The siege of Luoyang City was extremely fierce, Wang Shichong personally commanded more than 30,000 elite troops to go to the city for fierce battles, and at the same time, the crown prince Wang Yingxuan mobilized 50,000 people to devote themselves to the defense of the city.

'Boom! Boom! Boom! In the fierce drums of war, tens of thousands of Tang troops pressed on the ground, and dense soldiers were overwhelmingly killing the city, holding shields and swords in their hands, shouting and killing shook the sky.

In the midst of the black-pressed army, there were hundreds of huge ladders and three-zhang high nest carts, pulled by hundreds of oxen, and pushed by more than 100 soldiers, huge wooden wheels slowly rolled, and the low sound of trumpets continued to blow from the side of these behemoths.

At the head of the city, hundreds of giant stone cannons and eight-bow crossbows were waiting for each other, and the commander shouted with the captain: "Release!" ”

'Bang! With a loud bang, a fifty-pound boulder was emitted by the stone cannon, rolled in the air, and accurately hit a nest car two hundred steps away, which had been hit repeatedly, and finally could not support it and collapsed violently.

More stones smashed into the crowd, causing the Tang soldiers to roll over on their backs and suffer heavy casualties.

The eight-bow crossbow on the city also fired, which was a giant bed crossbow, with an arrow shaft like a car spoke, and an arrow axe like a giant axe, which could shoot more than 400 steps away.

Under the repeated blows of heavy defensive weapons on the head of the city, the Tang army's siege engines suffered great damage, but despite this, dozens of ladders and nest carts still leaned against the city wall.

The Tang army climbed towards Chenggong like an ant colony, and the arrows on the head of the city were like a storm, shooting at the Tang army on the ladder from both sides, and people kept falling.

Boulders and rolling logs tumbled and fell from the top of the city, and five or six Tang soldiers were smashed over, screaming and falling down the ladder.

In the west city, a nest car leans on the head of the city. The iron plate was put down, the iron hook on it hung the battlements, dozens of Tang troops swarmed out from the nest car, and at the head of the city, hundreds of Zheng soldiers rushed up. The two armies engaged in a fierce battle.

The Tang army was constantly repulsed, but kept rushing into the city, and this battle continued for ten days, and both sides paid tens of thousands of dead and wounded.

After attacking for a morning, he never succeeded in capturing Luoyang. The offensive of the Don army gradually subsided.

At the head of the city, Wang Shichong's face was pale, the Tang army's ten-day attack caused nearly half of the Zheng army's casualties, more than 14,000 people were killed and wounded, and the defenders in the city were less than 20,000 people. Within three days, Luoyang City is likely to be breached.

Now the only thing he hoped for was the support of the Sui army, but Yang Yuanqing's conditions were extremely harsh, requiring him to remove the emperor title and claim to the Sui. This made it emotionally difficult for him to accept.

But if he doesn't accept it, then he has only one fate, he will be captured or killed by the Tang Dynasty, and even King Zheng can't do it.

Wang Shichong also knew that Yang Yuanqing was ready, but he refused to send troops. forced him to remove the emperor's name, and would rather his Luoyang City be broken than give in a step. This made Wang Shi grit his teeth with hatred, but he was helpless.

This is a three-way game, it depends on who can be tough to the end, and in the current situation, Wang Shichong already feels that he can't support it.

"Holy!"

Wang Ren hurriedly stepped forward with an officer, looking nervous. Wang Shichong glanced at him and felt his nervousness. "What's going on?"

Wang Ren pulled the officer forward, "You can tell the saint yourself!" ”

The officer stepped forward and knelt down, "Your Majesty, there are more than a dozen officers who are ready to descend to Tang, and the time is set for today and tomorrow." ”

"What!"

Wang Shichong was taken aback, grabbed the officer's shirt, and asked sharply: "Who wants to surrender to Tang?" ”

The officer trembled and said: "Who is the specific person, I don't know what the humble position is, but when the humble general Liu Shunping was drinking last night, he said to show his mouth." ”

Next to him, Wang Ren said: "I have already controlled this Liu Shunping, but it is too late to interrogate." ”

Wang Shichong was extremely annoyed, and said to Wang Renze: "I will leave this matter to you, and within an hour, all those who want to surrender to the Tang Dynasty will be arrested!" ”

"Obedience." Wang Ren quickly went down with the officers.

Wang Shichong's teeth were clenched, whoever dared to descend to the Tang Dynasty would be killed......

In a house in the west of Luoyang City, twelve officers are gathering together to secretly discuss the plan to descend to Tang, they can no longer wait, and unanimously agree to descend to Tang tonight, everyone is very excited, you say a word, I am a word, discussing the details of the operation.

At this moment, there was a sudden scream from the courtyard outside, and the officers reacted quickly, jumped up one after another, and banged on the ground several times in a row, the doors and windows were knocked open, and countless hard crossbows reached in from the doors and windows, aiming at them, "All kneel!" Otherwise, you will be killed. Wang Renze's loud drink came from the courtyard.

Everyone looked at each other, raised their hands and knelt down, and then a large crowd of soldiers poured in, and the twelve officers were pressed down and tied up......

Wang Shichong rushed into the courtyard with murderous vigour, including the first to catch a general, and the thirteen officers all knelt in the courtyard in frustration, their arms tied behind their backs.

Wang Shichong rushed to them and looked at the group of officers coldly, and he finally walked up to one of the officers and raised his face with a horsewhip, "It turned out to be you!" ”

This officer is Wang Shichong's former horseman, named Zhang Shunzi, and now a captain, Wang Shichong is so hateful that his eyes are about to burst into flames, "Do you even want to betray me?" ”

Zhang Shunzi lowered his head and said for a while: "The city is about to be destroyed, everyone wants to surrender, why not me?" ”

"!"

Wang Shichong whipped him in the face, his heart was furious, and he ordered Wang Ren: "All thirteen people will be beheaded, and their heads will be hung on the city to show the public, and those who dare to think of surrendering again will be an example!" ”……

Thirteen bloody human heads hung on the city wall, but Wang Shichong's heart was a little cold, he didn't know if these thirteen human heads had any shock to the soldiers of the three armies, but they became the last straw that overwhelmed Wang Shichong's heart.

Wang Ren hurried up to the city and bowed down, "Uncle is looking for a nephew?" ”

Wang Shichong stared at the Sui army camp in the distance, his eyes looked very sad, and after a while, he said lightly: "You immediately cross the river and tell Yang Yuanqing that I promised him his conditions to remove the emperor's title." ”

In the afternoon of the same day, Wang Shichong issued an edict to officially abolish the emperor's title and change his name to King Zheng, all the clans removed the princes, and the prohibited items were burned......

In fact, there was no need for Wang Renze to report, just an hour after Wang Shichong issued an edict to abolish the emperor's title, a goshawk spread the major events that happened in Luoyang City to Heyang.

Yang Yuanqing had been waiting for this news for a long time, and Yang Yuanqing immediately ordered the army to cross the river and go south, and thousands of warships loaded with 50,000 Sui troops and tens of thousands of war horses sailed to the other side of the Yellow River.

At this time, it was the end of June, but the weather was still scorching, the summer heat was burning, there was wind on the river, the river breeze was blowing, and it was a little cool, Yang Yuanqing was wearing a golden helmet, wearing iron armor, carrying a war knife at his waist, and staring at the south bank of the Yellow River with deep eyes.

Beside him stood Xie Sili, the squire of the military department, Xie Sili also served as the Sima of the southern march, and he whispered to Yang Yuanqing: "Your Highness, I am a little worried about Li Jing, he only has 30,000 troops, and he has to divide his troops to guard the Tiger Pass, and he has to fight against Li Xiaogong's 80,000 army, will there be insufficient troops?" ”

Yang Yuanqing nodded, "I have also considered this problem, I have ordered Qin Qiong to divide 10,000 troops to Li Jing, so that his troops will reach 40,000, and there are thousands of county soldiers in Guancheng County, and the troops can barely deal with it." ”

After a pause, Yang Yuanqing was a little worried: "Actually, what I'm worried about is not Li Jing, what I'm worried about is Xiao Milling in the south, Li Xiaogong has been sending troops to the Central Plains for more than ten days, but there is no movement on his side, and he didn't take advantage of the empty strength of the Tang army to recapture Jingxiang, I don't understand what he is thinking?" I suspect there may be something wrong with them internally. ”

Speaking of this, Yang Yuanqing turned around and asked Xie Sili, "You once sent an envoy to Jingxiang, from your feelings, what problems will arise in the Liang Dynasty?" ”

Xie Sili pondered for a while and said: "I have talked to Xiao Mo twice, and I feel that this person is very suspicious and not easy to get along with, and the people of Liang Guo also say the same about him, saying that he can share weal and woe, but not wealth, and has the ambition of a hero, but he has no mind of a hero." ”

Yang Yuanqing also sighed slightly, "Back then, Wang Mo was loyal to him, and ran around with him for the Nanhua Society, but when the Liang State was established, Xiao Mo first forced Wang Mo to death, and the generals under him were all killed by him one by one, and the elders were wiped out, so although the Tang army only broke through Jiangling, the entire Liang Dynasty surrendered the whole country, this is the reason, I am just worried that he will not learn a lesson and will reoffend his illness, if that is the case, come to protect the child in danger!" ”

Xie Sili was silent, in fact, what he thought of was that there might be a problem with Laihu'er, the merit was high, how could Xiao Mo tolerate him, if the Tang Dynasty had the intention to provoke again, there would inevitably be infighting in the Liang Kingdom, and he was really a person who couldn't do great things.

Thinking of this, Xie Sili sighed: "Your Highness has done a good job, with a broad mind, and the capacity to accommodate people in the world, and only the best people in the world, this is the blessing of my wait." ”

Yang Yuanqing smiled bitterly, "Actually, my temper is also distinct, when I dealt with He Ruobi, Yu Wenshu, and Yu Shiji, they were all teenagers, and if there is revenge, they will be avenged, but if I do this position, my temperament will naturally change, and if I have the heart to take the world, I must have the amount of tolerance for the world." ”

He looked back to the west again, and thought of his fierce rival Li Yuan, "Actually, Li Yuan has also done a good job in this regard, treating people leniently, not competing with the people, being good at balance, and being able to consider the interests of the Guanlong nobles, as well as the gains and losses of the local nobles, and at the same time being cautious and far-sighted, Li Yuan is my biggest enemy." ”

Although he said this, in fact, Yang Yuanqing was also very aware of Li Yuan's weaknesses, Li Yuan was tolerant and kind on the surface, but he was vicious and narrow-minded in his heart, and in order to keep his throne, he was even incompatible with his son.

Historically, he supported Li Shimin to check and balance Li Jiancheng, and allowed Li Shimin to build the Tiance Mansion, so that Li Shimin gradually sat down, and the world was calm, and he wanted to use Li Jiancheng's hand to cut Li Shimin's militia power, and finally directly induced the change of Xuanwu Gate, the world only knew that the change of Xuanwu Gate was a struggle between Li Da and Li Er, but they didn't know that Li Yuan was manipulating everything behind it.

Just as Yang Yuanqing was pondering, a soldier suddenly pointed to the river in front of him and shouted: "Chief, there is danger ahead!" ”