Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 538: Nine Heavens of Water and Fire (Part )
"Saint, good news, good news!"

In the imperial study of the Qinzhengwu Building in Xingqing Palace, Gao Lishi came in hurriedly from outside, saw Ji Ge lying on the couch, and walked up to him to tell him the good news.

"Have you caught that evil creature Li Heng?"

Brother Ji asked without raising his head, yawning, and seemed to be in a bad mood.

Last night he dreamed of Wei Sanniang, who was wearing a red dress and falling from a building. She was standing beside the couch, lowering her head and looking at him coldly. She just looked at him quietly and did nothing else.

The entire dream seemed to be still, unable to move and without any change.

When he woke up, Ji Ge found himself covered in cold sweat.

“Sir, that’s not the case yet.

However, since Li Guangbi conquered Fufeng last time, he and Gao Xianzhi have conquered several cities in succession and reached Longzhou.

As long as we capture Weiyuan County, this battle will be completely over."

As Gao Lishi spoke, he fanned Ji Ge and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

Now the Western Army was unstoppable. Li Guangbi and Gao Xianzhi took turns fighting. After one unit captured a place, they would temporarily rest there while another unit continued to advance.

This will ensure that the army can maintain sufficient physical strength when gathering in the open area south of Weiyuan County.

Judging from the information received so far, Li Guangbi and Gao Xianzhi have a very good understanding of each other.

Of course, this may also be because the early military achievements are not worth mentioning. Whoever captures Li Heng will be the winner. No matter how well you fight in the early stages, if you can't capture Li Heng, you can only serve as a foil.

"Well, go call Guo Ziyi over. I have something to say to him."

Ji Ge said in a deep voice, not seeming to be happy about the vigorous progress of the Western Army. Or maybe there was nothing much that could excite him now.

Gao Lishi had many doubts in his mind, but he did not show them. He just nodded naturally and left the imperial study.

After he left, Brother Ji let out a long sigh, his face full of fatigue and dark circles under his eyes.

The cunning rabbit dies, the running dog cooks.

Once Li Heng, the biggest threat, is resolved, we can consider the next plan.

The only troops in Guanzhong who can fight now are from the border troops in Hexi and Longyou. These people are now like tigers that have eaten human flesh and are difficult to control.

How to maintain this balance?
Brother Ji suddenly realized that he had no cards left in his hand.

Huangfu Weiming wanted his life, so the troops in Hebei could not serve as a barrier.

He had severely offended Fang Chongyong, so the troops from Henan could not serve as a barrier.

As a result, the troops from Lianghuai and Jiangnan were blocked from entering Guanzhong, not to mention that there were not many troops in these places to begin with.

An Zhongzhang in Hedong also rebelled, so the troops in Hedong could not be used.

Now the troops in Hexi, Longyou, and Anxi Beiting are becoming more and more unruly, so the only one left is the Shuofang Army.

Can I control the Shuofang Army?
Ji Ge felt sad. Theoretically, "All the land under heaven belongs to the king; all the people under heaven are the king's subjects." If he said a word, the Shuofang army should obey his orders.

However, the "precedents" of the Hexi and Longyou You armies have already told Brother Ji with bloody facts that power without grassroots support is not even as good as waste paper.

While he was daydreaming, Gao Lishi had already led Guo Ziyi into the imperial study.

"Meet the saint."

Guo Ziyi bowed and saluted with his hands folded, his face as calm as water.

"sit down."

Brother Ji sat up straight, pointed at the cushion opposite the table and said, motioning Guo Ziyi to sit down and talk.

After the latter sat down in fear and trepidation, Brother Ji finally got to the point.

"General Guo, what do you think of the Western Army now?"

Brother Ji asked casually.

When he uses political tactics, he always likes to beat around the bush and never goes straight to the point.

Unfortunately, Guo Ziyi had spent a long time in the grassroots in his early years, and was very familiar with the routine of "giving courtesy to others must be for something". As soon as he heard the first part, he knew what the other party was going to say next.

Guo Ziyi coughed lightly and said to Brother Ji:
"Saint, I have not been in the Western Army for long, and the army has changed many times from top to bottom.

It is hard for me to describe the current situation of the team.

Let’s not talk about anything else, just take the post of Jiedushi as an example. There have been more than ten Jiedushi in total. Different Jiedushis have different confidants under their command, and they also coordinate with each other.

I am not sure who is capable and who is not, so I dare not speak carelessly!"

He seemed to say a lot, but if you think about it carefully, he didn't express much meaning.

It's like the nonsense of "I have a lot of opinions to raise, so I raised a lot of opinions", which is equivalent to saying nothing.

Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi were very different. Li Guangbi was often speechless at Ji Ge's ridiculous behavior, but Guo Ziyi could always find something to talk about and could evade any difficult question.

A veteran like him really doesn't fall for Brother Ji's tricks.

"I am just asking casually, and you are just saying whatever you want. This is not a place for the emperor and his subjects to discuss things."

Brother Ji waved his hand gently and said.

“Sage, the soldiers of the Western Army come from different Jiedushi’s garrisons, and the local customs and practices are also different. Each place has its own customs and practices.

As for the main generals in the army, it is even more difficult for me to comment on them. After all, I am not familiar with many of them and have not had much contact with them.

People's hearts are hidden, whether they are good people or bad people, we cannot rule them out, and I cannot try them one by one.

You mean this, right?"

Guo Ziyi started to make a fuss again. He knew what Ji Ge wanted to hear, but he also knew that he couldn't say anything. He kept swinging back and forth on the wire and refused to fall off.

"That's all, just some idle talk."

Brother Ji smiled helplessly and then asked, "I want you to go to Shuofang and serve as the governor of Shuofang. What do you think?"

Strictly speaking, the Shuofang Army now has no Jiedushi, only "Jiedushi Retainer"! It is the military envoy of the Jinglüe Army, Hun Yu!
The previous person who concurrently served as the Jiedushi of Shuofang Army was Fang Chongyong, so there is naturally no need to say more.

When Brother Ji extended this olive branch, it directly broke Guo Ziyi's defense and he didn't know what to say.

That’s right, Brother Ji’s words left even a veteran soldier like him speechless.

He is still the Jiedushi of Shuofang, what the hell!

Guo Ziyi was so angry that he wanted to take off Ji Ge's head and then cut it open to see if it was filled with paste!

But he didn't dare show it on his face, so he felt very upset.

"Sage, how can I be worthy of being the governor of Shuofang? Please take back your order, I am really unworthy of it."

Guo Ziyi quickly knelt down to decline.

This Shuofang Jiedushi is not worthy of being here. He will be killed if he goes to Lingzhou. There will be no accidents.

The Tang Dynasty today is full of wars and is no longer the Tang Dynasty of the past.

If the soldiers in Shuofang wanted to, they could appoint a dog as the governor. As long as there were people who supported him, it would become a success.

On the contrary, if the Shuofang Army does not agree, then no matter who the court appoints, even if Ji Ge himself goes to be the governor, the appointment will not be implemented.

The reality is so cruel.

"I am well aware of your concerns. What I mean is that I will issue the decree after we capture the fake emperor Li Heng."

Brother Ji said with a smile.

Guo Ziyi breathed a sigh of relief.

If Li Heng was gone, Ji Ge's words would have more authority. At least he would not be murdered when he went to Shuofang.

"Sage, all matters can be discussed after we pacify Guanzhong. I am a lowly person with little influence, so you don't need to give me priority.

If you are rewarded heavily without any merit, I am afraid it will cause an uproar in the army and go against the emperor's will."

Although the appointment was very tempting, Guo Ziyi still politely declined it.

Seeing that Guo Ziyi seemed unmoved, Ji Ge sat up straight with some anger.

He said stiffly, "General Guo, please go on the inspection. I am tired."

"I will retire at the end."

Guo Ziyi bowed respectfully, left the Qinzhengwu Building, and walked out of Xingqing Palace.

"You are trying to use the governor of Shuofang to buy Guo's life!"

Guo Ziyi sighed.

In fact, he didn't think he would win this battle, at least not easily. He also didn't understand why Brother Ji had already started to reward people for their contributions before the war was over.

Today's chaotic world is becoming increasingly confusing.

……

The city wall of Weiyuan County is very low, almost the shortest in the county. Li Heng doesn't understand why Fang Youde wants to settle here.

At this moment, Fang Youde was standing on the top of the city wall, waiting for further news.

Li Guangbi and Gao Xianzhi led 50,000 elite troops and had already conquered Chencang, which was not far south of Weiyuan County. Using the slowest walking speed, it would only take two days and one night for this elite force to reach Weiyuan County.

Now, Fang Youde was probably the only one who could keep his composure. Li Heng was already getting anxious like an ant on a hot pan.

Suddenly, a messenger hurriedly walked up to the top of the city wall. Fang Youde saluted and reported: "General Fang, the enemy troops have already lined up to the south of Weiyang City and have not yet entered the canyon. General Li Jiaqing is leading 2,000 troops to monitor the enemy in Weiyang."

"Well, pass on my military order. The entire army will march to Weiyang to defeat the enemy. Victory or defeat will only be decided today."

Fang Youde gave the order in a deep voice.

After the messenger left, he turned to Li Heng and said, "Your Majesty, please wait here. There is no need to prepare a celebration banquet. After defeating the enemy in this battle, our army will march all the way back to Chang'an. I will wait for Your Majesty to come in the Purple Palace of Daming Palace in a few days."

He spoke as if he was telling a fairy tale, leaving Li Heng stunned.

You're claiming victory before the fight even starts?
Li Heng seemed to want to say something, but in the end he just bowed and saluted Youde with his hands crossed.

At this point, he had no other choice but to believe in the power of "belief". Because apart from "belief", Li Heng now had nothing.

Looking at Fang Youde's departing back, Li Heng felt filled with emotion.

If he can win this battle, he can "retire with honor" after dealing with Brother Ji.

Unifying the world is a difficult task, and governing the world is even more difficult. Li Heng does not have the energy to do so, and being an emperor cannot bring him happiness.

How wonderful it would be if I had not been born in an imperial family. Li Heng thought to himself, but it was a pity that everything could not go back.

While Li Heng was feeling sad about the passing of time, the long-awaited war was about to begin.

Weiyang City is not far south of Weiyuan County, and the official road more than ten miles south of Weiyang City connects Guo County in the east and Chencang in the west.

Because of the post station, a market town was formed here, named "Weihe Town". The Weihe River flows southward from the mountains and forests in the north. When it flows through Weiyuan County, it is still a small ditch, but when it flows through Weiyang, it has become several dozen meters wide and the water is turbulent.

However, what is strange is that when the river reaches Weihe Town, the riverbed suddenly widens and the flow rate drops sharply, creating a river beach, and then flows into the Weishui River, carrying mud and sand without any harm to people and animals.

The Western Army had just arrived at Weihe Town and was lined up there. However, the generals in the army had a dispute over who should be the vanguard, and for a while the army was unable to move north to Weiyuan.

After a series of overwhelming victories, everyone in the Western Army, from top to bottom, now believed that capturing Li Heng was just a piece of cake. Therefore, whoever was the vanguard would be the winner.

That is to catch Li Heng.

Li Guangbi has passed on Ji Ge's reward. Whoever captures Li Heng will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold and a hereditary title of nobility.

Many low-level soldiers didn't even understand what this reward was. They only knew that it was awesome. Once they finished this job, they wouldn't have to worry about the rest of their lives. Even generations of grandparents and grandchildren could live a good life that they had never dared to imagine before.

Therefore, there were countless people clamoring to fight.

"Li Jieshuai, how should this matter be arranged?"

Gao Xianzhi held the hilt of the knife, looking unhappy, and there was a hint of temptation in his words.

Behind him stood a group of generals of the Anxi Beiting Army.

Li Guangbi didn't say anything. Behind him stood the border generals of the Hexi and Longyou armies.

The two sides stood on their own sides, with a clear distinction between the two sides and neither side giving in.

"This place is not suitable for cavalry deployment."

Li Guangbi said softly.

Gao Xianzhi understood the hint and said to Li Siye, "You lead the Modao team."

Li Siye nodded.

"Going north, the mountain roads are all flat, with wide places being more than ten feet wide and narrow places being only a few feet wide, which is not suitable for too many soldiers to move forward at the same time.

After passing the mountain road, there is a valley where troops can be deployed and can easily accommodate 100,000 people.

Our troops were scouting ahead to prevent an ambush. General Gao's cavalry dismounted and followed, forming a battle array in the valley.

If the enemy is deceiving us, our troops can retreat from the valley calmly.

If the enemy is at their wits’ end, they can climb over the ten-foot-high ridge to reach Weiyang City.”

Li Guangbi said to Gao Xianzhi.

His meaning was very simple, wait until we capture Weiyang City. The valley ahead was where the troops were stationed, and if we wanted to fight a field battle, we would have to fight a fierce battle with the enemy here.

The Weiyuan area is not a desolate place. Although the terrain is complex, it is not the kind of terrain where one man can block the passage of ten thousand men. There is no situation where tens of thousands of people cannot defeat thousands of people after being blocked.

After listening to Li Guangbi's explanation, Gao Xianzhi and the generals of Anxi Beiting behind him also felt that this arrangement was appropriate.

"In that case, let's march according to Marshal Li Jie's arrangement. You go first."

Gao Xianzhi nodded slightly and said.

Since the military strategy had already been discussed, Li Guangbi did not waste time and directly ordered Zhang Boyi's troops to take the lead and head north towards the mountain road to Weiyang City.

The central army led by Li Guangbi followed closely behind, with Gao Xianzhi's troops at the rear.

For some reason, while riding on the horse, Li Guangbi's right eye twitched wildly and he felt extremely uneasy.

He always felt as if he had missed something crucial.

What is it?

The more Li Guangbi thought about it, the more his head hurt, and he couldn't grasp the key point.

"Marshal Jie, is there something wrong?"

Seeing that Li Guangbi looked extremely bad, Hao Tingyu stepped forward and asked in a low voice.

"Do you feel like there's something wrong?"

Li Guangbi looked at Hao Tingyu and asked in confusion.

"Really? The bandit army is a bunch of weaklings, there's nothing wrong with that."

Hao Tingyu had an indifferent attitude.

Li Guangbi had no choice but to put aside his doubts and take this "final blow" seriously.

After walking for about an hour, they arrived at the valley described by the scout.

This is all well-cultivated fertile land, covering a large area.

This is not a good place for an ambush. Most of the surrounding land is terraced, and much of it has been reclaimed by people to grow some auxiliary economic crops. Only on the west side is a cliff dozens of feet high.

This is not a suitable place to hide soldiers.

"what?"

Hao Tingyu suddenly called out curiously.

"how?"

Li Guangbi walked over and asked.

At this moment, Gao Xianzhi's troops also entered the valley, and nothing special happened.

"The Wei River has always been parallel to this road. Why can't we see it now? Where did the river go?"

Hao Tingyu muttered to himself with a puzzled look on his face.

This sentence was like thunder that broke through the darkness and shattered the mystery in Li Guangbi's heart!

"The river! The river! Why didn't I think of that?"

Li Guangbi couldn't help but scream out!

He finally figured out all of Fang Youde's strategies, which were so profound, so sharp, and so vicious.

The turbulent Wei River did not disappear, but was flowing on the high ground of the cliff dozens of feet above their heads!

At this moment, there was a sudden loud noise, like the sound of a stone hitting the ground.

A huge gap suddenly appeared on the top of a distant mountain, and the flood, carrying mud and sand, rushed towards the scattered formation of the Western Army.

At this critical moment, Li Guangbi's mind was unusually clear, and his adoptive father Wang Zhongsi's ridicule from that year kept echoing in his mind.

"You're still a little immature."

(End of this chapter)