In the Wude Hall, the monarchs and ministers gathered together, whispering to each other about the decisive battle outside the Wude Gate. Battle reports were sent from time to time, and every change in the battle situation could be seen before their eyes, making the atmosphere even more tense.
The moment Wude Gate was breached, the air in the palace seemed to freeze. Everyone looked pale and panicked. Although they knew that following the emperor was a huge gamble, winning or losing on the gambling table was determined by destiny. The benefits are endless and the defeat is a complete loss. But when the final result is about to appear and the face is a complete failure, who can be truly indifferent and willing to accept fate?
Li Chengqian, who pretended to be calm, also panicked. He had always had full confidence in Fang Jun, but at this moment he couldn't help but feel doubtful. Is he really going to lose?
Although you can evacuate Taiji Palace through the secret passage at the last moment, and retreat to Hexi under the protection of Li Jing and Xue Wanche, you can still compete with Chang'an, but you can be forcibly evicted from the throne. What a shame?
Unable to help but ask for help, he looked at Li Ji, his voice inevitably trembling: "What do you think...what is the situation?"
Li Jidan was calm and composed. He only asked Li Junxian, who was responsible for delivering the battle report at the door, to dispel the panic of Li Chengqian and many people present.
"Has Duke Yue's reserve team been released?"
Li Junxian shook his head: "It has not been released. The three thousand reserve troops are fully equipped and are waiting inside Wudemen. However, the Duke of Yue has been fully dressed and is waiting to personally lead the army into battle."
Many people in the hall let out a long breath. Since the reserve team has not yet been released, it means that even if Wudemon falls, the situation is not yet desperate. Not to mention there is still a chance of reversal, at least there is room for change.
Of course, not everyone thinks so.
Zhang Liang, the Minister of Punishment, said anxiously: "Your Majesty, you should have made a decision early. Although Fang Jun is brave enough to defeat the three armies, how can a mere 3,000 reserve troops be able to defeat an enemy that is ten times more powerful? Ying Gong's estimate of the battle situation is too optimistic. I beg to differ."
The so-called "making an early decision" means that you should evacuate from the secret passage as soon as possible, and at the very least, you should be prepared in the morning.
After all, after the rebels broke into Wudemen, their defeat was certain. It would be unavoidable to leave in a hurry at that time, and it is impossible to evacuate all the people in the secret passage at the same time. Someone must leave first, and someone must leave later, just in case the person who leaves later does not have time. If we retreat only to encounter rebels coming in, wouldn't we die in vain?
The first to leave must be His Majesty, his children, concubines, plus all the princes, princesses, and even the late emperor’s concubines. When it is his turn to Zhang Liang, I don’t know how long he will have to wait, or he might end up "leaving behind". The one...
Li Ji glanced at Zhang Liang, frowned and said: "The Wude Palace is heavily guarded. Even if the rebels rush in, they will not be able to kill here for a moment. Duke Yun is also an honorary minister of Zhenguan, and he made great achievements in leading the army in battle. , why are you so timid and panicked?"
Zhang Liang said anxiously: "Your Majesty, the king of ten thousand chariots, is involved in the survival of the country and must ensure that nothing goes wrong. Does your Majesty dare to guarantee that Fang Jun still has the power to reverse the situation? If you don't have the power to reverse the situation, your Majesty will only be left here to bear the risk. What’s the benefit?”
Before Li Ji could answer, Liu Zi also said angrily: "It is you generals who are unwilling to give up your own interests and reputation, and have repeatedly discouraged His Majesty from evacuating the Wude Palace, which has caused the current crisis. You keep saying that the situation is under control, and it is determined." You were able to kill the rebels, but the result was that Wudemen fell and Your Majesty was in danger. You, Fang Jun, and Li Jing are the sinners of the Tang Dynasty!"
The spearhead was directly aimed at the military, and the words of warning covered everyone in the military, and the situation of the struggle suddenly escalated to a civil-military confrontation.
Li Ji's anger rose, but he was very well-controlled and held back his anger and said: "Liu Zhongshu's words are wrong. As soldiers, we should protect His Majesty, protect the country, and protect the empire with our flesh and blood! Could it be that we are rebels? Howling crowds, threatening good deeds, shall we advise Your Majesty to run away and surrender the center of the country? Your Majesty, a king of ten thousand chariots, does not stand under dangerous walls, but he also has his own responsibilities. Before the last moment, he must cut off his power. We cannot abandon the foundation established by Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong!"
Liu Zi retorted and sneered: "In the final analysis, is it not because you people are unwilling to give up military power that you are coercing His Majesty to make a final struggle? You are greedy for profit, and you are really a coward in the country. As long as His Majesty is not even harmed, you will die. His crime!"
No matter how well-mannered Li Ji was, he couldn't bear such a crime in vain. He suddenly became furious and said, "How shameless! The soldiers are fighting bloody battles and charging into the battle. They are willing to die for the sake of the empire, but you are here as Zhongshu Ling." Those who slander and speak lies for no reason are actually traitors to the country! As the head of the Prime Minister, how can I sit idly by and ignore it? If you dare to say such unscrupulous words again, you will definitely be killed and you will be punished for the soldiers who are loyal to Your Majesty. Justice!"
Everyone in the main hall held different opinions and got into a mess, which made Li Chengqian's brain hurt...
Li Chengqian had no choice but to pick up the brass paperweight on the table and knock it. When the shouting and arguing stopped for a while, he said with a cold face: "I have already made up my mind. I will never abandon the center of the empire until the last moment." , All officers and men of the army need not say anything more about retreating as soon as possible."
King Chrysostom gave his final word to this matter. Although his words were fair, he was actually slightly biased towards the military...
But Liu Zi could accept it. After all, as Li Ji said, those who are fighting bloody battles outside are the generals of the army. All hopes are pinned on them. Even though Liu Zi represents the interests of the civil service group, he does not want to see them. By the time Fang Jun was defeated, everyone had to follow His Majesty to withdraw from Chang'an and flee to Hexi...
The civil-military battle is not a battle of wills, let alone a battle for a city or a place, but a long and cruel struggle. Otherwise, if the military controls the center, it will inevitably fight for many years and resort to militarism. Over time, no matter what the Tang Dynasty does, All great powers will fall into decline or even collapse.
Perhaps within a certain period of time, we can quickly accumulate wealth and plunder land through war, but in the long run, we will inevitably become trapped in a cocoon and suffer backlash.
No matter how big a country is, it will perish if it is warlike.
In the civil-military battle, it can not only unite the civil service group to consolidate their status and prestige, but also prevent the military from getting bigger and dragging the empire into the quagmire of war. It is beneficial to both the public and private parties. Why not do it?
Suddenly, thunderous shouts were heard outside the palace in the wind and rain, and the sound of "kill, kill, kill" was faintly heard. Li Chengqian's heart tightened and he hurriedly asked: "What's going on outside the palace?"
Li Junxian hurried out and returned in a moment: "Your Majesty, the Duke of Yue led a thousand armored cavalry and two thousand heavily armored infantry to kill the enemy. He has defeated the rebels who rushed into Wudemen and rushed out. Palace gate, launch a surprise attack on the rebels."
"Ah! The Duke of Yue is worthy of being a brave general who champions all three armies. He faces difficulties like this and defeats the rebels with his sharpness. He has the style of a famous general!"
"Yes, with the bravery of the Duke of Yue, maybe he can really defeat the rebels and reverse the situation!"
The ministers in the palace whispered to each other, expressing their appreciation for Fang Jun's brazen counterattack at the critical moment.
But most of them expressed surprise...
"A thousand armored cavalry? And two thousand heavily armored infantry?"
"Oh no, no wonder the rebels still kept calm despite the fierce attacks. It turns out that the Duke of Yue has such a back-up plan!"
Everyone was sitting in the Hall of Wude, and they didn’t know much about the deployment of troops outside. Fang Jun had not reported in detail what types of troops his reserve team was beforehand. Now that they suddenly heard that Fang Jun had left such a heavy armored unit at the end, they were naturally surprised. Have more confidence.
Li Chengqian felt a little more at ease, and turned to ask Li Ji: "In my opinion, if Erlang personally leads the heavy armored troops to counterattack, can he turn defeat into victory?"
Li Ji thought for a while and said cautiously: "We still need to know how Duke Yue will counterattack in the future."
The heavy armored troops can indeed exert their greatest power in such a battle situation, but the number of rebel soldiers gathered in Chang'an City has reached 60,000 to 70,000. Such a large number of troops is enough to make up for any gap in arms. Once The heavily armored troops were surrounded and could only be slowly eaten away, gathering together and annihilating them.
Not long after, Li Junxian again truthfully reported the battle situation outside the palace.
When they heard that "The Duke of Yue led his troops out of Wude Gate and launched a charge in front of the rebels gathered outside the gate, he cut through Yuchi Gong's position with overwhelming momentum." Everyone in the palace was celebrating with their hats and praises. However, Speaking of "Yu Chi Gong deliberately divided his troops to two sides to avoid the sharp edge, trying to lure the army into a trap", he couldn't help but worry about Fang Jun. Liu Zi, Zhang Liang and others would inevitably say something like "Young and frivolous, courageous but not wise", and finally heard that "pretending to be brave" The cavalry stormed Li Daozong's position and then headed east, while the heavily armored infantry fought steadily." There was another sigh.
Xu Jingzong clapped his thighs and said regretfully: "Oh my, it's just a little short of that! If we can penetrate the rebel position in one fell swoop and capture Zhaode Hall, we will be able to capture King Jin in one fell swoop... What a pity."
Liu Zize said: "You are still young and inactive. If the Duke of Wei were replaced and the troops were led by the British, they would definitely break through the enemy's formation at any cost. Now that we have won a complete victory, why are we being driven around like a lost dog?"
Whenever I get an opportunity, I will always belittle Fang Jun, attack Fang Jun's prestige, and weaken Fang Jun's achievements.
He firmly believes in the principle that a rope cuts through a tree and a drop of water penetrates a stone. As long as this continues, the emperor's trust and reliance on Fang Jun will inevitably decrease significantly...
Li Chengqian ignored the discussions of these ministers and just looked at Li Ji. With such a master of the art of war by his side, how could he care about other people's inferences about the battle situation? Whether Fang Jun fought well or not, it didn't matter what others said. Li Ji's judgment convinced him even more.
Li Ji felt Li Chengqian's gaze, and he already had some guesses about Fang Jun's strategy. However, in order to be more prudent, he stood up and went to the map on one side, carefully observing the architectural layout of Tai Chi Palace and the deployment of troops on both sides. The changing situation of the war...
Then he said to Li Chengqian in a firm tone: "The strategy adopted by the Duke of Yue is already the most perfect response to the current war situation. It is obviously difficult to defeat the enemy with only three thousand people, but as long as these three thousand people keep cruising
Outside the Wude Gate, the rebels will feel like they have a knife in their throats and a thorn in their backs, and they will never dare to go all out to attack the Wude Palace."
From the bottom of my heart, I affirmed the strategy adopted by Fang Jun, and was surprised by Fang Jun's growth. To this day, those who can be called a master of military art in the Tang Dynasty army must have a place for Fang Jun...