Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 720: The Friend or Foe Rule

It was a dark, windy day, and bitterly cold.

On the top of the tall and majestic Puzhou City, several soldiers formed a team and patrolled outside the detention room. They did not dare to disturb the main general Ma Lin and the deputy general Sun Zhengzhi who were discussing matters inside.

Ever since Sun Zhengzhi led his troops to withdraw from Chenguan, the atmosphere in Puzhou City has become extremely tense.

The outside was tight, and the inside was even tighter! The password to enter the city was changed twice a day, and the situation was no different from being under siege.

At this moment, the sound of the dripping copper kettle was particularly clear in the signing room.

Ma Lin used a dagger to pry open the isinglass sealing wax on the gilded bronze box, and a scent of sandalwood suddenly filled the air. This was the incense that Li Baochen usually used, and it was full of Taoist flavor.

Although Li Baochen no longer practices Taoism, the habits he developed while practicing Taoism have not changed at all.

"From the time you receive this order, Puzhou Defense Commander Ma Lin will lead his troops back to Chang'an within three days. There must be no delay..."

He held up the oil lamp and read the words on the troop mobilization order carefully, his face changed slightly, and his right knuckles tapped the table unconsciously.

When he was a scout, he had this quirk, and even after so many years he couldn't change it. Whenever he was nervous, he couldn't help tapping his fingers.

Deputy General Sun Zhizhi suddenly held up the military order and said, "General Ma, the seal is authentic, but it is hard to say whether the military order is authentic."

There was something else in his words. The iron wrist guard rubbed against the silk, making a teeth-grinding sound, which was very rude.

The "Seal of the Grand Marshal of the Armies and Horses of the World" on the lower right corner of the Order of Dispatching Troops is completely different from the usual cinnabar color, but it is not "fake" and is actually Li Baochen's exclusive color. It is a special pigment made from some residue from Taoist alchemy, which is only used by Li Baochen.

In other words, this military order was definitely issued by Li Baochen. However, it is precisely because of this that it is so terrifying!
Ma Lin's pupils suddenly contracted. He grabbed the military order and wanted to tear it into pieces. Then he put the order on the table dejectedly and sighed.

"General Ma, don't think too much. This must be a military order issued by Li Baochen bypassing the court."

Sun Zhizhi said firmly.

He took out another military order from his bosom, spread it out on the table and said, "General Ma, Prime Minister Wei told us to lead the troops to Taiyuan and not return to Chang'an. Should we listen to Wei Jian or Li Baochen?"

Ma Lin remained silent, not knowing how to respond.

In today's world, the emperor is no longer like an emperor, the feudal lords are no longer like feudal lords, and the imperial court is no longer like the imperial court. Those of them who serve as soldiers and receive food no longer know whose military orders to obey.

There are two completely different military orders in front of you, and you have to choose one to execute.

Suddenly, the sound of gongs and drums of soldiers were heard from the top of the city wall.

Ma Lin pushed open the crude wooden window and saw a few torches flickering on the other side of the moat. The night wind brought the fishy smell of the river, and there seemed to be a subtle sound of armor colliding. Perhaps someone was moving in the dark, but it was unknown.

Those were probably Li Baochen's trusted troops, monitoring the movements of the Puzhou defenders.

The large army marched slowly, and it was not convenient for them to arrive in Puzhou from Luoyang to Chang'an. However, Li Baochen sent a small number of elite cavalry to monitor the movements in Puzhou, which was not troublesome at all.

Li Baochen had decades of military career and was very proficient in these basic exercises. Ma Lin did not dare to underestimate this big man who started out in the border town of Youzhou.

Of course, it could also be that Ma Lin was just being paranoid and scaring himself.

"Bring me my goldfish charm."

Ma Lin suddenly turned around and said, "Gather a hundred personal soldiers, and I will be out of the south gate in an hour." His hand was pressed on the scabbard of the sword. The gilded twined branches on the scabbard were deeply embedded in his palm, and his fingers were pinched white.

"This general will go to Huazhou in person and report back to see what Li Shiyu has to say."

Ma Lin gritted his teeth and said.

In fact, he also knew that Wei Jian was not a good person, and Li Baochen was even less so. But as a general leading troops to fight, Ma Lin had to be responsible for his subordinates.

If he took a wrong step, not only he would die, but also his subordinates.

"General Ma, you'll just die if you go."

Sun Zhengzhi's face was stern. He raised his hand and stopped Ma Lin.

Many things are well known to everyone, and we shouldn't say them so bluntly. However, now that the situation has come to a head, it's inappropriate to beat around the bush.

"General Ma, the term 'heartache' should be easy to understand. You are Li Baochen's heartache now. If we return to Chang'an, even if the brothers don't die, you and I will die."

Sun Zhengzhi said in a deep voice, with a hint of threat in his words.

Ma Lin was not a fool and understood it instantly.

He may think that life or death doesn't matter, but Sun Zhengzhi doesn't want to die! If he really insists on doing it, he might end up in trouble!
"General Sun, how do you think we should deal with this?"

Ma Lin asked, his mind was in turmoil. The situation in Guanzhong seemed to have collapsed again.

In fact, they all realized it later.

The temporary stability of the situation in Guanzhong before was due to the fact that Li Baochen temporarily cultivated himself as an immortal and did not clean out the Tianlong people in Guanzhong, thus giving up some power.

Without Li Baochen, the forces close to Li Baochen were like a person without a brain, so the situation in the court temporarily reached a balance.

Now that Li Baochen has come out, the balance has been broken. Marshal Baochen, who controls the army, must eliminate dissidents. If Ma Lin had shown his loyalty to Li Baochen earlier, there might have been other options.

Now, it can only be summarized in one sentence: if loyalty is not absolute, then it is absolutely disloyal!
Even if Ma Lin did not openly oppose Li Baochen, he was still one of the "absolutely disloyal" people, and he even held a knife in his hand.

In other words, if he returned to Chang'an, he would surely die.

A bystander can see things more clearly. Ma Lin still hopes for the best, but Sun Zhengzhi sees everything clearly. Now the chaos in Guanzhong is inevitable. If there is a chance to profit, why not run away quickly!
"General Ma, the emperor has gone to Taiyuan and needs support from different people. If General Ma leads his troops to Taiyuan, he will definitely be reused. After all, no one knows whether Li Baoyu will be the next Li Baochen.

What will happen if General Ma returns to Chang'an? Is there any need to think about it?"

Sun Zhengzhi asked back.

Ma Lin was speechless. After all, his deputy general's words were true. Of course, there was one thing Sun Zhengzhi didn't say.

He was born in Longyou, and had a long-standing friendship with Li Baoyu, the Hexi An clan behind him. It was hard to say whether Ma Lin would die in Taiyuan, but he would definitely not die if he went to Taiyuan!
As long as you are a human being, you have to find a way out for yourself, right? You have to take care of yourself first, then you can take care of the interests of others. There is a priority here.

"I'm afraid Li Baochen's troops will follow and pursue us."

Ma Lin said in a deep voice.

"General Ma, we don't have time to think about these things right now. We have to leave tonight, the sooner the better!

We are not familiar with the route to Hedong and have no geographical advantages.

The only way to survive is to leave early and prevent Li Baochen from catching up!" Sun Zhengzhi said with great sorrow.

At most, including the auxiliary troops, they only have about 10,000 people. How can they withstand Li Baochen's imperial guards?
"Let's go! Let's go now!"

Ma Lin made a prompt decision and no longer hesitated.

He pushed the door open, squinted his eyes to look at the torches faintly visible outside the moat, made up his mind, turned around and went down the city wall.

……

A few days later, Ma Lin led 5,000 selected soldiers and marched quickly along the Sushui River, intending to go north to Jinzhou and then to Jinyang. In fact, as long as they arrived in Jinzhou, they could ensure that Li Baochen's army would not pursue them.

Jinzhou is already under the control of the Chishui Army under Li Baoyu, and they will definitely not allow Li Baochen's troops to run wild here.

However, what you fear will come to you. The cavalry under Li Baochen's command still followed him like a leech!

That night, as the waning moon sank into the Zhongtiao Mountains, the Sushui River shone with rusty waves. Ma Lin's crossbowmen, lying in the reeds, could hear the sound of horses gnawing on the grass roots on the other side of the river. It was Li Baochen's cavalry drinking water in the shallows.

"Three hundred light cavalry, thirty crossbows."

Sun Zhizhi clutched the scabbard soaked in river water and continued, "There are still horse hoof prints in the southeast forest. There are at least 500 ambushes. Li Baochen is well prepared!"

"Li Baochen is trying to provoke us into action. Why are we watering our horses by the river at this time?"

Ma Lin's fingertips stroked the leather of the knife handle, a calming method passed down from Qiuci. His face showed no expression, but his heart was actually in his throat.

Who knows whether Li Baochen's pursuers will raid their simple camp at night?
Before he finished speaking, the sound of a crossbow locking came from the other side. Sun Zhi rushed to Ma Lin, and three armor-piercing arrows brushed past the helmet tassel and nailed into the trunk of the old willow tree behind him. The lurking scouts of Li Baochen's army finally discovered them.

"Smoke!"

Ma Lin roared and blew his bamboo whistle, and the piercing whistle cut through the night sky.

Twenty horses loaded with sulfur rushed to the north bank, and the shallow Sushui River could not stop them. In an instant, pungent poisonous smoke rose from the river and filled the air, and the ambush position of Li Baochen's army was in chaos!
This is wolfsbane smoke mixed using the ancient Anxi method. It has been widely used in Hexi and the effect can be said to be immediate. The screams of the pursuers tore through the night sky.

Like ghosts howling.

"Cross the river! Cross the river!"

The enemy's shouts and screams made the river fish turn white, but they did not stop because of Ma Lin's "strange trick". On the river bank, some people had already soaked cloth in river water and covered their mouths and noses before moving forward.

The various "exotic" poisonous smoke may not be common, but the method of using smoke to repel the enemy or break the formation is nothing new. Li Baochen was not a pushover. When he saw Ma Lin use this trick, he immediately sounded the horn to let the front army retreat, and the rear army, with their mouths and noses covered with cloth, took over!

The chaotic situation only lasted for a short while, and Li Baochen's elite soldiers reacted immediately and began to cross the river and charge!
At this moment, Ma Lin, who was riding his horse back to the north bank, suddenly tilted his body and fell into the river!
It turned out that his mount was shot by someone unknown. The horse's eye was suddenly hit by a stray arrow, and it was in so much pain that it knocked Ma Lin to the ground.

No sharpshooter could guarantee such accuracy. All we can say is that Ma Lin was just unlucky and his fall was "purely accidental."

Ma Lin rolled onto the sandy beach in the middle of the river. The cold water soaked through his armor, and the piercing chill cleared his confused mind. A row of crossbowmen flashed out from the forest on the opposite bank, and the rain of arrows shot from their horn crossbows instantly covered the entire river.

If a man counts as a tiger, the tiger will also count as a man.

Ma Lin wanted to hit Li Baochen with a club, and Marshal Baochen also wanted to knock him to the ground with a slap. Neither of them was an easy target to deal with.

At this critical moment, Sun Zhizhi suddenly jumped out from the pile of horse carcasses. This fierce Longyou iron man actually used the enemy's corpses to build a bunker and shouted to Ma Lin: "General! Go to the north bank quickly! It won't work tonight, Li Baochen has already prepared!"

The Tang Dynasty was full of martial virtues, and there was no shortage of such fierce men. Ma Lin did not hesitate to pull out the arrow that had shot into his shoulder armor and threw it into the river.

Fortunately, it was far away and the arrow did not penetrate his flesh, otherwise this arrow would have made him lose his combat effectiveness.

"Blow the horn! Form a circle and retreat!"

He shouted to the messenger, and then ordered Sun Zhengzhi: "Go to the north bank and organize the troops! Hold the position! Wait for Ma to fight for a while!"

Ma Lin drew his sword and rushed into the enemy formation in the opposite direction. His personal soldiers gathered behind him, forming a counter-attack torrent. Li Baochen's army was preparing to cross the river, but was counterattacked by Ma Lin. Li Baochen's army was caught off guard and was defeated, and the offensive was stagnant.

The archers under Li Baochen's command were about to surround the enemy when they heard the sound of gongs on their side. Seeing that they could not gain any advantage, Li Baochen decisively ordered the troops to retreat.

As a last resort, these soldiers who were killing their superiors had to slowly retreat and maintain their own front line. Then they faced Ma Lin's troops across the Sushui River, and the two sides slowly broke contact, leaving only corpses on the riverbanks on both sides of the Sushui River.

Ferocious and desolate.

Li Baochen's main camp finally unfurled its big flag. Under the firelight, the huge character "Li" on the flag whistled in the cold wind.

Ma Lin saw the general's flag and could not help but sigh, and asked the flag officer beside him to call back the troops. The troops that had already formed a battle array slowly moved northward and gradually disappeared from Li Baochen's sight.

"Pity."

On the south bank of the Sushui River, Li Baochen dismounted and looked toward the north bank. It was unclear whether he felt sorry for Ma Lin or for himself.

The river in front of us is so shallow in winter and freezes when it gets cold. It is more like a ditch than a river.

Today, Ma Lin set an ambush here, and Li Baochen launched a counter-ambush. In the chaos of the battle, the two sides were evenly matched, and both suffered heavy casualties.

"Father, why not..."

Li Baochen's son Li Weijian seemed to want to say something, but he saw Marshal Baochen gently waved his hand, signaling him not to say anything more.

In his opinion, Li Weijian's level was not high enough to comment on this battle.

"We will return to Puzhou tomorrow. You will stay in Puzhou to guard this place. Your father will return to Chang'an."

Li Baochen sighed, with a hint of sadness on his face.

It would be a lie to say that he was not worried. He had already received Fang Qing's handwritten letter. His two sons, Li Weicheng and Li Weiyue, were both "guests" in Bianzhou. Luoyang was also captured by the Bianzhou army. This trip out of Guanzhong was in vain for Li Baochen.

But even if he knew this, what could Li Baochen do? Would he lead his troops to retake Luoyang?

The answer was obvious. He had to go back to Chang'an first and settle the affairs there before talking about it. Perhaps, this year, next year, the year after, or even many years later, he might not be able to take back Luoyang.

Li Baochen has already realized that the situation in Guanzhong has collapsed and there is no way to save it in the short term!
"Father, Ma Lin is brave and good at fighting. If we let the tiger go back to the mountains, I'm afraid it will be..."

Li Weijian persuaded that in his opinion, the army was only a little bit away from being destroyed. But his father Li Baochen obviously did not think so.

"If Ma Lin can be considered a tiger, then there are too many tigers in this world.

Okay, I'll go back to Puzhou tomorrow, no need to say more."

Li Baochen was too lazy to talk nonsense with Li Weijian, so he threw down a few words and turned away.

(End of this chapter)