Vol 2 Chapter 2519: Destroy the Tang Dynasty (Part 1)
Chapter 2519 Destroy the Tang Dynasty (Part 1)
Chapter 2515: Destroy the Tang Dynasty (Part 1)
After a night of fun, Ying Hao fell into a deep sleep.
Due to Taiqing during this period, he was also under a lot of pressure. Now that all his worries are gone, he can finally sleep well.
"Report...to report to Your Majesty, urgent report from Hanzhong."
The sound of reports outside the house woke up both Ying Hao and Dong Xiaowan who were sleeping soundly.
Dong Xiaowan's head had been confused before, but it was only now that he realized that he had retained his virginity for nearly twenty years and gave it to Ying Hao in such a confused way, so naturally he felt extremely shy.
Dong Xiaowan kicked Ying Hao out of bed, covered himself tightly with the quilt, and made a squeaking but happy sound.
Ying Hao got up from the ground, took a green shirt and put it on. He looked at Dong Xiaowan who had shrunk into a ball and shook his head helplessly.
Except for Dong Xiaowan, no one else has ever dared to kick him out of bed.
“Xiao Wan, I still have state affairs to deal with. I will come to see you tomorrow night to catch up on old times.”
After getting dressed, Ying Hao pushed open the door and saw Yu Huatian kneeling outside the door.
“What’s the urgent military situation in Hanzhong?” Ying Hao asked.
"Your Majesty, Liu Yu sent troops overnight. Shi Jingtang, the deputy general of Baishui Pass, surrendered without a fight. The Shu army invaded Hanzhong without spending a single soldier. Now they have surrounded Nanzheng City. Sui King Yang Guang also sent troops to Qiang County. County, prepare to take a share of the pie.”
Hearing this, Ying Hao realized the seriousness of the problem and immediately summoned Wu Qi, Li Cunxiao, Sun Lingming, Bismarck, Ban Chao and other civil and military officials to go to the Central Palace and hold a meeting overnight to discuss countermeasures.
It was so late at night that they had to work overtime all night long. However, instead of being dissatisfied, the ministers were all slightly excited.
Although the Battle of Guanzhong ended with a complete victory for the Qin Dynasty, in the final analysis, they only captured one and a half counties in Guanzhong and some poor counties in Liangzhou, which could not satisfy the appetites of the civil and military officials in Yongzhou.
With so many troops still left in Yongliang, if we don't take the opportunity to capture the three counties of Longxi, we will not be able to afford the money and food consumed by sending out a large army.
“Your Majesty, you summoned us all night, but something happened in Hanzhong?” Sun Lingming asked quickly.
The Battle of Huashan actually dealt a huge blow to him.
Sun Lingming always thought that even if he was not invincible, he was second only to Li Cunxiao among the Qin army, but he didn't expect that this time during the Huashan sword debate, he was not even qualified to participate in the battle, so he could only stay with Ying Hao to watch the battle. This made Gao Ao How could he accept it?
But there is nothing he can do if he doesn't accept it. After all, he is still young and has already achieved the fastest cultivation speed at his age. Next, only hard work can improve his cultivation.
If Li Cunxiao knew what Sun Lingming was thinking, he would definitely comfort this little brother. After all, although he, the best general in the world, participated, he was only a supporting role. The only three protagonists were Taiyi, Yinglong and Zhulong.
“Yes, the situation in Hanzhong changed drastically. Liu Yu attracted the attention of the Tang army’s top brass in Hanchang, but secretly instigated the rebellion of Baishui Pass guard Shi Jingtang.
The tens of thousands of Shu troops led by Zhang Ren captured Baishui Pass without spending a single soldier.
After Li Xiaogong received the news, in order to avoid being attacked by Liu Yu and Zhang Ren from both sides, he had no choice but to return to Nanzheng and wait for help.
Now Liu and Yu's armies have joined forces and surrounded Nanzheng City in an attempt to seize the three counties of Hanzhong. "
Having said that, Ying Hao was also surprised in his heart. Liu Yu's methods were really powerful. He didn't even take action, but once he did, he hit Li Tang's weak point.
Yizhou has many great passes such as Yangping Pass, Baishui Pass, Jianmen Pass (Jiange), Jiameng Pass, Jiangyou Pass, Fushui Pass, Qutang Pass and so on.
Among them, Yangping Pass is the northern gate of Yizhou, guarding the three counties of Hanzhong County. It is still under the control of the Tang State.
There are three checkpoints between Guanghan County and Hanzhong County, namely: Baishui Pass, Jianmen Pass (Jiange), and Jiameng Pass;
Among these three passes, only Jianmen Pass belongs to the Shu Kingdom, while Baishui Pass and Jiameng Pass both belong to the Tang Kingdom.
The reason for this situation is that when Liu Ji dominated Yizhou, Liu Yu retreated one after another, leaving only Guanghan County and the Guanghan vassal state. Li and Tang forces had to be introduced to balance the situation in Yizhou.
Liu Yu invited the Tang army to enter Yizhou, but Li Shimin was worried that Liu Yu would go back on his word and cut off the Tang army's food routes. Then the Tang army would be attacked from both sides when they entered Shu.
In order to dispel Li Shimin's concerns, Liu Yu could only give up Baishui Pass and Jiameng Pass to ensure that the Tang army's food routes were worry-free, so that Li Shimin dared to go south with confidence.
Since then, Baishui Pass and Jiameng Pass have been owned by the Tang State.
After the Tang army entered Yizhou, they united with Liu Yu to fight against Liu Ji, and also occupied a lot of territory in northern Yizhou.
However, as Li Shimin experienced a disastrous defeat in Sizhou, he had to shrink his troops to defend Guanzhong, so he withdrew all Yizhou's troops to Guanzhong and exchanged Yizhou's territory for money and grain with Liu Yu and Liu Ji.
Although Li Shimin voluntarily gave up his base in Yizhou, he only retained Jiameng Pass and Baishui Pass. Apparently he was also afraid of the Yizhou forces' plans to attack Hanzhong.
However, as long as Baishui Pass and Jiameng Pass are in hand, even if the entire Shu army invades, the Tang army can hold on in Hanzhong for a year and a half.
However, as Li Tang's Ai Guanzhong continued to retreat, Li Shimin made the same choice as Liu Yu and had to lead the Shu army into Hanzhong, and the two families joined forces to fight against the Qin army.
Liu Yu also used the same reasons as Li Shimin to ask Li Shimin for the return of Jiameng Pass and Baishui Pass.
In order for Liu Yu to send troops to rescue, Li Shimin had to agree to Liu Yu, but he only returned Jiameng Pass on purpose. Baishui Pass refused to retreat no matter what.
Liu Yu was not greedy. He wanted to send troops after returning to Jiameng Pass, but he did not expect that the Qin army would have completely occupied Guanzhong just after his former army arrived in Hanzhong.
Li Shimin died, and Li Tang was in internal turmoil. Liu Yu did not believe that Li Tang could still defend Hanzhong, so he came up with the idea of seizing the three counties of Hanzhong and improving the northern defense line of Yizhou.
But there is a big obstacle to accomplishing this goal, that is, Baishui Pass is still in the hands of the Tang army.
There are only 50,000 Shu troops entering Hanzhong, and there are still 100,000 troops to follow. Once the Shu and Tang Dynasties break up, but fail to capture Baishui Pass, the Hanzhong Shu troops will really be trapped to death.
Faced with this situation, Liu Yu listened to Su Qin's strategy and led an army of 50,000 to stay on the front line of Hanchang, attracting the attention of Li Xiaogong and other senior officials of Li and Tang Dynasties, and at the same time lowering the other party's vigilance.
But secretly, Zhang Ren was asked to lead an army of 50,000 people out of Jiameng Pass, ready to attack Baishui Pass at any time. At the same time, he contacted Li Keyong, the guard of Baishui Pass, hoping to instigate him to rebel. Liu Yu's move to instigate rebellion was not only unsuccessful, but also aroused Li Xiaogong's vigilance, and he became even more vigilant against Liu Yu.
The plan to rebel against Li Keyong failed, and Liu Yu turned his target to his deputy general, Shi Jingtang.
In order to instigate Shi Jingtang's rebellion, Liu Yuke spent a lot of money and actually promised to directly make him a prince.
Just when Liu Yu was wooing Shi Jingtang, Da Qin's spies were actually instigating rebellion against Shi Jingtang.
It is no wonder that Shi Jingtang refused Da Qin's invitation and turned to Shu. After all, Da Qin's conditions for instigating rebellion were superior, and it was impossible for Shi Jingtang to offer the position of prince to Shi Jingtang.
Shi Jingtang suddenly rebelled and captured Li Keyong. Zhang Ren led 50,000 Shu troops to invade Hanzhong without spending a single soldier. The Shu army's strength in Hanzhong also reached 100,000.
After Li Xiaogong learned the news of the fall of Baishui Pass, considering the disparity in strength between the two sides, the Shu army continued to enter Hanzhong, and it was definitely impossible to fight head-on, so he decisively led his army to retreat to Nanzheng County to defend, but he did not know this move Just what Liu Yu meant.
Li Xiaogong could only command the troops, but he had no idea of the overall situation.
In this situation, how long can he defend Nanzheng City? Therefore, it is destined to be impossible to defend against the injury.
If Li Xiaogong is tough to the end and would rather kill him every single soldier than survive, then Liu Yu really has to consider retreating. After all, if he really fights the Tang army and loses both sides, he will only take advantage of Da Qin in the end.
But Li Xiaogong did not fight to the end, but chose to defend and delay for time. This was equivalent to handing the initiative to Liu Yu, because the longer it was delayed, the more beneficial it would be to the Shu army.
After hearing Ying Hao's analysis, all the generals present also reacted. Originally, they had hoped that the Shu and Tang Dynasties would be able to defeat both sides. After the Great Qin captured Longxi, they would also capture the three counties of Hanzhong. But now it is about capturing Hanzhong. It's a bit difficult.
“Your Majesty, are we just going to watch Liu Yu capture Hanzhong?” Sun Lingming said with a look of reluctance.
“Of course not, regardless of success or failure, the important thing is to give it a try.”
After speaking, Ying Hao looked at Li Cunxiao and ordered: "Li Cunxiao, I order you to lead an army of fifty thousand to leave San Pass and attack Yangping Pass."
“No.” Li Cunxiao responded.
“Where is Wu Qi and Sun Lingming?”
“The end will be here.”
“I order you two to lead Chencang’s 20,000-strong army to attack Wudu County in the west.”
“No.” The two of them said in unison.
“In addition, we sent an order to Xuanyuan, Gongsun of Zu Licheng, to lead an army of 20,000 to attack Longxi County;
He ordered Wu Shicheng Long Qie to lead an army of 20,000 to attack Hanyang County.
He ordered Han Xin of Wancheng to lead an army of 50,000 to attack Shangyong County. "
)
Following Ying Hao's order, the 160,000 elite Qin troops were divided into five groups and began to march.
Li Siyuan, the general guarding Yangping Pass, was frightened when he learned that Li Cunxiao was leading an army of 50,000 to attack. While guarding tightly, he asked Li Xiaogong of Nanzheng for help.
How can Li Xiaogong send reinforcements? Only then did he realize how desperate the situation Li Tang was facing was.
After losing Guanzhong, Li Tang still had nine counties, and eight of them were under fire at the same time.
The three counties of Qiang are facing an attack by 60,000 Sui troops.
Three counties in Longxi were invaded by Qin troops from three routes totaling 60,000 at the same time.
The three counties of Hanzhong were attacked by Shu and Qin from three sides, including 150,000 Shu troops and 100,000 Qin troops.
The Tang army now has a total strength of less than 100,000, but it is facing the siege of 370,000 troops from the Shu, Sui and Tang Dynasties.
Such an unsolvable situation cannot be solved even by Li Shimin's resurrection, let alone Li Xiaogong.
Li Xiaogong didn't know what to do at all. The only thing he could do was to defend Nanzheng City and let the Tang Dynasty persist day by day, but he didn't know that this was just drinking poison to quench his thirst.
The Tang troops stationed in various places in Hanzhong were naturally disappointed when they saw that Li Xiaogong was only trapped in Nanzheng but could not come up with any solution, and surrendered to Qin and Shu one after another.
The magistrates and county lieutenants of Mianyang, Baozhong and Anyang counties around Nanzheng all surrendered to Liu Yu without a fight.
The four counties of Chenggu, Dingyuan, Longting, and Weiyang all raised Qin flags and wanted to surrender to the Qin Dynasty.
However, the Yongzhou Qin army on the north route was blocked outside Yangping Pass, and the Jingzhou Qin army on the east route was blocked at Shangyong. Neither Qin army on the two routes could support them.
Except for Weiyang County, which belongs to Shangyong County, and was surrendered by Han Xin's army after the surrender, the defenders of the other three counties misjudged the situation and had to fight alone before the Qin army invaded Hanzhong.
Liu Yu learned that three counties in Hanzhong had hoisted Qin flags in an attempt to surrender to Qin. Instead, he suspended the persecution of Nanzheng and ordered three generals, Kong Peng, Liu Er, and Shi Jingtang, to lead an army of 10,000 each to attack these three counties.
The reason why Liu Yu did this was naturally to kill chickens to scare monkeys, as a deterrent and to prevent more military leaders from falling to the Qin army.
Liu Yu's move soon had an effect. As the three counties were conquered by Kong Peng and the three generals, all the county magistrates and captains were beheaded in public. The defenders in all parts of Hanzhong were silent and did not dare to surrender to Qin.
Although the Qin army is powerful, it is still outside Hanzhong after all and cannot affect the inside of Hanzhong for the time being. However, the sword of Shu is hanging on their necks.
After Liu Yu saw that the deterrent effect was effective, he listened to Su Qin's suggestions and adopted gentle methods to postpone the offensive on Xinzheng. At the same time, he negotiated with the defenders in the city in an attempt to persuade the defenders to surrender.
Liu Yu naturally did not place all his hopes on Li Xiaogong's surrender. While negotiating, he also sent Zhang Song as an envoy to Yangping Pass to lobby Li Siyuan.
If Li Siyuan surrendered to Qin, Liu Yu would have to fight a decisive battle with the Qin army in Hanzhong, but now he is not ready for a decisive battle, so he must stabilize Li Siyuan first.
(End of this chapter)