In the seventh year of Wude, on June 6, Daizhou's army left Yanmen Pass.
On June 7, Li Shan, the king of Handan in the Tang Dynasty, led his remaining soldiers to fight to the death outside Guji Town. Six thousand Tang cavalry galloped to the east and west to help. The Khan's flag fell to the ground, the Khan fled, and the Turks collapsed.
The prince of Handan County, who was wearing five weapons, led his cavalry in pursuit. At dusk of the same day, they once again defeated the Turks in Yunzhou, beheading thousands of people and causing rivers of blood to flow.
On June 8, Tang Qi continued to pursue northward, defeating several armies and pressing them to the front line of the Great Wall.
On June 9th, the war resumed. Five thousand Tang cavalry and more than ten thousand Turks clashed head-on. There was a stalemate for a while.
It was under this situation that Zhang Shigui led a thousand cavalry to the battlefield.
On the top of the mountain, Zhang Shigui put down his telescope and hesitated: "Is it Su Dingfang?"
This is a simple judgment, because with Li Shan here, the commander in chief of the army must be Su Dingfang.
Kan Leng on the side scratched the thick beard on his chin, "Su Dingfang is proficient in the art of war, but he was born in Shandong... He shouldn't know the geography and mountains of Yunzhou, right?"
"Maybe it's Gong Jianyan of Yiyang County..." Kan Leng took the telescope and took a closer look. "It's also possible that it's He Liu and Zhang Zhongjian from Mayi... They have lived in Shuo and Yunzhou for a long time and are familiar with geography."
Zhang Shigui didn't say anything more, he just calculated in his mind when Qian Tangqi would be deployed on the battlefield and in what area of the battlefield they would be deployed to have the greatest impact.
Yesterday, Zhang Shigui led a thousand Tang cavalry to the north, but they did not arrive at the planned joint location until today. After inquiring, they learned that the main force of the Tang army had fought several times yesterday. Zhang Shigui could only continue heading north until he reached the Great Wall before he felt something was wrong.
Although the current Great Wall can no longer play a protective role, fighting inside the Great Wall and outside the Great Wall has different meanings for both sides. Without complete logistics, it is almost a lonely force, and the Tang army is unlikely to come out.
The Great Wall invades the grassland.
Zhang Shigui went west along the Great Wall and finally arrived near the battlefield. He personally led several people to inquire about the military situation. The telescope left by Li Shan played a key role in allowing him to clearly observe the battle situation.
Although the yellow sand was rolling and the distance was relatively far, through the cavalry's direction, formation, avoidance, and flags, Zhang Shigui soon discovered that the situation was deadlocked, but it was beneficial to the Tang army.
The Turkic army defended the Great Wall, barely forming a formation on the west side, and most of the troops were located in the rear and east side. Jieli Khan was really afraid of the Tang army...or in other words, he was really afraid of Li Shan, fearing that this lunatic would show up again regardless of the situation.
A great show that goes straight to the center.
The Tang army was divided into three armies. The two armies rushed to the left and right and fought bravely to kill the enemy. The central army raised the flag and was ready to attack, sometimes taking turns and sometimes advancing.
The most critical thing is the choice of battlefield.
There are rolling mountains on the east side. Although they are not too high, they are not suitable for cavalry battles. There is also a wide river on the west side, that is Cangtou River. The river is dozens of paces wide. The river is turbulent and makes people stop.
, and the dilapidated but tall Great Wall on the north side blocked the Turks' retreat.
In other words, the Tang army chose a battlefield that was most suitable for itself and at the same time minimized its opponent's advantages.
The Tang army could rush into the formation unscrupulously and calmly. The Turkic light cavalry could not compete with the well-equipped Tang cavalry in this regard. The east side was slightly better. After all, the terrain was open, but the west side... By the Cangtou River, the Turks blocked both sides.
If you can't resist the attack of the fine cavalry, you can't avoid it with your riding skills.
The essence of war is this: maximize one's own strengths, limit the opponent's advantages to the greatest extent, and tilt the balance of victory to one's own side.
Zhang Shigui murmured a few times, and he was a little confused...Since the rise of the Ashina clan a hundred years ago, and the Turks replaced Rouran, the Great Wall is no longer a wall protecting the Central Plains. It is dilapidated everywhere. Why did Jieli Khan still survive after being defeated?
If you are so stubborn, why don't you cross the Great Wall? Once you enter the grassland, the Tang army will most likely not pursue it rashly.
At this moment, in the Central Army, Li Shan, who had been looking ferocious for the past few days with murderous intent, seemed to have returned to his usual gentleness, and praised with a smile: "If it weren't for Sanlang, even Brother Dingfang would have a hard time doing this."
It seems gentle, but it is like a blood-stained long arrow, half sheathed and half exposed, very dazzling.
Li Kai nodded slightly, "Zhang Sanlang planned well and Huairen chose the right people."
Just as Kan Leng guessed, Su Dingfang was a famous general, but he was not familiar with Yunzhou after all. It was Zhang Zhongjian who had lived in Yunzhou for a long time who suggested that Jieli Khan was successfully blocked in this narrow area.
It sounds simple, but in fact it is not easy.
After being defeated and fleeing the day before yesterday, Jieli Khan did not give up. After thinking hard, he chose a location, a location most likely to allow him to gather troops... How could he maintain his position on the grassland without returning with a large army?
status?
There are countless roads from Shuozhou to Wuyuan County. One of them is located on the northwest side of Yunzhou, a hundred miles northwest of Zuoyun County. There is a gap several miles wide in the dilapidated Great Wall... There is nothing special about this road.
, but it is the fastest road to Wuyuan County, and this gap is the only place to pass.
Jieli Khan decided to gather troops here because he knew that most of the Turkic cavalry who were fleeing were likely to choose this road, because the Cangtou River on the west side of Yunzhou is hundreds of miles long and there are no bridges, making it difficult to cross
.
It is for this reason that Zhang Zhongjian, who is familiar with geography, proposed this plan.
On June 8, Su Dingfang, who was mopping up the rangers, led the Tang army to suddenly attack the gap in the Great Wall. Although Jieli Khan, who was reorganizing his army, was on guard, brothers Xue Wanche and Xue Wanjun were unstoppable and charged wildly. The Turkic cavalry habitually
Spread out the formation to meet the enemy... Su Dingfang, who was well prepared, followed the trend from east to west, forced the Turkic army to the west, and semi-blocked them in the narrow strip near the Great Wall and Cangtou River.
The current situation is that although the gap in the Great Wall is not far away, Jieli Khan does not dare to withdraw his troops at will... Although the gap is several miles wide, once the troops withdraw and the Tang cavalry pursues them, it is likely to lead to a great rout.
In fact, it was not that Jieli Khan could not escape with his back to the Great Wall. There were gaps in the Great Wall almost everywhere, but the gaps were not big. How could Jieli Khan, who had raised his flag for the third time in a few days, be willing to abandon it?
What about leaving the army?
Not to mention that his subordinates are all direct descendants of the Ashina clan. Once he abandons the army, even if he returns to Wuyuan County, he will no longer be able to compete with Tuli Khan.
Seeing Xue Wanjun killing so hard on the west side, causing the Turkic soldiers to abandon their horses and jump into the river, Li Shan felt a little itchy and unconsciously rushed his horse forward... But Wang Junhao and Guo Pu beside him grabbed him from the left and the right, and took him with him.
War horse.
The Prince of Handan County risked his life and death several times and charged bravely. Now the morale of the army has been greatly boosted, and there is a vague appearance of a strong army. However, Wang Junhao and Li Kai beside him were frightened several times and broke out in cold sweats... Just yesterday, when Li Shan charged into the battle,
, his mount was shot and fell off his horse. If it weren't for Guo Pu, he might have died in the battle.
So last night, Wang Junhao personally selected warriors in the army, mainly locals from Daizhou and soldiers who moved to Daizhou, and then supplemented the bodyguards around Su Dingfang and Li Kai to reorganize the bodyguards.
"Don't worry Huairen, Jie Li will not escape." Li Kai advised from the side.
Li Shan forced a smile and considered in his mind... Should he pursue it to the end? Although he hated him deeply and wished to cut Jieli Khan into pieces, on the one hand, he had to consider the overall situation and he could not let Tuli Khan do this.
On the other hand, the Tang army pursued hundreds of miles away, and it was difficult to replenish food, fodder, ordnance near the grassland, and it was difficult to fight for a long time. If the casualties were too heavy, the gain would not be worth the loss.
The lives of the three thousand people in Guji Town were their lives, and the lives of the Tang soldiers in front of them were also their lives.
At this time, there was a faint sound of horns. Su Dingfang looked stern and climbed up to look. Within his sight, dozens of Turkic scouts were galloping towards them. Behind them, more than a thousand Tang troops swept in from the east.
Su Dingfang was immediately overjoyed and loudly ordered the Chinese army to move east. The battle situation took an irreversible turn after Zhang Shigui arrived.