Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 291 Internal and external difficulties
"kill!!"

"Susu..."

In the middle of the twelfth lunar month, the territory of Lizhou was covered with snow, and the sky and the earth were all white.

In the mountains in southern Lizhou, the winter wind is so fierce that it seems to freeze everything.

In this land of ice and snow, the flames of war are raging, and the hot breath and severe cold are intertwined, like the collision of ice and fire.

"Uuuuuu——"

In front of Qingxi Pass, Dali's barbarians were using cloud chariots and well curbs as weapons to attack the pass frantically.

On the city gate, the Tang army of Xichuan was fighting desperately, with the flashes of swords and shadows of knives flashing in the wind and snow.

The blood dyed the white snow red, and the sounds of shouting, screaming and wind mixed together. Those who were not firm in their will had already fallen in the wind and snow.

"Guard the battlements! We can't let the southern barbarians get past the city gates!"

"Beep--"

Inside the city wall, the sounds of fighting echoed in Xiahou Zi's ears. As the governor of Xichuan, he no longer had the composure he had in the temple. The hem of his clothes was even stained with blood, which was very inconsistent with his gentle appearance.

"We have already lost Shezhou and Qiongbu. If we lose Qingxi Pass, we will have no choice but to retreat north of the Dadu River."

Xiahou Zi's voice was hoarse and his eyes were bloodshot.

In response to his words, dozens of officials and generals in the city wall remained silent and said nothing.

Half a month ago, Qiongbu County was captured by the army led by You Shilong. After the Tang army lost 3,000 soldiers, they had to retreat to Qingxi Pass.

You Shilong recruited the Wuman from the Great Snow Mountain (Liangshan), and while leaving the wounded behind, he also assembled 80,000 barbarian soldiers to attack Qingxi Pass.

Qingxi Pass was the last city pass of Xichuan on the western front, south of the Dadu River.

If Qingxi Pass was lost, Rongzhou on the eastern front would also be lost soon. At that time, although the western front could still rely on the Dadu River for defense, the eastern battlefield would have to be pushed to Baidao City (Yibin).

Because of this, Xiahou Zi continued to recruit civilians and troops from the rear.

Now, nearly 100,000 laborers came from Xichuan, braving the wind and snow, carrying important supplies such as grain, asphalt, arrows, etc. on their shoulders and in their hands.

More than 30,000 people from Lizhou were mobilized, regardless of gender, to cut down trees and make rolling stones in the wild in the wind and snow, and then transported them to the top of the city in a steady stream.

Like them, behind the Dali military camp, tens of thousands of barbarians were rushing from the distant Huichuan City, crossing the occupied Shizhou territory, and transporting food and cotton clothes to the front line.

The peace in the northern border of Dali Kingdom for nearly thirty years has made them seriously unprepared for winter clothing.

In the wind and snow, the barbarian soldiers were still shivering in their thin clothes and armor.

The cold mercilessly claimed the lives of many soldiers. Their bodies were thrown carelessly into the snow and were soon buried by it.

Yu Shilong stood on a high place in the military camp, looking at all this with a gloomy face.

"Send the cavalry to ask the Qingping officer how long it will take to deliver the winter clothes here!"

There was pent-up anger in his tone, while Fan Cuixie beside him hurriedly saluted.

"Dong Qingping and Zhao Qingping have respectively recruited a large number of women in Yangzhumie City and Huichuan City to make winter clothes. Five thousand sets of winter clothes should be delivered here in three days."

"Five thousand sets?" You Shilong looked at Fan Cuixie angrily: "What can five thousand sets do?"

"Yes……"

Fan Cui's mouth was bitter. The soldiers of Dali had not fought in the north for nearly 30 years, and they had not expected the war to progress so quickly, so they were not well prepared for winter clothes.

Even though the rear has accelerated the production of winter clothes, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst, and the soldiers on the front line are still struggling to hold on in the cold wind.

"push!!"

"Uuuuuu——"

In the wind and snow, the cloud chariot of Dali moved forward slowly with the sound of horns, and the huge wheels rolled over the snow, making a dull sound.

The archers on the well curb pulled their bowstrings to their full potential and shot arrows at the top of the city wall like raindrops.

The Tang army soldiers in Xichuan hid behind the parapet, using shields to block the rain of arrows, occasionally poking their heads out and firing back with crossbows.

The moat had long been covered with a thick layer of ice. The cloud chariot easily crossed the moat and crashed heavily into the wall.

The Dali soldiers under the city put down the cloud chariot and rode it to attack the top of the city.

They climbed up with all their might, braving the attacks of rolling stones and falling logs.

During every charge, countless people fell and their blood dyed the snow red, but the following soldiers still continued to fight forward without flinching.

"kill!"

"You bastard! Die!"

“Bastard…”

On the horse trail of Qingxi Pass, the sounds of close combat and the clashing of swords were heard constantly.

The soldiers of the Tang army formed a six-flower formation on the horse path and fought with spears and sabers as weapons, engaging in a desperate battle with the Dali soldiers who had climbed up to the top of the city wall.

In the wind and snow, their breath turned into white mist, and their sweat and blood mixed together, freezing before they could flow down.

A Tang army soldier had just chopped down an enemy and had no time to catch his breath when he was stabbed in the abdomen by another Dali soldier.

He gritted his teeth, slashed the opponent back with his backhand, then staggered back a few steps, leaned against the city wall, and slowly slid down.

His eyesight gradually became blurred, and he gradually became silent, but the barbarian soldier who was hit was unharmed because of the protection of his armor. After taking a breath, he plunged into a new battle.

The wind and snow are still raging, and the cruelty of war seems particularly glaring in this white world.

Inside and outside the city, countless lives were lost in this war. The blood dyed the snow and the land red.

"Dang Dang Dang..."

Suddenly, a gong sounded outside the city, and a large number of Dali barbarian soldiers retreated upon hearing the gong. The Tang army in Xichuan was unable to pursue them, and they all sat down against the parapet, gasping for breath.

"Rest for ten days. Tell Dong Qingping and Zhao Qingping to hurry up and make winter clothes. I don't want to see any more people die in the cold winter!"

"Yes……"

Yu Shilong stood on a high place, looking at the battlefield ahead, feeling both angry and helpless.

He knew that the war was far from over and the cold winter had just begun.

In order to be fully prepared to capture Qingxi Pass, he had to stop fighting and rest, waiting for winter clothes to arrive at the front line before launching a general attack.

While thinking, he turned around and left, and the Dali barbarian soldiers inside and outside Qingxi Pass also retreated like a tide.

In the wind and snow, Qingxi Pass still stood firm, like an insurmountable barrier separating Dali and the Tang Dynasty.

But for both countries, this winter snow was just a break before the war.

Waiting for the snowstorm to stop, the war between Dali and Datang will spread wider and become more intense...

"How come even Qiongbu City was lost?!"

On the eve of New Year's Eve, Li Yi sat on the golden platform in the Purple Palace and questioned Bai Minzhong and others, while Bai Minzhong and others frowned.

"Your Majesty, Minister Xiahou is not good at military strategy, and Xichuan has not experienced war in the past thirty years. Now we are in a hurry to fight, and the loss of Shezhou and Qiongbu City is also helpless."

Bai Minzhong had to stand up and bow to explain. Fortunately, Li Yi was soft-hearted. Although he wanted to lose his temper several times, he still held back.

"Since the war with the Nanman began, our dynasty has lost countless cities and lands."

"Is it possible that our Great Tang Dynasty cannot even defeat such a clown?"

"And Cui Shenyou of Dongchuan, why didn't he send out any troops and just watched dozens of counties in the southern part of Rongzhou being attacked by the southern barbarians?"

"Xiahou Zi's 40,000 troops fought against You Shilong's 100,000 troops for at least seven months."

"Cui Shenyou had 17,000 soldiers and horses in Dongchuan, Rongzhou and other places, but he lost most of Rongzhou in less than five months."

Li Yi was so angry that he even pulled out Cui Shenyou, who had already been demoted, and criticized him.

Seeing this, Bai Minzhong could only comfort him:
"Your Majesty, Gao Pian from Qianzhong Road has led his troops to station in Baidao City for nearly two months."

"The southern barbarians are not good at winter warfare, and the heavy snow in Rongzhou can last for at least another month."

"I believe that with Gao Pian's talent, he should be able to hold Rongzhou in a month, and even defeat the barbarians and recover the lost territory."

"I hope so!" Li Yi was very dissatisfied, and his tone revealed evasion.

After he finished speaking, he seemed to have thought of something and said slowly:
"By the way, I intend to grant amnesty to the entire nation after the Lantern Festival, and then set up a carriage to go to Yunyang, from west to east, to pay homage to the Emperor's mausoleum."

Pei Xiu and Jiang Shen looked at each other after hearing this, and each shook their heads helplessly in their hearts.

In such a situation, the emperor still had to hold grand sacrifices at all the imperial tombs, which cost a lot of money.

"May I ask, Your Majesty, how many followers are needed for this worship of the Emperor's Mausoleum..."

Pei Xiu had no choice but to stand up and ask. Li Yi thought for a moment before saying:

"This time we are worshipping the imperial tomb for the blessing of our dynasty's predecessors, so the momentum cannot be too small."

"How about this, we will temporarily decide on 30,000 people, and ask Prime Minister Pei to arrange the money, food, wine, and palaces and guesthouses needed by the counties along the way."

Li Yi had finalized the matter, but it was Pei Xiu who needed to do it.

The 30,000-man army marched from Qianling Mausoleum in the west to Tailing Mausoleum in the east, a total distance of more than 270 miles. The entourage was not like the army. The cavalry could travel 70 miles a day, and the infantry could travel 50 miles a day, but the entourage probably could not even travel 30 miles a day.

Including the time required for the worship, this trip will take at least a whole month.

Just the food, wine and meat consumed by the entourage was no less than 50,000 strings of cash.

The emperor could not live in a tent, so palaces and villas had to be built, and they could not be too small.

By this calculation, the emperor's trip would cost at least hundreds of thousands of strings of cash, but the more important thing was that he did not have enough time.

"Your Majesty, it is only half a month away from the Lantern Festival. There is no time to build a palace or a villa."

"I ask Your Majesty to postpone this trip to April. It would be fine if you could travel in April."

Pei Xiu discussed this with Li Yi. Li Yi frowned when he heard this, thinking that April was too late. However, Pei Xiu's words made sense, so he gave in and said:

"April is too late, how about this...postponing it to early March?"

"Your Majesty is wise." Pei Xiu breathed a sigh of relief, and Jiang Shen also stood up and bowed:

"Your Majesty, I heard that you often hold banquets in the palace, and often reward palace maids when you are in a good mood, which costs a lot."

"I think that at this difficult time for our country, Your Majesty, please exercise restraint..."

Jiang Shen thought that what he said was very polite. After all, the emperor's actions in the palace could be said to be a small banquet every day and a big banquet every three days.

Ever since the previous emperor's early sacrifice, the emperor had to hold banquets in the palace at least a dozen times a month, consuming a lot of rare treasures.

There were hundreds of actors and musicians kept in the palace, and whenever the emperor was in high spirits, he would reward the palace maids with thousands or hundreds of strings of cash.

This money is enough to cover the military salaries of dozens of soldiers. When accumulated little by little, it will cost a lot every month.

"I understand. Thank you, Mr. Jiang, for caring so much about my affairs in the palace."

Li Yi narrowed his eyes and spoke in a somewhat unfriendly tone.

When Bai Minzhong and the other two saw this, they immediately knew that the emperor was unhappy.

"I have overstepped my bounds, Your Majesty, and I beg your forgiveness..."

Jiang Shen was flexible, and Bai Minzhong and Pei Xiu also bowed and said:
"Prime Minister Jiang is also thinking about Your Majesty, so please don't be offended by him."

"Your Majesty, please don't be offended..."

"Yeah," Li Yan responded, then stood up and said:

"I am also a little tired. I will leave the affairs of the southwest to you gentlemen."

He pretended to leave, which left Bai Minzhong and Pei Xiu with nothing to say about their political affairs.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

Seeing Li Yi running away like the wind without even a thought of stopping, Jiang Shen had no choice but to bow to Bai Minzhong and Pei Xiu:
"This matter is my fault."

"What are you talking about?"

The two comforted Jiang Shen and prepared to implement the expedited government affairs.

"News has come from the various towns in Guandong that 4,000 garrison troops from each army are already on their way south."

"When the 4,000 soldiers from Guandong arrive in Lingnan, with the abilities of Wang Shi and Song Ya, they should be able to stop the southern barbarians from invading Qianzhong, Annan and other places."

"As for the north..."

Bai Minzhong paused, still having some thoughts about Xiahou Zi serving as the governor of Xichuan.

After all, he had trained more than 10,000 elite troops in Xichuan, plus the several thousand elite troops originally in Xichuan. Even if You Shilong really brought an army of 100,000, he should not have lost Shizhou so quickly.

The only reason why Shizhou was lost was that Xiahou Zi’s military strategy was insufficient.

He originally thought that the emperor would propose to depose Xiahou Zi after learning that Xiahou Zi had lost Qiongbu City, but the emperor did not do so.

This shows that the emperor still wants to reuse Xiahou Zi.

"Gao Qianli is in Dongchuan. With his ability, he can train the Dongchuan troops."

"Even with Xiahou Haoxue's talent, I'm afraid he won't be able to control Rongzhou. Why not put Rongzhou under the control of Dongchuan?"

Bai Minzhong proposed an idea, and Pei Xiu nodded: "Yes!"

"Very good!" Jiang Shen also expressed his attitude, which made Bai Minzhong breathe a sigh of relief.

Dongchuan has 20,000 soldiers and horses, while Rongzhou has more than 3,000 soldiers and horses.

These troops, together with Gao Pian's 3,000 elite cavalry and 2,000 horse infantry, are enough to resist Duan Zongbang's invasion in the early spring of the following year.

As long as they can hold Baidao City, the Southern Barbarians will not be able to invade the heartland of Bashu.

All he had to do next was wait for Xiahou Zi to be defeated, and then he would be able to replace Xiahou Zi with other officials who were good at military strategies.

Bai Minzhong thought so as he walked towards the outside of the Zichen Palace.

On their way out of the Zichen Palace, they met Zhang Huaiding, the commander of the Shenwu Army.

"General Zhang..."

After all, Zhang Huaiding had three thousand Shenwu soldiers under his command, and he trained the Shenwu soldiers very well, so Bai Minzhong and the other two did not have any bad feelings towards him.

"Hello, gentlemen..."

Zhang Huaiding returned the greeting to the three people and then said, "Are you three ready to return to the Southern Court?"

"That's right." Bai Minzhong responded, and at the same time, his eyes flickered, and he couldn't help asking: "How is Zhang Situ's health?"

"Aye is still in good health, thank you for your concern, sir."

Zhang Huaiding talked about the matter at hand. Bai Minzhong didn't say anything more after hearing him. He nodded and left with Pei Xiu.

Looking at the backs of the three people, Zhang Huaiding glanced at Zhang Huaiquan next to him:

"Brother, you see, as long as you have military power, even the prime minister has to be polite to us!"

Zhang Huaiquan, who was promoted by Zhang Huaiding to be the commander of the Left Shenwu Army, opened his mouth but did not refute Erlang in the end.

He has been the commander of the Zuo Shenwu Army for a year and a half. Regarding Zhang Huaiding's statement, he has gradually changed from refuting it in the beginning to being silent now.

When he was the general of the Right Shenwu Army, the officials in the court were just nodding acquaintances to him.

But after he was promoted to the commander of the army, those officials wanted to demolish the door of his house.

Today, he and Zhang Huaiding are the only two people in the Zhang family, besides Zhang Yitan and Zhang Yichao, who can own a mansion outside the city.

Not only that, both of their mansions had single black-headed doors on the city walls, with eight or ten halberds inserted.

In the entire capital city, except for the people of the Shen Ce Army, who they could not afford to offend, the rest of the armies had to look up to them.

Zhang Huaiquan was gradually influenced by Zhang Huaiding, and Bai Minzhong and several others who were leaving also got on a carriage together.

"Zhang Yichao has quite a bit of military strategy, but it's a pity that the court cannot use him..."

In the carriage, Bai Minzhong couldn't help but sigh, and Pei Xiu and Jiang Shen nodded in agreement.

There were officials inside and outside the court who were knowledgeable about military affairs, but there was no one like Zhang Yichao who relied on his family background to conquer Hexi and recover the six states.

Before Zhang Yichao's uprising, the Zhang family of Shazhou was just a powerful family with a population of about a hundred people.

After ten years of development by him, there were no less than a hundred Zhang family members in Chang'an alone, not to mention the Zhang family members in Hexi.

It’s a pity that the more powerful the Hexi Zhang family becomes, the less likely Zhang Yichao will be reused.

Of course, in addition to Zhang Huaishen, his experience of working for Tubo also made the Tang court quite wary of him.

Unless there is no one else available, no one in the government or the public will agree to use him.

His role now is to be a hostage in Chang'an like Zhang Yitan.

As for Zhang Huaiding, it was just because he was lucky and got the honor of following the dragon.

"Since the unrest in Shu, are the maps and records of the prefectures and counties still accurate?"

"I'm afraid I'll benefit a lot from it if I look at the trends in Longyou."

Although Bai Minzhong showed weakness to Liu Jilong in the arrangements in the northwest, he still wanted to eliminate the two towns of Helong, but he just didn't have the time to do it.

"The situation is like this, so it's hard to get accurate maps."

Jiang Shen frowned, and Pei Xiu also sighed: "Now that the Supreme is going on a tour, I wonder how much money and food it will cost."

"What's more, the war in the south is losing ground, and it is impossible to promote peace."

"The nine cents tax imposed by the imperial court on the whole country, as well as the additional taxes on salt, iron, wine, tea, etc., will probably not be reduced anytime soon."

The three of them were silent. They all knew what would happen if the 9-cent tax was passed down to the lower levels, and what would happen if it continued.

But the court faced a problem. If it blindly cancelled the tax increase, where would it find money and food, and how would it resist the invasion of the southern barbarians?

It is impossible for each town to reduce the number of troops. Even if the governors of each town are willing to do so, they have to see whether the generals and soldiers under them are willing.

Thinking of this, the three of them felt that the situation was difficult, and Bai Minzhong could only sigh:
"I hope Gao Qianli can reorganize the Dongchuan troops and form a combat-ready division..."

(End of this chapter)