In the early morning of the next day, when the sky was bright and clear, Tuoba Guang and other generals gathered together and walked towards the sleeping tent of the general Tuoba Mumi.
"Generals, this battle is not what the commander wants to fight, but has to be fought!" Tuoba Guang said to everyone as he walked: "Even if you know there is no tomorrow, for the peace of Tuyuhun and for our tribe not to be poisoned by the Sui Dynasty, In order to prevent our wealth from being confiscated by the Sui Dynasty, even if we have no weapons, even if we punch, kick, or bite with our teeth, we must let the Sui Dynasty see our strength and will. So today's battle is not to fight for the Great Khan , We are not fighting for the coach, but for ourselves! We cannot retreat, and there is no way to retreat!"
After discussions yesterday afternoon, Tuoba Muya and the generals reached a consensus. On the one hand, the soldiers had long been war-weary due to the day and night confrontation and the repeated failures of the generals' battle formation; and the failure of Dafeichuan, Bad news such as the fall of Xihai Town made the soldiers panic. At this critical moment, the Sui army revealed everything about the failure in the western battlefield that they had concealed, in order to further weaken Tuyuhun's morale so that they could launch an attack.
On the other hand, these generals and nobles are the "powerful" who must be punished by Yang Ji. Ordinary soldiers can surrender to the Sui army and become "obedient people" of the Sui Dynasty, but their way of surrender has long been interrupted. If they surrender, they will die. Faster and worse.
Faced with such an unfavorable situation, if they continue to take no action, the situation will become even worse; once all the bad news cannot be concealed, tens of thousands of miscellaneous soldiers are likely to collapse without a fight. The best way is to use elite soldiers to fight the Sui army fiercely. If they win, that would be the best thing. If they lose, they can prove their value and ability to the Sui army, and maybe gain a chance of survival.
"I'll understand what the Young Chief said." Deputy Commander Murong Lianzong thought about the situation of the former army and sighed: "The Great Khan originally planned to hold on for half a year. As long as the Sui army was blocked due to heavy snow and road closures, If you retreat, we will hold a meeting in Fuqi City to gather young and brave men and form an elite division, but now..."
Murong Lianzong was Murong Fuyun's confidant general, who was ordered to control the 20,000 elite soldiers of this army. He knew better than everyone here the intentions of the Great Khan: the reason why the Great Khan turned away the people and turned into an army was to resist the overwhelming force. The second is to reorganize the troops gathered from various tribes after repelling the Sui army. Because at that time, he has become the general trend and can completely annex the subordinates of the chiefs in the name of repelling the Sui army. The number of reorganized troops is over 100,000. In this way, the elite soldiers on the left and right can occupy the plateau and continue to fight the Sui Dynasty, without having to worry about the rebellion of the chiefs and chiefs who have lost their minions.
Unfortunately, the western battlefield failed and strategic locations in the eastern battlefield also fell. Murong Fuyun's plans were naturally out of the question. Now not only Tuoba Mumi and other chiefs of the Qiang and Di tribes, but he also wanted to leave a way out. It was precisely for this reason that he, on behalf of the elite generals at all levels, agreed with Tuoba Mumi's views and fought this battle. .
"Brother, what should we do now?" The speaker was Murong Lianzong's younger brother Murong Lianheng. This man was a pure warrior. He clamored to fight to the death with the Sui army every day, but at this moment he also realized that something was wrong. Today's soldiers are all There was no resistance and everyone wanted to run away. How could they fight the Sui army?
"First fight the Sui army fiercely. If it doesn't work, everyone will find a way to retreat to the south." Murong Lianzong glanced in the direction of Fuqi City and said in a low voice: "Our Tuyuhun situation is now over. , as for the Great Khan, we can only leave it to fate."
Everyone's expressions were solemn, and they seemed to agree with what Murong Lian Zong said.
In fact, this was Tuoba Mumi's calmness and suggestion yesterday: since everyone has the intention of abandoning the king and fleeing, then let's work together to escape, otherwise no one can escape. However, if they fail without a fight, it will be difficult for them both above and below to explain.
Secondly, they are now surrounded by enemies on three sides. If they want to successfully break through the encirclement, they must go through successive battles, so they must have an elite force with an iron heart. And a calm battle is undoubtedly the best way to eliminate the bad and retain the good.
As long as the unsteady soldiers are eliminated, the remaining soldiers will naturally be elite soldiers. During the future escape, even if deserters continue to appear, it will not affect the overall situation.
The group of people stopped talking and walked outside the sleeping tent together. Tuoba Guangguang stepped forward and called inside: "Father,
Have you gotten up yet? Seeing no reply from inside, Tuoba Guang raised his voice again and shouted: "Father, all the generals are here."
However, there was still no answer inside. Tuoba Guang looked around and found that there was not even a single soldier. He suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart. He glanced at Murong Lianzong's solemn face, and the two of them said the same thing. He opened the tent door and broke in.
The sleeping tent that appeared in their eyes was already empty. They were shocked. After searching around for a while, they finally found a letter on the bedside.
"Aguang, General Lian Zong, when you read this letter, I have already left the rear camp and arrived at the front camp. I especially remember that when Great Khan Shifu was alive, Subi, Fuguo, Jialiang, Bai Lan and Dang Xiang are at war, which is a great opportunity for me to conquer Tuyuhun in the south. It is a wise move for Shifu Khan to maintain friendship with the Sui Dynasty and gain support."
"However, since the Great Khan succeeded to the throne, he did not understand current affairs and destiny. He actually made an enemy of the prosperous and prosperous Sui Dynasty for petty profits and brought Tuyuhun into a desperate situation. Since the confrontation with Yang Ji, the Great Khan In order to resist the powerful enemy, they resorted to violence and extortionate taxes, and the tax officials exploited them more cruelly day by day. As a result, the people were hungry and cold, complaining, and alienated. How could such a court be the opponent of the Sui Dynasty, which was united and united? "
"Judging from the recent bad news, Tuyuhun's destiny is final and cannot be changed. Fuqi City must have been in chaos and people's hearts are divided. As long as our army is defeated, the Sui army can encircle Fuqi City, and the city will also be surrounded by soldiers. As for the civil strife, the Great Khan is no longer a high-ranking Great Khan, but a treasure in the eyes of many nobles for his meritorious service and the chance of survival."
"When you read this letter, you immediately led your elite troops southward and were suddenly captured by Xihai. Then, while the Sui army had not completely occupied the southern land, you tried to rush to Supi. This was a road full of thorns and death. You must be careful. As for me, Tuoba Mumi, I don’t want to escape, but I can’t escape. My two sons died violently and magnificently. As a man who was deeply favored by the Great Khan, I Father, how can I bring shame to my heroic son? Even if I die, I will die on the way to charge."
After reading the letter word for word, Tuoba Guang closed his eyes sadly and cried out "Father!" with a trembling voice.
"General Tuoba, why didn't you wait for me? Do you think you are the only one who is loyal to the Great Khan?" After Murong Lianzong finished speaking, he resolutely said to Tuoba Guang: "Young Chief, the soldiers are left to you and Murong Lianheng However, my brother has a reckless temperament, is brave but has injuries, and lacks wisdom. He is not a good general. I leave everything to you. Please follow General Tuoba's instructions and lead the soldiers to fight a bloody road and successfully reach Supi."
After saying that, Murong Lianheng turned around and rushed out of the tent, called his younger brother Murong Lianheng, told his younger brother a few words solemnly, then mounted his horse and ran towards the north with a group of soldiers.
The sudden change made everyone stunned and in an uproar!
"Father and the deputy commander plan to lead the front army to charge to buy us time to go south." Murong Guang walked out with red eyes and shouted to the generals: "You immediately gather the elite soldiers from the middle and rear camps and let the soldiers Everyone brings enough dry food and prepares to withdraw the troops south."
The generals looked at each other in silence for a while, and then said loudly: "General, I will obey!"
After they reached a consensus yesterday, they prepared for a big bloody battle. Unexpectedly, the sudden change of events made their previous preparations useless; however, the soldiers had already been assembled, and if they packed their luggage at this time, there would be no chaos.
. . . . . .
Before the war started, in order to successfully fight the battle to annihilate Tuyuhun, Yang Ji specially summoned the local prefects, general managers, and county magistrates to Zhangye City and held a large-scale military meeting; Factors such as the distance of more than a thousand miles and the ever-changing nature of the war led to the decision to divide the country-destroying war into two. The two war zones in the east and west would fight their own battles without interfering with each other.
The main battlefield in the eastern theater is Qilianyuan, where the main forces of the two armies are confronting each other. In addition to the original 25,000 garrison troops, commander Zhang Xutuo also received 50,000 main battle troops and 5,000 victorious troops from Yang Ji. The total strength was 8 Ten thousand people; if we also include the troops of Yang Yichen, Liang Yuanli, the commander-in-chief of the march, and Fan Zigai, the commander-in-chief of the rear army of Zhou Faming, Zhang Xutuo will have even more troops available.
The battle plan set by the Eastern Theater Command is exactly the same as that of the Western Theater Command.
On the contrary, Yang Ji's tactics were to concentrate his forces, annihilate the main enemy forces at the three corners of Dangjin Mountain Pass, and then use the tactics of pursuing and attacking from all directions to capture the western region with a thunderous force. The tactics of Zhang Xutuo, Li Jing, Murong Sanzang, Yang Yichen, Liang Yuanli, Zhou Faming and others were to contain the main force, and the three marching generals defeated the opposing enemy forces. When the enemy's main force was panicked, Zhang Xutuo and others continued to attack. Completed in one battle.
However, the plan failed to keep up with the changes. Everyone, including Yang Ji, seriously overestimated Tuyuhun's large number of soldiers and generals. As a result, the three major western corners of Tuyuhun, including Dangjin City, were conquered before the war officially started in the east. . This good news spread to all the armies in the east. The three partial divisions headed by the three marching generals were greatly encouraged, and they successively conquered the enemy forces they faced and captured strategic locations one after another.
As for the Dangxiang Qiang, whom the Liangzhou Army regarded as an enemy before the war, they betrayed their faith and directly betrayed Tuyuhun. Tuoba Chi, the leader of the Dangxiang Qiang, not only opened the door to the Yizhou Army led by Yang Wutong, and the Lintao Army led by Zhou Faming. After boarding the plateau, they also cooperated with Murong Zhao, who was originally on guard, to capture the Wuhai Basin and Dafeichuan.
Faced with this sudden change and brand-new situation, Zhang Xutuo, Murong Sanzang, and Li Jing simply acted as green leaves. They were prepared to wait until the right time to give Tuoba Mimi a fatal blow, and strive to win this army at the minimum cost. Army.
Just when the Tuyuhun armies were making urgent preparations, Zhang Xutuo invited Murong Sanzang, Li Jing, Xue Ju, Yu Chigong and other major generals to the Chinese army's tent to discuss how to attack the enemy's main force.
"Everyone, according to the current progress of the battle, Tuyuhun can last for a month at most. As long as we annihilate Tuoba Mimi, we can surround Fuqi City with the king and kill all the princes and ministers headed by Murong Fuyun. By then, the entire Tuyuhun capital will be destroyed. Will return to the Sui Dynasty again." Zhang Xutuo said with a smile in a relaxed tone: "Oh, such a result is really hard-won!"
After hearing this last sentence, everyone's faces turned dark: "..."
The war was going on so easily, why was it so hard won?
Who are you lying to?
Zhang Xutuo understood everyone's thoughts and said with a smile: "Of course this battle is easy, but when I say hard-won, I mean a long-term confrontation. The king and Tuyuhun have been fighting for so many years, which has long aroused the dissatisfaction of the court officials, but we are not at all worried about it. Pressure, but the pressure on the king’s shoulders is as heavy as a mountain.”
At this point, Zhang Xutuo suppressed his smile and his tone became serious: "If it weren't for Da Yili who suppressed all kinds of rumors and unswervingly adhered to the strategic thinking of the arms race, the Liangzhou Army would not be fighting now. Even if we have to do it so easily, we won’t be able to destroy the country easily.”
When everyone heard this, they bowed solemnly and said, "What the manager said is absolutely true!"
Zhang Xutuo stopped talking and did not continue to discuss this topic, and then said: "Everyone, I just received the news from the king. After the main army on the west route joined forces with Li Daliang and Dugu Pingyun, they marched along the eastern foot of Xiti Mountain. He moved southward from the plains and defeated the reinforcements sent by Murong Fuyun near Tuosu Lake and Ga(g) Lake. The king is now divided into two groups, one led by General Qian Shixiong, and General Qian and General Li Daliang along the " Bayingol River" goes north, responsible for annihilating the defenders in the Hala Lake area, and then supporting our army from the west. The other route is led by the king, who leads the army eastward and enters along the main stream of the tributary of the "Buha River" Qinghai Lake District, attack Fuqi City. "
Zhang Xutuo's words made the generals look very ugly and feel extremely ashamed.
Zhang Xutuo went on to say: "The glorious victory achieved by the overlord and the actions of dividing his troops to support me, the commander of the Eastern Region, are very shameful. I believe you are also the same?"
Everyone nodded silently.
In the established tactics, whether it is to attack Hala Lake or Fuqi City, it is the mission of the Eastern Sui Army; however, they have more troops than the Western Sui Army, and the enemy has fewer troops than the western battlefield. Now, they actually want the king to travel thousands of miles to help. How can everyone accept this?
If we continue to do nothing like this, we will be embarrassed to see each other in the future.
After looking at everyone, Zhang Xutuo said slowly: "Today, I plan to defeat Tuoba Mimi. What do you think?"
"The manager is wise!" everyone shouted loudly.
"That's good!" Zhang
Sutuo nodded with satisfaction. Just as he was about to issue a combat mission, Yang Zhiqing strode in, cupped his hands and said, "General, please see the general manager, deputy general manager, and chief history officer."
"General Yang, no courtesy!" Zhang Xutuo asked, "General Yang came here in a hurry. I don't know why?"
Yang Zhiqing is the eldest grandson of Nayan Yangda. He and his younger brothers Yang Zhiyun and Yang Zhiliang were sent by their grandfather to train under Yang Ji. In this battle, Yang Ji sent the three brothers to Zhang Xutuo, hoping that their brothers would be more effective in actual combat. make more progress. Zhang Xutuo also understood Yang Ji's intention of sending the Yang brothers to his subordinates, so he gave Yang Zhiqing the most arduous and tempering position of chief scout.
After Yang Zhiqing heard Zhang Xutuo's question, he immediately raised his hands and answered: "General Manager, the Tuyuhun army has walked out of the camp and gathered in front of the camp."
Zhang Xutuo frowned slightly and asked, "Seriously?"
"That's true!" Yang Zhiqing nodded and continued to say to Zhang Xutuo: "General Manager, according to the military information sent by the scouts in front, the soldiers dispatched this time are miscellaneous soldiers from the front camp, while the middle camp and rear camp Tuyuhun They are also gathering, but they are different from the former soldiers. They are preparing arrows, food and other supplies."
Hearing this, Zhang Xutuo said to everyone: "It seems that Tuoba Mumi is planning to escape! And the former army is using Tuoba Mumi as a scapegoat for his escape!"
"The general manager is right! But Tuoba Mimi thinks too much." When Li Jing said this, he said in a solemn tone: "Please give the order, general manager!"
Zhang Xutuo pondered for a while and then said in a deep voice: "My deputy general manager Murong and I personally led the main force to engage in a decisive battle with the enemy, and then were responsible for conquering the enemy camp. Li Changshi, you guard the camp, and at the same time give orders to Liang Yuanli of Xihai Town. Let him intercept the deserters and never let the enemy troops escape."
After hearing this, Murong Sanzang and Li Jing stood up, cupped their hands and said: "General/I humbly obey my orders!"
"General Manager Liang Yuanli only has 10,000 lightly armed elite cavalry and no equipment to defend the city. The pressure is extremely high." When Zhang Xutuo said this, he glanced at the generals, and finally settled on Xue Ju, and ordered the general. Said: "Xue Ju!"
"The general is here!" Xue Ju quickly stood up and held his hands.
"You lead 5,000 victorious troops and 10,000 fine cavalry as a partial army." Zhang Xutuo took out a command arrow and said, "Your mission is to attack the fleeing troops and never allow the enemy troops to escape easily. Then, you and Manager Liang Let’s work together to annihilate all the fleeing troops.”
"I will obey your orders!" Xue Ju stepped forward to take the command arrow and immediately saluted and left.
After arranging the rear army and side troops, Zhang Xutuo then arranged for the front-line fighting troops to return: "Murong Sanzang, Yang Zhiqing!"
"The end is here!" Murong Sanzang and Yang Zhiqing said solemnly.
"In this battle, I will personally lead the infantry to defeat the enemy from the front!" Zhang Xutuo arranged the task for himself, took off two command arrows, and continued: "You two will each lead 10,000 elite cavalry as the left and right wings. I have defeated the enemy army, and you two immediately use your troops to cover up the defeated troops and seize the enemy camp directly."
Murong Sanzang and Yang Zhiqing stepped forward to take the order arrows and said loudly: "I will obey your orders!"
With that said, the two of them bowed and left the tent.
"General Manager, what about the 10,000 elite cavalry?" Seeing that everyone had tasks, Yuchi Gong suddenly became anxious.
Zhang Xutuo smiled and said: "Your 10,000 cavalry are the central army. When I defeat the enemy, you will charge out from behind the infantry phalanx."
"General, I will obey your orders!" Yuchi was overjoyed.
