Li Chengqian patted the delicate hand that was rubbing his shoulder with his backhand, feeling a little heavy in his heart. The issue of whether to stick to Tai Chi Palace has been discussed once before. Although he later stated that he would abandon the city and flee at the last moment and would not coexist or die with Tai Chi Palace, in fact, he has always been worried about it.
He didn't want to be a prince who fled in embarrassment and suffered infamy.
It is even more unwilling to lead to the collapse of the center of the empire, and then kick off a vigorous civil war, draining the last bit of vitality of the empire, dragging the people of the world into dire straits, and recreating the misery of the chaotic world at the end of the Sui Dynasty, when the world was in flames, China was in chaos, and the people were in dire straits.
He is willing to die for his country and be loyal to the world.
But such a decision is too cruel for his wife and his children...
He was speechless, and so was the Crown Princess, but the slender hands squeezing his shoulders stopped and trembled slightly.
Husband and wife are one, how can she not know what her husband thinks and does?
But she said nothing, took a gentle breath, and continued to knead gently.
Outside the window, the wind and rain were dark, and the night was deep.
*****
After the third watch, the rain became heavier and heavier, and the heavy rain fell from the sky. The showers and winds were so violent that it hit you head-on and made it difficult to open your eyes. Under such weather conditions, even if the Guanlong clan clan continuously mobilized more troops into the city and repeatedly rotated the siege troops, they still had to withdraw their troops hastily and cease all activities before dawn.
The heavy rain diluted the pool of blood on the battlefield, and the soldiers from both sides collected the corpses one after another in the rain, and then returned to the barracks to lick their wounds.
Donggong Liusui, which suffered heavy casualties, got a chance to breathe.
No matter how elite the troops are, if they cannot be replenished or reorganized during the battle that lasted for more than half a year, and they are under tremendous psychological pressure day after day, their morale will inevitably decline, their morale will be war-weary, and their combat effectiveness will continue to decline. A breath of support.
If he hadn't known the mission he was shouldering, and if he hadn't been responsible for the survival of the East Palace, and if the commander hadn't been the "god of war" in the world, I'm afraid that the Sixth Army of the East Palace, which had formed an army in a hurry and didn't have much time to prepare for war, would have collapsed long ago...
However, no matter what difficulties they faced, the fact is that this army withstood the fierce attacks of enemies several times larger than itself for more than half a year. Although they retreated step by step, they always held fast to the Taiji Palace, crushing the rebels and quickly capturing Taiji. Palace, the ambition to overthrow the East Palace.
There is no doubt that today, Donggong Liuli has become a world-famous iron army!
In a side hall on the side of Taiji Hall, rain-proof lanterns are burning everywhere under the eaves and on the walls. They are swaying in the wind and rain. His steps were quick and his expression was solemn.
Such a rare respite should naturally be used wisely to treat the wounded, mobilize troops, and supply equipment in order to quickly restore combat effectiveness and welcome a new round of cruel war after the wind and rain stop.
In the hall, candles are brightly lit.
Li Jing stood in front of the map with his helmet on, holding a teapot in one hand. While looking at the map, he put the spout of the pot into his mouth and took a sip of tea. Although his hair was gray, his body was tall and energetic, and he did not feel tired or exhausted after not sleeping all day and night. He was depressed, his eyes were shining, and he was full of fighting spirit.
On the contrary, behind him, Cheng Chubi, Li Siwen, Qu Tuguan, Qin Huaidao and other young generals all had damaged armor and sluggish expressions. Although they were sitting there trying to straighten their backs, their faces could not hide the exhaustion.
The fierce fighting for half a year not only caused serious attrition and low morale of the East Palace Sixth Army, but also tortured these young and powerful generals. Under the strong pressure, they had to think hard every day about strategies and tactics, boost morale, and often also To take the lead and charge into battle is a huge drain on physical strength and spirit.
Even an iron man can't bear it.
Li Siwen, who used to be personable and self-proclaimed handsome, now has sunken cheeks and a beard as knotted as a weed...
Li Jing looked at the map for a long time, then turned his head, sat down at the main seat, put the teapot in his hand on the table in front of him, looked around at the outstanding young generals in front of him, and glanced at the faces one by one. , Wen Yan said: "Why, you can't stand it anymore?"
Hearing this, several generals subconsciously straightened their backs and said in unison: "Commander, don't worry, we are in the city, we can withstand it!"
Li Jing was very pleased, nodded and said: "This is what soldiers should do. No matter how powerful the enemy we face, no matter how dangerous the situation we are in, as long as there are things behind us that need to be protected, we will always move forward bravely and fight to the death." Live! Die on the battlefield and be wrapped in horse leather, it’s no big deal. As long as we protect what we need to protect, why not die?”
It can be said that he has studied military affairs all his life, and has dabbled in countless military books and strategies throughout the ages, and then relied on his unparalleled talent to summarize strategic ideas that were enough to lead the times. However, before he was forced to hide in the mansion, he only had the word "win or lose" in his eyes. He sought advantages and avoided disadvantages, and chose sides, all for the sake of his own future.
Although it turned out that he chose the wrong side and stood on the wrong team, and had to endure more than ten years of suppression and depression...
But it was this period of time when he had to hide in the mansion and be isolated from the central power that made him calm down. While compiling military books, he also realized a completely different realm.
Winning or losing cannot be the only pursuit in a commander's mind.
Because on the battlefield, there will never be a so-called victorious general. No matter how good a soldier is, he will still make mistakes.
As long as you stay on the battlefield, you will eventually encounter failure.
So, does it mean that there is no need to fight this battle because we know that we will lose? Either you step aside and let others step forward to take responsibility, or you simply surrender and preserve your strength?
No.
Throughout the ages, there have been countless wars in which they knew they would lose and die but did not hesitate. Don’t these people know that it is better to live?
Because faith is higher than life.
To put it bluntly, no matter whether you are a prince, a noble, or a trafficker, you must always have some feelings for your family and country...
That’s right, it’s “home and country”.
Several generals stood up together and said loudly: "Commander, don't worry, we will be loyal to the king and we will not swerve to the death!"
Li Jing nodded and said in a deep voice: "Without any high-sounding truth, I just want you to understand that the current situation may seem difficult, and there is always the risk of overthrow, but in fact the rebels are more dangerous than us! They have run out of food and supplies, and their elites Even more exhausted, now we are just hanging on and gritting our teeth, dreaming of defeating us in one fell swoop and overthrowing the East Palace! Next, no matter how fierce their offensive is, as long as we grit our teeth and stop , that’s when the rebels will be defeated!”
His eyes were bright and he said encouragingly: "If we win this battle, your merits will be comparable to those of the twenty-four honorable ministers in Lingyan Pavilion! You will be promoted to higher positions, you will have great power, you will be given the title of wife and son, and other idle things. Ear!"
No matter how noble a person is, he cannot only have an illusory dream to support him. He still needs to be rewarded with titles, wealth, and power to inspire all his fighting spirit.
Desire is everyone’s biggest driving force.
"Here!"
The generals responded with a roar, and their morale was boosted.
They are all outstanding among the younger generation of the empire. Although they had a good relationship with Fang Jun in the past, they have always been shrouded in Fang Jun's light. Although I admire Fang Jun's achievements and achievements, in the final analysis, who is not envious and jealous in his heart?
If there is really a chance, who wouldn't want to give it a try, follow in Fang Jun's footsteps, and enjoy Fang Jun's glory?
A real man only gets his fame from a horse, just like the poem Fang Jun once wrote, "Looking for a prince three thousand miles away"! Now there is no need to travel far to the frontier and fight the ferocious Hu tribe in a harsh environment. All you have to do is resist the rabble-like rebels in the Tai Chi Palace. If you win, you will become famous and gain promotion. It is much easier than it was for Fang Jun. Take it away... If you still can't make achievements like this, wouldn't it be an embarrassment to everyone?
Of course, just a few words of encouragement from Li Jing cannot make several young generals enthusiastic and blindly optimistic. They are all from prominent backgrounds, have read books since childhood, and have their own views and opinions on things.
Qu Tuquan asked after calming down: "Is there any movement from the British Duke's side?"
The other people also calmed down instantly and looked at Li Jing.
After all, the war in Chang'an City is now in full swing, and the one who ultimately decides the victory is probably still Li Ji of Chen Bingtong Pass.
With hundreds of thousands of troops in hand, all we have to do is rush to Chang'an and the chaos can be settled in an instant...
This is extremely uncomfortable. We are fighting life and death here, but even if we defeat the rebels, we may not be able to win the final victory. Who is willing to fight for it?
