After thinking for a long time, Yu Chigong wiped his face and made up his mind. He wrote a letter, put it in an envelope and sealed it with wax. Then he called his deputy Su Jia in and gave him careful instructions: "... Send this letter immediately.
If you send it to Zuo Wuwei, you must let Cheng Yaojin personally sign it."
Su Jia took the letter and put it in his arms, nodded, turned around and strode out of the camp, got on his horse with a few soldiers, and galloped westward.
After leaving his own camp and arriving at the junction of the two armies, he picked off the ducks. Shortly after he went forward, he met the Zuowuwei scout. He reined in his horse and stood still, saying loudly: "By the order of the Duke of E, I have a letter for Duke Lu. Brothers.
Don’t be nervous.”
He had to remind him of this, otherwise he might be doomed...
Fortunately, several of the other party's scouts were calm. One of them stepped forward to check on Sujia. He was relieved when he saw that he did not carry any weapons, and said: "Only the general can go there, and the others are not allowed to go with him."
Su Jia nodded and said to several soldiers: "Wait here and don't walk around randomly."
"Here!"
After warning his soldiers, Sujia rode on horseback and followed several Zuowuwei soldiers, driving all the way straight into the Zuowuwei camp and arriving at the Zhongjun tent.
…
Cheng Yaojin read the letter and threw it to Niu Jinda aside. He looked at Su Jia and said, "Has Old Hei Yuchi lost his mind and gone crazy? I have fought in battles all my life, winning and losing, but I have never been so cowardly as running away from battle."
You go back and tell him that if you want to pass through the Zuowuwei position, you can only step on the corpses of me and Zuowuwei's 40,000 soldiers!"
Niu Jinda was looking at the letter. On it, Yuchi said respectfully that he had received a military order from the King of Jin, and strictly ordered the right guard to dig open the Bashui defense line at all costs to open a direct passage to Chang'an. He also said that he remembered his past friendship with Cheng Yaojin.
If the two sides do not want to fight each other and kill each other, please ask Cheng Yaojin to open a path, and there will be retribution in the future.
These are not polite words. Yu Chigong has calculated that Cheng Yaojin is not willing to lose troops in this battle. The two coaches have the same intention in a sense, which is to preserve their strength as much as possible to avoid excessive losses.
Losing influence and being excluded from their respective power cores.
If Yuchi Gong is serious about sinking the boat regardless of casualties, then Cheng Yaojin is bound to take a step back to avoid losing both sides. Therefore, Yuchi Gong's letter is a warning that he plans to fight tooth and nail, and you'd better stay away...
Niu Jinda felt very humiliated. Just as Cheng Yaojin said, he had never suffered such humiliation after fighting all his life.
But based on his understanding of Cheng Yaojin, he also understood that Yuchi Gong had pinpointed Cheng Yaojin's pulse. If Yuchi Gong was really desperate, Cheng Yaojin would most likely give in. Even though he refused to give in now, even more so
Most of them are just pretending.
Su Jia said respectfully: "Gong Lu has misunderstood. My commander-in-chief understands very clearly that the battle for the throne is a family matter of Emperor Taizong. Whoever wins and loses and who takes the throne in the end is the son of Emperor Taizong. Since everyone is
Why should Emperor Taizong's ministers kill each other among them, causing pain to their loved ones and happiness to their enemies?"
Cheng Yaojin was silent. The sentence "It hurts those who are close, and those who are enemies are happy" can be regarded as touching the pain point in his heart. Now he hopes that he will fight to the death with Yuchi Gong, but he does not necessarily want to annihilate the main force of the rebels, but to consume him.
Cheng Yaojin's troops greatly reduced Cheng Yaojin's voice and influence. From then on, many people would overpower him in the court.
After all, for military commanders, troops are the foundation. Without troops, who will listen to you?
Seeing Cheng Yaojin's move, Su Jia added: "My son was defeated and captured in the previous battle. My commander, remembering the old friendship between our two families, specifically asked him to be treated kindly. After this battle, he will be released home without losing a single hair."
Please don’t think about it, Duke Lu."
Cheng Yaojin became angry, slapped his wife and said angrily: "Mother! How dare you threaten me? I, the Cheng family, are full of loyal people. I have shed a lot of blood for the founding of the Tang Dynasty. The whole family has long been prepared to sacrifice their lives for the country, let alone
A mere incompetent son, even if I have no future, I will never let you and other traitors coerce me! I still have some friendship in the past, if I don't take your life today, I will go back and tell Yu Chigong that black charcoal.
, stop daydreaming, if you want to go to Chang'an, just step over my corpse!"
Soldiers came in from outside, staring at Su Jia with eager eyes. If they had any disagreement, they would swarm up and cut him into pieces with swords.
Su Jia didn't say much, saluted Cheng Yaojin and Niu Jinda, then got up and left without saying a word.
When Su Jia and a group of soldiers exited, the anger on Cheng Yaojin's face disappeared instantly. He touched the messy beard under his chin, his eyes flickered and his expression was uncertain.
Niu Jinda tapped the letter on the table with his fingers and asked in a low voice: "How does the commander make a decision?"
Cheng Yaojin said in a muffled voice: "How else can we make a decision? The old thief Yuchi was forced to fight by the King of Jin. If we insist on blocking and not retreating, it will definitely be a life-and-death battle. Regardless of the outcome, the losses will be heavy. If this is the case,
All the troops have been wiped out, do you think you can still do better than us in the future? Although Your Majesty is generous, he may not settle accounts with us in the future, but those civil servants will definitely impeach us. How will Your Majesty suppress the fierce public opinion? There are even some in the military.
Those who covet my position will inevitably add insult to injury and try to take my place."
Is it more important to use a victory to gain meritorious service, or to bear the blame and preserve strength? This issue needs to be analyzed in detail under different situations. At least in the current situation, Cheng Yaojin believes that strength is more important than anything else.
Why did Yuchi Gong write this letter to himself? Wasn't it because he wanted to make himself retreat in the face of difficulties, so as not to stage a desperate battle that would lead to the loss of the right guard?
"If you have soldiers, you will be a grass-headed king." Although we are not in troubled times now, the truth is the same.
As long as you have soldiers in hand, anyone who wants to deal with you has to be wary of pushing too hard. But if you don’t have soldiers and horses, then others can deal with you how they want. Even if you make great achievements, there may not be a good one.
end.
Political struggles in the court have never been calculated based on the amount of meritorious service. Is it not uncommon for people with outstanding achievements to become victims of political struggles?
Niu Jinda asked: "What should we do now?"
He never considered these things. He always followed Cheng Yaojin's lead. Whatever decision Cheng Yaojin made, he would unswervingly implement it.
Cheng Yaojin thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said: "Your Majesty's dissatisfaction with me started in Chang'an City. Could it be completely reversed just because I resisted Yuchi Gong to the death? That may not be the case. The king is a ferocious tiger, and those who obey it will
Chang, those who rebel will perish, and all dissatisfaction and resentment will be hidden in the bottom of my heart, and will inevitably burst out as long as the opportunity is right. We cannot place our lives and future on His Majesty's mercy, we must ensure our strength."
Niu Jinda still frowned: "Then let Yuchi Gong break through our defense line and reach Chang'an City?"
Cheng Yaojin remained silent.
The King of Jin abandoned Tongguan and went straight to Chang'an, allowing the navy to pursue him one after another. He voluntarily gave up all retreats and risked his life to survive. It seemed brave and heroic, but based on his understanding of Li Zhi, if such a person had not
How could other arrangements and plans be so decisive?
So now it seems that the situation in the imperial court is very good, but in fact the outcome is still undecided, and it is far from the time to seal the coffin...
…
Su Jia returned to the camp on the west bank of Bashui and met Yu Chigong. He repeated Cheng Yaojin's reaction and words one by one. Yuchi Gong made a decision immediately: "Give me the order to make a fire and make food in the evening. At three o'clock in the morning, we will break camp and attack the Zuowu defense line!"
"
"Here!"
Su Jia accepted the order, exited the tent, and conveyed the news to the entire army.
The whole military camp was in an uproar. Under the instructions of their respective corps commanders and captains, the soldiers began to check their ordnance and equipment, striving to make all preparations in place to avoid being injured or even killed due to personal equipment problems after the war started. Therefore, the old soldiers would
Make the most careful inspection preparations before the station, and there will be no omissions.
Around Shenshi, there were smoke and birds in the camp, and the food was ready, and all the soldiers lined up to eat.
At the beginning of the unitary hour, the entire army returned to the camp to rest and strive for every moment to recharge their batteries. At the same time, all the horse scouts were sent out to patrol around the camp, spying on all movements of Zuowu Wei, not letting go of any signs of trouble, and preparing for a "sneak attack" in the middle of the night.
"be prepared.
On the other side, Zuo Wuwei also issued military orders to light fires and cook meals in the evening, and the entire army hid in the tents to recuperate, waiting for a possible sudden attack...
At the time of Xu, Yuchi Gong walked out of the central military tent with his helmet and armor on. There were military lieutenant colonels on both sides. He glanced at the dark sky in the west, as if the tall and towering shadow of Chang'an City was hidden in the darkness. He paused and then made a decisive decision.
Order: "All troops attack!"
The captains on the left and right bowed to accept the order, and then quickly returned to the team. There was no enthusiastic motivational speech. Everyone already knew the military orders in advance, so they quickly assembled with great efficiency at this moment, and then formed a square formation under the leadership of their respective captains.
Covered in black, he sneaked towards Zuowuwei's position in the west without sound.
The 20,000 people were silent, except for the dull "rustling" of footsteps. The war horses were all wearing bits and could not neigh. In the darkness, they were flowing forward like a flood that broke a bank.
But Zuo Wuwei was well prepared, so how could he succeed in a sneak attack?
The army had traveled less than five miles when it was detected by Zuowuwei's lurking scouts. They quickly retreated and reported to the commander. After a while, the entire Zuowuwei camp was lit with lamps and torches, and the sound of war drums rumbled like thunder. The soldiers died.
They jumped out of the tent, fully armed and holding spears, waiting in formation.
Yuchi Gong rode forward slowly. After hearing the battle report from the front, he waved his hand and roared: "Charge!"
Wuwuwu——
The desolate horn sound suddenly sounded in the dark night, like a sharp thorn, which made people's hearts tremble slightly, and the blood flowed all over their bodies faster. The right guard soldiers who had been silent before suddenly shouted loudly, and they stared at each other.
Holding the weapon tightly with eyes, he spread his legs and followed the light cavalry towards the enemy position.
The war broke out in an instant.
The right guard was surging like a flood that broke an embankment, launching an unstoppable charge. The battle line spread out overwhelmingly, while the left guard was in strict formation. The formation moved slowly under the command of the general, avoiding the enemy's sharp edge.
Retreat in an orderly manner.
The battlefield was fierce, and the sound of fighting between the two sides spread throughout the fields. However, because each had prepared in advance, the battle looked fierce, but in fact, the losses suffered by each were not great.