The Tang Army's camp was outside the North City. Li Shatuo led more than a hundred scouts to walk hard in the wind and sand until they reached the northwest of the Tang Army's camp. There was a tailwind here, and the wind was so strong that it made one's footing unstable. If one did not squat down, it would seem that
It will be blown away by the strong wind.
The scouts found several stone walls and squatted down behind them. It turned out to be an abandoned mansion. It had been eroded by wind and sand for many years, leaving only a few ruins. A dozen heavy soldiers unloaded from three camels.
Several bundles of heavy objects, this is a small catapult, broken into several parts and transported by camels, which can throw a stone weighing more than ten kilograms more than a hundred paces.
The heavy troops were quickly bundled and installed, and soon they were assembled into a catapult one foot high. At this time, a scout rushed from the darkness, pointed to the southwest and said: "The Tang Army's camp is a hundred steps away, and spears can be stabbed from outside.
The big tent inside is about fifty paces away, and there are a lot of caltrops scattered on the ground."
Li Shatuo sneered. The Tang army's camp method was still the same as that in the Central Plains. They did not take into account the actual situation in Dunhuang. Let them taste the power of Dunhuang night wind tonight. He immediately ordered: "Prepare fireballs!"
The scouts took out a dozen black fireballs from the camel box. They were wrapped with fire oil cloth and were as big as a bucket. The core of the ball was made of cast iron pellets, which made it weigh ten kilograms and could be fired under no wind conditions.
It can be projected about a hundred steps, but on a night with strong wind, it can be projected a hundred and fifty steps away, which is enough to throw it into the Tang army's camp.
A fireball was put into the iron bag. Dozens of soldiers opened the trebuchet. The two-foot-five-foot hurling rod was bent to the limit. A soldier lit the fireball. The fireball burned rapidly and was pulled out in the strong wind.
Long tongues of fire.
"Let it go!" Li Shatuo ordered, and the fireball flew into the sky, forming a bright dot in the gray night sky and flying towards the Tang Army's camp.
The fireball passed over the sentry tower, passed over the dense spear thrusts, and flew into the Tang Army's camp. With a "Boom!" sound, the fireball hit a large tent. The soldiers in the tent were awakened and rushed out of the tent in panic.
Then the big tent was ignited, and with the help of the wind, it burned rapidly.
"Dang! Dang! Dang!" The alarm bell on the sentry tower rang urgently. Amidst the piercing sound of the alarm, another fireball flew across the dark night sky and flew into the Tang Army camp. This time it hit the ground and the fireball bounced off.
, rushed into a big tent, and the soldiers inside the tent crawled and ran out. The fireball reflected the big tent curtains red, and the fire quickly burned from inside the tent.
The fireball shot into the northwest corner of the Tang Army, which was the infantry camp. At this time, the soldiers woke up from their dreams and ran out of the camp in panic. They gathered in the open space outside the tent. Many of them were still barefoot, standing in the cold wind.
Shivering from the cold, hundreds of soldiers were fighting against several burning tents. Li Xiaogong also hurried to the northwest corner and asked sharply: "What happened?"
"Dian Ping, look!"
When Li Xiaogong raised his head, he saw a fireball roaring in the sky. Several soldiers quickly pushed him away. The fireball passed over his head and hit a tent with a bang. A big hole was burned in the tent in a moment, and the fireball fell into the tent.
Inside, the curtain quickly burst into flames.
"Put out the fire before it spreads!"
Li Xiaogong shouted an order, and he rushed to the big tent angrily. A soldier pointed to the faint bright spot in the wind and sand, "Your Highness, that's right there!"
Li Xiaogong stared for a moment, then turned around and said to a general: "Go with 1,000 cavalry to destroy the Huoyuan Sui army!"
The general turned around and ran away. At this time, another fireball crashed into the tent. This was the seventh fireball. Although the soldiers of the Tang army tried their best to put out the fire, the wind was too strong. The fire took advantage of the wind and the ropes of a large tent were burned.
The burning tent fragments were blown into the air, igniting seven or eight tents in succession, and the fire began to burn...
In the darkness, the Sui army soldiers put another fireball into the trebuchet. At this moment, a sentry rushed over and shouted: "Quickly! The Tang army cavalry is coming out."
Li Yantuo immediately ordered: "Destroy the trebuchet and withdraw immediately."
The soldiers of the Sui army slashed with their swords one after another. In a moment, the trebuchet fell apart and collapsed. They flew onto their horses with the last few fireballs in their arms, ran towards the north, and quickly disappeared in the wind and sand.
Not long after, the cavalry of the Tang Army found the attack site. Except for a damaged speculator, all other people and objects disappeared without a trace.
Inside the Tang Army's tent, Li Xiaogong discovered that the situation had become serious and that there was no way to put out the fire. More than a hundred tents in the entire northwest corner were set on fire. The flames soared into the sky and burned fiercely amidst the howling wind. He knew in his heart that either the entire camp would be destroyed.
All were burned, or half self-destructed.
"All camps must be demolished!"
Li Xiaogong rode on horseback and ordered that in order to deal with such a fire, there must be at least a two hundred-step isolation area. He pointed with his horsewhip to a tent two hundred steps away from the fire, "Demolish this side first and separate the isolation area!"
At this time, Shi Wanbao rushed up and said: "Your Highness, we must prevent the Sui army from taking the opportunity to make a sneak attack!"
One sentence reminded Li Xiaogong, and he quickly ordered: "You lead four thousand cavalry out of the camp to defend. If there is any movement, no matter who they are, I will kill them with random arrows...".
"As you command!"
Shi Wanbao turned his horse around and rushed to gather the cavalry, while the infantry soldiers were busy dismantling the tents. A large group of soldiers fled to the southwest corner. At this time, the fire grew bigger and bigger, and hundreds of tents were set alight. This was the entire infantry camp area.
, all burned in the strong wind, forming a sea of fire.
Li Xiaogong rode to the southwest corner. Six to seven thousand infantrymen had gathered here. Most of them had no armor. Many of them were barefoot and wearing thin middle coats. They huddled up in the cold wind and could not see their shields.
Spears, and about half of the people had a horizontal knife in their hands. Li Xiaogong looked back at the sea of fire. The weapons and equipment of the soldiers were basically engulfed by the fire. He let out a long sigh, how could he continue to fight this battle?
The top of the city was filled with Sui soldiers. The fire in the Tang army camp three miles away was fierce and could be clearly seen in the night. The soldiers were talking about what kind of opportunity this sudden fire would give them. Su Ding sneered.
On the first day he arrived in Dunhuang, he discovered that the night in Dunhuang was very conducive to sneak attacks with fire attacks. At that time, he was considering a sneak attack on Li Zhaojin's camp, but he did not expect that he would eventually use it on the Tang army.
Although this fire did not cause heavy casualties to the Tang army, it could at least deal a heavy blow to the morale of the Tang army and cause them to suffer huge losses in military resources. When the opponent's food and grass were low and their morale was extremely low, it was the time for him to attack.
The fire burned until the first watch before it gradually extinguished, and the deathly silence returned to the outside of the city. Only the strong wind howled sharply and harshly, and the dust filled the sky, obscuring the sight.
The next day, the sky gradually became brighter, and the wind became much lighter. The dark yellow color of the field was revealed. In the hazy morning light, the Tang Army camp could be faintly seen. The tents were all gone, leaving only a scorched black.
At this time, a scout came quickly on horseback and shouted at the top of the city: "General Su!"
Su Dingfang probed his head and asked: "How is the situation of the Tang army?"
"Report to General Su that the Tang army has disappeared and they have evacuated overnight!"
Su Dingfang was stunned for a moment. What was going on? He came with a fierce momentum, but escaped overnight. Did a fire attack like a sneak attack scare them out of their wits?
"Are there any supplies left?"
"Reporting to the general, there is nothing left except hundreds of burned tents. Food, tents, and spears have all been taken away by them."
Li Shatuo was overjoyed and said, "General Su, the enemy is fleeing in panic. This is our opportunity to pursue them. I give the order! My subordinates are willing to lead the cavalry in pursuit."
Su Dingfang shook his head. The Tang army did not leave any supplies behind, indicating that they retreated in an orderly manner. Their five thousand cavalry did not suffer any losses. They all left camp last night. With the prudence of Li Xiaogong in leading his troops, he would never be careless.
He will never leave himself a chance to pursue him. Maybe this is his plan to lure troops.
"No pursuit! Pass my order, no opening of the city is allowed today!"
Behind a sand dune dozens of miles away, five thousand cavalry were lined up in order. Li Xiaogong was wearing a golden helmet and silver armor, holding a horse pole, looking coldly into the distance. Behind them, the Tang army's infantry had gone far away.
But Li Xiaogong was not in a hurry to retreat. He was waiting for the Sui army to pursue him. Maybe he could seize the last chance. The real Sui army only had three thousand people, and the rest of the army was Li Zhaojin's Liang army. The time for their reorganization was too short.
It is not enough to form a strong combat effectiveness, and the Tang army still has a chance.
Li Xiaogong waited patiently until noon. From a distance, a Tang Army scout rushed over and said, "Your Highness, there is no movement from the Sui Army. The gate of Dunhuang City has not been opened yet."
Li Xiaogong sighed helplessly. He knew that his ambush plan had been seen through by the other party, and the other party was unwilling to fight with him. He had no choice but to turn around and order: "Withdraw troops!"
The five thousand cavalrymen turned their horses and headed toward Changle County in a mighty manner. The Tang army came with high hopes, but retreated in great disappointment.
The negotiations between the Tang and Sui Dynasties in Chang'an City reached a deadlock. The two sides mainly argued about the status and ownership of Dunhuang County. The Sui Dynasty believed that Dunhuang County had always been the territory of the Sui Dynasty and was stolen by Li Gui. Now the Sui Dynasty sent troops to drive it away.
It is natural for the Liang army to recapture Dunhuang County. Dunhuang County should be part of the Sui Dynasty.
The Tang Dynasty insisted that Li Gui's Liang Kingdom had surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, so all the land in the Liang Kingdom should belong to the Tang Dynasty, including Dunhuang County, so Dunhuang County should belong to the territory of the Tang Dynasty, although it was occupied by the Sui Dynasty.
However, the Tang Dynasty did not recognize it. The Tang Dynasty believed that Dunhuang County should be a disputed area, and the settlement agreement reached did not include it, nor did it include Yiwu County.
Both sides insisted on their own opinions and refused to give in to each other, unable to reach a settlement agreement. In total, Du Ruhui had been in Chang'an for half a month, and there was still no sign of compromise between the two sides. In two days, it would be December.
Early that morning, Du Ruhui had just gotten up, when there was a rapid knock on the door, and Wei Zheng was heard anxiously shouting outside: "Du Xiangguo, urgent news from Taiyuan!"
Du Ruhui put on his shoes and went forward to open the door. Seeing Wei Zheng's face full of excitement, he smiled and asked, "Shilang Wei is so happy, but what good news is there?"
"Exactly!"
Wei Zheng took out a letter and said impatiently: "I heard from the sender that the Tang army has been forced to evacuate Dunhuang County, and now Dunhuang County and Yiwu County are completely under our control."
Du Ruhui's eyes lit up and he laughed, "If this is the case, the day for us to go home is coming soon."
, the weather is cold, and Lao Gao is unfortunately ill. Everyone should take care of themselves, wear more clothes, and don’t act like a kid. Good health is the guarantee of happiness - "One!.