This year's snowstorm in Suiyang is still ravaging Zhang Xun's body and soul, and last year's snowstorm in Luoyang also frostbitten Feng Changqing's heart.
Facing the menacing An Lushan army and listening to the news reported by the spies, Feng Changqing, who was in the Eastern Capital, wanted to bang his head against the wall at this moment. He heard that there was an elixir in the world called "Regret Medicine". Where can I buy it? Quickly weigh two pounds and give me a taste!
"Just because the peace has lasted for a long time, everyone is afraid of the rebels. However, things have gone wrong and the situation has changed unexpectedly. I ask you to go to Tokyo immediately, open the treasury, recruit brave men, and lead the army to cross the Yellow River. It will not take a few days. Defeat the rebels, take An Lushan’s head and present it to the court!”
With these impassioned words, the emperor granted Changqing the title of Fan Yang and Pinglu as military envoys. Although Feng Changqing, who was full of confidence, was good at using troops, he only had thousands of personal guards at the moment, so he planned to rely on dozens of Years ago, the government army went to recruit soldiers, so he ordered people to capture strong men and captured a group of people by force. However, these soldiers captured were all farmhands from the market. They usually carried hoes and farm tools, but they were suddenly captured by force. Holding a gun and holding a knife, let alone wearing armor to kill the enemy, many people even went to the battlefield and lost their lives, and their heads were still confused: "Why was I farming at home, and suddenly I was captured and became a soldier?" This kind of replenishing soldiers is no longer the imperial soldiers of decades ago. Although the base seems to be huge, how can it be possible to fight with the rebels if they fight with real swords and guns? The soldiers recruited by Feng Changqing were all white men. They were untrained and had no fighting ability. His own family knew his own affairs. Feng Changqing, who had already boasted about Haikou, could only lead his troops to garrison in Wulao City and prepare fortifications and be on full alert. Stationed outside Luoyang City, preparing to resist the rebels. As for the defense of the inner city, it was handed over to the Turkic Bi Sichen who came first. Of course, you can't buy the medicine for regret. Now there is no way out but to fight. As for the benefactor who recommended him to the emperor, Bian Lingcheng, if he is lucky enough to survive, he will have to treat him well.
As expected, on the 11th day of the twelfth lunar month, facing the advance troops on Anlu Mountain, the troops led by Feng Changqing were defeated in Sishui. The rebel general Tian Chengsi charged with cavalry, and Feng Changqing's troops were deployed. They were all patchwork infantry. One or two charged down, and the Tang army was quickly defeated and fled. Feng Changqing could only collect the remaining soldiers, and fought the rebels with all his strength, but was defeated again.
Feng Changqing's strength was already unstable. After being defeated for the third time, he fled back to Luoyang City with his remaining cronies. He could not leave Luoyang, the eastern capital, at the mercy of others. While arranging his men to continue building fortifications, he sent his trusted aides to Shaanxi County for help, begging that the life-saving letter could be delivered to his good brother as soon as possible. If it was delivered correctly, , Gao Xianzhi will lead a large army for reinforcements in a short time. He, Li Zinda, Xi Xun and others only need to hold on for a few more days. As soon as Gao Xianzhi's army arrives, they will lead troops out of the city to attack in a pincer attack, and they should be able to contain Tian Chengsi's cavalry. Unfortunately, things were not as good as Feng Changqing expected. Before his letter reached Shaanxi County, An Lushan's army had already captured Luoyang City.
On the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month, Anlu Mountain fell to the east capital. The rebels clamored to attack from four gates at the same time. The defensive sergeants were already embarrassed. Now the main leader Feng Changqing was beaten to pieces again. Except for him, he was the only one who commanded the battle. The subordinates were all civil servants like Lu Yi. One was declining and the other was rising. The rebels tore open the gate of Luoyang like a maelstrom, killing and looting at will along the way. Feng Changqing, who was helpless, fought and retreated, and left from the west of the garden. He was defeated and fled again. This time it was not his letters that went to Shaanxi County, but himself.
Henan Yin Da Xi Xun and the general Bi Sichen both surrendered to Anlu Mountain, but civil servants like Li Xin and Yu Shizhongcheng Lu Yi who stayed in the eastern capital chose to die to serve the country. Even though they were dead, they still shouted:
"We are all favored by the imperial court. Although we are powerless, we should die fighting for our country."
After the rebels entered the city, the two of them packed up hundreds of remaining soldiers and prepared to fight fiercely with the rebels in the lanes of Luoyang City. The rebels were said to number in the hundreds of thousands, but at this moment, tens of thousands of them had entered the city, and they were all. Elites, these makeshift and integrated hundreds of people are simply vulnerable to tens of thousands of people. When the rebels cut them down with their blood-drinking steel knives, most of them died and fled. Having courage is one thing. Having strength is another matter.
Li Xin, who was desperately escorted home by his men, was just like his name at this moment. He was confused and disheartened. Frustrated, he dismissed the master guards and sat alone in the mansion. Lu Yi was also determined to die. He had earlier sent his wife to flee to Chang'an via a small path with a seal. He himself put on the court clothes given by the royal family and sat alone in the censor's Taichung. An Lushan sent people to blast open their door and captured Li Xin, Lu Yi and the interview judge Jiang Qing. Facing An Lushan who persuaded him to surrender, Li Xin had no interest in talking, while Lu Yi scolded them. He kept counting An Lushan's crimes in detail, and even before he died, he shouted to the rebels:
"As a human being, you should know that there is good and evil in things. Even though I die, I will not lose my integrity as a minister. What regrets do I have!"
This curse could not reach the ears of the rebels, let alone the city of Chang'an. Although An Lushan appreciated their loyalty, he was annoyed that they did not know how to commend them. Unable to recruit them, he could only ruthlessly kill them all and appoint Lu Yi. My best friend Zhang Wanqing is Henan Yin. If you look down on me and scold me, I will make your close friend my official. Even if you die, I will still disgust you.
On the 13th of the twelfth lunar month, facing An Lushan's army that captured Luoyang, Tokyo, Feng Changqing was completely defeated and had to lead his remaining troops to retreat to Shaanxi County. He thought that relying on Shaanxi County's geographical advantages and tens of thousands of troops, he might be able to resist the enemy. On that day, who would have thought that Dou Tingzhi, the governor of Shaanxi County, had already fled to the east of the river with his wife, concubines, children and grandchildren, wrapped in gold and silver treasures. When the officials and people in the city saw that their leaders had run away, they also fled for their lives. It was a good city, and no bandit soldiers were seen. The surface turned into a ghost land.
Fortunately, the miserable Feng Changqing waited for his savior Gao Xianzhi. The embarrassed Feng Changqing reported the battle situation to Gao Xianzhi who came to guard the place:
"In the bloody battle for days, the rebels cannot be defeated. Besides, there are no soldiers at Tongguan. If the rebels attack Tongguan, Chang'an in Kyoto will be in danger, and the land of Guan and Shaanxi is no longer safe to defend. It is better to lead troops to station at Tongguan and rely on the danger of Tongguan to fight again. The rebels resisted.”
Although Gao Xianzhi has always looked down on this thin man with a crooked mouth and slanted eyes, he also knows that Feng Changqing's battles are much more beautiful than his. They have been born and died side by side for more than ten years. Although he weighs a few pounds, he can still do it. After careful consideration, after listening to Feng Changqing's detailed report, I knew that what he said was true, so I decided to temporarily avoid the enemy's attack and retreat to Tongguan. Luoyang City has been lost, and Tongguan cannot be lost again, otherwise the old faces of the two people will really There is no place to hide!
Gao Xianzhi accepted Feng Changqing's opinion. He ordered the warehouses in Shaanxi County to be opened, and all the silk cloth treasures in the warehouses were given to the soldiers. Those who could not be taken away were set on fire. He strategically abandoned Shaanxi County and led his troops to Tongguan. retreat. Who would have thought that Cui Qianyou, who felt that the killing in Luoyang City was not enough, resisted the desire to plunder, and led the elite cavalry to Shaanxi County to attack and kill. Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing, who were pursued by the rebels, were shocked. The officers and soldiers collapsed at the first touch.
After losing thousands of lives, the Tang army finally retreated to Tongguan. Gao Xianzhi, who was still out of breath, immediately reorganized his troops, repaired and strengthened the fortifications, especially the cavalry on the opposite side, and relied on the terrain to fight according to danger. Afterwards, he issued a military order, saying that the imperial army would come to help in the near future, and morale gradually improved. An Lushan tribe led Cui Qianyou to arrive. For a while, they could not attack Tongguan, which was on the high ground of the city, so they had to retreat to Shaanxi County. An Lushan then ordered his general Cui Qianyou to lead his troops to garrison in Shaanxi County. As for the surrounding counties of Linru, Hongnong, Jiyin, Puyang, and Yunzhong, many of them had already opened their city gates and surrendered before the rebels arrived. Arrived at Anlu Mountain.
Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing, who were huddled in Tongguan, drank sullenly and thought about all the battles in their lives. When did they feel so aggrieved? Others had always avoided them. How could they hide from others? This time, this was a mistake. It was too late. An Lushan was really not easy to deal with. They were careless. Knowing this result, they didn't wade into this muddy water. There was no way out now and they could only discuss countermeasures while wiping away the tears of regret.
An Lushan, on the other hand, was enjoying life while sending various troops to continue the attack. He wanted to be emperor, and he also wanted to be an emperor greater than the one in Chang'an City. He didn't dare to think about it before, but since he got those warlocks, he feels that the way of heaven is on his side, and I can also be the emperor. The emperor takes turns and comes to my house this year.
Anlushan was happily dreaming of the emperor, but there were a few people who made Anlushan very unhappy. There was one named Guo Ziyi and one named Yan Gaoqing. These two people especially made Anlushan angry. It's so big that it's so angry that it wants to eat its flesh and blood.
Guo Ziyi is a very fierce man. His father is Guo Jingzhi, the governor of Shouzhou. In his early years, Guo Ziyi got a high rank in the martial arts examination and joined the army. You must know that the Chinese martial arts examination is several times or even ten times more difficult than the Chinese examination. After the Anlushan rebellion, , the emperor asked this "idler" who was still observing filial piety to replace An Sishun. The highly regarded Guo Jusheng was extremely ferocious. At the age of sixty, he actually led his troops to fight and took the lead to kill the enemy bravely. Lian Po Huang Loyalty, that’s all. Guo Ziyi, who mounted his horse, first beheaded the rebel general Zhou Wanqing. An Lushan sent Datong Army envoy Gao Xiuyan to join the Kou Zhenwu Army. He did not want to be defeated by Guo Ziyi again. After the victory, Guo Ziyi took advantage of the victory to pursue the Jingbian Army and conquered this army. A force with extraordinary power but no master was taken into his own hands. The Datong military commander Xue Zhongyi deployed by An Lushan entered Kou Jing's frontier army. Guo Ziyi sent the left military commander Li Guangbi, the right military commander Gao Jun, the left military commander Pugu Huai'en, the right military commander Hu Shizhi and others to attack head-on. People from all directions fought bravely to take the lead, killing seven or eight thousand of Xue Zhongyi's men, and then encircled Yunzhong. They sent general Gongsun Qiongyan to lead 2,000 cavalry to attack Mayi, and successfully captured it, opening Dongxing Pass. On the 19th day of the twelfth lunar month of this year, Xuanzong received these good news and made Guo Ziyi the imperial censor for his merits. He was very appreciative of it.
"If Guo Ziyi, who was resisting on the frontal battlefield, cut off some of An Lushan's flesh, then Yan Gaoqing, who was in the rear, cut off an arm of An Lushan. An Lushan's flesh was thick, and it would grow back quickly if he cut off a little bit. , but if the arm is broken, it can’t be regenerated.”
In the snowy night, Mo Sheng took a sip of wine and sighed like this:
"I have never met Yan Gaoqing in this life, but I hope we can meet again in the next life!"
Zhang Xun had heard of Yan Gaoqing, but was not familiar with him. When Mo Sheng mentioned it, he also wanted to know what kind of person could make such a free and easy person like Mo Sheng feel so regretful. He picked up the jug and gave Mo Sheng another glass of wine. The two of them, you talk and I listen, I tell you what you heard, analyzing the entire battle situation and planning Suiyang's future.
As for the snow slowly stopping, God seemed happy to hear it and forgot about the snow falling anymore. He looked at the two people in the shabby house and listened to the storytelling seriously with their heads raised.
"Is there not a single righteous person in the twenty-four counties?"
This was the emotion expressed by Emperor Li Sanlang after hearing reports from Hebei counties about the rebel movements. The momentum of the rebellion slowly exceeded the emperor's expectations. From misinformation and disbelief at first, to insignificance later, it was not until he saw the secret report from Yan Zhenqing, the prefect of Pingyuan, that Emperor Xuanzong knew that the snowball in Anlu Mountain seemed to be rolling more and more. The bigger.
"Who is Yan Zhenqing?"
Naturally, a small character like Yan Zhenqing is not worthy of the emperor's attention. Although the Langya Yan family is located in the Longxing land of the Sima family in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Yan family is neither high nor low. In the eyes of the people, it is a ceiling, and in the eyes of the emperor, it is a street commodity. . Yan Zhenqing was born into a distinguished family, but he lost his father when he was young. Being in a wealthy family, he had no worries about food and drink expenses, but after all, the absence of his father also created his youthful, mature, diligent and hard-working character. In the 22nd year of Kaiyuan of the Tang Dynasty, Yan Zhenqing ascended to the rank of Jinshi, and later held the positions of supervisory censor, imperial censor, etc. Later, because he offended the powerful minister Yang Guozhong, he was demoted to the prefect of Pingyuan, and his colleagues in the officialdom called him "Yan Pingyuan".
Before Anlu Mountain rebelled, Yan Pingyuan had already realized that Anlushan would rebel sooner or later, so he took advantage of the heavy rain to build the city and dig trenches, recruit dead men and strong men, stock up the granary and store weapons and supplies, and in his own The county and city acted secretly and prepared for war in advance.
An Lushan is no better than Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. He knows Yan Zhenqing. After all, if he wants to rebel, he must do a lot of homework in the early stage. There are too many examples of people who fail to pay attention and lose everything. He is as meticulous as An Lushan. , don’t allow yourself to make any mistakes. The people of Qin have no time to mourn for themselves, and then others will mourn for them. He understands this truth.
Although Yan Zhenqing is just a small plains prefect and the storm is not big, it is better to make plans in advance than to be in a hurry before the battle. In Anlu Mountain's database, Yan Zhenqing is a scholar. It is said that his ancestor is Yan Hui, the leader of the seventy-two sages of Confucius. His great-grandfather, great-grandfather, and father were all officials of the Li and Tang dynasties. However, in addition to his good background and good knowledge, , good character, good handwriting, and good to his mother, but his ability to march and fight was not enough to be taken seriously. After An Lushan actually rebelled, he directly issued an ultimatum to Yan Zhenqing. Not only did he ask him to surrender to him, but he also ordered him to lead 7,000 soldiers from Pingyuan and Boping to defend the Yellow River ferry. Yan Zhenqing received the ultimatum and knew that An Lushan had finally turned against him. While making excuses with the thieves, he sent Pingyuan Commander Li Ping eight hundred miles to hurry up and set off at starry night to report the news to the court.
The report sent by Yan Zhenqing was the first detailed report of the war that the court received. After Xuanzong read the report, he realized that after An Lushan rebelled, no one in Hebei counties dared to resist. It was not until Li Ping arrived at the court that Xuanzong was overjoyed. :
"Although I don't know what Yan Zhenqing looks like, he is indeed a righteous man for acting like this!"
Yan Zhenqing, who was in Pingyuan City, naturally had no idea that the superior emperor admired him so much. He only knew that the war was tense and there was no need to delay. After that, he sent his relatives and guests to secretly buy the traitor ultimatums, and then borrowed these ultimatums to come to the counties in Hebei and unite with the prefects and counties. After being ordered to raise troops, those counties and counties that were willing to fight against the enemy exchanged messages and responded. Zhenyuan County led by Zhang Xun, after receiving Yan Zhenqing's response, joined forces with each other to jointly fight against the rebels.
An Lushan, who captured Luoyang, Tokyo, chose to stay in this prosperous big city. He sent General Cui Qianyou to station troops in Shaanxi County to stalemate with Gao Xianzhi's Tang army at Tongguan. He also appointed Zhang Tongmei, the younger brother of his general Zhang Tongru, as the prefect of Suiyang, and fought with Chenliuchang Shi Yang Chaozong led more than a thousand Hu cavalry rebels to the east to attack the city and capture territory. Officials in the counties and counties where the rebels went fled or surrendered. Only King Wu, the prefect of Dongping, and Li Sui, the prefect of Jinan, raised troops to fight against the rebels. Therefore, those counties and counties who did not want to join the bandits used the name of King Li Zhi of Wu to raise troops to capture the bandits.
Among them, Jia Ben, the captain of Shan's father's county, had been practicing martial arts since he was a child. He was a very sincere man and wanted to eat the traitor An Lushan alive. The officials and sectarian masters attacked the Suiyang rebels southward and killed Zhang Tongmei, the Suiyang prefect appointed by An Lushan. The rebel general Li Tingwang was preparing to seize territory eastward. After hearing the news, he was afraid that the life-hungry people would take advantage of him, so he kept his promise and did not dare to go eastward. He began to pretend to be sick and work as a foreigner.
Yan Zhenqing, the governor of Pingyuan, issued an order to recruit warriors to fight against the rebels. Within a few days, more than 10,000 people responded, so he publicly announced that he would raise troops to attack Anlu Mountain. The soldiers were indignant. An Lushan, who captured Luoyang, Tokyo, wanted to frighten the resistance of the counties in Hebei and sent his general Duan Zi to declare every county in Hebei with the heads of Li Jin, Lu Yi and Jiang Qing. On the 17th day of the twelfth lunar month, Duan Ziguang's demonstration team came to Pingyuan County. Yan Zhenqing was not one of those weaklings. He could not bear it. He led his men to capture Duan Ziguang, stripped him naked and chopped him off in front of the public. Duan Ziguang never dreamed of this. Once you reach the plains, it’s really light. After killing Duan Ziguang and his party, Yan Zhenqing took out the heads of the three martyrs Li, Lu, and Jiang who were killed in Luoyang, buried them with cattails in a coffin, and then mourned and hung them. This was to comfort the spirits of the three heroes. Gather people and boost morale.
As soon as Anlu Mountain took Liu Daoxuan, the shipping envoy, as the puppet governor of Jingcheng, he was killed by Qingchi County Lieutenant Jia Zai and Yanshan County Lieutenant Muning, who were loyal to Li Tang. They not only killed Liu Daoxuan, but also captured They took more than fifty ships of Jiazhan, and then the two of them took Liu Daoxuan's dog head to pay homage to the chief minister Li Wei. Li Wei was naturally loyal to the Li family. He sent people to capture the clan of Yan Zhuang, an important official under Anlu Mountain, and killed them one by one on the school grounds in front of all the defenders. On the same day, he sent people to kill Liu Daoxuan. His head was sent to Yan Zhenqing's Pingyuan County. Yan Zhenqing then summoned Jia Zai, Muning and Qinghe County Lieutenant Zhang Dan to Pingyuan County to discuss fighting against the rebels.
At the same time, Lu Quancheng, the governor of Raoyang, occupied the city to fight against Anlushan. Li Huan, the governor of Hejian, killed Wang Huaizhong, the director of Anlushan. Ma Ji, each with thousands or thousands of troops, all elected Yan Zhenqing as the leader of the alliance, and the military was unified under his command to jointly fight against the rebels. An Lushan heard that Yan Zhenqing, a little fish, made such a big splash, so he sent his general Zhang Xiancheng to lead more than 10,000 troops from the five counties of Shanggu, Boling, Changshan, Zhaojun and Wen'an to besiege Raoyang and attack Yan Zhenqing. The power of others cannot be left to their own devices.
Yan Zhenqing's side is about to be stormy, and his brother's side is about to be bloody.
