、、、、、、、、、、

A moment later, the drums of war in the Tang army were heard, and about 25,000 cavalry on the left and right flanks rushed up and launched a charge assault on the archers and shield soldiers of the Zhou army.

Qin Qiong had already taken precautions, so he was naturally not to be outdone, and sent all his cavalry, led by Luo Shixin, to charge back towards the enemy in order to contain the cavalry of the Tang army, so that they could not launch a surprise attack on their own archers.

At this time, Li Shimin was surprised to find that Luo Shixin's cavalry had strong combat effectiveness, although they were less in number than the cavalry of the Tang Army, but the level of cavalry archery and equipment and weapons were much higher, and they were camped behind them, and they could be supported by their own archers hiding behind the fence, and for a while they were on par with the cavalry of the Tang Army, which had a numerical advantage.

At this time, the two sides combined a total of about 40,000 people, and launched a tragic battle in front of the camp outside the Zhou army.

Moments later, the drums of war sounded again, and the pikemen of the Zhou army swarmed out of the camp to receive their cavalry and retreat to the camp, while the archers began to shoot and retreat, returning to the camp.

Sheng Yanshi knew that even if the Tang cavalry rushed forward, they might not be able to win favor in front of the pikemen, so they also retreated one after another.

However, Qin Qiong knew that Sheng Yanshi would not give up, and the trap trenches on his front had all been destroyed, and many of the fences and walled gates had been destroyed by boulders thrown by trebuchets, or burned by rockets, plus his huge disadvantage in strength. He then decided to take advantage of the gap in the battle to withdraw the wounded to the city of Xia County in the rear.

And Qin Qiong's judgment was also very accurate, after he had just ordered the evacuation of the wounded, the 10,000 infantry in the center of the Tang army's formation followed behind the arrow blocking vehicles and siege vehicles, and attacked the Zhou army camp in different directions.

The offensive and defensive battles were carried out in such thrilling conditions and lasted until the afternoon.

The wounded soldiers were constantly transported out of the camp and arrived in the city of Xia County. The defenses of the camp outside the city were also in shambles, but fortunately, when they were about to fall, the sky was already dark. At this time, both the Zhou army and the Tang army were exhausted, and the Tang army suffered more heavy losses because it was the attacking side.

Li Shimin also wanted to retain his strength to attack Xia County, so he did not order Sheng Yan's division to continue the attack overnight, but ordered to camp in the mountains to rest, and sent a large number of scouts to monitor the movements of the Zhou army.

Qin Qiong knew that the defeat was decided, and if he didn't retreat tonight, he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to run if he wanted to run tomorrow. He immediately ordered the fire in the camp to be ignited, and then the whole army retreated to Xia County.

Sheng Yanshi saw Qin Qiong's camp on fire and knew that the Zhou army was going to retreat, so he immediately sent light cavalry to chase after him. However, it was blocked by the trenches filled with fire oil in the camp tent, and could not chase after him.

On the morning of the first day, Sheng Yan's division finally extinguished the fire, completely occupied the camp of the Zhou army, and opened the road to Xia County. But at this time, the Zhou army had all entered the city of Xia County, and they were ready to fight. He had to set up camp while waiting for Li Shimin's main force to arrive.

……

"Woo woo"

"Tom Tom"

The long sound of horns and dull war drums resounded in the sky, on the endless loess plateau in the east of the river, more than 200,000 Tang troops swept towards Xia County like black pressed ants, the black Tang Army flag covered the winter sun, the towering guns and halberds reflected the cold sky, and the soldiers' shining armor gathered into a torrent of steel, densely spread outside the city of Xia County.

The main force of Li Shimin's Tang Army finally came to the city.

In Xia County, the first night after the Tang army came to the city, but it was calm and calm, and Li Shimin did not launch an attack overnight, not even a tentative feint.

But Yuming didn't dare to be careless, after all, he knew Li Shimin's power very well. Other generals of the Zhou army may not have a deep understanding of Li Shimin, but Yuming knows that in the original history, Li Yuan was able to finally win the world, and Li Shimin made great contributions. It can be said that without Li Shimin, Li Yuan would not have been able to pacify the world at all, and he might even be defeated and die in the war for hegemony in the Central Plains.

The night was dark, the stars were dim, Yu Ming's tall figure stood solemnly at the head of Xia County, looking outside the city through the faint starlight, only to see Li Shimin's entire 250,000 troops set up a camp outside Xia County for dozens of miles, and there were endless white tents at a glance.

Moreover, Li Shimin was obviously well versed in the essence of the art of war in the encirclement of Que Yi, and surrounded the eastern, southern, and western gates, except for the north gate, which did not set up a battalion or a tent. Presumably, it was to give the Zhou army an escape, lest the defenders think that they could not escape and resist desperately.

At this time, there was a sound of "click" footsteps beside him, and I saw Song Jingang striding over.

"It seems that tonight is over, Li Shimin obviously also has the idea of preserving his strength, otherwise, he should have launched an attack overnight!" Yu Ming said lightly.

Song Jingang nodded, then looked at Yu Ming's handsome face, and said in a low voice: "King Zhou, I am ready for everything you order, and tomorrow we can withdraw from the city and let the Tang army enter the city." Leave the rest to the last general, please you and a few generals can evacuate overnight. ”

"Don't be in such a hurry!" Yu Ming said unhurriedly: "Since Li Shimin is already here, why should I play with him for a few days." And if he didn't fight a battle, he would retreat like this, with Li Shimin's cunning, he would inevitably be suspicious and would not enter the city. At that time, all our efforts will be in vain. ”

When Song Jingang heard this, his heart also moved, and his eyes flickered: "Then according to King Zhou's opinion, you still have to fight with the Tang Army?" ”

"Yes! At least two days of defense before retreating. In this way, Li Shimin will not be suspicious! Yu Ming gently patted Song Jingang's shoulder and said, "King Kong, if you can kill Li Shimin this time, it will be the best ending." If it can't be realized, you can also recover some interest first, and Liu Wuzhou's revenge will definitely help you avenge it in the future! ”

After Song Jingang heard this, his heart was also very moved, and he even clasped his hands into fists and said: "King Zhou's kindness, King Kong is unforgettable." In tomorrow's battle to defend the city, the last general is willing to lead his headquarters to fight on the front line, and swear to fight to the death with the Tang Army! ”

Yu Ming frowned at this time and said, "But those arrangements in the back ......"

Song Jingang hurriedly said: "Please rest assured, King Zhou, everything is ready." It only takes a thousand men to launch, and the rest of my men can go up to the city walls to fight the enemy! ”

Yuming originally wanted Song Jingang to rest for two days, but seeing that he was so resolute, he had no choice but to condense and say: "Since this is the case, I will approve it!" But you must be careful, after all, this is not the final battle with Li Tang, so you don't need to be so desperate. ”

Song Jingang was moved in his heart, bowed down and said, "The last general will obey the order." ”

……

Outside the city of Xia County, the Tang Army camp.

Li Shimin stood at the door of the handsome tent, standing with his hands in his hands, looking up at the starry sky, but there was a faint worry between his sword eyebrows. Because he had just received a secret order from Guanzhong. Li Yuan asked him to end the war in Hedong as soon as possible, redeem Li Xiaogong, and reach an armistice agreement with the Zhou army, so it didn't matter if he suffered some losses on the land.

He knew that Li Yuan's intention in doing this was to free up his hands to attack Bashu.

As early as when Xue Ju had not yet fallen, Liu Jing and Pei Lin proposed that the scope of Guanzhong was too narrow. After the demise of Xue Ju, Li Tang had no worries, so he should make every effort to expand his territory and strengthen his strength.

To the east is the territory of Wang Shichong and Yuming, the elite army under these two people, and there are passes and fortified cities along the way, which are easy to defend and difficult to attack. Therefore, the focus of the Tang Dynasty's expansion should be to go south to capture Bashu.

In the eyes of these two prime ministers of the Tang Dynasty, the land of Bashu was easy to defend and difficult to attack, the land was fertile, and the people were fierce. When Qin destroyed the Six Kingdoms, it occupied the land of Guanzhong and Bashu, and condescendingly laid an advantage.

If the Tang army occupies Bashu while taking Guanzhong and Longxi, it can not only go down the river to capture Jingxiang, but also attack from the north and south to attack Luoyang. Advance can be attacked, retreated, and defended, and the strategic choice is much greater.

In contrast, Hedong is also important though. However, only seven or eight counties near Guanzhong were controlled by the Tang army, and the safety of Guanzhong could be guaranteed.

Moreover, Li Yuan and Yu Ming fought each other, knowing that although this King of Zhou was young, he was very wise, and his men had many generals, if they fought with him in Hedong for many days, they were afraid that not only would they not be able to win, but they would also delay the opportunity.

Forget it, I'll attack Japan again, and after that, no matter what the battle situation is, I will send someone to start negotiations with Yuming. Presumably Yuming doesn't want to be dragged by me all the time in the Loess Plateau in Hedong. Li Shimin thought secretly in his heart.

……

A short, quiet night has finally passed, and the bloody day has finally begun unstoppably as the winter sun rises over the eastern horizon.

In the continuous sound of low horns, groups of infantry wearing cyan armor surged out of the Tang army camp and drove to the outside of Xia County, forming one phalanx after another.

Li Shimin, wearing heavy armor and riding on a tall horse, appeared outside the south gate of Xia County under the escort of Sheng Yanshi, Duan Zhixuan, and several personal cavalry.

There was also a division of labor between them, Li Shimin took full power, and Sheng Yanshi was responsible for directing the cavalry to cruise around the periphery, and once the Zhou army showed signs of breaking through, he led the cavalry to pursue. And the siege of the city was handed over to Duan Zhixuan's infantry.

After the Tang army finished marching, Duan Zhixuanfang slowly raised his right arm, waved it forward gently, and shouted loudly: "Trebuchet ready!" ”

Suddenly, the muffled sound of the horn suddenly became louder.

And the already fierce war drums resounded through the sky and were deafening. Amid the rhythmic trumpets of the sappers, a series of trebuchets like wooden towers slowly pushed forward from the rear of the Tang army. A moment later, they were already lined up like giant beasts with teeth and claws.

...