The third emperor of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 536 Meeting in a narrow road

The night is shrouded in Xiyang County, the stars are dim, autumn has already entered in August, and the night wind in Danshui is a bit cooler.Under the night, a team of more than [-] people marched overnight. The team was neat and orderly. The soldiers were dressed in armor and held long contradiction cards. .

The team marched quickly along the coast of Danshui. On one side was the sparkling Danshui, and on the other side was a large area of ​​dense forest. The hills were undulating and the mountains were continuous. Teams of scouts were exploring the way ahead, and from time to time sent back news that nothing happened along the way. Chinese army.

He is Zhang Shigui, the guard of Waiwuguan. After receiving Li Shimin's information, he knew that Waiwuguan was of no value to Li Tang, so he immediately followed Li Shimin's instructions. According to the order, the Tang army stationed at Waiwuguan retreated quietly and methodically at night.

Zhang Shigui is from Hongnong Lu's County and is very familiar with Xiyang. Although the situation of the Tang Army in Xiyang County is extremely difficult, as long as he returns to Danshui County, he will be under Zhang Shigui's control. He can advance, attack, retreat, or defend. never fail.

He has learned martial arts since he was a child. He has excellent arm strength, is good at riding and shooting, and has drank the blood of countless rogues with a single spear. He has a calm personality and is usually very low-key.But that's not to say he's mentally inferior to others...

"Father, do you think the Sui army will come to attack us?" Zhang Shigui's eldest son Zhang Zhen looked at his father worriedly.

Zhang Shigui smiled: "Of course the Sui army will send troops to attack us, but we don't have to be afraid. We are not the focus of the Sui army. As long as we reach Danshui County, we will be safe."

"Did father mean King Jin?" Zhang Zhen asked knowingly.

Zhang Shigui saw that his son was a little nervous, so he said: "The king of Jin is the son of the emperor and the first general of the Tang Dynasty. He has many soldiers under his command. His value is much higher than that of our father and son. The Sui army is not stupid. How could it be possible?" Will they come to deal with us first? What's more, we retreat quickly, and the Sui army may not know our whereabouts."

Zhang Zhen was silent for a while, seeing his father's cronies around him, he said, "Father, is Yang Tong really that powerful?"

Zhang Shigui said: "Although he is an enemy, I have to say that Yang Tong is indeed courageous and has a strategic vision. He destroys the weak first and then attacks the strong. When he has an absolute advantage, everyone in the world thinks that he will send troops south. When Jizhou, Youzhou, and Bingzhou went south, these three heroes would inevitably join forces to resist the Sui Dynasty, which made him fall into the quagmire of war. But he unexpectedly attacked the Hulu in the north, so Wang Shichong, Li Mi and Dou Jiande competed in the Central Plains with confidence, and the three fought more and more He is weaker and weaker as he fights, and he not only stabilizes the rear, obtains national righteousness, supports the people of the Sui Dynasty with foreign wealth, but also makes the three heroes of the Central Plains weaken each other in the chaos of war. If it fails, Yang Tong will attack Xuzhou next, and then Jiangnan, as long as he conquers Jiangnan, the general situation of the world will be settled."

Speaking of this, Zhang Shigui took another breath: "Speaking of which, I was originally the strongest in the Tang Dynasty, supported by the nobles of Guanlong, the gentry of the Guandong, and the gentry of the south of the Yangtze River. Bashu, a land of potential dragons, was unparalleled for a while, just like the strong Qin Dynasty in the Warring States Period. If the soldiers served their orders, the monarchs and ministers were united, the civil and military ethics were the same, and the clan was united, then my Tang Dynasty would definitely be the Sui Dynasty today. It’s a pity that the Tang Dynasty was in conflict Ruined a great future."

"Father thinks why this situation happened in Datang? The child can't understand it." Zhang Zhen obviously thought about this issue.

Zhang Shigui felt that he should teach his son a lesson, so he waved his hand to let the guards disperse, so as not to let outsiders disturb the listening. After arranging everything, he and his son walked together, and then said softly: "This is actually the responsibility of the Holy Majesty. At the beginning, he should not confer the king of Jin as the king of Jin. The king of Qi, the king of Chu, the king of Wei, the king of Yan, the king of Han, the king of Wu, and the king of Yue can all do so. Lord, it is easy to get the support of the powerful and powerful in Guanlong. In the Sui Dynasty, King Jin and King Yong were the titles of the prince before he entered the East Palace. They are all preludes to the establishment of the crown prince, so until now, King Jin and King Yong have strong hints; and the Holy Majesty named King Jin as King Jin, which has the source of civil strife."

Zhang Zhen thought for a while, then said softly: "Perhaps the crown prince is too old, making the Holy Majesty feel threatened."

Zhang Shigui praised: "It is not easy for you to see this. It is indeed the case. The Holy Majesty canonized the King of Jin as the King of Jin and Minister of the Order, and allowed him to recruit officials by himself. These are the powers that only the crown prince has. The crown prince does not even have the right to confer the title of sixth-rank military officer. Do you know what all this means? It puts pressure on the crown prince to set his sights on the menacing King Jin, not on the throne of the Holy One. This is an extreme All the emperors of the past dynasties have mastered the art of balance. It is understandable for the Holy One to do so, but the Holy Majesty did it too early. He should have eliminated Yang Tong, a powerful enemy, or unified the south of the Yellow River before playing with the emperor's power. It's a pity. Your Majesty is too impatient."

Zhang Shigui sighed, and continued: "The world has gradually become a three-legged confrontation; and in terms of state affairs, the Sui and Tang dynasties are like Yuan Shao and Cao Cao who were facing each other in the north and south; Otherwise, with the vastness of the four states, Cao Cao, even if he uses soldiers like a god, can persist for a long time, and even use his strong national power to drag Cao Cao, who is short of money and food and surrounded by enemies, to death. And Cao Cao was very smart. At that time, his son, not to mention cultivating influence, might be reprimanded even if he had close contacts with courtiers. This is Cao Cao's wisdom. When the world is not yet unified, he needs courtiers Focus all your energies on the great cause, and not be distracted by the dispute between the sons and daughters."

"Yang Tong is even stronger than Yuan Shao, and the monarch and his ministers are of the same mind, just like Cao Cao during the Yuan-Cao struggle. It can be said that he combines the strengths of the two without the shortcomings of the two; my Tang Dynasty is the complete opposite. The inferiority of the latter is fully accounted for.”

Zhang Zhen pondered for a while, and then asked: "If the Holy Majesty finds his way back, is there any hope for the Tang Dynasty?"

"It's hard! My Tang Dynasty has lost too much in the front, its vitality has been greatly injured, and its national strength has been exhausted. Bashu, Jingxiang, and young people are all soldiers. The people under the rule are heavy in taxes and people's resentment is boiling, while the royal family and nobles run rampant in their manors. , Drunk life and dreaming of death, coupled with the repeated defeats of the army and the loss of cities and lands, the government and the public lost all confidence; while the powerful enemies in the north of the Sui Dynasty were all prostrate on the ground, there was no danger at all, and the momentum was huge, but Yang Yu was not in a hurry, and with The absolute strength of the troops was at every step, nibbling away at the land of the Tang Dynasty little by little, without revealing the slightest flaw. Even if there were flaws, they were completely covered by the huge number of troops, so that our soldiers could not show their weaknesses with strange soldiers. This is the absolute gap in strength. Conspiracies and schemes are hard to come by. Unless there is a major mistake in Yang Tong's internal affairs, such as a big defeat, internal rebellion, or an invasion by foreign enemies, which distracts the Sui army's energy and gives me a breathing space for Datang, otherwise, Under the pressure of Yang Tong, my Tang Dynasty is in a more difficult situation day by day." Zhang Shigui also became a little confused, if Li Tang was defeated, where would his father and son go?

"Does father think there will be a rebellion in the Sui Dynasty?" Zhang Zhen asked.

"From the six-year chaos in the great cause to the present, it has long been the people's mind. The common people have managed to live a good life. Who would rebel? What's more, the policy of benefiting the people in the Sui Dynasty was unprecedented. The common people regarded the family as an enemy. How could they welcome the family to run rampant?" Where is Datang?"

"Is there no hope for Datang?"

"Not necessarily!" Zhang Shigui shook his head, and said: "As long as Tang and Wei form an alliance, there is still a chance! However, brothers cannot live and die together, and share weal and woe. Both countries are afraid of their own losses and the other's advantage, so how can it be possible? One heart and one mind? Well, these are not things that our father and son should care about, and we should not talk about them too much. It is not good for people to hear. You only need to know that brothers are united, and their benefits cut through gold, and you will be very relieved as a father."

"The child obeys the teaching of the father."

"General, the three of you will be here soon!" At this time, a scout rode over and reported the military situation to Zhang Shigui: "Do you want to rest on the spot, or continue eastward?"

Dansankou is where two tributaries join into Fanshui. The terrain is relatively flat, and it is already Danshui County. Zhang Shigui estimated that they traveled at least 60 miles. There will be a long and rugged river bank down. If you march in the dark, you may fall into the Danshui if you are not careful. Seeing that it is not far from dawn, he said: "Don't worry, rest here, we will start after dawn .”

"No!" The scout rode away, rushing to deliver orders to the former army.

order to go down.

The [-] exhausted Tang troops rested on the spot, and more than a hundred scouts spread out, watching the surrounding situation vigilantly. They were not worried about the enemy's attack, but Zhang Shigui's strict management of the army. Pay special attention to the layout of light and dark whistle.

However, crises usually come unprepared, Zhang Shigui never imagined that in his dreams, he always believed that the inbound Sui army, mainly targeting Li Shimin, had already sneaked around him. This was also Zhang Shigui's misunderstanding. The king will definitely be the first choice for the Sui army to attack. After all, he is Li Yuan's son. If he is captured alive or killed, it will be a great achievement. Moreover, from a tactical point of view, the Xinan Sui army should also cooperate with Xue Wanjun to break through Zhuyang Pass and welcome him. Xue Wanjun's army entered the country, and then joined together and headed south.

But Luo Shixin, first of all, is not a person who acts according to common sense, and second, he has confidence in Xue Wanjun. He knows that he may not be able to play the slightest role when he reaches Zhuyangguan. The meritorious service of the Guan Shoujun is much better than that of going to Zhuyang Pass to pick up leaks, and Waiwu Pass is a fortress for the defense of the north, so there is no need to attack the city at all. After hearing the news, the defenders of Waiwuguan ran away, and he didn't go on the right path. Like Zhang Shigui, he went northward along Danshui. At this moment, the two armies collided. In order to be vigilant several times, he discovered the enemy's track one step ahead of Zhang Shigui, and set up an ambush circle here.

The Xiaoguo army headed by Luo Shixin hid about two miles southwest of Zhang Shigui's army, close to Xun Township, so Zhang Shigui didn't notice their existence, but at that time, the dark army was already lined up, and when he heard that the Tang army had rested on the spot, Under the moonlight, Luo Shixin's eyes flashed with murderous excitement.

He slowly picked up the cold iron gun, and looked up at the crescent moon that was flickering under the cloud. For whatever reason, it wasn't until a small talk that Yang Tong also liked to fight under the moonlight, because fighting in this environment has a kind of violence beauty, which is the aesthetics of violence, which made Luo Shixin suddenly realize that while killing, while being beautiful Isn't night the beauty of violence?
Luo Shixin likes the beauty of violence, but Zhang Shigui may not like it. A cruel smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and the blade of the gun drew an arc under the moonlight, pointing straight ahead.

"Woo! Woo! Woo!"

The charge horn whimpered and blew, and the low and desolate horn sounded across the field. The Xiaoguo army who was ready heard the sound and burst into earth-shattering shouts, venting the courage that had been accumulated for a long time.

Tens of thousands of horses galloped, covering the sky and covering the earth, like a huge wave raised by a tsunami, and the heavy hoofbeats of the horses were like thunderclaps on the ground, making the earth tremble and the peace broken, and swept towards Zhang Shigui's army with a whistling black line.

Zhang Shigui's army discovered the ambush when the horn sounded, and the Tang army lying on the ground resting in disorder suddenly became chaotic. They marched in the middle of the night and were already exhausted. Zhang Shigui gave the order to rest and took the time to rest. Some people even fell asleep. However, it is not easy to quickly form a combat organization and combat formation, and Zhang Shigui was so shocked that his scalp exploded.

Zhang Shigui slapped his head in frustration, hating himself for being too careless, but now it was too late, he had to organize a formation to fight, Zhang Shigui shouted to the deputy general Gongsun Wuda: "General Gongsun, quickly lead five thousand soldiers to hold the enemy, Buy me time!"

"As ordered!"

Gongsun Wuda also asked the messengers to blow the horn of the charge, and the five thousand elite immediately followed him to meet the Sui army one mile away.

Zhang Shigui's army quickly concentrated, but it was too late to line up at this time, so he had to put the ready soldiers in front. Now he could only rely on Gongsun Wuda to resist the attack of the Sui army and buy time to restore the infantry formation.

The Xiaoguo army ran closer and closer, and finally collided with Zhang Shigui's five thousand elite soldiers. Luo Shixin nodded secretly. No matter what the level of formation is, few people can match the decisiveness of making a response and making a choice in an instant. As for the Tang army he encountered, no general could do this. , Li Yuan, who only cares about his birth, must have his place in the Sui Dynasty.

It's just that Zhang Shigui is not leading the Sui army, and wants to regain the disadvantage in the face of adversity?

Think beautifully.

There was a sneer on Luo Shixin's handsome face, today I will show you the power of the Great Sui's crossbow.

He swung his gun high on the horse and said loudly, "Fire the arrow."

"Buzz!"

The bowstring vibrated, and a rain of arrows rose from Xiaoguo's army, and shot towards Tang's army with their heads covered.

"Puff puff"

The sharp triangular arrows easily tore through the leather armor on Tang Jun's body, pierced fiercely into the flesh, and fell to the ground one after another with the arrows howling miserably.

After three rounds of arrow rain in a row, Gongsun Wuda's incomplete formation has been scattered and no longer stable.

"kill!"

Luo Shixin hung the crossbow on the hook, clamped the horse's belly, and the BMW under his crotch let out a long hiss, and rushed towards the enemy.

The cold iron sharp spear stabbed like lightning, and then retracted like a poisonous letter. A corpse of Tang Jun who had lost his support suddenly fell from the air.Luo Shixin's castration remained undiminished, and he fully displayed his strength excitedly. The spear in his hand instantly transformed into ice flowers, thousands of spear shadows, and stabbed a hundred times at an unimaginable speed in an instant. Tang Jun, who was in front of him, did not react. , They were shot and fell down one after another.

There is no general in the face of the enemy, and they are all killed by him when they meet each other face to face. The guards behind him are left and right, like a huge sharp arrow, ruthlessly smashing into the Tang army's formation, tearing a hole fiercely .Xin Liaoer led the Xiaoguo army to follow closely behind, widening the gap one by one, crushing all obstacles in front of him.

The Xiaoguo army pierced through the Tang army intercepted by Gongsun Wuda, and rushed into the Tang army group like a storm. Xin Liaoer roared, and waved a wolf-fanged spear to pick up a general, and the wolf-fanged sword flew left and right , dead bodies rolled on the tip of his spear, and the Xiaoguo army launched a bloody slaughter among the Tang army.

This was an asymmetrical one-sided killing, infantry versus cavalry. However, the Xiaoguo army came too fast and did not give Zhang Shigui any time to approach the army. It only killed the Tang army's heads, and the chaotic Tang army was like Like a flock of sheep, they can only be devoured by wolves wantonly.The Xiaoguo army galloped and slaughtered among the Tang army. No matter how much the enemy wailed and begged for mercy, they would not show mercy. In fact, they didn't hear what the other party said at this time. Their shouts were like thunder, and they only killed the Tang army. Fearless, they ran away crying and crying.

The fierce battle is especially fierce in the Chinese army. In the melee, Luo Shixin wields the cold iron spear, which is extremely brave. Those who died were invincible, and the corpses of the enemy troops who wanted to form an organization were killed all over the field, and the field was stained red with blood.

The Xiaoguo army who came suddenly made Zhang Shigui's personal guards into chaos. They could not resist the violent attack of the Xiaoguo army. The captain of the soldiers shouted anxiously: "General, the Sui army is too strong. .”

Zhang Shigui groaned in his heart, he knew that as long as he retreated, the soldiers would collapse, but it would be impossible if he did not retreat, the Sui army had already killed seventy paces away, and arrows were shooting at them like dense rain.

At this moment, his son Zhang Zhen let out a scream, and shot him on the right shoulder with a stray arrow. Zhang Shigui's eyes widened in shock, and he roared, "How about Zhen'er?"

Zhang Zhen shouted with difficulty: "Father, there is nothing we can do. We have to retreat to the south! Use the rough terrain to stop the cavalry."

Zhang Shigui was in great pain. When he saw the eastern sky, his belly was already pale and the sky was getting twilight. His army had arrived from last night and it was almost dawn. Before dawn, all achievements fell short.

Zhang Shigui gritted his teeth and shouted, "Withdraw!"

Zhang Shigui's army retreated to the south. After a stormy massacre, the Sui army achieved brilliant results. Luo Shixin immediately ordered the army to pursue it.

The Sui army chased them all the way to the difficult section before they had no choice but to stop, but they also killed Zhang Shigui's army corpses everywhere, and countless people knelt and surrendered.

The massacre lasted only half an hour, and the [-] Tang army completely collapsed, leaving only a few thousand remnants of Zhang Shigui to flee back to Danshui County.

(End of this chapter)