Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 555: Twilight of the Gods (Part )
Huangfu Weiming had seen big battles before, but he had never seen a battle that was lost so easily.

Although the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties were only a hundred years away from the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, the mode of using troops had undergone earth-shaking changes. The generals of the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties used troops more cunningly and flexibly, were better at taking advantage of the situation, and were better at using a small number of elite troops to defeat the enemy.

Therefore, there are often cases where battles that should be won, where the timing, location and people are all favorable, end up being inexplicably defeated, or even the main commander may die.

However, the Tang army had a rigid structure during the heyday of the Tang Dynasty. Although they were quite capable when fighting against ethnic minorities in border areas, they were inexplicably defeated during the civil war because they were unable to adapt to the new battlefield and new tactics.

Huangfu Weiming was not incapable of commanding troops, he just lacked the progress of the times over the past hundred years.

"Marshal, this is impossible, run!"

Bai Xiuzhi, one of the ten generals beside him, urged anxiously. Although the wolf smoke was still far away from them, the footsteps coming from the east, as well as the panicked screams and shouts of killing were getting closer and closer.

Huangfu Weiming had ordered the supervisory team around him to hold the line, gathering a large number of sword and shield soldiers in the middle of the road, trying to block the surging fleeing soldiers and the mysterious enemy army that was attacking from behind and whose number was not yet known.

The situation is very critical, but it is obvious that Huangfu Weiming still wants to give it a try.

However, the generals around him already felt that the situation was hopeless.

The fleeing soldiers who were being chased by the enemy had completely lost their will to survive. No matter who stood in front of them, they could not stop them from running away.

When it comes to survival, they don't care about their relatives!

I won't stop until I die!

This is why many generals like to use the "Reverse Rolling Pearl Curtain". It is nothing special to use this trick in an open area, but if you use this trick on a narrow road, it will directly cost your opponent's life!

"I just don't believe in evil!"

Huangfu Weiming drew his sword and shouted, "Hold on! As long as you hold on, you can win! Anyone who retreats will be killed, and anyone who charges into the battle will be killed!"

He shouted passionately, but turned around and whispered to Bai Xiuzhi: "Let An Shouzhong lead the troops to return for help as soon as possible!"

Bai Xiuzhi couldn't help but glance at Huangfu Weiming, only to find that the Marshal Huangfu in front of her had his hands shaking with fear, and his calm appearance was all fake.

Bai Xiuzhi sighed in her heart: I'm sorry, Marshal.

He quickly left the square formation, found a horse and rode away. However, Bai Xiuzhi did not go to find An Shouzhong, but ran westward along the official road and soon disappeared.

Huangfu Weiming is finished!
An Shouzhong is also going to be finished!
All the officers, soldiers and generals of the Hebei army will be destroyed this time!
We are going to die, everyone is going to die, this battle is lost!

Run quickly, you can still survive if you run now!

Bai Xiuzhi screamed wildly in her heart and whipped the horse's butt with a whip, hoping that it would run faster.

save?
Take the head and save it!
Bai Xiuzhi was unwilling to laugh at Huangfu Weiming for thinking too much, because the opponent was the commander-in-chief and he could not run away. Once he ran away, the army would be defeated.

But Bai Xiuzhi knew that this wave of rolling bead curtains could not be stopped. The only way to deal with this move was to quickly retreat to an open area, and then the defeated soldiers would naturally disperse.

At that time, we could use the cavalry to charge the enemy's pursuers and turn defeat into victory.

The terrain they were in now did not allow for such a counterattack, which meant that all of this was within the enemy commander's calculations.

Facing such a powerful opponent, do you still expect to win?

Bai Xiuzhi was very clear-headed. He wanted to live and did not want to be buried with Huangfu Weiming, so he betrayed Huangfu Weiming at the critical moment and indirectly saved An Shouzhong's life.

If An Shouzhong came to reinforce, he would surely die and be killed by the chaotic soldiers.

On the contrary, if there is no reinforcement, we can climb the mountain and take the long way back to Tongguan.

Bai Xiuzhi's escape actually had no impact on the war situation. Huangfu Weiming thought he could withstand the torrent, but he never thought that the situation on the battlefield often did not depend on the will of the commander.

The fleeing soldiers who were fleeing like crazy were advancing one after another. Those in front died, and those behind climbed up on the corpses. In front of the line formed by the sword and shield soldiers, layers of corpses were spread up.

The defeated soldiers stepped on the corpses, rushed towards the army formation blocking the road, and snatched the weapons from the soldiers in the formation.

Soon, chaos spread like a plague among the troops commanded by Huangfu Weiming.

The soldiers standing in the first row were knocked down and trampled, followed by the second row, the third row, the fourth row... At this time, it was impossible to distinguish between friend and foe. It could even be said that the Konghe Army led by Li Huaiguang did not rush here!

The Hebei rebels trampled on each other and ran westward without caring about anything else.

"Whoever retreats will be killed! Whoever retreats will be killed!"

Huangfu Weiming drew his sword from behind and screamed and howled.

He turned around and saw that the supervisory team beside him had dropped their weapons and ran away!
The heavens are blind, and I have become known as a scoundrel! These two roads in the capital have become my burial place!
Huangfu Weiming's mind flashed with the last thought of his life, and then the front line in front of him completely collapsed. The fleeing soldiers rushed over and pushed him to the ground without warning, and then countless people stepped on him.

One after another.

No one expected that Huangfu Weiming, who was so powerful in Hebei and fought all the way into Guanzhong, would die in the chaos of war.

He wasn't even killed by the enemy!

A great hero died just like that. His death was so humble, so casual, and so insignificant.

……

An Shouzhong ran away. He saw many defeated soldiers running towards him from the east and immediately understood what had happened. He did not hesitate or issue any military orders, but escaped directly from the mountain road south of Huayin City.

The terrain here is complex. If An Shouzhong is willing to live in the mountains as a savage, he may not be found even if he hides for ten years.

He ran away, and with Huangfu Weiming dead, the Hebei rebels were naturally defeated. Li Huaiguang chased all the way to more than ten miles west of Huayin City, and only stopped chasing when there was no one in front of him.

At this time, it was dark, and Fang Youde had already led Li Jiaqing and others to this "Road of Death". On both sides of the road, there were corpses of Hebei rebel soldiers, some of whom had been trampled beyond recognition.

"General, if Huangfu Weiming died in the chaos, it would not be easy to find him."

Li Jiaqing pointed at the corpses lying all over the ground and said.

If he had not been captured, Huangfu Weiming would have died in the chaos. Almost no one could escape from this battle. Except for the mountains south of Huayin City, there was no place to hide people nearby.

In the Battle of Huliupo between Later Tang and Later Liang, Li Cunxu had already won. However, Wang Yanzhang, a famous general of Later Liang, encountered a miscellaneous unit of the Jin army that was transporting baggage during his retreat.

When these logistics soldiers saw the flags of the Liang army, they naturally panicked and fled. They broke into the Youzhou army, causing chaos in the formation. In the end, the Jin army trampled on each other. The famous Jin army general Zhou Dewei could not control the chaos and died in the melee with his son.

Huangfu Weiming was also a famous general, and not a mediocre one, but he faced the same situation as Zhou Dewei. In such an occasion, the commander's strategy and tactics, and even his personal martial arts, were useless.

This time, Fang Youde slaughtered the Hebei rebels ruthlessly and had no intention of leaving any survivors.

"Take your men to look for Huangfu Weiming's body. I will ask Li Huaiguang if he has been caught."

Fang Youde nodded expressionlessly, as if he was not at all surprised by the outcome of the battle.

Li Jiaqing saluted with his fists and led his personal guards to search the roadside for corpses, especially those wearing officers' uniforms.

An hour later, Fang Youde brought his personal soldiers to the foot of Huayin City, and Li Huaiguang also returned at this time.

He reported with a heavy breath: "General, Huangfu Weiming was not captured, but some people said that the commander was commanding his troops to resist the retreat of the rebels and did not flee. Instead, An Shouzhong escaped from the mountain path south of Huayin and his whereabouts are unknown now."

"You've worked hard. Go and take a rest. You've made the greatest contribution in this battle."

Fang Youde patted Li Huaiguang on the shoulder and said.

Li Huaiguang came over and whispered, "Adoptive father, those people in Chang'an last time were so stubborn that they dared to deprive you of your official position. This time we have defeated the bandits, and we must obey the emperor and give you the position of prime minister, and then deal with some of them."

What he was talking about was the last time Fang Youde went to Longzhou.

Although this was a trap set up deliberately by Fang Youde, some of the scumbags in Chang'an City were actually trying to seize power by taking advantage of the situation.

Li Huaiguang had been unhappy with that group of people for a long time.

"You still have a long life ahead of you, so don't bother with these rats."

Fang Youde smiled and waved his hand.

If it were in the past, he would definitely scold Li Huaiguang, but now he has let it go.

If Huangfu Weiming was not defeated this time, the powerful families in Chang'an would definitely tie up this chief general and send him to Marshal Huangfu.

Those people are definitely capable of doing this.

So from this perspective, Li Huaiguang's complaints are just human nature.

"My godfather is right."

Li Huaiguang said embarrassedly, but he was thinking in his heart that sooner or later he would get revenge in Chang'an City!

"Go to Huayin City and ask Li Guangbi and others to move all the stones at the city gate. This battle is over." Fang Youde ordered tiredly.

He was under tremendous pressure in this battle, because there were times when the "Reverse Rolling Pearl Curtain" could not be rolled up, and was even rolled back by the opponent.

If Huangfu Weiming had been prepared from the beginning and defeated the Konghe Army, then in such a narrow road, the defeated soldiers would be the soldiers of the Konghe Army.

It’s not certain who will win!

Don’t think that the victory now seems to be effortless, but that is just inferring the cause from the result.

Before the battle started, no one could judge the outcome, and no one could be sure that their side would win. This was also the reason why Fang Youde insisted that Li Guangbi hold on to Huayin City for ten days.

Only when Huangfu Weiming became slack, the Hebei rebels became exhausted, and were too angry to attack the city, would they not have the strength to resist and would be easily "swept away".

At this moment, several personal soldiers came to Fang Youde carrying a wooden board with a bloody corpse lying on it.

The one leading these people was Gao Xianzhi.

He saluted with excitement at Youde and said, "General, we have found Huangfu Weiming. The rebel generals pointed out that this is his body."

Fang Youde had seen Huangfu Weiming before, so he walked closer and looked at the body on the ground. Although the limbs and torso had been trampled into pieces, the face was still intact.

This is indeed what Huangfu Weiming said.

This general who controlled Hebei and claimed to have 500,000 elite soldiers under his command was trampled to death by his own fleeing soldiers. His death was so hasty!
It is inevitable that a general will die in battle. Leading troops to fight on the battlefield is a high-risk job, and death is the final destination. You never know when you will die. Who dares to say that he is invincible?
Fang Youde suddenly felt a sense of emptiness in his heart.

He had this feeling before, too, when he had ordered He Changqi to lead his troops to ambush and kill An Lushan successfully.

Accompanied by the loneliness and relief after achieving the goal.

However, based on the previous experience, Fang Youde understood that killing Huangfu Weiming did not mean that the Hebei rebels would fall apart, nor did it mean that the people of Hebei would be of one mind with the Guanzhong court from then on.

As for the world being united and the restoration of a prosperous era.

I can only encourage myself with the words "the road ahead is long and arduous".

"Let's give him a good burial."

Fang Youde waved his hand gently and said with a dull look.

Gao Xianzhi was stunned, not understanding why Fang Youde didn't look as happy as he expected.

But he didn't know what to say, so he clasped his fists and bowed before leaving, wondering in his heart what had happened.

After a while, Li Guangbi, Hao Tingyu and others also took the cable car out of Huayin City and came to report to Fang Youde.

They finally completed their mission of defending Huayin, which was another great achievement.

"After this battle, the Hebei bandit army was severely damaged, and you two can breathe a sigh of relief.

When we return to Chang'an, I will commend you and promote you.

After recruiting and training soldiers, it is only natural to attack Guanzhong and pacify the world.

Please encourage yourselves."

Fang Youde looked around at the generals around him and said.

"Order!"

Li Guangbi and others said in unison, unable to help but smile with joy.

This life-threatening effort was really worth it!

After they left, Fang Youde ordered the deployment of defenses around Huayin. He worked until three o'clock in the morning, then casually set up a tent and slept in it.

He slept until noon. The commanders of each unit performed their duties, some captured prisoners, some cleaned the battlefield, and no one came to disturb Fang Youde's rest.

However, when Fang Youde had a good sleep and just walked out of the military tent, he saw a person outside the tent who should not be there.

"Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be guarding Xingqing Palace?"

Fang Youde looked at Zhang Guangsheng, who had a conflicted expression, and asked with a puzzled look.

"Marshal Fang, I have something to tell you alone..."

Zhang Guangsheng's eyes flickered and she said awkwardly, "Just like a young wife who had just entered her husband's house."

"Say it, it doesn't matter."

Fang Youde waved to the soldiers around him, and everyone retreated ten steps away.

"The emperor killed the emperor in Xingqing Palace."

Zhang Guangsheng tried to speak in a calm tone.

"What? Say it again?"

Fang Youde was stunned, thinking he had heard wrongly.

"I will report to the commander-in-chief in the future that the emperor killed the emperor himself, strangled him to death, and many people saw it."

Zhang Guangsheng's words rang in Fang Youde's ears. His brain had already fallen into a state of confusion, and he didn't come back to his senses for a long time.

"Marshal, Chang'an is in chaos right now. Please go back and take charge of the situation!"

Zhang Guangsheng pleaded, looking very anxious.

“There’s no big picture anymore.”

Fang Youde sat down on the ground, feeling as if his whole body was filled with lead and he could no longer move.

"Don't go back to Chang'an. It doesn't matter where you go. Going back to Chang'an is just suicide."

Fang Youde sighed, looked at Zhang Guangsheng and waved at him, signaling him to leave quickly.

Zhang Guangsheng wanted to say something else, but after looking at Fang Youde's expression, he seemed to understand something.

He clasped his fists and saluted Fang Youde and said, "Marshal Fang, we won't meet again. Please take care of yourself."

Since Fang Youde has no intention of returning to Chang'an to take charge of the situation, what can he get by returning to Chang'an other than being liquidated?

Zhang Guangsheng decided to go to Bianzhou to join Fang Chongyong now. He didn't want to die yet.

After Zhang Guangsheng left, Fang Youde kept sitting on the ground and refused to get up.

Careful people noticed that his hair had turned silver and his body seemed to have become more hunched.

The loneliness on his face could not be concealed, and it seemed that even the stray dogs on the roadside could smell the decadence emanating from him.

“Flowers will bloom again, and people will never be young again.

This life has been lived in vain."

Fang Youde sighed and couldn't utter a single curse word.

The breeze blew in the forest behind me, making a rustling sound, and I could hear a song coming from it:

"Over the hills, though my hair is grey.

Chattering endlessly, the sadness I give from time to time.

Before he could achieve immortality, he lost himself.

When we got over the hill, we found that no one was waiting for us.

Chattering all the time can never bring back tenderness.

Why can’t I remember who gave me a hug last time?

at what time.

......"

(End of this chapter)