Chapter Thirty-Eight Different Thoughts

  Thanks for the reward from Lao Dao!

  On the official road from Chang'an to Tongguan, Chen Xuanli, who was directing the follow-up rescue troops, was driving in tandem with his deputy general Fan Zhicheng and heading east.

  In front of and behind them were the hastily advancing soldiers, with officers of all ranks ceaselessly shouting at their men to hasten their pace. Anyone who lagged would be beaten.

  Watching the rapidly advancing troops, Chen Xuanli couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion. The Great Tang had never mobilized so quickly before, and in less than a day and night, they had recruited and formed an army of 600,000 men.

  The imperial court's mobilization order this time can be said to be the most urgent, the emperor repeatedly ordered that the large army to be rescued should be quickly formed, and anyone who dares to delay will be killed without pardon.

  Under the emperor's order, no one dared to slack off or intentionally delay, and Prime Minister Yang Guozhong personally took charge of many matters, including the deployment of troops and military equipment. Many people were forcibly mobilized by Yang Guozhong, including the palace guards, the Left and Right Feathered Forest Armies, and the Left and Right Dragon-Tiger Guards. Otherwise, how could it be possible to assemble a relief force of 60,000 men in just one day and night? Not to mention that the vanguard had already set out at dawn, and was probably dozens of miles away from Chang'an City by now.

  Under the direct command of the Emperor and the Chancellor Yang Guozhong, as well as Wei Jian and other heavyweight figures such as Wei Fangjin, the Metropolitan Governor of Jingzhao, all departments within Chang'an began to operate at their highest efficiency.

  Chen Xuanli originally thought that it would be pretty good if he could assemble a complete army of 50,000 in two days, but unexpectedly, after just one day and night, the army was basically assembled and ready to set off.

  Tou Hua, Yang Guozhong's trusted follower, had already led three thousand cavalrymen to rush towards Tongguan at top speed, racing to reach Tongguan as quickly as possible.

  Yang Guozhong's other trusted follower Zhang Jian led another five thousand cavalry to leave Chang'an ahead of time and head to Tongguan.

  These eight thousand cavalrymen could no longer adopt the method of riding in relays because there were not enough warhorses to replace them.

  However, the combat effectiveness of these 8,000 cavalrymen was not to be underestimated. Among them, more than 5,000 soldiers were well-trained You Long Wu Jun officers, whose quality was not comparable to ordinary people. If it weren't for Yang Guozhong's strong request, the Emperor would not have agreed to send this elite force to reinforce Tongguan.

  Of course, Chen Xuanli's troops also included several elite armies, including a part of the Left Dragon Martial Army, the Left and Right Feathered Forest Armies, and other palace guards. The temporarily summoned army had less than 30,000 men, not even half of a full-scale army, so their combat effectiveness shouldn't be bad.

  The garrison of Chang'an City claimed to have 150,000 soldiers, but only about 60,000 were good fighters, the rest were temporarily recruited. The emperor agreed to send half of the good fighters to Tongguan, which shows the emperor's emphasis on the defense of Tongguan, and Yang Guozhong repeatedly requested it.

  Yang Guozhong was eager to dispatch all the troops in Chang'an to rescue Tong Pass, and his son Yang Hui led three thousand cavalrymen to rush there first. If the subsequent reinforcements were not strong enough, these three thousand cavalrymen, together with Geshu Han's defeated soldiers, would likely become the rebels' victims. How could he not be anxious? Anyone else in his position, with their son in such a predicament, would also be anxious.

  However, Chen Xuanli was not in a hurry. He did not rush to Tongguan immediately. In his opinion, the best time for him to arrive at Tongguan should be when the soldiers and horses of Tongguan City were fighting with the rebel army, both sides suffered heavy losses, and Tongguan City was about to be breached. At that time, he led his troops into Tongguan, which could turn the tide of the battle and completely consume the power of Yang Hui, Geshu Han, and others. Tongguan City would be his world. With his strength to defend Tongguan City and repel the rebel army, most of the credit would go to him, regardless of whether it was Yang Hui or Geshu Han's merit, which could not compare with his. If he led his troops into the city when the garrison's military strength had not been greatly affected, then his importance would not be reflected at all, and there would be no way for him to strike at Yang Guozhong.

  What he hoped for most was that Yang Guozhong would be killed by Geshu Han or one of his generals inside Tong Pass, or die an unnatural death during the rebel attack on the city. That would definitely deal a huge blow to Yang Guozhong.

  Fan Zhencheng was the deputy general of Chen Xuanli, and it can also be said that he was his confidant. Although he was not completely clear about Chen Xuanli's thoughts, he hated Yang Guozhong just as much, and had no good feelings towards Yang Hui either. He couldn't wait for Yang Guozhong's little son to lose face at Tongguan, or even lose his life, in order to strike a blow against Yang Guozhong. It can be said that he was very resentful of Yang Guozhong using the emperor's orders to pressure them into moving quickly. After leaving Chang'an, from time to time he would complain to Chen Xuanli, naturally scolding Yang Guozhong, and even taking Yang Guozhong's repeated demands for them to set out quickly as a form of oppression.

  "General, it's already noon and the sun is scorching hot. We've been marching for over ten miles since leaving Chang'an City. Some soldiers can't take the heat and have collapsed. Why not let the troops rest for a while until the weather cools down in the afternoon? Besides, we're going to march at night anyway, so what's the hurry about this little bit of time?"

  "No, we can't rest! If we let the army rest as soon as we leave Chang'an, the Emperor will find out and have our heads hung on the flagpole!" Chen Xuanli knew the Emperor's current mood all too well and shook his head in refusal. "Order the army to slow down slightly, conserve energy, and speed up again when the weather cools down a bit."

  "Yes, General!" A lieutenant next to Chen Xuanli responded loudly and ran off, passing on Chen Xuanli's order!

  "Great General, how did Yang Guo dare to volunteer to lead three thousand troops to Tongguan? Is this not the bitter flesh plan sung by the father and son duo?" After the small school lieutenant quickly ran away on horseback, Fan Zhicheng couldn't help but ask Chen Xuanyi again, "This general can't think of any reason why Yang Guo would dare to lead three thousand troops to Tongguan. Isn't he afraid that Geshu Yuan and his generals will kill him? Can Yang Guozhong bear to part with him?"

  Chen Xuanli looked back at Fan Zhicheng, sighed and said: "I don't understand what kind of play the father and son are playing, nor can I imagine how Yang Hui will get along with other generals after arriving in Tongguan! But now, Yang Hui has not only arrived in Tongguan but also gained the support of Geshu Han and other generals. Even Geshu Han is listening to his orders!"

  "Really?" Fan Zhi Cheng's mouth was wide open in surprise.

  This is unbelievable. Yang Guo, the son of Yang Guozhong, is only seventeen years old. What ability does he have to gain the support of Ge Shuhan and convince other generals?

  "The military report from Tongguan said so, Yang Hui not only let Geshu Han and other generals listen to his command, but also personally arranged for Li Fude to set up an ambush outside the pass, repeatedly defeating the rebel army, forcing them to temporarily stop their attack on Tongguan City and retreat fifteen miles away!" Chen Xuanyi said this with a hint of bitter smile, no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't understand how Yang Hui managed to do all these.

  "General, does that mean Yang Kai has already established his prestige in Tongguan?" asked Fan Zhicheng again.

  "It should be so!"

  "How can this be good?" Fan Zhencheng said with some indignation, "Yang Guozhong's arrogance in the imperial court is too overbearing, he doesn't put anyone in his eyes. Seeing that this time at Tong Pass, we can take advantage of the situation to impeach him and let Your Majesty punish him. But unexpectedly, his son arrived at Tong Pass and actually calmed down the generals of Tong Pass. If he succeeds in defending Tong Pass and repelling the rebels, his prestige will immediately rise, and it's not certain that even a veteran general like Geshu Han won't be overshadowed! In this case, Yang Guozhong, that old scoundrel, will become even more complacent in court, and his power in the military will continue to expand. We can't let him get away with it!"

  "According to your suggestion, that means we shouldn't rescue Tongguan?" Chen Xuanyi reined in his horse and stared at Fan Zhicheng.