amaotonovel Chapter 911 The Saint's Face
Chapter 911 The Saint's Face
Bian Lingcheng walked on the bluestone pavement of Huaqing Palace, and the soles of his boots rolled over a few early-fallen sycamore leaves, making a crackling sound.
He was wearing a crimson official robe, but the jade belt around his waist was tied a little crookedly. His face, which always had a bit of flattery, was now tense, and only the fine lines at the corners of his eyes concealed a barely perceptible eagerness.
When passing by the corridor, he happened to meet a young eunuch from the Ministry of Internal Affairs passing by with a teacup. When he saw him, he hurriedly bowed to greet him, but he just nodded slightly without stopping - at this moment his mind was full of military affairs in Tongguan, and he had no time to deal with these trivial matters.
In the side room of the Purple Palace, Li Longji was reclining on a soft couch covered with white fox fur, stroking a mutton-fat jade ring in his hand.
Although the emperor, who was nearly 70 years old, had gray hair at the temples and wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, he could not hide his former heroism. However, he had been disturbed by An Lushan's rebellion recently, and there was always a layer of gloom between his brows.
Seeing Bian Lingcheng come in, he raised his eyelids and said lazily, "Lingcheng, is there any new movement over at Tongguan? Geshu Han's report said that the rebels are short of food and fodder. Do you think that's true?"
Bian Lingcheng fell to his knees with a thud, his knees hitting the cold gold bricks with a dull sound.
He raised the memorial in his hand high, his voice filled with deliberately suppressed excitement: "Your Majesty! I came here for this very matter! Every word in Geshu Han's memorial is a pretext!"
"I saw it with my own eyes from the top of Tongguan. The rebels are nothing but a ragged mob. They shout and curse at the gate every day, and their words are full of blasphemies against our Tang Dynasty. Yet, Geshu Han, with an army of 200,000, keeps the gates shut and refuses to fire even a single arrow!"
Li Longji's brows furrowed slightly, and the jade ring paused on his finger. "Oh? Geshu Han said that Tongguan is a strategically important place, and only by holding on can we defeat the rebels. This is also what Generals Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi said."
"You are in the army, so you should know the military strategy of 'avoid the enemy's sharp edge', right?"
"Your Majesty, understand!" Bian Lingcheng kowtowed fiercely, his forehead resting on the ground, his voice trembling slightly with urgency. "Military tactics are static, but the human heart is alive! Back in the Zhenguan period, when General Li Jing faced the Turkish cavalry, did he ever say 'avoid their sharp edge'? He led 3,000 cavalrymen, braving the wind and snow to attack the Yin Mountains, decisively defeating the Turkic Khan in a single battle, forcing him to submit. That is the true majesty of the Tang Dynasty!"
He paused, then stole a glance at Li Longji, who seemed to be somewhat relieved. He then struck while the iron was hot, "I dare to mention this: even the Qianwu Emperor of the previous dynasty, although he was criticized by later generations, when Xue Rengui was conquering the west, did he ever let his soldiers retreat into the city?"
"At that time, the Western Turks were so arrogant that General Xue led tens of thousands of troops and horses and fought his way west of the Pamir Mountains, forcing the Western countries to come to pay tribute every year, not daring to show the slightest disrespect!"
These words were like a needle, accurately piercing Li Longji's sore spot.
He sat up suddenly, not even noticing that the white fox fur had slipped off his shoulders.
This emperor was conceited throughout his life. When he was young, he put down the rebellion of Empress Wei and created the Kaiyuan Prosperity. He always felt that his achievements far surpassed those of his predecessors. However, he always had a desire to compete with the flamboyant Emperor Qianwu.
What he hated most was when someone said he was not as good as Qianwu - even if it was an implicit comparison.
"Are you saying that Geshu Han is not even as good as the generals during the Qianwu period?"
There was a barely perceptible chill in Li Longji's voice, and his eyes swept over Bian Lingcheng, as if he wanted to see something from his face.
Bian Lingcheng quickly shook his head, his tone becoming more earnest: "I dare not! General Geshu Han is a veteran with great military achievements, but his current actions are really disheartening to the soldiers!"
"The other day, while patrolling the military camp, I heard soldiers whispering, 'When did our Tang army become so cowardly? They don't even dare to respond to the rebels' cries.' Sage, the morale of the army must be boosted, not weakened!"
He raised his head, his eyes gleaming with deep sorrow and grief. "The people of Chang'an are also saying that the sage has grown old and lost his former vigor, and is no longer brave enough to fight even rebels like An Lushan."
"Hearing these words, I wish I could find a hole to crawl into! Thinking back to the time when Your Majesty personally led the expedition against Tubo, how majestic was that time?"
"Now we are blocked at our doorstep by a group of rebels. If this gets out, how will the other nations view our Tang Dynasty?"
"Will they feel that the great reputation of the Tang Dynasty has become a paper tiger?"
Li Longji's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the couch, making a "thump thump" sound.
The atmosphere in the hall was a little stagnant for a moment, only the sandalwood in the incense burner was still rising.
He recalled that during the Kaiyuan period, he received envoys from all nations in the Hanyuan Hall. The Persian envoy presented him with a night-shining pearl, and the Japanese envoy to the Tang Dynasty performed the ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows. At that time, the Tang Dynasty was a true Celestial Empire. How could it have suffered such humiliation?
"Geshu Han said that although the rebels are weak, they have elite troops hidden. If they leave the city, they may be ambushed."
Li Longji's voice deepened a little, and he was obviously still hesitating.
After all, Geshu Han is a veteran on the battlefield, and his advice cannot be completely ignored.
"Ambush?" Bian Lingcheng sneered, his tone full of disdain. "Your Majesty, if the rebels really had elite troops, why would they have been shouting and cursing at the gate for half a month? They're just bluffing!"
"Geshu Han commands an army of 200,000. Even if there really is an ambush, with the bravery of our Tang soldiers, can we not break it?"
"I think he's old. The spirit he had when he attacked Tubo and fought against Shibao City has long been worn away by the comfortable life!"
He knelt forward a few steps, almost reaching Li Longji's bedside. "Your Majesty, I know you have always been strong-willed and never submitted to anyone."
"Back then, you said you wanted the Tang Dynasty to surpass the Zhenguan era, and you truly ushered in the Kaiyuan Era of Prosperity."
"You said you wanted to keep the borders free of war, and that's how we got famous generals like Wang Zhongsi and Geshu Han."
"But now, An Lushan has come to our doorstep, and we are guarding Tongguan like turtles. To be honest, this is very disrespectful. Saint, if our ancestors knew about this, would they be able to rest in peace?"
These words completely ignited the fire within Li Longji. He slammed the armrest and stood up, the jade belt around his waist clanging with a crisp sound. "You are right! How can the great Tang Dynasty be frightened by a bunch of rebels? I must cherish the majesty of the Zhenguan era and the spirit of the Qianwu era!"
He paced a few steps, his eyes sweeping across the sky outside the hall, and spoke in a firm tone: "Pass on my decree, order Geshu Han to lead the army out of Tongguan immediately and fight a decisive battle with the rebels! I want An Lushan to know that I am not old yet, and the Tang army is still invincible!"
A smile instantly spread across Bian Lingcheng's face, and he kowtowed again: "Your Majesty is wise! The outcome of this battle is related to the fate of the Tang Dynasty. I believe that General Geshu Han will live up to your majesty's trust!"
Li Longji felt the depression in his chest disappear. He walked to the window and looked at the outline of Zhongnan Mountain in the distance. It seemed as if he could already see Geshu Han defeating the rebels and An Lushan fleeing in panic.
He has never lost to anyone in his life, and this time is no exception.