Li Shimin, one emperor through the ages

Chapter 29 Attacking Luoyang (2)
Hearing Qu Tutong's methodical answer, Du Ruhui nodded, looked at Li Shimin, smiled slightly and said, "This Wang Shichong really can't trust anyone other than his brothers and nephews. Just for this alone, he has already lost to King Qin." gone."

Li Shimin listened, but did not respond in the slightest.During this period of time, as long as he has a little time, he has been studying the art of war hard, plus his years of combat experience.Once this knowledge and experience is increased, when encountering things, one can often think deeply and thoroughly and be fascinated.Li Shimin was like this at the moment, thinking very deeply, suddenly, a flash of thought popped up in his mind.After thinking about it again, Li Shimin had some confidence in his mind, came back to his senses, and asked Du Ruhui: "Wang Shichong led his troops to Xin'an, and we will fight him here?"

"Xin'an's terrain is dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack. We won't suffer a decisive battle with him here. However, maybe we can think of a better way."

"A better way, you think so too?" Li Shimin looked at Du Ruhui and said, "Tell me what you think."

"I still have an idea, but..." Du Ruhui looked at Li Shimin with a smile, and said, "I believe that King Qin has already figured out a better way."

Li Shimin nodded and said, "I think we can immediately lead the army to attack Cijian while Wang Shichong is still on the way."

"Attack Cijian! How is this possible? Now that Wang Shichong's army is coming, our army should strengthen the defense. How can we divide our troops to attack Cijian?" Qu Tutong said anxiously.

Li Shimin looked at Du Ruhui and said, "Please join the army and explain the reason to General Qu."

"Cijian is the gateway to Luoyang. If Cijian is lost, it means that the gate is destroyed. Our army is going to attack Cijian at this time, and Wang Shichong will definitely return to rescue. Cijian is no danger. Our army can make Wang Shichong exhausted and run We can defeat Wang Shichong at Cijian, force him to retreat to Luoyang, and complete the siege of Luoyang by our army. Attacking Cijian is really the best strategy."

After hearing Du Ruhui's words, all the generals raised their brows, they all rushed to fight, and wanted to attack Cijian.When Li Shimin saw this, he smiled slightly and said, "Yin Kaishan listened to the order. This king ordered you to be the vanguard and lead an army of [-] to attack Cijian. The rest of the soldiers will be led by Du Ruhui and Yuchi Jingde, and will follow up later."

Yin Kaishan and Du Ruhui stepped forward and led the order to leave.Hou Junji was in a hurry, and was about to speak, Li Shimin gave him a look and said: "Hou Junji listens to the order, this king ordered you to lead the rest of the troops and stick to Xin'an."

After finishing the arrangement, Li Shimin personally led a light cavalry to the front line of Cijian to observe the battle situation.Three thousand warriors, closely following Li Shimin's black horse, galloped all the way to Cijian.On the way, after turning around a mountain peak, they encountered Wang Shichong's [-] troops rolling in.It turned out that when Wang Shichong approached Xin'an, he heard that Li Shimin led the army to attack Cijian. He was so shocked that his forehead sweated, and he said in his heart: "This young commander is really a military genius. If he captures Cijian, I will occupy it." Xin'an, what's the use?" So the three armies were ordered to change their guards to forwards, and immediately set off to Cijian, but they didn't expect to meet Li Shimin.

Hearing that Li Shimin had only two or three thousand people, Wang Shichong couldn't believe it, so he rode his horse to the front of the mountain and saw that there were only three thousand at most around Li Shimin, and he was overjoyed. "After all, he is young and inexperienced, so he dares to bring only 3000 troops to attack my Cijian." Wang Shichong thought so, and said to the left and right:
"All generals, listen to me. The traitor Li Shimin is in front. Whoever catches him first will be promoted to three ranks and rewarded with a thousand taels of gold." After hearing this, the generals saw Li Shimin, a major general, alone, I couldn't help being very excited, and rushed forward.

Li Shimin's journey was difficult and dangerous, and it was difficult to retreat. There were high mountains on the left and right sides. With 3000 troops, facing the [-] Zheng Jun swarming in, it is really dangerous.At this moment, Li Shimin wants to be like a flying dragon in the shallows, and his life is at stake.

7
Hou Junji was arrogant since he was a child, and he couldn't master the art of playing with bows and arrows, so he called himself brave.After following Li Shimin, as early as in Taiyuan, Hou Junji and Li Shimin rode in the same car when going out, slept in the same room, and were treated like brothers.With such kindness, Hou Junji was naturally devoted to Li Shimin and devoted himself to it.This time, entrusted by Li Shimin to guard Xin'an, he did not dare to be sloppy. After Li Shimin left, Hou Junji didn't take off his armor, and kept patrolling the Xin'an tower.First he heard that Wang Shichong's troops were approaching Xin'an, and later he heard that Wang Shichong's troops retreated towards Cijian, Hou Junji couldn't help but secretly worried for Li Shimin.

In the early morning, Hou Junji stood at the top of the city, looking east at the official road leading to Cijian.He watched a round of red sun rising slowly and getting higher and higher from the top of the mountain, so he looked at it obsessively.He knew that behind that mountain was Cijian, Qin Wang Li Shimin, right now.Now Wang Shichong, with 3 horses, is also rushing to Cijian, and he is likely to meet Li Shimin.Thinking of this, Hou Junji became nervous.The head of the army came to call him to eat, he shook his head slightly, he was worried about Qin Wang Li Shimin, and he didn't know what to do for a while?At this moment, he suddenly saw a man with shaggy armor, a dusty face, and wounds all over his body, staggering from the other side of the mountain.This person came to the city, saw Hou Junji, seemed to open his mouth to say something, but couldn't say anything, so he waved to him, with a very obvious meaning, asking him to open the city gate.Hou Junji saw him, and when he was in doubt, the man had already untied his armor that had been slashed like fluff by the sword.Hou Junji took a closer look, and unconsciously shouted "King Qin"!Then he ran down to the city.

It turned out that when Wang Shichong's [-] troops rushed towards Li Shimin's [-] warriors, Li Shimin didn't panic.He bent his bow and set his arrows, one arrow at a time, and shot at the general.Li Shimin shot down Wang Shichong's more than ten generals one after another, and Zheng Jun flinched for a while.Seizing this rare opportunity, three thousand warriors embraced Li Shimin and retreated.However, Zheng Jun had too many horses, and three thousand warriors, in order to protect Li Shimin, were finally shot to death one by one by knives and arrows.Li Shimin rushed to kill him with all his strength, and managed to escape back to Xin'an.

"It's a pity that three thousand warriors died for me!" Li Shimin said with tears.

"They were able to escape the death of the King of Qin, and they deserved to die," Hou Junji said.

"After taking Cijian, you must go find their bodies and bury them generously. You also need to find their family members and reward them generously." Li Shimin said, "Now, gather the Xin'an army horses immediately, and I will lead them personally. Go to help Yin Kaishan and attack Wang Shichong."

"Qin Wang has just gone through this torture, and his body is full of scars. It is better to rest in Xin'an and attack Wang Shichong. Let Junji do it for you."

"No, at a time like this, I should go there in person, so that I can take down Cijian in one go. Don't worry, I'm physically strong."

Wang Shichong and Yin Kaishan fought fiercely on the west slope of Cijian. Both sides were evenly matched, and both suffered heavy casualties.When it was difficult to separate, he suddenly saw Du Ruhui and Yuchi Jingde leading an army to kill him. Yin Kaishan was overjoyed and shouted: "The King of Qin is here, defeat Zheng Jun!" The soldiers shouted after hearing this.For a moment, the entire west slope was resounding with Tang Jun's shouts of killing.Amidst the shouts of killing, the morale of the Tang army was like a rainbow, and everyone scrambled to kill the enemy bravely.Wang Shichong's army used to be invincible, winning every battle.This time meeting Tang Jun led by Yin Kaishan, it can be regarded as a good match.But at this moment, the other party suddenly came with so many reinforcements, and even King Qin Li Shimin.For a moment, I couldn't help but get scared, I just resisted desperately, no longer had the viciousness to charge.

Wang Shichong felt that something was wrong, and he was a little terrified; after hearing Yin Kaishan's drink, seeing Tang Jun's courage doubled, and his own Zheng Jun's fighting feet began to be disordered again, Wang Shichong immediately understood: If you continue to fight, you will definitely lose.However, it would not be a good thing if Ci Jian was lost.Wang Shichong was hesitating when he saw a group of Tang troops rushing towards him.A big handsome flag, a heroic young man, like a lion, led a group of lions, and rushed into Wang Shichong's camp fiercely.

"Ah! This is the marshal of the Tang army, Qin Wang Li Shimin!" Wang Shichong cried out in his heart, no longer hesitated, ordered the rear guard to change to the forward, abandoned Ci Jian, and quickly retreated to Luoyang.

Li Shimin led his troops to chase after him for a while, intercepted thousands of Wang Shichong's corpses, and then withdrew his troops and returned to camp.

7
When Li Shimin's soldiers entered Cijian, they immediately summoned Mu Liao from the government and the generals in the army to discuss the strategy of attacking Luoyang.All of a sudden, Du Ruhui, Fang Xuanling, Liu Wenjing, Changsun Wuji and other civil servants, Yin Kaishan, Qu Tutong, Yuchi Jingde and other generals all gathered in the big tent of King Qin Li Shimin.Li Shimin has considered a lot about how to attack Luoyang, and has a fairly complete strategic plan, but before implementing it, he still wants to seek everyone's opinions.

"Now that Wang Shichong is withdrawing his troops from Luoyang and holding on to the danger, I would like to ask you to express your opinions on where our troops should go." Li Shimin cut to the chase, asked questions, and then seemed to close his eyes, waiting for everyone's answers.

When Yin Kaishan saw him, he took a step forward and said, "Wang Shichong has just been defeated by our army and his morale is exhausted. Now he has fled to Luoyang. I will take advantage of this to besiege and take Luoyang."

"It's too early to besiege Luoyang now." Du Ruhui analyzed quietly: "The reason is: Although Wang Shichong was defeated, the main force did not suffer major injuries, and the power is still very strong. Luoyang's peripheral strongholds, such as Longmen, Hanoi, Huaizhou, Xuanyuanguan, Guancheng, etc. are all in the hands of Wang Shichong. If we attack Luoyang, these strongholds will inevitably send troops to attack us, so that our army cannot concentrate our forces to attack Luoyang. If Wang Shichong takes the opportunity to counterattack again, our army will not be able to look at each other at that time. The damage was heavy. Therefore, when attacking Luoyang, it is necessary to clear the periphery to increase the odds of winning. For this reason, the top priority is to concentrate superior forces, take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness, and sweep the outskirts of Luoyang first."

Du Ruhui's words made everyone nod their heads.Li Shimin opened his eyes, looked at Du Ruhui happily, and said:
"What you said about joining the army is exactly what I think. I think Li Mijiu was unable to attack Luoyang for a long time. In addition to the strong defense of Luoyang, the defenders are tenacious, and there is also strong support from the periphery of Luoyang. Now that our army is attacking Luoyang, we understand this point and then We must seize the opportunity. Clear the periphery of Luoyang, use it as our army base, completely isolate Luoyang, and then make the final and most powerful blow."

"Yes, when the time comes, a lonely city will not be able to withstand the attack of our army." Yin Kaishan said.

"No! In my opinion, there are still some variables in this battle, so we must be fully prepared. Even if it is an isolated city, it will be quite difficult to capture it. But as long as our army is united and sticks to it , will definitely take down Luoyang City."

After hearing this, Du Ruhui nodded frequently, and said, "King Qin's thoughts hit the point. The battle of Luoyang will indeed have great changes, and Dou Jiande may come at that time. Therefore, no matter what time it is, everyone must not have the idea of ​​underestimating the enemy. Now, the king of Qin is thinking comprehensively and specifically. I will respectfully ask the king of Qin to issue an order. I will definitely obey the words and resolutely implement them, so as to fight the battle of capturing Luoyang."

Everyone waited for Du Ruhui's words to fall, and they all joined in unison: "King Gong Qin, issue an order, and we will definitely carry it out!"

After hearing this, Li Shimin stood up and said loudly: "The Battle of Luoyang was a key battle for our Tang Dynasty to rule the world. If Luoyang is captured, Dou Jiande's Xia Kingdom can be easily captured. Therefore, everyone must overcome all difficulties and persist until the final victory. "

"Don't worry King Qin, I will follow King Qin closely and overcome all difficulties until Luoyang City is captured." Everyone said in unison again.

"Okay, now I will issue an order from the Ministry: Yin Kaishan, order you to lead Huang Junhan's navy to attack Luocheng. You must take Luocheng within three days. Cut off the Heyang Bridge and surrender more than [-] of its castles."

"Your order." Yin Kaishan stepped forward and said.

"Hou Junji ordered you to lead your troops to attack Huaizhou and occupy the castle."

"Your order." Hou Junji stepped forward and said.

"Qu Tutong, I ordered you to capture Xuanyuan Pass quickly, and then go east to capture Guancheng."

……

Li Shimin issued military orders one by one, and all the generals left happily one by one.Li Shimin personally led the army and stationed on Beiman Mountain in the north of Luoyang, overlooking Luoyang, so that Wang Shichong did not dare to send troops to reinforce the attacked periphery.Three days later, news of success spread to King Qin's tent on Beiman Mountain.

First, Yin Kaishan captured Luocheng, fought back again and again to help the counterattack of Prince Zheng Wang Xuanying, and surrendered more than [-] castles.Then Hou Junji took Huaizhou, entered the outer city, and occupied the fortress.Then Qu Tutong captured Xuanyuan Pass, defeated Wei Yin, the general of Zheng Guo who came to support him, and then went east to occupy Guancheng... Li Shimin was very happy with the success, and said to Du Ruhui and Fang Xuanling:
"If this continues, in another month, Luoyang will be completely wiped out. By then, Luoyang will become an isolated city."

Du Ruhui nodded and said, "Yes, although Wang Shichong's city defenses are strong, he will definitely not be able to defend an isolated city."

"Jianjun thinks how much time will it take to take Luoyang?"

"If Dou Jiande doesn't send troops, Luoyang will definitely be taken in three months."

"Joining the army is worried that Dou Jiande will send troops?"

Du Ruhui nodded, Li Shimin saw it, and said calmly: "I am also a little worried. However, Wang Shichong will definitely be unable to fight back when the time comes, so we can destroy Dou Jiande first."

"King Qin's courage and insights are beyond the reach of the world. This is a difficult matter, and King Qin can deal with it calmly and resolve it strategically, which is really admirable." Du Ruhui turned to look at Fang Xuanling when he said this, and said, "Thank you for letting me go. Recommending it to the King of Qin is really a blessing from my previous life."

Fang Xuanling nodded, and said: "Yes, it is a blessing for all of us to be able to follow the King of Qin. Now that Luoyang's periphery is being cleaned up, I think we should take this opportunity to appease the prefectural and county officials of the Zheng regime in Luoyang's periphery, so as to isolate them better. Luoyang can get many useful talents again."

Li Shimin's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he said, "Fang Xuanling is really my bole. Every time I go to war, I recruit a lot of talents. This time, the king will order you to go out and take full responsibility for recruiting officials from prefectures and counties. Useful talent."

After hearing this, Fang Xuanling happily took the order and left.

7
Fang Xuanling led a team and went to the outskirts of Luoyang, which the Tang army had already captured, to recruit officials from prefectures and counties and collect useful talents.Wherever he went, Fang Xuanling promoted Li Shimin with great fanfare, and at the same time treated the officials of the Zheng State who were attached to him very kindly. Not only could they retain their original official positions, but those with talents could be further promoted.For a time, people's hearts returned to the Tang Dynasty, and many officials took the initiative to publicize the preferential treatment policies of the Tang Dynasty to the officials in Luoyang.As a result, not only did Wang Shichong's Zheng regime completely disintegrate in the Tang-occupied area, but it also made the officials of the Zheng regime in Luoyang panic, and Wang Shichong began to fall into the predicament of centrifuging his subordinates.

In early spring and February, "the plum blossoms are exhausted in the cold snow, and the willows return in the spring breeze".The vigorous spring scene urges people to make a difference.Li Shimin's gold-armored black horse, with a long sword in his hand, personally led five thousand elite cavalry to reinforce Hou Junji.Before parting, Du Ruhui urged Li Shimin once again:
"Shan Xiongxin is the most powerful general under Wang Shichong. He has been trapped in Luokou by Hou Junji. To reinforce it, King Qin should send other generals. There is really no need to take this risk."

Hearing this, Li Shimin knew that it was Du Ruhui's good intentions, because he thought it would be too risky to go, so he kept persuading Li Shimin not to go in person.Then he shook his head and said: "Now Wang Tai, Wang Shichong's nephew, has abandoned Heyang and fled. Lu Shanzong, the governor of Huaizhou, has surrendered to Tang Dynasty, and the prince Wang Xuanying has been completely wiped out by us. Just in this early spring, Wang Shichong has many prefectures. The officials of the county fled or surrendered in Kaesong. Shan Xiongxin in Luokou is the only one. If he can't break it after several months, it really affects the morale of our army. I had to go and break it myself."

Du Ruhui listened and wanted to say something more. Li Shimin smiled at him and said: "Thank you for your concern in joining the army. I also know that Shan Xiongxin is a strong general. However, as a commander, I should take the lead and set an example for the generals." , Defeating Shan Xiongxin. Only in this way can the prestige of Zheng Jun be destroyed and the morale of my Tang Army greatly increased. There is nothing more to say about joining the army, as long as you bless me a lot on the mountain and wait for my good news."

After hearing this, Du Ruhui had nothing to say, and silently watched Qin Wang Li Shimin go to Luokou.

Shan Xiongxin's single name is a common character.Since he was a child, he has a stubborn personality, outstanding martial arts, and generous donations.After joining the Wagang Army, he was indomitable and generous in facing difficulties, which was deeply popular among the people.He made the Jinding Zaoyang lance in his hand, rode a lightning oolong horse on his hips, and won the championship of the three armies.Known as the Red-haired Lingguan, he is the No. 1 general of the Five Tigers.Although Shan Xiongxin is a rare and powerful general, Hou Junji is not an ordinary general, but the Luokou soldiers are many and brave, and there are dangers to rely on. After fighting tired, Shan Xiongxin retreated into the city to rest, and let Hou Jun Set in a hurry outside the city.

In this way, it took more than two months for Hou Junji to yell and curse at the Luokou city, but he couldn't rush into the city like other generals.When Hou Junji was at his wit's end, he suddenly saw the King of Qin, Li Shimin, and felt both ashamed and happy.Enthusiastically taking Li Shimin into his account, Hou Junji truthfully reported to Li Shimin the battle situation in the past two months, and also described his plan for a strong attack.Hearing this, Li Shimin was overjoyed, he had people serve food and wine, and he drank and chatted with Hou Junji until late at night, and decided to follow Hou Junji's plan to immediately deploy troops to launch the most violent attack on Luokou tomorrow.But at this moment, they suddenly heard the sound of killing outside the camp, and they were in shock when the guard came to report:
"Shan Xiongxin personally led the army and charged into the barracks!"

Li Shimin couldn't help smiling when he heard this, and said: "Shan Xiongxin, you really deserve to be the number one under Wang Shichong. At this time, you dare to lead the army to attack our camp."

It turned out that when Shan Xiongxin heard that Li Shimin had led an army to reinforce him, he knew in his heart that there would be a fierce battle tomorrow.More importantly, after fighting with Hou Junji for so many months, he already knew that if he continued to fight, he would definitely finish off his troops.Unexpectedly, under such circumstances, Tang Jun came for reinforcements.Shan Xiongxin knew that if the Tang army attacked tomorrow, Luokou would undoubtedly be broken.Still waiting to retreat, but not reconciled.After thinking hard, he finally decided to take a huge risk: Before Li Shimin arrived and launched an attack, he would act first and personally lead the elite cavalry to the tent of Tangying Commander. As long as this action can kill Li Shimin, Tang Jun will definitely flee everywhere, and Shan Xiongxin will turn the tide and turn the tide into victory.This is a very terrible action, because Shan Xiongxin, who directed this action, has already made up his mind to succeed or succeed.

After hearing Li Shimin's praise for Shan Xiongxin, Hou Junji shook his head and said, "I think he just jumped the wall in a hurry."

"The dog is in a hurry. If you dare to jump the wall, you can be considered a hero. Besides, in my opinion, Shan Xiongxin is a real hero. You must not underestimate him." Li Shimin said, "Let's go out and have a look."

After hearing this, Hou Junji stretched out his hand to stop Li Shimin and said, "King Qin, please stay in the big tent until Junji goes to defeat Shan Xiongxin, and then come back to have a drink with King Qin."

(End of this chapter)