The bonfire was blazing, the mutton was sizzling with oil, and filled with an alluring aroma.
The three prisoners were escorted in from the outside, and the cold wind also slipped in, causing the campfire to run wildly in shock. Everyone was refreshed by the cold and looked over one after another.
Qin Huaidao also looked at the three people who came in. He glared at each of them with anger in his eyes. He didn't care and asked indifferently: "Tell me where the young men of the tribe have gone. Can I spare you your life?"
One person shouted something angrily, but Qin Huaidao didn't understand a word and looked at Xue Feng.
Xue Feng quickly said: "It seems that no matter why you trust us, I don't know much Khitan."
The language barrier was a problem. Qin Huaidao pretended to be arrogant and started to make nonsense: "Tell them, I, Gao Xuan, the prince of Goguryeo, need to deceive you, a mere commoner? You don't know life and death, and you have angered me, and you have all been exposed in the wilderness.
.”
Everyone was startled and looked at Qin Huaidao, what kind of regulations is this? But no one stupidly broke it.
The people who were escorted in did not know that they were lying after listening to the translation, and they could not tell whether they were from Goguryeo or not from their appearance. One of them yelled a few words, and Xue Feng quickly said: "Sir, it sounds like it means recruitment by the tribal alliance, go.
After defeating the defense in the west, let us have the ability to go to the west to fight."
Qin Huaidao waved his hand to take the people down, and pondered. The tribal alliance recruited young men to gather secretly, which was consistent with the intelligence they had. It was really concentrated in the west. His original judgment was correct. If he went east from the west of Khitan, he would just hit the army.
.
This information is very important, Qin Huaidao looked at the map and thought about it.
After a while, Cheng Chumo said: "General, thanks to us entering from the south of Khitan. It would have been troublesome if we entered from the west. Now it's fine. The hinterland of Khitan is empty. Why don't we just do something big?"
"Tell me, what do you want to do?" Qin Huaidao asked curiously. The battle plan has not yet been decided. It is impossible to discuss it before the battle. It is beneficial to fight by pooling wisdom.
"The Xiwandan tribe is relatively close to us. How about we dig out their lair? If it doesn't work, we can attack the Hedahe tribe. It's fun to do something ruthless. It's boring to fight in a small way." Cheng Chumo suggested.
"What does An Guogong mean?" Qin Huaidao asked.
Zhi lost his mind and shook his head and said: "It's too cold, which is not conducive to marching. In my opinion, we should attack the outside steadily and don't rush in. It will be very troublesome if we are surrounded. We have too few troops."
One is radical and the other is cautious, both have their own reasons.
Li Derjian suddenly said: "General, you just pretended to be the prince of Goguryeo. Do you have any big plan?"
"Yes, why fake it?" Cheng Chumo also asked.
Everyone is curious. There is no reason for a dignified Tang Dynasty general to pretend to be someone else, unless he has other plans.
Qin Huaidao did not explain immediately. He looked at the map and pondered. His eyes fell on a terrain. He motioned for Xue Feng to come closer. He pointed at the terrain and asked, "Have you been here before?"
"Been there." Xue Feng said quickly, feeling a little curious. This location is to the east, next to Goguryeo.
"Tell me the details."
Xue Feng nodded, pointed at the map and explained: "This was originally a river bed. I heard that the river suddenly changed its course a few decades ago, and there was only a small stream left here. Later, the grass became dense and became the main pasture. The terrain is flat, and to the north is
There is a mountain ridge, about two or three meters high, with flat grassland to the south. This kind of terrain is very common in Khitan."
Qin Huaidao asked about some details, took out a piece of paper and started drawing quickly. After Xue Feng confirmed that there was no problem, he asked someone to find a shelf to fix the drawing and put it up for everyone to see.
Everyone's eyes fell on the drawing, and they were a little confused for a moment. This terrain was of no use value.
An Guogong asked bluntly: "General, you don't want to have a fight here, do you? This is not possible."
"Yes, there is no danger to defend. Moreover, there is nothing here and the Khitans will not come back. Why choose here to fight?" Cheng Chumo also asked curiously.
Qin Huaidao smiled: "Everyone thinks it is impossible to fight here. If we choose to fight here, can we achieve unexpected results?"
"Surprise is a sure thing, but there is no danger. We will be the ones who die." An Guogong reminded.
Seeing that everyone was not optimistic about it, Qin Huaidao became more determined in his choice and looked at Li Derjian: "You also think this place is not advisable?"
"The terrain is the aid of soldiers. Those who know this and use battle will win, but if there is no use for it, they will put the army into danger, and the general will not be optimistic about this place." Li Derjian said truthfully.
"It's better if everyone is not optimistic about it. I think the enemy will not think that there is an ambush here." Qin Huaidao smiled, pulled out a knife as a baton, pointed at the map and continued: "Everyone, please listen to what I have to say."
It was a matter of life and death, so everyone cheered up.
Qin Huaidao knew too little about this army, so he had to explain the tactical intentions thoroughly, and also asked all the first-level officers to come over, so as not to convey and implement them in place, which could be regarded as controlling the army command in disguise. He said seriously: "Xue Canjun, here
How far is it from Siwandanbu?”
"Horse for about an hour."
"Where are the other nearby tribes?"
Xue Feng thought for a while and said: "It has taken more than two hours recently. There are still a few small tribes with hundreds of households. Horses cannot run fast in the ice and snow. I am afraid it will take three hours to arrive."
"Where is Goguryeo to the east?" Qin Huaidao asked.
"This kind of weather will last at least four hours." Xue Feng affirmed.
Everyone took note of it carefully, but still can't figure out what Qin Huaidao is going to do?
Seeing that the distance was about the same as he had estimated, Qin Huaidao continued: "In other words, if we choose to fight in this area, we don't have to worry about anyone coming to support us within three hours."
"It's different now. The grassland has been sealed by ice and snow. Let alone three hours, as long as the news is not leaked, no one will come back for a day." Xue Feng said with certainty.
Qin Huaidao asked solemnly: "It's about half an hour away from Xiwandan tribe, right?"
"That's right!" Xue Feng agreed.
"Everyone, pay attention." Qin Huaidao pointed to the map and said: "I know that the Wandan tribe summoned all the young men to gather and station troops in the west to prevent the Tang Dynasty from moving eastward. The tribe must not have many troops, but it will prevent He Dahe's subordinates from committing crimes.
It is estimated that there will be about 10,000 people. Ten thousand people are enough to withstand any sneak attack for a period of time. A direct attack will definitely not work. We only need to send a cavalry of 2,000 people to sneak attack, use rockets, and run away after the attack. What will happen to the Xiwandan Department?"
"It goes without saying that we will definitely send troops to chase him." Cheng Chumo said.
"That's right, there are only two thousand people. If it were me, it would be enough to send five thousand people to chase and kill. The remaining five thousand will stay behind and we are not afraid of another sneak attack." Yuchi Baolin also added.
Qin Huaidao smiled and said nothing, looking at An Guogong.
An Guogong thought for a while and said: "Since the Wandan tribe was attacked by a sneak attack, they will definitely want to find out who it is and arrest some people to find out their identities. If they don't pursue it, they will definitely not be willing to do it. Otherwise, they may not succeed. During the insurance period, there is a possibility of five thousand
The most important thing is that no matter how much you do, you won’t dare to do it, for fear of luring the tiger away from the mountain, and someone will take the opportunity to sneak attack on the headquarters.”
Qin Huaidao smiled, pointed at the map and said: "It will be easier if everyone reaches a consensus. The people who attack in half an hour cannot be overtaken by the enemy and can come here. However, everyone here is not optimistic about it and thinks there is no danger to defend.
There is no way to ambush, and the pursuers will also underestimate the enemy."
Speaking of this, Qin Huaidao paused deliberately and looked at everyone.
Everyone was silent, staring at the map.
The bonfire danced, grease fell, and crackled.
The howling of the cold wind outside continued, like a ghost roaring, whimpering, and roaring.
After a while, Qin Huaidao saw that the fire was almost over and explained: "Look, everyone, the sneak attack troops are running along the open area below the mountain ridge, and the pursuers will naturally follow suit, and they will gather together invisibly. At least there will be no pursuers on the mountain ridge.
Mr. An Guo, are you right?"
"From the terrain point of view, this is indeed the case. Although the mountain ridge is not steep, it is covered with ice and snow, which is not conducive to the running of war horses. It is safest and most convenient to follow. However, the terrain of the mountain ridge is convenient for ambushes, but the pursuers will also know that they must maintain
It's useless to ambush an army within a stone's throw." Zhi lost his thoughts and said solemnly.
"Who said we were going to set up an ambush on the mountain ridge?" Qin Huaidao laughed, pointing to the open area in front of the mountain ridge and explained: "This is a stream. Of course, the stream has frozen, and the war horses can rest easy, but what if the ice melts?
If the war horse rushes over, will it slow down here?"
"Of course, it depends on how wide the stream is. If it is one or two meters wide, just jump over it." An Guogong said.
"It's only one or two meters wide." Xue Feng added beside him.
"What I want is for them to jump over." Qin Huaidao said, drawing small circles densely packed along the side of the stream, and then explained: "Ice can be burned. If you spread it along the stream line, dig a horse pit position, five meters wide.
About 100 meters away, the pursuit formation cannot be spread out to 500 meters wide. When running in the snow, naturally it is safest to follow the path that others have taken. Running rashly will break the horse's legs. It is impossible for the Khitans not to know that as for the thickness,
, about twenty meters is almost enough, the war horse jumps over the stream, and just rushes into the horse trap formation."
Everyone's expressions changed greatly, as if they saw countless cavalry rushing towards them. They habitually drove their horses high over the stream and plunged into the horse pit. The horses fell heavily and the men flew out.
An Guogong reminded: "But where are our people?"
"A passage will be left in the middle to facilitate passage."
"But what if the pursuers also come along the passage?" An Guogong asked.
Qin Huaidao drew a passage on the map, then drew a box, and explained: "This general will lead the Yulin Army to meet and block the enemy at this location. After the sneak attack troops passed through the passage, they split into two, ran to both sides, and then
Turn around, join the battle with your crossbow, and shoot the fallen man."
"No, it's too dangerous. How can the general stop the enemy personally?" An Guogong was shocked.
"It's enough for me to lead people." Fang Yiai's eyes lit up with excitement when he heard that there was going to be a tough battle.
"Everyone on the Yulin Guards has been nailed here, and you are no exception." Qin Huaidao glanced at Fang Yiai, and continued to An Guogong who wanted to say something else: "Don't worry, there are not just one person, there are two thousand forbidden troops.
After digging the horse trap position, two thousand men and horses ambush in the open area in front of the stream, where the pursuing troops must pass, and attack with repeated crossbows." Qin Huaidao marked the general direction on the map as he spoke.
An Guogong reminded: "The two sides are flat, which is not conducive to ambush."
"Dig up the snow, put a quilt underneath it, go back and find it from the tribe to prevent frostbite, lie down, cover your body with the quilt, help each other cover it with snow, drag it with a quilt or felt cloth, smooth it, and you only need to crawl
If you can't move, you can't be exposed."
When everyone heard this, they were all moved. He actually hid his troops under the ice and snow. This idea was so wild and ruthless that he was not afraid of freezing the soldiers to death, even if they were cushioned by bedding.
However, once you can do it, the rewards are huge.
When Yuchi Baoqi saw Qin Huaidao looking over, he immediately said: "This tribe has enough cold protection materials. The forbidden army will ensure that the mission is completed."
"Leave it to you two, prepare enough things, pad one, cover another, cover it with snow, and make it level. Try to make it as invisible as possible. It doesn't hurt to be farther away. Just wait for the pursuers to jump into the horse pit.
Take action, don't worry about me, just attack from both sides. The harder you hit me, the safer I will be." Qin Huaidao solemnly warned.
Brothers Yuchi Baoqi exchanged looks and nodded solemnly.
Everyone can see that whether this battle can be won depends on whether the Imperial Army can hide it. Once exposed, the pursuers will not step into the trap, everything will be in vain, and they may be in danger.
Qin Huaidao definitely took a gamble, but even if he was exposed, it wouldn't be a big problem. The worst he could do was to concentrate his troops and fight the pursuers head-on. There would be horse traps and traps that would slow down the enemy's horses. It would not mean that he would not be able to fight.
Thoughts flashed across his mind, Qin Huaidao looked at An Guogong and said: "Two thousand to lure the enemy, two thousand to ambush, and one thousand more to be led by An Guogong himself, and hidden on the hillside three miles away behind the ridge. Once the battle starts, attack the enemy."
To the rear, don't rush forward forcefully. Follow the two-hand strangulation strategy, keep a distance, chop at it like a knife, and then chop at it again, keep charging, bleeding, creating chaos, driving the enemy forward, making it easier for the Imperial Guards on both sides to shoot."
"Follow the order!" Duke An Guo had no objections and agreed.
No one else had any objections. All arrangements were made to lure the enemy, block them, ambush them, and cut off their rear. This was a rhythm that wanted to eat all the enemy's 5,000 people. There were countermeasures for every step, so what else was there to fear?
The Turks, in particular, felt a little ashamed at this moment when they thought of how they used to fight with all their passion and slashing.
Li Derjian couldn't help but admire and said: "General, in this battle, the enemy's psychology has been calculated to death. He also used the cover of ice and snow to hide his troops under nine places, and combined with the trap formation to block the attack. With a stroke of genius, this battle will be won."
He continued to write vigorously and wrote down the entire process of the general meeting.
Qin Huaidao knew it was a rule and did not stop him. He continued to say to Duke An: "Gong An, please assign two thousand cavalry to lure the enemy and prepare rockets in advance. In addition, how about the three brothers Cheng Chumo traveling with the army?"
"With three young generals who are brave and good at fighting, I will not worry about being stuck when encountering enemies who are good at fighting. I will have no worries." An Guogong agreed.
Qin Huaidao glanced at Cheng Chumo and the three brothers, and the three brothers nodded in agreement.
"Here's the order. You must close your arms and sleep tonight. Do not let down your guard. If you are attacked by the enemy, do not run out of the tent to avoid blowing up the camp. Prepare supplies for combat after dawn. Remember, you must inform everyone of the combat plan.
, there must be no mistake." Qin Huaidao said solemnly.
"Follow the order!"
Everyone suddenly accepted the order and left one after another.
Qin Huaidao sat in the big tent and reviewed the entire plan to ensure that it was flawless. As a general, one order would mean countless people to die, so there was no need to be careless.
Late at night, the tribe was silent.
The soldiers also slept in tents, yurts, and bonfires. They all slept soundly. Only the Yulin Guards were patrolling and guarding the prisoners, just in case.
Fang Yiai couldn't sleep and felt everything was fresh. She took Li Yixie for a tour and returned to a yurt. The two sat down around the bonfire. Fang Yiai said: "Yixie, you said that we can really do it in a battle tomorrow."
?”
"The tactics are unique and impossible to prevent, so there should be no problem." Li Yixie said in a low voice, while stretching out his hand to warm the fire, his mind was filled with Qin Huaidao's battle plan, and he felt a little admired.
Fang Yiai thought for a while and said: "No, don't be afraid. As long as I'm here, I can kill as many as I want. But, how do you think he has such a brain? Count every step of the enemy to death and make corresponding arrangements. Let's
Uncle Li, the military god of the Tang Dynasty, is nothing more than this, right? You have been in the army, tell me, who else uses troops so novel?"
"You are using this novelty appropriately. Since ancient times, the use of troops has been inseparable from the two words "zheng" and "qi". It is a frontal battle. They mostly use formations to fight. Qi is a cavalry and can also calculate the enemy's thoughts. But I have never heard of anyone who can be like the general.
Precise calculation, hiding troops under the ice and snow, unbelievable." Li Yixie praised.
"What I admire is that he actually dared to use his body as bait and stood up to him head-on."
Li Yixie rolled his eyes and explained: "You think it's that simple?"
"Is there any other way to say it?"
"Of course there is a deeper meaning. As for using yourself as bait in dangerous areas, firstly, it can boost morale. Secondly, it can also reassure the cavalry responsible for sneak attacks. Thirdly, it is freezing and snowy, and it is impossible to judge the direction. With the general around, the cavalry will know where to run. Fourthly,
Attract the attention of the pursuers, cover the ambush on both sides, and the most important thing is fifth. Once the general raises the flag, the pursuers will chase and kill them madly. They must speed up as hard as they can. Falling into a horse trap will be more dangerous and they will die faster."
"hiss--"
Fang Yiai came to his senses and said in a deep voice: "Then our Yulin Guards will be in trouble in the battle tomorrow."
"What, are you scared?"
"When have I ever been afraid?" Fang Yiai was unhappy.
"I will stay up until midnight, and you will keep an eye on me during the rest of the night." Li Yixie was too lazy to talk nonsense, so he fell asleep.
Fang Yiai, who had nothing to do, came out to patrol the camp. When he saw there were noises in the main tent, he walked in, opened the curtain and saw that Qin Huaidao was not asleep yet. He asked curiously: "General, aren't you sleeping yet?"
"Thinking of something, what, are you in trouble?" Qin Huaidao asked curiously.
Fang Yiai hesitated for a moment, then said, "It's okay, I'll go patrol the camp."
Qin Huaidao could tell that this guy was hiding something in his mind. He thought about it for a while, but did not ask further questions. He wrote down the matter and continued to study the map. In tomorrow's battle, where should the troops go if they win? What if they lose? They must think clearly.
…
Fang Yiai patrolled around, wandered to the door of a yurt, lifted the curtain and entered.
In the yurt, Li Derjian was busy writing something. When he saw Fang Yiai coming in, he asked, "Is something wrong?"
"Come and hang out if you have nothing to do." Fang Yiai sat down next to him, took a look at what he wrote, and asked curiously: "What are you doing?"
"Write down some of my thoughts and feelings during the general meeting. I will check the homework my father gave me before he left. I am busy now. If you have something to talk about, go ahead if you have nothing to do." Li Derjian said calmly.
"Prince, what do you think?" Fang Yiai asked bluntly.
Li Derjian put down his pen and looked at the door.
"Don't worry, I saw it when I got here and there's no one around." Fang Yiai whispered.
"What didn't Mr. Fang tell you?" Li Derjian asked.
Fang Yiai hesitated to speak, and finally kept his head down without speaking.
When Li Derjian saw this scene, he knew what he was doing and said in a low voice: "Normally, you and I are people close to the prince. We were also tacitly approved by the emperor back then, but now we have come to Khitan. Don't you really think that we are allowed to do military exploits?"
"Otherwise?" Fang Yiai asked back.
"Okay, if you don't want to talk, just go out." Li Derjian chased them away directly.
Fang Yiai didn't get up, but thought for a moment and said, "Do you mean the Holy One has made the decision?"
"Don't lie." Li Derjian quickly interrupted, looked at the door, listened for a while, and then whispered after making sure that no one was there: "Why did the Holy One suddenly agree that we come to the army? I'm afraid there is a deep meaning behind this. How can you choose me in the future?"
, I don’t want to know, but after tonight, I plan to change my path.”
"Change another path, whose path is it? Do you want to betray the prince?" Fang Yiai's expression changed.
"Stop pretending to be stupid and get out if you don't talk nicely. I just want to change my life. I don't care who sits in that position in the future. Before I left, my father said that I would take my mantle into the loess. As a child, this is a shame. I
I decided to cherish this experience, study hard, and inherit my father's legacy in the future, no matter what else."
Fang Yiai was startled and began to think deeply. Thinking of the secret conversation she had with her father the night before leaving, her thoughts became complicated.
Perhaps, I should also change my path. Following the Dragon's Kung Fu is really good, but the prerequisite is to stay alive.
Everyone is changing, so what are you holding on to?
As long as you have the ability, whoever gets there in the future will have to employ people?
"Let's go!" Fang Yiai stood up with a complicated mood.
Li Derjian stopped writing, looked at Fang Yiai and said solemnly: "Remember, the prince's affairs have nothing to do with me from now on. No matter what you plan to do or how you do it, don't come to me. You have made up your mind. For the sake of my friend
For the sake of the market, you should make a decision early and don’t make a mistake."
Fang Yiai walked out of the yurt without looking back, looking at the deep night sky with responsible eyes.
Not far away, Qin Huaidao came out to patrol the camp. Seeing this scene, he felt inexplicably uneasy. He felt something was wrong. He thought for a while and did not go up to ask. He asked someone to inquire. He came to the yurt where Luo Zhang lived, signaled to go outside and whispered
: "Fang Yiai is a little weird, keep an eye on him, but don't disturb him."
"Ah...he won't mess around, right? How about I go find him?" Luo Zhang's expression changed.
"No, just keep an eye on it. It's already midnight and you can't see the road. There shouldn't be any surprise attacks. Go to bed early." Qin Huaidao said and left.
After a round of inspection, we came to the place where the prisoners were held. There were people crying in some yurts, the voices were very low, and the crying was a bit muffled, but no one dared to escape. It was late at night, without food or drink, and those who escaped would die faster.
A Yulin guard was coming up to salute, and Qin Huaidao asked: "Is there anything unusual?"
Team member hurriedly said: "It's quite peaceful."
Qin Huaidao nodded indifferently and decided to leave, lest he become soft-hearted.
In war, innocent people have always suffered the most.
There will be another war tomorrow, and I don't know how many people will die.
But as the commander-in-chief of the Tang Army, his stance was different, and it was his limit to be able to restrain everyone from killing prisoners.