Jiuxi

Chapter 502 Chapter 500 [Whimsical]

Beiyan, Moyang Road.

During the nearly three-month stalemate stage of the campaign, the Yan Army relied on the assistance of the Jing Army's cavalry to briefly suppress the Jingzhou Army, and achieved certain results on the western front, pushing the front to Jingzhou's Xileng Pass and Gao Near Tangcheng.

For the Yan army, which had been beaten to death by the Daqi border troops in the past few years, this small victory was enough to make them feel proud.

But General Niu Cunjie of Moyang Road never dared to take it lightly.

Even when he led the army to approach Xileng Pass and Gaotang City, Niu Cunjie was still cautious and would treat any small-scale battle with caution.

Therefore, when Li Tianrun personally led the main force of the Jingzhou Army northward and approached the frontier of the Western Front step by step, Niu Cunjie immediately led his troops to retreat and put on a prepared posture.

Now he personally leads 60,000 soldiers and horses under his command to garrison in Xinxi City, another 10,000 infantry are stationed in Pingyu City in the east, and 8,000 infantry are stationed in Baoxing County in the west. The three are the horns of each other.

There are 10,000 Jingjun infantry at the junction of Moyang Road and Gyeonggi Land in the north. In addition, there are 6,000 Jingjun cavalry staying on the flanks. The previous cavalry that broke into Jingzhou to harass has been transferred by Qing Yugong. Go to Dingzhou.

Niu Cunjie knew very well that although he was the Western Front coach personally appointed by Qing Yugong, he had no authority to command and mobilize the two Jing armies unless Qing Yugong issued more clear instructions.

In the General's Mansion, all the generals, deputy generals, and supervisors gathered together on Moyang Road, waiting for Niu Cunjie's decision.

Although they didn't say it, they would inevitably criticize the general for being cowardly. Originally, the Yan army was at the upper hand, and it might not take long for them to take down Xileng Pass and Gaotang City. However, when they heard that Li Tianrun personally led When the soldiers came, Niu Cunjie immediately ordered them to retreat.

It’s not that these generals of the Yan Army don’t know Li Tianrun’s ability, but there is never an absolute advantage in war. There are many examples in the history books of defeating the many with less, and the weak defeating the strong. And the most important thing is that the Yan Army is being beaten now. stand up.

This time Niu Cunjie followed Qing Yugong's order and mobilized most of the reserve forces throughout Moyang Road, aiming to open a gap in the Jingzhou Army's defense line from the west road and create conditions for the Jingchao cavalry to march straight into the southeast.

In other words, the Yan army will inevitably enter the rhythm of battle with the main force of the Qi army.

Otherwise, there is no need for Niu Cunjie to hoard all his troops on the western front. Xinxi, Pingyu, Baoxing and other places do not need nearly 80,000 soldiers and horses to be stationed. This is not a stupid decision that a slightly rational coach can make.

The atmosphere in the lobby was solemn, and Niu Cunjie knew this very well. He did not repeat how powerful Li Tianrun was. Such words would hurt morale to some extent. He just said calmly: "I received a call from Prince Changshan yesterday. According to the military order, the Jing Army is currently launching a strong attack on the Dingzhou battlefield. Their enemies are the troops from Ding and Huai in the southern Qi Dynasty. The pressure is far greater than that of our troops. Therefore, the Prince of Changshan County clearly informed this general that our troops will not have reinforcements for this battle. , you have to rely on yourself.”

These words made the generals wake up instantly.

Their eagerness to try and their slander of Niu Cunjie before had their confidence coming from Jing Jun behind them.

In the understanding of these people, as long as Jingjun sends reinforcements to support the rear, then Li Tianrun and the Jingzhou Army on the opposite side are not that scary.

Niu Cunjie looked around at the crowd and continued: "In addition, according to the information from the frontline scouts, Li Tianrun personally led the Qingxu, Yangzhai, Heyang, and Anping armies this time with a total strength of 50,000 troops, plus more than 10,000 defenders in Gaotang City. The total strength is only about 20,000 less than our army."

Zhu Zhen, the general manager of the military and horse capital, immediately said: "Fortunately, the general made a decisive decision and asked our troops to withdraw into the city. Otherwise, a hasty decisive battle in the field without backup would have led to Li Tianrun's trick."

Others also started to flatter him one after another, and there was a flood of flattery.

Niu Cunjie was disgusted with this kind of flattery, but he also knew that the Yan army generals had complex factions, and it was not easy for him to secure the position of the general. He could only accept the flattery of the generals against his will, with a slight smile on his face. Somewhat reluctantly.

After the hall calmed down, he cleared his throat and said: "This time the Qi army is coming fiercely. They must have been suffocated by being beaten passively in the past few months. Now is the time when their morale is high. Our army's retreat is not out of fear of war." , but to weaken the morale of the enemy. When you return, tell the soldiers to wait patiently. Our army and the Qi army will definitely fight. When the time comes, no one will be allowed to be timid, otherwise we will not be lenient! "

"Follow the order!"

The generals stood up and took orders.

Niu Cunjie nodded and said, "Everyone, please step aside. Manager Zhu will stay."

Zhu Zhen, as the general manager of Moyang Road's military and horse capital, was only under Niu Cunjie in terms of real power. Moreover, he had led troops on Moyang Road for more than ten years. When the former general Chen Xiaokuan was still there, he was already a military commander. All in charge.

All the generals knew that these two men would definitely discuss military affairs in secret, so they bowed and resigned knowingly.

"General, this battle is not easy to fight."

Looking at Niu Cunjie's face that became heavy after everyone left, Zhu Zhen spoke first.

Niu Cunjie walked to the sand table and said slowly: "Those people below are simple-minded and can only talk to you in detail. Although the Jingzhou Army has been relatively weak in the past few months, it does not mean that their The reason why the strength has declined so quickly is because Li Tianrun was worried about the people behind our army, so he deliberately took a defensive stance to avoid the battle. Now that he has confirmed that the main force of Jing's army is on the border of Dingzhou, he will naturally not let our army continue to press forward. "

Zhu Zhen muttered: "Li Tianrun's main force is indeed difficult to deal with. Can our army avoid its edge?"

Niu Cunjie looked puzzled: "Isn't this what we are doing now?" Zhu Zhen shook his head and said: "The official said, just defend without fighting."

This returns us to the very beginning.

The Yan army relied on the city passes to form a defensive system and faced the Jingzhou army in a defensive posture.

Niu Cunjie did a good job at this point, and the difficulty of defending the city was far less than that of attacking the city. This was also the reason why the Jingzhou Army had difficulty making progress before.

However, how could Niu Cunjie not know the convenience of defense?
He sighed softly and said with a hint of helplessness: "This battle must be fought."

Zhu Zhen didn't say any more.

Of course he understood that this was not Niu Cunjie's own idea, but the decision of the Marshal of Jing Chao Nanyuan.

If Niu Cunjie refuses to fight, Qing Yugong doesn't even need to take action himself. He only needs to say hello to the current Beiyan court. Wang An, Chen Xiaokuan and others will use the name of the emperor to remove Niu Cunjie's military power. Later comers Whether it is Zhu Zhen or others, they must act according to Qing Yugong's will.

"Xiaoguan is a little confused. Since Prince Changshan decided to launch an offensive in Dingzhou, why is Moyang Road not allowed to go on the defensive?"

Zhu Zhen raised a crucial question.

Niu Cunjie's heart trembled, and he looked up at the deputy who was thinking deeply. Seeing that he seemed to be just asking casually, he replied cautiously: "Actually, I don't know very well. Judging from the current battle situation on both sides, I think the prince The purpose is to drag Li Tianrun and the Jingzhou Army to Moyang Road to prevent him from freeing up support in Dingzhou and Huaihe. Without the support of the Jingzhou Army, the opponent's Dingzhou Army has been established for less than a year and can only rely on Xiao Wang. It’s a tree that can’t support itself.”

"Indeed."

Zhu Zhen nodded, looked at the sand table and said, "But this is really a severe test for our department."

Niu Cunjie sighed and said: "Who says it's not the case? Li Tianrun has not taken action for many years, so he is bound to win this battle. The arrogant and powerful generals under his command are very difficult to deal with. I guess he will place the battlefield in this west wind plain. , with Gaotang City as his support in the south, even if he is defeated, he can retreat calmly without the risk of the entire army being annihilated. "

Zhu Zhen wanted to laugh but couldn't.

With the Yan army's current strength of less than 80,000 troops, do you want to defeat the 50,000 elite troops led by Li Tianrun personally on the plain battlefield?
I'm afraid Qing Yugong can't say he's absolutely sure even if he comes in person.

Niu Cunjie also knew the reason for his expression. He laughed at himself and said, "I know that no one who knows a little bit about military affairs will think that I have a chance of defeating Li Tianrun."

Zhu Zhen quickly lowered his head and said: "General, I have no intention of doing this."

"It doesn't matter."

Niu Cunjie waved his hands, with a hint of wind and frost in his eyes: "But I do want to compete with him. To tell you the truth, I have been patient for two years since I took over as General Moyang Road. In these two years I don’t want to face Li Tianrun on the battlefield all the time, but I have to stick to the overall situation.”

Zhu Zhen sighed in his heart.

Among the many generals in Beiyan, Niu Cunjie was indeed considered a capable general. He was well-organized in training his troops and was very knowledgeable in defense. He never gave the Jingzhou Army a good chance.

After a moment of silence, Niu Cunjie whispered: "The battle of Xifengyuan is unavoidable. Now the forces on both sides are roughly equal, and the Jingzhou Army's combat power is indeed higher. Under such premise, our army has a better chance of winning. Less than 20%, so I have an idea that might turn the situation around.”

Zhu Zhen said seriously: "General, please tell me."

Niu Cunjie raised his hand and pointed to the markings on the sand table, the center line and the east line of the Yan Army, and said slowly: "If our army wants to defeat the Jingzhou Army head-on, it must have enough troops and take it by surprise. Therefore, if we are in When the real decisive battle comes, our army suddenly has at least twice as many troops and enters the battlefield from different directions. Do you think we can overwhelm the Jingzhou Army's formation? "

Zhu Zhen thought about it carefully and couldn't help but suddenly realized: "The general's intention is to mobilize the defenders from various places, temporarily abandon the defense of other parts of the Jingzhou Army, transfer them to Xifengyuan, and then complete the victory in one battle?"

"Yes."

Niu Cunjie said resolutely, "I will not leave the entire defense line open. I will only mobilize some defenders from some cities. The defenders at several strategic points will not move. In addition, I know you are leading troops on Moyang Road. For many years, I must get your full assistance in this matter.”

Zhu Zhen looked at him steadily, nodded after a moment and said: "The general has such trust, how can I let you down? Please rest assured, general, I will do my best!"

"it is good!"

Niu Cunjie raised his hand and patted his shoulder, with an encouraging look on his face: "With the help of Manager Zhu, we can expect a great victory!"

(End of this chapter)