Suddenly, an official from Zhongshu Province shouted: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty." At the risk of being hit in the head by a polo stick, he jumped up to Li Yi's horse and handed him a freshly printed newspaper (then called Di Bao). Li Yi read the newspaper, his face was pale, he threw the polo stick casually, and rode straight to the Taiji Palace.

The guards hurriedly hugged and followed, leaving only a pair of suspicious eyes from the players on the polo field: What happened to the little master today? How is it possible to give up the game? No, that's not true!

After entering the Taiji Palace, Li Yi instructed the eunuchs on duty to pass the ministers to come to the government hall to discuss matters.

This was an "enlarged meeting of the Standing Committee of the Central Committee," which was attended by Zheng Zheng, the secretary of the military department, Lu Xie, the servant of the men, Wang Duo, the left servant, and Tian Lingzi, the envoy of the Shence Army, Zheng Congyan, the secretary of the ministry, Cui Xin, the secretary of the ministry, Cui Tang, the servant of the Ministry of Rites, Doulu, the servant of the household department, Lu Jianfang, the servant of the imperial servant, Li Wei, the servant of Zhongshu, and the general Zhi Mo and Si Nongqing......

The meeting was presided over by Li Yi, and Zheng Jian first introduced the basic situation of the change of senior colleagues, and then read out Li Keyong's petition and Li Guochang's recital. In the chapter, it said: "The begging court quickly removed (sent) the Datong defense envoy, if Ke disobeyed the order, the minister asked the commander to ask for it, and finally did not love a son to lose the country." ”

Are Li Guochang's words true or false? In connection with his consistent character in the past, as the edict said, "Li Guochang has been loyal for a long time, and he has made significant contributions." It seems that 80% of his words are true. However, when it is known that Li Guochang and Li Ke will use their troops together to fight against the government army in the future, many people will definitely be shocked and complain.

Actually, there is nothing surprising about this. Heroes are also human beings, and human beings have shortcomings. The idiom "gold without feet" is the most appropriate interpretation of him. Of course, Li Guochang has ideas in his heart. Which of the three towns of Heshuo is not the envoy of the festival? Reporting to the central government is nothing more than a routine matter. Was there a time when the imperial court did not open one eye and close one eye? What's more, he is still a member of the Li Tang clan, compared to outsiders. Li Ke used the Datong Festival to make it more certain to obtain the emperor's approval. That's why he said some high-sounding words, in order to give the court enough face and make it have steps to go down. From Li Guochang's point of view, this naturally has its truth.

Li Yi, the son of heaven, is playful by nature, and politically he is like a pool of clear water, to put it bluntly, he is Xiaobai. But, fortunately, he has the same advantages as Liu Bang: he is not stubborn and is willing to listen to the opinions of ministers. When it is difficult to make a decision on major military affairs. always said to the adviser with a sad face: "What can I do? ”

The meeting was held in a warm atmosphere, and the ministers were in high blood after listening to Li Keyong's petition. Some people say that Li Keyong can't be tolerated and accommodating, and some say that Li Guochang's father and son have made the merit of fighting thieves for the Tang Dynasty, and the emphasis should be on appeasement, and the big things will be turned into small things and small things will be turned into nothing. Finally, based on the opinions of these two aspects, three temporary measures have been introduced for the change of large colleagues:

1. Appoint Si Nongqing as the Datong Propaganda Envoy (meaning to pacify), and attach an edict to the Zhizhi. As the central government's reply to Li Keyong's petition. The edict reads: "If you don't take charge of military affairs for the time being, and wait for the court to remove (send) people, it will be expedient and not enough to be suspicious." If you want to have a military handle, you want to be dying. The affliction is long-lasting, so it is difficult to agree. ”

2. Instruct Li Guochang to tell Keyong to greet him with ordinary etiquette. As for Li Keyong's official position. Rest assured, the court has its own arrangements. "It will be satisfying".

3. Appointed Lu Jianfang, the imperial servant, as the defense envoy of Datong, and entrusted him with a glorious task: to mediate the relationship between the central government and the Daibei Shatuo tribe. In the edict to Lu Jianfang in the name of the Son of Heaven, he said: "The governor has two terms in Yunzhong. Grace and Guochang father and son, respectful and nostalgic, are not ordinary people. "I want him to explain the good and bad to Li Keyong, and know the benefits and disadvantages, "Make sure that there is no loss in the big festival, and don't let the previous achievements be abandoned." ”。

The empire is in the midst of an eventful season, dignitaries are busy, and there are a lot of headaches waiting to be dealt with below. Di Bao (an internal publication of the Tang Dynasty government) also reported this news:

In the first month of the fourth year of Qianfu, heavy snow fell. Wang Xianzhi's rebels arrived at the city of Jiangling (present-day Jingzhou, Hubei), and the defenders of Luocheng (the main city) retreated to Zicheng (inner city). The offensive and defensive battle lasted all day, and night fell, and Yang Zhiwen was still composing poems in the study during the Jingnan Festival. The generals (including the staff) asked him to come out to appease the army, and when they saw him, "the gauze hat is lowly, please put on the armor in case of loss." Yang Zhiwen climbed the city tower and said to the dusty, bloodstained soldiers and staff: "This handsome is not talented, I will make a small poem today, please give me more advice." ”

After that, he unfolded the rice paper with the fragrance of ink in his hand, shook his head and groaned: "Hundred pheasants and golden ponds, Chu Tian is still low." The grass thief is strong and crossbow, and he sits and watches the clouds fly. ”

Then he asked proudly, "Everyone, how's it going?" How is it compared to Wang Zhilian's "Climbing the Stork's Tower"?

How the people commented, the newspaper was vague. But this is no longer important, we only know that his move directly buried his bright future.

Li Yi's anger has not subsided, and when he heard this, he was furious. He has never been rude, but this time he made an exception: "Damn Yang Zhiwen, you are a sour talent, stupid donkey!" Let him get out of Jingnan Town for me, how far and as far as he goes! Later, then? ”

Zheng Ji then read: Fortunately, Shannan Dongdao Jiedu made Li Fu send troops to rescue in time and joined the 500 Shatuo soldiers stationed in Xiangyang. "All to Jingmen, thieves. Shatuo rode hard and broke it. "Wang Xianzhi led the troops to retreat, and Jiangling was safe.

Li Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

The meeting immediately decided to demote Yang Zhiwen to Chenzhou Sima. At the same time, it was also decided to use Gao Biao, the envoy of the Xichuan Jiedu, as the envoy of the Jingnan Jiedu, and the envoy of salt and iron transshipment.

What was read out next was an exciting piece of good news: According to the Zhudao camp to recruit grass thieves to make General Zeng Yuanyu play, in March, our government army broke Wang Xianzhi in Huangmei, killed more than 50,000 grass thieves, and chased Wang Xianzhi. Today's first Beijing division will be there soon.

In the political hall, the ministers cheered. The conference ended with the majestic singing of "King Qin's Breaking Array Music".

Li Yi originally thought that Li Guochang and Lu Jianfang, two important ministers, would persuade and educate Li Keyong in a two-pronged manner, and believed that Li Keyong would get lost. However, the actual situation was completely contrary to his subjective wishes, and it was only a few days away. The news came that Li Ke had captured the captive army, forcing the imperial court to readjust its strategic deployment......

Time entered the fifth year of Qianfu (878). This year, the personnel changes of the empire were extremely frequent, like a marquee. Please be patient and take a look. How busy the court was during this time.

In mid-April, Lu Jianfang, who was appointed by the imperial court as the envoy of the Datong Festival, had not yet gone to Yunzhou, and received the emperor's book (holy decree) halfway through the road, and was reappointed as the envoy of the Zhenwu Festival. Someone said, isn't that Shatuo Li Guochang's territory? Don't worry, Li Guochang also received a letter from him, and he was appointed as the envoy of the Datong Festival.

It should be said that this trick of the imperial court is very technical. We don't know if the ministers believed what Li Guochang said in the concerto, but we only know that the cleverness of this trick lies in the use of Li Guochang to suppress Li Keyong. It also made Li Ke's dream of being a Datong festival shattered invisibly. No matter how arrogant you Li Keyong is, can you still keep your father out of the city?

However, the imperial court only knows one and does not know the other, Li Guochang is not a fuel-efficient lamp! Yes, he has always been obedient before, basically running wherever the "party" points! However, just because you were obedient in the past doesn't mean you will be obedient this time. In fact, Li Guochang changed from a big colleague to the beginning. There was the idea of the father and son merging the two towns, and they firmly believed that it was an ironclad thing.

After he received the book, he didn't look at it, and he was angry. Tear the book to shreds. scolded: "You guys who can only shake their lips have calculated on my head." Subsequently, he killed the eunuchs (eunuchs) and pulled the flag to rebel. Lead the army all the way south. Directly to the Cover Army (Army: An administrative region at the level of a border prefecture, subject to military control. Rendezvous with Li Keyong. Then the sword pointed at Ning Wu and Qi Lanjun.

Lu Jianfang went to Zhenwu alone to take office, and from time to time, Lu Longjie made Li Keju send a part of Youzhou and Bingzhou troops to meet him. Arrive at Lanzhou. happened to meet the Shatuo soldiers, and before the battle began, this group of ruffians from Lu Long scattered in a hurry. Lu Jianfang was so angry that he fell ill and died.

In May, Zheng Zheng and Lu Xian had a dispute over the Nanzhao War and peace, and Lu Xian accidentally dropped the inkstone on the table and fell to the ground. Li Yi was very unhappy and said: "The ministers criticize each other, why do you punish the whole world? It means that as a minister, he is like a shrew, how can he have the image of a national civil servant? Don't be your prime minister, I can't afford to lose it!

In this way, Zheng and Lu were dismissed from their posts as prime ministers and went to the "Prince Guest Branch (in Luoyang, Tokyo)" for a leisurely meal. Li Yi appointed Dou Lu as the squire of the military department, and Cui Xin as the squire of the household department, and the two of them were both Tongping Zhangshi and took over the work of Zheng and Lu.

In June, the imperial court made Cao Xiang the former Zhaoyi Army Festival envoy Cao Xiang as the right Pu Shot of the school Shangshu, and Taiyuan Yin, the northern capital stayed behind, and the Hedong Jiedu envoy. He also used the left scattered cavalry Chang Shi Zhi Mo as the deputy envoy of Hedong Jiedu, and specially dealt with Li Keyong. Cao Xiang and Li Keyong, a pair of comrades-in-arms who were once in the same trench when they were fighting against Pang Xun, are now, because of politics, the two are incompatible enemies.

Zhimo's epitaph cloud: "In that period, there were many Jin politics, Cao Xiang was the uncle, and he moved to Datong to proclaim. Find the future and get rid of the two murderers. ”

The gist of this passage is to say: In this place in Shanxi, Cao Xiang is currently the boss, and the name of our family is called the deputy envoy, but in fact he is only the role of the director of the neighborhood committee...... Later, the emperor issued an edict, and Zhimo joined the ranks of encircling and suppressing Li Keyong's rebels.

The Shatuo rebels plundered Tanglin, Laoxian and other places, and entered the territory of Xinzhou. The iron rider is vertical and horizontal, like a plough court sweeping; Everywhere he went, the flames soared into the sky and suddenly turned into a scorched earth.

In July, Cao Xiang went to Jinyang City (Taiyuan, which has always been the seat of Hedong Town. ), ordered the soldiers of Yicheng, Zhongwu, Zhaoyi, and Heyang to gather in Jinyang and prepare for a decisive battle with Li Keyong.

In August, Cao Xiang led troops north to rescue Xinzhou. Li Ke judged the situation and decided not to have a hard encounter with the government army in view of the fact that the enemy was outnumbered. The troops turned to the northwest to attack the Lan army and "trapped the city of Qiluo (outer city)". Cao Xiang heard that the Lan army was in a tight situation, so he hurriedly led his troops to rescue. In a narrow strip called Honggu, the government army was defeated by Li Keyong's plan to encircle and send reinforcements, and retreated to Jinyang to hold on behind closed doors.

The Shatuo rebels fought hard and captured Qilan.

After Cao Xiang returned to Jinyang, he was unhappy. A month later (September), following in the footsteps of Lu Jianfang, he "stormed".

Mentality, mentality, let me sigh. If life does not exist, what is the career?

The news reached Chang'an, and the imperial court held an emergency meeting. (shaking his head) There are really enough meetings, but I have wronged Li Yi's children, and there is very little time to feast and play. The following four resolutions were taken at the meeting:

1. Cui Jikang, the ambassador of Hedong Xuan, was the envoy of the Hedong Festival and the envoy of the northbound camp (that is, the commander-in-chief of the bandits).

2. Ordered Li Jun, the envoy of Zhaoyi Jiedu, Li Keju of Lulong Jiedu, Helian Duo, the chief of Tuyuhun, An Qing, the chief of Shatuo of Baiyi City, and Mi Haiwan, the chief of Sage, to merge and crusade against Li Keyong.

3. Li Wei was dismissed as the eastern capital, and Zheng Congyan, the secretary of the ministry, was appointed to replace Li Wei as the Zhongshu Shilang and the chief prime minister of the Zhongshu Menxia.

Fourth, the edict ordered the Gyeonggi Patrol Envoy Wang Chucun to ban the troops from besieging Qinrenfang (Imperial Villa) and arresting Li Guochang's son Kerang.

Li Kerang is Li Keyong's second brother, his life is short and brilliant, if he does not die young, he can be called the most dazzling Gemini constellation in the night sky of the late Tang Dynasty alongside Li Keyong. According to historical records, Li Kerang was famous for his bravery in Daibei at the age of twelve. He was not only good at riding and archery, but he was also a master of using horse lances.

During the Xiantong period, the two brothers followed their father's orders to Huaibei to Ping Pang Xun's rebellion. Li Kerang often rushed into the enemy line with a lance on his own, and he was out of the limelight. "Thief Ping, with merit awarded Colonel Zhenwu (intermediate officer)." Later, Li Kerang was edicted by the Son of Heaven and led his division to conquer Wang Xianzhi. "Thief Ping, award General Jin Wuwei for merit." Stayed overnight in Beijing and worked as a guard.

Li Kerang's resume shows that he is younger than Li Keyong, but he is more successful in his career. Now, because of Li Keyong's rebellion in Daibei, the imperial court wants to connect with this innocent, young old revolutionary who has nothing to do with rebellion. The central government of the dignified empire can even ignore the law, let alone serve the people!

Wang Chucun took thousands of forbidden troops and surrounded Qinrenfang tightly at night. Li Kerang summoned more than ten people, including his subordinates Ji Gang, Hun Jintong, He Xiangwen, An Wenkuan, and Shi Zhili, to jump on war horses, brandish swords, guns, swords, and halberds, and desperately break through. Wang Chucun encouraged the soldiers: "Brothers, we must work together, and don't let the thieves escape." Catch one person and get a bounty ingot. ”

Hearing that there was a reward, the forbidden soldiers came and rushed up. Li Kerang and the others fought and left, but failed to get rid of the pursuers. The northern city wall of Chang'an was approaching, and the soldiers defending the city were busy closing the city gate, and were cut off by these more than ten horsemen. (To be continued......)