It was getting dark very quickly, and in this plateau, among the cliffs, I could no longer feel the passage of time. After getting the exact news from the guide, Wang Quanbin also relaxed a little. Along the way, let alone
The soldiers under his command, as the commander-in-chief, are not anxious, but they are just hidden under his serious and resolute face.
The general just now approached again. Wang Quanbin pointed to the pile of firewood under his buttocks and said: "Chang Qing, sit down!"
The generals were also shrouded in embarrassment. Some of them could not tell their age, but they were definitely in the prime of life and had read books. Their temperaments were different, but their expressions under the shadows looked a bit stiff.
This man's name is Shangguan Zheng, and he is the military commander of the Han Army on the Western Route. He has both civil and military skills, or he has a civilian background. After all, he is a Jinshi. Over the years, in the Han army, generals with Jinshi status are rare.
Already.
Seeing Wang Quanbin's instructions, Shangguan Zheng cupped his hands and said: "General, just stand still!"
"Aren't your legs and feet sore after walking in this high mountain canyon for so long?" Wang Quanbin smiled and his tone became tough: "Sit down!"
"yes!"
They sat down honestly. They really had the same smell, but their sense of smell seemed to have failed and they seemed to have no feeling at all.
"It's almost the Mid-Autumn Festival!" Wang Quanbin said.
"Tonight is the fifteenth!" Shangguan Zheng replied: "I just checked, the moon is bright and bright, and it can illuminate the road! If we are not in this deep mountain and old forest, we may be able to march at night by moonlight!"
Looking up, he could not see the bright moon from this angle, but he could vaguely feel the clear light reflected from the mountain walls. Wang Quanbin cursed a little: "At this time, the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet may be being held in the capital. Eat that small
Cake! When we return to the court after this battle is successful, Your Majesty must reward me with a good life..."
After venting his anger, Wang Quanbin asked Shangguan Zheng again: "You also followed Pan Mei to pacify Guangdong and Guangxi and the Nanling Mountain Road. How does it compare with this time?"
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Zheng said with certainty: "Although the Lingnan mountain road is rugged, it is connected to Hunan after all. No matter how rugged it is, there are mature paths that can be used. But this time, our West Route Army trekked through the mountains and canyons, all the way.
The trail almost has to be re-opened, and it is a long and difficult journey that cannot be compared with Lingnan!"
After hearing his answer, Wang Quanbin nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer.
"Similarly, the time of the march and the casualties of the soldiers are also more serious!" Shangguan Zheng added, but his tone was very calm, as if he didn't care too much about it.
Wang Quanbin's expression became solemn, his tone became a little gloomy, and he asked: "What are the losses of the soldiers?"
Shangguan Zheng replied: "According to the reports from each army and battalion, the total number of dead, injured, sick, and missing people is more than 3,000. This is only an approximate number. If we need to know the exact losses, we need to find an open area and rebuild."
Only then can we know how to organize the army!"
"In other words, the actual losses may be even greater?" Wang Quanbin said.
"Yes!" Shangguan Zhengdao said: "The road we are taking is too long, too dangerous, and there are hundreds of miles of uninhabited areas. That means the commander-in-chief has explored in advance and is well prepared. Otherwise, half of the soldiers may be lost on the way.
Even submerged in this barren mountain..."
After hearing what he said, Wang Quanbin's old face twitched a few times, and he sighed with emotion, his tone was both regretful and sad: "There are so many men who died on the battlefield without any casualties, but they died on the march. I can't help them!"
"The commander-in-chief is in his sixtieth year, but he still works tirelessly, is not afraid of hardships, shares the joys and sorrows with the soldiers, and crosses the ridge. The soldiers are so admired that they are willing to die!" Shangguan said, cupping his hands.
"If we can't destroy Dali, how can we comfort the heroic spirits!" Wang Quanbin's tone revealed murderous intent.
Shangguan Zhengdao said: "Commanders and extraordinary troops come out of the plateau, and they will definitely be able to play the role of Deng Ai in pinging the Shu Han!"
In this regard, Wang Quanbin did not say anything, but thought carefully for a while, and then told Shangguan Zheng: "Let Kang Baoyi lead the people to find a suitable valley for the army to settle in and rest! Rest for two days before leaving the mountain!"
"Yes!" At the same time as he answered the order, Shangguan Zheng couldn't help but wonder: "During this journey, Dushuai urged me many times. I wish I could fly over the mountain gorge. Now that we are almost finished, why are we not in a hurry?"
Wang Quanbin said calmly: "When we get out of this mountain range, if you want to stop and rest, you won't have time!"
Shangguan was going to deliver the order, while Wang Quanbin closed his eyes, leaned on the firewood pile, and wrapped the marching blanket tighter. It was also cold on this autumn night, which was one of the reasons why the officers and soldiers got sick.
Although his eyes were closed, his mind was active, thinking over and over again about whether there was anything missing in this invasion, what was Dali's reaction, and whether there were any defenses in the northwest? Also, how was the progress on Wang Renfan's side?
When Wang Quanbin led the army to advance arduously through the mountains and ridges of the northwest plateau, the progress of the Han army on the east route could be described as rapid.
After the spontaneous troops entered the border of Dali, it was smooth sailing. From Jianchangfu to Huichuan, there was almost no resistance. Facing the massive and menacing Han army, Dali's border defense army was completely caught off guard. Even though the news of the Han army's southern expedition had already spread,
When the front really came, many people still had little determination to resist.
The Dali court did not have strict control over the country. Especially in the eastern and northern areas, there were many tribes and they were almost autonomous. The Jianchang and Huichuan areas, which were close to the border of the Han Dynasty, were also controlled by the Han Dynasty in the process of communicating with the Han Dynasty.
The bribery has become very divided.
Wang Renfan led his army southward, with a large number of people and strong troops and horses. He was invincible along the way. Dali deployed garrison troops, but there were few people left to fight to the death.
The reactions of the tribes densely distributed in the areas under the jurisdiction of the two prefectures were more realistic. They all formed strongholds and occupied the city without showing any threat of attack. They also sent envoys to express their sincerity to the Han Dynasty, showing their neutrality and showing no intention of being invaded.
, let alone fight to the death for Dali against its enemies.
Wang Renfan was also happy to see the success. He accepted gifts from each tribe and expressed the court's attitude and purpose. He treated the tribes within his territory differently from the Dali court in order to achieve differentiation.
Therefore, most of the Eastern Route Army's time was spent on marching and appeasing the tribes on the way. Moreover, according to the marching strategy, Wang Renfan seemed to be in no hurry and pushed forward steadily. Half of his energy was also spent on consolidating the grain road and ensuring communication with the rear.
contact.
It was not until they reached the territory of Huichuan that they encountered relatively fierce resistance. The defender of Huichuan Mansion gathered the military tribes within the territory and defended the city. In this regard, Wang Renfan showed no mercy and did not even try to persuade them to surrender. He ordered
Siege the city.
Although the East Route Army did not have those large-scale siege equipment, it was complete after all, especially the siege protection ordnance. Together with the temporarily formed Thunderbolt Chariot, it only took one day for the defenders to collapse.
The city was broken. The Han army killed more than 3,000 people at the cost of more than 400 casualties.
After capturing Huichuan, Wang Rengan rested on the spot for two days before continuing to move his troops southward and marching into Nongdongfu. Nongdongfu is an important transportation thoroughfare, located at the center of Dali, communicating with the inside and outside. This is where Dali is most prepared to resist.
Plenty of place.
Emperor Liu issued an edict to attack Dali without much concealment, and after the Han army sent troops, the Dali monarchs and ministers had already received it. Faced with this sudden disaster, the whole court was in an uproar, and the king of Dali, Duan Sicong, was seriously ill.
A lot.
The Han's mobilization for the conquest of the southwest can be said to be just a fingertip, but in Dali's view, it was a crisis of national subjugation, and he could not ignore it. After the Han pacified Sichuan and Shu, so many years passed in fear, and he offered gifts again.
Even though I had good communication skills, I still couldn't escape in the end.
In fact, the rulers and ministers of Dali were not unaware of Wang Quanbin's actions in the southwest in recent years and were prepared for them. Therefore, after a few days of fuss and wrangling, they made a decisive decision to send troops to resist.
While envoys were sent to beg Tokyo for mercy, military response was also carried out. Finally, Bu Xie, Duan Zibiao and Duan Yanzhen led 30,000 troops to march eastward to stop the Han army in Nongdongfu. Most of the 30,000 troops were from Dali.
The soldiers and horses controlled by the royal family, plus the private soldiers contributed by Gao, Yang, Dong and other wealthy families.
Over the years, the power of these clans in Dali has continued to grow and eroded the royal power. However, in the face of the crisis of national annihilation and the powerful Han army, they still did not hold back, sending out troops and providing food.
Moreover, the imperial edict was widely circulated, calling on the tribes in the country to gather troops to defend Dali and expel the Han army. However, the result was obviously much worse than expected. Except for a few who responded to the edict, most of the eastern tribes sat back and watched the war develop.
They want to rely on those tribes to resist the Han army, but they are not stupid, especially under the political offensive of the southwest government for many years, many tribes are in Dali and their hearts are drawn to the Han.
Although the efficiency was not high, when Wang Renfan did not rush forward, the second section led the army and finally rushed to Nongdongfu and set up a defensive line. Wang Renfan led the army south, and the two sides fought first at Dayao Fort. The battle was fierce, and the Dali army resisted
Their will was much firmer than what they had encountered before, and it took the Han army three days to defeat it.
Later, taking advantage of the victory, he entered Bingfu City. In Nongdongfu City, the Han army encountered the most resolute resistance. Duan Zibiao gathered the defeated troops in Dayaobao and joined forces with Duan Yanzhen, plus some tribal troops supported from the south, to fight with the Han army.
A desperate fight began.
This time, Wang Renfan did not hold back any force and used all available military weapons. Although he caused heavy casualties to the Dali army, the city's defense was not broken.
Wang Quanbin wants to make a surprise, but Wang Renfan is not a good person. He doesn't want to just be a diversionary leader. What he wants is to attack the city of Yangju. Even if Wang Quanbin is the coach, he doesn't want to really be a leader.
supporting role.
However, as the number of casualties among officers and soldiers increased and he found it difficult to attack by force, Wang Renfan also decisively changed his tactics and adopted the strategy of trapping the city instead of fighting fiercely. The two sides came to a stalemate in Nongdongfu City, and the fighting ceased.
The Dali army defended, while Wang Renfan continued to use Wang Quanbin's banner to consolidate the results, appease the tribes, accumulate strength, and wait for opportunities to launch a new round of offensive.