Chapter 108 The battle of Xiangji Temple is coming, elite infantry comparable to the black armor soldiers!

[As mentioned earlier, Li Heng proclaimed himself emperor in Lingwu without authorization. Although Li Longji in Shuzhong later expressed his approval, the criticism that he had obtained the throne illegitimately never stopped.]

【After Li Heng ascended the throne, Li Longji issued two edicts. 】

[According to the Old Book of Tang, Li Longji ordered that from now on, all major military and political matters should be handled by Emperor Li Heng first, and then reported to me.]

【From this, we can see that Li Longji never wanted to let go completely. 】

[Li Longji's second edict ordered his other sons to command troops in various places.]

[This decree put great pressure on Li Heng, who had just succeeded to the throne, and made him eager to recapture Chang'an City.]

[Because only by taking back Chang'an can he be the legitimate ruler of the Tang Dynasty and sit firmly on the throne.]

[Although Li Mi's tactics are good, it takes too long. Who can guarantee that there won't be any unexpected events such as usurping the throne or forcing the emperor to abdicate? ]

[After all... this is the Tang Dynasty! ]

【Those who understand will understand! 】

……

Li Shimin: "..."

Can we please not mention this anymore!

……

【Let’s talk about Guo Ziyi. 】

[After receiving Li Heng's order to attack Chang'an, Guo Ziyi dispatched troops decisively, but was defeated.]

……

"Great defeat?"

"That's it?"

"With this level, can you be called the greatest general of all time?"

Many generals expressed their dissatisfaction.

Where is the greatest general of all time?

With this level of leadership, isn't it too much to call him the greatest general of all time?

With this idea in mind, many people continued to watch with doubts.

……

【Guo Ziyi quickly concluded that he could not win. 】

[Not only was Guo Ziyi defeated, but when Guo Ziyi was busy attacking Hedong County, Li Heng had actually sent others to attack Chang'an twice, and both times ended in disastrous defeat.]

[What to do if you can't win? Just ask for help. 】

[Guo Ziyi suggested to Li Heng that we should borrow some troops from the Huihe.]

[Guo Ziyi was well aware of the strength of the Huihe soldiers.]

[Guo Ziyi once cooperated with the Huihe soldiers in Shuofang and together they wiped out the Tongluo soldiers who rebelled in Shuofang. At that time, Guo Ziyi witnessed the strength of these experienced horsemen on the battlefield.]

[The Tang Dynasty has been peaceful for a long time, and the officers and soldiers of the Tang Dynasty cannot compare with others. 】

【And the Huihe owed the Tang Dynasty a big favor. 】

[For a long time in history, the Huihe people were under the rule of the Turks. In the third year of Tianbao, the Tang Dynasty and the Huihe people joined forces to destroy the Turks, which enabled the Huihe people to establish their own country. Therefore, it was possible to borrow troops from the Huihe people.]

[As Guo Ziyi had expected, the Uighur army really did come. Not only that, their crown prince personally led the army.]

[Guo Ziyi was hosting a grand banquet to entertain guests from afar, but the Uighur prince said that the Tang Dynasty was in danger and we hadn't fought a war yet, so how could we afford to feast and drink?]

【Guo Ziyi saw that the prince was a pretty good person.】

【Guo Ziyi followed the other party's words and said, "We have to fight and we have to eat."】

[So the two sides drank for three days and got along very well. ]

[However, Guo Ziyi's conclusion was a little early. Later, everyone will find that the Huihe people are the best example of people who get paid to do things. They are a bit like mercenaries. They will follow whoever pays the highest price.]

[The aid from the Huihe people to the Tang Dynasty was clearly priced, and it was very expensive.]

[Emperor Li Heng and the Huihe agreed that as long as the Huihe were willing to send troops, once Chang'an was recaptured, the land would belong to the Tang Dynasty, and the gold foil and children would be returned to the Huihe.] [The Tang Dynasty promised that once Chang'an was recaptured, the Huihe would be allowed to plunder, and the children and women would also be returned to the Huihe.]

[It goes without saying how the Huihe people would treat these people? ]

……

"Bastard!"

Li Shimin was furious!

Can you agree to the condition of allowing foreign races to plunder China's land?
What a shame!
These people are all citizens of the Tang Dynasty!

Just gave it to the Uighurs like that?

Is this human affairs?

……

"Water can carry a boat but it can also capsize it!"

"Li Heng is not a wise ruler, as he will do anything to win!"

“This is a chaotic world!”

"In troubled times, human life is worthless. The ancients were not deceiving me."

Not only Li Shimin was angry, but the people of all dynasties were angry.

After the anger, there is a deep sense of powerlessness.

Human life in troubled times is not as valuable as a dog's life in peacetime. How sad!
……

[Anyway, at this time, the Tang Dynasty was ready to fight the rebels to the death. Guo Ziyi had 15 troops under his command, including the Shuofang army, the Huihe army, and the coalition forces of the Western Regions, claiming to be 20, and they set out for Chang'an City in a mighty force.]

[The rebels also realized that this might be the decisive battle, and gathered 10 troops to fight. The battle of Xiangji Temple is coming. ]

[Guo Ziyi’s decision to start the battle at Xiangji Temple was a well-thought-out decision.]

[The reason why he failed in his last attack on Chang'an City was because the rebels were mainly cavalry, and the battlefield was too flat, allowing the rebels' cavalry advantages to be fully utilized. ]

[So this time, Guo Ziyi chose to line up his troops at Xiangji Temple.]

[Wang Wei described Xiangji Temple in his poem: "There is no path through the ancient trees, and where is the bell in the deep mountains?"]

[There are lush ancient trees near Xiangji Temple, and there is not even a path for people to walk on. This vegetation feature can greatly limit the mobility of cavalry and is also very suitable for ambushes. ]

【Keywords: ambush.】

[The ambush battle was the key to the battle of Xiangji Temple.]

[The leader of the rebel army is An Shouzhong, who was the one who defeated Guo Ziyi before and is also a veteran general who has fought many battles.]

[An Shouzhong also knew that the area around Xiangji Temple was a perfect place to set up an ambush. Guo Ziyi's plan was to have the front army and the rebels fight head-on, and then send an ambush to attack the enemy's rear, encircling and annihilating the enemy from both sides.]

[An Shouzhong's plan was to have the front army and the Tang army fight head-on, and send an ambush to attack the enemy's rear, encircling and annihilating the Tang army from both sides.]

[Then the question is simple. In this dark jungle of Xiangji Temple, whoever can successfully launch an ambush will win.]

[If you want to launch a successful sneak attack, the front troops are very important. 】

[If our front army cannot withstand the pressure and is defeated, then the ambush troops will have no chance to launch a surprise attack. ]

[On the rebel side, the vanguard was led by General Li Guiren, an elite cavalry, while on the Tang army's vanguard, Guo Ziyi chose an elite infantry unit to fight.]

……

"Infantry facing cavalry head-on?"

The generals of the three kingdoms discussed the matter among themselves, all with expressions of disbelief.

You must know that in the era of cold weapons, cavalry was a highly mobile type of soldier.

Because of its extremely fast mobility, when facing ordinary infantry and archers, it can rush to the enemy without much loss of speed, and easily reap the lives of the infantry like mowing the grass.

If you want to use infantry to stop the cavalry charge, you need very elite infantry!
……

[This elite infantry arranged by Guo Ziyi can be traced back to the time of Li Shimin, and is said to have been designed by the great general Li Jing specifically to counter cavalry.]

[Some people say that the strength of this team can even be compared with Li Shimin's black armor soldiers. ]

(End of this chapter)