The desert is endless and the lonely city is empty on all sides.
The sun sets in the west and it is almost dusk. The sunset in the west is like fire. The sun shines through the gaps in the clouds, and only the golden light on the sand is shining. The heat is curling up, as if the endless golden sea can be seen.
The temperature difference between day and night in the North is huge. Although it is midsummer, late at night or at dawn, even if you are wrapped in a fur coat, you will feel cold, but as long as the sun has not set, the earth will be as hot as a furnace.
Yuan Yao stood at the top of the city gate of Gaoqueguan and looked north. He saw only an empty desert with no boundaries.
After looking at it for a long time, he asked: "Is it here that Li Chengzhi's tens of thousands of tribes were wiped out in less than a month, and the Du Lun tribe of more than 50,000 herdsmen and nearly 100,000 string control men were wiped out?"
"How can there be 10,000? It's only 5,000 to the sky!"
Xi Kangsheng shook his head, "If Canada's two thousand tiger cavalry and Luo Jian's four battalions of town cavalry were used, Li Chengzhi's troops would be able to reach over 10,000... And in this battle, the tiger cavalry and town cavalry were as close as watching a play.
When Dou Ling (the famous king of Du Lun tribe) was defeated, Li Chengzhi ordered an attack to pursue the enemy..."
"So, whether it was Du Lun's Twelve Tribes, Touman City, or the 20,000 elite cavalry that Dou led at Knock Pass, they were all defeated by Li's tribe?"
Yuan Yao let out a heavy breath, "Even if one fights ten, he can still be invincible and overwhelming... It seems that Murong Xiao, Cui Yanbo, and Rou Ran's losses are not unfair..."
"It's not unfair, it's just that we underestimated the enemy too much!"
Xi Kangsheng said leisurely, "I have said many times that Li's firearms are extremely cunning and impossible to guard against. What Luo Jian and Yuan Zhi presented to the court were definitely not lies, nor were they exaggerated by Gao Zhao. Therefore, we must take every step as a precaution, no matter how careful we are.
It’s not an exaggeration…but it’s a pity that King Rencheng and County Prince Cui still don’t pay enough attention to it…”
Could it be that Yuan Cheng and Cui Yanbo didn’t pay enough attention to it?
Even after he was ordered to return to Beijing, given imperial edicts and banners, and was worshiped by the emperor as the general to conquer the north, when he first heard the name of firearms, he was dubious.
Not to mention seeing it, I have never even heard of it. There are weapons that can bring down thunder and fire, which are similar to divine punishment. How is this different from the theory of ghosts and gods?
But when things came to pass, I realized that what I said was true, but it was too late to regret...
Yuan Yao sighed secretly and asked: "If the imperial court had not changed its commander before the battle, and the county prince still led the army, would it have been able to win?"
"Difficult! We can only rely on our troops to defend the three towns of Jincheng, Shanshan, and Wuhan. Then we can lure Tuyuhun with heavy rewards, and Rouran can send out strange troops, and attack the West Sea from the north and the south together."
Xi Kangsheng laughed self-deprecatingly, "To be honest, Commander, I have been jealous of Li Chengzhi for a long time. Don't say it is like this now. I thought that with nearly a million troops, I would be able to defeat him in one battle. But Rouran and Tuyuhun have not yet
If good news comes, I will not be able to leave..."
This was not the first time Yuan Yao heard these words. As soon as he returned to the capital after receiving the order, he read the memorials about Xihai and Li Chengzhi many times. The memorials included Yuan Cheng and Yuan Yi.
, Cui Guang, Gao Zhao before the rebellion, Yuanying before the death, and Xi Kangsheng, Li Shao, etc. who knew them well.
Furthermore, because it was the time when Yuan Cheng was on an envoy to Rouran, it was no longer a secret that the imperial court was borrowing troops from Rouran and Tuyuhun, so the imperial court made a special trip to these people to ask for their opinions on the conquest.
Among them, Xi Kangsheng was the most conservative, almost exactly what he said just now.
It seemed at that time that the three parties had a combined strength of nearly one million troops. But in a corner of the West Sea, Li Chengzhi went on a military rampage. With all the people in the army, he was afraid that he would not be able to muster up 100,000 troops.
Therefore, everyone in the Yuan and Wei dynasties thought that the imperial court could not defeat the enemy and attack Huanglong, at least nine times out of ten. However, Xi Kangsheng's strategy was like a tortoise with its head shrinking, and it was inevitable that morale would be lost.
It was for this reason that the imperial court had the idea of changing the commander. Even the younger generation were jealous, thinking that Xi Kangsheng had already done a great job in helping Yuan Cheng pacify Gao Zhao. If he were to suppress Li Chengzhi again, it would be difficult for him to do so.
seal up.
That's why some people actually slandered Xi Kang, saying that Xi Kang had been in Guanzhong for a long time and was close to Li Chengzhi, so it was better to avoid suspicion in this battle.
Xi Kangsheng was also happy not to be an enemy of Li Chengzhi, but after hearing the news, he submitted a memorial to the commander-in-chief. After that, the court followed the trend and moved Yuanyao, who was then the general of the Southern Expedition, to the Northern Expedition.
Yuan Yao would not doubt what happened to Xi Kangsheng and Li Chengzhi. He only thought that the battle to conquer Gaozhao was too difficult and might make Xi Kangsheng angry, so he was too cautious.
But at this time, it seems that it is as close as a prophet, and one word has become a prophecy. Only then did I realize that Xi Kangsheng's words were the best strategy.
It's not that Yuan Yao regretted not listening to Xi Kangsheng's words, it's just that the strategies for pacifying the Western Sea were all decided by Yuan Cheng and the Queen Mother, such as how many troops to borrow from the two countries, where to enter the pass, etc., all of them were established. As long as Rouran
The army of Tuyuhun has not yet arrived, and the edict to lead the Hu army has not yet arrived. Yuan Yao, the commander-in-chief, has only an empty reputation. Everything must be based on Yuan Cheng's wishes.
He just wanted to adopt it, but unfortunately it was not his turn to make the decision. Therefore, although the battle was defeated, Yuan Yao could not be blamed.
Yuan Yao just felt aggrieved: The battle hadn't even started yet, he hadn't even seen a single soldier in Xihai, yet the reputation of a great defeat fell on him first?
Nowadays, the so-called million-strong army has been reduced to six out of ten. With the 200,000 newly surrendered troops in his and Xing Luan's hands, how can they be the opponent of the powerful Li Chengzhi?
Therefore, Yuan Yao was already suspecting that he, the general who conquered the north, would most likely have a real battle with Xihai and lose...
Thinking in his heart, he frowned again: "I think back on the time when I was appointed governor of Jingzhou. The Li family in the ancestral home of Xishan has been declining, and the family status has declined. Moreover, the descendants are few and mediocre, and there is no outstanding or outstanding talent.
.
I even heard that Li Shixian's concubine had an affair with his brother, and he was so angry that he killed him. The legitimate son was so frightened that he lost his soul and became an idiot. It was only seven or eight years ago, how can it be as different as the night sky?
, what a huge difference?”
You also know that it was seven or eight years ago, how can it be the same?
Xi Kangsheng sighed softly: "Honestly speaking, except for Li Chengzhi, today's Li family is no different from the past. Those who should be mediocre are still mediocre, and those who should be untalented are still talentless. But once he became wise,
Suddenly, he became an extremely talented person. There were hundreds of schools of thought, nine skills and ten disciplines, and few were incompetent. His ability to lead armies and conquests made him the best in the world, and this is why the Li family prospered..."
Yuan Yao asked again: "Even if one suddenly becomes wise, he is like a genius. Isn't it just that he is born with knowledge? The rumor that people are given by God to predict the future is not groundless?"
"If you say that you know things from birth, such as iron smelting, armor forging, medicine, formations, and the place where fire oil is stored, Li Chengzhi can find the source in the old paper. If you say that you can't predict the future, it is even more nonsense. Otherwise.
How come you have narrowly escaped death many times and your life hangs by a thread? This is all based on false rumors and cannot be trusted..."
Xi Kangsheng paused for a moment and then sighed, "Including the thunder that day, Li Chengzhi always claimed that it was made from kerosene. But I thought that he must not have told the truth..."
"When I was on the southern expedition, I always heard rumors about the 'Heavenly Thunder', which was said to be like a divine punishment, and it would be punished no matter what. It was a pity that I didn't cover it. How about comparing it to Gao Zhao's rocket, which one is stronger and weaker?"
"Gao Zhao's rocket? Compared with Li Chengzhi's thunder weapon, it is like a bright moon and a firefly... Even Gao Zhao picked up the tricks and stole the methods from Li Chengzhi!"
Xi Kangsheng shook his head, "Does the county magistrate know why Gao Zhao originally wanted to catch the fish to death and vowed to compete with the court, but in the end he suddenly uncharacteristically opened the city gate and bowed his head to accept surrender? It was because he was seeking his own death, and with Li Shixian and his son
When we attack, we want to divert disaster to the east, but we don’t want to backfire..."
Yuan Yao had met Gao Zhao, so he naturally knew about it. At that time, he secretly thought it was ridiculous, thinking that Gao Zhao was just a tough-talking duck trying to trick the donkey. He knew he was bound to lose, but he found some weird excuses to excuse himself.
No matter how strong Li Chengzhi is, can he still be stronger than a country?
Since Gao Zhao dared to raise an army to rebel, he was so afraid of a child with a yellow mouth, which is simply a joke in the world.
But looking at it now, I realized that Gao Zhao really had foresight: no matter how strong he was, could he still be stronger than Rouran and Tuyuhun?
As soon as the army from the West Sea arrives, it will be his death. He simply surrenders to the court, and at least he can survive for a few days...
Thinking of this, Yuan Yao felt more and more mixed feelings in his heart, and he couldn't tell what he was feeling.
After smacking his lips for a long time, he sighed: "Such a genius should be a pillar of talent and be used by our Yuan Dynasty. Why can he be forced to become a traitor?"
Xi Kangsheng's face darkened and he was speechless.
Time is also fate.
We can only blame the Yuan and Wei dynasties for their bad luck, which caused such calamity and allowed traitors to take over...
As ministers, how can we dare to talk about the rights and wrongs of the monarch? The two of them were filled with sorrow and thoughts, but they remained silent.
It wasn't until the sun set and a cool breeze blew that Yuan Yao sighed sadly: "It's useless to talk more. Now I can only hope that King Ren Cheng can turn the tide and find a way to save the day..."
How to turn the tide?
The imperial court had gathered a total of 150,000 troops, and Yuan Huai lost them during Yu Zhong's rebellion, with more than 30,000 defecting.
After Li Chengzhi pacified the Qin and Liang states, he lost nearly 30,000 yuan, leaving less than 90,000 yuan.
Later, during the expedition against Gaozhao, nearly 20,000 people were killed and injured, leaving only 70,000 people left. When he handed over his command as commander and suppressed the six towns, Yuan Cheng made the decision and sent them all to Cui Yanbo's command.
But don’t you want to lose nearly 30,000 yuan in the battle of Shanshan, without even a splash?
Moreover, after losing several battles in a row and losing all morale, how much combat power can be left?
If Cui Yanbo wanted to hold on to Longshan, he had no other choice but to recruit troops from Guanzhong.
As for the remaining states, counties, and six towns, the Northland has been beaten to pieces and has no troops to recruit. Whether he can resist Yuanyuan with these surrendered troops is still open to question.
As for Shandong and the Huaihe River, it was necessary to defend the Southern Dynasty, and because the Chinese army was exhausted, Hedong, which was Luojing's vassal, and Henan could not, so where could the imperial court send troops?
As for Yuan Yao's fantasy of borrowing troops from Nanliang?
Haha... Do you think Liang Emperor Xiao Yan is a fool?
I'm afraid that if the Southern Dynasties were blinded, they would not know about the great chaos of the Yuan and Wei Dynasties, and also know that Tuyuhun and Rouran were defeated one after another. No matter how stupid he was, he would have thought that since even the powerful Yuan and Wei Dynasties had to borrow troops from the Hu tribe to conquer the West Sea, but
Unexpectedly, in less than a month, the chickens failed and the rice was lost. In less than a month, they were defeated one after another, and even the land west of Hexi was occupied by Xihai. Now even Guanzhong is in danger?
How many kilograms and taels does Nanliang have? Do you dare to wade into this muddy water?
So what Yuan Yao thinks is undoubtedly a daydream.
After counting, it seems that the only thing left is to withdraw the southern army. But how should the southern enemy defend itself?
Maybe before the imperial court and Li Chengzhi could decide the winner, Luojing was captured by the Southern Army first.
In Xi Kangsheng's view, this is already a dead end and cannot be broken...
Thinking secretly in his heart, Xi Kangsheng sighed helplessly: "If the reinforcements are delayed, what will happen to us? It is better to seek help from others than from yourself. Now we can only think about it and go all out... If something goes wrong, it is nothing more than risking it with one's own body."
Martyring one's country, in the name of Quan Xi's loyalty..."
Although he had already had this awareness, Yuan Yao still trembled in his heart: "Is there really no good plan?"
Xi Kangsheng pondered: "I can only hope that Li Chengzhi can wake up and know that if he is aggressive, he will only end up with both the jade and the stone. Just like the fight between the clam and the crane, in the end it will only take advantage of the fisherman in Nanliang..."
But is this possible?
Yuan Yao felt that it was better to hope that Yuan Cheng could borrow reinforcements from Nanliang, as it seemed more likely.
"hope so!"
He sighed leisurely and put his hands on the battlements. He felt a coldness in his palms and was surprised to realize that it was already night and there was actually night dew.
"Go back, so as not to catch the cold!"
"Okay!" Xi Kangsheng followed the good advice and responded.
Kankan turned around and suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves in the distance. The two stopped instinctively and looked westward under the moonlight.
The sound of horse hooves got closer and closer, and when they got close to a hundred feet, they saw several black shadows. Then they heard a horseman shouting: "Don't shoot arrows on the city. I am the leader of the scout team under the cavalry general Yuan Heng. I have a military order to report."
General Yu..."
Yuan Heng is the third brother of Yuan Yao, and he was originally the governor of Qingzhou. When the imperial court appointed Yuan Yao as the general of the Northern Campaign, he specifically asked the imperial court to help him lead the army. Today's Woye and Gaoque Pass are guarded by Yuan Heng.
.
The scouts came from the west. In all likelihood, they were sent by Yuan Heng to the west of Bigan City to explore the movements of the Western Sea. Since they came in such a hurry, there must be military information, so Yuan Yao's heart trembled and he shouted loudly.
: "Hang up to the city!"
Not long after, several scouts were hung up in the city. There were many people on the city wall, so it was not the place to ask questions. Yuan Yao and Xi Kangsheng took the scouts down to Guancheng, and called Yuan Heng to verify his identity.
After confirming that it was correct, Yuan Yao asked: "What's the military information?"
"County Lord, five days ago, the last general patrolled to the Xihai River Canal Division, and suddenly encountered the Xihai Army... After repeated explorations, nearly half of the team was lost, and 70% of the horses were killed. Finally, the truth was found out: there were nearly 30,000 enemies.
, all are armored cavalry, and they drive tens of thousands of cattle and sheep, and nearly a thousand chariots...
Three hundred miles to the east of Bigan City, his troops were divided into two groups, one turned south and the other came towards my Gaoque..."
There are only 30,000 troops in total, but they are divided into two groups?
In this case, wouldn't it cost less than 20,000 to go to Gaoque?
Now, the total number of troops in Gaoque, Fertile Field, and Bigan City is nearly 200,000. If it were in the past, Yuan Yao would have sneered: Could it be that the enemy general has lost his mind and gone crazy and wants to hit a stone with an egg?
But now he stopped joking, his heart shrank into a ball in shock.
If there is no accident, this must be the West Sea army that defeated Rouran at Junji Mountain. Now it has six towns, the Northland and the surrender army under its command. Although it is also 200,000, it is not inferior to Rouran's cavalry.
How many chips have been raised, how can he be the opponent of Xihai?