Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 458: Unstoppable Force and Sweeping the Country

Faced with the aggressive Hebei rebels, the imperial court was in a panic and at a loss, but still reluctantly issued three military orders.

The first military order ordered Wang Zhongsi, the ambassador of the Western Regions, to lead his troops back to Guanzhong immediately, and to have the right to select troops from the four towns of Anxi, Beiting, Hexi, and Longyou to support the king and unify their management. All border towns must cooperate, otherwise they will be treated as treasonous.

The second military order appointed Cui Qianyou as the military commander of the two capitals and deputy marshal of the army of the whole country, stationing troops in Luoyang, with Tongguan as the core of defense, and controlling all troops in Guanzhong and Luoyang areas.

Although the name is very intimidating, there are actually not many people. They are just given the power to recruit soldiers. The main force of the border troops is basically in the west and has not turned back.

The third military order appointed Fang Chongyong as the governor of Shuofang, Hedong, Youzhou and Fanyang, and ordered him to lead troops from Hedong to defend Guanzhong, with Puzhou as the core, and to protect the defense line at all costs.

This kind of thing is that they are worried that Fang Chongyong will also join in the rebellion, so they directly let him "remotely lead" the two towns in Hebei, and the benefits he gives him are not small.

But I can’t get it for the time being, I can only look but not eat!
It’s not that we don’t give you sweet dates, but the sweet dates are still in Hebei. You can go and get them yourself based on your ability.

In addition, the imperial court also relaxed the right to recruit soldiers, allowing local prefectures and counties to recruit soldiers to protect themselves, so as to avoid being easily captured by the rebel army of several hundred people.

It has to be said that these military orders from the court may indeed have a great effect in the long run, and may even completely change the political and military structure of the Tang Dynasty.

But in the short term, the effect is not great. What can really work in the short term is to let Cui Qianyou and Fang Chongyong each lead a main force army to guard the gate of Guanzhong.

In Ji Ge's heart, he even planned to give up Luoyang.

However, the speed of the rebels' advance was far beyond the court's imagination, especially the speed of advance in Hebei.

There are several very important places in Hebei, which are the key nodes for the imperial court to collect grain and fodder from Hebei and transport them to Chang'an.

Changlu in Cangzhou produces salt. After Liu Yan's reform, the sea salt here was not only supplied to all places in Hebei, but also transported to Luoyang through the canal for sale, and then exchanged for silk and imported into Guanzhong.

Anling in Dezhou, Qinghe in Beizhou, Yuancheng in Weizhou, and Xindu in Jizhou were all places where the imperial court stored grain and fodder. All the grain and fodder collected from Hebei were stored here and then transported to Chang'an through the canal.

In particular, Qinghe in Beizhou was known as the "Northern Warehouse of the World", with mountains of grain, fodder and other necessities of life.

In order to raise military funds without plundering Hebei, Huangfu Weiming sent his brave general Li Guiren from Youzhou. Instead of going south directly, he went south along the Yongji Canal of the Grand Canal, successively conquered Cangzhou, Dezhou, Beizhou, and Weizhou, drank water from the Yellow River, and arrived at Xiangzhou.

The resistance in each state was minimal; local officials either surrendered or fled, and some even led the rebels.

Yecheng, an important town in Hebei, is located in Xiangzhou. Going west through Fukou Pass, you can reach Taiyuan City. To the south is the throat of the Yellow River. Its strategic position is extremely important.

With the wealth from the canal and the military supplies in place, Huangfu Weiming's army did not harm anyone wherever they passed. The people of Hebei, who had long been resentful of the imperial court, enthusiastically joined the army, hoping to enter Chang'an and plunder in the future!
Government officials in various places opened their city walls to welcome the rebels into the city, and they didn't even change their official robes and just took up their posts on the spot!

For a while, the voices of "clearing the imperial court" were everywhere!
The rebels were extremely arrogant. Some of their cavalry had already crossed the ice of the Yellow River and were conducting reconnaissance in Puzhou (Puyang), Yunzhou, Huazhou (Baima) and other places. They seemed to be planning to cross the Yellow River and launch a surprise attack on Luoyang.

Of course, these rebels did not consider themselves rebels. The imperial court was unjust, and they rose up just to seek justice from the imperial court!

What's wrong with that?
Having said that, losing is called treason; winning is called punishing the people!

……

"What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?"

In Weizhou, which is adjacent to Xiangzhou to the south, on the top of the city wall of Jixian County, an official in a red official robe was pacing back and forth anxiously like an ant on hot pan.

He was Du Fu, who was implicated in the assassination of Li Linfu and demoted. He was originally going to Lingnan to serve as a governor.

Thanks to his good friend Yuan Jie who took advantage of the situation and used his connections in the Ministry of Personnel to arrange for Du Fu to be the Sima in Weizhou.

Of course, Yuan Jie himself was the governor of Weizhou, and he knew that the position of Sima in his province was vacant. Moreover, Weizhou was a central province, and few people were willing to come here to be Sima, so he was sure that the deployment would succeed.

"Don't worry, brother Zimei. It's impossible for the rebels to come to Weizhou so soon."

Yuan Jie patted Du Fu on the shoulder and comforted him.

Although he said this, he knew in his heart that the situation in Hebei was so bad that it was beyond repair. After much inquiry, Yuan Jie realized that Huangfu Weiming had big ambitions and that he did not just smash and rob his way to victory. That group of people knew how to win people's hearts.

He took advantage of the general dissatisfaction of the people of Hebei with the court, called on them to support the rebels, or even join the rebels directly, and promised to reduce taxes and levies in Hebei in the future.

Huangfu Weiming wanted the whole world, and he held the prince in his hands. As long as he did not declare himself emperor, many neutral people would follow him. No one could predict whether the rebels would enter Guanzhong in the future.

In the eyes of most Hebei people, the rebels are the king's army and the orthodox and righteous one.

The current Tang court is unjust and should be conquered.

"Brother Cishan, the situation is really different this time. The rebels on Huangfu Weiming's side are not ordinary bandits. He wants to change the dynasty!"

Du Fu held Yuan Jie's hand and spoke anxiously.

In fact, many people have realized that Huangfu Weiming will become a figure like Cao Cao in the future. It is impossible for him to return power to Li Wan, and a change of dynasty is inevitable in the future.

It's just a stopgap measure now.

Just like those students in Fang Zhongyong's previous life who did not plan to repeat the college entrance examination, they would not look at the review questions at all. For Huangfu Weiming, the process of capturing Chang'an was an exam.

What will happen in the future, like the end of an exam, is something we will have to discuss later. It is normal for past promises to be unrecorded.

"Brother Zimei, what you said doesn't count even if we say it. What's the point of getting anxious?"

Yuan Jie sighed.

He has a big family behind him. After the rebellion in Hebei ended, Yuan Jie had written to his family, asking them to join the local united army and gather in Lushan, Ruzhou. Currently, the team has more than 2,000 people, and the Yuan family almost controls the right to speak for the Lushan united army.

As for what they were doing, it was obvious. Probably, they were waiting for the governor Yuan Jie to come to Lushan with the "letter of appointment and dismissal" from the court.

Seeing that Du Fu was still worried, Yuan Jie came close to him and said in a low voice: "If things don't go well, brother Zimei can go with me to Ruzhou. There are soldiers there who can fight!"

Ok?
Du Fu looked at Yuan Jie with an expression of inexplicable surprise, as if he was meeting him for the first time.

"Brother Cishan, could it be... already, already..."

Du Fu's speech was incoherent. He never expected that Yuan Jie had already thought of a way out.

Moreover, it seems that they are not optimistic that the government troops can successfully suppress the rebellion.

"Just understand it in your heart. Under the current circumstances, not following the enemy would be a gesture of loyalty to the court.

It's not a good idea to let me die in vain, I have such a big family behind me. "

Yuan Jie looked at Du Fu and smiled bitterly.

His behavior of "looking for a way out" actually showed that his loyalty to the court was not absolute.

And how many governors like Yuan Jie, who were relatively loyal, did not prepare a way out? And how many people were worse than Yuan Jie and directly surrendered to Huangfu Weiming?
Du Fu suddenly felt that this wave might be really bad!

"Your Excellency! Your Excellency! The rebels are less than ten miles away! I can't be mistaken for the yellow uniforms!"

Nan Jiyun, the county lieutenant of Ji County, Weizhou, clasped his fists and saluted Yuan Jie.

He was a man of humble origin who rowed boats across the Yellow River. He was proficient in martial arts but had no place to use them.

Since Huangfu Weiming started his rebellion, many provincial governors, Sima officials, and county magistrates from all over Hebei fled, and the government was also recruiting officials to fill the vacancies.

But there are few responses, and even fewer suitable ones.

The Ji County lieutenant fled on the third day after the rebels launched their uprising. Many officials from various counties in Weizhou also fled with him, including a county magistrate!
Yuan Jie issued a notice to suppress the rebellion and recruit knowledgeable people to fill the vacancies. Nan Jiyun came in to fill the vacancy of the county lieutenant at this time. After the rebellion was quelled, even if Nan Jiyun did nothing during this period, he could still be a county lieutenant in an upright manner, and it was very likely that he would be promoted and completely embark on the road of officialdom.

A great rebellion is also a great reshuffle.

"Are you here? Count the soldiers and prepare to defend the city!" Yuan Jie gave the order calmly.

But Nan Jiyun kept frowning and shaking his head. He clasped his fists and bowed to Yuan Jie and explained:

"Sir, this city cannot be defended.

There are too few soldiers in Ji County who can fight. We can't even defend one side of the city wall. It's only a matter of time before the city is breached.

I believe that there are still 200 retired soldiers in the city who can be used as combat forces, and there is no shortage of weapons.

The only way to repel the enemy is to organize them and fight the rebels in the field.

The rebels have come from afar, and we don't know their true strength. You can open the city gates and pretend to welcome the rebels. When I lead the troops to attack, we can defeat the rebels. "

Nan Jiyun pleaded.

Yuan Jie and Du Fu looked at each other and both felt that this method was wonderful.

But the possibility of rollover cannot be ruled out.

For example, what if Nan Jiyun directly surrenders to the enemy?
Yuan Jie hesitated and remained silent, unable to make up his mind for a moment.

At this moment, the rebel scouts had appeared in everyone's sight, and the main force should not be too far away.

Nan Jiyun was anxious, and immediately knelt down and pleaded with Yuan Jie: "Your Excellency promoted me from a humble position, and I will serve you at your utmost. Now the situation is urgent, please do not hesitate!"

"Okay, go ahead and do it!"

Yuan Jie gritted his teeth and finally decided to give it a try.

If he had a choice, he would not want to gamble. But then he thought, if he won the gamble, he could achieve the last step of his plan.

The gain is huge!
If he wins, he will have the halo of "loyal, brave and knowledgeable in military affairs".

If you advance, you can enter the court and participate in military affairs.

If he retreated, he could escape to Ruzhou, Henan, and raise a team in Lushan composed mainly of his own family members and fellow villagers, and appoint himself as the governor, squeezing out the original governor.

After all, it was a consensus among the government and the opposition that the rebels would cross the Yellow River, and they could not be stopped. At that time, the governor without soldiers would be nothing, even worse than a dog, and he would worry day and night whether he would be killed by his subordinates and his head would be sent to Huangfu Weiming for credit.

Yuan Jie has no roots or connections in Weizhou, so why bother to hold on? The real thing is to win a good battle, make a name for yourself, and then run away to form a team in your hometown!
With the "halo" of being loyal to the court and able to fight, the future prospects are bright and limitless!
Compared to Du Fu's idle life, Yuan Jie has been planning his own "career" and is taking every step carefully.

"Brother Cishan, this..."

As Du Fu spoke, he looked nervously at the old soldiers of the Tuanjie Army who were setting up ambushes in the city, and discovered that some of them had gray beards.

Old soldiers, old soldiers, can these people, who probably even have grandchildren, defeat the rebels who are as fierce as wolves and tigers?

Du Fu's heart was beating fast.

Soon, a group of rebels wearing khaki uniforms arrived at the door.

"I am General Yin Ziqi, you will surrender or not?
"The governor of Weizhou, come out and see me, or I will destroy Ji County!"

The leader stepped out and pointed his spear at Yuan Jie who was observing the military situation on the top of the city wall and shouted. When he saw the city gate was wide open, he was a little unsure what was going on.

"Don't release the arrows, don't release the arrows!"

Yuan Jie took off his official hat and shouted towards the city.

He hurried down the tower and saw Nan Jiyun lying in ambush at the corner of the city wall. He found that the other party was also looking at him, so he made a gesture of wiping his neck.

Yuan Jie ran to the city gate and shouted to Yin Ziqi, "General, don't panic. I will lead your horse."

"Hmph, you are smart. I will inform Marshal Huangfu and let you continue to serve as the governor."

Yin Ziqi, who was riding on a horse, said proudly, and then laughed out loud.

There were too many dog ​​officials like Yuan Jie, and they were everywhere in the counties along the way. But those people were so timid that they thought it was shameful to surrender.

It was unlike Yuan Jie who could slide and kneel so smoothly.

"kill!"

Nan Jiyun in the city shouted loudly and shot an arrow at Yin Ziqi.

This arrow was shot with a strong bow and crossbow, and the arrow was as fast as lightning and unstoppable!
Unfortunately, the arrow was slightly off target and only shot off Yin Ziqi's helmet, while the arrow just grazed his scalp.

Blood flowed down his forehead, blurring the vision of one of Yin Ziqi's eyes.

"How dare you, thief!"

Yin Ziqi was both angry and anxious. He angrily dropped the long spear that was in the way, drew the sword from his waist, rode his horse forward and was about to kill Yuan Jie.

At this critical moment, Nan Jiyun rushed out of the city gate on a fast horse, holding a knife and rushed towards Zhong Yin Ziqi's face.

This kind of fierce and unreasonable fighting style also frightened Yin Ziqi so much that he dared not fight back. The rebels were now in a very good situation and were unstoppable. These rebel generals might very well become heroes in the future.

With such a "bright" future, is it necessary to fight against a fool who rushed out of the county town without even saying his name?
"withdraw!"

Yin Ziqi immediately clamped the saddle, turned the horse around and ran away.

Before the rebels behind him could figure out what was going on, they saw Nan Jiyun and the two hundred retired veterans behind him rushing out of Jixian County with short spears in hand!
Seeing these people coming in full force and their commander running away again, they also turned around and ran away. The people in the front team ran back, while the people in the back team didn't know what happened and collided with the fleeing soldiers, and the people and horses trampled on each other, and the rebel army was immediately in chaos.

Nan Jiyun took the opportunity to chase after them for four or five miles before returning to Jixian County. After the battle, he counted the losses and found that his side had suffered very few casualties, so this battle could be regarded as a great victory!

"Brother Cishan, you won. The play you just performed was really well!"

Seeing Yuan Jie return to the city wall safely, Du Fu was so excited that he almost danced with joy!

It was certainly very satisfying to watch others defeat the enemy from the top of the city walls, since the rebels couldn't ride horses up the city walls anyway. But how it felt for those who were fighting on the spot was another matter.

Although Du Fu was loyal to the emperor and patriotic, it was absolutely impossible for him to fight on the battlefield!

However, there was no joy on Yuan Jie's face.

He sighed and said to Du Fu: "Originally, the rebels did not want to massacre the city. They rarely attacked the civilians during their march. Huangfu Weiming also knows that rabbits do not eat grass near their nests. But now, Yin Ziqi almost died in the attack on Ji County. I am afraid that the rebels will take out their anger on the civilians in Ji County."

The closer to the Yellow River, the less hatred there is towards the imperial court. After crossing the Yellow River, public opinion will also undergo a major change.

The rebels' knives are not for show. When the people are unwilling to follow their orders, those people will naturally tear off the veil of hypocrisy.

So many troops do not do any production, and the people do not support them. Are we going to leave these soldiers to starve?

Yuan Jie knew very well that as the rebels crossed the Yellow River, the bloody killing was about to begin.

As expected, five days later, Yin Ziqi returned, bringing with him 10,000 rebels to surround Ji County from all sides. In order to kill Yuan Jie and his men, the rebels had already divided their forces to capture all other counties in Weizhou.

The number of the surrounding rebels was no less than 20,000 or 30,000! They also took advantage of the situation to encircle the important town of Yecheng in Xiangzhou!

In the area north of the Yellow River, apart from Xiangzhou which was in danger of defending itself, there was only the isolated city of Jixian left.

(End of this chapter)