Li Shimin, one emperor through the ages

Chapter 26 Destroying Wu Zhou (2)
The two armies met outside the city.Yuchi Jingde didn't say a word, he rode on a snowy black horse with a seat between his seats, waving his male and female whips, and rushed towards Tang Jun at the head of the horse.Wherever he went, blood and flesh splattered.Xun Xiang led all the sergeants, followed Yuchi Jingde closely, and killed them all the way.Lu Chongmao, the guard in the city, saw him, opened the city gate, and rushed out of Qingcheng.The two armies fought fiercely, with swords and swords, blood and flesh splattered, and shouts of killing everywhere.Gradually, Tang Jun couldn't resist and couldn't escape, so he had to surrender one after another.Li Xiaoji, Dugu Huai'en, Yu Yun, Tang Jian and other generals, how could they stand up to Yuchi Jingde's male and female double lashes, no one could withstand three blows from the black-faced god, and they were beaten off their horses.Soldiers like hungry wolves rushed out, like picking up dead fish, tied them up one by one, and sent them to the city.Has been captured.

The news of Tang's defeat reached Bobi, and Li Shimin immediately summoned Du Ruhui, Li Jing, Liu Wenjing and others to discuss countermeasures.Most of the people accused Li Xiaoji and others of being incompetent, but in the end they didn't have a good plan to offer. Li Shimin pondered for a while, and suddenly said:

"Yuchi Jingde just won the victory and is on his way back. If I lead Qingqi to attack on the way, I will surely defeat the enemy."

After hearing this, Qu Tutong said, "It's very good. I'm familiar with this area. There is a Meiliang River on the way. The terrain is dangerous, and it's just right to ambush."

Li Shimin's eyes lit up, and he walked to the battle map.Qu Tutong then pointed out the location of the Meiliang River, and Li Shimin took a closer look. The two mountains and a gourd-shaped river are indeed a good place to set up an ambush. He couldn't help laughing and said:
"God help me too! Liu Wenjing, Qu Tutong and you guard Baibi, Yin Kaishan and Qin Shubao follow me to ambush the enemy." After saying this, he immediately led [-] elite soldiers and rushed towards Meiliangchuan.

Yuchi Jingde returned victorious after besieging the captives. He never dreamed that Li Shimin was waiting for them in Meiliangchuan.After a fierce battle, Yuchi Jingde was defeated, lost the prisoners and more than [-] corpses, and fled back to Weizhou.Li Shimin didn't go after him either, he rescued Li Xiaoji and others, and hurried back to Baibi.Seeing Li Shimin's triumphant return, all the generals came to congratulate one after another, and held a banquet in the camp to celebrate Li Shimin's victory.During the banquet, Hou Junji said as an example: "It is said that Song Jingang is extremely brave, and he became a bird when he met the marshal, but that's the case, we should start a battlefield with them and have a big battle."

After hearing this, Liu Wenjing also echoed and said: "Incomparable bravery, it mainly depends on who he compares with. Now he loses in a competition. I think it is possible to fight with them. Otherwise, I will stay in the camp for a long time, listening to the enemy's scolding, and my stomach will die." I'm really holding my breath!"

"That's right, if we want to say that they are extremely brave, it is our Tang army. We can fight them as soon as possible, so we can go back to Chang'an and spend the winter." Yin Kaishan also interjected.For a while, voices of war broke out everywhere.Everyone wanted to fight Song Jingang to relieve Yue Yulai's uselessness.Li Shimin listened, pondered for a long time, and said:

"Song Jingang led Liu Wuzhou's elite soldiers and fierce generals, and they hung deep into the army. They all gathered here. Now they have no food and grass in the army, and they rely on robbing the people around them to avoid stress. Their only hope is to wait for Haozhou to bring food. Now, they are like hungry beasts, they just want to fight us as soon as possible. Under such circumstances, we have to avoid their sharpness and frustrate their sharpness. When their food is completely exhausted, we will I will hear even worse news." At this point, Li Shimin stopped talking and smiled.

"Yes, Liu Hongji has already gone to Haozhou. In a few days, Song Jingang's food supply will be cut off. At that time, even the only hope will be lost..." Yin Kaishan looked at Li Shimin with admiration .

"Hou Junji, tell me, when Song Jingang's only hope is gone, what will happen to his troops?"

"Chaos, chaos, chaos!"

"Yes! There is no food in a day and thousands of miles away. No matter how fierce Song Jingang's army is, how can they fight against this king without food?" Li Shimin said proudly: "Therefore, this king ordered: stay closed and don't fight! There are those who dare to speak out and fight ,cut!"

After listening to Li Shimin's words, no one said to go to war again, everyone wholeheartedly defended Baibi, "resolutely closed and not fighting", and confronted Song Jingang.

6
In the early spring in the bleak and vast north, the mottled winter snow still remains in the mountains; in the overgrown forests, there are no traces of migratory birds; the wind in early spring is still cool.However, the snow is melting, the ice is disappearing, the new green is struggling to emerge from the withered yellow, and everything is recovering, showing vigorous vitality.The harsh winter has passed, and the spring has arrived.

In Baibi, Li Shimin and Song Jingang confronted each other for more than three months.Relying on the good relationship with the local people and spending a lot of silver transported from Chang'an, Li Shimin's army has no worries about food and clothing, and they are well-fed.However, Song Jingang's troops survived the harsh winter in the face of hunger and cold, and they were like withered grass on a thin tree, and the smoke died down.What is even more frightening is that all their food has been burned by Liu Hongji.No matter how many troops Liu Wuzhou sent to escort him, he still couldn't transport a grain of grain.As the news spread, Song Jingang's soldiers who used to be like tigers and wolves sighed one by one, and they were as anxious as a bereaved dog and just wanted to run for their lives.

During the confrontation between the two sides, Liu Wuzhou was furious many times.Song Jin also tried his best to attack, but every time he could only throw his body away.Bobi has dangers to rely on, and Li Shimin's steely army.One winter, Song Jingang attacked countless times, but what he got in exchange was only a heavy loss for himself, and he couldn't hurt Qin Wang Li Shimin's Tang army at all.Because of the shortage of food and grass, Liu Wuzhou tried his best.He once sent troops to attack Luzhou, and once captured Huguan, the eldest son of the Tang Dynasty's territory.However, in the battle of Luzhou, he was defeated by Tang general Wang Xingmin.The anxious Liu Wuzhou went to attack Haozhou again, but was defeated by Zhang Lun, the marching chief of the Tang Dynasty.Finally, Liu Wuzhou had no choice but to retreat northward with a group of soldiers who were so hungry that they just wanted to escape in the cold wind of early spring.

Li Shimin was like an eagle spinning high in the sky. Although he stood firm, he never gave up monitoring Song Jingang's troops for a moment.He was young and bold, often with only a few personal guards, and rode horses around Song Jingang's barracks.Song and Jin had just begun to dismantle the tents, and Li Shimin had summoned all the generals to arrange the pursuit battle.This is often the case in battles. The key is to have the right idea at the beginning, and then stick to it, and you will win.

In Li Shimin's big tent, warriors gathered, and everyone talked about it.The king of Qin, who was chatting and laughing all the time, listened very carefully. He would not let go of everyone's various suggestions about the pursuit battle, even if it was a sentence or even a word.While listening, he analyzed based on his own experience and knowledge. When in doubt, he would politely ask a sentence or two.When everyone was talking about the same thing, Li Shimin flicked his cloak and got up suddenly.His hawk-like eyes patrolled the generals, and there was no sound in the big tent.Li Shimin laughed suddenly, his voice was like a flood, and he rolled in the big tent, and he could still hear the echo for a long time.Li Shimin laughed and said loudly:
"Generals, it's hard for you to stay in the cold wind all winter. Now, the time for counterattack is ripe, and it's time for you to show your talents. I order you to lead your own troops and go north immediately to defeat Song Jingang!"

All the generals were in an uproar when they heard this, and all of them were gearing up and smiling. The cry of "defeat Song Jingang" resounded all over the barracks.Li Shimin excitedly said loudly again:
"In this attack, we can only move forward, not retreat. No matter what kind of powerful enemy we encounter, those who retreat will be killed!"

After hearing this, all the generals were in an uproar again, saying: "We will never back down!"

The next morning, the sun had just risen.Under the shining of the red sun, Li Shimin ordered the army to go out and kill Song Jingang's troops.For a whole day and night, Li Shimin led the elite vanguard to gallop for more than [-] miles, and fought Song Jingang's rear guard more than ten times on the way.When he reached the high wall, Li Shimin was covered in blood, but he wasn't tired at all. After walking slowly, he was about to run again.When Qu Tutong saw him, he grabbed Li Shimin's horse and cried:
"The marshal has chased the enemy for hundreds of miles. He has fought so many battles along the way, so he should take a break. What's more, the main force of the enemy is likely to be ahead. Now there are only a few thousand people around the marshal, so it is not suitable to be in danger. ...Let’s take a rest here, and wait for our large forces to arrive before pursuing them.”

After hearing this, Li Shimin replied: "Now Song Jingang is at a dead end, and he has nothing to do to escape in embarrassment. All his generals and soldiers only want to escape for their lives. Even if they see me, Tang Jun, they will be scared to the ground. Such a panic. No matter how many people there are in the army of the Lost Dogs, there is still no fighting power. For us, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. How can we give up because of physical fatigue. As for the danger, even if there is some danger, I am the Generalissimo of the Tang Dynasty. Sweeping the world, put life and death out of the question, how can you stop in fear of danger?"

After speaking, Li Shimin raised his whip and rode his horse, taking advantage of the victory to pursue.Seeing that their commander-in-chief was like this, the soldiers all became more courageous, shouting and scrambling to the top.Qu Tutong grabbed his horse and chased after him.

In the warm sun of early spring, Li Shimin led his exhausted but high-spirited troops and pursued them all the way to the Queshu Valley, finally catching up with Song Jingang.

The Queer Valley is a valley from south to north, with a wide entrance in the south and a narrow exit in the north.Song Jingang led more than [-] people into the Queshu Valley, looked at the dangerous cliffs on both sides, and was worried about Li Shimin's pursuers, when he suddenly heard the sound of killing behind him.Song Jingang was worthy of being a veteran on the battlefield, he immediately reined in his horse and turned around, shouting loudly:

"The enemy is chasing now. They must be the vanguard. There are very few people. Don't be afraid."

Song Jingang really predicted things like a god, and every sentence he said made sense, but a group of soldiers who were extremely hungry and just wanted to escape for their lives turned a deaf ear to his words, and just rushed northward like a defeated wave.

"The front exit is narrow, and we have no way to retreat. Only by repelling them can we survive. If you want to survive, follow me and kill these Tang soldiers!"

Song Jingang was not reconciled, he wanted to use his actions to arouse the passion in the hearts of his soldiers.After he shouted loudly, he raised his steel knife and rode his horse towards Li Shimin's army.

6
When Li Shimin saw Song Jingang coming back to fight in Malaysia, he secretly boasted in his heart: "What a great general!" Yanaka.

Queshu Valley, which is rarely visited by people on weekdays, is suddenly crowded with tens of thousands of horses, and the birds are so frightened that the birds are flying around.Song Jingang was brave and tough, determined to fight Li Shimin to the death.However, his army suffered a whole winter of hunger and cold, and their physical strength was greatly reduced at this time, and most of their original self-confidence was also lost at this time.Although some of them turned around following his shouts, they just bared their teeth and mouths like hungry wolves encountering a tiger, and finally dared not charge forward.

Li Shimin's subordinates are not like this.Li Shimin shouted, leaped forward, and went straight to Song Jingang.The generals beside him, Hou Junji, Qu Tutong, etc., shouted "Come on!" in unison like a race, while chasing forward.Seeing the general like this, the soldiers who were exhausted all of them were refreshed, and their killing intent was suddenly aroused. They raised their long-haired swords and rushed forward frantically, shouting to kill, and charged forward.For a moment, the Tang army, with only a few thousand people, pressed towards Song Jingang, the leading lone swallow, like a raging black cloud.

Song Jingang, who had never been timid in battle all his life, was taken aback when he saw him, and turned around and shouted "withdraw!"Don't dare to fight again.Pull back the horse's head and flee to the north exit of Sparrow Valley.Li Shimin was overjoyed when he saw him.With a long roar again: "Come on!" Whip the horse and chase after it.Seeing the enemy fleeing, the Tang army was even more energetic, scrambling to be the first to chase and kill the defeated enemy.

The valley mouth in the north is long and narrow.Song Jingang's [-] people, in order to escape for their lives, killed each other, causing many casualties.Li Shimin took the lead and rushed towards the enemy, like slaughtering a pig and sheep, slashing and killing indiscriminately.Hou Junji and other generals and soldiers did not show any weakness, wielding their swords and guns, they happily killed the enemies who only cared about fleeing for their lives.For a moment, there was only wailing all over the valley, blood flying and flesh splattering, and even the mouse, which hadn't had time to escape, stood in a daze, not daring to move, watching the battle with its thin round eyes wide open.Thanks to Song Jingang's fast horse, he led less than half of the people out of Queshu Valley and went straight to Jiexiu.

Li Shimin led the troops and chased them all the way. When they arrived at Zhangjiabao, which was thirty miles away, Li Shimin was about to step forward, but Hou Junji stopped him and said:
"Now that Song Jingang has entered Jiexiu, he will definitely stand firm there. Why don't we rest in Zhangjiabao for a whole day, and attack Jiexiu after the main force arrives."

Li Shimin looked at the exhausted generals and at the tired soldiers who were about to collapse, and then nodded in agreement.With this group of exhausted team, slowly came to Zhangjiabao.

Zhangjiabao was occupied by the Tang army early. In order to prevent Song Jingang's attack and occupation, Li Yuan sent two generals, Fan Botong and Zhang Dezheng, the generals of the Haozhou March, to guard.Even though Song Jingang still had [-] defeated soldiers, Li Shimin did not dare to attack the city when he passed by Zhangjiabao because Li Shimin was chasing him too closely.The two generals Fan Botong and Zhang Dezheng had just reported the arrival of Song Jingang soldiers, and hurriedly put on their clothes and went to the city to let the soldiers prepare their bows, crossbows, wood and stones to meet the enemy's attack.Unexpectedly, Song Jingang's army circled the city far away.Generals Fan and Zhang walked down the city wall in surprise and ordered their subordinates to pay attention to the movements of Song Jingang's troops.At this time, it was reported that Tang Jun had arrived.After hearing this, Fan and Zhang hurried up to the top of the city again and looked up, but saw the troops below the city, their bodies were stained with blood, their faces were completely changed, they couldn't tell what kind of army they were.I also saw a man in front of the army, Wu Gao Wu Da, his battle robe torn, his helmet thrown away, and his body covered in thick blood, shouting hoarsely: "Generals Fan and Zhang, quickly open the city gate!"

Fan Botong used to be Li Shimin's Muliao, so he felt familiar when he heard the voice, but he was not sure, so he asked loudly:
"Who is coming, report the name quickly."

"Li Shimin is too!" Li Shimin wanted to respond loudly, but his voice was hoarse and thin.After hearing this, Fan Botong didn't dare to open the city gate.When Li Shimin saw him, he threw away his long sword and took off his armor. Fan Botong saw that it was indeed Li Shimin, so he ordered the city gate to be opened wide, and he staggered down to the city. When he saw Li Shimin, he cried and laughed happily.

"King Qin hasn't removed his armor for three days, and he hasn't touched water for two days." Hou Junji also said hoarsely.

After hearing this, Fan Botong knelt down on his knees and said with tears in his eyes, "The king of Qin is so difficult, and the humble minister refused to let him in. He really deserves death."

(End of this chapter)