The two brothers closed their mouths together. Li Mu sighed, patted Li Tai on the shoulder and said, "Take good care of your brother, and don't just sit idle. Make a record of the name of Pao Ze who died in the battle.
They all died for their country. After this battle, the court will provide them with compensation. Remember their military exploits. This is the task I entrust to you."
Li Tai nodded heavily and said: "Disciple, please obey the master's orders!"
Li Chengqian shouted: "Brother, give me a task too. My leg is broken but my hand is not. You ask me to do something. I can't be idle!"
Li Mu looked at him and said: "See with your eyes and feel with your heart. Sooner or later this country will be yours. Think carefully about what kind of emperor you want to be in the future so that you can be worthy of so many people and die generously for this country."
!" Leaving these words behind, Li Mu turned around and walked out. The war was about to begin, and he had no time to talk nonsense to these two children.
…
In Goguryeo, Liaodong City, the Tang army was cleaning the battlefield. There were scorched earth, yellow smoke, and ruins, but the battlefield was filled with joy.
As soon as the Tiger Cannon arrived, the situation immediately opened up. Although the Tiger Cannon had nothing to do with Gaocheng, Liaodong, Li Shimin had his own way. He built a high platform outside the city, which was higher than the city wall, transported the cannon up, and fired from top to bottom.
, the enemy did not even dare to show their heads, and they would die if they showed their heads. Taking advantage of the situation when the enemy did not dare to show their heads, Li Shimin sent flying balls, led his troops up the city wall, and attacked Liaodong City in one go.
Although this was only a victory and there was still a long way to go before the complete destruction of Goguryeo, the whole army knew that Goguryeo was nothing to worry about. Because a method had been found, other cities could just follow the same example.
Gunpowder, tiger cannons, and flying balls completely changed the shape of war.
And these things were all invented by Li Mu.
Li Shimin couldn't help but wonder, if these things were used in Datang's cities one day, would Datang be able to resist them?
Maybe he can't resist it. Besides, who knows if Li Mu will come up with a new invention? Today there is a tiger cannon, and tomorrow there is a dragon cannon. As long as he is here, one day he can invent a cannon that can destroy the city wall with one shot.
, Li Shimin was not surprised.
"To stay...or not to stay..."
Li Shimin murmured to himself, he was really scared.
"Repay...!"
The changed voice came over, and Eunuch Gao immediately went to greet him. Before he could speak, a Dongchang fan stumbled in and fell to the ground. He held a rapid tune in his hand and held it up, and he had already died.
Already.
Li Shimin quickly picked up the urgent piece, and his expression suddenly changed.
"Damn the noble family, damn the Bolingcui family, you dare me!"
Eunuch Gao was sharp-eyed and saw the content of the memorial. The imperial court rushed to report from 800 miles away that the Boling Cui family had rebelled. Hou Junji had to lead the troops from the south of the Yangtze River to fight and block the enemy outside Luoyang City. At present, it seems that they are invincible.
Hou Junji is on the defensive, but on the other side of Dingxiang, the Boling Cui family has 100,000 cavalry and is storming Dingxiang City. Once Dingxiang is conquered, Chang'an will be directly exposed to the iron hoof, and Hou Junji only has 20,000 cavalry.
People cannot take both left and right into account, and the Tang Dynasty is in danger!
Li Shimin gritted his teeth and trembled with anger: "After this battle, I will kill the nine Cui clans! Send the order!"
Li Shimin's voice was trembling: "Burn the city and withdraw the troops!"
"His Majesty……"
"Withdraw troops!"
Li Shimin's unwilling roar spread throughout the camp.
After giving the order, the three armies moved together. Li Shimin turned his eyes to the west and murmured: "Li Mu, Li Mu... You kid, you must guard Dingxiang for me!"
When he said this, Li Shimin felt uncertain in his heart.
He knew the strength of Li Mu's troops. Within a few months, he had created miracles one after another. However, facing several times the enemy, he could not imagine how Li Mu could win again, unless he really invented a weapon that could destroy city walls with one shot.
come out!
…
Don't even think about inventions. If you don't have the time, you won't be able to gather the materials.
In order to keep it secret, all the gunpowder was manufactured at the Dongcheng Arsenal in Chang'an City. Dingxiang did not have enough materials, so the gunpowder could not be made. Li Mu checked the inventory and found that the existing damp gunpowder was dried and barely
There are more than a hundred explosive packets. Even if one explosive packet kills a hundred people, it will only kill 10,000 people. There are still 80,000 or 90,000 enemy troops, which will not help.
Li Siwen pinned all his hopes on Li Mu, hoping that he could create a miracle. Li Shimin also pinned his hope on Li Mu, hoping that he could create a miracle, but Li Mu knew in his heart that there might be no miracle this time.
He has no time, no materials, and it is difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without straw!
All he could do was to hold on. Hold on for two days, and when Li Xiaogong's army arrived, he believed that the 30,000 elite cavalry of the Tang Dynasty would be enough to defeat these servant armies on the opposite side.
But the premise is that he can persevere.
Contrasted with Li Mu's pessimism is the optimism of everyone in Dingxiang City. Li Mu has really created too many miracles. They believe that as long as Li Mu is here, Dingxiang City will never change hands. They even learned that Li Mu is back, and Dingxiang City
Up and down, everyone slept very soundly last night.
This extremely deified and exaggerated idea was undoubtedly the most dangerous, but Li Mu could not convince them because he knew in his heart that it was this morale that supported it, otherwise the city would collapse.
The enemy suffered heavy losses last night, and their rage points must have been full. It can be imagined that the next attack on the city will be an extremely brutal and difficult battle. Li Mu did not know how many lives this fierce battle would cost.
Perhaps, including Li Mu himself.
"Once the city is defeated, immediately use flying balls to take away the prince and the king of Wei," Li Mu ordered Li Siwen.
Li Siwen nodded and said: "Brother, don't worry, I have already made arrangements. I have a kind of Mongolian sweat medicine from the Western Regions, which is colorless and odorless. Once the city is defeated, I will use the medicine to defeat them, and I will guarantee that I will sleep until Chang'an City!"
"I asked you to send them away." Li Mu looked into Li Siwen's eyes and said, "There are also younger siblings and children, you can go together."
Li Siwen was stunned for a moment, and then got angry: "It's like this again, it's like this again! It was like this last time, and it's like this this time too!" Li Siwen pointed at Li Mu and shouted: "Why, why do you keep being a hero? I have to be
Bear? You are my eldest brother, and I am your brother. Now that I am leaving, am I still a human being?"
"You have to go!" Li Mu ignored Li Siwen's irritability and remained calm, saying: "You forgot, I still have a family. I can't rest assured that others will take care of me. If I die in the battle, you have to help me take care of my family.
.”
"I..." Li Siwen shook his head and refused, saying: "Don't say such things, I won't listen! I can't take care of you. Dugu Jiu, Li Chongyi, Tang Guan, your disciples, the prince, and the king of Wei, who can't be taken care of?
, no one can take better care of me than me, it’s useless what you say, I will never leave this time!”
Li Mu ignored him and continued: "If I die in the battle, there are a few things you should remember. Your sister-in-law Qiaoqiao has a memorial that I have written long ago. You can present it to His Majesty. It contains what I want
To Your Majesty. In addition, tell your sisters-in-law that I am dead and they are still young. They do not need to be widowed for me. If they meet a good man, they can entrust them to me. My three children have been with my mother for a long time.
After preparing a family fortune, they will not be able to spend it all in their lifetime. As a father, that's all I can do. No matter what my other property is, as long as it is in my name, you can take care of it.
, all the proceeds will be used for Pao Ze who died in this battle, to take care of their families, and remember their merits..." Li Mu looked at Li Siwen and said, "Can you do it?"
"I told you, I..."
"If you don't listen to me, you are not my brother!" Li Mu turned away from him: "Get out!"
"elder brother!"
"roll!"
Li Siwen stared at Li Mu, and when he saw that he ignored him, he angrily got off the city wall.
"Okay, you can be a hero, and I can be a bear! What kind of brothers are you? You can tell people to get out at every turn. I treat you as a big brother, but do you think of me as a brother? Li Mu, you bastard..."
As he walked, scolded and cried, Li Mu's eyes became moist.
…
In the early morning, at dawn and before the sun rose from the horizon, the enemy camp came out in full force.
The formation this time is no different from the past. In fact, when attacking a city, you only need a queue and no formation. The methods of attacking the city are nothing more than erecting ladders, knocking down doors, etc. These methods are old-fashioned but effective. There is no permanent attack in the world.
For an invincible city, as long as the attacking party has an absolute advantage in troops, sufficient supplies of food and supplies, and a general with a normal IQ and a brain that is basically nonchalant, the city will inevitably be conquered one day, without exception since ancient times.
Today's attack on the city was the same as the previous ones, but before the attack horn sounded, the garrison soldiers on top of the city looked at the enemy troops lined up quietly outside the city, and suddenly felt a little uneasy in their hearts.
The enemy is still the same enemy, and the formation is still the same as before, but today when the enemy troops stand quietly in formation, there is something a little different. Just standing there quietly, there is an invisibly strong atmosphere.
With strong murderous intent, the scorching wind in the desert swept up the sand grains and wreaked havoc in the open space outside the city. The enemy formation was suddenly hidden in the yellow sand in the sky. A chilling air accompanied by the sand dust filled the sky outside Dingxiang City, far away.
Looking at it, it looks like a vengeful ghost crawling out of the netherworld, which makes people shudder.
Li Mu stood at the top of the city, his eyelids twitching a few times.
He had a strong premonition that today would probably be the most difficult battle to defend the city in Dingxiang. Victory and defeat, life and death, would only be decided today.
The expressions of the defenders also changed.
They couldn't tell what was different, but they knew it was indeed different. As soon as the enemy troops formed their formation, they felt a strong murderous intent filling the surroundings. They were obviously the same army, but today they seemed to have completely changed people.
As if, an indescribable fear invaded the hearts of all the soldiers unconsciously.
Soon, a big drum was beaten in the enemy's central formation, and soon after, the low whimpering of a long horn sounded, echoing in the vast yellow sand.
As a general at the front of the enemy army shouted loudly, the entire team took a step forward. They stepped forward in a uniform movement, making a loud bang, and even the earth seemed to tremble.
This momentum alone has changed the color of the defenders at the top of the city. The enemy army has used its main force, and Li Mu has long thought that these 100,000 people cannot be all a piece of loose sand.
Li Mu saw that the situation was not good, and it would be very dangerous to continue like this. I am afraid that the enemy's morale has been completely wiped out by the enemy's power before they can rush to the city wall.
So Li Mucheng unsheathed Shang Fang's sword from his waist, raised it diagonally and pointed it toward the sky, and shouted sternly: "Remember! Under our feet is the land of the Tang Dynasty and the city of the Tang Dynasty! The Tang Dynasty is victorious, and any Xiaoxiao who dares to invade will be defeated.
We will be torn to pieces by our great soldiers of the Tang Dynasty! Soldiers, prepare for war!"
Following Li Mu's roar, the soldiers finally regained some of their energy. As Li Mu's words fell to the ground, the spears and halberds in everyone's hands struck the ground hard, making a loud noise.
"Datang, ten thousand victories. Ten thousand victories!"
"Bow and arrow, come forward!"
"Burn the kerosene! Beat rocks and roll logs, and move them onto the horse path!"
"The city gate below is blocked!"
"…………"
A series of military orders were issued, and while the morale of the soldiers at the city head gradually recovered, everyone began to get busy. On the horse road at the city head, only silhouettes of people were seen coming and going, while hundreds of archers stood behind the arrow stacks, drawing their bows and nocking arrows, pointing at the city in the distance.
Foreign enemy troops.
Outside the city, the horn of attack has been sounded. After the enemy troops lined up and walked a few steps, the rhythm of the war drums accelerated in vain, and the enemy troops' footsteps became faster and faster, maintaining a high degree of consistency with the rhythm of the war drums.
When there was still one mile to go, the sound of drums suddenly started to beat like raindrops. The enemy's formations gradually dispersed, and everyone started running towards the city wall. The crowd suddenly burst into a loud roar. The roar was not finished yet. It was several feet long and had just been finished.
The ladder still covered with burrs has been heavily erected on the city wall, and countless enemy troops are climbing towards the top of the city like ants.
"Get on the hook and hold the ladder down for me!"
At the foot of the inner city stairs, Li Siwen was sweating profusely, instructing the sergeants to carry the stones and rolling logs. Finally, gritting his teeth, he walked up to the top of the city carrying a large log pile alone.
Everyone is busy, each working for his own life.
There were several loud bangs, and several explosive packs were ignited. Countless corpses suddenly appeared under the wall. They were either dead or maimed within a radius of two feet. A strange open space was cleared. The dead enemy soldiers were lying on the ground in various postures.
On the ground, the injured were rolling on the ground holding their heads, crying for help, and behind, another group of enemy troops came forward to fill the empty space just cleared again, and the ladders were still put up on the top of the city, and they were still climbing desperately.
Sprint.
Both offense and defense tried their best to gain a chance of survival for themselves.
Li Mu shouted until his voice became hoarse, and his expression was more solemn than ever before, even anxious.
Today is the most difficult day for Dingxiang and the most difficult day in his life. Today will determine the life and death of Dingxiang and him.
Less than half an hour after the siege started, all the defenders felt the strain. Even though there were still explosive packs to relieve the siege from time to time, the defenders still felt that the battle was very difficult. The enemy seemed to have completely given up, and the Westerners were brutally and desperately fighting.
His strength was so vivid that even if he was hit by a knife and couldn't survive, he still had to grab a defender and pull him down the city wall before he died.
For half an hour, there were heavy casualties! Both sides in the offensive and defensive battle were almost using their lives to fill the gap. Unfortunately, the number of defenders was obviously much less than that of the attacking party. I don’t know how many were injured and how many died, but at the top of the city and below the city
, the corpses of the defenders had clearly piled up more and more, and their deaths were very tragic.