The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 284: Second Battle with Feng Yi (Part )

The 50,000-strong army led by the saint was moving too fast.

From Sanchuankou in the upper reaches of Luoshui River to Weibei, the road is very wide and without carrying huge baggage, one can really ride on the wind.

Along the line from Xuanyuan Mausoleum to Mount Li, soldiers and officials looked up and lit beacons. Clusters of signal smoke rose above the Guanzhong Plain, announcing the king's return.

The soldiers of the Wang and Zhao armies who were having fun outside quickly fled back to the barracks.

The scouts from Hedong who were keeping watch on the saint in the mountains and valleys, one by one, changed from squatting or sleeping to straightening up and sticking their heads out. All they heard were the horns of the wilderness, and then they saw the long winding snakes, and the colorful soldiers wearing bamboo hats, walking on both sides of the carts, forming a torrent of forward movement on the plains.

I don't know how many teams made the same judgment. They hurriedly shouted on their horses, "Hurry up and report to the king! The saint will arrive in Meiyuan. It seems that he will fight us! We will continue to watch, but report back if there is any situation... Please be cautious, king, whether to fight the saint in Guanzhong! If not, the withdrawal should be accelerated! The king's army is as fast as the wind. If we are caught up, a fierce battle is inevitable!"

On August 19, Wang Congxun, who received the order, led 50,000 people northward and occupied the Fuping area.

Zhao Fu changed his route to the southeast and rushed from Hongmen to Huayin and Zheng.

On August 23, the Saint's army was at Dongluochi with 100,000 soldiers. Li Keyong had already led his army to retreat to Fengyi with 50,000 soldiers, and was rushing to transport wealth and goods back while waiting for a reply. Nearly 200,000 troops gathered on the Luoshui Plain, facing each other across Luo, and the situation suddenly became tense.

At the Dongluchi camp, hundreds of bloody heads were hung at the gate.

At this moment, at the foot of the dark green mountains where the sun is shining brightly, the luxurious villas are as gorgeous in red and white as brocade. On the green grassland in front of the ancient temple, thousands of warriors in white are lying or sitting on blankets, holding basins, bowls or shields, and knocking with chopsticks, spoons and the backs of knives, making "clang clang clang clang clang..." loud sounds, and from time to time, they let out a burst of "roar roar roar!"

Under the earthen embankment in front of them, the clear and golden Luo River flowed rapidly. Crossing the Yaoshan Bridge was the military area under the command of Zuo Fengyi and Li Keyong of the empire.

"Birdman!" Amidst the curses, Wang Gui, the envoy from Hedong, and his party walked down the bridge and came into view.

"One-eyed dragon! One-eyed dragon! One-eyed dragon! Give me back my wealth! Give me back my wealth!!" The roar suddenly became louder, and all the rough soldiers spitted in the dust raised by their mounts, greeting Li Keyong.

"Don't make any noise, boys!" Wang Shaorong, the commander of the Imperial Guards, said in a low voice.

"Get lost!" With the sound of whizzing through the air, the soldiers threw a large number of spears at him. Wang Shaorong quickly hid behind the shield, then pointed at the soldiers and ran away while cursing.

At the gate, Nangong Daoyuan, Xiao Xiu, Wu Xiong, Ashina Yingchen and other generals who were watching all this were also very nervous.

Just this morning, as soon as I arrived at Dongluchi, I heard that the various imperial guards who had their homes confiscated started to make a commotion. Including the Palace Front Division from Wei Bo and Chengde Army, there were people making trouble. One moment they wanted to rebel, the next moment they wanted rewards, the next moment they wanted revenge, and the next moment they wanted to kill the general.

There were even gunfights in several places. The reason was that some people had their wives and daughters raped by the Weibei Camp Army, and some had their family members killed and their homes looted. They could not have imagined that their "comrades" in other units would be so disrespectful, so a massive gunfight began without anyone knowing who started it.

There were arrows raining down from the sky, rocks flying everywhere, and swords and spears stabbing at each other.

Finally, the fight died down amid the exclamations of "Everyone stop it! The saint has been shot to death!"

It caused chaos and confusion.

It has continued till now.

Although nothing had been done yet, the signs of rebellion were already apparent. The officers hid in their tents and dared not show up. Wu Xiong, Zha Zhu and other high-ranking officials were also very panicked.

Looking at the horrifying scene before them, Wu Xiong and the others knew that the saint had no way out. Either he could direct his anger towards Li Keyong, or he could pay to appease him.

Wu Xiong, who was still thinking about how to calm the situation, suddenly heard the chaotic soldiers making a loud commotion again.

"Running dogs!" Several soldiers kicked Wang Gui and his group to the ground and rushed to beat them up.

"You are like a three-year-old baby lying on a wheel and a hundred-year-old man climbing a dead branch, how dare you come to rob us." He grabbed Wang Gui and slapped him more than ten times, causing blood to come out of his mouth and nose.

In the chaos, someone else shouted angrily, "Bastard! We fought for our country and fought to the death with the rebels at Wuding River, but Cong Xun and Zhao Fu were in the capital and could not watch over us. They just sat there and watched us and the saint become the victims. If we don't kill these cowards, what's the point of being soldiers!"

After saying that, he pulled out the steel knife with all his strength, and immediately there was a continuous clanging sound.

For a while, the banks of Luo River were filled with another round of clamor.

Some walked around in circles, looking for Wang Congxun.

Some climbed up trees and looked around.

Some just go with the flow.

Some set up large pots and hot water, ready to serve the food.

Another group of soldiers holding knives pulled Wang Gui and his entourage, who were pale and beaten half to death, up from the ground, and shouted at them, asking where Li Keyong was, saying that they wanted to skin the general alive.

Wang Gui, with a bruised face and nose, begged for mercy: "My fellow generals, this has nothing to do with me. This was all done by Li Keyong, Li Hanzhi, Li Cunxin, Zhang........."

"Then we will kill Li Keyong and Li Hanzhi's seven thieves to comfort the saint and bring peace to the world!"

Amid the roar of drums, Xiao Xiu and Zhang Chengfa risked their lives to bring Wang Gui and his party into the big tent.

Inside the tent, the sage and a large number of generals were discussing military affairs around a sand table. In a corner, several graceful maids were making tea and lunch. Everyone was in a state of silence, as if nothing had happened.

Wang Gui was dumbfounded.

You, you guys! Aren't you afraid?

"Excuse me." When the saint saw the messenger, he sat down on the stool and asked Wang Gui to sit down as well.

Wang Gui sat down anxiously, wiped the blood from his nose, and said, "Martial artists are always making noises, so it's not something to be laughed at."

"What's the matter, messenger?"

Wang Gui shook his head and smiled bitterly, then took out a roll of memorials that had been ravaged and deformed and handed them over.

"What did the one-eyed man say?"

"The book must contain words of humiliation! Just like how Long Ji Nian mocked the saints."

"Damn it! I'll cut off the messenger's nose."

“Don’t mess around.

When they heard that it was another memorial from Li Keyong, the officers in the tent began to curse. Amid the buzz, the sage who had spread out the memorial felt something was wrong, and in the end, his polite smile became extremely stiff.

"The Concubine Xian is my wife, and the Prince of Dai is my son. Since they have no faults, we will not abandon each other. But..." The sage placed the cold blade on Wang Gui's face and tapped it gently: "How can you say that you are rewarded with 200,000 pieces of silk and 300,000 strings of cash for your service to the king? Even a general like Wu Xiong, who has made outstanding contributions, is only a general of the third rank. Why did Li Hanzhi and Li Sizhao get the titles of Grand Marshal, Minister of War, and Minister of Works?"

Wang Gui, who was so frightened that he was at a loss, stared at the steel knife dangling in his eyeballs. He tilted his head back a little and stammered, "Just an inspector."

"Zheng Yanchang, Han Wei, Wang Tuan, and Li Xi are the four true rulers, and they have no three officials to review them." The sage continued to ask: "What virtue, ability, and merit does Gai Yu have to lead and monitor from afar? Since Linzhou belongs to the interior of the country, why should I give it to you? I allowed him to occupy the four towns, which was beyond my tolerance for An Lushan and Zhu Wen. It was the ultimate grace and concession, but he was still not satisfied. Is he really so heartless and greedy?"

In history, Li Keyong also made these requests, but Emperor Zhaozong couldn't afford to offend him, so he agreed to them all. However, a saint will not be a sucker.

"There is no room for negotiation for promotion. Linzhou cannot give it, and there is no reward."

This... Thinking of Li Keyong's violent temper, Wang Gui said with a stiff upper lip: "Tens of thousands of soldiers are eagerly waiting for rewards. If they don't get them, the soldiers who are dedicated to serving the country will be disappointed and will probably make trouble. The Jingyuan mutiny..."

"Messenger..." the saint interrupted.

Wang Gui was stunned when he heard this.

"Li Keyong will die in Jinshan Manchuria." Wang Gui swallowed.

"Why not Taiyuan, not Shenwuchuan?" The sage asked himself and answered: "The vassal general was defeated, or was conquered by his subordinates, or died in exile, but I have dreamed of Jinshan Manchuria, which is a paradise on earth and the ancestral land of Shatuo. It is the most appropriate place to bury my uncle."

"Your Majesty..." Wang Gui was about to say something when someone raised his hand to stop him.

"The 15 towns of Fengxiang, Bining, Xiasui, Liangzhou, Tongzhou, Zhenguo, Chenxu, Xuanwu, Weizhou, Jinshang, Lianghan, Xichuan, Henghai, Jingzhou, and Hunan are all vassal states. Li Maozhen's head is hung on the North Gate, Wang Xingyu's corpse is exposed on Gouji Ridge, Wang Xingyue is buried in the bamboo forest, Han Jian was killed in Tongguan, Feng Xingxi is missing, Lu Yanwei died in Bianliang, Luo Hongxin was beheaded in the White Tiger Hall, Zhao Chang committed suicide by swallowing poison, Weng Gao entered the court, Yang Shouliang moved to Shaanxi and Guo, Cheng Li was ordered to be on the left, Zhu Wen hid his head in Xuanhuiyuan, and his wife just gave birth to three sons for me... Li Keyong can still sit in Taiyuan and fight with me. I don't need to say more about the reason."

The saint spread his hands apart and gestured: "As long as I deal with him, how long do you think he can live? Who does he think I am? Who does he think he is?"

"It is important for a man to know himself, but he doesn't." The saint sat up straight, grabbed Wang Gui's chin and slowly pulled it in front of him, their eyes met, as if he was Li Keyong: "I have been tolerant of you with the greatest kindness, and this is how you repay me? Reward, promotion, fiefdom, all right." He pointed at the curtain, and the guards suddenly lifted it up, revealing a group of chaotic soldiers with bared fangs: "Ask these men of mine if they agree? If they agree, I will be generous to you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the company camp was filled with the deafening sound of banging bowls and loud curses: "Beat your mother! Beat your mother!"

"Your Majesty, please spare me--" Wang Gui fell down in fear, and the others were trembling with fear, and the smell from their crotch was strong.

"There are still two things that have not been answered." The saint said with a dull look: "The eunuchs in the palace will rebel against the capital and kill every eunuch who entered the palace before the first year of Jingfu and feed them to the dogs. No one can intercede for them. Li Hongdao, Gaozong Yizhijie Lingyan, Xia Sui..."

Wang Gui felt that there was a chance and was delighted. But the saint hesitated. Instead, General Cui Wuci tossed around in the tent and then, smiling, threw the two heads into Wang Gui's arms: "They are here."

Wang Gui held the two heads in his arms. One of his followers took a closer look and was shocked. Aren't these the rebel leaders Li Hongdao and Gao Zongyi?
These two human heads brought such a huge shock to Wang Gui and his party.

After all, the two were military and political leaders, and now the saint was treating them like polo. The instigator stretched in front of them, yawned lazily, and said with tears in his eyes: "It's too late for the one-eyed dragon. I killed him."

Wang Gui’s Adam’s apple moved.

"No point in talking any more!" The saint waved his hand and said, "Go back and tell the one-eyed dragon to move faster. If I catch up with him, I'll break his legs!"

Wang Gui didn't dare to say anything. He stood up, bowed and left.

"Oh, I forgot!" The saint slapped his forehead and handed over a dozen scrolls of imperial edicts: "No promotions, but plenty of demotions."

Wang Gui opened one at random and his face changed drastically when he took a look.

He packed it up quickly and left in a hurry.

After finishing the business at hand, the sage rode out on his horse and reined in before the iron and stone beast statue on Yaoshan Bridge. The beast under his crotch kicked its hooves a few times and half stood up. When the chaotic soldiers saw him, they slowly quieted down and stared at him with their eyes.

The sage pointed his whip at the direction of the capital behind him, then pointed at the east bank of the Luo River, and shouted, "For the sake of the Holy Tang and the world's peace, we have traveled all over the country and fought in the wilderness, enduring the heat and cold, suffering heavy casualties, and suffering all kinds of hardships. However, the thieves in Beijing have betrayed their faith and taken advantage of the situation to rob. Can we tolerate this? Li Keyong plundered the four corners of the country, plundered the blood of the people, and accumulated countless wealth in Beijing. The soldiers in the three cities of Jinyang eat a lot of wine and meat, drive BMWs, ride in luxury cars, live in mansions, have many concubines, and are more ostentatious than me! Can we accept this?"

"Dang dang dang dang!" The soldiers used chopsticks and spoons to bang on the bowls and pots until it was deafening, and they were filled with resentment: "I would rather die than die!!"

"Now those traitors are in Zuo Fengyi!" The saint's eyes widened with anger, he raised the whip and shouted: "Do you dare to kill them and make a sea of blood?"

"Why not? Kill his whole family!"

"We massacred Beijing and divided up the wives and concubines of the soldiers!"

"Respect the emperor and punish the traitors, punish Li Keyong and the seven thieves to rectify the constitution!"

"I will never reconcile with the rebels!"

"Attack Jinyang Palace, crush Taiyuan City, and make the old thief uneasy in his position!"

…………

"Prepare the army for battle immediately. Cook at 3am, move camp at 5am, and march out at dawn!" The saint cracked his whip to calm the commotion, and swept through the gathering soldiers: "Anyone who stirs up trouble will be killed!"

Led by several captains, the soldiers dropped their bowls and chopsticks and crossed their arms in unison, "Obey the Imperial Order!"

Ding Hui watched silently in the corner with an unnatural expression.

Judging from what we saw this time, Emperor Li’s control over the army had reached a rare depth.

**********
In Fengyi camp, Li Keyong angrily chopped the table.

"How dare you insult me, boy!"

The sage's words "Let him run faster, if he is caught by me, I will break his legs!" unsurprisingly broke Li Keyong's defense.

Gai Yu gave him a worried look.

Secretly cursing the saint for hitting the weak spot.

How could you humiliate a person like the king who has poor emotional self-control? Now he will definitely fight you to the death.

"Don't be angry, don't be angry... The most urgent thing is to escort the supplies back as soon as possible." Gai Yu gently took the sword and comforted him, "Don't pay attention to it, anger hurts the liver."

"Are you also on the side of Jie and Zhou?" Li Keyong could not calm down. He covered his head with both hands, staggered a few times, and shouted, "Ah! My head is going to split, it's going to split."

Gai Yu hurriedly supported him.

Li Cunxu also came forward and advised: "The doctor said not to get angry."

How could he not be angry when he was scolded like this for the first time? Li Keyong was about to shout a few words, but he felt a pain in his head again. He had to take a deep breath to hold back his anger, and murmured: "Let's not leave, defend the Yellow River, and fight behind the pass. This madman, I just advised him not to waste his troops and his subordinates' military discipline was a little poor, and I asked for an honorary official position for you, but he scolded me like this and wanted to fight me to the death... My heart hurts so much, so cold..."

In broad daylight, Li Keyong's body was shaking slightly.

"Once the monarch and his subjects become enemies, they will do anything to get what they want." Gai Yu helped him sit down and advised him, "Let's go. There's no point in fighting a saint. When he's no longer angry, he can blame the robbery on the three prefectures for poor military discipline. He can also be more sincere in other matters and pay tribute on time, and that will be fine. Robbery is not a big deal. But once a fight breaks out and there's bloodshed and casualties, it will be a bad ending for both sides."

Robbery, in the eyes of most people in the imperial court, was indeed not a big deal. Since the An-Shi era, there have been many military governors who have embezzled tribute, intercepted grain transport, and plundered passing geese. During the Dali era, there were even generals who led their troops to plunder hundreds of miles on their way to the court to meet Emperor Wu.

Hearing this, Li Keyong felt that this was the truth, and reason told him that he should do so.

Can--

But I really can't swallow this!
Four of his five requests were rejected, and he was scolded in the face and threatened to have his legs cut off and die.

What is this? Treating them as enemies.

After thinking it over, Li Keyong said decisively: "Don't try to persuade me anymore. I will definitely teach Jie and Zhou a lesson."

Gai Yu nodded helplessly, closed his eyes and walked aside.

Li Keyong called Diwu Kefan and Qiu Chengtan and asked in a low voice, "What will happen if we kill the saint?"

"Either he was besieged, or nothing happened." Diwu Kefan said bluntly: "Let the tyrant king die in the chaos of the army. In this way, no one will know how he died, and of course there is no way to investigate the responsibility. It just requires a sophisticated method..."

There was a moment of regret on Li Keyong's face, and then he remained silent.

He wanted to pretend to be forced to fight the saint, and then try to let the saint die in the chaos.

If it works out, everything will be fine. If it doesn't, he can just leave at any time and no one will know that he had such a dark plan.

It's a pity that there is no vassal in Guanzhong. Otherwise, like Guangqinian did, he could drive the punitive army to turn around and kill the saint, kill the ministers he disliked, and then kill the agent afterwards. In this way, he can achieve his wish without tarnishing his reputation. Perfect.

Pity!
(End of this chapter)