"According to the news reported by the spies, if everything goes well, the imperial army will attack Xiangcheng before the first month at the earliest. I don't know why, why Li Yuanshan's men retreated so quickly."
Zhuo Buyi sorted out the news that Feiyu Pao had found out, but his face was not at all relaxed: "I always feel that the progress of the imperial army is too smooth. Li Yuanshan has deployed a total of one million troops in Hexi Road, Shannan Road, Shandong Road, and the imperial court The strength of men and horses is basically the same. Even if the equipment of the imperial army is better, even if there are more than 200,000 soldiers opening the way, there will not be any room to fight back. Li Yuanshan has been operating in Shandong Road for 20 years and has also deployed in the entire northwest. How could it be so miserable after nearly three years?¡±
"It's a good thing that the imperial army's suppression of the rebellion went smoothly. Why isn't Mr. Zhuo happy?"
Lu Fenghou fiddled with the fire and smiled: "I think it's a bit slow. With more than a million elite soldiers marching westward, those soldiers under Li Yuanshan are not soldiers at all. To defeat such an opponent, we should be able to destroy them. How many times have we fought? We haven¡¯t reached Xiangcheng in a month, so how can we count it as soon?¡±
"It is true that most of Li Yuanshan's soldiers are not elite, but there are more than one million people and horses in the imperial court, and one million of them are brave. Compared with Li Yuanshan's soldiers, apart from having better weapons and equipment, there is nothing else. The rebel general of Hexi Road Shi Lei is the number one among the Seven Tigers under Li Yuanshan, and Li Yuanshan praised him for his ability as a general. Isn¡¯t it strange that such a person has never won a single battle with an army of nearly 500,000 in his hands?¡±
Zhuo Buyi frowned.
Fang Jie re-read the news that he had brought Feiyupao back, and his face was a little solemn: "From the news, although Shi Lei did not win a single battle, every battle was fierce, and the imperial army actually did not win easily. In the battle of Qingtai Mountain, the rebels lost 60,000 soldiers, and the imperial army also lost 40,000 troops, forcing Shi Lei to retreat fifty miles. In the battle of Hengyuan, Shi Lei lost 40,000 soldiers, and the imperial army lost 50,000 soldiers. The imperial court suffered greater losses, but because of the repeated attacks by the imperial army, Shi Lei had to retreat to Yangjiao Mountain."
"Yangjiaoshan was defeated again in the battle, and Shi Lei returned to defend Qixia Pass. It took the imperial army more than ten days to break through the pass, with tens of thousands of losses, and the rebels also lost five to six thousand. After Qixia Pass was broken, Shi Lei retreated with his troops. , to set up defenses on the west bank of the Luoyang River. The Luoyang River was too narrow and not too deep, so the imperial navy had to build a pontoon bridge to cross the river. It took 20,000 people to cross the river, and the rebels retreated to Weicheng. The city walls of Hexi Daozhi were high and fortified, and the imperial army besieged Wei City for more than a month. Finally, they mobilized all the army's trebuchets and blasted away a corner of Wei City before they entered. "
"In successive battles, Shi Lei's men lost more than 50%, and the imperial army's losses were around 150,000, and most of the dead were brave men. Wei City is the northeastern barrier of Xiangcheng. Once Wei City is broken, it will no longer be dangerous, and the flat terrain will betray the enemy. The army could not stop the imperial army. When the news came back, the army was only four hundred miles away from Xiangcheng. If Shi Lei could not hold Tianjian Mountain, the imperial army would have gathered outside Xiangcheng."
"Relatively speaking, the rebel general He Ruoxiong of Shannan Road was defeated faster. The right-wing general Xia Houbi only brought one guard and 80,000 brave men to clean up Shannan Road. The rebel generals were almost defeated at the first touch. No strong defense has been formed. He Ruoxiong has retreated to the northeast of Shandong Road with his remaining troops to fortify himself. If he takes a step back, he will not be far from Xiangcheng."
"There is also Yin Poshan. After the defeat, Yin Poshan lost less than half of his troops. He only held out with his remaining troops in the south of Mangdang Mountain for less than a month before he began to retreat. He had already retreated past Mangdang Mountain and was in Ningyuan. Pengge, Shuye's first line of defense, resisting Luo Yao's left forward, is also less than 400 miles away from Xiangzhou."
Fang Jie roughly sketched the situation on the paper: "Xiahou Bi is in the northeast, His Majesty's army is in the east, and Luo Yao's left vanguard is in the southwest. A three-sided encirclement has been formed. The rebels are fully shrinking within a thousand miles, and Shi Lei's troops Half of He Ruoxiong's troops were lost, half of Yin Poshan's troops were lost"
After saying this, Fang Jie's brows gradually deepened.
¡°These numbers only appear to be such a coincidence when they are put together.¡±
Zhuo Buyi sighed: "Or maybe it's not a coincidence at all He Ruoxiong's defense line is less than 400 miles away from Xiangzhou. If Shi Lei's defense line has not been breached, it is also about 400 miles away from Xiangzhou. Yin Poshan's defense line is also about 400 miles away. , or four hundred miles. If this is not a coincidence, it is deliberately arranged. "
Fang Jie turned to look at Sun Kai and said, "Sir, what do you think?"
Sun Kaidao sighed: "General, do you still remember how the Western Expedition army was defeated?"
Fang Jie was startled, and his face became more solemn: "As soon as the imperial army came out of Qingxia Gorge and attacked Mandu Banner, Mandu Latu's troops also retreated while fighting, and they retreated for two thousand people.?. The imperial army fought and won all the way, and soon controlled the entire Mandu Banner. Just when everyone in the Western Expedition army thought it would be such an easy victory, Li Yuanshan opened a gap in the defense line and let Meng Yuanlang ride in to attack from behind. The Western Expedition army collapsed instantly. "
After he said this, everyone in the room fell silent.
"It is the same?"
Sun Kaidao asked.
He didn¡¯t wait for anyone to answer, and sighed again: ¡°It¡¯s the same¡±
Zhuo Buyi frowned: "Mr. Sun means that whether Shi Lei's repeated defeats, He Ruoxiong's rout, or even Yin Poshan's retreat are all arranged bait, the purpose is to lure the imperial army to continue westward. Come on, let the imperial army have no intention of stopping? Then what ferocious killing move did Li Yuanshan arrange within this thousand miles? "
"I have no idea."
Sun Kaidao shook his head: "I only know that if no one in the imperial army notices this, the millions of troops will be in danger again this time. The successive tough battles on Shi Lei's side are just a show, and He Ruoxiong's defeat is a show. Maybe Even the defeat of Yin Poshan, in which the general was personally involved, was just a showit had only one purpose."
Zhuo Buyi was shocked: "Emperor?!"
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Sun Kaidao took the tea handed to him by Fang Jie, and then huddled next to the stove: "Although the distance is less than 1,800 miles, the climate is too different. I have never felt like this on the Mangdang Mountain. Although it was cold at home, I could at least bear it. When I arrived in Fangu, I realized what it meant to be unbearable. My subordinates now doubted that if I left this stove, I might be able to bear it. Gotta freeze to death."
Fang Jie smiled: "Your body is too afraid of the cold. It seems that I need to teach you some boxing and kicking skills. Although you are a little late in learning now, at least it can make your body and bones stronger."
"This is an old problem for me. When I was young, I went to play at the lake with a few friends of similar age in winter. The lake was frozen, and I was having a great time. When I was having fun, my subordinate stepped on a falling stone on the ice. I was really scared and kept calling for people to come and save me. Some people tried to come over, but they didn¡¯t dare to get too close to the hole. I was left alone struggling in the biting water. If a group of passing merchants hadn't seen me, I might not have survived even ten years old."
"Since then, my subordinates have been afraid of the cold. When the weather gets a little cold, I have to put on cotton clothes. But Fan Gu's coldness cannot be resisted by cotton clothes."
Fang Jie covered Sun Kaidao with his big cloak, sat down across from him and made the fire brighter.
"I know an old man in the capital. Not only is he amazing in cultivation, but he is also very accomplished in medicine. If there is a chance, I will ask him for a prescription."
"Thank you, General."
Sun Kaidao bowed his head to express his thanks, then looked at Fang Jie and asked: "There is something I have always wanted to ask, but I didn't dare."
"Ask, is there anyone else here?"
Fang Jie took a sip of tea and said calmly.
"What does the general think will be like in the future of the Sui Dynasty?"
Fang Jie found it difficult to answer this question.
Sun Kaidao expected that Fang Jie would not answer, so he said to himself: "I would like to say something treasonous. From my point of view, it will not be easy to suppress the rebellion in the northwest. Even if the emperor is strategizing, all Li Yuanshan's calculations cannot be hidden from the emperor's eyes." , but after all, there is Luo Yao who is eyeing Li Yuanshan and the imperial army to fight to the death. Luo Yao will never miss this opportunity. Once Luo Yao raises the flag of rebellion, how many people in the Western Expedition can return alive? "
"If unfortunately His Majesty dies in the northwest, the prince is young, the ministers are monopolistic, and the court is in chaos. Luo Yao marches eastward, who else can stop him? The world is bound to be in chaos. Although Dong Chu is weak, it is rich In the world, hundreds of thousands of troops can be recruited with huge profits in an instant. Even if Dong Chu cannot break through the border defense line on the east side of the Sui Dynasty, it will inevitably involve a large number of troops. Dozens of barbarian tribes in the north have long had grudges against the Sui Dynasty. , Naturally, he will not miss the opportunity. Besides Meng Ge, the Great Khan of Meng Yuan, may not be as good as his Majesty in terms of vision and courage. "
"If the world falls apart, where will the general go?"
This sentence is a very direct question.
Fang Jie didn¡¯t know how to answer for a moment.
"From the perspective of my subordinates, the chaos in the Central Plains has become unstoppable. Although the Sui Dynasty has been strong for hundreds of years, it focused on military affairs and neglected literature, so that the foreign ministers were too powerful to control. When Taizu founded the country, he warned the royal family not to forget The foundation of establishing a country by force has resulted in the power in the hands of the Sixteenth Guards Generals being too heavy. It is so heavy that even the feudal officials such as the governors of various provinces cannot suppress it, so as not to cause trouble.?Strange things. Your Majesty is an unparalleled wise king, but he happened to meet at this time If something happens to the emperor in the northwest, Luo Yao will not be the only one who wants a piece of the pie. "
"It's true to attach great importance to military affairs, but taking it too seriously can lead to disadvantages. Once the abuses that have been accumulated for hundreds of years break out, even if your Majesty is aware of the root cause, there is no way to stop it. Because in order to control chaos, you rely on military generals rather than civil servants. . The greater the power of the military commander, the more chaotic it becomes. This situation has no solution. "
"The general is an outstanding man, and he should know that what his subordinates say is true. Therefore, I kindly ask the general to make plans early, otherwise, I am afraid that all sentient beings will be lost."
Seeing that Fang Jie did not refute, Sun Kaidao said seriously: "In the opinion of my subordinates, now we must expand our strength, both for ourselves and for the imperial court. There are many bandits in the northwest, and it is not too difficult to recruit soldiers, but These people are of no use. If the general can hold the 40,000 elite troops and 10,000 Hanqi on Langru Mountain, then there is no need to worry about the collapse of the world."
"Even if you don't plan for the future, does the general think that with only 5,000 troops from Shanzi Camp and Yangzi Camp, he can stop the 200,000 troops of the Meng Yuan barbarians from returning westward?"
Fang Jie remained silent, his face calm.
Sun Kaidao felt more confident and lowered his voice and said: "It's a big deal and you don't stick to trivial matters. General, think twice I thought that the day after tomorrow is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, so the general sent someone to ask Sir Ming and other generals to come to Fangu to enjoy the moon and drink. Master Mou will not refuse the banquet, right?"
Fang Jie frowned, a cold look flashed in his eyes.
At this moment, suddenly there were soldiers outside asking to enter. When someone came in and asked what was going on, the soldiers said that someone came from Langru Mountain and asked to see the general. Fang Jie asked the man to come in and saw that he was the guard beside Mou Liangbi.
The team faced each other and saluted each other, unclasping their fists and saying, "The day after tomorrow is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Sir Mou wants to invite the general to the village for a talk. We have prepared a banquet and are just waiting for the general to arrive."