Northern Dynasties Imperial Industry

As Duan Shao committed suicide, the gate of Tumenguan slowly opened, and the soldiers in the city filed out and chose to surrender to the Wei army. But there were also more than a dozen people who came to Duan Shao's body, tears streaming down their faces, crying and drawing their swords to commit suicide and follow him.

Duan Shao refused to surrender, which did not surprise Li Tai. Even if the Gao family of Northern Qi could not avoid betraying and abusing each other, they were really good to the Jinyang nobles, and Duan Shao was one of the most favored people in this group. The bond and friendship between them were so deep that even if they were at the end of their rope, they would not turn to other places.

Li Tai arranged for people to persuade them to surrender, which was just a common tactic of attacking the heart. He did not expect to subdue Duan Shao, but if he could disrupt his military spirit, it would be a cost-effective attempt.

Duan Shao would rather die than surrender, which was certainly loyal and unyielding. As for those who followed him to commit suicide, they were just upholding their loyalty. Just like when Heba Sheng died of illness, his adopted son followed him.

This is not the kind of cruel burial established by power, but a vow to accompany each other from body to spirit in a chaotic world. In this chaotic world, loyalty is the spiritual dedication of an individual to the collective, and righteousness is the emotional bond between individuals.

As for those Qi army soldiers who surrendered out of the city, it cannot be said that they have lost their loyalty and morality. It can only be said that they treat them as everyone else, and treat them as everyone else. At least they have persisted until this moment before they are willing to surrender out of the city. This alone has surpassed the vast majority of Guandong nobles and Northern Qi nobles.

"I am responsible for the important task, but the battle is not going well. The slow progress almost missed the opportunity to fight. I respectfully wait for the Lord to punish me!"

After Tumen Pass was taken, Li Mu, who led his troops to the west of the pass, also hurried to pay homage to the King of Tang. After entering the tent, he bowed deeply and said with a face full of shame.

Li Tai was indeed dissatisfied with Li Mu before, but after seeing him, he saw that his face was exhausted and his expression was tired. He thought that he was also worried about the war, so he couldn't bear to blame him.

Moreover, Li Mu's so-called disadvantage in the battle was based on the contrast of Li Tai's troops who marched straight in and were unstoppable. The key to Li Tai's army advancing so quickly was Gao Guiyan, Gao Zhan and others who came one after another to help the enemy.

If he really wanted to attack and capture the stronghold step by step, it would be difficult for Li Tai to advance so quickly. Even if the Gao family had not sent him so straightforwardly, Li Tai would not have come to Hebei, but would have attacked Bafuling with Li Mu.

The mountain road of Bafuling is rugged and steep, no less than Queshu Valley. It is reasonable that Li Mu was blocked for a long time with a small army. In Jingxing, the defenders made a slight adjustment and rescued in time, so they broke out of the city and rushed to Tumen Pass in time to cooperate with the Hebei troops to attack. It can be seen that Li Mu and others are also very hard-working.

Of course, the most important thing is that this battle was a complete victory. Not only did it open up the important passage of Jingxing in one go, but it also severely damaged the Qi army and completely eliminated the combat effectiveness of this armed force, making it difficult for them to return to Jinyang for assistance. It also made Li Tai in a good mood, so he was more tolerant of people and things.

"The mountain road of Bafuling is particularly dangerous, and it is really not easy to break through. Wu'an Gong and others have fought for a long time, and they can't be said to be unwilling to work hard. Now everything has come together, which is gratifying. Gong and others have made contributions, and they are all recorded in the account book!"

At this point, Li Tai suddenly raised his hand and pointed at Li Ya, who was sitting on one side of the tent, and motioned him to come forward. Pointing at Li Ya, he smiled and said to Li Mu: "This time, Li Ya fought fiercely in Zhending City. He was brave and resolute with other young men. He defeated the majority with a small number and can be said to be a role model for young people. When he returns to the court to discuss his merits tomorrow, it is unknown whether the son will surpass the father!"

After hearing this, Li Ya couldn't help but He straightened his chest and crossed his hands to the King of Tang above and said: "I am lucky to have followed the master since I was young. Although my talent may be poor, I have been favored by the wise master and have never wasted my time. The master is a great talent, soaring to the sky, and I should follow his lead and be heroic. Aye, I have learned from the middle way, and I am a little bit inferior to you. I am young and modest and dare not compare with you!"

This kid has to be with the virtuous woman of the Southern Dynasty. He has learned how to express high emotional intelligence when speaking, but his high emotional intelligence is directed at the master, which makes his father's face darker: What do you mean, kid? I am not the master's confidant, so I am not qualified to compare with you?

This time, many of the three guards participated in the battle, and most of the three guards' children came from civil and military families, so there are many fathers and sons in the big tent.

Hearing Li Ya openly squeezing his father here with great momentum, all the young men were naturally happy and smiling, especially He Ruobi, who was somewhat dissatisfied with his father before, nodded again and again after hearing the words, glancing at his father, muttering in his heart that the young man was modest and would not compare with you, if he was not modest, you would be nothing in a few years!

However, compared with Li Ya, He Ruobi still seemed a little weak. He was specially recruited into the three guards by the master when he fought in Pingyang last year. Although he had some performances on the battlefield afterwards, he lacked outstanding achievements.

Li Ya followed the master since he was a child and participated in many battles very early. Now he is the general of the upper Kaifu cavalry. Although his father Li Mu, the former governor of Jingzhou, was also a frontier official, he was only a general. After the war, Li Ya may be directly promoted to the general, catching up with his father in one fell swoop.

No organization can avoid the topic of the replacement of the old with the new, so Li Tai has been cultivating young forces, and in this battle, the young soldiers represented by the three guards did perform well and were remarkable. But it is too early to say that they will replace the older generation of generals.

Although Tumen Pass had been taken, the battle in Dingzhou was not over yet. Gao Le and other soldiers still stayed outside Dingzhou to maintain the siege. So Li Tai arranged for Li Mu to lead 3,000 elite cavalry to the north to cooperate with Gao Le and others to quickly capture Dingzhou.

Li Mu did not hesitate to take the order and went north immediately. After all, although it was a joke, if he really did not perform well in this battle to destroy Qi and was surpassed by his son, it would indeed make him a little embarrassed.

Next, Li Tai stayed in Tumen Pass temporarily, on the one hand to sort out the gains of this battle, and on the other hand to prepare to attack Jinyang after a short rest. Because Li Mu and others arrived in time and intercepted all the soldiers fleeing westward from Tumen Pass, so far the news of the fall of Jingxing has not been transmitted to Jinyang. If this situation is maintained for a while, the Wei army in Hebei may still be able to achieve a certain surprise effect when advancing westward.

The battle in Dingzhou ended very quickly. While Li Tai was still fighting with the Qi army in Luquan, Duan Yi, the son of Duan Shao, led a team of Qi troops to the north, hoping to cooperate with the defenders of Dingzhou City to repel the Wei army outside the city.

Gao Sihao was quite decisive. Although he did not fight directly, he sent his generals to lead the army to cooperate with Duan Yi to attack the Wei army camp outside the city. However, due to the early preparations of the Wei army outside the city, and the assistance of some Hebei righteous men, the counterattack of the Qi army did not achieve any results. On the contrary, Gao Sihao's control over the city was weakened because the division left the city. In addition, some defeated soldiers fled north and brought the news of the defeat of Duan Shao's division, which caused several civil strife in the city.

The Wei army took advantage of the situation to launch another siege, and Li Mu also led the elite cavalry to the city of Dingzhou. The defense of Dingzhou collapsed directly, and most of the defenders fled from the north of the city. Gao Sihao had led his confidants to flee to Youzhou during the chaos, but when he was leaving the city, his followers shouted and revealed his whereabouts, and he was intercepted and captured by the Wei army in the northern suburbs of Dingzhou. Some other soldiers fled northward with Duan Yi, temporarily escaping the pursuit range of the Wei army.

With the capture of Dingzhou City, the military operations of the Wei army in Hebei can be temporarily stopped. Although there are still some states and counties under the control of Northern Qi officials, they are not important places related to the subsequent strategic implementation, so there is no need to rush to capture them. Even if it weren't for Gao Sihao's dirty tricks, Dingzhou could be left to be dealt with after the battle of Jinyang.

After conquering Dingzhou, Li Tai temporarily appointed Li Mu as the governor of Dingzhou to clean up the situation. There were many Xianbei from the six states here, and many Qi troops in the Tumenguan camp were scattered in the territory. If there was no strong suppression, those defeated soldiers alone might spread and develop into a disaster sweeping Hebei.

After all, the Xianbei people in the six states were really familiar with the matter of scourge in Hebei. Before the Eastern Wei Dynasty, they followed Du Luozhou, Ge Rong and others to plunder Hebei, and after the Eastern Wei Dynasty, they organized to exploit and squeeze Hebei under the leadership of the Gao family. So Li Tai arranged for generals such as Gao Le and Li Mu to stay in Hebei temporarily to recruit the defeated people and maintain stability.

In addition to these military and political arrangements, Li Tai directly ordered the execution of Gao Sihao, who was captured in Dingzhou, and several members of the Zhaojun Li family who pretended to surrender and lured the Wei army to Dingzhou to be cut into pieces outside the city of Dingzhou. Including Gao Changgong, who cooperated in the ambush outside the city of Dingzhou before, his head was also sent outside the city of Dingzhou to offer sacrifices to the souls of the Wei army who died in the ambush before.

While arranging these things, the troops in Hebei gathered in Jingxing. In addition to a part of the personnel who stayed behind in Tumen, Li Tai personally led 50,000 troops and went straight to Jinyang.

As the Wei army advanced, the defense line around Jinyang was broken little by little, and the forces of both sides were concentrated inward with Jinyang as the center, and the situation changed rapidly. While Li Tai was still fighting fiercely with the Qi army outside Tumen Pass, the situation in Jinyang changed again. To be more precise, the old fence-sitter Turks started to make trouble again.

This time, the Turks and the Wei army rushed through the Beishan Great Wall and entered the territory of Northern Qi, which was tantamount to opening the door to a new world for Wuzun Khan. Although the Turks are now the overlords on the grassland, how can the scenery of Mobei be compared with that of China?

After entering the country, the Turks and their horses plundered in Sizhou and other places like they were having fun, and the harvest was much greater than their previous oppression and sweep of the Hu tribe in Mobei. There is no shortage of chieftains who fantasize that if they can have such an opportunity to enter the country with the Wei army every year, it would be great!

Of course, they were not willing to be dogs for the Wei army, but they felt that it was still a bit difficult to break through the defense line of the Beishan Great Wall with their own strength. The safest way is to act together with the Wei army as usual this time, so that they can not only obtain the food and grass supplies given by the Wei army, but also plunder in the territory of Northern Qi.

As for the fantasies of these chieftains, Wuzun Khan naturally knew that they were dreaming. This time, the Western Wei Dynasty obviously wanted to kill the Northern Qi Dynasty once and for all. The Tang King of Wei was strong in character and always treated them harshly. The battle of Yinshan in the early years made him feel scared. He also understood that once the Northern Qi Dynasty was destroyed by the Western Wei Dynasty, the areas where they roamed and plundered today would become forbidden land in the future!

As the current Turkic Khan, Wuzun Khan naturally thought more and longer-term, and would not be confused by the short-term benefits in front of him like those chieftains. Especially since the Western Wei Dynasty had shown signs of checking and balancing him, and took action, the little Khan Shetu had become a thorn in his side.

"She Tu has lived in Han for a long time, and she didn't care about the clan affairs, so she lived in peace and harmony. But now, the Wei state indulges Yinshan and controls the barbarians. It is really disturbing! There is no lack of people in the clan who are greedy for the prosperity of Han and go south to get along with them. Now that I am standing in the south, I am afraid that more people will come to join me, and no one will kiss me!"

After all, life in Mobei is no more comfortable and livable than the areas close to the Han Dynasty. Even before heading to Yinshan for the photo shoot, there were many Turkic tycoons leading their tribesmen to come south to rely on them, which gave Khan Wu Zun a headache and helplessness.

Wu Zun Khan has faced a dilemma of insufficient authority since he came to power. Neither the Mohedu Yehu in the west nor the chiefs of Jinshan Khan are very respectful to him.

Although Photo taken as a hostage to the Wei State for many years also lacks great prestige, it should not be underestimated. His father Yixiji Khan was the eldest son of Ili Khan. Although he did not rule for a long time, as the eldest son of Ashina Tumen, Yixiji Khan had already assisted his father in dealing with the Turks before they defeated Rouran. Tribal affairs. Moreover, the mother clan that took the picture is also a wealthy Turkic family with great power.

In the past, it was just that he was in Han Dynasty and could not stand alone. Now he has not only grown up, but also been supported by the Western Wei Dynasty in Yinshan Mountain, which naturally attracted the attention and attachment of the Turkic tribes.

On this expedition, Shetu also led Yinshan City Pang to come with him. During the trip, many Turkic chiefs came to visit, which naturally aroused the vigilance of Uzun Khan.

If it were a different time point, if the photos really showed good ability and courage, Wu Zun Khan would even be willing to make him his successor. But now he is still young and powerful, and he is full of ambitions to lead the Turks out of the woods. In the shadow of Khan's death, he was naturally unwilling to give his authority to others and was replaced by a junior.

Wuzun Khan also wanted to call Zhaotu in front of him to teach him, hoping that he could put the overall situation first and jointly safeguard the interests of the Turks themselves. However, several times he sent messages to people, but nothing came of it. There was no response, even from him. Several times he tried to meet directly at the military camp where the photos were taken, but was blocked by his subordinates, which made Wu Zun Khan increasingly feel that his nephew was deeply seduced by the Wei people and was no longer of the same mind as them.

This inevitably made Khan Wuzun feel resentful towards Wei and the King of Tang. Although he did not dare to reveal it for the time being, many thoughts had already arisen in his heart.

Before the army entered the Beishan Great Wall, there were many rumors that the Wei army had made breakthroughs in the south. It seemed that the Northern Qi Dynasty was already hanging by a thread and in danger under the attack of the Wei army. This made Wu Zun Khan very nervous and he was busy correcting his attitude. Act cooperatively, for fear of causing harm to the king of Tang.

However, it had been a long time since he came south, but there was still no trace of the Tang king or other Wei troops. Even Zhu Guoyu Wengui only led the army to linger in Sizhou City and stopped patrolling. This made Wu Zun Khan more and more convinced that the Wei army was just. The bluff is actually far from the strength to destroy Qi in one go.

As for what the military intelligence said about how the Tang Dynasty expanded in Hebei and what brilliant results it achieved, Wu Zun Khan could not fully understand what it meant. Moreover, these were just rumors and may not be true. If the Tang Dynasty king really achieved such brilliant results, why haven't he seen his people or his troops so far? The Northern Route Army, the only Wei army close to Jinyang, still had to rely on the help of their Turks to advance here.

Another thing happened next, which surprised Wuzun Khan and at the same time made him contemptuous and suspicious of the Western Wei Dynasty.

The Turkic troops raided the territory of Sizhou and plundered a large amount of property and supplies, and then transported them all to the vicinity of Xingling in the rear. This way, even if the battle at the front failed, the losses could be reduced, and the troops could be easily transported when withdrawing. For this reason, Uzun Khan left some of his elite troops behind for defense near Xingling.

However, they did not expect that a Qi army division and brigade suddenly came out of Lingqiu to the east and launched an attack on the Xingling defenders. The Turks who were left behind were caught off guard and suffered heavy losses of people and goods.

After Wu Zun Khan heard the news, he was shocked and angry. He went directly to Sizhou City to question Yu Wengui: "Didn't it mean that the Tang Dynasty had defeated the Qi army in Hebei and wiped out all parties? Why did the enemy suddenly appear? They came out of nowhere and made me lose a lot of money!"

Facing Wuzun Khan's question, Yu Wengui was quite dissatisfied, and even said in a deep voice: "When we were going south from Xingling Mountain a few days ago, I originally intended to dispatch a division and brigade to garrison Lingqiu to prevent enemies from coming from the east of Qi State. The Khan just said that there is no need, and your subordinates will do it for you. Now that I have neglected my defense and been killed by thieves, do you dare to question me? Did the Turks not know that there was such a military method in the Taihang Mountains when they made an appointment with Qi State?

Wu Zun Khan's old face turned red when he heard this. He took the initiative to take over the matter before because he was worried that the Wei army's garrison might interfere with their plundering operations in the territory. As for Lingqiu's military route, he naturally knew it. After he and Northern Qi made peace, they attacked Kumoxi, and that was where the Qi army launched its attack.

At this time, Yu Wengui bluntly contradicted him. He looked a little confused, but he quickly said: "Foreword, the king of Tang has defeated the Qi army, so I bravely led my troops to help attack Qi. But now we have invaded At the Great Wall, the guard of honor of the Tang Dynasty has not yet appeared, Yuwen Zhuguo has not been stationed here, and the road ahead is attacked by Nanning, which is really disturbing! "

After Yu Wengui pondered for a while, he responded: "Qi is not an easy enemy, otherwise our lord would not have bothered the Khan. Of course it is a fact that the Tang Dynasty King Hebei defeated the thieves, or it was a fluke that his soldiers from the northeast rushed back to help. To avoid being swept away by the Tang Dynasty's army, please be careful not to have half-hearted intentions. Khan, I will send some of my elite troops back to sweep away the enemy troops to protect the safety of our retreat!"

After hearing this, Wu Zun Khan nodded with satisfaction, and then spoke again: "Photographer is a junior of my own clan. He was appreciated by the King of Tang and was in charge of the Yinshan tribes, but because of this he was arrogant and treated me badly. It's disrespectful, it's really annoying! If I can't surrender, how can I lead all the Hu kings in the country? Please tell this son to come to my camp as soon as possible if I can't do it. Li, I’m afraid I won’t be able to calmly cooperate with the battle in the future!”

After Yu Wengui heard this, his brows suddenly furrowed, but he didn't say much. After Wuzun Khan left, he summoned Li Xian, the manager of Lingzhou, and ordered him: "Wuzun Khan He was gradually showing disrespect and his thoughts were unpredictable. Before sending out troops, the Lord had ordered to be careful and cautious. He asked Xianhe to temporarily lead the 5,000 divisions back to Xingling, and together with the Turkic divisions, they would block the coming troops from Qi's rear. We especially need to be on guard against him abandoning me when he sees that the situation is not good.”

Xingling is Yanmen Pass. Yu Wengui was worried that the Turks would suddenly withdraw, so he arranged for Li Xian to guard this important advance and retreat route.

Due to the major breakthrough in Hebei, a series of subsequent changes in the situation exceeded the previously planned situation. The Tang King's brigade did not go straight up from Shangdang. Although Yang Zhong opened up the Xishan front line, Han Guo and others could Follow this to the north, but it will take some time to join forces.

At present, relying solely on the strength of the Northern Route Army, Yu Wengui is also worried that some of them cannot suppress the Turks, so he simply controls this retreat and locks the Turks on the battlefield first.

After Li Xian took the order and left, Yu Wengui thought for a while and ordered someone to invite the young Khan into the house to meet him. As soon as the photo came to the hall, Yu Wengui suddenly ordered people to come in and take the photo. picture.

"I would like to ask Mr. Hua Zheng, what did you commit that led to your arrest?"

When he was being photographed, his arms were cut behind his back by some strong soldiers and he was pinned to the ground. He was so frightened that he tried to raise his head to look at Yu Wengui, and asked quickly.

Yu Wengui walked down the hall with an unbearable look on his face, and then said with shame: "Today's disrespect is not the fault of the Khan, but... Alas, Khan Wu Zun has frequently complained recently, saying that the Khan is too ambitious and too ambitious. In order to seek his position, I have come to the palace today and ordered me to send the Khan to his camp, otherwise I will not be able to command the army and attack together. So far, there is no order from the Lord. I am helpless. Please forgive me. Khan can understand..."

"This, this... I am the little Khan of the south who has been personally conferred by the Lord. How dare you, Yu Wengui? No, Mr. Hua Zheng, please show me your noble hand. Although Wu Zun Khan is my uncle, he has no feelings of intimacy at all. I If I am sent to his camp, I am afraid my life will be at risk! He, he hates me taking charge of the Yinshan tribe, and has always wanted to annex my tribe. Please listen to my explanation, please don't, don't be misunderstood! "

After hearing this, Shetu was shocked. He was not sure whether Wu Zun Khan really wanted to harm him, but the relationship between uncle and nephew was by no means harmonious. Previously, he was unwilling to get close to Wu Zun because he had the King of Tang as his backer. Now that Zun Khan has been intimidated by Yu Wengui, he is even more convinced that Wuzun Khan wants to get rid of him quickly. He even uses the method of blackmail on the battlefield, which shows the depth of his malice towards him.

Seeing the distress and entanglement on Yu Wengui's face, he hurriedly said: "Although I have been in the country for a long time and have not become powerful in the Khan's court, my mother's family is still strong, and most of them are recruiting troops. This time we work together, you can communicate with me." I can also tell what Wu Zun Khan is planning. If he really betrays his alliance and abandons his army, I will fight with you!"

After Yu Wengui heard this, he pondered for a while, and then he let go of the photo, and personally leaned over to dust him off his uniform, and then bowed to him deeply and apologized as a courtesy: "Wuzun Khan is withdrawn and evil-minded, and he cannot love his relatives. How can he lead the Mobei people? I dare not interfere in the affairs of the Turks, but if I give in to his power today and help him commit abuses, it will be difficult for him in the future. Please explain to the Lord that I acted rudely due to a miscalculation today. Please don’t mind, Khan!”

"How dare you, how dare you, these are strong men and villains who want to cause trouble, which is really deeply hateful!"

Naturally, the photographer didn't dare to care too much about it. When he saw Yu Wengui leaning over to apologize, he waved his hands again and said.

When the two met here, a group of people from the south also came from the hidden path and bypassed the Wei army's scouts and came outside the Turkic camp to ask for a meeting.