Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 275 Zhao Ceying: It's just a minor injury, it's nothing!

In the southwest corner, mountains stretch endlessly.

Most of these mountains run east to west and stretch as far as the eye can see.

However, there is an ancient road paved with stone slabs that stretches from north to south, leading to the southwest.

This ancient road was established during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han and was repaired and maintained during the Sui and Tang dynasties. It has a history of over a thousand years.

Whether it was the northern expedition of the Jiaozhi people or the southern expedition of the Central Plains people, they all had to rely on this.

Yongji Pass is a three-zhang-high city wall that stands in the middle of the ancient road and is built against Zuobi Mountain and Jinji Mountain!
Such a pass, while not quite "one man can hold the pass against ten thousand," is not far off in terms of its strategic importance.

but
Even the fiercest warrior will eventually run out of strength!
March 11th, cloudy.

Yongji Pass, the top of the pass wall.

A strong wind swept by, and the banners fluttered in the wind.

A burly man, dressed in black, with a topknot and a sword at his waist, stood with his arms crossed.

His eyes kept glancing toward the ancient road.

This is the chief officer of the pass—Nong Zongdan, the deputy privy councilor, who is also one of only two military generals in Jiaozhi who are capable of commanding 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers!
In recent years, the Kingdom of Champa has suffered repeated defeats and is in dire straits, which is the work of Grand Commandant Li Changjie and Deputy Privy Councilor Nong Zongdan.

I stared at it for a while.

"Ugh!"

Nong Zongdan sighed, a deep sorrow appearing in his eyes.

But just a hundred paces away, on both sides of the ancient road, more than a thousand soldiers were seen wielding machetes, scimitars, and wooden scythes, cutting down weeds and trees bit by bit.

As of now, apart from some vegetation within a hundred paces, the rest of the area is completely barren.

"From 9 am to now, it has been a full two hours of cutting."

Li Richeng, the Vice Minister of War, observed the situation on the ancient road and asked with some confusion, "My lord, what are they trying to do?"

Li Richeng was a scholar and not knowledgeable in military and political affairs.

The Kingdom of Jiaozhi valued martial prowess, which meant that military officers held a relatively high status. However, this did not mean that the emperor would not restrict or supervise military officers.

The more knowledgeable an emperor is about military and political affairs, the more he understands the dangers posed by military generals!

When Li Richeng entered the border, his main role was naturally to supervise and assist Nong Zongdan.

"Sparse vegetation and open view, preparing for the siege."

Nong Zongdan narrowed his eyes and said calmly, "Some large siege weapons, especially catapults, require an open field. If there are trees or bushes blocking the way, not only will it be a waste of effort, but it may also cause friendly fire."

"In addition, clearing away vegetation can also prevent the defenders from using the 'burning the jungle' defense method."

"The two sides of Yongji Pass are overgrown with vegetation, and in order to facilitate the attack on the city, it is necessary to clear some of it."

"That's it!"

Li Richeng pondered, a hint of doubt creeping in: "However, would 100,000 men dare to attack a pass defended by 50,000?"

This short sentence perfectly illustrates the demeanor of a complete novice.

Nong Zongdan frowned slightly and asked in return, "What does Lord Li consider a pass?"

“Generally speaking, an army needs five times the strength to attack a city. Passes are dangerous places, so it should be even more so!” Li Richeng stroked his beard and spoke of his understanding.

"wrong!"

To prevent outsiders from meddling in the planning, Nong Zongdan criticized without reservation: "Completely wrong!"

Li Richeng frowned, a hint of displeasure rising in his heart, and couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean?"

"If there are 50,000 troops defending the city, then there are truly 50,000 troops. With that, we can withstand an army of 200,000 to 300,000."

"50,000 troops guarding the pass can be used effectively as 50,000 troops, but if used improperly, they will only amount to a few thousand troops."

"That's the difference between the two!"

Nong Zongdan explained: “Passes are different from cities. A city is large enough to accommodate tens of thousands of soldiers to defend it at once; but a pass is too small, and can only accommodate a few hundred or a few thousand people to defend it at a time.”

“Take Yongji Pass for example. It’s said that 50,000 people are stationed there to guard it, but the problem is that Yongji Pass simply cannot support 50,000 people standing on the pass to guard it.”

“Yongji Pass, from east to west, from south to north, the pass is only about a hundred zhang long and about one zhang wide. Even if three people can stand on one zhang, a hundred zhang would only allow about three thousand people to stand.”

"If we squeeze in, we can barely fit 5,000 people. That's all."

"Therefore, although it is said that there are 50,000 troops, in reality only 5,000 troops are truly effective."

"Whether the remaining 45,000 troops are effective or not depends on the ability of the defending commander."

"If used properly, they can guard the pass with 50,000 men; if used improperly, they can only guard the pass with 5,000 men!"

Li Richeng frowned, a hint of realization in his eyes.

"Furthermore, there are differences between different passes."

Nong Zongdan said in a deep voice: "Superior passes are far more effective than cities, and can reach a level of ten to one; medium passes are not much different from cities, and can reach five to one; ordinary passes are nothing more than two to one or three to one. Even more so, there are passes that can only be one to one."

"One for one?" Li Richeng was surprised.

With this casualty rate, does it even deserve to be called a pass?
Nong Zongdan nodded, said nothing more, and simply gazed silently downwards.

"Then what kind of pass is Yongji Pass?" Li Richeng asked hurriedly.

As a "supervisor," he takes the initiative to supervise.

The purpose is to try to make a contribution and advance in my career.

Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the understanding of passes.

"It is a superior pass."

Nong Zongdan pointed towards the ancient road and the two major directions to the east and west, and patiently explained: "This ancient road faces north and directly towards the pass, leaving the enemy with no way to avoid it. The east and west directions are built against Zuobi Mountain and Jinji Mountain, which can be used to ambush a certain number of soldiers."

"Even a mediocre person can make 50,000 soldiers achieve the effect that 50,000 soldiers should have!"

"As for me, I am far superior."

"Lord Li, you can rest assured."

Nong Zongdan smiled calmly, trying to project an image of "reliability".

Li Richeng was appointed as the supervisor by Emperor Li Rizun. If he were to interfere with the arrangements recklessly, it would indeed cause considerable trouble.

Therefore, he hoped that Lee Il-sung would listen to him.

Peace of mind?

Li Richeng's eyes flickered slightly, but his expression remained calm: "My lord has not yet answered my question!"

"Since Yongji Pass is a superior pass, how dare the Great Zhou attack 50,000 men with 100,000 men?"

Nong Zongdan's expression darkened slightly.

Is Lee Il-sung being questioned?
“In the past, I certainly wouldn’t have dared to do that.”

Nong Zongdan put his hands behind his back and said in a deep voice, "But the problem is, things are different now than before!"

"Great Zhou, there's a bomb!"

In the past, given the nature of the Great Zhou Dynasty, if they had known that Yongji Pass was guarded by 50,000 men, they probably would have retreated long ago.

After all, even if the guns, spears, shields, swords, and armor of the Kingdom of Jiaozhi were of relatively "inferior quality," attacking a city and defending a city are ultimately different.

If 50,000 troops are stationed at the pass, the two sides will likely be locked in a prolonged stalemate.

To avoid wasting resources, the Zhou forces either had to withdraw or seek a breakthrough elsewhere.

But that was in the past!

Now that the Great Zhou has the bomb, everything is very different.

Li Richeng was taken aback and remained silent.

March 12th, Yin hour (3 o'clock).

Before dawn, the insects were silent and the birds were still.

Yongji Pass.

Apart from the occasional faint footsteps of soldiers, there was complete silence.

at this time
"Bam—"

An explosion, like a thunderclap, shattered the silence.

"Bam—"

"Bam—"

The sound stopped, followed by a series of explosions.

The sound was so loud that it shook the surrounding area, making people involuntarily feel uneasy.

A strong smell of gunpowder spread out.

"They're coming!"

A cry of alarm rang out, and someone shouted in panic, "Oh no! Someone's blowing up the city gate!"

"Shoot arrows! Throw stones!"

One of them immediately shouted at the top of his lungs, "Whatever you do, don't let them get it—"

"Bam—"

A bag of explosives was thrown up from below and detonated suddenly.

One after another, several people died and were injured, leaving behind only severed limbs.

"what!"

Cries of pain and screams of agony filled the air.

Many soldiers had blood splattered on their faces. They looked at each other, and instinctively took a few steps back.

The wall, three zhang high, was actually quite tall. But unfortunately, bombs could still be thrown up there!

"Bam—"

"Bam—"

The sound of explosions echoed continuously.

After about a hundred breaths, someone exclaimed, "The door bolt has burst open!"

Then, the sound of the explosions grew increasingly urgent.
Three miles away.

A cold wind swept by, and the banners fluttered in the wind.

"Boom-"

"Boom-"

"Boom-"

The drums resounded, their sound echoing across the fields.

Crows flew by, the sky was silent.

An army of 100,000, fully armored and armed, exuded an aura of grim determination.

All the civil and military officials, holding reins and standing in a single line, naturally exuded an indescribable solemnity.

Zhao Ceying wore a dragon-patterned gilded armor with a red tassel on his helmet. He held the reins in one hand and a long sword pierced the sky in the other.

"Soldiers!"

With a long roar, Zhao Ceying, his face filled with anger, shouted, "Jiaozhi is a small country. Since the Han and Tang dynasties, Jiaozhi has always been part of the Central Plains Han territory. Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong were both benevolent and kind-hearted. They understood that it was not easy for a small country and therefore did not kill or suppress it."

"Who would have thought that Jiaozhi would be so greedy, repeatedly invading Yongzhou, showing no sign of submission from a small country!"

The messengers relayed the message one by one, their voices echoing across the fields.

"Such behavior warrants execution!"

"Today, anyone who is beheaded will be rewarded with twenty strings of cash!"

"Anyone who is beheaded three times will be granted twenty mu of land!"

"Anyone who beheads ten enemies will be granted 100 acres of land, exempt from taxes for three years, and promoted three ranks immediately!"

"Whoever captures the enemy general will be promoted to general, and his descendants will be exempt from military service!"

"Whoever captures the enemy chieftain will be granted the title of Marquis!"

These few words have stirred up a great deal of excitement.

Taking advantage of the situation, Zhao Ceying brandished his longsword and roared, "Let's go to war!"

"kill!"

With a loud roar, the drums shook, and a chilling atmosphere filled the sky.

"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

Yongji Pass.

Torches burned brightly, illuminating the passes and walls, where corpses lay strewn across the fields.

Bombs were dropped intermittently, causing cries of agony.

"My lord, what should we do?" Li Richeng asked anxiously, his face pale.

Da Zhou's playing style is very "cheap".

The range of a catapult is about 100 paces, but the range of an arrow is only 60 or 70 paces, a difference of 30 paces.

Even if they were on the top of the wall, shooting from a higher position, the arrows would have no chance of hitting the soldiers operating the catapults.

Thus, relying on the combination of catapults and bombs, the soldiers of the Great Zhou basically threw bombs from a distance, either to blow up walls or to blow up people.

Dozens of bombs can be dropped at once, and it doesn't matter whether they are accurate or not; as long as the general direction is correct, that's fine.

In fact, the Jiaozhi side also had catapults, but the passes and walls were not as strong as city walls, so they couldn't deploy some of the larger catapults.

The small catapults could only travel thirty to fifty paces, and their range was even shorter than that of arrows, so they could not hit the soldiers of the Great Zhou who were throwing bombs.

The result, naturally, was a one-sided suppression of firepower.

The irony is that the Jiaozhi side still had to send people to their deaths on the wall!

After all, if you don't go up and take your position, the enemy will have a chance to get close.

"Why don't we send our men up Zuobi Mountain and Jinji Mountain and charge out to kill them all?" Li Richeng suggested anxiously.

This kind of "side-pushing" style of play is too underhanded and must be dealt with promptly, otherwise it will definitely cause big problems.

Nong Zongdan's face was dark and his brows were furrowed; he remained silent.

"Does Your Excellency have some concerns?" Li Richeng glanced at him, his anxiety mixed with some dissatisfaction.

I'm in such a hurry, and you're still calm and collected?
If we just keep dragging this out, wouldn't it be letting the Jiaozhi soldiers sacrifice themselves in vain?
Nong Zongdan was gazing intently into the distance, but did not respond.

"My lord, do you have any countermeasures in mind?" Li Richeng continued to ask.

If Nong Zongdan doesn't come up with a solution, then he might just take over command!

Nong Zongdan turned around abruptly, his face darkening, clearly realizing Li Richeng's thoughts.

"You know nothing about military affairs, so don't act recklessly!"

“I have two major concerns.”

Nong Zongdan calmly explained, "First, are there any crossbows behind the catapult? Second, can we send people out to fight against overwhelming odds?"

Compared to bombs, the crossbow was much more famous, and even the people of Jiaozhi had heard of it.

There are two main reasons:

Firstly, the hawk-breaking crossbow became famous quite early, five or six years ago.

Secondly, the security of the crossbow is actually lower than that of a bomb.

After all, the Sharp-Horned Crossbow is essentially just a copy of a powerful crossbow.

But precisely because of this, Nong Zongdan inevitably has to consider things more carefully.

The single-person crossbow, with a range of several hundred paces, is an absolute weapon of mass destruction; even bombs cannot overshadow its brilliance.

If Da Zhou's catapults were equipped with crossbows, it would truly be "delivering heads to the enemy."

Moreover, the number of people must be considered when charging out.

With 50,000 against 100,000, and a disparity in equipment between the two sides, it's simply impossible for them to win!

"Does Your Excellency intend to spend the entire night here?" Li Richeng's expression darkened slightly.

At this moment, there is still at least an hour and a half until dawn.

At the current rate of attack, at least one or two thousand soldiers will be wiped out in one night!
“There is no other way.” Nong Zongdan rubbed his temples, shook his head and sighed.

Yongji Pass was a strategic pass in Jiaozhi, but that did not mean that the soldiers who came to their aid were familiar with the terrain of Yongji Pass.

Of the 50,000 soldiers, at least 49,000 had never crossed Yongji Pass before.

It was too dark, and we were in an unfamiliar place, making us an easy target for ambushes and traps.

To avoid making a serious mistake, the only option is to remain inactive.

"What if the Great Zhou uses the same strategy tomorrow?" Li Richeng asked with a stern face.

Nong Zongdan's comment, "You don't know anything about war," was quite hurtful.

"I haven't thought of a solution yet."

Nong Zongdan shook his head and pondered, "However, with preparation, we can plan ahead..."

"I'll go out and see."

Li Richeng, with a stern face, interrupted them and strode away.

On March 17th, Yongji Pass was breached!
It was not difficult to breach Yongji Pass.

Unexpectedly, the chief and deputy commanders had a falling out and gave conflicting orders.

This made capturing Yongji Pass much simpler than Zhao Ceying, Gu Tingye, and Wang Shao had imagined, and it was successfully captured in just five days.

As a result, the 50,000-strong army of Jiaozhi suffered repeated defeats, with only about 30,000 escaping in disarray.

On March 21, an army of over 80,000 marched south, advancing with unstoppable momentum, and successively captured Yongping Road, Anping Road, and Guangyuan Road.

Of course, while it's called a road, it's actually the size of a prefecture or county.

Jiaozhi, a small region, had a total of twenty-four administrative divisions, and naturally, no single division could be too large.

March 25th, entered Thang Long!
The army of 90,000 was divided into three routes.

Two of these routes were led by Gu Tingye and Wang Shao, with Thang Long, the capital of Jiaozhi, as their core, to wipe out all the imperial guards.

Subsequently, the three armies converged.

With the central army led by Zhao Ceying as the core, they would surround and capture the capital of Thang Long from three directions.

On March 29th, Thang Long fell!

The only drawback was that Zhao Ceying was accidentally shot in the left arm by an arrow.

Fortunately, the arrow was not rusted, and the imperial physician cleaned it up, so there was nothing seriously wrong with it.

For a time, everything seemed to be thriving!
……

(End of this chapter)