The third day of killing arrived as scheduled.
Li Shimin still personally led the army to attack outside Rouyuan County. The attack on the third day was still extremely tragic. The army under Li Shimin charged forward wave after wave. Unfortunately, there were many casualties, but the results were still minimal. On the other hand, the Turks and Goguryeons continued to slack off. They all chose to feign attacks and did not truly attack.
In one day, Li Shimin's army had lost more than 10,000 people, but in the end, they still could not make a breakthrough. Especially today, the defense line that Xiao Yuanqi and Ma Yuan were in charge of was even more solid. Rouyuan County was like a meat grinder, constantly killing the Tang soldiers under Li Shimin's command. Countless people were killed, and Li Shimin was once again defeated.
As night fell, the Tang army retreated once more.
The killing on the third day was still a failure.
The army retreated.
Within the central tent.
Li Shimin wore thick clothes, wrapping himself up like a dumpling. However, the thick clothes were unable to warm his cold heart. Because of the three days of killing, close to fifty thousand men had died.
Such a casualty was too great.
Even if Li Shimin had a strong army, he could not bear such a loss.
Li Shimin sat above.
Below him were Zhangsun Wuji, Li Jing, Wei Zheng, and the others.
At this moment, no one spoke first. The atmosphere was extremely solemn. To attack a small Rouyuan County, they had lost so many men. Furthermore, they had not even won. The losses were simply too great.
After a long while, Li Jing said, "Your majesty, until today, we still have not broken through Rouyuan County. The plan to forcefully attack Rouyuan County has already failed. "
Li Shimin said, "I know."
Li Jing said, "Your majesty once said that if we cannot take down Rouyuan County in three days, we will retreat. Now, we do not have Xia's weapons. It will be very difficult to win this battle. Hence, I suggest we retreat immediately. "
Zhangsun Wuji also said, "Your majesty, since things have already come to this, there is no other way."
The others all spoke up as well.
At this moment, everyone's attitude started to change. They all urged Li Shimin to retreat. As for Xia Xia, many of the generals in the army were actually afraid. The reason was simple. He had suffered too many losses at the hands of Du Qi. Every time he fought with Du Qi, he would be dealt a heavy blow by Du Qi. This time, Du Qi was not here yet. Once Du Qi arrived, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Li Shimin listened to everyone's persuasion, but his expression revealed a hint of coldness.
Retreat!
Could they retreat now?
If they retreated this time, would they still be able to attack Du Qi in the future?
This was what Li Shimin thought.
Li Shimin had his own thoughts, but when he saw the expressions on the faces of the generals in the army, he waved his hand and said, "All of you are dismissed. I will think for a while."
"We will take our leave!"
Everyone stood up and excused themselves.
All of them left one after another.
However, Zhangsun Wuji did not leave. Instead, he remained in the tent.
"Fuji," Li Shimin said, "What are you doing? Everyone else has left, except for you. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your subject is of the same mind as Your Majesty, so I stayed behind. Your Majesty is thinking of the same thing as I am. Your Majesty wants to break into Rouyuan County and obtain victory in this battle. Your Majesty wants to defeat Du Qi. Your subject also feels the same way. Now that Your Majesty and I have come to this Xia Xia, if we cannot destroy Du Qi, then this trip will be in vain. "
Li Shimin nodded and said, "Fuji is right."
Zhangsun Wuji said, "So now, we cannot retreat."
Li Shimin said, "Fuji, the most important thing is that Du Qi's weapon has made a new innovation and is ahead of us again. If we cannot seize this weapon this time. Then the next time, the impact on us will be greater. And there is such a weapon in Rouyuan County. So now, we must take down Rouyuan County. "
After pausing for a while, Li Shimin continued, "As long as we take down Du Qi's new weapon. Even if we fail in this battle, it will not be considered a failure. But if we retreat without fighting, and leave after attacking for a while, then it will be a waste of effort. So here, I am unwilling to retreat. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty is wise."
After pausing for a while, Zhangsun Wuji said, "Since that is the case, I will immediately inform everyone to return."
"No hurry!"
Li Shimin shook his head and said.
He had just asked everyone to retreat, and now he immediately called everyone back. Wouldn't that be changing orders?
In any case, he also wanted to save face.
Li Shimin said, "Fuji, Du Qi's development is too fast now. If Du Qi's strength is not restrained. The consequences will be even more unimaginable. So now, we have to obtain victory. "
Zhangsun Wuji agreed and said, "I understand Your Majesty's intention. Du Qi is too monstrous, so now, we have to attack again. If we allow Du Qi to continue to grow, the consequences will be unimaginable. "
Li Shimin said, "That is what I mean."
Zhangsun Wuji stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I will go and persuade Duke Wei and inform Prime Minister Wei. At that time, they and I will request to stay and continue the battle. "
Li Shimin said, "No hurry, even if we have to follow your plan. But here, there is still a crucial factor that has not been resolved. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "What problem?"
Li Shimin said, "How to defeat the enemy?"
After pausing for a while, Li Shimin continued, "If this point cannot be resolved, then the core and most fundamental problem will not be resolved. So now, this is a problem that has to be resolved. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, I will discuss with Prime Minister Wei and Duke Wei. We will discuss a specific strategy, and when the time comes, we will have an audience with Your Majesty. I will also inform everyone else to come for the discussion. "
Li Shimin smiled from ear to ear.
As expected of his trusted aide.
Zhangsun Wuji's awareness was very high.
Li Shimin said with a solemn expression, "Fuji, this time, we will rely on you. Whether or not we can turn the tide of the Kingdom War with Du Qi will depend on this battle in Rou Yuan County. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. I will not let you down."
Li Shimin said, "Go."
Zhangsun Wuji stood up and left. After leaving the tent, he went straight to Li Jing's tent. When he saw Li Jing, he bowed and greeted, "Duke Wei!"
Li Jing waved his hand and said, "Duke Qi, please take a seat!"
Zhangsun Wuji lifted his robe and sat down. He didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point, "Duke Wei, regarding the current situation, I believe you have your own judgment."
Li Jing sighed and said, "The current situation is not easy!"
Zhangsun Wuji took the opportunity and said, "It is indeed not easy to start a war with Du Qi now. Duke Wei, let me say something that is unpleasant to the ears. If we can't take down Du Qi now, don't even think about it in the future. In this battle, if we can't win, then the attacker and the defender will change hands. In the future, it won't be us attacking Du Qi, but Du Qi attacking our Tang dynasty. "
Li Jing was silent when he heard this.
He didn't say anything.
Because Zhangsun Wuji could say these words casually, but he couldn't. Not only was Zhangsun Wuji an important official of the imperial court, not only was he Li Shimin's confidant, but he was also Li Shimin's brother-in-law. But Li Jing was different. His every move was watched by countless people, so he was careful to avoid making mistakes.
Li Jing also knew that Zhangsun Wuji's words meant that he had Li Shimin's permission. Because Zhangsun Wuji and Li Shimin were in cahoots.
Li Jing didn't speak for now, but Zhangsun Wuji continued, "Duke Wei, I am against retreating for this battle. No matter what, we must fight to the death. Rouyuan County must be broken. "
Li Jing said, "But it is not easy to break the county."
Zhangsun Wuji continued, "I know it is not easy. After all, the soldiers guarding Rouyuan County aren't weak. The problem is, if we can't break the county, we will stop here. Of course, we can also follow our previous agreement and propose to retreat. We will withdraw our troops and leave. "
"But Duke Wei, have you considered that if we give up Rouyuan County now, will we still be able to break Du Qi's city in the future? By then, Du Qi's weapons will become even more powerful. "
"So now, no matter what, we must win. We must defeat the county. The most important thing is that Du Qi's secret weapon is in the county. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Only by taking down this weapon can we develop our own equipment. Only then will we have a weapon to fight against Du Qi. Think about it, we also have this earth-shaking weapon. In the future, it will be easy to take down a city. In the future, it will be much easier to fight against Du Qi. "
Li Jing said, "You are right, Duke Wei."
He knew that Zhangsun Wuji came here to represent Li Shimin and announce Li Shimin's will. So in this situation, Li Jing nodded and continued, "Duke Wei's suggestion is not bad. It is also an experienced strategy. It is for the long-term of the Tang dynasty. This old man also agrees to stay. "
A smile appeared on Zhangsun Wuji's face.
With Li Jing's agreement, no one in the army dared to say anything. After all, Li Jing was the number one person in the army.
Zhangsun Wuji said, "I will immediately inform Prime Minister Wei to come over. The three of us will discuss this together. We must have a way to break the city. We can't stay in a deadlock like this. "
Li Jing stroked his beard and nodded. He didn't say anything else.
Zhangsun Wuji immediately made arrangements. His personal attendant went to pass down the order. Not long later, Wei Zheng entered the tent. He saw Zhangsun Wuji and greeted Li Jing and Zhangsun Wuji. Then, he lifted his robe and sat down. He approached the brazier and warmed himself up. He said, "Duke Wei and Duke Wei are both here. Is there anything important that you called me over?"
Zhangsun Wuji immediately repeated what he had said to Li Jing according to the law.
Wei Zheng also had foresight.
After listening to Zhangsun Wuji's words, he nodded. Then, he looked at Li Jing and asked, "Duke Wei, what do you think? Do you agree with Duke Qi's analysis?"
Li Jing said, "This old man does agree to continue fighting. Because in the current situation, although retreating is simple, there are too many problems left behind. If we break into Rouyuan County now and take down the weapons in Rouyuan County City. Then, the strength of the Tang dynasty's weapons will increase. In the future, when we fight with Du Qi, we won't be at a disadvantage in terms of weapons. "
After pausing for a moment, Li Jing continued, "Back then, when we fought with Du Qi, Du Qi's weapons were only slightly sharper. Even if he had gunpowder, he wasn't strong enough. But now, with the appearance of this new weapon, especially when it lands in the crowd, the power of the explosion far exceeds that of gunpowder. The distance between us has been pulled apart. If this continues, the gap between us and Du Qi will only get bigger. "
Wei Zheng also nodded his head in agreement.
Li Jing's words were very reasonable. Once they were left behind and didn't get this weapon, Du Qi would develop new weapons. At that time, the Tang dynasty would be in even more danger.
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