Until this time, in March of the fourth year of Wude (621), the Battle of Luoyang, which determined the historical trend of the late Sui and early Tang dynasties, had entered a crucial and critical stage. Because, at the beginning of this year, the battle situation in Luoyang suddenly changed dramatically, and it was a great change that affected the general trend of the world.

First of all, under the fierce offensive of the Tang army for nearly half a year, Wang Shichong lost his troops and lost his generals, lost his division and lost his land, and sat in the lonely city of Luoyang. In desperation, Wang Shichong had no choice but to seek foreign aid and ask for help from the Xia regime of Dou Jiande in Hebei. At the same time, Dou Jiande also decided to unite with Wang Shichong to attack the Tang army out of consideration of his own interests and his personal ambition to dominate the world.

According to common sense, the battlefield situation at this time was extremely unfavorable to the Tang army, and the two-front battle was overstretched. However, Li Shimin, the commander of the Tang Army, was a whimsical and unreasonable genius. After some consideration, Li Shimin finally decided that the sword would go sideways, and the troops would make dangerous moves, leaving most of the main force of the Tang Army and continuing to besiege Luoyang City; As for Li Shimin himself, he led 3,500 Xuanjia troops to the Tiger Prison Pass and ambushed Dou Jiande's army.

Originally, the Battle of Luoyang was only a war between Li Tang and Zheng Guo, and it was limited to the two major forces of Tang and Zheng. Now, however, things have changed. Dou Jiande suddenly intervened, more than 100,000 Xia troops, and Chen soldiers around Luoyang, which caused a subtle change in the situation of the enemy and us. What's changed? What was originally a war between Tang and Zheng turned into a wrestling between Tang, Zheng, and Xia. In this way, the battle of Tiger Prison Pass, which shook the ancient and modern times, has now opened the curtain of war!

Not only that, hundreds of thousands of troops from Tang, Zheng, and Xia gathered in Luoyang. Moreover, it was Li Tang who used the military strength of one country to oppose the combined forces of Zheng and Xia, and the risks to be borne were still quite huge. This unprecedented war for the ages is ready to be sent!

It can be seen that the battle of Tiger Pass is very important for the Li Tang Dynasty. It can even be said that the final victory or defeat of this battle is directly related to the success or failure of the Battle of Luoyang, and it is also related to who the lord of the Central Plains is. In the battle of Tiger Pass, if it wins, the Tang Dynasty can not only defeat Dou Jiande's more than 100,000 troops in one fell swoop, but also successfully force down Wang Shichong, and the soldiers will go straight to Luoyang without blood. In this way, Zheng and Xia, the land of Henan and Hebei, are all in Li Tang's pocket.

On the contrary, if the Battle of Tiger Pass ends and the Tang Army is unfortunately defeated, the consequences will be extremely serious. The blow to the Tang Dynasty was not only the loss of the main force and the defeat of the army. The more fatal loss is that if this battle is lost, the Tang army will withdraw from Luoyang, and its vitality will be greatly damaged. Moreover, the Tang Dynasty's desire to dominate the world will also be far away and difficult to realize.

Therefore, at this time in the war, there was only one way in front of Li Shimin, there was no advance or retreat, and there was only victory. Otherwise, Li Shimin and 100,000 officers and soldiers of the Tang Army would have no life. Therefore, in the first battle of Tiger Prison, the Tang army could only win, not lose. So, as the commander of the Tang Army, Li Shimin led the army to attack the Tiger Pass, how would he skillfully use his troops and deal with Dou Jiande until he achieved the ultimate victory in the war?

First of all, it is necessary to briefly introduce the situation when Li Shimin first arrived at Tiger Prison Pass.

Previously, Li Shimin set a plan to divide the troops, and ordered Li Yuanji, the king of Qi, and Qu Tutong, a veteran general, to lead the main force and continue to besiege Luoyang; He personally led an elite army to quickly seize the Tiger Prison Pass and meet Dou Jiande's more than 100,000 troops. In this process, Li Shimin's principle of employing soldiers can be summed up in four words: Soldiers are noble and fast. It is necessary to march at the fastest speed to enter the Tiger Prison Pass and block Dou Jiande's more than 100,000 Xia troops.

As mentioned above, Dou Jiande led the army to the vicinity of Luoyang, and did not immediately take the Tiger Prison Pass, which gave the Tang army an opportunity. However, this does not mean that Dou Jiande does not attach importance to the Tiger Prison. Once Dou Jiande reacts and sends troops to capture the Tiger Pass, all Li Shimin's plans will be in vain. Therefore, Li Shimin must preempt Dou Jiande and occupy the Tiger Prison. Now, Tang Jun and Dou Jiande are fighting for speed.

The so-called quick solution, just do what you say. Li Shimin led 3,500 Xuanjia troops and marched rapidly to the battlefield of Tiger Prison Pass. At that time, for Li Shimin, time was of the essence. Li Shimin took his 3,500 Xuanjia army, non-stop, day and night, and finally arrived at the Tiger Prison Pass.

In order to arrive at the Tiger Prison Pass as soon as possible, Li Shimin chose to send troops at noon on March 24 in the fourth year of Wude (621). After a day and a night of rapid marching, the next day, that is, on March 25, Li Shimin led the Xuanjia Army into the Tiger Prison Pass and successfully seized the ambush site.

On March 24, we departed from Luoyang; On the 25th, they arrived at the Tiger Prison Pass. After seizing the Tiger Pass, Li Shimin ordered the 3,500 Xuanjia troops under his command to quickly prepare for battle and wait for battle. Sure enough, only one day later, on the 26th, the first confrontation between the Xuanjia Army and Dou Jiande kicked off!

From the start of the troops, to the stationing in the Tiger Prison Pass, and then to the head-to-head confrontation with the Xia army, Li Shimin only took three days in total. It can be seen that Li Shimin's swiftness exceeded Dou Jiande's expectations. In the early days of the Battle of Tiger Pass, Li Shimin took the lead in seizing the opportunity and gained the initiative in the war.

Although Li Shimin successfully seized the Tiger Prison Pass, he was one step ahead of Dou Jiande. However, this does not mean that Li Shimin can sit back and relax from now on. Next, the situation that Li Shimin will face is even more severe. What's the situation? is still the problem repeatedly mentioned above, Li Shimin's troops are too small.

Li Shimin led the army to a long-distance attack, seized the Tiger Prison Pass, intercepted Dou Jiande's army, and only gathered 3,500 Xuanjia troops. As for most of the main forces of the Tang army, all remained under the city of Luoyang at this time, commanded by Li Yuanji and Qu Tutong, and besieged Luoyang. From this point of view, the only force that Li Shimin can mobilize at present is a mere 3,500 Xuanjia Army. And Dou Jiande, who was opposite him, had more than 100,000 troops, strong soldiers and horses, and his strength should not be underestimated.

The comparison of the strength of the two armies is huge, one in the sky and the other underground. So, how did Li Shimin rely on the 3,500 Xuanjia army to fight against Dou Jiande's army of more than 100,000 Xia Kingdom, and destroy it in one fell swoop, and finally won the battle of Tiger Pass?

As far as the situation at that time is concerned, no matter what the victory or defeat is, whether or not they can hold the defense line of Tiger Prison Pass and block Dou Jiande's troops is a big problem. The enemy is outnumbered, and the disparity in strength is huge, how to arrange the troops and meet the Xia army has become the most important problem that Li Shimin and the officers and men of the Xuanjia Army should consider first. To put it simply, in a battle with the Xia army, how should this battle be fought, and what kind of tactics should be adopted?

Li Shimin knew very well that he had to admit a reality, although the Xuanjia Army was brave and good at fighting and unparalleled in the world, after all, the number was too small, only 3,500 elites, less than 10,000. If only these 3,500 people go head-to-head with Dou Jiande's hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses, it is tantamount to hitting a stone with an egg, and it will inevitably be outnumbered and the whole army will be annihilated. Therefore, judging from the current situation, hard fighting is by no means the best policy, and we can only find another way to build fighters.

What is the highest level of war? It can not only annihilate the enemy's living force, but also preserve your own strength and minimize damage. Li Shimin was an outstanding military commander, and how could he not understand this truth. Moreover, after so many years, Li Shimin's command art and wisdom in using troops have gradually become mature and perfect. How to use troops to deploy formations and strike at the enemy, Li Shimin already had his own ideas in his heart.

After thinking about it, Li Shimin came up with a strategy to use to deal with Dou Jiande's more than 100,000 Xia troops: grappling. The so-called grappling, in short, is what is commonly referred to as a war of attrition and guerrilla warfare. Li Shimin also knows that he has few soldiers, Dou Jiande has many soldiers, and he will definitely not be able to take advantage of the frontal resistance.

However, fighting a war of attrition is Li Shimin's forte. He once used this set of tactics to destroy strong enemies such as Xue Rengao, Liu Wuzhou, and Song Jingang. It is precisely because of so many successful precedents that Li Shimin is full of confidence, and he believes that as long as he is properly dispatched, with a small number of Xuanjia troops, he can also hold the Tiger Prison Pass to the death, contain Dou Jiande's main force, and make it impossible for his army to advance, cross the Tiger Prison Pass, and join forces with Wang Shichong.

In other words, Li Shimin and the 3,500 Xuanjia Army under his command must be like a strong rope, firmly entangled with Dou Jiande, so that he cannot withdraw. Li Shimin pinched Dou Jiande's weakness, and the soldiers and horses of the Xia State marched thousands of miles, and the people were sleepy and lacking. When the Xia army ran out of food and grass and its morale was low, it was a good opportunity for the Tang army to launch a large-scale counterattack, and it would definitely be decided in a battle. This is Li Shimin's specific strategy for fighting Xia Jun.

In the face of Dou Jiande's army of more than 100,000 troops, and the aggressive situation of confronting the Xuanjia Army in the Tiger Pass, Li Shimin did not mess up in the face of danger and formulated a tactic to entangle the Xia army. Objectively speaking, this is indeed a clever plan to defeat the enemy. Next, Li Shimin will officially implement it. He is a typical man of action, he never likes to drag mud and water, and since he has decided to fight, he has to act quickly and take him by surprise.

Soon, Li Shimin led 3,500 Xuanjia troops, and on the second day of entering the Tiger Prison Pass, the first battle between the Tang and Xia armies officially began. This time, it was Tang Jun who took the lead in challenging Dou Jiande. Some people may say, is Li Shimin crazy! The strength he now has in his hands is only 3,500 men, less than 4,000. In this case, it is not easy to withstand the attack of hundreds of thousands of Xia troops, how can you dare to take the initiative to challenge, isn't this looking for death?

On the contrary, this is precisely the brilliance of Li Shimin's soldiers. In fact, before this, Li Shimin had already analyzed it. Since Dou Jiande defeated Meng Haigong and galloped to Luoyang, the Xia army has been a triumphant singer and has never suffered defeat. In this way, it will inevitably lead to the arrogance of the Xia army.

Therefore, Li Shimin decided to take the initiative to attack, first, he could better open up the situation; Second, it can severely frustrate Dou Jiande's spirit. Therefore, Li Shimin's intention in this battle was not to capture or kill or injure the enemy, but to attack the Xia army head-on and give Dou Jiande a disadvantage.

On March 26 of the fourth year of Wude (621), that is, the day after arriving at the Tiger Pass, Li Shimin left most of the elite of the Xuanjia Army to hold the defense line of the Tiger Pass, and he selected 500 Xuanjia Army horsemen, led by Li Shimin himself. Li Shimin led these 500 horsemen, galloped and marched, went out to more than 20 miles east of the Tiger Prison Pass, approached Dou Jiande's summer army camp step by step, and went to the front line to reconnoiter the enemy's situation.

Of course, in this operation, Li Shimin's purpose was not only to simply reconnoiter the enemy's situation, but also to take the initiative to attack and thwart the spirit of the Xia army. For this reason, in addition to Li Shimin's selection of 500 horsemen, at the same time, four experienced generals in the Tang Army also attacked with the army, they were Li Shixian, Qin Qiong, Cheng Yanjin, and Wei Chi Jingde. These four generals are all famous generals in the Tang Army.

It can be seen that in order to challenge Xia Jun this time, Li Shimin has made full preparations. In this way, Li Shimin personally led five hundred Xuanjia army horsemen, as well as four generals, step by step to approach Dou Jiande's camp, ready to attack at any time. So, how will Li Shimin fight the first battle of the Tang Army in the Tiger Pass?

Li Shimin has long known this point. He didn't plan to lead his five hundred horsemen to attack the Xia army camp directly. If that is really the case, he will definitely be counterattacked by Dou Jiande, and he will be outnumbered and encircled. What kind of person Li Shimin is, he will not do such a loss-making business. It was not feasible to storm by force, so Li Shimin thought of another way to lure the snake out of the hole, lure the Xia army out of the camp, and ambush him in the middle of the road.

So, Li Shimin chose an ambush location, left all the elite horsemen along the way, "left the fate of the road and followed the cavalry", and ordered Li Shixian, Cheng Yanjin, and Qin Qiong to lead this strong force and ambush on both sides of the road. As soon as the Xia army entered the ambush circle, they attacked on a large scale and surrounded and annihilated the Xia army.

Although the ambush was well arranged, the question was, how could the Xia army be brought into the encirclement? In other words, who will complete the task of luring the enemy? This time, Li Shimin personally went into battle, risked danger alone, and used his body as bait to lure the Xia army out of the camp. Then, another one invited you into the urn and caught him off guard.

As we all know, Li Shimin did not want to die in battle, as the commander of the three armies and the king of the Tang Dynasty, he often took the lead and took the lead. This kind of extreme personal heroism has caused him to brush shoulders with death several times; The encounter of Cijian, the fierce battle under Luoyang City, the battle of Beipi, and the battle of Qingcheng Palace can explain everything.

Speaking of which, Li Shimin's courage is big enough. With such an arduous task of luring the enemy, he only led four cavalrymen with Wei Chi Jingde to challenge in front of the Xia army's camp. Wei Chi Jingde's strength is obvious to all. He is one of the best generals in the Tang Army, with strong martial arts and the three armies.

At the beginning, during the Tang army's attack on Luoyang, in the Battle of Beipi, Shan Xiongxin, the first general under Wang Shichong, once approached Li Shimin and almost took Li Shimin's life. At the critical moment, it was Wei Chi Jingde who stepped forward, rode a horse and held a lance, and stabbed Shan Xiongxin under the horse with a lance, and saved Li Shimin's life in the chaos of the army. Therefore, Li Shimin is quite sure of Wei Chi Jingde's ability. Before leaving, Li Shimin was full of pride and said this to Wei Chi Jingde:

I hold the bow and arrow, and the public holds the lance with each other, although millions of people are like me! (Information Governance Guide)

This sentence is to say, Li Shimin told Wei Chi Jingde, let's go out together, the widow is armed with a bow and arrow, and the general is holding a spear, following closely behind, galloping among thousands of troops and horses, even if the enemy army has millions of people, what can I do! The implication is that this lure to the enemy will definitely succeed.

However, no matter how arrogant Li Shimin was, no matter how brave Wei Chi Jingde was, he dared to attack the summer camp with only four cavalrymen. It seems a little strange to say it. If you don't get it right, not only will you not be able to lure the enemy successfully, but you will even lose your life. No one would have thought that Li Shimin would succeed.

The four cavalrymen of the Xuanjia Army, under the leadership of Li Shimin and Wei Chi Jingde, gradually approached the camp of the Xia Army. On the march, Li Shimin said to Wei Chi Jingde while walking: "The thief sees me and returns, and the best strategy is also." "It means that with these six people, I want to give Dou Jiande a powerful look.

The emperor lives up to his wishes. Only three miles away from Dou Jiande's camp, Li Shimin and Wei Chi Jingde met with a team of swimming posts of the Xia army on a narrow road. Originally, this group of Xia troops was on a sentry and saw the Tang army on the opposite side, and the number was very small. Moreover, they have not seen Li Shimin's true face. Therefore, Xia Jun mistakenly thought that Li Shimin, Wei Chi Jingde and his party were just an ordinary Tang army scout, and they didn't take it to heart at all.

Unexpectedly, Li Shimin, the master who is not afraid of the sky and the earth, did not hold his own identity at all, and took the initiative to reveal his identity, and sentry towards the Xia army on the opposite side, simply and neatly, and shouted loudly: "I, King Qin." "Tell Xia Jun bluntly, I am Li Jiaerlang, the King of Qin of the Tang Dynasty, the commander of the Tang Army in Luoyang this time, and I have the ability to let the horse come.

After that, without waiting for Xia Jun to react, Li Shimin bent his bow and took an arrow, and an arrow shot out with a "whoosh". If you want to say that Li Shimin's archery skills of piercing Yang in 100 steps, it is not blown. I saw that one of the generals of the Xia Army on the opposite side fell off his horse in an instant, fell to the ground and died, and was killed by Li Shimin with an arrow.

What needs to be clear is that the place where Li Shimin and Xia Jun fought was only three miles away from Dou Jiande's Chinese army camp. Li Shimin made such a big move, and openly shot and killed a general of the Xia army. Obviously, Dou Jiande saw all this. At first, Dou Jiande, like many Xia soldiers, did not recognize Li Shimin. But now, Li Shimin publicly revealed his identity and took the initiative to challenge, but Dou Jiande woke up like a dream and found that this person was Li Shimin.

After learning of Li Shimin's identity, Dou Jiande was quite angry. Li Shimin, as the powerful god of the Tang Dynasty, actually only came to challenge the camp with only one general, with four cavalry. In Dou Jiande's opinion, the young Li Jiaerlang simply didn't take himself and the Great Xia army seriously.

Since Li Shimin took the initiative to send it to the door, of course Dou Jiande couldn't let it go, if he could capture or kill Li Shimin alive, he would definitely be able to completely disintegrate the Tang army and relieve the siege of Luoyang. So, Dou Jiande prepared to cast a big net and capture Li Shimin. As everyone knows, this Xia King has been designed by Li Shimin.

Immediately afterwards, there was a commotion in Dou Jiande's army. Subsequently, the cavalry of the Xia army, which numbered about five or six thousand, quickly rushed out of the camp and went straight to Li Shimin and others. Li Shimin, Wei Chi Jingde and his entourage, a total of six people. In the face of five or six thousand Xia Jun, there is no doubt that meat buns beat dogs, and they are not enough for people to stuff their teeth. Therefore, the four cavalrymen who followed Li Shimin saw such a situation, and "the servants lost their color."

Li Shimin is the only one, and his heart is happy. The ultimate goal of this time is nothing more than two words: lure the enemy, lure Dou Jiande's main force out of the camp, introduce it into the encirclement of the Tang army, and encircle and annihilate it. Now, Dou Jiande was finally enraged, and sent thousands of elite soldiers to pursue, which was in the hands of Li Shimin, and his painstaking plan to lure the enemy finally worked. Next, it is necessary to introduce the elite of the Xia army into the ambush set up in advance.

Dou Jiande sent five or six thousand Xia cavalry out of the camp to pursue and kill Li Shimin. At this moment, the sharp blade is hanging high, and Li Shimin is dying on the line. However, Li Shimin was not afraid, and he had seen a lot of such scenes. He said to the four soldiers around him: "Brother you go forward, I will be the temple of virtue and respect." "Li Shimin told the four entourage, you withdraw first, and General Wei Chi and I are responsible for breaking the rear.

So, Li Shimin and Wei Chi Jingde turned their horses' heads and walked forward slowly, not feeling like they were facing a great enemy at all, but they looked extremely relaxed and comfortable. When the enemy cavalry behind him was about to approach, Li Shimin suddenly turned his horse back, stretched out his bow and arrows, aimed at the enemy in front of him, and shot an arrow suddenly. But seeing that in the ranks of the Xia army, one person fell from his horse and died in an instant, becoming the soul of Li Shimin's arrow.

For a while, the thousands of Xia cavalry chasing behind were shocked by Li Shimin's superb archery skills, and they were stunned in place, not daring to approach Li Shimin. However, soon, Xia Jun came to his senses, and once again like a tide, he surrounded Li Shimin and Wei Chi Jingde, intending to kill the two.

Surrounded by the Xia Army, Li Shimin was still very arrogant and not afraid at all. Faced with a wave of enemy cavalry, Li Shimin skillfully picked up his bow and arrows, drew his bow and shot them, shooting one by one, and then killing another, almost without missing arrows. Before and after, Li Shimin shot and killed several Xia cavalry one after another, and it is not known how many of them were soldiers and how many were generals.

Seeing Li Shimin so brave and good at shooting, Wei Chi Jingde was naturally not willing to be lonely, he felt that he could not embarrass King Qin. Then, Wei Chi Jingde brandished a long lance, rode his horse and rushed into the enemy formation, rushed left and right, and killed more than ten people in a row. At this moment, the pursuers of the Xia army behind began to be afraid, and they were no longer as aggressive as just now:

So he pressed the reins and walked slowly, and when the chasing horse was coming, he drew a bow and shot him, killing one person. The chaser is afraid to stop, stop and come back, if it is repeated, every time there will be a person who is killed, the people of the world shoot several people before and after, Jingde kills more than ten people, and the chaser does not dare to repeat. (Information Governance Guide)

However, the more the five or six thousand Xia army pursued, the more they thought about it, the more angry they became. There are thousands of us, so many soldiers and horses, and there are only two people on the other side, so we can't help it, and if it spreads, we can't become the laughing stock of the world. Therefore, no matter what, today we must kill Li Shimin. Thinking of this, thousands of Xia troops chased after them, quickened their pace, and continued to chase Li Shimin and Wei Chi Jingde fiercely, vowing to take their lives.

At this time, Li Shimin gradually discovered that Xia Jun had completely taken the bait. Therefore, Li Shimin did not want to continue to entangle with Xia Jun too much, and he must lead him into an ambush as soon as possible. Therefore, Li Shimin and Wei Chi Jingde fought and retreated, resisting and retreating. Unconsciously, thousands of Xia cavalry, lured by Li Shimin, entered the ambush area of the Tang army and stepped into the Ghost Gate Pass.

You must know that at this time, the three generals Li Shixian, Qin Qiong, and Cheng Yanjin, led five hundred Xuanjia army horsemen, and had already set up a pocket array, waiting here for a long time. As soon as the Xia army arrived, they launched an attack and annihilated them in one fell swoop. Sure enough, there was nowhere to find the iron shoes, and it didn't take any effort to get it, Xia Jun really came.

Next, Xia Jun's doom came. In the blink of an eye, Li Shixian, Qin Qiong, Cheng Yanjin and others, with an order, led their departments and fought hard. The elite cavalry of the five hundred Xuanjia Army, like a tiger descending from the mountain and a dragon entering the sea, launched a fierce attack on the elite cavalry of the five or six thousand Xia Army.

In front of the powerful and invincible Tang Xuanjia Army, the Xia Army was obviously not an opponent. At the beginning, under the city of Luoyang, in the Beibi Mountain, in the Qingcheng Palace, Li Shimin led the Xuanjia Army, God blocked and killed God, Buddha blocked and killed Buddha, and killed Wang Shichong Tens of thousands of elite soldiers were defeated. Only five or six thousand Xia troops, what a foot and a road, where is the opponent of the Xuanjia Army!

Although, in the comparison of troops, the Xia army has an advantage. However, the Xuanjia army was too strong, and it was an ambush and a surprise attack in advance, and the Xia army was defenseless. As a result, thousands of Xia army elite cavalry were defeated by five hundred Xuanjia army. After a battle, the Xia army was defeated, and the Xuanjia army won a complete victory, beheading more than 300 people, and capturing the Xia army's generals Yin Qiu and Shi Hao. After that, Li Shimin led the army to return victoriously and returned to the Tiger Prison Pass station.

It should be said that this battle was the first confrontation between the Tang and Xia armies since Li Shimin rushed to the Tiger Pass. As soon as the battle began, the Tang Army, under the leadership of Li Shimin, had a "good start" and won the first battle. Li Shimin took a solo adventure, skillfully lured the enemy, broke the elite of thousands of cavalry of the Xia army, killed more than 300 enemies, and captured two generals of the Xia army. The victory of the Tang Army in the first battle was tantamount to opening up a good situation for the battle of Tiger Pass.

Since Dou Jiande broke through the Menghai Gongbu, he raised troops from Hebei and galloped to Luoyang, all the way invincible, and almost never encountered defeat. But this time, it made Dou Jiande and the Xia Guo army turn over a lot. Originally, Dou Jiande intended to dispatch a large army to capture and kill Li Shimin and carry out a "beheading operation". Unexpectedly, Li Shimin defeated an army in a hurry, and lost more than 300 people, which outweighed the losses.

Although in the first battle of Tiger Pass, the Tang army did not capture much, only killing more than 300 enemies and capturing two enemy generals. However, Li Shimin's goal in this battle has been achieved. In this ambush of the Xia army, Li Shimin did not seek to destroy the enemy much, but only to give the Xia army a head-on blow and frustrate Dou Jiande's arrogance, so as to disintegrate the military spirit and morale of the Xia army and realize his idea of fighting with the enemy.

Indeed, the defeat of the Xia army in the first battle was really a big blow to Dou Jiande. He has dominated Hebei for many years, and he has never seen such a strong opponent as Li Shimin. It seems that this Li Jiaerlang is by no means an ordinary person, but an unborn military genius. The Tang army had such an outstanding commander that Dou Jiande began to have serious doubts about whether he could defeat the Tang army. Dou Jiande is like this, and the soldiers below are no exception.

Perhaps, Li Shimin saw that Dou Jiande's heart was shaken and Xia Jun's morale was frustrated, so he decided to strike while the iron was hot, "add fuel to the fire", and sprinkle another handful of salt on Dou Jiande's wound. After the war, Li Shimin led the army back to Tiger Pass. Soon, he sent a handwritten letter to Dou Jiande, persuading him to recognize the situation and stop being obsessed. To put it bluntly, Li Shimin's letter is an "ultimatum" issued to Dou Jiande:

The land of Zhao Wei has been owned by me for a long time, and it has been invaded by my feet. But with Huai'an, the princess returned, so she was frank and relieved. The world is full of repairs with the foot, has tasted repeatedly, and now the death is in the day, but also the temptation of rhetoric, the foot is to the three armies, rely on others, the capital of the daughter, sit for the foreign expenses, good is not the best policy. Today, the top meets in front of each other, they collapse, the service is not through, and there is no shame! Therefore, it is necessary to suppress the sharpness and choose the good; If you don't get your life, I'm afraid it will be difficult to chase after you. (Information Governance Guide)

After receiving Li Shimin's letter, what was Dou Jiande's reaction? Four words: noncommittal. Dou Jiande did not reply to Li Shimin, which shows that he was afraid. Otherwise, why didn't Dou Jiande dare to reply to Li Shimin. It can only be said that he is not fully confident.

Since fighting and confronting the Tang Army at the Tiger Pass, Dou Jiande has been hit one after another. was first set up in an ambush by Li Shimin, and more than 300 soldiers and horses were broken. Immediately afterwards, I received this letter from Li Shimin, which was full of gunpowder. Every once in a while, there was a thunderbolt in the clear sky, and even if Dou Jiande had a lightning rod on his head, he couldn't dodge it. The decisive battle of Tiger Prison Pass had just begun, and the Tang army overwhelmed Dou Jiande's Xia army in terms of morale.

Just when Li Shimin led the Xuanjia Army to win the first battle at Tiger Prison Pass and fought flexibly with Dou Jiande, the main force of the Tang Army was also besieging Luoyang City in an orderly manner.

The key to capturing Luoyang and destroying Zheng and Xia lies in dividing the troops into two ways and taking a two-pronged approach. This was Li Shimin's original intention of formulating the battle plan, Li Yuanji and Qu Tutong commanded the main force of the Tang army, besieged Luoyang, contained Wang Shichong, and prevented him from joining forces with Dou Jiande; On the other side, Li Shimin personally led an elite Xuanjia army of 3,500 people, ran a long distance, set up an ambush in advance at Hugao Pass, and directly attacked Dou Jiande's army, extinguishing Wang Shichong's last hope and forcing him to surrender Kaicheng.

Therefore, the two steps are interlocking, which step is missing, and if the step is not completed well, it is not conducive to the Tang army to capture Luoyang and destroy Zheng and Xia. It should be said that Li Shimin led the 3,500 Xuanjia Army to fight against Dou Jiande at Tiger Pass, and made a good start, defeating the elite of the Xia army in the first battle, killing more than 300 enemies, giving Dou Jiande a blow to the head, and severely frustrating his military spirit and spirit.

At the same time, Li Yuanji and Qu Tutong, who were in charge of besieging Luoyang, naturally did not sit idle, and began to launch a moderate military attack on Luoyang, cooperating with Li Shimin's actions in Tiger Pass. Although Li Yuanji, the king of Qi, has a frizzy personality, he is not a qualified general. Fortunately, before Li Shimin went to the Tiger Prison Pass, he left the veteran Qu Tutong and ordered him to assist the King of Qi and lead the main force of the Tang Army to besiege Luoyang Jiancheng.

Qu Tutong has gone through the Sui and Tang dynasties, and has been a famous general. Therefore, with the assistance of famous generals like Qu Tutong, Li Yuanji commanded the Tang army and besieged Luoyang, which was no longer as absurd as when Taiyuan was lost. Although it was not as good as Li Shimin's victory over the enemy and his surprise, he was still in a decent command, steady and steady, and rarely defeated.

After Li Shimin left, Tang and Zheng fought under the city of Luoyang, and each other won and lost. But on the whole, it was the Tang army that had the upper hand, and Zheng Guo was just at the end of the road, dying. And Li Yuanji and Qu Tutong's action of besieging Luoyang also won a greater chance of victory for Li Shimin's decisive battle at Tiger Pass.

As mentioned above, in several major battles outside Luoyang City, Wang Shichong suffered heavy losses, and none of the battles were not fought by Li Shimin so that he could not find the north, especially the "Battle of Qingcheng Palace", where the Jianghuai army was almost completely killed and wounded. In desperation, Wang Shichong, who was trapped in a lonely city, had no choice but to ask Dou Jiande for help and make an appointment to jointly flank the Tang army. After that, Dou Jiande led more than 100,000 troops to aid Luoyang. In this way, Li Shimin decided to divide the troops into two routes and besiege the city to send reinforcements.

Although, Dou Jiande is here, it seems that Wang Shichong has seen the last ray of hope. However, Wang Shichong needs foreign aid, but he cannot rely entirely on foreign aid. What's more, at this time, Dou Jiande was firmly entangled in the tiger prison by Li Shimin, unable to move an inch, and in a short period of time, he could not meet Wang Shichong. It is better to rely on yourself than to ask for others, Wang Shichong felt that instead of waiting for the arrival of Dou Jiande's army, it was better to take the initiative to attack, and perhaps there was room for maneuver.

Even if Wang Shichong's vitality was greatly injured, there were few elite soldiers in his hands. However, after all, "a hundred-legged insect is dead but not stiff", and he still has the strength to fight. Moreover, Wang Shichong simply believed that Li Shimin had left the main force of the Tang Army and went to the Tiger Pass. At this time, Li Yuanji, the king of Qi who was in charge of commanding the Tang army, was a gentleman and had nothing to fear. After making up his mind, Wang Shichong gathered his troops and marched out of the city to attack the besieging Tang army.

After all calculations, Wang Shichong ignored one point, although Li Yuanji was mediocre, he was assisted by the famous general Qu Tutong, and this person was not easy to deal with. With the help of Qu Tutong, in the face of the Zheng army's soldiers and horses who took the initiative to go out of the city, Li Yuanji laid an ambush outside the city, launched a surprise attack, defeated the Zheng army, beheaded 800 ranks, captured more than 1,000 soldiers, and captured the Zheng army's general Le Renfang, and successfully repelled Wang Shichong's attack.

From time to time, however, there are unexpected turnarounds in winning and losing. For example, in the process of besieging Luoyang, the main force of the Tang army suffered a small defeat.

On April 15 of the fourth year of Wude (621), Wang Shichong once again sent his cavalry generals Yang Gongqing and Shan Xiongxin to lead troops into battle and attack the Tang army. Li Yuanji still sent troops to meet the battle, but he did not expect that this time the Tang army lost the battle, suffered a temporary setback, and Lu Junge, the head of the march, was killed.

The contest between the Tang and Zheng armies under Luoyang City seemed to be a draw, with each other winning and losing. In the first round, Tang Jun won; In the second round, Zheng Jun won. However, if you analyze it carefully, it is not difficult to see that Zheng Jun's so-called victory is really not worth showing off. According to the records in the "Zizhi Tongjian", the Tang army only lost the battle and killed one of the generals, but did not record the number of casualties. From this, it can be seen that the losses of the Tang army should not be very large, and this victory is not even a small victory.

There is a more important point, the task assigned by Li Shimin to Li Yuanji and Qu Tutong is to order them to surround Luoyang, suppress Wang Shichong in the city, and prevent Wang Shichong's troops from breaking through the blockade of the Tang army and joining forces with Dou Jiande. In this way, even though Wang Shichong won a small victory for a while, he never changed the status quo of Luoyang, and the Tang army still surrounded Luoyang, and Wang Shichong was trapped in Luoyang City, unable to move.

Wang Shichong was trapped in the isolated city of Luoyang, unable to break through the outer defense line of the Tang army, and the situation became increasingly tense. And Dou Jiande's hundreds of thousands of Xia troops were blocked by Li Shimin in the Tiger Prison Pass at this time, and it was difficult to quickly rush to Luoyang City. It is no exaggeration to say that the current Wang Shichong is like an ant on a hot pot, there is no other way than to be in a hurry and wait for Dou Jiande's reinforcements. After a long time, the despair and fear in Wang Shichong's heart also intensified.

On this side, Wang Shichong spends his days like years; On the other hand, Dou Jiande's life is not much better. In the first contest with Li Shimin, after defeating, the Xia King, who had been dominant and dominated Hebei, began to memorize his life. Especially after leading more than 100,000 Xia troops to aid Luoyang, Dou Jiande gradually fell into the quagmire of war, unable to advance, unable to retreat, and difficult to ride a tiger.

Li Shimin personally led the elite of 3,500 Xuanjia troops to the area of Tiger Prison Pass to block Dou Jiande's more than 100,000 Xia troops. The two sides clashed several times in a row at Tiger Pass, and the Tang army basically won, and the Xia army continued to lose. More than 100,000 soldiers and horses under the command of Dou Jiande were delayed in the Tiger Prison Pass by Li Shimin's 3,500 Xuanjia Army, and they lost their ground. More than 100,000 Xia troops stayed for more than a month, but they never broke through the Tiger Prison Pass.

Soon, a vicious circle ensued. The Xia army was in the Tiger Prison Pass, stayed in the camp for many months, made no progress, and lost one after another. Over time, a war-weariness gradually spread among the Xia army. Whether it is a senior general of the Xia Army or an ordinary soldier, at this moment, people do not want to continue to fight with the Tang Army. The soldiers were like arrows, and they all wanted to return to their hometowns in Hebei, and the morale of the army was fluctuating.

Often, misfortune is not a single line, and unfortunate things are one after another. Just when the morale of Dou Jiande's army was low and people were thinking about it, there was a problem with the logistics supply of the Xia army. Dou Jiande was not far away, sent troops from Hebei to rescue Luoyang, and the supply of grain and grass became a big problem. More than 100,000 horses have to open their mouths to eat. Moreover, Dou Jiande came out of Hebei this time, and the amount of grain and grass he brought is estimated to be not very large.

However, even such a pitiful grain and grass could not be saved in the end. What's going on? It turned out that Li Shimin started the idea of Xia Jun's grain and grass and set his sights on Dou Jiande's logistics supply line. Li Shimin could see that Dou Jiande had limited food and grass, and he was eager to break through the Tiger Prison Pass and rush to Luoyang City, in order to achieve a quick victory. In this case, you might as well give Dou Jiande a big gift to cut off the logistics supply of the Xia army, so that Dou Jiande has no food and grass supply.

Soon after, on April 30 of the fourth year of Wude (621), Li Shimin sent Wang Junkuo, the general of the Tang Army, to lead more than 1,000 light cavalry of the Xuanjia Army, quietly bypassing the main force of the Xia Army, detouring behind the enemy, focusing on Dou Jiande's logistics supply line and outflanking the Xia Army's grain route.

After Wang Junkuo was in place, he commanded more than 1,000 light cavalry of the Xuanjia Army, quickly interspersed, attacked Dou Jiande's grain transportation troops, broke the Xia army, and captured Dou Jiande's general Zhang Qingte alive. Because the Xuanjia Army chose to outflank and launch a surprise attack, Dou Jiande had no time to defend, and he did not expect that Li Shimin would attack his rear grain road without letting the main force of the Xia Army fight. This trick really cost Dou Jiande half his life.

The logistical supply of the Xia army was hit hard by Li Shimin, and the grain and grass gradually ran out, and the situation became even worse. Originally, Dou Jiande didn't have much grain and grass. As a result, being attacked by Li Shimin, Dou Jiande suffered a big loss, lost countless grains and grass, and the logistics supply was basically cut off by the Tang army. Once the supply of food and grass is lost, this battle cannot be fought, and it becomes very slim to win.

In just over a month, Li Shimin led the elite of the 3,500 Xuanjia Army to the Tiger Prison Pass to intercept Dou Jiande's main force, and achieved initial results. Dou Jiande's hundreds of thousands of Xia troops were obviously very passive in the battlefield situation at Tiger Pass. More than 100,000 Xia troops were led by the nose by 3,500 Xuanjia troops. All in all, the tactics adopted by Li Shimin were guerrilla warfare and the tactics of exhausting the enemy. If this continues, even if the Xia army is not eliminated, it will be exhausted to death.

After more than a month of confrontation, the Tang army, under the command of Li Shimin, won successive battles and successfully pinned down more than 100,000 Xia troops in the Tiger Pass. Don't look at the fact that the number of enemies destroyed by the Tang Army in each battle is not particularly large, but it is necessary to focus on long-term development, which is a process of accumulation over time. Suppose that if the Tang army eliminated an average of several hundred enemy troops at a time, it would be able to kill and wound at least thousands of Xia troops in more than a month. Over time, the strength of the Xia army will gradually shrink, and its vitality will be greatly damaged.

The Tang and Xia armies fought at the Tiger Pass, which lasted for a long time and was stalemate. On Dou Jiande's side, he lost troops one after another, the progress was not smooth, and the rear grain road suffered heavy losses, which put him in a predicament. If it continues to fight like this, the Xia army will definitely be defeated. Next, where to go from here. Advance, Li Shimin's elite interception is in front, and it is always difficult to break through the tiger prison pass; It is only a matter of time before Luoyang retreats and breaks the city.

Just when Dou Jiande was having a hard time making a choice and was at a loss, one of his important strategists, the son of the country, offered a drink to Ling Jing, but took the initiative to offer a strategy to Dou Jiande. If Dou Jiande adopts this strategy, it is estimated that history will be rewritten. Perhaps it was not the Li Tang Dynasty that unified the world later, but Dou Jiande's Xia regime:

Now the Tang Dynasty with heavy troops to surround the eastern capital, guard the tiger prison, if I know the soldiers Ji River, take Huaizhou Heyang, to the heavy generals, and then beat the drum to build the flag, over the Taihang, into the party, spread the county, into the mouth of the pot to hack Pujin, collect the east of the river, this is also the best policy. And there are three benefits: taking advantage of the virtual realm, the teacher has everything, and one is also; Expand the land to win the public, two also; Zheng Wei self-extricated, three also. (The New Tang Dynasty Book: The Biography of Dou Jiande)

Ling Jing suggested that Dou Jiande should start from scratch instead of having no chance of winning with Li Shimin in the Tiger Prison Pass. His opinion was that since Li Shimin led the army to hold the Tiger Pass, it would be difficult to break through, so he simply stopped fighting and withdrew directly from the Tiger Pass to avoid Li Shimin's troops.

If you don't fight the Tiger Prison, how can you solve the siege of Luoyang? Ling Jing gave an idea, withdraw from the Tiger Prison Pass, and King Xia led the main force to cross the Yellow River, capture Huaizhou and Heyang, and leave the general to lead the troops to garrison; Then, the army turned and marched all the way, crossing the Taihang Mountain, going straight to Shangdang, spreading the surrounding counties, entering Hukou, controlling the Pujin Ferry, and thus seizing the entire land east of the river.

The plan to seize Hedong, Ling Jing believes that there are three advantages. First, taking advantage of the emptiness in the rear of the Tang Dynasty and making a sudden attack, at least the main force of the Xia army could be preserved; second, attacking Hedong can expand the territory of the Xia State and replenish the troops; Third, in this way, the siege of Luoyang was solved.

I have to admit that Ling Jing's strategy is a clever plan, which is a typical plan of "encircling Wei to save Zhao". Ling Jing analyzed that Li Shimin's soldiers did not follow the conventions, and they were out of nowhere, and they guarded the Tiger Prison and the dangerous fortress. In a head-on confrontation, Xia Jun is by no means Li Shimin's opponent. Instead of fighting hard with Li Shimin, it is better to find another way and start from somewhere else. So, Ling Jing suggested to Dou Jiande that he lead his army to cross the Yellow River and capture Hedong.

Indeed, Ling Jing saw it very thoroughly. The main force of the Tang army went east out of Tongguan, poured the strength of the country, attacked Luoyang, and the area around Guanzhong must be insufficient and the rear was empty. If the Xia army captured Hedong at this time, it could directly threaten Guanzhong and Chang'an. Even if Li Shimin takes Luoyang in the end, he will have to return to the division to rescue Guanzhong. Once the pass is lost, all Li Shimin's efforts will be in vain, and after several months of hard work, he will even fall short.

With the logic of a normal person, such a good strategy, Dou Jiande should gladly accept it. It's a pity that in the final result, Dou Jiande didn't take Ling Jing's suggestion, and a good deck of cards was beaten to pieces. It is precisely because of the difference in thought that Dou Jiande lost a chance to turn defeat into victory in vain, and one misstep became a thousand years of hatred.

At first, Dou Jiande agreed with Ling Jing's plan, felt that this method was good, and was ready to implement it. Maybe God bless Li Tang, at the critical moment, the person who helped the Tang Dynasty appeared, who was it? Wang Shichong trapped in Luoyang. Wang Shichong's disturbance undoubtedly helped Li Tang a lot.

Wang Shichong was trapped in Luoyang, living like a year, and the main force of the Tang army under the city could break through the city at any time. And he looked forward to the stars, looked forward to the moon, and waited for Dou Jiande's reinforcements, but was dragged by Li Shimin in the Tiger Prison Pass, and did not arrive in Luoyang for a long time. Therefore, Wang Shichong was anxious. So, he sent two envoys, Wang Wan (Wang Shichong's nephew), and the eldest grandson An Shi, to go out of the city overnight and go to Dou Jiande's army, urging Dou Jiande to quickly fight a decisive battle with Li Shimin and relieve the siege of Luoyang.

After arriving at the Xia army camp, Wang Wan and the eldest grandson An Shi cried day and night, with a handful of snot and a handful of tears, pitifully begging Dou Jiande to send troops to rescue Luoyang. In addition, these two people secretly bribed and bribed the generals of the Xia army with a lot of money in private, begging grandpa to sue grandma and ask them to help persuade King Xia.

These generals of the Xia Army are soft-mouthed and short-handed, and in addition, they do not approve of Ling Jing's suggestion. Originally, to rescue Luoyang, these people were a hundred unhappy. Previously, the Xia army broke through the Menghai Gongbu and plundered a large amount of gold and silver treasures, everyone wanted to take the rich booty and go back to Hebei to live a good life, no one wanted to be tired and half dead, and they continued to fight with everyone, or to Luoyang, which was thousands of miles away.

Now, if the Tang army in front of him does not fight, it will go in the opposite direction, go around in such a big circle, and attack Hedong. Therefore, the generals of the Xia Army had the same opinion, and felt that Ling Jing, a scholar, was not in the water. Their psychology is like this, hurry up and fight with Li Shimin, end the battle of Luoyang, everyone go back to Hebei to eat fragrant and drink spicy.

Therefore, many generals in the Xia army directly aimed their spearheads at Ling Jing. Many people agitated to fight in front of Dou Jiande, and slandered Ling Jing, saying that Ling Jing was a scholar, did he know what it meant to lead troops to fight? King, you must not listen to him: "Ling Jing scholar, how do you know the war?" ”

Seeing the fierce opposition of the generals and the excitement of the emotions, Dou Jiande's originally lively mind was retracted. Although he is a dignified Xia King, those generals are all robed brothers who have followed him from birth to death for many years, and he can't help but consider their opinions. There was no way, Dou Jiande had no choice but to summon Ling Jing and reluctantly said to him:

Now the hearts of the people are very sharp, and God praises me, because of the decisive battle, it will be a great victory, and it is not allowed to speak from the public. (Information Governance Guide)

Ling Jing was anxious when he saw it, he missed this opportunity, it was too late to regret it, and besides, how could he change the order when it was already decided. In order to make Dou Jiande change his mind, Ling Jing didn't care about the etiquette of the monarch and the minister, and argued with reason, and his words may be quite intense. Dou Jiande was very angry when he saw Ling Jing being so aggressive. If it was someone else, it is estimated that Ling Jing would have been in a different place long ago. Fortunately, Dou Jiande was more kind, but he just ordered someone to help Ling Jing out, and did not deal with it.

finally sent Ling Jing away, and another person came to persuade Dou Jiande. This person is not an outsider, she is a close person to Dou Jiande, she is Dou Jiande's wife Cao. Although Cao is a woman, she is very far-sighted. She also believes that Ling Jing's strategy is a surprising winning strategy, and once she misses it, she will definitely give away the hegemony. As a wife, Cao must persuade her husband:

The sacrificial wine plan is very good, and Wang Yu uses it? The husband took advantage of the weakness of the Tang Dynasty from Fukou, and the battalion gradually advanced to take the north of the mountain, because of the recruitment of the Turks to copy the Guanzhong, the Tang Dynasty must return to the division to save himself, and Zheng is difficult to relieve. Today, the soldiers and tigers are in prison, suffering in vain, and I am afraid that it will be fruitless. (The New Tang Dynasty Book: The Biography of Dou Jiande)

Like Ling Jing, Cao advised Dou Jiande to take advantage of the emptiness in the Tang rear, to quickly march and occupy a large area of land north of the Yellow River. At the same time, it can also instigate the Turks to send troops to invade the hinterland of Guanzhong. At that time, under the enemy on both fronts, the main force of the Tang Army will inevitably return to the division, and the siege of Luoyang will be automatically lifted.

His wife and strategists persuaded him like this, Dou Jiande should wake up, right? No, at this time, Dou Jiande has made up his mind, and no one can change it. Especially when he saw that his wife also came to persuade him, Dou Jiande was very unhappy all of a sudden. According to the record of "Zizhi Tongjian", Dou Jiande was very disapproving, with a slight disdain in his tone, and refuted Mrs. Cao, you are a woman, do you know what marching and fighting is:

This is not known to women! I came to save Zheng, Zheng is hanging upside down, dying in the morning and night, I am abandoning it, I am afraid of the enemy and abandon faith, no.

In fact, Dou Jiande insisted on his own views and refused to follow the advice of the strategist Ling Jing and his wife Cao, in addition to being forced by the pressure of the generals in the army, there was also a very practical factor, his food and grass supply was seriously insufficient. After more than a month of war of attrition with Li Shimin, as well as being attacked by Li Shimin's troops on the grain road, the Xia army's grain and grass became increasingly tight. If the army is drawn and attacks Hedong, how to solve the supply of grain and grass along the way! Hundreds of thousands of troops, what to eat and drink, do not wait to capture Hedong, I am afraid that on the way, half of the Xia army will starve to death.

Until this moment, Dou Jiande became more and more irrational. Like many generals of the Xia Army, he was anxious to fight a decisive battle with Li Shimin, break through the Tiger Pass, and end the battle in Luoyang as soon as possible, so as to rest and recuperate, replenish troops, food and grass. Don't you know that Dou Jiande's idea of being anxious for a decisive battle is exactly what Li Shimin wants to see.

Previously, Li Shimin set a grappling strategy, and its main purpose was to drag Dou Jiande's main force in the Tiger Prison Pass and gradually consume their vital strength. When the Xia soldiers are sleepy and demoralized, it is the best time to counterattack on all fronts. Now it seems that the time is obviously ripe. Like Dou Jiande, Li Shimin felt that since the time for a decisive battle had come, there was no need to continue to entangle with Dou Jiande, and he should fight a quick battle and destroy Dou Jiande's main force in one battle.

In fact, whether it is Li Shimin or Dou Jiande, they know very well in their hearts that in the first battle of the Tiger Prison, the competition between Tang and Xia is nothing more than patience; Whoever loses patience first and loses his breath first will lose the entire war. As a result, Dou Jiande did not calm down at first.

At this time, Dou Jiande was already in chaos, completely lost his reason and judgment, and just wanted to have a decisive battle with Li Shimin immediately and end the war. Therefore, Dou Jiande rashly decided to lead the army of Xia and take the initiative to attack Li Shimin. It is clear that Dou Jiande plans to fight against the odds and fight Li Shimin. The final outcome of this battle is a big deal, either you die or I die.

This is just Dou Jiande's wishful thinking, he wants to break the net, but Li Shimin doesn't want to. On the contrary, Li Shimin is waiting to catch the big fish of Dou Jiande. It can be said that Li Shimin is waiting for this moment. He knew that Dou Jiande was desperate for battle, and he would definitely lead the army out of the nest. Once Dou Jiande moves on his own, Li Shimin will have a 100% certainty of victory and annihilate him in one fell swoop.

The final decisive battle is coming soon. In Li Shimin's view, the victory or defeat of the Battle of Tiger Prison Pass is directly related to whether the Tang Army can finally take Luoyang and the future trend of the world. Capture Luoyang, break Zheng and destroy Xia, and from then on, the Li Tang Dynasty entered the Central Plains and became the ruler of the north and the Central Plains. If Datang dominates the world, it will be unstoppable, and there is no force that can stop the pace of Datang's iron cavalry across the world.

Therefore, for the decisive battle of the Tiger Prison Pass, Li Shimin is confident and has the chance to win. This Tang Dynasty God of War, who has been engaged in military activities since he was sixteen years old and has been invincible for many years, firmly believes that Dou Jiande, who is at the end of the crossbow, is doomed. In this battle, Datang must be the ultimate winner.

Finally, the decisive opportunity that Li Shimin had been looking forward to appeared. Subsequently, Li Shimin began to slowly "close the net", and he was going to do something to Dou Jiande.

At that time, Dou Jiande had already made up his mind and was ready to fight a decisive battle with Li Shimin. At this time, Li Shimin inadvertently got an important piece of information, according to the news that the Tang army's secret agents came back from reconnaissance, Dou Jiande heard that the Tang army's forage was about to run out, and he wanted to release horses north of the Yellow River, so he prepared to attack the tiger prison pass:

Jiande served the Tang army to be wiped out, herded horses in Hebei, and attacked Wujiao. (Information Governance Guide)

The so-called Tang Army's forage is about to run out, and it is necessary to release horses north of the Yellow River, perhaps it is the rumor released by Li Shimin that deliberately misleads Dou Jiande. Unexpectedly, Dou Jiande believed it and prepared to dispatch a large army to attack the Tiger Prison. It is not difficult to see that Dou Jiande at this moment has completely lost his calm judgment.

The fat meat delivered to the mouth, how can there be a reason not to eat it! Since Dou Jiande intends to surprise the Tiger Prison, he might as well "fulfill" him. Li Shimin took advantage of Dou Jiande's psychology of quick victory and set a trap for him, making plans and creating illusions, so as to confuse Dou Jiande and make Dou Jiande jump into this carefully arranged trap by himself.

The first day of the fifth month of the fourth year of Wude (621), that is, the first day of May. Li Shimin personally led the elite soldiers of the Xuanjia Army under his command, crossed the Yellow River in the north, and marched south to force Guangwu, pretending to probe the enemy. Taking advantage of the gap, Li Shimin left more than 1,000 horses to graze on the edge of the Yellow River to lure Dou Jiande, and that night, returned to Tiger Prison Pass.

You must know that in the era of cold weapon warfare, war horses are indispensable military materials, and their importance is no less than grain and grass. If a country wants to launch a large-scale foreign war, the number of troops dispatched is at least 100,000 troops; And each soldier should be equipped with two or three war horses.

In order to lure Dou Jiande to take the bait, Li Shimin left more than 1,000 war horses at once, which seems to have made a big bet. With such a huge bait, it is impossible for you to say that Dou Jiande is completely unmoved. As long as Dou Jiande led the army, poured out of the nest, and came to snatch the war horse, Li Shimin would be able to fight a decisive battle with him. Moreover, Li Shimin has the absolute certainty of victory, and will behead more than 100,000 Xia troops under his horse!

Everything is ready, only the east wind is owed. Now, everything is in Li Shimin's hands, just waiting for Dou Jiande to take the bait. So, in the face of Li Shimin's bait of throwing out more than 1,000 war horses, will Dou Jiande take the bait and walk into the traps and traps carefully compiled by Li Shimin?

The ultimate battle is about to open, and Li Shimin and Dou Jiande are gearing up and waiting for the battle. Li Shimin, the king of Qin, who has always been invincible, in the final decisive battle of Tiger Pass, how did he win more with less, create a miracle of war, defeat more than 100,000 Xia troops, capture the Hebei overlord Dou Jiande, and even finally forced Wang Shichong to land without blood, destroy Zheng and Xia, and take Luoyang City?

Similarly, after capturing Dou Jiande, forcing Wang Shichong to land, destroying Zheng and destroying Xia, and capturing Luoyang, how did Li Shimin command the Tang army, swept Henan and Hebei, and collected the entire territory of Zheng and Xia, realizing the strategic ambition of the Li Tang Dynasty to unify the Central Plains, and becoming a veritable lord of the Central Plains? In what way did the "Battle of Luoyang", which affected the chaotic pattern of the late Sui and early Tang dynasties and lasted for ten months, achieve a decisive victory and a successful conclusion?