Shuozhou, known as Mayi in ancient times, was renamed Shuozhou in the fourth year of Wude in the Tang Dynasty (621). It governed the three counties of Shanyang, Kaiyang and Shenwu. It was located between the inner and outer Great Walls and was collectively known as Yunzhou, Daizhou and Qizhou.
There are four border states, Datong in the north and Yanmen Pass in the south. It is actually an important border town in the Tang Dynasty. It has the reputation of the three passes guarding the five plains. Since the Warring States Period, this place has been the site of fierce battles between the farming civilization of the Central Plains and the nomadic civilization of the grasslands.
There have been constant wars since ancient times, especially in the Han Dynasty. When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent troops to fight the Xiongnu for the first time, the so-called Mayi ambush was set up in this state. If Shuozhou is lost, there will be no danger to defend the Tang Dynasty border in front of Yanmen Pass. In fact,
It is a battleground for military strategists.
The importance of Shuozhou goes without saying. The fire of the Tang Dynasty sent 140,000 troops to rescue this state. However, things did not go as planned. On October 19th of the 15th year of Zhenguan, Li Zhen led the vanguard.
When they arrived at Yanmen Pass, the bad news came - the entire territory of Shuozhou was lost. Except for Shenwu Shang, Shanyang, Kaiyang, and Shuozhou fell one after another. Only a few hundred wounded defeated soldiers of the more than 5,000 frontier troops fled back.
After arriving at Yanmen Pass, Yao Qisheng, the governor of Shuozhou, died along with the city. Liu Chen, the magistrate of Shenwu County, sent a letter asking for help, stating that more than 20,000 soldiers from Xue Yantuo's army were besieging Shenwu and the city was about to be defeated. He asked the Yanmen Pass defenders to send troops to help.
Shuozhou fell, and the situation suddenly became serious - at this time, there were only more than 5,000 Yanmen Pass defenders, and with the 3,500 troops under Li Zhen's command, the total number was only more than 9,000. If you want to
The strength of the troops is already tight to defend against the danger, and it is even more powerless to go out to rescue Shenwu. Not to mention the 200,000 fine cavalry of Xue Yantuo in Shuozhou area at this time, even the 20,000 troops and horses besieging Shenwu are far away.
The defenders of Yanmen Pass were defeated, and it would take three days at the earliest for the main force of the Tang Dynasty to arrive. By then, Shenwu, which was already on the verge of collapse, would inevitably fall.
According to the practice of grassland tribes, once a city is broken, it must be burned, killed, looted, and everything is done. This is the case for all the cities that have been broken. Moreover, although the Xue Yantuo tribe is intruding on the border of the Tang Dynasty, it actually has no intention of confronting the main force of the Tang Dynasty.
I just want to grab a handful and leave. I am still delaying leaving at this time. I am just waiting for Shenwu City to be destroyed. Once Shenwu falls, Xue Yantuo’s tribe will not stay in the Tang Dynasty for a long time. It is inevitable to flee after looting.
things.
It was already early winter. If Xue Yantuo's troops were allowed to withdraw at this time, even if the main force of the Tang Dynasty arrived, it would be impossible to pursue them into the grassland at this time. They would have to wait until the next spring to slowly advance their troops. By then, would they be able to fight in the vast wilderness?
It is hard to say how to seize Xue Yantuo's main force on the prairie. What's more, if the war lasts longer, the food and wages that Datang will have to consume will be astronomical figures. This will undoubtedly be a huge burden for the imperial government's finances, which are not well-off. Furthermore,
, if Xue Yantuo cannot be taught a profound lesson this time, then the foreign countries around the Tang Dynasty will probably follow the same example and adopt the strategy of grabbing a handful and leaving. In this way, there will never be peace on the border of the Tang Dynasty.
The crisis has emerged, but there is still no conclusion on how to solve it. No, the military meeting has been held for more than two hours. All the while, the generals of the Tang Dynasty were arguing endlessly around the sand table. The battle between war and defense was extremely fierce, but
No one side could gain the upper hand. In the noisy tent, only Prince Li Zhen, the guard general of Yanmen Pass, and the general manager of the Lingzhou Road March, Li Daliang, remained silent.
Li Daliang, a native of Jingyang, Shaanxi Province, was a military officer who served under Pang Yu, the general of the Sui Dynasty. He later surrendered to the Tang Dynasty and served successively as Tumen Ling and Sima in charge of Jinzhou (now Ankang, Shaanxi). Later, he was promoted to the governor of Anzhou due to his merit.
During the Gong'er Rebellion, he was promoted to the governor of Yuezhou (today's Shaoxing, Zhejiang). In the eighth year of Zhenguan, he was promoted to the governor of Yuezhou (today's Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province). In the eighth year of Zhenguan, he made another meritorious service during the Tang Dynasty's Conquest of Tuyuhun. As a result, he was named the Duke of Wuyang County and promoted to General of the Right Guard. He was both civil and military.
He was well-known throughout the Tang Dynasty for his good local governance. He usually did not like to talk too much, but every word he said was sure to hit the mark, and he was deeply trusted by Li Shimin.
Seeing that the sun had turned to the west, the generals were still arguing over whether to fight or to defend. Li Daliang was calm, but he couldn't sit still. He leaned down, pretended to cough, and put them together.
The generals who were noisy Zizheng were all calmed down, and then they looked sideways at Li Zhen, who was sitting next to him like a clay sculpture, and said: "What do you think, His Highness the King of Yue?"
How? What else? Damn it, this battle must be fought if not fought. How could Li Zhen not know the seriousness of the current situation, and also know that the battle in front of her is not easy to fight. What is even clearer is Li Daliang’s intention in asking this question
Why - going to war is inevitable, but there is no guarantee of victory. In fact, there is almost no way to win, but it is impossible not to fight. If you lose, you will have to take the blame. This blame is not easy to bear. If you are not careful,
If they were beaten to the end, if they failed miserably, they would be beheaded. Li Daliang couldn't afford it, so he naturally expected Prince Li Zhen to do it.
No one wants to take the blame, and Li Zhen is no exception. Upon hearing Li Daliang's strange question, Li Zhen really wanted to kick the ball back, but unfortunately Li Zhen couldn't. It wasn't because Li Zhen was the prince and was in the account.
The reason for being the highest in the middle grade is that Li Zhen saw a chance to win. At this time, she didn't want to waste time arguing. Therefore, Li Zhen did not shirk, and smiled calmly and said: "Fight!"
Li Zhen's words were not loud and her tone was very calm, but her determination was clearly revealed. The generals in the room did not expect that Li Zhen would make up her mind to fight with such an understatement. They were stunned for a moment.
, it took a while before a general in the uniform of a general stood up and said: "Your Highness, Xue Yantuo is powerful, our army should only hold on. If we go to war easily, if there is a loss, Yanmen will not be protected, and Shanxi will rot.
I hope Your Highness will think twice."
This opponent's name was Li Hongye, Li Daliang's nephew, and he was the leader of the main defense faction. As soon as he came forward, the generals who advocated holding on and waiting for reinforcements immediately stood up, and they all kept asking Li Zhen for help.
Think twice before acting, and both his words and his words reveal that he is not optimistic about Li Zhen's abilities.
"Your Highness, the city of Shuozhou has been destroyed, and my people have been massacred. If we don't come to help, once Shenwu is defeated, and all lives are in ruins, Xue Yantuo will have to flee far away. If so, where is the majesty of our Tang Dynasty?"
The main defender faction stood up, and the leader of the main battle faction, Cao Cao Liu Tietao, stood up not to be outdone. In an instant, a group of generals who were in charge of the battle also spoke in agreement, and chaos suddenly broke out in the big tent again.
Those who were shouting in the big tent were all the generals from the Yanmen Pass. As for the guards and horses brought by Li Zhen, they never participated in it. This made Li Daliang feel particularly embarrassed. He saw that the commotion started again, and suddenly
His face sank, and he snorted coldly. The generals were so frightened that they all shrank back, and the tent finally became quiet again.
"Your Highness, how should we fight this battle?" Li Daliang pondered for a moment, then twirled the long beard on his chest and asked calmly.
Haha, this old guy is very slippery. He knew that this battle was necessary, but had no chance of winning, so he used words to try to bully me. Interesting! Li Zhen saw through Li Daliang's thoughts at a glance, but he didn't point it out.
He smiled and said: "Master Li, Shenwu must be saved, and Yanmen must be defended. How about this? How about Xiao Wang leading his troops to rescue Shenwu, and Master Li staying behind to guard Yanmen to ensure nothing goes wrong?"
As soon as Li Zhen said this, not only the generals of Yanmenguan were dumbfounded, but also the generals of Li Zhen's side were all dumbfounded - the whole army would be invincible if they tried to rescue Shenwu, but now only three of Li Zhen's subordinates were stunned.
How can a thousand and five men go forward and be an opponent of more than 20,000 Pugu cavalry, not counting Xue Yantuo's main force of 200,000 in Shuozhou area? They are not going to fight, they are simply going to die.
Li Zhen is a prince. If something happens to him, everyone present will probably be involved. Even if they can defend Yanmen Pass, it will be useless. Once the emperor becomes angry, everyone present will probably end badly, and Li Daliang will be the one to bear the brunt.
This is a general. When he saw what Li Zhen said, Li Daliang's face suddenly turned green. According to his original idea, even if Li Zhen insisted on fighting, Li Zhen would only stay behind. He, Li Daliang, would lead the troops.
It would be good to attack and win, but once he loses, Li Zhen will naturally be on top, and even if he gets hit, it won't be much worse. But what he never expected was that Li Zhen actually proposed to lead the attack personally. This made
How could Li Daliang bear it? He gritted his teeth and said: "Your Highness, this proposal is inappropriate. Your Majesty is a border general and has the responsibility to defend the territory. This mission of attack will be left to your Majesty. Your Highness only needs to
If you guard Yanmen Pass, I will be grateful to you."
Haha, this old guy still has some conscience, but well, it’s better for us to take the credit ourselves. Li Zhen smiled and said: "Thank you Mr. Li for your love and care, but if we want to save the Shenwu people and delay Xue Yantuo in this battle,
The purpose of the ministry can only be achieved if the king goes there in person." As soon as Li Zhen finished speaking, she stood up, strode to the sand table in the middle of the tent, and said with a smile: "Master Li, please take a look.
, here is Shenwu, less than 200 miles away from Shuozhou, and is distributed in a triangle with Shanyang and Kaiyang, each of which is less than a hundred miles apart. This is Fosu Mountain, and the people who occupy Shanyang are the Tongluo tribe, and their tribes and the Pugu tribe
It is a feud, and the one who occupies Kaiyang is the Baye Gu tribe. They have always been friendly with the Pugu tribe. At this time, the Baye Gu tribe has just occupied Kaiyang and is in the midst of a carnival. Military discipline must be lax. If our army attacks with light troops, it will definitely
If you can catch him off guard, you don't want to annihilate all his troops, just hit him hard, and then bluff, pretending that the imperial army has surrounded the Yang Dynasty. If it is dark at night, the ancient tribes are unidentified.
Under such circumstances, we must not dare to attack easily. In this case, we will definitely send people to the Pugu tribe for help. Once some of the Pugu troops go to rescue Kaiyang, our infantry ambushing in Fosu Mountain can take advantage of the situation or ambush them.
, or take advantage of the situation to enter Shenwu, and our cavalry will bypass Efeikou from this small road outside Kaiyang City and go straight to Killhukou. As long as a sneak attack can be successful, Xue Yantuo's 200,000-strong army will have to detour to Yungang if they want to withdraw.
Even if Xue Yantuo's tribe retreats immediately, it will still take three or five days. Furthermore, if Da Daji knows that the king has entered Shenwu and there are not many soldiers, he will definitely raise troops to capture the king as a retreat.
As a result, the opportunity for Xue Yantuo’s troops to retreat will be delayed for a few days, and the main force of our army will arrive in about three days, so this battle will be won!"
"This..." Li Daliang thought about it carefully, but he didn't see any flaws in Li Zhen's plan. He just wanted Li Zhen to take risks, but Li Daliang really didn't have the courage, but he also knew that Li Zhen's plan was the current one.
The only feasible solution was that I didn't dare to make up my mind for a while, I just frowned and pondered.
Li Daliang could afford to wait, but Li Zhen couldn't afford to wait. After all, it was hard to say whether Shenwu could survive tomorrow. The sun had already turned to the west at this time, and if he didn't send troops, it might be too late. Li Zhen turned around suddenly, eyes fixed on
Li Daliang said, "Master Li, I have two more things to ask for."
Li Zhen's troops were not under Li Daliang's jurisdiction. Furthermore, Li Zhen was a prince. He said he wanted to go, but it was useless even if Li Daliang disagreed. Seeing that Li Zhen had already made up his mind, he said nothing more.
, looked at Li Zhen with a solemn expression and said: "His Royal Highness the King of Yue, if you have anything to do, just give me your orders. As long as it is within my ability, I will not refuse."
"Okay!" Li Zhen laughed, walked to Li Daliang, leaned over, and whispered in Li Daliang's ear...
When the grassland tribes were fighting, Su Xi sent out rangers to detect the movements of their opponents, and Xue Yantuo was no exception. Although Commander-in-Chief Xue Yantuo had no intention of taking advantage of the victory to attack Yanmen Pass this time, he still sent more than 200 cavalry to Yanmen Pass in accordance with the usual practice.
The rangers of the people were always monitoring the movements of the Tang Army in the direction of Yanmen Pass. At first, the rangers who were stranded outside Yanmen Pass were very honest and only dared to wander far away. However, later they saw that the Tang Army at Yanmen Pass showed no sign of dispatching.
, these rangers became bolder, getting closer and closer to Yanmen Pass, and from time to time they attacked the refugees who fled to Yanmen Pass from outside the pass, and plundered them without any scruples, and even stood up not far outside Yanmen Pass.
A small camp was set up in a grand manner. It didn't look like they were here to monitor the Tang army, but rather like they were here for a vacation.
The arrogance of those rangers naturally aroused the anger of the Tang army officers and soldiers inside the pass. However, no one dared to attack privately without the general's order. They could only watch helplessly as a bunch of grass bandits were torturing outside the pass for more than a month. Big guys
The fire in my heart has long been so strong that it can melt gold into iron. No, as soon as they received the order to attack, the 500 cavalry troops of Yanmen garrison Yinziying immediately rushed out of the gate on horseback, condescendingly attacking the grass bandits like an avalanche.
The small camp passed by and immediately beat the grass bandits who were leisurely and leisurely to a pulp. Except for a dozen cavalry who were quick to see the opportunity and escaped by chance, the rest were killed on the spot. The whole battle was no more than a stick of incense.
The time was over, and then, in the wide open door, groups of strong soldiers hurriedly walked out of the door and rushed into the distance in a hurrying march. On the top of the city of Yanmen Pass, the right-guard general Li Daliang stood tall
In the afterglow of the setting sun, I silently watched the army go away, with tears faintly appearing in a pair of old eyes... dd