Chapter 52

Princess Pingyang ignored Luo Shixin, who was gloating. She had already mentally prepared herself for Luo Shixin, who could be magnanimous and brave, as well as petty and despicable at times. She knew that Luo Shixin was a generous and open-hearted person who could be frank with friends, even strangers, but if you became his enemy, he would remember it with a small mind and seize any opportunity to fight openly or secretly, doing everything possible.

Therefore, she rationally filtered out the words targeting Li Yi and analyzed the situation in the north. According to the current situation, the northern front had been stabilized due to Li Yi's timely arrival, and no major issues had arisen. Although the "over 300 heads" reported in the battle report seemed few, it was actually a rare victory. The Turks had a very humane rule during their campaigns: anyone who seized a corpse could claim half of the deceased's wealth. Therefore, when the Turks retreated, they often took some corpses with them.

Li Yi's ability to obtain "over 300 heads" in a short time indicated that he had indeed been through several intense battles, and the actual number of enemies killed was probably two to three times that. Li Yi had a reason to boast, but he didn't realize that Luo Shixin's achievements were a hundred times better.

Princess Pingyang, thinking of this, couldn't help but glance at Luo Shixin. Only someone like him, who used tactics to overwhelm the enemy and pursued them relentlessly without eating, drinking, or sleeping, could achieve such a terrifying number of heads.

"General Luo, what are your thoughts on the current situation?" Princess Pingyang had already seen Luo Shixin's prowess and relied heavily on his wisdom and bravery.

Luo Shixin shrugged and said, "It all depends on me! To win this battle beautifully and leave no regrets, only I can do it."

Princess Pingyang smiled lightly and said, "Is it too arrogant for you to think that way? General Li Yi has been in Youzhou for many years, and his troops are not necessarily weaker than the Turks. As long as I and General Li Yi join forces, why should we fear the Turks?"

Luo Shixin smiled and said, "Princess, you are asking a known question. Even if you want to fight beautifully, the Turks must also be willing to fight. The Turks prioritize their tribes. The Turks attacking Dingzhou are clearly a clan, under Jiali's command but independent. Li Yi clearly stated that they have driven the Turks out of Dingzhou three times, indicating that the leader of this invasion is very cautious and does not engage in direct combat with our Li Tang army. The stronger we are, the faster they will run, retreating to Gao Kaidao's territory. What can we do? We can't attack Yuyang under such adverse conditions."

Gao Kaidao, one of the remaining warlords from the end of the Sui Dynasty, was a lackey of the Turks, like Yuan Junzhang and Liang Shidu, helping the Turks guard the gateway to invading Central China.

This was also Jiali's cunning. He had no intention of occupying Chinese territory but saw himself as a beekeeper, viewing Central China as worker bees, plundering their labor成果 at will. To facilitate the invasion of Central China, he took advantage of the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty to cultivate Gao Kaidao, Yuan Junzhang, and Liang Shidu as his dogs. They occupied the defenses that the Han people had built over thousands of years to resist foreign invaders. As soon as the Turkic master gave the order, these dogs would enthusiastically lead the Turks into their territories, directly entering Chinese territory, leaving the Li Tang dynasty unprepared.

Gao Kaidao's control of Yuyang in Youzhou provided the Turks with a strategic advantage, allowing them to attack or retreat as needed, completely dominating the battle.

Princess Pingyang had to admit that this was a serious issue. For thousands of years, the nomadic tribes that frequently raided and invaded had always fought this way. They would retreat when faced with a large army and attack when faced with a small force, plundering whenever possible and leaving immediately, without lingering.

This guerrilla tactic of the nomadic tribes had long troubled the Chinese dynasties, leading to the construction of the Great Wall. However, the Great Wall was now under the control of the Turks, allowing them to use their guerrilla tactics to the fullest extent.

"To make the Turks fight us, there is only one condition: they must have an overwhelming advantage over us. Only then will they see us as a fat target and take the initiative to attack. The Turkic cavalry is not made of clay. Besides my陌刀阵 (Mudao Array), who else can defeat the Turkic cavalry when outnumbered?" Luo Shixin said with pride. The Mudao Array's biggest drawback was its slow mobility, but it was not afraid of the Turks' numbers; it was only afraid that the Turks would not dare to attack. Jiali's vanguard had already witnessed the power of the Mudao Array, but the distance between Hedong and Hebei was hundreds of kilometers, with the Taihang Mountains in between. The Turks in Hebei could not have been prepared for the Mudao Array in advance.

"Then we need to devise a detailed strategy," Princess Pingyang said, knowing that Luo Shixin was speaking the truth. The Mudao Array was indeed the most effective weapon against the Turks at the moment. "How can we make the Turks fall into our trap and annihilate them?" She opened the map and began to think about a plan to lure the enemy.

Luo Shixin had a plan but had not yet figured out how to implement it.

"Got it!" Princess Pingyang suddenly clapped her hands and said, "Gao Kaidao's territory borders Dingzhou and Yizhou. The Turks have invaded Dingzhou multiple times because it is much richer than Yizhou. But as long as Dingzhou does not give them the opportunity to invade, the Turks will inevitably target Yizhou. We can spread the rumor that due to heavy rain, the supply team has been delayed, and we need to requisition grain from Yizhou."

Luo Shixin's eyes lit up, and he said, "Then I will be responsible for transporting the grain?"

Princess Pingyang nodded with a smile, "The reason the Turks chose to invade at this time is clear: due to abnormal weather, they are experiencing famine and lack food for the winter, so they are launching a large-scale invasion. Faced with a large amount of grain, the Turkic bandits cannot help but be tempted. As soon as they attack, it will be the time for the Mudao Array to show its power again."

Luo Shixin exclaimed, "Brilliant plan!" He patted his chest and said, "Leave it to me, but my Right Brave Guard suffered significant losses in the last battle. I need to be replenished in terms of troops. Give me 200 of the bravest soldiers, and I will teach them the Mudao techniques to serve as reserves. The more crossbowmen, the better. The two most critical components of the Mudao Array are the Mudao and the crossbows. As long as they perform well, we can consider it half won."

Princess Pingyang replied without hesitation, "No problem..." She suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head, the world turned dark, and she became dizzy, falling to one side.

"Princess?" Luo Shixin, quick to react, leaped forward and caught Princess Pingyang in his arms, using his waist strength to turn in the air and land firmly on the ground.

There was a chorus of gasps around them, but fortunately, there were no stones on the road, and Luo Shixin was not injured.

Princess Pingyang shook her head vigorously, regaining her composure. Seeing herself tightly pressed against Luo Shixin, she involuntarily recalled their first meeting, her face turning red to the roots of her neck.

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