Changsun Wuji sat alone in the tent until it was time to turn on the lamp, then someone brought him dinner, and then he listened to the battle report from the front while eating.
"There was a fierce battle in the Anhe Palace. The 'Wang Zhuang Army' was indeed the elite of the Goguryeo army. They were brave and good at fighting and not afraid of death. Fortunately, Xue Wanche's troops and the Chinese army rushed to the rescue in time, and they were blocked in the Anhe Palace. They could not display their full potential. Its advantage in cavalry charge, otherwise we are afraid we will suffer a big loss. The three armies of Xue Wanche, Zhongjun, and Cheng Yaojin worked together, using thunderbolts and powerful bows and crossbows, and they completely annihilated the "Wang Zhuang Army". The leader was Yuon Nam-geon, the son of Yeon Gaesumun, who was seriously injured and fell off his horse, but was also captured alive."
"Xue Wanche's troops suffered a defeat at Qixingmen. When he arrived at Qixingmen, the city gate was open. He thought it was Dalang who was responding, so he underestimated the enemy and advanced. It was not until thousands of soldiers entered the city that the Goguryeo army cut off the city gate."
"The army entering the city has been ambushed by the Goguryeo army, and the entire army was wiped out. Xue Wanche's troops suffered heavy losses."
…
Changsun Wuji remained silent as he listened to each message.
After the meal, he asked the servant to make a pot of tea, sat at the table and drank it slowly, and then asked: "Is there any news about Da Lang?"
"No. Pingrang City is currently under martial law. Not only is there no news about Dalang Yao, but there is also no news about the rest of our spies and agents buried in the city."
Changsun Wuji was silent again, with deep sadness in his eyes.
No matter how ruthless the hero is, how can he not have the slightest feeling of licking the calf? In the past two years, I have been very lucky, and my children have changed my orders. My sons have been brutally killed one after another, and my heart has been riddled with holes. Especially his eldest son, Sun Chong, who has been favored by him since he was a child and has always been nurtured and cared for as his successor.
Although he was secretly sad because he had to go to a foreign country and live in exile, he was still alive after all. In the current situation, it is obvious that Changsun Chong's plans are all under the control of Yuan Gaisuwen. Since the Seven Star Gate lured the Tang army into the city, he The ambush shows that Changsun Chong will inevitably fall into the hands of Yuan Gaisuwen.
Yuan Gaisuwen was famous all over the world for his tyranny, how could he keep Changsun Chong alive? I am afraid that Changsun Chong will be sentenced to extremely cruel punishment and die of torture...
And if Changsun Chong really had a chance to survive, he would have to completely surrender to Yuan Gaisuwen, abandon his ancestors, and accept the traitor as his father.
Changsun Chong made a mistake before and did something rebellious, but ultimately it was for the benefit of the family, so Changsun Wuji can be forgiven.
However, if he surrenders to Yuengai Suwen in order to survive, even if Changsun Wuji favors him, he can only treat him as dead...
After drinking a pot of tea until it was lukewarm, he put down the teacup and asked his servant to grind it. He then wrote a letter at his desk, sealed it with fire paint, and gave many instructions to send it back to Chang'an as soon as possible.
After the servant left, he changed into his regular clothes and a large cloak, walked out of the camp in the snow and arrived at Zhu Suiliang's residence.
Everyone was outside the house, and the two of them conspired in the tent for a long time.
For heroes like Changsun Wuji, who are at the pinnacle of imperial power and have experienced countless turmoils and dangers in their lives, it is actually very easy to make a decision, even if this decision is related to the lives of too many people and countless family members. of life and death.
Compared with the final decision, the process of speculation and deliberation is the most boring and important...
*****
In the barracks of Anhe Palace, scribes and generals were coming and going. Although it was completely dark and it was windy and snowy outside, there was still chaos.
During the day, there was first a battle under the Qixing Gate, and then Anhe Palace annihilated the "Wang Zhuang Army", which caused great losses to the Tang army and severely damaged morale. Both attacks came from Xue Wanche's tribe, so Xue Wanche was naturally responsible. At this moment, he was sitting aside with his head hanging down. , Cheng Yaojin also has to assume leadership responsibilities.
After drinking all the tea in the cup in one gulp, Cheng Yaojin glared at Xue Wanche and cursed: "Mother! You have been a veteran for half your life. We don't expect you to kill generals, seize flags, and siege cities. How can you still commit crimes?" Making such a careless mistake? It’s simply incompetent! Shame on you!”
In one day, Xue Wanche suffered a huge psychological blow. He was depressed and haggard. The stubble on his face was messy. The blood stains on his armor had dried up. He looked extremely decadent.
He spoke hoarsely and said dejectedly: "I will bear all the responsibility for this matter, and I will be willing to bear any punishment."
"bear?"
Cheng Yaojin was furious and yelled: "Are you going to bear it with your head? Improper command caused thousands of soldiers to fall into the Seven Star Gate. That is the crime of incompetence! Not to mention the negligence that caused the enemy troops to hide in Anhe Palace and failed. It was discovered that it led to His Majesty’s siege, and he was frightened and fell off his horse... Do you know what the crime is? This is dereliction of duty, dereliction of duty! Not to mention the consequences, if... Even if your wife is a princess, believe it or not, I have to drink with you Poisoned wine, three feet of white silk? You can't afford it!"
Seeing Xue Wanche drooping his head, Cheng Yaojin was angry and slapped the table. He looked up at the room and saw that they were all his close confidants. Then he leaned forward slightly and stared at Xue Wanche with his eyes. He whispered in a low voice: "From now on, never mention the phrase 'willing to bear' again. This is the way to die, do you understand? It's not just about whether your head can be saved, you are especially concerned about it." The whole family can’t bear it if they are bundled together in one place!”
This bastard, at this stage, has he not realized how much trouble he caused in bed today?
It’s just that the Qixing Gate was defeated. The enemy troops in the mountains behind Anhe Palace were negligent and failed to detect it, which directly caused His Majesty to be in danger. Currently, His Majesty is still receiving medical treatment in the Chinese army’s tent. The guards outside the tent are three floors away. No one is allowed to enter the third floor, which shows that His Majesty's situation is extremely dangerous.
just in case……
This responsibility is no longer a question of who should bear it, but who can afford it?
Xue Wanche raised his head and shook his big head, with a puzzled look on his face: "This is the responsibility of the general. Even if the general is shameless and wants to find someone to shirk the responsibility, he can't find him... uh..."
When he said this, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and his soul was blessed. He slapped his thigh and opened his mouth: "Yes, yes, if Chang Sun Chong hadn't emphasized in every possible way that the 'Wang Zhuangjun' was guarding the Yuan thieves at Mudan Peak and abandoned the city at any time, I would have abandoned the city and fled." How could I have been careless and failed to search the mountains behind Anhe Palace closely? If Zhao Guogong and his son had not vowed to take control of the Seven Star Gate and open the city as soon as the army arrived, how could I have underestimated the enemy and rushed in, leading to an ambush by Yuan bandits and the loss of thousands of elite soldiers? "
Cheng Yaojin had a stern look on his face, stroking his beard with a look of displeasure on his face: "A man should shoulder his own responsibilities. Even if he dies, he cannot shirk his responsibility."
Xue Wanche nodded repeatedly, with a big head like a chicken eating rice: "Yes, yes, Duke Lu taught you the lesson. Of course, there are other reasons for the mistake of the general, otherwise he would never be so careless and make mistakes again and again. But if he makes a mistake, he will You have to admit it, even if you are demoted or given a title, you still have to be brave enough to take on the responsibility."
Cheng Yaojin stroked his beard: "Well, that's what a man should do."
It's not that he liked Xue Wanche very much, so he gave some advice to prevent Xue Wanche from being used as a scapegoat without knowing it, but that Xue Wanche was under his control at the moment, and he was regarded as a serious subordinate. Be jointly and severally liable.
Just as he said to Xue Wanche, he was not afraid of taking responsibility. He had made countless mistakes in his life. How could he ever be afraid of taking responsibility? It's just that I really can't bear this responsibility right now...
Furthermore, Xue Wanche followed Fang Jun's lead and was a direct descendant of Fang Jun. He was therefore considered one of the powerful factions in the East Palace in the army. Since he decided to lean towards the East Palace and draw a line with other princes, he naturally wanted to maintain the East Palace lineage. Be free from the oppression of others.
Xue Wanche poured a cup of tea for Cheng Yaojin and asked cautiously: "Your Majesty, there shouldn't be anything serious, right?"
Now, he admired Cheng Yaojin so much.
In the past, everyone in the government and the public said that this person was a "devil incarnate". He was always the most generous in dealing with others, and he dared to be stubborn and unreasonable in front of His Majesty. It was common for him to be unreasonable. Therefore, everyone avoided him out of fear and did not want to deal with him.
However, during this Eastern Expedition, he often came into contact with Cheng Yaojin, and found that he was really following what others said. Although Cheng Yaojin usually seemed to be informal, his ability to deal with others was really brilliant!
He's just an old fool...
Cheng Yaojin took a sip of tea and said worriedly: "Who knows? The Chinese army's tent is sealed and no one is allowed to visit. This shows that His Majesty's situation is very serious, but to what extent it is difficult to guess. "
He said half of this. Although His Majesty fell from his horse, the situation may not be as serious as it appears. Perhaps there was also a deliberate motive for letting people send the news back to Chang'an...
