Chapter 3005 Faction Struggle
Cheng Yaojin was naturally very happy.
After fighting for a lifetime, I am most tired of this kind of tough battle. The soldiers under my command are dead and wounded, but they can only fight head-on. People are not grass and trees. Who can watch helplessly as his soldiers die one after another? Now, with a sharp sword like Xue Wanche's, he can cut off generals and seize flags and attack them in an invincible manner. As a general, it saves worry and effort. He already holds the title of Duke and cannot be promoted. It is useless to have so many meritorious deeds. Why not do it?
It's just that he doesn't care how much merit he has, but some of his subordinates don't see it that way.
General Wang Wendu of the Zuowu Guard looked at the high-spirited Xue Wanche, and the jealousy in his heart surged like weeds...
The Goguryeo army collapsed like a chicken and a dog. Xue Wanche, as the vanguard, took away almost all the merits. What should the generals who were counting on the merits and promotions of the Eastern Expedition do? You can't eat all the meat by yourself. We won't even be able to drink the soup, right?
However, Xue Wanche is a rough guy, but he is really good at fighting. He could only smile against his will and said: "Isn't it true that Lu Guogong has a good command? We only need to capture Anshi City. I am afraid that the first attack of this Eastern Expedition will be If you can't run away, Duke Lu's performance will definitely be the best. If the word 'military god' is mentioned again in the army, Duke Lu will be worthy of it!"
Everyone likes to hear flattery. Cheng Yaojin is not a humble and polite gentleman. He can raise his tail to the sky when he is proud. But after hearing this, he warned Wang Wendu: "Put your thoughts away, our mission is It is to cut off Anshi City's backup, and attack whoever comes to support it, but it is absolutely impossible to step into Anshi City, even if the defenders of Anshi City open the city gate, it will never work!"
This is an established strategy, and as long as there are no sudden changes, no changes are allowed.
This is not only related to the grand strategy of the entire Eastern Expedition, but also related to the distribution of interests among the armies of the Eastern Expedition. Everyone believed that Goguryeo, which had gone through several conquests by the Sui Dynasty, was riddled with holes and could not withstand the violent attacks of the Tang army. So whoever could get the vanguard task would naturally have the greatest opportunity to seize military glory.
In fact, the development of the war situation to this day has indeed proved this point.
Zuo Wuwei was regarded as an advance force and had the power to fight alone without the main force. Fierce generals such as Xue Wanche led an army as the vanguard and rushed forward. At present, they have conquered several mountain cities and killed countless enemies. They are already the champion of the entire army.
If Anshi City, an important town in Goguryeo's defense in the Liaodong region, was captured in one go, what would the troops behind think?
Cheng Yaojin may seem rough and arrogant, but he is absolutely shrewd. Especially in the officialdom, he is very prosperous, and his political wisdom is absolutely superb.
Fighting a war is not just about fighting bravely, but also about the distribution of benefits.
Haven't you seen that the most elite naval forces can only transport grain and attack corner cities like Bisha City?
Wang Wendu felt unhappy. Although he did not dare to argue with Cheng Yaojin in person, he was confident and had other concerns in his heart.
He was born in the Wang family of Taiyuan and was a member of the Jin Dynasty line. How could he watch helplessly as Xue Wanche, who had taken refuge with the prince, destroyed the city and fortified the city in front of him, while he could only follow behind and get no merit at all?
Not to mention the wasted opportunity, the key point is that it will be difficult to explain when returning to Chang'an in the future...
……
The army continued to move forward, and within a few days, they arrived near Anshi City.
The Goguryeo army stationed in Anshi City saw the Tang army coming fiercely and did not dare to fight. They could only defend the city and be unable to get out.
Cheng Yaojin was not in a hurry, and immediately divided his troops into several groups, cut off all the roads near Anshi City, and surrounded the points for reinforcements. All the grain, grass, and soldiers supporting Anshi City were attacked by Xue Wanche's cavalry, so that Anshi City is like an isolated island, struggling to survive.
That evening, Xue Wanche, who was in the vanguard, led dozens of soldiers back to the station. They met with Cheng Yaojin to report on the battle situation and to receive the latest combat orders.
Inside the camp, a table of dishes was set up, and Cheng Yaojin invited the military commanders to gather together and talk while eating.
He is the most impatient of rules. Whether at home or in the military, he likes everyone to be casual and talk and laugh freely. The more lively the atmosphere, the better. It's a pity that drinking is not allowed in the army, so the atmosphere will inevitably be dispirited...
After finishing two large bowls of rice in a coarse porcelain bowl, Cheng Yaojin put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth. He drank a large bowl of herbal tea and burped with satisfaction.
The generals quickly put the rice in their bowls into their mouths and put down their chopsticks.
The soldiers came in, removed the food and dishes, and carried a large kettle to make tea for the generals present.
Cheng Yaojin was about to speak when he suddenly saw a school captain walking quickly outside and shouted: "Commander! Goguryeo is sending troops to help!"
"Oh?"
Cheng Yaojin immediately became energetic.
The city of Anshi has thick walls, abundant supplies and strong troops. Although the Goguryeo people did not dare to go out of the city to fight with the Tang army, they huddled in the city and held on to the city. The Tang army was unable to do anything for a while. Even with gunpowder and other powerful siege weapons, a large number of soldiers would be lost, so Cheng Yaojin was not in a hurry to attack. He only waited for His Majesty Li Er to capture Jian'an City and join forces eastward. The two armies joined together to Absolute power defeated it in one fell swoop.
But it's not a problem to always surround Anshi City. The army is away on an expedition. Being idle like this can easily lower morale. After all, you have to find something to do.
It's a pity that after intercepting and burning several waves of grain and grass baggage, Goguryeo also learned its lesson. It didn't care whether Anshi City had enough food and threw it aside. The whole country was supporting Jian'an City.
Jian'an City, whose original strategic position was not as good as Anshi City, may become the place where the first war broke out since the Eastern Expedition...
How could Cheng Yaojin be unhappy when he heard that reinforcements were coming?
This is all meritorious service...
"Bring me the map!"
Cheng Yaojin shouted excitedly.
"No!"
When a marching secretary ran in from outside, he took out a thick stack of maps from a box wrapped in tarpaulin, found a few near Anshi City, and hung them on the wall on one side of the camp.
Cheng Yaojin and the generals stood up one after another and stepped forward, looking at the map that was so detailed that even every fork in the road was carefully marked. It was as if they were transformed into birds and looked down from the air, with an unobstructed view of the terrain around Anshi City.
The captain handed a military report to Cheng Yaojin, who took it and read it carefully, then compared it with the map, pointed to a valley south of Anshi City, and said: "The reinforcements are coming from Goguryeo." Gao Huizhen of Laisa in the south, with more than 80,000 troops under his command, came all the way from Pyongyang City at night and under the stars! ”
Wang Wendu was very excited and geared up and said: "It's just the right time! The Goguryeo army has traveled a long distance and will be exhausted. Why not choose a place to ambush them and wipe them out. This will not only cut off the back-up support of Anshi City, but also shock Goguryeo and lower its morale." , is actually the first achievement of the Eastern Campaign!”
Previously, I was not satisfied that all the credit was taken away by Xue Wanche, but in the blink of an eye, the Goguryeo people obediently handed over the credit right under their noses. If I really dozed off, someone would give me a pillow. How wonderful?
Unexpectedly, Cheng Yaojin glanced at him indifferently and said solemnly: "We must fight, how can we allow him to easily enter Anshi City to get a chance to rest and recuperate, so that Anshi City's defensive strength can be doubled? But don’t ever think of total annihilation Such extravagant hopes! Gao Huizhen is a famous Goguryeo general, and his troops are all the elites of Goguryeo, with a number of more than 80,000. If he fights head-on, the victory will definitely be a partial victory, which is absolutely undesirable!"
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He doesn't need too many meritorious deeds. After all, with his current official position and title, any meritorious deeds would be a waste. Furthermore, the entire Eastern Expedition was one of "equal interests." If he led Zuo Wuwei to be too dazzling and gained too many achievements, he would become a thorn in everyone's side. This would seriously contradict his consistent philosophy of moderation and low-key.
Over the years, the Zhenguan heroes in the court have had their ups and downs, but he has always sat firmly on Diaoyutai and won the trust and respect of His Majesty Li Er. Because he "listen to the emperor's words and follow the emperor", His Majesty Li Er allowed him to harass Anshi City's logistics prevented it from being effectively supplemented, so he strictly abided by and completed his tasks, and would never act on his own, or act out of the ordinary.
He naturally understood Wang Wendu's thoughts. As a general of the Wang family in Taiyuan, he was very close to the Guanlong nobles and became one of the few generals of the Jin Dynasty in the army. He wanted to gain a lot of meritorious service in the Eastern Expedition to boost his morale. The influence and strength of King Jin's line is naturally reasonable.
However, why do you want to achieve meritorious service at the expense of my team?
The top and bottom ranks of Zuo Wuwei are all old subordinates who have followed him for many years. How can we watch them sacrifice their lives in vain in the struggle for the throne?
Not to mention that although his external stance is "neutral" and he does not participate in the fight for the throne, he actually loves the prince and refuses to let Wang Wendu's wish come true... (End of Chapter)