Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 610: Arm wrestling

Although Fang Chongyong promised Yan Gaoqing that he would personally lead his troops to Heyin County to meet Li Guangbi in three days.

However, on the day Yan Gaoqing arrived, he ordered Feng Changqing to lead 2,000 of his own troops, raise flags, and march quickly to Heyin County.

After Feng Changqing arrived in Heyin County, he handed over his shift to the local unity soldiers. Then, under the cover of night, Feng Changqing led the team back to the camp!

Early the next morning, Duan Xueshi, who received the military order, replaced Feng Changqing and continued to lead the troops, raising the flag and heading to Heyin County. After the change of guard, he secretly brought the troops back to the camp late at night.

At the same time, Fang Chongyong also sent people to quietly go to the north of the three cities of Heyang to look for Li Guangbi's team.

What exactly he wanted to do, outsiders still had no way of knowing. But one thing was certain, Fang Zhongyong did not tell the truth to Yan Gaoqing.

Having suffered a loss once, he no longer believed what these court officials said.

The unusual movement in Xingyang soon spread to Luoyang.

After Li Baochen learned the details, he was completely excited!
He originally planned to lead the troops himself, follow Li Guangbi's troops in the three cities of Heyang, and wait for an opportunity to launch a surprise attack.

Anyway, he would eat as much as he could, and after clearing the area north of the Yellow River, he would drive them to the south bank of the Yellow River. Then, with the prestige of a great victory, he would send Li Shiyu to negotiate with Fang Chongyong, and then he would lead his troops to attack Tongguan.

Unexpectedly, Fang Chongyong dispatched troops in batches to Heyin County to support Li Guangbi! This directly emptied the camp west of Xingyang!

Li Baochen didn't expect Fang Chongyong to be so righteous!
However, the opportunity will never come again! If the enemy makes a mistake, he will not show mercy! Avoiding the strong and attacking the weak is the essence of military strategy!
Li Baochen immediately adjusted his deployment and decided to attack the camp west of Xingyang with all his strength.

The reason is very simple.

If he pursued Li Guangbi, he would be in danger of being ambushed, and Li Guiren might not necessarily obey his command and intercept Li Guangbi. Relying on Li Guiren was nothing but wishful thinking.

Although Li Baochen did send someone to deliver a letter to Li Guiren, asking him to stop the fleeing enemy troops, for some reason, Li Guiren did not send anyone to inform him.

Not replying is almost equivalent to not intending to follow orders.

This is intolerable. Li Baochen secretly swore in his heart that Li Guiren, this bastard, must be taught a lesson in the future!
But the situation was completely different when Marshal Baochen led his troops to attack the Xuanwu Army camp west of Xingyang.

Firstly, he didn't have to worry about being ambushed, and secondly, he didn't have to worry about the soldiers and horses in the three cities of Heyang behind him stabbing him in the back.

Third, even if Fang Chongyong led his troops back from Heyin County and prepared for defense, it would be too late. If he continued to fight, there would only be heavy casualties.

Even if they fail to capture the camp, using more people against fewer can teach Fang Zhongyong a profound lesson. Then, if they send Li Shiyu to negotiate, they can immediately settle the matter.

Moreover, this is just a one-time deal and the outcome can be decided in two or three days, so Li Baochen is not worried about delaying his trip.

"Marshal, you can't go!"

In front of the Luoyang Palace gate, Li Shiyu grabbed the reins of Li Baochen's horse tightly, preventing him from leaving.

"Fang Qing's camp is empty. If we don't launch a surprise attack now, when will we launch a surprise attack?"

Li Baochen frowned slightly and scolded.

This is a different time now. He didn't see the opportunity before, but now that the opportunity has come, how can he let it go?
"Marshal, your inferences are based on the assumption that Fang Qing knows nothing.

But if Fang Qing also knows what happened in Chang'an, this must be just to lure you to send troops!
Li Guiren didn't respond to us only because he was persuaded by Fang Qing and planned to rebel after you sent troops to the Xuanwu Army camp!
Maybe he has already sent troops into Fang Qing’s camp, waiting for you to fall into his trap!
And Li Guangbi's troops might be waiting for an opportunity. As long as you leave Luoyang, he will attack the three cities of Heyang!
If you go this time, I'm afraid you won't be able to enter Guanzhong!"

Li Shiyu cried loudly while pulling the reins tightly, until his palms turned blood red.

Li Baochen, who was riding on a horse, felt a cold wind blowing across his back instantly after listening to Li Shiyu's analysis.

A cool air rushed directly from the soles of my feet to the top of my head!
"Come on, come on, tell me in detail."

Li Baochen's mind suddenly calmed down. He got off the horse and supported Li Shiyu, who was crying bitterly, with both hands.

"General, I just want to ask you one thing, when you take control of Guanzhong, your strength will naturally increase greatly.

Once the situation in Guanzhong is stabilized, will you try to deal with Li Guiren?"

Li Shiyu wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve and asked in a low voice.

Li Baochen did not act pretentiously. He nodded slightly and replied:

"Li Guiren is brave and good at fighting, but he has two minds. Last time, he dared to disobey me and I turned against him.

If I were to take control of Guanzhong, I would have to establish a solid bridgehead on the other side of the Yellow River before dealing with Fang Qing.

Capture Li Guiren and send a capable person to replace him. It is inevitable to lure him into Chang'an and leave him idle. Even if you find a reason to kill him, it is not impossible. "

He was telling the truth. In fact, when Huangfu Weiming was still alive, Marshal Baochen had already disliked Li Guiren.

"Yes, you know this truth, so how could Li Guiren not know it?
You will naturally be ecstatic to enter Guanzhong, but Li Guiren may not be happy.

If I were Fang Qing, I would directly send someone to lobby Li Guiren. It is agreed that as long as you lead your troops to attack the Xuanwu Army camp in Xingyang, Li Guiren will lead his troops to surprise attack the three cities of Heyang.

By that time, even Luoyang will be short of troops and may not be able to withstand Li Guiren's thundering attack.

What's more, there are 10,000 soldiers of Li Guangbi near the three cities of Heyang. When the time comes, you can't attack the Xuanwu Army camp, and you can't retreat back to Luoyang, so you can only fight your way into Guanzhong.

But even if we enter Guanzhong, without Luoyang outside the pass to support us, what difference will it make to our current situation?"

Li Shiyu's words left Li Baochen speechless.

Yes, who said that after his death, Li Guiren couldn't work together with Fang Chongyong?

If Fang Chongyong uses Luoyang as bait and lures Li Guiren into backstabbing him, it should be pretty safe, right?

Li Guangbi planned to flee to the south bank of the Yellow River because he knew that Luoyang had sufficient troops. If Li Baochen led his troops to attack the Xuanwu Army camp, Li Guangbi would most likely not leave and turn around to attack the three cities of Heyang.

After taking it, they could turn around and attack Li Baochen from the side. Or they could take advantage of the fact that Luoyang's defenses were empty and attack Luoyang directly.

How should Marshal Baochen respond at that time?

"Oh, I almost missed something important!"

Li Baochen slapped his head violently, his back covered in cold sweat from fear.

The location of Fang Zhongyong's camp was really annoying. It was like a nail deeply inserted into the vital point between Luoyang and the canal outlet.

In fact, the key to the tug-of-war between Li Baochen and Fang Chongyong lies in the location of the battle. He himself is confused as an insider, but Li Shiyu, a bystander, sees it clearly.

The Xuanwu Army Camp was the battlefield Fang Zhongyong had planned. If Li Baochen led his troops there, they would lose after a lot of trouble.

Li Shiyu has seen through Fang Zhongyong's tricks. As long as they don't lead troops to attack the Xuanwu Army camp, they will most likely win, or at least it will be a draw.

To see through this, you must think about the problem from the perspective of Go, rather than chess.

Li Baochen always gets hot-headed from time to time, and he will not feel comfortable until he beats his opponent to death. It is just like playing chess.

“After we take control of Guanzhong, Luoyang will focus on defense, and you can lead your troops to attack Hedong first.

After taking over Hedong, the rest is no longer a big deal and we can take our time with it."

Li Shiyu persuaded patiently.

"Alas, this is all I can do. So how should I deal with this now?"

Li Baochen asked somewhat discouragedly.

"Li Guangbi's troops must not have much food and fodder. Seeing that there is no chance this time, he will definitely cross the Yellow River to Heyin County.

Morale must be boosted, not lowered. If morale is lowered, it would be a joke to lead troops to attack the three cities in Heyang.

Li Guiren saw that the Marshal did not attack the Xuanwu Army camp, and he knew he had no chance, so he would definitely keep his troops in place. It would probably not be easy for Fang Qing to persuade him again.

At that time, the commander-in-chief would order An Shouzhong to lead 10,000 troops to attack Tongguan, while his subordinates would go to the Xuanwu Army camp to lobby Fang Qing and test his strength. After the capture of Tongguan, the commander-in-chief only needed to leave Li Weijian to guard Luoyang and Li Weiyue to guard the three cities of Heyang, and the commander-in-chief could personally lead the main force of the army to Chang'an.

You can hint to An Shouzhong that after taking Chang'an, you should plunder for three days. When the general enters the city, you should punish him first and then order him to make meritorious contributions.

In this way, Guanzhong can be secured."

Li Shiyu came over and whispered. Li Weijian and Li Weiyue are both sons of Li Baochen, so there is no problem with their loyalty.

Li Baochen nodded slightly and thought to himself: This plan is well thought out and exactly what I want. Li Shiyu is indeed a trusted person by my side.

"Then let's do it."

Marshal Baochen supported Li Shiyu, listened to the advice again, and gave up the idea of ​​attacking the Xuanwu Army camp.

Hearing this, Li Shiyu breathed a sigh of relief, only to then realize that he had been frightened into a cold sweat.

I finally persuaded him to stop.

Marshal Baochen's thinking is often like a wild horse that has broken free from its reins, and he needs to be kept an eye on at all times.

Li Shiyu was secretly frightened.

……

The wind was howling and the snow was falling. Although it was daytime, it still felt like a dark cloud was looming over the city. The ground was clean and white, and the reflected light made people feel uncomfortable.

And repression.

On the wooden wall of the Xuanwu Army camp, Fang Zhongyong was holding a "telescope" and observing the movements in the west.

"General, there is no movement. I walked to Xiaoyi Bridge this morning, and there were no horse hoof prints on the ground. Li Baochen did not send out any troops at all."

He Changqi, who was standing next to Fang Chongyong, said impatiently.

"There's no reason. I've revealed such a big flaw. Why wouldn't Li Baochen come?"

Fang Chongyong was puzzled and talked to himself.

He used a trick that Dong Zhuo had used in the past. He sent people to Heyin County in a swaggering manner during the day, and then had them quietly return to the camp at night, repeating the cycle over and over again.

This would give Li Baochen the illusion that "the enemy was reinforcing Heyin County in batches."

At the same time, he reduced the number of flags in the camp appropriately, creating an impression that "the number of soldiers in the camp had decreased sharply."

Then send someone to notify Li Guangbi and Li Guiren that as long as Li Baochen leads his troops to attack the Xuanwu Army camp, the two of them will take action immediately!
Li Guangbi would definitely listen to him, but why would Li Guiren also listen to him?

Because Fang Zhongyong promised to give Luoyang to Li Guiren after the matter was accomplished, and told him everything that happened in Chang'an.

He was very sure that Li Guiren would definitely set up a trap for Li Baochen. Even if he didn't do it, at least he would not help either of them and would never cooperate with Li Baochen.

Li Guiren did not move for the time being because Li Baochen did not move either.

As long as Li Baochen makes a move, it is obvious what Li Guiren will choose.

Fang Chongyong waited on the city wall for a whole day, until dark, but Li Baochen did not bring anyone to attack the camp.

"General, Li Guangbi sent someone to ask when we should start. They are running out of food and grass. If we don't start tonight, they will retreat to Huayin County tomorrow."

Feng Changqing stepped forward, saluted, and said to Fang Zhongyong.

There were many elite soldiers in Li Guangbi's army, all of whom were from the Hexi frontier army except the Chishui army. However, they had to march a long distance and lacked food and fodder. Now they were hanging on for dear life, so it was really inconvenient to mess around.

"Go and tell Li Guangbi in person that if Li Baochen doesn't come tonight, let them retreat to Heyin County tomorrow to rest. I have already prepared enough food and supplies there."

Fang Zhongyong sighed and waved his hand gently.

"I have your order. I will go there now."

Feng Changqing clasped his fists and bowed before leaving. After he left, Fang Chongyong felt even more annoyed.

Now it is in black box mode. He doesn't know what Li Baochen will do, nor what Li Guiren will choose, and he will not send his confidants to report to avoid giving people any chance to criticize him.

"General, I just took two of my brothers to inspect the west. There are still no more horse hoof prints on the ground east of Xiaoyi Bridge. It should be that the enemy scouts did not cross the bridge at all."

He Changqi, who had left in the afternoon, returned to the camp and reported to the other party Chongyong.

"understood."

"General, in my opinion, scouts must be sent out before the troops go out. There is no movement in the west, so I think Li Baochen will not come.

I thought we should send people to investigate further west. It is very likely that Li Baochen has already led his troops or sent people to attack Tongguan."

He Changqi spoke cautiously. He knew Fang Chongyong was very upset, but military intelligence concerned everyone's life and death, and it was not something he could avoid saying.

Could it be that Li Baochen pretended to be dead and then raided the Xuanwu Army camp at night?

This possibility cannot be ruled out, but it is very small and it is not something a general with a normal mind would do.

It is understandable and normal for two armies to miss each other's scouts when fighting, but it is a bit outrageous that the army did not send even one scout before the raid.

Unless, there was no plan to send troops at all, so the scouts under Li Baochen would not cross the Xiaoyi Bridge when conducting reconnaissance!

"You're right. We tied with Li Baochen in this round."

Fang Zhongyong sighed helplessly.

After a lot of trouble, she flirted with the blind man.

"It was a draw?"

He Changqi was stunned. He didn't notice any fighting between the two armies, so how could it be a draw?

“I originally wanted to lure Li Baochen to attack the main camp, so that Li Guiren could seize Luoyang. It seems that I thought Li Baochen was too stupid.

He only had Chang'an in his mind, and saw through my plan. He took advantage of the situation and led his troops to Shanzhou to prepare to attack Tongguan.

We only have so few people, and we can still act aggressively against Li Baochen in the camp, but outside the camp, it is not certain who will beat whom."

Fang Chongyong smiled helplessly, it was indeed unrealistic to expect the opponent to be a fool.

"So, this battle is over?"

He Changqi was not that stupid, he also noticed the hidden meaning in Fang Chongyong's words.

"Yes, the battle is over.

Li Baochen entered Guanzhong and used the emperor to control the princes; I rested and recuperated in Bianzhou, and neither of us lost. "

Fang Zhongyong sighed and looked to the west.

When Li Baochen enters Guanzhong, he will take control of the "overall situation" of the world.

Fang Chongyong defended Bianzhou and also obtained 10,000 elite soldiers under Li Guangbi, greatly expanding his strength.

The two of them ended up in a draw.

However, since Li Baochen and Fang Zhongyong are both winners, who is the loser? We can't say that everyone wins and there is not even one loser, right?
A strange question suddenly popped up in He Changqi's mind.

(End of this chapter)