Suzhou, Jiuquan County.
Li Shimin's army was now rushing toward Jiuquan County. This time, Li Shimin had another two hundred thousand soldiers by his side. This was already the greatest force that Li Shimin could muster right now.
When it was close to noon, the army stopped to rest.
The weather was getting hotter and hotter.
Li Shimin found a big tree and rested under its shade. Gao Shilian, Yu Shinan, Chai Shao, Xiao Yu, and the others were next to him. These important members of the imperial court were with Li Shimin this time.
As for the country, Li Chengqian was still the regent, assisted by Fang Xuanling.
Li Shimin instinctively wanted to take Fang Xuanling with him when he went to war. However, he needed someone to take charge of the rear, and Fang Xuanling was the most suitable candidate. With Fang Xuanling, even if Li Chengqian was young, Li Shimin was not worried. While Li Shimin was resting, a scout rushed over. The scout arrived beside Li Shimin and reported, "Your Majesty, urgent news from the frontlines!"
While speaking, the scout handed over a letter.
Li Shimin took it and quickly opened it. After skimming through it, a smile appeared on his face. He waved his hand and ordered the scout to continue to inquire about the news. Then, he looked at Gao Shilian and the others and said with a smile, "Du Qi has divided his troops. Du Qi left a group of soldiers outside Jiuquan City. Then, Du Qi led another group of soldiers to block the road, preventing us from going to Jiuquan. "
Gao Shilian said, "Your Majesty, Du Qi did this because he wants to repeat the Battle of Niulan Mountain. In the Battle of Niulan Mountain, Du Qi's army was also blocked by us and attacked from both sides. At that time, Du Qi arranged a part of his troops to block us, and then turned to destroy Duan Zhixuan's army. "
After a pause, Gao Shilian continued, "Finally, he faced us alone. In fact, this time, Du Qi's plan should be similar. Du Qi will personally lead his army to block our reinforcement, and then let Jiuquan City's Xia Xia's army to destroy Li Ji's army. Du Qi's arrangement is actually very simple. "
Li Shimin said, "Although it's simple, we must be cautious. Because Du Qi's weapon is still extremely powerful. "
Gao Shilian nodded.
Li Shimin and the others discussed for a while. The final decision they came to was that no matter what the situation ahead was, they had to go all out to kill. Even if Du Qi had set up landmines and so on this time, they had to go through it. As long as they broke through Du Qi's defense line, they would be able to change their strategy. The Tang army would be able to take the initiative.
The group had lunch at noon and rested for a while. After replenishing their water, the group continued their journey.
The army advanced in a grandiose manner, hurrying on with their journey.
Speeding all the way, they finally got closer and closer to Jiuquan City. However, when they were about thirty-eight li east of Jiuquan, Li Shimin's army stopped and set up camp.
Because the information Li Shimin received was that the Changbai Slope two li ahead was where Du Qi's army was stationed.
Du Qi's army was indeed at the Changbai Slope.
The Changbai Slope's geographical location was actually a slope. Li Shimin's army had to go over the Changbai Slope to reach Jiuquan City. And Du Qi's army was stationed on the Changbai Slope. In other words, this Changbai Slope was where Li Shimin's army had to set up camp. They had to conquer it.
If they took a detour to other places, it would take at least ten more days.
Therefore, Li Shimin could only advance from here.
Li Shimin's army temporarily stopped and set up camp. He was now thinking quickly, pondering over the enemy's strategy. Because at the moment, he had to think of a way to kill his way over.
Li Shimin summoned Gao Shilian, Yu Shinan, and the others. He said in a deep voice, "Du Qi has occupied the Changbai Slope. Especially the road this time, it's more troublesome than the road on Niulan Mountain. When we were on Niulan Mountain, Du Qi's army was lying in ambush on the mountain, occupying the high ground. We only needed to go down the mountain. But this time, we have to go over the Changbai Slope to reach Jiuquan City. So this time, we must really climb the mountain and completely crush Du Qi's army. Only then will we have a chance to win this battle. But this is the difficult part. "
"Your Majesty, the simplest way is to imitate the setup on Niulan Mountain," said Gao Shilian. "We only need to keep digging trenches, winding and circling, and keep going up. Eventually, we will be able to kill them. As long as we can climb up the Changbai Slope, our 200,000 strong army will be enough to achieve an overwhelming victory. You must know that Du Qi has sent a part of his army to the Western Regions, and another part to guard the country. Now, Du Qi has left a part of his army outside Jiuquan City. We have the absolute advantage in numbers. "
"I'm naturally aware of this arrangement," said Li Shimin in a deep voice. "But this plan alone is not enough. Therefore, we need another arrangement to ensure that we can directly seize the Changbai Slope and not let Du Qi act violently. "
Gao Shilian was immediately speechless.
He couldn't think of any other way.
"Your Majesty, this subject has a plan," said Yu Shinan.
"Yu Qing, what is your plan?" asked Li Shimin.
Yu Shinan was the oldest person under Li Shimin's command. He was already over 70 years old. He had experienced the Southern Chen, Great Sui, Tang Dynasty, and Li Yuan's era. Now that he was in Li Shimin's current era, Yu Shinan was highly regarded. Especially Yu Shinan, who was not only excellent in calligraphy, but also had a straightforward personality. He had a great influence in the court.
He was one of the 24 meritorious ministers of the Lingyan Pavilion.
Yu Shinan stroked his white beard and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, Du Qi has occupied the high ground. If we want to kill our way up, even if we dig trenches and transport soldiers, it will still be difficult. Of course, this is also a strategy that can be adopted. Under this premise, this old subject believes that we can use Xia Xia's merchants to pave the way. When Your Majesty sent out the army this time, you brought some of Xia Xia's merchants with you. These merchants are all Xia Xia's people. The reason Your Majesty brought these people with you is to prepare for an emergency and to restrict Du Qi. Now, why not put these people to good use? As long as Du Qi bombs, he will first kill Xia Xia's merchants and then Xia Xia's people. Let's see how Du Qi chooses. "
He was clear about Li Shimin's intentions.
He wanted to use this batch of captured Xia Xia's merchants. However, Li Shimin had requested that he would not directly reveal this plan, so Yu Shinan took the initiative to say it.
As Li Shimin spoke, Gao Shilian's eyes lit up. "Your Majesty, Du Qi has always been ruthless. Back then, Du Qi used Hou Junji to threaten you. Then, he used Duan Zhixuan to threaten you. He even used the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty to threaten you. Now, we'll give him a taste of his own medicine. We'll use the same method on Du Qi. As long as Du Qi doesn't dare to open fire or use weapons, we'll have a chance to win this battle. "
As the two of them echoed, the others nodded in agreement.
No one was willing to refuse this matter that concerned the victory of the Tang Dynasty, especially since they were all high-ranking officials of the Tang Dynasty. They were bound to the Tang Dynasty for good or ill. Once the Tang Dynasty was destroyed, they would lose their power as well. Therefore, they were willing to use ruthless methods.
Seeing that everyone was in agreement, Li Shimin had a hint of a smile on his face. He nodded and said, "Since everyone is in agreement, then in the following battle, we'll work on both fronts. First, we'll arrange for people to dig trenches. Second, we'll use this batch of Xia Xia's merchants to restrict Du Qi. As long as we succeed in coercing Du Qi this time, it'll be easy to fight Du Qi in the future. "
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Everyone spoke in unison.
They all had expectant looks on their faces.
Li Shimin made up his mind. After discussing the specific arrangements with his subordinates, he did not waste any more time. The army once again set off in the direction of Changbai Slope.
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