Chapter 3314: Many hidden dangers
It snowed heavily at night, and although the north wind that had been raging all day had subsided, the goose-feather-like snowflakes were so densely packed that even with wind lanterns, it was difficult to see anyone beyond a few feet.
After a day of fierce fighting, the Goguryeo army defeated a peripheral mountain city. The vanguard army had already reached the extremely important fortress Dacheng Mountain City in Pingrang City, and Pingrang City was already in sight. If we attack Dacheng Mountain City again, only Anhe Palace will be left in front of us. If we capture Anhe Palace, we can reach the Seven Star Gate directly.
The cold is brutal, but victory is already in sight.
Inside the camp, Li Ji, who had been commanding the battle all day, took off his armor, washed himself with warm water, changed into regular clothes and sat in front of the table.
There was a brass hot pot placed on the table, the charcoal fire was burning brightly, and several ingredients at the bottom of the pot were rolling in the boiling water, emitting steam.
The soldier put two plates of chopped mutton on the table, and Li Ji asked: "Cut one more plate. Mr. Lu has a big appetite, so he won't have enough to eat and will mock me for being stingy. I don't care enough when I treat you."
The soldiers quickly agreed and moved to the kitchen to cut the meat.
Cheng Yaojin, who was covered in cold weather, pushed open the curtain of the camp tent and strode in. He rubbed his hands and sat down opposite Li Ji, complaining: "This weather is really killing me. If it continues to be so cold, what will happen to me?" I’m afraid Old Bones will have to answer here.”
Li Ji sighed and said, "Who says it's not the case? It's cold in Guanzhong, but it's not as strong as the wind in Liaodong. The wind blows cold air, making the severe cold seem a bit colder. If there is no stove, I'm afraid I will freeze to death." During these times in the military The number of soldiers suffering from frostbite due to the severe cold has soared in recent days. There is no good way for the soldiers who follow the army. They can only endure it, but even if they survive, they will probably end up with frostbite and suffer for the rest of their lives. "
No matter how sufficient logistical supplies are, it is impossible for hundreds of thousands of troops to solve the problem of frostbite. Moreover, even if every camp has a stove, you can't carry the stove on your body when you are in the army, right?
The severe cold has caused the Tang Army's attrition to become more and more serious, greatly affecting morale.
Li Ji picked up his chopsticks and ate half of the plate of mutton. The aroma of the meat spread instantly with the steaming heat. He sniffed and tsked, "It's a pity that there are no vegetables. If we were in Chang'an, how much would this plate of meat be paired with?" Such green side dishes are delicious. ”
Now that the army has arrived at Pingrang City, it is already thousands of miles away from the mainland of Datang. In addition, due to the cold weather and heavy snowfall in Liaodong, the land supply has been cut off, and the supply completely relies on the navy to transport it across the sea.
However, the coast of the Bohai Sea has also been frozen. The navy can only set out from Huating Town, leave the Yangtze River Estuary and go north to the coast of Goguryeo. Then it stops in deep water, loads the luggage and supplies on the small boat, and then uses human power to push the small boat from the sea to the ice. Sliding on the surface, they disembarked when they reached the mouth of Xishui River, where they were dismounted and transported to the army.
It is time-consuming, labor-intensive and extremely difficult.
That is to say, the Royal Navy built by Fang Jun is well-organized, well-disciplined, and well-equipped. It transports baggage to the front line day and night. Otherwise, hundreds of thousands of troops may have fallen into a dilemma of lack of food and fodder at this moment.
From this, we can also lament that Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty failed to conquer Liaodong three times, which was really a crime other than war.
Cheng Yaojin took out a small wine jar from his pocket, opened the mud seal, and the aroma of wine instantly filled the entire camp. While pouring wine into the bowl, he said: "If there was our royal navy in the former Sui Dynasty, I'm afraid Goguryeo would have already If we fall, there will be nothing wrong with us now.”
Although the Sui Dynasty also had a navy, its strength was far behind the Royal Navy. It was okay to transport troops in the summer, but it was completely impossible to expect it to transport baggage in the harsh winter months. The army could only rely on land transportation for supplies, and it was difficult to move in winter. Therefore, Emperor Sui Yang attacked Goguryeo three times. The battle plan was to overthrow Goguryeo before the end of autumn, and it must not be delayed until winter.
This also forced the Sui army to advance risk-taking without any delay. In their impatience, they repeatedly made mistakes and were defeated by the Goguryeo army, which fought steadily and step by step.
Li Ji glared at Cheng Yaojin, pointed at the wine jar and said, "You actually hide the wine? Drinking is strictly prohibited when you are marching. This is military discipline! As a general, you actually ignore military discipline. Is this how you lead the troops?"
Cheng Yaojin grinned widely, pushed the wine bowl in front of Li Ji, and asked: "How many jars of wine were hidden when we came out of Chang'an? It's so cold these days that I can't help but drink them all." It's all gone, and only this jar is left. If you hadn't asked me to come over to eat meat today, I wouldn't have been able to take it out! Don't scare people with military discipline. If you don't want to drink it, then I will. Come on your own.”
With that said, he raised his hand to take back the wine bowl.
"Hey! You don't want anyone to talk to you anymore?"
Li Ji quickly knocked off his hand and pretended to be angry: "Not only did he violate military discipline as a general by hiding wine privately, but he also tried to bribe Pao Ze. The crime will be increased!"
He picked up the wine bowl and took a sip, narrowed his eyes and praised: "Good wine!"
Cheng Yaojin had a look of contempt on his face: "You are a prude and you still don't admit it? You pretend to be a gentleman all day long, but in fact you are full of bad things."
He poured a bowl of wine, took a sip, took out a chopstick of meat from the hot pot and stuffed it into his mouth. It was so hot that he breathed cold air, but it felt so good.
Li Ji also took a bite of meat and said curiously: "It's enough to call me a prude, but why am I so full of evil?"
There were many people in the court who disagreed with him, but few people said that he was morally corrupt, neither openly nor secretly.
However, Cheng Yaojin looked at him, eating meat and drinking wine, and said: "Fortunately there are watermen, otherwise it is so cold that if you want to eat meat, you may have to get the corpses of Goguryeo people." . At the beginning of the Eastern Expedition, everyone rejected the navy, fearing that the navy would take away the credit, but now we rely on the navy to fight until now. We are ashamed of Fang Erlang."
All forces inside and outside the court and in the military rejected the navy as the main force in the Eastern Expedition, because everyone knew how powerful the navy was. Once the navy participated in the battle, it would not only be able to bombard cities along the coast with artillery, but could even blast them along the coast. The river flows upstream and threatens all the Goguryeo cities near the river. It must have accumulated numerous military exploits, turning hundreds of thousands of troops into mere foils, making it difficult to obtain military exploits.
At the beginning, the imperial court and the military all rejected the navy. These elders, who were nominally Fang Jun, just watched with cold eyes and remained silent, which was equivalent to being in the same camp as those people.
However, until now, whenever the war is tense and the enemy city is difficult to break, the navy will be sent up the river to bombard the enemy city, often with shocking results.
Logistics and supplies ensure that this battle can continue.
The Navy never participated in the battle, but the influence of the Navy is almost everywhere. Even those who hate the Navy understand that the achievements of the Navy after the war are no less than those of any army... For both the government and the public, the military To put it bluntly, it's like a slap in the face.
Li Ji raised his wine bowl, touched it with Cheng Yaojin, took a sip, and asked, "You must have received the news about the Western Regions, right?"
Cheng Yaojin just put the wine bowl to his mouth. He paused slightly when he heard the words. He raised his head and drained the wine in one gulp. He wiped his mouth and said angrily: "Everyone can punish the traitorous ministers and traitors! The prince is still Too weak, Fang Er fought successively in Hexi and the Western Regions, and there were many dangers. Seriously, if you are not careful, the whole army will be destroyed. As a result, those people secretly colluded with the foreign enemies and did such a despicable thing. Why should they be left behind? They should all be arrested and killed. Is it possible? Those beasts still dare to rebel?”
In his words, he was very dissatisfied with the prince.
Each of these big bosses has their own channels for information exchange, and they are always paying attention to the situation in Chang'an. Just now, someone from home has sent a letter to inform them of the recent changes in Chang'an.
Fang Jun was ostracized by all forces in the DPRK and China and failed to participate in the Eastern Expedition, which caused all the generals of Fang Jun's line to step aside. This was unfair. Nowadays, the navy has made great efforts but can only bear the burden of transporting baggage. Fang Jun even led the Youtun Guards alone to support them, fighting first in Hexi and then in the Western Regions.
For such a pillar of meritorious service, the prince has the power to supervise the country and should vigorously support him. How can he be framed by the Guanlong clan and then quickly compromise?
If you add a plain comment, it would be "no responsibility", which is chilling.
Li Ji took a chopstick of dried vegetables from the bottom of the pot, dipped it in the sauce and put it in his mouth to chew. He took a sip of wine and shook his head: "The prince is in a high position and should consider everything. How can he be so impulsive and reckless as you? But regardless of the prince, As ministers, we have no room to comment on how to deal with it. I called you here today because I have something to tell you." (End of Chapter)