Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 605
"Your Highness Prince Ning, don't be nervous. I'm here to discuss something with you."

In the side hall of Taiji Palace, Li Huaiguang spoke to Li Lin, who had a sad look on his face, in a relatively gentle manner.

But he was obviously a little impatient.

For Li Huaiguang, it was no problem to be armed and to fight, but he was not up to the task of political struggle. He could not understand the mystery of it all at once.

But when Li Lin heard what Li Huaiguang said, he closed his eyes, shook his head and said:
"What happened today, overthrow and defeat are unavoidable.

Even if you survive for a few days, there is no guarantee that you will not be held accountable in the future, or even be infamous for eternity.

If Marshal Li Jie wants to kill me, then just do it. There is no need to say those hypocritical words."

Li Lin's attitude is surprisingly tough!

After hearing this, Li Huaiguang remained silent. He wondered if he had done things too ruthlessly, forcing the royal family members into a desperate situation.

This is human nature. Once you realize that resistance is meaningless and begging for mercy will not result in a good death, you will no longer care about anything.

I'm going to die anyway, so I might as well make you executioners suffer before I die.

Li Huaiguang sighed and left the Taiji Hall without saying anything. He knew that he had failed to persuade Li Lin, and even if he changed someone else and succeeded, he was afraid that it would be difficult to get the other party's cooperation.

Li Lin was not the first member of the royal family to refuse him, but every member of the royal family before him had refused him. Because they all knew that once the troops outside Guanzhong came back, even if they could survive for a few days, they would surely die.

Instead of this, it is better to leave a good reputation.

This is the disadvantage of Li Huaiguang and his people’s extreme actions.

It seems that the path of supporting a royal family member to become the emperor is not an easy one.

Li Huaiguang secretly sighed in his heart, thinking that he had been too naive before.

At this time, Zhang Shao came over and reported to Li Huaiguang: "General, there is a censor outside who wants to see you. He said he has something important to tell you."

Censor?

Li Huaiguang was getting annoyed and was about to say no, but Zhang Shao reminded him, "I talked to this man for a while and found that he is quite far-sighted and came with sincerity. It would be okay for the commander to meet him."

That’s okay too.

Li Huaiguang nodded. He gradually felt that he was in trouble and he also wanted to hear what outsiders would say.

The three met in a side hall in the Taiji Hall. The Censor looked very young and smart and capable, but he was not wearing an official uniform.

As soon as they met, he bowed respectfully to Li Huaiguang.

"Tell me, what's the matter?"

Li Huaiguang asked casually, looking nonchalant, but his hand was on the hilt of his sword, as if he was ready to kill at any time.

"My name is Yuan Xiu. I used to be the Censor-in-Chief. I have come to offer advice and suggestions to General Li Jie."

Yuan Xiu said in a low voice.

"Oh? Then tell me, what suggestions do you want to make?"

Li Huaiguang asked doubtfully, disagreeing with the man.

Yuan Xiu glanced at Zhang Shao, as if to imply that what he was about to say could not be heard by this person.

Seeing that Zhang Shao was still unwilling to leave, Li Huaiguang frowned slightly and said to him: "Take your men to bury Li Heng's body."

This excuse was really lame, so Zhang Shao had to leave the side hall reluctantly.

After he left, Yuan Xiu asked, "Do you feel that the Crane Controlling Army alone cannot control Chang'an? Not to mention that many of the Crane Controlling Army soldiers are still in Fengxiang Prefecture, not here."

What he said was right to the point.

Li Huai's expression changed slightly, and he nodded slightly to show his agreement.

There are only 8,000 Control Crane Army soldiers coming to Chang'an this time. It is hard to say what the attitude of the remaining 10,000 people is. The news will reach Fengxiang Prefecture sooner or later. What if the Control Crane Army soldiers in Fengxiang Prefecture turn against us?
"What do you think?"

Li Huaiguang stared at Yuan Xiu and asked in a deep voice.

"The commander-in-chief should let the Konghe Army take all the treasures they have found, leave Chang'an and return to Fengxiang Prefecture. At the same time, the commander-in-chief should proclaim himself the King of Qi and open a government office in Fengxiang Prefecture!
As for who wants to be the emperor in Chang'an, the general does not need to care.

No matter who rules Chang'an in the future, the position of the Marshal Jie, the King of Qi, will be secure.

As for Emperor Li Heng, he died in the chaos of war and there is no evidence to prove his death, so it had nothing to do with the general.

If the general had continued to stay in Chang'an with his troops, he would have become the target of public criticism!

I hope you will think twice, retreating at the right time is the best strategy. If you leave Chang'an, you will live, but if you stay in Chang'an, you will die. You must be careful. "

Yuan Xiu saluted Li Huaiguang with his arms crossed and spoke earnestly.

I have to say, this statement makes a lot of sense.

Yuan Xiu's words pulled Li Huaiguang back to his soldier mentality. This is another way of thinking, not the soldier mentality of making things bigger and bigger.

Why can you survive if you don't stay in Chang'an?

Because of the combat effectiveness of the Konghe Army, after other people entered Chang'an, they did not want to have such a powerful enemy around Fengxiang Prefecture, which was not far from here.

As for the enemy, there are only two options: either destroy them or recruit them.

Recruiting is the lowest cost method.

After all, the world is already torn apart, and there are so many unresolved problems. Who has the energy to rush to deal with Li Huaiguang and the Konghe Army!

On the contrary, if the Konghe Army stays in Chang'an and blocks the way of various ambitious people, it will inevitably cause a strong backlash, and various princes will regard the Konghe Army as their primary enemy.

What's more, Chang'an is such a big city, and the people have to find ways to maintain their food, clothing, housing and transportation, otherwise it will be in chaos in a few days.

The Control Crane Army has occupied Chang'an, so they have to take care of these messy things. If they don't, the people will rebel!

Can Li Huaiguang manage it? Obviously, even if he wants to manage it, there is no such talent in the Control Crane Army.

They also had no intention of governing Chang'an.

It was different back in Fengxiang Prefecture, as the territory there was originally controlled by the Konghe Army. With the money from Chang'an, they could also bribe the soldiers left in Fengxiang Prefecture, without having to worry about them mutinying.

There is no big problem in holding on to the place, the only problem is that there may be some problems with military rations. After all, there is no supply from Chang'an, and money is needed to buy food.

But then again, if other forces occupied Chang'an, it would be easy for them to reach a compromise with Li Huaiguang. The Control Crane Army could find a new "wet nurse".

You guard your Fengxiang Prefecture, and I will be the emperor in Chang'an. I will give you a just cause, and you will not suffer any loss. No one will suffer any loss!
This might be the situation by then.

Yuan Xiu's words made Li Huaiguang very excited. To be honest, Li Huaiguang felt that Zhang Shao's proposals of "becoming the emperor" and "finding a puppet emperor" were too difficult to grasp.

Or to put it simply, it is a way to death!

"Then should I kill the Li clan members or not? The Control Crane Army has already robbed a lot of the clan members' wealth, how can they just let it go?"

Li Huaiguang humbly asked for advice, and by now he was completely impressed by Yuan Xiu's talent.

"General, the more royal family members there are in Chang'an, the more troublesome and difficult it will be for the next person to enter Chang'an. We have to spend a lot of energy to deal with these royal family members.

At that time, no matter who they were on either side, they must have wanted to get help and support from Marshal Jie.

If the general killed all these royal family members today, it would only pave the way for the next person to enter Chang'an.

Why bother making wedding clothes for others?
The commander should be able to judge what is important and what is right."

Yuan Xiu bowed respectfully to Li Huaiguang.

He said this quite sincerely, and was completely considering the issue from Li Huaiguang's perspective.

You don't kill the Li clan members not to spare their lives, but to create trouble for the next force that enters Chang'an.

If you kill all the members of the Li clan, it would be satisfying, but it would only be making wedding dresses for the people who come after you, helping them to do all the things that are inconvenient to do.

What's the point of this?

"Yes, I think so too."

Li Huaiguang sighed with a guilty conscience, as if he had fallen from a great height. "But the commander-in-chief can squeeze more money out of these people. The wealth of the royal family may not be concentrated in the palace.

After getting the money, you will be prepared for whatever you do in the future.

In addition, in order to deter people, the commander-in-chief could select a branch of the royal family and exterminate the entire family to serve as a warning to others.

It is also to let those people see that General Jie and the Control Crane Army are true to their words, so that they will not think of revenge in the future!"

Yuan Xiu's words were obviously well-founded and he seemed to be very knowledgeable.

In fact, this is true. He is the son of Jingzhao Yin Yuan Guangyu, and the same clan as Prime Minister Yuan Qianyao. He was once very close to distant relatives of the Li family (such as Li Linfu), and they had a lot of connections.

I came to see Li Huaiguang today, firstly to save the lives of the Li clan, and secondly for political speculation, to find a way out for myself in troubled times.

Everyone could see that the imperial court was no longer viable, and there was no point in continuing to be trapped on this ship.

It’s better to take a chance. If you lose, the worst that can happen is you’ll die. If you win, the benefits will be countless.

"General, if someone pushes us too far in the future, the Control Crane Army can just go west to Lanzhou, it won't be a problem at all.

But I really can’t stay in Chang’an anymore, please make a decision quickly.”

Yuan Xiu urged again.

"I understand. I will follow your plan."

Li Huaiguang nodded slightly and sighed.

Chang'an, ah Chang'an, I really don't want to leave!
……

Although the Konghe Army mutinied in Chang'an, they did not set out at all. However, Li Guangbi's troops in Puzhou and Gao Xianzhi's troops in Tongguan all set out on time, and they did not know what was happening in Chang'an.

Li Guangbi led his troops into the narrow road of Wangwu Mountain west of Chenguan Road and disappeared.

However, Gao Xianzhi's troops were moving eastward along Tongguan, which could be discovered with a little reconnaissance.

After receiving the order to send troops, Gao Xianzhi led 10,000 elite troops out of Tongguan and arrived in Shanzhou.

The capital of Shanzhou was Shan County, where Li Baochen's 5,000 soldiers were stationed. The defending general Wu Lingxun defended Shanzhou to the death and blocked the government troops. Gao Xianzhi had insufficient troops and had to station them in the northwest of Shan County, near Dayang Bridge on the Yellow River, for easy access to water.

That night, it was still windy and snowy.

Gao Xianzhi and others in the commander's tent are discussing countermeasures, hoping to break the current deadlock.

"Old Gao, something is not right. Why hasn't the Crane Control Army come to reinforce us yet?"

Li Siye asked in a deep voice while roasting himself by the fire.

Most of those present were An Xi Beiting's old brothers, and each of them had a puzzled look on their face.

As for how to deal with the enemy forces in Shanzhou, there was actually a very clear countermeasure in the original battle plan.

Gao Xianzhi led his troops to surround Shan County. The Konghe Army continued to advance and clear the way.

After Gao Xianzhi dealt with Wu Lingxun, the Konghe Army continued to besiege the next stronghold, letting Gao Xianzhi's troops advance as the vanguard. The two armies advanced alternately, with one part besieging the stronghold and the other attacking the reinforcements.

Now that Gao Xianzhi and his men have besieged Shan County, it is time for Li Huaiguang's Konghe Army to continue advancing.

But where are the reinforcements that were promised?
Where are the reinforcements?
Li Siye's words raised the most puzzling question in everyone's mind.

"Something is indeed wrong. Why don't we send someone to Chang'an to inquire about the situation first?"

Cheng Qianli was also a little worried. This was not how a war was fought. Of course, it was not impossible to attack Shan County by force, but this was not their intended battlefield.

Why did Li Shiyu suggest to Li Baochen to withdraw the troops from Shan County to Mianchi? It was because Mianchi was closer to Luoyang and it was more convenient to reinforce it.

This battle, after all, was nothing more than an offensive and defensive battle centered on "siege the city and attack reinforcements."

Gao Xianzhi's expression was uncertain, and finally he sighed and said:
"Old Li, take a few trusted brothers with you. Take off your military uniforms, put on civilian clothes, and ride back to Chang'an to get the news."

"Take off your uniform?"

Li Siye looked confused and didn't understand what Gao Xianzhi was trying to do.

"Mr. Yan is still trustworthy, and what he says should count.

But, if Mr. Yan is also in danger, then..."

Gao Xianzhi sighed again. He always had a bad feeling in his heart.

“Could it be that the Konghe Army is staying outside Chang’an and refusing to march out in order to seek rewards?

And the court is unwilling to give rewards? "

Cheng Qianli suddenly came up with a bold idea.

You know what, we really can't rule out this possibility.

Because many of Gao Xianzhi's subordinates were also unhappy about the fact that the imperial court asked them to go to war without paying them.

Since they all feel unhappy, what about the Crane Control Army?
How can we rule out such a possibility?

I have to say, what Cheng Qianli said makes a lot of sense.

"In any case, I'll go back to Chang'an first and see what happens."

Li Siye saluted Gao Xianzhi with his fists clasped.

Gao Xianzhi was not the only one who felt the crisis was serious. If the Control Crane Army could not catch up and join the battle, it would be very dangerous for them to go deep into the enemy territory alone.

No one can rely on the "reliability" of the court for his or her life.

However, just as everyone was discussing how to deal with the situation besides sending Li Siye to Chang'an to check out the situation, a personal soldier suddenly reported that an old friend from Hexi came to visit and asked to see Gao Xianzhi!

"Old friend from Hexi?"

Gao Xianzhi was completely confused and had no idea who he knew in Hexi.

"Bring it in!"

Gao Xianzhi waved his hand gently, touched the beard on his chin, and his expression was calm.

After a while, the person was brought in. He was a rough-built man wearing thin cloth, but he had a soldier's physique and was very likely to have served in the army for a long time.

There are heavy calluses on the palms of his hands, and his face shows no emotion, but his eyes are sharp.

"I am Zhang Guangsheng, and I have come here specially to report the military situation to General Gao."

Zhang Guangsheng saluted and said to Gao Xianzhi in a very casual manner.

"It turned out to be you!"

Gao Xianzhi obviously did not know any "old friend from Hexi", but Zhang Guangsheng had served as the General of the Imperial Guard in Chang'an for a long time. Although this position was not high-ranking, it was very important and also very famous.

It is impossible that Gao Xianzhi has not heard of this person.

"General Gao, now is not the time to be polite. The Crane Control Army has mutinied in Chang'an and is looting the city, hunting down the royal family members.

It's hard to guess what he wants to do.

I have come here to deliver the news, and will soon go to Bianzhou to inform Marshal Fang Jie."

Zhang Guangsheng spoke concisely and told everything he had seen in Chang'an without hiding anything.

Everyone present was shocked!
The Konghe Army has mutinied! What should we do?

Isn't this just trapping them to death?

"Ugh!"

Gao Xianzhi sat down on the blanket in the military tent!
My mind was buzzing.

As for why Zhang Guangsheng, who had already disappeared, was in Chang'an and why the Konghe Army mutinied, there was no time to figure out these details.

(End of this chapter)