Of course, building roads also has another layer of deterrence. That is, when the Tang army begins to build roads, it means that you are officially incorporated into the rule of the Tang court. Although some of your troops are still resisting, it is no longer of much use to us.
This was discovered during previous wars and also during the interrogation of prisoners. When they found out that the Tang army had abandoned them to build roads, they felt a sense of despair in their hearts. These people were not going to beat us and leave, but to beat us to occupy our land and even enslave us for generations to come.
Li Xiang never rejected their idea. If we could bring such pressure to the people in the occupied areas, it would be a blessing for us.
At this moment, Wu Yuanhao sat in his mansion. Half of his generals, the ones who had followed him out of the city to fight, were unable to come. Now they were either dead or in the Tang Dynasty prisoner-of-war camp. The rest were also timid, not knowing how to speak about this matter.
He couldn't fathom how he could have lost so many of his elite troops in just one day. While he still had a significant number of troops, they were vastly superior to those who had brought the program. Those lurking in from the woods on either side were among Vietnam's finest troops. This battle had already wiped out half of Vietnam's elite forces, with the remainder in the capital.
He no longer knew how to communicate with his superiors. Did he wipe out half of the country's elite troops? He still didn't know where he had gone wrong. If he had to say it was that the gap in strength between the two sides was too great. No matter what conspiracy and trickery he used, he would never be a match for the enemy. But even if he said that, would the high-ranking officials of the Vietnamese court listen to his explanation?
"General, why don't we ask for help? If it's just us, I'm afraid it will be difficult to resist their attack. We saw the attack of the Tang army today. We brothers don't have the courage to do it with just our remaining troops."
One of his lieutenants said hesitantly that it had been quiet here for a long time. If it continued to be so quiet, everyone would probably be tortured to death by such a quiet environment. No one could sit still at this time. They had to do something, otherwise they would be so panicked that they would not know what to do.
"You've all been with me for years. Don't you know how many troops we have in Vietnam? This time, to implement this plan, we called in most of the country's elite troops. Who knew that the Shaanxi Division would leak this plan? After all, the Tang Empire is far more powerful than us. Even if we mobilized all our troops, I'm afraid we would not be their match."
There was a dead look on Wu Yuanhao's face. The people around him didn't know what the general meant. If you give up resistance first, then we have nothing to say. After all, we are not as powerful as you in the court. If you really surrender, we are just accomplices.
After Wu Yuanhao finished speaking, he drank the wine in the bowl, then looked up at the faces of these people. Suddenly, he realized that he had said the wrong thing just now, and they must have misunderstood him.
"I'm not saying to surrender. After what happened before, even if we all defected to the Tang Empire, they wouldn't leave us any good position. What I'm saying is to break up into smaller groups, have all of us leave the city, and then ambush them in the mountains. That's how we can maximize our advantage. If we all stay in this city, that's their strongest combat strategy, and we're no match for them."
After Wu Yuanhao finished speaking, everyone finally understood what was going on, but what followed was an even greater shock. We had just shouted the slogan to keep Luocheng in our hands, but now we are going to abandon this city and run to the mountains to fight. If this is the case, how big a blow will it bring to the entire country?
"General, my brothers, we are not afraid of hardship and are willing to follow you into the mountains. After all, we grew up there. But if Luocheng is lost, will the people in the south still support us? They will think we are incompetent, and those treacherous officials in the court want us to fight to the death in Luocheng..."
These people under my command can indeed endure hardships, but if they go to the mountains and forests without the support of others, it will be difficult for them to persist. If a small group of troops can indeed survive in the mountains using local materials, but it is a joke for so many people to run into the mountains at once. Even if you eat all the tree roots on the mountain, you people will not be able to survive in the mountains.
The matter raised by his general was indeed quite tricky, and Wu Yuanhao was also hesitant. But if he didn't do this, there would be no point in continuing to fight here. Today's city wall could still hold for a while, but what about tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, when their navy warships arrived, we would be attacked from both sides, and we would not be able to hold on at all.
"When you return tonight, begin preparations. Only the elite troops are needed, and the rest can be left to their own devices. We don't need to worry about the number of troops right now. Also, tell the surrounding civilians that if they want to serve the Tang Dynasty, then let them go. The Tang Dynasty will kill everyone around them anyway. Try to prevent them from causing trouble for the Tang army."
Wu Yuanhao knew that many people of the Kinh and Yue ethnic groups were not easy to get along with. They had a hatred for the Han people. With just the slightest provocation, they would definitely attack the Han people. The Tang army was protecting the Han people. If such a conflict arose, it would be a war between all the common people and the Tang army. If they wanted to win this war quickly, even with the current combat effectiveness of the Tang army, it would be unlikely...
