Chapter 583 The Fifth Arm Chapter Eighty-six Prologue (Part 1)
Chapter 583 Chapter 586 Prologue (Part 1)
Author: gusty wind
Chapter 583 Chapter 586 Prologue (Part 1)
May 13th, Yanmen Pass.
The exhausted Li Shan forced a smile and exchanged a few words before pulling Zhu Wei aside and asked, "Uncle Qi, what are you doing here?"
"It must be the fault of the Pei family." Zhu Wei glanced at Er Zhu Yichen in the distance, "If it fails, five hundred cavalry, plus you and the personal guards around Su Dingfang, will be enough to break out of the siege."
This is true. There are about two hundred personal guards around Li Shan, more than a hundred personal guards around Su Dingfang, plus the 200 personal guards sent by Zhu Wei's 300 cavalry and Pingyang Princess Mansion, for a total of 800 cavalry, and they are all They are the elite who select the best from the best in terms of weapons and equipment and horses.
If the Turks break through the border, Daizhou is not far from Taiyuan Prefecture, only Xinzhou is separated, and Taiyuan Prefecture is the core area of Bingzhou Prefecture. Heavy troops are deployed. Eight hundred cavalry are enough to protect Li Shan from the siege and arrive. Taiyuan.
This is also the reason why Zhu Wei proposed to go north in person, and both Zhu and Cui Xin agreed. They must at least be certain to get the people back... In the past few years, there were almost no victories against the Turks. Even if he lost a game, Li Shan's reputation would not be the same. will be greatly weakened.
But that's not how the accounts were settled... Li Shan scratched the short beard on his chin. He had not had time to take care of it these days, and the beard was a bit messy. He hoped to push the front to Shuozhou generation as much as possible, which was why Yuan Jun understood Zhang's old troops built a stronghold in Guji Town and transported a large amount of arms and food.
There is no room for failure at Yanmen Pass, so the cavalry is likely to become the main force sent to Yanmen Pass. Could it be that at the critical moment, I still have 800 cavalry to protect me and escape?
Li Shan couldn't do this kind of thing, and he didn't want to do it.
Sighing slightly, Li Shan walked outside the door and scanned the faces under the stairs. Most of them were familiar. Some had accompanied him on the expedition to Shandong and Hebei, and some had been injured when he went north last year and were sent back to Chang'an.
Last year, when he went north to serve in Dai County, Li Shan brought more than a hundred bodyguards with him. However, after he surrendered to the powerful clan of Daizhou, Wang Junhao successively selected his children to join the bodyguards. In addition, after several wars, Li Shan had a total of 200 bodyguards around him, less than half of whom were Is a local.
"Thank you for your hard work over there, Uncle Qi." Li Shan waved to Wang Junhao and Du Xiao, "Incorporated into the guard camp, Brother Du will be in charge, Uncle Qi, and Jun Hao will be the assistants."
Du Xiao hesitated a little, then glanced at Zhu Wei from the corner of his eye, speeding all the way north. This middle-aged man looked ordinary, but judging from all the signs of marching, setting up camps, and scouting, he was a veteran on the battlefield.
Zhu Wei and Wang Junhao both responded immediately and took a step back, letting Du Xiao stand in front.
"Third Sister actually sent Brother Du here again. It seems that this battle is quite dangerous." Li Shan smiled and patted Du Xiao on the shoulder, "I hope Brother Du can help."
"You must obey His Highness's orders."
Li Shan didn't say anything else and returned to the hall. Not long after, Ma Sanbao, the guard general of Yanmen Pass, Su Dingfang, the commander-in-chief of the Daizhou Army, Su Dingfang, the guard general of Guji Town, Li Kai, the acting county magistrate, Liu Shirang, the governor of Shuo, Xue Wanche, the deputy chief of the cavalry, and State Sima Zhu Yichen and others entered one after another.
Before entering the door, Su Dingfang looked back at Wang Junhao, with a hint of warning in his eyes... Ever since Su Dingfang went west with Chai Shao, Wang Junhao had been the leader of the bodyguard, but now he has become his deputy.
After Su Dingfang arrived in Daizhou at the beginning of the year, he once asked in detail about the battle of attacking the camp on a heavy snowy night, and greatly appreciated Du Xiao's rush of horses to clash with the Turkic formations. Now Li Shan's bodyguards are as many as 700 cavalry, and most of them are Zhu Wei was not sure about the elite cavalry that could charge into the formation, but Wang Junhao's ability was no longer enough.
Zhu Wei didn't notice that Su Dingfang was warning Wang Junhao. His eyes always fell on Zhu Yichen, the Sima of Daizhou behind Su Dingfang.
Two lines of sight converged in the sky, each with its own meaning.
"If there is no accident, the Turks will attack in ten days." Li Shan said loudly: "The city walls in Mayi and Guji Town are strong and the troops are sufficient. However, the transportation of grain and grass has not been completed yet. When will it be completed?"
Liu Shirang stood up and said: "For more than a month before, the residents of Mayi have been moving into the fortress, but there are still thousands of people who miss their old land. The war broke out, the trade routes were cut off, and there was a shortage of goods. I'm afraid..."
"Brother Demou?" Li Shan looked at Li Kai. Now the official warehouse in Daizhou was so empty that the rats were begging for food. He could only rely on the big warehouse in Xia City for food and grass.
"Thousands of people..." Li Kai calculated in his mind, "We can still allocate them, but we need to make up for them from Bingzhou."
"Just hold on for a while." Li Shan snorted. Ling Jing's letter reminded him that the core of the Tang army in Hedong was always Bingzhou rather than Daizhou. On the one hand, it was because Yanmen Pass was repeatedly broken and Daizhou was too close to the Turks.
On the other hand, due to political reasons, it was difficult for Li Tang to tolerate the enemy's attack on Jinyang's home base.
Therefore, the first city king Li Daozong mentioned that he was willing to personally lead the army out of the fortress if the Turks invaded, but in the end this proposal was rejected by Li Yuan.
However, as long as Yanmen Pass is stable, the war continues, and grain and grass are transported northward from Bingzhou, there should be no big problem.
At least Li Shan can be sure that Li Daozong did not join the prince's sect... In history, this person who was renamed King of Jiangxia was also a famous general during the Zhenguan period.
After thinking for a moment, Li Shan looked at Zhang Shigui and asked, "How about Guji Town?"
"It's completed." Zhang Shigui nodded and said, "Deploy a thousand infantry, six hundred cavalry, and half a month of food and grass."
Li Shan lowered his head and thought for a while, then shook his head and said, "It's not enough. Send another batch of food and grass."
Zhang Shigui raised his eyebrows. Li Shan personally approved the troop strength and food and grass reserves a few days ago. Why didn't he say they were not enough today?
"Your Highness..." Li Kai was a little worried. There is indeed a lot of food and grass in Dacang, Xia City, but the military food consumption in Yanmen Pass must also be taken into consideration. If Mayi and Guji Town are captured, and the Turkic army directly attacks Yanmen Pass, and the food and grass are not available,
There will be big trouble.
Li Shan stood up and paced back and forth, "If the Turks break through the barrier and the army retreats south, it will definitely be burned down. What are you doing with it?"
"If the Turks find it difficult to break through the border, Bingzhou will naturally transport grain and grass northward."
"This is Hedong, not Hebei!"
The main reason for Hebei's defeat back then was the overt and covert struggle between the general Li Daoxuan and his deputy Shi Wanbao, but it is different now. Li Daozong is not Shi Wanbao.
It's not that Li Shanxin is better than Li Daozong's character, but that Li Daozong himself has no obvious political leanings, and this kind of hindrance on the battlefield... Li Daozong, who has served under Li Shimin for a long time, should not be able to do it.
Xue Wanche couldn't help but ask: "Your Highness, in ten days, the Turks will attack?"
"Yeah." Li Shan nodded casually, "I don't know how many troops there are, but it should be no less than 50,000."
Zhang Shigui, who was more thoughtful, calculated in his mind that Li Shan's hidden line on the Turks seemed to be quite effective... Not to mention other things, he could even find out the time of dispatching troops.
Well, it is indeed true. It was the news sent by the Yunzhou association leaders...Jieli Khan summoned the tribal leaders to prepare for a large-scale march south to attack Shuozhou and Daizhou.
"Guji Town..." Li Shan murmured a few words, "We will set off tomorrow to visit Guji Town."
After a pause, Li Shan explained to Zhang Shigui: "After all, it's been two months and I haven't seen it yet."
Zhang Shigui forced a smile and said nothing. He is in charge of the governor's office of the prefecture, and he is still a county king. It is natural to go on inspection... But it was you who insisted on building a stronghold in Guji Town. It took two months to think of going to see it.
Is it a bit too much?
"One thousand infantry, six hundred cavalry..." Xue Wanche snorted from his nose, muttering something low.
Li Shan glanced sideways. The war was approaching, and Xue Wanche had become more and more agitated recently. It wasn't that there was anything wrong or that he was disobeying Su Dingfang's military orders, but everyone could see the excitement.
Well, this is an unstable factor. Let’s take it away tomorrow.