Chapter 933 King Wei, can you govern here?
The noisy wind blew across the foothills of Changbai Mountain, bringing the chill from the north. The lush grass and trees all over the mountains swayed in the wind, making whimpering sounds.
The Tang army was blood-thirsty and rushed forward. The city of Anshi was like a small boat in a stormy sea, shaky and yet ultimately stable.
Li Shimin sniffed the salty smell of blood in the wind and began to doubt his life.
The weapons of the Tang army had been greatly improved, which had been tested in the Central Plains, but Anshi City was the pinnacle of reinforced mountain cities.
That's roughly it.
Anshi City was not afraid of water attacks, fire attacks, catapults, or the Tang army climbing up. The movements of the attacking army could be seen clearly from the top of the highest mountain. There was only one gate, which was an urn city. Any slope around it was higher than 45 degrees, and most of the slopes were over 60 degrees, making it difficult to stand steadily.
The city has all the necessary facilities and an independent water source. It is like an independent kingdom. It can hold out until the food and grass are exhausted. I forgot to mention that some crops can be grown in the city. Liaodong City is already very strong, but it is far inferior to Anshi City.
The most difficult thing was that the lord of Anshi City was a general who was good at defending the city, and the people of Anshi were united in the matter of Liaodong City. In this situation, no matter how many brilliant plans, strategies and tactics there were, they would be helpless in front of the turtle shell and could only fight hard.
But the result of hard work is now. The Tang army is advancing triumphantly, breaking through important towns such as Liaodong, and besieging and attacking the reinforcements to defeat the Liaodong army with a smaller force. Li Shimin was very happy to discover Xue Rengui, a young and fierce general. The progress of conquering Liaodong has been completed by 98%, and only two important towns, Anshi and Jizi, are left. Everything is moving in the right direction. However, he never expected that under the city of Anshi, there seems to be a sense of failure.
Li Daozon and others proposed a plan to bypass Anshi, rush to Wugu, and directly attack Jizi City. The army in Anshi City would not exceed 30,000, and they only had the ability to defend but not to attack. Only a small force would be left behind and stationed in the south of Anshi City or north of the Yalu River. Anshi City could only watch the Tang army leave.
Li Shimin was already inclined towards this plan. At this moment, he was extremely grateful that he had listened to Luo Su's suggestion to train the navy and establish a sea food route in addition to the land food route. Otherwise, he would have no choice but to consider withdrawing his troops.
"Your Majesty, there is a letter from Duke Yong!"
All the generals in the camp knew that the emperor was waiting for the letter from Duke Yong to learn about the situation of Jizidao's army and whether he could afford the army's food and fodder needs.
“Your Majesty, be well.
I, the commander-in-chief of the Jizi Road Army, Duke Xuanling of Yong, respectfully present this.
Now there are hundreds of large ships and more than a thousand small boats on the Jizi Road. The grain route has been opened and grain and fodder have been prepared. There are 200,000 shi of grain and fodder for the army to use. The grain route can transport 10,000 shi of grain and fodder every day. Due to the water route, the loss is almost negligible.
I have already attacked the city and am now in Jizi City, waiting for your Majesty's army."
This is the value of transporting grain by water. It is almost impossible for people on land to eat the munching of horses, and ships can carry much more grain than horse-drawn carriages. Even in today's society, sea transportation is still the lowest-cost mode of transportation.
There are 200,000 shi of grain in stock, and 10,000 shi of grain and
There were hundreds of large ships and thousands of small boats.
These figures made almost everyone in the camp's eyes light up. They then stared at Li Shimin with shining eyes. At the same time, a voice echoed in their hearts: Your Majesty, why are you hesitating? Give the order.
It's not just that the army has no shortage of food.
Even if they need to retreat, they can quickly withdraw the troops from the sea without having to cross mountains and rivers to return by land.
certainly.
If possible, Li Shimin and his men would definitely not take the sea route, but would return by land.
After all, standing on a boat in the sea is always not as solid as standing on land, which makes people feel more secure and at ease.
After Li Shimin put away the letter, he swept away the slightly desolate feeling. God always favored him. "Prince of Yan, there is no one living in the 300-li radius of Anshi City. You lead the Mobei cavalry to move south to the Yalu River, and then keep a close eye on these 300 miles. Don't let anyone in Anshi City escape. After I capture Jizi City, I will come to deal with Anshi City."
Prince of Yan Li Ke accepted the order with a solemn expression.
Li Shimin looked at the generals again and said in a deep voice: "Generals, lead your troops and line up under the city of Anshi. Even if you want to leave, you must let the Lord of Anshi know that our Tang Dynasty has not been defeated and will return the next day."
The generals received the order.
…
Outside Jizi City, the wind never seemed to stop, blowing the yellow earth from the mountains, whistling, mixed with the smell of blood and the sharp smell of swords and guns.
"Duke Yong, why don't you attack?"
Amid the clamor of shouting and killing, Deputy General Zhang Liang's armor was covered with blood from the enemy. He looked quite indignant and asked loudly, "As long as our army presses forward, we will definitely be able to capture Jizi City."
Zhang Liang didn't understand why Yongguogong Luo Xuanling was unwilling to lead his entire army to capture the crumbling Jizi City. If they could capture Jizi City before the emperor arrived, what a great achievement it would be!
The other generals in the military camp were also looking at Luo Xuanling, their eyes full of curiosity. From the beginning of the march, Luo Xuanling had never let the army exert its full strength, which was very strange.
You should know that among the thousands of enemies who followed Li Shimin to conquer the world, Luo Xuanling was the only one who was still active on the front line, and charging into the battlefield was a common thing for him.
Just a few years ago, he was the commander-in-chief of Gaochang Road and led the army to conquer Gaochang Kingdom. He traveled thousands of miles and was extremely crazy. But now he is so conservative and cautious that it drives them crazy.
Luo Xuanling looked around with a serious expression, "This is why your majesty asked me to be the general manager of the Jizi Road Army. My goal is not to gain merit for myself, but to ensure your majesty's victory.
I have sent a letter to Your Majesty. Given Your Majesty's character, you must have led a large army to Jizi City by now.
Your Majesty's safety depends on whether my army's food supply routes are unobstructed.
What I have to do then is not to capture Jizi City, but to first ensure that the situation on the scene is consistent with that in the letter.
Even if there is a 90% chance of conquering Jizi City, as long as there is a 10% chance of failure, I will not consider it. This is not for my own sake, but because I will never risk the safety of Your Majesty.
Not even the slightest danger!
Do you understand?"
hiss.
When everyone in the camp heard Luo Xuanling's words, they were stunned, but then they felt that they benefited a lot.
No wonder Duke Yong is so trusted by His Majesty. His Majesty gave Duke Yong a legitimate princess, who many families wanted to marry but could not, before she was even born.
No wonder Duke Yong is the only old hero who can still lead the army to war.
If Duke Yong had real talent as a commander, I'm afraid Your Majesty would be confident in letting him lead the army to conquer Liaodong.
There really is a reason why people are favored.
Any king who meets a caring minister like Duke Yong would give him the greatest trust and respect.
Zhang Liang was filled with awe. He was an old member of the Qin Palace, and Luo Xuanling was a latecomer. But now that Luo Xuanling had said this, he knew where the difference was. He immediately said solemnly, "Duke Yong is truly a sincere and prudent person. I am grateful for your advice."
Luo Xuanling looked at the mountains and rivers in the distance, thinking about something that had nothing to do with the war. He waved his hand casually, "We are all doing things for the country, you are too polite."
…
When the Tang emperor arrived at the city of Jizi, the pressure he brought to the nobles in the city was extremely enormous. The army that Luo Xuanling participated in the attack did not exceed 10,000 from beginning to end, while Li Shimin brought tens of thousands of soldiers.
Yeon Gaesomun finally felt a sense of devastation. When rescuing Anshi City, Liaodong's elite troops were defeated. The only hope was that Anshi City could hold off the Tang army. Anshi City did it, but the Tang army did not fight and actually went around.
Luo Xuanling led the generals of Jizi Road to pay a visit to Li Shimin, and presented Li Shimin with a general topographic map of Jizi City and the general situation of the city.
"I always trust Qingyu to do things."
As early as when he was conquering the world, Luo Xuanling was famous for his prudence, and he saved Li Shimin's life because of his dedication to duty. "Qingyu, I'm new here, and you've been in Jizi City for a long time. I'm afraid you have a plan in mind. Tell me, how should we fight?"
Luo Xuanling had indeed had an idea long ago. He had already known that Anshi City had not been captured, and he immediately said, "Your Majesty, I think that we should attack from both inside and outside. Our army should attack Jizi City and put pressure on the city.
At the same time, he should be gentle to the nobles in the city. The nobles in this world have the softest knees, and powerful people are most afraid of death. Moreover, there must be many people in the city who are dissatisfied with Yeon Gaesomun.
When Emperor Yang of Sui conquered Liaodong, there was an incident of regicide in Liaodong. It would not be difficult to kill Yeon Gaesomun now.
The real reason why Anshi City was able to hold out was that everyone was united, and the Lord of Anshi City was determined to drag our Tang Dynasty Heavenly Army into retreating in autumn and winter.
But Jizi City is different. There is no absolute voice in the city, and our army has an endless supply of logistics, which can be continuously sent from Qizhou, so Jizi City will definitely be broken."
Faced with the Tang army that had no shortage of logistics, the Liaodong Kingdom, which had already lost all its national strength, was indeed in a state of panic.
"Pass on my order to attack the city tomorrow!"
Li Shimin gave the order.
In Jizi City, facing the surrender conditions offered by the Tang Dynasty, many people wanted to surrender. Only the diehard Yeon Gaesomun lineage said sternly: "If Anshi City can be defended, can't the capital be defended?"
But some opponents argued: "What can we use to defend it? Anshi City is in Liaodong, and the Tang army has to transport food and grass by land, which is difficult.
Our Jizi City is on the peninsula. The Tang army is now using waterways to transport food. I don’t even have a navy in Liaodong, so I can’t cut off the food supply.
A few days ago, the Tang army brought in a large amount of winter leather clothes and charcoal. They can attack the city even in winter. Can this be the same as in Anshi City?"
This quite reasonable rebuttal made Yeon Gaesomun so angry that he immediately overturned the table and hacked Yeon Gaesomun to death with his sword. Now that things have developed to this point, there is no right or wrong.
There were undercurrents everywhere in Jizi City. Many people knew that it was difficult for Yeon Gaesomun and the Tang Dynasty to reconcile, so he was determined not to surrender and must fight to the end. However, other people were different from Yeon Gaesomun and did not want to be enemies of the Tang Dynasty.
For most Liaodong nobles, the loss of their country was not that painful.
For example, the nobles who had surrendered to the Tang army before had a feeling that "there was no pain or mourning for being captured for a moment, and now the people standing in front of you are the loyal dogs of the Tang Dynasty and the new Tang nobles."
The Tang Dynasty had been spreading its culture to all directions for more than a decade, and now it was reaping the rewards.
"When the Turks were destroyed, the Ashina clan was now in a very high position. Ashina She'er was a close minister of the Tang emperor. The Ashina clan was also given the surname Li, which was a surname bestowed by the emperor.
We worked hard to follow the Luo family into the pass to kill the emperor, and only then did we get the certificate issued by the Su King. The Ashina clan also got it. From this point of view, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty is not bad. "
"We thought that old dog Yeon Gaesomun could help us seize power, but now he seems to be a lunatic. It's a dream for us to follow him to our death. Wouldn't it be a great achievement to tie him up and send him to the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty? It would be a stepping stone to advancement."
Pledge of allegiance!
Even if Yeon Gaesomun was beaten to death, he would never have thought that he would become a credit in the eyes of others.
…
Li Shimin rode into the city on a war horse wearing majestic armor. In front of him were countless captives kneeling on the ground. The King of Liaodong and others were kneeling in the front with Yeon Gaesomun tied up.
The tall Yeon Gaesomun was tied up with a cloth stuffed in his mouth. He couldn't make a sound even if he wanted to curse, and could only stammer.
Li Shimin saw Yeon Gaesomun and raised his sword, saying, "I am the son of Heaven, obeying the orders of the Supreme Emperor, and commanding all living things under heaven. The ruler of Liaodong does not obey the order of Heaven, and is in danger of losing his country. Yeon Gaesomun is rebellious and committing crimes. If we do not punish him severely, how can the majesty of Heaven be demonstrated?
Pass down my decree to capture Yeon Gaesomun and his accomplices, kill all the men in their tribe who are taller than the wheel, and castrate the rest. Give the girls over twelve years old as rewards to the hard-working soldiers, and put the rest into the Music Bureau to comfort the soldiers for their hard work. Take out the gold, silver and treasures in their tribe and give them all to the soldiers.
Cut off Yeon Gaesomun's head, and I will personally offer sacrifices to the gods and ancestors in the Imperial Ancestral Temple."
Given Li Shimin's usually forgiving character, the punishment for Yeon Gaesomun was certainly severe.
After hearing this, Yeon Gaesomun wanted to say something, but he was unable to utter a single word. He was chopped off with the sword, and died with his eyes wide open.
The King of Liaodong and his men dared not say a word, they knelt on the ground, not even daring to raise their heads, until Li Shimin spoke, "The Kingdom of Liaodong will be abolished today. The King of Liaodong and his officials will follow me back to the Central Plains."
"I obey your command."
The King of Liaodong said hurriedly.
Li Shimin turned to look at Li Tai beside him and asked, "What does the King of Wei think of Jizi City?"
Li Tai looked at it and said, "Compared to Chang'an, it's far worse. It's not a good place."
Li Shimin smiled and said, "Yes, if I give this place to you, can you manage it well?"
(End of this chapter)
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