Chapter 352 War and Conspiracy (II)

In March of the 12th year of Tianbao, Gao Xianzhi reported that he had been beheaded and displayed in public by Bian Lingcheng in Tongguan for the crime of confiscating his troops and was killed. He was also killed. Li Longji immediately appointed Wang Sili as the deputy commander of Tongguan and temporarily took charge of the defense of Tongguan.

In mid-March, Li Longji appointed Li Guangbi, deputy envoy of Shuofang Jiedu, as the governor of Hedong Jiedu, and ordered him to lead Shuofang army east out of Jingxing and attack Taiyuan. He also appointed Guo Ziyi as the governor of Fanyang, first went to Hexi and Longyou, and collected nearly 150,000 troops from the two places and entered Guanzhong to prepare for war. Since then, the Tang army in Guanzhong has increased to 300,000. At the end of March, two million stones of rice in Jiannan were transported into Guanzhong, and the situation in Guanzhong was slightly resolved.

Before dawn, the city of Chang'an was dark, and suddenly the rumbling drum sounded in the various yards of Chang'an, awakening the entire Chang'an. The citizens were shocked at first, and then recalled that many years ago, the same drum sounded every day. This was the drum sound of the ministers who came to court. After nearly six years of silence, they rang again.

One carriage after another began to appear on the street, and orange lanterns drifted in the cold night wind, gradually converging into a stream of thin streams flowing towards the Danfeng Gate of the Daming Palace.

The great dynasty, which had been interrupted for many years, was launched again today. This was the Tang Dynasty system that began to return to normal after facing a profound political crisis.

The magnificent and broad Hanyuan Hall was solemn and silent. The court officials above the fifth rank were arranged in sequence, and everyone was silent. This was an extremely special court meeting. It was extremely sensitive. Those who spoke first would determine the content of the discussion meeting and even determine the direction of the Tang Dynasty. Many ministers hoped that the emperor, the high-ranking emperor, would speak first. If it started from him, it would inevitably be an edict to apologize to the people of the world. Then the Tang Dynasty would enter a new beginning.

But Li Longji has been silent. He has a gloomy face. It is impossible for him to issue a self-criticism edict. His purpose of holding a court meeting is also to receive advice from his ministers on the current situation, good strategies for destroying An Lushan's rebellion, and tricks for alleviating the financial crisis of the court.

Three hundred thousand troops gathered in Guanzhong, which was his last life-saving straw. This army could not allow any mistakes, but the left treasury was empty and the money was saved was only 200,000 guan. Where did the monthly military pay come from? Last year, Guanzhong had a severe drought, and nearly half of the land was not collected. Now it is not in the blue and yellow. According to convention, the imperial court needed to close the warehouse of rice, but the grain warehouses in Shanzhou were burned. Although the grain storage in Guanzhong was nearly three million guan, he could not save the market again under the premise of ensuring that military food was the first.

There is also Longyou and most of the troops from Hexi were transferred to Guanzhong, and the defense issues against Tubo were also major issues, and these were things that need to be solved in a hurry.

"Your Majesty, I have this memorial!" Yang Guozhong finally broke the silence in the court. He walked out of the court and bowed and bowed, "Please allow your Majesty."

Li Longji nodded slightly, "Please say it right minister!"

"Your Majesty, our Tang army was defeated in Shanzhou, and 300,000 soldiers were almost wiped out. Although Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing have been beheaded, they are only deputy positions, and the chief general is at large and has not been dealt with at all. I am deeply unfair to the 300,000 Tang army."

Speaking of this, he raised his voice, raised a memorial high above his head, and said loudly: "This is the signing list of 320 important officials of the court. I hope Your Majesty can understand the loyalty of our members to the Tang Dynasty."

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense. An eunuch on duty came down and handed the memorial in Yang Guozhong's hand to Li Longji. Li Longji flipped it over. The first one was Yang Guozhong, the second one was Geshuhan, the third one was Wei Jiansu, the following one was Zhang Yi and Xian Yu Zhongtong.

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As expected, almost all the important officials signed the signatures. Of course, some were intimidated by Yang Guozhong's power, and they might not be sincere. However, this thick memorial did put a lot of pressure on Li Longji, even exceeding the signatures of thirty-three royal families.

Li Longji had no expression on his face. He put the memorial on the case and explained to Yang Guozhong: "I understand the Prime Minister's desire to safeguard the country, but the King of Chu fell ill at Tongguan at that time and could not go to the front command of the enemy. This defeat had nothing to do with him."

Li Longji's voice was not loud, and people who were far away could not hear it at all, but Yang Guozhong, who was standing on the steps, could not miss a word. He did not stop because of the emperor's explanation. On the contrary, he said relentlessly: "Your Majesty, although the King of Chu did not participate in the war, he gave the power of the commander to Gao Xianzhi without permission. Without the consent of the court, should he bear the responsibility?"

A person's temper is indulged, and this is true for Yang Guozhong. He colluded with Li Cong to force the palace to rebel, and he could survive such a serious crime without any damage. In order to appease him, Li Longji even married Princess Wanchun to his second son. Such kindness and kindness made Yang Guozhong become increasingly arrogant. Knowing that this court would discuss how to deal with An Lushan's rebellion, he insisted on using Li Yu to attack him, and even made it clear that the ministers had secretly colluded with each other to show Li Longji.

He had already figured out Li Longji's weakness. As long as the imperial concubine was there, he would not be afraid of offending Li Longji. He was also a tough prime minister. Zhang Jiuling insisted on state affairs, but Yang Guozhong was out of his own selfishness.

Li Longji was a little annoyed by his reluctance to forgiveness. He endured it and said in displeasure: "Prime Minister, I won't discuss the matter of the King of Chu for now. I will discuss whether he is guilty after quelling the An Lushan Rebellion. Today I will discuss finances and how to quell the rebellion."

Although it was not stated clearly, this was actually a compromise for Li Longji, which means that before the An Lushan Rebellion was quelled, Li Yu could not be appointed as the crown prince. Under the pressure of strong opposition, he had to make concessions.

"Your Majesty has an order. Will the King of Chu be guilty of being defeated or not? Let's discuss it after quelling the rebellion. Today, we will only discuss finances and how to quell the rebellion!" The eunuch's high-pitched voice came out of the hall, and this was concluded and no one could talk about it again.

Although he did not get the most satisfactory reply, the emperor had already made concessions. Even if Yang Guozhong won the championship, Yang Guozhong smiled proudly, but he did not retreat. He took out the second memorial and said to Li Longji: "Since Your Majesty wants to discuss quelling the rebellion, I have a suggestion."

Li Longji finally became a little interested and said with a smile: "Prime Minister, please continue!"

"After all, without a commander in the frontier is not a long-term matter. We must be appointed as soon as possible. I think the new commander must not only conquer the border troops, but also have a high status, so that the military forces in Guanzhong can be convinced, so that the command can be effective. Therefore, I recommend Zuo Xiangge Shuhan as the Grand Marshal of the Army and lead the army to quell the rebellion."

Frankly speaking, Yang Guozhong's suggestion is indeed reasonable. There are still 300,000 troops in Guanzhong, with border troops and government troops each accounting for half. The border troops mainly come from Hexi and Longyou. These are Geshuhan's old subordinates, so commanding them is no problem. Moreover, Geshuhan is now the left prime minister and has a high status. This can suppress the snobbish government troops. Moreover, as Geshuhan's identity as the Prince of Xiping, it seems that only he can compete with An Lushan.

However, Yang Guozhong's suggestion contained a deep selfish desire. He had reached a secret agreement with Yongwang Li Lin to support him as the crown prince. In order to achieve this goal, the best way was to obtain military power. After repeated consideration, Yang Guozhong decided to recommend Geshuhan as the commander of the three armies.

Li Longji's original intention was to use Guo Ziyi as the head coach, but he carefully considered that Guo Ziyi was just a deputy commander of the military. Not to mention commanding the arrogant government army, even the border army could not suppress it. He could not even compare with Gao Xianzhi.

First of all, whether to lead the troops, secondly, war and strategy. After learning a lesson from Gao Xianzhi, Li Longji also woke up. Yang Guozhong's suggestions were undoubtedly timely and also moved Li Longji. But the only doubt was whether Geshuhan could hold military power. He could easily remove Geshuhan's military governor's power, and now he gave him the soldiers from Hexi and Longyou. Isn't it a bit ironic?

"Your Majesty, I oppose Yang's proposal!" A minister stood up from the left ban, but was Pei Kuan, the Minister of Rites. He was the only Minister who had no signature to oppose Li Yu's establishment of the crown prince. He also supported Yong Wang as the crown prince because he did not like Li Heng's meanness and mercy, nor did he look down on Li Cong's hypocrisy and evil. He looked down on other princes, but as time passed, he slowly saw through Li Lin, which was actually a bird of a feather and hypocrisy. If he was the crown prince, it would be a misfortune of the Tang Dynasty. Just as Li Qing looked at Li Yu at first sight, Pei Kuan also liked this kind and generous emperor eldest grandson very much. He firmly supported Li Yu as the crown prince.

He was a worldly-minded person. He saw the evil intentions contained in Yang Guozhong's request and immediately objected.

"Your Majesty, although Geshu Prime Minister is brave and good at fighting, he is the left prime minister and also serves as the Minister of Revenue. He is a daily life. If he leads troops to fight, it may affect the government affairs of the court, so I do not agree!"

The implication is that he is also reminding Li Longji that since he finally tried to exchange the Left Prime Minister and the Minister of Revenue for Ge Shuhan's transfer of power, is it a bit too risky to return military power to him now?

Li Longji heard what he meant, and smiled faintly and said, "Who does Pei have any good people recommend?"

Pei Kuan smiled slightly, and he made two fingers, "Your Majesty! I have two people to recommend."

"You said!" Li Longji leaned forward slightly, looking very interested.

"The first person recommended Li Qing, the governor of Anxi. He offered his three strategies to suppress the thief. I highly agree with it, especially in mobilizing the people of the world to fight against the An thief. I think this is a hit on the weakness of the An thief. Those who go against the will of the people will be subverted by the people. Since Li Qing can see this, it is enough to see his cleverness, so let him be the commander, which is comparable to An Lushan."

"What about the second person?"

"The second person of me is Wang Chengye, the general of the Yulin Army. He is respected and has a high prestige in the army. He has been guarding His Majesty for many years. His loyalty is meticulous. The old memorial has been with him for many years in Taiyuan. He knows that he is cautious in using his troops, marching steadily, and using him as the commander, which is in line with the current situation."

Li Longji was a little hesitant about the two people proposed by Pei Kuan. Li Qing's three strategies for pacifying thieves were good, but he himself had a little experience and was afraid that he would not be able to convince the public. On the contrary, Wang Chengye was too old. He was too old. Rather than being cautious in using troops, he was afraid and full of dusk.

Just as Li Longji was pondering, Yang Guozhong and Geshu Han quickly exchanged glances. Yang Guozhong immediately stepped forward and replied: "Your Majesty, I have a better suggestion for Li Qing's arrangements!"

"What suggestions?" Li Longji glanced at it, and a hint of vigilance appeared in his heart.

Yang Guozhong sighed slightly and said with great concern: "Your Majesty, what I am most worried about now are two things, one is to calm the thief and the other is to attack the border."

As soon as he said this, he immediately caused a stolen sound in the hall. Yang Guozhong's words hit the current problems. The court drew all Hexi and Longyou borders to Guanzhong. The border defense was empty. Once Tubo attacked the border, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Li Longji nodded, which was what he was most worried about. However, once Shanzhou was defeated, he no longer believed in the weak government soldiers. He could only draw combat-capable border troops from Longyou and Hexi to fight against An Lushan's cavalry.

Preventing Tubo from attacking the border is also a major issue today. Seeing Yang Guozhong mention it, Li Longji hurriedly asked: "What are the good suggestions for the Prime Minister?"

Yang Guozhong smiled, "I have been thinking about this for a long time. Now there are only two armies in Anxi and Beiting in the Western Regions. There is nothing wrong with the Western Front. One of them can be transferred to supplement Hexi. Longyou is in short supply, and Shibao City is in our hands. Although the attack on Tubo is insufficient, defense is not a problem. Therefore, I recommend Shou Wang Li Mao as the Longyou Road Observer, but Shou Wang has insufficient experience in leading troops, so I recommend Li Qing as the deputy envoy, responsible for the comprehensive defense of Tubo."

The Tang Dynasty was divided into ten roads, among which the Longyou Road was the most vast, and its jurisdiction was from the west of Longyou to the western border of the Tang Dynasty. However, this was just a regional division. Since its founding, no one has ever been in charge of such a vast territory.

Yang Guozhong received news from Yang Guifei that Li Longji was already considering sending his sons to take charge of the world, so his aides gave him this idea to distinguish Li Qing's power.

On the surface, this strategy is extremely clever and can kill two birds with one stone. It can not only prevent Tubo and also cut off Li Qing's power, but everything is a double-edged sword. Li Longji's idea is deeper than Yang Guozhong. He is extremely worried that Shou Wang Li Mao is good at the deep palace, and he is afraid that he will not be Li Qing's opponent. Not only will he not play any role, but Li Qing's power will take the opportunity to extend into Hexi and Longyou, so that he can become bigger. But if he replaces other princes, it is actually the same.

"Forget it, even without Mao'er, can he go straight in? Since he can make three strategies to combat thieves, it means he is still loyal to my Tang Dynasty. Let's try it!"

Li Longji could not think of a more prudent plan, so he immediately agreed: "Authorize! Pass my order, and grant Shou Wang Mao the Longyou Road Observation Envoy, and Li Qing the Deputy Envoy, who is fully responsible for defending against Tubo!"

This is the only decision made since the opening of the court meeting. With this decision as the basis, Li Longji made it easier for the rest of the matter. Yang Guozhong was overjoyed when he saw Li Longji's comments. He rushed to Ge Shuhan, meaning: 'It depends on you next.'

At this time, Geshuhan came out of duty, and he stood under the jade stairs and said passionately: "Your Majesty, I am shallow in talent and cannot assume the position of marshal. I am willing to resign from the position of left prime minister, rush to the battlefield as an old soldier, and personally kill the head of the dog thief An Lushan to calm Your Majesty's wrath."

His statement was extremely timely. At this time, Li Longji was already open and no longer afraid of Ge Shuhan leading the troops. Moreover, with Bian Lingcheng as the military supervisor, he was not afraid of his unfair intentions. Li Longji immediately said: "Since you have the intention to kill thieves for me, why can't I fulfill your wishes? Pass on my will, and I will grant the Left Prime Minister Shuhan the Grand Marshal of the World, and be appointed as the Minister of Shangshu Right Pushe, and lead the army to Tongguan to meet the enemy!"

In April of the 12th year of Tianbao, Geshuhan led a large army of 300,000 to Tongguan. He did not fight, but built the city walls, trained the soldiers, and prepared to fight a protracted battle with An Lushan.

In mid-April, Li Longji appointed Guo Ziyi as the governor of Hedong and led the headquarters of Shuofang Army to attack Changshan, while Li Guangbi's army attacked Taiyuan. At the end of April, Guo Ziyi's army recovered Changshan. Li Guangbi adopted the strategy of besieging the city to attack aid. With the cooperation of Guo Ziyi, he defeated Shi Siming's army who went north to rescue and recovered Taiyuan. Then he sent out a surprise troops in a row, three battles and three victories, defeated Shi Siming, Cai Xide and Yin Ziqi, beheaded more than 10,000 people and captured 4,000 alive. Shi Siming was a disciple and fled to Boling alone.

Since then, the entire Hedong area was regained, and Li Longji immediately appointed Wang Chengye as the Taiyuan Yin and in charge of Hedong government affairs. At the same time, the rebels from all over Hebei, led by Yan Zhenqing and Yan Gaoqing brothers, rose up one after another, forming hundreds of militia groups of all sizes to spontaneously defend their homes. Li Longji named Yan Zhenqing as the Minister of Revenue and Yan Gaoqing as the Shaoqing of the Taiwei Temple. All the people in the uprising were granted the title of righteous men to commend their achievements.

In Henan, some local officials also recruited soldiers and built strong cities, responded to the call of the court, and prevented An Lushan from moving south and eastward. Among them, the governor of Nanyang, the governor of Beihai, the governor of Beiyang, and the governor of Yingchuan, the governor of Lai Wang, and Li Longji also granted official positions and gave praise, and ordered officials from all over the world to follow their example.

In early May, Li Longji accepted Yang Guozhong's suggestion and issued a goal to issue large money nationwide, using one large amount to 50 Kaiyuan Tongbao to raise military expenses. Once this order was issued, Kaiyuan Tongbao depreciated sharply, and rice prices rose again. Barters even occurred in various cities in Chang'an.

As May enters, it is early summer. The weather is getting hotter. The land of Longyou is already green and the wheat is golden. It is about to be harvested.

On the official road north of Shanzhou, it is about two miles away from the Yellow River. The wind is filled with the smell of the river. If you climb up Dashu, you can see the turbid and boundless Yellow River from afar.

On this day, a huge team appeared on the horizon. The army had about 20,000 people, and it was so dark that it was elusive that they were the Anxi Army that came from afar. The one who opened the way in front was five thousand cavalry, followed by five thousand crossbowmen, and the last one who posed for the formation was the 10,000 Modao Army, famous all over the world.

More than 20,000 people rode on horseback. In just ten days, the army arrived at Longyou. As Li Longji was worried, the order to appoint Li Qing as the deputy envoy of Longyou Road Observation was ordered. Li Qing immediately led his troops into Hexi. He appointed Duan Xiushi as the deputy envoy of Anxi Jiedu, who was fully responsible for the military and political affairs of Yezhou. He also transferred some Beiting Army to various places in Anxi, and was unified in command by Chief Zhang Xun. The troops recruited in Shazhou were responsible for guarding all parts of Hexi. He himself led more than 20,000 elite Anxi troops to Longyou to fill the gap after the Longyou Army was taken away.

"General, there is Shanzhou City in front of him." A small school pointed to a black city from a distance and told Li Qing.

Li Qing nodded with a smile. Of course he knew that he had been the deputy envoy of Longyou Jiedu under Huangfu Weiming for a period of time and was stationed in Shanzhou. However, he became the deputy envoy of Longyou Dao Observation and went to visit the chief envoy Li Mao. However, things were easy to change, and he was no longer the governor of Shazhou who was at the mercy of others back then.

"Tell me my order, and the army will be stationed on the spot!" With his order, the 20,000 Anxi Army immediately became busy. They set up camp tents, pulled up wooden fences, and built guardhouses. In just one hour, a camp that stretched for several miles appeared on the west bank of the Yellow River.

Then more than a thousand personal soldiers guarded Li Qing and rushed towards Shanzhou City. King Shou Li Mao had already received the news, and he left the city to greet him in a nervous mood.

Prince Shou Li Mao is the eighteenth son of Li Longji, the ex-husband of Yang Guifei. He is a very literary man, handsome, gentle and elegant temperament. When his mother Wu Huifei was favored, he was very popular with Li Longji and was even expected to be the crown prince for a time. However, after Wu Huifei's death, as Yang Yuhuan was taken away by his father, he completely fell into the trough of his life.

This time, the father took him as the beginning and let him leave the capital, and ordered him to actually lead the Longyou Dao Observation Envoy. His original intention was to seize Li Qing's power, but Li Longji could allocate him not much troops, so he only sent 500 imperial guards to Longyou. In addition, more than 2,000 officers and soldiers guarding Shibao City, Li Mao's men could use less than 3,000 people, so how could he compete with Li Qing's more than 20,000 people.

If you want to seize Li Qing's power, his own strength must first surpass Li Qing. This is an iron rule since ancient times.

"Your Highness Shou, it has been nearly seven years since you left Chang'an. Your Highness is better than yesterday, and you are happy to congratulate you!"

Although he was kind to the words, Li Qing did not give a big gift from his subordinates. He just bowed his hand immediately and then saw the gift.

Li Mao secretly complained in his heart that he had brought only more than 300 cavalry followers to greet Li Qing. He wanted to take the opportunity to force him to delegate power to him, but unexpectedly, the other party brought more than a thousand people. Without orders, it had already been distributed around, cutting off all his retreat.

He smiled reluctantly and said, "General, thank you all the hardships. Please follow me into the city to rest. As for defense matters, we will talk about it later."

Li Qing did not move. He immediately bowed and smiled and said, "Your Highness, on the way to Longyou, I heard that the Tubo army had any abnormal movements, and the defense arrangement cannot be postponed. Li Qing specially came to ask Your Highness to go to the military camp and let Your Highness meet my Anxierlang first and then discuss the defense arrangement."

After saying that, he looked at Li Mao coldly and waited for his reply. Li Mao secretly called something wrong in his heart. He laughed dryly: "Li Mao is a literati. He doesn't understand military affairs. The general himself made his own decision on the defense. I won't go."

After saying that, he turned around and was about to leave, but heard Li Qing laughing loudly: "Since your highness has come, let me go to meet the generals of Anxi. Your Highness is the Longyoudao Observation Envoy, that is, their superiors. How can the superiors not see their subordinates!"

He waved his hand gently, and more than a thousand people gradually surrounded him and surrounded them. Li Mao was afraid, but he could not lower his head to show weakness. He suddenly shouted sternly: "Li Qing, what are you doing? Are you going to force me to kill me?"

"Where do you dare to force Your Highness? It's just that I'm the one who climbed out of the dead. If Your Highness doesn't give them face, I'm afraid my subordinates won't be able to control them. Your Highness will consider it yourself! Li Qing will never force him to go or not."

After saying that, he seemed to leave with a bunch of horses. Li Mao saw that the soldiers were all stubborn and fierce, and his hands were placed on the knife handle. He was immediately panicked. He ignored the royal family's face and hurriedly said: "Li Qing, you must ensure that you will not hurt me!"

Li Qing smiled faintly and said, "Your Highness is my guest. Whoever dares to touch your highness half of the hair will kill him!"
Chapter completed!