Chaos of the Three Kingdoms Summons

Chapter 2721 Ren Gui's Dilemma, The Obstacle at Liangkou

Liangkou.

The cold wind in Liangkou Valley is even more biting than that along the Yalu River, like countless tiny ice blades, making one want to keep tightening their clothes.

Winters in the Tang Dynasty were already bitterly cold, and the howling winds in this unique terrain made even Xue Rengui find it difficult to withstand.

The already cold winter, coupled with the mountain winds, is truly deadly.

The sheer cliffs on both sides stand silently, casting huge shadows and enveloping the narrow valley in a somber and cold atmosphere.

Xue Rengui stood on a makeshift command platform in a relatively sheltered spot at the mouth of the valley, a thin layer of white frost condensing on his silver armor.

His deep gaze swept over and over the Liangkou Mountain City in front of him, which was almost integrated with the cliff.

Xue Rengui observed the scene for most of the day, but his expression grew increasingly grave.

For the past two weeks, Xue Rengui had been observing the terrain every few days, but he had no good ideas on how to win the battle of Liangkou.

If we were to talk about the side that has the most advantageous geographical position in the Jin Dynasty's conquests so far, it would naturally be the Bashu region back then.

Back in the day, Yangping Pass in Sichuan was captured by Li Jing through sheer attrition and heavy casualties.

Yang Xuangan turned his father, Yang Su, against the Baishui Pass, which allowed Wei Qing to gain a great advantage.

The rest relied mainly on Wu Qi and Xu Shiji successfully exchanging blows to enter the interior of Bashu by water, thus avoiding a number of natural barriers.

Further on, there was the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, but by then, the multi-pronged attack had weakened this natural barrier to the extreme.

But it was Jiangxia City that held Bai Qi back for almost a year, causing the Great Jin to suffer a crushing defeat of 100,000 men there.

In Xue Rengui's eyes, Liangkou today is just like Yangping Pass or Jiangxia City back then.

Li Guangbi and Xue Rengui had to admit that this man was far more capable than Li Xiaogong, and he made the most of Liangkou's geographical advantage.

With 25,000 troops at his disposal, and the advantageous mountain terrain, Li Guangbi had left Xue Rengui helpless for the past month.

With 25,000 troops, Li Guangbi personally led 8,000 men to garrison Liangkou Mountain City and oversee its defense.

He then ordered Geshu Han and Yang Wanchun to each lead 5,000 troops to garrison on the cliffs on either side of Liangkou Mountain City.

The eight thousand troops, including the three thousand Xuanjia Iron Cavalry that Li Shimin assigned to him, were used by Li Guangbi as a fresh force to provide support to various fronts at any time.

Liangkou Mountain City was never a large city, and the number of people living there was actually not that many.

According to intelligence from the floating houses, Li Guangbi had moved all the elderly and children to other nearby cities before the battle, leaving only able-bodied men and women aged 15 to 35 as laborers and auxiliary troops.

According to intelligence, he has been renovating the houses in the city, turning them into fortresses, and even building a large number of bunkers and tunnels.

This posture is one of fighting to the death, leaving no room for retreat whatsoever.

In Xue Rengui's view, this small town was like a hedgehog with its quills bared, and they were all made of steel.

He tried to attack for over a month, but he barely even got close to the enemy's city gates.

To attack this mountain city, the first challenge during the advance into the valley is the constant threat of attacks from the sheer cliffs on either side. The enemy archers, positioned high above and equipped with a large stockpile of rolling logs and boulders, could easily turn the valley into a meat grinder.

Moreover, due to the terrain, their siege equipment simply couldn't be deployed, further hindering their attack.

It can be said that this month-long offensive was more agonizing for Xue Rengui than any previous fierce battle.

He commanded 100,000 elite troops, with numerous fierce generals and unparalleled combat prowess.

However, in this narrow and treacherous Liangkou Valley, it is as if a giant dragon is trapped in shallow water, possessing the power to shake mountains but unable to unleash it!
"storm?"

Xue Rengui mentally simulated the possibility of forcibly grinding down the mountain city with flesh and blood, but the next moment, he banished this absurd idea from his mind.

A direct assault would come at too high a price!

Not only will the cost be heavy, but the results may also be minimal.

The corpses and broken wreckage at the bottom of the valley all demonstrate that a direct assault would be pointless.

Li Guangbi's defense system was interconnected; a head-on confrontation would only result in him losing his own teeth.

Xue Rengui even believed that even if he exhausted all 100,000 of his troops here, he might not be able to truly wear down this mountain city.

"No food or water?"

This idea also flashed through my mind. The Li Tang dynasty was short of food, but it used all the available grain to support its military.

Moreover, Li Guangbi relocated as many people as possible from the city, partly to reduce the consumption of food supplies.

Based on intelligence, the enemy's stored provisions are probably enough to last for more than half a year.

Furthermore, if there is a real shortage of food, there is still the option of slaughtering horses to provide sustenance.

Even if warhorses are incredibly precious, they can still be sacrificed if it becomes absolutely necessary.
As for the water shortage, not to mention that the other party had already stored a large amount of water in the layer, in the dead of winter, with snow everywhere, he could melt snow and get water at any time.

Li Guangbi truly didn't reveal the slightest flaw.

In a battle between two armies, the most feared opponent is someone who proceeds cautiously step by step and makes no mistakes whatsoever.

These are the people who are the hardest to defeat!
Just like Wang Jian of the Jin Dynasty, he is difficult to resolve battles as cleanly and efficiently as Bai Qi and Han Xin, but if you want to deal with him, it is more troublesome than dealing with Bai Qi or Han Xin.

As for splitting up troops to flank, this method is also difficult to implement!
The cliffs on both sides are so steep that they are almost impossible to climb, especially given the current season.

Fierce generals like Li Cunxiao and Shi Huang once led a team to attempt a night climb, but Li Guangbi had set up numerous hidden sentries, traps, and rolling rocks on the cliff top, causing the climbing team to suffer heavy losses and return empty-handed.

If Xue Rengui could have breached the cliffs on both sides, he would have done so long ago.

After all, the cliffs on both sides were in the enemy's hands, and if they attacked, they would face an attack from three sides.

However, achieving this is no easier than directly taking over the mountain city.

Xue Rengui even considered taking a detour of hundreds of miles to bypass other mountain passes, but the time cost and logistical pressure were enormous, and it would be easily detected by Li Guangbi, resulting in an ambush.

After all, the number of troops that would take such a detour and split up would not be too large, and the enemy was not just sitting there with their Xuanjia Iron Cavalry.