Chapter 25: Typhoon Xiao Xiao

Seeing that Zhang Mai called out the word "Chai Rong" and his face turned a little different, Guo Wei asked, "Marcedes-in-law, what's wrong?"

Zhang Mai was stunned for a moment and said, "It's nothing." But he was even more concerned about Chai Rong.

After hearing how Chai Rong walked out of the valley and how to travel northwest to avoid the Khitan troops, and then listened to how he discovered the Khitan and the Uighurs where the Uighurs met, he felt it was natural. Yang Yi said: "It seems that God is still taking good care of us. If it weren't for Xiao Guorong's discovery of the Khitan and Uighurs' meeting, we would be afraid that our decision would have problems!" He also asked about the location and situation of the valley.

Shi Ba asked, "So will the tactics of defending east and attacking west be changed?"

"Of course we need to adjust!" Yang Yi said: "Since they have such a stronghold in the north, our tactics are not very useful." He pointed to Chai Rong and said: "Xiao Guorong, you go down first."

Chai Rong looked at Guo Wei a little rejoicedly, and Zhang Mai said to Ma Xiaochun: "Let Chai... Guo Rong stay in my tent, give him some wine and meat, and turn around and let the father and son get together."

Chai Rong then followed Ma Xiaochun and thought to himself: "They are mostly going to discuss big things, so I can't listen." He also thought that he had met Guo Wei unexpectedly today. This joy was so great. Thinking about his father being in the army, he would no longer be a helpless orphan in the future, and he felt like he had found a backer in his heart.

He followed Ma Xiaochun to Zhang Mai's big tent to rest. Even though he had become one of the few big figures in the world, Zhang Mai's big tent was still simple - he had two tents, one for meetings, where guests were, decorated majestic and the place was large enough, while the rest was smaller, with two tent doors in front and back, and a hidden side tent door. This design was designed to leave quickly if something unexpected happened.

The large tent is simple in form, but it does not mean it is simple. The felt carpet in Khotan is laid under his feet, which is moisture-proof. Chai Rong rushed back from the river valley where the Uighur Khitan met and reported the situation layer by layer. After hearing this, Murong Chunhua immediately sent him to Beiluntai City, and his whole body was dirty! A pair of shoes were soured that it was covered with holes and was covered with soil. He took off his shoes and socks and entered the tent barefoot.

Ma Xiaochun brought wine and roasted mutton, and smiled and said to Chai Rong: "Little brother, except for the children of the noble generals, such as Yang Zhuo Duwei, no one else has ever come in this tent. Marshal Meng personally gave wine and meat, you are the first one."

Then he pointed to the east in the tent and boasted to Chai Rong, such as Gu Du's sword, Di Yin's helmet, the armor presented when Satuk surrendered, etc. Chai Rong was amazed at the sight, but he was not nervous. He was sitting in the tent, and he picked up the wine and meat and ate it. He was not polite, but he was not rude.

Seeing that he was generous, Ma Xiaochun was disgusted.

After Chai Rong left, the military tent meeting had not ended for a long time. He waited for another moment, but he couldn't wait for Guo Wei to avoid being anxious. Ma Xiaochun said, "I'll go and take a look for you."

After a while, I went back and said, "It's so amazing, this will be really not simple! It's past dinner time, and they don't stop."

Chai Rong said, "There are probably important things." He thought that the Marshal and the others didn't even care about food, and they had wine and meat, so they didn't want to complain, so they patiently continued to wait.

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Chai Rong didn't know that this meeting was closely related to the information he brought. After he went out, Yang Yi immediately said: "The Khitan and the Uighurs must have major plans to secretly manage this valley. If they were allowed to successfully meet in a place with water sources, it would be unfavorable for us. The Uighurs came in full swing and brought a lot of grains, cattle and sheep. The Khitans were strong in their soldiers and horses. If the two families cooperated and communicated in time, we would be afraid that we would be at a disadvantage!"

Guo Shiyong asked: "Ayi, what are you going to do?"

Yang Yi said: "I plan to bring in 20,000 elite soldiers, kill them directly, and destroy their stronghold!"

Guo Shiyong and Li Bin were both surprised: "This is too risky!"

Yang Yi said: "They thought that the location was hidden, and our army fought quickly and would definitely be caught off guard! Conservatively speaking, this battle was to cut off the hope of the main force of the Khitan and the Uighurs. If we talk about it, it would be a serious blow to the Hu coalition forces in this battle!"

Shi Ba also said: "Yes, if the Hu people in the east and west are frustrated, their morale will definitely be sluggish. At that time, we will set up a large army to expel them, or we can fight to determine the world!"

Yang Yi continued: "I heard from Guo Rong's description that there are many sheep in this river valley and many grass mountains are hidden. It is likely that Hu *** is the place where the area of ​​grain is stored. If so, this battle is not just about killing the enemy. Once the food and grass of the Hu people are destroyed, it will be difficult for them to fight again! This is Cao ***'s attack on Wuchao, and this battle is between success and failure!"

Zhang Mai was also moved by the sound of his heart. It is almost winter. Once the food and grass are destroyed, no matter whether it is the Khitan or the Uighurs, they will have no power to fight again. Even if that river valley is not the only place where the Hu people store grain, as long as a large warehouse is burned, the morale of the other party will be greatly affected, and it will inevitably be difficult to survive the next severe winter!

At that time, the Tang army could take advantage of the situation to pursue and pick a dog in the water to fight, and they could also save their victory!

However, Guo Shiyong and Li Bin both opposed it. Guo Shiyong said: "Ayi's decision is too hasty! Because the news brought by a small young soldier has to change the entire tactical direction. It's okay, he has to take the risk of attacking. It's too risky, I can't agree!"

"So what about the young soldier? How can a person determine whether the information he brings is trustworthy based on his identity?" Yang Yi said: "Those such news were originally only obtained by small people. If Chunhua had been aware of his every move, it would be impossible to penetrate deep into the rear of the enemy! The people below tried their best to find out the news, and we wanted to confirm which of these news are true, which of them are false, which of them are trustworthy and which of them are not trustworthy! We have asked so many details before, for what? We are trying to make sure that this news is credible!"

Li Bin said: "Can you do this? Let's send someone to detect it first to see if it is really as Guo Rong said."

Yang Yi said: "When the intermission and detection, the Khitans will definitely be discovered, and the surprise attack will not be effective at that time."

Guo Shiyong said: "It's better to face the enemy, why do you have to defeat the enemy with strange means?"

Yang Yi said: "Soldiers are the most important, and generals are the most important to be good at breaking! If you don't advance, you will miss the opportunity. That is what ordinary generals do! Our army started with courage and courage. If we hesitate, I am afraid that we are still wandering and hiding in Xinliye City! In the battle of Zhaoshan, in the battle of Julan City, in the battle of Dengshang City, in the battle of Shule, in the battle of which time, weren't we going to win in the danger? We always seek great victory in danger! We should not let go of such opportunities!"

"But our current situation is different from when we were in Xinruiye City, Zhaoshan, and Shule!" Guo Shiyong said: "When we were in Xinruiye City, we would die if we didn't move forward! When we were in Zhaoshan, we would die if we didn't fight to the death! When we were in Shule, we would not be able to obtain our first base if we didn't take risks! But what about now? Now we are not barefoot men with nothing left! We have thousands of miles of territory and millions of people behind us, and they all rely on us to protect us. And our troops are already strong, and we can attack and retreat or defend, and we no longer need to take risks! I think this information from Guo Rong should be true, but I am very worried now. What I worry about is that you are wise and know the taste. Because you have won the risk before, you think that you can win even if you take risks now - this is undesirable!"

"Uncle Yong, your idea is the real possibility!" Yang Yi said: "The Uighurs in Lingxi had thousands of miles of territory and millions of people? But now? They were defeated by us! And they were defeated!"

He was standing up when he was excited and stood up and said, "Why can we win? It is because we dare to take risks and do things. When we break, we will break. On the other hand, Lingxi Arslan always hesitate and hesitate. As a result, he is defeated and killed without a place to bury him! So what about Guiyi Army? The Cao family is stable enough, right? What's the end now! As for the Uighurs in Beiting, how could they destroy the country because of adventure? At the beginning, we were not in a uniform army and had tight food, but we were still able to break through the siege and break out of the world! Now our army is well-armed, abundant in food, and have elite soldiers and generals, but we are afraid of it!"

Guo Shiyong said: "This is not fear of one's head and one's head, it's caution!"

"Be cautious? I think we have been too cautious in the past two years!" Yang Yi said: "Since we entered Hexi, the soldiers and generals have been lazy, and many people are also afraid of death! Many people have industries in Hexi, and they want to protect their wives and children, and can no longer fight to the death as they used to! Because their lives have begun to be valuable! If you don't say anything else, just talk about Xiaoshi!"

He suddenly pulled the stone and said, "He is not as good as he used to be! His mental state has improved recently, but if he stayed in Hexi for another one or two years, I'm afraid he will be completely ruined!"

Shi Ba's face turned red, and Yang Yi pointed at Li Bin and said, "And our Lord Sima! You are also more timid than before! You offer suggestions and say something to drag your feet!"

Li Bin couldn't react for a moment, and Yang Yi said to Guo Shiyong again: "And you, Uncle Yong! The passion you had in Zhaoshan Palace seemed to have returned slowly recently! What are you doing in Hexi? See how Gongcao reported his merits to Guo Rong and Yang Zhuo - the back-up who should be promoted did not even have the qualifications to be rewarded in Luntai City. A Yang family who does not need to be promoted rewarded! Is it because those Gongcao treat Guo Rong so casually because he has no background? Why did he add icing to Yang Zhuo? Is it because he is my Yang Yi's younger brother? You also say what kind of regulations this is? In my opinion, this is a bureaucrat!"

Yang Yi's temper was not good at all. He dared to contradict Mr. Guo in public when he was in Xinshuo Yecheng. His contributions have been increasing day by day and his authority has increased day by day. Although Guo Shiyong is an elder, he did not show mercy after he said that he was unable to get out of office.

Zhang Mai hurriedly reconciled and said, "Ayi, Xiao Shitou is a little lazy, but Li Sima is planning for the country. As for the habits of Gongcao and bureaucrats, it is not a big deal to blame Uncle Yong."

Yang Yi said: "I'm not blaming anyone, but I'm actually not good at it. What I said is that our overall atmosphere is getting worse and worse than when we swept across the Western Regions! We were like the morning sunshine, but we could break through the dark clouds and shine on the earth! And now, Brother Mai, we are losing our momentum! Some people in our army have dusk energy - this is the most terrifying, more terrifying than defeating one or two! Fine wandering, this is what literati do, and it's the personality of merchants. As for us warriors, we just throw blood to fight the battlefield! The atmosphere of our army must have such passion, and then there will be hope. Now we are at the time to maintain our achievements? These hesitations and calculations cannot be used to create foundations, and will only kill our expansion as a result! Such habits must be washed! Use blood to wash them!"

Guo Shiyong and Li Bin were suppressed by Yang Yi's aura and fell silent a little. Shi Ba also stood up and said, "Marson! Governor, let me go for this attack!"

Zhang Mai pondered and asked Guo Wei about his opinion. In fact, Guo Wei was older than Zhang Mai. He was several times more experienced in the war than Zhang Mai. He was a subordinate for a long time, so he was more calm than Zhang Mai. However, he had the lowest class in the tent. The General of the Central Army was not qualified to participate in this discussion. It was already an exception to the audience. At this time, the senior officials of the Three Daling West had an ambiguity. One of the three was the oldest Guo Shiyong, the other was Li Bin, and the other was Yang Yi, who was in full swing. In front of the three of them, Shi Ba, the leader of the general, was difficult to speak, let alone a mere Central Army general.

But when Zhang Mai asked, Guo Wei could only respond. This was not an easy occasion to speak. If someone was cautious and cautious, he would say a few words that would not offend others. But Guo Wei looked at Zhang Mai's eyes and was really asking for his own opinions. He thought to himself: "The Marshal is very kind to me, and I should repay him with all my heart. I would rather offend others! I should not let the Marshal ask for any useful advice after asking." Then he said: "Although Guo Rong is my son, I dare to guarantee with his head that he will not talk nonsense, nor will he be unfaithful. However, although he is smart, he is still young and may not be able to see through the deeper plot of the enemy. We decided to attack based on the information he brought back. It is actually quite risky. If Guo Rong can find the place where this valley is by chance, it is God's favor for us. But at the same time, we must also prevent it from being a trap set by the enemy on purpose!"

Yang Yi frowned when he heard this, feeling that Guo Wei's words were both perfect - but he himself hated this "no flaws" opinion. If he gave both opinions, it would be equivalent to not giving opinions!

Zhang Mai asked, "Then are you persistent in your opinion?"

Unexpectedly, Guo Wei said: "No, I think the governor's opinion is correct. This battle can be fought!"

This sentence was beyond everyone's expectations, and Zhang Mai said: "Can you fight?"

"Yes, even if there is a treacherous plan in this matter, this battle can be fought!" Guo Wei said: "If there is a treacherous plan in this battle, it means that the Khitan and the Uighurs are luring us to fight! Since that's the case, what are we afraid of? As long as we are well prepared, this battle is not impossible! Generally speaking, there must be bait to set up a trap. The deeper the trap is set and the larger the hope is, the larger the bait! If the Hu people want to lure us to fight, they must first reveal their flaws and give us. If we attack their flaws and do not fall into the trap, the Hu will steal chickens and lose rice!"

Yang Yi nodded and said, "That's right!"

"But since the Khitan and the Uighurs are going to lure us to fight, it proves one thing!" Guo Shiyong said: "It will be unfavorable for them to drag it on! Now, as long as we rely on Tianshan and defend Beiluntai City, we can be invincible. Since that is the case, why should we hurry to fight? Since the enemy has lure me to fight, we must set up a battlefield that is beneficial to them. If we abandon our strengths, we will be the strongest of the enemy. I am afraid that it is not done by wise people!" He said and looked at Li Bin: "Li Sima, do you think it is right?"

Li Bin was originally on the same front as Guo Shiyong opposed Yang Yi, but Guo Shiyong was a general and Li Bin was a staff officer. Moreover, Guo Shiyong was often the general of an army. He did not have to control the overall situation like Guo Luo, Yang Yi and Xue Fu. However, Li Bin, as a staff officer, had to consider more logistical issues and had to consider the balance between military and ***. Therefore, his position with Guo Shiyong was different from that of Guo.

"This..." He pondered for a long time after Guo Shiyong's reminder, before saying: "In fact, if you continue to drag on it, it will definitely be harmful to the Khitan and the Uighurs, but it may not be beneficial to us!"

Guo Shiyong was stunned, and Li Bin said: "Our army has had a lot of income in the past two years - both money and food income are very gratifying. But after all, my Tiance Tang Dynasty has not been established for a long time. It is too forced to deal with a war that will cost the country with a lifetime of money..."

What Li Bin was worried about at this time was the biggest hidden worry of the Tiance Army!

The ancients accumulated three years to respond to disasters, ten years to respond to wars, and twenty years to continue to compete for strong enemies. Once a war breaks out, it can make the century-long continue to be gone!

The Tiance Army has obtained countless money from the strong commercial momentum of the Silk Road reopening this year, but after all, it was very short and it was a local harvest last year. But after all, it was only one season. This money and grain seem to be a lot in peacetime, and it is like spending money when fighting a war!

It is precisely this that Guo Luo focused most of his attention on maintaining the Silk Road in the west, because it was the lifeline of the logistics supply of the Tang army in Tiance. It is precisely because of this that Zheng Wei was under tremendous financial pressure shortly after the war began, because for a regime that was only stable for one or two years, fighting such a war of power was itself hastily!

It was not just the economy, but at the *** level, the Tiance Army did not take over Hexi for a long time. Even though Zhang Mai arranged for Xue Fu, Lu Jialing and Zheng Wei to guard the back defense, it could not completely let him worry about it.

Li Bin said: "Actually, if we can choose, we will be much better if we fight this war in three years..." He looked at Zhang Mai and did not continue to entangle in this direction, because the reason why Zhang Mai fought so hard was to suppress this voice. Li Bin continued: "But the Khitan and the Uighurs did not give us this time, and we had to fight, but if we were to delay, I think a protracted war is not suitable for us. If we delay it for too long, the Khitan and the Uighurs will suffer a lot, but the harm we will suffer will be quite. Even if we can severely damage these two Hu tribes, once there is a problem within us, it may lead to a situation where we cannot deal with it ourselves!"

Yang Yi said: "Li Sima's words are just my wish! It's better to decide the outcome early in this war. The further you drag on it, the greater the variables will be!"

At this point, everyone in the tent had expressed their opinions. Zhang Mai closed his eyes and opened his eyes again for a long time before he opened his eyes and said to Yang Yi: "I have always believed in your intuition. Do you think this is an opportunity or a trap?"

Yang Yi said: "Even if it is a trap, I still have the confidence to break through the hardships!"

Zhang Mai felt a little uneasy when he heard this. Seeing that Guo Shiyong knew that it was difficult to stop it, he said, "Let Ayi go. We will send troops to follow us, arrange arrangements along the way, and provide reinforcements at any time."

Yang Yi said, "I have 20,000 elite soldiers, which is enough to be invincible in the battlefield! Even if there is a trap, I can't trap me! If I arrange reinforcements for the camp step by step, from here to that valley, it is not far away, and it is not close to it. If the strongholds are arranged too much, it is meaningless to disperse troops, and if there is less arrangement, it is meaningless. If you want to use a large army to pull the snake, it will lead the enemy to be cut in half! It is better to concentrate troops and rush northwards! And the soldiers are more important, so it is not advisable to be proud. I should work hard to go north and not look back at it! Only in this way can there be hope for victory!"

Zhang Mai thought for a while and said, "Why don't you let Chunhua go?"

Yang Yi said: "If this matter goes well, Chunhua's offensive will not be as fierce as me, and he will not be able to take advantage of the situation to sweep the barbarians and fight to pacify Beiting; if this matter is deceptive, Chunhua will not be as stoic as me! So it's better for me to go, so let Chunhua be my support."

Seeing that Yang Yi was already determined, Zhang Mai said, "Okay! Since the rebellion, our army has encountered countless difficulties and traps. Although the Khitan and Satuk today are far stronger than our past enemies, we are much stronger today than before! We will act according to Yang Yi's proposal in this battle! Please work hard and let us use this battle to pacify Beiting!"

He also discussed many battlefield arrangements with the generals, prepared details, and then acted on their own.

After Guo Wei came to the military account, he had Zhang Mai's permission to come to find Chai Rong. Chai Rong hugged him again. Guo Wei said, "Are you also a well-known young general now? Are you still the child of that year?"

Chai Rong lowered his head shyly, not as decisive as he was outside.

The father and son were talking about their farewell in Zhang Mai's tent. Guo Wei touched Chai Rong's forehead and said, "We have just gotten together, I'm afraid we will be separated again in a blink of an eye."

Chai Rong was very nervous and said, "Are you planning to attack that valley? Do you want me to lead the way?"

In fact, Zhang Mai and Yang Yi have not arranged this link yet, but since I decided to fight, the position of guide must be Chai Rong. This is an extremely high military secret. However, Guo Wei did not deny it when he saw that Chai Rong guessed it, and said, "This battle is not easy to fight, and he may lose his life at any time... I was favored by the marshal, so I will die without any complaints, but you are young..."

"Dad, stop saying this!" Chai Rong said: "I haven't been accepted by the Marshal! In the past few months, I have entered the army just to make a living, but now I love the Tiance Army deeply! The Khitans killed our team, and I am about to seek revenge on them! What age does a man have to do with his country? If I can do my best in this battle, I will only be happy! Even if I sprinkle blood on the battlefield, I will not regret it!"

Guo Wei felt happy and worried in his heart when he heard this. He stroked his beloved son's hair and said, "It's not too late for a man to take revenge for ten years, and he doesn't have to hurry up to make achievements! If you really go to the army this time, remember to protect yourself. Although you are not my biological child, I will search for the ends of the world and can't find a good son like you."

Chai Rong was moved when he heard this, and couldn't help but choke up, and then smiled and said, "Dad! Let's not talk about this! If we look back and let the marshal see it, we might laugh at us for being unwilling!"

The entire Luntai defense zone was in a state of war and had to act at any time. Yang Yi spent one night ordering 17,000 cavalry. He had to point out the most elite troops of the entire army, because he had to consider that after the battle started, Luntai would be subjected to a huge counterattack, so the soldiers and generals he pointed out were the most suitable.

After the general and the soldiers were finished, Chai Rong was indeed caught by the siege as a guide. Yang Yi called him to his side and repeatedly asked about the location of the river valley and the various situations he encountered along the way to infer the deployment of the Khitan troops.

Shiba asked to follow the journey, but Yang Yi did not take him. He asked Murong Chunhua and Liu Heihu to defend the eastern front and asked Guo Shiyong to preside over the western front and lead the crowd to set off at any time.

At the same time, Zhang Mai dispatched many trained militias and transferred them to Guo Wei's command. He took out a piece of armor from the treasury of Beiluntai City, fought horses, improved the arming of the Mingwei army, and assigned twenty heavy crossbows, three hundred fire dragon spears, tens of thousands of refining bombs to Guo Wei. He even specially rewarded him with a thousand-mile mirror, which was known to the whole army.

Ding Hao and others were secretly excited, but Tian An said, "The Marshal values ​​us like this, so don't cause jealousy from other soldiers."

Yang Xin said to Xu Congshi: "I have a premonition that you and I have a reputation in history, and I will fight here!" He had just changed to a good war horse and got another pair of light armor and a pair of strong bows. At this time, the equipment was basically the same, so he was full of confidence!

Xu Congshi looked at the heavy crossbow just raised beside him, not saying anything. But his palms were itchy!

The Tang army's troops deployed in Beiting was light in the east and heavy in the west, with only 30,000 to 40,000 people in the east, and the task was just to defend. However, the Beiluntai City Defense Zone was 10,000,000 people in the west, and the main attack was.

Yang Zhuo asked himself to be the vanguard, but Yang Yi asked him to stay and asked him to follow Murong Chunhua, while Chi Ding was the vanguard. Yang Zhuo shouted loudly, but was stunned by Yang Yi's sword-like eyes.
Chapter completed!