After hearing what the three people said, Zhao Ding's face turned ugly. Wang Xiaolie's intention was obvious. Zhao Ding had mobilized the Shaanxi army, and then he would direct them to attack Taiyuan Prefecture. There are only 20,000 defenders in Taiyuan. If 60,000 are attacked, the strength is still sufficient. If the Jin army comes in force, Wang Xiaolie's troops will be able to resist the reinforcements.
If Zhao Ding wants military power, then give it to him and attack Taiyuan Prefecture. During this process, if Zhao Ding performs well, Wang Xiaolie will also change his opinion. If Zhao Ding's command is chaotic, there will be nothing to say, and Wang Xiaolie will definitely control the military power.
After a long time, Zhao Ding said: "Wang Xuanfu wants you to attack Taiyuan Mansion? Taiyuan Mansion has 20,000 gold soldiers, are you sure?"
Wu Jie said: "We have 60,000 soldiers and horses. There is no problem in defeating the Jin army. But if the Jin army sticks to Taiyuan, it will be difficult to say."
Zhao Ding said: "Now, unlike before, Wang Xuanfu's army has artillery, so it is relatively easy to attack a fortified city. When Zhang was in Shaanxi, he bought a hundred artillery pieces from Wang Xuanfu's army. Did you take them with you?"
Wu Jie said: "Most of the artillery purchased are in our army. Liu Fufu and General Guan only have ten or twenty in the army."
Zhao Ding thought for a while and said: "There is no other way. You can go to the Xuanfu Division and ask if you can give them a few dozen more? Liu Qi and Guan Shigu have too few troops."
Wu Jie heard this and asked hurriedly: "Does the governor mean that we are really going to attack Taiyuan Mansion?"
Zhao Ding sighed: "If you don't attack Taiyuan Prefecture, how will you prove that you can fight? If you can't fight, why are you coming to Jinzhou?"
Wu Jie glanced at the other two people and remained silent.
Among the three, Wu Jie is the most famous in later generations. But its combat characteristics are that it is good at defense and good at taking advantage of the terrain. Attacking Taiyuan would not give full play to his two strengths. Although Liu Qi and Guan Shigu were famous generals, they did not have outstanding results in the battle against the Jin army.
Sixty thousand people attacked Taiyuan Prefecture. Although Wu Jie was confident in his words, he was uneasy in his heart. Wanyan Yinshuke, who guarded Taiyuan, once led ten thousand people to attack dozens of prefectures in the west of Beijing. He was invincible and conquered. Among the Jin army, he is on par with Lou Su. Facing Wang Xiaolie's attack, Wan Yinshu, who was outnumbered, had no choice but to face the Shaanxi army.
Wang Xiaolie annihilated Sa Lihe's main force with only one regiment. All Shaanxi generals understood that there was a huge difference between their own armies and Wang Xiaolie's. Wang Xiaolie can easily win the battle, but he may not.
Zhao Ding said: "You go back and prepare well. I will go to the front line in person to live and die with you in this battle! In the current war, I am most afraid that the coach will be at odds, leaving the people below at a loss. I know this truth, and I don't want to fight with Wang Xuanfu Break your skin. The attack on Taiyuan is a battle for you to prove yourself, and it is also a battle for me to prove myself. If everything goes well, Wang Xuanfu will no longer insist on taking military power. If it does not go well, then forget about everything!"
Wu Jie and the other three had nothing to say and left together.
After sending the three people away, Zhao Ding sat alone in his seat and meditated. As the governor, Zhao Ding represented the central court and controlled all the troops. It is natural to hold the power alone and command the generals under his command to fight. But Wang Xiaolie's place was different from other places. All the troops were brought out by Wang Xiaolie, and the states and counties under his rule were not under the command of the imperial court. It is impossible to seize Wang Xiaolie's military power.
What can Zhao Ding do? Anyway, give it a try. And in his heart, Zhao Ding didn't believe that Wang Xiaolie was so magical. If the troops are under your command, you can win the battle. The more Wang Xiaolie valued military power, the more Zhao Ding wanted to give it a try. Even after he took over the military power, he still relied on Wang Xiaolie.
Qi Chongli and Fu Songqing came in and said, "I see that Wu Jie and other generals are very worried when they go out. I wonder what the governor has to do to trouble them?"
Zhao Ding said: "How can I embarrass them at this time? Wang Xuanfu said that the Shaanxi army and his army were not suitable for action together, and asked the three generals to rush to Jinzhou as soon as possible to attack Taiyuan. At that time, I will go to the front line in person, Command operations."
When Fu Songqing heard this, he said: "The governor wants to command the Shaanxi army alone, without using the personnel of the Xuanfu Department?"
Zhao Ding nodded and said: "Now I have a conflict with the Xuanfu Division for the command of the army, and I don't want to break up, so I have no choice but to do this."
Fu Songqing said: "Why should the governor be so polite to Wang Xiaolie?"
Zhao Ding turned around and said to Fu Songqing: "Wang Xuanfu saved Shaanzhou and fought against Jingmen several times. The current situation in western Beijing and Shaanxi is all due to his contribution. Later, he restored Xijing, pacified Guanzhong, and captured the southern part of Hedong Road. This is unparalleled. Although I know the Privy Council, I dare not fight against such a general. Remember, we can compete with Wang Xuanfu for military power in Luoyang, so you must not despise him."
Fu Songqing was shocked when he heard this, and said to Zhao Ding, "I understand."
Zhao Ding said: "If it were not for the official position, I would not want to have any conflict with Wang Xuanfu. No matter when, you should not underestimate the Xuanfu Division."
Qi Chongli frowned and said, "Except for Xiang Ziyi, most of us don't know the battle formations. How will we command them when the time comes?"
Zhao Ding said: "We still have to rely on the three generals of Shaanxi. They have been in battle for a long time and have rich combat experience. We should listen to their opinions more. As for strategizing, it is our business. We will discuss everything when we get to Jinzhou."
Wang Ruohai hurriedly rushed into Wang Xiao's hunting office and said: "Xuanfu, this morning, the three Shaanxi generals hurriedly left Luoyang City and headed for Hezhong Mansion!"
Wang Xiaolie raised his head and looked at Wang Ruohai. After a while, he said: "What do the staff think they did?"
Wang Ruohai said: "Since that day, the three of them have never been to Xuanfu Division again. Now it seems that they are preparing to march into Jinzhou and attack Taiyuan according to Xuanfu's instructions!"
Wang Xiaolie nodded: "It should be so. However, we should send generals to Hezhong Prefecture to avoid accidents. In addition, with an additional 60,000 people, the reserve of military rations will not be enough, so we can only mobilize more from Guanzhong . This also requires people to be in charge.”
Wang Ruohai said: "Who is suitable to send?"
Wang Xiaolie thought for a while and said: "The most suitable person is of course Li Kuan. The others may not be able to shake up the scene."
Wang Ruohai nodded in agreement.
Among the three generals in Shaanxi, Wu Jie, who has the highest status, was the envoy of the Lizhou system last winter and is now the envoy of the Xihe Road system. Although the official positions of the other two are not as good, they are not much lower. If you want these three people to be obedient, the person who went there must be of low status. Li Yanxian was the deputy of Wang Xiaolie, the official responsible for the promotion of affairs in the Xuanfu Division. He also fought in Shaanzhou and made great contributions. When he arrived at Hezhong Mansion, the three of them did not dare to cause trouble.
Wang Xiaolie stood up, went to the big table in front, and looked at the map carefully.
After a while, he said: "Although the three generals of Shaanxi are not our people, we cannot watch them die. How do you think they should march?"
Wang Ruohai said: "They took a boat to Hongdong County. After resting, they went all the way north. After taking Jiexiu, they divided their troops into two groups, occupied Pingyao and Xihe, and then went north. When they arrived at Qingyuan, they joined forces and went straight to Taiyuan!"
Wang Xiaolie said with a smile: "Logically speaking, we should act like this. However, most of the Jin army is deployed in Pingyao, Xiaoyi, and Xihe. Jiexiu is a small town, and we can be condescending and place artillery on the mountains, where the Jin army and There is no heavy deployment of troops. The Jin soldiers in Pingyao, Xiaoyi and Xihe have about 15,000 people. After dividing the troops, it will not be easy for the Shaanxi army to break through these cities."
Wang Ruohai said: "The Shaanxi army has artillery, and a few small towns cannot stop it."
Wang Xiaolie sighed: "We have artillery, and so does the Jin Army. Artillery is a powerful weapon for attacking the city, and it is even more powerful for defending the city. As long as the Jin Army's artillery is used properly, it will not be easy for the Shaanxi Army to break the city. The Shaanxi Army must be careful in this battle. Be cautious, especially to prevent being defeated by the Jin army one by one."
Wang Ruohai stepped forward and looked at the map, and after a while he said: "Xuanfu is saying that it is best for them not to divide their troops?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "Before the battle with the Jin army, it is best not to divide the troops. If the Jin army gathers 20,000 troops, they will not be able to stop them all the way."
Wang Ruohai thought for a while and said, "Do you want to remind Governor Zhao?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "Let's talk about it when we get to Jinzhou. If we had told you in advance, Governor Zhao would have thought that we looked down on people."
After a moment of silence, Wang Ruohai said: "This time the Shaanxi army attacks Taiyuan Prefecture, is Xuanfu not too optimistic?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "How do you say this? In terms of military strength, the Shaanxi Army should have an advantage. In terms of weapons, with the artillery supported by us, the Shaanxi Army should also be superior to the Jin Army. No matter from which aspect, the Shaanxi Army They all should win. However, it is difficult to say that the Jin army relies on the strong city. In the past two years, we have attacked Hedong and can be said to have pressed hard on Taiyuan step by step. After Wanyan Yinshu Ke was tested, he clung to the Taiyuan Basin and was determined not to Attack. Our expansion has reached its limit, and the two sides will confront each other in Jinzhou and Longde Mansion. With the battle going like this, Wanyan Yinshu can't help but feel very angry. I think back then, he attacked the west of Beijing and fought all the way to Xiangyang Mansion. , No one can match it, how majestic it was back then! How embarrassing it is to look like this now! If the Shaanxi army attacks, it will inevitably suffer some hardships."
Wang Ruohai then asked: "Then the Shaanxi army attacked Taiyuan, will it win or lose?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "Winning is possible, losing is normal and unpredictable."
After speaking, Wang Xiaolie looked at Wang Ruohai's face and continued: "Whether they win or lose, they will eventually face the Jin army coming from the north. After nearly a year of preparation, the Jin army has an arrow on the string and has to attack. When the reinforcements of the Jin Army came, the Shaanxi Army could not stop them no matter what. At that time, it was our turn. We prepared six divisions and an army of 150,000, originally for the reinforcements of the Jin Army. If only for Taiyuan , why waste so much effort!"
Wang Ruohai nodded and said: "Taiyuan is just the battlefield chosen by Xuanfu. That city is of no importance to us. So Xuanfu asked the Shaanxi army to attack, but it actually had no impact on the entire battle. The Shaanxi army captured Taiyuan. It’s my credit. If we can’t capture Taiyuan, then we can’t blame anyone!”
Wang Xiaolie said: "Yes. The capture of Taiyuan is their credit. If they can't capture Taiyuan, they can only blame themselves. The battle of Taiyuan, a truly important battle, must be attended by the Jin army from the north. Wanyan Yinshu is amazing. The 20,000 gold army is just a lure."
Wang Ruohai nodded, finally understanding what Wang Xiaolie meant.
In the battle of Taiyuan, Wang Xiaolie's strategic goal was to eliminate the main force of the Jin Army's West Route Army, not that city. It doesn't matter if they give up a Taiyuan city to the Shaanxi army, as long as they can lure the Jin army to go south. When the Jin army moves south, it's time for Wang Xiaolie's troops to appear.
