Chapter 18 8. Prescribe the right medicine: Suspicious Shibi Khan is here again

Li Yuan's preparations in Taiyuan went very smoothly. His military strength continued to expand, and the sons of the gentry continued to come to join him. The surrounding rebels were either incorporated or suppressed, and all aspects were improved in a balanced manner.Although there is a chaotic world in front of us, it seems that it will not interfere with the vigorous development of Taiyuan. Li Yuan is very satisfied with this situation. But there was an unforeseen situation. Just when Li Yuan was full of ambition and wanted to raise an army, the Turkic army suddenly overwhelmed the outside of Taiyuan City.This unexpected sudden change caught Li Yuan off guard, and he hastily summoned his advisers to discuss countermeasures.

The young and energetic Liu Hongji stood up and said: "With our military strength in Taiyuan, there are not many opponents in the world. This Khan Shibi has come to commit crimes. It is better to take him down and strengthen our army!" After hearing this, several young generals were also excited and expressed their support.Only the mature and prudent Pei Ji said: "The biggest enemy we have to face is the Sui army first, and then there are the rebels, big and small. These will consume a lot of troops, and they are also the main purpose of our troop drills. Who would have expected the Turks to come suddenly?" It is really not good for me. First, we are not ready to deal with the Turks; second, once the war starts, the Turks, known for their bravery, will definitely reduce our strength. Although our strength is equal, we may not necessarily lose, but if the Sui The army took advantage of the opportunity to attack, and together with the rebels from all walks of life, it will be difficult to guarantee the chance of victory."

Pei Ji had a thorough analysis of what he said, and Li Yuan nodded deeply.He looked around, and saw that everyone became silent one by one, having a headache for this sudden enemy. Li Yuan smiled, pretending to be relaxed and said: "Actually, since we are going to raise an army, we have to think about the internal and external worries. But in the plan, I first plan to flatten the defined army, increase its strength, and then confront the Sui army Wait until these internal troubles are quelled, and then send troops to pacify the Turks. Human calculations are not in time, and now the Turks are the first to rush in front of us. But there is no need to panic. Marching and fighting are all about a response. If we can’t cope with this change, how can we cope with more and bigger battles in the future?”

After hearing this, Li Shimin stood up suddenly, and said to Li Yuan and the generals: "The Turkic invasion, we have to resist, whether it is to defend the country or be forced to fight, but in the current situation, we can't waste our strength. So in the end It’s good to find a way to minimize the loss.” Li Yuan looked at this son, from the previous passion and recklessness, to now has become more and more calm.He no longer wants to start a war immediately, nor does he just want to use force to solve these problems, but after careful consideration, he hopes to find the best solution. This is his mature performance.

Li Yuan asked: "Do you have any good ideas?" Li Shimin said: "I don't know if my father still remembers, that year I followed Yun Dingxing to Yanmen King Qin to rescue him, and I was facing this Shibi Khan head-on." Li Yuan said: "Of course I remember, that was the first time you led the army, and you won the great victory of King Qin." Li Shimin said: "With that confrontation, this Turkic Khan and I can be regarded as old rivals. Through the last confrontation, I found that he is a very suspicious person. The so-called 'a country is easy to change, but one's nature cannot be changed'. So , this time I plan to use the old method to deal with him!"

Li Yuan hurriedly said: "That's not allowed! It is enough to use a trick once, and it will definitely be seen through the second time. Shibi Khan is also a generation of heroes. He has occupied the northern Turkic grassland for many years and conquered countless times. If you dare to use these tricks again Putting it in front of his eyes, it will definitely be exposed by him." Li Shimin said: "I just seized his suspicious weakness and targeted him. I will not completely copy the previous method." Seeing that Li Yuan was still a little worried, Pei Ji said: "Although Shimin is young, he has participated in many actual combats and has read a lot of military books. I believe he can come up with a good solution. Now is the time to train their young people. When it’s time, it’s better to give them the opportunity and let him perform well.”

Li Yuan nodded dubiously, and said to Li Shimin: "Then tell me your plan and let me hear what you want to do." Li Shimin said with confidence: "My strategy is still centered on the word 'doubt'. Now that the Turks are coming to invade, and the military strength is equal, so we and Shibi Khan have to fight for who is more brave. And once he finds out that we are actually The strength of Taiyuan is far stronger than that of the Turks, so he probably won’t see it that way. Therefore, I want to create a false impression that the strength of soldiers and horses in Taiyuan is not what he saw, and it is still growing.”

Liu Hongji, Changsun Wuji and others gathered around Li Shimin and said anxiously: "We will act according to your plan, please tell us what we should do." Li Shimin said: "In the past two days, the Turks have stationed troops far outside the city of Taiyuan. The first step we have to do is to bring down the flagpoles at the top of the city, remove the defenses, and open the city gates halfway. retreat." Li Yuan said: "Isn't this very dangerous, what if the Turks take advantage of the momentum to attack?" Li Shimin said: "Don't worry, Shibi Khan will not do anything easily before the investigation is clear." He turned to Liu Hongji and others and said, "I did this to make him feel that Taiyuan doesn't care about him." At night, you will lead a team of troops and hide in the mountains around the city. At dawn the next day, you will lead an army of 10,000 people past the Turkic camp and enter the city of Taiyuan, making him think that our reinforcements have arrived. .”

Liu Hongji said happily: "A great plan! A great plan! In this way, that Khan will definitely be shocked!" Li Shimin said: "According to this method, we can implement it repeatedly every day. If Khan Shibi doesn't do anything for a day, we will show him a reinforcement scene every day." Pei Ji laughed and said, "Second Young Master's strategy is really brilliant! I'm afraid that if our reinforcements keep coming, then Khan Shibi will be scared away, and there will be no chance to move!" Li Shimin said: "This is exactly our ultimate goal. We don't need a single soldier, but just use our momentum to scare them all away!"

After listening to this explanation and arrangement, Li Yuan nodded in satisfaction, and said to Li Shimin: "This method is indeed good, but you must also be careful that Shibi Khan will not fall for your tricks!" Liu Wenjing and others said: "Don't worry if you stay behind. Even if the fight really starts at that time, we will not be afraid. If the second son's plan is successful, it will indeed save us a lot of soldiers and horses." Li Yuan nodded and said, "If that's the case, then act according to plan." Li Shimin took the order and led Liu Hongji and other young generals. After making some arrangements, he sent a team of tens of thousands of people out of the city quietly that night.After repeating this for six days, Shibi Khan finally couldn't sit still. Seeing that Taiyuan's reinforcements continued, they would soon exceed half of his own troops. Let's retreat.

On the sixth day, Li Yuan boarded the city gate and saw that the Turkic army had left camp.He couldn't help laughing, and said to Li Shimin: "This time, it was all thanks to your ingenious plan that you were able to drive away Shibi Khan without a single soldier! The law of war says: attacking the city is the bottom, attacking the heart is the top. As long as His morale is shaken, and the victory is ours." Li Shimin thanked his father for his compliment, and said with a smile: "I used this strategy when I fought against Shibi Khan at Yanmen Pass; It might be like a thunderbolt!" Pei Ji said: "What the second son said is very true. The Turkic Khan is a violent person. If he finds out that we have lied to him, he may have a more violent counterattack. We should think about countermeasures as soon as possible." Liu Hongji said carelessly: "Now we can't take care of it, so we let him die. When we pacify other places, when he comes again, we will definitely beat him to death." Pei Ji said: "Then if he suddenly attacked while we were suppressing other troops, wouldn't we be under attack?" Li Shimin pondered for a while, and said: "Uncle Pei is right, it seems that my vision is not far-sighted enough to think of these things." Li Yuan patted him on the shoulder and said to him: "You don't need to blame yourself, the Turks have always been capricious. Back then, Emperor Wen married Princess Yicheng to him, hoping to get peace on the border through marriage, but you see now It’s not the same as the constant attacks. For our gold, silver, treasures, he will continue to provoke, between us and him, there is bound to be a big battle.” Hearing Li Yuan's words, Li Shimin suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and said to Li Yuan: "Since what he is asking for is only our gold, silver, jade and silk, then we will give it to him, so that he will not come to harass the border again?" Li Yuan looked at him strangely and said, "What does this mean? When did you become so unambitious?" Li Shimin smiled and said: "It's not that I have no ambition, but the situation in front of us does not allow us to have ambition. Shibi Khan is always a serious problem, and it is impossible for us to allocate troops to wait here for him. If so, On the contrary, it restrains our strength! Why don't we give him gold and silver treasures to satisfy him, and when we really have the strength to defeat him, we will have a showdown with him. At that time, let him know our ambition! " Liu Wenjing, who had been by the side, couldn't help clapping her hands when she heard Li Shimin's words, and said, "Well said! A man can do things according to the times, can bend and stretch, first lower your status and make friends with him, and wait until the day when you have the strength to decide the outcome The second son really has extraordinary views! I am willing to go to Turkic to convey this meaning to Shibi Khan, so as to keep my frontiers safe!" Li Yuan, Pei Ji and others also nodded, agreeing to Li Shimin and Liu Wenjing's proposal. It has always been very difficult to find stability in troubled times. Li Shimin grasped the characteristics of the opponent, retreated from the enemy with suspicion, and did what he liked. Through his strategy, not only did Turk Shibi Khan retreat from Taiyuan, And making friends with him kept the Turks away from the Central Plains, and relieved Li Yuan's worries for the future.Li Shimin, the hero who has been extolled through the ages, understands deeply: the so-called heroic courage is not based on momentary bravery, but looking to the future, choosing one's own posture based on the principle that is most beneficial to the situation, and not being ashamed of momentary condescension , because he has a higher goal that he wants to achieve.