The order in the military camp has slowly begun to be restored. The soldiers who were awakened from their sleep instinctively tried to escape, but were stopped by the commanders, brigade leaders and their trusted followers. When a certain number of people gathered, everyone began to gain courage.
Get stronger. Especially when they judged from the shouts of death at the door that their side had the upper hand, their hearts that had jumped out of their throats were swallowed back into their stomachs.
Li Ji, Liu Zhen, and Zhou Wenyuan, three off-duty captains, took this opportunity to issue orders. After a lot of effort, they finally stabilized the soldiers. They looked up, hoping to ask Liu Hongji for instructions on what to do next, but they saw
Don't pull the tiger wing brigade's mount, as if they are arguing about something.
"There must be one place between Tang Gong's mansion and the granary that is their real target!" Liu Hongji whispered. This was the reason for his previous chaos. Tang Gong was kind to the two of them. If someone were to attack the granary at the same time,
If he succeeds in assassinating Duke Tang, he will live with guilt for the rest of his life.
"Brother, do you remember how we burned down the camp in Ashinachoyu? If the granary is lost, will the Tang Guild be safe and sound?" Li Xu asked this question in a low voice while arranging his bows, arrows and armor.
He didn't need Liu Hongji to answer. If Xu Dayan and he hadn't created chaos in the Ashina camp, Liu Hongji and others would never have had the chance to make a move.
The situation at this moment is exactly similar to that night when everyone made a big fuss at the Ashina camp. It's just that the person who set the fire became the one being attacked, and the origin of the attacker is unknown.
Liu Hongji nodded, speechless. What Li Xu said made sense. If the granary was burned, according to Sui Dynasty regulations and the habits of the current emperor, Li Yuan's whole family would not be able to escape the fate of being buried in the granary. Thinking of this, he saw
Looking at the cavalry team ready to go, he stepped aside to let Li Xu and his Tiger Wing Brigade open the camp gate.
"Tang Gong's shooting skills are not inferior to yours or mine!" Li Xu turned around and shouted loudly. He clamped his legs on Heifeng's belly and rushed into the street like a hundred cavalry.
On the streets, small groups of men in black were constantly setting fires. The five hundred reinforcements sent by Lord Yu Wenshu and the arsonists were fighting separately in the dark, with the sounds of swords and guns clashing and shouts of killing. Innocent people were on one side.
They used buckets to fight off the incoming disasters, and at the same time endured open and hidden arrows, and heard endless cries and pleas for help.
Li Xu had no time to pay attention to these disturbances, and led the brothers he had personally trained to attack Tang Gong's mansion. This was the only solution he and Liu Hongji came up with in the shortest time. Since the enemy troops sneaked into the city for a sneak attack, the number of
Not too many. If you mess up your position, you will play into the opponent's hands.
"There seems to be someone blocking the road ahead!" Yu, a warrior from Hedong, shouted to Li Xu on horseback. His family was wealthy, but his background was not deep enough. In the "Hidden Dragon and Crouching Tiger" food protection army, he only had a young boy leader.
Because of their close relationship with Li Xu and Liu Hongji, after Liu and Li were promoted, they also assumed the position of team commander. Just now, Li Xu and Liu Hongji went out to meet the enemy, but thanks to him, they gathered the Tiger Wing Brigade cavalry.
Got up.
"No matter who it is, just rush over to it!" Li Liang, another team leader sent by the Li Mansion, suggested loudly. As they spoke, the three of them had already rushed across two streets and saw more than twenty people fifty steps away.
People in Sui khaki military uniforms blocked the intersection.
"Someone is taking advantage of the chaos to set fire, and the streets are closed!" a low-level officer wearing the uniform of a sixth-grade soldier shouted loudly. He thought he could stop the intruder with his official position, but he didn't expect that the person leading the team was a young man.
Not only did the war horse's speed not slow down at all, but it accelerated towards his head.
"Tiger-winged cavalry, get out of the way!" Li Xu shook the reins and rushed forward without hesitation. The fire in the direction of Tang Gong's mansion was getting bigger and bigger. Even if there was a cliff ahead, he had to step on it. His front hoof was about to hit it.
The moment Bingcao touched his shoulder, Heifeng's body took half a step forward, and one person and one horse floated over the opponent's head like a thunderous giant.
"Ah!" The soldier was so frightened that he hugged his head and rolled to both sides of the road. The warriors Yun and Li Liang followed the general and jumped over him unceremoniously. Seeing this, the other one hundred cavalrymen knocked their calves on the horse's belly.
He rushed over behind Mr. Lu.
"I, I'm not done with you!" The soldier, whose face was livid with fright, got up from the ground and shouted at the backs of the cavalry. After shouting, he remembered the task assigned by his superior. His legs and feet suddenly became weak, and he sat down on the roadside.
.
These one hundred cavalrymen had been trained by Li Xu for more than half a month, and they already had a certain tacit understanding of their cooperation. When they saw Tang Gong's Mansion from a distance, they immediately adjusted their speed to form two attack arrays. They cooperated with each other and followed each other.
The fire was approaching behind Li Xu.
The front and back of Tang Gong's mansion had been burned into a sea of fire. Hundreds of black-clad warriors surrounded the palace wall, climbing on and throwing torches inward. From time to time, someone poked their head out of the palace wall and threw the half-climbed
The black-clothed warrior swept him down with a steel sword. In the blink of an eye, other warriors stepped on the body of their companion and climbed towards the palace wall.
"Draw your sword!" Li Xu shouted loudly. The two cavalry teams drew their swords at the same time, and the three feet of autumn water shone brightly and chilled in the firelight.
"Push them left and right and scatter them!" Li Xu shouted, and with a wave of horse heads, he rushed towards the enemy troops on the left side of the gate. The warrior Xun followed him with fifty food protection troops, and the other fifty elites were killed by Li
Liang led it and rushed towards the enemy's right wing like a whirlwind.
The men in black who attacked Tang Gong's Mansion did not expect that reinforcements from the other side would suddenly arrive behind them. When they heard the sound of horse hooves, they quickly turned back, but it was too late to organize a complete defensive formation. Two teams of cavalry rushed forward in an instant, with their swords in hand and under the wall.
Clear a bloody path.
This was not the first time he had killed people. Li Xu's sword skills gradually matured. With the speed of Hei Feng, the long blade of the scimitar in his hand was fully utilized. A man in black was wiped out by him before he could even raise the sword.
His neck was broken. The second man in black who was blocking the horse had half of his shoulder cut open by him with his blade. The third man tried to chop his thigh from the side, but he hit him on the chest with his machete.
"Ah!" The man in black screamed and flew out. His chest was filled with blood, and the red color filled the bluestone street. The food protection soldiers following Li Xu were a little nervous at first, seeing that their brigade was so ruthless.
La, who was also aroused with murderous intent, followed the enemy's bloodstains and rushed the gap outside the palace wall wider and wider.
The men in black who attacked Tang Gong's residence had to give up their immediate goal and concentrate on dealing with the sudden attack. Under the scolding of the leader, dozens of men in black quickly formed a team and formed a sword formation to try to block Hei Feng's footsteps.
"Go to hell!" Li Xu roared and pulled the reins hard. The pained Heifeng let out a long hiss and made a beautiful side turn while galloping. The horse suddenly changed from charging forward to charging forward.
Facing the enemy soldiers sideways, before the man in black could make a correct response, Li Xu leaned forward on the horse and drew his long knife horizontally.
"Poof!" "Poof!" The felt armor of the two men in black was cut through by a long knife like paper. A gap immediately appeared in the knife array. The samurai Yun did not hesitate and squeezed in through the gap with his cavalry.
The sound of horse hooves rolled past like thunder, and the sword array was smashed into pieces like boiling soup splashing snow.
Infantry with only short weapons could not show off their abilities no matter how powerful they were when they encountered cavalry on the plains. The leader of the black warriors was not willing to be cooked and flew away like a duck. He roared and forced the warriors to form formation again. Only then did they gather around him.
He defeated more than a dozen defeated soldiers. Suddenly, an arrow flew from the wall of the palace and stabbed into his throat.
"Ah!" The leader screamed miserably and fell on his back. The warrior Yu rushed forward on his horse, killed the surrounding black warriors, cut off the leader's head with a knife, held his bun with his hands, and raised it high.
.
"Tiger-winged cavalry, anyone who stands in my way will die!" Li Xu took the opportunity to shout.
"Tiger-winged cavalry, anyone who stands in my way will die!" the food guards shouted in unison. When they were young, they used their family background to roam the countryside. They were once majestic, but they have never been as majestic as they are today.
The man in black could no longer hold on any longer. When he saw the leader's head being lifted up, his morale immediately collapsed. He screamed and ran away. Li Xu ordered the two teams to gather the soldiers, count the casualties, and then slashed
In the saddle, he clasped his fists and saluted in the direction where he had just fired the arrow to kill the leader in black, and shouted: "Li Xu, the leader of the brigade, has been ordered to come to rescue Duke Tang!"
"Who is outside the wall?" A torch lit up in the darkness, and Tang Gong Li Yuan stood under the torch, holding a long bow and asked in a low voice.
"Tang Gong's command is Li Xu!" Li Xu replied loudly, turned his horse's head, and ran to a burning fire. The dancing flames illuminated his yellow military uniform and half of his face stained red by the enemy's blood.
cloak.
"Split one team into chasing the enemy, and the other team into the mansion to put out the fire!" Li Yuan ordered in a deep voice, with an expression on his face that showed neither joy nor anger.
"Li Liang led his men and horses to chase the enemy, and the warrior Xun led the food protection team into the house to put out the fire!" Li Xu loudly elaborated on Duke Tang's order. After hearing the order, the cavalry formed a team and was supplemented by Yu Wenshu's subordinates, with greater combat effectiveness.
The stronger group, led by Li Liang, continued to sweep away the defeated enemies outside the gate. The brothers from the other group, who originally belonged to Huaiyuan Town, jumped off their horses and lined up in front of Li Yuan's mansion.
He didn't care about etiquette in a critical moment. After a while, the main door and side door of Li Mansion opened at the same time, welcoming everyone in. "Hurry up and help put out the fire!" Chief Staff Chen Yanshou asked in a low voice. It turned out that Li was far behind in numbers.
The guards of the mansion had suffered heavy casualties in the previous battle and had no strength to deal with the torches that were deliberately thrown into the door. At this moment, the wind took advantage of the fire and burned most of the mansion into a mountain of flames.
"Shitong, tell the brothers to form groups and get water to put out the fire!" Li Xu immediately shouted an order as soon as he entered the door.
The warrior Xun agreed, threw down the head in his hand, and immediately went to allocate manpower. This group of food protection soldiers was not strong in combat effectiveness, but their military appearance was more neatly trained by Li Xu. After hearing the order, they quickly divided into small groups and searched for them under the leadership of their respective group leaders.
Furniture, water and fire extinguishing.
Li Yuan watched silently from the side as Li Xu assigned tasks to his soldiers. After all the soldiers dispersed, he raised his long bow and asked in a low voice: "How is it over there in the granary? Someone took advantage of the chaos to attack!"
"Not many people came, but Brother Hongji led the brothers to beat him up. Don't worry, Mr. Tang, the brothers are in good order!" Li Xu replied in a low voice.
Li Yuan was very pleased to hear the last four words. There was a high wall outside the grain depot and the barracks. If the soldiers did not get confused, it would be difficult for a small number of enemy troops to cause any big disaster. Just as he was about to ask for details about the grain depot, he suddenly heard
With a scream, the young master Yuanji ran over from the backyard in disgrace.
"Dad, hurry up, save the second sister. There is a big fire in the west courtyard. The door is blocked!" Li Yuanji flattened his mouth and spoke incoherently. However, with a few words, Li Yuan was shaken like a thunderbolt and held up.
The long bow holding the arm cracked and broke into two pieces.
Li Xu looked up and understood what had happened. Xikuoyuan must be the residence of the female family members, and the second sister mentioned by Yuan Ji must be Li Waner who beat drums to cheer for him that day. Just now, the dead men of Li Mansion focused their attention on Duke Tang.
All around, the defense across the courtyard had to be greatly weakened. The enemy took advantage of the random throwing of torches and no one was able to deal with them in time, causing even greater disasters there.
"Put out the fire, put out the fire!" Li Yuan shouted in panic, and with the guards who could still walk, he ran across the courtyard to the west. As soon as he ran into the courtyard, his footsteps were forced back by the fire. Several houses for the female family members had been destroyed.
It was burning loudly and could fall down at any time, killing both the person putting out the fire and the people trapped in the house by the fire.
"Wan'er, Wan'er!" Mrs. Dou's screams were heartbreaking. Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin, whose faces were as black as the bottom of a pot, with traces of smoke all over their hands and bodies, hoarsely organized people to approach the house.
Several food guards covered each other and tried to rush into the room. After taking a few steps, they were forced back by thick smoke and fire.
"Mom, don't leave me! Don't leave me!" Li Waner's voice seemed so weak and weak against the sound of the flames beating.
"Don't leave me, don't leave me!" The calls echoed in Li Xu's ears like thunder. In an instant, his eyes were blood red. With red eyes, he dropped his machete and grabbed one from the soldiers.
He poured all the water in the bucket onto himself. Then he covered his head with the bucket and rushed into the fire.
"Zhongjian!" Li Yuan and his son screamed in despair. No one expected that when the house was about to be burned down, Li Xu would rush into the fire to save others regardless of his life.
The water-stained cowhide armor was roasted by the fire, exuding a pungent burnt smell. Li Xu ignored the excruciating pain in his hands and feet and quickly rushed through the fire. The mouth of the barrel darkened slightly, followed closely
There was nothing in front of him. He was overjoyed, knowing that he rushed into the room alive.
"Who are you?" Li Waner, who was desperate, suddenly saw a burning man rushing in front of her and asked in shock.
"Li Zhongjian!" Li Xu pulled the barrel off his head and answered loudly. He quickly wiped out the smoking spots on his leather armor. He looked around, but couldn't find a place where Li Waner could escape.
The situation was urgent and he was not allowed to think any more. He grabbed the barrel and put Li Waner's head and shoulders in it.
Li Waner's body was much smaller than that of Li Xu. The huge wooden barrel was put on and covered half of her body. She was so frightened that she screamed loudly and begged: "Brother Zhongjian, don't leave me, please."
, don’t leave me!”
"Let's go!" Li Xu leaned over, picked up Li Wan'er around the waist, grabbed several sets of bedding in the room that were not on fire, and threw them onto the flames one after another. The thick winter bedding immediately suppressed the fire in the window. It was too late to speak.
, at that moment, Li Xu gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, holding the wooden barrel above his head, Li Waner, and jumped out.
The dry and hot air made people's nostrils hurt. It was cold, hot, and cold again. Li Xu felt that there was no more flames in front of his head. He rushed forward a few steps and took advantage of the situation to throw himself on the ground. He fell down and rolled quickly.
, using the cold ground to extinguish the flames on his body.
A dozen shocked soldiers immediately stepped forward and poured buckets of cold water on him. The smell was so bad that it made people cry, but all the sparking embers were doused. Li Yuan and Jiancheng rushed forward at the same time. , one helped Li Xu up, and the other pulled up the "barrel" with raw legs. He reached out and wiped the mud and soot from the other's face, revealing two faces full of hope.
"Zhong Jian!" Li Yuan looked at his daughter and his newly acquired nephew, and he was extremely moved.
"Daughter!" Mrs. Dou, who saw the miracle in despair, completely lost her composure and cried loudly while holding Li Waner who had escaped from death.
After taking off the barrel, Li Waner seemed to be petrified. She looked at her mother in shock for a while, then gently got rid of Dou's arms and walked to Li Xu, who was being helped to remove his armor and wash his wounds. He saluted and thanked Li Xu. Said: "Brother Zhongjian, thank you very much! I knew you wouldn't abandon me!"
"Fu Li, don't leave me -" In the wind, there was a faint sound of howling wolves. Li Xu was stunned, and his eyes were filled with pink again.
Note 1: The three counties of Liaodong, the main front line of Yang Guang's first attack on Goryeo, are divided into Liaodong, Yanjun and Liucheng, which respectively correspond to the current western Shenyang, Liaoxi and Chaoyang Jinzhou areas.
Note 2: Pi Bian, a hat commonly used by warriors, is usually a deerskin seat. The Zi Guan worn by Li Xu below is a hat commonly used by Wensheng, regardless of rank.
Note 3: The big bow is a kind of Han ritual, which is performed by the younger generation to the elders. The elders usually give a flat bow. In the article, the old man thinks that he is lower than Li Xu, so he has to kneel down in a higher level. The knees of Han and Tang people are not the same. Kneeling often, and bowing when meeting friends. When meeting strangers for the first time, they bow their hands in a salute. Only when worshiping the ancestral tablets, they kowtow three times.
Note 4: Li Jiancheng, 589-626, his name is not recorded in history. Zi Gu was made up by the author.
Note 5: Cai's Five Nongs, namely "Spring Outing", "Lushui", "Secluded Residence", "Sitting in Sorrow" and "Autumn Thoughts", are all famous songs through the ages, and were once listed by Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty as a required subject for Jinshi. .
Note 6: Huaiyuan Town is marked in the Sui and Tang Dynasty volumes of "Historical Map of China" in Yi County on the edge of the Liao River today. Some people think that it is too close to the border and doubt this statement.
Note 7: Li Wan'er, Princess Pingyang, one of Li Yuan's nineteen daughters, was born to the same mother as Jiancheng, Shimin and Yuanji. After the Song Dynasty, when the history was compiled, the woman's name was not recorded, so only her name was left in the history. Romance of the Late Qing Dynasty It was called Li Waner in the novel, and Mr. Huang Yi made up that she was Li Xiuning. When Li Yuan started the army, Li Shimin was nineteen years old, and Princess Pingyang had been married for many years. Therefore, she should be Shimin's sister rather than his younger sister.
Note 8: Qin Wuyang, a famous warrior in the late Warring States period, killed people in a busy city at the age of thirteen. Later, as Jing Ke's deputy, he joined the Qin Dynasty to assassinate Yingzheng, but failed and died.
Note 9: This action is the whole process of the big bow in the Han rite. The following is the flat bow performed by Li Yuan in the Han rite. Liu Hongji is Li Yuan's junior, so he greeted Shibo with a big bow, and Li Yuan returned the flat bow. Han Li Basically, there are four categories: kneeling down, big bowing, flat bowing, and cupping fists, with the severity decreasing in order. Kneeling down usually only respects ancestors.
Note 10: Historically, Li Yuan and Li Shimin were both very brave men. When Li Yuan was guarding Shanxi, he used two thousand troops to prevent the Turks from going south. In the war at the end of the Sui Dynasty, Li Shimin would go forward in every battle and attack the enemy directly. Core. At that time, the Chinese people's thinking had not yet been castrated. In addition to the feminine and power-minded, many people had masculine qualities in them.
Note 11: In the military system of the Sui Dynasty, ten people were called fire, and the fire was as long as the fire.
Note 12: Sun Anzu was a native of Qinghe (historic city in Hebei Province) at the end of the Sui Dynasty. In the seventh year of his reign, his hometown was flooded and he begged to be exempted from military service. The government did not allow it, so he captured his wife and children and forced him to do so. His wife and children all starved to death. Anzu was angry and killed him.
The official rebelled and called himself Moyang Gong.
Note 13: Changbai Mountain, now Zhangqiu, Shandong
Note 14: Sui Dynasty military uniform, yellow clothes and red flag.
Note 15: In the Sui Dynasty system, the captain could govern between 800 and 1,200 people, under which there could be a chief history officer, a military officer, one general, and six lieutenants. A regiment of 300 soldiers would have a lieutenant;
A hundred people are a brigade, and the brigade has a brigade's lead; a fifty is a team, and the team is correct; ten people are a fire, and the fire is as long as the fire. (To be continued)
