Longmen Mountains

This is a towering mountain range that straddles Shunzhou and Tanzhou. It is also the only place that can be called steep among the two flat states.

Shunzhou and Tanzhou are mostly fertile fields, and it is the Longmen Mountains that give these two places the aura of a border.

Most of the junction between Shunzhou and Tanzhou is occupied by this mountain range, blocking traffic on both sides. The few passes that allow passage from both sides are all on the southeastern side of Liaoning.

If you cross the Longmen Mountains from Shuntan, you can enter the land of Yanzhou. Yanzhou is also the most extensive prefecture and county in Liaodong, with a depth of four to five hundred miles, and the cavalry can gallop to their heart's content.

But since ancient times, few people have crossed the Longmen Mountains, because the roads in the mountains are rugged and difficult to navigate, and there are countless cliffs. In many places, one's life can be lost if one is not careful.

Even the most experienced hunters around do not dare to climb through those dangerous places.

At this moment, on the edge of the mountain range, more than a hundred riders were riding up a rugged mountain road. A Beiliang military flag added a touch of solemnity to the mountain.

The more than a hundred riders were naturally some soldiers of the Northern Liang Army led by Chen Yue.

When the cavalry reached a mountainside, the mountain road became increasingly narrow and steep, and a large number of horses could no longer move forward.

So everyone got off their horses, leaving half of the soldiers to guard the horses, and dozens of people led by them began to hike up the mountain.

The vegetation on the hillside is not very dense, some are bare, and there are piles of gravel in many places. The mountain road is extremely steep, and even a group of people who are military generals have to walk very hard.

After stumbling for a long time, a group of people finally reached the top of this hill.

"Huh!" Lang Yi, who had injuries to his legs and feet, let out a sigh of relief and leaned against a tree trunk with his hands on his hips: "You must be old after all. You are out of breath after climbing such a hill. I can't compare to you people!"

"

There was a hint of sadness in the old general's tone.

"General Lang, just let you wait on the mountainside. If you insist on coming up with us, you have to pay more attention to your legs!" Chu Yucheng said with concern from the side.

"It's okay! There's no harm in moving more!" Lang Yi slapped his thigh indifferently.

Chu Yucheng shook his head helplessly, gave Lang Yi a thumbs up, and looked at the soldiers on the side laughing.

Chenyue stood on the edge of the cliff and looked toward the northeast. He saw endless mountains and steep cliffs, which were completely opposite to the flat plains in the hinterland of Shunzhou.

"This is the Longmen Mountains!" Xin Ji followed from the side, a small step behind Chenyue, pointed forward and said: "Two hundred miles to the north is Yanzhou, and more than a hundred miles to the east is Tanzhou."

"It is indeed a natural and dangerous place. It is a fool's errand to think that the army can pass through here!" Chen Yue smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"I didn't believe it at first. Only when I came here to see it in person did I know what it means to be difficult. It's so difficult to walk on the mountain road just after entering the mountains." Chu Yucheng also said.

In fact, everyone came here today mainly to formulate the next battle plan of the Beiliang Army.

Xie Xiaolei, who came here with Lang Yi in the crowd, had cold eyes and looked at the northeast for a long time without saying a word, sometimes frowning inadvertently.

"General Xin, is this place really impassable?" Xie Xiaolei, who had been thinking for a long time, asked.

"It's not impossible to cross. The surrounding hunters occasionally cross the mountains. Bian Luan was originally a hunter in the mountains. He is most familiar with the terrain in this area." Xin Ji replied, and then turned his attention to Bian Luan, who was standing aside with bulging muscles.

Everyone also looked over in surprise, not expecting that Luan was a local here.

Bian Luan nodded with rare embarrassment under the gaze of the generals: "When I was a child, I often wandered in the mountains with my grandfather, hunting and cutting firewood. I am very familiar with the Longmen Mountains. There are indeed many mountain roads that can be walked in the mountains, but the brigade

Forget about soldiers."

Chenyue frowned and shouted: "Bring me the map!"

Immediately, several soldiers walked up to the generals holding a roll of maps and held it high.

A group of people quickly gathered in front of the map.

Chu Yucheng took the lead and said: "The current situation is obvious. Beijin has taken precautionary measures and has put martial law at all checkpoints. Tanzhou and Yanzhou border Shunzhou. If Beijin makes a massive counterattack, attacks from two directions may make us

Tired of coping."

"So we have to capture Tanzhou before launching troops in Beijin!" Chenyue stretched out his hand and waved on the map: "By taking Tanzhou, my entire northern defense line will be in place, and I can concentrate on fighting the invasion from the north.

Golden soldiers!"

"From Shunzhou to Tanzhou, the best direction of attack is to enter Tanzhou through Longhan Pass at the southernmost end of the Longmen Mountains! The terrain there is flat. As long as the army conquers Longhan, they can enter Tanzhou unimpeded!" Lang Yichen

vocal tract.

Bu Wenshan, deputy commander of the right cavalry army, clasped his hands on his chest: "The terrain of Tanzhou is similar to that of Shunzhou. Our main cavalry force of 100,000 will fight the Jin soldiers on the plains, and the chances of victory are great!"

“It’s difficult!”

.”

Siege warfare has always been Northern Liang's least favorite. During the Southern Expedition, the Liangzhou Army also avoided falling into long-term siege warfare, which was the most manpower-consuming method of fighting.

"Even if we engage in siege warfare, we can't allow them to continuously replenish their troops!" Lang Yi said viciously.

"In other words, the ideal situation is that the Jin people are unable to send reinforcements into Tanzhou, and our army tries its best to annihilate the Tanzhou defenders in the field, so that the war can end with the minimum cost!" Chu Yucheng concluded.

Chen Yue stood quietly next to the map, listening to the discussions among the generals.

"Jianmen Pass is the only passage from Yanzhou to Tan, and it is also a broad road. It is located on the northeast side of the Longmen Mountains." Bian Luan pointed to the pass stuck between two mountains on the map: "The reinforcements of the Jin soldiers

Must pass through here!”

A group of generals stared at the map with a frown. If the Jin soldiers continued to reinforce Tanzhou, the war would be extremely variable.

Xie Xiaolei glanced at his comrades on the left and right, and muttered in a low voice: "Then let's destroy Jianmen Pass first and block the traffic between Yan and Tan, right?"

Although the voice was soft, it was like thunder, making all the soldiers stunned. Even Chen Yue appeared a little confused.

"General Xie, your idea is too outrageous." Bian Luan, who is most familiar with the surrounding terrain, said with a wry smile: "To enter Tanzhou, you must first pass through Longhan Pass. If we can capture Jianmen Pass, then the entire Tanzhou

Wouldn’t it have fallen into our hands a long time ago?”

On the map, although Jianmen Pass is to the northeast of where everyone is, and Longhang Pass is to the south. It seems that one is south and the other is north. There is no need to detour to the south to go to Jianmen Pass, but in fact it is a continuous road from here to Jianmen Pass.

The mountains are completely impassable.
Chapter completed!