Chapter 18 The Eighteenth Round of the Battle of the Pass

Qu Tutong reported the Luoyang battle to Li Shimin. Li Shimin read the newspaper carefully and couldn't help being furious. If you are hungry for a long time, as long as you don't mess up your position, forgive them. It will be difficult for them to break out of the siege. Let Wang Shichong get food and grass this time, what should I do?" Everyone in the hall looked at each other in blank dismay. According to their wishful thinking, there is not much food in Luoyang City. As long as Dou Jiande is blocked in front of Hulao Pass, so that he cannot rescue Wang Shichong, Wang Shichong will leave the city and surrender within two months.Luoyang is certain, so we can do our best to deal with Dou Jiande.Now that Wang Shichong has food and grass, he can continue to support it, so this wishful thinking has come to nothing.

Xiao Yu said worriedly: "Wang Shichong has obtained food and grass, and he can hold on to us with the fortified city. Dou Jiande in front of him can transport the millet from Hebei to the army continuously by means of water and land transportation. In this way, our food and grass supply turned into a problem.” Feng Deyi said: "Yes, we have been delayed for more than a year since we left Chang'an last year. The emperor's all-out support for money and food and deployment of troops has reached the end of his strength. Now we are in an embarrassing situation. , we don't want to lead the army back to Xin'an, in order to be safe."

Li Shimin was even more annoyed when he heard Feng Deyi's old tune repeated. He wanted to refute the past on the spot, but also thought that it would be inappropriate to argue with them in front of the room at this critical moment, so he pressed a few buttons to suppress his anger .Seeing Li Shi opening his mouth to speak, he said, "I've lost my mind on this matter. If I had entrusted the guarding of Luoyang to Brother Shi, the current situation would never have happened. At the critical moment, I still can’t hold back, and it’s hard to stick to my point of view. Brother Shi, do you have something to say?”

Li Shidao: "The battle has reached this point, and we can only hold on. We are uncomfortable here, and Dou Jiande's life is even more difficult. His nearly 200,000 soldiers and horses are huddled in the small town of Banzhu, unable to advance or retreat. Retreat depends on who is the most patient. In comparison, Wang Shichong relied on the fortified city to stand against us. Although he got some food and grass, he will eventually be the turtle in the urn. For the present plan, we must first defeat Dou Jiande with all our strength, and then Wang Shichong can be captured without a fight. "

Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui and others on the side nodded relative to each other after hearing the words, they did not agree with Feng Deyi's proposition at all.Originally, the intention of the surprise soldiers to occupy Hulao this time was to cut off the connection between Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande. If they return to Xin'an, all previous efforts will be wasted, which is really a failure. Feng Deyi observed the words and expressions, and saw that most of the people agreed with Li Shi's opinion, so he hurriedly smoothed things over: "What Director Li said is also reasonable, Deyi only thinks that this is a critical juncture, the King of Qin must make a decision immediately, and deal with today's situation."

Xiao Yu had been disdainful of Feng Deyi's character for a long time, and reprimanded: "Deyi, there is no joke in the army. We came to the army as the emperor's subjects. The emperor originally thought that this battle was important and asked us to assist The King of Qin fought this battle well, the so-called benevolence sees benevolence, and the wise see wisdom, as long as one's heart is directed towards the court, regardless of right or wrong, one can reveal one's heart. Your words will turn around a little too quickly." Xiao Yu was famous for his honesty in the court, his blunt words were stabbed like a knife, making Feng Deyi blush with shame.If he could bear it normally, but now that he exposed his old background in front of many subordinates, he couldn't hold back the fire in his heart, and wanted to explode in court.Seeing this, Li Shimin hurriedly stepped forward to persuade the two of them, saying: "Feng Gong, Xiao Gong, you can no longer argue. You are sincere to Tang, and Shimin can only be grateful on behalf of his father. This time Shimin is the commander in chief, and Listen to my analysis of the current situation, how about the second master discussing it in detail?"

After hearing Li Shimin's words, Xiao Yu and Feng Deyi turned and sat down.When Feng Deyi saw Li Shimin coming to the circle, the red color on his face gradually faded away. Li Shimin said: "Brother Shi's words are very reasonable. For today's plan, we can only force Wang Shichong to confer the headship if we defeat Dou Jiande with all our strength. Hulao Pass prevents Dou Jiande from moving forward. If he is allowed to huddle comfortably in Banzhu, he will not be able to move forward." It is not my intention. Our first step is to cut off his food path and make him fall into chaos. Wang Junkuo and Duan Zhixuan, this matter of cutting off his food path is planned by the two of you."

On that day, Wang Junkuo and Duan Zhixuan were ordered by Li Shimin to lead their troops to the riverside, where there is a series of hills extending from Hulao Pass, they deployed troops at important places, and stationed themselves on the hill next to the river.There are dense trees on the hill, and there is a torrential river at the foot of the hill in the north. At that time, the river was so high that it was difficult for boats to move. The two of them had paid more attention to Dou Jiande's going upstream. . Today Li Shimin ordered them to plan to attack Dou Jiande's food road. The two rode back to camp. It's hard work, but if you really approach them, it's like hitting a stone with an egg. Zhixuan, the King of Qin said to let Fang Xuanling help us. He is a scribe and has no strength to restrain a chicken. What's the use?"

Duan Zhixuan said: "After the church meeting, Mr. Fang and I only had a quick meeting. He was in a hurry to adjust the boat and listen to his words. This time we will not go by land, but take a boat down the river. I think the king of Qin always counts. There is no strategy left, Mr. Fang's move must be very reasonable." Wang Junkuo heard that he was going down the river, but he still didn't understand. This strategy was actually offered by Li Shi, who was guarding Li Yang back then and knew the surrounding geography like the palm of his hand.This time Dou Jiande came to attack on a large scale. All the food and fodder needed by his army were loaded on the boats, and they traveled westward along the Yongji Canal and the river.Dou Jiande ordered his general Zhang Qingte to be in charge of supplying the rear, and Zhang Qingte led the boats to camp at Jindiguan, which is only 20 miles away from Banzhu.While Zhang Qingte dispatched grain supplies to Banzhu, he anchored the grain-carrying boats along the coast, and the grain and grass could be picked up as needed. The empty boat unloaded the cargo was sent downstream, and the heavy ship moved forward to a berth to dock. It was very convenient to pick up the grain.

Li Shi quietly suggested to Li Shimin that five thousand people should be sent down by boat at night to attack Zhang Qingte's camp when he was unprepared, and send more people to set fire to his cargo ship. All its cargo ships burned one after another.If Dou Jiande loses these provisions, it will be difficult to raise a large number of ships for a while, and his army will immediately face a shortage of provisions.Li Shimin was overjoyed after hearing this, and only asked a small detail, that is, after the 5,000 men who went to attack had completed their mission, if it was very difficult to retreat by land, how would they retreat unscathed?Li Shi said that after they succeeded, they would take a boat to the other side of the river and travel west along the bank to Hanoi, Huaizhou, where the Luokou army could meet there.Li Shimin saw that the plan was sound, so he ordered Fang Xuanling to dispatch the ships immediately and wrote to Luokou's army to prepare for the response.

After three days, Fang Xuanling collected a total of 300 boats from Xin'an, Huiluo City and other places.The boats went down the river. At that time, the river was turbulent, and some temporary boat operators were not very skilled. Along the way, more than ten small boats capsized and fell into the water. Wang Junkuo and Duan Zhixuan greeted the fleet led by Fang Xuanling by the river, Fang Xuanling boarded the boat, and they entered the barracks together.At this time, they heard people neighing from the direction of Hulao, and hurried out to see what happened.It was Qin Shubao who took the lead.It turned out that when Qin Shubao followed Zhai Rang to raise troops in Wagang, they attacked westward to Jindi Pass. At that time, Qin Shubao led 800 troops to rush through the pass. Send him to help. It was only at this time that Wang Junkuo understood Li Shimin's strategy, and he couldn't help being overjoyed, and he called the other three to sit down and discuss.As for the time to attack, Fang Xuanling said that they can't fight today, the reason is that the soldiers are used to land battles, they don't know anything about water, and they need time to practice just boarding and disembarking, everyone understands that. In the next few days, Duan Zhixuan commanded the soldiers to practice getting on and off the boat, and Wang Junkuo, Qin Shubao, and Fang Xuanling went to the river every day to observe the water situation and weather conditions.Since April, the river has gradually stopped its rise and gradually dropped downwards.Fang Xuanling asked people to set up a ruler by the river to record the water level of the river every day.On the fifth day, when they came to watch again, they saw that the water level on the scale had dropped by half a foot in the past five days.At that time there was no wind on the river, and the yellow water flowed in front of the eyes, like a flat piece of yellow silk in the gentle place, although there were small eddies in the flowing water, it was not too urgent.The early summer sun shines on the river, and the river feels more gentle now.Fang Xuanling said: "My lord, the weather is good today. There will be a moon after nightfall. I watched the soldiers practice the boat and became more and more proficient. It seems that we can set off." Wang Junkuo said: "Mr. Fang, is Luokou ready for the reception? General Qin, if everything is ready, we can go." The two nodded together, Fang Xuanling said: "The preparations have already been made at Luokou, and the prepared boat has already moored to the north bank. At that time, we will take you on board and return to the south bank." Wang Junkuo said: "So, we will set off tonight. Mr. Fang, you can go back to Hulao and report the situation here to King Qin." At night, the first quarter moon casts silver light on the earth, and the river under the moonlight is mighty, majestic and gentle.At this time, Fang Xuanling had already returned to Hulao Pass, and when five thousand strange soldiers were about to set off, Qin Shubao stood by the river for the last pre-battle inspection, and suddenly remembered something, and hurried back to the camp to find Wang Junkuo, and said, "My lord, you can't leave tonight." !" Wang Junkuo wondered: "The moonlight is very bright tonight. After all, the soldiers are not familiar with sailing boats, so they can take advantage of the moonlight to go down. Why not?" "The purpose of our trip here is to cut off the grain road. Zhang Qingte connected the grain boats along the river. As long as these boats are burned, we can achieve our goal. Although the moonlight is good tonight, there is no wind on the river, let alone Talk about the west wind. Without the help of the west wind, the twenty fireboats we brought would be useless." Wang Junkuo was shocked: "Oh, why did we forget this verse? Even Mr. Fang, who is so thoughtful, has neglected it. General Qin, what should we do?" "I once heard Du Ruhui say that Li Chunfeng is the first person who can calculate yin and yang and is well versed in astronomy and calculus. However, this person travels around and has no fixed place. Now he can't quench his thirst from far away. For the present plan, we have to Choose some smart people from the army and let them stand by the river to observe the direction of the wind, then we will set off again." Wang Junkuo hesitated and said: "This is a stupid way. What if the wind changes direction soon after it blows up, or the wind stops altogether, and we are halfway, unable to advance or retreat, what should we do? What's more, it's early summer , there are quite a lot of south winds, and it is indeed too rare to wait for the west wind." They did not set off that night, Wang Junkuo sent someone to report the situation to Li Shimin, and at the same time sent someone to stand by the river to observe the wind and direction for twelve hours. In the following three days, there were several false alarms in the middle.Watching the west wind rise, the soldiers boarded the ship one after another, but the ship stopped before the wind started.Another time, the wind gradually weakened when the boat was two miles away, so they had no choice but to join the boat and return to the station, which made everyone complain. On the evening of the third day, dark clouds enveloped the sunset, and the sky darkened early. The westerly wind drifted slowly along the river at first, and gradually picked up momentum, and finally whirled.Duan Zhixuan was on the shore, overjoyed when he saw this, he rushed into the tent and shouted: "My lord, it seems that this time is for real, let's go." Wang Junkuo has also been watching the weather. He walked out of the tent and looked at the sky, and said worriedly: "If there is a wind, the rainstorm will follow. General Qin, if the rainstorm pours, our plan of burning the ship will be destroyed again." It fell through." Qin Shubao said: "It's okay, as long as the westerly wind is strong and our fire boats come close, the surface of those boats is usually covered with tung oil to prevent corrosion, which is easy to ignite. Wang Gong, let's go, I want God to bless Datang, this time is no exception. " Wang Junkuo ordered the soldiers to board the boat, and a hundred boats raced away in an instant. With the help of the wind, the boat moved faster on the river than before.The wind was raging and the waves were so violent that boats capsized in the river from time to time. Most of the soldiers who fell into the water were not familiar with water and drowned.In the middle of the boat trip, heavy rain really poured down. In the middle of the night, the vanguard of the fleet arrived at Jindi Pass, and Qin Shubao and Duan Zhixuan went ashore first.There is a large open area in front of Jindi Pass. In addition to being used as a water and land dock, Zhang Qingte has recently stored a lot of military supplies here for transshipment.It was windy and rainy tonight, and there were not many guards, so they all hid in tents to avoid the rain.Tang Jun went ashore without alarming anyone. Qin Shubao and Duan Zhixuan's 3,000 troops lined up on the shore, while Wang Junkuo behind him commanded the soldiers to gather the boats and fasten them, and at the same time led the rest of the soldiers to approach the water city.Among the accompanying ships, 20 ships were equipped with a cannon, reeds, dry firewood and other fire starters, about 3,000 dan. In order to avoid getting wet, they were covered with a layer of tung oil cloth.In addition, let the soldiers on board hold barb hooks. The torrential rain poured down one after another, and the water was as dense as a curtain. Wang Junkuo was worried there.The thing is very clear, if the torrential rain continues, today's fire attack plan will be in vain.All he can do now is wait, but the longer the time, the greater the danger of being discovered by Zhang Qingte. They waited here for another half an hour before the rain gradually eased. However, the strength of the wind has not stopped, but the whistle of the wind can be heard resounding across the banks.It was thought that the strong wind had blown away the dark clouds of the falling rain, only to see that the rain became smaller and smaller, and gradually became drizzle. Qin Shubao and Duan Zhixuan were waiting there, and Zhang Qingte, who was on guard, led the troops to fight out. Seeing that the rain had lightened and Wang Junkuo was still there, Qin Shubao couldn't bear it, and Duan Zhixuan continued to stay here. The guard at the side ran to the river alone, and when he saw Wang Junkuo, he said, "My lord, why don't you do it? Now is a rare and good time! In case the Xia army finds out our intentions, they will disperse the grain boats. We would have no chance." Wang Junkuo nodded and said, "General Qin, go over there and block the other side. I'm here." After that, he ordered the fire boat to move. Twenty boats sailed quietly, sailing smoothly, and the boats reached the water city in an instant.At that time, in order to avoid the wind and rain and come here to live in peace, the soldiers guarding the water city of the Xia army rushed to sleep with their heads covered in peace.Before the fire boat arrived at the grain boat, the soldiers on the boat hooked the grain boat with barb hooks, and then set fire to each other. After setting the fire, they jumped into the river and swam to the bank.These twenty fire boats are equipped with sulfur flames, mines, cannons, and dry reeds. Soon, the fire will be on fire.The fire boat ignited the grain boat, and the wind helped the fire, which burned half the sky red all at once. Zhang Qingte, who was sleeping, heard the fire, and hurriedly closed the door to watch. He only heard the whistling wind and whistle, and saw the fire spreading on the grain ship by the river, like a fire dragon with its teeth and claws.He couldn't figure it out for a while, so he put on his horse at Xiaguan and took people to check what happened.When he was not far away from the gate, in the light of the fire, he saw a group of men and horses blocking the way, the two leading the way were Qin Shubao and Duan Zhixuan.Qin Shubao has already made up his mind, there is no need to forcefully grab the pass now, as long as he stops the Xia army from coming to help and ensure that his side retreats safely, that is a surefire strategy.At this moment, he saw that the closed door was wide open, and many soldiers of Xia came out of it, and he said loudly: "General Duan, let's kill them first without asking what happened." go.Seeing this, Duan Zhixuan followed closely and charged. Zhang Qingte hastily came to greet him, but Qin Shubao shot him in the throat before he could close three times, and died.The soldiers of the Tang army who followed were like wolves and tigers. They quickly rushed into the enemy's formation and chopped up and down, with blood and flesh flying around.The soldiers of the Xia army who hadn't left the customs saw that the master was killed and the approacher was fierce, so they hurriedly closed the door tightly in fright. The soldiers of the Xia army outside who could escape in the future were quickly killed by the Tang army. Qin Shubao turned his head and ordered the soldiers to set fire in front of the pass, burning the military supplies that Xia Jun had stockpiled here.In the light of the fire, Tang Jun quickly retreated to the river in an orderly manner.Wang Junkuo had long been eager to see them through, and when he saw them returning safely, he directed everyone to board the boat, and then rowed northward. Overnight, Dou Jiande's food, grass and luggage were all reduced to ashes, and thousands of boats were also burned.Thinking about communicating with the North Shore calmly and transporting as in the past, it is impossible to see. When Dou Jiande decided to reinforce Wang Shichong, most of his generals were unwilling.After they defeated Meng Haigong, they personally gained a lot. They all received a large amount of gold, silver and jewelry, and some of them even kidnapped beautiful women to serve as concubines, hoping to return to their homes in the capital to enjoy it.Unexpectedly, before the horses rested, they put on their battle armor and headed west to assist Luoyang. The treasures they got had to be carried with the army, which felt very cumbersome.After the attack on Hulao was blocked and retreated to Banzhu, it was separated from Hebei by a river. Seeing that Hebei could not return home, the anxiety in my heart was unbearable for a while.Now Jindiguan was attacked by the Tang army again, food and grass were gone, and communication with the north bank was lost. Everyone became more anxious, and they demanded to stop the war and go home. Wang Fubao was the first to find Dou Jiande, and said, "Your Majesty, all the officers and men are thinking about returning home day and night. If you continue to delay like this, I'm afraid something will happen. Li Shimin is now focused on taking Luoyang, staying in the tiger prison and not fighting, because he wants to wait until Luoyang's food is exhausted." Then we captured him again. We can't advance here, we can't retreat, and we become Wang Shichong's companion. Your Majesty, our base is in Hebei. If we are trapped here and cause mutiny in the army, it will not be worthwhile. " Dou Jiande has also been extremely depressed these few days. He has fought for many years, and he has never encountered such a time of holding his breath like today.Recently, the temperature has been getting higher and higher, and the fire in his heart has also become more and more intense, and a few red blisters appeared on the corners of his mouth.Seeing Wang Fubao's request to retreat at this moment, he couldn't help but come up again, and scolded: "Is fighting like a child's play? Now that I have fallen out with Li Yuan, the only way to preserve it is to join forces with Wang Shichong. You go, and order the army , Those who dare to retreat will be punished without mercy!" Dou Jiande was born in a farm family. He was simple and peaceful. He got along well with his generals and won the hearts of the people, and his officials dared to speak out and persuade him.Wang Fubao was not afraid when he heard this. He grinned and said, "Your minister can pass on orders, but there is no food in the army, and it will be difficult for several days. Who will plan for the emperor then?" Dou Jiande sighed and cursed: "This damned Li Shimin, if he has the ability to come out of the pass to fight, whoever wins and who loses is their own ability. Oh, Fu Bao, is there any way to have a decisive battle with the Tang army?" Wang Fubao fell silent immediately, this was really a headache, and he had nothing to do. Ever since Ling Jing learned that the grain and grass in Jindiguan had been burned, he was also extremely anxious.After two days of deliberation, I came up with a plan.He watched from the sidelines for a long time, saw a moment of silence in front of him, stood up, and said: "Your Majesty, I have a plan to break the siege of Luoyang, and I don't need to be trapped here." Ling Jing was always resourceful, and Dou Jiande, Wang Fubao and the others had always admired him. Now that they heard that there was a plan, they suddenly regained their energy and motioned him to speak quickly. "There is a saying in the art of war that we must be fickle in the face of battle. We came to the east in a big way, and we were blocked here in the tiger prison. We have been trapped in Banzhu for more than two months. Li Shimin was there to respond to all changes without change, but we did not change, so we are in trouble today. The current strategy is to turn the enemy into the main, seize the weakness of the Tang army and attack it hard, so that it is the way for our army to win. "Then where is the weakness of the Tang army? Its capital, Chang'an, left a guarding army that we couldn't reach; it surrounded Luoyang, the eastern capital with heavy troops, and sent heavy troops to occupy the Hulao. In this way, from Chang'an to Hulao is connected for thousands of miles, its head and tail are strong and difficult to attack. , but its waist can be described as a weakness. Now we can avoid the real situation and leave the empty, first put aside the tiger prison, and the whole army crosses the river to attack Hanoi, Huaizhou, and forms a support point with heavy defense, so as to contact the land of Hebei and Shandong; the whole army then goes west Cross the Taihang Mountains and capture the land in the east of the river. After that, the troops will be divided into two groups, one into Hukou to scare Pujin, and the other to go out of Fenglingdu to intimidate Tongguan. This can achieve three purposes. One is to expand the land and make the east It is connected with the land of Hebei; the second is that we go straight into the waist of the long snake formation from Chang'an to Hulao, and Li Shimin will return to the rescue, and the siege of Luoyang will be resolved by itself; .” Dou Jiande was overjoyed after hearing this, and felt that Ling Jing's strategy was bold and safe, so he ordered Wang Fubao to send an order to the army and set off in three days. The news of crossing the river and stopping the attack was quickly learned by Wang Shichong's emissaries Wang Wan and Changsun Anshi. They were shocked and hurriedly discussed countermeasures.After noon, the two visited Dou Jiande's important ministers and generals one by one with gold, silver and jewelry. Wang Wan didn't speak but cried, and the eldest grandson Anshi encouraged his three-inch tongue to state his interests.They have been in the army for a long time, and they understand the psychology of the generals, they know that everyone is greedy for profit, and they are eager to return.The eldest grandson Anshi understood the importance of Wang Fubao, and adopted countermeasures focusing on attacking the heart.They were the first to visit Wang Fubao. After entering the account, Wang Wan was weeping secretly. The eldest grandson Anshi said: "General Wang, I heard that Emperor Xia wants to lead the army to cross the river. Is this news true?" Wang Fubao nodded and said, "That's right, there is such a thing. We are trapped here. Why don't we follow Ling Jing's plan and go north to Taihang and occupy Hedong, which can also relieve the siege of Luoyang." Changsun Anshi smiled slightly, shook his head and said: "General Wang, if you follow this plan, the siege of Luoyang will be difficult to solve, I'm afraid your army will fall into a situation where you can't go up or down. It's too unwise." Wang Fubao asked what happened. "Now Hanoi in Huaizhou has been occupied by the Tang army. After the army crosses the river, the first thing to do is to attack the fortifications. It is only a matter of time for the Tang army to reinforce Hanoi. They can send troops from Huiluo City, Luokou, and Hulao at the same time. There are ready-made For example, the siege of Hulao has been unsuccessful for nearly three months, and opening up a new battlefield will have more variables. Even if you capture Hanoi, nearly 200,000 troops will have to cross the Taihang Mountains. I know that the mountains are high and steep, and the mountain paths are all buried Among the grass and trees, it is acceptable for people to climb up there, but it is difficult for horses to cross, and all the supplies accompanying the army are discarded. If you cross Taihang Mountain, Hedong has always been Li Yuan's old base. Even if they don’t fight with you, they are still as strong as Li Shimin in Hulao Pass, I am afraid you will not be able to develop westward and southward.” When Wang Fubao heard that it really made sense, his body broke out in cold sweat, and he lost his voice: "That's right, why didn't Ling Jing think of this festival?" "Ling Jing is a scholar, at most pointing out on the landscape map, how can you experience the battle and understand the dangers of war? In fact, you Emperor Xia don't need to be too pessimistic. Although Jindiguan lost food and grass, the army's food and grass are at least enough. It will last for five days, and the grain road can be restored, so as to benefit for a long time. Li Shimin's place is worse than ours. He has surrounded Luoyang for more than a year, and all the food and grass needed by hundreds of thousands of troops need to be provided by Guanzhong. After all, Guanzhong's food and grass are limited. The ministers of the court have written letters asking Li Shimin to stop the army, and he is now holding on at Hulao Pass. In order to cooperate with Emperor Xia's army advance, our emperor devised a trick to seize the Tang army's grain and grass in Beimang. There is no more food in Hulao. In the past two days, I sent people in disguise to go to the west of Hulao to investigate. There is no food and grass in the Tang camp, and Li Shimin has nothing to do. General Wang, in fact, both armies are at a critical juncture. Whoever can grit their teeth and survive will be the winner. If you cross the river west Attacking, the future is uncertain, and it will delay time, Ling Jing's plan is a big mistake." "According to what you said, we are still confronting Li Shimin here?" "There is no need to confront! Within three days, Tangying will definitely have to take action because of lack of food and grass. At that time, we will seize the opportunity, seize the pass, and drive Li Shimin out of the west of Xin'an. In this way, Emperor Xia and my emperor will meet in Luoyang, and the world will be full of power." From now on, the situation is set.” Wang Fubao's heart was moved by Changsun Anshi's words, and Changsun Anshi saw that the fire was almost ready, so he led Wang Wan to other generals to continue lobbying.Compared with Wang Fubao, other generals were easier to persuade. When they heard that the full bill of gold and silver might be discarded due to trekking over mountains, and that Li Shimin might retreat within a few days, they all scolded Ling Jing for his bad idea.At night, a group of people colluded and rushed to Dou Jiande's place, insisting not to cross the river. Wang Fubao said: "Your Majesty, I will go down and meditate for a long time. If you cross the river to the west and go beyond Taihang, there will be too many variables. We can't do anything about Hulao Pass. If we go to Hedong, there will be many passes along the way, and there will be a high mountain in Taihang. Now that we have come, Then rest assured, now we are stalemate with Li Shimin for several months, and it is a pity that we abandon him after listening to light words." Ling Jing was not on the scene at the time, and several generals with military merits and tempers scolded: "Your Majesty, for such an important military matter, you must not ruin your future by following the scholar's words. Ling Jing has no hard bones in his body, and he wants to back down when it comes to a critical moment. This kind of people are good at reciting poems and composing Fu, but they are pure waste in the army." "That's right, planning and decision-making should be prudent. How can a scholar wave an army around?" Sitting there, Dou Jiande was at a loss for a while, the group of people in front of him were heroes who followed him in the army, it seems that today he committed public anger.After an afternoon of thinking, Dou Jiande had doubts about the plan offered by Ling Jing, thinking that if the army entered Taihang, if it was unfavorable, they would stay away from Hebei at that time, and there would be no room for turning around.At this moment, the audience will be emotional in front of their eyes, and their hearts have already fallen to them.Thinking of this, he waved his hand and said, "Why are you arguing? Crossing the river to the west is one of thousands of strategies. I haven't come to a conclusion, so you should take it seriously, and make a fuss here! Fu Bao, what you said about Li Is it true that there is a shortage of food in Shiminying? If so, we can win without fighting." Wang Fubao said: "Your Majesty, this news should be absolutely true. I will send someone to investigate tomorrow." Dou Jiande nodded, waved his hand to let everyone back out, and called Ling Jing again. At that time, Ling Jing had already learned that Dou Jiande's plan was nothing but his own. He was extremely anxious, fell to the ground, wept endlessly, and said: "Your Majesty, the plan offered by my minister is indeed a good plan for the present. If you follow what the generals said, you may not be able to die. land." Dou Jiande said softly: "I know you are loyal, but the Tang camp is short of food, and the situation will not last long. Just now, all the generals are united and strong, and they can defeat the enemy with one blow. This day I praise me, the general will be victorious. If we stop our troops to cross the river now, It will chill the hearts of the soldiers, and it will be out of control, so I have no choice but to follow the public opinion." Ling Jing kowtowed again and again, admonishing: "Your Majesty, all the generals have selfish intentions! They are reluctant to part with the beauties of gold and silver, and go home wholeheartedly. After noon today, Wang Wan and the eldest grandson Anshi visited them one by one and presented them with treasures. If you want to seek the world, you should abandon me. They used all sorts of reasons to obstruct crossing the river, but they actually regarded the emperor's world as nothing. For example, Li Shimin dared to stand with us for a long time. He must have something to rely on. How could he suddenly have no food? ?Your Majesty, you must act decisively when planning important matters, and you must not have the benevolence of a woman." Dou Jiande's face turned cold, and he reprimanded: "Ling Jing is bold, how dare you laugh at me! But I think you are loyal, and I will not punish you today. I have made up my mind, needless to say, you can return the debt." After Ling Jing went out, he looked up to the sky and sighed: "Zhuzi is not good enough! What can I do?" After returning to the tent, he packed up the package, slipped out of Banzhu and headed south quietly, and never disappeared. Dou Jiande's wife, Mrs. Cao, is quite a knowledgeable woman. She persuaded Dou Jiande when he was going to bed: "The strategy offered by Ling Jijiu is very good. Why doesn't the emperor use it? If Hanoi is captured according to this strategy, and then take advantage of Tang Zhixu, The company battalion gradually moved beyond Taihang to take Hedong, and then sent a letter to the Turks to send troops to attack Guanzhong, Li Shimin will definitely return to save himself, and the siege of Luoyang will be relieved by itself. We have been trapped in front of Hulao Pass, aren't we asking for trouble?" Dou Jiande's nameless fire burst out again, and he scolded: "You are a woman's opinion! Since I promised Wang Shichong to come to the rescue, I left so quietly, didn't I break the trust of the world?" Dou Jiande these days His temper was very strong, and Cao wanted to say a few more words, but knowing that his stubborn nature was difficult to persuade, he had to sigh and take off his clothes to sleep. According to Li Shimin's arrangement, all the supply of grain and grass this time will be planned by Changsun Wuji.Shan Xiongxin led people to seize the Beiman granary and could no longer transfer grain from there. When Changsun Wuji was at a loss, Wang Junkuo quietly told Li Shimin that he had Jiujiao grain in Luokou.At the beginning, the Sui Dynasty built a granary in Luokou with a total of 30 cellars, and each cellar could store 3,000 shi of grain.Now Wang Junkuo has nine cellars there, which together contain 27,000 shi of grain, which can feed hundreds of thousands of troops for several months.Li Shimin was overjoyed after hearing this, and didn't ask how Wang Junkuo got it, why he didn't report it as soon as possible, and sent his eldest grandson Wuji to check it out. When Changsun Wuji arrived at Luokou, Wang Junkuo sent someone to inspect the grain cellar with him.Luokou is close to the river in the north and is the mouth of Luoshui, so it is called Luokou.The water and land transportation here is convenient, and the transshipment of grain is very accessible.There are many loess ridges across the radius, and the ridges are full of lush miscellaneous trees, among which jujube trees are the most.In the Sui Dynasty, many grain cellars were dug along the ridge.The soil here is solid and the soil is relatively dry. Even if it rains cats and dogs, the rainwater will quickly flow into the ditch under the mountain and into the river without any accumulation of water. Therefore, the grain cellar here is really a good natural cellar. The temperature and humidity in the cellar are constant. The stored grain will not need to be turned over for three years, and there will be no insects.During the Sui Dynasty, the grain warehouses here were often full. Li Mi seized them and opened the grain warehouses, and then abandoned them. Wang Shichong defeated Li Mi and sent people to repair and reopen them.This time Wang Junkuo captured Luokou, where Wang Shichong still stored grain in four cellars. Afterwards, Wang Junkuo defeated Wang Xuanying's grain transport army and stored the obtained grain in the cellars, which became five cellars, namely nine cellars.Li Shimin didn't know these things for a while, and Wang Junkuo never reported them.Changsun Wuji was quite careful, and when he inspected the grain cellar, he roughly figured out the origin of the grain. The grain and grass in the Hulao army can still be used for three days. Changsun Wuji just put his heart into his belly after seeing the grain cellar. He wanted to go back to Hulao to report to Li Shimin before transporting the grain. Changsun Wuji took ten riders back to Hulao.It was late April, and the weather was getting hotter.They beat their horses and galloped east along the official road.From Luokou to Hulao, it was only 60 miles away. It took them only two hours to reach Hulao Pass, and they could see the flags and banners in the camp from a distance.At this time, the sun was setting, turning its afterglow into colorful clouds all over the sky, the twilight of the earth was gradually closing, and a day was coming to an end.At this time, they rode their horses and turned around the foot of the mountain. The moment they passed, Changsun Wuji suddenly noticed a gray shadow flashing in the low grass at the foot of the mountain in the corner of his eyes. Changsun Wuji reined in his horse and stood up. He turned back to the foot of the mountain without turning his horse's head. He pointed to the grass and said to his servants, "Go, see what is there. Draw your bows full. If a wild deer shoots it. Okay." I haven't eaten wild game for a long time." Ten people rode their horses and surrounded them. They took out their bows and put on their arrows, ready to shoot them in a row as soon as there was any movement.They approached step by step, at this moment, someone shouted: "Don't shoot, don't shoot." Everyone was surprised for a moment, it turned out that there were people here.A man in gray raised his hands and slowly stood up from the long grass with a look of panic on his face. The man in gray was brought in front of Changsun Wuji in a blink of an eye. He knelt down and said, "The villain is a farmer here, so I don't want to disturb your lord." Changsun Wuji was full of suspicion. Seeing that the man's eyes were flickering, and he was not as dull as a farmer, he scolded: "You sneaky bastard, what are you doing here for the farmer? Tell me, where are you from?" The man raised his eyes and said: "The little man lives in Guangwu, and he came here to gather some grass for the livestock." "Nonsense, the people in Guangwu have fled, and there is no one there. Let me tell you, I was in Guangwu the day before yesterday. Can you deceive others, can you deceive this general? Look at you, and your accent is wrong. Could it be Dou Jiande? spies?" The man repeatedly kowtowed and refused to admit it, Changsun Wuji then ordered him to be taken to the tiger prison.After entering the camp, Changsun Wuji didn't have time to eat, so he went straight to report to Li Shimin, only to see that a lamp had been lit in his tent, and Li Shimin, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui were pointing around a picture of mountains and rivers. Seeing Changsun Wuji coming in, Li Shimin got up and said, "It's Wuji who's back. You're covered in dust, you drilled a lot of grain cellars today, right? Wuji, you're a grain transport officer, and the whole army is watching you. " Li Shimin asked Changsun Wuji to bring a glass of water, and Changsun Wuji drank it down. He wiped his mouth with his hand and said, "Erlang, the food in Jiujiao has been settled. I will check it one by one. It's full, how about we start shipping tomorrow?" Li Shimin nodded, and murmured to himself: "Unexpectedly, Wang Junkuo is still so deep, but it is urgent." Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui looked at each other, and said, "King Qin, when Ruhui and I talked about this matter that day, we were both happy and worried. The happy thing is that our food and grass have been secured, and we can surely win this battle; the worry is so big. As for the matter, Wang Junkuo didn't even reveal a word beforehand, and his scheming is too deep, so we have to guard against it." Wang Junkuo was originally a bandit and was recruited by Li Mi.Seeing that Li Mi didn't pay attention to him after surrendering, he led the army to surrender Li Yuan again.At the time when Li Yuan was employing a man, he was granted the title of Lord Shanggu. Afterwards, he had many exploits in battle and was known for his bravery. Du Ruhui also said: "This Wang Junkuo is brave on the outside and deep in his heart. Although he donated the food this time, I really can't figure out what he thinks in his heart..." Li Shimin raised his hand and said, "Forget it, don't talk about this matter again. If it reaches Wang Junkuo's ears, he will say that I am too suspicious. After all, he still donated the food. Based on this, he is a hero. " They didn't go further into this topic, Changsun Wuji suddenly remembered the man in gray who had been arrested, and said with a smile: "I came back from Luokou and caught a spy of Dou Jiande by hand." He described the arrest process in detail over again. 房玄龄脸色凝重，说道：“真怪了，这两日窦建德像疯了一样，四面派人来打探消息。今天北面的王君廓和南面的侯君集都抓到一名，细细审问，原来都是来打探我军粮草情况。莫非窦建德嗅到什么味儿，要有什么动作不成？” 杜如晦道：“事情很明白，前次王世充夺了北邙粮食，如今我军中存粮仅够支用三日。窦建德被断了粮道，军中存粮也不多。其来探听情况，无非有两个目的：一是等待我军粮尽自退，他可以西进洛阳与王世充会合；二是待我军粮尽疲敝，他来找我们决战。”李世民眼睛闪亮，笑对长孙无忌说：“无忌，那日萧公曾说，我这秦王府里玄龄善谋，如晦善断。你听他们刚才的寥寥数语，就将窦建德的盘算剖析甚明。哈哈，史大柰、段志玄他们说我算无遗策，其实我是冒用了两位先生的功劳，你说，是不是这样？” 长孙无忌不知如何回应，房玄龄、杜如晦确实给二郎帮了大忙，然二郎本人也是人中之杰，他们其实是相辅相成。 李世民微一凝神，说道：“无忌，你抓的这名探子现在何处？” “现羁押军前，尚未审问。” “好，放了他！无忌，你不再出面，就让手下兵士说误会了。可以少送他些粮食，就说军中存粮无多，无法多送。嘱他不要再到这里打草，方圆以内已无草可打，军中马匹还要渡河北上放牧呢。这件事你要办得不露痕迹，具体如何办，你可与房、杜先生商量。” 长孙无忌顿时明白，这是李世民的一条诱兵之计。 第二日一早，李世民让史大柰挑选三千马匹，向北而去。昨日长孙无忌放走了密探，房、杜言说须将渡河牧马的戏做足了，方能使窦建德上当，李世民当场表示，自己要亲带这些马匹渡河。 到了河边，王君廓和段志玄已在那里迎接，两人对李世民亲自带马渡河甚是不解，王君廓道：“如今这里草料充足，缘何不嫌麻烦渡河牧马？” 李世民微微一笑，说道：“静极思动，这些战马上阵腾跃须有野性，它们在这里圈养久了，早该出外走走。何况，窦建德在那边大眼瞪小眼，早盼着我们出外牧马了。” 数人顿时明白。 李世民问起渡河用舟船，段志玄报说这里备有三百艘，由于船不大，每只船每次最多能渡五匹马。李世民说：“不妨，够用了。史将军，你先到岸边指挥装船，每船最多装马两匹。窦建德既然想看，我们就摆开架势慢慢渡河。” 众人一算账，按如此渡法，三百舟船须往返五个来回，这样须到未时以后，方能把这些马匹全部运过去。 不说史大柰在河边指挥装船，这边李世民带领王君廓和段志玄慢慢沿河边向东行去，这里一溜儿丘陵，丘下河水滔滔。李世民边走边说：“君廓，志玄，上次你们和叔宝兄一起袭了金堤关，斩了守将张青特，这次打击很有效果。只可惜那些粮草和战船没能带回来。” 段志玄摩拳擦掌：“元帅，我们兵围洛阳已一年有余，又在这里和窦建德纠缠了三个月，这次烧了这老小子的粮草，这会儿恐怕他再也坐不下去，我们该是出去击杀的时候了。” 李世民停下脚步，对王君廓微笑道：“君廓，你此次献粮帮了我们大忙，又有资本与窦建德周旋下去。你说，我们是继续与他相持，还是主动出击？” 王君廓目光闪烁不定，当初他在洛口存了粮食未及时禀报，担足了心事。此次言说后，总怕李世民出声斥责，谁知直到如今李世民并无一句硬话加身，这让他更如惊弓之鸟。闻听李世民欲听自己意见，他字斟句酌答道：“回秦王话，窦建德失了粮草，恐怕不能持久，他会主动出来找我们决战。前时这里曾捕到他派来的探子，审问时探子言道，当初粮草被烧，其祭酒凌敬曾献渡河逾太行攻河东之计，惜被窦建德手下将领阻止。他们既不渡河北归，军中又无粮草，只剩下一条路，就是找我们决战。” 李世民叹了一声：“唉，这凌敬为一有见识之人啊，可惜其计不为窦建德采纳，天欲亡他啊。假若他们果真渡河西攻，则自此到长安，沿线震动，我们如今就不能好端端在这里沿河漫步了。不错，窦建德目前无路可走，不出三日，他定会主动找我们决战。哈哈，志玄，我看你这一段时间憋了许多劲儿，届时你可一并释放出来。” 这时，他们走到一处高丘之上，从这里俯视远处，方圆数里尽收眼底。不远处，自南流来的汜水在阳光下如同一条晶莹的玉带，水光潋滟。李世民手指远方，说道：“出汜水向东五里，有一处名为牛口渚的地方，你们两人知道吗？” 他们点点头，王君廓道：“知道，那里又称为喇叭口，是东西行旅必经之地。” 李世民道：“这些日子我和玄龄、如晦多次查看山川图，认为这个牛口渚是个形胜之地。大战在即，我们与窦建德的决战必在正面进行，这些日我暗暗调兵，别看窦建德号称三十万大军，其实难以当得我军雷霆一击，其兵溃之时必然向后逃窜。届时能否全胜，就看你两人之能了。” 两人顿时凛然，明白这是李世民向他们布置任务。 李世民接着道：“记得我攻慈涧之时，沿涧水出奇兵攻破慈涧北墙。这个法儿此仗还要再试一试，届时你们看到虎牢之兵全线攻击，杀出关外的当儿，立刻率领这两万人马登舟下行，到牛口渚弃舟登岸，就在那里摆阵断了窦建德的退路，待我引大军掩杀过来时一齐杀出。明白我的意思吗？” 两人齐声答应，没想到沿河漫步之余，李世民胸中又出一条妙计。 李世民抬头见日头已近当午，说道：“你们先回去，我该渡河了。君廓，还有一件事，你见窦建德领兵出来布阵的时候，给对岸的史大柰点上三堆狼烟，让他将战马渡回。这三千马军，还是冲锋陷阵的生力军呢。”王君廓连声答应，两人将李世民送到渡口，只见史大柰正忙于指挥，一大半的马匹已经渡过河去。 见李世民现在要渡河，史大柰招来一艘大船，让手下偏将在此指挥，自己随同李世民一同向河中驶去。 这里水势平缓，船上共有三名舟子，一人摇橹，两人扳桨，船老大将船头略微偏西，底舱压水前行，这样到北岸泊舟不至于偏离太多。李世民和史大柰站立船头，眼望北岸，头顶烈日炎炎，从河面飘过来的风全是热浪，虽在河面上沾了一些水气，却并不凉爽。 李世民感叹道：“史大柰，你随父皇太原起兵，又随我西讨东征，不说你武功卓著，就是你那中土之语也说得熟练了。” 史大柰道：“大柰原在西突厥，久慕中土繁华，天降机缘，让我归了大唐。大柰常常夙夜自矜，以为此生实为幸甚。” “你说此话并不完全，知道这河水发源何处吗？其实与西突厥之北河源于一山，即昆仑山。这些水日夜流淌，然沿岸朝代更替太过频繁，河水沿岸近百年间相继有梁、魏、陈、北齐、周、隋统治；北河流域更是犬牙交错，龟兹、疏勒、突厥、西突厥接连变换王旗。这样互相攻伐，无非一个'势'字。中土繁华，学术深沉，然奢靡日久，渐染颓丧；西域诸国，游牧草原，马快犀利，然不能持久。大柰，我说此话你可能不甚明白，简言之，中土和突厥各有各的长处，也各有各的短处，你现在中土，最好能取长补短，为我朝树一范例才好。” 史大柰一脸迷茫，不知所云。李世民观状哈哈一笑，拍了他一把，说道：“这些话你慢慢体会吧，比如突厥人多骂南人机巧，这机巧并非短处，恰是突厥人要学习的。然机巧太过又流于烦琐，反不如跨马劈杀、攻城略地来得干脆，这又是中土之人要向突厥人学习的地方。常言道'刚柔相济'，就是这个意思。” 史大柰连连点头，说话间，不觉轻舟已泊北岸，他们下舟登岸，走上堤坝，只见先来的马匹正在坝内啃食青草。史大柰放眼一望，惊叫一声：“好哇，真是个好牧场。” 只见眼前地势平阔，一望无际皆是绿色的草原，原上低洼处杂有水泊，周围水草最为茂盛。李世民侧头见史大柰那雀跃的神情，知道北人生长在草原上，像史大柰在中土日久，等闲难见到这般草地，宛如回到故乡一样。李世民此时来了兴致，嘱人牵来两匹马，招呼史大柰一同上马，两人扬鞭疾驰，马儿驮着他们在这片河边草场上尽情挥洒。 两人直在草场上驰有小半个时辰，胯下战马出了一身汗，如水洗一般，他们放慢马步，折转头来向河边返回。史大柰满足地说道：“秦王，这一番驰骋算是尽了兴！不过这里毕竟不是草原，待战事结束，你若有兴致，我陪你到极北草原上也疾驰一番，那才真叫过瘾呢。” 李世民至今尚未踏上过草原，听到史大柰邀请他，不禁神往。 午时过后，群马方才一一渡过河来。眼见日已偏西，李世民准备动身返回南岸。临上船时他嘱咐史大柰道：“你派专人在此守候，一见对岸有三道狼烟升起，立刻以最快速度将群马渡回。我在虎牢，还盼着这支生力军投入战斗呢。” 李世民登舟渡往南岸，舟子渐向中流划去，远远看见史大柰还站在岸边向自己招手，心想史大柰为一粗豪汉子，然与尉迟敬德相比，两人习性共通，只细微处稍有差别，甚有意思。