I returned to Huating in despair, and the sky had turned completely dark. The entire county town flickered in and out under the light of lightning, and it was desolate and dilapidated like a hell. Almost all the courtyards had their doors and windows closed, and almost all the windows had no light. There were long and dark strips.
In the streets and alleys, there was no sound of any living thing. Only the overwhelming torrential rain beat on the thatch and tile roofs, rustling, rustling, like a hundred ghosts walking at night.
The only place in the entire county that still looked a little angry was the starting point of the disaster, Huating County Government. The county magistrate, the chief registrar, the officials of each house, and the regiment commander Zhang Wenzhong and his subordinates who had just taken office and didn't even have a butt.
All the officers at all levels who were sitting in the warm seats were "invited" to the second hall by Zhao Huaixu. Although they were not shackled and were well served with tea and snacks, they were all so frightened that their faces turned pale and they were uncomfortable sitting on the temporary benches.
Dare to come out.
Seeing Wang Xun entering with a livid face, all the local officials immediately stood up, bowed and begged for mercy in a low voice: "See the interviewer!"
"Your Excellency, I have been driven away by the imperial envoy to work elsewhere these days and have nothing to do with him."
"Sir, please forgive me. We will never dare to say anything about what happened today!"
"Young ones are willing to follow the adults' lead!"
"Sir, please spare my life. The little one didn't see anything, not anything!"
Wang Xun was already in a very bad mood, and he became even more angry when everyone begged him without thinking. He immediately raised his eyes and yelled loudly: "Shut up! Anyone who doesn't want to die, sit back! Wang
I don’t have time to wait for you now!”
"ah--!"
"yes!"
All the local civil and military officials were so frightened that they rolled and crawled to get out of the way. The brave ones had earth-colored faces, while the timid ones were already whimpering and crying.
"Useless things, no wonder Anlu Mountain is so strong all the way!" Wang Xun saw all the performance of the officials, and felt contempt in his heart, "Why are you crying? You have completely embarrassed the court! You are a bunch of ignorant people.
You actually use An Lushan’s minions as imperial envoys to offer you something. I don’t have time to care about your trivial matters now. After the memorial is sent to the Ministry of Officials, the superiors will naturally punish you and wait according to the law!"
"Ah——. The imperial envoy is a fake!"
"How could it be possible, how could it be possible?!"
"Ouch! You've tricked me to death!"
After hearing this, the faces of all the officials became even better. They were shocked, panicked, regretful, and doubtful. However, Zhang Wenzhong, who had been trained in the regiment, was smarter and quickly smelled a glimmer of hope of survival from Wang Xun's words. He immediately grabbed the first few.
He stepped forward and knelt down with a thump: "Please be clear to me, sir. As soon as that liar entered the city, he used the banner of an angel and yelled. We are usually bullied and scared by the eunuchs, and we really don't have the guts to carefully check the authenticity of his identity."
!”
"Thank you, sir, for exposing him. Otherwise, we would have been kept in the dark!" The county magistrate Qin Lianfeng was not a fool. He immediately followed Zhang Wenzhong and said, "We are willing to accept any punishment. Please have mercy on me and wait for me."
A chance to atone for your sins!"
"Please have mercy, sir!"
"Have mercy, sir!"
All the officials woke up from a dream and lay on the ground one after another, banging their heads. Wang Xun was really not interested in wasting time on these people, so he frowned and spoke in a slower tone: "Everyone, sit down."
Just wait and see! How we will deal with you depends on your respective performance. If you are truly repentant, Wang will not hesitate to say some fair words on your behalf in the memorial!"
"Thank you, General!" "Thank you, the interviewer!" The stones hanging in the throats of all the local civil and military officials finally fell. They thanked each other and climbed back to their seats. As for how credible Wang Xun's words are.
They didn't dare to be serious. If they held the knife in each other's hand, if they were not careful, their lives would be gone! Who cares whether a few eunuchs who have never met before are real or fake?!
"Find a cook and get some food and wine for them!" Seeing that everyone was so understanding, Wang Xun's annoyance suddenly eased a lot. He turned his head to Sha Qianli and whispered. "Brothers' dinner will be arranged as soon as possible. What's missing?
If you need anything, just ask the officials here!"
"Xiaguan is willing to serve you. I am willing to serve you!" Before Sha Qianli could respond, the county magistrate Qin Lianfeng rushed forward again, crawling on the ground again, smiling charmingly at Wang Xun, "Xiaguan's cousin's house
We just run a restaurant, and the cook is hired from the capital with a lot of money, and his craftsmanship is absolutely first-class. As long as you give me a command arrow, the food for the brothers will be taken care of by me!"
"Then there is County Magistrate Lao!" From Qin Lianfeng's official uniform, Wang Xun could tell his identity, smiled, and gave instructions with some encouragement.
"Yes!" Qin Lianfeng saluted happily, turned around and left. After walking a few steps, he was stopped by Wang Xun from behind: "Wait a minute! Bring a few more people, and tell everyone what happened during the day.
The people of the city said that there was a spy from An Lushan pretending to be an imperial envoy and cheating, but this interviewer found out and killed him on the spot. It has nothing to do with the people here, so please don't panic!"
"Hey, hey, I'm going to go right now, go right now!!" Qin Lianfeng knew very well that in this way, even if he stepped on the pirate ship, he didn't have the courage to refuse. He agreed repeatedly and turned around to find himself.
's subordinates.
Wang Xun looked at Sha Qianli and signaled him to find a few reliable brothers to monitor the actions of the county magistrate Qin Lianfeng. Then he stretched himself out pretending to be relaxed and said with a smile: "Find a few people to help me boil a pot of hot water. I'll
I need to take a bath to get rid of the cold. What the hell is this weather like? It’s still so cold!”
"I'm going to look for someone, I'm going to find someone." Immediately, another local official took the initiative to ask Ying to organize people to boil water. Wang Xun nodded, which was regarded as acquiescence. Then he turned his attention to his brothers, "Ziling, thirteen,
Wanqi, you three should go find a place to take a hot bath. Hurry up and don't let the cold get into your bones. Brother Sha, I'll leave this place to you. Brother Zhao, come with me. The situation in the capital has changed.
, let’s chat while taking a shower!”
"No!" The generals bowed their hands and dispersed. A group of local officials were left staring at each other in the second hall. They were also very confused about what kind of chaos there was in the capital. There is good news recently.
The news and bad news came one after another, but none of them seemed to be able to withstand careful consideration. The only thing that was certain was that the reinforcements in the city from the far west were absolutely powerful. In the afternoon, only more than a hundred people were needed to defeat them.
More than 500 regiments and more than 400 flying dragon guards were all captured, and their own losses were probably less than ten.
Looking at the fierce appearance of the Anxi soldiers who were responsible for surveillance at the door, some local officials suddenly felt at ease. If the interviewer really had ulterior motives, it might not be a bad thing at all.
At least everyone doesn't have to worry about it every day. Moreover, although Mr. Wang looks fierce on the surface, he is actually quite reasonable.
Wang Xun didn't have time to care about the local officials' thoughts, so he quickly walked into the back hall with Zhao Huaixu. The back hall of the county government office was originally a place for the county magistrate's family. A few days ago, in order to flatter the "fake imperial envoy", it was specially
It was vacated and rearranged, making it as luxurious as an emperor's palace. Wang Xun didn't have time to appreciate the exquisite furnishings inside. After entering the room, he took off the soaked armor and clothes from his body and threw them away.
On one side, he then tore off the bedside curtain, wiped it on his body, and wrapped it around his waist. With his bare back, Zhao Huaixu whispered to Zhao Huaixu who followed him: "Both Feng Shuai and Gao Xianzhi were unjustly killed by the imperial court." Zida
I want to avenge Feng Shuai. Tongguan is also lost, Ge Shuhan surrendered to Anlu Mountain, and the city of Chang'an is in danger. I am so confused now that I don't know what to do..."
Although Zhao Huaixu had vaguely heard some ominous news from the mouths of several young eunuchs when he was taking prisoners into custody in the afternoon. At this moment, after receiving confirmation from Wang Xun, his heart still tumbled. After a long while, he sighed,
He said quietly: "When Zida first arrived in the Anxi Army, his personality was too flamboyant, and he offended many veteran generals. It was Commander Feng who protected him all the time, so he was always safe. There were many major generals in the Anxi Army, and there were too many people to do anything. In addition to fighting against the cannibals
Outside of that battle, it is usually rare for everyone to get a chance to show their faces. It was also Marshal Feng who, in the name of training newcomers, gave the task of suppressing bandits to Zida and the others several times..."
"I know this!" Wang Xun didn't expect that Zhao Huaixu's first reaction was to defend Yu Wenzhi. He frowned and interrupted softly, "Shuai Feng treated his son Da like a father. It's also true that Zida took risks in anger.
It's what should be done. I don't blame him. What I'm worried about now is myself and my brothers. Brother Zhao, you are old and have experienced a lot. Please give me an idea. Let's take the next step.
what to do?!"
In the Dawan Governor's Mansion, Zhao Huaixu's status is very special. Wang Xun can guarantee that no matter what choice he makes, Sha Qianli, Huang Wanshan and others will follow him to the letter. But he is not sure that this veteran who is also a teacher and friend
, what will you do after hearing about Feng Changqing’s fate?
Zhao Huaixu's performance was as unexpected as before. He shook his head and continued to answer the question, "Why did Feng Shuai just treat Zida as his own nephew? He also showed kindness to Zhao. When Zida left the city, Zhao already knew him.
The reason for leaving. But the real culprits who killed Feng Shuai were just those eunuchs?! What’s more, the real reason why His Majesty the Emperor killed Feng Shuai was not because he had lost the battle, but because he suspected that he wanted to stay safe.
Follow Lushan’s footsteps! If we really want to raise troops to rebel, wouldn’t it be equivalent to confirming Commander Feng’s crime?!”
"Yes. When Wang thought about it, he felt in a dilemma!" Wang Xun finally understood what Zhao Huaixu meant. He was a little surprised, but more helpless, "If we want to take revenge, I'm afraid we will have to seek refuge in An Lushan.
But the brothers have traveled thousands of miles to defend the capital, and when they reach their destination, they raise a flag of rebellion. How could the morale and morale of the army not plummet?"
"The key point is that An Lushan guy can't last long!" Zhao Huaixu gritted his teeth and explained the problem, "Although the imperial court has made many mistakes in recent years, the prosperity of the Kaiyuan period is still remembered by the people.
.And that fellow in An Lushan, after raising the army, killed people and set fires all the way, and he couldn't win the support of the people at all!"
"Wang has heard about the military discipline in Anlu Mountain for a long time!" The air in the room was a bit cold, and Wang Xun shivered several times from the cold. He hugged his shoulders and sighed: "Now Wang's family
We are all in the capital, and if we really help the rebels break the city, I'm afraid I won't be able to live in peace for the rest of my life!"
"It's not just that we can't live in peace!" Zhao Huaixu smiled bitterly, "I'm afraid that Commander Feng will not let you and I go! There is a letter here. The general may wish to read it. After reading it, you will understand why my subordinates don't want to give it to me.
Commander Feng has taken revenge!"
"Letter?!" Wang Xun was stunned and hesitantly stretched out his bare arms. "Where did the letter come from? Is this the font of Feng Shuai? When did Feng Shuai give you the letter?!"
"It's not for your subordinates, it's for the Holy Emperor of Heaven in Chang'an City!" Zhao Huaixu wiped his face, his voice a little hoarse. "When my subordinates were searching the relics of the dead imperial envoy, they found it among a pile of gold and silver.
......."
Before he could speak clearly, Wang Xun couldn't wait to start reading. Only after scanning the first few lines, his vision was blurred by tears again, "...I am here not to survive, but to tell the truth."
The plan of the country is to defeat the plan of the tiger and the wolf. I hope to bow to the court, express my heart to Your Majesty, discuss the military strength of the Hu, and present the defense plan. Repay the grace of ten thousand deaths to repay the favor of a lifetime. Unexpectedly, Chang'an is far away, and I see you.
There is no reason; I am far away from the valley, and I have no time to express my feelings! I read the "Spring and Autumn" and saw a wolf saying that I had not found the place to die, but now I have found it."
The handwriting on the letter was very sloppy, and there were even discontinuous strokes in some places. It can be seen that Feng Changqing was forcibly suppressing his own feelings when he wrote this letter.
With his eyes blurred by tears, Wang Xun seemed to see the figure of Fourth Uncle Feng again. Facing Bian Lingcheng's triumphant face, and facing the cold blades around him, before his execution, this upright old man did not try to
To defend myself, I instead humbly begged the other party to give myself a little more time to summarize my experience in fighting the rebels in the past few months, leaving a valuable legacy to His Majesty the Emperor and his successors.
experience.
"You damn thief!" Wang Xun choked and rubbed his eyes before continuing to read. The letter was actually in two parts, one of which was a suicide note to His Majesty the Emperor, and the other was a summary of the war and
Long-term analysis. In the eyes of the old man, the reason why the rebels were able to gain momentum all the way was because they were fully prepared and the sudden rise of troops caught the imperial court by surprise. As for the imperial court, both in terms of pre-war preparations and pre-war mobilization and command, there were many
There are many lessons worth summarizing. But there is no need to regret these things that have passed. The most important thing at the moment is to stabilize the defense line and drag the rebels under Tongguan. Although An Lushan’s soldiers and horses are brave, they are the most threatening
, it’s just that for the more than 8,000 Yiluohe, every one who dies in battle is one less. Although the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty lack training and lack of experience in battle, they will become stronger and stronger as they fight, and the more they fight, the more elite soldiers they will get. As time goes by, this will disappear.
Commander, the rebels' offensive is destined to be unsustainable. Therefore, the best way to defeat the enemy is not to rush into a decisive battle with the rebels, but to slowly plan for it by various means!
As an auxiliary measure on the frontal battlefield, Feng Changqing suggested that the court launch moderate counterattacks from both directions of Hedong and Huainan to contain the rebels. Once the rebels were completely suppressed in the counties of Henan, problems would arise with their troop sources and supplies.
At that time, if the imperial court sends envoys to divide and disintegrate the rebels, they will inevitably fall apart.
In addition, at the specific tactical level, Feng Changqing, aiming at the shortcomings of Yiluohe's strong field combat ability but weak attack ability, suggested that the imperial court adopt the method of luring the enemy deep into the mountains, leading them to mountainous areas unsuitable for cavalry deployment, and annihilating them alone.
Even if you only bite off a small part of it at a time, it will severely damage the morale of the rebels. A small amount adds up to a lot, but when the Yiluo River is almost consumed, the rebels will no longer be afraid of the strength.
"It's probably Gao Lishi who is planning to use Feng Shuai's experience to train his own confidants. That's why he specially gave this letter to the eunuch named Feng..." Zhao Huaixu suppressed the grief and anger in his heart and whispered to
Wang Xun explained, "It's a pity that Commander Feng is so loyal, but he doesn't know that this letter was never sent to the hands of the Holy Son of Heaven!"
"Yes!" Wang Xun responded with choked sobs, tears falling like rain. A few lines of black characters were wet with tears, and they looked as if they were new. "...I am about to die now, Your Majesty, I may lose my law."
, these words are deceitful; your majesty may think that I want to be loyal to you, and you have the guts to see it. After my death, I hope that your majesty will not underestimate this thief, and will not forget my words, so that the country of Hebei will be restored to peace, and the rebels will be defeated, and my wishes will be fulfilled.
Come on. If you look up to the sky, drink poison, and seal your seal to the sun, you will become a minister of corpse remonstrance. If you die and you know it, you will join the grass army in front. On the return wind formation, lead the flag and drum of the king's division to quell the invaders.
A thief's war is ruthless. Life and death will reward favors, and I will not be grateful. I will always be pure and have no responsibility, and I will die forever. The Holy Age is filled with sorrow and love."
