Chapter 5298 Long Distance Attack

Inside the city of Tuolupuluo, Zhuge Di was frustrated and furious about missing a crucial opportunity in the battle. Little did he know that his mere act of looting money and provisions would provoke a violent reaction from the city's residents and merchants, forcing the army to resort to massacres to suppress the unrest.

This resulted in an extremely slow looting process, and before it was completed, the Tang army suddenly arrived...

When the letter from Liu Renyuan, the commander of the Tang army, was delivered into the city, Zhuge Di quickly read it at a glance and immediately showed a look of astonishment.

He was still regretting missing the opportunity to fight when the Tang army sent a message requesting peace talks?

Isn't this just giving myself time to escape?

God helps me too!

He immediately summoned several trusted confidants to discuss how to respond.

After reading the letter, Ke Lunwengding pondered for a long time, then frowned and said, "Logically speaking, news from inside the city cannot be kept from the Tang people. A famous general like Liu Renyuan should take advantage of our chaos to launch a strong attack. Why is he now seeking peace talks? This is unusual and there must be something fishy going on."

Zhuge Diqi said angrily, "Stop talking nonsense! Do you think I don't know there's something fishy going on? But you have to tell me what's fishy!"

Kronwyn stroked his beard awkwardly, thought carefully for a moment, and said, "Two possibilities. First, Liu Renyuan's goal is to surround and annihilate us. Now, fearing our retreat, he wants to keep us occupied so he can complete the siege of Tuolupura City. Second, he already knows we intend to retreat and can't stop us in time, so he wants to buy time through negotiations and send another army to cut off our retreat..."

Zhuge Di was startled: "Wuwenling?"

That was not only the place he had already chosen to annex after withdrawing from Tarapura City, but also his last resort. If the Tang army cut it off, wouldn't he be left with nowhere to go?
The more Kelun Wengding thought about it, the more convinced he became that the Tang army's purpose lay there: "It's highly likely!"

Zhuge Di paced back and forth on the ground with his hands behind his back, his face full of worry: "If that's the case, the Tang army must have already started heading towards Wuwenling. By the time our army withdraws from Tuolupuluo City and goes there, it will probably be too late."

He was now filled with deep regret. If he hadn't been so greedy for money, he wouldn't have missed the opportunity and been blocked at the door by the Tang army.

The problem is not just that Wuwenling is cut off and there is nowhere to retreat, but that if we retreat from Tuolupuluo City, Liu Renyuan will inevitably follow, and we will have no way to get rid of him...

He panicked, completely at a loss: "What should I do?"

Kelun said, "In any case, Wuwenling has not fallen. Otherwise, not only would our retreat be cut off, but the reinforcements from Zhenla would also be unable to arrive, and we would be completely trapped!"

"That's right, that's right, Wuwenling cannot be lost!"

Zhuge Di forced himself to remain calm, summoned his son Jian Duoduo, and ordered, "Immediately lead two thousand elite troops out of the city to Wuwen Ridge. You must defend the mountain pass at all costs; it is our only way out! If we cannot hold it..."

After a pause, Zhuge Di patted his son heavily on the shoulder: "Then retreat to Zhenla, and you will succeed as the King of Linyi, avenge your father, and be determined to restore the kingdom!"

With tears welling in his eyes, Jian Damo shouted, "I won't leave! I want to stay in the city and fight alongside my father to defeat the Tang army!"

"Bastard!"

Zhuge Di roared, "At such a critical moment of life and death, how can you be so indecisive? Your responsibility is to preserve my family's bloodline, not to die in this Tuolupuluo City! If you really want to be a hero, then hold Wuwen Ridge at all costs and wait for me to lead my army to arrive!"

"...Yes, son obeys."

Jian Duomo wiped away his tears, knelt down and kowtowed before accepting the imperial seal and token from his father. He then turned and strode out, gathering his troops and galloping towards Wuwenling.

Zhuge Di returned to his seat, sighed, and composed himself: "Reply to the Tang army and agree to peace talks. Also, order all troops in the city to assemble and be ready to break out at any time upon my command."

……

Da Nang.

It was early in the rainy season in Lin Yi. Although it hadn't yet reached the point of continuous rain and swollen rivers, the sky remained overcast for a long time, with dark clouds covering the sky. A light drizzle would occasionally fall, and if you reached out and grabbed a handful, it seemed as if you could squeeze water out of the air.

Fine, dense rain drifted in the wind. Countless warships and merchant ships were huddled together on the sea in the harbor, their masts standing tall and their oars lined up side by side. Ship after ship of military equipment was lifted by gantry cranes and unloaded onto the shore, where it was then transported into warehouses by large carts traveling along tracks.

Inside the government office, Su Dingfang had just received a battle report from the front lines. Upon seeing Liu Renyuan's suggestion to immediately send troops to capture Wuwenling, he stood up and went to the map to carefully examine the terrain of Wuwenling once again.

In fact, Wuwenling, as a relatively spacious pass among the many passes in the Changshan Mountains and a strategic location connecting Linyi and Zhenla, had long been within Su Dingfang's sights.

The reason for not attacking the mountain pass beforehand was that there were troops stationed in Linyi on the east side of the ridge and troops stationed in Zhenla on the west side. In order to avoid alerting Zhenla and making them realize that the strategic objective of the Tang Dynasty was not only Linyi, but also the entire Zhenla, they did not attack the mountain pass in advance.

After destroying Linyi, Liu Renyuan led his troops to capture Wuwenling and break into Zhenla territory. At sea, he landed at Zhigun, Tunburi, and Sangang. The sea and land forces advanced together, heading straight for the capital of Zhenla, Borotiba.

The three naval forces went all out to capture Brahmaputra, and then marched north to join forces with the army led by Liu Renyuan at Thachhu, the true capital of Zhenla.

The plan was very meticulous.

But who would have thought that Zhuge Liang would be cowardly before the battle even started, and actually consider retreating without a fight?

Since they failed to complete the encirclement of Tuolupuluo City, if Zhuge Di breaks out and heads straight for Wuwenling to make contact with Zhenla, the entire battle plan will be disrupted.

At that time, they will have to face the remnants of Zhuge Di's forces and the full force of Zhenla's attack. Victory is not difficult, but if they delay and fail to complete their strategic objectives before the real rainy season arrives, it is very likely that tens of thousands of troops will be tied down in the mud of Linyi and Zhenla.

After a moment's deliberation, Su Dingfang ordered his personal guards to beat the "Gathering Drum" to convene the crowd for discussion.

A moment later, the generals arrived one after another and gathered together.

Su Dingfang circulated Liu Renyuan's battle report to everyone, then stood in front of the map hanging on the wall and marked Wuwenling with his pen: "Changshan stretches from north to south, forming a natural boundary between Linyi and Zhenla. There are many mountain passes along it, but few are suitable for a large army to pass through. This place is extremely important. Currently, Zhuge Di is in Tuolupuluo City, and he has already lost his nerve before the battle, intending to plunder the city's money and silk before fleeing. Liu Renyuan's forces are insufficient and he has already lost the initiative, making it difficult to complete the encirclement. Once Zhuge Di escapes with his army, it will cause a huge change in our battle plan... Therefore, we must take the initiative to change course."

Yang Zhou, Xi Junmai, and others, along with Li Jinxing and Li Jingren, were all seated in the hall. Yang Zhou took the initiative to speak: "We must keep Wuwenling in our hands. Whether it is to cut off Zhuge Di's retreat route and annihilate him within Linyi territory, or to prevent Zhenla from crossing the mountain pass to reinforce Zhuge Di, it is extremely important. If the enemy sends a large army to garrison Wuwenling, it will be so difficult for us to take it down that it will be as difficult as climbing to heaven. Our strategy of advancing northward by land to directly attack the Zhenla capital, Taqu, will be completely ineffective."

Li Jinxing and Li Jingren both understood where the current strategic focus lay, and both of them were somewhat nervous.

As newcomers, they were cautious and dared not speak without permission, but they all knew that if they could get this mission to raid Wuwenling, it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a name for themselves.

Two pairs of eyes looked at Su Dingfang with longing.

Su Dingfang stood with his hands behind his back in front of the map, looked around, and said in a deep voice, "General Yang's words coincide with my own, and Liu Renyuan's idea is the same. So we should send a force on a long-distance raid to capture Wuwenling!"

Upon hearing this, everyone else turned their attention to Li Jinxing and Li Jingren.

If it were anyone else, it would be fine, but trying to steal credit within the navy is simply a pipe dream! However, these two were recommended by Fang Jun and directly placed into the "Trap Camp" by Su Dingfang. He must be looking for opportunities to let them fight a few tough battles, earn some military merits, and gain some prestige.

Now is a good opportunity, but it's uncertain whether these two have the courage to take on such a heavy responsibility and the ability to complete the mission...

Sure enough, Su Dingfang's gaze fell on Li Jinxing and Li Jingren, and he asked, "With Li Jinxing as the principal and Li Jingren as the deputy, leading a thousand light cavalry on a long-distance raid on Wuwenling, are you two willing to accept the order?"

Whoops!

The two men, fully armored, suddenly stood up and shouted excitedly, "We dare!"

Su Dingfang shook his head and said, "It's not just a matter of whether we dare or not, but that we absolutely must complete the mission!"

Li Jingren said, "Rest assured, Commander, even if we are shattered to pieces, we will never retreat!"

Su Dingfang, with a cold face, said to Xi Junmai, "Tell them the rules of the navy!"

After saying that, he turned around, went back to his seat, picked up his teacup, and took a sip of tea.

Xi Junmai stood up, his face serious: "In our navy, whether you die in battle or not is not important. What matters is whether you can complete the mission! In the face of a mission, personal life and death are insignificant. So dying in vain is worthless. Even if you die, you must complete the mission!"

Li Jinxing and Li Jingren exchanged a glance, both swallowing hard as they sensed the starkly different atmosphere of the navy. At the same time, they knelt on one knee, saluted, and shouted, "We guarantee to complete the mission!"

Xi Jun laughed and said, "That's more like it! What does it matter if we die or not? Completing the mission is the most important thing!"

Su Dingfang nodded: "Although the situation on the battlefield can change in an instant, we are well prepared this time, and there won't be too many unexpected events like this, so we must seize this opportunity. Alright, take the military commander, muster the troops, and set off immediately!"

"Here!"

The two agreed in unison, got up and strode out of the main hall. They found the military commander and prepared the maps, rations, medicine and weapons. Then they mustered a thousand elite "Trap Camp" soldiers. The thousand-plus men drove out of the camp like a whirlwind and sped away in the drizzling rain.

This commotion alerted the second-generation nobles from Guanzhong who were still resting in the camp...

"What's going on? Where are Li Jinxing and Li Jingren leading their troops?"

"This is a military secret! It's not something you can just pry into! Don't forget the naval discipline!"

"Am I trying to pry into secrets? I want to know where they went! Why are we just scraps while these two kids can lead troops into battle?"

"That's right. We all came here together; we're all outsiders. Why should we be treated differently?"

"Let's go, let's find Su Dingfang and get to the bottom of this!"

"If that old man can't give us an explanation, I'll tear down his main hall!"

A group of pampered "second-generation" children were already dissatisfied with Su Dingfang's decision to leave them idle, and now that he was "treating them differently," how could they tolerate it?

A large group of people rushed into the main hall, demanding an explanation from Su Dingfang.