After rebirth, I made the princes cry

Northern Zhao's dispatch of troops was beyond Jiang Tai's expectation. The reason why he listened to Da Shangchen's advice and chose to implement the plan of establishing diplomatic relations with Dong Yu at this time was due to an important reason. Northern Zhao had suffered a defeat just a year ago. Although the Zhao emperor was certainly not frightened by Dong Yu, his morale was frustrated, and he should not have the courage to mobilize the entire country's military to attack Tongguan.

When Jiang Tai confirmed that the main general this time was Queen Sanchuan, he became more certain of his judgment.

If Northern Zhao really decided to mobilize the entire country's troops to fight a decisive battle with Northern Han, Emperor Zhao would certainly not feel at ease to hand over the military command to Prince Sanchuan. The current crown prince of Northern Zhao would not sit idly by and watch Prince Sanchuan have the ability to pry his throne away. The primary purpose of Emperor Zhao's sending troops this time should be deterrence, not Gao's lobbying of his simple-minded biological mother, who advised him to kill the Lord of Shenyuan Palace.

He was not doomed to fail in this war.

What makes Jiang Tai difficult is that he has limited "chess pieces" in his hand. Moreover, there are external enemies in front of him and internal troubles are bound to stir up. Therefore, how to plan the layout becomes the key to victory or defeat.

As for how Northern Han should be planned, Sikong Yuehu is also considering Yingshu.

Originally, Dianjun was discussing this issue with Yingshu, but Yingshu didn't know how many troops the Northern Han had, so she didn't even have the basis for discussing it on paper, not to mention that they had previously passed through Hanzhong via the Baoxiade Road. Although Yingshu knew about the four major passes of the Northern Han, the only one she had actually seen was Sanguan in Xiqi. Because Hanzhong now belongs to the territory of the Northern Han, and Sanguan is located between Hanzhong and Chang'an, it is not a true border pass, with only a few hundred troops stationed there. Therefore, although Yingshu has seen the situation at Sanguan, she cannot "apply" it to other passes.

Dian Jun knew that Xin Su Jun knew more details.

She was too shy to ask Xinsu Jun for advice directly, and she euphemistically expressed her hope that Yingshu would come forward and ask Xinsu Jun, who seemed not to be a teacher at all, to give her some advice. Yingshu was also happy to be "used" by Dian Jun, but who knew that Sikong Yuehu would seriously test her. In the pavilion, on the table, there were pens, ink, paper and inkstone. Sikong Yuehu took up the pen and drew a simple map of several passes in the Northern Han Dynasty with a few strokes, marking them with words.

"When Northern Zhao attacked Northern Han, Tongguan and Wuguan would certainly not be easy to lose. However, these two passes are natural barriers, and it is convenient to dispatch troops from Chang'an to support them in a timely manner. Usually, there are 10,000 troops guarding these two passes. The Northern Han has more than 80,000 imperial guards stationed in Chang'an, and with the troops in the capitals of the major tribes, there are more than 150,000 troops.

In addition to the 150,000 troops in the capital, the Northern Han has a total of about 200,000 troops distributed in the vassal states outside the Great Wall. However, it should be noted that the vassal states are actually a combination of soldiers and civilians, and their combat effectiveness depends on which department is in charge. "

Sikong Yuehu wanted to test Yingshu, so of course he had to first tell her the basic military situation of Northern Han.

"The reason why the Ran clan is so fearful to Jiang Tai is that in addition to the 10,000 imperial soldiers in Chang'an, the vassal soldiers currently stationed in Ganzhou have more than 30,000 main force soldiers."

Ying Shu no longer had to consider the threat posed by the Ran clan to Jiang Tai. She asked, "Can I understand it this way? The Northern Han currently has a total of more than 350,000 troops, but apart from 150,000 troops from the capital, if the remaining 200,000 troops were all deployed in the war, in the event of a major defeat, there wouldn't even be many people left outside the capital?"

"You can understand it that way." Sikong Yuehu nodded.

In fact, before the Qiang tribe, there was no distinction between soldiers and civilians. Men over the age of fifteen were generally counted as soldiers, while women and men under the age of fifteen were actually considered civilians.

As for the situation of the Northern Han, a national war is not so easy to fight. If all 350,000 people are thrown into the war, let alone being completely wiped out, even if half of them are wiped out, the heavy losses would probably be enough to cause a catastrophic disaster.

"The elite troops of Northern Han are now divided into four parts. One part is stationed in Hanzhong to guard against Dayu. Another part is stationed in Tongguan to guard against Northern Zhao. One part is stationed in Xiaoguan to guard against Northern Jin and Northern Zhao. The remaining part is stationed in Wugu to guard against Northern Zhao and Dayu." Ying Shu said as she analyzed, "Now it is Northern Zhao that has started the war. Although the main force is attacking Tongguan, Northern Han cannot withdraw the troops from Xiaoguan and Wugu to fully support Tongguan, because it must guard against Northern Zhao dividing its troops into Xiaoguan and Wugu. If Northern Zhao divides its troops into Xiaoguan, it can unite with Northern Jin. If it divides its troops into Wuguan, it is more appropriate to unite with Dayu.

Northern Jin and Northern Zhao have the same origin, and Northern Han has no need to think about destroying the alliance between the two. Therefore, the elite troops at Xiaoguan should not be withdrawn, and even reinforcements should be considered. However, Xiaoguan is not in imminent danger in terms of the current situation, so the vassal troops can be transferred for reinforcement, or even pretend to pass the pass to copy Northern Zhao to relieve the emergency at Tongguan.

In fact, if Northern Han forms an alliance with Dayu, even if they do not withdraw the troops stationed in Hanzhong, they can ask Dayu to send troops to prevent Northern Zhao from attacking Wuguan. In this way, 150,000 troops from the capital are actually enough to protect Tongguan."

The Lord of the Divine Yuan Palace tried hard to digest Ying Shu's analysis, and couldn't help feeling a little frustrated: "So, the Northern Han Dynasty can easily resolve this seemingly sudden disaster?"

Yingshu smiled.

Sikong Yuehu raised his eyebrows and looked at her: "Go on."

"The key is that Dayu and Northern Han are not in alliance now. Although Northern Zhao has sent troops out of Hangu Pass, attacking Tongguan is the best way to capture Chang'an. However, Wancheng is now under the jurisdiction of Northern Zhao. Northern Zhao can send troops from Wancheng to try to capture Wuguan. If Wuguan is captured, Chang'an will also be lost.

The 150,000 soldiers of the Northern Han Dynasty must be divided into two groups. At the same time, they must guard against Dayu taking advantage of the situation to attack Hanzhong. If it were me, the guards of Hanzhong would not move without authorization. I would transfer 30,000 soldiers of the Ran family to Sanguan, and rush to help Hanzhong in time if there is any trouble. Tongguan is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Leave 50,000 troops to reinforce, and another 100,000 soldiers of the capital will focus on garrisoning Wuguan. If we just defend it, we will be passive. We can send 20,000 troops to go out of Wuguan and head towards Wancheng to test how the Northern Zhao will respond. "

Sikong Yuehu felt that Yingshu had passed the assessment.

But he grabbed the sketch on the table, set it on fire with a tinder, and burned it to ashes.

"If there is internal strife in Northern Han, Northern Zhao will have difficulty capturing Chang'an unless it mobilizes all its troops. However, even with the 150,000 troops from the capital, there are only less than 50,000 who are guaranteed to obey Jiang Tai's orders. If he decides to lead the expedition in person, he will have to lead at least 30,000 soldiers to Tongguan, and only leave 20,000 soldiers to guard the city. Jiang Tai is worried that the Ran clan and other internal troubles will take advantage of the opportunity to rebel and seize the city to force the emperor to abdicate.

The commander guarding Hanzhong is now Jiang Tai's confidant. This is because Jiang Tai had long planned to lure Dianjun to go on a diplomatic mission to Northern Han in the name of peace talks. He must guard against our dynasty's use of military force against Northern Han, so he will strengthen the defense of Hanzhong and Wugu Pass. However, at this time, he can only recall the garrison in Hanzhong to deter the disloyal people in Chang'an City.

Jiang Tai was a belligerent man, and he certainly didn't want to passively take a beating. I guess he didn't even want to just defend Tongguan. His personal expedition to Tongguan was probably just a feint. The battlefield he really intended to personally march to was to go out of Xiaoguan and attack the scattered Xiongnu tribes."

The Palace Master was very puzzled: "At such a critical moment, Jiang Tai actually wanted to lead his troops out of the pass himself? And it was only to attack the scattered Xiongnu? This... shouldn't be a big threat to Northern Zhao, right?"

Sikong Yuehu looked at Yingshu.

Yingshu didn't react for a long time until her elbow was touched by Dianjun. Then she realized that the "test" was not over yet.

"Jiang Tai still has people he can trust. His two brothers from the same mother are still alive. One can guard Chang'an, and the other can stay in Tongguan after he escapes. But I can't figure out why Your Highness is so sure that Jiang Tai will leave Xiaoguan and fight against the scattered Xiongnu tribes?"

The main function of Xiaoguan is to guard against northern enemies. In the past, the Qiang tribe was also one of the northern enemies. Whether it was Daji or Dayu, they rarely went out of Xiaoguan to pursue the bandits. Now that Northern Zhao has taken Luoyang as its capital, the main military force is of course concentrated inside the Great Wall. Although theoretically it is also possible to attack some of the cities currently occupied by Northern Zhao through outside the Great Wall, the battle line is too long and the risk to the attacking party is too great, which is tantamount to taking a big risk for a small profit, which is not wise.

"The desert is vast and can give Jiang Tai enough sense of security." Sikong Yuehu reminded.

Ying Shu raised her eyebrows: "Afraid of death?"

"This is just one of the reasons, and not the main one." Sikong Yuehu said, "Deputy Zuo just said that Northern Zhao and Northern Jin might join forces to attack Xiaoguan to threaten Chang'an. That's right and wrong. The Xiongnu's military strength was much stronger than that of Northern Han. Like the many scattered tribes outside Xiaoguan, they still maintain their old nomadic habits, often harassing the pass, burning, killing and looting. Northern Zhao mainly attacks Tongguan, so there is no need to divide its troops to attack Xiaoguan. Those scattered tribes will surely wait for an opportunity to move.

Jiang Tai personally led the expedition to Xiaoguan to catch Northern Zhao by surprise. After he wiped out many scattered tribes, the greatest benefit was that he completely avoided the danger of Xiaoguan and boosted the morale of the Northern Han army. At the same time, he also strengthened the deterrence against the Ran clan and other tribes that had not submitted to him. Moreover, his personal soldiers took over Xiaoguan. Even if the Ran clan rebelled, attacked Chang'an City, and forced the Weiyang Palace, he still had a chance to regain the throne and would not be defeated and killed. "

The Lady of Shenyuan Palace tried hard to recall the sketch that had been burned, but she was still confused and couldn't figure out the key to it.

Ying Shu understood: "Jiang Tai is more afraid of internal troubles than external enemies."

Sikong Yuehu nodded and smiled: "It cannot be said that Jiang Tai's idea is wrong, because Northern Zhao really cannot break through Tongguan this time. Northern Zhao has underestimated Northern Han. Although Northern Han has experienced internal strife, it still has brave generals such as Ran Zhugu. At this time, Northern Zhao will never be able to mobilize the whole country's troops to completely tear up the six-tribe alliance.

Gong Xianglu was good at power struggles, and he was also good at promoting tax laws to encourage farming and other civil policies, but he was not good at military warfare. He saw through the mentality of the Northern Zhao emperor who was eager to avenge his previous humiliation, and in order to please him, he lobbied the Northern Zhao to use military force against the Northern Han. "

In the eyes of Northern Zhao, Northern Han was a traitor to the six allied nations.

"The person Jiang Tai is most worried about is Ran Zhugu, so he will definitely let Ran Zhugu go to the battle from Wuguan this time. Ran Zhugu still has 2,000 soldiers from Beijing under his command, and the remaining 8,000 are currently led by Ran Qiji and are still outside Xiangyang City. These 10,000 soldiers can be led by Ran Zhugu to contain the Wancheng tribe."

After hearing what Sikong Yuehu said, even Yingshu was confused.

"Won't it be a great disadvantage to our war plan if Ran Zhugu is transferred away?"

"Think about what chess piece Jiang Tai has left. This chess piece must be placed in the crucial position of the Wuguan Guardian."

The Lord of Shenyuan Palace has now completely given up thinking, with his eyelashes drooping: I really overestimated my own abilities, thinking that with his guidance, I might be able to understand a lot of military and political affairs, so that I would have the opportunity to talk with the Lord, and gradually gain his recognition and favor. I believe that Shu is different from others because she often discusses official business with him. As long as I work harder, I may be able to do it, but it turns out that there is such a huge difference between people.

Yingshu's mind is now full of thoughts about the surprise attack on Hanzhong.

"Jiang Gaofan!" Suddenly, Yingshu understood everything: "Ran Zhugu wants to help Jiang Mo seize the throne, but he must not suffer too much loss due to internal strife at this critical moment. Otherwise, even if he seizes the throne, it is equivalent to handing over Northern Han to the enemy. Ran Zhugu will never completely ignore the overall situation, just like Jiang Tai. No matter how greedy he is, he will never listen to the advice of Queen Mother Yao and just want to kill Jiang Mo and force the Ran clan to rebel!

Jiang Gaofan had testified alongside Jiang Tai and had gained Jiang Tai's trust. Jiang Tai would order him to guard Wuguan. With him as Ran Zhugu's internal support, Ran Zhugu, with his 10,000 soldiers from the capital, would be able to take over Wuguan without any effort. If Wuguan was lost, Chang'an would be in chaos. By taking the city and forcing the emperor to abdicate with minimal losses, the Northern Han would not suffer a catastrophic disaster!"

Smart girl.

Sikong Yuehu couldn't help but raise the corners of his lips.

Everything went just as Sikong Yuehu had planned.

Jiang Tai was indeed unwilling to be trapped in a dangerous situation. He took the initiative to ask Jiang Gaofan: "If I give Wuguan to Da Shangchen to guard, can Da Shangchen be sure that Wuguan will not be lost?"

"Wuguan is not an urgent matter..." Jiang Gaofan pretended to be surprised when he said, "Your Majesty, do you want to transfer Ran Zhugu away?"

"The Grand Minister knows my heart very well." Jiang Tai slammed the table heavily, "I don't believe that Northern Zhao and Dongyu have really made peace. Dongyu may help Jiang Mo, but it is impossible for it to truly form an alliance with Northern Zhao to annex Guanlong! Among the six tribes now, Northern Zhao is the biggest threat to Dongyu. If Dongyu helps Northern Zhao to take Chang'an first, at most it can take Hanzhong while the chaos is going on.

But what's the use of Dongyu having only Hanzhong? It's nothing more than adding another barrier to Yizhou. However, if Beizhao occupies Chang'an, Dongyu will find it difficult to defend Xiangyang. Xiangyang City is much more important to Dongyu than Hanzhong!

The two countries will not form an alliance, and the pressure on Wuguan is indeed not great. The Great Shangchen only needs to guard against Ran Zhugu's return attack and must prevent him from mobilizing the vassal troops to attack the capital and force the palace!"

"I will not fail my mission." Da Shangchen knelt down hurriedly, clenched his fist, and tapped his chest to swear.

However, Jiang Gaofan will of course also put forward his own suggestions, striving to make Jiang Tai's battle plan foolproof.

"Simply transferring Ran Zhugu away will not completely prevent the chaos in the capital, but if the Ran clan and his followers are completely transferred away, they may not obey orders. I think that Your Majesty should now order all clan leaders to gather the troops in the capital in the name of national war, and obey Your Majesty's orders to protect Tongguan and Xiaoguan."

Since Jiang Gaofan has already pointed out Xiao Guan, how natural is it for him to propose the strategy of "escaping from the shell"?

Jiang Tai was not a coward to begin with. Although he was afraid of Northern Zhao, he realized that Northern Zhao despised him and was determined to get rid of the Qiang tribe as soon as possible. Jiang Tai could not bear this humiliation and said with his fist: "Good, good, good!!! The emperor of Northern Zhao actually intended to use a mere woman like Gao to lobby the queen mother, thinking that this would force me to surrender. This time I will let them see that we Qiang Han are indeed strong enough to dominate Guanlong, while the Xiongnu are so arrogant to try to rule the world!"