Vol 2 Chapter 2442: Li Mu VS Wu Qi (Part 1)
Chapter 2442 Li Mu VS Wu Qi (Part 1)
Chapter 2438: Li Mu VS Wu Qi (Part 1)
Li Jing sent troops one day earlier than originally planned because he did not expect Gongsun Xuanyuan's operation to go so smoothly.
Li Jing thought it would take at least two days for Xuanyuan to defeat Chencang's second brother Sanguan, but he did not expect that he would occupy the two fortresses of Chencang and Sanguan in just one night.
Gongsun Xuanyuan's movement was too fast, but Ban Chao had not yet arrived in Chang'an.
Without receiving a message from Ban Chao's envoy Tang, many subsequent plans could not be carried out, so Li Jing deliberately waited for Ban Chao for a day.
After receiving the news that Ban Chao was not dead but was just imprisoned, Li Jing secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He still valued Ban Chao very much and naturally did not want the first literary champion of the Qin Dynasty to die on the way.
Ban Chao was not dead, and there was still room between Qin and Tang. Li Jing could already predict that after the conquest of Tang was over, a large number of Li clan members would surrender to Qin.
But these had nothing to do with him. His mission was to capture Guanzhong at the minimum cost, so he decisively ordered a seven-pronged army to attack Chang'an.
Not only did most generals of the Qin army not understand Li Jing's decision to attack the Tang Dynasty, but even Li Shimin, Li Kui, Changsun Wuji and others did not understand it.
“Why didn’t Li Jing concentrate his forces to attack Chang’an? It was clear that he only needed to capture one city of Chang’an, and the rest could be sent to other cities, so why did he disperse his forces for some unimportant cities?”
Changsun Wuji muttered to himself in confusion.
"The reason why Li Jing did this was to turn Chang'an into an isolated city and completely isolate Chang'an City, so as to undermine the will of the defenders in the city?"
Li Kui said with some uncertainty.
Li Shimin heard this, thought about it, shook his head and said: "Li Jing definitely wants to end the Guanzhong war in the shortest possible time without giving other countries a chance to support.
If it is an isolated strategy, it will definitely be time-consuming and labor-intensive. Over time, variables are likely to occur, which is not like Li Jing's style. "
“Then why?”
Changsun Wuji whispered to himself in a low voice.
Seeing that none of the three counselors he relied on most could see through Li Jing's intentions, Li Shimin couldn't help but miss Li Ru and Du Ruhui.
Although the two of them are not as good as Li Si and Li Kui in politics, they are stronger than them in military terms.
If Li Ru and Du Ruhui were still there, I think they would be able to see through Li Jing's intentions. Li Shimin thought to himself.
With the command of Li Shimin, Li Kui, and Changsun Wuji, the reason why they could not see Li Jing's intention was actually because they were looking in the wrong direction.
Li Jing's arrangement was not for military purposes, but to coordinate with the political actions of Li Si and Ban Chao.
Li Shimin and the three authorities were so confused that they couldn't turn this corner, so they couldn't see the deeper meaning.
On the other hand, Li Si knew the profound meaning of Li Jing's actions after hearing the news.
This time, the pro-Qin faction in the city of Chang'an, as well as the generals in charge of military power who tended to be pro-Qin faction, took sides.
The most difficult city to defeat in Guanzhong is the city of Chang'an. Splitting the troops to capture other cities will increase casualties to a certain extent, but the total losses will definitely not be as great as the losses incurred by storming the city of Chang'an.
If you don't care about the casualties of dividing your troops to capture other cities, and divide your troops to capture other cities, Chang'an will gradually become an isolated city, which cannot be defended. The defenders in the city will inevitably bear great psychological pressure.
Once the pressure exceeds the tolerance of some people, the occurrence of mutiny will change from accidental to inevitable.
Once Chang'an falls into internal fighting, the Qin army will be able to defeat the enemy without fighting.
This is not much less than the loss caused by storming Chang'an.
Li and Tang's civil servants were okay, after all, they could only talk and talk. On the contrary, many generals were very conflicted now.
They knew that Li Tang's ship was going to sink, and that it was beyond human power to stop it. However, they thought of Li Shimin's kindness, but they did not want to sink with it and be buried with Li Tang.
Under such circumstances, Li Jing's constant pressure test was far more torturing to their hearts than direct war.
After realizing this, Li Si immediately said: "My Lord, I have a message. No matter what Li Jing's intention is, we can use these cities and the garrisons in various camps to delay the Qin army's advance.
If the Qin army can be held back for a month, reinforcements from various countries will arrive by then, and the pressure on the Tang Dynasty will be much less. "
After hearing this, Li Shimin couldn't help but fell into deep thought, while Li Kui frowned and said: "But if we don't send reinforcements, we won't be able to hold on for long with these alone."
Li Si asked calmly: "But once reinforcements are sent out, are you sure they can reach the city? You know, the Qin army's cavalry is not slow."
Li Kui was immediately speechless. Yes, even if they sent reinforcements, the reinforcements would be difficult to support, because once they leave Chang'an, they will inevitably be attacked by the Qin army's cavalry on the plains.
Given the current morale of the Tang army in Guanzhong, they will undoubtedly lose in a field battle with the Qin army. The only way they can fight is by relying on city defense.
Therefore, if you leave the city, you will be defeated. Only by defending the city can you have the strength to fight.
"Moreover, the Qin army came in seven groups, and the whole Guanzhong was on fire. Even if we wanted to save him, we couldn't save him. We in the Tang Dynasty don't have that many soldiers, nor that many generals." Li Si added.
Hearing this, Li Shimin sighed. Although Li Si's words were rough, they were right. Li Jing dared to divide his troops into seven groups and was not afraid of the Tang army defeating them one by one. This was because the commanders of the seven armies were all famous generals.
The Qin Dynasty had many famous generals and commanders who could withstand such use, but the Tang State could not find so many famous generals.
“Instruct the county magistrates and garrison generals in each city to recruit their own troops, organize civilians, and defend the city. They must hold on for at least a month. Reinforcements from Chang’an will arrive soon.”
Although Li Shimin said this, he was not prepared to send reinforcements at all.
Li Kui and Changsun Wuji did not dissuade him, because they both knew that even if they were sent, they would be destined to die and would never arrive.
When Li Si saw this, he remained calm on the surface, but he was really happy in his heart, and said secretly: "Li Shimin, you have fallen into the trap."
After Li Shimin decided on the strategy of defending Chang'an, the first thing he did was to ask for help from the three kingdoms of Shu, Chu and Sui, and at the same time recruit troops from various camps scattered around Chang'an to return to the city.
Li Mu, the commander of the North Camp of Chang'an, after receiving the order from Chang'an, he was so angry that he tore the edict into pieces.
“The defensive line cannot be defended alone, and there is no way to defend Chang’an.” Li Mu said solemnly.
“But the Lord has given an order…”
"We will not accept military orders from abroad. We must not just retreat to Chang'an and abandon the defense line we have worked so hard to build." Li Mu said with great determination.
At this moment, Li Mu was extremely disappointed with Li Shimin. He didn't understand the complicated politics. He only knew that the only way to survive was to be trapped in Chang'an.
Li Shimin knew this, but still issued such an order. This was because he was prepared to sacrifice a hundred thousand Tang troops in Guanzhong to fight against the Qin Dynasty to the end for his own selfish interests.
Li Mu was a general who cherished his soldiers. Li Shimin's behavior made him very dissatisfied, but as a member of the Li family, he could not betray Li Shimin, so he decided to fight in the best possible way.
Chang'an did not lack the strength of his battalion. Even if he led the army back, it would not have much effect, so he decided to fight his own battle independently from Chang'an.
“I will write a letter of divorce immediately and explain my interests to the lord, hoping that the lord can change his mind.”
After saying that, Li Mu gave the order in a deep voice: "Pass on my order to the general, leave a thousand troops to defend the promise, and the rest of the army will immediately garrison Ba Ling. Let's test the Qin army's spirit here."
)
All the lieutenants shouted in response.
After receiving Li Shimin's order, Li Mu not only did not return to Chang'an, but instead led his five thousand troops to garrison the county.
After Li Shimin saw Li Mu's reply, he was furious. He was suspicious that Li Mu was going to rebel, and immediately ordered envoys to ride fast horses to seize Li Mu's military power.
Li Mu did not know that Li Shimin doubted his loyalty, and his move into the county did not go smoothly, because there were many pro-Qin factions in the counties of Li and Tang. They were all ready to surrender directly to the Qin Dynasty, so how could they allow Li Mu to enter the city to do bad things.
When Li Mu saw that the county magistrate would not allow him to enter the city, he knew that the magistrate must be rebellious, so he wrote a letter of resignation, implying that the magistrate also wanted to surrender to Qin, and invited him to come to discuss.
The county magistrate didn't know the deceit and trusted Li Mu. As a result, they met and was killed by Li Mu with a single sword. Then he entered Baling City without any bloodshed.
After Li Mu settled in Ba Ling City, he immediately changed the defense layout and sent someone to deliver a message to Li Zuoche, hoping to invite him to defend Ba Ling with him.
Even with his small strength, Li Mu could never stop the Qin army. Li Zuo also had a battalion of troops in his car. With his help, he had the confidence to fight the Qin army.
As soon as Li Mu's messenger left, Li Shimin's messenger arrived and read out Li Mu's punishment in front of all the generals.
After hearing this, Li Mu's face was extremely ugly. Li Shimin's reaction was so extreme, which he never expected, but it was impossible for him to hand over military power just like that.
Li Shimin had already suspected him. If he didn't make any reaction and was taken back to Chang'an, he would definitely die, so he had to use actions to prove that he had no intention of rebelling.
The envoy was very confident and thought that Li Mu's subordinates would help him capture Li Mu, but he did not expect that after waiting for a long time, no one moved, and he was finally asked by Li Mu to leave the city.
On the other side, Li Zuoche, who also did not want to retreat, was extremely conflicted after receiving Li Mu's letter. After much deliberation, he finally decided to believe Li Mu, so he led an army of five thousand to join Li Mu.
After the two sides joined forces, Li Mu had 5,000 troops and horses, and Li Zuocha had 5,000 troops. In addition to the 2,000 defenders of Ba Ling, Li Mu had 12,000 troops.
At the same time, Wu Qi's army had defeated two counties in one day. One of them surrendered without a fight. The magistrate of the other county resisted desperately, but to no avail. In less than half a day, the Qin army attacked the city and was defeated. Killed.
Wu Qi’s next target was Baling County, but he didn’t expect that Li Mu picked peaches before him.
“Report...to the governor, General Ba Ling refused to surrender.”
"What?"
Wu Qi was startled. If he remembered correctly, the Baling County Magistrate had decided to surrender to Da Qin, but now he refused to surrender. Something was wrong.
"interesting."
Wu Qi’s lips curled up slightly. He found a good prey.
(End of this chapter)