That night, in addition to Li Shan, Cui Xin, Li Shimin and others, there were also people nearly a thousand miles away in Yuanzhou who stayed up all night.
In the quiet valley, the night wind blew through the treetops from time to time, making a rustling sound. Ashina Sheer stood on the hill and looked southeast, dozens of miles away in the north of Lingtai County, which was the Tang Army camp.
The terrain at the junction of Yuanzhou and Jingzhou is extremely complex. On the one hand, there are steep mountains and dense forests, and the roads are narrow. On the other hand, there are loess and ravines, making it difficult for the cavalry to take advantage. This is why the Tang army chose to set up camp in the northern part of Lingtai County. reason.
In the previous two days of fierce attacks, the Tang army resisted quite tenaciously. Ashina Sheer did not continue to urge his men to continue the fierce attack, but temporarily withdrew his troops... Although he also knew very well that if he could break through Lingtai County and cross Jingzhou, it would be far away from Jingzhao. It's not far away. This is actually the route he took from Chang'an to Wuyuan County more than half a year ago.
There was a horse's neighing sound behind him. Ashina She'er turned around and saw dozens of horses galloping towards him. Tuli Khan dismounted, climbed up the hill, and asked with a smile: "If there is no head of the King of Handan, I'm afraid it will be difficult for Brother She'er to explain when he returns to the army."
Ashina She'er didn't say anything, but his wife, Princess Yicheng, said that this time the troops were sent out, Li Shan's head must be used to pay tribute to his brother... But now that the power is in his hands, Ashina She'er, although he Respectful, but not obedient to everything.
"Let's give it a try." Tuli Khan smiled understandingly, "Are you going to march tomorrow?"
"Where is Longzhou?" Ashina Sheer asked.
"Liang Shidu's fellows are willing to attack with all their strength, but the casualties are heavy and the soldiers are unwilling to go into battle." Tuli Khan said helplessly: "There are many checkpoints. So far, we haven't even been able to conquer the six rounds, let alone the following ones. The winning pass and the Longshan Pass are over."
Ashina Sheer sighed softly, "Although this battle went smoothly, it was also a helpless move."
Turli Khan nodded in agreement. Generally speaking, there are three general directions for Turks to invade. One is Hedong. This is also the most common march route for Turks in recent decades. Shibi Khan, Chuluo Khan, and Jieli Khan They all entered from Yanmen Pass, east of the river, and plundered property, food, and people.
The second is the Guannai Road. There are two routes to attack the Guannei Road. One is to go south from Lingzhou to Huizhou and Yuanzhou. If you go further down, you can go to Jingzhou, Qizhou and all the way to Chang'an. But this route is too difficult. After the battle, there were high mountains and many checkpoints, and the Tang army was heavily deployed.
The other road is the Qin Zhidao, which has been used for hundreds of years. It can lead from near Jiuyuan County to near Chang'an. It was built during the Qin Shihuang period and passed through Shuofang County. It is also a common marching route for Liang divisions in recent years. However, although The road was good, but it was also convenient for the defenders to defend themselves, and Master Liang didn't get any advantage at all.
The third is the Longyou Road, conquering Liangzhou, heading southeast to attack Weizhou, Lanzhou, and Qinzhou, and then turning east to directly attack Longzhou. This was the route used by Xue Ju of the Western Qin Dynasty to start the war with Li Tang, who had just founded the country. In the fourth year of Wude, the Turkic troops also invaded Longzhou along this road and captured Dazhen Pass, which shocked Chang'an.
Because the terrain inside the pass is dangerous, Yanmen Pass is guarded by Dai Guogong Li Jing, not to mention that the entire Shuozhou is under the control of the Tang army, so Ashina Sheer first wanted to start from the Longyou Road, but Liang Shidu unexpectedly captured it. In the three states, Ashina Sheer took advantage of the situation... Unfortunately, it was too late to send troops. Jieli Khan was eliminated that day, and the Tang army had already invaded Lingzhou.
"Try again tomorrow?" Tuli Khan also looked to the south at the Tang Army's camp. "As long as Lingtai can be breached, Jingzhou's terrain is flat and can be used by cavalry."
Ashina Sheer hesitated, "It's not the right time."
Tuli Khan also sighed, "What a pity, what a pity."
Tuli Khan felt it was a pity, but Ashina Sheer did not feel it was a pity. He had no intention of taking control of the Central Plains, at least not yet. The grasslands are now in chaos. From last year to the present, there have been defeats, snow disasters, famines, and civil war. The fighting directly led to the decline of the Ashina clan's deterrence and dominance in the grassland. On the other hand, it also caused the power of the grassland tribes to decline greatly.
It is indeed not an opportunity to start a war... not to mention that there is this Tuli Khan beside him.
Ashina Sheer knew very well that the alliance with his cousin was only temporary and he would have to fight it sooner or later.
Since the rise of the Turks, there has never been peace within the Ashina clan. Among them was the instigation of the Central Plains Dynasty. The most typical one was Pei Shiju and Changsun Sheng's plan to make Dulan Khan kill his wife... The righteous princess of the Northern Zhou clan eventually led to After many years of turmoil in the grassland, Qimin Khan joined forces, and Datou Khan became independent.
But the main reason is still within itself. This is an inevitable flaw caused by nature... The internal fighting will continue and will never subside.
Even if Ashina Sheer kills the Tuli Khan, it is impossible to unify the Eastern Turks. Someone else will definitely pick them out, and even the Nine Tribes of Tiele will establish their own country.
Therefore, Ashina Sheer did not have many intentions for this war. The purpose of plundering people, food, property, and livestock was to make up for the previous losses and to stabilize the Turkic dominance on the grassland first, not to mention even if So what if we break through Lingtai County? It is impossible to drink from the Wei River so smoothly.
After all, Jingzhou is too close to Chang'an, and it can be reached within three days by a fast horse. This did great harm to the Tang Dynasty's dominance in Guanzhong. The Tang Emperor could not bear it and would definitely mobilize a large army.
This was also the first reason why Western Qin was attacked after the founding of the Tang Dynasty. At that time, the Xue family and his son sent troops from Qinzhou, which was too close to Chang'an.
Perhaps the Liang division could be supported to stay in Yuanzhou. Ashina Sheer thought in his mind that since he had captured most of Yuanzhou, it would be difficult for the Liang army to break through Liupan Pass and Longshan Pass and go south. But on the contrary, the Tang army was also very difficult to break through. It is difficult to break through Daxia Pass, Shimen Pass, and Xiao Pass and go north to Lingzhou.
As for the other purpose of this battle, Handan King Li Huairen... Ashina She'er whispered: "Let's work together to attack again tomorrow. The Tang Army's reinforcements should not be far away."
Tuli Khan nodded clearly, "Even if we cannot conquer Lingtai County, we must force the Tang Emperor to negotiate peace."
At this time, in the Tang Army camp, the two governors Qian Jiulong and Hu Yan looked at the young man in front of them expressionlessly. The former asked in a low voice: "Where is Duke Guan?"
"No... I don't know where." Liu Rengui, who once made many meritorious deeds, gritted his teeth.
The army was defeated that day. Liu Rengui and Ren Gui were dispersed by the Turks in the rebel army and eventually dispersed into the mountains. Liu Rengui abandoned his horse and climbed the mountains before escaping back to Jingzhou. Who knew whether Ren Gui was dead or alive.
Hu Yan sighed and glanced at Qian Jiulong, "If the Turks attack fiercely and the Lingtai is lost, I'm afraid they will have to retreat to..."
Qian Jiulong said in a low voice: "Qianshuiyuan..."
Hu Yan and Qian Jiulong both participated in the battle of Qianshuiyuan that year, and they couldn't help but think that His Majesty would ask the King of Qin to come to the rescue this time.
(End of chapter)
