Li Mulan said, "They will not succeed! The Imperial Court has already agreed to their conditions. They are preparing to hand over the surrendered states of Hequ Six Prefectures to them! "
Chu Yi sneered, "The population of Hebei is ten times that of the surrendered states of Hequ Six Prefectures and their wealth is a hundred times that of Hequ Six Prefectures. Comparing the two, which one is fatter? More importantly, the Imperial Court did not agree to cede the Chanyu Protectorate to them. If they can take over Hebei, how is it compared to the temptation of returning the surrendered states? "
Li Mulan did not say anything.
Maqiao said anxiously, "Great General, you should send someone to report this news to the Emperor and ask him to make a decision!"
Li Duozuo slowly sat down on his seat. Finally, his buttocks sank, and he sat firmly on his seat. He solemnly said, "What can the imperial court do? Cede the Chanyu Protectorate? Even if the Imperial Court is willing to cede the Chanyu Protectorate, it is not as tempting as Hebei. With the greed of the Turks, once the Imperial Court gives in, they will see through the Imperial Court and ask for more!
Moreover, the Turks and the Khitans have been fighting for a long time so they did not expect the Khitans to ally with them. But this time, it is different. The Khitans proposed an alliance and the Turks will most likely agree. It is too late … they have already sent messengers. Before the Imperial Court can think of a solution, before the Imperial Court can send messengers to them, before we can even send the news back to the Imperial Court, the Turks will already be in Hebei! "
All the generals looked at each other. The joy brought by Li Jinzhong's death was gone.
The room was silent for a while. Yang Fan suddenly said, "Why don't we try something? Maybe it is already too late but even if there is only a sliver of hope, we should still try! "
Li Duozuo raised his head and massaged his temples tiredly. He asked softly, "What can we try?"
Yang Fan said, "We can also send messengers!"
Maqiao was surprised, "Why should we send messengers?"
Yang Fan said, "War is not only decided by the outcome on the battlefield. Although I am not good at the art of war, I know that Sun Tzu once said, 'The first is to attack the enemy, the second is to attack the enemy'. "
Ma Qiao blinked. He didn't understand. It wasn't just him. Chu Yi and Li Mulan also didn't really understand. It was fine for them to charge and break through enemy lines. It was also fine for them to command a battle. Even if they were illiterate, they had spent their whole lives in the army and had some knowledge from actual combat experience. However, they didn't understand the higher level things.
Li Duozuo pondered and sorted out his thoughts. At the same time, he explained to his trusted subordinates, "It is impossible to use military tactics, strategies, politics, economy, culture, diplomacy, and other means to resolve the signs of war before the conflicts between the two parties escalate beyond control!"
Yang Fan nodded his head: "Even though the Turks are a country, they are no different from a larger bandit den. They only have profit in their eyes. It is difficult to use gentle methods to subdue a monster that is not a country, especially when we are at a disadvantage. "
Li Duozuo said, "The second is to attack the enemy. When the two parties have reached the stage of conflict and are likely to enter the stage of using military force, we have to show our strength and confidence in victory to make the enemy feel that we are unbeatable. Then we can use diplomatic means to negotiate and achieve our goal without resorting to military force."
Yang Fan said: "Once we enter the stage of war, we will immediately be attacked from two sides. Perhaps not just two sides. If the Xi people see that the Turks are involved, it is very likely that they will be emboldened. In order to fight for more benefits, they will send their troops south. And the Tubo people will not let go of this good opportunity. For the time being, they will put aside their internal conflicts and come here to take a share. So, we can only attack the enemy now! "
Li Duozuo smiled bitterly, "How do we attack the enemy? Do we have the right to send messengers to the Khitans? If they raise any conditions, what right do we have to represent the court to agree or reject? If we send a letter to the court first, we may not make it in time. "
Yang Fan thought for a while and said, "We do not have the right to negotiate. What if … we send someone to urge them to send troops to disrupt the Khitans' retreat? The condition for the court to return the Hequ Six Provinces is for them to send troops to help the court in attacking the Khitans. They have not sent troops yet. Since the Great General is in charge of the northern military, you have the right to send someone to coordinate the dispatch of troops? "
Li Duozuo thought for a while and nodded, saying, "This reason is plausible. However, the Khitans have given them a condition that they cannot refuse and they will definitely be tempted. If we send someone to urge them to send troops, will they agree? "
Yang Fan also came up with this idea on the spur of the moment. Hearing this, he could not help but frown. The generals in the tent were thinking hard. Although Chu Yi and the others did not have the foresight to focus on diplomacy, when it comes to these specific matters, they still have to rely on their own experience to think of a solution.
Maqiao thought for a while and muttered to himself, "That is unless the Khitans are on the verge of collapse and the Turks know that there is no benefit in helping them, then they will turn to help us. This way, the court can return the Hequ Six Provinces to them according to the agreement and we can also get some benefits from the Khitans. They are not only poor but they also lack manpower. Walking in the vast grasslands for half a day, you will not see many people. Whether it is livestock or people, they need them."
Chu Yi snappily rolled his eyes at him and said, "Are you dreaming? If the Khitans are on the verge of collapse, do we still need them to send troops? What an idiot! "
Maqiao's face turned red and he argued, "I am just making an assumption. If not, will the Turks stand on our side?"
Chu Yi said, "What's the use of making an assumption? You are such a fool …"
While the two were arguing, Yang Fan suddenly slapped his thigh and shouted, "Good idea!"
Everyone was stunned. Chu Yi and Ma Qiao stopped bickering and asked together, "You've thought of a way?" They all believed that Yang Fan was resourceful. He may not be as smart as Zhuge Liang but compared to them, he should have some brains.
Yang Fan pointed at Maqiao and said, "It is his idea!"
When Maqiao heard this, he grinned and said, "My brother is my brother. At the critical moment, you know how to help me!"
Chu Yi said unhappily, "Officer Yang, are you joking? How do we use his idea? "
Yang Fan laughed, "It is to let the Turks think that the Khitans are on the verge of collapse!"
Chu Yi said, "If the Khitans are on the verge of collapse, there is no need for the Turks to send troops. If there is a need for the Turks to send troops, it proves that the Imperial Court cannot handle the Khitans. Why would they believe us?"
"This idea is feasible!" Li Duozuo said in a deep voice, "All is fair in war. There must be a way to make them believe. Officer Yang, what idea do you have?"
Yang Fan said, "I have an idea but I have not thought it through thoroughly. Great General, please allow me to think about it."
Li Duozuo said, "Listening to what you said, I have an idea!"
Yang Fan knew that although he had many wonderful ideas, he was not familiar with the basic knowledge of the battlefield. There would always be loopholes in the plans he came up with. Li Duozuo would not make such mistakes. He could make up for the loopholes and turn his ideas into a perfect and executable plan.
Yang Fan immediately asked excitedly, "Great General, what idea do you have?"
Li Duozuo said, "Tell the Turks that we have surrounded the main force of the Khitans but it will take some time to eliminate them. Because they have a large amount of rations, there is no need to worry about food shortage for the time being. If we forcefully eliminate them, we will suffer heavy losses. So we want the Turks to fulfill their promise and attack the Khitans' retreat route. This will shake the morale of the Khitans and cause them to collapse without a fight. "
Yang Fan thought about it seriously and said, "In this case, we need to mobilize the army to cooperate with the Turks to prevent the Turks from finding anything amiss."
Li Duozuo nodded and said, "This is not a problem. I am now in charge of the northern army and can mobilize the various divisions to cooperate with the envoy."
Yang Fan said excitedly, "If that is the case, this plan is feasible. Let us plan the details and fight well outside the battlefield!"
Since this plan has a possibility of success, all the generals were excited and sat together to discuss the plan in detail.
Li Mulan said, "In order to ensure the combat power of the Yulin Guard, the imperial court often rotates the new recruits to the border to fight with the border army against foreign enemies. I've been transferred several times to the border to lead these new recruits, so I have some understanding of the Turks and the Khitans.
According to what I know, because of the frequent battles on the border, even though they are all small-scale battles with few casualties, the people of our border army and the Turkic tribes on the border view each other with great animosity. Some of the enmity between these tribes and villages can even be traced back to the previous dynasty, making it a mortal enemy. If we send the envoy, we may be hated by the tribes living at the border. Even if we do not kill the envoy, as long as we deliberately create obstacles to make it difficult for you to move, it will also spoil the plan. What we are fighting with the Khitans now is time! "
Li Duozuo said, "I will think of a solution for this problem. What other difficulties are there?"
Chu Yi thought for a while and said, "There is another problem. If the negotiation is successful, what do we do next? If the negotiation fails, what do we do next? We have to plan this beforehand. Where should we place our soldiers? Only when the Turks attack us will we be able to respond in time. Once the Turks send reinforcements, how can we quickly launch an attack and prevent the Khitans from using their advantage of having only cavalry and no supplies to escape? "
Li Duozuo slowly nodded his head and praised: "Chu Langjiang has thought things through thoroughly. We cannot make a last-minute effort. If we fail to seize the opportunity after the negotiations, the Turks might turn around and work with the Khitans again. Write this down first, this matter must be resolved! "
Ma Qiao saw that Chu Yi, this uncouth man, was able to look far into the future and was praised by the Great General. He couldn't help but feel competitive. After thinking hard for a long time, he also said: "There's another problem. Wu Yizong heard the news and retreated to Xiangzhou. This matter has already become a big joke that everyone in the north knows. Although he came back under the Emperor's stern reprimand, he dilly-dallied and did not dare to engage the enemy. What should we do with this person? If he does not cooperate and continues to hide, the Turks only need to look at his behavior to know that we are lying. "
A smile appeared on Li Duozuo's face and he nodded slightly, saying, "That's right! Even this General has forgotten about this point. We must think of a way to get Wu Yizong to move and have him cooperate with us. Otherwise, with an army of one hundred thousand under his command, there is nowhere to hide and nowhere to hide. He is like a living megaphone, constantly announcing the situation of the battle between us and the enemy! This problem must be resolved! Is there anything else? "
Yang Fan did not expect that even though there was a possibility of his plan being implemented, there would be so many problems that needed to be resolved beforehand. He could not help but frown. Hearing Li Duozuo's words, the generals carefully thought it over and shook their heads.
Seeing that no one was answering, Li Duozuo added, "There is one more thing, and it is also the most important thing!"
The generals pricked up their ears at this. Li Duozuo said, "We have done so much and paved the way. What is the goal? The goal is to persuade the Khitans to send out their troops and have them stand on our side so that we can deal with the Khitans together! But this matter is not easy and we will encounter all kinds of problems.
Making friends, making friends, all of these are just complements, but the main point is still to make friends. This person responsible for negotiating with the Khitans is the most important. He must be able to deal with that old fox, Moche, and the Khitan envoy. He must be able to adapt to the situation, have good eloquence, and be able to persuade the Turks. Where can we find this person? "
The tent instantly fell silent. Yang Fan's frown deepened. After thinking for a long time, he could not think of a suitable candidate. After all, he had only been in the army for a short time and did not know many people. Just as he wanted to see if the others could think of a suitable person, he raised his head and saw that everyone, including Maqiao, were staring at him like a tiger watching its prey!
… …
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