It gets dark very quickly, and the passage of time can no longer be felt in this plateau. After getting the exact news from the guide, Wang Quanbin relaxed a little. Along the way, not to mention the soldiers under his command, he, the commander-in-chief, was not anxious, but it was just hidden under his serious and resolute face.
The general just now approached again. Wang Quanbin pointed to the pile of firewood under his buttocks and said, "Chang Qing, sit down!"
The generals were also shrouded in embarrassment. Some of them could not tell their age, but they were definitely in the prime of life, and they were well-educated. Their temperaments were different, but their expressions under the shadows looked a bit stiff.
This man's name is Shangguan Zheng, he is the military commander of the Han Army on the Western Route. He has both civil and military skills, or he has a civil service background. After all, he is a Jinshi. Over the years, in the Han army, generals with Jinshi status are rare.
Seeing Wang Quanbin's instructions, Shangguan Zheng cupped his hands and said: "General, just stand!"
"Aren't your legs and feet sore after walking in this high mountain canyon for so long?" Wang Quanbin smiled and his tone became tough: "Sit down!"
"yes!"
They sat down honestly, they really had the same smell, but their sense of smell seemed to have failed, and they seemed to have no feeling at all.
"It's almost the Mid-Autumn Festival!" Wang Quanbin said.
"Tonight is the fifteenth!" Shangguan Zheng replied: "I just checked, the moon is bright and bright, and it can illuminate the road! If we are not in this deep mountain and old forest, maybe we can march at night by moonlight!"
I raised my eyes and looked up. From this perspective, I couldn't see the bright moon, but I could vaguely feel the clear light reflected from the mountain walls. Wang Quanbin was a little bit cursing: "At this time, the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet is probably being held in the capital. Let's eat those cookies! When we return to the court after the victory, Your Majesty must reward us with a good life..."
After venting his anger, Wang Quanbin asked Shangguan Zheng again: "You also followed Pan Mei to pacify Guangdong and Guangxi and the Nanling Mountain Road. How does it compare with this time?"
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Zheng said with certainty: "Although the Lingnan Mountain Road is rugged, it is connected to Hunan after all. No matter how rugged it is, there are mature paths that can be used. But this time, our West Route Army trekked through the mountains and canyons, all the way. The trail almost has to be re-opened, and it is a long and difficult journey that cannot be compared to Lingnan!"
After hearing his answer, Wang Quanbin nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer.
"Similarly, the time of the march and the casualties of the soldiers are also more serious!" Shangguan Zheng added again, but his tone seemed very calm, as if he didn't care too much about it.
Wang Quanbin's expression became solemn, his tone became a little gloomy, and he asked: "What are the losses of the soldiers?"
Shangguan Zheng replied: "According to the reports from various armies and battalions, the total number of dead, injured, sick, and missing people is more than 3,000. This is only an approximate number. If we need to know the exact losses, we need to find an open area and start again." Only then can we know how to organize the army!"
"In other words, the actual losses may be even greater?" Wang Quanbin said.
"Yes!" Shangguan Zhengdao said: "The road we are taking is too long and dangerous, and there are hundreds of miles of uninhabited areas. That means Dushuai has explored in advance and is well prepared. Otherwise, half of the soldiers may be lost on the way. Even submerged in this barren mountain..."
After hearing what he said, Wang Quanbin's old face twitched a few times, and he sighed with emotion, his tone was both regretful and sad: "There are so many men who died on the battlefield without casualties, but died on the march. I can't help them!"
"The commander-in-chief is in his sixtieth year, but he still works tirelessly, is not afraid of hardships, shares the joys and sorrows with the soldiers, and crosses the ridge. The soldiers are full of admiration and are willing to die!" Shangguan said with cupped hands.
"If we can't destroy Dali, how can we comfort the heroic spirits!" Wang Quanbin's tone revealed murderous intent.
Shangguan Zhengdao said: "Commanders and extraordinary troops come out from the plateau, and they will surely have the same effect as Deng Ai in pinging the Shu Han!"
In this regard, Wang Quanbin did not say anything, but thought carefully for a while, and then told Shangguan Zheng: "Let Kang Baoyi lead the people to find a suitable valley for the army to settle in and rest! Rest for two days before leaving the mountain!"
"Yes!" At the same time as he answered the order, Shangguan Zheng couldn't help but wonder: "During this journey, Dushuai urged me many times. I wish I could fly over the mountain gorge. Now that we are almost finished, why are we not in a hurry?"
Wang Quanbin said calmly: "When we get out of this original ridge, if you want to stop and rest, you won't have time!"
Shangguan was going to deliver the order, but Wang Quanbin closed his eyes, leaned on the firewood pile, and wrapped the marching blanket tighter. This autumn night was also cold, which was one of the reasons why the officers and soldiers got sick.
Although his eyes were closed, his mind was active, thinking over and over again about this invasion, whether there was anything missing, how Dali would react, and whether there were any precautions in the northwest? Also, how is the progress on Wang Renfan's side?
When Wang Quanbin led the army to advance arduously through the mountains and ridges of the northwest plateau, the progress of the Han army on the east route could be described as rapid.
After the spontaneous troops entered the territory of Dali, it could be said that it was smooth sailing. From Jianchangfu to Huichuan, there was almost no resistance. Facing the massive and menacing Han army, Dali's border defense troops were completely caught off guard. Even though the news of the Han army's southern expedition had already spread, when the front really came, many people still had little determination to resist.
The Dali court did not have strict control over the country, especially in the eastern and northern areas, where there were many tribes and they were almost autonomous in their areas. The Jianchang and Huichuan areas close to the border of the Han Dynasty were also bribed and divided during the process of communication with the Han Dynasty.
Wang Renfan led his army southward, with a large number of people and strong troops and horses. He was invincible along the way. Dali deployed garrison troops, but there were few left to fight to the death.
The reactions of the tribes densely distributed in the areas under the jurisdiction of the second government were more realistic. They all formed strongholds and occupied the city without showing any threat of attack. They also sent envoys to express their sincerity to the Han Dynasty, showing their neutrality and not having the slightest intention of being invaded. , let alone fighting to the death for the Dali Kingdom.
Wang Renfan was also happy to see the results. He accepted gifts from each tribe and expressed the court's attitude and purpose. He treated the tribes within his territory differently from the Dali court in order to achieve differentiation.
Therefore, the Eastern Route Army spent most of their time marching and appeasing the tribes on the way. Moreover, according to the army advance strategy, Wang Renfan seemed to be in no hurry and pushed forward steadily. Half of his energy was focused on consolidating the grain roads and ensuring contact with the rear.
It was not until they reached Huichuan that they encountered fierce resistance. The general of Huichuan Prefecture gathered the military tribes within the jurisdiction and defended the city. In this regard, Wang Renfan showed no mercy and even spared the effort to persuade them to surrender and ordered an attack on the city.
Although the East Route Army did not have those large siege equipment, it was complete after all, especially the siege protection ordnance. Together with the temporarily formed Thunderbolt Chariot, it only took one day for the defenders to collapse. The city was broken. The Han army killed more than 3,000 people at the cost of more than 400 casualties.
After capturing Huichuan, Wang Renfan rested on the spot for two days before continuing to move his troops southward and into Nongdong Mansion. Nongdongfu is an important transportation thoroughfare. It is located in the heart of Dali and communicates with the inside and outside. It is also the place where Dali is best prepared for resistance.
Emperor Liu did not hide much when he issued an edict to attack Dali, and after the Han army sent troops, the Dali monarchs and ministers had already received it. Faced with this sudden disaster, the whole court was in an uproar. Duan Sicong, the king of Dali, was so frightened that his condition became much more serious.
The Han Dynasty's conquest and mobilization in the southwest can be said to be just a matter of fingers, but in Dali's view, it was a crisis of national subjugation and could not be ignored. After the Han pacified Sichuan and Shu, so many years passed in fear, and they offered gifts and showed good communication, but in the end they still could not escape.
In fact, the monarchs and ministers of Dali were not unaware of Wang Quanbin's actions in the southwest in recent years and were prepared for them. Therefore, after a few days of fuss and wrangling, we made a decisive decision to send troops to resist.
While envoys were sent to beg for mercy from Tokyo, military response was also carried out. In the end, Bu Xie, Duan Zibiao and Duan Yanzhen led 30,000 troops to march eastward to stop the Han army in Nongdongfu. Most of the 30,000 troops were soldiers and horses controlled by the Dali royal family, plus private soldiers contributed by Gao, Yang, Dong and other wealthy families.
Over the years, the power of these clans in Dali has continued to grow and eroded the royal power. However, in the face of the crisis of annihilation and the powerful Han army, they still did not hold back, sending troops to those who needed them and providing food to those who needed food.
In addition, he issued edicts widely, calling on domestic tribes to gather troops to defend Dali and expel the Han army. However, the result was obviously much worse than expected. Except for a few who responded to the imperial edict, most of the eastern tribes sat back and watched the war develop. They want to rely on those tribes to resist the Han army, but they are not stupid, especially under the political offensive of the southwest government for many years, many tribes are in Dali and their hearts are drawn to the Han.
Although the efficiency was not high, under the condition that Wang Renfan did not rush forward, the second section led the troops and finally arrived at Nongdong Mansion and deployed the defense line. Wang Renfan led his army south. The two sides fought first at Dayao Fort. The battle was fierce. The Dali army's will to resist was much stronger than what they had encountered before. It took three days for the Han army to defeat it.
Later, taking advantage of the victory, they entered Bingfu City. In Nongdongfu City, the Han army encountered the most determined resistance. Duan Zibiao gathered the defeated troops in Dayaobao, joined forces with Duan Yanzhen, and some tribal troops supported from the south, and launched a desperate fight with the Han army.
This time, Wang Renfan did not hold anything back and used all the army weapons that could be used. Although it caused heavy casualties to the Dali army, the city's defense was not broken.
Wang Quanbin wanted to make a surprise, but Wang Renfan was not a good person. He didn't want to just be a diversionary commander. What he wanted to do was to attack the city of Yangju. Even if Wang Quanbin is the coach, he doesn't really want to be a supporting role.
However, as the number of casualties among officers and soldiers increased and he found it difficult to attack by force, Wang Renfan also decisively changed his tactics and adopted the method of trapping the city instead of fighting fiercely. The two sides reached a stalemate in Nongdong Fucheng, and the fighting ceased.
The Dali army defended, while Wang Renfan continued to use Wang Quanbin's banner to consolidate the results, appease the tribes, accumulate strength, and wait for opportunities to launch a new round of offensive.
