Vol 2 Chapter 2504: The three kingdoms of Shu, Sui and Qin were divided into Tang (Part 1)
Chapter 2504 The Three Kingdoms of Shu, Sui, and Qin Divided into Tang (Part 1)
Chapter 2500: The Three Kingdoms of Shu, Sui and Qin divided into Tang Dynasty (Part 1)
Guanzhong, Chang'an.
After receiving Ying Hao’s order to send troops to Liangzhou, Li Jing immediately summoned his generals and announced in public:
"Your Majesty has a decree. The King of Sui is so bold that he openly sends troops to help the Tang Dynasty and bullies the Qin Dynasty. Therefore, I ordered my governor to send troops to Liangzhou to teach the Sui Kingdom a severe lesson."
As soon as these words are spoken, everyone present will be excited.
They all thought that after taking Guanzhong, they would stop fighting and continue to recuperate. After all, Da Qin's current national policy is still focused on self-cultivation, but they did not expect that there would still be wars to fight.
If there is a war, it will be good. Da Qin relies on military merit to be promoted. Only by meritorious service in battle can you be promoted. Therefore, from the generals to the soldiers, they are all happy when they hear about the war and are eager to go to the battlefield.
“The governor has decided to lead an army of 100,000 to attack Liangzhou. As for the position of the vanguard...”
Hearing what Li Jing said, Wang Jian, Wu Qi, Gongsun Xuanyuan, Jia Fu and other generals stepped forward to ask for a fight, but Li Cunxiao beat them to it.
"The great governor, the last general is willing to be the pioneer."
"I said, Lao Li, you have already captured Chang'an. Isn't such a great contribution not enough? When you eat meat, you should leave a mouthful of soup for your brothers, don't you think so?" Jia Fu yelled.
"Yeah yeah…"
Sun Lingming, Gongsun Xuanyuan and others followed suit.
Seeing this, Li Cunxiao couldn't argue any harder. After all, he had eaten the biggest piece of meat in the Western Expedition. It was really ugly to continue to grab the credit, so he withdrew.
Li Cunxiao voluntarily withdraws, so the vanguard position can only be born among the five people Jia Fu, Sun Lingming, Gongsun Xuanyuan, Wu Qi, and Wang Jian.
All the generals looked at each other and didn't want to think about it.
Li Jing's eyes swept across the generals, fell on Li Mu at the back, and said: "General Li Mu."
Li Mu was startled, obviously not expecting Li Jing to point him, he quickly stood up and clasped his fists and said: "The general is here."
"I ordered you and the four generals Hua Xiong, Li Jue, and Li Maozhen to integrate Li Tang's surrendered army. I wonder how the integration is going now?" Li Jing asked.
The surrendered troops are not prisoners.
The prisoners need to be disrupted, integrated, and trained for a period of time to restore morale and combat effectiveness before they can go to the battlefield again.
The descending army surrendered directly, it was not defeated, and the morale was not damaged, so there were no need for so many procedures. You only need to simply integrate, and you can directly enter the battlefield.
At present, Da Qin has a total of 190,000 troops in Guanzhong, of which 40,000 surrendered troops, and 45,000 prisoners of war.
Li Mu was a little confused about Li Jing's intention, but he still answered truthfully: "The last general and three other generals have integrated the 40,000-strong army. In addition, the Flying Bear Army has also restored its formation and can join the battle at any time."
“In that case, you, General Li Mu, will lead the Flying Bear Army and be the vanguard of our army.” Li Jing said calmly.
“Grand Governor, this…”
Li Mulu looked confident. He was a surrendered general, and unlike Hua Xiong and Li Jue who took the initiative to surrender, he was a surrendered general from the Li Tang clan who had no choice but to surrender.
By allowing him to resume command of the army so quickly, wouldn't the Qin court be afraid that he would surrender and rebel again?
When Xu Rong, Hua Xiong, Li Jue and other surrendered generals saw that Li Jing had chosen Li Mu, they all looked excited and looked at Li Mu, obviously hoping that he would take over this important task. After all, Li Mu did not represent himself, but all surrenders. of soldiers.
Li Mu, however, took a deep breath, bowed and said: "The Commander-in-Chief, I feel that my ability is too low to be able to take on such a big responsibility. I ask the Commander-in-Chief to find someone else."
As soon as these words came out, everyone present was in an uproar. They all looked at Li Mu in surprise, unable to believe that he would refuse the position of pioneer.
Li Jing was a little surprised when he heard this. Looking at Li Mu, he couldn't help but have a flash of appreciation in his eyes.
The choice of Li Mu as the vanguard was naturally not Li Jing’s intention, but Ying Hao’s intention.
Li Jing knew that his Majesty used Li Mu to win over Li Tang's intention to surrender as a general, but he had a different view on this.
Li Mu is a member of the Li Tang clan after all, and he had no choice but to surrender. If he wanted to win over people's hearts, wouldn't it be better to use Li Maozhen or Hua Xiong?
So, if Li Jing was given a choice, without knowing his character and moral integrity, Li Mu would still be his first choice no matter how outstanding his military talent was. After all, what Great Qin lacked most was generals.
But since His Majesty has chosen Li Mu, Li Jing can only follow his orders, but he will keep a close eye on Li Mu and not give him any chance to rebel.
Originally, Li Jing felt that His Majesty's choice of Li Mu was inappropriate, but he did not expect that Li Mu would take the initiative to refuse. No wonder His Majesty valued such a general who knew what to do and what to do.
When he thought that Li Mu was a filial man and his family was in Chang'an, there was no way he would surrender and rebel again, so Li Jing let go of his grudge.
Li Jing was about to persuade Li Mu to take over, but before he could speak, Wu Qi stood up and said with a smile:
“General Li Mu was too modest. The general was able to hold back our 50,000-strong army for half a month with a makeshift army with low morale. His leadership could only be seen by all.
If even you, the general, are of low ability, then wouldn’t I, Wu Qi, be a loser? "
Li Mu became anxious when he heard this and said quickly: "General Wu Qi, Li Mu didn't mean that."
"I understand that you have no other intentions, General Li Mu, but please understand that the Qin Dynasty is not Li Tang, and our lord is not Li Shimin, so the general does not need to hide his clumsiness, nor should he be so timid."
After saying that, Wu Qi stepped back, but gave Li Mu an encouraging look.
Li Mu's eyes changed when he looked at Wu Qi, complex yet with a hint of respect.
He thought that Wu Qi was blocked by him. Not only did he fail to make his first contribution, but his undefeated record was also broken, and he was resentful and was attacking himself, but he didn't expect that Wu Qi didn't have that intention at all.
“The general is very righteous. It is Li Mu who uses the heart of a villain to judge the heart of a gentleman.”
After saying this, Li Mu bowed to Wu Qi, and then said to Li Jing: "Great Commander-in-Chief, I am willing to be the vanguard, and I am willing to issue a military order. If I lose, please behead me."
"good."
Li Jing smiled and said loudly: "Where are Li Mu, Li Maozhen and Hua Xiong?"
“The end will be here.”
The three generals Li Mu, Li Maozhen and Hua Xiong responded in unison.
“The governor ordered Li Mu to be the chief general, Li Maozhen and Hua Xiong to be deputy generals, and to lead three thousand Feixiong troops as the vanguard to send troops to Liangzhou to support Governor Meng Tian. There must be no mistake.”
)
"Gongsun Xuanyuan, Jia Fu, Sun Lingming, Sima Cuo, Fu Cunshen, Gongsun Yan, Sun Chongjin, Ma Shanwei, Tu Xingsun...you and others will go out with the governor."
)
Gongsun Xuanyuan and other generals shouted in unison.
“General Li Cunxiao, the governor of Wu Qi, and the deputy governor Wang Jian, the three of you are stationed in Guanzhong to reorganize the prisoners of war and restore law and order.”
)
Wu Qi and Wang Jian responded in unison, but Li Cunxiao asked in confusion: "Master Governor, why don't you take the last general with you when you go to Liangzhou?" Li Jing smiled and said: "Now that Guanzhong has been settled, people's hearts are floating, and generals are recognized by the world. First, keeping the general in charge in Guanzhong can stabilize people's hearts and prevent Xiaoxiao from making rash moves. "
“That’s...okay.”
Li Cunxiao looked helpless, but he could only accept it.
In this way, after the Qin Dynasty occupied Guanzhong, it did not stop its pace, but continued to point its sword at Liangzhou.
Li Jing, with Li Mu as the vanguard and Gongsun Xuanyuan, Jia Fu, Sun Lingming, Sima Cuo and others as generals, personally led an army of 100,000 people out of Xiaoguan and sent troops to Liangzhou in retaliation for the Sui State sending troops to assist the Tang Dynasty.
At the same time, in the Tang Dynasty, Hanzhong County was governed by Nanzheng County.
Li Siyuan, Li Keyong, Shi Jingtang, Shi Jiantang, Yuan Tan and other senior Li and Tang officials have gathered together.
Li Shimin's wife, the eldest grandson Wugao, sat on the main seat holding the young Li Zhi in her arms. Both mother and son were a little uneasy.
“Report...Master Yuan Tiangang is back.”
“Hurry, let Lord Yuan come in.” Changsun Wugao said excitedly.
Yuan Tiangang walked into the main hall and knelt down directly after seeing his eldest grandson Wugu, crying bitterly: "Madam, my subordinates are incompetent and failed to save my lord. My lord is dead."
"What?"
As soon as these words came out, everyone present was in a panic, because everyone present knew what Li Shimin meant to the Tang Dynasty.
The Tang Dynasty only existed because of Li Shimin. Now that Li Shimin is gone, does the alliance with Shu and Sui still count?
Can the Tang Dynasty still survive in the midst of a pack of wolves?
Nobody knows.
After hearing the news that her husband was dead, Changsun Wugou fainted directly.
When Li Zhi saw this, he hugged his mother and cried bitterly, and everyone gathered around to check.
One day later, the eldest grandson Wugou came to his senses, and all the generals had left. Only Yuan Tiangang remained.
Changsun Wugou grabbed Yuan Tiangang's arm and begged with a miserable look on his face: "Sir, please save my country, the Tang Dynasty, and save my mother and son."
Changsun Wugu is a very smart woman, and she knows very well what her husband’s death means.
Without the deterrence of their husbands, would those arrogant and powerful generals of Tang State still be loyal to the Li family?
Will Li Keyong and Li Siyuan be loyal to the young Li Zhi?
Will Liu Yu, who has led his army into Hanzhong, still abide by the covenant?
None of these problems can be solved by her as a woman. The only person she can rely on now is Yuan Tiangang, the great master.
Hearing this, Yuan Tiangang smiled bitterly in his heart, feeling that Madam looked down on him too much, but he still said seriously: "Yuan would have done this even if Madam didn't say anything.
Yuan Tiangang was deeply benevolenced by his lord, and he could not repay him even if he died. He could only give up this broken body and not hesitate to die. "
When Changsun Wuguo heard this, he was relieved and asked, "Sir, what should we do now?"
“Madam, the most urgent task is to introduce a loyal and highly respected person to stabilize people’s hearts and unite the internal affairs.
Only in Li and Tang Dynasty, we are united. Even if Liu Yu wants to annex Hanzhong, he still has to weigh it to see if there will be a fight between snipe and clam, which will benefit the fisherman of Qin Dynasty. "Yuan Tiangang said in a deep voice.
“Sir, can you take on this important task?” Changsun Wugou asked.
Yuan Tiangang smiled bitterly and said, "Madam, how can I have such prestige?"
As a bad commander, Yuan Tiangang had a high status in Li Tang, but after all, he was only in charge of intelligence. Obviously, he could not get Li Keyong, Li Siyuan, Shi Jingtang and others to obey him.
"If you can't even do it, sir, then who else can take on this important task? It would be great if my brother is still here."
Changsun Wujia's face was full of disappointment. She also knew that the only ones with enough prestige to convince everyone were Changsun Wuji and Li Kui, but both of them were captured by Da Qin.
“There is another person who might be able to do it.”
"who?"
“Li Xiaogong.” Yuan Tiangang said in a deep voice.
“Uncle?”
Changsun Wugou was startled, and then showed a look of confusion.
Li Xiaogong is Li Shimin's uncle. His contribution to Li Tang is large enough and his prestige is high enough. He is indeed a candidate who can stabilize the internal affairs.
Li Xiaogong's own loyalty is beyond doubt, but his son Li Maozhen betrayed Li Tang, which directly caused the fall of Chang'an and Li Shimin's death in battle.
Before he rebelled, Li Maozhen also considered his father. He asked his sister Li Shuiyun, who had appeared as him, to stun his father Li Xiaogong before he rebelled, and then secretly took Li Xiaogong to Daqin.
When the uncooked rice becomes cooked rice, can Li Xiaogong still kill his own children and then escape back to Tang Dynasty to die?
Li Maozhen had calculated everything, but he had missed that Li Shuiyun’s drug was not strong enough, which made Li Xiaogong wake up halfway.
Li Xiaogong was shocked after hearing the words from his daughter. He had no idea that his son and daughter would betray Li Tang, so he threatened Li Tang with biting his tongue and forcing Li Shuiyun to let him return.
After Li Xiaogong returned, he directly announced Li Maozhen's betrayal and told everyone that Chang'an might have fallen, and asked Yuan Tiangang to quickly gather people to rescue Li Shimin.
It was precisely because of Li Xiaogong's actions that Yuan Tiangang appeared in Ziwu Valley in time, but unfortunately he still failed to save him.
Now that Li Shimin is dead, Li Xiaogong feels that he has failed Li Tang, so he voluntarily handed over his military power and went on a hunger strike in prison to atone for his sins.
"It is true that Li Maozhen is a traitor, but this has nothing to do with Li Xiaogong. Li Xiaogong is loyal to the Li family and his lord. All the generals also know this, so they do not blame Li Xiaogong for this. Besides, he is the only one who can cope with the current situation. ”
Yuan Tiangang said helplessly. Although he wished to eat Li Maozhen alive, he had to admit that Li Xiaogong was the only one who could save Li Tang now, and he also proved his loyalty with his actions.
Changsun Wugou nodded and decided to release Li Xiaogong from prison and let him stand up and take charge of the overall situation. After all, preserving the Tang Dynasty was the most important thing.
Li Xiaogong was already disheartened by the betrayal of his children. He only wanted to die for relief and was unwilling to care about anything else. Therefore, he refused to be released from prison and prepared to fast in prison until death.
Yuan Tiangang didn't understand Li Xiaogong, so he could only ask his eldest grandson Wugou to persuade him.
Changsun Wugao's crying made Li Xiaogong realize that he could not atone for his sins by dying, and saving Li Tang was the best way to atone, so he was released from prison and took charge of the overall situation.
As soon as Li Xiaogong was released from prison, Liu Yu, who was stranded in Hanchang City, received the news.
“This girl, Changsun Wugao, is extraordinary. She actually asked Li Xiaogong to come out and take charge of the overall situation. This move was so quick that even I didn’t expect it.” Liu Yu said with a chuckle.
Su Qinze said: "Although Li Maozhen rebelled, Li Xiaogong is still loyal to Li Tang. If he takes action, he should be able to unite Li Tang."
"Yes, if Li and Tang are united, if I want to get the three counties of Hanzhong, I'm afraid I will have to pay a price."
Liu Yu sighed lightly, his coveting of Hanzhong was no longer concealed at all.
(End of this chapter)