I remember one day two years ago, in November 880, the autumn wind was blowing and the cold was blowing. Zheng Ji was beside Luogu Road, and watched the holy drive to Xingyuan, until he couldn't see anyone, and then turned back to Fengxiang City.

About half a month later, the news of Huangchao's proclamation of the emperor and the establishment of the Great Qi regime came from Chang'an. Subsequently, the envoys sent by Huang Chao to recruit Zheng Zheng also came to Fengxiang with a letter of appointment. Zheng Ji convened a meeting of the generals of the subordinate department and said several words of "resisting the temptation to surrender and reluctantly rejecting the thief." But the generals said: "The power of the Yellow Nest is booming, we need to be patient and patient." When our government has an overwhelming advantage in military power, it will be the day when the capital will be recovered. ”

Zheng Zheng said: "So, you want to persuade me to call the nest thief? At that time, Zhang Xun was in Suiyang, and with thousands of soldiers, he stopped more than 100,000 rebels. Defending a city and defending the world saved the financial resources of the southeast of our Tang Dynasty from war. Today, Fengxiang City has become the primary barrier to protect the Son of Heaven. The head can be broken, the blood can flow, and the phoenix cannot be lost! Even if I'm the only one left, I'm going to stay the course! ”

After saying this, Zheng Ji fainted due to shortness of breath and tightness in his chest. The guards carried him indoors to rest and poured some decoction. He slept from noon until he woke up the next morning, and after a while, he heard the sound of drumming. When Zheng Ji heard this majestic and passionate melody, he only felt that the blood around him was boiling. He was too familiar with this song, and he couldn't help blurting out: "This is "King Qin's Breaking Array Music", okay!" ”

That's right, this is the world-renowned "King Qin Breaking Array Music" that has the title of national anthem in the 300th year of the Tang Dynasty! According to Xuanzang's "Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty", when Tang Seng went to the West Heaven to learn scriptures, the king of Tianzhu (ancient India) once said to Tang Seng: "You have a well-known song in the Tang Dynasty, called "King Qin's Breaking Array Music". I have only heard that King Qin was a wise and martial monarch, and I know very little about his life. Can you tell me a thing or two? ”

Tang Seng told him: "King Qin is the title of Emperor Taizong of Tang before he ascended the throne......" (come back immediately)

Zheng Ji hurriedly said to the guards: "Why is this music played today? Check it out. ”

The guard came back and said: "Report to Prime Minister Zheng, today the prison army Yuan Jingrou held a banquet to entertain the envoys of Huangchao. All the staff and generals were present. During the banquet, the supervising army ordered the band to play the song "King Qin's Breaking Array Music", and the soldiers all cried bitterly when they heard it. (The envoy of Huangchao is the second monk Zhang, and he can't figure out why these people are crying.) ）

"Really? Ha ha! My Tang people's hearts are still there, and people's hearts are still there. The end of the thieves is coming! Zheng Ji was so excited that he immediately pulled out his short sword and stabbed one of his fingers, wrote a note in blood, and sent his cronies to take a shortcut to Chengdu.

Then, Zheng Zheng summoned a meeting of the generals. The purpose is mainly brainwashing. Inculcate in them Confucianism such as "courtesy, righteousness, honesty and shame" and "loyalty to the monarch and serving the country". Let them understand what Shun is? What is Inverse? Listening to his high-minded talk, all the generals and soldiers were moved. Zheng Zheng once again pierced his finger and made an alliance with the generals Zuo Blood, expressing his determination to destroy the thieves and recover Chang'an.

After the meeting, Zheng Zheng sent troops to arrest Huang Chao's envoys and beheaded them all. Then, on the one hand, he issued a document calling on the feudal towns of the world to merge and fight against thieves. On the other hand, the military and civilians of the whole city were mobilized to build the city, repair the equipment, and train the soldiers. Combat readiness is proceeding in an orderly manner......

The text was issued, and the results were immediate, and the feudal towns rushed to send troops in response. For example, in the past, tens of thousands of divine armies were distributed in the Guanzhong Provinces, and I heard that the Son of Heaven went to Xichuan. was at a loss for what to do, and when he saw that all the texts were gathered in Fengxiang. Zheng Zheng took out a part of the state-owned and private property and distributed it to them in order to win the hearts of the army. Another example: Fengtian Town sent Qi Kejian to Fengxiang. The request was put in effect under the leadership of Zheng Jin.

In April of the second year of Zhonghe (882), the Son of Heaven in Chengdu was there. Li Yi received the recital written by Zheng Jinxue. I can't help but sigh: With such a loyal minister, the sky will not destroy Tang Ye! On the same day, Li Yi convened a high-level meeting of the central authorities. Some friends have already guessed: the content of the meeting must be to make a wish. Indeed, the meeting made the following decisions:

1. With Wang Duo and Zhongshu Order, he was the commander of all Taoist camps (he recommended himself to replace Gao Biao's position. The right to know (instead of) righteousness is to be made in moderation. Listen (by) Wang Duo's self-determination (self-choosing) generals. With the crown prince and young master Cui Anqian as the deputy capital.

Second, with Zheng Zheng as the commander of all the armies and camps on all sides of the capital, he wrote in the edict: "All the soldiers of the Han Dynasty will be meritorious in going to difficulties, and they will be dismissed by ink." The meaning of this sentence is: All the soldiers of the Han Dynasty who have made meritorious contributions to the thieves have the right to confer official positions without consulting the central government. - That's a lot of power!

3. In view of the fact that Zhuge Shuang was made by the former Xia Sui Festival, he surrendered from Heyang and returned to the imperial court. Li Yi said: Zhuge Shuang will change his mistakes when he knows them, and he is still a good comrade. So the meeting decided to appoint him as the envoy of the Heyang Festival.

Fourth, Youzhou Thorn Shi Tuoba Sigong (party item) took the initiative to connect with Luyan to make Li Xiaochang beg for thieves in the Luzhou Alliance, and the spirit is commendable.

5. Nominated by Zheng Jin, Cheng Zongchu, the envoy of Jingyuan Jiedu, was specially appointed as the deputy commander. Tang Hongfu, the former Shuo Fang Jiedu envoy, was appointed as the marching Sima. (Both are Zheng Jin's deputies)

Chang'an, the political and cultural center of the Tang Dynasty and the international metropolis and its surroundings, is surrounded by war clouds, and the unprecedented scale of Armageddon between the government and the rebels is about to begin!

Wang Duo, the prime minister and commander-in-chief, sent the two rivers (Dongchuan and Xichuan. ), Xingyuan Juntun Inspiration Temple; Gyeonggi Theater Commander Zheng Jin's Fengxiang Town Bingtun Zhouzhi; Cheng Zongchu's Jingyuan Town, Bingtun Weibei; Wang Chucun's Yiding Town Bing and Wang Chongrong's Hezhong Town Bingtun Shayuan (now Dali County, Shaanxi); Zhu Mei's Bingtun Xingping in Suining Town; Baoda, Dingnan two towns Bingtun Weiqiao; Li Changxiao's Luyan Town Soldiers and Tuoba Sigong's Xiazhou Town Soldiers Tun Martial Arts. At this point, the deployment of troops of the Tang government army around Chang'an was basically ready.

Huang Chao was surprised to find that the Emperor of Great Qi and his more than 500,000 rebels had unknowingly become "turtles in the urn"! How so? What went wrong? Huang Chao was puzzled.

When later generations summarize the experience of Huangchao's failure, they often say: He is a "dog and bear breaking corn" to occupy one city and give up one. By the time he became emperor, he only occupied a Chang'an and a few small places around it. Actually, this is not true, even if he does not give up. They may not all be able to hold on. Huang Chao thinks: After the Anshi Rebellion, didn't the emperor of the Tang Dynasty have only one Chang'an and ordered not to go out of Guanzhong? How can it last for 150 years without falling? Until two years later. When Huang Chao was about to perish, he really understood the reason for his failure. That's an afterword.

Some people also expressed regret that he did not "beat the water dogs", believing that before he became emperor, he should have been vigorously pursued and beaten to completely destroy the government of Li Yi in exile in Chengdu, so as to destroy the thoughts of the people of the world. In this regard, Huang Chao spread his hands and said with a wry smile: "I haven't worked hard, I don't want to, I can't listen!" ”

Huang Chao's thoughts went back to a year ago: it was the spring of 881 AD, two months after he became Emperor of Great Qi. He was in a particularly good mood on this day. The attendants were ordered to summon Shang Rang, Zhao Zhang, Meng Kai, Gai Hong, Fei Quangu, Lin Yan and other leading figures of Daqi one by one. Huang Chao pointed to the map hanging on the wall, and his mouth was full of words: "Everyone, please look, I am now preparing to play a big and big game of chess. At this, he paused in a pretended sense. Everyone didn't know what medicine he was selling in his gourd, and they all looked at him quietly.

He continued: "Didn't Li Yi'er flee to Chengdu? Where else can he go? If you retreat, you will have to cross the snowy mountains and go to the roof of the world. Ha ha! Do you say he went up? Therefore, it is imperative that we send a heavy army to Chengdu and wipe Li Yu's government-in-exile off the face of the earth. In this way, the world will surrender to Daqi with all their hearts. But then the question comes, after the army sets off, how to ensure that my Chang'an is foolproof? What do you guys think? ”

Shang Rang spoke first: "As far as I know, the current Tang army in Guanzhong is the strongest in Zheng Jin's Fengxiang army. Therefore, if you want to take Chengdu, you must first take Fengxiang. ”

"Okay, the hero sees the same thing!" Huang Chao glanced at him approvingly and said, "What's more." Fengxiang is located to the west of Chang'an, and Zheng Zheng can cut off the logistics supply of our western expeditionary army and the connection with Chang'an at any time. I think. For Feng Xiang, it is still the best policy to 'surrender the army without a fight', I don't believe that Zheng Zheng will not be interested in high-ranking officials and money. ”

He then gestured with his hand to the map and said, "Look. To the south of Chang'an is the Qinling Mountains, a natural barrier, and after Fengxiang returns to our Great Qi, we only need to strengthen the defense of the southeast. I want to send a force of troops to capture Deng County, and then take control of the Jingxiang region. This matter can be handed over to Zhu Wen to do, this guy is very meritorious and capable, so give him a chance. ”

Zheng Jin's behavior of killing envoys and tearing up the edict greatly angered Huang Chao, who felt that it was too shameless. The more he thought about it, the more angry he became: If you don't eat the toast, then you will wait to eat the penalty bar!

Huang Chao sent Shang Rang and Lin Yan to lead 30,000 troops to attack Fengxiang, personally saw them off, and encouraged: "Zheng Zheng is nothing remarkable, you boldly go forward, go forward, don't look back!" ”

Along the way, the nest army was in groups of three or five, talking and laughing. Shang Rang and Lin Yan each walked in front with a small order flag, looking a bit like tour guides. When they reached Qishan, which was about forty miles away from Fengxiang, they saw that they were surrounded by mountains on three sides, and a barracks blocked the road.

Tens of thousands of soldiers lined up in a sharp formation, rows of spears pointed diagonally in front of them. The arrows of the crossbowmen are drawn but not fired. There is a big red flag in front of the formation, and in the middle of the banner is the word "Tang", and next to it is the word "Fengxiang" written vertically. Under it is a general, dressed in golden armor, with a blue and brown horse under his crotch, and a long Mo knife in his hand. With fierce eyes and grinning teeth, he is Zheng Jin's proud protégé Song Wentong.

Shang Rang and Lin Yan stopped the team a hundred steps away, and the two waved the order flag in their hands, don't look at the lazy appearance of the Chaojun soldiers, but they have also been specially trained. Soon, 30,000 infantry lined up in two "long snake formations", marching in unison, and the thousands at the front were the sword players.

Song Wentong's Sharp Arrow Array had an extremely poor killing effect on the Long Snake Array, not only was the target small, but most of the arrows shot were blocked by shields. But he still seemed to have a hand, only to hear a cannon shot, countless cavalry galloped out from both sides of the camp, and in an instant the two "long snakes" rushed to pieces. Song Wentong jumped his horse and raised his sword to kill the enemy, Shang Rang and Lin Yan's 30,000 troops died and fled, and were driven back to Chang'an by 10,000 Fengxiang soldiers like ducks.

In Chang'an City, Huang Chao's face was pale, and he paced around the office with his hands behind his back. In front of him, stood Shang Rang and Lin Yan, who were dejected. Lin Yan said: "It's not that our army is incompetent, it's that the officers and soldiers are too cunning!" ”

Huang Chao didn't blame the two of them, after all, the two of them were not from the army, and failure was inevitable. He also comforted him: "It's okay, failure is the mother of success." We have fought countless defeats in the past, but we have not yet been able to seize Chang'an. ”

Next, Huang Chao began to plan a second attack on Fengxiang. This time, in terms of the selection of the main general, Shang Rang, who is still known for his stability, and Wang Fan, who is known for his bravery. This pair can be described as complementary and complementary. One day in late March, Shang Rang and Wang Fan set off with 50,000 soldiers and horses. Wang Fan thought that this was a good opportunity to make meritorious contributions, so he brought his son to be gilded.

A scout (spy) had already reported this information to Zheng Jin, who did not dare to be careless and decided to go out in person. Ordered the marching army Sima Tang Hongfu to lead the main force and secretly ambush in a dangerous place in Qishan. He led thousands of sharp soldiers to a high ground called "Longwei Slope" to set up a suspicious plan: planting flags all over the place and beating war drums.

Zheng Ji uses himself as bait here, and his cleverness lies in the fact that no matter whether the fish bite the hook or not, it is inevitable that he will obey. If the enemy army does not attack the high ground, it is very likely that they will fall into the trap set by Tang Hongfu in advance.

However, the fish did bite the hook.

At the foot of the Longwei Slope, Shang Rang saw this scene and said: "According to reliable information, Zheng Zheng is on this high ground. ”

Wang Fan laughed and said: "Zheng Jin's rotten Confucianism is rotten Confucianism, so the troops are arranged, isn't it weak?" You think bluffing will scare us? You deserve to be unlucky when you meet me today!"

The two of them decided together: in order to prevent Zheng Zhen from escaping, they immediately launched a strong attack on the high ground. Shang Rang personally beat the drum, Wang Fan took the lead, waved his gun and pointed to the high ground, shouting: "Brothers, rush! Those who capture Zheng Zheng alive will be rewarded with 500 gold. ”

Suddenly, a "Capture Zheng Zheng alive!" sounded under the hillside! The cry of the voice. They rushed halfway up the mountain, and suddenly a dense barrage of arrows flew out of the surrounding woods......

Wang Fan had already organized many charges, and again and again the arrows were shot back. At this time, the sun is setting and the sky is getting dark. Tang Hongfu led the ambush soldiers to surround him from all sides, and he wanted to make dumplings. The Chao army had no fighting spirit at all, and retreated like a tide towards the road. Feng Xiangjun seized the fighter plane and then covered up the killing. The "New Tang Dynasty Book" describes the results of the Longweipo battle as follows: "Killed 20,000 thieves, accumulated corpses for dozens of miles, and won many armor battles. Fan fled, and the fowl beheaded him. ”

Shang Rang and Wang Fan's legs were faster than rabbits and they were able to escape. Poor Wang Fan's son, he couldn't be gilded, but he took his life in vain. (To be continued......)