Li Po was still mobilizing troops towards the river, and his determination to cross the river became more and more firm.
In other words, once you start crossing the river, all actions require firm determination and will. This is Li Po's requirement for the generals preparing to cross the river, or even for himself.
Just like when Li Shimin led his troops to rescue Pu Ban, he spared no effort when storming the beach. That was not stupid, but an inevitable choice to fight in a narrow place. The brave will win when faced with a narrow road.
And determination does not mean victory is guaranteed. When failure occurs, the more determined the person, the greater the loss. But if you don't take such risks, how can you reap the gratifying fruits?
So in the next few days, when Li Po discussed military affairs with the generals, the final decision was full of offensive spirit.
Various accidents are inevitable, for example, something went wrong between Niu Jinda and Shen Qingnu, or the two of them pretended to surrender, etc., because after all, they are different from Zhang Shigui, and these must be taken into consideration.
Once the army begins to cross the river, it will not stop easily. When encountering setbacks, it must move forward bravely to open a path for the following army until the entire army converges on the south bank of the Yellow River. At that time, the army will have a decisive battle with the Tang army.
Strength.
Everyone calculated that it would take about one to two days for the whole army to cross the river. Because it was difficult for the war horses to cross the river, the Yellow River was still in high water at this time, so it was difficult to estimate this time.
If you include food and grass, it will take a long time. Food and grass for tens of thousands of people will not take more than ten days and a half.
After such a long period of time, if the Tang army came to attack, they would have to fight head-on.
Speaking of which, the generals were a little dizzy when they saw the roaring Yellow River passing by, but they all expressed no problem in fighting the Tang army. Obviously, they had gained confidence in fighting the Tang army. This was a good thing. In today's terms, morale was available.
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There is no doubt that the most reliable weapon is the cavalry. The strategic goal is to suppress the Tang army at Tongguan, not to attack the Tongguan Fortress, so field combat is the priority. The cavalry is a weapon in field warfare, especially the Daizhou cavalry.
Moreover, Fengling Ferry was too close to Tongguan, so it would be a very bad situation to consider that the Tang army at Tongguan was encamping step by step, forcing our own army to fight decisively at Fengling Ferry.
If that's the case, after Wang Shichong, it will be Li Po's turn to be the enemy. The two families are fighting, and everyone is watching. Regardless of victory or defeat, in terms of strategy alone, the Jin army will be at a disadvantage.
Li Po felt that this possibility was unlikely. Wang Shichong should be able to survive for a while. If he comes to Liangshidu, Li Gui should also take action. With the war in the northwest, the Tongguan defenders still dare to go out and fight?
Judging from Li Jiancheng's current character, leadership characteristics, and even strategic qualities, it means that it is unlikely that the Tang army will come out to entangle with him.
And as long as he is given enough time, he can completely occupy Hongnong to hold a stalemate with the Tang army in Tongguan instead of holding on to Fengling Ferry.
Of course, these are all guesses. Compared with previous strategic deployments, there are many more things to consider this time, and the situation is very complicated...
At this time, Li Po finally realized that this was an opportunity for him to step out of Jin. After staying in Jin for more than ten years, it was finally time for him to step out, so difficulties were inevitable.
But war is like this. No war can be completely sure beforehand. Forward-looking predictions about war are also an indispensable part of war.
If you guess wrong, you will have to pay a certain price, but you cannot lose the opportunity because of it. The more complicated the situation, the more it reflects the ability and luck of the person who leads the army.
Li Po realizes...it's okay...
Even if the worst happens later, there's nothing to say. It's just a last-ditch fight. Maybe he can lead his troops into Tongguan in one fell swoop.
In that case, the fun would be great...
……………………
Of course, Wang Shichong is undoubtedly having the most fun now. The Henan army is undoubtedly in a position of riding a tiger, and after killing General Zuo Wuwei Guo Ju in front of the formation, Wang Shichong's emperor's frame never left the formation.
After a day of calm, Wang Shichong once again urged the generals to attack the city.
Most of the Henan army, which was short of food and clothing, still maintained its true character as a rebel army. Wang Shichong and his ministers did not have the time to organize the army carefully, so except for those troops who were originally transformed from the official army in the late Sui Dynasty, they could still
Except for some decent ones, the rest are messy.
Everyone knows that such armies bleed the most and the fastest during war, but their blood is the same as others', bright red and dazzling.
When the attack horn sounded, groups of ragged soldiers rushed toward the Tongguan Wall in despair like driven cattle and sheep, and then turned into grotesque corpses lying there, letting their blood flow out.
The sun was scorching, and there were mountains of corpses. As the sounds of killing soared into the sky from the battlefield, the pungent smell of blood became stronger and stronger.
Everything within everyone's sight seemed to gradually turn red. A crazy and stupid war of attrition turned Tongguan into a slaughterhouse of flesh and blood.
Here, there are clear levels of hierarchy, but as long as you lie down, everyone will be equal. Anyone who wants to lead an army to cut off the head of the King of Hell will definitely be completely killed.
Every evening, thick black smoke would rise up and down Tongguan Pass, and the pungent smell would permeate the vicinity of Tongguan Pass. The stench was as disgusting and horrifying as the sight of blood and flesh flying everywhere.
In the past two years, such wars have become increasingly rare.
Wang Shichong attacked with all his strength and gradually exhausted his few vitality under Tongguan. At this time, the Tang army guarding the pass was actually complaining.
Prince Li Jiancheng, who was sitting in Guanzhong, listened to the casualties counted by his ministers every day, and gradually began to feel frightened. He was secretly glad that there was a fortress like Tongguan, and the casualties were still so high. If he had fought with Wang Shichong in the field...
Well, there is nothing to say about this kind of rejoicing. It is more like looking for sufficient reasons for one's own decision. Field warfare and city defense are two completely different strategies.
Generally speaking, field battles compete on the courage and courage of the generals, as well as the morale of the soldiers, whether they are elite or not, etc. There are also many advantages and disadvantages to consider when defending a city, but the most important issues are patience and endurance.
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Of course, none of this meant anything to Li Jiancheng. He chose to stick to the fortified city, so he had temporarily lost the initiative in this war in front of Wang Shichong's army of more than 200,000.
The Tongguan Fortress also ensured that the Tang Army could preserve its strength to the greatest extent and kill a large number of enemies. If the opponent were different, the casualties of the Tang Army might not be too great.
But now that Wang Shichong has gone crazy, he has become the most terrifying opponent of the Tang army. Wang Shichong, who did not care about his own casualties, caused very serious damage to the Tongguan defenders.
For half a month, Wang Shichong created a miracle, no matter how big or small. He continued to maintain a high-intensity offensive against Tongguan. Nearly 50,000 people were killed or injured at Tongguan.
Thick smoke billowed, shrouding Tongguan in its entirety, and there were two light rains during the period. It did not make the place more refreshing, but it truly showed the scene of a river of blood.
The rainwater was dyed red with blood and flowed freely under Tongguan. After the ground dried up the next day, the entire Tongguan City and above the city wall were a light red color, which looked like a layer of dye.
The Henan army suffered heavy casualties, and the previously confident Tang army was exhausted. The nearly 10,000 casualties not only gradually frightened the defenders, but also made the solid Tongguan begin to shake slightly.
If the Henan army is united, Tongguan will probably open the door to them at some point in the future...
But there are no ifs in the war, and no army can withstand nearly a quarter of the casualties and still maintain morale, let alone a patchwork army like Wang Shichong.
General Youtunwei and Guanglu doctor Meng Rang were furious because their nephew died in the battle. The governor stormed Tongguan and died from an arrow. General Zhang Sheng of Youyiwei returned seriously injured, and General Zheng Qianxiang attacked the city because of it.
Unfortunately, he was beheaded by Wang Shichong in public...
Under Tongguan, Li Mi's old troops quickly withered away, and the survivors were panicked.
Wang Shichong was still looking around with unfinished attention. The blade that had been stained with blood red was still not sheathed, which made people horrified.
At this time, what is even more terrifying is that the army is gradually running out of food and grass...
The last straw that broke the camel's back came from Tongguan. Li Jiancheng, who had begun to be unable to bear the casualties, appeared at the critical moment with the newly surrendered Cheng Zhijie and Qin Qiong. Two particularly thick-skinned rebel generals shouted at the critical moment, asking everyone to surrender early.
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As a result, the offensive of the Henan army came to an abrupt end, and it remained strangely calm for more than an hour. It was like pouring boiling oil into cold water. With a bang, the Guanxia army exploded.
This is a very dramatic scene that people who have not witnessed it with their own eyes can never imagine.
The chaos started with Wu Heitai and Hao Xiaode. They were well prepared and joined forces with Yang Defang, Chen Shou and others to attack Wang Shichong's chariot.
Under the desperate protection of Chen Guogong Duan Da and others, Wang Shichong rushed out of the rebel army and returned to the bewildered rear army. He immediately ordered all the rear army units to attack the front army, hoping to quell the rebellion in front of the formation.
At this time, the war seemed to have reached a high tide. Under Tongguan, the sky was full of rebellion. The various units of the Henan army were fighting each other. They were much more enthusiastic than when they attacked Tongguan Jiancheng before.
The Tang army, which was fighting to the death and shedding countless blood, was left aside.
The conflict-ridden Henan army finally collapsed at a critical moment. The generals of the Tang army who had been shut down, from Prince Li Jiancheng to the following, were all stunned to see...
This chapter has been completed!