Late Tang

(Thanks to Taoist Xianyin and Lazy Yuexi for giving Muzi mooncakes, thank you everyone!)

Gao Wenshun, governor of Shengzhou, took Li Guochang's order and led more than a thousand riders back to Shuozhou City.Gao Wenji, the left-behind general of Shuozhou, rushed out to greet him, and Gao Wenshun returned to the mansion with his brother Gao Wenji.As soon as he entered the mansion, Gao Wenji said with a smile: "Shanyu Duhu's mansion fell, I was still worried about my brother, but I didn't expect my brother Yu Luotuoyan and the commander-in-chief to wipe out the Zhenwu rebellious army after staying there. It's really gratifying and congratulatory."

Gao Wenshun's face was full of exhaustion rather than joy, and he just let out a long sigh.

"Why is brother like this?" Gao Wenji asked puzzled.

The Gao family is not from Shatuo, but Han people. They live in border towns and are a wealthy family in the world.One of the two brothers served as governor of Shengzhou, and the other served as envoy of prison city of Shuozhou. Their official positions were not small.Li Ke used his father and son to oppose Tang, and the two can be regarded as part of the core.At first, they all thought that it was not unusual for towns in the world to rebel and stand on their own feet. With the bravery of the Shatuo people, it should be very smooth to stand on their own like the three towns in Hebei.

When Li Guochang and his son were recognized and separated from Datong and Zhenwu, the status of their brothers would naturally rise.But now the imperial court not only refused to admit it, but instead sent large soldiers to suppress it, and the fighting became more and more fierce. Gao Wenshun had to think about the future of himself and his family.

"Brother, why do you have such an idea? Li Zhenwu and his son have not been defeated now, and the result is still unknown?"

"It's time to think about it, second brother, although Li Guochang and his son are still unstoppable on the surface. But look, Weizhou is gone, Daizhou is also lost, and the Zhenwu Army is turning against each other. Now only Yunshuo is left Yes. There is the German army on the left and the Zhendong army on the right. In addition, there are five towns in Taiyuan, three bread sandwiches. Do you think Li Guochang and his son can keep it? We have to prepare early, the Gao family can’t follow Li Guochang’s broken ship sinking."

Gao Wenji was silent.

"Then what should we do?" Few of the officers in the late Tang Dynasty had the idea of ​​loyalty to the emperor and patriotism in their minds. They had been in the feudal town for a long time, and they had long been accustomed to this situation, which seemed to be like the Qin and Autumn Warring States, where the princes stood side by side.

Gao Wenshun was also a little dazed, picked up the hot tea that had just been poured, and put it to his mouth. After taking a sip, he realized that it was just poured hot tea, and he spit it out in one gulp.Gao Wenji quickly called two maids to come over and wipe it. "Forget it, I'll go change some clothes!" Gao Wenshun saw that his clothes were all wet, so he got up and put them on.

A maid took Gao Wenshun out, and Gao Wenji said to the remaining maid, "You go out too."

But the maid didn't move, Gao Wenji turned around dissatisfied, and was about to scold him, but saw the maid directly said to him with a smile on her face: "General, can you listen to me?"

Gao Wenji saw that the maids were a bit awkward, they were not the usual ones, they looked very young, around their teens, but they were still pretty, suppressed their dissatisfaction, and nodded.

The maid smiled lightly: "Does General Gao know that just now you took a turn around before the gate of hell?"

Gao Wenji's expression changed: "Aren't you a slave in the mansion?"

"Who I am is not important, what matters is General Gao's fate and future? Inspector Gao was right just now. At this moment, there is no future for following Li Guochang and his son. You should consider some other options."

"What choice?" Gao Wenji was also jumping in his heart at this time, he didn't expect that someone beside him could sneak in quietly.If the maid had poured some poison into the tea just now, wouldn't the brothers and sisters be completely finished.

"General Gao, please read this letter first before answering!" The maid took out a letter from her sleeve and handed it to Gao Wenji. After he opened it and read it quickly, his face was even more surprised.Originally, he thought that this maid would be an assassin sent by Taiyuan, but now after reading the letter, he realized that the letter was actually written by Li Jing from Zhendong Army.

However, Gao Wenji remained calm, and he still had some doubts, whether this person was sent by Li Ke with his father and son to test him.

The maid seemed to guess what he was thinking, and took out another envelope.This time when he opened it, there was a check from the Universal Bank of 3000 taels of gold inside.

"This is a 3000 taels of gold ticket. In Taiyuan, Luoyang, Chang'an and other big cities, there are semicolons of the Four Seas Bank. With this ticket, you can get 3000 taels of gold immediately. This is Li Jungong's sincerity. If the general is willing to abandon the dark and turn to the bright, you can get it." There will only be more."

"What should I do?" Gao Wenji believed that the letter was true at this time, thinking of what his elder brother said just now, he couldn't help but feel a little moved. "Originally Li Keyong left me to guard Shuozhou, but now Mrs. Liu has brought back more than [-] people. All affairs in Shuozhou city have been taken over by Mrs. Liu and Li Siyuan."

"Didn't Governor Gao come back with Li Guochang's military order and asked you to lead troops to Yunzhou for reinforcements with him?" The maid smiled lightly, "You just need to bring your trusted brother to Yunzhou with Gao Governor, my family The Duke of the county is leading the Zhendong Army, and when you get there, you can turn against the enemy."

At this time, Gao Wenshun, who had changed his clothes, returned to the living room, and saw that Gao Wenji was actually talking to a maid, he couldn't help but feel a little strange.

When the maid saw Gao Wenshun came back, she stopped talking and left directly.

Gao Wenshun looked at Gao Wenji suspiciously, Gao Wenji handed the letter and the golden ticket to his elder brother, and told him all the previous things.After listening, Gao Wenshun pondered, and after a long time said slowly: "I think it's okay. We did walk before the gate of hell just now. The other party can approach us without anyone noticing. If we hadn't It is revealed that there is an intention to oppose Li Guochang, I am afraid that we will lose our heads now. Let's do things according to Li Jing's wishes."

On the same day, Gao Wenshun conveyed Li Guochang and Li Keyong's intentions to the Liu family, and then Gao Wenji selected [-] old troops and Gao Wenshun [-] soldiers and horses, a total of [-] infantry and [-] cavalry sent to Yunzhou for reinforcements.

Fu Wenda, the envoy of the General Commanding Army of Yunzhou, was very happy to see Gao Wenshun's brothers coming to help with five thousand soldiers and horses, and immediately held a banquet.During the banquet, Gao Wenshun said, "I'm waiting for the commander to come to help me. I also ask General Fu to be polite and arrange a mission for us."

"The two generals came from afar, why not take a rest in Yunzhou City first." Fu Wenda said politely.

"How can this work? I heard that the Zhendong army is very arrogant. Since we have to come here, our army is strong and strong. Should we fight the Tang army first, and it will also boost our army's morale and destroy the enemy's prestige!" Gao Wenshun laughed. Said.

Fu Wenda was a little moved. After the arrival of the Zhendong Army, it seemed that there was a lot of momentum on the surface, but there was no movement.As time passed, they didn't feel how powerful the Zhendong Army was anymore.He originally had 3000 soldiers and horses, but he was first supported by 5000 people from Shatuo's three tribes, and now he has 3000 soldiers and horses from the Gao brothers, who also have 5000 soldiers and horses.And the Zhendong Army on the opposite side has only [-] troops.

"The commander-in-chief and the rest of the army wiped out the rebellious Zhenwu army in Shengzhou, and just defeated the army in Honggu. The commander-in-chief and the rest of the stay have repeatedly reported victories, so we can't just sit still. Otherwise, we will I'm afraid that the hairless boy on the opposite side will turn around and run away immediately after hearing the news of the commander-in-chief's winning streak. If General Fu is worried, I think General Fu can hold the battle for our brothers. In this battle, our brothers will lead our troops to fight." Gao Wenshun said loudly.

Speaking of this, of course Fu Wenda couldn't agree like this, otherwise people would laugh at him for being cowardly.

"Well, let's make a plan and fight him." Fu Wenda decided.

The plan was quickly drawn up. This time Fu Wenda was going to attack the Zhendong Army Camp at night. After some discussions, it was finally decided that only Fu Wenda and Gao Wenji would lead [-] people to stay at Niupi Pass. The Ministry sent troops together.Shatuo's three divisions with [-] cavalry were at the vanguard, Gao Wenshun led [-] troops from his headquarters, and Fu Wentong, Fu Wenda's younger brother, led [-] soldiers from Yunzhou, a total of [-] infantry.

The plan has been decided, Fu Wenda ordered the whole army to kill pigs and sheep, have a full meal, and wait until midnight to send out troops to attack the Tang camp at night.

As soon as the brothers Gao Wenshun returned to their tent, they immediately wrote a letter explaining the night attack, and asked a confidant to deliver the letter to the Zhendong military camp.Unexpectedly, without a copy, Mi Haiwan, the governor of Sage, and Shi Jingcun, the governor of Anqing, walked in together.

As soon as he came in, Mi Haiwan immediately said aggressively: "Brothers of the Gao family are very calculating. They actually want to send us all to the jaws of the Zhendong Army. This is to exchange our lives for wealth!"

Gao Wenshun was startled, and he forced himself to calm down and said, "What do you mean by that?"

"Bring it in!" Shi Jingcun beckoned, and two soldiers from the Anqing Department immediately brought in a man, but it was the man he sent to deliver the letter earlier.Shi Jingcun put the letter in front of Gao Wenshun. "I don't know what else you can say. If I hand over this letter to Fu Junshi, how do you think he will deal with you brothers?"

Gao Wenji stretched out his hand and was about to draw his sword, but the master held his hand down.The other party captured his messenger, but did not bring troops to surround him, nor did he report to Fu Wenda immediately, which shows that there is still room for it.

"Brothers, I believe you can see the current situation more clearly than I do. There is no future for following Li Guochang and his son. If you don't want to die, you can only join the court. If you two are interested, I, Gao Wenshun, would like to recommend you two."

"Hahaha!" Mi Haiwan and Shi Jingcun burst out laughing, and then said: "To tell you the truth, Brother Gao, we have already secretly joined Datang."

"Is this true?" Gao Wenji said in surprise.

Mi Haiwan nodded and said: "That's true. We have already contacted General Li Jing on the opposite side, but we have not been able to find a suitable opportunity to offer a pass. Unexpectedly, the two Gao brothers have a way, and they talked about it as soon as they came. Fu Wenda sent troops. This time is a god-sent opportunity."

Although Mi Haiwan and Shi Jingcun had long wanted to join Li Jing, it was a pity that Li Jing did not accept it immediately, but asked them to offer the cowhide, and he agreed to accept it.However, they only had two cavalry in their hands, so it was not so easy to capture Guancheng, especially Li Jing wanted them to completely capture Guancheng and offer it up, and he refused to send troops from inside and outside to attack.In this way, they will inevitably be very embarrassed.

Now that they accidentally intercepted the communication of the Gao brothers, they realized that they had already turned to Li Jing. Now that they had soldiers and horses in their hands, they naturally had confidence.

"We have already sent people to inform Duke Li about the dispatch of troops tonight. We will just take the soldiers and horses to the Zhendong barracks. At that time, each of you will tie a white cloth on your arm, fight back and kill the soldiers of Li Youjin and Fu Wenda. General Gao Er happened to stay in the city, and when we dispatch our troops, you will attack directly and take Guancheng and Fu Wenda." Mi Haiwan said as a planner.Fu Wenda originally said that Gao Wenji's cavalry was exhausted all the way and asked them to stay in the city to rest, but now it happened to be the best help for them to seize the city.

After several people conspired, everything was finally discussed.

At the third watch of the night, [-] soldiers and horses came out of Niupi Pass, with a man's title and horses' hooves, and rushed straight to the town's east barracks twenty miles away.The cavalry and horses were fast, and they arrived in Shili quickly. The Zhendong barracks were quiet, except for the sound of clappers from time to time.

Mi Haiwan rushed to Li Youjin's side and said, "The Tang army camp is big, why don't we divide our troops and rush in."

Li Youjin nodded, and he led Shatuo's [-] cavalry to the middle camp, while Mi Haiwan and Shi Jingcun each led their [-] cavalry to attack the left and right sides.Counting the time, the infantry was about to arrive, Li Youjin waved his hand, and a thousand Heijiashatuo cavalry rushed straight towards the camp gate in the dark night.

The situation was much smoother than Li Youjin expected, and they easily broke through the camp gate and rushed into the camp.Roaring past all the way, he rushed straight into the camp only to find that there were no Tang soldiers coming out to fight.Li Youjin felt very bad. At this time, he saw that the cavalry from the Sage and Anqing tribes who were supposed to attack the left and right wings charged straight at them from the two wings.

Li Youjin was about to warn them that there was an ambush by the Tang army, but he opened his mouth wide and saw the second cavalry rushing forward suddenly attacking the unsuspecting Shatuo cavalry. Shining, in the blink of an eye, dozens of Shatuo soldiers had already been cut down.

"Damn it, the Sage and Anqing tribes betrayed Shatuo!" Li Youjin was furious, but he could only see the Shatuo soldiers who were caught off guard being cut off their horses one after another.At this moment, the bugle horn sounded, countless torches lit up around Tangying, and the Zhendong Army appeared.

The drums are like thunder, and the horns are sounding.

"Young Lord, the Shatuo cavalry and Yunzhou infantry have entered the encirclement. Sage and Anqing are killing the Shatuo soldiers, and Gao Wenshun's Shuozhou soldiers are also beheading the Yunzhou soldiers." Li Cunxiao, Liu Xun, Wang Yanzhang and Gao Siji stood behind Li Jing, listening to the Deputy Pioneer Zhou Dewei reporting loudly to Li Jing.All four of them were a little restless looking at the battlefield with constant shouts and killings, full of longing.

Li Jing looked at the chaotic battlefield under the night, and said coldly: "Slowly shrink the encirclement, don't join the battle without my order, but don't let a Shatuo person leave, and kill those who want to break out." Seeing how Liu Xun and the others were eager to fight, they smiled lightly, "Why, are your hands itchy?"

"Dutong, please give us a chance to fight!" Li Cunxiao finally couldn't help but ask for a fight.Liu Xun, Wang Yanzhang, and Gao Siji also joined in the fight.

Li Jing pondered for a moment, then turned his head and said to Zhou Dewei: "Wuyang, there are only 1000 people in Gao Wenji at Niupi Pass. I will send you to take silver guns and the second battalion of guards to support and take down Niupi Pass. If things go well, you can Before the enemy can react, we will raid and take down Yunzhou and Yunzhong Shouzhuo."

Zhou Dewei accepted the order with some excitement, but Li Cunxiao and the others were somewhat disappointed.

Li Jing stopped Zhou Dewei who was about to turn around, "Take these four guys with you, maybe they can help you."

When Liu Xun and the others heard these words, excitement immediately showed on their already disappointed faces. After being the top soldiers for such a long time, they couldn't bear it any longer.Now that they were able to go to the battlefield again, they were all very excited, and immediately thanked Li Jing loudly, then quickly followed Zhou Dewei and left. (To be continued.)