I will drink from your golden cup, and I will not spare you any blows.

Before Li Xuan became prime minister, he had already anticipated that some of his former subordinates would block his way today.

"He killed Wu Shuai!"

When Wu Huaiyuan's personal guards saw Wu Huaiyuan dead, they immediately fought to the death.

When the commander-in-chief dies, his personal guards will be executed. This is an iron rule.

Even if Wu Huaiyuan is unpopular, he will not mistreat the personal guards who protect his life and property.

"slow!"

"Wu Huai'en is dead. We should welcome Li Shuai to Liangzhou City to take charge of the situation. You don't have to sacrifice your lives for Wu Huai'en."

The general who killed Wu Huai'en raised his gun and shouted, telling them to stop their fearless resistance.

In this case, the personal guards would not be implicated because of Wu Huaiyuan's death.

Resistance means no way to survive.

This general's name was An Taixuan. He had served as Li Xuan's personal guard when he was young. Unfortunately, he was the last wave of Li Xuan's personal guard when he was in Helong and did not make any achievements.

An Taixuan was the cousin of Li Xuan's favorite general An Zhongzhang.

Like An Zhongzhang, An Taixuan was good at riding and shooting, resourceful and decisive, and acted decisively.

Moreover, An Taixuan's father, uncle, and uncle all served as officials in the Longyou Mujian, raising horses for the Tang Dynasty.

They were proficient in horse breeding and worked hard for the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty's animal husbandry.

Although An Taixuan was only a yamen general, he had long guessed that something unexpected would happen in Liangzhou City, so since Wu Huai'en arrived, he pretended to be close to Wu Huai'en and shouted, "Come closer!"
This made Wu Huai'en let down his guard and die on the spot.

An Taixuan's loud shout also made many soldiers on the city wall react.

They pointed their spears, bows and arrows at Wu Huaiyuan's personal guards and confidants.

This made Wu Huai'en's personal guards and confidants stop in their tracks.

It is human nature to love life and hate death.

What's more, there is no point in dying on the city wall.

"Dangdang..."

After a moment of solemn atmosphere, Wu Huai'en's guards laid down their weapons.

After all, some soldiers did not draw the swords at their waists.

"…How can this be? Don't the generals of Helong have families living in Chang'an?"

When Wuwei County Chief Secretary He Ren saw that the Chishui and Dadou armies had given up resistance, he immediately shouted at the soldiers.

He had no connection with Li Xuan, he was promoted by Yang Guozhong.

He Ren considered himself a loyal minister of the court and could die when the city was broken like Zhang Jieran and Cui Yuwei.

He didn't expect that Liangzhou City, the strongest city in Helong and also an important city of the Tang Dynasty second only to Chang'an, Luoyang and Yangzhou, would surrender so easily.

The city wall is several meters high and the moat is five meters wide and two meters deep. It takes countless soldiers to sacrifice their lives before they have the chance to touch the city wall.

In addition to the powerful crossbows on the city walls and nearly 30,000 soldiers, there was also enough food for two years.

He Ren didn't believe that the rebels could capture such a city.

"If Lu Jianke was the chief historian, he would definitely understand the situation."

A general responded to He Ren.

Many generals from Longyou and Hexi had their families in Chang'an, not because they were hostages, but because their status could be better demonstrated in Chang'an.

It's not just Helong, the same is true for Hedong, Shuofang, Jiannan and so on.

It depends on whether Li Longji has lost his mind.

He didn't know whether the generals were coerced or for other reasons. If all the family members of these generals were killed, the rebels would be more united in hatred of the enemy. It would also make the generals of other border towns feel sad.

"Does surrendering to the rebels mean the right thing to do? Do you think you deserve the imperial salary if you abandon the great city of Liangzhou?"

He Ren scoffed at such words.

The fact that Li Xuan dared to lead an army and enter Yumen Pass on his own was undoubtedly a rebellion.

"At least we were not promoted by Yang Guozhong? Everyone in the world knows who Yang Guozhong is, except you..."

An Taixuan retorted to He Ren.

This made He Ren blush. Yang Guozhong was the chief prime minister, holding power, and there were too many civil and military officials who were dependent on Yang Guozhong.

He Ren firmly believed that he was "compromising" and that Li Xuan was committing treason.

"Capture He Ren and hand him over to Li Shuai for punishment."

A general waved his hand and ordered his men to arrest He Ren to stop him from talking too much.

The other Hexi civil officials were silent and dared not speak loudly.

In the Wuwei Military Governor's Office, the governor was also the Jiedushi, and the chief secretary was in charge of a county, with greater power and authority than that of an ordinary county magistrate.

"Li Shuai, please enter the city!"

"Li Shuai, please enter the city..."

After the curtain fell, the soldiers on all four sides of the city walls raised their weapons and shouted, welcoming Li Xuan into Liangzhou City.

The heavy gate of the west city gate was slowly lifted up, and the heavy moat suspension bridge was lowered.

Li Xuan was at the west gate, watching this scene calmly.

It was worth his painstaking efforts to build the Hexi Army. Even when he was prime minister, he allocated resources to Hexi.

Hard work pays off.

After taking Liangzhou City, no one could stop him from heading to Chang'an.

As for the Yellow River flowing through Jincheng (now Lanzhou), no one thinks it is a natural barrier.

"Master Li Zhu pays respect to General Li..."

"General Li Guangchen pays homage to General Li..."

Before Li Xuan entered the city, Hexi Army Commander Li Zhushi, Chishui Army Ambassador Li Guangchen, Chishui Army Deputy Ambassador Guo Yingyi and other generals, as well as a group of Hexi officials rushed to pay homage to Li Xuan.

"No need to be polite, everyone! Liangzhou City abandoned the dark and joined the light without bloodshed, and you have made an invaluable contribution. This king will reward the soldiers handsomely!"

Li Xuan exempted Li Zhushi, Li Guangchen and other generals from the formalities.

"I heard that General Li had eliminated Yang Guozhong and pacified An Lushan. This is our responsibility. Now Yang Guozhong has deceived the saint, causing the imbalance of yin and yang. I will fully support General Li."

Master Li Zhu was the first to express his loyalty to Li Xuan.

Life can have a few back stroke?
The generals are brave and daring in fighting, you can say they are full of courage.

But people like An Lushan can command the support of hundreds of people, let alone Li Xuan.

Too many people count on Li Xuan to achieve fame and fortune.

"God gave birth to General Li, which is a blessing to the country and the people. I believe that you are the only one in the world who can quell the rebellion, restore the glory of the Tang Dynasty, and make it immortal for generations!"

Li Guangchen also bowed to Li Xuan.

People always have to convince themselves first, and then they can convince everything and be fearless of everything.

"Natural disasters, man-made disasters, war disasters... the country has suffered many hardships, and you all have witnessed it. I am unable to achieve anything as the prime minister. Now I have no choice but to use this inferior strategy to save the people. Fortunately, I am accompanied by a group of heroes, which gives me more confidence. We share the same ideals and will leave our names in history together."

Li Xuan spoke to everyone emotionally.

"We are willing to die for Marshal Li!"

All the generals and subordinates spoke again together.

Afterwards, Li Guangchen explained to Li Xuan how they easily opened Liangzhou City.

Guo Yingyi was crucial as he released Li Zhushi and Li Guangchen who were secretly imprisoned.

The two of them have great prestige in the army. As long as they appear, they can bypass Wu Huai'en, who has low prestige, and dominate the battle.

Guo Yingyi, courtesy name Yuanwu, was from Changle County, Hexi.

His father was Guo Zhiyun, a famous general in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, who served as the governor of Longyou.

Guo Zhiyun entered the officialdom through family connections and was appointed as Langjiang.

After the Battle of Dafeichuan, he was gradually promoted to military envoy, and then transferred by Geshu Han to the deputy envoy of the Chishui Army.

Li Xuan, who decisively killed Wu Huaiyuan, also admired An Taixuan very much and would use him in the future.

When Li Xuan entered the city, the people of Liangzhou City breathed a sigh of relief as they were spared the disaster of war, and thousands of people came out to welcome him.

By occupying Liangzhou City, Li Xuan could obtain a large amount of food supplies, as well as thousands of craftsmen in the city.

Liangzhou City is already more prosperous than in history, and now it will become Li Xuan's rear base.

Food would be transported from Kucha in a steady stream.

Li Xuan could also purchase grain in the Anxi area and store it in Liangzhou City.

Pastures in the Hexi region are also very important.

"Bring He Ren up..."

In the Jiedushi's office, both civil and military officials were present, and Li Xuan ordered the stubborn He Ren to be brought up.

If Wuwei County wants to develop stably, it also needs a capable civil official.

Li Xuan hasn't decided who will take the position yet, so he plans to deal with He Ren first to serve as a warning to others.

"Li Xuan, don't you feel guilty for failing the saint?"

As soon as He Ren arrived in the hall, he cursed Li Xuan in front of all the civil and military officials.

"How dare you! You are not allowed to call the King of Tianshui by his name!"

Bai Xiaode scolded back.

Li Xuan held out his hand, telling his men not to worry about He Ren. He said righteously, "I have not let down the country and the people, and I don't feel guilty!"

In fact, Li Xuan did feel guilty towards Li Longji.

But he had no choice.

He only felt guilty towards Li Longji, but Li Longji felt guilty towards all the people in the world.

From the beginning to the end, Li Xuan approached Li Longji with the intention of deceiving him.

Everything he did was to pave the way for today.

"Humph! You are just making up a story. What's the difference between you and people like An Lushan? Everyone will spit on you in the future. Don't you read Wang Mang's story? What good will it do if you succeed?"

He Ren scolded Li Xuan even more harshly.

"You are short-sighted. I will not argue with you."

Li Xuan originally wanted to interrogate He Ren and make him surrender, but seeing how arrogant he was, he simply stopped talking to him.

"I know you are thinking about Emperor Taizong, thinking that if you govern the country well, people will praise you. Although the Xuanwu Gate Incident was successful, the consequences are well known to everyone, which is that your ancestor Li Chengqian walked into the Xuanwu Gate again. Haha... A small clan offending a big clan will cause endless disasters..."

He Ren refused to give in. With the determination to die, he even brought up the incident of the Xuanwu Gate Incident by Li Shimin and talked about Li Chengqian.

Li Xuan just moved his eyes and was not too angry.

Even if Li Shimin created the prosperous Zhenguan era and everyone praised him, it would be impossible to change the disaster that followed the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

His sons, and their sons' sons, generation after generation, thought of entering the "Xuanwu Gate" to try their luck whenever they encountered setbacks.

Once Li Xuan's unfounded small clan replaces the big clan, then any of Li Xuan's descendants who thinks they hold a large number of troops will attack the big clan.

How could Li Xuan not have thought of it?
"Even the eloquent Li Xuan has times when he can't refute his words. This old man's death is worth it."

Seeing that Li Xuan had remained silent, He Ren raised his head proudly.

When Li Xuan was in the court, he was unstoppable and all kinds of academic words and ideas emerged one after another.

Now He Ren thought that Li Xuan was at a loss for words.

The generals under his command were all very angry. If Li Xuan had not made prior warning, they would have cut He Ren into pieces with their swords.

"Emperor Taizong once said that water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it. I am a member of the royal family, and I also believe that when the Tang Dynasty is unjust, the common people can overthrow it. But you are immersed in it, thinking that death can fulfill your loyalty. In fact, the world will feel that you are pedantic and hopeless."

"People like you are always in a circle, going back and forth, always at the starting point..."

Li Xuan just said it briefly.

When he came to the Tang Dynasty, war was secondary; the most important thing was change.

Even if it pushes history forward a little bit.

He will definitely encounter more people like He Ren who lack self-awareness in the future.

Many emperors knew that the change of dynasties was a matter of history. Dreaming of passing down one's legacy for generations was self-deception.

Li Xuan didn't waste any more words.

He waved his hand and asked the soldiers to take He Ren away.

Killing He Ren at this time would actually enhance his reputation.

When he was dragged out of the lobby, He Ren reacted and started yelling and cursing again.

But it was getting farther and farther away, and people could no longer hear clearly.

At this time, there was silence in the Tang Dynasty.

"We are making history, so don't listen to irrelevant words like this."

Li Xuan smiled and said to everyone that there was no impact at all.

Only then did everyone return to normal.

They felt that Li Xuan was unfathomable and they didn't know what step he would take in the future.

Li Xuan explained to them what it meant to be intimidating without being angry. Even the people Li Xuan trusted the most did not know what Li Xuan really thought.

But Li Xuan was charming and made the soldiers work for him.

"Replying to General Li, there are many of your old subordinates in the Longyou Army. You should immediately lead your troops out of the Hexi Corridor and join forces with the Longyou Army."

Seeing that the atmosphere had eased, Che Shensai expressed his thoughts. He made a concerted effort to subdue the Longyou Army, mobilize the various Hu people in Longyou, and combine the Han and Hu armies of 300,000. With Helong as the base, he could attack when advancing and defend when retreating.

"The army will rest around Liangzhou City first. I will secretly send envoys to convey messages to the envoys of the various armies and guards in Longyou, and discuss major events together."

Li Xuan did not accept Che Shen Sai's advice and decided to slow down for a while.

After Li Shizhi and Li Yi are received into the Momen Army, they will be protected. When necessary, there will be help from the Bailang Qiang King, so Li Xuan does not have to worry.

The King of Longyou was rarely transferred to Chang'an, and the group was leaderless.

Even if Li Lu arrived, he would be unable to command the Helong troops to attack the Momen army.

The reason why Li Xuan chose to postpone his eastward advance was because he felt that once he advanced eastward, Li Longji would leave Chang'an and run to the safer Jiannan, relying on the Shu Road to remotely suppress the rebellion.

Is the emperor who left Chang'an and abandoned the people still the Son of Heaven?

At that time, Li Longji's prestige will drop to freezing point.

But Li Longji absolutely could not abandon Chang'an and leave because of Li Xuan.

He could only escape because of An Lushan.

That was the best time for Li Xuan to appear.

Li Xuan did not want to keep Li Longji in Jiannan, nor did he want to send Li Heng to Lingwu.

This would be beyond Li Xuan's control, so Li Xuan had better intercept them.

A month later.

Li Xuan dispatched secret envoys to deliver handwritten letters to Nan Jiyun, the commander of the Shence Army, and his deputy envoys Li Sheng, Zhang Wanfu, Li Feiyuanli, the commander of the Wuning Army, Duan Xueshi, the commander of the Suirong Army, Qu Huan, the commander of the Dingrong Army, Yang Jinghui, the commander of the Baishui Army, An Zhongzhang, the commander of the Heyuan Army, and Qian'er Dafu, the commander of the Jintian Army, explaining the reasons to them and appealing to their emotions, hoping that they could lend him a helping hand.

In history, Nan Jiyun was a loyal minister of the Tang Dynasty and died for it.

But in this life, Nan Jiyun was promoted by Li Xuan and accepted Li Xuan's ideas.

For eight years, he faced the snow-capped mountains, and today he resolutely accepted Li Xuan's invitation.

Duan Xueshi was conflicted. He didn't understand what Li Xuan was facing. There had been sudden changes in these few years.

He has been a filial child since childhood, just as he once vowed: He cannot achieve any merit by simply picking out sentences from books.

Li Xuan rarely appointed literati as generals, but Duan Xiushi was an exception. As a Confucian general favored by Li Xuan, Duan Xiushi finally responded to Li Xuan's envoy after sitting quietly in the military camp for a night.

He chose to believe Li Xuan!

He deeply understood that since Li Xuan entered Yumen Pass and collected the Hexi troops, no one could stop Li Xuan from marching towards Chang'an.

Other generals, some out of respect for Li Xuan, and some who believed that Li Xuan was unstoppable, responded to Li Xuan's letter, vowing to follow him to the death and share weal and woe.

Not to mention the Longyou Army, many soldiers wanted to follow General Li again. If they chose to resist General Li, they would most likely be killed by his subordinates.

However, the troops in Longyou had already received orders from Ying Wang Li Lu, asking them to build a defense line in the Jincheng area, relying on the natural barrier of the Yellow River, to resist Li Xuan's advance.

Even the Shence Army, Dingrong Army and Suirong Army in Baihai were recruited by Li Lu, which shows that Li Lu was desperate and tried every possible means.

At the same time, he also sent orders to the Tuyuhun, Dangxiang, Subi, Tongjia and other tribes, as well as the Jiuqu Tibetan tribes in Qinghai that were directly under the jurisdiction of the Tang Dynasty to come to Jincheng for support.

If Maxiang Zhongbajie had the courage to attack Baihai at this time, it would be effortless.

As for the Bailang Qiang, they have already broken with the "Tang Dynasty".

The Momen army protected Li Shizhi and Li Yi and retreated to Bailangqiang.

The Bailang Qiang refused to hand over the people, which made Li Lu helpless.

Looking at the resumes of the generals in Longyou, Li Lu felt very guilty.

The marks on them are much heavier than those on the generals in Hexi.

Who knows if there are any loyal soldiers like Gao Kai, the military commander of Momen?
Fortunately, when Li Lu summoned all the troops, the generals agreed.

Lu Chongben felt something was amiss and asked Li Lu to be on guard.

Helong is a very evil place. They originally wanted to recruit local militia, but when the people heard that they wanted to resist the traitor Li Xuan, very few people responded.

The local county magistrates had their own ulterior motives, and the forced conscription orders issued by Li Yu were ignored by them.

Li Xuan might cross the Yellow River at any time, so we must always leave a way out.

Their worries were not unnecessary. Li Xuan sent scouts to cross the Great Snow Mountain, pass through Kongdao, and easily reach the Weirong Army in Longyou.

This was the former new city of Tubo, where An Zhongzhang once served as the military envoy of the Weirong Army for many years.

By passing the Weirong Army, you can easily reach Shanzhou City and Huangshui City, or you can cross the Huangshui River, pass the Riyue Mountain, and reach Qinghai and Jiuqu.

Although Li Xuan was in Liangzhou City, he had sent out hundreds of scouts and was able to contact the generals in Longyou at any time.

They marched towards Jincheng according to Li Xuan's instructions.

In addition, Li Xuan also established contact with Liao Zhengrong.

Let him inform him of any movement in Chang'an through the spies left in Chang'an.

When Li Xuan feels the time is right, he will close the net directly.

……

Luoyang, the first day of the first lunar month.

After An Lushan captured Luoyang, he became even more arrogant.

Because he was obese and had boils for many years, his vision gradually became blurred after the rebellion in Fan Yang.

This made An Lushan angry. After seeing the majestic palace in Luoyang, he could no longer suppress his desire to become emperor.

An Lushan asked his military advisor Gao Shang to secretly force the elderly people in Luoyang, as well as some monks and Taoists, to persuade him to ascend the throne.

An Lushan did not even make a proper excuse to refuse. He immediately summoned his civil and military officials, put on the dragon robe that had been prepared long ago, and proclaimed himself emperor in Luoyang.

An Lushan started an uprising in Yan territory, named his country "Yan", proclaimed himself the Xiongwu Emperor of Great Yan, and changed the era name to the first year of Shengwu.

He appointed Da Xixun and other surrendered and prestigious ministers as nominal prime ministers to express his respect for Han scholars and orthodoxy.

The actual government affairs were controlled by Yan Zhuang, Gao Shang, Zhang Tongru and others.

Therefore, An Lushan began to formulate an ambitious plan to conquer the world.

He sent Cui Qianyou and his son An Qingxu to attack Tongguan.

The news of An Lushan's declaration of emperorship reached Chang'an a few days later.

At that time, Li Longji had just learned about Li Xuan's rebellion and heard that An Lushan had proclaimed himself emperor. He could no longer contain his anger and used the method of whipping the palace maids to vent his anger.

At this time, no one dared to get close to Li Longji except Yang Yuhuan and Gao Lishi.

Fortunately, Li Longji finally received good news soon after.

An Qingxu attacked Tongguan and was easily repelled by Geshu Han's garrison.

Half a month later, Cui Qianyou attacked Tongguan again, suffering thousands of casualties, but still failed to break through.

Tongguan has been in different locations since ancient times, often depending on the change in the course of the Yellow River.

In the second year of Tianshou during the reign of Wu Zetian, Tongguan was moved to the banks of the Yellow River and Weishui River, and a high city was built on the steep slope, forming the current natural barrier of Tongguan.

There is the Qinling Mountains as a barrier in the south, the Yellow River as a natural barrier in the north, and Niantouyuan as the dominant force in the east. In the middle, there are natural defense lines such as Jingou, Yuanwanggou and Manluochuan that run east-west. It is known as "the gate to the nine provinces that even birds cannot cross."

More and more troops gathered at Tongguan, and even though the rebels had countless cavalry, it was extremely difficult for them to break through Tongguan.

Li Longji finally breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi had already conquered Hebei and delivered the head of An Lushan, the fake emperor.

Hebei was now in chaos. Raoyang Prefect Lu Quancheng, Jinan Prefect Li Sui, Qinghe Chief Secretary Wang Huaizhong, Jingcheng Sima Li Wei, Ye County Prefect Wang Tao and other counties officially began to resist An Lushan. They gathered hundreds of thousands of local militiamen in a short period of time.

Even without Yan Zhenqing and Yan Gaoqing, Hebei gradually became united.

Yang Guozhong seized the opportunity and ordered Beihai Governor Helan Jinming to lead 5,000 elite soldiers to cross the river to assist Hebei.

An Lushan had no choice but to order Shi Siming and Cai Xide to lead troops to wipe out the Hebei counties that refused to submit.

The loss of Liangzhou City was a heavy blow to Li Longji. He even called for leading the army in person to fight Li Xuan.

Fortunately, there was no news that the Jincheng defense line had fallen.

He repeatedly asked Li Lu whether he could stop Li Xuan from crossing the Yellow River, but Li Lu's answer was ambiguous, which made Li Longji extremely worried.

He also thought that the generals in Longyou would rebel like the generals in Hexi.

However, these generals hold military power, and once an order is given to replace them, it is likely to immediately provoke a backlash.

Li Longji now only wanted Geshu Han to defeat the rebels. Upon learning that Geshu Han's condition had improved, he kept asking Geshu Han for strategies for winning the battle.

Only by defeating An Lushan's rebels could the troops of the Qi, Qi, Shuofang and Longyou be dispatched to the west to resist Li Xuan.

However, Geshu Han wrote back to Li Longji, suggesting that they should hold Tongguan and wait for troops from Hebei and Nanyang, and then attack the rebels from both sides. The rebellion could be eliminated within a year.

This answer made Li Longji very dissatisfied.

March, Tongguan.

At a military meeting, a general named Gao Yuandang said to Geshu Han: "General, An Lushan originally used the excuse of killing Yang Guozhong to start a rebellion. If we leave 30,000 soldiers to guard Tongguan and lead all the elite troops to cross the Chan River to kill Yang Guozhong, this is the way for the Han Dynasty to defeat the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms."

Hearing this, Geshu Han shook his head.

None of his Hexi soldiers came, so it was impossible for him to have the appeal to control such matters.

An Lushan had already proclaimed himself emperor, and even killing Yang Guozhong would not change the outcome, but would make the war situation even more chaotic.

But when Geshu Han learned that Li Xuan had taken his troops, he felt extremely conflicted.

Little did he know that this matter soon reached Yang Guozhong's ears.

On the grounds of being prepared for danger in times of peace, Yang Guozhong applied to Li Longji for permission to recruit 3,000 elite soldiers for self-defense, and to send the general from Jiannan to lead the troops.

As we all know, the Jiannan clique was Yang Guozhong's confidant.

Yang Guozhong recruited another 10,000 soldiers and stationed them in Bashang, and appointed his trusted aide Du Qianyun as the commander-in-chief.

This immediately annoyed Geshu Han.

Anyone with a discerning eye knew that the troops stationed in Bashang were targeting him.

Geshu Han was not a pushover. On the one hand, he reported to Li Longji and asked him to command the troops in Bashang. On the other hand, he planned to summon Du Qianyun to the military camp in Tongguan and kill him.

This frightened Yang Guozhong so much that he went into the palace immediately.

"Saint, Geshu Han killed Du Qianyun without your order. I think he is not moving in Tongguan, waiting for the thief Li to arrive and cooperate with him from inside and outside!"

In front of the Qinzhengwu Building, Yang Guozhong cried to Li Longji with tears and snot.

He once again reminded Li Longji of the news that Geshu Han was an old subordinate of Li Xuan, making Li Longji more and more suspicious.

"The military supervisor said that Geshu Han had not made any major changes. Is Guozhong overthinking it?"

Even though his brows were furrowed, Li Longji still had no intention of punishing Geshu Han.

There were also Wang Nandi and An Sishun in Chang'an City, but Li Longji did not dare to use them.

"Scouts have reported that the rebels failed to capture Tongguan, and now only have a weak force deployed in Shan County. The main force has returned to Hebei to provide support, or to attack the south of Luoyang. There are thousands of old, weak and disabled people, but Geshu Han did not send troops. This must be because he has ulterior motives."

"The crisis in the west is even greater now. The Li thief may cross the Yellow River at any time. If we just want to hold on, 20,000 or 30,000 troops will be enough. We have more than 100,000 troops in Tongguan. This is putting the cart before the horse!"

After Yang Guozhong's seemingly reasonable analysis, Li Longji believed what Yang Guozhong said.

On that day, he sent an envoy to lead dozens of Yulin troops to Tongguan to ask Geshu Han why he did not go out to attack the rebels?
If Geshu Han gave any more excuses, he would be executed by the envoy.

But when Geshu Han saw the Yulin Army, he was smart enough to understand that Li Longji wanted to kill him, so he immediately told the messenger that he had prepared everything and would leave Tongguan tomorrow to defeat the rebels.

Seeing that Geshu Han answered so decisively, the special envoy could only go back and report to Li Longji.

When Li Longji saw Geshu Han coming out of the pass, he spared Geshu Han's life and asked him to make up for his crime by making meritorious service.

History changed. It was only March 30th at this time, and Li Guangbi had just captured Changshan County, which boosted the morale of the counties in Hebei.

Guo Ziyi had just left Jingxing and had not yet met with Li Guangbi to analyze the situation.

According to their strategy, they would let Geshu Han hold Tongguan, while they would lead the Hedong and Longyou armies to wipe out the remnants of the rebels in Hebei and attack Huanglong directly. An Lushan would undoubtedly be defeated.

Otherwise, if Tongguan was lost, Chang'an would be in danger.

But their strategy was destined to make it difficult to reach Chang'an.

On April 1, Geshu Han ordered his soldiers, mainly the Jiqi and Feiqi, to go out of Tongguan to fight.

He was standing on the city wall of Tongguan, looking at the fluttering triangular military flag and the rustling of the banners, and lost in memories.

His father was the deputy governor of Anxi, and his mother was the Princess of Khotan. He spent the first half of his life eating, drinking, whoring and gambling, and was still squandering until his parents died.

When he was in a daze in Chang'an, even a county lieutenant looked down on him.

He suddenly came to his senses and joined the army at the age of over 40. In just a few years, he was valued by the commander and was promoted from a general to a military governor.

Thinking about it now, the time when he was most excited and high-spirited was not when he was a military governor, let alone now. It was when he followed Li Xuan to gallop on the snowy plateau.

The battle flag seemed to reflect that time.

Looking at the tens of thousands of soldiers below, Geshu Han couldn't help crying.

Although he knew that the situation was dangerous, he still tried his best to station his troops in the wilderness of Lingbao County and fight against the rebels...

……

As early as early March, Li Xuan's spies in Chang'an learned that the fight between Geshu Han and Yang Guozhong was fierce. On March 20, the news reached Li Xuan's ears.

Li Xuan had previously speculated that Tongguan would be breached in June, just as it had happened in history.

But after thinking about it, I felt that there was an 80% chance that Geshu Han would be killed by Yang Guozhong.

The power controlled by the current Geshu Han is far less than that of the historical Geshu Han, and he does not have his own team around him.

In addition, it was he who promoted Geshu Han, so it was impossible for Li Longji not to have suspicion.

This made Li Xuan feel out of control.

"It's chaos. I must raid Chang'an now!"

"Even if Li Longji didn't leave Chang'an, I would have to stop him there."

On March 21st, Li Xuan made up his mind to launch a surprise attack on Chang'an.

So as to prevent Li Longji and Li Heng, father and son, from running away.

If they were gone, it would become several times more difficult for Li Xuan to hold power.

(End of this chapter)