Li Mao pondered for a long time, nodded and said, "This strategy is feasible, so let's do it." I immediately sent someone to announce the decree again. ”

Li Guangbi smiled and said, "Your Majesty Shengming." It's just that there is something to make clear to Your Majesty, and the consequences of doing so are. In the future, the wealthy family will either enter the court as officials again, and they will have to resume the previous situation of competing for power with each other, and perhaps His Majesty will be difficult to suppress. ”

Li Mao thought for a while and said, "Now is the time to go. Without their support, the rebels and that Wang Yuanyuan would not be able to deal with it, and my throne is uneasy, so what will happen in the future? When the world is peaceful, they should go from whence to whereabouts. If they dare to think anything, I will wipe out several of their wealthy clans. ”

Li Guangbi nodded and said: "What Your Majesty said is very true, even if you drink to quench your thirst now, you have to go down with your eyes closed." But even if they were ordered to recruit soldiers and horses, they wouldn't be able to help the matter at hand. In the current battle against Chang'an, it is best for us to reduce casualties. If you lose most of your soldiers and horses in order to capture Chang'an, it is also a dangerous thing. The minister thought about analyzing the situation, and the minister felt that there was a way to try. ”

"What's the solution? Don't sell it, but it's just that. Li Mao said busily.

"Your Majesty, the minister's idea is that we don't have to fight with Shi Siming, we can also be gentle with Shi Siming, we can recruit Shi Siming, so as to achieve the effect of capturing the city without a fight." Li Guangbi said in a deep voice.

"Surrender Shi Siming? This thief is in cahoots with An Lushan, is he willing to surrender? ”

Li Guangbi said: "Your Majesty listens to the analysis of the ministers, after An Lushan's death, An Qingxu ascended the throne. As far as the minister knows, Shi Siming is not convinced by anyone except An Lushan. asked him to succumb to An Qingxu, Shi Siming must be unconvinced. At this moment, Chang'an has become an isolated city, and Shi Siming's life in Chang'an must not be easy, but he has no way out, so he chooses to defend Chang'an. Your Majesty thinks about it, obviously the East Road is open, and Shi Siming has the opportunity to withdraw his troops to the east of Tongguan, why didn't he choose to withdraw his troops? The minister estimated that An Qingxu gave a death order and did not allow him to evacuate. Shi Siming will not know that no matter how strong the defense of Chang'an City is, there will be a day when it will be breached. They will also run out of food and forage. It's just that he doesn't have a way to get out for the time being. If His Majesty gives comfort and surrender at this time and gives him generous treatment, Shi Siming may abandon the darkness and surrender to the city. In that case, wouldn't we be able to capture Chang'an without spending a single soldier, and we could also get more than 100,000 soldiers and horses in Shi Siming's hands. ”

There is a lot of truth to this, and if this can be achieved, it is also the best of both worlds. It's just that Shi Siming is willing to surrender? This person is stubborn, fierce and cunning, do you know that he doesn't have the idea of being a mortal enemy with my Datang in his heart? Li Mao said in a deep voice.

Li Guangbi said in a low voice: "No matter what, you can always give it a try." If he doesn't know how to lift, he will storm Chang'an and give him some color to see. And there's an article to do here. Shi Siming should know that now in addition to our 160,000 troops on the edge of Chang'an, there are also more than 100,000 Shence troops of Wang Yuan. Although Wang Yuan's soldiers and horses are not allowed to participate in the siege, this is a major deterrent. Shi Siming didn't know that Wang Yuan's soldiers and horses would not participate in the siege, and he could use this to deter and force him to agree to surrender. His Majesty gave the high-ranking officials a generous gift and promised him some conditions, and maybe this matter could be accomplished. ”

Li Mao slapped his hand and said: "That's right, this is called borrowing strength, the fox is fake and the tiger is mighty." ”

Li Guangbi smacked his lips in embarrassment and said, "Your Majesty, Wang Yuan is the fox, and we are the tiger." It's good to take advantage of the situation, or to take advantage of it. ”

Li Mao smiled and said: "It's a good thing to take advantage of the situation, you might as well do it." ”

Li Guangbi said: "Since Your Majesty agrees, the minister will go and start this matter." However, the minister felt that it was better to do this when the soldiers were in the city. My 160,000-strong army is densely packed under the city, with banners like clouds and momentum like tigers. The coercion in that situation would make Shi Siming feel even more panicked and nervous. The effect is also better. ”

Li Mao laughed and said, "That's right, Guangbi, I didn't misunderstand you, you are someone I can rely on." I feel that your talent and intelligence are not far behind that of Wang Yuan. It's just that you've kept a low profile. ”

Li Guangbi bowed and said: "Your Majesty praises falsely, although the minister is not talented, but he has never taken Wang Yuan very seriously. Please Your Majesty do not compare the minister with Wang Yuan in the future. The minister thought it was an insult to the minister. ”

Li Mao was stunned, and said with a smile: "Okay, I said the wrong thing." ”

……

At the beginning of the second day of December, the defenders of the north city of Chang'an City heard the noisy movement under the city. They all got up and stood at the head of the city, looking down. But in the dark night, the north bank of Weishui in the distance was densely packed with torches like stars, and the land spread and covered more than ten miles like a sea tide.

The defending generals immediately sounded the alarm bell and reported to Shi Siming and Shi Chaoyi's father and son. Shi Siming and Shi Chaoyi hurriedly got up and led dozens of rebel generals to the top of the Beicheng City to watch, everyone knew that it was Li Mao's 160,000 siege army from Puzhou. The news that Li Mao's soldiers and horses had arrived in Puzhou from Lingzhou had already been known to Shi Siming. Scouts come every day, and they know enough about the enemy's military situation. The 160,000 Hui and ** coalition troops came to attack Chang'an, and now, it is they who have arrived at the battlefield outside Beicheng.

"From now on, everyone is on alert and ready to fight. I have the solidity of a strong city, and I teach them that there is no return. Looking at the torches everywhere in the darkness under the city, Shi Siming was not afraid, he knew that he had the capital to fight, so he gave an order in a deep voice.

But except for Shi Siming, Shi Chaoyi and the rest of the generals looked worried. Because many people are not optimistic, because although the rebels themselves have more than 100,000 soldiers and horses, they are actually in deep trouble.

The hustle and bustle of the city lasted all night, and finally quieted down a little by dawn. After the morning sun rose and the slight heat of the winter sun dispersed the moisture and white fog on the ground below the city, the rebel defenders at the head of the city finally saw the whole picture of the city. When they saw the situation under the city, everyone gasped and their hearts sank to the valley.

Under the city, in a clearing two miles away from the city, a black camp that spread to the sky was located. In the camp, flags are like clouds, tents are dense, and a huge military camp across both sides of the Weishui River is like a huge beast entrenched in the battlefield under the city. Looking north of Weishui in the distance, several bridges across Weishui are clearly visible, and countless cavalry are constantly moving like ants on the pontoon bridges, converging towards the camp.

In addition, in front of the enemy camp, thousands of siege equipment are densely lined up, and thousands of ** are divided into more than 100 teams, using war horses to push these siege equipment to the distance of 1,000 steps below the city. Although that distance is not an effective range, it is a preparation for the battle, and once the battle begins, the siege machine can be quickly advanced hundreds of paces into the range of the attack. The soldiers shouted their trumpets in unison, and their voices resounded through the sky.

Everyone in the city watched all this silently, and the clouds of the great war hung in everyone's hearts, and they were so heavy that they couldn't breathe. Since retreating to Chang'an, these rebel soldiers have been trapped here for half a year, and every day they have to do is to strengthen the city defenses and prepare for the death of the city. However, when the day actually came, they were in a heavy mood. Everyone knew that maybe the next few days would be the last days of their lives. With the posture of attacking the city, this big battle will be unprecedentedly fierce and bloody. Most of the people around him, including himself, may not be able to escape this catastrophe.

In the afternoon, when the first battalion under the city was busy preparing for the siege, it was located in the Taiji Palace of the Imperial City of Chang'an, and Shi Siming summoned more than 50 civil and military officials to do pre-war mobilization. Originally, in order to avoid suspicion, Shi Siming never stepped into the imperial city of Suzaku Gate after occupying Chang'an, saying that he would not have half a point of overstepping the rules. But since An Lushan's death, Shi Siming has lived directly in the palace. The Taiji Hall also became a public place for him to convene meetings and summon his subordinate generals. Without An Lushan's suppression, Shi Siming didn't care about anyone, but he put a handsome case alone in front of the throne of the Taiji Palace, and he didn't dare to sit on the throne of the Taiji Hall facing south and north, and his behavior was slightly restrained.

"Generals, colleagues. You have all seen that Li Mao borrowed back 100,000 troops and tens of thousands of Li Guangbi's soldiers and horses, and a total of 160,000 soldiers and horses have already arrived in the city. The Great War is on the verge of breaking out. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a bloody battle. But we are qualified to fight. Because we have the strongest walls, the deepest and widest moats, and countless defenses. More importantly, we have more than 100,000 elite defenders and invincible generals here. For several months, we have been trapped in Chang'an, and you are afraid that you are already impatient. So now, your chance to serve the Great Yan Kingdom has arrived. As long as we defeat Li Mao's soldiers and horses, we will have the initiative. This is a battle that we have turned over, and if we win this battle, Chang'an will never be broken. Shi Siming waved his arms and spitted at the mouth as he carried out his pre-war incitement mobilization.

However, in addition to the excitement of a dozen generals, they shouted in agreement. Most of the generals didn't have excited expressions. On the contrary, their faces were clouded, and their brows were full of anxiety and sorrow.

Shi Siming stopped, he was very dissatisfied with the reaction of the generals. He asked in as gentle a tone as possible, "Generals, if you have anything to say about this battle, please speak freely. As long as it is beneficial to the war, I can accept it. The most important thing in fighting a war is to plan before the war, and everyone must do their part, so that everyone can pool their talents and formulate the best strategy to meet the enemy. ”

The generals, you look at me, I see that you didn't speak, and they didn't want to say something bad, because they knew that Shi Siming didn't like to listen to discouraged words.

"What's wrong with you? Why don't you speak? Tian Chenghei, do you have something to say? Shi Siming began to roll call.

General Tian Chengsi was the main leading general of the rebels from the beginning of the rebellion, but in the battle of leading the army to attack the Tiger Prison Pass, he and An Zhongzhi and Zhang Xiao. The vanguard army of the three loyal people was defeated by Feng Changqing, and they were also beaten by An Lushan. After that, Tian Chengsi was worried that An Lushan would have an opinion of him, so he had been fighting with Shi Siming. And Shi Siming also took the opportunity to win him over and let Tian Chengsi become a fierce general under his account. At this time, Tian Chengsi was already the post of forward general appointed by Shi Siming.

"Marshal, the lowly post does have some ideas, but the lowly post is afraid that speaking out will make the marshal unhappy." Tian Chengsi said.

"But it doesn't hurt to say it." Shi Siming said in a deep voice.

"That's all I have to say. Please don't blame the marshal for the wrong place, and the humble position is also for the sake of this battle. ”

"Say." Shi Siming frowned.

"Marshal. This battle is a matter of life and death, and if you win, you can greatly demoralize and make you dare not touch Chang'an. But if we lose, we will all die without a place to bury. The new emperor of the Great Yan Kingdom has issued a strict decree to let us defend Chang'an. said that once Chang'an is lost, all of us will be severely punished by military law. So we don't even have a way out. Even if the war is unfavorable, we can't even retreat, and we can't even enter Tongguan. It can be seen that we are in a place where there is death and no life. Tian Chengsi said loudly.

A cadre of generals nodded in agreement, and not long ago, An Qingxu, the emperor of the Great Yan Kingdom, issued an order for Shi Siming to defend Chang'an. As soon as Chang'an is lost, Tongguan will not be able to resist the attack of the ** no matter what, and it will soon threaten the safety of Luoyang, so An Qingxu said in the holy decree that if Chang'an is lost, all Chang'an generals and officials will be severely punished. An Qingxu was naturally thinking about the safety of Luoyang, but this holy decree made the Chang'an rebels very dissatisfied, especially when An Qingxu did not ascend to the throne of the emperor of Yan until An Qingxu killed An Lushan, which made the rebels in Chang'an curse. Although Shi Siming did not express his position publicly, it was obvious that he would not be happy in his heart.

Shi Siming frowned, he hated to hear such words: "Tian Chenghei, before the war started, you didn't think about winning, but worried about defeat first, isn't this shaking the army's heart before the war?" My Chang'an City defense is impregnable, more than 100,000 soldiers are fierce and fierce, do you think that these 160,000 ** can break through my Chang'an? As an important general in the army, this is not appropriate. ”

Tian Chengsi arched his hand and said: "Marshal, the humble position is not to shake the morale of the army, but there are too many major battles, so it is necessary to consider it comprehensively." The marshal must not forget that although Li Mao's soldiers and horses are only 160,000, although these 160,000 soldiers and horses may not be able to break through my Chang'an City, don't forget that there is a vicious wolf around Chang'an. Wang Yuan and Gao Xianzhi's 110,000 Shence army was in the area of Pizhou and Jinzhou, once the war started, how could they stand idly by? It's not that the marshal hasn't fought against Wang Yuan, and he knows that his 110,000 Divine Strategy Army is more tricky than the 160,000 Li Mao army. The marshal is sure to deal with the army of 160,000 Li Mao, so what about Wang Yuan's 110,000 Shence army? Is the marshal still sure? ”

Shi Siming's face was pale, and Tian Chenghe's words were tantamount to revealing his scars. At the beginning, his 180,000 army attacked Shu. was defeated by Wang Yuan with 60,000 or 70,000 soldiers and horses in the small city of Tongzhou, which was the shame of his life. After that war, few people dared to mention it again in front of him. This scar is an eternal pain in his heart, so no one dares to open it. And now, Tian Chengsi actually dared to say such a thing in person, Shi Siming's gas hole was smoking, and he was going to be mad.

"Tian Chenghei, you are so bold, are you embarrassing my father in person?" Without waiting for Shi Siming to speak, Shi Chaoyi shouted and scolded: "That is, my father is handsome and broad-minded, and he doesn't care about these words. Otherwise, you won't be able to eat and walk around. ”

Shi Chaoyi's words seemed to be reprimanding, but in fact, they were defending Tian Chenghe, blocking Shi Siming's mouth with an open mind, and at the same time finding a step for Tian Chenghe. Tian Chengsi immediately understood that he had said the wrong thing, and hurriedly bowed down to Shi Siming and apologized: "Marshal, don't blame, this is definitely not the intention, the lowly position is only to point out that Wang Yuan's Shence army is also on the side, and the enemy who attacked Chang'an this time is definitely not Li Mao's army." Where the words are offensive, please also ask Marshal Haihan. ”

Shi Siming snorted coldly, and it was not good to hold on to it anymore. Shen Sheng asked, "Who else has the same worries as Tian Chenghe?" ”

An old man in a black robe stepped forward and arched his hand: "Marshal, the old man thinks what General Tian said is reasonable. That Wang Yuan's soldiers and horses were also close to the left, how could he stand by and watch? The marshal must take this into account and not ignore the matter. ”

Shi Siming snorted coldly and did not speak. This old man's name is Zhou Zhi, and he was originally a hermit. Shi Siming knew that his strategy was not enough, so he followed An Lushan's example and equipped a military advisor by his side. After coming to Chang'an, he ordered someone to visit Zhongnan Mountain and invited this hermit named Zhou Zhi to be a military advisor. This week, Zhi also has some skills, he knows astronomy and geography, and Shi Siming respects him very much. Shi Siming listened to his words.

"Who else has something to say? Cao Ji, Luo Yue, what are you doing sneakily? If you have something to say, you can put a fart. Shi Siming shouted.

Cao Ji and Luo Yue are both generals under Shi Siming's account, this Luo Yue has always been responsible for the construction of the city defense of Chang'an City, and the re-reinforcement of the city walls, arrow towers, and moats of Chang'an City was completed by him with soldiers to drive the people. Cao Ji is the grain and grass officer who assists Shi Chaoyi in charge of the logistics supply in the army, and he is an important figure under Shi Siming's account.

Luo Yue arched his hand and said: "Marshal, the humble post does have the same worries as General Tian. We are not fighting 160,000 enemy troops, but 270,000 enemy troops. Wang Yuan's soldiers and horses were afraid that they would soon arrive at the city of Chang'an, and if they launched an attack at the same time, the situation would be very critical. ”

Cao Ji also bowed down and said: "Marshal, I want to raise another hidden concern, that is, the matter of grain and grass in the city. Dashuai, after the consumption of grain and grass in the city in July and August, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in the city eat horses and chew, and there is not much left of the hoarded grain and grass. If the war is fierce and the delay is too long,