Chaos of the Three Kingdoms Summons

Chapter 2735 The Tenacity of the Li Tang Dynasty, the Fierce Siege Battle

Inside Xuan Ye's tent, an imperial edict from Jin was kept close to his body.

This imperial edict, which also bestowed a title upon him, similarly sought to make the Qing Dynasty a vassal state.

If this imperial edict were to become known, it would be a huge disaster!

Anyway, if someone were to say that such a thing exists, he would absolutely not admit it.

With Xuan Ye's political acumen, he was certainly aware of the intention behind this imperial edict.

That's why, although he didn't accept the offer, he didn't refuse either, and stayed for the time being.

Compared to the Great Jin, he was indeed more afraid of the Yuan Mongols, but even so, if he openly accepted this imperial decree, the Yuan Mongols would no longer spare them.

If the Yuan Mongols were to actually attack them, the Great Jin might not necessarily intervene!

Similarly, for Xuan Ye, whether he was a vassal of the Yuan Mongols or the Great Jin, he did not want to participate in the war between these two great empires.

Their small bodies are no match for such a war.

His becoming a vassal was merely a temporary expedient; he didn't truly intend to remain a subordinate forever.

At this time, inside Xuan Ye's tent, besides himself, Fan Wencheng, Hong Chengchou, Wanyan Xiyin, Cai Ze and others were lined up on his left and right.

Fan Wencheng and Hong Chengchou were Han Chinese who existed in the early Qing Dynasty.

Wanyan Xiyin came to Tuoba Wei after the latter's defeat.

As for Cai Ze, he was a former prisoner of the Qin dynasty who surrendered.

Among the Qin prisoners who surrendered at that time were Zhao Tuo, Han Yanshou, Wang Bolong, and others.

Of course, among prisoners of war, there were also those like Zuo Zongtang who went on hunger strikes to die.

"Gentlemen, do you think there is any hope for the Tang Dynasty?"

Xuan Ye had absolutely no interest in Youzhou.

If he really joins forces with Yuan Hong to invade Youzhou, wouldn't that be equivalent to shifting the Jin army's attention from the Yuan Mongols to their side?

Xuan Ye would never do something so thankless!
What he was really concerned about was whether the Li Tang dynasty could still be saved.

If possible, Xuan Ye still wanted to give the Li Tang dynasty a helping hand.

After all, without the Li Tang dynasty, they would be the only ones left caught between the two great empires.

Moreover, if the Li Tang dynasty were spared, the Jin army would be unlikely to target the Manchus before pacifying the Li Tang.

Caught between two great empires, the Qing Dynasty faced immense difficulties in its struggle for survival.

"It's difficult!"

"The fall of the Tang Dynasty will likely occur within a month!"

"Even if our army launches a full-scale attack on Youzhou, Youzhou still has 100,000 troops, as well as renowned generals like Wu Qi and valiant warriors like Bai Hu and Kong Xuan!"

"In the short term, our army will likely find it difficult to force Xue Rengui's troops to return to reinforce us!"

“In that case, how can we save him?” Fan Wencheng shook his head and said.

If the Tang Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty went to war at the very beginning, the Yuan Dynasty would have already been fighting the Great Sword.

Perhaps that's the only way to help Li Tang.

Yes, it's already this late. The Li Tang dynasty has been almost completely defeated, and they've even been driven back to the capital. These two families only just started fighting now. What's the use of doing anything at this point? "Even if they save them!"

"However, how much territory does the Li Tang dynasty still have left?"

"It's just a shell of its former self!" Wanyan Xiyin also held no optimism about the matter.

The southern region, which was of utmost importance to the Li Tang dynasty, had already been swept away during the first Tang-Jin War.

The vast eastern region, though poor, was the territory of most of the Tang Dynasty, but now it was under Han Xin's control through the rebel armies.

Now, there are only a few cities left under the control of the Li Tang dynasty!

To put it bluntly, even if they were saved this time, what help could the Li Tang, with only a few cities left, offer to the Manchu Qing?
Either save them from the beginning, or wait until they're on the verge of death to intervene; it's just a thankless task!

"Hey!"

Thinking of the soon-to-be-extinct Li Tang dynasty, Xuan Ye couldn't help but sigh deeply.

I don't know if I'm sighing for the Li Tang dynasty or for those of us who are struggling to survive in the cracks!
Hong Chengchou, Fan Wencheng, and others speculated that the fall of the Li Tang dynasty would only take a month or two.

In reality, Li Tang was even more resilient than they had imagined.

It is worth noting that among all the monarchs throughout history, Li Shimin consistently ranks among the top three in all aspects.

Even in terms of individual ability, he can almost be considered the undisputed number one.

Even though Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han had similar influence, none of them were as capable of fighting battles as he was!

Even if they could be compared in other aspects, Li Shimin was far superior to them in terms of military leadership.

An emperor who puts up such a fierce resistance is not easy to take down!

Since March, Han Xin's troops and Li Mu's troops have joined forces to attack the two cities of Zhonghe and Wandu. However, it is now the end of July, and they are still unable to conquer them.

Both the domestic city and the city of Wandu possessed unparalleled geographical advantages within the entire Li Tang dynasty.

Wandu Mountain City is surrounded by mountains as a barrier, with the palace inside the mountains and the gate at the mouth of the valley. It is said to be a city, but what is the difference between it and a pass?
They can only attack from one direction, unlike other cities where they can be besieged from all four gates at the same time!

In this situation, the city's military strength can be utilized to the maximum extent, especially when there is a disparity in troop strength between the two sides.

By simply defending one city gate, the enemy's numerical advantage can be minimized.

In particular, the city itself was built on Mount Wandu, and the Jin army's large siege weapons could not break through it; it could only be pushed forward by manpower.

Often, before the soldiers even get close to the city gate, a large portion of them die halfway up the mountain.

As for the domestic city, it is located on the Tonggou Plain on the right bank of the middle reaches of the Yalu River. To the north is Yushan Mountain, to the east is Longshan Mountain, to the west is Qixing Mountain, and in front is the Yalu River. It can be described as being surrounded by mountains and water.

The city was protected by mountains to the east and north, and by the Tonggou River, the moat to the south of the city, and the Yalu River. In particular, Li Shimin also dug a 10-meter-wide moat on both the northeast sides of the city.

With its mountains, moats, and rivers all in one place, it's not much different from Wandu City.

Furthermore, these two cities are interdependent, separated only by the Yalu River, which is less than three kilometers apart.

Unlike Nianchan City, which had tributaries of rivers flowing through it and thus had water gates, the domestic city did not have such advantages that the Jin navy could have taken it down with overwhelming force.

Therefore, these two cities could only be conquered bit by bit by ourselves.

After all, with Li Shimin personally overseeing things here, it's hard to expect him to make any mistakes.

If Li Shimin doesn't make mistakes, then there are no shortcuts he can use, and in the end he can only rely on hard power!

(End of this chapter)