Chapter 19 In the 19th round, Chen Sishui entered Niukou and Jiande in the decisive battle between Tang and Xia and was captured

Li Shimin crossed the river with great fanfare to herd horses, and had already reported to Dou Jiande in detail.Dou Jiande didn't believe it at first, thinking how fast Li Shimin was, could it be that the army has no food and grass?He led the people up the river bank to the front of the high hill looking out over the river.I saw boats shuttle there, and Tang Jun was really busy ferrying horses. Dou Jiande was overjoyed, and said to Wang Fubao and others: "I never thought that Li Shimin would be so difficult. It is the time when the grass is luxuriant, and the grass around the tiger prison must have been eaten by the horses. Otherwise, I would not have done such a helpless move. It is not too late. Fu Bao, while these war horses have just crossed the river and are too late to return, our whole army will attack tomorrow and capture Hulao Pass in one fell swoop."

After noon this day, the summer camp secretly mobilized troops to prepare for tomorrow's battle.In the evening, Dou Jiande visited the camp, and seeing that everything was prepared, he went back to his tent to rest in peace.On the eve of the battle, Dou Jiande would always burn incense and pray alone, then bathe in fragrant soup and rest in the tent, and did not ask Cao and other women to serve him.That night, he prayed once as usual, then closed his eyes and meditated on the couch, and slowly fell asleep.In a trance, I was walking on the field where green shoots had just emerged, and when I came to a place with soft soil, I suddenly saw a bean in my left hand, and the bean fell on the ground with my hand, and it grew into a bean barley plant in an instant, bloomed and borne fruit. up beans.He was watching Xinxi there when a giant five-flowered ox ran over and ate the barley bean and barley by its roots and leaves. He hurried up to chase it away, but the ox used its sharp horns and knocked Dou Jiande to the ground again.Dou Jiande woke up immediately, his body was covered with cold sweat, he asked the servant near what time is it, the servant replied that it was the fourth watch.Recalling this dream is very ominous: "My surname is Dou, why was the bean eaten by the cow?" After that, I tossed and turned on the couch, having trouble falling asleep, and waited until dawn.Seeing that the morning light has penetrated the window lattice on the tent, he turned over and walked out.

The earth has brightened up. In the sky over the eastern river, there are grayish-white clouds at first, and then it gradually brightens. A round of red sun suddenly jumps out of the horizon, and the sun's fire instantly burns on the river, on the hills and on the land of the Central Plains. stand up. When Li Shimin returned to Hulao Pass yesterday, the sky was full of stars and the moonlight poured down on the ground.He randomly brought in some food, and saw Feng Deyi, Xiao Yu, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui and others came to see him.It turned out that several soldiers and horses had arrived at the designated position, and several people came to ask where to go.These days, Li Shimin secretly ordered troops to be dispatched. First, 40,000 horse troops were transferred from Luoyang. These people have now camped in the open space behind the pass. Li Shimin ordered 20,000 troops to move southward overnight, under the command of Hou Junji. The remaining 20,000 were ready there as the general reserve team, and rushed out as soon as they saw the order.

Shi Wanbao also presented a letter, reporting his location.A few days ago, he received an order from Li Shimin to dismantle the Chinese military tent in Songyang, and led fifty thousand people to approach Hulao Pass, and now he has arrived at a place called Baizhai.This is the upper reaches of Sishui, only thirty-five miles away from Hulao.Li Shimin remembered Hao Yuan's method of sending letters when he was in Qianshuiyuan, and asked his eldest grandson Wuji to make arrangements overnight and write a letter to Shi Wanbao. After arranging these things, Li Shimin breathed a sigh of relief, smiled and said to everyone: "Looking at the movement of Dou Jiande, he thought that we were running out of food and grass, and today he is grazing horses in Hebei, and he will find us for a decisive battle within two days. Unexpectedly, within a few days In the meantime, I added another 90,000 new troops, with strong men and strong horses, overwhelming him in number, regardless of whether he came back or not. Ladies and gentlemen, after this battle, our Great Tang will be able to take over the lands of Henan, Hebei and Shandong, and it is worthwhile. We have worked hard this year."

At the beginning, the troops Li Shimin brought were evenly matched with Dou Jiande's troops, but now they have increased by another 90,000, bringing the total strength to 230,000.For this decisive battle, Li Shimin decided to attack hard from the middle and support from the two wings. The two armies have not yet fought, and the Tang army can be said to be invincible. Li Shimin turned around and took out a letter from the case table, handed it to Fang Xuanling, and said, "Then Master Li came here from Luoyang, did you take good care of him along the way?" Fang Xuanling said: "When Master Li was in Luoyang, he had three generous meals a day. Since he was moved to the Tiger Prison according to King Qin's plan, the daily meals have gradually decreased. Today's dinner is only half soup and half water. Corn porridge is gone. And what he saw along the way and what the people around him said all showed that there was a lack of food and grass in the army."

"Okay, tomorrow morning, you will give Master Li a fast horse and ask him to deliver this letter to Dou Jiande. On the eve of the battle, give Dou Jiande a dose of ecstasy. By the way, Xuanling, there are many people in Dou Jiande's army , you have to be more careful." At that time, Dou Jiande recruited many former Sui ministers and entrusted them with official positions. Among them, Kong Yingda, Yu Shinan, Ouyang Xun, Pei Ju and others were more famous. Master Li rode a fast horse and rushed out of Hulao Pass. It was just dawn in the east, and the sound of cocks crowing occasionally came from the fields.Last night he only drank a bowl of very thin corn porridge. Before midnight, his stomach was rumbling, and he was so hungry that he felt panicked.Before dawn, Fang Xuanling was seen holding a letter asking him to return to the summer camp.He couldn't react for a while, and he didn't understand why Li Shimin let him go during the battle.However, it was a happy thing for him to return to the camp from now on. At that time, he suddenly didn't feel hungry, and he just wanted to see Dou Jiande as soon as possible.

When Dou Jiande was eating breakfast, he heard that Master Li was returning to the camp, so he hurriedly summoned him to meet him.Master Li presented Li Shimin's letter, and Dou Jiande read it, only to see that it said: Tang and Xia had a good relationship, but because of slander and misunderstanding, it led to the present, Shimin thought it was worthless.Today, the two armies have been holding each other for a long time, and it is a waste of money and food. It is better to repair the previous ones and lead their own troops to return.The land east of Hulao is under the jurisdiction of Xia, and the people of the world dare not take an inch.King Fu Wangxia sympathized with the people and sympathized with the scholars, so he could do this.

After reading the letter, Dou Jiande smiled slightly: "Master, you have been in the Tang camp for a long time, and you think that Li Shimin has always been strong and aggressive. What is the purpose of writing this letter to stop the war and repair peace?" At this moment, Master Li's stomach growled again. Looking at the food Dou Jiande was eating, he couldn't help licking his lips with his tongue.He carefully replied: "At the beginning, I wrote a letter to him, but was detained in the army. I saw that he was not afraid at that time. Now that the two armies are fighting at the same level, he came to ask for peace again. Unlike his previous temper If they don't match, I think it should be caused by external forces."

"External power? Nowadays, there are many rumors that there is no food in the Tang camp. Is this the reason?" "I was imprisoned all the way to the east, and there was almost no grazing land around the tiger prison. The meals they gave me were getting worse every day. Last night, I only gave me a bowl of porridge with half soup and half water. Before midnight, my stomach The stomach is empty. From this point of view, the food and grass in the Tang camp are really not rich." Dou Jiande hastily got down from his seat and greeted Master Li to sit down: "Master, this trip has been hard for you. Come, let me have some food first."

Master Li didn't dare to sit down. When he saw Dou Jiande coming to pull him, he hurriedly kowtowed to the ground and said, "I don't dare. If this mission can fulfill the emperor's wishes, I will be very grateful. However, I have a big doubt in my heart: If he suddenly sent a letter to ask for peace, if he deliberately showed cowardice, so as to provoke the emperor to take the initiative to fight, how could it be a conspiracy?" Dou Jiande sneered, and said: "Li Shimin has always been strong and persevering, and this letter must be a last resort. Do you know that Wang Shichong took Li Shimin's Beimanshan granary in Luoyang, and there was not much food in the Tang camp. Yesterday, they general Ma Crossing to Hebei to graze. These are coincident with what you saw and heard along the way. Master, go down and have a good rest, and watch me capture this ignorant Li Shimin alive."

Master Li opened his mouth a few times, looked up and saw Dou Jiande's resolute face, knowing that it would be useless to say more, he left the camp. When Dou Jiande walked out of the camp, he saw that all Xia's troops had already had a full meal and began to form a team under Wang Fubao's command. The forwards had already set off to Hulao Pass.In order to strengthen the momentum, Wang Fubao gathered the drums of the whole army to line up at the forefront, only to hear the drums beating like thunder, and the brigade roared forward.Dou Jiande came out in full force this time, there were less than 10,000 people left behind in the Banzhu camp, the rest of the people were like long snakes, wading up a thick cloud of dust for more than twenty miles.The striker stopped advancing when he reached the edge of the Boshui, and the follow-up troops lined up along the Boshui from north to south.This is Dou Jiande's idea: it's hot today, so we must escape the heat in a place where we can drink water. A sentry from the Tang camp reported the news of Xia Jun's advance to Li Shimin. At that time, he was leading the crowd to stand on the closed tower and look towards the east.Under the scorching sun, Xia Jun's vanguard had reached the edge of the Si River, the sun was covered by dust, and the flags and banners were bright, and they began to form troops there. Li Shimin turned his head and smiled, and said to everyone: "Finally, Dou Jiande couldn't hold back and came anyway. I didn't expect that this old farmer didn't know the weather, so he chose such a day with the poisonous sun to challenge. Haha, I think he must be used to it at the beginning." To plow and hoe under the scorching sun, regard the heat as nothing." Seeing that the battle was imminent, although everyone had been through the battlefield for a long time, they still felt a little nervous in their hearts.As soon as Li Shimin's teasing words came out, the crowd laughed easily. Li Shimin turned to Changsun Wuji and said: "Wuji, you go to the river now, let Wang Junkuo light three piles of wolf smoke, and call Shi Danai to bring the group of horses across the river." Changsun Wuji took the order and left. The Xia soldiers on the edge of the Sishui River came one after another and lined up along the Sishui River to the south. More than 100,000 people lined up in a row from north to south for more than 20 li, and they were in a hurry for more than an hour.Li Shimin led the crowd to watch intently from the top of the city tower. Changsun Shunde, Cheng Yaojin and others advised Li Shimin to attack as soon as possible, and rush to kill Xia Jun when his foothold is not stable.Li Shimin looked up at the poisonous sun in the sky, shook his head and refused, and said: "In ancient times, there have been many battles of 'crossing the river and hitting the middle stream', but today we are not suitable. One, the horses in Hebei have not yet returned; two, we are in danger. Three, the poisonous sun in the sky is our good partner. I remember the battle of Qilu Long Spoon in the Spring and Autumn Period, which is very similar to today. Mr. Xue, it was your idea to send troops out of the tiger prison, here now Nothing to do, how about you tell this story?" Xue Shou smiled and said: "King Qin, everyone knows this story, so it doesn't need to be said." Cheng Yaojin said: "Mr. Xue, you are very eloquent, don't refuse. Yaojin doesn't know about the battle of long spoon and short spoon." Xue Shou saw that Yuchi Jingde and others also showed eager expressions, knowing that they were not very clear, so he said: "In the Spring and Autumn Period, there were disputes among the countries. In the tenth year of Duke Zhuang of Lu, Duke Huan of Qi, the neighboring state of Qi, appointed him Guan Zhong and others organized the Qi State into an orderly manner, so it was prosperous. After Qi Huangong came to the throne, Lu Zhuanggong wanted to support the son to be the king of Qi, but unfortunately he failed, which made Qi Huan very angry. At that time, it was clear that Qi was strong and Lu was weak. He heard that Qi was invading, and there was great chaos in Lu. Duke Zhuang of Lu had no choice but to lead his troops to fight. At this time, a man called Cao GUI asked to see Lu. Duke Zhuang. "When the two armies met, the people of Qi beat the drums, and Duke Zhuang of Lu also ordered them to fight each other. Cao GUI thought it was impossible, so he stepped forward to persuade the drums to slow down, and Duke Zhuang followed. After the Qi army beat the drums three times, Cao GUI ordered the Lu army to fight. He beat the drums to fight, and the Qi army was defeated. "Afterwards, Duke Zhuang of Lu asked Cao GUI why he didn't beat the drums first, and Cao GUI replied, "It's courage to fight. One drum up, then decline, and three times exhaust. The one exhausts the other, so I restrain it...'" Li Shimin smiled and said: "Brother Jin, today's battle also uses Cao GUI's strategy. But instead of drums, poisonous sun is used. If Xia's army beats the drums, our army can also respond to the drums, and the soldiers and horses will not attack. We After shutting off the drinking water and taking a break, let them expose themselves to the sun, and when their spirits fail, we will try our best again. Brother Jin, how about you being responsible for the fight back? Everyone, Dou Jiande is going through danger and making noise now, is it right? There is no discipline; if you force the city to fight, you have the heart to despise me; if I press the armor and come out, its courage will decline by itself. After a long period of fighting and starvation, it will retreat by itself. At that time, we will chase and annihilate them. Generals should not stick to ancient principles, This is what Brother Yao often said, let's try to change Cao GUI's strategy today and see how it works?" Cheng Yaojin accepted the order gladly, and so did the generals. Li Shimin saw that Xia Jun was still forming troops there, and his side had a good time to tidy up, very relaxed, and said with a smile: "Let them spend the afternoon there, and let's watch their embarrassment. Xiao Gong, Kong Yingda in the summer camp in front of you I know you very well, I heard that when he was young, his knowledge was extraordinary, he was envied by others, and he was secretly assassinated, is this true?" Xiao Yu fell into the memory and said leisurely: "It is true. Kong Yingda was born in Hengshui, Jizhou. He was familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics when he was young. On a whim, the emperor summoned Confucian officials from all over the country to gather in Luoyang, the eastern capital, and set up a debating hall in the Taiwei Hall, allowing the Confucians to debate the scriptures and books in a subtle way, and to know the sages and write a lot. The Confucian officials who came listened carefully and did not dare to speak easily. Among them, Kong Yingda was the youngest. He listened to the words first and felt that they had many fallacies. That day when famous Confucians talked about "Shangshu" and "Book of Changes", Kong Yingda couldn't bear it He stood out from the crowd, reprimanded them on the spot for misinterpretation, and refuted them one by one. He was so sharp that he stunned the dry man and couldn't think it was right. This group of people was deeply ashamed and secretly bribed the assassin to assassinate Kong Yingda. This matter was caught by Yang Xuangan It was learned that Kong Yingda was brought into the mansion to live for several days before this difficulty was avoided." Li Shimin laughed: "I really can't imagine that these disciples of Confucius would do this again, and read the poems and books of the saints in vain." Xiao Yu sighed, and said: "Yes, the news of the assassination was spread later, and the students were in an uproar. After experiencing this change, Kong Yingda restrained his edge a lot, and studied exegetics in the study. Yan Shigu in our dynasty is also a famous exegesis, but his knowledge is still inferior to that of Kong Yingda." Li Shimin asked again: "In addition to Kong Yingda, there is also Yu Shinan, whose literary name has spread far and wide. Xiao Gong, I know his brother Yu Shiji's notoriety. Is this Yu Shinan and his brother's conduct very different?" Shi Shi Lang won the favor of Emperor Sui Yang.As his power increased, he flattered and flattered Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty, and refused to speak. Officials in power sold prisons and bribed public officials, and his family was like a market.He participated in and contributed to most of Sui Yang's evil deeds.When Emperor Sui Yang was killed in the Jiangdu mutiny, Yu Shiji was beheaded together with great public outrage. Xiao Yu said: "This matter is also quite strange. The two of them have the same mother, they are both taught by the same teacher, they are both ministers of the same palace, and they live together, but their temperaments are completely different. Yu Shinan at that time Ren Secretary Lang, a living roomer, usually keeps himself safe and diligent, and he is famous all over the world for his "three unique skills", one is erudite, the other is literary, and the third is Shuhan. It has a very good reputation in the government and the opposition. When Yu Shiji, who helped the evildoers, was about to be killed, Yu Shinan hugged his brother and cried loudly, begging Yu Wenhuaji to allow him to die in his brother's place. Yu Wenhuaji was not a good thing, he killed Yu Shiji without getting involved Yu Shinan is really hindered by Yu Shinan's good reputation. King Qin, in terms of familiarity with the Yu family, De Yi and Yu Shiji had frequent contacts at that time, and he knew more than me." Feng Deyi at the side suddenly became ashamed. Everyone knew that he had a good relationship with Yu Shiji back then.People are divided into groups, and things of a kind flock together. Yu Shiji is full-time flatterer, and Feng Deyi is his servant, which is not much better.Now that Xiao Yu changed the subject, he actually stabbed him lightly. Li Shimin understood what Xiao Yu meant, so in order not to embarrass Feng Deyi on the spot, he turned to Fang Xuanling and said, "Xuanling, I must invite Yu Shinan to be your assistant this time. You are in charge of the documents, and I will Sending you to do some miscellaneous errands, although it seems to help you, your burden is too heavy." Fang Xuanling said happily: "If Shinan enters the mansion, it will not only be a blessing for King Qin, but also Ruhui and I can study day and night." Everyone saw that the battle was imminent, and the formation of the Xia army on the opposite side had been arranged, Li Shimin turned a blind eye to it, and instead talked about the past and the people in the enemy camp here, which felt strange for a while. Li Shimin sighed suddenly: "I can't think of any use for Dou Jiande to collect these characters into the Luo army. Could it be that he raised them there to gain a false name?" Du Ruhui smiled slightly and said: "These people are placed in the army purely for display, and they have no effect. Dou Jiande got up from a farm, and his generals called him brothers and sisters. Outsiders say that Dou Jiande values ​​loyalty the most, but in fact they don't think much of it. Dou Jiande and the generals I usually look down on people who study at all, last time Ling Jing offered a wonderful idea, but unfortunately he didn't adopt it, it can be seen from this incident." As soon as Du Ruhui finished speaking, he suddenly heard the sound of thunderous drums coming from the opposite summer camp.The sound came out continuously from the long snake array of more than 20 li, and it was like a gust of wind blowing to the ground under the hot sky, adding a layer of heat.With the sound of the drums, the soldiers in the summer camp shouted in unison, and the voices of the people overwhelmed the sound of the drums. This was Xia Jun's invitation to fight. Cheng Yaojin commanded all the drummers to move the drums to the city wall. Hearing the sound of the opponent's drums resting for a while, Cheng Yaojin waved his hand, and the sound of Tangying's drums sounded immediately.The wall of Hulao Pass is not too long, the space on the wall is limited, the sound of the drums is much worse than that of Xia Ying, and without the cooperation of human voices, the momentum of Tang Ying immediately let the opponent compare.Soon, the Xia camp soldiers couldn't help laughing when they heard that the drums of the Tang camp were too weak. Tang Ying beat the drum for a while and stopped, and for a moment, there was a rare silence in front of the formation.General Xia Jun stared helplessly at the closed gate of the Hulao, imagining that Tang Jun should walk out of the closed gate to line up, but after waiting for half an hour, Tang Jun did not make any movement.Suddenly, thunderous drums came from the summer camp again. This was their second drum.Guan Tang Jun's drummer responded to it as if it was the occasion, and then returned to silence. Seeing that Tang Ying had no intention of going out to face the battle, Xia Jun couldn't hold back, and a group of about 500 people came out of the middle formation.They forded Sishui River and came straight to Guanxia.The leader was Wang Fubao, and Dou Jiande sent him to fight in front of the pass. Wang Fubao felt that the eldest grandson Anshi was eloquent, so he asked his eldest grandson Anshi and Wang Wan to accompany him. The five hundred troops stood still eight hundred paces away from the city. Wang Fubao cleared his throat and shouted to Guan Guan with his loud voice: "Guan Guan, general of the Tang Army, my emperor has a letter to the King of Qin, please deliver it quickly." A letter was tied to the shaft of the arrow, the horse was driven forward three hundred steps, the bow was like a full moon, and the letter was shot to the close with a "swish". Left and right presented the letter to Li Shimin, he waved his hands without looking at it, and said, "It's just a cliché, what's the point? Brother Shubao, you have a loud voice, how about a few words with Guan Xia?" Qin Shubao walked between the battlements, pointed his head down and shouted: "General Xia, King Qin is grazing horses in Hebei now, and has no time to read your letter from the bird. My name is Qin Shubao, whoever is your last name, please report it quickly. If you don't Go back if you say anything." Wang Fubao reported his name and shouted: "Qin Shubao, I know your name. People say that you are brave and strong. Why are you shrinking back and acting like a turtle when the army is in front of you today?" Wang Wan and Changsun Anshi from behind also came forward, and Changsun Anshi said: "General Qin, we were ministers of the same palace before, but now that Xia and Zheng have joined forces, the Tang family is in decline. Why don't you turn against the Tang family? I recommend you to the emperor." Before Qin Shubao could answer, Cheng Yaojin on the side couldn't bear it anymore, and cursed, "It's just your fucking dream." Everyone around laughed, and Li Shimin couldn't help smiling, his eyes wandered off. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he said, "What a fine horse!" It turned out that Wang Wan's armor was bright, and the horse riding under him was even more handsome. Luo Shixin knew the horse and said: "This horse is named 'Yuhuacong'. It was originally the imperial horse of Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty. It was acquired by Wang Shichong. Unexpectedly, it has now become the mount of this dude." Qin Shubao's voice was like a bronze bell, and he reprimanded loudly: "Changsun Anshi, Wang Shichong is precarious, and you are still bragging here. I know you have a lot of knowledge, how do you seem to be in a dream? Wang Fubao, King Qin has written a letter to King Xia, and Tang Xia is no longer here." Fighting, you retreat to Hebei, and I occupy Guanzhong. The matter is so clear, but you are entangled here, what is the reason?" "Qin Shubao, you are daydreaming! My emperor is here to relieve the siege of Luoyang. If you retreat to Guanzhong and return to Zhenggu land, you will have made peace long ago." As soon as Wang Fubao finished speaking, he saw three riders rushing out of the pass. The leader with a face like a black diamond was none other than Tang General Yuchi Jingde.Unprepared, Wang Fubao retreated while drawing out his weapon.In an instant, Yuchi Jingde's black horse rushed in front of him, and Wang Fubao swung his sword to fight, but Yuchi Jingde didn't fight him, so he let the two people with him trip him, and he swung his spear and went straight to Wang Wan. At that time Wang Wan rode his horse up and down several times, and was about to retreat into the formation of five hundred troops, Yuchi Jingde gave a loud shout, like Jiao Lei shot down in the clear sky.He swung his lance and stabbed the soldiers at the front of the line, and he came to Wang Wan's horse in a flash. He struck straight with the lance and stabbed Wang Wan's waist and crotch at once, and Wang Wan turned over and fell off the horse.Yuchi Jingde's eyes were quick and his hands were quick, he snatched the reins of "Yuhua Cong", put his legs under the horse's belly, the horse turned its head knowingly, and suddenly heard the two horses neighing at the same time, as if two The horses have achieved a tacit understanding, and they have left the Xia army's formation in one fell swoop.When Yuchi Jingde turned his head, he saw two of his servants fighting Wang Fubao vigorously, after all they were weak and their saber skills were scattered.He rode his horse and jumped in front of them, replacing his followers, and wrestled with Wang Fubao.The eldest grandson Anshi beside him doesn't know martial arts, he weighed the situation in front of him, he deceived Yuchi Jingde that there were few people, and waved for 500 people to come forward immediately, trying to surround Yuchi Jingde and the three of them. At this time, Li Shimin and others who closed the pass found that the situation around Yuchi Jingde was critical, Qin Shubao shouted: "Jingde, quickly retreat into the pass." Li Shimin even ordered Liu Hongji to lead 500 people out of the pass to respond. Yuchi Jingde heard Qin Shubao's shout, and from the corner of his eyes, he saw Xia Bing surrounded him from all sides, he was also very anxious, while parrying Wang Fubao's attack, he threw the reins of "Yuhua Cong" to two servants, and ordered them to retreat first .At this time, a burst of shouts came from the closed gate, and Liu Hongji led the crowd out of the gate. Yuchi Jingde summoned up his supernatural power, vigorously held out the lance and struck horizontally, knocking away the broadsword in Wang Fubao's hand, making him flustered immediately.Yuchi Jingde suddenly slowed down the pace of the attack, and said in a deep voice: "Wang Fubao, I know you have a small name, you are sensible, and lead your men back quickly, otherwise the gate will be your grave." Wang Fubao has drawn his sword in his hand at this moment After listening to Yuchi Jingde's words and seeing Tang soldiers rushing in, he knew that there would be no chance of winning if he continued to fight.He reined in his horse and retreated, calling for 500 men to take up a position at the east end, cupped his hands and said, "General Yuchi, I've heard of your name a long time ago, and today I saw you seize a horse in the formation with my own eyes. By the water river, please go up to the king of Qin, if you have the ability, send troops to a decisive battle, it is better to live in a stalemate here. At that time, I will wait for you in the battle formation, and we will have a good fight." Yuchi Jingde snorted, but did not reply with words. It turned out that just now Li Shimin praised Wang Wan's horse at Guanshang, and Yuchi Jingde saw him with envious look on his face, knowing that Li Shimin loves horses as an addiction, and he loves horses even more from the bottom of his heart.This "Jade Flower Cong" is a thousand-mile horse presented by Dawan Kingdom, and it was impossible for people to control it when it first arrived in Chang'an.On that day, Sui Lang jumped on Pei Renji, grabbed his ears with one hand, and picked his eyes with the other before subduing him.The horse was sent to Chang'an in the morning and Luoyang in the evening. It was very famous at that time.Now "Yuhua Cong" is more than ten years old. Although the age of teeth is long, the divine horse has not faded.Yuchi Jingde quietly went down to the pass, and invited two servants to accompany him, after opening the pass, he went to snatch the horse, unexpectedly he succeeded in one fell swoop. Yuchi Jingde returned to Guanzhong with Liu Hongji's support, and saw Li Shimin welcoming him behind closed doors.Yuchi Jingde dismounted from his horse, stepped forward and said, "To the King of Qin, it is fortunate that Jingde did not disgrace his life, and has taken this horse back." Li Shimin was moved and sad, took Yuchi Jingde's hands, and blamed him: "Jingde, how can a joke be taken as truth? For the sake of an animal, I have hurt a general, so don't do it again in the future." Everyone behind them was shocked, but unexpectedly Li Shimin's soft words, Yuchi Jingde took it so seriously!So small things, not to mention big things.Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui looked at each other with a smile on their faces. They both knew that Yuchi Jingde was destined to become the hardcore general of the King of Qin all his life. As long as it was a light word from the King of Qin, his head would be taken, and Yuchi Jingde would not even bat an eyelid It will also be cut off. "Yuhuacong" was handed over to Zhang Wansui after all. After all, this horse was old, and it was not enough to let it fight on the battlefield.Zhang Wansui selected breeding mares for it, and gave birth to five Qianli foals successively. At noon, Li Shimin ordered the whole army to have a full meal. Changsun Wuji and Shi Danai rushed over, and all the horses in Hebei had been transported back. Li Shimin turned over and went up to the city wall again. It was noon at this time, under the scorching sun, Xia Bing mostly drank from the river, or sat in front of the formation, looking lazy.After watching it for a while, Li Shimin said to the generals: "The thieves have slacked off, so don't be too late to attack!" After that, he ordered Li Shi, Cheng Yaojin, Qin Shubao, Changsun Shunde and Liu Hongji to lead 80,000 people out of the pass. When Fang Xuanling received the order, three piles of smoke were lit in the pass.Under the clear sky, three sticks of smoke rose vertically into the sky, and the black smoke column was really eye-catching.Soon, the cannons of Lianzhu sounded, and black clouds bloomed in the sky.The cannon went all the way to the south, first notifying Hou Junji to start sending troops, and then notifying Shi Wanbao stationed in Baizhai to start action.The other cannon went north, and Wang Junkuo and Duan Zhixuan were informed to board a boat and enter the river to occupy Niukouzhu. Dou Jiande just stayed at the edge of Sishui all morning, hoping that Li Shimin would retreat in spite of the difficulties, or come out to fight, but when it was noon, there was no movement in the tiger prison, and Li Shimin still ignored him.Seeing that the soldiers under his command hadn't had food yet, he was ordering the generals to discuss the next step, but before they were all gathered, he saw three smoke billows rising from Hulao Pass. Wang Fubao was shocked and shouted: "Your Majesty, Li Shimin is about to attack, hurry up and prepare for the battle." Dou Jiande saw that the door of the tiger prison was closed and opened, and countless Tang soldiers came out of it. He dismissed all the generals and let them go back to their respective positions. In front of Hulao Pass, Tang soldiers rushed out continuously, and soon formed five square formations.On Dou Jiande's side, the generals hurriedly greeted the water-drinking soldiers to go ashore and mount their horses, and the two armies appeared to be in a hurry. The five phalanxes of the Tang army, each with about 15,000 people, moved forward in mighty fashion, passed the Tongji Canal smoothly, and spread out to the left and right after crossing the canal.It is only two miles away from the edge of Sishui. Li Shimin led Yuchi Jingde to the front of the battle. He controlled "Qing Zou", wearing a helmet with phoenix wings, a green brocade battle robe, and a pair of golden chain mail.The phalanx in the center was led by Li Shimin. When Li Shimin saw that the Xia army had formed, he greeted: "Brother Shi, Xia soldiers are hungry and sleepy right now, and our momentum is in full swing. You can wave the red flag and call for the left and right to rush over, don't Then there's the red tape before the war." Li Shi understood Li Shimin's intentions. He ordered the banner officer to wave the red flag and light the cannon. The square formation in the middle began to move. The four square formations on the left and right received the order and started at the same time. To Sishui River. Wang Fubao saw the Tang army rushing forward, and the forward had reached the Sishui River.He waved the flag, and the Xia soldiers who had already drawn their bows shot out their bows and crossbows, shooting down a row of Tang soldiers who were crossing the river.According to the usual practice, when the two armies face each other, the crossbowmen must shoot to hold the position, and then the horse army will line up to fight.Li Shimin omitted these steps in this formation. He believed that the Xia army had slacked off and that his own side could attack bravely. Compared with the loss of the forward, the momentum formed was insignificant.When he was still preparing to attack in the pass, Li Shimin asked the five leading generals to receive the attack order to speed up the pace of the charge and quickly pass the Sishui River to achieve close contact with the enemy.Seeing the soldiers in the front row fell to the ground with arrows, the Tang soldiers did not stop. Instead, they rode their horses with whips and urged their mounts to rush up to the bank of the East River. Xia Bing, the archer, thought that Tang Jun would slow down after being hit by the arrow, but unexpectedly, Tang Bing rushed across the embankment, waving a saber in his hand, shouting loudly, as if desperate.Many Xia soldiers had just fired their second arrows, and before they pulled out the arrows from the quiver, Tang Bing's striker had already rushed in front of them. Li Shimin saw that the two armies had already engaged in battle, looking behind him, he saw Yuchi Jingde was holding a horse in his hand, watching the battle with his eyes wide open like copper bells, and behind him, there was a herdsman with a group of horses waiting on him.It turned out that Li Shimin felt that the battle was tragic, and remembered that the last time Qiu Xinggong changed horses in the battle, he specially ordered the horse herdsman to bring the horses to the battle, and once the general fell off the horse, he immediately sent people into the battle to send the horses.Among the group of horses, I saw "Shifachi" pricking up his ears, listening attentively to the sound of fighting in front of him. Li Shimin praised him in his heart, thinking that this horse might be born for fighting in battle, and his appearance revealed the fighting spirit. excited. Li Shimin brought up the Qingyan Huilong Machete and said: "Jingde, let's go up, the place where the red flag is waved in the enemy's formation, I think Wang Fubao is there to command, how about we go find him?" Yuchi Jingde said: "Okay, King Qin, I have seen Wang Fubao, please sweep the formation for me, and watch me take him down." Two war horses, one green and one gray, sprang out and quickly inserted themselves into the junction of the two phalanxes. The Tang soldiers beside them were dazzled, and saw the two horses jumping into the Sishui River beyond the crowd with lightning speed.A sharp-eyed soldier recognized Li Shimin, he was excited and shouted loudly: "The king of Qin is on the way!" "The Music of the King of Qin Breaking the Battle" was sung in the army. Tang Bing was familiar with the story of Li Shimin, and some people who were good at telling it told the story of King Qin's bravery vividly.Over time, Tang soldiers respected Li Shimin as a god-man.Now when King Qin came into battle, some people around were excited and shouted at the same time: "King Qin is here!" Tang Bing's eyes lit up immediately, thinking that Tang Bing was chanting some powerful spell.Li Shimin and Yuchi Jingde rode through the enemy's formation, broke into the siege, and rushed straight to the center where the red flag was waving.Seeing that Li Shimin broke into the enemy's formation regardless of safety, Li Shimin waved the red flag again and again to call on all the phalanxes to step up their attacks. As soon as he, the phalanx in the center, rushed forward, the four phalanxes on both sides understood his intention and accelerated their attack. The Xia army had 80,000 horsemen in front, which was evenly matched with the 80,000 horse army attacked by the Tang army. Although the Tang army was injured by arrow rain and lost 5,000 horsemen when crossing the river, the offensive was fierce. The two armies met head-on. Xia Bing was busy parrying. It's a messy situation.Li Shizhong's army advanced forward, and the entire Tang army wedged into the enemy's formation like an arrow, and the two armies began to fight together. Li Shimin and Yuchi Jingde's sword and spear were elusive, and after robbing the formation, they assassinated dozens of people one after another. As they moved forward, they felt more and more heavy pressure from the enemy formation.I saw Xia Bing swarming over, greeting the two of them like a forest of spears and halberds.At that time, Li Shimin lived in front of the house, and Yuchi Jingde lived behind. Soon, "Qing Zai" had several wounds on his body, and he wailed and fell down with his legs bent.Seeing that Li Shimin was in a critical situation, Yuchi Jingde rushed over and swung his lance across the horse, knocking down dozens of spears and halberds one after another, covering Li Shimin to stand calmly. Li Shimin turned his head and saw "Qing Zou" hit the ground with its head, and there was a painful light in its eyes. Knowing that it was seriously injured and it would be difficult to fight any more, he turned his head and shouted to the rear, "Malay!" go.While parrying the enemy soldiers in front, Yuchi Jingde turned his head and shouted: "Malay!" His voice was like spring thunder, even though he was in the noisy battle formation, he did not hide his voice. After a while, the sound of "the horse is coming" sounded not far away, and the horse shepherd bent down and controlled the rein of the mount with one hand, and the rein of "Shivachi" with the other hand, and walked quickly through the crowd. He ran to Li Shimin.He stood holding the reins of the horse, one foot away from Li Shimin, and saw him throwing the reins of "Shifachi" with a wave of his hand, and shouted: "King Qin, catch it." Li Shimin jumped up and took the rope in the "Shifachi" obediently took a few steps forward, Li Shimin pulled out the machete with one hand, put the stirrup on the horse, drove the horse, and fought side by side with Yuchi Jingde. Later, the storyteller mentioned that Li Shimin changed horses in the battle, and performed the heroic and tragic performance of "Qing Zou" and the obedient savior of "Shifachi" miraculously, and described them as a pair of magical horses.Yuchi Jingde yelled "Ma Lai", and it was even praised in the army. After the war, the army no longer called the horse herdsman by his real name, but called him "Ma Lai". The deeds are connected together, quite proud. Standing on the high hill behind, Dou Jiande watched the battle between the two armies. He saw that the number of Tang troops coming was equal to the number of his own cavalry.He looked back at the troops around him, there were still 60,000 infantry ready to go, he thought that if he fought with all his strength today, he would have a big advantage in terms of numbers, and the chance of victory had come.Thinking of this, he ordered his infantry to charge. The sound of shouting and killing suddenly sounded, Xia Jun's 60,000 infantry were divided into three teams, and each team formed a square formation of 20,000 people and slowly advanced.At that time, the sun had already slanted to the west, and the sun was still fierce. Tens of thousands of horses galloped within a radius, stirring up thousands of feet of dust, which even obscured the sun for a little trance.Dou Jiande stood on the high hill and watched intently, hoping that after the infantry joined the battle, the situation on the battlefield would be completely changed. 恍惚间，窦建德猛然发现对面的左前方出现一片银亮在快速移动，他揉揉眼睛，以为自己看花了眼，骇然瞪视片刻，见这片银亮正是一拨跑动的马军，银亮是从枪戟尖和铠甲上发射出来的。 一名斥候快马过来滚鞍下马，伏地叩拜，只见他满面浮土被汗水冲刷，满脸的黑道，口称道：“皇上，王将军派小人来报，目前我军正面左方，唐军冲上来四万马军；我军南端，更有唐军沿着汜水河而来，前锋已抵阵前。”窦建德大惊：“南边？南边？莫非从天上掉下来的人吗？他们有多少人马？” “小人尚未打探清楚，直觉他们漫山遍野而来，无穷无尽。” “混蛋！再探，速速报来。” 窦建德唤过一名身旁侍从，吩咐道：“你去通知步卒队伍，让他们加快步伐，快快将眼前这群唐军包围；再入阵知会王将军，让他收拢马军与步卒会合，想法破了唐军阵列，速战速决。” 侍从急忙去传令，窦建德在这里焦急地等待。 过了一会儿，就见夏军步卒渐渐围了上去，形成一个半圆，开始与唐兵交战。阵中的王伏宝却动作不大，想是阵中唐夏之兵犬牙交错，无法脱身。 时间就此耽搁了下去，只见在前方的唐军马队已冲过汜水河，加入与夏兵马队的对决。一时间，阵中的态势慢慢发生了变化：夏军马队与步卒无法形成紧密联系，马队顿时形成了劣势，唐兵马军的攻势显得凌厉起来。这时，又见南端尘土飞扬，一彪马军腾跃奔来，尘埃里依稀可辨是唐军旗帜。这两路兵马乃是侯君集和史万宝所统领。 窦建德万分焦急，他跳脚吼道：“快！快！鸣金收兵！鸣金收兵！” 夏兵阵后被唐兵紧紧黏着，无法脱身。夏兵本来就人困马乏，厮杀多时人马已现委顿，此刻听到己方鸣金，人人慌乱中想夺路而逃，阵形一时大乱。 王伏宝本在阵中苦苦撑持，闻听后方鸣金声音，知道今日断难胜利，遂带领身旁众人缓缓后退。这时，忽听一声大吼：“王伏宝，想逃吗？来，我们大战一回，我尉迟恭寻你多时了。” 纷乱战阵中，一匹乌骓马腾跃而出，几乎在同时，又一匹红色战马身如影随，自是李世民到了。 王伏宝咬了咬牙，提刀迎上前来。其时乌骓马前蹄刚刚着地，尉迟敬德不待身稳，头未抬就挺槊刺来，两般兵器立刻碰在一起。 两人就在阵中捉对儿厮杀，尉迟敬德招招凶狠，王伏宝也想杀败他及早退回，两人一来一回杀了九个回合。这时，只见青影闪处，一道青光直挥向王伏宝，这道青光将王伏宝挥为两截。尉迟敬德愕然而顾，只见李世民收回刀势，说道：“敬德，我们合力杀了此獠，追击要紧。” 这时，李世冲过来与李世民会合，李世汗流满面，战袍上血污片片，可以看出他拼杀的惨烈。他嚷道：“秦王，贼势已乱，该是全力进击的时候了。”李世民道：“燃号炮，给史大柰信号。” 随着六声巨响，空中现出六朵黑烟团。李世民事先与众将领约定，六声号炮为继续加紧进攻的命令，已经与敌方交手的队伍要加快推进速度。后面，史大柰和长孙无忌带领二万五千马军站立在关前，号炮刚刚炸响，他们甩开脚步向阵中奔来。 唐军这二万五千兵马旋风般杀入阵来，夏兵见唐兵不绝地投入新兵力，极度沮丧，加快了败退的脚步，他们如退潮的海水一般向东退去，唐军保持队形，乘胜追击。 窦建德见败局已定，眼泪迸然而出，向西长叹道：“王世充，你果然累朕成了你的陪绑。” 身旁侍从之人见形势危急，纷纷劝他先退。窦建德瞪起眼睛斥道：“大军在前，朕与他们同进同退。”命挥动令旗，招呼残兵向此高丘处围拢。夏兵张皇之际，混乱中见帅字令旗挥动，就若看到一根救命的稻草，不再星散奔逃，逐渐向高丘围拢过去。很快，高丘周围聚有三万余人。 窦建德令留下五千人断后，其余人马缓缓向东退去。窦建德心想，刚才自己若独自逃走，则唐军收拾好这里的战场后，乘胜追击直攻板渚，那么自己连渡河逃往河北的机会都会失去。 夏兵惶惶然在窦建德的率领下逃往板渚，行约五里，就到了牛口渚。窦建德以往从这里经过多次，那时他意气风发，并未留意这里山川形势。此时他见这里两峰夹峙，峡间谷底状如喇叭口，猛想起其名为牛口渚，顿时想起昨夜惊梦之事。其时他已入牛口渚中途，悚然而惊：豆入牛口，自己姓窦，莫非昨夜噩梦就应在这里吗？ 窦建德正在那里满腹狐疑，忽听两端谷峰上发出震天一声喊，那里拥出无数唐兵，前方的谷口也冒出一彪人马，当先两名将领，一名身着白袍，一名身披黑甲，白袍之人大声喝道：“窦建德，赶快下马受降，免你一死。”那名黑甲之人令旗一挥，四边峰顶的唐兵开始向下移动，这里谷峰并不算高，坡亦不陡，眼瞅着唐兵很快又与夏兵接仗。 这两人是王君廓和段志玄，他们乘舟沿河而下，来牛口渚埋伏，以断窦建德的退路。他们在这里阻住溃逃夏兵败退的脚步，很快，后面追击的唐兵也出现在谷口。 夏兵见有伏兵在此，又见追兵现身，一时大乱，没人理会窦建德的命令，纷纷四散逃走。王君廓和段志玄见状，招呼身后将士杀入敌阵，两人当先冲向阵中旗幡最多处，想窦建德定在那里。 夏兵一乱，窦建德的身旁侍从都跑得无影无踪，窦建德见北首人少，遂拨马过去，想逃出峰顶。窦建德一身玄黄衣裳，上披金甲，座下马骑鞍镫鲜明，在乱军中很是耀眼。那段志玄眼尖，他远远瞧见这人金甲灿烂，料非常人，就驱马赶来。窦建德见前方有一丛芦苇，心想四周唐兵多如牛毛，不若在此芦苇丛中躲避喘息一阵，正待进入芦苇丛，段志玄快马已到身后，只见他挥槊一刺，正中窦建德马股，马负痛一蹶，立将窦建德掀翻地上，自己撒蹄奔逃。段志玄见窦建德狼狈倒地，遂挥槊再刺，意图结果了他的性命。窦建德连连摇手，连声道：“壮士，休要杀我，我便是夏王，若能相救，富贵与共。” 段志玄并不认识窦建德，闻听他自行供认，喜得心花怒放，一跃下马，把窦建德捆住，口称道：“哈哈，踏破铁鞋无觅处，得来全不费功夫。原来你就是窦建德，又送我大功一件。” 唐军在牛口渚里围歼夏兵，大获全胜。李世民从后面赶了过来，率得胜之师奔往板渚来端窦建德的老窝。他们还在路上的时候，就见板渚方向有黑烟冒起，原来窦建德夫人曹氏闻听大败，率众退回河北，一把火将板渚营寨点燃。 此役，窦建德带来的十四万人被斩杀无数，仅被唐军生擒的就有八万多人。自牛口渚向西直到汜水河边，沿途躺满了两军阵亡兵士的尸体。其时夕阳如血，地上热浪翻涌，空气中弥散着浓烈的血腥味道。李世民领人退到牛口渚，眼望眼前惨烈景象，悲悯地说道：“一将功成万骨枯，世兄，传令下去，令人连夜将这些尸体就地掩埋，不可让他们暴尸荒野。敬德，你去找找'青骓'的尸体何在，就将它埋在汜水边吧。” 段志玄将窦建德押到李世民面前，窦建德立而不跪，脸色虽然憔悴仍不掩其凛然之色。李世民冷笑道：“你就是窦建德吗？我讨伐王世充，与你何干？你却越境前来，犯我兵锋，今日何如？” 窦建德一时对答不出，想起当初自己挥兵南下征讨孟海公，又挥师西来，何等威武雄壮，不料短短数月就沦为李世民的阶下囚，方悔当初不用凌敬之计。他站在那里，心中闪过许多念头，最后迸出两句话来：“今不自来，恐烦远取。” 众人一愣方才回过味来，发出哄笑，连李世民也露出笑容，想不到窦建德还能幽上一默。他下令将窦建德置入囚车，押往虎牢关。 房玄龄和杜如晦在乱军中还是找到了孔颖达等人，李世民听闻，急忙前去相见，与他们握手共入虎牢不提。