After Wei Shuyu made up his mind, he went straight to his room and ordered, "Men!"
The soldiers entered and saluted.
Wei Shuyu said, "Inform Li Zhen to come see me."
Li Zhen was now a major general in the army. He was Li Ji's son. After Li Ji died on the battlefield, Li Zhen was promoted and placed in an important position by Li Shimin.
Because of Li Ji's death on the battlefield, Li Zhen hated Xia Xia from the bottom of his heart and wanted nothing more than to avenge his father. The current Li Zhen was in his early twenties, a hot-blooded youth at the peak of his youth.
If it were a time of peace and prosperity, Li Zhen would definitely not be placed in an important position at his age. After all, there were people of the older generation. But now, too many of the older generation had withered away, while the younger generation was still young. But because of the current situation, they were quickly promoted.
In particular, many generals died on the battlefield in Xia Xia's army. So many people hated Xia Xia from the bottom of their hearts and wanted nothing more than to destroy him.
Not long after, Li Zhen entered in full armor.
Li Zhen had great respect for Wei Shuyu. This was because Wei Shuyu had been fighting against the Xia Country from the very beginning. He had been urging Li Shimin to pull himself together and fight.
Li Zhen cupped his fists and said, "Why did Marshal Wei ask me to come?"
Wei Shuyu said, "Can I trust you, Li Zhen?"
Li Zhen's eyes were sharp. A look of doubt flitted across his eyes, but he immediately said, "What do you mean, Marshal Wei? Do you think I'll beg Du Qi for a chance to live? I'll tell you, I swear to fight Du Qi to the end, and I swear to fight Xia Xia to the end. As long as I have a trace of breath left, I'll fight to the end. I, Li Zhen, will never give up. "
A smile appeared on Wei Shuyu's face as he praised, "Duke Ying is loyal and resolute. General Li is indeed worthy of being Duke Ying's son. The Li family is full of loyalty. This one admires you. "
Li Ji was conferred the title of Duke Ying.
He was a man who died in battle.
Hearing Wei Shuyu's praise, Li Zhen's sharp expression also softened as he said, "You must have a mission to entrust to me, Marshal Wei. What do you want me to do? "
Wei Shuyu said in a deep voice, "The mission I want to entrust to General Li is for you to lead 6,000 elite troops and take His Highness Prince Jin, Li Zhi, to go south to Guangzhou first and then settle down in Guangzhou."
Li Zhen asked, "What does that mean?"
At present, Li Shimin and Du Qi's intention to have a decisive battle was known to everyone. Everyone was even preparing for battle.
But now, Wei Shuyu wanted him to leave first.
Wei Shuyu's expression was solemn as he said solemnly, "Because His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness Li Ke were killed, His Majesty already had the will to fight to the death with Du Qi on Jade Mountain. Xia Xia's army is too strong. "
"In particular, the measures we set up to stop Xia were easily broken by Du Qi. At present, Du Qi's army has already rushed straight to Qujiang County and is getting closer and closer to Qujiang County. We are going to fight to the death in this battle, but I think the odds of victory are quite small. Under this premise, I want to arrange a retreat route. "
"I suggest that Your Majesty arrange a retreat route, and I even hope that Your Majesty doesn't have to personally command the battle."
Wei Shuyu said, "However, His Majesty rejected my suggestion. His Majesty didn't even arrange a way out. Such an approach is absolutely inappropriate. Therefore, I hope that General Li will leave with His Highness Prince Jin and leave a force behind. "
Prince Jin, Li Zhi, was only eight or nine years old. He was still young. However, Li Zhi was very smart and talented, so Wei Shuyu believed that once Li Shimin was defeated, the Li Tang's chance of survival would fall on Li Zhi.
After Li Zhen heard it, he was silent for a moment and then asked, "Marshal Wei, are you not coming with us?"
There was a probing look in his eyes.
He wanted to sound out Wei Shuyu and see what Wei Shuyu was thinking.
Wei Shuyu gently smiled and said, "His Majesty's kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain, and he even treated me as a state scholar. I, Wei Shuyu, am just a scholar and can only serve His Majesty. Therefore, His Majesty will stay and fight to the death in this battle, and so will I. Even if I die, I will have no regrets. "
Li Zhen said, "If that's the case, then I'll also stay. I won't leave. Marshal Wei, your lofty and unyielding character and hot-bloodedness are admirable. I also want to stay and fight with you. "
Wei Shuyu said, "General Li, do you know why I arranged for you to leave with His Highness Prince Jin?"
Li Zhen asked, "Why?"
Wei Shuyu said, "Because you're the most suitable candidate among the younger generation of generals. You come from a family of generals and have a long history of learning. You're proficient in both civil and martial arts. Compared to others, you can lead an army alone and assist His Highness Prince Jin. I wouldn't feel at ease if it were other people. "
Li Zhen was a bit happy to hear it.
After all, it was a compliment.
Everyone liked to hear it.
Li Zhen thought for a moment and shook his head. "I don't dare to accept Marshal Wei's compliment. But deep down, I still want to stay because I want to avenge my father and defeat Xia Xia's army. "
Wei Shuyu was furious after hearing it and scolded, "Why don't you listen to me? You want to stay and fight. But the problem is, do you think you can hold this battle? You can't. You should know what kind of strength Xia Xia has. Just the weapon of the Xia Country is an invincible weapon that we can't fight against. "
"Besides, our forces are weak. Even if we're hiding in Jade Mountain, Jade Mountain has no strategic depth at all. It's impossible to stop Xia Xia."
"His Majesty has to fight to the death because of His Highness the Crown Prince and the others. Li Zhen, if you don't arrange an escape route this time, then the Tang Dynasty may come to an end here. "
"If you take the army and escort His Highness Prince Jin away, you'll leave a chance for the Tang Dynasty and give the Tang Dynasty a chance to take revenge. Even after you arrive in Guangzhou, once we fall, you can lead the army to leave Guangzhou and go to Nihon. "
Wei Shuyu said, "In short, arrange an escape route. Once the situation goes wrong, retreat immediately."
Li Zhen fell silent after hearing it.
His expression was even more solemn.
He was not a person who didn't understand the situation. On the contrary, his family had a long history and was influenced by Li Ji, so he also knew the situation very well. Given the current situation of the Li Tang, it was absolutely impossible for them to withstand it.
Wei Shuyu continued, "Li Zhen, I asked you to take His Highness Prince Jin away in order to preserve our strength. So don't think that you're not fighting on the front line. On the contrary, the burden on your shoulders is the heaviest. "
Li Zhen said, "I understand!"
After a pause, Li Zhen continued, "You just said that His Majesty doesn't want to retreat and doesn't want to arrange an escape route. In that case, will His Majesty agree if I take His Highness away? "
Wei Shuyu said, "Even if His Majesty doesn't agree, so what? Everything I do is for the sake of the Tang Dynasty. I have a clear conscience for what I've done. "
These words were spoken with a strong sense of righteousness.
Wei Shuyu said, "Li Zhen, it involves the continuation of the Tang Dynasty and your revenge. Even if it's against His Majesty's order, I think it should be done. What we need to consider now is not whether His Majesty agrees or not, but whether it's right. "
Li Zhen stared at Wei Shuyu.
He saw the righteousness in Wei Shuyu's eyes.
Especially this time, if Wei Shuyu was also involved in the evacuation, it would be for personal gain. But now, if Wei Shuyu wanted to stay, it would be different.
Li Zhen said, "Marshal Wei, I agree."
Wei Shuyu said, "That's good."
Li Zhen said again, "What about His Highness Prince Jin?"
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