Chapter 172: Look at my forty-meter-long broadsword

"Your Majesty, what next?"

Although Li Jiancheng's income from the raid of his family could not meet the expenses of his five-year plan, after careful calculation, if you include taxes and gold mine income, this gap is actually not large. Wei Zheng was very satisfied when he saw that these clan gate officials, only the Beijing officials of Chang'an, the imperial court, could obtain more than ten years of financial income from the imperial court.

In his momentary agitation, he immediately calmed down and began to ask the most pressing questions.

After thinking for a short time, Li Jiancheng replied: "The Jianmen Pass is worry-free for the time being, but the danger is Lianghuai and Mo Nan. ”

After Li Shimin obtained Jiangnan, the troops were divided into three routes, and the west road cooperated with Hou Mo and Chen Xu to sweep Bashu.

Attack Yingzhou (present-day Zhongxiang, Hubei) in the middle.

The situation of the Central Route Army has gradually become clear, and they are preparing to attack the Han River along Yingzhou and then capture Xiangfan. Once Li Shimin's Middle Route Army gains Xiangfan, attacks the Nanyang Basin, and then takes Luoyang, Li Jiancheng can be trapped in Guanzhong.

In the direction of the Eastern Route Army, it was mainly concentrated in Huaixi, in order to map the two Huai. Now the Tang army is in the direction of Lianghuai and Xiangyang, and its troops are seriously insufficient.

Li Jiancheng groaned: "I am ready to drive Li Shimin to the south of the Yangtze River!" ”

Wei Zheng frowned and said, "Your Majesty, what about Mo Nan?" Leave it alone for now? ”

Li Jiancheng groaned and said: "This war will not end like this, I can only have the last laugh with him...... However, this fiasco also reminded me that Li Shimin's strength is extremely strong, and I will not make such a mistake again if I rashly fight with them and lose more and win less. I plan to spend ten years deepening military reform, eliminating Li Shimin's allies through diplomacy and military means, isolating them, weakening them, and then fighting them again when the time is ripe. ”

Fang Xuanling sighed: "Ten years is too long, when the time comes, I'm afraid the world will ...... Fight a protracted war, I'm afraid it will hit their hands! ”

Li Jiancheng looked at Fang Xuanling suspiciously: "Why?" ”

"Compared to them!" Fang Xuanling smiled bitterly: "In fact, we still have a weakness, an Achilles heel!" ”

"What weakness?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Chen Ying's voice came from outside the door: "Population! ”

Everyone looked towards Chen Ying.

Chen Ying did not shy away from saying: "The total population of our Datang is only 5.41 million households, and now, with the loss of Lingnan and Jiangnan, the population has decreased sharply, less than 4 million!" However, the number of troops they dispatched was more than four million! ”

Manpower is now an unsolvable problem for Datang, and the total population is so much. The productivity is very low, and pulling the young and strong into the army will inevitably weaken the proportion of the workshop and the agricultural population, resulting in a serious shortage of material production.

Just like during World War II, Germany's economic, industrial and military strength was obviously stronger than that of the Soviet Union, however, in the end, relying on the population fight, Germany was consumed. Because the Soviet Union had a population of more than 180 million at that time, while Germany had only about 60 million people. Throughout World War II, Germany suffered 4.85 million casualties and more than 3 million prisoners, totaling nearly 8 million people, and Germany finally collapsed. In World War II, 6.88 million Soviet soldiers died (233.13 million combat casualties), 8.66 million were killed after being captured, and 27 million people died in the whole country.

If Germany, like the Soviet Union, had 180 million people, it is likely that World War II would have been rewritten. Of course, this is just a hypothesis.

Now almost the same as during World War II, Datang has the most cutting-edge technology of this era, the most sophisticated army, but the population is the Achilles' heel.

Just like the battle of Jiangzhou that just broke out, more than 70,000 troops of the Tang Dynasty suffered casualties, and almost all of them were wiped out. Although Li Shimin won the victory, but the Fusang Tang army lost more than 200,000 casualties, hundreds of thousands of casualties, coupled with the lack of medicine and malaria rampant, Li Shimin has not broken out a large-scale war for three months after this war, because he is also a little weak.

"If we Datang are at this time, we will expand the army crazily!" Chen Ying looked at Li Jiancheng and said solemnly: "It will deal a fatal blow to the economy, we will be weaker, and it will be easier for Li Shimin to fight!" ”

Li Jiancheng frowned and said, "Then you mean, a decisive battle now?" We have too few troops, and if we fight, we have no chance of winning! ”

Chen Ying said with a smile: "The number of people is not enough, science and technology will make up!" ”

……

In front of the Jianmen Pass, countless Li Shimin's coalition troops surrounded the city and were at a loss. The bloody attacks in the past few days have caused the coalition forces to lose tens of thousands of horses, but the sword gate is still unbreakable.

Hou Mo Chen Xu looked at Guancheng, which had turned blue and purple, and let out a long sigh.

Suddenly, an inexplicable panic flashed between his eyebrows.

This kind of panic has no reason, Hou Mo Chen Xu understands in his heart that this is a sign of danger.

He couldn't figure out what was going on.

He subconsciously looked at Guancheng, and then looked back at the densely packed army on the gallop road, and suddenly realized.

He suddenly thought that when he was in Luoyang City, Wang Shiyun used a fire ox array of 3,000 heads to kill the 100,000 Tang army. Right now, could it be that the Tang Army will still attack with a fire bull array?

Thinking of this, Hou Mo Chen Xu hurriedly ordered, in front of the city, thirteen rejection horses were set up in a row, and the rejection horses made of thick wooden stakes at the mouth of the bowl were extremely strong, even if the fire ox was fierce, it was impossible to break these thirteen rejection horses in a row.

As time passed, the thirteen rejections were also settled, but the uneasiness in Hou Mo Chen Xu's heart became stronger and stronger.

General Pang Yu, the guard of the Sword Gate, looked at the bearded face and asked suspiciously, "Okay?" ”

Xun Xiang smiled disapprenously: "Okay, let you dismantle it, but quickly!" ”

Datang's galloping roads are all double-line parallel. Each road is three feet and two feet apart.

This is a helpless choice, without computer precision calculation, single-line transportation, the transportation efficiency of the train is too poor. In order to improve efficiency, this two-line parallel approach can only be adopted.

Originally, the steam engine train of the Tang Dynasty did not open the Bashu line, but because of the sudden arrival of Hou Mo and Chen Xu, three or four hundred thousand barbarian soldiers gathered in front of the Jianmen Pass, which was about thirty to one hundred steps wide and more than thirty kilometers long in the narrow terrain, which gave Chen Ying an excellent opportunity to demonstrate.

At this time, about ten miles behind Guanzhong, there were two trains, both of which were newly developed and "Decepticon" class, as for what this Decepticon was, except for Chen Ying, I am afraid no one knows in this era.

However, the Decepticon is a steam train in the end, although it has a power of up to 6,000 horsepower, it is still quite difficult to complete Chen Ying's task. Of course, Chen Ying had read the book and knew Zhan Tianyou's story, and he also learned from Zhan Tianyou's example, using two "Decepticons", one to pull in front and one to push in the back.

In this way, each train has a power of 12,000 horsepower.

Four Decepticons are used as transportation, two twenty-long steam engine trains, as if like an ancient giant beast, crawling on the ground, and what makes people shudder is the locomotive, made into the shape of a tiger, and the two trains, as if they are two centipedes, left and right wings, are full of dense steel knives.

These steel knives are not horizontal knives, nor are they Mo knives, but the longest steel knives that are forty meters long, and the shortest ones are also one zhang and six feet.

As the craftsmen do their final checks.

"Boiler inspection complete!"

"The water supply system is normal!"

"The ignition is normal!"

"The pressure vessel is normal!"

"The gearing is normal!"

Seeing this, Xunxiang poured the last sip of wine in the pot into his mouth, and then threw it to Pang Yu and said, "Huge general, it's up to you!" ”

At this moment, a Tang soldier came over and said, "General, the city gate has been dismantled, and the tracks and forks have been repaired!" ”

Xunxiang and hundreds of Anxi Tang troops began to line up to board the bus.

Xun Xiang climbed to the top of the locomotive, a small house like a steel cage, and ordered the soldiers beside him: "Prepare to go, run over these fools for General Ben!" ”

The steam engine train began to burn wildly with the blower, the water temperature of the boiler rose rapidly, and the train started slowly as the pressure reached the critical point.

……

Hou Mo Chen Xu had already heard that the Tang soldiers inside the city wall seemed to be frantically demolishing the city, and he felt that he had indeed guessed correctly, Pang Yu, an old boy, was really ready to learn from Wang Shiyun and prepare to run with a fire bull.

Hou Mo Chen Xu had already made preparations, not only preparing thirteen rejection horses, but also preparing a large number of drums and trumpets, as well as fire oil. In fact, whether it is a fire cow or a fire horse, they are all beasts, and the animals will be afraid of fire and loud noises.

"Du Ang Du Ang ......" The huge voice faintly came, and the smile on Hou Mo Chen Xu's face became thicker and thicker, and he smiled: "Pass the order, let's have more dinner tonight and eat beef!" ”

As Hou Mo Chen Xu's order was conveyed, the soldiers of the coalition army shouted frantically.

"Boom ......"

With a loud bang, the outer wall of the last layer of the city gate tower collapsed. Countless Tang Army soldiers, holding baskets, frantically packed up the broken wall skins on the ground and piled them aside.

At this time, a thick pillar of smoke rose from the north in front of the Sword Gate, like a giant dragon, roaring in the sky.

Hou Mo Chen Xu's face finally changed, and this movement didn't look like a fire bull at all.

Of course, Hou Mo Chen Xu only guessed half right, this is not indeed not a fire cow, but a train!

The roaring train, like a crazy rhinoceros, rushed along the tracks towards the coalition forces outside the Sword Gate.

Hou Mo Chen Xu was stunned and looked at the roaring train.

The coalition soldiers were also dumbfounded.

Where have they seen a train?

To add to the horror effect, Xun Xiang covered his ears with his hands, and the two trains pressed their whistles at the same time.

Loud sounds echoed through the narrow valley.

The soldiers of the coalition were instantly deaf.

All that left their eyes was the countless forty-meter-long broadswords.