Chapter 43 Chapter Forty-Three

"Kong Huawen, come and see, this is what you and Zhang Yuchuan have done for me!" Li Ye threw Li Ke's grievance form in front of Kong Wei, "Is this the pillar I rely on? Could this be the hope I entrusted? A hundred thousand troops, Zhang Yuchuan and I will be destroyed!" Li Ye couldn't restrain his emotions, and roared: "Look, look! This gangster compared me to a man who said nothing Faithful, capricious villain, they have already sent the war letter threatening me to the Longshu case, don't you want me to be the king of my country's subjugation in the Tang Dynasty?"

Kong Wei was speechless and could only knock his head on the floor of the imperial study room, trembling all over, and said incoherently: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty... Your Majesty, calm down... Your Majesty and Zhang Xiangyuan... I wish to apologise with death..." "Death? Waiting for your death can bring back the revival of my Tang Dynasty? Waiting for your death can wash away the depression in my heart? Waiting for your death can eliminate my desolation..." The words of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty were already mixed with sobs. Seeing the emperor's tears, Kong Wei was even more at a loss, he didn't dare to speak anymore, he just kowtowed non-stop, his gray hair was messed up, and blood stains oozed from his forehead.Yes, he dedicated his whole life to the land of the Tang Dynasty, but now because of his and Zhang Jun's persistence, this defeat has been caused.The young emperor was crying, and Kong Wei felt a sharp pain in his heart when he looked down at the tears dripping on the floor... If he could exchange his death for eternal life, he would rather die a thousand times, ten thousand times...

Li Ye realized his gaffe, and quickly stopped sobbing.At this time, Kong Wei still kowtowed with his old body.Li Ye was bitter for a while: Yes, the old minister in front of him has been an important minister in four dynasties since he was the number one scholar in the thirteenth year of Emperor Xuanzong's university.Li Ye recalled that when Huang Chao entered Chang'an, the first emperor was fortunate to Shu, it was Kong Wei who took the lead to set an example and traveled thousands of miles to Chengdu; he also recalled that during the Zhu Mei Rebellion, it was Kong Wei who came to the late emperor's bed alone to rescue him, and suggested to leave immediately. Xingyuan, this saved the late emperor and himself... Thinking of this, he stepped forward to help Kong Wei: "Aiqing, you are an important minister of the four dynasties, and you are loyal to my Li family. The late emperor once bestowed on Aiqing "Help the dangerous and protect the righteous hero", pardon the death penalty! How can I kill you, how can I have the heart to kill you?... But now I don't even have the new imperial army, I'm afraid... I'm afraid that I will suddenly wake up one day Come on, Chang'an City is no longer mine..."

Kong Wei burst into tears, knelt down and took two steps to hug Li Ye's legs. "I have already made up my mind. No matter how threatened Li Keyong is, I will not kill you and Zhang Yuchuan. It is good that you and the two of you strongly advocate the attack on Hedong, but in the end it is my decision. I am the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, do I really dare to do it?" Don't you dare?" After that, he paused, looking longingly at Kong Wei's tearful eyes.In the corners of his wrinkled eyes, he saw Yixing's eyes of hatred and hatred, a clear distinction between public and private, and a resolute look, "Ai Qing, I have failed to attack the east of the river right now. We must plan ahead for my next step!"

Li Ye's calmness also influenced Kong Wei. He trembled slightly with his long snow-white beard, thought for a while, and replied: "Your Majesty, I secretly think that the current situation is complicated, but there are three things that His Majesty has to do—eliminate the eunuch's monopoly. , stop the troops to relieve the national power, and contain and use the feudal towns." Li Ye listened carefully and nodded, "Go ahead." "Before Zhang Xiang set off on the expedition, he once said to His Majesty, "First eliminate worries, and then eliminate internal troubles." The power of the country was wasted in Hedong. Especially in the battle of Xichuan, Wei Xiangxing’s battalion had a total of 100,000 soldiers, which consumed a lot of financial resources of the court, while Wang Guangtu only focused on planning his counties and was reluctant to gather a large army to attack Chengdu. Order Xichuan to stop the troops. Your Majesty can bear with it for the time being and forgive the crimes of Chen Jingxuan and Tian Lingzi. Once Xichuan stops the troops, the imperial court will be able to restore more taxes, and it will not be too late to use troops until the treasury is full. This third Well, right now the imperial army is defeated by Li Keyong, Zhu Quanzhong is full of wings, and Jianghuai, Wuyue are fighting openly and secretly. Your Majesty can no longer use troops easily. What needs to be done is to wait and see the development of the situation and use the contradictions between the various towns to balance their power. Once there is Given the opportunity, Your Majesty will be able to regenerate the rivers and mountains in one fell swoop!"

In the first month of the second year of Dashun (891 A.D.), under the pressure of Li Keyong, Li Ye issued two edicts in succession, demoting Kong Weijun Prefecture Governor and Zhang Jun Lianzhou Governor.And restored Li Keyong's official title and the national surname bestowed by the first emperor.A seemingly vigorous war against Hedong hastily came to an end.Kong Wei and Zhang Jun, two extremely popular prime ministers in the early years of the Zhaozong Dynasty, could not avoid a tragic fate.Four years later, because of Cui Zhaowei's feudal vassals and cronies, Li Ye missed the two ministers who had served as prime ministers at the beginning of his ascension, so he made Zhang Jun Minister of the Ministry of War, and restored Kong Wei's status as a nobleman. The servant of the door, Tongping Zhangshi.Kong Wei went to Chang'an to face the saint and asked to resign due to illness, but Li Ye refused.Three months later, the untimely champion prime minister finally died of illness in office.In March, Li Ye adopted Kong Wei's previous strategy and issued an edict to restore Chen Jingxuan's official position as envoy of Xichuan Jiedu, summoned Zhong Shuling and Xichuan Jiedu envoy Wei Zhaodu to return to Beijing, and ordered Gu Yanlang and Wang Jian to lead their troops back to the town.At this time, it had been two years and nine months since Li Ye decided to attack Xichuan.

Three years is short in Wang Jian's life.But these three years have been a long time for the besieged and food-deficient city of Chengdu.After the new year, the city of Chengdu ushered in a rare cold. On the night of the third day of the Lunar New Year, Xu Geng's bamboo forest courtyard unexpectedly fell with snowflakes. "Daddy, Daddy, look, it's snowing!" Xu Geng stood in the bamboo forest, letting the snowflakes fall on his head and shoulders, "Hehe...Daddy, your hair is gray..." It was Xu Geng's youngest daughter who spoke , this innocent and lively girl may not be ignorant of her father's mood at this time.

"Luo'er, it's so cold, I don't know how many people are suffering from hunger and cold..." Xu Geng sighed, and murmured, "In these years, if there were no traders who risked their lives to buy rice at high prices from outside the city, let alone Do you know how many people will starve to death on the street, maybe our family can’t even eat these coarse grains now!” He stroked his daughter’s hair, the playful girl just snuggled into Xu Geng’s arms, blinked her big beautiful eyes, stretched out a One hand catches the white spirits floating in the sky. At this time, Wang Jian's army was still stationed in the north of Chengdu.Since Gu Yanlang was sick and bedridden, the burden of the entire Xichuan expedition fell on his shoulders alone.Today, he is no longer the head of the loyal military capital who led a thousand followers, but the commander-in-chief of four hundred generals and one hundred thousand soldiers.Under the iron cavalry of tens of thousands of elite soldiers, Chengdu Fucheng and Luocheng built by Gao Pian are just a tiny place.How many times, Wang Jian wanted to raise his sword and send out the military order to crush Chengdu.But in the end, he still resisted the impulse.He knows that Chengdu is a metropolis second only to Yangzhou in terms of economy. If it is destroyed, even if he spends his whole life, he may not be able to manage and appear in such a land of abundance.Since God is so attached to him and puts such a city of Chengdu opened in nine days in front of him, he should try his best to get not only the city itself, but also everything in this city, including the countless talents in Xishu. Sages, skilled craftsmen, and more importantly, the hearts of the people of Xichuan.

Outside the city, every day, people risk their lives and sneak into the camp to sell rice into the city.Wang Jian naturally knew about this matter, and he believed that Tian Lingzi and Chen Jingxuan in the city could not have been unaware.Perhaps it is the best choice to turn a blind eye and close one eye. After all, Wang Jian does not want to see innocent people in the city die because of this war - he was once a poor people! Not long ago, I got the news that the imperial army defeated Hedong.The entire Central Plains has been caught in strife in troubled times, and now he is only a governor of the Yongping Army. It has become more and more urgent to win Chengdu and gain a foothold in Xichuan!However, is there really a way to do it without bloodshed?Wei Zhaodu was urging him to attack the city every day. On the one hand, Wang Jian had his own plans, and on the other hand, he couldn't offend the imperial court's nominal commander of Xichuan's crusade.Time is spent day by day in such a stalemate...

On this day, an astonishing news came to Wang Jian: the imperial court issued the "Resume to Chen Jingxuan Official Noble Edict" and ordered Wang Jian to strike back and return to the town's territory.What a bolt from the blue!From Xu Geng's secret letter, Wang Jian has already learned that there is no food in the city of Chengdu, and even the officers are struggling to feed themselves. Doesn't withdrawing troops at this golden opportunity mean that the success is in vain!However, how can the imperial decree be dismissed?Before Wang Jian was a weighing and test of his loyalty and ambition.

The severe winter is over, and the sporadic weeping willows on both sides of the Shahe River embellish the chilling war scenes with a little vitality.The sky is bright, and a few swallows in early spring have already built nests on the branches.Wang Jian opened his eyes and saw that his wife had gotten up early and was doing makeup in front of the mirror.The curtain of the military tent was raised a crack, and the morning breeze made him much more awake.He turned over, wiped his face, straightened his clothes, and asked Mrs. Zhou: "What day is it today, seeing you dressed like this?" Madam turned her head and smiled slightly: "Today is Buddha Duobao's birthday. There is a Zhaojue Temple not far from here. I want to go and burn a stick of incense. By the way, I will ask Yi'er for a longevity lock." The two words made Wang Jian feel warm and harmonious.The youngest son, Wang Zongyi, was born to him and his concubine Ji. How could he not be moved when he saw his wife treat the concubine like this?He happily walked behind his wife, tied a cloud bun and a hairpin on her with his own hands, and said with a smile: "It's no wonder you have such thoughts. If that's the case, you and I will go together today." "How is this good? You are busy with military affairs, how can you have time to visit temples with me?" "I've been besieging Chengdu for almost three years, and I don't care about this day. Besides, the lieutenant general Zuo each performs his duties, and he only goes there for half a day, so nothing can be messed up." Hearing what her husband said, the woman had a happy smile on her face... Not far to the north after crossing the Sima Bridge is Zhaojue Temple.In the past, this place was called Jianyuan Temple.When Wang Jian went to Chengdu to escort him, he also accompanied the late Emperor Xizong to this temple. The name "Zhaojue" was bestowed by the late Emperor at that time.Although it is in turmoil right now, there is a lot of incense here.Although Wang Jian does not believe in Buddhism, he still feels awe when he comes to this place where the bells sound leisurely and the monks are chanting sutras.But after all, it is difficult for him to worship devoutly in front of the Buddha statue like his wife. What he never forgets is the imperial edict ordering him to strike back and return to the town.Is there any way to passively resist the decree?The most convenient way is to wipe out Wei Zhaodu, the commander-in-chief sent by the imperial court to Xichuan.In fact, Zhang Jie, Zong Ji and other officers and soldiers had already sharpened their swords and waited for him to issue orders.But killing Wei Zhaodu is tantamount to open rebellion, which is worse than Chen Jingxuan and other rebellious officials, and his three-year plan to enshrine Emperor Zhengshuo and destroy Xichuan has come to naught...Wang Jian was thinking, while alone in the hall Pacing outside.Suddenly he raised his head and saw his wife coming out of the hall. "Why so fast? Didn't you go to the apse? There is a bronze lion there, and it will be very effective if you touch it." "I'm not going, I've already obtained the Longevity Lock, I'm afraid you'll be bored waiting alone. It's almost noon, and I'm a little hungry." "Alright, there are a few small shops not far from the temple, let's start here." Said, Wang Jian led his wife out of Zhaojue Temple, and found a clean small shop on a small street outside the temple. Shop, I asked for a catty of cut cakes and two bowls of mutton soup.Wang Jian seemed to be hungry, so he soaked the cake in the soup and ate it voraciously.Mrs. Zhou smiled, and put a large piece of mutton in her bowl into her husband's bowl. While eating, I heard someone in the alley outside yelling "Selling knives—the seller's handed down sword—" Wang Jian was born as a general and liked weapons, so he shouted to the waiter in the shop to call the hawkers outside.Not long after, a fat man with short stature walked into the shop.Wang Jian looked up and down, and saw that the two horizontal eyebrows of the visitor were like two thick masterpieces in ink painting, his face was full of pimples, and he had a beard and hawthorn. "Does the official buy a knife? A good knife from the ancestors!" "How much is the asking price?" "This official, how can you inquire about the price when you see the goods?" Wang Jian smiled: "If I know your asking price, I will naturally know your products." "Happy! One hundred coins, no counter-offering." "Hmm... At such an asking price, it's still worth a look." The fat man drew a knife from his waist and put it on the dining table.When Wang Jian saw it, he almost laughed out loud: "Could the strong man be kidding me? This is a butcher's knife for killing pigs!" "Hahaha... The official has good eyesight! What I'm selling is this butcher knife passed down in my family!" "Oh?" Wang Jian stopped laughing, turned the knife in his hand and looked at it again and again. Except that the blade was a little sharp, there was nothing special about it. Seeing Wang Jian's doubts, the fat man turned the knife upside down and laid it horizontally on the table. He then took a porcelain bowl and lifted it three feet away from the table... The man let go of his hand, and the bowl fell down with a whoosh. ... Hearing a muffled sound of "哐", Wang Jian was shocked—it turned out that the bowl was split in half by a knife blade, and there was a neat knife mark on the crack. "Good knife..." Wang Jian murmured. "Officer, do you want to buy this knife?" "Buy! But... today I am going to accompany my wife to burn incense, and I don't have enough money with me. Can the strong man follow me to the barracks, so I can withdraw money to buy a knife... Oh, it's not far, it's at Sima Bridge in the north of the city." "Sima Bridge in the north of the city? Master Jun, are you from the Yongping Army?" "Exactly." "Oh... I'm sorry, I'm sorry... The Yongping Army has always produced heroes in large numbers. I see that you are very handsome, dare to ask your name?" Wang Jian, as the envoy of the Yongping Army and the chief general of the imperial court to crusade against Xichuan, instinctively concealed his true identity, and casually made up a lie and replied, "Oh, I'm in Jinhui." "Oh? Excuse me for being rude, may I ask which Jinhui it is?" Wang Jian never thought that this fat man who sells butcher knives would really ask the truth, so he could only bite the bullet and make up a lie: "Oh, my ancestors lived in Xuzhou, Henan, and my father was a deputy envoy of the Zhongwu Army. Vice Admiral..." "Oh! What a benefactor!" The fat man knelt down and kowtowed to Wang Jian. Mrs. Wang Jianhe messed with Monk Zhang Er, he quickly helped him up: "Strong man, you and I have never met each other, why do you do this great gift?" "Although Engong doesn't know the villain, he is my family's savior!" The fat man tried his best to suppress the excitement in his heart, and told the whole story: "The villain's name is Wang Yao, and he was originally from Jizhou. Birth...Three years ago, Engong went to Jizhou to take up the post of governor. My elder brother enlisted in the army and was under Engong's tent. At that time, the imperial court formed the Yongping Army and called Engong to crusade against Xichuan. Who would have thought that my mother would be here I am critically ill. In normal wars, let alone sickness, you have to go to the front line to work hard even if your parents die. But benefactor, you let my brother go back to the fields to serve my mother, and you gave me three months' salary! Thanks! You have a chivalrous heart and love soldiers like a son. Fortunately, my old lady escaped the catastrophe and is now healthy! I left home since I was a child and made a living in Chengdu by relying on my family's butchering skills. Once, Grand Master Chen passed by my stall and saw that I was slaughtering neatly. So people sent dog meat to Taishi’s mansion on a regular basis. So these years, I have been blessed by Chen Taishi and saved a lot of savings. Half a year ago, I went back to my hometown in Jizhou to visit my mother, and my brother told me about the past. Engong was ordered to attack Xichuan, so I should not go to Chengdu to serve Grand Master Chen. After returning to Chengdu, the two armies were at war. I remembered my elder brother’s teachings and thanked you for saving my mother’s life. I vowed not to enter Chengdu. Wandering in the area from Tianhui Town to Sima Bridge... Ten days ago, I received a letter from my brother saying that my mother was seriously ill again and the family desperately needed money. Butcher Knife..." Hearing this, Wang Jian's heart brightened, and he couldn't help thinking: "Strong man, so and so, go to the camp with me, I will take the money for you, and bring it home as soon as possible, so as to relieve the urgent need." "Don't do it, don't do it! Engong likes this knife, just take it, how dare the villain dare to give it to Engong again?" "You don't need to talk too much, come with me, I have something important to tell you in detail." Wang Yao was taken aback for a moment, then he understood, and nodded quickly.Wang Jian and his wife led Wang Yao to the Sima Bridge camp. Wang Jian led Wang Yao directly to Jin Hui's tent, and introduced with a smile: "Wang Zhuangshi, pay homage quickly, this is your benevolent chivalrous Jin Guangyuan!" Jin Hui and Wang Yao looked at each other for a moment.Wang Yao asked in surprise: "Then, general, you..." The attendant interrupted: "This is the Jiedu Envoy of the Yongping Army, who was ordered by the imperial court to conquer Xichuan General Wang Situ!" Wang Yao woke up like a dream: "The villain has eyes but no pearls, and he didn't recognize you as an adult!" "It's me who should apologize to you. I'm inconvenient outside. I pretended to be General Jin and deceived the strong man." "My lord, what are you talking about? As the coach of one side, you treat me like this as a servant..." After saying that, he gave Jin Hui another big gift, "Benefactor! You are my mother's benefactor!" After saying it again, he praised: "Guangyuan, you love soldiers like a son, and you are anxious about others' difficulties. You deserve it!" "So that's how it is..." Jin Hui murmured, "Since that's the case, I would like to buy this knife for a hundred dollars, so as to relieve the urgent need of the strong man Wang." "Benefactor! How can I repay the two benefactors!" Wang Jiandao: "I'm not trying to repay you, but I do have one thing right now, please help me!" "There is nothing to say! Just give orders from the adults, and the villains will go through fire and water without hesitation!" Wang Jianshi called Wang Yao to the front, and lowered his voice to reveal his plan...