Chapter 265: The last stubborn resistance [two in one]
About half an hour later, when Wei Qing Ma Kuo arrived after hearing this, he saw Li Hou Han Wu pacing back and forth in the study with an anxious look.
"Lihou?"
After entering the house, Ma Kuo bowed his hands and bowed.
"You're here." Li Hou Han Wu turned his head and nodded after seeing Ma Kuo.
Seeing the solemn look on Lihou Han Wu's face, Ma Kuo asked with some confusion: "I wonder why Lihou summoned the subordinates?"
I saw Han Wu stop talking a few times, and after hesitating for a long time, he said sadly: "I regret not listening to your advice... He was defeated and died in the robbery, and Shanggu County has fallen into the hands of the Wei army. "
"What?!"
When Wei Qing Ma Kuo heard this, his expression suddenly changed.
In fact, when Li Hou Han Wu appointed Qi Jie to replace Le Yi, Ma Kuo strongly opposed it, but unfortunately Han Wu did not listen.
But later, when Qijie defeated the Wei army one after another in Shanggu County, Ma Kuo gradually no longer opposed it - just like Xu Li, Qin Kai, Han Wu and others, Ma Kuo also had such an illusion at the time, mistakenly believing that The talent of robbery can actually replace Le Yi.
Unexpectedly, just a few days after the last good news of Qijie was delivered to Jicheng, Qijie was defeated?
Seeing the shocked look on Ma Kuo's face, Li Hou Han Wu gathered Yan together, and Zhao Cong repeated the words again, and finally said with a bit of hatred: "The plunderers are brave but not clever, and they fall into the Wei army's trick without knowing it. He actually killed more than 100,000 of my soldiers..."
"..."
Wei Qing Ma Kuo opened his mouth, not knowing what to say for a long time.
Who would have thought that after successive defeats of the Wei army, just one defeat destroyed almost all the elite Korean troops in Shanggu County's defense line, including the Beiyan Army, Yuyang Army, Shanggu Army, and Daijun Army, all of which were sunk.
It is no exaggeration to say that this defeat can be said to have completely pushed South Korea into the abyss of destruction.
"..."
Ma Kuo took a deep look at Li Hou Han Wu, with a bit of complaint in his eyes.
He couldn't help but sigh secretly. If only Han Wu was not so suspicious and could give Le Yi and Sima Shang more trust. With these two generals stationed in Fan Yang, Qin Kai, Xu Li, Jin Miao, Bao Yuan, etc. Generals, even if there are 200,000 to 300,000 Wei and Yuan (Yuanyi Puppet Government) coalition troops stationed at the border of Shanggu County, they may not be able to easily break through this Korea's last line of defense.
However, it is too late to care about these things now. Instead of blaming or complaining about Li Hou Han Wu, it is better to think about how to deal with the aftermath.
But when he thought of the current situation, Ma Kuo couldn't help but feel despair.
Think about it, the Yuyang Army, the Shanggu Army, the Beiyan Army, and the Daijun Army, the four last elites of South Korea, were completely destroyed in this defeat. Although there are still 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers in Jicheng, they can Seventy percent of these soldiers were militiamen recruited temporarily to resist Wei's Huling Wei Army. Only a few thousand of them were the king's division in Jicheng. How could they resist Wei's army?
On the other hand, the Wei army consisted of the Hanoi Army, the Wei Wu Army, the suppressing rebel army, and the Yanling Army on land. There were also more than 100,000 rebels led by the traitor Han Pu, the Marquis of Yuanyi, with a total strength of up to 300,000. On the waterway, Wei's The Huling navy occupied Tianjin Port and the entrance of the Haihe River for several months. Although Julu Shou Yanju tried his best to defeat the Wei navy, Wei's warships were strong and huge, and they also had trebuchets, serial crossbows, etc. Long-range weapons have repeatedly caused the Julu Navy under Yan Kuang to retreat sadly.
According to the news that Ma Kuo learned a few days ago, at this time, the navy under Julu Shouyan's command only had four large ships, seven or eight sterns, and more than 20 small boats. At least 70% of the warships were still preserved. In front of the Huling navy of Wei State, it can be said to be bleak.
The only thing that can be called a fluke is that the Wei State's Huling navy can only show off its power in water battles, and is not necessarily an opponent of the Korean army in land battles. Therefore, Korea can still firmly defend Jicheng. Otherwise, Jicheng will be defeated. I'm afraid it was already defeated by the Wei army a month or two ago.
Shanggu County fell, all four elite troops were lost, and the Julu Navy under Julu Shou Yanfu also suffered a greater defeat than Wei's Huling Navy. Ma Kuo really couldn't imagine how this country could resist Wei. country's army.
However, Li Hou Han Wu did not seem to give up. He said to Ma Kuo: "I have ordered the recruitment of the defenders of "Juyang", "Yuyang" and other places, and also ordered the recruitment of soldiers in the city. I hope to gather a group of soldiers as soon as possible." Form an army to resist the Wei army..."
"Juyang? Yuyang?"
Wei Qing Ma Kuo's expression changed slightly.
You must know that Juyang is the county government of Shanggu County, and Yuyang is the county government of Yuyang County. Both of them are important military towns of the foreign tribes in the northern grasslands under martial law in South Korea. But now according to Han Wu's wishes, it seems that The last Shanggu Army and Yuyang Army guarding the local border were transferred to Jicheng to resist the Wei army.
To be honest, Ma Kuo did not agree with this approach, because in his opinion, it was tantamount to "tearing down the east wall and mending the west wall", that is, 'tearing down' the last defense force to guard against the aliens on the grassland and using it to resist the Wei army. .
Leaving aside for the moment whether this small number of troops can withstand the 300,000 Wei and Yuan coalition forces, once the final defense troops in Juyang and Yuyang are transferred, will this attract the aliens from the grassland to take advantage of the situation?
After pondering for a moment, Wei Qing Ma Kuo cupped his hands and whispered: "Marquis Li, if the Wei army really can't resist it, then... just surrender to the Wei state."
"What did you say?!" After hearing this, Li Hou Han Wu's expression changed drastically, and he glared at Ma Kuo with wide eyes.
Seeing this, Ma Kuo explained: "The battle between Wei and Han was a civil war in the Central Plains, and the Wei army has always been strict in running the army and would not kill innocent people indiscriminately; but the aliens in the north..." He shook his head, and then continued: "In my opinion, the Wei army is just trying to make our country surrender. I'm afraid they have no intention of getting involved in Dai County, Shanggu, and Yuyang. This time our country..."
He glanced at Li Hou Han Wu. Although he saw that the latter's face was ashen, he still said bravely: "The battle of robbery and robbery ruined the last strength of our country. In this battle, Han Wu has been defeated. Although he is unwilling to accept it, at the moment The only option is to seek peace. If Marquis Li insists on transferring the final defenders from Juyang, Yuyang and other places, he is afraid that the aliens from the grassland will take advantage of the situation and occupy Daijun, Shanggu, and Yuyang... According to the official's knowledge, with The coalition forces of various countries headed by the Chu State are currently attacking the mainland of the Wei State. I believe that these Wei troops will not stay here for a long time after forcing Korea to surrender, and will definitely retreat immediately. I wonder, if the final battles in Juyang, Yuyang and other places The defenders were also killed in the war with the Wei army. So, after the Wei army withdraws, how will our country resist the steppe aliens who take advantage of the situation?...I am afraid that we will have to watch the people of the country being massacred by the aliens."
It must be said that Ma Kuo's analysis was clear and reasonable, but Han Wu, the Marquis of Li, couldn't listen to it. In fact, Ma Kuo's words "our country has been defeated" were enough to make Han Wu, the Marquis of Li, furious.
How could South Korea, which his younger brother Han Wangran entrusted to him before his death, succumb to Wei?!
What's more, the Wei people and the traitor Han Pu, the Marquis of Yuanyi, created a "Yuanyi regime"!
Immediately, Li Hou Han Wu angrily scolded: "Ma Kuo, you must have different intentions, right?"
Hearing this, Ma Kuo was also furious and thought to himself, if you hadn't used Qijie, Yan Ju, and Zhao Cong to replace Generals Le Yi and Sima Shang, the situation would have been like this?
Thinking of this, Ma Kuo said with neither arrogance nor humility: "Marquis Li, I am just discussing the matter... In my opinion, when Marquis Li used robbery to replace Le Yi, it was destined that this battle was irreversible... Now that it has been It is irreversible, why not temporarily surrender to the Wei State to save the country? Do we have to fight until we, Korea, have no more conquerors, so that the alien races from the grasslands can take advantage of the situation and harm our people, and only then will the Marquis of Shili do it Have you finally woken up?"
"..." Li Hou Han Wu still glared at Ma Kuo, and Ma Kuo looked back calmly.
The two looked at each other for a long time.
Immediately, Li Hou Han Wu sighed and said sadly: "I lost my composure... But in this war, there is no possibility of surrender." After saying that, he saw Ma Kuo's surprised look on his face and explained: " I think you have also heard that Han Pu, the Hou of Yuanyi, was rebellious and established a puppet in Yuanyi as the so-called monarch of Korea. This move was recognized and supported by the leader of the Wei army, King Zhao Jiang of Yan. In other words, this time If we, Jicheng, are defeated, the new king (Han Ji) will definitely be replaced by that puppet, and we, Dahan, will also become a vassal of Wei... This does not just mean that the orthodoxy of our royal family will be destroyed. It also means that we, Korea, will be reduced to fish on the chopping board of the Wei State. When the time comes, some Wei people may ask that puppet to dedicate our country to the Wei State. At that time, the Wei State will annex our country, and we will no longer exist in the world. Korea..."
"..."
Hearing this, Wei Qing Ma Kuo was shocked.
Not to mention, although Han Wu, the Marquis of Li, was suspicious for some reasons, his vision was still sharp. When he learned that the Wei people instigated Han Pu, the Marquis of Yuanyi, to create a "Yuanyi regime", he knew that he would There is no longer an option for the city to surrender to Wei - if he is defeated in Jicheng, his Jicheng regime will be immediately replaced by the puppet government of Yuanyi, and his nephew Han Ji will also be elected as the new king by someone from Wei. The puppet came out and replaced it.
If he had lost the power to resist when he was introduced to South Korea, would Wei give up this piece of fat that had been brought to his lips?
Therefore, in the view of Li Hou Han Wu, the so-called surrender to Wei State is an option that does not exist at all - defeat means death!
After a long time, Wei Qing Ma Kuo let out a long breath. He finally understood that it was not that Han Wu, the Marquis of Li, wanted to recruit the last troops of his country to fight against the Wei army, regardless of the safety of the people, but that in this war, he, Han Wu, had been fighting against the Wei army. There is no option to surrender or surrender from the beginning.
Thinking of this, he said to Han Wu, the Marquis of Li, with a bitter look on his face: "The Marquis of Li summoned Xiaguan, wouldn't he want him to... take charge of this army to resist the Wei army?"
Li Hou Han Wu was silent for a moment, and said with an inexplicable expression: "Now in Jicheng, the only person I can trust is you..."
Hearing this, Ma Kuo grinned, but he couldn't stop laughing.
Because in his opinion, even if Lihou Hanwu mobilized the final defenders of Juyang, Yuyang and other places, they would not be able to stop the 300,000 Wei army. Perhaps Lihou Hanwu thought there was still some hope of repelling the Wei army, but in Ma From Kuo's point of view, at best, it only delayed the downfall of the country.
Unless the coalition forces of various countries happen to defeat Wei at this time and force these Wei troops to return to Wei's homeland, the only thing that can save South Korea is a miracle.
but……
Recalling that his father Ma She still told him to serve the country and assist the monarch before his death, and then thinking of Han Wangran's kindness to him during his lifetime, a gloomy look flashed across Ma Kuo's face. Immediately, he let out a long breath, Looking at Lihou Han Wu, he said firmly: "Ma Kuo... take the order!"
Li Hou Han Wu was stunned for a moment, as if he saw something deeper in Ma Kuo's expression, and he raised his hands and said, "Please."
On that day, the Jicheng court appointed Ma Kuo as general, and together with Yan Ju, Zhao Cong and other generals, they led the last 20,000 soldiers in Jicheng area to fight against the Wei army.
In order to seize the opportunity before the Wei army invaded, Ma Kuo ordered the army to move quickly, so that more than 20,000 soldiers under his command arrived at "Zhuocheng" within two days, and built defensive facilities overnight.
At the same time, Ma Kuo had people post proclamations in the city, encouraging people in the county to protect their homes and country and actively join the army.
A few days later, the Wei army's detailed operations reported the situation in "Zhuocheng" to the King of Yan, Zhao Jiang.
After Zhao Jiang heard this, he smiled and said to his generals: "Beiyan, Yuyang, Daijun, and Shanggu armies are all gone, but Jicheng still has the fighting spirit to resist our army. It is indeed commendable for courage!... In other words, Who is this Ma Kuo?"
It has to be said that very few of the generals in the Wei army had heard of Ma Kuo. In the end, Sima Tao, the lowered general, introduced him on his behalf: "Ma Kuo is the son of Ma She, the former Shanggu guard."
"oh!"
Only then did Zhao Jiang suddenly realize.
In fact, Zhao Jiang actually met Ma Kuo before and after he led his army to fight with Han general Ma She. However, Ma Kuo served as the general of the palace guard in Jicheng in these years and rarely appeared in the battle reports of the Wei army. Therefore, Zhao Jiang I just forgot about it for a while.
"This Ma Kuo is so brave and worthy of being the son of Ma She!"
At that time, Zhao Jiang praised him without hesitation.
After all, Zhao Jiang admired Ma She very much.
But praise is praise. No matter Zhao Jiang, Shao Hu, Pang Huan, Qu Cheng and others, or even the surrendered general Sima Tao, they did not think that Ma Kuo could stop his 300,000 Wei and Yuan coalition forces.
Therefore, no one took Ma Kuo, who was stationed in Zhuocheng, seriously.
Waiting until September 15th, 300,000 Wei and Yuan coalition forces slowly approached Zhuocheng. At this time, the troops stationed in Juyang and Yuyang, including county soldiers from Changping, Anle, Guangyang and other places, all followed the instructions of Marquis Han Wu. Orders arrived in Zhuocheng one after another, gradually increasing the number of troops under the command of Han General Ma Kuo to nearly 50,000 people - this was the last force that Jicheng, the capital of South Korea, could mobilize at the moment.
Although these 50,000 troops were nothing compared to the 300,000 Wei and Yuan coalition forces, Zhao Jiang was still surprised. He originally thought that after defeating the Korean troops stationed in Shanggu County, the country would be completely lost. The power of resistance.
Unexpectedly, nearly 50,000 people gathered in South Korea.
He asked the surrendered general Sima Tao in confusion: "Since there are still nearly 50,000 troops, why were they not sent to Shanggu County before?"
Sima Tao sighed after hearing this: "If the general's prediction is correct, Jicheng may have transferred the defenders from Juyang and Yuyang here..."
After listening to Sima Tao's explanation, King Zhao Jiang of Yan suddenly realized.
He thought for a while and said: "Since he is the son of General Ma She, I should treat him with courtesy."
After that, he personally wrote a letter persuading him to surrender, and sent someone to Zhuocheng to deliver the letter to Ma Kuo, hoping to persuade Ma Kuo to surrender.
After all, in Zhao Jiang's view, South Korea's collapse is imminent and cannot be reversed by human power.
One day later, the sent soldiers returned to the army and reported to King Zhao Jiang of Yan: "Commander, Ma Kuo refuses to surrender."
After hearing the soldier's story, King Zhao Jiang of Yan knew that after receiving his letter of persuasion to surrender, Ma Kuo did not act too aggressively, such as cutting off the messenger's nose. Ma Kuo was just calm.
But he also simply rejected the matter.
In response, Wei general Pang Huan sneered again and again. He felt that Ma Kuo might be the second robber, thinking that he could create a miracle and repel his Wei army with a small number of enemies.
Therefore, he suggested to Zhao Jiang: "Why bother with that Ma Kuo? With only 50,000 troops, we can defeat him in one battle!"
King Zhao Jiang of Yan thought about it for a while. Although he regretted not being able to persuade Ma Kuo, the son of Ma She, to surrender, he would not delay the upcoming victory for one person. For his Wei army, all he needed to do now was to defeat Ma Kuo.
With this last force in South Korea, the Wei army can completely capture this country.
Therefore, Zhao Jiang immediately ordered the Wei Wu Army to suppress the rebels, and the Yanling Army and the army under Yuanyi Hou Han Pu attacked Zhuocheng.
But unexpectedly, the Wei army's siege against Zhuocheng did not go smoothly.
It turns out that although there are only 50,000 Korean regular troops under Ma Kuo, this does not include those militiamen who self-defense the country - just like when Wei was facing a national crisis, Wei King Zhao Run gathered two people with a conscription statement.
There are more than 100,000 men in the Wei Kingdom, and now, the proclamation promulgated by Li Hou Han Wu has also inspired tens of thousands of Korean men.
Zhuocheng was like the mountain sun and beam of Wei State. Under the leadership of Ma Kuo, all the Korean men in the city rushed to the city to defend it. They sacrificed their lives heroically to repel the Wei army. Under the united will, the Wei army retreated several times.
From being indifferent at first to becoming angry later, the soldiers and generals of the Wei army were angered.
It's no wonder, after all, the Wei army generally believed that when they defeated hundreds of thousands of Korean elites led by Qi Jie in Shanggu County, they had won the war. However, they did not expect that when they sent troops to Jicheng,
When he was about to pick the final fruits of victory, Ma Kuo appeared out of nowhere and blocked the way.
Victory was clearly in sight, but was blocked by Ma Kuo. One can imagine how angry the Wei soldiers were.
However, to everyone's surprise, during the three-day siege battle, except for the Hanoi army stationed in Fanyang and not mobilized, the Wei Wu army, the suppressing rebel army, the Yanling army and the Yuanyi army of more than 100,000 under the command of Han Pu, the Marquis of Yuanyi, gathered.
Unable to defeat a single Zhuocheng.
As a result, Ma Kuo's garrison guarded the main road leading to Jicheng and could not advance even an inch.
This made the Wei army, which had just won the "Great Victory at Shanggu County", feel a great loss of face.
The shame and anger in their hearts made the Wei army finally take it seriously. Around September 18th, Wei generals Shao Hu, Pang Huan, Qu Cheng, and Yuanyi Hou Han Pu were finally forced to have no choice but to set up camp honestly and then cut down the trees.
Build siege engines.
After two days of preparation, the Wei army launched a new round of offensive against Zhuocheng on September 20th.
But no one expected that in the face of the Wei army's well-prepared siege, the soldiers and civilians of Zhuocheng showed no less bravery than the Wei army. No matter how the Wei army's trebuchets bombed the city wall, no matter how the Wei army's siege vehicles crashed
The city gate, the city, is still standing.
After learning about this incident, King Zhao Jiang of Yan was also greatly surprised. He left Fan Yang to his deputy Cao Yan and came to Zhuocheng in person to peep at the reality inside the city.
At this time, there were corpses all over the city of Zhuocheng, including the bones of Wei soldiers and soldiers, but more of them were the corpses of Zhuocheng soldiers and civilians. Thinking about it, although the soldiers and civilians of Zhuocheng were very brave, their combat capabilities were not as good as those of Wei's elite.
Soldiers, but there is a certain gap.
Precisely because he clearly saw the proportion of casualties between the enemy and ourselves, King Yan Zhao Jiang was not in a hurry, because he knew very well that as long as the battle continued like this, it was only a matter of time before Zhuocheng was captured by his Wei army.
It's just that he didn't understand why Ma Kuo still had to fight a trapped beast. Didn't he understand that in fact, the winner of this war had already been decided?
"Why is Ma Kuo so stubborn and refuses to surrender even if he fights to the death?" Zhao Jiang asked in confusion at the military council.
In his opinion, Ma Kuo was completely waging a war that was doomed to defeat - it was meaningless.
At that time, Zhang Qigong was the only one in the tent who was thoughtful.
Afterwards, Zhang Qigong privately told Han Pu, the Marquis of Yuanyi: "Jicheng is still struggling to defend itself, and the reason is probably the Korean monarch who was supported by the prince..."
Han Pu, the Marquis of Yuanyi, was not stupid and he understood immediately.
Just as Lihou Hanwu guessed, in this war, South Korea had no option to surrender or surrender. Zhang Qigong had already planned a series of preparations to "make Wei annex South Korea". Just as Lihou Hanwu guessed, when
After the war comes to an end, the Wei State will take the puppet monarch who supported the Yuanyi regime as the monarch of South Korea. After the Wei State repels the coalition forces of other countries, the Wei State will have the opportunity to ask the puppet monarch to dedicate himself to the country and submit to the Wei State.
country.
Yes, like Jie Zigong, Zhang Qigong is also a supporter of the idea of "great unification". The difference between him and Jie Zigong is only about "the rule of law" and "the rule of Confucianism."
After that, the Wei army continued to attack Zhuocheng. Although Ma Kuo led the entire city's soldiers and civilians to defend the city and held back the Wei army for twenty days, in the end, Zhuocheng was still unable to withstand the Wei army's offensive.
On the day when the city was breached, Ma Kuo, who had a premonition, wiped his sword on the city gate tower, which was a relic of his father Ma She.
While wiping his sword, Ma Kuo secretly lamented that the first time he took charge of an army was actually a war related to the survival of the country. What was even worse was that his side was at an absolute disadvantage in this war.
"What bad luck."
He smiled bitterly to himself.
In fact, Ma Kuo had already seen the outcome before leading his army to the expedition, but his father's instructions before his death and the kindness of the late king Han Ran made him unable to refuse.
"General, the Wei army is attacking the city again!"
I don't know how long it took, but the panicked shouts of the soldiers guarding the city were heard not far away.
"call……"
Ma Kuo let out a long breath.
"Father, Your Majesty, Kuo... have tried their best. However, they still failed to save this country... I am so unwilling!"
The faces of his father Ma She and Han Wangran flashed in his mind. Ma Kuo raised the corner of his mouth slightly, raising a somewhat bitter smile.
Taking a deep breath, he walked towards the city with a sharp sword in hand.
"Don't panic, Kuo is with you all!"
From beginning to end, he looked calm and calm.
On the third day of October in the second year of Wei Zhaowu, the Wei army attacked Zhuocheng for more than 20 days and finally captured the city.
On the day the city was breached, the Korean general Ma Kuo would rather die than surrender. He fought alone to the end and died on the city wall.
At this point, Jicheng, the capital of South Korea, could no longer resist the Wei army.