vrcanaries Chapter 54 A Gust of Evil Wind
Chapter 54 A Gust of Evil Wind
People throughout the country smiled when they heard that the Tang Dynasty had recovered the two capitals; finally, the Tang Dynasty had some good news.
Although they lived in different times and dynasties, no one likes war, especially ordinary people.
Lin Ke: "An Qingxu fled to Xiangzhou with his men, and the Tang Dynasty also suffered heavy losses. After a year of recuperation, the Tang Dynasty was able to assemble an army of 20 and coordinate with the nine military governors to prepare for a fatal blow to An Qingxu."
"This time, Emperor Li Heng entrusted the overall command to his trusted confidant, Yu Chaoen."
"This Yu Chaoen is a eunuch. After all, it wouldn't make sense to hire an outsider for war. But Li Heng used his clever mind to create a new position called the Military Inspection and Pacification Commissioner, which is basically just a marshal with a different name."
"Many people in the army know that the emperor has begun to fear Guo Ziyi, which is why he has appointed a eunuch to command the army."
"Meanwhile, Guo Ziyi led his troops across the Yellow River first, attacking Huojia and killing four thousand enemies. Guo Ziyi did not stop there and continued to attack Weizhou, where he won another great victory."
"After this battle, An Qingxu was driven to Ye City. With nowhere else to turn, he wrote a letter pleading for help and sent it to Shi Siming, who was far away in Fanyang."
"Shi Siming hasn't appeared in a long time either. When Guo Ziyi withdrew from Hebei to Lingwu to attack the two capitals, Li Guangbi and Shi Siming were also busy, and the battle between the two sides was in full swing."
"Later, Shi Siming felt that the rebel army was no longer viable and that An Qingxu had no future, so he decisively surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. However, only a year later, he rebelled again."
"This time, he didn't take sides, declared himself king, and called himself the Holy King of Great Yan."
"Shi Siming received a distress letter from his former friend and nephew and immediately set off for Ye City."
"However, this uncle isn't here to help his nephew; he's planning to wait until An Qingxu and the Tang Dynasty are both exhausted before reaping the benefits."
"Li Guangbi, who had fought many battles, was well aware of Shi Siming's intentions, and thus requested permission from the army's commander-in-chief, Yu Chaoen, to intercept him."
"The result, of course, was rejection. Yu Chaoen's opinion was: There's no need for that. With my army of 200,000, cutting them down would be a piece of cake. Sigh, another eunuch leading the entire army. Why does that sound so familiar?!"
General Who Conquers the North: Just give me his name!
"I'm not trying to be rude, but you're an amateur pretending to be an expert! This is why Ye City has been under siege for so long, lasting for half a year."
"Over time, Ye City ran out of food. The people in the city even ate the mud from the walls, and rats became a precious commodity, costing as much as four thousand coins each."
"Just then, Shi Siming made his move against the Tang Dynasty. He ordered the Yan army to change into Tang Dynasty uniforms and swagger behind the Tang army, cutting off the Tang Dynasty's grain supply route."
"Soon the morale of the Tang army collapsed. As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot, and Shi Siming decided to fight the Tang army to the death right then and there. But for some reason, a strange wind suddenly swept across the battlefield. The Tang and Yan armies were terrified and abandoned their weapons, supplies, and provisions, fleeing in all directions."
"Of the nine military governors, only Guo Ziyi remained relatively calm. Fearing that the rebels would attack Luoyang again, he led his troops to retreat to Heyang."
"I heard that the Tang Dynasty didn't win the war, and the people of Luoyang fled the eastern capital in fear. The people of Luoyang suffered the most! The war between the Tang Dynasty and the rebels ended so abruptly."
"But Emperor Li Heng was very unhappy when he found out. He thought, 'Isn't Guo Ziyi supposed to be very capable? How come he couldn't win?' In the end, he placed all the blame on Guo Ziyi."
"This old general, who was appointed to a critical post and was still fighting desperately on the front lines in his sixties, was inexplicably expelled from the army."
The soldiers from Shuofang who followed him tried to persuade him to stay, but Guo Ziyi had to lie to them and say that he was just going to see an old friend.
"So, is the Tang army's defeat solely the responsibility of that strange wind that swept through Changsha?"
"Of course not. Since the An Lushan Rebellion, the relationships between the Tang emperor and military generals, Han and non-Han peoples, and civil and military officials have collapsed. The emperor began to distrust his military generals and ministers, and it's unlikely that the relationship can ever return to what it was like during the reigns of the Second and Third Emperors."
Lin Ke paused slightly, a hint of regret in her eyes, before slowly continuing, "After the Battle of Ye City, the situation within the rebel army changed again."
"Shi Siming made a shocking move: he beheaded his nephew An Qingxu, and the reason he gave was so high-sounding."
He declared righteously: "You killed your own father! This is an utterly depraved and inhuman act! Today, I will seek justice for my poor brother and kill you, you bastard!"
"Regardless, I think Shi Siming's actions are more about taking over An Qingxu's troops. An Lushan has been dead for so long; if he were truly a good brother, he would have done this long ago. Why wait until now?"
"Shi Siming became the only leader among the rebel leaders, and the An Lushan Rebellion officially entered its historical phase."