Wugao Pass is also known as: Tiger Prison Pass, is the eastern gateway of Luoyang and an important pass, because King Zhou Mu is named after the tiger in this prison. This pass is connected with Songyue in the south, the Yellow River in the north, and the mountains are staggered, which is a natural danger. There is a trend of "one husband is the pass, ten thousand people are not open", and it is a place for soldiers of all dynasties.

After arriving at the Tiger Prison Pass, Li Shimin decided to strike first and hit the morale of Dou Jiande's army.

On the 26th, Li Shimin led 500 horsemen out of the Tiger Prison Pass, reconnoitred Dou Jiande's military camp more than 20 miles to the east, and set up ambushes along the way, so that Qin Qiong, Cheng Yanjin, and Li Tao were respectively in command. Then he and Yu Chi Gong (尉 Chi Jingde) continued to move forward with only four horsemen. Li Shimin said to Wei Chi Jingde arrogantly: "I am holding a bow and arrow, and you are holding a horse lance, even if there is a million troops, what about me!" Ha ha! ”

Three miles away from Dou Jiande's camp, Li Shimin and others met Dou Jiande's guerrillas, who thought they were scouts who reconnoitred the military situation. Li Shimin shouted: "I am Li Shimin, the king of Qin." "Draw a bow and shoot an arrow, and shoot one of the opposing generals. Dou Jiande's army was greatly panicked, and sent five or six thousand cavalry to chase after him, and the people who followed Li Shimin were so frightened that their faces changed. Li Shimin said calmly: "You just have to go in front, myself and Jingde Hall behind." ”

So he took hold of the reins and walked slowly, and when the pursuers were about to catch up, they drew their bows and released arrows, killing one with each arrow. The pursuers were afraid and stopped the pursuit, stopped for a while and chased again, several times three times, each time someone caught up with someone must be killed, Li Shimin shot more than a dozen people successively, Wei Chi Jingde killed dozens of people, these two lonely heroes were too terrible, Dou Jiande's pursuers did not dare to advance again.

Li Shimin deliberately lingered or retreated a little later to lure the pursuers into the ambush circle, Qin Qiong, Cheng Yanjin, Li Tao and others led the Xuanjia elite cavalry ambush soldiers to suddenly kill, Li Shimin, Wei Chi Jingde and others also turned back and fought bravely to kill the enemy, defeated the pursuers, killed more than 2,000 enemy soldiers, and captured Dou Jiande's generals Yin Qiu and Shi Zan returned to the Tiger Prison Pass.

As soon as Dou Jiande's forward troops arrived, they were given a dismount by Li Shimin, and their morale was greatly reduced.

At that time, Wang Shichong's younger brother Wang Shiban was appointed as Xuzhou Xingtai, and sent his subordinate Guo Shiheng to lead thousands of people to follow Dou Jiande, Dou Jiande concentrated more than 100,000 people, known as 300,000, Dou Jiande stationed the army in Chenggao, built barracks in Banzhu, and sent troops to Tang. Army to show the decisive battle. At the same time, Dou Jiande also sent a secret envoy to agree that Wang Shichong would attack inside and outside.

Dou Jiande led an army of more than 100,000 people, all the way to attack the city, after two months of fighting, approaching the Tiger Pass, but was blocked by Li Shimin with natural danger, and could not continue to advance.

The Qin king Li Shimin's implementation of an active defensive strategy was not a single stubborn defense of the danger. Li Shimin often led Wei Chi Jingde, Qin Qiong, Cheng Yanjin and other generals and a small number of men and horses to attack Dou Jiande's camp at night, causing Dou Jiande's army to panic.

After the two sides held each other for many days, Li Shimin sent the general Wang Junkuo to lead more than 1,000 lightly armed cavalry, quietly went around Dou Jiande's back to attack his grain transportation team, captured the general Zhang Qingte, and captured many soldiers.

Dou Jiande's army suffered many defeats, and the people were terrified. Up to the generals, down to the soldiers, at the beginning of the defeat of Don. When the army was Meng Haigong, they all gained something, but now they have lost again and again, and everyone wants to withdraw to Yanzhao's hometown of Zhaozhou.

Ling Jing proposed: "The whole army should cross the Yellow River to the north, capture Heyang in Huaizhou, and arrange for the main general to defend it." Then he led a large group of men and horses to beat drums and raise flags, crossed the Taihang Mountain, and drove into Shangdang County, bluffing to hide the purpose, and did not have to trouble fighting. Speeding up to Hukou, gradually disturbing Pujin, and seizing the land east of the river is the best policy. There are three advantages to implementing this policy: First, if you go to a place where there is no one to defend, the army will be foolproof; the second is to expand the territory and recruit soldiers; The third is Tang. The army's encirclement of Wang Shichong will be lifted by itself. Dou Jiande was about to take this suggestion, but Wang Shichong's envoy, Changsun Anshi, privately sent gold, silver and jewelry to lure the generals to disrupt his decision-making.

All the generals advised: "Ling Jing is just a scholar, how can you talk to him about war?" ”

Dou Jiande listened to their opinions, turned around and apologized to Ling Jing and said, "Now the ministers are excited, this is God helping me." With this decisive battle, we will surely win a great victory. I have listened to your advice and cannot do what you say. Ling Jing insisted on arguing, Dou Jiande was very angry, he thought he was noisy, and let Ling Jing be forcibly held hostage and dragged away.

Dou Jiande's wife, Cao Xiuying, the red lady, advised Dou Jiande: "The opinion of sacrificing wine and respecting Ling Jing can be adopted, why don't you adopt it?" We should follow the road of Fukou, take advantage of the emptiness of the Tang Dynasty's troops, concentrate our forces to accelerate the advance, in order to seize the land in Shanbei, and then outflank Guanzhong to the west with the strength of the Turks, the Tang court will inevitably recruit back troops to defend itself, then the siege of Wang Shichong will be lifted. This strategy to save Zhao is very good, why don't you adopt it? Now the troops are stranded outside the city of Wujiao, and the time has dragged on for a long time, and they have worked hard for themselves in vain, and they are afraid that things will not be done. ”

Dou Jiande saw that his beloved wife was in opposition to himself, and said with some displeasure: "Fighting is not a matter for women. Besides, Zheng Guo's life is on the verge of waiting for us to go quickly, since he promised to rescue them, how can he retreat when he encounters difficulties, and show the world that we don't talk much? ”

The heroic and beautiful red lady sighed, turned around and walked out silently.

Dou Jiande has made up his mind, so he led all the men and horses to press towards the Tiger Pass, more than 100,000 troops in the north by the Yellow River, west of the river for 20 miles, the momentum is huge.

Seeing that more than 100,000 troops were pressing the border, he only had 3,500 people, and many Tang. The soldiers and soldiers were very panicked, Li Shimin took several generals to climb the high hill to look at the enemy's formation, and said confidently to the generals: "The enemy has not yet encountered a strong opponent since he started his army from Qilu, but now he is in danger but is very noisy, he has no discipline, and he is approaching the city to arrange battle formations, which means to despise us." If we do not move, their courage will naturally fail, and as long as the soldiers are hungry for a long time, they will inevitably retreat automatically, and if we catch up and attack, we will surely win. I make a promise with you, and I will surely defeat them after noon! ”

Dou Jiande despised Tang. Army, send 300 elite cavalry to stop at a mile away from the Tiger Prison Pass. Send someone to inform Li Shimin and say: "Please ask the King of Qin to select a few hundred elite soldiers to play with us." ”

Li Shimin sent Wang Junkuo to lead 200 pikemen to meet the battle, and they clashed with each other, advancing and retreating suddenly, and the two sides returned to their camps regardless of victory or defeat.

Dou Jiande's subordinate general Wang Wan wore bright armor and rode Emperor Yang of Sui's imperial horse: the green horse, far away from his own formation, and came to the Tiger Prison Pass to the Tang Dynasty. Army boasts.

Li Shimin's eyes lit up when he saw the green horse, and he saw that the horse did not have half a stray hair on its body, and it was one zhang long from head to tail; From hoof to top, eight feet high; The nose was like thunder, tall and strong, and he couldn't help but admire: "What a horse!" ”

After hearing this, Wei Chi Jingde immediately asked to take the horse, but Li Shimin hurriedly stopped him and said: "How can you lose a warrior for a horse?" ”

Yu Chi Jingde didn't listen, rode out of the city gate alone, and rushed to Wang Wan like lightning, Wang Wan was directly frightened at the time, and before he could react, he was captured alive by Yu Chi Jingde. Wei Chi Jingde led Emperor Yang of Sui's imperial horse Qing Qi and pressed Wang Wan to swagger back to the Tiger Prison Pass, Dou Jiande's subordinates were stunned, this black man was so rebellious that no one dared to step forward to stop him. Tang Dynasty. The army was also shocked by Wei Chi Jingde's rebellious behavior, and their morale could not help but be greatly boosted.

Li Shimin ordered Tang. The army did not move to dampen Dou Jiande's spirit.

Dou Jiande lined up the battle formation, from morning to noon, the soldiers were hungry and thirsty, and began to relax their vigilance, they all sat down, and fought for water, and the formation began to be scattered, hesitating to retreat.

Li Shimin ordered Yu Wenshi and 300 cavalry to gallop south through the west of Dou Jiande's army formation, and warned him: "If the enemy does not move, you will return with your troops, and if you do, lead your troops eastward." "Yu Wenshi and in front of Dou Jiande's array, the enemy formation really moved, Dou Jiande sent a group of men and horses to chase Yu Wenshi, the enemy formation was even more chaotic, and the door was opened.

Opportunity always belongs to the person who is good at seizing it. Seeing this, Li Shimin immediately ordered: "Attack!" ”

Li Shimin led three thousand black-clothed and black-armored Xuanjia elite cavalry and generals such as Qin Qiong, Wei Chi Jingde, and Cheng Yanjin, and after leaving the city, they were like a black whirlwind, and rushed straight to the enemy formation with lightning speed.

The murderous aura contained in this black whirlwind made the sunlight in the sky cold. There was no shouting, no horns and drums to cheer, and the sound of horses' hooves was the only melody in the wind. The smoke and dust brought up by the horses' hooves rolled up faster and thicker.

Li Shimin led the Xuanjia elite cavalry to quickly insert from the gap in the enemy's formation. entered, and stabbed directly into the heart of the Xia army - the commander's camp where Dou Jiande was.

Dou Jiande's ministers are making a pilgrimage. The cavalry suddenly came, and the courtiers all ran to Dou Jiande, who summoned the cavalry to resist the Tang. Army, because the courtiers blocked the cavalry and couldn't pass, Dou Jiande waved his hand to order the courtiers to retreat. The army had arrived in front of the battle, the Xia army was in chaos, and Dou Jiande was in an embarrassing situation, so he could only retreat back in a hurry.

Li Shimin's heroic eyes sprayed a terrifying momentum, brandishing a Tang knife engraved with the word "snow" to slash left and right, leading the Xuanjia elite horseman, invincible.

Wei Chi Jingde stepped forward and charged, like a soldering iron into butter, rushed straight out of the rear of the enemy formation, and then returned to rush into the formation, several times in and out, the arrows gathered on his body were like hedgehog hair, his courage was still undiminished, a long lance stabbed left and thrust, flying up and down, and the surrounding enemy troops fell to the ground one after another. Thanks to the bright armor designed by Xia Xue, otherwise he would have died long ago after being hit by so many arrows.

On the battlefield, the sound of killing shook the sky, the dust was flying, and the sky was obscured.