The sudden arrival of a heavy snowfall proves the importance of Wang Yuan's resolute efforts to settle the refugees. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info After a heavy snowfall, the temperature dropped sharply below freezing. Thousands of shacks in several large refugee camps collapsed in the snow last night. It is conceivable that if the people had not been settled in time yesterday, what would have happened to the refugees in such a low temperature under such circumstances. In this situation, even Xuanzong had to admit that Wang Yuan's previous actions saved the lives of a large number of refugees and avoided the tragedy of freezing too many people to death.

Although it was still difficult to let go of Wang Yuan's behavior, Xuanzong still summoned Wang Yuan and praised him for his decisive disposition. Of course, this is on the one hand to cool down yesterday's dispute, and on the other hand, it is indeed sincere. No matter how disrespectful and domineering this Wang Yuan is, his decision is extremely correct.

In the following days, Wang Yuan and Yan Zhenqing were busy making adjustments to the refugees who had already settled down, distributing some basic supplies to ensure that they could survive the severe cold. The settlement of hundreds of thousands of refugees in Chengdu and the settlement of millions of refugees in Jiannan and Longyou Hexi is the decisive factor in ensuring stability, and there must be no mistake in this matter under any circumstances.

Because of this heavy snowfall, many things need to be busy, so the recital on the election of the crown prince has to be postponed, and Wang Yuan does not want to act in a hurry. This matter needs to be well prepared and united with enough courtiers to work together to ensure that it can be effective. Wang Yuan didn't want to attract the opposition of many courtiers once he played this matter, which would be an embarrassing thing.

Four days later, Du Fu, who had endured severe cold and snow, finally rushed to Chengdu from the army. On the second day after Wang Yuan returned to Chengdu, he recommended Du Fu as the head of the household department of the political affairs hall, and as Yan Zhenqing's deputy, he cooperated with him to do a good job in the winter resettlement and relief of the people. But because Du Fu was still in the army, after sending someone to announce his will, Du Fu set off immediately, and it took more than ten days to arrive in Chengdu.

But Du Fu's arrival was a move in the snow. In addition to Chengdu, relief matters in other places need to be inspected by special personnel, and Yan Zhenqing lacks skills and is not in good health, Du Fu's arrival can just make up for the lack of personnel in this regard. After meeting Xuanzong, Du Fu was full of energy, and he was not reused for many years, and finally he was able to serve the imperial court and be responsible for affairs related to the people, which was exactly what Du Fu hoped for. He threw himself into it with great enthusiasm, and the day after he arrived in Chengdu, he took people to various state capitals to inspect the relief work.

On the sixth day of November, Gao Xianzhi sent a letter back to Chengdu here. The letter reported to Wang Yuanyu that the 110,000 Shence Army had withdrawn from the Bahe camp and had withdrawn to the front line of Pizhou and Jinzhou to garrison for the winter before the snow fell. In the letter, Gao Xianzhi was glad that this decision was correct, because the heavy snow in Chang'an this year was much heavier than that in Chengdu, and it rained for two days and one night, the roads were completely blocked, and even food supplies were difficult to pass through. Moreover, the temperature plummeted to more than ten degrees below zero, and even if they retreated to the two cities to protect themselves from the cold, there was a large area of frostbite and wind chill in the army. I can't imagine what it would be like if the army was still stationed in the Bahe camp.

Wang Yuan was very happy, before the heavy snow came, he not only avoided the tragedy of the people freezing to death, but also avoided the army from falling into difficulties, which can be said to be blessed by God in the dark. In these years, it is absolutely impossible to win against man and nature. The so-called saying that man will conquer heaven is only said to people, and man cannot overcome heaven, and this is the case now, and it will be the same in the future.

On the seventh day of November, another letter from the south also made Wang Yuan excited. Luo Wei, who rushed to the Kapok Mountains at the southern foot of Daxue Mountain in Yaozhou to inspect the iron ore, sent back the news. Luo Weixin said that the iron ore produced by the iron ore mine in the Kapok Mountains at the southern foot of the Daxue Mountain was the kind of iron ore used to cast the cannon that day. Although the mine has not been mined for decades, the mine still exists, and only needs to be repaired and supported to dig ore and smelt iron ingots. The letter listed the manpower and things needed to purchase, and asked Wang Yuan to make a decision and start mining iron ore as soon as possible.

Wang Yuan was overjoyed and immediately summoned Liu Xunzhi to discuss the matter. The furnace used to smelt iron ore decades ago has been abandoned, and a new one is to be built again. It is also necessary to dig and build coal kilns on the spot to burn coke for smelting iron ore. In addition, after a large number of manpower is deployed, a large number of new housing and living facilities are required, and even the road leading to the mountain is repaired. As for manpower, Wang Yuan didn't have to worry, Wang Yuan wrote a letter to Ge Luofeng ten days ago, in which Wang Yuan told Ge Luofeng that he hoped he could provide a large amount of labor for mining iron ore. In the future, some of the iron ingots produced by the iron ore can be given to him.

The shortage of iron in Nanzhao was serious, and the weapons and armor depended on outsiders. This time there can be such an opportunity, of course Ge Luofeng will not miss it. Luo Wei's letter also mentioned that Nanzhao had sent men to contact him, and was willing to provide 5,000 laborers first, and then increase them as needed. So Wang Yuan is not worried about this.

After discussing with Liu Xunzhi, Wang Yuan asked Liu Xunzhi to go in person and take full responsibility for coordinating the matter. Liu Xunzhi knew that Wang Yuan attached great importance to this matter, so he prepared dozens of truckloads of supplies, money and goods that day, and rushed south to Yaozhou under the escort of more than 100 soldiers early the next morning. We will work with Lowe to resume iron ore mining as soon as possible.

Sent Liu Xun away, Wang Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. Although a large amount of materials and money were spent at this time, it was of great significance to be able to mine fine iron that could directly cast iron cannons. Even if you are bankrupt, you have to do it.

In fact, long before Luo Wei's letter arrived, Wang Yuan had done research on the authenticity of the iron ore in the Kapok Mountains. There are many ancient files preserved in the yamen of the former Jiannan Jiedu envoy, and the records of iron ore mining in the Kapok Mountains decades ago can also be checked, and the number of iron ingots produced at that time, how much profit, why the work was stopped, and so on are also recorded. Moreover, in the official dossier, the Kapok Mountain Range is also called Panzhihua Mountain. When he saw this title, Wang Yuan was a little stunned. So Wang Yuan asked some local people, and then learned that the so-called kapok is also called Panzhihua, so Wang Yuan was completely relieved.

In later generations, a large iron mine in Sichuan was called Panzhihua Iron Mine, and all kinds of signs show that this iron mine is the predecessor of Panzhihua Iron Mine in later generations. Kapok is Panzhihua, Kapok Mountain is Panzhihua Mountain, the name is right, and it is also Shudi, that has been determined.

The mining and output of iron ore cannot be achieved overnight, and Wang Yuan estimates that it will take at least next spring to officially produce iron ingots, and it will be even farther away from batch casting iron cannons. Wang Yuan is looking forward to casting more than 100 iron cannons by next summer, as long as this thing becomes large-scale, and with the successful development and practical use of grenades, then the schedule of counterinsurgency can be greatly shortened. In this epoch-making heat. Soldier. There is no doubt that the rebels will be defenseless.

The key factor is to resist a possible counterattack by the rebels before all this takes shape, so that the situation remains stable and does not deteriorate under the current circumstances. Another key factor is that Xuanzong should be able to tolerate this more than half a year without rushing to take action on his own or in private.

For Wang Yuan, when everything is ready, it is only a matter of time before the rebellion is put down. Of course, in the absence of any complications.

……

Just when the first heavy snow fell in Chengdu, Wang Yuan and the Tang Dynasty were busy with the resettlement and relief of refugees for the winter. In Lingzhou, northern Xinjiang of the Tang Dynasty, Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi also ushered in the arrival of Shouwang Li Mao outside the snow-filled southern city gate.

Two months ago, Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi were placed high hopes on Xuanzong, and the two were appointed as envoys of the two provinces of Shuofang and Hedong, and were ordered to come to Shuofang and Hedong to clean up the remnants, raise soldiers and horses, and re-establish a counterinsurgency army in addition to the Shence Army.

Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi both knew very well in their hearts that His Majesty's high hopes for the two of them were not just as simple as building another soldier and horse to speed up the counterinsurgency process. In the private conversation between the two of them, they both deeply felt His Majesty's concern about the current situation. Even if Your Majesty didn't make it clear, Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi also understood that Your Majesty was very worried about the situation of Wang Yuan's monopoly on power.

For Wang Yuan, Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi have both seen the strength of him and his subordinates. Especially Li Guangbi, when he attacked Tibet with Wang Yuan, he saw Wang Yuan's strength and domineering, and he had accumulated too much dissatisfaction in his heart. It's just that at the beginning, there was a straight man like Ge Shuhan in front as a shield, and he was not affected too much. But since then, Li Guangbi has lost his favor with Wang Yuan.

Li Guangbi once asked himself why he had an inexplicable disgust for Wang Yuan, and why he always felt that he couldn't get along with this person. In fact, ask yourself, after he and Ge Shuhan were defeated in Tubo, Wang Yuan did not fall into the ground, but helped himself and Ge Shuhan a lot. Even when His Majesty was condemned, Wang Yuan also helped them say good things, which is said to have caused His Majesty's dissatisfaction. It stands to reason that I should be grateful to him. However, Li Guangbi did not feel half grateful in his heart.

Li Guangbi is a person who has the courage to face his heart, and in many nights of dissecting himself, Li Guangbi has asked himself this question. In the end, he came to the conclusion that the reason why he was like this was because Wang Yuan was too successful, too lucky, too many means, and too fast. I have a deep jealousy of this person.

This person is like a fire in the sky, shining brightly. And his own people are all dim in his light. The more successful he Wang Yuan is, the more he brings out the incompetence of others. Once upon a time, when he followed Wang Zhongsi to gallop through the northern Xinjiang and became famous, this Wang Yuan was just an unknown little fangding. And then, this person jumped up uncontrollably, and his own light was completely overshadowed by him. even became a stepping stone for this person's promotion.

It was precisely because he felt the pressure of this person that he secretly had the heart to win. It was precisely because of the desire to win that during the Battle of Tubo, he acquiesced in Ge Shuhan's behavior of leading the army to attack the city. Although the idea at that time was a bit of a fluke, if he could take the city first, he and Ge Shuhan would be able to override Wang Yuan and curb this person's rise. Unfortunately, he was unlucky and was surrounded and annihilated by the Tibetans in Namco Lake, which led to the later dilemma. He and Ge Shuhan were reprimanded and punished by His Majesty, but Wang Yuan picked up a big bargain. Most of the credit for the victory over the Tibetans and the alliance under the city was taken by him, and his cheap overtures and superficial maintenance were nothing compared to the fame and awards he received. In Wang Yuan's inadvertent eyes, Li Guangbi could feel the contempt and disdain in his bones.

This kind of contempt and disdain was felt again by Li Guangbi in Puzhou City after two years. was also when his own army was defeated and down, and he was also rescued by Wang Yuan into his army. The two events are separated by several years, but what brings Li Guangbi is the same landless self-esteem and gnashing of teeth. Although Wang Yuan never said a word that embarrassed him, Li Guangbi felt that it was more embarrassing than saying something ugly. But Wang Yuan didn't say it, it was still that kind of smile and eyes, which made Li Guangbi eager to find a crack to get into.

At the subsequent meeting, Li Guangbi objected to Wang Yuan's move to abandon the army to save Yan Zhenqing. However, not only was his own words ignored by Wang Yuan, but also attracted ridicule and ridicule from Wang Yuan's subordinates. The defeat of the Tubo army and the defeat of the Tongguan army were turned over one by one. Although Wang Yuan didn't say half a word, the words of his subordinates were obviously instructed by Wang Yuan, and Li Guangbi firmly believed so. Li Guangbi knew that there could be no intersection between himself and Wang Yuan, it was impossible for him to obey Wang Yuan's orders, and Wang Yuan could not trust himself. Therefore, after Wang Yuan left, Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi sighed and told Guo Ziyi everything about Wang Yuan's temperament that he knew. Fortunately, Guo Ziyi did not have a good impression of Wang Yuan, and felt that this person was domineering, so the two decided to leave Wang Yuan's army and return to Chengdu.

After arriving in Chengdu, His Majesty's praise for the two flattered them. After that, from the mouth of His Majesty, from the mouths of some officials, and from the mouths of several princes such as King Shou, the two heard too many things about Wang Yuan. Fang Xuan's death, Wang Yuan's strong control of military power, his efforts to obstruct the rebuilding of the forbidden army, and even his many disrespects to His Majesty, etc., all made Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi feel that Fang Xuan's comment on Wang Yuan was good. coerced the Son of Heaven to order the princes, Wang Yuan is afraid that this is exactly what he wants to do.

Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi quickly found the direction of their efforts. I also understood the meaning behind Xuanzong's long sighs. For the two of them, this will be a great opportunity to share the worries of His Majesty. Of course, choosing this opportunity is tantamount to a real confrontation with Wang Yuan, and maybe Fang Xuan's fate will be repeated in the two of them. However, at this moment, Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi will not think about it so much. As far as the public is concerned, this move is to be loyal to His Majesty, and His Majesty cannot be subject to Wang Yuan's control, and privately, this is the only opportunity for them to use their strength to compete with Wang Yuan, and it is the best way to become an important minister of the country that His Majesty relies on. In light of this, the two quickly reached a consensus.

The two proposed to Xuanzong to go to Shuofang Liangdao in Hedong to clean up the old department and raise soldiers and horses, and clearly told Xuanzong that he and the two were willing to swear to serve His Majesty to the death, and reorganize a soldier and horse to completely obey His Majesty's orders. He is willing to stand up when the Shence army is not patrolling, recapture Chang'an for His Majesty, and welcome His Majesty back to the capital.

Of course, Xuanzong was overjoyed, and this was what he wanted. The reason why Xuanzong didn't dare to express this meaning too clearly was because he was worried that these two people would not dare to do this and would not dare to confront Wang Yuan. Now that the two have sworn allegiance, to embark on this road, of course Xuanzong can't ask for it. Xuanzong immediately issued an order to divide the official positions between the two, and took advantage of Wang Yuan's gap in the hinterland of the rebels to order Gao Xianzhi to return the 20,000 soldiers and horses from the east of the river to the two as the capital for their army. In this way, Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi embarked on the journey of returning to Shuofang, Hedong, and began their arduous road of actively recruiting troops to start anew.

At the beginning of returning to Longyou and Shuofang, it can be described as difficult. However, fortunately, Wang Yuan's Shence army had already recovered most of the cities in Hedong and Shuofang. The rebel soldiers and horses also knew that the Shence army was not easy to provoke, and they retreated to the front line of Taiyuan Shuozhou and Daizhou to defend, which gave Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi room to move. The two led 20,000 soldiers and horses to establish a foothold in Lingzhou, and quickly recruited soldiers and horses to expand their strength with the deterrent power of the Shence army below. After most of the two eastern provinces of the Shuofang River were recovered, a large number of displaced people also returned. learned that there were imperial soldiers and horses stationed in Lingzhou, and a large number of people gathered in the Lingzhou area, which gave Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi a good recruiting environment. In order to be fed and clothed, and in order to prevent their families from starving to death, the people had to join the army to find a way to survive. Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi also did not refuse to come, from their 50s to 15 or 6 years old. In just one month, Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi recruited more than 40,000 soldiers and horses, plus 20,000 returning soldiers, and the two established an army of 60,000 in a short period of time.

However, although the number of soldiers and horses in their hands is huge, Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi both understand that the soldiers and horses in their hands are actually not strong in combat. If these 60,000 soldiers and horses were used to attack the fortified battle, there would be no chance of victory. The two tentatively led their troops to attack Daizhou in late September and early October, but the battle was half over. Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi then ordered the attack to be stopped and evacuated from Daizhou. Because, it was a terrible siege war, more than 60,000 soldiers and horses attacked Daizhou, which had only more than 6,000 defenders, but it was like a messy nest of headless flies. Before further casualties were avoided, the two men could only order a retreat.

This battle also completely made Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi cold. They realized that the newly recruited soldiers and horses would be useless without a long period of training, and it would be impossible to attack Daizhou and Chang'an. However, the two boasted in front of Xuanzong that they had recruited soldiers and horses for several months, and they could recapture Chang'an and welcome His Majesty back to Beijing. Naturally, soldiers and horses can continue to be raised, and even tens of thousands of them are not a problem, but the problem is that these soldiers and horses cannot fight, so what is the use of raising them? And how to recapture Chang'an in a short period of time, grab this great credit, fulfill the promise to Your Majesty, and not let Your Majesty down, this will be a huge problem in front of the two of them.

When the two retreated to Lingzhou and frowned at each other, a news came from the border of the surrendered city in the north. A group of Turkic soldiers and horses broke through the border of the Tang Dynasty and rushed into the territory of the Tang Dynasty, and captured the surrendered city without much effort. There were only 1,000 soldiers and horses stationed in the surrendered city, which was only a symbolic garrison here, but in fact, it also played a role in monitoring the Turkic soldiers and horses, and it was absolutely impossible to defend the city.

After getting the news, Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi were shocked. This is exactly the time when the house leak happened to rain overnight, and the disaster never went alone. Could it be that the Turks are going to take advantage of the chaos to attack the Tang Dynasty on a large scale? In that case, the stalemate with the rebels, which had been basically stabilized, would be broken, and the situation would be even more erosive and unpredictable.

In any case, the Turkic invasion, the two could not sit idly by. So after the two discussed, Li Guangbi led 20,000 elite soldiers to the north of the Tang Dynasty to reinforce Fengzhou, prevent the Turks from moving south, and wait for an opportunity to recapture the surrendered city occupied by the Turks. However, just as Li Guangbi led his army to the desert Gobi land more than 100 miles south of Chengfengzhou, a news came that surprised Li Guangbi even more. Under the surrendered city, another group of Turkic soldiers and horses is storming the city. The Turks themselves fought with their own people.

In one day, the Turkic soldiers and horses besieging the city defeated the Turkic soldiers and horses that occupied the surrendered city. A small number of remnants of the Turkic army fled southward, and the Turkic cavalry besieging the city pursued fiercely in the Gobi Desert, chasing down the hundreds of remnants of the fleeing army thirty miles away from Li Guangbi's army. Li Guangbi didn't know what was going on for a while. But soon, the soldiers and horses pursuing by the other party sent someone to deliver the news, and Li Guangbi finally understood what the truth of this confusing thing in front of him was.