Chapter 133: Seeking Hexi (Part 1)

The dust in Hedong had fallen, and then the first emperor was buried and the new emperor succeeded to the throne. The busiest thing about all these things was the right prime minister. It was the end of the year. The tax urges from various places, land and population surveys, tedious etiquette and a large number of administrative affairs pushed Cui Yuan so much that he could hardly breathe. However, his long-cherished wish was fulfilled for many years, and the thorns in the court were pulled out, which made him feel physically and mentally happy. Although he was busy every day, he was refreshed and did not feel tired every day.

On this day, Cui Yuan returned from the official office as usual. It was already dark. Hundreds of fully armed Jinwu Guard elites guarded his carriage tightly. Although the two nails in Chang'an, one of the Dragon Martial Army and the other of the Tianqi Battalion had been removed, and Chang'an was completely controlled by the Jinwu Guard and Qianniu Guard, Cui Yuan still did not dare to be careless, for fear that someone would really follow the last assassination.

The carriage entered Xuanyangfang, and the time was not far from the mansion. At this moment, Cui Yuan felt that the speed of the car gradually slowed down. "What's going on!" Cui Yuan's slightly closed eyes slowly opened a crack and asked unhappily.

"Report to the Prime Minister, there are a few people on the side of the mansion, and there are brothers who have already distinguished their identities."

As soon as he finished speaking, several guards rushed over to report, "Prime Minister, this is the other party's famous sect, and he said he wanted to see him if there is a big deal."

They handed over a famous thorn, and Cui Yuan took it. The famous thorn was very simple, just cut into a white paper, with a few big words on it: "Zhang Huan, the General of the Central Army of the Tianqi Camp," and there are four small words at the bottom: Li Mi of Hengshan.

Cui Yuan's eyelids jumped suddenly, sat up all of a sudden, and asked in a low voice: "Who is here?"

"When I returned to the prime minister, I came with an old Taoist."

"Li Mi!" Cui Yuan's eyes slowly narrowed into slits and smiled faintly. Of course, he knew the purpose of Li Mi. He pondered slightly and said, "Please wait in my study room outside."

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Cui Yuan changed into a wide-body Zen suit and slowly walked towards the door. After a glance, Li Mi sat cross-legged, holding a whisk in his hand, and his eyes closed. Cui Yuan walked into the door and smiled slightly and said, "Is Master Li okay?"

Li Mi hurriedly got up and bowed to him, "Li Mi, an outworld man, met with the Prime Minister Cui."

"Outsider?" Cui Yuan shook his head gently and smiled with a hint of mocking tone: "Outsider who shouldn't come to my prime minister's mansion. Could it be that Master Li is here to beg for alms?"

"No!" Li Mi also smiled slightly, "I don't ask for charity, but it's for things that both parties are beneficial."

Cui Yuan looked at him for a long time and suddenly waved his hand and said, "Sir was once the imperial teacher and also called the Prime Minister of Common Mansion. He is actually a senior Cui. Please sit down."

After the maid who presented the tea left, Cui Yuan picked up the teacup and sucked it gently, and suddenly asked, "Where has Zhang Huan been now?"

Negotiation is a very skillful thing, but some things must be explained clearly, while some things must be taken a few turns and cannot be said explicitly, just like the game where Choi Yuan and Pei Jun divided Hedong. The difference lies in the identity of the interlocutor. If the strength is balanced, the dialogue between the two strong people should not be too explicit. It must be implicit or obscure, or be ambiguous, and leave some room for oneself in words, and it depends on the understanding of both parties.

But if it is a dialogue between strong and weak, you will not be afraid of being too full and not having to maneuver. You must make the words clear. This is not only the psychological advantage of the strong over the weak, but also the sincerity that the weak must show in order to maximize the benefits.

Li Mi knew this, and Cui Yuan had made it clear. He asked himself to sit down and respect the emperor's army, the common prime minister, and the general of the Tianqi Camp. Since Cui Yuan was not pretending to be confused and asked Zhang Huan directly, it means that he knew his purpose and was very interested. In this way, Li Mi did not need to take a turn.

"General Zhang should have crossed the Yellow River and is still in Longyou. Shangshu Wei obviously does not welcome his arrival. General Zhang asked the Prime Minister to appoint him to the Hexi military post and fight for the court with a legitimate statement."

"Serve for the court?" Cui Yuan smiled. He suddenly changed the subject and asked frankly: "Sir is an emperor's army, a common prime minister, and a talented man, but why don't he come to serve the court, but instead assist a small general of the Central Army? I really don't understand this. Do you think my Tang Dynasty can change the world again?"

Li Mi shook his head, and he sighed and said, "I don't need to hide it in front of Cui Xiang. I am a person who is in the Tao. I have no interest in secular affairs. The reason why I came out to help Zhang Huan is that I have promised Prince Yu to take care of his son. If I don't solve this knot, it will be difficult for me to practice. As for how far Zhang Huan can go, it depends on his own fortune."

Cui Yuan didn't say anything. He pondered for a long time. He knew very well that Zhang Huan's idea was to take Hexi as the foundation and use the opportunity of Tubo's decline to gradually expand its power westward. Others did not understand it, but Zhang Huan was very clear that he had this ability. In the end, Zhang Huan would inevitably fight with Wei Yan. So once he agreed, the consequences were most likely to be a hero who replaced the third family of the Tang Dynasty, thereby disrupting the power balance of the Tang Dynasty.

But Cui Yuan was not only the head of the Cui family, but also the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty and the actual controller of the highest power of the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, he not only had to consider the interests of the family, but also the name behind him. It has been sixteen years since the end of the Anshi Rebellion, and the national power has gradually recovered. However, the former places of the Tang Dynasty, such as Hexi, Anxi, and Beiting, have been unable to be taken back. Millions of people have become slaves to the Tubo people, shaved their hair and changed their clothes. There have been dissatisfaction among the people. The year before yesterday, Han Huang, the governor of Danyang County, wrote a letter to the cabinet, asking the Tang Dynasty to send troops to recover the former places of Hexi, so that the Tang Dynasty could regain the land of horse-raising, and rebuild the cavalry to deal with the threats of the Uighurs and other nomadic peoples. Cui Yuan also knew that this was a strategic event related to the Tang Dynasty's national lineage. If he could not take back Hexi during his tenure, it would greatly affect his historical status.

Since Zhang Huan volunteered, once he succeeded, the reputation he gained would be extraordinary. Instead of taking advantage of him, it would be better to take this reputation into his own pocket first, and at the same time use him to weaken the Wei family. It can be said that he killed two birds with one stone. Thinking of this, he smiled slightly and said, "Since General Zhang Huan wants to take back Hexi for my Tang Dynasty, I should certainly support him. I wonder what kind of military position General Zhang wants?"

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After exiting Cui Yuan's mansion, the night was already deep, with fine snowflakes floating in the sky, Li Mi exhaled a long breath of white breath, and the most difficult level had been passed, and he had to find Pei Jun next, but with Chu Xingshui helping him and Pei Ying was in Zhang Huan's hands, Pei Jun's level would be relatively easy. In addition, Han and Meng went to the Imperial College to incite Tai students to march, demanding that the court support Zhang Huan to send troops to Hexi and take back the Tang Dynasty's old land.

After these three things are done, Zhang Huan will gain political advantages. The remaining path depends on how he goes, but Li Mi still brows and even a little worried. After all, Zhang Huan only has 5,000 cavalry. How far can he go in Longyou and Shuofang hinterland, which has an army of 130,000?

Li Mi couldn't help but whisper, "Zhang Huan, I hope you don't let me down."

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On Yinshan, fifty miles south of the Sujiang City in the west, ten cavalrymen from the Tianqi Camp were walking on the ice of the Yellow River with their horses. The leader was Chen Ping, the scout captain of the Tianqi Camp. He was entrusted by Zhang Huan to do a major event.

It was mid-November at this time, and the Yellow River freezes overnight. The thick ice surface is three feet long, but there may be ice sinks in some places. Ten soldiers each hold a long bamboo pole and carefully test every step.

After about half an hour, ten cavalry finally crossed the Yellow River. They turned over and accelerated toward the westward Sujiangcheng. Chen Ping had a handwritten letter from Zhang Huan to Duan Xiushi, which read: Your Majesty is unfortunate, Anbei Army has nothing to rely on. It is revealed that the land in Hedong has been eaten by Cui Lang and Pei Hu, and the food and grass are cut off. The severe winter is coming, so that the Lord can have surplus food for the winter? I am not talented and I have received the instruction from the envoy. I am willing to follow the example of the Han cavalry and recover the former land of Hexi for the Tang Dynasty. However, the Wei family in Longyou ignored the overall situation of the country and for their own personal gain, they bravely dispatched the elite troops of Shuofang to encircle and suppress the troops who went to Yi. All the knowledgeable people in the world hate it deeply to exterminate him. How can I stand by and watch? The 30,000 elite troops of Shuofang have been released and the spiritual martial arts are empty. Can the Lord intend to go south to spend the winter?"

The three cavalrymen accelerated their march and arrived at Xishoujiang City in the vast snow. They informed their guards of their intentions. Soon, the city gates opened wide, and Duan Xiushi, who was in trouble at home and abroad, came out of the city to greet him.

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It has been ten days since Zhang Huan left Yanxi County. According to the plan of the pre-deployment, Li Hengqiu led a thousand people to act as a brigade and continued to move towards the west, attracting Shuofang Army and Longyou Army to join the encirclement. Zhang Huan led the main force, lying in the daytime and walking at night, and advanced towards the northwest Lingwu County.

On this day, less than two hundred miles away from Lingwu County, the first heavy snowfall since the beginning of winter finally fell in the sky. The world was covered with wind and snow, and people could not be seen clearly within thirty steps. It was a good opportunity for the soldiers of the Tianqi Camp to march during the day, trying to reach the Yellow River before the snow stopped.

"General! A cavalry team came to the north." A scout rushed to report, "About five hundred people, less than three miles away from us."

This is very likely to be the roaming sentry of Shuofang Army. Zhang Huan immediately ordered He Lou Wuji: "Take a thousand brothers around them, and listen to my orders to attack, and no one is allowed to escape."

"As for the order!" He Lou Wuji agreed loudly, leading the army to leave. At this moment, several other cavalry rushed from the north and shouted from a distance, "General! It's your own person."

The people approached, and the first one was Li Shuangyu, his personal guard. It turned out that he led 500 people to cross the river from Qinjin Canyon, and continued to go north and circled around to prepare to cross the river to Hexi, but he didn't expect to meet Zhang Huan.

"I'm lucky to be unfair to my fate!" Li Panyu turned over and dismounted, kneeled down to Zhang Huan and bowed to him.

Zhang Huan hurriedly dismounted and helped him up. Looking at his haggard face, he patted his shoulder with great emotion, "Thank you for your hard work."

Li Panyu scratched the back of his head and laughed twice. He suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said, "General, don't know yet! The Yellow River had frozen last night and was very thick. I took my brothers to try it in the morning and could walk on the ice."

Zhang Huan was overjoyed that the Yellow River had frozen, which was definitely an extremely important information and was very beneficial to his plan. It would even change the entire battle situation. In this way, he had 50% of his original confidence, but now it has reached 70%.
Chapter completed!