Just do what you say, early the next morning, after leaving the second son Xue Renyue to lead some troops to guard Zheyi, Changwu and other places, Xue Ju really hurried south to Tingkou with more than 50,000 main forces. The elite cavalry acted as the vanguard and went south first, rushing to the battlefield first to prevent Chen Sangliang's main force from retreating urgently. At the same time, before leaving, Xue Ju and Hao Yuan also issued a warning to Xue Renguo, "Chen Yingliang is treacherous and cunning. During the march, send more scouts to scout the situation on both sides of the road. Be careful of his ambush!"
Xue Ju and Hao Yuan were of course worried in vain. The purpose of Chen Sangliang's dispatch of Du Chuke was to lure the main force of Xue Ju's army to Tingkou for a decisive battle, arranging an ambush to defeat the 7,000 forwards of Xue Ju's army. Didn't Du Chuke waste his hard work by picking sesame seeds and throwing watermelon? Therefore, after discovering that the main force of Xue Ju's army was heading south, Chen Sangliang not only did not make use of the complex terrain north of the pavilion mouth, but also immediately ordered Qin Qiong, the forward of his army, to prepare for retreat. Once Xue Renguo approached, he immediately burned the gate and retreated to the pavilion entrance , Before the rainy day, he made room for Qin Qiong's army in the main camp.
Sure enough, Xue Renguo's army approached Qin Qiong's camp in the afternoon, and Qin Qiong immediately abandoned the camp and retreated. Before leaving, he set fire to the fence fortifications, not giving Xue Renguo a chance to use the waste. And because of the relatively open terrain in the Randian area south of Qin Qiong's camp, Xue Renguo ordered a pursuit without hesitation, and caught up with Qin Qiong's rear army when Qin Qiong's army was still eight or nine miles away from the camp. Qin Qiong personally led the rear team to fight. Qin Qiong kept in mind Chen Sangliang's request and fought and left. He did not use all his strength to arrogate the enemy. In the end, he suffered a slight setback and was snatched dozens of vehicles by Xue Renguo's army. Xue Renguo's army chased the truck full of military supplies until the road was narrow before stopping, and triumphantly set up camp about fifteen miles away from the main camp of the Sui army.
After Qin Qiong led the army back to the camp, Chen Sangliang summoned him immediately. The purpose was not to hold Qin Qiong responsible for the loss of military supplies, but to learn about the specific combat effectiveness of Xue Jujun from Qin Qiong. All of them are tall and strong, skilled in riding and archery, and have strong surprise attacks. The infantry under the general's command were crushed by them just by accident, and they were forced to abandon their luggage and leave. The general probably estimated that on the plain battlefield, Except for the national army, when cavalry of the same strength confront each other, it is difficult for our cavalry to gain the upper hand."
Chen Sangliang nodded and said, "Yes, it's about the same as I expected. This is also the reason why I don't want to fight Xue Ju in Qianshuiyuan. His cavalry is really powerful. If we want to defeat him, we need to rely on the advantage of the narrow terrain." In addition, we have to find a way to lure him to take the initiative to attack, and consume his cavalry strength in the offensive and defensive battles of the camp, and then we can find opportunities to defeat the enemy."
After all, Chen Sangliang didn't hesitate, and immediately ordered to continue to strengthen the fortifications of the camp, and sent someone to Li Jing to inform his cousin that he had succeeded in luring the enemy, and asked Li Jing to send troops eastward from Linggu to the Tingkou battlefield to fight Since the army joined forces. It was also at this time that Du Ruhui, who followed Chen Sangliang on the expedition for the first time, suddenly said, "Prime Minister, about fifteen miles northwest of our army is the only way for Li Shangshu and our army to join forces. With a low mountain ridge, Xue Ju's main force going south must be stationed in Randian, which is open. The way for our army to join forces with Li Shangshu."
"In this case, why don't we set up a trap there instead?" Du Ruhui suggested: "Let Xue Ju intercept Li Shangshu on purpose, or simply lure Xue Jujun to set up a camp there to intercept him, and then let Li Shangshu cheat the enemy to lure Xue Jujun Leading into the narrow road in the western mountainous area, our main force will then send troops westward, join forces with Li Shangshu to attack Xue Ju's bandit army back and forth, and we will definitely win a big victory!"
"I've thought about this plan a long time ago." Chen Sangliang shook his head and said, "From the perspective of the terrain, this tactic is indeed feasible. Once we succeed, our army will surely win a big victory. But Keming, you forgot to think about it. Water, even if the snow in the mountains is thick in winter, it can melt the snow to get water, but it is only enough for our army to use water along the way. It is not a hasty task to lure the enemy westward into the mountains. Danger."
"You can make Li Shangshu's army persevere." Du Ruhui didn't agree with Chen Sangliang's point of view, and said: "There is a lot of snow in the mountains, and it often snows. As long as Li Shangshu's army saves drinking water as much as possible, it will definitely be able to persist for a long time. At the same time Xue If the bandit army wants to completely seal off the snow-fetching road for Li Shangshu's army, it must mobilize a large number of troops, so that we have a better chance of breaking the main force of the bandit army in the mountains."
If it were Li Er who commanded the troops, he would have accepted Du Ruhui's suggestion with huge risks and benefits without saying a word. It is a pity that Chen Sangliang is a person whose military style is completely opposite to Li Er's. Even though he knows that Du Ruhui's suggestion is reasonable, After thinking about it for a while, he still shook his head and said, "Let's talk about it again, let me think about it." Du Ruhui also knew that Chen Sangliang didn't like to take risks when using soldiers, so he didn't continue to insist, but he felt a little regretful in his heart.
The night passed quickly, and in the afternoon of the next day, the main army led by Xue Ju arrived at the Randian area north of the pavilion mouth as scheduled, and joined forces with Xue Renguo. As a result, after carefully surveying the terrain, Xue Ju, who came here for the first time, inevitably frowned, because the area around Tingkou, where the main force of the Sui army was stationed, was really disgusting. It is narrow and somewhat narrow, which severely restricts Xue Jujun's ace cavalry from interspersed and detoured, outflanked and rushed, and even the space for charge and surprise is quite limited. It is a paradise for infantry and a pit for cavalry.
No matter how tricky the terrain is, the main force has already arrived, and it is impossible for Xue Ju to run back with the main force and toss around. Randian set up camp in the north, and at the same time asked Du Chuke to bring his letter back to the Sui army camp to threaten and blackmail Chen Sangliang. At the same time, Xue Ju also inevitably came up with the idea, "Although the terrain around Randian is not as good as Qianshuiyuan, it is far more open than the entrance of the pavilion. How can we lure Chen Yingliang's main force to Randian for a decisive battle?"
At the same time, Hao Yuan, who personally explored the land for his lover, soon discovered the low mountain ridge that could threaten Li Jing's marching path, and immediately suggested that Xue Ju divide his army to set up a camp there, and look down on Li Jing's marching path , so that you can keep track of the movement of the Sui army's partial division at any time, and if necessary, you can send troops to intercept it, so that the Sui army's partial division cannot join the main force. Xue Ju followed his plan and immediately ordered general Liang Hulang to lead an army of 5,000 troops to set up camp on the low mountain ridge of that place, and also ordered to block the road down the mountain with earthworks, so that the Sui army's partial divisions could not sneak through.
It's time to look at the situation on Du Chuke's side. Chen Sangliang, who knew that Du Chuke had returned safely and wanted to appoint this talent, was somewhat relieved. He hurriedly summoned Du Chuke to praise him, and then took Xue Ju's letter to read. In the end, what made Chen Sangliang laugh was that Xue Ju's lion's mouth was really wide open. He not only asked Chen Sangliang for land in the three counties of Pingliang, Anding, and Beidi, but also extorted 300,000 shi of grain and 200,000 shi of salt. One hundred thousand catties and three hundred thousand pieces of cloth. Otherwise, Xue Ju will not only fight to the end with Chen Sangliang, but also sign an alliance with Yu Wenhua and divide the land in Guanzhong equally!
All the civil and military men of the Sui army who had read this letter laughed wildly, and then called for battle one after another, but Chen Sangliang still shook his head and said with a smile: "Don't worry, in the current situation, whoever launches the attack first, we or Xue Ju, will be the first to attack." I’m at a disadvantage in terms of location, so I’m going to play around with Xue Ju to see if I can lure him to our pre-battalion decisive battle.”
"Prime Minister, how about pretending to negotiate a peace with him face to face?" Qin Qiong suggested: "The general has long heard that Xue Ju has a bad temper, cruel and easy to kill. Such a person must be the most unbearable to be provoked and provoked. You pretend to make peace with him, Prime Minister." He negotiated face-to-face, tricked him to meet in front of the camp, and then scolded him in front of the camp just like you did when you cheated Yang Xuangan, completely angering him, and then he must send out the main force to attack our camp. A decisive battle with Xue Ju on favorable terrain?"
All the generals of the Sui army applauded, and Chen Sangliang also thought it was a good idea, and immediately sent envoys to Xue Ju's camp with a book, inviting Xue Ju to negotiate face-to-face outside the camp the next day, but Xue Ju, who was anxious to rip off money, also couldn't wait for it. promise. Then, on the morning of the next day, Xue Ju personally brought three thousand elite cavalry down to the Sui army camp. After hearing the report, Chen Sangliang also led the Baoguo army, Yuchi Jingde and others out of the camp. Outside the door, I met Xue Ju, the legendary overlord of the Western Qin Dynasty.
Just like in the legend, Xue Ju, who is now in his fifties, is indeed a tall and strong man with an unusually burly appearance, his arms are almost as thick as Chen Sangliang's thighs, his voice is like a bronze bell, and it is still loud and powerful even after hundreds of steps. He said rather contemptuously: "You are Chen Yingliang and Prime Minister Chen? Are you not doing well? There is no one in the Central Plains. I never imagined that such a helpless little boy like you can lead an army to fight, and you claim to be victorious in all battles and never lose. How did your previous opponents lose? Could it be that you followed Long Yang and let them do it, and let them lose when they were exhausted? "
Before Xue Ju finished speaking, the faces of Yuchi Jingde, Guo Feng and other generals next to him were already ashen, and subconsciously they were about to step forward with a knife and spear. Chen Sangliang stopped them calmly, while secretly wondering Xue Ju's Why is the attitude so arrogant and bad, and he sneered and said loudly: "Xue Gouxiong, don't think that you are as strong as a bear, but you are as smart as a bear. A bear can climb a tree to dig honey, just like you. I'm afraid you don't know what to do if you got into a woman's belly? Go back and check carefully whether your two sons look like you, and by the way, ask your maid if your wife ever left home on a stormy night ? Has something like this happened twice?”
While Yuchi Jingde, Guo Feng and other generals were laughing loudly, the blue-faced and long-toothed generals around Xue Ju also became furious. The subordinate who made the move said with a smile: "Of course my son is like me, you, Chen Yingliang, don't worry, when I break through Daxing and capture your whole family alive, I will take care of letting your woman give birth to a bunch of sons who are absolutely not like you! "
"It's a pity that you, Xue Ju, don't have a daughter. Otherwise, the truth is that you can have another way to make a fortune. You were escorted to a brothel in Daxing Kaijian, and you directly named it Xue Julou. It must be a guest like a cloud." Chen Sangliang retorted not to be outdone , "As for your daughter-in-law and your mother, let's forget it. They are too old. I'm afraid there will be no customers if they pay for it."
Xue Ju laughed and took up the conversation again, and continued to mock Chen Sangliang. Chen Sangliang unceremoniously fought back and scolded, and went down three ways just like Xue Ju, one by one was more vicious and mean, and one by one It's obscene and dirty, but it's strange to say that the seemingly rough Xue Ju is not only not irritated by these words, but also seems to be very interested in them.
It was also at this time that Chen Sangliang finally came back to his senses, and secretly said: "No, I underestimated this Xue Gouxiong too much. He was also deliberately provoking me, trying to lure me to take the initiative to send troops northward, and the terrain is wider than the entrance of the pavilion. Ran shop and fight him, so that he has a better chance of winning."
Secretly frightened by Xue Ju's rough appearance, Chen Sangliang stopped wasting saliva with Xue Ju, and said with a smile: "Xue Ju, this is the end of the mutual greetings. It's time to get down to business. I'm making an appointment with you." The purpose of the peace talks is to tell you clearly that the truth is that I intend to stop fighting with you and open a border market to communicate with you, but I will never accept your extortion, and I will never give you a grain or a catty of salt. If you are smart , take your army back to Tianshui immediately! Otherwise, the Guanzhong army will trample you into powder in a short while if the truth orders the flag to be pointed at!"
"If you have the ability, then you can let your horse come here." Xue Ju laughed and said, "It doesn't matter if you don't agree, I can wait. Don't think that I don't know, your Eastern Front is now being occupied by Yu Wenhuaji and Li Mi at the same time. Threatened with Wang Shichong, as long as I station troops at Randian and stand still, I don’t worry that you won’t kneel down and beg me to let you go.”
Laughing, Xue Ju pointed at Chen Sangliang again, and said loudly, "Chen Yingliang, don't think that I don't know what you're planning. You just think that the terrain here at Tingkou is beneficial to you, and you want me to lead the main force in person." I will fight you here, I will not be fooled by this! I tell you clearly, I made up my mind yesterday, my army will only station in Randian to confront you, and I will never take the risk to come to this pavilion to fight you , if you have the ability, go north to Randian, and I will accompany you to the end at any time! Let's see who can spend more!"
Chen Sangliang smiled and said: "Okay, it seems that there is no need to waste any more energy talking, go back and wash your neck and prepare the coffin, don't think that the truth is really afraid of the mob under your command, wait for our army to come in to the pavilion Join forces with the main force of the truth, and see how the truth will send you back to the west. Let's go!"
After all, Chen Sangliang turned his horse around and walked into the camp. Xue Ju laughed and gave the order to retreat. Let me tell you one more thing, Master Liang has already sent someone to request to conclude an alliance with me, and is ready to send troops to attack Honghua, Shangjun and Feng Yi, and share Guanzhong with me, whether I agree or not depends on whether you are smart or not."
Before dispatching troops, he had ordered the general Lin Xingcan to stick to Honghua and prepared to respond to the troops. At the same time, without the strong support of the East Turks, the Liang division was far less powerful than in history. Of course, Chen Sangliang was not afraid of Xue Ju's threat. However, after returning to the tent of the Chinese army, Chen Sangliang immediately ordered to Sun Fujia: "Fujia, write a letter to Li Shangshu for me, write the tactic of luring the enemy proposed by Keming into a letter, and ask Li Shangshu what it means Let’s see if he is willing to lure the bandit army into the depths of the mountain road at the risk of water shortage, if he is willing, follow this plan.”
"Prime Minister, didn't you say that doing so would be very risky? Why did you change your mind?" Sun Fujia asked suspiciously.
"I underestimated Xue Ju a little too much. It's not just a fluke that he got to where he is today." Chen Sangliang replied: "He is an enemy with a clear mind, and he was lured by us to go south because he believed in Yu Wenhua and others. It is true that he is marching towards our eastern front, but his tactics are very safe. He will no longer take the risk of entering troops in Randian, avoiding the terrain of Tingkou, which is absolutely unfavorable to him. I can see that he wants to compete with us in a stalemate. Patience is definitely not a joke, it is a real plan to do this. Although we are not afraid of spending money with him in terms of food and grass, the situation on the Eastern Front is still complicated and the crisis has not been resolved. For the sake of strategic security, we can only take some tactical risks. "
"But Li Shangshu, is it possible to lure the bandit army into the depths of the mountain?" Sun Fujia asked with some concern: "Xue Ju is more cunning and treacherous than we estimated. If he is not fooled, then how can our partial teacher Isn't it hard work in vain?"
"Xue Ju will definitely be fooled!" Du Ruhui next to him interjected, and answered decisively, and explained: "Because Xue Ju sent troops to the south, it was because he believed that Yu Wenhua had seriously threatened our western front. Yielding to his extortion, and in order to win the opportunity to seriously injure or even annihilate our main force, he will never allow Li Shangshu to join forces with our main force, so he will definitely send troops to intercept Li Shangshu, and will try his best to annihilate our partial division, let us Cowardly surrender."
Chen Sangliang nodded, approving Du Ruhui's analysis, Sun Fujia no longer hesitated, and immediately wrote a book, but Du Ruhui stopped him and said: "Prime Minister, I think there is no need to write any more letters. Xue Ju's bandit army has already divided up and occupied the low mountain ridge first, and built fortifications on the road to intercept it, it will be very difficult for our messengers to get past their interception, and once the letter is intercepted, the consequences will be disastrous."
Chen Sangliang's heart shuddered, and only then did he think of this important question. At the same time, he began to regret that he was too cautious and missed the great opportunity to contact his cousin in advance to make a plan. Sun Fujia suggested: "You can let the messenger take the path to the southwest. The local people have introduced that there is a path to the southwest of the pavilion that can lead directly to Linggu."
"No, I've asked about the condition of that small road." Du Ruhui shook his head and said, "It's too rugged, and now the mountains are covered by heavy snow. Not to mention the dangerous road, even if we can reach Linggu smoothly, there will definitely be too little time. gone."
"Then what should we do?" Sun Fujia was in a dilemma.
"There is a way." Du Ruhui said relaxedly: "When Li Shangshu's army arrived at the low mountain ridge, we pretended to send troops to meet it. After being intercepted by the bandits, we fled back to the camp. Li Shangshu would immediately understand the prime minister's intentions. The tactical purpose is naturally to lure the enemy by deceitful defeat, to lure the bandit army to send troops westward to pursue them, and to win opportunities for our main force."
"This... is it too risky to do this?" Sun Fujia, who had never seen Li Jing before, was a little dumbfounded, and said: "If Li Shangshu can't understand the prime minister's intentions, he still thinks that we are really invincible, in order to share the pressure with us. , to attack the interception position of the bandit army with all our strength, wouldn't we be self-defeating?"
"It won't be self-defeating." Chen Sangliang finally said, "Li Shangshu is my cousin, and his uncle and nephew are connected. He will understand what I mean, so let's do it like this."
At the same time, Xue Ju also led the light cavalry team back to the Randian camp and entered the camp of the Chinese army. The first thing Xue Ju did was to call his eldest son Xue Renguo, and ordered him: "You take ten thousand The army went to reinforce Liang Hulang, and led him to strictly guard the dangerous roads. We must cut off the eastward route of the Chen thieves, and never give them a chance to join forces! Besides, the roads, big and small, are strictly sealed, and no bird is allowed to cross your defense zone. Let Chen Yingliang and Li Jing get in touch, so that they can't exchange information with each other, they can only fight on their own, and create opportunities for us to defeat them individually!"