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People are all the same. Once they get stuck in a dead end, it's hard to get out.
Before, Qin Mu had been keeping a close eye on Bailutuhu's tens of thousands of soldiers, fearing that he would let any of them go. In fact, he was walking into a trap that he had set for himself.
Hong Niangzi's words "shoot the horse first when shooting a man, and capture the leader first when capturing a thief" made Qin Mu suddenly enlightened, as if there was a ray of hope after a dark period.
If we shift the target from tens of thousands of troops to one person and only lock on to Bailutuhu, things will be much easier.
Especially now, Bailutuhu has divided his troops into four groups to attack cities and seize territories, sweeping the counties outside Lanzhou, which provides a good opportunity to implement the strategy of capturing the leader first.
But then again, it is not easy to capture the bandit king. If we send elite cavalry to attack Lanzhou directly, we will have to pass through Tianding, Jinxian, or Lintao along the way.
No matter which route we take, there are now Bailutuhu's troops. Even if we can quickly defeat these enemy troops blocking the way, it is bound to alert the enemy. It will be impossible to capture and kill Bailutuhu by surprise.
At five o'clock the next morning, Qin Mu set off again and rushed westward without stopping along the way.
The further west you go, the higher the terrain becomes. There are vast and boundless peaks in the distance, the Wei River is flowing endlessly, there are smoky villages, ancient trees, loess and mulberry trees, and birds and animals can be seen everywhere.
Two thousand cavalrymen galloped past, stirring up yellow dust all over the sky. This was the ancient Silk Road. The Qin Dynasty encouraged border trade, and there should have been caravans carrying camel bells and nails on the road, but now the war in Hexi was raging, and there were fewer caravans traveling back and forth.
Some of the restaurants and teahouses along the way had no customers. The shopkeeper and waiter were sitting in front of the store in the sun, listlessly, and only when they saw a large group of soldiers galloping past did they poke their heads out and look around.
Perhaps it was because they had seen too many soldiers heading west recently. The shopkeeper and the waiter were not surprised to see that the cavalry had no intention of stopping. They sat back and basked in the sun again.
As they galloped westward, Qin Mu sat on horseback with Sima An and others, thinking as they went, pooling their wisdom and striving to kill Bailutuhu in one fell swoop.
Bailutuhu had only two sons, the eldest son Dayan Ozier and the second son Halbala. But both the eldest and the second son were only in their twenties.
If Bailutuhu was killed in one fell swoop, the prestige of his two sons would be far from enough to rule the entire Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Even the Khoshut tribe might be split.
There is nothing to be afraid of if Qinghai-Tibet is like a loose sand. By then, it will not be difficult to disintegrate the hostile forces in the entire Qinghai-Tibet region by slowly dividing and winning them over.
While taking a short rest at an inn at noon, Qin Mu summoned all the ministers who were accompanying him.
"Everyone, have you come up with any plans this morning?"
Li Shi quickly took out the map and spread it out, then quietly stepped aside.
Sima An pointed directly at the map and said, "Your Majesty, look here."
Sima An said. Qin Mu couldn't help but blurt out: "Ji Shi Pass!"
"That's right, the Jishi Pass is majestic, with mountains and peaks blocking out the sun. It is the gateway to Gansu and Qinghai. During the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, 24 passes were set up to conquer Hezhou, and Jishi was the first pass."
Qin Mu understood what Sima An meant. He pondered over the feasibility of this move.
Yu Shangyou next to him said, "It's just that the Jishi Pass is a dangerous place. One man guarding the pass is impossible for ten thousand men to break through. It's not easy to pass through Dan, and now Hezhou has been captured by the enemy."
Sima An said: "If Hezhou had not been taken by the enemy, this strategy would have been difficult to implement."
Qin Mu nodded repeatedly after hearing this and said, "That's right. It is precisely because Hezhou has been captured by the enemy and Jishi Pass has become the enemy's rear, the defense may have become lax, which may give us an opportunity to take advantage of it."
Jishi Pass has been a key pass on the ancient Tang-Tibet Road since ancient times. After passing Jishi Pass, going west through Hualong and Hainan south of Qinghai Lake is a shortcut to enter Qinghai-Tibet.
But on the other hand, if you can pass Jieshi Pass smoothly, there is a small path to the north through Guanting and Gangou, leading to Xidatonghebao (Minhe Hui and Tu Autonomous County) where the Huangshui River and Datong River meet. Datonghebao is located between Xining and Lanzhou.
In other words, as long as an elite force could be sent to block the Datonghe Fort, Bailutuhu's retreat back to Qinghai-Tibet could be blocked.
The success or failure of this operation depends on whether we can quickly capture Jishi Pass.
Jishi Pass is a dangerous pass that is the most dangerous in the world. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, countless bloody battles took place here, and the corpses are piled up like mountains under the pass.
Any place that can be called a dangerous pass in the world is often not just about how strong the pass is, but is usually connected to a narrow and steep canyon, and the same is true for Jishi Pass.
At the western end of Jishiguan is Jishixia, a famous canyon in the upper reaches of the Yellow River. It is a canyon nearly 50 miles long. The Yellow River rushes through the canyon. The mountains on both sides are steep and the cliffs are thousands of feet high, as if they were cut by knives and axes. Dangerous rocks and peaks stretch across the sky, and it seems that they are about to collapse.
Such terrain is difficult to blast through even if you have airplanes and cannons. Once discovered by the enemy in advance, even if you can capture the city with advanced equipment, it will be difficult to pass through these steep canyons that are dozens of miles long.
Gu Jun'en thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, if there are not many troops, it will not be difficult to bypass Hezhou and reach Jishi Pass. This strategy is worth a try."
Of course it's worth a try. Even if it fails, it won't be a big loss.
Qin Mu immediately ordered someone to convey his order to Qin Zuoming, ordering him to take a detour and attack Jieshi Pass immediately.
Qin Zuoming's 1,000 troops were not only well-equipped, but also had come to the northwest first and had been gathering strength for a long time, making them just the right size for a quick raid.
The decree has been issued, but Qin Mu cannot place all his hopes on Qin Zuoming. After all, this move is too risky and it would be difficult to succeed if he is not careful.
Therefore, we have to think of another plan.
Another anxious day, at Shilipu west of Gangu County, Qin Mu and his entourage finally caught up with the 35,000 troops led by Gao Yigong and others. Originally, there were 40,000 troops. In order to ensure the safety of Xijing, Hui Dengxiang led 5,000 troops to stay in Qinzhou.
Among the 35,000 troops, 20,000 were cavalry, stretching for more than ten miles, with no end in sight. They were desperately trying to get on the road, with yellow dust flying in the sky and fluttering flags covering the road. Suddenly, they saw the imperial carriage coming, and the more than 30,000 troops cheered and their morale soared.
They came directly to the battlefield from the military parade in front of Mushan in Nanjing. At that time, the emperor publicly announced at the military parade that he would lead the army in person, but later the emperor did not arrive for a long time, so the soldiers could not help but gossip.
Seeing that the emperor was indeed keeping his word and was really leading the army in person, everyone's spirits rose. They had just rested in Qinzhou, which was enough to ensure that the army that had just swept across the Central Plains was full of energy.
When camping at night, Qin Mu summoned generals such as Gao Yigong, Li Jiu, Hao Yaoqi, Liu Fangliang, Zhao Jian, Han Gang, and Dongfang Sheng to hold another pre-war meeting.
Gao Yigong first proposed: "Your Majesty, I think we can adopt the method of feinting to the east and attacking the west, besieging a point and attacking the reinforcements. First, our main force will advance quickly and try to besiege Na Risong under Lintao City. If Bailutuhu sends troops to help, our army can first besiege a point and attack the reinforcements, and secondly, we can reserve some elite troops. After the main force of the enemy is attracted to Lintao, we can quickly advance from Tianding and join forces with the troops in Lanzhou City to attack Bailutuhu."
Gao Yigong's plan was not a brilliant one, but it was highly feasible. Qin Mu immediately asked, "General Gao, how can we ensure that Na Risong will not withdraw immediately when our reinforcements arrive in Lintao?"
Gao Yigong had a plan in mind and immediately replied, "Your Majesty, it is not difficult to paralyze Na Risong. First, we should use the technique of adding fuel to the fire. The army will arrive in batches so that Na Risong will not be scared away all at once. Then, we should fake defeat. The troops that arrive first will be defeated once or twice, so that Na Risong will think that even if more of our troops come, he has nothing to fear. I think, this should give us a chance to trap Na Risong."
Qin Mu turned to the others without commenting, "Everyone, do you think General Gao's plan is feasible?"
Li Jiu spoke first: "Your Majesty, I think it is feasible, and I know there is a small path that can be used to outflank Taohe Pass. As long as we occupy Taohe Pass, we can block Bailutuhu's reinforcements in the north and Narisong's troops in the south."
Qin Mu suddenly remembered that Li Jiu was from Taozhou, Longyou. This area was his hometown. He asked hopefully, "Li Jiu, do you know of a shortcut to the west of Lanzhou to cut off the enemy's return to Qinghai-Tibet?"
Li Jiu certainly knew what the emperor was going to do, and he answered affirmatively: "Your Majesty, there is no other shortcut to the west of Lanzhou except Jishi Pass. However, I think the possibility of success through Jishi Pass is not great. It is better to follow General Gao's strategy, encircle the point and attack the reinforcements, and make a feint to the east and attack the west."
Qin Mu was a little disappointed, but he didn't show it. He immediately said, "In that case, Gao Yigong will obey your orders."
"I am here."
"I order you to lead 3,000 cavalrymen to set out at five o'clock tonight and rush to Lintao Prefecture to provide assistance. Follow your plan."
"I accept your order."
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.(To be continued..)
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