"Ah Chong has made a lot of progress, not to mention whether it is correct or not, but with this bravery, he will live up to my reputation as a great man. Xie Chong, you are very good, you have made great progress, you have made great progress."
"Hiccup...Thank you, Du Tong." Xie Chong was obviously still drunk. After making a nasty burp, he straightened his waist with a proud face.
Since he was in the army, he finally showed up to give advice. Unexpectedly, his clan brother actually praised him. It seemed that what he said was right. All the generals are stupid, they can't understand such a simple truth, and all of them have sad faces... Xie Chong, who was so happy, didn't see Xie Gui's eyes that wanted to kill him and his face that was shaking with anger. Cheeks.
"Yes, General Chong can see clearly. We also think General Chong is right. What do you think?" Shao Tingqi smiled and started to put Xie Chong on the fire.
"Yes, yes! Of course General Chong can see clearly, even better than we can! We also think what General Chong said is reasonable." Several generals hurriedly agreed.
Xie Gui's face was livid. He silently wrote down the names of the generals. Without exception, they were usually supporters of Shao Tingjuan. This was to take the opportunity to confirm the matter.
"This... Although Xie Chong's words are reasonable, they are not entirely unreasonable. The land of Guiguan is the barrier to the northern border of our Han Dynasty, and the gains and losses are of great significance. It is precisely because we have captured Guiguan that His Majesty has placed hope in us. , ordered us to continue heading north. If we lose Guiguan, wouldn’t it be a disappointment to His Majesty?
Moreover, once Guiguan is lost, the Tang army will be able to send troops to Lingnan. By then, I am afraid that Prince Xing's palace will also be threatened. Wouldn't it be related to His Majesty's safety? Therefore, Pan Du ordered us to withdraw our troops for the sake of the future. At present, we are the only imperial troops left in the Chu region. If there is any loss, everything will be lost. "Xie Gui said in a deep voice.
The generals kept silent, but they were extremely speechless in their hearts. You, Xie Gui, are the best at playing with people's hearts. It's you, but it's you... But there is one thing that touches the hearts of the generals. That It was the gains and losses of Gui Guan. Obviously no one could bear the emperor's anger.
"Then let's break up camp and withdraw our troops immediately. There's no need to waste time here! No matter how clever Li Yuan is, we really don't believe that even one of the 20,000 elite soldiers can't get out!" Shao Tingxuan said coldly.
"Wait a minute, Shao Junrong! Don't you think it's too cheap for that kid Li Yuan if we just leave like this? Tens of thousands of brothers in our army died in his hands. Are you willing to let him run free like this without any damage?"
"Then what can be done?" Shao Tingxuan's face darkened and he frowned: "Could it be that Xie Dutong wants to divide his troops? One army continues to attack, and the other army retreats to reinforce Guiguan? Don't forget that we only have 20,000 people left!"
Xie Gui shook his head and said: "It is impossible to divide the troops. That will not please both ends. We cannot choose Li Yuan as the target of our attack... What Ben Dutong means is that our current military strength should be the same as that of the Tang army." Quite frankly, the siege equipment is complete. We will attack Yiyang by surprise tomorrow. We think that Yiyang city was besieged by our army for several days and it is already at the end of our strength. We will try to break the city in one day, leaving some defenders to contain the main force of Li Yuan's army, and the rest of the army. Ma Hui returned to Guiguan.
In this way, a nail can be planted in Chudi, which will be enough to cause Li Yuanyuan pain for a while. The Tang army's attention will naturally be on Yiyang City, and they will not send troops south for the time being. Our trip is not in vain after all. Pontus thinks this will kill two birds with one stone, what do you think? "
Xie Gui finally stopped hiding his intentions. He knew that it was impossible for his generals to come up with the answers he wanted. It's better to express his position directly. Anyway, he can't spare that kid Li Yuan. He always has to teach him a big lesson before leaving.
All the generals expressed their approval and praised this as the best of both worlds. Many people actually have this idea, but they just don't want to say it out loud. It would be best for Xie Dutong to bring it up now.
Xie Gui smiled and said: "Since everyone agrees, then we will act according to the plan and attack Yiyang City tomorrow morning and try to capture the city in the afternoon. However, if our army makes any move, the Tang Army on the opposite mountain will have to catch wind and come to the rescue. Yiyang, so a brave and resourceful general is needed to lure the suspects into attack..."
…
On August 20, before the sun rose, a large number of Han troops quietly left the camp in the still hazy night. After safely passing through the steep terrain, they arrived in a valley ten miles west of Yiyang City. The trees here are tall and dense, the ground is covered with weeds, and a trickling stream passes through the forest and submerges into the depths ahead. The ground is flat and open, making it an excellent place for the garrison to rest.
The only fly in the ointment is the shrill screams of the apes jumping on the trees, because the trees here are all fruit trees, including peaches and apricots. It is now August and these fruits on the trees are ready to eat. Therefore, monkeys from the nearby mountains gather here to eat young leaves and berries. When they are thirsty, they go to the stream to drink water. It is their paradise.
As soon as the army arrived, the apes' territory was disturbed. Of course, they screamed and threatened. The Han soldiers could not bear to be disturbed. After the archers bent their bows and arrows and killed more than a dozen of them, the monkeys hid far away on the edge of the woods and screamed loudly as if they were cursing, making people uneasy.
However, the officers and soldiers of the Han army could not care about this. They were about to attack the city after sunrise and did not know whether they would live or die. They were suddenly ordered to set off in the dark tonight and were already low on energy. Since the commander Xie Gui had ordered to rest for an hour, they naturally just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. Quickly resting, most of the people drank enough water from the stream and fell on the grass after arriving. After a while, the entire valley was covered with Han soldiers, and occasionally they started snoring.
The leading generals such as Xie Gui and Xie Chong were also very tired. After carefully arranging the soldiers on duty, they each found a soft grassland to lie down and rest. Soon after, except for the more than a thousand soldiers on duty at both ends of the valley, everyone closed their eyes and looked for their temporary home in their dreams.
The sun has not yet risen, the mountains are still solemn, the cold wind blows through the mountains, and the rustling of the leaves is like the sound of waves. In the distance, the occupied apes on the edge of the forest screamed in the wind. Their cries were like the sound of weeping. It sounded very creepy, but these sleeping Han soldiers didn't care at all. They had already entered In deep sleep.
At the intersections on both sides of the valley, bonfires were lit at several temporary sentries. More than a thousand soldiers on duty were still patrolling with swords and strong spirits. At first they could barely keep their spirits up, but the warmth of the campfire, the blowing of the night wind, and the sounds of deep sleep all around made their eyelids feel as heavy as heavy weights.
Many Han soldiers thought to themselves that they could just squint their eyes for a moment. This place was far away from Li Yuan's army and nothing would be delayed. His eyelids drooped, but he could no longer open them.
Soon after, not only the soldiers and horses in the forest, but also the Han soldiers on guard duty around them could not bear the fatigue. They leaned on the tree trunks with their swords and fell asleep. The fatigue of the past few days seemed to be superimposed at this moment. The attack finally defeated everyone here, and once we let go during the war, crisis will naturally follow...
