The unfavorable situation in the Liaodong war was both unexpected and reasonable.
The Tang army broke into Anshi City and wiped out all the Goguryeo strongholds in Liaodong. Then they captured Bobi City and forcibly crossed the Yalu River. They advanced like a broken bamboo and the Goguryeo army could not resist it. They successfully attacked Pingrang City and Chen Bing's periphery, forming a siege.
potential.
Pingrang City only had a few mountain towns and cities left outside the city, but it did not collapse.
On the contrary, the soldiers and civilians in Pingrang City, led by Yeon Gaesumun, shared the same hatred of the enemy and were high-spirited to fight. They continued to engage in fierce battles with the Tang army, with each winning or losing. Because a large amount of food, fodder and baggage had been gathered in Pingrang City, they were very confident, and even though they were besieged, they were not at all
Not messy.
Although the Tang army could use waterways to transport supplies and baggage, the cold weather and freezing conditions made the Tang army often feel unwell, and the soldiers had been away from home for nearly a year. They were homesick and their morale was inevitably declining.
This creates a stalemate situation.
It seems that the Tang army's siege will eventually break through the city, but we don't know when this day will come. It will be a severe test for the Tang army's morale and supplies.
The situation is not optimistic.
…
Li Chengqian sighed softly, swung his tea cup and said: "I thought that my father's personal expedition to Goguryeo was a sure win. Goguryeo is located in a corner of Liaodong, and the heavenly army will be invincible and invincible wherever it goes. It can be overthrown by turning the palm of your hand.
Its territory was incorporated into the Tang Dynasty, but unexpectedly the war situation would be so stalemate and protracted."
Xiao Yu and Ma Zhou drank tea with their heads lowered and remained silent.
This sentence is really difficult to respond to.
After deploying hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers and mobilizing the power of the whole country, Goguryeo still failed to be defeated in one fell swoop. Instead, the country was empty and the court was in turmoil. Pingrang City still stood firm.
Is it that Goguryeo is too stubborn? Is it that the name of the Tang army does not live up to its reality? Or is it that His Majesty Li Er commanded improperly and the three armies refused to use their lives?
Any reason may cause unnecessary turmoil, so I can only remain silent at this moment.
Li Chengqian also felt that his topic was a bit overstepped. After all, it was his father who was driving the expedition in person. It was his father's credit that the army was invincible all the way. But if the war was stalemate or even suffered serious losses, it would naturally be his father's fault...
As a son of a man, you cannot make irresponsible remarks about your father's gains and losses, and as a prince, you cannot speak without words.
He decisively changed the subject and said to Xiao Yu: "Father should be informed of the affairs of the Western Regions as soon as possible, and I sincerely ask him to issue an edict so that we can act in accordance with it. Among them, the speculation about Guan Long and the internal struggle within the Changsun family are all very important.
There is no need to mince words, let’s explain everything clearly.”
His Majesty Li Er's prestige is not only unmatched by anyone in the country, but also by very few kings throughout the ages.
As long as His Majesty Li Er lives for one day, those demons and monsters can only plot and plan behind the scenes, but they dare not openly commit treasonous acts.
Moreover, as Changsun Wuji is accompanying the army, the future of the Guanlong clan can be decided through discussion between His Majesty Li Er and Changsun Wuji.
No matter what the decision is, it is safer than Li Chengqian's troubles in Chang'an.
Xiao Yu nodded and said: "I am writing a memorial. I will stay up late tonight after I go back. I will finish it tomorrow morning and bring it to His Highness to read before sending it to Liaodong."
If it were normal, his memorial would naturally not need to be reviewed by Li Chengqian for his purpose. He could have sent it directly to Liaodong and delivered it to His Majesty for his inspection.
But now he is leaning more and more towards the East Palace and feels that Li Chengqian has great potential, so this move can be regarded as a clear intention and swears allegiance to Li Chengqian.
Li Chengqian said happily: "That's great!"
Fang Jun is indeed very powerful, but most of Fang Jun's influence is in the military, and he does not have much say in the court. Xiao Yu is different. As a leader of Qingliu, countless civil servants in both the government and the public are attached to him, even if
As the leader of the civil service line, Yushitai had many disciples of Xiao Yu.
In comparison, Liu Ji is more like a puppet...
With Xiao Yu's great help, it can be said that both the civil and military sides have a firm foundation, the position of the crown prince has become more stable, and great achievements can be expected.
And as the Guanlong clan declined, the help given to Yu Feinu became smaller and smaller, and the situation naturally became more optimistic...
Ma Zhou glanced at Xiao Yu and admonished: "It is still necessary to urge the Ministry of War to do its best in terms of logistics and equipment, and to raise more food and military equipment to supply the Liaodong battlefield in a timely manner. There must be no mistakes in logistics."
This is very profound.
As the harsh winter deepens, the consumption of the Liaodong battlefield is inevitably increasing. Although the final victory of this war is most likely to belong to the Tang Dynasty, the situation on the battlefield is changing. Who dares to say that victory will be won? And can
Among the factors that affected the outcome of this battle, logistics was the biggest one.
Li Chengqian was ordered to supervise the country, so he naturally had to be responsible for the logistics and transportation of supplies for his army. If any omissions were made and the supplies were not timely enough, the blame would naturally be borne by Li Chengqian, and there was no way he could evade it.
At this moment, Fang Jun, the Minister of the Ministry of War, is engaged in a fierce battle in the Western Regions. The Ministry of War only has Zuo Shilang, Ji Dunli, in charge. However, there is also the King of Jin Li Zhi, who can ride on Ji Dunli's head, as the Inspector of the Ministry of War...
If His Highness the King of Jin makes some trouble in the Ministry of War, Cui Dunli may not be able to resist it. If there is a problem in the Ministry of War, it is very likely to affect the timely delivery of grain and baggage to Liaodong.
This is a reminder to Li Chengqian to be more careful to avoid being secretly tricked by King Jin...
Li Chengqian, however, had his own way of knowing and employing people. He shook his head and said, "Cui Dunli is mature, trustworthy and extremely perceptive. Naturally, he knows the importance of food, fodder and military equipment to Liaodong. He has always controlled it with his own hands and does not allow others to interfere. There is no need to worry about this."
As the saying goes, don't use people you doubt, and don't use people you doubt.
Cui Dunli was Fang Jun's confidant. Regardless of his loyalty to the East Palace or his ability to handle affairs, Li Chengqian was extremely reassured. Such a person took over the affairs of the Ministry of War when Fang Jun went on an expedition, and he already had the demeanor of being the sole ruler of a country.
If you use him well, he will be a capable minister. How can he be easily spurred and beaten again and again?
Although Pheasant Nu is smart, but without Chang Sun Wuji, an old fox, to give him advice, the threat is really limited, and Cui Dunli can handle it enough.
Trust and support are the only way to cultivate a close confidant. Li Chengqian felt that he had to take such a small risk.
Ma Zhou understood what Li Chengqian meant, thought about it, and said with admiration: "Your Highness has a broad mind, which is beyond the reach of a humble minister. I really admire him."
It is a blessing for people in high positions to be kind-hearted and know how to handle people well.
Think about the time of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty. Although he had outstanding talents and abilities, he was unruly and self-willed. Many famous ministers did not end up well in his dynasty...
*****
Liaodong, Pingrang City.
It's snowing heavily and war drums are rumbling.
His Majesty Li Er was wearing a helmet and a military uniform, standing under a yellow umbrella, riding a chariot, and frowning at the battlefield in front of him.
The two armies were fighting across the battlefield for several miles, with arrows flying like locusts, thunder roaring from time to time, flesh and blood flying everywhere, and the battle situation was extremely cruel.
The Goguryeo army leaned against the mountain city and faced the Tang army. Although its formation was in chaos under the attack of the Tang army, it never wavered. In the face of the Tang army's tidal offensive, they fought to the death.
Liaodong is mountainous. Since the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty made several eastern expeditions, and Goguryeo adopted the strategy of sticking to the mountain city and achieved miraculous results. Then it began to build a large number of cities, especially around Pingrang City. Mountain cities and villages were built wherever the terrain allowed.
garrison strength.
Once a war breaks out, every mountain city will be a fortress with soldiers stationed inside and sufficient supplies of food and weapons to withstand a large-scale attack by the Tang army.
In the area close to Pingrang City, with Anhak Palace and Daeseongsan Mountain Castle as the center, there are more than ten large mountain cities built along the mountain range. Most of these mountain cities are backed by mountains and faced by water, which are easy to defend and difficult to attack. They are integrated into a flat city.
The strongest defensive position outside Rang City.
If the Tang army wanted to attack Pingrang City, they could only uproot these mountain cities one by one and destroy them to dust. However, although there were thunderbolts bombarding the city walls, how easy was it to push these mountain cities over one by one?
Although the Tang army surrounded Pingrang City, it was difficult to advance inward. Every step forward had to go through hard and fierce battles and pay a heavy price.
In particular, the winter in Liaodong was extremely cold. A heavy snowfall would often fall for several days, and the camps would be buried in the snow. It became increasingly difficult for the Tang army to fight, and the baggage and supplies were under great pressure.
However, at this point in the war, there is no possibility of retreating?
No matter the Tang army or the Goguryeo army, they could only bite the bullet and fight until one of them could no longer hold on and collapsed completely.
"His Majesty!"
The personal chamberlain walked quickly from behind, came closer and saluted, saying: "There is an urgent message from Chang'an. Please read it."