Traveling through the early Tang Dynasty starts with hanging

Chapter 1406 Choice and Cooperation

Tuli Khan, who was organizing manpower to transport a large amount of grain, grass and goods in Dingxiang County, heard the news and felt that his heart had been fed to the dog!

After all, transporting so much supplies requires a lot of manpower and livestock. Tuli Khan had to capture a large number of young men... and even openly promised to release them in Shuozhou!

The King of Handan... No, the heir king of Wei, Li Huairen, came with a large army. I dare not not let him go!

I, a Turkic Khan, have made such a sworn promise, but you, Li Huairen, have the shamelessness to pursue me?

You made a covenant just yesterday and you're going to renege on it today? !

Tuli Khan was so furious that he immediately led 5,000 king troops to Xiurong County in person, and then met Ashina Jishe led who had just been released.

Ashina Jisheshui told the story from beginning to end and then said: "He was the same in Mayi back then..."

We hit it off immediately, so we returned that night for a night attack... This time it was good, at least we spent the night.

Tuli Khan grimaced and thought in his mind, what on earth did Li Huairen want to do?

According to Li Huairen, Dubu Khan's vitality was severely damaged this time, so he did not want his power to expand... This statement has a certain degree of credibility.

But in this case, there is no need to give in before pursuing... You can start directly in Bingzhou. More than 30,000 Tang cavalry faced 50,000 Turks. The Tang army suffered a slight loss in strength, but its morale was high and it occupied a favorable location. The Turks were eager to go north. Returning to the grassland, even if you are undefeated, you will definitely suffer a lot of losses.

Once defeated, it is likely that they will immediately flee north, and will not carry so much food, grass, and wealth to slow down their speed.

What's more, there was absolutely no need for Li Shan to reveal the fact that Wantang Cavalry was stationed in Huangdan Town yesterday... At the critical moment, going north to Xinzhou or storming Chitang Pass could catch them by surprise.

As long as Tuli Khan dies, although there are still many tribesmen in the Ashina tribe, it will be difficult to choose a person who can convince everyone, not to mention the Xue Yantuo tribe outside who is eyeing the possibility of establishing a country on its own at any time.

It was not impossible to discuss, but Li Huairen actually refused to show his face, which was obviously against common sense... Tuli Khan had no idea what Li Shan wanted to do.

After waiting for a long time, Tuli Khan did not wait for a reply. He was confused and confused. Even if he wanted to break up, even if he wanted to break his promise, he wouldn't refuse to show his face, right?

In the end, Tuli Khan's choice was to order Ashina Jishe and Ashina Sunisi to transport grain, grass and goods overnight, and leave the fortress as soon as possible. He himself led the king's troops to station in Xiurong County to confront the Tang army, and controlled the transportation of grain and grass. Evacuate slowly.

The setting sun was gradually obscured by the mountains, and the last trace of bright red light fell on Su Dingfang's armor, reflecting a crimson color.

Zhang Shigui, Qin Qiong, Li Daozong and others on the side were all silent... These words made everyone want to complain. If you refuse to break your promise, what are you doing now?

Ma Zhou said quietly: "Really we will never see you again?"

The Tang army had no intention of marching north to fight the Turks. Tuli Khan was a little relieved, but at the same time he was more worried... The reason was simple. Li Huairen put forward conditions when he released Ashina and the leader.

Alas, Li Shan's performance is obviously very infectious.

Tuli Khan was a little suspicious. He recalled what Li Shan said during the previous conversation that he was jealous of the Tang Emperor... He even began to suspect that the Tang army had temporarily changed its commander.

You can't blame Tuli Khan for being too stupid and too easy to fool... because the actions of Tang Jun and Li Shan were obviously illogical.

Seeing that it was getting late, Li Shan simply turned around and asked Qin Qiong and Liu Heier to take charge. He led his personal guards to settle in a town on the west side of Xiezhoushan, by the Lanshui River. At this time, some of the infantry who followed the army north had already taken the mountain road. Arrive and set up the tent...after all, it will snow at any time, so it is impossible to sleep in the wild.

After hesitating for a long time, Tuli Khan led his troops south, looked at the Tang army from a distance, sent men, and tried to talk to Li Shan.

On this day, more than ten thousand cavalrymen from the Tang Army and the Turks came out and pulled back and forth in the southwest of Xiurong County until sunset.

Tuli Khan racked his brains and couldn't figure it out... Hey, I really can't blame him for this. Who made Ashina Sheer so unsatisfactory that he died at the critical moment?

"Really." Li Shanyi said sternly: "If he escapes, he will naturally disappear. If he is captured alive, he will definitely not be seen... But if he beheads him, he can be seen."

Well, you can’t see the living ones, but you can see the dead ones.

Tuli Khan could not have imagined that Li Shan's target now was not the Turkic cavalry, but the Tuli Khan himself.

"Is it really Li Huairen who released you?"

Tuli Khan sent troops to continue to the southwest, but the Tang army withdrew without hesitation. After the Turkic troops returned to the division, the Tang cavalry slowly advanced again, and at the same time sent a small group of cavalry to start killing the Turkic scouts.

Faced with his brother's inquiry, Ashina Yushasu nodded affirmatively.

Li Shan from the Central Military Department laughed and said, "I made it clear on that day that I would never see you again, never again. How can I break my promise?"

After a day and night of galloping, Su Dingfang, Yuchi Gong, and Xue Wanche led more than ten thousand Tang troops from Daizhou to the palace at the foot of Guanlui Mountain. It was only thirty miles away from Ningwu County and forty miles away from Loufan Pass.

Guanchuan Mountain was famous during the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Two hundred years ago, Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty established the Tianchi in Guanchuan Mountain as a royal hunting garden. In the Sui Dynasty, Yang Jian, Yang Guang and then Li Yuan all used to go hunting and summer vacation here...well, When Yanmen was besieged, Yang Guang left the fortress through Loufan Pass after hunting in Tianchi.

Xue Wanche had been in Daidi for a long time, and Yuchi Gong was from Shuozhou. Both of them were a little impatient, but Su Dingfang showed no expression. He ordered to set up camp here within an hour, obviously not preparing to attack immediately.

Three or five cavalry figures appeared in the distance. Yuchi Gong whispered to Su Dingfang, who was thinking, "The scout is back."

This time, Li Shan assigned Fan Shiyi, whom Li Shan trusted most and who had made many contributions in previous battles, to Su Dingfang.

"Ningwu County has not been conquered." Fan Shiyi jumped off his horse, "The Loufan Guanhui River has stopped flowing. I saw Turkic cavalry coming out and captured two prisoners. There are about a thousand Turks, but there are about three thousand Turks garrisoned in the new city. "

Xincheng belongs to Shuozhou and is located more than ten miles northwest of Loufanguan.

Yuchi Gong looked at Su Dingfang, "You should be able to get through the gate downstairs in the dark."

"The walls of the new city are damaged. If we take them by surprise tomorrow morning, we should be able to wipe out three thousand Turks." Xue Wanche licked his dry lips, "If Mayi and Sancho Town are not breached, Liu Shirang and Li Shiji should be able to gather thousands of cavalry , the road outside Yanmen Pass is winding and rugged, and five thousand elite cavalry are enough to block Yanmen Pass."

Fifteen thousand cavalry is enough... Although Yanmen is in the hands of the Turks, the Turks cannot send out troops quickly, nor can they come out in large numbers.

Yuchi Gong frowned and said, "I'm afraid I'll be attacked from both sides."

"No." Xue Wanche gritted his teeth and said: "After asking the prisoners yesterday, Tuli Khan left 20,000 cavalry in Shuozhou, but if Mayi, Sanqiao Town, and Guji Town are not conquered, there will be no trace of these 20,000 cavalry. "Come on, won't you run away when you see the army coming to attack?" Yuchi Gong hesitated for a moment, and this indeed makes sense. The Tang army used more than ten thousand elite cavalry to break through Loufan Pass and blockade Yanmen Pass. Obviously, they wanted to encircle and annihilate the Turkic army that invaded Hedong. There is a high possibility that the Turkic troops staying in Shuozhou will escape.

But the problem is that no one dares to guarantee this kind of thing. If they are attacked from both sides, not only will Yanmen Pass not be able to be blocked, but they may also be defeated.

Yuchi Gong looked at Su Dingfang, and the surrounding generals Li Mengchang, Zhang Baoxiang, Qu Hong, Hu Yan and others also looked at Su Dingfang.

The heir of Wei made it clear that all movements of the army would be under the jurisdiction of Zhao Guogong Su Dingfang.

"The food and grass can still last for three days." Su Dingfang said hoarsely: "We will start at dusk tomorrow. We will break through Loufanguan first, and then Xincheng."

"Tomorrow evening?" Yu Chigong was greatly surprised. Even if he galloped all day and night, people were tired and horses were exhausted, and it was enough to rest for a night. After all, there is a palace, and the crowd can always be squeezed. Why wait until tomorrow evening?

Li Meng tried to ask: "Waiting for Hebei?"

"Yes." Su Dingfang nodded, "Cheng Mingzhen set off from Bingzhou. On the way, he had to gather government troops. He will not arrive in Yizhou until dusk tomorrow. Not only does he have to conquer Feihu Trail, but he also needs to capture Lingqiu."

Yuchi Gong grasped the riding crop hard, "Okay, let's start tomorrow evening... Well, since Ningwu County has not been conquered, there should be some food and grass reserves to keep the Erlangs full."

After a pause, Yuchi Gong rubbed his hands, "If this battle is successful..."

Although the surrounding generals didn't say anything, everyone seemed a little excited... With such a large-scale outflanking and blockade, if they could defeat the Turks and even capture the Turli Khan, such a military exploit and such a battle example would be appreciated by everyone. Can leave a name in history.

In the town next to Lanshui, in a large but somewhat dilapidated house, Li Shan put his hands on the charcoal basin to keep warm, and his eyes fell on the map hanging on the wooden wall.

Wen Daya, who was born in Hedong, held up a candlelight and talked eloquently, "The ancient city of Yuanping, Yuanping County in the Han Dynasty, is located 35 miles south of Nao County in Daizhou, and is located in Tanglingang in the north. It is blocked by mountains and rivers and controls the north and south."

"The two prefectures of Xin and Dai are the first to focus on Chitangguan, while the two prefectures of Xin and Dai are the first to focus on Naoxian and Yuanping."

Everyone in the room nodded in agreement. The most important thing in Daizhou is naturally Yanmen Pass, but now that the Turks have broken through the pass in large numbers, the most important ones are Guoxian County and Yuanping.

"Yangqu passes through Xinzhou and reaches Daizhou. The north-south thoroughfare must pass through Daoguo County and Yuanping. There is no other way." Wen Daya continued: "The area around Nao County and Yuanping is surrounded by high mountains to the east and west, and the terrain in the middle is flat. , but with the Hutuo River flowing from southwest to northeast, it is difficult for the Turks to deploy their forces."

At that time, Ma Sanbao, Er Zhu Yichen, and Li Kai defended Nao County and were able to ensure that Yanmen Pass would not be attacked from both sides. Only then did Li Shan defeat the Turks three times.

Li Daoxuan's face was not very good-looking, and he understood these truths... On that day, when he abandoned Yanmen Pass and headed south, his first choice was to guard Nao County and block this "Xindai Corridor" so that the Turks could not move south in large numbers.

However, the Turks came too fast. The Daizhou army that went south was defeated by the incoming Turk cavalry before they could organize any defense, and had to continue going south.

Li Shan stood up slowly and walked in front of the map. After looking at it carefully for a while, he said, "It is indeed a battleground for military strategists. Nao County is too far away, but Yuanping is a place...with Hutuo River in the north and Shahe River in the south. It only needs With three thousand infantry and chariot formations, it will be difficult for the Turks to defeat them."

"If Su Dingfang and Cheng Mingzhen can invade Daizhou and go south to Nao County, they can lock down the Turks, and Tuli Khan must be among them." Ma Zhou shook his head and said: "But it is impossible for Tuli Khan to station troops in Xiurong. Do not deploy heavy troops in Guo County or Yuanping."

Han Liang agreed: "The purpose of Tuli Khan's garrison in Xiurong is nothing more than to protect Dingxiang's grain, grass and goods from going north. Otherwise, he should have garrisoned troops in Guoxian or Yuanping."

"The current situation is not suitable for taking risks." Li Shan rejected Duan Zhixuan's previous suggestion. This guy planned to lead his troops northward, bypass Xiurong County, and attack Yuanping to block the Turks' retreat.

Looking at Duan Zhixuan, Li Shan snorted, "It would be fine if the fish dies and the net is broken. I'm afraid the fish is not dead but the net is broken."

"If the Turks are pushed to a desperate situation, the Tuli Khan leads his troops south again to attack Bingzhou..." Li Daozong also disagreed with Duan Zhixuan's proposal, "Zhao Guogong has more than ten thousand cavalry, and now the Chinese army has insufficient strength to resist."

Ma Zhou said in a very certain tone: "Now the Turks are slow to move, but if they capture Yuanping, no matter how stupid the Turkic Khan is, he will know it..."

Duan Zhixuan didn't say anything. It was true. Once the Turks' retreat was blocked, Tuli Khan would immediately understand that the target of the Tang army was him. Then... no one knew what Tuli Khan would do. It is also possible to invade Bingzhou.

After pacing back and forth for a long time, Li Shan made a decision, "Let them go north!"

"Order Qin Wutong and Liu Hongji to select five thousand elite soldiers to carry chariots...Didn't Tuli Khan keep thousands of good horses? Don't be reluctant to use them!"

"After the Turks move north, hold it with infantry..." Li Shan's finger moved across the map, and finally landed on the south side of Yuanping County, "Tanglingang."

"As long as Tanglingang is defended, the Turks can be blocked in Daizhou." Han Ling said with a smile: "You can advance and retreat freely, and you can attack at the right time."

Li Shan shook his head slightly. It was too hard to say. No one knew whether Su Dingfang could block Yanmen Pass, or whether Cheng Minzhen could break through Feihujing and Lingqiu counties. Even if one side succeeded, it would be difficult to complete the task.

It takes almost simultaneous success on both the east and west sides to successfully blockade the Turkic forces in Daizhou.

On the ancient battlefield, such a large-scale strategic outflank and time coordination... could only rely on the leading general's own choice.

This is mostly luck, not ability.

Specifically on this battlefield, Li Shan needed not only the cooperation of Su Dingfang and Cheng Mingzhen, but even the cooperation of Tuli Khan.

Li Shan thought in his heart that now he could only confront Tuli Khan like this and try to delay as much time as possible. But if he delayed it for too long and Su Dingfang and Cheng Minzhen succeeded, and Tuli Khan was still in Xinzhou, then Kind of fucked up.

At least in Xinzhou, Tuli Khan's command can pull out an army of 30,000 to 40,000, while Li Shan's cavalry currently only has more than 10,000, and it is difficult for the tens of thousands of infantry in the rear to arrive quickly.

It would be nice if they made some noise at this time... and frightened Tuli Khan away.

(End of this chapter)