Chapter 172 Look at my forty-meter-long sword

"Your Majesty, what will you do next?"

Although Li Jiancheng's income from the house search could not meet his five-year plan, he carefully calculated that if taxes and gold mine income were included, the gap was not large. Wei Zheng was very satisfied when he saw that these aristocratic officials, just the Beijing officials from the Chang'an court, could obtain the court's fiscal revenue for more than ten years.

Under temporary excitement, he immediately calmed down and began to ask the most urgent questions.

After a brief thought, Li Jiancheng replied: "Jianmen Pass is worry-free for the time being, but the danger is the two Huaihe River and Monan."

After Li Shimin acquired Jiangnan, his troops were divided into three groups, and the western route cooperated with Hou Mo Chenxu to sweep Bashu.

Attack Yingzhou (now Zhongxiang, Hubei) in the middle.

The situation of the Central Army has gradually become clear. They are preparing to attack the Han River along Yingzhou and instead attack Xiangfan. Once Li Shimin's Central Army acquires Xiangfan, attacks the Nanyang Basin, and then takes Luoyang, they can trap Li Jiancheng in Guanzhong.

The Eastern Army was mainly concentrated in Huaixi to explore the two Huaihuai. Now the Tang army is in the two Huaihuai and Xiangyang, and the troops are seriously insufficient.

Li Jiancheng pondered: "I am preparing to personally lead the army to drive Li Shimin to the south of the Yangtze River!"

Wei Zheng frowned and said, "Your Majesty, where is Mo Nan? Don't worry about it for the time being?"

Li Jiancheng pondered and said, "This war will not end like this. I and him only have one to laugh until the end... But this disastrous defeat also reminded me that Li Shimin is extremely powerful. I will not make such a mistake again when he fights them rashly. I will use ten years to deepen military reform, eliminate Li Shimin's allies through diplomatic and military means, isolate them, and weaken them, and fight them to the decisive battle with them until the time is ripe. I will not give him a chance to turn things around in this battle!"

Fang Xuanling sighed: "Ten years are too long. At that time, I am afraid that the world will... fight a protracted war, and it may be exactly what they want!"

Li Jiancheng looked at Fang Xuanling in confusion and said, "Why?"

"Compared with them!" Fang Xuanling smiled bitterly: "We actually have one weakness, a fatal weakness!"

"What weakness?"

As soon as he said this, Chen Ying's voice came from outside the door: "Population!"

Everyone looked at Chen Ying.

Chen Ying said without hesitation: "The total population of our Tang Dynasty is only 5.41 million households. Now, the population has dropped sharply without Lingnan and Jiangnan, and the population has dropped sharply, less than 4 million! However, the troops they dispatched are more than 4 million!"

Manpower is now an unsolvable problem for the Tang Dynasty. The total population is only so large. The productivity is very low. If you pull young and strong of the right age into the army, it will inevitably weaken the proportion of workshops and agricultural population, resulting in serious shortage of material production.

Just like during World War II, Germany's economy, industry and military strength were obviously stronger than the Soviet Union. However, in the end, it was relied on population to kill Germany. Because the Soviet Union had a population of more than 180 million, while Germany had only more than 60 million. During World War II, Germany had a total of 4.85 million casualties, more than 3 million were captured, a total of nearly 8 million, and Germany eventually collapsed. During World War II, Soviet soldiers died of 6.88 million due to war (a total of 23.33 million casualties), plus the total of 8.66 million deaths after being captured, and the total of 2.7 million deaths were killed in the country.

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

Now, almost exactly the same as during World War II, the Tang Dynasty had the most cutting-edge technology and the most tax-intensive army of this era, but its population was a fatal weakness.

Just like the Jiangzhou Battle just broke out, the Tang Dynasty suffered more than 70,000 casualties, almost all the troops were wiped out. Although Li Shimin won the victory, the Fusang Tang army was killed by more than 200,000 casualties, and hundreds of thousands of casualties. In addition, the lack of medicine and abuse of diseases was rampant, Li Shimin had not had a large-scale war for three months after this war, because he was a little weak in the future.

"If our Tang Dynasty expanded its army madly at this time!" Chen Ying looked at Li Jiancheng and said solemnly: "It will cause 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 what you mean is, let's fight now? Our troops are too few, and if we fight, we have no chance of winning!"

Chen Ying smiled and said, "There are not enough people, so technology will make up!"

...

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

Hou Mo Chenxu looked at Guancheng, which had turned blue and purple, and sighed deeply.

Suddenly, an inexplicable panic flashed between his eyebrows.

This panic was for no reason. Hou Mo and Chenxu knew in his heart that this was a sign of danger coming.

He couldn't figure out what was going on.

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

He suddenly thought about it. At the time when Wang Shiyun used the three thousand fire bull formation to defeat the 100,000 Tang troops. At present, would the Tang army still use the fire bull formation to attack?

Thinking of this, Hou Mo Chenxu quickly ordered that thirteen horses would be raised in front of the city of Guancheng, and the horses made of wooden piles as thick as bowls were extremely strong. No matter how fierce the fire bull was, it would not be possible to break the thirteen horses for successive purposes.

As time went by, the thirteen refusals were ready to slap, but the uneasiness in Hou Mo and Chenxu's heart became stronger and stronger.

General Pang Yu, the guard of Jianmen Pass, looked at Xunxiang with a bearded face and asked in confusion: "Is it OK?"

Xunxiang smiled disapprovingly and said, "Okay, let me demolish it, but the speed should be fast!"

The roads of the Tang Dynasty were all in parallel. Each road was three or two meters apart.

This is a helpless choice. Without computer precision calculations and single-line transportation, the transportation efficiency of trains is really poor. In order to improve efficiency, this kind of dual-line parallel method can only be adopted.

Originally, the steam engine train of the Tang Dynasty did not open the Bashu line, but because of Hou Mo and Chenxu's sudden arrival, 300,000 and 400,000 soldiers from the barbarians gathered in front of Jianmen Pass. This narrow terrain about 30 to 100 steps wide and more than 30 kilometers long, gave Chen Ying an excellent demonstration opportunity.

At this time, there were about ten miles behind Guanzhong, two trains, all of which were the latest developed and "Decepticon". As for what this Decepticon is, except Chen Ying, no one knows in this era.

However, Decepticons are steam trains. Although they have up to 6,000 horsepower, it is still quite difficult to complete Chen Ying's task. Of course, Chen Ying has read books and knows Zhan Tianyou's story. He also learned about Zhan Tianyou's appearance and used two "Decepticons" to pull one in front and the other in back.

In this way, the power of each train reached 22,000 horsepower.

As transportation, two 20-row steam trains were like an ancient giant beast, crawling on the ground. What made the locomotive even more chilling was the shape of a tiger. Moreover, the two trains seemed to be two centipedes, with dense steel knives installed everywhere on both sides.

All of these steel knives are not horizontal knives or unshakable knives, but the longest one is 40 meters long, and the shortest one is 16 feet long.

As the craftsmen did the final inspection.

"The boiler inspection is completed!"

“The water supply system is normal!”

"The ignition device is normal!"

“The pressure vessel is normal!”

“The transmission is normal!”

Seeing this, Xunxiang poured the last sip of wine from the pot into his mouth, then threw it to Pang Yu and said, "General Pang Da, I'm looking at you!"

At this moment, a Tang army soldier came over and reported: "General, the city gate has been demolished, and the tracks and forks have been repaired!"

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

Xunxiang climbed to the top of the head of the train, and a small house like a steel cage, ordered to the soldiers beside him: "Prepare to set off and kill these idiots!"

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

...

Hou Mo and Chenxu had already heard that the Tang army soldiers inside the city wall seemed to be demolishing the city frantically. He felt that he had guessed correctly. The old boy Pang Yu was really ready to learn from Wang Shiyun and was preparing to have a fire bull run together.

Hou Mo and Chenxu were already ready. Not only did they prepare thirteen horse-rejecting horses, but they also prepared a lot of drums and tinders. In fact, whether it is a fire cattle or a fire horse, they are all animals. Animals will be afraid of fire and loud noises. With these two preparations, we will see who the fire cattle hits?

"Duangduang..." A huge voice came faintly, and Hou Mo Chenxu's smile became stronger and stronger. He smiled and said, "Send the order to go on, let's have extra meals tonight and eat beef!"

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

"Boom..."

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

At this time, a thick pillar of smoke rose from the north of the sword gate, like a giant dragon roaring to the sky.

Hou Mo Chenxu's face finally changed, and the movement did not look like a fire bull at all.

Of course, Hou Mo and Chen Xu only guessed half of it correctly. This is not really a fire bull, but a train!

The whistling train rushed along the track towards the coalition forces outside Jianmen Pass like a crazy rhino.

Hou Mo Chenxu looked at the whistling train in amazement.

The soldiers of the coalition army were also stunned.

Where have they seen a train?

In order to increase the terrifying effect, Xunxiang covered his ears with both hands, and the two trains pressed the whistle at the same time.

A huge sound echoed in the narrow valley.

The soldiers of the coalition forces were instantly deaf.
Chapter completed!