When Xia Yu saw that it was Du Qiu, she hurriedly stopped, feeling a little surprised and suspicious in her heart.
Half a month ago, after communicating with Li Shimin, Xia Yu asked Du Qiu to rush to Mingzhou, Hebei Province with Li Shimin and his autographed letter.
On the surface, Du Qiu was the surrender envoy of the Tang Dynasty, stabilizing Hebei, but secretly, he also shouldered the task of conquering Liu Heita and Su Dingfang.
Now, coming back in such a hurry, could something have happened?
Soon, Du Qiu came to the two of them and saw the corpses all over the ground. He couldn't help but feel a little dazed and didn't say anything for a long time.
"Du Qiu? Du Qiu?" Xia Yu called twice before Du Qiu came back to his senses and quickly dismounted to pay his respects.
"No gift."
Xia Yu waved her hands and asked anxiously: "You are so anxious to come back, but what happened to the recruitment of Liu Heitai and Su Dingfang?"
Li Shimin frowned slightly and had a bad premonition.
"Your Highness, Military Advisor," Du Qiu quickly replied: "I was ordered to rush to Hebei. As soon as I entered the country, I found that there was chaos."
"At this time, news of Dou Jiande's defeat came, and people everywhere were panicked and didn't know the way forward."
"Seeing the banner of a certain Tang Dynasty, governors from all over the country came to greet him one after another. After knowing that Dou Jiande was indeed captured, they all expressed their willingness to surrender."
Is it a good thing that it goes so smoothly?
Xia Yu and Li Shimin looked at each other in surprise. Could it be that Mingzhou, the capital of Xia, was unwilling to surrender?
Then I heard Du Qiu continue: "Someone gave me some kind words of comfort, and ordered each of us to stay in our posts. We will stabilize the place and wait for my army of the Tang Dynasty to come and take over."
"Then, a certain person did not dare to stay for a long time and went straight to Mingzhou. But when he arrived at the foot of Mingzhou City, he was stunned."
"At this time, the four gates of Mingzhou were opened, and there was an endless stream of fleeing officials, soldiers and civilians. When they saw a certain Tang Dynasty flag, they dispersed in a rush."
What is going on!? Xia Yu and Li Shimin looked at each other.
"X was confused and did not dare to enter the city for a while. At this moment, a troop of troops rushed out of the city gate and came towards X."
"When the two parties met, they found out it was Gao Yaxian, the general of the Xia army. After asking about the situation in the city, they found out the reason."
"It turned out that Dou Jiande was defeated and the news came that he, his wife, and his son were captured. The army and people in the city were in chaos, and they lost their backbone for a while."
"I also heard that a certain person was an envoy to the Tang Dynasty and came to the country to recruit surrender. People from all over the country submitted to him. They even realized that the situation was over and fled in fear."
Li Shimin frowned: "Then as a left-behind general, why didn't Liu Heitai do something?"
Xia Yu also felt strange.
Liu Heitai had great leadership skills. To prevent Luo Yi from going south, Mingzhou also had heavy troops left behind. How could he sit back and watch the chaos break out in Mingzhou?
Du Qiu smiled bitterly and said, "Liu Heitai knew that the Xia Kingdom had lost hope and was unwilling to surrender to the Tang Dynasty. So he resigned from office a few days ago and left without a trace."
"Another general, Cao Dan, heard about it and followed suit. He took only a few soldiers and returned to his hometown to live in seclusion."
"Once these two people left, only Gao Yaxian and Su Dingfang were left. They were confused and had no intention of taking care of things, and the city lost control."
"Damn it!" When Xia Yu heard this, she stamped her feet in annoyance: "If Liu Heitai escapes, there will be endless troubles."
"Military advisor, don't be anxious." Li Shimin never changed his expression and said calmly: "Du Qiu, what is the current situation in Mingzhou?"
Du Qiu said hurriedly: "When I returned to your highness, I immediately entered the city and, together with Gao Yaxian and Su Ding, spoke a very good dialect, and persuaded them to surrender to the Tang Dynasty."
"Gao Yaxian, Su Dingfang's intention to leave is not firm, and someone said that he is already heartbroken."
"Immediately, a certain person took out a letter from the military advisor and handed it to Su Dingfang, saying that the military advisor admired his talent very much and was willing to accept him as his personal disciple."
"Su Dingfang was overjoyed when he saw the letter and immediately offered to surrender."
"Elegant and virtuous, he has no heir. He regards Su Dingfang as his own son. Seeing that Su Dingfang has a good future, he immediately expressed his willingness to obey the orders of the Tang Dynasty."
"Immediately, the two men immediately changed their banners, posted a notice to calm the people, collected the rebel troops, and Mingzhou was peaceful."
Great! When Xia Yu heard this, she felt relieved and ran away from Liu Heitai. But after getting Su Dingfang, her efforts were not in vain. She quickly asked: "Then where is Su Dingfang now?"
"After Mingzhou was settled, I didn't dare to neglect and immediately took Su Dingfang back. He was already waiting at the Guanyi in the city. It's just——"
Du Qiu looked at the tragic scene and hesitated to speak.
Xia Yu's heart sank, and she immediately understood what Du Qiu meant.
Su Dingfang was Xia Chen. If he learned that Xia Chen was captured and executed, would he be so frightened that he ran away? Would he feel resentful?
Du Qiu came in a hurry. He must have been worried about this and came here to ask for advice.
When Li Shimin heard this, he felt a little dizzy.
Xia Yu had made Su Dingfang a famous general throughout the ages. He was very happy to get the embryo of this famous general, but now he also felt that it was troublesome.
"Commander, what do you think about this?"
Xia Yu frowned and paced back and forth. If he were Su Dingfang, he would probably hate and fear him and find it difficult to return to the Tang Dynasty.
Historically, it was precisely because Dou Jiande and other captured Xia Dynasty monarchs and ministers were killed one after another that caused Su Dingfang to hate Li Yuan so much that he followed Liu Heitai to rebel.
Even after Liu Heitao was defeated and killed, Su Dingfang refused to surrender to the Tang Dynasty. He only dismissed the remaining troops and returned to his hometown to live in seclusion and farm.
It was not until the early years of Zhenguan, when Li Shimin came to the throne, that Su Ding put aside his hatred and accepted the Tang Dynasty's appointment.
But now, only a group of Xia Dynasty surrenders have been killed. Dou Jiande, Cao, and Dou Xiao's family are all still there, so they should be able to be saved.
As long as we can keep the other party first and give him some time, we will definitely make Su Dingfang return to his heart.
By then, even if Dou Jiande's family still cannot escape death, he will still be sure to stabilize Su Dingfang. At least, make him hate Li Yuan and not Li Shimin.
In this way, when the Xuanwumen Incident happens, there may be one more capable thug!
that is it.
After the plan was completed, Xia Yu turned to Li Shimin and said seriously: "Is Your Highness really thirsty for talents?"
Exciting general method!?
Li Shimin blinked and smiled slightly: "As long as you are really talented, you can even let Gu San visit the thatched cottage. The military advisor just gives orders."
"Well, Su Dingfangchen will go and convince you. Your Highness just needs to go with me and show your sincerity."
"Can."
Li Shimin readily agreed.
If it were an ordinary Xia army general, he would not be qualified to invite him personally, but if he was truly a talented person, it would be different.
In a moment, Jinling Pavilion, Luoyang.
This is one of the four buildings under the jurisdiction of the old Sui Honglu Temple. It has been established since the Southern and Northern Dynasties to receive envoys from various countries.
After Wang Shichong established the Zheng State, he also inherited it completely.
After Du Qiu brought Su Dingfang to Luoyang, he temporarily settled here.
At this time, in a guest house, the young Su Dingfang was sitting on the porch, his face gloomy, and even the hot tea in front of him was tasteless.
There is a legend everywhere in Luoyang City today.
That was when King Li Shimin of Qin beheaded Xia in Luoning Prefecture, and a group of prisoners and surrendered ministers from the two countries of Zheng and Zheng caused a sensation in Luoyang, and many people came to watch.
Even the clerks in the hall were talking and whispering.
It's not like Su Dingfang didn't have ears. When he heard this, he was so frightened that he was covered in sweat and restless. He just felt like a sheep entering a tiger's mouth.
He now doubts that the so-called importance is just a trap to make him fall into a trap.
He wanted to escape, but the surrounding areas were completely surrounded by Tang soil. How could he escape from the Tang army's pursuit when he was alone?
Forget it, let it be fate. Su Dingfang could only comfort himself in this way.
Just as he was in a state of confusion, his eyes suddenly dimmed, and three people came in front of him. One of them was the familiar Tang envoy Du Qiu.
"General Su Jiuhou." Du Qiu said with a smile on his face: "Come and see my Highness the King of Qin and Military Advisor Xia."
Su Dingfang was stunned when he looked at Li Shimin, who was dressed in gold armor and had a majestic appearance, and Xia Yu, who was wearing a white fox fur and had an extraordinary demeanor.
Isn't it a trap?
Why did Li Shimin and Xia Yu really come to see him in person? Moreover, they braved the cold wind and heavy snow, which shows their sincerity!
"General Su! General Su!" Seeing this, Du Qiu called out repeatedly.
Su Dingfang came to his senses, stood up quickly, and greeted him respectfully: "The guilty minister, Su Dingfang, has met His Highness the King of Qin, Military Advisor Xia."
Li Shimin has long been famous throughout the world and is known as the God of War of the Tang Dynasty. Now he captures two kings in one battle, which frightens the world even more.
And Xia Yu was born, and within a few months he helped Li Shimin achieve extraordinary feats in the Eastern Expedition. He instantly became famous and was revered as a ghost of the Tang Dynasty and an unparalleled strategist!
With two giants like this face to face, how could Su Dingfang dare to neglect them?
"General Su, you're welcome, sit down quickly." Li Shimin laughed, patted Su Dingfang's shoulder enthusiastically, and then sat down on the corridor with Xia Yu.
As for Du Qiu, well, he had a low official position, so he could only stand aside.