Beiyan, Moyang Road.

In the stalemate phase of the battle for nearly three months, the Yan army relied on the assistance of the cavalry of the Jing army to briefly suppress the Jingzhou army on the scene, and achieved certain results on the western front, pushing the battle line forward to the vicinity of Jingzhou Xileng Pass and Gaotang City.

For the Yan army, who was beaten to death by the Great Qi Border Army a few years ago, this small victory was enough to make them raise their eyebrows.

But Niu Cunjie, the general of Moyang Road, never dared to take it lightly.

Even when he led the army to approach Xileng Pass and Gaotang City before, Niu Cunjie was still cautious, and any small-scale battle would be treated with caution.

Therefore, when Li Tianrun personally led the main force of the Jingzhou Army to the north and approached the front of the Western Front step by step, Niu Cunjie immediately led the army to retreat, putting on a posture of being ready for battle.

Now he personally led 60,000 soldiers and horses to garrison Xinxi City, another 10,000 foot soldiers stationed in Pingyu City in the east, and 8,000 foot soldiers stationed in Baoxing County in the west.

There were 10,000 Jingjun infantry at the junction of Moyang Road and Gyeonggi Land in the north, and 6,000 Jingjun cavalry stayed on the flanks, and the cavalry that had previously broken into Jingzhou to attack had been transferred to Dingzhou by Qing Yugong.

Niu Cunjie knew very well in his heart that although he was the commander of the Western Front personally appointed by Qing Yugong, he did not have the right to command and mobilize the two Jing armies, unless Qing Yugong gave more clear instructions.

In the General's Mansion, a group of soldiers and horses on Moyang Road, the deputy chief, and the capital supervisor gathered together, waiting for Niu Cunjie's decision.

Although they didn't say it, they would inevitably slander the general for being a little cowardly, originally the Yan army was in the upper hand, and it might not be long before they could gnaw the two hard bones of Xilengguan and Gaotang City, but as soon as they heard that Li Tianrun personally led the troops to come, Niu Cunjie immediately forced them to retreat.

It's not that these Yan generals don't know Li Tianrun's ability, it's just that there has never been an absolute advantage in war, and there are many examples in the history books of winning more with less and defeating the strong with the weak, and the most important thing is that the Yan army is now like this.

This time, Niu Cunjie followed Qing Yugong's order and transferred most of the reserve troops in the entire Moyang Road, aiming to open the gap in the Jingzhou army's defense line from the west road and create conditions for the Jing Dynasty cavalry to drive straight into the southeast.

In other words, the Yan army will inevitably enter the rhythm of battle with the main force of the Qi army.

Otherwise, there is no need for Niu Cunjie to hoard all the troops on the Western Front, and there is no need for nearly 80,000 soldiers and horses to be stationed in Xinxi, Pingyu and Baoxing, which is not a stupid decision that a slightly rational commander can make.

The atmosphere in the lobby was solemn, Niu Cunjie knew this, he did not repeat how powerful Li Tianrun was, that kind of words were more or less demoralizing, but said calmly: "This general received a military order from the king of Changshan County yesterday, and the Jing army is currently launching a strong attack on the battlefield in Dingzhou, and their enemy is the soldiers and horses of Southern Qiding and Huai, and the pressure is far above our department. Therefore, the king of Changshan County clearly informed the general that there were no reinforcements in our department in this battle, and we must rely on ourselves. ”

These words made the generals sober up instantly.

Previously, their eagerness to try, as well as the slander of Niu Cunjie, came from Jing Jun behind him.

In the cognition of these people, as long as the Jing army sends reinforcements to support in the rear, then Li Tianrun and the Jingzhou army on the opposite side are not so terrible.

Niu Cunjie looked around at everyone and continued: "In addition, according to the news from the front-line scouts, this time Li Tianrun personally led the four armies of Qingxu, Yangzhai, Heyang, and Anping, with a total of 50,000 troops, plus more than 10,000 defenders in Gaotang City, the total strength is only about 20,000 fewer than our army. ”

Zhu Zhen, the head of the soldiers and horses, immediately said: "Fortunately, the general made a decision to let our army withdraw to the city, otherwise there will be a hasty decisive battle in the field and no backup, I am afraid that it will be Li Tianrun's way." ”

Others also patted their ass, and for a while, there was a wave of rumors.

Niu Cunjie was very disgusted with this kind of flattery, but he also knew that the faction of the Yan army generals was complicated, and it was not easy for him to sit in the position of this great general, so he could only laugh at the praise of the generals against his will, and the smile on his face was a little reluctant.

After the hall calmed down, he cleared his throat and said: "This time the Qi army is menacing, presumably the previous few months were passively beaten and held their stomachs, and now is the time when their morale is strong, and our army's retreat is not to fear war, but to wear down the morale of the enemy." After you go back, tell the soldiers to wait patiently, our army and the Qi army will definitely fight, and no one is allowed to be cowardly in the battle at that time, otherwise the general will not be spared! ”

"Obey!"

The generals stood up and took orders.

Niu Cunjie bowed his head and said: "Let's all step down, Manager Zhu stays." ”

Zhu Zhen is the head of the soldiers and horses of Moyang Road, and the real power is only under Niu Cunjie, and he has led the troops on Moyang Road for more than ten years, and he was already the head of the soldiers and horses when the former general Chen Xiaokuan was still there.

All the generals knew that these two must be talking about military affairs in secret, so they bowed and retired.

"General, this battle is not very easy to fight."

Looking at Niu Cunjie's face that became heavy after everyone left, Zhu Zhen spoke first.

Niu Cunjie walked to the side of the sand table and said slowly: "Those people below are simply shocked, and some words can only be said to you in detail. Although the Jingzhou Army has been relatively weak in the past few months, it does not mean that their strength has declined so quickly, it is nothing more than that Li Tianrun is afraid that there are people behind our army, so he deliberately adopts a defensive posture to avoid battles. Now that he has confirmed that the main force of the Jing army is in the boundary of Dingzhou, he will naturally not let our army continue to press. ”

Zhu Zhen groaned: "The main force under Li Tianrun is indeed difficult, can our army avoid its edge?" ”

Niu Cunjie looked puzzled: "Isn't this what we are doing now?" ”

Zhu Zhen shook his head and said, "The lower officials are saying that they only defend and do not fight." ”

This goes back to the beginning.

The Yan army relied on the Chengchi Pass to form a defensive system and dealt with the Jingzhou army with a stubborn attitude.

Niu Cunjie did a good job at this point, and the difficulty of defending the city was much less than that of besieging the city, which was also the reason why it was difficult for the Jingzhou army to make progress before.

However, how could Niu Cunjie not know the convenience of defense?

He sighed lightly and said a little helplessly: "This battle must be fought. ”

Zhu Zhen didn't say any more.

Of course, he understood that this was not Niu Cunjie's own idea, but a decision from that Marshal of the Southern Courtyard of the Jing Dynasty.

If Niu Cunjie refuses to fight, Qing Yugong doesn't even need to take action himself, just need to say hello to the current Northern Yan court, Wang An and Chen Xiaokuan and others will use the name of the Son of Heaven to remove Niu Cunjie's military power, and the latecomers, whether Zhu Zhen or others, must act according to Qing Yugong's will.

"Xiaguan is a little confused, since the king of Changshan County has decided to launch an offensive on the Dingzhou side, why is Moyang Road not allowed to take the defensive?"

Zhu Zhen raised a crucial question.

Niu Cunjie's heart sank, raised his eyes to look at this thoughtful deputy, and saw that he seemed to be just asking casually, so he replied cautiously: "Actually, I don't know very well. Judging from the current battle situation on both sides, I think the prince wants to drag Li Tianrun and the Jingzhou army on Moyang Road, so as to prevent him from freeing up his hands to support Ding and Huai. Without the support of the Jingzhou Army, the other party's Dingzhou Army was formed for less than a year, and Xiao Wang alone should be unable to support it alone. ”

"That's true."

Zhu Zhen nodded, looked at the sand table and said, "But this is really a severe test for my department." ”

Niu Cunjie muttered: "Who said it wasn't? Li Tianrun has not made a move for many years, and it is inevitable that he will win this battle, and the arrogant soldiers under his command are very difficult to deal with. I estimate that he will put the battlefield in this West Wind Plain, and Gaotang City to the south as a support, even if he is defeated, he can calmly retreat, so as not to be in danger of annihilation. ”

Zhu Zhen wanted to laugh but couldn't.

Relying on the current strength of less than 80,000 troops of the Yan army, you want to defeat the 50,000 elites led by Li Tianrun himself on the frontal battlefield on the plains?

I'm afraid that Qing Yugong doesn't dare to say that he is absolutely sure.

Niu Cunjie also knew the reason for his expression, and laughed at himself: "I know that as long as people who know a little bit about military affairs, they won't think that I have the slightest chance of defeating Li Tianrun." ”

Zhu Zhen hurriedly lowered his head and said, "General, the lower official has no such intention. ”

"It doesn't matter."

Niu Cunjie waved his hand, and there was a hint of wind and frost in his eyes: "But I do want to compete with him." To tell you the truth, since I took over as General Moyang Road, I have endured it for two years. In the past two years, I have never wanted to fight against Li Tianrun on the battlefield, but I have to stick to the overall situation. ”

Zhu Zhen sighed in his heart.

Among so many generals in Northern Yan, Niu Cunjie can indeed be regarded as a capable general, and his training is quite disciplined, and he is even more accomplished in defense, and he has never given the Jingzhou army a good opportunity.

After a little silence, Niu Cunjie said in a low voice: "The battle of the West Wind Plain is inevitable, and now the forces on both sides are roughly equal, and the combat power of the Jingzhou Army is indeed higher. Under such a premise, the chances of our army winning a decisive battle are less than 20%, so I have an idea that I may be able to turn the tide. ”

Zhu Zhenzheng said: "Please show the general." ”

Niu Cunjie raised his hand and pointed to the marks on the sand table, the central line and the eastern line of the Yan army, and said slowly: "If our army wants to defeat the Jingzhou army in the front, it must have enough troops and attack it unprepared. Therefore, if when the real decisive battle comes, our army suddenly at least doubles its strength and cuts into the battlefield from different directions, do you think it will be possible to break through the formation of the Jingzhou army? ”

Zhu Zhen thought about it carefully, and couldn't help but suddenly become enlightened: "The general's intention is to mobilize the defenders from all over the country, temporarily give up the defense of the other departments of the Jingzhou Army, transfer them to the West Wind Plain, and then finish the battle?" ”

"That's right."

Niu Cunjie was categorical, and then said: "I will not let the entire defense line be wide open, but only transfer some of the defenders of some cities, and the defenders of several strategic points will not move." In addition, I know that you have been leading troops on Moyang Road for many years, and I must have your full assistance in this matter. ”

Zhu Zhen looked at him steadily, nodded after a while, and said, "The general trusts him so much, how can the lower officials live up to it?" Please rest assured that the general will do his best! ”

"Good!"

Niu Cunjie raised his hand and patted him on the shoulder, with an excited look on his face: "With the help of Manager Zhu, a big victory can be expected!" ”

(End of chapter)