Relatively speaking, Yu Chigong's status in Tiance Mansion is very special. This specialness is not because of his status as a surrendered general. There are countless people with similar status under Li Shimin's command, nor is it because he has protected Li Shimin in the formation again and again. He is not alone in this kind of thing.
The real reason is because Yuchi Gong once killed Li Xiaoji, the king of Yong'an, in Xia County.
Li Xiaoji was not the only Tang Dynasty prince who died in battle, but he was the first Tang Dynasty prince to die in battle. The most important thing is that Li Xiaoji was Li Yuan's cousin. It has a high reputation in China.
After Li Xiaoji's death, Li Yuan deposed the court for three days and cried bitterly. This directly led to the rejection of Yuchi Gong by the Li Tang clan. This was the only similar situation in the world.
In fact, in history, Yuchigong later had fierce conflicts with Li Daozong, Li Xiaogong, and Li Shentong. Li Daozong even had one of his eyes blinded by Yuchigong.
Just one day ago, Yu Chigong participated in countering the rebellion and personally beheaded the deposed prince Li Jiancheng, so now everyone recognized that this ruthless man was the prince's number one general, and Qin Qiong would give him a head.
Therefore, Qin Qiong, Su Xu and Dou Shilun were all surprised when they saw Yuchi Gong saluting Li Shan who was sitting at the head. Except in front of His Royal Highness, this man has always been unruly... Even Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Changsun Wuji couldn't do anything against him.
"I must have failed." Li Shan sighed.
"He's a good one!" Yu Chigong looked unlucky, "It happened that Fan Shiyi was inspecting the way back, more than ten miles northwest of Fuyang County. Under a pincer attack, the Turks collapsed again, but Dubu Khan escaped in the dark. Where have you gone?"
After a pause, Yu Chigong said angrily: "When I return to Beijing that day, I should take Zhang Baoxiang with me!"
Dou Gui and Wen Yanbo both nodded.
Zhang Baoxiang is now well-known as a lucky general. Li Shansan defeated the Turks and Dou Gui destroyed the Liang Kingdom. It was Zhang Baoxiang who bit Jieli Khan and Liang Shidu.
Even in the battle of Jingzhou last year, the Turks were defeated, and Zhang Baoxiang was among the last group to go north. In this way, he could run into the Tuli Khan... These past events are widely circulated in the army. Yuchi Gong took up the post of Yanzhou some time ago Deputy General Manager Dao Xingjun naturally knew.
While Yu Chigong was annoyed, Ma Zhou on the opposite side seemed to have a calm expression, even a little unnatural, but he was quite excited in his heart.
The great victory at Yanmen, the three defeats of the Turks, and the three rescues, plus the three great victories in Jingzhou, Yuanzhou, and Lingzhou, how much he had missed... Ma Zhou often gnashed his teeth and went crazy at night.
But after enduring it for so long, I finally waited for today, the day when I can show off my talents.
Well, it was the look from Chang He who was sitting not far below him that made Ma Zhou slightly uncomfortable.
Ma Zhou thought to himself, should he find a chance to tell Chang He... It wasn't me who had to do it, it was Li Huairen who held my mother captive as a last resort.
Ma Zhou raised his head and bumped into Li Shan, who was giving me a gentle look... If the latter knew what Ma Zhou was thinking, he would definitely spit on his face. You were the one who sent me to Sun Moon Lake!
Li Shan's eyes swept over everyone's faces one by one. Most of them were his close associates or old subordinates. Su Xu and Yu Chigong were also friends. Although Li Mengchang had not been together for a long time, they were still considered to be friends. Although brother-in-law Qin Qiong didn't say much, it was Li Shan who saved his life on Tiantai Mountain.
All in all, only Dou Shilun was relatively unfamiliar, but although this person was the governor of Binzhou, he had no military ability, and Li Shan didn't take it to heart.
After pondering for a while, Li Shan said: "To first clarify the enemy's situation, Liu Rengui, please cross the Yellow River to investigate in person and give a rough description."
"Yes." Liu Rengui, who was sitting at the back, stood up and said: "On the sixth and seventh day of October, Dubu Khan left about 40,000 troops to confront Mingsha Camp, and led more than 30,000 cavalry to cross the Yellow River. Guangling County sent Send the last general to cross the river to investigate."
"On the night of the seventh day of October, when I returned to Mingsha Camp, Xue Yantuo marched southward in large numbers. He joined forces with the Turks, about 80,000 troops, and captured Liangzhou that day."
"That night, the Mingsha Camp was dispatched by the Duke of Guangling County and sent troops from the east and north. The last general led dozens of personal guards and galloped to Yuanzhou with their horses, and then followed the Baiquan Order all the way south to Chang'an."
"About 80,000..." Dou Gui murmured: "Liangzhou was captured from the seventh to the eighth day of October..."
"But at dusk today, Dubu Khan led thousands of light cavalry and drove straight in, reaching the edge of Jingzhao." Yuchi Gong clicked his tongue and said: "I'm afraid the Longxi Road has already..."
Wen Yanbo couldn't help but said: "The King of Huai'an has an army of more than 30,000 people..."
"Ahem, cough." Li Shan coughed several times and interrupted, explaining: "If the main force of the Tang army on Longyou Road is still there, even if the Hu cavalry bypasses Jincheng... Ashina She'er will never dare to advance lightly. .”
After a pause, Li Shan said with a smile: "In the first battle, Brother Dingfang, Brother Jingde and Brother Shubao all made the first contribution to weakening the enemy."
"It's a pity that we couldn't capture Dubu Khan." Yuchi Gong said happily: "I don't know why this Khan was so adventurous..."
"That's for Huairen!" Dou Gui said flatly: "The soldiers came to the city and asked for Huairen..."
"Who in the Ashina clan doesn't want a good head?" Li Shan laughed loudly and said: "Jieli Khan and his son are not capable of this. Tuli Khan and Dubu Khan were defeated successively. Let's look at this society. Brother, you are willing to win over Tie Le, can you take a certain head?"
Liu Rengui's eyes sparkled. He clearly remembered the battle in Jingzhou. How this world-famous general made clever and sharp plans, and how he beat the drum and charged at the critical moment.
Wen Yanbo sighed: "You couldn't hold on for a whole day?"
"No, I haven't been able to hold on for half a day." Yuchi Gong sneered: "From Lanzhou Jincheng Pass to Qizhou, even if Hezhou and Qinzhou are empty and Longzhou troops have withdrawn south, it still takes half a day at the speed of the Turkic cavalry. .”
"There is no need to worry about Longyou Road anymore." Li Shan had no friendship with Huai'an King Li Shentong, and looked at Li Kai, "Brother Demou and Liu Rengui went south together, and the two of them visited Lingzhou, Yuanzhou, and Ningzhou. "
Li Kai and Liu Rengui looked at each other, and the latter spoke first: "The Mingsha camp is safe. The number of Turkic troops left behind is about 40,000. However, because the troops have been stationed in Lingzhou for a long time, the food and grass may be insufficient. The scouts reported, The Turks divided their troops toward Yanzhou and Huizhou."
After a pause, Liu Rengui added: "Before leaving, Guangling County Duke mentioned that Mingsha Camp may send troops to defeat the enemy, or it may cross the Yellow River and attack Xue Yantuo's retreat."
Li Shan nodded. From a character analysis, Zhang Zhongjian was determined and resolute, and his acting style was a bit like his own. Although he made many ingenious schemes and dared to take risks, he put caution first.
Zhang Zhongjian would not have thought of the follow-up development of Xue Yantuo and the Turkic forces' attack on Longyou Road. He also knew that the situation in Hedong would take a turn for the worse and he would not remain inactive.
Dou Gui suddenly interrupted and asked, "Is Jihu stable?"
"The Turks violently attacked Anlezhou, and the Jihu leader Liu Nu had no choice but to surrender." Liu Rengui responded: "But the thousands of Jihu cavalry in the Mingsha camp have become stronger."
Liu Heier stood up and said, "More than a month ago, I had a letter exchange with my uncle and my second brother. My uncle is a family plan, but my second brother Liu Bao will never rebel against the Tang Dynasty."
Li Shan nodded, "If we want to judge the crime after the war, the crime is that Liu Nu concealed herself as a person and did not involve her clan."
Liu Heier fell to the ground and said, "Thank you A Lang."
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince requested it from His Majesty, and His Majesty approved it." Li Shan waved his hand, "Brother Demou?"
Li Kai said: "Yuanzhou is not worried. After knowing that Xue Yantuo went south in a big way, although Nanyang County Duke still stayed in Xiaoguan, he had already dispatched troops and generals from Guyuan to go south. They should be in the south of Baiquan County and the southwest of Jingyuan County. side."
Dou Gui nodded and said: "Baiquan County goes south to Jingzhou, and Jingyuan County goes south to Longzhou Huating."
Li Shan's heart skipped a beat, and he didn't know what Huating's commander Zhang Wenxi was doing now. He would have to ask Li Mengchang later.
"The number of troops in Yuanzhou is about six thousand, scattered in various passes. The main force is stationed in Xiaoguan and Guyuan." Li Kai continued: "There are about two thousand cavalry among them, but 500 cavalry have been dispatched south to Baiquan."
"If we want to recruit the soldiers of Zhechong Mansion, we should be able to recruit about 3,000 more soldiers. When I leave, Nanyang County Duke has already made up his mind..."
Speaking of this, Li Kai suddenly stopped talking.
Li Shan smiled and said, "Brother Demou, don't worry. Brother Jingde will go north after noon and has sent envoys carrying fish charms to various places in Jingzhou, Ningzhou and Yuanzhou."
According to the system, the soldiers assigned to the Zhechong Prefecture are under the command of the Twelve Guards, but they must obtain the Fish Talisman from the Ministry of War, and can only be sent out after the local governor, the general manager, and the hussar general of Zhechong Prefecture.
"Brother Wu An is a famous general, and he has great plans." Li Shan said slowly: "But Yuanzhou..."
Speaking of this, Dou Gui, Yuchi Gong, and Qin Qiong all shook their heads, hoping that Yuanzhou would take action in the rear to reduce the pressure on Jingzhao, which was unlikely.
There are some cavalry in Baiquan County, but in Jingzhou, the distance is relatively far and they don't have much effect.
Jingyuan County is close, and Longzhou is just to the south. However, this area is southwest of Yuanzhou and is the most rugged and difficult area in the Liupan Mountains. Not to mention other areas, most of them are definitely infantry, so it is difficult to fight. The effect of harassing Hu Qi’s rear.
If we send troops rashly, we might still be surrounded by barbarian cavalry... However, Yuanzhou has sufficient troops, so there is no need to worry about Turks and Xue Yantuo going north to attack Yuanzhou and join forces with Lingzhou.
Dou Gui looked at Li Kai, "What about Jingzhou and Ningzhou?"
"On the way south, I met the Duke of Yangcheng County in Anding County." Li Kai responded: "After learning that Xue Yantuo was going south, the Duke of Yangcheng County gathered his troops..."
Yu Chigong added: "The messenger brought the fish charm and the edict. Wei Yun summoned the soldiers and headed east to Ningzhou."
"Ningzhou..." Li Shan murmured: "How many troops can Wei Yunqi have in his hands?"
After all, Dou Gui was the prime minister and knew more information than others. He calculated in his mind, "Jingzhou and Ningzhou have already recruited soldiers to form armies. Calculated based on the calculation of the government, the number of troops should be more than 10,000." about."
"That's not right." Wen Yanbo shook his head and said, "Not to mention the King of Xiangyi, but later Guan Guogong Rengui's army was defeated, and many of them included Jingzhou Prefecture soldiers. Later Huairen became the general manager of the Lingzhou Road March, and he was also deployed in the battle of Jingzhou The troops from Jingzhou and Ningzhou are still in the Lingzhou army."
Li Shan looked a little gloomy and added: "Moreover, Qian Jiulong, the governor of Jingzhou, has already led some of his troops to Hedong. The military strength in the two places is temporarily controlled by Wei Yunqi, the governor of Ningzhou. He will not have too many troops under his command. He should be able to defend Yu Ningzhou is undefeated, but I want to send troops..."
Everyone's expressions were not good-looking. In other words, as long as the troops from Longzhou, Qizhou, and Binzhou returned to Jingzhao, it would be difficult for the Tang troops from two or three directions on the north and northwest sides to return for reinforcements. The rear made some small moves to reduce the pressure on Jingzhao.
Wen Yanbo was about to pick up the troops from Fangzhou, Danzhou, Tongzhou, and Huazhou when he saw Li Shan said proudly: "The combined forces of Turks and Xue Yantuo should arrive in Jingzhao tomorrow afternoon or the day after tomorrow. The first battle today will be defeated." Thousands of Turks, we must fight bravely and bravely, we must break the formation and win!"
Dou Gui and Wen Yanbo looked at each other, and the former smiled bitterly and said: "Huairen, we don't have enough troops now, so we shouldn't waste the war."
Wen Yanbo also advised: "During the battle at Xiabo, you urged the King of Huaiyang not to send troops rashly, but to know the pros and cons."
"But Jingzhao has insufficient troops. Fangzhou, Huazhou, and Tongzhou will not be able to recruit soldiers into an army so quickly. Moreover, once they enter Jingzhao, the first priority is to protect Chang'an..." Ma Zhou finally found the opportunity to speak, and said quietly: "What's going on?" The main force of the Tang army in Tujue and Xue Yantuo can only count on the arrival of reinforcements from Hedong and Yanzhou."
"According to the distance calculation, today is the ninth night of October. The messengers will change horses but not people. The troops will not be sent out until Yanzhou and Hedong tomorrow."
"The Yanzhou cavalry quickly went south along the Qin Straight Road, and they will not arrive until the night of October 10th or October 11th." Ma Zhou continued: "Hedong reinforcements need to cross the Yellow River, and they should arrive between October 13th and October 15th. We can arrive within a day.”
Li Shan showed a smile and said, "Brother Bin Wang, I haven't seen you for a long time. I can tell you all tonight."
Wen Yanbo and Dou Gui looked a little surprised. They didn't know much about the relationship between this middle-aged scribe and Li Shan, and Li Kai helplessly looked at Chang He who was hanging his head.
Li Kai knew too many inside stories. It was Li Shan who pushed Ma Zhou to Chang He's side. The long history of the Beiya Forbidden Army was not very eye-catching, but Li Kai also knew that the King of Qin knew about this chess piece. of.
Li Kai even knew that the reason why Li Shan was able to bring Ma Zhou into the army was because he first brought Chang He... There was no way, this chess piece couldn't be exposed openly.
After all, Chang He is Li Shimin's old subordinate, and he is unwilling to rebel at critical moments... This is reasonable.
But Chang He was forced by his cronies to open the Xuanwu Gate. No matter whether the chess piece belonged to Li Shimin or Li Shan... this would put a thorn in Li Yuan's heart.
"There will not be many cavalry going south from Yanzhou. Li Yaoshi has nearly 10,000 cavalry. This is because a group of war horses were transferred from Lingzhou a few months ago. However, Duke Wu returned to Beijing with 3,000 cavalry, and now only 7,8,000 are left. …”
Before Ma Zhou finished speaking, Yu Chigong interrupted: "The day before returning to Beijing, Duke Dai sent Zhang Baoxiang, the Duke of Bishui County, to go north with four thousand cavalry... and most of the Yanzhou Road cavalry are in Xiazhou."
The corner of Li Shan's mouth twitched. He also remembered this matter. Ma Zhou continued: "The cavalry returning to support Jingzhao will not exceed 5,000 cavalry, while the combined forces of Turks and Xue Yantuo will amount to 70,000 to 80,000 cavalry."
Hearing this, most people understood. Dou Gui nodded with a sullen face, "So, we have to wait until at least October 14th, or even October 15th, when reinforcements from Hedong or infantry from Yanzhou Road arrive. , only then can we be sure to retreat from the enemy."
