My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 413 Li Chengqian's Trump Card
"Want to go?"

Hou Junji shouted and immediately led his cavalry to outflank King Wei, Li Tai, from the rear.

Chai Lingwu's guess was correct; Hou Junji and the others were here for the sake of the King of Wei and the King of Jin.

This was a task that Li Chengqian had arranged for Hou Junji long ago.

Li Chengqian did not believe that the Prince of Wei and the Prince of Jin would remain inactive while he was facing off against Li Shimin.

Therefore, it's probably impossible for them to lead troops to participate in the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

After all, aside from their status as princes, neither of them were as reliable as the generals under Li Shimin in military matters.

However, neither of them would be willing to be relegated to the background.

Therefore, the most likely scenario is a showdown in the imperial city.

To be on the safe side, Li Chengqian transferred 30,000 Liaodong troops into the city, leaving 20,000 for Hou Junji.

Their purpose was to capture the King of Wei and the King of Jin.

Even if we fail to capture Xuanwu Gate, it doesn't matter as long as we capture the two of them.

Carrying the heads of the Prince of Wei and the Prince of Jin, and walking the path that Li Shimin walked, is not a big deal.

This is equivalent to a guaranteed minimum.

Under Hou Junji's cavalry charge, Li Tai's remaining troops were utterly powerless to resist.

In fact, the quality of the soldiers on both sides was not much different. Strictly speaking, the personal guards of the Prince of Wei's mansion were slightly better than the soldiers of Hou Junji.

A bad soldier is just one bad soldier, but a bad general makes a bad army.

No matter what, Hou Junji was a famous general of the Tang Dynasty and a master of conquering kingdoms. Chai Lingwu and Li Tai were no match for him.

With just one charge, Li Tai's personal guards completely collapsed.

Li Tai fell from his horse in a disheveled state, completely losing any of the demeanor of the King of Wei.

Seeing Hou Junji riding towards him with a sinister grin, he immediately shouted at the top of his lungs, "Hou Junji, I am the legitimate son of the Emperor, how dare you touch me!"

This was his last act of defiance.

However, Hou Junji didn't take it seriously at all, and just sneered: "Tie him up."

Upon hearing this, his trusted subordinates did not hesitate at all and stepped forward to bind the King of Wei.

Li Tai had forgotten that Hou Junji had participated in the Xuanwu Gate Incident back then.

At that time, Crown Prince Li Jiancheng and Prince Li Yuanji died in front of him.

If Yuchi Jingde hadn't acted quickly, Hou Junji might have been the one who killed him.

Just as Hou Junji was about to take Li Tai away, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from the west.

Hou Junji looked westward, his expression indifferent, showing no surprise.

His troops immediately prepared for battle.

Before long, the leading general revealed his face.

It was none other than Li Ji, the Duke of England.

Beside him was Prince Li Zhi of Jin.

Li Ji and Li Zhi, who were guarding Kaiyuan Gate, naturally knew about the shocking explosion at Xuanwu Gate.

Although Li Ji was supposed to be guarding the various gates of Chang'an to prevent the crown prince from escaping, his scouts were constantly monitoring the five gates of the imperial city.

If something unexpected happens on Your Majesty's side, Li Ji will definitely raise an army to attack Hou Junji's family, opening a way for Your Majesty to retreat.

Li Ji received the news when Li Tai led his troops to Anfu Gate.

He then told Li Zhi as well.

"Can the King of Wei win?"

Li Zhi inquired.

"I'm afraid not."

Li Ji answered with great certainty, for Hou Junji's strength was well-known.

In contrast, what are Li Tai and Chai Lingwu?
"I want to go and save the King of Wei."

Li Zhi was very serious.

After a brief consideration, Li Ji agreed.

Now that the battle at Xuanwu Gate has reached this point, it's almost time for a conclusion.

From any perspective, it was perfectly reasonable for Li Ji to raise an army to attack Hou Junji.

Thus, the scene of Li Ji leading his troops came to be.

"I was originally thinking about how to break through the gate, but I never expected that you would deliver yourself to my door."

"It saves a lot of trouble."

Upon seeing that it was Li Ji coming over, Hou Junji's face lit up with joy and he spoke.

Originally, the Crown Prince's intention was to arrest both the King of Wei and the King of Jin.

However, the Prince of Jin was under the protection of Li Ji, and he was still traveling through Kaiyuan.

Attacking the city gate is no easy task, and now that Li Ji has brought the Prince of Jin out, it suits his purposes perfectly.

"Hou Junji, your crime of treason deserves the execution of your entire family!"

Li Ji's voice was as loud as a bell, and his warhorse raised its head and neighed.

There are not many famous generals who can fight against Hou Junji, and Li Ji is one of them.

Li Ji achieved fame earlier than Hou Junji. He followed Li Mi in his early years and joined the Wagang Army at the age of seventeen. He followed Li Mi in his rebellion against the Sui Dynasty and was an important general in the Wagang Army. Later, he surrendered to the Tang Dynasty.

Hou Junji was different; he came from a noble family in Guanzhong, specifically the Shanggu Hou clan.

Her grandfather, Hou Zhi, was the governor of Pingzhou during the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and her mother, Lady Dou, was related to Empress Dou, the wife of Li Yuan.

At that time, Li Yuan had just established the Tang Dynasty, and Li Shimin, as the Prince of Qin, was recruiting talents widely. Hou Junji, relying on his family background and maternal relatives, was brought into the Prince of Qin's mansion by Li Shimin, initially serving as the Left Guard Commander and General of Chariots and Cavalry, and was enfeoffed as the Viscount of Quanjiao County.

In his early years, he followed Li Shimin in his campaigns to the east and west, participating in the suppression of separatist forces such as Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande. He gradually gained Li Shimin's appreciation for his bravery and military achievements.

The statement that Hou Junji was brave but lacked strategy does not refer to his military talent, but rather to his political wisdom.

His conquest of the two Western Regions states already proved his bravery.

Hou Junji's spear lifted Li Tai's golden hairpin, the crisp sound of the gold thread snapping mingling with a cold laugh: "The Duke of Ying should ask His Highness the Crown Prince about that. As for the Prince of Jin, instead of retreating into his tortoise shell to go far away, he insists on coming to his death?"

Li Zhi spurred his horse forward, the reins tightening so that the warhorse reared up and neighed, its eyes fixed on the bound Li Tai.

"Hou Junji! Release the Prince of Wei immediately! Do you know what crime it is to kidnap the eldest son of the royal family?"

Hou Junji sneered, "Prince Jin's words are laughable. Back then, during the Xuanwu Gate Incident, when the Crown Prince and Prince Qi's heads rolled, did anyone ask about their crimes?"

"Now that the Crown Prince has ordered me to arrest someone, it is the will of Heaven. If you take another step forward, the golden crown on the tip of this spear will be replaced by your own head."

Li Ji suddenly spurred his horse to block Li Zhi's path. His silver armor gleamed coldly in the firelight, and his spear slammed into the ground with a dull thud.

His gaze was piercing as he questioned, "Hou Junji! You followed His Majesty in his campaigns, conquering Gaochang and defeating the Turks—what merits you have made! Why do you insist on getting involved in this murky water?"
"The Crown Prince's treason is an irredeemable crime. If you remain obstinate, you will not only be disgraced but also implicate the entire Hou family! You were a follower in the Xuanwu Gate Incident; if you aid and abet the evildoer today, you will be the ringleader! Turn back now, lay down your weapons, and I will plead with His Majesty on your behalf!"

Hou Junji was not alone; he was backed by the Hou family of Shanggu.

Upon hearing this, Hou Junji threw his head back and laughed loudly. His spear trembled violently, and the golden crown on its tip fell to the ground, rolling in front of Li Zhi's horse. Li Tai, curled up on the ground, looked up at Li Zhi in a disheveled state, a pleading glint in his eyes.

Hou Junji pointed at Li Ji, his tone fierce: "Duke of Yingguo, Duke of Yingguo, do you think I, Hou Junji, am easily intimidated?"

"Back when you were breaking through the enemy lines with the Prince of Qin, you were still a powerful figure in Wagang Village! Now the Crown Prince has 30,000 Liaodong spies infiltrating the country, and Xuanwu Gate is already ablaze. If Your Majesty cares about family ties, you should abdicate long ago!"
"As for my entire Hou family?"

Hou Junji abruptly turned his horse around, pointing his spear directly at Li Ji's throat: "The men of the Hou family never fear death! Today, either you and the Prince of Jin surrender, or I will use your blood to commemorate the Crown Prince's great cause!"

Li Ji glanced at the Prince of Jin and said in a deep voice, "Hou Junji, we once fought side by side, must we meet on the battlefield today?"

As Hou Junjile shifted his horse, the armor plates clashed with a piercing sound, and sparks from the tip of his lance splattered onto Li Ji's silver armor: "Comrade? Does the Duke of Ying still remember Zhai Rang of Wagang Village? When you beheaded him to claim credit, did you ever think of our comradeship?"

He suddenly thrust the tip of his spear at the rubble on the ground, the flying pebbles brushing against Li Zhi's riding boots: "When my Hou family ancestors followed Emperor Wu of Zhou to quell the Northern Qi, your Li family was still selling smuggled salt in Caozhou, wasn't it? You're nothing but bandits who climbed the social ladder, how dare you talk about status with the descendants of the pillars of Guanzhong?"

Hou Junji's horse circled around Li Tai, the golden crown held aloft by the spear tip drawing an arc in the firelight: "Look at this King Wei, a prince of noble birth, he has become a prisoner. What about you, a surrendered general from Wagang? If you hadn't surrendered your territory to Tang when Li Mi was defeated, you would probably have been fed to the crows in Luoyang along with Wang Shichong!"

Li Ji slammed his spear into the ground, the tip sinking three inches into the earth: "Hou Junji! You entered the Qin Prince's mansion through your family's influence, merely using the power of the maternal relatives to climb the social ladder. Do you really think you're a noble from the Guanzhong region? When you destroyed Gaochang, you embezzled treasures, and His Majesty spared your punishment because of your past merits. Now you dare to insult others by your family background?"

"Insulting people?" Hou Junji suddenly laughed wildly, tearing off his helmet to reveal a scar on his forehead. "The blood my Hou family has shed for the Tang Dynasty is more than the Yellow River water your Wagang Army has drunk!"
"You're nothing but a surrendered general who led a few thousand bandits to surrender. How dare you talk about your merits in front of me?" He suddenly pointed his lance at Li Zhi behind Li Ji.

"Even the Prince of Jin knows that the bloodline of a noble family and that of a commoner are inherently worlds apart!"

Li Ji was furious; he hadn't expected Hou Junji to look down on him like that.

They even brought up things from the past.

Without further hesitation, he shouted, "Kill!"

Under the cover of night, a large number of soldiers surrounded and attacked. Li Ji's troops were more than Hou Junji's, numbering over seven thousand.

Hou Junji now only has two thousand soldiers guarding Anfu Gate, and three hundred cavalrymen he brought with him.

Hou Junji remained calm upon seeing this.

He sneered, "What do you think I've been talking to you for all this time for?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a shout rang out.

A large number of soldiers emerged from behind.

These soldiers were the elite troops from Liaodong left here by the Crown Prince, numbering in the tens of thousands.

The torches turned Anfumen Square into a furnace, and the charge of Li Ji's seven thousand Xuanjia soldiers erupted with the sound of metal shattering the moment they collided with Hou Junji's ambush.

Tens of thousands of Liaodong soldiers swarmed out from the eaves and walls, and the iron wall of swordsmen and shieldmen in the front row collided with the spear formation of the Xuanjia Army. The muffled sound of the shields clashing was like thunder rolling over the bluestone road.

"Form the Crane Wing Formation!" Li Ji immediately mounted his horse on the high slope, pointing his spear at the right flank of Hou Junji's formation.

The army split into two groups as easily as if they were moving their own arms, and like cranes spreading their wings, they surrounded the Liaodong troops on the flanks. The front row of Mo Dao soldiers even split several iron shields in half.

Hou Junji sneered and cracked his whip, sending twenty ballistae out of the formation. The giant arrows pierced the air like the howling of a vengeful ghost, instantly penetrating three layers of shields and smashing bloody holes in the circular formation.

In terms of military talent, Li Ji was actually more capable than Hou Junji.

However, this is a direct confrontation, and Hou Junji has a larger force.

After a fierce battle, even though Li Ji had a slight advantage, the scales of victory slowly tipped in Hou Junji's favor.

Li Ji also did not expect that the Crown Prince's fierce attack on Xuanwu Gate would leave more than 10,000 troops for Hou Junji.

The key issue now is not rescuing the King of Wei. If this continues, the King of Jin will likely perish here as well.

These Liaodong soldiers are fierce and fearless, and it's unclear how the Crown Prince trained them, but they are even more ferocious than the elite troops in Chang'an.

The Left Jinwu Guard under Li Ji's command had not been on the battlefield for many years. The Jinwu Guard's main duty was maintaining order, not fighting on the battlefield.

Moreover, many of them are new recruits, and Li Ji has already reached his limit by fighting to this point.

"Protect the Prince of Jin and retreat to a distant gate."

Realizing that it was difficult to turn the tide, Li Ji immediately made a decision.

As soon as Li Ji gave the order, his army immediately changed formation.

Hou Junji frowned and immediately ordered a full-scale attack.

However, Li Ji did not panic when he retreated. After entering the streets and alleys, the roads were relatively narrow, which made it difficult for Hou Junji to maneuver.

Hou Junji's face was gloomy. After thinking for a while, he gave up his plan to pursue Li Ji.

To capture Kaiyuanmen, artillery would definitely be needed, but Hou Junji didn't have many cannons left.

We also need to reserve some for critical areas.

The most important thing is the situation at Xuanwu Gate.

If the Crown Prince wins, he must defend the capital and prevent His Majesty from leaving.

If the Crown Prince is defeated, Hou Junji will also help to capture Chang'an and escort the Crown Prince to safety.

Hou Junji may have looked down on Li Ji, but he knew that Li Ji was quite talented.

Moreover, Li Ji has more troops at his disposal, but most of them are used to defend the gates of Chang'an. If a strong attack is launched, Li Ji will definitely mobilize troops from other gates, which will lead to a stalemate and affect the Crown Prince's plans.

the other side.

Xuanwu Gate.

After the city gates were breached, Li Chengqian arranged for a large number of cavalry and armored soldiers to launch a strong attack.

The cloud vehicle also followed suit.

Although the advance was difficult, after paying a heavy price with a large number of elite troops from Liaodong, they finally managed to push forward a large area behind Xuanwu Gate.

"The time has come. Order General Su to proceed with the charge."

Li Chengqian, standing on the high platform, held a crystal telescope and kept observing the movements at Xuanwu Gate.

Seeing that the city gates had been advanced considerably, he immediately issued an order.

In front of the military camp.

Su Dingfang, Pei Xingjian, and Xue Rengui, all three wearing armor, led the way.

Behind him were three thousand riders.

Unlike other cavalry, these cavalrymen, besides carrying a sword across their hips, did not wield a lance, but rather a thin, long stick.

This is Li Chengqian's trump card.

Matchlock gun.

If artillery is a battlefield marvel, then the matchlock gun is a weapon for individual soldiers.

The end of the era of cold weapons was not due to cannons, but to matchlock guns.

The manufacture of matchlock guns is not complicated. Li Chengqian had already made a flintlock gun for himself a long time ago.

However, due to the scarcity of high-quality flint and the higher cost-effectiveness of matchlock guns, flintlock guns were not mass-produced.

After occupying Liaodong, Li Chengqian had already begun secretly manufacturing matchlock guns.

This force of three thousand cavalry had begun training with matchlock muskets some time ago.

However, they always practiced in secret. Even if someone heard the sound, they would only think it was a small cannon, since the sound of a matchlock gun was not as loud as that of a cannon.

This is why Li Chengqian was willing to expend a large number of troops to push out of the city gate defense line.

Only in this way can the matchlock gun have more room to be used.

(End of this chapter)