To the north of Weiwu City, on the Sanguan Road, tens of thousands of Han troops arrived from the south, blocking the road and ending the road. When the army first arrived, as the commander-in-chief, Xiang Xun's first military order was to garrison and establish a stronghold. Soldiers and civilians worked together to quarry stone and cut wood. The sound of hammering and chopping resounded in the mountains.
The Chinese army's tent has been set up and is simply decorated. All military generals are setting up camp and setting up defenses. Therefore, only Xiang Xun and Song Yanwo are present in the tent, and there is also Wang Renfan who is kneeling down to apologize.
"Ignoring the fatigue of the soldiers, greedy for merit, and attacking without permission to rush into the enemy's pass, resulting in defeat and damage to the army, and defeating the front of our army, what crime should be committed?" Xiang Xun looked at Wang Renfan and said flatly.
Wang Renfan's attitude was still very upright. He held up his hands and said: "Please handle it with military law, Commander-in-Chief!"
Of course, military law should also be followed according to the situation. Xiang Xun would not severely punish Wang Renfan because of a small defeat. However, the due procedures should still be followed to serve as a warning to others! "
"General Wang, led his army to the south. He was invincible and defeated eight villages in a row. The Shu army fled in despair. According to the battle situation, it is reasonable to take advantage of the situation to pursue and kill!" Song Yanwo stood up, sang a red face, and faced The training said: "Although I suffered a small defeat, I also tested the Mighty City and the enemy's situation. I will note it down for the time being and leave it to the imperial court for rewards and punishments after the war!"
"Since Governor Song has spoken, let's leave it at that for now!" Xiang Xun nodded and asked Wang Rengan to stand up.
"This battle is not easy for you and Li Yan. You have to march and fight in the scorching heat to defeat the enemy. How can I not know how difficult it is!" Xiang Xun changed his tone and said, "Tell me about the defense of Mighty City. how?"
"Commander back to the capital!" Wang Renfan quickly got into the mood and said: "The one who defeated the last general was Gao Yancuo, the city's defender. If Han Jixun's defeated army is included, the strength of the city's defenders must have exceeded 10,000.
At the end of the period, the general Chaguan City was deployed, occupying the middle of the road, divided into two inner and outer cities, with a surrounding area of three or four miles. However, its layout was compact, and it was very well prepared for defense. If the enemy defends it with heavy troops, it will be difficult unless there is any surprise! "
"If I bring the troops here, I will destroy this city!" Xiang Xun said seriously.
Wang Rengan immediately clasped his fists and said, "Commander, I will ask you to lead your troops to attack the city to redeem your past mistakes. Please accept your permission!"
Seeing this, Xiang Xun couldn't help but smile and said comfortingly: "Don't be impatient! Your company suffered a fierce battle and suffered nearly 30% casualties. The loss is not small. It is better to organize the troops in the camp first and build up enough combat power. Furthermore, We still need to wait for Li Tinggui’s movements before making a decision!”
"yes!"
After Wang Rengan retired, Song Yanwo said: "This Wang Rengan is also good at both civil and military affairs, he is enterprising and talented!"
"It's also because we are too focused on meritorious service. Otherwise, how could we dare to lead two thousand tired troops and rush forward to attack a strong pass!" Xiang Xunze said: "I still want to attack the enemy's pass, but I dare not agree anymore. Otherwise, other generals, There’s going to be a scene!”
After studying the map, Xiang Xun said: "A lot of effort was wasted on this map. Although the roads, city gates, mountains, forests, and water veins are detailed, it is ultimately a dead map. I want to personally explore the surrounding terrain and the layout of the city gates. , the consort will take care of the army for the time being!"
"You guys, be careful!" Song Yanwo, always modest, responded with his hands raised.
Mighty City is an important place for the plank road, connected by mountains and mountains, blocking traffic from the north to the south. It is divided into two cities, the inner and outer cities, and is three or four miles around. It is considered a major pass in the Qinling Mountains, and it is also the most important fortress north of Liangquan in Fengzhou Prefecture. plug.
The inner city is a masonry structure with granaries, arsenals, city walls and towers, and is heavily guarded. The outer city is made of wood and is not small in scale. The trees outside the city are so towering that they block out the sun. They are like a forest formation. The roads are cut through it. It is very complicated. If you are trapped in it, you may lose your way without guidance.
Xiang Xun led a group of soldiers to survey the surrounding situation. When they reached the pass, they climbed up and looked over. Looking around, Xiang Xun stared at the mighty city gate in trance.
After a long time, Xiang Xun said to Murong Chengtai who was following him: "It has been nearly forty years since the former king of Shu built the city here to consolidate the northern defense. When Guo Chongtao destroyed Shu, he first took Fengzhou and consolidated the rear. , and used the vanguard to break through this pass, and the defenders surrendered in the hope of the wind! Now, our army’s commander-in-chief is here to have a big battle here! "
"Commander, I see that in front of this pass, there are lush trees and rolling mountains, which is not conducive to the deployment of the army. It is very difficult to break through the pass!" Murong Chengtai couldn't help but lectured to him.
Xiang Xun, on the other hand, looked thoughtfully at the wooden village and the dense forests around it, especially the military barracks built in it.
"All the scouts from the generals were sent out to explore the road and keep a close eye on the movements of the Shu army!" He reined in his horse and gave instructions to Xiang Xun, "Go back to camp!"
Mighty City has become a military fortress. As Shu commander Li Tinggui led his main force to the north for support, all armies gathered here. With the city gate as the base and the front and rear ridges and villages, more than 50,000 soldiers and civilians have gathered. Obviously, as the Han general expected, the Shu army deployed heavy troops here to stop the Han army.
In fact, according to Li Tinggui's original idea, he planned to rely on the geographical advantage, set up strongholds at every level, and set up obstacles at every step to delay the Han army and exhaust it, and then look for opportunities to defeat the enemy.
This is a good tactic. However, the offensive capabilities of the Han army are somewhat beyond imagination. In less than ten days, Wang Renfan defeated all the scalpers. The defeat was so fast that people were caught off guard. In view of this, the Shu army was shaken up and down. Although Gao Yanchou suffered a small defeat against the Han army, he only saved some face.
Although the mighty city was strong, when the main force of the Han army attacked, and with the scalpers and eight villages in front, Li Tinggui did not dare to confidently say how long he could hold back with only a few soldiers and a defeated army. If the mighty city was destroyed, Liang Quan would be more difficult to defend. Therefore, after careful consideration, Li Tinggui chose to lead his army north to help fight against the Han division.
In fact, some staff suggested to Li Tinggui that the Qingni Road was the most dangerous road to pass, and the winding mountain road was difficult for birds to cross. He suggested that Li Tinggui deploy the main force around Guzhen. However, in this way, Liangquan and other places would have to give up, and they would not be able to deal with the Chengdu court, and it would easily attract the Shu army in Qinzhou.
In the mighty inner city, Li Tinggui, the commander-in-chief of the Shu army who also arrived for the first time, ignored the fatigue of the march and summoned Gao Yanchou and Han Jixun to inquire about the enemy's situation.
Li Tinggui was a little angry about Han Jixun. He and his 10,000 troops guarded the military stronghold, but they were easily defeated by the Han army. More importantly, he received the "good news" from Han Jixun on the front foot. He killed hundreds of enemies, demoralized the enemy, and turned to Chengdu. As a result, he received the defeat news on the back foot that Huangniu Village was breached.
At this time, I heard his mouth full of descriptions of the strength of the Han army, and became even more angry and wanted to have an attack. However, seeing Han Jixun's scarred and miserable appearance, it's hard to be too harsh.
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Li Tinggui thought more about it. He knew the combat power of the Han army. He lost more troops in the battle of Donghe Village two years ago. Although Han Jixun was defeated, he still gathered nearly 5,000 defeated troops and assisted Gao Yanchou to repel the pursuing Han army. , something gained.
After comprehensive consideration, Li Tinggui showed tolerance to Han Jixun. After scolding him a little, he comforted him and asked him to recuperate and fight the Han army again.
Han Jixun naturally admired Li Tinggui's generosity, even though he swore on the spot to fight against the Han army. But in fact, he has developed a fear of the enemy.
"Tell us about the situation of the Han army's enemies!" Li Tinggui asked Gao Yancuo in the hall.
Gao Yanchang was one of the few capable generals in the Shu army. In the early days of the Kingdom, there was a fierce battle between the Shu and Han Dynasties. After the Battle of Jifeng Mountain, this man also led his army to raid the pass, burned the pass and destroyed the stronghold.
During the period of guarding the gate, I did a lot of things, and also investigated and understood the enemy's situation. When he heard about it at this time, he directly said: "Although the Han army is said to be one hundred thousand, the number of those who can fight is definitely not more than forty thousand. When they first arrived, they cut down trees and established strongholds along the valleys and ridges in the east and north of Guandong, and built a total of 20 strongholds. Four large and small camps are used to gather soldiers, horses, food and equipment!"
"It's coming with such ferocity!" Li Tinggui couldn't help but sigh, with a serious expression, and said: "Han Jixun had more than 10,000 troops, so he was defeated by thousands of Han troops. Now these tens of thousands of Han troops are difficult to defeat!"
Gao Yanchou looked calm: "Although the Han army is strong, it can set up obstacles according to dangers and strong barriers. It is not that easy to break through. In fact, I even look forward to the Han army coming to attack, draining its troops and weakening its morale. Looking for an opportunity to counterattack. However, judging from the measures taken by the Han army to set up the camp, they will not attack recklessly. To recruit the envoys, we must be prepared for a long and fierce battle!"
"Gao Shijun's analysis is reasonable!" Li Tinggui immediately agreed: "Therefore, it is difficult to transport grain and fodder. If the Han army is forced to work hard and fight for a long time without success, it may be able to retreat. If grain, fodder and weapons are consumed, how can our court be afraid of the Han army?"
"On the Mighty City side, we will lead the army to reject it, so there is nothing to worry about for the time being! But -" After a pause, a hint of gloom flashed across Li Tinggui's expression: "On the other side of Qinzhou, it is worth worrying about! There are no dangerous passes like this one. , the Shu army divided its forces to attack, and with Zhao Jizha’s talent, I’m afraid he might make a mistake!”
"To recruit envoys, let's deal with the enemy in front of the pass first!" Gao Yanchou frowned slightly and sighed.
