There was constant wind and snow on the city, and the fighting below the city shook the sky. The rebels surged towards Chengtian Gate like a tide, and arrows were like locusts on the city.
However, all these seemed to disappear before Li Chengqian's eyes. He was so shocked that he stared at Li Junxian and asked, "What did you say?"
Li Junxian had never seen such a fierce look in Li Chengqian's eyes. A person who had always been gentle and cowardly suddenly showed such a cruel look, but it was even more frightening than those who were usually extremely vicious.
He swallowed subconsciously and said quickly: "The guards from Youtun outside Xuanwu Gate came to report that Gao Kan had already led his troops across the Wei River to the north and went straight to Qishan. He met up with the tens of thousands of cavalry led by the Duke of Yue and defeated them.
The Zuo Tun Guards and the royal army gathered at the foot of Jiangui Ridge have now headed straight for Chang'an!"
Li Chengqian stared angrily, stamped his feet fiercely, and said angrily: "He, he, he... how dare he do this?! Gu Qian warned and ordered Wan to guard the Western Regions. Even if the lone soldier was defeated and died, he would not be able to return to Chang'an, resulting in loss.
An inch of territory! How dare he disobey orders and abandon the vast territory of the Western Regions to return to the dynasty? This makes me angry!"
For the first time, he felt infinite anger towards Fang Jun, even though Fang Jun's class teacher returned to the court just to save his wealth and life.
Although he has a weak character, he strongly agrees with Fang Jun's words that "the interests of the empire are above all else." When the territory of the empire is invaded by foreign enemies, what does personal life and death, honor and disgrace count?
When the surrounding soldiers heard that His Royal Highness was so angry, they immediately stood in awe.
They all said that the prince was weak and foolish, but now they saw it with their own eyes. They would rather be surrounded by the rebels and be defeated and die than the army of the Western Regions would abandon the territory and return to the rescue, thus losing the territory and causing the people to fall under the iron hoof of the Hulu.
...From ancient times to the present, how many emperors have been able to put the interests of the empire above their own safety?
Li Jing knew that Li Chengqian was not just showing off, but had sincerely made up his mind to defend the Taiji Palace. He absolutely did not want Fang Jun to abandon the territory of the Western Regions and return to the imperial court. So why was he not like this?
The Western Region is the barrier to Hexi, and Hexi is the key to Guanzhong. Its strategic position is very important. Once the Western Region is lost, Hexi will face a powerful enemy. If you are not careful, you will lose the city and lose the land. Let Hu Qi drive straight in and reach Guanzhong, which will be a great threat.
The Tang Dynasty was in danger.
The Western Region is lost today, and it must be regained at any cost in the future. But we don’t know how much national power it will consume, how many soldiers will be sacrificed, and how many years it will take...
But now that the matter has come to this, what can we do if we just get angry?
Then he sighed and persuaded: "Erlang is loyal to the emperor and patriotic. Even the old ministers are sincerely convinced. Since he led the army to attack thousands of miles to return to Chang'an, he must have some considerations. This matter can be discussed later. Now, since Erlang has returned, we
Our strategy should be adjusted in time, and at the same time, we should send people to contact us, cooperate internally and externally, defeat the Guanlong rebels in one fell swoop, and turn defeat into victory!"
Of course Li Chengqian understands this truth. Even if he complains again, the matter has come to this, where is there any room for regret?
In any case, Fang Jun returned to Chang'an for the sake of him, the crown prince of the Eastern Palace. He could not let the officials of the Eastern Palace be defeated and die, and his entire family be exterminated... just for his so-called perseverance and pride.
After sighing, Li Chengqian's face softened and he nodded: "What Duke Wei said is true. It's just that Erlang's return to Chang'an caused a drastic change in the situation. I wonder how Duke Wei wants to adjust his strategy?"
There was no hope of victory before, so they let go of the imperial city to lure the enemy deep, and concentrated the limited troops of the Sixth Army in the East Palace to inflict heavy damage on the enemy. Then they let go of the front line of Chengtianmen, relying on the many palaces and towers in the Taiji Palace, and fought the enemy to the end.
Both jade and stone are burned.
But now that Fang Jun has captured Xiaoguan and is approaching Chang'an, he naturally cannot continue his desperate strategy. Otherwise, by the time Fang Jun returns to Chang'an, Taiji Palace has already fallen, and all six people in the East Palace have been killed. What a waste...
Li Jing made a quick decision and said: "Temporarily hold on to the front line of Chengtianmen, and then contact Erlang. If he can arrive in Chang'an as soon as possible, this strategy will be safe. However, if it is delayed for a long time, it will be difficult for Chengtianmen to hold on. We still have to fight and retreat.
They retreated into Taiji Palace to deal with the enemy, but they didn't have to fight to the death. Moreover, the reason why the rebels launched a crazy attack in the past two days must have been informed of the news that Erlang had returned to Guanzhong to aid. With Changsun Wuji's careful thinking, he stormed Chengtianmen
, on the other hand, troops will definitely be sent to besiege Xuanwu Gate, which can not only involve our military strength, but also block the external communication channel, so Xuanwu Gate is still the top priority. His Highness immediately ordered all the troops to defend and must not let Xuanwu Gate
Fall. At the same time, you can draft a surrender letter, which states that King Qin's army has approached Chang'an, and the mutiny and destruction are imminent. As long as the rebels put down their weapons, His Highness will only punish the culprits with mercy, and the followers will not be blamed... Order the subordinate officials in the palace
Copy many copies and distribute them to the rebel formations using the crossbows on the Chengtian Gate."
The soldiers at the bottom only know how to follow orders, advance or retreat, fight or surrender, and do not have much subjective judgment, because they lack information about the changes in the situation, and it is difficult to respond based on various information. At present, Guanlong's internal affairs are inevitable
Concealing the news that Fang Jun led his troops to return for reinforcements, he blindly urged his soldiers to continuously launch fierce attacks.
With heavy casualties, the soldiers were tired of fighting, and their fear of war was bound to rise. At this time, the surrender letter was sent to the rebel formations, and they were read and circulated. They understood that the current situation was on the verge of desperation for Guanlong, and it was bound to severely damage the morale of the rebels.
, shake their military morale.
Coupled with the prince's promise to "punish only the first culprits and not punish those who follow him", this will further divide the rebels' will to fight. The Guanlong rebels are originally a mob, and their military discipline is almost non-existent. They all rely on the influence of various clans.
Prestige commands the army. Once the morale of the army is shaken and morale is low, knowing that the war is impossible to win, continuing to rush and fight will only lead to death in vain. Naturally, they will shrink from the battle and refuse to go all out to die.
In this way, how much combat strength can the ragtag Guanlong army have left?
As one goes and the other goes, the six leaders of the East Palace will fight harder and harder to retreat. They are united and can hold on to the Taiji Palace. It is natural that Fang Jun's army will arrive outside the city to contain the Guanlong army, leaving the rebels in Chang'an City empty of troops.
, even Donggong Six Rate can launch a wave of counterattack...
Li Chengqian thought for a while, nodded and said: "Good! Then I will follow Duke Wei's policy."
He is self-aware. Apart from his status as an imperial prince, he is not good at anything in the arts of literature, Taoism or military strategy. Following advice is the most correct choice, and acting smart is foolish. Besides, Li Jing, who is the best in the art of war in the world, has proposed
How many people in the world can refute this strategy or even come up with a better way?
Immediately, Cen Wenwen wrote a letter of persuasion to surrender, denounced Guanlong's rebellious behavior verbally and writtenly, and told the current situation in detail. In short, the Guanlong rebels were at the end of their rope.
After being defeated and killed, the whole family will be exiled for three thousand miles and go to the smoky land to fend for themselves. Putting down their weapons is the only way to survive...
Then, he copied many copies of the letter urging surrender, tied them to arrow shafts, and fired them into the rebel formation with several crossbows on the Chengtian Gate.
Li Jing also issued military orders at the station, adjusted his strategy, and ordered the six leaders of the East Palace to hold on to the palace city and wait for reinforcements from outside the city.
Hearing that Fang Jun had led an army to rush thousands of miles to come back for reinforcements, and had now passed Xiao Pass and was rushing along the Wei River to attack Chang'an. The already depressed morale of the Sixth Army of the East Palace suddenly surged, and each of the exhausted soldiers seemed to be full of energy in an instant.
They fought tooth and nail and were not afraid of death, blocking the rebels from the palace. Even though the rebels continued to deploy troops and generals to strengthen their attack, they were unable to advance even an inch.
The battle situation is once again deadlocked, but this time it is more favorable to the East Palace. After all, as long as the rebels are not completely defeated, the final victory lies with the East Palace.
Time has completely been on the side of the East Palace.
*****
On the Xuanwu Gate.
Zhang Shigui, the Duke of Guo State, Li Junxian, the commander-in-chief of the "Hundred Cavalry Division", as well as dozens of Beiya Imperial Guards, and elite Hundred Cavalry troops wearing helmets, surrounded the two princesses Changle and Jinyang, facing the wind and snow blowing from the north,
Looking at the overwhelming rebels approaching as far as the eye can see.
Under the Xuanwu Gate, there was a melodious "Woo-Woo" bugle sound in the Youtunwei camp. Under the fluttering flags, dozens of artillery pieces that had just been maintained were pushed to the front of the camp. The cavalry guarded the two wings, and the heavy infantry followed closely behind. The battle array
Strict and murderous.
Princess Changle tightened her cloak tightly, her beautiful face was slightly flushed by the north wind, and her beauty was a little more delicate. She pursed her lips and said worriedly: "The guards of Youtun went to meet the Duke of Yue. The troops in the camp are strong."
Emptiness, can it stop the rebel offensive?"
Zhang Shigui did not answer immediately. He stroked his beard and looked suspiciously at the formation of Youtunwei not far from the city. He said curiously: "Gao Kan has already led his army to Qishan. Not only are the troops in Youtunwei camp empty, but the generals are also empty."
Although the ability is insufficient, how come there are experts who are proficient in strategy and can actually arrange such a brilliant formation?"