Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 573: Lurking Venomous Snake

Since Huangfu Weiming was defeated in Huayin, Shi Siming led his troops back to Youzhou as soon as he learned the news.

This general Shi did not report military intelligence to Li Wan, nor did he surrender to the government army. After controlling Yizhou, Youzhou, Danzhou, Jizhou and other northern Hebei states, Shi Siming quietly sat in Youzhou and began to recruit soldiers.

Like a lurking poisonous snake, he does things without making any noise.

No one knows what Shi Siming wants to do.

The defeat of Huangfu Weiming had a serious impact on the Hebei rebels. The remnants of Li Guiren fled to Chenguan and retreated to Yecheng, Xiangzhou, to recuperate.

After learning that Li Baochen's army had captured Luoyang and controlled Li Wan, Li Guiren "submitted a petition" to Luoyang, requesting to be appointed as the Governor of Xiangzhou, the Jiedushi of Zhaoyi, and to be in charge of military affairs in Xiangzhou, Xingzhou, Mingzhou and other places.

This "kill first and report later" request directly angered Li Baochen. For a time, he even wanted to send troops from Luoyang to attack Li Guiren.

However, this short-sighted idea was soon opposed by his subordinates.

After some bargaining, Marshal Baochen, at the suggestion of "Left Prime Minister" Li Shiyu, reluctantly appointed Li Guiren as the Governor of Xiangzhou, the Jiedushi of Zhaoyi, and the commander of three states.

However, Li Guiren had to send his eldest son to Luoyang as a hostage. Li Guiren readily agreed and sent someone to send his eldest son to Luoyang, thus maintaining the last bit of face of the false emperor Li Wan, and the two sides reached a compromise.

Huangfu Weiming's failure changed the Hebei rebel forces from "united as one" to "having ulterior motives". Just like the fermentation of wine yeast, the situation in Hebei was changing slowly and steadily.

One afternoon in early autumn, in Longhuo City, not far south of Youzhou City, Shi Siming was touring the city with his wife, Xin.

Unlike An Lushan, Shi Siming was very loyal to his marriage and only had eyes for his wife.

The scenery around Longhuo City is extremely beautiful, with maple leaves as red as flowers in February. Xin took Shi Siming's arm and strolled on the grass outside the city. Both of them were in a very happy mood, talking and laughing.

There was no trace of cruelty on Shi Siming's face. This scene was completely different from his usual indiscriminate killings when he got angry.

It's like a different person.

"I had predicted Ah Lang's success today."

Xin said with some emotion.

Hearing this, Shi Siming was extremely proud. He laughed and said, "That's right. After you get married, you will be promoted and blessed. You will be rich and powerful!"

When Xin was getting married, her family was looking for a husband for her. When she met Shi Siming by chance, she went home and told her parents that she would not marry anyone but him! Her family had no choice but to marry her to Shi Siming, a "mixed Hu".

Unexpectedly, Shi Siming's luck seemed to change and he was promoted rapidly. Even the death of An Lushan did not affect his career.

Therefore, Shi Siming doted on Xin, as well as his legitimate son Shi Chaoqing. Moreover, after Xin, Shi Siming no longer took concubines. He was not interested in women and only liked to ask actors to tell jokes to entertain him.

At this moment, a young man in his twenties walked towards Shi Siming and his wife. He looked somewhat similar to Shi Siming, and was his eldest son Shi Chaoyi.

"Father……"

Shi Chaoyi had just opened his mouth and said two words when Shi Siming shouted at him, "Did I ask you to come over? What are you doing here? Get out of here!"

He originally came to report on his work, but he was scolded by Shi Siming for no reason. Shi Chaoyi immediately felt angry, but had to suppress it forcibly.

He clasped his fists and bowed to Shi Siming, then turned and left.

Seeing that Shi Chaoyi had gone far away, Shi Siming patted his chest and promised Xin: "I will kill that bastard sooner or later, and let (Shi) Chaoqing inherit my position in the future. Madam, don't worry."

Xin advised, "Alang, even though Shi Chaoyi is a bastard, you can just not let him inherit the family business, and there's no need to beat or scold him."

"Humph, I have my own plans, Madam, don't worry."

Shi Siming snorted twice, obviously not hearing what was said.

He blamed all the wasted years in the past on Shi Chaoyi, thinking that this son was a complete jinx.

Shi Siming became successful after marrying Xin, so he naturally thought that his concubines and children were all burdens that held him back, and he wanted to get rid of them as soon as possible.

After a while, the Jiedushi Judge Geng Renzhi asked for a meeting and was brought to Shi Siming by his personal soldiers.

Geng Renzhi was an old subordinate of Shi Siming. He had served him for many years and was highly valued by Shi Siming.

Shi Siming's attitude towards him was much better than that towards Shi Chaoyi.

"What's the hurry?"

Shi Siming frowned slightly and asked with a hint of dissatisfaction.

"Marshal, someone from Chang'an is coming to persuade us to surrender."

Geng Renzhi came close to Shi Siming and spoke in a low voice.

"Oh? You're finally here."

Shi Siming nodded slightly, seemingly not surprised by this.

There was a faint smile on his face, but it seemed a little inconsistent with his stern expression.

"Madam, please go back and rest first. I will be back soon."

Shi Siming took care of Xin and went to the city wall of Longhuo City with Geng Renzhi.

Looking at Shi Siming's departing back, Xin frowned slightly and sighed helplessly.

In her eyes, Shi Siming is a good husband, but in the eyes of outsiders, he may not be a good man.

In Shi Chaoyi's eyes, Shi Siming might be worse than any ordinary enemy.

However, how could Xin, a woman of modesty, change this?
Soon, in the detention room of Longhuo City, Shi Siming met Li E, the envoy sent by the Guanzhong court.

Shi Siming sat down on the main seat in the signing room without saying a word, and waved to his subordinates.

The scholar Ping Lu and the military generals Niu Tingjie, Xin Wannian, Gao Juren, Luo Yue, Cai Wenjing, Xiang Gong and others all quietly left the signing room, leaving only Geng Renzhi waiting for orders.

"Tell me, what's the matter?"

Shi Siming looked at Li E and asked with an indifferent attitude.

"Here is the emperor's edict, appointing General Shi as the governor of Youzhou. There is no need to send a hostage to Chang'an."

Li E said this calmly, and then handed the imperial edict in his hand to Geng Renzhi, who handed it to Shi Siming.

"I followed the bandits because I was coerced. Now that I am submitting to the imperial court, it is only natural."

Shi Siming said calmly, not even willing to pretend to be "grateful". It seemed as if he was saying: You are begging me now.

"General Shi is a man of great righteousness and a role model for Tang Dynasty generals.

only……"

Li E suddenly paused.

Shi Siming asked in a deep voice: "Just what?"

"But when does Marshal Shi Jie plan to issue a manifesto to fight against the rebels?"

Li E asked in a neither humble nor arrogant manner, looking directly at Shi Siming without giving in at all.

In ancient times, communications were poor and transportation was blocked in various places. It was not uncommon for a messenger to take more than ten days to travel back and forth. So how could one judge the political attitude of a certain force?

The answer is to publish a manifesto and post it everywhere.

Issuing a manifesto is similar to the "telegram to the whole country" during the warlords' civil war in the Republic of China.

A manifesto often represents political credibility. Once a manifesto is issued, it is impossible to change one's mind openly.

If they wanted to switch sides in the future, they would have to issue another proclamation. Why were the Jiangdong forces that attacked Guan Yu called Jiangdong rats? It was because they refused to issue even a proclamation before backstabbing.

Obviously, Li E is an expert and not easy to fool. Shi Siming laughed and said, "I will discuss the issue of the proclamation with my subordinates. Angel, don't worry, just wait for the news in Youzhou City."

It was impossible to issue a manifesto, as Shi Siming was still planning to walk between the Chang'an court and the pseudo-court in Luoyang to ask for benefits.

How can you just issue a manifesto casually?
Besides, do those stupid bureaucrats in Chang'an think that giving someone a title is enough to win them over?

Shi Siming didn't think so.

He had already been promoted to the governor of Pinglu before Huangfu Weiming started his rebellion, and was almost on equal footing with Huangfu Weiming. Now the court still appointed him as the governor of Youzhou, so wasn't all his efforts in vain?
It takes time for anyone to understand their own strength. The central government officials in Chang'an have not yet fully realized that their strength is already very weak.

In fact, Shi Siming didn't know how strong he was, so his attitude was very ambiguous. He hoped to clarify the upper limit of his ability through repeated tests in reality.

Li E did not say anything harsh, but nodded to Shi Siming and said, "Then I will wait for General Shi Jie in Youzhou for three days."

After saying that, he left alone.

After Li E left, Shi Siming asked Geng Renzhi, "What do you think?"

"General Jie, Li Wan is now controlled by Li Baochen, so isn't Li Baochen Zhang Zhongzhi?

He got to the position by sheer luck, but when he was on official business in Youzhou, who took him seriously?

A man of honor is born in this world, how can he be depressed and inferior to others for a long time! A scum like Li Baochen is not even worthy of carrying the shoes of Marshal Shi Jie!

Now the imperial court has handed over the ladder, so the general should just take it. Youzhou is far away from the emperor, and even if Chang'an wants to do something, it is out of reach.

If you don’t jump off the ship now, it will be inconvenient to jump off the ship later.”

Geng Renzhi said excitedly.

Obviously, Li Baochen used to give people the impression of being "not very smart", and no one was willing to work under this fool.

Not to mention that Shi Siming had a very high starting point before, and he had the strong support of the Xin family, a powerful family in Youzhou.

It is definitely a pipe dream to say that Shi Siming could unify the world. But he was more than capable of dividing the land and becoming a king, and running rampant in Youzhou.

Geng Renzhi's opinion was very clear, which was to issue a resolute manifesto to draw a clear line between himself and Li Baochen.

"If we issue a manifesto, we will fall into the court's trap of sowing discord."

Shi Siming shook his head and said.

He has worked in Pinglu Town for many years and has a deep understanding of the military situation and people's sentiments in Youyan.

The imperial court had often sent some people from Guanzhong to the border town of Youyan to serve as military, political and civil officials.

But these people are simply unable to take root in the local area, or be assimilated into the local area, or reach a compromise with the local big families.

Some of them returned to Guanzhong in disgrace, some pretended to obey the court but actually disobeyed it, and some simply rebelled.

Unlike the northwestern border towns such as Liangzhou, which gained a lot of benefits from the Silk Road and where local forces hoped to take advantage of the Tang Dynasty, the local forces in Youzhou and places further north have always served as a "firewall" for the Tang Dynasty.

You have to guard the border, but there is no benefit in doing so.

The separatist forces in Youyan do not need any "righteousness". The righteousness here is naturally peace and independence! The separatist forces in other places have to find a legitimate "banner".

Either you declare yourself king or you support the imperial court; there is no third option.

Shi Siming understood all this, so he hoped to cut ties with Li Baochen "without making a fuss."

Anyway, I no longer raised the banner of resistance against the imperial court, and I accepted the imperial court's offer of amnesty, but I just said nothing and just ate rice like a chicken.
Seeing that Geng Renzhi still had doubts, Shi Siming continued to explain: "In the near future, we will increase our efforts to recruit soldiers and horses, and then go to the court in Chang'an to ask for food and wages to see if they will give it. If Li Baochen sends an envoy, we will drive him away."

Geng Renzhi wanted to say something else, but seeing that Shi Siming had made up his mind, he clasped his fists and saluted, saying, "I will follow the orders of the commander-in-chief."

After Geng Renzhi left, Shi Siming called in his adviser Ping Lu.

"I want to expand my army, and the imperial court is offering me amnesty. What do you think I should do?
Youzhou's grain and grass have always been supplied by other states and counties. How can we solve the food shortage?"

Shi Siming asked, crossing his legs.

Ping Lu thought for a moment, saluted Shi Siming and said, "General Jie, lead the troops south to Zhaozhou, Jizhou and other places, and there will be no worries about food shortages. Since we have already occupied the imperial court, conquering cities is also a must."

"It makes sense."

Shi Siming nodded slightly and said.

Ping Lu's ideas were basically the same as his.

Shi Siming did not want to issue a manifesto to the outside world, but he would use the conquest of cities to prove his "loyalty" to the court! Anyway, the conquered territories were his own, so what did it matter!

"What do you think about publishing the manifesto?"

Shi Siming asked again.

Ping Lu waved his hand and said:
"That's not necessary. Although Li Baochen doesn't deserve sympathy, the commander still needs him to contain the Guanzhong court and prevent the court from eliminating the vassal states.

At the critical moment, it is only natural to give Li Baochen a hand. Publishing a manifesto is self-defeating and unnecessary. "

"Well, that's exactly it."

Shi Siming nodded and decided to leave Li E alone in Youzhou city for three days and let him go back after the time was up.

What a bullshit manifesto!

"General, why don't we send someone to Luoyang to ask for the jurisdiction of Zhaozhou and Jizhou. If Li Baochen gives it to us, we will help him block the troops coming from Hedong.

If he doesn't give it to us, we will have an excuse to attack him."

Ping Lu suggested with a chuckle.

It has to be said that intellectuals have a lot of tricks up their sleeves, and Shi Siming had never thought about this.

Having said that, he accepted the imperial court's enthronement but did not issue a proclamation, and went to Li Baochen to ask for the jurisdiction of the two states, making preparations for both war and negotiation.

This move is indeed brilliant.

"Very good, go and arrange it. There will be a huge reward after the task is completed!"

Shi Siming was in a good mood and waved his hand.

"Please rest assured, General Jie, I will make the arrangements right away."

Ping Lu took the order and left, leaving Shi Siming alone in the signing room.

He held up his chin and pondered the current situation. When he thought about it carefully, he discovered that the Youzhou vassal state was in an extremely advantageous position!

The weak control of the Chang'an court over Hedong made the Tang army in Hedong semi-independent and no longer subject to the court's dispatch. The pressure on Youzhou was greatly reduced.

Li Baochen blocked the eastward advance of the Tang army in Guanzhong in Luoyang, placing Youzhou in the strategic rear and allowing it to recruit troops with peace of mind.

Similarly, Li Baochen was already overwhelmed in dealing with the pressure from the troops in Guanzhong. He would be happy if Youzhou didn't stab him in the back. How could this Marshal Baochen have the energy to attack Youzhou and deal with Shi Siming?
As for Henan, it is even more unnecessary to mention it. It is estimated that it will compete with the imperial court for the dominance of the canal. Whether it is war or peace, it will involve a lot of energy in Chang'an.

No matter how you look at it, Youzhou is a "relatively leisurely" place.

Golden Horn, Silver Edge and Grass Belly, Youzhou is located in the golden horn position, and its strategic advantage is very obvious!

After all this adventure, the final winner is actually me?

"Could it be that the so-called destiny is placed on me, Shi?"

Shi Siming muttered to himself, and his confidence suddenly swelled! He suddenly felt that his future ascension to the throne and becoming emperor was not that far away, right?
Or, how about establishing a country in the future and naming it "Dayan"?
Shi Siming's ambition suddenly rose.

(End of this chapter)