"They will come sooner or later. If I were the leader of Goguryeo, I would never wait for your Sui Dynasty troops to arrive before starting the fight!" Looking at the sky outside the window, Liu Hongji made the following judgment. To defend such a long border, left
The more than 30,000 troops and horses under the command of the general Xin Shixiong of the garrison were very stretched. If the Koreans sent their troops to attack, they could just find a place to cross the river on foot. If they were not afraid that the Sui Dynasty would retaliate with all its might, they could even
Taking advantage of the freezing of the Liao River, he captured all three counties in Liaodong.
"I guess our emperor wanted to find a more suitable reason to start a war, so he planned to use Huaiyuan Town as bait to give to the Koreans!" Qian Jiulong, the bodyguard of the Li Mansion, complained. When the word "emperor" was mentioned, he
It always has a strange ending sound, which sounds particularly sarcastic.
He turned out to be a thief who was deprived of his civil status. He was redeemed from the quarry by Li Yuan because of his proficiency in bow and horse. He was loyal to the Li family, but very resourceful. And because he had a big mouth and was prone to impulsive speech, he always became a
The object of public criticism.
Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, Sun Shunde, the former Youxun Guard Chief, frowned. "Now is not the time to complain. The problem is that if anything happens to the food and grass in Huaiyuan Town, Tang Gong will bear the responsibility alone!" He said
Looking around at everyone, he set the topic for this discussion, "We are only talking about whether there is a way to survive this winter safely. It is best to discuss irrelevant topics in private!"
"It's hard for a good woman to make a meal without rice. The best way now is to expand the strength of the defenders. While strengthening training, we will see if we can ask Liucheng and Yan County to bring in some reinforcements. We also have scouts. Try to increase the search area as much as possible!" Chen Yanshou, who joined the army!
He frowned and said. He is an old counselor who has followed Li Yuan for many years and is known for his cleverness. Even now, he can't think of a good way to deal with it.
"I'm afraid it's difficult!" Ma Yuangui, who joined the army from Si Kai, shook his head with a livid face. Since the snowfall, no new troops have been sent to Lulongsai. Although General Yuwenshu, who was stationed in Liucheng County, dispatched more than 500 soldiers.
Huaiyuan Town assisted in the defense, but for Huaiyuan Town, which was less than 70 miles away from Liaodong City, the important town of Goryeo, this assistance was obviously a drop in the bucket.
"Even if soldiers come, Tang Gong has no power to dispatch them. If the strong people are recruited to join the army, they will be given the authority!" Changsun Shunde sighed and added.
The biggest problem at the moment is that Tang Gong Li Yuan is not trusted by the current emperor Yang Guang, and his position has been reduced from the third rank to the fifth rank. He is the treasurer and governor who can only work as a minor official because of the high rank of the Duke. For the neighboring few
He also has no power to dispatch local troops. Except in critical moments, he does not have the power to expand the number of soldiers protecting food. His status makes it impossible for other generals to help if they want to, and sending too few people will not be effective.
If a general is sent with thousands of troops to assist in the defense, Li Yuan will have to obey the other party's orders.
"Since the beginning of the month, we have lost fourteen veterans and twenty-seven scouts!" Qian Jiulong reported a series of numbers with red eyes. Those veterans under his command who gave up their fame and followed Tang Gong were all
The pillars that the Li family relies on for survival in troubled times are broken one by one and one is missing. He is not willing to watch the brothers around him be completely broken.
Everyone was talking about it, but no one could think of a better way. The bad weather, the soldiers who were unable to fight, the court with evil intentions, all the unfavorable factors were gathered together, and they were always ready to launch the most deadly attack.
hit.
"Zhongjian, what do you think?" Li Jiancheng's eyes swept across everyone, and finally stopped on Li Xu. His father spoke very highly of this young man. When everyone was at a loss, maybe he could bring some novel ideas.
"If it is just to burn food, sending a small number of elite troops to make a surprise attack may be more effective than launching a large-scale attack!" Li Xu's view is relatively optimistic compared with others. "Since the last sneak attack failed, Goryeo has not launched a large-scale attack again.
Attacks. There have been a lot of cross-border harassments recently, and they are becoming more and more frequent as the ice on the river thickens. However, our brothers in Huaiyuan Town have gradually become more courageous. They can do it every time.
Take the initiative to go to the city to fight!"
"You mean the Koreans won't use large-scale troops in winter?" Chen Yanshou, who joined the army, asked in a low voice, his eyes flashing.
"It's hard to say. The key depends on whether the opponent's general is willing to take risks. The cold weather has a great impact on both the enemy and ourselves. Especially camping in the wild is very risky." Li Xu shook his head and said. Last winter, Xu Dayan also analyzed the rope head in this way.
Xibu. However, Xu Dayan made a mistake in judgment at that time and was almost succeeded in a sneak attack by the Suotou Xi people. However, the situation in Huaiyuan Town and Su Chuobu were different. The walls of Huaiyuan Town were high enough. As long as the enemy did not take the city gate by surprise, they could persist.
There is still hope for one or two days. However, the troops stationed in the wild to attack the city will have to withstand the test of the severe winter.
He had a stupid mouth and kept talking for a long time without focusing on the point. Everyone's eyes suddenly dimmed again, so much so that they ignored Li Xu's inference about a surprise attack by elite soldiers at the beginning.
"Brother Zhongjian is right. The weather is too cold, which is a nuisance to both the enemy and us. If we attack with all our strength, if it is blocked by wind and snow, the gains will outweigh the losses. After all, Goguryeo has few soldiers and horses, and its ruler is reluctant to spend such a big expense.
Capital!" Li Shimin, who was sitting aside and listening, suddenly stood up and interjected. His views were somewhat similar to Li Xu's. Out of respect for his opponents, he did not contemptuously refer to the country on the other side of the Liao River as Goryeo, like everyone else.
Call its official country name, Goguryeo.
Everyone laughed, but no one took their words to heart. Although the two were extremely brave, after all, one was in his early fifteen and the other had just turned fourteen. Their age and experience were simply incomparable with the others.
"In the future, what Brother Zhongjian and I said will come true. Don't regret not listening to our reminder!" Li Shimin looked at the smiling people, then looked at Li Xu, who never knew what anger was, and shouted angrily.
"Then tell me, besides strengthening patrols, what other good ways can we do?" Li Jiancheng gently touched his brother's forehead and asked with a smile. This brother of his is good at everything, but he is a little too stubborn. Once the things he has determined are revealed,
When people are in doubt, they immediately act like a child.
"It's the same river anyway. If they can come over, we can go over. We send people to harass there every day, which makes the Goguryeo people tired of coping. The pressure on our side will naturally be relaxed!" Li Shimin proposed an idea without hesitation.
A bold suggestion.
As soon as he finished speaking, even Liu Hongji, who maintained a deliberate respect for the second son, laughed bitterly. The feasibility of the plan is beyond doubt, but what Tang Gong Li Yuan lacks is elite soldiers. When the enemy's situation is unknown and he can protect himself,
When you have no strength, attacking the opponent in turn is simply a fool's errand.
"Brother, what do you think? Zhong Jian, don't just play with fire!" Li Shimin was a little angry and shouted with his eyes wide open. If he were the elder brother, these people would definitely not dare to despise his suggestions. But he was born as a younger brother.
, so no one took anything seriously. Ma Yuangui was like this, Chen Yanshou was like this, and even Liu Hongji, who had just arrived, was led astray by others.
"Okay, okay, everyone is not laughing at you, but we have no troops to send!" Li Jiancheng straightened his brother's hair and comforted him with a smile.
"If I can get fifty good hands together, I'd like to try it on the river!" Suddenly, Li Xu raised his head from the charcoal fire and said solemnly.
Hearing this, everyone secretly cheered. No wonder Tang Gong valued this person so much. Regardless of other things, his insight and courage alone are enough to make people respect him.
At that moment, everyone's morale was slightly improved, and a few young warriors volunteered to go with Li Xu to the other side of the Liao River to explore the enemy's strength. Everyone asked Chen Yanshou with their eyes, but the chief staff member of the Tang Dynasty gently shook his head, feeling sad.
Said: "Zhong Jian's courage is commendable, but we don't know anything about the situation on the other side of the Liao River. If we go there rashly, I'm afraid..."
He stopped without saying anything and unfolded a map. Everyone leaned over and saw that the mountains, roads, and rivers in the Great Sui territory on the west side of the Liao River were clearly marked on the map. On the other side of the Liao River, in the territory of Goguryeo, except for a few
Outside the city represented by a few roads and a few black spots, the military garrison, topography, rivers and mountains are actually completely blank!
"Don't there be more detailed maps in the army?" Li Xu asked in astonishment. He remembered that when he was in the Su Chuan tribe, in order to launch an attack on the Suotou Xi people, Xu Dayan sent people to map all the nearby mountains and rivers within a radius of 300 miles.
, the whole river valley was explored, including several fox holes in the nearby mountains that could hide people. The Sui Dynasty had been planning to use troops against Goguryeo for so many years, and Tang Gong Li Yuan, who was a frontline general, did not have a usable map in his hands.
!
"This is already the most detailed. The specific locations of several roads and cities were obtained by our brothers at the cost of their lives! The map in the hands of the imperial court is probably even simpler than ours!" Chen Yanshou sighed and shook his head. He did the same.
People who have been military counselors for many years remember that when Yang Su, the Duke of Yue, spent nearly three years in advance to understand the terrain of the south when he sent troops to the south. But the current emperor's expedition to Goguryeo did not collect any intelligence, and only wanted to use his strength to conquer Goguryeo.
Crush the opponent!
"Even if we have a detailed map, we can't gather that many veterans. If we send out all the guards in the mansion, once someone attacks, I'm afraid Huaiyuan Town will become an empty frame!" Qian Jiulong interjected in a low voice.
It's hard for a good woman to make a meal without straw, so it's not like he hasn't thought about Li Xu and Li Shimin's suggestions. It's just that Tang Gongfu's current strength makes it difficult for him to protect himself. Where can he spare his troops to harass others?
Everyone turned their attention to Jiancheng again, ready to hear the decision of Tang Gong's eldest son. Although Li Jiancheng was inclined to Li Xu's suggestion, seeing that the chief adviser Chen Yanshou and the chief of guard Qian Jiulong were both opposed, they had no choice but to put down the idea of taking the risk.
Go down.
Looking at the eager eyes of his younger brother Shimin and Li Xu, Jiancheng said apologetically: "Zhongjian's strategy is very good, but the Tang government is short of manpower. Moreover, after crossing the river, he narrowly escaped death. If my father had known about it, he would not have let everyone go."
Let's take risks. Let's deal with the changes by staying the same. We should strengthen our vigilance and intensify the training of several food protection teams. Huaiyuan Town has stored so much food and grass, and I think the imperial court is not willing to give it away.
!”
Several young warriors who were eager to try had no choice but to nod in agreement after hearing Jiancheng's words. Everyone discussed a few more words, thought of some emergency strategies to treat headaches and feet, and then dispersed. Before getting on the horse, Li Shimin
He chased him out again, pulled Heifeng's reins, and whispered: "Brother Zhongjian's plan is very good, but Uncle Qian and Uncle Chen are too cautious and dare not take risks. If I can gather fifty good players,
Let’s go together, okay?”
As he spoke, a pair of big eyes stared straight at Li Xu, his eyes filled with longing.
No matter how courageous Li Xu was, he would not dare to take the second young master on an adventure. He was anxious about how to deal with this bold little guy in front of him, but Li Shimin smiled again and said: "I know you will not dare to take me
It’s okay to go, I will train myself some good hands one day and take them with me, as long as I don’t burden you!” After saying that, he let go of the horse’s reins, turned around and went back to his house angrily, and never looked at the other person again.
A few days later, Li Yuan ordered General Mao to gather together and announced that in view of the current situation, in order to strengthen the alert, he would re-adjust the allocation of troops and horses to protect food. He was born in a noble family, shouldered the hereditary military duty of Youxunshi, and had recently acquired skills in military training.
, recommended Liu Hongji as a special general to take charge of the 1,200 young men of the 12th Brigade of the 4th Regiment of the Food Guard Army.
Because Li Xu was good at training soldiers, the Duke of Tang recommended him to the imperial court as a brigade commander. Before the official appointment from the imperial court arrived, he first served as the brigade commander of the Tiger Wing Brigade. In addition to the original fifty soldiers under his command, the Duke of Tang also appointed him as the brigade commander from Yuwen.
General Shu selected 50 elite soldiers from the 500 reinforcements sent by General Shu. He also emphasized that the 100 soldiers under Li Xu would be under his direct control from now on. In case of emergency, he could directly dispatch his troops without asking anyone for instructions.
