The Wu family's mansion was in a mess, with injured family members lying on the ground. The wolf-like soldiers of the King of Qi snatched away four Wu family women, including two concubines, the youngest daughter-in-law, and Wu Zhenqing's widowed granddaughter.
Wu Zhenqing was over sixty years old. He was tremblingly helped to the front yard by several grandsons. He saw that several of his sons and family members had been injured. The old housekeeper was also stabbed and lay in a pool of blood, dying.
When he heard that four female members of his family had been robbed, including his own granddaughter, Wu Zhenqing stamped her feet and beat her chest with tears streaming down her face.
You don’t have eyesight!”
The eldest son Wu Ping saw his father was in deep sorrow and was afraid that he would hurt his body, so he quickly ordered someone to help his father back. He also sighed and sat on the couch with his head bowed silently. He didn't know what to do.
"master!"
A servant rushed in and said a few words to Wu Ping. Wu Ping was stunned and asked, "Where is he?"
"Right outside the house!"
Wu Ping stood up and walked out of the door. He saw a few soldiers standing outside the door. He cupped his hands and said to him: "We are Sui army scouts. I heard that Tang army soldiers broke into your mansion. I want to find out what happened?"
As if grasping a life-saving straw, Wu Ping quickly bowed and said: "My family is unfortunate, I hope the Sui army can save my Wu family!"...
In a forest about ten miles south of Chousang Town, Yang Yuanqing and his 20,000 cavalrymen had been resting here for nearly half an hour.
They had been monitoring the army of Qi King Li Yuanji. Although Li Shimin's 80,000 troops were in Zhuyang County, seventy miles away in the southwest, the two Tang armies had no contact and each withdrew and returned westward.
This creates an opportunity. If Li Yuanji's 30,000 troops are ambushed, Li Shimin's 80,000 troops may not come to the rescue. On the one hand, there is not enough time, and on the other hand, Li Shimin has no intention of helping.
After repeatedly considering the situation, Yang Yuanqing finally made a decision to intercept and kill Li Yuanji's 30,000 troops. At this time, Li Yuanji's 30,000 troops were stationed in the wilderness to the north of Chousang Town, about twelve or three miles away from them.[Burn
.arts.]
At this time, a scout captain rushed over, and he was taken to Yang Yuanqing's marching tent by the soldiers. The scout captain knelt down on one knee and reported, "To the general manager, we have received news in Chousang Town."
"What news?"
"About thirty of Li Yuanji's soldiers rushed into a wealthy family named Wu in the town, snatched four female members of the Wu family, and took them back to the military camp."
Yang Yuanqing was inspecting the terrain in the Chousang Town area. This news surprised him, and there was such a thing. He asked again: "Are you sure it was King Qi who did it?"
"I asked the eldest son of Wu in detail. The soldiers who snatched the man claimed to be the bodyguard of the King of Qi. He said that it was an honor for the Wu family and that the King of Qi took a fancy to him. They robbed the female family members. The rest of the money was not taken. It should be
What the King of Qi did."
Yang Yuanqing nodded and said to the captain: "It is very likely that they will send people back. You can bring more brothers and ambush them in the town. When they come back, kill them all and bring back a few live prisoners."
"As you command!"
The captain saluted, then stood up and left the tent. Yang Yuanqing glanced at Luo Shixin next to him, and seeing that he was hesitant to speak, he smiled and said, "What do you want to say?"
Luo Shixin understood Yang Yuanqing's plan, and he considered it all the way. He also had his own ideas. Luo Shixin pondered for a while and said: "Since the manager knows that the Li brothers are at odds with each other, can we provoke it again this time? For example, we pretend to be defeated at the hands of Li Yuanji."
.Wouldn’t this give Li Shimin a loud slap in the face?'
Luo Shixin's suggestion made Yang Yuanqing think deeply. There was some truth in it. Li Shimin had been unable to defeat the Sui army for a long time, but Li Yuanji was able to defeat the Sui army. This would be a heavy blow to Li Shimin's prestige in the army. However, after thinking about it for a long time, Yang Yuanqing decided
Still shook his head, "Although the method is good, there are still some flaws."
"Why?"
[Ran. Text]" Yang Yuanqing said earnestly: "To be precise, your method is a bit too superficial. Who is Li Yuan? How well does he know his son? Can he not see that we are pretending to be defeated? The purpose is to provoke Li Yuan.
The conflict between the brothers made him wary, and he simply gave all military power to Li Shimin.
Timing their brothers, don't do it deliberately, otherwise it will be self-defeating. Win when you should win, lose when you should lose, let everything take its course, this will deepen the contradiction between them. Just think about it, if Li Yuanji soldiers
He was defeated, but Li Shimin escaped unscathed, what kind of hatred will this plant in Li Yuanji's heart?"
Luo Shixin nodded silently, "The manager has a perfect grasp of human nature. In the future, the Li Dynasty will definitely be defeated by the internal strife of their brothers."
Yang Yuanqing narrowed his eyes and laughed. Luo Shixin was right. Historically, the conflict between the Li brothers worsened after the unification of the world, so there were no serious consequences.
But things are different now. At the turn of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, there was another person named Yang Yuanqing. He would continue to instigate conflicts between the Li brothers, causing their conflicts to worsen in the early years of Wude. Sooner or later, they would break out. Then under severe internal strife, the Li family would
How long can the dynasty last?
At this time, Yang Yuanqing thought of something again. He smiled and patted Luo Shixin on the shoulder and said, "I heard that you met the line girl?"
Luo Shixin suddenly blushed and nodded. She is now a female guard captain. She wanted to come here with me, but I didn't agree. She is still in Li Changshi's army.
"Not bad! A marriage made in heaven." Yang Yuanqing was deeply pleased that his junior brother had finally found his love, and asked him again: "Then when do you plan to get married? I will ask the princess to arrange it for you."
Luo Shixin lowered his head, bit his lip for a while and asked, "When is the manager going to beat Dou Jiande?"
Yang Yuanqing asked, "What do you mean?"
Luo Shixin sighed, "Lian Niang knew that the Sui army would attack Dou Jiande sooner or later, and she had no choice. She hoped that I would not participate, otherwise she would be very sad. I am really conflicted. I am a Sui general, how could I...
"
"Stop talking!"
Yang Yuanqing waved his hand to stop him, "I will arrange this matter. Xian Niang is a good girl, so you can marry her in peace and don't think about Dou Jiande again. If Dou Jiande is defeated, I will make Qin Qiong the general."...
…
The 30,000 new soldiers led by Li Yuanji were stationed in a wilderness about two miles north of Chousang Town. The camp covered an area of about 100 acres. Since it was a temporary camp, no barriers were built, but 200,000 spears were used to surround the camp.
, the inner circle was surrounded by thousands of large baggage vehicles, and in the middle was the military camp.
It was already late at night, and the soldiers had all fallen into a deep sleep. They were replenishing their spirits. They would walk another day tomorrow and enter Tongguan in the evening. Every soldier was eager to return home and fell asleep, reunited with his family in his dream.
It was extremely quiet inside the camp, and it was pitch black all around. Only in the center of the camp, there was still light coming from a few tents, which were the tents of the Tang Army generals.
At present, the leader of the Tang Army is Li Yuanji, and the deputy general is Li Jiancheng's confidant General Chang He. At this time, Chang He's tent is also lit with lights. Chang He is about thirty years old, tall and burly, with a big beard.
He was also from the Wagang Army. He was once a general under Li Mi. In the battle against Zhang Xutuo at Dahai Temple, it was he who led five hundred elite cavalry general Zhang Xutuo and was trapped in the formation. Zhang Xutuo was forced to commit suicide and died.
.
Chang He also received a heavy reward from Li Mi. Not only did he receive tens of thousands of pieces of silk, but Li Mi also gave him Zhang Xutuo's sword and war horse. However, not long after, Chang He and Zhai Rang turned against each other.
Zhai Rang had too much contact and was purged.
He left the Wagang Army and surrendered to the Tang Dynasty soon after. Because one of his clan sisters was deeply favored by Li Jiancheng, he was named a concubine. Chang He also became Li Jiancheng's confidant general and was highly valued.
Under the light, Chang He sat in front of the couch and stared thoughtfully at a sword on the table. This was Zhang Xutuo's ancestral sword, called the Seven-Star Lengyue Sword, and it was extremely sharp.
He was extremely excited when he got the knife, but after Shan Xiongxin saw the knife, he coldly warned him that there was no need for him to die under this knife.
Soon after, Chang He understood the meaning of Shan Xiongxin's warning to him, because he found that in addition to "Zhang Xutuo's Sword" engraved on the handle of the knife, there were also four small characters engraved on it: "Disciple Yuan Qing".
This made Chang He extremely frightened. Of course he knew who this Yuan Qing was. He had formed a deep hatred with Yang Yuanqing, and he would never be able to live in peace in this life. Although Prince Jiancheng not only comforted him, he knew in his heart that when that day came, I'm afraid
Li Jiancheng was also unable to protect himself.
Under the light, Chang He slowly pulled out the sword. The blade was sharp, like a cold moon. The handle was inlaid with seven gems. It shone under the light and had a magnificent luster. But just under the seven gems,'
The four words "Jiu Tu Yuan Qing" are particularly clear.
Chang He let out a long sigh, sheathed the knife, and walked out of the big tent with his hands behind his back. The moonlight outside the big tent was cold and cold, and the moon was almost full. In a few days, it will be the Ghost Festival on the half of July, which is the day to worship ghosts and spirits.
, it was an ominous day, and Chang He was a little upset. He slowly walked through several large tents with his hands behind his back, and gradually approached the tent of King Li Yuanji of Qi.
The camp was surrounded by soldiers and he couldn't get in, but he could faintly hear a woman crying. Chang He couldn't help but frown. A soldier just told him that King Qi's soldiers had captured several women and brought them into the tent.
I still didn’t believe it, but now it seems that it is indeed the case.
Chang He shook his head. This King of Qi was really a bit ungrateful. Not to mention that bringing a woman into the camp would arouse the resentment of other generals. Maybe he was a prince and he had the privilege of playing with women, so everyone did not dare to say anything.
But for a few women to station troops next to Chousang Town, this is the unwiseness of the main general. The terrain in this area is open, which is very conducive to cavalry attacks, and more than ten miles further is the blocking horse slope, which is a gas-shaped area.
The ups and downs were unfavorable for cavalry operations, but the King of Qi did not camp there.
Although Chang He understood this, he did not dare to persuade King Qi. King Qi's sinister eyes frightened him. Chang He had no choice but to sigh, turn around and walk back, and happened to meet the patrol general Zhang Qing.
"How is the situation outside now?" Chang He asked.
"Report to General Chang, it's very quiet outside, nothing unusual."
"Um!"
Chang He relaxed a little and ordered: "We must strengthen our defenses and don't be careless."