Li Ben's heart tightened, but his eyes rolled around. Although he was born in the countryside, he had stayed in the palace for more than half a year, gained a lot of knowledge, and became smarter. The middle-aged man just now claimed to be Xiao Dapeng's subordinate.
, but not long after he left, Liu Wenjing rushed in with someone. If something went wrong, it could only be Xiao Dapeng. Li Ben secretly thought about how to clear the relationship with Xiao Dapeng.
Uneasy all the way, Li Ben was brought to Li Yuan. Li Yuan ignored him and was peeling tangerines with a knife. The tangerines were golden in color and looked fresh on the surface, but they were shriveled and devoid of moisture inside. Li Yuan cut the knife into
Throwing it heavily on the ground: "It's all trash, what's the use of it!"
The knife was pierced in front of Li Ben, and the handle was still trembling slightly. Li Ben couldn't help but shiver, lying on the ground, kowtowing and saying: "Your Majesty, I was just confused for a moment and was deceived by others. Please forgive me for my life."
ah!"
He racked his brains and thought hard, but could not utter a single word of the words he had thought up on the road.
Li Yuan glanced at him indifferently and said: "You can correct your mistakes if you know them. There is no greater good. Tell me, where did you go wrong?"
Li Ben did not dare to hide anything and told the whole story. Li Yuan then lightly clapped his hands and a person came out from behind the screen. It was Li Cheng, the eunuch in charge of the palace. Li Cheng walked up to Li Ben and said fiercely
Kicked him to the ground: "You beast, how dare you betray the prince! I'll kill you first!"
Li Yuan waved his hand and said: "That's all, he just lost his mind for a moment, please give him a break."
Li Ben was secretly happy and was about to speak when he heard Li Yuan say again: "Death penalty can be avoided, but living crime cannot be escaped. Li Cheng, for the sake of your face, don't care about him for the time being. Take him down first and let him think about it."
Yes. As for the general of Bishenfu, he doesn’t need to continue working."
"Beast, why don't you thank the prince quickly!" Of course Li Cheng can hope to save the life of his nephew and adopted son. What's more, as long as he is loyal to Li Yuan, when Li Yuan becomes a big deal in the future, he can also ask Li Yuan to give Li Ben a good life.
A petty official with no power will work hard.
Soldiers had come over long ago and dragged Li Ben down, and Li Cheng also said goodbye and returned to the palace. Liu Wenjing said in confusion: "Your Majesty, isn't this too cheap for him?"
Li Yuan smiled and said: "Spending Li Ben can make Li Cheng more loyal, why not? If you want to conquer the world, you must rely on Li Cheng's head. Let's keep Li Ben first.
Only Li Cheng would give up. Okay, everyone has worked hard, go back and have a rest. You will enter the palace with me early tomorrow morning."
…
The target of the troops Gui Hai sought was Dashanguan. Dashanguan is located in Chencang Mountain, the farthest away. It controls the passage between Fufeng and Hechi. Hechi County belongs to Bahan Road, and Xiao Xian is making trouble in Bahan.
It is fierce, and Yang Xuangan intends to leave Wuguan to attack Xiao Xian, so there are heavy troops stationed here, which can respond to Wuguan from a distance. Among the three passes, Dashan Pass is the most difficult to attack.
After receiving this task, Gui Haiqiu was quite critical, thinking that Liu Ziqiu had left the most difficult task to him, causing him to lose the opportunity to win the first prize. In fact, he did not know that Liu Ziqiu did not expect him to really win the big victory.
Sanguan, but used his troops to contain the defenders of Sanguan.
After capturing Dazhen Pass and Anyi Pass, Liu Ziqiu's army can march straight into Fufeng County. Whether they can defeat Dashan Pass is no longer so important. But Liu Ziqiu does not intend to start a fight between Fufeng and Yang Xuangan's army.
They have to fight all the way to Chang'an. As long as Chang'an is captured, it will be useless no matter how many troops Yang Xuangan has elsewhere. At that time, Liu Ziqiu can completely recruit and integrate them. Of course, they will definitely encounter resistance. But no matter what,
Without Yang Xuangan as the commander-in-chief and Yang Hao as the golden brand, any kind of resistance would be difficult to achieve and could be defeated one by one.
Liu Ziqiu had another consideration when arranging Gui Haiqiu to attack Dashan Pass. Gui Haiqiu was cautious, and it was impossible to fight against Dashan Pass with sufficient troops and tight defense. If it were Wen Hao, Zhang Liang or Shi Danai, as long as
It was an order given by Liu Ziqiu, and they would complete it at all costs, which would inevitably cause huge casualties. And Liu Ziqiu couldn't make his intentions too clear, otherwise the soldiers would definitely be unable to do their best, and it would even affect the morale of the entire army.
Morale is something that cannot be seen or touched, but it is real and can be encouraged but not vented.
But Liu Ziqiu miscalculated this time. Gui Haiqiu did not give up. He was silently thinking about how to capture Dashan Pass along the way. He also wanted to make meritorious deeds. If he didn't have the first meritorious service, he could just get a second meritorious service. But there was.
Liu Ziqiu was not wrong at all. Gui Haiqiu was indeed very cautious, or rather cherished his life. Facing the large Sangguan with sufficient troops, a force attack would definitely not work. He was thinking about how to outwit him. When it was almost dark, he really came up with an idea.
There is a way.
It was late at night, and Dashan Pass was quiet. Most of the guards guarding the pass had fallen asleep, and there were only a few patrols on the city. But there were countless torches on the city, illuminating the situation inside and outside the pass clearly. Suddenly,
Someone saw many people and horses coming from the north of Guancheng. They were so dark that they couldn't see clearly even though they were too far away.
Immediately after the gate was closed, a warning gong sounded, which was particularly harsh in the dark night. The person guarding the Dashan Pass was Yang Xuangan's general Zhao Huaiyi. He ran the army very strictly, and the 10,000 people guarding the gate were considered to be Yang Xuangan's elite soldiers. Listen.
When the warning sounded, the soldiers reacted quickly and rushed out of the camp, busy putting on their clothes and armor as they rushed to the city. Soon, the city was filled with soldiers armed with swords, guns, bows and arrows.
The group of people outside the city is getting closer and closer. It can be seen that the people's clothes are in tatters and in a state of embarrassment, but they do not look like they are coming to attack Guancheng. Moreover, the north is in Fufeng County, which should belong to Yang Xuangan's territory. This group comes from behind them
It is even less likely that the army that appears is the enemy.
But Zhao Huaiyi did not dare to take it lightly and still ordered: "Fire the arrow!"
Arrows rained down on the city, and the team of men and horses suffered a sudden blow and retreated one after another. Because of the distance, not many people were hit by arrows. Occasionally, one or two people were hit by arrows and were not seriously injured. But the group below the city gave up.
, immediately yelled and cursed, including all kinds of unpleasant words.
Zhao Huaiyi shouted on the city: "Who are you? Send your general to come forward and answer!"
There was a commotion in the ranks below the city, and a general rode out and said loudly: "A certain person is Wei Guihai of Qishan County. Li Yuan took advantage of the emptiness in Chang'an to attack on a large scale and fought all the way to Fufeng. A certain person could not defend the city, so he had to move forward.
I have come to seek refuge with the general, and I hope the general will accept you."
Qishan County is in the northeast of Fufeng County. Zhao Huaiyi has never been there and does not know Guihai. But looking at the soldiers and horses under the city, there are less than two thousand people. Most of them have no armor and only wear all kinds of cloth and silk clothes.
, even Gui Hai only wore a tattered robe. If he was really the captain of Qishan County, he must have fled in a hurry without defending the city. However, if Gui Hai is to go by what he said, Chang'an may have been captured by Li Yuan.
Zhao Huaiyi's heart tightened. Yang Xuangan gathered troops and horses at Wuguan, preparing to go out to attack Xiao Mian and seize food and grass. Zhao Huaiyi knew about this, and he was also prepared to assist if necessary. In other words, Chang'an City was indeed empty, and Li Yuan took advantage of it.
It is also possible to sneak in. If Chang'an is captured by Li Yuan, Yang Xuangan will definitely counterattack with all his strength. The counterattack must have men and horses, and the garrison of Dashanguan will definitely be mobilized by then. One more person will bring more strength, and those who are defeated outside the city will
Although the soldiers are in a sorry state, they are still only two thousand men and horses. It may not be possible to let them attack the city, but it should be more than enough to defend the city.
Thinking of this, Zhao Huaiyi hesitated a little and asked to the left and right: "Look, should I let them in?"
One of the captains said without hesitation: "Since he is my brother, there is no harm in letting him in."
Another captain raised his hand and said: "General, it's hard to tell the enemy from ourselves late at night, so it's better to be careful!"
The famous captain just now laughed and said: "You are too careful. Look at them, they don't even have armor, and there are only two thousand people. Even if they are let in, what big wave can they make?"
Zhao Huaiyi thought for a while and felt that what the captain said was reasonable. How could he be afraid of two thousand people if he had ten thousand people? So he waved his hand and said: "Open the door!"
The door was opened wide, and the team of people outside the gate swarmed in. Many people shouted: "The door is finally open. If I were caught up by the Luoyang army outside, wouldn't my death be in vain?"
Zhao Huaiyi breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this and ordered: "Bury the pot to make rice, let them have a full meal first."
After saying that, Zhao Huaiyi turned and went down to the city without going to meet the county captain. Anyone who was woken up in the middle of the night would not feel good, and he had to rush to catch up on his sleep.
At this moment, there was a commotion in Guanzhong, as if there was some dispute between the defeated troops and the defenders in Guanzhong. Zhao Huaiyi frowned and said: "These guys really have no military discipline, no wonder they were defeated like this.
Go look at a few people and kill anyone who disobeys orders!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a black object flew straight towards him. Zhao Huaiyi hurriedly dodged and grabbed the object. He smelled a bloody smell and felt sticky in his hands. By the light of the torch,
At first glance, it was clearly a head. It was red and white in his hand, and he knew what it was without having to guess. Zhao Huaiyi was shocked: "No! I've fallen into a trap!"
It was a good thing that he didn't shout. When he shouted, the defenders on the city didn't know what was going on, and they suddenly became chaotic. The "broken soldiers" were extremely brave. Although there were only two thousand people, they were divided into several teams.
Killing all over Guanzhong, they were invincible, and the defenders under Zhao Huaiyi were no match for them.
Zhao Huaiyi was so anxious that he jumped to his feet and shouted: "Don't make a mess! Don't make a mess!"
At this moment, he saw a man rushing straight in front of him. In the flash of cold light, a sharp steel knife slashed at his neck.