The military camp of King Zhao Li Tao.
The two brothers Li Tao and Li Geng were arguing fiercely in a tense atmosphere. He Shu, who was sitting beside him, looked nervous and pursed his red lips. He almost wanted to speak, but the tit-for-tat brothers did not give He Shu a chance to interrupt.
The two brothers were like two red-eyed lions, neither of them willing to give in first.
The reason for the quarrel was naturally the disagreement over whether to withdraw the troops and evacuate the capital after the battle with the soldiers of the Six Guards of the New Army.
After Li Geng, the prince of Shu, saw the results of the battle compiled by Sima in the army, he could not help but feel afraid of war.
Not counting the loss of three thousand soldiers and horses in the morning.
In the afternoon battle alone, our own troops, infantry and cavalry, lost more than 17,000 people.
More than 11,000 of them died on the spot.
There were only 110,000 soldiers and horses left after the rebellion attacked the city, and they lost about 20,000 soldiers in just one afternoon.
Such a heavy loss really made Li Geng unable to think of continuing to wade through this muddy water.
If the subsequent battles were to continue, tens of thousands of casualties would be incurred every day like today. In a few days, the 110,000 soldiers and horses would be strangled by the six-guard cavalry of the new army under my uncle's command and the whole army would be annihilated.
The first moment he received the battle report, Li Geng had the idea of retreating.
After the second brother came back, he gave himself a concise statement of the conversation he had with his uncle.
Since his uncle had no intention of spreading the disaster to his brothers after his rebellion, Li Geng really didn't want to continue to be an enemy of his uncle, whom he had never met before.
As soon as Li Geng said what he meant, Li Tao refuted it without hesitation.
This is the territory of the Li family. How can it be surrendered to others in vain just because the enemy's army is too powerful? Even if this person is his uncle, his biological uncle is the same.
This is the inheritance left by our ancestors. Even if he is not the emperor, he cannot just watch his family's inheritance being plundered by outsiders.
As a result, the two brothers had a dispute over whether to withdraw from the army or not.
One plans to withdraw his troops and stay away from other things, while the other insists on helping his elder brother and holding on to the country.
The two brothers each have their own opinions, and neither one is willing to give in.
Li Tao actually understands his cousin's thoughts very well, but the relationship between this country and him is not that big.
If this is the country left by the third uncle, how can my cousin not be interested in it?
"Second brother, I hope you will think twice before you act. You have also seen the situation of today's battle. We are clearly outnumbered four to one, but my uncle's soldiers and horses surrounded our infantry and slaughtered them.
In just one afternoon, our army suffered more than 20,000 casualties.
If we continue, how long do you think we can hold on with the 100,000 troops in our hands?
What benefits did your eldest brother give you that made you willing to sacrifice your years of foundation to help your eldest brother out of trouble?
Once your uncle gets angry with you in the future, not to mention the glory, wealth and title you enjoy now, it will be a question whether you can save your life. "
"You are right. My uncle may anger me in the future, and I will pay for it with my life.
But Li Geng, don’t forget, my surname is Li, and your surname is also Li.
We all have the blood of the Li clan, and our ancestors are all Emperor Taizu Gao.
Watching your ancestors' 600-year-old inheritance fall into the hands of others, are you worthy of your own blood?
Are you worthy of your identity as a clan member of the Li family? "
“At least I won’t go and die in vain knowing that I’m outmatched!
This is not righteousness, but stupidity! Second brother, let me tell you, I have decided to retire from this soldier.
If you are still stubborn, brother, all I can do is say sorry! "
Li Tao's eyes narrowed and he stared at Li Geng coldly: "Li Geng, don't forget, you are in a military camp now. Escaping from the battlefield is a capital crime. Under military law, you must be executed.
Although you are the deputy commander of the army, if you disobey military orders, I can still impose military law on you. "
"Second brother, don't forget where your family background comes from?
If you want to engage me in military law, how many people do you think will listen to your orders? Furthermore, how many brothers do you think will follow you to death in vain despite knowing that you are not allowed to do anything?
General Chang, if you haven't come in yet, when will you be waiting? "
At the same time that Li Tao's heart trembled, the curtain of the big tent was opened, and General Chang Cong, who was in charge of the cavalry during the day, walked in and looked at the astonished Li Tao with wandering eyes.
"Your Majesty, retreat...retreat your troops, we are really no match for the elite border troops.
We only suffered 40,000 to 50,000 casualties during the siege for a month, but today we suffered about 20,000 casualties in one day. If we continue the attack, sooner or later the entire army will be annihilated.
It’s not that brothers don’t want to sacrifice their lives for you, but we can’t let our brothers die in vain! "
Li Tao stared at Chang Cong for a moment, then slowly walked over.
"Is this what you mean? Or is it the result that the four of you, Geng Hai, Fan Yong, and Hong Changhao, negotiated?"
"As long as the prince agrees to withdraw the troops, there will naturally be no trouble for the other three brothers. After all, the prince is also doing it for the lives and fortunes of the soldiers of the three armies... Uh-huh... .....you you.........."
Chang Cong looked at the dagger inserted in his chest in shock, and looked up in disbelief at Li Tao, who was staring at him with a cold gaze.
"You... so... so cruel..."
Li Tao looked coldly at Chang Cong's dimming eyes, stirred the dagger in his hand, and suddenly pulled it out. Looking at Chang Cong who suddenly fell to the ground, Li Tao took out his handkerchief and calmly wiped the blood on the dagger.
"Since it's your intention, then just go and accompany the brothers who died in the war."
Li Geng came to his senses when he heard what Li Tao was saying to himself, and stumbled down on his chair.
"You...you...you killed General Chang, weren't you afraid of causing a mutiny?"
He Shu also looked at his son with beautiful eyes, and looked at Li Tao who was wiping the blood on the dagger and took a breath and was speechless for a long time.
Li Tao casually dropped the cloth in his hand on the ground and looked outside the tent: "Here comes someone!"
"See you, my lord!"
"General Chang Cong intended to assassinate my king and defected to the enemy. He has been executed on the spot by my king and has been dragged out!"
The two soldiers looked at Chang Cong's lifeless corpse on the ground in surprise, and nodded silently.
"Got the order!"
The two soldiers dragged Chang Cong's body out of the tent, and Li Tao walked straight out of the tent.
"Whoever dares to retreat again will have his head taken away by me!"
Li Tao seemed to be talking to himself, but Li Geng shuddered suddenly. He knew that these were the words of his second brother warning him.
The next day.
See the white in the east.
Amidst the sound of war drums and horns, the soldiers of the Sixth Guards of the New Army launched another attack on the capital.
The battle situation in the west of the city was still fierce, and Li Tao heavily rewarded the soldiers of the three armies to boost their morale.
However, the soldiers and horses under his command, encouraged by the heavy reward, still struggled to stop the unilateral strangulation of the Six Guards soldiers of the new army.
They thought that the battle formation that was both offensive and defensive would often be torn open by four or five charges from the new army's cavalry, and then be defeated.
The battlefield in the north of the city was a little weird compared to the brutality in the west of the city.
After thirteen rounds of fighting, only more than 3,000 soldiers from both sides suffered minor injuries.
As for the soldiers and horses who were seriously injured or killed, there was not a single one.
What Nangong Ye was most worried about happened.
Three days later, Li Tao's troops fought to the death with the Six Guards Cavalry of the New Army, and in the end only a little over 70,000 troops were left.
Liu Mingzhi also began to focus on attacking the capital.
Instead of focusing on feint attacks to attract opponents, real siege operations were launched.
