The Battle of Hulao Pass has ended for three days.
Li Shimin calculated the results of the battle: In this battle, more than 10,000 Xia troops were killed, nearly 55,000 enemies were captured, and about 20,000 others fled without a trace.
In addition, Xu Yuanlang, Meng Jiigong, and Guo Shiheng, a total of more than 30,000 people rebelled or surrendered.
It can be said that this was a brilliant victory, enough to be remembered in history!
Li Shimin rewarded Xu Yuanlang and Meng Jiigong generously and allowed them to return to their old places in Shandong to garrison.
Then, Li Shiji was appointed as the general manager of the march in Hebei Province. After reorganizing and reducing the troops, he immediately marched into Hebei and captured and surrendered various places.
Guo Shiheng's navy was also transferred to Li Shiji's control.
Li Shimin, on the other hand, selected 10,000 elite soldiers from the Xia army's prisoners of war, preparing to return to Luoyang to completely eliminate Wang Shichong's puppet Zheng.
The Tang Dynasty was in sight of unifying the north. For a time, morale was as high as a rainbow and fighting spirit was high.
…
Early in the morning, just as Li Shimin was gathering his troops and preparing to leave Hulao Pass, a sergeant came to report: "Your Highness, General Qin is back."
Li Shimin was overjoyed: "Where is Uncle Bao?"
"Has entered the customs and is heading to Xiguan."
"Then I'll just wait." Li Shimin turned to Xia Yu and said with a smile, "Can the military advisor calculate whether Shu Bao and the others will succeed?"
Xia Yu was also happy: "Your Highness really thinks that I am a god. However, Shu Bao and the others have been away for three days and rushed back overnight. There must be good news."
He looked back to the left and right: "Generals, are any of you willing to bet?"
Li Shiji, Li Daoxuan, Yuchi Gong, Cheng Yaojin and other generals looked at each other and shook their heads in unison.
They don't dare to bet with the naughty Xia Yu. This is simply giving away money! They are not smart enough, but that doesn't mean they are stupid.
"General Cheng," Xia Yu looked at Cheng Yaojin and joked: "You have always been a gambler, why don't you play a game?"
"I'm talking about the military advisor," Cheng Yaojin said angrily: "You have defrauded our old Cheng of a lot of money! You can't catch me, old Cheng, just by plucking the wool!"
"Hahaha……"
When everyone heard this, they burst into laughter, especially Li Daoxuan, who was even more upset and dared to be angry but did not dare to speak.
A few people were chatting and joking, and the Hulao Pass was not very big. Qin Qiong and Zhang Gongjin came over in a hurry. From a distance, the two generals dismounted their horses.
"Your Highness," Qin Qiong looked tired but was in excellent spirits. He stepped forward quickly and excitedly clasped his fists and said, "The general and the Duke have lived up to their orders and have captured the Cao family, Dou Xiao and Qi Shanxing in one fell swoop.
capture."
Li Shimin was overjoyed, gave Xia Yu a thumbs up, and said with a smile: "Two generals have worked hard. Is the journey going smoothly?"
"It didn't go well." Qin Qiong said with a look of bitterness on his face: "The Qi thieves were very cunning. They moved east and west all the way and set up many suspicious soldiers, which caused the general and Gong Jin to pursue the wrong route several times."
"Fortunately, Gong Jin was quick-witted and saw through it in time, so he was able to catch up with the three people at Bianzhou Ferry. If it had been a little longer at night, these three people would have escaped."
When everyone heard this, they immediately looked at Zhang Gongjin with admiration.
Xia Yu also said proudly: "How about it? I think Gong Jin has the talent of a general, right?"
Li Shimin also laughed loudly, stepped forward and patted Zhang Gongjin on the shoulder: "It seems that the military advisor is really discerning, Gongjin, well done!"
"Thank you for the compliments from Your Highness and the military advisor. I am not worthy of it." Zhang Gongjin was happy in his heart, but his face remained as humble and cautious as ever.
"By the way, the Hulao battle is over. Does Gongjin have any plans for the future?" Li Shimin suddenly asked.
Zhang Gongjin is a smart man. As soon as he heard this, he knew that Li Shimin had made arrangements and said quickly: "Once your Highness has an order, he will do whatever he wants."
"Very good." Li Shimin was very satisfied and said with a smile: "Military advisor Xiang Gu suggested that you lead the main army of 3,000 troops, and Shiji will allocate you another 5,000 troops to surrender. You will lead a partial division to recapture the three states of Xu, Liang, and Bo.
, wiped out that Wang Shibian. What do you think?"
Zhang Gongjin was overjoyed when he heard this.
Although this is not a huge task, after all, it is a land of three states, and it is still a decent achievement to lead the army alone.
He is just a newcomer and no longer dares to expect more.
As long as he does a good job on this trip, are he afraid that he won't have more and better opportunities in the future?
Zhang Gongjin knew how to seize the opportunity and immediately said vigorously: "Your Highness and the military advisor, please rest assured that the general will live up to his trust and achieve success as soon as possible."
He was a lost dog, and he believed that there was nothing wrong with him.
Xia Yu also stepped forward at this time and said with a smile: "I can rest assured that Gongjin is a talented person. But there is something that I need to be careful about."
"Ask the military advisor for advice." Zhang Gongjin did not dare to neglect.
"Right now, King Wu Du Fuwei has sent General Fu Gong'e to attack Liang, Bo, and Xu Sanzhou, but the journey is far away and we don't know the situation of the battle yet."
"When you go there, instead of rushing to attack the city, you should first join forces with Fugong Er."
"After joining forces, you should pay close attention to Fu Gong'e's character and make more friends with his subordinates. Pay special attention to a counselor named Zuo Youxian."
"At the same time, you should be careful not to conflict with the other party, and try to give in if something happens."
"Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Xia Yu looked directly into Zhang Gongjin's eyes and said very meaningfully.
Zhang Gongjin's pupils shrank. He was a very smart man, and he instantly understood the infinite meaning hidden in Xia Yu's words.
You must know that although Du Fuwei apparently respected the orders of the Tang Dynasty, in fact he was in a semi-independent state of obeying orders but not propaganda. The Tang Dynasty would certainly not allow this unhealthy situation to exist for a long time.
"General, I understand. Please rest assured, military advisor." Zhang Gongjin immediately expressed his understanding.
And upon hearing this, the faces of the generals present were full of strange ambiguity. Although everyone knew it well, they did not say anything. They just secretly muttered in their hearts: My mother, the military advisor is too scary. This is a step forward.
Look at ten steps!
Li Shimin was also stunned.
Previously, when discussing how to wipe out the remaining remnants of the Zheng Kingdom, Xia Yu only recommended Zhang Gongjin to take charge of Liang, Bo and Xu Sanzhou.
But he didn't say anything else. Now it seems that it doesn't have any profound meaning.
If Li Shimin is a good boss, he immediately responded: "Mr. Mao, please allocate some property from the treasury to Gong Jin."
"It's Your Highness." Li Shiji nodded in agreement.
"Gongjin, don't be stingy when making friends, do you understand?" Li Shimin also patted Zhang Gongjin on the shoulder and gave him some pointers.
"I will finally understand." Zhang Gongjin immediately said: Boss, the instructions have been received.
Seeing that everything was arranged properly, Li Shimin turned to Qin Qiong and was very concerned: "Look at Shu Bao's appearance, did he rush back overnight?"
Qin Qiong smiled honestly: "The general was afraid that His Highness and the military advisor would be anxious, so he hurried away."
"Hard work! Hard work!" Li Shimin was very touched. It is a blessing to be a boss to have such down-to-earth and loyal employees.
"Let's do this. Gu and the military advisor will escort Dou Jiande and others away first, and Shubao can rest peacefully in Guanzhong for two days."
"No. No need." Qin Qiong waved his hands quickly and said nonchalantly: "Your Highness, we are going to fight to kill men. We have rough skin and thick flesh, so this hard work is nothing."
Seeing that Qin Qiong was unwilling to die, Li Shimin didn't force it.
After all, it is common to travel all night during a war. He himself once pursued the remnant enemy for three consecutive days without sleeping for a moment.
Immediately, Qin Qiong led 500 cavalry and escorted Cao Shi, Dou Xiao, and Qi Shanxing back to the team.
At this time, the monarchs and ministers of Daxia were basically reunited. A group of people were separated from each other in the prison car, crying miserably at each other.
Li Shimin and Xia Yu shook their heads when they saw each other, feeling quite sad.
Immediately, the army set off and returned west to Luoyang. Generals Li Shiji, Zhang Gongjin, Wang Junkuo and Shen Yue bid farewell to them for several miles before returning.
It wasn't until everything was quiet that Li Shimin whispered: "The military advisor just ordered Gong Jin, does it seem to have a profound meaning?"
Xia Yu smiled: "Your Highness, like Luo Yi, Du Fuwei, Xu Yuanlang, etc., named Tang Chen, is actually a prince, which can be said to be a great hidden danger."
"The princes in the court are not fools. Once the Tang Dynasty frees up its hands, it will definitely deal with them."
"And these people may not just surrender. Therefore, for some things, we still need to make some plans in advance to be sure."
Li Shimin was silent. He had also considered these things, but the time was not there, so he kept them in his heart.
"Then what does the military counselor think is the best way to deal with these people?"
Xia Yu thought for a while and said: "These people are, after all, nominally Tang officials, so they should not use any murderous intent to avoid giving evidence to others."
"You can send an envoy to Xiao to take advantage of the situation, summon him back to Chang'an, and then take back his military power and make him rich and prosperous."
"In this way, both parties can be at peace, which can be regarded as the best of both worlds."
Li Shimin nodded and said: "What the military advisor said is very good, but I'm afraid some people are obsessed with power and won't let it go, so what?"
"Then it's impossible to say that it can only be solved by force. In this case, the world will have nothing to say."
If Li Shimin realized something, he asked tentatively: "Does the military advisor think that Du Fuwei will not obey the imperial edict in the future and will rebel against what he did today?"
Xia Yu shook her head: "No, Du Fuwei will obey the imperial edict!"
"..." Li Shimin was stunned and very puzzled. Since Du Fuwei can obey the imperial edict, why did you bother to lay out a hidden plot?
"I thought that Luo Yi couldn't obey the imperial edict, nor could Xu Yuanlang or Meng Jiigong, but Du Fuwei could."
"Although this person was born in poverty and is brave and heroic, he is known to know the progress, has the overall situation, and plans for the world. This person will bow his head and obey orders."
"But don't forget, Your Highness, Du Fuwei also has a deputy."
"Fu Gong'er!" Li Shimin immediately reacted: "The military advisor thinks this person will rebel?"
"Yes." Xia Yu's face looked a little solemn: "Luo Yi, a brave man, Xu Yuanlang, Meng Jiong, and even idiots are nothing to be afraid of."
"But Fu Gong'er is much stronger. He and Du Fuwei jointly created the foundation and dominated the Jianghuai River."
"He has a very high prestige among the Jianghuai army and is very ambitious. With Du Fuwei here, he can still suppress him. Once Du Fuwei leaves, he will definitely rebel."
"His tribe occupies the rich land of Jianghuai and has abundant troops and food. The threat is much greater than that of Luo Yi and Xu Meng."
"I understand." Li Shimin suddenly realized it and sneered: "If that day comes, I will personally meet this Fu Gonger."
Xia Yu laughed and shook her head: "Your Highness has high regard for this Fu Gong'er. Although this person is a threat, the threat is not too great. It is far inferior to Wang Shichong, Dou Jiande and others."
"I just made a little plan to save some trouble in the future. To deal with this person, there is no need for His Highness to take action at all. We only need to send one or two generals."
"Your Highness, please don't forget that by then, we will still have the trump card of Du Fuwei. As long as we are ready to divide and disintegrate, this Fu Gong'er will not be able to topple the sky."
When Li Shimin heard this, he immediately relaxed and said with a smile: "With only one military advisor, the whole world is under his control."
"Your Highness, please don't praise me, otherwise I will be proud." Xia Yu also said humorously.
