In fact, the ripples caused by this "small victory" are spreading rapidly.
The most direct consequence was that Li Jiancheng was so shocked that he immediately reduced his troops and acted like a turtle again.
This time, we can't blame him for using troops to be conservative. In the battle with Wang Shichong, there were more than 10,000 casualties. Sang Xianhe's troops lost nearly 10,000 people at Fengling Ferry.
In just half a month, about 30% of the 100% defenders at Tongguan were lost. It is certain that the morale of the army was severely damaged, and such heavy casualties gradually approached the limit of the Tang army.
War is never a game of numbers. The setbacks an army can endure are also related to many factors. There is no doubt that those who have fought fiercely have never seen the scene of desolation, piles of bones, and no human habitation, let alone tried it. The Tongguan garrison, hungry for the taste of fighting to the death, could only bear this level of defeat.
Their resilience is not even as good as some of the rebels back then. Perhaps the only thing worthy of praise is that their military system is relatively complete...
In other words, the fierce Jin Army struck the Tang Army's ribs at the right moment as he was preparing to advance. In an instant, the Tang Army shrank into a ball in pain. He didn't even have the strength to retaliate. He just wanted to hide away and then seemed to The coming storm-like blow.
The people in the East Palace quarreled in Li Jiancheng's ears, punished Sang Xianhe, sent troops from Li Shenfu to Tongguan, reported to the emperor quickly, concealed the news, and reported good news to the court but not bad news, etc. Suggestions came one after another.
Compared with the noisy sounds that reached Li Jiancheng's ears, there was deathly silence in Tongguan.
The tall walls of Tongguan not only kept the enemy out, but also seemed to surround the defenders. Looking at the mountains, rivers and wilderness outside, fear was like weeds on the ancient road, growing rapidly and being difficult to eradicate.
After Sang Xianhe was defeated and returned to Tongguan, various rumors and plagues quietly spread in private. For a large army, such a thing was simply too bad.
The morale of the Tang army plummeted after this battle.
It can be said that the situation faced by Li Jiancheng was very serious. The news of the defeat could not be concealed. Not only was the morale of the army gradually wavering, it also became a difficult problem how to deal with the people who surrendered in Henan.
After convening everyone to discuss for many times, Li Jiancheng severely suppressed the proposal to go out again to recapture Fengling Ferry. Although this was the best way to restore the morale of the army, 20,000 elite soldiers went out to fight and were killed face to face. After returning from a major defeat, how many troops are needed to recapture Fenglingdu? Does Tongguan still exist?
The next step is how to report this matter to the central government, and how to confront Li Ding'an afterwards.
The name Li Dingan has been gradually demonized among the generals of the Tang army. In the past, when many generals of the Tongguan garrison mentioned Li Dingan from Jin, they would talk contemptuously about his shortcomings to show their strength.
But if this monster, waving a sharp sword and covered in flames, really appears in front of us alive and looks too scary, everything that this name represents will gradually become clear in people's hearts.
Fortunately, they don't have to fight with Li Dingan in the field. Tongguan is tall and strong, and Li Shenfu is stationed on the west bank of the Yellow River. Once Li Dingan comes to attack Tongguan, Li Shenfu can attack his flanks and rear, making it impossible for him to take care of his head and tail.
Once such a strategy was proposed, everyone felt much more at ease, so the idea of not seeking merit but seeking no faults once again took over.
But this time is different from when facing Wang Shichong's Henan army. When facing Wang Shichong, it can be said that there are many choices. If everyone has the confidence to defeat Wang Shichong, then this time the choice will be full of embarrassing helplessness.
The entire Tongguan Battle was full of tragedy for the Tang Army at this time, and the process was too dramatic, with ups and downs, which tested the mental endurance of the Tang Army.
Wang Shichong's army of more than 200,000 people was wiped out at Tongguan Pass. Many unexpected things happened in the process, but they finally won, but the outcome was a battle between 20,000 and 30,000 people that ruined everything.
This kind of comparison and contrast makes people feel like they are trapped in a dream, and some people even think, things should not be like this, why are they like this?
In the military field, Li Jiancheng was very worried. When he turned around and reported to Chang'an, he immediately became more familiar with the situation.
First, people were reported to the Chang'an court, and Tongguan was victorious. Wang Shichong was defeated by nearly 300,000 people. He made countless gains and surrendered many people. Only at the end did he mention it euphemistically. Tongguan had few soldiers, so he could not be satisfied with the full victory, so Wang Shichong was allowed to do so.
Was able to escape and run away.
After the good news was sent out, Li Jiancheng wrote another personal letter and asked his confidants to take him straight to Chang'an. This was a private letter he wrote to his father.
He described the whole story of the battle. In the letter, he did not lie at all. He detailed the story of the battle, and stated that he was not leading the troops well and missed the opportunity. He was afraid that he would not be able to march into Henan later.
Two memorials were sent out, one bright and one secret. Li Jiancheng immediately ordered his troops to prepare for the coming enemy.
At this time, someone suggested that the blame should be placed on Sang Xianhe and Ren Can, who died in the battle, in order to reduce the East Palace's guilt.
The person who made the suggestion was severely rebuked by Sang Xianhe, and he comforted Sang Xianhe, Wei Ting and others with gentle words. The effect was really good, and people's hearts became much calmer.
Li Jiancheng had no shortage of such means. He was worried about the ensuing war and the disturbance caused by the Qin Prince's gang members in the DPRK and China, but he still suppressed the idea of sending a letter to the DPRK and the CCP to let them relax in the DPRK.
Because in his opinion, the merits and demerits of this war are all at odds. If he does not sit in the capital, the more he talks, the easier it is for others to find grounds for criticism. It is better to wait for his father's decision.
He also believed that the news would not be hidden for long before it would be spread back to Chang'an. By then, it would actually be his father's wishes that would be seen. Over the years, he had already felt this deeply.
In fact, Li Jiancheng at this time was more and more similar to Yang Guang when he was the king of Jin in some respects. He led troops in front of the army, his strategic and tactical literacy was terrible, but his political IQ was clearly online.
Therefore, the war that took place when they led the army became a bit strange.
They are not incompetent people, but the war situation has taken a turn for the worse in their hands...
Li Jiancheng was already racking his brains to deal with the aftermath, and he did not forget to send his veteran Li Gang to appease the Henan surrenderers. But then again, these generals who surrendered from Henan, whether they were under Li Mi or under Wang Shichong,
I have heard countless good words, but neither Wei Gong Li Mi nor Zheng Emperor Wang Shichong can be regarded as trustworthy people.
So it is really difficult to fool them with just a few words. What they value is strength and the interests that are clearly in front of them, and everything else must be put aside.
This is true for Niu Jinda and others, as well as Qin Qiong, Hao Xiaode, Cheng Zhijie, etc.
In front of Li Gang, these people from Henan were very honest, bowed their heads and listened to the instructions, and in the end they had to look very grateful. However, they were no longer the same after leaving Li Gang's sight.
Sang Xianhe was defeated, and when the news that Li Ding'an had led his army across the river and entered Henan reached the ears of the Henan Jiang people, there was a slight delay, but their minds also started to wander.
Generally speaking, the Tang army was just like that. If it weren't for Wang Shichong's heartless thieves, Tongguan might have been captured by the Lao Tzu, and other thoughts suddenly appeared in the minds of many Jiang people.
Li Junxian's tribe first got into trouble because of the "unfair distribution of military rations." This man was Wang Shichong's hussar general and led Wang Shichong's army. However, he was suspected because of his identity as an old general of Li Mi and was driven to the front of the battle to serve.
This man was from Hebei, and later became an officer and soldier. He was not in the same group as Qin Qiong and others, and he was indeed quite marginalized among the surrendered people. However, the trouble caused at this time actually had nothing to do with military rations.
It was just because other people were secretly wooing his subordinates, and two of his generals felt that staying in Tongguan was boring, so they wanted to sneak out of Tongguan and find another place. After being discovered, they started fighting.
In fact, this was an internal strife among the Henan surrender troops, and it also showed signs of instability in the Henan surrender troops.
As a result, Li Junxian was captured by Li Gang and imprisoned in Tongguan Prison. Tang Jun did not need to do anything himself, and the chaos quickly calmed down.
To be honest, Li Gang's move was a bit soft. In fact, Henan surrender needed a head of sufficient weight to shock him. Li Gang was concerned about the reputation of the prince and did not cut off Li Junxian's head. From another perspective, it was okay.
It's said in a gentle way.
But the people in Henan didn't care about this. At that time, Cheng Dabeard told Qin Qiong privately that the people from Guanxi had such a good reputation, but now it seems that they are not that good. Did we come to the wrong place?
Qin Qiong was "righteous" and was not confused. He immediately replied, "The prince is kind and kind, much more so than the Duke of Wei and the prince. He has treated us very kindly now. My dear brother, please don't think of him."
Just feel free to serve His Highness.
In fact, Qin Qiong saw an opportunity in this. Everyone in the East Palace was helpless, and the Tang army felt like they were mourning for their heirs. Isn't this the time when heroes like them from Henan put their minds to work? How could they just leave? Besides, Tongguan is like this
Is the place a place where you can come and leave when you want?
As a result, the Henan surrender army was completely calmed down under the efforts of Qin Qiong and Cheng Zhijie. Qin Qiong also took the opportunity to speak for Li Junxian and fished him out of the Tongguan prison.
As a result, Li Jiancheng had a few more "loyal" and capable generals under his command, but what he didn't know was that in Luoyang City, such a drama had been staged more than once...
The impact of this battle is still spreading. On the other hand, Li Po has generally achieved the strategic purpose he set before. With more and more troops at Fengling Ferry on the south bank, in the next two days, Li Po has already