Li Shimin's army was slow because they were holding the Turkic captives. However, they were only a short distance away from Quzhou County. Thus, even though they were moving slowly, they still managed to reach Quzhou County.
Li Jiancheng had already issued a commendation order.
There was also wine and meat.
Li Shimin did not care about this at all. He was very clear about the relationship between him and Li Jiancheng. It was only because of the great merits of this battle that Li Jiancheng couldn't suppress, so he had no choice but to issue the order of commendation.
Li Shimin's army arrived outside Quzhou County's County Town. Forty thousand elites set up battle array. However, for the time being, Li Shimin did not attack because he was not clear about the situation in Quzhou County.
There was no need to rush to attack the city.
Let's test the situation first.
Li Shimin urged his horse to stand up, he raised his head to look at the city gate tower, and shouted loudly, "Where is Liu Heita?"
"This king is here!"
Liu Heita was clad in armor. His hands were propped up on the city wall. His face was solemn, and there was a look of anticipation in his eyes. Today, he wanted to continuously weaken Li Shimin's face and make Li Shimin lose all face.
Liu Heita said, "Li Shimin, this King has been waiting for you here in Quzhou County for a long time. You've only just arrived. The speed at which you're marching is really slow. Rumor has it that Li Shimin is extremely formidable in commanding troops, an expert in marching and fighting. But you're taking your time in this battle. What a disappointment! "
Liu Heita was a martial artist.
His voice was full of energy.
Especially when he shouted from the top of the city gate tower, his voice could be clearly heard outside the city. Even the officers and soldiers of the Tang dynasty could hear Liu Heita's shout.
Listening to this, Li Shimin had a smile on the corner of his mouth, he picked up the megaphone in his hand and shouted, "Rumor has it that Liu Heita is proficient in battle, he is a valiant general. Hearing your words today, I am greatly disappointed. "
"Why?"
"Because you didn't even see through this king's strategy."
"If I march quickly, I can reach Quzhou County in one or two days. In that case, could they still ambush the Turkic cavalry at the Falling Moon Slope? Can they make the insufferably arrogant Turkic cavalry flee in panic? "
Li Shimin's eyes were sharp, he shouted, "The reason why this prince did this is to scheme against the eight thousand Tujue cavalry led by Zhi Sili. Could it be that you, Liu Heita, are not clear about the results of today's battle? Of the eight thousand Turkic cavalry, only a thousand or so managed to escape. The rest of the Turks have become my captives. This is the reason why I'm so slow on the road. "
Whoosh!
Many of the soldiers stationed on the city gate tower were discussing animatedly. Their faces were filled with disbelief.
Li Shimin actually defeated the Turks.
One must know that the cavalry of the Turks had always been insufferably arrogant. They were not to be trifled with. But he did not expect that these people actually fell into Li Shimin's ears.
This news was not a secret to Liu Heita and the others, but the soldiers in the army did not know. Now that Li Shimin said it out loud, it created a certain influence among Liu Heita's subordinates.
Liu Heita glanced around and heard the soldiers' discussion.
He secretly praised Li Shimin in his heart.
He actually retaliated with just a few words.
It even affected the morale of his troops.
But Liu Heita was not a coward, his eyes were sharp, he said in a heavy voice, "Li Shimin, even if you captured the Tujue cavalry, so what? I have more than 10,000 Tang captives in my hands. Your Tang Army's commander-in-chief, Xue Wanche, led more than thirty thousand elite troops to pursue and attack, but unexpectedly fled in defeat. Alas, the Tang Army is nothing more than this. "
Li Shimin said, "You defeated Xue Wanche, you, Liu Heita, are indeed powerful. But no matter how powerful you are, you were also defeated at Mingshui County and fled in panic. If it was me who pursued and attacked, you, Liu Heita, would have been buried here at Sanjiangkou. "
Liu Heita's cheeks twitched.
He indeed defeated the Tang Army led by Xue Wanche.
The problem was that Xue Wanche could not represent Li Shimin, especially when Li Shimin also broke the Mingshui County that Liu Heita was guarding.
This became his dark history.
Liu Heita gritted his teeth, his eyes sharp, he said, "Li Shimin, don't be savage."
Li Shimin smiled indifferently, he said, "How am I savage? It's obviously you, Liu Heita, who is savage. I just opened my mouth to refute. How come it suddenly became me who is savage? Alas, Liu Heita, you are too difficult to get along with. "
Li Shimin's subordinates immediately burst into laughter.
One by one, the soldiers laughed.
They were all mocking Liu Heita for not speaking well.
Liu Heita gritted his teeth, gnashing his teeth in hatred. He did not expect that his conversation with Li Shimin would be ridiculed like this. His heart was even more furious, so he no longer talked nonsense with Li Shimin.
Liu Heita said, "Li Shimin, I have more than 15 thousand captives in my hands. Now, you immediately release all the Tujue soldiers and horses. Otherwise, I will kill all the captive Tang soldiers. "
Speaking to here, Liu Heita paused for a moment, then continued, "Li Shimin, the captives of the Tang dynasty are all in custody in the city. This prince's shout, as well as your words, Li Shimin's, they can all hear it. You must think clearly. "
This was forcing Li Shimin.
Once Li Shimin refused to rescue the captive soldiers, whether it was the captive Tang soldiers in the city who would be angry, or even the officers and soldiers under Li Shimin's command outside the city, they would all have ideas.
The reason was very simple. Li Shimin's officers and soldiers outside the city, knowing that Li Shimin did not rescue the captives, they would consider what to do if they failed and became captives.
Who could they rely on?
Li Shimin heard this, his mind quickly turned. He could not directly release all the Tujue cavalry. If he released the captives now, and Liu Heita did not release the captives, it would mean that everything he did was in vain.
This was the least cost-effective.
Li Shimin's mind was quick, he immediately came up with a countermeasure. He said, "Liu Heita, listen carefully. My Tang dynasty's officers and soldiers, whether it is the soldiers under my command, or Xue Wanche's captive soldiers, they are all Tang dynasty's officers and soldiers. "
"I will not abandon any Tang dynasty's officers and soldiers."
"Since you want to exchange the Tujue cavalry, I will allow you. Now, you immediately release all the Tang dynasty's soldiers and let them out of the city. As long as they leave the city, I will release the captive Tujue cavalry. "
Li Shimin said, "This is my promise. As long as you fulfill it, I will fulfill my promise. But according to what you said, just because you have captives, you want me to release the Tujue cavalry, that is impossible. What if this prince fulfills his promise and you break it? At that time, who will this prince look for to reason with? "
Liu Heita said, "Li Shimin, I still have this little bit of credibility. You immediately release the Tujue cavalry. After releasing all the men and horses, I will release the Tang dynasty's soldiers. "
"Absolutely not!"
Li Shimin directly refused.
It was impossible for him to place all his hopes on Liu Heita. At this point, he must exchange all the captives, otherwise the morale of the army would be affected.
Therefore, Li Shimin had no other choice.
He could only exchange the captives.
However, Li Shimin could not let Liu Heita put forward the conditions. If he wanted to release the captive Tujue cavalry, it would be a fair exchange between both sides.
Liu Heita gritted his teeth and said, "Li Shimin, I gave you a chance, but you did not obey. If you don't care about the lives of the Tang dynasty's officers and soldiers, then I will kill them. "
Li Shimin said, "Liu Heita, I have said it must be a fair exchange. I will not give up any captive Tang dynasty's soldiers, nor will I let you manipulate them. "
Liu Heita rolled his eyes and said, "Li Shimin, if you want to release the captives at the same time, that is also possible. But this time, you ambushed the Tujue army at the Falling Moon Slope and caused great losses. In addition to releasing the Tujue cavalry and horses, you also have to give me 1000 horses as compensation. Then, I will agree to release them at the same time. "
He gave the final condition.
After Liu Heita finished speaking, he looked at Li Shimin eagerly, with an expectant look in his eyes. Once Li Shimin agreed to the condition, for him, it would weaken Li Shimin's influence. Even in this round, he could be considered to have suppressed Li Shimin.
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