Among all the sons-in-law of Li Yuan, the one whom Li Yuan trusted the most was Chai Shao. Not only did Chai Shao follow him the longest and was loyal to Li Yuan, but also when Li Yuan was raising troops, Chai Shao and his wife Princess Pingyang Zhao
He also made great contributions.
Therefore, for the first time, Chai Shao was able to lead the army alone and had his own military strength. He served as General Zuo Langwei and led an army of 20,000 to defend the capital.
Among the factions in the Tang Dynasty, Chai Shao belonged to the Conglong faction, which was loyal to the emperor Li Yuan. In the brotherly dispute between Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin, he was in a neutral position and tried not to participate in their brotherly dispute.
However, because Chai Shao's wife, Princess Pingyang Zhao, Li Xiuning, had a very good relationship with Li Shentong, and Li Shentong was a member of the same line, Chai Shao was more or less branded as a prince sect because of his wife.
This time, Li Shentong's Guannei Army sent 20,000 troops, and Chai Shao sent 10,000 troops. Li Yuan avoided Li Shimin's army, which shows that Li Yuan also acquiesced in the relationship between Chai Shao and the prince.
Despite this, Chai Shao still tried his best to maintain the friendship with Li Shimin. Before sending troops, he went to the Qin Palace and borrowed Li Shimin's fierce general Qiu Xinggong as his forward general.
This was also the shrewdness of Chai Shao, who allowed his wife to communicate with the prince through the bridge of his uncle Li Shentong, while he deliberately maintained his relationship with King Shimin of Qin.
In this way, neither Jiancheng nor Shimin will be offended, and then he will have his own power. In the end, no matter who takes the throne, he will be able to maintain his high position.
Li Shentong was the key figure that Li Jiancheng attracted. As early as when Li Yuan was a minister of the Tang Dynasty, Li Jiancheng had a very good relationship with Li Shentong.
Moreover, Li Shentong paid special attention to family relations. The arrow that Li Shimin shot Li Zhiyun to death also chilled Li Shentong's heart. From then on, he began to fully support the crown prince Jiancheng.
Li Shentong ranked fourth among the most powerful military figures in the Tang Dynasty, second only to Li Xiaogong. His military power mainly came from the surrendered bandits in Guanzhong. It was he and Li Xiuning who persuaded these bandits to surrender to Li Yuan.
In the end, these bandit forces were divided into two. One part was led by Li Xiuning's army and became Chai Shao's force. The other part was led by Li Shentong, who selected 30,000 troops to garrison the pass.
Coupled with the 30,000 troops stationed in Hexi, Li Shentong's army would have more than 60,000 troops, and its sphere of influence would include Guannei and Hexi.
This time, Li Yuan appointed Li Shentong as the general to recover Huining County, which was occupied by the Sui army. This was also because Huining was originally within Li Shentong's sphere of influence, and he had no shirk in his duty.
On the official road leading from Pingliang County to Huining County, 30,000 Tang troops were marching in a mighty formation, with flags fluttering. Li Shentong, who was wearing a golden helmet and golden armor, was majestic with a large pole across his horse.
But there was some worry in his eyes. He was worried that Huining County would not be able to defeat the Sui army this time, and the entire army would be annihilated. In fact, Li Shentong was also an appeaser at heart. He knew that he was not good at fighting, and he only took command because he had the trust of the emperor.
Heavy troops.
If he really wanted to compete with the Sui army alone, he had no confidence at all, and even felt a little guilty. The chief general of the Sui army was Pei Xingyan, the fifth most powerful general in the world. He was brave enough and had Fengzhou's elite cavalry. What could he do with the Sui army?
Battle?
But the matter has come to this point, and he can't do it if he doesn't fight this battle. Huining County is his sphere of influence. If he doesn't fight, he won't be able to maintain the power of Guannei Dao, and Li Shimin is watching coldly from behind.
Li Shentong was tangled in his heart. His confidant general Shi Wanbao whispered to the side: "Now that we are in the limelight, you might as well make a gesture and suppress it without fighting. The Sui army is mining in the north of Huining County, and we will station troops."
To the south of Huining County, secure a passage to Wuwei County, so that we can give an explanation to the imperial court and the Holy Emperor. Over time, this matter will be over."
Shi Wanbao was originally a Chang'an hero. He also raised a flag to rebel in the last years of Daye. He had 70,000 to 80,000 rebels under his command. Later, he was recruited by Li Shentong. He welcomed the Tang army into the pass and was named the original Duke of the country. He was second only to his younger brother Li Shentong under Li Shentong.
The third person in the Talisman.
Shi Wanbao is about forty years old, he is shrewd and slippery, and he understands the world very well. He can accurately understand Li Shentong's inner conflicts.
Li Shentong pondered for a moment, and Shi Wanbao's words really spoke to his heart. He said again: "It's just to suppress but not to fight. I'm worried that it will be difficult for the Holy One to explain to you."
Shi Wanbao narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Don't you understand His Majesty's heart? The Central Plains have just been defeated, so what confidence does His Majesty have in defeating the Sui army? If Huining County is defeated again, how will His Majesty explain to the people of Guanlong? Could it be that His Majesty will not consider it?
Really? Your Majesty, in fact, Your Majesty is also very conflicted."
Li Shentong was moved in his heart. If this was the case, he would have to discuss it with Chai Shao. He immediately ordered his surroundings: "Please invite your consort to come quickly."
After a while, Chai Shao came galloping over on horseback. He smiled from afar and said, "Uncle, do you have anything to do with me?"
Chai Shao called Li Shentong uncle like his wife, and Li Shentong often went to Chai Shao's house to chat. They had a very close relationship.
Li Shentong said with a smile: "I came to see my nephew to discuss strategies to deal with the Sui army.
He pointed his riding whip to a hilly area in the distance, "Beyond those mountains is Huining County. The Sui army relies on cavalry. We will encounter the Sui army at any time. We must be prepared for a rainy day. There are some things that must be considered ahead of time."
Chai Shao pondered for a moment and asked, "Uncle Huang, what plan do you have?"
In terms of combat experience, Li Shentong participated in the battle to annihilate Li Gui, while Chai Shao participated in the battle with the Western Qin Kingdom. Both sides have similar experience, but Li Shentong is the elder and the main general in the attack on Huining County. Chai Shao
Follow his arrangements.
Li Shentong already had a plan in his mind, so he said calmly: "The Art of War says that only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you survive a hundred battles. But we know very little about the Sui army. We have no guarantee of victory in this battle, so I plan to
Focus on stability, don’t make rash advances, let alone seek quick results, and be prepared for long-term battles.”
Chai Shao was so shrewd. When he heard that Li Shentong was going to fight for a long time, he understood in his heart that Li Shentong didn't want to fight the Sui army at all.
There was a look of embarrassment on his face, "Uncle Huang's idea makes sense, but His Majesty requires us to take back the mine first. If the delay is too long, I'm afraid it will be difficult for His Majesty to explain."
Li Shentong's face immediately darkened. Chai Shao's answer made him unhappy. He immediately turned his back and said coldly: "Then I would like to ask General Chai to work hard and lead his troops to retake the mine first. I wish General Chai immediate success."
"
After saying that, he ignored Chai Shao, urged his horse forward, and shouted loudly: "The whole army slows down and advances steadily!"
Chai Shao looked at Li Shentong's figure walking away. He couldn't help but smile bitterly. Before he saw the Sui army, the Tang army began to be in chaos. How should this battle be fought?...
On the west bank of the Zuli River, a troop of 10,000 cavalry roared in. The overwhelming cavalry covered the field. The sound of horse hooves shook the earth. The leader, General Pei Xingyan, raised his long spear high. The 10,000 cavalry quickly slowed down their march and began.
The whole team formed two long lines.
This Sui army cavalry went south from Fengzhou to support the battle in Huining County. At this time, the Sui army had a total of 20,000 troops in Huining County, all of which were cavalry. They were commanded by General Pei Xingyan. Pei Xingyan was distributed in two groups, and one group was led by Deputy General He.
Led by Sheng, he garrisoned the mines and Liangchuan County. He personally led the other route, waiting for opportunities to find traces of the Tang army.
Pei Xingyan had led his army on the march for three hours. When he saw that the Sui soldiers were tired, he ordered: "Rest on the spot for half an hour!"
He gave the order, and the soldiers dismounted one after another, led the horses to the river to drink water, and then led the horses to the grass and let them graze. They themselves spread sheepskins, drank water and had lunch cross-legged, talking and laughing, and suddenly the riverside was filled with laughter.
It became lively.
Pei Xingyan sat on a big rock and spread out the map. He received a quick message from the King of Chu in Taiyuan. The Tang army sent 30,000 troops. The leader was Li Shentong and the deputy was Chai Shao. Pei Xingyan also knew a little about the distribution of military forces in the Tang Dynasty.
If Li Shimin's army came to Huining County, the route they took would probably be from Longxi County to the north.
But now that Li Shentong and Chai Shao are leading the army, their army can only come from Pingliang County. Li Shimin's forces are on the west side of Longxi. Without Li Shentong's army, the army led by Li Shentong is most likely deployed on Guannei Road.
Tang Jun.
The main force of the Tang Army in Guannei Road is not the main force of the Tang Army. The main force of the Tang Army is the 100,000 troops in the hands of Li Shimin, of which the 30,000 black armor cavalry are particularly sharp. The Tang Army in Guannei Road is mainly defensive, with more infantry. It was formerly the rebel army in Guanzhong.
The combat effectiveness is inferior.
Pei Xingyan was quite proud by nature. He was very confident that he could defeat the Tang army in one battle. The question now is where is the Tang army? There are four roads from Pingliang County to Huining County. Which way will the Tang army come?
The recent war in the Central Plains shocked the world, but Pei Xingyan had no chance to participate. This incident has always made him depressed. Especially in the war in the Central Plains, Luo Shixin shined brilliantly and fought the world's best general Li Xuanba to a close match.
Everyone was talking about Luo Shixin's bravery, which made Pei Xingyan feel sour in his heart.
The thing that Pei Xingyan hopes most right now is to meet Li Xuanba. He also hopes to have a battle with Li Xuanba and feel the bravery of the most powerful general in the world, but this time it is Li Shentong who comes.
This means that Li Xuanba will not appear.
At this time, a scout cavalry rushed over quickly and shouted from a distance: "Where is General Pei?"
Pei Xingyan stood up and said, "I'm here!"
The scout cavalry dismounted, quickly stepped forward and knelt down, "Report to General Pei, we have discovered traces of the Tang Army."
Pei Xingyan was overjoyed and asked urgently: "Where is the Tang army now?"
"General, 30,000 Tang troops have entered Huining County, but they have divided their troops into two groups, one going south, and the other stationed in place."
Pei Xingyan frowned, "What kind of strategy is this? You actually went south and avoided fighting against yourself?"
He asked again: "How many Tang troops are stationed at the same place and where are they stationed?"
"Reporting back to the general, they are stationed in Yuntian City a hundred miles away, with about ten thousand people."