The last time Xue Chongxun came to the north was to quell Zhang Renyuan's rebellion, it was spring and summer, and the climate was not very cold, but this time he really felt the chill on the grassland. In fact, winter is not the coldest time before it comes, but Xue Chongxun also feels that his hands and feet are cold in the morning and evening, and the climate is really much more difficult than Chang'an. During the march, the soldiers breathed white vapor from their mouths, precisely because the air temperature was low and the water vapor quickly condensed.

After Du Xian withdrew from Heisha City, he contacted the Chinese army, and Xue Chongxun learned the ins and outs and concluded that the military order had been intercepted, and praised Du Xianam's proposition. The staff sighed: The token tokens are all real, just using Chinese characters, a little clue can make General Du see through, it is really very human. Xue Chongxun said with a smile: "What can make Du Xian withdraw his troops directly is not the clues. The civil servants asked curiously, "What is that?" ”

Xue Chongxun suddenly remembered the tacit understanding with Du Xian when he played together, and he could always be in tune when he was out of tune. He laughed and said nothing, and the officials were puzzled.

At this time, the Mingguang army did not retreat to the west to join the main force, but was arranged to the east, as a precursor to monitor the Khitans. The Khitan people are also brave and good at fighting, and now being ruled by the Turks is also the antecedent, the Khitan people are both daring to attack the Tang Dynasty and dare to fight with the Turks, but as a result, the Tang army and the Turks jointly crusade, the Khitan was defeated and forced to defect to the Turks. However, they are still a force to be reckoned with, and can even influence the scales.

Zhang Jiuling said: "The 10,000 men of the Mingguang army broke through the Turkic capital to shock the Quartet, and the current situation is not optimistic for the Turks. We should send envoys to the Khitan again to contact them, so that they can judge the situation and not become our enemy. Even if they can't win over the Khitans to join forces to attack the Turks, as long as they don't move, the power to control the power of Monan is biased towards the Tang Dynasty. ”

Xue Chongxun thought so, so he ordered Du Xian to be authorized to contact the Khitan nearby.

More than 100,000 horses and horses marched unhurriedly towards Black Sand City with heavy grain and grass, and perhaps that city would be the site of the outbreak of the battle. The Tang army was not in a hurry, marching slowly, camping and repairing every evening, and the armies were tightly armed. The main force of the Tang army was divided into nine armies, and there were several nomadic coalition forces, of course, not crowded together, but arranged in marching formations in order, and in the vast grassland, this large army floated on the field like a fleet.

The middle is full of Tang Dynasty troops, except for Murong Xianbei, who are on the side of the Shence army, and Murong Xuan will go to Xue Chongxun's big tent to sit in the evening. Xue Chongxun did not blame him for the sin of losing the battle, but spoke of relief, and the relationship between the two was as good as before.

Often, when someone wanted to meet Xue Chongxun and ask the officials outside the big tent, "What is the prince doing", the officials said loudly: "Play chess with King Tuyuhun Khan." "The calm life of the chief general can affect the morale of the army and give the soldiers a feeling of being in their chests. During the time that Murong Xuan and Xue Chongxun got along, they also learned Go, which is often said to be very interesting...... Of course, Xue Chongxun also found it interesting, because it was difficult for him to find a novice like Murong Xuan among the bureaucrats to win.

On this day, Xue Chongxun was playing Go with Murong Xuan, and suddenly reported that he had captured a few Turks, threatening that some Turkic tribes were going to defect and send people to contact him. Xue Chongxun was very interested when he heard this, he just wanted to make Mo Si betray his relatives, so he immediately ordered to meet in person, and sent "Erling" and several officials who were familiar with Turkic affairs to the big tent to meet together.

After a while, I saw a few Turkic people wearing leather armor with disheveled hair being escorted into the big tent by the Tang army sergeant, but seeing these people's panicked expressions and desolate behavior, Xue Chongxun's brows furrowed, and he said in his heart, I am afraid that he is not an important person. No matter how they dressed, it is said that those people in the upper echelons of the Turks have at least seen a lot of the world, and it is impossible for them to behave like this in public.

The official next to him asked in Turkic, "Do you speak Chinese?" ”

They shook their heads busily, looking at a loss. These Turkic warriors were not on the battlefield, but such social occasions were very restrained because they had little experience.

So the official spoke to them in Turkic, and then waited for the translation to be heard by Xue Chongxun. Unexpectedly, these men couldn't hold back a fart for a long time, and stood there without saying a word. It was a long time before one of them took out a wooden box and pointed at it and muttered.

The official turned around and bowed to Xue Chongxun and said: "He said that he was sent by the 'prince' of the Tunyugu tribe, Qi Tler, and wanted to defect to the Tang army, and there was a letter written by Qi Tler to the King of Jin in the box. ”

"Bring it up." Xue Chongxun also said a word for a long time. The house slave who was waiting on the side first opened the box and inspected it before putting it in front of Xue Chongxun, which contained two rolls of paper. Xue Chongxun unfolded a volume and found that it was a sketch, and after looking at it for a while, he didn't know what it was drawing, so he threw it aside, and unfolded the second full hook and hung like a Turkic script, and he didn't recognize it anyway. He handed it to the civil servant next to him and said, "Ask someone to translate it and show it to me." ”

"Yes." The official replied and said, "There is indeed a tribe in the Turkic State that is a relative of the Khan Ashina. ”

Xue Chongxun nodded and glanced at the men, and said, "These people can't say why they came, so they asked them to settle down first, and then look for them when I understand what the letter says." ”

It wasn't until the official who knew Turkic script translated the letter and handed it to Xue Chongxun that he understood it. It is probably said that there is a tribe in the Turks who are dissatisfied with the rule of the silent si, want to abandon the darkness and turn to the light, and are willing to help the Tang army as an internal response to defeat the Turkic army...... Seeing the back, Xue Chongxun suddenly discovered Li Shizhi's name and immediately slowed down his reading speed.

It turned out that Qi Tler knew Li Shizhi's origin, and he was persecuted by "jealous and jealous" people, so he fled to the Turks, and Qi Tler decided that Li Shizhi was also Xue Chongxun's enemy, so he specifically mentioned that it was better to die than to let Li Shizhi fall into the hands of Xue Chongxun. This calculation made Hitler a little wiser.

Xue Chongxun suddenly said in his heart after seeing it: Yin Ci didn't catch Li Shizhi in the three cities, it turned out that he fled to the Turks, and he was still in trouble...... This guy does have some ability. Xue Chongxun believed a little more in the authenticity of this letter, otherwise how could the Turks know about Li Shizhi so clearly?

Since the person who wrote the letter is a relative of the Ashina clan, then the Turkic princess Ashinazhuo in the army should know it, so it is better to find it and confirm it, at least to judge whether the person of Ashina exists. Xue Chongxun thought about it, so he ordered someone to send Ashina Zhuo to come over to meet.

As soon as Ashina Zhuo heard that Qi Tler's name was actually mentioned in the Tang military camp, his expression was a little strange, and he immediately replied: "There is indeed this person, he is the grandson of Zuoxian Wang Tun Desire Valley. ”

Xue Chongxun nodded, observed Ashina Zhuo's expression, and asked casually, "Isn't this person your lover?" ”

Ashina Zhuo hurriedly shook his head: "No! How could he be my lover? ”

"Oh......" Xue Chongxun asked again, "Then what's the name of your lover?" ”

Ashina Zhuo blushed, of course she also knew Li Shizhi's origin, and she made it clear when Tunyugu took Li Shizhi to the royal city. She was unwilling to betray Li Shizhi, and told Xue Chongxun where Li Shizhi was, so she was silent. Fortunately, Xue Chongxun didn't get to the bottom of it, and when he saw that she didn't say anything, he gave up, as if he didn't care very much.

This is when she thinks that the two Tang Dynasty men she met are enemies of each other, she can't help but feel a little strange in her heart; At the same time, Li Shizhi and Qi Tler also don't get used to each other, and men always seem to be in trouble with each other. However, Xue Chongxun and the Tuyuhun Khan King in front of him seem to have a good relationship, and I heard that they often play chess together and talk and laugh.

Perhaps because she was in the Tang military camp during this time, the person who pondered the most in her heart was no longer Li Shizhi, but Xue Chongxun. Thinking of this, Ashina Zhuo glanced at Xue Chongxun again, and saw that he had lowered his head and was silent, as if he was thinking about something. Xue Chongxun was far worse than Yingjun and Li Shizhi, and the impression she had on Ashina Zhuo was a little taciturn, which made her a little incomprehensible, and the more curious she became.

Xue Chongxun suddenly raised his head and asked, "Since Qi Tler is a relative of your family, why did he betray Mo Si, the relationship between the two tribes is not good?" ”

Ashina Zhuo replied truthfully: "Utler's grandfather, Tun Desire, is the father-in-law of Quetler, who is my elder brother, the son of the former Khan Gu Dulu. The Mudsa Khan took the king of the Khan, and he has always been suspicious of Quetler and the people around him, so the tribe of the Tun Desire Valley and the Mudsi Khan are relatives but not close. ”

"You weren't the daughter of the Mosi Khan." Xue Chongxun said.

Ashina Zhuo nodded: "He is my uncle and adopted me as an adopted daughter." ”

Xue Chongxun figured out the relationship between the person who claimed to be defecting, so he no longer asked Ash Nazhuo what to say, and he withdrew some irrelevant officials and discussed this matter with several confidants and generals.

Zhang Jiuling and others took the map and studied it for a while, and figured out that the drawing was the location of the deployment of the Turkic army, but they did not distinguish the authenticity. Everyone didn't dare to conclude whether the Lust Valley tribe was really taking refuge, it was probably a bait and trick, and they had to guard against it; But if it can really get an internal response in the Turkic army, it will undoubtedly be of great benefit to the Tang army, which is not familiar with the terrain and environment.

Xue Chongxun said movingly: "In the letter, Qi Tler said that we should attack the marked position at night and kill the prisoner Mo Si and the criminal minister Li Shizhi of the Turkic Chinese army, and he was in the camp as an internal ...... As I said, if we attack the Turks when they are caught off guard, we will have a chance to win with the whole army if we succeed......"

Wang Changling said: "If the soldiers are not tired of deceit, they are afraid that it is a plan, and we will suffer losses if we are ambushed." ”

Xue Chongxun thought for a while and said: "There is this risk, but we can give it a try, line up the army in front of the Turkic array, rush in with a group of men and horses, and take a look, and adapt to the situation." ”

…… After a few days, the Tang army had arrived at the bank of the Wujia River, and it was not far from Heisha City. Several camps echoed each other, slowly marching along the river bank water source, and the army stretched for dozens of miles, which was simply a sea of people. Unsurprisingly, the main force of the Mosi Khan was still operating in the vicinity of Black Sand City, and it seemed that a decisive battle in this place was inevitable.

At this time, Mo Si did not dare to give up Black Sand City to avoid the Tang army's soldiers, giving up here means giving up the control of the entire Monan Grassland, and the shape of the current does not want to be on the weak side, so he can only compete against each other.

The two armies had frequent cavalry activities in their respective spheres of influence, and there were often skirmishes, and Xue Chongxun's Chinese army had no chance to get close to the Turkic army to find out its specific troop deployment, and the only available information was the scribbled drawing sent by Ketler, and it was not known whether it was true or false. What can be determined is the general range of activities of the Turkic army, and it is not necessary to attack and fight a decisive battle under such military information, but there is insufficient information if you want to steal the camp. The rumors of the war are getting tighter and tighter, and there are no herdsmen near Heisha City for a long time, only military activities, and those who are hidden among the Turkic herdsmen cannot provide military information for the Tang army.

After pondering the map, Zhang Wulang and Yin Ci went to the Chinese army's big tent and said: "According to the location indicated in the drawing, there are several barracks in front of the Turkic Chinese army, tens of thousands of men and horses, if our army wants to suddenly attack the Chinese army's camp, there must be a cavalry deep into the enemy's sphere of influence. If it is a plan, the former army will be besieged and destroyed; Perhaps even worse, the Turks predicted the movement of our main force, counterattacked our rear battalion and burned heavy grain and grass, how can our army hold on for a long time? Please Xue Lang think twice. ”

Xue Chongxun nodded and said, "What you said is very reasonable, but the Turkic army is heavy in front and light in the back, what if the Mingguang army in the east attacks the camp from its rear?" ”

The two generals looked at each other and said, "The one who took the risk was the Mingguang Army." ”

Xue Chongxun pondered for a moment and said: "The big war related to the prosperity and decline of the country cannot rely entirely on gambling, and we can't let Du Xian's ministry die because of our strategic mistakes; But the fighter plane is hidden, and the opportunity to win cannot be missed by being too cautious. When you go down and come up with a plan, you must be prepared, but you must not miss the opportunity, and think about whether there is a complete solution. ”

In the afternoon, Xue Chongxun issued another military order, ordering all armies to camp along the Wujia River to defend and stop marching. There is a water source in this place, and even if the river is intercepted, wells can be dug, and groundwater can definitely be dug out of the riverbank; At the same time, the army had plenty of food and grass. Therefore, Xue Chongxun's Chinese army thought that he could be stationed here, and there was no need to worry.

The whole army repaired for two days, and Zhang Jiuling and others worked out a battle plan and handed it to Xue Chongxun for him to see. It was planned to build fortifications on the banks of the river before the war, and deploy troops around it to prevent the army from being burdened after the Turkic attack; Then the main force came out at night to approach the range of the Turkic army, but did not attack the large camp of the Chinese army, but divided the troops to carry out a tentative attack on the military camp marked on the drawings to find out the truth and reality; At the same time, Du Xian's troops moved westward, and if it was found that the Turkic battalions were in the expected positions, there would not be enough troops to deploy ambushes to encircle them, so Du Xian's troops could be ordered to immediately rush to the expected Turkic Chinese army to find fighters and break the enemy. If this qiē is smooth, the Turkic Chinese army will be attacked, which will inevitably cause confusion in command, and the main force of the Tang army in the west will attack again for a decisive battle, and the chances of victory are extremely great.

This plan was discussed by several confidants and civil and military forces, and it was relatively comprehensive because it considered many possible loopholes. Xue Chongxun pondered for a while, then happily picked up the pen, drew a signature on it, and decided to implement it.

Without further ado, the Chinese army of the Tang Dynasty began to build fortifications on the one hand, and sent people to give orders to Du Xian. Military orders are naturally written in ciphertext, and very few people know about the battle plan, and the idea of attaching importance to information warfare in this era Xue Chongxun obviously surpasses the world in the realm.

After receiving the battle plan, Du Xian did not rush to the west to expose the purpose, and was still in place earlier, while paying attention to the movements of the Khitans. I am afraid that if the Khitans move from the east, the situation of the Mingguang army will be embarrassing. Tang envoys were secretly sent to the Khitan several times, in addition to persuading the Khitans to take refuge, but also acting as spies to monitor their movements, if the Khitan wanted to mobilize the army, there must be some signs.

The Khitan leader is named Li Zhaohuo, the Khitan leader of the Tang Taizong period led the departments to invite the subordinates, and the Tang court placed the Songmo Governor's Mansion with its land, and its leader Brother Cave was the governor, and the male of Wuji County was given the surname Li. At the beginning, the Tang Dynasty was powerful, and its descendants were proud of their surname Li, and the surname of this line was passed down.

From the period of Taizong of the Tang Dynasty to the present more than 60 years, the Khitan rebelled several times, and after the latest rebellion, it was defeated by the Tang army and the forces of the Turks and Xi, and most of its territory fell into the hands of the Turkic Khanate, so the Khitan also bowed down to the Turkic Khanate. But they are clearly not very reliable people for the Turks, not at all a race. Of course, they didn't have much sense of belonging to the Tang Dynasty, but they always had to reconcile with one of the surrounding powers in order to survive.

The Tang envoy came to "recruit An", and Li Zhaohuo and his ministers treated him politely on the surface, but he had nothing good to say when he turned his back.

The ministers discussed, "The Han people have never looked down on us, and they regard us as barbarian birds and beasts, what about the Khitans who threw themselves into Hebei to survive?" It's not like giving people the treatment of slaves and servants! "The life of our Khitans is not a life? Why do you want to work for the Tang Dynasty? ”

"You can't just say that they are not, Li Tang is okay, the princess of the Li family has also married a few, and the Khitans also have officials in the Tang Realm." "But don't expect Xue Chongxun to be in power, I heard that the Tang Dynasty was going to marry a princess to Tubo, so he really snatched it back in the middle of the road!" "Yes, the Xue clan has nothing to hope for!"

Li Yinhuo raised his hand to calm everyone's discussions, and said: "The Xue clan is not a good bird, and the Turks are similar, they plunder our cattle and sheep every year, when will this be?" This time, we should be happy when both sides bite. ”

"The rabbit is dead and the fox is sad, we have to prevent the Xue clan from dealing with the Turks and not give us a good face."

Li Chenghuo sneered: "If we hadn't been besieged from three sides last time, could we have placed it in the hands of the Tang people?" It's not easy for them to use knives against us! Besides, Na Mo Si sent troops to attack the Huaqing Palace last year and offended Princess Taiping's family, so he was attacked by a big enemy, what does it have to do with our Khitans? If the Xue clan goes crazy and moves troops everywhere, then there is nothing to be afraid of. ”

Everyone felt that the leader was reasonable, and also echoed, "In this situation, the Turks are going to walk around without eating, there are many heroes and enemies, the tribes around the Turks have rebelled, and the capital has been sacked by the Tang army. "But it's really worth it to die for the Han people!"

Li Chenghuo said with a smile: "The Han people don't plan to rely on us, and the purpose of sending people many times I think is nothing more than to let us not help the Turks, as long as we stand by and watch." Don't worry about this, didn't we swallow Wuluohu's territory last time, just to let the Han people admit it. When the outcome of the war is a foregone conclusion, we will send troops to make a show, occupy some of the Turkic pastures, and then ask the Tang Dynasty for some official position. ”

The ministers laughed: "Yes, the Han people love this face." ”

Li said with a straight face: "We don't have a good face, who wants to call someone else's master?" But do you have that money? ”G