Chapter 148: Surprise Attack on Qinzhou, I am Gu Ziyuan of the Gu Shizi! (Combined)

This surprise attack was extremely difficult.

Even with Gu Quan leading the army in person, he had to make every possible preparation.

—The troops he led were not only required to be elite, but most importantly, they had to be firm in their resolve.

It was completely different from the previous two times.

Whether it was Gu Xiao or Gu Chen.

The troops led by both men were soldiers trained personally by the Gu Shizi, and the obedience of these men far exceeded that of others.

This time, it was entirely different.

He had to make every possible preparation; he could not afford the slightest mistake.

The second year of Wude, April.

Li Shimin officially mobilized his troops to strike at Gaozhi.

His momentum was overwhelming, fully displaying a posture of wanting to pacify the entire Longxi in a single battle.

Especially with Gu Yan and several other Gu Shizi among them.

It invisibly provided even more help to the momentum of the Tang Army!

Too long!

It had been far too long!

The endless legends of the Gu Shizi and their years of living in seclusion had made too many people develop an uncontrollable anticipation for them.

Even though Li Shimin had only just raised his army and the two sides had not yet fought a major battle.

Their momentum had already attracted the attention of the entire world.

Everyone wanted to see exactly what the capabilities of the Gu Shizi were.

This battle, whether for Li Yuan and Li Shimin or for the Gu Shizi, had a significance that went without saying.

If they could achieve a great victory.

The prestige of the Gu Shizi and the Li family would once again reach its absolute peak!

Li Shimin was naturally very clear about this, and his expression was also extremely serious.

In this battle, he was not just simply attracting attention.

He was here to fight a war!

No matter what, he had to make Xue Ju believe that all the main forces of the Tang Army were here, so as to make him relax his guard over the rear.

Gu Yi was also silently watching all of this, and even he felt a sense of tension in his heart.

In original history.

Li Shimin’s battle for Longxi was not easy.

Although according to historical records, Li Shimin fell ill at the beginning of the war, which indeed affected his combat effectiveness.

But it was also undeniable that Xue Ju and his son were extraordinary.

Li Shimin only completely conquered Longxi after waiting for Xue Ju to die of illness on the battlefield.

Although the Li family had changed by now.

As for the specific outcome, one could only wait and see.

At the same time, Xue Ju immediately deployed his formation at Gaozhi, preparing to engage Li Shimin.

His strength was not poor at all.

The land of Longxi was naturally easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the troops under his command were not a bit weaker than the Tang Army.

Although Xue Ju had some misgivings about the Gu Shizi.

But it was still impossible to make him surrender so easily.

He had almost mobilized all his elites; of course, with the presence of the Gu Shizi, Xue Ju also did not forget his own rear, wanting to prevent anyone from imitating Gu Xiao and Gu Chen in launching a surprise attack on his rear.

This battle was destined to be earth-shattering.

June;

Li Shimin led an army of fifty thousand to Gaozhi, lining up with his back to the Jing River, relying on the mountains for his left flank, and deploying heavy cavalry on his right.

As for himself, he personally led the center army.

Together with Gu Yan and the others, they formed the most elite core.

But on the surface.

He deliberately let the center army reveal a flaw, wanting to lure Xue Ju to lead his troops to attack.

In fact, in this current era, the most critical thing in a major battle was whether one could stabilize the formation and command the three armies well.

A battle of hundreds of thousands of people.

As long as one side made a mistake, the internal chaos would be enough to destroy everything.

Why was Han Xin called the Immortal of War?

It was precisely because of his extraordinary command ability; even when facing the charges of fierce generals like Xiang Yu, he could stabilize the three armies and prevent them from falling into chaos.

And the so-called seizing of a battle opportunity was also for this very point: to strike at the enemy's formation.

In fact, this move by Li Shimin was absolutely a very risky one.

Should any accident occur.

As long as the center army collapsed, the formations of the left and right armies would definitely be affected, and it would very likely lead to the complete collapse of the three armies.

At that time, regardless of the casualties of the army, Xue Ju might even have the opportunity to take advantage of the momentum to march directly into Guanzhong.

If it were anyone else, they would never dare to gamble so big.

But he was Li Shimin.

He firmly believed in his own invincibility, and he also trusted Gu Quan; as long as he could lure out all the elites, then Gu Quan would definitely succeed.

At that time—

The overall situation would be settled!

In fact, if Xue Ju were even slightly incompetent, he might not have even noticed the flaw Li Shimin revealed.

Because Li Shimin was destined not to make it too obvious.

But unfortunately, Xue Ju’s ability was also not poor; how could he not see the flaw in this?

Gaozhi.

On a high slope near the Tang Army camp, Xue Ju looked at the Tang Army below and couldn't help but shake his head slightly:

"It seems this Second Young Master of the Li family is, after all, too young."

He whispered to himself, then gave a disdainful smile: "The world says that the Second Young Master of the Li family was able to invite the Gu Shizi out, fearing he is a man of destiny."

"Now it seems... he is nothing more than this."

As his voice fell, his expression suddenly became serious: "As the saying goes, opportunity knocks but once."

"Pass on my decree."

"Prepare the three armies; I am going to launch a surprise attack on the Tang Army camp!"

He would absolutely not give up this opportunity!

This was a battle opportunity delivered to his doorstep; as long as he could win this battle, he could take the opportunity to march into Guanzhong and contend for the world.

And the most critical thing was—

Being able to defeat the Gu Shizi would be an unimaginably great help to his prestige.

There is a saying that is very true and applicable to any era.

The greater the risk, the more one can gamble for!

It is the same now!

The generals and soldiers immediately received their orders, and Xue Ju also turned and mounted his horse, then quickly headed toward the military camp.

That very night, Xue Ju personally led his troops to strike directly at the Tang Army camp.

The moonlight was like a wash.

It seemed as if even the heavens were watching this battle, using the pure white moonlight to gradually illuminate the night, and a cool breeze blew continuously, making one feel refreshed.

But just at the dead of night.

The suddenly sounding noise of a raid completely broke this silence.

"Enemy attack!!!"

"Enemy attack!!!"

"..."

Accompanied by shouts, the entire Tang Army camp immediately came to life.

"Sure enough, they came—"

Inside the main tent, Li Shimin had not even taken off his armor, as if he had been waiting for Xue Ju to attack all along; he immediately looked at Gu Yan beside him: "Pass the order, the three armies are to prepare immediately."

"Have the left and right armies advance quickly, occupy the enemy camp, and join me in a pincer attack on Xue Ju!"

Sounds of killing rang out continuously.

Xue Ju had only just led his troops in when he already sensed that something was wrong.

The Tang Army seemed to have been prepared long ago.

"No! It's a trap!"

Xue Ju’s expression changed instantly, and he instinctively wanted to retreat.

But in an instant, he stopped this thought.

Even if the Tang Army was prepared, so what?

Isn't it just a decisive battle with the Tang Army ahead of schedule?

He had staked everything on this battle; as the saying goes, "to retreat is to fall into chaos, and to fall into chaos is to be defeated," so if he were to order the main army to retreat directly under these circumstances—

If the Tang Army were to pursue and kill, the casualties would certainly not be small.

This battle would surely fall into a disadvantageous position immediately.

But if they kept fighting, it was not certain who would win and who would lose!

Xue Ju was not a man without courage; the fact that he was able to stand out from among the many who rebelled against the Sui Dynasty was proof of his talent and daring.

How could he possibly be afraid?

The great battle erupted instantly.

The Tang Army's central force was composed entirely of elites, and especially now that they were prepared, their confidence had doubled.

Towering flames rose everywhere.

They formed a stark contrast with the pure white moonlight in the sky.

The sounds of shouting and weapons clashing, mixed with the neighing of warhorses and the wails of soldiers, echoed throughout the entire world.

Li Shimin naturally would not cower.

After issuing a series of orders, he charged out directly, leading Gu Yan and the others into the fray.

Gu Yan and the others still wanted to persuade Li Shimin otherwise.

After all, Li Shimin was the commander-in-chief of the three armies; if any problem occurred at such a time, the fate of the Tang Army would be doomed to failure.

But Li Shimin would not agree!

"I, Li Shimin, have aimed in this life to follow the path of the Marquis of Zhaolie; how can I push all the danger onto my brothers?"

"If I were to shrink back today—"

"What would I do when facing even greater dangers in the future?"

A simple sentence, yet it completely expressed his attitude.

Even Gu Yan and the others could not help but admire Li Shimin; this was his greatest personal charisma.

Under these circumstances.

The entire battlefield had completely become a meat grinder.

This was a direct confrontation; whichever side retreated would quickly fall into a position of weakness.

Xue Ju was not defeated immediately.

In order to reveal a flaw, Li Shimin could not keep too many troops in the center, which allowed Xue Ju to quickly stabilize the situation and even vaguely gain the upper hand.

But what of it?

Time was not on their side.

Xue Ju's only chance was to take advantage of this time to completely finish off Li Shimin.

If not, once the Tang Army's left and right wings arrived, their formation would be completely torn apart and they would fall into the Tang Army's encirclement.

It was precisely because of this that Xue Ju was also fighting with all his might.

It was not just his son who possessed superior martial arts.

He, too, was a brave and fierce man.

But to think that one could break through the Tang Army's elites just like this was to underestimate Li Shimin and Gu Yan and the others too much.

How could Li Shimin not have considered these things?

He was using himself as bait to completely cement the advantage of this battle; how could he let everything go out of control?

Li Shimin did not need to defeat Xue Ju directly at this opportunity.

He only needed to stall for time.

Waiting for the left and right armies to arrive would be enough!

Clang!!!

Clang!!!

Clang!!!

The sounds of weapons clashing were incessant; Gu Yan did not know when he had begun to fight with Xue Rengao.

This Xue Rengao was indeed extraordinary and could be called a "match for ten thousand."

Even though Gu Yan fell into a disadvantage when facing him, he still managed to block Xue Rengao, effectively cutting off the sharpest sword in Xue Ju's army.

The battle grew increasingly intense.

As time passed, the thought of retreating could not help but arise in Xue Ju's heart.

At this moment, how could he be stupid enough to only think about attacking fiercely?

Daring is daring, and the situation is the situation.

If the Tang Army's left and right wings were to strike, it would definitely bring him a fatal crisis.

And if he dragged it out, there would always be a chance!

"Retreat!"

Without a shred of hesitation, once he had thought everything through, Xue Ju immediately made his decision and began to issue orders.

And the offensive of the entire Western Qin army also gradually came to a halt at this moment.

The situation changed in an instant—

In such a head-on clash, retreating was destined to affect the overall situation.

But this was also Xue Ju's helpless choice.

He could not lose the big for the sake of the small; even if it meant leaving many behind, he had to retreat!

But how could Li Shimin give him this opportunity?

Seeing that Xue Ju had already retreated, Li Shimin immediately made his decision and began a frontal assault!

He would not place all his hopes on Gu Quan.

And this move could also help Gu Quan.

He did not believe that under the prestige of the Gu Shizi, the Western Qin army, which had just experienced a major defeat, would have much morale left.

He would absolutely not let such an opportunity slip by!

The situation changed completely.

Although Xue Ju had retreated very cautiously, as the Tang Army's left and right wings struck, the entire Western Qin army still inevitably fell into chaos.

Although they eventually managed to withdraw.

They still left behind nearly thirty thousand casualties.

Before the formal offensive had even truly begun, the Tang Army had already seized the initiative and gained a certain advantage!

The most critical point was—

It had not exceeded Li Shimin's expectations.

After experiencing a major defeat, the Western Qin army simply could not control the decline in morale.

The prestige of the "Gu Shizi" was already like a great mountain, pressing down on the heads of them all.

Not to mention that they had now suffered a major defeat.

Even Xue Ju could not boost morale; facing Li Shimin's offensive, under such circumstances, some still proposed gathering all the elites to face the enemy.

This was not because they were stupid, but simply forced by the situation.

The Gu Shizi had been in seclusion for too long.

Who would have thought that Gu Yan, who could trade a few blows with Xue Rengao on the battlefield, was not even the most outstanding descendant of the Gu Shizi?

Although Xue Ju did not agree immediately, under the persuasion and analysis of the generals.

He finally had to order the mobilization of troops to face Li Shimin.

At the same time, Gu Quan had already set out.

Unlike Li Shimin's frontal army, Gu Quan, as the surprise attack force, had many issues to consider.

Not only did he have to prevent news from leaking, but he also had to guard against Western Qin spies and scouts.

For the sake of safety—

Even with only five thousand troops accompanying him, Gu Quan dispersed these men, formulated routes for them, and finally gathered them west of the Wei River.

This journey naturally required resting during the day and marching at night.

Although there was no direct danger, intense psychological pressure hovered over everyone's hearts.

But compared to the hardships ahead, it was still far, far less.

Gu Quan set a time limit of seven days for himself; this was the most appropriate time, so as not to let the soldiers' mental exhaustion reach the edge of collapse.

Seven days, a forced march of three hundred li.

Entering the Guanhe Canyon via the Longshan path; this was also the only road currently available.

With the lessons of Gu Xiao and Gu Chen before them, the only way to launch a surprise attack on Longxi now was to take those truly dangerous paths to completely avoid enemy scouts.

Falling rocks from cliffs.

The difficulty of this road far exceeded that of Gu Xiao and Gu Chen in the past.

And this road was a full forty li in height.

The risks involved were evident.

But Gu Quan always walked at the very front, using his own actions to stabilize the soldiers' morale.

And after passing this mountain road, there were still dense forests.

Even for someone like Gu Quan, who had studied topographical maps since childhood, it was still easy to get lost in the tens of li of dense forest.

But since the choice to launch a surprise attack had been made, one had to face all that it entailed.

Gu Quan could not change anything either.

Yet after truly experiencing it all firsthand, he still could not help but sigh at the hardships involved.

He could be said to have pushed his talents to the absolute limit.

Only then did he lead the soldiers to finally emerge from the dense forest and reach Qinzhou, though the casualties along the way had reached nearly a thousand men.

Gu Quan did not choose to attack directly.

Instead, he had men sneak ahead to scout for information, while simultaneously allowing the soldiers to rest.

This continued until several days had passed.

News of the Battle of Gaozhi on the front lines finally began to trickle in.

Gu Quan had watched with his own eyes as those soldiers left Qinzhou City, yet he was in no rush to attack, waiting quietly instead.

—The opportunity for battle had arrived!

Although Xue Ju had not moved all his troops to the front line, the opportunity had arrived for Gu Quan.

As long as Qinzhou was occupied.

Then the war on the front lines would surely fall into chaos; it was impossible for Xue Ju to allow Qinzhou to be lost, and he would certainly lead his army back to reinforce it himself.

At that time, as long as he held Qinzhou firmly, he could coordinate a pincer attack with Li Shimin.

Recreating the battle fought by Gu Xiao and the Emperor Guangwu, Liu Xiu, in years past!

History is always shockingly similar.

Whether it was Li Shimin or Gu Quan, neither had intentionally discussed this, yet at such a moment, even separated by a thousand miles, they had tacitly made the same judgment.

Even Gu Yi was somewhat surprised by this, never expecting to see this scene once again.

Although the location was not exactly the same.

But at this very moment, how was it any different from the scenes of the past?

Perhaps the only difference was that Xue Ju had some precautions against this, but the dictates of the situation forced Xue Ju to make various decisions.

Everything was already fated.

Just as the three armies finished resting, Gu Quan did not hesitate in the slightest to launch an attack on the entire Qinzhou City.

Although only four thousand men remained!

Yet, facing a city with no defenses and few garrison troops, it was more than enough!

Moreover, after these men had traversed such immense dangers, the pent-up breath in their hearts would surely make the combat effectiveness of these soldiers far exceed what it had been before.

The most critical point was—

Do not forget that the leader this time was surnamed Gu!

The legend of the Gu clan; the temptation of fame and profit;

How could the soldiers not fight to the death?

In just one day, the entire Qinzhou City quickly fell into Gu Quan's hands.

And Gu Quan did not let his soldiers pursue the fleeing remnants, but immediately had men reinforce the city's defenses, preparing for the great battle to come.

He believed that Li Shimin would absolutely make the most correct judgment and could not possibly abandon this opportunity for battle.

News continued to spread.

The fall of Qinzhou was absolutely a fatal blow to the entire Western Qin.

Gaozhi.

"Qinzhou is lost?"

The moment he heard this news, the expression on Xue Ju's face changed completely; he stood up from his chair almost instantly and demanded, "What happened?"

The expressions of everyone present also changed completely at this moment.

How could they not know the importance of Qinzhou?

Most crucially, they were already at a disadvantage on the main battlefield; how could they not turn pale upon receiving this news?

"Your Majesty, I do not know whose troops took advantage of our lack of preparation to attack Qinzhou."

A soldier covered in filth wailed as he recounted the situation of that day; although he said he did not know who the attackers were.

Yet, in everyone's hearts, they could not help but think of the same thing simultaneously.

—The Gu clan descendants!

"Impossible! How is that possible!" Xue Ju frowned tightly, still unwilling to believe it all: "Shouldn't the Gu clan descendants all be on the battlefield? Then where did this force come from?"

"What about the spies I left in Longshan?"

"Are they all blind?"

"Could it be that the Gu clan descendants can actually fly?"

Question after question rang out through the hall.

Seeing Xue Ju in a rage, everyone present could not help but lower their heads one after another.

But what good was complaining?

Xue Ju understood very well that he had to solve the problem before him no matter what; almost instantly, he looked at his son: "Gao'er."

Before Xue Ju could finish speaking.

Xue Rengao knelt down without the slightest hesitation and said in a ringing, powerful voice: "I am willing to lead the army to retake Qinzhou. No matter who the invading enemy is, I will surely cut off their head to settle the army's morale."

Hearing this, Xue Ju's expression finally softened somewhat.

He still felt very reassured regarding this son of his.

Xue Ju would not lead the main army back to reinforce.

Although he was not someone who had read many history books, who did not know the various legends of the Marquis of Zhongwu, Gu Xiao?

At this moment, if he led the main army back, wouldn't he become the Wei Xiao of the past?

As long as he could block Li Shimin.

Then Qinzhou, having become an isolated city, would be of no concern.

As for whether the people inside were truly Gu clan descendants, Xue Ju no longer cared.

Even if they were, so what?

No matter who it was, he had to kill this person!

The matter was decided that very day, and the movements of the Western Qin army naturally could not escape the eyes of the Tang Army.

But upon learning that Xue Rengao had returned.

Li Shimin, Gu Yan, and the others concluded almost instantly that Gu Quan had already succeeded!

At this time, inside the Tang Army camp.

Candlelight flickered, casting the shadows of those in the tent onto the cowhide curtains.

Li Shimin's gaze swept over the generals in the tent like a falcon, his expression grave, and he said in a low voice: "Once Ziyuan succeeds on his end, our army must seize the opportunity to quickly break through Xue Ju's defensive line! Success or failure rests on this one move!"

The generals in the tent nodded solemnly upon hearing this.

However, they all knew in their hearts that the Longxi defensive line was as solid as metal, and it was no easy task to break through it in one go.

Even the Emperor Guangwu, Liu Xiu, in his expedition against Longxi in the past, only succeeded in breaking the city when the hearts of Wei Xiao's army were filled with fear and their morale had collapsed; such a battle example was enough to illustrate the difficulty.

Seeing the worried looks on everyone's faces, Gu Yan stepped forward, his gaze firm: "Generals, do not worry. My elder brother has always planned before he acts; he will surely recreate the great feat of our ancestor!"

Li Shimin nodded slightly, his eyes full of trust and expectation: "Indeed! Ziyuan is resourceful, and I have full confidence in him!"

These brief, powerful words were like a shot of adrenaline, dispelling the heavy atmosphere in the tent and easing the concerns in the hearts of the generals.

Looking at the firm expressions of Li Shimin and Gu Yan, a sense of heroism surged in the hearts of the generals.

They took a deep breath, cupped their hands in unison, and shouted together: "Please give the order, Your Highness! We are willing to serve as the vanguard and will not shrink from death!"

—The great battle began anew!

Li Shimin was clearly trying to use the momentum to suppress Xue Ju.

While attacking, he had people spread the news that Qinzhou had been lost.

This move was indeed a lethal blow.

The morale of the Western Qin army was already somewhat chaotic; how could they not be affected under such circumstances?

But hindered by the terrain, the Tang Army's speed of attack was likewise very slow.

At the same time, Xue Rengao had also returned to Qinzhou.

Looking at the garrison on the city walls, his eyes were filled with uncontrollable rage; he pointed his long halberd fiercely at the wall and roared: "Who are you, to dare seize my city?"

"I am Gu Ziyuan of the Gu clan!"

On the city wall, Gu Quan did not hesitate in the slightest, also shouting back to give his response.

These few short words, like a great bell, instantly pressed down upon the hearts of the Western Qin army.

It really was a Gu clan descendant!

History had repeated itself!

Among the Gu clan descendants, a third person had actually managed to launch a surprise attack on Longxi.

In an era of such superstitious omens, the pressure this could bring was unimaginable!

Xue Rengao's expression could not help but change slightly, but he quickly adjusted and roared angrily again: "A fine Gu clan descendant, do you dare come out of the city and fight me?"

Gu Quan's expression remained unchanged; he was too lazy to even respond.

"Could it be that a dignified Gu clan descendant only dares to engage in petty, underhanded acts and dares not fight me head-on?"

Xue Rengao was clearly trying to provoke Gu Quan; in his impression, descendants of major families were all very concerned about such things.

But Gu Quan still did not care in the slightest.

How could he possibly fall for it?

At present, he only needed to defend the city, so why add unnecessary risks?

The reputation of the Gu Shizi must be established through final victory.

To indulge in the bravery of a common man is not the act of a hero!

Gu Quan did not waste a single word; he directly took a bow and arrows from the soldiers beside him, nocked an arrow, and fired it toward Xue Rengao.

With a "whoosh."

The sound of the air being torn apart exploded instantly.

Xue Rengao reacted extremely quickly and hurriedly dodged to the side.

But he was completely enraged by this arrow.

He did not say a word, immediately brandished the weapon in his hand, and led his soldiers to begin the siege.

—The great battle broke out instantly.

Xue Rengao indeed possessed the courage of ten thousand men, but it was not enough to go against the great trend.

Under the reputation of the Gu Shizi and the reinforcement of the prophecy, his army's morale was already in chaos; the main force could not possibly exert high combat effectiveness.

How could they kill their way into the city?

And even if they could kill their way into the city, so what?

Gu Quan was not just a decoration!

He had long since made perfect preparations and would hold his ground no matter what.

Three days;

Five days;

Ten days;

Fifteen days;

As the days passed one by one, the area around Qincheng had become a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Xue Rengao had already requested reinforcements from Xue Ju twice more.

But even so, he had never completely taken Qincheng.

He had broken through the city gates twice.

But each time, he was driven back out by the army led by Gu Quan.

And as time continued to pass, whether it was Qincheng or the main army at the front, the morale of the entire Western Qin army finally collapsed completely under continuous high pressure.

Deserters;

Surrendering soldiers;

Once this situation began to appear, Xue Ju's ending was already doomed.

In fact, whether it was Xue Ju or the Wei Xiao of the past, neither of them were incompetent men.

But all of this could not be changed by the situation alone.

If Xue Rengao could have quickly recaptured Qincheng, it might have been fine; a great victory would definitely have boosted the morale of the three armies.

But now, the battles on both fronts were going poorly.

The rumors regarding the "Li family" and the "Gu family" were known to everyone, and even Xue Ju could not stop them.

What other way could there be?

But Xue Ju was still unwilling to give up and mobilized the three armies, wanting to fight a decisive battle with Li Shimin.

Yet it was difficult to defy the heavens and change fate!

August;

Li Shimin first defeated Xue Ju at Qianshuiyuan, causing the Western Qin army to lose nearly twenty thousand men, with countless losses in provisions and troops.

Subsequently, the news of Xue Rengao's death at Qincheng also arrived.

Li Shimin seized the opportunity.

Coordinating with Gu Quan, the two launched a pincer attack and wiped out the Western Qin army in one battle.

And Xue Ju, this once arrogant Emperor.

Also fell before the battle lines in the end.

——————

"In the second year of Wude, the Prince of Qin, Shimin, campaigned against Xue Ju at Gaozhi.

At that time, General of the Cloud Banner Gu Quan received secret orders, led five thousand elite cavalry, advanced in secret, crossed the dangerous passes of Longshan, waded through the Tongguan River, passed Fangmatan, traveled three hundred li day and night, and arrived directly at Qincheng.

Initially, the Prince of Qin, Shimin, fought a great battle against Xue Ju at Gaozhi, lured the enemy deep, and was heavily defeated by Ju, causing Ju to exhaust all the forces of Longxi for the battle.

Quan used his troops with divine speed, caught them off guard, launched a night raid to break the gates, and subsequently occupied the city.

Ju was terrified upon hearing this and hurriedly ordered a retreat to provide reinforcements, causing the army's morale to fall into chaos. The Prince of Qin seized the momentum to pursue, and heavily defeated his forces at Qianshuiyuan.

Quan continued to hold Qincheng for three months, cut off the enemy's path of retreat, and finally caused the Western Qin army to lose their footing, collapsing in a single battle.

The commentary says: Quan's use of troops was similar to his ancestor, the Loyal Martial Marquis Xiao, skilled at using surprise to achieve victory, and echoing the Prince of Qin, Shimin; it can be called natural military genius. After this battle, Longyou was pacified, and the Tang foundation became increasingly solid."

—"Book of Tang: Biography of Gu Quan"

(End of chapter)