Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 432 If you treat me like grass, I will treat you like an enemy!

While undercurrents were surging in Tongguan, there was also turmoil in Chang'an City.

The news of Li Changzuo's request for help quickly spread in Chang'an City, but Wen Yanbo was reluctant to take any action and did not even bring it up for discussion at the military meeting.

Many generals who had a good relationship with Li Changzuo kept asking to see Wen Yanbo, wanting to find out what Wen Yanbo was thinking, but Wen Yanbo repeatedly avoided the question, which made the generals in Chang'an city feel disheartened.

They knew in their hearts that Li Changzuo was forced by Wen Yanbo to go out and rob food, but after being besieged by the Jingsai Army, Wen Yanbo refused to help him.

Li Changzuo holds a high position in the Chang'an garrison. Even a great general like him could be easily abandoned. Then one day, would those of them who have the same status as Li Changzuo, or even worse than Li Changzuo, also be abandoned so easily?

For a time, the people in Chang'an City were even more uneasy.

Wen Yanbo's staff members were keenly aware of this situation and quickly reported it to Wen Yanbo. After listening, Wen Yanbo didn't care at all and said, "These warriors have never known the big picture. In this situation, how can we rescue them?

Who can go out to rescue, or who dares to go out to rescue?
The safety of Chang'an City is the most important thing now. In order to protect Chang'an City, let alone Li Changzuo, even if I am trapped outside one day, I must give priority to Chang'an City!"

The staff member nodded quickly and said, "That's true, but we have to pay attention to the current situation. Duke Wen should issue a notice to reassure the generals so that they don't cause any trouble."

Wen Yanbo was quite receptive to the advice and said, "That's true. How about this? Go and tell them that if they can defend Chang'an City this time, I will ensure that they can move up to the next level!"

Upon hearing this, the staff wanted to say something, but seeing that Wen Yanbo had already closed his eyes to rest, he immediately shook his head slightly.

When Wen Yanbo's words reached the ears of the generals in the army, there was an uproar.

Wen Yanbo's words really showed that he did not take them seriously.

If they could succeed in defending Chang'an City, the achievement would be no less than expanding the territory. However, Wen Yanbo just gave them a promotion to one level to get rid of them!

Who cares about this level of achievement?

To defend Chang'an City to the death means risking our lives. I am following you, Wen Yanbo, with my head on the line, and you are only willing to guarantee our promotion to the next level?
The wing commander, Wang Hu, threw the teacup heavily to the ground, and it broke into pieces.

He snorted coldly and said, "Back then, when General Zhong helped build Qingjian City, we didn't contribute much, but we all received a third-class merit and were promoted three levels in a row. Now we have to risk our lives to defend Chang'an City, but we are only worth the first level? Minister Wen's calculations are more sophisticated than the bowstrings of the Jingsai Army!"

Veins bulged on his neck, and the sword at his waist clanged as he moved, causing the documents on the desk to fall to the ground.

"Master Wen may have forgotten that during the autumn defense last year, he said in front of all the civil and military officials in the court that 'the merit of defending the city should be rewarded heavily'!"

Another commander, Chen Qing, sneered and pulled out a roll of yellowed official newspaper from his sleeve.

"Now that General Li Changzuo is trapped, he has even held back on the issue of sending troops, yet he wants to use empty promises to get us to fight for our lives? Does he think we are three-year-old children?"

His nails dug deep into the paper, leaving two cracks on the word "high reward".

Lieutenant Zhao Yuanji suddenly ripped open his shirt, revealing the hideous arrow scar on his chest: "Look, everyone, this was left a few days ago!
If Chang'an City cannot be defended now, all this injury will be in vain!
Wen Yanbo keeps saying that the city is his most important thing, but when the city is breached, his family has already found a secret way to escape, so what about the wives and children of us generals?"

His red eyes were bloodshot, and he slammed his fists on the pillars, sending sawdust flying onto everyone's shoulders.

In the military meeting hall, candlelight flickered on everyone's angry faces.

Suddenly, a gust of night wind blew in dust and sand through the window, making the "Chang'an Defense Map" on the wall rustle.

Someone stood up silently and straightened the map, but when his fingertips touched the Tongguan defense line marked by Li Changzuo with cinnabar, his fingertips trembled slightly uncontrollably.

"Why don't we write a joint letter?"

Someone shouted, but was immediately drowned out by the laughter.

"Written a petition? Wen Yanbo even dared to withhold General Li's letter for help, so how could he read our petition?"

"Instead of waiting to die here, it's better to..."

The whispers in the corner stopped abruptly, and everyone looked at each other, seeing the thought that they dared not say out loud in each other's eyes - is Chang'an City really worth defending with one's life?
……

After Li Changzuo sent the letter for help, he devoted himself to the work of incorporating the soldiers he brought into the Jingsai Army. He cooperated very actively and showed unprecedented enthusiasm for work.

He was busy every day, coordinating the soldiers' integration into the Jingsai Army. He himself was also actively learning the Jingsai Army's training methods, especially taking the initiative to get close to Zheng Chaozong, calling him General Zheng all the time, and coming to report to and ask for advice from Zheng Chaozong every day.

In fact, it is not difficult to integrate into the Jingsai Army. Although the Jingsai Army is a rebel army, most of the soldiers and generals in it are actually from the Western Army, and they are from the same origin as Li Changzuo.

Li Changzuo even saw many of his former comrades in the Jingsai Army, which made it even easier for him to integrate into the army.

However, in the past two days, he was in deep thought, because he had sent out his letter for help for several days, but there was no movement in Chang'an City.

In fact, he was already very clear in his mind: given Wen Yanbo's character, he had been completely abandoned!

Of course he knew what kind of person Wen Yanbo was, but this incident still made him feel very painful.

As dusk permeated the tent, Li Changzuo rubbed his face vigorously with the cold water in the copper basin.

His sunken eye sockets and gray temples were reflected in the ripples on the water, as if they were from another world.

Before leaving the city, the scene where Wen Yanbo held his hand and said, "The safety of Chang'an depends entirely on General Li" was like a big hand grasping his heart and squeezing it hard.

"Marshal Zheng sent some new wine, saying it would help General Li relieve his fatigue."

The voice of the personal guard came from outside the tent, waking him up from his panic.

Li Changzuo stared at the unopened wine jar on the table, and suddenly remembered that when Wen Yanbo pushed him to seize food on the grounds of food shortage, he understood that this was a risky move.

But he always thought that as long as he defended Chang'an, he would build an iron wall for the Song Dynasty, and Prime Minister Wen would eventually see his loyalty.

Thinking about it now, it was just a joke - in Wen Yanbo's eyes, my life was probably not even as important as a brick on the wall of Chang'an.

The sound of Jingsai Army's training came from outside the tent, and the neat shouting made Li Changzuo tremble all over.

He suddenly thought of the old subordinate he met yesterday. That man is now a centurion of the Jingsai Army. He held his hand and choked up: "General Li, if you follow the Jingsai Army, at least you won't be abandoned."

These words were like a blunt knife, sawing back and forth in his heart.

Could it be that the loyalty he had maintained for half his life was no match for a bowl of hot rice from the rebels?
Late at night, Li Changzuo took out the letter from home that he had hidden close to his body. His wife's handwriting was as beautiful as usual, saying that the children had grown taller, and she also specially drew a childish family portrait.

Tears suddenly welled up in his eyes and he bit his sleeve hard, afraid that his sobs would break the dead silence of the night.

It turns out that the most painful thing was not being betrayed by Wen Yanbo, but realizing that he might push his wife and children into a desperate situation with his own hands - if the Jingsai Army was defeated, where would the family of him, a "comrade in arms of the rebels", go?
Li Changzuo rubbed his face fiercely again, his eyes had become cold at this moment - Chang'an City must be broken!
If you want your wife and children to have a good ending, then the Jingsai Army must win! Taking Chang'an is the first step now!
Li Changzuo's eyes not only became firmer, but also gradually brightened.

In the past few days, he has observed the training of the Jingsai Army up close. The Jingsai Army has strict military discipline, abundant supplies, and well-organized logistics.

Compared to the messy Western Army, the Jingsai Army looks like the real king's army!
Li Changzuo carefully studied the defense map of the Jingsai Army in the flickering candlelight.

Unlike the Western Army's old, worn, and censored maps, the map before him had clear lines and detailed markings, even clearly marking the food and fodder reserves in the surrounding villages.

His fingertips traced the route from Tongguan to Chang'an, and he suddenly thought of the Western Army under the leadership of Wen Yanbo. Before each battle, it was difficult to even find out the exact location of the enemy, let alone such a precise strategic deployment.

"Someone!" He stood up suddenly, startling the guards outside the tent and rushing in. "Go and ask the head of the Finance Department under Marshal Zheng to tell him that I have something important to discuss with you."

When the chief came in a hurry, Li Changzuo opened the account book on the table, and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes - the Jingsai Army's food and fodder dispatch was accurate to each day and each camp, and the accounts were clear, without any corruption or chaos. On the other hand, the Western Army had serious food and fodder losses, and every time the accounts were checked, a lot of pests would be pulled out. Comparing the two, the difference was obvious.

In the dead of night, Li Changzuo paced in his tent, thinking.

He recalled the scene he saw during the day: Zheng Chaozong personally changed the bandages for the injured soldiers without any airs of a superior. The soldiers looked at Zheng Chaozong with eyes full of respect and trust.

This reminded him of his days in the Western Army, when Wen Yanbo had never stepped into the military camp and was indifferent to the life and death of the soldiers.

"He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. Marshal Zheng knows this very well."

He muttered to himself, the balance in his heart completely tilted.

Thinking of this, Li Changzuo felt a surge of pride in his heart.

If Zheng Chaozong was like this, then what kind of a talent would Su Yun be if he could be assisted by such a great man as Zheng Chaozong? If Li Changzuo could also assist Su Yun in conquering the world, with his own abilities and merits, although he might not be able to become a high-ranking official, he would be more than qualified to ennoble his wife and provide benefits for his children!

He spread out the letter paper and wrote a plan, which detailed the weaknesses of Chang'an City's defenses and the unstable morale of the Western Army generals, and also attached his own strategy for breaking the city.

After writing, he sealed the letter carefully, then carefully put it in his pocket, hurried to the outside of Zheng Chaozong's tent, and said with his personal soldiers: "Please tell Marshal Zheng that I have something important to report!"

When the personal soldiers went in to report, Li Changzuo looked up at the northwest sky. The weather in the northwest was dry and the sky was cloudless. Stars could be seen, as if heralding the arrival of a new era.

And he, Li Changzuo, will no longer be the chess piece that is casually discarded, but will become the key figure who rewrites the world situation.

At this moment, all the pain and confusion in his heart disappeared, replaced by infinite expectations and ambitions for the future.

Then the guards led Li Changzuo into the tent. Zheng Chaozong stood up from the table and said with a smile, "General Li, do you have any military questions you would like to discuss with me?"

Li Changzuo took out the written plan from his arms, handed it to Zheng Chaozong with both hands, and said firmly: "General Zheng, I can break Chang'an City!"

Zheng Chaozong was a little surprised when he heard this, but he didn't say anything. He took Li Changzuo's plan, quickly glanced through it, and then asked excitedly: "General Li, are you sure?"

Li Changzuo nodded and said, "I'm sure! Although I'm not good at fighting, I'm a decent person. I have many friends in the Western Army, many of whom I'm willing to die for.

Chang'an City is already an isolated city..."

Li Changzuo looked at the passion burning in Zheng Chaozong's eyes and knew that he had made the right bet.

He stepped forward and lowered his voice and said, "General Zheng, please look, Zhou Huaiyu, the guard of the north gate of Chang'an City, and I once fought side by side in Qingjian City. The arrow wound on his right arm was cut out by me.

Zhao Zhongwen, the garrison commander of the west city gate, has a younger brother, Zhao Zhongwu, who serves under me. A few days ago, he asked someone to bring me a letter from home.

These relationships are the keys that open the gates.”

He stretched out his hand and stroked the spread-out Chang'an City Defense Map, his fingertips pressing heavily on the mark of the North Gate: "Just let your trusted ones disguise themselves as refugees and sneak into the city in batches with secret letters.

There was no need to say much in the letter, just draw three broken arrows - this was the emergency signal agreed upon by several brothers of mine back then.

When Zhou Huaiyu sees the secret code, he will arrange for a reliable person to contact us."

Zheng Chaozong stroked his chin and thought for a moment. Suddenly, his eyes became sharp and said, "If there is any unusual movement by the defenders in the city, Wen Yanbo will definitely notice it. Does General Li have a foolproof plan?"

"Of course there are!" Li Changzuo took out a yellowed paper from his sleeve, which was densely covered with names, "These are the generals who have had a long-standing grudge against Wen Yanbo.

I will let them spread the news in the city, saying that Wen Yanbo withheld military pay and wanted to secretly transfer the elite troops to protect the Wen clan.

Given the resentment that the warriors have towards Wen Yanbo, someone will surely fan the flames and create chaos."

The corner of his mouth curled up into a sneer, "By then, Wen Yanbo will be too busy to take care of himself, how can he take care of the city gate defense?"

Zheng Chaozong slammed the table so hard that the candlelight flickered. "Okay! But the infiltrators must be carefully selected. Once exposed..."

"I am willing to personally select the assassins!" Li Changzuo puffed out his chest, a fierce look flashed in his eyes, "These people have a life-and-death relationship with me, and I have secretly settled the old and young in their families.

They knew that if the Jingsai Army captured Chang'an, their wives and children would be able to see the light of day again.

If you fail, you will just die one step earlier."

That night, Li Changzuo secretly gathered more than a dozen of his confidants in the camp.

Under the candlelight, everyone's faces were full of determination. "Brothers, this is our chance to turn things around!"

Li Changzuo unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a hideous old wound on his chest.

"We went through life and death but were treated as abandoned. Now we follow Marshal Zheng. As long as we take Chang'an, we will be the founding heroes!"

He distributed the oil paper with the secret message to everyone, "Remember, once you enter the city, you must immediately meet up with the contact person. No matter whether you succeed or fail, you must evacuate within three days."

Watching his confidants disappear into the night, Li Changzuo looked up towards the direction of Chang'an City.

The lights there were sporadic, like dying candles.

He tightly grasped the sword at his waist and said to himself: Wen Yanbo, this time it's your turn to feel abandoned.

Thinking of this, the resentment in Li Changzuo's heart suddenly surged out: Although I, Li Changzuo, have lived a muddle-headed life, I have never been toyed with like this. Wen Yanbo, I will personally capture your entire Wen family and present them to General Zheng!

Hehe, if General Zheng is worried and doesn’t dare to kill, then let me do it!

(End of this chapter)