Chapter 235 Yang Yuhuan's White Moonlight, Raid on Wuhai City

When Li Longji received this news, he was immediately reminded of the Wang Zhongsi incident a few months ago and became furious.

He ordered Li Linfu to preside over the trial of Liu Ji to find out what was going on.

After being tortured, Liu Ji finally told the truth, saying that he had made a false accusation because he had a conflict with his father-in-law.

But Li Linfu was not satisfied with this answer. Now that he had lost control of the Three Courts and the emperor had finally allowed him to try the case, he would certainly do something.

He instructed Ji Wen to have Liu Ji falsely accuse the crown prince and bring the case to the East Palace.

Unlike in history, Li Linfu could not control the three ministries now, so it was difficult to implicate other disobedient ministers.

If the case expands, Li Longji will definitely let the Censorate and the Dali Temple get involved.

Those people are now against him and will definitely expose his deliberate false accusations.

Therefore, Li Linfu only wanted to prove the accusation that Du Youlin had colluded with the Eastern Palace and Tuchen.

Li Heng was like a frightened bird at this time. The previous case had made him suffer a lot, and now this kind of thing happened again. Li Linfu was the presiding judge. Li Heng made up his mind and divorced Du Liangdi, indicating that he had severed his relationship with Du Youlin.

But Li Longji was still very angry and summoned Li Heng to Xingqing Palace to see what he was going to do.

After entering the Nanxun Palace, Li Heng knelt down in front of Li Longji in fear and trepidation.

Li Longji was suddenly stunned. When Li Heng was paying his respects, he found that his son, who was not yet middle-aged, had some hair falling out, especially on the back of his head, which was all gray, giving the impression that he was entering old age.

He actually looks even older and more haggard than his father who is in his sixties.

Li Longji, who had experienced many political ups and downs, could not help but feel a little sympathy.

Sizi Terrace, Sizi Terrace!
He had already lost three sons and didn't want to see this happen again.

Then, Li Longji just comforted Li Heng and told him that he would choose a new wife for him soon.

Afterwards, Li Longji asked Gao Lishi whether Li Heng had any connection with this case.

"Du Youlin is only a fifth-rank doctor of good praise, responsible for delivering orders, criticizing mistakes, and praising etiquette. Apart from these, what else can Du Youlin do? This is the family affair of the saint, and the saint can make the decision himself. He can still be a kind father, and his children can enjoy the happiness of family life. Such a result is a great good!"

Gao Lishi bowed slightly and said to Li Longji that he really wanted the country to be stable and he would do his best for Li Longji.

Li Longji's knot in his heart was untied, and he ordered Li Linfu to beat Du Youlin to death and exiled all his family members.

He also felt that Liu Ji's reporting of his father-in-law made him uncomfortable, so he dismissed Liu Ji from his official position and never used him again for the rest of his life.

It was originally a major case in history, but because of Li Linfu's fall from power, great Confucian scholars such as Li Yong and Wang Zeng were not implicated.

However, Li Heng was still the most injured one.

He divorced his first wife, Concubine Wei, and made her become a nun, living under the guidance of a Buddhist monk. He was then accused of being heartless and ungrateful.

Now he divorced his most important concubine, which caused a lot of discussion in Chang'an.

Li Heng was extremely upset, but he endured it. He was even more humble and filial to Li Longji. Whenever he left the Crown Prince's Palace, he would pay a visit to Li Longji.

When he ascends the throne, he will cut Li Linfu into pieces.

Even if Li Linfu died before he ascended the throne, Li Heng would dig Li Linfu out and whip his corpse just like Wu Zixu did.

Wasn’t Li Linfu also depressed?

Li Heng easily evaded the attack again, which made Li Linfu realize one thing: Li Longji would never depose Li Heng.

He couldn't help but worry about himself and his children.

Given Li Heng's character, he will not let him go in the future.

"Li Xuan, what would you do?"

In the Yanyue Hall, Li Linfu had another sleepless night.

In early December, a county magistrate in Huoyi, Hedong, presented Li Longji with a piece of unearthed "Xuan Jade". On the front of the jade was engraved "Nine" in ancient seal script, and on the back was engraved "Five" in ancient seal script. The Huoyi magistrate claimed that this was something from a thousand years ago, dug up by a farmer in the ground, and he did not know what it meant, so he presented it to Li Longji.

There is a hexagram in the Book of Changes, Nine Five, A flying dragon in the sky, it is beneficial to meet a great man.

It symbolizes righteousness within, which is the emperor's intention.

Xuanyu is engraved with the number "Nine Five", even a child knows what it means.

"Sanlang, this is not an ancient jade from a thousand years ago. It was clearly carved a few days ago. Huo Yiling has committed the crime of deceiving the emperor and framed Qilang..."

When Yang Yuhuan learned the news, she immediately came to tell Li Longji.

"Yuhuan is right. The magistrate of Huoyi actually said he didn't know why? Just this one sentence is already a crime of deceiving the emperor. He is really amazing to have dug up the jade from Lantian in Huoyi! Since it is a natural seal script, it should be exquisitely crafted. Although the character 952 is simple, it should not be a mediocre carving skill..."

Li Longji held Xuanyu and analyzed it in detail.

As early as several months ago, Yang Yuhuan told him that Li Xuan's attack on the powerful must be a thorn in the eyes of the powerful, and they would find ways to harm Li Xuan.

For example, spreading a song of treason or creating some "divine signs".

It would be a mistake to spread slander because Li Xuan is immune to it.

Only something mysterious can take down Li Xuan.

He had preconceived ideas, and Li Xuan was loyal and had saved his life.

Naturally, Li Longji did not believe Xuan Yu.

He deliberately took this jade disk to show off his profound knowledge to Yang Yuhuan.

"Sanlang should arrest Huo Yiling. He must be colluding with the powerful."

Yang Yuhuan put her mind at ease and frowned as she spoke. She was very angry that Li Xuan, who was loyal and unrighteous, was wrongly accused.

"Qi Lang is currently fighting against Tubo. He has received news from the military supervisor that he has already driven 300,000 troops to Dafeichuan. He will avenge the humiliation of Dafeichuan and make the Tang Dynasty stronger. How could I trust such a treacherous villain? I will have Huo Yi Ling arrested and sent to Huangshui, and Qi Lang, the acting Imperial Censor, will have full authority to deal with him."

Li Longji acted very wise, just as wise as when he beat Du Youlin to death with a stick a month ago.

Li Longji's words made Yang Yuhuan feel relieved.

Although she knew that she was destined to be with Li Longji for the rest of her life.

But Li Xuan is like the bright moon in her heart.

The coolness of the moonlight seemed to have touched me.

But looking up at the sky, it seems so far away...

……

Morning next day.

Li Longji deliberately placed the jade disk on the jade table in Xingqing Palace and pretended to be expressionless and informed the civil and military officials about the matter of Huo Yiling.

Although Li Xuan's name was not mentioned, even a fool would know that this was a conspiracy against Li Xuan!
At this moment, Li Xuan's brothers were in panic.

Although Li Lang was only a fifth-rank official standing at the back of the Xingqing Hall, he immediately stepped forward and knelt before the case, saying, "Your Majesty, this is the minister of Huoyi who spread rumors and deceived the people and framed the country. Your Majesty, please investigate."

This autumn, Li Lang married the daughter of Chang'an Du.

Li Shizhi did not inform Li Xuan.

In fact, the rumor spread throughout Chang'an, and Li Shizhi, Li Qian and others knew that someone was behind it.

Li Qi, the Shaoyin of Jingzhao, has been secretly investigating the source of the rumors in Chang'an and Wannian counties.

He even asked all the bad guys in Chang'an to conduct a thorough investigation, but all they caught were hooligans who took money to do the job.

The mastermind has not been caught yet.

"Your Majesty, General Li is also the envoy of Hedong. He is as hard as steel and would rather break than bend. The powerful people in Hedong must be afraid of General Li, so they colluded with the magistrate of Huoyi and fabricated the theory of destiny. This is a perverse act and their intentions are punishable. Please understand, Your Majesty."

Li Qian, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, followed closely and knelt beside Li Lang.

He spoke much more eloquently than Li Lang. He directly analyzed the cause and insisted that it was a frame-up by a powerful person.

"Your Majesty, throughout history, the heaven and earth have only blessed us with good fortune, such as the talisman of Tianbao. The heaven and earth never predict disasters, but some people use the heavens to predict disasters."

Li Jiqing, the secretary of the Central Secretariat, then knelt down and bowed. He directly regarded this as a prophecy to harm people.

Things like this, stripping off the auspicious cloak, become prophecies.

"Your Majesty, you are a saint and have destiny. You can tell whether the jade disk is real or fake at a glance. I believe Your Majesty will not be misled by a villain."

Li Qi also stepped out to speak, and he spoke with more emotional intelligence.

The four brothers lined up in a row.

It was Li Xuan who asked them to wear scarlet official robes and attend court sessions at a young age.

Li Longji did a lot of bizarre things, and they were afraid that Li Longji would recall Qilang while Qilang was fighting.

By then it will be difficult to become Wang Zhongsi.

The civil and military officials were filled with emotion. Seeing that Li Longji had a blank expression on his face, they could not figure out what he was thinking.

Li Linfu had become smarter. He felt happy at first, then depressed.

The little thief Li Xuan is hard to guard against, so I can’t say any more.

At this time, Chen Shuoying, the Junior Supervisor of the Palace, came out and said, "Your Majesty, there have been many ballads in Chang'an recently."

As soon as these words were spoken, the civil and military officials in the court looked at each other in bewilderment.

Of course they had heard these songs.

But due to Li Xuan's power, he dared not report it. If the report failed, it would be bad for him to be punished by Li Xuan.

Now Chen Shuoying is adding fuel to the fire and showing that he wants to make things difficult for Li Xuan.

Many ministers who disliked Li Xuan gloated over his misfortune, completely ignoring the fact that Li Xuan was fighting a battle for the fate of the country with Tubo.

"Oh? What song is it? Read it to me..."

Li Longji really didn't know what folk songs there were.

"The general entered Chang'an without a crown and armor..."

"Xuan Yu becomes a great artifact, and ascends to the Yellow Heaven for sacrifice..."

Chen Shuoying sang five ballads in a row, as if he knew them all by heart.

The characteristics of ballads are that they are easy to understand and known to all ages. They do not need any profound meaning, beautiful words, or obscure fonts, otherwise they would not be spread in a short time.

“There is actually such a song?”

Li Longji frowned after hearing this.

Of course he didn't believe it, but at this time Li Xuan was expanding the territory for him and his achievements would be accomplished.

Those powerful people are so arrogant, isn't this ruining his plans?
"Your Majesty, the rumors must have ulterior motives. I have recently investigated and found that some scoundrels took bribes and spread them around Chang'an. Please give me a month, and I will get to the bottom of it."

Li Qi kowtowed to Li Longji again.

He had no choice but to let the matter be exposed.

"Okay! The left Jinwu Guard general will lead a thousand Jinwu Guards to your command, and the Dali Temple Junior Official will cooperate with you. You should find the source of the incident as soon as possible. If you get the truth, you will be charged with treason."

Li Longji admired Li Qi, and he supported Li Qi because of his love for him.

Originally, the forces dispatched by Jingzhao Shaoyin might not be enough, but with the support of Jinwu Guards and Dali Temple, it would be more convenient to verify.

As soon as these words were spoken, the civil and military officials immediately realized that Li Longji did not believe such rumors at all.

Chen Shuoying was terrified at this moment. Once this matter became known, Li Xuan would definitely hate him.

Judging from the way Li Xuan dealt with Li Linfu, Li Xuan was a vengeful person.

"The minister obeys the order!"

Li Qi was overjoyed and thanked him immediately.

"'Right Prime Minister, order the magistrate of Huoyi to be escorted to Huangshui City, and wait for General Li to return, and let General Li deal with him."

"Minister Li, take this jade disk back with you!"

Li Longji spoke to Li Linfu and Li Qian respectively.

"The minister obeys the order!"

Li Qian stepped forward and took the jade disk.

Li Linfu sighed inwardly, as it turned out to be just as he had expected.

However, he felt that under normal circumstances, Li Longji should be suspicious of Li Xuan, but why didn't he have any doubts at all?

"In the past, Gao Wei killed Hulugu because of 'a hundred liters flying up to the sky, the bright moon shining in Chang'an', which led to the destruction of the Northern Qi Dynasty; Liu Yilong destroyed the Great Wall and killed Tan Daoji, which led to an earthquake in the capital Jiankang and floating hair in June. This is the real sign of heaven. I can distinguish the loyalty and treachery of the country. If anyone is jealous of Li Xuan's achievements, please speak out. Using the words to deceive children to deceive the saint is a crime of deceiving the emperor!"

Li Longji glanced at Chen Shuoying and spoke with murderous words.

Chen Shuoying was so frightened that his legs went limp and he knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head.

These words were not only spoken to the young eunuch in the palace, but also to all civil and military officials.

The ministers saw Li Longji's determination to protect Li Xuan and knew that a few songs would not be enough to bring Li Xuan down.

Li Linfu felt even more headache, he felt that Li Xuan was going to set up a three-dimensional defense.

During this period, he was somewhat disheartened. He could not see the hope of being a dictator, and the crown prince was always a sword hanging over his head. His future was uncertain...

……

Bai Hai!

While the imperial court was taking place in Chang'an, a few miles away from Baihai, thousands of horses were galloping on the plains.

These were none other than the elite Lintao troops of Longyou.

They were divided into teams of several hundred people, each with three horses, and the team stretched for more than ten miles.

In just a few days, the soldiers' faces were roughened by wind and frost, and some of their hands and feet were cracked due to the long march.

Some of the horses had soldiers who had died in battles at sentry posts along the way, and some had fallen ill due to not adapting to the environment.

The Tang army was not afraid of hardships and vowed to complete General Li's instructions.

Baihai is composed of two lakes, with a vine bridge across the river in the middle, but the river was frozen at this time, allowing more than 40,000 war horses to pass through Baihai quickly.

Bai Hai could go directly to the Duoma area along the river, but the road there was dangerous and the Tang army with more than 40,000 horses and more than 10,000 soldiers would definitely not be able to pass.

They could only bypass the Bayankala Mountains and raid the Bayankala Pass.

A few days later, Nan Jiyun brought the advance troops here.

In the words of later generations, the altitude here is nearly 5,000 meters, and the Lintao army found it difficult to adapt in a short period of time, and some people fell ill.

Arriving at Bayankala Mountain meant that they entered the ancient road of Dafeichuan, which was also the main road from Tang to Tubo, with dense post stations.

Before this, Nan Jiyun was cautious and led his troops to raid each post station, so that the news did not leak out.

But it’s different on this road. Not only are there more post stations, but there are also many tribes around, and they will definitely pass the news to the front line.

At dusk, heavy snow fell.

Nan Jiyun braved the wind and snow, advanced into the mountain pass, broke through the Tibetan camp, and killed more than 500 enemies.

However, some enemy cavalry still fled. Nan Jiyun gave up after chasing them for several miles, knowing that their whereabouts had been exposed and they would definitely be surrounded and intercepted by the Tubo.

"General, Wuhai City is an important town on the Dafeichuan Ancient Road. It is snowing heavily now, which will hinder our progress. We should send some knights to march day and night to raid and occupy Wuhai City. With this important town in hand, we can successfully reach Dafeichuan."

After the armies gathered, Duan Xueshi gave Wang Nan a suggestion.

The town of Wuhai is located in Huashixia, which is their only way through.

If Chidai Zhudan sends a large number of troops there first, it may be possible to stop them.

Therefore, when Chidai Zhudan led his troops south, they had to seize Wuhai City and at the same time block Tubo's way south.

"General, I will take off my armor and transport it with the spare horses. I will also bring powerful crossbows. With only 2,000 soldiers, we will be able to capture Wuhai City first."

Nan Jiyun asked Wang Nan for permission.

"Nanba, I leave it to you!"

The king decisively selected two thousand elite cavalrymen who were adapted to the plateau and ordered Nan Jiyun to lead them.

They took off their armor and put it on spare horses, carrying only three days' supply of beef and a jug of wine.

The beef was cooked before, although it was frozen and difficult to chew, but there was no time to cook the beef during the raid.

After selecting the elite cavalry, Nan Jiyun set out that night.

"Soldiers, do you know our mission?"

In the heavy snow, Nan Jiyun rode on the BMW gifted by Li Xuan and shouted loudly among the two thousand elite cavalrymen.

"Surprise attack on Dafeichuan and wipe out the bandits!"

The soldiers shouted without hesitation.

"it is good!"

"Now that our whereabouts have been exposed, we must seize Wuhai City. The beef and wine are already on the horses."

"Before we reach Wuhai City, you are not allowed to sleep. You must eat, poop and pee on the horse, day and night, except when changing horses. Anyone who dares to dismount will be killed!"

Before departure, Nan Jiyun issued strict military orders.

The soldiers were solemn and full of enthusiasm. Two thousand elite cavalrymen wearing leather clothes galloped out of the Bayankala Pass and galloped all the way.

When they were hungry, they licked the melted beef and took a bite but couldn't swallow it.

There was not much wine, but plenty of cold water. The wind was getting stronger and the snow was getting thicker.

With lives at stake, no soldier would think of sleeping.

It’s just that it’s very troublesome to go to the bathroom, because you have to pee directly in your pants like a baby, so everyone has a foul smell.

But that's how men march, and compared to victory, these are nothing.

……

"What? The Tang army broke through the Bayankala Pass?"

In Dafeichuan, Chidai Zhudan, who had just been surprised by the heavy snow, became frightened.

Because if they withdraw their troops, they must withdraw from the Dafeichuan Ancient Road.

Huashixia is the only way to get there from Wuhai City.

Doma is the way to go.

Bayankala Pass is also a must-pass route.

"How many people are there in the Tang army?"

Chidai Zhudan turned pale and couldn't wait to ask.

"Report to the Zamp, the Tang army has about 1,000 cavalrymen. They are very fierce. They took advantage of the snowy night to break in. Before our army was prepared, they were slaughtered."

The centurion who had escaped on the post horse replied in shock.

"Zanpu, a thousand cavalrymen are only the vanguard of the Tang army. There must be more than ten thousand cavalrymen behind them."

Nlandazalugong knew that it was definitely not a thousand riders.

He was greatly shocked that the Tang army dared to take a detour through the ancient road of Fuxi City.

And they only got the news when they reached the Bayankala Pass.

If the cavalry had not been defeated before, they would not have taken even 20,000 Tang cavalry seriously, let alone 10,000 cavalry.

Because there is no problem in drawing tens of thousands of cavalry from the three hundred thousand.

However, they suffered a crushing defeat, and most of those killed or captured were imperial guards and elite warriors.

It was a time when all the Tubo soldiers and generals were frightened. There was a tiger in front and a wolf behind.

Chidai Zhudan and the Tibetan ministers were all terrified...

(End of this chapter)