Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 249: Ambush at the Yamen
In the middle of September, hurried footsteps were heard in the Daming Palace.

Li Chen, who had just taken a long-term medicine and felt a little better, heard a knock on the door and frowned: "What's the matter?"

"Your Majesty, Liangzhou Beijia Wang Duanzhang has an urgent report!"

Ma Gongru's voice sounded outside. Li Chen stood up and said, "Come in."

As he finished speaking, Ma Gongru walked into the side hall with a memorial and presented it.

Li Chen was wearing a middle-length coat and had not yet taken off his hat.

He took the music sheet nonchalantly, but frowned after a moment and said:

"Didn't the ministers solve this matter? Why has it been delayed until now?"

"Summon Linghu Tao, Xiao Ye, and Xiahou Zi to the palace!"

"Yes!" Ma Gongru agreed, and then sent someone to summon the three people.

Li Chen waited for an hour with the memorial in his hand. He felt very sleepy but could not fall asleep, which made him very angry.

When Linghu Tao and the other two arrived, he threw the memorial in front of them:
"Hasn't this been arranged long ago? Why is there such a commotion?"

Linghu Tao and the other two were summoned urgently, and they didn't know what had happened.

Seeing that the emperor's tone was not right, Linghu Tao bent over to pick up the memorial, flipped through it, frowned and bowed, saying:
"Your Majesty, the treasury was previously empty, so we decided to transport the money and grain after the autumn grain was stored in the treasury."

"The rewards for the Chishui Army in Liangzhou were shipped half a month ago and will arrive in Liangzhou by the tenth day of October at the latest."

"This Suo Xun is exaggerating. It's nothing more than for population and armor and weapons."

"I believe that the so-called old soldiers of the Tianping Army instigating the Chishui Army to revolt is completely false."

Even though the Tianping soldiers were very domineering, Linghu Tao and others would rather believe them than a fickle person like Suo Xun.

After hearing this, Li Chen rubbed his eyebrows and couldn't help but think of Zhang Yichao.

After thinking for a while, he finally said, "Send the prisoners from Gyeonggi Province to Liangzhou as exiles."

Gyeonggi Province has a population of three million, and since the prisoners have not been released for several years, there are at least a thousand prisoners.

If these more than a thousand prisoners were sent into exile, they would also be a considerable fighting force. The key lies in how Suo Xun commands them.

Li Chen wanted to see how Suo Xun would treat these prisoners.

If he stayed in exile, the confusion caused by Zhang Yichao would be resolved.

If it is given to Zhang Huaishen, then Suo Xun will definitely be Zhang Yichao's pawn.

Thinking of this, Li Chen relaxed and waved his hand:
"We must pay attention to the affairs of Liangzhou and never make the same mistake again."

What he meant by repeating the same mistakes was naturally things like the Jingyuan Rebellion.

After all, the Chishui Army has 5,000 people. If they really return to Yunzhou, they will definitely cause chaos in Guannei Road.

Everyone knows the situation in Guannei Road.

Although the eight garrisons in the northwest of Beijing claimed to be powerful, it could be seen from the unsuccessful encirclement and suppression of the Dangxiang that although the eight garrisons in the northwest of Beijing were not to the point of slackening in military preparations, they were definitely not much better.

If the imperial court were really defeated by the Chishui Army, the reputation of the imperial court would be trampled under the feet of the local vassal states.

Thinking of this, the three ministers hurriedly bowed and saluted, then left the side hall with the memorial.

That night, after discussion between the Southern Court and the Northern Court, they decided to send 1,246 prisoners from Gyeonggi Province to exile in Liangzhou in accordance with the imperial edict.

Zhang Huaiquan was appointed commander of the Right Shenwu Army and led 200 soldiers to escort prisoners and corresponding armor and weapons to Liangzhou.

As the military supervisor, Wang Zonghui accepted the tough task of supervision, but if he could handle the matter well, he might be able to hold an important position in the Shence Army.

"Why did the court choose me to go to Liangzhou?"

At Situ's Mansion, Zhang Huaiquan, who was over thirty years old, was still feeling uneasy after receiving the imperial edict.

After the angel left, he looked anxiously at his own Aye Zhang Yichao.

Zhang Yichao was still in deep thought, and Zhang Huaiding beside him said, "Brother, aren't you happy to have received such an official position?"

"I'm afraid it's a hot potato." Zhang Huaiquan was a little uneasy.

Compared with Zhang Huaiding, who is ambitious but incompetent, his elder brother has always been mediocre and timid in character.

Zhang Yichao also knew Zhang Huaiquan's character, so after he figured things out, he spoke:

"The reason why I chose you is probably because I want to see what our relationship with this Suo Xun is."

"What kind of relationship?" Zhang Huaiding asked puzzledly:
"If I had the chance, I would tear Suo Xun into pieces!"

In Zhang Huaiding's opinion, the reason they came to Chang'an from Hexi was because Suo Xun betrayed the Hexi Guiyi Army.

Although when he first arrived in Chang'an, Zhang Huaiding was blinded by its prosperity.

But as he lived in Chang'an for longer and longer, he felt more and more uncomfortable.

Although Hexi is not as prosperous as Chang'an, when Zhang Huaiding was in Hexi, who would not call him "Little Envoy Zhang" when they saw him?
Even though he did not hold the official position of a governor, the military and civilians in Hexi respected him because of his father.

But when he came to Chang'an, other people didn't know who he was and at most called him "Mr. Zhang".

Besides, firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea were all very expensive in Chang'an, and with his salary, he could not live a good life at all.

Thinking of this, Zhang Huaiding wished he could chop off Suo Xun's head.

"You don't need to worry about this matter. Even if you suffer, no one will embarrass you."

Zhang Yichao comforted Zhang Huaiquan, and Zhang Huaiquan believed it.

Although Suo Xun was an enemy of the Zhang family, he would not make things difficult for himself for the sake of Zhang Yichao.

"If something goes wrong, the worst that can happen is to run south!"

Zhang Huaiding was quite smart. He knew that Liu Jilong was powerful and respected his father, so he made a good suggestion.

Zhang Huaiquan looked at Zhang Yichao when he heard this, and saw that Zhang Yichao also nodded:

"Erlang is right. If you are really in trouble, just withdraw your troops to the south. I think no one will dare to embarrass Liu Muzhi."

"Yes……"

Seeing this, Zhang Huaiquan could only nod and acknowledge his bad luck. Then, following Zhang Yichao's instructions, he went to the Right Shenwu Army to select two hundred elite soldiers.

Less than three days after the imperial edict was read, officials in Chang'an had already prepared more than 1,200 prisoners and more than 200 horse-drawn carriages.

At noon on September 20th, Zhang Huaiquan and Wang Zonghui led 200 Right Shenwu Army soldiers to the Jinguan Gate.

The autumn wind is whistling, the flags are rustling, the spears are like a forest, and the armor is bright.

It has to be said that after Zhang Yichao's training, the originally straw-like Right Shenwu Army has begun to look somewhat presentable.

Although the 200 Right Shenwu Army soldiers were still not elite, they were able to wear armor, drive cars and march in an orderly manner.

You have to know that the six armies of Beiya were useless before. They were so fat and bloated that they couldn't even wear armor. Even if they did, they were out of breath and couldn't fight.

These soldiers are looked down upon even by the local people of Chang'an. They usually engage in all kinds of activities and are regarded as a disgrace to the imperial army by the people of Chang'an.

Now, after several months of training by Zhang Yichao, he can actually drive a car while carrying armor and marching. This has to be said to be an improvement.

In front of the Jinguan Gate Tower, Wang Zongshi looked down at the 200 Right Shenwu Army troops and couldn't help but think of the remaining 1,300 Right Shenwu Army troops.

"If this continues, I'm afraid Zhang Yichao will be able to train the Right Shenwu Army to excellence..."

Thinking of this, Wang Zongshi couldn't help but have thoughts about Zhang Yichao, and the idea of ​​luring him to his own camp arose in his mind.

However, he changed his mind and rejected this idea because the emperor was too wary of the Guiyi Army and if he were involved with them, he would probably be implicated.

"such a pity……"

With a sigh, Wang Zongshi turned and left, while Zhang Huaiquan and others gradually disappeared into the horizon.

When Zhang Huaiquan and his men set out, Chang'an City also received intermittent news of victory from the east and south.

At the end of September, Huainan Jiedushi Cui Xuan led his army to capture Xuanzhou and beheaded the rebel general Kang Quantai and more than 400 of his followers.

Cui Xuan reported that Xuanzhou had been pacified and requested to resign from the post of Xuanshe Surveillance Commissioner.

After Li Chen learned about it, he allowed him to resign as the Xuanshe Surveillance Commissioner and ordered him to return to Huainan to take charge.

In early October, the court appointed Wen Zhang, the commander of the militia of Xuanzhou, as the inspector of Xuanshe. Wen Zhang reported to the court that more than 100,000 starving people had poured into Huainan from Xuanzhou and Shezhou, and the two states were unable to control them, so he requested to withhold the autumn grain for disaster relief.

A few days later, Lingnan Jiedushi Gao Pian reported that the Hunan military rebellion had been quelled, and the rebel general Shi Zaishun and his 424 followers had been defeated.

Wei Zhou, the governor of Jiangxi, reported that the military rebellion in Jiangxi had been quelled, and the rebel general Mao He and more than 500 of his followers had been beheaded.

Wei Zhou requested to leave 200 bandit-catching generals in Jiangxi from the eastern route of Shannan, and to appoint Ji You as the chief military officer in order to reorganize the Jiangxi army.

Song Ya, the governor of Rongguan, led a hundred soldiers of the Yellow Head Army into Rongzhou, killed Yu Hou Lai Zheng, who was causing chaos in the capital, and reported the crime of treason to the emperor.

In less than half a month, the rebellions in Rongzhou, Jiangxi, Hunan, Xuanzhou and other places were suppressed, leaving only one rebel force in Lingnan.

In addition, Gao Pian was marching south at a rapid speed, and the rebellion in Lingnan would be quelled in no time.

Faced with the situation that had returned to peace, Li Chen's mood improved a lot, and even his health improved.

It was just when he had just recovered that Zhang Zhifang, the governor of Huining Army, also accepted the money and food sent by the court to the Chishui Army in Liangzhou, and escorted Wang Duanzhang and the money and food to Guzang. In late October, Liangzhou was already snowing.

Although the scene had not yet reached the point where everything was white, the white wind and heavy snow still caused complaints from the soldiers stationed in Liangzhou.

"Damn it, it's snowing heavily, why hasn't the imperial court issued the transfer order yet?"

"Isn't it going to take until the end of the year?"

Wu Wei's cursing voice rang out in the Guzang military camp. He walked into the camp and shook off the snow on his body.

Wang Shouwen was sitting inside the yamen with a brazier in front of him, adding firewood into it from time to time.

After hearing Wu Wei's words, Wang Shouwen rubbed his brows and spoke only after the other party sat down:

"My eyebrows have been twitching these days. I always feel that something bad is going to happen."

"What could it be?" Wu Wei asked in a carefree manner, and said:
"There are only one thousand Huining troops in Guzang City, but there are two thousand Chishui troops."

"No..." Wang Shouwen interrupted:
"The Chishui Army does have 2,000 soldiers, but don't forget that, apart from the 500 old brothers from Tianping, the remaining 1,500 are recruited soldiers from Guannei Road."

"The 2,500 brothers in Yunzhou have all been transferred to the three cities of Jialin, Fanhe, and Changsong."

"If something unexpected really happened, we, the five hundred brothers alone, might not be able to cause any trouble."

Wu Wei also reacted after hearing this, then frowned and said, "It shouldn't be that serious, right?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a captain trotted in from outside the gate.

"General, my brothers have sent news from the East Gate that Wang Duanzhang and Zhang Zhifang are bringing a thousand Huining troops and two thousand civilians, as well as more than a thousand carts of money and grain, to the East Gate to meet with Governor Suo."

"More than a thousand cartloads of money and food?!"

"Did you read that correctly?"

The two men stood up upon hearing this, greed in their eyes.

After just a moment, their eyes gradually became clear again.

Who would want to cause trouble unless it is absolutely necessary?

Their term of service was approaching, so there was no need to create unnecessary trouble.

What's more, they have earned a lot of money and food in the past six years. Taking this money and food home will be enough for them to live a worry-free life for the rest of their lives.

Thinking of this, Wang Shouwen and Wu Wei sat down.

"Got it. If there are any other unusual movements, please inform us in time."

"Yes!"

The captain withdrew, and Wang Shouwen looked at Wu Wei and said, "Go home quickly, don't make trouble."

"Don't worry, I'm more anxious to go home than you are." Wu Wei smiled.

Although the two men have no wives or children in their hometown, for the Han people, the word "return home" seems to be engraved in their blood.

Even if there are no relatives left in my hometown, it is enough to go back and see the familiar streets and houses from my childhood memories.

The two men fell silent, but Suo Xun and his son at the east gate of Guzang did not remain silent.

"Envoy Zhang, it's snowing hard right now. How about we wait until the snow stops before we go?"

Suo Zhongyi bowed to Zhang Zhifang with a smile, but Zhang Zhifang glanced at the carriages and horses behind him.

The more than one thousand horse-drawn carriages that were being loaded and unloaded were all loaded with money and food for the Chishui Army to keep it stationed for another three years.

Zhang Zhifang was very familiar with Wang Shouwen, Wu Wei and others.

He knew very well that when the news of another three years of garrisoning spread, the 500 old Tianping soldiers in the Chishui Army would definitely take the opportunity to cause trouble, and the 2,500 Chishui soldiers from Yunzhou who had long wanted to go home would also blindly follow the two men.

The reason why Suo Zhongqi kept me was not because of the white wind and heavy snow, but because he wanted me to stay to support him.

He has no gratitude towards this father and son, only hatred, so why should he help them?

Thinking of this, Zhang Zhifang said bluntly: "Huizhou's affairs are heavy, I won't stay for long."

Seeing him say this, Suo Zhongyi's face did not look good, and Suo Xun also frowned and said:
"Are these two thousand civilians the population assigned by the imperial court to Liangzhou?"

"Of course not!" Zhang Zhifang frowned and retorted:
"The imperial court has already sent more than 1,200 young and strong death row prisoners to Liangzhou, and they are still on the way."

"These two thousand civilians are all civilians who were relocated to Huizhou by the imperial court. Please do not claim them as relatives without reason, Lord Suo!"

Zhang Zhifang's words made Suo Xun furious. He tried to step forward and reason with him, but fortunately Suo Zhongyi stopped him.

Seeing this, Zhang Zhifang was also a little scared. He snorted coldly and said, "Unload the money and grain as soon as possible. It's time for me to return to Huizhou!"

After saying that, he stepped onto the carriage, while Suo Xun and Suo Zhongyi began to communicate in Tibetan.

"If I didn't need to rely on the imperial court, I would have chopped off this bastard's head!"

"Calm down!"

Suo Xun still has a bad temper, but Suo Zhongyi can keep his composure.

Seeing the carriage empty, Zhang Zhifang and his men left immediately. Suo Xun said in a deep voice:

"The imperial court has sent 120,000 strings of cash and 3,000 pieces of silk. We should be able to persuade them with these things."

"Not necessarily!" Suo Zhongyi frowned and said:
"Then you summon Wang Shouwen and Wu Wei to the government office to discuss matters, and tell them that the imperial court has issued an order."

"I have secretly ambushed 200 soldiers in the government office. If they refuse to obey the imperial order after they arrive, we will immediately take action to deal with the two of them first, and then deal with the remaining 400 Tianping old soldiers."

"Among the five thousand Red Water troops, only these five hundred Tianping veterans are difficult to control. As long as we deal with them, things will be much easier."

As soon as Suo Zhongqi finished speaking, Suo Xun nodded quickly: "I'll do it now!"

"Okay!" Suo Zhongyi agreed, and then the father and son went their separate ways.

Half an hour later, when Suo Zhongyi was ready, Suo Xun immediately sent someone to notify Wang Shouwen, Wu Wei and Wang Duanzhang to go to Guzang Yamen.

When the news reached the Yamen, Wu Wei and Wang Shouwen did not think much about it and went to the Yamen with more than ten guards.

When they arrived at the yamen, Wang Shouwen found that there were more armored soldiers at the gate than usual.

Seeing this, he lowered his voice to Wu Wei and said, "I have a bad feeling. When we go in, don't say anything. Just follow my instructions."

"Okay!" Even though Wu Wei was slow, he could sense that the atmosphere was wrong.

As soon as the two men finished speaking, the soldiers let them pass, and more than ten of them walked into the yamen.

As they walked through the long corridor, a group of armored soldiers appeared in front of the main gate and stopped them.

"General Wang Ya, General Wu Ya, the imperial edict is inside, please guard and stay."

Wu Wei was watching Wang Shouwen's expression. After all, the two of them were wearing casual clothes and were not wearing armor or carrying weapons.

If something goes wrong after entering the yamen, then no one can help you.

Wang Shouwen also thought about this problem, but they have already come here, and turning back now would not be even more suspicious.

Thinking of this, Wang Shouwen signaled the soldiers to stay, and then he and Wu Wei followed the soldiers into the main gate, walked around the screen wall and came to the main hall.

Inside the hall, Suo Xun sat in the main seat, Suo Zhongyi sat in the first seat on the left, and Wang Duanzhang sat in the first seat on the right.

There was no one in the entire main hall, including the courtyard outside the main hall.

It seemed that there was no problem, but when the two men walked into the hall and saw Wang Duanzhang with an abnormal expression, Wang Shouwen immediately determined that there was a trick.

He was not in a hurry, but remained as domineering as usual.

"Supreme Governor, I heard that the imperial court has sent money and grain and sent an imperial decree?"

He first asked about money and food, and then asked about the emperor's will.

Hearing this, Suo Zhongyi chuckled and said, "General Wang Ya guessed correctly. The court did bring money and an imperial decree, but this imperial decree..."

"It's the coldest time of the year, and the brothers have been waiting in Liangzhou for so long. The white-haired wind is so strong this year that they definitely can't leave."

"We have to wait until the beginning of next spring. Who will distribute the money and grain that have been delayed in the meantime?"

Wang Shouwen questioned Suo Xun, and his words were directly about money and grain.

Suo Zhongyi was not angry when he heard this. Instead, he smiled and said, "The matter of money and grain is easy to talk about. The main reason I invited you two here today is to discuss this imperial decree."

"To be honest... Alas!" Suo Zhongyi sighed:
"We thought the court would send troops to replace you, but we never expected that the court..."

"What do you mean?" Wang Shouwen frowned and asked. Wang Duanzhang stuttered:
"The court wants the Chishui Army to stay for another three years..."

"Ridiculous!" Wang Shouwen stood up immediately, and Suo Xun narrowed his eyes and put his hands on the table.

Wu Wei, who was sitting, could see that there seemed to be something under the table.

He was worried that Wang Shouwen couldn't see it, but Wang Shouwen had already seen it.

That is why Wang Shouwen will continue to act with them...

(End of this chapter)