Datang: Rebirth of Li Chengqian, the beginning of the treason interrogation

Chapter 221 Who says that a few thousand people cannot defeat an enemy of ?

"No, I am old and weak. If I move my bones a little, my whole body will feel as if being stabbed by thousands of needles at the same time. Time is really unforgiving. I can't refuse to accept my old age. Now it's impossible for me to charge into battle."

Yuchi Jingde sighed and shook his head as he spoke, his face full of helplessness and self-mockery.

At this moment, he was really worried that Li Shimin would act on impulse and lead just a few thousand of them to rush towards the enemy camp.

They didn't care about the casualties, but they were afraid that something bad would happen to Li Shimin.

"Your Majesty, this is the front line of the battle. The situation is extremely dangerous. To protect your majesty's health, I beg you to move to the rear of the army."

At this moment, Su Dingfang hurriedly stepped forward, clasped his fists, bowed and spoke.

Su Dingfang was very familiar with the story of Pojun capturing his master.

We can’t let Xueyantuo retaliate against us in the same way they have treated us.

"General Su is right. There were frequent movements of troops in the Xueyantuo camp just now. I think they were sending people to spy on our military situation."

"If they knew that we only have a few thousand men, they would surely attack us mercilessly. This place is too dangerous. Your Majesty, please evacuate quickly!"

Yuchi Jingde echoed with a worried look on his face, even with a layer of fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

However, in the face of their persuasion, Li Shimin still stood there as steady as a rock, not moving a muscle.

Looking at the Xueyantuo in the distance, holding tightly in his hand the horsewhip that symbolizes imperial power and majesty, he seemed to be pondering some important decision.

"Who says that we can't defeat the enemy with just a few thousand people? I have led the army to fight for many years. When have I not defeated the strong with the weak? When have I not defeated the many with the few? At this moment, the opportunity for battle has emerged."

The setting sun is as red as blood, shining on the earth, dyeing the entire earth orange.

In the Xueyantuo army camp, wisps of smoke rose up, which looked particularly eye-catching against the backdrop of the setting sun.

"Your Majesty, this is absolutely not feasible! You must not charge into battle yourself!"

Seeing that Li Shimin was really determined to defeat the enemy, Yuchi Jingde was extremely anxious. He quickly grabbed the reins of Li Shimin's mount, not even caring whether this action violated the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects.

After all, Li Shimin at this time was like a dying horse, at the end of his strength. If he experienced the violent turbulence of a battle again, his life would be in danger.

However, Li Shimin just smiled slightly, looking calm and composed: "General Yuchi, there is no need to be so nervous, I know what is going on."

After saying that, he raised his arm and pointed his finger forward.

"Generals, please look, the Xueyantuo army is busy making fire and cooking, and the whole army is at its most relaxed. If we take this opportunity to launch an attack."

"We should imitate the battle of Hulao Pass, charge into the enemy's front camp, penetrate their rear camp, and then raise the Tang flag. This will surely throw the Xueyantuo army into chaos."

Opportunities on the battlefield are often fleeting, and because everyone's thinking and tactical methods are different, the strategies adopted for the same battle situation are also different.

For Li Shimin, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Because during a pursuit, the time when people are most relaxed is when they eat.

This is true for both humans and animals.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the army to attack the enemy!"

Su Dingfang knelt on one knee, clasped his hands together, and asked Li Shimin for orders without hesitation.

After Li Shimin's reminder, he instantly realized that this was an excellent opportunity for battle.

Li Shimin frowned slightly and asked with some doubt: "General Su, you have been fighting for days. Do you have enough energy to fight again?"

Su Dingfang's face was firm, and he replied without flinching, "I am fine, Your Majesty, please rest assured! I still have enough energy to lead the army to fight again!"

After saying this, he deliberately raised his voice to make his words sound more powerful, and he looked energetic and majestic.

Seeing this, Li Shimin felt a little relieved. He immediately waved his hand and gave a decisive order:
"Okay! Since General Su is so determined, I will grant your request. You must lead 3,000 elite cavalry to break the enemy's formation immediately, and you must charge all the way from the front of the enemy's main camp. When you reach their rear, raise our Tang army flag high to show your power!"

Immediately afterwards, Li Shimin continued to deploy follow-up actions in an orderly manner:

"At that time, I will personally lead the remaining soldiers to follow closely and provide full support. This operation must be fought and resolved quickly, and the opportunity must not be missed!"

Time is running out, every minute and every second is crucial, and Li Shimin knows very well that the faster and more decisive the decision is, the more beneficial it will be to his side.

"Follow the order!"

Following this firm and powerful response, Su Dingfang quickly turned around and glanced coldly at the soldiers behind him.

"Go out and defeat the enemy!"

Immediately afterwards, Su Dingfang waved his hand and led a group of elite troops to rush out rapidly from the flank.

The sound of horse hooves echoed in the valley, kicking up dust all over the sky.

This veteran, who was already over fifty years old, actually rushed to the front of the team, wearing heavy armor, holding an extremely sharp spear, and the warhorse under his crotch neighing incessantly.

It makes people look sideways.

Su Dingfang's weather-beaten face was now full of determination and courage, and his bright eyes revealed his desire for military exploits.

He didn't feel tired at all, but instead his fighting spirit was aroused.

He has been waiting for this opportunity for too long.

"Jingde, judging from the situation, Su Dingfang is still strong despite his age. He will be of great use in the next ten years."

Li Shimin looked at the receding army with a somewhat lonely tone.

They were of the same generation, but Su Dingfang, who was a few years older than him, was still able to charge into battle.

Now, he can only rely on the stimulation of drugs to be able to ride reluctantly.

"What's your majesty's order?"

Yuchi Jingde didn't dare to look directly at him and asked with his head down.

Li Shimin might give some explanation for it.

"Su Dingfang is mature and prudent, and has great potential. He has made great military achievements in the battle against Xueyantuo this time. After Zhinu ascends the throne, he can be rewarded handsomely and made an important official in the court."

"As far as Su Dingfang is concerned, Zhinu has done him a favor, so he can be controlled. If there is any military indecision, he can make the final decision."

Li Shimin said in a deep voice that he had only just discovered this great talent and it was too late for him to personally instruct Li Zhi.

I can only ask Yuchi Jingde to convey the message.

"However, this person was previously recommended by the nobles in Hebei. Do we still need to set up defenses?"

We still need to ask Li Shimin how much power to be given.

"As for military operations, he is in charge. He has experienced the war at the end of the Sui Dynasty, the war to destroy the Eastern Turks, and the current Xueyantuo war. In the whole country, no one can match his experience in battle formations, except for me and Li Jing, the Duke of Wei."

"As for other matters, I will make my own arrangements."

After a brief trial, Li Shimin decided to reuse Su Dingfang.

Such a big commotion obviously could not escape the detection of the Xueyantuo scouts.

"Are all Tang people a bunch of lunatics?"

Mu Ke Na, who came out to spy on the military situation, saw the Tang cavalry charging towards the main camp, and his face changed drastically.

A few thousand against a hundred thousand, it's a dead end no matter how you look at it.

Of course, this is based on normal circumstances.

But now, the Xueyantuo army is not ready for battle.

High risk means high returns.

As one of the few wise and brave generals in the Xueyantuo army, Mukena knew that this would be another defeat.

The army of tens of thousands was defeated one after another by the Tang army of thousands of soldiers.

How can he accept this?

"Send a message to Khan to warn him. The rest of the soldiers, follow me to intercept and kill the Tang army."

Perhaps influenced by the courage of the Tang army, Mu Ke Na ordered a charge against Su Dingfang's troops.

The Tang people dared to launch an attack on the Xueyantuo army despite a difference of dozens of times in military strength.

Why couldn't they launch a charge against the Tang army?

He did not seek to annihilate the Tang cavalry, but only hoped to buy enough time for Duomi Khan to react. "General, the enemy has been spotted on the left wing."

Among the marching army, a knight rode at full speed to the front and rode side by side with Su Dingfang.

Su Dingfang turned his head and saw that the Xueyantuo cavalry had appeared on the left.

No one knew the enemy's situation regarding this sudden attack.

The anxious eyes of both sides were focused on Su Dingfang.

It was obvious that there was some panic among the Tang army.

This panic comes from the unknown and passivity.

As the main general, Su Dingfang was unusually calm.

"Don't worry, this is just a small group of enemy troops, as you can tell from the dust they raise."

Relying on his rich experience in battle, he immediately determined the approximate number of Xueyantuo troops.

"Send 300 men to the left wing to intercept the invading enemy, and the rest of the soldiers, charge at full speed."

Su Dingfang was also more certain that the Xueyantuo army was not on guard, and the smoke from cooking fires they saw was not a strategy to lure the enemy deeper.

"Damn it!"

Mu Ke Na cursed loudly, and as their cavalry was entangled with the Tang cavalry, they could only watch Su Dingfang disappear from their sight.

It's very frustrating that the war turned out like this.

They were always led by the Tang army and were unable to use their strength.

The Tang army used a small force to move a heavy object.

"Urgent report!"

A sharp and rapid cry broke the quiet atmosphere of the evening.

"Tang cavalry attacks!"

Then another call was heard.

Enemy attack!

These two words exploded in the crowd like thunder, instantly plunging the entire scene into panic.

I saw dozens of light cavalry galloping into the Xueyantuo camp gate.

They galloped on horseback and shouted loudly, spreading the critical military situation quickly to every corner of the army.

clang! clang!
The clear sounds of gongs rang out one after another.

Many soldiers who were having dinner were frightened when they heard the alarm. They dropped their bowls and chopsticks and stood up suddenly.

They hurriedly grabbed the weapons around them and looked around in panic, trying to find the enemy's trace as soon as possible.

In an instant, the originally quiet and orderly military camp seemed to be dropped with a heavy bomb, and all kinds of noisy sounds intertwined together, deafening.

There were the panicked screams of soldiers, the angry shouts of officers, and the clanging sounds of weapons colliding.

The entire camp fell into extreme chaos and noise.

At this moment, a huge cloud of yellow dust rose into the sky outside the camp.

The figures of the Tang army's cavalry could be vaguely seen in the dust.

The exact number of enemies coming is unknown.

Seeing this, the Xueyantuo soldiers involuntarily began to retreat towards the central army.

As they have not yet received combat orders from their superiors, they are like a group of headless flies at this moment, completely losing their sense of direction and having no idea how to deal with the crisis before them.

He could only rely on the instinct for survival to retreat step by step, while nervously watching the movements in front of him, holding the knife and gun tightly in his hands, ready to fight back at any time.

"Snapped!"

At this time, Duomi Khan, who was in charge of the central army, also received the news.

He slammed the table and kicked the hot horse meat to the ground.

"Does the Tang army really think we are so easy to bully?"

"Beat the drum to meet the enemy!"

Duomi Khan said angrily, then rushed out of the military camp with a knife in hand.

However, when he came out, he was dumbfounded.

Because the periphery of his tent was already surrounded by his own people.

The retreat of the soldiers on the periphery caused a series of problems.

"Khan, this is bad. The soldiers are all crowding towards the center of the army, making it difficult to pass orders."

Datushe squeezed through the crowd with great difficulty and came in front of Duomi Khan.

"Then let them disperse!"

Duomi Khan was furious. Looking at the crowded crowd, he felt a sense of powerlessness.

This is a case of one's own people betraying one's own people.

However, this also exposed the ability of the commander in the Xueyantuo army.

Being a commander is often more than just a matter of strategic deployment.

More importantly, the layout and deployment of the entire army.

When setting up camp, they would also arrange their military formations to support each other and rescue each other in case of a surprise attack.

It won't be overcrowded.

"We can't disperse. The Tang army has already launched a charge. They are constantly driving our soldiers away. I hope the central army will chase them."

Dadushe shook his head.

Although the command center is still there, it is extremely difficult to convey military orders under such circumstances.

"Mu Ke Na misunderstood me!"

Duomi Khan regretted it deeply. If he had launched the charge earlier, he would not have fallen into such a predicament now.

Duomi Khan was worried about gains and losses and lacked the courage to make a decisive move, which has led to the current situation.

There was no one in the army with commanding ability, which was why Su Dingfang was able to launch surprise attacks repeatedly.

The layout of the camp has already exposed this.

No inherent defense system was formed, but people and horses were simply gathered in one place.

With this layout, it would be strange if nothing went wrong.

"kill!"

The deafening shouts of killing coming from afar made the army formation more compact.

People were so crowded that there was no space at all.

My breathing became rapid.

"Khan, the only solution now is for each tribe to act according to their own discretion, otherwise they will be trampled upon again."

Dadushe quickly suggested.

"They are all idiots. Not a single one of them is useful. They are all pig-headed."

Duomi Khan was furious.

The tribal generals on the periphery did not form a defense line in the first place.

Instead, he led his troops to squeeze into the central army, causing the command center to be paralyzed.

(End of this chapter)