Datang: Rebirth of Li Chengqian, the beginning of the treason interrogation

Chapter 121: Xue Rengui, the Young General in White

The dim firelight flickered, as if it would go out at any time. In such light, Zhang Shigui slowly placed a roll of brocade on the table, as if the roll of brocade carried an extremely important mission.

"This is the military order sent by General Li Ji," Zhang Shigui said in a low and serious voice.
"We are required to restrain the Goguryeo army under the city." His eyes swept across the crowd and finally fell on the young soldier in white in the hall.

"but."

Zhang Shigui's tone suddenly became excited. "I want to not only restrict this Goryeo army, but also eat them! The other armies are eating meat, we can't just keep drinking soup, right?"

"Xue Li, what do you think?"

The young general in white bowed his head slightly and said respectfully: "Whatever General Zhang tells me, Xue Li will definitely obey."

"Haha, Xue Li, your bravery is even better than mine!"

Zhang Shigui laughed loudly, his eyes full of admiration.

"You have the merit of being the first to reach the summit. If you can capture the flag this time, you will surely rise to prominence! Do you understand what I mean?"

His eyes were fixed on Xue Li, waiting for his response.

Xue Li, whose courtesy name was Rengui, was originally just an ordinary volunteer soldier who served as the fire chief and led a small team of only ten people.

He was of low status and inconspicuous, and could not attract the attention of a duke like Zhang Shigui.

However, at this moment, he became the focus of Zhang Shigui's attention and was placed with high hopes.

During the attack on Xincheng, Xue Rengui was extremely brave. He was the first person to climb to the top of the city wall and he was able to stabilize his position. He then killed dozens of enemy soldiers on the top of the city wall by himself.

Coupled with the fact that he was dressed in white, he attracted even more attention. It was hard for Zhang Shigui not to notice him.

So Xue Rengui came into Zhang Shigui's sight.

In the army, not everyone dares to wear white clothes. Those who are not strong in combat will be covered in blood in minutes.

"General Zhang, you want me to capture the flag!"

Xue Rengui said, with a hint of excitement in his voice.

Some people were forced to join the army to fight in the battlefield, while others did it to make achievements.

Xue Rengui is the latter. From the fact that he is dressed in white, we can tell that he wants to attract the attention of his superiors.

For him, this is a great opportunity to make a contribution.

Although he is not a fireman, his current official position is only a small fire chief. He has to report his merits to the Ministry of War before he has the possibility of promotion.

However, Zhang Shigui had no authority to make appointments, the only way he could help Xue Rengui was to lead him to achieve more outstanding feats.

This is not jealousy, nor is it a frame-up of Xue Rengui. Zhang Shigui is a founding hero and a hereditary duke, so he is not so petty.

Xue Rengui had made great achievements in the Liaodong battlefield, and even if he was promoted to a higher position, it would not necessarily be higher than Zhang Shigui.

There is no such thing as concealing any merit. Zhang Shigui led the army and made great achievements, and the greatest credit should be attributed to him as the vanguard officer.

Zhang Shigui was not only not Xue Rengui's enemy, but his benefactor.

"With your bravery, taking the flag is as easy as taking something out of a bag. Do you dare to take it?"

Zhang Shigui patted Xue Rengui on the shoulder and said, this is an unparalleled general.

"Thank you General Zhang for your cultivation. Xue Li is willing to seize the enemy's flag and present it to you."

Xue Rengui clasped his fists.

"That's right. I will not let you fight alone in the early stage. I will lead the whole army to attack. I gave you this mission because I saw that you are very strong in martial arts and have the ability to snatch the head of a general from among thousands of troops. After the battle, I will create an opportunity for you. If it is feasible, you will charge forward. If not, you must retreat and do not fight to the end."

Zhang Shigui said slowly, how could he not like such a powerful general.

"Have you read military books?"

It is obvious that Zhang Shigui had high expectations for Xue Rengui, and the upper limit of his bravery was just that of a general.

If one also understands the art of war, then he can become a commander-in-chief, and it is possible for him to become a general or a prime minister.

"My ancestors left me a few books, and I read them."

Xue Rengui nodded and said.

"Ancestors?" Zhang Shigui recalled and couldn't help but think of Xue Wanche.

"My ancestor was Xue Andu, the King of Hedong, and the military books in my family were also passed down from that time." Xue Rengui replied immediately.

"So you are the descendant of Xue Andu, the commander-in-chief of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and a famous general. Then I will ask you, how do you attack the Goguryeo army under this mountain?"

Zhang Shigui was also shocked. If Xue Li really inherited Xue Andu's military tactics, it would be extraordinary. After all, that was Xue Andu, a Han Chinese who was crowned king for his military achievements.

The art of war is beyond doubt.

Xue Rengui was excited, it was time to show off.

"Our army is standing on the top of the new city, commanding the enemy, while the Goguryeo army is right below. By rolling down rocks, we can break their formation and cause them to become chaotic, and then we can lead our army to attack and kill them."

Zhang Shigui nodded involuntarily. This was a good idea, but it was helpless.

The trees on the mountain had long been cut down, and the stones had to be chiseled.

In his opinion, Xue Rengui was just like that; he had good ideas but ignored the reality.

"It's not your fault. You may not know that the rocks and logs in the city were all used up by the Goguryeo army when we attacked."

"General Zhang, have you forgotten that this new city is a stone city? There is nothing more than stone." Xue Rengui reminded.

Zhang Shigui's eyes lit up. "City wall!"

The walls of the new city are made of stacked huge stones. Once the walls are broken, there will be endless huge stones.

"In this battle, Xue Li, you should be the first to make the contribution."

Zhang Shigui burst into laughter.

"I dare not. This is what a subordinate should do. All the achievements were made possible by General Zhang's good leadership." Xue Rengui said politely and modestly. "Niu Dajin, immediately tell the soldiers to dig the mountain city, select the boulders, and grind them into rolling stones."

Zhang Shigui spoke to the general next to him who had remained silent.

"Okay!" Niu Dajin replied efficiently.

There were countless famous generals in the early Tang Dynasty. If you picked any general from the army that conquered the East and told his deeds, they would all be famous generals.

Niu Dajin was intelligent and clever, with extraordinary courage and martial arts. He first joined the Wagang Camp, and later joined Li Shimin together with Qin Shubao and Cheng Zhijie. He was also one of Li Shimin's confidants and participated in all the battles fought by Li Shimin.

He also fought battles that Li Shimin had not fought before, including the expedition to Tuyuhun in the west, the attack on the Eastern Turks in the north, and the war against Goguryeo in the east.

Because of his outstanding contributions, he was granted the title of Duke of Langya County.

Xue Rengui was very powerful, but his final title was only Duke of Pingyang.

That is equivalent to Niu Dajin's achievement.

But when it comes to martial arts, Xue Rengui definitely ranks first. No one in the Tang army at that time was definitely invincible.

The fact that he conquered Tianshan with three arrows was not due to his outstanding leadership ability, but because of his extraordinary military strength.

You can find out in Dafeichuan.

Xue Rengui could be an unrivaled general who would surely win in close combat.

But letting him command the three armies is a little unsatisfactory, after all, a commander has too many things to consider.

Especially in terms of appointing generals and employing personnel, it is obvious that Xue Rengui did not reach the level of Li Ji, Su Dingfang or even Pei Xingjian.

He is a general, not a commander.

But when there was no one else available, only Xue Rengui could take charge.

In fact, we cannot deny Xue Rengui's talent. It also depends on who the opponent is. That is Tubo, who is the strongest in individual combat, and the Tang army has to retreat to the back.

In the new city, there were clanging sounds everywhere, and huge stones were chiseled into circles.

Countless soldiers were pushing these boulders to the front of the city, and they looked like a mountain.

"So many rolling stones, enough for him to drink a pot."

Niu Dajin laughed and looked down the mountain with bloodthirsty eyes.

"Yes, it's almost time. Let the soldiers stop, cook and eat, and then eat meat."

Zhang Shigui was also confident that with so many rolling stones, the enemy would surely be defeated.

Boom!

It was like a bolt from the blue, and the loud noise made people tremble.

However, soon after, the ground began to shake violently, as if a minor earthquake was hitting.

"The Tang army attacked the camp!"

Suddenly a cry of surprise came from the Goguryeo army.

As the other soldiers rushed out of the tent, everyone felt a chill running down their spine and the hair on their bodies stood up.

I saw huge boulders bigger than tabletops rolling down the mountain. As there were no trees blocking the way, the speed of the boulders was getting faster and faster.

In the blink of an eye, they had rushed to the front of the camp, and both men and horses were killed, blood splattered everywhere, forming a shocking bloody trail.

"Bang!"

The huge rocks leaped and smashed the fortress on the hillside into pieces, splashing blood everywhere.

"Let them all go, and let them have a taste of our Rolling Stones' power!"

Niu Dajin urged loudly from the side.

All the boulders were pushed down the hillside, as spectacular as a mountain collapse, and the earth shook.

The Goguryeo army fell into chaos. Faced with the deadly boulder, the soldiers were terrified and fled to the other side of the mountain.

"The Goguryeo army is in disarray. Kill the enemy and behead the general!"

Zhang Shigui, holding a spear in hand, led the troops and rushed out of the new city.

The Tang army came out in full force, holding black bows and shooting towards the sky. Countless arrows flew into the air and dealt a fatal blow to the Goguryeo army that had just escaped two disasters.

"The Tang army has left the city, kill them!"

With an angry shout, the battlefield instantly fell into chaos.

Despite the fierce attack of the Tang army, the commander of the Goguryeo army remained safe and sound. The Goguryeo army camps were spread all over the Gaol Mountains, and it was not something that could be pacified by a few boulders.

The Tang army only swept through the Goguryeo camps located in strategic locations, but did not cause any substantial damage to the Goguryeo troops in the side mountains and valleys.

"Niu Dajin, you lead the cavalry to charge, divide the battlefield, and prevent the Goryeo army from joining forces."

At Zhang Shigui's command, an elite cavalry unit broke through the enemy's formation, followed by infantry, successfully separating the Goguryeo army on both sides of the mountain.

Fighting in mountainous areas is completely different from fighting on plains, as the terrain here is rugged and the topography is complex and varied.

The mountains and plains were filled with small, scattered groups of enemy troops, who were fighting each other, making the battle extremely difficult and unmanageable.

In this chaotic battle, a man in white stood out. It was Xue Rengui, who rushed towards the enemy's general flag alone.

The arrow in his hand drew an arc in the air, and the enemy knights fell off their horses one after another.

Xue Rengui wielded his spear, and no one could withstand his attack wherever he went.

He rushed into the Goguryeo army alone, like a tiger into a flock of sheep, unstoppable. The enemy soldiers panicked and fled in all directions, and the whole scene was in chaos.

(End of this chapter)