The third emperor of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 668

In the evening, the sky began to drizzle, and the forests and mountains in the distance seemed to be covered with a thin layer of veil.In the large tent of the Sui Army at the southern foot of Zoushan Mountain, there is a sand table five feet long and three feet wide. The terrain, cities, mountains and rivers south of the Yangtze River are all complete, and the workmanship is very exquisite.

Yang Gongren stared silently at Teng County, Pengcheng County. Pei Xingyan lived up to his expectations and easily occupied Song City in Liang County. He surrendered Yucheng, Zhecheng and other counties without bloodshed. The direction is advancing, and the other one is led by Pei Xingyan and is located in Zhecheng County.

Dangshan County is located at the junction of the four counties of Jiyin, Liangjun, Pengcheng, and Qiaojun. The geographical location is very important. Pei Xingyan garrisoned here. On the one hand, he can attack Pengcheng from the west, respond to his own army, and defeat Xu Shiji. On the other hand, he can enter Qiaojun To intimidate Li Mi's army in Huaiyang, at the same time, they can also march westward along the official road, directly entering Luyi County in Huaiyang from Zhecheng County. The decision, like two daggers, hit Li Mi's forehead and Xu Shiji's heart respectively, making them restless. But he is not without flaws, that is, he has only 2 troops, and each county has only [-] troops. It doesn't matter that Xu Shiji is watching by himself, but what about Li Mi?Can Xie Yingdeng stand it?I don't know when Li Jing's old boy will arrive in Yingchuan. If he can't arrive in time, Li Mi is very likely to preemptively launch a fierce offensive against Gao Yaxian. Once Liang County falls, Li Mi and Xu Shiji can join forces in Liang County and then fight back. Dongjun and Dongping counties occupy Wagangzhai in Babaili and Juyeze (Liangshanbo) in Babaili.

In particular, Wagang is located on the southeast bank of the Yellow River, facing the Baima Ferry of the Yellow River in the north, and facing Tongji Canal in the south; it is only a hundred miles away from Yongji Canal across the Yellow River in the west, and Wagang is just outside the bell mouth of the North-South Grand Canal.The North-South Canal was the main traffic artery of the Sui Dynasty, and Wagang was regarded as an important military strategic location.However, as far as Wagang is concerned, it is a remote place in Dongjun.Due to the repeated flooding of the Yellow River, there are undulating hills, dense trees, criss-cross ditches and rivers, and reeds everywhere. This environment is convenient for stationing troops and attacking.This is also the reason why Zhai Rang chose Wagang as the place for rebellion. The reason why Zhai Rang grew up from small to large and from weak to strong was mainly due to his control of this important place.

If they regain a foothold in this place that is easy to defend and difficult to attack, the imperial army can hide in the mountains and rivers once they arrive, and when the imperial army retreats, they can cause disasters in the village.Compared with the terrible consequences, Yang Gongren suddenly felt that the troops in Pei Xingyan's hands were really less.

For the current plan, we can only annihilate Xu Shiji's troops as soon as possible, and then trap Li Mi to death in Huaiyang with the force of an iron bucket.

Even if it is a strong attack, he will not hesitate.

The deputy commanders Zuo Tiancheng, Fan Ze, and Mai Mengcai saw that he was silent and didn't disturb him. They were all looking at the sand table and the exquisite small camp in front of them.

"Report to the Commander." At this moment, a soldier reported from the tent door: "The scout has urgent information to report."

"Let him in." Yang Gongren said.

After a while, a scout walked into the big tent, "See you, Commander, Deputy Commanders."

"There is no need to be polite at critical moments. Tell me, what did your inspection find?"

"Returning to the commander, the last general and others used binoculars to observe the Wei army's camp from a distance, and found that the Wei army was mobilizing frequently. Their heavy troops retreated to the south camp with heavy horses. Many ruts were left on the ground. It's covered with oilcloth, so I can't see what it is, but judging from its shape, it should be food and some dismantled siege equipment."

"Any details?"

"There are about 2 soldiers and civilian husbands, and there are [-] soldiers talking beside them." The scout replied without hesitation.

"Are you sure?"

"It's true."

"Send a few more scouts to stare at the Wei army's camp, and report back immediately when they get favorable information."

"Here." The scout responded.

"Commander." Zuo Tiancheng cupped his hands and said, "According to the general's opinion, Xu Shiji intends to escape."

“How come you see?”

"Liang County fell, and the north of Bianshui in Pengcheng County is surrounded by our army on many sides. Our army can outflank Xu Shiji from Liang County, Jiyin, Lu County, Langye, and Xiapi. If Xu Shiji is not a man of false fame , he will definitely retreat to the south of Bianshui before the encirclement of our army is formed, with Qiao County as the western barrier, he only needs to guard three directions." Zuo Tiancheng said: "Otherwise, he will not be trapped to death. He was also starved to death, and if the strategy of exhaustion was added, his [-] army would be defeated without a fight, and there was even the danger of the entire army being wiped out. Therefore, withdrawing the army is the most sensible choice, and if it were the last general, he would choose Withdraw."

"What General Zuo said is very true." Yang Gongren nodded and said, "Make a decisive decision without procrastinating. Xu Shiji is a man."

"Marshal, this is a god-sent opportunity." Fan Ze said.

"No rush, no rush." ​​Yang Gongren said with a smile, "We'll wait for the scouts to bring more accurate information before making a decision."

After speaking, Yang Gongren turned his gaze back to the sand table.

This area is densely covered with water networks, swamps are rampant, the land is fertile, and the population is large in peaceful times. It was an important grain production area in the Sui Dynasty. Li Mi initially chose Pengcheng as the capital because he was fancy that it could produce a large amount of grain.

In the endless wilderness, there are large forests, and a series of crystal-clear rivers flow through the forests, winding on the plain like a jade belt.The area around the Sui Army's barracks is flat and there are not many rivers, which is very suitable for cavalry operations. Because the Sui Army seized this plain, Xu Shiji could only bite the bullet and camp in this wilderness that is not conducive to his own operations. In this way, the Sui army will take advantage of the situation and go south, but he also sent people to dig a ditch and divert the water of Dushan Lake as a "guard river". Not much time.

"Is the commander planning to attack at night?" A young general next to him asked softly. He is Yu Chigong's eldest son, Yuchi Baolin. He and Cheng Yaojin's eldest son, Cheng Chumo, are training with the army. They are also the oldest among the generals' children people.

Yang Gongren glanced at him.

Yuchi Baolin immediately laughed self-deprecatingly: "The general understands. Night battles are our army's advantage, so naturally we must make full use of them."

"That's right." Yang Gongren nodded with a smile, "Xu Shiji led these 6 people, including [-] elite Wei soldiers. They fought against Wang Shichong, Yu Wenhua and the Central Plains. Not weak. Our soldiers have been fighting all these years, and they have worked very hard. They should be allowed to return to their hometown as soon as possible. As the coach and general, we should give full play to our advantages and minimize casualties on the battlefield."

Yuchi Baolin understood that Yang Gongren was telling herself to cherish the soldiers, so she quickly said: "The general will remember."

"Just remember."

Seeing Yang Gongren's high position and authority, Cheng Chumo was more talkative than his own old man who scolded his mother when he was happy and slapped his mother when he was unhappy, and said, "Commander, I have something to ask for advice."

"You ask." Yang Gongren already had a rough plan in mind, and needed the final confirmation of the scout's information, so he chatted with the two juniors.

"For a general to love his soldiers like his sons, then General Xue killed more than [-] slaves under the city of Xiangwu. Doesn't he love his soldiers like his sons?"

Yang Gongren laughed and said: "He loves soldiers like sons, so he doesn't let my soldiers from the Sui Dynasty go to attack the city, but let those foreign slaves go up..."

"Aren't alien slaves human?"

"Of course not." Yang Gongren taught: "Slaves are human-shaped siege tools when they are fighting, and human-shaped hoes, human-shaped shovels, and human-shaped iron brazing tools for repairing roads and canals when they are idle."

Everyone laughed.

At this time, another scout came to report: "Commander, the Wei army's luggage is escorted south by 2 soldiers, and another [-] people go south with their tails."

"Understood, let's explore again."

"Here."

Yang Gongren looked at the deputy commanders, and said slowly: "From this point of view, Xu Shiji indeed withdrew his troops overnight. What do you generals think about this?"

"Commander, the general thinks this is a very good opportunity. Our army should advance to prevent Xu Shiji from successfully retreating to the south bank of the Bian River."

Zuo Tiancheng first expressed his point of view, and then talked about his proposition: "The final general thinks that the army should be divided into two places, one to hold back the [-] Wei troops in the Wei army's camp, and if the Wei troops in the camp do not move, there is no need to go. If you go out of the camp, you will gather heavy troops to annihilate and trap the [-] troops here. The other cavalry will attack their food supplies. This is the territory of our Sui Dynasty, and only one army needs to be left to garrison the camp. , don’t worry about the food road being cut off. We have an absolute advantage. When the cavalry returns from victory, the Wei army’s camp will be destroyed without attack.”

Yang Gongren nodded in secret praise, if Zuo Tiancheng's style of attack is used, it is not difficult to defeat the Wei army, the only flaw is that it is difficult to win a big victory, and the intelligence said that the Wei army still has [-] troops leaving with the heavy soldiers, the fate of this army is absolutely certain. Covering the rear army, protecting food and supplies, and possibly attacking halfway, if this army is not wiped out, the cavalry will be at great risk.So, this is still a risky plan.

Zuo Tiancheng looked at Yang Gongren, and said solemnly: "It's just that this method is quite dangerous. If this army is accidentally defeated by the Wei army, and the army staying in the camp fails to wipe it out in time, the cavalry who directly attacked the baggage will become a lone army along the way. .”

"Commander, the army that cuts off the rear is definitely the main force of the Wei army. As the saying goes, it is better to cut off one of its ten fingers. The general thinks that we have gathered superior forces and smashed the Wei army's camp with the momentum of thunder, and then went to chase the other two teams. The main forces have all been defeated. I think those two armies will be panic-stricken, and it will not be difficult to defeat them." Fan Ze bowed his hands, and then pointed out the shortcomings of this strategy: "This method is more stable in the end, so you don't have to think about it halfway. There is no need to worry about being ambushed by the enemy from behind, but it is also easy to miss the other two teams."

"Commander, General Fan's tactics are good, and the last general will second." Mai Mengcai nodded in agreement.

"Your suggestions are all good, but you have overlooked a crucial point." Seeing the eyes of everyone, Yang Gongren said, "I mean the Wei Army Camp."

Speaking of this, he pointed to the model of Wei Jun's camp and said: "This is a death formation. If you change it a little, it will be a killing formation full of murderous opportunities. No matter how many people enter, they will never return."

"Is it the eight-door golden lock formation that the Holy Majesty encountered?"

Mai Zhongcai swallowed his saliva, but he knew that thousands of rebels from the Xiaoguo army entered the eight-door golden lock formation, but none of them survived, but no one was killed or injured in the Wei army, it was really terrifying.

"This is called Liuhe Formation, and it is very similar to the Six Flower Formation founded by Li Jing, but the two are similar in appearance, but they must be different inside." Yang Gongren said: "In the ninth year of the great cause, Yang Xuangan rebelled, and the late emperor asked me to take charge of the conquest. More than 1 county soldiers defeated the rebels in Poling, relying on Liuhe Formation."

"The result?" Yuchi Baolin couldn't help asking.

"I lured the rebels into the camp, and burned them down with a big fire, but my camp is relatively small, and I only burned [-] to [-] rebels to death."

"So Xu Shiji intends to lure our army into the camp, and then burn us up?" Mai Zhongcai asked.

"But we set the fire first, and the result is different."

"The commander-in-chief is saying that we lit the fire first?"

"Of course, since Xu Shiji has set up a barbecue feast, why should we be polite?" Yang Gongren's voice revealed a sense of arrogance. He didn't want to be so ruthless, but after thinking about the safety of tens of thousands of Sui troops, his state of mind changed. It's different.

"It's just that it's raining today, can the fire start?"

"It's not raining too much, so it's completely fine."

As soon as Yang Gongren finished speaking, a scout came to report again: "Commander, the soldiers of the Wei army are laying things in the barracks and tents, and they look like flammable things from a distance."

When everyone heard this, they couldn't help mourning for Xu Shiji.

This Xu Shiji was really unlucky.

I actually met someone who had played the fire attack and kill array once.

"This is thanks to the telescope." Zuo Tiancheng said with deep emotion: "With this object, it is almost impossible for anyone to sneak attack our army, and it can make the scouts observe the enemy's camp in more detail."

"There is no absolute in everything." Yang Gongren shook his head, and said: "The telescope is indeed very useful, but it is a bit exaggerated to say that it is invincible and invincible. After all, there are still many terrains that are thousands of miles away. The mirror cannot see the whole picture. The telescope is as simple as the three treasures of the cavalry, and it is easy for people to learn. Now the enemy does not know that we have such a sharp weapon, otherwise, they can make it."

At this time, Mai Zhongcai humbly asked for advice: "Marshal, what should we pay attention to when setting fire?"

Yang Gongren seems to be an expert in playing with fire, and he replied without hesitation as soon as the question came up: "The first is fire, and the second is flammable things."

Yang Gongren is right. If there are few fires, they can be easily extinguished. All successful fire attacks in history have sufficient fires.Only when there are so many fires that the enemy cannot extinguish them can they succeed. Of course, easy things are also the key.

Zuo Tiancheng murmured: "We don't know how many inflammable objects Wei Jun has laid, we can't let our soldiers enter the camp to die, and the Wei Jun camp is huge, even sending troops to fire rockets can't burn it down in a short time. Why don't we imitate the Holy Lord's strategy of burning Tongluo people, and get hundreds of horses at the east, north, and west gates of Wei Jun's camp. As long as the horses are covered with thatch, wherever they go will be fire. The camp will surely be engulfed in a sea of ​​flames."

"General Zuo's method is fine, that's the way to set the fire." Yang Gongren said with a smile: "Since that's the case, the matter will be easy. Since Wei Jun wants to lure our army into the camp and set fire to it, he probably won't stay with us for long. Combat. We simply combined the two strategies and left the south gate as their retreat. That is, one army dragged the Wei army in the camp, and one cavalry pretended to go south, and then turned around and came back to clean up the deserters in the camp. camp, and then go after the other two Wei armies, with the speed of our cavalry, it is very easy to catch up with them."

Speaking of this, Yang Gongren stood up and shouted: "All generals obey orders."

All the generals in the tent stood up, and the armor leaf hit, making a sound.

"General Mai, you have always followed the Holy Majesty, and participated in many raids on alien races; in terms of cavalry experience, you are the leader in the tent. You will lead [-] cavalry southward and lie in ambush five miles away from the Wei army camp. Wait until you are defeated." When the soldiers arrive, attack immediately. If you encounter Xu Shiji, try to capture him alive."

The Second Army of the Great Sui Dynasty was also an army that was good at riding and fighting, so it did not go to Jiangxia with Qin Qiong, but was led by Yang Gongren, so it is not that Yang Gongren has no main battle army.

"The last general obeys orders." Mai Zhongcai bowed to his orders.

Yang Gongren looked at Fan Ze and said with a smile: "General Fan Ze, order [-] slaves to stand by. When we break through the camp of the Wei army, let these [-] slaves go south. Come out, and then be supported by General Mai’s Sui Army soldiers. Just remember, don’t trap yourself.”

"The final general obeys orders." Fan Ze accepted the order with a smile.

"General Zuo, you are in charge of attacking the camp. Remember, if you attack the camp, let the slave soldiers go up."

"..." The generals sighed speechlessly.

Slaves are really not human, so they don't feel bad when using them.

Yang Gongren said solemnly: "All the generals perform their own duties and must not slack off."

"The last general obeys the order!" The generals led the order and came out.

. . . . . . . . . .

In the big tent of the Wei army, Xu Shiji was staring at a map in a daze. He was still thinking about the Sui army on the opposite side. If all his troops could reach the designated place victoriously, then Pengcheng still had 4 troops. , More than [-] heavy soldiers can also stand on top for a while, but once the Sui army comes to attack, will Pengcheng be able to hold it?

However, Pengcheng City is a county with a circumference of 15 miles. The city is tall and strong, and its defense capabilities are extremely strong. With so many troops defending the city, coupled with their own command ability, if the Sui army wants to break through Pengcheng City, it will take at least [-] troops and many heavy troops. A siege engine, otherwise it is difficult to break, and his army can grow up in the fortified battle.

Xu Shiji thought of Li Mi in Huaiyang County again. If he could stand by himself for a year or so, the morale of the Sui army would be severely damaged. Seeing that Wei was so tenacious, the Tang Dynasty would definitely not sit back and watch Wei fall. Even if Li Yuan couldn't see the value of Wei's existence, the Tang court should have someone with a long-term perspective to persuade him. If they just sit back and watch Wei's defeat, the pressure on Tang will be doubled, and death is not far away.If the Tang army wins the Jingxiang battlefield, then the Tang army can take advantage of the situation and develop southward, sweeping the entire Jingxiang and Jianghuai.

In this way, the Sui army will also be forced to give up the offensive, instead shrinking the front line and consolidating various important areas. The war will temporarily cease, and the Wei will have a chance to breathe, and it is very likely to occupy Qingzhou and Xuzhou, forming a deterrent from the east. Luoyang trend, this is the best result.

Xu Shiji sighed slightly. Judging from the fact that the Sui army dispatched troops from multiple directions, he, Xu Shiji, had already become the first target of the Sui army. If he could hold on, Qiaojun might still be able to hold on. If he failed, Pengcheng, Qiao County will inevitably fall into the hands of the Sui army. There is only one Huaiyang sage, how can he be the opponent of the Sui army?All the hopes of Wei State are now resting on his shoulders, can he support it?
Difficult, difficult, difficult.

With the power of a country like this, how insignificant is the power of one person?If he really had a plan to turn things around, he would not take the risk of retreating, let alone set up such a cruel killing situation.

At this point in his thoughts, there was a sound of hurried running outside, and the hurried footsteps made Xu Shiji's heart suspend all of a sudden.

"Report to the general, the scouts have discovered something unusual!" A soldier hurriedly reported.

Xu Shiji quickly walked out of the big tent and asked, "What's abnormal?"

"The scouts discovered that about [-] Sui cavalry had dispatched and were approaching our army's Dongday camp."

"East Day Camp?"

"Exactly."

Xu Shiji thought about it, and suddenly understood that the Sui army had discovered the change of their own army, and sent [-] cavalry to chase and kill the soldiers who had gone south. I had to be too early. If I ignored it, the Second Route Army led by Le Botong would probably be chased by the other party before reaching the preset location. Any ambushes and support are bullshit, so I immediately ordered: "Send scouts to the south and immediately tell General Le the news, so that he can choose a place to ambush."

"Here." The scout obeyed his orders and retreated.

"Sound the alarm and order the whole army to prepare for war!" Xu Shiji was resourceful, knowing that the Sui army would not ignore that cavalry, at least he would send someone to hold him back, lest the cavalry be attacked by the enemy.

'When, when, when...'

The crisp and rapid alarm bells echoed in the Wei army camp, and the whole camp seemed to come alive. The soldiers in Wei were all sleeping with armor, and when they heard the bell, they rushed out of the tent. These 3 people were The elite divisions who had been through the battle were notified in advance, and there was no confusion. Under the leadership of officers at all levels, they took their positions one after another.

At this time, another scout rushed to report, "General, the Sui army has launched a large-scale attack. There are about [-] people. They are slowly advancing towards the camp. It seems that they plan to fight overnight."

"I see." Upon hearing this news, Xu Shiji was greatly relieved, at least the Sui army did not know his arrangement in the camp.

7 people, what a pity.

But war has never been said to be benevolent.

Xu Shiji thought about it for a while, then suddenly ordered: "Except for the soldiers who set fire, all the rest will retreat to the southern camp, and the other three gates will be opened wide and the lights will be lit."

Hearing this order, all the generals and schools were stunned.

"General, is this Uncle Zhan's trick?" a partial general asked.

Uncle Zhan's trick is the famous "empty city trick".

Empty city planning is actually a psychological tactic.When one's own side is unable to defend the city, deliberately exposing the emptiness in our city to the enemy is the so-called "empty one is empty".The enemy suspected that there was an ambush in the city, and was afraid of falling into the ambush circle.But this is a dangerous strategy that hangs and hangs.The key to using this strategy is to understand and master the character traits of the enemy general.

In 666 BC, Yuan, the prince of Chu State, attacked Zheng State mightily.All the way to the capital of the state of Zheng.The state of Zheng was weak and the capital was empty, so it was impossible to resist the invasion of the Chu army.

The state of Zheng was at stake. Some advocated payment for peace, some advocated a fight to the death, and some advocated sticking to it and waiting for help.But these propositions are difficult to solve the danger of subjugation.

At this time, Uncle Zhan, Shangqing of Zheng Guo, came up with a plan and ordered all the soldiers to lie in ambush in the city, so that the enemy would not see a single soldier.Make the shops in the city open as usual, and the people come and go as usual, without showing a trace of panic.Then open the city gate wide and put on an undefended look.

Prince Yuan of the state of Chu believed that there was a fraud, so he should not attack rashly.Advance to the city to find out the truth, so stand still.At this time, Qi State received Zheng State's request for help, and it has joined forces with Lu and Song to rescue Zheng.Prince Yuan heard the report and knew that the soldiers of the Three Kingdoms had arrived, and the Chu army would not be able to win.It is better to retreat. He was worried that the enemy would pursue him when he retreated, so he withdrew his horses and wrapped his hoofs overnight. All the camps were not demolished, and the flags were still flying. In turn, he successfully deceived Uncle Zhan with the empty city plan, and he was able to live safely. Withdrew from the border of Zheng State.

This is the first successful use of the empty city strategy in history. It is ironic that both the enemy and the enemy use it, and all of them are successful.

"That's right, Zhengshu Zhan Qiji." Xu Shiji said without hesitation: "We originally planned to abandon the big camp. Instead of increasing casualties, it is better to let the Sui army be suspicious for a while, so as to give the generals a little more time. "

This "empty city plan" was the method Xu Shiji had to adopt when the Sui army reacted too quickly. In terms of military strength, the Sui army now has an absolute advantage. It's over.

If the empty city strategy can successfully stop the Sui army, or lure all the Sui army into the camp, both Le Botong and Wenren Suian can successfully retreat to Pengcheng City.

Xu Shiji looked at the flames soaring into the sky in the distance, his lips were bleeding from biting, his palms were sweating, and his heart was beating wildly. What he was worried about now was that the Sui army would confront him in front of the camp, and then Send a cavalry to the south. If this is the case, Le Botong and Wenren Suian will be finished.And he let the soldiers retreat into the southern camp, which was also a foreshadowing of this worry, but in the wilderness, how did the infantry fight the cavalry?

(End of this chapter)