Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5334 The troops are approaching the city
After Yang Zhou destroyed the Shui Zhenla, he reorganized the Shui Zhenla army and sent them out of Dong Sali Lake to travel north along the Mekong River in small boats. However, due to the difficulty of sailing against the current, the speed was extremely slow. Therefore, he ordered the Shui Zhenla army to tow the boats along the river by ropes. After two months of sailing, they arrived at Savannakhet, another important town in Zhenla south of Thachhu.

Meanwhile, Liu Renyuan, who crossed the Wuwenling Pass and headed north along the western side of the Changshan Mountains, and Xi Junmai, who landed at Thonburi, sailed up the Chao Phraya River, conquered many indigenous tribes, and then turned east, met at Savannakhet City two days apart.

The three armies successfully joined forces, with more than 30,000 troops gathering on both banks of the Mekong River, greatly boosting the morale of the Tang army.

……

A light drizzle fell, the river flowed, and the water rippled in the mist.

Xi Junmai crossed the Mekong River in a warship and arrived at the central command tent on the east bank. He glanced at the military camps stretching along the riverbank, took off his raincoat and threw it to the soldiers outside the door. He lifted the curtain and went into the tent, where he saw Liu Renyuan and Yang Zhou, who had arrived earlier, sitting on stools around a small stove.

The small stove was burning brightly, and a kettle of hot water was placed on the top, spouting white steam. Yang Zhou casually took the kettle down, poured boiling water into a teapot, and then took a few cups to brew tea. A faint aroma of tea instantly filled the air.

"General Xi, come quickly, the tea is just right!"

Yang Zhou greeted him with a smile, and seeing Xi Junmai sit down, he remarked, "Although the Indochina Peninsula is not as hot and humid as the islands of Southeast Asia, the rainy season is endless. I'm practically growing mold on my body. Drinking some hot water and warming myself by the fire is really comforting."

Xi Junmai reached out and took the teacup with both hands, blew on the emerald green tea, took a sip, and let out a satisfied sigh.

Liu Renyuan snorted: "You traveled by boat all the way with prisoners pulling the boat, what's the big deal? We two have been trekking through mountains and rivers, our feet are practically soaked and we haven't complained."

Yang Zhou quickly raised his hand to apologize for his slip of the tongue and changed the subject, saying, "The expedition is almost over, let's discuss how to deploy our tactics?"

Xi Jinping sat upright with a blank expression: "What tactics are we using? We'll just push straight through."

Yang Zhou and Liu Renyuan exchanged a glance and both laughed.

The phrase "pushing forward all the way" was coined by Fang Jun, who always admitted that he "lacked both literary and military talent" and had only a superficial understanding of military strategy. He could not strategize and plan as well as the famous generals of his time. Therefore, whenever he was about to go to war, he would try his best to upgrade the equipment of his troops to the "most advanced" level and rely on the advantage of strong equipment to "push forward all the way".

The saying goes, "One force can overcome ten techniques." In the face of absolute power, no scheme or trick can hide.

In fact, the Tang army has indeed been developing in this direction in recent years. The "Foundry Bureau" is not only responsible for developing firearms, but the continuously improving smelting technology has made the Tang army's armor and weapons increasingly sophisticated. Today, the standard-issue horizontal swords used by the Tang army have even become "treasures" that foreign royal families, wealthy nobles and relatives compete to collect.

Liu Renyuan said, "That's true, but we still need to have tactics. Otherwise, if we rush in all at once, we'll not only risk causing a stampede, but we'll also give the enemy an opportunity. Even if we have victory in our grasp, we must be careful and do our best to improve our tactics to minimize losses. The lives of our Tang soldiers are much more valuable than these Kunlun slaves."

Yang and Xi nodded in unison.

The three of them then huddled together and laid a map flat on the table.

The three armies had been advancing side by side and each had been doing their own thing, but now that they had joined forces, Liu Renyuan, who held the highest rank and position, was in charge of command, with the other two assisting him.

Liu Renyuan said, "Shawannaji City, like Taqu City, is built on the east bank of the river. It is an important town in Zhenla, not only a place for the distribution of goods between the north and south, but also where about 6,000 elite troops are stationed. It is easy to break into the city, but it is not easy to annihilate the garrison in the city. Once these garrison troops are defeated and flee north to Taqu City, the troop strength of Taqu City will increase dramatically."

Yang Zhou added: "We must also strike Qucheng with overwhelming force and not allow the Zhenla royal family to escape, otherwise the consequences will be endless."

If the King of Zhenla is not captured and escaped, given the crisscrossing mountains and rivers in northern Zhenla, it will be extremely difficult to catch him again. The goal of destroying Zhenla cannot be achieved, and the Tang Dynasty may be bogged down here.

Xi Junmai said calmly, "Speed ​​is of the essence in war. After capturing Shawan Naji City, we will not linger. All three armies will advance rapidly northward together, encircling the enemy before they can react, trapping them like turtles in a jar, and wiping them out in one fell swoop!"

Logically speaking, after capturing a fortified city like Shawan Naji, the army would need to rest and regroup before launching a full-scale attack on Taqu City, which is a hundred miles to the north. The existence of Shawan Naji City also serves as an outer strategic defense for Taqu City, in order to resist any possible attacks from Shuizhenla in the south.

Without taking a break and heading north, they committed a cardinal sin in military strategy.

But both Liu Renyuan and Yang Zhou nodded in agreement after careful consideration.

Compared to the possibility that the King of Chenla might abandon the city and flee when things turned bad, leading to the devastation of the entire northern Chenla region, the casualties caused by launching a full-scale attack on Tachu without taking any rest were naturally acceptable.

Of course, the most important point is that the Zhenla army's combat strength was extremely limited and could not pose much of a threat to the Tang army.

Yang Zhou warned, "It is said that there are a thousand elephant soldiers in the city of Thaqu, which is the foundation on which Jayavarman has been able to dominate the Indochina Peninsula. We cannot be careless."

Liu Renyuan laughed, took a sip of tea, and said, "This beast has thick skin and great strength. Soldiers riding on it and attacking the enemy with spears can indeed inflict huge casualties... But it has a weakness, which is that it is afraid of firearms. Whether it is the light of fire or the sound of fire, it can make it irritable and unrestrained."

Seeing that Yang Zhou and Xi Junmai were looking over, he began to recount the story of the navy's initial entry into Linyi and its subsequent battle with Zhenla.

Then he concluded: "Elephant troops are not worth mentioning in the face of firearms."

This invincible military force, which swept across the Indochina Peninsula and was virtually impervious to swords and spears, was naturally countered by firearms...

Yang Zhou felt reassured: "Since the last possible threat is not a concern, let's be bolder and more aggressive. Let's make it look like we're launching a full-scale attack on Savannakhet City. I imagine that Taqu City will be watching and waiting until the outcome is decided before deciding whether to defend or flee... I'll lead the fleet to bombard Savannakhet City, making it look like a feint attack. General Liu and General Xi, you two will not participate in the attack and will instead advance north along the Mekong River, heading straight for Taqu City. I will then arrive and send some ships to help General Xi detour north of Taqu City to cross the river and block his retreat."

This is a risky move. If the attack on Taqu City is blocked, the unconquered Shawan Naji City could cut off the Tang army's retreat.

However, the strategic objective of this battle was to capture Tachukhu with lightning speed, preventing Jayavarman from abandoning the city and fleeing when he saw the situation was unfavorable...

Therefore, taking some risks is not a bad thing.

Liu Renyuan made the final decision: "Let's do it this way! Even if there are any unexpected events, I will take responsibility. The two generals can proceed with the plan."

This is the greatest advantage of the Tang army at present: when discussing tactics, anyone can offer suggestions, but once the tactics are determined, everyone must obey unconditionally. Even if there are miscalculations or even failures, the commander-in-chief will bear the responsibility and cannot shirk it.

The most important thing for an army is "order". When the commander does not shirk responsibility and the soldiers are not afraid to die, they will naturally be invincible.

Yang Zhou and Xi Junmai stood up together and saluted: "Yes, sir!"

……

The following morning, a light drizzle fell.

Xi Junmai and Liu Renyuan each led their troops to break camp. The former advanced northward along the foot of the Changshan Mountains on the west bank of the Mekong River, while the latter advanced along the foot of the mountains. The defenders of Savannakhet City were outnumbered and dared not leave the city to meet the enemy, so they could only retreat into the city.

Yang Zhou then led his navy to defeat the enemy's small naval force on the river. Then, dozens of warships approached the east bank, their bows aimed at Shawan Naji City, tore off the cannon covers, stuffed in propellant and projectiles, and lit the fuses.

Boom boom!
In the drizzle, the smoke of gunpowder almost covered the river surface. After each bullet left the barrel, it drew a parabola and landed inside the city walls and city. Because it was raining, oil-filled bullets were not used. However, even the bullets shattered the small city into a million holes. In particular, this long-range artillery tactic was something that the people of Zhenla had never seen or heard of before, and the psychological deterrent it brought was enormous.

After a barrage of cannon fire, the warships moved toward the west bank and were towed northward by captives from Sujina.

The garrison inside Shawan Naji looked at each other, bewildered, but dared not even venture out of the city to investigate the situation...

*****
The eastern side of Thachhu City is bordered by the remaining ridges of the Truong Son Mountains, with undulating terrain and crisscrossing mountain ranges. To the west flows the Mekong River, which flows from north to south. Further west, there is another mountain range running north to south. The Mekong River flows through the valley between the two mountains, and the city is built on the west bank of the river.

Facing the great river and backed by mountains, the terrain is high in the east and low in the west, with beautiful landscapes.

Since the time of Funan Kingdom, it has guarded a vital passage for north-south transportation, and is densely populated and rich in wealth...

Inside the royal palace within the city, the civil and military officials of Zhenla gathered together, surrounding King Jayavarman, who sat on the throne.

As the Tang army advanced in three columns simultaneously and arrived at the city of Shawan Naji, with their forces only a hundred miles away from Taqu City, the people in the city were filled with panic and discussion. Even the civil and military officials were trembling with fear and uncertainty.

After all, the Tang Dynasty was far too powerful; could Qu City possibly withstand it?
Jayavarman, over forty years old, was lean and wiry. Dressed in brocade robes and wearing a golden crown, he sat on the throne, looking more like a "monkey in a crown"...

His gaze swept across the faces of the civil and military officials before him, and he asked, "The Tang army has already reached Shawan Naji City, and their next step will inevitably be to capture Taqu. Do any of you have a plan to repel the enemy?"

The ministers looked at each other.

After a long pause, someone whispered a suggestion: "The Tang army is brave and invincible. Rather than defending the capital to the death and ultimately losing everything, it would be better to abandon the capital and retreat north into the mountains before the Tang army arrives, and wait for their return..."