Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 495 The Wind Rises
The Tongguan area is a comprehensive defense system, and its general layout has actually never changed.

However, the location of the Tongguan City Tower had basically changed every few decades, and had changed many times over the hundreds of years, with the old tower being demolished and the new one being built repeatedly.

It was not until the second year of Tianshou (691 AD) during the reign of Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty that Tongguan was moved northward from the upper plateau to the lower plateau. A road was built along the river, moved closer to the Yellow River, a guard tower was built, and trenches were dug outside the city, which is the old city of Tongguan.

The location of the Tongguan city tower was finally stabilized, and it was not until the Ming Dynasty that it was rebuilt and expanded.

Under the order of Brother Ji, Cui Qianyou led the newly formed "Black Cloud Long Sword Army" to station here. Although the number of soldiers was less than 10,000, they were all experienced soldiers.

They were stationed at Tongguan, so other people could not take the highway between the two capitals to travel between Chang'an and Luoyang.

This includes both the Hebei rebels and the Crown Prince Li Heng who is stationed in Luoyang.

Cui Qianyou was not too clear about the movements in Hebei and Hedong, but he knew exactly what was happening in nearby Luoyang. He also understood the emperor's strategic intention of placing him and the Black Cloud Long Sword Army there.

This move was not aimed at the Hebei bandit army. The main purpose was to keep an eye on the prince and prevent him from entering Chang'an!

This made Cui Qianyou worried about the future direction of the political situation.

That morning, Cui Qianyou was leading his troops to inspect the Tongguan city wall when suddenly a scout from the east came to report urgent military intelligence!
"Are you saying that the troops from Luoyang captured Shanzhou?"

When Cui Qianyou heard the news, he thought he was hallucinating.

As a result, the scout immediately reported: "Yes, General Cui, the governor of Shanzhou, Zhao Liangbi, directly opened the city and surrendered. It is not entirely true to say that it was captured. It should be said that it was a bloodless battle."

"Okay, let's go and have a rest."

Cui Qianyou waved his hands impatiently.

The thing he was most worried about finally happened.

"Pass the order down, send more troops to patrol Huangxiangban, and break up the rotation sequence of the previous passes. I will deploy them one hour in advance."

Cui Qianyou gave orders to the soldiers around him with a cold face.

The Tongguan City Tower is located in a certain section of Huangxiangban. There is a narrow path in front and behind, which means it is a two-way defense.

"Order!"

The personal soldiers took the order and left, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Cui Qianyou looked at the rising sun in the distance, which was dyeing the surface of the Yellow River red. It was an indescribable beauty.

There is also a hint of desolation.

Cui Qianyou and his elite troops were pinned in Tongguan and unable to move.

Just a slight movement could very likely change the world situation.

This is like their destiny.

Now that the rebel army in Hebei has not yet been pacified, the conflict between the prince and the emperor has been intensified ahead of time.

The prince wants to seize power. What should we do?

Under the principle of the one and only emperor, father is father, son is son, monarch is monarch, minister is minister, it is hard to judge who is right and who is wrong in the current situation.

To a certain extent, there is nothing wrong with standing on the side of either the prince or the emperor.

"General Cui, urgent military information!"

Less than an hour later, a scout hurriedly walked up to the top of the city wall and came in front of Cui Qianyou.

He was so tired that he was sweating and panting. It was obvious that he had escaped in a hurry on a fast horse.

"Go ahead."

Before noon, two urgent military reports came in.

Cui Qianyou suddenly felt that something was wrong. Although his face was gloomy, his heart was in turmoil.

"The troops from Luoyang have already conquered Hucheng and are only one step away from Tongguan! The garrison commander of Hucheng was killed in the battle, and the county magistrate surrendered."

There was disbelief in the scout's tone. In fact, Cui Qianyou also felt it was unbelievable!
The last scout said that the army from Luoyang had conquered Shanzhou, but now they have reached Hucheng, the outpost of Tongguan!
So fast! This is not a battle, it's a long-distance run!
Thinking of this, Cui Qianyou suddenly understood. The only reason why the enemy's speed was so fast was that they encountered no resistance along the way.

How can it not be fast if you just walk without fighting?

To the west of Lake City is the entrance to Huangxiangban! The prince's troops are almost right under his nose!

However, while he was still in deep thought, a personal soldier ran over from a distance, holding an arrow with a piece of letter tied to it, and handed it to Cui Qianyou with both hands.

"General Cui, a scout downstairs shot up a letter, please take a look!"

"Ah."

Cui Qianyou nodded and waved his hand gently.

This must be a letter of persuasion!

Cui Qianyou took the letter off the arrow, opened it, and his face changed immediately.

This was a handwritten letter from Crown Prince Li Ying. Without saying anything nonsense, he just asked Cui Qianyou to open the gate of Tongguan Tower and let them pass.

They also said that the emperor was immoral and unjust, which made the people of the world complain. The prince inherited the throne and went to Chang'an to ascend the throne and become emperor.

In the future, as a loyal minister, you will be remembered for generations and will enjoy wealth and honor.

It would have been fine if you had done nothing before, but now that you have seen this letter, you should follow the trend of the times, obey the will of heaven, and support the prince to go to Chang'an and ascend the throne.

If you help the evil and become an accomplice to the tiger, you will not only be infamous for eternity, but your family will also be implicated.

I hope you will think carefully about what to do next, and don't make a mistake that will lead to your downfall.

what can we do about it?

After reading the letter, Cui Qianyou's heart was pounding and he couldn't make a decision for a while.

What does a real man rely on to establish his foothold in heaven and earth?
One is "loyalty" and the other is "righteousness".

Cui Qianyou asked himself a question and he soon had the answer.

He is not a sociable person and even gives people a feeling of being "stubborn and self-righteous". His relationship with his colleagues has never been good.

If there were no saints, would he have achieved what he has today?
It’s hard to say, after all, life is unpredictable, but it is probably impossible.

Thinking of this, Cui Qianyou tore the letter into pieces.

He doesn't know anything about national justice, natural justice, and ethics. He only knows that without Ji Ge's support, he, Cui, would not have achieved what he has today.

A drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring of water. Now is the time to repay the king's kindness.

If he, a man who was promoted by the emperor, were to succumb to the tyranny of the prince, how would the world view him as a military man?
Cui Qianyou held the hilt of the sword, turned around and walked down the city wall to call a meeting of all the generals in the army.

Crown Prince Li Heng forged an imperial edict, wanting to go to Chang'an to ascend the throne and become emperor. He also wanted to open the city and surrender himself, and pass through Tongguan safely.

Haha, no way!
Cui Qianyou showed a sneer on his face.

If you want Tongguan, then come and take it with a knife. It all depends on your ability!

……

At the entrance of Huangxiangban, a few miles east of Tongguan City, is an abandoned city tower.

The deep gate of the tower is so deep that you can't see the end at a glance, as if a monster has opened its bloody mouth! It makes people's scalps numb just by looking at it.

"Marshal Fang, we have arrived at Huangxiangban. Should we set up camp here or continue moving forward?"

Li Mi, who was wearing a gray Taoist robe, looked at Fang Youde and asked.

"Pass the order down and set up camp on the spot."

Fang Youde gave instructions to his personal soldiers, and did not directly answer Li Mi, but instead expressed what he was going to do through actions.

It was obvious that Fang Youde had no intention of attacking Tongguan by force, and he didn't even plan to take Huangxiangban now.

"Cui Qianyou did not surrender. I miscalculated. I just don't know how Marshal Fang could have predicted that Cui Qianyou would not surrender?"

Li Mi asked with some curiosity.

Fang Youde didn't want to pay attention to him and replied directly: "Please trouble Prime Minister Li to write another letter to Cui Qianyou to persuade him to surrender." Li Mi was extremely smart and naturally understood the implication of Fang Youde's words.

On the surface, he was saying "you should persuade him again", but in fact he was mocking Li Mi by saying "if you don't believe me, you can try again."

"Marshal Fang, we must write a letter to persuade him to surrender. I'd like to trouble you to explain it to me."

Li Mi was very humble, even a little modest.

This time he "came out of retirement" to help Li Heng, not for fame or fortune.

Of course, it’s not for the benefit of the people of the world.

Instead, they viewed Datang as a large-scale online game called "Entering the World". If the player died in the game, he would really die.

Li Mi's purpose of coming into the world was to "test" the "Ways of Heaven" in his heart. He acted to seek truth and resolve the confusion in his heart.

In other words, everyone in the Tang Dynasty was an NPC to him. His only goal was to gain experience. When the experience was over, he would leave Li Heng.

No matter how Li Heng was doing at that time, it would not make any essential difference.

It is a bit similar to the crazy man Fang Youde considering The Glory of Tang Dynasty as his first option.

After Brother Ji became a stumbling block for Datang, he kicked Brother Ji, with whom he had a deep affection and had grown up together, away.

This time, Cui Qianyou did not open the Tongguan gate to surrender, which was beyond Li Mi's expectations, so he had to get to the bottom of it.

"Mr. Li didn't fight in the battlefield, so he naturally wouldn't know.

If a soldier who is armed to the teeth loses his loyalty and righteousness, he will have nothing left.

Cui Qianyou opened Tongguan to welcome the prince, how can he gain a foothold in the world? "

Fang Youde said a few words casually, then turned around and went to arrange for camping.

When Fang Youde approached the "imperial carriage", he saw Gao Shi, who was wearing a dragon robe and pretending to be the crown prince Li Ying. He shook his head and smiled bitterly at him, saying, "Marshal Fang, if I wear this dress, I will shorten my life."

"I have to make up my mind in this emergency. I'm sorry to have wronged you."

Fang Youde smiled and saluted Gao Shi with his arms crossed, as if the other party was the real prince.

Seeing that no one was around, Gao Shi lowered his voice and asked, "Marshal Fang, where is the prince?"

"Don't ask questions that you shouldn't ask."

Fang Youde waved his hand gently without making any comment.

"Marshal Fang, could it be that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince took the Shangluo Road and then entered Chang'an from Lantian..."

Gao Shi proposed an option that he had been considering for a long time.

On the surface, there are only two roads from Luoyang to Chang'an: Liangjing Chidao and Hedong Dao, one passes through Tongguan and the other passes through Chenguan.

However, if you broaden your horizons, you will find that there is a "Shangluo Road" between Luoyang and Chang'an.

That is, walk southwest from Luoyang to Shangzhou, then go north from Shangzhou through Wuguan, and then enter Chang'an from the border of Lantian County!

The main force of the Luoyang army was gathered east of Tongguan, seemingly planning to attack Tongguan and head towards Chang'an. However, the real "main force" was not among this army.

Fang Youde was extremely cunning in using troops. He asked his elite cadre Qu to take Li Heng along the Shangluo Road, and then asked Gao Shi to impersonate Li Heng in the army to stabilize the morale of the troops.

This move of pretending to build a plank road while secretly attacking Chencang was played so smoothly.

When Li Heng entered Chang'an and ascended the throne, Cui Qianyou's army, which had lost its supplies and was cut off from all news, had no choice but to surrender. Even if he didn't surrender, his men would have done so.

The more Gao Shi thought about it, the more he felt that this was the case.

"Where is the army of Shangluo Road? Isn't the prince here? You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want."

Fang Youde pointed at Gao Shi and winked at him. Although he didn't confirm it in person, the hint was very obvious.

"I understand. I won't ask any more questions. I won't ask any more questions."

Gao Shi said embarrassedly. After getting an almost affirmative answer, he felt greatly relieved.

Even Li Mi didn’t know where Li Heng had gone!
Fang Youde was very careful about keeping secrets in his work. He asked Lu Jing to lead an elite force of only a hundred people to quietly escort Li Heng along the Shangluo Road, and they set off in advance.

I'm afraid we've already reached Wuguan now.

At the beginning, Fang Youde took advantage of his position to arrange Xu Yuan to join the Shence Army. Later, he arranged for him to serve as the garrison commander of Wuguan after the military reform. On the surface, it was a demotion, but in fact it was a chess piece placed in a key place.

It comes in handy now.

If he took the Hedong Road, he would be easily intercepted by Ji Ge's troops; if he took the Liangjing Road, he would be easily blocked at Tongguan. Only by taking the inconspicuous Shangluo Road, which could not be used for large-scale marches, could Li Heng return to Chang'an quietly.

When Gao Shi understood Fang Youde's brilliant plan, he immediately kept silent.

After nightfall, Li Mi came to Fang Youde again and brought Cui Qianyou's reply, which contained only one word:

kill!

"General Cui is really stubborn. When all the civil and military officials in the court wanted to welcome the prince to Chang'an to ascend the throne, he would rather die than open the gate of Tongguan. How admirable and lamentable."

Li Mi held the piece of letter paper with only one word written on it in his hand, feeling emotional and not knowing what to say.

In his imagination, Cui Qianyou was courting his own destruction. Such rare loyalty was treated as meaningless and insignificant.

His loyalty is worthless if it is given to a tyrant who shouldn't be loyal to him!
“When a country is destroyed and a family is ruined, there will always be some people who stand up and do meaningless things to protect things that are not worth protecting.

If Li Xianggong had never taken up a knife and killed someone in battle, he would not have had a personal experience of this kind of thing, so it would be useless to say more."

Fang Youde said with a dull look.

This is the last stubbornness of the warriors, and the only meaning of their existence in the world. How can you, a weak scholar, understand it?

Fang Youde couldn't help but complain in his heart.

If warriors cannot uphold the "loyalty and righteousness" in their hearts, they will be like upright killing machines, and their only options for survival are to kill or be killed.

Today you kill someone, tomorrow someone will kill you; corpses will cover the ground forever.

Even a warrior would not expect the future to be such a world.

Fang Youde understood why Cui Qianyou was so persistent, even though he knew that Brother Ji was now stupid and incompetent.

It's just like insisting on maintaining the glory of the Tang Dynasty.

In fact, both of them were trying to stop a chariot with their bare hands.

When Fang Youde saw Cui Qianyou, it was as if he saw his future self.

Just like when a rabbit dies, the fox mourns; just like when animals feel grief for their own kind.

……

Outside the city of Kaifeng, a fleet of ten grain ships from Yangzhou was intercepted at the ferry by He Changqi and more than a hundred elite soldiers of the Xiaojie Army who were armed with silver spears.

After disarming the Tuanjie soldiers escorting the grain ships and placing the boatmen under guard, boxes of baggage were unloaded from the grain ships and sorted into warehouses.

There are so many military supplies such as weapons, arrows, armor, uniforms, etc. that they are too numerous to count!
"General Jie, we have finally made a fortune this time. The imperial court is so stupid. They knew that the canal was unusable, but they still ordered the transportation of military equipment from Jiangnan to Chang'an. I, with a brain, would never issue such an order."

He Changqi proudly told Fang Chongyong how much supplies had been confiscated, while complaining that the court was as stupid as pigs.

Fang Chongyong glanced at Zheng Shuqing, who was looking embarrassed, and quickly patted He Changqi on the shoulder and said, "Take the brothers and search carefully. By the way, the grain ships were also seized. They said that Bianzhou was in great need of grain ships to transport military supplies."

"Order!"

He Changqi took the order and left, and the way he walked was a little arrogant.

Fang Zhongyong turned his head and looked at Zheng Shuqing and said, "This is really a brilliant move."

"Hehe, it's a gift from a saint anyway, so why not refuse it?"

Zheng Shuqing said with a sly smile, stroking the moustache on his chin.

(End of this chapter)