Northern Dynasties Imperial Industry

In Hongnong City, Hu Luguang suffered his first defeat from the south.

"The thieves led Yang Guo's men into ambush in the middle. After our division had passed by, they attacked from the side. They hurriedly responded to the battle and killed hundreds of our soldiers, so they had no choice but to run back."

Hu Luguang couldn't help but show regret when he mentioned that he suffered an ambush during the trip and lost troops. They had been marching and attacking with great momentum before, but they did not expect to encounter an interception and ambush on the way to Tongguan.

In the final analysis, although Hu Luguang has been in the military for a long time and is proficient in strategy, he is only a human being and not a god, and it is inevitable that he will make mistakes and oversights.

If we count from when Jinyang came to the south for reinforcements, he has led his troops thousands of miles away and participated in several battles in less than a month, all of which achieved brilliant victories. Whether he or The soldiers under his command are all supported by a burst of excitement in their chests. Once the situation does not develop smoothly enough, they will inevitably encounter setbacks and blows.

The so-called strong crossbow is at its end and the force cannot penetrate Lu Zhen, this is what it refers to. Fortunately, Wei General Yang Guo's troops were not too large, and Hu Luguang did not blindly fight. When he sensed that the situation was not good, he immediately withdrew his troops, thus avoiding a greater blow.

On the way home, Hu Luguang also made some reflections and felt that his continued attack on Tongguan was a bit reckless: "The army has been coming south for more than a month and has moved more than a thousand miles. It is inevitable that the teachers and teachers are exhausted, and the weather is not right. Before. Lutongguan is the most powerful fortress in the world, and it may be difficult for even the most up-and-coming troops to defeat it. If we continue to fight, it will probably be in vain.”

But not everyone is like Hu Luguang who can understand the truth of enough is enough after being taught a lesson. Gao Guiyan, the king of Pingqin who has always been looking forward to being able to make meritorious service after hearing this, laughed disapprovingly and said: "Hu Luguang Kaifu has been the vanguard of the army many times. He has captured the city and won all the battles. It can be said that he is very heroic. Now, a small setback is not a worry. Besides, if we have tens of thousands of strong troops here, not only one person in the army can win the battle decisively? If you have a duty, if you want to advance or retreat just because of a bad battle, how can you explain it to the soldiers?"

There were many generals participating in the discussion in the hall. When they heard what Hu Luguang said, some generals expressed their agreement. Although they were chasing the defeated army of the Western Wei Dynasty as the victorious side, they had to endure the hard work of crossing mountains and ridges in the wind and snow. As the battle line lengthened, many soldiers were already thinking of retreating.

But after Gao Guiyan made his statement, the generals' minds couldn't help but change. Yes, Hu Luguang was a pioneer and performed many times along the way to the south. Whether it was the attack on the camp at Heqiao before or the capture of Hongnong here, they were all very brilliant victories. It can be said that he stole the show, both in military achievements and in military affairs. The seizures on the battlefield were very rich.

However, the soldiers who came with him were reduced to backgrounds, enduring the same hardships, but neither their performance on the battlefield nor their actual gains were as outstanding as Hu Luguang's. When Yiyang was discussing the attack before, you were the one who persisted. Now you are complacent but feel you are not strong enough. After encountering a small setback, you begin to think about retreating. Can this convince the public?

Duan Shao had not wanted to continue the attack before. Although he had conquered Hongnong City and killed more than 10,000 soldiers of the Western Wei Dynasty here, it seemed that the results were brilliant, but in fact it was not of great significance.

In addition to killing more than 10,000 enemy troops and wiping out a considerable amount of the enemy's effective strength, it is difficult to retain such gains as Hongnong City. It should be noted that Hongnong is separated from Heluo by the stretch of Mount Laoshan, and the existence of Yubi City in Hedong also makes it difficult for people from Jinyang to reach Hongnong directly. The cost of garrisoning is extremely high, and the only option is to destroy the city and leave.

Hearing that Hu Luguang's attitude had changed at this time, Duan Shao also said: "You are eager to kill the thieves and want to make meritorious deeds. It is indeed a lofty ambition. However, the thieves have only been in Kansai for a short time, and they have no intention of eradicating them." It is not the result of one day or another. The great victory of our division has already satisfied the feelings of the people of the country. If we continue to invite battles, our troops may not be able to survive. Moreover, there is a bandit general in Heluo, Li Boshan, who is about to arrive in a moment. If we can sympathize with our troops and seize this victory. If the situation is defeated in battle, it will be enough to return home and show off one's achievements, so why not do it?"

Most of the generals here were nobles from Jinyang. After hearing the speeches of Hu Luguang and Duan Shao, they all restrained their calls for war.

However, Gao Guiyan was still a little unwilling after all. After a brief pause, he spoke again: "Once the general is defeated and everyone wants to return, the army's march thousands of miles has turned out to be a futile effort! Tongguan is close in front of us. If we leave without fighting, are you willing? No matter what, I will lead my troops to fight. I will be happy if I win, and I will have no regrets if I lose. You and other disciples often boast of their bravery. Do you dare to fight side by side with this stubborn traitor?"

"What the king said is exactly what I want. I have been traveling for many days, how can I leave without fighting? I am willing to attack Tongguan with the king!"

As soon as Gao Guiyan finished speaking, several generals stood up and expressed their opinions.

Duan Shao felt helpless for a moment when he saw this scene. He, the so-called commander-in-chief of the army, was originally appointed by Hu Lujin on a temporary basis and did not have absolute authority in the army. And Gao Guiyan was not just an ordinary general. In addition to being the king of the Gao family, he was also the favorite of the current emperor. When he insisted on continuing to attack, Duan Shao could not restrain him.

Faced with this situation, Duan Shao could only allocate some soldiers in addition to Gao Guiyan and others' own troops, and assembled a team of ten thousand people to attack Tongguan. And he himself could not just abandon this division and leave. He still led his troops to temporarily station in Hongnong City, and sent another division to escort the captured personnel and materials and temporarily withdraw them to Jiuqu City in Yiyang.

War is full of variables at every moment, and it is difficult for anyone with superior intelligence to predict everything. Li Tai, who once again led his army into the Heluo area, had already prepared for the worst, but he did not know that there were many discordant differences within the Qi army advancing westward. Duan Shao and other major generals did not have great confidence in the invaders entering Tongguan. .

Similarly, Duan Shao and others only inferred based on common sense that the personnel arrangement left in Heluo was quite impressive. Under the dispatch of the veteran general Hu Lujin, they could effectively resist Li Boshan's attack. However, they did not know the current situation in Heluo. It has become quite dangerous.

Outside Jinyong City, as the ice-made sand embankment was successfully poured, the morale of Xiangyang soldiers was naturally greatly boosted. On the other hand, the Northern Qi soldiers in the city couldn't help but feel a little depressed and worried.

People's sorrows and joys are not only based on the current situation, but a considerable part also comes from the judgment of future trends. For example, some forces in later generations will continue to badmouth and attack one party, even if it is just some views that violate common sense and confuse right and wrong. , will also cause collective pessimism, fear and self-denial.

The most important thing in using troops is to attack the heart, and Li Tai has always known how to use various heart-attacking strategies flexibly. After the sand embankment was built, he did not stop there, but continued to carry forward this low-cost and effective method of fortification.

Next, he arranged for the soldiers to continue carrying sand and water and push inward along the long perimeter of the sand embankment, building more sand embankment walls and extending towards Jinyong City. From the perspective of the defenders of Jinyong City, it was as if tentacles had grown out of the long perimeter outside the city, extending towards the city where they were stationed.

"I would like to ask Grand Master, what is the purpose of the bandit army in building these long sand embankments? Could it be that they want to use this to launch an attack on my city?"

On the top of Jinyong City, Prince Gao Rui of Zhao County looked down at the enemy soldiers, who were carrying baskets of sand and soil, dumping them into the gaps in the building, and then sprinkling water to freeze them. They could advance more than ten feet every day in the freezing cold, and it would not take long before they could see them. This sand embankment can be pushed under the city wall, and Gao Rui's heart is full of surprises and worries.

After hearing this, Hu Lujin frowned and kept thinking in his heart. These sand embankments extending towards the city are not more than a few feet wide, and cannot accommodate the trampling of galloping horses and soldiers. The visible effect is only to divide the space between the long siege and the city into small areas. As for what the real meaning is. , he really couldn’t guess.

After hearing Gao Rui's question, Hu Lujin said in a deep voice: "Li Boshan has always been scheming and cunning, so you need to be careful when fighting against him. Fortunately, our city has a strong army and abundant supplies. According to the A strong city can only be defended, but thieves will have their time!"

These words were said without saying anything, but they also pointed out their own advantages, that is, as long as they stabilize the current situation, they can be said to be in an invincible position. No matter how much effort was made outside the city, it was difficult to shake the city defense itself.

But Hu Lujin's idea was too absolute, and he was slapped in the face after nightfall. At night, Hu Lujin had already fallen asleep on the bed. Suddenly, there was a thunderous explosion in the city lord's palace. Immediately, the crowd ran and screamed, and Hu Lujin was dragged out of the room by the soldiers immediately.

"It's Heyang Cannon!"

One of the governors in the tent said with horror, even if they had no education, they had heard about this powerful stone cannon. After some searching, the source of the explosion was found. A falling rock weighing dozens of kilograms came in from outside the city, directly smashing the stables on the side of the city lord's palace and killing two of the horses. Although there were no casualties. , but it also made the soldiers here panic, worried that flying rocks would fall down next moment.

"The Heyang Cannon is extremely powerful and has a long range. Please tell all the troops not to stay in the open area for a long time and to seek shelter in walls and stacks!"

Hu Lujin had experienced the power of the Heyang cannon. The stone cannon was even named after his previous battle with Li Boshan in Heyang. Therefore, he also had some experience summarizing how to deal with the stone cannon and immediately gave the order.

Fortunately, apart from this cannon stone, the Wei army did not launch any other attacks that night. However, the defenders in the city did not dare to take any chances, so they still struggled all night. When I climbed up to the city in the early morning and looked out, I saw several huge Heyang cannons erected on the hill in the south of the city, and hundreds of stone bullets piled on top of the hill.

"Grand Master, do you want to send elite troops out of the city to capture Tushan and destroy the enemy's Heyang cannon?"

Gao Rui, Prince of Zhao County, was also disturbed a lot last night. After seeing this scene on Tushan Mountain, he asked Hu Lujin for instructions again.

"You got it for a thief!"

After pondering for a while, Hu Lujin nodded slowly and said bitterly, and then selected more than a thousand elite soldiers to leave the city in hanging baskets and launch a tentative attack on the mountain.

He originally wanted to stay in the city and didn't want to go to war, but he didn't expect that Li Boshan would use the Heyang Cannon, a powerful weapon, forcing him to send troops to fight for it. In his opinion, it was Li Boshan's plan.

However, Hu Lujin did not know that the people Li Tai planned to catch were not the defenders in the city at all, and the real murderous intention was yet to come.