Late at night, the meeting hall was brightly lit. In front of the big sand table, all the soldiers, including Qin Shubao, sat around, listening to Qin Mubai's analysis of the situation between the enemy and ourselves, and discussing tactics.
"According to detailed reports over the past few days, within a month and a half, Tubo increased its troops five times in a row, with numbers ranging from 3,000 to 7,000." Qin Mubai pointed to the Qinghai Lake and Dafeichuan areas and said, "One of their combined forces We are stationed at the throat of Dafeichuan, close to Qinghai Lake for easy access to water, and with lush pastures and ample horse supplies. The total number of troops and horses has reached 60,000, which is more than the entire number of troops and horses under our Lanzhou Governor's Office. many."
At this time, Qin Shubao said: "Obviously, after Tubo was defeated in Songzhou, they were so angry that they still refused to give up. They wanted to open a breakthrough from Lanzhou, with the intention of completely attacking Helong and swallowing up Tuhun. In the past six months, the development and growth of Lanzhou must have also allowed them to They are very fearful and panicked. They will not allow us to continue to grow. War is imminent. Even if we do not attack, the Tibetans will definitely attack. "
"It is what the governor said." Xue Wanjun's voice was still a little weak. . The Turks usually only attack after autumn, because at that time we have harvested food, and the cattle and sheep are fat. The Tubo people are more barbaric than the Turks, and they prefer to destroy and destroy them in the late spring and early summer when the Central Plains are busy. They prefer to invade at this time, with the purpose of destroying our farming and pastures. Transportation on the plateau is not convenient, so they can't take away much. Therefore, the destruction of Tibet has become their favorite thing. Soldiers, according to past habits, it is time to start a war. In addition, they suffered a big defeat in Songzhou and were severely punished by the Major General in Shanzhou. How can they not take revenge? "
When everyone heard Xue Wanjun's words, they all understood it. He deliberately emphasized the fact that "the young general was repairing the Tubo people in Shancheng". He was obviously trying to show his kindness to the Qin family and his son, and he was no longer afraid of mentioning embarrassing things. This somewhat allowed him to show some of his ambition.
Qin Mubai nodded and smiled at him kindly, and said: "It is what General Xue said. Since the Tibetans are bound to invade, it is better for us to take the initiative. Attack is the best defense."
"But our military strength is inferior to that of Tibet. Now it is scattered in three places. There are less than 20,000 people on the front line of Shancheng. How can we use our troops?" Some generals raised doubts.
"It's not about having more soldiers, it's about being good. As long as you use the right method, it's not difficult to defeat more with less." Qin Mubai said, "This time, we not only have to take the initiative to block the disasters of war within Lanzhou and Dafeichuan, but also We must remove this poisonous fang embedded in our bodies—and drive the Tibetans out of Dafeichuan!”
"Ah?" Everyone couldn't help being surprised, "This is unlikely!"
Xue Wanche immediately raised an objection: "Major General, our army is small and the enemy's army is large. If we say that the field battle against the enemy is strong for a while, this general will have confidence. If we want to defend the city step by step, it will be no problem. However, we are not the general. If you let others' ambition destroy your own prestige, Tubo's soldiers are never weak!"
"Indeed." Xue Wanjun took over the words and said, "The Commander is here, so you must be well aware of Tubo's combat power. Historically, in terms of equal confrontation, our cavalry can compete equally with Tubo's cavalry, that is, That's right; if the two armies face each other in a decisive battle, our cavalry will usually be used to raid the formation, and most of them will still use the Mo Dao infantry formation to fight against them. If they fight like this, no one who is twice as strong as the enemy can say that they have an absolute chance of victory. Nowadays, Tibet has 60,000 cavalrymen, most of whom are elite soldiers. They are furious and eager for revenge, and their strength is terrifying. Our total army is only 50,000. How can we annihilate or expel these 60,000 troops and capture them? Where is Dafeichuan?”
"The two generals are worthy of being veteran generals on the battlefield. They have rich experience and know the enemy and ourselves well." Qin Mubai smiled. He wanted to ridicule that he was also so timid when he pacified Tuyuhun a few years ago, but after thinking about it, let it go. He saved some face and said, "But the two generals also said that such a comparison of combat power is under the normal situation of equal combat. Obviously, there is no need for us to have a head-to-head confrontation with them. The Art of War, Taoist Strategy and Strange Soldiers Isn’t this the purpose of cunning warfare to deal with a war like this?”
"Sanlang, don't show off and tell me your tactics." Qin Shubao said.
"Yes, Commander-in-Chief." Qin Mubai took a stick and pointed at the terrain of Dafeichuan and said, "Look, everyone, the terrain from Dafeichuan to Shancheng is full of plains and pastures, which is a great advantage for the Tubo cavalry. , Therefore, we cannot attack them head-on as a last resort. This is extremely uneconomical. We must find a way to limit their cavalry impact advantage. My idea is to ambush from all sides and use suspicion to prevent the Tubo people from advancing. , obediently retreat to Dafeichuan and stick to the camp!"
"Ambush from all sides, a plan of suspicion?" All the generals exclaimed in surprise.
"Not bad!" Qin Mubai said, "Although the terrain at the throat of Dafeichuan is flat, there are hills on both sides of the flat road. We can ambush. I plan to let Xue Rengui lead a brigade of elite cavalry to charge Challenge the Tibetan people at the front and lay an ambush for us to pay for it. The ten ambushes did not use cavalry but were all infantry, lying in hiding on the hills on both sides of the line from Dafeichuan to Shancheng. When our army is ready, we will send a signal cannon to Xue Rengui in the front, so that he can pretend to be defeated and return. When the Tibetan pursuers come, our army will not attack or fire arrows, but just beat the drums to think that the Tubo soldiers are suspicious. He must have retreated in horror."
"Just to scare them away? Why not ambush?" the generals questioned.
"Our army is small, but the Tibetan army is very large. The terrain in the Dafeichuan area lacks vegetation and the hills are not high, making fire attacks unfavorable and ambush weak. Therefore, it is impossible to carry out a devastating blow to the enemy. Moreover, as long as the war here is unfavorable, the nearby The Tibetan army will rush out to rescue them. This short journey is nothing to their cavalry impact. At that time, we will be passive," Qin Mubai said, "So, we will only do it. We can scare them off first. Then let Xue Rengui challenge us. If Tubo doesn't come out, it's best. If he does, we'll frighten him again and scare him away again. Who can withstand ten ambushes and ten threats? Moreover, I will send another elite soldier to meet Xue Rengui at the end of the ambush to prevent any unexpected events."
"What if the Tubo people become angry and kill the ambushes on both sides?" the generals continued to question.
"Aren't we prepared with strong bows, crossbows, hammered wood, cannons and stones? Although it is not enough to cause a devastating blow to them, it is definitely more than enough to protect themselves. And as long as they dare to take risks, Xue Rengui can use his army to cover them up and come back. To It's hard to think about the end of the world, can the Tubo people really fly into the sky and become immortals?" Qin Mubai said.
The generals couldn't help laughing, and Qin Shubao said: "It is impossible for the Tubo people to attack our army's ambush. They are cavalry. It is taboo for cavalry to attack from downhill to uphill. They will never do this. Moreover, there is an ambush on the mountain. They don’t know how many people there are. Unless the Tibetan general is crazy, he will not do such a thing. "
"What the Governor said is absolutely true! In this way, the arrangement made by the Major General is really exquisite." All the generals nodded in praise.
"Ambushed on all sides and scared off several times, I don't believe that the Tubo people are still so stupid and will kill them again and again." Qin Mubai said, "At this time, it is time for the decisive battle. We just blocked it. In the narrow throat of Dafeichuan, we quickly built fortifications such as camps and arrow towers, gave full play to our advantages of infantry and crossbowmen, turned from offense to defense to choke its throat, and first limited the battlefield to Dafeichuan - this is the art of war. "Yun, choke it and prevent it from advancing. In this way, it will be easy for our army to be invincible and take the initiative first, and then use tactics."
"What happens next?" All the generals asked curiously.
Qin Mubai smiled slightly, but his smile was a bit mysterious: "When the time comes, I will adapt to local conditions, and I will naturally have a clever plan to defeat the enemy. Call the Tubo army, throw away their helmets and armor, and their souls will be scattered, and the remaining soldiers will be defeated and go away." Go back to the plateau!"
The generals were stunned for a moment, but they couldn't continue to ask further questions. Historically, such key military deployments have been considered high-end military secrets, so it is reasonable for the general to not explain them to his lieutenants in advance.
"How many people and horses are needed?" Xue Wanjun asked.
"Ambush from all sides, more than 10,000 people. Xue Renguiyi's Mansion has 2,000 elite cavalry, and the supporting team has 3,000 elite cavalry. At most, we can use several thousand more troops and reserve troops. A total of 20,000 troops and horses is enough!" Qin Mubai smiled. , "No more, no less, just the total number of soldiers and horses on the front line of Shancheng plus Yifu."
"Including the fire chiefs and reserves, the total is 20,000?" All the generals looked at each other, obviously in disbelief.
Even Qin Shubao had to question: "Sanlang, if you want to choke him and prevent him from entering, I believe that 20,000 people can indeed do it. However, if you want to completely defeat the 60,000 Tibetan army and seize its camp, this will Isn’t that likely?”
"It will definitely work." Qin Mubai nodded with certainty, "Father, please believe me!"
The faces of the generals all turned serious. They looked at Qin Mubai and then at Qin Shubao, waiting for the father and son to make a decision.
"It seems that you are the only one to command this battle? Sanlang, you will temporarily take charge and attack Dafeichuan, right?" Qin Shubao said.
"No, Commander-in-Chief. I only know how to command such a big battle on paper, and deploy troops and generals on the spot. Those who are not generals cannot be used. Let General Xue Wanjun take charge!" Qin Mubai said.
"What?" Everyone was startled, and Xue Wanjun was even more panicked. He hurriedly clasped his fists and said, "Young General, Xue, the defeated general..."
Qin Mubai waved his hand to interrupt him and said with a smile: "It is precisely because he is a defeated general that he knows his shame and becomes brave. General Xue, with your talent, you can definitely do it. Qin is just a member of the Yi family in Zuoweiwei." General Lang cannot command the entire army. You are a third-grade general, so it is appropriate for you to take command. My father is the lord of Lanzhou and has no choice but to stay in the Dudu Mansion to command the overall situation. Therefore, you are the only one to be the commander of this battle."
"Xue Wanjun... thank you, Major General!" Xue Wanjun stood up excitedly, clasped his fists and bowed to Qin Mubai.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Qin Mubai deliberately took care of Xue Wanjun and achieved this great success. His strategies and tactics have been explained very clearly, and there is nothing very complicated in their execution. As long as there are no major mistakes in execution, our army can be invincible - this is already a great achievement!
As for how to achieve a decisive victory in the end, Qin Mubai said that he had "his own clever plan". Can he not dedicate it to Xue Wanjun when the time comes? This is obviously taking care of him nakedly!
"Why did General Xue say this? We are all ministers in the same palace and generals in the same army, but we want to contribute to the country together, so how can we say thank you?" Qin Mubai returned the salute with a smile and said, "Commander Father, Xue Wanjun The general has not yet recovered from his serious injury, so it is better to use General Xue Wanche as his deputy to prepare for an ambush of 100,000 soldiers. Later, General Xue Rengui, Yuwen Hongtai and other generals will lead Yifu's elite cavalry to help. When the time comes, we will try our best to prevent the Tibetan troops from reaching Shancheng. Sooner or later, we will be able to capture Dafeichuan!"
Qin Shubao stood up, frowned slightly and stroked his long beard, and said solemnly: "Then I'll wait for your victory!"
All the generals stood up together, clasped their fists and said in a deep voice: "Please don't worry, Commander!"
Late at night, the father and son still slept together. Qin Shubao was hesitant and couldn't sleep, so he simply got up and lit the lamp, which also woke up Qin Mubai.
"Father, why don't you go to bed early?"
"Sanlang, it's not that I don't believe you, I'm still uneasy in my heart." Qin Shubao said, "If I were to go out in person, I wouldn't be so worried. You said you... you can only ride with 20,000 steps, and you can only ride with 5,000 steps. How can you really do that? Defeat those 60,000 elite Tibetan cavalry and capture Dafeichuan?"
"Dad, if I weren't afraid of scaring you and Xue Wanjun, I would have only used ten thousand people!" Qin Mubai said, half jokingly and half seriously, "You can sleep peacefully. Sooner or later, I will let you in the governor's office." Good news for the house!"
"You brat, are you trying to get along with your father? Tell me, what's your plan?!" Qin Shubao was a little angry.
"Hehe, you will know tomorrow, go to bed first, go to sleep first!!"