"I heard that Your Highness was abducted by the rebels and taken north, so I came to rescue you! Now the King of Tianshui has welcomed the saint back to the capital, Your Highness, please follow me back to Chang'an."

After seeing that the imperial guards had given up resistance, Ashina Fuwen came to Li Heng and bowed to him.

At this time, Li Heng's face turned green with anger. He was afraid that swords and knives were merciless, so he had no choice but to surrender.

In fact, my heart is full of anger and frustration.

I thought I could reach Lingwu by abandoning my beloved concubine and children, but I was still blocked in the Pingliang Hills.

He has abandoned Crown Princess Wei and Du Liangdi successively, and now with Zhang Liangdi, he will definitely be criticized by the world.

"You... you are the military envoy of Feng'an, you have received the honor of the court, you have received the court's salary, and you have benefited your descendants. Why don't you obey the court's orders, but instead listen to the instructions of the rebels?"

An angry Li Heng questioned Ashina Fuwen.

There is no fighting and no need to worry about your life.

If Li Xuan wanted to get rid of him, there would be no need to go through so much trouble.

Now Ashina Fuwen is "crying thief", and Li Heng has to speak out.

"Your Highness, you are too kind! I received the order from the King of Tianshui, and the King of Tianshui is a close minister. If it were a traitor like An Lushan, he would directly declare himself emperor and kill Your Highness."

Ashina Fuwen replied without changing his expression.

"You keep saying that there are traitors who have kidnapped me. Look at this mountain and the fields. Who are the traitors? Aren't they all loyal officials and righteous men?"

Li Heng pointed at the eunuchs and civil and military officials who followed him and spoke in a fierce tone.

Seeing that his kingdom was about to be stolen by Li Xuan, he risked his life.

Li Shizhi once undoubtedly respected the prince. He once thought that Li Xuan, like Wang Zhongsi, was his trusted confidant in the future.

But Li Xuan had just become famous and behaved disrespectfully towards him at a banquet.

Li Shizhi, who had always been respectful to him, also drew a line between himself and him.

He didn't understand it at that time, but now Li Heng knows that all this was Li Xuan's idea.

Li Xuan was able to guess the emperor's mind. In order to gain Li Longji's trust, he deliberately made him his enemy in exchange for a high position as a general or prime minister.

After Li Heng finished speaking, the ministers and eunuchs around him burst into tears.

They watched Li Heng being held hostage, powerless to do anything.

The Crown Prince and the Saint are both in Li Xuan's hands. What should the world do?

This is a shame for loyal ministers and righteous men!

"Eunuchs Li Jingzhong and Cheng Yuanzhen have deceived the Crown Prince and plotted to take control of the country. Their intentions are sinister. Come, arrest Li Jingzhong and Cheng Yuanzhen."

Ashina Fuwen shouted loudly, and he was serious.

Because Li Xuan told him in a letter that Li Heng's trusted eunuchs Li Jingzhong and Cheng Yuanzhen should all be executed.

Now he just took over Li Heng's words and issued a military order.

He didn't know what was so special about Li Jingzhong and Cheng Yuanzhen that could make General Li write in the letter personally, which meant it was very important. He was determined to complete General Li's instructions.

"As ordered!"

"Who is Li Jingzhong? Who is Cheng Yuanzhen? Stand out!"

After receiving the order, Ashina Fuwen's personal guards shouted at the team of eunuchs and ministers.

Li Heng was confused.

The parties involved, Li Jingzhong and Cheng Yuanzhen, were completely panicked.

They are indeed the prince's confidants and offer advice, but is this their responsibility?

They have always thought that they are insignificant little people. How could they let Ashina Fuwen, a military envoy of Feng'an, reveal his name?
"Your Highness, save me!"

An extremely ugly eunuch and a white-faced, beardless eunuch quickly ran out, knelt on the ground and hugged Li Heng's thighs.

They didn't know that it was Li Xuan who wanted to kill them, and thought that if only Li Heng was tougher, they could be saved.

When Ashina Fuwen's personal guards saw the two men appear, they pulled them up and dragged them aside in front of Li Heng.

"They are just eunuchs serving me, why are you arresting them?"

Li Heng was furious when his most trusted eunuch was captured.

In particular, Li Jingzhong was his confidant, who had always given him advice and helped him solve many problems.

He can't live without Li Jingzhong.

If he wants to find a slim chance, he must have Li Jingzhong's assistance.

On the way north to Lingwu, he planned to have Li Jingzhong change his name to "Li Fuguo" to express his respect for him.

"They are traitors who have deceived Your Highness. By order of the King of Tianshui, execute them!"

"Behead him immediately!"

Before Li Heng could react, Ashina Fuwen gave orders to his guards.

"Your Highness..."

"Your Highness, save us..."

As Li Jingzhong and Cheng Yuanzhen were yelling and screaming, they were pinned to the ground by the guards. They were so scared that they wet their pants and their faces turned pale.

But how could their struggle compare to the strength of the personal guards?
"Pfft!"

"Pfft!"

The personal guard held a sword in his hand, and slashed it down, blood splattered, and two huge heads rolled down, with their eyes unable to close.

"what……"

The ministers and eunuchs around screamed loudly.

Ashina Fuwen killed people decisively and frightened them.

They thought Li Xuan was going to start a massacre, but they didn't know that Li Xuan killed Li Jingzhong and Cheng Yuanzhen in order to eliminate Li Heng's confidants in advance and make an example of them.

Such a bloody scene is shocking.

Li Heng leaned backwards and almost fell to the ground.

He could no longer utter the tough words he had just said. He was just stunned and dizzy.

Li Xuan won't give him a chance to live!

The young Li Chu had lofty ambitions and was determined to revive the Tang Dynasty one day.

At this moment, he saw the cruelty of the change of power.

Killing begins at the slightest disagreement.

He had little contact with Li Xuan, but just saw Li Xuan chatting and laughing at the banquet. The Mid-Autumn Festival's "It's cold up there. Dancing with my shadow, it doesn't seem like I'm in the human world" and the Lantern Festival's "I searched for him among the crowd for hundreds of times. Suddenly looking back, there he is, in the dim lights" were so beautiful.

Now he has forgotten what Li Xuan originally looked like.

Thanks to Li Xuan's meticulous mind, their family would have little chance after returning to Chang'an.

Desperate Li Chu clenched his fists but lowered his head. His eyes were sharp and he was struggling in his heart!
"Your Highness, it's time to get going."

Ashina Fuwen reminded the stunned Li Heng.

Li Heng, who was in a daze, was helped onto a horse by the soldiers of Feng'an Army and walked out along the mountain road. Only then did he suddenly come to his senses.

Behind him, in the valley, the bodies of Li Jingzhong and Cheng Yuanzhen were lying in the wild, with no one collecting them.

"Wow wow..."

A flock of crows circled in the sky, crowed sharply.

The north wind was chilly and the horses were neighing.

Li Heng looked back, feeling endless sadness in his heart.

……

Chang'an, Weinan.

A cavalry force of more than 10,000 people galloped across the Guanzhong land with murderous intent.

They have iron cavalry and light cavalry, and their clothing is different.

The Tang Dynasty enjoyed peace for more than a hundred years, but the sound of horse hooves and swords broke the tranquility of Chang'an.

These were the Yanyun cavalry and the various Hu cavalry led by An Shouzhong into Chang'an.

They left from Tongguan, passed through Huayin and Zhengxian, and arrived in Weinan.

Most of the people in the villages they passed through were massacred by these cavalrymen who had no military discipline.

They burned, killed, looted and committed all kinds of evil.

This makes this cavalry unit very powerful.

"General, according to my investigation, many people are fleeing outside Chang'an City, and there are even traces of palace maids and eunuchs. Jingzhao Yin Cui Guangyuan is ready to open Chang'an City at any time to welcome you. The keys to the palaces are also ready to be presented."

After a team of scouts returned, they reported to An Shouzhong.

To be on the safe side, An Shouzhong sent cavalry to Chang'an in advance to gather information and meet Cui Guangyuan.

With Cui Guangyuan's advance arrangements, they were deceived by the illusion and thought that Chang'an was a piece of fat meat that could be slaughtered at will.

"The army will move forward quickly and reach Chang'an City before tomorrow afternoon."

"After entering Chang'an City, obey my orders. All the spoils you obtain must be handed over and then distributed equally. Anyone who dares to keep them will be executed without mercy."

An Shouzhong issued military orders to his generals.

He is different from Sun Xiaozhe. If he rushes to rob in a disorderly manner, many accidents will occur and even infighting will occur.

There were also conflicts among the various Hu coalition forces, and it was An Lushan's prestige that brought them together.

"As ordered!"

The generals received the order.

An Shouzhong was An Lushan's most valued adopted son. He made many military achievements in the Fan Yang army and was as famous as Li Guiren, and was considered a brave general in the world.

All his subordinates were very afraid of An Shouzhong.

"General, I suggest that after entering Chang'an, we should separate our divisions into different areas of Chang'an. For example, let the Mohe cavalry enter the East Market, the Tongluo cavalry enter the West Market, the Khitan go to the most prosperous Xingningfang, and the Xi go to Pingkangfang. We, the elite cavalry from Fanyang and Pinglu, will mainly enter the warehouses and the three palaces. This way, we can complete the seizure as quickly as possible. Then we will set fire to Chang'an, and when Li Xuan arrives, it will be an empty city that has been burned down, and he will gradually lose his foundation."

General Cao suggested to An Shouzhong.

He was originally a Sogdian merchant and had a certain business acumen.

General was the Chinese name he changed to. After witnessing the prosperity of the Han dynasty, he vowed to become a general of the Central Plains. Now he has done it.

All he sees is success and fame, and he totally ignores the bad influences of the masses.

"Your Majesty only ordered the looting of the warehouses, not the burning of Chang'an."

An Shouzhong frowned.

He knew that An Lushan loved Xingqing Palace, Daming Palace and Taiji Palace.

He also hoped that one day An Lushan would bring them to Chang'an and confer titles of nobility and appointment of prime ministers on them.

Chang'an is a huge city famous in Rome, Arabia, and Persia. Wouldn't it be a pity to burn it down?
"Your Majesty has Luoyang to stay temporarily. As long as Li Xuan is defeated, a new Chang'an can be built. This will weaken the manpower and material resources that Li Xuan can mobilize, allowing Your Majesty to unify the world as soon as possible."

General Cao said disapprovingly.

"Li Xuan's troops are approaching, and His Majesty does not allow us to fight him. I also think that burning Chang'an is a good option."

Seeing that An Shouzhong was hesitant, Li Riyue supported General Cao out of fear that the world would be in chaos.

He was originally the King of Xi, and now he brought his people to An Lushan, hoping to strive for a higher status in the new Great Yan Dynasty.

Dayan was a dynasty founded by the Hu people. An Lushan was a mixed Hu person with no foundation, so he would not allow the Hu people to hold high positions.

"Okay, let's do it!"

After careful consideration, An Shouzhong finally agreed.

Being able to help my adoptive father unify the world, I naturally have to bear some bad reputation.

Unlike some of Dayan's civil and military officials, An Shouzhong never looked down on Li Xuan, who was known as the "Heavenly General" and had a great reputation.

After making a plan, An Shouzhong led his men to Xinfeng, west of Chang'an, before dusk.

It is only a few dozen miles away from Chang'an and is the nearest county town to the east of Chang'an City.

How many years is the Xianyang Ranger of Xinfeng Meijiu fighting for ten thousand.

When the rebellion broke out, Xinfeng, famous for its fine wine, was still filled with the rich aroma of wine, which intoxicated people.

Xinfeng City is the only way for the rebels.

The rebel soldiers, with lustful eyes, were ready to rape and plunder in the city to satisfy their desires.

In their view, a small city in the capital should open its gates to welcome the powerful Yan army.

But at this time, the four gates of Xinfeng City were closed, and hundreds of county soldiers and thousands of "civilians" without armor were standing on the city wall. They only held spears and were ready for battle.

At first glance, it seems that these are just temporary recruits of local militia to resist the arrival of the rebels.

"Tang officials on the city walls, seeing our Great Yan army approaching, why didn't you open the city gates?"

An Shouzhong, escorted by his personal guards, came to the east city wall of Xinfeng and shouted to the people on the city wall.

"What Yan army? I only know about the traitors and the false emperor in Luoyang."

The Xinfeng commander sneered and cursed An Shouzhong on the city wall, obviously determined to resist to the end.

"How dare you! Cui Guangyuan has already offered the city of Chang'an to the Emperor of Great Yan. Who are you? Didn't you receive the order?" An Shouzhong's eyes showed murderous intent, and he pointed at the Xinfeng Order and shouted.

"I am Chen Zhuo, the magistrate of Xinfeng. Cui Guangyuan has betrayed the saint's trust and joined you traitors. He will be infamous for eternity. I, Chen Zhuo, am not a coward. If you have the guts, conquer Xinfeng City and take my head off."

Chen Zhuo gave his own name and identity.

"I didn't expect that there are such foolish people like Zhang Jieran and Cui Wuwei in Jingzhao. Once the city is breached, not only will you be torn into pieces by five horses, but your family will also be buried with you."

An Shouzhong observed the guards on the city wall and sneered.

"Come on! You traitors will not be able to have a good death."

Chen Zhuo was not afraid of the threat and challenged him with his words. Then he gave the order: "Shoot!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..."

The sparse arrows were blocked by An Shouzhong's personal guards who raised their shields.

He retreated unscathed to more than a hundred steps outside Xinfeng City.

"General, we must build siege ladders immediately. I will lead two thousand soldiers to break into Xinfeng City overnight and deliver the head of Xinfeng Ling."

General Cao could no longer bear it and asked An Shouzhong for help.

"Xinfeng City is 25 feet high. Although the people guarding the city are civilians, there are more than a thousand of them. We don't have siege equipment, so it will be difficult to break through in a short time. Don't waste time like this."

An Shouzhong was very rational. There was no need to hold on to Xinfeng City and miss the opportunity to fight.

He thought that Xinfeng Magistrate Chen Zhuo was a stubborn element like Zhang Jieran and Cui Wuwei, who disobeyed Cui Guangyuan's orders and acted on his own.

The Yan cavalry, whose purpose was to plunder Chang'an, had no intention of attacking the city.

"How despicable that a small county magistrate is so arrogant!"

General Cui became angrier the more he thought about it.

"Once we truly occupy Guanzhong, we will cut this Xinfeng Order named Chen Zhuo into pieces."

An Shouzhong just endured it temporarily, which doesn't mean he doesn't hold a grudge.

"Come on, set up camp two miles east of Xinfeng City, and head to Chang'an early tomorrow morning."

An Shouzhong gave orders to his subordinates again.

"As ordered!"

The generals of the Yan army had no choice but to obey.

Before nightfall, the Yan cavalry coalition built a temporary stable and cooked.

They looked down on the "country farmers" of Xinfeng City and did not even put up defensive fences.

An Shouzhong only ordered a small number of cavalry to take turns to keep watch.

An army of tigers and wolves is not afraid of lambs.

The victory at Tongguan brought the morale of the Yan army to its peak.

……

In Xinfeng City.

Chen Zhuo, who was so tough just now, nodded and bowed when facing Li Xuan: "Replying to King Tianshui, it seems that the rebels will not attack Xinfeng City by force."

"That's right! The rebels' goal is very clear. They are after the gold, silver and jewelry in Chang'an and don't want to cause any trouble."

Li Xuan nodded. This was expected.

As early as three days ago, he entered Xinfeng City with three thousand cavalry, one thousand Flying Dragon Imperial Guard cavalry, and one thousand Dragon Guard infantry.

Xinfeng made Chen Zhuo dare not resist, so he surrendered to Li Xuan and swore that he was willing to support the reform and the removal of the emperor's side.

Supporting reform and supporting the removal of the imperial court have now become the bottom line for joining Li Xuan.

Li Xuan had full control over every move of the cavalry under An Shouzhong.

He ordered Chen Zhuo to pretend to defend Xinfeng to the death so that the Yan army would let down their guard.

The "civilians" on the city wall were the Dragon Guards in disguise after taking off their armor.

If the Yan army attacks by force, let them suffer heavy losses under the city of Xinfeng.

If the Yan army did not attack, Li Xuan would conceal his intentions and take the initiative to attack.

When the Yan army was about to arrive at Xinfeng, Li Xuan ordered the Tiance soldiers to tie the mouths of the war horses with cloth strips to prevent too much horse neighing from being heard from Xinfeng City.

Li Longji, Yang Yuhuan, as well as many princes, ministers, princes and grandchildren, were imprisoned by Li Xuan in Xianyang City west of Chang'an.

Li Xuan left behind a thousand Tiancewei light cavalry, under the command of Commander Luo Xing.

Li Xuan wanted to win the first battle and enter Chang'an City in the name of defeating the rebels attacking Chang'an.

He lived up to his reputation of clearing out the corrupt officials and suppressing An Lushan's rebellion.

"General Li, the rebels are indeed careless and think that the people in Feng'an City are just a mob and dare not attack them."

An hour later, Wang Nanyi came down from the city wall and said to Li Xuan.

After Wang Nandai was recalled to Chang'an by Li Longji, he was appointed to an idle position.

He bears Li Xuan's mark, so he will not be reused.

When Li Longji fled Chang'an, he did not notify Wang Nan to follow him.

So Li Xuan asked Cui Guangyuan to let Wang Nandai leave Chang'an and await his order.

Wang Nandai already respected Li Xuan like a god. In addition to his disappointment with the court and consideration for his own future, he did not hesitate too much and was willing to obey any order from Li Xuan.

"Tonight at 8:00 pm, General Wang will lead 500 cavalrymen out of the west gate, go around to the rear of the rebels, disrupt their formation, and kill them at will!"

Li Xuan nodded and gave instructions to Wang Nanyi.

"As ordered!"

The king rarely obeyed the order.

"General Pei, General Xue, each of you will lead a thousand light cavalrymen, and go out from the north gate and the south gate respectively. Attack their two wings with swords in the dark."

Li Xuan also made arrangements with his brothers-in-law Pei Mian and Xue Cuo.

"As ordered!"

Pei Mian and Xue Cuo accepted the order.

Li Xuan himself led the remaining 500 cavalry and the 1,000 Flying Dragon Imperial Guards led by Zhang Xiaojing, and went directly out of the east gate to attack the rebels head-on.

The hour of Chou is when the rebels are most sleepy, and the patrolling soldiers think that the second half of the night is about to pass and will relax their vigilance.

Li Xuan was at a disadvantage in terms of military strength, even though he had under his command the carefully selected Tiance Guards from the Western Regions Army, each of whom was worth ten. But in order to avoid too many casualties, he could not fight head-on, and could only resort to tactics.

One thousand iron cavalry, two thousand light cavalry, plus one thousand Flying Dragon Imperial Guard cavalry are enough to provide support.

The infantry of the Longwu Army does not need to participate in the battle, they only need to clean up the battlefield after victory.

After eating and drinking their fill, the Tang soldiers took a break to recuperate.

After midnight, all the soldiers were woken up and began to prepare.

Li Xuan bought a large amount of Xinfeng wine, and the soldiers drank it in moderation to boost their spirits.

The streets and alleys of Xinfeng County were filled with Tang cavalry.

Solemn and murderous!
The people were not afraid either. They opened the windows and cheered for the soldiers, firmly believing that the young master could defeat the rebels.

During these few days, many soldiers slept in civilian houses. As a guarantor, Li Xuan not only did not harm anyone, but was also willing to pay money.

The title of Young Master and the elite army with strict military discipline gave the people confidence.

They believed that Li Xuan's army was not a rebel army, but was sent to suppress the rebels.

It is a benevolent and righteous teacher!
When judging a person or a thing, we should not only judge by the past rules, but by their behavior.

This is the "Way of Confucianism" proposed by Li Xuan.

As long as Li Xuan organizes the army seriously, the name of rebel will be cleared.

"The time has come, open the gates!"

At eight o'clock in the morning, the Xinfeng city gate was opened, and the thousand-jin gate was lifted up little by little by the county soldiers on the city wall.

At the east gate, Li Xuan, riding a fully armored Ferghana horse, wearing double armor, was the first to leave the city.

"Da da……"

Behind Li Xuan, Tian Ce Guards wearing bright armor and holding spears emerged one after another.

The moonlight made their armor shine brightly, and they were in high spirits with determined eyes.

They are called Tiance Guards, the most powerful elite troops in the world.

Countless soldiers from the Western Regions regretted not being able to join the Tiance Guard.

Even if An Lushan's personal guards were dragged into the river, they could not be resisted.

With supreme glory, they will crush all enemies for Li Shuai.

When most of the Tian Ce Wei cavalry went out of the east gate, they tore off the cloth strips tied to the horses' mouths.

There cannot be such restraint when a warhorse is charging.

"Eh..."

The warhorse had been holding it in for a long time, and when it was freed, it couldn't help but cry out.

At the other three city gates, Wang Nandi, Pei Huang and Xue Cuo released their war horses according to the plan.

For a moment, roars were heard all around Xinfeng City.

……

In An Shouzhong's camp.

The soldiers of the Yan army were dreaming about the indulgence they would have in Chang'an city tomorrow.

There were mountains of silk and brocade.

The countless gold, silver and jewelry.

There is an endless supply of food and coins in the warehouse.

There are also beautiful and charming palace maids in the palace, which they can enjoy at will.

They risked their lives to rebel and join the army, just waiting for this moment, a temporary gain, a temporary comfort, even if they died tomorrow, they would not regret it.

"Eh..."

"what sound?"

"Why are the war horses neighing together..."

The sudden roar woke up the sleeping Yan army soldiers.

“Wow….”

The patrolling rebel cavalry were the first to discover the situation and they blew their horns as they retreated back to the camp.

An Shouzhong was sleeping with Jia, and he jumped up from his bed immediately, shouting, "Enemy attack, prepare the army for battle!"

He acted decisively and quickly. He could tell that this was the horn of an enemy attack.

But he did not realize the seriousness of the matter and just thought that the "village militia" in Xinfeng City wanted to fight against a powerful enemy with an egg.

"Woooo..."

However, the horns of the patrolling Yan army soldiers became more and more urgent.

The first thing that appeared in their sight was the Tian Ce Guard Cavalry.

Hundreds of cavalrymen posed a huge threat to the Yan army's camp.

What's more, there are countless Tang cavalry behind the iron cavalry.

Xinfeng City should not have such military force.

The soldiers of the Yan army were suddenly awakened, still bleary-eyed, and unable to assemble in a short time.

It was only after the team leader received the order from An Shouzhong's horn that he quickly put on his armor and went to the stable to lead the horses.

The reaction speed of the Mohe, Tongluo and other cavalry was slightly slower than that of the Yanyun Cavalry. They thought that they were not needed to take action and that the Yanyun Cavalry would be able to quickly wipe out the sudden attack of the Tang army.

"Boom!"

As the sound of thousands of horses galloping got closer and closer, they suddenly woke up.

The stable is very close to the camp, so it is easy to organize on horseback.

The Yan army was well-trained and they assembled quickly, but Li Xuan was too close to them.

Only a small number of Yan cavalry mounted their horses, but they had not yet been organized into a team.

Li Xuan led the cavalry and was only a hundred steps away from the camp.

Hundreds of patrolling Yan army knights gathered together to first resist the attack of the Tiance Guard cavalry and buy time for the main force of the Yan army.

"Destroy the rebels and fight for fame together!"

"Those who refuse to surrender will be killed without mercy!"

Li Xuan saw a hundred cavalrymen blocking his way ahead, so he grabbed his lance, kicked his horse’s belly, and shouted as he rushed in…

(End of this chapter)