Li Shimin, one emperor through the ages

Chapter 32
8
Li Shimin didn't want to fail, so he resolutely ignored the emperor's order and decided to persevere, capture Luoyang, and work hard for the Tang Dynasty to unify the East.Seeing that the king of Qin was so determined, all the generals and soldiers were full of energy and rushed to attack the city.Wang Shichong was defeated by Li Shimin in the battle of Gushui. After returning to Luoyang City, because the periphery had been cleared, there was no support from all directions in the city.Grain, grass, and military supplies are becoming scarce day by day, and they are already at the end of their rope. They have no ability to resist, and can only sit and wait to die.

In the early morning of this day, Wang Shichong stood on the high platform of the Eastern Capital Hall, looked at the majestic palaces, stared at the willows, yellows, and golds in the palace, thinking that this luxury and beauty would be taken away by the Tang army, and he might have to be decapitated. At the end of the day, I couldn't help feeling sad, tears wet the corners of my eyes, and wept repeatedly.

Wang Shichong's character is Xingman, his original surname is Zhi, and he comes from the Western Regions.His ancestral branch died early.His father was remarried to Wang Can because his mother was surnamed Wang Mingshou, and he served as the governor of Huai and Bianzhou.In the Sui Dynasty, Wang Shichong first served as Zuo Yiwei, and later worshiped Yitong with his military merits.While he won the favor of Emperor Yangdi, he was tyrannical and powerful, bought people's hearts and strengthened his own strength.Due to the abundance of talents under his command and his skill in military warfare, he once defeated Zhu Xie and Guan Chong who raised troops in response to Yang Xuangan's rebellion against the Sui Dynasty in the south of the Yangtze River. Yu Jiangdu Tongshou.This series of illustrious military exploits made Wang Shichong famous in the court.At this time, the Wagang Army occupied Xingluocang and marched towards the Eastern Capital, directly threatening the safety of Emperor Sui Yang himself.In desperation, Emperor Yang ordered Wang Shichong to be the general, and he unified more than [-] king divisions of the Eastern Capital.Wang Shichong received this important task, and his spirit was greatly lifted. He led his troops to Tunluokou to fight against the Wagang Army.Unexpectedly, after the war between the two armies, Li Ji used tricks and was defeated by Luokou.Soon, Emperor Yang was killed by Yu Wenji in Jiangdu, and Wang Shichong, who was staying behind in the Eastern Capital at that time, appointed Yang Tong, the son of Yang Zhao, the eldest son of Emperor Yang of Sui, as Emperor of the Sui Dynasty.He is only a minister of the Ministry of officials, but he controls the military and political power in the court.At this time, Yu Wenhuaji, who killed Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, fought fiercely with Li Mi. Wang Shichong watched coldly from the sidelines. .Li Mi had no choice but to surrender to Datang.Wang Shichong took advantage of this to collect his remaining people, nearly ten thousand people.Wang Shichong returned after a great victory, rewarded himself, and named himself Taiwei and Shangshuling.Not long after, the emperor Yang Tong was simply abolished, and he proclaimed himself emperor and ascended the throne. Jianyuan was enlightened, and the country name was Zheng.Unexpectedly, the emperor was just enjoying himself, and he was about to be defeated in a blink of an eye by a fledgling King of Qin, Li Shimin.Wang Shichong recalled the past and was extremely unwilling. When he was sighing, he suddenly saw his confidant Yu Da walking towards him with a happy smile, and he couldn't help being surprised.Without waiting for him to ask, Yu Da said happily:
"Your Majesty, Hebei Xia Emperor Dou Jiande personally led an army of 30 to rescue Luoyang."

When Wang Shichong heard this, his curly hair stood up excitedly, but it curled back after a while, grabbed Yu Da's hand and said, "What you just said, is it true?"

"It's absolutely true. Emperor Xia's army has arrived at the Eastern Plains of Chenggao."

"This is a bit strange. This Dou Jiande, I asked him for help many times last year, but he refused to send a single soldier. Now that I don't ask for help, why would I personally lead the army to rescue me?" Wang Shichong said to himself The words, the black and sharp eyes rolled a few times, and finally understood a little bit.So he looked up at the blue sky and white clouds, and laughed.

"God's will! God's will! The sky is not dead, I am Wang Shichong!" Wang Shichong shouted loudly.

Sure enough, the spring breeze was blowing in Luoyang, and the frost was removed last night.The coldness goes away overnight, and the spring comes just before dawn.Wang Shichong, who was in despair, was suddenly rescued by an army led by Dou Jiande, and his face suddenly opened up, like a dead tree in spring, and a dry crop receiving water, he was full of vigor and spirit for a while.While he sent someone to contact Dou Jiande, he re-arranged the defense of the city.

Now that King Xia's army has arrived in the east of Chenggao, that young boy will not dare to come and forcefully attack our Luoyang City again.The only thing he has to do now is to find ways to reduce casualties and wait for the opportunity to retreat.Wang Shichong's tiger eyes were wide open, and his black and sharp pupils kept turning.Said proudly in my heart: Okay, I will give you a good ride so that you can retreat safely.After that, I ordered the elite defenders to replace them quietly and take a good rest.At the same time, multiple groups of scouts were sent to scout the Tang army.You young brat, you still have today, as soon as you retreat, this king will come out of the city, and together with Dou Jiande, I will send you off for you!

Wang Shichong was besieged by the young King Qin for more than half a year, and the hatred in his heart was too deep.Now, I really wish I could take down Li Shimin a moment earlier, peel the skin and eat the meat.

The east wind in Luoyang will finally come, and the willow spring on the shore of the river will return.Wang Shichong stroked his long beard secretly proudly, and muttered to himself:
"Li Shimin, Li Shimin! You will also have today! It is really the heavens that have eyes, and let me, Wang Shichong, win after repeated failures. The so-called forest flowers are more fallen, and the grass is stepping on the grass to survive. I, Wang Shichong, will never Failed! Isn’t that what happened when we fought Li Mi back then?” Wang Shichong habitually looked up at the golden dome of the main hall, and smirked a few times.He clearly thought of being defeated by Li Mi that year, and even more clearly thought of the scene when he defeated Li Mi and forced Li Mi to nowhere, so he had to surrender to Tang.

"Li Shimin, Li Shimin!" Wang Shichong recited these three words fiercely again, finally couldn't help it, and burst out laughing.

The sound was like a huge thunder, startling the sparrows in the hall, thumping into the air one by one.Only the eagle in the blue sky flew steadily and confidently, without hearing the sound from the hall at all.

8
Dou Jiande is a native of Zhangnan, Beizhou. He has been farming for generations.Later, he raised his troops to fight against the Sui Dynasty. In the 12th year of Daye, he defeated Sui general Xue Shixiong and conquered Hejian. His power grew rapidly, with more than [-] troops.The following year, Dou Jiande became emperor himself, with his capital in Leshou and his country named Daxia.He is located in most areas north of the Yellow River, contending with Wang Shichong of Luoyang in the south, and confronting Li Yuan of Tang Dynasty in Guanzhong in the west.

After Yu Wenhua killed Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, he went north from Jiangdu and proclaimed himself emperor in Wei County. Dou Jiande, who had just become emperor, met him and used Xiajin as a transshipment place to attack Yu Wenhua with an army of 10 under the pretext of avenging Emperor Yang of Sui. and.Lien Chan and Lianjie captured Yu Wenhua and Yuwei County alive, and took him to Xiangguo to behead him.Dou Jiande was born as the leader of the rebel army, and he acted openly, benevolently and wisely. He released all the thousands of beautiful maids who were captured; It belonged to the Turkic Princess Yicheng, who bound her feet and escorted her out of the country.Pei Ju, the servant of Huangmen in the Sui Dynasty, was favored by Dou Jiande and appointed as Zuo Servant, who was in charge of the election.At this time, Dou Jiande always paid attention to maintaining friendly relations with Li Yuan in the west and Wang Shichong in the south, and did not want to be enemies with them.The same is true for Li Yuan and Wang Shichong.However, because everyone wanted to expand their sphere of influence, they had to start fighting with each other before long.

Although Dou Jiande is willing to live in peace with Li Yuan in the west and Wang Shichong in the south.However, he was never afraid of wars. As long as there was a fight, he would strike fiercely and defeated the Tang army many times.He once captured Princess Tong'an of the Tang Dynasty, King Li Shentong of Huai'an and others.After Li Shimin destroyed Xue Rengao and Liu Wuzhou, before he went east to conquer Wang Shichong, in order to prevent Dou Jiande from taking the opportunity to attack or help Wang Shichong, Li Yuan sent envoys to make peace with Dou Jiande and ask him to remain neutral.Knowing that the Tang Dynasty was powerful at this time, Dou Jiande was unwilling to offend Li Yuan, so he agreed at the time, and he also took the initiative to release the captured Princess Tong'an, Huai'an King Li Shentong and others, expressing his willingness to maintain friendly relations with Li Yuan.Because of this, during the harsh winter, when Li Shimin attacked Luoyang violently, Wang Shichong sent his nephew Wang Wan, grandson Anshi, etc. to ask Dou Jiande for help many times.Based on his promise to Li Yuan, based on his dissatisfaction with Wang Shichong, and even more based on his consideration of his own strength, Dou Jiande did not agree to Wang Shichong's request, insisting on standing still and watching from the sidelines.I want to take a good look at Tang and Zheng's fight between snipe and clam, and see if I can be a murloc and get some benefits from it.

Although Dou Jiande did not immediately participate in the offensive and defensive battle between Tang and Wang, he expressed a high degree of concern for this battle.He dispatched a large number of detectives to move around the battlefield to understand the detailed progress of the war, so that he could take the most beneficial action at any time.When spring came, Luoyang became increasingly tense, especially after the battle at Gushuibian, Wang Shichong was seriously injured.Seeing that Wang Shichong could no longer hold on, and if he went on, Luoyang would be occupied by Li Shimin. Liu Bin, a member of Dou Jiande's Zhongshushe, said:
"Li Yuan now owns Guannei, Wang Shichong owns Henan, and my imperial residence owns Hebei, forming a triangular confrontation. Now, Li Yuan is restless in Guannei, ambitious, and has been fighting Wang Shichong for more than half a year. Wang Shichong is gradually unable to support, Luoyang sees It will be conquered by the Tang army. If Li Yuan captures Luoyang at that time, Henan will belong to Li Yuan. The powerful and ambitious Li Yuan will come to attack our country of Xia. I am afraid that our life will be difficult. From this point of view It can be said that Zheng Guo and Xia Guo are connected by the same fate. Because Xia Guo can last for a long time, we don't care how much we hate Zheng Guo now, so we can only send troops to rescue Zheng Guo. If we can join hands with Zheng to eliminate Li Yuan, It is easier to compete with Zheng than to compete with Tang; if we can only drive Li Yuan away, we can keep our country of Xia alive and continue to divide the world with Tang and Zheng."

Dou Jiande listened, nodded in agreement, and said: "The matter has come to this point, our country of Xia can only unite with Zheng to fight against Tang, wait to destroy Zheng, and then we can compete with Tang."?
With such an idea, Dou Jiande immediately led an army to save Wang Shichong from the east.Dou Jiande commanded the army all the way to conquer Yuanzhou, Liangzhou, Guanzhou, Xingyang and Yangzhai in Ketang.When the army arrived in Xuzhou, Wang Shibian, Wang Shichong's younger brother, Xuzhou Xingtai, came out of the city to meet him.There are more than 30 horses in Dou and Wang's joint army.Dou Jiande continued to rush towards Luoyang City in order to intimidate Li Yuan, claiming to be [-] powerful.In order to further clarify the situation of Tang and Zheng, seize favorable opportunities and defeat Li Shimin.The army arrived at Banzhu, [-] miles northeast of Sishui, Henan Province, to the east of Luoyang. Dou Jiande ordered his troops to set up camp here, echoing with Wang Shichong one east and one west, threatening the Tang army's back.

The scenery is beautiful in March, and Yangchun is in Luoyang.Dou Jiande led the generals to climb the high mountain of Chenggao, looking west at Luoyang.But seeing that the road ends with white clouds, the spring and the green stream are long, the eyes are full of spring scenery, and the scenery is infinite. "Hey, when I can occupy Luoyang, I will definitely make Luoyang more beautiful." Dou Jiande was hesitant and full of ambition, with wild dreams in his heart.At this moment, Wang Shibian, Wang Shichong's younger brother, pointed to the previous pass and said:

"Please look, Your Majesty, that is Hulao Pass. Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, all kings and princes have fortified there. This Hulao Pass is connected to Songyue Mountain in the south and the Yellow River in the north. There are criss-crossed mountains and mountains. , the situation that ten thousand men cannot open, has been a battleground for military strategists of all dynasties. Now, if we want to save Luoyang, we must first occupy this pass, so as to maintain close ties with Luoyang. At that time, we can attack when we advance, and we can defend when we retreat. Yea!"

Dou Jiande listened, nodded in agreement, and said: "What Xingtai said is true, I will send General Shen Yue to take down Hulao Pass." After speaking, he led the people down the mountain, and let people announce the most trusted general Shen Yue , ordered him to lead [-] soldiers and horses to quickly seize the Hulao.Wang Shibian watched from the sidelines, admiring Dou Jiande's resoluteness in admonishment and his decisiveness in handling things. He was overjoyed and hurriedly sent someone to tell Wang Shichong about Dou Jiande's desire to seize the tiger prison.

8
Luoyang groaned under the sound of thunder, and suddenly there was a spring breeze and thunder.Seeing that the morale of the Luoyang defenders was declining, the army was short of supplies, and the city was about to be destroyed, it was unexpected that Dou Jiande suddenly appeared on the side of the Tang army as if he had fallen from the sky.For a time, the morale of the Luoyang defenders was greatly boosted.Dou Jiande's soldiers were stationed in Banzhu, facing the Tang army in the southwest, he was like a hungry wolf looking at a fierce horse. He really wanted to pounce on it and bite him to death, but he was a little scared, but he was still ready to make a fierce attack at any time.

Qin Wang Li Shimin heard that Dou Jiande led an army of 30 troops to camp in Banzhu. He pondered for a long time and summoned his ministers and generals to discuss countermeasures.This time, everyone has fought for a long time, not only is very familiar with the situation, but also has already formed their own views on the war.

"Luoyang is about to be conquered, and Dou Jiande led troops to help. It is said that there are 30 people, but in fact there are only more than [-] people. Including the [-] people in Luoyang City, there are only [-] to [-] people in total. My army of the Tang Dynasty attacked the city. It has been more than half a year, and there have been many sacrifices and injuries. The current combat strength of the troops is only [-], which is only half of Wang and Dou. How to deal with it now, please speak freely and express your opinions."

As soon as Li Shimin's opening words fell, everyone rushed to express their opinions.When Li Shimin saw it, he said happily: "Everyone, don't argue. This king must listen to everyone's opinions before making a plan. Whoever says something is right, this king will reward you heavily."

Hearing King Qin's words, everyone calmed down and let Du Ruhui express his opinion first.Du Ruhui saw him, and didn't refuse. He took a step forward and said, "Wang Shichong is trapped in Luoyang now. He is dying because of lack of food. If he continues to be trapped, Luoyang will collapse without attacking. This is the destruction of Zheng State. Dou Jiande went against the sky." , leading troops to help, this is exactly what God wants to help me, Datang, to wipe out these two overlords who cut dramas in one fell swoop." Speaking of this, Du Ruhui stopped, looked around the generals, and finally stopped his eyes on Li Shimin, and continued:
"Shicai, the King of Qin said that, from the surface, it seems that the combined army of Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande has 8 to 9 people, while our army is only [-] people. It is because the enemy is outnumbered, but it is not. Because On the west, south, and east sides of Luoyang, there are about [-] or [-] troops from the Tang Dynasty, such as Li Jing and King Gongxiao, to contain them, and the rising Tang Dynasty is our strong follower. Therefore, we Their strength still far surpasses them." At this point, Du Ruhui stopped again, with a calm expression, smiled very confidently, and continued:
"As long as we have firm confidence in victory and make good arrangements, we will surely win this unification war. Specifically, I have a rough idea of ​​how to fight it. It is to divide the troops into two groups: continue to besiege Luoyang on all sides and make Wang Shichong Without food aid; quickly seize the Hulao Pass all the way, reject Dou Jiande outside the Hulao Pass, and wait for his soldiers to run out of food, and then attack them when the opportunity arises, and they will definitely be defeated in one fell swoop. Dou Jiande is defeated, and Wang Shichong himself is defeated."

Du Ruhui's words won the approval of most people, but Qu Tutong disagreed, he had his own opinion.So he took a step forward, slowly looked around the crowd, and finally set his eyes on Li Shimin.Li Shimin saw him and nodded to him, then Qu Tutong said:
"Everything depends on the situation, especially the war, let alone the momentary arrogance. Otherwise, there will be endless hatred. Just now, King Qin also said that my army of the Tang Dynasty attacked Luoyang for more than half a year, but could not conquer it. This is not the case. It’s not that we are incompetent, it’s that Luoyang City is high and dangerous, and Zheng’s army is brave and tenacious. Now Luoyang is still in the hands of Wang Shichong, and Dou Jiande has led his troops to help. If our army divides into two groups now and faces Wang and Dou at the same time, the risk is too great Great. Dou Jiande came from victory, with vigor and tenacity, like a fierce tiger; Wang Shichong jumped over the wall in a hurry, seeing the hope of life, he was more like a fierce wolf. Our army has been fighting for a long time, and the soldiers are exhausted and want to return to their hometown. If this is the case, if we persist , With this exhausted army, it is really unnecessary to fight back and forth with the tiger and wolf enemies. It is better to return to Xin'an temporarily, wait and see what happens, and then make plans."

Qu Tutong's words won more people's approval, and Feng Deyi waited for Qu Tutong's call to end, and immediately echoed and said:
"General Qu's words, I deeply agree with them, now it is the best policy to retreat to Xin'an first and avoid Dou Jiande's spirit."

For a while, everyone was talking about fighting and retreating.Li Shimin listened quietly, and he found that the number of people who quit seemed to account for two-thirds. It was the first time that Du Ruhui's opinions were so few and popular, and he couldn't help feeling a little anxious.When everyone calmed down, Li Shimin looked at Du Ruhui and said:

"Joining the army may have some amendments or additions to my opinion just now."

Du Ru stood up with a dark smile and said, "To the King of Qin, I have not revised it, but I have made additions."

"Tell me and see."

"General Qu saw the advantages of Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande, as well as the disadvantages of our army, and his analysis was in-depth, which made me admire. Because of the revelation of General Qu's words, I also saw the disadvantages of Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande. The advantages of our army. First of all, Wang Shichong's army is all the elite of Jianghuai, and the army led by Dou Jiande is also the elite of Xia. However, now that the battle has lasted for more than half a year, Wang Shichong's elite has become a starving army; Dou Jiande's army, After listening to their emperor's arbitrary bragging, he insisted on having a large number of people, and did not pay attention to Tang Jun at all. He thought he could win a battle, and he became a full-fledged arrogant soldier. Hungry soldiers are weak, arrogant soldiers are impetuous, both It is a defeated army. Our army besieged Luoyang. Although we could not attack Luoyang for a long time, we have built strong fortifications around Luoyang. The defenders of Luoyang were also frightened by our army's long-term attack. Now, as long as we continue to surround Luoyang , deep ditches and high fortresses, Wang Shichong's army defending the city can be suppressed without many troops. Even if Wang Shichong's hungry soldiers dare to break through because of reinforcements, as long as our army does not fight with them. The offensive war turns into a defensive war , it will be easier, and it will be more lethal to Wang Shichong's defenders. As for Dou Jiande's arrogant soldiers, as long as our army occupies Hulao Pass, we will not be able to hold out against them. Dou Jiande, who has a large number of people, will definitely attack fiercely. Our army Although the battle is exhausting for a long time, they are all first-class elites. If they block the Zheng army's attack with danger, they will definitely win. At that time, the Zheng and Xia armies will be wiped out in one fell swoop, and we will unify the world for the Tang Dynasty and establish an immortal merit."

After hearing Du Ruhui's long talk, everyone became enthusiastic and whispered to each other. Many people's views changed.For a time, the reverse of the main battle accounted for two-thirds.When Li Shimin saw it, he opened his mouth and said:

(End of this chapter)