Thus opened the prelude to the turbulent and magnificent anti-Sui uprising. At this time, many people wanted to take the opportunity to fish in troubled waters, including court officials and Yang Guang's subordinates. Of course, Li Yuan also had the idea of fishing in troubled waters, but he saw the situation clearly at that time and thought that the time was not yet ripe, and there was only one result of raising troops now - failure.

After all, Yang Guang was still the emperor of the Sui Dynasty, and the state machine of the Sui Dynasty had not reached the age of scrapping. All he could do was wait, wait for that thing called "timing" to come.

Finally, when the time came, he could see that the state machine of the Sui Dynasty was showing signs of being scrapped. Li Yuan made very thorough preparations, and after countless nights and countless times of careful consideration, Li Yuan decided to raise troops. The reason why he made this decision was not the result of impulse. Only young people like Li Shimin are prone to impulsiveness.

Obviously, Li Yuan is no longer young, the ruthless years have blown his sideburns white, he has experienced a lot, lost a lot, lost his father in childhood, lost his wife in middle age, and has been in officialdom for decades, which also makes him more intelligent. Only wisdom that is obtained through practice and thinking is wisdom that works.

"On paper, you will eventually feel shallow, and you must bow down to this matter," Zhu Xi said. Maybe the later Li Shimin was more capable than Li Yuan, but now Li Shimin is just learning and growing up under his father's shoulders.

Taiyuan Shouyi Li Shimin played a certain role, and attention is not the main role, this point must be known. After experiencing the great defeat later, Li Shimin changed from growth to maturity in military affairs.

As for the maturity on the political zhì, it is thanks to his good brother and good brother. We have reason to believe that in the later confrontation between Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin, it was not only Li Shimin who gradually matured into politics. Li Jiancheng is also slowly moving towards the maturity of politics.

It's sad that two brothers grow up together, but only one person can live. A sorrow of rights and interests. The difference between victory and defeat is who strikes first at the last minute. The first strike is strong, and the last strike suffers, this sentence makes sense.

Who's right and who's wrong? I can't tell. I just say. The struggle for rights can be evaluated from a moral point of view, but not only from a moral point of view. It's a bit much, and it's a little unbearable.

I want to say that the rebellion against the Sui has become a part of the general trend of the world at that time, and Li Yuan, as the imperial relative of the Sui Dynasty (Yang Guang's cousin), was fully prepared to raise troops and did not fight against the Sui banner. In that historical context. Li Yuan occupied the time. As mentioned above, once Li Yuan's army entered Guanzhong, they occupied a favorable position. Let's talk about people.

Li Yuan occupies the time of the sky, and is about to occupy the geographical advantage, but also occupy the people. Why do you say that Li Yuan occupies people? First. Before Li Yuan raised his army, many people persuaded Li Yuan to raise his army, which showed that Li Yuan's army was in line with the people's support and had supporters. Second, in the process of Li Yuan's march into the pass, there were constantly rebels and Sui Dynasty officials who surrendered to Li Yuan.

Third, Li Yuan's group is of one heart and one mind, although everyone has the purpose of speculation, it can be seen that they have great confidence in Li Yuan. They believed that Li Yuan would definitely be able to bring them the glory and wealth they wanted. Li Yuan took out your courage and rushed forward, many people are watching you. Victory is yours.

The premise is that no matter how great the tribulation is, no matter how bumpy the future is, you should not look back. Good horses don't eat back grass, and some people can't go back for the rest of their lives. Li Yuan was not this kind of person before, but now he has become this kind of person. Because turning back means – death.

It's brutal. Is it? Yes. But to see the magnificence of life. If you want to see the scenery in your life that others can't, you have to give up something. You have to endure a few things, including the constant threat of death, including no turning back. Some people, not people. They seem to be above people. On July 8, Li Yuan arrived in Xihe County to comfort the officials and people of the Sui Dynasty and give relief to the poor people. …

Li Yuan's method of winning the hearts of the people really achieved good results. The next stop - Huoyi, Huoyi is not as simple as Xihe County, there are regular government troops stationed, the guard general Song Laosheng, and 20,000 elite soldiers. Song Laosheng doesn't need to know too much about this person, he is just a tricky character.

On July 14, Li Yuan garrisoned Jiahu Fort (now Fenxi Dong, Shaanxi Province), Jiahu Fort is located in the northwest of Huoyi, 50 miles away from Huoyi, near the mountains and Fenshui, which is a dangerous place. Li Yuan estimated that Song Laosheng would defend here, but unexpectedly, Li Yuan was disappointed that Song Laosheng was not as smart as Li Yuan thought.

Not only did Jiahu Fort not have a large army stationed to defend, but not even a scout Li Yuan did not see it, and Li Yuan's army followed Jiahu Fort and approached Huoyi. The opponent turned out to be at this level, and Li Yuan was very confident that he would break Huo Yi in one fell swoop. But this is just a beautiful vision of his, and God will soon tell him that his vision cannot be realized soon, and it will take a while (half a month).

God seemed to be about to test Li Yuan's confidence and determination, it rained heavily, and it was out of control, and God seemed to be in charge of it. Seeing that the military rations were getting less and less day by day, Li Yuan wanted to drag on like this, and if he was not beaten to death by Song Laosheng, he would have to starve to death here.

So he ordered Shen Shu'an to go back to Taiyuan to transport grain to relieve his urgent need. The house leak happened to rain overnight, Liu Wenjing sent the Turks to not come back, and the grain did not arrive, at this time came a more fatal news, Liu Wuzhou united with the Turks to attack Taiyuan. If the food is gone, it can be transported again, if the old nest is served by others, it will be more than worth the loss. Li Yuan hurriedly convened a military meeting, at which two opinions emerged. One opinion, represented by Pei Lian, advocated the withdrawal of troops from Taiyuan.

There are four reasons: first, Song Laosheng is not easy to defeat; Second, Liu Wuzhou was treacherous and the Turks were greedy, and there was a great possibility that he would attack Taiyuan; Third, the families of the rebels are all in Taiyuan, and Taiyuan is our foundation, so we should go back to Taiyuan; Fourth, the army will run out of food and grass.

The other opinion, represented by Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin, advocated not withdrawing troops. There are also four reasons: first, now that there are crops everywhere, how can it be said that there is no food (extraordinary measures are taken in extraordinary times, that is, robbery)?; Second, Song Laosheng was rash and impatient, and he could be captured in one battle; Third, Liu Wuzhou and the Turks are harmonious on the outside, and they are mutual in their hearts

What both sides said was very reasonable, and kicked the ball to Li Yuan again. At critical moments, leaders have to make ideas. Li Yuan thought for a while and decided not to withdraw his troops. The reason why Li Yuan made such a decision was not to gamble.

It's not a bet that Liu Wuzhou and the Turks don't dare to attack Taiyuan (if that's the case, Li Yuan is not Li Yuan, it's a fortune teller). Instead, after careful and careful analysis, it was determined that there was no danger in Taiyuan.

It turns out that Pei Lian's idea is unpleasant, I can't figure it out, this guy always has bad ideas, how can he be so willing to come up with ideas. Should be. He thinks he's right.

The general operational policy was formulated, and the rest was taken care of. It's just one word - etc. When God is in a good mood, I wake up in the morning and open my eyes, and I can't hear the sound of rain outside.

Wait for Shen Shu'an to transport the grain and grass as soon as possible. It didn't take long for Li Yuan to wait. July 28th. Shen Shu'an is back, and of course there is still enough food and grass. On August 1st, after more than half a month of continuous heavy rain, the Jade Emperor finally ordered the rain god to call it a day. It also means the first assessment for Li Yuan. Li Yuan got a perfect score. If he goes back to Taiyuan, the score he gets will definitely be zero. There is no negotiation, it is either a perfect score or a zero score.

The rain stopped and the sky cleared. When it was time for Li Yuan to show his strength, the Tang army, which had been holding back for more than half a month, was like a tiger coming down from the mountain. Scrappy. Li Yuan thought that with this army, he was enough to run rampant in the world. After the rain, the mood of the person always becomes very good, and the good mood is more confident. He thinks that nothing in the world can stump him. …

On 2 August, Li Yuan ordered the whole army to expose their armor, weapons, clothes, and equipment to the sun. At this time, Song Laosheng didn't know what he was doing?

It is estimated that he fantasized that after Li Yuan's army could not attack Huoyi for a long time, he retreated gloomily. August 3rd. As soon as he was ready, Li Yuan was about to take military action. It's just dawn. Li Yuan led the cavalry along the southeast foothill path and drove directly to the city of Huoyi. Stop five or six miles east of the city. Wait for the follow-up infantry main force. Li Yuan was most worried that Song Laosheng would defend the city behind closed doors, which would be protracted and delay the fighter.

So Li Yuan ordered Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin to lead dozens of horses to approach the city to observe the terrain, raise their whips and wave them, and make comparisons, as if they wanted to surround the city, and at the same time they lost no time in scolding Song Laosheng. It is estimated that it will not be a good word, Song Laosheng was really enraged and led the soldiers out of the city to face the battle.

As soon as Song Laosheng left the city, Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin led the army to retreat. Song Laosheng thought to himself, you two boys just finished scolding me, you want to leave, there is such a good thing in the world, see that I catch up with you, don't chop you to death. So Song Laosheng rode a horse and ran ahead, leading the army to pursue Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin. What you want is for you to chase, not afraid of you chasing, afraid that you will not chase.

If you chase, there is a way to make you unable to go back. At this time, the follow-up infantry main force had joined forces with Li Yuan under the leadership of Yin Kaishan, and Li Yuan's army was greatly strengthened. Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin retreated to Li Yuan's location, and then turned back to fight Song Laosheng

Li Yuan wanted to put Song Laosheng to death, and asked Li Jiancheng to lead the left army to cut off Song Laosheng's return from the south gate, and Li Shimin to lead the right army to cut off Song Laosheng's return from the east gate. Song Laoshengjun and Li Yuanjun had a fierce battle, don't look at Song Laosheng's head is not very bright, he is just a two-pole, and when he is scolded twice, he forgets what his surname is. In battle, he is a brave general, rushing left and right as if he was in a no-man's land.

The morale of the Sui army under the leadership of Song Laosheng was high, and the Tang army was obviously a little unable to support it. Seeing this situation, Li Yuan was very anxious, and suddenly his eyes flashed, and a plan came into his mind. Li Yuan shouted: "Song Laosheng has been killed. "You know, not every soldier on the battlefield is with the commander, but most soldiers are separated from the commander and fight separately.

This news shook the morale of the Sui army. Therefore, some soldiers lost their fighting spirit as soon as they heard the news, so they broke with the army, and the Tang army took the opportunity to counterattack and defeat the Sui army. Song Laosheng was beheaded by Liu Hongji, a general under Li Yuan, in the chaos (another version is that he was killed by Lu Junge).

Until he died, Song Laosheng didn't know how he failed. The Tang army won a complete victory, the Sui army was completely annihilated (for several miles, the blood flowed on the ground, and the zombies pillowed each other), and occasionally there were fish that slipped through the net, and they were also dumplings made by Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin.

Li Yuan ordered the army to take advantage of the victory to attack the city, there was no siege equipment at that time, the soldiers attacked the city with their bodies, and the defenders in the city saw that Song Laosheng was dead, and their fighting spirit was completely lost. After only symbolically defending for four hours, Huo Yi was captured by Li Yuan. Li Shimin was very brave in this battle, and the history books record that he killed dozens of people with his own hands, and there were gaps in both knives. There was blood in the sleeves of his shirt, and he threw it dry and continued to fight. (Both knives are missing, bleeding sleeves are full of blood, and the battle is sprinkled) After the battle, a problem arises?

There were many slaves in Li Yuan's army. They fought and built up their military exploits, the question was whether they should be rewarded in the same way as other soldiers. The question was submitted to Li Yuan. Li Yuan did not hesitate at all, and immediately replied: "When fighting, there is no distinction between high and low, and when it comes to meritorious service, there is no hierarchy. ”

Tell the people under him clearly. Slaves and other soldiers were to be rewarded equally. Li Yuan's order was also one of the reasons why the combat effectiveness of the Tang army was higher than that of other vassal armies. After all, slaves were not a minority in the army, and Li Yuan's fair reward could stimulate their enthusiasm for fighting. …

They know that they can prove themselves by killing their enemies bravely. Huo Yi's guard Song Laosheng is a two-pole, and he can't stand being scolded twice. It was easy for Li Yuan to take Huoyi, but it was not so easy for the next stop, Xihe. Because it was Qu Tutong, a famous general of the Sui Dynasty, who was stationed in the West River. Qu Tutong is definitely not a famous general, but he is a name that he only gets by speaking with strength.

Li Yuan, move on, there is an even stronger enemy waiting for you at the next stop. On August 25, Li Yuan's army arrived at Longmen, and at this time, Li Yuan's old comrade-in-arms, Liu Wenjing, returned. He also brought with him, the general of the Turkic Shibi Khan, Khamsali, plus five hundred soldiers and two thousand horses. Li Yuan was very happy. immediately praised Liu Wenjing: "The Turks came so late, so I am not afraid that they will rob the war merits, this is all your credit." ”

Liu Wenjing said very modestly: "I didn't do anything. "Actually, I was very happy. silently counted how much credit he had made for Li Yuan, and counting the general line of the combat policy, there should be two.

And both of these credits are incomparable to others. Liu Wenjing was very proud, and he thought that with his ingenuity, he would definitely be able to become the first hero of Li Yuan's founding of the country, like Xiao He, the prime minister of the Han Dynasty, and his name would be remembered by future generations.

But he didn't know. In the end, he can only be regarded as a Han Shin-style character, which is quite sad. And it's barely counted. He is very confident in the future, and this confidence comes from his unparalleled achievements. He thought that Li Yuan would not treat him badly. The reason why he had such an idea was because. He doesn't understand.

He didn't understand why Fan Li helped Goujian, the king of Yue, to defeat Wu Wangfucha and go boating on Taihu Lake; He didn't understand why Zhang Liang helped Liu Bang pacify the world and then retreated to the mountains and forests. A companion is like a tiger, this sentence is not wrong.

There are some people who can share in weal and woe, but not in prosperity together, and this sentence is not wrong. There were three things in Longmen that made Li Yuan happy, the first was that Liu Wenjing was back; second, Liu Wenjing came back so late; In the third, not only did Liu Wenjing return, but also brought two thousand horses from the Turks.

At that time, Li Yuan's troops had no shortage of soldiers, because there were constantly stragglers from the Sui Dynasty who came to take refuge, ordinary people who couldn't eat were constantly joining the army, and there were constantly underworld organizations coming to mix rice. What Li Yuan's troops lacked most was horses, to be precise, cavalry units with high combat effectiveness.

With these horses, Li Yuan could build a cavalry force that was brave and good at fighting. You must know that in the era of cold weapons, there were no tanks, no 38 covers, and soldiers could only rely on cold weapons such as swords, guns, swords, halberds, axes, and axes. In that case, the cavalry troops, which were moving extremely fast, showed their might. As soon as the cavalry appeared, the opposing soldier, before the knife was drawn, was beheaded by the cavalry. Although it is a bit exaggerated, it is enough to show the superiority of cavalry over infantry combat.

In the era of cold weapons, most of the famous generals were able to use cavalry independently and flexibly, including: Li Shimin, Li Jing, Li Tao (that is, the folklore of Xu Maogong, although the historical person is not as clever as the folklore, but he is a famous general with outstanding military achievements), Hou Junji and others are masters of this way.

In the long unification war of the Tang Dynasty in the future, there will be a great drama of famous generals flexibly using cavalry to fight, and the protagonists are of course the ones mentioned above. Li Yuan was very eager to establish an independent regular cavalry force, but when the Turks sent two thousand horses, Li Yuan made a puzzling move, as long as half of them were one, it was a thousand, and the remaining one thousand, what should I do?

Send it back. Many people don't know about Li Yuan's actions, including his soldiers, some of whom may be too eager to make a contribution, and are very excited to say to Li Yuan that they want to use their own money to buy Turkic horses. At this time, Li Yuan had to tell the riddle. The answer is simple.

It turns out that these horses are not given away for free, but bought with money, which is understandable, after all, the Turks are not living Lei Feng, why should they give you Li Yuan the hard-earned horses.

For Li Yuan, who was full of thoughts, he realized that the Turks' horses were unlimited, and their own money was limited, if he bought all these horses, then what would he do next time the Turks sent horses? The best thing to do is not to buy all their horses this time, and tell them that they are now very poor and have no extra money to buy the remaining horses.

According to my analysis, it is also possible that the trade between Li Yuan and the Turks was not fair. Li Yuan played a disadvantageous role, of course. Whoever asks you to ask someone for something will have to suffer a loss. But Li Yuan didn't want to suffer a loss, so Li Yuan came up with such a plan and only bought half of it. I have to admire Li Yuan's cleverness. (To be continued)