Everyone on the Tang Army side was confused. The three hundred cavalrymen who followed Liu Jun out of the city this time were all under the command of Tian Liuan. But Zhou Zhao understood it as soon as he heard it, and Su Dingfang also looked over.
Li Shan squinted his eyes and thought for a while, "I have to ask Brother Su to protect me this time."
"I will ensure that Brother Li is safe as soon as possible."
Li Daoxuan suddenly said: "I will go too!"
Li Shan hesitated for a moment, looked at Li Daoxuan's expression, reluctantly nodded in agreement, and then ordered Guo Pu, Fan Laosan, Zhu Shitou and Zhou Zhao to come forward together.
When he got close, Li Shan glanced at the Turkic young man, and he actually followed him, with a gloomy face and eyes full of resentment.
The Turkic leader who had met more than an hour ago stepped forward and said with cupped hands: "Your Excellency attacked the enemy at night and captured and killed the important ministers and generals under the command of the Eastern King of Han Dynasty. I haven't asked for my name yet."
"I won't change my name, but I won't change my surname. My real name is Li Shan, not a fake name." Li Shan laughed, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Liu Shishan getting angry.
Although Liu Shishan was Liu Heitai's younger brother, his status in the army was actually inferior to that of Fan Yuan and Dong Kang. Both of them were captured and killed, which made Liu Heitai very sad.
It was Liu Shishan who was responsible for contacting the old troops of Beizhou and raising food and fodder in advance. He had just confirmed from the Turkic youth that it was the man in front of him who was planning a night attack to burn all the food and fodder in Beizhou. How could he not hate him to the core of his heart?
"Your Excellency is good at medical skills, but he is by no means a doctor. This..."
Li Shan glanced at Zhou Zhao and said, "This is Ma Zhou, a famous scholar from Beizhou. He was a teaching assistant in Bozhou and later traveled to Guanzhong."
Ma Zhou moved his cheeks and forced a smile.
Li Shan looked at the Turkic leader with great interest. This man's behavior was very different from that of the legendary Turks. "I wonder which Khan is in front of him?"
The Turkic leader shook his head and said, "I don't dare call you Khan in vain."
Li Dao
Zhou Zhao explained: "The so-called Tuo She is the leader of the tribe, which can also be the little khan."
Ashina Sheer took two steps forward and said, "Are you a descendant of Li Tang's clan?"
"Although I regard the King of Huaiyang as my brother, I am not a descendant of the clan." Li Shan paused and added: "Nor is he Li of Longxi or Li of Zhaojun."
Ashina Sheer looked surprised that he was not a child of a noble family, "The Central Plains is really full of talents. I heard that your Excellency declared before the war that the Tang army will be defeated."
Li Shan couldn't resist turning his head to look at Li Daoxuan's face, and said with a smile: "In the next battle, if the Tang army's infantry did not stand still, the outcome would be unpredictable. Liu Heitai is really good luck."
Liu Shishan yelled and cursed: "The king of Handong is in Hebei and Shandong, it is your turn..."
"Liu Heitai was accustomed to using cunning, retreating after three battles to lure the main force of the Tang army to attack. He also persuaded the Turkic army in advance to restrain its movements before reaching Jizhou." Li Shan interrupted unceremoniously, "Anyone who is not blind can see this plan. It can be concluded that if Shi Wanbao hadn't stepped in, how could Liu Heita have destroyed 30,000 elites!"
Liu Shishan was so angry that his face was livid, but he could not help but be frightened. The other party explained his elder brother's plan clearly, as if it were in front of his eyes... and it was not a post-war analysis, but a conclusion that the Tang army would be defeated before the war.
Ashina She'er ignored Liu Shishan's ugly expression, thought for a moment, nodded and said: "The King of Huaiyang led his fine cavalry into the formation, which is unparalleled in sharpness. If he is supplemented by infantry, even if it is difficult to win, the whole army will not be wiped out."
Li Shan agreed while thinking about it in his heart... Ashina Sheer, who is this?
Later, the Eastern and Western Turks were destroyed one after another, and many Turkic royal families became attached to them. There were also several famous Tang Dynasty generals with the surname Ashina. Who is this one?
Was he captured and captured by the Tang army later?
Or did he later become a general of the Tang Dynasty?
With no clue at all, Li Shan glanced at the Turkic young man and said, "I haven't asked for advice yet. This is..."
"This is Uncle Wang's eldest son, who the Han people call Yugushe."
Li Daoxuan explained in a low voice: "Jieli Khan is the only son."
Only then did Li Shan understand. No wonder tens of thousands of Turkic troops came south to Weizhou. No wonder Ashinasheer not only allowed the Tang army to enter the city, but was also willing to exchange Li Daoxuan, Xue Zhong and dozens of others, who turned out to be the only son of Jieli Khan.
Such a character is indeed of great importance.
Li Shan glanced at Su Dingfang and couldn't help but think about it.
In the original history, without him, Su Dingfang would probably have been forced to surrender to Liu Heitai's tent again that night, and there would not have been any more night raids on the camp, burning all the food and grass.
Later, Liu Heitai was captured and killed, and Su Dingfang hid in the countryside again, and did not come out until the Zhenguan period... After that, Su Dingfang broke into the tent of the Eastern Turks king and raised his troops to destroy the Western Turks.
In other words, the two Ashina royals in front of them... most likely have dealt with Su Dingfang.
In history, Li Daoxuan supposedly died in Hebei, and Liu Jun, Xue Zhong and those generals were probably not spared either.
Although it is winter now, Li Shan feels that it should be autumn... Looking around, there is a golden field, all of which are bent over rice.
Harvest season!
Li Daoxuan was a descendant of the clan and was very close to Li Shimin. Liu Jun had participated in the battles of Luoyang and Hulao Pass with Li Shimin. Xue Zhong's uncle Xue Shou was a clerk in the palace of Qin and joined the army, and was Li Shimin's confidant.
Over there, Ashina She'er was about to leave. It was still unknown whether the Turkic army would attack Weizhou next, or go to Luozhou to join Liu Heita, or even break camp and return north. However, Li Shan stepped forward.
Step, "I still have a few words to say, but I don't know what to say. Would you like to listen to them?"
Ashina Sheer smiled and said: "Although the two armies are facing each other, I am still willing to listen to what I have to say."
Tian Liuan, Zhang Xuansu and others on the city wall looked at each other in confusion. Although they could not see clearly, they also noticed that the two sides were exchanging hostages. After all, there were dozens of people following Li Daoxuan.
But then Tian Liuan stared blankly at Li Shan, Su Dingfang and others talking to the Turks... After talking for a long time, he actually dismounted and sat on the ground, looking like they were having a great time talking.
"Is there any reward for scouting?"
The general on the side nodded and said: "The scouts have all reported that there is no trace of Turkic soldiers within fifty miles."
Tian Liuan scratched his itchy neck and wanted to ask Zhang Xuansu and Ling Jing a few words, but he didn't know where to start.
"You don't need to hold back your words." Li Shan sat cross-legged on the grass and chatted and laughed, "Because my uncle is the magistrate of Chang'an, I have carefully checked the county annals over the years, and also consulted the county officials. Later, when refugees went south, I took in the refugees, and I also made detailed inquiries.
.”
"Since the first year of Wude, the climate has become colder every year. Guanzhong is still barely able to support it, but the grain production in the northeastern part of the river has been reduced."
"But since the second year of Wude, the number of grassland tribes going south to plunder has been increasing year by year. In the third year of Wude, Chuluo Khan passed away and Jieli Khan succeeded. Almost every year, they led their troops to go south to raid.
Hedong.”
Li Shan sighed and said: "If I guess correctly, since the first year of Wude, the grassland has become more and more difficult every day. Every winter, the weather gets colder and it is difficult for cattle and sheep to survive the winter."
Zhou Zhao took a closer look and saw that Ashina Sheer's expression remained unchanged, but Yu Gushe's expression on the side changed again and again. It was obvious that Li Shan was not talking nonsense.
Well, Li Shan is actually talking nonsense. There are four recognized Little Ice Ages in Chinese history, the late Yin and Shang Dynasties, the Three Kingdoms and Western Jin Dynasty, the late Tang Dynasty, the Five Dynasties and the late Ming Dynasty...the early Tang Dynasty is not among them.
"I often read history books. Similar situations happen every few hundred years and last for decades. The winters on the grassland are harsh and severe. A large number of cattle and sheep freeze to death, and many tribes are wiped out..."
Yu Gushe suddenly shouted angrily, "What are you talking about?!"
"Listen here and tell me in detail." Li Shan suppressed the smile on his face and looked at Ashina Sheer, "The last time was from the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty to the end of the Western Jin Dynasty."
Ashina Sheer smiled instead, "Your Excellency, do you mean to travel south in clothes?"
"Hahaha, that's right!" Li Shan laughed and said: "I couldn't live on the grassland anymore, so I naturally moved to the south. But at that time, during the Three Kingdoms War, the population of the Central Plains dropped sharply. The Western Jin Dynasty was born with insufficient resources and it was difficult to resist, so it was I took off my clothes and crossed south.”
Everyone present, whether they were from the Tang Dynasty or the Turkic side, felt strange. Li Shan's words... sounded like something was wrong.
Ashina Sheer's smile grew brighter, "Although I am a foreigner, I know that the Three Kingdoms were in chaos, just like the heroes of the late Sui Dynasty."
"This time, that time, just stay and listen." Li Shan seemed to be getting more and more interested in the conversation, "At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the weak king ruled the country, the powerful ministers were in power, and the heroes came together. It seemed very similar to the Sui Dynasty, but it was actually different."
"At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the population of the Central Plains was 80 million, but by the beginning of the Western Jin Dynasty, it was already less than 10 million."
"But from the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Western Jin Dynasty, it lasted nearly ninety years." Li Shan analyzed in detail, "But in the seventh year of the Sui Dynasty, Wang Bo took the lead in raising troops, and the world has been in chaos for only twelve years."
"In the past twelve years, all the heroes of the Central Plains have risen together, but Li Tang founded the country. He first settled in Guanzhong, then swept the Central Plains and Hebei, conquered Yizhou, and smoothed Jiangnan and Lingnan... The world was already unified except for Liu Heitai."
"In twelve years, the Central Plains has been unified. Why should we fear foreign enemies?"
"Don't forget, even though the world was in chaos at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, we were still able to carry out expeditions. Emperor Wu of Wei whipped Wuhuan, and no tribe in the grassland was afraid."
"Nowadays, the Turks seem to be powerful, but the Tang Dynasty has nearly unified the world. Such a cold climate will continue for decades, and the grassland tribes are increasingly declining..."
Speaking of this, Ashina Sheer's expression gradually became serious, and Ma Zhou glanced sideways at Li Shan... He suspected that this guy was talking nonsense.
Okay, Li Shan is indeed talking nonsense...but it's not completely nonsense. He inferred it through the collection of various information from his past and present lives.
Li Dayen wanted to conquer Mayi before, so he wrote a letter asking for war. One of the reasons was the Turkic famine.
Li Shan remembered clearly that later Li Shimin ordered Li Jing and other generals to attack and destroy the Eastern Turks because of the cold climate and famine in the Eastern Turks, which resulted in a lack of food and grass.
At this time, Yu Gushe shouted sternly: "My father has 500,000 strings under his command, and it will be easy to conquer Chang'an!"
Li Shan looked at Yu Gushe who was getting angry tenderly, with a smile on his face. He waited until the other party finished his anger, and then said gently: "Don't forget, the climate is too cold to survive the winter, and the cattle and sheep will freeze to death..."
Yu Gushe sneered and said: "It's just right. If the grassland tribes all march south, there will be more than a million people who can control the strings!"
Li Shan let out a long sigh before saying the most crucial sentence.
"In a cold winter, the cattle and sheep froze to death, and the population dropped sharply. I am willing to go south to plunder, but what about other tribes?"
The faces of everyone present changed drastically, and everyone understood this sentence.
If it is true, as Li Shan said, that the cold winter on the grassland is difficult to survive and the strength is sharply reduced, a large number of tribes are more likely to do... to plunder other tribes to make up for it, rather than go south to confront the Tang Dynasty, which has already dominated the world.