Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 689: Po Jun Shoots the Heavenly Wolf

Late that night, in Xin'an County, only seventy or eighty miles west of Luoyang, an army was cooking.

In the detention room of Xin'an County, Li Baochen sat cross-legged with a calm expression. He closed his eyes and tapped his thighs with his fingers, as if he was thinking about something, or just taking a nap.

Suddenly, someone pushed the door open and walked in. It was Li Baochen's eldest son Li Weicheng.

Unlike Shi Siming, the "tyrant" who liked to go to extremes, Marshal Baochen was a completely normal person. However, a normal person like him was actually abnormal in troubled times.

Shi Siming regarded his illegitimate son Shi Chaoyi as an enemy, while Li Baochen, although he favored his legitimate son Li Weiyue, was not too bad to his illegitimate son. He was the kind of father who would buy an Alto for his illegitimate son as well as an Audi for his legitimate son.

Therefore, the atmosphere within the Li family was quite harmonious. Although there was competition among the sons, none of them wanted to kill their brothers. Several sons were helping Li Baochen, just like Fang Zhongyong's family business in his previous life.

If I really have to describe it, it would be ordinary. Everything about Li Baochen is so ordinary. Apart from his ability to fight, there is nothing particularly outstanding about him.

There is ordinary people's greed and lust, as well as ordinary people's compassion and mercy.

There is family affection, but also competition and vigilance.

"How's it going?"

Li Baochen opened his eyes and asked.

He was very cautious and ordered that only his son Li Weicheng was allowed to come in to report, so there was no need to ask who came in.

"Father, it turned out that Li Huaiguang won."

There was a hint of disbelief in Li Weicheng's words.

"What about the battle? Didn't we send scouts to observe it?"

Li Baochen complained with some dissatisfaction.

Li Weicheng quickly reported the battle situation reported by the scouts. In short, An Shouzhong chose to fight a decisive battle in the open area north of Jinyong City. That place was indeed one of the few places around Luoyang suitable for a decisive battle.

An Shouzhong first ordered his soldiers to set up a fence in front of the formation to prevent a quick breakthrough in the center, and then arranged a large number of troops on the left to lure Li Huaiguang into a surprise attack, while making a feint on the right to create a facade.

Most of the war process went as An Shouzhong expected, except that in the end Li Huaiguang chose to attack his empty right flank, directly killing An Shouzhong.

It sounds so simple, but there must be a lot of details on the battlefield that cannot be observed by just a few scouts.

After listening to the amazing process of the war, Li Baochen just nodded slightly, his face calm and without any surprise.

"The Crane Control Army is indeed worthy of its reputation."

He made one comment and then nothing more was said.

Li Weicheng wanted to say something, but seeing that Li Baochen didn't seem to be in the mood to explain, he had to shut up. Since Li Baochen started his "immortal cultivation journey", he has become as steady as an old dog, and it is difficult to see any emotions on his face on weekdays.

Although he has returned to his old job as a commander, his habits are still the same as when he was cultivating immortals.

He waved his hand, and Li Weicheng folded his hands and bowed to leave. Li Baochen was left alone in the signing room.

This is also his normal state now. After Li Baochen's return, he still abstains from sex and alcohol, eats a light diet, does not live in a mansion or sleep on a soft bed, and sits in meditation for a long time every day.

Perhaps the past two years of cultivating immortals have made Li Baochen understand a truth: cultivating immortals may be fake, but cultivating one's body and mind is definitely real.

"It's time to draw the sword."

Li Baochen opened his eyes, stood up and paced in the custody room.

He has made up his mind, and now is the best time to take action.

Two tigers fought, one died and the other was injured. Now, the hunter who had been waiting for a long time had time to take action.

Li Baochen walked out of the signing room and saw Li Weicheng still waiting outside. He patted him on the shoulder and said, "Go and call Wang Wujun. I have something important to say to him."

Li Weicheng's heart moved, and he lowered his voice and asked, "Father, are you going to send troops to Luoyang?"

"That's natural."

Li Baochen waved his hand calmly, looking calm and composed, with an indescribable domineering aura emerging from him.

"I'll do it now, kid!"

Li Weicheng became excited.

It was impossible not to be excited. There were two troublemakers who nominally surrendered to the court in Guanzhong. One was An Shouzhong from Luoyang, and the other was Li Huaiguang from Zezhou.

Both of them are good at fighting and are not easy to deal with.

Now the plan of driving the tiger to devour the wolf has been successful, and one of the two tigers died and the other was injured in the fight. There is no happier thing than this!

After a while, Wang Wujun came to the signing room. As soon as they met, Li Baochen motioned him to sit down and said there was no rush.

After the two men sat down, Li Baochen said solemnly, "Li Huaiguang defeated An Shouzhong, and now the Crane Control Army is heading for Luoyang. We have been in Luoyang for quite some time and are familiar with the terrain. While the Crane Control Army has suffered heavy losses after the great victory and has relaxed its vigilance, you will set out from Xin'an County from now on to wipe out the bandits in Luoyang!"

"Now?"

Wang Wujun was shocked and asked subconsciously.

"If An Shouzhong wins, this battle will not be won quickly and can only be won slowly. But if Li Huaiguang and the Konghe Army win, it will be different. They have fewer soldiers and will have difficulty defending the city, and they will not be able to launch the surprise attack they are good at.

If I don't send troops now, and the two armies really confront each other, I may not be able to defeat Li Huaiguang easily.

Let’s go! Right now!”

Li Baochen said this in a decisive tone, with an extremely firm attitude.

"Understood, I will prepare now!"

Wang Wujun nodded without bargaining. That's how war works. When you say you're going to set off, you have to put down your mouth, even if you have wine in your mouth and meat in your hand.

"To prevent An Shouzhong from following in your footsteps, you will first lead 10,000 vanguard troops to besiege the Luoyang Palace. My central army will follow a few miles away. If your troops are not doing well in the battle, I will provide support."

Li Baochen reminded Wang Wujun and told him to lead the way without any worries.

Now, he is also a shrewd and cunning old man, at least on the battlefield.

Facing a powerful army like the Konghe Army with a small number of elite soldiers, the worst way to deal with it is to rush in all at once. It is easy for the opponent to hit you with a critical hit. Once the opponent gains a winning advantage, no matter how many soldiers you have, it will be useless.

Li Baochen has studied the Control Crane Army for a long time and has his own way of dealing with it.

Human power has its limits, and this is the flaw. No matter who you are, when you are exhausted, you are at your weakest.

This is the moment when the Crane Control Army is exhausted.

If we miss this opportunity, it will take who knows when Li Huaiguang will recover and we will be able to deal with him.

"Please rest assured, Marshal. I will definitely fulfill my mission."

Wang Wujun clasped his fists in salute, then took the order and left.

Li Baochen was mediocre in other aspects except his ability in fighting. His subordinates trusted him very much.

After Wang Wujun left, Li Baochen began to frown.

The silent giant had not made a move, which made him extremely uneasy, but he had no good way to deal with it. After all, each general had limited resources, and it was usually impossible to catch a person who wanted everything.

To deal with Li Huaiguang this time, we must not go to war with Bianzhou!
Li Baochen had a very clear understanding of this. He was a little worried and called Li Weicheng to the signing room.

"Is the news from Dengzhou true? The Bianzhou army is performing martial arts in Dengzhou, and Fang Qing is present?"

Li Baochen asked anxiously, no longer as calm as before.

Li Weicheng quickly explained, "Father, it's absolutely true. This incident has caused a big stir. The Bianzhou army is extremely fierce. They killed dozens of people and injured hundreds of people in the martial arts performance. At the Dengzhou seaport, all fleets have suffered casualties. Now everyone is talking about it with a change of color. Fang Qing and Daqinmao from the Bohai Kingdom are both here. They have also summoned the leaders of each fleet in the seaport. It seems that there is a plan to go to the Bohai Kingdom by sea."

Li Baochen finally breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the news.

"So they were plotting against Bohai State, but that's not surprising. After all, Bohai State's coastal horses are world-famous. The mounts of the Bianzhou Army originated from them.

The king of Bohai has passed away but the news has not been made public. This is a good time to take action."

Li Baochen nodded, somewhat understanding Fang Zhongyong's choice.

It was difficult to break the situation in the Central Plains for the time being, so they chose to start from the Bohai Kingdom. After controlling the Bohai Kingdom, they could obtain sufficient supplies.

Now that you have wealth, are you still worried about not being able to support the army?
There will always be brave men when there is a big reward, and there will naturally be warriors who are willing to die for their country if you are willing to pay them money.

Li Baochen understood this principle, so how could Fang Chongyong not understand it?
"You should also prepare yourself. You will have to go with the army tomorrow at the latest."

Li Baochen instructed Li Weicheng.

The two of them left the signing room together, and saw a sky full of stars outside, like a galaxy reflecting the sky, so magnificent that it was beyond words.

Li Baochen sighed with emotion, pointing to the Purple Star in the sky and said, "Look, now the pattern of Qi Sha, Po Jun, and Tan Lang, it is Po Jun star that is extremely strong, forming a situation where Po Jun shoots Tian Lang, and there is a general who has never appeared in the world to show his skills, which corresponds to Li Huaiguang."

After following Xing Hepu for more than two years, Li Baochen did learn some useful knowledge. Although he did not learn anything about cultivating immortals, he was already half a charlatan under the influence of Xing Hepu's cramming teaching, such as yin-yang numerology, divination and astrology.

"Li Huaiguang, is he worthy of it? Isn't he going to be killed by his father soon?"

Li Weicheng asked in confusion.

He could only see that the stars in the sky were beautiful, and that was all. As for the likes of Sha Po Lang, he could just listen to them, but it was impossible to study them.

"Who knows about this kind of thing."

Li Baochen sighed, regretting that he could not cultivate immortality. What he longed for now was immortality, shining with the sun and the moon. It was just a battle, so what if he won? In the end, he would just turn into dust.

After more than two years of cultivating immortals, he has become indifferent to certain things.

In other words, the level of his thinking has become higher, and those "vulgar things" from the past can no longer impress him.

Just when Li Baochen was planning to send troops to Luoyang, the Bianzhou government office also welcomed a special "guest".

In the study of the Bianzhou government office, Yan Zhuang, the left prime minister and the minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was staring at Li Tingwang, who was in a shabby state and dressed like a beggar, with a strange look on his face. After a long moment, he sighed and asked, "General Li, don't you feel tired running back and forth to Bianzhou like this?"

Of course I am tired, how could I not be tired!

Li Tingwang cursed madly in his heart, but he could only smile bitterly and said: "The situation is like this, Li has no choice."

Yan Zhuang nodded calmly, and then said helplessly: "It is probably only a matter of time before the Konghe Army conquers Luoyang. I will send people to investigate. Apart from this, there is nothing I can do. Marshal Fang is indeed in Dengzhou, and the main force of the Bianzhou Army is also in Dengzhou. If General Li doesn't believe these things, he can ask outsiders. There will be no other answer."

"No, no, I am not here to find reinforcements for An Shouzhong, but... is Marshal Fang short of men who can fight in the battlefield?"

Li Tingwang asked somewhat embarrassedly.

Yan Zhuang never expected that he actually came here to ask for an official position!

"As for this matter, we should wait until Marshal Fang returns to Bianzhou before we can make a long-term plan.

Yan is not involved in military affairs, and he is a petty official. He can be assigned to General Li, but it is a bit of an insult to General Li. Don’t you think this is the truth? "

Yan Zhuang asked with a wry smile, his contempt evident in his words.

Li Tingwang was speechless.

The importance of officers lies in the army. The army under their command is their backbone and their courage!

This is also the main reason why Li Tingwang insisted on going back even though he knew that An Shouzhong was in a bad condition.

A general is nothing without his soldiers; even a farmer dares to swing a hoe at him.

Li Tingwang also knew that he had become a wandering ghost and had to rely on Fang Qing before he could talk about the future.

He forced a smile and said, "Then I will wait for Marshal Fang at Shangyuan Posthouse outside Kaifeng City."

Seeing that Li Tingwang didn't have any special requests and was quite obedient, Yan Zhuang nodded calmly and said, "Well, this is easy. I will arrange it for you."

Li Tingwang thanked him profusely, bowed his head and walked away, as humble as an abandoned dog.

After he left, Che Guangqian came out from behind the study screen. When Yan Zhuang saw him coming out, he crossed his arms and saluted, "General Che, how do you think we should deal with this matter?"

Yan Zhuang naturally knew that Che Guangqian was in charge of the military affairs of Bianzhou. Fang Zhongyong's order was to cooperate with Che Guangqian as long as he did not kill Emperor Li Lin.

If anything goes wrong, they will naturally settle the score with Che Guangqian, and will not bother you.

Therefore, Yan Zhuang was also very sensible. He just pretended that he had no brains and did whatever Che Guangqian said.

"Che has decided to send troops to Luoyang to inflict a heavy blow on Li Baochen. After Marshal Fang returns to Bianzhou, the Bianzhou army will be able to take control of Guanzhong."

Che Guangqian said with a serious expression.

"Marshal Che, would you consider it again?"

Yan Zhuang was horrified.

Although Fang Zhongyong told Che Guangqian to do whatever she wanted, he didn't say to attack Luoyang at this time!
The troops in Bianzhou are not in full order!
“Opportunities never come back. Once you miss this opportunity, it will be hard to find such a good opportunity again.

There is inside information in Guanzhong that Li Baochen, the commander-in-chief, has quietly deployed his troops to Xin'an County.

What they wanted to do was just to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. Now that one of the two tigers was dead and the other was injured, it was time for Li Baochen to take action.

If we don't take action now, do we have to wait until Li Baochen takes control of Luoyang?"

Che Guangqian asked back.

"How are you going to explain to Marshal Fang after you messed up? Marshal Fang trusted you so much and entrusted you with important tasks, and you are going to repay his kindness so frivolously?"

Yan Zhuang retorted without any hesitation.

"Minister Yan, I will never be able to repay Marshal Fang for his kindness in this lifetime.

It is precisely because of this that Che cannot just sit there and do nothing.

If such a good opportunity slips away, the time for the Marshal to take control of Guanzhong and pacify the world will be delayed by at least ten years!
How many decades can you and I waste in our lives?

If the battle goes badly, Che will commit suicide and apologize for his crime, and will not live in disgrace. But now, Minister Yan, you must listen to Che.

Everything will be decided after Marshal Fang returns."

Che Guangqian's attitude was very firm.

After a long silence, Yan Zhuang finally sighed and nodded slightly, indicating that he was temporarily tolerant.

(End of this chapter)