The third emperor of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 644 Li Shimin solves doubts and intends to help Wei
Last year, Li Mi decided to abandon the vast land of the Central Plains in order to prevent himself from being the first to be attacked by the Sui Dynasty. He reached a secret agreement with the Sui and Tang Dynasties on mutual non-interference and non-aggression. He knew that as long as he withdrew, most of the Central Plains would be empty. area, then the Sui and Tang dynasties would seize these blank areas, and thus the decisive battle of the Sui and Tang Dynasties would break out.

He himself withdrew from the disputes in the Central Plains and ruled south of the Huai River, thus forming a three-legged situation of Sui, Tang, and Wei. The Jianghuai troops sent troops to the Central Plains to contain the Sui army from the east and south. If the Sui army attacked Wei, the Tang army would attack Heluo and Guanzhong from the west, forcing the Sui army to withdraw from the Central Plains.

This is a replica of Wei, Shu and Wu at the end of the Han Dynasty. As long as the three-legged confrontation is established, the confrontation is likely to last for decades. With one kick, Li Mi, who was weak and easy to fight, was eliminated first, causing the three kingdoms to become a confrontation between two strong ones.

But Yang Tong also knew that even if Tang and Wei did not form an alliance to advance and retreat together, Li Yuan would not be ignorant of the truth, and would most likely take this opportunity to take the initiative to attack.Although Li and Tang's morale was demoralized and cowardly, and it was unlikely to send troops, Yang Tong did not want any changes in this major strategy that determines the ownership of the world.

So he recruited a retired army to guard Yongliang, immobilizing the Tang army in the direction of Bashu, while Xue Wanjun in Xiyang, Yang Shanhui in Nanyang, and Duan Decao in Nanjun targeted the Tang army in Jingxiang; The [-] troops of the Ministry of Military Affairs forced Li Yuan and Lin Shihong not to act rashly and not to participate in the battle between the Sui and Wei Dynasties.

This is the layout of the Sui Dynasty from the strategic direction, but in terms of tactics, it uses a strategy discussed in advance to let Yang You, who is very similar to Yang Tong, play the Imperial Banner of the Sui Dynasty and enter the Nanyang barracks in a high-profile manner, creating a Yang Tong The illusion that I am on the front line of the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

More than 40 troops of the Sui Dynasty were sharpening their knives around Li and Tang, putting Li Yuan under tremendous pressure. However, the strong threat of the Sui army also eased the very sharp conflicts between Li and his son, forcing them to abandon their previous suspicions and work together with one heart and one mind. Corresponding to the Sui army, cut off the internal cancer.

On the one hand, Li Yuan ordered Li Yuanji, the king of Qi, to enter Bashu for Yizhou Daoxingtai Shangshuling, to control the local military and government, to ensure the absolute control of the Li family over Bashu, and to save the Guanlong nobles from opening their doors and allowing the Sui army to enter Bashu. risk; on the other hand, Li Yuan let Li Shimin sit in Yiling, one is to ensure that the life channels of Bashu and Jingxiang will not be cut off by the Sui army, and at the same time it can threaten the Nanjun of the Great Sui Dynasty. If the Sui army invades the Hanshui defense line and Bashu , Li Shimin can turn the initiative into a passive one, attack Nanjun forcefully, and introduce the war to the Jingxiang counties belonging to the Sui Dynasty.

There are only three counties in Yiling, which are Yuan'an, Yiling, and Yidao from north to south. From Yuan'an County to the south along the Jushui River, you can attack Dangyang, the downstream Nanjun County, and Yidao County is where Qingshui and the Yangtze River meet. The downstream is Songzi and Zhijiang counties in Nanjun. Relatively speaking, Yiling County, as the county seat, faces Bashu, and its strategic position is far less important than Yuan'an and Yidao at this time.

In view of this, of the [-] troops under Li Shimin's control, except for the [-] new troops led by Hou Junji who were stationed in Yuan'an, the other [-] were all stationed near Yidao County. , Zhijiang two counties.

However, Duan Decao, who was in charge of the defense of Nanjun, was not a good stubble, so he would not let himself be passively beaten. He asked Shi Jin and Xue Wanbei to lead an army of 4 troops to garrison in Yichang County in the northwest of Nanjun. You can attack Badong County, and you can attack Qingjiang County in the southwest.On the other side of the Yangtze River in Yichang County is Liutou Beach, where Bashu supplies are unloaded, and then transported to Xiangyang through the official road. If the Sui army crossed the Yangtze River and occupied Liutou Beach, or Yiling County, then Jingxiang and The connection and material lifeline between Bashu will be interrupted.Li Shimin didn't dare to be careless at all, and in desperation he only got [-] troops, and Zhai Changsun and Deputy Luo Jun were in Yiling County. As a result, Li Shimin's troops were weakened to [-].

Li Shimin's army did not live in the county seat, but was stationed on the north bank of the Yangtze River. It could attack Zhijiang County or Songzi south of Zhijiang.

In the tent of the Chinese Army Commander, Li Shimin stood in front of a huge map, thinking silently. Although he was not in Xiangyang, he was still able to get the latest urgent report, including the matter of Li Mi sending an envoy to ask for help, and Li Yuan also sent it immediately urgent letter.

When he strung together the bits and pieces of information and zoomed in on the world, Li Shimin discovered that a huge crisis was hanging over Li Tang Dynasty.It's just that there are still some things that he hasn't figured out, so he needs to sort out the general idea. As long as he sees through Yang Tong's strategy, he can make a targeted layout.

At this time, counselors Yu Wenshiji, Yin Kaishan, and Su Shichang walked into the tent. Yuwen Shiji came to Li Shimin's side and said in a low voice: "Does your Highness think that Yang Tong is not in Nanyang and that the imperial flag is just a trick of the Sui army's suspicious soldiers?" ?”

Li Shimin nodded, looked at Yuwen Shiji, frowned and said: "I always feel that the three points of Duan Decao, Yao Junsu and Du Fuwei are a bit weird, and the three of them seem to have a great connection with my Tang Dynasty. "

"Why does Your Highness think so?" Yuwen Shiji asked.

Li Shimin sighed: "I have been thinking, why is Duan Decao not afraid of our army attacking Nanjun? Why is Yao Junsu in Huainan not worried about Zhongli and Ruyin Wei's outflanking? Why is Du Fuwei in Liyang not worried about Shan Xiongxin in Jiangdu and Zheng Detao in Danyang Outflank? As a result, news came from my father that Yang Tong and Yang Shanhui led a [-] army out of Xinye County and stationed at the mouth of Sihe River in Nanyang, less than a few dozen miles away from Xiangyang City. This made me suddenly enlightened. He and Du Fuwei are about to attack Li Mi, and the three-way army of Xiyang Xue Wanjun, Nanyang Yang Tong, and Nanjun Duan Decao is actually to solve the threat of the Tang army on behalf of Yao and Du, so as to avoid the enemy from the front and back. As for Li Jing in the direction of Huai'an, It is very likely that it is the backup of the second general, and at the same time, it can cut off Li Mi's army in the north and south of the Huai River, so that the end cannot be connected. In this way, Yang Tong's real goal is not my Tang Dynasty, but the Wei Dynasty. Guo Li Mi."

Speaking of this, Li Shimin smiled wryly and said: "Yang Tong has countless generals and famous generals, but we only stared at Yang Tong himself. Seeing him in Nanyang, we became nervous and suspicious, completely ignoring these generals under his command. Now Huaian has Li Jing, Yingchuan has Xie Yingdeng, Lujun has Yang Gongren, Langye has Pei Xingyan, Huainan has Yao Junsu, Liyang has Du Fuwei and other generals. He is good at fighting. With these generals fighting against Li Mi, why does Yang Tong go into battle in person? In fact, Yang Tong has appointed Li Jing as the commander-in-chief long ago, but as soon as Yang Tong appeared on the battlefield, our eyes turned around him, and we used to regard him as The coach of the Sui Army made a habitual mistake, do you think this is the truth?"

Yuwen Shiji, Yin Kaishan, and Su Shichang smiled wryly when they heard the words: As Li Shimin said, the Li Tang dynasty was frightened by Yang Tong, and Yang Tong's outstanding achievements took away the glory of the world's famous generals, which caused Li Tang's court and the public to value him too much , staring at him like a thief, and finally completely ignored the abilities of those generals in the Sui Dynasty. When they followed Li Shimin's thinking, they found that apart from Yang Yu, there were many generals who could fight in the Sui Dynasty. .

"Everyone has fallen into Yang Tong's maze. It's really admirable that His Highness can jump out of this maze!" Yuwen Shiji praised, and said: "It will be easier to get rid of Yang Tong."

Li Shimin asked, "What do you think sir?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, it seems strange that Yao Junsu and Du Fuwei jointly attacked Li Mi." Yuwen Shiji pondered for a while, and then said: "Yao Junsu's army belongs to Xiao Xian's army. In the last war, the main force was actually Du Fuwei, but Xiao Xian's elite was unbearable and dragged down Du Fuwei's army. This shows that even if Xiao Xian's army is reorganized, it is still afraid of Li Mi's weak soldiers. Du Fuwei will fight Li Mi again in Xiang'an after a while. Small. According to the information we got, what Yang Tong supplied to Du Fuwei was only weapons, equipment and money, and the soldiers were recruited by Du Fuwei himself. It took less than three months. How could Du Fuwei slow down? ? Judging from the fact that Li Mi invited Zhao Junwang to send troops to Jianghuai, we can know that the army of Yao Junsu and Du Fuwei is not strong, otherwise Li Mi would not dare to take the initiative to attack when the army is overwhelmed and the interior is chaotic. It is very likely that Yao Junsu and Du Fuwei will act as spectators in the next big battle."

Li Shimin's train of thought became clearer after Yu Wenshi said this. He pointed out the seven Huaibei counties occupied by Li Mi on the map one by one with the wooden stick in his hand, and then said: "I can't figure out one thing, that is, since Yang Tong is fighting Li Mi, and his strength is at its peak, why not conquer the seven counties of Huaibei first, but let Yao Junsu and Du Fuwei, who are not strong enough, start a war? After a disastrous defeat, Li Jing and Xie Yingdeng were blocked by Wang Bodang in Huaiyang and Ruyin. Wouldn't the land of Jianghuai fall into Li Mi's hands? If troops were sent from Lu County and Langye, Xu Shiji from Pengcheng County would also be unavoidable. Qingqi rushing south to help, is very likely to be killed by Xu Shiji and Li Mi's coalition forces."

"Yang Tong has already isolated the Tang, Chu, and Wei dynasties, and almost no one can help each other. At this time, whether Yang Tong is attacking the Tang Dynasty, or conquering Lin Shihong of Chu State and Li Mi of Wei State, he can advance step by step. , if I were Yang Tong and I was attacking Li Mi, I would definitely take down the seven counties of Huaibei first. With his strength, there is no need for Yao Junsu and Du Fuwei to take risks. The second general only needs to protect himself. However, the two generals who should not have moved have acted instead, what is this Yang Tong doing?" Li Shimin was very puzzled.

Yin Kaishan on the side sighed: "This may be Yang Tong's brilliance. He didn't supplement the second general Yao and Du with a strong army. In fact, he deliberately confused Li Mi and gave Li Mi a false impression that he could march. But Li Mi didn't Knowing that apart from Yang Tong’s army on land, the Sui Dynasty’s naval army was also not weak, didn’t Goguryeo be conquered by Yang Tong’s navy at the beginning?”

Li Shimin was taken aback. He quickly looked at the map and found that it was not far from Bohai Harbor and Gaomi Military Harbor to Donghai County and Jiangdu County.

This time, all the incomprehensible things in Li Shimin's heart suddenly became clear. The weak Yao Junsu and Du Fuwei were just a bait. Annihilated the Jianghuai Sui Army in World War I.And when he was at his best, the navy of the Sui Dynasty took down Jiangdu City in three or two strokes like they attacked Goguryeo, and then leisurely used Jiangdu City as a bait to mobilize various Wei troops to fight. This gave the Sui Dynasty cavalry Chance to gallop.

This method is exactly the same as attacking Goguryeo.Gao Jianwu fell for Yang Tong's old trap back then, and asked Yuan Taejo and Ulji Wendeok to take the main force to the north of Yalu River, resulting in Yang Tong's old nest being taken down easily by Yang Tong. Yuan Taizuo and Ulji Wende heard that the army's morale was in turmoil, and Fang Xuanling caught the opportunity of the war and wiped them out.

Goguryeo bowed his head and proclaimed himself a vassal.

Li Shimin immediately said loudly: "We can't just sit and watch Li Mi perish. We must notify Li Mi as soon as possible so that he can guard against the Sui Dynasty navy."

Yin Kaishan sighed and said with a wry smile: "Your Highness, Yang Tong and Yang Shanhui will force their way into Xiangyang, just like Fang Xuanling's force into Yuan Taizuo's army back then. The navy of the Sui Dynasty may have arrived in Jiangdu at this time. We are now reminding that it may be true. That's too late."

"This...."

Li Shimin's face turned pale, showing a deep look of disappointment. He sighed worriedly: "If Li Mi is determined by the Sui army in a battle, then there will be no one in the east to contain Yang Tong. Next, the Sui army will definitely send their troops." Advance westward, attack Lin Shihong with Qin Qiong, and another army can annihilate Meng Haigong from south to north. Break through the Hanshui defense line, and the troops are approaching the city of Xiangyang. Gentlemen, once Li Mi is defeated, our Tang Dynasty will also be in danger!"

Su Shichang said at this time: "The humble official has a strategy, which may be able to restore the general situation, but I am afraid that the Holy One and His Royal Highness will not agree."

Li Shimin pondered for a while, then understood Su Shichang's meaning, and said with a wry smile: "Sir, you mean to send troops to Nanjun, implement the strategy of besieging Wei and saving Zhao, and relieve Li Mi's pressure?"

"That's right." Su Shichang nodded, and said, "Duan Decao divided Yiling into three places. If His Highness goes straight down, Songzi County can be taken down. Duan Decao can only join forces in one place. Zhai Changsun and Hou Jun will gather together." The general can also enter Nanjun. Jiangxia Qinqiong and Baling Pei Renji can only return to aid Nanjun. In this way, Lin Shihong can attack Qichun and Tong'an from Jiujiang, while Chai Shao of Chongling Huyang can leave Chongling and attack eastward with empty troops. Handong, Yiyang, and Yiyang. Li Jing, Xie Yingdeng and other troops have already invested in the seven counties of Huaibei at this time, and they will not be able to get away for a while, while Yang Tong and Yang Shan in Nanyang will be handed over to Li Xiaogong and Xiangyang. In order to keep Jianghuai intact, Yao Junsu and Du Fuwei had no choice but to return to their teachers to stop Chai Shao. If the Holy One is willing to act in this way, Li Mi may still have a chance."

"I'm afraid it will be very difficult." Li Shimin smiled bitterly. He knew that his father was afraid of being beaten by Yang Tong, and he regarded Yang Tong as a scourge.

"It's as difficult as reaching the sky for a humble job." Su Shichang, who gave the idea, also sighed deeply.

Li Shimin gritted his teeth and said: "The situation is critical. We have to try anyway. We must not just sit and watch Li Mi's defeat, otherwise we will not be far from death. I will write a letter to my father and tell him about the relationship. "

After speaking of this, Li Shimin hurriedly wrote, and after finishing writing, Li Shimin thought for a while and sighed: "I will write another letter to the emperor, if the two of us work together, we can't convince the father, that's really a little bit." There is no other way.”

"Your Highness, it's best not to write to His Highness the Crown Prince." Yuwen Shiji stopped him.

Li Shimin asked strangely: "Why?"

Yuwen Shiji shook his head and sighed: "Actually, His Royal Highness is in the same mind as His Majesty. It is hard to regain some strength now, and most of our army are recruits. How can the Crown Prince, who pays attention to the people's livelihood and is based on a stable way, agree?"

"This..." Li Shimin suddenly thought of Li Tang's internal worries and the various traps his father had set for the nobles of Guanlong.Suddenly, I felt that the Sui-Wei War was a god-sent opportunity to rectify the internal affairs. At this time, it is really inappropriate to start the Sui-Tang War.As soon as he thought of this, he tore up the letter to his father and sighed: "Gentlemen, go down and rest first, let me think about it."

"Here!" Yu Wenshiji, Yin Kaishan and Su Shichang bowed and retreated.

Li Shimin watched the three of them leave, and wrote letters with different meanings and contents to his father, brother and Xiao Yu respectively.

(End of this chapter)