In the Ganlu Hall, Li Yuanji threw another crossbow and gave Xue Wanshu and others decisive orders.
Xue Wanshu and others were each equipped with crossbows. The defenders at Ganlu Gate, Shenlong Gate, and Anren Gate were also equipped with crossbows. They had already bent their bows and ready arrows, waiting for Li Shimin and his party to arrive.
After hearing Li Yuanji's order, they fired the crossbow without hesitation, released the bowstring, and the majestic rain of arrows flew towards Li Shimin and his party with a sharp whistling sound.
Changsun Wuji, who was guarding Li Shimin, shouted the word "roy" loudly the moment he heard the sound of the bowstring.
The soldiers of the Youtun Guard who were standing in front of Li Shimin and his party set up their shields without any hesitation.
The arrow rain fell down the moment they set up their shields, making a crackling sound when they hit the shields.
With this rain of arrows falling, the battle officially started.
"Fire the arrow!"
"kill!"
"..."
Li Shimin immediately launched a counterattack when everyone in the Manlu Hall was readying their bows and arrows again.
The number of crossbowmen in Youtun Guard is far greater than the number of crossbowmen in Ganlu Hall.
So the crossbowmen of the Right Guards launched a counterattack, and when they fired a new round of arrow rain, the effect was very sharp.
The windows of the Manna Hall turned into sieves at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Xue Wanshu and his men hid behind the obstacles prepared in advance. When the arrow rain subsided, they started to fight back without hesitation.
The two sides went back and forth, and after a few rounds of shooting at each other, Cheng Yaojin and Yu Wenshiji led their men to rush up the stone steps and fought fiercely with Zhao Chengyong.
Cheng Yaojin and Yu Wenshiji held the idea that they must defeat the Mandew Hall, while Zhao Chengyong held the idea that they would defend the Mandew Hall even to the death.
Therefore, both sides used all their strength as soon as they met.
Cheng Yaojin and Yu Wenshiji waved their weapons, chopping melons and vegetables to harvest the lives of the Changlin soldiers led by Zhao Chengyong. Zhao Chengyong waved the spears in his hands vigorously, frantically harvesting the right
The lives of the garrison soldiers.
The Changlin soldiers and Youtun guards in front of them were dying at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In just a few breaths, there were more than ten corpses in front of them, and the number was still increasing rapidly.
Li Yuanji narrowed his eyes and stared at Cheng Yaojin and Yuwen Shiji who were struggling to harvest the lives of Changlin soldiers. He slowly took out the iron arrows in his quiver and set up the bronze bow he had already held in his hand.
Yu Wenshiji, who had been paying attention to the situation in the palace, noticed this scene immediately. His expression changed drastically, and he quickly began to retreat. While retreating, he yelled, "Quickly retreat!"
When Cheng Yaojin heard his voice and wanted to react, it was already too late.
The iron arrow in Li Yuanji's hand had been released. With a shrill whistling sound, the arrow flashed in front of Cheng Yaojin. In Cheng Yaojin's frightened expression, it pierced Cheng Yaojin's body and penetrated Cheng Yaojin.
Jin, and the bodies of the soldiers of the right garrison behind Cheng Yaojin.
"Royal!"
Yu Wenshiji shouted and set up a shield. The moment the spears in the hands of Zhao Chengyong and others were about to fall on Cheng Yaojin, he stood in front of Cheng Yaojin and quickly dragged Cheng Yaojin back.
"Whoosh!"
"Poof!"
After taking two steps back, Yu Wenshiji heard the sound of a bowstring that was different from other crossbows. For a moment, an alarm bell rang in his heart. When he was about to react, an iron arrow pierced the shield in his hand.
, pierced through his arm and plunged into the body of the soldier behind him.
"Whoosh!"
There was another familiar sound of bowstrings, and Yuwen Shiji lay down without any hesitation. The familiar iron arrows flew past his scalp, taking away his helmet and his bun.
A blank space was cleared above his head.
"retreat!"
Yuwen Shiji announced his retreat without any hesitation.
The soldiers of Youtun Guard, as well as his and Cheng Yaojin's personal soldiers, quickly gathered around the two of them, using their bodies as human shields to support them as they retreated down the stone steps.
"Did Yuanji hurt you?"
After Li Shimin and his men retreated down the stone steps, Li Shimin rushed over to ask questions.
Although he, Fang Xuanling and others were lower down and higher up, because they were far away, they could clearly see Cheng Yaojin being shot down by a very sharp arrow, and Yu Wenshi and others being shot in a state of embarrassment. If it weren't for
Yu Wenshi was smart enough and retreated decisively. He might have been shot to death on the spot.
The only one who has such ability and uses very special bows and arrows is Li Yuanji.
So he concluded that Li Yuanji injured two of his generals.
Yu Wenshiji handed Cheng Yaojin to the accompanying doctor and replied in a solemn tone: "Yes..."
Li Shimin frowned and said: "In terms of personal bravery, no one can be Yuan Ji's opponent."
Changsun Wuji couldn't help but said: "Your Highness can't give up his great cause just because of the King of Qi, right?"
Li Shimin glanced at Changsun Wuji and said without hesitation: "Of course not!"
Changsun Wuji cupped his hands and said, "Then please use the trebuchet, Your Highness."
Li Shimin hesitated for a moment and nodded slowly.
Seeing this, Changsun Wuji immediately called for people to start setting up the trebuchet.
When Changsun Wuji and his men were setting up the trebuchet, Li Shimin ordered Gao Shilian and Li Junxian beside him: "You two each bring a thousand men and horses to ambush on both sides of the avenue leading to Ganlu Gate from Ganlu Palace."
Gao Shilian and Li Junxian were stunned.
Fang Xuanling stroked his beard and muttered: "What your Highness means is that once we use the trebuchet, if His Highness the King of Qi is defeated, he should retreat to Ganlu Gate."
Li Shimin nodded solemnly and said: "Not only that, he should also be preparing to retreat to Liangyi Palace and Liangyi Gate, and retreat all the way until my father arrives."
He guessed what Li Yuanji was thinking when he led his people to escape from Manlu Palace, but he didn't say it out loud.
Now they were going to send people to ambush Li Yuanji. Fang Xuanling also guessed what Li Yuanji was thinking, so he naturally said what he guessed.
After hearing this, Du Ruhui said with deep eyes: "Once the saint comes, he will win. After all, the saint can mobilize far more soldiers and horses in the Taiji Palace than we do."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Fang Xuanling nodded and said: "So there is nothing you can do to make him retreat all the way."
Gao Shilian and Li Junxian cupped their fists together and said, "I know what to do. I will immediately go to the Ganlu Hall to ambush on both sides of the avenue leading to Ganlu Gate."
Li Shimin nodded.
Gao Shilian and Li Junxian left in a hurry.
After Gao Shilian and Li Junxian left with their people, Changsun Wuji had already ordered people to set up the trebuchet.
Without any hesitation, Li Shimin ordered the soldiers of Youtun Guard to start throwing stones.
The stones knocked from the rockery north of Ganlu Hall are irregular, but this does not prevent them from causing huge damage.
So when more than a dozen trebuchets started throwing stones at the same time, gaps began to appear one after another in various parts of the Manlu Hall.
After two rounds of projection, part of the windows in the north of Manlu Hall had been completely smashed.
Some people in the palace were also exposed to Li Shimin and his party.
After Li Shimin roughly observed the situation in the palace, he decisively ordered: "Form up! Lose the front formation!"
Following Li Shimin's order, the soldiers of Youtun Guard quickly formed a formation like arrows missing, and then rushed towards Ganlu Hall.
Along with their charge, countless arrows were lost.
It's just that the purpose of the arrow is not to kill the enemy, but to protect them.
Under the dual protection of arrows and shields, they charged very quickly, much faster than when Cheng Yaojin and Yu Wenshi led them.
It only took them ten breaths to rush to the stone steps of the Manna Hall.
"Array again! Formation of a thousand people!"
Li Shimin gave the order again after the soldiers of Youtun Guard rushed up the stone steps in front of Ganlu Hall.
In an instant, another military formation formed and rushed towards the Manna Hall.
When Zhao Chengyong rushed to the stone steps in the first formation, he ordered the Changlin soldiers without any hesitation to form a defensive formation and began to attack the missed formation formed by the soldiers of the Youtun Guard.
The reason why Zhao Chengyong chose to use a defensive formation against the missed front formation of the Youtun Guard soldiers was because the number of Changlin soldiers under his command was too small and he had to save some.
If he had enough troops, he actually wouldn't mind forming a missed formation to compete with the soldiers of the Youtun Guard.
The moment the two sides came into contact, a fierce and brutal fight began again.
Li Yuanji held the bronze bow and looked at it for a long time, but he didn't see any place where he could find a way to insert a needle.
After losing several generals one after another, Li Shimin also learned wisely and did not send any more generals to lead the troops. Instead, he sent a group of captains whom he had never met to lead the troops.
There are still a lot of captains, and the iron arrows in his quiver are limited, so it is not easy to waste them on them, so it is difficult to take action again.
"Your Highness, something seems wrong..."
Xue Wanshu was leading the crossbowmen to fight back while observing the battle. After noticing something strange, he spoke decisively.
Li Yuanji's eyes lingered on Zhao Chengyong and others who were fighting, as well as Li Shimin and others in the distance, and then asked: "What's wrong?"
Xue Wanshu hurriedly said: "There seem to be fewer soldiers in Youtun Guard, and Gao Shilian and Li Junxian seem to be missing as well."
Li Yuanji took a closer look according to Xue Wanshu's words and found that Gao Shilian and Li Junxian were indeed missing. There were also one or two thousand fewer soldiers in Youtun Guard. He immediately said thoughtfully: "Where do you think they went?
?”
Xue Wanshu muttered: "I think His Highness the King of Qin must have guessed your intention and sent someone to cut off our retreat."
Li Yuanji nodded and said: "I think so too..."
In this situation, Li Shimin only needs to divide his troops to do two things. One is to pave a way out for him and his people, and the other is to cut off their way out.
And Li Shimin has not yet reached the time to retreat, so he does not need to pave the way for him and his people to retreat.
So there was only one thing left for him to do, which was to cut off their escape route.