It’s not that following the rules is bad.
It’s just that there is time to follow the rules.
Let's talk about this time, if Li Chengqian acts according to the rules.
After Gaochang made the request, he had to ask Li Shimin for instructions on what to do next.
Not to mention what strategies Li Shimin would give him, it would take more than twenty days to go back and report the news and then send it back to the court.
If Gaochang disagrees, then it will take another twenty days to communicate with Li Shimin.
After going back and forth, I'm afraid that as soon as the communication here is completed, the Western Turks will be defeated by Ansa.
In this way, Datang would no longer need to march westward, and could just stand there and wait for the opponent to come over. What else is there to prepare?
Instead of doing this, it would be better to do something like Li Chengqian.
Regardless of whether you accept it or not, let’s give it a beating first.
If you don't accept it, I will continue to fight and eliminate you, leaving me with no worries.
If you accept it, then you must obey me in the future, otherwise I will kill you directly.
And sometimes it is not without reason that Li Shimin delegates power to Li Chengqian in this way.
Because he knew very well that Li Chengqian would make the choice that was most beneficial to Datang at this critical moment.
But after all, the styles of Li Ke and Li Chengqian are very different.
Zhang Xiao still found it difficult to accept it for a while.
But Li Chengqian didn't blame him either.
He just said slowly: "Sometimes, it's not a good thing to follow the rules too much."
"Just like you guarded Shu."
"You have been guarding Shu for several years, but the border troubles have not been resolved."
"But my Liangzhou army left, and within a few months, the unrest in the south was completely eradicated."
"Comparing the two, can't you see this?"
Li Chengqian said: "The southern countries are just a bunch of moths, uneasy and restless."
"And long-term pain is worse than short-term pain, so why bother pulling back and forth?"
After hearing what Li Chengqian said, Zhang Xiao did want to refute it at first.
After all, they had fought hard in Shu for several years before they could achieve stability in Shu.
But when he thought about it carefully, he felt a little shameless to refute.
After all, as Li Chengqian said, they guarded Shu for several years, seemingly heroic yet lonely.
But it was not as useful as the Liangzhou Army stationed in Shu for several months.
When Liu Qi and Feng Guangyao faced the invasion from the southern countries, they first sent a battle report to the court.
Without waiting for a reply from the court, he led his troops into the south, opened up territory for the Tang Dynasty, and also solved border troubles in one fell swoop.
Thinking of this, Zhang Xiao pursed his lips and said, "My subordinates have learned a lesson."
Hearing this, Li Chengqian was stunned for a moment, then smiled.
"hehe."
"I haven't seen such a polite guy like you in many days."
"I remember the person who spoke to me like this last time was that Xue Li."
Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "Okay, let's stop chatting here and follow me to the front."
When Li Chengqian led Zhang Xiao to the position, Gaochang City was already devastated.
And Liu Qi was also preparing to let his soldiers attack the city and end the battle in one go.
But at this time, Li Chengqian stopped him.
Li Chengqian raised his head slightly and said: "Gaochang is a country after all, and we must save some face for them."
"Wait for a quarter of an hour and attack again after a quarter of an hour."
Hearing this, Chen Fukuan, who was among the Shu generals, looked puzzled.
To be honest, he really didn't understand Li Chengqian's thoughts.
Now it is a great opportunity for them.
If you don't attack at this time, you have to wait.
With this thought in his mind, he simply asked: "Your Highness, at this time, the power of our army's artillery fire has already hit the enemy's position into chaos."
"If we attack again after half an hour, wouldn't it be equivalent to giving the enemy a chance to gather?"
Hearing this, Li Chengqian looked back at Chen Fukuan and said: "In a battle, attacking the heart is the first priority, and attacking the city is the second priority."
"At this moment, I am covering them with artillery fire and beating them to death."
"If our army takes this opportunity to capture them in one go, we can indeed avoid many casualties."
"But if you were their leading general, would you be convinced?"
"Do you think that the reason why the Tang Dynasty is so tyrannical is because of the artillery in our hands?"
After hearing these words, Chen Fukuan paused.
Indeed, if he were an enemy general, he would definitely be unconvinced under such conditions between the enemy and us.
He would think that if he had artillery, he would not have been beaten so badly, and he might even have been able to turn defeat into victory.
Also thinking of this, Chen Fukuan stopped talking.
Li Chengqian didn't speak either, and the audience remained silent.
It was not until a quarter of an hour later that Li Chengqian stepped forward and glanced at the Liangzhou soldiers who were already in formation and ready for battle.
"In today's battle, I don't just want to show force."
"I just want to tell everyone that wherever my soldiers of the Tang Dynasty go, anyone who refuses to obey will be killed!"
"And what our Tang Dynasty relies on is not just artillery, but our Tang Dynasty's dozens and nearly millions of tigers and wolves, our Tang Dynasty's strong-willed men."
"So, I don't want to give them any reason to lose the war, any excuse to lose the war."
"I want everyone to understand the gap between them and Datang!"
After saying this, Li Chengqian pointed at Gaochang City and said: "The enemy's city is ahead."
"Your mission is to kill all enemies with weapons in sight."
"Then take this city and incorporate it into the territory of Datang."
While speaking, Li Chengqian suddenly drew his knife, swung it forward, and shouted: "Kill!"
"kill!"
Upon hearing Li Chengqian's order, two thousand Liangzhou soldiers and Liu Qi roared at the same time.
Immediately afterwards, everyone rushed towards Gaochang City as if they were crazy.
Today's Liangzhou Army is not the original Liangzhou Army.
The weapons in their hands are no longer the steel knives they used to have, or even the flintlock guns used when Li Chengqian led his army to fight the Japanese, but more advanced percussion guns.
"Pick up the gun!"
When they were more than 200 steps away from Gaochang City, Liu Qi gave an order.
Two thousand soldiers raised their firing guns one after another, aimed at the remaining enemies on the city wall, and pulled the triggers.
The only firearm that the soldiers of Gaochang Kingdom had ever seen was the Zhenguan Cannon used by Li Chengqian when he led his army to conquer Qiuci.
As for such a thing as a percussion gun, they had never even heard of it.
Even when iron bullets penetrated their bodies one after another, they did not understand what was happening in front of them.
Two thousand Liangzhou troops formed a camp step by step, loading ammunition alternately as they advanced.
Even though Li Chengqian had given the opponent a quarter of an hour to reorganize his troops and regain his strength to fight again.
However, the Gaochang Army was unable to resist the Liangzhou Army.
The effective range of the percussion gun is more than two hundred steps, and the maximum range is more than four hundred steps.
As for the Gaochang team fighting them, their only weapon with the greatest range of damage was their bows and arrows that could shoot about a hundred steps.
It can be said that the two parties are not in the same era at all.
And this so-called war is basically not a war anymore, it is completely a one-sided massacre.
At this moment, everyone in the palace listened to the sounds outside, and for a moment they were all despairing.
The people waiting were a little confused as to what to do.
One of the ministers said directly: "Let's go and talk to the Prince of the Tang Dynasty..."
