A large basin of wine and meat was served, and the generals drank happily, ate and drank, and made a fuss to their heart's content. Soon after, the drunken generals came one by one with wine bowls to salute Wang Yuan, Wang Yuan did not refuse, the wine was dry, and Yixing flew proudly.

After three jars of wine and five pots of vegetables, someone outside the hall suddenly shouted: "It's snowing." ”

Everyone stretched their necks to look out of the hall, and sure enough, they were fluttering like flying flotsam, and snowflakes were falling. The first snow of the year fell in Shudi.

"The wind stopped before noon, and I estimated that the snow was not far away, but I didn't expect it to be so fast. Those who fled into the mountains and forests were afraid that they would suffer. Brother Changling, after the banquet, please bring some people to build a few straw huts outside the city, and put hundreds of large pots to boil porridge. Wang Yuan said with a smile.

Wang Changling was puzzled: "What is that doing?" ”

"Settle the surrendered soldiers. I dare to conclude that those defeated soldiers in the mountains and forests must not be able to endure the cold and come out to surrender. Song Jiangong, you sent someone to assist Wang Sima in handling this matter. All the captives were registered, explained to them, and finally all of them were sent back to their places of origin. Reunite them with their families. Wang Yuan said.

"Yes." Song Jiangong nodded in agreement.

Wang Changling sighed greatly: "Dashuai is really kind-hearted, and this move is very good." I thought that these captives and commanders were going to keep them for hard labor. ”

Wang Yuan laughed and said, "What am I doing with them?" They are just people. As long as there are no weapons in their hands and they are no longer on the battlefield, in my eyes they are ordinary people. Li Mao forcibly conscripted the people into the army, and various places have been thrown into a mess by him. As soon as these young men leave, what will happen to the remaining old and weak women and children? They have to go back. Don't look at it, this is just a hundred thousand people, and it involves the stability of hundreds of thousands of households and millions of people. The stability of hundreds of state capitals is involved. What are we fighting for? Isn't it for the stability of the world? ”

Wang Changling nodded again and again, raised his glass and toasted Wang Yuan several times, and when he sat down, his body shook, and he already meant to be drunk.

Liu Dehai burped and asked, "Dashuai, what should we do next?" Do you want to go north? I've heard that the north side is a bit struggling. Li Mao took 200,000 soldiers and horses to show off his might, and the 50,000 people of Gao Xianzhi seemed to be a little difficult. ”

Liu Dehai's words asked the generals what they wanted, and the generals had already gotten the news that Li Mao's 200,000 troops in the north had broken through Gyeongju, Ningzhou and Longzhou, and were approaching Chengdu. Before, the battle clouds under Tongzhou City were thick, and there was no time to care, but now is the opportunity to withdraw and go north.

Wang Yuan wiped his mouth and said with a smile: "I know what you think, you must want to take advantage of the might of this battle and annihilate the 200,000 soldiers and horses in the north in one fell swoop." But I can only tell you that we are not going north. ”

"Dashuai, if you don't help, will you let them attack Chengdu? We retreat to Chengdu? Liu Dehai shouted.

Wang Yuan shook his head and said, "It's not that I don't want to help, but if I go, it's in vain." I estimate that within three days, news of Li Mao's withdrawal from the army will come. Li Guangbi returned from a fiasco, does Li Mao still have the courage to attack Chengdu? After he got the news, he must have fled back to Chang'an, and Guan Bao ran faster than a rabbit. We can't even get a single hair now. Therefore, we have to rest in Tongzhou and at the same time send people to clean up the mountain roads. After waiting for a new round of supplies, he took Jinzhou and approached Chang'an. From now on, when we counterattack, how can we allow him to be wild. ”

"But Marshal, let's rest here, didn't we give them a chance to recruit again. The rabble that had just broken up Li Guangbi, if they recruited more than 100,000 soldiers and horses, together with Li Mao's 200,000 soldiers and horses, would it be difficult for us to conquer it? It is still useful for recruits to defend the city. Song Jiangong frowned and asked.

Wang Yuan laughed and said: "General Song, the current situation is clear, and after today's battle spreads to the world, there will be a big reversal of the situation." If the southern provinces and the southwestern regions still can't see the situation clearly, then it can only be said that they have died on their own. And even if they recruit more soldiers and horses, will they be able to stop my army? We rested our troops and horses just to break the city in one fell swoop. The cold is coming, everything must be prepared, otherwise how to march? We don't rely on human lives to attack Chang'an, we rely on firearms. Therefore, it is necessary to take a break for a while. ”

Everyone nodded. The purpose of the rest and recuperation is not to delay the fighters, but to replenish the depleted ammunition and supplies with us as the main body. With the current siege ability of the Shence Army, if the materials are sufficient, even the copper wall will not be able to resist it.

……

In the city of Longzhou, 800 miles northwest of Tongzhou, in one of the most luxurious mansions in the city, Li Mao sat next to the bookcase, holding a charcoal pen in his hand, and drew in circles on a map on the desk. Beside him, two maids stood with tea in their hands. Huang An, the personal attendant, was fiddling with charcoal to make the room even warmer.

Eight days ago, Li Mao and Zheng Qiushan led an army of 200,000 to attack Longyou Road through Pizhou, which was almost like a bamboo.

Although these two cities were captured, the city was empty, the walls had collapsed, the houses had collapsed, and the people were few, almost two useless ruins. But this still made Li Mao and Zheng Qiushan excited. The Shence army only had 50,000 soldiers and horses under the leadership of Gao Xianzhi to make a symbolic defense, and almost at the touch of a button to give up the city, Li Mao Junchen and the entire army of soldiers and horses were even more confident, they all thought that they could attack the city of Chengdu in a short time.

Although he encountered some minor troubles in the first battle of Longzhou, Gao Xianzhi led his soldiers and horses to attack the rear of the army several times in the flank and rear. The rear battalion encountered several attacks, lost more than 7,000 soldiers and horses, and a small part of the grain and grass supplies were also burned. But these things did not affect Li Mao's determination to move forward. Both he and Zheng Qiushan believed that this was a means for the Shence army to delay the advance of their soldiers and horses, and he just wanted to attract his army to encircle and suppress, so as to delay time. The more Gao Xianzhi harassed, the more Li Mao ignored him, and just marched forward. In view of this, Li Mao instead ordered to speed up the pace of the march, and even ignored the matter of being cut off from the rear grain route by Gao Xianzhi.

Li Mao believes that it only takes six or seven days to get from Longzhou to Chengdu. And the army's grain storage can last for more than ten days, even if there is no supply of grain and grass, he has enough time to take Chengdu. Take Chengdu, and everything can be solved.

With this idea, Li Mao and Zheng Qiushan quickly took Longzhou. But at this time, the army ran into a problem, and that was the heavy snowfall. The weather suddenly deteriorated, which blocked Li Mao's plan to leave Longzhou quickly. The army must have firewood and other materials to protect against the cold, which forced Li Mao to stay in Longzhou, and sent Zheng Qiushan to lead 100,000 soldiers and horses along the road to protect the logistics materials that were blocked in the city of Gyeongju in the rear.

Today is the eighth day of the march, and according to the schedule, Zheng Qiushan will rush back to Longzhou tonight to protect the logistics baggage. Tomorrow's army will set off as planned. After taking the front Qizhou Fengzhou Xingzhou, then crossed the Qiangshui to the south, took Zizhou, and then approached the city of Chengdu. And all this can be done in 10 days.

Li Mao even couldn't wait to meet his father after taking Chengdu. When he saw his father, he would salute him respectfully, and say to his father with a smile: "Father, my son and you are together again." I don't know how my father would reply, but it must have been a funny scene. Also, Wang Yuan's family members are in Chengdu, and they are tortured by themselves when they catch his family children. Didn't he rob the jade ring? I don't know if I can recapture the jade ring. Even if Yuhuan is not there, his wife and concubine can laugh at it. He robbed his own woman, and he robbed his own woman. Li Mao thought of this, and her heart blossomed happily.

"Your Majesty, take a break, roast the fire to warm your hands, although military affairs are important, there is no need to rush for a while. Your Majesty has to be careful about your body, my Datang Sheji still relies on Your Majesty to revitalize. Huang An's duck rang out, causing Li Mao's hand to stop drawing in circles on the map.

"Okay, okay, Huang An, you've been verbose a few times, I'll just rest for a while and roast the fire." Li Mao put down the charcoal pen with a smile, stretched out and walked to the charcoal basin, and stretched out his hand to roast his somewhat cold hands on the red charcoal fire that Huang An was serving.

Huang An hurriedly moved a stool and stuffed it under Li Mao's buttocks, and at the same time waved his hand at the two palace maids standing there, and shouted: "I haven't come to serve tea to Your Majesty, this is not long-sighted." I have to teach you a good lesson, are you so lazy in serving Your Majesty? ”

Two palace maids hurriedly stepped forward, one holding a teacup, the other pouring tea, making a cup of tea and handing it to Li Mao. Li Mao took it and only moistened her lips, and then handed it back. He frowned and looked at the thick curtain at the door and said, "Why hasn't the prince come back yet, how many days has it been?" I said I could get there this evening, but why hasn't it arrived yet? ”

"Your Majesty, don't worry. In such weather, the road is far away and the snow is slippery, and the country is full of more than 100,000 soldiers and horses, and they are still holding supplies, grain and grass, which must not be fast. Either Your Majesty will sleep for a while, and the slave and maid will come back to tell Your Majesty when the abbot arrives. ”

Li Mao waved his hand and said, "I don't want to sleep, I ......"

Before Li Mao finished speaking, he was interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps outside, and the footsteps were noisy, and he seemed to be in a hurry.

"It's coming! It must be the abbot of the country, His Majesty's words are really effective, just said the abbot, the abbot of the country seems to have ears with a tailwind, and this is here. Huang An said with a smile.

Li Mao stood up and looked at the door, and heard Zheng Qiushan's hurried and somewhat trembling voice outside: "Is Your Majesty asleep?" Zheng Qiushan asked to see His Majesty. ”

Li Mao nodded at Huang An and walked quickly to the back of the case to sit down. Huang An walked to the door curtain with small steps, stretched out his hand to open the door curtain and said with a smile: "The prince is here, His Majesty is waiting for you, I said ...... just now."

Zheng Qiushan didn't wait for Huang An to finish speaking, and stepped in with a cold air all over his body, and with a flick of his arm, he almost knocked Huang An to a stumbling ground. Huang Anqi's eyes rolled and he wanted to say a few cool words, but he saw that Zheng Qiushan had already rushed to Li Mao's case with a gust of cold wind.

"The minister has seen Your Majesty, Your Majesty, something is wrong." Zheng Qiushan's opening made people's hearts jump, and there was panic in his tone.

Li Mao frowned and said, "Why are you so panicked?" Is it because the grain, grass, firewood, and cotton tents have not been delivered? ”

"No, Your Majesty, it's something else. Report to Your Majesty, Your Majesty must not be angry. ”

"What the hell is going on?" Li Mao frowned.

"Tongzhou...... The battle of Tongzhou was defeated. Lee Kwang-pil was defeated. Zheng Qiushan gritted his teeth and said.

"What?" Li Mao's face turned pale instantly, and he held his forehead and shouted, "How is it possible?" Are you saying that Lee Kwang-pil was defeated in Tongzhou? ”

"Exactly, the news that the minister got in Ningzhou is absolutely true." Zheng Qiushan Road.

“……”

"Three days ago, Li Guangbi launched a siege battle, and the attack began in the afternoon, and the attack was not taken for a long time. In the evening. Li Guangbi tried to launch a night attack, but was predicted by the soldiers and horses defending the city, and set fire to the soldiers under the city, killing and wounding countless people. Li Guangbi had to give the order to withdraw his troops. However, Wang Yuan took the opportunity to go out of the city for a decisive battle, and Li Guangbi hurriedly responded to the battle, which was broken by the Shence army, and the soldiers fled in a big rout, and they were crushed for thousands of miles. Zheng Qiushan said in a deep voice.

"You mean...... Annihilated? Li Mao glared at Zheng Qiushan and said.

"Your Majesty...... I'm afraid that's exactly what happened. Of the 300,000 soldiers and horses, less than 30,000 fled. The rest is destroyed. Zheng Qiushan burst out of his teeth.

"Ahh Li Mao roared loudly, waved his arm violently on the table, and waved all the candlesticks, paper and pencils, maps, inkstones, and tea cups on the table, and the ping-pong pong was scattered all over the ground.

"This idiot, an army of 300,000, an army of 300,000, was defeated so easily? And is it all annihilated? He swore to me that this time he would defeat the main force of the Shence Army, and he would capture Wang Yuan alive and sacrifice it to me, how did he defeat Wang Yuan? This idiot, he's ruined my big thing. Li Mao pounded his chest and yelled, looking up to the sky and yelling.

Huang An and the palace maids were so frightened that they knelt on the ground, and Huang An said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty is angry, take care of the Holy Body, Your Majesty is angry." ”

Li Mao coughed violently, clutching her chest and gasping.

Zheng Qiushan said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, the minister has already told you that this Li Guangbi is so happy that he is useless on paper. His Majesty also reprimanded the minister. The minister knew that he had a merit to His Majesty, and His Majesty remembered his merits and trusted him. But his talents are limited, and he is not a person who is in charge at all. Well, now it's really bad. ”

Li Mao said angrily: "What's the use of talking about this now? Li Guangbi: Is he dead? ”

"Flee to Golden State with 30,000 remnants. He was reluctant to sacrifice his life. Zheng Qiushan said coldly.

"This bastard, I'm going to kill him, you idiot. I didn't discuss with him before, and I wanted him to better contain Wang Yuan. He himself said that Wang Yuan is not easy to deal with, and he is not completely sure, he will only besiege but not attack and contain Wang Yuan's 100,000 main forces, and create opportunities for me and your soldiers and horses to march into Chengdu. It's good now, before three days came, he attacked, was he farting when he was talking about it? Is the brain watered? ”

"Your Majesty, the minister knows that he was under the city for three days and was harassed by Wang Yuan for three days. Not only did they lose 30,000 soldiers and horses, but even the mountain roads for logistics were blocked by Wang Yuan's men. There were also mutinous generals in the camp, and most of the grain and grass materials in the camp were burned. He should have been unable to consume it, so he took the risk. ”

"What? In three days, Wang Yuan killed 30,000 soldiers and horses, grain and grass materials were burned, and the logistics channels were blocked? Hehehe, Li Guangbi is really capable, really capable. Li Mao laughed angrily and sneered.

"Your Majesty, you don't know about him. He always thinks that he is the best and refuses to admit defeat. In this case, what if he retired from the army? It doesn't get to the point where it is now. But he's just going to take risks. The minister thought that Li Guangbi was a great achievement, and he was afraid that the minister and His Majesty would take Chengdu first, so in order to take Chengdu first, he did not hesitate to act under the condition that he was already passive, which caused such a catastrophe. Your Majesty, this man ......"

"Shut up!" Li Mao shouted angrily: "Is now the time to say this? What do you mean by these words now? Is that what I'm going to hear now? ”

“…… The minister should die, the minister will not say anything. Your Majesty has his own holy judgment. Zheng Qiushan hurriedly stopped.

Li Mao sighed repeatedly, beat his chest for a while, and finally slowly calmed down.

"Guozhang, what do you say now? Can we still enter Chengdu? ”

"Your Majesty, you must not go to Chengdu now, at present, you can only quickly retreat to Chang'an and stabilize the situation. Wang Yuan's 100,000-strong army is afraid that it has already gone north, and it is only five or six days away from Tongzhou to here. It's been four days since the big battle, and if we don't leave, we may be caught up by Wang Yuan. The minister suggested that the troops should be withdrawn immediately and returned to Chang'an. ”

Li Mao pondered for a moment, swallowed and spitted: "You are right, withdraw the army immediately and stick to Chang'an." We haven't lost yet, we still have hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses, and if we raise some more soldiers and horses, it will be more than enough to hold Chang'an. Staying here is just a dead end, go back to Chang'an, and leave immediately. Quickly pass the order. ”

"The minister obeys the order, Your Majesty will clean up, and the minister will immediately order the battalions to prepare for evacuation." Zheng Qiushan got up and hurriedly retreated.

……

In just over ten days, the news of the Tongzhou War spread all over the country. Since the beginning of this decisive battle between the old and new emperors, father and son, the people of the world have been waiting with bated breath for the news of the victory or defeat of the war.

For ordinary people, they are actually most concerned about the safety and death of their relatives who have been enlisted in the army by Latin, because there are few families in the Tang Dynasty who can stay out of the matter. For the officials of the local government, the victory or defeat of this great battle between the father and son court will determine the general trend in the future. In the current confusing situation, the outcome of this battle can play a role as a weather vane, allowing them to better choose where they should stand.

Due to the disparity in strength between the two sides, there seems to be no suspense about the outcome of the 500,000 army against the 100,000 army of the Shence army. But the officials and people of the Tang world