"The Yuwen family seems to have been plotting against Zhong Jian recently!" The eldest son Jiancheng reported to his father in a low voice at the residence of Tang Gong Li Yuan. Li Yuan was a very dedicated father, and his children were usually involved in all family affairs. In this way,
On the one hand, everyone can sit together and feel the warmth of the family. On the other hand, it can also cultivate the practical handling ability of several sons when encountering things.
It was not easy for the Li family in Longyou to get to where it is today. It took several generations of hard work to achieve this result. One of the several sons must have a successor who is stronger than his father's generation in order to maintain the glory of the Li family forever.
"Brother Zhongjian is not someone who is easily won over. Besides, he is so dull that he may not even realize that the emperor has deliberately lowered his reward!" Li Waner said before Li Yuan could speak. Mentioning Li Xu's dullness, she
He also thought of the other party's many interesting behaviors. This young man with the same surname was different from all the children from aristocratic families he knew. Sometimes he was naive, but sometimes he was also very lovable.
"I'm afraid something happened to Brother Liu. The emperor promoted my father to an official position, but actually took away the last bit of military power in disguise. If Brother Liu is attracted by someone..." Li Shimin reminded his father with some worry.
Li Xu was just a school lieutenant, about the same age as himself, with no obvious talent. Even if he was attracted by the Yuwen family, it would not be a big loss to the Li family. But Liu Hongji was different. He was highly skilled in martial arts, tactful, and always able to convince people.
Once he gets into trouble, most of the Li family's efforts in recent years will be lost.
The food protection soldiers are not just a group of young men waiting to die. Many big families only care about the military power of the soldiers and do not pay attention to the potential value of the young men. Although the families behind them are not huge, their number is as many as one
One thousand, two hundred. With the support of one thousand, two hundred small and medium-sized families that are rising, the Li family's strength is enough to increase a lot.
This was the real reason why Li Yuan indulged and protected the food guards. Others could not guess it, but Jiancheng and Shimin would not understand their father's good intentions.
"If the man surnamed Liu doesn't know what's good, just kill him with one knife!" Li Yuanji interrupted blankly, attracting a lot of blank looks. He looked at his father's face, and got into his mother's arms dejectedly.
"Hongji knows how to advance and retreat very well, so you don't have to worry about him betraying our Li family." Li Yuan waited for the children to finish speaking before slowly giving his answer. He looked at his two grown sons, and
A daughter who was not deeply involved in the world thought for a while and continued: "Xu Zi is a pure-hearted child who knows how to repay kindness. No matter how much effort the Yuwen family puts into it, it is probably of no use. His future achievements may not be inferior to Hong Ji's.
If you follow our family now, your future will be delayed."
"He is a country boy, and you have given him his future!" Li Yuanji poked his head out of his mother's arms, yelled, and then quickly retracted his head.
"What do you think?" Unexpectedly, Li Yuan didn't scold his youngest son for talking too much. He smiled and asked the other children.
"Our Li family is indeed not kind to him. I think Zhong Jian also knows this in his heart, otherwise he would not admit his relationship with our family frankly in front of the civil and military officials of the court!" Li Jiancheng thought for a while and answered first. He kept trying to put the other party
He was treated as a distant relative who came to live with the Li family. After interacting with him a lot, he did develop a sense of family affection for Li Xu in his heart.
"He is grateful, so he tried his best to repay our family." Li Shimin thought for a while and replied. Li Xu will not be won over by the Yuwen family, he is convinced of this. But is Li Xu considered a direct descendant of his family? Yes.
At the same time, he didn't have much confidence in his heart. Although this person looked innocent on the surface, he had some dead ideas in his heart. It would be difficult for others to persuade him to turn back on what he believed in.
"Brother Liu and Brother Zhongjian are both very talented. Only when their father helps them do they have a chance to come forward. If their father doesn't help them, they may come forward, but it will definitely take more time!" Li Waner's view is slightly different from that of her elder brother and younger brother.
There are some differences, focusing more on the appreciation of Liu and Li's abilities.
"Neither of them succeed because of others. If their father doesn't help them, they will be noticed sooner or later!" Li Yuan nodded and said quietly, "In this expedition to Liao, dozens of vassal states followed the army.
Watch the battle. If we win, it will also deter the barbarians. If the army fails to launch, I'm afraid," he sighed and shook his head, "I'm afraid there will be chaos in the world in the future!"
"Before the troubled times come, if we help one more person, we will have one more friend in the future!" Li Yuan's words were full of worry as his eyes swept over the faces of several children who seemed to understand.
Talking to Yu Wenshiji is a kind of torture. This person's tongue is like the letter of a poisonous insect, turning brightly red in his mouth. Every time he spits out "fatal" venom. If someone imitates a few more hisses
There was a hissing sound, and Li Xu would never suspect that this person was the reincarnation of a thousand-year-old insect spirit, born to make him unhappy. But he couldn't drive him away. To put it lightly, Lord Yuwen turned a deaf ear to it, to put it seriously,
With his status as Prince Consort, the other party can create countless troubles for the food protection army that cannot be avoided.
Facing the handsome face in front of him, Li Xu almost despaired of his life. If he could make a choice between going to the other side of the Liao River to fight and chatting with the scribes, he would rather go to the other side of the river to fight and die. At least that would be possible.
It would be better to die quickly and not have to endure the endless vitriol from this guy in front of you.
Fortunately, the army of more than one million cannot stay on the west bank of the Liao River forever. On the 15th day of the third month of the eighth year of Daye (612), His Majesty the Sui Emperor personally supervised the division and launched a strong attack on the east bank of the Liao River. The vanguard was
The three armies of Zuo Wuwei, Zuo Tunwei and Zuo Yiwei totaled more than 60,000 people. They were all elite soldiers, and none of them were civilians recruited temporarily.
Yu Wenkai, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, was ordered to build a pontoon bridge for the army. More than 40,000 people, with inflated animal urine tied to their waists, carried planks, bamboo poles and short stakes and jumped into the cold Liao River before the army. Spring is coming late in the North.
, the Liao River water was in the spring flood, and it was cold and fast. In less than half a stick of incense, more than a hundred craftsmen involved in repairing the bridge were swept away by the river. Others who gritted their teeth and persisted in the water also had their lips frozen by the river water.
He turned purple, and his movements on his hands and feet became increasingly weak.
"Bring the wine and let the craftsmen take turns to go ashore to rest. Each of them drinks two bowls of strong wine before entering the water!" His Majesty the Emperor does not want to be a tyrant, at least as far as he can see, he does not want to see his people frozen alive.
die.
His order was quickly conveyed, and a moment later, the newly appointed Chariot and Cavalry General Liu Hongji, together with his brothers from the food protection army, placed thousands of fine wines prepared by the army to celebrate the victory to the bank of the Liao River. Someone was on the bank.
They lit a bonfire and used earthenware pots to heat up the spirits. The craftsmen, who were so cold that their faces were black and blue, came over to drink, warm themselves by the fire, and then went down to the river. They went ashore, warmed themselves by the fire, and drank...
The pontoon stretched with great difficulty to the other bank. When it almost reached the center of the river, the Goguryeo people on the other bank could not sit still. They were not Song Xianggong, and they did not understand the virtue of "benevolence and righteousness" of letting the enemy land before fighting again.
The heavily armored warriors rushed to the shore and erected a wooden wall with huge shields. Behind the wooden wall, thousands of lightly armored warriors pushed over forty ballistas for city attack and defense, pulled by oxen.
Open the bow string and place the remaining length of the crossbow arrow on the crossbow bed.
The spring floods in the Liaohe River are approaching, and the wind on the water is very strong. When the distance is far, ordinary bows and arrows cannot cause trouble to the opponent. Therefore, the coaches of both sides coincidentally thought of bed crossbows, and a long-distance crossbow battle began on both sides of the river.
The sound of the surging water was quickly covered up by the whistling sound caused by the crossbow arrows breaking through the air. The first person fell into the river, was gently rolled up by the waves, and disappeared after a circle of red ripples. Followed by the second person.
The second one, the third one, the craftsmen and civilians who had no weapons except wood in their hands had nowhere to dodge, and watched helplessly as thick wood flew towards them one after another, passing through the bodies of several people at the same time.
The craftsmen and civilians were in a mess and wanted to escape. They were surrounded by rushing water. After leaving the pontoon bridge, they didn't know where they would be carried by the river. They wanted to retreat, but their retreat was blocked by their companions, and the starting point of the pontoon bridge.
Hundreds of overseers armed with whips and iron rods came forward fiercely.
"Don't mess up, don't mess up, they can't grow!" He Chou, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, took a dozen guards and ran back and forth on half of the pontoon, risking their lives, trying their best to inspire the courage of the craftsmen.
"Don't mess around, our crossbow is coming!" The desperate shouts were filled with prayers.
The bed crossbows of the Sui Dynasty were indeed launched. Although their movements were half a beat slower than their opponents, their quality was far superior to those country gadgets made by the Goguryeo people. General Yu Wenshu of Zuo Yiwei gave an order, and more than 300 crossbows were fired.
The bed showed its power at the same time, and the craftsmen who were messing around in the river felt that the light above their heads dimmed, and then they heard the screams from the other side of the river.
Those were the desperate screams of hundreds of people at the same time. The large Sui crossbow arrows with fine steel blades and wrought iron feathers were like tearing paper, easily penetrating the shield wall erected by the Goguryeo soldiers, cutting through the shield like tofu.
The stone armor or iron armor behind the wall nailed the shields and armors together with their owners to the ground.
"Don't mess up, don't mess up, keep building bridges, keep building bridges! Anyone who retreats will be killed on the spot," Yu Wenkai, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, shouted at the top of his lungs. Millions of troops were watching him.
After defeating Bingfeng, the arrogant and arrogant emperor behind him could not spare those who should bear the responsibility.
Several craftsmen who escaped ashore were stabbed to death by soldiers with rifles. The blood spread along the river, and mixed with the blood of the dead shot by crossbow arrows to dye half of the river red. Going forward is also death, and retreating is also death.
When it came to death, the craftsmen had no choice but to lower their heads, tie the bamboo poles and wooden stakes used to build the pontoon bridge with ropes, and pray to the Bodhisattva for protection so that the next crossbow arrow would not fall around them.
That thing was extremely powerful, after all, there were only a few dozen at a time. The man in the Forgotten Mind lowered his head, creating a hope for himself not to go crazy in the absurd reality.
The number of Goguryeo's ballistas was small and they could not afford to engage in a duel between the two armies. Their target was the craftsmen who were setting up an arrow pontoon in the river. Dozens of craftsmen were peeled off by the crossbow arrows like ants on driftwood.
Under Chang's intimidation, they filled the place of their fallen comrades like ants.
On the battlefield, life is like ants.
The long crossbow is in the air, the wind is rustling, blood blooms like a lotus, and life withers like a residual lotus.
More than a million Liao army ants gathered on the west bank of the Liao River, watching helplessly as the Liao River slowly turned red. They were unable to help, and without orders from the master general, even if they could help, they could not move.
"Pull!" Yu Wenshu, the general of Zuo Yiwei, raised his sword high and majestic.
"Pull——!" Dozens of soldiers shouted in unison. Amidst the sound of the horn, ten soldiers pulled the reins of the animals at the same time, and the ten stupid draft horses slowly moved forward. The crossbow arms creaked in protest.
, was slowly pulled into a half arc, and three strong men lifted up a huge crossbow, which got stuck in the crossbow slot.
Hundreds or thousands of crossbowmen repeated the same action, and more than three hundred iron-clad giant crossbows dazzled and chilled in the sun.
"Let go!" Yu Wenshu swung the sword down heavily.
"Woo!" More than three hundred death spears flew into the air with the sound of wind, swept across the river, and plunged into the Goguryeo warriors.
The shield poles raised by the first row of Goguryeo soldiers were smashed, and the second row of shield poles was erected on the dead bodies. In an instant, the second row of shield poles collapsed again, and several delayed giant crossbows passed through the gap between the dead bodies.
, flew towards the Goguryeo people's ballista that was unfolding.
"Raise your shield, protect the ballista, raise your shield, protect the ballista!" the Goguryeo general supervising the battle shouted at the top of his lungs. Most of the light infantry standing on both sides of the ballista fled, and only a few brave men raised the small circle regardless of life and death.
Wooden shields were placed in a semicircular array in front of their own crossbows. The crossbow arrows flying through the air were beyond human power. With a "pop" sound, the shields scattered in all directions, and people flew backwards. The protected crossbows were flying over for no apparent reason.
It rained blood.
The firing frequency of the Goguryeo crossbows was instantly disrupted, and the pontoon bridge built by Sui craftsmen and Minzhuang with their lives extended forward little by little. The Goguryeo people rectified the remaining ballistae and continued to attack the pontoon bridge; the Sui giant crossbows once again smashed the Goguryeo people's shield wall, smashing
The ballista behind the rotten shield wall...
Several groups of Goguryeo crossbowmen could not bear the dilemma of being beaten without fighting back, so they secretly adjusted their targets and fired crossbow arrows across the river bank. The Zuoyi Guard crossbowmen of the Sui Dynasty immediately suffered casualties, but their usual rigorous training allowed them to quickly defeat the enemy's attacks.
Adjust the defense line and aim the vengeful crossbow arrows at the enemy on the other side.
Regardless of the quantity or quality of the crossbows, the Sui army had an absolute advantage. More Goguryeo crossbows were destroyed on the spot, completely losing their ability to launch. Some of the crossbows were still struggling, but they had already formed a threat to the Sui soldiers.
Not much of a threat.
"Retreat, shoot the bridge, retreat, shoot the bridge!" Qushuai of Goguryeo, who was leading the team, noticed that the situation was very unfavorable for his side and ordered loudly.
The Goguryeo soldiers, who had reached the limit of their endurance, staggered slowly backwards. The remaining dozen or so crossbow vehicles were far away from the firing range of the Sui crossbowmen and reorganized two hundred steps away from the east bank of the river. Half a quarter of an hour later, the crossbow arrows were fired again.
It flew over diagonally, splashing huge water columns on both sides of the pontoon.
"Push the crossbow onto the pontoon and push the Goguryeo people away!" Yu Wenshu shouted loudly. The Zuo Yiwei soldiers pushed the heavy siege equipment onto the unfinished pontoon with their hands on their shoulders. The loyal and brave soldiers raised the crossbow pole.
, facing the whistling sound overhead, walked towards the front line of attack.
Less than half an hour later, the Goguryeo people retreated again. The Sui pontoon bridge once again extended forward for more than twenty steps. The two sides stood firm and began a new round of monotonous shooting. After each lost more than a hundred lives, they adjusted again.
distance between each other.
The pontoon bridge stretched forward inch by inch at the cost of life, and it was less than a hundred steps away from the other side of the river. A group of Goguryeo archers rushed up desperately, shooting at the construction workers in the river. The Zuoyi Guards of the Sui Dynasty used siege weapons to attack the city.
The leather cart was pushed onto the pontoon bridge, and from a high position it dealt a fatal blow to the enemy archers on the other side of the bridge.
The river water became redder and redder, thicker and thicker, almost stagnant. The builders shouted sadly and tied bamboo poles and wood to the end of the bridge one by one. They didn't know why His Majesty the Emperor wanted to attack Liaodong, and they also felt sad in their hearts.
They have no lofty ambition to gain fame immediately. They just want the bridge to be completed before the next arrow flies. In that way, they may escape the battlefield alive and continue to live as humble and humble as ants.
At this moment, there are crossbows in front and spears in the back.
At Shenshi, the first Sui wooden plank was placed on the Goguryeo river bed on the other side. (To be continued)
