The Flourishing Tang Dynasty: Beginning with Marrying Yang Yuhuan

Chapter 156 Stone Castle

"You are right." Li Heng stood up and walked to Yang Yuhuan, gently stroking her face, "I really can't ask for everything to be done perfectly. A three-foot-thick ice doesn't form overnight. No matter what we do, we have to take it step by step. The most urgent task is to capture Shibao City."

"Yes." Yang Yuhuan smiled sweetly, "No matter what, I will stand by you, my dear."

"Okay." Li Heng nodded, kissed Yang Yuhuan, and said softly: "I'm afraid I have to go to Hexi for a while, and then we will be separated for a long time again."

Yang Yuhuan said: "As long as you can think of me, no matter how far we are apart, you will always be by my side."

"I will." Li Heng looked at Yang Yuhuan, "After this battle, I will stay by your side for a long time."

Yang Yuhuan understood what Li Heng meant and said with a smile, "Things always have their ups and downs. My dear, if you leave at the right time, we will be together longer."

Li Ying picked up Yang Yuhuan and said, "It's true what you said."

"My dear, are you going to reward me?" Yang Yuhuan put her arms around Li Heng's neck.

"Can't you reward me?" Li Ying said with a smile.

"Okay." Yang Yuhuan smiled happily.

……

The next day, Li Ying summoned Zhang Guangsheng.

Zhang Guangsheng is still a criminal. After Li Heng brought him back to Qiuci, he did not put him in prison, nor did he incorporate him into the army. He just let him do nothing.

Zhang Guangsheng had no idea what Li Ying wanted to do with him, and the unknown fate made him feel extremely anxious all day long.

Sometimes, he even wished that Li Ying would announce his death sentence earlier.

Therefore, when Li Heng finally summoned him today, Zhang Guangsheng was both excited and nervous.

After Zhang Guangsheng entered the room, he immediately knelt down and said, "I will wait for your Highness to deal with me."

Li Ying looked at Zhang Guangsheng and asked with a smile, "Have you adapted to staying in Anxi recently?"

Zhang Guangsheng was startled and said, "Very good."

"That's good." Li Heng nodded. "If I ask you to be the vanguard and attack Stone Castle now, would you dare?"

Zhang Guangsheng said: "If it weren't for Your Highness, I would have died in humiliation. If Your Highness is willing to give me another chance, I will repay you with my own death."

"Very good." Li Heng stood up, helped Zhang Guangsheng up, and said, "I believe you. From now on, you will be a military officer of the Protectorate."

Zhang Guangsheng couldn't believe his ears at all. He was stunned for a long while before he said, "Your Highness, I have no achievements of any magnitude, so I am afraid I cannot be qualified for this position."

Li Heng said: "Just because you can come back alive from Stone Castle, you are qualified for the job."

After Li Heng finished speaking, he asked someone to call Gao Xianzhi, Feng Changqing and Li Siye.

Li Heng and the other two entered the room, looked at them meaningfully, and asked, "Do you know why the emperor appointed me as the governor of Hexi?"

Gao Xianzhi said without hesitation: "I'm afraid they want Your Highness to capture Shibao City. Shibao City is to the northwest of Hehuang, to the southwest of Riyue Mountain, and to the east of Laji Mountain. Whoever controls such a military fortress will have absolute initiative. The saint has the heart to expand the territory and will definitely not give up such an important place." "That's right." Li Heng admired Gao Xianzhi's incisive analysis. He walked to the map and said: "Shibao City is extremely dangerous. Are the three generals willing to fight?"

Gao Xianzhi and the other two said in unison: "We are willing to fight to the death."

"The three generals are truly courageous and brave!" Li Ying praised them and introduced them, "This is Zhang Guangsheng, who just followed Dong Yanguang to attack Shibao City. Army Officer Zhang, tell the three generals about the situation in Shibao City and your attack on Shibao City this time."

"Yes." Zhang Guangsheng came to the map and explained, "Shibao City consists of two forts, the big fort and the small fort. The big fort is in the south, about 220 steps from the ground, surrounded by steep cliffs on all sides, with an area of ​​about 22 acres. The wall is two steps high and about 670 steps long."

Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing were surprised to hear that this unknown person could describe the topography of Shibao City so clearly. They put aside their contempt and listened carefully.

Zhang Guangsheng continued, "The small fort is in the north, about 200 steps from the ground, and surrounded by steep cliffs, but slightly less steep than the south. It covers an area of ​​about seven acres, with a wall two steps high and about 500 steps long. The walls of the big and small forts are connected to the mountain cliffs, and are very steep."

"To enter Stone Fortress, there is only a small path in the northwest. The path is very narrow and can only accommodate two people walking side by side. When we attacked before, we could only line up in a long snake formation and attack from the back. The enemy soldiers in the city did not need to show their faces. They only used large stones, battering rams, and bows and arrows to kill thousands of our soldiers. In the previous battle, our army was lucky to capture the small fortress in Stone Fortress, and the enemy retreated to the big fortress. The distance between the big and small fortresses is 70 steps, which can also only accommodate two people walking side by side. Our attack slowed down, allowing the enemy to wait for reinforcements. The enemy attacked from both sides and our army was defeated."

Zhang Guangsheng sighed and said, "If I were more courageous, I might be able to take him down in one fell swoop!"

Gao Xianzhi said: "It seems that even with careful deployment, it will take the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers to take it down."

Li Siye thought for a moment and said, "Why don't we just surround them for two months and wait until their food and grass run out. Then our army will naturally win without a fight."

Zhang Guangsheng said: "The enemy has stored food and water in the city, which is enough for more than a year. Moreover, the Tibetans know the strategic importance of Shibao City. Once our army surrounds the fort, the enemy will definitely support us. Our army and the enemy will meet at the foot of Shibao City. The enemy can see our troops clearly through the observation tower on the Shibao City. The enemy is in the dark and we are in the light. Our army will definitely be defeated."

Li Siye looked at the map and said, "Divert water to the city? No, the terrain is too high and the water can't flow in. How about a secret passage?"

Feng Changqing laughed and said, "There are solid rocks all around. We have been fighting for two years, but we probably won't be able to get into the city."

"Raid?" Li Siye suggested again.

Feng Changqing said: "The last time Prince Xin'an took over Shibao City, he relied on a long-range raid. The Tubo took it back from us by surprise as well. After two consecutive times, the enemy's defenses must be quite tight."

Li Siye sighed and said, "Then we can only attack by force."

After going around in circles, Li Siye finally returned to Gao Xianzhi's method of sacrificing the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers for a powerful attack.

Li Heng was listening to Li Siye's suggestions one by one, and was quite surprised. He said, "It seems that General Li has been reading a lot recently."

Li Heng's words were not meant to mock Li Siye, but were sincere praise.

As a general, you should learn more tactics and then apply them flexibly according to the actual situation.

Just like Li Guangbi's life, he relied on the tactic of digging tunnels to capture several fortified cities.

Therefore, the fact that Li Siye could think of these things is enough to show that he is no longer a simple reckless man.

Li Siye scratched his head and smiled, saying, "I have indeed read a lot of books, but I can't think of any brilliant ideas."

"There is no special strategy for this attack." Li Heng smiled slightly, "This time we can only fight a tough battle with Tubo."

Li Siye was somewhat skeptical and asked, "Your Highness, do you really have no plans?"

(End of this chapter)