Tibet

On the night of the third day, Su Yao hurriedly found Cui Guangyuan on horseback, "Please run away quickly, the Yan army is coming to arrest us!"

Cui Guangyuan was shocked, "What's going on?"

"Zhang Ping came to tell me just now that one of his men tipped off that we were planning to burn the army rations. Before the higher-ups reported it, let's leave quickly!"

Cui Guangyuan complained repeatedly, "I know Zhang Ping is unreliable. How can a man like this from the market conspire to do something big?"

Su Yao was so anxious that he stamped his feet, "Your Majesty, it's useless to say this, let's run away for our lives!"

"Wait a minute!"

Cui Guangyuan turned around and ran to the inner house. Neither Cui Guangyuan nor Su Yao's family members were in Chang'an, but Cui Guangyuan had a concubine. Cui Guangyuan found a few hundred taels of silver from the bedroom and divided it into two.

When the concubine saw that he was leaving, she cried and said, "How can I survive when my husband escapes?"

Cui Guangyuan handed her a bag of silver, "There are three hundred taels of silver here, which is enough for you to live for a year or two. Find a small house to hide in, and I will come back to find you."

"Husband, are you leaving now?"

"I'm leaving now, so hurry up and pack up your belongings and leave. The officers and soldiers are coming soon, so hurry up and leave!"

The concubine took the money and hurried back to the house to clean up.

Cui Guangyuan got on his horse and asked the housekeeper to keep an eye on the house. Then he urged the horse and Su Yao to run towards the west gate together.

At this time, the west city gate was closed. Cui Guangyuan rushed forward, raised the gold medal and shouted: "I am Cui Guangyuan, Jingzhao Yin. I have a secret order to go to Fengxiang for business. Open the door quickly!"

The gatekeeper general knew Cui Guangyuan and did not dare to neglect him, so he quickly ordered the soldiers to open the city gate.

The city gate creaked open. Cui Guangyuan was anxious and looked back from time to time. He felt that his pursuers seemed to be appearing.

The city gate finally opened, and Cui Guangyuan and Su Yao rushed out, quickly disappearing into the darkness.

Cui Guangyuan's feeling was correct. Just as the city gate was closed, a group of cavalry rushed over like lightning. The general at the head was none other than Sun Xiaozhe, the governor of the Nine Gates.

Zhang Ping did report it. Sun Xiaozhe heard that Cui Guangyuan and Su Yao were trying to burn the army rations. He was furious and immediately led troops to Cui Guangyuan's house to arrest them. Unexpectedly, Cui Guangyuan and his concubine ran away. The housekeeper had no choice but to admit the master. They were escaping towards Xicheng, and Sun Xiaozhe led his army to pursue them towards Xicheng.

Sun Xiaozhe rushed to the city, reined in his horse and asked, "Has Yin Cui Guangyuan ever been to Jingzhao?"

The general who defended the city rushed down to the city, knelt down on one knee and said, "Shijun Cui and the county magistrate Su Yao have just left the city. He has a gold medal for leaving the city. He said he was going to Fengxiang with a secret order. I dare not stop him because of his humble position!"

"You idiot, open the city gate quickly!"

The city gate opened, and Sun Xiaozhe led a hundred cavalrymen who rushed out of the city gate like arrows and chased them along the official road.

Sun Xiaozhe chased Cui Guangyuan all the way to Xianyang but failed to catch up with him, so he had to return depressed. Little did he know that although Cui Guangyuan escaped from the west gate, he circled half the city and fled to the Jingshui Road in the northeast.

The next morning, Sun Xiaozhe came to An Lushan's dragon couch. An Lushan grew fatter and fatter. His weight was close to 400. He could no longer walk and spent most of his time lying on the dragon couch. His body was extremely huge. Like a mountain of meat.

Sun Xiaozhe reported to An Lushan that Cui Guangyuan and Su Yao attempted to burn the army rations. An Lushan was also taken aback and said angrily: "I treat them well, why do they still bully me like this!"

"Your Majesty, Ji people have their own destiny, and not everyone wants to betray Your Majesty. Fortunately, County Lieutenant Zhang Ping reported it in time, and their treacherous plot did not succeed!"

"Is this the rogue Zhang Ping that I promoted?"

"It's him!"

An Lushan immediately ordered: "Let him come to see me!"

Immediately, a guard went out to summon him. An Lushan made a gesture, and the thin eunuch Li Zhuer immediately got under him like a mouse, pressed his head on his back, and used all his strength to push An Lushan bit by bit. After sitting up, five very strong palace maids also came forward and sat down with their backs against An Lushan, using their bodies as meat pads for An Lushan.

At this time, the guards led Zhang Ping to see him. Zhang Ping knelt down and saluted, "The humble minister Zhang Ping, the county lieutenant of Wannian County, comes to see your majesty!"

An Lushan asked with a smile: "Why don't you want to help Cui Su? And you want to report them?"

Zhang Ping received Li Ye's advice and knew how to answer. He hurriedly said: "Report to your majesty, Su Yao came to find Wei Chen the day before yesterday and asked Wei Chen to join their plan to burn Taicang's grain and grass. I refused and firmly opposed their plan. plan."

"Why?" An Lushan asked.

"Your Majesty, I know very well that once Taicang's grain and grass are burned down, it will not be the army that will be unlucky, but the tens of millions of Guanzhong elders and the people at the bottom of Chang'an. Wei Chen comes from a low-level background, and he knows very well that Chang'an is short of food every winter, and rich people cannot afford it. We are the worst affected. Food prices have skyrocketed and we can only eat one meal a day, so Wei Chen is firmly opposed."

An Lushan nodded, "You are right. You are very pragmatic and well aware of the sufferings of the people. What next?"

"Then Wei Chen expressed his stance that he would not participate or expose it."

"But why expose it again?"

Zhang Ping sighed and said: "Because Weichen's conscience is really hard to bear. What if they really succeed, what will happen to the millions of people? How can they survive this winter? I would rather cry as a family than cry all the way, so Weichen I decided to report them!"

An Lushan nodded secretly, squinted his eyes and said, "But if you succeed, you are also a hero of the Tang Dynasty!"

Zhang Ping smiled bitterly and said: "How could the Tang Dynasty court pay attention to a person of humble origin like me? I am neither a Jinshi nor a powerful person, but I am still a rogue. The Tang Dynasty court can only reward me with a few coins and a title. I am an honorable official, and at the same time, I can easily wipe out my county captain, and at most I can be the chief of the police. How can a local ruffian be qualified to be an official? Being an official is not bad!"

Zhang Ping's words touched An Lushan's heart. He was also discriminated against by the officials because he was a barbarian. An Lushan laughed loudly and said, "Well said, it's so serious. That's what those bastards look like. From now on, You are the magistrate of Chang'an County. I don't care what your background is, as long as you are loyal to me, pragmatic and capable, I will make you prime minister from now on!"

Zhang Ping kowtowed with tears and thanked him, "Your Majesty's kindness will be remembered in my heart!"

Zhang Ping retreated, and An Lushan immediately ordered, "According to my decree, the Taicang garrison will be increased from 3,000 to 10,000. They must be trained strictly and no outsiders are allowed to enter the important land of grain and grass!"

An Lushan accepted the noble suggestion and stored grain and fodder separately. Taicang only stored grain. Forage was too easy to catch fire and burned rapidly and could not be extinguished. It was too dangerous to put it together with grain.

Subsequently, An Lushan issued a decree to arrest Cui Guangyuan and Su Yao. Anyone who provides clues will be rewarded with 500 guan. Anyone who assists the army in catching the two will be rewarded with 1,000 guan. Those who capture their heads will be rewarded with 5,000 guan and be promoted to one level. .