When His Majesty Li Er was having a duel with Fang Xuanling, he once praised Xiao Yu in words: "After the sixth year of Wude, the Supreme Emperor had the intention of abolishing the establishment but did not decide. I will not be tolerated by my brothers on this day. There is a real fear of not being rewarded for high merit. This person should not be lured with generous benefits, nor should he be punished and killed, as he is a true official of the country."
So I gave him a poem: "The strong wind knows the strong grass, and the rough wind knows the sincere minister."
He also said to Xiao Yu: "You are very upright in keeping the Tao, which is beyond the reach of the ancients. However, good and evil are too clear, and sometimes they are lost."
Xiao Yu burst into tears with gratitude: "I have received admonishment and training, and I am also promised loyalty and forgiveness. Even if I die, I will still be alive."
After Wei Zheng learned about this, he was forbidden to say: "If I go against the crowd and enforce the law, the Lord will forgive me and show loyalty; if I am lonely and special, I will enforce the law, and the Lord will forgive me and show strength." I heard what he said in the past, but now I know it is true, Xiao Yu If you don’t meet a wise sage, you will definitely be in trouble!”
The praise for Xiao Yu is very high, and it is believed that Xiao Yu must meet the Ming Lord, so he can be "loyal" and "vigorous". Otherwise, if he meets a faint king with his character, he will end up miserable...
Everyone in the government and the public knows that Xiao Yu is the humerus of His Majesty Li Er, who is extremely "loyal" and extremely "vigorous".
Now Li Zhi forwarded this sentence to Yuchi Gong, which shows that he is extremely dissatisfied with Xiao Yu. You are the late emperor's "honest minister" and "strong grass", but my "honest minister" and "strong grass" are not you...
This is not only a denial of his achievements, but also a deeper resentment.
Xiao Yu couldn't sit still anymore, stood up and prostrated on the ground, with tears in his eyes and trembling all over, he said with a slight choke: "Now that the Duke of E has assisted His Highness Zuo, he will surely achieve great things and inherit them for thousands of years. The old minister is exhausted and old. If you are weak in wisdom, you may not be able to take on big responsibilities, and you will feel extremely ashamed."
Li Zhi smiled, helped Yuchi Gong up, and then stepped forward to help Xiao Yu. His expression was very sincere, but his words contained a sharp edge: "What did the Duke of Song say? We have different paths in civil and military affairs. You and the Duke of E are both our kings." There is no difference between the humerus and the humerus. There is no need to talk about old age and frailty. When you assisted me in raising the banner and vowed to uphold the legacy of the late emperor, overthrow the false emperor and correct the country, you were full of confidence. , You are so majestic and heroic! The current situation is unpredictable and it is time for all the ministers to work together to come up with suggestions. How can you retreat in a hurry and abandon me? "
You were the one who persuaded me to raise an army in the first place, but now you are the one who wants to give up the challenge?
Xiao Yu's mouth was full of bitterness and fear: "I don't dare, I am willing to die for your highness!"
Li Zhi smiled, helped him up, and said with a gentle expression: "The Duke of Song has made a serious statement, so there is no need to die. Although the situation is dangerous now, it is not without a chance. As long as the Duke of E can capture Mingdemen Entering the Chengtian Gate to join forces with the Jiangxia County Prince is at least half the battle, and if you are lucky enough to be able to control the false emperor, it will be a great success!"
Yuchi Gong said with enthusiasm: "Your Highness, don't worry, I will definitely lead my subordinates to fight in a bloody battle, and assist Your Highness Zuo to achieve great achievements!"
"Okay! Pass the order. In this siege of the city, whoever ascends Mingde Gate first will be awarded the title of Founding County Prince! Whoever ascends Chengtian Gate first will be granted the title of Founding County Prince! All other meritorious personnel will be promoted to the third level!"
"Here!"
…
As the saying goes, a brave man must be rewarded with a heavy reward. Li Zhi's order was conveyed to the army. The heavy reward made the morale of the whole army high. Countless proud soldiers vowed to win titles by virtue of this battle. From then on, they would be high-ranking officials with generous salaries and wives and children.
The army was divided into two. Li Zhi personally supervised the formation and led 100,000 noble private troops to sit in Yuanqiu. They were ready to face Cheng Yaojin behind him, Donggong Sixth Army to the east, and the Xue, Liu, and Zheng coalition forces further away.
Yuchi Gong then led the right guard of his headquarters, Ma Shishi, to attack Mingde Gate.
After returning to Guanzhong from Liaodong, the right guard, under the leadership of Yu Chigong, fought repeatedly and won many battles. Although the battle losses increased and the entire army was exhausted, the high reward from the King of Jin boosted morale and allowed Chang'an to defend the city. Most of the army was concentrated in Taiji Palace, resulting in a lack of troops in the south of the city. Knowing that Jin King Chen Bing could not mobilize more troops under the city, once the battle started, the right guard took the lead and took the lead. The defenders were short of troops. The city wall defenses were empty in many places and in a state of disarray.
However, Mingde Gate, Anhua Gate, and Qixia Gate are the main gates of Chang'an City. The city walls are high and thick, and the defense facilities are extremely complete. Although the troops are scarce, the complete defenses can still survive the fierce attack of the right guard. Not lost.
Yuchi Gong immediately detached a force of 3,000 elite troops and rushed westward to attack Anhua Gate. While attacking Anhua Gate, he sent troops to attack the city's sluice through the Qingming Channel waterway. The defenders were exhausted and Anhua Gate was on the verge of collapse.
The defenders quickly asked Li Jing who was stationed outside Chunming Gate for help...
…
A battle suddenly broke out at Mingdemen, and Zuo Wuwei, who was not far away, naturally got the news immediately. All the lieutenant generals gathered in the Chinese army's tent, waiting for Cheng Yaojin's order.
In fact, Zuo Wuwei's military morale is also unstable at the moment. Cheng Yaojin has been swinging back and forth and has not taken a firm stand towards Qin, Mu and Chu. As a result, everyone in the army is at a loss as to who their enemy is, let alone what to do next. It is inevitable that Morale is low and opinions are divided.
Now the King of Jin's army is attacking Mingdemen, and the right guard is behind King Jin. Whether it is supporting King Jin or attacking King Jin, it is time to make a clear position, so the eyes of the entire army are focused on the central army tent. , waiting for Cheng Yaojin’s order...
In the big tent, Cheng Yaojin and his horse Jin Dao were sitting in the main position, while the rest, including Niu Jinda, stood on both sides.
The sun rose outside the tent, and the tens of thousands of troops were silent except for the occasional neighing of their horses.
Cheng Yaojin looked around and said in a deep voice: "Yuchi Gong sent troops to attack Mingde Gate. It was obviously his intention to enter Chang'an City and go straight to Taiji Palace to join forces with Li Daozong. The King of Jin stationed troops in Yuanqiu to support his rear. Outside Xuanwu Gate , Fang Jun has just defeated the left guard of Yin Qinzhou, and concentrated his troops to attack Xuanwu Gate. It is only a matter of time before he captures Xuanwu Gate... The current situation is like this, and it is still becoming clearer. Where will our army go? You can speak freely and be honest. Traces of the heart.”
The generals looked at each other. When you stationed troops in the West City and watched the rebels enter the city and attack Chengtian Gate, you didn't ask for our opinions. Now you actually start asking us about our thoughts?
Niu Jinda was a little helpless and said: "Why is the commander like this? We are not only the soldiers under the commander, but also the brothers and sisters who accompany us in life and death. We have always obeyed orders. How have we ever had any doubts? No matter where we go, as long as the commander-in-chief With a single command from the commander-in-chief, I will fight through mountains and fires, through fire and water, and there will be no regrets!"
It's already this time, what's the use of you still using this trick?
Just tell me who to beat and that’s it!
The generals trembled under Cheng Yaojin's gaze, and when they saw Niu Jinda stepping forward, they all spoke in agreement.
"General Niu is right, we are all soldiers under the command of the general, and we will obey the military orders wherever we go!"
"We are just rough people, how can we know so much? Now we can't tell who is a loyal minister and who is a wise master. We only listen to the commander-in-chief!"
"We will hit whomever the commander says we will hit!"
…
In this army built by Cheng Yaojin and led for many years, almost every captain and general is his confidant, possessing unparalleled dominance. Among the Zuowu Guards, only military orders, I didn’t know there was an imperial order!
This has been the characteristic of the army since ancient times. Loyalty is only within the scope of pursuing greater interests. The so-called loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and justice cannot offset the drive of interests. The commander of an army often represents the interests of the entire army, so he is regarded as a god. I follow the law and do nothing against it. As for who is loyal and who is traitorous, who is righteous and who is evil...what does it have to do with me?
Even the government military system has difficulty getting rid of such a nest. It may be able to avoid the possibility of the army becoming a "private army" at the beginning, but after years of operation, it is still inevitable to embark on the old path of "common interests."
Is the emperor worthy of his name and his destiny?
Is the King of Jin a treacherous and rebellious person who risks the disapproval of the world?
The soldiers don't care about these things, and they can't distinguish between them. They will only believe in the military orders of the commander, because the interests of the commander are consistent with everyone. If the commander benefits, everyone will have a share in the chickens and dogs ascending to heaven. If the commander fails, the whole army will be unlucky and everyone will suffer... …
This is "warlord".
Cheng Yaojin nodded slowly, his eyes were like lightning and full of momentum, and he said in a deep voice: "Nowadays, traitors are running rampant and poisoning the world, causing the people to die and the government to be reversed. As soldiers, we should take it as our duty to support the country and protect the king, even if We are willing to go through fire and water! Send an order to the entire army to assemble before noon today, approach Yuanqiu, and cut off the traitors!"
"Here!"
The generals in the tent agreed with a loud voice, and their morale was high.
For these generals, their interests have long been tied to Cheng Yaojin. They don't care whether they go to fight the King of Jin to weed out traitors or fight the emperor to implement the late emperor's will. As long as they respect Cheng Yaojin's military orders, the whole army will be united. , the interests are consistent, that’s enough.
Of course, the reason why they are so convinced of Cheng Yaojin is because they have never suffered losses after following Cheng Yaojin for many years. I believe that Cheng Yaojin will still lead everyone to victory this time.
As long as we win, there will naturally be many benefits...
The military order was conveyed to the entire Zuowuwei army, and tens of thousands of people and horses all moved into action. First, they lit fires to make food. After the meal, groups of soldiers began to assemble. The baggage soldiers packed up the tents, loaded the grain and fodder into the carts, and packed up all the baggage and followed the army.
At noon, with the infantry in the center and the cavalry guarding the two wings, tens of thousands of people marched slowly towards the circle.
At the same time, the Xue, Liu, and Zheng coalition forces that had been following Zuo Wuwei also discovered Zuo Wuwei's whereabouts. Although there was no direct contact between the two armies, Zuo Wuwei's strategic intentions could be judged based on his movements. Therefore, under the command of Xue Wanche, the coalition forces bypassed Zuowuwei's rear army and thrust diagonally westward, followed the Qingming Canal into Anhua Gate, and headed straight to the west side of Yuanqiu.
Then, Donggong Sixth Leader, who had been standing still, finally detached a force of more than 10,000 people and headed south along the east side of Chang'an, passing through Leyouyuan and Furong Township, crossing the Yellow Canal, and Chen Bingqu on the west side of the river pool, and Zuo Wuwei and the Xue, Liu and Zheng coalition forces surrounded the Jin king under the circle hill on three sides respectively.
In half a day, the situation suddenly changed.
When the 100,000 Jin king's army learned that it had been besieged, the whole army was in an uproar...
