In the dull and boring days, time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was already March. The weather in the Western Region gradually warmed up. Although the temperature difference between day and night was still large, the sun shone brightly during the day and the weather was extremely clear.
The weather in Chang 'an was even warmer. Everything was revived and full of vitality.
On the official road outside Chang 'an City.
The sound of horse hooves could be heard. A man and a horse were running quickly.
"Urgent report!"
"Urgent report from Guazhou!"
The cavalry shouted as he ran.
When he approached the west gate of Chang 'an City, because he was shouting loudly, his voice directly reached the ears of the soldiers stationed at the city gate. Seeing the cavalry sentry rushing over, the soldiers stationed at the city gate did not dare to stop him and directly gave way.
The cavalry sentry rushed all the way.
He went straight to the imperial city.
When he arrived at the imperial city gate, the sentry reported and dismounted from his horse and quickly entered. The sentry's journey was smooth. In a short time, he had already arrived outside the main hall and was allowed to enter.
After the sentry stood still, he bowed to Li Shimin and then took out the letter written by Su Dingfang and Gao Shilian from the bamboo tube on his back. He said, "Your Majesty, urgent report from Guazhou."
Tang Zhen took the letter from the sentry and handed it to Li Shimin.
Li Shimin glanced at the sentry.
The sentry's expression was obviously anxious.
Li Shimin had not seen the letter yet, but he already had a trace of worry in his heart. After all, Du Qi had always been extremely powerful. Even though Li Shimin had worries in his heart, he still quickly opened the letter and read it.
When Li Shimin saw the contents of the letter, his expression was already serious and slightly gloomy. Especially in that pair of eyes, there was a faint flame flickering in them.
Tang Zhen knew Li Shimin very well. When he saw Li Shimin's expression, his heart sank. He knew that it was definitely bad news. Tang Zhen lowered his head and stood quietly by the side, waiting.
After a long while, Li Shimin finished reading the letter. He did not do anything extreme, but the expression on his face was already so gloomy that it was about to drip water.
Li Shimin ordered, "Pass the order, summon Zhangsun Wuji to the palace for an audience."
Tang Zhen immediately gave the order.
Zhangsun Wuji had been handling government affairs in the palace. The moment he received the notice, he hurried into the main hall. Just as he was about to salute, Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "No need to salute. There's news from the Western Regions. Come and take a look."
Tang Zhen passed the letter over. Zhangsun Wuji took it and skimmed through it quickly. When he saw the first part of the letter, his body stiffened and his expression froze.
Defeated!
Hou Junji had been defeated!
Not only that, Hou Junji had become Du Qi's prisoner, and tens of thousands of soldiers from the Tang dynasty had been captured.
Zhangsun Wuji's heart turned cold. He looked at Li Shimin and said, "Your Majesty, Hou Junji's defeat has a huge impact on us. Right now, it was just Su Dingfang and Gao Shilian who had sent back the news. Soon, the news would definitely spread. Countless people in the Tang dynasty would certainly know about it. Even the imperial court will be in an uproar. "
Li Shimin clenched his fists and placed them on the table in front of him. He said in a deep voice, "It's normal for something that has already happened to cause an uproar. There's nothing to be surprised about."
"What We are concerned about is the new weapon in Du Qi's army mentioned in the letter. Du Qi has three types of weapons. The first type is like an ambush mechanism at the entrance of the camp. Once the soldiers enter, it will explode and injure countless people. "
"The second type is a weapon that is thrown out. When it lands in a crowd, it will also cause a huge number of casualties. The third type is a weapon thrown out by a catapult. When the weapon lands on the ground, it will explode. Within a radius of several zhang, all life will be extinguished and the ground will be turned into a huge pit. "
"This is what We are concerned about."
"Now that Du Qi has won, what we need to consider is not the uproar it will cause, but this weapon. Besides this weapon, the sabers used by Du Qi's soldiers are also extremely sharp. If they slash continuously, they will be able to break the sabers of our soldiers. "
Li Shimin said, "The situation in the country is still rather stable. Even if there are some problems in the Western Regions, they aren't that scary. However, Du Qi's weapon is what we should be wary of. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty is right. However, Your Majesty, in the letter, Gao Shilian and Su Dingfang both mentioned that Hou Junji completely disregarded the overall situation and acted like a gambler. Thus, although the failure of this battle was partly due to the weapon, it was also due to Hou Junji's careless command. Hou Junji's blind command led to this great defeat. "
Li Shimin nodded.
Li Shimin was extremely proficient in fighting on the battlefield. Thus, he could deduce many things from the letter, including whether Su Dingfang's words were true or false.
Li Shimin sighed. "Wuji, Hou Junji has been defeated. Gao Shilian and Su Dingfang have retreated back to Guazhou. How should we deal with this battle? "
Zhangsun Wuji thought for a while before saying, "Your Majesty, now that things have come to this, we can only continue fighting. If Hou Junji is defeated, the imperial court will not care about anything. If that's the case, Du Qi will be allowed to do as he pleases. "
"Right now, we need to mobilize more troops to attack Du Qi again."
"If we don't take down the four provinces of the Western Region, the Tang dynasty will lose all face. Especially when Du Qi ceded land in the Western Region to establish himself. This is a very bad start. If the officials of the various provinces and regions follow suit, it will be extremely disadvantageous for us. "
Zhangsun Wuji's eyes were still filled with worry.
The situation was very bad.
Li Shimin nodded and sighed. "Wuji, back then, We listened to your words and dealt with Du Qi. I don't know if this is the right decision in the end. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, all lands under the heavens belong to the Emperor, and all lands are the Emperor's subjects. The Tang dynasty will definitely be under Your Majesty's control. Even Du Qi is no exception. Thus, we cannot allow Du Qi to establish himself. No matter what happens, I will not change my mind. "
Li Shimin was not an indecisive person and was not used to shirking his responsibilities. He was just lamenting earlier. Now that he heard Zhangsun Wuji's words, he nodded. Furthermore, Li Shimin was clear that he had already unsheathed his sword and could not take it back.
Otherwise, he would lose all face.
Li Shimin ascended to the throne through a coup, so there was a problem with legitimacy. Now that there was a problem, it might cause a chain reaction, and Li Shimin could not stop the plan.
Li Shimin thought for a while and ordered, "Men, summon the Crown Prince, Li Jing, Fang Xuanling, and Du Ruhui into the palace."
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, I don't think it's suitable to summon Du Ruhui. After all, Du Ruhui was Du Qi's father. Once the Imperial Court had agreed on a general plan, Du Ruhui, who loved his son dearly, would very likely pass the information to Du Qi in secret. At that time, it might affect the entire plan. In a battle on the battlefield, a single mistake can cause the entire game to be lost. "
Li Shimin heard this and fell silent.
He stroked his beard, and there was a trace of hesitation in his eyes. No matter how brilliant Li Shimin was, when it came to making a choice, as long as one was human, they would hesitate.
After a while, Li Shimin shook his head and said, "I believe in Ke Ming. He is the prime minister of the imperial court, so how can he not participate in the meeting? If I leave Ke Ming alone, it will be my fault. If you don't betray me, I won't betray you. Ke Ming has never betrayed me, so I believe in Ke Ming and his loyalty. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, one must be wary of others."
Li Shimin waved his sleeves and said, "I believe in him. Even if it involves Du Qi, if Ke Ming has any selfish motives, I believe that he will not harm the public for personal reasons. You don't have to persuade him anymore. "
After Zhangsun Wuji heard this, he sighed and did not say anything else. After all, Li Shimin already had an idea.
Tang Zhen arranged for someone to inform him. The first to arrive were Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui. The two of them were discussing in the palace. After the two of them arrived, Li Chengqian entered, followed by Li Jing.
On one hand, Li Jing was already in his sixties. On the other hand, Li Jing lived outside the palace and did not work in the palace, so he was the last to arrive.
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