The next day, early morning.
Xue Rengui had already led his troops out of Jiangdu, and his army had split up to sweep through the various provinces and counties of Jiangnan. Apart from that, Xue Rengui had also sent a portion of his troops up north to attack various places along the canal.
Du Qi was still leading his troops to guard Jiangdu, standing firmly at the back. On one hand, Du Qi was suppressing the rear. On the other hand, he was sorting out the local areas and stabilizing their internal affairs.
While Xue Rengui was advancing, Li Shimin's troops were also retreating quickly.
In the tenth month, Li Shimin's army had already entered Huiji. Li Shimin now had around seven thousand soldiers, mainly made up of Black Armor Elite Cavalry and a portion of infantry. Of course, apart from the seven thousand soldiers, there were also a large number of officials and their families, as well as a large number of people.
Fortunately, the soldiers had brought food, so they could last. Moreover, Fang Xuanling had already made arrangements, so the journey was smooth and they did not encounter any trouble.
Li Shimin was now in Huiji, which was not far from Yangzhou, so it was still not safe.
If they traveled at full speed, they would be able to arrive in a short time. Moreover, the Huiji area had been developed since the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period, so it was still a prosperous place. Moreover, during the Tang dynasty, these places were all renovated, and the official roads were paved with cement, so it was still easy to travel.
When it was close to noon, Li Shimin and his men stopped to rest.
Previously, when Li Shimin and his men were in Huiji County, they had resupplied, so they had enough food and meat. Now, Li Shimin still had to travel south to the southern region of Jiangnan. Because they were close to the Lingnan area, they had a chance to rest.
In Huiji, they would not be able to gain a foothold.
Beside Li Shimin were Wei Shuyu, Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng, and the others. Li Shimin looked slightly tired. After all, he had been running all the way here, so he was quite tired.
When Li Shimin was young, even if he kept running, his body could still hold on.
Now, Li Shimin was close to forty years old. In particular, he had been working very hard these past few years. His body was no longer as strong as it used to be. His hair had turned white, so he was very tired after running around for a while.
While Li Shimin was resting, Wei Shuyu got up to get a handkerchief and fetched hot water for Li Shimin to wash his face. Only then did he sit down again. He solemnly said, "Your Majesty, we must hurry to the south. The bad guys in the rear sent news that after Du Qi seized Jiangdu, he started to send troops to attack various places in Jiangnan. "
"Other than that, we've also arranged for people to go up north and sweep the areas around the canal. Now, Du Qi's intention is actually very simple. He wants to stabilize the place and consolidate the results of the war. "
Wei Shuyu said, "Under such circumstances, our space for survival will become smaller and smaller, and our situation will become more and more difficult."
Li Shimin said dejectedly, "There's nothing we can do. We can't stop it at all."
Li Shimin did not have many soldiers left.
More than seven thousand people.
Perhaps in a chaotic world, these seven thousand people would be able to sweep through various places like sparks of fire. However, now that Du Qi had become a force to be reckoned with, and Du Qi even had the Imperial Capital as his backing, they did not have the strength to contend with Du Qi.
The current situation was rather bad.
What seven thousand people could do was too little.
Wei Shuyu said again, "Your Majesty, we are now facing a very thorny problem."
Li Shimin had a puzzled look on his face as he asked, "What problem? Are you worried that if we continue south and reach Lingnan, we won't have a foothold?"
Wei Shuyu shook his head and said, "That's not the case. Minister Fang has already made arrangements for the south. Therefore, the matters along the way to the south are still fine. Besides, there are people who have already gone ahead to make arrangements, so I'm not worried. The current problem is that along the way, there are already some people who are unwilling to go south. They have begun to secretly leave the group. "
Swoosh!
Li Shimin's expression changed abruptly.
There was anger in his eyes.
While he was angry, Li Shimin also felt helpless. He was now as panicked as a stray dog. How could he ask people to pledge their lives to follow him? Everyone knew that in times of trouble, it was possible to see through a person's thoughts.
Li Shimin suddenly chuckled.
There was self-mockery in his laughter.
Li Shimin sighed and said, "We can't keep those who should leave. Instead of keeping these people behind, why not let them leave? We need to go south to Lingnan, and even hide in the mountains. Then, we can't have people with impure thoughts right now. Keeping these people around will only be a scourge, and might even drag us down. "
Wei Shuyu said with a look of admiration, "Your Majesty is wise. If it were anyone else, they would've been unable to withstand such a situation long ago. They would've already been unable to restrain their anger and would've gone on a killing spree. However, Your Majesty can understand. That's admirable. "
Li Shimin said, "Shuyu, don't flatter me. Right now, I'm here because I have no other choice. "
Wei Shuyu said, "Your Majesty, the reason why I'm reporting this matter is that among the imperial court officials accompanying us, there are definitely some whose hearts are wavering. Even their families are uneasy. Instead of keeping these people and making them a burden, it's better to let them leave. "
After a pause, Wei Shuyu said, "I suggest that you personally come out and give a lecture to those who want to leave. Take this opportunity to lighten our burden. Your Majesty, what we need now is an iron fist and a soft approach. "
After listening, Li Shimin said, "I understand."
Wei Shuyu breathed a sigh of relief.
It was best that Li Shimin could listen to his persuasion. However, Wei Shuyu also sighed in his heart. Xia Xia's strength was too strong now. Like a rolling snowball, he constantly swept all over the country and constantly seized all the regions. If it weren't for Du Qi's strength, Li Shimin's wisdom would've been enough to prosper the Tang dynasty.
Unfortunately, fate was in Xia Xia's favor.
Li Shimin looked at Fang Xuanling and said, "Minister Fang, go and inform all the officials and their families to gather."
Fang Xuanling said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, should we also gather the army? After all, there are so many soldiers in the army. Some officials and their families left without permission, and the same goes for the army. "
"After Xue Wanche caught up with us, our strength has actually increased, but now there are only 7,000 people left. There are obviously deserters. So these soldiers should also be lectured together. If they want to leave, then let them leave. "
Fang Xuanling said, "Tell them frankly that if they want to leave, then they can leave so that they can make a choice. In this way, we can ensure that we can fight to the death. "
Li Shimin said, "Yes!"
Fang Xuanling heard this and turned to make arrangements.
In a short time, Fang Xuanling gathered all the officials who came with him, as well as all the officials' families, and even the black-armored cavalry, as well as all the infantry. All the troops were gathered. Fang Xuanling came to Li Shimin's side and said, "Your Majesty, all the troops have been gathered."
Li Shimin nodded.
He reached out to wipe his face, looked at all the people who had gathered, took a deep breath, stood up, and came to the front of everyone. Li Shimin's eyes swept over and saw the soldiers and the officials who evacuated with him.
Many of these people had fear in their eyes.
They looked worried.
In the midst of a storm, no one could stay out of it alone. They followed Li Shimin as if they were in a whirlpool, so it was normal for them to feel uneasy.
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