The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 106 Li Siyuan

After his father-in-law took over the Hedong, he did not come to the court for ten years and rebelled three times. The year before last, he brutally killed dozens of ministers loyal to the royal family, including Jingzhao Yin Sun Kui, and forced the emperor to expel the prime minister who planned the military operation. At this time, the two families entered a honeymoon period because of Zhu Wen, a powerful enemy. But many people have never taken him seriously. Li Siyuan also knew that the general was not welcome in Chang'an, so he was very humble. He took off his armor, lowered his flag and put down his sword, and worshiped in plain clothes.

The Saint was so busy that he wanted to meet him later, but when he heard that it was Li Siyuan, he smiled and sent Luo Ji to the temple to summon him. Li Siyuan led a group of military officers up the stone steps and saw the three words "Prajna Temple". He stopped and was about to take off his shoes and hat, but he heard Luo Ji say: "Your Majesty, the war is dangerous and fierce. This is not the Bixiao Temple. The ceremony should be simple, just like the story in Jianzhong."

"Here."

The winding path leads to a secluded place, and along the way, there are many surveillance eyes from all directions. The temple is full of plum trees, winding and crouching like dragons, and the fragrance is like a sea of snow.

Behind a square stone table beside a pond in a large plum forest, the saint was wearing a black cape, a narrow-sleeved round-collared casual dress, and holding a red pipe. When Li Siyuan and his party were brought in, they happened to see him sitting alone in the cold wind, his left thumb on his cheek, the other four fingers covering his mouth, his head bowed at his desk, busy with a mountain of memorials without distraction. Sometimes he frowned, sometimes closed his eyes, and sometimes was lost in thought.

Luo Ji clapped her hands at the side, and Li Siyuan just woke up as if from a dream. He came forward with a group of military students and bowed his head: "The military minister Hedong Ya Nei Heng Chong general and the military commander of the Han and foreign cavalry and infantry Li Siyuan came to see your majesty."

"The military officials, including Ma Zhi, Yunzhong Shatuodu and other military cavalry commanders and Tielin Army envoy Zhou Dewei, pay homage to the saint."

"Wang Yanzhao, the military envoy of Kelan Army, pays homage to the Saint."

"..."

The sage put down the red tube.

Li Siyuan, like Zhazhu, was born in a very humble family. In his early years, he had no name. He was called Miao Jilie, Shennu, and Auntie, among other strange nicknames. It was unknown whether he was a Shatuo or a descendant of the mixed Hu people brought back from the Western Regions by Li Guochang's father. He was relatively short, with a dark complexion, his hands covered with calluses and cuts, and he also had frostbite.

Zhou Dewei was very strong, a typical bear-like man, estimated to be 1.9 meters tall. He followed Li Keyong during the Yunzhou Rebellion in the Qianfu year, and the sage guessed that he should be Li Keyong's comrade-in-arms when he was young and served in Datong.

Wang Yanzhao, the commander of the Kelan Army, was a native general of Hedong. Wang Quanbin, the commander who later led Zhao Kuangyin to attack Shu, was his son.

The big guys who became famous in the Five Dynasties in later generations were still unknown at this time. This feeling was really torn.

Li Siyuan knelt for a long time, but no one told him to get up. He was thinking about something, but suddenly a pair of rough and strong hands touched his face, and he saw the hem of a gray coat. A standard elegant voice sounded in his ears: "In the dead of winter, the wind was strong and the snow was a foot deep. You worked tirelessly, climbing deep mountains, walking through canyons, crossing glaciers, carrying armor and riding horses for thousands of miles to meet the enemy, causing your hands and feet to crack; the suffering of running around is extremely great."

Li Siyuan showed the necessary emotion and bowed his head and replied: "It is my duty as an official to not complain about the hardship."

"Everyone, get up." The saint pulled him up and said to dozens of Taiyuan officers and soldiers, "My family has come from afar. The virtuous concubine is overjoyed and has prepared food in the Buddhist hall. Let's go and have a feast."

Everyone laughed when they heard this. So they followed him to the backyard. In the Buddhist hall, Kang Lingzhong, Fu Cunshen, Helian Weihuan, Zhazhu, Tuoba Weicai and other generals were all there. Zhu Xiewusi sat on the big chair, touching his belly.

"Princess!" Seeing Zhuxie Wusi from afar, Li Siyuan couldn't help but feel excited to see his relative. But then he felt something was wrong and changed his words, "Greetings to the virtuous concubine." The officers also knelt on one knee swiftly with their hands raised above their heads. They were much more respectful and sincere than they were to the saint.

"Xiao Hui." Zhu Xiewusi called Li Siyuan by his nickname, with a smile on his face. He pointed to the first cushion on his left hand side and said in a friendly manner: "Come and sit here."

Li Siyuan strode forward, held her feet and touched her head, then lifted his clothes and sat down.

"Father is in Quwo?"

"Yes, we want to seize the opportunity to attack Mianchi and cut off the Zhu bandits' retreat to the east."

"How is he? Is he thinking about me?"

"My father is in good health, and he always thinks of the virtuous concubine. His longing for her is self-evident."

"I heard that your wife was ill. Has she recovered? Your son Li Congke is only seven years old, and Congjing is only two years old. They cannot leave their mother yet. You must take good care of your wife."

"I remember."

"Are the elders of the family all right? The old guy didn't beat anyone randomly, did he?"

"Uh..." Li Siyuan shook his head, not daring to tell the truth. If Concubine Xian knew that her uncle was whipped in public by the king and died of anger, she would probably write a letter to curse the one-eyed dragon. In the whole of Hedong, only Concubine Xian dared to call the king like that. Even a saint wouldn't dare.

The two chatted for a while.

Zhu Xiewusi came down again, patting one shoulder, asking about the family affairs of that one; she was extremely friendly. It seemed that she knew all the more than 30 officers and soldiers. I just don't know how Luoluo and Yazi are doing. When they left, their two young brothers cried and chased them out of the city. The scene is still vivid in her mind, and she misses them very much. If there is no war, she can still invite them to Chang'an to play for a while during the Winter Solstice Festival.

pity.

……

"Old Pig." Li Siyuan approached Zhazhu and punched him in the chest. "After staying in Chang'an for more than half a year, do you think the commander still recognizes us poor relatives?"

"Slave of God, don't talk nonsense." Zhazhu couldn't hold back his pride, rubbing the back of Li Siyuan's hand and saying, "Do you remember the battle of Luzhou? Do you remember Shangyuanyi? Kill more Bian bandits this time! Swear to avenge the old grudge."

"Kill Zhu Wen and make him throw away his armor and weapons." Li Siyuan drank a glass of wine and said angrily. He usually didn't like to talk, and he was not used to shouting slogans like other colleagues. But when he thought of Zhu Wen, he couldn't suppress his blood boiling. If he hadn't seen that Zhu Wen was not a good person and had not been cautious and didn't dare to get drunk at the banquet that night, he would have died long ago.

You shameless pig, we all came from afar to help you beat back Huang Chao, and you repay us with this? You even put the blame on the sage afterwards, saying that the sage secretly ordered you to do it. Where is your face? The sage worshipped you as the governor of Dazhen, and you are bringing the blame to others?

The officers from Taiyuan who were married to Chang'an were not strangers to those who came to defend the king. They talked and laughed about the past. The side dishes they were served were exquisite and affordable. The big white meat slices and the golden chicken soup. Cabbage cooked with dried fruits, salt and pepper broad beans, steamed eggs; hot cakes and rice were plentiful. The Shatuo officers who had been in a mess all the way ate everything in a flash. The sound of bowls and chopsticks colliding and chewing echoed and intertwined.

"Eat slowly." Zhu Xiewusi asked someone to bring honey water.

While Li Siyuan was eating, the saint sat beside him with a small stool and looked at him with a slight smile. His eyes were a little strange, as if he was looking at a treasure, which made Li Siyuan, who occasionally looked up, feel creepy. He felt that deep in those pupils there was a suppressed mixture of appreciation, liking, and even greed and desire. This confused him. Did he have any wealth worthy of the saint's covetousness?
Not at all, he gave himself an affirmative answer. It seems that he has been in the army for a long time and is too suspicious. It is really rude to criticize the husband of the virtuous concubine in secret. After eating, Li Siyuan wiped his mouth with his sleeve and said, "Your Majesty and the virtuous concubine have given me a banquet. I have never eaten such a delicious meal."

Mingzong, Mingzong, is your flattery always so awkward? The sage asked the waiter to refill the tea and said with a smile: "Then you can stay in Tongguan for a few more days. I can still afford such a feast."

Li Siyuan's face suddenly became serious: "We have to fight when we are full. The Bian bandits are sharpening their knives and will march soon. My father has strictly ordered me to defend Tongguan to the death. We must not let Zhu Ni use this as a base to recover both the east and the west. Please, Your Majesty, assign military duties."

"What military duties do you want me to assign?" The saint made a distressed expression on his face, and repeated it several times. He stood up and said with a sigh, "You have just arrived and you haven't even had time to rest. I can't bear to let you walk into the sword. Besides, I have already arranged the defenses. You can rest for two days."

Of course, he would not act as if he was eager to ask you to work. He wanted to create an illusion that Tongguan had to be defended without your help, and you were just the icing on the cake; otherwise, when Li Siyuan returned, his father-in-law would think that the court was only so-so. A weak country has no diplomacy, and both sides must respect each other so that this alliance can be maintained for a long time.

Hearing this, the officers of Taiyuan were stunned. They had come to put out the fire, but they were dispensable to the saint...

"Your Majesty, can you tell me about the arrangements for the border defense?" Li Keyong gave a death order, and Zhou Dewei had to ensure that all arrangements were complete: "The Yellow River is frozen now. Who is guarding the two border cities of Jindou and Tong in the north and Beihezhaicheng? How many people are there? We must be careful that the people from Bianzhou may bypass the border and break in on the ice."

"The garrison commanders are Wang Congxun, the commander of the Central Army, Sima Kanwu, the instructor of the Imperial Guards, and Wang Shaorong, the commander of the Military Affairs. They lead 15,000 Iron Axe Soldiers and more than 36,000 male and female civilians. They are stationed in three pass camps."

The Jindou Pass section of the river is a bay, extremely narrow. On this side, all the alluvial beaches that can be used for camps have been built. On the other side is Wang Ke, the military commander of the river, who built a four or five li long camp with Zhongtiao Mountain behind him and set up chevaux de frise. A total of 70,000 soldiers and civilians from both sides blocked the pass across the bay. If the Bian bandits want to pass through on the ice, they can try the firepower of the camps on both sides.

After the topic was brought up, all the officers and soldiers from Taiyuan gathered around, spread out the map and gave the sage pointers to fill in the gaps.

"Who is Wang Congxun? Is he reliable?" Li Siyuan was very worried. In fact, according to Li Keyong's instructions, he was going to ask Zhou Dewei to guard this position. He had never heard of Wang Congxun, Wang Shaorong, and Sima Kanwu. Are they warriors? Can they fight?

"You don't know him. His reliability is beyond doubt." The saint nodded. Fortunately, Xiao Wang was not at the scene, otherwise he would have been furious and started a fight after hearing this. The former was a killer who had served for fifteen years and survived, and the latter was a tough guy from Daibei. If they fought, it would be a good show to watch.

"Here, the West City Pass is led by He Chuyu, the governor of the stockade, Li Zan, the doctor of the Ministry of Personnel, and He Zongyi, the commander of the Central Army." The West City Pass is located at the foot of Yuxian Peak in the Qinling Mountains on the south side. There is a concave road here. The West City Pass is set up to block the road to prevent the enemy from attacking from behind: "The commander of the Tiance Army, the outer army, the left and right Longxiang Army, 4000 people, and the crossbowmen of the Controlling String Army, 1500 people. There are old soldiers and civilians in the imperial capital."

The West City Pass was built by cutting through the Qinling Mountains. It's not big, but it's high enough. The saint went to inspect it yesterday and estimated it to be at least 20 meters. You can imagine how difficult it is to attack. Several holes were dug in the mountain to serve as warehouses. There are also three tunnels underneath that connect to the pass here, maintaining contact with Tongguan and Jingou, facilitating the two-way assistance of troops and materials; this should be the most difficult fortification in Tongguan. The other Yangjia, Fenjing, Xundi, Wuzhuang, and Mayu passes are also well-equipped. I will defend Jingou Village, Tongluochuan, and Twelve Liancheng. But look at this defense map, I won't go into details one by one. "After that, the saint's eyes fell on Zhou Dewei: "Is there anything wrong with this arrangement?"

Upon hearing the question, Zhou Dewei recalled it in his mind, and then stared at the defense map carefully for a long time, then he clasped his hands and replied: "There are no loopholes in the overall situation. The division of forces, the ratio of military and civilians, and the location of warehouses are also in line with the art of war. The only thing I am not sure about is the selection of the generals guarding the pass. If the city is surrendered, it will hinder your majesty's plan for revival. Beihezhaicheng, Jindouguancheng, and Tongguancheng are of great significance. I hope your majesty will send my troops to increase the storage to prevent the Bian bandits from besieging the three cities, leading your majesty to rescue, and then defeat them in the field."

The saint had never fought against the Bian bandits, but they had fought more than once.

Zhang Cunjing, Liu Zhijun, Niu Cunjie, Zhang Guiba, Xie Yanzhang, Shi Shucong, Hu Zhen... They were not afraid of death and were cunning like foxes, especially Zhang Cunjing! During the expedition against Chao and Cai, he personally charged into more than a hundred battles, and repeatedly used ingenious strategies to inflict heavy losses on enemies ten times his size when on the verge of defeat; he made Qin Zongquan cry loudly. I don't know if he will come; Zhou Dewei was very afraid, and if he fought with a grand battle formation, he was not sure of winning.

"Don't worry." The saint shook his head directly: "The vanguard of the Bian army, Zhu Yougui and others, have already arrived at Linzhiyuan. Zhu Wen should arrive tomorrow at the latest. Let's fight first and see where he chooses to attack. Our forces will change according to the direction of his main attack."

Zhou Dewei looked at him in surprise and praised him cautiously. The saint clasped his hands together, thought for a while, looked at the officers and asked: "Based on what you heard and saw, is there anything else that needs to be rectified?"

Everyone was silent - nothing to say except that they didn't have the chance to go into battle.

Li Siyuan raised his forehead and hesitated for a moment before saying, "We are new to Tongguan and are not familiar with everything yet, so we cannot speak without thinking."

"Then you should walk around the pass more often." The sage thought for a moment and said, "Appoint you as the commander of the four camps around Tongguan, inspect the defense of the passes, forts, and forts, and punish those who break the law."

"Yes." Li Siyuan was eager for this. He was hesitant about the sage's words about the lotus blossoming, and he had to go down and take a look before he could feel at ease.

The saint's attention fell on Zhou Dewei who was standing nearby.

"What instructions does your majesty have?" Seeing the saint's lips moving, Zhou Dewei took the initiative to ask in a very experienced manner.

"Well, I'll give you a mission. Go out of Fenjing Pass and enter Niutouyuan." The saint touched his face and said, "Zhu Yougui, Yuan Xiangxian, Zhao Chang and others have stationed 50,000 soldiers here. Scouts are active around Fenjing Pass day and night. You, go and capture a few Bian bandits alive."

"Your Majesty intends to fight a battle outside Fenjing Pass?"

"Just to kill the Bian people's prestige!" The saint's voice was a little louder, perhaps remembering the Bian soldiers who peed and slapped their butts at the gate yesterday to provoke him: "This is not difficult, but it is not easy either. Go and come back quickly, don't get entangled with the enemy, tie up a dozen people and leave, I will meet you on the tower."

"Yes." The saint used people according to their abilities. Zhou Dewei often did this job. Because he was steady, every step was very goal-oriented and efficient. He became the commander of the front ten years later.

It is not known whether the fathers of Shi Jingtang, the founder of the Later Jin Dynasty, and Liu Zhiyuan, the founder of the Later Han Dynasty, came to Tongguan this time. Their fathers served under Li Keyong and were also lieutenants at the rank of colonel, so it is very likely that they came with him.

But it's hard to tell.

The five thousand men sent by his father-in-law were basically all mixed barbarians without even a decent name. Liu Zhiyuan didn't know who his father was, but he vaguely remembered that Shi Jingtang's father was a real mixed barbarian named Ji... The saint doubted that the names of the warriors under his father-in-law could make up the twelve zodiac signs.

Never mind, I'll pay attention to it when I get a chance.

……

On November 11th of the first year of Jingfu, heavy snow fell again in Tong, Hua, Pu, Jiang, Fufeng and other places. The temperature dropped sharply and water turned into ice.

The Hezhong army stationed at the foot of Zhongtiao Mountain mutinied and surrounded Wang Ke, the governor of the city, to demand a reward. Wang Ke had no choice but to borrow some money from nearby merchants and distribute it to the people. Li Keyong, who was stationed in Quwo, wanted to go south to attack Mianchi, but the army was in turmoil and he could not afford the money, so he had to wait for the weather to clear.

When the news came, the saint immediately reflected on himself to see if he had treated the warriors unfairly. At the same time, he secretly transferred his wives, concubines and children to Yuxian Peak and handed them over to He Chuyu. Under his command were the Tiance Army's foreign troops - the newly formed militia recruited by the three auxiliary forces, whose atmosphere was relatively much better.

In this extreme weather that froze people and animals, Zhu Ni led his red horse through Huangxiangban and finally arrived at the Bian army camp in Niutouyuan. He would be stationed here to command the battle. The tens of thousands of Bian troops gathered in the areas of Yanxiangyi, Taolinsai, and Guozhou also launched a large-scale sweep, expelling Jin and Pu scouts to the north and searching and killing envoys from the court and other towns to the south.

There were no warriors making trouble! This made the saint deeply worried. Zhu Ni's control over the warriors had reached this level?

……

At Jindou Pass, Wang Congxun, wearing a bear-fur hat and wrapped tightly in a tiger-skin skirt, was inspecting the camp with difficulty, with hot air blowing from his hands.

"Three of the laborers who went out to cut wood in the morning did not come back. The mountain was blocked by heavy snow, and no trace was found. They must have been captured alive. I guess Zhu Ni has set his sights on the three pass towns of Jindou, Tong and Beihe, and wants to sneak in through the pass. We must be careful against surprise attacks on snowy nights. In the past, when Zhu Ni attacked Huazhou, he took advantage of the cover of a snowy night and beheaded An Shiru in his sleep." The Youyi envoy Jiang Tao said worriedly with chattering teeth and jumping feet.

The fact that the Bian army was able to launch a long-distance attack on a snowstorm night shows how terrifying they were.

"Don't panic." Wang Congxun covered his frozen nose and shivered, "Last night, the sage sent an official to say that 3,000 Cai soldiers and 5,000 Taiyuan soldiers are ready to fight at any time. If Zhu Ni attacks Sanguanzhai, he will raise a fire as a signal and he will come to help immediately. From today on, the soldiers and civilians will sleep in batches, and half of them will be on duty at all times."

"The well is frozen, too." Xu Shanyi, an old brother of the Tianwei Army, came up and sighed, "It's hard to draw a bow or crossbow because of the frostbite on your hands. Many of the men have frostbite on their hands, and it's hard to make a fist. I walked around the village, and the morale of the army is quite agitated. If it continues like this, I'm afraid there will be chaos."

"What are you fussing about?" In this awful weather, Xiao Wang couldn't raise his voice. "What's there to fuss about? The stockade has been breached. When the Bian army enters Chang'an, do they still want to keep their wives, children, and property? Are they the Bian bandits who don't plunder? If we hold out for another ten days or half a month, we won't be able to hold out, and neither will the Bian bandits. It depends on who can outlast the other. Be careful to prevent fires, and don't burn down the stockade."

"That's a relief." The military cadets sighed and dispersed with sad faces.

Xiao Wang put his hands in his sleeves, took a step, and walked slowly in the heavy snow to continue his inspection. His lonely back was tall and strong, and his steps were neither fast nor slow, which became a unique scenery.

"Generals die in a hundred battles, warriors return home after ten years..." Listening to the sighs, laughter, shouts, and snoring coming from the various villages along the way, Xiao Wang felt something in his heart. Of the people he had known for fifteen years in the army, only one in ten survived. The life of a warrior is too cheap. No matter how brave you are, you are just a wave in the army. A round of muskets can kill thousands of people. If the cavalry's horse lances stab you, you will be dragged away like a wild dog. When the Bian army attacked the pass in a large scale, I wonder how many soldiers and civilians in the three pass villages will be able to return alive to receive the saint's reward.

They are not names on files, nor straw men on the martial arts field, but real men. They can cry and laugh, and have relatives. "In September, the Xiongnu killed the border generals, and the Han army was completely submerged in the Liao River. No one collected the bones for thousands of miles, and every family summoned the souls for burial under the city." I hope it won't come to this. Reaching out to catch the falling snowflakes, Xiao Wang saw the voice and appearance of Chu.

Will I be the man in my spring girl’s dream?

If only I could live to be sixty, and die peacefully surrounded by my children and grandchildren.

At this moment, the royal army could only huddle in the various fortresses inside the pass, fighting against the cruel blizzard with numbness all over their bodies, waiting for the unpredictable fate to come.

……

late at night.

After observing the Bian army camp from the top of Fenjing Pass Tower, the saint returned to the deserted Prajna Temple. He Yuqing and Zhao had been sent to Yuxian Peak, and only a few Hanlin officials, military officers from the three guards, and night guards were left in the temple.

"Your Majesty..." Seeing the saint coming back, the shivering soldier huddled in a sheltered corner stood up.

"Go back to sleep." The saint was a little tired and didn't want to punish anyone. No one could stand guard in this horrible weather. His bones were shaking. I don't know how the Bian army managed to hold on. If this continues, the warriors will probably make a fuss! Now, the saint understood why Zhu Wen chose this time to send troops - wait for your army to be in chaos! Confident that you will be in chaos first.

"Then... who will protect Your Majesty? Is there a shift change?" The soldier's hesitant question interrupted the saint's thoughts.

"I won't sleep tonight and will review memorials in your bedroom. What can happen?" Don't compete with him in staying up late. He can go without sleep for two days and two nights.

"Your Majesty, call us if there is any situation. If you can't wake him up, whip him. Beat him like this." The soldier pointed to his head and said with a smile.

"You lowly fellow!" the saint cursed, raising his foot to kick him. The warriors rushed over and carried him into the room in great joy. One of them was grinding ink, another was carrying documents. When he sat at the desk and began to work by the oil lamp, they wrapped themselves in blankets and fell asleep on the bunk bed opposite.

The wind and snow howled, and the snoring was like thunder. The Prajna Temple at night was mysterious and peaceful, and one could always hear the response of the cold wind passing through the mountains; the faint shadow of the saint fell on the old window. Am I... a skeleton on the bank of the Yellow River?

(End of this chapter)