Riding on a horse and drifting with the current, Zhang Shigui followed the horse almost out of necessity, with strange and complicated feelings in his heart.
Ever since we met at Yanmen Pass that day, the King of Handan immediately showed goodwill and praised him frequently, and today he even gave such a high evaluation.
The first person in both civil and military affairs... Although Zhang Shigui was quite conceited, he did not dare to bear such an evaluation.
In this era, there is no such thing as a clear distinction between civil and military affairs. Being both civil and military is the standard. But in general, even the children of aristocratic families who claim to be both civil and military always have their own priorities.
For example, among the counselors of Tiance Mansion, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui once led the army, but most of the time they were responsible for planning, promoting talents, military strategy, etc.
For example, Qin Qiong can be said to be both civil and military, but in fact he has always appeared as Li Shimin's closest cavalry commander and rarely has the opportunity to act alone.
In fact, just because of the talented person Li Shimin, most of his outstanding heroes did not have the opportunity to stand alone. Today's Daxingtai of Shaanxi Province is just a collective effort.
And Zhang Shigui is one of the few officials in the Tiance Mansion who has ever been in charge of his own affairs... So from a certain point of view, the evaluation of being the best in both civil and military affairs cannot be miscalculated.
Zhang Shigui had a feeling that Li Shan knew him very well.
There was a cry from ahead. Zhang Shigui reined in the reins and slowed down his horse. He turned around and saw dilapidated houses and uneven hills... As he got closer, he realized that they were not hills, but high and low rocks.
mound.
Li Shan chose a slightly higher hillside to dismount, and asked with a smile: "How is this place?"
"I'm afraid it took me a long time to choose?" Li Daozong smiled, turned to look to the southeast, then to the southwest, and asked after a while: "How long is the distance?"
"Going to Mayi and Yanmen Pass, galloping fast, it takes more than two hours." Su Dingfang, who was in charge of site selection, explained clearly: "This place was originally Guji Town, and together with the surrounding villages, there were about 2,000 people living there. It was later destroyed by
At the hands of Liu Wuzhou, it was plundered by the Turks and gradually declined, and the people fled, so that it was abandoned."
Li Daozong looked around carefully, "Is there a water source nearby?"
"There are rivers, and there are more than one. One of the creeks passes through the original site of Guji Town." Su Dingfang explained: "The reason why we chose this place is that it is easy to repair and build a stronghold, and it is not far or close to Mayi and Yanmen Pass. If
When the cavalry attack to support each other, the invading enemy will not be able to care about each other."
Mayi, Guji Town, Yanmen Pass, three points form a triangular structure... The triangle is the most stable composition, but Li Shan did not consider all this when he first started planning.
It was Li Gaoqian who first led his troops to the fortress last year, but the incident of escaping alone and resulting in a great defeat gave Li Shan a lot of inspiration. He found that the distance between Mayi and Yanmen Pass was a bit awkward.
From Yanmen Pass to Mayi, it took about four or five hours for the horse to gallop. We set off at almost dawn and arrived at dusk. This distance... no matter how good the army and horses are, they are at the end of their game.
If the army is leaving the fortress, it must stabilize its position and slowly move westward... Let alone the same day, it is considered fast to reach the edge of Mayi in seven or eight days, but the Turkic cavalry will come soon, overwhelming the battlefield, and blocking the battlefield.
There were many reasons for Li Gaoqian's defeat. Deserting the army was of course the main reason, but there were also some objective reasons. For example, although Mayi and Yanmen Pass were at an angle, if the enemy attacked Mayi fiercely, Yanmen Pass would be far away due to the distance.
For this reason, it is difficult to respond quickly.
From that time on, Li Shan had the idea of choosing a place to build a stronghold in Shuozhou, and he had been making various preparations for this... Unfortunately, before it started, various changes came in droves, and the plan was forcibly
He has pushed himself to this position and will soon leave.
On New Year's Eve three months ago, Li Daozong came unexpectedly and had a pleasant chat with Li Shan. He promised that if the Turks invaded Mayi this year, they would storm Mayi. He was willing to lead the army out of the fortress and camp step by step to force the Turks back.
And Li Shancai came up with this plan... Li Daozhong was very interested and helped a lot in selecting the site and the craftsmen in all aspects.
Over there, Su Dingfang was still explaining the nearby terrain to Li Daozong, while Li Shan was talking to Zhang Shigui about the benefits of rebuilding Guji Town... Zhang Shigui basically knew what Li Shan wanted him to do.
Rebuilding the village fort in Guji Town... This is a task that would make ordinary people tremble upon hearing it, because further north of Guji Town is Yunzhou. In other words, Guji Town will replace Daizhou, Yanmenguan, and Mayi and become the direct
The front line of the Turks.
Even Zhang Shigui, who has a steady temperament, can't help but criticize... No wonder Li Shan is so praised these days, because he is afraid that he will not take over!
At least there is a tall city wall on the Mayi side, but the Guji Town side... is still in ruins. Zhang Shigui glanced at it from the corner of his eyes, feeling a little confused. It would be fine if Li Shan was just talking on paper, but Ren Chengwang
Although Li Daozong and Su Dingfang are not very old, they are both veteran generals in the army, so you can't help but notice it.
Li Shan was still chattering there. The three parties were stationed at each other, so that they would not be alone and helpless. Moreover, Guji Town was relatively closer to Yunzhou. It was impossible for the Turks to bypass Guji Town. Ma Yi went to attack Yanmen Pass, but if he wanted to gnaw his horse
The two nails of Yi and Guji Town are quite difficult.
Mayi and Yanmen Pass are important towns with sufficient food and grass and heavy troops. If Guji Town is planned to be built, Li Shan will not just throw some crooked melons and cracked dates... Hasn't he already brought Zhang Shigui? In this way, the middle
With Gu, market and towns connected in series, so that the hands and tail can look after each other, the defense system can be very three-dimensional.
Finally, Li Shan concluded: "No matter where Jieli Khan wants to capture, he will feel like a light on his side or even behind his back, and he will never dare to attack with all his strength."
Zhang Shigui shook his head, "Yanmen Pass is the gateway to Hedong. We will not send out troops at will. Guji Town, Mayi... If the cavalry is lured out by the Turks..."
"That's not the case." Li Shan said softly: "Brother Wu An hasn't arrived in the north yet, so he doesn't know yet. Although the Turkic cavalry claims to be brave, they are actually good at riding and shooting, gathering and dispersing. When it comes to charging on the battlefield, they are far inferior to armored cavalry."
Zhang Shigui murmured lowly. He also understood Li Shan's tactful explanation. After all, they were only two hours away from each other. The distance was too close. If the Turks attacked Mayi, Guji Town would send cavalry to attack.
, the news will spread quickly, which can greatly delay or even destroy the Turkic offensive against Mayi.
The most important thing is that if the plan is good, even if the Turkic cavalry uses this as bait to lure the Tang cavalry to attack, with the impact of the Tang cavalry, as long as they are not willing to fight, it will be difficult for the Turks to do anything... In other words, the Turks want to encircle the Tang cavalry.
I don’t even have the qualifications to call for help.
In fact, essentially, the main purpose of Li Shan's choice to build a village in Guji Town was to cut space.
Try to weaken the activity space of the Turkic cavalry as much as possible, so that the opponent can gather and disperse freely in large-scale activities to reduce the threat. Short-distance engagements are more suitable for the armored Tang cavalry to charge into the formation, making use of their strengths and avoiding their weaknesses.
Li Shan thought in his mind that this was somewhat similar to the defense system of the Ming Dynasty later, but the essence was different. The Ming Dynasty could only defend and basically did not dare to fight in the field, while the Tang army could attack in all these places.
Gao Manzheng defended Mayi twice before, not only defending the city, but also attacking frequently. Later, it was because of the overwhelming Turkic cavalry that he could only defend the city.