After Lonely Chunyan finished speaking, although Li Mi remained silent, there were ripples in his heart like still water throwing stones. At his core, he was arrogant, arrogant, cynical, and never satisfied with the status quo. Lonely Chunyan's words made his dark eyes shine brightly, and his ambitions swelled again.
As a close aide, Jia Guifu could certainly see through Li Mi's thoughts at a glance. He thought about it in his mind, twirled his goatee and said, "Although Madam's idea is bold, it is not completely impossible to realize." Upon hearing this, Uncle Wang widened his eyes and said, "Can it really be done?" Gui Jia said. Fu nodded and said: "As long as you plan carefully, it is not impossible." Wang Bodang immediately turned to Li Mi and said: "My lord, since Mr. Jia thinks it can be done, let's do it!"
Li Mi pondered for a moment and said: "However, we only have more than 20,000 troops in our hands. Compared with the Tang army in Chang'an City, we do not have a numerical advantage, not to mention that there are still a large number of Tang troops in the Guanzhong prefectures. Once we cannot attack for a long time, we will wait for the Tang army If reinforcements arrive, we will be attacked from both sides."
Jia Guifu was confident: "Li Yude, the governor of Tongzhou, still has more than 10,000 people. Tongzhou is only two hundred miles away from Chang'an. If we let them move in advance, they can reach Chang'an in two days and two nights. In this way, we can We can gather 40,000 soldiers and horses to form an absolute advantage over the Tang army in the city. We can attack with intention but not with intention, and with preparation we can attack unprepared. As long as we can capture Chang'an within three days, it will be too late for the Tang army to send reinforcements."
When Wang Bodang heard this, he excitedly said: "There is also Zhang Shanxiang from Yizhou. He still has 20,000 troops. If he is also summoned, we will be more confident in attacking Chang'an." After hearing this, Li Mi waved his hands and said : "I can't do it in Yizhou. Yizhou is six to seven hundred miles away from Chang'an. No matter how fast the march is, it will still take ten days. If we act too early, it will arouse the alarm of the court. We should wait until Chang'an is captured before calling them."
Just when everyone was excited, Jia Guifu poured cold water on it. He said with concern: "The key question now is, what is Li Yude's attitude? Is he willing to participate?" After hearing this, Li Mi waved his hand relaxedly and said: "You don't have to worry about this. I promoted Li Yude with my own hands. He dare not disobey the order." Jia Guifu thought for a moment and said, "I'd better go there myself. After we figure out his thoughts, we can make the next step. In addition, I will stop by Hua Hua. State, look at the situation over there.”
The next day, Jia Guifu left Chang'an City in a carriage with two servants and headed for Tongzhou and Huazhou.
Early morning, Mingde Gate. The east is white, the rays are beginning to bloom, and the first ray of morning light shines on the tiled roofs of the towering towers. At this moment, the city gate has not yet opened, but there is already a long queue in front of the city gate.
By the moat dozens of steps away from the city gate, there were two people dressed as military generals. One was Wang Bodang, and the other was a young man in his twenties. He had a strong build and a resolute face. His name was Song Shi. , is one of Wang Bodang's subordinates.
Although Jia Guifu had not returned from Tongzhou and Huazhou, Wang Bodang was impatient and began to plan to attack the city gate of Chang'an. In order to deal a fatal blow to the Tang Dynasty, he decided that his first goal was to capture the Mingde Gate, the national gate of the Tang Dynasty. To make sure nothing went wrong, Wang Bodang decided to go there himself. Therefore, he got up at the fourth watch today and took a detour to Mingde Gate with his cronies.
Their horses were tied to a tree a few steps away, gnawing at the turf on the ground. Wang Bodang stood beside the moat and looked around. The moat was thirty steps wide, and the water in the moat was rippling, reflecting the golden glow of the morning. There is a row of willow trees beside the river, and thousands of silk ribbons hanging from the green willows are floating slightly in the gentle morning breeze.
The water in this moat is brought from Qujiang River. Qujiang is located in the southeast of Chang'an City. The Qujiang Banquet in the Tang Dynasty was very famous. It was the day when new scholars were announced every year. The imperial court hosted a banquet for the new scholars in a restaurant by the Qujiang River, which was similar to the Qionglin Banquet in the Song Dynasty.
Eight or nine feet away on the other side of the moat is the walled city. The blue-black wall twists and turns like waves, and you can't see the end at a glance. The 72-mile-long Chang'an City Wall protected the largest city in the world at the time. The five-foot-high wall was far larger than any other city Wang Bodang had ever seen.
Before setting foot on the city gate, you need to cross the wide stone bridge over the Hao River. Then, the Mingde Gate, the main south gate of Chang'an City, stood in front of us. Wang Bodang also saw Mingde Gate for the first time. Looking from a distance, he was secretly surprised by its huge scale and majestic momentum. What surprised him even more was that Mingde Gate actually had five doorways. Before this, the largest city gate he had ever seen had only three doorways.
Mingde Gate is the first "five-door" city gate in Chinese history. It created the highest system of city gate construction in ancient Chinese capitals and showed the important image of the capital. Like the "Danfeng Gate" of Daming Palace, it is An important representative of the "Five Ways of the Emperor", he is truly the "No. 1 Way of the Sui and Tang Dynasties."
As the south gate of Chang'an City, Mingde Gate is located at the southern end of Suzaku Avenue, the central axis of Chang'an City. Together with the "Suzaku Gate" of the palace city and the "Chengtian Gate" of the imperial city, it constitutes the north-south central axis of Chang'an City and is a reflection of the city's central axis. The important node of the axially symmetrical layout of Chang'an City can be said to be the gate of the Tang Dynasty.
Chang'an City in the Sui and Tang Dynasties was not the Chang'an City in the Han Dynasty. Chang'an (Qin Xianyang) in the Han Dynasty had been destroyed by war. Chang'an City in the Sui and Tang Dynasties was built twenty miles southeast of the former site of Chang'an City in the Han Dynasty in the second year of Kaihuang's reign (582 AD). It was originally called Daxing City. At that time, Yu Wenkai, a famous architect and general in the early Sui Dynasty who presided over the construction of Daxing City, made special treatment for the Mingde Gate in the architectural form, adopting a rare five-door approach, while the other eleven gates of Daxing City were all Three doorways. There are five doorways in Mingde Gate. The two doors at both ends are for carriages and horses to pass in and out. They are wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side. The next two doors are for pedestrians to pass in and out. The middle door is usually closed. It is dedicated to The emperor held "suburban sacrifices" in the southern suburbs every year and used the royal road for other travels.
As the sky dawned, the city gates opened, allowing carriages, horses, and pedestrians to pass through. The long queue in front of the city gates began to move forward slowly. Wang Boma and Song Shi also untied their horses from the trees and led them to the end of the queue. The two of them followed the team across the stone bridge and arrived in front of the city gate. Wang Bodang raised his head and looked up. The cornices and brackets, and the magnificent three-story city tower were pressing on the gate. The city head was covered with corner flags and guards were lined up. It didn't have the solemnity that a military building should have, but it had the majesty and grandeur of a huge city.
As the flow of people arrived at the city gate, the inspection at the city gate was very loose. Two people led their horses through the city gate, but no one came to inquire. Wang Bodang took a look and found that only business travelers carrying large or small bags or escorting vehicles would be stopped to pay taxes. The city guards wouldn't even look at the others. When Wang Bodang entered Chang'an for the first time, he was surprised that the inspection at the capital city gate was much looser than expected. This was unimaginable in the towns in the Central Plains where wars were frequent. As the capital of the Tang Dynasty, the center of gravity of the country was still so loose, which was really beyond Wang Bodang's expectation.
But think about it. It is said that the total number of pigs, sheep and other livestock that are driven into Chang'an City every day is in the thousands, and there are countless chickens and ducks. And there are always countless business and travel officials or local residents from various places every day. If there are thousands of people coming in and out, if they are checked one by one, thirty-six hours a day will not be enough.
After passing through the city gate, which is more than 20 steps in length, it suddenly opens up. In front of it is a Yudaotian Street that leads directly to the Zhuque Gate. But inside the city wall is a street about ten feet wide. Standing at the crossroads of the two streets As soon as they opened the door, they suddenly found themselves in a prosperous scene that was unparalleled in the world.
Wang Bodang left the military camp early in the morning. Now his stomach was flat and ringing like a drum, and he had to fill up the temple of the five internal organs quickly. There were many breakfast shops on both sides of the street. They chose one and went in. After sitting down, they ordered water rice, tripe lungs and steamed cakes, and started eating.
After finishing the meal and walking out of the breakfast shop, Wang Bodang said to Song Shi: "You go back to the military camp, I will go find the lord." Song Shi nodded in agreement. After the two broke up on the street, Wang Bodang rode to Li Mi's house. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he met the butler. The steward said: "General Wang, Mr. Jia is back." Upon hearing this, Uncle Wang perked up and hurried to the back hall.
Wang Bodang walked in and saw Jia Runfu and Li Mi sitting there talking. He moved a horse stool and walked over to sit down. He looked at Jia Runfu and said, "How is it?" Jia Runfu nodded with a smile and said, "I talked with Li Yude and Gao Jifu. They all agreed with the lord's uprising and were willing to obey orders. . I made an appointment with them to start taking action in five days."
"Great!" Wang Bodang said excitedly.
Li Mi was also very happy and said with a smile: "Bodang, it's up to you whether you can attack Chang'an City." Wang Bodang said confidently: "Don't worry, my lord, I have already made arrangements!"
Huazhou, Wagang Military Camp. Gao Jifu was about forty years old. He spent half his life in the army and developed a strong body. After he entered Guanzhong with Li Mi, he led more than 10,000 troops and horses to station in Huazhou, guarding the Changchun Palace together with Li Xiaoji, King of Yong'an. Gao Jifu usually had nothing to do except horseback riding, archery, and martial arts training to stretch his muscles.
In the school martial arts field, Gao Jifu exposed his strong upper body, and the hard muscles were carved out like the best stonemason. He danced a big gun like a dragon and a snake, making the gun whistle in the wind. The tip of the spear was hesitating like a poisonous snake, never leaving the vital point, forcing the training captain to retreat step by step. The sparring partner was so overwhelmed that he had no power to fight back. Gao Jifu showed no signs of excitement. His eyes widened and he danced with his spear while shouting: "This is all you have in martial arts? The Wagang Army really has no one!"
The captain was not angry at being underestimated, and the gun's momentum immediately turned sharp. The tip of the gun made a feint in front of Gao Jifu's eyes, and the tail of the backhand hit Gao Jifu's shin bone.
"That's enough!" Gao Jifu shouted happily, his arms suddenly vibrated, and the big gun in his hand suddenly turned into thousands of shadows. The rolling shadows of the gun were like pebbles falling into the water, swinging around in circles. The wind soared from the ground, and the whistling turned into a roar. Only a crisp sound was heard, and a spear flew out of the battle circle in the blink of an eye. The young captain was knocked to the ground with empty hands.
Thousands of spear shadows merged into one and returned to the shape of a big spear. Gao Jifu put away his gun and jumped out of the circle. After just practicing spear skills for a while, Gao Jifu was already sweating profusely, and his body was steaming with heat. A soldier standing on the sidelines came forward and handed him a towel.
At this time, the deputy general came over in a hurry, clasped his fists and said: "Commander, the lord has sent someone, we will start an attack the day after tomorrow, and we have to set off tonight." Gao Jifu wiped his sweat and ordered: "Tell the supervisor Zheng Jieping, I want to invite him to drink tonight." The deputy general said loudly: "Yes!"
