The north wind gradually became biting, carrying snowflakes and wreaking havoc on the vast wilderness. The leader was dumbfounded as he listened to the report from his subordinates, murmuring to himself, "He actually did it, really did it..."
Capture him again, what will he ask for... Although Li Shan led his army to the west, he did not think that Li Shan could really succeed. He really couldn't figure it out. Five thousand light cavalry, and they were the most elite cavalry under the king's command, actually fell within three quarters of an hour. was defeated inside.
It is true that the Turkic cavalry is far inferior to the well-equipped Tang cavalry in charging, but they will always run away if they cannot be defeated. The advantage of the Turks is that they can gather and disperse freely.
As a result, the Tang army pursued them all night long in the wind and snow, fighting and winning consecutive battles all the way to Mayi, and captured Yugushe alive... Yugushe, who came after hearing the news, could not believe it. Two hours had passed, and only three of the defeated soldiers had been gathered. Four hundred riders.
There were faint calls in the distance, and the leaders of the association watched expressionlessly as Yuan Junzhang led his army to march eastward to meet the thousands of Tang cavalry who were coming.
Dozens of cavalry led by Yuan Junzhang rushed straight into the Tang army's formation without hesitation. After a moment, the formation moved northward, from the inside out, and dozens of generals came out of the formation. One person was riding a pure black tall horse, and the stars were holding the moon. appeared in front of the formation.
From such a distance, he couldn't see clearly, but he didn't need to look any further. He seemed to be able to clearly see the young and handsome face through the fierce north wind mixed with snowflakes. A gentle smile that never fades.
The expression in Jiu Shesu's eyes was complicated and unspeakable. He was delighted that Yu Gushe was captured by mistake, but at the same time, he also remembered his brother Tuli Khan's private mention... This man is good at calculation and stirring up emotions, and he will definitely become the enemy of his tribe in the future. .
It’s not surprising that Tuli Khan could see through all this. Regarding his attitude towards the Turks and provoking internal strife among the Turks, Li Shan used conspiracy from the beginning to the end and analyzed everything clearly... For the sake of profit, For the sake of power and position, Tuli Khan had to follow Li Shan's guidance.
After a long confrontation in the wind and snow, the association sighed and waved to prepare to retreat. Although Yuan Junzhang and the Tang army were not united, their total strength exceeded 10,000. Even the cavalry had thousands of cavalry. He only had 5,000 cavalry under his command. He retreated. It is inevitable, and there will be no blame for it.
In the final analysis, Yugushe committed suicide by himself, and I will not bear the blame.
Seeing the Turks withdrawing their troops to the north, Yuan Junzhang let out a long breath and a mist suddenly appeared in front of him. Although he was determined to surrender to the Tang Dynasty and even intended to go to Hajj, he did not want or have the courage to go to war with the Turks.
In that battle years ago, if brothers Liu Shirang and Liu Bao hadn't taken the lead in charging into the battle, Yuan Junzhang, who was forced into a desperate situation, would not have killed his generals first and then charged on horseback.
Quietly looking at the high-spirited young man in front of him, Yuan Junzhang had extremely complicated feelings in his heart. Over the years, he had seen countless heroes and many children of aristocratic families, but such a person... maybe only the same person back then. The uncrowned King of Qin can compare with one or two.
More than half a year after Li Shan arrived in Daizhou, Yuan Junzhang's ambitions were quietly and logically extinguished. To show his sincerity, he even personally led several of his generals into the Tang army.
Li Shan, who had not rested all night, put his hands in his sleeves, looked at the vast snowy field, turned his head and said with a smile: "Both Rui Guogong and Liu Gong have made great achievements in this battle, and they will definitely report it to the saint."
Liu Shirang said with a smile: "This is a great victory. The first step is to plan and decide the strategy to defeat the enemy. The second step is to charge into the battle in person and boost the morale of the army. I can only help one or two, so how dare I take credit?"
Er Zhu Yichen couldn't help but glance over. He had been working in Hedong in the past few years and knew Liu Shirang's character very well. He thought that after Ma Yi's caress, this stubborn old man was completely surrendered by his nephew.
Also, Liu Shi left the court without help, and neither the East Palace nor the Tiance Mansion would accept it. Even Li Yuan once wanted to investigate the crime. If he didn't rely on Li Shan, who else could he rely on?
"The first meritorious service is naturally given by the Duke of Guantao County. All the generals and Duke Liu have made contributions." Yuan Junzhang said with a smile: "But if I just stick to the confrontation, there is really no merit to be gained."
"If Duke Rui hadn't been in charge of Mayi, thousands of Turks would have gone eastward..." Li Shan shook his head slightly, "I should report this to the saint."
Yuan Junzhang hesitated for a moment, turned slightly to the side, and asked softly: "Why don't you go to the Hajj and report to Your Majesty?"
Li Shan was a little surprised, but he was also pleasantly surprised by the other party's knowledge and interest. He gave him a gentle smile and said, "Since he has this intention, the saint must be very happy."
Yuan Junzhang was relieved at first, but then he mentioned that he really couldn't see the harmless smile on Li Shan's face, as if there was thousands of years of ice hidden under that smile.
Li Shan looked around. In name, the Daizhou General Administrative Office governed Shuozhou. If Yuan Junzhang entered the court, Liu Shirang would definitely take over. However, if the Tang army wanted to firmly hold on to the important military stronghold of Mayi, it would be impossible for the Tang army to rely on Liu Shirang alone.
Among the assistant officers of Daizhou General Manager's Mansion, Zhang Gongjin, Duan Zhixuan, Su Dingfang, and Xue Wanche are all capable, but Su Dingfang needs to control the army, and the other three... Li Shanzhen is afraid of causing trouble!
Li Shan thought about it in his mind. He had mentioned to Li Daozong before that he hoped that Bingzhou could support a group of military lieutenants and generals to join Mayi. His eyes fell on Zhang Baoxiang.
Although Zhang Baoxiang's military exploits in this battle were not as good as those of Su Dingfang and Liu Shirang, he still charged with dozens of arrows in his body and shouted for a fierce battle, which also left a deep impression on Li Shan... But I don't know if Li Daozong was willing to let him go.
At this time, Li Shan's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden long sound of the horn. The sound of the horn has always been exclusive to the Hu people, and is similar to the sound of drums and the ringing of gold by the Han people.
A scout rushed over, "To the northwest, the Turkic army is coming!"
Li Shan glanced at the nervous Yuan Junzhang and said, "There are not many idiots like Ru Yugu She, and the Turks will never start a war at this time."
Yuan Junzhang only felt that his throat was a little dry, and he cursed in his heart... You have captured the only son, who knows whether Jieli Khan will really lead an army to go south.
However, Yuan Junzhang also knew that Yu Gushe had just been captured today, and even if Jieli Khan wanted to invade in a large scale, he would not be so quick.
Who is coming?
At this time, the wind and snow gradually stopped, and the black Turkic cavalry came from the northwest. Their horse hooves trampled the snow that had just covered the ground last night. Li Shan looked around. Now he also had some experience. He roughly estimated that it was about About three thousand cavalry.
However, the association that had just retreated north also returned with its troops. Li Shan did not show up at this time, but gave up the command to Su Dingfang, which was also part of his plan.
Su Dingfang dispatched his troops on the spot. Liu Shirang and Yuan Junzhang led the Mayi garrison to the west and approached Mayi. Zhang Baoxiang and Er Zhu Yichen led the Yanmenguan Tang army to march northwest. The two sides relied on Mayi and formed a corner.
However, the Turkic army had no intention of launching an attack. They saw that the two armies were separated and the cavalry kept going back and forth... Li Shan could immediately conclude that the people coming must be Jieli Khan's men.
The next moment, Li Shan knew who was coming.
A horse came galloping towards the south, shouting at the top of its voice, "Old friends outside Guantao City, please see me."
