This was indeed a farce. When Prince of Jin Li Zhi heard the news, he was so scared that he was speechless. He had been thinking of going to the Vietnamese territory in advance to have a look. That would have been the first member of the Tang Dynasty royal family to reach the Vietnamese territory. This was also a gimmick. Now after hearing the news, this guy was so scared that he didn't even dare to move. If he really went there, he would still be able to take the first place, that is, the first member of the Tang Dynasty royal family to be captured by foreign troops.
If you can die, it can be considered as a token of gratitude to the country with your death, but if you cannot die, there will be no good outcome after being sent back. You will definitely be sent to a remote palace and never come out for the rest of your life. After all, you are a disgrace to the entire Tang Dynasty royal family.
"These damn Vietnamese are so bold. We should send troops to destroy them immediately..."
His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin scolded the Vietnamese for a whole incense stick of time, but no one around him agreed with him. Including those who followed him, they could see that this guy didn't have much ability. Now he had to find a new dock. If they continued to follow his men, they would probably have no way to survive in the future.
Li Zhi also knew that he had gone off the rails this time. He had spent a lot of effort to find such an opportunity. He had wanted to use Vietnam's surrender to fly higher, but unfortunately, he did not fly, but fell instead.
The farce made the people in Chang'an very angry, so the order from the General Tiance's Mansion came down. We don't have to launch a full-scale attack for the time being, but we must capture several cities in the border area and let Vietnam know how powerful we are.
The army of the Annan Protectorate had been prepared and could be deployed at any time. The scale of the battle was not very large at the moment, so Changsun Ze and Huo Qubing immediately led their men there.
Prince of Jin, Li Zhi, was still in a daze in his temporary palace. When he heard that the army of the Annan Protectorate had already set out, he quickly ordered his men to harness the carriage. He couldn't let such a credit go to waste. Even if he was standing by and writing memorials in the future, his name would have to be written in. He couldn't let the opportunity to pick up the credit go to waste.
After crossing the border, the Tang army headed straight for Luocheng with great momentum.
Luocheng is Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam in later generations, and it is also the largest city in northern Vietnam.
When the Tang army launched its attack, the entire city was thrown into chaos. The soldiers naturally could not abandon their posts, but the common people could not care less. Would they stay here and become slaves to the Tang army? So they quickly ran south.
Wu Yuanhao also rushed to Luocheng from Nanshan Pass, which is the first pass north of Nanshan Pass. If they cannot defend this place, the Tang army will directly attack Nanshan Pass, which is also the middle section of Vietnam. Once Nanshan Pass is lost, it basically means that the entire Vietnam has been defeated.
Luocheng is now of vital importance to both sides. If the Tang army can capture Luocheng, we can use it as a base and wait for the navy warships to arrive in a month. Then, we can advance southward and put an end to the Vietnam War.
For Vietnam, this is also the largest city in the north, and it is a place they strictly defend. If they can withstand the attack of the Tang army here, it will be a blessing of confidence for the people of the whole country. If they cannot defend it, then the resistance gathered by the people of the whole country will immediately collapse.
The Tang army has launched one bloody battle after another in Indochina. So many well-known armies have failed in front of the Tang army in the past, so many people are unsure. If we can't even defend Luocheng, let alone the subsequent cities, the Tang army will definitely take them down one by one.
Wu Yuanhao has received an imperial edict from the King of Vietnam. He must defend the 70,000 troops around Luocheng at all costs and all of them are under his command. No matter how many people are lost, he must not retreat a single step.
The King of Vietnam also understood the importance of Luocheng. If Luocheng was lost, no matter what he said, the landlords and powerful people in the south would definitely not listen to him. The Vietnamese court was actually formed by the union of various local forces, and the King of Vietnam was just a relatively large force among them.
When everyone is not defeated, they can still unify their statements, but if Luo Cheng is lost, it means that they are not capable of confronting the Tang army head-on.
For the sake of the future, some of these people under their command will definitely negotiate peace with the Tang army in advance. At that time, they may open up their own defense line and allow the Tang army to enter the whole of Vietnam from here, so there will be no need to talk about defense.
Wu Yuanhao is the best fighter in Vietnam, and the 80,000 troops under his command are all the most elite people. Although Vietnam claims to be able to form an army of 100,000, these 80,000 people are already their limit, and the rest are half soldiers and half farmers.
When they have nothing to do, they farm at home. When there is something to do, they follow the army to fight. However, they only do some odd jobs. It is impossible for them to actually go to the battlefield to fight. After all, those people have low combat effectiveness. If you push them to the battlefield, it is equivalent to giving military merits to the enemy.
When Wu Yuanhao arrived at Luocheng, he found that the people in the city were fleeing in droves, so he immediately ordered his men to close several city gates. Leaving one more person at this time would be a vital force to guard the city. If these people were allowed to run away, it would not be enough to rely on his army alone. In addition, he also brought a large amount of food, which was enough for the people and the army in the city to eat. What was lacking was manpower.
After receiving the order, his troops immediately closed the four gates and required all young and strong men to report to the bottom of the city wall. As for the rest, they had to return to their homes and wait for orders. If anyone was found wandering on the streets, they would be caught and killed.
Under this brutal policy, Luocheng has restored its original order, but there is no business atmosphere on the streets. Everyone has a look of fear on their faces. They are waiting for the arrival of the Tang army in the north. This is also the first official confrontation between Vietnam and the Tang army.
At this moment, the Tang army had already arrived five miles north of Luocheng...
