Chapter 1246: Seeking Punishment and Obtaining Punishment

Chapter 1246: Seeking Punishment and Obtaining Punishment

In a battle outside Dingzhou City, three thousand elite soldiers of the Wei army independently annihilated almost the entire army from Yuan Jing'an onwards. Only Cui Hongdu and a few dozen wounded soldiers were able to break through and escape. Thousands of Hebei Xiangyi who had previously surrendered were all scattered under the encirclement and pursuit of the Qi army.

When the news came back to Yedu, everyone was naturally shocked, especially Li Tai, who was extremely angry. Ever since he took charge of the army and fought against the Eastern Wei and Northern Qi, he had rarely suffered such a defeat. Especially when the situation was great, he actually suffered such a disastrous defeat in such a way. He felt ashamed, angry and mixed for a while. .

At this time, Pi Jinghe hurriedly walked in from outside and reported to Li Tai: "Your Majesty, the sons and daughters learned that Yuan Kaifu and others were harmed by the thieves' plot. In anger, they prepared to assemble to take revenge... "

Many of the soldiers who were trapped and killed by the Qi army this time were three guardsmen. Their relatives and friends are also in the army now. When they heard the bad news, they were naturally indignant. Although those Yuan evil spirits are still in Dingzhou, they also have relatives and friends who stayed in Yedu. For example, the mother of Li Zuqin, the Li family of Zhao County, and Concubine Cui You, the eldest cousin of Li Taina, are now placed in Yebei Palace.

At this time, the group of disciples were so angry that they naturally wanted to retaliate immediately and vent their hatred. The Li family of Zhao County pretended to surrender and set up an ambush, and those who had surrendered and been captured before and had close relationships with them naturally became suitable targets for venting their anger.

After something like this happened, Li Tai knew that if the general's feelings were not properly guided and vented, morale would inevitably be depressed. And if he blindly killed and vented his anger, it would undoubtedly put a layer on the Western Wei's united front and control in Hebei. haze.

After pondering for a while, he ordered Pi Jinghe: "I'm telling all the soldiers not to act without authorization. Blood debts must be paid with blood. Since I'm here, I don't need them to vent their spirits. They should go back to camp and get ready to go!"

After hearing the words, Pi Jinghe quickly nodded in agreement, and then hurriedly exited to convey the orders of King Tang to the three guards who could no longer hold back.

Then Li Tai summoned Wei Xiaokuan and said to him: "I will lead the army to the north immediately, and I will leave the affairs of Yecheng to Wei Gong for the time being."

Wei Xiaokuan also looked serious at this moment. After hearing the words, he nodded and said: "My lord, don't worry and go north. Xiaokuan will take care of things here carefully and will never allow any repeated dangers! A small setback in Dingzhou is not something to be afraid of, but it is enough. As a warning, the situation is uncertain and we must not slack off.”

Hearing what Wei Xiaokuan said, Li Tai sighed and nodded slowly. Wei Shikang, who died in the battle in Dingzhou this time, was the son of Wei Xiaokuan's elder brother Wei Ku. Of course, he felt uncomfortable. However, Li Tai's cousin and Congzi also died in the battle, so there was no point in comforting each other at the moment. The right plan was to actively and quickly defeat their opponents and exact revenge.

"This war is not just a matter of victory or defeat. If it is not handled properly, it will also make the people of Hebei suspicious. There must be an undercurrent of human sentiment in Yecheng at the moment. I will make another announcement before leaving, The specific situation depends on Wei Gong’s consideration.”

Li Tai said in a deep voice again, his mind still spinning and weighing the details.

He discussed the details of the city defense with Wei Xiaokuan, and at the same time ordered his soldiers to summon some representatives of the Northern Qi surrender in the city.

After about half an hour, about a hundred surrendered people from the Northern Qi Dynasty were led to Ye Palace Shangshu Province, including Zu Jue and other surrendered people who stayed in Yecheng from the beginning, as well as those who had fled to the countryside before and then returned one after another. people.

At this moment, these people also knew about the situation of the war in Dingzhou. They were summoned to Ye Palace at this time, and they were all uneasy. Especially when they saw the Wei army officers who were glaring at them, they couldn't help but feel even more frightened. There was cold sweat on their foreheads. Straight up.

After everyone entered the Zhitang of Shangshu Province with apprehension, Li Tai ended his discussion with Wei Xiaokuan and went to the Zhitang with him.

"I was shocked to hear about the tragedy in Dingzhou, and I was filled with indignation. The traitor did such evil, which is really disgusting. I am not at odds with him, but I can only ask for a clear warning from the Lord..."

As soon as Li Tai entered the hall and before he could sit down, Zu Jue, who had lively eyes, knelt down on the ground with a plop and shouted loudly to express his stance.

After seeing this, other people also bowed down one after another and made complaints, trying their best to distance themselves from the Dingzhou people for fear of being angered.

Li Tai was already in a bad mood, and now his face was even more gloomy. He walked into the hall and sat down. He did not ask anyone to be disrespectful, but looked down at them and said in a deep voice: "Since I have determined to do justice, I have been I know that this road is difficult and the achievement is not easy, and I am willing to sacrifice my life to clear it. Soldiers use deceitful methods, and victory or defeat is also common. If you anger innocent people because of this, it will be inappropriate. This matter has nothing to do with you, and you don't need to rush to defend yourself. "

After everyone heard this, their tense heartstrings relaxed a little, and soon they praised the king of Tang for his magnanimity and his ability to distinguish right from wrong.

However, Li Tai did not feel better because of the compliments from these people. Instead, his face sank and he punched the desk with his fist. At the same time, he said angrily: "I can distinguish right from wrong, and I don't need you to prove it, but you don't need to prove it." Can we distinguish right from wrong? This time the army entered Hebei and kept the people alive. They did not kill people to establish their authority, but those who could be inspired by loyalty did not want to attack them by force. Perhaps because of this, some thieves were rampant and harbored evil intentions. I wonder if the knife is not good enough to kill thieves? Do you want to see the sharpness of my butcher knife?"

"Don't dare, don't dare. Your Majesty is unparalleled in benevolence and righteousness. The traitor will deserve to die..."

Everyone heard that King Tang's tone turned cold and stern, and they hurriedly replied in a trembling voice.

"Although victory or defeat is a common thing, my soldiers trust others, so they have a way to kill themselves. However, the evil tactics of the Dingzhou group are not cunning, but just to deceive me and tolerate the survival of the people of Hebei. The Lord of Qi is weak and embarrassed. The enemy, at the beginning of stealing his life, fell under my feet and begged for peace. Our soldiers and horses were strong, and we used the strong to defeat the weak. The reason why we did not make a decision was that we only wanted to use this strength to protect more people in Hebei from disaster. Unexpectedly, this intention. How dare you dare to bully me? This is unbearable!"

At this point, Li Tai stood up from the table, walked around to the case and continued: "From now on, those who fail to call after three calls will no longer be within the reach of the Wang division's soldiers. Anyone who dares to use swords and soldiers to stop them will be killed!" Those who break their promise shall be killed! Those who surrender repeatedly shall be killed! The people in Dingzhou commit crimes and indulge in evil. I will attack them personally. Even if the water in Zhangzhou flows backward, the evil will not be spared and all three tribes will be punished!"

Everyone in the hall was frightened when they heard the murderous words of King Tang. At the same time, they all couldn't help but complain about Gao Sihao of Dingzhou and the Li family of Zhaojun.

Even though they had the heroic ambition to sacrifice their lives for the country, they could have fought a fierce battle with the Wei army. However, even though they achieved a temporary victory through such means, they completely angered the king of Tang and the Wei army officers, and further blocked the flow of the people of Hebei. In Guiyi Space, it is really not a pity to die!

Although the Wei State is now attacking, these Hebei Shiliu people do not have much resistance to the defense of their family and country.

One thing is that things have the same origin, and the split only happened in the past twenty or thirty years. The other thing is that the Li family in Longxi, where the Tang Dynasty was born, has a close relationship with a group of Guandong aristocratic families, and the recognition of each other's identities is even more distant. Far more than the Gao family who relied on the Xianbei Army to maintain governance, the three Wei armies have maintained strict military discipline since they entered Hebei. They rarely committed any acts of robbery and massacre. When it comes to harassing and destroying the order of Jinglu in Ye City, it is not even as good as in Jinyang in previous years. The troops and slaves who came here are so serious.

As a result, what Gao Sihao and the others did, directly angered King Tang and greatly tightened his tolerance and care for the Guandong family. The shouts of killing frightened them and made them confused and pale.

Seeing the bleak expressions of everyone present, Li Tai sighed slightly in his heart. Although the tragic defeat in Dingzhou was irritating, it was not completely bad. At least it was a wake-up call for himself and the soldiers under his command. , this is a war to destroy the country, not a trip to Hebei to visit relatives!

The enthusiastic response and surrender of the Guandong clans during this period has certainly made the Wei army's operations in Hebei smoother, but the reason why the Wei army was able to enter Hebei was ultimately its strong military strength and glorious past achievements.

Since there are many members of the Kanto family in the military today, most of them also have the desire to make contributions, but at the same time, they also have the idea of ​​taking care of their relatives and friends in the Kanto region, renewing their nostalgia, and building up their hometown.

In order to successfully control the situation in Hebei, Li Tai did not strictly prohibit such phenomena, and sometimes even used them. This defeat was also a lesson, allowing him to take this opportunity to correct this trend.

"I ask you, my ancestor, to write for me and inform the surrounding people. If there is anyone who confuses the truth and confuses the public opinion, I will severely punish him!"

The annexation and governance of Hebei is a long-term process, and Li Tai does not expect any immediate results. What is needed now is basic stability. After the subsequent war is over, he will naturally have time to take care of things.

When Zu Jue heard that the king of Tang Dynasty was still willing to use his pen to write notices, he was very happy, so he quickly paused and said: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will definitely use the pen as a sword to describe the evil deeds of the Dingzhou group." This act calls on the people of Hebei to sever all ties with this evil villain and to be incompatible with each other!"

Li Tai asked Zu Jue to write a petition against the thieves. As for the other Hebei scholars, they dispersed in the hall and did not order to restrict their movements. Even if they fled from Yecheng again, Li Tai would be happy to see them leaving him alone. The admonishment spread.

Although the Qi army won the battle in Dingzhou, it could not be said to have any effect on boosting morale. Instead, it gave Li Tai a reason to concentrate Hebei's troops on personnel in Dingzhou, and set an example to the people of Hebei to scare the monkeys. Take a look.

Even if the incident in Dingzhou had not happened, Li Tai would have been preparing to lead the main force northward in the near future. The Qi army at Jingxing never made any big moves, which made Li Tai more and more sure that the troops on the north route had been suppressed. At this time, advancing north could not only cooperate with the troops on the north route, but also provide relief to Li Mu on the Bafu Ridge front line. This team builds fighter planes.

However, since Jingxingzhi and Hebei have certain terrain constraints, the main force's advance needs to be cautious. Although the Wei army currently has a considerable advantage in the situation, the Qi army still has strength. If it really wants to engage in a wilderness battle in Hebei, Li Tai was not sure that he could defeat Duan Shao's team.

However, the incident in Dingzhou gave Li Tai an opportunity. At this time, the Wei army's forces in Hebei were mainly divided into three parts. One was the 8,000 brigade led by Gao Le and was currently stationed in Jizhou, and the other was the The 20,000 division brigade led by He Ruodun was stationed in Zhaojun, as well as the main force of Yecheng.

Around these three groups, there are also different numbers of Hebei Township Yi tribes gathered, totaling tens of thousands. However, judging from the performance of the Battle of Dingzhou, the combat effectiveness of these Hebei Xiangyi soldiers who came to seek refuge is not very good. If they have obvious advantages on the battlefield, they may be expected to follow suit and fight a wave of smooth battles. If it is really a fierce and fierce battle, it will be Can't count on it.

Li Tai ordered Gao Le to lead the troops from Jizhou and He Ruodun to lead the troops from Zhaojun to rush to Dingzhou, while he led 50,000 troops from Yedu to follow, leaving Wei Xiaokuan behind to guard Yecheng.

In addition to the troops advancing across the board from Hebei, Cui Quan from Hedong led a division and brigade to occupy Pingyang, while Liang Shiyan garrisoned Shangdang, which filled the gap left by the army's rapid advance to Hebei. At the same time, Han Xiong from Heluo also led a 20,000-strong division to march north from Heyang and approached the line of the Baigou Great Wall, so that the Qi army there did not dare to move easily and interfere with the situation in Hebei.

Taking advantage of the Battle of Dingzhou, Li Tai directly targeted Dingzhou as his next attack target. Three groups of troops rushed to Dingzhou one after another, but instead left the Qi army in Jingxing aside.

But Li Tai did not just ignore this Qi army. After all, this Qi army had tens of thousands of divisions and brigades, and its leader was Duan Shao, the most outstanding general among the Jinyang nobles today. No matter how arrogant or arrogant Li Tai was, Angry, it is impossible to ignore the existence of this group of people.

The reason why he put on such a posture was because he was targeting Duan Shao's group, that is, to force Duan Shao to divide his troops to save Dingzhou.

Because Duan Shao was guarding the dangerous pass of Jingxing, he had a geographical advantage, and in terms of the comparison of the forces between the two sides, the Wei army did not have an absolute advantage, and it also had the need to quickly break through Jingxing to cooperate with Yang Zhong's troops to attack Jinyang. , once Li Tai pointed his troops directly at Jingxing, with Duan Shao's combat command ability, even if he could not defeat the Wei army, it would not be difficult to maintain a confrontation.

If Li Tai's troops are isolated from the Jinyang battlefield, then the situation in Jinyang will become very unoptimistic. Therefore, Li Tai wanted to use the goal of Dingzhou to attract Duan Shao's troops from Jingxing, and at least attract some reinforcements to eliminate them near Dingzhou, so as to reduce the difficulty of the Jingxing battle.

Dingzhou has a relatively special status in Hebei, especially for the Xianbei soldiers in Jinyang.

Duan Shao's army was not a division stationed in Jinyang for a long time, but was recruited in Hebei, especially Dingzhou. Most of their family members stayed in Dingzhou. Once they knew that the Wei army had a plan, they must conquer Dingzhou. Duan Shao cannot control whether he will be rescued or not when the time comes.

War is a game in all aspects, not only on the material level, but also on the psychological level.

It was as if Li Tai had formulated a relatively comprehensive battle plan before sending out troops. He was going to personally lead the division and brigade to occupy Shangdang, then break through Bafuling Ridge, and then besiege Jinyang with Yang Zhong and other troops. However, when such a big enemy appeared in Hebei When the opportunity arose, he still couldn't hold back and led his troops to make a detour into Hebei.

If he had given up on Yecheng and Hebei and had chosen to fight all the way up from Shangdang, he might have successfully reached Jinyang City and joined forces with Yang Zhong's division and brigade, and would not have been blocked by Duan Shao's army outside Jingxing. .

However, Duan Shao may rely on the support provided by the entire Hebei Province to continuously lead the King Qin Brigade back to Jinyang to aid Jinyang, making the siege of Jinyang become a protracted and exhausting effort.

There may be a theoretically perfect plan for things, but in the process of execution, you are faced with various variables. Talking about it on paper may not necessarily make you stupid, but it lacks a few flexibility in the real situation, and it is these flexibility There is the difference between victory and defeat and life and death!

The Zhao County where He Ruodun was stationed was already very close to Tumen Pass where Duan Shao was located. Continuing to push north to Dingzhou was no different from walking directly through Tumen Pass. The Qi army scouts did not even need to rush for reinforcements here. , you can directly see the flags of Wei Jun's chariots and horses.

The previous battle in Dingzhou could be said to have given a great vent to the pent-up resentment in the hearts of the Qi army's officers and soldiers. Now when they saw the Wei army marching in front of Tumen Pass with great fanfare and heading straight to Dingzhou, the officers and soldiers could not help but feel sad. They became excited and angry, and many of them were worried about the safety of Dingzhou, so they came to the big tent to ask for a fight.

At this time, the Wei army's message written by Zu Jue had spread to the Tumenguan camp. The message was extremely harsh on Gao Sihao and others, and repeatedly emphasized that the Wei army must conquer Dingzhou and severely punish the culprits.

After Duan Shao read this article, he immediately frowned. He naturally understood that Li Boshan, as the leader of the Western Wei Dynasty and the most famous general in the world, would not be so motivated. His aggressive attitude mainly meant his own team.

At this time, all the Wei armies were advancing together. If they wanted to rescue Dingzhou, a small number of troops would obviously not be able to do anything. If a large-scale reinforcements were sent, they would leave Jingxing, which he had been guarding and preparing for for a long time, and would also allow the defense in the direction of Bafu Ridge. become weak.

Duan Shao was still hesitant here, but Li Tai had already led the rear division and brigade to catch up. He even personally led a group of elite cavalry to the outside of Tumen Pass. He looked across the ditch in front of the pass at the Qi army camp on the opposite side with banners hunting. On the other side of the river, the vigilant officers of the Qi army pointed their whips at the other side and shouted angrily: "You broke the contract, provoked, and deceived people. Now that the king's army is here, you will be punished. If you don't return quickly, my fellow countrymen and elders will be punished." There are no bones left!”

"The Qiang thieves go too far!"

When the soldiers of the Qi army on the other side of the river heard Li Tai's arrogant declaration, they were angry and frightened for a moment. Some couldn't help but curse, and some couldn't help wading into the water to attack. However, Li Tai completely ignored it. After making a provocative declaration, he returned to his troops and continued to advance north to Dingzhou with the army.