Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 226
Chen Qingsi is indeed not proficient in the art of war, but he understands human nature.

He knew that the Tiele rebels were eager to fight quickly and would not carry siege equipment. He knew that the Tiele people were so anxious to go south, not because they were not afraid of the Tang army, but because they were afraid of the Tang army's performance.

If they were not afraid of Tang Jun's retaliation, they would not have reacted so violently and rushed south anxiously to take action first.

Wouldn't it be more advantageous to wait for the arrival of the Tang army on the familiar battlefield in Mobei?
Therefore, Chen Qingsi was certain that the more eager the Tiele rebels were to seek success, the more guilty they appeared.

Since Emperor Taizong Li Shimin defeated the Eastern Turks, Mobei and Monan have had close exchanges with the Central Plains due to the relationship between Tian Khan, especially the establishment of the Towering Khan Road. Every year, the grassland tribes send tributes from here to Chang'an, the capital.

Prairie people are no stranger to the road from Lingzhou to Gyeonggi than the locals.

The speed of the Tang army's reinforcements can be easily deduced as long as you are careful to calculate and understand it.

Chen Qingsi knew that the Tiele rebels were attacking this time, and they could only rely on them to achieve victory.

The Tiele rebels will not wait here for reinforcements from the Tang Dynasty to deal with them.

Regarding the nomadic people, Li Shimin has a passage that describes it particularly appropriately: "The Turks are only good at riding and shooting. They advance when they see an advantage and leave when they see difficulties. They are driven by the wind and lightning, and they do not keep moving. They use bows and arrows as their claws and armor as their claws." They wear regular uniforms, their troops do not line up, and their camps have no fixed place. They use water and grass as their living quarters, and use sheep and horses as their military rations. They only seek wealth when they win, and they feel no shame when they lose. There is no police to do night patrols during the day, and there is no expense to build forts and provide food."

Tiele and Turks are essentially no different. They are both nomadic peoples. They will not fight with the main force of the Tang army as a last resort.

Chen Qingsi knew that if he wanted to defeat the enemy in Lingzhou, he could not rely on reinforcements from Chang'an. Once they arrived, the Tiele rebels would definitely flee.

If we don't deal with them here and wait for them to escape deep into Mobei, even if the Tang army finally finds their traces and annihilates them, the price they pay will be huge.

In Chen Qingsi's mind, the great enemy of the Tang Dynasty was Tubo, a large food country in the West. It was not worth it to mobilize troops for Tiele.

For some reason, like Tiele, they both only had seven days.

From the time he persuaded the Sijie tribe to move into Huaiyuan County for defense, he had been thinking of winning with one blow.

Use the Sijie Department to hold back the Tiele rebels, wear down their energy, suppress Huang Heshou, and give him the only chance to escape his crimes and make meritorious deeds.

However, the roving scouts of the Tiele tribe patrolled too wide. If they really wanted to send troops from Lingzhou City and leave the city gate, they would be caught.They are all good at riding and shooting. It is not easy to clear them all out. A large-scale cleanup will also make the other party feel defensive.

As a result, Chen Qingsi boldly made the illusion of defending the city with strong walls and clear fields, but in fact the soldiers were not in Lingzhou City from the beginning.

The biggest drawback of this method is not that the Tiele rebels discovered the clues and attacked the city. Without siege equipment, they had nothing to do with Lingzhou City in the short term. Even if the defenders hiding in the woods to the west of the city could not find a chance to enter the city, they could Sijie's troops in Huaiyuan County blocked the rebels' retreat.They just need to gather together and defend until the reinforcements arrive. The Tang army is a government soldier. Many people in the city have the experience of serving as government soldiers during slack periods, so they are capable of fighting.

What Chen Qingsi is most worried about is internal unrest. If people from all over Lingzhou are gathered in the city and asked to give up their homes and crops, the people will inevitably have resentment in their hearts. If it is not handled properly, the resentment of the people will break out. They do not have enough troops. Taking control of the situation will lead to very terrible consequences.

They can temporarily recruit people to defend the city. Is it possible that they can also recruit people to put down the chaos?
But Di Renjie's existence gave Chen Qingsi the confidence to take this risk.

He believed that with his administrative skills and Di Renjie's assistance, he could do the job of appeasing the people.Facts have also proved this. With the joint efforts of him and Di Renjie, the people in Lingzhou City were soothed without any problems.

Now there is only one person left who truly knows how to defeat the enemy on the battlefield and give the rebels a fatal blow.

There is no doubt that it is the husky-like Huang Heshou in front of him.

Huang Heshou now knew the whole story and said loudly: "If we go here today, if we don't win, Huang will not have the face to face Mr. Chen, nor will he have the face to face His Majesty."

He said no more, and led Cheng Boxian, who had changed into armor, and three guards, out of the city in the dark to the west of Lingzhou City and to the Tibetan Soldier Woods in the east of Helan Mountain to meet with Captain Zhang Rong who was hiding there.

When the two of them got together, Huang Heshou looked at his old subordinate and said bluntly: "Zhang Lieutenant, I know that you are ambitious and don't love money. It's just that the trend is like this. If you don't accept it, I will definitely tolerate it." You can't. Now we are all on the same ship. If it really breaks down, no one will be able to take advantage of it. Taking credit for the crime is our only way out. In two days, reinforcements will arrive. By then, the credit will not be ours. They. The opportunity is right in front of them, tonight. If they want to keep their ambitions, I don’t need to say anything else."

He smiled and punched Zhang Rong in the chest.

Zhang Rong thought of his gifted son, and just said four words: "I will finally understand!"

Huang Heshou said no more and led the troops northward along the woods.

He has been an official in Lingzhou for eight years. From Sima of the Governor's Office to Governor and now Governor, he knows the topography of Lingzhou well.

Even in this early morning, with the faint moonlight, you can easily find the right direction.

The Tiele rebels' scouting horses were all around Lingzhou City, and they neglected to monitor places far away from Lingzhou City. More than [-] people easily reached the vicinity of Huaiyuan County in the dark.

It was just before dawn. Cheng Boxian's face turned red as he gave birth to a calf. He seemed not to know what it meant to be afraid. He geared up and said, "Uncle Huang, go for it!"

Huang Heshou squinted at the brightly lit camp in the distance, but made no move. He pondered for a moment and said, "Retreat, retreat first."

Huang Heshou did not attack according to the plan, but quietly retreated.

Cheng Boxian didn't know why, so he said without saying anything: "Why did Uncle Huang withdraw? Are you not afraid?"

Huang Heshou did not care about his younger generations. When he was young, he worked for Wagang Village with his father Huang Junhan and had a relationship with Cheng Zhijie. He had exactly the same foul-mouthed character. He laughed and scolded: "You bastard, you have a lot to learn." Mr. Chen's intention is Before dawn, when the enemy is most tired and relaxed, they launch a surprise attack. Now look, the enemy camp is brightly lit and bustling with people. How can there be any sign of fatigue? Attacking now can catch them off guard, but it will not allow them to blow up the camp. Effective. If the thinking team cooperates well, it is not difficult to win, but it is not easy to win a big victory."

"What should we do?" Cheng Boxian scratched his head anxiously.

Huang Heshou said: "They have been attacking for several days. Their soldiers and horses are tired but they do not take a good rest. This shows that they plan to launch a final offensive. The soldiers who are recharged will be used here. Then wait for them to fight. We attack when their offense and defense are at their peak."

(End of this chapter)