Chapter 35 Chapter Thirty-Five

"Say what?" "It's roughly the same as the court's previous one. It was to persuade my father to stop the army." "Which Mr. Li?" "Li Maozhen." Zong Kan replied. Wang Jian frowned, and turned to Zhou Xiang: "Bo Ya, during the time I left the court, there was little news from the capital. Why didn't I remember that there was such a Li Maozhen in the court? Is he from the royal family?" Zhou Xiang obviously knew it well, and responded calmly: "My lord should have heard of this person. This person's surname is not Li, but Song. He was defeated by Huangchao in Longwei as early as Qianfu. The big battle at Pei made it famous all over the world."

"Oh? I know that there used to be a fierce general named Song Wentong in Zheng Gong's army, but this person?" "My lord has a good memory." Wang Zongkan said: "Oh! It turned out to be him!" "You also know this person?" Wang Jian asked. "I know. This man once served in the Shence Army. My son has seen it before. I heard that he is from Shenzhou Boye, and his family has practiced martial arts for generations. During the Qianfu period, he served in the Boye Army. Fengtian. When Huang Chao attacked Guanzhong, he was transferred to Lord Zheng, the commander of the camps of all the roads in the west of Beijing. Later, he was defeated and surrendered to Longweipi, so the captain moved to the military academy."

"So that's the case." Wang Jian nodded thoughtfully, "Then how did he get promoted to the current Jiedushi?" Zhou Xiang then said: "This starts with the rebellion of Zhu Mei in the past. At that time, the lord helped protect the emperor Nanxing Xingyuan, and this Song Wentong was appointed again. Later, he lived up to expectations, defeated Wang Xingyu, and recovered Xingzhou. The situation was also turned around. After the farce ended, meritorious deeds were rewarded, while Song Wentong moved to the Taibao and Tongping Zhangshi because he was in the south of Shanshan, and he was the first in terms of merit. , given the surname Li, the name Maozhen, and the emperor personally made the word Zhengchen. In the second year of Guangqi, Li Changfu, the governor of Fengxiang at that time, fought against Yang Shouli, the head of the Shence Army, Yang Fugong's adoptive son, and Li Changfu Fu was defeated and surrendered to Longchuan. In order to control Fengxiang Town, the imperial court took the opportunity to order a crusade, and ordered Li Maozhen to be the recruiting envoy of Longzhou to send troops to conquer. Soon, Li Changfu followed in Zhu Mei's footsteps and was captured by his subordinate Longzhou Governor Xue Zhishou was beheaded, and his clan was exterminated. Due to the rapid advance, the rebel army collapsed without a fight, so Li Maozhen was promoted again. In August, he was given the same order and served as Fengxiang Jiedu envoy."

"Hmph!" Wang Jian said with a sullen expression on his face, "A small soldier has gained power, and now he writes a letter to persuade me to stop the army! It's really unreasonable!" But a little pride rose in his heart, because the young people around him, Zong Kan and Zong Yao, gradually matured , and having such a counselor who stays with him every day but knows everything about the world, he can't help but feel that the future is extremely bright. "Bo Ya, according to what you see, how about returning to Langzhou now?" "Why did my lord say such a thing?"

"I just feel that Chengdu is still strong now. I have nothing to gain, nothing to retreat, and I am worried that the emperor will blame me." "I told my lord before that if you want to take Xichuan, how can you achieve success in three or five years? Now that the war is starting, the lord must not give up!" Seeing Wang Jian nodded and said nothing, Zhou Xiang continued, "I know The Lord misses Pengzhou in his heart. Pengzhou is now the strongest foreign agent in Chengdu. Pengzhou reinforcements have been sent to attack the city several times in the past. But taking Pengzhou is not a matter of time... On the contrary, I think that the city of Qiongzhou is complete and the food is sufficient. Several years. If the lord wants to take Xichuan, he needs to make a long-term plan, and Qiongzhou is the first choice!"

"Qiongzhou, Qiongzhou..." Wang Jian repeated, "To be honest, I felt a little guilty when I attacked Xichuan this time. It wasn't that I was afraid that Chen Jingxuan's soldiers would have enough food, but that the soldiers would not give their lives. Soldiers and horses, look at the use of soldiers, if you don't rely on the weight of the emperor, it will be difficult to gather the hearts of the people." Wang Jian pondered for a moment, and then said, "I think it's better for you to draft a memorial for me, and at the same time to confess to the court, and at the same time to count Chen Jingxuan. Sin, I implore the court to choose a commander to crusade against Xichuan. And I am willing to obey the command of the court commander, charge into the battle, and die, so that I can redeem my sins. Tell the court that I, Wang Jian, do not plan for Chengdu, but only need one Qiongzhou. It's enough to be satisfied!"

"My lord, what a great plan! If the emperor thinks that the lord has no intention of taking Chengdu, he will definitely lead the army to conquer. By that time, he will be famous for attacking Xichuan! I will draft a memorial..." In June of the first year of Wende (888 AD), under the joint memorial of Wang Jian and Gu Yanlang, Li Ye finally made up his mind to operate on Xichuan.On the one hand, the scars that Tian Lingzi once left on him will never be erased. It is not too late for her husband to take revenge for ten years, let alone the majestic king of a country.Now that he has the opportunity to punish the traitor, Li Ye will never let it go easily.On the other hand, the eunuch's monopoly and the separatism of feudal towns are the biggest hidden dangers threatening the Tang Dynasty.The young emperor who had just ascended the throne would never let go of such an opportunity to establish the prestige of the emperor easily.Therefore, with a swipe of his imperial pen, he appointed Wei Zhaodu as the order of Zhongshu, the envoy of Xichuan Jiedu and the envoy of Liangchuan Recruitment System.Changed Chen Jingxuan to lead the army of Longwu.

Knowing the court's decision, Wang Jian summoned his confidants overnight to discuss how to deal with the next move. Zhou Xiang persuaded Wang Jian: "Now the imperial court has pointed the spearhead at Chengdu. If Chengdu chooses a new commander, Tian Lingzi will die without a place to bury him. I think he will not be captured without a fight, but will fight desperately. My lord, you must stand on the ground now." On the side of the new monarch, stand on the side of Wei Xianggong, only by gaining the trust of Wei Gong can you gain the support of the court, and you will be able to complete your hegemony."

Wang Jian listened, and asked Sima Zhangzao, who was sitting on the right, "What's Chengdu doing recently?" Zhang Zaochang, Wang Jian, was four years old. He was Wang Jian's superior when Wang Jian joined the army, and he also strongly recommended Wang Jian and Jin Hui to Yang Fuguang.After fighting side by side for a long time, Zhang Zao gradually discovered that Wang Guangtu was by no means an ordinary reckless hero, but a rare handsome talent.After abandoning Lu Yanhong and running with Wang Jian, Zhang Zao admired Wang Jian's judgment of the situation even more. From then on, he was willing to let Wang Jian dispatch him, and charged into battle without any complaints.

Zhang Zao stroked his gray beard and said, "Chengdu is strengthening the city and training its soldiers, and it is likely to fight a tough battle." Wang Jian thought to himself, it seems that Chengdu has decided to fight to the death and will not simply give up resistance.Chen Jingxuan and Tian Lingzi seem to be ready to die.Zhou Xiang's vision was indeed unique. At the beginning of the war, he predicted that the war would not end in three to five years.Thinking of this, he seemed to have a bottom line in his mind, and said to everyone: "If we want to gain the trust of the court, apart from being respectful to Mr. Wei, we must complete the task of attacking Chengdu by ourselves. You need to be prepared for a bad battle. "

Jin Hui echoed: "This is very true. Dongchuan and Shannan are each on the same side, and they will definitely not give their all to assist the court. Although we have all the troops and horses, it will still cost a lot to take down Chengdu. I have a strategy. I heard that local tyrants from Mianzhu and other places rose up together, and each supported their own troops. If these people's soldiers, horses, food and grass are added together, they will be twice as strong as our current strength! If this team can be brought under Situ's command, attack Going to Chengdu has at least a 30% chance of winning. Even if it can't be used by me, it must not be used by Tian Lingzi!" "I've heard it too! I heard that there is a big family in Mianzhu called He Yiyang, who has a wealthy family and has nearly 20,000 soldiers!" Wang Jiandao, "I have long wanted to subdue this person. Since Guangyuan mentioned it, Then I think this matter should be left to you, Zong Yao. The surprise soldiers you recruited last time did a lot to raid Langzhou, and I hope you won’t let me down this time.” "Yes, father." Looking at the beloved general and adopted son in front of him, Wang Jian said earnestly, "These rich men in Xichuan are no match for the thieves you said to surrender last time. You must be extremely careful when you go!" "Father, don't worry, my son will fulfill his mission." When Zong Yao went to Mianzhu to ask He Yiyang to leave the mountain, Wei Zhaodu, the new envoy of Xichuan Festival, had already entered Sichuan, and Wang Jian lined up to welcome him, treating him with courtesy everywhere.In July, when Wei Zhaodu arrived at the foot of the city of Chengdu, Chen Jingxuan and Tian Lingzi refused to accept it on their behalf, and asked for the iron certificate bestowed by the late emperor.Wei Zhaodu had no choice but to set up a residence in the Hesheng Temple in the south of Chengdu.Wang Jian suggested to Wei Zhaodu that he asked the emperor to attack Chengdu, and at the same time send troops to attack Pengzhou.Chen Jingxuan sent Meizhou Inspector Shan Xingzhang to rescue him with 50,000 soldiers. Wang Jian had to retreat considering the disparity in the strength of the two sides, but at the same time he was afraid of this brave Shan Xingzhang. On December 24th, Li Ye finally appointed Wei Zhaodu as the envoy to recruit troops from the battalion, and led Dongchuan soldiers to go on a crusade; at the same time, he appointed Yang Shouliang, the Jiedu envoy of Shannan West Road, and Gu Yanlang, the envoy of Dongchuan Jiedu, to assist in the expedition.And cut Qiong, Shu, Li, and Ya four prefectures to set up Yongping Army, take Wang Jian as the Jiedu envoy to govern Qiong Prefecture, and serve as the commander of all the troops in the camp.The next day, he issued an edict to deprive Chen Jingxuan of his title for the crime of "forming cliques and groups, refusing the king's orders, deep trenches and high fortifications, and unbridled military prestige". A vigorous crusade against Chengdu, under the command of Emperor Li Ye, thus kicked off. When the vast Chengdu Plain stretches to the northwest, it is blocked by the Longmen Mountains that stretch from east to west.Just at the junction of this mountain range and the plain, there is the ancient city of Mianzhu, which has the reputation of "the leader of ancient Shu and the important town of Yizhou".On this land, the brewed Jiannan Shaochun became a court wine of the Tang Dynasty, and the literati in Sanchuan and even the Chang'an Dynasty were all fascinated by it.However, at the end of the Tang Dynasty, the people living in Mianzhu often talked about the legendary story of a rich man named He Yiyang.Once upon a time, when Xichuan suffered from harassment from Nanzhao, the former Xichuan Jiedu envoy Gao Pian led 5,000 cavalry commanders to the south and captured dozens of its chiefs in the battle of Dadu River, making an invaluable military exploit.But there are still various legendary stories about He Yiyang and this Nanzhao conquest in Jianghu. "Yo? The sun is still out this afternoon?" He Yiyang leisurely turned around the backyard.The goldfish in the fish pond sank to the bottom of the clear pool, and a ray of lazy sunlight shone on the surface of the pool, refracting sparkling waves that made it hard to tell whether it was water waves or colorful scales. He Yiyang half-lyed on the grand teacher's chair, holding the gaiwan tea just made by the servant in his hand, holding the saucer slightly with his left hand, lifting the tea cover with his right hand, and sniffing the tea with his nose.The feeling of comfort just now was quickly replaced by another kind of unhappiness. "How expensive!" "Master!" Hearing the master's call, the butler quickly trotted around from behind the pond, and stood beside He Yiyang with his head bowed.