Chapter 15 Chapter fifteen

Just as the rebel army entered Chang'an, Tian Lingzi ordered 500 forbidden troops to surround the Emperor Li Xuan of the Tang Dynasty and leave the palace from Jinguangmen.And this action, did not notify any officials in the court, accompanied by only four princes and eight favored concubines. Perhaps, Li Xuan would not have imagined that as soon as he embarked on the journey to leave Beijing, Lu Xie committed suicide by taking poison and became the first tragic person Huang Chao entered Beijing.Later, Chai Cun, the vanguard general of the rebel army, took the lead in occupying Chang'an, and Zhang Zhifang, the general of Jinwu, led dozens of civil and military officials to Bashang to surrender to Huang Chao, welcoming the famous rebel general to take over Chang'an.

But at this moment, the turbulence of the night had already made the young Tang monarch experience the pain of being displaced for the first time.Thinking of the magnificence of the Daming Palace in the past gradually fading away behind him, and looking at the scrambling soldiers around him, he couldn't help crying on the horse's back. "Your Majesty, don't be sad. During the Anshi Rebellion, the late Emperor Xuanzong also took refuge temporarily. Let's find a shelter for a while, and then it will not be too late to regain Chang'an." Tian Lingzi rode a tall green maned horse, and Li Xuan was at the front of the team.

Li Xuan frowned: "Where is the good place for shelter?" "Naturally, go to Jiannan Road! There is Shu land there, so it will be very safe." "Western Shu is thousands of miles away, and we have to travel through mountains and rivers. I don't know how hard this journey will be!" Tian Lingzi persuaded again: "Your Majesty, now we are looking for a safe place. The pass is too close to Chang'an, so the Emperor can't rest easy. Thinking about the fertile land of Bashu, Chengdu is a rich and prosperous town. There are soldiers, valleys, money and food in it , there is Jiange, which is dangerous and worry-free, and this is the first choice of His Majesty."

Li Xuan remained silent.Considering his own safety, he knew that what Tian Lingzi said was all the truth, and it was not that he did not understand the principle of Yang Yi Yi Er.But he has almost never been far from Chang'an City. He dare not imagine how difficult the journey to Sichuan will be.Thinking of this, Li Xuan stroked the horse's mane sadly. "Your Majesty, look ahead." Following the direction of Tian Lingzi's finger, Li Xuan saw a group of horses and horses approaching from a distance, stepping on the dust and getting closer—"Zheng Taiwen! It's him!" Li Xuan was pleasantly surprised Shout out.At this time, he disregarded the dignity of the emperor, got off his mount in a hurry, and trotted to meet him.

Two hundred steps away from Li Xuan, the man on horseback threw his stirrups off the saddle and ran over. When he rushed to the front, he knelt down at Li Xuan's feet with a plop, and cried, "Your Majesty, my minister... I deserve to be late for escorting you." Doom!" "Zheng Aiqing, I miss you so much!" After saying that, Li Xuan hugged Zheng Tian's head. "Your Majesty, you have suffered!" This sentence was like a steel needle inserted into Li Xuan's heart, and he almost couldn't help but recited two lines of Du Fu's "Spring Hope":

"Your Majesty..." At this moment, Zheng Tian's tears welled up in his eyes. Li Xuan sighed: "The city of Chang'an is broken, I am ashamed of my ancestors!" Zheng Tian wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and advised Li Xuan, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, the capital is surrounded by our troops, I believe it won't take long. We will be able to regain Chang'an." Seeing that Li Yan was silent, he said again: "Fengxiang is not far from here, I beg the emperor to be lucky." "Oh, no... no no..." Li Xuan shook his head hastily.Although he was still hesitating about Tian Lingzi's plan for the West Shu, the panic of fleeing made him dare not go west to Fengxiang City.After all, Fengxiang is too close to Chang'an!

Seeing that Li Xuan's attitude was so resolute and it was difficult to reply, Zheng Tian asked cautiously, "Where is the emperor planning to go now?" Li Xuan thought for a while, he was not sure whether he would really go to Chengdu in Western Shu, so he prevaricated: "I want to go to Xingyuan to take refuge temporarily." Xingyuan is the seat of Shannan West Road, although it is farther than Fengxiang, But not out of reach.Zheng Tian nodded and felt relieved: "So, I am willing to escort the emperor to the south." Hearing this, Li Xuan felt warm in his heart.Only after the predicament did I know what a loyal minister is like, "No need, it's fine to be escorted by the Shence Army. Aiqing is a talent for keeping the country safe and secure, and needs to take on more important tasks."

"I am willing to put my heart and soul to the emperor!" "Okay! I will order you to contact the various envoys and take back Chang'an for me!" "Your majesty trusts me so much, even if I die, I will not be able to repay you!" Li Yan pulled Zheng Tian again: "After I leave, Aiqing has a heavy responsibility on her shoulders. You must defend the bandits in the east, pacify the feudal vassals in the west, entangle the neighbors, and build a great honor! I am going to Xingyuan. The road is rough, and I am afraid that the traffic will be inconvenient. , if you encounter a major event, you can do it cheaply, you can make your own decisions, but Mo can pardon the official!" Li Yan said three "yes" in a row.Especially the last four words "Mo pardon and remove officials" can be described as a very important word, and the power of appointment and removal of officials in the Tang Dynasty was trusted to Zheng Tian.From this moment on, Zheng Tian became the commander of the camps and camps of all the troops on all sides of the capital, and Li Yan endowed him with supreme power.

Zheng Tian hastily bowed down: "Your Majesty, even if you are smashed to pieces, it will be difficult for you to repay your trust! Your Majesty, please rest assured, but with Zheng Tian here, you will be able to return to Chang'an!" This tragic and touching scene was witnessed by Tian Lingzi. Not without emotion. After the monarch and ministers shed tears and parted.Li Xuan continued southward to Xingyuan, while Zheng Tian went west to Fengxiang City in an attempt to connect with other Taoists. In addition, Fengxiang Mansion is located in the west of Guanzhong Plain, connecting Chang'an in the east and Xingyuan in the south.In ancient times, Emperor Yan was born here. The Xia Dynasty called it Yongchuan. It was here since the Western Zhou Dynasty. The Qin Dynasty was born here. Since the Tang Dynasty, Fengxiang was established.Although Fengxiang is not considered a military fortress, Zheng Tian, ​​who returned to Fengxiang, sincerely felt that this place was about to become the core of counterattacking Chang'an.It's not that Fengxiang itself has this responsibility, but Zheng Tian gave it this mission.

At five o'clock, the sky above Fengxiang City was so dark that there was no sign of bright light. The thick clouds and fog could neither see the stars nor the bright moon.A gust of cold wind pushed open the red lacquered wooden window of the study and blew out the candle lamp on the desk.Zheng Tian couldn't help but smacked his lips.The candle lamp was extinguished, and a drop of ink spilled on the rice paper, soaking a row of teeny script. "Chuntao, hold the lamp!" Zheng Tian took this opportunity to rub the dry corners of his eyes, and stood up, feeling a little top-heavy.A delicate figure walked around the screen with a bright candle in his hand and walked into the study. "Hurry up, click on it. I am in a hurry to write a letter." Zheng Tianfu sat down again, closed his eyes and leaned against the wooden chair.At this moment, I felt a little cold.Just as she was about to ask her maid Chuntao to bring a fur coat, she felt a windbreaker draped over her shoulders, and a familiar voice came from beside her ear: "Master, this is your third night. How can your body survive this?"

"Oh, ma'am, why are you here?" Zheng Tian complained, but his heart was full of warmth. Mrs. Zheng looked at her husband by candlelight - the former prime minister, now the Jiedushi who is in charge of Fengxiang's military and political power - although he is not over sixty, his temples are gray and his forehead is full of wrinkles.Madam couldn't help but feel sad: "Master, you should rest for an hour first. This letter contacting all Taoists can't be finished in a day or two!" "I'm going to send out the letters to Hezhong, Shuofang, and Jingyuan today. There are still a few words left. Ma'am, let's rest first." After finishing speaking, Zheng Tian stopped talking and took out a new rice paper from under the paperweight. Copy the folded ink dyed just now... When the sky was bright, Zheng Tian hurriedly called five confidants, folded the letter he had written all night and handed it over to each of them, and asked him repeatedly.It was also ordered to leave the city, the long history, the recorder to join the military, the military academy, and the generals to discuss matters in the hall.At three o'clock in the morning, everyone arrived. After Zheng Ting sat firmly in the case, he said impassionedly: "This envoy has notified the eight states and raised troops to recover Chang'an. Today, everyone is called to discuss the date of raising troops." Feng Xiangyin took a step forward and said: "Sir, is it too early to raise troops at this time?" "Morning? The Holy Majesty is in exile, and the people are in dire straits. If you don't plan to raise your troops as soon as possible, when will you wait?" "Although Sima communicated with the eight states, there were very few people who responded! Now that the yellow thief has ascended the throne, and the four sides are proclaiming the vassal, it is difficult to distinguish the enemy from us. In my opinion, we, Fengxiang, might as well be humiliated for a while, and wait for the states to raise troops, and then it will not be too late to follow..." "Do you want me, Zheng Tian, ​​to be a vassal for the thief?" Zheng Tian burst into anger, staring fiercely at Fu Yin with bloodshot eyes. "Sima calm down, my officer... just a suggestion..." "Bastard!" Zheng Tian said angrily, "You and I, as officials of the Tang Dynasty, how can you..." After saying this, I suddenly felt the darkness in front of my eyes, filled with suffocation, and fainted on the ground... "My lord! My lord!" The lieutenants Wang Qize and Meng Tu hurried forward to help the master up, and there was a mess in the lobby, calling for doctors and nurses, hugging Zheng Tian, ​​and discussing in private... After a while, Zheng Tian was carried to the back house by two lieutenants.Just at the moment when the hall was short of backbone, a reporter rushed into the door and shouted "Report—" Kneeling on one leg to report: "Report, my lords, Huang Chao's envoy is here!" The sound was suppressed, everyone looked at me and I looked at you, and no one could make up his mind. The supervisor Peng Jingrou frowned, and said loudly: "Please!" Then he went out to meet him, and the generals and officials had to follow him behind him. Surrounded by four attendants, a short man with a mustache appeared in front of Fengxiang officials.The short man squinted at the group of people, and said, "Which one is Master Zheng, the envoy of Fengxiang?" After speaking, the envoy's mouth didn't seem to move, but the mustache trembled slightly. Peng Jingrou frowned habitually, cupped his hands and said: "Master Zheng suffers from wind paralysis, and is sick on a high couch, so he can't welcome him from far away. I'm going to Tang Fengxiang's supervisor, Peng Jingrou, to pay homage to the envoy." The envoy squinted at Peng Jingrou up and down, and said, "Forgive me for not beating around the bush. Now that Chang'an has changed hands, the Tang Dynasty has collapsed, and your master is in exile. Since ancient times, the virtuous have lived here, and I am Daqi." Since the emperor raised his army, the people all over the world have supported the people to surrender. Seven out of ten people in the world have surrendered to me. Not to mention your little Fengxiang, even Qin Zongquan, who is so powerful in the east of the Yangtze River, bowed his head and bowed his head. My prime minister sent me here to greet Mr. Zheng , if you are willing to serve me as a courtier of Qi, you and I will also serve as ministers in the same palace from now on, this is naturally easy to say; if you insist on going your own way, hehe, when the time comes, the heavenly soldiers will come, this is the weight, let's weigh it." All of a sudden, Meng Tu pulled out the sharp sword from his waist and angrily said, "Thief, how can the general of Tang surrender grass bandits?" Peng Jingrou scolded: "Stop! You are a mere seventh-rank servant, there is a place for you to speak here, don't back down!" He winked at Wang Qize, and Wang Qihui pulled Meng Tu away .Before this side left, Peng Jingrou, together with several governors, rushed to make an apology. The envoy was "magnanimous" and said, "That's all," he added, "here is the pardon. Mr. Zheng, can you come out and sign your name, so that I can go back and make an appointment." Peng Jingrou looked around, and replied: "The envoy wait a moment, let me wait for a while for a small discussion." After saying that, he left the hall without waiting for others to speak.An aide hurriedly chased him out, and whispered something in Peng Jingrou's ear. Peng Jingrou shook his head: "Now Mr. Zheng is not awake, how can I help the thief?" The staff said: "Now the enemy is strong and we are weak. The world is not united, and I, Fengxiang, are alone and alone. If I reject his yellow nest, wouldn't I hit the stone with an egg? A man can bend and stretch, and temporarily live under others. As soon as the teacher arrives, it is the best policy for you and me to fight back. As for Mr. Zheng, who has suffered from the emperor's favor, and now signs his surrender, it is naturally embarrassing. Now that Mr. Zheng is not present, you and I will sign a letter on behalf of him. This will solve the immediate urgent need, and the world will not laugh at Mr. Zheng's cowardice!" Peng Jingrou frowned tightly, and said after a while: "If a hundred years later, I will be infamous, I will bear it for Mr. Zheng!" After finishing speaking, he went on his own. Return to make.He called for pen and ink, signed Fengxiang counties and counties on the pardon letter, and at the end, put his name on the paper. Seeing Fengxiang's return, the short man made his heart ache, and held Peng Jingrou with a smile: "Peng Jianjun, you and I will be a family from now on. The county officials of Fengxiang Prefecture will be the same as before. Please tell Mr. Zheng, if If Mr. Zheng is willing, he can seek greater fame." Peng Jingrou held his breath and nodded, the apologetic smile on his face made his muscles very sad.He simply greeted the banquet, handed over the affairs of the front hall to others, and walked back by himself. Besides, at the banquet, there were neither Jiedu envoys nor supervising troops. Several civil officials accompanied the envoys to push cups and change cups, and all the generals bowed their heads and said nothing.Many generals put their hands on their waists and hung their swords and swords, intending to attack, but without general orders, no one dared to make such a move.Feng Xiangyin greeted many kabukis, and in the hall, there was music and dance, a scene of harmony and peace.Wang Qize heard such dance and music, thought of the master in the Qijue hall, and thought of himself as a general but unable to kill the enemy and make meritorious service, he couldn't help but burst into tears.Seeing this situation, Meng Tu at the side also wiped away his tears, and the rest of the soldiers were all affected by it, sobbing everywhere.The envoy of Qi couldn't help being astonished, and said displeasedly, "Is it not what you want to belong to Da Qi?"The counselor stood up and said: "Don't blame the envoy. Most of the military officers here have a deep relationship with Mr. Zheng of my family. Right now, Mr. Fengbi is unable to attend, and the generals feel sorry for them, so they cry." After hearing such rescue words, Wang Qize Feeling that he had lost his composure, he quickly wiped away the tears, and said: "Qi is too strong to drink, so I won't accompany you all!" After saying that, he pressed his sword and left, followed by Meng Tu.Behind him was the staff again trying to smooth things over: "Many warriors have no etiquette, so don't blame the officials." "Oh, the military temperament is commonplace." Then he drank again. Wang Qi walked out of the banquet in a sullen manner, and when he saw Meng Tu following him, he said angrily, "If your envoy knows what happened today, what face will we have?" Meng Tu nodded and said, "Why don't you and I visit our envoy , in order to seek a plan." After speaking, the two went straight to the mansion to meet Zheng Tian.After resting for a day, Zheng Tian also woke up. At this time, he saw two confidantes and loved generals coming to visit him, and his mood was much better. But when he saw that both of them had tears, he asked why.Wang Qize told the whole story. Hearing this, Zheng Tian got up from the couch in shock, and said angrily, "If I want to carry the Tang Dynasty and surrender the thief, unless I die!" After he finished speaking, he looked at Wang Qize, then at Mengtu, and asked, "You two follow? I have been waiting for you for many years, how will I wait?" "Your kindness is as heavy as a mountain! Qi is hard to repay even if you die!" Meng Tu also said: "Qi Ze and I were originally begging for a living, and were promoted by the Lord, so that we can join the army to conquer Pang Xun and make meritorious deeds. Even if Meng Tu died ten thousand times, he would not be able to repay the Lord for his kindness!" "Okay," Zheng Tian shook his gray beard, "I want the two of you to kill me, and live and die with Feng Xiang and my Tang Dynasty, are you willing?" The two of them answered in unison: "I'm so devastated, I'll never hesitate to die!" "Okay!..." Zheng Tian was about to speak, but when he heard the sound of pushing the door, in a blink of an eye, the supervisor Peng Jingrou had come to the inner room: "Duke Zheng! Jingrou is ashamed of Duke Zheng and the people of Fengxiang..." the voice Before falling, Peng Jingrou had already knelt down on the ground. "What's the reason for the supervisor?" Zheng Tian asked in surprise.Peng Jingrou had a bitter expression on his face, and his brows were frowned into a pimple: "I'm confused! I wanted to find a perfect solution for Zheng Gong, so I signed this contract of betraying the ancestors of the Tang Dynasty! Just now I was patrolling the streets, and I found out Knowing that the people hate me so much! I just forgot that this world still belongs to the Tang Dynasty, and the hearts of the people cannot belong to his Huangchao!" "Supervisor, the Great Tang has suffered such a misfortune. We ministers should do our best to revive it. As long as I, Fengxiang, unite as one, what can the yellow thieves do to me? , In the Beiyue River, all will become a city, and the yellow thief sitting in Chang'an is like a fish and turtle entering a urn. If I regain Shatuo's soldiers and use them for me, why worry about Chang'an not being restored?" The words made the blood of the people present boil, and Wang Qi couldn't hold back. He stopped and said, "My lord, just give me instructions. What do you want me to do?" Zheng Tian lowered his voice and said his plan again.Everyone nodded.Then, Zheng Tian ordered people to prepare water and wine, and took the lead in pricking his finger, and the blood dripped into the cup. At si o'clock the next day, Zheng Tian held a banquet for Huang Chao's envoys.When the envoy saw that Zheng Tian had acquiesced in the pardon, he was relieved. Just the day before, this place was still oppressed and breathless, but now there is the sound of harpies, and everyone is pushing and changing cups, just like a family.The short envoy was probably proud of completing the mission with ease, and he could wait for the "Emperor Daqi"'s reward when he returned to Chang'an, so he couldn't help drinking a few more glasses.At this moment, he may not have thought that Zheng Tian, ​​who was by his side, was watching his every move through gritted teeth. The envoy got drunk, stood up staggeringly, picked up the wine bowl and walked over to Zheng Tian.Seeing that the time had come, Zheng Tian suddenly slapped the table with his left hand and poured the bowl of wine in his right hand on the man. Wang Qize had already been waiting at the side. Seeing the signal from the master, he rushed forward alertly. Before the short man came back to his senses, he pierced the opponent's throat with his sword, killing the man in an instant. All of a sudden, there was constant panic in the room, and everyone was stunned for a moment, and no one dared to leave their positions easily.The accompanying guards who came with Huang Chao's amnesty never expected this to happen, put down their wine glasses in a hurry, and drew their swords and knives.Peng Jingrou had been prepared for a long time, and when he said "Come here", Meng Tu, who was in ambush, led twenty cronies to swarm up into the tent, and chopped several guards to the ground neatly with a few knives. "Supervisor, you have caused a catastrophe! You killed the Daqi Emperor's amnesty envoy, and we, Fengxiang, are in a catastrophe!" The one who spoke was Fengxiang Yin who had previously advocated surrender. Zheng Tian couldn't get used to this dog official who was greedy for life and afraid of death, so he gave Wang Qize a wink, and Qize quietly walked around behind Fu Yin, only to hear a "poof", a sword pierced through Fu Yin's chest back.At this moment, no one dared to speak loudly, and all lowered their heads, discussing in low voices, while peeking at Zheng Tian.Wang Qi pulled out the sword, Fu Yin fell to the ground in response, and then came to Zheng Tian with a rattling armor leaf, and handed over the bloody sword with both hands respectfully: "The last general Surrender to the adults!"