Du Qi thought for a while and his eyes lit up as he praised, "Not bad, not bad, Shangguan Yi's plan is very clever. A small change is equivalent to cutting Li Shimin's army in two. When the time comes, Li Shimin will have to rush to the other side and fight in the wild, and we will have too many advantages. Especially as the defending side, gunpowder, landmines, and grenades can all come in handy. "
Lai Ji said, "I agree with Mr. Shangguan's suggestion."
Xue Rengui said, "I also agree."
The rest of the people all expressed their opinions and all agreed with Shangguan Yi's plan. Because with this plan, the Tang army's strength would be completely mobilized, and Xia's advantage could be fully utilized.
Du Qi saw that no one had any objections and ordered, "Since that's the case, the plan is set. Xue Rengui, you are in charge of arranging for the soldiers to immediately enter the city and bring all the food they can and prepare enough dry food. Our army will withdraw from Guazhou City. This Guazhou City will be handed over to Li Shimin. "
After a pause, Du Qi said, "If we keep the people, we will lose the land. If we keep the land, we will lose the people. This time, we will have a good fight with Li Shimin and see how he responds. However, when we retreat, we must arrange for the ambush to stop the pursuit. Once the Tang army pursues us through the night, we will be prepared to resist. We will not be ambushed by the Tang army. "
When everyone heard Du Qi's words, they were all excited, and their faces were full of fighting spirit.
They could not wait to move.
Everyone went to arrange for the deployment. Xue Rengui and Ma Yuan led the army into the city and rushed directly to the granary. Every soldier brought a portion of the food, and then the army quickly left the city. In reality, this process only took a little more than two hours. At this time, it was still night, and the surroundings were still dark.
The army all returned to the camp. At this time, the weapons and food in the camp were all packed up.
Du Qi immediately ordered the withdrawal of the army.
The army went around Li Shimin's camp and went all the way west. This situation was quickly discovered by the sentries that Li Shimin arranged around Du Qi's camp. The sentries did not dare to delay and rushed back to the Tang Army's camp.
Early in the morning, Li Shimin had been busy for the entire day, and Hou Junji's death had left him rather grief-stricken. Li Shimin was in low spirits, and once he finished his work, he went to bed early.
When the scout returned to report the news, it was initially reported to Zhangsun Wuji.
He was responsible for handling a lot of information.
When Zhangsun Wuji received the news, he didn't dare to waste any time and immediately headed to the main tent where Li Shimin was resting. After the soldiers informed Li Shimin, Zhangsun Wuji directly entered. Seeing Li Shimin draped in a thin robe on the bed, Zhangsun Wuji reported, "Your Majesty, Du Qi's army has made a move. Their army left Guazhou City and began their journey back to Xia Xia. "
"Mr. Xia?"
Li Shimin frowned and asked, "Is Du Qi really going to give up on Guazhou?"
Zhangsun Wuji said, "I have also considered this problem. According to Du Qi's character, he shouldn't be someone who admits defeat easily. Especially in the battle during the day. Although Du Qi's army suffered some losses, comparatively speaking, our losses were greater. In the battle during the day, close to twenty-two thousand soldiers died. Du Qi shouldn't have retreated with his tail between his legs! Therefore, he must have a motive for giving up on Guazhou. "
Li Shimin said, "It's a little strange."
After pausing for a moment, Li Shimin ordered, "Men, invite Li Jing and Wei Zheng in for a discussion."
The soldiers immediately went to inform them. Not long later, Li Jing and Wei Zheng entered. Li Shimin directly told them about Du Qi's withdrawal and said, "Du Qi's current actions are a little strange. What do you think he means?"
Wei Zheng thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I think that Du Qi's actions are very simple. He wants to target the eighty thousand elites led by Duan Zhixuan first. After all, Duan Zhixuan's forces are isolated and have no backup. If he blocks Duan Zhixuan's escape route, Duan Zhixuan's situation will be worrying. As long as Du Qi kills Duan Zhixuan and then turns his forces to fight with us, he will have a chance of winning. "
Li Shimin nodded and said, "That's right, that's right. Du Qi continues to defend Guazhou City and is constrained everywhere. But now that Du Qi has abandoned Gua Zhou City, he has picked out a stereotype. Instead, we have to follow Du Qi's rhythm. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, I think that this is an opportunity for us. Du Qi seems to have taken the initiative by leaving Guazhou City, but in fact, he has lost his foundation and foothold. The reason is simple. Du Qi's withdrawal is to take the initiative to get between us and Duan Zhixuan, and be sandwiched in the middle. In this situation, if we attack together with Duan Zhixuan, Du Qi's army won't be able to withstand the pressure. Once it collapses, it will be defeated. "
Li Shimin nodded.
Whether it was Wei Zheng or Zhangsun Wuji, their analysis was reasonable.
No one was at fault.
Li Shimin looked at Li Jing and said, "Duke Wei, what do you think of this matter?"
Li Jing stroked his white beard and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I think that Du Qi has indeed entered our encirclement. However, there is also a problem, and that is whether we can break Du Qi's defense line. "
"Du Qi's plan should be very simple. He will definitely divide a portion of his forces to resist our attack. Then, he will attack Duan Zhixuan with all his strength. After all, Duan Zhixuan's army has no food supplies. Once their retreat is cut off, Duan Zhixuan will definitely be defeated after a long time. Therefore, on one hand, Duan Zhixuan wants to attack Du Qi with us, and on the other hand, he has to attack with all his strength. "
"Duan Zhixuan's attack and our attack, no matter which side achieves a breakthrough, Du Qi will be in a difficult situation, and Du Qi will lose this battle."
"However, if our side is unable to break through, or if Duan Zhixuan is eliminated, then we will lose this battle. This is to see who is faster and who is stronger. "
Li Jing said, "The situation is very simple, but the operation is difficult."
Li Shimin understood after hearing this, and said with a sharp gaze, "We will definitely win this battle. Du Qi took the initiative to reveal an opening, and if we still can't grasp it, then we will have missed the opportunity. "
After pausing for a moment, Li Shimin said, "I am preparing to advance through the night."
"That's not right!"
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, it is now dark. If we advance through the night, we won't be able to see the situation clearly. Furthermore, Du Qi has landmines. Once he sets up an ambush on the official road, it will be easier for him to ambush us. Therefore, I don't think it is suitable to give chase. It won't be too late for us to give chase after daybreak. "
After pausing for a moment, Zhangsun Wuji continued, "Also, Duan Zhixuan won't be defeated just because Du Qi advances through the night. After all, Duan Zhixuan has an army of eighty thousand. Even if he can't destroy Du Qi, it won't be a problem for him to block Du Qi. Therefore, we don't need to be in a hurry. After knowing Du Qi's intentions, we can just attack Du Qi tomorrow morning. "
Wei Zheng also agreed.
Seeing that everyone had the same opinion, Li Shimin did not say anything else and let Li Jing make the arrangements. At the same time, he let everyone rest. After all, it was not far from daybreak, and they needed to rest more.
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