Chapter 32: Sparrow Valley
Sui Dynasty, the 18th year of Kaihuang.

"Sharp and calm." Dugu Jialuo sighed. Li Yuan's second son was truly extraordinary.

Yang Jian also expressed his admiration for Li Shimin: "Li Shimin was able to be sharp and calm on the battlefield, which was his own characteristic. These two characteristics are equally important in politics and governing the world."

Only if you are calm enough, you can calmly look at the overall situation and understand the overall situation; only if you are sharp, you can be brave enough to change and move forward. Only these can bring new glory to the world.

After all, if one is only calm but not sharp, one is likely to become lifeless, while if one is only sharp, one is prone to rushing recklessly without considering the consequences, and disaster is foreseeable.

"I already understand part of the reason why he deserves praise."

"No, his ability to govern is also reflected." Dugu Jialuo said. Seeing that Yang Jian did not respond, she continued, "After Li Shimin arrived in Baibi, he gathered the people and food. He was able to stay in Baibi safely afterwards, so he must have completed the gathering of the local people."

Yang Jian suddenly reacted: "Indeed."

The front and the rear are inseparable. Before the Tang army was defeated, how could the people in the Hedong region be safe? There would inevitably be a collapse of confidence and doubt about the Tang Dynasty. However, Li Shimin was able to win over the people and calm them down before the war, which shows his ability to govern.

The fact that there were local forces that could contribute actually shows that Li Shimin himself had extensive connections.

[At that time, Xizhou and Haozhou were still in the hands of the Tang Dynasty, so Li Shimin sent Liu Hongji to lead 2,000 troops from Xizhou to Xihe to cut off the enemy's retreat route and at the same time harass Liu Wuzhou's food supply route.

For a period of time afterwards, the Tang army did not launch any major wars. Although Liu Wuzhou tried to send people to attack Haozhou, he was unsuccessful.

It was not until March that Huang Ziying, who was sent by Liu Wuzhou to escort the grain, was killed by the Tang army. The one who killed him was Zhang Dezheng, the commander-in-chief of the Haozhou Road.

At this time, Liu Wuzhou's food supply was completely out of control and he could not find a solution. Song Jingong's troops were stationed in the local area and it was difficult to collect food and fodder. So, on April 14, Song Jingong began to withdraw his troops.

Li Shimin finally got the opportunity he had been waiting for, and the final strategic counterattack began.

One thing that needs to be mentioned here is that Song Jingang's withdrawal was not a panic-stricken rout. He still had an organization and had arranged for Xun Xiang to lead the troops to cover the rear.

On April 21st, Li Shimin pursued Song Jingang fiercely and recovered Huizhou and Jinzhou in six days. On the same day, he caught up with Xun Xiang who was following the palace in Huoyi. Yes, it was Huoyi again, and it was Huoyi again. Li Shimin won a great victory here again and defeated Xun Xiang in one day.

Afterwards, he pursued the enemy northwards, marching 200 li in one day and one night, fighting dozens of rounds, and finally arrived at Gaobi Ridge.

Han Dynasty, the fourth year of Yuanshou.

Although he was not a professional military person, Liu Che still had a very good understanding of the basic situation of fighting.

Seeing this, he admired Li Shimin's decisiveness and bravery on the one hand - he immediately seized the opportunity and pursued it tightly, which was in sharp contrast to his previous quiet defense; on the other hand, he was also a little worried: "If we march like this, it will be difficult to keep up with the food and grass, but giving up at this time is definitely not a wise choice."

Li Shimin's marching speed this time was considered fast in cavalry battles, but how could the transportation of food and grass compare with that of cavalry? Even if he brought food and grass with him before the trip, how long could it last? However, if he gave up at this time, he would miss a great opportunity.

Huo Qubing nodded, indicating that Liu Che's speculation was correct, but he also said: "Emperor Taizong of Tang would never stop there." Emperor Taizong of Tang was a general at that time, and as a top military talent, Huo Qubing himself would never give up if he had this opportunity. What if there was not enough food? From this, it can be inferred that Li Shimin would never give up because of food. It's just a few bad meals or no food, which is just a drizzle in the long-distance raid of the cavalry.

Liu Che suddenly grasped the key point: "Qubing, how long did you go without food during the battle?" This was a physical injury to his generals. Seeing such a big world in the miracle, he still hoped that Wei Qing and Huo Qubing would continue to fight for the Han Dynasty after defeating the Huns.

Ming Dynasty, Yongle period.

Zhu Di said: "Not only is it difficult to supply food and fodder, but even the infantry can't keep up. Only the elite cavalry can keep up with Emperor Taizong of Tang and keep moving forward."

"Then Dad, is this very dangerous?" Zhu Gaochi asked indifferently.

Zhu Di was somewhat puzzled by Zhu Gaochi's question. The prince had experience in fighting, so why would he ask such a question? But he still answered: "It is indeed dangerous, and after the high-intensity battle, the soldiers will inevitably be tired, it's just a matter of degree." But it's impossible to stop there, he added in his heart.

When Zhu Gaochi heard Zhu Di's answer, he said, "Then father, since you also think this is very dangerous, you should do less of this in the future." Think about the Northern Expedition, you are the emperor, but you actually led the light cavalry to pursue Bayanchur directly. You are really capable.

"..." Zhu Di didn't expect that Zhu Gaochi would take such a detour and wanted to talk about the problem of his leading troops.

[At this time, Liu Hongji began to persuade Li Shimin that "this is enough", and "now that we are just starting out, how can we wipe out the enemy? Moreover, the food has been exhausted, and the soldiers are tired." He believed that Li Shimin should slow down and wait until the soldiers and food were gathered before the decisive battle.

But Li Shimin disagreed. Now was the best time to attack Song Jingang. The enemy's morale was low and they were being chased by us repeatedly. They had no way to deal with it. If we missed this opportunity, what else would we do? "It is difficult to achieve success but easy to fail. Opportunities are hard to come by but easy to lose. We must seize this opportunity." Then, Li Shimin said, "I will devote my loyalty to the country, so why would I care about myself!"

So, Li Shimin continued the pursuit with elite cavalry and caught up with Song Jingang in Queshu Valley. The Tang army, which had the advantage, fought several battles with Song Jingang's army, "eight battles in one day, all of which were defeated, and tens of thousands of people were captured and killed."

That night, the Tang army set up camp in Queshu Valley. 】

The early years of the Han Dynasty.

"Well," Liu Bang resumed his lazy state, leaning back and watching the miracle, "Serving the country with all your heart, that's a good saying."

As a commander-in-chief of the three armies, a commander-in-chief of the three armies who personally led the troops to charge, facing the problems of food and tired soldiers at this time, he responded to the suggestions to stop camp and rest with words of loyalty to the country and putting himself aside. No matter how much of this sentence was out of a desire for performance, it was still successful.

That's my style! How can a good emperor who is good at starting a business and passing down his rule not be able to speak?

Ming Dynasty, Hongwu Years.

Zhu Yuanzhang agreed with this. He said with appreciation: "In war, you have to be able to seize the opportunity. As long as you are not at your limit, it doesn't matter if you eat less in order to seize the opportunity."

As long as the soldiers have not reached their limit and as long as the commander can still control the morale of the troops, then it is not a problem to sacrifice a little food in order to seize the opportunity, as long as victory can be achieved in the end.

However, the commander must be able to control the soldiers who are fighting at the limit, stabilize the morale of the army, and make these soldiers willing to follow your plan and continue to fight at the limit. Otherwise, everything will be in vain.

(End of this chapter)