Xu Youchang threw the imperial edict from Luoyi on the table and sneered: "Our emperor, I really don't know what is going on in his mind? We have worked so hard for a long time, why? Isn't it to attract Turks? The main force came back to resolve the crisis in the Central Plains. Seeing that the Turks were coming, it was a good time for a strategic decisive battle. If he could complete the victory in one battle, he could completely drive away the invaders. It was good for him, but at this time he stood still and took up military power. Adjustment, I’m really sick!”
Xie Tanzhi asked worriedly: "Shuai Xu, Ronya has arrived at Tongguan, how are you doing in Huazhou? Is it okay?"
Xu Youchang waved his hand: "It's not a big problem. I went to attack Huazhou before, and I led the cavalry of the First Army, which is flexible. If the Turkic army comes menacingly, they will evacuate at any time according to the plan. Otherwise, I won't rest assured. Run to the Imperial Capital."
Xie Tanzhi nodded slightly when he heard this: "I also came from Western Xinjiang just the day before yesterday. I was accompanied by the Fifth Army and the Seventh Army. The Imperial Guard said that in order to start the final decisive battle with the Turks, all troops must be dispatched. That’s all.”
Xu Youchang asked: "What was going on in Baoji when you came here? Did Du Jian defeat him?"
"Baoji has been captured by our army." Xie Tanzhi replied: "General Du led his troops and arrived here at the same time as me."
As soon as he finished speaking, the curtain was suddenly opened by the guards outside, and Li Jiangyao and Du Jian walked in one after another.
Xu Youchang quickly stood up and saluted: "Sir!"
"You're back? It was a hard journey." Li Jiangyao smiled and nodded, motioning Xu Youchang and Xie Tanzhi to sit down: "I was inspecting Lao Du and his second army just now. When I heard that you had arrived, I rushed back immediately. How about it? , If you want something good to eat for lunch, I’ll pick it up for you.”
Xu Youchang laughed and said, "There's no need for Jie Feng, I'm already full of anger."
Du Jian knew the meaning of his words, sat down next to him and said: "Xu Shuai, I am just as angry as you. What do you think the court is causing trouble? Are you planning to regain the imperial capital and eliminate the Turks?" "
Xu Youchang shook his head helplessly: "They are afraid that our Xinjiang Army will grow bigger, so they do this on purpose."
Xie Tanzhi agreed: "The emperor is adjusting his military power and reorganizing the army at this time. It is obvious that he is preparing for the future. Alas, the emperor's scheming and suspicion are getting worse."
Li Jiangyao smiled and took a sip of hot tea, listening to the three of them complaining, but he did not speak.
Xu Youchang looked at him and asked curiously: "Sir, aren't you anxious?"
"What's the rush?"
"Of course it's the attitude of the emperor and the court!" Xu Youchang said: "They are so willful and willful. Wouldn't it hurt their loved ones and make their enemies happy, and they would gain a lot of money from Ashin?"
Li Jiangyao refilled some tea for himself and asked calmly: "Has the Zhenjiang Army been reorganized and disbanded?"
"……No."
"Then you, me, and Lao Xie and Lao Du, have we been dismissed from our posts?"
"No."
Li Jiangyao put down his tea cup: "Since the Zhenjiang Army is still there, and you and I are still here, what's the point of being anxious?"
Xu Youchang said dissatisfied: "But what about the next decisive battle? The imperial court will not be able to complete the reorganization of the army within a few months..."
Li Jiangyao looked at the three people in front of him with bright eyes: "Who said we have to wait for the imperial army? The Zhenjiang Army has been fighting alone since the day it was born. With or without the help of others, we will all defeat the powerful enemy!"
Fight alone and defeat powerful enemies.
These eight words were like thunder, striking Xu Youchang and the others in their hearts.
Li Jiangyao is right. For many years, the Zhenjiang Army has always been surrounded by powerful enemies and trapped in a tight siege. It was entirely through its own bravery and bloody fighting that it has conquered this vast world. When has it ever relied on others for help?
Du Jian slapped his thigh and shouted: "That's right! If you want to be beaten, I'll beat you. Who are we afraid of?!"
Xu Youchang also nodded: "Well, it might be more convenient to do it yourself, and it can save a lot of trouble of coordination and running-in."
Xie Tanzhi asked: "Daduhu, what should we do next?"
Li Jiangyao said with confidence: "Now, all nine of our Zhenjiang armies are concentrated here. The military advantage is greater than that of the Turks. The only problem is that their mobility is not as good as theirs. So my idea is to try to avoid To attack the imperial capital city, on the other hand, prepare a dragnet for the Turkic cavalry."
"Dragnet? What is that?" Xie Tanzhi couldn't help but asked curiously: "What kind of net can stop the enemy's cavalry?"
Li Jiangyao smiled casually: "Three elder brothers, please forgive me for showing off for now. In the afternoon, you will go somewhere with me, and I will tell you in detail."
-
The vast Guanzhong Plain is flat and endless as far as the eye can see. Due to the climate, water and soil, the natural vegetation here is not very dense. Looking around, there are either large tracts of crops or loess fertile fields, thick and desolate.
Li Jiangyao rode Juechen and galloped at the front. Xu Youchang, Du Jian, Xie Tanzhi and other generals of the Zhenjiang Army followed closely behind. Together with hundreds of ghost-faced white-robed army guards, they followed the general on the plain. Running wildly.
Their current location is Weinan County, two hundred miles east of the imperial capital.
Li Jiangyao rushed up to a small high ground, finally took the reins and stopped immediately. After Xu Youchang and others came to his side, he raised his hand, pointed forward with his riding crop and said, "Look, is it open?"
Xu Youchang looked far into the distance, nodded and said: "When I went to the imperial capital, I just passed by here. The terrain is indeed very open."
Li Jiangyao smiled slightly: "This is the only way to the imperial capital. Not only is the distance the shortest, but it also has a wide and flat road. Look further north, have you seen it? That big river."
"That should be the Wei River, right?" Xie Tanzhi responded: "Because of it, this place is called Weinan."
"That's right." Li Jiangyao said loudly: "The Wei River originally flows from east to west, but when it reaches this place, it suddenly changes its course to the north. After going a certain distance, it turns around and flows east. Soon, it turns back to the south, which happens to form a A "ji"-shaped area is formed. Weinan County and the plains and wild lands around it for tens of miles are located in this "ji"-shaped recess."
Listening to his introduction, the generals put their hands on each other's eyes and looked around, gaining a rough intuitive understanding of Li Jiangyao's words.
Just listen to Li Jiangyao continue: "The dragnet I want to weave for the Turks is right here! Relying on the rivers on the east, west and north, dig a large number of crisscross trenches in the vast area in the south, and then take advantage of Roniya The opportunity given by He Lianxiong and others to rush to the aid of the imperial capital made them plunge into the big net and they could not escape even if they had no wings!"
Xu Youchang's eyes lit up when he heard this: "Jiang Yao, this is a powerful move. Can you think of such wild and unconstrained ideas?!"
Xie Tanzhi was a little worried: "Sir, a dragnet is indeed feasible. However, if we want to dig trenches enough to trap the Turkic cavalry in such an open plain, it will require a lot of manpower and the time will be very tight. Can we make it in time?"
"This is exactly what I want to arrange for you to do next." Li Jiangyao shouted to everyone: "Brothers, the life-and-death battle with the Turks is right in front of us! If we win, we can completely eliminate the invaders and return the enemy to the enemy. The Holy Tang Dynasty is peaceful and prosperous; if we fail, not only will we not be able to take the imperial capital, but Western Xinjiang will fall into the enemy's hands again. Therefore, I need you to show a hundredfold confidence and perseverance to lay this dragnet!"
"Please don't worry, sir!"
All the generals roared in unison, and their morale was high.
Li Jiangyao glanced at everyone present, nodded with satisfaction, and then ordered: "The First Army is responsible for blocking the main force of Ronia in Huazhou, and gives at least ten days to the brother troops! The Third Army, The Sixth Army and the Eighth Army, continue to monitor the imperial capital and prevent the Blood Guards from breaking out! The Second Army, the Fourth Army, the Fifth Army, the Seventh Army and the Ninth Army, as well as the Xijiang civilian team, all set off to the Weinan area. Get off your back and dig a ditch!"
The entire Zhenjiang Army immediately took action after the Great Protector gave the order.
Except for those troops who were responsible for besieging the imperial capital, the rest of the troops quickly gathered and mobilized and advanced eastward.
The Fourth Army and the Ninth Army were the fastest moving. They were all light cavalry and arrived at the designated area that night. The officers and soldiers of these two armies didn't even bother to eat. As soon as they arrived at the place, they jumped off their horses, took off their armor, and started civil engineering work according to the drawings issued by the commander-in-chief.
Without convenient tools, they used swords and spears to dig out rocks and soil. If they couldn't do it anymore, they simply relied on their own hands.
Before dawn the next day, the Fifth Army also arrived; at noon, the Second Army and the Seventh Army arrived one after another. When the sun was about to set, tens of thousands of people from Western Xinjiang appeared in the Weinan Plain.
In this way, hundreds of thousands of people were busy day and night, with loud chants and earth and rocks flying up and down everywhere. The majestic and majestic construction scene made people moved.
Li Jiangyao's original plan was to basically complete the work in seven to eight days, while leaving two days of surplus for the First Army to block the enemy. Unexpectedly, the powerful Zhenjiang Army gave their commander a big surprise.
In just five days, deep ditches and trenches with a cumulative length of hundreds of miles were excavated.
These trenches, all in accordance with the standards set by Li Jiangyao, were more than one foot wide and three feet deep, enough to trap war horses and prevent them from jumping over. The criss-crossed layout of trenches looks chaotic, but in fact it forms three huge isolation zones, extending for nearly ten miles from left to right.
As long as the cavalry troops enter this pocket-like area, they will be unable to pass in any direction except by retreating along the original route.
Li Jiangyao was on the small highland, looking at the wilderness in front of him that had been completely changed by the Zhenjiang Army, and he couldn't help but feel a shocking and exciting feeling in his heart:
The battle to determine the fate of the two empires is about to begin here!
