"Father, what Mr. Han said is absolutely true! My second brother used troops against the Sui Dynasty several times, but he returned with no success. The children in Guanzhong suffered heavy losses. If we forcefully recruit troops again, I'm afraid we will only be able to let the old, weak, women and children plow the fields and sow seeds! "
Prince Li Jiancheng spoke slowly and echoed his right-hand man Han Qi.
Li Yuan was silent for a while after hearing this. In fact, in addition to the Tang army losing consecutive battles and losing generals, the Guanlong nobles' uncontrolled land annexation was also an important reason. A large number of young adults became tenants or slaves of the manor.
The current situation of the Tang army was not good. The Guanlong nobles were the foundation of the Tang Dynasty's foothold in Guanzhong. Naturally, Li Yuan did not dare to disturb Tai Sui.
"How about General Chai Rongchai? We still have a hundred thousand troops from the Tang Dynasty in Hedong. How about sending a troop of troops from Hedong back to Guanzhong?"
Another prime minister, Chen Shuda, spoke up.
"Absolutely not!"
Li Jiancheng immediately objected: "Hebei Province Yue Fei, Youzhou Han Xin, Henan Xue Li, the three Sui armies of more than 500,000 are bordering Hedong. Chai Rong has worked hard to maintain the current situation. If Hedong is empty after allocating troops, Hedong will be empty." It’s dangerous!”
Chen Shuda whispered: "Don't we still have Zhu Yuanzhang's hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses? They may be my barrier to the east of the river!"
"Defenses can not do without!"
Li Jiancheng said in a deep voice: "Zhu Yuanzhang is a great hero. If he sees the emptiness in Hedong, he may not have the idea of occupying the magpie's nest. After all, his food and grass are all supported by the Tang Dynasty. Which life is better, living under the fence or being self-sufficient? Everyone knows it!"
It has to be said that although Li Jiancheng's ability is not as good as that of his younger brother Li Shimin, he is by no means an ordinary person. He also has his own unique insights into the control of situations and people's hearts.
"In this case, I'm afraid we can only mobilize General Li Guangbi of Guannei Road to go south."
After Li Jiancheng was behind him, Qin Hui, the Minister of Civil Service, spoke slowly: "General Li Guangbi still has 50,000 troops under his command. These 50,000 troops are fighting against Xue Ju and Liang Shi of the Western Qin Dynasty. They are elite troops who have been tempered for many times. At present, the Turkic Iron Mu Zhen and I, the Tang Dynasty, have formed an alliance, and garrisoning these 50,000 elite troops in the pass is really overqualified!"
"Now it seems that the only thing that Datang can call upon is this army."
Li Jiancheng nodded, agreeing with Qin Hui's view.
"According to the decree, Li Guangbi was transferred to the general manager of the East Road March in Shannan, and Duan Decao was appointed deputy general manager. He led 40,000 elite troops south to support Hanzhong. Li Shenfu was transferred north to take over Li Guangbi's old post. Former Duke Shi Wanbao led the army to Longyou to meet the King of Qin."
After hearing what his eldest son said, Li Yuan, who was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, issued an order: "Send an order to Li Guangyan and Li Cunshen, ordering them to stick to Hanzhong and wait for reinforcements to arrive."
"According to the order!"
Under the leadership of Li Jiancheng, all the ministers raised their hands and said.
"Prince, go and see Prime Minister Dugu and Prime Minister Dou. I hope they can help Datang again."
"My son understands!"
Li Yuan spoke tactfully, but Li Jiancheng, who had assisted Li Yuan in power for many years, immediately understood that Li Yuan hoped that the Guanlong nobles could hand over some of their slaves, private soldiers, young men, tenants, and other young men, so that the court could quickly form an army. come out.
"I'm tired, you all should leave!"
Li Yuan waved his hand feebly, and Li Jiancheng, Pei Ji, Qin Hui and other important officials slowly withdrew.
. . . . . . . . . .
The Sui army won a great victory at Mianzhu, and after a short rest, they marched northward, approaching Hanzhong.
Li Guangyan and Li Cunshen had limited troops, so dividing their troops to guard dangerous areas meant that they were not fortified everywhere, which gave the Sui army opportunities to defeat them. Immediately, they gathered their troops and horses in Nanzheng City, preparing to rely on the strong city to resist.
Because of this, Li Su, the vanguard of the Sui army, made rapid progress along the way and quickly crossed the Han River.
"Didn't the Tang army send heavy troops to garrison Dingjun Mountain?"
When Li Su's troops arrived in Hanzhong, they discovered a loophole in the Tang army's defense. They did not deploy heavy troops at Dingjun Mountain, and he was immediately overjoyed.
You must know that Dingjun Mountain is the first critical point in Hanzhong, and if you win Dingjun Mountain, you will gain the reputation of Hanzhong.
But it's no wonder that Li Guangyan and Li Cunshen, both of whom are from the north, had to fight a defensive battle when they set foot in Hanzhong for the first time in their lives. Their unfamiliarity with the terrain seriously affected their layout.
Li Su, who had been stationed in Bashu with Li Jing for many years, already knew the topography of the adjacent Hanzhong very well. He immediately led his army to set off and occupied the important area of Dingjun Mountain before the Tang army could react.
The war drums were beating, and the Sui army's fierce general Guan Sheng charged forward with the Qinglong Yanyue Sword, leading three thousand warriors to advance bravely.
"Ding dong, it has been detected that Guan Sheng has entered the brave state, his force is +4, his base force is 98, and his current force has increased to 102."
The Tang army on Dingjun Mountain had no more than a thousand men. Suddenly they discovered that the Sui army was launching a massive attack, and they suddenly panicked and fell into chaos.
The Sui army attacked the top of the mountain in a matter of seconds. The Tang army guarding the mountain wanted to lead a counterattack and drive the Sui army down the mountain. Instead, the Sui army with high morale was killed and retreated. In the melee, Guan Sheng was hit and Guan was defeated. The winning hand raised the knife and fell, which split his head on the spot.
After nearly an hour of fierce fighting, the Sui army swept away the Tang army on Dingjun Mountain. The Sui army's flag was erected high on the top of the mountain, fluttering in the wind and making a hunting sound.
When Dingjun Mountain fell, Li Guangyan and Li Cunshen realized its importance. Together, they took advantage of the fact that the main force of the Sui army led by Li Jing had not yet arrived in Hanzhong, and Li Cunshen led 15,000 troops to attack. Intention to regain Dingjun Mountain.
However, the remedial measures of these two men were meaningless. The Tang army had been defeated in consecutive battles and had become timid and fearful of the enemy. Although it had more troops than Li Su's troops, its morale was disorganized.
Dingjun Mountain is a naturally dangerous place. Li Su led his army from a high position, and his arrows were like locusts, rolling down logs and rocks. Li Cunxen failed to attack the mountain several times and returned without success, losing his troops and generals.
A few days later, the main force of the Sui army led by Li Jing arrived in a mighty manner. Li Cunchen dared to fight again, so he hurriedly led the army back to Nanzheng, closed the city gate tightly, and could not hold on.
More than 100,000 Sui troops surrounded the city of Nanzheng. Although Li Guangyan and Li Cunshen tried their best to tell their soldiers that Tang army reinforcements were on the way, when they saw the main force of the Sui army with take-out flags covering the air and the overwhelming momentum, the Tang soldiers still remained All of them had earth-colored faces, full of despair at being able to defend the city.
"We must find a way to boost morale!"
In the lobby of the government office, Li Guangyan slammed his fist on the table and said bitterly: "It is impossible for Li Guangbi's reinforcements to arrive in Hanzhong in twenty days and a month, just because of the lifeless people in the city who are moaning all day long. With the remaining troops defeated, five days is already the limit!"
Li Cunshen said in a deep voice: "I see that the Sui army is arrogant and arrogant, and winning consecutive battles will inevitably lead to underestimation of the enemy. Tonight I will select men who dare to fight to attack the Sui camp at night. If I can win and defend Nanzheng, I will be better." grasp!"
"In that case, you must be careful!"
Li Guangyan nodded. After all, the Tang army needed a victory so much that it was helpless for Li Cunshen to take the risk.
