Regarding Huang Qiong's answer, Du She understood what he had overlooked. Without any hesitation, he immediately sent an order and sent a thousand troops and horses to carefully search the county town, focusing on the wells in the city. While his subordinates were carrying out the execution, Huang Qiong sat on his horse and looked at the dilapidated and deserted Tongxin County in front of him. After a long time, he asked, "Where will the rebels be hiding?"
Huang Qiong's words seemed to be spoken to himself, but also to Du She beside him. When Du She heard Huang Qiong's words, after hesitating for a moment, he said: "Your Majesty, from the general's point of view, if the rebels decide to attack our left army first, then it is very likely that they will hide in the Between Daluo Mountain and Niushou Mountain on both sides of the Qingshui River. The most likely one is Daluo Mountain."
"Besides these two places, I can't think of any other place on the road from Tongxin County to Lingzhou where I can set up an ambush. Especially Daluo Mountain. Although the mountain is not steep, it runs more than 80 degrees from north to south. This mountain forest, which is more than thirty miles wide from east to west, is stuck between our army and the Central Route Army. And although the area of Daluo Mountain is not large, it is not a problem to hide tens of thousands of troops due to the high mountains and dense forests."
At this point, Du She got off his horse. After drawing a simple map on the ground, he picked up a few stones and placed them respectively, and said to Huang Qiong, who also stood up and dismounted: "Your Majesty, look. Daluo Mountain is right between our army and the Central Route Army. The rebels are hiding in Here, not only can we attack the left and middle routes, but we can also use the officers and soldiers to rescue each other and ambush the reinforcements in Daluo Mountain, which they must pass through."
"If Tuoba Jiqian decides to use all his strength to fight against the army, he will most likely be hiding in Daluo Mountain. Because looking at the terrain of the entire Ningxia Prefecture, there is no place more suitable for him than Daluo Mountain. Hidden standby position. The most important thing is that he controls Daluo Mountain, which is equivalent to cutting off the connection between the two armies. Your Majesty, what do you think we should do next? "
In response to Du She's request, Huang Qiong stood up and walked around for a long time, then turned to look at Du She and said, "If you were the commander-in-chief of the entire army, under this situation, what do you think we should do? What the king means is to put you in He Yuanfeng's position. Say whatever comes to your mind and don't be too humble. As a general, you should look at things from the overall perspective."
Huang Qiong's rhetorical question made Du She hesitate. However, when he saw Huang Qiong's expectant eyes when he looked at him, Du She gritted his teeth and said, "Based on the experience of the last general, our army now has two choices. If the target of Tuoba's relocation is me, then We will stay in Tongxin County and wait for reinforcements. Your Majesty, the combat effectiveness of the left route army is too weak. Although we have strengthened the two thousand imperial guards."
"But overall, the infantry is still the main force. Although the rebels may not all be cavalry, at least 60% are still dominated by the horse army. Our army is marching along the Qingshui River Valley, and the rebels who control Daluo Mountain are also It has the advantage of being condescending, which is too obvious for our army. In addition, the combat effectiveness of the Longyou Guards in recent years has declined too obviously. Once ambushed, is it very likely that our army will rush to fight? "
"If the target of the rebels is the Central Army, then my suggestion is for the entire army to carry five days of dry food, abandon all baggage, and march quickly to capture Shigou City. Shigou City is a small city stuck between Lingzhou and Daluo Mountain. , although the city is not large in size, its location is extremely critical. As long as Shigou City is in the hands of our army, there is basically no possibility for the rebels to return to Lingzhou."
"As for Deputy Envoy He, there are 20,000 soldiers and horses from the Xijing camp. Even if Tuoba's target is him, if he doesn't make any big mistakes, or if he doesn't underestimate the enemy and advance rashly, the rebels can concentrate all their main forces , and you may not be able to get good results. The general is still very confident in the combat power of the Xijing camp. Coupled with the cooperation of Feng Zhoushan's right army, the rebels can't do anything to him."
"My lord, Tuoba Jiqian is a cunning person. If he mainly attacks the middle road, his real target may not be the central army. It is most likely that he wants to encircle a point for reinforcements. With Tuoba Jiqian's character, even though he knows he is not an opponent, he He will never confront the Central Route Army head-on. If he feints a shot, feints to attack the Central Route to lure our troops to rescue, and uses the mountains of Daluo Mountain to set up an ambush, then the Left Route Army will be truly in danger."
In the first half of the sentence, Du She spoke very cryptically, but he also expressed his true thoughts. He was really not optimistic about the possible outcome of the field battle between his men and the rebels. If there is a head-on confrontation with the rebels in the wild, facing the superior rebels, the result of waiting for the left army will most likely be the complete destruction of the entire army. The rebels could not defeat the Xijing camp, but the guards at Longyou were no match for the rebels.
He also hopes that he can rely on Tongxin County to hold on. At present, although all the people in Tongxin County have been plundered by the rebels, the city wall has not been destroyed. Tongxin County is the seat of Ningxia Prefecture, and it is located on the border. Therefore, the city wall was built very tall and strong. If we can hold on to this city, it will be far better than encountering the rebels in the field.
But the second half of the sentence was very direct. He directly told Huang Qiong that if the Central Army was attacked first, there would be no need to consider it. It was the rebels who were calling for reinforcements at the encirclement point. It is not Tuoba Jiqian's style to march in danger even though he knows he cannot defeat them. If the insidious and cunning Tuoba Jiqian attacked the middle route army first, he would most likely set up an ambush circle for the left route army halfway on the Daluo Mountain.
His suggestion was that once the center army was attacked, ignore it. He Yuanfeng has 20,000 powerful Xijing camp troops and horses in his hands. Even if the rebels attack in full force, as long as He Yuanfeng doesn't make any big mistakes, he can still protect himself. The left army can take advantage of this opportunity to quickly move north to seize Shigou City, the choke point for the rebels' northward retreat, and block the rebels south of Shigou City.
Huang Qiong did not answer Du She's suggestion immediately, but pondered slightly. Du She's first thought was not wrong. An army that had been in decline for several years could not be reorganized in just three days. Moreover, during the period of following the operations of the Left Army, Huang Qiong also truly experienced the true combat power of the Longyou Guards. It is said that marching is also a manifestation of combat power.
If this sentence is true, then facing these marching columns, they are all sparse and walking lazily. If it weren't for Du She's personal soldiers at the rear, who were whipping them with horsewhips along the way, at least 30 people would have been left behind during the two-day march. Huang Qiong felt really speechless. It was precisely because of these few days of observation that Huang Qiong knew that Du She's worries about his subordinates were by no means unfounded.
Indeed, if Tuoba Jiqian really decides to fight this battle, it can be said that the left army, which is almost a bunch of fish and belly, is the best target. Whether it is setting up an ambush or encircling a point for reinforcements, it is no longer appropriate to target the left army. Thinking of this, Huang Qiong raised his head and said to Du She: "What do you think is the chance that Tuoba will move on and hide in Daluo Mountain?"
"General Du, you need to know one thing. If Tuoba Jiqian had not hidden himself in Daluo Mountain, or had not chosen the Left Route Army as his first choice. If we stayed together for a long time, then the Left Route Army would not be afraid of it. The plan to suppress the three armies will completely fail due to the stagnation of the left army. So I want to know how confident you are in judging the enemy's situation."
"It's not that I don't believe you, but there are some things that we need to consider more comprehensively before making up our minds. Otherwise, we will lose everything in one careless move. This is not only responsible for the overall situation of this counter-insurgency, but also for the Responsible for the lives of thousands of soldiers. General Du, I know that your ability is at least not inferior to that of He Yuanfeng. Therefore, I would like to hear your thoughts on this matter."
Huang Qiong's words made Du She somewhat ashamed. He did not expect that the King of England would think so highly of him. Facing Huang Qiong's trusting gaze, after hesitating for a moment, Du She said hesitantly: "Your Majesty, one of the main reasons why the general judged that the main force of the rebels was hidden near Daluo Mountain is actually The result of bringing back the reconnaissance cavalry sent by the general at the end.”
Speaking of the reconnaissance cavalry he sent out, Du She said with some shame: "The general knows the character of the guards very well. Ever since we set out from Huanzhou, the general has been sending reconnaissance cavalry extensively. That's all. The intelligence brought back by the scouts is really worrisome. Almost none of the scouts brought back even a little bit of useful information. Even the rebels and Jianbi Qingye were not found."
"These people sent out by the general are all veterans. If they were more careful or bolder, even if they did not find out the movements of the main force of the rebels, they might not be able to find even a trace. It means that they are in When collecting the enemy's movements, we didn't dare to go too deep. The reconnaissance cavalry sent by the general headed for hundreds of miles around our march route."
"Judging from the intelligence brought back by these guys, most of them are useless things. The only thing that was found was that a small number of party members were found in the direction of Leshan on the left and the direction of Niushou Mountain directly in front of us. The rangers. There is nothing in the direction of Daluo Mountain, which is most important to the general. These people are veterans, and they will find any clues."
"But in the direction of Daluo Mountain, nothing was found. In their words, there was no trace of rebels in Daluo Mountain. According to their report, the general believed that these people did not enter Daluo Mountain at all. Even It's possible that they didn't even make a circle around Daluo Mountain. It's very possible that they turned around and turned back when they got to Daluo Mountain."
"That's why the general judged that the main force of the rebels was most likely hidden in Daluo Mountain. Because Niushou Mountain and Xiangshan Mountain are not places that our army must pass through heading north, but our army can bypass them. These two mountainous areas. When the rebels appeared in that direction, it was just a false shot to confuse our sight. Tuoba Jiqian is extremely good at using cavalry to maneuver and set up ambushes."
"The first time the general led the army to quell the rebellion, he suffered the consequences of this guy's tactics. When the general led his troops just past Qintuokou, his cavalry suddenly rushed down from the mountains on both sides, and immediately defeated the general. The thousands of infantry under the general's command were cut into pieces. If it weren't for the soldiers and horsemen of Qingyang Mansion who fought tooth and nail to break up the cover, the general might not have had the chance to see the prince again."
"In that battle, the main reason was that the thousands of troops and horses led by the general were too weak and collapsed at the first touch. But the general did not expect that the rebels would use cavalry to set up ambushes on a large scale in the mountains, which was also the main reason for the defeat. 1. Before we got to Tongxin, the road was all mountainous, and Tuoba Jiqian didn’t find a chance to take action. And between Tongxin and Lingzhou, Daluo Mountain and the others were their last chance to fight."
"Especially with Tuoba Jiqian's usual tactics, the battle at Daluo Mountain is his last chance south of Lingzhou. Therefore, the general believes that if Tuoba Jiqian wants to fight this battle, Daluo Mountain It is the last possibility. Therefore, I think that Tuoba Jiqian is most likely hiding in Daluo Mountain, waiting to find fighters. I just don’t know whether his target is the left army or the center army. "
