After Cui Kai returned to Chang'an, he told Cui Guangyuan Li Xuan's instructions and prepared to make great contributions!
Li Xuan used the emperor to command the princes. If he could suppress An Lushan's rebellion and rebuild the prosperous Tang Dynasty, his prestige would be unparalleled.

Cui Guangyuan immediately sent people to Tongguan to offer Chang'an to An Lushan.

He claimed that Li Longji had led his close associates to flee to Jiannan, and that Chang'an was now empty and unguarded, so it was a good time to occupy it.

He also said bluntly that Li Xuan had already arrived in Longxi County and would arrive at Chang'an in ten days. If they did not seize the opportunity, they would lose the mountains of wealth in Chang'an City.

Chang'an is a strong city and it is possible to defend it.

General Cui Qianyou of Tongguan had just received An Lushan's order "not to act rashly". Although he was anxious, he did not dare to advance on his own. He rode a horse to pass the message to An Lushan in Luoyang.

"Li Longji actually fled Chang'an and entered Shu?"

In Shangyang Palace in Luoyang, An Lushan heard the news of Li Longji's escape, laughed up to the sky, and said complacently: "I knew that the old emperor was afraid of death and would escape at this time."

The victory at Tongguan further increased An Lushan's confidence and gave him the courage to challenge Li Xuan.

Even if Li Xuan defeats a larger force with a smaller one, he may not be able to achieve the same brilliant performance as Cui Qianyou.

With only tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, he defeated the hundreds of thousands of troops led by the famous Tang general Geshu Han.

In addition, he recently received good news that Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi in Hebei had withdrawn their troops.

The counties in Hebei seemed to have lost their backbone, and the alliance was on the verge of collapse. Sooner or later, powerful generals such as Shi Siming and Cai Xide would pacify Hebei.

An Lushan is now dispatching Wu Lingxun and Tian Chengsi to prepare for the Battle of Nanyang, to wipe out the main force of the Tang army from Jiangnan, Lingnan, Shannan, Jiannan and other places that are heading north to defend the king, and then to capture Jianghuai in one fell swoop and take control of half of the country.

The only thing that made An Lushan regretful was that Lady Yuhuan also followed the old emperor to Shu, and it was too late to pursue her.

Sooner or later he would unify the world and go to Shu to bring back Lady Yuhuan.

"Your Majesty, Jingzhao Yin Cui Guangyuan said that Li Xuan has sent troops to Longxi. In order to prevent Li Xuan from getting there first, we should immediately occupy Chang'an and defend it with heavy troops."

Military strategist Gao Shang bowed and said to An Lushan.

Like other civil and military officials of the Tang Dynasty, he subconsciously believed that it was impossible for Li Xuan to appear in Chang'an now.

Even the troops in Longxi are definitely not the main force because time does not allow it.

Chang'an is the holy land that scholars and literati dream of.

An Lushan has already taken Luoyang. Only after he takes Chang'an will the foundation of Dayan be consolidated.

"I think we only need to occupy Tongguan to block Li Xuan's eastward advance. Wait for the reaction of the Uighurs and Tubo before making a decision."

Yan Zhuang believed that although Chang'an was easy to obtain, it was not easy to defend.

There are too many leaks in Changan.

Among the soldiers of Dayan, many Hu people were good at riding and shooting, but not good at defending cities.

Even if we were to fight against Li Xuan's army, it should have been in the fields outside Chang'an City.

Instead of gathering 100,000 soldiers and horses to defend a city and give up their own advantages.

Chang'an was such a large city that if one section of the city wall was breached, the rest of the city walls would be destroyed.

Yan Zhuang had already formulated a strategy for An Lushan.

First stabilize the Hebei counties, then capture Nanyang County, then advance into the Jianghuai counties, and finally swallow up Jiangnan and Lingnan.

Wait until the area east of Tongguan becomes the territory of Dayan, and then march into Guanzhong.

At the same time, they observed the movements of the Uighurs and Tubo. If Li Xuan showed signs of weakness, they would send their cavalry out of the pass and take the initiative to attack.

"Your Majesty, this is wrong. Chang'an is the richest place in the world and a warehouse of pearls and jade. If Your Majesty can obtain the gold, silver and jewelry in Chang'an, you can reward the three armies again and boost the morale of the soldiers."

Gao Shang refuted Yan Zhuang.

Now that Dayan has been established, the two are competitors.

But he was the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, and Yan Zhuang was the Imperial Censor, and their status was obviously higher than his.

He longed to suppress Yan Zhuang at a critical moment, and now the time had come.

When facing Li Xuan, Yan Zhuang was always timid and emphasized that he should lock Li Xuan down by arranging defenses, winning over Tubo and Huihe, and then seek a fatal blow.

But nobility is not like that.

Gao Shang has absolute confidence in the Yanyun Cavalry. He does not think that the Western Region Cavalry is stronger than the Yanyun Cavalry.

What's more, they had the help of the Hu light cavalry. After the Battle of Tongguan, the morale of the Dayan army was high, and they had the momentum to destroy everything and change the world.

A strong country and powerful army have no fear of enemies.

Dayan is a new dynasty with a new atmosphere. It should not be like Yan Zhuang, whose momentum weakened before he even met Li Xuan.

"Your Majesty, if you take Chang'an, you will be the orthodox ruler of the Central Plains. You can announce to the world that the Tang Dynasty has run out of luck and the Great Yan should be established. Let the nobles and clans of the world submit! Then, Your Majesty can replace the false emperor and become the new Heavenly Khan."

Seeing An Lushan hesitate, Gao Shang continued.

The words were full of compliments.

"Li Xuan is not an easy person to deal with. If Your Majesty follows my strategy, unifying the country will only take a year or two."

Yan Zhuang felt that Gao Shang was too arrogant and looked down on Li Xuan.

How can we underestimate the success at such a young age?
Li Xuan's outstanding military achievements all revealed his powerful command skills.

The loss of soldiers and generals is a minor matter, but if it affects the overall morale of the Yan army, the consequences will be disastrous!

"You don't have to take Chang'an for now, but you must get the silk in the left treasury of Chang'an and the gold, silver and jewelry in the market."

"Tell Cui Guangyuan's envoy that I accept his surrender and appoint him as the governor of Xijing. Let him prepare to welcome the army into Chang'an."

"The army entered Chang'an, obtained silk, money, gold, silver and jewelry from Chang'an, and then returned to Tongguan."

Deep down, An Lushan was still somewhat afraid of Li Xuan.

It was mainly Li Xuan who left a deep impression on An Lushan.

He was afraid of the wily Li Linfu, but Li Xuan gave him the same feeling, and was even more unfathomable.

So he took a compromise approach.

It will not be too late to take Chang'an after the Uighurs and Tubo send out their troops.

"Your Majesty is wise..."

Seeing that An Lushan had made up his mind, Gao Shang immediately followed An Lushan's wishes and complimented him.

"Your Majesty, ordering soldiers to plunder Chang'an will affect the fate of Dayan."

Yan Zhuang was deeply worried about this.

However, he did not expect that Li Xuan was also in Chang'an.

"It's just to take away the Tang court's treasury and plunder the Li clan's nobles. I will instruct the soldiers not to interfere with ordinary people!"

An Lushan's face suddenly straightened up and he spoke lightly.

He said this, perhaps even he himself did not believe it.

"The saint is wise..."

Seeing this, Yan Zhuang bowed quickly, fearing that An Lushan would get angry and beat him.

"Order An Shouzhong to lead 10,000 cavalry into Chang'an."

"Order Cui Qianyou to rest and lead the troops from Tongguan to attack the counties in Hedong."

"I am in Luoyang City, waiting for their triumphant return!"

An Lushan did not let Cui Qianyou enter Chang'an, but let his nephew and adopted son An Shouzhong take the credit.

Compared to Cui Qianyou, he trusts An Shouzhong more.

Two days after the military order from Shangyang Palace was issued, it reached An Shouzhong.

He was already in Tongguan, and immediately mobilized a total of 10,000 cavalrymen from Fan Yang, Pinglu, Mohe, Tongluo, Khitan, Xi and other places, and after leaving Tongguan, they galloped towards Chang'an.

Cui Qianyou, the commander who won the Battle of Tongguan, was very unwilling, but at this moment he could only obey An Lushan's orders, cross the Yellow River and attack the Hedong counties.

Geshu Han had already prepared his troops and was waiting for him in Hedong County.

……

Lingwu County, Feng'an Military City.

To the west is endless yellow sand, and to the north is the surging Yellow River.

An isolated military city stands there, which was once an important town for monitoring the Turks.

Now that the Turkic people have been destroyed, the Uighurs have restrained themselves and dared not approach, which has greatly reduced the status of Feng'an Military City.

On this day, a letter was delivered to Ashina Fuwen, the military envoy of Feng'an.

He stood on the Feng'an Military City and looked at the letter carefully.

After seeing that the letter was sent by Li Xuan, Ashina Fuwen was surprised for a moment, then his eyes showed surprise.

"The current situation is turbulent. There is An Lushan's rebellion outside and Yang Guozhong's control of the government inside. The people are living in misery. As a member of the royal family, I cannot bear to see the Tang Dynasty collapse and the people suffer. I must rise up with the trend. I have been with you through life and death, and we share the same ideals. If we want to do great things together, we will surely achieve unprecedented achievements and create a prosperous era again..."

"The Crown Prince was bewitched by treacherous officials and went north to Lingwu, which is destabilizing for the court. You can block the official road and escort the Crown Prince back to Chang'an..."

Li Xuan implicitly expressed his intentions in the letter so that Ashina Fuwen could understand.

"General Li, I did not follow Guo Ziyi to Hebei. I have been waiting for you! The court is now unjust, and a leader of revival will appear. Although ten years have passed, my heart has not changed."

After reading the letter, Ashina Fuwen looked up to the sky and said.

His heart was pounding and he followed Li Xuan's footsteps without hesitation.

He dared to stop even the Crown Prince Li Heng.

After a while, Ashina Fuwen returned to his room, took out his sword and wiped it slowly.

He had already heard about Li Xuan's rebellion and thought that Li Xuan would not take him with him.

There are still two thousand soldiers in Feng'an Military City.

The rest of the troops were led by Guo Ziyi out of Jingxing and headed to Hebei.

Among the two thousand Feng'an troops, there are one thousand cavalry, which is enough for Ashina Fuwen.

On that day, Ashina Fuwen led a thousand cavalrymen and marched southwest.

He learned Li Heng's approximate route from Li Xuan's letter, so he left Lingwu County and headed for the Xiaoguan official road in Pingliang County.

This is the only way for Li Heng to go north to Lingwu.

Ashina Fuwen sent scouts to gather information within a radius of 100 miles ahead, and in the name of Du Hongjian, the acting governor of Shuofang, he went to Lecheng, the headquarters of the Shuofang Army, to welcome Li Heng.

This is to prevent Li Heng from being disturbed after seeing the scout.

To the south of Lingwu, in the Pingliang County area, only Feng'an Army existed.

The local governor thought that Ashina Fuwen was really going to welcome the prince and did not dare to ask more questions about the matter.

Li Heng traveled all the way north to Lingwu, looking haggard.

After splitting up his forces with Li Longji, although he was followed by hundreds of imperial guards and supported by ministers such as Pei Mian, he was still in fear.

The marching troops had to sleep in the open air and had no idea where to get their next meal.

Fortunately, the team was small and the counties along the way could provide him with reinforcements.

As Li Heng headed north, his fears grew stronger. He was afraid that Li Xuan and An Lushan would suddenly send cavalry to catch up with him and shatter his fantasies.

Along the way, there was chaos and unrest in the counties and prefectures. Any disturbance would wake Li Heng who was sleeping in the carriage.

Even if the Flying Dragon Imperial Guards said there were no pursuers.

He would also order the troops to rush overnight.

The group ran all night, but Li Heng was still in shock. He always had a bad premonition.

After several days of wandering, an official came on horseback and found Li Heng. With tears streaming down his face, he said, "Your Highness, the Holy Lord has been kidnapped by the thief Li. He is probably sending light cavalry to pursue you!"

He was one of the few officials who escaped from Li Xuan. Thinking of Li Heng who was heading north, he immediately came to seek refuge with him and told Li Heng the bad news so that he could be on guard.

"Father..."

After hearing this, Li Heng stopped his horse and cried out sadly.

After wandering for so long, I heard such news.

Perhaps they were sad about Li Longji's arrest, but they were more confused about their uncertain future.

Thinking about going north to Lingwu, I feel full of energy.

Things went against my wishes and I ended up in a miserable state.

If Li the bandit sends light cavalry to pursue, with their speed, can they still reach Lingwu County?

"Your Highness, please accept my condolences. The thief Li has committed atrocities and will never succeed. He will definitely hold the sage hostage and rule the world. You should cheer up and go to Lingwu to be crowned emperor with the support of loyal officials and righteous men. You should take charge of the overall situation, put down the rebellion of the thieves Li and An, rescue the sage, and take back the two capitals!"

Pei Mian could not help but feel sad, but he saw an opportunity and advised Li Heng to cheer up. Now that Li Heng respected Li Longji as the emperor, he would definitely be able to gain the support of the world.

Even if Li Xuan abolished Li Heng's position as crown prince in the name of Li Longji and refused to recognize Li Heng as emperor, Li Heng would still receive sympathy and approval from most literati.

"We can't do this! I will do my best to rescue the saint and let him enjoy the happiness of family life."

Li Heng replied ambiguously.

The two words "proclaim yourself emperor" made Li Heng's body tremble slightly, stirring up the deepest desire in his heart.

He was waiting for that moment to come in his dreams.

When he was down and out, this word gave him spiritual comfort.

Now he has to consider how to avoid Li Xuan's pursuit and reach Lingwu.

Li Xuan currently only has a small number of cavalry. After arriving in Lingwu, he will be assisted by the Hedong Army and the Longyou Army.

"Father, we can no longer travel with women, children, carriages and horses. You ride on the BMW and quickly rush to Lingwu County with the Flying Dragon Guard knights. The rebels will not be able to catch up."

Li Chu suggested to Li Heng.

As long as Li Heng is alive, their lineage will be recognized as the orthodox lineage by the world.

If Li Heng was captured, their lineage would be manipulated by Li Xuan.

"But your brothers and sisters and your father's beloved wife are all here!"

Li Heng wanted to do this, but his family was accompanying him and he could not ride on horseback.

He was worried about his favorite concubine Zhang Liangdi, especially since she was pregnant.

During this period, Zhang Liangdi's carriage was always at the front, which was her own request.

Li Heng even said: "Resisting the enemy is not a woman's job, why are you in the front?"

Zhang Liangdi replied: "Your Highness is having a difficult and dangerous journey now, and there are not many guards. I am afraid you may be in a hurry. I will block the way in front, and Your Highness can escape from the back. This way, there will be no danger."

How could Li Heng not be moved by such a virtuous woman like Zhang Liangdi?
"At this moment, the country is above everything else. As long as you are in the country, you should make a choice. If mother is unfortunately captured by the thief Li, we will definitely do our best to rescue her. If father insists on not leaving and is caught up by the rebels, there will be no chance."

Li Chu continued to persuade him, "Father, you have to consider the country and the people!"

His mother died and he didn't like his father's new love, Zhang Liangdi.

He also had his own unspeakable difficulties in his heart.

On the eve of his escape a few days ago, when Li Longji summoned him from Baisunyuan to Daming Palace, he was not aware that he was going to leave Chang'an.

So his wife Shen Zhenzhu did not leave with him.

When they set off the next day, it was too late to call Shen Zhenzhu along.

He didn't know what fate awaited his wife in Chang'an.

But now Li Chu just wants to fight for his reputation and help his father ascend the throne.

As long as the throne is in hand, there is nothing that cannot be abandoned.

"Notify the Flying Dragon Guards who have horses, and the civil and military officials who have horses, to follow me and ride north quickly."

After pondering for a moment, Li Heng gritted his teeth and said that he decided to abandon his wife and daughter and escape with only his adult sons Li Chu and others.

"As ordered!"

Li Chu, Pei Mian and others received the order.

This time, Zhang Liangdi really became Li Heng's shield to escape.

She was in the carriage, watching Li Heng and Li Chu, along with their trusted followers and two hundred imperial guards on horseback, riding away in a cloud of dust, with mixed feelings in her heart.

She touched her abdomen and could only leave it to fate.

Li Heng's escape made the team heading north to Lingwu even more depressed.

In just half a day, half of the horseless imperial guards and Li Heng's trusted palace maids fled.

Now they can only hope that the rebels don't catch up.

But their hope soon turned into despair.

"The carriages ahead, stop immediately!"

At dusk that day, Che Shensai led a team of light cavalry and caught up with Zhang Liangdi's carriage.

The remaining horseless imperial guards had no will to resist and surrendered to Cheshensai in a straightforward manner.

"Where is the prince?"

After learning that there was no crown prince, but only Zhang Liangdi and Li Heng's concubines, underage children, and some dying old ministers, Che Shensai grabbed a Feilong Imperial Guard and asked him.

"Just after noon, the Crown Prince, Prince Guangping, and other ministers rode on horseback to Lingwu first."

This imperial guard was afraid of death, so he told Che Shensai what he knew.

The news leaked!
Che Shen Sai frowned.

Of course, it is inevitable that there are many old ministers who trust the prince when the world is in chaos.

"The prince has been kidnapped to Lingwu. Five hundred cavalrymen will be left to escort Zhang Liangdi and others back to Chang'an. The rest will follow me in pursuit."

Che Shensai gave the order.

He knew that the prince was running very hard and it would be difficult to catch up.

After all, the situation in Shuofang County is complicated.

But the prince is too important to Li Shuai. If they, father and son, want to be loyal subjects of the emperor, they cannot let the prince become a stumbling block to Li Shuai.

"Boom!"

There was no rest until dark, and the pursuit continued with three horses and one man led by the god of driving Sai.

All the way into Pingliang County.

Pingliang County is full of mountains and valleys. After arriving in Pingliang, one has to walk through many mountain roads along the way, and the advantages of the Tiance Guards' large number of cavalry are difficult to play out.

Che Shensai has encountered the lone Feilong Imperial Guards, but Li Heng's team has excellent horses and they can cross mountains and rivers, so Che Shensai can hardly see Li Heng for a while.

At noon on the third day, Li Heng met a scout from the Shuofang army.

"Your Highness, we are here to pick you up at Lingwu on the orders of Empress Du Liu."

Li Heng asked the scout to inquire about the situation, and the scout replied to Li Heng.

"Do you have any soldiers?"

Li Heng asked urgently.

"Your Highness, our army has a total of 1,000 cavalrymen to support Your Highness."

The scout answered Li Heng truthfully.

"Good! Now the rebels won't pursue us anymore."

Li Heng said with great joy.

When he arrives in Lingwu, he can proclaim himself emperor and rally the world to quell the rebellion.

"Wait! Which army are you from?"

Li Chu felt something was wrong and stopped Li Heng from following the scout.

Although they notified the officials along the way and Du Hongjian, the governor of Shuofang, in advance, the Shuofang army would definitely not be able to dispatch troops so quickly in the absence of Guo Ziyi.

"I am a soldier of the Feng'an Army."

The scout replied.

"Kill him!"

Hearing the name of Feng'an Army, Li Chu shouted.

"Pfft!"

Li Chu's trusted guards immediately raised their swords and stabbed the Feng'an army scout to death.

"Chu'er, what are you doing?"

Li Heng asked angrily, how could they randomly kill the scouts of the Shuofang Army?
The only ones he can rely on now are the Shuofang Army and the Hedong Army, which have little relationship with Li Xuan.

"Father, the thief Li once served as the military commander of Feng'an. As far as I know, the military commander of Feng'an, Ashina Fuwen, was promoted by the thief Li. He was able to serve as the military commander of Feng'an for seven or eight years. It was probably because Li Xuan hinted to the previous military governor An Sishun and military commander Wang Sili."

Li Chu was smart and answered Li Heng, giving another clue: "Father, don't you think Du Liushou came to greet us too quickly?"

"Just as Chu'er said!"

Li Heng clapped his hands, feeling scared, and asked Li Chu, "How should we do it?"

Despite this, Li Heng felt horrified at this moment.

The influence of Li the thief is so great that even after so many years, he can still influence the Shuofang Army.

Even if he goes to Shuofang, he will be walking on thin ice and it will not be as beautiful as he imagined.

And he was afraid that Ashina Fuwen would send people to block them ahead.

"Father, we must go to Lingwu County, otherwise all our efforts will be wasted. We should not take the official road anymore, but start from the remote paths and mountain roads."

Li Chu told Li Heng his suggestion, and he also believed that the Feng'an army was ready for battle on the official road ahead.

The fact that Li the thief ordered the Feng'an Army to intercept him just shows that Li the thief did not control the Shuofang Army, and only the Feng'an Army listened to Li the thief.

"Just as Chu'er said!"

Seeing that Pei Mian was helpless, Li Heng could only trust his son.

"Report... Report to Your Highness, there is a Shuofang Army scout in the mountains, and he suddenly fled to the north."

A Flying Dragon Imperial Guard came running over to report to Li Heng.

"Not good, he must have seen us killing his companions, and the Feng'an Army ahead will catch up soon."

Li Chu realized that they were in imminent danger: "Father, quickly order the soldiers to go around to the countryside and mountain roads, and then we can make a long-term plan."

He thought that they could easily reach Lingwu after leaving Li Longji's team.

Unexpectedly, Li Xuan advanced so quickly and left a backup plan in Feng'an Army.

Feng'an Army is the army in Shuofang that is closest to Pingliang.

At the critical moment, coming to the southwest can directly block the road.

The team of two to three hundred people in total, in panic and lack of food, avoided the official road and poured into the more remote mountain roads.

"How dare you kill my scout!"

"The prince has indeed been held hostage by treacherous villains. Follow me to track down the prince and intercept them."

Ashina Fuwen was extremely angry when he heard that his scout had been killed.

The other knights of Feng'an Army were filled with indignation.

Unlike Li Heng's team, they carried food with them.

The next day, they found Li Heng's route and quickly pursued him.

After another day and night of escape, Li Heng and his entourage were exhausted.

The more than 200 Flying Dragon Guards knights were filled with dissatisfaction.

The hungrier a person is, the more violent he becomes.

Li Heng knew that this was a precursor to mutiny, so he could only order his soldiers to stop marching and have a good rest, and he killed three war horses to feed the soldiers.

At night, the imperial guards must also be allowed to sleep.

Li Heng didn't dare to sleep and prayed that he could escape this disaster.

Li Chu looked at the imperial guards and the downtrodden ministers lying in disarray on the mountain.

He is at the end of his rope and he doesn't understand what the problem is?

"Eh..."

It was still dark when the sound of horses neighing in the distance startled the entire team.

Ashina Fuwen led his soldiers on horseback, following the traces left by Li Heng and others, searching all night and surrounding their camping site.

There was a huge disparity in military strength, no way to escape, and the Flying Dragon Imperial Guards had no intention of fighting.

Li Heng was disheartened and ordered to surrender to Ashina Fuwen...

(End of this chapter)