Chapter 4423 Critical Survival
In the Wude Hall, the monarchs and ministers gathered together, whispering and discussing the decisive battle outside the Wude Gate. Battle reports were sent from time to time, and every change in the battle situation could be seen before their eyes, making the atmosphere even more tense.
The moment Wude Gate was breached, the air in the palace seemed to freeze. Everyone looked pale and panicked. Although they knew that following the emperor was a huge gamble, success or failure on the gambling table was determined by destiny. The benefits are endless and the defeat is complete, but when the final result is about to appear and we will face a complete defeat, who can really be indifferent and willing to accept fate?
Li Chengqian, who pretended to be calm, also panicked. He had always had full confidence in Fang Jun, but at this moment he couldn't help but feel doubtful. Is he really going to lose?
Although he could evacuate Taiji Palace through the secret passage at the last moment, and retreat to Hexi under the protection of Li Jing and Xue Wanche, he could still compete with Chang'an, but what a shame it was to be forcibly evicted from the throne?
He couldn't help but look at Li Ji for help, his voice inevitably trembled: "What do you think...what is the situation?"
Li Ji was calm and composed. He only asked Li Junxian, who was responsible for delivering the battle report at the door, to calm down the panic of Li Chengqian and many people present.
"Has Duke Yue's reserve team been released?"
Li Junxian shook his head: "It has not been released. The three thousand reserve troops are fully equipped and are waiting inside Wudemen. However, the Duke of Yue has been fully dressed and is waiting to personally lead the army into battle."
Many people in the hall let out a long breath. Since the reserve team has not yet been released, it means that even if Wudemen falls, the situation is not yet desperate. Not to mention there is still a chance of reversal, at least there is room for change.
Of course, not everyone thinks so.
Zhang Liang, the Minister of Punishment, said urgently: "Your Majesty, you should have made a decision long ago. Although Fang Jun is brave enough to defeat the three armies, how can a mere 3,000 reserve troops be able to defeat an enemy that is ten times more powerful? Ying Gong's estimate of the battle situation is too optimistic. Wei Chen disagrees. ”
The so-called "make an early decision" means that you should evacuate from the secret passage as soon as possible, and at the very least, you should be prepared this morning.
After all, by the time the rebels break into Wudemen, their defeat is certain. It will be unavoidable to leave in a hurry at that time, and it is impossible to evacuate all the people in the secret passage at the same time. Someone must leave first and someone behind, in case the person who leaves later does not have time. If you retreat and encounter rebels coming in, wouldn't you die in vain?
The first to leave must be His Majesty, his children, and concubines, plus all the princes, princesses, and even the late Emperor’s concubines. When it is his turn to Zhang Liang, I don’t know how long he will have to wait, or he may end up “leaving behind.” The one...
Li Ji glanced at Zhang Liang, frowned and said: "The Wude Palace is heavily guarded. Even if the rebels rush in, they will not be able to kill here for a moment. Duke Yun is also an honorary minister of Zhenguan. He made great achievements in leading the army in battle. Why are you so timid? ”
Zhang Liang said anxiously: "Your Majesty, the king of ten thousand chariots, is involved in the survival of the country, so he must ensure that nothing goes wrong. Does your Majesty dare to guarantee that Fang Jun still has the power to reverse the situation? If you don't have the power to reverse the situation, your Majesty will only be left here to bear the risk. What’s the benefit?”
Before Li Ji could answer, Liu Jie also said angrily: "It is you generals who are unwilling to give up your own interests and reputation, and have repeatedly discouraged His Majesty from evacuating Wude Palace, which has caused the current crisis. You keep claiming that the situation is under control, and you will definitely be able to Killing the rebels only resulted in the fall of Wudemen and His Majesty was in danger. You, Fang Jun, and Li Jing are the sinners of the Tang Dynasty!"
The spearhead was directly aimed at the military, and the words of warning covered everyone in the military, and the situation of the struggle suddenly escalated to a civil-military confrontation.
Li Ji's anger rose, but he was very well-controlled and held back his anger and said: "Liu Zhongshu's words are wrong. As soldiers, we should protect His Majesty, protect the country, and protect the empire with our flesh and blood! Could it be possible that the rebels are gathering? Crowds, enveloping goodness, we Do you want to advise your majesty to flee and surrender the center of the country? Your majesty, a king of all powers, does not stand under a dangerous wall, but he still has his own responsibilities. He must not abandon the foundation established by Emperor Gaozu and Taizong until the last moment!"
Liu Ji retorted: "In the final analysis, is it not because you people are unwilling to give up military power that you are coercing Your Majesty to make a final struggle? You are greedy for profit, and you are really a coward in the country. If His Majesty is not even harmed, you will die. Forgive me!”
No matter how well-mannered Li Ji was, he could not bear such a crime in vain. He suddenly became furious and said, "Shameless! The soldiers are fighting bloody battles and charging into the battle. They are willing to die for the sake of the empire, but you, as the Secretary of the Central Committee, are here. You are a traitor to the country by making unwarranted slander and lying! As the chief minister, how can I sit back and ignore you? If you dare to speak like this again, you will be punished for your loyalty to your majesty. Seek justice!”
Everyone in the main hall held different opinions and got into a mess, which made Li Chengqian's brain hurt...
Li Chengqian had no choice but to pick up the brass paperweight on the desk and knock it. When the shouting and arguing stopped for a while, he said with a cold face: "I have already made up my mind. I will never give up on the center of the empire until the last moment." , All officers and men of the army need not say anything more about retreating as soon as possible.”
King Chrysostom gave the final word to this matter. Although his words were fair, he was actually slightly biased towards the military...
But Liu Jie can accept it. After all, as Li Ji said, it is the generals who are fighting bloody battles outside, and all hopes are pinned on them. Even though Liu Jie represents the interests of the civilian group, he does not want to see it. Fang Jun was defeated like a mountain, and in the end everyone had to follow His Majesty to withdraw from Chang'an and flee to Hexi...
The civil-military battle is not a battle of wills, let alone a battle for a city or a place, but a long and cruel struggle. Otherwise, if the military controls the center, it will inevitably fight for many years and resort to militarism. Over time, no matter what the Tang Dynasty does, All great powers will decline or even collapse.
Perhaps within a certain period of time, we can quickly accumulate wealth and plunder land through war, but in the long run, we will inevitably become trapped in a cocoon and suffer backlash.
Although a country is large, if it is warlike, it will perish.
In the civil-military dispute, it can not only unite the civil service group to consolidate their status and prestige, but also prevent the military from getting bigger and dragging the empire into the quagmire of war. It is beneficial to both the public and private parties. Why not do it?
Suddenly, thunderous shouts were heard outside the hall in the wind and rain, and the sound of "kill, kill, kill" was faintly heard. Li Chengqian's heart tightened, and he hurriedly asked: "What's going on outside the hall?"
Li Junxian hurried out and returned in a moment: "Your Majesty, the Duke of Yue has led a thousand armored cavalry and two thousand heavily armored infantry to kill the enemy. He has defeated the rebels who rushed into Wudemen and rushed out. Palace Gate, launched a surprise attack on the rebels."
"Ah! The Duke of Yue is worthy of being a brave general who champions all three armies. He faces difficulties like this and defeats the rebels. He has the style of a famous general!"
"Yes, with the bravery of the Duke of Yue, maybe he can really defeat the rebels and reverse the situation!"
The ministers in the palace whispered to each other, expressing their appreciation for Fang Jun's brazen counterattack at the critical moment.
But more of them expressed surprise...
"A thousand armored cavalry? And two thousand heavily armored infantry?"
"Oh no, no wonder the rebels still kept calm despite the fierce attack. It turns out that the Duke of Yue has such a back-up plan!"
Everyone was sitting in the Wude Hall. They didn't know much about the deployment of troops outside. Fang Jun had not reported in detail what types of troops his reserve team was. Now that they suddenly heard that Fang Jun had left such a heavy-armored unit at the end, they were naturally surprised. Have more confidence.
Li Chengqian felt a little more at ease in his heart, and turned to ask Li Ji: "In my opinion, if Erlang personally leads the heavy-armored troops to counterattack, can he turn defeat into victory?"
Li Jilue pondered for a while and said cautiously: "We still need to know how Duke Yue will counterattack in the future."
The heavy armored troops can indeed exert their greatest power in such a battle situation, but the number of rebel soldiers gathered in Chang'an City has reached 60,000 to 70,000. Such a large number of troops is enough to make up for any gap in arms. Once The heavily armored troops were surrounded and could only be slowly eaten away, gathered together and annihilated.
Not long after, Li Junxian again truthfully reported the battle situation outside the palace.
When they heard that "The Duke of Yue led his troops out of Wude Gate, and faced the rebels gathered outside the gate, he charged forward with overwhelming momentum, cutting through Yuchi Gong's position along the way." Everyone in the palace naturally celebrated with their hats in the air, and the voices of praise were endless. However, Speaking of "Yu Chigong deliberately divided his troops on both sides to avoid the sharp edge, Trying to lure the army into his trap", and they couldn't help but worry about Fang Jun. Liu Jie, Zhang Liang and others could not help but say something like "Young and frivolous, brave but not wise". Finally, they heard that "the armored cavalry stormed Li Daozong's position and then chose to head east, returning to the east." The infantrymen are fighting steadily." Another sigh of relief.
Xu Jingzong patted his thigh and said regretfully: "Oh my, it's just a little short of that! If we can penetrate the rebel position in one fell swoop and capture Zhaode Hall, we will be able to capture King Jin in one fell swoop... What a pity."
Liu Jie said: "You are still young and incompetent. If the troops were led by Duke Wei and Duke Ying, they would definitely break through the enemy's formation at any cost. Now that we have won a complete victory, why are we being driven around like a lost dog?"
As long as I get the opportunity, I will always belittle Fang Jun to undermine Fang Jun's prestige and weaken Fang Jun's achievements.
He firmly believed in the principle that a rope cuts through wood and a drop of water penetrates stone. As long as this continues, the emperor's trust and dependence on Fang Jun will inevitably decline significantly...
Li Chengqian ignored the murmurs of these ministers and just looked at Li Ji. With such a master of military art by his side, how could he care about others' inferences about the situation of the war? Whether Fang Jun played well or not, it didn't matter what others said. Li Ji's judgment was what convinced him more.
Li Ji felt Li Chengqian's gaze, and he already had some guesses about Fang Jun's strategy. However, in order to be more sure, he got up and went to the map on one side, carefully observing the architectural layout of the Tai Chi Palace, the arrangement of the troops of both sides, and the battle situation. Changing situation...
Then he said to Li Chengqian in a firm tone: "The strategy adopted by Duke Yue is already the most perfect response to the current war situation. It is obviously difficult to defeat the enemy with only three thousand people, but as long as these three thousand people keep cruising Outside the Wude Gate, the rebels will feel like they have something stuck in their throats and a thorn in their backs, and they will never dare to go all out to attack the Wude Palace.”
From the bottom of my heart, I affirmed the strategy adopted by Fang Jun, and was surprised by Fang Jun's growth. To this day, those who can be called a master of military art in the Tang army must have a place for Fang Jun... (End of this chapter)