The third emperor of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 932 Soldiers approach the city, internal and external difficulties

The result of lightly capturing Jiameng Pass was as early as Yang Tong expected. More than 100 flying Shenzhou boats were dispatched in this battle, carrying more than 2000 cans of kerosene. This operation may be the first high-altitude bombing in ancient times. Moreover, the situation of the guards at Jiameng Pass, the Heibingtai soldiers who infiltrated into Yizhou from the Sui side had already figured out the situation thoroughly.

Xia Houxun is naturally not an incompetent general, but he is not a powerful person either.

Of course, the frequent changes of generals by the Li Tang dynasty also put the Tang army in an embarrassing situation where the generals did not know the generals and the soldiers did not know the generals. Generals like Xia Houxun who did not have much prestige and record in the new army, he was short-lived. It is impossible to convince the soldiers under his command within a short period of time.The soldiers at Jiameng Pass were there for at least one or two years, and some at most for three to five years. Each had their own experience and their own way of survival, but Xia Houxun was a responsible person. When they arrived at Jiamengguan, they rectified military affairs, pulled free and loose soldiers to practice every day, increased their training intensity, and caused dissatisfaction from top to bottom; It is difficult for generals to gather people's hearts and encourage everyone to fight bravely.Therefore, Yang Tong didn't feel much surprise and surprise about the great victory at Jiameng Pass.

As for Zitong Pass, there are soldiers from the Black Ice Terrace. Judging from Li Daliang's original plan, it shouldn't be a big problem to win Zitong Pass. Now it's up to Baishui Pass.

Li Xizhi, the guard of Baishui Gate, is a good general with great abilities. He served as the governor of Shi'an County and repelled the attacks of Xiao Xian, Lin Shihong, Cao Wuche and others many times. He stood by Shi'an for many years. With no reinforcements from outside, Xiao Xian finally captured Shi'an County. Li Xizhi was defeated and left Shi'an, and finally joined the Tang army, and was entrusted with a heavy responsibility by Li Xiaogong. Chongling was defeated, and Li Yuan wanted to cut off Li Jiancheng's wings, so he became the guard of Baishui Gate.He has [-] troops and the favorable location of Baishui Pass. Without using the Flying Shenzhou, the loss of breaking Baishui Pass is definitely not small, but it does not mean that it cannot be broken. Breakthrough is not difficult.But Yang Tong didn't want to attack Baishui Pass by force, because Yang Tong wanted to attract Li Xizhi.

Li Xizhi is a capable person, but he is now a marginal figure in the Li Tang Dynasty. In addition, he is also a good friend of Liu Deyu, the guard of Jianmen Gate. It is very likely to break without attacking.

It stands to reason that Li Xizhi and Liu Deyu are capable and should be reused. The problem is that when they surrendered to Li Yuan, Li Tang's military and political affairs were controlled by the Guanlong nobles, Shandong gentry, and southern gentry, and the three major factions rejected them. In addition, Li Yuan relied on these three major factions to seize the world, so a large number of people from the three major factions were used, so that generals like Li Xizhi and Liu Deyu who came to vote halfway would not have a bright future.

At that time, Li Jiancheng, as Li Tang's number two, also needed to improve his military strength to balance the threat posed by Li Shimin. When Li Xiaogong recommended these depressed generals to him, he would certainly not let such a person go. By chance, Li Xizhi and Liu Deyu also climbed to Li Jiancheng's high branch and became important members of the princeling party.

But Li Jiancheng was eliminated in the political struggle. These people lost the big tree of protection, their status went downhill, and they lost their original advantages. Whether Li Yuan, Li Yuanji, or Li Shimin, their people don't want these people To share the resources that originally belonged to them, and because of this, these people's careers were frustrated; as a result of every struggle, what they lost was their interests.

Li Shimin promoted a large number of his direct descendants, which inherently means that one person attains the Tao and ascends to heaven, but it is more or less forced to do so. After all, he ascended to the throne in a violent way. There are countless people in Yizhou who oppose him, so he has to use his direct descendants. Stabilize all key positions, but also because of the large number of his direct descendants and Li Yuan's old ministers.

Li Shimin used the Imperial Party and the Jinwang Party to balance the government of the Li and Tang Dynasties, thereby forming a balance, and indeed quickly stabilized the regime for him. This is understandable, but Li Xizhi and Liu Deyu, as members of the princelings, It is impossible to say that there is no resistance to Li Shimin's actions.

Yang Tong had discussed with Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Ling Jing that Li Xizhi might be the key to opening the door to Central Shu. Even if there was no Flying Shenzhou, Yang Tong would find a way to recruit Li Xizhi instead of killing him. , took this opportunity to recruit Li Xiaogong who was still fighting in Nanzhao.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, General Li Daliang just sent an eagle letter, saying that Zitong Pass has been captured by our army, and the Tang army has not yet noticed it. I think that since Zitong Pass has been taken down, we should fight as fast as possible and take it as soon as possible. Take Baishuiguan, so as not to have long nights and dreams." Ling Jing said to Yang Tong with a happy face in a military camp in Nanjiang County, Hanchuan County.

"It's just in time!" Yang Tong happily asked, "Where is Xie Yingdeng?"

Ling Jing quickly said: "Return to the Holy Lord, General Xie has arrived at Baishuiguan, but he has not yet started fighting with the Tang army."

"This battle should focus on attacking the heart!" Yang Tong pondered for a moment, and ordered: "Order Wang Xiongdan to lead the flying army to approach Baishui Pass from the rear, and harass the defenders with arrows. Do not attack by force, so as not to cause unnecessary casualties. .”

"Here." Ling Jing summoned a bodyguard to deliver the order, while Yang Tong rode away with Yin Mingyue, Li Xiuning, Yang Qinfang, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Luo Shixin, Cheng Chumo and hundreds of other bodyguards, and rushed to Feitian At Shenzhou's Chen Fang base, ten large flying Shenzhous soared into the sky.

From Nanjiang County to Baishuiguan, if you go by land, you need to detour at least four to five hundred miles, but if you take the Feitian Shenzhou, the straight-line distance is only about 200 miles. If the wind is favorable, it can be reached in half a day. The propeller flying Shenzhou can arrive before dark.

There is no need to bother to hurry along the way. Yang Tong, Fang Xuanling, and Du Ruhui are very good at enjoying the scenery along the way.
When Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui traveled around the world in their early years, they passed through Yizhou and also enjoyed the scenery of Yizhou's mountains and rivers, but they never saw it from this perspective.

"Before that, Kongming lanterns were only used to pray for blessings. Who would have thought that the wonderful design of the scriptures would become a flying fetish that can carry people to the sky. With this fetish, the most difficult road to Shu is nothing but It's a joke." Fang Xuanling looked at the scenery along the way and praised it endlessly.

"The cost is not low." Yang Tong looked at the soldiers who were adding carbon stones to the furnace, and said, "I have ordered the craftsmen to study how to reduce the cost, but this is a long-term thing, and it won't work for a few years. And This thing can only win by surprise, but it is somewhat difficult to airlift and airdrop soldiers on a large scale."

Yang Tong is already very satisfied with the current appearance. After all, it was made more than a thousand years in advance. The materials and other aspects are not as good as those a thousand years later. It is not easy to make this up to the sky. This is completely forced. A lot of theoretical knowledge is still being explored for the technology that has emerged. Even if there is a real thing, it will take time and technology accumulation to form a mature and systematic theory.

Du Ruhui who was on the side also said: "It is said that the wooden bird made by Lu Ban can fly for three days without landing. I used to think it was nonsense, but now it seems that this legend is very likely to be true."

Yang Tong nodded: "It may not be without reason, but because there was no paper in the past, there was very little knowledge that could be recorded, resulting in the loss of many national treasures. Speaking of it, this is a huge loss for the nation."

"Your Majesty... When will we arrive..." Luo Shixin's clear and clear voice now had a somewhat lifeless tremolo.

Yang Tong, Fang Xuanling, and Du Ruhui turned their heads to look, only to see Luo Shixin sitting by the side of the boat with a pale face. This guy has tried airdropping many times, but he still faints every time.

"If you go to Baishuiguan, you have to wait until dusk at least." Yang Tong glanced at Luo Shixin speechlessly, the mighty general who can fight against Qin Qiong undefeated, unexpectedly gets seasick!

"Your Majesty, the last general will faint when he is on a boat. If he encounters an enemy, he may have to protect him. Next time, the last general should ride a horse so as not to become a burden to everyone."

Luo Shixin felt his stomach churning and retched a few times lying on the side of the boat, but he had already vomited everything in his stomach, so how could he vomit at this moment?

"Sit a few more times, if you can't do it a few times, you will get used to it." Yang Tong has no way to solve seasickness.

"Ah?" Luo Shixin sat down on the ground with a puff, looking at Yang Tong blankly.Not even once, how many times, dozens of times?

Yang Tong ignored him, if he travels far in the future, this flying Shenzhou must be the main means of transportation; as the closest general, how could Luo Shixin not follow?

Everyone watched the mountains, rivers and rivers all the way, and at the same time observed the terrain. In the future, Yizhou will be the territory of the Sui Dynasty. The next step is to repair the roads. Cement alone is not enough. Yang Tong must find a group of people who can plan and design The talent of the road.

On the way, they talked freely about the management of Yizhou, but they didn't feel boring. Until dusk, under the guidance of the guide, everyone arrived at Baishuiguan Xie Yingdeng's camp. Luo Shixin almost got off the flying Shenzhou on his stomach. Xie Yingdeng, who had to come to greet him, was astonished.

"Have someone cook some light gruel for him, so that he can sleep well." Yang Tong said to Xie Yingdeng after he glanced at Luo Shixin who was like a dead dog without words.

"Here!" Xie Yingdeng agreed, and arranged for people to drive Luo Shixin away and welcome Yang Tong and others into the army.

"Li Xizhi refused to descend to the Sui Dynasty?" Yang Tong asked.

"This person is indeed unwilling to surrender, but Jiameng Pass has been breached by our army. If this news is shot into the city with arrows, it will definitely shake the Tang army's morale." Xie Yingdeng bowed.

"That's right." Yang Tong nodded approvingly and said, "Tomorrow Wang Xiongdan will lead the flying army to harass him from the rear, and then we will plan to recruit this person."

Yang Tong looked towards the direction of Baishui Pass against the sunset: "The terrain of this pass is dangerous, if we attack by force, our army will suffer heavy losses!"

"My lord, what if Li Xizhi doesn't surrender?" Fang Xuanling asked Yang Tong with a smile.

"Baishuiguan is built on a mountain pass, so we can cut off the enemy's food and water." Yang Tong said: "Since Yizhou distributes food and grass once a month, the food and grass in the pass must not last long. If he insists on not surrendering at that time, I am afraid that the soldiers of the Tang army will It will also force him to surrender!"

Fang Xuanling nodded: "This person is very important to our great cause of defeating the Tang Dynasty. We should try our best to recruit him to surrender. The Holy Majesty can order the flying Shenzhou to hover over him day and night. At the same time, it also has the effect of weary soldiers."

"According to Xuanling's wishes." Yang Tong nodded and said.

……

At the same time, Baishui Guanzhong.

"General Li, all the soldiers who went to Jiameng Pass have returned." Tang Jiao, the general under Li Xizhi's tent, hurried in with a look of panic on his face: "Jiameng Pass has been captured by the Sui army. The battle flag of the Sui army has been set up at the head, the city is heavily guarded, we have already lost a team of scouts, and the rest dare not come forward to investigate."

When Li Xizhi heard this, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh, and his thick eyebrows were all frowned. The thing he least expected and worried about happened. The Sui army obviously understood this, and launched a full-scale attack. The ancient Three Gorges Road was lost, the southern part of Yizhou was lost, and now the Jiameng Pass was lost in the north. For the Li and Tang Dynasties, this was simply a disaster.

"I don't know how the Sui army sent their soldiers and horses to Jiameng Pass!" Seeing that Li Xizhi didn't express anything, Tang Jiao said very worriedly, "The Sui army invaded so much that the generals at Jiameng Pass didn't even notice it?"

"A huge Kongming lantern flew over Xie Yingdeng's barracks, flying under the banner of the Sui army!" Li Xizhi's face flashed a look of amazement, and he said in admiration: "Although I don't know how the Sui army did it, but they With the help of this god, it is not difficult to transport the Sui army to Jiameng by surprise."

Tang Jiao said: "The Sui Emperor used his soldiers like a god, won many battles and won many battles, and his civil and military skills are the best in the world. Could it be that this man is really a god?"

"I don't know if the Sui Emperor is a god-man, but I know that the Sui army has this strange thing to help, and our Baishui Pass may not be able to stop Xie Yingdeng's army." Li Xizhi said bitterly.

"Then..." Tang Jiao glanced at Li Xizhi, then gritted his teeth suddenly, and said cautiously: "General Li, the biggest reliance of our Tang Dynasty is the favorable location. Although the dangerous pass in the north has not been broken, Li Jing and others have already We have reached the Chengdu Plain. Even if we can stop Xie Yingdeng here, we cannot stop the army of Li Jing and others. The soldiers are now at a loss because of the change of Gongyan, and the morale of the army is shaken and morale is low because of the fall of Yinan. Compared with the tiger and wolf division of the Sui Dynasty, there is no chance of winning at all, why don't we surrender?"

"Surrender?" Li Xizhi shook his head with a complicated expression, and did not continue speaking.

His retreat has been cut off by the Sui army, and the Sui army has always been famous for its good fighting skills. He may not be able to defend Baishuiguan for too long, but he has already betrayed the Sui once and ran to surrender to the anti-Sui Tang. If he surrenders again What's the matter with Da Sui?And Li Xizhi is also very aware of the value of Baishuiguan. If the Sui army is allowed to pass through, then Li Shimin will be attacked from the north and the south, and the situation will be even worse.But if he didn't surrender, he really didn't have the confidence to block the menacing Xie Yingdeng before the Tang army took back Jiameng Pass. After all, the flying Shenzhou was too helpless for people of this era.In the end, Li Xizhi shook his head. He didn't make a decision lightly, and it was only a matter of time.

He ordered: "Let's go to the army and see how Xie Yingdeng attacks the city."

"Here."

Tang Jiao responded and retreated to arrange military affairs.

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I wish my brothers and sisters a happy new year, happy and happy, and spend the last day of 2020 with beauty. I also wish my brothers and sisters to be as happy and happy as today in the next year. .

(End of this chapter)