novelraw Chapter 403 - 11: Surprise Attack on Qinzhou—It Is I, Gu Ziyuan of the Gu Clan!
Chapter 403 - 11: Surprise Attack on Qinzhou—It Is I, Gu Ziyuan of the Gu Clan!
This surprise attack is incredibly challenging.
Even with Gu Quan leading the troops personally, he has to make thorough preparations.
—The troops need not only to be elite, but more importantly, their resolve must be unwavering.
Completely different from the previous two attempts.
Whether it was Gu Xiao or Gu Chen.
The troops they commanded were personally trained by the Gu Clan, and their obedience far exceeded others.
This time, it’s entirely different.
He must make comprehensive preparations, leaving no room for errors.
...
In April of the second year of Wude.
Li Shimin officially launched an attack towards Gaozhi.
His momentum was overwhelming, completely setting the stage to subdue all of Longxi with one battle.
Especially with Gu Yan and several members of the Gu Clan among them.
This invisibly boosted the Tang Army’s momentum!
It’s been too long!
It’s been too long already!
The endless legends of the Gu Clan and their years of seclusion have stirred an irresistible anticipation among many people.
Even though Li Shimin had just raised his army and the two sides had not yet engaged in battle.
But his momentum had already drawn the world’s attention.
Everyone wanted to see what the Gu Clan’s abilities truly were.
This battle, no matter whether it’s for Li Yuan and Li Shimin or for the Gu Clan, its significance is beyond words.
If a major victory can be achieved.
The prestige of both the Gu Clan and the Li family will reach its pinnacle again!
Li Shimin is well aware of this; his expression is equally serious.
This battle is not just about capturing attention.
He intends to fight!
By all means, he must make Xue San believe that the main force of the Tang Army is here, thus relaxing the oversight of the rear.
Gu Yi is also silently observing everything, even feeling a sense of tension himself.
In the original history.
The battle Li Shimin fought in Longxi was not easy.
Although, according to historical records, Li Shimin fell ill at the beginning of the battle, which indeed affected his combat strength.
Yet, one cannot deny the remarkable capabilities of Xue Ju and his son.
Li Shimin only completely conquered Longxi after Xue Ju died of illness on the battlefield.
Although the Li family has now changed.
The exact outcome can only be known by observing further.
At the same time, Xue Ju promptly set his formation at Gaozhi, preparing to face Li Shimin.
His strength is by no means inferior.
The land of Longxi is naturally easy to defend and hard to attack, and his troops are in no way weaker than the Tang Army.
Even though Xue Ju is wary of the Gu Clan.
It’s still impossible for him to surrender so easily.
He drew almost all his elite forces, and with members of the Gu Clan present, Xue Ju is also keeping an eye on his rear, aiming to prevent anyone from emulating the surprise attack like Gu Xiao and Gu Chen.
This battle is destined to shake the earth.
In June;
Li Shimin led fifty thousand troops advancing to Gaozhi, forming positions with their backs to the Jing River, relying on mountain terrain on the left flank, and deploying heavy cavalry on the right.
He personally led the central army.
With Gu Yan and others, they formed the most elite core.
But on the surface.
He deliberately exposed a flaw in the central army, intending to lure Xue Ju into an attack.
In fact, in the current era, the key to large-scale battles lies in being able to stabilize the positions and effectively command the three armies.
In battles involving hundreds of thousands of people.
If one side makes a mistake, the resulting internal chaos is enough to destroy everything.
Why is Han Xin revered as the god of war?
It’s precisely because of his extraordinary command ability, able to stabilize the three armies even when facing the fierce charges of commanders like Xiang Yu, preventing chaos.
Seizing the opportunity to attack is similarly aimed at this—to strike the enemy’s formation.
Li Shimin’s move is undoubtedly very risky.
If any unexpected event occurs.
Should the central army collapse, the positions of the left and right armies would be affected, possibly leading to the complete breakdown of all three armies.
By then, regardless of the army’s casualties, Xue Ju might even seize the opportunity to advance directly into Guanzhong.
Anyone else would not dare to gamble this much.
But he is Li Shimin.
He firmly believes in his invincibility, and he also believes in Gu Quan; as long as all the elite can be drawn out, Gu Quan will surely succeed.
By then—
The overall situation can be settled!
If Xue Ju were at all incompetent, he might not even notice the flaw left by Li Shimin.
Because Li Shimin was destined not to make it too obvious.
But unfortunately, Xue Ju’s capability is not inferior, how could he miss this flaw?
Gaozhi.
On a high slope near the Tang Army’s camp, Xue Ju looked at the Tang Army below and couldn’t help but gently shake his head:
"It seems this second son of the Li family, after all, is still too young."
He murmured softly to himself, then sneered: "Everyone says, the second son of the Li family could invite the Gu Clan, perhaps a man of the Celestial Mandate."
"Now it seems... he is nothing special."
As he spoke, his expression suddenly grew serious: "As the saying goes, opportunity knocks but once."
"Pass my command."
"Prepare the three armies, I want to launch a surprise attack on the Tang Army’s camp!"
He definitely will not give up this opportunity!
This is a battle opportunity handed to him; if he wins this battle, he can seize the chance to march into Guanzhong and vie for the world.
And most crucially—
Defeating the Gu Clan’s offspring would also significantly boost his prestige.
There’s a saying that holds true in any age.
The greater the risk, the greater the reward!