There was constant wind and snow on the city, and the fighting below the city shook the sky. The rebels surged towards Chengtian Gate like a tide, and arrows shot like locusts above and below the city.
However, all these seemed to disappear before Li Chengqian's eyes. He was so shocked that he stared at Li Junxian and asked, "What did you say?"
Li Junxian had never seen such a fierce look in Li Chengqian's eyes. A person who had always been gentle and cowardly suddenly showed such a cruel look, but it was even more frightening than those who were usually extremely vicious.
He swallowed subconsciously and said quickly, "The guards from Youtun outside Xuanwu Gate came to report that Gao Kan had already led his troops to cross the Wei River to the north and go straight to Qishan. He met up with tens of thousands of cavalry led by the Duke of Yue and defeated Tunju. The Zuotun guards and the royal army at the foot of Jiangui Ridge are heading straight for Chang'an!"
Li Chengqian stared angrily, stamped his feet fiercely, and said angrily, "He, he, he... How dare he do this?! Gu Qian warned and ordered him to guard the Western Regions. Even if the lone soldier was defeated and died, he would not be able to return to Chang'an, resulting in the loss of an inch. Territory! How dare he disobey orders and abandon the great territory of the Western Regions to return to the dynasty? This makes me angry!"
For the first time, he felt infinite anger towards Fang Jun, even though Fang Jun's class teacher returned to the court just to save his wealth and life.
Although he has a weak character, he strongly agrees with Fang Jun's words that "the interests of the empire are above all else". When the empire's territory is invaded by foreign enemies, what does personal life and death, honor and disgrace count?
When the surrounding soldiers heard that His Royal Highness was so angry, they immediately stood in awe.
They all said that the prince was weak and foolish, but now they saw it with their own eyes. They would rather be besieged by the rebels and be defeated and die than the army of the Western Regions would abandon the territory and return to rescue, thereby losing the territory and causing the people to fall under the iron heel of the Hulu. ...From ancient times to the present, how many emperors have been able to put the interests of the empire above their own safety?
Li Jing knew that Li Chengqian was not just showing off, but had sincerely made up his mind to defend the Taiji Palace. He absolutely did not want Fang Jun to abandon the Western Regions and return to the imperial court. So why wasn't he the same?
The Western Region is the barrier to Hexi, and Hexi is the key to Guanzhong. Its strategic position is very important. Once the Western Region is lost, Hexi will face a powerful enemy. If you are not careful, you will lose the city and lose the land. If Hu Qi drives straight in and reaches Guanzhong, the threat will be great. The Tang Dynasty is in danger.
The Western Region is lost today, and it must be regained at any cost in the future. But we don’t know how much national power it will consume, how many soldiers will be sacrificed, and how many years it will take...
But now that the matter has come to this, what can we do if we just get angry?
Then he sighed and persuaded, "Erlang is loyal to the emperor and patriotic. Even the old minister is sincerely convinced. Since he led his army to attack thousands of miles to return to Chang'an, he must have his own thoughts. This matter can be discussed later. Now, since Erlang has returned, our The strategy should be adjusted in time, and at the same time, people should be sent to contact us, and we should cooperate internally and externally to defeat the Guanlong rebels in one fell swoop and turn defeat into victory!"
Of course Li Chengqian understands this truth. Even if he complains again, the matter has come to this. How can there be any room for regret?
In any case, Fang Jun returned to Chang'an for the sake of him, the crown prince of the Eastern Palace. He could not let the officials of the Eastern Palace be defeated and die, and his entire family be exterminated... just for his so-called perseverance and pride.
After sighing, Li Chengqian's face softened, and he nodded and said, "What Duke Wei said is true. It's just that Erlang returned to support Chang'an, which caused a drastic change in the situation. I wonder how Duke Wei wants to adjust his strategy?"
There was no hope of victory before, so he let go of the imperial city to lure the enemy deep, and concentrated the limited troops of the Sixth Army in the East Palace to inflict heavy damage on the enemy. Then let go of the front line of Chengtianmen, relying on the many palaces and towers in Taiji Palace, and fight the enemy to the end, and both jade and stone will be destroyed.
But now that Fang Jun has captured Xiaoguan and is approaching Chang'an, he naturally cannot continue his desperate strategy. Otherwise, by the time Fang Jun returns to Chang'an, Taiji Palace has already fallen, and all six people in the East Palace have been killed. What a waste...
Li Jing made a quick decision and said, "Temporarily hold on to the front line of Chengtianmen, and then contact Erlang. If he can arrive in Chang'an as soon as possible, this strategy will be safe. However, if it is delayed for a long time, it will be difficult for Chengtianmen to hold on. We still have to fight and retreat." Entering Taiji Palace to deal with the enemy, but there is no need to fight to the death. Moreover, the reason why the rebels attacked wildly in the past two days must have been informed of the news that Erlang had returned to Guanzhong to aid. With Changsun Wuji's careful thinking, on the one hand, he stormed Chengtianmen, On the other hand, troops will be sent to besiege Xuanwu Gate, which can not only involve our military strength, but also block the external communication channels. Therefore, Xuanwu Gate is still the top priority. His Highness immediately ordered all the troops to defend and must not let Xuanwu Gate fall. At the same time, a letter of persuasion to surrender can be drafted, which states that King Qin's army has approached Chang'an and that the mutiny and destruction are imminent. As long as the rebels lay down their weapons, His Highness will only punish the culprits and not the followers... and order the palace officials to copy it. Use the crossbows on the Chengtian Gate to distribute multiple copies to the rebel formation."
The soldiers at the bottom only know how to follow orders, whether to advance or retreat, to fight or to surrender, without much subjective judgment, because they lack information about changes in the situation, and it is difficult to respond based on various information. At present, Guanlong must have concealed the news that Fang Jun led his troops to return for reinforcements, and blindly urged his soldiers to launch fierce attacks.
With heavy casualties, the soldiers' war weariness and fear of war will inevitably rise. At this time, the surrender letter will be placed in the rebel formation, and they will read it and circulate it. They understand that the current situation is on the verge of desperation for Guanlong, and it will definitely severely damage the morale of the rebels. , shaken their military morale.
Coupled with the promise made by the prince to "punish only the first culprits and not the followers", this will further divide the rebels' will to fight. The Guanlong rebels were originally a mob with almost no military discipline. They relied entirely on the prestige of each clan to command the army. Once the morale of the army was shaken and morale was low, knowing full well that the war was impossible to win, continuing to rush and fight would only lead to death in vain. , naturally shrinks from the battle and refuses to go all out to die.
In this way, how much combat strength can the ragtag Guanlong army have left?
One is ebbing and the other is ebbing, and the Sixth Leader of the East Palace will become more and more determined to fight to the death and unite as one, so it is natural to stick to the Tai Chi Palace. Just wait for Fang Jun's army to arrive outside the city to contain the Guanlong army, leaving the rebel forces in Chang'an City empty, and even the Sixth Army of the East Palace can launch a wave of counterattack...
Li Chengqian thought for a while, nodded and said, "Good! Then I will follow Duke Wei's policy."
He is self-aware. Apart from his status as an imperial prince, he is not good at anything in literature, military and military affairs. Following advice is the most correct choice, and acting smart is stupid. Moreover, how many people in the world can refute the strategies proposed by Li Jing and other masters of war who are the best in the world, or even come up with better methods?
Immediately, Cen Wenwen wrote a letter of persuasion to surrender, denounced Guanlong's rebellious behavior verbally and writtenly, and told the current situation in detail. In short, the Guanlong rebels were at the end of their rope. After being defeated and killed, the whole family will be exiled for three thousand miles and go to the smoky land to fend for themselves. Putting down their weapons is the only way to survive...
Then, he copied many copies of the letter urging surrender, tied them to arrow shafts, and fired them into the rebel formation with several crossbows on the Chengtian Gate.
Li Jing also issued military orders at the station, adjusted his strategy, and ordered the six leaders of the East Palace to hold on to the palace city and wait for reinforcements from outside the city.
Hearing that Fang Jun had led an army to rush thousands of miles to come back for reinforcements, and now they had passed Xiao Pass and were rushing along the Wei River to attack Chang'an. The already depressed morale of the Sixth Army of the East Palace suddenly surged, and each of the exhausted soldiers seemed to be full of energy in an instant. They fought tooth and nail and were not afraid of death, blocking the rebels from the palace city. Even though the rebels continued to deploy troops and generals to strengthen the attack, it was already difficult to advance.
The battle situation is once again deadlocked, but this time it is more favorable to the East Palace. After all, as long as the rebels are not completely defeated, the final victory lies with the East Palace.
Time has completely been on Dong Palace's side.
On the Xuanwu Gate.
Zhang Shigui, the Duke of Guo State, Li Junxian, the commander-in-chief of the "Hundred Cavalry Division", as well as dozens of Beiya forbidden troops and elite Baiqi troops wearing helmets and armor, surrounded the two princesses Changle and Jinyang, facing the wind and snow blowing from the north. Looking at the overwhelming number of rebels approaching as far as the eye can see.
Under the Xuanwu Gate, there was a melodious "Woo-Woo" bugle sound in the Youtunwei camp. Under the fluttering flags, dozens of artillery pieces that had just been maintained were pushed to the front of the camp. The cavalry guarded the two wings, and the heavy infantry followed closely behind. The battle array Strict and murderous.
Princess Changle tightened her cloak tightly, her beautiful face was slightly flushed by the north wind, and her beauty was a little more delicate. She pursed her lips and said worriedly, "The guards of the right camp went to meet the Duke of Yue. The troops in the camp are empty." , can it stop the rebel offensive?"
Zhang Shigui did not answer immediately. He stroked his beard and looked suspiciously at the formation of Youtunwei not far from the city. He said curiously, "Gao Kan has already led his army to Qishan. Not only are the troops in the Youtunwei camp empty, but the generals are even more capable." It’s not enough, but why are there experts who are proficient in strategy able to arrange such a brilliant formation?”
();
