"Luoyang is an ancient capital for thousands of years. The city wall is far stronger than Hongnong. A strong attack is definitely the next best option."
Li Shimin shook his head and said: "Let alone the current situation, even if the situation is great, I will not take the approach of filling the city with human lives."
Li Jilong was stunned when he heard this, and then he looked happy and asked: "Has your highness already got a clever plan to break the city?"
Li Shimin said in a deep voice: "If you want to capture a strong city like Luoyang, the best way is to use the advantage of your troops to surround it on all sides, cut off its peripheral support, turn it into an isolated city, and use up the food and grass in the city!"
Li Jilong frowned slightly and reminded Li Shimin: "But Your Highness, there is still Sui General Xue Rengui's 100,000 troops in the Central Plains, surrounding Luoyang from all sides. This... This seems a bit unrealistic!"
"So the first step we have to do is to seize Hulao Pass, the choke point for Xue Rengui's march into Luoyang, and we must not let the main force of the Sui army enter Luoyang City."
Li Shimin's eyes flashed with cold light, and he said in a deep voice: "The only good thing is that the guard of Hulao Pass is Wang Shichong's loyal loyalist, and did not defect to the Sui army after the Luoyang Incident. And Xue Rengui should have some scruples about Wang Shichong, so he didn't Dare to attack Hulao Pass blatantly.
But now that Wang Shichong is dead, Xue Rengui will no longer have any worries. With the thousands of soldiers and horses at Hulao Pass, he can hold off Xue Rengui's army for three days at most. What's more, the Hulao Pass guard general might be persuaded to surrender by the Sui army after learning about Wang Shichong's death.
So now we don't have much time left. Gu decided to personally lead the elite cavalry to attack Hulao Pass before news of Wang Shichong's death spread. And you and Old General Qu Tu will lead the main force of infantry into Luoyang. You don't need to attack the city violently, you just need to completely surround Luoyang! "
"King Qin, you led the elite cavalry to attack Hulao Pass yourself, and the main army was handed over to commanders Qu Tutong and Li Jilong. What about Gu? What should Gu, the deputy commander, do? Do you really think that these hundreds of thousands of troops are members of your Prince Qin's palace? Private soldiers?"
Just as Li Shimin finished speaking, Li Yuanji's sinister voice sounded from the side.
Li Shimin suddenly became furious, glared at Li Yuanji, and said loudly: "You disobeyed Gu's military order and killed Wang Shichong, causing Gu's plan to completely collapse. You should feel lucky that Gu has not punished you now, but you still dare to Slandering Gu. Someone, kidnap Li Yuanji and escort him back to Chang'an to be dealt with by the emperor!"
"Li Shimin, how dare you!"
Li Yuanji's expression changed drastically, and he yelled at Li Shimin with a stern expression. Li Guiren, who was standing beside him, already had a knife in his hand and took two steps forward to protect Li Yuanji.
"Get them all for me!"
Li Shimin waved his hand, and the generals behind him, including Pei Xingyan, Shan Shituo, Gao Xianzhi, and Yuchi Gong, swarmed forward. In the blink of an eye, they pushed Li Guiren and Li Yuanji to the ground, took the ropes and tied them up.
"Send them back to Chang'an and hand them over to my father!"
Li Yuanji was pushed and pushed onto the horse by Li Shimin's soldiers, and he kept cursing. Li Shimin ignored Li Yuanji's scolding and waved his hand in disgust, signaling his soldiers to take Li Yuanji away quickly.
After Li Yuanji was escorted away, Du Ruhui approached and whispered: "Your Majesty, His Majesty the King of Qi is the deputy commander of the army designated by His Majesty. Will your doing this cause His Majesty's displeasure? "
"If you keep this idiot in the army, maybe something will happen to you?"
Li Shimin said with a gloomy face: "My father still needs to fight alone on the battlefield for him. Even if he is unhappy at this time, he will wait until the war in Luoyang is over before looking for Gu to punish him!"
"However, if we fail to capture Luoyang City this time, it will never be possible for His Majesty to trust His Majesty as much as he does now!"
Du Ruhui said worriedly: "More than half of the elites of the Tang Dynasty are gathered here. Your Majesty will never let His Highness lead it alone. I am worried that His Highness King Qi may leave and come back."
"A war is imminent, and discord between generals is a taboo for military strategists. My father is also a veteran on the battlefield, so he should understand this truth."
Li Shimin said in a deep voice: "But just in case, you will send an eagle letter to Liu Wenjing and Dou Kang, asking them to persuade their father. Whether this commander is given to Li Shentong or Li Shenfu. In short, it is absolutely perfect." We can’t let that idiot Li Yuanji come back again.”
Liu Wenjing was originally the marching commander of Li Shimin's army, but in order to stabilize the morale of the army and allow the Tang army, which was blocked by Hongnong City, to survive the winter, Li Shimin made the decision to increase pay for the entire army.
It was precisely because of this that Liu Wenjing rushed back to Chang'an to report to Li Yuan, and asked Li Yuan to issue an order to the Ministry of War to increase pay for the entire army.
However, due to the continuous wars in the Tang Dynasty, the money and food were greatly consumed. Pei Ji, Dugu Zhen, Wang Gui and other Li Jiancheng's party members used this as an excuse to intervene. Li Yuan was used to being at odds between his two sons. At this time, he was hesitant. I think what Liu Wenjing said makes sense. The Tang army has been fighting hard for several months and should really be encouraged. On the other hand, after the persuasion of Pei Ji and others, he began to feel distressed about the large sum of money and food, and was unable to make a final decision. Liu Wenjing had no choice but to stay in Chang'an and continue the war of words with Pei Ji and others.
Du Ruhui nodded immediately after hearing this, raised his hands and said, "Your Highness is wise, and you will do your humble job now!"
Li Shimin continued: "Although Luoyang guard Meng Gong is unknown, it can be seen from the fact that the auxiliary aircraft fell in his hands that he is by no means an ordinary person. Although the old general Qu Tu and Li Jilong are both generals, They are generals, but in terms of conspiracy and strategizing, they are still a little behind. So this time you stay in the army and assist the two of them wholeheartedly. You must not fall into the enemy's trick and ruin Gu's plan!"
"The Battle of Luoyang can now be said to be a battle related to the lifeblood of our Datang Dynasty. If we win this battle, our Datang Army and Horses can sweep the Central Plains with the momentum of victory. But if we lose, then we may never have the chance to fight again in our lifetime. Out of Tongguan!"
As he spoke, Li Shimin stretched out his hands to hold Du Ruhui's hands, and said in a deep voice: "Keming, now that the auxiliary machine is gone, you are the only one I can rely on! I hope that in the future we can have a drink at the Ziwei Palace in Dongdu! "
Du Ruhui slowly raised his head and looked into Li Shimin's piercing tiger eyes for a while. He felt his heart warm. He immediately knelt down on one knee and said in a somewhat excited tone: "Your Highness values a humble position so much. How dare you do such a humble job?" Not trying your best?"
"Keming, I feel relieved with your words!"
Li Shimin nodded with joy on his face, and said in a deep voice: "Soldiers are valuable and quick. Gu will lead the Xuanjia Jingqi and set off immediately. The other cavalry will be led by Li Siyuan. They will rest here for a while before setting off. You, Li Jilong and Qu Tu The old general first dealt with Wang Renze who had transferred Hongnong, and then immediately went to Luoyang."
