The Bad Guys: Everyone, let’s revive the Tang Dynasty together!

Chapter 368: Why did Your Majesty rebel? (Part )

To this day, Luoyang still has a leisurely and peaceful atmosphere.

Although there was unrest in Bianjing and the newly promoted General Tiance was personally ordered by the second emperor to lead the army here with tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, for Luoyang, which was located in the center of the world and had been raising food and military supplies for the Daliang Western Army's attack on Jin and Qi for many years, this was already considered a normal matter.

Compared with the desolation of Guanxi, Luoyang can at least be called prosperous. Whenever there was a major war in the west, Daliang would often send large-scale troops to Luoyang to replenish food. Even the Luzhou front in the north and the Cangzhou front in Hebei at that time relied on Luoyang to transport military supplies. This was the norm, not to mention the emperor bringing his army to the Western Capital. This happened every year and was no longer surprising.

As for the fact that the Shu army in the west was said to have 150,000 troops leaving Shu and heading north to Qi State, or even threatening Chang'an in Guanxi, this should not cause panic among the people of Luoyang who had already become somewhat numb.

Generally speaking, since Zhu Wen took over Guanzhong, Luoyang has been a quiet place in Daliang for more than ten years. Originally, the mountains and rivers were rugged and surrounded by passes on all sides, so there was naturally no great threat of war. In the Tang Dynasty, Luoyang became a place for the royal family to "eat", and its economic status was far greater than its military status. Therefore, Daliang also regarded the entire Guandong and Henan area, including Luoyang, as a continuous source of grain. Over the years, the people have been numb to the grain, but they can barely survive in this chaotic world.

But compared to the hard days in other parts of the world, such as the high pressure and heavy taxes on the people of Hedong, the people of Luoyang could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Therefore, even at this critical juncture, the city was not tense, but rather calm as usual. It seemed as if they were completely unaware that nearly 30,000 imperial guards had been stationed outside the city, and even more unaware that 10,000 cavalrymen were marching towards Chang'an in an aggressive manner, as if a shocking civil war was about to break out in this city.

The common people don't know these things, or don't care about them, but that doesn't mean there are people who don't care. Inside the side hall of the Weiwei Temple government office, a few people who were kneeling in twos and threes listened to the silence outside that was like that of a dead city, and all of them showed expressions that were either thoughtful or indignant.

Among these men, one was about forty years old, with a calm and lazy look, but his beard was meticulously trimmed, and his hat and belt were neatly dressed and impeccable, which was totally inconsistent with his lazy appearance. Although he sat there silently, his pair of small eyes were scanning the time with a gleam of light, and he was clearly a very shrewd person.

In addition, Niu Cunjie, Yuan Xiangxian and others in the same column were all warriors, and were also famous generals, but they were willing to sit with this Confucian scholar, which showed that he was an extraordinary person. At least at this critical juncture, he was highly valued by Niu Cunjie and others.

This person is Li Ting, who was appointed as Zuo Jianyi Dafu and concurrently the Deputy Envoy of Xuanhui. Although he was a clean official, his rank was not low. Especially the position of Deputy Envoy of Xuanhui, although he had no real power to dispatch people, but generally when someone sat in this position, if there was a vacancy in the post of Jiedushi or the two envoys, he would take up this position concurrently.

Last year, Liu Zhijun of Tongzhou rebelled, and Li Ting was recalled by Zhu Wen to the central government as Deputy Envoy of Xuanhui. It was obvious that he was to be in charge of the Kuangguo Army of Tongzhou. Unexpectedly, before this vacancy could be filled, Zhu Wen was forced by Xiao Yan to become the emperor, so Li Ting naturally did not wait for the appointment edict.

So Li Ting was actually unlucky. After wandering around in the local area for several years, he returned to Beijing, only to encounter the Bian Jing mutiny in April and the abdication of Zhu Wen. At that time, Xiao Yan did not mind giving him a position as the governor of the Kuangguo Army or even the governor, but Li Ting declined and continued to stay in front of the emperor as a censor. What he was thinking was naturally unknown to others.

Next to Li Ting was a middle-aged warrior who was about the same age as him, but eight feet tall, with a high nose. He was wearing a red robe, a leather belt, and a cap and hat that were neatly worn. He had a strong character, sharp eyes, and a temperament that was between a warrior and a scholar. It was obvious that he was a man whose character could not be easily shaken.

Li Ting sat side by side with this man who knew neither civil nor military skills. One was civil and the other was military, and they complemented each other.

Opposite the two were Niu Cunjie and Yuan Xiangxian, two great generals of the imperial guards. However, they looked different from their depressed appearance on the day of the mutiny in Bian Jing. The former stroked his beard and laughed to himself, while the latter looked thoughtful. However, each of them kept his shoulders straight, and did not seem to be as numb as they were when they were discussing matters in front of Xiao Yan in the Tian Ce Mansion.

Li Ting and the strong warrior waited in silence, while Niu Cunjie listened attentively to the noise outside. After an unknown amount of time, Niu Cunjie finally laughed and said, "It is just as Gongdu (Li Ting's courtesy name) said. It is safer to discuss matters in this government office than in a private residence."

Yuan Xiangxian said calmly, "We can be upright here. At least we don't have to worry about someone eavesdropping that night..."

Before Yuan Xiang could finish, the strong man snorted angrily, "Rebellious ministers and villains are everywhere, and the moral principles are turned upside down. This is the worst! General Niu and General Yuan, don't worry. I have sent my men to guard carefully and will not let the news get to the villains!"

Li Ting smiled slightly, tapped the table, and said, "I wonder why General Niu and General Yuan are meeting now? Although the meeting is to discuss the ceremonial guard of the six armies, it is still eye-catching. Moreover, it is inappropriate to involve General Yanqing..."

Kou Yanqing snorted coldly, "What is there to be afraid of? The villain is forcing Your Majesty like this. If there are no ministers like us who secretly put pressure on him, won't the villain bully the royal family even more? My ancestors have been Xuanwu Yaxiao for generations. I have been promoted to this point by Your Majesty. How can I not be loyal to the emperor? The villain has established his own government and established his chastity, and now he is taking Your Majesty to the army. It is obvious that he wants to prepare for the future actions of Cao Mang!
I don't have the ability to do what Yang Taiwei did, but if this can make Xiao Yan feel uneasy, I would like to gather here with you all every day to make Xiao Yan feel uneasy! "

Kou Yanqing was a man who was skilled in riding and shooting and who loved books and history. When Zhu Wen first served as the governor of Xuanwu, he was chosen by Zhu Wen as a family general to keep by his side. He always treated Zhu Wen's every word and deed as an imperial decree. Because of his bravery and good fighting skills, he was loved by Zhu Wen, who even rewarded him with his beloved horse "Yi Zhang Wu". Therefore, the "Your Majesty" he mentioned was naturally Zhu Wen, and not Zhu Youzhen, the puppet established by Xiao Yan.

In the original time and space, after Zhu Wen was killed by Zhu Yougui, Kou Yanqing displayed Zhu Wen's portrait as if it were lifelike, and even often spoke well of Zhu Wen to his attendants, shedding tears every time. He was truly disloyal to Zhu Wen, so he really hated Xiao Yan's behavior of disrupting state affairs and bullying Zhu Wen to the extreme.

But Kou Yanqing had been demoted to the position of General of the Left Guard for some reason, and currently had no military power, so no matter how dissatisfied he was, he could only hold it in, and the only thing he could do was to say a few words to Xiao Yan.

Compared to an orthodox Confucian scholar like Li Ting, Kou Yanqing seemed to look more like a noble doctor.

Yuan Xiangxian and Niu Cunjie looked at each other and nodded, saying, "That's right."

However, Li Ting could not help but pour cold water on him, and said with a faint smile: "If this can make Xiao Yan have some concerns, then of course it is not a problem, but generals, don't forget, if it weren't for Taiwei Yang in Chang'an and Deputy Envoy Xie (Xie Yanzhang) leading the army in Zezhou, how could Xiao Yan have any concerns about us? I heard that Princess Ying was sent to the Song Palace a month ago, so what does Xiao Yan have to worry about?"

As he spoke, he glanced at them and said sarcastically, "If Taiwei Yang or the local commanders cannot check Xiao Yan, can we stop Xiao Yan from doing reckless things just by gathering together in private? I'm afraid that if we meet in private again, even if we have a perfect excuse, we will just be fish on the chopping board. Xiao Yan can kill us at will without any scruples. Xiao Yan is willing to turn a blind eye to us now, only because killing us will easily destabilize the court."

After hearing this, Kou Yanqing looked a little angry, but when he opened his mouth, he was speechless. It was obvious that he had nothing to say about this fact.

Niu Cunjie sighed and had nothing to say either.

Yuan Xiangxian said calmly: "Xiao Yan has the Dingba and Guide armies under his command to intimidate the imperial guards. We dare not confront him head-on. If we do this, not only us, but even the emperor will be dragged into the sea of ​​fire by us..."

Li Ting glanced at him and said, "Marshal Yuan is a relative of the retired emperor. Although he is safe and sound at the moment, if Xiao Yan really wants to usurp the throne, I'm afraid that Marshal Yuan will find it difficult to stay out of it in the future."

Yuan Xiangxian hesitated for a moment. His mother was Zhu Wen's sister, and he could even call Zhu Wen uncle in private. It was a miracle that Xiao Yan was willing to let him continue to lead the troops. The only reason was that keeping Yuan Xiangxian to continue to lead the imperial guards could appease most of Zhu Wen's relatives.

"So everyone understands this principle, so the two generals should stop hiding it."

Li Ting glanced at the two of them and smiled faintly, "Xiao Yan is in a strong position right now. Not to mention us, even General Yang will be dead if he runs into us. The two generals, don't say that you invited us to meet today just to work for Xiao Yan. If that were the case, I would have taken over the position of the Kuang Guo Army's successor long ago. Why would you two generals come up with ideas?"

As he spoke, he straightened his back, leaned forward, and said, "To deal with Xiao Yan and ask His Majesty to restore his throne, we must send troops from outside. Tell me, what are the two generals' plans?"

Kou Yanqing also looked serious at this time and sat upright in his seat.

We are all smart people. For example, Kou Yanqing was willing to come to the meeting because he was loyal to Zhu Wen. But for Niu Cunjie and the other two, it is not just loyalty. In this world, what is the use of loyalty?
Yuan Xiang was first a relative of Zhu Wen, so sooner or later he would be liquidated. The most perfect ending would be to ensure wealth and honor, but it would be impossible for him to retain power.

Niu Cunjie was a general who had held military power for many years and had a complex network of influence in the imperial guards. For this reason alone, it was impossible for him to continue to be valued by the court as the hidden dangers were too great, not to mention that he was an old general of Zhu Wen.

But even if he could have a good ending, how could Niu Cunjie not seize the opportunity? Moreover, since the power of a man is already in his hands, how could he be willing to give it up? In such a chaotic world, even if Xiao Yan is ambitious and wants to be the top minister, he should lead tens of thousands of brave soldiers and rule a region!
It is easy to guess the reasons and purposes of these two generals, but Kou Yanqing cannot see through Li Ting's purpose. For a weak and powerless scholar like Li Ting, the right thing to do in this world is to go with the flow. It is puzzling that he would get involved in such matters.

But the benefits of bringing in a scholar were obvious. Li Ting had a good brain and a sharp tongue. He immediately revealed the purpose of Niu Cunjie and the other man, which was beyond Kou Yanqing's expectations.

According to Kou Yanqing's thoughts, today's meeting might just be a few people complaining together, what else can they do? After all, the arm can't twist the thigh.

Yuan Xiangxian twirled his beard and said nothing, while Niu Cunjie smiled and clapped his hands, saying, "Gong Du is really insightful. I can't hide it from you."

Niu Cunjie looked around, then looked at Kou Yanqing, and then stared at Li Ting and said, "Taiwei Yang from Chang'an, there is a letter."

Li Ting narrowed his eyes slightly, but Kou Yanqing suddenly perked up: "How is it?"

Yang Shihou in Chang'an has long been regarded as a thorn in the throat by the Tian Ce Palace. All the scholars in Hebei have joined Xiao Yan's army. How can their sharp and enterprising spirit be stopped by Yang Shihou? Therefore, they must keep a close eye on Yang Shihou. Two days ago, when the Tian Ce Palace was discussing matters, Li Sian even said in public that he wanted to kill Yang Shihou. At such a critical moment, it was heard that Yang Shihou had a letter to deliver, and it was even from Niu Cunjie. This means that this Yang Taiwei, who has his own army, will definitely not be willing to be controlled by Xiao Yan!
Niu Cunjie smiled and said nothing, while Li Ting placed his hands lightly on the table and said softly: "The expedition to Shu is now Xiao Yan's top priority. If Shu or even Qi is defeated by Xiao Yan, then he, the general of Tiance, will be firmly entrenched. If, on the contrary, the expedition to Shu and Qi fails, it will shake the foundation of Xiao Yan's power... Could it be that Taiwei Yang wants to..."

"Wrong, Gongdu is wrong."

Niu Cunjie couldn't help but shake his head proudly, and at the same time lowered his voice: "If Dingbadu loses this battle, it will naturally shake Xiao Yan's foundation. However, Xiao Yan still has the Guide Army in Beijing, and he has two emperors in his hands. Even if he loses this battle, he still has a chance to survive..."

Li Ting's eyes immediately lit up: "Captain Yang wants Xiao Yan to become water without a source and a tree without roots!?"

At this point, Kou Yanqing had already understood, and then frowned and said: "However, your majesty is controlled by Xiao Yan, and the surroundings are even tighter. How can we rescue your majesty safely?"

"How come there isn't?"

After a moment of silence, Yuan Xiangxian finally spoke up and said coldly, "Isn't now the best time? Taiwei Yang said in his letter that as long as we cooperate properly, he can control Tongguan!"

Kou Yanqing was in a daze, but Li Ting was already rubbing his hands and couldn't wait to speak: "Yes, yes! Xiao Yan is anxious to send troops, and in order to compete with Yang Taiwei, he has sent his general Tian Daocheng to lead 8,000 Dingbadu to the west, and even Li Sian has been sent out! At present, Xiao Yan is only surrounded by the imperial guards, and the imperial guards have two generals in charge of restraining them. How can they fight to the death for Xiao Yan?
At that time, as long as Xiao Yan took the two emperors away from Luoyang, they would be blocked by Tongguan if they advanced, and they would not be able to enter Luoyang without siege equipment if they retreated! The Central Government and I are supporting General Yang. As long as the imperial army is not willing to fight to the death, who can stop General Yang? How can Xiao Yan not be defeated! ? "But there is a key point in this.

Kou Yanqing and Li Ting looked at each other and said almost at the same time: "Zhang Quanyi!"

Yuan Xiangxian nodded solemnly: "Yes, as long as Zhang Quanyi is persuaded to stand aside and watch, and Xiao Yan cannot retreat to Luoyang at that time, this plan will be very effective! In this way, Xiao Yan will be caught in a dilemma, and his soldiers will lose their morale. Isn't he willing to be dealt with by us?"

But Kou Yanqing couldn't help but frown: "But Zhang Quanyi has already shown goodwill to Xiao Yan this time, if he can't be persuaded..."

"How difficult is this?" Li Ting stood up confidently and said, "Zhang Quanyi is greatly favored by the emperor, how can he not want to serve the country and eliminate the thieves? Although he compromised with Xiao Yan this time, it was only because he was forced to do so due to the situation! For the sake of fame and wealth, Zhang Quanyi should also agree to it."

Having said that, he immediately asked for the task, as if he had taken on the responsibility of persuading Zhang Quanyi.

Niu Cunjie was very pleased, and stroked his beard and said: "Gongdu is deeply aware of justice, loyal and courageous, I admire him. Now that Gongdu is helping, why worry about not getting rid of the traitors?"

Kou Yanqing also stood up and asked urgently, "What should I do?"

Niu Cunjie and Yuan Xiangxian looked at each other and just smiled, "Brother Yanqing, why do you have to worry? You are the next General of the Left Guard. You are the most convenient person among us to enter and leave the palace. Even if Xiao Yan is not in charge of the night, you can still find an opportunity to get close to the emperor. As for the emperor, you still need to spend more time and effort."

Kou Yanqing was stunned for a moment, then frowned and remained silent for a long time.

Zhu Wen was surrounded by Ye Bushou's men, how could he have a chance to get close to them?
Li Ting saw his worry and comforted him, "Don't worry, General Yanqing. This matter cannot be rushed. Even if there is no chance in the palace, you can get close to the emperor's guards on the march with your status. As long as you can destroy Xiao Yan's troops, the emperor will be able to escape. Now just wait for the opportunity."

"This is the only way." Kou Yanqing thought for a while and nodded.

Niu Cunjie and Yuan Xiangxian finally laughed again and raised their voices slightly: "This is great, if we work together, we will definitely be able to destroy this traitor!"

------

It was already mid-May and the temperature was rising outside Fengxiang City. If the Qi army and the Jin State continued to fight by this time, the water in the Yellow River would have been unsealed, and it would be difficult to retreat back to Qi.

The fighting in Fengxiang had lasted for over a month, and all the wood that could be cut had already been cut down. The surrounding area was bare, and the plain was covered with yellow earth. When the north wind blew, yellow sand mixed with blood was constantly blown away.

In the far north of Fengxiang, a group of people and horses were walking in a long line in the wilderness. They were all breathing hot air. Behind them was a long string of horses, all of which were carrying large and small bags. From the corners that were blown up by the wind from time to time, it was clear that there were layers of heavy black armor underneath.

However, even so, these knights were wearing armor under their dirty and worn robes, but for the sake of lightness, it was just a layer of mail. The mail rings were small and tightly interlocked, clearly carefully made for the craftsmen in Bianliang.

More than a hundred knights were heading west. Some of their horses were tall and strong, while others were light and agile. They all had the aura of having been through many battles. Each of them rode a majestic Mobei warhorse, and their horses were also of the same standard. At a glance, you could see that they all rode two horses. In addition, each of them was even equipped with a pack horse.

The pack horses were used to carry the heavy armor and walked behind, while the spare horses followed at the side. There were infantry bows and cavalry bows next to the saddles, and seven or eight quivers hung on them. The quivers were filled with cold steel arrowheads. In addition to bows and arrows, there were more than four or five other items such as spears, swords, and knives. Everyone was armed to the teeth.

In this world, except for the warmongering Li Keyong... No, even the most elite Yaer Army under Li Keyong would be dumbfounded when seeing such equipment.

This group of soldiers trekked towards the southwest for a long time, and when they finally saw the Fengxiang city walls in the distance in the south, they couldn't help but cheer.

Amid the cheers, the sound of hurried horse hooves could be heard from the south. All the knights looked up and saw more than a dozen riders rushing towards them under the smoke and dust. Leading the way was a woman riding a white horse as fast as flying, with a cloak rolling up behind her. Her figure was slender and light, and she looked particularly beautiful on horseback. She was a woman in a blue shirt.

Seeing the woman in blue, this cavalry army, armed to the teeth, cheered again. The general leading them dismounted from his horse and clasped his fists respectfully from a distance.

"Pei Chongwu, the third commander of Dingbadu's right army, greets Miss Ji!"

Qian Wu, who was standing beside Ji Ruxue, looked at the hundred cavalrymen in front of him curiously, but he did not notice that the dozen or so Qi army cavalrymen behind him were all stunned at this moment. They were all so shocked by the excellence of Ding Badu's hundred cavalrymen that they were speechless.

Even a general of the Qi army who was accompanying Ji Ruxue on the other side of the army was greatly shocked. Although Qi State had no shortage of horses, it was difficult to achieve such a luxury of three horses per person, not to mention that everyone was equipped with such equipment to the teeth, how could they not be shocked.

But after thinking about it carefully, maybe only these hundred cavalrymen were like this, which made people calm down. But what was even more unexpected was that such an elite army that looked murderous from afar would be so respectful to Ji Ruxue. For a moment, the eyes of the entire Qi army looked at Ji Ruxue with a slight change of surprise.

In their opinion, Ji Ruxue is just a girl from Huanyinfang.

Ji Ruxue also dismounted and clasped her fists in greeting, but she said politely: "Commander Pei has worked hard, and King Qi has been busy with trivial matters, so he had to send me to welcome him. I hope..."

Unexpectedly, before she finished her words, Pei Chongwu jumped away as if he had been stepped on, and hurriedly bowed and said, "Miss Ji, I am too embarrassed to accept your courtesy. It is a great honor for me to have Miss Ji come to greet me personally. I hope Miss Ji will accept the gift quickly. If it is reported to the higher authorities, I am afraid that Commander Tian will personally hold me accountable..."

The Dingba generals and soldiers behind Pei Chongwu laughed loudly, and Ji Ruxue also smiled helplessly. Only a group of Qi army soldiers were a little puzzled, but in such a situation, they could only laugh dryly.

"By the way, I am just a vanguard, responsible for clearing the way for the army behind us."

Pei Chongwu greeted the general of the Qi army and Qianwu, then rode along behind Ji Ruxue and said, "Commander Tian has led his troops to Chang'an. He will first make a false move to enter Wugong to confuse Yang Shihou in Chang'an, and then go around from the north to help Fengxiang..."

Ji Ruxue pondered for a moment and said, "How many people are coming to help this time?"

Pei Chongwu grinned and said, "Eight thousand, eight thousand to conquer the capital, all the generals have been sent."

------

In Luoyang, in the imperial army camp outside the city, Xiao Yan occupied a high position, sitting on a Hu chair with a backrest. Compared with the kneeling seats below, he was obviously more than a head taller than the other generals.

He waited quietly, tapping his right knee leisurely. Although he was calmly listening to the report of the scholar named Zheng Yu beside him, his eyes were as sharp as a sword. He glanced at the generals kneeling on both sides one by one, and finally fell on a young warrior who looked a little dusty.

Zheng Yu beside him was still speaking: "Li Sian has led the 'Dingbadu' to Baqiao as scheduled to welcome the emperor. Yang Shihou sent an envoy to reward him with 100 cattle and sheep, but for the 'Imperial Army' responsible for stationing in Wugong, Yang Shihou refused to provide food and fodder on the grounds that Chang'an was short of military supplies."

Xiao Yan held his chin and squinted his eyes without saying a word. The generals on his left and right also kept silent. All the generals in this tent were from Dingbadu and Guide Army. Their average age was around 30 years old. They were elite men in their prime.

In their past, they were either generals under Youzhou's Liu Shouguang or Cangzhou's Liu Shouwen, and had fought each other before, but in the end, they all followed Xiao Yan on the grassland, charged into the battle together, protected Xiao Yan together, and rushed thousands of miles to the capital to establish the situation for the great cause.

All the generals of Hebei back then have now developed real centripetal force and cohesion with Xiao Yan's miraculous rise, and have become an inseparable whole.

They are young and strong, they are unstoppable, they have the strongest troops and an invincible commander!

There was no outsider present. People like Jing Xiang were not qualified to be present. Only they, because compared with Jing Xiang and others, they only knew one truth: they would do whatever Xiao Yan asked them to do.

Xiao Yan raised his flag and wherever he pointed, no matter if it was Mobei or Jin State, no matter if it was Li Cunxu or Yang Shihou, they would all be killed!

After Zheng Yu finished reading for a long time, there was silence in the tent. All eyes were focused on Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan pondered for a moment, and finally smiled faintly, but his eyes were looking at the dusty young warrior general.

"Can the new army be used?"

Upon hearing these words, the young warrior's entire body was trembling. He knelt down on one knee without hesitation and spoke loudly.

"Since Shi Hongzhao, the new army has been willing to die for the King of Song!"

(End of this chapter)