The Summoning of the Troubled Times at the End of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 536 The Battle for King Li

"I didn't expect Nurhachi to be so powerful that he could integrate the tribes in a short period of time."

"Unify the peninsula and several counties in Liaodong, this strength should not be underestimated!"

Gao Qi, who heard the news, couldn't help lamenting again and again, and was slightly surprised by Nurhachi's rise.

Indeed, Gao Qi knew Nurhachi's ability, and it was inevitable for him to rise. After all, this is a figure who created hundreds of years of foundation in history.

But what Gao Qi didn't expect was that the Manchu Qing had integrated the various tribes in just a few years and wiped out Goguryeo, which had dominated for many years.

It should be noted that Goguryeo prospered during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and suffered repeated defeats during the Sui Dynasty.

Even Yang Guang tried his best to conquer, but it still ended in failure!

It can be seen from this that Goguryeo's strength is not too much, and it is not so easy to destroy.

However, the fact today is that Nurhachi has unified the entire Northeast in just a few years since he started his army.

This had to make Gao Qi feel shocked.

After all, even when Gao Qi personally conquered Goguryeo, he spent a lot of effort and sacrificed Zhang Xutuo's life before finally regaining the entire Liaodong.

But at this moment, the strength displayed by Manqing cannot help Gao Qi not to think deeply.

"It seems that my Great Qi wants to speed up the progress, unify the south of the Yangtze River as soon as possible, and start the Northern Expedition to quell the troubled times."

At this moment, Gao Qi felt threatened for the first time in his life, and this feeling was stronger than when he dealt with Temujin.

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However, when Qi State marched into Jiangdong on a large scale, Li Tang in the north ignited the flames of war again.

In 620 A.D., Li Yuan, the emperor of Li Tang, issued an imperial decree, ordering Li Shimin, the king of Qin, as the commander, Xu Shiji as the deputy commander, and Li Yuanji, the king of Qi, as the supervisor.

Li Shimin was ordered to lead the general of Qin Wangfu to lead an army of [-] out of Tongguan to crusade against the rebel Wang Shichong and regain the land of Luoyang, the eastern capital.

For a moment, the flames of war were ignited instantly, and people panicked!

With Li Tang's exit, the future situation of this world has become more complicated and confusing.

All the people in the world are also discussing fiercely about the outcome of the battle of King Li.

Among them, there were those who supported Wang Shichong's victory, and those who supported Li Tang's victory.

Among them, the main reason for supporting Wang Shichong is that Lao Wang defeated the Wagang Army occupying Wagang and destroyed Li Mi.

Indeed, because Wang Shichong wiped out the Wagang Army that ruled the Central Plains, this also caused Lao Wang's prestige to grow day by day and skyrocket!

Therefore, this can be regarded as making the people under his rule worship him, and it is precisely because of this that his rule will be relatively stable.

He didn't show fearlessness under Li Tang's massive conquest.

Let's just say that in mid-April, Li Shimin formally assembled an army of [-] troops in Huayin, and then started the swearing-in ceremony.

On this day, it can be said that the sky is clear and thousands of miles, and there are hundreds of thousands of troops gathered on the large and small school grounds of Huayin City.

Its soldiers stand proudly, with bright armor, sharp swords, and numerous banners, full of momentum!
Obviously, this is a truly elite division.

Not only that, advancing eastward was Li Tang's strategic decision, and Li Yuan attached great importance to this war.

Therefore, even though Huayin is far away from the capital city of Chang'an, Li Yuan also drove here to inspire the soldiers.

Under Li Yuan's call, Qin Wang Li Shimin pulled out his long sword and shouted: "Soldiers, this Eastern Expedition will surely win!"

"Will win, win!"

For a moment, all the soldiers under his command made a side-slamming sound, and then they marched out under the command of the generals.

Immediately, Li Shimin withdrew his long sword, and said slowly to Li Yuan: "Father, my son will definitely succeed this time and completely calm down Luoyang."

"Capture the traitor Wang Shichong, personally send him to Chang'an, and hand him over to his father."

"It's just that I hope that my father can firmly guarantee the food supply of the army of the Eastern Expedition, and don't fall into the kiln, so that I can relieve my worries!"

However, since Li Shimin spoke so clearly, Li Yuan laughed out loud and affirmed: "Shimin, don't worry about fighting!"

"I will definitely let the soldiers on the front line of the Tang Dynasty have no burden and be able to fight the enemy bravely."

With the assurance of Li Yuan's golden words, Li Shimin then left slowly under the escort.

Before leaving, Li Yuan whispered something next to Li Yuanji's ear, and outsiders didn't know what they were talking about.

However, seeing that Li Yuanji's reaction was elated, he happily promised: "Father, don't worry, my son will definitely assist the second brother to put down Wang Shichong's rebellion."

Immediately, Li Yuanji happily chased after the army!

At this moment, Li Shimin unconsciously saw the whispers of the two, but pretended not to know.

"For this attack on Luoyang, I, Li Shimin, must establish my prestige in Luoyang."

"Those who stand in the way of everything, don't blame my ruthless subordinates!"

These words were what Li Shimin thought in his heart, and he didn't want anyone to disturb him this time to pacify Luoyang and destroy Wang Shichong.

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It is only said that Li Tang's army assembled and marched eastward, first they drove out of Tongguan, and then came to Minxiang and Taolin.

These two cities stood outside Tongguan, and at this moment, they were incorporated into the Tang army with little effort.

Immediately afterwards, Li Shimin continued to march eastward, heading towards Hongnong County, the gateway of Luoyang.

However, in just half a month, Tang Jun's troops were strong and defeated Zhuyang, Lu's and other important towns, and then continued eastward.

However, Tang Jun encountered the most tenacious resistance when he marched into Changyuan City.

At this moment, Wang Shichong personally led [-] reinforcements, and under his command Wang Yanzhang, Shan Xiongxin, Pei Renji, Pei Xingyan and other generals stood firm in Changyuan.

Although Li Shimin knew how to fight well, and his Tang army was also extremely brave, he could not succeed in attacking for several days.

In desperation, Li Shimin had no choice but to stop fighting and confront him under the fortified city.

This was also mainly due to the terrain of Changyuan City, and Wang Shichong's army was sufficiently strong, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack.

Changyuan City, with Tanshan in front and Luoshui on the flanks, has an extremely important strategic position.

Also due to the strong terrain of the city, Changyuan was indestructible, and the Tang army could not go down for a long time!
In addition, this place is where the barrier of Henan County is located. Once Chang Yuan is lost, not only the door of Henan County will be wide open.

The Tang army could also drive straight from Luoshui to Luoyang, the eastern capital.

If the facts really develop like this, I am afraid that the land of Luoyang will be lost under the vanguard of the Tang army when it is overthrown.

That's why Wang Shichong was entangled in concentrating the army in Changyuan. His purpose was to guard the gate of Henan, and more importantly, to guard the Luoshui crossing.

If Changyuan is in danger, then Luoshui must be in danger. If Luoshui falls, Luoyang must not be defended!
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Tang Army Camp
The long invincibility in the past few days has caused the coach Li Shimin to feel a little anxious, and he is thinking hard about the opportunity to break the city every day.

Before the expedition, Li Shimin was very high-spirited, thinking that with his own strength, as long as he could go out in person, he would be able to win the battle.

It's a pity that Li Shimin completely underestimated Wang Shichong's strength, but he was blocked here, and he didn't think of the slightest way.

After all, Changyuan City's unique terrain resulted in no other way to capture it other than a strong attack.

Unless the defenders in the city take the initiative to go out of the city to fight the Tang army, there is still a chance.

However, knowing that Li Tang's army is strong, why would Old Wang go out of the city to fight?

Not only that, but in this life, Qin Qiong and Yu Chigong were intercepted by Gao Qi, which made Li Er's army much weaker.

After about a long time, all the generals and counselors under Li Shimin's order also slowly gathered in the big tent.

Seeing that all the generals had arrived, Li Shimin motioned for everyone to take their seats, and then said slowly: "Now our Tang elite can't attack the city for a long time."

"It took a long time, which is extremely unfavorable to my Tang Dynasty. Now the spies in the south have heard about the military situation, and the Qi State has already launched the Jiangdong Pingding War."

"Obviously, after the Qi State has unified the south of the Yangtze River, with Gao Qi's ambition, it will definitely swear to the Northern Expedition."

"By that time, if my Tang Dynasty has not wiped out Wang Shichong, I am afraid the situation will not be optimistic for our army!"

"I don't know if you have any good strategies, can you help him break through Changyuan and defeat Wang Shichong's troops?"

Hearing this, none of the counselors and generals stood up to offer advice, and they all fell silent, thinking secretly.

A long time passed, and when he saw that no one could share his worries, Li Shimin couldn't help but secretly lowered his head and sighed.

Just when Li Shimin was about to speak out his plan in person, Du Ruhui stood up straight and said, "His Royal Highness, Hui has an idea, can I tell you?"

Hearing this, Li Shimin immediately said: "Keming, don't worry too much, just speak quickly."

Now that Li Shimin has agreed, Du Ruhui will not continue to pretend, think for a while, and said: "Now Wang Shichong will gather all the elite soldiers and strong generals in Changyuan."

"Using the terrain of this place to confront our army, it can be said to be like a fish in water."

"However, the enemy's line of defense is not impeccable. If our army uses it properly and breaks through its line of defense, the possibility of entering Henan County is quite high."

After the words fell, Hou Junji stood up and asked, "I wonder what Mr. Du's plan is?"

Hou Junji's words can be regarded as asking the generals' heartfelt thoughts, and the generals couldn't help being puzzled immediately after hearing the words.

It is impossible to guess what strategy Du Ruhui can use to break through the impenetrable defense line of Changyuan.

Immediately afterwards, Du Ruhui continued to explain: "Of course, compared to Wang Shichong, my Tang Dynasty has a great advantage."

"Hedong County is affiliated to Datang, but there are several ferry crossings in Hedong directly leading to Hongnong, Henan and other places."

"Since our army has great advantages, why not make a good use of it?"

Now that Du Ruhui has spoken to this extent, everyone has reacted.

Sima Yi reacted very quickly, and said slowly: "Mr. Du doesn't mean to let our army lead the Qing army to dispatch, detour to Hedong, and go straight to Wang Shichong's rear."

"Will you burn the food and grass of the king's army in Yiyang in one fell swoop?"

Hearing this, Du Ruhui nodded in acquiescence, and only now did he reveal his entire plan.

That is to detour to the east of the river and raid the grain road of Wang Shichong's army.

The law of war says: Before the soldiers and horses are moved, the food and grass go first. As long as the army's rations can be burned, then Wang Shichong's troops will surely fall into chaos without a fight.

As a result, the defense line of Changyuan will also be broken without attack, and the main force of the Tang army can also enter Henan County in one fell swoop.

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However, it is obvious that Li Shimin's plan is not limited to this, he also wants to eat Wang Shichong's main force of tens of thousands in one fell swoop.

As long as you can defeat Wang Shichong's powerful army of Jianghuai, then the eastern capital Luoyang will be ready to go!

Seeing this, Li Shimin nodded affirmatively and said: "Zhongda is right, but this time the king is not just planning to burn the enemy's food road."

"This time, the king must wipe out the main force of Wang Shichong's old thief."

"After finishing his work in one battle, he went straight to Luoyang."

In the blink of an eye, Li Shimin's face was gloomy, thunderous, and he had made up his mind.

(End of this chapter)