Chapter 2 Chang'an recovered, Li Mi returned to the mountain

In order to cut off the connection between Chang'an and Luoyang and form a siege to Chang'an, Guo Ziyi decided to conquer Tongguan first. At the end of February in the second year of Zhide, he sent his son Guo Min, soldier Gu Huai'en, soldier Li Shaoguang, and general Wang Zuo to lead his troops across the Yellow River from Hedong to attack Tongguan.The Yan army guarding the gate couldn't resist, leaving more than 500 corpses and retreating hastily. An Qingxu heard the news and urgently ordered An Shouzhong to rescue Tongguan quickly. Yan Jun's counterattack was very powerful.As a result, the Tang army was defeated, and more than 10,000 people were killed. Li Shaoguang and Wang Zuo died in battle.In late March, An Shouzhong took advantage of the victory to attack Hedong.Guo Ziyi personally commanded the battle, repelled An Shouzhong, captured 8,000 heads and captured 5,000 prisoners.

In the first round, the two sides won each other. In April, Suzong Li Heng, who was eager to win, decided to concentrate his forces and conquer Chang'an in one fell swoop, so he promoted Guo Ziyi to Sikong and deputy marshal of the world's soldiers and horses, and ordered him to move to Fengxiang.At the end of April, Guo Ziyi's Ministry and Wang Sili's Ministry met at the Xiwei Bridge in the southwest of Xianyang, and then stationed on the west bank of the Wei River (a tributary of the Wei River).Yan generals An Shouzhong and Li Guiren immediately led troops to garrison Qingqu in the western suburbs of Chang'an.The two armies faced each other for seven days and seven nights, but the Tang army was still unable to move forward.

On the sixth day of May, An Shouzhong pretended to retreat, and Guo Ziyi ordered the whole army to attack.The Yan army formed a long snake formation with 9,000 elite cavalry. When the Tang army attacked its abdomen, the head and tail instantly turned into two wings, encircling the Tang army.The Tang army was defeated in this battle, with heavy casualties.General Han Ye and eunuch Sun Zhigu were captured.Tang Jun abandoned all military equipment and returned to martial arts.Fengxiang, the place where Emperor Suzong stayed, had to be under martial law again. In the second round, Tang Jun suffered a disastrous defeat.

After this battle, Guo Ziyi deeply felt that the fighting power of the Yan army was still very strong, so he persuaded Suzong to ask Huihe for help again, and asked them to send elite soldiers to help.In September of this year, Gele Khan of Huihe sent his son Yehu and general Dide to lead more than 4,000 elite soldiers to Fengxiang.Suzong was overjoyed, and immediately held a banquet to reward him, and rewarded him with a lot of money.Li Chu, the king of Guangping, also became brothers with Ye Hu. On September 12th, the second year of Zhide, Emperor Suzong issued an order for a general offensive. The Marshal of the Tianxia Bingma and Li Chu, the king of Guangping, led a total of 150,000 people from Shuofang, Xiyu, Huihe and other tribes, claiming 200,000. March forward eastward.

On September 27th, the Tang army arrived at Xiangji Temple in the western suburbs of Chang'an. Li Siye, deputy envoy of Hexi Jiedu, led the front army, Guo Ziyi led the central army, and Guanzhong Jiedu envoy Wang Sili led the rear army.On the same day, Yan generals An Shouzhong and Li Guiren also led an army of 100,000 to form a formation north of Xiangji Temple. This is the largest battle between the Tang and Yan armies since the outbreak of the Anshi Rebellion. This battle will determine the fate of Chang'an, and it will also determine the fate of the empire. Yan general Li Guiren took the lead to challenge, Tang Jun's forward troops met him, repelled him, and immediately advanced into the Yan Army's position.The entire army of the Yan army was dispatched, and soon forced the Tang army to retreat, and went straight to the Tang army's supply troops.The Tang army was in chaos and retreated one after another.When the vanguard general Li Siye faced the left and right, he said, "If we don't block the bandits with our bodies today, we will all be finished!" Then he took off his armor, naked to the waist, stood in front of the formation with a leaping horse and swords, and ordered the soldiers not to retreat.But under the fierce offensive of the Yan army, the soldiers still scrambled to run back.Li Siye was furious, he swung his long knife and slashed from left to right, he chopped up those deserters, including their horses and men, to the point of killing dozens of people, and finally stabilized his position.

Afterwards, Li Siye regrouped the former army and ordered them to form a long saber formation, lined up horizontally, and advance like a wall.Moreover, Li Siye led all the generals of the former army to rush in front of the soldiers, and took the lead in entering the Yan army formation. Encouraged by the leader to take the lead, the morale of the Tang army was greatly boosted, the situation on the battlefield was reversed, and the Yan army began to retreat steadily. In this battle that determined the fate of the empire, not only Li Siye, a brave general like Li Siye, showed his consistent bravery, but even the Tang general who fled without fighting in martial arts half a year ago also showed rare courage.During the melee, he was shot in the brow bone by an arrow from the Yan army in order to save a lieutenant who was trapped in a tight siege.Wang Rare pulled out the arrow mercilessly. As a result, his skin was ripped apart, and a piece of skin on his forehead hung down to cover his eyes.Wang Rare was furious, so he tore off the skin, and with blood on his face, he continued to fight bravely and rushed forward.

Before the battle between the two armies, An Shouzhong knew that he had fewer troops than the Tang army, so he ambushed an elite force on the east side of the battlefield, preparing to take advantage of the fierce battle between the two sides, and then sneak around behind the Tang army to make a surprise attack.The scouts of the Tang army detected the ambush and immediately reported it to the chief general of the Chinese army, Guo Ziyi.Guo Ziyi immediately ordered Pugu Huai'en, the envoy of soldiers and horses in the left wing, to take a Uighur cavalry straight to the ambush of the Yan army, and quickly wiped out the ambush.

After learning the news that the entire army of the ambush was wiped out, the morale of the Yan army suddenly plummeted.Taking advantage of the situation, Li Siye detoured back to the enemy's formation with the Huihe Corps, blocked the retreat of the Yan army, and formed a front and rear flank attack on the Yan army with Guo Ziyi's central army. At this point, the Yan army finally collapsed across the board. In this battle, which was fought from noon (12:00 noon) to You (6:00 p.m.), more than 60,000 Yan troops were beheaded, and countless people fell into the ditch and were crushed and trampled to death; win all.

After An Shouzhong and Li Guiren fled back to Chang'an with the remnants of their troops, they knew that Chang'an would be lost, so that night they abandoned the city with Zhang Tongru, Jingzhao Yin Tian Qianzhen and others who stayed behind in Xijing in Yan Dynasty, and fled to Shan County (now Sanmenxia City, Henan). On September 28th, the second year of Zhide, the Tang army marched into the city in a mighty manner, announcing the recovery of Chang'an. It has been a year and three months since Yan took Sun Xiaozhe into Chang'an in June last year. When Guangping Wang Li Chu led his army into Chang'an, he was welcomed by the common people.He saw that everyone's face was covered with tears, which were tears of joy and sorrow for the rest of their lives.

Chang'an has been restored, and the time has come to fulfill the promise. "On the day of Kecheng, the land, scholars and common people will return to Tang, and gold, silk and children will return to Ho!" Facing the welcome common people, Guangping Wang Li Chu always had a warm smile on his face, but his heart was as heavy as lead.From the moment Li Chu stepped into Chang'an, he kept ringing in his heart the solemn promise his father Li Heng made to Huihe. what to do?Do you want to keep your promise? At the beginning, in order to get the aid of Huihe, of course, they could promise desperately, but now, if the promise is really fulfilled, the people of Chang'an will inevitably suffer another terrible catastrophe.If so, will the people of Chang'an still support their father, Emperor Li Heng?Will he still recognize this new emperor who ascended the throne by himself in Lingwu?If the capital is regained but the people's hearts are lost, will the Li and Tang courts be able to order the world confidently in the future?

However, if the promise was violated, not only would the Tang army not be able to get help from Huihe in the following counter-insurgency war, but it would also cause resentment against Huihe.Now that Luoyang has not been conquered, and the puppet Yan Dynasty has not been destroyed, how can it establish a new powerful enemy behind its own back? Finally, Li Chu, who was in a dilemma, finally thought of a way to get the best of both worlds. Although this method cannot fundamentally solve the problem, it can at least temporarily free Li Chu from this dilemma. When Huihe Prince Ye Hu came to Li Chu with a smile on his face, and politely asked him to fulfill his promise, Li Chu immediately got off his horse, bowed to Ye Huna, and said, "We have just conquered Xijing. Children of Jinbo, I am afraid that the hearts of the people in Luoyang, Tokyo, will turn to the rebels, and they will defend the city for the rebels, making it difficult for us to conquer. Therefore, I hope to wait until Tokyo is conquered before fulfilling my promise to your army." When Ye Hu saw King Guangping offering him a great gift, he hurriedly got off his horse and paid homage, saying, "I would like to follow your Highness's words." Hearing that King Guangping helped Chang'an resolve a disaster, the people gathered in front of Li Chu's horse and thanked him frequently, saying: "King Guangping Zhenhua, the Lord of Barbarians!" (Volume 220) On September 29, the news of the victory over Chang'an spread to Fengxiang, and all civil and military officials immediately entered the court to congratulate them. Suzong Li Heng was so excited that he burst into tears and couldn't help but admire: "King Guangping's wisdom and courage are beyond my reach. what!" On the same day, Suzong sent envoys to Shu to welcome the Supreme Emperor Li Longji back to Luan. Afterwards, Emperor Suzong summoned Li Mi and said: "I have submitted a memorandum, asking the emperor to return to Chang'an in the east. At the same time, I request the emperor that once Luanjia returns to Beijing, I will return to the East Palace as a prince and continue to fulfill my responsibilities as a son of man." .” When Li Mi heard it, his expression suddenly changed, and he asked anxiously, "Can Zoubiao be chased back?" Suzong looked puzzled: "The envoy has gone far." "The emperor will not come back." Li Mi said firmly. Suzong was shocked and asked Li Mi why.Li Bi replied: "Your Majesty has made great achievements, but he does not want to be on the throne. Naturally, the Emperor will not return to Beijing to sit on the throne. This is a reasonable thing." "so what should I do now?" Li Mi pondered for a moment, and said: "With the joint name of all the officials, there will be a memorandum, stating in detail the various situations of 'Mawei please stay', 'Lingwu persuaded to advance', and 'Recovering Chang'an', and then express that Your Majesty misses the Emperor deeply and longs to Say hello at your knees sooner or later, and ask the emperor to return to Beijing as soon as possible to fulfill His Majesty's filial piety, that's enough." Hearing this, Emperor Suzong hurriedly asked Li Mi to draft the performance table. After he finished writing, he took a look at it and couldn't help crying, saying: "I originally had a sincere heart and hoped to return the throne to the emperor. Only then did I realize that this kind of thinking is very inappropriate." (Volume 220: "I have been sincere since the beginning, and I hope to return to all opportunities, but now I hear what you say, it is a shame.") Obviously, Li Heng was putting on a show. The so-called "willing to return to all opportunities", returning to the East Palace to be the prince, etc., cannot be true. The reason is simple, as a middle-aged emperor who ascended the throne in troubled times, Li Heng's IQ will definitely not be lower than that of ordinary people.Therefore, it is impossible for him not to know that the first playlist is "very inappropriate".But he deliberately wrote it that way, and then asked Li Bi to help him with his ideas, and finally wrote another memorial table tirelessly, the purpose is to show the world his "sincere" heart of "willing to return to all opportunities".In other words, Li Heng hoped to give people such an impression—how could such a filial, humble, and sincere person steal power from his father? Lee Hyung always goes out of his way to look silly and innocent. This is where he excels. In this world full of ingenuity, deceit and trickery, people who are smart and exposed are probably stupid, and those who are good at pretending to be stupid are often the real wise men.Although Li Heng may not be called a wise man, he is definitely not an idiot who can't write a legato well, and can't even invite the emperor back. Just a few days after helping Suzong finish writing the memorandum, Li Mi suddenly asked Suzong to resign.He said: "I have repaid His Majesty's kindness, and I should go back to live the life of idle clouds and wild cranes." In Li Mi's view, since Chang'an has been restored, his purpose of leaving the mountain has been achieved.More importantly, Li Mi has been involuntarily involved in the vortex of power struggle in just over a year of assisting Suzong. In this place of right and wrong, sooner or later he will follow in the footsteps of King Jianning Li Tan. However, Suzong didn't want to let Li Bi go.He said: "My husband and I have gone through hardships together, and now we are about to enjoy happiness together. Why do we have to leave so soon?" "I have five reasons not to stay. May Your Majesty allow me to leave so that I will not die." Li Mi's attitude was extremely firm. "Which five reasons?" "It's too early for a minister to meet His Majesty, His Majesty's appointment is too heavy, his favorite minister is too deep, his merits are too high, and his deeds are too strange. This is why it cannot be left behind." (Volume 220) Li Mi's concerns are justified.In the few days after Chang'an was liberated, in order to express his gratitude and trust to him, Suzong took him to drink with him every day, and "sleeped with him" every night.Which courtier in the world dares to enjoy such grace with peace of mind?How can such a unique and deep favor not make all kinds of people in the palace jealous? Leaving others aside, just a few days ago, the eunuch Li Fuguo, who was in charge of the imperial confinement power, hypocritically wanted to hand over the key to the talisman in the palace to Li Mi.Of course, Li Mi refused to accept what he said, and tried his best to declare to Suzong that only Li Fuguo was the best candidate to take charge of the palace ban.After Suzong spoke, Li Fuguo put on a look of reluctance and took those things back. Li Fuguo's move was full of jealousy.Li Mi knew very well that no matter whether it was the outer court or the inner court, there were definitely not a few people like Li Fuguo who were jealous and hated towards him.If you don't get out as soon as possible, you will die without a place to bury you in the future! Facing the five reasons Li Mi listed for not staying, Su Zong was powerless to refute, so he could only say bitterly: "I'm sleepy, hurry up to sleep, this matter will be discussed another day." However, Li Mi refused to let go: "Your Majesty is on the couch of the minister today, and even if he does not agree to the request of the minister, let alone before the case in the next day? If your majesty does not let the minister go, he will kill him!" Suzong shook his head and smiled wryly: "I didn't expect that Qing would doubt me so much. How could someone like me kill Qing? Could it be that Qing regards me as a fool?" "Because your majesty has not yet killed me, I can make a request; if that day really comes, what else can I say! Moreover, it is not your majesty who killed me, but the five reasons I just listed. All along, your majesty treats me It is so thick that I dare not speak up on some matters, not to mention that after the world is stabilized, I dare not speak up." Su Zong was displeased and remained silent for a long time before slowly saying: "You blame me for not following your plan for the Northern Expedition, right?" "No!" Li Mi summoned up his courage and said, "The one I dare not say is King Jianning." Su Zong was startled, then bowed his head and sighed: "Jianning, my beloved son, has been brave and courageous since he was a child. How can I not know that Mawei made great achievements when he went to the north! But because he is self-reliant, he was taught by villains. If you want to harm his elder brother and seek the throne, I have no choice but to get rid of him for the sake of the whole society, don't you know my difficulties?" "If King Jianning really had the wrong intentions, King Guangping would definitely feel resentment in his heart, but this is not the case. Every time King Guangping talked about Jianning's grievances with his ministers, he would cry bitterly and be overwhelmed with grief. The minister just because of his determination You have to leave before you dare to talk to His Majesty about this matter." Su Zong heard the words, his face became more and more ugly, but he still insisted: "You don't know, Jianning once sneaked into the Guangping mansion in the middle of the night, trying to assassinate." Li Mi sneered and said: "This kind of words are all from slanderous people. How can a filial, friendly, intelligent and wise person like King Jianning do such despicable and stupid things! Your Majesty should remember that you once Wanting to appoint King Jianning as Marshal, he changed his position to Guangping after listening to his minister's advice. If Jianning really wanted to take over the heir apparent, he would definitely hold grudges against him, but instead of resenting him, he thought it came from his minister's loyalty , the courtiers are becoming more and more friendly. Just this matter alone, His Majesty is enough to discern his heart." Hearing this, Suzong's two lines of tears have welled up in his eyes.He was speechless, so he waved his hands again and again and said, "Mr. is right, but let the past be the past. Youdao means forgetting the past, and I don't want to hear it anymore." "The reason why I brought up this matter is not to blame the past, but to hope that your majesty will be cautious in the future..." Li Mi looked at Suzong, hesitating whether to say the following words, and finally healed his heart and said loudly: " In the past, Empress Wu had four sons, the eldest son was Prince Hong. At that time, Empress Wu wanted to rule the court, and she was very afraid of Li Hong's intelligence, so she killed him with poison and established the second son, Li Xian, King Yong. Li Xian was worried that he would follow Li Hong's footsteps, and often With apprehension, he wrote a "Cucumber Speech", hoping to impress Empress Wu. But Empress Wu was unmoved, and in the end Li Xianci died in the middle of Guizhou. The melons are ripe and the seeds are separated. Picking once makes the melon good, picking it again makes the melon thin, picking it three times is still good, picking it up four times and returning it with the vines!'Now your Majesty has already picked it once, be careful not to pick it again!" Su Zong was stunned and said, "How can such a thing happen! You copy this speech, and I will keep it by my side so that I can be alert at any time." "Your Majesty, you only need to keep it in your heart, why bother to show it outside!" Li Mi knew that Li Heng, the emperor, was extremely embarrassed by what he said today, but if he didn't say these harsh words before he left, Li Chu, the king of Guangping, might be in danger of his life!Because Emperor Suzong favored Zhang Liangdi, and Zhang Liangdi was an ambitious woman, not only did she want to be in the middle palace, but she also wanted to make her son the crown prince.Therefore, when she and Li Fuguo joined forces to get rid of Li Tan, the king of Jianning, and forced Li Mi away, she would inevitably point the finger at Li Chu, the king of Guangping. In fact, as early as when Li Tan, the king of Jianning, was killed, Li Chu, the king of Guangping, had already clearly felt the threat of Zhang Liangdi to him, so he had the same idea as King Jianning at that time—to act first and get rid of Zhang Liangdi and Zhang Liangdi. Li Fuguo. However, Li Mi stopped him. Li Mi said: "Does the prince still want to repeat the mistakes of Jianning?" Li Chu said worriedly: "I am not only worried about myself, but also my husband." "I have an agreement with the emperor. When the capital is restored, I will return to the mountain. Naturally, the disaster will be avoided." "Wouldn't I be more dangerous if my husband is gone?" Regarding this question, Li Mi was also very helpless.He could only comfort Li Chu and said: "My lord is just as filial as a son of man. As for Zhang Liang Di, she is just a woman, as long as my lord obediently obeys her, I believe she can't do anything to you." Having said that, Li Mi was just as uncertain as Li Chu. He knew that a woman like Zhang Liangdi could actually do anything! Because of this, before returning to the mountain, Li Mi had to clarify these words to Su Zong anyway-this was not only out of love for King Guangping, but also to maintain the stability of Li Tang Sheji. Li Mi insisted on returning to the mountain, but Su Zong repeatedly persuaded him to stay, and the two of them practiced Tai Chi for more than half a month.It wasn't until October of this year that Emperor Suzong couldn't resist, so he had to let Li Mi go back to Hengshan. At the same time, he ordered local officials to build a house for Li Bi in the mountain, and gave him the treatment of a third-rank official. Li Mi came in a leisurely manner, and walked in a graceful manner, because he was not bound by fame and fortune.In his eyes, independence of personality and freedom of mind are the most precious and cherished things in life, and nothing in the world can compare with them. People in the world are used to judging a person by the size of power, status, status, and wealth, but Li Bi knows that this is ridiculous.Because in this treacherous and unpredictable world, no one can guarantee that he will always retain power and wealth.What's more, in the process of chasing and possessing these things, you have to constantly pay the price-you have to worry about it, worry about it, feel like walking on it, and worry about gains and losses.And in this process, you not only lose your independent personality and free mind, you may even lose your life!