On May 23rd of the third year of Daye, there was a trace of tension and uneasiness in the sky above Liaodong, and the clouds of war shrouded the sky in the northeastern part of the Sui Dynasty. As the Sui army commander Yang Ji once again set foot in Da'an County, the war between the Sui Dynasty and Goguryeo was about to break out.
Yang Ji is usually a very lazy person. In Yang Guang's words, if Yang Ji is lazy, he will steal, and if he is not lazy, he will create laziness to steal. Therefore, Yang Ji has never been rated as one in the annual evaluations over the years. Waited on the superior.
The highest rating was in the third year of Renshou, which was the year when Yang Ji became famous. He first annihilated the Yinwu Kingdom and Chuyue tribe, then defeated the Turkic Khanate's southern invasion army, and killed Bujia Khan in front of the battle. Yang Jian gave him He was told to wait.
The reason why he was not given a higher rank was that Yang Jian was afraid that he would be proud. Secondly, because Yang Ji's way of leading the troops was completely messed up, and his fighting was even more disorganized and had no overall situation, which made everyone sweat for him. Yang Guang, Yang Su, Yang Xiong and other military experts The comments he gave were "the enemy is worse than Yang Ji" and "Yang Ji is lucky", which is why he achieved such results.
But when Yang Guang, Yang Su and others deduced Yin Wu, Chu Yue, and Tujue together, the result was stunned and speechless. Just because although Yang Ji fought randomly, every big and small battle led by him was just right and perfect. If it were any of them, they would not dare to be inferior to others in every aspect, and their old nest might be taken away. If you send troops under dangerous circumstances, you must at least stop and stabilize. Only after ensuring the safety of Liangzhou can you fight again. However, in this way, it would be impossible to be as perfect as Yang Ji.
In subsequent annual evaluations, Yang Ji's year-end scores ranged between upper-middle, middle-middle, and lower-middle, never reaching the upper or lower grades.
The reason is laziness.
It's just that although Yang Ji is usually lazy, once he enters a fighting state or a trouble-making state, his whole person's momentum changes drastically, and his work style becomes more vigorous and vigorous.
This time, it's no exception.
The group entered the military camp, and Yang Ji held a military meeting directly in the Chinese army tent.
The Chinese army tent is spacious and brightly lit. When more than a hundred people enter it, it is not too crowded, let alone crowded. On a shelf on the left, there is also a huge map made of silk hanging on it, with the correct picture drawn on it. It is a topographic map of Youzhou and Goguryeo.
Yang Ji stepped forward and looked at the map in detail, then had it removed and replaced with a brand new map. Then he said to everyone: "Goguryeo has complex terrain, harsh climate, and difficult roads. The old map lacks many things. The dangerous fortress, if we ignore these seemingly inconspicuous but very important places, we will definitely suffer a big loss. This new picture is provided by a Goguryeo insider. This person has a very important position in Goguryeo. In order to ensure his safety, I won’t say the name!”
"Then it was improved based on the information provided by the Baekje envoys and envoys in Beijing. Some of them were seized from the Yuyang Yuan family. After the three were combined, the detailed work headed by Gao Jianwu was also used to supplement the old map. The two The author proofread and verified one by one, and finally came up with this picture.”
"Due to time constraints, it's too late to make a sand table! However, when I was in Jixian County, Zhuo County, I had people print many portable smaller versions. Now you can take a look at this big picture first and get a general understanding. Then get the thumbnail from me."
Although the Youzhou Dagu incident caused a lot of noise, the people only knew about the corruption and the looting of charity warehouses. As for the whereabouts of the grain, the Yuan family taking the lead in betraying the country, and the detailed Goguryeo works spread all over Hebei, the government did not announce it to the outside world. The border between the Sui Dynasty and Goguryeo had already been completely sealed, and the people had stayed away from the border to avoid the war, so Yang Ji was not worried about the news leaking out. In the same way, it is quite safe for his main army to be hidden here.
It is true that Goguryeo still has channels for obtaining military information, but Gao Jianwu, the intelligence chief, has been arrested, and other details are also tightly controlled. Even if secrets are leaked now, it is false information provided by Yang Ji.
Since the beginning of writing, the art of war left by the masters of the past dynasties have emphasized the importance of maps. The only way for a good general to face a place he has never set foot on is to understand it from the map. The clearer you see, the more you will understand, the advantages and disadvantages. The greater the chance of winning, even if you don't know a word, you must learn to read the map, otherwise, you will never become a unique person. The generals Yu Wenshu, Yang Yichen, Cui Hongsheng, Yu Zhongwen, Han Hong, Yin Shishi and other generals are all good at fighting, and their ability to read maps is natural. When they heard what Yang Ji said, they immediately gathered around the map and carefully examined it. Watch.
Although the map is far less intuitive than the sand table, the rivers, mountains, hills, cities, towns, fortresses, bridges, and roads on it are all clearly marked; even the Liao River, Wugu River, Yalu River, Sash River, The seasonal changes in the water regime of Xishui are also noted one by one in red letters.
Everyone was immediately attracted. They compared it in detail with the old maps in their minds, and found that the old and new maps were generally consistent, but the subtle differences were more than a thousand miles apart. Although he was surprised that Yang Ji was well prepared, he also watched it very seriously. They are all famous coaches and generals with their own thoughts and souls. They will not blindly follow the orders of their superiors. Even before Yang Ji arrived, everyone was thinking, "If I were the coach, how should I fight?"
With this assumption, they couldn't help but combine the map and deduce the battle with the coach's vision and layout. However, the huge difference between the old and new maps also made it impossible to use some of the prepared tactics and playing methods, so while looking at the map, he also talked quietly with the deputy general beside him, discussing the previous shortcomings.
Yang Ji's style of military use is to use the collective efforts of the crowd and use everyone's wisdom for his own use. At this time, when he saw the generals talking about each other, he knew that they were thinking and discussing tactics, so he did not make a sound to disturb them, but allowed them to communicate.
After waiting like this for about half an hour, the voices of discussion gradually died down. Yang Ji knew that it was almost done, so he asked the generals to return to their original positions and said: "You should have a sufficient understanding of the overall situation in Goguryeo. Between me and Pei Before the arrival of the Prime Minister, Wei Changshi and others, you should have discussed how to attack the city on the map!"
"That's right!" Everyone agreed.
"I have been thinking about how to fight this battle along the way!" Yang Ji said: "The overall strength of Goguryeo is far inferior to that of the Sui Dynasty, but their soldiers' quality, weapons and equipment are not bad, and they have the right time and place. We must face up to our opponents and their advantages; only in this way can we remain invincible."
"The king's words are absolutely true!" Yu Wenshu nodded and said: "Goguryeo is different from our previous enemies in the Sui Dynasty. It is definitely a hard nut to crack. The general's view is to work step by step, strive for victory steadily, and then look for opportunities to win."
"Your Majesty, I finally agree with General Yuwen's proposal!" Yu Zhongwen bowed his hand, but he hesitated.
"General Yu, if you have something to say, it doesn't matter!" Seeing that he hesitated, Yang Ji said with a smile: "Everyone's goal is to win this war at the minimum cost, no matter what you say, it doesn't matter. What's more, I, the Sui Dynasty, did not say anything about being convicted."
"Here! I'm rude, general!" Yu Zhongwen first saluted to the west and then said: "General, I think that the failure of the year was mainly due to the fact that the Turkic Khanate, which we thought was arrogant in civil and military affairs, gave us a good fight in the Sui Dynasty. The army was defeated and defeated, and everyone looked down on Goguryeo, which was called a "small country with few people". Therefore, when Gao Yuan provoked the enemy, the sound of arrogance and underestimation filled the entire court, and then he hurriedly mobilized more than 300,000 troops for the expedition. It’s Goguryeo. It’s not an exaggeration to recall that at the beginning, the general of the Chinese army was completely unprepared.”
That unforgettable tragedy happened in the 18th year of the founding of the Emperor, just a few years ago. Even if the generals present did not participate in the war, they knew the reason for the defeat of the Sui Dynasty. So after listening to Yu Zhongwen's words, they all nodded in agreement. .
During the Sui Dynasty, more than 300,000 land and water armies were assembled, and they marched towards Goguryeo in a mighty manner. As a result, the navy not only did not understand the seasonal changes in hydrology and wind and waves, but also did not even know where to stay, and then set off. However, the navy's defeat is still excusable, because the sea is vast, and people and ships have no way to do anything in the face of sea storms.
In contrast, the land forces underestimated the enemy quite excessively, which is quite heartbreaking; they clearly knew that the Liaoxi Corridor would enter a situation of "no cars and horses in the shallows, and no boats in the deep" as soon as the rainy season came; they knew clearly that Cao Jun was in the rainy season because of The acclimatization and harsh climate resulted in serious attrition, and even Guo Jiadu fell ill and died; however, having learned from the past, they were still unprepared. Therefore, after the army entered the Liaoxi Corridor, it immediately fell into the same tragedy as Cao Cao - the entire army was in a dilemma in the Liaoxi Corridor, suffered from hunger and cold, and suffered numerous attrition.
In September, the army finally reached the west bank of the Liao River. Just as the army was preparing to cross the Liao River, a plague ensued, killing 89% of the soldiers and horses.
In the end, the navy headed by Zhou Luohu managed to kill some Goguryeo navy, but the land troops did not kill even a single Goguryeo soldier, and it ended miserably.
"General Yu, please continue!" Yang Ji nodded silently. It is true that Yang Jian made a mistake in decision-making, but after all, he is the emperor, not the commander in charge of the troops. After he hands over the power, the specific matters will be left to him. It’s irrelevant. Therefore, the responsibility lies with the commander-in-chief Yang Liang and the military advisor Gao Jiong, whom Yu Zhongwen used as "General of the Central Army". The marching commanders such as Wang Shiji and Zhou Luohu actually acted according to their orders. If they hadn't been so careless in underestimating the enemy, even if they couldn't take Goguryeo in the end, they would still be able to retreat calmly.
Looking back now, Yang Liang and Gao Jiong's arrangements on land are clearly based on Guo Jia's "Soldiers need to be quick." Today's attack is thousands of miles away, and the baggage is heavy, making it difficult to make a profit. When the county town hears this, it must be prepared; it is not as good as Leave the baggage behind and move out with light troops and tactics to cover up their surprise."
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But the problem is that Cao Cao's enemy is Wuhuan in the north. There is no Liao River or Liao Ze to block the enemy and us. Therefore, although Cao Cao's army suffered heavy losses during the march, it was still able to attack thousands of miles and fight the "Battle of White Wolf Mountain" This is a classic example of a battle in which Cao Cao's army was victorious with its swiftness and surprise. In this battle, Cao's army won a complete victory, killing Tadun and more than ten people below the famous king, and captured more than 200,000 people.
What’s more interesting is that Zhang Liao originally firmly opposed Cao Cao’s expedition to Wuhuan because he was worried about Liu Biao’s attack on the Central Plains, which was empty of troops. However, Cao Cao and Guo Jia believed that the Han Dynasty had been inherited for hundreds of years, and the people regarded themselves as sons of the Han Dynasty. When they used the name of the Han Dynasty to attack the national enemy, if the "emperor uncle" Liu Biao attacked Cao Cao, it would be tantamount to treason and annihilation from the world, so they were not worried at all.
Hearing what they said, Zhang Liao was extremely unhappy and worried as he followed the army in the Northern Expedition. However, he never dreamed that Cao Cao would hand over the command of the "Battle of White Wolf Mountain" to him, and that he would actually be responsible for commanding this historic battle. He won a great battle and became a god in one battle.
Looking at others, and then looking back at Yang Liang and Gao Jiong, who can't even imitate others, it's really hard to describe.
"Here!" Yu Zhongwen understood that his previous words were somewhat disrespectful to the late emperor, and he secretly broke into a cold sweat. At this time, seeing that Yang Ji didn't care about his "innuendo", he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and he went on to say : "They didn't know anything about Goguryeo. They didn't know that Goguryeo had a unique geographical advantage, nor did they know about Goguryeo's use of this God-given advantage, so they underestimated the opponent from the beginning. As the saying goes, a lesson from the past is a guide for the future. We must not make this mistake again, thinking that playing it safe is the best way to play."
Han Hong, who was standing next to him, bowed his hands and said: "Your Majesty, Goguryeo is different from the Eastern and Western Turks, Tuyuhun, and Khitan. The nomadic people are mainly based on grasslands. It is difficult for our army to hide their tracks on the endless grasslands. We should fight them quickly. It would be better if we can gather them together and annihilate them; otherwise, our army will face endless attacks and disturbances."
"Goguryeo's mountains and rivers are steep, the terrain is complex, and jungles are all over the place. Facing such a country, even if our army has millions of troops, we do not have open terrain to deploy our formations. But if we ignore those small fortresses and fortresses located in the mountains, we will The military supply route is very likely to be destroyed by the enemy troops on the mountain. Once the logistics materials are lost, the result will be a dilemma. The final general also advocates that all the fortresses be removed one by one, so that we can move forward step by step, and we must not rush for quick success!"
"Your Majesty, the general seconded the proposal!" Cui Hongsheng heard that everyone had expressed their feelings, and he didn't waste any words and stood up to agree directly.
"Your Majesty, I will second my opinion!"
"Your Majesty, I second your opinion!"
Pei Ju, Wei Jin, Da Xijing, Duan Decao, Huangfu Wuyi, Yang Yuanhong and others also responded one after another.
After everyone finished expressing their opinions, Yang Ji said with a smile in his eyes: "You are right, but I won't listen!"
Everyone was shocked when they heard this!
Tu Diji was also dumbfounded. He had grown up in wars since he was a child. Although he had fought on the plains and in the hills and had no experience in jungle warfare or fortified warfare, he had followed Yu Wenshu and Xi Dajing for so long, and he had learned He learned a lot about the Central Plains’ art of war and combat methods.
He knows that no matter at any time, as long as he enters a new and unknown field to fight, he must retain his physical strength to fight at any time. However, Goguryeo's mountains are high and the roads are dangerous, so the army's consumption during the march was far greater than in the plains. Moreover, the enemy's attacks are everywhere and cannot be detected, making it difficult to guard against.
If you just pursue speed, it will be very easy for the enemy to take advantage of you.
