Chapter 826: The wind is blowing and the clouds are flying (Part 2)
Chapter 826: The wind is blowing and the clouds are flying (Part 2)
If only 50,000 cavalry are dispatched, they will never be able to completely wipe out the remaining 200,000 to 300,000 Kwantung Allied Forces after the fire attack.
Li Shimin knew this in his heart, but decided to do it anyway because he was not sure whether what was waiting for him ahead was a great victory or a trap.
If it is really a trap, if all the troops are sent out, it will be equivalent to handing over Hulao Pass to the enemy.
And if only cavalry is dispatched to fight, even if the front is really a trap, as long as the reaction speed is fast enough, with the impact and mobility of the cavalry, even if it is ambushed, it can still be fought out.
I have to say that Li Shimin was really thoughtful and calculated the situation after defeat before the war even started.
The upcoming battle is entirely Li Shimin's chance to defeat the Kwantung Allied Forces with tens of thousands of cavalry.
Even though they won't be able to completely annihilate the Kwantung Allied Forces, the outcome of this war has been decided.
Even if they lose, the Liang army will only lose tens of thousands of cavalry. As long as Hulao Pass is not lost, they can still compete with the Kwantung Allied Forces.
Li Shimin resisted the temptation to annihilate the Kwantung Allied Forces, and because of the uneasiness in his heart, he arranged all possible backup plans. However, the Liang Army generals did not understand Li Shimin's approach.
In the eyes of the Liangzhou generals, there is no way to fight without taking risks. Now that we can completely annihilate the enemy, why not seize this opportunity with all our strength?
As for whether this was Qin Hao's design, it seemed impossible to them. After all, as long as the fire spread, the coalition forces would be finished. No matter how clever Qin Hao was, he couldn't put out the fire, so why not send out the entire army and do their best?
?
It was rare for Qin Hao to make such a big mistake. If he and others didn't catch it, wouldn't it be a waste of natural resources?
Li Shimin's conservative move of sending troops made Liangzhou generals very anxious, and they all stepped forward to persuade Li Shimin.
So many generals were chattering non-stop, which made Li Shimin feel dizzy for a while, and he was almost convinced by them. Fortunately, Li Shimin was determined and kept telling himself that Qin Hao was by no means an opponent with such a simple answer.
That's why I was not misled by the generals.
Seeing that Li Shimin was unmoved, the Liangzhou generals became more anxious and their persuasive tone became more urgent. Finally, Li Shimin couldn't bear it anymore.
"That's enough."
Li Shimin slapped the document angrily and shouted: "Shut up, general."
Seeing that Li Shimin was angry, the generals did not dare to say anything more and retreated with their heads lowered.
Li Shimin glanced at everyone coldly and said in a cold voice: "Although fifty thousand cavalry is not enough to do the full job, as long as this plan is successful, the coalition forces will no longer pose a threat. By then, I will concentrate on superior forces and then annihilate them all."
enemy.
Hulao Pass is the gateway to Luoyang, and it is also the lifeblood of our army. There is absolutely no room for any mistakes. The victory or defeat of our army here is not yet known, so how can we use our lifeline to take risks?
There is no need for you to persuade me, I have already made up my mind, dispatching 50,000 cavalry for this battle is enough."
Li Shimin made a sonorous and direct decision, but no one dared to refute it. After all, Li Shimin was the biggest among the Liang army below Dong Zhuo, and no one could object to the decision he had made.
Moreover, although Li Shimin's decision-making was conservative, it was indeed the safest method. The only certainty was that it was not fully done. However, the balance of strength between the two sides after the war would be completely reversed, and it would only be a matter of time before the coalition forces were completely annihilated.
Seeing the opposition of the five people, Li Shimin felt relieved and ordered in a deep voice: "Yuwen Chengdu, Lu Bu, Hou Yi, Jia Fu, Wu Yunzhao, Shi Wansui, Xin Wenli, Yu Juluo, Zhang Xutuo, Yin
Open the mountain.”
After hearing the words, the ten generals stood up together, clasped their fists and said, "The last general is here."
"Tonight, you and other ten people will each lead 5,000 cavalry, prepare enough sulfur, saltpeter and other fire starters, wrap the horses' hooves in cotton cloth, quietly approach the ten camps in the west of the coalition, and implement a fire attack plan."
"No." All the generals shouted in unison.
Li Shimin was still a little worried and continued to warn: "You must remember, no matter whether the fire attack plan is successful or not, after all the fire starters are dug into the coalition camp, you must come to join me. You must not be reluctant to fight. Listen clearly."
Is it done?"
"Nuo." The ten generals shouted again, but a strange look flashed in the eyes of Lu Bu and Hou Yi at the same time.
Li Shimin's caution exceeded their expectations. The situation was already so obvious, was it still necessary to be so cautious? However, the fact that Qin Hao would make such a low-level mistake was indeed beyond their expectations.
Lu Bu and Hou Yi looked at each other with a deep look in their eyes, and then left with everyone.
The bright moon was in the sky, and the west wind was blowing fiercely. It was a dark and windy night, but the gate of Hulao Pass suddenly opened wide.
Groups of cavalry poured out from Hulao Pass, and they were so dense that there was no end in sight.
After the cavalry left the city, they divided into ten teams and quietly headed toward the Kwantung Allied Forces camp.
Most of the secret sentries placed by the coalition forces along the way were shot dead by the Liang army's cavalry, with only a few of them escaping back to report.
When 50,000 cavalry leave the border, no matter how careful they are, they will definitely not be able to hide it from the coalition forces, and it is even more impossible to kill all the enemy's hidden sentries. After all, who knows how many hidden sentries the enemy has deployed?
The 50,000 cavalrymen will definitely be exposed this time. All they have to do is reach the surrounding area of their camp before the coalition forces react.
Therefore, instead of changing direction, the Liang Army cavalry raised their torches and accelerated towards the coalition camp, as if ten fire dragons were wandering in a black sea.
Li Shimin also took action personally this time. After all, after the fire attack, he still had to command 50,000 cavalry to defeat the remaining Kwantung Allied Forces in one fell swoop, and he was reluctant to give up this great achievement to others.
"Have the Kwantung Allied Forces begun mobilizing?"
Li Shimin, who was riding a horse, asked the spies who had just arrived. This was also the news that he cared about most at this time.
"General, the troops and horses in the Kwantung Allied Forces camp have begun to mobilize, but there are no signs of large-scale departure from the camp. Instead, they have adopted a posture of strictly guarding the camp gate."
Li Shimin frowned and whispered to himself: "It's impossible that Qin Hao can't find it yet. Does Qin Hao want to use my hand to weaken the princes of the world? That shouldn't be the case. What good will this do to him?"
There were too many unsolved mysteries, which made Li Shimin very uneasy, but at this point he could not take back the order.
Even though he knew that there was an abyss ahead of him, Li Shimin still wanted to go and test the depth in person. He wanted to see how Qin Hao could break the situation. Even if he lost, he would be convinced.
Li Shimin has already thought about it. If he really loses this time, he will teach him a lesson to get to know Qin Hao again. However, this lesson may cost tens of thousands of cavalry casualties, and the price is too high for him to bear.