Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 533: Brother Ji returns to Chang'an, who is loyal to him

Baqiao, the first stop east of Chang'an, is so famous that almost everyone in the entire Tang Dynasty knows it.

This place was once a popular check-in spot for poets and writers from Chang'an City and even the entire Guanzhong region, leaving behind countless beautiful poems.

The local chronicles recorded Baqiao like this, saying that it was "built with an embankment of five miles, with ten thousand willow trees planted, and tourists rubbing shoulders with each other, making it a spectacular sight in Chang'an."

Unfortunately, there are now 60,000 soldiers from the Western Regions and Longyou lined up here, at the gates of the city, and there are no tourists to be seen.

Only the bright armor that reflects light can be seen everywhere, as well as various swords, bows, crossbows and other weapons.

And the sturdy men from the northwest, dressed in armor and holding sharp weapons, like tigers about to be released from their cages.

You can feel its imposing presence from a distance!

From Baqiao, you can overlook Chang'an City, and the huge city is right in front of you.

Many soldiers from Anxi and Beiting armies had never seen a city bigger than Liangzhou City in their lives. At this moment, they stared with their eyes wide open, unable to believe that there could be such a huge city in the world.

It doesn't seem like something that should exist in the human world.

This is Chang'an, the heart of the Tang Empire and the glory and pride of the Tang Dynasty.

"General Li, have you sent people to Chang'an City to persuade them to surrender?"

Brother Ji glanced at Li Guangbi and asked in a very unfriendly tone, as if he was on the verge of exploding.

Brother Ji suffered such a great loss yesterday, and Zhang Guangsheng led his troops to attack the imperial tent. It was such a great shame and humiliation!
The culprit behind all this was not Zhang Guangsheng and his people, but Li Guangbi.

Li Guangbi was indeed a good commander of troops. He almost wiped out the "rebel troops" recruited by Yan Zhenqing, with minimal losses himself.

It is not an exaggeration to describe Li Guangbi as a famous general.

But he really doesn't know how to behave!

Li Guangbi, as the overall commander of this battle, neglected the defense of the imperial tent, giving the enemy an opportunity to take advantage.

Based on this point alone, if it were a few years ago, Brother Ji could have directly ordered him to be killed.

But now is the time to recruit people, and not only can Li Guangbi not be moved, even corporal punishment is not allowed.

With the emperor in the military camp, protecting the emperor comes first, and everything else comes second. What is the point of defeating the enemy but losing the emperor?

In Ji Ge's opinion, Li Guangbi inherited a "bad habit" from his adoptive father Wang Zhongsi: he can only do things but not be a human being.

So when Li Guangbi came back to apologize last night, Ji Ge didn't look at him well, and now he still has a stern face and is still angry.

"Your Majesty, I have already sent people into the city to issue an ultimatum. We should get a response soon."

Li Guangbi answered cautiously, fearing that he would offend Ji Ge's sensitive nerve.

"Hmph, there better be a reply."

Brother Ji snorted coldly, and a trace of resentment flashed in his turbid eyes.

Last night he wanted to kill Zhang Guangsheng and Yan Zhenqing on the spot, but after waking up from a sleep, he thought about it carefully and found that these two people were not really "bad guys".

At least Brother Ji felt that there were many people in Chang'an City who were worse than them.

While dealing with Zhang Guangsheng and Yan Zhenqing, there are some people hiding in the dark who cannot be ignored or omitted.

Brother Ji was silently checking the list in his mind, wondering who was trying to sabotage him, and he forgot about the humiliation of last night.

Zhang Guangsheng has been treated very poorly for a long time and has no hope of promotion. He just wants to show Li Ying his ability and level and realize his status reversal by catching Ji Ge.

He was just an unlucky guy who had been loyal for a long time but didn't get the respect he deserved. In the end, he turned evil and his love turned into hatred.

However, Yan Zhenqing accepted the Confucian doctrine and felt that he, as the emperor, had brought displeasure upon the people and heaven during the Tang Dynasty, and that he deserved to abdicate and be succeeded by the crown prince in accordance with the will of heaven.

Although Yan Zhenqing's behavior was tantamount to rebellion, he felt that he was helping the country and did not feel ashamed at all.

Brother Ji thinks that this kind of person can only be considered "stupid" but not "bad".

So who is the real "bad guy"?

It is obvious that there are those Guanzhong nobles who are not very prominent in Chang'an City.

The Wei family, the Pei family, the Du family, the Dou family, the Dugu family, etc., as well as his own brothers, nephews, and so on, no one can clear themselves of the blame.

These are the real "bad guys".

Once we enter Chang'an this time, we will never let them off! We must make these families give an explanation!
Brother Ji swore silently in his heart.

After a while, the spacious Chunming Gate slowly opened, and a middle-aged man in a purple official robe led the "hundreds of officials" (actually only a dozen people) out of the gate.

"The guilty minister Miao Jinqing respectfully welcomes the Saint into the palace!"

When Miao Jinqing saw Brother Ji wearing a dragon robe, he knelt down in front of him.

This move of his made Brother Ji a little confused.

Wasn't it me who kicked Miao Jinqing out to serve as a governor in another place?

It was because of that imperial examination cheating case, so why did this guy return to Chang'an?
"Why are you wearing a purple robe? Weren't you sent out by me to be a governor?"

Brother Ji was confused, his face was as gloomy as water, and he asked calmly.

Miao Jinqing knelt on the ground and dared not get up. He cried and said, "I was the governor of Hebei. Huangfu Weiming rebelled. I did not want to follow the enemy, so I fled back to Chang'an."

Brother Ji is such a perceptive political animal that he guessed the ins and outs of the matter as soon as he heard it.

Miao Jinqing was once an invigilator for the imperial examinations. Because he made a serious mistake while invigilating the examinations, his official career was tainted.

Why would he come out to greet me?
Because he had a stain on his person, he was the governor who fled back to Chang'an, and he used to be a high-ranking official, but now he is unemployed at home.

So he deserved to die.

In fact, this is also a gamble. If you win, you can return to the officialdom. If you lose, the whole family will be retrained. The stakes are not small.

As for those officials around Li Heng when he was in Chang'an... haha, if these people didn't run away, were they waiting to be punished by Brother Ji when he comes back?
Naturally, those who could run would have run away long ago.

After figuring this out, Brother Ji showed a cold smile on his face and winked at Li Guangbi.

"Let all the defenders in the city come out and surrender their weapons!"

After receiving Ji Ge's signal, Li Guangbi stepped out and shouted at Miao Jinqing.

Zhang Guangsheng’s surprise attack last night made Brother Ji a little paranoid, fearing that someone would do the same to him after entering the city.

"Saint, all the defenders are gathered inside Xuanwu Gate. Please send a general to control them."

Miao Jinqing bowed again, and was so scared that he almost wet his pants.

Ji Ge nodded in satisfaction and gave Li Guangbi a few instructions. Then Li Guangbi asked Zhang Boyi to lead 3,000 people into the city to explore the way and control Xuanwu Gate first.

The others are still lined up at Baqiao and will not act rashly.

If Zhang Boyi and his men had already taken control of Xuanwu Gate, they would use the wolf smoke as a signal. After seeing the wolf smoke in the city, Li Guangbi would escort Ji Ge through Chunming Gate into Chang'an.

When the time comes, those who need to clear the area will be cleared, and those who need to station troops will be stationed, without any further ado.

Brother Ji didn't comment on this arrangement, but he seemed quite satisfied.

Gao Lishi whispered something in his ear, and Ji Ge nodded as he listened, and the expression on his face seemed to soften a little.

"By the way, where is that rebellious son Li Heng? Bring him to see me!"

Brother Ji seemed to remember this, his expression became gloomy again, and he looked at Miao Jinqing intently and asked.

"Your Majesty, he has fled to Longzhou. The other humble officials are not too sure either."

Miao Jinqing spoke word by word, carefully choosing every word and making sure not a single mistake was made.

"General Li, send 10,000 men to attack Longzhou."

In desperation, Ji Ge had to give orders to Li Guangbi.

Unexpectedly, such a simple order would make Li Guangbi, who was very decisive when fighting in battle, feel troubled. Seeing that Li Guangbi did not speak for a long time, Ji Ge was a little confused and looked at him and asked, "Is this difficult to do?"

Hearing Brother Ji's question, Li Guangbi really didn't know what to say.

You say Brother Ji is stupid, but he is actually very smart and is an expert at playing power games.

But if you say he is really smart, sometimes he doesn't even know some basic common sense.

"Saint, the soldiers set out from the Western Regions, traveling thousands of miles, and have just arrived in Chang'an today. Almost a year has passed.

The soldiers had suffered a lot along the way and were very tired.

At this moment, they are thinking about the prosperity of Chang'an and probably have no intention of going anywhere else.

The soldiers needed to have a good rest in Chang'an before they could continue fighting and suppress the rebellion for the saint.

Even if I am a humble general, I cannot force them to obey orders when they are so angry. Please forgive me, Saint."

Li Guangbi's words were very tactful, but he got the point across.

He believed that no matter how stupid Brother Ji was, he would understand what was being said.

Chasing and capturing the former Crown Prince Li Heng was the last and most critical step of this military operation.

As the saying goes, when the birds are gone, the good bows are put away. Once Li Heng is captured, the effectiveness of these 60,000 Western Army soldiers will be greatly reduced.

Brother Ji must understand this principle, or maybe he is just pretending to be confused.

Therefore, at this critical juncture, no matter how stupid the Western Army soldiers were, they would not ignore the colorful world in Chang'an City and run to Longzhou to eat dirt!
They have now seen the gold mountain, and the people at the bottom can no longer fool the soldiers at the bottom with their promises.

If you don't give me a reward, then don't say anything, just go and cool off! I don't care what kind of dog emperor you are!

The only reward that Brother Ji could give was to let these 60,000 soldiers plunder in Chang'an City, preferably according to the list given by Brother Ji.

However, it is predictable that there is no force to supervise these soldiers and prevent them from doing anything wrong.

Three days of plundering Chang'an, that's the starting price! Brother Ji didn't dare to think about what would happen next.

If Brother Ji dares to default on his debt, these soldiers will turn against him right now!
"Saint, it is important to return to Xingqing Palace first."

Gao Lishi whispered a suggestion into Ji Ge's ear.

He had already noticed that after Brother Ji asked Li Guangbi to send people to chase Li Heng, the atmosphere on the scene became a little awkward.

"In that case, let's go into the city first, and we can discuss other matters later."

Brother Ji suppressed the anger in his heart and pretended to be nonchalant, saying that he already understood his current situation.

It is definitely not the case that everyone responds to the call as it appears to outsiders.

Li Guangbi quickly took advantage of the situation and said, "Your Majesty is wise. After the soldiers have rested in Chang'an, it will be easy for us to capture Longzhou and arrest Li Heng. Please don't worry."

"Well, I'll leave this matter to General Li."

Brother Ji said this calmly, and there was no deep meaning in his cloudy eyes, but it was definitely not something he did willingly.

Li Guangbi felt like a thorn in his back and didn't know what to say.

He is not that greedy, nor does he have such great ambitions, but he has no choice in life. Now many things have nothing to do with Li Guangbi.

Things have come to this point, no matter what Brother Ji says or what senior generals such as Li Guangbi say, the army will carry out their orders unconditionally.

Li Guangbi was nominally the commander of this army and could deploy troops and generals.

But that was not because these troops were his private armies, nor was it because the Tang Dynasty's system was still there and the imperial power could command the support of hundreds of people.

But now the Western Army and Brother Ji are in a power game state that is difficult to describe, one of cooperation and exclusion.

The officers came to Guanzhong to "find opportunities", the soldiers came to Guanzhong to "find money", and Ji Ge came to Guanzhong to "clear the field". They had a common goal and a common enemy, so Li Guangbi could command them and Ji Ge could command these senior generals.

Once this balance is broken, for example, the lower-level soldiers have made enough money in Chang'an, they will want to return to the Western Regions, to Hexi and Longyou.

At this time, it is difficult for officers to go against the ideas of the lower-level soldiers. If the lower-level soldiers want to leave, it is difficult for the higher-ups to stop them.

Not to mention Brother Ji who can’t even carry a bag on his shoulders!
On the one hand, Li Guangbi had to deal with Ji Ge, and on the other hand, he had to consider the feelings of the grassroots soldiers. It was like walking on a tightrope, which was very difficult.

Just as Li Guangbi was daydreaming, smoke rose from the direction of Xuanwu Gate in Chang'an City. Miao Jinqing was not lying, all the remaining defenders in Chang'an City were indeed concentrated at Xuanwu Gate.

At this moment, a smile finally appeared on Ji Ge's pale face.

Although the process was tortuous, he won this round.

In other words, they almost won, were about to win, and all that was left was to catch Li Heng!

"Pass the order down, enter the city first. General Li's troops will guard the Taiji Palace, Daming Palace and Xuanwu Gate, and General Gao's troops will guard the Xingqing Palace and the outer city walls."

Brother Ji gave instructions to Li Guangbi and Gao Xianzhi beside him.

Obviously, Li Guangbi had not managed the security well before and lost Ji Ge's trust, so this moody emperor handed over the security of Xingqing Palace to Gao Xianzhi.

That is to say, the troops and horses handed over to the garrison of Anxi Beiting.

However, the two people's defense areas were divided very fairly. Li Guangbi and Gao Xianzhi had no objections and each took the order and left.

Accompanied by Gao Lishi, Brother Ji walked slowly and leisurely towards Chunming Gate step by step.

In an instant, Brother Ji seemed to see a phantom that looked very similar to himself when he was young, riding a tall horse, rushing out of the city gate with a dozen people at lightning speed.

With the fearless youth on their faces, they shouted something to each other and waved their whips.

But when Ji Ge came to his senses, he found nothing.

Chunming Gate is so big, but there are no common people, no gate officers, and no life at all.

"Ugh!"

Brother Ji sighed, not knowing what to say.

The gate of Xingqing Palace is very close to Chunming Gate, just a few steps away.

However, when Brother Ji walked to the gate of Xingqing Palace, he was stunned.

Because there was a seal on the door.

Moreover, there were both new and old seals, and there were several iron locks on the door!

Someone actually wrote a poem on the white palace wall to mock him.

There was a note on the palace wall:

The bright sun shines through the spring sky of Chang'an, and green willows are covered with smoke and sway in the wind.

The flowers in front of the Pixiang Palace are beginning to turn red, and their fragrance is lingering in the embroidered window.

They passed each other through the embroidered window.

Empress Feiyan dances gracefully, and Lady Zigong sings a peerless song.

The Holy King has reigned for 36,000 days, how can we enjoy the year after year?

"Tear it down! Tear down this wall! It's an eyesore! It's causing trouble!"

Brother Ji pointed at the palace wall and yelled, almost in a state of rage.

As a "literary youth" since childhood, Brother Ji knew that someone was mocking him as soon as he saw this poem!
So he was instantly defeated.

Gao Lishi was a little slow and lacked cultural literacy, so he failed to see how this poem was mocking Brother Ji.

He lowered his voice and suggested, "Saint, we have just returned to Chang'an, and the political situation is not stable yet. Let's talk about it after some time."

This was the truth. Brother Ji pointed at the outer wall of Xingqing Palace angrily and said, "Scrape it all clean! Go find out who wrote this poem!"

(End of this chapter)