Li Zuoguo didn't know that both brothers Yang Guozhong and Yang Guifei died unexpectedly. The Anxi army had been semi-surrounding An Qingxu's remnants for three days, leaving a gap in the east. An Qingxu's troops continued to attack during these three days. When deserters appeared, Zeng Pei killed more than a hundred deserters, but the soldiers whose morale collapsed still ran away. Zeng Pei finally had no good solution. If he continued to kill, there would be no guarantee that a mutiny would not occur.
Now Zeng Pei can only tightly restrain the 10,000 Yan Shenjun under his command. The Yan Shenjun is still a relatively morale army, and there are no deserters. An Qingxu has only shown two faces in the past three days, and spent the rest of the time hiding. In the tent, An Qingxu was already very desperate. He had long given up the hope of defeating Anxi's army in this battle.
What An Qingxu thought about most was how to deal with An Lushan's anger. The news couldn't be hidden. There were so many deserters, not to mention that Tongguan had been plundered by the fleeing Hu soldiers. An Qingxu didn't expect An Lushan to be able to do it again. An Qingxu sent troops to rescue him. An Qingxu knew very well that Luoyang's troops were not strong enough to rescue him. The only hope was to survive the Anxi army's attack and escape.
The Tang Army above Chang'an City had a rare few days of repairs. The Tang Army on the wall was pointing at the two armies below the city. They looked relatively relaxed, but Yuchi Changgong was not in a relaxed mood at all. The Anxi Army was in great shape. However, it seemed that there were no casualties among the hundreds of thousands of troops, but An Qingxu's troops were greatly reduced.
Yuchi Changgong knew very well that An Qingxu's troops fought hard to resist him, but when facing the Anxi Army, so many troops were annihilated in just one day. So how long can the Tang Army last in front of the Anxi Army? Woolen cloth? Yuchi Changgong would rather have no judgment.
The sound of drums came from the Anxi Army camp. It was after getting the report that Yuchi Changgong went to the city to watch. Groups of cavalry and infantry filed out of the Anxi Army camp. The rigidity developed through long-term training made everyone The Anxi Army troops who came out of the camp looked so orderly and the formation was extremely neat. There was no expression of nervousness, fear, or excitement on the soldiers' faces. They were accustomed to fighting soldiers.
When 30,000 cavalry formed a large semicircular formation in front of the infantry, Yuchi Changgong couldn't help but wonder, why were the cavalry attacking the camp in front?
The walls of An Qingxu's camp are made of huge logs that are tilted outward at about 30 degrees. The huge logs are four meters above the ground. It is impossible for the cavalry to climb directly onto the camp wall. An Qingxu may not be good at fighting. However, the design of his camp was still good. Yuchi Changgong couldn't help but stand up a little higher to see carefully how the Anxi army attacked An Qingxu's army.
A general next to Yuchi Changgong said at this time: "General, can we leave the city while the Anxi Army is attacking Anqing Xubu and attack behind the Anxi Army?"
This general is Wang Ye, one of the six captains under Yuchi Changgong. Yuchi Changgong shook his head and said: "With the tens of thousands of troops we have? Of course we can go out to attack, but it's hard to say whether we can come back. You Judging from the appearance of the Anxi Army, they are all veterans with countless trainings. The Mo Dao soldiers of the Anxi Army are quite famous, but there are no Mo Dao soldiers among the Anxi Army who went out to fight. I think they are waiting for us."
Wang Ye looked carefully and found that there was no heavy armored infantry Mo Dao soldiers in the Anxi army, so he lowered his head and remained silent.
"I hope An Qingxu's resistance can be stronger and give the Anxi Army more casualties, otherwise Chang'an will be in danger." Yuchi Changgong's voice was low and full of hope.
As soon as the sound of the war drums changed, the Anxi army did not wait. The cavalry divided into about 5,000 people and rushed towards the Anqingxu camp. When they got within 200 meters of the camp, a sparse rain of arrows flew out of the camp. For the Anxi cavalry, This level of arrow rain had no lethality at all, but the cavalrymen still took down the shields beside their saddles to cover their bodies. Not a single Anxi cavalryman fell off his horse when the arrow rain fell.
The Anxi cavalry easily approached An Qingxu's camp. At this time, through the giant trees on the camp wall, An Qingxu's soldiers could be seen inside being kicked and beaten by the officers and came to the camp wall to prepare for defense. However, the faces of these soldiers were filled with fear. Mixed with numbness, they mechanically picked up the weapons in their hands and gathered at the camp wall.
The Anxi Army cavalry in the front row who were close to the camp wall threw the rope in their hands at the same time. In front of the rope was a three-claw hook. Many Anxi cavalry threw ropes that easily circled the top of the giant tree on the camp wall several times, and then The hooks and claws firmly grasped the wood, and the ropes were attached to the wood. The cavalrymen in the first few rows immediately dismounted and connected six or seven of their mounts together. The adjacent ropes holding the giant wood were immediately fixed on the saddles, and then began to urge the horses. Back away.
The officers of An Qingxu's army immediately discovered the Anxi Army's intentions, and their faces changed. They desperately drove the soldiers to climb up the giant tree, trying to cut off the rope. At this time, the Anxi Army's cavalry began to fire crossbows at such a close distance. The power of crossbow?Such a distance is not something that flesh and blood can withstand. The soldiers who climbed up the camp wall screamed and fell off the camp wall. Only a few brave soldiers climbed up the camp wall and cut off the ropes, but this has nothing to do with the overall situation.
In the horrified eyes of all An Qingxu soldiers, six or seven war horses retreated together. The three camp walls were repeating this action. The huge logs built by the camp walls were tilted outward, making it easier for the Anxi army to pull outwards. As the rope made an unpleasant creaking sound, the first giant log was pulled out of the ground and fell to the ground.
Suddenly, a gap appeared that could allow one person to pass through, and then countless giant trees were pulled down. In some areas, the gap opened up could even allow several horses to pass through at the same time. The Anxi cavalry outside the camp threw the rope directly to the ground, got on the horse, and They really started to rush towards An Qingxu's camp.
Behind the five thousand forward cavalry were 20,000 overwhelming cavalry. The camp without the protection of the camp wall was like an open door to bandits. Such doors were still everywhere. An Qingxu's soldiers were desperate. There were many of them. Everyone was the original Tang Army. Seeing the cavalry charge of the Anxi Army, which was also the original Tang Army, many soldiers dropped their weapons and ran back regardless of the general's roar.
At this time, something even bigger that destroyed morale happened. Under the protection of Zeng Pei, An Qingxu gathered all the horses and mules in the camp, opened the east gate of the camp and fled eastward. More than 10,000 horsemen rushed out quickly. The battalion left, abandoning the tens of thousands of soldiers behind them.
An Qingxu's soldiers suddenly lost their will to resist. When the Anxi cavalry rushed into the camp and began to kill, the entire camp had no power to resist. There were soldiers everywhere with their weapons raised and kneeling on the ground begging for surrender. , the cavalry went all the way to the camp, and any standing soldiers with weapons in their hands would be killed coldly. Even if there were brave resisters in front of the cavalry, it would be in vain, and their lives would be in vain.
As all the cavalry entered the camp, the resistance basically disappeared. The infantry lined up behind the cavalry had not had time to attack, and the battle was coming to an end. Then they entered the camp in an orderly manner, received the prisoners and sealed them in the warehouse. Li Zuoguo did not even appear.
An Qingxu's 150,000-strong army arrived in high spirits, but An Qingxu only brought back more than 10,000 troops. Anxi's army once again proved its strong combat power. As An Qingxu's flag in the camp was cut down , there is no suspense in this battle.
Yuchi Changgong's face on the city was already blue and black. Without saying a word, Yuchi Changgong turned around and got off the city wall, mounted his horse and went directly to Anqing Palace. He only had one thought in his mind, Chang'an could not be defended anymore, and he had to prepare immediately. To break through and protect the prince from Chang'an, the performance of the Anxi Army can be said to be invincible to the General of the Tang Dynasty who has been a general for generations. He no longer has any luck in being able to defend Chang'an.
Li Zuoguo was sitting in a chair, with a bowl of fragrant broth placed in front of him. Li Zuoguo picked up the bowl of broth and brought it to his mouth. He suddenly thought of something and stopped: "Have the soldiers eaten? Mutton? Have they been sent to each camp?"
Li Qi was eating with his mouth full of oil. When he heard this, he wiped his mouth and said, "Send them all. Our battle was really easy, with less than two hundred casualties, more than 40,000 prisoners, and countless weapons, food and fodder seized. The soldiers The biggest battle we have fought is this time.¡±
Li Zuoguo smiled: "This is to be expected. An Lushan's army cannot fight at a disadvantage or a tough battle, but the most important thing is that we are already too strong. After eating, we ordered each battalion to return to camp and rest. "
Li Qi asked puzzledly: "Why don't you attack Chang'an in one go? The morale of the men is high now."
"We also gave Li Heng two days to prepare to escape. What if Li Heng is caught in this attack? Our military power has been shown to the Tang army. If they are smart, the leading general will take Li Heng away. "Yes." Li Zuoguo smiled, and then his face became serious: "If Li Heng doesn't leave, then I don't mind capturing a Tang Dynasty prince."
Anqing Palace is in chaos. The chamberlains and maids are all packing their things. No one cares about the rules in the palace at this time. The Anxi Army is about to invade. After all, there are only a few eunuchs and maids who can follow the prince, six thousand people. The chamberlains and maids were left to save their own lives. Who knows what the regulations will be after the Anxi army enters the city?
Li Heng angrily smashed a book in his hand at Yuchi Changgong who was kneeling in front of him: "Trash, do you just give up like this? You want me to run away without even fighting. How can I explain to my father if Chang'an is lost?"
Yuchi Changgong raised his head and said firmly: "Prince, it is impossible to hold Chang'an. We have to break out of the encirclement and go south, collect our troops and then fight the Anxi rebels. If you stay in Chang'an, you will only fall into the hands of the Anxi army."
Li Heng said angrily: "Aren't there still 100,000 soldiers? How come An Qingxu can hold on when he comes, but when Li Zuoguo comes, you directly persuade me to escape?"
Yuchi Changgong took a deep breath, with a look of pain on his face. As a general, Yuchi Changgong was unwilling to escape, but he knew that if he didn't leave, he wouldn't be able to leave. The combat power of the soldiers on both sides was not at the same level, let alone Yuchi Changgong. Gong is well aware of the character of some of the wealthy families in Chang'an. Now that the two families outside have decided the winner, it is estimated that many people will want to give Chang'an away to seek wealth. Chang'an is already a dead place.
"Prince, I am willing to defend Chang'an to the end of the prince's life. The fate of the Tang Dynasty depends on the prince. If I am incompetent, let me live and die with Chang'an. Prince, you must leave, otherwise there will be no hope for the Tang Dynasty. The guardian of Chang'an The army suffered huge losses at the hands of An Qingxu. It is completely impossible to defend such a long city wall now. Please make a decision quickly." Chief Yuchi kowtowed repeatedly, his voice anxious.
Li Heng had woken up from his anger at this time and said with a wry smile: "Chang'an is lost like this? How can I face the people of the world? That little military attach¨¦ back then is already so strong now."
Yuchi Changgong said: "If the prince is here, the Tang Dynasty is still here. Please leave immediately. The Anxi army defeated the Xubu of Anqing without consuming strength, and may launch an siege against Chang'an at any time."
Li Heng sighed: "Let's go, General Yuchi, you don't have to defend Chang'an, just protect me out of the city. I don't trust the other people. I'm afraid they will send me directly to Li Zuoguo."
Yuchi Changgong was stunned for a moment. This was indeed the truth. He nodded and said: "Then my good minister will definitely protect His Highness the Crown Prince as he goes south safely. Now please prepare the journey quickly."
Li Heng wanted to say something else, but his words turned into a sigh. He turned around and walked towards the back of the palace. Li Fuguo, who was standing behind him, quickly followed.
Li Heng hurriedly walked under the corridor, followed by more than a dozen guards and eunuchs. At this time, the entire Anqing Palace was filled with servants and maids. Li Heng was furious at first, and then became weak. He had no way to keep this place. Of course, these people in the palace could not be saved despite their own inheritance. A eunuch rushed out from the corridor with a package on his back and almost bumped into Li Heng and his party.
Li Fuguo stepped forward and pushed the eunuch away, shouting: "Zhang Chaochen, you traitor, what are you doing?"
The eunuch Zhang Chaochen was the eunuch in charge of Li Longji's concubine Shu. Li Longji fled without even concubine Shu, so of course Zhang Chaochen stayed in the palace. When he heard that the prince was leaving, he even He couldn't care less, so he packed up his things and left the palace. He didn't expect to meet the prince.
When Zhang Chaochen saw the prince in front of him, he was so frightened that his face turned pale and he knelt down: "You deserve to die, my family is in Chang'an. I want to go home and be with my family even if I die. Please spare my life, prince."
What he said before was desolate, but in the end he showed his fear of death. Li Fuguo cursed: "You want to run away now? If you do this in front of the prince, the Sa family will kill you." He was about to order the guards behind him to kill Zhang courten.
Li Heng shook his hand and said feebly: "Forget it, I am incompetent and can't protect Chang'an, let him go." After saying that, he walked forward, without even looking at the kneeling Zhang Chaochen, Li Fuguo glared fiercely. Zhang Chaochen took one look, followed Li Heng, held Li Heng's arm, and the group walked into the palace.
Zhang Chaochen did not expect that he could still save his life. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, stood up and left. However, his legs were weak from fright, and he fell down when he stood up. He stood up in a hurry and started trotting without looking back. left.
Beside a clump of flowers and trees in the corridor, a pair of eyes watched everything that had just happened. When the flowers and trees moved, a eunuch wearing a small yellow door came out and stared at the direction Li Heng left with hatred in his eyes. This person is Zheng Chunyun who sneaked into Chang'an.
Zheng Chunyun was very familiar with both Daming Palace and Anqing Palace. All the eunuchs and maids from Anqingxu's attack on Daming Palace gathered in Anqing Palace. With more people, it was easier for Zheng Chunyun to sneak in. He resisted the urge to slap Li Heng to death. , Zheng Chunyun remembered the task arranged by Li Zuoguo, and walked to a rockery not far from where he was hiding just now. He dug around on the rockery for a while. There was a sound from below the rockery, and a stone on the rockery retracted inward, revealing a The hole is as tall as one person.
Zheng Chunyun entered the cave in a flash, and then there was another sound. The cave disappeared, and there was a silence outside, as if no one had been there at all.
That night Zheng Chunyun met Li Zuoguo. Li Zuoguo was lying very comfortably on a bed made of multiple furs. Zheng Chunyun changed his clothes and entered Li Zuoguo's tent. As soon as he entered, Zheng Chunyun knelt down and saluted Li Zuoguo.
"Get up, everything has been checked. Can the secret passage be used?" Li Zuoguo asked.
"Chang Nu walked through the three secret passages from Daming Palace to Anqing Palace. Only one entrance was blocked near the city wall, and the other two secret passages were there." Zheng Chunyun replied respectfully.
Li Zuoguo waved his hand and said, "No.?So serious, when you stand up and sit down to talk, we are considered brothers, don't act like you are meeting the emperor. "
Zheng Chunyun showed a smile on his face: "After guarding, he will be the emperor. How can Chang Nu be disrespectful? It's time for the Tang Dynasty to change."
Li Zuoguo shook his head: "It's too early to say this now, Chang'an hasn't been captured yet."
Zheng Chunyun said: "Chang'an is at your fingertips, and sweeping the world is just around the corner. Chang Nu is willing to wait and see what happens to Li Longji for the sake of protecting the capital."
Li Zuoguo heard Zheng Chunyun talking about Li Siye, and he propped himself up and sat upright: "The victory over Chang'an is our limit, and we need to digest the occupied areas. I just read the intelligence sent by Li Jianqin. We attacked too fast, and many places were missing." Steady, many officials are still loyal to Li Tang, and several counties actually turned against them, and some people organized to assassinate the officials I sent. After all, the Tang Dynasty has existed for hundreds of years, and people's hearts cannot turn to us all at once. "
Zheng Chunyun said: "Chang Nu knows that many soldiers in the Anxi Army are Hu people. Many people can't understand the composition of the Anxi Army and think that we are no different from the Hu people. However, this idea is mostly among the officials. The people don't resist us, but as for these officials, those who dare to cause trouble will be killed."
There was murderous intent in Zheng Chunyun's words. Li Zuoguo tilted his head and looked at Zheng Chunyun. Seeing that Zheng Chunyun looked like a teenager and still looked childish but spoke with murderous intent, he couldn't help but laugh: "You kid is so murderous, there's no way you can turn these things on." All the people have been killed, we need them now, but those who stand up and fight against us must be killed, especially those who surrender and rebel again, I will ask Li Jianqin to do it, but only after Chang'an is captured."
Li Zuoguo stretched and said: "If something happens here, you will go to Anxi. The stall is too big now, and I need a master to guard it at home. Otherwise, I won't worry. After all, even in Anxi, there are people who are dissatisfied with my anti-Tang Dynasty. You I feel at ease just sitting in my house with my master."
Zheng Chunyun stood up and helped Li Zuoguo take off his coat, then picked up a copper basin on the ground, which contained a basin of water. Zheng Chunyun skillfully rubbed the towel and handed it to Li Zuoguo to cleanse his face, and said: "Chang Nu will set off back to Qiuci tomorrow to guard Please rest assured that the safety of the house will be taken care of by Chang Nuhui."
Zheng Chunyun said with a sad expression on his face. Li Zuoguo knew that he had remembered the matter of not protecting Li Siye again, so he patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's not your fault for that. Don't keep it in your heart. Go back and take good care of my wife and children. You But he is my son¡¯s uncle.¡±
Zheng Chunyun wiped the corners of his eyes, helped Li Zuoguo sleep, then gently blew out the lamp in the tent, turned around and left the tent. Zheng Chunyun stood outside Li Zuoguo's tent that night.