Chapter 1041 Qi was shocked

Chapter 1041 Qi was shocked

Jinzhou is located with Shangdang in the east, Yellow River in the west, Bianluo in the south, and Jinyang in the north. It can be said that it is the most important transportation hub in the Shanxi region both inside and outside the mountains and rivers, and a battleground for military strategists.

The reason why Li Tai wanted to enter Jinzhou was naturally because of this. Just engaging in a battle in Fenbei, no matter how lively it is, is just scratching the surface and cannot achieve any strategic reversal effect. Directly attacking Jinzhou is the real crotch for Northern Qi. pain!

It's just that for an important place like Jinzhou, even if it is not currently operated as a strategic town by Northern Qi, its own defense strength is not small. And there is another most critical problem, that is, Jinzhou is too close to the Jinyang base camp of the Northern Qi Dynasty. It can be said that once Jinzhou is attacked, Jinyang will provide reinforcements as soon as possible.

Therefore, Wei Xiaokuan focused his attack on Jinzhou on intercepting its reinforcements. As long as the Northern Qi Dynasty could not carry out effective reinforcements for Jinzhou, then capturing Jinzhou would not be a problem!

Historically, when the Northern Zhou Dynasty captured Jinzhou, a similar strategy was adopted. The main force went directly to Jinzhou, and then divided the troops to occupy the transportation arteries near Jinzhou, blocking reinforcements from all directions. Under the fierce offensive of the Northern Zhou soldiers, Under this situation, the soldiers who defended the city realized that there was no hope of holding on, so they all asked to surrender.

The reason why Li Tai wanted to attract Northern Qi's attention to the direction of Heluo with great fanfare was to weaken the power of Jinyang and add difficulties and twists and turns to its rescue of Jinzhou.

Although it is a bit disappointing that Jinzhou cannot be captured quickly, such a strategic plan certainly cannot be completely pinned on the opponent's frequent mistakes. Even if Jinzhou can hold on for a period of time, it is still within Li Tai's estimation, and he plans to use Jinzhou as bait in the second phase of the war to encircle the point and recruit reinforcements.

Needless to say, Wei Xiaokuan's military ability goes without saying. The battle plan he worked out over more than a year was very detailed and specific. After discussing it with him, Li Tai had nothing else to add.

So he ordered Wei Xiaokuan to return to Yubi and prepare for the army to cross the river and attack Jinzhou. In this first stage of the war, Wei Xiaokuan was in charge of the war in Jinzhou.

As for Li Tai himself, he returned to Shangyang Palace and ordered to reorganize 60,000 troops as a middle division brigade to follow him towards Tongguan.

While waiting for the team to be reorganized, Li Tai took some time to say goodbye to his family. Needless to say, there is no need to say more about his wife and children. In order to prevent him from being distracted by family affairs when he went to war, and to get a good fortune, Miaoyin taught his sons many auspicious words and kept calling around their father. The children's lively shouts also diluted the parting. The immediate anxiety and sadness.

Now Li Tai has three sons. In addition to the two sons born to his wife Dugu Miaoyin, his concubine Yao Wan'er also gave birth to a son last year. Now that Miaoyin is pregnant again, Li Tai hopes to have a daughter. In the past, it seemed deserted for a couple to be alone without children, but now it is too noisy.

What worries Li Tai most at home is his father Li Xiao. Li Xiao's health has not been good since he fell ill in Xiangyang last year. Despite the careful care of his family and careful diagnosis and treatment by doctors, he has been aging visibly in recent years.

Therefore, Li Tai came to his father's place specially before leaving. He waited until Li Xiao woke up from his lunch break before visiting his father's room. He said warmly: "Aye, something happened again in the border area. I have to lead the army to go on an expedition. If everything goes well, it will be a month later." I will return soon. This time will be shorter than the morning and evening greetings. I will wait for my son to return to the bed and receive the stick!"

"Let's go, let's go. Although your father is old and not faint, don't you know why he is so powerful now? All important matters for the family and the country depend on my son. Thank you for your hard work."

Li Xiao leaned on the couch, reached out and grabbed Li Tai's wrist, and said with a smile: "Recently, I often dream of your uncles and fathers, and they smile to me and say that the family will be more prosperous. I think it should be your time this time. There will be another great victory, and there is hope that the Northern Kingdom will be reunited..."

Li Tai didn't feel bored listening to his father's laughter and nagging. He also knew that this kind of time together would become less and less. For this father, he may not have the most innocent feelings based on blood, but he has already taken root in this world with this identity. Of course, he is also obliged to satisfy this old father's responsibility for his son. care.

Li Xiao talked for a long time, and after Li Tai finished serving the medicine, he gradually fell asleep with a smile on his lips.

Because his father was in poor health, Li Tai also recalled his two younger brothers, Li Chao and Li Ao, who had previously served out of state, to Guanzhong so that they could live close to serve and accompany his father. At this moment, he was about to put on his armor and go on an expedition, so he summoned his second brother in front of him and warned him seriously: "After I go out for the expedition, you two must serve Aye wholeheartedly. Morning and dusk alternate, and there should be no lack of protection in front of the bed!"

"Brother, don't worry, we will definitely take good care of Aye!"

After Li Chao and Li Ao heard this, they both nodded in agreement.

After bidding farewell to his elders, Li Tai went straight to the military camp outside Shangyang Palace, waiting for the division and brigade to pack up and set off.

When the Western Wei Dynasty was reinforcing its troops and preparing for war, the court hall of Yedu in the Northern Qi Dynasty was also in chaos. There were different opinions because of Sima's rebellion.

Originally, the evidence of Sima Xiaonang's rebellion was conclusive, and it was the most normal situation for the imperial court to order troops to quell the rebellion. However, even with such a normal decision, some people still raised questions, thinking that Sima Xiaonang's rebellion might have some hidden agenda, and should not be sent. The army is in a hurry to punish him, but he should send envoys in advance to interrogate and appease him. It would be best if the matter can be resolved in a more peaceful way.

The reason why there is such noise in the court lies in Sima Xiaonan's father Sima Ziru. Sima Ziru was not only one of the Four Nobles of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, he could also be called the king of connections in the Eastern Dynasty. There was no connection that he could not make.

Among the important ministers of the Northern Qi Dynasty, Zhao Yanshen, Wei Shou, etc. were mostly recommended by Sima Ziru. Coupled with other relatives and friends, they naturally left their son with considerable network resources.

These people did not deliberately show favoritism, but also felt that it would be beneficial to the Northern Qi court to resolve the matter through peaceful means. If things really get serious, it will only give the old enemy of the Western Wei Dynasty an opportunity to raise troops to invade.

The last Battle of Mangshan caused by a similar situation ended with a complete victory for the Eastern Wei Dynasty. But now the situation is very different. Since Li Boshan took charge of the power of the Western Wei Dynasty, he has been working hard to govern and build up military preparations. It is really difficult to judge how far his strength has grown now. What's more, they repeatedly ravaged their Northern Qi army in Heluo last year. If they fight with them this time, the outcome will be unpredictable.

Today's Qi leader Gao Yang is no longer as brave and aggressive as he was in the early days of becoming emperor. After hearing many such suggestions, he actually sent an envoy to Hulao City to appease Sima and resolve the trouble.

But before the envoys left, more accurate news came. Sima Xiaonan not only rebelled in the city, but also surrendered to the Western Wei Dynasty. Zheng Wei, the founder of the Western Wei Dynasty, also led his troops into Hulao City to coordinate the defense of the city.

This means that the situation has completely stopped improving. The ministers who had previously advised him to slow down the plan quickly shut up. Seeing this situation, if they talk more, they will inevitably get burned.

The leader of Qi, Gao Yang, was naturally furious. He immediately ordered General Wuwei Qi Lianmeng and Gao Anahu to lead 20,000 forbidden troops to go south and join forces with Heyang Xingtai Hu Luguang to attack Hulao City.

However, when this army had just arrived in Heyang and had not yet crossed the river, Dugu Yongye, the governor of Luozhou, reported that Wei troops were moving in Yiyang, Guannan and other places, and seemed to intend to invade the Heluo area in a large scale. At the same time, news came from the west. Li Boshan, the prime minister of the Western Wei Dynasty, had mobilized an army of 300,000 from his country. Soon he would send troops out of Tongguan and attack Heluo in a mighty manner.

The shadow of a person's famous tree. If there is a person who can make the monarchs and ministers of the Northern Qi Dynasty feel frightened and worried by his name alone, it must be Li Boshan. So when the news was reported, it was like a rocket shooting straight into the Northern Qi court. Everyone who knew about the incident along the way became nervous.

Of course, in addition to fear, some people also expressed doubts: "Do the Qiang thieves really have a strong force of 300,000 elite soldiers?"

"It should be true. Although the Qiang thieves have suffered defeats in the past, Li Boshan has outstanding political skills. Moreover, his military training has never been limited to Hu Xia people, and he has taken more Xia people as his troops. Even though the number is not 300,000 It's huge, but it shouldn't be difficult for a dozen or two hundred thousand people. Besides, Li Boshan, a world-famous general, is commanding an army to fight, and his name is worth tens of thousands of troops. It's not an exaggeration to say..."

Of course, the most important thing at the moment is how to deal with this crisis and challenge. It is meaningless to worry about the military strength difference between tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands in the Western Wei Dynasty.

The leader of Qi, Gao Yang, did not dare to neglect this. As soon as he learned the news, he recalled Pingyuan King Duan Shao, who was the governor of Jizhou, to the court, and discussed countermeasures with several princes, including Pengcheng King Gao Junye who was in mourning at home. After being kidnapped, he recovered and was reappointed as Sizhou Mu.

For a time, the entire Northern Qi court was filled with a tense and solemn atmosphere. Those who were qualified to express their opinions naturally rushed to submit letters, hoping to provide wisdom and suggestions to alleviate worries and solve problems, while those who were not qualified to discuss major issues were eager to raise their heads. Waiting and hoping that the court can come up with a plan as soon as possible to solve the current crisis.