The "Li Shentong Corruption Case" was spread by the Sui Dynasty. Every day, various theories were sent to Xiangyang like snowflakes and presented to Li Yuan's Long Case.

In the face of a national crisis, the Li and Tang dynasties made concerted efforts to mobilize people and resources in order to fight the battle successfully. Even the heir to the empire, Li Jiancheng, came to the front line in person. This was the time when the generals and soldiers needed to work together with one heart and one mind and work hard, but Li Shentong

Fortunately, it happened so suddenly at this critical moment, which undoubtedly gave Li Tang and everyone in the court a great shock and great disappointment.

When the common people serve as soldiers and eat food, they simply tie their heads to their belts. In this situation, they are even more in danger. They are in danger of losing their lives at any time. Everyone regards weapons and armor as their second life. The soldiers do not

It's strange to panic. If the soldiers are in chaos, how can we fight this battle?

It's time. As a general on the front line, Li Shentong, a member of the Li clan, should play an exemplary role in boosting morale on the front line like Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji. Instead, he not only failed to mingle with the soldiers, but also misappropriated military pay and sold the military.

Qi...Why can't this person grow some food?

At this time, the wind and rain in Xiangyang were like dark, the wind was howling, and the rain was pouring down. The heavy raindrops hit the tiles and splashed up a cloud of white smoke.

The door of the main hall was wide open, and the strong wind blew all the documents on the dragon case all over the floor, flying as if it had snowed.

But no one bent down to pick it up.

Li Yuan stared blankly outside the door, watching the rain falling like arms along the eaves. He felt that the huge currents were like sharp swords about to cut off his head, piercing his eyes and piercing his heart.

The palace was eerily quiet. The courtiers, generals, and eunuchs lined up according to their duties stood like sculptures between the majestic pillars. Their expressions were also eerily silent. They were all afraid that they would become the target of Li Yuan's anger. They watched each and every one of them.

Nose, Nose Guanxin stood up straight, even straighter and more powerful than the troops being reviewed. He even breathed carefully, so that in this area, except for the patter of rain outside, there was no other noise.

Emperor Li Yuan's hands bulged as he clutched a pile of emergency reports. He read each of the emergency reports over and over again, hoping to pick out some satisfactory news, but he was disappointed in the end... dozens of emergency reports.

, there is nothing that makes people worry...

finally……

"Crack", a candle exploded nearby. Li Yuan woke up from his shock and rage. He slowly turned his head and looked at the two neat rows. The civil and military officials only felt that the emperor's pupils were like the light of a sharp sword.

It pierces the depths of everyone's heart and is more breathtaking than the lightning outside the palace!

However, the atmosphere was still quiet, and many civil and military officials were silently praying that the emperor's anger would not be vented on them, wishing that they would suddenly become ill and take the opportunity to leave this suffocating place.

Li Yuan took a deep breath and felt dizzy. This was the result of excessive drinking and sex. After ascending the throne as the emperor, Li Yuan's lustful side was vividly exposed. In just a few years, many concubines had already

He gave birth to a lot of children. In normal government affairs, there is a prince, and in the army there is a Jin king. Only major military affairs are handled by him personally. Therefore, in his free time, drinking, enjoying beauty, listening to songs and watching dances seems to have become Li Yuan's biggest hobbies.

.Now that the danger is coming, he is frightened and angry, and his almost empty body can no longer hold up. However, Li Jiancheng, Li Shimin, and even Li Yuanji are not in the court at this time, so Li Yuan knows that he cannot fall, otherwise, Xiangyang

He was in chaos, holding on to his weak body, and his tired voice rang out in the main hall: "General Qin Qiong of the Sui Dynasty sent Zuo Tiancheng from Tuoyang to Nanyang. Prince Li Xiaoji of Yong'an County was defeated, and the Nishui military camp was lost.

Pingzhen was defeated... Zuo Tiancheng camped in the northeast of Zhenping, and Qin Qiong in the east was at an angle, slowly advancing. The Nanyang army was already in chaos, and now faced with the invading enemy, not to mention making progress, even self-protection was a problem...

… Nanyang City is now waiting for the enemy on both sides, and the situation is worrying. Dear Sirs—" Li Yuan waved his sleeves heavily, and his voice suddenly became excited: "Who has a strategy to defeat the enemy? Who can resist the violent Sui army for me?"

Li Yuan looked down with expectation, but no one came out to respond at this time, and no one dared to take up this responsibility. This dead scene made Li Yuan deeply disappointed.

Li Tang's dilemma was that even Dugu Zheng, Xiao Yu, Pei Ji, Chen Shuda, Dou Gui, Dou Cong, Chai Shao, who was regarded as his arm by Li Yuanxin, was unable to do anything. This was due to the gap in national strength, employment and other systems.

The series of problems it brings cannot be solved in a short time.

Li Yuan attaches great importance to clan, relatives, and family, so that talented people are subordinated to others. Even if they have made great achievements, the rewards will fall on the heads of their superiors. This is inevitably disappointing. You are not the best.

How is it possible for a real emperor to want those talented people to work for their lives at a critical moment? How is this possible?

Li Yuan's eyes turned from expectation to disappointment. Then, a thought flashed through his mind, "Is the Tang Dynasty really exhausted? No, it's impossible! I will not be defeated, and I cannot be defeated.

!”

Suddenly, a sense of madness welled up in Li Yuan's heart, and he said with a fierce look in his eyes: "You don't dare to go to Nanyang, I will go..."

Just when he was about to announce his decision and said that he would "conquer personally", a man from the military generals queue suddenly came out, saluted Li Yuan, and shouted loudly: "Your Majesty, the last general has something to say!"

The person who stood up was Huo Guogong Chai Shao. In this time and space, Chai Shao, who had the merit of following the dragon, married Princess Changsha of Li Tang. He was named General Zuo Yiwei and could be called the first general of Li Tang's imperial party.

He deeply believed in Li Yuan. He was also thinking hard about good strategies. When he saw that Li Yuan had the ambition to conquer personally, he came up with an idea.

"General Chai, please speak." Li Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and gave Chai Shao a warm smile. At the critical moment, his family can help him!

"Return to the Holy One!" In front of everyone, Chai Shao stood up with his head held high, and only heard him say in a deep voice: "The situation in Nanyang is corrupt, and the army is in chaos. It is definitely no match for the Tiger and Wolf Division of the Sui Dynasty. We can save this army at this time.

, The one who defended the enemy outside Nanyang was none other than the Holy One. The general thought that at that time, apart from the imperial commander personally conducting the expedition, the rest were out of the question!"

Li Yuan's smile suddenly froze on his face, and his gaze became a little ferocious. That kind of gaze made people feel suffocating. Over the years, the endless prosperity and wealth he enjoyed had already worn away Li Yuan's will and courage to fight in war, and he could not compete with powerful enemies.

It was definitely not Li Yuan's original intention to personally conquer the battlefield. When he saw that Chai Shao did not understand what he meant, but instead encouraged him to go to the front line in person, he suddenly felt furious.

Chai Shao withstood the pressure brought by Li Yuan and stood motionless, his eyes calmly accepting Li Yuan's severe inspection.

After a long while, Li Yuan, who carefully considered Chai Shaozhi's words, finally regained his senses. Seriously speaking, this is indeed the only feasible way. He smiled and said: "Ai Qing and I thought of going together. Yang Dong's troops are strong.

Our army was already at a disadvantage, and Li Shentong gave me another trick. If I didn't rush to Nanyang to take charge of the overall situation and appease the morale of the army, I'm afraid the morale would decline even more, and then Nanyang would really be undefeated. If Nanyang was completely lost, the enemy would be

The army will approach Xiangyang City..."

Chai Shao noticed that after Li Yuan mentioned the word "Yang Dong", there was a feeling of gnashing of teeth in his voice. It was an unforgettable hatred, a hatred that made him want to eat his flesh alive!

Li Yuan seemed to notice the probing look in Chai Shao's eyes. He slowly turned his head and cast his gaze on the rain curtain outside the palace. He sighed: "I also know that I have to take action personally, but the difficulty I am facing now is mine."

Should we go to Zhenping first to repel Zuo Tiancheng, or should we repel Qin Qiong who is about to move, or should we go directly to Nanyang City to take over the army? The current situation requires me to save them everywhere, but it seems that I can't save any of them... Aiqing has

How can you teach me?"

Li Yuan seems to have placed himself in a very humble position. This posture may be useful to the ministers at this time, but Chai Shao is smart and far-sighted, otherwise he would not have ignored the opposition of his relatives and wielded the sword alone when he was young.

Thousands of miles away, it was his perseverance as a boy that earned him the reputation of a "chivalrous young man" who was devoted to justice, worried about the country and the people, and had a righteous heart. This reputation later became a "stepping stone" for him in his official career. At that time, even Shen Shen

Prince Yuande of the Sui Dynasty in the palace all heard that Chai Shao was known as "agile and courageous, capable of restraining the strong and supporting the weak", and tried their best to recruit him into the palace, making him prepare for thousands of cattle, and doubly favor him. If things develop normally,

Moreover, with Prince Yuande successfully ascending the throne, Chai Shao's future in the Sui Dynasty must be bright. However, the subsequent development was that Prince Yuande died of illness and the world was in chaos. Chai Shao returned to the "jianghu" and switched to Li Yuan's sect.

Chai Shao knew that Li Yuan's current attention was not a good thing for him. It would be a good thing to win. If the imperial commander's personal expedition ended in failure, then he who 'encouraged the emperor' to personally conquer would become the scapegoat for failure, so he was very humble.

Wan, trying to make himself look more humble, his tone became more respectful, "Your Majesty, the Sui army is so powerful that it seems to be like thunder, but it is not without its drawbacks. Unfortunately, no one above me can see it.

, so people are panicked.”

"Oh? What are the disadvantages? Tell me quickly." Li Yuan suddenly became energetic. He wanted to hear this kind of voice now.

The civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty also looked at Chai Shao, and they were all very interested. The theory of defeat had already spread throughout the Tang Dynasty, and everyone really needed a strong voice to refute this theory of national subjugation.

"Many people say that the Sui army is like a torrent that does not flow down the river. They say that their non-advancement is like a dam storing water. Once the time is right, they will break the dam and attack the Tang Dynasty. Their power is unstoppable, so they hold on to it.

There was a pessimistic mood about failure, and some people even advocated moving the capital to Shu to temporarily avoid the Sui army, and then come back when the time is right."

Chai Shao did not show off, but pointed out his point of view with a slight smile: "Of course, is the Sui army really so powerful? The general will not think so."

"The general said that the Sui army is not strong. Isn't this too arrogant?" All the ministers in the palace were speechless. They thought that Chai Shao would have some clever ideas when he came out at this time, but it turned out to be a fallacy that erased the facts. Everyone was stunned.

The interest was greatly reduced, and some people even jeered loudly. In an instant, the atmosphere in the hall finally became lively.

Even Li Yuan, who was listening carefully, lost his patience. Even he didn't believe what he said. It was so unconvincing. Just when Li Yuan was about to interrupt, Chai Shao continued helplessly: "Your Majesty, colleagues, Shao is not

Denying the fighting power of the Sui army, please be patient and listen to the end, okay?"

"Say it!" Li Yuan's face was as dark as water.

When the hall became quiet again, Chai Shao said: "To me, the Tang Dynasty, the Sui army is indeed powerful and does not advance rashly. But if you look at the whole world, this is not the case. The battle that Yang Tong is launching now to unify the world,

Not only did he confront us, the Tang Dynasty, he also divided his troops to attack Li Mi, Liu Heitai, Dou Jiande, Lian Xiaoxian, Lin Shihong, Du Fuwei, Shen Faxing, Li Zitong and others were also among his targets. If the Tang Dynasty is compared to

The Nanyang Tang Army was under the greatest pressure, and Li Mi was undoubtedly the relatively relaxed Crown Prince. Liu Heitai was the King of Jin who faced Pei Xingyan directly. Dou Jiande, Xiao Xian, Lin Shihong, Du Fuwei, Shen Faxing, and Li Zitong were the border commanders who were not affected by the war for the time being.

The defenders are here."

Hey, after what Chai Shao said, Li Tang Junchen felt that this was really the case.

"For us in the Tang Dynasty, the Sui army advanced very steadily, but for the whole world, this was a very aggressive move. Today's Sui army is led by various generals and is scattered in Yong, Liang, Henan, Yan, Qing,

In Xu and other prefectures, the armies are hundreds of miles apart from each other, and thousands of miles apart from each other. They have no contact with each other. If something goes wrong with one army, the surrounding friendly forces will not be able to rescue it. Yang Tong, who controls the armies from afar in Luoyang, thinks of the overall situation.

, either to concentrate his troops to focus on one side, or to tear down the east wall and repair the west wall and draw troops from various wars to support him. However, no matter he chooses the former or the latter, it will take time. By the time he redeploys his troops, I am afraid it will be the twelfth lunar month of winter when he cannot fight.

!And this will give us enough space to reorganize the army."

"Let's look at the performance of the Sui army after they went south. They were so arrogant and aggressive that they captured seven counties in the Central Plains including Henan, Xingyang, Yingchuan, Dongjun, Dongping, Jibei, Qijun, and Jiyin...

...Looking at the situation after Yang Tong took control of Luoyang, all the Sui armies were quietly consolidating their occupied territories without any big moves or big moves. I think this was Yang Tong's lack of confidence in the battle to unify the world, and he was cautious.

"

Finally, Chai Shao came to a conclusion.

"How can you see it?" Li Yuan asked.

"What made the Sui army conquer Henan, Xingyang, Yingchuan, Dongjun, Dongping, Jibei, Qijun, and Jiyin was not the Sui army's strong fighting power, but the Sui army's reputation for being undefeated." Chai Shao looked at it with bitterness.

Li Yuan, who was thinking about it, smiled bitterly and said: "In fact, the Sui army really didn't fight many decent battles after going south. Apart from encountering a few small resistances, only Luo Shixin and King Rencheng fought in the Battle of Yique, and Zhao

The prince of the county fought against Xiangcheng and the battle of Juoyang."

Hearing this, Li Yuan let out a long breath.

Li Mi was afraid of the reputation of the Sui army's undefeated army and worried that he would be the first target of annihilation when the Sui army went south. When he agreed to cede the Central Plains counties to us in exchange for food and supplies, he had actually reached an agreement with the Sui Dynasty.

The five counties of Yingchuan, Dongjun, Dongping, Jibei, and Jiyin were exchanged for the opportunity to live in peace with the Sui Dynasty. When we took over the counties in accordance with the agreement, our interests conflicted with the Sui Dynasty, so we became Yang Tong's target.

However, Li Mi could stay out of the matter and peacefully compete with Du Fuwei for the Yangtze River and Huaihe River, and tried his best to occupy the southern land south of the Huaihe River. Once the battle between the Sui and Tang Dynasties was concluded, Li Mi, who became the actual overlord of the south, could concentrate the power of the south.

, the weak Sui Dynasty or Li Tang Dynasty who emerged victorious from the Northern Expedition.
To be continued...