Chapter 4247: Pure and harmless
Coming out of the camp of the left-leading army guard, the oncoming rain hit his face with a refreshing chill, dispelling the heat of the hot pot and the aroma of the wine. Yuwen Shi calmed down, got into the carriage with the help of his servants, and left this place. A piece of the ancient palace of the Qin and Han Dynasties, heading towards the next destination.
Leaning on the carriage, he was swaying in a daze. In the past few days, he had been traveling almost non-stop throughout Guanzhong to connect with the generals of the army. He almost shook his old bones to pieces. He was exhausted and exhausted.
But in order for the Guanlong clan to regain its glory and return to the pinnacle of imperial power, he not only had to work hard and make suggestions for the King of Jin, but he also had to travel around and convince the generals everywhere with his sharp tongue.
Only then did he realize how much effort Changsun Wuji had made in the past despite being extremely glorious and powerful, with the entire Guanlong clan crawling at his feet and being driven by others...
But now that the matter has come to this, where is the retreat?
Since he led the Guanlong clan to betray Li Chengqian and rely on Li Zhi, he was destined to succeed and not fail.
Because the consequences of failure are absolutely unbearable for him and the Guanlong clan behind him.
The clans in Shandong and Jiangnan are better off. After all, Li Chengqian still relies on the clans in these two places to stabilize the situation in Shandong and Jiangnan. Even if he holds a grudge, he can only take revenge step by step. But for the Guanlong clan, it must be a thunderous means, completely crushing them into powder on the land of Guanzhong.
No emperor can tolerate a tiger hiding behind him that can take a bite at any time...
It's just that this attempt to connect all parties has had little effect.
No one is a fool. Even if they have their own plans for the ownership of the throne, they have still been watching from afar until now. Who is not a person with a firm mind and cunning like a fox? Before Yuchi Gong actually broke into Chang'an City, these people did not see rabbits or hawks, and were completely unmoved.
And those who are loyal to the empire don't really care who controls the empire, whether it's Li Chengqian or Li Zhi, there is no difference in their eyes. Anyway, everyone is an official and holds power, and the country is stable, that's enough...
Fortunately, he still has one last trump card.
As long as the time is right, once this trump card is released, it will be enough to cause the situation to change suddenly. Not only those who are waiting and watching will raise troops to rely on them, but even those who are as determined as Qibi Heli at the moment will have to re-weigh the pros and cons and determine their stance.
It was raining at night, and the land in Guanzhong was vast. The breeze was blowing the raindrops, which seemed peaceful and peaceful.
In fact, beneath this tranquility, a huge storm is brewing.
Once triggered, it will be enough to sweep the entire city of Chang'an, turning everything upside down...
*****
"Your Highness, Qiu Xinggong sent a letter from Hangu Pass to ask for help. He said that scouts have found traces of the enemy in the foothills east of Hangu Pass. It is thought that the joint forces of the navy and the Zheng family in Xingyang will arrive at the pass in the near future. Hangu There are not enough troops in the pass to hold on, so I kindly ask Your Highness to send more reinforcements to ensure everything is safe.”
Xiao Yu strode into the barracks under Tongguan, took off his raincoat and handed it to the chamberlain to hang on the wall, while loudly reporting the military situation.
It was already late at night, the rain was gurgling outside the window, the lights in the barracks were bright, and Li Zhi, dressed in a round-neck silk shirt, was at his desk handling military affairs.
Yuchi Gong led the army commander straight into Chang'an, and the tedious military affairs fell on Li Zhi. The various military planes were complicated and long-winded, making him often stay up late at night unable to sleep. At this moment, he raised his head after hearing the words, rubbed his dark eyes, and put down his hands. The brush, sighing softly.
Seeing this, Xiao Yu was silent for a moment, walked up to the desk and sat down, looking at the haggard look on the face of His Majesty the King of Jin who used to be so handsome in the past...
This beloved son of the late emperor, whose status was extremely respected, had always been pampered. Although he was smart and intelligent, he lacked experience. Therefore, he now had a mountain-like burden on his shoulders. He was so stressed that he could hardly breathe.
This state consumes the most effort and energy...
Li Zhi rubbed his eyes, looked up and saw Xiao Yu's concerned look, smiled, waved his hand and asked the waiter to make two cups of strong tea, and took a sip. The bitter tea entered his throat, which cheered him up a little, and then asked : "Ignore Qiu Xinggong, just follow the previously agreed upon plan."
Xiao Yu held the tea cup, feeling the temperature brought by the hot water to dispel the coldness on his body, and said in a deep voice: "What if Qiu Xinggong cannot defend Hangu Pass?"
Li Zhi's thin face was calm and calm, and he said calmly: "Under such a situation, who can defend Hangu Pass? Even if Duke Wei and Duke Ying are here, Hangu Pass cannot be defended. Even if more troops are sent, Hangu Pass is still a success or a loss... Furthermore, where does Tongguan still have so many troops to go to reinforce? ”
Xiao Yu paused and said in a low voice: "But the troops in Tongguan are seriously insufficient now. If we can't wait until Yuchi Gong breaks into Chang'an City, Hangu Pass has fallen, and the navy and the Zheng family of Xingyang arrive at Tongguan, then it will be a big deal. Wonderful.”
At present, Yuchi Gong is willing to go through fire and water for the sake of the King of Jin. Whether it is for the feudal side, for generations of descendants, or for being forced to retreat on the edge of a knife, in short, he has no second thoughts. But once the situation in Tongguan becomes critical, who can guarantee that Yuchi Gong will support the King of Jin as always?
Even if Yuchi Gong does not rebel, what about the nearly 100,000 soldiers and horses in Tongguan now?
What about Shandong Family?
In case the Shandong family saw that the situation was not good, they simply kidnapped the King of Jin and sent him to Chang'an in order to alleviate his sins...
Needless to say, he believed Li Zhi could see it.
Li Zhi waved his hand, took a sip of tea, and said calmly: "Since the plan has been agreed upon in advance, and the Duke of E has also led his army to Chang'an, don't change the plan easily, it will only become more and more chaotic. Besides, let's talk about it, we We are already at a disadvantage right now, and victory or defeat is only on a thin line, so just do your best and let fate do your best.”
Although Tongguan still has more than 100,000 soldiers and horses today, most of them are private troops raised by Shandong aristocratic families. There is a serious lack of ordnance. Although they have received military training as government soldiers, they are still a mob, and sending them to Hangu Pass is just a waste of life. , it would be better to wait until Yuchi Gong arrives directly at the gate of Chang'an City, and then attack with the whole army for a fatal blow.
Life and death, success or failure, are accomplished in one battle.
Xiao Yu was silent.
Only now did he understand that although Qiu Xinggong led his troops to surrender and was determined to help the King of Jin, the King of Jin never really trusted him and only regarded him as a chess piece. Whether it was life or death, as long as he could Just make a little difference...
Li Zhi personally poured tea for Xiao Yu and said with a smile: "Does the Duke of Song think that this king is too mean and unkind to treat Qiu Xinggong like this?"
Xiao Yu shook his head and said: "Those who achieve great things do not stick to trivial matters. The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. Benevolence and righteousness are useless. As long as you can ascend to the big position, what is right or wrong?"
Since you can treat the generals who are loyal to you to the death like this, then when I have to turn my back on you in order to escape in the future, I won't suffer any guilt from my conscience.
There is no big deal other than life and death. As long as life and death are at stake, it is not a mistake to ignore trivial matters...
Li Zhi shook his head and sighed: "Having said that, people are not grass and trees, how can they be so ruthless? Besides, Qiu Xinggong sneaked into Weibei to convince Xue Wanche before. I was still suspicious before, but this time Li Jing ordered Xue Wanche crossed the Weishui River and penetrated Yuchi Gong's rear formation to cut off his retreat, but Xue Wanche blatantly disobeyed Li Jing's order. This shows that Xue Wanche is sincerely attached to him, and this is Qiu Xinggong's great contribution. "
Xiao Yu frowned in confusion.
If there is any opinion on the authenticity of Qiu Xinggong's surrender, it would make sense to sacrifice Qiu Xinggong to guard Hangu Pass to delay the progress of the navy. After all, how can a mere Qiu Xinggong compare with the general trend of the world?
But since Qiu Xinggong has made such a great contribution, Xue Wanche is very likely to become one of the decisive factors in the outcome of the battle. What would Xue Wanche think if he abandoned Qiu Xinggong so rashly?
Once Qiu Xinggong's death leads to Xue Wanche's death and his position changes again, wouldn't it be worth the loss?
After pondering for a while, he asked tentatively: "Is Your Highness intending to use Qiu Xinggong's life to arouse the rebellious heart of Zhenguan's minister Tu Shihu Bei?"
Li Chengqian sighed and said: "Xue Wanche's position seems to be clear now, and he is already on our side, but he acted without permission without my order, which has been completely exposed. Once the imperial court becomes defensive, what can he do? What role does it play? What's more, this person is dull and surly, and has no tenacity at all. Who knows that he will not defect to the court again tomorrow? If Qiu Xinggong's death can arouse the anger of Zhenguan's ministers, Xue Wanche's position will not matter. "< br>
Xiao Yu was suddenly enlightened and admired: "Your Highness' grasp of people's hearts is beyond my comprehension."
Qiu Xinggong did have various problems, such as being arrogant and unruly, not following the law, and bloody and cruel... But there is no doubt that he was a true hero of the Tang Dynasty.
Just for holding His Majesty Li Er's horse to rescue His Majesty Li Er from the chaos of the army, he should be remembered in the world.
There is no greater achievement in the world than "rescuing the driver"...
Such a meritorious minister was eventually strangled at Hangu Pass by the navy and the Zheng family's private army in Xingyang. What kind of shock would it have to the Zhenguan ministers?
In the final analysis, this mutiny was a war that broke out among the former emperor's disciples to compete for their family property. The rest of the people, no matter which side they attached to, were only participants, not decision-makers. In the end, who can securely sit on the throne is a matter between the former emperor and his disciples. Once the victory is decided, the remaining ones should not be severely punished, let alone strangled with random swords.
The truth may not be like this, but this must be what all Zhenguan ministers thought. Didn't they see that Yuchi Gong and Lian Jie captured Li Siwen, Cheng Chubi, Qu Tuquan and other generals of the East Palace, but did not kill any of them?
Xiao Yu could imagine that once Hangu Pass fell, Qiu Xinggong would definitely die.
And regardless of whether the Navy takes action or not, Qiu Xinggong will definitely die at Hangu Pass, at the hands of the Navy...
He looked at the thin and handsome young prince in front of him, and sighed in his heart that he was really blind in the past, and he didn't realize that this man turned out to be a tycoon with such a careful plan, a cold heart, and powerful methods.
I was deceived by his innocent and harmless appearance...(End of Chapter)