sjar Chapter 50 Delivering Food
Chapter 50 Delivering Food
The sixth year of the Tianbao era of the Tang Dynasty
Having dealt with An Lushan's threat, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang seemed to have no more worries and could lie down contentedly to continue being his emperor.
He thought more than once that although Yang Guozhong was despicable for abusing his power, Yang Yuhuan was innocent and should not be blamed for the downfall of the country.
The crisis of the Tang Dynasty has now been resolved, and my empire is secure. There is no need to sacrifice my beloved concubine, Yu Huan, anymore. I will protect her for the rest of my life.
Li Longji was so determined that he completely ignored Gao Lishi's hesitation to speak.
Many people have forgotten that His Majesty is no longer the ambitious and diligent Li Longji of the past; he can no longer hear any words of advice.
But was the Tang Dynasty truly safe and sound without An Lushan?
……
Lin Ke: "While Zhang Xun was desperately awaiting reinforcements, the Tang Dynasty was also thrown into chaos. Li Longji insisted on fleeing to Shu (Sichuan) to survive, abandoning the once-prosperous Chang'an."
Along the way, people constantly surrounded his carriage, wailing: "Your Majesty, Chang'an is our home! If you leave, wouldn't we be handing over this vast Central Plains to the enemy?"
"The people didn't see Li Longji, but they did see Crown Prince Li Heng. He was initially reluctant to go to Shu, but seeing the people's plight, he immediately decided to part ways with Li Longji and ascend the throne independently in Lingwu. This was the later Emperor Suzong of Tang."
Emperor Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty: ...
"The rebel army on the other side was also in chaos. After An Lushan entered Chang'an, they indulged in drinking and debauchery day and night, showing no intention of pursuing him. This gave the Tang Dynasty a chance to turn the tide."
"An Lushan suffered from an eye ailment and could see nothing. One night, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, and it felt slippery to the touch, like blood."
He shouted: "It must be a traitor from within the family!"
"Actually, he guessed correctly. The one who carried out the act was Li Zhu'er, the eunuch who had followed him since childhood, and the one who gave the order was his son, An Qingxu."
"So things changed on the rebel side. An Lushan was killed by his own son, and An Qingxu took power, sending Yin Ziqi to Henan and ordering him to lead an army of 130,000 to Suiyang."
"Similarly, there are also new developments on the Tang side. The newly enthroned Emperor Li Heng has dispatched two Tang generals, Helan Jinming and Xu Shuji, to Henan."
Emperor Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty: He betrayed his godfather, but he was still killed by his son, hahaha!
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: You little brat! You still have the nerve to comment?!
"The 130,000-strong army advanced densely towards Suiyang. At this time, Zhang Xun led 7,000 men, standing firm on the city walls of Suiyang, constantly resisting the rebel army's fierce attack."
"This intense attack lasted for sixteen days; at its peak, Zhang Xun could withstand twenty waves of rebel attacks in a single day."
"The corpses outside the city were piled up like small mountains, and the situation inside the city was not much better."
"In war, besides weapons and manpower, the most scarce resources are food supplies."
"Originally, Suiyang had enough grain, but before the rebels arrived, a relative of the emperor, Prince Guo, Li Ju, forcibly transferred half of it, so it was no longer sufficient."
Faced with dwindling food supplies, Zhang Xun made a decision: why not go all out and take the head of the rebel leader, Yin Ziqi?
One night, Zhang Xun was banging drums and gongs on the city wall. The commotion was so loud that Yin Ziqi thought a surprise attack was coming and ordered the entire army to be on high alert, not daring to relax for a moment.
"The next morning, the rebels were all listless. Zhang Xun seized the opportunity and, leading his general Nan Jiyun and fifty elite cavalrymen, headed straight for the enemy camp."
"But there's a problem: what if Zhang Xun doesn't know Yin Ziqi?"
"So Zhang Xun came up with a plan: he used wormwood to make arrows and shot them at the enemy."
"When the enemy saw that it was wormwood, they were overjoyed and shouted at Yin Ziqi: 'Sir, the enemy has run out of arrows!'"
"Now that we've found our target, Nan Jiyun immediately drew his bow and shot an arrow, striking Yin Ziqi in the left eye. The rebel army collapsed and fled."
"Often, there's only one chance for a surprise attack. No matter how regrettable it was, Zhang Xun couldn't stay here any longer and had to return to Suiyang City to continue his arduous defense."
"At this time, Suiyang City had completely run out of food. They ate tea, paper, and tree bark. When the tree bark ran out, they killed horses to eat. When the horses ran out, they caught rats to eat."
"Meanwhile, Yin Ziqi launched a full-scale attack on Suiyang City, bringing with him all sorts of powerful weapons. According to the *Zizhi Tongjian*, the siege ladders were as tall as rainbows, capable of carrying two hundred elite soldiers."
During the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty
From Lin Ke's brief description, Li Shimin seemed to see the determination of everyone to defend Suiyang to the death.
His eyes welled up with tears, and he couldn't help but think that if even the rats were eaten, what would happen next...?
Fang Xuanling understood the Emperor's concerns, so he stepped forward and suggested, "Why don't we provide assistance and send Miss Lin to Suiyang City?"
Li Shimin's eyes lit up, and he immediately ordered people to buy grain, especially durable grain and dried meat. He then relayed the message to Lin Ke.
……
Suiyang City
By this time, the entire city had run out of food, and Zhang Xun prepared to attack the horses.
He had no choice; the food would eventually run out, and so would the horses. If things continued like this, they would have to resort to cannibalism.
But the city cannot be lost; Zhang Xun would rather die than surrender.
As he pondered this, a loud shout suddenly came from outside his tent.
"General! General! I found a square screen, and there are people talking inside! They're talking about Suiyang City!"
Zhang Xun couldn't believe it. How could this be?
How could she know about the future!
What were the results of the battle at Suiyang, and when will reinforcements arrive?
Since it is a divine object, could it be given to our army as food?
Zhang Xun strode forward, picked up the square screen from the soldier's hand, and witnessed the woman inside the screen.
Not long after, an animal that looked like a piglet flew out of it. It seemed very curious and sniffed at Zhang Xun.
Zhang Xun and the others dared not move when a child's voice reached their ears.
"Host's busy, I'll handle this, Old Zhang, do you need any food?!"
Zhang Xun was overjoyed upon hearing this and nodded vigorously, but then hesitated about what kind of transaction to use.
It seemed to sense Zhang Xun's hesitation and said, "This grain was sponsored by Your Majesty Emperor Taizong, Li Shimin; you don't need to pay for it."
In just a few breaths, a small hill appeared in front of Zhang Xun and the others.
In the hillside, sacks were filled with millet, flour, flatbread, and other foods. There were also fresh vegetables and seeds, and even a number of large hens clucking and running around.
The people, who had been starving for a long time, had their eyes shining and started to cook a meal in a flurry of activity. Everyone held their bowls, but dared not eat, still thinking it was a beautiful dream.
The enticing aroma made people move, so one person opened their mouth, and another opened their mouth, until gradually only the sound of cooking rice remained.
Zhang Xun did not understand how Emperor Taizong knew about Suiyang City, after all, even the current emperor had already abandoned Chang'an.
He thought that it must be because Emperor Taizong couldn't bear to see the Tang Dynasty decline that he sent it to deliver grain!
But for some reason, the more I ate, the more heartbroken I felt.
……