roccoschili Chapter 923: Failing the Tang Dynasty
Chapter 923: Failing the Tang Dynasty
"Emperor Taizong was great because he resolved all of this, truly resolving the four hundred years of turmoil. Now, because of the court's inaction, people's hearts are beginning to unravel once again. I will never allow such a chaotic world to happen again."
Mr. Qi's words were powerful.
The dust in front of Mawei Slope had not yet settled, and the armor of the six armies was still stained with the blood of the defeat in Tongguan. The black-armored knights surrounded the imperial carriage of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, and slowly headed north along the official road on the west bank of the Wei River.
Under the pear tree where Yang Guifei hanged herself, new soil covered a three-foot white silk. However, General Chen Xuanli, the Dragon Warrior General in charge of supervising the execution, did not move for a long time. He looked at the piece of silk hanging from the pear branch, still with pink petals on it. The sob that just now penetrated the central military tent was not the emperor's cry, but rather the last gasp of a trapped beast in despair, which made the throat of this old veteran who had been in the army for half his life tighten.
"General, His Majesty has advanced three miles, and the soldiers are still waiting for your order to break camp."
Deputy General Li Guinian rode his horse to Chen Xuanli's side and spoke in a very low voice.
In his arms was a gilded sachet, a relic taken from Yang Guifei's body. Chen Xuanli suddenly came to his senses, turned over and mounted his warhorse. As his black armor clashed, he caught a glimpse of several old soldiers in charge of burying the corpses squatting on the Wei River beach in the distance, tying a bundle of freshly picked wild chrysanthemums with straw ropes, intending to plant them on the new grave.
These old soldiers from Guanzhong, who not long ago followed Geshu Han on the top of Tongguan City and shouted "We will not return until the rebels are defeated", now have to help the emperor clean up the broken country.
When the imperial carriage arrived in Fufeng County, it was already dark.
The prefect of Fufeng had been waiting outside the city gate with his officials, but when he saw that Xuanzong's imperial carriage had only three carriages and was followed by less than 500 remnants of soldiers, the joy on his face froze instantly.
After entering the prefect's mansion, Li Longji sat at the table, his eyes fixed on the bowl of warm corn porridge on the table, but he did not move the spoon for a long time.
Gao Lishi held the bowl of porridge, his hands trembling slightly. "Saint, you haven't eaten staple food for two days. Please eat some."
Li Longji slowly raised his eyes, bloodshot. He pointed out the window and said in a hoarse voice, "Listen, is there anyone still singing 'Nichang Yuyi Qu' in Fufeng City?"
Gao Lishi choked with sobs and followed his gaze. He saw several refugees huddled in the corner of the wall in the night, gnawing on dry wheat cakes in the moonlight. Their tattered clothes were still stained with the dust they brought with them when they fled from Chang'an.
At that moment, a sudden commotion erupted outside the tent. Chen Xuanli hurried in, helmet in hand, and knelt on one knee. "Your Majesty, some of the soldiers have heard that Chang'an has been captured by An Lushan, and their families' fate is uncertain. They are unwilling to advance and request to remain stationed here!"
The jade spoon in Li Longji's hand fell on the table with a clang. He stood up suddenly, but staggered because he stood up too quickly. Gao Lishi hurriedly supported him.
"How can my soldiers retreat in the face of battle?"
Li Longji's voice was filled with anger, but just as he finished speaking, a hoarse voice came from outside the tent: "Saint! We followed you from Chang'an to keep you safe, but now Chang'an is gone, our home is gone. If we continue to go forward, are we going to starve to death?"
Chen Xuanli's face changed, he suddenly drew the sword from his waist and shouted: "How dare you! How dare you be rude to the saint!" The curtain was lifted, and more than a dozen armored soldiers rushed in. Leading them was a bearded captain named Wang Ergou, who was originally an infantryman under Geshu Han. After the defeat in Tongguan, he followed Chen Xuanli to protect the emperor.
Wang Ergou gripped his spear, his knuckles turning white. "General, it's not that we're being rude, but we brothers can't stand it any longer! My mother is still in Chang'an City, and I don't know whether she's alive or dead. If I go any further, I'm afraid I'll never see her again!"
The soldiers behind him echoed him one after another, and some even had tears in their eyes - most of these soldiers were from Guanzhong, and Chang'an was their root. Now that their roots were trampled by An Lushan's cavalry, how could they be willing to leave their homeland.
Xuanzong looked at the emotional soldiers in front of him and suddenly felt powerless.
He recalled that in the past in Chang'an City, during the Lantern Festival, these soldiers would follow him to the city wall to watch the lanterns. At that time, Chang'an was brightly lit on Zhuque Street, the camel caravans of the Hu merchants were carrying spices and silk, and the Hu girls in the taverns were dancing the Zhezhi dance. It was so prosperous.
But now, all of this has become a thing of the past.
Gao Lishi, upon seeing this, hurried forward and, bowing to the soldiers, said, "Brothers, the Saint understands your suffering better than anyone else. But now An Lushan's rebellion is so powerful. Only by going to Lingwu and joining forces with Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi can we regroup, recapture Chang'an, and rescue your families!"
Wang Ergou was stunned and looked at Chen Xuanli.
Chen Xuanli lowered his sword and said solemnly, "Eunuch Gao is right. As soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, we should put our country first."
"As long as the saint is still here, the Tang Dynasty will still exist. One day, we will be able to fight back to Chang'an and reunite our brothers with their families!"
He paused, then pulled out a silver medallion from his bosom. It was the "Loyalty and Bravery" token bestowed upon him by Li Longji. "I, Chen Xuanli, swear hereby that if I cannot lead my army to recapture Chang'an, I will commit suicide to express my gratitude to the world!"
The soldiers looked at Chen Xuanli's determined eyes, then looked at Li Longji who looked haggard in front of the desk, and gradually calmed down.
Wang Ergou lowered his spear and knelt on one knee: "I have been reckless. Your Majesty, please punish me! I am willing to accompany Your Majesty to Lingwu and swear to defeat the rebels!"
The other soldiers also knelt on the ground, and the atmosphere in the tent finally eased.
The next morning, the emperor continued his journey north. When he reached Jingzhou, a scout suddenly reported that Crown Prince Li Heng had stayed in Pingliang County for many days and was unwilling to accompany Xuanzong to Shu. He had secretly contacted Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi, intending to ascend the throne in Lingwu.
When Li Longji heard the news, the handkerchief in his hand fell to the ground and his face turned pale instantly.
Gao Lishi quickly picked up the handkerchief and handed it to him: "Saint, the prince's move may be to stabilize the morale of the army and put down the rebellion as soon as possible."
Li Longji closed his eyes, and two lines of tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes.
He remembered that when Li Heng was a child, he always liked to pester him to tell him the story of how he put down the rebellion of Empress Wei.
At that time, Li Heng's eyes were full of admiration, but now, when he is in danger, he has to set up a new faction.
"That's it, that's all."
Li Longji sighed.
"The Tang Dynasty is in imminent danger. As long as I can preserve the legacy of my ancestors, I don't need to be the emperor."
He ordered Gao Lishi to draft an imperial edict, acknowledging the fact that Li Heng ascended the throne in Lingwu, and changed his own title to "Grand Emperor". Then he took the remaining followers and continued to march towards Shu.
In Lingwu, Li Heng was standing on the city wall, looking at Guo Ziyi's army slowly approaching from a distance.
Guo Ziyi was wearing armor and holding a spear, followed by 30,000 elite cavalrymen. The army was well-organized and full of momentum.
Li Heng quickly descended the tower to greet Guo Ziyi. "General Guo, I am only able to stay here today thanks to your unwavering support!"
Li Heng shook Guo Ziyi's hand and spoke excitedly. Guo Ziyi knelt on one knee and said, "I swear to serve Your Majesty, to wipe out the rebellion and restore the Tang Dynasty!"
At this moment, footsteps were heard outside the tent, and a young man in coarse clothes walked in quickly with a wooden box in his hand.
The young man was named Li Mi. He was only seventeen years old, but he was proficient in military strategies. He was a counselor that Li Heng met when he was in Pingliang County.
Li Mi handed the wooden box to Li Heng and said, "Your Majesty, this is the strategy for suppressing the rebellion that I drew last night. Please review it."
Li Heng opened the wooden box and saw a map inside, which detailed the deployment of the rebels and the attack route of the Tang army.
Li Heng looked at the map and couldn't help but praise: "Li Mi, you are truly my Zifang!"
Li Mi smiled faintly. "Your Majesty, you are too kind. Although An Lushan's rebels are powerful, they are plagued by internal conflicts. An Lushan's son An Qingxu and his advisor Yan Zhuang are at odds. If we can take advantage of this and unite with the Uighur cavalry, we will surely defeat the enemy in one fell swoop."
Guo Ziyi also echoed, "What Li Mi said is absolutely right."
"The Uighur Khan has made an agreement with the Tang Dynasty, offering to send troops to aid us. If Your Majesty sends an envoy to the Uighurs and offers them generous rewards, the Uighur cavalry will surely lend a helping hand to our army."
Li Heng nodded, and immediately ordered someone to draft an imperial edict and send an envoy to the Uighurs.
Afterwards, he appointed Guo Ziyi as the Grand Marshal of the Army and Li Mi as the Marching Secretary, to reorganize the troops and prepare for a counterattack against the rebels.
In Shu, Xuanzong felt extremely bitter when he learned that Li Heng had ascended the throne in Lingwu and began to reorganize his troops in preparation for a counterattack.
He stood on the city wall of Chengdu, looking towards the north, muttering to himself: "Longji, Longji, you have ultimately failed the Tang Dynasty and failed Yuhuan."