Chapter 1,351 The Night of Decisive Battle (Part 2)
After handing Li Huaiqin over to Li Dazhi, Yin Yuan completely relaxed and was about to say goodbye and return to the north of the Weishui River to join Yin Qinzhou. What to do after that still needs to be discussed.
However, Li Dazhi dismissed him and said sincerely: "The rain is pouring down now and will not stop for a while, and the road is dark and difficult to travel at night. You might as well wait a little until I deal with Liu Keman. My brother can enter the Xuanwu Clinic."
Treat the injuries. My brother has many injuries and has lost a lot of blood. If he is exposed to rain again, there may be consequences."
What he was most afraid of was not the wound itself, but the iron poison and pollution that the wound might be contaminated with. These two were the most serious. Even a minor wound could be life-threatening, not to mention that Yin Yuan was so seriously injured that he had to run in the heavy rain.
…
Yin Yuan was exhausted and short of breath at this moment. This was a sign of excessive blood loss. He had no choice but to nod and said, "Thank you. I'll just wait a moment."
He turned around and scanned around among the soldiers, and finally found a soldier who was slightly injured. He asked him to ride back to the north of the Weishui River and inform Yin Qinzhou about the situation of the battle and the news that he stayed at Xuanwu Gate for treatment.
Li Dazhi said no more and rode forward.
The rebels have been driven to the narrow strip of land under the Xuanwu Gate and close to the city wall. At this moment, they have abandoned their weapons and squatted on the ground. There is no sign of any stubborn resistance. Their morale is still extremely low.
Liu Keman was helped out by his own soldiers. He looked slumped and dejected. He stood in front of Li Dazhi and said: "This battle has been lost. I can't bear the unnecessary casualties of my subordinates. I hope the general will understand that these soldiers are all the fierce warriors of the Tang Dynasty and won't do anything."
Abuse, as for me, the defeated general, let me do whatever you want."
Li Dazhi sat on the horse and nodded. Although he was not ashamed of Liu Keman's unfaithful and unjust behavior, but it was not appropriate to provoke him and the rebels at this moment, so he said warmly: "For this reason, everyone is a big brother."
Soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, why do you need to fight with each other and kill each other? Since the general has abandoned his weapons and surrendered, I will definitely not treat you harshly, but I want to aggrieve the general and temporarily tie you up and take you into custody. After the war, you will be sent to your majesty for mercy. What do you think?"
"This is the rectification!"
Liu Keman's great ambition was in vain in the face of failure, so he was tied up and escorted.
Li Dazhi ordered the rebels to be counted and guarded in batches. However, there were too many rebels, so they could only wait for the infantry to catch up and then hand them over to the custody of the infantry. However, he also asked the army doctors to treat the seriously injured.
Liu Keman is guilty, but it does not mean that these soldiers are also guilty. As soldiers, it is easy to be bewitched and coerced by generals, especially in this kind of civil war. After the war, the culprits are often removed, and the rest are left alone.
As the two said before, in the final analysis, they are all soldiers of the Tang Dynasty...
…
In less than half an hour, the follow-up infantry finally arrived. Li Dazhi handed all the rebels into custody, then called the Xuanwu Gate open, had a brief exchange with Sun Renshi, and then swarmed in from the Xuanwu Gate with five thousand cavalry.
Enter Tai Chi Palace.
*****
Rainwater pours down from the dripping tiles depicting auspicious animal patterns on the eaves of Butokuden Hall. It is reflected crystal clear by the orange-red light of the lanterns hanging under the eaves, and then falls on the ground paved with blue bricks.
This kind of blue brick is an inverted trapezoid with a wide top and a narrow bottom. The surface is smooth and smooth, but the gaps between the bricks become wider as they go downwards. Rainwater seeps into these gaps and flows into underground culverts, and then flows to the drainage system throughout the palace. , and finally merge into various water systems running through Tai Chi Palace.
Therefore, although the rain was heavy, the green ground was washed clean by the rain, and the light of the lanterns was faintly reflected, but there was no water accumulation anywhere.
Fang Jun stepped on the wet blue bricks and entered the brightly lit Wude Hall. The originally noisy sounds in the hall suddenly became quiet. Everyone's eyes focused on him. The meanings of these eyes were quite complicated. Some were envious, and some were envious. Jealousy, some admiration, some disgust... there are all kinds of things in the world.
At present, even Li Jing, who is known as the "Military God", has far less influence on the war situation than Fang Jun. After all, Li Jing led troops to garrison outside Chunming Gate to intimidate all the clans, garrisoning troops, and affecting the Tai Chi Palace. The war inside is beyond our reach.
It can be said that the survival of the Center and the life and death of His Majesty are all tied to Fang Jun.
If the mutiny was finally quelled and the rebels were annihilated, Fang Jun would take the greatest credit. Looking at the court, except for Li Ji, no one else could keep pace with him. Even Li Ji's holy scrolls were far from being comparable to Fang Jun's.
The eyes of the ministers were a little blurry. Most of them had witnessed with their own eyes the process of Fang Jun growing up from an unlearned playboy to an important minister of the imperial court. Now they have to watch Fang Jun steadily embark on the road of becoming a "powerful minister". I was filled with emotions and my heart was filled with ups and downs.
…
Li Chengqian watched Fang Jun steadily walk up the hall, his eyes pleased, but also a bit complicated.
As a king, who can care less about the eternal power of the emperor and holding the sun and moon in his hand? He must be resistant to the appearance of a "powerful minister". But he has self-awareness and knows that he is far from the wise and powerful father. In such a situation where not everyone supports the throne, to secure the throne, it is necessary to rely on those ministers with great talents and strategies.
Since "powerful officials" are bound to appear, naturally it would be more reassuring for Fang Jun to be the "powerful minister".
A minister who is not keen on power and only wants to stabilize the foundation of the empire can help him survive these turbulent years and develop the empire. As for whether there will be estrangements and differences in the future, we will leave it to the future.
"I have an audience with Your Majesty."
Seeing Fang Jun's arms and stomach touching the ground, Li Chengqian waved his hand: "Young Master, you don't have to be polite. If you come, please give me a seat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The chamberlain hurriedly brought a stool and put it on the hall. After Fang Jun thanked him and took his seat, Li Chengqian asked: "Gong Wei has sent Li Dazhi to lead the prince Zuo Wei to Xuanwu Gate. The war is not over yet. I wonder what the fighting situation is like outside Wude Gate." ?”
The safety of Xuanwu Gate affects the battle situation of the entire Taiji Palace. Once Xuanwu Gate is lost, the rebels of Li and Liu will not only be able to go directly from Xuanwu Gate to Taiji Palace to attack the Youtun Guard rear formation, but it will also cause the entire situation in Guanzhong to change violently. Changes, those garrison troops who have been watching with cold eyes, eager to try, the clans and clans will inevitably respond and come in droves.
By then, Li Jing and Xue Wanche will be tightly restrained outside Chang'an City, and the war at Wude Hall can only rely on Fang Jun and his Youtun Guards.
If the battle situation is unfavorable and he cannot resist the rebels of Yuchi Gong and Li Daozong, then Li Chengqian can only withdraw from Wude Palace through the secret passage and retreat to Hexi under the protection of Li Jing and Xue Wanche. However, the entire army of the Youtun Guards will inevitably be annihilated in Taiji Palace. Inside.
Fang Jun looked indifferent and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, don't worry. Although the rebels are attacking fiercely, the situation is still under control. However, according to Wei Chen's estimation, the Xuanwu Sect will definitely be safe. Li and Liu are both ambitious and talented. The soldiers and horses under his command are not strong enough to withstand Li Dazhi's fierce attack. The only right Xiaowei who still has some fighting strength was dragged by Lu Guogong to Xianyang Bridge. He must be destroyed not far away... The battle situation is not far away... The rebels are becoming more and more disadvantaged and are likely to take extreme measures to make a desperate move. The decisive battle will probably be tonight."
After saying this, he looked at Li Ji on one side.
Li Ji thought for a moment, met Fang Jun's gaze, nodded slightly, and confirmed his analysis and guess.
When Li Chengqian saw that the two men who were now under the military flag had the same predictions about the outcome of the battle, he had no doubts. He nodded and said: "In this case, I ask Erlang to fight to the death to defeat the rebels and maintain the imperial court. I hereby wish you the best." You have won the victory! You have also conveyed my thoughts to the army. Today, all those who risk their lives to help the country are meritorious people. Those who are alive will be promoted to positions and titles, and will be rewarded with great honors. The soldiers who sacrificed will have their children, and their rewards will be doubled! I will remember it. The Tang Dynasty will remember them, and their achievements will be remembered forever!"
"Your Majesty, Holy Ming!"
All the officials in the palace stood up and chanted together.
Fang Jun also stood up from the stool, knelt down on one knee, and said loudly: "As imperial soldiers, we protect the country. It is our bounden duty to be loyal to the emperor. Even if we are broken into pieces, we should regard death as death. We will go all out in this battle to annihilate the traitors. Please Your Highness is here waiting for good news!"
Li Chengqian's face was overjoyed. He stood up and opened his hands to support the ministers in the palace. His tone was sonorous: "From ancient times to the present, in every prosperous age, the monarch and his ministers must be one, united and united, and the officials should govern the Qingming Dynasty and the government should be harmonious. Now I am with you dear ministers." If we go through adversity together and never give up in life or death, the other dynasties will surely be able to enjoy wealth and honor together, create a prosperous age unprecedented in the ages, and when they die in the future, they will be able to comfort the spirit of the great ancestor and Emperor Taizong in heaven!"
This time, the ministers could not just bow. They all knelt on the ground and shouted: "I will follow your majesty through life and death. Long live your majesty! Long live the Tang Dynasty!"
The sound of the oaths of the ministers in Wude Palace soared into the sky, completely blocking the sound of rain outside the palace. At least at this moment, it can be said that the monarch and his ministers are of one mind, sharing weal and woe. Neither Liu Zi nor Zhang Liang dared to say something at this time. The weird words can't be ended for fear of arousing public anger.
…
Outside the Wude Gate, countless rebels quickly gathered, filling the entire area to the south and west of the Wude Hall with darkness. Under the heavy rain, there were crowds of people, rubbing shoulders, and the dark night was filled with helplessness. The pressure of words is as if the rippling river is accumulating strength and is about to break down the river bank, roaring and wreaking havoc on the world.
Yuchi Gong stood on horseback in the heavy rain with his helmet and armor on, looking intently at Wudemen in front of him in the dark night. The siege was still continuing, but because the rain was getting heavier, the soldiers were getting closer and closer.
I am getting more and more tired, and my momentum is no longer what it used to be.
When Lieutenant General Su Jia came behind him and whispered that the troops were assembled, Yuchi Gong tore off the raincoat he was wearing, let the rain drip down along the edge of his pocket, raised the horse in his hand high, and shouted at the top of his lungs
: "Life or death, victory or defeat, depends on this one move. Sons and gentlemen, follow me to break through the door!"
"Kill, kill, kill!"
In the heavy rain, tens of thousands of rebels raised their arms and shouted in response. The shouts in unison were like thunder, shaking all directions, and their morale was like a rainbow.
As the war drums sounded, countless rebels ran wildly, merged with the attacking troops in front, and launched a fierce attack on Wudemen, Qianhuamen and other palace gates.
Under the curtain of rain, it was like a flood that burst its embankments, flowing freely, with such force that it could destroy the heaven and the earth, crushing, crushing, and tearing everything in front of it into pieces.