Chapter 23 You really can’t just slack off!
When all 4,000 cavalrymen moved to the rear of Shi Siming's army, they immediately turned their horses around, formed a battle formation, and rushed towards the rear of the rebel camp.
The soldiers who were slacking off in the back were suddenly attacked by the cavalry charging from the rear. They were immediately panicked and began to fight back.
Rebel: No, brother, didn't you all just leave? Didn't we agree that if you don't hit me, I won't hit you?
We were all so harmonious and friendly just now, how come you guys turned against each other so suddenly?]
[Who made this agreement with you? Bah, who told you to slack off just now!]
[Facts have proven that you really can’t slack off at critical moments!
Is this called failure caused by slacking off?】
Taiyuan was surrounded by rolling hills, and the terrain was long and narrow. Although Shi Siming's army was numerous, it was not well-suited to the narrow terrain and was outflanked from both front and back.
The infantry in the rear of the rebels were killed and thrown into chaos by Li Shimin and other elite troops. At this time, Shi Siming, who was attacking in the front, saw the smoke and chaos in the rear.
When Shi Siming learned that Li Shimin had led his cavalry to surround him from the rear, he was shocked:
"Didn't he run ahead? Why did he suddenly run back?"
Shi Siming had no idea why no one noticed anything was wrong when his army had so many people.
However, Shi Siming couldn't figure out why he had fallen into large-scale slacking off.
However, seeing the situation like this, he had to quickly order Cai Xide to lead the cavalry to the rear to command the formation.
However, the terrain was long and narrow, and their army was large in number, so they were squeezed in the valley and could not move freely.
Cai Xide and the cavalry couldn't squeeze through at all. They were like fish swimming upstream. It took them a long time to move backwards.
[Hahahaha, this is simply a hallucination of being stuck in a traffic jam and driving against traffic.
Now I finally understand why a small force can defeat a large one. Sometimes, victory isn't just about numbers; terrain, opportunities, and strategy all play a role...
"What are you all doing crowding here? Get out of the way!"
Cai Xide was anxiously yelling at the infantry next to him and didn't move for a long time.
At this moment, he was distracted and was chased from behind by Li Guangbi, who was killing in the front. He was unable to dodge and was beheaded by a knife before he could resist for a few seconds.
"Cai Xide is dead! Put down your weapons and surrender immediately. Those who surrender will not be killed!"
Hearing Li Guangbi's shout, Li Shimin shouted "good", then shot down the enemy's flag with an arrow and shouted:
"Shi Siming is dead, the commander is dead, the rebels surrender immediately, those who refuse will be killed!"
Shi Siming was so angry that he cursed, he was not dead yet!
However, the army was in chaos and was in a state of commotion. The soldiers who were far away in front and behind him could not hear what he said at all.
Seeing Li Guangbi and Li Shimin coming at them from both sides, the rebel soldiers panicked wherever they passed.
Some quickly dropped their weapons and surrendered, while others simply took off their armor and fled into the mountains, screaming.
Seeing that the defeat was overwhelming and he was unable to stop Li Shimin's attack, Shi Siming panicked and immediately decided to lead a thousand guards to escape from the valley.
The Tang army won a great victory in this battle. Not only did they kill Cai Xide directly, but they also captured more than 80,000 rebels. Li Guangbi was very happy:
"Your Highness won, we really won! Now we can finally report to His Majesty!
Hey, where is His Highness?"
In just a short while, Li Guangbi saw Li Shimin not far away from him, and the next second he had disappeared.
Li Guangbi: ……… Today is another day of searching for His Highness everywhere. I feel so tired.
But soon, Li Guangbi couldn't find it after searching everywhere. His expression suddenly changed and he slapped his head:
"Oh no, could it be that His Highness is going after Shi Siming?
No, no, go and stop His Highness! Don't chase after a desperate enemy!"
At this time, Li Shimin had already led hundreds of cavalrymen to chase for dozens of miles.
The people sent by Li Guangbi could not catch up even if they carried horses, let alone riding them. They could only follow behind and eat dust all the way, and finally returned to report the news in a dishevel.
Li Guangbi suddenly became anxious like a top on a hot pan, spinning back and forth in place.
His Royal Highness Prince Yan rode his horse so fast that he disappeared without a trace. Even if we wanted to help protect him, we couldn't catch up with him!
What if there's an ambush? Is it enough for His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan to bring just a few hundred men?
Generally speaking, in a war, one should not pursue a desperate enemy, for fear that after a great victory, the soldiers will become arrogant and fall into a trap!
However, Li Shimin didn't care about that. Even though Li Bai was following the large cavalry unit and advised him not to pursue the enemy, Li Shimin still didn't listen.
"Taibai, believe me. If the enemy really had a trap, they wouldn't have been defeated so quickly before the great defeat.
The thieves must have run out of tricks. Soldiers, follow me! Your chance to make a name for yourself has arrived. Follow me and capture Shi Siming alive!"
If these soldiers want to be promoted, gain military merit, or even be promoted to a higher position and be granted a title, they must of course give their all on the battlefield.
When everyone heard what Li Shimin said, they were all energized and no longer felt tired. They switched horses back and forth and ran forward like a group of crazy rabbits.
Li Bai was almost separated from the main group and didn't catch up. After eating a mouthful of dirt, he didn't dare to say anything and quickly rode his horse to chase after them.
[It seems that every time the opponent is defeated, Erfeng wants to chase, and the subordinates beside him advise him not to chase, but Erfeng will say that he has the advantage and chase madly.
Then Wang Shichong, Liu Wuzhou, Dou Jiande and others will all be arrested! 】
[Is this some kind of strange speed aura?]
However, I would like to ask a question. Shi Siming travels at a speed of 50 li per hour, while Li Shimin travels at a speed of 60 li per hour. The distance between them is 100 li. They need to rest for two hours every half a day. How long will it take for them to catch up?
Where did this math freak from History Channel get in? Get out! Get lost!
Although the math teacher's pursuit speed was made up, I didn't expect the break time to be so different from reality.
Li Shimin led the cavalry in pursuit, almost without rest day and night, without even eating or taking off his armor.
Fortunately, these light cavalrymen were equipped with at least two or three horses per person, otherwise the horses would have been exhausted to death.
After chasing for a whole day and night, Li Bai was exhausted and could not bear it any longer.
[Ahhh, we can’t take it anymore. We feel so bad. Not to mention the horses, even the human body can’t handle it!]
Not eating, drinking, or sleeping, this kind of energy consumption is killing me! 】
When I first read about the historical story of Er Feng chasing Liu Wu Zhou, he said he didn't take off his armor for three days, didn't eat or drink for two days, and finally caught up with Liu Wu Zhou after three days and two nights. At the time, I felt how hard it must have been for him, and seeing it with my own eyes made me even more heartbroken!
[Wow, mommy fans are clinging to our Er Feng and won't let go! It must have been hard for him to establish the Tang Dynasty family business!]
[Er Feng died early simply because he consumed too much energy fighting in his early years.]
[Feng, remember to hire some medical and health experts to treat you later. Don't try to follow Qin Shi Huang's example and take elixirs!]
The comments were all filled with heartache, and at this moment, Li Bai couldn't even think of trying to persuade Li Shimin. He was running out of breath and couldn't speak at all!
What the hell is a poet! He is so exhausted that he almost ascends to heaven. How can he care about the poetry in his mind? His brain is about to evaporate!
Unable to write any more poems, Li Bai finally caught up with Li Shimin, panting and saying loudly:
"Your Highness, the soldiers are exhausted and complaining. If this continues, the soldiers will be exhausted and will have no energy to pursue and fight!
"Why don't you take a break first?"
However, Li Shimin was very decisive and tough in making decisions about war:
"The opportunity to capture the thief alive is fleeting, we must act now!"
Li Shimin only let the horse eat grass and rest for a while when changing horses, and he also took a breath and drank some water, and then continued to lead the army to gallop day and night.
After two days and one night, the distance to Shi Siming was getting closer and closer. Before, we could only see horse hoof prints and horse manure, but now we could hear the sound of horse hooves and almost see human figures.
[Ahhhhh, success is in sight, victory is coming! ]
[This shows that modern people like us aren't as hardworking as Erfeng, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to succeed. I'm going to take a screenshot of this video and put it on my desk wall for motivation!]
[With Erfeng's enthusiasm, even a fool can get into Tsinghua University!
But, go to Tsinghua or live thirty years shorter? Then I'd rather just lie down!
At this time, Shi Siming heard the sound of horse hooves behind him. He turned around and saw Li Shimin chasing him. He immediately took a breath.
No, buddy, how did you catch up?
We were so far away from each other before, don’t you rest, sleep or eat?
Are you still a human being?
Shi Siming was completely convinced.
He originally wanted to escape north back to Fan Yang, but due to the mountainous terrain, he could not go north, so he temporarily fled south. He originally thought that after shaking off the enemy, he would move east and return to Hebei, but he did not expect that someone was chasing him.
So he rode his horse madly and fled south, not daring to turn around.
I didn’t expect that the King of Yan was such a ruthless person!
How could someone go without food, water or rest for two days and one night and still chase after me like this?
Shi Siming whipped his horse hard and fled for his life. Li Shimin, riding behind him, half stood up and drew his bow into a full moon:
"The King of Qin, Li Shimin, of the Tang Dynasty is here. Why don't you rebels surrender immediately?"
When these words were spoken, everyone was shocked.
Shi Siming looked back in panic. It seemed that amid the clatter of horses' hooves and the billowing of dust, he saw the Emperor Taizong of a hundred years ago, his eyes as sharp as a torch and his momentum as fierce as a tiger, shooting an arrow at him!
In panic, he dodged to the right, but because the people behind him were chasing him too fast, he was distracted and fell off his horse.
The men immediately stopped and rushed to rescue him. In just a few moments, Li Shimin had already led his army to catch up and captured all the people.
[Ahhhhhhh, Shi Siming was captured alive!]
Er Feng said he would capture him alive and he really did. He is worthy of being our General of Heavenly Strategy!
[He is worthy of being our General of Heavenly Strategy, Grand Commandant, Chancellor of the Eastern Shaanxi Circuit, Chancellor of the Yizhou Circuit, Chancellor of the Yongzhou Governorate, Governor of Puzhou, Commander of the Twelve Guards, General, Chancellor of the Central Secretariat, and Grand Pillar of the State, King of Qin!]
[??? I feel dizzy. You can't have so many generals standing here!]
[Hahaha, Erfeng, look at this place, does it look familiar? This is Mianshan, Shanxi!]
Li Shimin then looked forward and saw that the city wall in front of him was Jiexiu City, and he was immediately happy.
Isn't this the same old place?
How kind! When he was still the King of Qin, he chased Liu Wuzhou for three days and two nights and captured him in Jiexiu.
Soon everyone discovered Jiexiu. Li Bai felt like his whole body was falling apart, but his eyes were still bright and sparkling, like stars:
"It's really the Emperor Taizong appearing, blessing our Tang Dynasty!"
"Yes, yes, the heroic spirit of Emperor Taizong blessed our Prince of Yan and helped him capture the rebel Shi Siming alive! His Majesty Emperor Taizong is in heaven!"
The soldiers' eyes were filled with tears. After tying up all the rebels, they knelt down in the direction of the city with tears in their eyes.
After Li Bai and others bowed several times, they looked up at the King of Yan who was still standing next to them, and couldn't help but look at him strangely.
As a descendant of Emperor Taizong, why are you still standing?
Li Shimin: ………
[Ahahahahahahahahaha, this is killing me! Li Shimin finally captured Shi Siming, but ended up taking the credit for it as his own heroic spirit blessing him?]
What kind of joke is this? Hahaha!
The most important thing is that Li Shimin had to kneel down and worship his own heroic spirit?】
Li Shimin touched his nose and felt very depressed.
He is still here. What are you talking about? He is not dead yet!
However, he couldn't reveal his true identity directly, so he knelt down depressedly and paid homage to his so-called heroic spirit.
Suddenly, the screen was filled with laughter.
After this great victory, everyone was exhausted and rested for a day and a night after entering Jiexiu City.
Afterwards, Li Shimin did not return to Taiyuan. He led people to inform Li Guangbi of the news, and then led a group of soldiers and the captured Shi Siming and others, and headed directly south to Chang'an City.
"You're already riding again after just one day's rest. You look so tired! Erfeng, you should really take a break!"
[No wonder Huo Qubing died young. I couldn't stand riding for three days!]
[When will a modern chef come and make nutritious meals for Erfeng? It will nourish our Erfeng cub!]
Li Shimin was in a relatively good condition. After all, after a few days, they reached the Yellow River and could take a boat directly south to rest on the boat.
Seeing that everyone always urged him to take a break and eat something good, Li Shimin said while eating Hu Bing:
"Don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities for you to come to my Tang Dynasty to cook delicious food in the future.
After arriving in Chang'an, I'll have plenty of time to rest."
What do you mean? Isn't the war still going on in Chang'an? How can it be stopped?
"Are you planning a protracted war? But it sounds like you're getting even more tired, and it doesn't seem like you'll be able to rest."
Li Shimin didn't say much, but was interested in discussing the delicacies of future generations with everyone on the boat.
Speaking of this, no one is sleepy anymore. Everyone wants to jump in front of Li Shimin and stuff what they said into his mouth for him to eat.
Erfeng cub, eat more and try to become a dough ball like Changsun Wuji!
Li Shimin: ...?
A few days later, Li Shimin led a group of people ashore and headed straight for the north gate of Chang'an City. At this time, the defense battle in Chang'an City was still very intense and the defenders were exhausted.
Since Guo Ziyi was still organizing his troops for military exercises, the rebels were even more anxious to try to storm Chang'an.
The generals and soldiers defending the city had to guard against enemy attacks day and night. Due to their insufficient numbers, they were all exhausted.
Soon the horn sounded and the enemy replaced a group of people to continue attacking the city.
Cheng Qianli didn't have time to eat all day. As soon as he heard the horn, he immediately threw down his bowl and chopsticks and ran to the city wall to command the battle. He lost a lot of weight.
Just as the battle was raging and the city gates were banging against each other, Li Shimin stood on the city wall with the bound Shi Siming and shouted to the rebels:
"Shi Siming has been captured alive by me! Cai Xide has been beheaded by Li Guangbi! Over 100,000 rebels in Hebei have been captured!
Hebei Road has been recaptured by our Tang army! Your food and fodder routes have been cut off by the Tang army. Now you are attacked from all sides, why don't you surrender quickly!
Li Shimin ordered Li Guangbi to pursue the victory and recapture the cities in Hebei, but the speed was definitely not that fast.
However, since Shi Siming was tied to the city wall at that time, the news, which was true and false, immediately intimidated all the enemies.
An Qingxu was shocked when he heard this, and when he saw that it was really Shi Siming on the city wall, he was immediately frightened.
If Hebei is really lost, their retreat and food supplies will be completely cut off.
Suddenly, everyone lost the will to fight anymore, and hurriedly withdrew their troops and went back to inform An Lushan.
As soon as the King of Yan appeared, the enemy was frightened and retreated, and he also brought such a great victory. Everyone was excited and encouraged to hear about it, and their previous fatigue was swept away!
Li Yu, who was guarding the city of Chang'an, was also very happy when he heard this. He didn't care about whether they could continue to be brothers in the future. Now he was just happy that he had a brother who was so good at fighting.
Li Yu quickly set up a banquet to entertain his brother Li Shimin who had returned from hard work.
However, just when everyone was rejoicing over the great victory, an imperial decree suddenly came, ordering Li Shimin to take back his military power and let him continue to be an idle prince at this critical moment of the war.
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