Wang Yuan and his entourage arrived in Jinzhou on the first day of December. After a day www.biquge.info rest of the pen "Fun" Pavilion, the next afternoon received the news that Li Mao led the army from Puzhou to the north of Chang'an sent by the scouts. Wang Yuan immediately decided to immediately lead a small number of cavalry to join in the fun. No matter how big the grievances between himself and Li Mao are, but in the face of such a major counterinsurgency event as the recovery of Chang'an, he must have a full grasp of the war situation. Although he will definitely not get involved in this troubled water, if Li Mao's siege fails, he will go to reap the benefits of the fisherman.

On the fourth day of the first month of December, when a fierce siege battle was launched under the city of Chang'an, Wang Yuan, Gao Xianzhi and Liu Jun and others led a thousand cavalry to witness the whole process on a hill in the remaining veins of Xiling Mountain, ten miles west of Chang'an. The fierce battle situation was in full view, and what surprised everyone was that Li Mao's soldiers and horses actually attacked the city after attacking the city for more than an hour, and they fought for more than an hour and withdrew their troops at the most likely breakthrough point, which is really incomprehensible.

In the evening, in a camping tent in the valley, everyone gathered together to analyze the situation. Regarding the battle situation, everyone talked and analyzed, but no one could give a convincing prediction.

Wang Yuan roasted a bunch of dried meat from a bunch of branches on the brazier, and when he was crispy and oily, he put it to his mouth and stabbed it all into his mouth, and his mouth was full of oil. All the generals know what the big handsome way of eating is called, the big handsome likes to skewer the jerky like this and roast it, and then put it into the mouth at once, which is called skewers. Once the marshal also said that it would be nice to have some beer, but everyone didn't know what beer was, and the marshal didn't say it after asking for a long time.

"Brother Xian, you didn't say a word about Li Mao's attack on Chang'an today, I don't know how you think you will win or lose because of this?" Gao Xianzhi asked with a smile after Wang Yuan's bulging cheeks had subsided a lot.

Wang Yuan swallowed a mouthful of barbecued meat in his stomach, and while continuing to wear the meat pieces on the twigs, he smiled and said: "This siege method is a method that does not care about the life and death of the soldiers. He is using human life as a mustard. Maybe it's the newly recruited soldiers and horses, they don't have much combat effectiveness, and the new emperor is not distressed when he dies. Or it is a borrowed Hui soldier and horse, and it is not distressing to die. In short, I can't do this kind of siege method. In today's battle, I am afraid that the siege soldiers and horses will have at least 20,000 or 30,000 dead and wounded, and I estimate that the defending side will lose at least more than 10,000 soldiers and horses. ”

But he did work, and in an hour or so the soldiers and horses came up to the city. If you work harder, you may be able to break the city today. I don't know why he wanted Mingjin to retire. Liu Dehai, who rushed from Pizhou to Jinzhou to see Wang Yuan, said that he would not return to Pizhou this time, and followed Wang Yuan to reconnoiter the situation.

Wang Yuan shook his head and smiled: "General Liu, you take it for granted. Today's siege soldiers were able to storm the city, and in my opinion, it was entirely due to surprise. Under the cover of thousands of catapults, a cavalry charge can quickly approach the city and catch your opponent off guard. And today, the rebels at the head of the city are a little light, their defenders in the north city are afraid of less than 50,000, and they are distributed on the city wall more than ten miles long, and the number is obviously insufficient. They were worried about the siege soldiers attacking the northern city wall in full. Don't you know that the city gates on the east side are the backyards of the imperial city and the Daming Palace, and the terrain is cramped and undulating, which is not conducive to attacking. And whoever attacks Chang'an will not think about destroying the two palaces and attacking from a cramped terrain. Shi Siming missed this point. If he focused his troops and defense on the Bali city wall above the three gates of Guanghua Jingyao Fanglin in the west, the siege soldiers and horses would definitely not be able to attack the city wall. ”

Everyone nodded in contemplation, comparing their hearts to their hearts, there are seven city gates in the north, and four are the back gates of the imperial city and Daming Palace. The terrain is condescending, and the palace wall is dozens of steps behind the city wall. Even if the city wall is breached, the next thing to face is the palace wall that is higher than the city wall, who would be stupid enough to attack the city in this kind of terrain? It is indeed a waste of troops to disperse a large number of troops to defend the city gates and palace walls in the east.

"In fact, I think Li Guangbi's choice to attack the city can only be discussed. They chose to focus on attacking Hong Lim Gate. Yes, outside the Hong Lim Gate is an open area, which is conducive to the strong attack of the army. Gwanghwamun is located in the northwest corner. It is also true that the soldiers and horses cannot be used. But why didn't they choose to break through from Jingyaomen? Wang Yuan shook his head and said.

"I probably think that the Yong'an Canal passes through Jingyao Gate, and the terrain division is not conducive to the siege." Gao Xianzhi groaned.

Wang Yuan said with a smile: "The Yong'an Canal is only eighty steps wide, and the water surface of the artificially dug ditch is calm, and it is not a torrent. Although the terrain can be divided, it is not difficult to build a pontoon bridge over such a ditch. Moreover, Jingyao Gate stands near the water, if it were me, I would just take advantage of the convenience of Yong'an Canal passing through Jingyao Gate to attack from the canal. In my opinion, it is many times better to attack from the Yong'an Canal than from the ground. Just tie up hundreds of bamboo rafts, pile them with straw and dead wood, and pour fire oil. Approaching the city gate along the north wind, as long as a few dozen ships can get close, light a fire, and attack the city gate and city walls, you can see the miraculous effect. Even if you can't burn down the city gate, under the pressure of the fire, the two sides of the city gate are the breakthrough points, because the soldiers and horses at the head of the city can't stand on it, right? ”

The generals took a breath, this method is very vicious. If this method of fire attack is really implemented, it may not be able to break through the city, but it is definitely a breakthrough. After several days of continuous fire attack, it doesn't cost much, and it will definitely be able to burn Jingyaomen and break through. Even if there are facilities built outside the Yong'an Canal to stop ships from approaching, clearing those ditches is much easier than besieging the city.

"It's a good idea. Jingyao Gate was built near the water, and was used to control the merchant ships that sailed from Weishui into the capital and entered the West Market. So it can't actually withstand strong attacks. In this case, the direction of their attack is indeed debatable. Gao Xianzhi nodded.

"But why did they give up halfway when they had attacked the city?" Liu Jun said puzzled.

Wang Yuan said: "This is what I ask, how can they break the city and withdraw their troops?" We really saw it from the top of the mountain. After the rebels increased their troops, the siege soldiers and horses were no longer able to enter the city, and their retreat seemed to be a deliberate abandonment, but in fact it was also a helpless move. In order to break through the city, it should be reinforced when a large number of soldiers and horses attack the city. And the siege soldiers did not do that. We can all see very clearly that they only sent 70,000 or 80,000 soldiers and horses to attack the city, and did not increase their troops in time after breaking through the city, so it was too late after the rebels cleared the siege troops and horses at the head of the city. I don't know what Li Guangbi thinks, he did have a chance, but he sat back and watched the opportunity slip away. ”

Gao Xianzhi silently looked at the bonfire and pondered, and suddenly said, "I think something is wrong." As the virtuous brother said just now, since you want to attack the city, why not move the nest. On the contrary, there are still 80,000 or 90,000 soldiers and horses left behind? Could it be that this is a feint? ”

"Feints? It's impossible, it's all so fierce, how can it be a feint? Liu Dehai said.

Wang Yuan looked at Gao Xianzhi in a daze, he knew that Gao Xianzhi was not the kind of person who opened his mouth, and he could make such a ridiculous judgment as a feint, it must be because he felt in his heart that there were some things that made him feel difficult to understand.

"If so, what is their purpose? A feint attack with such fierce fighting and such tragic casualties, what is that for? Isn't it a contradiction that on the one hand, he will not hesitate to kill and wound his soldiers and attack fiercely, and on the other hand, he will be afraid of his head and tail? When my brother said this, I was also a little suspicious. Wang Yuan frowned.

Gao Xianzhi smacked his lips and shook his head: "I don't understand, I don't understand." There was no attack this afternoon, and if it were not to-morrow, I could only conclude that there must be some intention that we did not know. ”

Wang Yuan smiled: "That's it, it's useless for us to break our hearts here." Let's just watch the show. It's all going to fall out in the end. I do think that if this siege continues, perhaps we should order the Divine Army to move out at once and prepare to take over the siege. ”

……

In the Tang army camp, in Li Mao's big tent, a fierce quarrel is unfolding. In the siege battle during the day, at the moment when a large number of siege soldiers and horses attacked the city, Li Guangbi saw the opportunity for victory. Battle-hardened, he immediately ordered the entire army to attack, turning this demonstrative siege into a real battle to break the city.

However, his military orders were rejected by Kizanali. Qi Zhanali refused to order his 70,000 Hui army to attack on all fronts, and without his cooperation, Li Guangbi would have no troops available. Qizanali's reason is very simple, he only said in advance that this battle was a feint attack to give the opponent a dismount. The Hui people only sent 30,000 troops, the Tang army sent 50,000 troops, and 80,000 troops attacked the city. It's not possible to change the hexagram halfway. Seeing the brutality of the siege, he did not want to bury most of his men and horses in the siege. This is also a point that he was earnestly advised by Guli Pei Luo from the beginning. Guli Peiluo asked him to take his time, it was best to drag out the counterinsurgency for a few years, the more chaotic the Tang Dynasty, the better, so that he could get the most benefit from it.

Li Guangbi was helpless, and during the war, he had no time to reason with Qizanali, so he could only watch the best opportunity missed, so he had to give the order to withdraw his troops before retreating.

Since the afternoon, Li Guangbi has been in Li Mao's big tent. Because according to the plan, after this battle, it is necessary to get up early to recruit the edict of surrender and deliver it to Shi Siming in Chang'an City to surrender. Therefore, Li Guangbi has never had the opportunity to settle accounts with Qizanali. It wasn't until after dark, when Ma Zhenshan, who had delivered the decree, came back to report that Shi Siming categorically refused to surrender, that Li Guangbi lamented the fleeting and fleeting opportunity he had lost in the morning. New hatred and old grudges accumulated, and Li Guangbi asked Li Mao to summon Qi Zhanali to come and settle the account with him.

Bezanali looked nonchalant and sat on a chair with his legs crossed in his dirty leather boots. Holding a shiny silver dagger in his hand, he slice a piece of roasted meat on a leg of lamb in front of him and stuffed it into his mouth. Li Guangbi stood in front of him with an angry face, pointing at Qizanali's endless accusations.

"Beggar Nari, you've gone too far. Why are you Hui people so unfaithful? I seriously doubt your sincerity, you are not sincerely helping me to put down the rebellion of the Tang Dynasty, but you are here to fish in troubled waters. Beggar Zanali, today you have to explain what you mean. ”

Qi Zhanali put down the silver table knife, raised his eyes to look at Li Guangbi and said, "Generalissimo Li, it's me who is confused." In today's siege, my Hui army lost tens of thousands, and paid a huge price to attack the city desperately, but you are accusing me here. How? Do you want to cross the river and tear down the bridge? ”

Li Guangbi shouted: "Why did you refuse to send troops to attack the city today when there was a chance to break the city? When thousands of soldiers and horses attacked the city, it was the best time to storm it. And what did you do? Resist my commands and sit back and see the opportunity lost. Do you know what the crime of refusing to obey the order in my Tang Dynasty military law should be? That's for the public. ”

Qizanali sneered and got up and said, "What? Marshal Li still wants to cure my sins, and I can't do it? I am not subject to your Tang control. Your military law will not punish me. Besides, how did you discuss it before the siege yesterday? It's said that today's battle is just a dismount, in order to pave the way for what you have set to surrender. I have given you 30,000 troops and tens of thousands of horses to attack the city in accordance with the agreement I have made, and I have fully complied with the agreement. It's good for you, now that Shi Siming has rejected your offer to surrender, do you want to frame me on my head? That's not possible, I'm a good bully? ”

Li Guangbi said angrily: "The way of using troops should be improvised, how can you stick to the plan in advance, there is an opportunity to break through the city, and I ordered a full-scale siege of the city, but you refuse to send troops, isn't it your fault?" ”

Qi Zhanali said: "Don't mention any chance to break the city, I'm saving face for you so that I won't expose your old bottom." What city did your Tang army attack? I don't even know the height of the opponent's city defense, and the ladder is still five or six feet high behind the city wall, and I can't even touch the side of the city wall, so you also go to attack the city? If it weren't for the fact that the warriors wore hooks and nooses, today's battle would have been a situation where there was no room to fight back. If I don't return to the city and storm the city, where will there be any chance to break the city? You don't come to thank me, but you count me down. If it weren't for the participation of our Hui soldiers and horses, we would have suffered more than 20,000 casualties today, and I don't know if the casualties would have doubled. Li Dashuai, before you get into trouble with me begging Zhanali, let's think about whether I am qualified as a leading marshal. ”

Li Guangbi's beard shook angrily, and he shouted: "The two generals in charge of building the ladder have been beheaded by me to show the public, and they will naturally pay the price for their mistakes." But what about you? How do you explain that? ”

Qizanali sneered: "It's refreshing for you to kill those two ghosts, but this matter should be held accountable to your boss." Even if I resist your command, you are the one who is at fault. If you want to punish me, you will punish yourself first. Do you want to cut off my head? Unless you cut off your own head first, then I have nothing to say. ”

Li Guangbi gritted his teeth silently, suddenly reached out and pulled out the Sensen long sword on his waist, and said coldly: "Okay, since you have left your words here, I will punish myself first, lest you speak." The war is in full swing, and I can't die yet, so I can't thank myself. Therefore, first refer to life, and cut off a finger is like a severed head. ”

Before he could say anything, Li Guangbi stretched out his palm and put it on the edge of the table, and raised his long sword in his right hand and swung it violently.

"Li Guangbi, don't be like this." Li Mao, who was sitting in the distance with a gloomy face and listening to the two arguing, shouted loudly. However, this shout was already too late, but when the cold light flashed, blood burst out, and Li Guangbi's left middle finger and ring finger were cut off together. Blood poured out, instantly staining his entire palm red. There was also a large pool of blood dripping from the ground of the tent.

"Quick, quickly pass Lang Zhong to bandage the wound and apply medicine. Guangbi, what are you doing? Li Mao rushed over in a panic, shouting and complaining.

Li Guangbi said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, today's war ministers are guilty, and the ministers cannot apologize for their crimes with death, and the ministers can only cut off their fingers." ”

Li Mao smacked her lips and said, "I don't blame you, why are you doing this." Hey, you're too strong. ”

Two military doctors in the army quickly ran into the tent and sprinkled medicine on the severed finger of Li Guangbi's left hand to stop bleeding and bandage. Li Guangbi's face did not change from beginning to end, allowing the two Lang Zhong to toss at the severed hand, and only looked at Qizanali who was sitting there in astonishment with a sneer.

Qi Zhanali was extremely shocked, he didn't expect that Li Guangbi, who seemed to be elegant and weak, would make such a bloody move. He was just a provocative word, and Li Guangbi really attacked himself. Without even blinking his eyes, he broke two fingers with a sword, and this backbone and bloodiness are really admirable. The Hui people have always respected this kind of bloody man, but at this moment, respect is respect, and a serious problem is also placed in front of them. Li Guangbi broke his fingers, and now it was his turn. What I said is still in my ears, so I can't admit it and don't do it.

Li Guangbi didn't speak, only sneered and looked at Qi Zhanali, his eyes full of sarcasm. It seems to be mocking that Bezanali is a cowardly person. Qi Zhanali couldn't stand it anymore, so he got up, pulled out the scimitar on his waist and said, "That's it, I'll take it, if you break two fingers, I will also cut off two fingers." I don't talk to people who count, but I don't lie. ”

With that, he gritted his teeth and slashed at his fingers with a swing of his scimitar. Li Mao hurriedly stepped forward and shouted, "Stop, why do you have to do this." ”

Qi Zhana said vigorously: "Your Majesty, please get out of the way, don't splash your blood." ”

Li Mao stomped her feet and scolded, "What are you doing here? The enemy is now, but the two of you are fighting here. I'm really going to be by you. ”

Li Guangbi said in a deep voice: "General Qizanali, since Your Majesty doesn't like us to do this, then you can leave these two fingers for the time being." But I have a request, from now on, you must obey our orders when you return to the soldiers, and you must not shirk and refuse. If you Hui people don't really serve our Datang counterinsurgency at all, then you can leave with your soldiers and horses, and the agreement between us will be stopped. It's just that from now on, you Hui people are no longer my friends of the Tang Dynasty, and we will always remember what you did today. How to decide, you choose. ”

Qizanali pondered for a long time, and finally nodded: "Okay, I respect you as a good man." From this day forward, I will fully cooperate with you in the battle. I will not pass the buck unless it is beyond my ability. ”

Li Guangbi smiled and said, "Okay, with your words, we will write off the previous account." My two fingers are worth it. ”

Li Mao stroked his palms and smiled: "Yes, this is right, what is not easy to discuss and decide?" Do you have to be tense? Bloody and bloody? ”

Li Guangbi said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty is frightened, and the ministers are also guilty. ”

Li Mao waved his hand and said, "You are a loyal minister, I understand your thoughts." ”

As he spoke, Lieutenant Lang General Li Guangbi's left hand had already been bandaged, and a Lang Zhong pointed to the two bloody severed fingers on the table and asked in a trembling voice: "Li Dashuai, what to do with these two fingers?" ”

Li Guangbi waved his hand and said: "Since it is separated from me, it is just two pieces of meat, you take it out and bury it or throw it away and feed it to the dog, what does it have to do with me." ”

The two Lang Zhong were stunned and speechless.