Li Xiaogong admired Xue Rengui's talent and character very much, and he imparted his insights on war to him without reservation.
answer.
As the sun sets, the room becomes a little cooler.
Li Xiaogong finally said: "'Lure it with profit, take it with chaos, prepare it with actual strength, avoid it with strength, anger it with anger, humiliation with arrogance, lose it with labor, get close with it and leave it. Attack it without preparation.
, take the enemy by surprise,' this is what Sun Tzu said in "The Art of War". To believe that it is true is the most important principle of war. Keep it in mind at all times, weigh and figure it out, and learn the essence of it."
Xue Rengui nodded and said, "I would like to be taught."
"Ha ha!"
After talking all afternoon, Li Xiaogong was not tired at all. Instead, he stood up and stretched in high spirits and said with a smile: "It's getting late. I've asked someone to prepare a banquet. Let's have a few drinks tonight.
Rest in Jiaohe City, and get up early tomorrow morning to head west and take up residence in Suiye City."
Xue Rengui stood up and saluted: "Thank you very much for your kindness, but the general's heart is so tight that he will not stay. The night is cool and suitable for marching, so the general will pack up and lead his troops out of the city and rush to Suiye Town overnight."
He was extremely anxious at the moment, worried that if the Dashi Kingdom really sent troops to the Western Region, Suiye Town would be the first to bear the brunt and must rush over to prepare a response.
Li Xiaogong thought for a while, but did not hold back. He just warned: "Everything must be done with caution, step by step, make decisions before taking action, and avoid being impulsive and reckless. The courage of an ordinary soldier is what soldiers should have. As a commander, you must know how to make choices."
advance and retreat."
Xue Rengui said in fear: "The Great Protector is guarding the Western Region, and you are the commander-in-chief of the army. How can you dare to be the general?"
Li Xiaogong sighed and said: "I am old, and I no longer have the ambitions of the past. Now that the situation is up and down, it is the time for you to rise up and strive for the first place. Why do you need to belittle yourselves? But there is no need to take credit too seriously. Everything must be for strategic purposes.
Heavy. As long as you can withstand the Western Region, even if you lose a hundred battles, the first attack will still be yours. But if you lose the Western Region, even if you kill hundreds of thousands of barbarians, what's the use?"
He most despised those generals who frequently "looked upon death" and "burned boats". In his opinion, the only way was to survive and constantly strive for strategic victory. Fighting a vigorous battle will be famous in history and praised for thousands of years, but
What’s the benefit to the country?
Those who are capable of bending and stretching, know how to make trade-offs, and always keep the country, the country, and the country in mind are truly handsome people.
Xue Rengui bowed and said: "General, please remember your teachings!"
"Okay, since you are anxious, leave quickly. Remember to keep the communication open. If you need support, just send someone to notify you, and I will arrange it myself."
He is the Protector of Anxi, and he should be in charge of Jiaohe City, deterring the countries in the Western Regions and the Turks who sometimes cause trouble and are unwilling to be lonely, so that they cannot go to the frontline battlefield.
However, Xue Rengui is a natural-born soldier. Although his strategy still needs to be sharpened, his abilities on the battlefield are not small, which can reassure him.
"Here! I will obey your orders."
After bidding farewell to Li Xiaogong, Xue Rengui came out of the government office and immediately returned to the building. He gathered his troops, had a simple dinner, packed up, rode out of the city, and headed straight to Suiye City overnight.
At this time, a fierce battle was going on in Liaodong. The army captured Anshi City and marched southward until it reached the Yalu River.
Fang Jun led his army out of Hexi to face death, and the elders in Guanzhong walked along the road to see him off.
The cloud of war enveloped the eastern and western lands of the Tang Dynasty.
…
Half a month later, Xue Rengui, who had been riding fast all the way and had to change his horse at every post, arrived at Suiye City.
As soon as I entered the city, I felt the solemn atmosphere.
After arriving at the government office, all the generals who defended the city had gathered together.
Xue Rengui took off his helmet and put it on the desk. He walked behind the desk and sat down. He waved his hand for everyone to sit down and asked in a deep voice: "What's the situation now?"
Yuanwei, the captain, said: "For the information of Sima, the agents stationed in Damascus have sent back news one after another in recent days, saying that Mu'awiya has summoned more than 200,000 troops, and they are ready to go, and they see an expedition coming soon. Although everyone in his country has
No one knows what the purpose is, but there is already news circulating among his troops that Muawiya wants to attack the Western Region and open the door to the East."
Xue Rengui was silent.
It may not be without reason. Even though there is no actual order specifying that the purpose of the Damascus attack is the Western Region, there are various signs that there is no deviation.
The Arabs were extremely fanatical when fighting. Although their combat effectiveness was slightly inferior to that of the Anxi army, they were more powerful in numbers. More than 200,000 people came in force. How could the small Suiye City resist?
The entire Anxi Army only has tens of thousands of people. Even if every last man is killed, can it stop the Arab attack?
Xue Rengui made a decisive decision: "Immediately ordered that all the merchants in the city evacuate and evacuate to Luntai together with the residents. The army will be prepared and the supplies will be replenished."
All the generals were startled and asked hurriedly: "Sima, how did this happen? Many of the news now are just speculation. It is not yet known whether Damascus is serious about attacking the Western Regions. If the merchants and people are evacuated at this moment, how will the court explain it?
?”
The importance of the Silk Road needs no elaboration.
This is a road flowing with gold. Even though the maritime trade of the Tang Dynasty is currently prosperous, for many places in Guanzhong, almost all foreign trade must be completed through the Silk Road. Especially as an important town in the Western Region, Suiye City not only
There were only merchants and common people in the Tang Dynasty, and there were also Hu merchants and Hu people from Tianzhu, Dashi, Luoma, Turks and other places. Once they were all evacuated, the impact would be too great.
It's almost like actively cutting off the silk road...
Xue Rengui frowned and said: "If we continue to cut off the situation, we will suffer chaos. Are we going to keep these merchants and people until the Arabs break the city to increase supplies? This responsibility lies with the general. No matter how the court handles it, you don't need to take responsibility for it.
Just do what you're told."
Out of the intuition of an army commander, Xue Rengui, after repeated weighings, believed that Damascus would definitely use troops in the Western Regions.
If that's the case, then why should you hesitate?
A head-on attack is tantamount to hitting a rock with an egg, so we must build a camp step by step, solidify the wall and clear the field. The Arabs have always relied on war to support war, and rarely prepare enough food and weapons. As long as they are not given enough space to plunder, the battle can be delayed as long as possible.
Until the moment when the fighter planes switch.
"Here!"
All the generals did not dare to say anything. Although Xue Rengui was young, he had a profound background. Not only had he served in the navy, he was a close confidant of Yue Guo Gong Fangjun, a big boss in the military. Now he had the absolute trust of Li Xiaogong, the prince of the Imperial Guard.
, entrusted with reuse everywhere.
This is prestige.
The generals all withdrew, acted in accordance with the order, and began to evacuate the merchants in the city. Both Han and Hu were ordered to escort the goods, and the grain and fodder were retreated eastward to Luntai City for temporary shelter.
This move naturally aroused dissatisfaction among merchants and common people. Not only were there no traces of the so-called enemy attack, they even didn't even leave the country. As a result, we were so frightened? Especially once we retreated to Luntai City, the entire
Even if the Silk Road is temporarily closed, the goods in hand cannot be sold, and the loss will be too great.
However, the situation in various parts of the Western Region is turbulent, and the Anxi Army has always implemented military control. Anyone who dares to resist and object under military orders will be severely punished.
Therefore, although the merchants complained, they did not dare to disobey Xue Rengui's order and evacuated Suiye City one after another. Cars and horses were bumping along the Silk Road, and countless people and carriages were driving back towards the tire cars.
Xue Rengui was stationed at Suiye City. Although he knew that he was defeated by the Arab army, he could not give Suiye City to the enemy. He formulated tactics to meet the enemy, repaired the city's defenses, boosted the morale of the army, and made all preparations for the battle.
Three days later, several scouts came from the west, their horse hooves riding on the sand and smoke billowing outside Suiye City, straight into the city, and delivered a battle report to the government office.
Xue Rengui took the battle report in his hand, glanced at it, and had a stern look on his face. After reading it, he handed it to the general in the room for circulation.
The generals circulated it one after another, all feeling solemn.
Three days ago, Muawiya swore an oath in Damascus and sent troops to the Western Regions, vowing to open up the road to the East, avenge his shame, conquer the rich and mysterious far East, and spread the gospel of the prophet throughout the world. He ordered his son Ye Zid to
As a commander, he commanded an army of 300,000 men and attacked the Western Regions.
In an instant, the cloud of war enveloped the entire Western Region.
The atmosphere inside the government office was depressing.
The news of Tuyuhun's rebellion is no longer a secret. With the possibility of Tuyuhun crossing the Qilian Mountains to cut off Hexi, hundreds of thousands of Arab troops are coming. How can the Anxi army resist when they are attacked from both sides?