Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 503: Forgetting Selfishness for Justice
Uighur camp.

Cloth, shoes and hats were scattered everywhere, and the soldiers' faces were filled with smiles.

Outside the big tent, someone reported: "Ye Hu, the envoy has returned from Jingzhou."

Ye Hu was feeling unhappy because his request was rejected by Xue Bai, and upon hearing this, he immediately ordered, "Let them in."

Soon, the envoy he sent, Ge Sammer, walked into the tent and said, "Ye Hu, the Tang Lord has agreed to our conditions and will give us more money, silk, and children. We will attack Qizhou City together in ten days."

"so long."

Ye Hu knew that Li Heng and Li Chu still needed to stabilize their morale, but he was still impatient. He was afraid that if it dragged on too long, Xue Bai would have reinforcements from Chang'an, and he didn't want to attack the city.

Soon, Gesamer handed over the letter from Li Heng. Yehu could understand it. Li Heng praised him in the letter, saying that he was "a man of great merit and righteousness who saved the country, and a man of one heart and one mind who lived in a remote area thousands of miles away." He also promised to make him the King of Loyalty and Righteousness, and in addition to the agreed gold, silk, and children, he would also give him 20,000 pieces of silk every year.

Looking at the letter, Ye Hu couldn't help but smile, his mouth almost reaching his ears.

"Well, well, I got real benefits, and the Tang court paid tribute to me. It's funny that they still regard me as a loyal minister, 'not only the fief of land and the reward of swearing on the river', they are so obsessed with face, like a clown."

Ge Sammer didn't understand what he said, but he could feel the absurdity of Li Heng, so he smiled for a while and then said, "Ye Hu, I caught a stunning woman on my way back and wanted to present her to you."

"Is it really stunning?"

"Ye Hu will know it at a glance." Ge Sammer patted his knees and said, "Her skin is finer than silk and whiter than the cleanest sheep on the grassland..."

When Ye Hu met the woman, he found that Gesamo had not lied to him.

His palm stroked her smooth and delicate skin. He leaned down, sniffed her slightly fragrant hair, and let out a long breath of comfort.

"Woo!"

The woman was screaming and trembling with fear, with endless begging in her red eyes. Her mouth was stuffed with cloth, and she was struggling hard to say something.

Ye Hu was willing to communicate with her and teased her, "Do you think I should take this off for you first? Or this one?"

"Woo! Woo!"

After a while, Ye Hu finally removed the cloth from her mouth.

"Don't touch me, don't touch me. I am the woman of the Prince of Guangping of the Tang Dynasty. I am the mother of the Prince of Fengjie. You can't touch me."

"Who? Who do you say you are?"

"My surname is Shen, and I am the biological mother of Li Chu's eldest son. His Highness told me that you and he are sworn brothers, and you cannot touch me."

Ye Hu didn't know whether to believe it or not, so he deliberately scared her by saying, "In our place, it's normal for brothers to share a woman."

"Don't! If you dare to touch me, the consequences will be serious." Shen Zhenzhu was so frightened that she was sweating coldly. She threatened in a trembling voice: "My husband and my son will be the future emperor of the Tang Dynasty. If you dare to touch me, you will lose more than you gain."

"The gain is not worth the loss?" Ye Hu laughed again and said, "Woman, you taught me a new idiom."

Although he was teasing Shen Zhenzhu, he was still afraid of the Tang Dynasty, so his interest faded and he asked a few more questions to confirm whether she was really Li Chu's woman.

Afterwards, he called Ge Sammer over again and asked him bluntly, "How dare you rob the woman of Guangping Prince Li Chu?!"

"Ye Hu, I robbed her on the road, how could she be Li Chu's woman?"

"Go to Jingzhou again and ask him if he has lost his wives and concubines. If so, I will send them back to him." Ye Hu said, "The Han people have a saying that a friend's wife should not be cheated on."

~~
Two days later, the frightened Shen Zhenzhu was taken to Ye Hu's tent again.

"Do you know how to be a slave?" Ye Hu turned around and asked her.

Shen Zhenzhu shook her head and looked outside the tent, trying to see the person Li Chu sent to pick her up.

"When I'm hot, you fan me; when I'm cold, you warm my bed; when I'm thirsty, you bring me water; when I'm hungry, you cook me a lamb." Ye Hu said this like he was reciting a poem, took off his coat, and said, "I want to vent, you have to satisfy me."

Shen Zhenzhu's face turned pale with horror and she turned around and tried to run away, but Ye Hu stepped forward, grabbed her hair and dragged her back.

She then burst into tears, reiterated her identity, and tried to scare Ye Hu.

"As a slave, you are my property, my belongings. Don't let me see you trying to escape again, it won't end well."

"Let me go, I am your brother's woman."

Ye Hu stretched out his hand and slapped him, saying, "You still want to lie to me? I've already sent someone to ask, and it's not you."

Shen Zhenzhu was stunned, or perhaps she was stunned by his words.

"Li Chu has no missing wives or concubines. His family members are all safe and sound in Jingzhou. You are very smart. You can actually think of such a way to deceive me."

"No, how can that be? No, my son is his eldest son."

Shen Zhenzhu secretly knew what Li Chu was thinking. He was willing to let their son be his successor, but he was worried that she would be like Wu Zetian or Concubine Wei, so he deliberately distanced himself from her. But she spent her years and dedicated her whole life to him, and all she wanted was peace and happiness. She thought this was what she deserved...

Ye Hu suddenly rushed forward and hugged her. A strong fishy smell came from her. He kissed her madly and said, "If you give birth to a son for me, I will make you the Khatun of the Huihe."

Shen Zhenzhu screamed in fear and struggled hard.

"Snapped!"

Ye Hu slapped her again, knocking her to the ground and shattering her beautiful dream...

"Let her go to the prisoner camp and learn how to be a good slave."

Shen Zhenzhu was led out of the tent as if she had lost her soul. When she came to her senses, she saw a group of half-naked women locked in a sheepfold. They often had ropes tied around their necks and were crying non-stop.

Some people clung to the fence, calling out for their children, and were whipped again and again by the soldiers.

Their young children have lost the right to play and are now milking cows, sweeping sheep dung... learning how to be good slaves.

There were cries of despair everywhere. Shen Zhenzhu was standing there, and suddenly felt that she was the least sympathetic person among all these people. She might have asked for trouble, but these women and children were the beloved ones in the hearts of countless people in Guanzhong.

They will be taken to distant grasslands and become slaves forever.

~~
Qizhou Prefecture Office.

Xue Bai was discussing military affairs with his generals, and his face looked a little unhappy. At this moment, someone came to report: "King Yong, the envoy who went to Jingzhou has returned."

"Call."

Soon, Gao Can and others entered the hall and detailed their experiences in Jingzhou. Everyone couldn't imagine that Pugu Huai'en could kill his own son. After discussing, they all thought that it must be Pugu Yin who betrayed him. Some people with bad tempers urged Xue Bai to kill Pugu Yin's family members to set an example.

Xue Bai was not impatient. He just said that they would talk about it after the exact news came back. Then the topic turned to the war with the Uighurs.

"According to Gao Can and others, Li Heng must have made an agreement with the Huihe to attack us together..."

If Xue Bai's strategic goal was to launch a surprise attack on Fengxiang and spread the news to all parts of the country, he would surely be able to wait for some local officials and generals to surrender, and Li Heng would certainly want to seize this time difference to turn the situation around.

Many generals in the hall thought that they could delay the battle for now. They did not have many troops, so they could just occupy the city for a month or two and let the world see Li Heng's incompetence.

After listening to these suggestions, the senior advisor became very anxious.

"No!"

Everyone turned to look, wondering why a general of Gao Can's rank was so eager to interrupt.

Gao Chanbai fell to the ground and said, "I am willing to be the vanguard and swear to die for King Yong to defeat the enemy!"

Lao Liang shook his head and asked, "Your troops and fighting power are not as good as the Huihe soldiers. Can you defeat them with your passion? We are all warriors. Don't talk nonsense."

Gao Can was deeply saddened. He was not good at speaking. He wanted to be a lobbyist, but he could not come up with any reason. He could only plead with Xue Bai: "I beg the King of Yong to defeat the enemy and save the wives and children of the people in Guanzhong from the water and fire as soon as possible!"

"That's all useless nonsense." Lao Liang was afraid that he would be punished by military law, so he said, "Go down and sober up."

Xue Bai seemed to see through Gao Can's thoughts and said that the military situation could be discussed later and let him stay alone.

"Want to fight?"

"Yes!" Gao Can nodded vigorously and said through gritted teeth: "I will fight to the death."

"Are you interested in Shen Zhenzhu?"

Gao Can was stunned, nodded, and apologized to Xue Bai.

"You are confused." Xue Bai scolded: "You have made great contributions to the country and have a bright future. Why should you worry about not having a wife?"

"Prince Yong, I would rather die than suffer such humiliation if she falls into the hands of the Huihe people!"

"Is this your shame? Li Chu doesn't even feel ashamed, so why are you risking your life for him?"

Gao Can was deeply hurt by the scolding, and hated himself for not being able to openly say that he wanted to save Shen Zhenzhu. But when he was extremely depressed, he recalled a sentence that had been engraved in his mind, and he was finally able to answer loudly.

"I am a soldier of the Tang Dynasty!" Gao Can responded, "I am ashamed of not being able to defend my country, and I am ashamed that the people of Guanzhong have become captives and slaves of the Huihe. I have a lover, and I don't ask to be with her forever, but I am ashamed that I can't fulfill my military duty and can't protect her!"

As he spoke, he became more and more excited, his face flushed, and he added: "Li Chu can tolerate it, but I can't! I don't care that he is the grandson of the emperor or a prince, or that he commands a large army. I just care that as a man of seven feet tall, I will never be humiliated!"

Xue Bai looked at him deeply and said, "If you like beauty, I can marry you off to someone younger and prettier than Shen."

"I only want to fight, and I beg King Yong to grant my wish."

"Just want a fight? Are you capable of defeating ten thousand people?"

I feel ashamed that my martial arts skills are not that great.

"I know where the Ten Thousand Enemies are." Xue Bai said, "I have sent Zhang Guangsheng to Longzhou to persuade Feng Changqing to surrender. Originally, if you could silence Li Heng and his son in Jingzhou, you might be able to make Feng Changqing see that they are not worthy of being followed."

As he spoke, Xue Bai tapped the map twice and said, "You have returned, but there is no news from Zhang Guangsheng. I am afraid that things may not go well. I want to send someone to find out the situation. If the result is bad, I will try to rescue him."

"I will go there eventually."

Gao Can was extremely anxious when he thought of Shen Zhenzhu suffering in the Huihe camp, and he wished he could immediately destroy the Huihe camp and rescue Shen Zhenzhu. But he also knew that getting the support of Anxi's troops was the fastest and most reliable way to defeat the enemy.

"Go." Xue Bai said, "No need to convince me, use your reasoning to convince the Anxi Army." "I will definitely live up to King Yong's trust!" Gao Can took the order and left.

Xue Bai was determined to fight against the Uighur cavalry, but in the past few days many people advised him to just defend the city. As long as he defended the city, no matter how the Uighurs plundered the outside world, in the eyes of the world, this battle would mean that he had driven Li Heng away, and leaving the city would be risky.

What's more, some people advised him to raise a large sum of money to bribe the Uighurs, listing many reasons why the Uighur cavalry was powerful and profit-loving.

But he wanted to prove to them that the national strength of the Tang Dynasty was still there, and the majesty of the Heavenly Khan was still there.

It is indeed still there, provided that the Tang Dynasty does not continue to decline in endless internal friction.

~~
The wait was very painful. Xue Bai waited for three full days until finally the senior consultant came back and gave him big enough news.

"Report to Prince Yong, Feng Changqing has agreed to surrender!"

Gao Can was very excited, and he knelt down before Xue Bai, holding up Feng Changqing's letter with both hands. He looked at Xue Bai expectantly, as if he was ready to charge into the Huihe camp at any time.

Xue Bai took Feng Changqing's letter and found that although Feng Changqing was a general, his handwriting was very good, fluent and sharp, and his articles were also good, with parallelism and majestic momentum. However, Feng Changqing's surrender had a lot of conditions.

He wanted Li Cong to welcome back and return power to the retired emperor after the rebellion was completely quelled, and also wanted Xue Bai to promise not to compete for the throne.

These two points are very unwise from Xue Bai's point of view. If Li Longji had not been so incompetent, the situation would not have come to this point. Xue Bai is confident that he can restore the Tang Dynasty, so it is impossible for him to give up his ambition. But in Feng Changqing's view, if he wants to submit, he naturally hopes that the Tang Dynasty will stabilize quickly, and these two conditions are the most reassuring at present.

After all, from the perspective of the loyal ministers of the Tang Dynasty, regardless of whether Xue Bai was the real grandson of the emperor, as long as Li Cong appointed him as the crown prince, there was a possibility of handing over the Li family's country to others.

Xue Bai did not answer immediately, but first met with the envoy sent by Feng Changqing.

He was a military general named Zhao Zong'e, who looked very elite, with rough skin and calluses on his hands. It was obvious that he had been serving in the army in Anxi for a long time.

After the greeting, Xue Bai learned that he was the Shule Guardian and said with a smile, "So you are General Zhao. I have heard of your great name for a long time."

Zhao Zongyi was stunned and said bluntly: "King Yong is indeed lying without changing his expression. I have been in the Western Regions for a long time and I am not a famous general. How could you have heard of my great name for a long time?"

Xue Bai asked: "Do many people think that I don't change my expression when I lie?"

Zhao Zongxie was not polite at all and said, "Not bad!"

“Maybe it’s a misunderstanding of the world?”

"A person's reputation is like a tree's shadow." Zhao Zongyi waved his hand and said, "How can there be so many misunderstandings?"

Xue Bai then smiled and said, "Cen Shen and I are close friends. I have heard him talk about General Zhao's heroic deeds and have admired him for a long time."

"Hahaha, is that so?" Zhao Zongye still didn't believe it.

Xue Bai said: "There is a poem by Cen Shen that is popular in the Anxi Army. I have also heard it. It is called "Song of General Zhao", 'The general wins every game of gambling, and he won the Shanyu's sable robe.'"

This sentence touched Zhao Zong'e's heart. He couldn't help scratching his cheek, suppressing his pride, and said modestly: "I am not that good at archery and horse riding. In the military competition, I was given a chance by everyone. I can only win nine out of ten games. Cen Shen is exaggerating."

This man doesn't look very smart and seems to be easy to bribe. In fact, the reason why Feng Changqing sent him here is because he is very stubborn. This is reflected in the conditions proposed by Feng Changqing.

"Marshal Jie said that Prince Yong must agree to these two conditions, otherwise there will be no discussion!"

Xue Bai asked, "Where is the messenger I sent?"

Zhao Zongyi waved his hand as a matter of course and said, "Don't even release the envoy!"

Xue Bai asked: "If I agree, will Feng Changqing send troops to help me defeat the Huihe cavalry?"

"What's the point of your agreement?" Zhao Zongyi glared and said, "It will take the approval of the saint in Chang'an City!"

In this case, it was Xue Bai who made a mistake. He nodded and said, "The Saint can agree to it."

Zhao Zongxie said: "Words are not enough. Does Prince Yong dare to promise in person in front of the Anxi Army soldiers that he will not fight for the throne?"

Xue Bai pondered and asked, "How can we make a promise in front of the soldiers of the Anxi Army?"

"Outside Weiyang City is Wanglu Terrace. If Prince Yong dares to go there and swear an oath of blood with the envoy and make a promise in front of the Anxi Army, the envoy will lead his army to help Emperor Chang'an to pacify Guanzhong and stabilize the world. In the future, if Prince Yong dares to covet the throne, the Anxi Army will not let him off!"

……

Many of Xue Bai's subordinates were opposed to Feng Changqing's request, believing that Feng Changqing might be cheating.

This is another moment that tests Xue Bai's judgment.

Did Feng Changqing want to trick him into coming over and ambush him? It was indeed possible, and there were many such examples throughout history.

But Xue Bai still tended to believe that Feng Changqing really wanted to negotiate, because he believed that a general stationed in the Western Regions must have the ambition to defend his country.

As a real man, especially a man of a powerful dynasty like the Tang Dynasty, if given a choice, he would not be able to bear the need to sell his subjects' wives and children to the Uighurs and borrow the Uighurs' soldiers to help the royal family fight for power.

Now, because Xue Bai was defending Chang'an, the situation was very different. Feng Changqing's choice could quickly speed up the progress of pacifying the world.

Based on these judgments, Xue Bai dared to meet Feng Changqing.

When he was about to ride out of the city, Jiang Hai stopped him and asked, "Why do you want to take such a risk, sir?"

"Remember when you first entered Chang'an, you were under Li Heng's command?" Xue Bai asked.

Jiang Hai was stunned for a moment, and said, "I have already been loyal to you wholeheartedly, and I have absolutely no intention of being attached to Li Heng."

"I know." Xue Bai said, "I have to go because I'm afraid I'll become Li Heng."

In fact, Xue Bai also learned a lot from Li Heng.

He understood that if those in power took more risks, the country and the people would suffer less. If those in power took more responsibilities, the country and the people would be more stable.

~~
From the west gate of Weiyang City, you can see Lutai.

This was built by Yan Ji, a disciple of Confucius during the Spring and Autumn Period. Yan Ji was from Weiyang and went to Lu three times to follow Confucius for 17 years. He was ranked 14th among the 72 sages. After completing his studies and returning home, he set up a school here to teach his students. Missing his teacher, he climbed up here every day to look far into the distance. It is said that he used the soil lifted from his clothes to pad his feet, and accumulated it over 18 years to form this high earthen platform.

In July, the setting sun was scorching. This high platform representing gratitude and longing was surrounded by Anxi soldiers standing in square formation. They had been in the bitter cold of the Western Regions for a long time and were afraid of the heat, so they were sweating profusely.

Of course, many of them were from Guanzhong, recruited to the Western Regions. At this moment, they were looking eastward, just like Yan Ji a thousand years ago.

A group of people came on horseback and came into their sight. The leader was Xue Bai.

The soldiers had not expected that this traitor who was named the emperor's grandson, or this emperor's grandson who was regarded as a traitor, would dare to come, and they were talking about it.

At the beginning, "Xue Ni" appeared more frequently in their mouths. Later, Feng Changqing led his men and horses to meet Xue Bai, and they rode side by side to Guanlu Terrace.

As Xue Bai's heroic figure appeared in their sight calmly, gradually, the name "Xue Ni" became less and less popular, and more people began to call him "King Yong". For example, a general would urge the soldiers to stand back and "make way for King Yong."

When Xue Bai climbed up the Guanlu Terrace and looked at the soldiers, everyone could feel more intuitively that his spirit was no less than Feng Changqing's.

……

When the densely packed figures and the numerous swords and guns came into view, and the murderous aura rising to the sky was felt, such a scene would naturally make people feel timid. The reason why Xue Bai was not afraid was because he had already died once.

While others didn't know who Zhang Guangsheng with the scar on his face was, Xue Bai was certain that with him, Feng Changqing would at least not kill him.

"How does King Yong feel?" Feng Changqing asked Xue Bai while pointing at the square formations.

"They are all soldiers from the Tang Dynasty." Xue Bai said.

He told himself in his heart that he should not think that he was riding alone into the enemy camp. Today, the future emperor of the Tang Dynasty walked into the soldiers who would surely support him. So he raised his hand and waved to them.

Feng Changqing couldn't help but narrow his eyes and stare at Xue Bai's action. Instead of feeling relaxed, he became alert.

"Come, let me introduce you to Prince Yong... General of the Left Imperial Guards, the governor of Zhenxi and Beiting, Li Siye."

When Xue Bai looked over, he saw a general who could almost be considered a giant. His height of over two meters was extremely eye-catching.

It was too hot today, so Li Siye did not wear armor, with his upper body half exposed. His arms were as big as two buckets, larger than ordinary shoulder blades. I wonder what kind of armor would cover him and how heavy it would be.

Such a big man seemed to be able to collapse the Guanlu Terrace if he stood on it. What was rare was that Li Siye was not clumsy, but very flexible.

After meeting him, one has to admit that becoming a famous general really requires talent, and it cannot be achieved through hard work alone. Otherwise, the harder you work, the sooner you will die.

In short, Xue Bai liked Li Siye very much when he saw him. He even thought of the story of Cao Cao meeting Guan Yu, so he said: "I have heard of General Li's great name for a long time. Seeing him today, he is indeed a hero."

"What Prince Yong said about having heard of your great name for a long time must be true!" Zhao Zongye laughed, he was quite funny.

Xue Bai smiled and asked, "But I don't know, General Zhao won every game, but he even beat General Li."

Zhao Zongye looked up at Li Siye with some fear, shook his head and said, "General Li would not bother to gamble with us."

Li Siye didn't say much, just nodded.

Feng Changqing introduced several more generals, and when he saw that the time was almost right, he said, "Prince Yong, please come in."

As soon as he gave the order, soldiers came with wooden trays with clean water and daggers on them. They were trying to force Xue Bai to swear an oath in public and not fight for the throne anymore.

Xue Bai looked at this scene, but shook his head and said, "I came here to ask General Feng Jie why he did this? Li Heng and Li Chu fought for the position of crown prince, why can't I? Why don't we take a look at who was the crown prince in the first place?!"

Feng Changqing said: "I don't want to argue with you about the reasons, I just know that this is the fastest way to settle the power struggle."

"Why?"

"The Prince of Yong sometimes calls himself a government slave, sometimes an orphan, and sometimes the grandson of the emperor. It is inevitable that people will suspect that he is pretending to be the grandson of the emperor and plotting to usurp the Li family's throne. Please, Prince Yong, dispel the doubts of the world so that we can serve the emperor of Chang'an!"

After saying that, Feng Changqing picked up a dagger, cut his palm, and squeezed out the blood.

"please."

Xue Bai closed his eyes, recalling the scenes in which he repeatedly scolded Li Longji and Li Heng for being selfish. It was as if he saw the thousand years after the Anshi Rebellion from the history books.

At a certain moment, he strengthened his determination again. He took Feng Changqing's knife and cut it, and blood dripped into the basin.

"Okay, let Marshal Feng Jie rest assured. I will never use the name of the emperor's grandson to plot against the Li family!"

(End of this chapter)