Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4903 Forced to Help

"The Zuo Xiaowei laid down their weapons and settled down in different places to wait for follow-up. The An family opened the city to surrender and asked to move their entire family to Guanzhong. Then the Zuo Wuwei, Zuo Xiaowei and Anxi Army jointly wrote a letter to put an end to the fighting in Fanhe City, stabilize the situation in Hexi, and ensure the smooth flow of the Silk Road."

Su Liangsi spoke eloquently and logically, and explained the strategy formulated by Pei Xingjian clearly.

Niu Jinda thought for a moment and said in a deep voice: "This matter is of great importance. I dare not take the initiative. I need to report back to the camp and let the commander-in-chief make the decision."

Su Liangsi nodded and said, "Of course, I would like to ask the Duke of Langya to stop attacking Fanhe City. After all, we are all soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. Killing each other like this will only make our relatives sad and our enemies happy."

"The attack can be stopped, but the siege cannot be lifted before the Marshal makes a decision."

Marching and fighting is not just about formulating strategies and deploying tactics. What is more important is how to boost and maintain military morale. Now the army has become angry about attacking Fanhe City, and the suspension of the attack has already caused morale to be frustrated. If the entire army retreats and lifts the siege, and then fails to reach an agreement with Cheng Yaojin and has to surround him again, it will be a huge blow to military morale.

Once morale is low and the army's will is shaken, even if victory is still achieved in the end, the price to be paid will be extremely huge.

Su Liangsi was also a man who knew military affairs, and he understood that Niu Jinda's request was not excessive. "Okay, but we still need to open a path so that the doctors who come with me can bring medicine into Fanhe City for treatment. The Left Guards will attack fiercely this time, and there will be countless casualties in Fanhe City. We can't just stand by and watch them die."

"I will have someone open a passage to allow the Anxi Army to enter the city for treatment. In addition, if the herbs or doctors we bring are not enough, the Zuo Wuwei can provide support at any time."

"That's great. Please report this to Duke Lu immediately."

*****
The north wind was blowing fiercely, the weather was freezing cold, and snowflakes were flying violently in the darkness.

The lights on the top of Fanhe City were small, hiding the towering city walls in darkness. In order to prevent the enemy from firing firearms at the top of the city and inside the city at night, the defenders on the top of the city did not dare to light too many candles, so as not to give the enemy clear coordinates, which made the huge city look even more gloomy and dilapidated.

An Yuanshou arrived at the foot of the city under the escort of a team of Anxi cavalry. He looked up at the broken city wall and took a deep breath.

The An family has been multiplying in Liangzhou for more than ten generations, guarding Guzang and intimidating Hexi. Although they have never established a country, no matter how dynasties changed in the Central Plains, they were like a "country within a country", and their prosperity and glory were the best among the world's aristocratic families.

However, today, due to his wrong predictions and foolish actions, he is in a desperate situation and on the verge of destruction...

If he fails to avert this catastrophe and the An family is completely wiped out, how can he face his ancestors in the afterlife even if he dies fighting?
No matter what, we must protect our entire family, no matter how much it means we have to endure humiliation and hardship.

Riding his horse to the foot of the city, An Yuanshou tore off his felt hat, raised his head and shouted towards the tower: "I am An Yuanshou, open the gate quickly!"

The guards on the city wall had already been alarmed, and when they heard this, they looked at each other in surprise.

They knew that the Marshal was not in the city. In the past few days, when facing the fierce attacks of the Zuowu Guard, it was his wife who coordinated the operations and even went to the top of the city wall herself, but they had no idea where the Marshal had gone. Now a man who claimed to be the Marshal came out from the city and shouted at them to open the gate quickly... How could they dare to open the door?

The guards lay on the top of the city wall and looked down, but it was too dark and the light was insufficient, so they could not see the face clearly. Moreover, even if they could see clearly that it was the Marshal, they would not dare to open the door rashly.

Who knows if the Marshal has been kidnapped by the enemy?

"Wait a moment, Marshal. We will notify your wife to come and see you!"

The defenders on the city wall made a wise move. Since they didn't dare to open the gate on their own, they decided to find someone who could make the decision.

When in the frontier and in the city, the only one who can make the decision is Madam Zhai Liuniang.

An Yuanshou: “…”

I am the Marshal, but I need my wife to come and identify the person and confirm that it is correct before I can open the door? !

He was feeling depressed and angry, and shouted, "Why don't you go quickly? If you dawdle, be careful of the military sticks!"

The defenders on the city wall quickly sent two people down from the tower and ran to the government office in the city to inform Zhai Liuniang.

In the government office, there was a small lamp.

Now that Fanhe City is surrounded and transportation is completely cut off, any use of materials must be carefully calculated, and candles must naturally be used sparingly...

Having just finished dinner, Zhai Liuniang and An Zhongjing were sitting in a dim room. The mother and son sat opposite each other, holding tea cups, full of worry.

After the Zuo Wuwei launched a brief exploratory attack, they immediately launched an all-out attack. Although the cold winter was not conducive to attacking, the Zuo Wuwei had the advantage in manpower after all. Facing the Zuo Xiaowei who were defending the city, they bombarded with all kinds of firearms and launched continuous attacks through the gaps in the city wall.

Although the soldiers defending the city repelled the enemy's charge time and time again, they suffered extremely heavy casualties. More importantly, the morale of the army dropped rapidly due to being trapped in an isolated city. I'm afraid it won't be long before they collapse. At that time, they will either open the city and surrender, or tie up the mother and son and take them away to seek credit...

Zhai Liuniang sighed, "I don't know what your father's current situation is. I hope Pei Xingjian will not sit idly by and watch the situation in Hexi deteriorate."

Now the only person who can stop Cheng Yaojin is Pei Xingjian who is stationed in Ganzhou. But after all, stopping Cheng Yaojin is bound to offend people. Will Pei Xingjian offend a Zhenguan hero like Cheng Yaojin for the sake of the situation in Hexi?
It is even possible that as soon as they meet, they will tie up An Yuanshou and send him to Chang'an...

An Zhongjing also sighed: "Uncle, it will be dangerous to go to Chang'an. Yin may not be reliable. Money can move people's hearts. If Yin becomes malicious because of greed, uncle will be in danger. The most important thing is that if uncle cannot rush to Chang'an, no one will lend a hand to save me, An."

Trapped in a desperate situation with no one to turn to for help, any slight setback could lead to the destruction of the entire family.

At this moment, a personal soldier came in quickly from outside and said in surprise, "Madam, Young Master, the soldiers on the city wall said that the commander has returned and is knocking at the gate!"

Zhai Liuniang was overjoyed, and An Zhongjing jumped up: "Why don't you hurry and bring father back?"

The guard said, "It is dimly lit below the city, and the commander did not bring any seals with him. They dare not act on their own, and we beg Madam to go and recognize him."

Zhai Liuniang also stood up: "It's always better to be cautious. I'll go right away!"

An Zhongjing grabbed the helmet and put it on: "I will go with my mother!"

……

An Yuanshou was finally welcomed into the city. The family of three looked at each other with haggard expressions. Who could have thought that a few days ago, they were a prominent family with military power and great wealth, but now they were on the verge of destruction. The gap between the past and the present was like the difference between heaven and earth. The huge gap was unbearable and they almost burst into tears.

Inside the house below the city, Zhai Liuniang calmed herself down and asked, "Is it possible to pay taxes to Pei Xingjian when we go to Ganzhou?"

An Yuanshou sighed and shook his head: "I did convince him, but it's not much different from not convincing him."

Zhai Liuniang was puzzled: "What do you mean?"

An Yuanshou wiped his face and told Pei Xingjian's conditions one by one...

As soon as he finished speaking, An Zhongjing became furious and slammed the table and stood up: "This is too much! My An family has been rooted in Liangzhou for two hundred years, and we have tens of thousands of soldiers under our command. Even if we fight to the last soldier, we will definitely be able to defeat Cheng Yaojin and destroy the Hexi counties! If you want to die, then die. Don't be servile and beg for mercy!"

"Mom!"

An Yuanshou was furious. He kicked his son aside and said angrily, "Your father and I endured humiliation for the sake of our clan members, but you said that we were groveling and begging for mercy? It would be a relief if you and I died. At most, our family would be together, but what about the family? What about the ancestral tomb? The bloodline will be lost, and the ancestral temple will be cut off. You and I, father and son, will be the eternal sinners of the An family!"

An Zhongjing was speechless and dared not speak.

Zhai Liuniang frowned and said, "The situation is urgent and you are in a desperate situation. Why are you taking your anger out on your son?"

He paused and said, "Although this is humiliating, I have no choice but to do it if it can save the whole family."

In just a few days, Fanhe City suffered heavy losses under the fierce attack of the Zuo Wuwei. Faced with heavy siege and unable to replenish supplies, the morale of the army was visibly declining rapidly. If they continued like this for a few more days, it would probably trigger a mutiny in Xiaoying, and the An family would be killed without a burial place.

An Yuanshou said, "I am now afraid that after we surrender, Pei Xingjian will tear up the previous agreement and kill us all. By then, we will be defenseless and can only be slaughtered at will..."

Zhai Liuniang thought for a moment and shook her head, saying, "Not really. Pei Xingjian was selected and nurtured by Fang Jun. At a young age, he is already the Grand Protector of Anxi, a high-ranking official in the court. It is almost certain that he will be transferred back to Chang'an to serve as a prime minister in a few years. Such a promising young official is most careful about his reputation and values ​​it more than his life. How could he go back on his word and eat his fill?"

An Yuanshou was just undecided before, but after hearing his wife say this, he was no longer worried: "Let's do it this way. No matter what, it's good that the person is still alive."

But having said that, how could he not feel heartbroken and torn to see the family business accumulated by his ancestors for hundreds of years lost in one day in his hands?
At this time, An Zhongjing came over and asked, "What's going on with uncle?"

It is not impossible to surrender and move the whole family to Guanzhong. If the money and wealth on my uncle's side are safe, we can buy fields, manors, and houses in Guanzhong and live a life of luxury.

When this matter was mentioned, An Yuanshou slammed his fist on the table in anger, gnashing his teeth and eyes bulging with anger: "The Yin family thieves colluded with Cheng Yaojin to kill my brother and embezzled my family's money. What's worse, they framed my family. I will never stop fighting with them!"

Zhai Liuniang asked hurriedly: "What's going on?"

An Yuanshou recounted what he had learned from Pei Xingjian. Zhai Liuniang raised her eyebrows and was filled with anger. She said angrily: "How dare Yin Hongyong do this? Our two families are old friends. Now that our family is in dire straits and has come to him for help, it would be fine if he refused to pay attention. But he is so sinister and vicious that he will not have a good end sooner or later!"