Outside Xiaqiao City.
Luo Fengtang stood at a height several miles outside Xiaqiao City, carefully observing the Daxia people's defense in Xiaqiao City. Although the thunderbolts had been blasting for several days, the Daxia people still did not collapse the camp.
"He Yi, has the emperor's edict reprimanding the King of Great Xia reached Xiadu? Has King Li Yunwu of Great Xia not replied yet?" Qi Xingyun put down the telescope in his hand and asked his first secretary.
War also requires a sense of ceremony. Da Qi disdains the idea of an undeclared war with Da Xia. As a vassal state of Da Qi, there is no need to negotiate against Da Xia.
However, Luo Fengtang still requested an imperial edict, asking the emperor to reprimand the Daxia people for stealing chickens when Daqi attacked Liaodong County.
"The emperor's imperial edict has arrived in the capital of Xia. Li Yunwu expressed his embarrassment." He Yi said with a smile: "According to the report from the envoy Huang Sushou, as soon as the emperor's reprimand arrived, the entire Great Xia Dynasty was in an uproar. Some were negotiating for peace and were desperate. There are also.”
"In principle, Li Yunwu has agreed to apologize, but he cannot accept Daqi's request for the land of Xiaqiao City and asked Huang Sushou if he could pay compensation to settle the matter."
Luo Fengtang nodded. He had already guessed the result. He sneered and said, "If an apology is useful, why do we need it?"
Luo Fengtang frowned as he looked at the heavily guarded Xiaqiao City.
The imperial edict he requested was naturally based on the art of war and the strategy of attacking the enemy. If he could defeat the enemy without fighting, that would be the safest thing to do.
Daqi needs Daxia people to make substantial compensation for their actions, rather than just indifference.
The emperor's imperial edict, which was equivalent to a declaration of war, made the people of Daxia extremely frightened. However, Xiaqiao City was still defended by elite soldiers. Even though the morale was somewhat depressed by the emperor's Zhazi, it still did not lead to the collapse of the camp.
"The National Guard Army has been fighting for years. If we cannot win this battle quickly, the emperor will give us a few months less time to repair, which will be detrimental to the attack on Han next year." Luo Fengtang said to He Yi very seriously.
If Xiaqiao City is not taken, the Daxia people will invade Qianji next year, and the people of Qianji City will suffer again.
However, taking Xiaqiao City at the expense of heavy casualties or taking several months would be a move that outweighs the gains and losses.
He Yi also nodded. The defense of Xia Qiao City was more thorough than He Yi thought. The people of Daxia had long been prepared to face the wrath of Da Qi and put down heavy troops to guard Xia Qiao City.
"There are 70,000 national defenders and 50,000 elite soldiers in Xiaqiao City. According to the siege method, it can be defeated, but it will take at least three months." He Yi said with a little embarrassment.
In three months, winter has arrived.
He Yi's words of 70,000 against 50,000 were to be fought according to the siege method, and he threatened to attack the city in March. In fact, it reflected the strength of the National Guard Army.
In a siege battle, the ratio of casualties between the siege and defenders is generally five to one, with five on the siege dying and one on the defender.
The Art of War's guidance on siege is also to encircle and annihilate ten times when the armaments are equivalent.
And what He Yi said about 70,000 surrounded by 50,000, suppressing and attacking, is indeed the performance of the elite soldiers of the National Defense Army.
"We are here for a vacation, not for a fight. Fighting against Xiaqiao City is unexpected." Luo Fengtang said with certainty of victory.
He Yi smiled and said: "Actually, if the Han had not looked down upon the Daxia people before and thought they were weak, they would be directed to whichever side was strong. If not, the Han people would have tried their best to unite with the Daxia people, and we, the Qi Dynasty, would not have been able to attack Liaodong. smoothly."
"How is the survey over at Jinqiao Mountain?" Luo Fengtang nodded and agreed with He Yi's words, but he remembered what Yang Ruoqing once told him, that there are no ifs in this world.
He Yi quickly replied: "The scouting horse reported that the mountain road is clear and the National Guard Army has occupied the important high ground along the Jinqiao Mountain Road."
"Then let's go." Luo Fengtang took off the mask on his pocket.
He was wearing armor, the plate armor given to him by the emperor.
The only thing he was dissatisfied with about this plate armor was that the emperor had stamped a lot of patterns on it. It was very exquisite, but it was a bit gaudy, and the name was also very gaudy: Tianjing.
Since Luo Fengtang dared to tell the emperor that he wanted to take Xiaqiao City, he naturally had a clue. By the time the emperor's imperial edict arrived, Luo Fengtang had already completed his strategic deployment.
He did want to take Xiaqiao City, and his strategic thinking was also to defeat the enemy without fighting. However, what he wanted to fight was not Xiaqiao City, but to encircle Wei and save Zhao through Jinqiao Mountain next to Xiaqiao City.
Besiege Xiadu, the capital of Daxia, and attack the enemy to save it.
"The battle of Xiaqiao City is not fought in Xiaqiao City. I wonder if Li Yunwu, who only knows women, can think of this?" Luo Fengtang looked back at Xiaqiao City and rode on horseback. A large number of cavalry followed Luo Fengtang. Walk towards Xiaqiao Castle Mountain Road.
The target is Xia Capital, the capital of Daxia.
Luo Fengtang led the National Protectorate Army as they shuttled through the mountains and forests. They were moving swiftly through the mist-filled mountains and forests, as if they were ghosts.
The Jinqiao Mountain Trail is not a straight path. It is rugged and rugged. Especially in late autumn, frost can make the trail extremely slippery. If you are not careful, you will fall into the valley.
On weekdays, only those who secretly sell Daqi's goods from the Qianji area would choose to bypass Xiaqiao City and take risks.
This is why Li Yunwu knew the existence of this Jinqiao Mountain mountain road, but did not send heavy troops to guard it.
The idea of detouring from here to attack the Xiadu was not decided by Luo Fengtang with a slap on his head. Instead, the scouts conducted a three-day exploration and determined that both men and horses could pass. After the discussion of the generals, the decision was made to go.
Panting heavily, Luo Fengtang crossed the last mountain road that could only accommodate two people walking side by side. At the foot of that mountain road was an abyss, and the mist shrouded it like an illusion, making people want to jump off.
Luo Fengtang adjusted his breathing, looked at the soldiers approaching behind him, smiled and said to He Yi: "Someone told me that there is a strong army in the world, wearing straw sandals in the mountains and forests, one day and night, they can Traveling more than 240 miles! At that time, I didn’t quite believe that such a powerful army could exist in the world.”
"I don't believe it either. It's too difficult. We walked less than a hundred miles in one day and night. It looks like eighty miles?" He Yi also nodded and agreed with Luo Fengtang's words.
This mountain road is too difficult to walk.
Even He Yi, if given a second chance to choose, would not raise his hand again and agree to this strategic layout.
Luo Fengtang opened the Kan map, flipped through it for a long time, and finally confirmed that he had not gone the wrong way. He said with a smile: "Maybe that army is moving forward lightly, and we have thunder, caltrop cannons, and heavy trebuchet components. , there are still a lot of armors, and because there is a lot of baggage, I will try to pull the National Defense Army out next time."
"According to the battle plan, if the battle in Xiadu does not go well, we will retreat by another route. We have walked this route twice, and I think it won't be a problem to do it again."
Nine Heavens God Emperor
