The twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month is a small year!
On this day in previous years, even the poorest families would think of ways to get some dry goods for their elderly and children. Instead of drinking porridge, they would make as many cakes as possible. The hard work of the whole year begins today. Draw a line, and for the next seven days, there will be no plowing or weaving, the firewood will be bright, and you will eat as much as you can, and you will feel as comfortable as you can.
But for the people of Changshan County, the New Year's Eve of Tang Tianbao's fourteenth year was destined not to be comfortable.
An Lushan was furious and sent his first general Shi Siming, commanding 30,000 elite troops to set out at night. They must capture Yan Gaoqing and others as quickly as possible, control Changshan's army and civilians, and stabilize the situation in Hebei. Afterwards, An Lushan still felt uneasy, so he plucked out 10,000 troops from his teeth, and led by General Cai Xide rushed to Changshan County to join Shi Siming's troops. Before the army set off, An Lushan gritted his teeth and told Cai Xide to capture Yan Gaoqing alive, the repeated villain who pretended to surrender.
Yan Gaoqing killed Li Qincuo on the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month and buried him on the last full moon of the year. After that, he used a trick to capture Gao Miao and He Qianqian, and sent his son to escort them on the 18th. When he went to Taiyuan, he heard that Anlushan had captured Luoyang on the 12th. He was worried about the comfort of Chang'an City, so he could only officially raise the banner of the Tang Dynasty on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month and publicly denounced Anlushan in order to contain Anlushan. troops to relieve the pressure on the Tongguan defenders.
What Yan Gaoqing did was the biggest threat he had ever encountered since Anlushan's rebellion. Yan Gaoqing killed his trusted guard, captured his advisors, retreated Zhang Xiancheng who was besieging Raoyang, and gathered in all counties in Hebei. Strength, Wu stole his hometown Fan Yang. One link after another, one move is more cruel than the other. As long as An Lushan himself is a little careless, when the emperor comes to his senses, the two sides will attack front and back, and the massive rebellion will immediately be ruined!
An Lushan had been planning the rebellion for more than twenty years. He was an extremely thoughtful person, and all the forces in the world were thoroughly studied by him. Although he was rebellious, he didn't know what he said to his own people before he actually took action. It wasn't until he got the news that Yang Guozhong raided his house and killed his disciples that he finally gritted his teeth and did it ruthlessly. Two or three days before the rebellion, he hosted a banquet for more than a dozen of his generals in his mansion. During the banquet, he gave each general a generous reward and placed a huge map in the hall of the mansion, which marked the dangerous mountains and rivers in various parts of the Tang Dynasty. Yi and the offensive route, and each person was given a similar reduced map. An Lushan even issued strict orders to all generals. Anyone who dared to violate this plan would be beheaded and the nine tribes would be killed. This map clearly marks the military operations up to Luoyang. All generals only need to follow the map to advance. These generals knew that this was serious business. They took the map and did not dare to say anything. They took the order and left one after another, preparing their own troops and waiting for a full-line attack at any time. Until Anlu Mountain captured Luoyang later, the marching routes of each army actually followed the instructions in the map. It can be seen from this that An Lushan is a very terrifying hero with his deep scheming, strategic leadership, bravery in battle, and superb control.
Therefore, how could such a strategist allow such a big change like Yan Gaoqing to occur under his control? Changshan's trouble was already a thorn in his side and had to be eliminated quickly!
On the first day of the first lunar month of Tianbao's fifteenth year, Shi Siming, who had assembled in front of Changshan County, burned incense and prayed to heaven, begging God to bless him with victory on the first day of the new year and capture Changshan County as soon as possible. Although Yan Gaoqing had made a lot of efforts, he did not expect that An Lushan would attach so much importance to his Changshan County and actually send 40,000 elite troops to attack him, including artillery and crossbows. What's even more difficult is that although the forces of the counties and counties in the Hebei Alliance have responded, the integration of troops and horses has not yet been completed. He sent his son Yan Quanming to ask for help from his boss Wang Chengye. It has been many days but there has been no response. He had no choice but to rush to the battle. The troops of Changshan County defended day and night and fought desperately. After all, Changshan County was in a weak position, with a shortage of soldiers in the city. In addition, the rebels attacked day and night. In the end, they were outnumbered, and the defense supplies were slowly exhausted. Yan Gaoqing, who was in the age of Huang Zhong, wished that he was Zhao Zilong with a white horse and a silver spear. But the God of Changshan doesn’t appear.
On the eighth day of the first lunar month, Changshan City, which was in a mess and full of wounded soldiers, finally fell. Yan Gaoqing, Yuan Luqian and others were captured by Shi Siming himself and sent to Luoyang City that same day.
"Before Yan Gaoqing and others were put into the prison cart, Shi Siming followed An Lushan's instructions and tied Yan Gaoqing and others to a high cart. They were pulled by horses through the city of Changshan County, wherever the carriage went. , the rebels began to perform. The beasts slaughtered the surviving defenders, mutilated the unarmed people, and burned everything that could not be taken away. Women were raped in the street, and what was even more heinous was that the children were thrown into the hot pot alive. They boiled the pot of water and closed the lid. The rebels laughed and commented on which child had the strongest resistance. When the children stopped struggling, they picked them up from the pot with knives and guns, put them on the table and chopped them into pieces. , eating them like fish. Some even push the children's parents to the pot, letting them witness how their own flesh and blood are boiled and stewed alive, and even pry open their mouths to let them eat their own flesh. Children, the rebels also issued an order that those who actively eat their own children will be spared death. What is heartbreaking is that there are actually people who actively eat their own children in order to survive, ignoring the abuse and ridicule, and trying to survive."
Zhang Xun looked at Mo Sheng's words in disbelief. It was hard for him to imagine that Changshan County under the sword and ax could not only be described as tragic, it was simply purgatory!
Changshan is full of the city, and there is no white snow anymore. There are dead people everywhere, ashes everywhere, and blood like red plums everywhere. Yan Gaoqing and his party on the carriage witnessed everything, their angry blood and tears had dried up, their roars had become silent, and their sorrowful souls had become numb. They asked themselves in their hearts whether this was right or wrong!
Shi Siming and Cai Xide, who captured Changshan County, took advantage of the momentum and attacked other counties in one go, including Ye County, Guangping County, Julu County, Zhao County, Shanggu County, Boling County, Wen'an County, Wei County, Xindu area, and so on. They were all re-occupied by the rebels. In Hebei, everything the rebels passed was destroyed, and the paradise on earth turned into hell.
On the eleventh day of the first lunar month, on the first day of the first lunar month and on the New Year's Day, Anlu Mountain officially announced the founding of the Yan Empire and proclaimed itself Emperor Jianyuan Shengwu in Luoyang, the eastern capital, and saw Yan Gaoqing being escorted there. , his eyes widened in anger, and all the fat on his body trembled with his breathing. An Lushan saw Yan Gaoqing being held on the ground. His fat body was trembling. He stood up and pointed at Yan Gaoqing and asked with gritted teeth:
"You slave, I was the one who asked you to be the judge from Fanyang Hucao, so that you could serve as the second prime minister of Guanglu and Taichang. I also used you, a piece of shit, to act as the governor of Changshan. I trust you very much. Before leaving, I was even taught with a purple robe before, so what is it about me that I can’t stand for you that you want to betray me?”
Yan Gaoqing's chest felt like it was exploding. He glared at the stupid pig and cursed:
"My family has been a minister of the Tang Dynasty for generations and always adheres to loyalty. Even if you petition the official, should I still follow you in rebellion? Besides, you are a lowly slave of the Jie tribe who shepherds sheep in Yingzhou. You stole the emperor's favor and became a slave. With today's glory, what can the emperor do to you, and yet you want to rebel against the imperial court!"
An Lushan hated people exposing his shortcomings the most in his life. Yan Gaoqing's words made him very angry and speechless, but he didn't give up. Yan Gaoqing was too powerful to use him for his own purposes. Too unwilling. The furious An Lushan sent someone to pull Yan Gaoqing's youngest son Yan Jiming in front of Yan Gaoqing, put a knife on his neck, and shouted to Yan Gaoqing condescendingly:
"Submit me and be a slave!"
Yan Gaoqing looked at his beloved son, neither sad nor happy, and said nothing. An Lushan knew that this man was already determined to die, and it was no longer possible for him to persuade him to surrender, so he cruelly ordered Yan Gao to be killed. More than thirty members of Qing's family were brought before Yan Gaoqing, their hands and feet were cut off, and they were tortured to death. But what An Lushan didn't expect was that none of the more than 30 members of the Yan family surrendered until their death. An Lushan became angry and tied Yan Gaoqing to a bridge pillar in Tianjin, dismembered him in the street and ate his flesh to warn the people. Yan Gaoqing, who was being tortured, still kept swearing at An Lushan, so An Lushan sent someone to cut off his tongue to see how much more you could curse. Yan Gaoqing gasped out amidst the vague curses. He breathed his last breath at the age of sixty-five. On the same day, the hands and feet of Yan Gaoqing's subordinate officials and relatives were also amputated and then slowly tortured to death. He Qianqian's younger brother was angry that Yan Gaoqing and Yuan Luqian captured his brother, cutting off his own path to wealth, and personally supervised the execution of the torture. He walked up to Yuan Luqian and cursed. When Yuan Luqian got closer to him, Yuan Luqian sprayed a mouthful of blood on his face, and then he He was mutilated even more cruelly, and passers-by could do nothing but look sideways and shed tears.
Hearing that Yan Gaoqing, Yuan Luqian and others, who were all dressed in iron bones, kept their bodies upright until their death, Zhang Xun also asked himself in his heart on the snowy night, what should I do if I am like this? Is Chang Shan's tragic situation the future of Suiyang? Is Yan Gaoqing's tongue-cutting fate his own fate? After pondering over the question for a long time, Zhang Xun secretly laughed, why was he so confused? It took so long to think about such a question. It is a lifelong honor to become a person like Yan Gaoqing. I hope that the person I am in the future will be the same as you. . Suiyang will persevere until death!
Mo Sheng's story also came to an end with the murder of Yan Gaoqing. The two of them felt sad for Yan Gaoqing and others for a while, and then gathered their minds and analyzed the reasons for the fall of Changshan, learning from each other's strengths and weaknesses. Stones from other mountains can attack jade, and they hope that Changshan's lessons can make up for Suiyang's shortcomings.
"I think that in addition to the strong enemy and internal weakness mentioned by Mr. Mo, there is a third reason for Changshan's defeat, and that is the failure of foreign aid to save them."
Zhang Xun looked at Mo Sheng and continued:
"The city of Changshan is small and there is no danger to defend it. However, at that time, the counties in Hebei Province had reached a consensus and the trend of forming an alliance had begun. Why didn't Taiyuan Yin, as the commander-in-chief of their superior county, send troops to help? Taiyuan County, as the place where the Dragon was prosperous in the Tang Dynasty, had always been The soldiers and horses are strong, especially the bows, horses, riding and shooting are the best in the country. Wang Chengye knows the importance of Changshan, why doesn't he send troops to help quickly?"
Mo Sheng looked at Zhang Xun, who was full of doubts, and knew that because of his humble position, his knowledge was unknown, so he explained:
"Do you still remember what I said about Yan Quanming and his party going to Taiyuan County?"
Zhang Xun replied:
"Of course I remember, didn't you say that Wang Chengye entertained Yan Quanming and his entourage warmly, and that he was firm in what he said, that he was on the same level as the rebels, and that he valued Yan Gaoqing very much? Could it be that he was also acting coquettishly, pretending to be cowardly, returning to the Tang Dynasty openly, but secretly Are you planning to collude with An Lushan?"
Mo Sheng heard obvious blame from Zhang Xun's tone. You must know that in terms of official position, Wang Chengye was enough to crush Zhang Xun to death, but Zhang Xun didn't realize it, and his anger was beyond words.
"No, Wang Chengye still hates An Lushan deeply, and he sincerely protects the Li family court without half-heartedness. It's just that he has a shortcoming, that is, he is extremely enthusiastic about pursuing fame and fortune, and is even a little morbidly crazy."
"Oh, then what does this have to do with not saving Yan Gaoqing?"
Mo Sheng paused, took a sip of wine, adjusted his sitting posture, and replied: "Yan Gaoqing is not wrong, Yan Quanming is not wrong, and Wang Chengye was not wrong at the beginning. The only mistake is that they brought one more person with them." .”
"I brought one more person, who is it?" Zhang Xun was a qualified listener and responded to Mo Sheng promptly.
"Zhang Tongyou!"
"Zhang Tongyou? Who is that?"
"Zhang Tongyou is a little miscellaneous fish, just a Neiqiu county lieutenant..." As soon as he blurted out his words, Mo Sheng regretted it. In his opinion, the county captain was indeed a little miscellaneous fish, but the man sitting in front of him at the moment Zhang Xun was once a county lieutenant, and he was just a small fish in his mouth. When he commented like this, he was afraid that he was criticizing Huaihua. Fortunately, Zhang Xun, who was sitting across from him, didn’t look strange when he heard those words. It seems that he will talk a lot in the future. It's better to pay attention. He continued to explain:
"Although Zhang Tongyou has no official position, his brother is famous. An Lushan has many generals, but he is suspicious by nature and has few true confidants. Even his biological son An Qingxu has many Be wary. But although Cao Cao is treacherous, he trusts Guo Jia. Although he is noble and dignified, Zhang Tongru is the number one among An Lushan's truly trustworthy ministers. This man is profound in knowledge, knowledgeable about the past and present, and has a very deep mind. He is especially good at When it comes to politics, although his family background is not obvious, he relies on his own steps and strengthens himself step by step, and eventually becomes An Lushan's right-hand man. He is a very threatening figure. With his guarantee, An Lushan can have no worries. An Lushan claimed to be the Emperor of Dayan in the Eastern Capital. This traitor took the defeated Luoyang general Da Xixun as his minister, Zhang Tongru as his minister, Gao Shang and Yan Zhuang as his ministers, how could Zhang Tongru be the prime minister of Anlu Mountain? A mediocre person.”
"Oh, that's it. Then does this person want to be the fang of An Lushan like his brother?"
"No, on the contrary, although this man is Zhang Tongru's brother, he is clearly different from him. Especially after learning about An Lushan's rebellion, he was deeply afraid of being influenced by his brother. He rushed to Changshan County against all odds and went to Yan Yan in tears. Gaoqing expressed his heart to the Tang Dynasty. Later, he learned that Yan Gaoqing had captured Gao Miao He for thousands of years and wanted to escort the two of them to Taiyuan. He even cried and asked to go with him, saying that he would go to Taiyuan County to show up to the court to draw a clear line between him and his brother. , to ensure that the clan will not be affected. Yan Gaoqing sadly agreed and allowed him to accompany his son Yan Jiming."
Zhang Xun listened to Mo Sheng's description and continued listening while thinking about it in his mind.
After Yan Quanming and his party arrived in Taiyuan County, they received unprecedented treatment. After all, this was the first big setback on An Lushan's rebellion, and they should be celebrated. It's just that Zhang Tongyou was cunning and cunning. He knew that Jiedushi Wang Chengye had always been greedy for power and was greedy for the achievements of his subordinates. This time Yan Gaoqing accomplished such a great feat, he should think of a way to be a favor to Wang Chengye and embrace this thigh. So after the banquet, he made an excuse that night to meet Wang Chengye and presented to Wang Chengye the strategy he had worked out so hard. He told Wang Chengye that the reason why Yan Gaoqing was able to achieve such great achievements was entirely due to the contributions of his brothers. His brother Zhang Tongru was kidnapped by thieves and could not help himself. He wanted to resist but was afraid of losing his life in vain, so the two brothers conspired. , came up with this plan, captured and killed several people and handed them over to the court. Today he is willing to dedicate this great achievement to the Jiedushi Master, hoping that he can say a few nice words in the court, so that their painstaking efforts can be felt by the Li family court. .
The two of them talked secretly for the rest of the night. On the second day, the overjoyed Jiedushi Wang Chengye first comforted Yan Quanming, Jia Shen and others, and then secretly withheld Yan Gaoqing's form, and asked him to submit the form himself. Zhang, he wrote in his form how he killed generals and captured thieves, and presented important figures of the rebels to the court. In this way, Yan Gaoqing and others' hard work was taken full credit for himself. Xuanzong, who was in the temple and didn't know the inside story, was overjoyed after reading the letter. He immediately promoted Wang Chengye to the rank of general, and one of his subordinates, Yajiang, became enlightened, and more than a hundred chickens and dogs were rewarded. Poor Yan Gaoqing, who was in Changshan, fought bloody battles and fully expected the imperial court and Taiyuan to come to rescue him. He was still a confused ghost until his death. An Lushan was stabbed by He Qianqian, and Zhang Tongyou gave Yan Gaoqing a sap. You come and go, hurting each other!
"The murderer is still behind. Wang Chengye turned a deaf ear to Yan Gaoqing's letter requesting to send troops to help Changshan. He only sent people to entertain Yan Quanming and others with a banquet, hoping that Shi Siming would quickly break through Changshan and capture Yan Gaoqing so that he could have a good fight. There is no proof of death. God is so beautiful that on the eighth day of the first lunar month, the city of Changshan was destroyed. It was the time when Wang Chengye met the saints and was rewarded. As the saying goes, time is also destiny. Poor Yan Gaoqing, a generation of heroes was destroyed by these two villains, and even more so. Tens of thousands of people in Changshan were also buried in the hands of these two people. It’s really sad!”
Hearing that Yan Gaoqing and a group of righteous men from Changshan County had sacrificed their lives for the country, Zhang Xun was filled with thoughts. He hated the brutality of Shi Siming's rebels in Anlu Mountain, was angry at the shamelessness of Wang Chengye, Zhang Tongyou and others, and lamented that Yan Gaoqing and Yuan Luqian's ambitions had not been fulfilled. , and at the same time, I was also thinking about myself in my mind. If Changshan was replaced by Suiyang, how should I deal with it? Will I also encounter various immeasurable unexpected factors? It seems that I still have to put in a lot of effort. I have to do it tonight. When I met Mo Sheng, I benefited a lot from being able to learn these inside stories from this hermit hero. It was like meeting a good teacher when I was lost. I was so lucky!
Zhang Xun raised the wine jug in front of him and shook it. The wine in the jug had frozen and made a clanging sound. Zhang Xun smiled awkwardly and held the jug in both hands. He stood up and bent down to fill the wine bottle in front of Mo Sheng. He said respectfully :
"Sir, please have a full drink of this cup. Student Zhang Xun will serve it!"
Mo Sheng was surprised. This Zhang Xun had been talking to his peers for more than an hour. He was obviously an ordinary person. In this cold winter night, his lips were slightly purple from the cold, but he was still humble and polite, completely ignoring the hardships around him. In the environment, he still looked like he was asking for advice humbly. At this moment, even a blind man could tell whether he was just showing off or sincere.
Mo Sheng did not stand up. He sat upright, holding the bottle in his right hand and supporting each other with his left hand. He drank the cup of "disciple wine" very generously, and then the two looked at each other and smiled, and continued talking.
The snow outside the broken house fell and stopped, and the cold air was raging, but it couldn't stop the sincerity of the two people. The fire in their hearts was blazing and crackling!
At the same time, Zhang Xun's mansion was silent, with only one room in the backyard bedroom still lit. The dormitory is clean and elegant, spotless. There is a lamp burning on the table in the room. There is an iron charcoal stove on the ground in the center of the room. A woman in her forties, well-dressed but not flashy, is holding a poker and burning the charcoal fire. Charcoal is added to the stove, and the red fire in the brazier burns quietly, driving away the cold in the house. The quilt has been spread out on the bed, and the new flower quilt sent by the prefect Xu Yuan is soft and comfortable. After the woman added the charcoal, she walked to the bed again, reached into the quilt, fumbled for a black iron box the size of a pillow, took it to the charcoal brazier, and opened the iron box to the right. There was another small iron box inside. , the box has a lid, and when opened, there are a few dim and dying charcoal inside. The woman took out a few burned charcoal sticks, took out a few red burning charcoal sticks in the charcoal brazier, carefully put them into the inner box, fastened them, then pushed back the outer box lid, held the box and started again. Put it in the quilt.
After placing the warm box, the woman came to the window. She opened a slit and looked outside the house through the snow light. The cold air penetrated along the slit. The woman couldn't help shivering and quickly closed the window. He walked back to the charcoal stove, picked up the sewing box on the stool next to the stove, and began to mend clothes. I sewed for a while, absentmindedly, and my hand was pricked several times by needles. I frowned slightly, and I felt restless listening to the movement outside the house.
After suffering like this for a while, the woman stood up, put down her needlework, and came to the bedside cabinet. She opened the cabinet door, rummaged through it, and picked out a long-breasted dress from the pile of clothes sent by the prefect. Warm robe, I checked myself up and down, put it on the bed, found another fox fur coat, and took a wool felt blanket, folded the three pieces neatly, and put on a daily warm robe and cloak. , she lit a gauze lantern, hugged the three cotton things, opened the thick door curtain, opened and closed the door, looked up at the sky, then lowered her head, and walked towards the door against the wind and snow. The yard is not long, so we walked out of the gate soon. The night guard at the door saw someone coming out and recognized the person from his appearance. The guard quickly stepped forward and saluted respectfully and asked:
"Hello, Second Madam, is there anything urgent for you on such a snowy night?"
This person who was called the second lady was Zhang Xun’s concubine. She followed Zhang Xun from Yongqiu to Suiyang and was responsible for taking care of Zhang Xun’s daily life. Looking at the night guard who came up, she had a smile on her face. Laughing and replied:
"Sanyong, it turns out that you are on shift tonight. I saw that your Alang didn't come home late at night. I guess it's because things haven't been done yet, but I didn't want it to snow. Your Alang wore armor when he went out. I was afraid that he would catch the cold late at night. , I gave him some warm clothes, it’s nothing important.”
This man named Sanyong is one of the sergeants who has followed Zhang Xun since he started his army at Yongqiu. He is brave in combat, has a quick mind, and is very skilled. He has a strength close to the third level. He was assigned to Zhang Xun's personal guard camp, specializing in The person responsible for protecting Zhang Xun's safety is naturally very familiar with Zhang Xun's family members, and Zhang Xun's family members also treat these loyal and brave guards as family members.
"Why don't you let me go and deliver it? It's snowy and the road is not easy to walk."
"No need, you know your Alang's temper. He might blame me for being meddlesome when I go there. If these trivial matters affect your duties again, he will be blamed even more."
Sanyong also understood Zhang Xun's temper, so he stopped refusing immediately and pointed out the direction of Mo Sheng's residence to the second wife. After repeatedly asking his wife to be careful on the road, he returned to his post and continued to patrol the night.
The sky is cold and the color is green, and the north wind is calling the dry mulberry trees.
The gauze lamp in the wind and snow gradually faded away, and finally disappeared. The series of footprints left in the snowy night were gentle, lingering, and inextricably linked.
