Time flies and it is early August. More and more Jin troops are gathering in Xingmingci, but the results are getting smaller and smaller.
On the first day of August, Li Keyong personally supervised the troops to attack Handan, but failed. When they retreated, they were chased and killed, resulting in heavy losses. However, the Xia army also pursued too far, and was killed by the Jin army again, with equally heavy losses.
heavy.
Li Keyong, who chased all the way to Handan City, could only sigh in vain as he looked at the tall city.
In Handan, there were more than 10,000 Xia troops and Tiande's army, as well as tens of thousands of local peasants. The inner and outer camps were connected by fences, making it difficult to capture. He did not have any hope.
Handan failed, so Li Keyong personally led the troops, detoured to the south to the direction of Fuyang, and stationed in Zhaoyi County first, trying to attack Fuyang. However, there were thousands of German troops and more than 10,000 Tutuan peasants in Cizhou City. After three days of fierce attack,
, the Jin army couldn't afford it, so they gave up. Try to bypass Cizhou and leave it alone. The defenders in the city went out to attack again, and they were entangled endlessly, leaving you without a stable logistics channel.
This is really a dilemma.
Although the Jin army has good combat effectiveness, it has little capital. Unlike the Xia people, it has a large territory, many household registrations, and a large army, which can drive a large number of sergeants to besiege the city. Li Keyong is really reluctant to spend so much. After thinking about it, he can only plunder.
After a while, he left hundreds of soldiers in Zhaoyi County to monitor, and then returned to Wu'an with his own strength.
But the Jin army left, and the Xia people came again. The Wuwei army, as the strategic general reserve, sent more than 10,000 troops to attack Zhaoyi. The Jin soldiers who stayed behind fled, and the Xia army pursued them all the way to Fukou Town, where they met the reinforcements.
Li Ke used the main force, and the two sides fought several battles, with each winning or losing. In the end, the Xia army retreated, leaving hundreds of thin soldiers to guard Zhaoyi, and the main force returned to Yecheng.
The Jin army came after them, and the Xia soldiers who had stayed behind in Zhaoyi fled. However, the Jin soldiers were not interested in defending the city. After being lured at Cizhou City, they passed Zhaoyi without entering and withdrew directly - guarding every city.
It will only divide one's own strength. Not only will the defensive strength be insufficient, but it will also be difficult to recruit enough people to counterattack.
Xing Mingci went around in circles for more than half a month, and Li Keyong found that this was like a mouse trying to pull a turtle, and he had nowhere to eat, which was really uncomfortable.
You want to say that the Xia army defended, but that is not correct. Because they often mobilized troops from the rear and had enough counterattack power, they fought very well. If the Jin army was not careful, they would get a big bite.
You said that the Xia army was very aggressive, but that's not necessarily the case. They basically focused on defense, leaving only a few weak soldiers at the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain to monitor. The main force was stationed in the rear. They first used the fortified city to wear down their troops and morale, and then used
The cavalry harassed the logistics line, and finally mobilized enough manpower to counterattack.
Basically, they still focus on defense, and the tactics are relatively conservative, but very effective. At the beginning, the Jin army also tried to occupy some cities where the Xia army's defenses were weak, but when they found that the cost of maintaining the stretched transportation lines was very high,
They gave up and started to be more pragmatic.
This tactic is actually very deadly.
It is clear that he is strong enough to fight you in a decisive battle, and he may not fail, but he just doesn't fight. Instead, he puts his fresh troops behind and keeps an eye on your weaknesses. Once you show fatigue, a large number of elite troops who have been resting for a long time will attack you.
Generals will be mobilized and beat you into a state of disarray. If you retreat, they will not forcefully attack the stronghold you are defending to avoid unnecessary consumption.
Li Keyong didn't know how to deal with it.
"Have you figured it out after fighting for so long?" Li Keyong looked at the generals surrounding him and said, "Xing Ming is attracted by the three states, and the Xia people regard defense as their first priority. What does this mean?"
Everyone, look at me and I look at you. In the end, the young man Li Cunxu was the most frustrated. He jumped out first and said, "Master, Lu Yanwei is hiding in Nanpi, asking for help again and again. Ge Congzhou sent troops on his side.
They looted the countryside, collected grain and grass, and harassed Jizhou, but they didn't look very anxious. I thought that this journey was a lie. Xing Mingci, in fact, was also a lie."
"The ancients said that what is false is what is real, what is true is what is false. How can we be sure about what is true and what is false?" Shi Shaoyong said nonchalantly from the side: "I heard that the Shao thief used soldiers and loved to imitate Taizong. I can be a good soldier."
Transform into a strange soldier. A strange soldier can become a regular soldier at any time. Shao Thief has been fighting for half his life, how can he be so pedantic? He is a veteran on the battlefield, and the way to change lies in one heart.
.Without our rescue, do you think Ge Congzhou would have surrounded Nanpi and completely wiped out Lu Yanwei."
Li Cunxu couldn't stand the excitement and almost stood up to argue with Shi Shaoyong. Liu, who was sitting next to Li Keyong, quickly grabbed him and shook his head gently.
Li Cunxu sat down glumly.
"Your Majesty." Li Cunxian, the commander of the Yi'er Army, stood up and said: "Actually, General Shi is right. The Xia thieves arranged tens of thousands of elite troops in Xingmingci to prevent me from advancing eastward and cut off the Yongji Canal.
Once the Yongji Canal was cut off, the Xia people mobilized so many soldiers and horses that they could no longer carry out one meal after another. The cost of transporting by land alone was too high. On the other hand, when the Yongji Canal was open, the Xia people had enough food and grass.
, you can assemble heavy troops in one place at will to gain an advantage. Xing Mingci's Tiande and Wuwei armies currently seem to focus on defense, but they are also paying close attention to our army. Once they switch to attack, they don't need to ask for anything else.
The two groups alone can mobilize a large army and launch a counterattack. The combination of false and true, right and strange, is the kingly way to use troops."
Li Keyong turned his attention to Gai Yu.
Gai Yu cleared his throat and said: "I also agree with General Shi's view. Because Lu Long and other troops went south, the siege of Cangzhou was temporarily lifted. However, there is no sound in Dezhou. If nothing happens, the Xia people must be struggling to attack the city.
, once the attack is taken, tens of thousands more troops and horses will be added out of thin air, which can change the local situation no matter which direction they are invested."
Li Ke blinked with his right eye and subconsciously wanted to ask Mrs. Ji, Mrs. Liu, but considering that everyone here was a big boss, he held back and turned to look at Li Xiji and asked: "What do you think, Mr. Li?"
?”
Li Xiji had been thinking about it for a long time. When he saw the King of Jin's inquiry, he immediately replied: "Your Majesty, the momentum of the Xia people's advance has been curbed by me. It is difficult for our army to break through Xing Mingci, but the Xia army has no way.
Inch advance. Ge Congzhou's troops are not large enough to completely defeat Lu Yanwei. Kuang Yanwei is still recruiting troops and the army is recovering. As long as the battle is not wasted, Ge Congzhou can't do anything to him on Monday. Under Beizhou City,
The Chengde army has been fighting with the Xia thieves for a long time, but the Xia people do not have the upper hand. These three fronts are all stuck in the quagmire. If I were Ge Congzhou, I should launch my force from the direction of Dezhou at this time and pull out this place first.
Everything is alive and well. Watching him use his troops, this is indeed what he did."
Li Keyong thought for a while and then asked: "How should our army break the situation?"
Li Xiji replied: "There are three strategies to break the situation. First, the king selects elite troops, goes south to defend them, and mobilizes the Xia people. The Xia people stay in place and there is no flaw. But once they move, there may be flaws. This is to break the situation.
Second, send an envoy to Zhenzhou to persuade Wang Rong to invest his old capital to expel the Xia army's cavalry and threaten Ge Cong's retreat from Zhou. Chengde's horse administration is very good and there are many cavalry troops, so this advantage should be used
.Thirdly, the Youzhou soldiers and horses led by Li Cunzhang are numerous in number and have recruited many Cangjing warriors. On this occasion, they should actively cooperate with Cangzhou Lu Kuang to defeat the Xia people facing them."
After saying these three points, Li Xiji seemed to want to say something more, but then shut up. He knew very well that among these three points, it was not easy to achieve any of them. But if you want to break the situation, you really have to do this. The current
The battle situation seemed to be a stalemate, but in Li Xiji's view, it was still under the control of the Xia people. They decided how to fight, where to fight, and when to fight, which was very dangerous.
"Dezhou..." Li Ke muttered twice in a low voice, then stretched out his hand and said: "Here comes the picture."
The personal attendant immediately handed over the drawings and slowly unfolded them.
Li Keyong examined it carefully and found that the battle situation was indeed as the generals said. The Xia army's breakthrough point was in Dezhou. Where was the Hebei coalition's breakthrough point?
Maybe it's Yongji Canal, maybe it's under Cangzhou City, there are only these two places.
"Husband, don't ignore the direction of Guizhou." Liu suddenly reminded.
"Huh! This traitor!" Li Keyong was furious.
The impact of Li Cunxiao's surrender was very bad. He cut off the road from Hedong to Youzhou for a time, and it had to be diverted through Yiding Town.
In order to solve this situation, Hedong, Yiding, and Youzhou allied forces to attack Guizhou. Although the city was not broken, the road was reopened. But in the eyes of many people, this was just a victory.
Just to save face. In fact, as long as Li Cunxiao is willing to leave the city, he can still cut off the post road. The road to Juyongguan through Guizhou is not safe.
If cutting off the post road is just a trivial matter, then turning a rear area into a front line is very uncomfortable.
After the crown prince Li Luoluo was appointed as the envoy of Tanji Yingping Town, his main focus was to deal with Li Cunxiao in Guizhou and try to regain more military towns and fortresses. Zhuozhou and Yi Ding were also restrained in many forces. Li Cunxiao went on a military rampage and went on a rampage.
The recruitment of troops, and the Xia people's support of cattle, sheep, money and silk, became very active for a while, and the encirclement and suppression was very hard.
To be honest, if the Xia army had not launched a large-scale attack on Hebei this time, Li Keyong would have killed Li Cunxiao - as his adopted son whom he once loved very much, it would be difficult for him to express his anger without killing him.
"There is no need to worry too much over there in Guizhou." Li Keyong calmed down a little and said: "After the consumption in winter and spring, An Jingsi's strength has been greatly reduced, and he can't harm anyone for the time being. My son Luoluo, King Yi Ding
Li Siyuan from Gao and Daizhou is continuously advancing troops. If the Xia people come to rescue, they will give them a good look. If they don't come to rescue, sooner or later the three parties will join forces to fight for peace."
Ms. Liu nodded: "It's good that your husband knows what to expect."
"It's better to focus on the battlefield in Hebei." Li Keyong thought for a while and had already made up his mind. He just heard him say: "In two days, I will lead the army south. Yazi, you go back to Luzhou first, send troops to cooperate, and attack first
Defeat the enemy of Xiangzhou."
"Yes." Li Cunxu responded excitedly.
Li Keyong was also very pleased.
Cun Xu is extremely brave and has a keen sense of battlefield. This is a talent, and God will reward him with food.
At that time, someone praised him as "this son is as good as his father", which can be seen from this.
Last month, he led his troops down the mountain alone and attacked Zimo Town, burning tens of thousands of dendrobium stored by the Xia people. He also ambushed the Wuwei army who came for reinforcements and beheaded more than a thousand people, greatly defeating the enemy's strength.
This time going south, father and son are united, hoping to completely open up the situation.
If this doesn't work, we should consider giving up making a fuss about Xing Mingci, borrowing moral principles, and opening up another battlefield. Li Keyong will certainly listen to his subordinates' ideas, but when it comes to war, he has his own understanding, even if it is possible
If he is wrong, he will make a decisive decision instead of continuing to be indecisive and miss opportunities.