People who are not good at military strategy such as Wen Yanbo, Li Qianyou, and Dou Shilun have not fully understood, but famous generals such as Su Dingfang, Yuchi Gong, Qin Qiong, and Li Mengchang all know Li Shan's intentions.
"Hu cavalry is the best at interspersing. Once the capital is too big, the Turks and Xue Yantuo cavalry can bypass Liquan and Wugong and intersperse into various places in Jingzhao." Li Mengchang gritted his teeth, "Even if they can't break the city, they can still rob it. Plunder the countryside.”
Qin Qiong emphasized, "The most important thing is that once Hu Qi penetrates to the north and east of Jingzhao... reinforcements from Yanzhou, Hedong, Tongzhou, and Fangzhou cannot arrive at the same time, and they are likely to be defeated by Hu Qi one by one. "
"So we cannot defend." Li Shan said loudly: "We must defeat the enemy in the first battle, even if we suffer heavy losses."
"There are more than 40 counties in Jingzhao, and the Hu cavalry has as many as 70,000 to 80,000 troops. They can penetrate at will, but once they penetrate, it means dividing the troops, and you cannot take care of both the head and the tail."
"We defeated the enemy in the first battle. Ashina She'er and Yi Nan, the leader of Xueyantuo, refused to divide their troops at will. Only by defeating us, the main force of the Tang army, can they act arbitrarily... Otherwise, we can attack their flanks or even their rear at any time."
Unlike the later Song and Ming dynasties, in the wars of the early Tang Dynasty, few people defended the city, and field battles were the norm. If the opponent held on to the city, there would basically be no situation where the army would forcefully attack the city.
For example, during the Central Plains War, Wang Shichong repeatedly led his army into battle. Although he almost captured and killed Li Shimin twice, he was ultimately defeated and had to defend Luoyang. Li Shimin besieged Luoyang and did not attack directly.
Even after Li Shimin led 3,000 elite troops to Hulao Pass, the more than 100,000 Tang troops who stayed around Luoyang did not attack the city. During the war, the generals under Wang Shichong led their troops out of the city to engage in field battles with the Tang troops.
Nowadays, the Tang army has a lot of cavalry, and has repeatedly defeated the Turks in the past few years... As long as Dubu Khan and Yi Nan have doubts, it is unlikely that the cavalry of the Turks and Xue Yantuo will bypass the main force of the Tang army in Liquan and Wugong on a large scale.
Tang Qi's mobility was not as good as Hu Qi's, but it wasn't much different. He could penetrate within dozens of miles without any problems, and his impact was far stronger than theirs.
Dou Gui, Yuchi Gong and other generals all nodded silently. To put it bluntly, Dubu Khan and Yi Nan could not be allowed to feel that the Tang army was weak and weak and could be bullied. They fought hard in the first battle and frightened them, forcing Tujue and Xue Yantuo to join forces. Don't dare to divide your troops.
Only in this way can we gain time and allow the reinforcements from Yanzhou Road, Hedong and other places to enter Jingzhao smoothly, and be gathered together without being divided or even defeated by Hu Qi.
"Do you still have any doubts?"
After Li Shan asked this question, everyone was silent. The situation was in front of them. Such a countermeasure could not be said to be a foolproof strategy, but it was already the only option.
Su Xu thought in his heart that even if His Highness the Crown Prince was the commander-in-chief, there would be no other way...well, given His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's temperament, he might lead an army to attack on his own initiative, or even engage in provocation.
Li Shan waited patiently for a moment, then turned to look at Dou Gui, "Mr. Feng, have you finished counting the troops?"
"Yes." Dou Gui nodded, "The statistics have been roughly completed. More than 40 counties in Jingzhao mobilized more than 10,000 government soldiers in one day. Including the remaining troops in Chang'an, the total is about 13,000, but only 5,000. The troops will accompany the army, and the rest will stay in Chang'an and the counties of Xianyang, Jingyang, and Yunyang that guard Chang'an."
"Qizhou, Longzhou, and Binzhou have about ten thousand soldiers, with a total strength of about twenty thousand, including about seven thousand cavalry."
Li Shan listened with an expressionless face. Many of the generals below had changed their expressions at this time. There was a huge disparity in strength between 20,000 and 80,000.
Although Li Huairen also defeated the Turks with a weak force in the battle of Jingzhou, this was largely due to the terrain. At that time, Huaiyang King Li Daoxuan led his army to block the main road where the Turks crossed, and the narrow battlefield allowed the Tang army to fight He is not at a disadvantage and can give full play to his impact.
And this time, even if Hu Qi does not conduct a large-scale penetration, Hu Qi still has enough depth in just the west of Jingzhao. That is to say, the camp is relatively complete now, and there is no need to fear that Hu Qi will launch a surprise attack from behind, and it is in a polite position. Between Quan County and Wugong County, the three places are at odds with each other. Relatively speaking, they can slightly regain their disadvantage.
Li Shan looked at Wen Yanbo on the other side, who responded: "There is no shortage of food and grass. Chang'an Order Li Qianyou has sent people to various counties. The autumn harvest has been completed and there is an abundance of food and grass. Several nearby counties will transport food and grass to the army overnight." .”
"The Zuo Army is located in Wugong County, with Yuchi Gong as the general, and Qu Hong and Dou Shilun as assistants." Li Shan said slowly while calculating in his mind: "Lead three thousand infantry and one thousand cavalry."
"yes."
"The right army is located in Liquan County. It is led by the Duke of Fou, assisted by Li Mengchang and Li Kai. It leads three thousand infantry and one thousand cavalry."
"The Chinese army is led by Qin Qiong, assisted by Er Zhu Yichen and Ma Sanbao, and leads seven thousand infantry."
"Establish a cavalry general manager to command five thousand cavalry. Su Dingfang will lead the general, and Liu Heier and Liu Rengui will serve as assistants."
"Er Zhuhuan and Wang Junhao led the personal guards around the lonely king and stayed in the central army."
"The rest of the generals will stay in the central army. Ma Zhou and Su Xu will serve as counselors for military aircraft, and all luggage matters will be entrusted to the Duke of Xihe and the Chang'an Order."
Dou Gui was not surprised. In the battle of Jingzhou last year, he was also an independent leftist army, but he did not expect that Li Shan would use Qin Qiong to lead the central army.
Li Shan stood up and paced back and forth. After thinking for a long time, he said: "After daybreak, send a small team of cavalry to kill the Turkic rangers. If it doesn't work, we will drive them away."
"The Hu cavalry will carry less food and grass when they go to war. There is still a possibility of Turks. After all, there are many captive serfs in Wuyuan County for farming, but Xue Yantuo... must be accompanied by a large number of cattle and sheep."
Yu Chigong, who was born in Shuozhou, is very familiar with the grassland. His eyes lit up and he said: "What Huairen said is true. If this is the case, even though there are 70,000 or 80,000 troops from Tujue and Xue Yantuo, they will not arrive at the same time."
"If we can drive away the Turkic cavalry and attack with cavalry, there may be some results." Li Mengchang licked his dry lips, "A blow to the head will definitely make Dubu Khan even more doubtful."
Qin Qiong glanced at Yuchi Gong and asked in a low voice: "May I ask King Wei Si if the cavalry from the left and right armies are going to send troops?"
Li Shan hesitated for a moment, "Depending on the situation of the war, both Wu Guogong and Fou Guogong have the right to deal with themselves."
After walking back and forth for a few steps, Li Shan looked back at Wen Yanbo, "The Duke of Xihe County drafted a document and sent a messenger back to Beijing overnight, asking Your Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince to send the Tianjie Army's surrendered soldiers and prisoners into the army together, promising to perform meritorious service." Exoneration.”
Wen Yanbo nodded in agreement, thinking that it would be difficult for Huairen. It is difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without rice, and the troops on hand are really not enough.
Li Shan sighed, but then he raised his voice and said: "Although it is a dangerous situation, as long as we survive this disaster, the Tang Dynasty will be strong and prosperous. In the future, we will spread our power beyond the Great Wall and drive away the enemies in Mobei. Your names will also be left in the history of Qing Dynasty."
"Please use your lives."
