Zhangsun Wuji, Wei Zheng, Wei Shuyu and the others were advancing quickly. Although there were less than six hundred soldiers by their side, they had generals like Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong with them. Even if they encountered small groups of soldiers along the way, they would directly kill their way through, approaching the Changbai Slope without any danger.
On the front line of the Changbai Slope, Xia Xia's army was defending.
It was impossible for Zhangsun Wuji and his group to break out of the encirclement through the official road of the Changbai Slope. Instead, they quietly circled to the border of the Changbai Slope and gathered the strength of Yuchi Gong, Cheng Yaojin, and the rest to break out of the Changbai Slope. Even if Du Qi's army wanted to chase, they would not be able to catch up.
When Du Qi received the news that Zhangsun Wuji and the others had broken out, he immediately gathered everyone to discuss and deduced that Jiuquan County had won. Otherwise, Zhangsun Wuji and the others would not be able to break out.
Next, they only needed to deal with Li Shimin.
There was no pressure from the back.
After Du Qi and the others made their deductions, Xiao Yuanqi's letter was sent over, reporting the situation of Jiuquan County and the killing. The letter also mentioned Qin Qiong's death and Li Ji's suicide. After Du Qi read it, he felt pity. No matter if it was Qin Qiong or Li Ji, they were all capable people.
It was a pity that these people died on the battlefield.
Du Qi ordered the army to rest and prepare because they only needed to wait for Xiao Yuanqi's army to gather and they could prepare to fight Li Shimin at the front line of the Changbai Slope.
While Du Qi's army was resting, Zhangsun Wuji and the others finally arrived outside the Tang army camp.
Their expressions were all extremely tired.
Their eyes were all bloodshot.
Because they had fought their way out of Jiuquan County, they had stayed up for an entire night. Now that they had run for such a long time, they were all exhausted. Even if they were riding horses, they were still very tired. The soldiers guarding the entrance were all surprised. They did not expect Zhangsun Wuji and the others to return like this. Not only were they few in numbers, but they were all in a bad state.
The soldiers quickly went to report.
Zhangsun Wuji, Cheng Yaojin and the others waited where they were.
Not long later, Li Shimin came out.
He came out personally.
Originally, Li Shimin only needed to arrange for someone to pass the order for Zhangsun Wuji and the rest to have an audience. However, when Li Shimin received the news, he did not waste any time and flew out.
Li Shimin saw Zhangsun Wuji, Cheng Yaojin, and the others. He glanced over and didn't see Qin Qiong and Li Ji. He asked, "What's going on? Where are Li Ji and Shu Bao?"
"Your Majesty!"
When Zhangsun Wuji heard that, he suddenly knelt on the ground.
The others knelt down one after another.
All of them were choking with sobs.
In particular, Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong were wailing loudly.
Li Shimin's body suddenly froze. His cheeks twitched as he asked, "How did Shu Bao and Li Ji die?"
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, when we broke out of the encirclement last night, there were 60,000 soldiers in Jiuquan City. The east gate and south gate each had 25,000 soldiers, while the south gate and north gate each had 5,000 soldiers. Our original plan was to destroy the army of the State of Xia led by Xiao Yuanqi outside the city, and then lead the army to Shazhou and Guazhou, to the hinterland of the State of Xia, so that Du Qi of Changbai Slope would be completely isolated. "
"However, our army that broke out of the encirclement was blocked on all fronts. Because there was a wall outside the city, when we broke out of the city, we became the attacking party. Our army suffered heavy losses. Not only did we not achieve our goal of destroying the enemy, we were suppressed by them. "
"In the end, when we broke out of the city, we were ambushed by the cavalry and fell into a heavy encirclement. General Qin Qiong made a prompt decision and led the army to cover the rear, buying time for us to break out of the encirclement. "
"However, after we broke out of the encirclement, because Xiao Yuanqi never appeared, Li Ji concluded that Xiao Yuanqi was waiting for us on the road to Changbai Slope. Therefore, he led the army to meet the attack and attracted Xiao Yuanqi's attention, so that we could break out of the encirclement."
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, I am guilty."
Wei Zheng said, "I am guilty!"
"I am guilty, Your Majesty, please punish me."
"I am guilty, Your Majesty, please punish me."
…
The generals kept asking for forgiveness. Everyone's face was filled with grief, anger, and helplessness. In the battle last night, the losses were too great. They had lost countless soldiers, and even Li Ji and Qin Qiong had been killed.
Li Shimin looked around.
Only a few hundred out of sixty thousand came back.
The loss was more than great.
It was simply a ghastly sight.
If Li Shimin had not failed several times in a row and suffered too much pressure, this failure would have made him furious. However, because he had suffered too many failures, Li Shimin was numb to it now. Although there were some changes in his expression, there were not many emotions in his heart.
Li Shimin took a deep breath and adjusted his state. He said, "Li Ji and Qin Qiong are lucky. They might not be in a desperate situation. Perhaps they will survive. Everyone, get up and return to the camp to rest. "
Hearing this, everyone thanked him profusely.
Only then did everyone follow him into the camp. After everyone went to rest, Li Shimin returned to the main tent. He was very depressed and had lost his fighting spirit. Because of the continuous fighting, his army had suffered countless losses.
Even Li Shimin's subordinates were being split up.
From Du Ruhui, who had left at the start, to Su Dingfang and Li Jing, to Hou Junji and Duan Zhixuan, who had died in battle, and now Qin Qiong and Li Ji were in danger of dying.
In particular, his army had suffered losses time and time again. In this battle, he had expended a great deal of soldiers, but even if he wanted to attack the Changbai Slope where Du Qi was, he was still unable to do so.
Li Shimin felt unprecedentedly tired.
He was even more depressed.
At any other time, Li Shimin might have been able to pull himself together and continue fighting. But now, negative emotions had truly taken over his body, and he was in a daze. Li Shimin was in a daze, letting go of his emotions.
"Reporting!"
At this moment, a soldier's voice came from the entrance of the tent.
Li Shimin jolted out of his daze and asked, "What is it?"
The soldier entered and reported, "Your Majesty, Duke Qi requests an audience."
"Send him in!"
Li Shimin ordered.
A moment later, Zhangsun Wuji entered the tent and cupped his fists, "Your Majesty!"
The current Zhangsun Wuji was still extremely tired. His eyes were bloodshot, and his eye sockets were dark. However, he had changed into a clean set of clothes. Although he looked tired, he was still clean.
Li Shimin said, "Sit!"
After Zhangsun Wuji sat down, Li Shimin continued, "Even if there is a wall around Jiuquan County. Based on the news, there are only around thirty thousand soldiers outside Jiuquan County. On our side, we have a total of sixty thousand men. Based on the way you split up, it shouldn't be so tragic. Only a few hundred managed to escape. "
This was Li Shimin's doubt.
The soldiers of the Tang Army were all elites.
They weren't weak.
However, these sixty thousand were all lost in Jiuquan County. In the end, only a few hundred managed to return.
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