GBP Chapter 383 Long Discussion
Chapter 383 Long Discussion
Changan.
The atmosphere in the Prince of Qin's Mansion was solemn.
A group of officials gathered together. Zhao Qin sat in the middle trembling with fear, with beads of sweat on his forehead. He listened nervously to the officials below reporting on the war in Yanzhou and Shangjun.
"You've said so much, but is there any practical way to solve the current predicament?"
Zhao Qin asked anxiously, with obvious anxiety in his voice.
His eyes swept across everyone's faces, hoping someone could give him an answer that would reassure him.
Seeing that everyone was silent and no one offered any advice, Kong Sijin stepped forward and said:
"King Qin, Yan Ruxiang has been forced to retreat back to Hancheng. Currently, only General Sima Yan can mobilize the Qingzhou army to capture the city."
"Hmph! That's easy to say." Sima Ling snorted coldly, his face gloomy as he said, "Now that Dingxi City has just been recaptured, the entire army is pressed to the west. How many soldiers can Qingzhou use?"
After being confronted by Sima Ling, Kong Sijin suddenly felt a surge of resentment in his heart, but he suppressed his emotions and said, "At worst, let General Yan send troops from Hancheng at the same time, encircle the city from both sides, and capture Yanzhou."
"The troops in Dingxi must not be moved. The only viable solution at the moment is to gather troops from all prefectures and counties to Chang'an and then attack from three sides, namely Hancheng, Qingzhou, and Chang'an. This may give us a chance of victory."
Sima Ling's words were so powerful that many people present nodded in agreement.
The current situation is not that there is no one available, but that the personnel are too dispersed.
Moreover, Sima Yan held the military power and Yan Ruxiang was pushed aside. In this situation, no matter how many soldiers there were, they were just numbers and it was difficult to form effective combat power.
Zhao Qin was panic-stricken at this time and had no idea what to do.
"King of Qin, there's no need to heavily guard Anhua City right now. General Qian has 60,000 men there. We'll transfer 50,000 men to defend Chang'an, and transfer some more from other places. We expect the total force to reach 150,000."
Kong Sijin stood up at this time and spoke slowly.
"At present, it seems that this is the only way. I will issue a royal decree immediately, ordering all counties to mobilize troops."
Zhao Qin knew very well that Qian Dazhuang, the former defender of Dingxi, had fought bravely and was by no means a coward.
Now Chang'an has insufficient defenders and lacks a general to lead the troops. Qian Dazhuang is the right person.
Sima Ling was very unhappy when he heard Kong Sijin's suggestion, but it was not easy to object on the spot in such a situation.
After his first defeat, Chai Jin went to Qingzhou and received an order from the King of Qin, asking him to temporarily take charge of the defense of Qingzhou and also to prepare to recapture Yanzhou.
At this time, the total strength of the troops in Gyeongju, plus the number of people he retreated back to Gyeongju, was 100,000.
However, after the battle of Yanzhou, his men had almost lost their combat effectiveness.
On the contrary, the original defenders of Qingzhou had no idea what had happened in Yanzhou. They did not believe that Yanzhou, which relied on high walls to defend against the enemy, would suffer such a tragic defeat.
Chai Jin knew the reason very well and decisively issued a gag order. Anyone who dared to speak out about the battle situation in Yanzhou would be treated as a coward.
At this point, few people in Qingzhou talked about the battle situation in Yanzhou. Later, when the news came that Yan Ruxiang had recaptured Yanzhou, people gradually forgot those fears.
Qian Dazhuang brought 50,000 soldiers to Chang'an and was stationed in the camp in the western suburbs outside the city.
In order to firmly grasp the military power, Zhao Qin went to the camp to meet Qian Dazhuang, accompanied by Kong Sijin.
"I greet the King of Qin!"
Qian Dazhuang knelt on one knee and spoke in a loud voice. Because of the defeat in Dingxi City, he had thought that he would be punished for coming to Chang'an this time, and he was uneasy. He did not expect to be personally received by the King of Qin.
"General Qian, I am fully aware of what happened in Dingxi. The blame lies with you. On the contrary, I am very pleased with your bravery in defending the enemy."
Since Zhao Qin came to win people's hearts, he naturally would not blame Qian Dazhuang harshly.
"Thank you, King Qin, for not abandoning me. I will go through fire and water for you, even if it means death!"
Qian Dazhuang was kneeling on the ground and could not get up. When he heard Zhao Qin's words, he was deeply moved and immediately expressed his loyalty.
"Okay, with the general's words, I'm relieved. From today on, Qian Dazhuang is appointed as the expedition general. By then, he will have 50,000 more soldiers and horses, commanding a total of 100,000 troops, and be ready for the campaign against Yanzhou."
Zhao Qin handed over a military token and spoke in a firm and forceful tone.
Qian Dazhuang was filled with gratitude for being reused again.
To be honest, he was originally a border soldier of the imperial court, and logically should have been under the command of the imperial court's Ministry of War.
However, it is also feasible for vassal kings to appoint generals during wartime.
The premise is to defend the local area, otherwise it is against the rules to arbitrarily appoint a general. This is also a privilege granted by the court to the vassal kings outside.
……
The news of Shangjun's defeat soon reached Luancheng. At the same time, everyone in the court in Kyoto also learned the news.
"Even Zhao Sheng's army couldn't resist. Could it be that Zhao Hong's coalition forces' weaponry is developing so rapidly?"
Not only Zhao Hui was surprised by what happened in Shangjun, the entire court was filled with an atmosphere of fear of war.
In the royal study.
Wei Rong, Fan Wenyuan, and Qin Lian and Guo Zixiu from the Ministry of War stood respectfully in front of the desk. Zhao Hui expressed his inner concerns:
"To be honest, Shangjun was responsible for creating new weapons for the imperial court. Now that it has been lost, it will surely provide the enemy with even more powerful weapons. Even Zhao Sheng's new army, who designed the weapons, was defeated. I am truly worried!"
How could those present not understand the interests involved in these words?
Once Zhao Hong's strength grows further, he will definitely pose a huge threat to the imperial court.
"Your Majesty, the report states that the most effective weapon in this battle was the cannon. This cannon was surprisingly capable of long-range attacks. Secondly, they also used the small Tiger Barrel Cannon, which can be operated by one person and is extremely maneuverable."
Wei Rong had discussed this matter in the cabinet before, so he now expressed everyone's disagreement.
Qin Lian had also read the report and had some opinions on these matters. He bowed and said:
"Under the same combat readiness conditions, the enemy's forces outnumbered ours several times over. The huge disparity in numbers made it difficult to contend, and their forced withdrawal was a helpless move."
Zhao Hui was a veteran of the battlefield, so he naturally agreed with what Qin Lian said.
The key point is that after Yan Ruxiang was defeated, it was difficult to replenish weapons, and it was extremely difficult to recapture the two lost cities.
"Both of you have a point. The problem is that Yan Ruxiang has retreated to Hancheng, and there are no conditions for replenishing weapons there. According to the report, Shan Ning has taken several thousand people to the east bank of the river."
These words brought everyone present back to the cruel reality.
If Zhao Hong occupied Shangjun and continued to vigorously develop weapons, but his side did not have sufficient combat capabilities, continuing to wait would only result in the continuous loss of cities.
Thinking of this, Zhao Hui clenched his teeth. He knew very well that the court had to send a large number of troops this time and use heavy weapons to severely attack the enemy in order to have a chance of winning.
Next, he began to consider whether the weapons in his hands could meet the needs of this war.