Chapter 2470: Shen Gongbao and Lu Yue of the Great Victory in Haojing (5)
Chapter 2470: Shen Gongbao and Lu Yue in the Great Victory of Haojing (5)
Li Shimin chose the Haojing ruins for the decisive battle with Wang Jian. There was no special reason. It was just because the terrain here was open and suitable for a decisive battle.
The flat terrain surrounding the Haojing ruins was convenient for the Qin army's cavalry operations, but it was also convenient for the Tang army's coordinated infantry and cavalry operations.
The Qin army numbered 30,000, of which the cavalry alone accounted for half, a total of 15,000 cavalry.
The Tang army numbered 60,000. Although they did not have as many cavalry as the Qin army, they still had 10,000 cavalry. This was the only Xiliang cavalry left in Li Shimin's hands.
After Dong Zhuo's death, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry was divided into two and was completely divided between the Li and Yang families, with Li Shimin still occupying the majority.
Yang Guang and Li Shimin fought for Guanzhong, but failed and retreated to Liangzhou. At that time, there were not many Xiliang cavalry left under his command. However, as he became successful in Liangzhou and finally unified Liangzhou, the Xiliang cavalry of the Sui Dynasty began to grow stronger.
On the contrary, the Xiliang cavalry of the Tang Dynasty, which was originally strong, has become increasingly weak due to continuous defeats, and now there are only 10,000 elite cavalry left.
Whether it was the Tang State or the Sui State, there was actually no shortage of horses.
The Sui and Tang Dynasties worked together to annihilate the Qiang people, divide all the Qiang resources, and integrate the Qiang land into six counties, with the Sui and Tang countries each occupying half.
This battle made both the Sui and Tang Dynasties a lot of money.
The Qiang people are also a nomadic people, rich in cattle, sheep and horses, and the Qiang land is also suitable for horse herding.
Therefore, how could the Sui and Tang Dynasties be short of war horses? Instead, they relied on exporting war horses to maintain their huge military supplies.
The Tang State occupied Guanzhong and could barely afford the expenses of a large army. So how could the Sui State, which occupied the barren Liangzhou, rely on to support its army?
The only way is to sell war horses.
In troubled times, war horses are important strategic materials, and they are also consumables, with demand exceeding supply.
The two countries Shu and Chu in the south did not produce horses, but they both formed cavalry troops. This was because they purchased horses from the Sui and Tang Dynasties.
Even though a large number of horses were sold to Shu and Chu, the Tang State's war horse reserves were still very rich, but the number of its own cavalry was not large, which was mainly consumed in the battle with the Qin army.
Secondly, the cost of cavalry is much greater than that of infantry. With the size of the defeated Tang State, it simply could not afford to raise so many cavalry and could not internally digest and convert all the horses it owned into cavalry.
After all, not every country can be like Qin and can easily raise more than 200,000 cavalry.
Of course, the total number of cavalry in the Tang State was definitely not just 10,000, but a full 30,000.
In addition to the 10,000 Xiliang cavalry in Guanzhong, the Tang state also had 10,000 cavalry in Longxi and Qiang regions.
It's just that these 20,000 cavalrymen are newly recruited troops, their training time is short, and they have never experienced the temper of war. Obviously, they cannot be the opponent of the Qin cavalry who are armed to the teeth.
That's why Li Shimin left these 10,000 Xiliang cavalry in Guanzhong, because only the 10,000 Xiliang cavalry that had existed since Dong Zhuo's time were qualified to fight against the Great Qin cavalry.
The Tang army had 10,000 cavalry, but the Qin cavalry had 15,000. The Tang army was obviously at an absolute disadvantage, but Li Shimin was not worried at all, because he could recover from the disadvantage of cavalry in other ways.
"Reporting to my lord, the Qin army came in three groups. Wang Jian led the central army, and Gongsun Xuanyuan and Gongsun Yan formed the left and right wings respectively. Except for Yuwen Chengdu, Yue Yun, Pei Yuanqing, Huang Tianhua and other generals, there were no other generals accompanying the army.
There are other new faces.”
After hearing the report from his subordinates, Li Shimin looked at the neat and orderly Qin army camp opposite, a sneer flashed at the corner of his mouth, and said to himself: "Know yourself and the enemy, and you will never be in danger in a hundred battles.
Wang Jian, you know all the information in your mind, but you know nothing about me, you will lose this battle."
All intelligence on the Qin Army's three armies on the west route, including troop deployment, ratios, general lineups, etc., were exposed in previous battles, so Li Shimin knew Wang Jian's details so well.
On the other hand, Wang Jian, apart from knowing the specific strength of the Tang army that left the city and that the leader was Li Shimin, he didn't even know what other generals the Tang army had besides Li Yuanba. He knew very little about the details of the Tang army.
War is both a war of national strength and an intelligence war.
I know everything about you, but you know nothing about me. With targeted arrangements, the weak can defeat the strong.
Li Shimin knew that the morale of his army was low and his overall combat strength was weaker than that of the Qin army, but he still dared to go out of the city for a decisive battle because he felt that Wang Jian's details had been figured out.
Now he not only has an overall advantage in terms of military strength, but also has an absolute advantage in terms of general lineup.
The lineup of generals under Li Shimin's command this time included not only the powerful generals from Li Tang's country, but also the Sanqing from the Taoist sect who joined in halfway, as well as elite disciples from the Buddhist sect.
Taiqing: Ji Fa, Boyikao, Nangong Shi, Ji Shuqian, Ji Shukun...
Yuqing: Xiao Sheng, Cao Bao, Ji Shuming, Ji Shusheng, Ji Shude...
Shangqing: Shen Gongbao, Lu Yue, Chen Geng, Li Ping...
Buddhism: Wei Hu;
In addition to the strong generals of the Tang army: Li Yuanba, Ma Shanwei, Xin Wenli, Shang Shitu, Kang Anyu, Gao Siji, Gao Sixiang, Gao Xingzhou, Kang Junli, Guo Chongtao, Zhu Youqian, Shi Jingtang, Shi Jingsi, Hua Xiong, Li Jue
Waiting for the brave generals.
The Tang army's general lineup this time was extremely luxurious and could almost completely crush the Qin army.
As for the commander-in-chief lineup, the Tang army included Li Shimin, Changsun Wuji, Zhao She, Yu Wentai, Xu Rong, and Li Keyong.
The Qin army included Wang Jian, Gongsun Xuanyuan, and Gongsun Shu.
Although the Tang army had many commanders, only Li Shimin had more than one hundred commanders. Although the Qin army was small in number, there were two commanders, Wang Jian and Gongsun Xuanyuan, who had more than one hundred commanders. There was also Wen Zhong who had not yet been exposed.
Therefore, in terms of command, the Qin army is obviously superior to the Tang army, but Li Shimin has not realized this yet.
To sum up, except for the two aspects of command and morale, the Tang army had advantages in all other aspects. From any point of view, there was no reason for defeat.
But for some reason, Shen Gongbao, who joined the Tang army halfway, always had a bad feeling in his heart. After hesitating again and again, he said: "Tang Gong, something is wrong. If you stop now, it may be too late."
When Li Shimin heard this, he frowned and turned to look at Shen Gongbao aside.
Shen Gongbao is wearing a Tai Chi Taoist robe, with white hair and a childish face, and an immortal Taoist spirit. However, the horse he rides on his hip is not a war horse, but a spotted black panther. This appearance alone will give anyone who sees it a sense of inexplicable power.
When Shen Gongbao arrived, Li Shimin was still very surprised. He didn't understand why Shen Gongbao, who was born in the Shangqing Dynasty, came to help the Tang Dynasty.
When he learned that Shen Gongbao was a disciple of the Yuqing sect before joining the Shangqing Dynasty, and that he had also defected to the Song Dynasty, and that he came to help the Tang Dynasty this time just to repay Yuqing's kindness, Li Shimin reluctantly believed it.
As for Shen Gongbao, the defensiveness he should have will definitely not be eliminated.
"Taoist Master Shen, why did you say this?" Li Shimin asked with some displeasure.
Shen Gongbao is also a human spirit, so he naturally saw Li Shimin's displeasure, but he was not Li Tang's minister, so he naturally did not need to see Li Shimin's face, so he said bluntly:
"From the current point of view, except for morale, the Tang Army has an advantage in all other aspects. It also knows the enemy well, but the other party knows nothing about us. If we fight, we will definitely win.
, the winning rate is also as high as 70% to 80%.”
"Is there anything wrong with this?" Li Shimin asked again.
"Of course not. If the chance of victory of the Tang army is really so high, then why does Wang Jian dare to fight? Is he stupid? Or is he so arrogant?"
Hearing what Shen Gongbao said, Li Shimin's brows furrowed even more.
He is not the kind of monarch who cannot listen to others' advice. It was precisely because he listened to Shen Gongbao's words that he could think.
Was it because Wang Jian was arrogant that he dared to fight?
Obviously not.
Wang Jian's record in the Japanese conquest was second only to Wu Qi's. He had gone through hundreds of battles without losing a single victory. He was obviously a very cautious general.
Then why do we come for a decisive battle when the enemy is in darkness and we are clear?
Li Shimin couldn't think of the reason, but it could only be attributed to Wang Jian's absolute confidence in the Qin army and himself. Even if the enemy was hidden and we were clear, even if the enemy was outnumbered, he was still sure of victory.
Shen Gongbao didn't know what Li Shimin was thinking. Seeing Li Shimin's silence, he thought he was shaken, so he continued: "I have studied Wang Jian. This man is extremely cautious in using his troops and never fights without confidence, so he must have us."
I don’t know the backhand.
Mr. Tang, before the war begins, you should withdraw your troops.
Although you will lose some face by striking out, you can preserve your strength, and once defeated, the consequences will be disastrous..."
Shen Gongbao was interrupted by Li Shimin before he finished speaking.
"That's enough."
Li Shimin's face was ashen, he drew his sword and pointed it at Shen Gongbao, scolding: "Taoist Priest dares to disturb the morale of our army, but do you think it is disadvantageous to have a sword in your hand?"
When Shen Gongbao saw this, he was very angry.
I've traveled thousands of miles to help you with good intentions. You don't appreciate it, but you still want to kill me?
Okay, you, Li Shimin, can play by yourself. The old man will not accompany Li Tang.
Shen Gongbao was also a man of integrity. After snorting coldly, he turned around and headed back.
When Lu Yue and Li Ping saw Shen Gongbao leaving, they also followed him. They didn't want to participate in the war between Qin and Tang Dynasties, but they were persuaded by Shen Gongbao.
Shen Gongbao was dissatisfied, but he still hoped that Li Shimin could win. After all, only if Li Shimin won could it be possible to save Chang'an, and as long as Da Qin did not take Guanzhong completely, it would not attack the Central Plains, and the situation of Song State would be safer.
Shen Gongbao is just a minor incident and will not affect the situation of the battle.
While Li Shimin was observing the Qin army's formation, Wang Jian and other generals were also observing the Tang army's arrangement.
It doesn't matter if you don't look at it, but you are shocked when you look at it, because almost all the arrangements of the Tang army are aimed at the Qin army.
The spear formation, crossbow formation, sword and shield formation, etc. are all clearly differentiated. Apart from a slight low morale, there is almost no flaw to be found.
"Dear me, Tang Jun has found out all the information about our three armies on the west route." Yue Yun said with a serious face.
"Did you feel it thoroughly? You can't see it, right?" Wang Jian said.
The generals looked puzzled, but Wang Jian pointed at Wen Zhong behind him and said, "At least Li Shimin doesn't know that Mr. Wen Zhong is in our army."
The generals looked at each other in confusion. It was true what they said, but just what Wen Zhong said could not offset the disadvantage of the enemy being in darkness and us being clear.
"Mr. Wen Zhong, you are the only one who has not been exposed to Li Shimin, so you are a special soldier of our army this time. Whether you can win this battle depends entirely on you, eh? Mr. Wen Zhong? Sir?"
Wen Zhong did not hear Wang Jian's shout. At this time, he was holding a telescope and observing the Tang army's camp intently, and also discovered several familiar faces.
"Why is Shen Gongbao among the Tang army? And even Lu Yue is also there, is it true?"
Wen Zhong looked serious and quickly told Wang Jian and other generals the news.
Wang Jian and Gongsun Xuanyuan looked at each other and asked, "Mr. Wen Zhong, are Shen Gongbao and Lu Yue both disciples of the Shangqing Dynasty?"
"That's right. Although he is only an outer disciple, he is undoubtedly a disciple of the Supreme Purity."
"Outer disciple?"
Wang Jian showed a surprised look, and Wen Zhongze explained: "The general is unaware of something. The Shangqing Dynasty is divided into the inner sect and the outer sect. The disciples of the inner sect are strictly selected, while the disciples of the outer sect are much more relaxed.
More than ten years ago, my master once advocated teaching without discrimination, accepting disciples regardless of their past virtues, and no matter how serious a crime they committed, as long as they sincerely repented, they could become disciples.
People like Shen Gongbao and Lu Yue are not good people, and they worshiped the outer sect at that time."
"Then why did they help Li Tang?" Yu Wencheng asked in confusion.
Yue Yun, Huang Tianhua and other generals also looked puzzled.
In their view, the Shangqing Sect has long been bound to the Great Qin, and all the elite disciples of the Shangqing have joined the Great Qin camp. These outer disciples should all join the Great Qin.
Moreover, the unification of the Qin Dynasty has been completed. It is better to seek refuge with the Qin Dynasty than to seek refuge with other countries.
Wen Zhong sighed: "This is because the laws of the Qin Dynasty are strict, and most of the disciples of the Shangqing outer sect such as Lu Yue have criminal records. It would be good if they are not liquidated, but there is no way they can be reused."
Wang Jian looked puzzled when he heard this, and said: "Even if they have committed crimes, it was a matter of the previous dynasty. How do they have any relationship with my Great Qin? As long as you sincerely serve my Great Qin, Your Majesty will definitely forget the past."
"Those are generals. You don't know what they have committed."
As he spoke, Wen Zhong showed a look of resentment and said in a deep voice: "Before Lu Yue became a disciple of Shangqing, he was the leader of the Five Poison Sect. In order to practice poison skills, he often captured living people to test poisons.
One time, Lu Yue accidentally polluted the water source, causing thousands of people in a big town to be poisoned. If the doctor Hua Tuo hadn't happened to save half of the people, the whole town would have been poisoned to death.
"
"hiss……"
Hearing this, the Qin generals present took a deep breath. It was hard to believe that Lu Yue was so heartbroken and crazy. How is this different from evil heretics?
The Shangqing Sect even accepts such people. Isn't this an initiative to destroy its own brand?
It's no wonder that Lu Yue didn't dare to join the Qin Dynasty. The Qin Dynasty perfectly inherited the Han Dynasty and was now an orthodox dynasty. There was no room for evil heretics like Lu Yue.
In comparison, Lu Yue knew this, but he was greedy for glory and wealth, so he accepted Zhao Gongming's invitation and joined the Song Dynasty.