Li Chengqian has never been a stickler for rules, but he was watched by tiger parents and tiger mothers in Chang'an.
Surrounded by a group of decathlon ministers, he had no chance to do anything extraordinary.
Now that he had arrived in Dingxiang City and was finally out of sight of those people, the restlessness in his bones began to stir.
However, he still remained sober and knew what he could and could not do.
For example, he would not interfere with Li Ji's use of troops, nor would he go to the battlefield to kill the enemy himself.
But he was very supportive of sending elite troops to attack King Xue Yantuo's tent.
Huo Qubing's lone army traveled thousands of miles deep into the grassland to attack Fenglangjuxu, and Li Weigong created a military miracle by attacking King Jieli's tent at night.
So why not do it once?
Although he couldn't really act together, he still participated in it.
So after hearing the detailed plans of Li Xiaoyi and Wang Fangyi and their preparations, I immediately agreed to the decision.
Wang Fangyi said worriedly: "If we act like this, will it affect the British government's use of troops?"
Li Chengqian said: "Don't worry, I will discuss this matter with the British Duke later."
Just as he was told, Li Chengqian immediately took the two of them to see Li Ji and explained the matter in this way.
Li Ji raised his eyebrows and glanced at the two of them in surprise, obviously not expecting that they would dare to make such a bold plan.
He did not express his opinion directly, but came to the sand table to deduce it carefully. Li Chengqian listened carefully to his analysis of the situation.
Not to mention Wang Fangyi and Li Xiaoyi, they listened more carefully to the on-site teachings than anyone else.
After some deductions, Li Ji finally said: "Okay, we can try this plan."
Li Xiaoyi and Wang Fangyi were both excited and more confident in their plans.
Li Ji continued: "But you must be careful when marching and don't reveal the slightest trace."
"And the time to take action must be chosen well... I am going to have a decisive battle with Yi Nan in Qingshan in seven days. You must choose the date to take action in seven days."
"Once Yi Nan is defeated, he will definitely lead his remaining troops back. Calculating the distance will only take a day or two at most."
"You can only choose a date between seven and nine days to start. It can't be early or late."
If it was early, Yi Nan would lead his troops to withdraw after receiving the news, but if it was too late, they would be blocked by Yi Nan's remnants.
Don't think that the people of Xueyantuo are easy to bully. If they are really blocked, they will be killed and Qibi Heli will be implicated.
After agreeing on a rough plan, Li Xiaoyi and Wang Fangyi returned to the military camp and disappeared into the vast grassland and desert with their Qianqi.
…
When the Tang army arrived, and the British Duke Li Ji personally led the troops, Da Shi paid great attention to it and immediately summoned his generals to discuss countermeasures.
The people of Xue Yantuo were still very afraid of Li Ji's reputation, but they only came up with a result after deliberation for a long time and waited to see what happened.
At that time, someone suggested: "Why not take advantage of the fact that the Tang army's soldiers were tired after a long journey and launch a night attack?"
Dadu She said: "Li Ji is using troops to attack everyone. How could he not be careful about this?"
"I believe he must have taken strict precautions. If we launch a night attack, we will definitely take advantage of him."
The person who originally gave the opinion was still a little dissatisfied, but what about other people's preparations? Isn't it possible to give it a try?
If there is no chance, what’s the big deal and we can withdraw it?
But soon the latest information came from the front: "We are reporting on our detailed operations in Dingxiang City. Three thousand Turkic cavalry dispatched by Li Ji have disappeared."
"The first two Tang troops from Zhechong Prefecture to arrive at Dingxiang City were also transferred..."
Da Dushu said proudly: "What I said is correct. These five thousand people are the trap Li Ji prepared for us. Is anyone still planning to launch a night attack?"
Those who supported the night attack were embarrassed and set up an ambush with five thousand horses. Li Ji was indeed cautious enough.
If we really jump into this trap, we don't know whether we can come back alive.
DaDaZhi, who thought he had succeeded, and others celebrated, avoided another loss, and also highlighted his foresight and ability as a superior person, which was perfect.
As for the Tang army launching a surprise attack in reverse, they never considered it at all.
Li Ji's army came from afar, so how could he have the energy to launch a night attack?
However, as a cautious general, Dadu Shi still strengthened his defense.
But when the people above hold this kind of thinking, you can only imagine what the defensive arrangements below will look like.
It was a bright moonlit night with few stars, and five thousand soldiers of the Tang Tuo Alliance marched toward the Dadu military camp quietly with their horses' hooves wrapped in cloth.
Departing on the second watch and arriving on the fourth watch, it was the time when people were sleeping most deeply, and the Xue Yantuo camp was completely silent.
Even the people patrolling and keeping watch were wandering around looking for a place to take a nap.
When the army stopped three miles away, they first sent out a cavalry team to march ahead, and then quietly moved to the side of the camp to remove the fence.
At this time, there was no need to cover up any more. With one order, the entire army accelerated towards the Dadu military camp.
Dandu, who was sleeping with his quiver on his head, opened his eyes and put one ear close to listen.
"Rumble..." A voice like rolling thunder sounded.
The sound of horse hooves, at least three to five thousand horsemen, heading towards the military camp, could already be seen before their eyes.
Decades of military service made such a judgment appear in his mind instantly.
Then with a look of horror on his face, he jumped up from the bed and shouted: "Enemy attack... enemy attack..."
The bodyguard who was napping at the door also woke up instantly and knew what had happened without asking for confirmation.
Since I no longer have my ears to the ground, I can hear the rumble of horse hooves just standing here.
Da Duzhi shouted angrily: "Go and gather the whole army to defend, quickly..."
In fact, he was not the only one who was awakened, many people got feedback from the earth immediately.
However, such people are only a minority after all, and more people are still unaware and even complain when they are woken up.
By the time they fully understood what had happened, it was already too late.
The distance of three miles is hardly a distance for the cavalry. Before the Xueyantuo people could react, they had already arrived.
Following the gap opened by Tan Ma in advance, the army rushed straight into the camp and started burning and killing.
The result was unquestionable, and the people of Xue Yantuo had no power to resist.
After Da Dushu judged that the situation was not right, he had already escaped with his bodyguards in advance, thus escaping.
The remaining people were either killed or fled in all directions, and the 30,000-strong army collapsed.
The Tang Tuo coalition troops charged and fought for most of the night, and did not withdraw their troops until daybreak in the east.
After counting the number of people, it was found that there were no casualties. Most of them had minor injuries, and a few serious injuries were caused by falling from horses.
Li Ji personally led the crowd to greet him at the door, and promised on the spot that he would take credit for everyone.
Li Chengqian watched all this from behind, admiring Li Ji even more in his heart.
This method of using soldiers is simple and unpretentious, but it is precisely because of its simplicity that it shows the mastery of his military use.
Taking advantage of the opponent's paralysis and carelessness, he launched an attack and defeated the enemy's 30,000-strong army in one fell swoop.
This seriously dampened the morale of the Xueyantuo people, which in turn boosted the morale of the Tang Dynasty.
The Turks have also built up confidence, and the Xueyantuo people are just like that. In short, everyone from top to bottom is full of confidence in this battle.
…
On the other side, Dadu She did not directly escape back to Qingshan to make peace with Yi Nan. If he just took these people back, his own life would not be saved.
Xueyantuo adopts a tribal system internally. Each tribe has a leader, and the number of people in the tribe determines the leader's right to speak.
The elites of the Dadushe tribe are among these 30,000 people. If they lose them all, they will also lose everything in Xue Yantuo.
So he set up camp on the only way back to Mobei to gather the defeated troops. In one day, he gathered more than 7,000 people.
It's just that these people don't look like soldiers at all. They have lost their horses and don't have all their bows and arrows, let alone other weapons.
Looking at the more than 7,000 people in a miserable state in front of him, Da Duzhu felt both fear and regret in his heart.
Why didn't I expect that Li Ji would launch a night attack? Why didn't I pay more attention to it and take measures in advance?
It's a pity that there is no regret medicine in the world, so he can only swallow this bitter pill.
Seeing that not many defeated troops could be gathered, Dadu Shi returned to Qingshan with his remains in ashes.
Yi Nan was shocked and angry when he learned the news of his defeat, but considering his status and strength, he only punished him and did not execute him.
After that, the reconnaissance cavalry went out to find out the situation of the Tang army.
Similarly, the Tang army also sent a scout team to inquire about Xue Yantuo's situation.
Scouts from both sides started fighting in the vast area between Dingxiang City and Qingshan.
The Tang army naturally took advantage, but the losses were also considerable.
Li Chengqian went back to the wounded barracks every day to visit and take care of the injured soldiers. This move quickly earned him the recognition and love of the soldiers.
Just as Li Ji had calculated, after Da Du She was defeated, Yi Nan went on the full defensive, with 70,000 to 80,000 troops stationed in Qingshan to wait.
Li Ji said: "He wants to fight us directly and defeat us with superior strength."
Li Chengqian nodded slightly and said: "We only have 20,000 people. Counting the 6,000 cavalry of Prince Huaihua, there are only 26,000 people. Judging from the data, we are indeed at a disadvantage."
Li Ji said: "But many times the number of people means nothing. The outcome depends on the morale, weapons, strategies, etc. of both sides."
"Except for the number of people in this battle, we have the upper hand in everything else. Yi Nan wants to decide the outcome with us, and why don't I want to do the same."
Five days later, the rested and recuperated army under the command of Li Ji set out for Qingshan and set up camp thirty miles away from Xue Yantuo's camp.
Yi Nan was also prepared to prepare for Li Jing's arrival.
But what he was most concerned about was another thing: "Did you see clearly? Did the Tang army carry cannons?"
The spy affirmed: "We sent several groups of spies and found nothing that looked like cannons in the Tang army."
Yi Nan felt relieved and said, "That's good. The Tang army sent troops urgently this time, and the cannons are too heavy to carry."
"That must be why we didn't carry it, and this is our chance."
"Everyone, the time has come to decide who owns the grassland. This battle can only be won, not defeated."
"Yes." Everyone stood up and shouted.
Before the battle began, Li Ji and Yi Nan met in front of the two armies' formations.
Yi Nan accused the Tang Dynasty of placing their enemies, the Eastern Turks, in Monan, out of distrust and disrespect for Xue Yantuo, and asked the Tang Dynasty to take the Turks away.
Naturally, Li Ji didn't accept his trick and said: "The whole world is not the king's land, and the shore of the land is not the king's ministers."
The whole world belongs to me, the Tang Dynasty, and I can place the Eastern Turks wherever I want.
Then he came over and accused Yi Nan of ignoring the emperor's order to send troops to attack Monan and sheltering traitors from the Tang Dynasty. He was really worthy of death.
He was asked to plead guilty to the emperor, hand over the traitors, and return the deed to Bi Heli.
The two sides exchanged words, and naturally neither could convince the other.
However, neither side expects to be able to convince the other party with words. All this is just courtesy first and then fighting.
Now that things have developed to this point, this battle must be fought.
The two naturally parted on bad terms, and then began to prepare for war.
On the sixth day, each side sent 3,000 cavalry for a confrontation.
In the early stage, the Tang Dynasty won a complete victory. However, during the pursuit, the Xueyantuo people suddenly dismounted their horses and formed a formation. They counterattacked with a volley of bows and crossbows and caught the Tang army by surprise, causing a large number of casualties.
Seeing this, Li Ji quickly raised money and retreated his troops. Xue Yantuo's people also saw that they were doing well and retreated without pursuing them.
"It is said that Yi Nan is a hero, and it turned out to be extraordinary when I saw him today. I learned the tactics of the Central Plains people in dealing with cavalry and used them to deal with us."
Seeing so many casualties at once, Li Chengqian felt very distressed and said, "I wonder how the British Lord is prepared to deal with this?"
Li Ji stroked his beard and said, "Let's dismount too."
Then a strange scene happened. The Tang army completely gave up the cavalry and faced the enemy with an infantry square formation.
The Xueyantuo people, who were good at riding and shooting, also gave up riding and shooting, and instead used foot combat to fight the enemy.
The Tang Dynasty was also on the offensive side, while the Xueyantuo people tried to rely on the large formation they had formed in advance to meet the enemy.
Then Yi Nan saw what weapon substitution was.
Li Jing assembled ten catapults in front of the formation, but what was fired was not stones, but explosive shells.
It is true that he did not carry any artillery. It was unrealistic to drag something weighing several thousand kilograms into the field.
But no one said that cannonballs must be fired by artillery, and the same goes for trebuchets.
The all-wooden structure is built on site, dismantled into parts for transportation, and assembled at the local location.
When Yi Nan and others saw the trebuchet, they did not realize the seriousness of the matter. They just asked the cavalry to prepare and find an opportunity to launch a surprise attack and burn the trebuchet.
However, when the first artillery shell fell and made a loud noise, and seven or eight people around him were either shocked to death or killed by shrapnel, Yi Nan's heart sank.
I never expected that the Tang Dynasty's firearms could be used in this way.
The psychological pressure caused by the unprecedented weapons on the Xueyantuo people was far greater than the actual lethality.
Ten catapults were fired continuously, and the roars came one after another. The morale of the Xueyantuo people dropped at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Yi Nan knew that he would definitely lose if he continued like this, so he made adjustments.
Turn defense into offense.
Since defense is not possible, I will take the initiative to launch an attack with superior force. As long as I break through your military formation, no matter how powerful the weapon is, it will be useless.
Li Ji held a telescope in his hand and kept observing the movement on the opposite side, and immediately judged Yi Nan's plan.
He laughed and said, "I finally caught you out...ordered the Shenji Battalion to prepare for battle."