Chapter 550 Geshu's plan

Linghu Fei's analysis is not a conjecture, but has a certain intelligence basis, especially Geshuhan's dynamics. Li Heng sent several spies to lurk in the jurisdiction of Xiangyang and Geshuhan to secretly collect intelligence, so Linghu Fei knew Geshuhan's situation very well.

Geshuhan did form a secret alliance with Li Mao a long time ago. When Geshuhan betrayed Li Heng and surrendered to Li Longji, he was not reused. He wanted to stay in Hanzhong, so his soldiers could be relatively close to Longyou and facilitate family exchanges, but Li Longji did not do as he wanted, but instead sent him to Lianghu and stationed his army and changed his army into Lianghu Army.

The two lakes are Poyang Lake and Dongting Lake. Geshuhan's headquarters is located in Yuzhang County, which is today Nanchang. During the Tang Dynasty, large-scale development has not yet begun. It has sparse population and dense forests, which made Geshuhan feel endless disappointment. At this time, Geshuhan was over fifty years old and suffered from foot disease. The damp heat in the two lakes made his foot disease worse. The torture and age of illness made Geshuhan full of pessimism about his future.

At this moment, Li Mao personally brought Jingxiang's most famous doctor to visit him, which relieved his illness. This made Geshuhan feel grateful to Li Mao. After a while, their relationship gradually became closer. At this time, Li Longji had not had much time to come. Geshuhan knew that he needed to find a backer, and it happened that Li Mao expressed his intention to recruit him. The two hit it off. From then on, Geshuhan secretly defected to Li Mao.

In August, Jingxiang is still shrouded in the sultry heat of the summer. It just rained in Xiangyang City yesterday, making the road extremely muddy. At this time, a team of cavalry rushed from afar on the official road outside Xiangyang City. The cavalry team was about 500 people, and the leader was Geshuhan.

In the past two years of life in Jiangnan, Geshuhan's face has grown old, his temples have become obviously gray, and his eyes, which have experienced vicissitudes of life, are filled with fatigue.

He came from Jingzhou. He would have led an army of 100,000 from land to Yangzhou, but because Li Heng suddenly sent troops, they were forced to change their plans and stop their eastern expedition to Yangzhou. Geshuhan rushed back to Xiangyang and discussed the next countermeasure with Li Mao.

If Ge Shuhan hadn't taken the Jiannan Army at all two years ago, he had 50,000 Longyou elite soldiers in his hands, enough to defeat enemies several times his own, but now he is not sure. His 50,000 Longyou elite soldiers fled in two years, leaving only 10,000 loyal cavalry left. Although Li Mao had a large number of troops, they were all new recruits who had not been tempered by the war. Ge Shuhan was really worried.

The cavalry team ran all the way and arrived at the city of Xiangyang in a moment. The defenders of Xiangyang City recognized Geshuhan and immediately dodged the way. Geshuhan's cavalry team rushed into the city gate.

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In the north of Xiangyang City, there is a building complex covering an area of ​​about 300 acres, including the flying beams and the Qiong Building Pavilion, which is very magnificent. This is where Li Mao’s Jing Palace is located. This royal palace was newly built after Li Mao came to Xiangyang. However, it was this mansion that caused Li Longji to be dissatisfied with the eighteenth son Li Mao. Li Mao’s royal palace covers a wide area and is magnificent. The Nanming Palace in Chengdu is only more than 200 acres, which is not only smaller than the Jing Palace, but also much shabby. When Li Longji entered Sichuan, the Jing Palace was only half repaired. Li Longji personally issued an order to stop work immediately. The royal palace must not be wider than the royal palace, but Li Mao ignored it and continued to build the Jing Palace.

In fact, Li Mao also had the opportunity to repair his relationship with his father. Although Li Longji hated him for overhauling the Jing Palace, he finally made a move and summoned him to Chengdu for a few times. However, Li Mao was worried that the incident of King Li Yu of Shu would repeat. He was either sick or busy with official duties, so he found various excuses to shirk away. Over time, resentment accumulated day by day in Li Longji's heart, making him deeply hate Li Mao.

Li Mao is less than forty years old this year. He has a handsome face and a graceful temperament. He was born in the imperial family and was born with a desire for power. He was originally named King Shou, and his mother was Concubine Wu Hui, the concubine who was once the favorite concubine of Li Longji. Li Longji even agreed to Concubine Wu Hui and would make Li Mao the crown prince. Li Linfu also secretly promised Concubine Wu Hui and would try his best to support Li Mao to the throne. However, with Concubine Wu Hui's death and the Yang Yuhuan incident, Li Mao was gradually neglected by his father and became a free king. However, after the outbreak of the Jiedu crisis, Li Longji began to enthrone the prince and go to various places to rule. Li Mao was granted to Xiangyang and was later changed to King Jing by Li Yu.

Li Mao, who finally achieved independence in Xiangyang, finally revealed his desire for power, over-recruiting troops, privately appointing local officials, and building land and building royal houses. Li Mao was already a little impatient. Even if he could not be the lord of the world, he would definitely be the emperor of Jingxiang.

In an elegantly decorated room, Li Mao, who had just started taking a nap, was sitting at the table, and was concentrating on tasting the osmanthus tea carefully prepared by the maid. Behind a white jade screen, two concubines were playing the music of the Han River, the breeze, the music of the piano, and the fragrance of jasmine flowers for him. All of this was refreshing. This was Li Mao's habit. Half an hour after the nap must be his time to drink tea and listen to music. It was unstoppable. Even if the situation was tense at this time, it would be difficult to change Li Mao's habit.

However, Li Mao seemed a little restless today. Although the tension in the situation did not change his habits, it changed his mood and he was no longer leisurely and contented.

Li Heng had sent 200,000 troops to the Jingxiang area, and Li Lin from Yangzhou was said to be ready to move. Soon, he would face the attack between the east and west sides, which really made him extremely worried.

At this time, he felt something and glanced out of the corner of his eyes. He saw a family member leaning out at the door. It seemed that something was wrong. It was time for him to drink tea and listen to music. He never dared to disturb him, but the family member dared to show up, which means that he had something important.

"What's the matter?" Li Mao also interrupted the music for the first time and asked.

"Prince, General Geshu is here, wait outside the mansion!"

"Ah!" Li Mao stood up and said anxiously: "So quickly ask General Geshu to enter the mansion, no! I will come out to greet him in person."

If anyone else could interrupt Li Mao’s drinking tea and listening, it was Geshuhan. Now Geshuhan is Li Mao’s life-saving straw and the key figure in whether he, Li Mao, can continue to be the King of Jing.

Li Mao personally welcomed him out of the mansion. Outside the gate of the palace, Ge Shuhan led his horse, and more than a dozen personal soldiers stood behind him. His five hundred men were temporarily stationed in a military camp two miles away to rest.

Geshuhan was exhausted all the way, and his brows frowned. He thought that Li Mao would be in the military camp at this tense moment, but he didn't expect that Li Mao was still in the royal palace, which really made him feel a little annoyed.

In the face of the great enemy, if Li Mao is in the military camp, it can bring confidence to the soldiers, increase morale, and make his soldiers feel that King Jing is facing the crisis of war with them. At this time, Li Mao is still staying in the palace to enjoy it.

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This made Ge Shuhan full of disappointment with him. After all, he was a royal child and a pride of heaven. He was a little bit spoiled by nature.

At this time, the gate of the royal palace was open, and there were only a group of rapid footsteps. Li Mao walked out quickly surrounded by dozens of guards.

"See Your Highness Jing!"

Geshuhan quickly stepped forward and wanted to kneel down on one knee for Li Mao, but Li Mao helped him and blamed him: "How many times have I said that General Geshu doesn't have to be too polite to me!"

"I am used to the military rituals."

"Oh! The situation is tense now, and the military salute is spared. General Geshu will quickly follow me to the mansion."

When Geshuhan heard that the situation was tense, he felt a little relieved. At least he was not too addicted to enjoyment, so he nodded and said, "I really have to discuss military affairs with His Highness."

The two walked into the mansion, Li Mao asked Geshuhan to sit down, and ordered a beautiful concubine to serve tea to Geshuhan. Li Mao indeed paid for it to recruit Geshuhan. He had five beloved concubines, two of which were given to Geshuhan. This concubine who served tea was named Ruyi, and was Li Mao's treasure in the room. This time she asked her to come out for tea, so that Geshuhan could work hard for him.

But today Geshuhan had something to do in his heart. He was unintentional and turned a blind eye to the beautiful concubine who had tea. Seeing that Geshuhan's gaze was solemn, Li Mao was secretly surprised in his heart, so he waved to the concubine and ordered her to go down.

There were only two of them left in the room, and Li Mao asked in a low voice: "General Geshu, is it really wrong?"

Geshuhan shook his head and sighed, "I got news on the way. Among the 200,000 troops sent by Li Heng this time, there are 100,000 Jiannan old troops. These old troops were the former Guanzhong Prefecture soldiers. They participated in the battle with Nanzhao and also fought with the Tubo army several times. I heard that their combat capabilities are very strong, and they are elite troops brought out by Gao Xianzhi."

Li Mao frowned and said, "But our army has been trained for many years. Is it not as good as the Jiannan Army at all?"

"Your Highness, the combat effectiveness of the army is not just training, but training is only a small part. The key is actual combat. Why Anxi is so powerful is because they trained in actual combat. After the hardships of the war, a soldier trained for thousands of days, but when he saw the head cut off, he was also unbearable. Our soldiers just had no practical experience!"

Geshuhan knew that although the Jingxiang Army also had nearly 200,000 troops, the combat effectiveness of these 200,000 troops was indeed not as good as Gao Xianzhi's Jiannan Army. If a big battle really occurred, 70% of the Jingxiang Army might be defeated.

Li Mao also understood what Geshu Han was referring to, but he had no choice. His combat effectiveness could not be improved in one or two days. Now the key is to deal with the current crisis. He pondered for a moment and asked: "I also know that the situation is tense. Can General Geshu have a solution?"

"Yes!" Ge Shuhan nodded.

Li Mao was greatly excited and hurriedly said, "What are the tricks of General Geshu? Tell me quickly!"

Ge Shuhan hesitated for a moment. Although it was not easy to speak, the situation was critical. He had to grit his teeth and said, "Your Highness, if you want to deal with this crisis, there is actually only one way, that is, openly loyal to the Northern Tang Emperor!"

"What? How can this be done!"

Li Mao was shocked and angry, asking him to be loyal to his two-year-old nephew, and he would not do it if he beat him to death.

"His highness calms down and listen to me."

Geshuhan also knew that Li Mao could not accept it, but he had to say some things, "Your Highness should also know that the world is facing each other in the north and south, either in the Northern Tang or in the Southern Tang. There is no third choice for the people in the world. Unless your Highness wants to proclaim himself emperor, your Highness will have to face the reality in the end, either to surrender to the Southern Tang or bow to the Northern Tang. I think your Highness should not surrender to Li Heng!"

Speaking of this, Ge Shuhan's pupils gradually contracted into a line, and he squinted his eyes and stared at Li Mao. He had a little doubt that Li Mao would surrender to Li Heng. If that were the case, Li Heng would definitely ask his own head as a condition for accepting surrender. Will Li Mao kill himself and surrender to Li Heng? The answer is definitely, Li Longji's sons are the same as him, and will do anything to achieve their goals.

So Geshuhan made this suggestion not only to understand the danger in front of him, but also to test Li Mao. At this time, Li Mao suddenly understood Geshuhan's concerns, and he couldn't help but laugh: "Where did General Geshu think of? How could I surrender to Li Heng? If I surrendered to him, I would have admitted him long ago. Will I wait until today? I was overthinking! I was really overthinking!"

Ge Shuhan heard that Li Mao was a little insincere and could only sigh and said, "Your Highness, in fact, it may not be necessary to admit that the Northern Tang Dynasty is serious. The main reason is that we need to get the support of Li Qing'an's army. If Li Qing'an is willing to help us, then this crisis will be resolved. But if Li Qing'an wants to help us, we have to pay tribute to Northern Tang. This is the key."

Li Mao pondered for a moment and said, "But I'm worried that Li Qing'an will take the opportunity to swallow us."

"No! No!"

Geshuhan flatly denied: "I have been with Li Qing'an for many years and know very well about him. This person never does anything unsure. He is already short of troops. If he annexes us, his strength will be dispersed even more and will face the dilemma of fighting against Li Heng and An Lushan. He will not be worth the loss. He will definitely not annex us. Besides, he does not have annexes of more than 50,000 troops and it will be difficult for him to annex us. Please rest assured that your highness is willing to guarantee this with a head."

Li Mao walked slowly with his hands behind his back, and he began to seriously consider Geshuhan's suggestions. In fact, Li Mao didn't want to surrender. He just wanted to maintain the status quo. It would be best that he could get along well between the courts of the North and the South, take advantage of their conflicts and gain the greatest benefits.

After pondering for a moment, he said to Geshuhan: "I can submit to Northern Tang, but I don't want to make it public. I can express my opinion in private, but I hope to have a secret contact with Li Qing'an and agree to certain conditions in exchange for his troops. General Geshu, don't know what this plan is?"

Geshuhan knew that Li Mao had never been sincere, so he had no choice but to say, "Okay! I'll send my confidant to contact Li Qing'an to see if he gives me this face."

"Then all will be General Lao Geshu."

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Heyin County, Zhengzhou, is where Li Qing'an's main camp. That morning, three cavalrymen rushed from the south. They all walked a long distance and seemed to be exhausted. As soon as they arrived a mile outside Li Qing'an's camp, a team of patrolling cavalry outside the camp blocked their way.

"Who are you? Why did you trespass into the camp!"

A cavalry led by the leader quickly bowed and said, "We are from Xiangyang, sent by General Geshu to send His Highness the King of Zhao a handwritten letter."

"Where is the letter?"

The cavalry took out the letter and said, "The letter is here!"

The patrol captain waved his hand and said, "Search the whole body, except for letters, no other items shall be brought in!"

More than a dozen soldiers stepped forward, searched the three cavalry carefully, and put their weapons and their carry-ons into temporary bags. The captain then led them to the camp.

At this time, Li Qing'an had just returned from Luoyang. He returned to Luoyang specifically to listen to Pei Xi's promotion intelligence report on the field restriction order. At this time, the field restriction in Duji Province had been fully launched under the auspices of Pei Xi. This is actually confiscating the land of the powerful people of the Southern Tang Dynasty, reuniting the fields, repeating what Li Yu had done in Guanzhong.

Li Qingan took this matter very seriously, which was also the main reason why he advocated confrontation with An Lushan's army. He needed time to promote land reform in the Central Plains and bribe the hearts of the people in the Central Plains. Otherwise, once the war spreads out in the Central Plains, the Central Plains will be destroyed by the war, and his land limit will not be able to be implemented.

The equal-field system was the basis for the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty in the early days. If he wanted to revive the Tang Dynasty, he had to attack the land, restore the equal-field system in the early Tang Dynasty to a certain extent, and then vigorously develop commerce to guide the flow of capital in the Tang Dynasty, rather than annexing land.

But this is just a long-term vision. Li Qing'an first faced the unification of the Tang Dynasty. At this time, Li Qing'an was listening to the report of Wei Qingping, who had just returned from Bashu, in the commander's tent.

Wei Qingping felt very ashamed that his mission was not completed, and Yang Guozhong and Li Wan's actions were ultimately in vain. The Yang family was almost exterminated and Li Wan was also executed.

"Bizhi repeatedly advised Yang Guozhong not to go through a third party and directly raise troops to besiege Nanming Palace. Yang Guozhong also agreed, but Beizhi did not expect that they would still ask Yu Chaoenlai to act, but in the end they were reported by Yu Chaoen. This is Beizhi's dereliction of duty, so please punish the general!"
To be continued...