Xiaoqi

Seeing that Guo Jia hesitated to speak, Li Li smiled indifferently, knowing that Guo Jia and Jia Xu fully recognized the combat effectiveness of Gao Shun and the camp under his account, so every time he mentioned Gao Shun, he would always think of the words he questioned earlier. , deeply guilty for this.

It is true that during the two-month offensive and defensive battle, Gao Shun and the trapped camp were responsible for guarding the city gate, and never let the allied forces approach the city gate. On the premise of ensuring that the city gate was not lost, casualties could be minimized.This shows that Gao Shun's ability is extraordinary, and the soldiers in the camp are all elite soldiers who can stand up to ten.

"Just what? There's no need to shy away from Fengxiao, it's okay to speak up." Li Li smiled.

Guo Jia nodded slightly, and said worriedly: "Your Majesty, let me tell you. So far in the offensive and defensive battle, although the camp has suffered few casualties, the county soldiers stationed on the left and right towers have suffered heavy casualties. General Teng Xiao has [-] Anyi under his command. Most of the county soldiers were killed or injured, and now there are only more than [-] people, and everyone is wounded, and they are no longer able to fight. The [-] county soldiers under the two generals Hu Zhen and Yang Ding are almost destroyed, and now only More than a thousand wounded soldiers, the rest of the soldiers were all killed.

In other words, so far, our army has lost as many as 4 troops, and there are very few infantry troops available to defend the city. Now only the [-] soldiers under the command of General Bocai, who was transferred from Tongguan, are left. up.If the [-] infantry is completely lost, then our army can only defend the city with cavalry, and there is no other way. "

"Hu Zhen and Yang Ding lost all their 2 horses?" Li Li muttered with a slight frown, an extremely complicated look flashed in his eyes, and he could not bear it.

Compared with Guo Jia, who had a dignified expression, Jia Xu looked calm at the moment, looking very calm, calm and unfathomable.

"Feng Xiao doesn't need to worry. The soldiers of the county government and the soldiers of Anyi County are not in the main battalion of our army. It is inevitable that the combat power is limited. The heavy casualties are also expected."

Chapter 695

While talking, Jia Xu always had a faint smile on his face, and he said in a leisurely manner: "It has always been difficult to see the difference between the main battalion and the county soldiers, but this offensive and defensive battle is It is clear at a glance, and the judgment is clear. The combat effectiveness of the main battle battalion is by no means comparable to that of the county soldiers. There are less than 2 people in the camp, and only 5000 heavy armored infantry are the main force of the camp. Army, but the powerful combat power shown this time is impressive, slightly better than the combat power of the military pawn battalion.

Therefore, after two months of fierce fighting, although our army lost [-] soldiers and horses, more than [-]% of these soldiers and horses were county soldiers, and the main battle battalion suffered little loss.In other words, the strength of our army has not been compromised. In terms of the comparison of forces alone, our army has been able to compete with the Allied forces, and has a geographical advantage, which already has the strength to take the initiative to attack. "

"Taking the initiative?" Guo Jia asked in astonishment when he heard the sound.

"Exactly." Jia Xu nodded happily and said, "It has been four months since the alliance of princes, and it has consumed millions of money and food, and the amount of food and grass alone is more than 100 million shi. I am afraid that there is so much food and grass. Yuan Shao has already been overwhelmed, right?"

Speaking of this, Jia Xu showed a sneer at the corner of his mouth: "According to our military's detailed investigation report, as early as a month ago, there was a fierce dispute between the princes of the former allied army in Loudi. There was a big fight, and the alliance broke up and disbanded. The cause of the incident was Yuan Shao confessed in front of the princes of the towns that he was unable to continue to supply all the food, grass and luggage needed by the Allied Army, and could only supply [-]% at most, which means that the food and grass supply dropped sharply by half.

However, it is very strange.The matter disappeared for unknown reasons afterwards, and the allied forces of the princes did not know where to get more than [-] shi of food and grass funding, thus resolving the crisis of food and grass shortages for the allied forces.But since then.The allied forces began to use large-scale troops to attack the Xingyang camp. While attacking Hangu Pass, they also sent troops to the Xingyang camp, and then plundered money and food from surrounding counties and counties.Now the counties and counties in Henan are in a mess because of the Allied forces. For this reason, they grabbed a large amount of food and grass, and it is estimated that there will be no problem in getting through this winter. "

After a brief pause, Jia Xu changed the subject: "However, under repeated siege battles, the Allied forces suffered serious losses. More than 30 soldiers were lost successively, and the force dropped sharply to about [-]. Although the Allied forces It is still twice as large as our army, but this time and that time. Our army is not fighting alone. At present, our army has [-] troops in the camp of Xingyang, more than [-] troops in Luoyang, and [-] troops in Wuguan; In addition, the [-]-step cavalry led by General Zhou Yu is attacking Taiyuan County non-stop. As long as Jinyang City is captured, Zhou Yu's army can go straight to Shangdang County, threatening the rear grain road of the army of princes. If General Zhou Yu can If you conquer Shangdang, you will be able to send your troops to the south and directly capture Hedong County. If all goes well, you can even directly cut off the retreat of the Allied forces.

Therefore, the current situation has quietly reversed. Although our army is still weaker than the Allies, it has many advantages.Already have the strength to turn defense into offense.However, if the two armies are in a decisive battle at this time.Although our army has a great chance of winning, it is difficult to complete the battle in one battle. After the Allied army is defeated, it is very likely that they will disperse and flee.If this is the case, then the many efforts and concessions we have made before will be meaningless and tantamount to futile.Therefore, if we want to achieve the greatest results, we must wait for the opportunity. When Zhou Yu's army completely captures Bingzhou and then sends troops to Hedong, it will be the time for our army and the allied forces to fight decisively. "

Guo Jia nodded thoughtfully: "Brother Wen He is right. There are still 20 days until the end of the year, and the last time General Zhou Yu sent the battle report was ten days ago, when he led the army to besiege Jinyang City. If there are no accidents, Jinyang City must be conquered in the near future, and troops will be able to march into Shangdang County by the end of the year. Based on this calculation, the decisive battle between our army and the Allied forces is expected to be in the spring of next year, about two months from now. "

"No!" Li Li shook his head and said, "The food and grass of the Allied army can't last for two months, and it will run out of food and grass after one and a half months at most. Then they must either fight our army or return to Hedong County and disperse. It is very important to the states of the Central Plains, and the princes of the towns will not turn a blind eye, so this war must end before the spring blossoms, otherwise the princes and allies will leave one after another after the spring begins.”

Speaking of this, Li Li got up and went to Shuai's case to pick up a roll of bamboo slips, then handed it to Jia Xu and Guo Jia, and nodded to instruct them to read it.

"I think you two have heard some rumors about the things mentioned above, or have you heard them before?"

After a pause, Li Li sat down slowly, and before Jia Xu and Guo Jia could reply, he said in a deep voice: "This is the impeachment brief sent by the general's mansion, and it has been on the desk for half a month. It’s been a long time, and today the two of you will decide for me.”

After carefully reading the bamboo slips, Jia Xu frowned slightly, watching Li Li's expression out of the corner of his eye, then he and Guo Jia looked at each other and nodded knowingly.

"Cough!" Jia Xu cleared his throat with a clear cough, and said respectfully: "To tell you the truth, my lord, I did hear about this before, but I didn't believe it. Shuai's case has come up. But I think the matter should be far less serious than what the brief said, and I don't think there is anything wrong with Situ's move!"

"Huh? Why did Wenhe say that? Deducting the palace expenses without authorization, wantonly reducing palace expenses, expelling eunuchs and court ladies, abusing the emperor and the late emperor's concubines, all of these are serious crimes of ransacking the family and exterminating the family. How can you take it lightly?" Li Li said in a sullen voice.

Jia Xu smiled indifferently: "My lord, don't be angry. Everything Situ did was to raise food and pay for my army. Even though the method was a little inappropriate, the original intention was out of a public heart, not to enrich one's own pocket and take advantage of the opportunity to make money. Therefore, I He believed that what Situ did was not wrong, but only touched the interests of some veterans of the former court, so he joined forces to impeach Situ and took the opportunity to make trouble, so as to deliberately provoke the relationship between the lord and Situ's uncle and nephew, and finally achieved an ulterior purpose.

Perhaps they also want to use this matter to distract the lord and cause our army to be defeated by the Allied forces, so that they, the former court officials, can boss around and try to restore their former prominent power. "

"What Brother Wen He said is very true, I completely agree with it." Jia Xu finished speaking.Guo Jia then said: "Since the battle of Sili, the monk Situ and Li Xuan have ordered Li Xuan to be responsible for raising the food and supplies needed by the army. They have successively transported more than 100 million stones of food and grass and tens of thousands of vehicles and equipment. It has always been enough The extra supply of food, grass and equipment for the 30 troops of the Northern Expedition Army, Wuguan Defenders, Xingyang Camp and Hangu Pass Army, etc., made us have no worries at all. With such a complicated burden, don't say that Situ Lijue has a little flaw in his actions, even if Committing a big mistake, as long as he can raise enough food, grass and supplies, his merits outweigh his demerits and can be completely forgiven.

After all, the battle of the army is the top priority of life and death.The food, grass and supplies are the most important thing, and there must be no sloppy, let alone a shortage of supply.Situ Lijue was also a battle-tested veteran.He naturally knew the importance of food and grass, so he forced the court to reduce the expenses, so as to raise more food and salaries for our army.This is a reasonable move, what is wrong with it? "

while talking.Guo Jia observed Li Li's face.After a pause, he continued: "Strictly control the number of retinues, handymen, and maidservants in the official's mansion, and distribute food and daily necessities according to the person. Introduced into the palace, it is obvious that the royal family, concubines, maids, eunuchs, etc. were extravagant, which directly affected Lord Situ's raising food and salaries for our army, and thus limited the supply of palace expenses.

The memorial said that the emperor could only eat two meals a day.Moreover, there was no fishy meat, and the entire inner courtyard of the palace had no meat for half a month.Everyone was so hungry that they couldn't straighten up, and they didn't have the strength to speak loudly.In my opinion, these are purely nonsense, deliberately exaggerating the facts in order to frame Situ and deceive the lord.Therefore, Situ is innocent, the lord should reject the impeachment letter, and order the emperor to issue an edict to reprimand the officials who jointly signed the letter, ordering them to reflect on themselves and make due contributions to the army.Such a reply, I don't know what the Lord wants? "

"Hehehe!" Li Li couldn't help laughing heartily, pointing at Guo Jia and scolding, "Guo Fengxiao, you are only afraid that the world will not be chaotic, and you will add fuel to the flames and trap me in infidelity and injustice!"

After slightly restraining his smile, Li Li laughed and said: "You and Wen He seem to have discussed it a long time ago. You vented your breath through one nostril, and talked nonsense with your eyes open. It is clearly stated in the memorandum that the emperor will not be able to eat a full meal for two days. Are you sure about that?" Well, it’s better to say that it’s two meals a day. If what’s said in the briefing is true, and even the emperor can’t get enough to eat, wouldn’t the many eunuchs and maids in the court not even have porridge? I don’t know if you’ve thought about it No, once this matter gets out, what will the world think of me, Li Li? If the Son of Heaven starves to death, how will I explain to the world?

So, the two of you have to think about it carefully, and it will definitely not work if you are perfunctory.Right now, fierce battles are fought every day before the pass. If Chang'an's rear is unstable, it will undoubtedly be very detrimental to the overall situation and not conducive to the battle.How to reply to the brief, you can think it over before you talk; if you want to get away with it, give up this idea as soon as possible! "

Jia Xu was shocked when he heard the words, and asked with a smile: "My lord, do you mean that the emperor can't be starved to death in the palace?"

"It's natural. The dignified son of heaven starved to death at the hands of me, Li Li, wouldn't that mean killing the king and usurping the throne?"

"My lord's implication is that as long as you don't starve to death, it's fine. As for the memorial to the impeachment of Situ by hundreds of officials, it can turn big things into small things, and small things into nothing?" Guo Jia continued.

"Guo Fengxiao, you said this yourself, someone like Li never said such outrageous things!"

"Hey hey!" Guo Jia heard the string song and knew the elegant meaning, and said with a simple smile: "Yes, yes, yes, how can the lord say such words that give people a handle, these are all the words of the ministers, and have nothing to do with the lord. The officials impeached Situ What about Li Jue?"

"I'm afraid it's not right to make trivial matters. But he is my uncle Li Li, can he still be severely punished? Uncle Siam and I have been brought up to adulthood, and we have suffered a lot. I can't imagine that he still has to suffer this kind of punishment today." Unjust injustice. Hey, I have to wait until later to make up for him!"

"Yes!" Li Li finished his sentence, and Jia Xu continued, "You can reply in this way in the memorial: order the general's mansion to seriously investigate and deal with Situ Li Jue's taking bribes to collect money, fine Situ half a year's salary, and order him to correct his mistakes immediately. Plead guilty to the emperor in public in the court! If so, what will the lord think?"

"Forget it, let's do it this way. This matter will be handled by Wenhe. Now that the war is intensifying, I don't have the time to worry about such trivial matters. I ordered Bocai to lead the military camp to take over the city defense and defend the city with Gao Shun!" After dropping a word casually, Li Li walked away in a huff.

In the lobby, Jia Xu and Guo Jia looked at each other and smiled: "Hahaha"

Chapter 696 A Fire in Winter

Time passed in blood and fire, and ten days passed in a blink of an eye.

The end of the year is approaching, and the cold winter of March [-]th is coming.

In recent days, the severe cold has become unbearable, and the armies of the princes stopped attacking the city continuously. They lit fires in the camps to keep warm, and were reluctant to go out easily.

In the tent of the commander of the Chinese army, a pot of charcoal fire warmed the big tent.

"The Hangu garrison's whereabouts have been secretive for more than ten days. It seems that it is not Li's usual style of behavior. It is quite abnormal to guard the gate and not move at all!"

On the left side of the big tent, Lu Bu frowned while drinking and eating meat, and said thoughtfully.

At this moment, there are only three people in Yuan Shao's commanding tent of the Chinese army, namely: Yuan Shao who is in the top position, Lu Bu on the left side of the tent, and Zhang Yan on the right side.

Now the most powerful princes of the three routes among the princes of the allied towns gathered together, and the discussion must be the battle of Hangu and how to send troops to attack the city.

During the continuous siege for more than two months, the three of them often gathered together to discuss wars, while the other princes rarely participated in the siege of Hangu Pass because of their own strength and lack of voice.Maybe this is the so-called self-knowledge, or because they don't want to be humiliated in public. Anyway, the other four princes rarely came to discuss wars in the past two months.Because the storming of Hangu Pass has nothing to do with them, and they are powerless, so it is better to avoid it, so as not to be criticized; after all, they do not have the strength to gossip, it is inevitable that people feel that they are standing and talking without back pain, Unpredictable.

"Fengxian is too much to worry about. So far, although the casualties of our allied army are twice that of the Xiliang army under Li Thief's command, Li's soldiers and horses are not as strong as our allied army. Therefore, the current situation Li Thief is facing is not the same as We are no different, tens of thousands of soldiers and horses have been lost, and the money and food consumption has been huge. I am afraid that we are at the end of our strength just like us, barely supporting ourselves."

While speaking, Yuan Shao shook his head slightly with a sullen face, and a trace of worry and anxiety flashed in his eyes.For half an hour since the discussion, he has been drinking and has no interest in the meat on the table, appearing preoccupied.I don't know the taste of food.

Ever since the storming of Hangu Pass, Yuan Shao's face has completely lost the smile, and his face is gloomy all day long.As if someone owed him hundreds of thousands of stones, food and grass, he has been depressed and unhappy.The Allied forces continued to attack the city, except for the loss of soldiers and generals.Never make an inch.During this period, there were only two sieges to the top of the city, and the remaining more than 40 sieges were in vain, and nothing was gained except huge casualties.Such an unfavorable situation put great pressure on Yuan Shao virtually, making him unable to eat, sleepless, tormented and full of worries.

Therefore, in just over two months, Yuan Shao looked haggard.His temples had turned gray, and the change in his appearance silently reflected the tremendous pressure he was under.The food, supplies, and equipment needed by the army of three to four hundred thousand princes.He had to provide everything, and it was okay for one or two months, but it was really overwhelming and miserable for several months in a row.However, he was still struggling to maintain the lack of food, grass and supplies. What made him feel helpless and powerless the most was the stalemate in the war, the inability to attack Hangu Pass for a long time, and the secret intrigue among the princes of various towns. At the height of heat, it is quite disintegrating.This is the crux of Yuan Shao's worries.

In the past two months, the princes of each town have devoted half of their soldiers and horses to the siege battle. The casualties were heavy and the strength was greatly damaged. As a result, the entire Allied army camp was shrouded in gloom, morale was low, and fighting spirit was low.However, at such a fierce battle, the allied forces could not stop, there was no way out, and there were only two paths before them: one, retreat back to the east of the river, and the alliance would be disbanded on the spot; Let it go, and fight Li Li and his Xiliang army to the end.

Faced with these two choices, the princes of the various towns that joined the alliance were hesitant, hesitant, and still unable to make up their minds.For a strong attack, Hangu Pass is one of the most powerful passes in the world, easy to defend but difficult to attack.Let's disband and withdraw from the alliance. The princes are well aware of Li Li's strong and domineering nature, and are very afraid of Xiliang's strong military power and his habit of dealing with affairs at every corner of the eye; Destroy the princes of the towns and avenge them.

Because of this, the princes of all towns are in a dilemma, in a dilemma, worried about gains and losses, at a loss as to what to do, so they have to grit their teeth and persevere until now.Fortunately, Yuan Shao was standing in front of them, and it was not their turn to worry about it for a while. After all, Yuan Shao was the leader of the princes and alliance, and he was responsible for half of the allied army's food supply; as long as Yuan Shao could continue to support them, they naturally had nothing to say.Hold on, when you really can't hold on, someone will naturally jump out.