dingdiange:
Speed is of the essence in war.
Di Qing believed that facing the sudden attack, Guo Shengyi would not fail to ask for help.
So he guessed that the enemy reinforcements were most likely on the way.
If the Song army did not pursue, the defeated Ly Dynasty army might have joined forces with the reinforcements and retreated to Thang Long.
Although Di Qing did not think that the enemy could withstand their offensive by retreating to Thang Long, if they could destroy the Li Dynasty directly in the wild, why not do it?
After all, the Song Dynasty would still need to rule the Red River Delta from Thang Long in the future. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he did not want to fill Thang Long with cannons.
Guo Shengyi's army retreated from the ancient road of Lang Son and had no time to enter Liangzhou City. The Song army behind them was like a thorn in their side, following them all the time.
He had to flee south with the retreating army. After a day and a night of desperate escape, they finally arrived at Zhileng Pass, the gateway to the Red River Delta.
Coincidentally, Li Foma also arrived at Zhileng Pass with reinforcements at this time.
Chi Leng Pass has been an important pass of the Vietnamese Dynasty since ancient times. It is more important than Lang Son Pass because its terrain is more dangerous than the Lang Son Ancient Road. After passing this pass, you will reach the Red River Delta. It is known as the barrier of Thang Long, the capital of the Vietnamese Dynasty.
On either side, towering mountains reached the clouds, shrouded in mist. Below, lush vegetation and dense forests covered the ground. It was as if a god had chopped a terrifying chasm across the road with a giant axe.
The most exaggerated thing is the terrain. The Zhiling Pass is located on a small hill. If you want to break through, you must rush upwards. To pass the pass, you only need to prepare a bow and crossbow, and no one can break it.
Historically, the Ming army was defeated by the Vietnamese army at this pass. This was the last time that the Chinese dynasty lost direct control of Vietnam, and Vietnam became independent from then on.
This shows that this place is easy to defend but difficult to attack.
At the pass, Li Foma rested at Zhileng Pass last night and was preparing to continue to Liangzhou to reinforce Guo Shengyi.
Just as he was about to order the three armies to get up early in the morning, make a fire and cook, and then continue their march after eating, several fleeing Vietnamese scouts arrived inside the pass like a flash.
"What?"
In Li Foma's tent in Guanzhong, Li Foma, upon hearing the news, suddenly jumped up from his chair.
He never expected that Guo Shengyi would lose, and lose so miserably.
An army of fifty to sixty thousand collapsed in an instant.
What’s even more terrifying is that the Song army didn’t even engage in close combat with them, but was able to defeat their camp from more than ten miles away.
This is really terrible.
Li Foma was shocked, and then asked anxiously: "What on earth did the Song army use?"
"Your Majesty, we don't know either. We only know that there was a sudden loud noise on the mountain, and then a black ball fell from the sky. It then exploded all over the camp, and many people were blown to pieces."
The scouts still had expressions of fear on their faces. They had been running for a long time and didn't even dare to sleep. As soon as they closed their eyes, they would recall the tragic scene of yesterday.
The nightmarish sound of the explosion, the horrific smoke and dust, and the corpses of comrades.
It filled their minds and turned into a horrible nightmare.
"Firearms, it must be firearms."
Le Fengxiao, the Privy Councilor of the Vietnamese Dynasty, frowned and said, "According to merchants from the north, the Song Dynasty defeated the Western Xia and Liao dynasties with this firearm."
"Can firearms be so powerful?"
Liao Jiazhen, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, said, "The Song people's firearms were like fireworks and firecrackers. They could never have shaken the pass."
"Maybe they've developed more powerful firearms. How else can you explain this?"
Li Fengxiao argued.
Li Zaiyan, the Left Vice Minister of State Affairs, said, "Your Majesty, now is not the time to worry about whether the Song army has firearms. The most urgent thing is to think about what to do."
Li Fermat suddenly hesitated.
This time he personally led the expedition, leaving behind Crown Prince Li Rizun, Grand Tutor Tao Chuzhong, Right Vice-Chancellor Li Zhengxian and others to supervise the country, while he himself led a large army to provide support in order to stop the Song army outside the Lang Son Pass.
The problem now was that Liangzhou had already fallen, and there was no point in continuing the advance. So he now had two choices: one was to continue defending Chilleng Pass, and the other was to retreat to Thang Long.
However, both of these options were extremely passive, and they faced the same situation as Guo Shengyi: passively accepting the attack. They were in Guanshang and the city, while the enemy set up firearms outside and bombed them. The outcome was still a dead end.
So it seems like the result is the same no matter where you guard.
Li Foma couldn't help but look worried. He explained the situation to everyone and concluded, "Now is the moment of life and death for Dai Viet. I don't want to be the king of a fallen nation, and you don't want to be the ministers of a fallen nation. Please fight to the death."
"Your Majesty, rest assured. We will fight to the death."
Everyone quickly agreed.
Then Liang Maocai, the Minister of the Jinwu Guard, said, "Your Majesty, I think we can only defend Zhiling Pass to the death."
"Liang Qing, please tell me the reason."
Li Fuma said quickly.
Liang Maocai said, "First, the terrain at Zhiling Pass is steep and dangerous, so there's still a glimmer of hope if we hold on. If we retreat to Thang Long, the road outside the city is clear. The Song army can simply use catapults to throw explosive black balls into the city, causing heavy casualties within."
"Um."
Li Foma nodded slightly. Jiaozhi was too remote and information was not well developed. They didn't even know that it was the Song army's artillery. They thought it was a catapult or something like that.
Liang Maocai added, "Secondly, the Song army is strong and well-equipped. We cannot engage them in a fierce battle outside the city. Furthermore, they have firearms to rely on, so defending the city would definitely put us at a disadvantage. However, if we defend Zhiling Pass, the situation will be different. The terrain here is dangerous and perfect for an ambush."
"But wasn't General Guo also stationed at a strategic pass, only to be defeated by the Song army?"
Someone raised an objection.
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