Chapter 18 Chapter 64

Li Yu went around the army in the early morning, and when he came back, Yu Chaoen, Guo Ziyi, Zhang Hanruo and several Jiedu envoys were already waiting in his camp, including Xue Jianli, the Jiedu envoy who had just arrived.Suzong had doubts about the envoys, so there was no marshal for this expedition, but Yu Chaoen was ordered to supervise the army. After the army went out, he suspected that Yu Chaoen did not understand military affairs, so he sent Li Yu to inspect it.Li Yu did not entrust any authority during this trip, but since he is the crown prince, the envoys will naturally follow his orders and only regard him as the commander-in-chief.

Last night, although Li Yu discussed with Guo Ziyi and others about attacking Chou Si Gang, but because Xue Lianli did not arrive, it was difficult to deploy troops for a while, so no results were studied.Seeing Guo Ziyi again today, I saw him beaming with joy and complacency. Guo Ziyi has always been mature and cautious, and such situations are rare.Li Yu smiled and said: "I think old General Guo has a good strategy to defeat the enemy." Guo Ziyi cupped his hands and said, "Exactly. The old minister has already found a plan to defeat the enemy, and I will discuss it with His Highness and the generals today."

Unfolding his new topographical map, Guo Ziyi said: "Everyone knows that Chosigang is an important obstacle in Yecheng. We have forced An Qingxu to this place. He will definitely gather his troops here and try to fight me to the death. The current situation , the enemy is dark and we are clear, the enemy waits for work with ease, and I use work to find rest, and I will attack long distances. After a long period of time, food and grass will inevitably run out, so it is necessary to make a quick decision. Look, this is a detailed map of Sorrow Hill," pointing to the map, and then said "At this moment, our army can immediately rush to the narrow official road here with five thousand elite soldiers at full speed, catching the rebels by surprise. At the same time, we will send another five hundred people to mix with the five thousand elite soldiers to specialize in setting fires. Here... Well, there are a few more places, set fire to it... The rebels have no place to hide, and they will naturally be forced to fight us."

It turned out that Guo Ziyi's plan was to attack with fire, which is often used by military strategists and has nothing special about it. Some generals present laughed and said: "Guo Gong must have found a local native who is familiar with the terrain of Shousigang. After losing my wife, I lost my army again!" Guo Ziyi stroked her beard and said with a smile: "Naturally, the local woman is already in our military tent, and I just wait for His Highness's order to set off to lead the way immediately." Zhang Hanruo's heart tightened. Li Yu raised his eyebrows and said: "When the two armies are facing each other, a woman is not afraid of death and is willing to lead the way. It is really commendable. What is her name? When our army captures An Qingxu, we must reward her for her merits."

"Hehehe, Your Highness doesn't need to reward her. If she makes great contributions and accepts her as a concubine, it will be considered a great gift!" Xue Jianli, the Jiedu envoy of Hedong, laughed dryly. If Zhang Han felt that his words were rude, he slanted He gave him a slanted look, Li Yu didn't answer, Guo Ziyi turned away from Xue Jianli, and said: "She claims to be Gao Yueming, in order to prevent fraud, do you want to meet her in person with your highness and the generals? ?” Zhang Hanruo hastily interjected, "No need!" He recounted what happened last night.Everyone trusted Guo Ziyi's vision, and Zhang Hanruo had circumstantial evidence, and immediately discussed and prepared to attack.

At three o'clock in the morning, all preparations were completed, Li Yu and Guo Ziyi went out of the camp, and looked at the place where all the troops and horses were ready to go. Last year, the remnants of the Turkic tribes and the Miaogas people in the northwest of Huihe took advantage of Moyanchu's absence in Huihe, and the coalition troops went south to break through several cities along the border of Huihe, forcing Moyanchu to return to Hehe in a hurry.Later, although it was basically pacified by Moyanchu, there were still a few remnant soldiers who disturbed the border, killed frontier soldiers, and plundered cattle and sheep. Huihe used this as a lesson and paid more attention to the relationship with the Tang Dynasty. , but also foresight.This time when attacking An Qingxu, Chuan silently did not send Ye Hu, but Zhan Keming led three thousand cavalry to help Tang.The 3,000 elite soldiers were arranged by Guo Ziyi for the second round of attack. The rebels were most afraid of Huihe soldiers, so they could build up their momentum and strive to get twice the result with half the effort.

The first round of 5,000 elite soldiers has been lurking under the slope in front of the Sorrow Hill, and most of them are soldiers under Guo Ziyi's command.Guo Ziyi pointed to the back of one of the green shirts and said: "That is Gao Yueming, who is currently dressed as a man. I have ordered special protection to prevent her from any harm." As he was talking, he thought someone behind him was asking a question, so Gao Yueming turned his head and answered.Although she was far away, she could still see her clear eyes. Guo Ziyi smiled and said, "This woman is very handsome. Even though Xue Jianli is a rough person who speaks foul words, it is not impossible. His Royal Highness, how about we attack? "After finishing the sentence, he didn't hear Li Yu's answer immediately. He turned his head, but saw that he was a little lost, and was stunned. Li Yu nodded and waved his hands, and ordered: "Attack!"

The battle went extremely smoothly, and the fighting was extremely fierce. After an order was given, five thousand elite soldiers rushed into the Sorrows Hill and went down the official road. As expected, they instantly killed the rebels. In less than half an hour, bursts of flames burst out from several places in the Sorrows Hill, and the fire depended on the power of the wind. , quickly swept across the entire Sorrow Hill, and the rebels met the Tang army in a narrow way and were already in disarray.At this time, the Huihe iron cavalry rushed into the narrow road in disorder, and the heads fell to the ground where they swung their knives. Blood splashed on the scorched earth, invincible. The rebels panicked and retreated steadily.Taking advantage of the victory, the Tang army pursued and fought bloody battles for more than five hours, forcing the rebels out of Shousigang.An Qingxu led the remnant soldiers back to Yecheng, and closed the city alone. Guo Ziyi led the Chinese army to surround Yecheng.

At Xu time, the fighting began to cease. At Zishi, the battlefield was cleaned up, and the school captain reported that 30,000 rebels were beheaded and sentenced to this battle, and the Tang army had less than 5,000 casualties.Li Yu was overjoyed and ordered to distribute wine and dishes widely to congratulate all the soldiers. Li Yu, Yu Chaoen, and the various envoys were drinking in the camp. Guo Ziyi came late, and sighed "not good" when they entered the door. Everyone asked why, Guo Ziyi said: "It's all bad for the old man. Miss Gao, who we were leading the way, was kidnapped by the rebels!"

With the sound of "铛", everyone looked back, and it turned out that the wine glass in Li Yu's hand fell to the ground.Zhang Hanruo was beside Li Yu, he quickly reached out to hold Li Yu's arm, and said with a smile, "Your Highness has drunk too much, he is too strong." Li Yu withdrew his arms, his expression as usual: "Where is it, I was very surprised to hear the words of old General Guo. This Miss Gao... can be regarded as a woman. Since we were taken into captivity by our army, of course we must not do unrighteous things." She must be rescued. Old General Guo, since this incident happened because of your subordinates' lack of protection, how about you deploying to rescue her?"

Guo Ziyi agreed and said, "It's only natural, I dare not resign." Li Yu thought for a while, and then said: "You can't force this matter, if you can save it, save it, if you can't save it, let it go, don't throw the lives of my soldiers at will." After drinking some wine for a while, all the envoys retired one by one. Zhang Hanruo stayed at the end, and there was no one else in the camp, Li Yu poured out the wine and drank it himself, without being drunk, and did not raise his eyes to look at her.Zhang Hanruo approached Li Yu slowly, and said in a low voice, "Don't worry—that Gao Yueming just looks very similar, not the real sister Shen..." Li Yu raised his neck and drank the wine in the glass, put down the glass, and looked at her with raised eyebrows: "Even if she is really Shen Zhenzhu, do you think my attitude is different today?!" Zhang Hanruo has never seen Li Yu like this before. He seemed drunk but not drunk, his eyes gleamed with brilliance, and he looked at him, as if the wind and thunder were blowing through the air, unable to breathe, and unable to think, but in this brilliance, there was still a little A mixture of melancholy and sadness. Zhang Hanruo suddenly burst into tears. Li Yu glanced at her, stretched out his arms, held her hand, and said softly, "Hanruo, you are fine, fine..." Zhang Hanruo closed his eyes, not daring to look at him sideways, just waiting Let him go on.After waiting for a long, long time, but did not hear anything, fearing that he would fall asleep drunk, just opening his eyes to look back, he said slowly: "Gao Yueming is Shen Zhenzhu." The next day Li Yu pulled out his camp and went downstairs in Yecheng. Yecheng was managed by An Qingxu painstakingly for a long time, and the city walls were strong. When An Qingxu was defeated and retreated, he looted a large amount of grain and grass, and with the grain stored in the city, it would be no problem to support it for three to five months.Therefore, An Qingxu defended the city by himself, and allowed the Tang army to attack the city several times for more than ten days. He never opened the city to fight.Li Yu and others originally thought that Yecheng could be set up within three to five days, but half a month later, not only was there no success, but Li Siye, the Jiedu envoy of Zhenxi, was also shot by Liu Shi and unfortunately died in battle. Guo Ziyi wanted to save Gao Yueming, but Gao Yueming had already been taken into the city. Now Yecheng has become a veritable isolated city. The Tang army can't enter, the rebel army can't leave, and even the secret agents in the city can't pass on the news. How can they enter the city to save people? Seeing that the weather is getting colder every day, the generals of the Tang army went on an expedition, they didn't have enough clothes to carry, and it was very cold to camp in the wild. It was past You hour, Li Yu was looking at the map in the tent, Guo Ziyi hurried into the tent, Natou said: "His Royal Highness, that Miss Gao Yueming has a lot of background!" Li Yu said "Oh", put down the candlestick in his hand, asked Guo Ziyi to sit down, and said with a smile, "How do you say it?" Guo Ziyi said: "The old minister thought that we can't rescue Miss Gao for the time being, but we have to give her family an explanation. Today, I ordered several attendants to visit her home. Who would have thought that her parents were still there a few days ago. Well, today someone went to the empty building and only found this thing in a drawer—" He handed the thing in his arms to Li Yu. It turned out to be a golden comb.Li Yu looked around by the candlelight, touched the inner wall with his hand, as if there were words, and then looked at the candlelight, suddenly shocked—— Guo Ziyi smiled and sighed: "Although this golden bar is exquisitely made, it is not unusual. The only thing that is strange is its material. I asked my subordinates who know that this golden bar seems to be made of pure gold, but it is actually mixed with gold." It is mixed with a special substance of the same color as gold, so it is more hard and not easy to break. This is the only one in the world, and it was given by the emperor when the current emperor accepted Yuanfei 20 years ago. Therefore, - engraved on the inner wall of the golden bar A thin seal character 'Wei'!" (Note: This golden comb appeared in the third chapter of this article, "Golden Hibiscus in the Sky", and those who are interested can look back.) Li Yu suddenly stood up, and said in surprise, "You mean: Concubine Wei, she is here, she is... Gao Yueming's mother?" Guo Ziyi smiled: "The old minister is dull, this is a royal matter, His Highness has his own opinion." Li Yu walked a few steps to the curtain, wanted to lift the curtain, but stopped abruptly, and asked, "Did the old general send someone to chase after Concubine Wei?" Guo Ziyi still just smiled: "The old minister said that this is a family matter between the Holy Majesty and His Highness. The old minister dare not make any claims, and the old woman and her husband have already left." Li Yu pondered for a while, then walked back and sat down on the chair, saying: "What the old general said is that this matter cannot be forced." Then discuss with Guo Ziyi about destroying Yecheng.Guo Ziyi said: "Although our army was frustrated for a while, I think Yecheng is just a lone army, with His Highness in command, and all the envoys working together, we will surely win it soon." Guo Ziyi's idea is that the Tang army has thirty Ten thousand, the army is much stronger than An Qingxu. The weakness of the Tang army lies in the long-distance expedition of the army, and the lack of food and grass. The weakness of the rebel army lies in the lack of troops.The two discussed, and immediately organized the army to take turns to call for formation or night raids after resting, to defeat the morale and combat effectiveness of the rebels, and captured Yecheng in one go. A few days later, Tang Jun really acted accordingly.On the first night, Zheng Cai Jiedu envoy Ji Guangchen led a small number of troops under his command to attack the city with bluff. An Qingxu sent general Cui Qianyou to fight at the top of the city. Withdrew, and beat drums to attack the city, repeated four or five times before retreating, disturbing the rebels. In the early morning of the second time, Huaixi Jiedu envoy Lu Jiong ordered his subordinates to go downstairs in Yecheng to call for battle.Naturally, An Qingxu didn't open the door to fight, so several Huaixi soldiers began to scold An Qingxu under the city tower. There was still no response from the top of the city tower, and the cursing was arranged indiscriminately, such as An Qingxu's son who raped his father and concubine, and his brother took his brother's wife. From early morning to noon, An Qingxu was really able to hold back and never showed up in the city. Guo Ziyi caressed his beard and smiled at Li Yu: "An Qingxu has become a trapped beast. I don't talk to you today, but I can't hold on for a few more days. Your Highness, don't worry." Li Yu frowned and said: "The mountains and rivers have been broken to this point, and there is no Gaozu or Taizong's talent, only worries." While talking, a messenger arrived, presenting a letter from Guo Ziyi's family.When Guo Ziyi saw the letter, her eyebrows danced with joy. It turned out that Mrs. Nine gave birth to a son a few days ago and asked him to name it.Li Yu hurriedly congratulated him when he heard about it, and Guo Ziyi saw that the timing was just right, so he asked Li Yu to name his youngest son.Li Yu refused, but thought for a while and said, "In the midst of the sun today, how about naming it Ai?" "Guo Yan, what a name!" Guo Ziyi thanked him with great joy. "The decree has arrived!—" With the clatter of horseshoes, several inner dragon envoys rushed into the army surrounded by a servant. Li Yu and others hurriedly set up an incense case to receive the order.The imperial decree said: Henan Jiedu envoy Cui Guangyuan's Weizhou was captured by Shi Siming. If Shi Siming marched to Yecheng, the crown prince would be in danger as the prince of the country. As the responsibility of supervising the army, all the envoys must work together to overcome Yecheng. When Guo Ziyi heard the imperial decree, his heart turned cold. All the envoys did not agree with each other, so how could they attack Yecheng without a unified plan?He secretly sighed that the emperor was too suspicious. In this expedition, he first doubted the Jiedu envoys, and then Yu Chaoen. Now this imperial decree is probably suspicious of the crown prince Li Yu again?This doubt, is it because he is afraid that the crown prince will take too much credit, or is he worried that the crown prince is not competent? After Li Yu received the order, he briefly explained a few things to Guo Ziyi, and then went back to the tent to change his luggage. When he walked out of the tent, Zhang Hanruo was waiting outside with his back turned. Li Yu approached, stood side by side with her, looked straight ahead, and said in a low voice: "Don't worry, you have helped me complete what you and I agreed on at the beginning, and I will definitely help you kill An Qingxu to take revenge. Although I have to leave now , but I have already instructed General Guo Ziyi, with him to take care of you, with him around, Ye City will definitely be conquered, and you will surely let you kill your enemies when the time comes."