The area under the jurisdiction of Liaodong City belongs to the Qianshan Mountains. The terrain is high in the east and low in the west. The east is hilly and mountainous, and the west is plain along the river. There are more than 160 large and small hills. Liaodong City was called Xiangping City in ancient times. It was renamed after Goguryeo occupied the Liaodong Plain during the Yixi period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
The Liaodong City after Goguryeo's reconstruction was a square shape with three gates, namely the east and west gates and the south city facing each other. Two inner and outer city walls divide the city into a large "Hui" character. The inner city is where the royal palace and official offices are located; the outer city is a commercial area and a residential area. The outer city wall is three feet high, and the inner city wall has been increased to five feet high in recent years. The inner and outer city walls are covered with turrets, battlements, parapets, battlements and other military buildings. To the north of the city is a high-rise building and a magnificent palace.
The city defense of Liaodong City is not a separate existence. There are eight strong and tall military cities scattered around the strategic areas. They are only a few miles away from Liaodong City. They are connected with Liaodong City like a flower blooming in the sky. The plum blossoms on the earth, and Liaodong City is the core of the flower.
The majestic and majestic Liaodong City Palace stands high at the highest point of the entire city. Looking up from south to north, the palace becomes more and more majestic, as if the mountains are rising and the mountains are towering over Kyushu.
Gao Yuan stood on the city tower and looked at Nancheng in the night. He saw bright lights in the city and an endless stream of people on the streets. As a result, this majestic city has become a very prosperous and lively city that never sleeps. However, he knew that behind the illusion of "prosperity" illuminated by lights and bustling with people, there lay the biggest crisis since the founding of Goguryeo. If he could not survive it, the kingdom that had been inherited for nearly a thousand years would be ruined by him.
Gao Yuan walked up to the front city tower and looked towards the military camp in the east. He saw bright lights in the camp, cavalry scouts coming and going at the camp gate, and numerous people in the camp. The military camp in the west was dark, with only the lanterns on the arrow towers swaying in the darkness. The main army had left the city to set up defenses, and there were only a few soldiers left guarding the camp.
The city walls on both sides were also brightly lit, and groups of imperial guards with helmets and armor stood in the dark night. Although the swords were sheathed and the arrows were unstrung, a strong murderous aura filled the night sky. All it took was Gao Yuan's order. , you can launch a thunderous strike.
"Your Majesty, I would like to see Lu, Yu Zhe, the envoy from the right, and Brother Silk Yitou." At this time, a guard came forward to report.
The big one to Lu is Yuan Ziyou, who is equivalent to the powerful minister and prime minister; Yu Zhe is Gao Yuantang's uncle Gao Tiancheng, who is equivalent to the secretary and provincial secretary in charge of the country's classic books; the right ambassador is Gao Huidun, who is equivalent to having real power. The general; the eldest brother in silk clothes is Yuan Zicheng, who is equivalent to Shangshu Lingpu She.
Gao Yuan withdrew his distant gaze and said, "Invite them to come over."
"See you, Your Majesty!" After a while, a large group of civil and military personnel strode over to pay homage. In addition to the four important ministers mentioned by the guards, there were more than 20 Goguryeo generals and civil servants in the crowd. These civil and military personnel each performed their duties and together formed the Liaodong City defense line.
There are both southern and northern factions of these people. Whether Goguryeo Zuo can be inherited mainly depends on the civil and military skills of the military and political leaders in front of him. Fortunately, although the dispute between the north and the south of Goguryeo was very serious, when it came to life and death, everyone was able to unite as one.
"Excuse me, everyone!" Gao Yuan asked impatiently: "How is Da Dui Lu? Are the arrangements in place?"
The tactics Goguryeo is currently pursuing is a policy of clearing the countryside and scorching the earth. They stick to several strong cities centered in Liaodong and evacuate hundreds of miles of people and food. Even though the Sui army occupied the vast land that was reduced to ashes After that, they could not fight for a long time because they had no supplies to eat. Just wait until the ice and snow weather, then go out of the city to counterattack, regain the lost ground, or retreat to the south.
This is also a method they came up with out of desperation.
"Everything has been arranged according to the king's instructions. Towns and villages with a radius of hundreds of miles have been evacuated. Our army only needs to defend the heavy city. Since the Sui army has nothing to gain, they can only attack the city, and our army will It is to defend instead of attack and wait for counterattack. Now all our army units are ready and all kinds of materials are ready." After Yuan Ziyou finished the introduction, he said to Gao Yuan: "Your Majesty, I have received two very important military reports. , just over an hour ago, Li Zixiong's army, assisted by Li Jing, had built a pontoon bridge across the Liao River in the Huaiyuan Town area."
"Why did it come so fast?" It was a matter of time. Gao Yuan had already been mentally prepared. He was shocked that Li Zixiong came so quickly.
At this time, the Liao River had a large amount of water and was fierce. In order to demolish the pontoon bridge built by the Sui army, they used large ships to throw many large trees with branches into the Liao River. They used the trees to get stuck in the bridge piers or used them as boats for the bridge piers. At the bottom, the pontoon was washed away by the flood from upstream.
After the Sui army built it once, they destroyed it once using this method. Therefore, only the west bank of the bridge over the Liao River, which is two to three feet wide, remains. However, Yuan Ziyou actually said that Li Zixiong came over so quickly.
"Yan Xun, the governor of Liaodong County, secretly built one upstream, but the confrontation had already been lost, so no one discovered or destroyed it," Yuan Ziyou said.
Gao Yuan nodded and asked, "I wonder if Mr. Lu has any suggestions on this?"
"Your Majesty, the Liao River defense line is meaningless. The old minister wants to withdraw all the troops to avoid being outflanked by the Sui army." After expressing his opinion, Yuan Ziyou added: "The old minister suggested that this army be transferred to the southwest. The Chongqing City was connected with Jian'an City, Goguryeo City, and Songshugou, and together they guarded the southwest corner."
"Yes!" Gao Yuan nodded and asked, "I wonder what the second most important news about Lu is?"
"Your Majesty, the second important news is related to Baekje! According to reports from the scouts, Baekje seems to be planning to march north." Although the four main roads connecting the north and the south have been controlled by the Sui army, a small group of scouts can still pass through. The mountain road is not conducive to the movement of the army to connect the north and the south, but it takes a lot more time. Having said this, Yuan Ziyou's face became very solemn.
This news came so suddenly and so fatally that Gao Yuan was shocked and frightened. He asked anxiously: "Baekje actually plans to invade our country? How credible is this news?"
"Your Majesty, I think the credibility is at least 70%!" Yuan Ziyou said solemnly: "Because the Sui Dynasty and Baekje have had close exchanges in recent years, and Fuyu Zhang even traveled to the Sui Dynasty twice, I suspect that the two have already An agreement was reached to attack our country from the north and the south."
Gao Yuan's mind suddenly went blank, but after all, he was a king who had experienced war. Although this sudden crisis caused him to fall into extreme panic, he quickly calmed down. He thought for a moment and asked Yuan Ziyou in a deep voice. : "Where is Silla? Is there any news?"
Silla is the second among the three kingdoms of Haedong. If Silla also sends troops, the trouble will be doubled.
"There is nothing unusual in Silla!" Yuan Ziyou comforted: "Your Majesty, after the former king of Silla, Jinji King Jinsaraun, went back on his word and captured Baekje and killed the Holy King of Baekje, the alliance between the two countries that lasted for more than a hundred years was completely completed. The two countries broke up and turned into enemies. Since then, the two countries have been in constant war and their hatred is as deep as the sea. What's more, in recent years, the Japanese have occasionally attacked the lower reaches of the Nakdong River in the Kayak area occupied by Silla. Therefore, the veteran believes that King Jinpyeong of Silla, Kim Baekjeong, is not He dared to attack Baekje, which was an ally of the Sui Dynasty, but he would definitely sit back and watch the fight between our country and Baekje, so that Silla could reap the benefits of the fishermen; or he could take the opportunity to consolidate the rule of the Kayak region."
Gao Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. He thought for a while and ordered to Gao Tiancheng and Yuan Zicheng: "Yu Zhe, Brother Silu Yitou, the situation in the south is urgent and no one is left to guard you. You two should take a shortcut south immediately and dominate the south. In response to major military and political events, mobilization orders were issued to all parts of the south at the same time, putting the people in various places into a state of war. In addition, Gao Yue, the envoy of Zuo Tai and the lord of Seoul, was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the south, ordering him to keep the Baekje army out of the country."
"I obey!" Gao Tiancheng and Yuan Zicheng clasped their fists in response.
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At the same time, Yang Yichen and others were discussing matters in the Chinese army's tent. At this time, they were no longer at the Tanghe camp, but at the western foot of Changgong Ridge.
Since Yang Wanchun abandoned the Changgongling defense system and Yuan Zicheng abandoned the camp, Yang Yichen led his army to join forces with Li Jing and then occupied the camp abandoned by Yuan Zicheng. The arrival of Li Zixiong's army made the camp even more lively. . The camp where the Sui army is currently located is located on the south bank of Daliang River and at the western foot of Changgong Ridge, about 120 miles away from Liaodong City in the west.
After Yang Yichen read the military information in his hand, he said to the generals: "Everyone knows the general situation of Liaodong City and the surrounding important cities, so there is no need to go into details. How long does Pei Sima think it will take for our army to attack them one by one?"
"It's really impossible to estimate this!" Pei Ju shook his head and made a calculation to everyone: "Let's not talk about the eight fortified cities outside, but Liaodong City is extremely majestic. The inner city wall is five feet high. This It is two feet higher than Daxing and Luoyang, and ordinary ladders, nest carts, and wells are simply out of reach, let alone we don’t have them yet. So we need to attack the eight outer cities while waiting for craftsmen to build ladder carts, nest carts, and wells. This is how we attack Liaodong City."
"In terms of military strength, the total number of elite soldiers, county soldiers, miscellaneous soldiers, and government officials in the Nine Cities and the Liao River Defense Line is about 250,000. Even if we remove the Eight Horns and the Liao River Defense Line one by one, we will finally concentrate them on There are at least 130,000 to 40,000 troops left in Liaodong City. If such troops are deployed one by one on the city wall with a circumference of more than 20 miles, it is indeed not many. But the hundreds of thousands of people in the city are real Goguryeo people. In order to protect their homeland, they can definitely coordinate with the army to defend the city at critical moments."
"Our military strength is far inferior to that of others, and we cannot encircle Liaodong City on all sides. We will be attacked by the enemy's sneak attack, so we cannot spread too thin. However, the opponent has the advantage of the city and the superiority of troops. No matter where we deploy our troops, the opponent can rely on our troops. The deployment and deployment of troops and generals will be more difficult and time-consuming."
"As for the specific time, I'm afraid King Wei doesn't dare to estimate it accurately."
Seeing that Yang Yichen was silent, Marching Commander Shi Weijin said, "Gao Yuan learned a lesson this time. He was worried about being defeated by us one by one again. He adopted the tactic of clearing the field from the beginning, showing his determination and will to fight against the odds. This Not only did it mean that Liaodong city was conquered and Goguryeo was destroyed, but it also showed that the following offensive and defensive battle would be a decisive battle that determined the survival of the country. Beiji also believed that when the Goguryeo people faced such a decisive battle related to the fate of the country, they would definitely fight against their king. They led the troops to resist desperately; this also allowed us to encounter unimaginable resistance when we attacked the city."
Yang Yichen deeply agreed. Siege warfare has always involved the exchange of human lives for final victory, so there is a saying that siege is the best. Once the offensive and defensive battle of Liaodong City started, the Sui army could not stop until the winner was determined. In addition, there were insufficient siege equipment. If he rashly ordered the siege, it would be an extremely irresponsible attitude.
After pondering for a long time, he said: "I've been thinking a lot these days, and I feel that Goguryeo doesn't want to fight, and doesn't dare to fight!"
Cui Hongsheng couldn't react for a moment, and said in confusion: "Gao Yuan has put on a fight-to-die attitude, why did Manager Yang say that he doesn't want to fight and doesn't dare to fight?"
"When the king was in Zhuojun, he had already sent envoys to Baekje, asking Baekje to send troops to attack the south of Goguryeo." Yang Yichen's wise eyes flashed with a strange light, and he said slowly: "Now the main army of Goguryeo is in Liaodong. However, General Zhou has pushed his troops to Sa River, and their only way is to mobilize elite troops from the south to resist General Zhou. Once the southern troops are empty, Baekje is likely to send troops north. In the same way, Silla may also take the opportunity to beat the drowned dog. "
"It is precisely because of the above reasons that I think Gao Yuan does not dare to fight to the death. If he annihilates the Liaodong Army again, even if he escapes to the south, he will not be able to hold on for long."
Cui Hongsheng suddenly said: "According to what Manager Yang said, Gao Yuan is indeed not even qualified to fight to the death. Although he has many supplies, he does not have time to waste them with us. As long as there is more unfavorable news from the south, he will We must do everything we can to get out of trouble and bring this army back.”
"Not bad!" Yang Yichen nodded and said with a smile: "I think it is Goguryeo that dare not fight or consume now, not our army. Our army cannot afford it, and Goguryeo can't even afford it. We can use this characteristic to Drag him until he runs out to die on his own."
Pei Ju said: "Mr. Yang's idea is feasible, but it needs to be discussed with the king."
Yang Yichen smiled and said, "Of course!"
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The next day, the sky was not completely bright yet, and the twilight sky gave the Yantong Mountain camp a layer of blue. Today's midnight has ended. The middle and low-level generals have returned to their headquarters, and the soldiers have also begun their day's training.
But in the Chinese army's tent, General Yuan Ziche was gathering the generals to discuss the military situation. Yuan Ziche said to more than 20 generals: "Generals, I received military information from the scouts. The enemy commander Yang Ji With his generals Xue Ju as the vanguard and Wang Xingben as the rear army commanders, they led more than 20,000 elite cavalry to march towards Yantong Mountain. Judging from their marching speed, they will arrive in the Yantong Mountain area by the end of Shenshi today."
"If we consider that there are 30,000 Yang Lun troops in Anshi City of Gaimu City, 5,000 Li Duan troops in Lishan City, and 10,000 Wei Yunqi troops in Hengshan City; Yang Ji's army in the Haicheng River Basin totals about 70,000 people, but he has four important cities to defend. The maximum number of troops put into the battlefield was only 45,000. From the fact that he only led 20,000 elite cavalry to the west, it can be seen that his military strength was stretched. Our soldiers are mixed, and their personal combat effectiveness and morale are indeed inferior to others. However, our military strength is Yang Ji is five times stronger, this is our biggest advantage, and we must use this advantage."
There are Goguryeo scouts all over Liaodong. The number of Yang Ji's army is actually no secret to those who are interested. When Yang Ji set out from Hengshan City, there were about 30,000 elite cavalry. Excluding the casualties from the two field battles and the divisions, Of the three thousand elite cavalry heading north to Songshugou, Yang Ji's available troops were only about 23,000.
This number seems quite large, but their enemy troops in Goguryeo City and Yantong Mountain Camp are more than 80,000. If the temporarily recruited and temporarily armed hunters and young civilians are added up, then their number The army that can fight on one side is at least 100,000 people.
"The general is wise!" After hearing this, all the generals nodded.
Yuan Ziche saw that Yang Xian was hesitant to speak, so he said slowly: "General Yang has any ideas, but it doesn't matter!"
"General, I obey!" Yang Xian responded, cupped his hands to Yuan Ziche and said: "General, the enemy army only has more than 20,000 people, and they have traveled a long distance. Can we gather the best troops in the city and camp to attack Yang Ji and wait for him to do his work? "
"It's not that I haven't considered General Yang's suggestion, but I don't dare to take a gamble!" Yuan Ziche glanced at Yang Xian, who had just been defeated, but he still said after all: "Yang Jijun's more than 20,000 soldiers are indeed Far fewer than us, but this army is the most elite Liangzhou Army and Xiaoguo Army in the Sui Dynasty, and they have just won two major victories. They are marching slowly this time, and they are not tired. Our army company After two defeats, the morale of the whole army is low. The important thing is that 30 to 40% of our army are miscellaneous soldiers and broken troops. It is not the best strategy to rush the Sui army into a head-on confrontation at this moment."
Yang Xian suddenly turned red and was speechless. After a while, he said with shame: "I have let the general down."
"I can't blame you. It's because we made a big strategic mistake! Time and time again, we gave the enemy opportunities to attack one by one." Yuan Ziche sighed and said with a wry smile: "In this battle, the Sui army It seems that they have learned the lessons of the defeat in the 18th year of Emperor Kaihuang's reign and followed the route of elite troops. Precisely because they used elite troops, the Sui army had high morale at the beginning of the battle and won many battles. However, although they won step by step , but the disadvantage of insufficient military strength gradually manifested itself. However, we missed too many good opportunities and lost too many troops, causing chaos among the army and the people, so the disadvantage of the Sui army's small strength disappeared."
Everyone here was a familiar and knowledgeable person, so Yuan Ziche had nothing to hide and spoke very clearly. Seeing that all the generals were silent, he talked about his battle plan: "This time with In Yang Ji's battle, everything must be fought steadily. After Yang Ji's arrival, we will hold on while using tactics to exhaust our troops. Two days later, we will use our superiority in strength to annihilate Yang Ji's army. Then, with the momentum of a great victory, we will We are waiting for work to annihilate the 15,000 Yang Lun troops who have already moved north."
"I will strictly follow the general's orders and ask the general to assign tasks!" the generals said loudly.
"Yang Ji had reaped too many bonuses from defeating each other. This time, he obviously thought that Goguryeo City and the Yantong Mountain Camp were fighting independently, so he boldly led more than 20,000 soldiers to fight westward. Instead of following his fighting style, it was better to let He can't advance or retreat. He can choose to be killed by our army." Yuan Ziche glanced at the crowd and said in a deep voice: "There are fifteen thousand elite cavalry and five thousand infantry from Gaogu City; this army is composed of martial soldiers. Taian is the main general."
He took out a command arrow and handed it to the soldiers on standby, and said: "Give this command arrow to General Wu and let him camp between the city and the camp with his back to Yantong Mountain, so that he can attack the Sui army at any time. .At the same time, General Dong Zhong was ordered to train the troops in the city while keeping in close contact with them."
"I obey my orders!" The soldier took the order arrow and said goodbye.
"There are 20,000 cavalry and 25,000 infantry in the camp. These soldiers are all soldiers who have experienced battles, and their combat effectiveness is also the strongest army in the Haicheng River Basin. I plan to divide it into five armies, each with 5,000 soldiers. People, each led by a deputy general." After Yuan Ziche finished speaking, he took out a command arrow: "The defeat of Lishan City was mainly due to Yang Lun's strategy of exhausting the troops against General Gao Huizhen, and because he was in the city, he could not send out troops. , unable to counter-harass the Sui army. Song Chi, as the commander-in-chief of the First Cavalry Army, immediately bring the gongs and drums out of the camp, and be familiar with the surrounding terrain. If the Sui army camps, let them camp, and at night divide the army into five thousand Teams of people took turns harassing them.”
Song Chi immediately stood up to receive the order: "General, obey the order!"
"Zhu Yu, you are the commander-in-chief of the Second Cavalry Army. You have a good rest today and will take over from Song Chi tomorrow."
"I will obey the order!"
"Yuan Taiming and Wu Ning, you two are the third and fourth generals of the cavalry respectively. You are recharging your strength in the camp and are ready to be dispatched by me at any time."
"I will obey the order!"
When Yang Xian saw that everyone had a mission but himself, he quickly asked: "General, what about the last general?"
"General Yang, you have the most important task!" Yuan Ziche said solemnly: "You will command all the infantry in the camp. You have been recharging your strength in the camp these two days and getting ready to attack the camp. As long as the Sui army Weary and tired, our army immediately launched an attack, and the infantry led by you will be the main attacking army."
"General, I obey! Thank you general for giving me this opportunity." Yang Xian said with great joy.
Yuan Ziche waited for him to return to the team, and then warned: "General Yang, according to the information sent by the scouts, the Sui army only used auxiliary horses to transport tents, weapons and equipment, horse guns, and iron pear during this march. Use these materials. The camp we set up is naturally not an indestructible camp. After you go down, you can prepare the materials needed for the attack based on the supplies of the Sui army."
After arranging the tasks one by one, Yuan Ziche glanced at the generals and said coldly: "This battle is of great importance, so you must not be careless. Anyone who dares to disobey military orders or act without authorization will be punished under military law."
The generals were filled with awe, and they raised their hands together and said: "I will definitely obey the general's orders strictly!"
"Go down and make arrangements!"
"I will retire at the end!"
