Looking around at the neighbors, to the north is the Beiyuan controlled by the Kaman people. It is a blessing that the Kaman people have not invaded. Yu Yongzhi has never thought about regaining the Beiyuan; to the east is the core of the Tanghe Empire - ―In the imperial capital of Zhongzhou, although there is only one regiment stationed outside the city, facing the imperial capital's solid defense system and the Imperial Guard Corps, Yu Yongzhi is not arrogant enough to think that he can conquer the imperial capital in one fell swoop; Cheng Dayou in the southeast originally belongs to the same Although the Taiping lineage has now joined the Tanghe Empire, its combat effectiveness has been greatly improved, and its military strength has suddenly increased to more than 100,000 people. Yu Yongzhi has also learned about Dayou's strategy, and he is not sure that he dares to go there. Peng has become a colleague worthy of the name of the King of Jiujiang; to the south is the King of Jin Situ Jun, with more than 100,000 people under his command crowded in this small Huanggang Mansion. They are already out of breath, and no one is willing to try his best.
Only Tianshui Mansion in the west originally belonged to a county of Heshuo and was an important town in the west of Heshuo. It overlooked Jincheng in the south, Pinglu in the north, Longdong in the west, and Hanzhong in the southwest. It can be said that it is a military strategist. It was a must-win place, and Li Wufeng actually only placed one division to garrison here. Although it was the First Division of the Northwest Army, known as the First Army of the Northwest, it only had 20,000 people in total. He used more than 100,000 troops, several times more Will he still miss his opponent? Especially according to intelligence, Li Wufeng does not have much mobile combat power in Kansai. As long as he seizes the opportunity, it should be easy to capture Tianshui.
Yu Yongzhi was full of confidence before the war, but he didn't expect that the 180,000-strong army would be defeated repeatedly under Tianshui City, and the enemy could actually launch a surprise attack on the city. This kind of wanton and rampant behavior clearly did not take him seriously. The siege was unprecedentedly brutal, and it must be said that the Taiping Sect was quite good at deceiving people. Although the weapons and armor were crude and all kinds of equipment were lacking, with fanaticism and courage, the most ordinary ladder could also become a magic weapon for conquering the city.
Although Qu Bo received instructions from Shangfeng to abandon the city when necessary, he did not intend to end the city defense battle so easily. In addition to the security forces of one regiment under his direct control, he also temporarily recruited reserve soldiers from two regiments to perform auxiliary work, such as transporting supplies and weapons, carrying the wounded and food, and other less dangerous activities. Qu Bo planned to let them adapt to the atmosphere of the two-day battle. If the military situation was really urgent, he would have no choice but to put the reservists of these two regiments into the battlefield to directly receive the baptism and training of blood and fire. As for the five regiments of regular troops plus one regiment of security forces, except for the main east gate, which is defended by two regiments, the other three gates only use four brigades for defense, and the three drawn brigades are used for defense. Established as a reserve team, ready for emergency response on the battlefield at any time.
The arrival of the 30,000 rangers was a timely help. When Qu Bo had already put two reserve regiments on the battlefield as the general reserve force, he no longer had any troops left to deploy. It was at this time that 30,000 nomadic light cavalry sneaked in from Hanzhong to cover up the attack quietly. They easily broke through the Taiping Army's defense line in the south of Tianshui, annihilated the Taiping Army of 10,000 people in one fell swoop, and then went straight to the enemy again without stopping. The Taiping Army camp under Chongtian Water City.
The sneak attack was chosen just after midnight. The Taiping Army, which had just gone to bed, was obviously not in a good state, and the security force also focused its attention on the north. Without the strength and tenacity of the Kaman people, the Taiping Army immediately suffered a disaster. Thirty thousand cavalry swept in and immediately overran the two-man camp stationed at the south gate. The nomadic cavalry, which was set on fire and trampled everywhere, were like a bunch of wasps chasing the Taiping soldiers who were fleeing in panic. They were armed with religious fanaticism. Once the soldiers encountered such a sudden blow, they could no longer maintain their morale, let alone organize an effective defense and counterattack. This was completely different from the performance of the Kaman people.
The disintegration of the two thousand-man troops soon spread to the west gate. The thirty-thousand rangers abandoned the east side, which had the strongest defense and combat effectiveness, and rushed into the western front garrison camp that had just reacted. A chain reaction soon followed. The West Camp appeared, and the Taiping soldiers who had no idea where the enemy came from or even what was happening in the dark dispersed in a rush. Both the West Camp and the South Camp turned into a sea of fire, and the Taiping soldiers who fled in chaos suddenly disappeared. They were trampled on each other, and there were countless dead souls under the feet of the soldiers who were sleeping dazedly in the dark night and the soldiers who ran away in panic without caring about the lives of their comrades.
When Yu Yongzhi, who woke up from his sleep, heard the news, he couldn't believe his ears. Although Nanying and Xiying were not the center of gravity, there were still 40,000 troops deployed, and there were still more troops outside Nanying and Xiying. The troops assigned to take special precautions fell apart overnight. Such successive blows forced Yu Yongzhi to calm down and consider whether it was necessary to continue the battle to capture Tianshui.
The 180,000-strong army now has less than 120,000 people, and Tianshui City still stands majestically. Of course, he does not know that the first division in the city has reached its limit. He can only analyze the battlefield situation during the day. It seems that there is no concession in the city. There are signs, and the arrival of tens of thousands of nomadic cavalry shows that the reinforcements of the Northwest Army are coming at a much faster speed than I originally expected. The cavalry has arrived and caused considerable trouble to myself. Once the follow-up troops of the Northwest Army arrive, they will suffer heavy losses. Even if I can capture Tianshui City, I'm afraid I may not be able to hold it.
How can he explain to the reputation and the moderates who are already somewhat dissatisfied with him when he retreats to Hejian in such disgrace? Yu Yongzhi can also estimate that the established Northwest Army may have reached its most difficult time. Maybe he is increasing his efforts. Maybe he will use two of the most elite ten thousand troops to launch an attack tomorrow. Maybe Tianshui City will surrender tomorrow. Under your own feet. But all these are just maybes and possibilities. Maybe what he will get by investing another two thousand people in the team is still heavy losses and humiliation. This time, the losses are all his own elites. Such a heavy price has already made Yu Yongzhi I feel deeply saddened that without the support of a trusted team belonging to me, I am afraid that the Holy King can abandon me at any time.
Thinking of this, Yu Yongzhi couldn't help but shudder. Lan Bailin's gentle and slightly cold face came to mind again. Lan Bailin, who had taken over the role of his senior brother, had obviously received the full support of the Holy King. Xu Wenzhe and The remaining forces of Bo Jinchen have gradually surrendered to Lan Bailin with the hint and acquiescence of the Holy King. In the entire Heshuo, except for the Holy King, the only one who can compete with his power is Lan Bailin, You Dao Fang Qingyu's thin and weathered face loomed in front of Yu Yongzhi, and a somewhat vague and frightening thought lingered in his mind.
He already controls more than 60% of the Heshuo Taiping Army. Will the Holy King think that he has too much power and deliberately weaken his own strength? Recalling the gentle smile of the Holy King before the expedition, Yu Yongzhi felt that it was not like it, but this thought always lingered in his heart. I should probably follow the advice of my subordinates and let the army rest for a while, and also inquire about the news about those staying in Hejian. Maybe the news from Hejian will help me make a wise decision.
Storms are rising on the northern front, but violent storms are already hitting the southern front. The offensive and defensive battle at Loushanguan has been approaching for a week, and the Machihan people's full preparation and unswerving fighting spirit finally won the reward. After paying a price of more than 60,000 people, the Machi Khan finally broke through the Loushan Pass. The desperate fighting power of the Sanjiang army made the Machi Khan people, who had always been fierce and wild, feel deep in their hearts about this Tanghe The elders of the three vassals of the empire expressed their sincere admiration. The six attacking corps took turns and countless advanced and powerful siege equipment were poured on the wall of this fortress that did not seem too dangerous. Almost every attacking corps was on More than 30% of the troops in front of this fortress were lost, especially the two Yulin regiments, which lost 40%.
Pillars of smoke from burning corpses inside and outside the pass were rising high at any time. Due to the large number of deaths and the hot weather, the logistics department was unable to handle such a large scale of corpses. They had to resort to centralized burning of corpses and then burying them on the spot to prevent the spread of the plague. The news spread, and the strong stench of corpses and the peculiar smell from burning shrouded Loushanguan into a huge crematorium.
When the flying wolf flag of the Machikhans finally rose above the city of Loushanguan, Pu Tiancheng couldn't help but burst into tears. In order to seize such a small fortress, it actually cost more than two elite corps. He believed that this was the most brutal and dangerous battle he had ever experienced in his life. He always believed that a head-on attack was the most incompetent performance of a coach, but Yaning, who was one of the third generals of the same army as Maji Khan, once said meaningful words that are particularly practical at this time: "As a general in his life, if he cannot experience several tough battles that will be unforgettable to you, then he will never be called a general. He is a successful commander."
Countless brave men of the Machikhans died in this battle. More than 300 officers above centurions were killed, and more than 20 officers above 1,000 captains were killed. Even one captain of 10,000 soldiers was killed. Killed in action, two seriously wounded. Such a painful price has never been experienced by Machi Khan since the founding of the country, and now it is Pu Tiancheng's turn to bear all this. Although neither the Minister of State stationed in the country nor His Majesty the Khan, who was personally commanding on the southern front, said anything, and even praised the significance of the acquisition of Loushanguan, this still made Pu Tiancheng, who had always been resolute and unyielding, Feeling depressed.