In Shuofang City, Xue Li, Su Lie, and Xiao Rui sat across from each other and had a drink. In the dead of night, Xue Li asked the question in his heart, "Brother, you insist on fighting to the end, is it really just because of personal enmity? Everyone else has said that You must retaliate, but you and I have been brothers for many years, so I know that you are not a narrow-minded person."
"When it comes to national justice, I'm afraid the civil and military officials of the entire court are not as good as you."
Xiao Rui smiled and drank a full drink, but instead of explaining, he turned to look at Su Lie who was also curious.
Su Lie was confused, "Me? Lord Marquis, the general is also wondering, Lord Marquis..."
Xiao Rui waved his hand and said: "It's not because of you. Haha, General Su, I thought you could explain it."
I?
Su Lie fell into deep thought.
Why can I explain? In terms of qualifications, I have just been promoted, and I am not as good as those generals, even the bodyguard Li Junxian. In terms of martial arts, I am not as good as General Qin, and in terms of military skills, I am not as good as Marshal Li. Why am I... so rare? Is it just because I am the new cavalry general of the Tang Dynasty?
By the way, cavalry, my cavalry?
Su Lie stood up with a slap on the table, and then bowed to Xiao Rui and said, "Master Hou, I finally surrender. Indeed, Jie Li should be destroyed even if we fight everything this time."
Xue Li looked at the two of them puzzled.
Su Lie did not give in and explained seriously: "General Xue, do you know how I trained my cavalry? It only took three months."
What? Three months?
"Yes, three months. Because the Marquis invented the three-piece war horse suit. Saddle, stirrups, and horseshoes! A weapon for cavalry combat. With these three-piece suit, even an infantryman who has never ridden a horse can mount a horse after three days of training. Change it to cavalry combat, and after three months of training, you will be able to become proficient in bow and horse."
"With the saddle and stirrups, combined with the powerful crossbow of our Tang Dynasty, it is more convenient to shoot on horseback. Even if the horse is running wildly, it can accurately hit the enemy."
"There are also horseshoes. Over the years, countless people have been worried about the problem of broken war horses. Horseshoe damage is the reason why countless war horses are forced to retire. With horseshoes, it is like wearing an iron boot on a war horse. You no longer have to worry about hoof damage. "
Xue Li nodded, "I understand. This three-piece war horse suit is a sharp weapon for cavalry. If there are enough war horses, the Tang Dynasty can quickly train more cavalry than the Turks. Unfortunately, how can the Tang Dynasty be more capable than the Turks' war horses?" many?"
"The production of this three-piece set is not complicated and can be easily copied. Therefore, it can only be used as a surprise weapon, and it is a one-hit kill that changes the situation of the battle."
"After this war, the Turks will definitely know the secret and will definitely imitate it. Therefore, we must destroy them before they learn it, otherwise... wait for them to rest for two years, no, one year, and the whole grassland will be full of this kind of cavalry. , The Tang Dynasty is in danger!"
Su Lie nodded heavily: "Not bad!"
"Brother, it's so important. Why didn't you explain it to the commander at that time? If you explain it this way, everyone can understand it, so there is no need to withdraw the troops." Xue Li said regretfully.
Xiao Rui glanced in the direction of Chang'an and said with disgust: "A bunch of wallflowers are unreliable. And more than half of the camp wants to go back and is unwilling to continue fighting to the death. There is no point in forcing soldiers like this to stay."
"They are going to retreat anyway. When they really win Jieli, they don't need too many people, so just retreat. You and General Su's troops are enough. No one has competed with you for the military glory this time, so why? Are you happy?"
"Do they think I am doing whatever I want for my own selfish reasons? There may be people in the court who want to join me. Hahahaha, who can guess, if not, I would be embarrassed to let my younger brother monopolize the military merit."
Xue Li was moved and said: "It turns out that it was the eldest brother who planned it..."
Xiao Rui motioned to Su Lie: "One thing I didn't expect was that the commander-in-chief would also keep General Su. It is true that this team was trained under my guidance, but it is not my private soldier, Xiao Rui, so I dare not privately Detain. Even though I knew that if I called General Su’s name at that time, General Su would definitely agree. But I couldn’t use it. I don’t wear the label of forming a clique for personal gain.”
"Now, General Su has the opportunity to be promoted to general."
Su Lie held the wine glass and said with respect: "I have come all the way from Youzhou, all thanks to the support of the Marquis. Although he is not a personal soldier of the Marquis, this life has long been his."
Xue Li smiled: "Brother, Marshal Li is a cold-faced general after leaving home, but this time he insists on keeping General Su for you, and he will be punished when he returns to Chang'an. This is a great kindness."
Favor?
Xiao Rui said shamelessly: "I am his grandson-in-law. Shouldn't you take care of me? Who can say anything? Even if it is Your Majesty, haha, I am His Majesty's son-in-law. For the sake of his grandson, he won't do anything to me."
Just when the three of them were chatting happily, a scout came to report: "I have reported to the Prime Minister that there are people coming out of Dingxiang City, and it seems that they are beginning to withdraw their troops."
When the three of them heard this, they quickly stood up and walked to the map.
"Is it Jie Li's subordinate who came out?" Xue Li asked majestically.
"No, there are many wounded soldiers, and the army's momentum should be scattered. It should not be Jieli's Royal Court headquarters."
Xue Li said loudly: "Send more manpower and be sure to find out who is leaving the city and withdrawing troops every time. Once you find that Jieli's headquarters has left the city, report it immediately."
"Here!"
Xiao Rui played with the small bamboo cup in his hand and stared at the map, which was the closest road from Dingxiang to Wangting. And on this road, this is the most suitable place for an ambush. Jie Li would never have imagined that someone would ambush him here. Tsk tsk... This is the day he will die!
Su Lie worriedly said: "Master Marquis, General Xue, if the Tang Dynasty and the Turks have a truce, then the Liang Kingdom will not be in good shape. Jie Li just let it go. He will destroy the Liang Kingdom when this war is over. Will they not withdraw their troops and come to attack?" Where is Shuofang?"
Xue Li shook his head and said: "No. If I were Jie Li and I only had tens of thousands of soldiers and horses in hand, I would not fight again. Although Liang is weak, I, Xue Li, am not weak. I want to capture Shuofang City, but it is not that difficult. It’s easy. He can’t do it with tens of thousands of people. Even if we want to destroy the Liang Kingdom, it will take the next summer.”
Why is it summer?
“Because the war horses become thin in the spring, and they can’t fight again until the summer when the grass is fat and the horses are strong.”
Xiao Rui thought for a moment, "Second brother, order Shuofang City to take a defensive posture and strictly prevent Jieli from invading."
Su Lie laughed and said: "Hahaha, clever! In this way, they will think that Shuo Fang is afraid that they will come to destroy the country, so they will not suspect us of ambushing them halfway."
The fact was as Xiao Rui expected. In Dingxiang City, Jie Li and Zhao Deyan were also laughing after receiving the information. We didn't even send troops to the weak Liang State, so we were trembling with fear and vulnerable. Waiting for the new recruits to be trained next year, I will destroy you first.
Zhao Deyan pointed to several objects in front of him and said: "Khan, although both sides will suffer losses in this war, with these three artifacts, not only can we dominate the grassland in the future, but we can also conquer the Tang Dynasty. I never expected that Xiao Rui could invent this kind of weapon." A sharp weapon for cavalry. No wonder he keeps insisting and refuses to retreat."
"It's a pity. With the few people he has, it's useless to keep a close eye on him, Datang? I'm looking forward to it. What will it be like to stay in Chang'an City in the future? It must be very comfortable."
