In 617 AD, at the end of the Sui Dynasty, the world was in turmoil, and various forces raised troops one after another to compete for the world.

After operating in the north for a long time, Yingyang Zhonglang, who was entrenched in the north, also took advantage of the chaos to divide the Liang division, and his strength was not as good as others, so he cooperated with the Turkic Union to rebel against the Sui. After that, he proclaimed himself emperor and was called Liang.

Li Yuan's group stood out, established the Tang Dynasty, and recruited a group of heroes, including Liang Shidu, who was entrenched in the north.

The Liang division refused, attached himself to the Turks, and often used his familiarity with the Central Plains to lead the Turks to invade south. At that time, the Tang Dynasty had just been established, and there were countless remnants of rebels all over the country. Li Shimin, the king of Qin, was rushing to counter the rebellion, and he also had to guard against the assassination of the crown prince. Therefore, the Liang division, who is entrenched in the north and occupies Shuozhou, is temporarily at ease.

But his brain became active, and he lobbied the Turkic Luo Khan to destroy the Tang Dynasty. Chuluo Khan was moved by him, but unexpectedly suddenly died, and the Turks became a pot of porridge. Later, under Jieli's iron-fisted methods, the Turks stopped the civil strife and regained their status as the powerful king of the steppe.

At this time, Liang Shidu was expanding everywhere, but there were countless good generals and wizards in the Tang army, and he failed many battles, and finally returned to Shuofang to recuperate. This time, he was once again attached to the Turks, made friends with Jieli, and often brought various information to Jieli.

After the change of Xuanwumen, the spy sent by Liang Shidu got the news and immediately persuaded Jieli to attack the Tang Dynasty in a big way. At this time, Liang Shidu was dreaming of carving up the Tang Dynasty with the Turks. However, the Turks who raided Chang'an from the Longshan Trail were not as powerful as Liang Shidu thought, and Li Shimin, who was in shock, defused this crisis with wisdom, deterrence, and temporary humiliation.

Liang Shidu was very disappointed with the Turks, but had to attach himself to the Turks.

Since then, the Liang division has been entrenched in Shuozhou and no longer expands around. However, the heart of the Tang Dynasty did not die, and his long-standing spy activities brought news to the Turks in all aspects, including the mountain road to Chang'an, which was more convenient than the Longshan Trail.

Jieli was ambitious for the Central Plains, and while ruling the north with iron blood, he also actively prepared to attack the Tang Dynasty, which was suffering from natural disasters for many years, and wanted to take advantage of the unstable foundation of the Tang Dynasty to unite the old aristocratic families of the Tang Dynasty to destroy Li Shimin's Tang Dynasty.

In the Tang Dynasty, in 626 AD, after the Xuanwumen Change, Li Shimin first ascended to the throne and was pressed by the Turkic army to Chang'an. Chang'an and the Tang Dynasty are in jeopardy. After resolving the crisis, Li Shimin found his confidants and swore an oath: This revenge will be avenged, and neither the Turks nor Liang Shidu will let go.

It was also from that time that Li Shimin began to run a plan for the Turks and Liang Shidu.

"Your Majesty sent the two of us to Xiazhou, first, to defend the border and ensure the tranquility of the border, second, to pay close attention to the movements of Liang Shidu, and third, to take advantage of Liang Shidu's weakness and actively carry out activities to let Liang and the gang rot from the inside. Liu Min said.

"I heard that you were his old department?" Xue Wanjun suddenly asked.

Liu Min nodded a little embarrassedly and said: "At the end of the Sui Dynasty, I was his subordinate, he was good at using soldiers, but he was suspicious by nature and narrow-minded, and he couldn't tolerate others being more talented than him. Under his hands, the misery was unspeakable. ”

Chai Shao frowned, only thinking that it was very impolite for Xue Wanjun to ask such a question, but Xue Wanjun was not his confidant general, and he was not easy to reprimand, so he just played a round and said: "I remember that Liu Changshi entered the arms of my Tang Dynasty in the first year of Wude, and he kept peace for the common people in the world." ”

"I didn't expect the general to remember my little long history. Liu Min was very excited, and the embarrassment of Fang Cai was revealed.

Liu Changshi said seriously. You are guarding the door of Datang, guarding the tranquility of Datang, and guarding the well-being of the people. I owe you a debt of gratitude. Chai Shao said sincerely.

As the leader of the troops, he has special respect for the generals and soldiers on the border. The borders of countries are often harsh, far from their hometowns and relatives, and they are the first line of defense in the event of an invasion by an enemy country.

Liu Min was very moved, and Sima Liu Lancheng on the side smiled slightly and said, "With the understanding of the general, even if we die, it is worth it." ”

Xue Wanjun felt that Fang Cai's question was really rude this time, coughed twice, and apologized to Liu Min. Liu Min said again and again that he didn't dare, he didn't dare.

In this way, the atmosphere was much more harmonious, and the four of them continued to discuss the current situation.

"Two generals, Liu Sima and I have strictly implemented His Majesty's strategy here. First of all, he sent His Majesty's Zhao'an book, and offered very generous conditions, but Liang Shi did not obey and burned the Zhao'an book. In addition, we persuaded his old subordinate Li Zhengbao. Li Zhengbao originally wanted to capture Liang Shidu and surrender to the Tang Dynasty. Unexpectedly, Liang Shi was suspicious, so he struck first and killed Li Zhengbao. Liu Min sighed.

When Chai Shao heard this, he said happily: "Then now there should be people in Shuofang City who are panicking, and everyone is in danger." ”

"That's right, Master Liang is suspicious by nature, and the people under him, anyone who suspects that he will betray, will be killed. Liu Lancheng said.

"However, don't underestimate Liang Shidu. He can use soldiers, and the city of Shuofang is strong, if we fight, we will suffer a lot of damage, and we may not win. Liu Min analyzed.

These two people have been dealing with Liang Shidu and know this person very well, and if they say a conclusion, then the credibility of this conclusion is at least 80%.

Chai Shao and Xue Wanjun glanced at each other, feeling strange inside.

Xue Wanjun is a fierce general, and he does things straightforwardly, and once he has doubts, he asks directly: "But I heard that it was the two of you who asked the court to fight." ”

"Yes, it was the two of us who felt that this was a good time to risk their lives to ask the court for war. Liu Lancheng replied.

"But you two said that if you fight, the damage will be very large. How can this be explained?" Chai Shao asked with a pleasant face, like an old man who humbly asked for a question.

Liu Lancheng and Liu Min sat up straight and replied respectfully: "In addition to monitoring Liang Shidu, we also have to monitor Jieli. In addition, people will be sent to walk in the Northland grasslands. Jieli was very courageous and swept across the grasslands, but his rule was very bloody and brutal, with troops used for many years, and heavy taxes were imposed on the tribes, and the tribes were miserable. Some time ago, Hui and Xue Yantuo of the Tiele Department fought against the villain Jieli. Now, Jieli is discussing the conquest of Xue Yantuo and the return to Hui. I think this is an opportunity to make things bigger. ”

"Make things bigger?" Xue Wanjun is a fierce general, but he is not good at these things. When he heard it, he already felt a little struggling, and when he heard this, it was even more cloudy and foggy.

Chai Shao could hear it clearly, but because he didn't know much about the Turks, he couldn't hear it this time, so he just listened quietly with interest.

"General Huixue, no matter how strong the Turks are, they are also made by the tribe. No matter how powerful Jieli is, it is impossible for the Turkic army to listen to him alone. Liu Lancheng said loudly.

Xue Wanjun coughed twice and said, "I understand this." That year, the reason why Jieli did not attack Chang'an, in addition to the deterrence of the combat effectiveness of the Tang army and the wisdom of His Majesty, was that the Turkic tribes had their remaining strength at that time and were in a wait-and-see state. And the Turks were also afraid that they would stay in Chang'an for a long time, and when reinforcements came, he would be caught in the urn. ”

"Exactly. Liu Min nodded and continued, "Jieli has long coveted the rich Central Plains. He wanted to hold the Turkic military power in his hands all the time. Therefore, it is necessary to find ways to cut off dissidents. ”

And the biggest obstacle for Jieli to hold the military power in his hands is his subordinate Tuli Khan. If he wants to hold the power of the army, the first thing to cut off is Tuli, right?" Xue Wanjun hurriedly asked.

"Exactly. Liu Lancheng nodded solemnly.

When Chai Shao heard this, he already understood the reason why the army was here, and it turned out that His Majesty was asking them to wait, waiting for an opportunity to defeat the Liang Shidu in one fell swoop and fight the Turks at the same time.

"I see. It's just that how to do this article, can you two be sure?" Chai Shao replied.

"Originally, I didn't have much certainty, but now that Xue Yantuo and Hui are rebelling against Jieli, this certainty is greater. Liu Min knelt long, very modest.

"How many people did you send?" asked Xue Wanjun.

Liu Min and Liu Lancheng looked embarrassed.

Chai Shao coughed and said, "Wan Jun, you have exceeded the rules." War is our domain, but this is not our domain. ”

Xue Wanjun suddenly realized that he was listening to the secrets of the imperial court when he asked, and quickly apologized to the two.

Liu Min and Liu Lancheng were very humble and sincere, only saying that this was a state secret and could not be revealed, but they also revealed that there were superior people on the Turkic side. The violent death of Luo Khan was the man's handiwork, and in the first year of Zhenguan, the wait-and-see of the Turkic tribes and the escalation of the contradictions between Jieli and Turki were also the handiwork of this person.

"This man is very intelligent, very powerful. Please also rest assured that once the operation is mature, it will be the time to send troops in one fell swoop. Liu Min replied.

Chai Shao listened to this report, although he was curious about who could have this talent after Changsun Sheng, but he couldn't inquire, this was a matter of principle. Moreover, even if you ask, the two people in front of you may not know the identity of that person.

However, after hearing this report, his previously slightly restless heart calmed down a little. After that, Chai Shao remembered another thing, so he asked: "Since the two of you are monitoring Liang Shidu, do you know the meeting between this Jieli and Liang Shidu in the past year?"

"Back to the general, the two have not met in the past year. Liang Shidu stayed in Shuofang City all the time, while Jieli was on the grassland. Both sides sent emissaries. However, at the beginning of the year, the five princes of Jieli and the national teacher Dumu suddenly came to Shuofang City to have a secret meeting with Liang Shidu. After that, Dumu returned to the Turks, and the five princes mysteriously disappeared. Liu Min recalled.

"That's right. We felt that something was wrong, so we reported the matter to the imperial court. Liu Lancheng interjected.

I see! Chai Shao suddenly realized.

Previously, Awu wrote a letter saying that Chang'an was surging. He felt that His Majesty was not a person who was gullible and rash to send troops, so why would he believe the words of King Shu and Ah Zhi. It turned out that he had already mastered the movements of the Turks, but the movements of Liang Shidu and the Turks were suddenly unknown, and there was no way to monitor them, so he was worried. It just so happened that the King of Shu and Ah Zhi brought the news of Lost Mountain. That's why he made such a big plan.

"Tut, this guy is really an emperor, he is still so shrewd and calculating, and he is still such an incursion. Chai Shao praised his friend in the past, the current emperor.

After that, he sent away Liu Min and Liu Lancheng, who seemed to be local guards and officials, but were actually the ears of the Son of Heaven, and adjusted the army's plan overnight: secretly stationed troops in Xiazhou, waiting for an opportunity.