Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 498: The Hero is Not Free

The main road between Taiyuan and Guanzhong was called "Hedong Road" in the Tang Dynasty. It starts from Puzhou (Puban), a strategic point on the Yellow River, in the west and ends at Taiyuan in the east.

According to Tang Dynasty official records, this road was about one thousand miles long.

Although it seems that they only need to pass through Taiyuan Prefecture, Fenzhou, Jinzhou, Jiangzhou, and Puzhou, the road is rugged and they have to pass through the remote area such as Queshu Valley, so the marching speed cannot be increased at all.

Under the strong request of Emperor Li Longji, 50,000 elite border troops followed him southward to Guanzhong. From a distance, it looked like a dark cloud pressing down on the city, which was quite spectacular. But in fact, there were only less than half of the elite border troops.

It’s not that Brother Ji doesn’t want to lead more men and horses on the march, but a big trouble that was unexpected but reasonable has arisen.

There is no food in Taiyuan!

Why would such a ridiculous thing happen?

Because there isn't much food and grass in Hedong Road!

Even if Fang Chongyong was still there, there was not much food and grass in Taiyuan City before the Northwestern Frontier Army arrived in Hedong.

As for the many counties and cities north of Taiyuan, many of them have fallen into the hands of the Hebei rebels. Where can they get food and fodder?

Later, Ji Ge sent the Northwestern Frontier Army to Hedong, and also continuously transported food and fodder to Hedong through Guanzhong.

The road conditions in Hedong Road were just so-so, and most of the route could not be transported by water from the Yellow River. Therefore, it was difficult to supply the military supplies for more than 100,000 border troops, and there was not much grain in the treasuries of the various states in Hedong.

Now someone in Chang'an wants to support Li Heng to take the throne, so they will naturally cut off the supply of the army in Hedong! It's impossible to say that they deliberately gave Ji Ge food and let Ji Ge lead his troops back to Chang'an to settle accounts with them, right?
This is a crooked trick that anyone can think of.

However, even though there was no "full-scale attack", when Brother Ji and his 50,000 men barely reached Linfen, the capital of Jinzhou, the team was completely out of food!
So the army had to stay in Linfen and sent people to search the treasury in Linfen County, the provincial capital.

Unexpectedly, the soldiers who went to search did not get much, only enough to support the army for two or three days!

Jinzhou Governor Li Liangchen had fled long ago, and Jinzhou Sima had been acting as the governor of Jinzhou.
Brother Ji was so anxious that he ordered the army to go to the countryside and search every household, taking as much food and fodder as possible. No matter if they were local wealthy families or ordinary people, they would be robbed!

But what Ji Ge didn't expect was that this move had a huge impact on the morale of the army! And it completely turned the "King's Division" into a stinking rat crossing the street.

These elite frontier troops originally thought that they would contribute to the country after entering Guanzhong, and that they would be given titles and honors after suppressing the rebellion, bringing glory to their family. But in the end, they did not touch a hair of the bandits, but instead became robbers and plunderers!

Many people suspected that these guys who came from thousands of miles away were the bandits, while the Hebei rebels were the righteous army.

Not only that, the dilemma of supply cut-off and the military order to rely on looting for survival also made many senior military generals question their lives.

To obtain these food and fodder, they had to plunder the local area like a fish in a pond, and they also confronted the local people and killed many innocent people in order to grab the food.

The way you eat is already very ugly.

It would be fine if we don't advance, but if we really want to continue to Guanzhong, won't we have to rob along the way?
Can such an army win a battle?

These generals no longer wanted to continue their march into Guanzhong, for they were afraid that they would be infamous for eternity!
So three days after the Hedong army arrived in Jinzhou, Li Guangbi found Ji Ge and asked for countermeasures.

When Li Guangbi found Ji Ge, the old emperor was pulling leeches off his body one by one and throwing them to the ground in frustration, with a look of ferocity and unwillingness written all over his face.

"The Saint is angry. General Li, please don't say too much. If you have something to say, please talk nicely."

Remembering Gao Lishi's instructions before entering the house, Li Guangbi took a deep breath, clasped his fists and bowed to Ji Ge, and reported: "Your Majesty, a scout reported that the governor of Jiangzhou has fled and disappeared, and the treasury has been emptied. Most of the local people... have fled into the mountains and forests, making them difficult to find. I think it will be difficult to raise the food and fodder needed by the army in Jiangzhou."

"Why didn't you hear about food shortages when Fang Zhongyong was in Taiyuan?"

Brother Ji didn't even think about it and asked directly in a very calm tone.

Or it can be said that there is anger hidden in the calm.

Li Guangbi opened his mouth, but something stuck in his throat and he didn't know how to say it.

He actually didn't quite understand what was going on, but he knew a little bit, at least more than Brother Ji.

The two were silent for a long time. Brother Ji seemed very patient, just waiting for Li Guangbi to answer. The latter saw that he could not get away with it, so he reported the truth:

"Saint, Yan Zhenqing was previously in charge of military supplies, but now Yan Zhenqing has been dismissed by you, so the logistics of the army are a bit chaotic."

Li Guangbi said cautiously.

In fact, he didn't dare to tell all the truth.

Why is the army short of food? Isn't it because the emperor in front of us didn't plan carefully enough? Who else can we blame?

So many frontier troops had their own places of garrison and their own farms to supply food and fodder, so the logistical pressure was not as great as imagined. At most, they were short of silk and cloth, but they were mostly not short of food and fodder.

Moreover, when the elite troops from the Northwest Frontier did not come to Hedong, the number of official troops in Hedong Road was actually not large, and there were dedicated people in charge of logistics. The problem of food and fodder supply was not serious, and there was even surplus in the treasury.

But now, on the one hand, the troops in Hedong Road were scattered, and the original logistics system had long been disintegrated due to the loss of personnel. The new guest troops, although they were good at fighting, were all people who opened their mouths to eat!
God knows where to get food!
These "guest troops" have always relied on Chang'an for the supply of food and fodder, and the food supply route is also very fragile. The supply and demand are barely balanced, and there is not much surplus.

Now that Chang'an has consciously "cut off supplies", people like Li Guangbi are completely at a loss.

It's a bit like those people who think that goods will automatically grow on the shelves, and then get confused when they find that the shelves are empty one day.

"Is Fang Guozhong so capable?"

Brother Ji asked another question that Li Guangbi couldn't answer.

He simply expressed his opinion through silence.

At this moment, Ji Ge finally realized that whether it was a country, a state or a county, or even just an army, it would be difficult to manage without capable people.

No matter how small or ordinary the task is, it still requires specific people to complete it one by one. These insignificant tasks, accumulated one by one, become an ordinary sentence in the memorial.

For example, behind the eight words "food routes are unobstructed and military supplies are not lacking" there is the hard work and sweat of countless people, which is no less than fighting on the battlefield.

Once any link is missing, the huge war machine will lag or even stop.

Brother Ji, who used to be good at issuing orders, knew nothing about this. He always thought that as long as the imperial edict came, he would be invincible.

“Saint, although Fang Guozhong is young, he has been in charge of a region for many years and is very familiar with military and political affairs and has a lot of experience.

I think the saint may have misunderstood him before. "

Li Guangbi said cautiously.

"Yes, I listened to the villain's words and regarded Fang Guozhong as a traitor. Now it's too late to regret. What should I do?"

Brother Ji looked up to the sky and sighed, looking a bit regretful.

Li Guangbi felt extremely sick, but he had to pinch his nose, clasp his fists and salute:

"Now that things have come to this, it would be a waste of energy for the saint to think about it. Now the army is short of food and grass. If we continue to march, I am afraid that some soldiers will become dissatisfied and cause trouble.

I ask the saint to make a decision quickly. If it is too late, something unexpected may happen in the army. If there is a mutiny in the camp, it will be like a landslide. Even if I have a thousand skills, it will be difficult to stop it. "

Li Guangbi said solemnly, his straightforward temper made his words very serious. In fact, the elite troops of the border army have always been hardworking and would not mutiny easily.

Seeing that he was talking so seriously, Brother Ji also put away the "regret" on his face, looked at Li Guangbi and asked: "Then what do you think, General Li?" "Sage, the summer wheat harvest is not far away, why not temporarily organize the army in Jinzhou. After the summer wheat in the Hedong states is harvested, we can make dry food and send it to the army.

With sufficient food and fodder, people will naturally not panic and can deal with the situation calmly. This is a way to remove the firewood from the source and solve the problem once and for all.

If we force our way into Guanzhong regardless of the consequences, looting as we go, sooner or later our army will become notorious, be resisted by the people, and be targeted by the local government.

Now Chang'an has already turned against Tiangang. If the Saint is too anxious, it may play into the hands of some bad guys."

Li Guangbi urged earnestly.

Hearing this, Brother Ji nodded gloomily, sighed and said, "General Li is right."

Those damn bureaucrats in Chang'an, are they just fooling around by cutting off food supplies?
No, no, no, these people are not fooling around. On the contrary, they have been scheming and have long expected that Brother Ji will mobilize the troops from Hedong to enter Guanzhong to "suppress the rebellion."

It doesn't take much courage or technical skills to cut off the food supply, but the logistics alone are enough to hold back the troops of Hedong.

Without food and fodder, even if Ji Ge's many capable and skilled generals had great abilities, they would not be able to rush from Hedong to Guanzhong!
After a long time, it is hard to say whether Ji Ge, the emperor, will be recognized by all states and counties!
At that time, some provincial governors who don't want to take sides will just run away when they see Brother Ji coming with his men.

If Brother Ji loses in the future, they will still be the governors, not only will they be reinstated, but they will also be on the same side. If Brother Ji wins by chance...how many more years can this old emperor live?
They hid in the mountains to "farm and study" for a few years, and when Brother Ji died, they immediately showed their loyalty to the new king! They were immediately resurrected with full blood! Because the new king also needs to stabilize people's hearts!

At this time, Brother Ji had no choice but to take no action for the time being, and then quietly organize the soldiers to harvest summer wheat, collect local grain and fodder in Hedong, and make dry food, so that he would have the capital to continue to march into Guanzhong!

Li Guangbi's suggestion was stable and effective, although it did not seem so ambitious and heart-wrenching.

"My dear, please step back. I need to think about this carefully."

Brother Ji nodded slightly.

After Li Guangbi bowed and left, Ji Ge asked Gao Lishi, "What do you think, Lishi?"

"General Li's words are so mature and prudent that I have nothing to say."

Gao Lishi said somewhat helplessly.

He knew that Li Guangbi's words were indeed good advice, but Ji Ge didn't like the idea.

Brother Ji was so anxious that he couldn't bear it for even a day. He wanted to lead his troops into Chang'an City right now and kill all those traitors who betrayed him.

Cut, cut, cut! Cut as many as you can. It's better to kill the wrong ones than to let them go!
When Brother Ji gets anxious, his whole body itches and he even wants to scratch the flesh on his thighs!
"Go and call Gao Xianzhi."

Brother Ji gave an order to Gao Lishi.

After Gao Lishi left, Ji Ge collapsed on the couch, looking at the simple beams of the study in the Jinzhou provincial government office and sighing.

……

For many days, Fang Youde led thousands of soldiers and horses to camp at the entrance of Huangxiangban, neither sending troops to provoke the city gate of Tongguan nor conducting a tentative night attack.

It seems that they are not in a hurry to capture the city.

He arranged the camp very neatly and rotated the troops on time every day, as if he was just waiting for Cui Qianyou to make a mistake.

After suffering a few small losses, Cui Qianyou learned his lesson and still followed the same principle: “I won’t move unless the enemy moves.”

He believed that no matter how skilled Fang Youde was in commanding troops, he would not be able to gain any advantage in Tongguan.

However, starting from yesterday, Cui Qianyou discovered that something was gradually going wrong.

All the food and fodder for Tongguan comes from Guanzhong and is delivered every ten days.

The day before yesterday was the time for the handover of grain and fodder.

But the food and fodder that should have been delivered was nowhere to be seen, not even a grain of rice.

Cui Qianyou even sent out scouts to search westward for the grain delivery convoy, but they didn't find a single trace.

So the case was solved, Chang'an didn't send a convoy to deliver food at all!

There was no one! No car! No delivery at all!
"Something happened!"

Cui Qianyou sighed and his heart sank to the bottom.

Although the stored grain in the Tongguan warehouse can last for a few more days and won't cause immediate starvation, it is not a long-term solution!
Chang'an regularly sent grain to Tongguan, and did not set up a large granary in Tongguan. This was originally designed to control the Tongguan garrison! Because Tongguan was so important, it had to be controlled!

This is actually very normal and a very reasonable move. However, this seemingly insignificant trick is causing Cui Qianyou a lot of trouble.

Late that night, Cui Qianyou summoned all the generals in the army to discuss important matters and seek countermeasures.

"Everyone, something has happened in Chang'an. The food and fodder that should have been sent to Tongguan has not arrived on time.

This general believes that the best strategy is to return to Chang'an immediately without further delay.

What do you think? "

Cui Qianyou looked around at everyone and asked in a deep voice.

No one spoke because they knew that returning to Chang'an without military orders was a serious violation of military orders and tantamount to rebellion.

"General Cui, do you have a transfer order from the imperial court?"

The general who asked the question was named Ma Lin. He was from Fufeng, Qizhou. He came from a military family in Guanzhong and was the son of Ma Sheng, a military officer of the Right Censorate.

"There is no military order."

Cui Qianyou replied helplessly.

"To act without military orders is to commit treason!
Cui Qianyou, I think you are planning a rebellion!

Everyone, we will capture him and take him back to Chang'an for interrogation!"

Ma Lin roared and rushed towards Cui Qianyou. As if they had made an appointment with him, several people in the signing room on the city tower rushed over at the same time, knocked Cui Qianyou to the ground, and quickly tied him up!

"This is what you are doing?"

Cui Qianyou was shocked and angry, as if he didn't recognize the generals under his command at all.

Ma Lin was too lazy to argue with him, so he just stuffed a piece of rag into Cui Qianyou's mouth, then called a few trusted men and hung red lanterns on both sides of the city wall.

There were five lamps hung on one side and nine lamps hung on the other side.

Soon, fireworks rose from Huangxiangban and bloomed in the night sky.

A long-lost smile appeared on Ma Lin's square face, and he ordered his men to open the gate of Tongguan Tower.

Sitting in the corner with his mouth blocked, Cui Qianyou felt that all his strength had been drained from his body and he had completely lost the desire to struggle.

(End of this chapter)