Chapter 658: Sooner or later, I will take your head

Liu Hongji did not have a long time from being dismissed as a citizen to being reactivated, when the King of Qin led his army to attack Xuanwu Gate, he was going to commit suicide to apologize, but he was summoned into the palace by a holy decree from Li Yuan. In the imperial study, Li Yuan scolded him fiercely, and even scolded him as a disloyal and unrighteous person. But because Liu Hongji's merits were too great, the emperor finally exempted him from the death penalty, but stripped him of all official titles and degraded to commoners.

Before Li Xian, the king of Yan, besieged Chang'an City, Li Yuan sent someone to call him again, restored his title as the Duke of Kuiguo, and named him the generalissimo of the military garrison. The official was still above Zhang Gongjin, the Duke of Tanguo, and at this time, most of the military affairs in Chang'an City were handed over to him.

Yesterday night, several fires made people panic, but fortunately, Liu Hongji had already had the embankment and the city defense army moved very quickly, although the fire burned down many houses and buildings, but the impact was not very great. The most fortunate thing is that Li Xian, the king of Yan, did not take the opportunity to make trouble in the city, which made Liu Hongji breathe a sigh of relief.

He was the first hero of the Li family's army to attack Chang'an City, since the eighth year of the Great Cause, when the Great Sui Emperor Yang Guang ordered to personally conquer Goguryeo, he went to Huaiyuan Town, Liaoxi to vote for Li Yuan. His father is Liu Sheng, the assassin of Hezhou, and Li Yuan is an old friend, and the two families have a very good relationship and often have contacts. Later, Liu Sheng died of illness, and his family fell into the middle.

After Liu Hongji became an adult, his family was destitute, and he was inferior to ordinary people. At the time when Emperor Yang Guang of the Great Cause ordered the expedition to Liaodong, he was going to join the army and accompany him, but he had no money to buy horses and couldn't keep up with the large army, so he had to rush to Liaoxi on foot alone to report for duty. Halfway through, he was exhausted, and there was really no way to steal a ploughing cow with a butcher and slaughter it for money, and was detained in prison by the county order.

According to the laws of the Great Sui, killing a ploughing ox is a felony. Fortunately, he had some friends who paid him to bail him out. Liu Hongji went all the way north, stole a horse halfway and rushed to Huaiyuan Town to join Li Yuanmen. Since then, Li Yuan has made many military exploits, and Li Yuan has taken him very seriously. After Taiyuan raised troops, Liu Hongji fought all the way without a defeat, and was the first to enter Chang'an City, which was the first contribution to the capital of the Tang Dynasty.

Originally, when Li Shimin, the king of Qin, rebelled, Liu Hongji was discouraged. Who would have thought that because of a rebellion, he restored all his official positions and titles, and now he can even be said to be a very popular minister.

The sun had not yet risen early the next morning, so Liu Hongji made an appointment with Zhang Gongjin, the Duke of Tanguo, to enter the Taiji Palace together. Because it was too early in the Xuanwu Gate to open, the two of them waited outside for half an hour. The emperor strictly ordered that no matter what the situation was, the Xuanwu Gate could not be opened in advance without his will. Even Gao Liansheng, who led the forbidden army, did not have this right, and the siege and garrison were actually still in Li Yuan's own hands.

"Last night's fire......"

Zhang Gongjin glanced at Liu Hongji, and did not continue to speak halfway through his words.

"Thinking about it is what Li Xian should do."

Liu Hongji said in a low voice.

"But why is there no follow-up?"

Zhang Gongjin was puzzled: "It's obviously already on fire, and the city is a little chaotic, the fire is so bright, the rebels outside the city shouldn't be able to see it...... And since Li Xian should set fire to the city in the city, he must have an agreement with Li Xian. When the fire broke out in the city, Li Xian led his troops to attack the city...... The fire is on, why does he not move? ”

"I've been thinking about it for the middle of the night, too!"

Liu Hongji rubbed his swollen and sore eyes, sighed and said, "Thinking about it, it's nothing more than a possibility, this fire is not a signal that Li Xian and Nei Ying have agreed. ”

"Then why did he set fire to his guilt?"

Zhang Gongjin sighed and said, "No, ......"

"I haven't figured it out either, not only you and me, this false alarm last night, I'm afraid that Your Majesty may not be able to guess Li Xian's intentions."

"Let's hope it's safe."

Zhang Gongjin smiled bitterly and shook his head: "What an eventful season!" ”

"Entering the palace later, I plan to ask Your Majesty to send someone to fight out of the siege to ask for help, the county king Li Xiaogong also has at least 50,000 soldiers in his hands, and the king of Qin also has 50,000 or 60,000 horses in his hands, if the messenger's mount is fast, the reinforcements should be able to rush back within two months. Li Daozong has 134,000 horses in his hands outside the eastern capital, and there are also big ships, if you take the waterway from the eastern capital to Chang'an, it won't take long...... If you are lucky, the siege of Chang'an can be lifted before September. ”

"Easier said than done!"

Zhang Gongjin lowered his voice and said, "King Qin's side is naturally easy to say...... After all, if Li Xian entered the city, King Qin would really have no hope, and it would be difficult for him to fight back to Chang'an City. So if the news is sent out, King Qin and Li Xiaogong will definitely lead the army back to help, but now that the two of them are fighting fiercely with Xiao Miao, if it is to drive away the tiger and then attract Xiao Miao, the wolf, it may not be a good thing. Xiao Mo has 400,000 soldiers, how can King Qin and Li Xiaogong get out so easily. ”

"As for Li Daozong's more than 100,000 horses...... Not to mention being restrained by Yan Yunjun and the scribes, not to mention being restrained by Wang Shichong, even if there is a big ship that can rush back? Yan Yunjun's sailors are sharp in the world, and the Donglai sailors of the Great Sui are all in the hands of Li Xian, how difficult it is for Li Daozong to return to Chang'an by water! ”

Liu Hongji sighed and said: "I have also considered it, but if you don't send someone for help, Chang'an City will ......."

Just as he was saying this, the Xuanwu door opened, and Gao Liansheng rushed to the door with a team of forbidden troops, and when he saw Liu Hongji and Zhang Gongjin, he hurriedly saluted: "Two princes, Your Majesty is waiting for you." ”

……

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The Imperial Study

Li Yuan nodded after hearing Liu Hongji's words and said, "I want to come to you to talk about this matter. The thieves besieged the city, and the eastern army was the weakest, and if a general was sent to lead the elite cavalry to kill, the thieves would not necessarily be able to stop it. If you can summon the soldiers and horses of the Eastern Capital to help, the thieves will inevitably retreat. ”

Liu Hongji lowered his head and said: "There is a fierce general named Xu Shengfu under the minister, and he has the courage of ten thousand people. ”

Zhang Gongjin also arrived: "There is a tiger general Wei Tianchui under the minister's account, and there is also the courage of ten thousand people. ”

Li Yuan hummed and said: "Let Xu Shengfu take a thousand elite cavalry to kill from the east of the city, and go straight to the eastern capital to summon Li Daozong to immediately lead the army back to help." Wei Tianchui led a thousand elite horsemen from the south of the city to kill, and went straight to Jingxiang to transfer Li Xiaogong's men and horses back. If the trip is not delayed, the reinforcements will be back within two months. ”

He glanced at Liu Hongji and Zhang Gongjin and said, "Defending the city for two months is all on the two Aiqing. ”

"How dare the minister not serve the death force!"

The two of them said in unison.

"Hongji is more attentive about the city defense...... Hongshen, what do you think of the thief's arson last night. ”

When Zhang Gongjin heard His Majesty ask himself, he hurriedly lowered his head and said: "The minister thinks that it must be a communication signal between Li Xian and the city left in detail, or an agreement to attack the city, or something to transmit." ”

"No matter what ...... it is"

Li Yuan stood up and walked to the door, looked at the majestic Taiji Palace and said: "It's not a good thing for these people to lurk in the city, Hongji is more worried about the city defense, as for the Yanyun thief's meticulous work in the city, you should pay more attention to this matter...... There is a certain general in the forbidden army named Wan Yulou, who is a master of hunting down murderers and finding traces, and I will transfer him to your army to assist you. ”

"Obey the order!"

"By the prince's side, I once sent him four guards, and killing the enemy in battle may not be as good as the men and horses of the military garrison, but chasing the murderers is far better than the people of the military garrison. Among them, the people of the Vermilion Bird Guard have already ordered them to be slaughtered, as well as the Qilin, Xuanwu, and Bai Ze Sanwei, and there are more than 1,000 people, all of which will be handed over to you, even if you check them door to door, you will also take down all the details arranged by Yanyun thieves in the city! ”

"Whoa!"

Li Yuan suddenly sighed and said, "I know that the matter of breaking through is too dangerous and cruel, and in a while, the two of you will find Xu Shengnu and Wei Tianchui, and I will personally explain a few words to them." ”

"Another ......"

Li Yuan glanced at Liu Hongji and said: "You have a good relationship with Ning'er, she has always treated you as a brother, and when she was in Huaiyuan Town, Liaoxi, she pestered you to ask for the art of war and martial arts, you go and persuade her...... Most of the soldiers and horses in Hedong County are drawn from Ning'er's women's army, and if she goes to the city to command, the morale of the army will be greatly boosted. ”

Liu Hongji was shocked, thinking that when he saw Li Huining not long ago, the despair and sadness in her eyes made him feel embarrassed.

……

……

After Li Yuan told Liu Hongji and Zhang Gongjin to send someone to break through and ask for help, his mind suddenly lit up, and he suddenly remembered something, and he immediately laughed very happily. The two of them didn't know what the emperor suddenly remembered, but they felt that Li Yuan's sudden laughter looked a little weird.

"Why am I so confused!"

Li Yuan slapped his head and laughed: "There is also an extremely useful person in the palace, I have only cared about other things these days, and I have forgotten everything, and now when I think of this person, I can't say that she can retreat from nearly 200,000 rebels outside the city alone!" ”

Liu Hongji and Zhang Gongjin looked at each other, and said in their hearts that there are still such characters in the palace? Why have you never heard that Your Majesty has gained any talented people, is it a famous general of the previous dynasty? But almost all the famous generals of the Great Sui are dead, and since Zhang Xutuo died in battle, there are few generals in the Great Sui, and Wang Shichong is not a famous general at all.

"At the beginning, the prince once invited Li Xian's aunt to the East Palace as a guest, and later after the prince was assassinated, I asked Dugu Xue to bring the woman to the Taiji Palace. Isn't Li Xian extremely affectionate, this woman has a great kindness to him, I want to see how he faces this woman! ”

"Gao Liansheng!"

Li Yuan ordered: "Go and bring that woman to me!" ”

Gao Liansheng hurriedly went, and after half an hour, he ran back with an extremely ugly face, glanced at Li Yuan cautiously, and then said in a trembling voice: "The slave maid didn't find the place where the criminals were held, and the idle houses in the palace were all searched, but they didn't even see a figure." ”

"Go and teach Dugu Learning, he locked him up!"

After another hour, Dugu Xue pushed open the door of a remote place in the forbidden army garrison and led the emperor in.

"Before the minister went to the Criminal Department, he mentioned this woman to His Majesty, and His Majesty said that no one should tell him, and he might be locked up in the future...... What about people?! ”

Dugu Xue looked at the empty room, and his face changed greatly.

Li Yuan walked in quickly, his eyes swept around the room. Wherever there was a woman, not even a mouse saw one. His face suddenly became extremely ugly, and his fists were clenched very tightly, obviously trying to suppress the anger in his heart.

"The forbidden army is stationed, and the Miyagi is important! It was actually robbed of the prisoner, I ...... What do you want? ”

"Your Majesty......"

Gao Liansheng called out cautiously, then pointed to the table and said, "There is a letter." ”

Li Yuan walked over with a dark face, suddenly thought of something, and immediately ordered a eunuch: "Open it and see if it is!" ”

The little eunuch hurriedly stepped forward, opened the envelope and took out a piece of paper, and sprinkled more than a dozen words.

"When I returned to Juyeze from Chang'an City four years ago, Xiao Xianzi talked to me about Li Yuan. He said that Li Yuan had the emperor's life, but he couldn't afford it, I didn't believe it back then, but today I realized that kid really had some vision. But in my eyes, Li Yuan before becoming emperor was a cold-blooded and ruthless brute. After becoming emperor...... It's an indecisive idiot! ”

The last sentence: "Marry your head sooner or later, and avenge the pharmacist!" ”