Chapter 73: Luo Shixin is going to run away with the King of Qi? !
He joined the army at the age of fourteen. With his personal bravery, he was appreciated by the former Sui general Zhang Xutuo, who selected five hundred brave men from his hometown to serve as his subordinates.
Of the five hundred followers who had followed him in battles for nine years, only two hundred and twelve were left.
The relationship between him and his subordinates is not that of brothers, but it is better than that of brothers.
In the battle of Mingshui City, more than eighty people were killed, and his heart felt like it was being cut by a knife.
“Bang!”
Qu Tutong angrily slapped the table in front of him and said angrily: "What does Wang Junkuo do for a living?!"
Wang Junkuo was the first Tang general to enter Mingshui City. It was his responsibility to understand the potential threats within the city.
When he was away, something like this happened in Mingshui City, and he had an unshirkable responsibility.
Luo Shixin's face was so gloomy that blood seemed to drip out, but he didn't say anything.
Qu Tutong shouted angrily, "He just walked away, but left you with the trouble. He almost killed you. This matter cannot be resolved peacefully."
Luo Shixin nodded without hesitation.
It would have been bad enough if Wang Junkuo had ruined himself, but he also dug such a big pit for others and killed so many of his brothers. This matter will definitely not end well.
But that's all for the future.
Now is not the time to talk about this.
Luo Shixin calmed down, gave Qu Tutong a very ugly smile, and said: "I thought I was going to die this time, but I didn't expect that His Highness would send Brother Qu Tu to save me."
Luo Shixin naturally thought that it was Li Shimin who sent Qu Tutong to help him.
He knew exactly what kind of situation he was in.
He nominally had eight or nine thousand men under his command, but in reality only more than a thousand were available.
If a traitor appeared among the soldiers under Li Quhuo's command, then the soldiers under Li Quhuo's command could no longer be trusted.
The heavy snow blocked the roads, making it impossible for Li Shimin to send troops to Mingshui City for assistance in time.
It was almost impossible for him to lead more than a thousand people to resist Liu Heita's army of tens of thousands.
It was only a matter of time before Liu Heita captured Mingshui City.
He was ready to die, and all the soldiers under his command were also ready to die.
But he did not expect that Li Shimin would turn the impossible into possible.
He was very excited and grateful.
Even when the roads were blocked by heavy snow, Li Shimin still managed to send Qu Tutong and his party to Mingshui City in time. The efforts he made behind the scenes were probably beyond his imagination.
Li Shimin had made such great sacrifices for him, so he was naturally very grateful.
When Qu Tutong heard what Luo Shixin said, the anger on his face disappeared, and he said with a complicated expression: "When you were at the city gate just now, didn't you take a close look at the reinforcements I brought with you?"
Luo Shixin was stunned for a moment, then widened his eyes slightly, "It seems there are more than 2,000 soldiers?"
Qu Tutong nodded slowly and said with emotion: "They are all soldiers from the palace of His Royal Highness Prince Qi."
Luo Shixin was even more stunned, "Your Highness the Prince of Qi?"
Qu Tutong nodded again and said frankly: "When Your Highness Prince Qi was at Feixiang Posthouse, he saw heavy snow and guessed that the snow would probably block the roads, and you would be isolated and helpless in Mingshui City.
So His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi brought us to Mingshui City to help you before the heavy snow completely blocked the roads."
Luo Shixin stood up and said in disbelief: "How could it be His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi?"
He had already determined that it was Li Shimin who paid a huge price to send Qu Tutong and his party to Mingshui City to help him, and he had already begun to feel grateful to Li Shimin in his heart.
How did he suddenly become Li Yuanji? !
Although Su Dingfang didn't understand what the connection was, when he heard Luo Shixin's words, he said without hesitation: "Why can't it be my prince?"
Qu Tutong also smiled bitterly and said, "It really is His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi."
Luo Shixin widened his eyes in disbelief.
Qu Tutong sighed and said, "After His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi guessed that the heavy snow might block the roads, he asked me to write a letter to His Royal Highness, requesting His Royal Highness to send more troops to Mingshui City.
I also advised His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi that the heavy snow in Mingzhou often comes in bursts and lasts for three or two hours at most, so His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi should not worry.
But His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi stubbornly asked me to write a letter to His Royal Highness.
I had no choice but to write a letter to His Highness, requesting him to send reinforcements to Mingshui City.
Your Highness holds the same opinion as I do, so he did not agree to this matter.
His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi secretly led his army to Mingshui City."
Qu Tutong was actually not very willing to tell Luo Shixin the details.
But this matter was in writing, so even if he didn't say it, Luo Shixin would know it sooner or later.
The reason why Qu Tutong was reluctant to tell Luo Shixin was because Luo Shixin was the most loyal person under Li Shimin.
Whoever does a favor to Luo Shixin will be remembered by him for life.
When Luo Shixin met Pei Renji in the past, Pei Renji treated him with courtesy, and Luo Shixin kept this in mind.
After Li Shimin pacified Luoyang, Luo Shixin did not care about anyone's opinion. He paid for a grand funeral for Pei Renji and his son. He also said in public without hesitation that "after he dies, he wants to be buried next to Pei Renji and his son."
You know, with Luo Shixin's merits, as long as he didn't rebel, he would have been buried with the emperor after his death.
Luo Shixin gave up the honor of being buried with the emperor, and was buried next to Pei Renji and his son. If anyone wanted to cause trouble for him, the sentence "Luo Shixin regarded Pei Renji and his son as more important than the emperor" would be enough to ruin him.
Luo Shixin is not a fool, he must know the seriousness of the matter.
But he said it without hesitation.
Given Luo Shixin's personality, once he knew that Li Yuanji had saved his life, he would most likely leave Li Shimin and run to Li Yuanji's tent.
Once Luo Shixin ran to Li Yuanji's camp, Li Shimin would most likely turn against Li Yuanji.
Qu Tutonghe did not want to see Li Shimin and Li Yuanji fall out.
After listening to Qu Tutong's words, Luo Shixin stood there in a daze, without saying a word for a long time.
Qu Tutong hurriedly said: "Your Highness the Prince of Qi also does not want to see our Tang Dynasty lose a brave general like you."
Luo Shixin slowly came back to his senses and said nothing.
He was a little confused.
…
Cantonese.
Li Shimin was sitting in the central military tent, also feeling very confused.
When Li Yuanji asked Qu Tutong to write a letter requesting him to send troops to rescue Mingshui City, he thought Li Yuanji was just looking for trouble and did not take it seriously.
When the snow outside the central army tent accumulated to a thickness of one and a half feet, he realized that Li Yuanji was not looking for trouble, but had anticipated that the snow would continue endlessly.
Heavy snow blocked the roads, leaving Luo Shixin isolated and helpless.
The few troops Luo Shixin had were no match for the attack of Liu Heita's army of tens of thousands.
If the surrendered general Li Quhuo saw that the situation was not good and there was a reversal, Luo Shixin would surely die.
“Your Highness…”
Yuchi Gong hurried into the central army tent with a head full of snow. After slightly saluting Li Shimin, he quickly said, "The snow is still falling. After we clear the snow, it won't be long before a thick layer of snow accumulates again. It will be difficult for us to open the road to Mingshui City within two days."
Li Shimin ordered with a gloomy face: "Continue to clean up! No matter what, you must open up the road to Mingshui City within two days!"
Yuchi Gong bowed without hesitation and said, "Yes!"
After Yuchi Gong left the central army tent, Zhangsun Wuji, who was sitting next to Li Shimin, hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Highness, since His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi has led 5,000 soldiers to help Mingshui City , we don't have to rush."
At dawn, Qin Qiong sent someone to Guangzhou to report to Li Shimin that Li Yuanji had led his troops in Liereng to help him defeat Gao Yaxian's bandits, and then led his troops to Mingshui City.
Li Yuanji led a total of 5,000 people to rescue Mingshui City, including 3,000 armored soldiers. With Li Yuanji's help, Luo Shixin would definitely not be in danger of his life in the short term.
Li Shimin glared at Changsun Wuji and said, "How can I not be anxious? I'm already one step behind Yuanji, how can I be one step behind Yuanji again?"
When Luo Shixin was in danger, Li Yuanji did not hesitate to violate military discipline and personally led his troops to Mingshui City.
Because of his misjudgment, he was one step slower than Li Yuanji and could only blame himself for his bad luck.
But if he did nothing, Luo Shixin's life would be handed over to Li Yuanji.
Luo Shixin would be disheartened if he knew about this.
Luo Shixin was his man, so when he was in danger, he did not rush to rescue him. Instead, Li Yuanji rushed to rescue him.
What would Luo Shixin think?
If Luo Shixin had more ideas, his mind would naturally become more complicated.
With Luo Shixin's personality, he might run up to him, confess his crime, accept some punishment from him, settle the grudge between them, and go to serve under Li Yuanji.
When Changsun Wuji heard what Li Shimin said, he opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.
He knew why Li Shimin was anxious. With Luo Shixin's loyal and righteous character, and having his life saved by Li Yuanji, it was really possible that he would run over to Li Yuanji's side.
Although Luo Shixin was Li Shimin's man, that was only said in private and could not be made public.
On the surface, all officials in the Tang Dynasty were Li Yuan’s men, and could only be Li Yuan’s men.
As long as Luo Shixin did not rebel against the Tang Dynasty, no one could blame him even if he jumped from one of Li Yuan's sons to another.
"Send a message to Wang Xu, and have him take the surrendered soldiers to clear the snow as well."
Li Shimin felt that it was necessary to send more people.
The messenger guarding the general's tent immediately agreed and went to deliver the order.
"Your Highness seems to be confused..."
When Changsun Wuji saw that Li Shimin had sent out even the surrendered soldiers, he couldn't help but remind him.
Among the surrendered soldiers, there are many who have not yet returned. If they are sent out before they have completely surrendered, it will easily cause trouble.
Li Shimin glared at Changsun Wuji again, "How can I not be confused in this situation?"
Chang Sun Wuji said solemnly: "Since leaving Chang'an City, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi has been doing some shocking things every now and then, disturbing His Royal Highness's mind.
Your Highness should transfer His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi to calm his mind."
Li Shimin is now on a campaign against Liu Heita, not on a picnic, so he must not be distracted.
Since Li Yuanji is the source of Li Shimin's unrest, it would be better to transfer Li Yuanji away.
When Li Shimin heard what Changsun Wuji said, he was stunned.
