Of course, Liu Xiu could choose to stick to Hulao and become a thorn in the front line like Xiangyang.
If Liu Xiu was just a general, this choice would be okay. But he was not a general, but a monarch of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
If the Xia army is allowed to continuously capture the rear city of Hulao Pass and even threaten Luoyang, and he acts as a thorn in the front line, it will be of no use at all, and it will also misunderstand the people in the rear... If the danger in the rear does not see the monarch, it will It was thought that an accident occurred on the front line, and then the situation completely collapsed.
Since ancient times, there has never been a monarch who could ignore the danger of the capital in the rear and refuse to retreat even though he knew that the defense line was about to collapse.
"Okay! After the waterway is opened, Liu Xiu can only choose to retreat. This battle is won by the camp on the east route!"
Wang Jing laughed.
Anyone who has a sense of the overall situation can see what it means for the Great Xia Navy to win.
Although Hulao Pass is known as a heroic pass, in history, if a party with many soldiers and generals wants to cross this pass, there are many ways.
The most famous one is that during the Three Kingdoms period, Dong Zhuo defended the passes to resist the Kwantung princes. The final result was that Dong Zhuo voluntarily abandoned Xiongguan and even gave up Luoyang to retreat.
There are various reasons for Dong Zhuo's retreat, but if he could really rely on Hulao to keep out the Kwantung princes, why would he retreat?
Luoyang has eight dangerous passes, which seem easy to defend but difficult to attack. They are the foundation of the emperor.
But another way of saying the eight dangerous passes is that they extend in all directions. The more passes there are, the more places that need to be defended, and the more directions the opponent can choose to attack.
This resulted in a result: Luoyang, which seemed easy to defend but difficult to attack and was the foundation of the emperor, became a defensive target in troubled times. No one had ever succeeded based on this place.
The struggle for supremacy between the Eastern Han Dynasty and Daxia also proved this point from the side.
"Send an order to summon Gao Xi, Liu Bowen and others to see the army, and let Yu Yunwen get ready. I want to come to the army to observe the formation in person!"
Wang Jing ordered.
When giving the order, the smile on Wang Jing's face never disappeared.
Daxia began its march north to conquer the Central Plains in October of the 10th year of Taichu. It has been about a year now. After the rise of Daxia, this is still the longest expedition.
Of course, the Eastern Han Dynasty is the top power in China. Not to mention a year of fierce fighting, even two or three years is normal.
For Daxia, the sooner they capture the Central Plains, the more time they will have to pacify various places and stabilize the Central Plains, and they can calmly deal with future situations.
If Daxia digests the Central Plains, Li Tang has not yet captured Hebei, and Guanzhong has not yet been unified.
Then Wang Jing will definitely win this battle for hegemony in troubled times.
Such is the struggle in troubled times, one step is fast, each step is fast. If one can move fast and steadily, then domination of the world will be a foregone conclusion. These are the lessons learned from thousands of years of history in the original world.
Hulao Pass.
While Wang Jing was in a good mood and even thought about going to the front line to watch the battle, the Han troops in the pass, such as Liu Xiu, Deng Yu, Wu Han and others, were not in such a good mood.
In the main hall, the atmosphere was a bit solemn.
Liu Xiu was wearing armor. Except for the slight fatigue in his eyes, he looked no different from before.
Deng Yu, Wu and Han were kneeling on both sides, one on the left and the other on the right. On both sides were Han generals Geng Yan and Ma Chao, Dian Wei Xu Chu who came to seek refuge after the fall of Cao Wei, fierce generals Yao Qi, generals Wang Ba, Ji Zun and others.
In addition to the prime minister Deng Yu, there are five or six heavenly experts in the palace. With so many heaven-level experts stationed in Hulao, it should be as stable as Mount Tai.
But at this time, everyone looked not so happy. Heavenly realm powerhouses are not omnipotent, and Hulao has never dared to be careless in the face of the threat from Han Xin, the Weapon Immortal, and is always on guard.
Some time ago, Wu Han Geng Yan was sent to the rear to strangle Xia Jun's flying boat. The situation at Hulao Pass immediately became a little unfavorable. If Liu Xiu had not personally climbed to the city to hold on, even top generals such as Ma Chaodian Wei would have been unable to hold the pass.
Now that Wu Han and Geng Yan have returned, Hulao Pass has stabilized, but the situation in the Eastern Han Dynasty is getting worse and worse.
"Your Majesty, the Xia Army's navy has invaded Luoshui. The situation is not good. However, as long as a general is sent back and the navy is organized to continue to block the river and set up water forts to resist layer by layer, the Xia Army's offensive should be able to be resolved..."
Deng Yu saw the atmosphere in the palace was tense and took the lead in breaking the silence.
As soon as he spoke, Wu Han, Geng Yan and others also spoke one after another, and the atmosphere became lively, unlike just now, as if they were mourning for their heirs.
"What the Prime Minister said is absolutely true. The last general asked for orders to lead the troops to stop the Xia army's navy!"
Geng Yan took the initiative to ask for a fight.
In addition to the self-aware Dian Wei Xu Chu, even Ma Chao, who is not good at water fighting, also asked for a fight.
The atmosphere in the court in the Eastern Han Dynasty was good and the cohesion was relatively strong, but this was limited to those who were officials of the Han Dynasty in history. Ma Chao was accepted by the founding heroes of the Eastern Han Dynasty because of Ma Yuan.
As for Xu Chudianwei, they are pure fierce generals who usually have little power. Their own strength is still tyrannical, and no one with a certain look will choose to turn against them.
At this time, the situation of the Han army was not good, and the advantage of strong cohesion emerged. Everyone had no other thoughts and was focused on their own dynasty, even if they risked their fall.
When Liu Xiu saw this, a smile slowly appeared on his face and said, "Don't worry, I already have a plan in mind..."
He calmed everyone down with his words, allowing the generals who were fiercely demanding a fight to calm down a little.
After ordering today's routine mobilization of troops and horses defending the city, Liu Xiu left behind Deng Yu and Wu Han. Let other generals take over as usual to patrol the city to guard against enemy raids.
After everyone left and only Deng Yu and Wu Han were left in the palace, the smile on Liu Xiu's face slowly disappeared.
"His Majesty……"
Deng Yu shouted.
Liu Xiu waved his hands and sighed bitterly: "Since I came to China to live a new life, I wanted to establish immortal achievements with all my brothers again, but I didn't expect that our dynasty would end up in the situation we are in today... The sky is no longer with me!"
"Why did your majesty say this? God's will also requires human effort. As long as your majesty and we work together, there is no need to worry about the great cause failing. In the original world, didn't your majesty lead us to dominate the world and be famous in history?"
It was the first time that Deng Yu saw Liu Xiu so depressed. He was shocked and said quickly.
Wu Han also said: "Yes, the general is still waiting for His Majesty to lead us to sweep across the four directions."
Liu Xiu glanced at the two people and was touched by their comfort. In the past, he was the only one who comforted the generals when faced with adverse situations. Today was the first time someone came to comfort him.
"Okay, let's not mention these words for the time being. You are all my confidants. If there are some things I will say bluntly..."
Liu Xiu felt warm in her heart and quickly calmed down.
"Now, not only is there a problem at Hulao Pass, Xiangyang and Luoyang are also facing threats from Xia's army... Xia's army has too many soldiers and horses. They can divide their troops and rush at any time, and they can also encircle each other after the rush. If we want to resist this method, unless we also Have equal strength."
"Nanyang has been captured by the Xia army. Feng Yi's troops in Xiangyang have been cut off by the Xia army. If the Xia army from Nanyang goes all the way north, it can also threaten Luoyang..."
Last time Xia Jun's flying boat came to the outskirts of Luoyang and the news reached Hulao, Liu Xiu was not too worried.
Because he knew that just a part of the Xia army could not pose a threat to Luoyang.
But this time is different. The Xia army in Nanyang has been upgraded to a marching camp.
Although the strength of this army is not as large as that of the east and west armies, it still has more than 400,000 and close to 500,000 soldiers and horses... The original strength of Qi Jiguang and Xie Xuan plus the supporting 300,000 soldiers and horses is close to five One hundred thousand is not a lie.
With such a large number of elite troops, it is possible to capture Luoyang.
As mentioned before, Luoyang has the Dragon Qi Forbidden Law. As the capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty, its defense far exceeds that of Hulao Pass and Xiangyang City. However, the premise for the Dragon Qi Forbidden Law to have powerful power is that the Eastern Han Dynasty can always maintain the Dragon Qi.
Dynasty energy is closely related to territory, settlements, soldiers and horses.
Wang Jing's mind entered the origin of the world and saw that the Qi of the Eastern Han Dynasty was far less than it was at its peak. The Dragon Qi was weakened by half, and the external manifestation was that the power of the Dragon Qi forbidden method also declined.
When the Xia army came to the city, they really had a chance to capture the capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
As long as Liu Xiu was sure that the Xia army in Nanyang had the possibility of capturing Luoyang, he would know that he could not continue the stalemate with the Xia army at Hulao Pass.
The current situation of the Eastern Han Dynasty is the same as that of Zhu Ming who was destroyed by Wang Jing.
It was also a stalemate on the front line, and then the rear was threatened and had their homes stolen, so they had to choose to return to defense... It was Xie Xuan who sent out surprise troops to threaten Zhu Ming in the first place, and now the leader of the Nanyang Xia Army is still Xie Xuan.
That time and that moment, exactly this moment.
Liu Xiu didn't have many choices... Like Zhu Yuanzhang, in addition to being one of the top ten monarchs in history, he was also a military commander who was good at strategy and tactics.
Zhu Yuanzhang chose to return to defense at the beginning, and Liu Xiu will do the same now.
After all, if Luoyang was lost, even if Liu Xiu still had millions of troops in his hands, the Eastern Han Dynasty would have collapsed in the eyes of outsiders.
"Does Your Majesty want to withdraw the troops?"
Deng Yu asked.
Abandoning Hulao Pass and returning to defend Luoyang is also an option, but abandoning Hulao Pass is equivalent to putting the enemy into Luoyang. When the time comes, they choose to rely on Luoyang to defend the city, and the situation will still be bad.
Wu Han's expression was dark, but he didn't say anything. In his opinion, whether he gave up Hulao or continued to hold on, there was a certain reason. As long as Liu Xiu gave orders, he would obey them.
He greatly admired Liu Xiu and Deng Yu's overall view.
Although Deng Yu was not good at leading troops personally, his ability to provide strategic guidance and analyze the overall situation was definitely top-notch, much like Zhang Liang of the Western Han Dynasty.
"Yes, I have this intention! But before withdrawing our troops, I want to make one last push!"
Liu Xiu said slowly.
A last ditch effort?
Deng Yu and Wu Han looked at each other with doubts in their eyes.
Liu Xiu then explained that the two people in front of him were his confidants, and there was no harm in revealing his hidden methods.
The last resort Liu Xiu mentioned was related to the talent he received after coming to this world.
In the history of the original world, the most critical and important node for Liu Xiu's great achievements was the Battle of Kunyang.
Before the Battle of Kunyang, Liu Xiu was just a general under his brother, but after the Battle of Kunyang, he became a world-famous general.
With such a reputation as the basis, when Liu Xiupi went north to Hebei, so many outstanding people abandoned their official positions to follow him. After arriving in Hebei, Wu Han, Geng Yan and others took the initiative to surrender...
The key to victory in the Kunyang War is the meteorite that fell from the sky and was passed down to future generations...
Before Liu Xiu conquered the world, there were rumors that "Liu Xiu should conquer the world", and the imperial advisor of the new dynasty was renamed Liu Xiu. Later, when meteorites fell from the sky and Liu Xiu rose to power, this became the reflection of Liu Xiu's destiny.
Liu Xiu's most famous nickname in the original world is also related to meteorites...
Therefore, after Liu Xiu came to the world of China, the origin of the world condensed a talent that could be called heaven-defying based on his virtual body in the illusory world.
As long as Liu Xiu sets up a large formation with 20,000 elite soldiers, and then consumes his own life source and energy, he can really summon meteorites from the void and bombard the enemy with meteorites falling from the sky...
As long as this kind of natural ability is used, there is a great chance of severely damaging the enemy and winning a shocking victory.
Of course, such an incredible ability comes with a huge price.
In the world of China, there are peerless geniuses such as Ying Zheng, Liu Che, and Li Shimin. Liu Xiu is no longer the son of destiny in the original world. Without destiny, if Liu Xiu uses this ability, at least 60% of his lifespan and energy will be dissipated.
If he loses his own energy, it will be difficult for Liu Xiu to sit on the throne... The ancients said that if Yun De is not worthy of the throne, there will be disaster. Without the luck of being an emperor, forcing himself to take the throne will only harm others and himself.
"Your Majesty, you must not do it! Although the Xia army is powerful, we are not without the ability to fight back. The general would rather die on the battlefield than die. We must not die on our own!"
After Wu Han understood Liu Xiu's plan, his buttocks seemed to be on fire, and he jumped up and loudly objected regardless of his manners.
He was used to serving under Liu Xiu, and there were few founding monarchs in the world who were as good as Liu Xiu and his ministers. Wu Han never thought that he would leave Liu Xiu one day.
Deng Yu's face was watery and his brows were furrowed. It was obvious that he did not agree with Liu Xiu's actions.
It would be fine if the price was bearable, but such a sacrifice...not to mention them, even the ministers would find it difficult to accept it.
Upon seeing this, Liu Xiu also stood up, walked to the two of them, and patted their shoulders.
"I understand your intentions... But today is different from the past. Do you still remember the purpose of raising the army? The purpose of raising the army was to revive the Han Dynasty."
"Now that Emperor Wu is in Guanzhong and Liu Bei is occupying Bashu, our Han Dynasty has not lost its power. Our goal of raising troops back then has been achieved."
"I once heard someone say that if the Han Dynasty wants to unify the world, the three Han Dynasties must unite into one. I think this statement makes sense."
"We are surrounded by enemies on three sides and the situation is bad. Even if I pay the price to repel the current Xia army, Luoyang will still face a crisis when the Xia army comes back..."
"God's will is no longer with me. In this case, I don't have to force it. It's better to join forces with Emperor Wu and unite the Eastern and Western Han Dynasties to defeat Guanzhong! By then Guanzhong, Bashu and Bashu will be united again, and the Han Dynasty will no longer be afraid of any opponents!"
"If this is possible, I am willing to give up the throne."
Of course, Liu Xiu was unwilling to give up the throne deep in his heart. It would be fine if he had never owned it. Who could be willing to give up after enjoying the overwhelming power that he had promised?
If it were Liu Che, he would rather die than give up his power. In comparison, Liu Xiu is better able to weigh the pros and cons.
In the original world, in order to revive the Han Dynasty and unify the world, Liu Xiu could even point to water as an oath to let go of his brother-killing enemy. Now why is the Han Dynasty so powerful that he is willing to sacrifice himself.
Not only Liu Xiu, but also Liu Bei, who occupied Bashu, had the greatest desire to raise troops to revive the Han Dynasty... They are all descendants of the Han Dynasty, and the unification of the three Han Dynasties is easier to achieve than the so-called unification of the three Jin Dynasties in history.
(End of chapter)
