A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1304: Slashing Loulan with a Blade and Shooting the Wise King with a Bow
Forty miles away from Anshi City.

Wu Huaiyu led his troops in battle array, blocking the way of Goguryeo reinforcements.

Besieging a city and attacking its reinforcements is a classic tactic.

However, it was very daring for 30,000 people to ambush 150,000 people. But for the emperor, it was nothing. Not far away under the city of Anshi, there were Li Ji's 50,000 troops and Li Daozon's 10,000 troops. In fact, it was 90,000 people against 150,000 people.

"Can we win?"

Wu Chengzhi was riding beside his father, very excited. He was supposed to load the slaves onto the ship under the city of Liaodong, then immediately return to Luzon and load some grain to Liaodong.

But when he encountered this battle, he insisted on joining in.

The emperor agreed to his request, and Wu Huaiyu took him with him. Wu Chengzhi had participated in many campaigns against the indigenous peoples of the island in Luzon, but this was his first time to fight a campaign of this scale.

"Back then, Your Majesty defeated Dou Jiande's army of 100,000 with only 5,000 cavalry at Wulao Pass, captured Dou Jiande alive, and destroyed Zheng and Xia in one battle."

The emperor was bold in strategy but relatively cautious in tactics.

Wu Huaiyu was specially asked to take the lead.

Wu Huaiyu led these 12,000 troops to line up here. In fact, the main purpose was to lure the enemy deep into the territory, which is also a technical job.

Facing an enemy force of 150,000, it would be easy to suffer a real defeat if one was not careful and feigned defeat to lure the enemy.

Li Shimin still had great trust in Wu Huaiyu, so he specifically gave this technical work to him.

The rough work of ambushing and raiding in narrow valleys was given to the old partners Qin Qiong and Cheng Yaojin. As for Yuchi Gong, he still served as the emperor's personal bodyguard.

"Liaodong City and Jian'an City have both been taken. Anshi City is now surrounded by our Tang army. Goguryeo has sent 150,000 troops to help. Although they came quite quickly, if Wu Badao was really smart, he should not have come.

Now Gao Yanshou and Gao Huizhen have come from afar with 150,000 infantry and cavalry to provide assistance, and they have three choices.

The best strategy is to lead the troops straight forward, use the city of Anshi as a fortress, occupy the dangerous position of the high mountains, eat the millet in the city, and allow the Mohe to plunder our cattle and horses and intercept our logistics. We cannot attack them suddenly, and if they want to return, they will be blocked by the mud and swamps, thus trapping our army.

"Where's Zhongce?"

Wu Huaiyu looked ahead and said, "The middle strategy is to withdraw the people in the city and escape with them at night."

"It is a very bad idea to come and fight me without considering my intelligence. Your Majesty has long expected that Gao Yanshou will make a bad move. He will soon be a prisoner of our army."

Do not overestimate your own capabilities.

"Father, let me take the lead." Wu Chengzhi was eager to try. Wu Huaiyu glared at him. The third brother immediately said awkwardly, "I am Meng Lang. Please forgive me, General."

"Continue to follow the Khan."

The son-in-law of the emperor, the Khan of Nanting, Ashina She'er, stepped forward and said, "I am here."

"You lead the Turkic cavalry to lead the charge, and you are only allowed to lose, not win."

She'er has rich combat experience, and this task of luring the enemy is most suitable for him. She'er patted his chest and promised to complete the task.

The sun is getting hotter and hotter.

The midsummer sun was quite scorching. The soldiers, wearing their armor and carrying their weapons, felt a little hot and uncomfortable, but they endured it.

The two Nousas of Goguryeo led a large army that was a hundred miles long. Some baggage and logistics troops followed the merchant caravans and were even more than a hundred miles away.

Fifteen thousand people is indeed a huge army. Everywhere you look, there are soldiers and horses.

"Marshal, we are only forty miles away from Anshi City."

"The Tang army is attacking Anshi City fiercely. Lord Liang asked us to send reinforcements as soon as possible."

Go Yeonsu of Noosa in the north rode a spotted horse and, like Yeon Gaesomun, who proclaimed himself the Great Molizhi, also wore five precious swords of different lengths.

He looked at the huge ant-like army with full confidence.

"Has Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty arrived in Anshi City?"

"The people of Lord Liang said that we haven't seen Li Shimin's banner or Li Daozong's flag at the foot of Anshi City. They probably haven't arrived yet, but they will probably be there soon."

"very good,"

Gao Yanshou stroked his beard. Their reinforcements came very quickly this time. It can be said that they were fighting for time, just to reach Anshi City first and then defeat the Tang army one by one.

First lift the siege of Anshi, then recapture Jian'an, and then counterattack Liaodong City.

"Send the order, speed up and reach the city of Anshi before dark."

"We will kill cattle and sheep to celebrate after defeating the Tang army."

A white-bearded civil servant at the side advised, "Nuosa should not underestimate the enemy."

Gao Yanshou respected this man very much. This old man had a high rank. He was an old minister who had participated in the three battles to resist the Sui Dynasty's offensive, and had also been on diplomatic missions to the Central Plains many times.

"Li Shimin is not like Emperor Yang of Sui. He was a cavalry emperor. He pacified the various warlords at home as easily as mowing the grass. He also conquered the four barbarians abroad and forced them to submit. He was even revered as the Heavenly Khan by the various barbarians. We cannot fight hard against such a peerless hero who led a large army to conquer us.

The best strategy now is to hold the mountain city, not to go out, and try to fight a protracted war with them. We don't want to fight them head-on, let alone a decisive battle. We can send small groups of troops to continuously attack their supply lines and harass them. As long as the weather gets cold, they will have no choice but to retreat, and then it will be our chance to recover the lost territory.

If we get the chance, we can defeat them."

"Da Molizhi's order is for us to fight a decisive battle with the Tang army, defeat them, and recapture the city's lost territory," Gao Yanshou said.

Another southern Noosa Gao Huizhen said with some disdain, "We have 150,000 troops, what are we afraid of?"

"Don't underestimate the enemy."

"Humph, think about the time when Yang Guang's million-strong army invaded, but was defeated by our Goguryeo. The Chinese in the Central Plains are just like that. Today, many of the Sui soldiers are still slaves in our Goguryeo."

The white-bearded official still reminded the two Nousas not to underestimate the enemy. After all, Li Shimin had captured many important cities and defeated several elite Goguryeo troops in a short period of time, and had never been defeated.

"Don't just brag about Li Shimin. He only won a few battles by surprise attacks." A rider on a fast horse came galloping over.

The general of the front army sent someone to report that Tang troops were blocking the road ahead.

"That man claimed to be the General of the Cavalry and the General of the Right Guard, the successor of the Turkic Southern Court, the Protector of Mengchi, and the brother-in-law of the emperor, and the Commandant of the Imperial Concubine..."

The white-bearded old man immediately said, "This man is Ashina She'er, the son of the Eastern Turkic Khan Choro, Tuoshe of the Northern Desert, who later withdrew his troops to the Western Regions and established himself as Dubu Khan. After attacking the Xueyantuo in the Northern Desert, he surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. Li Shimin married his sister to him and made him a general. He was once granted the title of Left Wise King of the Eastern Turkic Khanate, and later he was canonized as Nanting Khan of the Western Turkic Khanate.
This man is brave and good at fighting, so don't underestimate him."

Gao Yanshou sneered, "He is just a stray dog, and now he is just a guard dog for Li Shimin."

At a command, Gao Yanshou sent out his elite troops to fight.

The 150,000 troops that came to support this time were basically transferred from the north of the Yalu River. The real elite troops were about 60,000 people, and the rest were the vassal troops of the Mohe tribe and the temporarily recruited Goguryeo militia.

Those 60,000 elite troops were well-equipped and well-trained, and they even had a considerable number of armored cavalry. However, those Mohe cavalry were just tribal light cavalry, and the militia that were temporarily recruited had very simple equipment and inadequate training.

Facing Sheer's interception,
Gao Yanshou sent out elite troops to attack.

The two armies engaged in battle, and the Turkic cavalry led by She'er engaged the Goguryeo cavalry in a horse-and-shooting battle. The two sides killed each other in a cloud of dust, but She'er soon discovered that these Goguryeo people were not as vulnerable as he had imagined.
Instead, the battle became more intense, with new cavalry constantly being sent into the battlefield.

He also discovered that on one side of the battlefield, there were armored cavalrymen lined up.

She'er was well aware of the impact of armored cavalry on the battlefield and immediately ordered a retreat.

If we continue fighting, we might be surrounded and annihilated here.

The Turkish cavalry quickly withdrew from the battle and retreated westward.

In the eyes of the Goguryeo people, these Turkic dogs of the Tang Dynasty were defeated and were fleeing in panic.

Gao Yanshou, Gao Huizhen and others were watching the battle from the top of the mountain, and they were delighted when they saw this.

He smiled at the white-bearded old man and said, "Didn't you just say that She'er is very good at fighting? The so-called Left Wise King of the Eastern Turks and the Khan of Nanting of the Western Turks are just like this, a dog that has lost its home."

Gao Huizhen also laughed, "Chase him, don't let him run away."

The old man was still very diligent and reminded them, "Two Nuosa, do not underestimate the enemy. Anshi is nearby, and tens of thousands of Tang troops are also there. We should gather our troops here first, and then advance slowly."

Gao Yanshou and the other man ignored them and only wanted to get to the city of Anshi as soon as possible. If they were slow, they would have to spend the night here and set up camp.

Li Shimin led 6,000 elite troops to ambush on the northern mountain. From afar, he saw dust rising in the narrow valley on the north side of the mountain.
Xue Rengui, come here.
"Your Majesty, General Wu sent someone to report that Sheer Khan has successfully lured the Goguryeo army here, and General Wu has already completed the battle formation."

"Well, is Duke Lu of Qinqi ready?"

“Everything is in place.”

The Goguryeo people chased She'er all the way westward, with their team stretching for dozens of miles, and their logistics and baggage troops were hundreds of miles away.

The terrain of the battlefield chosen by Li Shimin and his men was very favorable to the Tang army. Li Shimin occupied the high ground of Beishan, and his six thousand elite troops were ready to rush down the mountain at any time.

This is a narrow mountain valley road.

There was a narrow valley on one side of the middle, where Qin Qiong and Cheng Yaojin's 12,000 troops were lying in ambush.
The most important thing is that the Tang army was in a position where it could see the movements of the Goguryeo people clearly, but the Tang army was in their blind spot.

This terrain,

Great for ambushes.

If Gao Yanshou had been more cautious and sent more scouts, he would have been able to discover the ambush.

But he was determined to pursue the stray dog ​​Ashina She'er, and was confident of his 150,000-man army, so he underestimated the enemy and rushed in with a long snake formation forty miles long.

Wu Huaiyu lined up his troops at the entrance of the valley.

The two thousand men of She'er were somewhat panicked by the pursuit and they really could not hold on any longer. Those elite Goguryeo soldiers were more familiar with and adapted to the mountainous terrain of Liaodong, while the Turkic light cavalry from the grassland were far inferior to them.

Fortunately, Wu Huaiyu led 10,000 infantry and cavalry to form a battle array to provide support.

Wu Huaiyu deployed the long spear formation.
Countless spears like a forest,

The Goguryeo army rushed over, drew their bows and shot arrows, galloping back and forth in front of the formation.
After Wu Huaiyu met up with She'er's cavalry, he looked defeated and began to retreat slowly. The Goguryeo people kept pressing on and chasing him all the way.

In this way, one of them was holding a shield and a spear in front, slowly retreating, while the other was riding a horse with a bow and arrow drawn, pressing forward step by step, and thus they went deeper and deeper into the narrow valley.

The Goguryeo light cavalry tried to defeat Wu Huaiyu's army, but unfortunately, although Wu Huaiyu's 12,000 men kept retreating, they retreated in an orderly manner and did not give the Goguryeo people any chance.

Both sides continued to shoot arrows, fighting and marching.

Finally, Wu Huaiyu retreated from one end of the narrow valley to the other.

Behind me is the open mountain plain out of the valley.

"Certainly!"

Wu Huaiyu shouted an order, and the messenger waved the command flag and kept running through the army to pass the order. The entire army stopped and began to line up again.

Looking at the Goguryeo army that almost filled the valley, Wu Huaiyu smiled brightly.

"Raise this general's flag and send a message to His Majesty on the North Hill through fireworks. The enemy is within our grasp!"

The Wu flag was raised, fluttering in the wind.
Then fireworks exploded in the air.

On the North Mountain,
The emperor saw the signal and waved.

Xue Rengui excitedly shouted the order,

"Drums and horns sounded together,
The flags are raised,

Kill the enemy! "

(End of this chapter)