The third emperor of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 713
In the Gucheng County Government Office, multiple lamps placed on the wall illuminate the hall like daytime.

Su Dingfanggao sat at the head, and Luo Shixin, Cheng Yaojin, Dugu Yanyun, Dugu Qingyun, Gao Yan, Kan Leng, Yu Qinming, He Lanshiren, Da Xida and others sat on the left and right according to their military positions.

Su Dingfang glanced at everyone's faces one by one, and then said: "The scout came to report, Li Shimin and Dou Cong marched at the same pace, and they were less than forty miles away from Gucheng. They will be able to kill Gucheng at the latest at Haishi. Tell me, everyone, how should we fight the next battle?"

Although he has made plans and made a series of arrangements, Su Dingfang is humble and never speaks out. Moreover, the Beizhen Army is not the army of the Great Sui Dynasty after all, so Dugu Yanyun and others have to consider the feelings of Dugu Yanyun and others.

Dugu Yanyun cupped his hands and said: "What's there to say? The soldiers will fight as General Su says!"

Dugu Qingyun, He Lanshiren, Da Xida, Tian Jin, Yi Xian, Xin Han, Helian Chu, several Chao and others also echoed loudly.After the battle before dusk, Su Dingfang's ability has been recognized, and his prestige has been completely established. Even if Su Dingfang asks them to lead his troops to attack Xiangyang, no one will frown, because they believe that since Su Dingfang gave the order , there must be his reasons and arrangements!
Yu Qinming, who was the Zuo Sima of the Beizhen Army, said worriedly: "Li Shimin is the successor of Li Hu. He is well versed in the art of war and rich in strategy. They are also very organized, and must not be underestimated. In addition, Dou Cong is not an ordinary person. The combined strength of the two of them is no less than 1, which is three or four times more than our army. And our army was quite damaged in the battle in the afternoon. If In a head-to-head confrontation, even if we win, I'm afraid there will be very little left."

"Hey, Mr. Yu is worrying too much." Da Xi'an waved his hand, and said carelessly and disapprovingly, "Let alone Li Shimin who has been defeated repeatedly, even if Li Hu is reborn, I am afraid that he will not be the opponent of General Su!" After a while, Da Xi'an said again, "Besides, what about a [-] army? All our soldiers can block ten with one, even if Li Yuan sends another [-], he is not afraid!"

Yu Qinming shook his head and smiled wryly, he was too lazy to argue with this guy, but cupped his hands to Su Dingfang who was at the top and said: "The general already had a plan to defeat the enemy when he entered the city, please tell him one by one."

"Haha, I really can't hide it from you sir." Su Dingfang clapped his palms and laughed, "Then sir, do you think the plan of water attack can defeat Tang Jun?"

"The humble official thinks that the strategy of water attack is feasible." Yu Qinming bowed his hands and said nothing more.

The generals were all horrified when they thought about Su Dingfang's arrangements for moving grain and cutting bamboo after he took over the military power.

Good guy.

He had just entered the city, and before a battle was fought, he had predicted the situation in front of him and set up a strategy to defeat the enemy, which is really too powerful.

Dugu Yanyun looked at Su Dingfang in surprise, joy and admiration, and asked, "Has the general planned to flood Gucheng long ago?"

"That's right." Su Dingfang nodded and said, "The terrain of Gucheng County is high in the west and low in the east. The North River flowing to the southeast has enough water. As long as embankments are built on the upper reaches of the two rivers and the dams are opened at the same time, the surrounding area of ​​Gucheng will be plunged into a vast ocean. When I entered the city, I didn’t see a single person, so I thought The plan is to use the water attack to break the enemy's army. However, the terrain of Gucheng is quite obvious. If our army is not in the city, I am afraid that Li Shimin and Dou Cong will be on guard. So after the battle, they retreated to Gucheng without even cleaning the battlefield, and the Tang army was defeated. The army will surely disclose to Li Shimin and Dou Cong the news that all our troops will return to the city."

"Our army is all in the city. I'm afraid Li Shimin would never have dreamed that our army would attack Gucheng with water." Dugu Qingyun suddenly realized, and said with a smile: "As long as the bamboo rafts are tied up and the soldiers are ready in advance, the flood will not flood them." It's up to us."

The generals understood, and shouted one after another: "Please give the order, General."

"Cheng Yaojin, take a cavalry out of the city, go west along the Zhushui River for [-] miles, choose a place to build an embankment, and break the embankment at Maoshi."

"The general will obey." Cheng Yaojin got up and obeyed.

"Gao Yan, you take another cavalry and go up twenty li along the North River. Your task is the same as that of General Cheng."

"The last will obey."

Speaking of this, Su Dingfang looked at the hourglass, and continued: "It is now Youshi, and it is close to six hours away from Maoshi, so you must hurry up when you leave the city. Remember to bring the hourglass."

"Here." The second general responded.

Cheng Yaojin thought for a while and asked, "General, I don't have much time to prepare. Why are we running so far? Building an embankment nearby can store more water?"

Su Dingfang understood: "After the battle in the afternoon, Li Shimin has taken precautions against our army, and Gucheng's disadvantage is so obvious, he must send people to patrol along the river. It is a dream to build an embankment near Gucheng."

"The general understands." Cheng Yaojin chuckled.

Su Dingfang said again: "Mr. Yu, you and Mr. He Lan, take the scribes, the soldiers who are afraid of water and the wounded soldiers and retreat to the place where the food is hidden. Hurry up."

"Follow your orders." Yu Qinming and He Lan Shiren rose up in response.

"Generals," Su Dingfang's cold eyes were like sharp knives, scraping across the faces of the generals one by one, and then said in a deep voice: "Command the soldiers, make more bamboo rafts. If there is not enough bamboo, demolish the wooden houses of the people to make up."

"The last will obey."

Everyone in the hall responded with a bang, and hurriedly left the county government office, carrying out their duties nervously and orderly.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The time when the two Tang armies arrived at Gucheng was faster than Su Dingfang expected, and they had already reached the outside of the city at the end of the Xu Dynasty.

The raging bonfire was lit, and the flames soared into the sky, illuminating the land south of the city as bright as day.

Amidst the continuous sound of war drums and horns, the banners covering the sky and the sun are slowly approaching Gucheng with the south gate of Gucheng as the center.

Immediately behind the banners were densely packed soldiers of the Tang army holding fire, first there were more than ten thousand light cavalry, followed by heavily armored infantry wearing heavy armor and holding large shields, and then pikemen holding long spears and wearing light armor , and then there are light infantry holding short blades and wearing light armor, followed by crossbowmen, equipment soldiers, long halberd soldiers and other arms, extending from the south city to the end of the field of vision, giving people a sense of grounding and endless feeling.

It wasn't until a stone's throw away that the Tang army slowly stopped. As the formation flag opened, first a group of heavily armored infantry rushed out, quickly established their positions, and then thousands of elite cavalry Surrounded by Li Shimin, they drove out slowly from the formation.

Li Shimin suddenly looked up to the sky and laughed loudly when he saw the flames rising from the top of Gucheng, the banners like clouds, and thousands of soldiers from the Beizhen Army crowded the top of the city, posing as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

Zhai Changsun, who was following Li Shimin, asked puzzledly, "Why are you laughing, Your Highness?"

Li Shimin smiled coldly: "I laugh at Dugu Yanyun. This man is familiar with the art of war and is also very smart, so he was able to defeat Liu Hongji. I also have to admit that he is a general who is good at catching opportunities. The difference is huge, due to the lack of experience in battles, the ability to make decisions is much worse after all, completely unaware that Gucheng with its small walls and low walls is a Jedi, and he joins forces to defend to the death, completely suicidal!"

"The Beizhen Army's attempt to defend the city is indeed a desperate situation." Zhai Changsun said with deep conviction, "As long as our army guards the four gates and harasses day and night, the Beizhen Army has no reinforcements outside and lacks food and grass inside. How many days will you hold on?"

"You can't trap the four gates to death." Li Shimin shook his head, and said lightly, "Sun Tzu said, 'Don't block your return to the teacher, surround the teacher without quelling, and the poor don't force it', our army only needs to 'surround it on three sides and block one side'. .Give them a 'way of survival' and use the advantage of cavalry to wipe them out outside the city."

After all, Li Shimin turned around and ordered his general Li Xizhi, "General Li, you lead 2 troops to camp outside the north gate of Gucheng. In order to prevent the Beizhen army from breaking out and threatening Yincheng, you must not let anyone go!"

"Here!" Li Xizhi obeyed the order awe-inspiringly, and immediately mobilized his troops and rushed to the north gate.

Li Shimin pondered for a moment to Li Daoyan, Li Wenxuan, and Li Daoxuan who were beside Dou Cong, and ordered: "Daoyan, Wenxuan, Daoxuan, General Dou and I want to discuss military affairs. You first lead 3 people to camp outside the east gate. Wait for the general to come back and give orders."

"Here." Li Daoyan, Li Wenjun, and Li Daoxuan clasped their hands together, and immediately retreated to the formation, mobilizing an army of [-] and heading towards the east gate.

Watching the four generals leave one after another, Li Shimin ordered again: "Send the order, the army camps at the south gate!"

As soon as the orders were issued, the soldiers of the Tang army immediately got busy in an orderly manner. The cavalry was busy feeding the horses, and the heavy armored infantry were busy unloading their armor to rest... The heavy soldiers unloaded their luggage and began to build tents, while various miscellaneous soldiers went to cut down nearby. Trees were carried to set up fences and build watchtowers, while a small number of light cavalry cruised around the city, responsible for security matters.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

After Li Shimin gave the order to besiege the city, under the escort of the Red Armored Army, he couldn't wait to find a high ground to watch the enemy's situation in the city.

It's getting late now, and the army has just arrived, and the soldiers are tired. Li Shimin doesn't plan to attack the city overnight, and has even made a new decision. If the Beizhen army resists fiercely, he will change to a long-term siege strategy and wait for the Beizhen army If the food is exhausted and they are lured to break out from the west gate, the Beizhen army will be exhausted and lack fighting spirit, and they will be able to destroy them in the wild or force them to land.But Li Shimin was worried that the Sui Dynasty would not give him this time.

Right now, Sui armies from all walks of life are continuously mobilizing to the Sui and Tang borders, which is actually going to attack the Tang Dynasty. As for the so-called truce agreement, whether it is true or not, it will not change the fact that the Sui and Tang Dynasties are approaching.

In the deep night, Li Shimin stared at the blazing Gucheng from a distance, his expression was very serious, now that even the nobles in Guanlong have turned against him, can the nobles still devote themselves to Tang?The answer is obviously impossible.

Ever since Yang Tong uttered the voice of reconciliation with the aristocratic family, the Guanlong nobles and the major nobles have tried their best to contact Yang Tong, openly or secretly, so the rebellion of the Guanlong nobles is just a prelude. There are nearly hundreds of thousands of troops pressing down on the border, and the relevant Long nobles rebelled and the gentry have ulterior motives. Even if they retreat into Yizhou, how can they still hold it?

Now Li Shimin's only hope is to calm down the Beizhen army as soon as possible, integrate the army in his hands, take back Li Xiaogong's army in Chongling County intact, and then persuade his father to launch a desperate attack on the Sui army.Although the hope of successfully persuading his father is very slim, Li Shimin still intends to work hard to achieve it.

"Your Highness," Li Shimin was thinking about something, when suddenly Dou Cong said in a deep voice, "Gucheng is very problematic."

"What's the problem?" Li Shimin turned his head and asked.

Dou Cong pointed at Gucheng with a horse lance, and said solemnly: "Your Highness, please look carefully at the terrain."

Li Shimin looked around according to his words, and found that in Gucheng at this time, the flames inside and outside the city were soaring into the sky, and it was like daytime for several miles around. Shenghui, the soldiers of the Tang army who are setting up camp, seem to be working in the basin.

"Your Highness, look." Dou Cong realized that Li Shimin had discovered the problem, so he pointed the front one by one with a horse, and introduced them one by one: "Zhushui and Beihe Jiagu flow east of the city, and flow into the Han River a few miles east of the city. Not only is the city surrounded by water on three sides, but the terrain is also lower than the surface of the two rivers in the north and south. The area of ​​more than ten miles centered on Gucheng is a large depression. It would be unimaginable."

"The general is right." Li Shimin understood the problem, but breathed a sigh of relief, and ordered Zhai Changsun next to him: "There should be no need for the Red Armored Army tomorrow. You divide the Red Armored Army into two groups and follow the Patrol the Zhushui and Beihe rivers all night, and report back immediately if they find the Beizhen army building dams or digging embankments."

"The last general obeys." Zhai Changsun bowed his hands and asked a little puzzled: "Your Highness, General, if the Beizhen army digs the embankment, then they themselves will suffer. Do they really dare to burn everything?"

"It's not the Beizhen Army's problem, it's that we dare not take the risk." Li Shimin said harshly, "Our strength is far inferior to the Sui Dynasty, and now Liu Hongji has been completely wiped out by the Beizhen Army. As a result, a fatal loophole appeared in the Hanshui defense line, and now we are not even qualified for a tragic victory."

Zhai Changsun said in an embarrassing way: "The general understands."

Li Shimin pointed to the darkest area outside the 'big brazier', and said solemnly: "Be careful of the darkness under the lights, and widen the patrol range."

Zhai Changsun hesitated for a moment and asked, "How about Wuli?"

"Ten miles, no, patrol fifteen miles." Li Shimin said two words lightly, and said with a little worry: "You go and get five thousand cavalry, and each river will send five thousand elite cavalry to take charge."

"Here." Zhai Changsun obeyed his orders and left.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Gucheng city head.

Seeing nearly [-] soldiers of the Tang army set up camp and blatantly marched around the city to demonstrate, Su Dingfang, Luo Shixin and other generals all sneered a little, "Hey, they actually came to encircle us, this is an old tradition that has been passed down for thousands of years It's a routine, it may not work well here!"

Kan Leng scratched his head, and asked in a puzzled manner, "General, when it comes to battles, everyone only surrounds three sides. What's the reason? Why do you do this?"

Kan Leng has fought countless wars, large and small, and is the number one warrior under Du Fuwei's command, but he is a general from a wild background after all, and his military theory is pitiful.

Although he also engaged in encirclement, three queues and one, but why he did it and what benefits it has, it is not clear.

"This is called encirclement, three queries, and one, which originated from Sun Tzu's Art of War, 'Don't stop when you return to the army, the siege must be quelled, and the poor should not be forced'. Do not obstruct the retreating enemy army, leave a gap for escape to the surrounded enemy army, and do not force the enemy army that is on the verge of extinction. When the enemy army sees a way out, their will to fight is greatly reduced, and they focus on escaping. I won’t turn around and fight desperately, and the other party just needs to follow suit.” Su Dingfang explained patiently.

"So that's how it is." Once dialed, Kan Leng immediately understood the ultimate meaning of 'Wai San Que Yi'.

Luo Shixin patted Kan Leng on the back of the chest, and scolded him like a son, "Kan Leng, you really should read military books."

Kan Leng said embarrassingly, "General, I also really wanted to read military books, but my adoptive father and I were born in poverty, so there were no military books to read at all. Knowing a few big characters would be great."

Luo Shixin said with a smile, "Do you want to learn?"

Kan Leng's eyes lit up when he heard it, and his head nodded like a chicken pecking rice: "Yes, of course I want to."

Luo Shixin showed off: "I will teach you "Grandson" another day."

"My son is only three years old, where can I get a grandson?" Kan Leng was extremely depressed.

"Ha ha……"

All the generals in the city laughed in good faith.

Su Dingfang smiled and said: "The grandson that General Luo is talking about is not your grandson, but Sun Wu, the soldier saint. This 'grandson' can also be "Sun Tzu's Art of War."

"Uh..." Kan Leng was embarrassed when he heard this.

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First update. . .

Asking for a ticket: just recommend a ticket. . . . . . . . .

(End of this chapter)