Chapter 428 The advantage is mine
In addition to the burning of the grain transport fleet, there was an even more annoying piece of news: it was raining, and it was continuous heavy rain.

The heavy rain had a great impact on the Tang army. The rain caused the Yellow River to surge, and the flood peak passed through, making it impossible to sail, and even the newly repaired river bridge was washed away.

Li Yuanhui looked at the surging Baigou with a complicated expression, because he knew that there was going to be big trouble.

But the severity of the situation was far beyond his expectations.

When Li Yuanhui was the commander-in-chief, he had a strict system for the management of grain and grass, including how to prevent moisture and place them in high places during the rainy season to avoid being soaked by water.
But after Li Yuanhui left, Li Yuan took over the army, and the logistics management of the army was in chaos. Few people were willing to abide by the strict system set by Li Yuanhui.

Especially the people brought by Li Yuan, in order to save trouble, directly changed the food distribution system. Before, military rations were collected every three days, and the remaining food was stored in a unified manner.

This can greatly reduce food waste and embezzlement, and ensure food security by establishing warehousing.

But after Li Yuan's people took over the food, they did not dare to deduct it at will. But in order to save trouble, they directly distributed more than ten days' worth of food.

There was not much space to store food in the camp, so it was piled directly on the ground. Then, due to continuous heavy rains, problems arose with the storage of food, and all the food became damp and moldy.

If the water transport is normal, there is no need to worry. The ten days' worth of food can be squeezed out if the supply is tight. Li Yuanhui has done a pretty good job in restoring agricultural production in the Central Plains and around Luoyang in recent years, so there is enough food supply.

But the grain transport was cut off and a large amount of grain was moldy, which was fatal. Li Yuan directly scolded Pei Ji and Yuwen Chengye.

But it was of no avail. Now the entire army had to collect the food, remove the moldy and spoiled ones, and only enough was left for three days.

If food cannot be transported in three days, we will run out of food.

Li Yuan had no choice but to ask his junior, Prince of Zhao Li Cheng'an, to invite his fourth uncle to discuss the matter.

Li Yuanhui was even happier to see Li Chengan. He had a good relationship with his elder brother, and also had a good relationship with this eldest nephew. He often took him out to play.

"Uncle, Grandfather asked you to come over."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanhui's brows twisted into a shape of a "川" (chuan) and he almost cursed.

What the hell! You think of me now, what can I do? It's raining in Kuku upstream, but the river water has not receded, and the current is so fast that the boat can't move. What can I do?
But even if you complain, you can’t just sit there and watch when something happens.

Li Yuanhui immediately took several staff members and dozens of guards to the camp north of Xiangshan.

Li Yuan was hesitating in the central army tent, pacing back and forth, feeling uneasy. When he saw Li Si coming in, he immediately asked, "Silang, do you have any food in your army?"

Li Si nodded helplessly: "We do have some in our army, but with an army of 100,000, it can only delay the war for a few days. If the river water has not receded by then, we will all be trapped in Hebei."

Li Yuan asked anxiously: "Then what should we do about this matter?"

"There is no other solution but to fight"

There were only the father and son in the big tent. Li Yuan could only sigh and say, "Then you, Silang, will take care of the war."

"Aye, how can I command the whole army when you are in the camp? Besides, rapid attacks and fierce battles, and being the first to break into the enemy lines are not my strengths."

Li Yuanhui refused before Li Yuan finished speaking. You want me to fight this battle? How the hell should I fight!
The whole army only has five or six days of food and grass. If we fight the Yan army head-on now, we will be blamed if we lose. You want me to fight at this time? What a joke!
The most crucial point is that Li Yuanhui knew that when two armies confront each other, it is a competition of who is more brave and good at fighting, or who is more resourceful. This is not his advantage.

He likes to win through long-term confrontation and continuous accumulation of advantages.

If he were to be the head coach now, it would be hard for him to do better than Li Yuan himself. Moreover, this position is a hot potato now.

Only a crazy person would take the blame.

However, seeing that he was unwilling to take the lead in the war, Li Yuan did not want to let him stay out of it, so he immediately let him stay in the camp and participate in military affairs.

Afterwards, he summoned all the generals to make arrangements for the war.

On the other hand, Wei Xiaoju's intelligence work once again played a very important role.

"What? The Tang army only has a few days' worth of food and fodder?" After hearing the news, Liu Xuanji stood up in surprise, snatched the note handed over by Li Yuanzhong and looked at it carefully.

"Oh, what a pity!"

This piece of information was very important to the Yan army. It was a secret stake that Wei Xiaoju had planted in the Tang army before, and he risked his life to send it out. It can be said that it was very valuable.

After reading it, Liu Xuanji kept sighing. The Tang army was out of food, which was originally very good news for the Yan army. It couldn't be better.

Anyone who has led troops knows the importance of food to the army. Before the army moves, food and grass must be sent first. Nothing is more important than keeping people well fed. When the army runs out of food, they will mutiny.

Therefore, at this time, the Yan army only needs to stay put and hold the camp. After a few days, the Tang army will be out of food and will collapse. At that time, the army will march south, defeat Li Yuan and his son first, and then cross the river to capture Luoyang in one fell swoop. It will be almost a matter of course and there will be no difficulty. However, the current situation of the Yan army is not much better than that of the Tang army.

Now the Yan army could not grasp this God-given opportunity, because the same problem now appeared in the Yan army.

Previously, the Yan army's food and grass were stored in Dangyin, but after the main force retreated to Dangyin, Anyang became a food transportation center, and then it was raided and burned by Li Yaoshi.

Afterwards, Li Yaoshi attacked Yecheng while beating people.

So, in fact, the Yan army was about to run out of food, and he was planning to either withdraw his troops to stabilize the rear, or to send troops directly to fight a decisive battle with the Tang army.

He had previously worried that the Tang army would not come out of the city and would consume his energy, in which case he would have no choice but to retreat.

But retreating also has risks, as the enemy may easily take advantage of the situation and pursue you. If you are not careful, an active retreat will turn into a passive escape.

So Liu Xuanji was actually in a dilemma, but now a turning point has come and the Tang army’s food and grass have run out.

In other words, both sides will have to go to the battlefield and take the initiative to attack.

Liu Xuanji also immediately summoned all the generals to start a military meeting.

The final decision was to send all the powerful troops, led by Tuoba Tianbao, to guard against Li Yaoshi and prevent the Tang army from continuing to harass the rear of the Yan army.

Liu Xuanji led an army of 60,000 troops, gathered the main elite forces of the Yan army, and at the same time issued a declaration of war to the Tang army for a battle.

After receiving the declaration of war, Li Yuan immediately agreed.

In fact, both sides knew each other's background clearly. Li Yuan also knew that Li Yuanhui had previously ordered Li Yaoshi to raid the flank of the Yan army at the right time to create a multi-point blossoming situation.

It can be said that it was Li Yuanhui’s previous arrangements that gave the Tang army the opportunity to have a decisive battle with the Yan army.

Otherwise, there would not even be this opportunity. Without Li Yaoshi's brilliant idea, the Yan army would only have to hold out for less than ten days, or even eight days, before the Tang army would be in chaos.

In early July, on the wilderness plain between the two tributaries of Baigou, the Tang army of 140,000 faced the Yan army of 60,000.

Yan and Tang each controlled the north and the south.

Liu Xuanji, the King of Han and the Grand Commander of the Great Yan, led the central army of 24,000 men, with the commander-in-chief Dongfang Di as the commander of the left army, with Lou Daiwen and Zhao Xiang as his deputies, and the commander-in-chief Zhu Lingshi as the commander of the right army, with Tuoba Tianmu and Han Gui as his deputies. There were three armies on each side, with a total of 18,000 men.

In the central army, Governor Su Dingbian led his 6,000 infantry and cavalry as the vanguard.

On the Tang army side, Emperor Li Yuan was stationed in the central army, commanding twenty Zhechofu of the left and right guards, twenty Zhechofu of the left and right Jinwu guards, and twenty Zhechofu of the left and right Beishenfu, with a total force of 60,000 troops.

Chai Rong, Duke of Qiao, was in charge of the Right Army, which had ten Zhechofu of the Right Wei Guard and more than 10,000 Yanzhou troops, as well as twenty Zhechofu of the Left and Right Leading Army Guards with a total of 40,000 troops.

Wei Wang Li Xiaozheng was in charge of the left army, with 40,000 troops under his command, including 10 Zhechongfu of Zuoweiwei, 20 Zhechongfu of Zuoxiaowei, and 10 Zhechongfu of Zuoweiwei. In addition, there were more than 10,000 troops under the Tiancefu of Qi Wang's guard army and Beiwei army, but they were not transferred up and stayed behind Xiangshan.

Nearly 200,000 troops from both sides were lined up on the vast plain, with flags fluttering and drums and horns blaring.

"My army has more than 100,000 soldiers, and the enemy has less than half of my number. The advantage is on my side!"

(End of this chapter)