Chapter 15 The Fifteenth Chapter 200,000 Army Guards Luoyang Thirteen Stick Monks Rescue the King of Qin

For more than ten days thereafter, the two armies lived in peace.In Luoyang City, Wang Shichong organized his army to prepare for war, and here in Cijian, Li Shimin dispatched troops calmly.On the southeast hill of Cijian, Li Shi's four men led 20,000 troops and set up a camp there, with banners and flags flying, and the barracks were well organized. Li Yuan appointed Li Shimin as Marshal of the Eastern Expedition, and all states and counties in Henan and Hebei were under his control.Li Shimin captured Cijian, looked at Luoyang, and asked all the people in the tent to offer a plan for the next step.Chu Liang meditated in the room for many days, and walked out of the door this day, inviting Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui to walk out of the east gate together. Instead of taking the main road, they walked along the grassy ridge of Motian to Li Shiying.Chu Liang cut to the chase: "Mr. Fang and Du Er have been with the King of Qin for many days, so you should have a solid idea of ​​how he will handle the next military affairs?"

Fang Xuanling said: "Our young master has been frowning for a few days, and I think he's really hard to decide for a while. The attack on Luoyang is no more battle than before. Wang Shichong has been in Luoyang for a long time, and Dou Jiande in Hebei is unpredictable. I heard that He wrote a letter to the emperor a few days ago, disapproving of our attack on Luoyang!" Du Ruhui said: "That's true. Luoyang is not something that can be achieved through a single battle. The background is really complicated." Chu Liang saw a clump of wild chrysanthemums blooming vigorously in front of him, he stepped forward and broke off a few branches, probed to smell its fragrance, smiled and said: "Time flies, midsummer is over in a blink of an eye, and it will be golden autumn soon." Mr. Du Er, I think of Tao Yuanming's poem "picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, and seeing Nanshan leisurely". The three of us are all readers. In troubled times, we don't go to seclusion, but come to fight with the king of Qin. Is this a kind of progress? ?”

Du Ruhui said: "The sage said, 'If you are good, you will benefit the world, but if you are poor, you will be good for yourself'. Life is hard to save in troubled times, let alone study. We abandon our pens and join the army. Compared with Tao Qiangong's seclusion in Nanshan, I think there is more positive meaning." Chu Liang laughed, and said: "Okay, I've been meditating for the past few days, and I've come up with a plan for the King of Qin. Now I'm asking you two Fang families. I see that Wang Shichong of Luoyang has been operating there for a long time. Next, and there are states and counties echoing him, he and Dou Jiande are still in secret contact. We can't attack quickly, and Xu Tu is too slow, we can use the strategy of 'outside rush and inside delay'." Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui asked in unison : "The plan of 'external urgency and internal delay'?"

Chu Liangliang nodded: "The so-called 'external urgency' means to make the marching commanders of various places clarify the channels to connect with Luoyang; the so-called 'internal slowdown' means not to attack Luoyang, cut off its food roads, and cause internal turmoil. We wait for work at ease." Fang and Du were silent for a moment. They had thought about this matter in their minds, but they had too many clues and couldn't figure out the general outline for a while.Chu Liang's few words now are like lightning in the dark night. Although the light is extremely short, it suddenly illuminates his face.The two were overjoyed and said in unison: "Wow, I never thought that you, a well-known old master, could come up with such a good idea! Let's go, let's talk to King Qin."

While talking, they unconsciously came to the camp of Li Shi and others.Li Shi, Qin Shubao, Luo Shixin, and Cheng Yaojin were patrolling the camp, seeing the three of them coming, Cheng Yaojin said: "The three gentlemen are in such a good mood, they are still reciting poems and composing poems here after the battle. Mr. Chu, you are holding a chrysanthemum in your hand, isn’t it the theme of flowers? Come on, let me hum a few words for fun.” Everyone laughed, Fang Xuanling talked about Chu Liang's plan, and the four of them thought about it for a while, and they all thought it was a good idea.

Luo Shixin also appreciated it very much, and said: "Mr. Chu's plan is hitting Wang Shichong's seven inches, first outside and then inside, don't worry if he doesn't submit." Cheng Yaojin shouted: "Let's go, the seven of us went to talk to the King of Qin together." In fact, Li Shimin also thought of this section, but it was a little vague.At this moment, after hearing Chu Liang and the other seven people talk about the plan they planned, their hearts suddenly brightened, so they sent people to call Xiao Yu, Feng Deyi, Qu Tutong and others to discuss the matter. It's settled.

A few days later, the marching chiefs from various places received letters from Li Shimin, and they gathered in Cijian on this day.They are: Shi Wanbao, Chief of the Shouan March, Liu Dewei, General of Taihang, Junkuo, Duke of Shanggu, and Huang Junhan, Chief of Huaizhou.Li Shimin ordered Shi Wanbao to send troops out of Shouannan to occupy the Longmen of Yique in the eastern capital; ordered Liu Dewei to encircle Hanoi from the east from Taihang; ordered Wang Junkuo to cut off the grain road in the eastern capital from Luokou; and ordered Huang Junhan to attack back to Luocheng from Heyin.According to his deployment, if all the generals can complete their missions, Luoyang will become an isolated city surrounded by Tang troops.Everyone was ordered to leave separately.

Soon, news of the general managers of various places was reported to Cijian. Li Shimin was overjoyed after receiving the report, seeing that the various places marched smoothly and roughly realized his intention.While Li Shimin wrote the memorial, he sent people to Chang'an; on the other hand, he left 10,000 defenders in Cijian, under the command of Li Yuanji, and the remaining 200,000 troops marched eastward, intending to occupy Beimang Mountain. Further suppress Luoyang. Li Yuanji didn't want to guard Cijian, saying that it was enough for one general to guard Cijian, but Li Shimin insisted, so he had no choice but to give up in resentment.

Li Shimin dispatched troops and generals here, and Wang Shichong was also busy in Luoyang.Ever since Wang Shichong lost Cijian, he has had trouble sleeping and eating, and wants to recapture Cijian himself.The detailed report said that Li Shimin had nearly 300,000 soldiers, and he urgently dispatched troops from the prefectures and counties under his jurisdiction, trying to overwhelm Li Shimin in terms of numbers.In a few days, the snow flakes from the prefectures and counties under his jurisdiction also seemed to send urgent reports. After reading it, he was shocked and puzzled.Seeing that Li Shimin stood still in Cijian, why did so many Tang soldiers appear out of nowhere to attack?Soon, Yique was captured by the Tang army. Two days later, Huaizhou in Hebei also fell into the hands of the Tang army.Seeing the fire everywhere, he had no choice but to divide the concentrated soldiers and horses to resist the Tang army's offensive.These things have just been completed, and I will report in detail, saying that Li Shimin led the army out of Cijian and marched towards Beiman Mountain.After hearing this, Wang Shichong led his generals and ministers to live in Qingyang Palace in the northwest of Luoyang City, and commanded troops and horses to confront Li Shimin nearby.As soon as he settled down in Qingyang Palace, Li Shimin had already set up camp on the north bank of Jianshui.Wang Shichong sent people to the Tang camp to issue a letter of war, and made an appointment to fight across Jianshui tomorrow. Li Shimin approved the letter of war in the tent and agreed to fight.In the early morning of the second day, the stream was illuminated, and the two armies lined up across the water after a full meal.On the opposite side of Jianshui, Li Shimin led the generals to stand on the river bank. Behind them, more than 200,000 cavalry and infantry were lined up neatly, the flags and flags were neatly arranged, and the drums roared.On the other side of the river, under the umbrella of Huang Luo, Wang Shichong, dressed in a dragon robe with the crown of a crown, stands in the middle of a leather chariot, and on the left and right sides are lined up the civil and military officials of the current dynasty.When the two armies are facing each other, people in the front row can see each other clearly.

Li Shimin looked at Wang Shichong's yellow umbrella, bowed his head and said to Qu Tutong: "Qu Gong, I will talk to Wang Shichong first, and then I will lead 500 people to the enemy with Jingde. You see, I will stir up the enemy and immediately fight with you." The generals led the army to cover up and kill them." Qu Tutong was taken aback for a moment: "With so many soldiers and horses left unused, why did King Qin take the risk alone? If he is the vanguard of the former army, there are many generals here, just pick two at random." Li Shimin was very firm: "Qu Gong, there is no need to say more. I have entered the enemy's line, and you have full authority to preside over this place!"

Wang Shichong was still showing his pomp, and with the support of his attendants, he stepped on his horse and walked towards the riverside with Shan Xiongxin and Prince Wang Xuanying.Seeing this, Li Shimin greeted Yuchi Jingde to move forward together. The Jianshui flows eastward, and the water flow here is very slow, and the sound of the water cannot be heard.Shan Xiongxin and Yuchi Jingde waved their hands respectively, the sound of the drums in their respective formations stopped, immediately, the hundreds of thousands of troops on both sides fell silent. When Wang Shichong arrived by the river, Li Shimin saw that he had yellow hair, a hooked nose, and deep-set eyes. The rumor that he was a barbarian was true.Seeing Li Shimin's young, mighty and heroic demeanor, Wang Shichong couldn't help sighing when he thought of such a young man who helped Li Yuan conquer and lay down a large area of ​​land.He said: "Could it be Li Shimin who came here? I ask you, the Sui Dynasty was overthrown, the Tang Emperor Guanzhong, my Emperor Henan, and I have never invaded Guanzhong from the west, but you have launched an army to invade. What is the reason?" Li Shimin couldn't help laughing secretly when he heard Wang Shichong's words. It was said that Wang Shichong had no ambitions, and he was quite self-sufficient after listening to his words. As expected, he replied: "The whole world respects the emperor's style. My emperor's capital is Chang'an, and the whole world is subject to it. It is the orthodox royal family. You here arbitrarily set up the title of emperor, and you are disrespectful to my emperor. The scholars and people in the eastern capital also asked my emperor for teachers, and the people of the world have come to beg you! There is no need to say much today." Wang Shichong heard Li Shimin's resolute words, and saw the mighty Tang army. The former generals Qin Shubao, Luo Shixin, and Cheng Yaojin stood behind them with bright armor and majesty.At that moment, he was shocked, and he was already timid, so he said softly: "The king of Qin and the people, how can there be any eggs under the war? We might as well stop our troops and make peace, and everyone will return to their places. From now on, everyone will live in peace. Wouldn't the ending be better?" Li Shimin sneered and said: "I was ordered to take Luoyang, and my father did not order me to make peace with you! Wang Shichong, if you are willing to surrender, this matter can still be discussed. It is impossible to make peace. You can think twice, otherwise we will fight As soon as the horse comes out, all the jade and stone will be burned!" Wang Shichong hesitated for a while and couldn't answer, Shan Xiongxin couldn't help shouting: "If you want to fight, fight, Li Shimin, who is afraid of you?" Li Shimin didn't answer, and returned to the formation with Yuchi Jingde.Over there, Wang Shichong also walked towards the formation.At this time, Yuchi Jingde whistled, and the five hundred horses in front of the formation rushed out in unison, and rushed in front of Li Shimin in an instant.Li Shimin and Yuchi Jingde pulled the reins suddenly, the horse's head turned to the opposite side of the river again, and the four pairs of horseshoes stepped forward on the grass.When they got to the river, Li Shimin lifted the reins of the horse, and "Saluzi" jumped over the embankment into the river first.The river here is not too deep, it only reaches the belly of the horse.The horse seemed to understand the owner's intentions, and instead of walking slowly in the water, the horse bent its legs and exerted strength, bringing up a stream of water drops on its body, and its four hooves flew above the water, as if flying in the air. After more than a dozen ups and downs, "Sa Luzi" turned its hind legs again, flew up, and landed on its front hooves.Yuchi Jingde's black horse was also unambiguous at all, and reached the opposite bank one after the other with "Saluzi".At that time, Wang Shichong and Shan Xiongxin rode their horses back to the formation and only halfway back, they heard the exclamation from their own army, they were stunned, and saw Li Shimin and Yuchi Jingde riding their water-drenched mounts and charging towards them. The 500 men who followed had just crossed half of Jianshui, when Shan Xiongxin saw this, he shouted to Wang Shichong: "My lord, go first." Then he shouted loudly behind him, "Come forward, follow me to kill Li Shimin." With a wave of Zaoyang Yang, he rushed towards the oncoming Li Shimin.The two weapons collided in the air, and then separated quickly. The two horses turned in a semicircle and fought together again.Yuchi Jingde greeted 500 people from behind to fan Li Shimin's formation. Seeing Zheng Jun's 5,000 people running around, and seeing Li Shimin and Shan Xiongxin fighting fiercely, he shouted: "King Qin, please retreat Then." A horse speared at Shan Xiongxin.His eyes were miraculously accurate, the place where Ma Leng stabbed was Shan Xiongxin's empty door, Shan Xiongxin was fighting Li Shimin with all his strength, after all, he couldn't dodge in time, the stabbed Ma Leng hit his waist and hips, turned over and fell off the saddle.When Yuchi Jingde saw it, he immediately withdrew his horse, aimed at Shan Xiongxin's neck and stabbed straight there, thinking that this would end his life. At this time, Zheng Juntuan surrounded him, Wang Xuanying saw that the situation was urgent and Xiongxin's life was in danger, so he stretched out his hand to parry Yuchi Jingde's Ma Qian, and after such a block, his subordinates rushed over to rescue Shan Xiongxin. Li Shimin saw that Zheng Jun had lost his position, and hit him in the arms, he shouted: "Jingde, call everyone to follow my commander to attack the Chinese army!" Five hundred people formed a tight group, fighting hard in the densely packed Zheng Jun camp. Li Shimin fought on his own, and gradually distanced himself from his followers, Yuchi Jingde also fell behind, with only chariot general Qiu Xinggong riding beside him.The two of them rushed to the forefront. Zheng Bing saw that they were coming fiercely, and they all drew their bows and shot strong arrows.Li Shimin's body seemed to be guarded by gods, arrows could not kill people, "Saluzi" shook his head to avoid the rain of arrows.However, the horse was a horse after all, and it still couldn't dodge, a sharp arrow pierced into the neck of "Saluzi" with a "swish", the horse was in pain, and its front legs buckled, immediately knocking Li Shimin to the ground.Qiu Xinggong hurriedly jumped off his horse, supported Li Shimin with one hand, and handed him the reins of his horse with the other.Li Shimin got on his horse, and after such a slow motion, Yuchi Jingde and others behind him had already rushed up, standing up to protect Li Shimin.Li Shimin drew out his carved bow and shot out arrows with large feathers, causing Zheng Bing in front to fall to the ground one after another."Sa Luzi" over there struggled to jump up again, Qiu Xinggong went up, and saw the arrow shaft on the horse's collar went straight into the bone, blood spattered, and the arrow shaft was still trembling slightly.Ma'er's purple hair stood on end, and his eyes showed extreme pain.Qiu Xinggong gritted his teeth, stretched out his hand to hold the arrow feather and pulled it out forcefully, pulling the arrow shaft out of the horse's flesh, and blood gushed out like a fountain. "Sa Luzi" stood tenaciously for a while at first, and then slumped down after a while, with bloody foam coming out of his nose, and his body trembling endlessly.The arrow probably injured its aorta, so that the bleeding continued and he died.Qiu Xinggong was stunned for a while, seeing Li Shimin and the others advancing forward, he fought with saber steps.Zheng Jun swarmed around, Qiu Xinggong killed several people in the melee, and broke out. Qu Tutong on the other side of the river saw that Li Shimin was in a tight siege, and Zheng Jun's attention was focused on the five hundred Tang troops in the formation, so he shouted: "Send orders, blow the horn, and charge across the board!" The left and right generals saw that the situation on Li Shimin's side was serious , had been waiting for this order for a long time, and as soon as Qu Tutong's voice fell, Qin Shubao, Shi Danai, Changsun Shunde, Liu Hongji, Luo Shixin, Cheng Yaojin, Duan Zhixuan, Hou Junji, Zhang Liang and other generals had already rushed to the river. side. The generals rode their horses across the stream, followed by a 100,000 army crossing the river, followed by a 150,000 infantry team.The two armies fought on the south bank of Jianshui.In terms of military strength, the two armies were evenly matched, but as soon as they fought, they were divided into strong and weak.The Tang army has been fighting continuously for these years. The team has experienced wind and rain and is skilled in warfare, and all the soldiers are brave and good at fighting.On the other hand, Zheng's army has not fought for many days, and the soldiers have lived in the prosperous and luxurious Luoyang Dongdu for a long time, and they are gradually becoming decadent. Recently, Wang Shichong has sent troops here from various states and counties.The battle started at Chen hour, and after noon, Zheng's army retreated steadily, and the camp gradually moved eastward, and they were about to retreat under the city wall of Luoyang. Li Shimin had already gone out to battle at that time, standing on the high platform in front of Wei Xuanwu Mausoleum to observe the battle.Zheng Jun was resisting in the front, while retreating steadily. At this time, the west gate of Luoyang opened wide, and many Zheng Jun soldiers poured out from the city to join the battle, and the advancing speed of Tang Jun suddenly slowed down.Seeing this, Qu Tutong wanted to step down and dispatch troops, but Li Shimin stopped him. "Qu Gong, Mr. Chu Liang's 'external urgency and internal delay' is indeed justified. If we attack Luoyang now, it may take a long time to break through. This campaign has achieved its goal, and we can withdraw our troops. From now on, we will be here in Beimang Ten miles up the mountain, Wang Shichong would never have the guts to attack again." Qu Tutong hurriedly issued an order, and in a short while, the rear army called for gold. Tang Jun heard the order, left the rear army in an orderly manner, and retreated to the south bank of Jianshui. Luo Shixin and Shi Danai fought bravely together in the battle formation, and approached Wang Shichong's central army. Wang Shichong's champion general Chen Zhilue hurried forward to resist.Chen Zhilue knew Luo Shixin at first, but he couldn't tell clearly from a distance, but when he came up to him, he realized that his opponent was Luo Shixin, and he was already timid.Luo Shixin yelled loudly, and with a flick of his zhangba gunyun spear, Chen Zhilue's mixed gold boring was thrown away, he stepped forward and lifted his robe belt, and threw it to the ground.Luo Shixin was capable of killing, and wanted to kill Zheng Jun again with Shi Danai.At this time, only listening to Jin Ming from the rear, knowing that it was King Qin's order to retreat, he bound Chen Zhilue and retreated while fighting. The two retreated to Wei Xuanwu Mausoleum, and saw Li Shimin standing on a high platform looking at the soldiers and horses, Luo Shi suddenly had a strange feeling in his confidence, and said to Shi Danai: "People say that Luo Shixin is 'Desperate Saburo', Unexpectedly, the King of Qin is more powerful than me. I went to Cijian with him on Qingqi to watch the enemy, and he was still unafraid when he was encircled. Today, when he went into battle, he and Jingde led five hundred sons to go deep into the thousands of troops. General Shi, you say, Are there any similarities in our personalities?" Shi Danai smiled and said: "In terms of going to battle, the King of Qin has similarities with you, but you are the general, and he is the commander. Many people in the army disapproved of King Qin's move, thinking it was just a blow to fight the waves. Not desirable." Luo Shixin shook his head and said: "That's not right. A general who blindly commands outside the formation and loses the spirit of taking the lead is not a good general and a good commander. On this point, I have the same heart with the King of Qin." Shi Danai knew that Luo Shixin did not accept Li Shimin at first, but after only two battles, Luo Shixin changed his mind.He didn't say anything, but said: "Boss Luo, look, the King of Qin is calling us, let's go, let's take Chen Zhilue to ask for credit." Luo Shixin did not go to meet Li Shimin, he rode his horse and galloped west alone.Seeing his figure drifting away, Shi Danai knew that this person was arrogant, even if he agreed in his heart, he would never admit defeat verbally, so he couldn't stop laughing secretly.At the same time, he brought Chen Zhilue to Li Shimin and told him the details of the battle. Li Shimin found the body of "Saluzi" on the battlefield and buried the horse on Beimang Mountain. Recalling the dangers of the battle and thinking about the loyalty of the horse, he shed tears. In the battle of Jianshui, Wang Shichong and his officers and men experienced the strength of the Tang army. After this battle, Zheng Jun never organized large-scale military operations to fight against the Tang army, and stayed in Luoyang every day.There were two people in the city who each had their own thoughts. Wang Shichong felt that the Tang army was too powerful to be stopped by his own strength, so he sent a person who could speak and an important minister of the court to bring precious artifacts to ask Dou Jiande for help.Shan Xiongxin was stabbed off his horse by Yuchi Jingde that day, when he was recuperating from his injuries, he hated Li Shimin and Yuchi Jingde extremely, and day and night he longed for revenge.He thought that if Li Shimin was assassinated when the two armies were facing each other, the loss of Tang Jun's coach would definitely cause chaos, so he made an idea on Li Shimin. Beimang Mountain is located in the north of Luoyang, between the stream and the river, stretching from east to west for tens of miles.Li Shimin camped at the western end of Beiman Mountain at the beginning. In October of this year, Huang Junhan, the general manager of Huaizhou, went out of Huaizhou to defeat Heyang, crossed the river at night to contact Li Shimin, and took them back to Luocheng. The middle section of Mang Mountain.In November, King Junkuo of Shanggu captured Luokou and cut off the grain road in Luoyang, so that everything from Cijian to Luokou was occupied by the Tang army.Huiluocheng and Luokou were originally the granaries of the Sui Dynasty. Wang Shichong defeated Li Mi and took them over one by one, and they were still used to hoard grain.Once the two granaries were lost, Luoyang's food supply suddenly became tense.Wang Shichong had no choice but to collect grain east and south. Shi Wanbao took Yique and entered Yingyang.Li Shimin urgently needs him to strengthen his offensive, develop northward, strive to be in line with Luokou, and completely form a siege of Luoyang.Li Shimin added troops to Shi Wanbao one after another, but his movements were slow. Seeing that it was the end of the year, Shi Wanbao still hadn't filled the gap between the east and west. Here in Luoyang, the Zheng army guarded the city wall, and the Tang army camped in Beimang.Two snowfalls have fallen since the beginning of winter, and the two armies have moved out their heating appliances, as if they want to take root here for a long time. Li Shimin was finally worried about Shi Wanbao, he heard that Shi Wanbao came out of Yingyang and attacked northward, this day he asked Yuchi Jingde to accompany him, with only 20 riders behind him, he went out of Beimang Mountain to Yique, and then rushed to Yingyang.On the way, Yuchi Jingde asked about Shi Wanbao's origin. Li Shimin said: "At the beginning when King Shentong of Huai'an raised troops in E County, Shi Wanbao made great efforts. Shi Wanbao was known as the 'Kyoto Hero' in Chang'an. He made a superb sword with a simple knife. His body was as light as a swallow. It was said that he could fly over walls. The year before Li Mi rebelled according to Taolin, and he led the troops to destroy it." Yuchi Jingde was overjoyed when he heard about Shi Wanbao's high martial arts skills, and said: "When Heizi meets Shi Wanbao, let's have a competition first." Li Shimin pondered and said: "It is said in the world that there are people who fly over eaves and walls and throw knives in the air, but I haven't seen it yet. How is this Shi Wanbao? Can he be as brave as you in battle? I really don't know what to do. It's about a quack warlock This time, Shi Wanbao's grand plan, if it were Li Shi, or even Luo Shixin, would have already been completed. Hearing is false, let's go and see it." Li Shimin laughed again: "Jingde, when you fought against Wang Shichong that day, you stabbed Shan Xiongxin and saved this king. After you go back, where is the box of gold and silver that I rewarded you now? When the battle is over, we will I have to find a wife for you, otherwise you have money and have no place to spend it." Yuchi Jingde said: "I think the King of Qin didn't know that before Heizi joined the army, he had already married his wife in Shuozhou and had a son. Afterwards, the army continued, and he wanted to bring their mother and daughter over, but he thought they might as well be at home. After this battle is over, I will take the gold and silver rewarded to me by King Qin and set up a house in Chang, and bring my parents and their mothers over." "How does your wife look like?" "She looks mediocre, but she was fat and big. She treated me very kindly. Remembering that before joining the army, the family had no food left, and I had a lot of food. My wife gave the food at home to my parents first, and then gave it to me and my children. She often Eat some wild vegetables." Having said this, Yuchi Jingde's eye circles turned red. Li Shimin was also touched when he heard it. He changed the topic and sighed: "This is really a bad wife! Jingde, speaking of your lady being so virtuous, reminds me of Xuanling's wife. Do you know? Xuanling's wife She was beautiful when she was young, but that day Fang Xuanling suddenly fell ill and was about to die. At this time, Xuanling called her to the bed and asked her to choose someone to remarry. After hearing this, she turned around without saying a word. Stepping into the back hall, she picked up a sharp knife and stabbed her left eye fiercely, which made her blind. She came to Xuanling with blood all over her face like a ghost, and said, "If you talk about remarriage again from now on, I will die in front of Xuanling." In front of you. If you recover from illness this time, we will be together for the rest of your life; if you leave, I will raise children and never remarry.' Xuanling did not die that time, after all, he respected his wife like a god." Yuchi Jingde stuck out his tongue, and said in amazement: "My good fellow, Mr. Fang's wife is so strict, and heizi's wife is even more inferior. The housekeeper talks elegantly and silently all day long, I never thought there would be such a lively story at home." Li Shimin looked at the Songshan Mountain in front of him, and sighed: "Wife, wife, is indeed different from other women. Just like my Jiamin, I can never repay her affection for me in my life." Yuchi Jingde stuck out his tongue secretly, hearing Li Shimin talk about the elder Sun Jiamin, he, a rough man, couldn't help wondering.On weekdays, when he was in the army, he and Cheng Yaojin were the most congenial, and the two talked the most.Cheng Yaojin told him many times that the King of Qin was good in every way, but he had only one lustful problem that he couldn't get rid of at any time.When he saw some young and beautiful women, his eyes would turn a few more times. He didn't care about it when he was in the army, and he started to play with women whenever he had free time.At that time in Taiyuan, Li Zhongwen came to a beautiful woman, Yin Mengjie, who made Li Shimin unable to distinguish things day and night.Now when I heard Li Shimin talking about his wife and eldest son Jiamin, I couldn't help but feel funny. Li Shimin saw the weirdness on Yuchi Jingde's face, and he could tell what was going on in his heart when he focused his attention for a moment, so he scolded: "You damn sunspot, do you think this king's words are insincere? It's normal for a man to have three wives and six concubines. It’s a skill to like other women without hindering your love for your wife. If you don’t believe me, the days to come will be long, let’s wait and see! By the way, when I’m free, I’ll try to reward you and Xuanling with a few concubines Waiter, not only serving you, but also helping the lady." Yuchi Jingde remained silent, thinking in his heart: If the king of Qin rewarded himself as a concubine, then his lady would accept it.However, Fang Xuanling's lady is so virtuous, if she doesn't want to, it will be a wonder if she doesn't turn the family upside down! During the conversation, they had already entered Yingyang, and their followers entered the city to inquire. It was known that Shi Wanbao had moved the tent of the Chinese army to Songyang because of Li Shimin's urging for several days, and commanded the battle from the front.After Li Shimin heard the words, he ordered his servants to enter the city to fight for the top.After noon, the twenty-two riders headed towards Songyang again. It was not long before the snow fell, and the top of Songshan Mountain was covered with white snow.From Yingyang to Songyang, there used to be a winding path. Recently, soldiers and horses frequently come and go, and the path has been widened a lot. Li Shimin walked in the forest and said to Yuchi Jingde: "We will go to Songyang from this road, and we must pass a big temple along the way. Do you know its name?" Yuchi Jingde shook his head, he was mostly active between Fen and Jin, he knew little about the Central Plains.Li Shimin saw that he was at a loss, so he said: "The mountain we are walking on is called Songshan Mountain, which is the middle of the five mountains. Its main peak is called Taishi Mountain, also known as Songshan East Peak; the middle peak is called Junji Mountain; the west peak is called Shaoshan Mountain. Shishan. At the foot of Wuru Peak at the northern foot of Shaoshi Mountain in the West Peak, Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty built a temple here, which is the famous Shaolin Temple. It is said that Bodhidharma first went to Luoyang after crossing the river with a reed, and then came to Wuru Peak He faced the wall for nine years, and today there is still the place where he faced the wall, which is called Bodhidharma Cave. Bodhidharma has been facing the wall for nine years, and he created a lineage of Zen Buddhism. Speaking of which, I still have a relationship with this Shaolin Temple." "What is the relationship between King Qin and Shaolin Temple? Could it be that he was shaved before?" "That's not true. Apart from chanting scriptures, the monks in Shaolin Temple often practice martial arts and hone their internal skills, creating a set of Shaolin Kungfu that is unique in martial arts. When my father was the governor of Zhengzhou in the former Sui Dynasty, I was still young, weak and sick. The famous doctors cited by the emperor could not cure me. One day, a wandering monk saw my father and said that he could cure my disease. He first asked my father to pray for blessings at the nearby Dahai Temple, and then took me away. It was also urgent. , my father was dubious, and agreed to the monks to take me away. I followed him to the Shaolin Temple, where I ate and fasted, and practiced martial arts with him. After half a year, my illness disappeared without a trace, and my body has become stronger since then. A set of Arhat boxing and Dharma swordsmanship." "It turns out that the Dharma swordsmanship King Qin is currently learning was learned in Shaolin Temple. In this way, this wandering monk is still kind to His Highness." "That's right, he took me to Shaolin Temple that day, and then wandered away without a trace. In those years, my father and I have inquired and searched, but there is no news." After Li Shimin finished speaking, he was fascinated. After going through the previous few battles, Li Shimin saw Yuchi Jingde's unparalleled bravery and martial arts skills, and his loyalty to him was as clear as the sun and the moon.Every time I go out, I am always willing to take it with me.On the way, the two chatted a lot, and the words gradually became personal. They were running on the mountain road, and they didn't realize they had entered Shaoshi Mountain.I saw that the mountain was getting steeper, and several waterfalls on the opposite mountain were flying beads and splashing jade, rushing down, reflecting the large white snow in the mountains.Looking down at the mountains again, it is like an ant leech.At this time, they suddenly heard footsteps coming from behind, and they turned their heads to see that there were more than a dozen gray-clothed monks carrying firewood on their bodies, walking like flying on the mountain road.Li Shimin saw that the mountain road was narrow, so he jumped off his "Qing Zou" horse in a hurry, and the others also got off their horses in a hurry, leaning aside to make way for these monks.Seeing the politeness of these warriors, the monks who came here slowed down their pace, bowed and said, "Amitabha, thank the benefactor for making way." Li Shimin returned the salute with a slight body bend. He saw that he had a broad nose and a square face, and a pair of big eyes were piercing.Seeing that they are able to walk on the mountain road like flying while carrying such a heavy firewood, their martial arts must not be low.Li Shimin asked: "Dare to ask Master, are you monks from Shaolin Temple?" The leader replied: "The poor monk is Jue Yuan, a monk from Shaolin Temple. He led all the juniors to collect firewood according to the abbot's decree." "It turned out to be Master Jueyuan. May I ask who is the abbot now? I have been in the temple for half a year when I was young, so I have a relationship with your temple." "Returning to the benefactor, the abbot of this temple is now Master Huijue." "Master Huijue? Remember, when I was in the monastery twenty years ago, the master was the head of the Bodhidharma hall. Master Jueyuan, please greet him for me when you return to the monastery, but I was a small child at that time, After such a long time, Master must not remember." "May I ask the patron's name?" Yuchi Jingde opened his mouth to speak, but Li Shimin knew that he didn't want to expose himself, so he stopped him and said: "My surname is Li, and my name is Shimin. Well, we will meet later." A look of shock flashed across Jue Yuan's face, Li Shimin looked at his expression and knew that his name was known all over the world, so he must have understood his identity at this time.Sure enough, Jueyuan saluted and said: "Amitabha, it turns out to be King Qin of the Tang Dynasty. Our temple is not far from here. If King Qin can enter the temple to rest his horse, the whole temple will shine." The two exchanged a few more words of greeting, and the thirteen monks picked up firewood loads and walked up the mountain. Seeing the monks walking away and leading their horses, Yuchi Jingde smiled and said: "Unexpectedly, the name of the King of Qin is so famous all over the world. The monks in this deep mountain should not care about secular affairs. Unexpectedly, they are also like thunder." Li Shimin sighed: "Aren't monks human? As long as people live in this world, what voice can't be heard?" They meandered on the mountain road, with steep mountains on both sides, the mountain wind blows, and the pine waves blow off the snow on the pine needles, raising puffs of snow and mist, which become softer and softer.When I reached a corner, I suddenly heard a yell: "Hey, who is here? Those who are sensible leave the money for the road!" More than 30 gangsters jumped out of the rocks.Yuchi Jingde smiled, and said to Li Shimin: "I didn't expect there are small thieves here, let me send them away." He drew out his double whip, and said to the front, "Grandpa Hei is the leader of the thief. Looking for death?" The people over there ignored Yuchi Jingde's threat, they saw the sabers shining brightly, and three plain knives rolled towards the ground.The 20 people brought by Li Shimin are all strong soldiers in the army, they followed Yuchi Jingde closely and stepped forward to fight.As soon as Yuchi Jingde swung his double whips to catch the battle, he felt something was wrong.The other party led by the three were vigorous and strong, their bodies jumped like flying swallows, and the simple knife skills in their hands were strange, making Yuchi Jingde's hands and feet flustered.There were only a few wailing sounds, and three of the accompanying soldiers had already been cut down to the ground.Yuchi Jingde glanced sideways, saw Li Shimin mounted the "Qingzhui" horse, and wanted to join him with a machete in his hand, he was very anxious, and shouted: "The idea is too hard, it's not good, you go first, we will meet in Songyang. " Li Shimin also felt that the situation was abnormal, thinking that this group of people were definitely not ordinary bandits.He wanted to join the fight, but saw that the mountain road was narrow, several people couldn't move away, he heard Yuchi Jingde's shout, he wanted to lure the few people away to relieve Yuchi Jingde's pressure.Then he buckled the horse's belly, "Qing Zou" the horse neighed, the body stood upright and then jumped out. The two ups and downs jumped over the crowd and ran straight to the top of the mountain. The three thieves headed saw Li Shimin go away, they exchanged glances, whistled at the head, and the three of them turned their heads and chased Li Shimin.The mountain road was steep and winding, and the horses were not walking fast. The three chased after them, and unexpectedly formed a tandem with "Qing Zou". "Qing Zou" struggled to climb to the top of the mountain. Li Shimin looked at the terrain and saw an open space above. He looked forward again, and his heart burst with joy. The thirteen monks he met just now were sitting on a rock to rest.At this time, three thieves leaped up, forming a semicircle and approaching Li Shimin step by step.When he got to the front, he swung three knives at the same time, with the wind on the knives, and greeted Li Shimin's men and horses.Fortunately, Li Shimin's reaction was very quick, and when he kicked his feet, the soles of his feet were already off the saddle and stirrup.He pressed the point of the knife on the ground, flew up from the horse, turned around in the air and landed on the ground with the help of the knife, thus getting rid of the fatal blow of the three knives. Li Shimin had concluded at this moment that what the three of them learned was not ordinary saber techniques, but the delicate kung fu of moving close to the body in the martial arts.Then he threw away the machete, drew out the white rainbow sword that was with him, and used Kaidharma swordsmanship to fight close to him. The set of Dharma swordsmanship that Li Shimin is using now is the introductory swordsmanship of Shaolin Kung Fu. It is a stalemate with masters. If you want to exert its power, you need huge internal strength to see the effect.Although he is proficient in this sword technique on weekdays, the main purpose is to strengthen his body. Although his arms are strong, they are only strong and lack flexibility.It is easy to charge and kill in the battle formation, but when you meet someone with high-strength kung fu, you will be dwarfed by comparison.He was still able to parry at the beginning, but after a few moves, his body was already slowed down, and he was about to fall into a desperate situation. At this time, there were figures of people all around, and the lightning-like stick shadows attacked the thieves. Soon, several "clicks" were heard, and the three thieves fell to the ground with sharp knives, and their bodies were restrained.Li Shimin was standing in the center at that time, although he couldn't see clearly, there was no one else around, so the thirteen monks came up to rescue him. Jueyuan shouted: "Juemin, you are a traitor of Shaolin Temple. You were Wang Shichong's eagle dog in Luoyang, why did you come to be a trail-cutting bandit again? How dare you go wild in front of Shaolin Temple?" The thief named Juemin grinned and said, "Jueyuan, I'm doing something right here, who asked you to intervene? I'll go back and tell Emperor Zheng about it. It's no wonder if you don't burn your Shaolin Temple to nothing!" Li Shimin was still in shock, and he cupped his hands to Jueyuan and said, "Thank you, master, for your help. It turns out that these thieves were sent by Wang Shichong." Jueyuan then pulled Li Shimin aside and explained in detail. : Disciples of all sects must devote themselves to the Buddha, and must not abandon the Buddha to kill life.Seeing that Wang Shichong of Luoyang was powerful, Juemin quietly escaped to join Wang Shichong all day and night, and was expelled from the Shaolin Temple. Li Shimin pondered and said: "Since Juemin was expelled from the Shaolin gate wall, he is an outsider. This matter should be handled by Shimin. Master Jueyuan, you first control their acupoints, and the rest is up to me."来做。我若杀了觉民，方丈不会责怪我吧？” “少林寺弃徒一出山门，即与本寺无关。杀与不杀，请施主尊便。” “这三人不可留下，若他们逃回洛阳惹动王世充前来报复，恐与贵寺不利。” 觉远闭起双目，口念佛号，然后招呼其他师弟退出平地。 李世民走到三人面前，心中怀了好大一个疑窦：此次自己南行行动隐秘，知道的人并不算多，何故在这偏远的山坳里，出现武艺如此高强之人来截杀，显然是有备而来。想到这里，他挥剑指住觉民胸膛，盘问道：“说，谁让你们来的？是专来对付本王的吗？” 觉民内功深湛，刚才李世民与觉远的谈话他在这边听得一清二楚，知道今日不能善罢。遂对李世民的问话不理不睬，最后干脆将双目闭起。 一时间，双方在这里无声地僵持，唯听山间松涛阵阵。过了一会儿，李世民见这三人心硬如铁，知道今天难以问出结果，又怕时间久了再有人上来。他钢牙一咬，手臂一挥给了他们一人一剑，三人顿时了账。为了不留痕迹，李世民轻舒猿臂，将三人直掼入下面的万丈深渊里去。 李世民关心尉迟敬德等人，他走下山顶向下瞭望，并无动静，只好怅然回到山顶。觉远等人邀请他先到少林寺歇息一夜，其时天色已晚，李世民点头答应。一行人下了山，暮色更浓，豁然见森森的柏树间，黄墙碧瓦连绵一片好大一座寺院，赫然就是少林寺。少林寺建在深山之中，远离战火，僧众们日日听那晨钟暮鼓，诵经打坐修习。在那一时刻，李世民忽然觉得，远离尘嚣超凡脱俗，确实为一难得的幸福，无怪乎山林隐士如过江之鲫。 少林寺方丈惠觉今年已七十有二，银髯飘飘，音容庄严肃穆，为一得道的高僧。觉远带领李世民入了寺院，知道事体重大，他先将李世民让到左边偏房客厅里让小沙弥奉茶，自己一溜烟去见达摩堂首座惠明，将所发生事情说了一遍，然后两人才一同来见惠觉。惠觉手捻佛珠，低眉听完，方才说道：“阿弥陀佛，李施主替我少林清除门户，又不留痕迹，不枉了当年的香火之情。觉远，快请，老衲当亲迎之。” 李世民随觉远出了左偏房，只听“吱呀”一声，中门隆隆而开。惠觉、惠明和戒律院首座等人一起出来迎接。惠觉居前到了李世民面前，双手合十说道：“阿弥陀佛，李施主光降敝寺，老衲深感荣幸。” 李世民也急忙还礼，说道：“世民少小即受贵寺恩泽，今日觉远师父等人又援手救难，世民来此，专向方丈致谢。” 惠觉将身子一侧，单手作揖道：“且请入堂奉茶。” 一行人到了方丈佛堂，双方又是客套一番，惠觉说道：“老衲敝处深山，然李施主的大名也经常传入耳中。隋末大乱，老衲在本寺中下了一道法旨，命门下弟子不可卷入江湖中的是非之中。说起来，这也是老衲的明哲保身之道。李施主廓清广宇，拯乱世于水火之中。观今日大势，大唐日渐统一明宇。我们为僧之人朝夕念佛，唯望天下太平，也是我佛的慈悲心肠。” 李世民道：“隋炀帝暴虐，遂致天下大乱，生灵涂炭。我皇兴兵太原，目的就是廓清明宇，使天下太平。想少林寺靠近东都，王世充多来骚扰，世民来此正为征讨他，将洛阳纳入大唐的版图。方丈，世民素知少林寺尚武，寺内藏龙卧虎，若方丈能够惠赐一二，当是我皇天大的福分。” 惠觉和惠明没有想到李世民上来就提出这个问题，两人对了一下眼色。惠觉沉吟道：“这个、这个……且徐图商议。李施主，天色已晚，香积厨已备下素斋。益州来的李淳风施主、袁天纲施主与你同桌共宴，老衲尚有晚课恕不相陪了，且请自用。” 少林寺的素斋甚是简单，桌上摆有几碟寺中自制的腌菜和一盆水煮萝卜，一筐杂面馒头，每人一碗水煮面片。觉远将李世民领到香积厨厅间，他们入了门，就见两人已经坐在那里并不动箸。李世民心里明白他们在等自己，遂向两人递去感激的笑容，自己也坐在桌前，说道：“累两位久等了，请，我们开饭。” 那两人微笑一下，伸手拾箸夹菜。李世民早就饿了，很快将一大碗面片和五个馒头填入肚中，也没顾上吃菜。忽然抬眼见他们两人吃法文雅，自己在这里狼吞虎咽，一时不好意思起来。 那两人皆头戴方士巾，身穿皂色长袍。一人脸膛红润饱满，一人脸庞清癯消瘦。看到李世民在那里停箸不食脸色古怪，脸庞清癯者说道：“秦王今日受惊劳顿，千万别碍了我们，尽管食用。”见他提起自己的名号，李世民心想定是少林寺和尚告诉了他们自己的来历，并不觉为异，遂就着萝卜又下了一个馒头。 三人吃完了饭，脸色红润者说道：“秦王，我名李淳风，他叫袁天纲。今晚室外月白风清，我们且在寺内外漫步一回如何？” 李世民也很有兴致，三人步出户外，踏着寺内甬道向下慢慢行走，两旁的古柏在月下斑驳摇曳。 李世民刚才听他们报了自己的名字，一开始并未留心，这会儿看到地上的暗影浮动，惕然警觉，问道：“袁先生莫非是益州成都人吗？” 袁天纲答道：“正是，秦王曾听过我之微名吗？” 李世民想起其舅窦轨所说的一段往事。大业年末，窦轨少年出游到了益州德阳，听说此地有一名为袁天纲之人尤善相术，他具礼前去拜访。袁天纲说道：“你额上伏犀贯玉枕，辅角又成，以后必在益州大树功业。”弄得窦轨一头雾水，想自己为籍籍无名之人，缘何能创功业？及至李渊起兵太原定都长安，授窦轨为益州行台仆射，窦轨方悟袁天纲前言非虚。他急备重礼又去拜见，袁天纲其时出外云游不知所踪。窦轨回到长安，对李渊说起这段往事，言语中对袁天纲这位异人极为佩服。李世民其时正在旁边侍座，所以知道了袁天纲其人。这会儿想起这段往事，遂答道：“家舅窦轨当年曾托先生吉言，果有成就。先生既有此能，今日能为世民卜之吗？” 袁天纲道：“秦王神色爽澈，龙睛虎颈，贵人之极也。且今日势同日月，风水堪旺，不必为卜。”他转而言他，“目前洛阳城内，有三人我曾为之卜：杜淹、王珪、韦挺。我语杜淹为'兰台成就，学堂宽博，必得亲纠察之官，以文藻见知'；语王珪曰'三亭成就，天地相临，从今十年以外，必得五品要职'；谓韦挺曰'面似大兽之面，交友极诚，必得士友携接，初为武职'。洛阳现在被秦王围困，终为唐土，这三人终为大唐之臣，其宦途曲折，都要应在秦王身上，我们且拭目观之。” 袁天纲的这番话也将李世民弄得一头雾水，有心再问，又恐唐突。这时，袁天纲拱手道：“秦王心里定有许多话要问，一句话，就如今日蒙难，虽然凶险，皆能逢凶化吉。我之相术，终是雕虫小技。要论天地星野，淳风兄最能从大处着手，拨云去雾。淳风兄，你独自向天，莫非有什么发现吗？” 这李淳风也为隋唐时的一位异人，其生于岐州，少时博涉群书，尤明天文、历算、阴阳之学。这会儿听到袁天纲发问，又见李世民注视自己，遂言道：“秦王名为世民，听说是唐皇遵一名书生之'济世安民'一语取名，愿秦王今后依此二字善待天下苍生。” 李世民于隋开皇十八年十二月戊午生于武功县，传说其降生之时有二龙戏于馆门之外。其四岁时，有一书生自言善相求见李渊，言说李世民“龙凤之姿，天日之表，年将二十，必能济世安民矣”。 李淳风接着道：“日月晦明，皆应分野。近来祥风庆云之端，煌煌帝星日见光明，皆应在长安。秦王，我们今日有缘在此相见，有几句话赠予你如何？” 李世民愈加困惑，想两人素昧平生，不明底细怎好贸然交心。然见两人并无恶意，就点点头。 李淳风道：“'兄弟阋墙，特立独行；济世安民，天下归心；宽仁博大，皇皇盛世。'这几句话也是我和天纲多日谈论的结果，望秦王善加珍视。” 李世民听来愈发莫名其妙，说道：“两位先生言辞深奥，世民才疏智浅，望能浅释之。” 这时，少林寺晚课已毕，浑厚的钟声悠悠扬扬，僧人们鱼贯进入寝室休息，守把山门沙弥招呼他们回寺。袁天纲见状，拱手道：“来日方长，秦王，我们先回寺休息，明日再谈如何？” 李世民怅然回到为他准备好的客房里休息，躺在床板上，想起这两位异人的言语，只觉得莫测高深，甚为不解。不过细细想来，两人对自己甚为推崇，李淳风的几句话，隐隐约约说到自己今后要继承大统，且有和兄弟之间争斗之事，这让他大为震惊。这些年来自己东征西讨，一颗心整日所思所想的都是如何打败敌人。至于父皇百年之后，谁继承大统，自己想都没想。眼前太子位置已定，也不容别人再有非分之想。父皇虽然也曾流露出让自己继统的意思，但都是一忽儿的事，作不了真。没想到这两个外人身处局外洞若观火，已经想到此节，那么父皇、太子和朝中大臣又是如何想的？ 朦胧间，李世民决定明早起来后再找这两人详谈一阵。 及至天亮，李世民起床后脸未洗就直奔李淳风他们的客房，拍了半天门并无动静。问正在院中洒扫的小沙弥，才得知这两人天未放亮就飘然走了。李世民在那里愣了半天，怅然若失。 李世民向惠觉方丈告别，惠觉邀他再住两日，李世民忙于军事，心急如火，坚辞惠觉的好意。 好在少林寺离嵩阳已经不远，顺着山势下行，仅有十余里路。见李世民执意要走，惠觉不放心，嘱咐觉远等十三人沿途护送。 及至李世民他们走到中途，忽见一群官兵迎面走来。李世民已经看清是唐军的旗帜，让觉远他们定下心来。到了跟前，只见打头的正是尉迟敬德。原来他昨天脱险后，兼程赶到嵩阳，一大早就找史万宝要兵沿途找寻李世民。现在看到李世民安然无恙，喜极而泣，一颗吊起的心方才放入肚中。 李世民遂与觉远等僧作别。 觉远并无动作，反而一笑说道：“小僧我们行前已得惠明首座言语，让一直跟着秦王到洛阳护持。待秦王打败王世充，我们再回寺里。”李世民听后大喜。 这十三名棍僧此后一直随李世民行军，颇立军功。洛阳城破之后，李世民想带他们回长安授以官职，只有昙宗一僧受封为大将军，其余十二僧不愿为官，李世民各赏赐他们紫罗袈裟一袭。李世民后来即皇帝位，敕封少林寺为护国禅寺，赐寺田三千亩。