NCCnovel Chapter 910 Stable
Chapter 910 Stable
In the spring of the fifteenth year of Tianbao, the wind from the top of Tongguan City carried yellow earth, making the red tassel on Geshu Han's silver helmet rustle.
He leaned against the battlement and looked down. An Lushan's rebels were camping ten miles outside the pass. The black tents stretched to the horizon, but they never dared to step out of line.
"General, General Guo Ziyi sent someone from Hebei to deliver a secret letter."
The personal guards ran up to the city wall holding wax-sealed bamboo tubes, and the sound of armor leaves colliding was particularly clear in the wind.
Geshu Han took the bamboo tube and stroked the fine lines on the tube with his fingers - this was a unique code of the Shuofang Army. He and Guo Ziyi had been in the same court for more than ten years, and they were more familiar with each other's handwriting than their own children and grandchildren.
When I unfolded the letter, the ink carried the smell of wind and sand from outside the Great Wall.
"Tongguan is a fortress of nature; one man can hold it against ten thousand."
"Now that Shi Siming's seven camps have been destroyed in Hebei, his old nest in Fanyang is on the verge of collapse, and Lushan is unable to take care of both ends."
"You only need to hold out for half a month, and I and Guangbi will cut off their route of return. By then, the rebels will collapse without a fight."
At the end was Guo Ziyi's signature in bold strokes, with a crooked pass drawn next to it, obviously to prevent the messenger from misrepresenting his intentions.
Geshu Han let out a low laugh and brought the letter to his lips and blew on it.
"This Guo Linggong is still the same." He turned to the deputy general beside him and said, "Last year in the Chang'an tavern, he said that An Lushan's family assets would not last more than half a year."
The deputy general came closer and said, "But in the court..." Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Geshu Han waving his hand.
"I know more about Yang Guozhong's memorial and His Majesty's urging than you do."
He took off his helmet, revealing a forehead covered in white hair. "But look at Tongguan," he pointed to the deep trenches and high fortifications outside the pass. "An Lushan led cavalry, not flying birds. Back then, when I fought against Tubo, I defended Shibao City for three months, and even the Tubo Zamp personally supervised the battle, but it was useless."
At this moment, there was a sudden commotion outside the pass, and the rebels' trumpets sounded mournfully.
Geshu Han put on his helmet again, and the telescope reflected An Lushan's purple robe - the old thief was standing on the high platform, gesticulating, and the personal soldiers around him were running back and forth holding wolf-tooth flags.
"General, it looks like the rebels are about to attack the city!"
"Why are you panicking?" Geshu Han handed the telescope to his personal guard. "Have the archers prepare their rockets and the catapults filled with kerosene. If they dare to come, we'll give them a taste of Tongguan's might."
Three days later, late at night, Li Guangbi on the Hebei battlefield was holding a lantern and looking at the map.
Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves was heard outside the tent. Guo Ziyi lifted the curtain and came in, with frost still on his cloak.
"Guangbi, take a look at this urgent message."
He slammed the letter on the table, "Geshu Han repelled An Lushan's night attack at Tongguan and beheaded 3,000 people."
Li Guangbi raised his eyebrows: "The old general is indeed amazing. I told you that he would be more reliable than anyone else to guard Tongguan."
"That's right." Guo Ziyi added a piece of charcoal to the charcoal basin, and sparks flew. "During the Battle of Hexi, Geshu Han led 500 men to defend Yumen Pass, and the 100,000-strong Tibetan army was unable to get through."
"He looks rough, but he's more thoughtful than anyone else."
He picked up the military order on the table and said, "Tomorrow we will attack Raoyang again and force Shi Siming to Fanyang. As long as Tongguan is not lost, An Lushan will be trapped."
The personal guards outside the tent suddenly came to report that a rebel messenger had been captured.
Li Guangbi went to the trial in person and came back with a letter in his hand.
"An Lushan gave Shi Siming a letter, telling him to abandon Hebei and return to rescue Luoyang."
Guo Ziyi took the letter, read it by the light of the lamp, and suddenly slapped the table and laughed: "See, what did I say? If Geshu Han stays in Tongguan for one more day, An Lushan will regret it."
He picked up his pen and wrote a reply, his ink spreading across the paper. "Send a letter to Geshu Han, saying I'll take care of Hebei. Let him relax and drink tea and watch the city gate."
Li Guangbi joked, "If His Majesty sees this letter from Mr. Guo, he'll probably accuse you of forming a clique for personal gain."
"If Your Majesty could understand this, why would you have allowed An Lushan to cause such trouble today?"
Guo Ziyi put down his pen, his eyes darkening. "Last year, I knelt for three hours in Huaqing Palace, begging Your Majesty to strip An Lushan of his military power. What was the result?"
He pointed at the starry sky outside the tent and said, "In this world today, the only things we can trust are the swords in our hands and the soldiers at the pass."
"As long as Geshu Han holds Tongguan and we hold Hebei, there will be no chaos in the world."
Seven days later, at Tongguan, Geshu Han was conducting a simulation on a sand table when his personal guards arrived to report that Guo Ziyi had sent a team of craftsmen with a letter.
"The trebuchets at Tongguan need replacing. I've asked the craftsmen to bring new blueprints. They'll increase the range by thirty steps."
On the back of the letter was a smiling face. "Brother, if the tea is too weak, I will treat you to some good wine from Fanyang after the rebellion is quelled."
Geshu Han handed the letter to the military officer and suddenly laughed out loud: "This Guo Ziyi looks like a businessman."
He pointed to Tongguan on the sand table and said, "Tell the craftsmen to modify it according to the blueprint. If they don't have enough materials, take them from the rebels' camps."
The soldier hesitated and said, "General, the court is urging us to go to war again. They say if we don't send troops, we will..."
"You're going to punish me, aren't you?"
Geshu Han picked up a stone and pressed it heavily on the location of Tongguan on the sand table. "Send the messenger back to tell His Majesty that An Lushan is waiting for us to leave."
"His cavalry is powerful on the plains, but in this mountain valley, they are like a swarm of headless flies."
He looked outside the Great Wall and saw that the rebel camps seemed to be fewer. "Guo Ziyi has succeeded in Hebei. An Lushan is about to collapse."
Sure enough, three days later, news came that Shi Siming had abandoned Raoyang and fled towards Fanyang.
Guo Ziyi's messenger rode at full speed to Tongguan, delivering a letter written in blood: "30,000 enemies have been killed, and 200,000 dan of grain and fodder have been seized. An Lushan killed three of his advisers in Luoyang who urged him to return to Fanyang. It seems he is really desperate."
Geshu Han stood on the top of the city wall, looking at the gradually sparse rebel flags outside the pass, and suddenly said to the guards around him: "Bring me pen and ink, I will write a reply to Guo Ziyi."
He dipped the brush in ink and wrote on the paper: "The longer I hold Tongguan, the more chances you have of winning in Hebei."
"When the rebels retreat, I will hold a banquet at Tongguan to celebrate your victory."
The wind blew from outside the pass, bringing a hint of warmth.
Geshu Han folded the letter and stuffed it into the bamboo tube. He suddenly felt that this long struggle was finally coming to an end.
There seemed to be sounds of dismantling the rebel camp in the distance. He knew that Guo Ziyi was right. As long as they held Tongguan, the rebels would retreat.
At this time, on the battlefield in Hebei, Guo Ziyi was laughing as he looked at Geshu Han's reply.
Li Guangbi came over and saw the letter saying, "I have ordered people to brew wine and am waiting for you to come." He couldn't help but jokingly said, "The old general is quite confident."
"I'm assured that he's guarding Tongguan."
Guo Ziyi put the letter away and said, "Just like he feels relieved that I am in Hebei."
He pointed to Fanyang on the map and said, "An Lushan's retreat is cut off. It won't be long before we can have a celebratory drink."
As the night deepened, two lights were lit in the military camps in Tongguan and Hebei, illuminating two equally determined faces.
They may be thousands of miles apart, but they are holding on to the same belief - as long as Tongguan is not lost and Hebei is not in chaos, the Tang Dynasty will not collapse.