Since ancient times, there have been people who have no choice but to do it. ”

In the face of Yan Zhuang's instigation, An Qingxu's wolf nature was awakened at once, and he replied decisively without thinking about it: "You're right!" Yan Zhuang said to Li Zhu'er again: "You serve the 'emperor', can you count the charges you get?" If you don't do this great thing, your death will not be far off! ”。

Li Zhu'er was said to be in the sore spot, and he also hated itchy. Just do it, and the plan for a palace coup d'état in the puppet court was soon released.

In order to avoid long nights and dreams, these conspirators decided to get rid of the old conspirator - An Lushan as soon as possible. An Lushan, who started as a rebel, was very kind to others (or can't be called "others", because his son was also one of the masterminds.

For him, who can be called "his own man") The conspiracy to subvert himself is unaware.

On the fifth day of the first lunar month in 757, An Lushan was not in the mood for the New Year at all. When he received congratulations from his ministers in the early court, he hastily quit the court not long after because of the recurrence of sores.

That night, Yan Zhuang and An Qingxu led their own soldiers to guard outside the door with weapons, and Li Zhu'er entered the dormitory and stabbed An Lushan in the abdomen. An Lushan couldn't see with his eyes, and he couldn't fight back with his saber, so he could only pat the pillar and shout: "It's a thief!" In a moment, the intestines flowed to the ground.

The 55-year-old An Lushan, the once invincible hero, died in this way after being the "emperor" for one year. Subsequently, Yan Zhuang ordered An Lushan's body to be buried on the spot.

In the early morning of the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, Yan Zhuang announced that An Lushan was critically ill, and An Qingxu, the "filial son" who killed his father and stood on his own, was "ordered" to ascend the throne and respected An Lushan, who was actually dead, as the emperor. An Qingxu secretly ordered An Qingen's mother and son to be killed.

After the situation stabilized. An Qingxu announced that his father had died of a violent illness, and his liver and intestines were broken.

We don't mean to sympathize with An Lushan. Because his rebellion killed thousands of people. But this incident, after all, is also a tragedy of human nature.

In the law of survival like a beast. We don't see the slightest human or emotional thing. After digging deeper, it may be because An Lushan did not set an example for his son.

Determined to take advantage of this opportunity to regain lost territory, Lee Heng was determined to mobilize all positive factors to fight the rebels to the death.

Guo Ziyi learned a lesson from Fang Xuan's defeat and believed that in order to recover Liangjing, he must first capture Tongguan, attack Shaanzhou (where he was governed in present-day Shaanxi County, Henan), cut off the rebels' rear route, and then take Chang'an directly.

Li Heng agreed with this suggestion. The Don Army was ordered to act as it was deployed. In February 757, Guo Ziyi led an army from Luojiao (present-day Fuxian, Shaanxi) to attack Feng Yi (píngyì, present-day Dali, Shaanxi), approaching Hedong, which was only one river away.

Some people in Hedong City took the opportunity to respond to the Tang army, and the rebels were killed nearly 1,000 people. The rebel general Cui Qianyou escaped over the wall, and Guo Ziyi pursued the victory, killing 4,000 enemies and capturing 5,000 people, and successfully captured Hedong. Due to the victory of the Tang Army.

Li Heng also went from Lingwu to Fengxiang (now Fengxiang, Shaanxi), and was one step closer to Chang'an. Cui Qianyou retreated to Tongguan, Guo Ziyi broke the rebels in Tongguan, and Cui Qianyou retreated to Puzhou (now Yongji, Shanxi) to defend it.

Then. Tang Dynasty officials Zhao Fu, Han Man, Xu Jiong, Li Zangfeng and others, who were imprisoned in Puzhou by the rebels, rose up to kill the soldiers defending the city and opened the city gate to welcome Guo Ziyi into the city. Cui Qianyou fled to Anyi (present-day Xia County, Shanxi).

The people of Anyi pretended to surrender, and Cui Qianyou's army was almost halfway into the city. The city gate fell suddenly, and the rebels who entered the city were "closed and beaten dogs" and "made dumplings". The cunning Cui Qianyou was a step slower because of entering the city. to get out.

Guo Ziyi took advantage of the situation to recover Yongfeng Cang (a famous granary in the Sui and Tang dynasties, in present-day Dali, Shaanxi). Since then, there has been no rebel incursion between Tongguan and Shaanzhou.

On March 23, the rebel general An Shouzhong led 20,000 cavalry to attack Hedong, but was defeated by Guo Ziyi, and the rebels were annihilated 8,000 and 5,000 captured.

In April, Li Heng appointed his eldest son, Li Yu, as commander-in-chief of the national armed forces (generalissimo of the world's soldiers and horses) and Guo Ziyi as deputy commander-in-chief (deputy marshal), and borrowed troops from Hui to continue the campaign against the rebels.

Li Heng knew that his son did not have the ability to lead the overall situation, and could only be a nominal marshal, so he earnestly asked Guo Ziyi to go all out. Guo Ziyi replied solemnly,

He is "ready to destroy the rebels and apologize for his crimes with death." On April 13, the rebel general Li Guiren attacked the Tang army at Sanyuan (present-day Sanyuan, Shaanxi) and threatened Fengxiang.

Guo Ziyi ordered his generals Gu Huaien (a famous general of the Tiele tribe) and Wang Zhongsheng to fight back, and the rebels were annihilated, and Li Guiren fled alone.

Guo Ziyi then led his army eastward to the west of the Yi (yù) River (in the western suburbs of present-day Xi'an, Shaanxi).

The rebel generals An Shouzhong, Li Guiren and other troops were stationed in Xiqingqu (north of Xiangji Temple, Chang'an District, Xi'an, Shaanxi), and the two sides were in a state of stalemate.

Judging from the situation at that time, the strength of the rebels was still quite strong, and the Tang army did not have an advantage, and the two sides won and lost each other in the contest. Li Heng's road to counterinsurgency was still a rather arduous process.

The second good general: Li Guangbi, a famous Khitan general and "No. 2 hero".

Li Guangbi, a native of Liucheng, Yingzhou (now Chaoyang, Liaoning), is of Khitan nationality. He was named the king of Linhuai County because of his military exploits, and later generations also called him "Li Linhuai".

His father, Li Kailuo, was originally a Khitan chieftain, and was attached to the Tang Dynasty in the Wu Zetian era and was given the surname "Li".

His father died on the way to defeat the Tubo class, so he joined the army as a "martyr's son" as a teenager and began a glorious life in the southern and northern wars.

Li Guangbi showed extraordinary qualifications from an early age, he was stern and resolute, good at riding and shooting, and liked to read the Book of Han. In the fifth year of Tianbao (746), he was promoted to his subordinate official (soldier and horse envoy) by Wang Zhonghei, the envoy of Hexi Jiedu.

Wang Zhongsi's eyes were like torches, and he said to others, "The one who can replace me in commanding the army in the future must be Li Guangbi!" ”

In 756, Li Guangbi was recommended by Guo Ziyi as the military and political governor of the Hedong region (Hedong Jiedu envoy, located in the southwest of present-day Taiyuan, Shanxi) and the magistrate of Yunzhong County (Taishou, the county was governed in present-day Datong, Shanxi), and gave him 5,000 men.

Soon after, he was appointed secretary general of the Fanyang County Government and military and political governor of Hebei (Fanyang Changshi and Hebei Jiedu envoy).

After arriving in Lingwu in August, he was appointed Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and Commander of the Taiyuan Military Region (Tongzhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi and Hubu Shangshu, and Beidu Stay).

After being ordered, Li Guangbi was stationed in Taiyuan, and since then he has had a great opportunity to fully display his talents. He worked closely with Kwok Tsz Yee. A major counteroffensive against the rebels.

In February 756, he led 10,000 cavalry and 3,000 crossbowmen. Out of Jingchengkou (now northwest of Jingcheng County, Hebei), he had to face an army of 50,000 led by rebel generals such as Shi Siming, Li Lijie, and Cai Xide.

The commander of Ruoding, Li Guangbi. Left and right fought to recover 7 county towns (Zhending, Shiyi, Xingtang, Jingcheng, Pingshan, Delu, Lingshou), and went straight to the important town - Changshan (now Zhengding, Hebei), and achieved a great victory, shaking the rear of An Lushan.

Li Guangbi had a big mind and great wisdom, and did not kill the rebel general An Siyi after capturing him.

Li Guangbi found that he was not a die-hard diehard, so he encouraged him to serve the Tang battalion, and humbly asked him for advice on the strategy of defeating the enemy. An Siyi was moved by him, so he sincerely expressed his opinion: "Your soldiers and horses have come from afar, and they are very tired. If you encounter a strong enemy in a hurry, you may not be able to win quickly.

It is better to avoid its edge, move the army into the city, and hold out. Wait for it to show its flaws, and then look for fighters.

Although the cavalry of the Hu people is brave, it cannot last long, and the slightest setback will demoralize, and then you can take the opportunity to attack. ”

An Siyi further analyzed: "Changshan is lost, and the most likely thing for the rebels to fight for is Shi Siming, who is 200 miles away. This is the most noteworthy enemy.

He will definitely give up the attack on Raoyang (present-day Raoyang, Hebei) and come to fight for Changshan. ”

Li Guangbi was overjoyed, and immediately accepted An Siyi's suggestion and ordered the army to hold on. and treat him like a guest.

It is the strongman who can defeat the enemy, but he can convince the enemy and use it for his own use, turning to his original camp. That's a great man.

Sure enough, as An Siyi expected, Shi Siming learned that the war was tight. He personally led an army of 100,000 to surround Li Guangbi's troops in Changshan. The two sides fought fiercely for more than 40 days, and Lee Kwang-pil ordered the construction of a catapult to defend. Inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy.

After An Qingxu became emperor, he sent a large army to attack the states of Henan. Shi Siming's troops suddenly crossed the river, captured Bianzhou (now Kaifeng, Henan), and advanced to Luoyang.

Li Guangbi thought that Luoyang City was difficult to hold with few soldiers, so he withdrew the officials and people in the city and abandoned the empty city.

He led the whole army to hold Heyang (now south of Mengzhou, Henan) and threatened the rebels' flanks so that they did not dare to advance westward.

In 758, Li Guangbi defeated Shi Siming at Heyang, annihilated 20,000 enemies, and took advantage of the victory to recover Huaizhou (now Qinyang, Henan).

On September 21, Li Heng sent Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi and other 9 Jiedu envoys (Shuofang Jiedu envoy Guo Ziyi, Hedong Jiedu envoy Li Guangbi, Guannei Jiedu envoy Wang Sili, Beiting Jiedu Li Siye, Huaixi Jiedu envoy Lu Jiong, Zheng Cai Jiedu envoy Ji Guangchen, Henan Jiedu envoy Cui Guangyuan,

Xu Shuji, Xingping Jiedu, Li Huan, etc.) led an army of 600,000 troops and joined forces to besiege An Qingxu, who had fled from Luoyang to Ye County (also known as Xiangzhou, in present-day Anyangbei, Henan).

Li Heng mistakenly thought that Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi were both state fathers and it was difficult for them to rule each other, so he did not set up a marshal (in fact, he did not want to give them power, so he reused his own "house slave"), and only appointed the eunuch Yu Chaoen to temporarily handle relevant military affairs on behalf of the emperor, and set up an unprecedented position for him to "watch the army and declare comfort and dispose of it".

War is not only a contest of military strength between the two sides, but also a contest of high-level wisdom between the commanders of the two sides.

The absence of a commander reflects Li Heng's mediocrity and low organizational ability, and it will also bring doom to this army.

In October, An Qingxu knew that he had been trapped to death by the Tang army, so he asked Shi Siming for help by giving up the throne. When Shi Siming received the news, he led 130,000 elite soldiers to the rescue.

The powerful force of the 9-knot envoy could have annihilated the enemy in one fell swoop, but because the Tang army had no commander and lacked unified command, the various armies were not subordinate to each other and fought separately, and it was chaotic.

Yu Chaoen is the supreme commander of this coalition army, but he doesn't know the art of war at all and doesn't know how to use soldiers. In March 759, the Tang army suffered heavy losses in a rout, and only Li Guangbi's troops did not disperse.

The Tang Dynasty finally put together this huge team, only 3,000 of the tens of thousands of war horses remained, and almost all of the more than 100,000 swords, guns and weapons were lost.

The eunuch Yu Chaoen had always been jealous of Guo Ziyi, and he was afraid that the emperor would blame him for his incompetence, so he put the blame for the defeat of the war on him.

Annoyed and angry, Li Heng didn't know whether it was true or not, so he deprived Guo Ziyi of his military power. In July, Li Heng ordered Li Guangbi to replace Guo Ziyi as the deputy commander-in-chief of the national armed forces (deputy marshal of the world's soldiers and horses), and concurrently served as the chief of staff of the Youzhou Military Region (Changshi) and the military and political chief of Hebei (Hebei Jiedu envoy), stationed in Luoyang.

With Guo Ziyi's lesson, Li Guangbi took the initiative to ask the emperor to send a prince as a marshal to serve the people.

As a result, Li Heng sent his second son, Zhao Wang Li, to be the commander-in-chief (generalissimo of the world's soldiers and horses), and the actual military affairs were still presided over by Li Guangbi.

Li Guangbi was resolute and resolute, flexible in the use of troops, and was especially good at defensive operations; He governed the army rigorously, and his troops were repeatedly defeated.

He once disregarded the emperor's order to behead the imperial historian Cui Zhong, who disobeyed the military order, and Zhang Yongji, the soldier and horse envoy of the left wing; When recovering Changshan, the prisoners were also released, and the strict military discipline made the people extremely respectful. He and Guo Ziyi are like-minded and cooperate well with each other.

They were all good at taking advantage of the favorable terrain, morale and popular sentiment, and the enemy's shortcomings to maneuver with the enemy, greatly weakening the fighting power of the rebels and gradually gaining the initiative in the war.

In many battles, they were often able to win more with less, and defeat the strong with the weak, and won victory after victory.

However, this also led to the jealousy and framing of the eunuch Yu Chaoen and the general servant Gu Huaien. In order to avoid the disaster, Li Guangbi did not dare to enter the court for several years.

Although Li Guangbi's later fame was not as great as Guo Ziyi's, his military talent was not under Guo Ziyi.

As the "New Tang Dynasty Book" said: "Li Guangbi used troops, first formulated a strategy and then fought, and was able to win more with less."

He governed the army strictly, and the whole world admired his prestige, and the generals in the army did not dare to look up at him. Originally, he was as famous as Guo Ziyi, known as 'Li Guo', and his meritorious service should be the first in terms of military merit (Guo Ziyi had no chance to make meritorious service for the time being after he was dismissed, but Guo Ziyi's historical influence in terms of comprehensive military and political aspects greatly exceeded that of Li Guangbi). ”

Therefore, although Li Guangbi has some flaws in his character, such as pride and complacency, empty eyes, and many times not listening to the emperor's dispatch,

But people still compare him with Guo Ziyi and Ge Shuhan (this is a tragic hero, and the merits of ZTE are not big. Because he was forced to fight very early, he became a prisoner of the rebels) and was listed as the "Three Generals of Zhongxing in the Tang Dynasty".

The mystery of King Jianning

Li Shutong, a historian of the Republic of China, divided the succession to the throne of the Tang Dynasty into three periods in his Research on the Succession to the Imperial Throne of the Tang Dynasty: the early period (from Gaozu to Suzong, 618-761) was the period of armed struggle; The middle period (Daizong to Muzong, 762-824) was the period of peaceful succession of the eldest son; The later period (Emperor Wenzong to Emperor Ai, 825-904) was the period of eunuch support. (To be continued......)