Chapter 431: Fighting wolves with hemp poles, afraid of both ends
Linghu Zhishu stood on a high ground and looked at the construction site where thousands of people were busy below.
This is building an advance camp.
Ten miles in front of this huge construction site, a cavalry force of up to 3,000 people was waiting.
This place is less than a hundred miles away from Yangguan.
After being defeated in Shu County and returning without success in the south of the Yangtze River, Linghu Zhishu, who returned to Luoyang, knew about Tiele's last-ditch preparations after meeting his uncle.
In order to be more sure of success, Tiele sent an envoy, hoping to get help from Linghuye.
Linghuye readily agreed.
Now that the situation is becoming more and more clear, Linghuye only has two biggest enemies left, He Zudao, the eight towns in the south of the Yangtze River, and the Li Dachui Xiao Changche Group of the Beiting Protectorate outside the pass.
Of course Linghuye will give his full support to Tie Le in this desperate fight. As long as it succeeds, Li Dachui and Xiao Changche will not only have the energy to peep southward inside the pass, but also outside the pass. They will have to do their best to do so. It may be able to withstand Yuan Ren's attack.
Linghuye and Tiele are now natural allies.
So, the time has come to break up with Li Dachui.
After Linghu Zhishu returned, he immediately received a new mission, returned to the north, and led his troops to threaten Yangguan.
In fact, the relevant work had already begun before Linghu Zhishu returned.
This is also the reason why the Beiting Protectorate sent Gu Xiaoman and his troops to Yangguan.
It's just that at that time, the Beiting Protectorate didn't know the specific reason. It just dispatched troops and horses in a regular manner to respond to the Linghu Group.
But as time goes by, everything has become clear.
The confrontation in Yangguan has become inevitable.
The Beiting Protectorate does not want the Linghu Group to concentrate all its efforts on attacking Chang'an, and the Linghu Group also wants to break out a war outside the customs. When Beiyuan makes its last stand, the Beiting Protectorate has to be distracted Be prepared for the attack on Yangguan within the pass.
Linghuye is afraid that soldiers and horses outside the pass will poke his ass in the chrysanthemum. Once there is a loss in Hedong and Hexi, his fundamentals will have a big problem. Once the war in Chang'an goes wrong, it may cause a chain reaction, leading to to a total collapse.
As for the Beiting Protectorate, once it loses the Yang Pass, it will immediately be locked out of the pass. You must know that the original function of Yangguan is to prevent enemies outside the pass from attacking inside the pass.
This is a typical case of fighting a wolf with a straw, fearing both sides.
The reason why Zhishu Linghu was sent was because his status was valuable enough that he could make decisions at critical moments.
Such a confrontation requires considerable wisdom.
Can I fight?
When to fight?
All parties need to make temporary judgments.
This requires sufficient power,
it also requires sufficient judgment and decision-making.
Otherwise, you will either lose the opportunity or be beaten passively.
Although Linghu Zhishu was beaten repeatedly by Li Dachui, his wisdom and ability were still recognized.
Compared to Bei Yuan Tiele and the others who were brought to this point by Li Dachui,
Linghu Zhishu’s current failures are really nothing.
There were originally 20,000 soldiers and horses in Yangguan. Among them, those who can actually fight should be more than 10,000. The rest are mostly auxiliary troops and logistics. After Gu Xiaoman came, the number of soldiers and horses here increased. To 20,000 people.
More importantly, the ten thousand people Gu Xiaoman brought were half on foot and half on horseback.
This is not a rigid stance, but an offensive look.
Who is the target of the attack?
Nature speaks for itself. And now Linghu Zhishu has 20,000 infantry, including 15,000 combat soldiers, 5,000 logistical troops, and 5,000 cavalry.
The infantry were all recruited from behind, but the five thousand cavalry are all based on the old foundation.
Linghuye was well aware of the strength of the Beiting Protectorate's army. If he didn't send his old troops, he was afraid that the other side would dare to charge head-on.
People like Gu Xiaoman are full of offensive genes. If you give him a chance and let him see a small hole, he can tear that hole into a big hole.
If Gu Xiaoman really wants to defeat Linghu Zhishu, the soldiers and horses outside the pass will probably follow the trend, which will be a strategic disaster.
Comparing the two, in fact, the Beiting Protectorate outside the pass has some advantages, because they have Yangguan, a rear base that has been operating for many years, and can attack when advancing, and defend when retreating.
As for Linghu Zhishu, he could only build his own camp.
Of course, for Linghu Group, their hope is not that they win, but that Beiyuan Tiele can make a turnaround this time. As long as Tiele wins, it means they win.
“Tell the brothers who oversee the work that whether the stockade is strong or not is related to everyone’s lives. Many of the soldiers and horses of the Beiting Protectorate have fought with them in the past. It is very clear that we should not lose our lives because of slackness. What we are dealing with this time is not those soft-footed shrimps in the pass!" Linghu Zhishu rode down the hillside.
Of course, this war will not end in a short time. It may last for several months or even longer, so he plans to build a systematic defense with a depth of fifty miles in this area. district.
Not just for now, but also for the future.
If Tiele fails this time and the Beiting Protectorate completely resolves the crisis outside the customs, then this defensive zone will also provide our side with more military options.
Don’t worry about winning, think about defeat first.
Linghu Zhishu, who has failed many times, now thinks about problems in a completely different way than before.
"General, let the brothers in the combat troops also take turns to build the second and third lines of defense in the rear. Everyone is still feeling uncomfortable!"
"Sitting there and doing nothing. Does drinking make you feel better?" Linghu Zhishu sneered: "Li Dachui told me that if you sweat more before the war, you will bleed less during the war. I used to just think of him as a fart, but now I take it as a guideline and tell them that every place they build I have to personally inspect and accept the camp. If it does not comply with the rules I set earlier, military law will not tolerate it!"
"Yes!" The officer bowed and accepted the order.
It seems that the general is worried about the current confrontation, otherwise he would not build the fort on such a large scale. This is a posture for long-term defense.
In Yangguan, Gu Xiaoman and Ma Liang are saying goodbye.
Gu Xiaoman came, but Ma Liang was transferred away.
Ma Liang is actually very clear about this result.
The Beiting Protectorate will not allow the existence of military leaders who dominate one side. The Ma family has been operating in Yangguan for too long.
Yangguan can only be named Beiting Protectorate, not Ma.
So we took this opportunity to make a big defense change.
Ma Liang led his elite troops to participate in the final battle against Beiyuan, while Gu Xiaoman was stationed at Yangguan to confront Linghu Zhishu.
Ma Liang jumped for joy, but Gu Xiaoman looked full of regret.
The fight with Yuan Ren has been going on for so many years, and when it comes to the end, he can only sit back and watch. Ma Liang has never fought against Yuan Ren before, but this time he has to be a general. Participating in this battle will definitely go down in history in the future.
However, this was an arrangement related to the overall situation of the Beiting Protectorate, and Gu Xiaoman couldn't say no.
“Cut down a few more Yuan people for me!” Gu Xiaoman patted Ma Liang on the shoulder: “But you have to be careful, the Yuan people are fierce, and this time is their last ditch effort. Don’t let your boat capsize in the gutter!”
“Don’t worry! You know from the time when I followed the boss as a bandit, I am the kind of master who will not let go of the rabbit when he sees it. Suspicious people will be very cautious. Young Master Ma is so proud that he has not enjoyed enough wealth and glory in this world, so he will not act recklessly!" Ma Liang said with a smile.
As the drums rumbled, thousands of soldiers and horses meandered away.
Ma Liang’s departure also means that Ma’s management of Yangguan for nearly 20 years has officially come to an end.
(End of this chapter)