Chapter 4429 A decisive battle
Under the heavy rain, the armored cavalry moved eastward from the north side of Zhaode Hall, with a rebel army of more than 2,000 people chasing after them. Fang Jun did not dare to go south to the left side of Zhaode Hall. There were also rebels blocking the area, and it was easy to fall into a dilemma. So we had to go north along the east palace wall, reach the wall of Wude Palace, then go west, and slowly approach the Wude Gate.
At this time, the physical strength of the armored cavalry was almost exhausted, and it was extremely difficult to move even one step forward. The soldiers could still grit their teeth and persevere with their strong willpower, but the horses did not have that will. Many horses had weak legs and fell down during the march...
Fortunately, the heavy armored infantry also retreated to the vicinity of Wudemen to participate in the defense at this time. When the armored cavalry arrived, they immediately stepped forward to set up a formation to block the rebels and give the armored cavalry time to rest and recover.
Fang Jun got off his horse, took off his hat, and let the rain fall on his hair, which was soaked with sweat, and then flow down his neck, which was very cool.
He took a long breath, looked back at the exhausted soldiers and horses, and shook his head slightly.
It’s no wonder that the armored cavalry, which was once so popular and arrogant in history, will gradually disappear in the long river of history. This unit has top defense and top impact, but due to its excessive consumption, it requires extremely high physical strength for soldiers and war horses. , can only be used as a means of rushing into formation or surprise attack. If you want to become a regular combat unit on the battlefield, you are really unable to do so. Once your physical strength is exhausted and your mobility decreases, you will become a living target...
< br>
Although they could not retreat from the battlefield, the main force of the rebels still stormed Wudemen. There was no remaining energy to continue chasing the armored cavalry. The rebel army of more than 2,000 people who had been chasing behind them could not break through the heavy armored infantry. In defense, he could only wander far away and was helpless, which gave Fang Jun a precious breathing space.
*****
Li Daozong walked into the Zhaode Hall with steady steps. His eyes paused on Li Zhi for a moment. He found that His Highness was still calm and a little relieved. Then he glanced at Xiao Yu, Chu Suiliang, Cui Xin and others. The first two people looked at There was nothing unusual, except for Cui Xin's old face, which was full of fear, his brows furrowed, and his mind was wandering.
But it's no wonder. As the head of the Cui family, he is like a "Tu Emperor" in Shandong. He has always been pampered and killed, but he has never experienced such a cruel battlefield in person?
What's more, the entire Shandong family has spent almost all their money to support King Jin in launching an army, and the losses they have suffered have already exceeded their respective bottom lines. If King Jin provides strong support after he succeeds, it will be difficult to recover within ten or twenty years. If King Jin Defeated, Then the Shandong aristocratic family is very likely to collapse. Thirty to fifty years later, the former wealthy and powerful families will collapse and their foundations will disappear. The children of the aristocratic family who are well-dressed and well-off will also be impoverished and lost to everyone...
This is indeed too cruel for a family leader who is determined to elevate his family to the best in the world. Although the regret in his heart is not humane, it is also difficult to control his emotions and expressions.
Seeing Li Daozong's pale face and his left hand wrapped tightly, Li Zhi's heart trembled and he quickly asked: "The prince is injured? Is it okay? I will ask the imperial doctor to treat the prince."
Since Li Zhi had made up his mind to launch a mutiny to seize the throne, Li Zhi had already anticipated various situations, so he always brought the imperial physician from the Jin Palace with him in case of emergency.
Li Daozong shook his head and said in a deep voice: "Your Highness is very concerned about me. It's just a minor injury and has been dealt with."
Li Zhi added: "The prince is the pillar of the country and the king's humerus. Although injuries are inevitable on the battlefield, you should be more careful and not take risks easily."
Now he is counting on Li Daozong and Yuchi Gong to support the overall situation. If one of these two is damaged, it means disaster.
Li Daozong recounted the danger just now, and then sighed: "Although he blocked the impact of the armored cavalry, Wei Chen faced Fang Jun face to face, and was shot down by him in one round. He is really ashamed."
With his identity, status, and experience, he no longer cares about personal victory or defeat. Although it is a bit embarrassing to be shot down by Fang Jun, it is insignificant compared to the outcome of the entire battle, so he can take it calmly.
Li Zhi was a little stunned.
In the past, many people praised Fang Jun for being "unparalleled in poetry" and "bravely championing the three armies". He had seen the former and quite recognized it, but he did not take it seriously for the latter. Fang Jun was indeed invincible and invincible when leading his troops in battle. , however, both the government and the public They all agreed that the reason why he became an "always victorious general" was because the equipment of his army was the best in the world. Coupled with the power of firearms, every battle was won by crushing the enemy's equipment. The real strategy and tactics may not be How excellent.
Personal bravery is even more nonsense. It is just relying on a certain amount of strength to bully the weak. Others are afraid of his family background and power and can only tolerate it. When it comes to life and death on the battlefield, knife-on-knife, gun-on-gun, who cares? Who are you?
And how does Li Daozong support people? He followed Emperor Taizong and made countless meritorious deeds. He charged into battle countless times and faced countless heroes in the world at that time. His force value was second only to King Li Yuanji of Qi in the entire Li Tang royal family. Among the Longmen clan, only a few people such as Yuwen Chengdu and Pei Yuanqing could defeat Li Daozong, but now they were defeated by Fang Jun in one round...
Even though Li Daozong has grown older and is no longer at his peak, the huge disparity in military strength between the two sides greatly exceeded Li Zhi's expectations.
The more this happened, the more Li Zhi regretted it. If he had known that Fang Jun was so amazing and talented, he should have captured him at all costs. If Fang Jun was there to motivate him today, how could he have ended up like this? Desperate situation?
Even without Fang Junzhi's support, his father had already deposed the prince, and it was him Li Zhi who ascended the throne as emperor. Why would he take such a desperate risk and risk his own life...
"The prince does not need to blame himself. Fang Jun left the armored cavalry at the end. It was obvious that he had planned it for a long time. The prince was still able to block the charge of his cavalry through calculation and unintentional. Not only did he not lose the position, but he also prevented me from getting caught in the chaos. , I feel nothing but gratitude.”
Under the current situation, Li Daozong and Yu Chigong are his two thighs, one is indispensable. In addition to trying to comfort him, he cannot say a word that may cause ambiguity and cause Li Daozong's dissatisfaction...
Li Daozong was also an open-minded person, so he dismissed the matter and said with a solemn expression: "Li Huaiqin and Liu Keman have been defeated. An Yuanshou still doesn't know what the situation is. It is too late to attack Xuanwumen... Wait until the prince left Once the guards have properly placed the prisoners, they will definitely enter the palace from Xuanwu Gate to support Wude Hall. By then, the Youtun Guards will no longer have any worries and their troops will be doubled, which will be extremely disadvantageous for us.”
Li Zhi nodded. The word "extremely unfavorable" was euphemistic enough. In fact, if the Wude Palace could not be captured before the crown prince's left guard led the troops into the palace, the mutiny would have been declared a failure. Not even a single right guard could be defeated. What's more, add the prince's left-back rate who is known as "the first rate in the East Palace"?
Seeing that Li Zhi understood the difficulty of the current situation, Li Daozong pondered for a moment and advised: "This place is a dead place. Once we fail to capture the Wude Palace, there is no way to retreat. Your Highness, with his body of thousands of chariots and golden branches and jade leaves, cannot tread in dangerous places. In my humble opinion, it is better to retreat to Chengtian Gate and take charge.”
In the Tai Chi Palace, once the army is defeated, there will be no way to heaven and no way to the earth. You will either die in battle or be captured. There is no way to escape. If you return to Chengtianmen and find that nothing can be done, you can take advantage of the chaos and escape into Chang'an City. I believe Li Zhi must have made arrangements in advance. Whether it is the imperial city or various places, as long as you hide, it will be difficult to be discovered for a while. .
Then he took advantage of the chaos and escaped from Chang'an City, whether he returned to Shandong to regroup, fled to the south of the Yangtze River and made a comeback, or even became anonymous or traveled across the ocean... he could always save his life.
The reason why he raised troops to help Li Zhi was because Li Daozong believed that His Majesty Li Er's wish was for Li Zhi to inherit the throne and ascend the throne as emperor. As a minister loyal to His Majesty Li Er, he would help His Majesty Li Er fulfill his last wish at all costs.
If this leads to Li Zhi's defeat and death, Li Daozong will never accept it...
Xiao Yu also advised: "Your Highness, what the Prince of Jiangxia County said is reasonable. As the saying goes, if a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall, it is relatively safer to sit at Chengtian Gate."
If the King of Jin doesn't leave, they can't leave. Although they have already made preparations, even if the King of Jin is defeated, they can still make it clear to His Majesty and eliminate the impact without having to bear too many consequences. But this war is in chaos. If something unexpected happens among the rebellious troops, where can I go to reason?
You have to save your life before talking about anything else.
Chu Suiliang and Cui Xin on the side also agreed and gave advice.
Li Zhi was silent for a long time. How could he not know the danger at hand? He was indeed deeply afraid of fighting on the battlefield and charging into battle. However, if he withdrew from Zhaode Hall at this moment, wouldn't it mean that he had admitted defeat?
Even if he admitted defeat, how could he hope that the soldiers would surrender and capture the Takedoku Hall?
Taking a deep breath, Li Zhi shook his head and said: "I won't leave!"
Before anyone could persuade him again, he waved his hand and said in a deep voice: "Not only will I not leave, I will personally go into battle and fight side by side with the soldiers. This battle will be life or death. There will be absolutely no luck!"
So what if we can successfully escape Chang'an after the defeat? The Guanlong clan has been completely defeated and cannot protect itself. The Shandong aristocratic family has almost devoted all its efforts to support itself and has no spare efforts to make a comeback. However, the Jiangnan nobles are deeply influenced by the Royal Navy and simply dare not continue to follow them to make a comeback...
It's a dead end.
Could it be that he is running for his life in a panic like a mouse, wandering alone to the ends of the earth from now on?
If that's the case, it's better to fight now, and even if you die, you will have a happy ending. (End of chapter)