will definitely not betray the court. Even if he is willing, my father-in-law will not."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand and said.

But this is definitely not what Che Guangqian wanted to say.

Sure enough, Che Guangqian lowered her voice and said:
"General, let me make a hypothesis. If we cannot resist Huangfu Weiming and the Hebei border troops and lose Hedong, we will inevitably be punished by the court and even treated as a typical example to serve as a warning to others. Let's not talk about this. Hedong, or Taiyuan, must not be lost."

Hearing this, Fang Zhongyong nodded slightly and said, "That's true. In order to boost morale, the court will definitely punish officers who perform poorly in combat."

“So, what I want to talk about is another situation.

If the general leads us to a series of great victories, and Huangfu Weiming is powerless to resist, after the general conquers Hebei, I am afraid that the general will have no less than 300,000 soldiers and horses under his command, and the places under his control will be no less than Shuofang, Hedong, and Hebei.

The general had connections in Hexi and was quite prestigious during his expedition to the Western Regions.

If Marshal Jie had had Huangfu Weiming's heart at that time, the imperial court would have had no way to prevent Marshal Jie from becoming the dominant power.

I would like to ask, would the old emperor be worried about which prince the military commander would support to take the throne, and kick him off the throne?
How could he tolerate Jieshuai?

I dare to predict that if the military commander fails to clean up the imperial court, his fate will not be good. If the military commander cleans up the imperial court, he will immediately become the second Huangfu Weiming.

What do you think the commander should do?"

Che Guangqian spoke frankly and told him everything she was thinking.

"What you are worried about is exactly what this commander is worried about."

Fang Zhongyong said with a long sigh.

People have no intention of hurting the tiger, but the tiger hurts people's hearts.

At that time, just because he defends himself and says he will not rebel, Brother Ji will think that he will not rebel.

The principle of political tactics is: whether you have the intention to kill is often not important, what is important is whether you have the ability to kill!

To suppress a rebellion, it is necessary to concentrate military power. Once military power is concentrated and the rebels are eliminated, the army that suppresses the rebellion may easily become a second rebel army!
Especially since the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army itself had a history of mutiny at Xiangji Temple, how could it not arouse suspicion?
Fang Chongyong really wanted to quit at this moment, but he was already in a high position and had a large group of younger brothers under him, so he could no longer step down.

Even though He Changqi, Che Guangqian and others were loyal to him and were willing to follow him to the end even if they were disciplined by the imperial court, once he, the governor, lost his ambition, his subordinates would immediately abandon him and leave.

Even using his head as a stepping stone for promotion. After all, no one wants to be with a loser.

This is the limit of loyalty. What we say is forever actually only represents our thoughts at that time. Once the situation changes, whether "eternal loyalty" will still work is a big question mark.

"Go and deliver the letter. I understand everything you said, and I will definitely not drag you brothers into this fire pit."

Fang Zhongyong forced a smile.

"General Jie, actually what He Lao Hu said is not a bad idea, it's just too early.

If the imperial court treats the general unjustly, then don't blame us for being disloyal to it.

Huangfu Weiming can clean up the court, and so can we. As long as we think the court should be cleaned up, we can clean up the court."

Che Guangqian suggested cautiously.

"Sure enough, do the conservatives think the radicals are too conservative?"

Fang Chongyong shook his head and sighed, talking to himself.

Che Guangqian didn't know what this meant, but he felt that Fang Zhongyong should have taken his words to heart. So he hung the bamboo tube around his waist, clasped his fists and bowed to leave.

After he left, Fang Chongyong looked at the flickering flame on the candle and couldn't help sneering.

“Turbulent times began.

The wealthy families of the five surnames and seven clans, the local tyrants and evil gentry who run rampant in the countryside, are you ready to welcome the new era?"

……

On the city wall of Yunzhong City, Li Liangchen looked nervously at the empty area below the city. The ladders used for siege were lying on the ground like garbage, but no one cared.

As soon as the Uighurs arrived here, they attacked the city fiercely. Although their siege efficiency was very low due to the lack of siege equipment, they were outnumbered!

Li Liangchen exerted all his strength, suffered heavy casualties, and mobilized all the people in the city to defend the city, and only then did he barely save Yunzhong City from being breached.

Even so, he felt exhausted both physically and mentally, and was on the verge of collapse.

"Father-in-law, it seems that the Huihe people have withdrawn."

Li Liangchen's son-in-law, Sheligezhan, the leader of a certain Uighur tribe, comforted Li Liangchen and said.

The internal relationships, or grievances, of the nine Tiele clans were extremely complicated. There were also many forces within the Huihe tribe, and the Huihe Khan could not control all the Huihe tribes as easily as he could.

Some small Huihe tribes were actually deeply dependent on the Tang Dynasty. They had no difference in customs from other Tiele clans, except for their names.

This was the case with Sheligezhan. His tribe advanced and retreated together with Li Liangchen's tribe, and they intermarried for generations.

"Why did the Huihe people suddenly withdraw? Are you trying to lure me out of the city?"

Li Liangchen looked surprised, his brows furrowed, and he didn't understand the whole story.

"Captain! The flag of the Shuofang Army! Over there, look over there!"

A personal soldier beside Li Liangchen shouted loudly!
In fact, many people saw it without him saying anything.

Walking in the front, there was a huge "Fang" character embroidered on the commander's flag!

"Marshal Jie! It's Marshal Fang Jie, Marshal Fang Jie is here to rescue us!"

Li Liangchen was so excited that he shouted and danced like a child.

"Open the city gate! I will go to greet them personally!"

Li Liangchen pointed at his personal soldiers and shouted excitedly.

Without even waiting for his personal guards to come down from the city tower, he went to the city gate first and ordered the gate officer to open the gate of Yunzhong City.

Soon, the southern gate of Yunzhong City opened. Li Liangchen hurried forward, knelt on one knee to the man walking under the general's flag, clasped his fists and saluted, and said with tears in his voice: "General, I will defend Yunzhong City to the death. Please enter the city!"

"General Li, this commander has only one thing to say to his own people:

Do not abandon, do not give up!
Upon learning that you were surrounded, our commander brought three thousand elite soldiers to rescue you overnight.

Yesterday, we fought a bloody battle with the Huihe people for two hours and finally drove them back. Seeing that Yunzhong City is still in your hands, yesterday's bloody battle was indeed not in vain.

If you defend the city for this commander, this commander will not let you down!"

Fang Zhongyong hurried forward and helped Li Liangchen up. Seeing this scene, all the generals around him were moved.

(End of this chapter)