The soldiers had been chasing them from last night to the afternoon of the next day. They didn't eat a grain of rice or touch a drop of water along the way. They all relied on a rush of energy to get here. Now when they heard Li Xian's words, they suddenly felt hungry.
, felt so empty in their stomachs that they all agreed with Li Xian's statement. They rushed to nearby villages to solve the food problem, feed the horses, and at the same time find ways to find out the road.
So all the soldiers, led by Li Xian, came to the village in great force.
However, the people in the village were obviously hostile to Li Xian's army, because these villagers were all military households, and all the men in their families were recruited to serve in the Goguryeo army, and most of them died in the Tang army in previous wars.
So as soon as they saw the flag of the Tang army, they immediately beat the gongs and gathered the brave men to prepare to defend against the Tang army.
Li Xian originally wanted to explain to the villagers. After all, he couldn't bear to massacre these unarmed villagers. However, they couldn't understand each other. After seeing the flag of the Tang army, the villagers became extremely hateful and directly concentrated their efforts on them.
During the attack, many soldiers were injured because of their tolerance, and two of the royal guards were even seriously injured and died.
"You officers and men have also seen it. It is not that we want to massacre the civilians, but that these villagers are ignorant and actually hurt our brothers in the army. Hey, we have been chasing the enemy generals for most of the day, and no one has died. At this moment, unexpectedly
Two innocent lives were lost due to the stubborn resistance of these unruly people. They were unkind, so don’t blame me for being unjust. All officers and men, obey my king’s order and kill all the young men in the village. No one will be spared. The women and children will be gone.
Become a slave and be taken to the new city with the army."
"No." None of the soldiers were dissatisfied with Li Xiancai's decision, because Pao Ze's death in battle deeply angered them, which made them learn the truth that kindness to the enemy is harm to one's own people.
Now that one of our brothers has been killed, we must use blood to comfort the spirits of the dead brothers in heaven.
So, driven by hatred, all these soldiers rushed into the crowd on horseback and carried out bloody killings against the villagers armed with simple weapons such as sticks and stones.
Although the villagers tried their best to resist, how could they compare with the well-equipped and well-trained Tang army? Therefore, this so-called resistance can almost be ignored. In just one cup of tea, nearly two hundred strong villagers were defeated.
All were killed, and the only ones left were the women and children who were driven out by the sergeants.
Li Xian ordered people to gather the women and children together, and ordered the soldiers to search for food from each house, then buried pots to make rice, had a full meal, and fed the horses, and then slowly escorted the women
Children on the road.
Originally, they thought that their location was no more than a hundred miles away from the new city. Even if they escorted the women and children, they could arrive in only two days. However, they walked for three days and did not even see the shadow of the new city. In fact, it was not necessary.
Although it is a new city, there are not many villages!
Li Xian couldn't help but smile bitterly when he saw this scene. It seemed that this time, they had completely lost their way.
"Haha, despite all the calculations, I didn't expect that I would lose my way this time. It seems that it is impossible for me, Li Xian, to be idle." Li Xian thought for a moment in silence, then made a decision, and then gently spoke to
Cheng Yaojin started to discuss.
"Huh? What did the king say? Go deep into the enemy's territory and fight to support the war? However, the number of our troops is too small to threaten the enemy. If we encounter a large army encirclement and suppression again, I am afraid that the entire army will be in danger.
What's more, the soldiers are now looking forward to returning to the new city. If we go further and further, there is no guarantee that they will not be afraid and flee in all directions. If this is the case, I am afraid that our army will no longer have any chance of survival." Cheng Yaojin heard this.
I couldn't help but feel a little worried, frowned and sighed.
"But now we have no way out. Moreover, it is now a war, and most of the enemy troops are deployed at the border. Instead, we feel empty inside. If we can penetrate deep into the enemy's territory, we can use our fists. As for the soldiers' escape, we don't have to worry about it.
, Old General, just think about it, now we are deep in the enemy's territory, we don't understand the language, and we still have the physiology to get together. If we escape, it is a certain death situation. I believe that not only you and I know this, but the soldiers also know this. And if this is the case,
If you insist on returning to the new city, it will be better if you know the way. If you encounter the main force of the enemy without knowing the way, it will definitely be a situation where the entire army will be annihilated."
Cheng Yaojin thought silently for a moment, then nodded and said: "Well, what the king said makes sense. I just wonder how the king came up with such a complicated truth?"
Li Xian laughed when he heard this. He naturally knew that Cheng Yaojin did not expect this, but deliberately asked him to tell the generals next to him so that they could build up their confidence, so he explained loudly: "There is a saying in the art of war.
The way to serve as a guest: go deep and specialize, and the master will not be able to conquer it; plunder the wild fields, and the three armies will have enough food; raise them carefully without overworking, and use your energy to accumulate strength, and plan your troops, which is unpredictable. If you throw yourself to nowhere, you will not die.
In the north, there is no way to die, and the soldiers try their best. If the soldiers are trapped, they will not be afraid. If they have nowhere to go, they will be strong. If they go deep, they will be restrained. If they have no choice, they will fight. Therefore, their soldiers do not practice but guard. They do not ask for things, but they marry without promises.
Believe without orders, banish auspiciousness and doubts, and have nothing to do until death. Our soldiers have no money left, which is not a bad thing; no life left, which is not a bad life. On the day when the order is issued, the soldiers who sit down will have tears on their lapels, and those who lie down will shed tears.
"Jiao Yi. Those who throw themselves into nowhere are those who have the courage to execute them."
Next, Li Xian translated this sentence to everyone again, then looked at the soldiers again, and said loudly: "Brothers, an unexpected combination of circumstances has brought us here today, but it is a blessing in disguise. How can we know that it is not a blessing?
Although we are separated from the main force, we have been sent a huge wealth from heaven. As long as we continue to penetrate deep into the enemy's territory, we can plunder the enemy's assets and contain the enemy's soldiers, thereby cooperating with the main force of our army to attack the city. We will be rewarded based on our merits in the future.
, your wealth and honor are indispensable. If we delay, fear the enemy, avoid the enemy, or even defect to another place, there will be only one way to die. I also hope that all brothers will work with me to overcome the difficulties and return to the Tang Dynasty in the future.
The king will never forget the friendship between brothers in life and death."
After listening to Li Xian's words, the soldiers immediately felt encouraged. After all, they also knew that the current situation was indeed very difficult for them. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they had a narrow escape from death, but after all, there was still Datang who was going to go to Goguryeo this time.
The nominal supreme commander is with them. People with Li Xian's status are not afraid of death. What does a small soldier mean to them? What's more, most of these soldiers are from royal guards. They have benefited from Li Xian in recent years. As early as
They were already loyal to Li Xian wholeheartedly. In addition, everyone knew the weight of Li Xian's solemn promise to them, so they didn't hesitate at all. They all shouted loudly: "I am willing to die for the king."
I must be loyal to the Tang Dynasty! I swear to kill the bandits, I swear to kill the bandits, kill! kill! kill!"
"Okay, Xiao Wang has written down today's friendship between brothers. Please believe in Xiao Wang's promise. From now on, Xiao Wang and all brothers will share joys and sorrows, life and death. If he breaks his promise, Xiao Wang will be in trouble for the rest of his life.
Return to the Tang Dynasty. Brothers, follow Xiao Wang and set off together."
After speaking, Li Xian ordered the women and children he had captured to be released, and led the army toward the east.
Although he didn't know where he was or where the new city was, Li Xian knew that the enemy's hinterland was in the east. As long as he went east, he would definitely be able to break into the hinterland of Goguryeo while ensuring the safety of his own personnel.
At this time, the new city was in chaos.
After a night of melee, Gao Kan and Pang Tongshan finally defended the new city. Later, Zhang Wuchen brought in Xue Rengui's reinforcements. Both sides attacked from behind and killed nearly 50,000 enemy troops. It can be said to be an unprecedented victory, but
When the numbers were counted after the war, the three generals were frightened to death because Xue Ne and Li Xian and their respective generals were missing from the army!
It was okay for Xue Ne, after all, only Xue Rengui was worried, but Li Xian was lost, which was a big shock to them, because if something happened to this person, none of them could save their heads.
However, the three generals did not dare to say anything for fear of causing the morale of the army to be distracted and leading to the failure of the war. On the one hand, they had to quickly report the news to Li Ji, and on the other hand, they sent detective horses to search nearby. At the same time, they secretly checked the bodies of the soldiers who died in the battle.
Look to see if Li Xian is among them. Of course, this is something they never want to see.
As a result, on the next day, someone discovered that Zhou King Li Xian was on a mountain in the suburbs, but there was only one guard beside him. It is said that some of the other soldiers died in the battle, and some followed Xue Ne to perform other tasks.
Although Xue Ne still couldn't be found, Li Xian was back after all. Gao Kan and Pang Tongshan both breathed a sigh of relief. After all, their heads were saved, but they didn't know that Xue Rengui was still uneasy. All day long
Frowning in silence, Gao Kan and Pang Tongshan thought he was worried about Xue Na, so they stepped forward to comfort him. Little did they know that Xue Rengui was worried about Xue Na, but they always felt intuitively that there was something wrong with this King of Zhou, although he could not see it on the surface.
There was something wrong with the King of Zhou who came out, but I felt that this King of Zhou was far inferior to the previous one in terms of aura, and he didn't look like a prince at all.
However, Xue Rengui did not dare to tell Gao Kan and Pang Tongshan about this guess. He just quietly found Li Ji and expressed his doubts, but saw that Li Ji also had a sad face. It was only then that he learned from Li Ji
A piece of bad news. It turns out that this King of Zhou is actually a guard who looks like him. That guard was ordered by Li Ji to stabilize the morale of the army. The real King of Zhou is still here today.
Still no clues.
This news was like a bolt from the blue, which made Xue Rengui feel even more depressed. He had no choice but to secretly send people to search for Xue Na in the name of searching for Xue Na. He only hoped that God would show mercy and deliver a living Li Xian to him... This chapter has been completed!