The soldiers of the Shatuo Army who were monitoring the Tang Army on the mountainside suddenly discovered the light of fire at the pass on the mountain. The Tang Army seemed to have begun to attack the city upwards, but no rolling logs or stones were thrown down.
Shatuo soldiers realized something was wrong and immediately ran down the mountain to report Zhu Xie Jinman.
Zhu Xiejin's eyes widened. The Tang army was not attacked by rolling logs and rocks when attacking Yinguan?
This...what's going on?
Even if the Tang army entered the pass, there should be a small number of rolling logs and stones falling down, it is impossible not to have any.
Unless the defenders on top of the city did not notice the Tang army attacking the city.
Zhu Xiejinman was immediately anxious, "Go up the mountain immediately!"
‘Woo——’
The low horn sounded, and the Shatuo soldiers who were resting got up to assemble one after another. The team soon gathered into a long dragon, holding torches and running towards the mountain.
A quarter of an hour later, Shatuo's army rushed to the top of the mountain, still dozens of steps away from Guancheng. Suddenly someone above shouted, "Throw!"
Rolling logs and rocks fell like raindrops from the mountain. The Shatuo soldiers were caught off guard. They were hit one after another by the rolling logs and rocks. Their bones and tendons were broken immediately, and they rolled over on the steps screaming.
The mountain road was too narrow for Shatuo soldiers to escape, and they suffered heavy casualties for a time.
Zhu Xiejin, who was supervising the battle from behind, knew that something was wrong, but he had no choice but to order: "Withdraw the entire army!"
Shatuo soldiers withdrew like a tide, suffering nearly a thousand casualties.
After daybreak, Shatuo's army finally entered Yinguan Pass, only to see corpses strewn all over the pass. All five hundred soldiers guarding the pass were killed, their tents were burned down, and the warehouses storing grain were empty. The Tang army had long since disappeared.
Zhu Xiejin was so filled with hatred that his heart was bleeding, and he punched the stone wall hard. The arrow wound on his left shoulder began to hurt a little again.
A general whispered: "The Tang army must have returned from the original route, taking Dunhuang and entering the Hexi Corridor. If we rush to Guazhou and Suzhou, we might be able to intercept them."
Zhu Xie Jinman shook his head and said: "My army cannot go to the Hexi Corridor. It will cause unnecessary disputes within Shatuo. However, we can notify the Shatuo army in the Hexi Corridor to intercept this Tang army."
........
When Guo Song and his entourage of Tang troops arrived at Yanji Town, there were only 70 Tang troops and five seriously injured soldiers left. Most of the 300 soldiers were casualties. Only Liang Wu was left among the three brigade commanders. All six troops were killed. Even if they were left
The seventy Tang soldiers below were all injured.
After hearing the news, Guo Xin quickly rushed to Yanji Town with a group of cavalry.
Guo Xin strode into the military camp and saw Guo Song standing in front of the tent with his hands behind his hands, looking at the Tianshan Mountains for a long time, with a goshawk hovering above his head.
"Guo Changshi!"
Guo Xin stepped forward and asked in a deep voice: "How could it be so tragic?"
Guo Song said calmly: "The yellow sand will wear golden armor in a hundred battles, and Loulan will never be returned until it is destroyed. In fact, most of the Tang army soldiers are sleeping in the border. How many of them can return home safely?"
Guo Xin nodded, "Since you are embarking on this road to the west, you should be mentally prepared."
Guo Song's eyes became dim, and after a while, he whispered: "Guo Chongqing was also killed in battle!"
Guo Xin was shocked. He took two steps back. After a while, Guo Xin sighed with emotion: "What a man from the Tang Dynasty. He did not disappoint me."
"Come into the tent and sit down!"
Guo Song and Guo Xin walked into the tent, and the two sat down. Guo Xin asked, "Are you still going back to Chang'an?"
"It is my duty to return to Chang'an. Otherwise, if I had stayed in Beiting, I would not have forced a breakout and suffered such heavy casualties."
"Changshi misunderstood me!"
Guo Xin said quickly: "I mean it's best to take a good rest and wait until next spring before returning to Chang'an."
Guo Song was silent for a long time and said: "The biggest mistake I made was to leave Tingzhou in such a hurry that the enemy was still patiently waiting for us. The soldiers suffered heavy casualties. I bear the greatest responsibility. I will not make the same mistake again."
This is the second time.”
He looked up at Guo Xin and said: "If I guessed correctly, the Shatuo people must still be waiting for me in Guazhou and Suzhou. If I leave in a hurry, I will still fall into the enemy's encirclement, so I decided to accept the guardianship
My advice is to leave after next spring and stay in Anxi for another half year."
Guo Xin smiled slightly and said: "This is a wise move. Although Anxi does not have much food, it can still afford to feed you."
Guo Song shook his head and smiled: "Actually, when we captured Yinguan this time, we also collected thousands of stones of grain, hundreds of camels, and a lot of frozen mutton, which should be enough for us to live for half a year. I don't want to add a burden to Anxi. We
Just stay in Yanji Town, and it will be more convenient to go to Puchanghai to inquire about the news."
Guo Xin did not force Guo Song. They were all soldiers from Anxi and were not so polite. He immediately agreed, "Whether it is Qiuci or Yanji, they are all the same. It doesn't matter to you, if you have any requests, just ask them.
Don't be polite to your own people."
"Thank you, Protector. I won't be polite."
Guo Xin comforted him a few more words, then stood up and left.
Guo Song sent Guo Xin out of the military camp and kept watching Guo Xin lead the soldiers into the city. He said to Li Ji: "Let the soldiers have a good rest! We will return to Chang'an after spring next year."
...........
In early December, a heavy snowstorm enveloped the city of Chang'an. Li Yu slowly walked out of the hall and looked at the gray sky. Snowballs were falling like catkins, and the palace not far away had become blurry.
A eunuch quickly wrapped Li Yu in a fox fur cloak and said worriedly: "Your Majesty, it's too cold outside. Go back to your room quickly!"
Li Yu sighed softly, "At this time last year, Guo Song led his army to leave Chang'an. A year has passed and there is no news. It really worries me!"
"Your Majesty, the lucky people have their own destiny, and they will definitely come back."
Li Yu nodded, turned around and returned to the inner hall. There was a charcoal pot burning in the study room of Qilin Hall, and it was as warm as spring. Li Yu took off his outer cloak and sat back on the dragon couch. At this moment, someone outside reported: "Deputy General Gongsun is here."
It’s urgent to see you!”
"Let her in!"
After a moment, Mrs. Gongsun hurriedly walked in, bowed and saluted: "See you, Your Majesty!"
Li Yu put down his ink pen and asked, "Have the results of the investigation come out?"
Three months ago, a censor impeached Lu Sigong, the military governor of Lingnan, accusing him of embezzling millions of dollars of money that Geshuhuang extorted from maritime merchants when he put down the rebellion of Lingnan Geshuhuang the year before. This news shocked Li Yu.
However, Yuan Zai believed that this impeachment was exaggerated and had no basis. Impeachment would chill the hearts of the heroes.
Li Yu secretly ordered Gongsun Gongsun to send the elite of Cangjian Pavilion to Lingnan to investigate the matter.
"Exactly!"
Aunt Gongsun took out an investigation report and presented it to Li Yu.
After Li Yu read the report, he became furious. He slammed the table and walked to the window with a livid face and hands behind his back.
The report not only confirmed the fact that Lu Sigong was embezzling stolen money, but also listed specific data, equivalent to 5.4 million taels of silver. Not only that, the masters sent by the Hidden Sword Pavilion also found him and Lu Sigong in his study.
Yuan Zai’s secret correspondence.
"Your Majesty, Yuan Zai is known to be corrupt, and everyone on the street knows that he speaks for Lu Sigong. I am not surprised at all."
"He has forgotten his prime minister!" Li Yu said coldly.
Li Yu turned around and asked again: "Is there any news about Guo Song?"
Aunt Gongsun shook her head and said: "Your Majesty, please rest assured. He should be safe and sound. The main reason is that the distance between Anxi and Beiting is long and the task is difficult. It will definitely take a long time. It is winter again and the road is blocked by heavy snow. He will definitely
I won’t come back until spring.”
Li Yu nodded, "I hope he can come back safely, and there is one more thing I have to leave to my aunt to do."
"Please give me your Majesty's orders!"
Li Yu whispered: "Send experts from the Cangjian Pavilion to monitor Yuan Zai, especially paying attention to his dealings with King Lu."
"I obey the order!"
Aunt Gongsun sighed softly in her heart. In an imperial family, family ties are really as light as white paper.
Aunt Gongsun left, and Li Yu paced back and forth in the study with his hands behind his back, weighing the pros and cons.
.........
In an elegant room in the backyard of Zhuque Restaurant, Lu Qi and Cheng Zhenyuan were having a pleasant conversation while having a cup of wine. Cheng Zhenyuan saw that the time had come, so he took out a counter ticket and put it on the table and pushed it to Lu Qi, "I heard that it's your birthday, this is mine."
Please accept this little congratulatory gift from Mr. Lu!"
Lu Qi raised his eyes, feeling secretly happy in his heart, and quickly pretended to retreat. Cheng Zhenyuan refused to take it back, so Lu Qi had to accept it reluctantly.
Lu Qi chuckled again and said: "I often tell His Highness King Lu that people's hearts are revealed over time. Eunuch Cheng has followed His Highness King Lu for so long. He is loyal and trustworthy."
Cheng Zhenyuan sighed, "Isn't this Yu Chaoen's fault? We are all members of the palace, and our duty is to serve the emperor in his daily life, but he is ambitious and has ruined our reputation. He wants to wash away this stain.
Don’t know how much effort it takes?”
Cheng Zhenyuan was originally determined to win the title of General Manager, but unexpectedly the emperor appointed another eunuch, Sun Xiaozhong, as the General Manager. Cheng Zhenyuan felt disappointed and at the same time realized a hint of crisis.
In order to restore the decline, he turned around and spent a lot of money on Lu Wang Li Shi.
Lu Qi is an important person beside Li Shi, and building a good relationship with him is crucial to gaining Li Shi's trust.
When Lu Qi heard that the other party said that he was a 'member of the palace', he couldn't help but secretly despise him. After Yu Chaoen died, the big dragon Cheng Zhenyuan began to curl up and pretend to be a little snake, but for Ten Thousand Guan's sake
On the way, Lu Qi decided to help him.
More importantly, as Li Shi's status gradually stabilized, Lu Qi also began to build his own allies. Cheng Zhenyuan was undoubtedly a powerful figure. Since he took the initiative to befriend him, Lu Qi was certainly willing to reach some consensus of interests with him.
Lu Qi then smiled slightly and said: "Don't worry, Eunuch Cheng, His Royal Highness King Lu also needs some capable and trustworthy people around him. I will help you at the appropriate time."
"Then thank you very much Mr. Lu, come! I respect this glass of wine to Mr. Lu."