Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 439 No Nobility

In the winter months, there was heavy snowfall in Henan, and the Yi and Luo rivers were frozen, as if the whole world was frozen, and everything slowed down.

Yanshi County, which was within the rebels' sphere of influence, was very quiet until a group of rebel horses crossed the ice street and headed straight for the county government office.

"Prime Minister Gao is here, the county magistrate is coming to greet him!"

The reason why he is called "Prime Minister" is because preparations for the founding ceremony of the Yan Dynasty are in full swing. The edict to appoint Gao Shang as a minister has been written, and everyone can't wait.

Soon, two men wearing Yan official robes rushed out, and the first one saluted first.

"Zhu Xicai, the commander of the Lulong Army and the commander of the Daiyan Division, has met Prime Minister Gao."

Zhu Xicai has a strong figure and the aura of a martial artist, but his martial arts skills are actually average and he just looks pretty. He was a subordinate of the rebel general Li Huaixian. Because of his good connections and willingness to spend money, he got the official position of magistrate of Gyeonggi County at the beginning of the founding of the Yan Dynasty.

Following Zhu Xicai was a thin, middle-aged man with a timid manner. Although he was wearing an official robe, he looked like a follower. He walked up to Gao Shang, bowed deeply and said, "Yanshi County Lieutenant Zhao Chongyi, pay homage to the Prime Minister."

Gao Shang didn't look at the two of them, walked in, sat down in the flower hall, and asked: "Have you captured Shouyang Mountain?"

After receiving some instruction, Zhao Chongyi became more respectful and humble. Like a servant, he arranged the noble shoes that had fallen on the ground before retiring.

In the darkness, the noble eyes were shining slightly, looking a little excited.

Every time Gao Shang came to Yanshi, he would think of the time when he became a scholar from a pariah, and he would get emotional, so he chatted a little more. After expressing his feelings, his interest waned and he said: "You have to have confidence in Dayan, go down Bar."

"Return to Prime Minister." Zhao Chongyi responded respectfully: "The thieves occupied Shouyang Mountain and held it with firearms. Our army originally suffered heavy casualties every time it attacked the mountain. The county magistrate suffered repeated defeats. Finally, he came up with a way to train dead soldiers and prepare Take a detour and climb up the northern cliff to make a surprise attack on Luhun Villa."

"Yes, Prime Minister, I will send you an official to help you make a new comeback."

Shouyang Mountain is not an isolated mountain, but the highest peak in the east of the Mangshan Mountains. It is located among the mountains and faces the Yellow River to the north, making it difficult to attack.

Zhu Xicai nodded repeatedly and said, "Prime Minister, that's exactly what happened."

Zhu Xicai didn't dare to answer, thinking that this group of bandits had done nothing but defend Shouyang Mountain, and Gao was still making too much fuss.

Therefore, in the past two months, Gao Shang reorganized more than 40,000 rebel troops and fought more than a hundred battles with the Tang army between Chenliu and Yongqiu, with each other attacking and defending.

When passing by Yanshi, it is inevitable to pay attention to Shouyang Mountain, which has been difficult to conquer for a long time.

Gao Shang gritted his teeth countless times, almost breaking them, and vowed to defeat Xue Bai. But an edict from An Lushan called him back. Dayan would soon be established as a country, and he, the founding father, had to be around. He had no choice but to glance at the "Xue" banner on top of Yongqiu City from a distance at the end, and rushed to Luoyang.

"Your Majesty was originally just a barbarian who was grazing outside the Great Wall, but now you are a noble person. Dayan is just such a brand-new court that allows lowly people to become prime ministers regardless of their origins! Stand up and don't have to grovel in front of me. ”

After settling in, Zhao Chongyi was about to leave when Gao Shang suddenly called out.

"You have to be careful if you go further. The thieves have set up huge rock cannons on the mountain. Sometimes they can hit this place."

The reason why he agreed to appoint Zhu Xicai as the magistrate of Yanshi County was because he was a military general with more than a thousand troops under his command who could preside over the offensive on Shouyang Mountain in his absence.

Facing the noble question, Zhu Xicai couldn't answer it, so he had to turn his head and glance at Zhao Chongyi behind him.

"There is no need to explain." Gao Shang said with a firm tone, "Don't doubt people who are suspicious of you, and don't doubt those who employ you. Since I dare to use you, I believe that you are definitely on my side. People with Xue Bai's background will not understand. He can only treat you as your It is a great kindness to be promoted from a handyman to a county official, but I promote you to an official. This is a world of difference.

~~
Before dawn, smoke rose from the backyard of the county government office. Zhao Chongyi specially ordered the kitchen to cook Gao Shang's favorite late rice noodle soup.

Gao Shang didn't even defeat him, and he didn't intend to embarrass Zhu Xicai too much. After chatting for a while, he asked them to arrange food and lodging for him, rest for a night, and then set off for Luoyang.

"Well, I hope Enxiang will rest early and don't worry too much about state affairs. I will definitely assist the county magistrate in capturing Shouyang Mountain."

Zhao Chongyi straightened his back obediently.

Gao Shang stationed himself on the horse and observed for a while, and found that he had been away for two months and the offensive on Shouyang Mountain had not advanced. Instead, many troops were withdrawn and blocked instead.

"Zhao Liu."

He did not live in the posthouse in Yanshi City, because the posthouse had been set on fire, and he disliked fire and would feel unsafe. Zhao Chongyi settled him in the county government office. There was no stove in the house, and there were only a few extra quilts.

"Prime Minister, you gave me this official's name..."

"The villain is frightened, and the subordinate officials are frightened. Everyone else is following Prince Dongping... Yuan Cong is a meritorious official who follows His Majesty. However, the subordinate official is a minor official who gets important positions just because of his affiliation. The subordinate official always feels that he is not worthy."

There is heavy snow outside the window, and a bowl of warm sour soup makes people feel quite comfortable.

"What are we afraid of? The reason why we rebelled is to cry out, 'Does the king and general Xiang Ning have the guts?' I was young and my family was poor. It was not just poverty, but I was as low as the earth. My mother is old. In order to support me You also have to beg for food from others. Zhao Liu, your family has been an official for generations. In terms of background, you are much better than me, but I only have one more ambition than you. I once said, 'I would rather die for doing something. "Bite the roots of grass to liven up your ears', and now it's finally done!"

Two months ago, he learned that Xue Bai had led his troops to Yongqiu, so he personally led his troops eastward, intending to annihilate Xue Bai in one battle. Unexpectedly, when he arrived, Xue Bai led more than ten thousand Tang troops to invade Chenliu.

In this regard, he did not believe that, firstly, Xue Bai's flag stood high on the opposite side, and secondly, the military talents and strategic talents displayed by the generals of the Tang Army were definitely not something that unknown people could achieve.

But gradually, Gao Shang also heard from some prisoners that Xue Bai was not among the Tang army.

After Gao Shang had eaten, he was not in a hurry to rush to Luoyang immediately. Instead, he ordered: "Go to Shouyang Mountain to have a look."

"No need, sit down and talk." Gao Shang said: "You are now a county captain, how can you still behave like a lowly official?"

He was very familiar with this section of the road. After riding his horse to the north for more than an hour, he could see the towering mountains in the wind and snow. The camp of soldiers and horses surrounding the mountains was at the foot of the mountain, but still some distance away from the mountain road. .

Zhu Xicai felt Gao Shang's displeasure and stepped forward and said: "Prime Minister, after all, this is a group of bandits. Although the Yan Kingdom has many soldiers and horses, now is not the time to suppress the bandits. I have blocked the main road down the mountain. If you cut off their food and grass, they will be trapped to death sooner or later.”

Gao Shang was very satisfied with his attitude and nodded.

"With such a huge mountain forest, you're going to trap them to death?"

What shocked him was that Xue Bai was well versed in the art of war, could use tactics freely, and had endless changes in strategies. He became stronger with each war. Perhaps it was because he was not yet skilled in leading troops at first and was unfamiliar with the soldiers. As the war progressed, the Tang army's Military discipline became stricter, morale became higher, and command became smoother. Defensive battles, ambush battles, night raids, counterattacks, and pursuit battles made the rebels unable to deal with them. In fact, Chenliu County was almost captured by the Tang army.

"Here." Zhao Chongyi stopped, his nostrils slightly opened, and he took two deep breaths silently. He turned around and asked cautiously: "Prime Minister, will you arrange some beautiful maids to warm you up?"

Gao Shang smiled with satisfaction and said, "I know it was Xue Bai who promoted you from the concierge to the county Yamen Shicao."

Zhao Chongyi carefully sat down opposite Gao Shang. Because the room was dark, he subconsciously wanted to light a candle, but stopped because Gao Shang was afraid of fire. He didn't need to look at Gao Shang's ugly face that was burned to a disgrace, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

In fact, Shouyang Mountain has not yet been captured, precisely because it is not a strategic location. Xue Bai's private soldiers have never come down from the mountain since the rebels arrived. Only terrible traps and tight defenses block the way into the mountain. If you don't mess with them, you'll be fine.

Gao Shang squinted his eyes and glanced at the stretching mountains, and suddenly said: "What do you think, how about setting it on fire and burning it completely?"

"This is Mang Mountain!" Zhu Xicai exclaimed in surprise.

Although Shouyang Mountain is in the east, it also belongs to the Mangshan Mountains. There are countless emperors buried in Mangshan. Zhu Xicai has only heard about the eight Zhou kings of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty since he took office, the five emperors of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the three emperors of the Three Kingdoms period. The two emperors of Wei and the empresses of Wu and Shu, etc.

"The mountains and forests are all connected together, so don't set fire. Once it reaches the emperor's tomb..."

"I don't care about emperors." Gao Shang sneered: "I am a pariah, and since I have started a rebellion, why should I be afraid of a few dead emperors?"

Zhu Xicai disagreed with these arrogant words. He didn't think the rebellion had anything to do with burning the mountain. It was impossible for him to do it anyway.

Fortunately, Gao Shang was just talking and did not set fire to it today. He just took out a letter from his sleeve and asked in public which soldier dared to be the messenger. Soon a soldier with good conversation came out.

"The general guarding the mountain must be Fan Lao. I told him that it was a letter from an old friend. Dayan will soon establish a country. I will give him one last chance to be the founding hero."

"Here!"

The messenger responded and immediately ran into the mountain climbing path and quickly disappeared into the woods... Gao Shang waited until the afternoon and never saw him coming down again.

The wind blows and the snow falls, and the world is lonely.

"Prime Minister, are you ready to leave?"

"Let's go." Gao Shang still had to rush to Luoyang and was about to leave.

At this moment, a group of fast horses came galloping from the west. The two groups met head-on. The other side shouted from a distance: "Is Gao Shang here?!"

Seeing that An Lushan's order had arrived, Gao Shang got off his horse, went up to greet him, and said, "I'm here."

Although An Lushan has not yet proclaimed himself emperor, there is no shortage of eunuchs around him. Some of them were originally from the Ziwei Palace in Luoyang, while others were newly purified and entered the palace to serve. Although the eunuch who came to convey the order today is old, his voice is very high-pitched. He must have been castrated before his voice changed, and he belonged to Luoyang Palace City.

However, even such a lowly slave who was favored just because of his surrender dared to put on airs in front of Gao Shang, a hero of Yuan Cong.

"His Majesty has spoken instructions and decrees, and he nobly accepts them."

"The minister accepts the order."

Gao Shang crossed his hands and agreed. After waiting for a while, he saw the old eunuch holding the emperor's silk ribbon high in one hand. He never spoke and just looked at him. He was stunned for a while and finally understood, so he knelt down and said again: "I accept the order." ”

"You trash!" The old eunuch suddenly pinched his fingers, imitating An Lushan's angry tone, and cursed: "You and Yan Zhuang talked nicely at the beginning, but now it is completely different from what you said, and you still dare to be the prime minister. ? Go away! Don’t see me again.”

Gao Shang was surprised at first, then realized that this was an oral message, and he quickly looked panicked.

Then, the Huang Ling was handed to him. He took it with both hands and unfolded it to see that it was actually a decree to curse him.

"You and I have a perfect way, and you will have nothing to fear. From the four sides now, only Zheng and Bian are still alive. To the west to the pass, there is no way. There is no more Hebei. Where is the perfect thing?! There is no need to see me!"

An Lushan has always had a bad temper and willful behavior. In the past, Gao Gao only thought that the prince was really good-natured and could only give him advice when something happened. Now that he is about to ascend the throne, it seems very inappropriate to still lose his temper like this.

Gao Shang's brows without eyebrows rose, he stood up, rolled up the scroll in his hand at random, and asked: "May I ask the envoy, who made the saint's unintentional words into a decree? Do you want to shake the morale of the army and alienate the ministers? !”

The old eunuch was not afraid of him. He took two steps forward and asked quietly but seriously: "Do you know how angry His Majesty is?"

Gao Shang's heart trembled, and he could feel An Lushan's terrifying anger.

The situation currently faced by the rebels is indeed very serious...

~~
Dusk, Yanshi County.

Gao Shang, who was originally going to Luoyang, returned to the county seat.

That night, Zhu Xicai placed two bottles of wine and invited Zhao Chongyi to drink a few glasses with him. Then he asked, "Have you seen what happened today?"

"This... has never been clear."

"Our saint sometimes has a bad temper."

"The county magistrate must not lie. If others hear it, it will be a grave sin to criticize the public."

"I don't care about 'criticizing Chengyu', we don't play this trick either." Zhu Xicai said: "What I'm afraid of is that the current situation is really not very good. Hebei is lost, Tongguan cannot be entered, and the Tang army is still there The east is pressing forward step by step."

Zhao Chongyi said: "This is all temporary, the county magistrate does not need to worry."

"I'm worried."

Zhu Xicai sighed with emotion, and poured Zhao Chongyi a few more glasses of wine. When he was a little drunk, he said, "Xue Bai, the commander-in-chief of the Tang Army in the east, are you familiar with each other?"

Zhao Chongyi was picking up vegetables and was so frightened that his chopsticks dropped to the ground. He quickly said: "What does this mean, the county minister? Prime Minister Gao gave me an official position. This is a great kindness."

"You have to have a life to be an official." Zhu Xicai whispered: "What I mean is, if the situation changes... Count me in?"

Zhao Chongyi shook his head and said: "What did the county magistrate say? I just pretended not to hear it tonight. I was drunk and couldn't hear clearly."

After that, he didn't dare to drink anymore and staggered out.

After returning to his residence, Zhao Chongyi opened the window and took a peek behind him. No one was watching, so he quietly went out and went to the courtyard where Gao Shang lived again. He called in a low voice and asked to see Gao Shang overnight.

"What's the matter?" Gao Shang didn't seem to be asleep. He stood up from the couch, his voice still very sober.

"Your Majesty, Magistrate Zhu seems to be shaken." Zhao Chongyi stepped forward and carefully explained what happened tonight.

"Short-sighted." Gao Shang commented lightly on Zhu Xicai.

"Yes."

"What about you? Never wavered?"

"To be honest with you, I don't want to lose my official position." Zhao Chongyi said, "I am from a humble background, unlike Xue Bai who has a nepotism to cling to. To him, the county captain is a high-ranking official, but to him, he is a glorious ancestor. "I would rather die than live as a lowly official again."

"Smart, Xue Bai is wanted by Hunjun. Just watch, the Tang army in the east will be defeated soon."

Gao Shang had already thought about it before leaving for Luoyang this time. Slightly slowing down the oppression of Yongqiu County would also give the Tang army an opportunity for internal fighting.

I didn't expect that Zhao Liu could understand these situations.

"Go."

"I will take my leave. Please take a rest, sir."

When Zhao Chongyi retreated, Gao Shang did not rest. Instead, he called his confidants to whisper a few words. After a while, Zhu Xicai arrived.

"I've met the Prime Minister."

"Zhao Liu has been here." Gao Shang said, "He has withstood my test."

Zhu Xicai said: "Yes, Xiaguan has never found out that he has any contact with Shouyang Mountain."

"It seems that using him to conquer Shouyang Mountain will not work."

The reason why Gao Shang used Zhao Liu as the concierge was not because he was from a humble background and had sympathy for each other. There were many humble people in the world, and he couldn't pity him. He just thought that Zhao Liu might be a hidden stake in Shouyangshan's stay in Yanshi County, so he used his trick and promoted him to county captain.

"That's all, just treat it as a loyal dog."

"Yes."

"And you." Gao Shang glanced at Zhu Xicai lightly and said, "Don't worry, although the Tang army is large, it is just a mob. Although the saint is angry with me for a while, within three days, he will use me again after his anger subsides."

"The official has always been very relieved."

~~
Gao Shang was very sure that An Lushan would definitely send someone to call him back to Luoyang within three days at most.

Because this kind of thing has happened too many times in the past, An Lushan has always been a little childish, and his anger comes and goes quickly. He should stay in Yanshi County and try to conquer Shouyang Mountain.

But that day, before he left the city, some cavalry came back from outside the city and reported: "A group of soldiers and horses is coming from the south."

"what happened?"

"It was discovered by the sentinel who died in Wu Ling. He said that he encountered signs of troops marching in the Wan'an Mountain area. I don't know which route the troops came from."

"When did it happen?"

"Two days ago."

Gao Shang thought that there might be a possibility that the Tang army wanted to launch a surprise attack on Luoyang.

He had to face this with caution, so he summoned his own soldiers and said, "Take someone back to Luoyang to remind the saint to guard against a sneak attack by the Tang army. If you don't see the saint, you must report it to Yanzhuang."

"Here!"

"One more thing." Gao Shang took two steps, leaned over, lowered his voice, and said, "Let Yan Zhuang check whether there are any fine works by Tang Ting around the saint. Whose hand did that edict to accuse me come from? From Start investigating this matter.”

"Here!"

Just after he finished his instructions, he could already see the sky to the south. A black line appeared in the heavy snow, coming like a tide. Gao Shang responded calmly and said: "You don't need to pay attention, just go quickly."

After seeing off the soldiers, he stood by the battlements and looked at the soldiers and horses coming from a distance. Who guessed it was the Tang army, Lu Jiong, the governor of Nanyang? The prefect of Yingchuan is here? Wei Zhongxi, the governor of Xiangyang?

No matter who he was, he was not very lucky and happened to meet Gao Shang in Yanshi County...

~~
At the same time, Luoyang.

The Mingtang still stands tall and can be seen as far away as the gate of Luoyang City.

Tian Qianzhen came back from the Tongguan battlefield to report the military situation. When he entered the city, he first wanted to see Gao Shang, and then he went to see Anlu Mountain together. After hearing about Gao Shang and Yan Zhuang being reprimanded, he had to rush to Ziwei Palace to see him.

He grew up under the watch of An Lushan in Fan Yang's army since he was a child. He was highly skilled in martial arts and brave in battle. He was liked by An Lushan and entered the palace smoothly.

"Ah Hao is here."

An Lushan was trying on his dragon robe, but his eyes were full of worry. As soon as they met, he couldn't wait to ask: "Can Tongguan still be captured?"

"Yes!" Tian Qianzhen said: "According to reliable military information, Ge Shuhan is seriously ill and has handed over the military to Tian Liangqiu. The Tang army has different military orders. We will definitely win."

"Really? Aren't you comforting me?"

In fact, there is no way to tell accurately about the war. Tian Qian was really comforting An Lushan, but he knew what An Lushan was thinking.

"Really. Please rest assured, Your Majesty. Since ancient times, emperors have won and lost before becoming great. How can they succeed in one fell swoop? Although there are many soldiers and horses of the Tang Army on all sides, they are all newly recruited rabble. They are far less capable than Fan Yang and I. Even if If things don't work out, even if they collect tens of thousands of people, they can go all over the world and tear apart the earth, who will they be afraid of?"

Tian Qian was really a young man, and his words were full of vigor, which made An Lushan very happy.

He then took the opportunity to excuse his nobleness and solemnity.

"Mr. Gao and Mr. Yan are both heroes who have followed His Majesty for many years. If we don't see them and let the generals know about it, it will be really dangerous."

"Ah Hao also knows that nothing can stop me from having such a bad temper."

The reason why An Lushan issued an edict against Gao Shang and Yan Zhuang was because he heard various news about the war going wrong, and thought that these two people persuaded him to rebel. As a result, his eldest son An Qingzong was beheaded by Li Longji, and things were not going well either. I wish I could really kill the two of them to vent my anger.

Although he was frightened when he was angry, he returned to his innocent look after the anger subsided. He held his belly and said sadly: "Now that I have cursed, what should I do?"

"Why don't Your Majesty host a banquet to invite them back?"

"Ok."

An Lushan stroked the dragon robe on his body, thinking that he would have to use capable ministers to help him become emperor, and then said: "Then Yi Ahao, I will host a banquet for them and sing to them myself."

……

As Gao Shang expected, within two days, An Lushan had already calmed down and wanted to continue to reuse him.

On the same day, a decree was sent from Luoyang to Yanshi.

~~
Yanshi County.

Following Gao Shang's orders, the defenders in the city were responding to the oncoming enemy forces in an orderly manner.

The suspension bridge is closed, the city gate is closed, the beacon fire is lit, and the tong drum is beaten, it is chaotic but orderly.

"Quick! Break the ice on Luoshui River!"

Gao Shang strode to the trebuchet and shouted at the soldiers, so the soldiers loaded the stones with a creaking sound.

Suddenly someone raised his hand and pointed at the heavy snow outside the city and said, "Prime Minister, look!"

The sound of horse hooves got closer and closer, and the Tang army finally rushed to the south bank of Luoshui River.

Afterwards, a half-rolled flag was unfurled by Shuo Feng.

Gao Shang squinted his eyes, his pupils showing disbelief.

"Xue?"

Although there were countless generals with the surname Xue in the world, he had a hunch that the one coming was probably Xue Bai. But if it was Xue Bai, who was the one who had fought with him for two months between Chenliu and Yongqiu?

He turned his eyes slightly and saw another flag with the words "Prefect of Changshan" written on it.

Following his premonition, he murmured: "How is it possible? It's impossible... that's fine."

After only a moment of shock, Gao Shang calmed down, thinking that he would just compete with Xue Bai to avenge the fire that burned his body.

He has been waiting for this day for a long time.

Under the city, armored generals marched out and rode their horses to the edge of Luoshui River. They did not step on the ice, but looked up at Yanshi County... Even though they were far away, Gao Shang knew that Xue Bai was coming.

He laughed and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Xue Bai! You came just in time, you are destined to die in my hands!"

The shouting was so loud that it shook the snow off the battlements, and Gao Shang was unable to hear the sound of boots treading the snow behind him.

Until someone called him.

"Favor."

Gao Shang turned around and saw that Zhao Chongyi was coming, followed by a group of people.

He then said: "Zhao Liu, wear armor for me..."

"puff."

The dagger has mercilessly pierced the noble chest.

He froze, frozen there, as if frozen in the cold winter.

In the distance, Zhu Xicai stood there, eagerly taking off the official robe of the Great Yan Dynasty in the heavy snow.

"Why...what?" Gao Shang murmured: "The name I gave you..."

"You said you came from a humble background and wanted to lead me to trample others under my feet."

In this moment, Zhao Chongyi actually pulled out his dagger and stabbed him again.

"But you've stepped on me, so get out of the way."

Gao Shang felt very dazed and did not hear clearly what Zhao Chongyi was saying. In his ears, he heard the city gate that had been creaking shut and creaking open again. Xue Bai must be entering the city soon.

His opponent was Xue Bai, not Zhao Liu in front of him. Zhao Liu, a handyman, concierge, just an unknown person.

Gao Shang tried hard to turn his head and take another look at Xue Bai, the person who was truly worthy of being his enemy.

"puff."

Another pool of blood fell on the white snow...

(End of this chapter)