Li Shentong, the king of Huai'an, was defeated in Xiangzhou, which was within Li Zhiyun's expectation. When he defeated Yu Wenhuaji, Li Shentong was almost crazy. He almost said, "Heaven is the boss, Saint is the second child, and he is the third child."
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Taking advantage of the victory to pursue and expand the results is an irresistible temptation for the general. Through the details of the Xiangzhou battle report obtained by the court, Li Zhiyun also understood that Dou Jiande was taking advantage of Li Shentong's arrogant mentality to lead him step by step into a trap.
Then the butchery operation begins.
Now, the King of Qin led his army to Hebei. Li Zhiyun said he was not worried and was not worried.
Don't worry, that's because the second brother can fight.
He was worried because history had begun to change beyond recognition. He remembered that Li Shentong was indeed defeated by Dou Jiande in history, but Li Xiaoji did not die at the hands of Dou Jiande. Moreover, there was no war in history where Li Shimin conquered Hebei.
He didn't know if the second brother could capture Dou Jiande alive this time.
Anyway, things got troublesome.
In the meeting hall of Prince Chu's Mansion, all the confidants gathered around Li Zhiyun after finishing their work on dispatching troops.
"Is the king worried about Xiangzhou?" Du Ruhui asked. The person who understands Li Zhiyun best is Du Ruhui. This time the King of Chu was ordered to go east from Tongguan to attack Luoyang. The main purpose was to contain Wang Shichong's troops. It was an auxiliary to the war in Hebei, not the main force. Therefore,
There is no need for the King of Chu to worry about his own affairs.
Li Zhiyun nodded without thinking and said: "Of course I believe in my second brother's ability, but Dou Jiande's attack is so fierce, and many places in Xiangzhou have been lost. Once Hanoi cannot be defended, we can only reduce the battlefield to Bingzhou."
Within, there will even be a bloody battle in the Zhiguanxing area."
Thinking of the intricate Taihang Mountain Road, Du Ruhui and others fell silent one after another. In tough battles, there were always heavy casualties.
Xue Shou said: "Your Majesty, my subordinates believe that it is too early to consider these things now. The specific situation in Xiangzhou can only depend on King Qin's troop formation at that time. What your Majesty needs to consider now is how to attack Luoyang and capture Wang Shichong.
The soldiers and horses were brought back from Liyang."
Hearing this, Li Zhiyun laughed at himself and said, "You are right, I am worrying in vain."
The leader of the attack on Hebei is not himself, so what's the use of worrying about it.
Chu Suiliang thought: "Wang Shichong is very aware of the pressure our government is exerting on him. Therefore, when our army marches eastward from Tongguan, we must not be able to hide it from him. In this case, we must be cautious. In fact, his subordinates even suspected that Wang Shichong would use this time to defeat Dou Jiande.
The King of Huai'an took the opportunity to use troops against our court."
"You mean, Wang Shichong's sending troops to Liyang may be a trap, and his main purpose is to take the opportunity to attack Tongguan?" Xue Yuanjing asked.
Chu Suiliang nodded, looked at Li Zhiyun, and reminded with a solemn expression: "Your Majesty, it is not impossible. Dou Jiande defeated the King of Huai'an, and our army supported Xiangzhou. The leader of the army is still the King of Qin. Wang Shichong should not give up such an opportunity."
After the words fell, everyone in the room looked solemn.
Xue Yuanjing reminded: "Your Highness, if this matter is true, wouldn't 20,000 troops be enough to deal with Wang Shichong?"
Li Zhiyun shook his head and said: "You are wrong. If it is true, we have achieved our goal."
Um?
Everyone looked at Li Zhiyun in confusion.
Du Ruhui understood what Li Zhiyun meant and immediately explained: "What your Highness means is that if Wang Shichong's attack on Liyang is a cover, then in Xiangzhou, His Highness King Qin only needs to deal with Dou Jiande. And we only need to stick to Tongguan. With our
With 20,000 soldiers and horses, plus the defenders of Tongguan, even if Wang Shichong had an army of 100,000 to attack, he would not be able to conquer it in a short time."
"What should we do if Wang Shichong mobilizes his whole country to attack Tongguan?" Duan Zhixuan asked.
"One word, drag." Du Ruhui said.
"Drag?" Duan Zhixuan didn't understand. Gu
Du Ruhui nodded and said: "As long as Wang Shichong can be held back and His Highness the King of Qin repels Dou Jiande, then the King of Qin's troops can cross the river and capture Luoyang directly."
When he said this, everyone was suddenly stunned.
Li Zhiyun said: "Your worries are not unreasonable. Let's do this. I will enter the palace later to explain the reason to my father and see if I can bring all the 40,000 troops under my command to defend Tongguan."
Xue Shou said assuredly: "In this way, Tongguan will become a natural hazard."
Tongguan is inherently easy to defend and difficult to attack. If there are 50,000 soldiers and horses to defend it, Wang Shichong's 200,000 troops may not be able to defeat it.
Everyone immediately discussed again, and then went back to busy with the expedition.
Li Zhiyun went directly to the palace and explained his worries to Li Yuan.
When they arrived at the Li Zheng Palace, the prince and the King of Qin were also discussing the matter of sending troops.
After Li Zhiyun finished speaking, Li Yuan agreed without thinking that Li Zhiyun would bring 40,000 troops there. The importance of Tongguan was self-evident, and Li Yuan would never allow Tongguan to be lost.
Li Shimin consoled him: "Father, you don't need to worry too much. Just as Zhiyun said, if Wang Shichong really wants to attack the east and the west, then we have the opportunity to attack Luoyang directly through the ferry in Hanoi."
Li Yuan nodded, looked at his three sons, and said: "No matter what, Erlang and Wulang, when you go on this expedition, you put your own safety first. If it comes to emergency, don't hold on. Soldiers, horses, land, for
You can lose your father, but as a father, I don’t want to lose you.”
At this time, Lao Li didn't look like an emperor, but like a fragile father.
Li Xiaoji's death cast a huge shadow on him. Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, all crises have been easily resolved. Yin Shishi, Xue Ju, Li Gui, Zhu Can, Yu Wenhuaji, enemies one after another,
They died one after another at the hands of the Tang army.
This gave Lao Li the illusion that the Tang army was invincible.
It wasn't until Li Xiaoji died in battle that he realized that the Tang army was not invincible, and the princes of the clan were not always victorious generals.
He has four adult sons, and losing any one of them is something he cannot accept.
Li Zhiyun was touched in his heart and said with cupped hands: "Yeah, don't worry, Hai'er and second brother will never make mistakes. Dou Jiande is looking for death, and Second Brother will help him. Wang Shichong is looking for death, and Hai'er will help him. Whoever dares to offend the Tang Dynasty will need him
Death without a burial place!”
Li Shimin nodded heavily and said solemnly: "Yeah, what Zhiyun said is what the kid wants to say. The kid will definitely avenge Uncle Xiaoji! Dou Jiande, he is dead, even the military leader Chi You can't save him, I
That’s what you said!”
Although Li Xiaoji was their cousin, he was still a member of the clan. The clan members died in battle, and both Li Shimin and Li Zhiyun felt a little uncomfortable in their hearts.
Failure to avenge this hatred is equivalent to the dignity of the royal family being trampled on by Dou Jiande.
Li Yuan nodded, "Okay! You are indeed my son. When you return in triumph, I will hold a big celebration banquet for you!"
Li Zhiyun and Li Shimin bowed their hands and said, "Please rest assured, my child will definitely live up to his trust!"
Li Jiancheng looked at his two younger brothers, feeling inexplicably touched in his heart, and said: "Shimin, Zhiyun, don't worry, I will give you support even if I die for my brother's sake regarding logistics!"
"Thank you, brother!"
The three brothers looked at each other speechlessly, but at this moment, they were better than thousands of words.