The soldiers under his command took the order, and then some returned to the west of Pujin Ferry Bridge to report the news and mobilize troops and horses. The remaining soldiers separated into more than ten cavalry and chased Xiao Yu and his party north along the official road. Those who stayed behind
Then he dismounted and swept the battlefield, picked up Paoze's body and put it in one place.
This place is an important route from Hebei and other places into and out of Guanzhong. The power of Guanlong is not enough to cover the sky with one hand. If a business traveler sees the miserable situation here, it will be shocking...
*****
Chang'an.
The dragon's head is on the original place.
In the middle of the night, a spring rain suddenly came. The cold raindrops drifted in the wind, making the world cool and moist. However, after a while, the fine raindrops turned into dense ice particles, crackling and beating on the house.
tent.
The rain melts the snow and then freezes it. The pavilions, palaces, flowers, trees and pavilions on the plateau that have been completed or are under construction are all covered with a thin layer of crystal clear ice. Under the light of orange lanterns, they look like palaces in the sky, cold.
To the bone.
In the eighth year of Zhenguan, the Emperor was getting older, and the Da'an Palace where he lived was cramped and cramped. Therefore, Ma Zhou, who was the supervisory censor at the time, petitioned to build a new palace for the Emperor "to prepare for the summer heat" in order to "be known as the most beautiful palace in the world."
Hope is great, and filial piety spreads throughout the world."
In order to show his filial piety, His Majesty Li Er readily approved and ordered people to search for the palace site and select Longshouyuan. After the survey was completed, a huge new palace was built and named "Yong'an Palace".
The following year, it was renamed "Da Ming Palace", and a general was responsible for its construction. Skilled craftsmen from all over the country were gathered, and the best building materials from all over the country were spent. It was extremely luxurious and expensive.
It wasn't until last year when the whole country went on an expedition and the national treasury was empty that the project was suspended...
Under the dark curtain of rain, a group of cavalry suddenly appeared in the darkness and slowly approached the east wall of the Daming Palace.
A group of Youtun guards are stationed in the East Neiyuan. On the one hand, they protect the Daming Palace, and on the other hand, they guard the entire east side of Chang'an city that must pass by the Weishui River to the west and enter the Xuanwu Gate.
Lanterns were hung at the top of the city, and the dim yellow light swayed under the rain and ice particles, making it dark.
The cavalrymen with cotton hooves wrapped in cotton and bits in their mouths sneaked up not far from the city gate, reining in their reins and waiting in the freezing rain.
Not long after, the city gate slowly opened.
The first general, who was wearing Mingguang armor, drew out a sharp horizontal sword, raised it high, then clamped his horse's belly and rushed forward.
The more than a thousand cavalrymen behind them were silent, but they quickly mobilized their horses, followed them to the bottom of the city wall, and swarmed in through the open city gate.
The guards of Youtun patrolling the city immediately discovered the enemy troops who were planning a sneak attack. They banged the gong crazily at the top of the city and shouted "enemy attack". The silent barracks in the rainy night instantly became excited.
However, the city gate was opened by a traitor, and the enemy cavalry drove straight in. As soon as the soldiers in the barracks got up, they charged and killed...
…
An hour later.
Fang Jun rode in with his army, wearing a raincoat outside his armor. He looked at the corpses placed in the camp with a gloomy expression. Without saying a word, he turned his horse back to the camp outside Xuanwu Gate, and then called to open Xuanwu Gate.
, go straight to the inner gate and meet His Highness the Crown Prince.
The lamps and candles were lit in the hall, and the waiter placed the hot tea in Fang Jun's hand and bowed back.
Li Chengqian was woken up from his bed. He heard that the garrison of Daming Palace was attacked in the middle of the night and suffered heavy casualties. He was so shocked that all his drowsiness disappeared.
"Erlang, how is the situation?"
Fang Jun looked gloomy, suppressing his anger, and said in a deep voice: "The casualties are not big, but now during the peace talks, the rebels suddenly made a surprise attack, which is simply too bullying! What are Cen Wenwen and the others doing? They are blindly advocating for peace talks.
Today, they have been unable to make any progress. Instead, they allowed the rebels to bully them as they please! Where did they put the lives of their soldiers? Where did they put the majesty of His Highness? What a waste!"
Speaking of the beginning of his anger, he slapped the table next to him with his palm, and the tea set made a "clang" sound, which scared the waiter at the door to jump in his heart.
Li Chengqian was also helpless, rubbed his face and asked, "What does Erlang want?"
Fang Jun said angrily: "It's disrespectful to come back and not return! Since the rebels ignored the peace talks and attacked our army at this time, they obviously wanted to use this to put pressure on Cen Wenwen and others and force them to agree at the negotiation table.
Concession. These civil servants are fair and eloquent when they are talking, but at this time, they are weak and useless! We sincerely ask Your Highness for permission to mobilize five thousand elite troops and seize the opportunity to raid the rebel camp outside Tonghua Gate and retaliate in kind!"
"this……"
Li Chengqian hesitated for a while, wondering: "I feel the same as Erlang's feelings. It's just that it's a critical time for peace talks. If this is the case, I'm afraid the civil servants will not agree."
The civil servants headed by Xiao Yu and Cen Wenwen tried their best to promote the peace talks and discussed countermeasures day and night, trying to complete the peace talks in the shortest possible time, stop the war, restore the court to normal, and then carry out post-war treatment to minimize losses.
.
At this time, if Fang Jun wants to retaliate, it will inevitably start another confrontation between the East Palace and Guan Long. It is not impossible to start a war. How can the civil servants agree?
Although fighting a war depends on the army fighting for life and death, the role of civilian officials is equally important. Planning strategies and logistics all require the assistance of civilian officials. It is the prince's duty to maintain a balance between the army and civilian officials, rather than arbitrarily favoring one side.
This leads to deep resentment and conflict between the other party...
Fang Jun snorted and said: "They don't agree? Then let them explain to the soldiers stationed outside the city and let them see how angry the soldiers are now! Tens of thousands of soldiers are filled with anger and gearing up. If
Strong suppression will not only damage morale, but also seriously deplete the soldiers' desire to win. From now on, let those civilian officials carry swords to fight against the rebels."
Li Chengqian's head was as big as a bucket when he arrived.
Although he has never led an army, he also knows that the braver the army, the more the soldiers cannot bear the slightest grievance. Now that the rebels attacked the camp in the middle of the night, they suffered heavy losses. If they cannot fight back, there will be fierce public sentiment and resentment, leading to
Morale was greatly affected.
Weighing the left and right, after careful consideration, he had no choice but to nod his head and said: "In this case, Erlang will go and mobilize the army. I will issue an edict later. I have only one request. It is not impossible to fight, but you have to ensure that you can win with one blow.
You must not lose your troops or your generals, or suffer a huge defeat!"
Fang Jun was refreshed, stood up, saluted, and said loudly: "Your Highness, don't worry, I will personally lead the army in this battle, and I will definitely teach the rebels a lesson!"
…
When Fang Jun strode out, Li Chengqian was sitting alone on a chair, sipping tea. After a long while, he said to the waiter: "Instruct Li Chongzhen to come and see him as soon as possible."
"Here!"
The waiter came out quickly.
After half a cup of tea, the handsome Li Chongzhen, dressed in military uniform, came in to pay homage: "The general will pay homage to His Highness!"
Li Chongzhen was the third son of Li Xiaogong, the prince of Hejian County, and served in the "Baiqisi". Now Li Junxian led a team to escort Xiao Yu to Tongguan to lobby Li Ji, and Li Chongzhen took over the command of the "Baiqisi" stationed under the Xuanwu Gate.
Li Chengqian put down his tea cup and said with a serious expression: "At midnight, the Youtun Guards Station stationed in the East Inner Garden of Daming Palace was attacked by rebels. Do you know?"
Li Chongzhen nodded and said: "The general will know!"
The "Hundred Cavalry Division" not only monitors the hundreds of officials, but also has another most important task: placing spies in each army. It must be in control of every move of each army, so that the emperor feels as if he is personally watching. After all, the army is the most important weapon of the empire.
, even as an emperor, once the army is out of control, the country will collapse and life will be at risk...
Naturally, there were secret spies of the "Baiqisi" in Youtun Guards. After the sneak attack, Li Chongzhen was reported by the secret spies immediately.
Li Chengqian said: "Tell me in detail."
Li Chongzhen said: "The rebels took advantage of the rainy night and sneaked in, avoiding the sentry guarding the right camp outside the city. A traitor opened the gate from inside the city, and the rebels rushed in. The military camp was caught off guard and rushed to fight, resulting in hundreds of casualties.
The rebels were afraid of being surrounded and annihilated, so they quickly retreated after a successful raid."
From this point of view, the loss was not huge, but soldiers valued dignity the most. Being attacked at night and stormed into the camp was really embarrassing. No wonder Fang Jun was so angry.
After thinking for a while, Li Chengqian asked thoughtfully: "In your opinion, is it possible to use the bitter flesh plan?"
Li Chongzhen was stunned.
Bitter meat scheme?
Pretending to be a rebel, he sneaked into his camp at night and killed his own men in exchange for framing the rebels, sabotaging the peace talks, and allowing the military to regain control of the current situation...
He thought about it carefully, shook his head and said: "The general cannot guarantee that this will never happen, but at least from the existing evidence, there is no doubt that the rebels made a sneak attack. There are many secret spies in Youtun Guards at the same time
Feedback, it’s hard for anyone to write an article about it.”