Li Chengqian patted the delicate hands that were rubbing his shoulders with his backhand, feeling a little heavy in his heart. The issue of whether to stick to Tai Chi Palace had been discussed once before, although he later stated that he would abandon the city and flee at the last moment, and would not coexist or die with Tai Chi Palace.
But in fact, I have always been worried about it.
He didn't want to be a prince who fled in embarrassment and suffered infamy.
We are even more unwilling to cause the center of the empire to collapse and start a vigorous civil war, which will exhaust the last bit of vitality of the empire and drag the people of the world into dire straits, recreating the chaos of the late Sui Dynasty when the world was full of flames, China was in chaos, and the people were miserable.
He is willing to die for his country and be loyal to the world.
But such a decision is too cruel for the wife around him and his children...
He was speechless, and the Crown Princess was also speechless, but the delicate hands that were squeezing his shoulders stopped and trembled slightly.
Husband and wife are one, how can she not know what her husband thinks and does?
But she didn't say anything, she took a breath and continued to knead gently.
Outside the window, it was windy and rainy, and the night was deep.
*****
After the third watch, the rain became heavier and heavier, and the heavy rain fell from the sky. The torrential rain and the wind were so fierce that it was hard to open your eyes. Under such weather, even if Guanlong Gate kept increasing its troops,
After entering the city, the siege troops were repeatedly rotated, but they had to withdraw their troops hastily before dawn and cease all activities.
The heavy rain diluted the pool of blood on the battlefield, and soldiers from both sides collected the corpses one after another in the rain, and then returned to the barracks to lick their wounds.
Donggong Liusui, which suffered heavy casualties, got a chance to breathe.
No matter how elite the troops are, they cannot be replenished or reorganized during the battle that lasted for more than half a year. They are under tremendous psychological pressure day after day. Their morale will inevitably decline, their morale will be war-weary, and their combat effectiveness will continue to decline.
One breath of support.
If he hadn't known the mission he was shouldering, and if he hadn't been responsible for the survival of the East Palace, and if the commander hadn't been the "god of war" in the world, I'm afraid that the Sixth Army of the East Palace, which had assembled an army in a hurry and didn't have much time to prepare for war, would have collapsed long ago...
However, no matter what difficulties they faced, the fact is that this army withstood the fierce attacks of enemies several times larger than itself for more than half a year. Although they retreated step by step, they always held fast to the Taiji Palace, crushing the rebels and quickly capturing Taiji.
Palace, the ambition to overthrow the Eastern Palace.
There is no doubt that to this day, Donggong Liuliu has become a world-famous iron army!
In a side hall on the side of Taiji Hall, under the eaves and on the walls, lanterns for shelter were burning everywhere, swaying in the wind and rain. The lights were bright, and countless soldiers, captains, and generals wearing raincoats came and went.
His steps were quick and his expression was solemn.
Such a rare respite should naturally be used wisely to treat the wounded, mobilize troops, and supply equipment in order to quickly restore combat effectiveness and welcome a new round of cruel war after the wind and rain stop.
Inside the hall, candles are brightly lit.
Li Jing stood in front of the map with his helmet on, holding a teapot in one hand. While looking at the map, he put the spout of the pot into his mouth and took a sip of tea. Although his hair was gray, his body was tall and energetic, and he did not feel tired or exhausted after not sleeping all day and night.
He was depressed, his eyes were shining, and he was full of fighting spirit.
On the contrary, behind him, Cheng Chubi, Li Siwen, Qu Tuquan, Qin Huaidao and other young generals had their armors damaged and their faces sluggish. Sitting there, even though they tried to straighten their backs, their faces could not hide the exhaustion.
The fierce fighting for half a year not only caused serious attrition and low morale of the Sixth Army of the East Palace, but even these young and powerful generals were tortured. Under the strong pressure, they had to think hard about strategies and tactics every day to boost morale, and often also
To take the lead and charge into battle is a huge drain on physical strength and spirit.
Even an iron man can't bear it.
Li Siwen, who used to be personable and self-proclaimed handsome, now has sunken cheeks and a beard as knotty as a weed...
Li Jing looked at the map for a long time, then turned his head, sat down at the main seat, put the teapot in his hand on the table in front of him, looked around at the outstanding young generals in front of him, and glanced at the faces one by one.
, Wen Yan said: "Why, you can't stand it anymore?"
Hearing this, several generals subconsciously straightened their backs and said in unison: "Don't worry, Commander, we are here in the city and can withstand it!"
Li Jing was very pleased, nodded and said: "This is what soldiers should do. No matter how powerful the enemy is, no matter how dangerous the situation is, as long as there are things behind us that need to be protected, we will always move forward bravely and fight to the death.
Live! Die on the battlefield, wrap your body in horse leather, and wait for the rest. As long as we protect what we need to protect, why not die?"
It can be said that he has studied military affairs all his life, and has dabbled in countless military books and tactics throughout the ages, and then relied on his unparalleled talent to summarize strategic ideas that can lead the times. However, before he was forced to hide in the mansion, he only had "win or lose" in his eyes.
"The two words, seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, choose sides, all for your own future.
Although it turned out that he chose the wrong side and stood on the wrong team, he had to endure more than ten years of suppression and depression...
But it was this period of time when he had to hide in the mansion and be isolated from the central power that made him calm down. While compiling military books, he also realized a completely different realm.
Winning or losing cannot be the only pursuit in a commander's heart.
Because on the battlefield, there will never be a so-called victorious general. No matter how good a soldier is, he will still make mistakes.
As long as you stay on the battlefield, you will eventually encounter failure.
So, knowing that we will lose, does this mean we don’t have to fight this battle? Should we step aside and let others step forward and take responsibility for ourselves, or should we simply surrender and preserve our strength?
No.
Throughout the ages, there have been countless wars in which they knew they would lose and die but did not hesitate. Don’t these people know that it is better to live?
Because faith is higher than life.
To put it bluntly, no matter whether you are a prince, a noble, or a trafficker, you must always have some feelings for your family and country...
That’s right, it’s “home and country”.
Several generals stood up together and said loudly: "Commander, don't worry, we will be loyal to the king and we will not back down!"
Li Jing nodded and said in a deep voice: "Without any high-sounding principles, I just want you to understand that the current situation may seem difficult, and there is always the risk of overthrow, but in fact the rebels are more dangerous than us! They have run out of food and supplies, and their elites
We are even more exhausted, and now we are just hanging on and gritting our teeth, dreaming of defeating us in one fell swoop and overthrowing the East Palace! Next, no matter how fierce their offensive is, as long as we grit our teeth and stop
, that’s when the rebels will be defeated!”
His eyes were bright and he encouraged: "If we win this battle, your merits will be comparable to those of the twenty-four honorable ministers in Lingyan Pavilion, and you will have to make more concessions! You will be promoted to a higher position, you will have great power, you will be given the title of wife and son, and other idle things.
Ear!"
No matter how noble a person is, he cannot only have an illusory dream to support him. He still needs titles, wealth, and power to reward him in order to inspire all his fighting spirit.
Desire is everyone’s greatest driving force.
"Here!"
The generals responded with a roar, and their morale was high.
They are all outstanding figures among the younger generation of the empire. Although they had a good relationship with Fang Jun in the past, they have always been shrouded in Fang Jun's light. Although they admire Fang Jun's achievements and contributions, in the final analysis,
Who is not envious or jealous in his heart?
If there is really a chance, who wouldn’t want to give it a try, follow in Fang Jun’s footsteps, and enjoy Fang Jun’s glory?
A real man only gets his fame from a horse, just like the poem Fang Jun once wrote, "Looking for a prince three thousand miles away"! Now there is no need to travel to the frontier through mountains and rivers to fight against the ferocious Hu tribe in a harsh environment.
The Taiji Palace resists the rabble-like rebels. If you win, you will be successful and famous, and you will be promoted to an official position. It is easier than Fang Jun to win it... If you still can't make achievements like this, wouldn't it be an embarrassment to everyone?
Of course, just a few words of encouragement from Li Jing cannot make several young generals enthusiastic and blindly optimistic. They all have prominent backgrounds, have read books since childhood, and have their own views and opinions on things.
Qu Tuquan asked after calming down: "Is there any movement from the British Duke's side?"
The other people also calmed down instantly and looked at Li Jing.
After all, the war in Chang'an City is now in full swing, and the one who ultimately decides the victory is probably still Chen Bing's Li Ji from Tongguan.
With hundreds of thousands of troops in hand, all we have to do is rush to Chang'an, and the chaos can be settled in an instant...
This is extremely uncomfortable. We are fighting life and death here, but even if we defeat the rebels, we may not be able to win the final victory. Who is willing to fight for it?