Kuimen, inside the military meeting hall.
A group of Tang generals were sitting in order of priority, their faces a little ugly, and they were looking around and whispering to each other.
The commander-in-chief, Li Xiaogong, was sitting in the upper position, his eyes bloodshot, obviously he had not slept all night. After looking around the generals in the hall, he said in a hoarse voice: "Generals, I think you all already know this. The Sui general Yue Fei led 50,000 elite troops from the south of Lingnan to the north, and passed through the jungle to raid the southern part of Bashu. Because I, the main force of Bashu, Soldiers and horses are fortified in the east, making Yue Fei's army invincible. If we can't respond in time, I'm afraid Yue Fei will directly attack Chengdu!"
The generals in the hall nodded one after another. It was impossible to hide such a big thing. Now the news has caused quite a commotion in the army. If Li Xiaogong and Li Shiji hadn't managed the army well, I'm afraid Li Jing would have already He led the army to attack Kuimen.
Li Xiaogong took a deep breath and continued: "Chengdu is the most important city in the southwest, and there is no room for loss. What's more, once Chengdu is captured by Yue Fei, our retreat will be cut off, even if Kuimen is in a dangerous position I was trapped by the Sui army until the food and grass were cut off, so after discussing with General Li Shiji, I decided to lead the main force back to Chengdu to defeat Yue Fei first and relieve the crisis in Chengdu!"
As soon as Li Xiaogong finished speaking, Li Shiji continued: "However, Sui General Li Jing is not a fuel-efficient lamp, and it is impossible for us to return to Chengdu easily. So this time our army must leave an army and horses to guard Kuimen. The army’s westward retreat will buy time.”
As he spoke, Li Shiji glanced at everyone in the hall and said in a deep voice: "I wonder which general is willing to take on this important responsibility?"
Tian Zaibiao, a brave general of the Tang Army who was brave and good at fighting, immediately stepped forward and said loudly: "Your Highness, the general, I am willing to lead the army to the rear!"
Li Xiaogong smiled slightly, shook his head and said: "General Tian is very skilled in martial arts. After our army withdraws to Chengdu, we will rely on your ability to defeat Yue Fei. I think it is better to leave this matter to others!"
Li Xiaogong said and looked at the generals in the hall with a smile. It's a pity that other generals of the Tang army are not as young and energetic as Tian Zaibiao. If he stays behind in Kuimen and serves as the rear of the army, he will most likely end up dying in battle. You can see for a moment Look at me, look at you, no one is willing to come forward and ask for help.
When Li Xiaogong saw this, he couldn't help but show displeasure, and shouted loudly: "Is it possible that General Tian Zaibiao is the only one in our Bashu army who is not afraid of death? You all talk about being loyal to the emperor and serving the country, why? Are all of them mute now?”
Seeing Li Xiaogong's anger, everyone lowered their heads and did not dare to look directly at Li Xiaogong.
"Forget it! It is indeed extremely dangerous to lead an army to the rear. It is normal for you to have concerns."
Looking at the generals who buried their heads deeply, Li Xiaogong sighed and said in a deep voice: "Since none of you are willing to take on this important task, I can only lead the rear of the army myself."
"Your Majesty, you must not do this!"
Li Shiji was shocked when he heard this and hurriedly spoke out to dissuade: "Your Highness, you are the commander-in-chief of the three armies. If something happens to you, what will happen to these tens of thousands of troops? What will happen to the Bashu territory?"
Li Xiaogong turned to look at Prime Minister Li Shiji and said in a deep voice: "General Li Shiji, if I really die on the battlefield unfortunately, then everything will have to be left to you. Your talent is a hundred times better than mine. I believe you will be able to protect the Bashu fortress for the Tang Dynasty." land!"
"Your Highness!"
After hearing this, Li Shiji couldn't help but trembled, and two lines of tears slowly flowed down. Turning his head, he glared at the generals in the hall angrily and shouted: "Eating the emperor's salary is a matter of loyalty to the emperor! As soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, do you really want the commander to be your queen now? How can your conscience be at ease?"
Perhaps he was stimulated by Li Shiji, but suddenly a general with phoenix eyes, silk-eye eyebrows, green robes, gold armor, and a green scarf and a red face came out of the hall. He cupped his hands and said, "All the men in the Tang Dynasty are strong-willed men. It is definitely not our style to be afraid of death. The last general, Yun Tianbiao, is not talented, so he is willing to lead an army and horses to guard Kuimen and buy time for the army to withdraw westward."
Li Xiaogong's lips curled up slightly, and he and Li Shiji looked at each other, with a hint of subtle cunning flashing in their eyes.
From ancient times to the present, the only way to protect the chariot is to abandon the pawn. How can there be any reason to let the commander take the rear? The scene just now between Li Xiaogong and Li Shiji was just a ploy directed and performed by the two, in order to make people take the initiative to stand up for them and be wary of the generals at the rear who were greedy for life and surrendered to the Sui army, causing them to withdraw from Chengdu and defeat them first. Yue Fei's plan completely went bankrupt.
At this moment, seeing Yun Tianbiao take the initiative to stand up, Li Xiaogong was secretly happy, but on the surface he still pretended to be very sad. He walked down from the handsome case and came to Yun Tianbiao, patted Yun Tianbiao on the shoulder and said: "General Yun, I've got to help you. The Sui army's commander-in-chief, Li Jing, is full of strategies and has a thorough understanding of the art of war. He also has strong generals such as Jiang Song, Lu Junyi, and Zhou Dewei under his command. You must be careful."
Yun Tianbiao cupped his hands and said loudly: "Your Highness, don't worry, the general will live and die with Kuimen. Even if he dies, he will not let the Sui army cross Kuimen even half a step!"
Li Xiaogong shook his head and said in a deep voice: "General Yun, I don't need you to live and die with Kuimen. I only need you to stick to Kuimen for three days. After three days, you can just abandon the city and leave."
Li Shiji on the side smiled slightly and said: "General Yun, His Royal Highness and I also know that this matter is extremely dangerous. Therefore, if the general really decides to surrender to the Sui army at the last moment, His Highness and I will write to Your Majesty to explain. Under such circumstances, Your Majesty will definitely not ask the general’s wife, children, and children for questioning!”
Yun Tianbiao was a rough man. Li Shiji's words made his nose sore. He immediately knelt down on the ground and said loudly: "How can a man of seven feet, who is a dignified general, be willing to be a person who is greedy for life and afraid of death? If it really comes to that time, the general will I will definitely die to serve my country."
. . . . . . . . . .
At night, Li Xiaogong and Li Shiji led the main force of more than 50,000 Tang troops to quietly withdraw from Kuimen. However, Li Jing was a master of military affairs, and his soldiers and horses were well-trained. Although Li Xiaogong and Li Shiji tried their best to hide it, Sui army scouts soon discovered the traces and rushed back to the camp to report to Li Jing.
After getting it, Li Jing quickly beat the drums to gather the generals, and said in a deep voice: "Generals, the scouts just came to report that not long ago, Li Xiaogong led the army to quietly leave Kuimen. In my opinion, he should have learned about Yue Pengju's move. There was news about the unexpected troops along the way, so we had no choice but to abandon the city and return to rescue Chengdu."
All the generals in the tent were overjoyed when they heard this, and they loudly called for battle.
Li Jing gave up slightly and signaled the generals to be quiet. Immediately, he slowly drew out a command arrow and said loudly: "Li Xiaogong and Li Shiji are good at using their troops. They will definitely leave an army and horses at the rear of Kuimen. Li Su, Zhang Liang, Lu Da, and Lu Heng obey the orders. I am the commander of the army." You select 30,000 infantrymen to set off first and break the city with all your strength to clear the way for the army."
The four of them came out together and said, "The general will do his best to capture Kuimen!"
"Where are Su Dingfang, Jiang Song, and Lu Junyi?"
Li Jing shouted loudly, took out another command arrow and said in a deep voice: "I order the three of you to lead five thousand cavalry each and set off later. As soon as the city gate is breached, you will attack immediately. Don't pay attention to the remaining enemies in the city and just rush out of Kuimen." Just chase the main force of the Tang army all the way!"
Su Dingfang, Jiang Song, and Lu Junyi clasped their fists at the same time and said, "I will obey your orders!"
Li Jing nodded slightly, then summoned Xia Luqi and Zhou Dewei to come forward, and said in a deep voice: "Li Shiji has many tricks. Each of you will lead 10,000 elite troops to follow Su Dingfang, Lu Junyi, and Jiang Song, and be ready to respond at any time!"
