The Legend of Shushan Xuanjian

Chapter 557 The Choice of the First Battle

Chai rice oil, salt, sauce and vinegar tea are generally in other people's homes.

At the end of the year, the weather is cold and there is nothing to do. I watch plum blossoms in Zhutang Temple.

——"Seven Things to Open the Door" Tang Yin (Ming Dynasty)

……

It was about a month after Bai Fu and the others returned to Eagle Fort.

In September of the second year of Qianyuan (AD 759), after six months of careful preparations for the war, Emperor Yan Shi Siming made a large-scale southern expedition.

Shi Siming ordered Shi Chaoqing, the youngest son of the emperor, to guard Fanyang, and ordered the guards of all counties to lead 3000 soldiers to go south with their entourage.

Yan army's tens of thousands of iron cavalry smoke billowed, and for a while, the elite cavalry, the smoke and dust traveled thousands of miles, and the noise shook the ground.

The Yan army swept across the land of Yanzhao with the momentum of sweeping the caves, and the prefectures and counties they passed were completely disintegrated.The people abandoned the city and fled, and no one dared to refuse..."

This scene is exactly the same as four years ago.

The only difference is that this time the newly-emerged prairie wolf king has been replaced by Shi Siming. In the billowing smoke, there is Shi Siming's ambition and desire to covet the [-]th Five-Year Plan.

……

As soon as the Yan army left Fanyang, Tiehammer's internal line Yan Jibei, who was lurking in Fanyang City, immediately sent a pigeon letter to Eagle Fort with a password.

After Hawkeye received the letter from the pigeons, he immediately released dozens of carrier pigeons using Eagle Fort as a transfer station to pass the news to the Tang Army Pigeon Station in various states in Hebei.

That night, Li Guangbi, the coach of the Shuofang Army, received a report from the Yan Army going south.

……

At the foot of Yingbao Mountain, the official road ten miles away is the only way to go south.

Standing on the crenel of the Eagle Fort, overlooking the four directions, you can have a panoramic view of the mobilization of the troops of the Yan army.

Hawkeye released Costin.The falcon fluttered its wings and flew high, taking advantage of the airflow on the top of the mountain, hovering a few times at a height of hundreds of feet.

Hawkeye sat cross-legged on the ground, like an old monk in meditation.The eyes seem to open and turn, and a white film rises to block the pupils.

Luo Tuoer secretly told Bai Fu that Hawkeye was using the Sushen tribe's witchcraft to communicate with Falcon to detect the number of rebel troops and their marching route.

I saw Hai Dongqing flying farther and farther until it disappeared out of sight.

Bai Fu secretly calculated that the range of Falcon's patrol this time may be nearly a hundred miles.

After about several hours, Hai Dongqing flew back to Eagle Fort.Hawkeye collapsed to the ground, suddenly feeling exhausted.

After a long rest, Hawkeye relayed what he observed.

The scholar took out a pen and paper, and drew what the eagle saw.

After several days of observation and Fan Yang's insider reports, the Lone Eagle scouts roughly grasped the route for the Yan army's soldiers and horses to be mobilized.The Yan army was divided into four groups: General Linghuzhang set off from Liyang (now Junxian County, Henan Province) to attack Huazhou (now Huaxian County, Henan Province); the eldest son of the emperor, Shi Chaoyi, went out from Baigao (now north of Huaxian County, Henan Province), and Prime Minister Zhou Zhi went out from Huzhou Liang (now east of Jun County, Henan), Shi Siming personally led the Chinese army out of Py (now Py City, Henan).

The scholar spread the drawn map on the table and said: "According to the route of the rebels' troops and horses, the four cities where the Yan army went south will be the first to bear the brunt.

If the strategic intention of the rebels is to advance westward, the first battle will choose Huazhou, which is guarded by General Liu Zhan.

After the capture of Huazhou, they can use the power of the Yellow River to go upstream and transport a large number of siege equipment, grain and grass to the city of Luoyang.In the same way, Zhengzhou, guarded by General Li Baoyu, may also be chosen for the first battle.

If the strategic intention of the rebel army is to go south and plunder the rich land of the Jianghuai River, they will choose Qingzhou guarded by General Shang Heng or Yanzhou guarded by General Neng Yuanhao for the first battle. "

The scouts nodded frequently.

Bai Fu looked at the map with interest, and said, "Why didn't the first battle of the Yan army's attack start in Bianzhou?"

The scholar said: "The capture of Bianzhou will not benefit water transportation, and it will not be conducive to the transportation of military supplies.

In addition, Bianzhou is between Huazhou and Zhengzhou.When the rebels attacked Bianzhou, the two flanks would be flanked by Tang troops from Huazhou Liu Zhan and Zhengzhou Li Baoyu, and the risk was high. "

Lone Wolf fought side by side with Bai Fu for several days, knowing that Bai Fu's words must have deep meaning, so he asked: "Bai Long, is there something wrong?"

Bai Fu said: "Old Wolf, in the battle of Taiyuan, General Cai Xide and Shi Siming once formed a coalition. Based on what you know about Shi Siming, which city do you think this person will choose to attack?"

The lone wolf shook his head and said: "It's hard to say. Shi Siming is cunning and cunning. Although he has never learned the art of war, he knows it without a teacher. It seems that he was born to fight, just like the wolf king on the grassland. I really can't figure it out." Where will he start from?"

Bai Fu said: "That's right. Although most of the prairie heroes have never read any books, they all have their own advantages in leading soldiers and fighting, far better than ordinary generals of the Han army.

The reason is that they did not learn their military strategy from books, but learned from wolves in their nomadic life on the grasslands.As cunning and fierce as a wolf, but full of wisdom. "

Lynx, Lone Wolf and the others cheered up, waiting for Bai Fu's next words.

Bai Fudao: "An Lushan hoarded a large amount of weapons and equipment and supplies and supplies in Fanyang. After the Battle of Yecheng, the supplies and supplies hoarded by the Ninth Route Army of the Tang Army and An Qingxu also belonged to the rebels. So Shi Siming's war supplies are not shortage.

After Fan Yang was assassinated, there were actually many Japanese warriors among the rebel soldiers who chased us down.Therefore, I speculate that Baobuqi Fusang, Koryo, Bohai and other Liaodong countries are also secretly funding the rebels behind their backs.

Therefore, the primary strategic goal of the rebels was not to go south to plunder, but to attack and capture Luoyang, Tokyo in the west, and then repeat the scene of the year, capturing Tongguan and entering Chang'an.

Therefore, the rebels will not go south to attack Qingzhou or Yanzhou, but will choose to go west. "

The scholar asked curiously: "If you go west, you should choose Huazhou or Zhengzhou as the first stop. Why Bianzhou?"

Bai Fu looked around and smiled, and asked Lynx: "There are five villages with sheep pens. In some villages, the sheep pens are not strong, but the hunting dogs are fierce; in some villages, the sheep pens are tall and strong, but the people and dogs in the village They are all afraid of wolves.

If you were a wolf, which village would you choose to attack? "

Lynx laughed and said, "I will choose the village that is afraid of wolves."

Bai Fu asked back, "Why?"

The lone wolf said: "Because they are afraid of wolves, when the wolves come, no one dares to sacrifice their lives for the sheep! Without the care of people and dogs, no matter how tall and strong the sheepfold is, it will be useless."

Bai Fu nodded and said: "That's right. I have dealt with Xu Shuji, the general of Bianzhou. During the siege of Suiyang, he retreated to the Jianghuai River and refused to rescue Suiyang.

At that time, Henan Jiedu envoy Zhang Hao had warned His Majesty that Xu Shuji was cunning and deceitful, and if he encountered danger, he would definitely betray him.

The art of war says: one vigorous effort, then decline, and three exhaustion.

If I were Shi Siming, I would definitely not choose a difficult bone for the first battle in the south.Otherwise, once the attack cannot be done for a long time, the morale of the army will be shaken.

Winning Xu Shuji's defense of Bianzhou without a fight is not only a military victory, but also a moral victory.

Combining the astronomical phenomenon of "Slaying the Wolf" and various prophecies, it is enough to prove that the destiny is not in the hands of Li Tang's royal family.

After the Battle of Yecheng, Datang suffered heavy losses, discarded all the war preparations accumulated over the years, and was unable to launch another general offensive in a short period of time, so it could only passively enter the stage of strategic defense.

As long as Shi Siming has a firm foothold in Chang'an, even if he doesn't send his troops south, he can rule the river with Li Tang, unify the north, and reproduce the situation of the five chaos in the past. "

Xiucai asked: "If the rebels attack Bianzhou, don't they worry about being flanked by Liu Zhan of Huazhou and Li Baoyu of Zhengzhou?"

Bai Fu let out a long sigh, and said, "In troubled times, the handle of the knife is the official hat and money bag. How many soldiers and horses you have under your command determines how much territory and power you have.

Some of the envoys of the Tang army were appointed by Xuanzong when he was in Yizhou, and some were appointed by Lingwu today.The Jiedu Envoys in the theaters of Henan Province are particularly obvious.

If the rebels were encircled and wiped out with superior forces, these Jiedu envoys might still be able to join forces.Conversely, no.

Shi Siming's soldiers were upright and sharp, facing Fan Yang's tens of thousands of tigers and wolves, no one would foolishly use their own troops to attack stones with eggs.

Some people even secretly hoped that by borrowing swords to kill people, the surrounding Tang army would be eaten up by the rebels, so that they could take the opportunity to expand their territory.

I have already learned a lot about these sleazy dogs in human nature during the Siege of Suiyang. "

……

When Bai Fuyan poked and poked, everyone thought it was true.

Iron Hammer excitedly said: "Xiucai, write down what Xiao Bailong said in several pigeon letters. Hawkeye, quickly deliver this pigeon letter to General Guangbi."

……

(End of this chapter)