Jiang Ming's strategy was aimed at identifying the crux of the problem!
The Zhongshan Kingdom was difficult to conquer because of its rugged terrain, but the unity between the military and the people was only one aspect...
The real core element is having capable generals.
Once this "nail" is removed, the geographical advantage will not actually play a dominant role!
In war, the key factor is still the human element!
After the ruler of Zhongshan skinned Hu Yan, it brought about a series of extremely negative consequences!
First and foremost, it has caused a huge loss of public support!
The reason why the Zhongshan Kingdom was so "difficult to conquer" was that the unity between the people and the military was the key!
Now that the loyal Hu Yan has been skinned alive, without even a chance to explain... how can this not chill the hearts of those loyal and virtuous people?
Even a loyal minister like Hu Yan couldn't escape death, so why are we still here pretending to be "filial sons and virtuous grandsons"? Everyone is starting to look for a way out.
The common people, unaware of the truth, heard that even a loyal minister like Hu Yan had colluded with foreign powers and betrayed Zhongshan, which caused their faith to waver... They believed that the Zhongshan Kingdom was doomed!
No one will be able to protect them anymore.
All the subjects were considering their options for retreat...
Some civilians, and even border soldiers, secretly fled overnight to the State of Yan.
In this era, population movement between countries was relatively open, and there was no strict 'household registration system'. It was precisely because of this that Jiang Ming was able to settle down and live in Yan State quickly after fleeing there.
People are the primary productive force; only with the people can the army be supported.
Therefore, the rulers of various countries regarded it as an honor and a real benefit for the people of other countries to flee to their country!
As a former refugee once mocked the nobles: "I am just an ordinary citizen. Where I want to go is entirely up to my feet! But you are a noble. You can only live and die with your country. The day your country falls and your family is destroyed, your surname will betray you, and you will be killed if you deserve to be killed!"
This is why... in this era of warring states, nobles were often more patriotic.
However, most ministers had only a job-seeking mentality. If the ruler treated them badly, they would immediately slip away that very night to serve another ruler...
Hu Yan's death directly caused tens of thousands of people in Zhongshan to flee the country, and in some counties, even the prefects fled with him.
They were well aware of the way the Xianbei group in Yan State operated: once the state fell, everything would be destroyed, and the elderly and children would all be killed!
This is also the 'political infamy' that Dugu Yan left for Jiang Ming.
When the ruler of Zhongshan saw that a large number of people had fled, the people's hearts had been lost, and the ministers were all outwardly loyal but inwardly disloyal, his paranoia intensified!
The intelligence agencies further strengthened their oversight and control over the words and actions of the ministers.
The entire Zhongshan Kingdom was gripped by fear, and the air within the country was suffocating!
Fortunately, there was no fighting in the south.
The ruler of Zhongshan then mobilized a large number of troops to the north to fill the gaps in the Xingguan defense line!
After the Battle of Xingguan, the defending troops at Xingguan were reduced to only 25,000 men!
The ruler of Zhongshan regarded Xingguan as the foundation of the state; if Xingguan were lost, Zhongshan would surely perish... So he 'bet' 80% of his army on it, gathering a total of 52,000 men!
He handed everything over to his trusted confidant, who would eventually take command.
After arriving at Xingguan, Shan Liang, the trusted general of the King of Zhongshan, listened to the reports from his subordinates and carefully observed the terrain of the battlefield... mainly to diligently 'copy homework'!
He wasn't stupid; he knew that Hu Yan's military command ability far surpassed his own!
Since I can't come up with a better defensive strategy, I might as well just copy Hu Yan's 'troop deployment' exactly.
In this way, although we may not achieve a great victory, we will certainly not suffer too much loss.
Moreover, his main task was to guard the pass, not to 'expand territory'!
As long as we can hold the northern border towns and let the enemy die as many times as they come, that's enough!
So he deployed all 50,000 soldiers to set up camp on both sides of the mountain road...
As for Xingguan, they basically did not do any defense. Like Huyan, they mainly used the tactic of "closing the door to beat the dog" to kill as many Yan troops as possible!
Furthermore, Shan Liang focused on strengthening the defenses around the hillside that Murong Lie had breached last time...
They dug the slope even steeper, making it difficult to climb, and scattered barbed wire the size of 'balls' all over the hillside.
In this way, if the Yan army dared to go up the mountain, not to mention using their bodies to withstand the rolling logs and stones, the sharp iron caltrops hidden in the grass would be enough to pierce their feet, making it impossible for them to move an inch. They would only be trapped and killed by arrows at the bottom of the mountain path...
Objectively speaking, his arrangement has reached the ceiling that ordinary people can imagine!
But within military circles, he is indeed considered a 'weakling'...
Jiang Ming wrote very clearly in the secret letter: This time the enemy will definitely use the same strategy as last time, because with their intelligence, they will definitely think that if something succeeds once, it can succeed a second time... Therefore, this response is in line with their thoughts, and we will play with their ideas... He instructed Murong Lie to find the water source of Xingguan according to the 3D terrain sand table demonstration map he left in the Gujun camp, cut off the waterway, surround them without attacking, and let them die of thirst!
From the last time Dugu Yan was trapped, and then Murong Lie broke through against the odds, Jiang Ming saw Murong Lie's potential for "military talent".
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