There are two cities in Chencangguan, one is south of the Weishui River and about thirty miles east of Longshan Mountain. The other is twenty miles north of the Weishui River, but close to Longshan Mountain.
The reason for this is mainly due to the Qin, Han, and Three Kingdoms battles in Chencang. Most of the armies rushed from Shu to Chencang via the Qinling Road. If the defenders were caught off guard, they could retreat to the north of the Wei River and defend along the river.
However, Cui Yanbo did the opposite and only defended the northern city. He also sent most of his heavy troops to Longguan and merged with Longshan.
Because it is impossible for Li Chengzhi to go around to the south of the Qinling Mountains and send troops from Shu, there is no need to waste troops. Secondly, there are several trails in Longshan near Beicheng. Although it is not possible for cars, it is possible for horses. Cui Yanbo was afraid of sending infantry from the West Sea.
, they used mules and horses carrying firearms to cross Longshan Mountain, so they deployed a large number of troops here.
But I never thought that the West Sea would flow down the Wei River?
First, the terrain of the section of the Wei River that passes through the Longshan Mountains is extremely complex. Although there are no high cliffs or waterfalls, the terrain is steep, the water flow is rapid, and the river is extremely narrow, making it impossible for large ships to pass.
But if it is a small boat, it is single and weak, and cannot hold the oar steady at all. Whenever it goes into the water, the boat will hit the reef in all likelihood, and the boat will be destroyed and people will die.
Even for the people who have lived in the western section of the Wei River for generations, it is rare to see people driving boats into the water. This is why.
Cui Yanbo never thought that Li Chengzhi would come from the Weishui River. He only left 5,000 troops and horses in Chencang, just in case Nanliang took advantage of the situation and robbed him, and unexpected troops emerged from Chencang Road.
But he even more doubted Cui Guang, was he deceiving him?
But Li Chengzhi had many strange things. He could even build things like artillery and explosives. It was not impossible to build a small boat that could transport troops in a narrow river without being washed away by the rapids and unable to turn the rudder.
What made Cui Yanbo even more horrified was what Cui Guang said: Li Chengzhi wants to burn the mountain!
What Cui Guang said was a phosphorus bomb that could burn through iron armor without water pouring out of his mouth. Cui Yan had never seen it with his own eyes, but he had heard of many similar bombs.
Five years ago, when Li Chengzhi led the army for the first time to suppress the rebels here and resist the Nanliang and Tuyuhun, he used flying thunder and kerosene to defeat the rebels. The 100,000 Nan army was completely defeated, and the famous Nanliang general Chang Yi was defeated.
His failure made Li Chengzhi famous all over the world.
The reputation of fierce fire oil spread everywhere, making the court flock to him like a duck, but he couldn't get what he asked for.
Three years ago, the Gao family rebelled and occupied five states and six towns. Because of this, the famous generals Xi Kangsheng and Xing Luan were kept out of Jinming City, but there was nothing they could do.
If he hadn't been frightened by the power of Li Chengzhi and feared that the clam and the crane would fight each other, which would ultimately benefit the fisherman, Gao Zhao would have ended up with a lot of corruption and no heirs. How could Gao Zhao surrender without a fight?
Don't say it's one year, let's say three to five years. Don't even think about pacifying the Northland and the six towns.
After that, Yuan Yao and Xi Kangsheng wanted to rely on this thing to keep the powerful enemy away from Langshan. It was not until then that Cui Yanbo saw its appearance and saw what the legendary fire oil was.
If it is said that water cannot be extinguished by pouring water, it is true. But to say that it can burn through iron armor and nothing can be destroyed is a bit exaggerated.
Naturally, armor cannot be burned through. When the fire oil burns out, the iron is still iron and has not been damaged at all. And just a handful of sand can make the fire extinguished no longer extinguished.
However, when Liu Fang went on an envoy to the West Sea last year, he claimed that there really was something in the West Sea that could burn through iron armor?
Cui Yanbo was dubious because of the experience of kerosene.
But at least he knew that even though it didn't wear armor, it would be more than enough to set the mountain on fire.
Longshan is called a natural danger, but it is only a relative term. Just like the Qinling Mountains, it is not possible to march large armies or ride fast horses, but there are many narrow paths and narrow valleys through the mountains.
It is not impossible to cross Longshan Mountain with a surprise force by simply finding one or two mountain people to lead the way, and then ordering the soldiers to take off their armor, carry small cannons and flying thunder objects on their backs.
Moreover, there is Long Pass in the south and Xiao Pass in the north, both of which are ancient silk roads. If these two passes are conquered, the army will naturally march straight in.
In this way, Cui Yanbo personally supervised Longguan and sent heavy troops to the mountains to guard the trails.
But now Li Chengzhi wants to set fire to the mountain, how can he not be horrified?
The mountains are mostly made of pines and cypresses, which are oily and flammable. And year after year, the mountains are filled with dead branches and leaves. If a fire were to be set, Cui Yanbo would not be able to withdraw his troops in time.
It's not that he didn't expect this, but he was more or less lucky: Li Chengzhi cherished feathers very much and was full of benevolence and morality. He would definitely be cautious about doing anything that was so unconscionable and contrary to the harmony of nature.
But now, the fantasy is like a bubble, bursting completely.
It is also his own fault. The two armies faced each other and used all possible means. There are few famous generals in ancient times who did not massacre a city, let alone burn a mountain?
For a hero like Li Chengzhi, there is no burden at all.
After thinking about it again, it is really possible that Cui Guang was compassionate and fearful that hundreds of thousands of troops in the mountains would die without a burial place, so he temporarily persuaded Li Chengzhi to come here to persuade him to surrender?
Cui Yanbo was frightened and horrified, and shouted in a low voice: "Quickly, remove all the garrison from the mountain..."
My subordinates knew that this was a serious matter, involving the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers. They were already so frightened that they were sweating on their heads and their two sides were trembling.
But after hearing Cui Yanbo's order, he rushed down to Guancheng like the wind.
The deputy general next to him asked suspiciously: "Captain, if all the defenders in the mountains have withdrawn, there will be a lot of movement. If the enemy takes this opportunity to cross the mountains, what should we do?"
Cui Yanbo suddenly paused and gritted his teeth: "If Li Chengzhi can burn mountains, can't I, Cui Yanbo, not burn them?"
While he was working hard, he suddenly heard several explosions, and Cui Yanbo was horrified.
When he looked up, he saw that the troops under the city were still standing still. Cui Guangzheng was struggling with the general, as if he didn't want to leave. However, he couldn't resist the general's strength, so he forced Cui Guang to get on the horse.
No, Li Chengzhi really wants to burn the mountain?
Then we searched along the place where the cannon sounded. About three to five miles north of the pass, thick smoke billowed out. Cui Yanbo was so shocked that three souls were born and six souls ascended to heaven.
"Hurry...get down the mountain as soon as possible..."
…
How can it be so easy to burn a mountain?
It's not that it can't be burned, but it's not necessary.
If the entire Longshan Mountain is really set on fire, how can Longguan and Xiaoguan, which stand in the valley, be spared?
And in such a big mountain, it may not take several months for the fire to go out. By then, the day lilies will be cold.
Secondly, even if they really set a fire and burned these hundreds of thousands of soldiers to death in the mountains and forests, it would undoubtedly be a dream.
It's not like it's a cliff that can only be climbed but not descended. Can the soldiers still wait to die?
When the fire breaks out, most of them will run down the mountain. At most, a few will fall to death in a panic.
So it was just to intimidate Cui Yanbo and disrupt his military morale. He only fired a few cannons and set fire to an isolated forest. The soldiers on the mountain were like rabbits that had their nest dug out. They only regretted that their parents had lost two legs.
.
How could the garrison behind the gate not see such a grand scene?
Coupled with the loud sound of cannons in the mountains, there is a high probability that the enemy will mistakenly think that the enemy has already captured Longshan, so the defenders in the mountains will be defeated.
This is not something Cui Yanbo can stabilize with a few words. If he bombards the city with cannons at that time, he will definitely get twice the result with half the effort.
After watching for a while, Li Chengzhi put down his telescope and said to himself: "If I were Huangfu, I would attack the city in half an hour at most. Only in this way can the enemy army become more chaotic..."
Cui Yanbo did have a lot of soldiers, 200,000 in total. But Longshan is nearly 500 miles long, and how can there be hundreds of narrow valleys?
Even if only a thousand soldiers are sent to guard one place, the required number of troops is more than 100,000. In addition, the Long and Xiao passes must be guarded.
As soon as he finished speaking, a horseman from Tangqi came to report that General Huangfu had ordered the front army to prepare for war and would bombard Longguan in two seconds at most.
Gentlemen all see the same thing, nothing more than this.
Li Chengzhi laughed and asked smoothly: "Chen Cang, is there any military report from Xiaoguan?"
"Binglang-kun, I didn't!"
Li Cong replied and asked, "Should my servant go to the camp to inquire?"
"Don't be troublesome!"
Li Chengzhi sternly reprimanded, "Just because there are no urgent reports, it means that everything is going well everywhere. I think it won't be long before there will be frequent good news. Furthermore, the war is about to begin. Don't let General Huangfu distract from other things. You should concentrate on the war."
The best thing to do..."
Although Li Chengzhi personally recruited this time, he gave each coach a great deal of autonomy. When it was not necessary, Li Chengzhi rarely commented and allowed his subordinates to perform.
As the saying goes, jade cannot be made into a weapon if it is not polished, even famous generals are made with one sword and one gun.
So when it’s time to delegate power, you must be willing to delegate it. Otherwise, how will your subordinates grow?
If everything is not done in detail, Li Chengzhi will be exhausted...
"Dong dong dong!"
Hearing three more cannon shots, Li Chengzhi was shocked and hurriedly picked up the telescope.
This is the marching drum trumpet, Huangfu Rang is about to attack the city.
I don’t know what happened to Xiaoguan’s Li Liang and Chencang’s Daxi...
…
Liu Du went to Xihai as an envoy and ended up lonely.
It was also because Li Chengzhi opened his mouth and made all the conditions that threatened the life of the imperial court. No matter how stupid Gao Ying was, he would not dare to agree.
The name meeting is just a temporary cessation of fighting, not a real truce. Therefore, whether it is Longguan or Xiaoguan, both sides with many enemies are ready to prepare.
Furthermore, Li Feng sent his troops southward and almost captured Gaoping Town, one of the Ping vassals in Guanzhong.
Because of this, Cui Yanbo and Yuan Yao thought it was normal for the Xihai Sea to transport grain, grass, soldiers, equipment, etc. to Qingshui and Yuezhi (belonging to Longxi, east of Xiaoguan, today's Longde County, Gansu).
It was also because the West Sea shipped more goods to Bogulu and Gaoqueguan that the imperial court was not alerted.
In addition, the imperial court was busy fighting chaos and forcing the Queen Mother to abdicate. After that, it was busy making peace with Rouran and Tuguhun, inducing the two barbarians to invade the West Sea, and even the fine works lurking in the West Sea were cut off and no longer cared about.
So there is no information, how can we know that Li Chengzhi is resolute and ready to strike first?
The soldiers are still the same, the generals are still the same, and Xihai has not seen any increase in troops in these two places. In addition, Xingluan and Li Feng in the north are inseparable, which not only diverts Cui Yanbo's attention, but also makes Yuan Yao and Yuan Yao
Xi Kangsheng was lax and careless.
I just thought that there are natural dangers in Longshan, Guanzhong is not easy to attack, and Xihaiyu will not do it again in a short time.
What's more, the two barbarians have already sent out troops. Although it is not as big as last year, fortunately, they gain wisdom after every experience. Rouran and Tuyuhun have also learned their lesson. They can't defeat them with their light horses and fast horses.
, it must be that Xihai is exhausted.
In this way, Guanzhong is safe for the time being and can rest and recuperate for at least two to three years.
But who would have thought that something that seems impossible would happen?
Li Chengzhi not only fought back fiercely, but also acted like crazy. He would attack wherever the bones were the hardest.
When Qingshui and Yuezhi counties suddenly sent out troops, and their artillery pointed at Xiaoguan and Longguan, Cui Yanbo was stunned...