The 80,000-strong army left behind by Guo Ziyi was defeated by the Tibetan army in less than a month.
This speed of retreat, coupled with such an unfavorable record, greatly disappointed those who originally had expectations for the Northern Tang army.
At present, Chang'an is left behind. Apart from the three thousand guards, the only troops left that can participate in the battle are the reinforcements from Tongguan, about 6,000 people.
The Northern Tang armies in other prefectures and counties were unable to support Chang'an in time due to sudden wars, incomprehensible government orders, and their own petty ideas.
The dark clouds of war suddenly shrouded the sky over Chang'an City, making people everywhere in the city panic.
Some people were worried that the government would abandon the residents of the city and flee again, repeating the Anlushan War Disaster. So many people gave up their family properties in the city and fled out of town.
Suddenly, people fleeing were everywhere inside and outside the city gate, and the whole city was filled with an atmosphere of fear and uneasiness.
Not only the common people, but also many generals in the Tang army believed that even an 80,000-strong army could not stop the Tibetans, so if there were less than 10,000 troops in the city, they would not be able to win.
Therefore, one of the generals, Li Zhongsu, the commander-in-chief of Yiwei in Chang'an Prefecture, went to the official post to find Gao Shi, the prime minister of the left, to discuss the matter of surrendering the enemy.
Li Zhongsu was a native of Bohai County, and he and Gao Shi were fellow villagers.
When Gao Shi served in Geshuhan's tent in his early years, Li Zhongsu was the military envoy in Geshuhan's left wing army, and the two had a close friendship.
After Li Zhongsu sat down, he first talked about some past events and expressed some emotions.
Gao Shi remained silent from beginning to end, with no expression on his face and no trace of sadness or joy.
Li Zhongsu was a little uneasy when he saw this, and asked: "I don't know, Prime Minister Zuo, what do you think of the current situation in Chang'an?"
Gao Shi did not answer this question, but asked: "If I remember correctly, Daoyong (Li Zhongsu's nickname) seems to be one year older than me, right?"
Li Zhongsu nodded quickly and said: "Yes, you and I are both old people..."
Before the other party finished speaking, Gao Shi, who had already guessed Li Zhongsu's intentions, shouted in a deep voice: "As I get older, I don't think about the emperor's favor. I am a minister, but I am actually an old thief!"
Li Zhongsu's face turned red after being scolded, and he hurriedly said: "The available troops in Chang'an are less than 10,000, but Tubo has 200,000. If we fight to the death, the chance of winning is almost non-existent, so we can only resort to clever tricks!"
Gao Shi stared at Li Zhongsu: "Gao gives you a chance, tell me how to outsmart him?"
Hearing this, Li Zhongsu perked up and said: "Commander Guo left 80,000 troops behind in order to defend Chang'an before he went south. No one expected that these 80,000 troops would be defeated so quickly."
"Without these 80,000 troops, there are only 3,000 guards in Chang'an. Even if the Tongguan garrison returns to defense in time, the number of available troops in the city will only be 9,000. How can these 9,000 men be compared with an army of 200,000?"
The principle of invincibility.”
"Besides, Shangzhou, Tongzhou and Fangzhou, which are closest to Chang'an, Chang'an officials have sent letters asking for help. Why have reinforcements from these three states still not arrived so far?"
Gao Shi: "Why do you think it is?"
Li Zhongsu lowered his voice: "The chief officials of the three states used the excuse that they needed to mobilize food and troops, but in fact they were just thinking of protecting themselves... This kind of thing has been common as early as the war in Hebei. Just think about it, Prime Minister Zuo, if you and I
As the chief official of a state, he asked for help from another place and sent out all his troops. After that, if the enemy invades the state and there are no more available troops, causing the state and county to fall, how will the court hold him accountable?"
"The imperial court will only blame the prefectures and counties for the fall, but it will not reduce the blame because you and I rescued the friendly troops. Therefore, when foreign enemies invade, the best way is for each family to clean up the snow in front of them. Don't let it be because of troubles.
Get into unnecessary trouble."
"So, returning to the previous topic, I think there will no longer be reinforcements from Chang'an, at least not in a short period of time."
(The 30,000 Anxi and Beiting reinforcements led by Guo Xin kept their actions secret beforehand. In addition, the purpose was to annihilate the Tibetan army. In order not to alert the enemy, Chang'an Prefecture and other prefectures and counties were not notified before departure.)
After listening to Li Zhongsu's words, Gao Shi looked coldly at the generals and officials beside him and asked, "You think so too?"
All the generals and officials nodded.
Li Zhongsu further advised: "I suggest that you first make excuses with the Tubo people, pretend to surrender, paralyze the enemy, wait until reinforcements are coming, and then strike back at the enemy. In this way, Chang'an City can be preserved to the maximum extent without destroying the enemy.
Loyalty has been lost.”
Hearing this, Gao Shi couldn't help it anymore and asked coldly: "If surrendering to the enemy is not a funeral, what is it? And do you think surrendering can save the city of Chang'an? The Tubo people are just a group of mad dogs. After occupying Chang'an,
, will definitely massacre the city, plunder, insult the ladies, and destroy goods and properties! Compromising with such beasts is tantamount to seeking the skin of a tiger!"
When Li Zhongsu heard this, he was stunned on the spot.
Gao Shi shouted again: "Moreover, if Chang'an is lost, Tongguan will definitely fall into the hands of thieves. Once Tongguan is occupied by Tibet, the capital, including Luoyang, will lose its barrier and become a piece of flesh that can be slaughtered. And
Once Guanzhong falls, the 400,000 troops currently fighting in Jiangcheng will be cut off. By then, the Tang Dynasty will be in danger!"
As soon as these words came out, everyone in the hall was shocked.
Gao Shi, who was sixty years old at the time, stood up from the table tremblingly, pointed at the generals and officials who came to persuade him to surrender, and cursed angrily: "You are eating the salary of the imperial court, but you are scheming!
To weaken the Tang Dynasty, eliminate the loyal and upright, join the barbarians, and humiliate the ancestors is really an unpardonable traitor to the country, and will be killed by both heaven and man!"
After saying that, Gao Shi walked up to the seat, pulled out the sword on the wall, and shouted: "Do it! Get rid of the thieves!"
As soon as he finished speaking, guards from the back of the hall came out with sharp swords and surrounded all the generals and officials who came to persuade them to surrender.
Li Zhongsu was shocked when he saw this, and quickly begged Gao Shi for mercy: "Prime Minister Zuo, we know we were wrong, and we must live or die with Chang'an!"
Gao Shi: "How can you believe words that go against your heart?!"
After speaking, Gao Shi stepped forward and stabbed Li Zhongsu to death with one sword.
Before the latter died, his face was still filled with shock and fear. He never expected that Gao Shi, who usually regarded himself as a scholar, would suddenly become angry.
The guards also raised their weapons and chopped down other generals and officials in the hall.
Stepping on the pool of blood on the ground, Gao Shi pointed to Li Zhongsu's body and ordered: "Cut off the head and hang it on the gate tower of the imperial city! Notice to the city that if anyone utters the word surrender again, they will end up like this!"
The next day, a circle of heads was hung on the imperial city of Chang'an City.
Gao Shi, the Prime Minister of the Left, took out a coffin that had already been built from his home, ordered people to carry it to the tower of Chang'an, and announced to the city that he would live and die with Chang'an.
At the same time, he opened the Chang'an household treasury, took out gold, silver and light goods, recruited brave men and auxiliary troops, and promised that anyone who performed meritorious service would be rewarded with money and official positions.
Suddenly, the people in Chang'an City were in a strong mood.
Fathers, sons, uncles and nephews all went into battle to protect their families and the country; the school masters gave their students the last lesson, abandoned their pens and joined the army, and went to the battlefield; even the tricksters of Pingkangfang put on their usual clothes.
The quilt was torn into strips of cloth and made into armor.
Chang'an, a city that has been surrounded by turmoil and pain since the Anshi Rebellion, is finally about to face a catastrophe in its destiny and launch an unyielding struggle that is destined to go down in history.