Just as Li Shan looked back, Li Daoxuan, who had already led his troops to the north, also immediately looked back.
Although he was young and had a good chance of winning, Li Daoxuan also knew that the friend he had only made for less than ten days was doing it for his own consideration.
"Your Highness, two more groups of Turks have passed by."
The person who came to report was Liu Jun, the guard of the army, a descendant of the Liu family in Jingzhao Prefecture.
Li Daoxuan frowned and looked around. There was indeed some smoke and dust in the distance on the flank, "How many people and horses?"
"No more than two or three hundred horses."
Li Daoxuan thought for a moment and then ordered: "Send out troops to drive them away. There is no need to pursue them. Send more scouts to explore."
According to the plan, we will march today and start the battle tomorrow, but Li Daoxuan discovered that one thing Li Shan said last night was true.
The Turkic soldiers did not return north, but followed Liu Heita southward in large numbers, and sent out a large number of rangers, almost covering the battlefield. Many rangers bypassed the main force of the Tang army and headed west, east, or even south, making it difficult for Tang army scouts to detect Liu. Details of Heita's main force.
Li Daoxuan looked back again, wondering which way Li Shan should take. If he went to Xingzhou, he might encounter Turkic cavalry.
After all, it was his first time to lead a battle alone. Li Daoxuan seemed calm and composed, and had a comprehensive plan, but he always felt a little unsure and began to recall the details of his second brother's command of the war.
Indeed, as Li Shan said, the second brother often led hundreds of cavalry across the battlefield to investigate the military situation, but it is true that he would not start a war casually, but would try to know himself and the enemy. The two great victories at Hulao Pass and Luoshui, Before the war, there was a stalemate lasting one or two months.
During the day's march, Li Daoxuan was always neither hasty nor slow, sometimes galloping toward his horse, and sometimes leading the horse on foot himself, keeping his men in a state that was neither too tight nor too loose. This was what he learned from being with Li Shimin.
Until dusk, Li Daoxuan summoned the generals in the temporary camp to discuss strategy.
What Li Shan said last night was a thorn in Li Daoxuan's heart... If you personally lead the Jingqi into the formation, what can you do if Shi Wanbao stops moving forward?
Li Daoxuan didn't quite believe it... Although Shi Wanbao was favored by the saint and his brother Shi Wansui was an old friend of the saint, as a prince himself, would Shi Wanbao dare to put himself in danger?
When Li Daoxuan looked over with twinkling eyes, Shi Wanbao said with a sullen face: "Although His Highness has experienced the Hulao charge, tomorrow's match will be with Turkic cavalry. It is not as good as I leading the fine cavalry to charge into the formation, and Your Highness leading the infantry to follow."
"The former Duke of Taiping County was good at riding and shooting, and was famous among the Northern Yi people, but..." Li Daoxuan flatly refused, "The former Duke of Taiping County, please take a closer look at the enemy's formation. If the formation's legs are loose, immediately lead the troops forward."
A vicious light flashed in Shi Wanbao's lowered eyes, "All of you will obey His Highness's orders. When His Highness leads his elite cavalry into the formation, I will be the military governor to follow."
The so-called Duke of Taiping County in the former dynasty refers to Shi Wanbao's eldest brother Shi Wansui. He was not only a famous general in the Sui Dynasty, but also famous on the grassland.
After the generals were ordered to leave, Li Daoxuan quietly ordered his guards, and a moment later a middle-aged general entered the tent quietly.
"Your Highness?"
"Brother Xue." Li Daoxuan squinted his eyes and whispered: "Tomorrow the king will lead the fine cavalry into the formation, and you will stay behind."
This middle-aged general is Xue Zhong, Li Daoxuan's marching officer. He bowed and said: "Your Highness rushes to the battle, and I will stay behind..."
"Keep an eye on Duke Yuan." Li Daoxuan told him with an expressionless face, thinking that he wouldn't be so unlucky, right?
Under the same sky, a hundred miles southeast of Xiabo County, Li Shan secretly gritted his teeth and wondered why he was so unlucky!
Starting from Xiabo County, there were no accidents throughout the day, but at dusk when I wanted to find a village to stay overnight, I ran into a Turkic soldier.
However, they were lucky. Guo Pu and Fan Laosan were experienced marchers and sent scouts to explore the road ahead. They found the Turkic soldiers but did not become alarmed.
Climbing up a small hill, Li Shan built a pergola with his hands and tried to open his eyes to take a closer look. Guo Pu was explaining on the side.
"There are more than a hundred houses in the village. There are no bunkers or trench walls. There are only twenty or thirty Turkic soldiers. There seems to be some... Fan Shiyi inside?"
Fan Shiyi, a scout on the side, danced and said: "The horses the Turks ride are different from the local horses, and the decorations are also different. There are at most thirty horses. They have entered the village, and only two people are left outside to look after the horses."
Fan Laosan licked his lips, "Twenty or thirty Turkic soldiers, if they can disperse the horses... they can be killed!"
Such a killing... Now he is running away, trying to calm down the trouble, but he actually wants to kill someone... Li Shan coughed twice and said, "I will bear it if I can."
Fan Laosan rolled his eyes, muttered a few words, but said nothing more.
"It has something to do with the Turks... I'm afraid it won't be easy to stay overnight." Guo Pu changed the subject and said, "But now that winter is coming, the climate is cold, and sleeping in the open... I'm afraid that Lang Jun won't be able to bear it."
Li Shan stamped his feet, thought for a while and asked, "How far is it from Wuyi County?"
"At least sixty or seventy miles." Zhou Zhao on the side shook his head and said, "It's impossible to get there unless you lead a horse and walk."
In this era, horses are naturally highly maneuverable, fast and can travel far, but they also have many limitations.
For example, continuous use of horses requires meticulous care. You cannot just let the horses eat grass. They need specific food and grass, and they have to be fed in the middle of the night. In addition, you cannot ride horses at night, otherwise it is normal for them to fall to death.
Li Shan was speechless. In other words, he could only settle in this village?
As for why he couldn't find another place to stay, you have to ask Zhou Zhao, who claims to be familiar with the topography of various prefectures in Hebei.
"It seems like there's a fight going on inside?" Fan Shiyi has the sharpest eyes, and it was because of this characteristic that he was sent out as a scout.
"Where?" Li Shan's eyes were not very good in this life. While trying to open his eyes, he thought about turning around and trying to see if he could make a monocular telescope.
Soon, without looking hard, the commotion had spread in the village. The smoke column rising into the sky was not smoke, because two houses were set on fire, and there seemed to be sharp and shrill calls for help echoing in the ears.
Li Shan firmly held the handle of the knife in his hand, gritted his teeth, squatted down and lowered his head, and whispered: "A little impatience will ruin a big plan..."
This small group of Turkic soldiers doesn't matter, but if they get entangled, they won't even have tears to cry when they turn around!
Faintly hearing the wails of children, Li Shan suddenly looked up and saw a Turkic soldier waiting outside the village got on his horse, galloped away as fast as lightning, bent down and picked up a small black figure.
"This is……"
Li Shan's words stopped abruptly, and he just watched intently as the child was thrown out by the Turkic soldiers and hit a big tree.
There was a commotion behind him, and Li Shan felt something sweet on his tongue. He stretched out his hand to touch it, and found that he had bitten his lip at some point.
"Tolerate……"
Li Shan jumped up suddenly, drew the knife in his hand awkwardly, and shouted: "I can't bear it anymore, no need to bear it anymore!"
"Hold on!"
"Fuck their motherfuckers!"
"Chop them!"
There was only a second of silence, Fan Laosan's rude shouting, Fan Shiyi's sharp response, Zhu Ba, Zhao Da and others' loud echoes.
After a brief period of confusion, only the word "fuck" was left.
Only Guo Pu remained silent, and at some point he had already drawn the knife in his hand.