Chapter 3309 The battle situation is stalemate
The unfavorable situation in the Liaodong war was both unexpected and reasonable.
The Tang army broke through Anshi City and wiped out all 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 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 and high fighting spirit, and continued to engage in fierce battles with the Tang army, with each side winning or losing. Because a large amount of grain, fodder and baggage were gathered in Pingrang City, they were very confident and did not suffer from chaos even though they were besieged.
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 there is no telling 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 attackable 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 was 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.
They mobilized hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers and mobilized the power of the whole country, but they still failed to defeat Goguryeo in one fell swoop. Instead, the country was empty and the court was in turmoil. Pingrang City still stood firm.
Is Goguryeo too stubborn? Is it because the name of the Tang Army does not live up to its reality? Or is it because His Majesty Li Er did not command properly and the three armies refused to use their lives?
Any reason may cause unnecessary turmoil, so I can only remain silent at the moment.
Li Chengqian also felt that his topic was a bit overstepped. After all, it was his father's personal expedition at the moment. 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...< br>
As a son of a man, you cannot make irresponsible remarks about your father's gains and losses, and as a prince, you can't say anything unreasonable.
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. Please ask him to issue an edict so that we can act in accordance with it. Among them, the speculation about Guan Long and the fight 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 marching with him, 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 show it to His Highness 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 just send it directly to Liaodong and deliver it to His Majesty for 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 very good!"
Fang Jun is indeed very powerful, but most of Fang Jun's influence is in the military, but he does not have much say in the court. Xiao Yu was different. As the leader of the Qing Dynasty, countless civil servants from both the government and the public were attached to him. Even the Yushitai, which was the leader of the civil service chain, 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 Zhinu became smaller and smaller, and the situation naturally became more optimistic...
Ma Zhou glanced at Xiao Yu and admonished: "The Ministry of War should still be urged to do its best in terms of logistics and equipment, and to raise more food, ammunition, and weapons to supply them to 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, and who dares to say that victory is certain? Among the factors that can affect the outcome of this battle, logistics is the biggest one.
Li Chengqian was ordered to supervise the country, and 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 escape.
At this moment, Fang Jun, the Minister of the Ministry of War, is engaged in a fierce battle in the Western Regions. Only Zuo Shilang, Ji Dunli, is left in the Ministry of War. However, there is also Jin Wang 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 causes trouble in the Ministry of War, Cui Dunli may not be able to resist it. If there is a problem with 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 the King of Jin...
However, Li Chengqian had his own way of knowing and employing people. He shook his head and said: "Cui Dunli is mature, trustworthy and extremely sensitive. He naturally knows the importance of grain, fodder and military equipment to Liaodong. He has always controlled it himself 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 doubt people you employ.
Cui Dunli was Fang Jun's confidant. Regardless of his loyalty to the East Palace or his ability to do things, Li Chengqian was extremely reassured. Such a person took charge of the affairs of the Ministry of War when Fang Jun went on an expedition. He already had the demeanor of ruling a party alone. If he used it well, he would be a capable minister. How could he be easily spurred and beaten repeatedly?
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 trusted minister. 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 a person in a superior position to be kind-hearted and know how to handle people well.
Think about the period 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 snowed heavily and war drums rumbled.
His Majesty Li Er, wearing a helmet and a military uniform, stood under a yellow umbrella, pedaling a chariot and frowning at the battlefield in front of him.
On the battlefield with a radius of several miles, the two armies were fighting each other, arrows were like locusts, thunder roared from time to time, flesh and blood flew everywhere, and the battle was extremely tragic.
The Goguryeo army relied on the mountain city and faced the Tang army. Although its formation was chaotic 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 a strategy of sticking to mountain cities and achieved miraculous results. After that, Goguryeo began to build large-scale construction, 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 food and weapons to withstand a large-scale attack by the Tang army.
Near Pingrang Castle, with Anhak Palace and Daeseongsan Mountain Castle as the centers, there are more than ten large mountain castles built along the mountain range. Most of these mountain cities are backed by mountains and faced by water. They are easy to defend and difficult to attack. They are integrated into one and become the strongest defensive position outside Pingrang 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 thunders bombarding the city walls, it was not easy to push these mountain cities one by one.
Although the Tang army surrounded Pingrang City, it was difficult to advance inward. Every step forward had to go through hard battles and pay a heavy price.
In particular, the winter in Liaodong is extremely cold. A heavy snowfall often lasts for several days, and the camps are buried in the snow. It becomes more and more difficult for the Tang army to fight, and the baggage and supplies are 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.
"Your Majesty!"
The personal chamberlain walked quickly from behind, and when he came closer, he saluted and said: "There is an urgent message from Chang'an. Please read it." (End of Chapter)