Taiyuan, Military Governor's Office.
The council hall was filled with civil and military officials from Hedong.
Li Keyong's wife, Liu, sat in the middle, and next to her stood Li Qionghua, who had just returned.
Wu Gong, who was ordered to assist Liu and guard Taiyuan, as well as Li Kening, Li Kegong, Li Yuanshen, Li Cunzhi and other Li family relatives and generals, all stood solemnly, obviously having important matters to discuss.
In addition, there were dozens of important officials from Hedong, all present.
In the middle of the hall, a general was kneeling. Looking towards the door, one could see that his clothes and armor were in tatters and in tatters. The round guard that he used to protect his buttocks was only half left. It was obvious what a fierce battle this man had faced.
Standing on the high platform in the main hall and looking down, he saw a man with a slightly drunk face and strong body. It was Xue Atan, the guard of Tianmen Pass. However, at the moment, his condition did not seem to be good. He looked like a death row prisoner before execution, with his head hung and his eyes blank.
"Tianmen Pass has fallen, and Heshuo general Zhou Dewei has led 40,000 elite troops to the city. You are all old ministers and veterans of Alang. At this critical moment of life and death, I hope you can work together to resolve the crisis in Jinyang." Liu narrowed her eyes slightly, glanced sternly at the Hedong civil and military officials in the hall, and said in a deep voice.
But after she finished speaking, a long time passed and the hall remained silent. None of the nearly one hundred civil and military officials in Hedong stood up to respond.
Seeing this situation, Madam Liu's face became even more grim, and even Wu Gong's expression was very gloomy. Just when Madam Liu was unwilling to give up and wanted to speak again, a general with eagle eyes, high nose and dressed in iron armor stood up.
When Mrs. Liu and Wu Gong saw someone stepping out, they felt relieved. After all, there were still people who were not afraid of danger and stood up.
At first glance, he immediately recognized the man's identity. He was An Jinjun, one of the Thirteen Guardians and an old general from Yunzhou under Li Keyong.
The other party walked into the hall, bowed and said awkwardly: "Madam, it's not that we are afraid of death and don't want to die to protect Taiyuan, but in the current situation, even if we are willing, we are powerless."
As soon as these words were spoken, they were immediately echoed by countless generals. These Hedong generals obviously did not lose their will to fight, but they were simply unable to cook without rice.
After receiving the generals' agreement, An Jinjun waved his hand to signal others not to disturb him, and then continued: "Taiyuan's troops are mainly concentrated in four places, Yangqu, Tianmen Pass, Jingxing Pass, and Jinyang City."
"Now that Tianmen Pass has been lost, the remaining soldiers Xue Atan brought back only have a few thousand men. The troops in Jinyang have been sent by Madam and General Wu to suppress the bandits."
"Zhou Dewei's troops are at the gates of the city, surrounding it on three sides and leaving one side open, cutting off the connection between Jinyang and Yangqu and Jingxing. We are really at a loss what to do in such a serious situation." An Jinjun spoke earnestly and sincerely.
Upon hearing this, Madam Liu and Wu Gong looked at each other with bitter faces. The situation in Jinyang that was empty and had no soldiers available was not caused by them either.
Who would have thought that bandits would suddenly appear in Yunzhong Mountain, and as soon as they appeared, they captured two generals of Hedong alive and killed Kang Junli.
If it weren't for the bandits, Madam Liu and Wu Gong would not have angrily dispatched Jinyang's elite troops to suppress them, and the current embarrassing and serious situation would not have occurred.
As everyone was staring at each other in bewilderment, a scholar in green robes stepped out and said, "Madam, according to my calculations, the current situation in Jinyang is actually
It was because we fell into Zhu Li's trap of trying to unravel the mystery."
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall suddenly erupted in an uproar, followed by another commotion.
Li Keyong had three advisers. The chief adviser was Gai Yu who served him. The other two were Li Shaohong and Zhang Qian. The person who was now determined to have fallen into the trap was Li Shaohong.
Li Shaohong's words shocked everyone, drawing all eyes in the hall to himself. He then continued to analyze: "What kind of bandit dares to capture a general of the imperial court alive? What kind of bandit is capable of killing General Kang?"
Li Shaohong raised the question with a heavy face, as if he was sad that everyone had been kept in the dark until now. He then said decisively: "These bandits must be the generals of Heshuo pretending to be one."
"The purpose is to drain away the troops in Jinyang and Yangqu bit by bit, so that they can take advantage of the opportunity and win the battle in one go."
Li Shaohong is no ordinary person. His status in Hedong is very high. Among the civil servants in Hedong, except Gai Hong, he is almost the only one. No one dares to question his judgment easily.
The civil and military officials of Hedong, even Madam Liu, Wu Gong and others, all looked gloomy and filled with shock and anger when they heard this statement.
Upon hearing this, a scholar in a white robe and a silk scarf stepped out of the line and bowed in agreement, "Brother Shaohong is absolutely right. It seems that everything makes sense now."
This scholar was Zhang Qian, another adviser of Li Keyong.
With him coming out to agree with Li Shaohong, everyone was even more convinced. Zhang Qian continued, "We in Hedong are now fighting Meng Fangli in the east and Li Changfu and Zhu Mei in the south. With two fronts, our forces will definitely be stretched. If Zhu Li doesn't seize this opportunity, he will be unworthy of being a famous general."
"Zhu Li, the thief, wants to plot against our Hedong, so he must have a plan."
"He first sent out his general to pretend to be a bandit and plotted against our good generals in Hedong. When the general got into trouble, Madam and General Wu naturally had to deal with it. It was inevitable that they would send troops to suppress the bandits. When the elite troops from Jinyang and Yangqu all went north to Yunzhong Mountain, he could go straight to Huanglong and capture Taiyuan. It was really insidious."
Things cannot be understood unless they are clarified and the logic cannot be understood unless it is explained. After analysis by the two counselors, everyone realized that they had fallen into a trap since the bandits appeared in Yunzhong Mountain.
But is this really the case
It can only be said that this was an inevitable result of chance. After all, when Zhao Zilong designed it, he did not think so much. His purpose was only to lure and kill the general of Yangqu to facilitate Huo Qing's dispatch of troops. Even if he could not capture Yangqu, he could bring Yuchi Jin back. That was all.
Why do you say it is inevitable
Here we have to talk about Guo Qizuo and Guo Chongtao. The two of them had been planning for Taiyuan for a long time, but Zhu Li insisted on having his own way and insisted on deploying the troops of Heshuo to the northern border, which made them very helpless.
The second Guo took advantage of Li Keyong's move south to Guanzhong and used Zhu Li's love for Yuchi Jin to induce Zhu Li to send troops to Taiyuan, which led to the current scene.
Zhao Zilong's plan was accidental, while the two Guo's planning was inevitable, so the entire military operation was an inevitability under accident.
Falling into Zhu Li's trap, this news was indeed very serious. Madam Liu stood up in a flash and said in a deep voice: "It is certain that this is the case."
"Heshuo has been planning for a long time, but we have only just discovered it. What should we do with the current situation?" Mrs. Liu said.
It's normal. Although she pretends to be weak, she actually has made up her mind.
"I think we should run away and go to Guanzhong to find our eldest brother." A sudden suggestion sounded, and following the voice, everyone saw a man. This man was none other than Li Keyong's third brother Li Kegong, who was nicknamed "Demon King Li" by the bandits.
According to historical records, Li Kegong was tyrannical, lawless, and willful. He had mediocre talents and liked to bully others by taking advantage of his power. He was truly a person that everyone hated.
When she saw that he was the one who spoke, Mrs. Liu frowned slightly.
Even Wu Gong, after taking a look at him, quickly turned his head and looked away.
It can be seen that his suggestion is not much better than a loud fart. Apart from making people sneer at it, the rest is disgust.
However, just when everyone disagreed and even frowned slightly, Li Shaohong suddenly agreed: "General San is right. We can only retreat now and withdraw from Taiyuan."
Before Li Shaohong finished speaking, An Jinjun quickly echoed him, "Mr. Li is right. I also support retreating, but not to Guanzhong, but to Jinzhou."
Seeing two important officials advocating retreat, Madam Liu had to think carefully. Then she looked at An Jinjun and said in a deep voice, "General, do you also support retreat?"
An Jinjun responded calmly when asked, looking directly at Madam Liu and said, "Yes, Madam, I also support retreating, not for myself, but for the future of the general manager."
Mrs. Liu did not comment upon hearing this, but stared at him and waited for what to say next.
An Jinjun had his reasons. He looked at Madam Liu calmly and said, "The only person Hedong can rely on to deal with Zhu Li is the general manager. Even if General Cunxiao has unrivaled courage, he may not be his opponent if he faces Zhu Li. After all, conquering a city is not a challenge."
"Zhu Li planned to attack Hedong first, and we discovered it later. In terms of timing, we have already missed the best opportunity to deal with him. This is the first reason why I support retreating."
"If we compare civil and military affairs to the five fingers of various vassal states, then the fist of Hedong is the general manager, and Zhu Li is the fist of Heshuo. Zhu Li's presence at Tianmen Pass represents that Heshuo's fist has been fully swung at Hedong, but we don't have a strong fist to fight back. A desperate battle will only seriously damage Hedong's vitality. Without the general manager in Taiyuan, Hedong can't gather all its strength. Defeat is only a matter of time. This is the second reason."
"As for the third reason, I have to be the general manager and protect the civil and military officials of Hedong, as well as their families and relatives. This is also the capital for our comeback in the future. Based on these three points, I think we should retreat immediately before Zhu Li arrives in Jinyang in person." An Jinjun's words were well-reasoned and came from the heart, which made Madam Liu and Wu Gong nod secretly.
Two of the three reasons stated by An Jinjun touched Mrs. Liu.
The first point is that An Jinjun said that Zhu Li is the fist of Heshuo. Zhu Li's visit to Taiyuan must mean that Heshuo will go all out to support Zhu Li's attack. In the absence of Li Keyong, these people alone can only hold off the attack for a while, but not for the follow-up.
The second point is naturally to preserve vitality, which is also what Mrs. Liu considered first, and she naturally agreed.
Having made up her mind, Madam Liu immediately turned to look at Fei Ya and said in a deep voice, "Fei Ya, try to contact Li Cunxin of Fenzhou immediately and ask him to lead his troops north to help us evacuate."
"Yes." Fei Ya took the order and carried it out immediately.