Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 698: Tiger's Heart
Today is the Jingzhe Festival, one of the twenty-four solar terms.

The yang energy rises, the temperature warms up, spring thunder rumbles, the rain increases, and all things are full of vitality.

This is the written meaning of Jingzhe.

But there is a more popular saying, which is: ready to make a move!
It was a pitch-black night, and one could not see one's hand in front of one's face. In the sewer near Hanjia Cang in the north of Luoyang City, a team of two people were marching in silence. In order not to make any noise, they were all wearing cotton clothes and no armor.

The leader was holding a wind-killing lantern as a sign to guide the way. In the darkness, it looked inconspicuous from a distance.

This was exactly Zhang Guangsheng and his group. Their purpose was to capture Li Weicheng and, at the same time, destroy the command and dispatch capabilities of the Luoyang defenders.

Li Wei Yue also walked in the front, looking at Zhang Guangsheng beside him, wanting to say something but not knowing how to start.

"Just say it, or you won't have a chance if a fight breaks out."

Zhang Guangsheng said this in a very cold tone. Although he couldn't see the other person's face clearly in the dim firelight, he knew that Li Weiyue was a restless person and must have a lot of questions in his mind.

"I have lived in Luoyang for two years. Why have I never discovered this road?"

Li Weiyue asked doubtfully.

Zhang Guangsheng sneered, "This is an abandoned river. There is water in the summer, ice in the winter, and a foul stench in the spring and autumn. How can you leave?"

So that’s it!
Li Weiyue suddenly remembered that when he first came to Luoyang, there seemed to be a canal outside the north gate of Hanjia Cang that had not completely dried up.

As for why this canal, which was not deep to begin with, has dried up, we have to ask Marshal Fang why he completely cut off the branch canal leading to Luoyang when he was managing the Bianzhou Canal.

This river can be described as the "legendary king of durability" in history. Since the An-Shi Rebellion, it has been repaired and abandoned, and then repaired again. From the middle Tang Dynasty to the Five Dynasties, it is unknown how many times it has been repaired and abandoned.

It was not until the time when the Donkey Cart God of War came to power that it was considered complete.

"How are we going to get into Luoyang City later?"

Li Wei Yue asked again, he didn't think Zhang Guangsheng could rush in with the dozens of elite soldiers behind him.

This is Luoyang City! It is common for dozens of people to play hide-and-seek in Luoyang City and not be found within a month.

"Someone will open the door and we can just walk in."

Zhang Guangsheng continued to speak nonchalantly.

Li Weiyue was going crazy. How could this person in front of him say such an absurd thing as if it were a matter of course?
He was too embarrassed to ask any more questions, because the group had already arrived at the abandoned ferry crossing outside the north gate of Hanjia Cang. Although it was called a ferry crossing, it had become a wasteland at this moment. The wooden trestle had long been dismantled by someone, leaving only a few large wooden stakes that were difficult to dismantle standing in the original place.

It seems to be telling the glory of the past.

Zhang Guangsheng walked to the abandoned water gate and shouted inside: "Open the door, I'm here to buy something!"

An old voice came from inside: "What do you want to buy?"

Zhang Guangsheng thought about the awkward words and continued, "I'll buy two white photo frames."

"What style?"

Judging from the tone, the person inside seemed a little impatient.

"Touma Setsuna."

Zhang Guangsheng said something that made him feel puzzled. If the other party opened the door, it must be inside.

Soon, a small wooden door next to the water gate was opened, and the white-haired Xue Qitong, wearing a soldier's uniform, saluted Zhang Guangsheng and said, "My name is Xue Qitong. May I ask if you are Zhang Guangsheng?"

"You ever met me?"

Zhang Guangsheng was shocked.

"In the Chang'an officialdom, you can see each other whenever you look up. Who hasn't seen each other?"

Xue Qitong sighed, as if he was still reminiscing about the glorious days of the heyday of the Tang Dynasty. Zhang Guangsheng had served as the Left General of the Jinwu Guard in Chang'an for a period of time. As a director of the Dali Temple, how could Xue Qitong not have seen him?

Soon, he calmed down and led Zhang Guangsheng and his party into Hanjia Warehouse.

Xue Qitong was willing to sacrifice his life for great things. Zhang Guangsheng could not help but sigh that there were so many heroes in the Tang Dynasty, but it was a pity that things were unpredictable and there were many people born in the same year with different fates.

They successfully entered Hanjia Cang, and the guards they met acted as if they didn't see them. Xue Qitong proudly introduced, "I have already opened up the connection, please don't worry, General Zhang."

Li Weiyue, who was standing by, suddenly had a feeling that the reason he didn't get hit on the head when he came to Luoyang was not because some people couldn't do it, but because the opportunity hadn't come yet. When the opportunity came, they just walked into Luoyang City through a small road with great fanfare. Li Weicheng was probably still dreaming!
Sure enough, it was the right decision not to return to Luoyang! Li Weiyue thought to himself.

……

In the Mingtang, Li Weichen, who was looking at the city defense map, always felt an ominous atmosphere, and vaguely seemed that something big was about to happen.

"Any unusual activity tonight?"

Li Weicheng asked in a deep voice.

He looked at the guards beside him, only to see that they were yawning and clearly could not stand it any longer. Li Weicheng was also about to give up. He had been extremely nervous recently and felt very uncomfortable.

After all, you can only commit a thief in a thousand days, but there is no way to prevent a thief in a thousand days.

The tiger still has time to take a nap!

Li Weicheng's method of defending the city to the death is correct, but it is not very clever.

"Reply to General Li, nothing happened!"

The personal soldier clasped his fists to Li Weicheng.

It is normal that nothing happened, because if something happened, how could Li Weicheng still sit still?

"Are you sure? Have all the camps been informed?"

Li Weicheng asked again.

The guard replied, "Indeed, everything has been reported. There is nothing to happen tonight."

"Go and rest."

Li Weicheng waved his hand tiredly and said to the people around him.

"General Li, I will take you to rest. This is not a place to rest."

"No need, you can just rest in the class room outside the hall. I'll be there whenever you call."

Li Weicheng rejected the proposal of his personal soldiers and was still determined to stay in the Mingtang. This place had become his "headquarters", and all armies had to send people to guard here and serve as messengers.

If something happens, military orders can be conveyed and defense can be organized at any time.

After dismissing his attendants, Li Weicheng felt exhausted all over. He sat on the dragon throne in the Mingtang with his mind in a mess.

This dragon throne is so hard that my butt feels uncomfortable when I sit on it. What’s so good about it?

A strange question suddenly popped up in Li Weicheng's mind.

In fact, almost everyone who has sat on the throne has the same feeling as him. Li Weicheng is not the first, nor the last.

The dragon throne is uncomfortable to sit on, and this was intentionally designed by the designer for fear that the emperor would fall asleep if he sat too comfortably during court sessions.

The emperor's position is uncomfortable to sit in, but it is still very comfortable to wield the emperor's power, so everyone wants to be an emperor.

Li Weicheng also wanted to, but he had no chance because he was a Hu person.

His original name was Zhang Weicheng, and because his father Zhang Zhongzhi used to be a gangster with Zhang Suogao, he took the surname Zhang.

Later, after Zhang Zhongzhi changed his name to Li Baochen, Li Weicheng also changed his surname.

People like them, if they follow Zhang San, they change their surname to Zhang, and if they follow Li Si, they change their surname to Li. Many times, they are like walking on a watermelon peel and just go wherever it takes them.

Like rootless duckweed.

It is difficult for people like them to make long-term plans.

At this moment, Li Weicheng smelled a faint smell of blood and there was a commotion outside the door. Oh no, someone was murdered!

Li Weicheng stood up and was about to call for help when the palace gate of Mingtang was pushed open. He saw a group of people lying on the ground. They were all his messengers.

Zhang Guangsheng, his cotton coat stained with blood, walked in with a dozen burly men, followed by Li Weiyue.

"How dare you do such a thing! You actually led the enemy! How could you, how dare you!"

Seeing Li Weiyue, Li Weicheng was shocked and angry, and shouted at him loudly, his words were quite incoherent.

“Brother, don’t you know that Hanjia Cang can lead directly to the imperial palace?

Don’t you know that there is an abandoned ferry in Hanjia Cang?

Don’t you know that the defenders at the north gate have been bribed by the local wealthy people?
Why don't you put someone on this road to keep a close watch?"

Li Weiyue did not respond to Li Weicheng's accusation, but instead questioned Li Weicheng why he failed to defend Luoyang City.

A series of questions, but it all comes down to one sentence: It's all your fault!

He was actually wronging Li Weicheng. The ferry at Hanjia Cang had been abandoned for many years. The river had dried up and turned into a sewer. Who would go there for no reason?
Luoyang City is so big, and Li Weicheng has so many people. If he sends people to guard every place, he will probably have to cut each defender into four parts.

When Li Weicheng was deploying his defenses, he was considering "normal situations", which did not include the situation where there were guides helping to open the Hanjia Cang city gate.

As for the fact that the defenders of Hanjia Granary were bribed... He had only been in Luoyang for more than ten days, how could he know these things?
But Li Weiyue couldn't understand this.

He followed Zhang Guangsheng all the way, and then... he really walked all the way, probably just a little more nervous than strolling in the garden.

The patrol officers he encountered during this period were either bribed or deserted and were easily killed by Zhang Guangsheng. The power of the local wealthy families in Luoyang was far beyond Li Baochen's original expectations.

These people are lurking like poisonous snakes, just waiting for this day! Although they are usually as honest as fat pigs and sheep, their counterattack at the critical moment is extremely fierce!

These absurd things made Li Weiyue dumbfounded.

Suddenly, outside the Mingtang, drums beat loudly and shouts of fighting and killing were heard everywhere.

"The general offensive has begun."

Zhang Guangsheng muttered to himself. He didn't expect that his side's speed was actually faster than that of the army responsible for attacking the city!
The main reason was that the raid was too smooth. Xue Qitong was worthy of being an official in the central government of Chang'an. His family was powerful and his network of relationships was more numerous than the tentacles of an octopus.

Zhang Guangsheng felt that these local wealthy families should not be underestimated. It was absolutely necessary for Fang Qing to plunder Bianzhou. If he hadn't done this, the series of reforms in the Bianzhou court would have been out of the question.

From Shazhou in the past to Luoyang today, the rules of the game below the official level have actually not changed. The same identity but different people is like the same person wearing different clothes.

Of course, it is okay to suffer misfortune if it is sent by heaven, but it is unacceptable if it is one's own misfortune.

Some time ago, Li Baochen entered Luoyang without holding back, letting his soldiers loose to loot for three days. The locals hated them so much that they would naturally band together to accumulate strength and wait for the opportunity.

How much fun it was to rob in the past, how miserable it is to be stabbed now.

"Our business is finished, let's withdraw."

Zhang Guangsheng sighed. The Luoyang Imperial Palace area was in chaos now, so it would be better to return by the same route to avoid any accidents.

Li Weicheng glanced at Li Weiyue. He had a lot of questions to ask, but he didn't know where to start.

One of Zhang Guangsheng's personal soldiers walked in from outside, clasped his fists and said to him, "General Zhang, our army has already entered Luoyang, and now the city is in chaos. The newly surrendered Zuoshe Battalion has gone crazy, so we'd better leave quickly to avoid accidental injuries."

There would be no problem in conquering Luoyang in this battle, but Che Guangqian wanted to save Li Weicheng's life to prepare for the next strategy, so he asked Zhang Guangsheng to lead the commando team.

Of course, if he hadn’t met Li Weicheng, he would most likely have died in the chaos of war.

"go!"

Zhang Guangsheng waved his hand, and the group walked out of the Mingtang and headed north, disappearing into the night.

Li Weicheng was right to give up defending the other three districts of Luoyang, because the outer city walls were opened by local wealthy people at the first opportunity, so it would be useless to defend them.

Che Guangqian personally led his troops to attack the outer city, and the battle was almost bloodless. Several troops surrounded the city, and there were guides everywhere.

As for the inner city in the northwest corner, Che Guangqian did not consider attacking the city wall, but instead broke into the granary from several adjacent blocks to the east of Hanjia Granary and then broke through from here!

As for why the Bianzhou army could find the flaw so accurately, I believe Li Weicheng would not want to know the answer. Someone who was very familiar with Li Baochen's army provided Che Guangqian with some "insignificant" information.

Li Baochen did not win the support of the locals, and treated them as grass and fat pigs. Tonight is the revenge of the grass and fat pigs.

During the Kaiyuan period, the canal was still in operation and could transport grain, but now it has dried up, becoming a ditch in the summer and a muddy road at other times, and it becomes muddy when it rains.

There was no need to hide their tracks on the way back. Everyone had a lantern in their hands. Li Weicheng then realized that this was a new road that had been trodden out by someone.

Zhang Guangsheng and his companions sneaked into the imperial city of Luoyang along this road. This road does not seem to be flooded by the summer flood.

This was probably the path where Hanjia Granary in Luoyang used to resell grain during famine.

Li Weicheng came up with a very funny guess that was extremely close to the truth.

Bianzhou already controls dozens of states, and its power is even greater than that of the imperial court in Chang'an. Now that this behemoth has entered the game, he can no longer predict how this fierce battle against Luoyang will turn out.

"Ugh!"

It really is true that whoever laughs last can laugh the most!

Before leaving, Li Weicheng couldn't help but let out a long sigh, but was glared at by Zhang Guangsheng.

"You have saved a life, so why sigh?

Don’t you know that the Zuoshe Camp left by Li Huaiguang will not take any prisoners in Luoyang tonight?”

Zhang Guangsheng couldn't help but retort.

Li Weicheng opened his mouth, not knowing what to say, so he just shut up and followed the other party out of Luoyang City.

……

The fighting in the city continues.

The Bianzhou army first concentrated on one point and broke through the Hanjia Granary, which had internal support. This place is close to the Luoyang Palace City, and there is more than one way to enter the palace city.

Che Guangqian ordered Han Yougui to lead the Zuosheying to attack the Mingtang, while he himself led his troops to clear out the outer garrisons guarding the city gates, towers, and patrols.

Since Li Weicheng and his messengers had been completely wiped out, it was like a person without a brain. The defenders in the city fought on their own and their morale was quickly broken.

The troops of Zuoshe Army moved around the city as if they were in an empty space. They killed Li Baochen's troops as soon as they saw them, leaving no one alive. Each of them seemed to be possessed by the god of death.

When Che Guangqian arrived at Mingtang, there were corpses everywhere and blood all over the ground, which made everyone feel uncomfortable.

Che Guangqian secretly thanked herself for having made some arrangements, otherwise Li Weicheng would have certainly lost his life tonight.

If Li Baochen's son was killed, there would be nothing to talk about with this Marshal in the future. With the hostage in hand, everyone can just save face and not fight to the death.

"Go and see where the Zuosheying is and tell them to let the disarmed enemy troops go. They have already killed their way through the Imperial City, so it's time for them to stop."

Che Guangqian gave instructions to the soldiers around him.

"Understood, I will pass on the order now!"

The messenger took the order and left, soon disappearing.

Looking at the devastated Luoyang Imperial Palace, Che Guangqian seemed to understand why Fang Chongyong hated killing.

Weapons are evil things, and blood will be shed when they are used. Those who use troops must be careful, otherwise they will perish if they fight recklessly!
I have heard for a long time that the dragon throne that Wu Meiniang sat on was very exquisite. Che Guangqian walked around the uniquely designed dragon throne in the Mingtang for several circles, but could not figure out what was so wonderful about it.

The messenger took a long time to come back. As soon as they met, he complained to Che Guangqian: "The left shooting camp did not obey orders. Han Yougui could not control the soldiers. Some soldiers pretended not to hear and refused to stop."

Hearing this, Che Guangqian's expression changed slightly, but he still just nodded calmly. No one knew what he was thinking.

(End of this chapter)