Tiantang Splendid

When the sailors abandoned their boats and landed and stormed Xingyang, after the city of Xingyang was broken, the news that Zheng Rentai offered the city and surrendered and was willing to send troops to Luoyang as a pawn spread to Hangu Pass. Qiu Xinggong, who was sitting in the barracks inside the pass, remained silent and expressionless.

His elder brother Gongqiu Shi of Meicheng County, who had given up the governorship of Jizhou, sat opposite him, and sighed quietly: "Zheng Rentai has a false name, and he has wronged the country and the people! The fall of Xingyang, the navy will go straight from the south of the Yangtze River to the Yellow River without any obstacles. If there is no support in the east of Hangu Pass, the sailors can use the boats to cross the natural moat of Shanmenxia. Too bad."

Qiu Xinggong drank his tea slowly, but remained silent.

The wind and rain were dark outside the window, Master Qiu looked at his brother's almost indifferent expression, he was a little inexplicable, thought for a while, and asked softly: "Second Brother, do you... have other plans?"

Only then did Qiu Xinggong look up at his elder brother, and said calmly, "What other plans do you have?"

Qiu Shidao: "Looking at the current situation, the chances of King Jin's success are not high. Although we belong to Guan Long's lineage, we are not of the same mind as Yuwen Shiji. That old fox is suspicious and cautious. You have to be on guard against him. Mo I sold it to him, especially without knowing it.”

The Guanlongmen faction, which used to be united and moved forward and retreated together, has now reached this decadent situation, and each family has begun to plan to gain more benefits for themselves. No one is willing to sink with this broken ship.

Qiu Xinggong looked at his elder brother, thought for a while, and swallowed the words, only nodded slightly to show that he knew what he was thinking.

Qiu Shi asked again: "Yu Chigong has already returned to Tongguan. Luoyang is short of troops and major generals, so he will not be able to hold it. When the time comes, the sailors will gather at Hanguguan, how will you do?"

Although his reputation is not as prominent as that of his second brother Qiu Xinggong, he is still a man who knows how to fight.

The Qiu family in Luoyang is a lineage of Guanlong, a family of generals. The two brothers gathered troops to revolt in the Qizhou and Yongzhou areas. There were no less than ten thousand defectors under their command.In May of the first year of Yining, Tang Guogong Li Yuan raised an army in Jinyang and invaded Guanzhong. The two brothers collected bandits and rebels from all over Guanzhong, met Qin Wang Li Shimin in the north of Weishui River, and completely joined Li Yuanyi's army. Since then, they have been reused.

Now Qiu Shi is not only the title of county magistrate, but also the official governor of Jizhou, sitting in Hebei, deterring the Guandong and Saibei.

Regarding the current situation in Guanzhong, I can see clearly that maybe King Jin still has a ray of hope, but Hangu Pass is bound to fall.

And now the soldiers and horses reunited in Hangu Pass are the only remaining heritage of the Luoyang Qiu Clan. If they are wiped out together with this Hangu Pass, then the Luoyang Qiu Clan will lose their inheritance and ruin their family business at the hands of their brothers...

The consequences are too serious.

Qiu Xinggong put down his teacup and looked out the window. The pouring rain shrouded the city gate in a vast rain curtain, and the ground was covered with water. He said slowly, "We have hatred with Fang Jun like a sea, and we have already cut off the thoughts over there. Apart from helping the King of Jin achieve his great cause with all his strength, what else can we do? Since there is no way out, left and right are just fighting to the death, and there is no grievance or blame.”

Qiu Shi was silent for a moment, then sighed: "That's all I can do... I will go to Tongguan later when the rain will be lighter, and I will ask for a reinforcement army anyway, otherwise, second brother, you are alone, and you may not be able to defend Hangu." close."

But Qiu Xinggong didn't have much hope: "The east of Luoyang is lost, and Tongguan has become a dead area. The only chance for the King of Jin to fight back is to put everyone to death and resuscitate, and decisively send troops to raid Chang'an. If we divide the troops at Hangu Pass again, It is bound to weaken the troops, and the king of Jin is afraid that he will not agree."

So what if you can hold Hangu Pass?It's just lingering, it's better to counterattack Chang'an with a dangerous move. If even one or two of the sixteen guards in Guanzhong respond, maybe it will really work.

But all of this depends on the fact that Hangu Pass will not fall too soon, and it is always necessary to give Tongguan time to counterattack Chang'an.

Therefore, instead of sending more troops to Hangu Pass, the King of Jin would ask him to stick to Tongguan to block the navy's footsteps...

It seemed that no matter whether King Jin could succeed in the end, Qiu Xinggong would die.

So he looked at Qiu Shi with deep eyes: "In my opinion, instead of going to Tongguan, brother, it's better to leave the pass and rush to Luoyang, gather the remnants of Luoyang and surrender, and then ask to see Zheng Rentai. Zheng Rentai and I have been friends for a long time. If you surrender to the navy through him and attach yourself to His Majesty today, you may be able to preserve the blood of our Luoyang Qiu family."

Luoyang is the headquarters of the Qiu family. Although the power has been greatly reduced over the years and it is no longer what it used to be, it still has a lot of influence. If Master Qiu raises his arms, he can still gather thousands of soldiers and horses, and open the city to surrender. Li Chengqian There will be no turning away.

Qiu Shi looked deeply at Qiu Xinggong with a complicated expression, and nodded after a long time: "So, you and I belong to different camps, no matter what the final outcome is, we can always preserve the blood and inheritance of the Qiu family..." It’s also a wise move.”

I added another sentence from the bottom of my heart: it can also make King Jin feel more at ease...

*****
When Zheng Rentai's army arrived outside the city of Luoyang, the scouts had already passed through Hangu Pass day and night and sent the news back to Tongguan. Upon hearing the news, the barracks were completely silent, and the atmosphere was even more disturbing than the wind and rain outside the window. bleak.

Anyone who knows anything about military affairs also understands the importance of Luoyang and Hangu Pass to Tongguan. Once the two places are lost, Tongguan will become a death zone.

Li Zhi lived in the upper seat, and after a short period of distraction, he asked anxiously: "My dear friends, what should I do?"

He was really panicked.

Once Luoyang fell and the navy approached Hangu Pass by water and land, how could Qiu Xinggong hold it?And when Hangu Pass also falls, Tongguan has no way to advance and retreat, and the more than [-] troops inside and outside the pass will have to mutiny. At that time, there is no need for the navy or the East Palace Sixth to attack them. These generals and soldiers will be able to kill him Bound and sent to Chang'an, in exchange for a chance to survive...

Xiao Yu was still calm, looked at the scouts in the hall, and asked: "Is there any news about Hangu Pass?"

The scout replied: "Of course it's a bit...before, the Duke of Meicheng County returned from Jizhou and stayed at Hangu Pass when he arrived. He discussed with the Duke of Tianshui County for a long time. Go, the specific reason is not yet known.”

As soon as this remark came out, Li Zhi was startled and angry: "What an idiot! This king trusts Qiu Xinggong a lot, and even entrusts him with the safety of Hangu Pass. Instead of thinking of repaying him, he conspired with his brother to sacrifice the city." Surrendering and abandoning the king, there is nothing so treacherous in ancient and modern times!"

Before Qiu Xinggong led the only soldiers under his command to vote, Li Zhi once doubted Qiu Xinggong's intentions, but after repeated confirmation by Yuwen Shiji, he believed that Qiu Xinggong had no choice but to choose him because of his deep hatred with Fang Jun Be trusted here.

So very happy.

After all, although Qiu Xinggong's power is not as good as before, he is still a minister of Zhenguan. His prestige, qualifications, and ability are all the top choices.

At this moment, I feel that Qiu Xinggong betrayed him, not only made him lose face and suffered humiliation, but also was on the verge of collapse because Hangu Pass was about to fall...

Xiao Yu hurriedly said: "Your Highness, there is no need to be like this. Although Master Qiu went to Luoyang, it is indeed possible to seek refuge with the Navy, but Qiu Xinggong may not necessarily abandon His Highness, and it even shows Qiu Xinggong's loyalty even more."

Not only Li Zhi, but everyone in the hall looked at Xiao Yu with puzzled expressions.

Yuchi Gong frowned and asked, "What does Song Guogong mean by this?"

Xiao Yu explained: "Throughout the ages, it is reasonable for aristocratic families to choose their children to belong to different parties and share the risks. Now the Qiu family in Luoyang has long since fallen, with insufficient foundation and shaken foundation. It is difficult to resist the disaster of overthrowing the family. Risk. If Qiu Shi comes to Tongguan and Qiu Xinggong is stationed at Hangu Pass, His Highness should consider whether Qiu Xinggong will dedicate Hangu Pass to the navy and attach himself to the imperial court. After all, the two brothers belong to different camps, no matter who wins in the end , one of them can be preserved to continue the inheritance...Now that Master Qiu is going to Luoyang, it is precisely this intention, so Master Qiu will loyally join the imperial court, and Qiu Xinggong will stick to Hangu Pass."

Everyone was stunned.

In troubled times, the imperial power changes, and no one can see through the future to ensure that they are on the winning side. How can the aristocratic family not lead to the most tragic end because of standing on the wrong team in terms of inheritance?
The answer is to share the risks and send the capable children of the clan to various forces. In the end, no matter which side wins, it can ensure the wealth and inheritance of the family.

It seems that Luoyang Qiu's actions now follow such a rule.Luoyang is the headquarters of the Qiu family. Master Qiu went to Luoyang to gather soldiers and horses, contact the squires, and then open the city to surrender. Naturally, he was reused by Li Chengqian; Treating the Luoyang Qiu family badly...