Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 494 I would rather let the world down

“Clang!” “Clang!” “Clang!” “Clang!”

Near the city of Taiyuan, beside a small river outside the Jin Temple camp of the Tang army, Gao Xianzhi, with his upper body naked, was sharpening his knife beside a whetstone.

His exposed tendons had a kind of robust beauty in the sun, especially the long-healed wounds on his arms and chest, which looked like medals of honor for surviving a hundred battles on the blood-stained battlefield!

"General Gao, you are also sharpening your sword."

Li Siye came here to sharpen his huge sword, but he looked like he had something to say, and he came here just to sharpen his sword.

"If you don't sharpen your sword before a big battle, you won't have time to do so when you get into battle."

Gao Xianzhi frowned slightly and spoke perfunctorily, as if he had something on his mind.

"General Gao, how many bandit troops do you think are left in Yanmen now?"

Li Siye suddenly asked a very important question. It was like thunderclaps from a clear sky, exploding in Gao Xianzhi's ears!

"What did the scout say?"

"The scout didn't say much, but General Gao should know what's going on over there."

Li Siye said calmly.

Leaving behind 3,000 elite soldiers to guard Yanmen, the 100,000 Tang troops would not be able to break through in the short term and could only rely on heaping up lives to wear them down bit by bit.

Leaving 30,000 elite soldiers to guard Yanmen would actually have a similar effect.

The entrance to the pass is so wide that even with so many people it would be impossible to expand.

What’s even worse is that outsiders cannot tell how many defenders are behind this pass and can only judge based on some clues.

But pots and pans, flags, and even logistical convoys can all be forged.

The tricks of pretending to be real when false and pretending to be false when real are the basic skills of generals.

Shi Siming retreated to Yanmen. Did he really concentrate all his troops here?

The answer is obvious, it won’t.

The Hebei rebels north of Taiyuan may have already moved their main forces back to defend Zhending, and these people may not necessarily make a big fuss.

The only problem is that everything is speculation, just like guessing the size, it is either big or small, it seems that the probability is 50-50, but in fact it is not the case at all.

"Do you think it's dangerous too?"

Gao Xianzhi asked in a deep voice.

"General Gao, you can only control our troops from Anxi Beiting. You can't command other border troops!"

Li Siye lamented.

Gao Xianzhi remained silent. Li Siye's words hit the nail on the head.

An Zhongzhang commanded the Chishui Army, Gao Xianzhi commanded the Anxi Beiting Army, Li Guangbi commanded the Longyou Army, and Guo Ziyi was responsible for managing the troops in Hexi except the Chishui Army.

These hundreds of thousands of people, when put together, were a force that no one dared to shake. After being divided into four groups, if there was no effective support and coordination, chaos would easily occur on the battlefield.

Seeing Gao Xianzhi remained silent, Li Siye continued, "General Gao and the other three are not subordinate to each other, and they don't even have much friendship. If something happens, who will come to reinforce, and who will be willing to reinforce?"

"It's just that if we feel safe, then the saint will not feel safe."

Gao Xianzhi said with a long sigh.

This time it was Li Siye's turn to be speechless.

Didn't this army have no commander before?
No, Wang Zhongsi had great prestige in the army, and all the generals were convinced. However, if Wang Zhongsi could command the support of the army, who would listen to the saint?
This question is a bit life-threatening.

"After we capture Zhending, enemy forces may appear from all directions. What are General Gao's plans?"

Li Siye asked in a deep voice, then looked around and found that no one was approaching, so he breathed a sigh of relief.

"What do you think?"

Gao Xianzhi asked in a low voice, inserting the sword into the scabbard.

"If we are really defeated, heading south to Yecheng would be a good way to survive.

If we retreat westward to Jingxing, or northward to Feihuxing, we will definitely end up dead. "

Li Siye told his plan, picked up a twig from the ground, and drew a marching route map on the spot.

“The worst case scenario is that after we capture Zhending, we continue to attack Youzhou to the north, but our route is cut off.

If the enemy army wants to annihilate more than 100,000 of us, it will not be so easy. If they concentrate their forces, Yecheng will be empty.

After we conquer Yecheng, we can go south to Henan or west to Huguan, and we can take it one step at a time. Even if we fail to conquer it, no one can stop us.

General Gao must suggest that we send the troops from Anxi Beiting to cover the rear.

Of course, if the battle goes well, I will pretend that I said nothing today."

Li Siye suggested in a low voice.

Gao Xianzhi looked at the pile of scribbles on the ground, and imagined the Hebei rebels deploying heavy troops north of Zhending. He suddenly felt his scalp tingling.

The plans of saints are always so optimistic, just like Huo Qubing's sweeping victory over the Huns, all they need to do is make a gesture.

But in fact it is not the case.

War is a very delicate business and cannot afford to be careless.

"Let's go back to the camp!"

Gao Xianzhi sighed and asked Li Siye to go with him, with a bad feeling in his heart.

Before the battle even started, he had a premonition that he was going to lose. This feeling was something he had never experienced before.

……

In an inconspicuous courtyard in the west of Taiyuan City, Li Guangbi was cooking wine for Wang Zhongsi under the shade of a tree.

"General, the saint's military strategy doesn't seem to be that brilliant."

As Li Guangbi poured the wine, he couldn't help but complain.

"It's more than just not smart."

Wang Zhongsi shook his head and sighed, not knowing how to comment on it. In short, it was extremely outrageous.

Or you could call it "exactly what one wants." Of course, it was exactly what Huangfu Weiming wanted!

Having such a useless person who gives blind orders is no less than adding 100,000 elite soldiers to Huangfu Weiming's side.

Just as the two of them were sighing, Gao Lishi came hurriedly, looked at Li Guangbi and said, "General Li, the Saint has something urgent to ask you! Come quickly, follow me to see the Emperor!"

Eh?
Li Guangbi and Wang Zhongsi were both stunned.

The entire army will set out tomorrow, so it is not necessary to say that the "instructions" are only given today.

But now was obviously not the time to talk about this. After Li Guangbi paid his respects to Wang Zhongsi, he followed Gao Lishi to the emperor's palace in Taiyuan City.

That is the former Taiyuan Jiedushi government office.

Coming to the study room with a lot on his mind, Brother Ji said to Li Guangbi calmly, "Sit down."

After he sat down, Li Guangbi bowed to Ji Ge and asked, "What instructions does the saint have?"

"Something big happened in Chang'an!"

Brother Ji said in a deep voice.

Li Guangbi didn't know how to respond to this, so he had to remain silent and wait for Brother Ji to continue.

"Someone wants to support the crown prince to ascend the throne in Chang'an!"

The veins on Brother Ji's neck bulged, and a cold light flashed in his cloudy eyes. When he spoke, he was almost gritting his teeth! "The saint said..."

Li Guangbi hesitated a little, thinking to himself that something was wrong.

"Take your troops and set out immediately to attack Chang'an! Bring those traitors to justice..."

Brother Ji made a gesture of wiping his neck.

"Saint, we are facing a powerful enemy, so we need to send troops to Hebei. Will it be possible to transfer troops back to Guanzhong..."

Li Guangbi is going to become autistic because of Brother Ji!
"I don't care! It's not like you are acting alone! I'm just telling you first!"

Ji Ge's voice was almost a roar, and he could no longer suppress the anger in his heart.

Today, someone sent from Chang'an reported that someone was planning to have Crown Prince Li Heng ascend the throne, and that there were quite a few of them. Brother Ji was scared out of his wits!
If Li Heng officially ascended the throne in Chang'an, it would be difficult to guarantee that the soldiers in Taiyuan would not forcibly detain him and send him back to Chang'an to become the "emperor emeritus".

In Ji Ge's opinion, compared with Li Ying and others who cut off the source of the trouble, Huangfu Weiming's Hebei rebels were so stupid that they were cute, and they were actually plundering the land bit by bit!
"Saint, changing your orders every day is bad for the morale of the army..."

Li Guangbi was not an eloquent person, but he knew right from wrong.

"If you are unwilling to return to Chang'an, I will replace you with another general. There will always be someone willing to take the position."

Brother Ji said coldly.

Seeing that Li Guangbi was silent, Brother Ji comforted him gently, "Your foster father Wang Zhongsi will continue to stay in Taiyuan, so you don't have to worry."

Hearing this, Li Guangbi clasped his fists and saluted, saying, "I understand. I will obey the orders of the saint."

"Well, let's go."

Ji Ge nodded slightly, and after Li Guangbi left, Ji Ge called An Zhongzhang over and told him the same thing. After An Zhongzhang left, Ji Ge also called Gao Xianzhi and Guo Ziyi over to "give them face to face advice."

By the time he finished all this, it was already past midnight. Brother Ji leaned tiredly on the couch, feeling a sharp pain in his head.

When he was the emperor in the past, it seemed that everything could be done with just a word of mouth. Why is it that getting things done nowadays is so difficult?

"Li Shi, what do you think I should do? Should I give the throne to that rebellious son Li Heng?"

Brother Ji said helplessly, as if he had lost the courage to move forward.

Don't be fooled by his tough attitude in front of Li Guangbi's generals, as he seems determined to return to Chang'an.

But in reality, Ji Ge was very nervous and worried, and was already one step away from a mental breakdown.

"saint……"

Gao Lishi had something stuck in his throat and couldn't say it. He didn't know whether to say something nice, the truth, or even just to be perfunctory and say nonsense.

"It's already this late, is there anything you can't say?"

Brother Ji scolded with some dissatisfaction.

"Saint, it's too late for you to abdicate now. There's a cliff behind you, you can't retreat!"

Gao Lishi knelt on the ground with tears in his eyes, holding one of Ji Ge's feet tightly.

"Yeah, it's too late."

Brother Ji sighed. He knew very well that if he abdicated now, he would die. Even if Li Heng did not touch him, there would be people who would flatter him and help him!
Then those who have hatred will take revenge, and those who have been wronged will get justice!
Having been the emperor for so many years, would he not have enemies?
Brother Ji knows what's going on.

"Why did they betray me?"

Ji Ge asked, muttering to himself.

"They" include Fang Youde, Li Mi, Yan Zhenqing, as well as the dignitaries in Chang'an City and the descendants of the Guanlong nobles.

Brother Ji thought that he did not owe these people anything, but why did they betray him?
He couldn't figure it out, was lost, and extremely angry.

Finally, he collapsed after being rage-ridden and exhausted.

"Saint, there is no time to lose. Lead your troops back to Guanzhong to quell the rebellion."

Gao Lishi sighed softly.

For many things, the results will be different if you look at them from different angles.

From Ji Ge's perspective, what some people in Changan are trying to do now is treasonous!
The emperor's power comes from the recognition and support of the nobles. Once the nobles do not support and recognize him, the emperor's edict will become a piece of paper for wiping one's ass!

As for the common people at the bottom of society, who the hell cares who the emperor is!
Brother Ji now truly feels the loss of his power, and it is accelerating.

He was unwilling to give up and wanted to struggle a little longer.

"Fang Guozhong, what are you doing now?"

Suddenly, Brother Ji thought of Fang Chongyong and felt a little regretful.

Although Fang Chongyong was the son of Fang Youde, he served him very respectfully and showed no signs of rebellion.

The Silver Spear Xiaojie Army is the most brave and combat-savvy of all. Not only does it gather the elite of the border troops, but it also has rich combat experience having fought from the south to the north of the country.

It was a bit hasty at first.

Brother Ji sighed and blamed himself for acting too early without considering the consequences, or perhaps he was frightened by the interpersonal relationships in the Fang family.

"Fang Guozhong occupied Bianzhou and seemed to have surrendered to Li Heng. He was appointed as the governor of Xuanwu Army and nominally controlled six states."

Gao Lishi answered cautiously, and what he said was basically public information.

"Compared to Fang Youde, the traitor who betrayed me, Fang Guozhong was indeed wronged by me.

Or you can send someone to Bianzhou to contact Fang Guozhong and ask him if he is willing to work for me now.

Anyway, he hasn't lost a hair in Queshu Valley, so can't I issue an edict of repentance?"

Brother Ji sighed and said that he had no recollection of how he had threatened and bribed Wang Zhongsi when he gave the order to kill him.

When many people do something unfair to others, they always have an attitude of "I would rather let the world down than let myself down", and believe that others should sacrifice everything for them.

But when he asks others to do something for him, he forgets all the past grudges and believes that others should "forget the mistakes of small people" and let them go.

Just like Brother Ji at this moment.

Gao Lishi didn't know what to say. Perhaps all emperors were like this. They didn't think they should be punished for doing something wrong. They always believed that "thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all grace from the emperor."

"Saint, or..."

"Let's write a confession of guilt now!"

Brother Ji got up from the couch and immediately wrote an "apology letter" on paper, saying that he was deceived by the treacherous minister Yan Zhenqing, which led him to kill Fang Chongyong and his Silver Spear Filial Piety Army.

Since that incident, I have been very sad. Now that Yan Zhenqing has connected with all officials in Chang'an to welcome Li Heng to the throne, I suddenly realized that I had wronged the loyal ministers. I hope Fang Chongyong can put aside personal grudges and focus on state affairs.

After writing it, Brother Ji read it again and again and felt that the tone was still too stiff, so he rewrote it and softened the wording.

Anyway, he kept emphasizing that he was deceived by those treacherous officials in Taiyuan Prefecture. Those people insisted that Fang Chongyong, the governor, was planning a rebellion, so what could I do?

After all, the saying that "three people make a tiger" and "numerous words can melt gold" is not something that has only existed today!
After finishing the letter, Ji Ge still felt that it was not "sincere" enough, so he cut off a bunch of his hair and put it in an envelope. Then he continued to plead in the letter, saying that he had made a mistake and wanted to "cut off his hair in lieu of his head" to apologize.

Only then did he seal the envelope with satisfaction and hand it to Gao Lishi.

"Send a capable person to deliver the letter to Fang Zhongyong in person. Do you understand?"

Brother Ji held Gao Lishi's hand tightly and said, his eyes fixed on the other's face.

"I'll do it right now."

Gao Lishi quickly put the letter against his chest and put it close to his body, then bowed to Ji Ge, turned around and left.

After Gao Lishi left, Ji Ge lay dejectedly on the couch.

Like a dead fish lying on the beach, unable to move.

(End of this chapter)