Surrender without a fight!
This was a huge blow to the court.
That was Hulao Pass, the most critical pass in the important town of Xingyang, a battleground for military strategists. According to the imperial court's estimation, as long as the city was defended, it would be no problem to hold off the Guandong princes for a year and a half!
result……
When the courtiers looked at each other, it seemed as if there were countless words hidden in front of them, which was the passing of people's hearts.
Confidence is the most important thing to maintain a political power, especially in ancient dynasties. The persistence of a city can change the destiny of a dynasty.
The most famous one is the Ming Dynasty.
Baozong was defeated, and the generals did not open the city gate, thus delaying the Wala army, and the Ming Dynasty was preserved.
Zhu Di, Emperor Taizong of the Ming Dynasty, was in trouble. The most critical step in taking Nanjing directly was to open the city gates. Otherwise, if he went deep alone, Nanjing would have high walls and thick walls, and the outcome would still be uncertain.
In the same period of Chongzhen, it may not be possible to defend Li Zicheng's attack and wait for Wu Sangui's arrival, but the city gate was opened directly, and the Ming Dynasty perished.
The most important thing is that Liu Dan no longer trusts the generals and officials on the front line. He glanced at the ministers with cold eyes and slowly said: "The rebels in Guandong are coming fiercely, and Hexi is also unstable.
During the conflict between Chu and Han in the past, Emperor Gao led a group of heroes to confront the overlord Xiang Yu in Xingyang, while Marquis Wumu of Huaiyin swept through the northern princes, and finally surrounded Xiang Yu in Xiangying and established the world.
Marquis Xingyang is my brother-in-law and will never surrender, but I am worried that he will not be able to fight against the rebels from Guandong.
Now I want to imitate Emperor Gao and lead the army to confront the rebels in Guandong in Xingyang, and then send generals to Hexi to defeat the coalition forces in the Western Regions and relieve Guanzhong's worries. The defense of Wuguan is even more important. In the past, Emperor Gao served in the military I broke the pass and destroyed Qin. I don't want to make the same mistake again. "
Guanzhong is easy to defend and difficult to attack, but the passes to the east are more difficult to break. The passes facing the Hexi Corridor are not dangerous, so Hexi must be defeated first before heading east with all efforts.
Liu Dan's military talents were worthy of the trust of the ministers, and the thoughtful and worried courtiers agreed to the emperor's plan.
The next day, the urgent messenger who had traveled eight hundred miles arrived in Chang'an and rushed straight to the palace. Liu Dan's eyelids twitched and he had an ominous premonition.
"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Xingyang took over the defense of Henan counties with the golden seal. The rebels from Guandong attacked Xingyang day and night. Civil strife broke out in Xingyang. The governor of Henan killed the Marquis of Xingyang and said that the world is righteous. He must raise his troops and surrender the city to Guandong. The rebels have lost Xingyang, and the rebels from Guandong have attacked Luoyang!"
"boom!"
"Henan County..."
When the princes of Guandong first submitted a letter, Liu Dan placed his important ministers at the key position from Guandong to Guanzhong. Unexpectedly, they betrayed him. It was like being hit by a heavy hammer. Liu Dan fell to the ground in despair. , I couldn’t come back to my senses for a long time.
…
Xingyang.
Countless armies passed through here, including infantry and cavalry. After incorporating the rebels and refugees from the Kanto Uprising, they were now regular imperial field legions in terms of both quality and quantity.
Such legions can only be recruited by the emperor's order during large-scale expeditions, because the maintenance cost is too high.
The best thing about the coalition forces of the Kwantung princes is that their goals are extremely clear. This is a battle of appeasement. For the rebels and refugees, it is a battle of revenge. Most people only need to provide food and do not need to provide military pay.
Los and others looked at the endless flow of soldiers. They couldn't see the head when they looked up, and couldn't see the tail when they turned around. The high morale and the purity of spirit were rare in the world, and they all felt a little emotional.
The situation of the Jingnan Army was so good that the princes of Jingnan were a little surprised, especially the defense line of the important town of Xingyang.
Many Jingnan princes are ready to fight hard here. Some people even proposed to open a second battlefield before, following the route of Huaiyin Wu Muhou.
Or directly lead the cavalry from Liaodong to make a long detour and attack Guanzhong according to the route of the Huns' invasion. As a result, they were stopped by Yinghou Luosi and Luhou Luchan.
"The human heart."
This is what the two said when persuading everyone. In the end, the important town of Xingyang really came down, which made people marvel.
"The governor of Henan was defeated so quickly. The imperial army had no intention of fighting at all. The Xingyang defense line that once prevented the commander Xiang Yu from breaking through is as brittle as a piece of paper. It is like a dream."
Luo Si and Lu Chan looked at each other, smiled, and said loudly to everyone: "My lords, does the victory or defeat in this world depend on a strong city?
Look at Hulao and Xingyang, such impregnable cities that are easy to defend but difficult to attack. They can obviously be blocked, but they surrender directly. This is the reason why a strong city cannot be relied on.
Sharp swords and tough armor are the same thing.
Can't you still see clearly the demise of Bao Qin?
The general trend in the world lies in the support of the people. If we lose the people's hearts, we will win them, so victory lies with us.
The princes are united, the soldiers serve their lives, and the people support us, the general trend of the world is under our control. Who can stop the surging rivers?
Who will stand in the way? "
Los's words are both inspiring and a secret warning. For those who don't care about the world's hearts, Liu Dan's fate now will be your fate in the future.
"You are right, Marquis Ying!"
No one knew that such conversations were also taking place in the four counties of Hexi. The news of the uprising in the four counties of Hexi shocked the kings of the Western Regions.
Only now did I understand what Luo Shi said when he went on the expedition, "Half of the army of the Western Region Protectorate must be left to defend against restless countries such as Wusun and Dawan. The Temple Army must also stay. We don't need so many to attack Hexi." The army, if the people's hearts are with me, there will naturally be people who will lead the army to surrender.
I raised troops from the Western Regions all the way to the east. In the name of providing peace to Heaven, I want to recruit a hundred thousand troops to follow me into Guanzhong! "
…
The nobles of Chang'an all have their own news channels. They may not know the specific war situation between the imperial court and the Kwantung princes, but they still have a general idea of which cities the Kwantung princes have captured. In particular, the Kwantung princes play their cards openly and create public opinion and spirit. pressure.
"The unfaithful and unjust rebellious beasts broke through Hulao Pass!"
Some people deliberately slandered the Jingnan Army.
"The evil traitors from outside the customs have entered Xingyang!"
In just a few days, the news changed drastically. "He went to Luoyang to stop the rebels. They burned, killed, looted, and committed all kinds of evil. They are not righteous at all. How has your Majesty treated the people of Chang'an these years? Isn't it still worthy of belief?"
People's hearts are like water, and it is very easy to incite them. Many people in Guanzhong have begun to believe it. If Luo's was not on the opposite side, his prestige and credibility were too high, I am afraid that he would have spontaneously taken up arms and joined the army at this time. The most important thing is the situation in Guanzhong. It was not as serious as Guandong. Sang Hongyang lived in Guanzhong after all, so he did not dare to do that.
"Rebels from Guandong have taken over Luoyang!"
The situation could be described as changing three times a day. The fortified city and dangerous pass were like paper. Now Liu Dan didn't care about anything. He directly recruited strong people from Guanzhong and collected grain and military supplies from the people to replenish the army and form an army. The army, he wants to personally go into battle and compete with the princes of Guandong!
After the Guandong princes captured Luoyang, they were very excited and occupied it. "We have obtained Luoyang, Nanyang is close at hand, and Hedong is within easy reach. This is the power of the countries in the past, and Guanzhong cannot stop it!"
Yes, Guanzhong cannot be stopped. This is the consensus of everyone. In the past, the failure of the countries to attack Qin was because the people were not united. Otherwise, Qin would have been absolutely unstoppable. Now the princes of Guandong are united and have arrived in Luoyang. , manpower, material resources, and the imperial court are all gone.
"Gentlemen, it takes half a mile to travel a hundred miles. You must not be arrogant at this time. We have not yet completely won."
"There are three roads before us now. One is to enter Guanzhong from Luoyang along the ancient Xiaohan Road, the other is to enter Nanyang and enter Guanzhong from Wuguan, and the other is to enter Jinzhong and then cross the river."
Each of these three roads has its own advantages and disadvantages. Hangu Pass has lost its former power of one man being able to pass it, but it is still a world-famous dangerous pass. Entering Nanyang is too risky, and there are no Han clan members in Nanyang. Know what will be done.
"Split the troops!"
An unexpected voice sounded, and everyone looked at it with doubts on their faces, "We have too many troops. It is a waste no matter which direction we go. We cannot take advantage of our large number of soldiers and generals."
Everyone's eyes lit up. Yes, the Kwantung Allied Forces now account for 70% of the world's population. They have many soldiers and generals. Even if they divide their forces to attack the pass, they can be completely rotated. Without many twists and turns, the Allied Forces were quickly divided into three. After a short period of time, After resting, he took out all the last supplies of food and embarked on the journey again.
The princes of Guandong, who were pursuing a quick victory, had no time to organize and resume production. Now was the time to fight for their lives, and the same was true for Guanzhong. Liu Dan didn't care what would happen next year if he didn't plant spring seedlings this year. He forcibly recruited the people of Guanzhong and did a lot of corvee work. and military service were apportioned, both sides sharpened their knives as fast as they could, hoping to stab the other to death with one blow.
Those who attacked Hangu Pass started the battle first, and the battle was bloody and brutal. The army that entered Nanyang quickly united with some Han clan clansmen to defeat another wave, and then joined forces to attack Wuguan. In front of the pass, blood and flesh were flying everywhere, and there were shouts of killing. The earth was shaking and the mountains were shaking. The morale of the Kwantung Allied Forces was like a rainbow, while the defenders in the Kwantung were wavering between surrender and confrontation.
"The princes of Guandong have conquered Hangu Pass!"
"The princes of Guandong broke through Wuguan and attacked Lantian!"
"The princes of Guandong have crossed the river!"
News spread across the land in Guanzhong, "The Western Region Allied Forces have invaded Longxi County!"
The constant news was like the straw that broke the camel's back, and Liu Dan's mentality completely collapsed.
"The Jingnan Army has arrived outside Chang'an City!"
In Changle Palace, Liu Dan angrily killed the envoys who persuaded him to surrender, and roared angrily, "I will never surrender, put on my armor, I will fight to the death with these traitors!"
————
In April of the fifteenth year of the Yuan Dynasty, the princes came to Lishan Mountain in the suburbs of Han Dynasty to swear an oath.
The princes of Guandong were delighted and said: "How powerful, the people of the Western Region! How powerful, the people of the Eastern Territory!"
The clan members of the Han Dynasty, the kings and nobles, the heroes, merchants, craftsmen, and farmers are all enjoying themselves. "
The princes sang drums three times to offer sacrifices to the Su Wang Emperor, and said: "The emperor today used treacherous words to annihilate himself from heaven, from the earth, and from the people. He destroyed the three righteousnesses and alienated humanity, causing the people to lose their homes and the people to suffer. Therefore, today Wei Gong will carry out heaven's punishment, obey the ancestors, rise up and show his power, and deter tyranny, not again, not three times!"
The oath has been taken, and the princes have gathered together with 500,000 soldiers, 50,000 armored soldiers, and 100,000 horses, and marched to Lishan Mountain. ——"Historical Records·The Chronicles of Emperor Ruili"
Asking for a monthly ticket.
(End of chapter)
