In Hongnong City, Hu Luguang suffered his first defeat from the south.
"The thieves led Yang Guo's men into ambush in the middle. When our division passed by, they attacked from the side. They rushed to engage in the battle. They killed hundreds of our soldiers and had no choice but to run back."
Hu Luguang couldn't help but express regret when talking about the ambush he encountered during the march and the loss of troops. He had been marching and attacking with great success, but he did not expect to encounter an interception and ambush on the way to Tongguan.
In the final analysis, although Hu Luguang has been in the army for a long time and is proficient in strategy, he is only a human being and not a god, and it is inevitable that he will make negligence and mistakes.
If we count from when Jinyang came to the south for reinforcements, he has led his troops thousands of miles away and participated in several battles in less than a month, all of which achieved brilliant victories. Whether he or
The soldiers under his command are all supported by a burst of excitement in their chests. Once the situation does not develop smoothly, they will inevitably encounter setbacks and blows.
The so-called strong crossbow is at its end and cannot penetrate Lu Guan. This is what it means. Fortunately, the number of troops under Wei general Yang Guo is not too many, and Hu Luguang is not blindly eager to fight. When he senses that the situation is not good, he
The lead was withdrawn immediately, thus avoiding a greater blow.
On the way home, Hu Luguang also made some reflections and felt that his continued attack on Tongguan was a bit reckless: "The army has been coming south for more than a month and has moved more than a thousand miles. It is inevitable that the teachers and teachers are exhausted, and the weather is not right.
Lutongguan is the most powerful fortress in the world, and it may be difficult for even the most up-and-coming troops to defeat it. If we continue to fight, it will probably be in vain."
But not everyone is like Hu Luguang who can understand the truth of enough is enough after being taught a lesson. Gao Guiyan, King of Pingqin, who has always been looking forward to being able to make meritorious deeds, heard this and laughed disapprovingly and said: "Huluguang
Kaifu has been the vanguard of large armies many times. He has been in battle and taken out the city. He has won all battles, which can be described as heroic. Now, a small setback is not a worry. Besides, I have tens of thousands of strong troops here, and there is not only one person in the army. The battle is decisive, and all the generals are victorious.
We have responsibilities, but if we want to advance or retreat just because we are not going well in a battle, how can we explain it to the soldiers?"
There were many generals participating in the meeting. When they heard what Hu Luguang said, some generals expressed their agreement. Although they were chasing the defeated army of the Western Wei Dynasty as the victorious side, they had to brave the wind and snow to cross the mountains.
Everyone has to bear the hardships, and as the battle line lengthens, many soldiers have begun to think about retreating.
But after Gao Guiyan made his statement, the minds of all the generals couldn't help but change. Yes, Hu Luguang had been the vanguard many times along the way from the south, and he had performed well, whether it was the attack on the camp at Heqiao before or the capture of Hongnong here.
They were all very brilliant victories, and they could be said to have stolen the show. Both the military achievements and the captures on the battlefield were very generous.
However, the officers and soldiers who came here were reduced to backgrounds, enduring the same hardships, but neither their performance on the battlefield nor their actual gains were as outstanding as Hu Luguang. When Yiyang was discussing the attack before, you were the one who persisted.
, now I am satisfied with my ambition but feel that I am not strong enough. After encountering a small setback, I begin to think about quitting. How can this convince others?
Duan Shao had not wanted to continue the attack before. Although he had conquered Hongnong City and killed more than ten thousand soldiers of the Western Wei Dynasty here, it seemed that the results were brilliant, but in fact it was not of great significance.
In addition to killing more than 10,000 enemy troops, which is considered as wiping out a considerable amount of enemy troops, it is difficult to retain such gains as Hongnong City. It should be noted that Hongnong and Heluo are separated from each other by the stretch of Mount Laoshan, and Yubi City in Hedong
The existence of the city also made it difficult for people from Jinyang to directly reach Hongnong. The cost of garrisoning was extremely high, and the only option was to destroy the city and leave.
At this time, hearing that Hu Luguang's attitude had also changed, Duan Shao also said: "You are eager to kill the thieves and want to make meritorious deeds. It is indeed a great ambition. However, the thieves have only been in Kansai for a short time, and they can't be eradicated.
It is not the result of a day or night. The great victory of our army today has satisfied the feelings of the people of the country. If we continue to invite battles, the soldiers' strength may not be enough. Moreover, there is a thief in Heluo, Li Boshan, who is about to arrive in a moment. If we can sympathize with the soldiers' strength, we can take advantage of this victory.
If the situation is defeated in battle, it will be enough to return home and show off one's achievements, so why not do it?"
Most of the generals here were nobles from Jinyang. After hearing the speeches of Hu Luguang and Duan Shao, they all restrained their calls for war.
However, Gao Guiyan was still a little unwilling after all. After thinking for a while, he spoke again: "Once a general is defeated, everyone wants to return, and the army's march of thousands of miles has turned out to be a futile effort! Tongguan is close in front of us. If we leave without fighting, are you willing?
No matter what, I will lead my troops to attack and fight. I will be happy if I win, and I will have no regrets if I lose. You and other disciples often boast of their bravery. When we are the stubborn thieves of our country, do we dare to fight side by side?"
"What the king said is exactly what I want. After traveling for many days, how can I leave without fighting? I am willing to attack Tongguan together with the king!"
As soon as Gao Guiyan finished speaking, several generals stood up and expressed their opinions.
When Duan Shao saw this scene, he felt helpless for a moment. He, the so-called commander-in-chief of the army, was originally appointed by Hu Lujin on a temporary basis and did not have absolute authority in the army. And Gao Guiyan was not just an ordinary general.
In addition to being the king of the Gao family, he was also the favorite of the current emperor. When he insisted on continuing his attack, Duan Shao could not restrain him.
Faced with this situation, Duan Shao could only allocate some soldiers in addition to Gao Guiyan and others' own troops, and assemble a team of 10,000 people to attack Tongguan. And he himself could not just abandon the division and brigade.
After leaving, we still led the troops to temporarily station in Hongnong City, and sent another division to escort the captured personnel and materials and temporarily retreated to Jiuqu City in Yiyang.
War is full of variables at every moment, and it is difficult for any resourceful person to predict everything. Li Tai, who once again led his army into the Heluo area, had prepared for the worst, but he did not know that there were many hidden dangers in the Qi army that was advancing westward.
Due to the discordant differences, Duan Shao and other major generals did not have great confidence in the Kou entering Tongguan.
Similarly, Duan Shao and others only inferred based on common sense that the personnel arrangement left in Heluo was quite considerable. Under the dispatch of the veteran general Hu Lujin, they could effectively resist Li Boshan's attack. However, they did not know the current situation in Heluo.
It has become quite dangerous.
Outside Jinyong City, as the ice sand embankment was successfully poured, the morale of Xiangyang soldiers was naturally greatly boosted. On the other hand, the Northern Qi soldiers in the city were somewhat depressed and worried.
People's sorrows and joys are not only based on the current situation, but also come from a considerable part of the judgment of future trends. For example, some forces in later generations will continue to badmouth and attack one party, even if it is just some views that violate common sense and confuse right and wrong.
, will also cause collective pessimism, fear and self-denial.
The most important thing in using troops is to attack the mind, and Li Tai has always known how to use various mind-attacking strategies flexibly. After the sand embankment was built, he did not stop there, but used this low-cost and effective construction method
The fortress method continues to flourish.
Next, he arranged for the soldiers to continue carrying sand and water to advance along the long perimeter of the sand embankment, and built more sand embankment walls, extending towards Jinyong City. From the perspective of the Jinyong City defenders, it looked like the city
Tentacles grew out of the long perimeter outside, extending towards the city where they were stationed.
"I would like to ask Grand Master, what is the purpose of the bandit army in building these long sand embankments? Is it because they want to launch an attack on my city?"
On the top of Jinyong City, Prince Gao Rui of Zhao County looked down at the enemy soldiers, who were carrying baskets of sand and soil, dumping them into the gaps in the building and sprinkling water to freeze them. They could advance more than ten feet every day and night in the severe cold. It would not take long before they could see it.
This sand embankment can be pushed under the city wall, and Gao Rui's heart is full of surprises and worries.
Hu Lujin frowned after hearing the words, and kept thinking in his mind. The sand embankments extending towards the city were not more than a few feet wide, and could not accommodate the galloping horse soldiers to step forward and retreat. The effect he saw was just to separate the long siege from the city.
The space between them was divided into small areas. As for the real meaning, he really couldn't guess.
After hearing Gao Rui's question, Hu Lujin said in a deep voice: "Li Boshan has always been scheming and cunning, so you need to be careful when fighting against him. Fortunately, our city has a strong army and abundant resources. According to the
A strong city can only be defended, but thieves will have their time!"
These words were left unsaid, but they also pointed out their own advantages, that is, as long as they stabilize the current situation, they can be said to be in an invincible position. No matter how hard they try outside the city, it will be difficult to shake the city defense itself.
But Hu Lujin’s idea was too absolute, and he was slapped in the face after nightfall. At night, Hu Lujin had already gone to bed on the couch, and suddenly there was a thunderous explosion in the city lord’s palace, and immediately the crowd started running around and screamed loudly.
Hu Lujin was also dragged out of the room immediately by the soldiers.
"It's Heyang Cannon!"
One of the governors in the tent said with horror. Even if they had no education, they had heard about this powerful stone cannon. After some searching, they found the source of the explosion. A rock weighing dozens of kilograms fell from outside the city.
The shot came in, directly smashing through the stables on the side of the city lord's palace and killing two of the horses. Although there were no casualties, it also made the soldiers here panic and worry that flying rocks would fall down the next moment.
"The Heyang Cannon is extremely powerful and has a long range. Please inform all armies not to stay in open areas for long and to seek shelter in walls and stacks!"
Hu Lujin had experienced the power of the Heyang cannon, and the stone cannon was even named after his previous battle with Li Boshan in Heyang. Therefore, he also had some experience summarizing how to deal with the stone cannon, and immediately gave the order.
Fortunately, apart from this cannon stone, the Wei army did not launch any other attacks that night. However, the defenders in the city did not dare to take any chances, so they still struggled all night. When they climbed up to the city in the early morning and looked out, they I saw several huge Heyang cannons erected on the earth hill in the south of the city, and hundreds of stone bullets were piled on the earth hill.
"Grand Master, do you want to send elite troops out of the city to capture Tushan and destroy the enemy's Heyang Cannon?"
Gao Rui, Prince of Zhao County, was also disturbed a lot last night. After seeing this scene on Tushan Mountain, he asked Hulüjin again for instructions.
"It's a thief's reward!"
After pondering for a while, Hu Lujin nodded slowly and said bitterly, then selected more than a thousand elite soldiers to leave the city in hanging baskets and launch a tentative attack on the mountain.
He originally wanted to stay in the city and didn't want to go to war, but he didn't expect that Li Boshan would use the Heyang Cannon, a powerful weapon, forcing him to send troops to fight and plunder. In his opinion, it was Li Boshan's plan.
However, Hu Lujin did not know that the people Li Tai planned to catch were not the defenders in the city at all, and the real murderous intention was yet to come.