Historically, the failure of the expedition to Goguryeo was due to many factors. Notwithstanding the fact that it mobilized an army of 1.13 million, it was claimed to be two million.
In fact, those who really took action were Yu Wenshu's nine-route general manager, a total of 350,000 elites, and the 80,000 Jianghuai navy who came to protect the children.
In other words, there are more than 400,000 troops in total.
So why can’t we use the rest?
First, to attack Goguryeo, we must go through the Liaoxi Corridor. More than one million people will pass through here. How long will it take? It took a month and a half, so the elites who entered Goguryeo early were already fighting, and those behind were still blocked in the Liaoxi Corridor, unable to get through.
Historical records: An army was sent out every day, forty miles apart, and the companies and camps advanced gradually.
The entire army is a thousand miles apart from the beginning to the end. Let alone support, it is God's blessing that it does not hold back.
The second is logistical support. Luoyang was built first, then the canal was dug, and then the Chi Road was built. One major national project a year. The national treasury simply could not bear it. Therefore, historically, all the food and fodder for the follow-up troops were given to the front, that is, Yuwenshu's Nine Route Army.
Yang Guang ordered all the forward soldiers to carry three stones of military rations, and said: Anyone who abandons rice and millet will be killed.
During the reign of Emperor Kaihuang, one stone weighed 106 kilograms. However, after Yang Guang succeeded to the throne, he returned to the Qin system and changed the weights and measures, so one stone became 35 kilograms. So the soldiers carrying three stones would be 105 kilograms.
How can we fight with more than a hundred kilograms of grain on our shoulders?
It was true that the government was full, but it also placed a huge burden on the soldiers, so that countless people abandoned the rations. At the end of the war, the front line was short of food. In this case, Yu Wenshu accepted Goguryeo's false surrender, so that Of the 350,000 troops, only 2,700 escaped back to Liaodong.
The third is Comrade Yang Guang’s micro-control command. All major decisions on the front line must be reported to him first. After he makes the decision, he will then tell the generals at the front what to do. This time, no matter how good the fighter is, .
This is blind self-confidence, carrying the power of destroying Chen, and being too self-righteous. Little did they know that the ones who made great efforts to destroy Chen in Sui Dynasty were Gao Xi, Yang Su, He Ruobi and Han Qinhu.
As the marshal, Gao Xi took charge of the overall situation. Yang Su annihilated the old Chen Shui army in one fell swoop. He Ruobi defeated the main land force of the Chen army, and Han Qinhu invaded Jiankang.
If you put these four people in Goguryeo, Goguryeo will also be destroyed.
Therefore, Yang Guang had to bear 80% of the responsibility for the defeat of Goguryeo. The remaining 20 were the responsibility of Yu Wenshu, Yu Zhongwen and others. The lonely army went deep and the battle line was stretched, so that the logistics and military supplies were insufficient. In this case, the time for Goguryeo to surrender was very suitable.
Of course, Lai Huer couldn't run away. He was defeated too early. After annihilating the Goguryeo navy, he swelled and was about to attack Pyongyang. Zhou Fashang failed to persuade him, so the navy was defeated.
When Yu Wenshu's nine-pronged army arrived in Pyongyang, they still hoped that they would come to protect their children, but they didn't know that the entire army had been wiped out.
If the guardians could hold their own and wait for the land army to arrive, then Goguryeo would have been destroyed.
Yang Ming believed that his father would probably not listen to the advice and remove the comfort envoys, so he wrote letters to three of the comfort envoys, hoping that these three people would not restrict the commander in chief, let alone accept any form of false surrender from Goguryeo. It was gentle, but it also contained a hint of warning.
He wants these three people to understand that if you don't listen to me this time, you will see how I deal with you when you come back.
These three people are Wei Deqian, the censor of Yushitai, Yuwen Jingli, the consort, and Yang Wei, the secretary of the imperial court.
Among the nine comfort envoys, Yang Ming knew these three, and the remaining six were selected by his father from traveling around the country over the years. In the final analysis, all nine of them were his father's people.
Wei Dexi is Wei Zhen's younger brother. Wei Zhen's original name was Wei Dezheng, but he was adopted by his biological father, Master Wei, and given to his uncle Wei Jun, which was equivalent to giving Wei Jun a foothold in the family.
As long as the adoption is done well, it is very promising. Yuan Shao and Yuan Shikai both made their fortunes through adoption.
Wei Zhen and Wei Dexi were both old people when Yang Guang was the King of Jin, because their biological father, Master Wei, was Yang Guang's Sima of the Jin Dynasty.
With Wei Xianhui's relationship, Wei Deqian should have listened to the advice and would not tell the emperor about Yang Ming's letter to him, because it is okay to betray others, but you cannot betray the prince, it will be difficult for yourself.
As for Yuwen Jingli, this is Yang Guang's brother-in-law. He has also dealt with Yang Ming. He is a good character and reliable.
Not to mention Yang Wei, Yang Xiong's second son, Yan Xiaotang, looks 80% like her second uncle.
If one of these three people becomes Li Jing's lieutenant envoy, then Li Jing can go ahead and do it.
"The first pass is at the Liaohe River. This river runs through the easternmost end of the Western Liaoning Corridor and is the place where Goguryeo must defend." Yang Ming pointed to the map and said to Li Jing:
"Before crossing the river, the duty of the vanguard is to repel the enemy's harassment of our main force during the crossing. It is a heavy responsibility. We must not cross the river blindly without building a pontoon bridge."
Historically, Mai Tiezhang died here, Yu Wenkai lost his big chain, and the pontoon bridge he presided over was more than a foot short, almost three meters.
The Liaohe River is no small stream. It is the largest river in the southern part of Northeast China and one of the seven major rivers in China.
With only these three meters missing, people had to fall and swim upstream. Mai Tiezhang suffered this loss. More than 10,000 vanguard troops fell into the water and crossed the river, and were shot into sieves by the other side.
This section of the Liao River is more than a thousand meters wide and cannot be reached by arrows, so crossing the river has always been a very difficult task.
Li Jing felt that Yang Ming's reminder was unnecessary. If the pontoon bridge was not built well, I would definitely not be able to pass it. Do I still need to remind him?
You can't do it without reminding me. Who let the Mai Tiezhang hang up like this? I'm afraid that Yang Guang will force you to cross the river from behind.
"The refined cowhide shields from the refinery will definitely be distributed to the vanguard army. Carrying this shield across the river will ensure that our soldiers can cross the river safely," Yang Ming stood up and said, "Follow me."
Then, he took Li Jing to the shooting range, where the guards practiced the armor-piercing ability of the arrow clusters made of refined steel, and the defensive capabilities of the refined shield wrapped in cowhide.
There are two types of shields: round and oval. They are thick in the middle and thin at the edges. They are very light. There are light round shields weighing twenty pounds and thick oval shields weighing thirty-five pounds.
Among them, the thick shield cannot even break through the refined arrow cluster.
Li Jing was amazed.
"The army crossing the river should be equipped with light shields and short crossbows, plus Mo Dao. After forcing the enemy troops a hundred steps away, the spearmen can attack the enemy formation." Li Jing held a two-foot steel spear in his hand and waved it a few times. , stabbing towards a light shield with all his strength.
There was a ding, and sparks flew everywhere. The gun tip was intact, but there was a dent on the shield.
Li Jing's eyes shone brightly and he said with great joy: "With this magical weapon together, I will definitely win the battle with full success."
"You still can't be careless," Yang Ming said with a smile behind his hands: "Although weapons are sharp weapons, the key to their use is to rely on the soldiers. Goguryeo is a cunning country. If Brother Jing serves as the vanguard as he wishes, he must not be fooled. Any show of kindness is deceitful, remember, any form of surrender will not be accepted."
Li Jing frowned and said: "But the comfort envoy has the duties of supervising the army and recruiting people. If I don't listen, I'm afraid your majesty will blame you."
"Don't worry about this," Yang Ming said, "I will find a way to arrange the right people for you, and I will ensure that I won't hold you back."
Then, Yang Ming said in a deep voice: "If it doesn't work, just find a way to kill him and deal with it more cleanly. If I take care of it for you, there will be no problem."
Li Jing said doubtfully: "Most of the supervisors are noble people, and they must have followers. I'm afraid there will be a lot of them. There should be between one and two hundred people. If you want to kill, these people must be killed. Otherwise, if the matter is leaked, I'm afraid I will die on the front line." .”
What Li Jing means is that I need someone I can rely on to do such a shady thing.
The supervisors usually stay with the commander-in-chief. He will follow the commander-in-chief wherever he goes, whichever is the safest place.
But if Li Jing leads the army, not all of his troops may be his own.
After Yang Ming thought for a long time, he said: "You trained the Hedong Army. I asked Xiao Shilian to go with you and allocate 2,000 people to the central army. You can use it easily."
Li Jing frowned and said, "This is His Highness's private army, how dare I use it?"
"Others can't use it, but you can," Yang Ming patted Li Jing on the back and said with a smile: "The forward is the most important thing in the army. I will find a way to arrange it for you. What you have to do is to fight this battle for me. In battle, it depends on whether you can be awarded a title or become a general."
Li Jing nodded heavily.
A child from an aristocratic family who doesn't want to be a general is not a good child. Doesn't Li Jing want to be knighted?
Since Yang Guang succeeded to the throne, he has never been awarded a title. Conquering Goguryeo is the best opportunity. If he doesn't seize it this time, he may not have the opportunity in the future.
Li Jing could not stay in Hedong for a long time. After all, he was rushing to the east capital on orders. The detour to Hedong had already taken a lot of time, so he needed to leave as soon as possible.
Yang Ming carefully asked many things before letting Li Jing leave.
And he wrote a letter to Duan Wenzhen, Minister of War, requesting that two thousand elite troops from Hedong be included in the expeditionary army and allocated to Li Jing for use.
Although it is still uncertain whether Li Jing can lead the army, Li Jing has confidence in himself, and Yang Ming also has confidence in him.
Raising troops for a day and using them for a while, Li Jing's opportunity came.
Regarding Yu Wenkai's failure, Yang Ming also needs to prepare. You are also the first engineer of the Sui Dynasty. How could such a big mistake happen?
So he wrote to Yu Wenkai, saying that when crossing the Liao River, make the wooden ropes needed for the pontoon to cross the river according to the length of two thousand meters. Don't rely on your eyes to measure, you are already presbyopic.
It is better to waste more wood than the soldiers dying in the river.
In this way, Mai Tiezhang can be kept. This person is not only the emperor's absolute confidant, but also a fierce general who dares to fight. Although he is not one of the nine general managers, his role is also very huge.
Moreover, Mai Tiezhang and Su Lie were close brothers and took great care of Su Lie. With him around, if Su Lie offended someone on the front line, there would be someone who could speak for him.
This time the expedition against Goguryeo cannot be defeated, because once defeated, there will be a huge mess. Yang Ming doesn't want to wipe Yang Guang's ass, why don't I carry the urinal for you? You can do it well.
(End of chapter)
