Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 764: Dang Duan continues to suffer from the chaos
Fang Zhongyong's insistence on Emperor Li Qi leading the expedition was a complete conspiracy. Even if Li Baochen, Li Baoyu and others saw through the conspiracy, they could not change anything.

Originally, it was meant to be shown openly to these people, there was no need to hide it.

This was to give the warlords a way out. They "surrendered" to the Tang Dynasty, not Fang Qing himself. So psychologically, there was nothing unacceptable.

To uphold this righteous cause, Li Baoyu and others must make a choice: Do you want to become a rebel and establish your own independence, even ignoring your hometown, or do you want to return to the banner of the court, counterattack Hexi, and retake Liangzhou?

This is to roast Li Baoyu on the rack, and also to hand him a ladder. If you know what's good for you, hurry down the ladder, or don't blame others if you fall to your death!
Therefore, facing Xin Yunjing's questioning, Li Baoyu could only persuade the generals, saying that the matter was of great importance and must be carefully considered, but he would never surrender to Tubo! He hoped that the generals under his command would be patient and make a decision within three days.

After hearing Li Baoyu's solemn promise, the generals dispersed. However, when they left, everyone had a solemn look on their faces, as if they were worried.

After everyone left, Li Baoyu sighed and complained to Li Baozhen: "The Tubo army is approaching, and the soldiers are in turmoil. How can we break the situation? Do we really have to listen to Fang Qing's orders and hand over the control of the Chishui Army?"

Li Baoyu had no psychological barriers to obeying the command of the Bianzhou court and fighting back to Hexi. His family had lived in Liangzhou for generations, otherwise they would not be able to command the Chishui Army, and it was only natural to drive away the Tibetans.

But handing over the command of the Chishui Army to Fang Qing is another matter. The Chishui Army is the absolute main force and most of the elite of the Hedong Army. Without the Chishui Army, they will only have some united soldiers recruited in the Hedong area in recent years.

Its combat effectiveness is not even a little bit inferior to that of the Chishui Army, an old and powerful army that has been established for more than a hundred years!
In other words, if they surrendered to the Bianzhou court, although they would still be important figures, their strength would not be enough to stir up trouble and they would just be lost in the crowd.

Li Baoyu was unwilling to accept this. This had broken the backbone of the Liangzhou An family! They would be controlled by Fang Qing at will in the future!
However, the core of the game now is: If you want to join me, you must be sincere!

What is sincerity?

You are willing to be controlled by me, and then I choose to raise the board high, put it down gently, and let go of all grudges with a smile. This is called an exchange of political interests, and this is called sincerity.

Otherwise, you still have the trump card of the Red Water Army in your hand. Are you still thinking about other things? Or do you have other thoughts?
Li Baoyu couldn't tell his generals about these political twists and turns. After all, different positions might lead to completely opposite views on the same thing.

"Brother, Fang Qing should send someone here again, and it should be in the near future. Why don't we wait for two days?

As for the generals in the army, I will talk to them one by one in private."

Li Baozhen suggested in a low voice that except for troublemakers like Xin Yunjing, the positions of others were not firm.

Then why did Xin Yunjing become a troublemaker?

Because Xin's hometown, Lanzhou, had just fallen, he was very anxious. Moreover, Xin was also a big family in Hexi, and its descendants were widely distributed among the various armies in Hexi during the Kaiyuan period.

In other words, the Xin family can be said to be the "Liangzhou An family" of Han origin, and they have a high degree of overlap with the Liangzhou An family in many aspects!

If the five states of Hexi must find a family that can connect with the imperial court, then the Xin family can replace the An family in many ways. There is no hatred without reason in the world. As long as key interests are involved, brothers and biological parents can also turn against each other!

What's more, Xin Yunjing and the An family of Liangzhou have not followed different paths in the past. Their connections and networks do not completely overlap, and each has their own interests and connections.

Xin Yunjing took the opportunity to attack, his motive was very simple, just to fight for the dominance of the Chishui Army! A typical case of the butt deciding the head.

"Xin Yunjing cannot be kept here, so why not..."

Li Baozhen stretched out his hand and made a chopping gesture.

Li Baoyu shook his head and said, "No, Xin has many connections in the Chishui Army. If we act rashly without a proper reason, it will easily cause unrest. With the Tibetans around, we can't make trouble."

"Ugh!"

Hearing this, Li Baozhen sighed. What is "internal and external troubles"? The current situation is both internal and external troubles!

"Brother, if you don't make a decision, you will suffer the consequences. Three days later, send someone to arrest Xin Yunjing and say that he is the Tibetans' accomplice.

Divide his troops among other generals, and then no one will have anything to say."

A hint of ruthlessness flashed across Li Baozhen's face, and he lowered his voice to suggest. Li Baoyu pondered for a moment, and finally nodded slowly.

……

The words are divided into two parts.

On the other hand, the generals were not idle after returning to their respective camps. Because Li Baozhen was not the only one who understood the truth that "hesitation when necessary will lead to chaos".

Li Baoyu arranged the camp of the five brothers of the Lun family to the west of Xinfeng Posthouse so that they could guard against possible surprise attacks by the Bianzhou army.

Just after the military meeting, at nightfall that day, Xin Yunjing quietly came to the camp of the five brothers of the Lun family to discuss important matters with them.

Xin Yunjing has been a child of destiny since childhood. When he joined the army at a young age, he was the youngest military envoy in Hexi.

He was a man of meticulous mind, cruel and ruthless, and daring enough to do anything. When he was a soldier in Hexi, he often pretended to be a bandit and robbed passing Hu merchants, but he only fell into the hands of Fang Chongyong once.

Xin Yunjing knew the thoughts of Li Baoyu and his brothers like a mirror. He looked very reckless during the military meeting, constantly stirring up the generals' dissatisfaction with Li Baoyu, just like a brainless thorn.

In fact, he had a comprehensive plan all along and it was not a sudden impulse to cause trouble.

"Everyone, the situation is a bit bad now."

Xin Yunjing looked at the five Lun brothers in front of him and couldn't help but sigh.

Everyone nodded silently. Xin Yunjing's words could be considered "correct nonsense".

"General Xin, Li Baoyu refuses to submit to the court. Is it because he has a personal grudge against the emperor?"

Lun Weizhen asked in a low voice.

"I heard that the official's father-in-law, Wang Zhongsi, was forced to death by Li Baoyu."

Lun Huaiyi echoed this.

In fact, the generals under his command were not completely ignorant of the affairs of the Li Baoyu brothers. After all, they were not blind or deaf. They saw them everywhere in the army, and they had heard about these things more or less.

"That's true. Li Baoyu is too selfish and is afraid of being retaliated by Fang Qing. But here is a handwritten letter from Fang Qing, promising to give preferential treatment to the soldiers of the Chishui Army.

We are Fang Qing's old subordinates, so it is only natural for us to join him now. What do you think?"

Xin Yunjing gave the "Fang Qing's handwritten letter" that he had someone forge to Lun Weizheng and others for review.

As long as the matter was done and Fang Qing didn't mention it, who would care whether his letter was true or false? In this situation, the Lun brothers couldn't verify the authenticity!

The five Lun brothers passed the letter handed over by Xin Yunjing around and then nodded slightly.

"Everyone, Li Baoyu has a grudge against the emperor, but we have an old relationship with the emperor. After defeating the Tibetans, it won't be a problem for us to be granted titles of nobility and appointed as prime ministers in the future.

As for Li Baoyu, what does it have to do with us?

What does it have to do with the soldiers of the Chishui Army? "

Xin Yunjing looked around at everyone and encouraged them calmly. Although none of the five brothers of the Lun family spoke, their faces were clearly moved.

"Besides, the current emperor Li Qi and the Bianzhou court are the legitimate and legitimate rulers of the Tang Dynasty. Do we still have to follow the fake emperor Li Wan supported by Li Baoyu and others?

The Bianzhou court now governs dozens of states, covering most of the territory of the Tang Dynasty, and has a population of more than tens of millions.
What's the point of following Li Baoyu all the way to the end?"

Xin Yunjing stabbed him again.

Lun Weizhen was a straightforward person and asked directly: "Tell me, what should we do?"

"Brothers Li Baoyu and Li Baozhen secretly communicated with Tubo, their crime is unforgivable.

The soldiers of the Chishui Army were loyal to the imperial court and were unwilling to follow him to surrender to Tubo. So they rose up and crushed the conspiracy of the Li brothers and beheaded them!

The head was sent to the court to show loyalty and sincerity of submission, and the emperor was invited to Chang'an to take charge of the situation.

If the Bianzhou army and the Chishui army joined forces, the Tang army would be strong and it would be easy to repel Tubo and recover the lost territory. For the public, this move was to save the people of Hexi and be loyal to the country.

Personally, we have gotten rid of the disadvantageous position of opposing the imperial court and have created a smooth road for our descendants. What's wrong with that?"

Xin Yunjing laid out his plan in detail and told the story in detail.

This statement made sense and was highly feasible. Lun Weizhen and the others nodded frequently.

Compared with the cunning and hesitation of Li Baoyu's brothers, Xin Yunjing's idea can be described as open and honest.

In a word, just do it!

"There is no time to lose, let's do it tonight!"

Lun Weizhen said in a decisive tone!

Their grandfather Lun Qinling and his family underestimated the ruthlessness and decisiveness of the Zamp's faction even though they had all the advantages at that time. They took action too late and were exterminated. That's why they fled to the Tang Dynasty.

It’s enough to make such a mistake once, never make it a second time!

Xin Yunjing had not expected Lun Weizhen to be so decisive. He asked hesitantly, "The combined forces of you and me are less than 10,000 people, and we don't have the upper hand. If we start a rebellion hastily, will it be..."

"Too many people can easily lead to trouble. If the news leaks out, everything will be ruined. It is better to send someone to inform the emperor now and let the emperor, no, it would be better if the emperor also came to the Hedong Army camp to take charge of the situation.

At midnight tonight, you and I will attack at the same time! Go straight to Xinfeng Post Station!"

Lun Weizhen said with great confidence.

A person's character is usually hard to tell. But at a critical moment, it often plays a decisive role. When Fang Chongyong was the governor of Hexi, he engaged in smuggling and fed all the generals of the Hexi army.

He is fair and honest, and everyone is convinced by him.

When leading the troops into battle later, Fang Chongyong was also calm and methodical in command, assigned tasks reasonably, and never delayed or missed reporting achievements.

Compared with the An family, one of the nine Zhaowu clans entrenched in Liangzhou, Fang Chongyong, whose word is law in the new court, seems more trustworthy.

Lun Weizhen just felt that Fang Zhongyong was capable and responsible, and was worth betting on. As for Li Baoyu and the others... please, they were not their breadwinners, but half-brothers! Not even fellow villagers!

At most, we can burn a few more incense sticks on their graves in the future, what else do we want?

“When starting the rebellion, send people to lobby the other tribes except Li Baoyu’s own troops, saying that Li Baoyu and others have sent people to lure the Tibetan army over, and ask the troops to guard the camp well and not let the Tibetans take advantage.

The situation is chaotic, and many people are unwilling to get involved. They would rather sit on the sidelines and wait until we decide the winner with Li Baoyu.

Xin will handle this matter!"

Xin Yunjing clenched his fists and said, his many years of experience in the underworld and his proficiency in stabbing people in the back allowed him to calmly consider various situations in an emergency.

Sending people to the generals with ambiguous attitudes to throw dirty water on Li Baoyu and others and stabilize these people is a brilliant move. The possibility of success is very high.

On the contrary, inviting him to join the uprising would easily lead to the news leaking out.

"Okay, those with red silk on their collars are our people, and anyone else who stands in our way will be killed without mercy."

Lun Weizhen nodded and turned to arrange military affairs. The other members of the Lun family were also busy with their own things, very capable.

Xin Yunjing walked out of Lun's tent. The sky was full of stars, looking magnificent and mysterious.

I just don't know how many will fall tonight.

……

Huazhou Zheng County, this is Wang Zhongsi's hometown. After the Bianzhou army arrived in Huayin, Fang Chongyong left Wang Nan to guard Huayin, and brought Che Guangqian and the vanguard army to Zheng County to station, and by the way came to the Wang family's ancestral tomb to pay homage to Wang Zhongsi.

"Back then, General Wang's father died fighting against the Tubo army. It's tragic.

Now that the Tibetans are coming again, it is our duty to defeat them severely."

Looking at Wang Zhongsi's tombstone, Che Guangqian couldn't help but shake her head and sigh.

"Having said that, we still have to eat our meals one bite at a time. The Tubo are not as fragile as the Huihe, who would fall apart at the first blow.

It will take time to recover Hexi and drive Tubo back to the plateau."

Fang Zhongyong said this calmly, looking as if he had no idea what he was thinking.

The Tibetan army came prepared, so a quick victory was obviously not an option. If we could drive the Tibetans back to Qinghai Lake within three years, it would be an unprecedented achievement.

This is the ideal situation.

"Your Majesty, Xin Yunjing's eldest son Xin requests to see you."

Just as Fang Zhongyong was thinking about the affairs of Tubo, Zhang Guangsheng leaned close to his ear and whispered in his ear.

"Is that the one that pees far?"

Fang Chongyong suddenly realized that when he was in Hexi, he often teased this child. Xin was only five years younger than Fang Chongyong, and the two of them had a competition to see who could pee farther.

It was just that at that time Fang Zhongyong was fooling around with the fake Hu Ji Anaye in bed every day, and his body was a little weak. So Xin got the nickname "Pee Far Away".

"That's right, but he came here for an urgent matter!"

Zhang Guangsheng first gave a strange laugh, then his expression immediately turned serious.

"Go and have a look."

When he arrived at the lobby of the Wang family's ancestral home, Fang Chongyong saw a young man who looked somewhat similar to Xin Yunjing walking back and forth outside the lobby, looking extremely anxious.

"Hahahaha, it's you. You can pee far away."

As soon as they met, Fang Chongyong walked over, patted Xin on the shoulder and laughed.

Seeing Fang Zhongyong was not at all shy, Xin finally breathed a sigh of relief and reported in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the Li Baoyu brothers want to surrender to the Tibetans. My father and the Lun brothers have already mutinied. I am here to inform your Majesty to go to Xinfeng Posthouse to take charge of the situation. It would be best if the emperor also goes."

Ok?
Upon hearing this, Fang Chongyong and Che Guangqian were both stunned.

Li Baoyu wants to surrender to the Tibetans? This seems a bit... unreasonable!

Both of them felt very surprised.

"What was the outcome of the mutiny?"

Che Guangqian quickly grasped the key point.

Unexpectedly, Xin shook his head helplessly and said, "My father and the Lun brothers agreed to launch a mutiny at midnight. Now it has been almost seven or eight hours. I don't know what the result will be. Maybe... it has succeeded."

Xin looked a little embarrassed. It was because there were no telephones or internet in ancient times. Such situations were likely to occur due to the underdeveloped communications.

What to do?
For a moment, Fang Zhongyong and Che Guangqian were both hesitant.

If the mutiny succeeds, then we can just go over and take over. But what if it fails?

Aren’t they going there to give Li Baoyu a big gift?
(End of this chapter)