Aspiring to the Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 430 Irreparable Gap

Meng Xuanzhe turned pale when he heard the news.

Lizhou is on the east bank of the Jialing River, surrounded by mountains and steep terrain, it is an important throat for entering Shu.

"Hurry up, go to Jianmen Pass to increase troops."

Meng Xuanzhe didn't even have time to ask why, and the moment he opened his mouth, he sent more troops to Jianmen Pass.

The fall of Lizhou meant that the only defensive fortress left in the north was Jianmen.

Jianmen Pass is the last reliance on the North Road. Once the Central Plains conquers Jianmen Pass, it will be able to drive straight to the outside of Chengdu.

Jianmen Pass is already the last defensive fortress in the north.

Fan Yuxuan, the envoy of the Third Division, comforted him and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, this Jianmen Pass is famous for being guarded by one man, and ten thousand men are not allowed to open it. From the big sword to the small sword pass, the road is [-] miles away, and the mountains are absolutely dangerous. It is difficult for soldiers to fly across with wings."

Meng Xuanzhe felt a little relieved when he heard the words, and said: "The third envoy's words are reasonable, but I am confused because of the incompetence of the generals. This Lizhou is also in danger of mountains and rivers. How can it be so easily broken by the bandits from the Central Plains? "

He said that he finally looked at Cobo, the general who had retreated from the front line.

Ke Bo hurriedly said: "Marshal Han and Deputy Marshal Li split into two groups to prevent the Central Plains soldiers from advancing south. Deputy Marshal Li burned down the plank road and retreated to Jiameng Pass. Marshal Han led the army to guard Lizhou City and the large area north of it. , Xiaomantianzhai all the main points, and stop the bandits from the Central Plains."

Meng Xuanzhe visited Hanzhong and Lizhou instead of Meng Chang. Han Baozheng and Li Jin did not have any problems with their defensive response. Will it fall?"

Ke Bo's face showed a bit of fear, "The thief general Gao Huaide found out that our troops were divided into two groups, and he also followed the soldiers into two groups. He ordered Kang to meet again, and Kang Baoyi's father and son rushed to repair the plank road and attack Xiaomantianzhai."

"I led the main force to go southward from the narrow path of Luochuan in the southeast of Jiachuan, snatched the Jialing River Bridge, and sent Liu Fu and Chang Side, the imperial battalion commanders, to attack Damantianzhai. Yizhou King Inspector personally led troops to rescue, but was blocked by Gao Huaide himself on the way , Wang Inspector was killed in battle."

"Daman Tianzhai was also breached by Liu Fu and Chang Side. Marshal Han withdrew his troops to Lizhou, but learned that Lizhou had been breached by Kang Zaiyu, Kang Baoyi and his son, Zhao Dujian retreated to Baojianmen Pass."

"Han and Li are now alive and dead!"

Meng Xuanzhe and the civil and military officials of Shu Kingdom in the hall were all dumbfounded.

What is this!

Fighting is like reading history books.

Xiaomantianzhai was built between the mountainsides, protecting the plank roads in the mountains.

Kang Zaiyu, Kang Baoyi and his son rushed to repair the plank road, and at the same time broke through Xiaomantianzhai?

Damantianzhai is located in Chaotianling. The mountain is Cui Wei, the path is dangerous, and it is built according to the mountains and rivers.

Why did Liu Fu and Chang Side capture it?
Wang Shenchao, the governor of Yizhou, is the best in Sichuan and Shu with stick skills. He personally rescued Damantian Village, but he died directly in battle.

After Kang Zaiyu and Kang Baoyi captured Xiaomantianzhai, they were able to take advantage of the momentum to attack Lizhou, forcing the governor Zhao Chongtao to retreat to Jianmen Pass.

The summary is that Han Baozheng and Li Jin defended against danger, while the Central Plains did not use any fancy tactics, that is, wherever they defend, the Central Plains will attack.

Moreover, the Central Plains soldiers and horses must win battles, and attacks must be captured.

As a result, the defense lines of Lizhou and Jiamengguan were completely defeated. The commander Han Baozheng and the deputy commander Li Jin did not know whether he was alive or dead. The titan Wang Shenchao was killed in battle.

Meng Xuanzhe lost his voice after a while: "How could this be?"

He found that he couldn't find anyone to take the blame.

Han Baozheng, Li Jin, Wang Shenchao, and Zhao Chongtao were not at fault for their response.

But they just lost, and they lost cleanly.

How can Meng Xuanzhe not know what it means.

The offensive and defensive battles between Lizhou and Daxiaomantianzhai directly demonstrated the insurmountable gap in strength between the veterans of the Central Plains who had survived many battles and the Shu soldiers who were used to storing swords and guns in the warehouse.

The gap in strength between the two sides has reached the point where it cannot be made up for when they occupy geographical advantages such as walled cities and defense lines.

Meng Xuanzhe understood the fear on Ke Bo's face, and was crushed by the combat power without making mistakes.

Far more shaken the morale of the army than the defeat caused by Wang Zhaoyuan's blind command.

There was a dead silence in the hall at first, and then Wu Wei came out of the hall and said: "Your Majesty, the defeat in the northern war still has Jianmen Pass, which can be relied on. However, there are no dangerous passes in the east, let alone accidents. The two soldiers The horse is approaching Chengdu, and I have perished in Western Shu. The general Shi Kai is old and has lost the courage of the past. It is really difficult to take up the post because he is timid and stagnant. I implore your majesty to choose another capable person to replace the post of general. Fear the enemy, retreat again and again."

Wu Wei has been building up momentum for the Wu family and Wu Linyang, but he didn't openly slander General Shi Kai, but let people belittle him behind his back in order to elevate his son.

At the same time, he used the Wu family's contacts to put pressure on the court.

But now Wu Wei publicly stated his position in the temple, and his target was directed at Shi Kai.

In fact, no one knows a son better than a father, so there is no reason for Wu Wei not to know how much he cares about his son.

Meng Xuanzhe looked hesitant, and said: "It is a big taboo for military strategists to change generals before the battle, for fear of disaster."

Wu Wei said: "However, using a cowardly general as a general will lead to our army's defeat."

Meng Xuanzhe still maintained a certain degree of rationality, and said: "This matter makes me think carefully..." He paused, and he didn't have the initial trust in Shi Kai, and said: "I will send the third envoy to supervise the army. Let him go to the front line to investigate the situation."

Chungju.

Shi Kai rested in Yuzhou for five days. During the five days, he personally arranged for the governor of Yuzhou to organize the people to repair the city defense.

This Yuzhou is equivalent to Jianmen Pass in the north, which is the last barrier for the Shu soldiers in the east. The loss of Yuzhou means that the Central Plains soldiers and horses on the east road can drive straight to Chengdu.

The importance of Yuzhou is self-evident.

It's just that in these years, there has been no war in Shu, Meng Chang is extravagant and greedy, and officials in Shu are greedy for everything.

After more than ten years, the city defense has never been consolidated.

Various places in Yuzhou have been in disrepair for a long time, and they are used to resist the barbarian Shanke in the territory. They cannot last long against hundreds of powerful troops.

The final decisive battle in Shi Kai's heart was Yuzhou, but he had to buy enough time for Yuzhou to repair the city defense.

This is also the reason why he is in Chungju at the moment.

As a veteran, Shi Kai doesn't say how clever his every move is, but every step and every intention is very methodical, and his strategic thinking is very obvious.

Shi Kai patiently explained his intentions to Fan Yuxuan, the military supervisor sent from the rear.

"Fan Jianjun, the battle in the north shows that the strength of the Central Plains is so strong that even if you have a geographical advantage, it is extremely difficult to make up the gap. Compared with Gao Huaide's attack, Luo Youdu's attack is even more terrifying. Facing Gao Huaide, at least you understand how you lost. Facing Luo Youdu, he doesn’t know where he will make you lose. It’s not that he is timid to fight, but that Anzhou, Kaizhou, and Wanzhou are really beyond salvation. As long as the [-] soldiers under a certain man enter the border of Wanzhou, all of them will die. Can't come back."

Fan Yuxi didn't quite understand Shi Kai's explanation, but Shi Kai's fear of Luo Youdu could be heard.

But Fan Yuxi still wanted to take a look before making a decision.

That night, Fan Yuxuan received Shi Kai's latest order: withdraw to Yuzhou City.

(End of this chapter)