Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 457 The advantage is mine
Yunzhong City is not its original name. In fact, about 500 miles north of Yunzhong City, there is a "Yunzhong City" that has existed since the Warring States Period. It is the core node of the first line of defense established by King Wuling of Zhao in the north.

The current Yunzhong City was rebuilt on the basis of Pingcheng, the famous capital in the middle period of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

In September of the seventh year of Taichang (422 AD), the Northern Wei Dynasty built an outer wall of Pingcheng with a circumference of li.

During the Tang Dynasty, Yunzhong City was built, the defense was strengthened, the area was reduced, and many large and useless palace ruins were abandoned. Many palace stone pillars stand outside Yunzhong City, standing for hundreds of years, as if telling the glorious story of the past.

If Emperor Xiaowen had not moved the capital to Luoyang, this would still be the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and its cultural prosperity would be beyond words.

It’s a pity that all of this is now a thing of the past.

Accompanied by Li Liangchen, Fang Chongyong climbed to the top of Yunzhong City and overlooked the ruins of the Northern Wei Palace not far away. He couldn't help but feel that the world has changed so much and life is short.

In the past, this place was called "Pingcheng". The word "Ping" means "looking down from a high place". It is precisely because it is "uneven" that it needs to be "leveled".

It implies the conquest of one nation by other nations.

In the future, this place will be called "Datong", which conforms to the right time, place and people, and means "all under heaven are one", or it can be said to be harmony in diversity.

National exchange and reconciliation were the main themes at that time, and people ultimately had to focus on the future.

"The palaces have all turned to dust. When prosperity rises, the people suffer; when decline falls, the people suffer."

Fang Chongyong couldn't help but sigh, but the soldiers around him were completely indifferent.

All they thought in their minds was that they would bite whoever the commander told them to bite, and that they would just serve as soldiers and eat food.

"General, the fierce attack of the Huihe people on Yunzhong City this time is not because Li Jun's defense is weak.

Xue Song allowed the Huihe cavalry to pass through his defense zone without intercepting them or giving them a warning. He has ulterior motives and should not be allowed to pass. He should be captured and killed immediately."

Feng Changqing saluted to Fang Zhongyong and said, his words immediately resonated with everyone.

Even Li Liangchen was indignant and said, "I have been wondering how the Huihe people broke into Yunzhong. It turns out that Xue Song let the enemy advance! General, we must arrest Xue Song and enforce military law!"

Just as the generals were nodding in agreement, a man wearing the green robe of a Tang Dynasty civil servant shouted at the top of the city wall: "Is Marshal Fang Jie in the city? Is Marshal Fang Jie in the city?"

It turned out that it was the general's flag hanging on the top of the city wall that exposed Fang Chongyong's position.

"I am Fang Guozhong, who are you?"

It was too far away, and Fang Chongyong couldn't recognize who the civil servant riding a horse under the city was.

"I am Linghu Yan, an aide to Prime Minister Yan. I ask General Fang Jie to lead his troops to reinforce Taiyuan City as soon as possible.

Cai Xide, a general under Huangfu Weiming of the Hebei rebel army, was leading his troops to attack Taiyuan city.

"Mr. Yan is almost unable to hold on in the city! Saving lives is like putting out a fire!"

Upon hearing this, all the generals on the city wall were horrified. Fang Zhongyong immediately ordered the small gate to be opened and Linghu Yan to be let into Yunzhong City.

As soon as they met, Fang Chongyong felt that the man looked very familiar. He should be the aide to Yan Zhenqing.

As soon as Linghu Yan saw Fang Zhongyong, he felt relieved. He felt his legs were trembling, and the inner thighs were so painful from riding for so long that he could hardly stand.

He panted and saluted with his hands crossed, saying, "General Fang, when Xianggong Yan heard that you were going to rescue Yunzhou, he rushed to Taiyuan City and took over the military power of Han Xiulin, the former governor of Hedong and the commander of the Tianbing Army. You probably don't know that Huangfu Weiming has issued a letter to purge the emperor's side, and now his troops have been divided into two groups, attacking Hedong and Henan respectively, and they are advancing like a hot knife through butter.

One of the routes has already entered Hedong from Jingxing and reached the city of Taiyuan!"

Huangfu Weiming really rebelled!

Fang Zhongyong looked around and found that all his generals had an expression of "as expected" and were not surprised at all.

Xue Song was Huangfu Weiming's confidant, so it was reasonable for him to let the Uighurs march straight into Yunzhou.

Huangfu Weiming also invited the Uighurs to serve as external aid to strengthen his army, so naturally he did not have to worry about the current relationship between the Tang Dynasty and the Uighurs.

All signs indicate that the governor of the second town in Hebei has completely turned the table over and no longer cares what Brother Ji thinks.

All of these are closely linked and interconnected. It can be said that what Huangfu Weiming did was not an isolated incident.

"In whose name did Huangfu Weiming issue the manifesto?"

Fang Chongyong did not look panicked and asked in a deep voice.

"Oh, here is the manifesto. It was jointly issued by the four princes and Huangfu Weiming. It was headed by Prince Rong Li Wan, and there were also Prince Yan Li Yin, Prince Ji Li Huan, and Prince Yi Li Yu."

Linghu Yan quickly took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it to Fang Chongyong.

"What an honor! I didn't expect I would be on there!"

When Fang Chongyong saw that the manifesto said that this young master "used corruption to obtain a fake position, rode on a chariot with gold and jade, delivered goods to powerful families, stole from the Dingsi, and overturned important artifacts", he immediately felt something was absurd and could not help but flicked the paper covered with the manifesto.

To obtain a position by bribery: to obtain a position by bribery;
Carriages loaded with gold and jade are used to deliver goods to the powerful. Carriages loaded with gold and jade are used to deliver goods to the powerful.

Stealing the official positions and overturning the important equipment: after obtaining the official positions by improper means, using the power to overthrow the country.

There are so many things that it really makes people feel powerless to complain.

Putting aside the question of whether he has subverted the country, isn't his current position of power carved out one by one by one by Marshal Fang Jie?

Even if Huangfu Weiming scolded him for raping a woman, it was better than this!

"By the way, why is Mr. Yan in Taiyuan?"

Fang Chongyong suddenly remembered this and asked in confusion.

Linghu Yan quickly explained:

“When Mr. Yan heard that the Huihe people were attacking Yunzhong, he knew that the Hebei border troops had rebelled, otherwise the Huihe people would not have been able to break through the heavy defense lines and reach Yunzhou.

The only key point in Hedong is Taiyuan.

Other places could not hold their own after losing Taiyuan, so Yan Xianggong was worried that Han Xiulin would join the bandits, so he rushed to Hedong overnight. Less than a day after entering the city, Cai Xide led his troops to attack! "

After listening to Linghu He's explanation, Fang Zhongyong breathed a sigh of relief.

The Tianbing Army is considered the elite of the Hedong Army and has a strong military force. Taiyuan City will not be lost for a while.

However, Taiyuan was under siege, so supplies from other prefectures and counties in Hedong could not be delivered. For example, Yunzhou was mainly a nomadic economy, and although it produced horses, the food alone was not enough to feed the garrison, so it had to be regularly imported from Taiyuan.

Without Taiyuan, Yunzhou would no longer be worth defending.

On the contrary, if Taiyuan was still there, it would be a piece of cake to recapture Yunzhou and Xinzhou.

Fang Chongyong had to admit that Yan Zhenqing had a strategic vision and acted decisively.

"General Li, take your troops and let's go to Taiyuan together."

Fang Chongyong instructed Li Liangchen.

"Order!"

He looked around at the generals again, then stared at Tian Chengsi and said:
“You too, lead your troops to Taiyuan.

The rebel army of Cai Xide in Hebei was just a vanguard, and they wanted to take advantage of the chaos to plunder the land. They failed to attack Taiyuan, and they knew that if they encountered a tough opponent, they would definitely swarm in. The Tianbing Army’s small number of troops could not withstand several sieges!
The imperial court could only deliver food and fodder from Jinzhou (Linfen City) to Taiyuan at best. It couldn’t deliver food and fodder to places farther away. If we defended other cities, we would be defeated one by one by the rebels.”

Fang Chongyong's words were not directed at He Changqi and the others. The generals of the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army would not confront Fang Chongyong.

He was trying to persuade Tian Chengsi to lead his troops and follow him.

However, this old fox, who is nearly fifty years old, did not speak, and his expression was calm, as if he was weighing the pros and cons.

Seeing that Tian Chengsi was not fooled, Fang Zhongyong said to Feng Changqing: "Take my letter of appointment and go to Lingzhou to find Xin Yunjing, and ask him to go to the Kelan Army's base and take over the Kelan Army. Anyway, he used to be a military envoy here. After Xin Yunjing takes office, he will lead the Kelan Army to Jinzhou, guard Linfen City, and ensure the grain route to Taiyuan!"

"Order!"

Feng Changqing clasped his fists and accepted the order. This is a comprehensive contraction!

Originally in the Hedong Defense Zone, Taiyuan was the rear base, responsible for supplying food and fodder.

Now Taiyuan has become the front line. The previous defense zone can no longer adapt to the changes in the rebellion in Hebei. It is necessary to shrink the defense line and adapt to the war situation again.

Upon hearing the order, Tian Chengsi immediately gave in.

He clasped his fists and saluted Fang Zhongyong, saying, "I will obey the commander's orders."

Tian Chengsi had to put aside his thoughts. Fang Chongyong saw through his intention to sit on the fence and blocked his way out.

As the Art of War says: An isolated city cannot be defended.

Without the support of the Kelan Army in Lanzhou, the Datong Army in Shuozhou would soon be surrounded on all sides by the troops of Hebei, with nowhere to escape.

Since you are already in a desperate situation by then, it is inevitable that you will "follow the thief", and there will be no way out!

Sitting on the fence means that you can retreat on both sides, rather than being trapped once you are forced to retreat. Tian Chengsi had no choice but to lead the Datong Army and Fang Chongyong all the way south to Taiyuan.

"That's good. Let's set off now without further delay."

Fang Chongyong saw that Tian Chengsi had given in and nodded slightly.

……

On the Lantern Festival in the twelfth year of Tianbao, Huangfu Weiming, the governor of Youzhou and Pinglu, joined forces with four princes to issue a manifesto to suppress the rebellion and purge the court!

The so-called "clearing the court" was actually to force Brother Ji to abdicate and let Prince Rong Li Wan ascend the throne.

There were 200,000 troops on the Hebei border and 100,000 allied troops from the Uighurs.

It was announced to the outside world that 500,000 elite troops were marching south to honor the emperor and punish the traitors, and bring punishment upon the country by heaven!
The army was divided into two routes. One route was led by Shi Siming, the military envoy of the Lulong Army, who entered Hedong from Jingxing and successively captured Leping, Shiai, Shouyang, Yuci and other counties. They arrived at the city of Taiyuan with almost no effort.

On another route, Huangfu Weiming personally led his troops south and headed straight for Luoyang!
Yan Zhenqing, Deputy Governor of Hetao and Envoy of Hedong, and Han Xiulin, Military Commander of the Heavenly Army, led the Heavenly Army to stand ready in Taiyuan and repelled the surprise attack led by Cai Xide, the vanguard of the rebels.

Seeing that he could not gain an advantage, Commander Shi Siming divided his troops and attacked from two directions.

He personally led the army from Feihu Pass to Hedong, joined forces with Xue Song's army in Hedong, and purged the generals in Hengye who were unwilling to join the rebels. The army then marched westward, conquered Fanshi County, and rushed to attack Yanmen (not Yanmen Pass), the capital of Daizhou!
Yong Xihao, the general guarding Yanmen, had never expected the Hebei border troops to rebel. After being persuaded to surrender by the rebels, he surrendered to the enemy without any resistance.

Anyway, Huangfu Weiming's support for the prince to ascend the throne is the private business of the Li family. Now that the army is approaching the city, why risk your life for this?
If we succeed in clearing out the evil officials, maybe we can even gain the credit of being a loyal follower of the emperor. So why should we resist?

So Yong Xihao ordered his men to open the Yanmen Gate to welcome the rebels into the city. The gates north of Taiyuan were wide open. Then the rebels successively conquered Gangxian, Tanglin and other places, and headed straight for Xiurong, Xinzhou.

Because three successive governors died suddenly during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, it was said that there were demons at work, so many officials were unwilling to take up the post. Only at the beginning of the Kaiyuan period, under the call of Ji Ge, Zhang Jiayou, the younger brother of Prime Minister Zhang Jiazhen, was willing to go to Xinzhou to serve as the governor.

During this period, he brought benefits to the local area and became quite famous there.

But at other times, Xinzhou is just a gilded place.

People without military ability will not be able to make a name for themselves in border towns. However, Ji Ge clearly stipulated in the "Edict on Selecting Officials in the Capital to Become Governors and Inspectors": Those who are not Inspectors are not allowed to serve in the six ministries.

On the one hand, the governor of Xinzhou is required to be both civil and military, and on the other hand, it is difficult to get promoted in such a cold and bitter place. The requirements are high, the treatment is poor, and it is difficult to make achievements!

The key is not to go!

This leads to a situation where there are countermeasures for every policy.

Many people who could become the governor of Xinzhou were from official families. Their method was to use the network of the Ministry of Personnel to work in Xinzhou for one year and then leave.

Even so, the position of Xinzhou governor was often vacant, just like it is now.

At this time, there was no governor in Xinzhou, so the Sima of Xinzhou directly opened the city to welcome the rebels into Xiurong City.

Another group of rebels, led by Cai Xide, swept through the counties around Taiyuan, looted food and fodder, and denied the Tang army any supplies.

Just as Fang Chongyong was leading his troops to reinforce Taiyuan, Shi Siming's rebel army was about to meet up from the north and east to encircle Taiyuan City!

In the middle there is Yangqu County and Chitang Pass!
Among the states under the Hedong Jiedushi, Weizhou, Daizhou, Xinzhou, and the eastern half of Taiyuan Prefecture have all fallen. Although the rebels have not yet besieged Taiyuan City, the intention of besieging a point and attacking the reinforcements is already clear on paper.

When the news of the rebellion in the two towns in Hebei reached Chang'an, letters for help from provincial governors from all over the country flew to Chang'an like snowflakes.

This made Brother Ji, who was already feeling uneasy because of the "disappearance" of four princes, furious!
His first reaction was: This is impossible!

But as more and more mutually verifiable military intelligence came in, Ji Ge was convinced that Huangfu Weiming had indeed rebelled.

That was his "brother-in-law"! Huangfu Weiming's sister, but she was the princess who was by his side before he ascended the throne!
How could Huangfu Weiming rebel? How dare he rebel!

Brother Ji never felt that he was sorry for others, so he naturally forgot that Li Yao, the Prince of E in the "Three Sons Killed in One Day" incident, was the nephew of Huangfu Weiming, the biological son of Huangfu Deyi!

At this moment, the study room in the Qinzhengwu Building of Xingqing Palace was filled with a tense atmosphere.

Brother Ji was like an angry old lion, pacing back and forth in the study with his hands behind his back.

"Saint, the only solution now is to suppress the rebellion."

Zheng Shuqing spoke cautiously, beads of sweat the size of beans already running down his cheeks.

Zheng Shuqing's name was mentioned in the anti-rebellion manifesto. Is it possible that Brother Ji dealt with Zheng just like Emperor Jing of Han dealt with Chao Cuo?
I have to say, this possibility is very high.

At the very least, Zheng Shuqing couldn't believe in Ji Ge's character.

"You said to suppress the rebellion, how to suppress it? Why did Huangfu Weiming rebel? Was he forced to rebel by you?
I asked you to investigate the private casting. Did you kill all the people in Huangfu family? Is that why Huangfu Weiming wanted to rebel?"

Brother Ji’s eyes were red as he roared at Zheng Shuqing!
"Please calm down, sage. Huangfu Weiming is a ruthless man who repays kindness with hatred. No matter what Zheng Xianggong does, he will rebel."

Gao Lishi persuaded calmly.

At this critical juncture, Zheng Shuqing must not be killed.

If he is killed, wouldn't it confirm what the manifesto says: "The sage is unjust and incompetent"?
After killing Zheng Shuqing, is the next step to abdicate and let others take over?
This loophole must not be opened. Gao Lishi was very afraid that Brother Ji would make a stupid move.

"Saint, can you order the troops on the right side of Hexi Long to enter Guanzhong to defend the king? There are many troops loyal to the court, and the advantage is on our side!"

Zheng Shuqing saluted to Brother Ji with his arms crossed, his head lowered almost to the ground, not daring to even look at Brother Ji.

"Loyalty to the king? What if the border troops in Longyou and Hexi also rebel? Will you be responsible? What responsibility can you take!"

Brother Ji had completely lost his composure and started swearing at Zheng Shuqing, with his saliva all over Zheng Shuqing's face.

"Saint, the Western Army is unreliable, but Fang Guozhong is reliable. He is in Hexi and has a high reputation in the Western Regions, and he is loyal to you.

It would be better to call Fang Guozhong back to Chang'an to take charge of the overall situation and suppress the rebellion! Let him control the troops in Hexi and Longyou."

After Zheng Shuqing finished speaking, his heart was beating in his throat, fearing that Brother Ji would play some tricks again.

He really can't bear it anymore. Now some people in the court say that they want to send Zheng's head to Hebei to appease the public anger.

Zheng Shuqing didn’t understand what he had done to offend the people of Hebei!
"It makes sense."

Brother Ji sat down on the dragon throne and sighed.

I have been hunting geese all day, and now I have been pecked in the eye by geese. Brother Ji never expected that those useless princes would have such a strong appeal that the rebels were so unstoppable that they were almost reaching the Yellow River.

How many days have passed?

"Pass on my order, have Cui Qianyou station troops at Tongguan, have Fang Zhongyong lead the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army station troops at Puzhou, and guard the Longmen Ferry."

Brother Ji waved his hands a little tiredly and said.

The war came fast and fiercely, and Brother Ji suddenly realized that the troops in Hebei were much more than what he could control!

(End of this chapter)