The news of Sheng Yan's surrender, Li Shenfu died, and the news that the Hexi army was defeated in Huining County was as if it had grown wings and spread to Chang'an in just two days.

There were also news that came from 30,000 Sui troops sent troops to Yan'an County. The Tang army stationed in Yan'an County was forced to retreat south. A series of painful failures hit Tang Ting, who had not recovered from the fall of the capital and the death of the queen.

The clouds of sorrow over Chang'an are shrouded in sorrow that the good news of breaking Luoyang cannot break through the clouds above Chang'an.

In the Qin Palace, Li Shimin had just returned from Luoyang in triumphantly. There was no joyful sound of gongs and drums, no father and emperor led all officials to welcome him, and no food and pots of Chang'an people.

There was only a series of heavy blows, and Chang'an City was captured by 10,000 Sui cavalry led by Yang Yuanqing by sneak attack; the father was forced to agree to withdraw from Luoyang, which meant that he killed 20,000 Tang soldiers. Luoyang, which he fought to the death, was finally handed over to

The Sui army.

More importantly, Li Shimin could no longer withstand the heavy blow, and he fell ill. In the ward, Li Shimin lay quietly on the couch, staring at the roof with a dull look.

The ambitions he had in his heart were now like rivers passing east, and they were gone forever and never returned. Li Shimin, who suffered repeated setbacks, was finally a little discouraged.

He felt that his strategic vision was not wrong, but why did he fail repeatedly when applying specific tactics? In his memory, it seems that he had never beat Yang Yuanqing once, and why did he fail repeatedly in front of Yang Yuanqing?

Perhaps failure can make people clear-headed. After long-term thinking, Li Shimin gradually understood that there are many reasons for Yang Yuanqing's repeated victory.

For example, he came from the Yang family of Hongnong, but never valued the Yang family's children, Li Jing, Xu Shiji, Qin Qiong, Su Dingfang, Pei Xingyan, Luo Shixin, etc. These generals can all stand alone, and he completely trusts to deliver the army to

They let them command one side.

He even handed over the army to Qin Qiong and entrusted the capital to him. This trust made his subordinates emerge in many talents and star-studded.

However, the father never handed over the army to commanders outside the royal family, and even his own sons did not believe it. This narrow vision made the Tang army deeply bound, and perhaps could defeat small forces like Wang Shichong and Xiao Xian, who could deal with it.

During the more powerful and vibrant Sui Dynasty, it would be defeated repeatedly, and eventually even the capital was captured, and the morale of the army and the people were lost.

If you look deeper, it is actually that the Shandong gentry defeated the Guanlong nobles. The New Sui Dynasty supported by the Shandong gentry became increasingly powerful, while the Guanlong nobles supported the Tang Dynasty were increasingly declining - a good novel: The latest chapter of the Seven Swords.

So far, even the equal-field system cannot be implemented, and there are still large estates on the land of Guanlong. Not only are the interests of the Guanlong nobles not touched, but the royal relatives also occupied a large number of fiefs. Yin Guiping and others were rewarded without any merits, but they did not.

He was willing to reward the soldiers who were successful. In this way, how could the Tang Dynasty get the support of the people at the bottom of Guanlong and how could the soldiers work hard?

It can be seen from the Yin Guiping case that the royal relatives and Guanlong nobles have extended their hands to monopolize land into Bashu and even Jingxiang. The Yin Guiping case was protected by his father and finally left nothing.

Li Shimin's heart was filled with indignation and helplessness.

In contrast, Yang Yuanqing used iron-fisted means to clean up the Wang family in Taiyuan and clean up the officialdom in Hebei, which made the Sui Dynasty govern the administration of the Qingming Festival. The Shandong gentry did not dare to seize profits and invade the people. The rewards and punishments were clearly distinguished and the soldiers used their lives. The Qingming Festival govern the administration received support from the people.

One was clear and one was muddy. One was long and one disappeared. Li Shimin was extremely worried. He gradually lost confidence in the future of the Tang Dynasty.

At this time, Li Shimin's wife Changsun walked in carefully with the medicine. Seeing that her husband was in good spirits, she was full of sorrow. She gently advised him: "My mother was tortured by illness. Now that she is gone, she is actually a kind of relief.

If a person dies, he will not be resurrected. Husband will be more open-minded!"

Li Shimin sighed, "I am not worried about my mother's death, but about the future of the Tang Dynasty. Can I still get rid of such a big setback this time?"

Changsun laughed, "If this is the case, we shouldn't sigh. Victory and defeat are common things in military affairs. Your husband is a general who leads troops. Why bother to worry about it and find someone to talk to you? Maybe it's better, Mr. Fang still

Waiting for your husband in the study outside?"

When Li Shimin heard that Fang Xuanling was coming, he quickly sat up and said, "I have to go see him!"

"Put on a piece of clothing before going."

Changsun put a thick jacket on him and asked him to drink the medicine again, so he let Li Shimin go out.

In Li Shimin's outer study, Fang Xuanling, who had always been calm, was no longer calm. The news that Sheng Yan's army surrendered and the Sui army wiped out Li Shenfu Army made him extremely anxious. He knew very well the seriousness of this matter, not only in the pass.

The road crisis cannot be saved even if Hexi Road is in danger.

If Hexi Road is not guaranteed, the 400,000 war horses of the Tang Dynasty will become a vain. This is the only hope for the Tang Dynasty's strong army. Without war horses, the Tang army will have no hope.

But what made Fang Xuanling even more anxious was that the news came early in the morning, but it was almost noon now. All officials in the court were only talking about Li Shenfu's death, but no one mentioned Hexi. Could it be that they did not realize this time

The serious consequences of the miserable defeat?

But Fang Xuanling was also a little hesitant. He was hesitating whether he should tell Li Shimin about this. The queen had just passed away and Luoyang lost it again. Li Shimin had suffered too many blows. Can he still hold on to the Hexi affairs?

?Fang Xuanling was very worried, but it wouldn't work if he didn't say it. The situation was so critical that it was burning.

At this time, heavy footsteps came from behind. Fang Xuanling was very familiar with the footsteps. It was the King of Qin who arrived, but some of the steps were heavy. It was obvious that Fang Xuanling was a little hesitant when he was sick.

"Sir, do you have any urgent matters to come to me?" Li Shimin walked into the house and asked with a smile.

"I'm here... to visit Your Highness's condition." Fang Xuanling sighed in his heart, but he still couldn't tell the truth.

"I'm fine, there's no big problem, I'm feeling a little bit."

Li Shimin sat down and pointed at the couch, "Sir, please sit down!"

A maid came up with two cups of tea. Li Shimin picked up the teacup and took a sip. He smiled and said, "Sir, what's the matter?"

"I'm indeed here to visit His Highness."

Li Shimin laughed, "There is no reason to visit patients in the study. I can do anything urgent. Just say that I can hold on!"

Fang Xuanling sighed, "Then I will just say it. Sheng Yan's army surrendered in Huining County. Li Shenfu led 20,000 troops to support him. As a result, he was trapped and the entire army was wiped out. Li Shenfu didn't know the life and death of life and death.

—Other book friends are watching: Magical Dance.”

"ah!"

This news shocked Li Shimin to his mind. After a while, he said anxiously: "What about Hexi? Does the emperor send reinforcements to Hexi?"

Fang Xuanling sighed secretly, worthy of being the King of Qin, and saw the key to the problem at a glance. He smiled bitterly and said, "It's this now. Neither the Emperor nor the court seem to have realized the consequences. There is no news yet.

”

"No! I want to go to my father."

Li Shimin was anxious. He knew very well that once Hexi Road was out of control, the Tang Dynasty would lose its war horses, and the plan to become cavalry in the entire army would be completely lost, with 400,000 war horses!

He got up to change court clothes, walked to the door and said to Fang Xuanling: "You go and inform Pei Ji and let him go to the imperial study room immediately. Without further ado, go now."

"Your Highness, wait for a moment." Fang Xuanling called him.

"What else?"

Fang Xuanling carefully reminded him, "Your Highness must insist on liquidating Huining County's responsibility."

Li Shimin hesitated for a moment. He knew what Fang Xuanling meant. The disastrous defeat in Huining County was the deployment of the prince. The Hexi crisis and the death of Li Shenfu were all caused by the prince. The prince could be held accountable. Although this is the case,

Li Shimin felt that this is not the time for infighting.

Fang Xuanling saw Li Shimin's hesitation and reminded: "What I mean is that if the prince wants to hold the prince responsible for this dispatch..."

Li Shimin nodded. He understood what Fang Xuanling meant, "I understand, I will depend on the situation."

Li Shimin left the door and hurried to his inner room...

In fact, things are not as Fang Xuanling thought. No one cares about the defeat of Huining County. In the side hall of Wude Hall, Li Yuan and five prime ministers and the prince are urgently discussing the crisis caused by the defeat of Huining County, but

Li Shimin was not thinking about the same thing, not trying to send troops to retake Hexi, but people were discussing peace with the Sui Dynasty.

"Dear friends, since the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, wars have continued. The court has reached the verge of collapse. The people are determined. I don't want to fight anymore. So I have to discuss with you all, how to negotiate peace with the Sui Dynasty, both sides will stop.

Soldiers, stop the flag and regain the people's livelihood."

Chen Shuda stood up and responded, "Your Majesty is right. I really feel that the people are tired of war when I visit the market. My morale is now sluggish. Your Majesty advocates that a ceasefire is an act of conforming to the people's and the morale of the army. I firmly agree."

Li Yuan nodded and asked Xiao Yu again, "What about Xiao Aiqing's opinion?"

Xiao Yu knew in his heart that everything Li Yuan said was an excuse. In fact, to put it bluntly, he was afraid of being beaten by Yang Yuanqing, but Xiao Yu himself was also more opposed to war, and the war burdened the court too heavily.

Since Li Yuan asked him, he naturally had to answer, "Your Majesty, this year's food harvest is poor, and the tax is only 70% of that of last year, which can no longer meet the daily expenses of the court. Originally, after we paid the Sui Dynasty food, there was still surplus grain to support disaster resistance and the end of the year.

Lumi paid, but this time, the troops sent to Luoyang and the inner city of Guan, had consumed 300,000 stones of food, and the pensions of the fallen soldiers. Weichen calculated that it would cost at least 250,000 stones, and the government warehouses in various places were

The grain storage was only 200,000 stones, which was not enough to pay for the death penalty, let alone the expenses of the officials at the end of the year. The question now is, what should we do if the Sui Dynasty demands compensation?"

The hall was silent, and Xiao Yu's words were at a critical point. If there was no money and food, what would you use to negotiate peace with the Sui Dynasty?

After a while, Li Jiancheng said: "Father, I think that the Sui Dynasty had just experienced a war with the Turks, and was equally exhausted. Moreover, the hinterland of Hedong was severely damaged. I think Yang Yuanqing doesn't want to fight again, so as long as both sides treat each other with sincerity, it may not be necessary.
Chapter completed!