"Relying on the king's words to seal the marquis, one will succeed and ten thousand bones will wither", these are the two most famous poems of the Tang Dynasty poet Cao Song. The establishment of a new dynasty is built on the bones of countless people, which is the so-called "one will succeed and ten thousand bones will wither". It can be said that the foundation of a great empire is built with the bodies of millions of innocent people. Such examples abound in ancient Chinese history.

Take the period of the Sixteen Kingdoms of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, between the Later Yan and the Northern Wei Dynasty, a famous battle with less victory - "The Battle of Shenhepi" as an example. Later Yan and Northern Wei were both two northern regimes established by the Xianbei people during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. The founding emperor of the Later Yan regime was Murong Chui, the Later Yan Chengwu Emperor, who was known as the "First God of War of the Sixteen Kingdoms", and the founding emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty was a famous generation of heroes of the Xianbei clan - Tuoba Jue, Daowu Emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

In the tenth year of the Northern Wei Dynasty (395), Murong Chui, Emperor Wu of Later Yan, decided to use troops against the Northern Wei Dynasty, intending to defeat the rising Northern Wei Dynasty in a war. However, Murong Chui was already seventy years old at this time, old and sick, and could not lead the army to conquer the Northern Wei Dynasty. Therefore, Murong Chui sent the crown prince Murong Bao, the king of Liaoxi Murong Nong, and the king of Zhao Murong Lin to lead 80,000 Yan troops and soldiers out of Wuyuan; Murong De, the king of Fanyang, and Murong Shao, the king of Chenliu, led 18,000 cavalry as the follow-up troops.

In the face of the menacing Houyan army, Emperor Daowu of the Northern Wei Dynasty Tuoba Jue followed the advice of his minister Zhang Yan and adopted the tactics of luring the enemy into depth. Tuoba Jue led the army to Chen Bing on the south bank of the Yellow River, across the river from the army of Murong Bao, the prince of Later Yan. In the end, Tuoba Jue launched a surprise attack on the 80,000 Yan army with 20,000 Northern Wei iron cavalry in Shenhepi, and the Houyan was defeated, with tens of thousands of dead and wounded, and the 40,000 or 50,000 Yan troops all disarmed and surrendered, the crown prince Murong Bao escaped on a single horse, and Murong Shao, the king of Chenliu, was killed.

Originally, for the 40,000 or 50,000 Yan troops who surrendered, Tuoba Jue's plan was to put them back in Houyan in order to buy people's hearts. However, Wang Jian, the lord of the central region, resolutely opposed it, and suggested that Tuoba Jue cut the grass and eradicate the roots, and completely destroyed the combat power of the Yan army:

Yan Zhong is strong, now the country is coming, I am fortunate and victorious, it is better to kill it, then its country is empty, and it is easy to take it. And if you indulge in it, you can't do it! (Information Governance Guide)

As a result, Tuoba killed all the 40,000 or 50,000 Yan troops who surrendered, leaving not a single one. In March of the following year, the Later Yan Emperor Murong Chui personally led an army to attack the Northern Wei Dynasty. After Murong Chui captured Pingcheng, he traveled to Shenhepi and saw that the "piles of remains are like mountains" here, so he set up a altar to pay tribute to the dead of the Yan army. At that time, "the sergeants wept, and the sound shook the valley."

The elderly Murong Trai, touched the scene, was ashamed, vomited a mouthful of blood, and couldn't afford to be sick. Soon, a generation of heroes Murong died of illness at the age of seventy. The Battle of Shenhepi was a turning point in the decline of the Later Yan, and also laid the foundation for the unification of the north in the future of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

It can be seen from this that the great cause of any dynasty in ancient China was won with the blood and lives of countless people. Even the Tang Dynasty, which created countless glories, was no exception. It can be said that since the first step towards the founding of the country, the Tang Dynasty has been facing endless dangers and challenges all the time, and even hung by a thread several times, almost passing by the coveted Chang'an City.

In July of the thirteenth year of the Great Cause (617), Li Yuan officially raised troops in Taiyuan, leading his eldest son Li Jiancheng, his second son Li Shimin, and 30,000 righteous troops to set out from Taiyuan and march to Chang'an. Jinyang raised troops, and the Li family father and son officially began the journey of creating the Tang Dynasty and took the first step in the founding of the Li and Tang dynasties.

So, will the Li family's father and son's march to Chang'an be like the Battle of Xihe, a success in a battle and a quick victory? On the way to Chang'an, what difficulties and obstacles did Li Yuan and his son, as well as the 30,000 Taiyuan rebels under his command, encounter? How did they win step by step and fight back?

Later history proved that the Li family's father and son's march to Chang'an was not only not as smooth sailing as the Battle of Xihe, but on the contrary, it was full of ups and downs and hardships, and even faced the danger of annihilation of the entire army many times and fell short. Therefore, use eight words to describe the process of the Li family's father and son marching into Chang'an: thorns and thorns, killing all sides.

At that time, Li Yuan set out from Taiyuan, and the total strength of the Taiyuan Righteous Army led by Li Yuan was only 30,000 horses, and the strength was not very strong. Moreover, Li Yuan divided the army into three armies before raising troops. Li Jiancheng commanded the Left Route Army, Li Shimin commanded the Right Route Army, and Li Yuanji commanded the Middle Route Army. But later, Li Yuan asked Li Yuanji to stay in Taiyuan to guard against Liu Wuzhou. So now, naturally, Li Yuan is in command of the Middle Route Army. According to this calculation, the left, center, and right armies led by the Li family's father and son were only 10,000 horses each, no more, no less, and the number of troops was very limited.

Although Li Yuan's father and son have been planning for a long time, after all, the number of troops is too small and they do not have an advantage in numbers. Therefore, the first problem Li Yuan faced was the disadvantage in the number of troops. If you are not careful, the 30,000 righteous troops under your command are likely to go and never return, and the whole army will be wiped out.

But soon, Li Yuan had to face a second problem, that is, a military problem. Li Yuan raised troops in Taiyuan, which can be said to shake the world. Why did it shake the world? The key is Li Yuan's political identity. Who is Li Yuan? He was an important member of the Guanlong aristocratic group, the military and political head of the Shanxi region of the Sui Dynasty, the "King of Shanxi", and the cousin of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty. Li Yuan's army represented the military group on the northern border of the Sui Dynasty and officially broke away from the rule of the Sui Dynasty.

Therefore, as soon as the news of Li Yuan's army came out, it naturally aroused great attention from all forces. Not only did the Sui Dynasty gather heavy troops to fight against Li Yuan, but at the same time, other heroes in the troubled times also focused their attention on Li Yuan. They all regarded Li Yuan's rebel army as a thorn in their eyes and a thorn in their flesh.

Let's look at the Sui Dynasty side first. Li Yuan Jinyang raised troops, although he played the banner of supporting the acting king Yang Yu as the emperor, but everyone knew that Li Yuan clearly wanted to rebel, and his ultimate goal was to replace the Sui Dynasty. Therefore, in the face of Li Yuan's large-scale march to Guanzhong, Yang Yu, the acting king of Chang'an, naturally had to send troops to resist Li Yuan.

So, acting king Yang Yu hurriedly sent Song Laosheng, the general of Huyalang, to lead 20,000 Sui troops to garrison Huoyi; At the same time, he ordered Qu Tutong, the general of Zuo Wuhou, to lead tens of thousands of elite "Xiaoguo Army" of the Sui army to garrison Hedong County. The two armies of the Sui Dynasty held Huoyi and Hedong County with heavy troops, preparing to block Li Yuan here.

It should be said that the Sui Dynasty was prepared for battle, and many obstacles were set up on Li Yuan's march to Chang'an. In addition, other heroes in the chaotic times at the end of the Sui Dynasty also focused on Li Yuan, and they also regarded Li Yuan as an important force to change the general trend of the world. Among them, one of the most important figures is Li Mi, the leader of the Wagang Army.

Li Mi can be said to be a man of the hour in the troubled times at the end of the Sui Dynasty, and his strength is also the most powerful, with 300,000 Wagang troops under his command. At this time, Li Mizheng led 300,000 Wagang troops to besiege the eastern capital of Luoyang, and fought to the death with Wang Shichong of Luoyang, which was in full swing.

Li Yuan raised troops and marched into Guanzhong, undoubtedly moving Li Mi's cheese. If Li Mi is angered, Li Mi will definitely lead 300,000 Wagang troops to the west, and fight back and forth with the Sui army. At that time, Li Yuan would inevitably fall into the military dilemma of being attacked by the enemy.

Therefore, since the beginning of the army, Li Yuan has pursued a diplomatic strategy of eight words: Northern Junction Turkic, Eastern and Li Mi. to form an alliance with the Turks in the north to ensure the stability of Taiyuan in the rear; In the east, it is necessary to establish friendly diplomatic relations with Li Mi to prevent Li Mi from sending troops from Luoyang and attacking him together with the Sui army.

Previously, Li Yuan sent Liu Wenjing to envoy to the Turks, and had completed the diplomatic task of "Northern Junction Turks", and Shibi Khan specially sent 2,000 iron cavalry to help Li Yuan. Now, only "Donghe Li Mi" remains. So, how should Li Yuan stabilize Li Mi, the leader of the Wagang Army, who is strong and has an army of 300,000?

Like Li Yuan's thoughts, Li Mi also attaches great importance to Li Yuan's sudden rise. At that time, there were countless anti-Sui forces in the world. However, Li Mi only thinks that Li Yuan is the most qualified person to compete with him for the world. Li Mi was also a generation of heroes, and at that time he was the first overlord of the Central Plains, and he was the leader of various anti-Sui forces. Besides, Li Mi has long coveted the Guanzhong area, but he didn't expect that Li Yuan would be the first to take the lead, and Li Mi was naturally unhappy.

Therefore, Li Yuan believes that if you want to enter Guanzhong, you must pass the pass of Li Mi. So, how does the scheming Li Yuan deal with the powerful Li Mi?

Without waiting for Li Yuan to take the initiative to contact Li Mi, Li Mi threw an olive branch to Li Yuan. At the beginning of Li Yuan's army, Li Mi asked his famous genius Zu Junyan to write a letter to Li Yuan. However, to be honest, the tone of Li Mi's letter is indeed a bit arrogant, and it is completely the tone of the lord of the world, and he regards Li Yuan completely as his subordinate. How the letter is written:

Although it is different from the brother faction, the root system is the same. Self-only and thin, for the heroes of the four seas to promote the alliance leader. Hope left and right, work together, hold the child in Xianyang, and die in Muye, isn't it prosperous! (Information Governance Guide)

Seeing Li Mi's letter, Li Yuan smiled at Le. I don't know who killed the deer, Li Mi is too arrogant to look at the crowd with such a condescending attitude. After receiving Li Mi's letter, Li Yuan suddenly had a plan. It was just right to use Li Mi's 300,000 Wagang army to contain the main force of the Sui army in Luoyang, so as to reduce the military threat from the east, and he could advance all the way to Guanzhong. Thinking of this, Li Yuan said to everyone:

Secret delusion is self-contained, and it can be caused by non-compromise. We have something at stake, and if we reject it, we will be reborn as an enemy; It is better to humbly push the award to be proud of his ambition, so that I will be stuffed into the way of Gao, and the soldiers of the eastern capital, I have to concentrate on the westward expedition. In the middle of the pass, according to the danger of raising the might, Xu Guan's clam momentum to collect the fisherman's work, not too late.

Li Yuan quickly thought of a way to stabilize Li Mi, that is, to deliberately show weakness and paralyze Li Mi. came and did not be rude, so Li Yuan asked Wen Daya to write a very humble letter to Li Mi. In the letter, Li Yuan tried his best to belittle himself, elevate Li Mi, and promote Li Mi as the leader of the alliance. For example, the letter contains this passage:

If you are born to be a people, you must have a pastor. Who is a shepherd today, not a son! The old man is over the age of knowing his fate, and he can't do it. Xindai's eldest brother, climbing scales and wings, only the younger brother has won the picture early, with Ning Zhaomin! The head of the Zongmeng, the family is tolerant, and the re-sealing is in the Tang Dynasty, and Si Rong is enough. (Information Governance Guide)

You must know that Li Yuan is much older than Li Mi, and now, Li Yuan is so humble and arrogant that Li Mi can't find the north. According to the record of "Zizhi Tongjian", after Li Mi received Li Yuan's reply, he proudly showed off to the generals under his seat, and said: "Tang Gong sees that the world is not enough!" From then on, the two sides began to exchange messengers and exchange information.

In this way, Li Yuan used a little trick to settle the proud and conceited Li Mi, making Li Mi lose himself in the "sugar-coated cannonball" he released. With just one letter, Li Yuan defused the military threat from Li Mi. Therefore, the next enemy that Li Yuan has to face is only the main force of the Sui army in the Guanzhong region. After completing the diplomatic mission of "Donghe Li Mi", the Li family father and son fearlessly embarked on the journey of marching into Guanzhong.

However, Li Yuan did not expect that on his journey to Chang'an, he encountered one difficult lifelong rival after another. Li Yuan even had the idea of giving up halfway and turning back halfway several times, which almost made the grand blueprint for the founding of the Li Tang Dynasty die halfway.

Li Yuan was the fifth day of the seventh month of the thirteenth year of the Great Cause (617), and he swore an oath from Taiyuan. Soon, Li Yuan led 30,000 righteous troops into the Valley of Sparrows. On 14 July, Li Yuan set up camp in Jiahubao, which was only more than 50 miles away from Huoyi. As mentioned above, in order to resist Li Yuan's march to Chang'an, Yang Yu, the acting king, sent Song Laosheng, a general of Huyalang, with 20,000 soldiers and horses, to garrison Huoyi; At the same time, he sent Qu Tutong, the general of Zuo Wuhou, to lead tens of thousands of "Xiaoguo Army" to hold Hedong County, which was equivalent to setting up two barriers for Li Yuan's march into Chang'an.

Huoyi relies on Fenshui, which is the only way to Chang'an. Therefore, if Li Yuan wants to take Chang'an directly, he must first take the first military pass in front of him - Huoyi. However, Huoyi is not Xihe County, and Song Laosheng, the general of the Sui army stationed in Huoyi, is not Gao Deru and others, and he is also a strong general in the Sui army. Therefore, as soon as Li Yuan came out of the division, he encountered a hard bone.

Just when Li Yuan was racking his brains about how to capture Huoyi, God seemed to have played a big joke on Li Yuan. At that time, it rained heavily for several days, the roads were muddy, and Li Yuan's army could not move forward. There was no way, Li Yuan could only let some old, weak, sick and disabled people return to Taiyuan first, and transported a batch of grain and grass from Taiyuan to the front line.

The problem is that the heavy rain has been delayed, and the grain and grass in the army have been clearly short. This is not counting, at this time, suddenly from the direction of Taiyuan came a news that I don't know whether it is true or false, saying that the Turks have treacherously united with Liu Wuzhou and attacked Taiyuan. If this news is true, it means that Taiyuan in the rear is in danger, and Li Yuan is very likely to be outflanked in the back.

At the critical moment, there were two choices in front of Li Yuan, first, continue to use troops, capture Huoyi, and go all the way to Chang'an; Second, give up attacking Huoyi, return to Taiyuan, and then make long-term plans. Li Yuan fell into hesitation at this time, if he retreated to Taiyuan at this moment, then the plan to march into Guanzhong would be abandoned halfway; But if he continued to attack Huoyi, in case Liu Wuzhou and the Turks attacked Taiyuan, he would really have no place to stand.

Li Yuan couldn't make up his mind, so he urgently convened a military meeting to discuss the next military action. At that time, there were two factions of opinion among the rebels. One faction is represented by Pei Lian, Pei Lian believes that the current situation is unclear, and Song Laosheng and Qu Tutong are not idle people, and if they really fight, they may not have a chance of winning. Therefore, you should return to Taiyuan, slowly figure it out, and then make long-term plans:

Song Laosheng and Qu Tutong were in danger and were not easy to fall suddenly. Although Li Mi is harmonious, his treacherous plot is unpredictable. The Turks are greedy and untrustworthy, and they are mercenary. Wu Zhou, the one who does Hu is also. Taiyuan will be the capital, and the families of the volunteers are here, so it is better to save the roots, and try to do it later. (Information Governance Guide)

The other faction is represented by Li Shimin, who as the commander of the Right Route Army, heard Pei Lian's negative suggestion to return to Taiyuan, and immediately resolutely opposed it. Li Shimin believes that it would be a pity if a great fighter plane was missed in vain. Moreover, Song Lao is frivolous and impetuous, and once he really wants to fight, he is guaranteed to be able to succeed in the first battle:

Now that he is wild, why worry about lack of food! The old student is frivolous and can be captured in a fight. Li Mi cares about Cangsu, but he is not far away. Although Wu Zhou and the Turks are attached to each other, the inner reality is guessed. Although Wu Zhou is far away from Taiyuan, how can he be close to Ma Yi! Benxing is righteous, desperate to save the people, should be the first to enter Xianyang, and command the world. Now that he has encountered a small enemy, he has already been a teacher, and he is afraid that the righteous people will disintegrate once and defend the land of Taiyuan as a thief, how can he be self-sufficient!

Li Jiancheng thought deeply of Li Shimin's suggestion, and also made suggestions to his father Li Yuan, thinking that he should continue to move forward and capture Huoyi. Faced with the advice of his two sons to continue the march, how should Li Yuan choose? Li Yuan still adopted Pei Lian's suggestion and decided to return to Taiyuan.

If Li Yuan really turns back to Taiyuan, then Chinese history will definitely be rewritten. At this important juncture in history, someone stood up to stop Li Yuan, who was it? Li Shimin. Either Li Shimin is extraordinary, and he can always turn the tide and turn the situation around at critical moments.

At that time, Li Yuan had already given the order to withdraw the troops. However, Li Shimin believed that the opportunity could not be lost, and if the troops were withdrawn at this time, they would definitely lose the excellent fighter plane that had entered the main pass. Therefore, no matter what, Li Shimin had to stop his father and find a way to get his father to withdraw the order.

In the evening, Li Shimin prepared to go to Li Yuan's camp and admonished his father again. However, the guards outside the camp told Li Shimin that Li Yuan had fallen asleep and stopped Li Shimin outside the camp. But Li Shimin is determined to eat the scales today, and he must stop his father Li Yuan.

Immediately afterwards, Li Shimin made an act that no one expected, he sat outside his father's tent, crying. This cry was so noisy that Li Yuan couldn't sleep, and there was no way, Li Yuan could only call Li Shimin into the camp. At this time, Li Shimin explained his thoughts to his father and Pan:

Today's soldiers move with righteousness, and if they enter the war, they will be defeated, and if they are returned, they will be scattered; The crowd is scattered in front, the enemy is behind, and there is no day of death, how can you not be sad!

After listening to Li Shimin's chic sensationalism, Li Yuan finally came to his senses and decided to continue attacking Huoyi. However, after the military order was issued, the Left Route Army had already moved out and turned back to Taiyuan. Li Shimin felt that this was not a problem, his right-hand army was still there, and if he chased it now, he could still catch up. In the end, Li Yuan smiled and said to Li Shimin: "My success or failure is all here, I know what to say, and I can only do it." So, Li Shimin and Li Jiancheng pursued the Left Route Army overnight, and at this time, Taiyuan's grain and grass were also transported to the front line in time.

Perhaps it was the righteous act of the Li family that moved the Li family father and son, and the heavy rain that continued for days finally stopped. Li Yuan thought that the opportunity to attack Huoyi had come, and ordered the officers and men of all armies to dry their armor and weapons. On the third day of the eighth month, in the early morning, Li Yuan led the rebel army to the southeast from the mountain path to the southeast and directly under the city of Huoyi.

Now that we have arrived at the city of Huoyi, the following is how to attack the city. At this time, Li Shimin's military talent can be reflected. Li Yuan was worried that Song Laosheng would occupy Huoyi and hold on, and if the rebel army forcibly attacked the city, it would definitely pay a lot of sacrifices. However, the brothers Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin believed that Song Laosheng had courage and no strategy, as long as he used the method of agitation to provoke Song Laosheng, he would definitely go out of the city to fight, and when the time came, he would concentrate his forces outside the city and annihilate him in one fell swoop:

The old student is brave and unscrupulous, and he picks it up with light horses, and there is no reason; If you get rid of it, you will blame me. He is afraid that he will be played left and right, and he will dare not come out!

Li Yuan also thought deeply of the idea of the two sons to lure the enemy, and said: "You are good at testing, the old student can't fight against Jiahu, I know that he can't do anything!" In Li Yuan's opinion, he had been stationed in Jiahu Fort for so long, but Song Laosheng did not take the initiative to attack. From this point of view alone, Song Laosheng is completely a brave and reckless man.

The father and son reached a consensus and decided to lure the enemy out of the city and annihilate them. And, according to the record of "Datang Entrepreneurship and Living Note", Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin made a military order to their father Li Yuan before the war: "If you don't kill the old people and take Huoyi, your son will dare to thank you with death." In this way, the first battle since Li Yuan Jinyang raised his army, and the first battle of the founding of the Li Tang Dynasty - the "Battle of Huoyi", officially began!

Li Yuan personally led hundreds of cavalry to advance to the east of Huoyi City and set up an ambush circle. Then, Li Yuan ordered Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin to lead dozens of cavalry to Huoyi City to lure Song Laosheng out of the city to fight. The two brothers, Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin, came to Huoyi City with dozens of cavalry, according to the record of the "Old Tang Dynasty Book Taizong Benji", "raise the whip and point at the commander, if the besieger will be angry." The Li brothers were under the city, raising their horsewhips and pointing, as if they were going to put on a siege posture, and they didn't take Song Laosheng in their eyes at all, so as to deliberately anger Song Laosheng in the city.

Song Laosheng was really brave and unscrupulous, and when he saw that the Li family brothers in the city were so "arrogant", he immediately became angry. So, Song Laosheng led 30,000 soldiers and horses, poured out of the nest, and went out to fight from the east gate and the south gate. Li Yuan saw that Song Lao had been tricked, and immediately began to implement it according to the original plan. Li Yuan divided the cavalry troops under his command into two armies, and he and Li Jiancheng led the left army to meet the enemy at the east gate; Li Shimin and Chai Shao led the right army to outflank the Sui army from the flank at the south gate and cut off its retreat.

At this time, Yin Kaishan, the general of the righteous army, led the rear army and also rushed to Huoyi City. Li Yuan originally wanted these soldiers to eat before going into battle. However, Li Shimin believed that the fighter plane was fleeting: "Time must not be lost. In this way, a bloody battle under Huoyi City began.

After the battle began, Song Laosheng led his army to storm Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng's left army, and Li Yuan's frontal troops retreated slightly. Song Laosheng mistakenly thought that the righteous army was invincible, and led his troops to chase after him until he reached the south gate where Li Shimin's right army was located. Li Shimin keenly caught the fighter plane and found that there was a gap between Song Laosheng's army and the city gate. Li Shimin seized this rare opportunity, and led 2,000 cavalry with his subordinate Duan Zhixuan to rush down the hillside from Nanyuan, fiercely attack the back of Song Laosheng's department, and launch a surprise attack.

In the battle, Li Shimin took the lead, brave and invincible, "Zizhi Tongjian" recorded, "Shimin killed dozens of people, both knives were missing, bleeding full of sleeves, sprinkled to resume the battle." Li Shimin brandished two big knives and killed dozens of Sui soldiers with his own hands, both big knives were curled, blood flowed all over his sleeves, Li Shimin threw off his sleeves and continued to kill the enemy with his knives. Li Shimin's strong force, the righteous army immediately boosted the morale of the army and launched a counterattack against Song Laosheng.

At the same time, Li Yuan also played psychological warfare, taking advantage of the chaos on the battlefield, he suddenly made people shout: "I have won the old life." As soon as these words came out, the Sui army was immediately defeated, and they lost their armor one after another, collapsed into an army, and fled in all directions in the direction of Huoyi. Song Laosheng also hurriedly fled to the city, but the city gate was closed. There was no way, Song Laosheng could only dismount and jump into the trench. Not long after he jumped, Tang General Liu Hongji rushed forward and killed Song Laosheng with a knife.

Song Laosheng was killed, and the Sui army in Huoyi City completely lost their fighting spirit. At that time, the sky was gray, and the corpses of the Sui army were all over the field, which was unbearable. Li Yuan believed that taking advantage of the new defeat of the Sui army and the high morale, he took Huoyi in one go. So, Li Yuan gave the order to attack the city. Although the rebels lacked siege equipment, they went into battle shirtless one by one, bravely took the lead, and finally conquered Huoyi in one fell swoop. After conquering Huoyi, Li Yuan and his son won the first battle of the founding of Li and Tang Dynasty, the "Battle of Huoyi".

After capturing Huoyi, Li Yuan and his son successfully removed the first military obstacle on the way to Chang'an. After conquering Huoyi, Li Yuan rewarded the meritorious soldiers in the Battle of Huoyi, and many people were rewarded. However, there was controversy in the army about the rewards of a group of slaves who participated in the war and made meritorious contributions. In the end, Li Yuanli overrode public opinion and rewarded all the slaves who participated in the battle of Huoyi for their meritorious service, and said:

Between the arrows and stones, do not distinguish between the noble and the low, on the occasion of the medal, there is no difference, and it is appropriate to award from this honor. (Information Governance Guide)

After Li Yuan was stationed in Huoyi, he still did not commit any crimes in the autumn, strictly disciplined the military, cordially received the fathers and villagers in Huoyi City, and gave them a lot of rewards. At the same time, Li Yuan also recruited a large number of troops in Huoyi, selecting capable and strong men to join the army and expand the strength of the rebel army. In addition, Li Yuan also stipulated that all sergeants who were from Guanzhong and wanted to return to their hometowns would be awarded Wupin Sanguan and let them return to their hometowns. At that time, some people advised Li Yuan not to be too indiscriminate, but Li Yuan said:

The Sui family is stingy with awards, so it is unpopular, but how can it be effective! And the public is not better than the soldiers!

In the first battle of Huoyi, the father and son of the Li family won a surprising victory, annihilating the main force of 20,000 Sui troops, killing Song Laosheng, the defender of the Sui army, and winning the first battle of the founding of Li and Tang. After taking Huoyi, Li Yuan successfully removed the first stumbling block that blocked his westward entry into Guanzhong, and now, in front of Li Yuan, only Qu Tutong, the general of the Sui Dynasty's Right Wuhou stationed in Hedong County, was left. However, Qu Tutong is an opponent who is even more difficult than Song Laosheng.

Song Laosheng was brave and unstrategic, while Qu Tutong was different, he was a rare brave and resourceful generation of famous generals in the Sui army, and once participated in the rebellion of Yang Liang, the king of the Han Dynasty, and Yang Xuangan, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites. Later, in the war to suppress the peasant uprising in China, Qu Tutong was known for his ruthless use of troops. Therefore, there was a saying at that time that "it is better to serve three buckets of onions than to meet Qu Tutong". Therefore, after taking Huoyi, the next opponent Li Yuan faced was the famous general Qu Tutong.

First of all, let's take a look at Li Yuan's military progress after he conquered Huoyi. To describe in four words, the military progress of the Li family and his son after capturing Huoyi: unstoppable.

In August of the thirteenth year of the Great Cause (617), Li Yuan led the righteous army and won a great victory in the "Battle of Huoyi". After capturing Huoyi, Li Yuan believed that at this time, the main force of the Sui army in Luoyang was fighting hard with Li Mi's 300,000 Wagang army, and had no time to take care of the battle in Guanzhong. This is the perfect time to march into Guanzhong in one fell swoop and seize Chang'an. Therefore, after capturing Huoyi, Li Yuan immediately led his army westward and went straight to Guanzhong.

Li Yuan's army advanced westward along the Fenshui (Fen River), connecting the two cities of Linfen and Jiangxian County, and entering Longmen. At this time, 500 Turkic troops and 2,000 good horses led by Liu Wenjing and the Turkic general Kang Sheli also came to support Li Yuan. This made Li Yuan even more powerful and more confident. At this time, Cao Rengui of Hedong County suggested to Li Yuan that he should surrender the strong and powerful forces in the Guanzhong region in order to strengthen the strength of the rebel army:

The heroes of Guanzhong are all waiting for the volunteers. Gem is in Feng Yi's accumulation of years, knowing his heroes, please go to him, and he will be swept by the wind. The righteous teacher is from Liangshan Jihe, refers to Hancheng, and forces Haoyang. Xiao Zao is a scribe, and he will be convinced. Sun Hua's disciples should all welcome them from afar, and then march with drums and march directly to Yongfeng. Although Chang'an has not been obtained, Guanzhong has been decided. (Information Governance Guide)

Li Yuan adopted Ren Gui's suggestion and appointed Ren Gui as the doctor of Yinqing Guanglu, and soon, Sun Hua, a powerful man in Guanzhong, responded to Li Yuan. Therefore, Li Yuan immediately dispatched Wang Changhuan and Liu Hongji, the commanders of the left and right forces, as well as Shi Chen Yanshou, the commander of the left and right leaders, and Shi Daqi, the doctor of Jin Ziguanglu, to lead 6,000 cavalry to cross the river from Liangshan (in present-day Hancheng, Shaanxi), and set up camp on the west bank of the Yellow River, waiting for the arrival of the main army.

In September of the thirteenth year of the Great Cause (617), Li Yuan commanded all walks of life to attack Hedong County, preparing to launch a general attack on Hedong County. Li Yuan understood that Hedong County was the last military obstacle for him to enter Chang'an, and as long as he captured Hedong County, his westward advance into Guanzhong would be a flat river.

For the Sui Dynasty, Hedong County has also become its last line of defense and the last hope of the Sui Dynasty. Therefore, whether it was Yang Yu, the acting king who guarded Chang'an, or all the officials of the Sui Dynasty, they pinned their last hope on Qu Tutong, a famous general stationed in Hedong County.

Of course, Li Yuan also understands that Qu Tutong is not a piece of fat, but a hard bone that is difficult to gnaw. Moreover, the city of Hedong County is strong, easy to defend and difficult to attack. If Li Yuan forcibly attacked Hedong County, he would certainly be able to capture Hedong County in the end, but he would also pay a heavy price for casualties.

In the face of the unstoppable Li family father and son, Qu Tutong, who was the last famous general of the Sui Dynasty, how did he stick to the city and make the last struggle? Similarly, how did Li Yuan fight wits and courage in the face of the famous general Qu Tutong, who had experienced a hundred battles, and how did Li Yuan finally skillfully arrange and enter Guanzhong in a way once and for all, Dingding Chang'an, and become the Huanghuang Emperor of the Li Tang Dynasty?