Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen From Suiyang to Lingbao——The Lost Battle Changed the Tang Dynasty

Tagore said: The furthest distance in this world is to love each other but not be together. This is a kind of deep-seated sadness: you clearly predicted the ending of fate, but still chose such a fate, and finally repeated the tragedy you predicted.In this process, you have worked hard and tried to change, but in the end it was futile. As for the sadness of a soldier, can it be written: The saddest thing in the world is not dying in battle, but clearly predicting the end of failure, but there is no escape, no choice, only death, but it is worthless. Lingbao, Henan, a small city in the Central Plains, witnessed such sadness in 756 AD.

In 755 AD, a year generally regarded as a turning point in history, Fan Yang Jiedu envoy An Lushan raised his arms and opened the prelude to the "Anshi Rebellion" that lasted for 8 years.The flames of rebellion spread throughout North China.Tang Xuanzong, who was indulging in "love" with Concubine Yang, woke up in front of the bloody killing.The prosperous Tang culture was crushed ruthlessly like exquisite porcelain in front of the dust billowing horseshoes. Hebei is in crisis, Hedong is in crisis, Henan is in crisis, and the Central Plains is in crisis. The rebels from Anlu Mountain went south from Fanyang, invincible all the way.In December 755 A.D., An Lushan's army severely damaged the Tang army in the Battle of Luoyang and named Changqing. Luoyang, the eastern capital of the Tang Dynasty, fell, and the Central Plains fell into the hands of the rebels. Under the knife.

The fire is imminent, indeed the fire is imminent. The civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty were in chaos, with frequent reports of defeats on the front lines, wars were raging in northern China, and the Anlushan rebels had already occupied half of the country.To put down the chaos, to put out the fire, but...who will go?Tang Xuanzong, the emperor of Taiping, lamented all over his face: his family is poor and he misses his filial son, and the country is in trouble and he thinks of a good general! It is true that the country is in crisis, where is the good general?Wang Zhongsi, who swept Turks and beat Tubo hard, was demoted to Hubei by you 7 years ago and died there.Gao Xianzhi, who was called the god of mountain warfare by the Arabs, was slaughtered by you to sacrifice the flag after only one defeat.An Lushan, who usually hurts you more than your son, is now straddling a horse and wielding a knife with teeth and claws, trying to seize your throne as the emperor bird. The "good general" is always calculated and guarded against when nothing happens, only to find out when something goes wrong, it is really more precious than a panda!

Wait, wait, there's a guy, and there's a guy, it's just him... He caught a cold while taking a sauna three years ago, and before taking the sauna, he lived a rough and lustful life, which led to excessive indulgence and a stroke.Half-dead cripple, okay? A cripple is better than nobody, okay, that's him. He is the King of Xiping County. After General Wang Zhongsi was demoted, he led his army to conquer Shibao City, and created the prestigious Goshuhan of "one general succeeds in ten thousand bones". Before the Anshi Rebellion, he was Wang Zhongsi's favorite general, second only to Wang Zhongsi's No. 2 ruthless man. He has been in the army for decades, from a small soldier to a powerful Jiedu envoy, and has repeatedly taken the lead on the Longxi front. He has made countless achievements and is the god of war most feared by the Tubo people.He was a man enough, when Wang Zhongsi was framed and imprisoned, it was he who hugged Tang Xuanzong's thigh and wept and begged so hard that he saved the general's good death.A brave and resourceful commander on the battlefield who has fought victoriously all his life, a real man who values ​​friendship and loyalty, is all this person's previous experience.Looking for a "good general", of course it is him.

Now, he, who has won battles all his life, has to face the last and most important war in his life with his half-disabled body. Winning means saving the fate of an empire. It was so important, Ge Shuhan naturally accepted the order, Tang Xuanzong of course also favored him, it was natural to confer an official title, and he was appointed as the Prime Minister of the country on the spot (Shang Shu Zuo Pushe), what a generous move.Before the expedition, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty personally held a farewell party with wine, cordial condolences, and Ge Shuhan generously expressed his determination, showing the appearance of the monarch and his ministers united in the war of resistance.

What Ge Shuhan took away together was the 200,000 troops of the Tang Dynasty.These 200,000 people came from all corners of the country, including the defeated army from the Central Plains, the Northwest elite from the Anxi Dufu, and the young men who had never even touched a gun. up.Because, this is the last bit of family property of the Tang Dynasty. The last family property of the Tang Dynasty, and even the fate of the Tang Dynasty and Tang Xuanzong and others were all in the hands of Ge Shuhan at this time. Lushan's elite troops are in full swing.The sky is falling, and we must stand here!

It is conceivable that it will be a dog-tooth battle.An Lushan's army is all border guards who have been tempered countless times in the battlefield. They have rich combat experience and strong combat effectiveness. There are many people on their side, and there are as many people who have never fought or lost battles. The combat effectiveness is definitely not the same. Level, but Tongguan has natural dangers, and there is a battle-hardened commander like Ge Shuhan to dispatch, withstand it, and have fun. The common people in Chang’an think so, the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty think so, Tang Xuanzong himself thinks so, and Ge Shuhan himself thinks so. The most important thing is that the 200,000 troops who followed Ge Shuhan are also Think so.

Their composition is different, there are veterans who have been on the battlefield, and there are temporary recruits. For those veterans who have repaired Turkic and Tubo, fighting is their job, fighting south and north is their life, and making contributions is their pursuit. Defeating the rebels and suppressing the rebellion will be the proudest part of their glorious military history.For those recruits who were temporarily recruited, Guanzhong was their homeland, and their parents and relatives were behind them, while the rebels were a group of thieves who burned, killed and looted. To defend their home and country, they were defending themselves.So although everyone has different origins, different ethnicities, different accents, and different backgrounds, they have one thing in common: to fight the rebels, there is no need to mobilize.

Of course, Ge Shuhan himself doesn't need to mobilize. Before the rebellion, An Lushan was his deadly enemy-now let me meet on the battlefield, and I didn't discuss killing you. An army that does not need to be mobilized has come to Tongguan to fight a battle that must be won without mobilization.They saw the rebel camp outside Tongguan, and the small county called Lingbao outside Tongguan. They didn't know that that place would be their burial place in a few months. They only know one thing now - they are wrong.All the previous tactical preparations for defending Tongguan, all the psychological preparations for bloody battles, seemed to be all wrong at this time, there was no attack, the enemy was only stationed outside, but there was no attack.

Because when Tang Xuanzong couldn't find a "good general" and had to pull out the paralyzed brother Shuhan to be a "good general", two previously unknown generals-Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi were already behind Anlu Mountain ——Hebei battlefield launched a frenzied and violent counterattack.Jingjingguan was recovered, Changshan was recovered, and 14 counties and counties in Hebei were recovered again. Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi joined forces in Changshan, and were preparing for a battle to cut off the rebels' retreat: a heavy attack on Fan Yang, the old nest of Anlu Mountain, and his hometown!

The house leak happened to rain all night, and the Anlushan rebels who went deep into the Central Plains had a hard time. Because the Anlushan rebels had no discipline, they killed and looted everywhere, and the people in the Central Plains were full of volunteers. They used the spirit of fighting devils in the liberated areas to deal with the rebels , not to mention being beaten everywhere, and I couldn't get a single grain.But at this time, the Hebei area was hit again, and the supply of materials became a problem. The hundreds of thousands of rebels who were trapped in the Central Plains could not advance or retreat, and they could not survive. So as soon as Ge Shuhan's army left Chang'an, the front-line victory documents flew like magpies one by one. Li Guangbi's victory, Guo Ziyi's victory, Changshan's victory, all right, Tang Xuanzong's wrinkled face turned into a chrysanthemum: After all, Anlu Mountain is not a climate! It's just... how about Tongguan, why hasn't there been any movement until now, what does Ge Shuhan want to do? Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and even the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty were muttering in their hearts. The whole country was in one piece. Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi were all vying to kill the enemy and make meritorious service. Could it be that your place is a paradise? Of course it’s not a paradise. The 100,000 elite of An Lushan General Cui Qianyou’s 100,000 elites are watching outside Tongguan. They come here every day to yell at the street, even the eight generations of their ancestors. They just want to push you out to fight. To this, Ge Shuhan replied: Do not hit. It is right not to fight. Of course the rebels are in a hurry to fight. The back road is about to be cut off. People are beating sap everywhere in the Central Plains. Seeing that the food supply is almost running out, don’t hurry up and go to the rich land of Guanzhong, young and old. What do you eat and drink, man? Ge Shuhan is not in a hurry. I will guard Tongguan now, and I will occupy the natural danger. I don’t have to worry about food or drink. If you have the ability, you can attack. I will greet you with swords and spears. If you want me to lead troops out to fight you, there is no way. . Because Ge Shuhan is very aware of how many catties and ounces his soldiers have, the remnants of defeated generals and rookies on the battlefield. Although there are some experienced veterans, their overall quality is really inferior compared to the rebels. It's purely suicide, suicide, I will not do it. But if you don't do it, someone forces you to do it. Because Chang'an is already full of storms and storms, there are all kinds of things, some say that Ge Shuhan wants to support himself, some say that Ge Shuhan wants to preserve his strength and become a warlord, and even worse, he made up Ge Shuhan and An Lu Shan had long colluded with the rumor of dividing the world equally, and he spoke clearly and clearly. It can’t be said that these rumors are all for the purpose of framing. There are many Chinese people, so there are many boring people, and there are more boring mouths. Many, some want to speculate, some just talk nonsense to attract the attention of others, to entertain the public and to entertain themselves.It doesn't matter whether some things can be entertained casually. It was like this during earthquakes, and it was also like this during wars. It was like this in Chang'an a thousand years ago, and it was like this in Internet forums a thousand years later. Three people become a tiger". Three people can become a tiger, and a group of people, in their mouths, the loyal Ge Shuhan is about to become a monster. Since Tang Xuanzong has a nose and eyes, of course Tang Xuanzong heard it. When he heard it, he couldn’t help muttering. Shan Zhiqi rebelled, and after counting, he had to ask his brother-in-law Yang Guozhong to discuss it. It happened that Yang Guozhong and Ge Shuhan were deadly enemies, so it was normal to take the opportunity to give Ge Shuhan some medicine. Although Xuanzong murmured, he would not believe that Ge Shuhan would rebel for a while, so Yang Guozhong carried forward the tradition of persevering to the end is victory, and used the medicine for two months like a day: Think about it, Your Majesty, do you treat An Lushan well? , didn't he still raise the flag to rebel, Ge Shuhan is also a barbarian, and now Datang's most elite troops are in his hands, what if he wants to have second thoughts?The heart of harming others cannot be without the heart of defense. It just so happened that the gossip was also very cooperative, and the rumors intensified.Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi, who were far on the front line, were sensible people. They wrote reports many times in a row, asking the troops in Tongguan not to move out, but to just hold on.So the gossip quickly came together again: Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi had been oppressed by Brother Shuhan for many years, and now they just want to grab credit. If Brother Shuhan wins the battle, then they will take the credit... It was passed on and on, medicines were given and medicines were given, and Tang Xuanzong's muttering became more and more serious day by day. The analysis report on the battlefield situation written by Ge Shuhan with painstaking efforts became a piece of waste paper in his eyes.In May of the fifteenth year of Tianbao (AD 756), after several months of confrontation between the Tang army and the main force of the rebel army in Tongguan, Tang Xuanzong finally took the case: Ge Shuhan, what the hell are you doing? I sent you to Tongguan not to bask in the sun Yes, call me! Then he gave the same hint: If you don't hit me, I will hit you. This hint is a pie thrown to the Anlushan rebels from Chang'an. Because the rebels who were outside Tongguan before had received a secret order from An Lushan. If the Tang army did not attack within 10 days, they would return to Hebei to reinforce Fan Yang. The flanking attack was a grand strategy to completely destroy the main force of the rebel army. However, this order of Tang Xuanzong became a pie on the head of the rebel army. It saved the gangsters who were desperate outside Tongguan, but it was also a shot put on Ge Shuhan's head. The expected perfection was smashed to pieces. In the history books, when recording Ge Shuhan's reaction after receiving the order, such a word was used: weeping and leaving the pass. I believe that at that moment all the soldiers who received this order were crying in their hearts.Not just the destruction of a perfect annihilation plan, but also the arrival of an inescapable death.They're going to fight with their whole army, fighting a deadly but meaningless battle.This is the greatest sorrow of a soldier, knowing that it is absurd, but he can only obey unconditionally. Ge Shuhan's old leader Wang Zhongsi has tasted the consequences of not fighting, what else can he do? The three armies gather, reorganize the army, leave the customs, and fight the main force of the rebel army. The 200,000 Tang troops rushed out like a flock of sheep. In front of them were hungry wolves that had crawled outside Tongguan for several months.Then in Xiyuan, Lingbao County, Henan, the rebels set up an ambush, and in a fierce battle, the entire 200,000 Tang army was wiped out.Ge Shuhan was captured, and Tongguan's gate was wide open. Of course, when it comes to defeat, some people say that Ge Shuhan underestimated the enemy and rushed forward and was ambushed by the enemy. , maybe there is still life.Helpless, the enemy is too strong, this is a battle that must be lost, and the suspense is just a question of how many people will die. The so-called goal of defeating the rebels, the so-called task of defending Tongguan, the so-called determination to win, and the so-called personal enmity between Ge Shuhan and An Lushan have all come to an end. The question is, who forced them to die like this? It was too late to answer, because those who forced them to die were then hacked to death under the sabers of the rebels. The rebels sent troops to Chang'an, and Chang'an fell. Died Tang Xuanzong's concubine Yang Guifei and Yang Guozhong who drugged Ge Shuhan.For thousands of years, there have always been boring people who have been researching whether Concubine Yang Gui died that day, but more important than Concubine Yang, the 200,000 lives buried in Lingbao County, Henan Province, no one cares. how did they die Blame Tang Xuanzong for being confused?You must know that Tang Xuanzong has always been a person who likes to mutter, he muttered about Wang Zhongsi back then, of course he can also mutter about Ge Shuhan now, it's normal.Blame Yang Guozhong for drugging?You must know that Yang Guozhong is also a person who likes to drug, even the treacherous minister Li Linfu has been drugged by him. Of course, a loyal person like Ge Shuhan can be drugged, which is normal. all normal?Who is to blame for the 200,000 people who died abnormally? There is a group of abnormal people, but it is rarely mentioned in the history books. Where did the gossip come from?You must know that Yang Guozhong can't spread so many gossip even if he has a full mouth.You must know that in the past dynasties, whenever the nation is in peril or the country is in crisis, there are more people who are generous and gossiping, and there are as many people who watch the excitement and gossip. Yang Guozhong condemned, Tang Xuanzong condemned, who will condemn these people, these murderers who also caused the sacrifice of 200,000 soldiers.The names of these people are not recorded in the history books. It should be that some escaped from Chang'an in a hurry at that time, and some died under the saber of the rebels. This is a disaster for ordinary people, and it may be retribution for them. Lu Xun said: In our nation, there are people who work hard and people who are unknown. They are the backbone of the nation. As a posterity, I would like to add: In our nation, there are those who chew their tongues, those who fear the world will not be chaotic, and those who are boring. They are the dregs of the nation. Society is progressing, and today's Lingbao County in Henan has also been modernized. I only hope it can become a witness that the scum of our nation is getting less and less. The place as tragic as Lingbao is Suiyang, Henan. On a sad night in October 757 AD, the moonlight was full of tears, and it flowed silently on the land full of war and smoke. The black rebels rushed to the city of Suiyang like locusts. When they got close to the top of the city, the horrifying queue slowed down suspiciously. This small town, which caused them heavy casualties, was deadly silent at this moment, and a few pale-faced defenders vaguely stood up. After struggling to pull the bowstring, it shook a few times and fell down again.Going up to the city to deal with the remnants of the enemy, the rebel general Yin Ziqi, who had been tortured to the point of madness by this steel city, finally leaned on the abandoned chariot and let out a sigh of relief: The 300-day siege is over, Suiyang, broken. Yes, the city of Suiyang was broken, as if a warrior fighting alone, finally exhausted, uttered a roar like a tiger, and fell down tragically. Suiyang's strategic position is too important: if it is connected to the Jiangnan Plain in the south, half of the affluent Jiangnan will be lost. But this time, Sui Yang could have escaped with his life.The Anshi Rebellion, the rebellion burned all over Jiangbei.The brilliant civilization of the prosperous Tang Dynasty was like a fragile egg being smashed. The emperor ran away, the government army was finished, and the high-ranking figures all surrendered. Xu Yuan, the prefect of Suiyang, said, I will not surrender.Zhang Xun, the commander of the Battle of Suiyang, could also flee for his life. He was the county magistrate of Zhenyuan. After the Anshi rebellion, he first defended Yongqiu and resisted the attack of tens of thousands of rebels. Ask for help, the high-ranking official Houlu and the Jiedu envoy who holds heavy soldiers don't care. Zhang Xun said, I take care of it. He rushed to Suiyang with 3,000 people. Xu Yuan, who was a scholar, was happy: Suiyang was handed over to you, but Zhang Xun kept it With a calm face, he knew that this was not an official position, but a responsibility. Along with Zhang Xun, there was also the fierce general Nan Jiyun, who was not one of Zhang Xun's generals, and he heard that Zhang Xun was going to Suiyang, so he followed him without saying a word.On that day, 130,000 Anshi rebels attacked the city, and Suiyang could not escape this fate, or rather, did not want to escape at all. Those who can run do not run, those who can surrender do not surrender, and they meddle if they have nothing to do with themselves. This makes modern people dumbfounded more than the war itself: Suiyang, what are you planning? No matter what Suiyang plans, the enemy general Yin Ziqi is full of ambition. After defeating Suiyang, he also kicked the gate of Gongwei Jiangnan. The prosperous Jiangnan Plain will be in his pocket, where there are prosperous cities and intoxicating wealth. And beauties, these make the vicious gangsters drool.More importantly, seizing the fertile Jiangnan land is to cut off the lifeline of the Tang Dynasty, and the overall situation of the world will be determined. Sui Yang told Yin Ziqi: You are dreaming. This fortified city made of iron is like a soft but tough rope around the necks of the Anshi rebels. The raging horseshoes will stop here, and the spreading military disaster will stop here. Start now. The brutal siege battle started in the first month of the lunar year. The Anshi rebels, who were based on border barbarian mercenaries, opened their terrifying bloody mouths and bit down on the weak city, but their front teeth were knocked out time and time again.Turkic soldiers, Khitan soldiers, cavalry soldiers, infantry soldiers, and chariot soldiers charged towards the city with red eyes. They were either shot back by the dense arrow rain or captured and killed by the brave defenders.The rebels were unable to move an inch, but there were more than 80 generals and schools captured alive.attack!Attacking day and night, attacking forward and attacking one after another, hundreds of thousands of troops took turns to fight with each other, but Suiyang remained motionless.Yin Ziqi's eyes were bloodshot: What's wrong with Suiyang! It's okay to stay in the city without showing your head, but the people of Suiyang dare to go out of the city to counterattack with inferior troops!After the siege of the city for three months, Zhang Xun personally led the death squads out of the city twice to make surprise attacks.General Nan Jiyun took the lead and led the defenders to attack the rebel camp. Under the impact of these ragged Suiyang defenders, the experienced Anshi rebels collapsed across the board.Nan Jiyun bent his bow and shot an arrow, flying straight towards Yin Ziqi, the leader of the rebel army. Now Yin Ziqi's eye didn't need to be congested, and he was shot blind. After this big defeat, the rebels retreated for dozens of miles, but the alarm in Suiyang was not lifted. After supplementing the rebels, they surrounded Suiyang again. Take out the last trick - sleepy. Trapped, trapped for a long time, surrounded by heavy troops and cut off from foreign aid, you will not be able to kill you, and procrastination will drag you to death.In May, Suiyang ran out of food.In July, the sparrows, rats, bark, paper, everything in the city was eaten up, and the energy of the city was consumed bit by bit with the passage of time.The rebels attacked again. Zhang Xun stood on the top of the city and fought with the hungry soldiers. An incredible thing happened: the rebel attack failed, and more than 200 rebels defected to Suiyang's position.Yin Ziqi was furious: This Zhang Xun is really a lunatic, not only is he crazy himself, but he also brings others along with him. Zhang Xun was not crazy, he didn't want to make unnecessary sacrifices, so he sent several people to ask for help.Nan Jiyun broke through layers of siege, and finally found Helan Jinming's troops in the Tang Dynasty. Who would have thought that it was an idiot? Cloud stayed by his side.In grief and indignation, Nan Jiyun stamped a finger and left.He knew that Suiyang's fate could not be saved, but he, who could have stayed out of the matter, recruited thousands of reinforcements and rushed back to live and die with his brothers who lived and died together. Nan Jiyun, who broke through the blockade again, brought back the news that the rescue failed. In the city.That day, the whole city cried, but wiped away the tears, still holding the spear, telling the enemy on the opposite side with burning eyes that they would rather die than surrender! When the food ran out, Zhang Xun reluctantly killed his wife, and even killed the old and weak in the city as military rations. This was not cruel, but the soul and desire of his relatives were transformed into his own flesh and blood.In this way, Suiyang persisted until October, and all the old, young, women and children in the city died, leaving only more than 400 remnant soldiers. In a tragic late autumn, the rebels finally broke through the city.Suiyang, with a small town and the whole city's old and weak, blocked the powerful Anshi elite army for 10 months. They have nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone, whether they live or die, are heroes.Is this just the "foolish loyalty" criticized by some people? After the city was broken, Zhang Xun and Nan Jiyun were brutally murdered by Yin Ziqi, and they were unyielding to the death.The prefect Xu Yuan was escorted to Luoyang and killed.However, many years later, they were interpreted as a kind of argument: You must be loyal, why should you drag the whole city to be buried with you, and using human flesh as military food is even more destructive.Today, how many "moralists" are plausible in this way.But in my opinion, this is a shameless statement. What is the Anshi Rebellion?It is not a simple feudal dynasty power struggle, but a complete destruction of civilization.Anshi's rebels are a group of complete destroyers. Wherever they go, no grass will grow, and the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty will no longer exist. If Suiyang did not come forward, the prosperous Jiangnan would definitely suffer the same catastrophe. This is Suiyang The sacrifices made were not for Li and Tang's dynasty, but for the continuation and recovery of Chinese civilization.Those soldiers and civilians who gave their lives told them the dogma of loyalty. Maybe they don't understand it, but they do understand a spirit-responsibility!Guarding the land under their feet and blocking the beast-like rebels is their responsibility to fulfill with their lives. They have done it, but what have those so-called "moralists" done? Thirteen days after the fall of Suiyang, reinforcements from the Tang Dynasty finally arrived. They repelled the rebels and recovered the scarred city.The Battle of Suiyang was an important turning point in the Anshi Rebellion. The Tang Dynasty preserved the Jiangnan area like a lifeline, leaving behind the capital to recover the rivers and mountains.Suiyang, because of its heavy sacrifice and contribution, even today, 1,000 years later, still has reason to become a magnificent watch that witnesses the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation. All people and all those lives should be commemorated by us. On the land of Henan 1300 years ago, there was a small town fighting tenaciously. The people there fought with a strong belief to the last breath of their lives, and then left with burning eyes.Through their heavy backs, the surviving people are surprised to find that history has been quietly changed because of their sacrifices.