Chapter 8: Requesting Life

  The subordinate's report was like a thunderclap on a clear day, stunning Yang Guozhong and leaving Yang Hui shocked.

  Good heavens, the thing one feared most has actually happened!

  Geshu Han's army was defeated, 200,000 soldiers and horses were annihilated, and in the end only 8,000 remnants escaped back to Tongguan. The cruel event recorded in history really happened. Even if he hadn't seen the scene of defeat, Yang Hui could feel the bloodiness outside Tongguan City.

  Why didn't Yang Guozhong listen to his repeated advice a few days ago? Why didn't Yang Guozhong tell him that the court had already ordered Ge Shuhan to lead the army into battle when he first mentioned it? Why didn't he speak more strongly and directly with Yang Guozhong? Heaven, how could this be!

  Yang Hui felt an urge to burst into tears!

  What to do? Geshu Han has been defeated, and Tongguan is about to fall. After the news of Tongguan's fall arrived, Li Longji immediately prepared to escape, and Chang'an also fell with it. The tragic events recorded in history will occur one after another, the wheel of history will roll forward irresistibly, crushing many people into powder, including him, Yang Guozhong's youngest son Yang Hui!

  Yang Hui, who came from a reconnaissance background, was at a loss due to the harsh training and environment that had tempered his strong will. Yang Guozhong, who had never thought of such an outcome, was even more stunned, standing there in a daze, looking dispirited and lost.

  "Father, we must let the imperial court increase troops at Tongguan with the fastest speed, take advantage of Tongguan not yet falling into the hands of the rebels, strengthen the defense of Tongguan, and ensure that Tongguan is not lost!" Yang Hui reacted one step ahead of Yang Guozhong, regardless of the person in front of him being his "father", loudly shouting: "Now it's still morning, there's a long time before nightfall, if we gather our troops immediately to reinforce Tongguan, we can arrive at Tongguan by dawn tomorrow at the earliest. As long as the rebels don't take advantage of the government army's defeat to attack the city, Tongguan may still be defended! Father, you must not hesitate, immediately enter the palace to report to the emperor, dispatch a large army to urgently reinforce Tongguan, otherwise Tongguan will inevitably fall, and Chang'an will also be unable to defend! Father!!!"

  Yang Hui's last few words, which were almost shouted, finally woke up Yang Guozhong, who was shocked and frightened, but he still didn't know what to do. It wasn't until Yang Hui repeated his request again that he came to his senses and rushed out hastily without saying a word.

  Yang Hui was stunned for a moment before quickly catching up.

  "Father, let me accompany you into the palace, perhaps I can help father say something!"

  Yang Guozhong stopped in his tracks, looked at the resolute expression of his youngest son, and didn't refuse. As he walked quickly towards the outside, he said: "Alright, Xi'er, then you can follow me into the palace, and later you can speak with me to His Majesty about this matter!"

  What Yang Hui said earlier was beyond everyone's expectations, almost predicting the defeat of Geshu Han. Yang Guozhong naturally looked at his youngest son with new eyes. It was his suggestion that Geshu Han launch a full-scale attack, which led to this disaster. The emperor will definitely vent his anger on him and may even heavily punish him, possibly killing him as a scapegoat. What Yang Hui said earlier about the plan to rescue Tongguan is very good. When he enters the palace to apologize and ask for advice, he brings Yang Hui with him, letting this son who has changed his ways say a few words, perhaps there will be unexpected gains!

  The two men mounted their horses and galloped off in the direction of Xingqing Palace.

  Yang Hui's mind was all focused on the Battle of Tongguan, and he didn't even think about how he could ride a horse so skillfully.

  Upon arriving at the Xingqing Palace, after dismounting his horse, Yang Guozhong did not allow anyone to enter and report, but instead brought Yang Hui and rushed into the palace. In such an urgent situation, the Emperor must have received military reports, no matter how the Emperor would deal with him, he had to rush into the palace at the first time, so as to make the Emperor less angry.

  When Yang Guozhong took Yang Hui to rush into Li Longji's bedroom, Li Longji, who had received the news of the defeat at Tongguan Pass, had also sent a eunuch to invite them. Yang Guozhong and Yang Hui followed behind this eunuch, heading towards Li Longji's residence.

  On the way to the palace, Yang Guozhong also told Yang Hui with extremely fast tone things that he had never mentioned before.

  After hearing what Yang Guozhong said, Yang Hui also knew the general situation. After the imperial court ordered Geshu Han to go out of the pass and fight, Geshu Han argued reasonably and insisted on defending the pass, and he repeatedly submitted many memorials, begging the emperor to withdraw his order. Just as the imperial court ordered Geshu Han to go out of the pass and have a decisive battle with the rebels, the imperial court received reports from Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi in Hebei, who reported their military achievements while also analyzing the advantages and disadvantages based on the current situation: "If we send troops out of Tong Pass, there will be defeat. If the pass is not defended, the capital will change, and the chaos in the world cannot be pacified!"

  But the imperial court repeatedly ordered Geshu Han to go out of the pass and fight, under the pressure of the imperial court, Geshu Han could only lead 200,000 troops to battle.

  After hearing Yang Guozhong say this, Yang Hui really had nothing to say and sighed in dismay. He felt an extreme sense of disgust towards his father for putting personal gain above the interests of the country and nation, forcing Geshu Han to go out and fight, ultimately leading to a disastrous defeat that brought disaster to the Tang Dynasty!

  If he followed his nature, at this moment he really wanted to pick up Yang Guozhong and beat him hard to vent his anger, or even kill him with a knife.

  But he can't do these impulsive things now, he has to calm himself down as much as possible, only when he's calm can he solve the problem well.

  When he was about to arrive at Emperor Xuanzong's palace, Yang Guozhong also told Yang Hui some other things.

  At the court, Gao Pian and Gao Ren were killed, and Ge Shuhan was ordered to lead troops to Tongguan. To guard against any possible situation, Yang Guozhong selected 3,000 soldiers in the Forbidden Garden for training after obtaining Li Longji's consent. He appointed Xue Nanjun generals Li Fude and Liu Guangting to command them, preparing to use them as needed. Another 10,000 soldiers were recruited and stationed at Ba Shang, led by trusted general Du Qianyun, ostensibly to defend against An Lushan's rebellion but actually to guard against Ge Shuhan's possible betrayal. However, this plan was discovered by Ge Shuhan, who killed Du Qianyun on June 1st and incorporated the 10,000 soldiers into his own army.

  Yang Guozhong had not yet finished speaking when the father and son arrived at the entrance of Emperor Xianzong's palace. The emperor's trusted eunuch, Gao Lishi, personally welcomed them into the hall and quietly told Yang Guozhong that the emperor was in a great rage and they should speak carefully!

  The first time he met the legendary eunuch Gao Lishi, who was said to be loyal to Emperor Li Longji, Yang Hui received a reminder from him and actually had a good impression of Gao Lishi, who looked quite kind. However, he also knew that people who could mix to this point could hide any mentality and show a kind smile in any situation.

  Upon entering the hall, Yang Hui's sharp eyes spotted an elderly man with white hair and beard sitting on the throne, leaning against his chin with his eyes closed, devoid of any vital energy. This was undoubtedly the historically renowned Tang Xuanzong Li Longji, but he didn't exude any imperial majesty to Yang Hui. Just as Yang Hui was about to take a closer look at Li Longji, Yang Guozhong walked up to the front of the hall and suddenly knelt down with a thud, knocking his head on the ground several times before pleading guilty to Li Longji: "Your Majesty, I, the guilty minister, have come to plead for punishment. The defeat at Tong Pass was my fault, please punish me!"

  Yang Hui was stunned, hesitating whether to kneel down with his father. He knew that his father had knelt down to apologize, and he would definitely follow suit, but his proud nature and the fact that he had never knelt down before in his life made him hesitate, and he didn't immediately kneel down!

  However, his actions attracted the sideways glance of Gao Lishi who was standing beside him.

  Reluctantly kneeling down, Li Longji, who was startled awake by Yang Guozhong's movement, spoke up: "Yang the Fourth, help your father get up!"

  Yang Hui let out a sigh of relief and immediately stepped forward, helping Yang Guozhong to his feet as he continued to kowtow and beg for forgiveness.

  "Wei Zhong, there's no need to be like this. I know you're loyal and working for my sake. Ordering Geshu Han to lead the army in a proactive attack was with the hope of quickly quelling the rebellion! The defeat at Tong Pass is not your responsibility, but rather due to Geshu Han's incompetence that led to the disastrous defeat!"

  In the surprise of everyone present in the hall, Li Longji actually spoke up for Yang Guozhong. As Yang Guozhong and Yang Hui looked up in astonishment, this worn-out old man continued in a hoarse voice: "Guozhong, I summoned you today not to blame you, but to ask for your opinion on how to respond to the defeat at Tong Pass!"

  After receiving the news of Tongguan's defeat, Emperor Xianzong immediately summoned his officials to the palace for an emergency discussion. Yang Guozhong was the first to arrive at the palace, and he came before Emperor Xianzong just as the latter had sent someone to summon him, which made Emperor Xianzong feel very relieved.

  Of course he has plans to hold Yang Guozhong accountable for his crimes, but now that the military situation is urgent, it's necessary to deal with him after things have settled down, not right now.

  Besides, Yang Guozhong is now one of the few people he can trust most!

  The Emperor did not blame the hall, although it was within Yang Guozhong's expectations, he still let out a big sigh of relief. After listening to Li Longji say this, he looked at Yang Hui beside him and said seriously: "Your Majesty, I think we should quickly dispatch a general to lead a large army to urgently rescue Tongguan. Every minute counts! As long as Tongguan can be defended, the rebel army will not be able to attack Chang'an!"

  Just as Yang Guozhong finished speaking, before Emperor Xianzong could respond, Yang Hui "timely" stepped forward and memorialized: "Your Majesty, your subject wishes to lead the army to urgently aid Tong Pass, rescue Tong Pass from its precarious situation, and redeem his father's guilt, and alleviate this crisis for the Great Tang!"

  "What?" "Ah?!" Li Longji and Yang Guozhong, who were sitting upright in the hall, simultaneously let out a cry of surprise. However, Yang Guozhong's exclamation was ignored by Li Longji, whose attention was focused on Yang Hui. Li Longji had thought that Yang Hui had come up with the proposal after discussing it with his father, Yang Guozhong, and was taken aback when he presented it to him in the hall today.

  He just couldn't understand why Yang Guozhong would let his 17-year-old son carry out such an urgent task.

  Seeing his proposal take effect, Li Longji was looking at him in surprise, and Yang Guozhong didn't immediately get up to say anything or stop him. Yang Hui took advantage of the situation and continued to plead: "Your Majesty, I followed my father into the palace today to ask for your permission to lead an army to rescue Tongguan and lift the siege! I am willing to take command of one army, rescue Tongguan, and relieve the crisis in Tongguan. My father will agree with this point! I am willing to make a military order, if I fail to relieve the crisis in Tongguan, I am willing to accept any punishment from Your Majesty! Please grant me permission to let me lead an army to rescue Tongguan urgently!"