Li Erduan sat at the top, silent, but his eyes were looking in the direction of the door in a daze, not knowing what he was thinking. The civil and military officials on both sides below him lowered their eyebrows and did not dare to speak.
A depressing atmosphere filled the surroundings, making people feel heavy in their hearts.
The imperial army came in a hurry, intending to attack Tuyuhun Royal City by surprise, but suddenly received military information that the Turkic army appeared in the north. The army of more than 200,000 was coming with ferocious force. Li Er was worried that the northern states could not stop it, and the Turks rushed to Chang'an.
He panicked and ordered the army to stop in Hezhou.
It is not Li Er's character to be passively beaten.
On the first day after arriving in Hezhou, Li Er decisively divided his troops and headed north to Jincheng County, but adopted a defensive position, encircling rather than attacking, to hold back the Tibetan army. If necessary, he could go north to support and block the Turkic army.
In order to relieve the pressure on Jincheng County, Li Er has been sending troops to attack westward in the past few days, trying to regain the lost territory. However, the Tubo people did not know what was going on. They resisted extremely fiercely and refused to give up an inch of ground. The two sides fought cruelly, with many casualties. In addition,
The situation in the northern grasslands became increasingly unfavorable, and the Turks advanced rapidly, forcing a temporary truce.
"Let's talk about it." Suddenly, Li Er said coldly.
Everyone cheered up and prepared to play a duel, but there were only a few people present who really understood military affairs. Liu Hongji, the Duke of Kui, was proficient in military affairs, but he was suppressed and treated coldly. He had resentment in his heart and refused to say anything.
Li Er looked at the silent crowd, and a sense of sadness suddenly came to his heart.
Once upon a time, there were civil servants like rain and generals like stars. They only worried about how to balance it so that everyone could make contributions. Looking at now, there are still some civil servants, but they are all focused on fighting for power and profit, and there are no generals who can take the lead.
"Is God going to destroy our Li family, the Tang Dynasty?"
A voice sounded in his heart. Li Er sat down unwillingly, cheered up, and asked with a cold face: "Why, you don't have any idea? What's the use of me raising you?"
Everyone bowed their heads and remained silent in response.
Some of the younger generals wanted to take the opportunity to stand up, but when they heard the warnings of their parents and elders, and thought of Li Er's indifference to the generals, all of them suddenly extinguished their enthusiasm and fell silent.
At that time, the Eastern Turks were defeated and hundreds of thousands of elites of the Tang Dynasty were laid off. Even Li Jing was promoted overtly and covertly, and faded out of the circle of power. Lu Guogong and E Guogong were demoted. This is a lesson learned from the past.
What do military commanders fear most?
He was abandoned after his meritorious service, and shed blood and tears!
Quiet, deathly quiet.
This silence was like a silent confrontation, which made Li Er feel uncomfortable. He couldn't help but think about what he had done in the past two years. Several foreign wars, the food price chaos in Chang'an, the floods in the south of the Yangtze River, and the chaos in the north were almost all caused by Qin Huaidao
One person can solve the problem, and the court can sit back and enjoy the result, relaxed and at ease.
One person builds an empire.
Now, this man has gone to the west and was forced to leave by himself.
Involuntarily, Li Er felt a little regretful.
Once the Tang Dynasty fell into the hands of the Turks and Tibetans, and the people were ravaged and the world was in chaos, he would be the king of the country's subjugation and a sinner for the ages. If he had known this, he might as well have handed the Tang Dynasty to Qin Huaidao, at least he could have a good death.
The more he thought about it, the more regretful, lonely, sad and bitter Li Er felt.
Liu Hongji, Duke of Kui, had lived in the north for a long time and knew the Turks best. He couldn't bear the suffering of the people in the world and felt uneasy if he didn't do something. He stepped out from the crowd and said, "Your Majesty, I would like to ask you to report this, veteran minister."
"Come on!" Li Er cheered up and put aside his distracting thoughts.
"Recommended by veterans, Xu Shiji will be the commander-in-chief and he will lead 20,000 troops to the north to control the troops of Lingzhou, Xiazhou and Anbei Protectorate. Relying on Helan Mountain and the line of the Great Wall to build a defense line, he will surely be able to block the invasion of the Turkic army. As long as the Turkic soldiers
If the horses cannot go south, the imperial court can calmly deal with Tubo."
Li Erbaizhan and others also thought of this method, but they did not expect to use Xu Shiji. Chang'an City was too important, and no one else except Xu Shiji was worried.
Recommending someone to lead the army is a sensitive matter, so Liu Hongji stopped and stepped back without saying anything more.
A flash of light flashed in Changsun Wuji's eyes, and he stepped out and said: "Your Majesty, I think this is feasible. Xu Shiji is good at fighting. As long as he is given the right to do things expediently, he will be able to stop the northern Turks."
"How should the defense of Chang'an City be?" Li Er asked, still trusting his brother-in-law.
"I think that General Niu Jinda, the Minister of War, can temporarily take over the post of general of the North Yasi, and the post of general of the South Yasi can be temporarily taken by the prince. In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures should be taken, and everything is mainly to win this war.
" Changsun Wuji solemnly suggested.
Li Er thought about it carefully and realized that Niu Jinda was loyal and could rest assured that he was in charge of the imperial army in Chang'an. The Nan Yasi was in charge of the imperial city and could be led by the prince who was supervising the country. He nodded and said, "Draw up a decree and make Xu Shiji the chief administrator of the North Route Army."
, control the troops and horses of the Lingzhou, Xiazhou, and Anbei Protectorate, and use the Great Wall as the boundary to block the Turks. Niu Jinda is temporarily in charge of the general of the North Yasi, and the prince is temporarily in charge of the affairs of the South Yasi."
"I obey!" Wang De quickly agreed.
The difference between temporary management and temporary leadership is a world of difference.
Everyone heard that Li Er was not at ease in his heart. He was only temporarily handling affairs, not temporarily commanding, and the military power was still in his own hands. Everyone had different thoughts and remained silent.
Of course Li Er knew that it was inappropriate to do so, but as long as he eliminated Tubo as soon as possible and returned with the power of victory, nothing would be a problem. His cold eyes fell on Liu Hongji and asked: "Gong Kui, Tubo was lost in your hands.
Do you have the confidence to regain it?"
"this……"
Liu Hongji was a little confused and couldn't figure out what Li Er wanted to do. He hesitated for a moment, stepped out from the crowd, and said with cupped hands: "Reporting to the Holy Lord, I am old, my actions are not as good as before, and I am powerless. I'm afraid..."
"Gong Kui, there is no need to be modest or cautious." Li Er waved his hand and interrupted: "In the face of a national crisis, we must unite in public. Duke Kui, I promise you to have 20,000 elite soldiers, carry siege equipment, and leave the city overnight to surprise the Tuyuhun King's city. There must be no mistakes.
.”
The tone was firm and left no room for doubt.
This is not a discussion, but an order. If you disobey an order during a military meeting, you will be beheaded, and if you lose in battle, you will be beheaded.
This is forcing people to go to extreme lengths. Liu Hongji thought of Li Er's misfortune and thought of punishing himself, but he did not expect to be so determined. Twenty thousand people went deep into the rear to attack Tuyuhun. It was impossible to do it. Even if he succeeded, it would be a miserable victory. Tubo
As long as it is surrounded on all sides, it will still be a dead end.
If you can kill your brother and imprison your father, how can you not be miserable?
But military orders cannot be violated!
Liu Hongji felt a pain in his heart and responded: "I obey the order!"
Li Er nodded with satisfaction and continued: "Now that we are out of danger, Liu Renshi, your son, please stay with me. According to the decree, Liu Renshi, the son of Duke Kui, is both civil and military, loyal and kind, and has won my heart. He will be promoted to Zuodian Rongwei Guerrilla."
General, I hope you will make new achievements bravely and live up to my expectations."
Promoted from a lieutenant to a guerrilla general, skipping over a general, the promotion is not unpleasant.
But Liu Hongji felt sad. The promotion was just for personal consideration, and the real purpose was to be a hostage.
He is only such a son.
Liu Hongji held back his pain, squeezed out a smile and said gratefully: "Thank you, God, for your grace."
"Go with peace of mind, I'm waiting for good news from you." Li Er said with a satisfied smile.
…
Jincheng County.
In the governor's mansion, Lun Qinling's face was gloomy and scary. The news of Zhangye County's defeat had come. All the 100,000 troops were killed and piled up high in the capital. Fortunately, the scout in charge of the investigation was killed on the spot.
Once the news spreads, the morale of the military will definitely be shaken, and the consequences will be endless.
A hundred thousand elite troops, with a city to support them, why were they all killed?
Qin Ling couldn't figure it out even if he thought about it, especially when the scouts said that the city wall collapsed and the city gate was destroyed. Forgetting the city gate, how could the tall and thick city wall collapse?
unless……
Suddenly, Lun Qinling thought of the scene of the Tubo royal city being breached. The tall and solid walls of the royal city collapsed soon after. The King of Han must have brought those terrible weapons again. What were they? How many more were there?
The key is...what will Jincheng County do next?
He was fearless in the face of the imperial attack. He had hundreds of thousands of troops at his disposal and could kill as many as he came. But if the King of Han counterattacked, wouldn't Jincheng County, like Zhangye County, be attacked at any time?
The more I thought about it, the more panicked I became.
A pair of bloodshot eyes stared at the map, a bold plan came to mind, and he shouted: "Come here -"
"Commander Right, what are your orders?" A man rushed in.
"Beat the drums and gather the generals. I want to go east and attack Chang'an before the Turks." Lun Qinling shouted murderously. His eyes sometimes fell on the northern grassland on the map, sometimes on Chang'an. The more he thought about it, the more feasible it became.
.
If the Turks attack from the northern grasslands, they will definitely be able to hold back the northern troops of the Tang Dynasty. As for the imperial army, they have been entangled in Hezhou by the Tuyuhun troops and cannot be separated. All they have to face is the 30,000 reinforcements blocking the way.
, once it is won, everything is alive.
Thinking of being able to ride a horse across Chang'an, Lun Qinling's whole body trembled with excitement.