It was a sunny day. The warm sun, the clear blue sky, the white clouds, the warm breeze, and the endless blue plains make people feel refreshed.

Li Yi and Dian Wei galloped on the edge of Liaodong Bay, enjoying a moment of leisure before the war.

This is the western Liaoxi corridor, which is already approaching the subject state of eastern Liaodong.

In later generations, this area was a military important place in Jinzhou, Huludao, Xingcheng, Suizhong, Shanhaiguan and other towns to hold the corridor. The corridor is backed by mountains and facing the sea, the hills are undulating, the situation is dangerous, it is an important channel to communicate inside and outside the Shanhaiguan, and it has always been a necessary place for soldiers to fight.

However, the footprints of the ancient people who traveled long distances before Liaojin did not pass through the Liaoxi Corridor.

After Qin destroyed the Six Kingdoms, Qin Shi Huang ordered a major overhaul of the Chi Road, where only Wuzhong (Jinmen Jixian) to Jieshi (Huludao Suizhong), between which Yuguan (Shanhaiguan) to Jieshi is the westernmost section of the Liaoxi Corridor, that is, the Liaoxi Corridor was not connected in the Qin period.

From the Qin and Han dynasties to the Sui and Tang dynasties, the main route from the Central Plains to the northeast was to go out of Yuguan and then go down the Daling River Valley through Jianchang (now under the jurisdiction of Huludao) and Chaoyang to the east, and cross the Yiwulu Mountain to Liaoyang, an important town in the northeast.

Why? Because the coastal hills of western Liaoning are undulating, the rock mass is widely spread, the population is sparse, although there are grass and hairy roads, it is still in a desert and closed state, there is neither an important town nor a fortress, and it is a place where ethnic minorities live together, nomadic herding is the mainstay, the residents are scattered, and there is no long-term local political power. The local officials were nothing more than ethnic leaders who submitted to the court of the Central Plains, and the court and the people did not have the requirements to open up the corridor in western Liao. The banks of the Daling River are densely populated, and Liucheng (Chaoyang) is an important town in Liaoxi County, and the ancients used the riverbank roads to develop the social economy.

If Li Yi hadn't come to this time and space, in another twenty years, Cao Cao would have pacified Wuhuan and returned to the dynasty from Liucheng, taking this route. But now that Li Yi is here, I'm afraid Cao Cao won't have the chance to come here again.

In order to achieve the purpose of the surprise attack, Li Yi did not take the road that everyone often takes when they go out of the customs. Rather, they marched along the Bohai Bay.

The population of each county in Liaodong is quite large, and the subject country of Liaodong that Li Yi is about to attack has a population of nearly 250,000 although there are five counties. Therefore, there are many soldiers and horses of the major powerful families. If it is a complete frontal attack, the losses will definitely not be small.

"The white dragon horse is much more adaptable, and a good horse is a good horse." Dian Wei patted Bo Luojin's sturdy body vigorously and praised him repeatedly.

"How are the war horses of the various departments adapting now, and are there any dead?" Li Yi wiped the sweat from his head. He asked with a smile.

Because most of the road is desert, therefore, although the war horses of the Youzhou Army are all produced locally, they are also very unadaptable, and there were a small number of deaths when they first entered the Western Liaoning Corridor.

In order to take care of the logistics troops, and at the same time to adapt the war horses to the environment, Li Yi slowed down the marching speed of the army. Starting from Linyu in Liaoxi County, it is a 500-mile road to the border of Liaodong vassal states. It took ten days. This is already a turtle speed for Youzhou Iron Rider, which is famous for its speed.

Dian Wei shook his head and said, "Yesterday, I heard from the state that the situation has been much better in the past few days. ”

"That's good. I'm also worried that the war horses are not in good condition, and it will be troublesome to start a war when the time comes. Li Yi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "This Zheng Ji used to be a businessman who made medicinal materials. Being a businessman is different. Flexible mind. When they arrived in Liaodong this time, many soldiers were not accustomed to the water and soil, and vomited and diarrhea. Dizziness and fever, fortunately, Zheng Ji brought a lot of medical craftsmen and bought a lot of medicinal materials along the way, otherwise it would be a big trouble. ”

Dian Wei also sighed: "Indeed, without those medical craftsmen, we would be miserable. ”

Just as he was sighing, the scout came to report: "Report to the lord, fifty miles ahead is the Tu River." ”

Tuhe is the westernmost county of Liaodong, located on the side of Tang Zhushui (Xiaoling River in later generations). It was a city without walls, and strictly speaking, it was just a place like a tribal settlement, and it was not a city at all. The entire Liaodong vassal state, that is, the city of Changli, has a city wall.

Li Yi nodded and said loudly: "Pass the order, the whole army is ready to assault!" ”

………………

Camp of the Desert River.

Gongsun Zhang and Gongsun Han played chess leisurely in the big tent. Both of them are the sons of the Gongsun family of the Liaodong vassal state, and they are responsible for garrisoning Tuhe County, the westernmost part of the Liaodong vassal state.

There are many people surnamed Gongsun in Liaodong, but it does not mean that they are necessarily related by blood. This is because after Qin destroyed the Six Kingdoms and unified the world, many old and young people from various countries came to Liaodong. They thought they were the kings and grandsons of various countries, so they changed their surnames to Gongsun one by one.

Today, the three counties of Liaodong are a subject country, but three of them are in the hands of the family surnamed Gongsun.

"Li Yi stayed in Lu Longsai and never marched or retreated, is there any intention?" Gongsun Zhang asked in a low voice while waving his hand to tell the scout to stand down.

"Li Yi is very cunning, hundreds of thousands of yellow scarves were folded in his hands last year, let's be careful." Gongsun Han said with a smile.

"What's the matter, our Liaodong is not Youzhou and Jizhou, even if he Li Yi comes, I want him to know that our Liaodong people are powerful." Gongsun Zhang put down his son lightly and said slowly, "But it's really strange that he has been staying in Lulongsai." Is he going to wait for us to take the initiative to attack him? We don't look like such stupid people, how can we travel hundreds of miles to Luronse to beat him? ”

"Who is Li Yi? When has he ever suffered? But from the current point of view, I really don't see any tricks he has to play. He only had 3,000 men in Luronse, and if he wanted to raid, his troops were not enough. What tricks does this Li Yi want to play? Gongsun Han shook his head helplessly and said slowly, "I don't understand." From the analysis of the information we have obtained so far, the reinforcements from Youzhou may have arrived in Youbeiping. But does this have anything to do with Li Yi's detention in Lu Longsai? You know, Lu Longsai and our Liaodong still have six or seven hundred miles of land. ”

Gongsun Zhang said with a smile: "Li Yi can't help it, the forefront he can reach is Lu Longsai." Once he is out of the fortress, he may be attacked by us. ”

Although Gongsun Chan is nominally the Taishou of Liaoxi, and the seat of Liaoxi County is very close to Yangle, which is a subject country of Liaodong, it is not under the control of Gongsun Chan. The Gongsun family, to which Gongsun Chan belongs, has a sphere of influence in the western part of Liaoxi County, so now Gongsun Chan controls only the four counties of Feiru, Lingzhi, Haiyang and Linyu in the western part of Liaoxi County. Yangle County in the east is actually in the hands of the Gongsun family of Liaodong vassal states.

Gongsun Zhang said: "By the way, when I talk about this, I think of that kid Gongsun Zhan, he has written to you recently?" ”

"Nope. Gongsun Chan is hesitant to do things, and he can't become a big climate. Gongsun Han smiled slightly.

Gongsun Zhang shook his head and said, "After all, Gongsun Zhan is a famous family, and it is normal to have a lot of concerns. ”

"Forget it, don't expect him to fight back. Hurry up and urge Gongsun Lei and Gongsun Wolf to stop grinding in the east and go to Changli as soon as possible to join the war. Gongsun Han asked in a low voice, "There's no need for us to stay in this Tuhe River, and we also rush back to Changli to join the family master." ”

At this moment, a scout galloped into the camp on horseback and shouted, "Two generals, something is wrong! ”

………………

Tang was shrouded in the faint moonlight, looking mysterious and solemn.

Li Yi sat upright on the horse, his eyes closed, as if he was asleep, motionless.

Tian Yu rushed all the way over, panting and reported: "Lord, the scout has come to report, the Liaodong rebels in Tuhe may have discovered our traces." ”

Li Yi opened his eyes suddenly.

"My lord, we only have five thousand cavalry, and if we attack alone, we will surely suffer heavy losses." Tian Yu took a few breaths, calmed down a little, and then said, "Lord, look ......"

Li Yi looked up at the sky and was silent.

Li Xun, Li Qiong, Li Zhong, Li Xin, and Li Yi surrounded one after another when they heard this.

"My lord, the Liaodong rebels have 50,000 people in Tuhe, so it's better for us to be cautious." Li Zhong said in a low voice, "Our follow-up troops have not yet arrived, and our strength is not enough." Even if it is hit, the blow to the enemy will not be effective. ”

Li Xun immediately retorted: "Those rebels are very weak, they are not vulnerable at all, and our five thousand people can completely level the enemy camp." ”

"Li Xun, the Liaodong rebels also have cavalry, although they are a little close, but they rush up in a swarm, and we will fall into a melee. Once there is a scuffle, it will not be able to storm the enemy's entire battalion, let alone pose a threat to the enemy. Li Xin said, "In the case of insufficient strength, we take risks and attack, which is very dangerous." ”

"We should strike." Li Qiong said loudly, "Brothers, we are a sneak attack, and it is difficult for the enemy to organize an effective counterattack when they are caught off guard. As long as we quickly reach the heart of the enemy camp, the purpose of the attack will be achieved. It's a pity not to have such a good opportunity. ”

Li Yi looked at his subordinates and said firmly: "Attack." ”

………………

Tang was at the water's edge, the carriage that could not be taken away, the baggage was ignited, and the raging fire reflected half the sky.

Gongsun Zhang looked at the sky-high fire, and his heart twitched for a while.

He still couldn't believe that Li Yi had quietly led the army to their noses. Didn't the spies who had been lurking in Lulongsai just sent back the news, Li Yi was in Lulongsai? Why did it appear hundreds of miles away in the Tuhe River now?

Gongsun Zhang couldn't figure out what was going on when he broke his head. The only thing he was glad about now was that his scouts had spotted the enemy's tracks in advance.

If it weren't for the scouts who were lucky enough to expand the patrol area, the tens of thousands of horses of the Gongsun family in Tuhe would probably have been eaten by Li Yi.

Li Yi is really cunning!

"Here it is, General, the enemy is coming." Gongsun Yu stood up from the ground, patted the ash on his hands, and said loudly.

Gongsun Zhang looked up at the stars in the sky with a solemn expression, and then looked at the moon shuttling in the clouds, and exhaled softly.

"Order the troops, spread out the formation, and prepare for the storm."

The drums of war rang out loudly, and the rousing drums suddenly tore through the night sky and soared into the sky. (To be continued.) )