The coalition of princes in the Western Regions had been defeated for a while before. The 30,000-strong army was defeated by Gao Changgong's two Sui armies, with nearly 10,000 casualties.
For the coalition of princes in the Western Regions, such a humiliating defeat was just the beginning. After that, there were continuous small defeats, and finally led to this big defeat.
In order to reverse the decline, Wang Ben mobilized 160,000 Western Region Allied Forces, preparing to first encircle and kill the 20,000 Sui army vanguards who were deeply alone, while Yang Shuang was forced to mobilize 50,000 troops to fight.
With 160,000 fighting against 50,000, the Western Region side had an absolute military advantage, and it also had a gold-level commander named Wang Ben.
As for Yang Shuang, the leader of the Sui army, his commanding attribute is 98, and his commanding ability is slightly inferior to that of Wang Ben.
Logically speaking, even if Wang Ben could not win this battle, he should not lose, but the result was a disastrous defeat.
Wang Ben knew that Yang Shuang was difficult to deal with, so he dispatched 160,000 troops, preparing to directly crush the Sui army with an absolute strength advantage three times that of the enemy. However, at the most critical moment of the battle, he was once again delayed by the Western Region Allied Forces. leg.
Wang Ben's order to the left wing was to hold on to the position, but the 50,000 Western Region troops protecting the left wing went out to attack, and were overwhelmed by the Sui general's 8,000 Xiliang cavalry. In the end, the 160,000 Western Region coalition troops were defeated by the 50,000 Sui generals. The Chinese army was defeated head-on, with 20,000 killed and 30,000 captured. It could be said to be a complete defeat.
After this battle, the total strength of the Western Region Allied Forces was less than 200,000, but the battle losses of the three Yang, Li, and Ji families were not high. With the surrender of the army, the total strength did not decrease but increased, rising to 100,000.
Although the Western Region Allied Forces still had more troops than the Han Allied Forces, their morale was extremely low, far inferior to that of the Han Allied Forces. The balance of the war began to gradually tilt towards the Sui Army.
The anti-Sui coalition forces of the fifteen countries in the Western Regions amounted to 255,000 men. However, they faced repeated defeats against the 70,000 Yang, Li, and Ji families' coalition forces. This was naturally not because of Wang Ben's commanding ability, but because of the overall combat strength of the Western Regions coalition forces. too weak.
The dilemma Wang Ben is facing now is actually the same as that of Lun Qinling, where a strong general is commanding a weak division.
The coalition of princes in the Western Regions is like a ball of loose sand forcibly gathered together by Wang Ben. Although there are many people, they are not united. Moreover, they are afraid of being strong and dare not fight to the death, want to preserve their strength, and do not obey orders. With so many problems, even with Wang Ben's command, it would be difficult to exert full combat power.
The same goes for Qin Ling, the God of War in the Snowy Region. He has never lost a battle in his life, and even the prosperous Tang Dynasty bowed to him. He can command 20,000 Tibetan troops, but he can't defeat the 8,000 Qin troops led by Commander 93 Yang Ren.
It can be seen that the general's commanding ability is important, but if the army is not strong, it will also be unable to bring out the commander's commanding ability.
Wang Ben was originally very confident, but because of his teammates' incompetence, he lost so miserably that he was so angry that he vomited blood.
As for Yang Shuang, because he defeated Wang Ben, his basic command increased by 1 point, reaching the level of 99.
After this defeat, although Wang Ben was extremely unwilling, he had no choice but to accept the result. He had to shrink his troops and defend passively. He would definitely not dare to attack again until the morale of the army was restored.
With this battle, although Yang Shuang failed to completely defeat the Western Region Allied Forces, it did break the morale of the Western Region Allied Forces. However, another big problem followed: Should the troops withdraw to support Daxing?
At this time, the news that Da Qin had dispatched four armies to attack the Sui Dynasty and had arrived at Daxing City had spread to the Western Regions.
Regarding this issue, Yang Liji’s three alliances were also divided into two factions:
Most of the generals of the Sui State, led by Gao Changgong, supported the withdrawal of troops to support Daxing. After all, Daxing was the capital of the Sui State, and the lord Yang Guang was still in Daxing. Not saving him was against the principles of a minister.
However, both Ji, led by Ji Fa, and Li, led by Li Siyuan, believed that the good situation was hard-won and they should not give up on withdrawing their troops just like that.
"General Governor Yang Shuang, the situation in Daxing is now complete. Regardless of whether we can catch up with our troops and return reinforcements, even if we can catch up, we may not be able to break the situation and save Daxing." Li Siyuan advised.
"Yes, once the troops are withdrawn, the good situation in the Western Regions will be completely ruined. Therefore, instead of withdrawing the troops, we should continue to conquer the Western Regions. In this way, even if Daxing falls, the Sui Kingdom can rise again in the Western Regions." Ji Fa also advised.
It is natural that Ji Fa and Li Siyuan would oppose Yang Shuang's withdrawal. After all, both of them have now established themselves in the Western Regions. If Yang Shuang withdraws unilaterally, they will be isolated in the Western Regions with only the strength of their two families. They couldn't hold the territory they just occupied, so they naturally didn't want Yang Shuang to withdraw his troops.
Although Ji Fa and Li Siyuan did not want Yang Shuang to withdraw his troops due to their own interests, what they said was reasonable. If they had failed to save Daxing but lost the Western Region, the Sui Kingdom would really be destroyed.
Therefore, some Sui generals headed by Gao Gao were also persuaded by Ji Li to oppose returning to aid Daxing at this time.
Seeing the quarrel between the two factions below, Yang Shuang hesitated in his heart whether to withdraw his troops. In his heart, he wanted to rescue Daxing. After all, Daxing was not only the capital of the Sui Kingdom, but his lord Yang Guang was also there.
There were also many factions within the Sui Kingdom. Gao Huan, the governor of Xiliang, and Yang Xingmi, the governor of Haizhou, were both powerful feudal officials. They also obeyed the orders of Yang Guang.
But if Yang Guang makes any mistake, even Yang Shuang, Yang Guang's uncle, will not be able to convince them, and the Sui Kingdom may be divided directly.
Therefore, even if it was to prevent the Sui Kingdom from splitting, Yang Shuang wanted to withdraw his troops to support Daxing.
But what Yang Shuang had to admit was that what Li Siyuan said did make sense. Even if he withdrew his troops and returned reinforcements, he might not be able to catch up. Even if he could catch up, he might not be able to recapture Xianmei City. Even if he defeated Xianmei City, he would still be unable to catch up. Only by capturing the ten cities of Wuwei can we reach Daxing City.
Even if Yang Shuang can overcome so many uncertain factors, Daxing City may not be able to persist until that day.
Yang Shuang was actually very clear in his heart that the Sui Kingdom might not be able to escape this disaster. After all, Da Qin's attack this time was too ruthless. The four armies attacked at the same time, completely trapping Daxing in a trap and locking up the Sui Dynasty. All the vitality of the country.
Now there are only two choices before Yang Shuang. One is to withdraw his troops to save Daxing and involve the entire Sui Kingdom. The other is to not withdraw his troops and preserve his strength in order to re-establish the country in the Western Regions.
This is the main reason for Yang Shuang's hesitation.
Just when Yang Shuang was in a dilemma, and the three families of Yang, Li, and Ji were arguing over whether to withdraw their troops, a message from a flying pigeon came from Daxing.
After seeing the scout handing the letter to Yang Shuang, both Ji Fa and Li Siyuan looked nervous. After all, this was related to the fate of their family.
If Yang Shuang is determined to withdraw his troops, the Ji and Li families will definitely not withdraw their troops with Yang Shuang to rescue Daxing City. After all, the cost of withdrawing troops and fighting the Qin army is a bottomless pit. No matter how much money they have, they cannot withstand such squandering. .
But if they did not withdraw their troops together with Yang Shuang, it would be difficult to fight against the anti-Sui coalition forces in the Western Regions led by Wang Ben with only the power of the Ji and Li families in the Western Regions.
If you don't want to be annexed by the princes of the Western Regions, you may have to give up your territory in the Western Regions to preserve your strength and continue to migrate westward.
The Ji and Li families had just established a foothold in the Western Regions, and they were naturally unwilling to give up the territory they had just acquired. But if Yang Shuang was really determined to withdraw, then they would have no choice but to withdraw to the west. Anyway, in order to gain access to the Sui and Qin It is absolutely impossible for the army to go to war.
It is precisely because of this that Ji Fa and Li Siyuan are particularly nervous. After all, this letter is related to the fate of their family.
After Yang Shuang opened the letter, he was stunned for a moment, and then showed a look of disbelief.
He originally thought that Yang Guang would call him back at all costs when the Qin army was about to revolt and the country was in crisis.
But in the letter, Yang Guang not only refused to let him come back, but also asked him to continue to conquer the Western Regions. In this way, even if the Sui Kingdom completely lost Xiliang, it would still have territory in the Western Regions in order to make a comeback.
After reading it, Yang Shuang was very moved. He felt that Yang Guang was willing to sacrifice himself for the Sui Kingdom, but in fact Yang Guang placed his hope on the three coalition forces in Haizhou.
Yang Guang did not mention the Qiang Order and the resurgence of Haizhou Qiang forces in his letter. After all, once this news was exposed, it would definitely affect the morale of the Sui army and the loyalty of the generals to him.
Therefore, although Yang Guang issued an order to relieve the Qiang, he only made it public in Haizhou and kept it secret from all areas including Daxing.
Yang Guang's attitude was that although he was responsible for the Qiang Order, he would not admit it until he was completely stoned.
Even if Da Qin announced it to the outside world, as long as the Qiang army did not arrive at Daxing City, he could still argue that it was Da Qin's slander. After all, he only had to fool his own people.
When the Qiang army really hits Daxing City, Daxing's situation of trapping the dragon will be solved. Yang Guang will not suffer from these infamy. After all, Daxing has been saved. Although the method is disgraceful, the ministers can also Understand his painstaking efforts, the worst is to destroy the Qiang people again.
It has to be said that Yang Guang's abacus was indeed shrewd. Not only did he plot against the Qiang people, but also his own people were included in his scheme.
Yang Shuang did not know many of Yang Guang's plans. He only thought that Yang Guang was ready to die for his country and asked him to leave a fire for the Sui Kingdom in the Western Regions, so he naturally would not withdraw his troops.
After Yang Shuang announced Yang Guang's order not to withdraw troops, and bluntly stated that Yang Guang had decided to die for his country and left them as the fire of the Sui Kingdom, all the generals of the Sui army in Zhelin were excited, and the opposition such as Gao Gao were also ashamed.
Ji Fa and Li Siyuan looked at each other after hearing this. They couldn't believe that Yang Guang, who had always been selfish and insidious, would make such a just and awe-inspiring decision. Therefore, they instinctively felt that there must be something wrong here. However, it would be in their interest for the Sui army not to withdraw, so naturally they had no choice. This matter needs to be investigated further.
In this way, after Yang Shuang learned the news that Daxing was besieged, not only did he not withdraw his troops to rescue Daxing, but he also accelerated his attack on the Western Regions, which made the already tense situation in the Western Regions even more tense.
As for the anti-Sui alliance of the fifteen countries in the Western Regions, under the aggressiveness of the Han coalition, they no longer continued to preserve their strength and united more closely to fight against foreign enemies.
If the Western Region Allied Forces had united from the beginning and acted unanimously, they would not have had those two major defeats.
Now that the Han coalition led by the Sui army had the upper hand militarily, it was a little late for the Western Region coalition to wake up.
Wang Ben did not expect that this battle would be so difficult, but since Yang Shuang made the move, he could only accept it.
Just as Wang Bi and Yang Shuang were fighting again in the Western Regions, the Tubo army led by Lun Qinling also marched to Huangyuan City.
Yang Ren stood at the top of the city and saw that the crowd outside the city was full of Tubo soldiers, and when they were methodically clearing the fortifications laid out by the Qin army in advance, he knew that Lun Qinling was a general who was good at attacking cities.
"Brother, if this continues, the Tibetan army will be able to attack Huangyuan City in less than a day." Tu Xingsun said anxiously.
Yang Ren nodded, and then said: "We really can't go on like this. We must take the initiative to make the Tibetan army tired of responding to orders, so as to delay more time.
Junior brother, immediately gather a thousand light cavalry, and we will go out of the city to fight with the Tubo army. "
"promise."
Yang Ren took Tu Xingsun and a thousand Qingqi out of the city. When the Tubo army outside the city saw the Qin army coming out, they immediately gave up cleaning up traps, trenches and other fortifications and immediately returned to their base camp to report.
Yang Ren did not pursue them. After all, there was little point in killing these engineers. He just sent people to shout provocations.
Lun Qinling originally planned to send generals to challenge after clearing the obstacles in order to suppress the morale of the Qin army, but he did not expect that the Qin army took the initiative, so he naturally would not miss this opportunity and immediately ordered all his troops will come to fight.
When they saw that the general sent by the Qin army to challenge was just an ugly and thin man, the Tibetan generals all sneered.
