The rebels, who were approaching at high speed from the capital, passed through the city and through the mountains, like a huge palm slapping towards Linzhou. Wherever they passed, the mountains destroyed the city and the defeated people retreated until they stopped five hundred miles away from Linzhou.
Across the undulating mountain ridges, densely packed guards were overwhelming.
The two armies faced off against each other, and the wind and snow in the cold winter months solidified.
It solidified for a while...
They seemed to be waiting for the other side to make the first move, but neither side took action. Every day, soldiers and horses provoked scouts and spies to engage in small-scale battles.
Just when we thought we were about to survive the new year, another force took action first.
Not here, but from behind the rebels, a group of soldiers and horses appeared diagonally from the southeast, like a sharp sword stabbing the rebels in the waist.
Xiang Yun stood at the highest point of the hill, looking up to the higher ground.
Signal soldiers on several tall observation poles waved flags to convey the battle situation in the distance.
The winds of the cold winter months bring ghosts and wolves howling, and the ground trembles and makes people's hearts shake, as if they are being tossed in the sea.
"The soldiers and horses of the Southeast Road are attacking the west wing of the rebels, about thirty thousand." A deputy general looked away and said the news reported by the scouts, "We have the upper hand at this time."
"Have you confirmed that An Qingzhong is here?" Xiang Yun asked.
The deputy general nodded: "The Chinese army's camp is fifty miles away. There is a bright yellow dragon flag and a gold-woven banner with the word "An"."
When Ankang Mountain proclaimed himself emperor, he naturally used the dragon flag. An Qingzhong, who was named King Zheng, said that he went out to fight according to the order, so the dragon flag was naturally placed in the army.
"A scout personally witnessed An Qingzhong inspecting the camp." The deputy general added, looking forward again, "But until now, the Chinese army camp has not moved since the battle between soldiers and horses on the southeast road."
Xiang Yun smiled: "Then let us see the true face of King Zheng."
Following his order, the lieutenant general raised his hand to signal, the buglers blew their horns, and the messengers on the lookout carts changed their flags and waved them.
The overwhelming guards began to move slowly. At first glance, it seemed very slow, but if you look closer, you can feel the thunderous energy.
The cavalry slowly dispersed in front, and the speed of the armored soldiers became faster and faster. The sound of hoofbeats was like thunder, and the roar of shouts was like a flood that broke the embankment and rushed towards the soldiers and horses a few layers away.
...
...
The fighting hundreds of miles away broke out into the sky.
The emperor who was sitting in the palace of Lu stood up and said: "The ground is shaking."
Cui Zheng looked at the emperor who had just sat down and then stood up, and said: "Your Majesty, that is not the sound of fighting outside Linzhou. This is the galloping of soldiers and horses guarding Linzhou."
The emperor sat down with a groan and sighed: "I don't know what to do? The traitors came so quickly, and Governor Xiang doesn't have many troops."
Only Zhang An is in front of the emperor in the palace. Now that the war is tense, Zhang An and Wang Lin are guarding Linzhou to ensure that one person is in the army at all times.
Hearing the emperor's worry, Zhang An said: "Your Majesty, don't worry. Governor Xiang has brought 40,000 troops and horses, all of which are elite soldiers and generals. More than half of them were brought by us from Shannan Road."
The emperor hummed and didn't take his words to heart.
Cui Zheng said: "Qi Governor has 30,000 soldiers and horses to assist him."
Calculating in his mind, if there were 70,000 to 80,000 troops, even the so-called 100,000 rebels would not be so relaxed. The emperor sat firm and said, "I didn't expect that it was the Governor of Qi who took action first."
Cui Zheng corrected him: "It was Governor Xiang who had a plan. It was an unprepared attack that was planned in advance."
The prime minister is so fair. Whoever has merit is worthy of merit. He will never obey the emperor's arbitrary praise. Then whoever is wrong is also wrong. He Cui Zheng is also calm and calm.
The emperor smiled and said: "Then the trip will only be possible if the soldiers and horses of Governor Qi are brave."
Seeing the monarch and his ministers each praising the other, Zhang An, who was standing in the palace, couldn't help but interject: "There are Governor Xiang and Governor Qi outside who are brave and resourceful, and coupled with the upcoming Jiannan Road, this battle will definitely make it difficult for the rebels to come.
Return."
He reminded me well, and the emperor hurriedly asked: "Have the soldiers and horses from Jiannan Road arrived?"
Cui Zheng said calmly: "If it comes, Governor Zhang and the King will definitely come to report it."
It hasn't been announced with any fanfare until now, so naturally it hasn't arrived yet.
There was no disappointment on the emperor's face, and he said with relief: "The road to Jiannan Road is not easy to walk, and it is far from here. There is no rush."
Zhang An nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes, there are many soldiers and horses this time and they are moving slowly. Mr. Han said that they are 40,000 elite soldiers mobilized from Jiannan Road, and they are commanded by Governor Li Mingyu himself."
The emperor nodded repeatedly, and Cui Zheng frowned. Was it because there were more soldiers and horses, or because the child governor was walking slowly? Why was this child governor following along to join in the fun of a major battle?
What if this little kid is as timid as a mouse and is afraid, will it shake the morale of the army and cause trouble?
He also knew why the young governor wanted to personally supervise the command. It was because he came to the emperor to compete for merit and show his face. In the past, when Wu Ya'er was there, it was not his turn. Now that Wu Ya'er has left, Linzhou has reached a critical moment again. This time
Then there will be a chance for him to come forward.
But he also knew why Han Xu didn't stop the little governor. Han Xu would no longer have any ties to him when he left Jiannan Road.
Well, compared to these generals, Cui Zheng still trusts the civil servants more. If you want to fight for fame or profit, I will give it to you. As long as the foundation of the court remains, there will always be a day when chaos can be brought back to justice.
Cui Zheng half-closed his eyes and did not question him again.
Zhang An was relieved, but he was also anxious in his heart. Logically speaking, the troops from Jiannan Road should have arrived. Han Xu wouldn't lie to them, right? Nor should he. That would be deceiving the court. Don't Han Xu and the children from Jiannan Road want to live?
Already?
That's not right. Anyone who deceives the court can live a good life at this time. Deceiving the court cannot be called cheating. It can also be called rebellion...
If Jiannan Road rebels, Linzhou will be in danger!
What would he do if Linzhou was really in danger? Well, after all, he had lived and ate with the young governor for so long, so there should be some sense of friendship. Then...
Zhang An stood in the hall and thought wildly, his face turned pale with fright, and he felt restless, always feeling that something was going to happen.
The thought flashed to the outside of the palace and reported that Wang Lin was coming.
Wang Lin rushed over: "It's not good."
The words came true! Zhang An felt numb and blurted out first: "Is Jiannan Road coming to kill you?"
Wang Lin was stunned by what he said. He was so frightened that he almost forgot what he was about to say. He came back to his senses and stamped his feet: "The fake king treacherously set up a fake Chinese army camp, and Governor Xiang was besieged."
The emperor stood up from the dragon chair, Zhang An's face turned paler, and the palace was buzzing...
Prime Minister Cui Zheng kept his expression straight and asked, "How is Governor Xiang doing?"
Wang Lin swallowed his saliva and said: "Captain Xiang is fine, but Governor Xiang has transferred 30,000 troops from Linzhou!"
Zhang An was shocked: "How can we let him transfer 30,000 troops! What will I do in Linzhou?"
Wang Lin complained: "His soldiers hold the Dragon Banner Holy Order in their hands, and Linzhou's army is mobilized by him. I can't stop him at all, and let him come to see His Majesty. The soldiers only said that the war is urgent and he will be away. Please forgive me for not being able to see you."
..."
Only then did they realize that they thought they were fighting separately, but in fact all Linzhou's soldiers and horses were in Xiang Yun's hands. How disgusting!
What the two of them said drowned out the buzz in the hall, making the noise even more chaotic.
A eunuch led a general in: "Your Majesty, the governor is not trapped, he just missed. Your Majesty, please rest assured. Although the governor missed, An Qingzhong was also lured out. The victory of this battle has not yet been determined!"
Zhang An said angrily: "Since we have already lost the battle, we should quickly return to defense. Why should we pursue? What should we do if we are attacked by a surprise attack when Linzhou's troops and horses are transferred?"
Xinbing ignored him and only said to the emperor: "The governor said that this battle will determine success or failure. If we don't fight, returning to defense will cause confusion in the morale of the army. Only fighting can make Linzhou safe."
After saying this, he kowtowed heavily.
"Please rest assured, your majesty, the governor said that with the help of 30,000 troops and the troops from the Southeast Road, this battle will be won."
Zhang An and Wang Lin only said it was ridiculous, other ministers in the palace were buzzing and talking, and the emperor was in despair in front of the dragon throne...
Cui Zheng, the prime minister, made a final statement: "No one knows the war better than Governor Xiang who is in it. Everything must be obeyed by him!"
With the prime minister's judgment, the emperor sat down with peace of mind, stopped the chaos among the ministers in the palace, and ordered the trustworthy soldiers to go away.
The letter soldier saluted and ran away without hesitation.
The discussions in the palace also dispersed, and the civil and military ministers were busy with their own affairs, guarding Linzhou uneasily.
After Cui Zheng finished instructing Zhang An and Wang Lin, he whispered: "Urge Han Xu again and ask where the reinforcements from Jiannan Road are."
Zhang An and Wang Lin hurried away with a pale face. Cui Zheng turned around and saw the retired emperor coming out again.
"Prime Minister, at this critical moment, I'd better go to the military camp and take charge," he said.
When the troops were first mobilized, the emperor went to the military camp, but was later persuaded by Cui Zheng to come back. Now that the situation was urgent, the emperor naturally couldn't sit still in the palace.
"That's fine." Cui Zheng didn't stop him. He pointed to the side hall as he thought of something, "But please wait a moment, Your Majesty. The memorials from the past few days have been read by the officials and civil servants. Your Majesty, please approve them before going to the military camp. The next memorials will arrive."
He will be sent to the military camp when the time comes."
The emperor said hello and walked back to the side hall. Cui Zheng asked someone to fetch a thick stack of memorials and handed them to the emperor while counting them.
"The number is wrong," he said, rummaging through the box. "Two are missing."
The eunuch looked uneasy: "This is the only thing on the table."
The other eunuch immediately went to look for him again, but Cui Zheng just said: "I'll look for him, so as not to waste time."
The emperor comforted him and said, "Don't be in a hurry, Prime Minister. I'll just send you to the military camp in a moment."
Cui Zheng responded and asked the emperor to look at these first. He would look for them and bring them to him if he found them. If he couldn't find them, he would send them to the military camp another day.
Cui Zheng left, and there were only two young eunuchs left in the palace. One was studying ink and the other was sorting out the memorials for the emperor's review. They were quiet and smooth, and they finished the review quickly.
The emperor stood up and said: "Let's go to the military camp quickly."
He arrived at the door without waiting for the two young eunuchs. It was cold in winter, Linzhou was short of supplies, and the palace was under fire. In order to keep warm, the doors and windows were closed tightly, and thick curtains were added.
The two young eunuchs were hurriedly preparing memorials at the back. The emperor himself stretched out his hand to lift the curtain and pull the door. Once he pulled it, the door did not open. When he pulled it again, the door lock rattled...
The emperor was stunned and in disbelief. He pulled hard again, and the two solid palace doors banged together. The lock was exposed in the gap, which was bright, thick and strong.