Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 264 The Fall of the Culprit

Li Tai was stunned, staring blankly at the corpse lying on the ground, his hands still holding the shaft of the cart, forgetting to put them down.

The Khan of the Xueyantuo Khanate, the leader of the Tiele tribes, and a grassland warlord who nominally commanded 300,000 soldiers.

Just so suddenly, without any explanation, like a stray dog ​​on the side of the road, he died? !
For the first time in his life, Li Tai's mind went blank and he lay motionless in the snow like a snowman.

"The Khan is dead, the Khan is dead!"

Zhenzhu Khan's servants screamed in fear, and like frightened chickens, they decisively abandoned their shot master and swarmed down the mountain. In the blink of an eye, they disappeared into the darkness and no one could stop them.

If you abandon your people, don't blame yourself for being abandoned by them.

"Enemy attack!"

Li Tai's army acted quickly and formed a well-trained defensive formation in a hollow circle, with shield soldiers on the outermost layer, followed by spearmen, and then archers.

However, the person who was being protected in the center of the circle was not Li Tai, the nominal leader of this army.

But it was their coach who lost his thinking ability.

Since entering Hebei, this Han army, composed mainly of Weizhou troops, has not done anything serious.

They were either fighting a tacit battle with the Liaodong Army and providing manpower, or standing guard and posing beside the Tiele people when they were burning, killing and looting.

In such a situation, the morale of the soldiers was not high.

In addition, the King of Wei snapped his head and took the initiative to build a home for everyone on the grassland, which was even more miserable than exiling a criminal.

This directly destroyed the last bit of Li Tai's popularity in the army.

If it weren't for the commander Zhi Shisi, who ate and lived with the ordinary soldiers and shared the joys and sorrows, and tried his best to bring everyone together, this group of scattered sand would have fallen apart long ago.

Therefore, when the enemy launched a surprise attack, the soldiers subconsciously focused on losing their thinking power.

As for Li Tai, there was no one around him.

Even Li Tai's personal servants fled down the mountain along with the screaming Tiele servants.

He was literally alone.

Outside the shields and spear tips flashing with cold light, a fat and big-eared man dressed in fine clothes and eating delicious food stood alone, looking out of place.

After a long time, Li Tai came back to his senses and knocked on the carriage impatiently:

"Help me get in the car!"

The soldiers did not move around and break the formation, but looked back at their leader for questioning.

Zhishishili sighed lightly and gave the order:

"Hurry and protect His Royal Highness the King of Wei!"

Only then did they pull a few men out from the ranks of soldiers and hurriedly helped him into the car.

Li Tai was too fat, and it took several people working together to get him into the specially made large carriage.

Before he even sat down, Li Tai anxiously patted the car body:

"What are you guys standing there for? Go!"

The soldiers did not respond.

Zhishisi Li hissed:
"Don't be anxious, Your Highness. Listen!"

What is there to listen to at this hour... Li Tai patiently pricked up his ears and listened for a while.

"There was no sound."

"That's the problem. There is no sound at all." Zhishisili's face was serious, and he looked vigilantly in the direction of going down the mountain.

In the wilderness with rugged terrain and overgrown vegetation, there are only a few paths for people to go up and down the mountain.

"Several servants fled along this road for only a short while. How come they didn't make any noise?"

After the general's reminder, Li Tai realized belatedly that something was wrong.

Those servants were running away screaming, how come the sound suddenly stopped?
Even if they kept their mouths shut and kept silent, there would at least be some noise as they walked up and down the mountain on the snow, right?
How could it be so quiet, as if dead?

Rustle, rustle, rustle... Just when Li Tai was wondering, footsteps finally came from the direction where the servants were fleeing.

But the footsteps were very loud and very rapid, and were getting closer and closer.

It didn't sound like a panicked escape.

Instead, many people lined up in an orderly manner and sprinted towards the top of the mountain!
"Not good, raise the shield over your head!" Zhishisili gave the order decisively.

Almost at the same time, the sound of bowstrings could be heard in the darkness all around.

Hidden arrows were shot from all directions, and their trajectories could not be seen clearly in the pitch-black night.

Fortunately, Zhishi Sili had the right strategy. He anticipated that the unethical enemy soldiers would take advantage of the chaos during the charge to fire a wave of arrows to clear the way, so he made preparations in advance.

The rain of arrows fell on the hard shields and armor, making a clanging sound.

However, Li Tai's custom-made carriage was too large to be completely covered by the shield.

The strategy of the defenders who were ordered to protect the King of Wei was also very simple, that is, to simply ignore it, just raise their shields to protect themselves, and let the carriage stand firm in the rain of arrows.

Anyway, as long as the opponent doesn't use a powerful crossbow and doesn't shoot at the car windows, you won't be able to penetrate the thick car panels by just attacking from the top.

"Asshole, asshole! Everyone says that I caused the Second Rebellion of the Eight Princes, but who knows that I am even worse than Emperor Hui of Jin! Where is my Minister Ji!"

Li Tai struggled to squeeze his fat body into the corner as much as possible, listening with fear to the sound of arrows raining down on the roof of the car, and lamented helplessly that he didn't even have a loyal guard around him.

Fortunately, after a while, just when Li Tai felt that the roof of the car would collapse under the weight of the arrows, the sound of the rain of arrows stopped abruptly.

But his own soldiers did not take him away in the car, and the battlefield fell into an eerie silence.

The silence is more screaming and scratching than the sound of fighting.

Li Tai couldn't stand the torture and couldn't help but stick his head out and look out the window cautiously.

His army has changed its formation to a close combat phalanx, with the commander Zhishisili as the core.

And on the path going up and down the mountain, the rustling sound of people stepping on the snow was neat and rapid, getting closer and closer.

Even an outsider would know that it was the sound of a hurried march.

The Weizhou soldiers treated themselves as if they were facing a formidable enemy, gripping their spears tightly and facing the direction from which the sound came.

"Ugh!"

Suddenly, a shrill scream came from the back of the team.

The enemy did not take the main road, but climbed the rugged and steep mountain walls and sneaked up from behind!

Zhishi's mind, which had lost its ability to think, suddenly tensed up.

"Founding in the east and attacking in the west?"

However, just as the soldiers hurriedly turned back.

As if in a flash, a group of people rushed up from the road ahead!
They were well-armored and shorter than the people in the Central Plains. They were the Liaodong reinforcements from Goguryeo!

A textbook double sandwich!
The elite troops took a small path and crossed the mountain to harass the enemy from the rear, and when the enemy fell into chaos, the main force attacked from the front.

The division of labor was clear and the timing was just right, leaving Li Tai's side no chance to react.

A tall horse leaped out from the aggressive Goguryeo army.

The young general on the horse was very strong and stood out among the relatively short Goguryeo people, like a crane among chickens.

"I am Xue Rengui, the chief of Yingzhou Military Governor's Office! Surrender immediately, and you will not be killed if you surrender!"

Xue Rengui took the lead, his voice as loud as a bell.

The Weizhou army was frightened by this momentum and could not help but step back half a step, whispering among themselves.

"Xue Rengui? Xue Rengui from Yingzhou Governor's Office?"

"Is it Xue Rengui who fought against Goguryeo's 150,000 troops last year with half of the Yingzhou Military Governor's Office and remained undefeated?"

Xue Rengui's name had long been spread to all the governor's offices in the state through the court bulletins.

Under the current circumstances, the soldiers suddenly heard this familiar name and couldn't help but feel sentimental.

Last year, the Tang Dynasty was able to easily defeat the barbarian states with a small army and local armed forces.

But just one year later, the barbarians were able to wreak havoc in Kyushu.

And I even have to be an accomplice to the tiger and follow the lead of the barbarians!
In this situation, who can not be filled with sadness, who can not be filled with shame!

"Form a formation and raise your shields!"

Zhishisili roared loudly, which woke the soldiers up from their dream and helped them stabilize their position.

Li Tai was also awakened by his shout and shouted in panic in the car:

"Please hold on for me! I will never forget this and I will reward you handsomely later!"

After drawing the empty pie, he urged the driver in a low voice:

"Go, go! Do you want to put the master in danger?"

Under the escort of a team of elite soldiers, the carriage started moving along a path that the Weizhou army had fought to the death to secure, and fled the battlefield in panic under the cold eyes of the soldiers.

"Oh no, Li Tai is going to escape!"

Xue Rengui thought that this was not good, and was about to ride his horse to give chase.

But his way was blocked by a hail of arrows.

"Young man, you are still too young. You dare to ride a horse in the face of archers. Go back to Liaodong and suck milk for a few more years."

Zhishisi was skilled in trash talking on the battlefield while commanding the phalanx to block the road.

"you……"

Xiao Xue felt a little uneasy.

"Duke Anguo, how are you?"

Another war horse jumped out from behind Xue Rengui.

The middle-aged general on horseback had a majestic look on his face and was calm and solid.

Duke Anguo was a noble title held by Zhishi Si Li. He was stunned at first, then he saw the face of the middle-aged general clearly.

"You are... Su Dingfang, the General of the Left and the General of the Guards? Aren't you a subordinate of the King of Wei?"

Zhishisili married Princess Jiujiang and lived in Chang'an for a long time, so he knew this former senior police officer.

"Do you like being Li Tai's subordinate? I don't like it anyway." Su Dingfang said bluntly:

"So I surrendered to His Highness Li Ming. I suggest you also give up the dark and join the light. It will be a good way out for you and your brothers."

Zhishisili lowered his head and kept silent.

At this time, the third rider arrived late.

He is a little old man.

"I'm Li Jing."

This short sentence was enough to throw the enemy into disarray. "Li Jing, is he the Duke of Li Wei who conquered half of the country by himself?"

"No wonder the Xueyantuo army was wiped out in no time. He is a military god!"

"We are actually going up against such a military god. How can we have a chance of winning..."

The Weizhou army, which had been barely able to fight just now, showed signs of collapse and could not even maintain its formation.

Zhishisili pursed his lips tightly, looking very unhappy.

Except for Your Majesty, no one in the entire Tang Dynasty would dare to have the idea of ​​competing with Li Jing in military operations.

The enemy has more troops and better soldiers than ours, has the first-mover advantage, and is also far better at command than ours.

This is also a yarn...

But Zhishisili still held his breath and did not surrender.

The shrewd Li Jing saw through the last bit of obsession of his brother Zhishi at a glance and said:
"Besides, His Royal Highness Li Ming is of the same lineage as His Majesty. As long as you are loyal to China, you can become a Chinese citizen.

"Look, even the former enemies of Goguryeo are now willing to sacrifice their lives for the expansion of China.

"What about the Turks, what about the Zhishi tribe?"

Zhishisi Li did not answer directly, but slowly raised his hand:

"Everyone in the army, listen to my orders."

Li Jing's face turned serious.

Su Dingfang and Xue Rengui immediately rode forward and protected the old general behind them.

The other party is stubborn and is determined to fight to the end?
Huh... Zhishishili exhaled a breath of foul air, and his tense expression suddenly relaxed:
"Put down your weapons, and I beg Lord Li Wei to spare your lives!"

As he spoke, he knelt forward:
"I bear all the blame. They just didn't meet a wise leader and were dragged here. They didn't participate in looting the people of Hebei.

"Please, Lord Wei, spare the soldiers and the Zhishi tribe!"

Li Jing didn't say anything special, but just pointed down the mountain:

"Please ask Duke Anguo to take the soldiers to the foot of the mountain to rest for a while. My people have set up tents there and are cooking dinner. You can go and lend a hand."

"What?" Zhishisili was stunned.

Although I had been standing in the woods for a whole day, I was indeed a little hungry.

But if you just sit at the table and eat, isn’t that a bit too much of an understatement?

"We don't have time to capture you. We have something important to attend to. Goodbye."

As he spoke, under the dazed gazes of Zhishisili and the Weizhou army, Li Jing led the two generals Su and Xue and the Goguryeo people and marched away.

Leaving behind a group of defeated soldiers lying in disarray in the wind.

The Weizhou soldiers looked at each other, feeling a little embarrassed.

It seems... I can just leave like this, go back to Weizhou, or just go back to my hometown, or even challenge myself and stab Li Jing in the back, and no one will care?
"Don't just stand there like an idiot. It's winter. Are you going to stand there in the wilderness and starve to death?"

Zhishisi waved his hand helplessly:
"Just do as Li Weigong said, go down the mountain and help the Liaodong Army!"

"Yes, sir!" the soldiers responded with full morale.

…………

"Damn it, damn Li Ming, he actually forced me into such a losing situation! Even Young Master Xiaobai wasn't so ruthless to Young Master Jiu!"

Li Tai drew circles frantically in the carriage and cursed Li Ming.

But he soon no longer had the leisure to do so.

This was because the fleeing carriage seemed to be running a little too fast, and the mountain road was rugged, and the violent vibrations made him feel like vomiting.

"Slow down, slow down! Otherwise, I will be shocked to death before I reach Li Ming's clutches!" Li Tai cursed.

But perhaps because of the strong wind or the bumpy ride, the driver did not seem to hear his master's call. Instead, he ran faster and faster downhill, and the ride became bumpier and bumpier.

Just when Li Tai felt that all his internal organs were about to be thrown out.

There was a loud bang.

The carriage hit a huge rock and finally stopped its mad running.

Fortunately, the royal car was strong enough and did not fall apart.

Only the shaft of the cart was broken, and the two horses struggled to get up and ran into the depths of darkness, obviously frightened.

"Alas! Coachman, although I didn't ask you to be Wei Wan, I never thought that you were Yang Qin!"

Li Tai was not injured, but was frightened. He climbed out of the broken car cursing.

However, when he looked closely in the bright moonlight, he was scared to death.

The driver was still sitting on the saddle, his body full of arrows like a hedgehog, and he had been dead for a long time.

Looking around again, he came to an unfamiliar hillside, with a towering ridge on top, like a snow-white line. None of the guards were left, all disappeared!
Before he knew it, he was the only one left, sitting in the car, unaware that two mad horses were pulling him all the way until he hit the rock!

"Who, what do you want to do?!"

Li Tai growled neurotically into the darkness.

Torches lit up, illuminating the darkness.

It was the Liaodong Army that was chasing him just now!
Li Tai's heart sank and he sat down on the ground.

"How did you catch up with me so quickly? Why didn't my soldiers hold you back a little longer?"

"Your Highness the Prince of Wei." The old general rode forward slowly.

Although he addressed him as His Highness, he had no intention of dismounting to salute.

"What crime have the soldiers of Weizhou committed? Their lord is unjust and incompetent, why should they be forced to follow him?"

Li Tai saw who was coming, his face froze, and he muttered:

"Li Jing... is that you?"

"It's me." Li Jing replied calmly.

"Heh... you are also a dishonest Sima Yi. You looked sick and dying in Chang'an, but now you are full of energy. The land of Hengshan nourishes people. Why, do you also want to emulate the story of the Sima family and replace the Wei with the Jin?"

Li Tai's words were full of sarcasm.

Li Jing's expression remained unchanged:

"I am loyal to the Tang Dynasty and only want to rectify the government, purge the treacherous officials, help Your Majesty regain control of the country, and help Regent Li Ming return to Chang'an."

Li Ming, it's Li Ming again... The corners of the treacherous Li Tai's mouth twitched, and his voice was filled with hatred:

"So it was Li Ming who asked you to come. What is his intention?"

Li Jing replied calmly:
"Kill your Highness the King of Wei."

Li Tai's breathing suddenly became heavy, and he forced himself to utter a few trembling sneers:

"Haha...haha, do you dare to kill the prince, and the legitimate prince born to Empress Wende?

"Even if it was an order from the Lord, you... can get away with it. Aren't you afraid of being held accountable?"

Su Dingfang looked grim and threw a piece of paper in front of Li Tai.

"His Highness Li Ming has taken all the responsibility and blame, unlike you."

When Li Tai saw Su Dingfang's face clearly, he immediately looked as pale as death.

"So it was you... On the night of Suzaku Gate, it turned out that you betrayed me and let Li Ming escape, which led to this..."

"King Wei, you have betrayed many people, not to mention others, such as your Majesty, and... the Prince of Hejian."

Li Jing silently drew his sword, closed his eyes slightly, as if reminiscing about the past, and said sadly:
"I also want to thank His Highness Li Ming for giving me a chance to avenge my old friend."

On the eve of the Jiucheng Palace Incident, Li Xiaogong, who was poisoned to death by Li Tai and Ashina Society, was an old friend of Li Jing for many years.

To be precise, in the war that unified the country in the Tang Dynasty, Li Jing did not conquer the southern half of China "alone".

He could not do without the assistance of Hejian Prince Li Xiaogong.

One was in charge of military affairs and the other was in charge of culture, and this stabilized the situation in the entire south.

However, the "Ladybug" who made great contributions and had a generous personality became a footnote to the Jiucheng Palace Incident and fell into conspiracy and intrigue for no apparent reason.

It’s hard to calm down!
"What has Li Xiaogong done to you? What has your Majesty and the entire royal family done to you? What has the whole world done to you to become a victim of your personal ambition?"

There was infinite anger in Li Jing's old voice.

"You, what is this for?"

Su Dingfang and Xue Rengui drew their swords.

The soldiers had already surrounded Li Tai and held their weapons tightly.

Everyone will share the credit for killing Li Tai, but everyone will bear the blame.

From Li Ming to ordinary soldiers, everyone advances and retreats together.

Such a traitor should be killed by everyone!
Li Tai finally realized that he was at the end of his rope. He sat dejectedly on the wreckage of the wreckage of the carriage like a deflated ball, with his neck tilted and laughing intermittently.

"Why? Because I hate it.

"I hate the Tang Dynasty, I hate the whole world, and I hate it the most..."

Li Tai's smile turned hysterical.

"My father, Li Shimin."

This sudden change in attitude left everyone confused.

Li Jing said angrily:

"Disloyal and unfilial traitor! His Majesty has been so fond of you that you have violated the rules of propriety and have repeatedly attracted criticism.

"How come you, such a heartless person, still hate him?"

Li Tai sneered at the foreign ministers' confusion:
"Favor? I am just a tool in his hands, a whetstone for sharpening the prince's knife!
"His favor towards me is just a show to inspire the prince to make progress!"

He shouted so loudly that his voice reached the nearby ridge and bounced back, forming a series of echoes.

These words surprised everyone, and no one took any action.

"That's why I want to resist. That's why I want to kill him. That's why I want to be the emperor. Even if it means that the Tang Dynasty is destroyed, the bloodline of the Tang Dynasty is cut off, and China becomes a vassal of a foreign race, I will not hesitate!"

Li Tai laughed more and more crazily.

“I want him to know that tools also have their own thoughts, their own ambitions, their own emotions and anger!

"I want to make him regret, to surprise him, and to destroy all his careful plans for establishing a crown prince with a tool in his hand!"

Li Tai raised his head and laughed, and then someone came up and cut off his neck with a knife.

His head spun in the air like a rootless duckweed, and when it landed, it was facing the towering ridge.

At the edge of the ridge, Li Shimin lay on the snow, looking down at everything.

(End of this chapter)