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

Chapter 215 Li Shimin's Reassurance and Worry

"Very good, this is the true passionate man of our Tang Dynasty!"

Su Dingfang's powerful voice echoed in the night sky, as if it could penetrate the clouds and shake people's hearts.

"Anyone who offends the Great Tang will be punished no matter how far away they are. Anyone who dares to raise an army, whether inside or outside the country, will be killed."

Su Dingfang's eyes were wide open and his voice was loud, with every word carrying endless majesty and dominance.

At this moment, Su Dingfang stood on the high platform, raising his strong arms, still talking incessantly.

An impassioned pre-war pledge was in progress. His resolute gaze swept over the high-spirited soldiers below, like a burning flame, igniting the utilitarianism in everyone's hearts.

Then, he shouted loudly:

"Pass on this general's order. All heavy loads must be abandoned, including heavy armor and heavy weapons. All personnel must be lightly equipped and march quickly. Set off immediately!"

Su Dingfang knew that time was pressing and that he had to strike a heavy blow to Xueyantuo before he could recover from his shock, so he decisively issued this military order.

Even if all the heavy armor and equipment were abandoned, it would only put the Tang army and the Xueyantuo soldiers back on the same starting line.

But right now, speed is the most critical factor.

As for food and supplies, they gave them up without hesitation.
The strategic policy formulated for him was to support the war by fighting, and to eat wherever he went, without the need to prepare too much food and fodder in advance.

Now they are nothing but a burden.

At this moment, a remarkable scene appeared. Su Dingfang resolutely took off his heavy armor in front of many soldiers.

He held the spear tightly in his left hand and the sharp sword tightly in his right hand, then he turned over swiftly and gracefully and jumped onto the warhorse, swinging the sword.

"All the generals, listen to my orders, follow me to kill the enemy and achieve great success."

The rest of the soldiers followed suit, dropping all the heavy objects on their bodies, taking only their swords and guns, mounting their horses and leaving, closely following Su Dingfang's footsteps.

……

"Your Majesty, Lingzhou City is still there and has not been breached by the enemy yet!"

A paging sound broke the silence of the night sky.

I saw a long team holding torches, like a winding fire dragon, suddenly appearing under the night sky.

Thousands of flames instantly lit up the land, as if daylight had returned.

This is the Tang Dynasty army that came to our rescue overnight.

Yuchi Jingde, a brave general who has experienced many battles, is now standing at the vanguard of the army.

His black armor gleamed coldly in the firelight, but what was even more eye-catching was the thick layer of yellow sand covering the armor.

It seemed to be telling of the hardships they had experienced along the way.

Looking at the dry cracked corners of his mouth, you can tell that he had been exhausted and had to sleep in the open air throughout the journey, and the hardships he had endured were truly beyond description.

It has always been like this when marching and fighting, and speed is of the essence.

In order to seize the initiative and gain the upper hand on the battlefield, soldiers often had to travel day and night without stopping.

This high-intensity forced march is a huge test for every soldier, requiring not only a strong will but also excellent physical fitness.

In fact, such difficulties and obstacles are just the tip of the iceberg in military career.

Compared with those more brutal and harsh combat environments, now is not the most difficult time.

It is also for this reason that it may not be difficult for people to understand why Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, suffered from a number of illnesses during his long military career.

After all, as the commander-in-chief of an army, he always led the troops in person and frequently led them on emergency marches.

If he had not held a high position and enjoyed relatively favorable conditions, he would probably have found it difficult to bear such heavy pressure.

Many other ordinary soldiers were not so lucky. During the countless forced marches, many of them died of exhaustion due to excessive physical exhaustion.

"Zhang Jian and Cui Dunli did a good job. I will credit them for their contribution."

Li Shimin also walked towards him. Seeing the Lingzhou City still full of lights, he finally put down the huge rock in his heart.

"The way of war is treacherous. We still don't know the true situation of the city. Let me go and find out."

Yuchi Jingde rode out on his horse, "It is better to be safe than sorry."

This does not rule out the possibility that Lingzhou City has fallen into the hands of Xueyantuo.

"Okay, General Yuchi Jingde, please be careful!"

Li Shimin said with a look of concern, his eyes fixed on the neat and mighty army in front of him, his thoughts involuntarily drawn back to the days of war many years ago.

Thinking back to the past, I was still that young general who was high-spirited and decisive, leading my soldiers to fight north and south and defeat all the heroes in the world.

However, times have changed. Now I am the king of a country. After experiencing countless ups and downs, my character has gradually become calm and cautious.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. As long as I have this spear in my hand, no matter how many traps there are, what can they do to me?"

Yuchi Jingde held his head high and chest out, proudly raising the gleaming spear in his hand, his eyes determined.

But he was breathing heavily while speaking, inadvertently revealing the fact that he was getting older.

The brave general who once fought on the battlefield and was the bravest among the three armies is now unable to resist the erosion of time. Although his martial arts are not as fierce as before, the courage deep in his bones still exists.

Without waiting for Li Shimin to speak again, Yuchi Jingde kicked his horse's belly and galloped out like an arrow.

In a blink of an eye, he rode alone to the south gate of Lingzhou City, firmly pulled the reins, raised the spear in his hand high, and shouted loudly like a bell:

"The defenders in the city, please come out and answer me. I am Yuchi Jingde, the Right General of the Tang Dynasty!"

At this moment, Cui Dunli was standing on the top of the city wall, looking outside the city with his hands on his back. When he saw people coming down from the city, he was sure that reinforcements had arrived.

"Reinforcements have arrived, open the city gate quickly!"

Yuchi Jingde had a very distinctive appearance, and Cui Dunli recognized him from a distance as the real him.

I saw the tightly closed city gate slowly open, making a dull sound.

Immediately afterwards, teams of defending soldiers wearing heavy armor and holding spears quickly walked out of the city in neat and powerful steps.

With solemn expressions and quick movements, they soon lined up respectfully in two rows on both sides of the city gate, like soldiers waiting for inspection.

Before long, bursts of exciting trumpet sounds and thundering horse hooves were heard in the distance.

Li Shimin was leading his mighty army and marching towards this side.

With flags flying and morale high, the army marches forward like a giant steel dragon.

When they arrived at the city gate, the team entered the city one after another in an orderly manner, and the whole scene was extremely spectacular.

"The Governor of Lingzhou pays homage to His Majesty the Saint!" Cui Dunli came running over in a hurry, his face filled with fear, his body trembling slightly. Then he bowed deeply to Li Shimin in fear and trepidation.

Li Shimin rode on a tall warhorse, looking down at Cui Dunli in front of him, with a hint of imperceptible admiration flashing in his eyes.

Although he had some grudges against those aristocratic families, he had to give recognition and reward to Cui Dunli for his contribution in defending the city.

Internal troubles and external unrest are two different things.

So he said in a loud voice: "Cui Dunli, you have made great contributions in defending the city. After this battle, I will order you to return to Chang'an to take up your post."

Hearing this, Cui Dunli was overjoyed and kowtowed again to express his gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty! I will do my best to serve the court!"

However, at this moment, Li Shimin began to search the crowd, as if looking for someone. After a moment, he frowned and asked:

"Where's Zhang Jian? Why can't I see him?"

"General Zhang has led his troops to chase after the enemy."

Cui Dunli replied immediately.

"Chasing the enemy? But what about the aggressive Xueyantuo? Could it be that Lingzhou is not the main attack direction of the Xueyantuo?"

Li Shimin was shocked when he heard this, his brows furrowed, and he felt something was wrong.

"That's right! Your Majesty, the Xueyantuo army is indeed targeting Lingzhou as its main attack direction this time. Just one day ago, Xueyantuo's 200,000-strong army arrived at the city and launched a fierce attack on Lingzhou City."

"But when the city was about to be breached, two groups of our soldiers suddenly rushed out from the Xueyantuo's rear camp and quickly rushed into the Xueyantuo's central camp. In an instant, the enemy camp was in chaos. The Xueyantuo army, which had been so powerful, fell into chaos in an instant and was eventually defeated."

Cui Dunli reported the battle situation to Li Shimin in a concise manner.

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin, Yuchi Jingde and Cheng Zhijie all showed shock in their eyes.

Isn’t this situation exactly similar to the battle of Hulao Pass back then?
With only a few thousand people, they were able to defeat an enemy numbering over 100,000.

"However, I currently know very little about the specific details of this battle. But in my opinion, it won't be long before General Zhang Jian returns victorious."

Cui Dunli added after a brief pause.

"So, the crisis in Lingzhou City was resolved by someone else? We can find out who did it."

Li Shimin continued to ask, this was related to his judgment of the entire situation.

The reason why he went northward at all costs was not only because of the Xueyantuo, but also because of the rebellion.

The life and death of Changsun Wuji is uncertain.

It has not yet been determined who the rebels are.

If internal and external troubles are not properly resolved, they will definitely shake the foundation of the country.

"The injured ones who stayed behind were the Turkic cavalry. They were led by Anguo Gong Zhishisili and Zuo Wuhou Zhonglang Jiang Su Dingfang, who defeated the Xueyantuo army."

Cui Dunli was a smart man and did not exaggerate his achievements.

"Oh, from this point of view, the rebel must be Zhang Liang!"

When Li Shimin heard this, his eyes instantly became sharp like an eagle, and a hint of coldness and strong murderous intent emanated from his eyes.

He had always believed that he had treated Zhang Liang, who came from a humble background, well and had never done anything wrong. But now, this man dared to betray him, which was an unforgivable crime.

Cheng Yaojin on the side was furious and shouted at the top of his voice:
"This damned bastard, I, Old Cheng, have long seen that he is not a good person! When I was in Wagangzhai, I looked down on him and was thinking about finding an opportunity to get rid of him. This guy doesn't think about fighting bravely on the battlefield and making achievements all day long. Instead, he is always thinking about shameful activities and loves to play those despicable tricks behind the scenes."

Cheng Yaojin became more and more angry as he spoke, and continued to list all of Zhang Liang's past misdeeds:
"It was last time that he falsely accused Crown Prince Li Chengqian of treason, causing Hou Junji to bear the blame for no reason. I never expected that this time he would be even more unscrupulous and dare to commit such a rebellious and unjust act!"

Speaking of Zhang Liang, there were really few generals who could look up to him.

The reason why he was able to rise so quickly was because he sold out other people's confidential information and did bad things in secret.

Whenever he went into battle, his true colors were revealed. He became a complete coward, fearing the enemy like a tiger, and without any courage that a soldier should have.

"Your Majesty, allocate three thousand elite soldiers to me, Old Cheng! I promise to capture those traitors in one fell swoop and bring their heads back to you like picking fruits!"

The more Cheng Zhijie spoke, the more indignant he became. He was so angry that he blew his beard and glared, and he looked as if he was going to lead the troops into battle himself at the next moment.

At this time, Li Shimin was not blinded by anger. He narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a deep voice:
"Zhang Liang is a cowardly person who is timid and afraid of things. He has never been able to achieve anything great. He dared to commit such a treacherous act. There must be someone behind him secretly instigating and manipulating him."

Although he was extremely angry about Zhang Liang's behavior, Li Shimin still maintained the composure and coolness that an emperor should have, and was not affected by emotions at all. His wise judgment is admirable.

For the Tang Dynasty, this was truly a ray of luck amidst misfortune.

If the people who started the rebellion this time were Zhishisili and Su Dingfang, the situation would probably become extremely difficult.

You must know that before Zhishishili surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, he was Jie Li Khan's most trusted and beloved general, and his left arm and right hand man.

He not only controls many confidential affairs of the Eastern Turks, but also has great prestige among the Turkic people. If he has evil intentions, it means that the Eastern Turks, which once disappeared, are likely to revive and become a major threat to the Tang Dynasty again.

Furthermore, when it comes to bravery and fighting skills, he is not comparable to Zhang Liang and his ilk.

Su Dingfang also had a criminal record. He was Dou Jiande's capable general. He was well-known in the north and was deeply loved by the people.

If he had ulterior motives and made any unusual moves, he would become another troublesome character like Liu Heita. In this case, half of the Tang Dynasty might be lost.

The combined power of Su Dingfang, Zhishisili and Xueyantuo was so strong that even if Li Shimin personally took charge of the war, he could not guarantee that the situation could be settled within just half a year.

"That's not really the case, is it?"

Hearing this, Cheng Zhijie's face suddenly became extremely solemn, as if covered by a thick layer of dark clouds. Obviously, he had already thought of some extremely terrible consequences.

At this moment, Yuchi Jingde suddenly interrupted:

"Old Cheng, stop imagining things! When Duke Anguo and the others come back, won't the truth be revealed?"

Don't be fooled by the fact that these two people always look careless and heartless on weekdays.

But in fact, the twists and turns in their hearts are much more delicate than embroidery needles?
It is precisely because of this rough yet delicate quality that they are able to always roam in the core of power and do so with ease.

All of this points to one person, Changsun Wuji.

Only this commander can make the entire army obey.

"Have the rebels ever attacked Lingzhou City?"

Li Shimin frowned slightly and his eyes fell on Cui Dunli. His resolute face looked particularly serious at this moment.

As the ruler of a country, he is extremely sensitive to any disturbance that may threaten the security of the country.

At this moment, he had a vague sense of foreboding in his heart.

Cui Dunli, who was standing nearby, also looked solemn when he heard the emperor's question. After a moment's thought, he replied:
"Your Majesty, strangely enough, we have not found any trace of the rebels so far. The only ones who came to attack the city were the Xueyantuo army."

(End of this chapter)