Li Xiaogong was refreshed. He had been waiting for the information from the scouts. Although he got the information that Xu Shiji secretly sent troops to the north, he was not sure whether the information was reliable, so he sent his trusted scouts to investigate the information.
"Order them to come in and report!"
After a moment, several scouts walked quickly into the lobby. The leading brigade commander knelt down on one knee and reported: "Your Highness, I and others have returned from Nanyang County."
"Let's talk about the specific situation! Did the Sui army go north? How many troops went north?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, the Sui army has indeed moved northward. The intelligence is accurate. Gao Zikai led an army of 30,000 people to the north. The Sui army stationed in Nanyang County only has 10,000 troops."[
At this time, Yang Gongren next to him suddenly interrupted and asked: "Is it true that Hao Xiaode rebelled?"
Everyone looked at him strangely. How did you ask this? The scout immediately reported: "Everyone in Nanyang County is saying that Hao Xiaode led his army to burn, kill and loot. No chickens or dogs were left wherever he went. There are many slaves in the county."
Refugees from Juiyang County and Yingchuan County."
"Jueyang County?"
Yang Gongren sneered, "What does this have to do with Hao Xiaode's bandits? They are still thousands of miles apart!"
Li Xiaogong was slightly unhappy, "Yang Shangshu, this is the information given by the imperial court. You don't doubt the imperial court, do you?"
Yang Gongren shook his head, "I didn't say there was any problem with the court. I was just worried that this was Yang Yuanqing's plan, and the court probably just listened to the wind. It is impossible for Tang Feng to have an intelligence hall in Yingchuan County. He should have just heard about Su Shichang.
If the alarm is Yang Yuanqing's plan to lure troops, I would be a little worried."
Li Xiaogong also frowned, "Do you think Yang Yuanqing wanted to besiege the city for reinforcements, so he deliberately concocted rumors about Hao Xiaode, and then Xu Shiji retreated north to lure us south to Jiangling City?"
"This is my guess, but it is just a guess. I have no evidence. Everything still has to be decided by King Jing."
Yang Gongren has become smarter, and he will not take the responsibility on himself. Especially for this kind of battle that is related to the overall situation, he will never urge Li Xiaogong without evidence, what if it is true?
?He cannot bear this responsibility.
The main reason is that Yang Gongren believes that now all farmers have land. People are determined that even if Hao Xiaode really wants to rebel, no one will follow him.
Li Xiaogong hesitated. What Yang Gongren said made sense. The key was that there were rumors that Hao Xiaode died in the internal strife between Li Mi and Zhai Rang.
However, Li Mi kept the news tightly sealed, and those who knew about it were all his personal soldiers. Whether Hao Xiaode was dead or not was still a question, and Li Xiaogong only felt a headache.
In fact, the best way is to send people to Yingchuan County to actually investigate whether there is any bandit rebellion, but I am afraid that there is no time. Li Xiaogong is afraid that Yang Yuanqing will send more troops from Jiangxia. By the time he confirms everything, Jiangling City has been destroyed.
.
Li Xiaogong paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. He needed to make a decision. Should he send reinforcements? On the one hand, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and on the other hand, he was worried that the Sui army was trying to lure the snake out of its cave, which made it really difficult for him to make a decision.
At this time, Gao Shilian beside him said slowly: "Your Highness, have you forgotten the gold medal given to you by the Holy One?"
Li Xiaogong suddenly remembered that the Holy Emperor asked Chai Shao to bring him a gold medal with four words on it, "It's like I am here in person", which means that he can decide everything without taking any responsibility.
But Gao Shilian meant to remind him that the battle of Jingxiang was important and related to the entire war situation of the Tang Dynasty. He had to fight this battle, even if it was to lure the snake out of the hole, he would go. Once the Jiangxia army reinforced Jiangling and the city of Jiangling was defeated, then Jingxiang would
It will be difficult to recover from the war.
This is not only a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but also the only opportunity. Li Xiaogong gritted his teeth and said: "I will personally lead 50,000 troops to reinforce Jiangling, and I must completely wipe out Yang Yuanqing's Sui army."
He then said to Yang Gongren: "I will go to Jiangling, and I will leave it to Yang Shangshu to defend Jingxiang."[
Yang Gongren knew that Li Xiaogong was determined and could not persuade him again, so he could only sigh secretly, bowed and said: "I am willing to defend the city for your highness!"
.........
Xiangcheng County is located at the junction of Juiyang County and Nanyang County. This area has high mountains, dense forests, and sparsely populated areas. The county seat is surrounded by mountains. An official road goes around the county seat and leads directly to the north.
About ten miles west of the official road, there is a valley three miles wide and more than ten miles long called the Hidden Soldiers Valley. Legend has it that Cao Cao once hid his soldiers here and got its name.
However, there was indeed an army of 30,000 soldiers in the Tibetan Soldier Valley at this time. They had been stationed in the valley for several days, and large tents were densely packed all over the valley.
In front of a big tent, Gao Zikai sat on a stone and read the Book of War attentively. This was the book of war that Xu Shiji lent him. In recent months, he has been very fond of the book of war. He has decided to transform from a strong general to a Confucian general, both civil and military.
, Xu Shiji is his master.
"General Gao!"
A general walked up with a smile, "I'm reading the military book again!"
"If you have free time, you can chat and read military books to relieve your boredom."
Gao Zi smiled and asked, "What do you want from me?"
The general was a little puzzled: "Brothers, let me ask you when we will go north. We are really tired of staying in the valley, and we are all worried about the bandits in Yingchuan County."
Gao Zikai smiled slyly, "When did I say I was going north?"
The general was startled, "General, won't you suppress Hao Xiaode's rebellion?"
"What kind of bandit? Hao Xiaode has been dead for a long time, but the news is strictly blocked. People who have died long ago can only rebel in the underworld."
The general was completely confused. He scratched the back of his head and said, "General Gao, I don't understand what you mean."
Gao Zikai smiled slightly and said, "This is a strategy, do you understand? A soldier never hates deceit. If we don't leave Nanyang County, how can the Sui army reinforce Jiangling?"
General Pian suddenly realized that he understood a little bit, "Then... when will we return to Nanyang?"
"Wait! Wait for the manager's order. Be patient. There will be news soon."
As soon as he finished speaking, the rapid sound of horse hooves came from the entrance of the valley in the distance. Gao Zi stood up excitedly, his intuition telling him that the news he was waiting for had arrived.
A messenger cavalry galloped over, got off his horse in front of Gao Zikai, knelt down on one knee and reported, "General Gao, the general manager has an urgent order!"
The messenger presented an order to Gao Zikai. Gao Zikai opened the order, took a look at it, laughed, and ordered his soldiers: "Inform all generals and prepare to go south to Xiangyang!"
.......[
At night, a thin layer of mist hangs over the Yangtze River. Normally, there are very few boats sailing on the Yangtze River at night, let alone such a foggy night.
But something was a little unusual in Jiangxia City tonight. The riverside was full of people preparing to board the boats. There were more than 40,000 people in the darkness. There were more than 300 river boats moored on the river. These were originally owned by Xiao Liangjun.
fleet.
Groups of soldiers walked towards the ship on the planks. On a high ground, Du Fuwei was watching the soldiers boarding the ship. At this time, he turned back to Lieutenant General Li Haihan and said: "General Li, Jiangxia City will be handed over to you.
, Although there are 20,000 troops guarding the city, I hope you will not be careless at all. Jiangxia City is an important logistics center for the Sui army, so there must be no mistakes."
Li Haihan was also a general of the Sui army and was arranged by Yang Yuanqing as Du Fuwei's deputy general. This time Du Fuwei was ordered to march to Xiangyang and cooperate with Xu Shiji to attack Xiangyang City. Yang Yuanqing appointed Li Haihan to lead 20,000 troops to guard Jiangxia City.
Li Haihan nodded, "General Du, please rest assured. If Jiangxia City is ever lost, no matter who comes to challenge me, I will not be able to escape."
"Then I'll be relieved. I hope we can meet again when we return home in triumph."
Du Fuwei smiled slightly, urged his horse to rush down the high ground, and headed towards the big ship on the river.
"General Du, have a pleasant trip!"
Two hours later, all 40,000 troops were on board, and the fleet set off, crossed the river, entered the Han River, and headed toward Xiangyang City along the Han River.
.........
As Yang Yuanqing said, Jing and Xiang are originally one body, and those who do not plan for the overall situation are not enough to plan a region. When Yang Yuanqing used a trick to transfer Li Xiaogong's reinforcements out of Xiangyang City, Xiangyang City only had 30,000 troops left. At this time,
The 40,000 Sui troops from Nanyang County and the 40,000 troops from Jiangxia County are marching toward Xiangyang City in a mighty manner. They will attack Xiangyang City with an army of 80,000 people.
At the same time that Du Fuwei's army left Jiangxia City and headed for Xiangyang City, another group of three thousand cavalry from Yiling County crossed the river and arrived at the Sui army camp. Yang Yuanqing and his army had been waiting for them for a long time.
The general in command of this army was General Liu Tao, a subordinate of Wang Junkuo. He was led by the soldiers to the camp gate. Yang Yuanqing, wearing a golden helmet and iron armor, immediately stood in front of the camp gate with dozens of generals.
In the camp, 15,000 cavalrymen were ready and ready to set off at any time. There were no torches in their hands, and only a few dark shadows could be seen faintly in the darkness.
It was the fourth watch at this time, when the night was at its darkest, and no movement in the Sui army's camp could be seen on the city top.
Liu Tao quickly stepped forward, knelt down on one knee and saluted, "Liu Tao, a humble official, please see your highness!"
Yang Yuanqing waved his hand and smiled, "General Liu, you have worked hard all the way. Please get up!"
Liu Tao stood up and said again: "I have brought three thousand cavalry with me, please ask the general to dispatch them."
Yang Yuanqing turned back and ordered Wang Jun: "Incorporate the three thousand troops into the team and prepare to set off together."
"As you command!"
Wang Junkuo followed his general Liu Tao on horseback and quickly headed towards the three thousand cavalry. He led the cavalry into the military camp and placed the three thousand cavalry in the team. At this point, the eighteen thousand cavalry were completely ready.
Yang Yuanqing turned back and took a deep look at the dark Jiangling City Wall not far away, and resolutely issued an order: "The whole army sets off!"
Teams of cavalry left the Sui army camp, and the massive cavalry team followed Yang Yuanqing as they meandered northward...
On the top of the city, General Liu Fangzhi of the Tang Army stood in front of the battlements and stared at the Sui Army camp for a long time. His eyes were very complicated. No one knew what he was thinking.
At this time, a soldier rushed over and said, "General, the housekeeper is here and wants to see the general."
Liu Fangzhi was startled. Why did he come to see him so late?
He turned and walked towards the city, where the housekeeper of the Liu Mansion was waiting for him. Seeing Liu Fangzhi coming down to the city, the housekeeper quickly stepped forward and said, "Master, Madam, please go back."
"What's the matter?" Liu Fangzhi asked somewhat unhappily. He had never come to see him so late before.
The housekeeper stepped forward and whispered a few words in his ear, and Liu Fangzhi was stunned for a moment.
.........(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote and vote monthly. Your support is my biggest motivation.)