Yeluxi finally saw the city wall of Xingqing Mansion.

This also brought a rare smile to his gloomy face.

Starting from Shangjing, the journey was really not smooth.

The Western Army was intercepted at all levels and fortified step by step. It seemed that the Western Army was constantly marching forward and the Western Army was retreating. However, anyone familiar with military affairs knew that the Western Army did not suffer a fatal blow at all.

They were in an organized and step-by-step retreat.

Since the beginning of the war, the Western Army's rangers have been harassing the Liao Army day and night without stopping.

So far, more than 90% of the Liao army's losses were caused by these rangers.

The Liao army thought of many ways, including setting up ambushes, fishing, and encirclement and suppression. However, each of these rangers had a maximum of three to four hundred riders. They were as graceful as a giant. If they were not neutralized by a single blow, they would gallop away. Although they occasionally succeeded, the losses were far less than the losses.

It's totally worth mentioning.

The Western Army is holding back a big move.

There must be a fierce counterattack by the Western Army somewhere.

This is the common consensus among experienced Liao generals in the army.

Until they saw the city wall of Xingqing Mansion.

The Western Army wanted to use the tall and steep city of Xingqing Mansion to consume the Daliao army, and at the same time waited for Xiao Ding to defeat the Song Army south of Hengshan and then rush back to attack twice! So they were just lagging along the way.

, instead of a decisive battle, they want to conserve their strength and return to Xingqing Mansion to defend the city.

Yeluxi finally understood Xiao Ding's strategy and tactics.

"The Song people are unreliable!" Yeluxi pointed to the wall of Xingqing Mansion in the distance and said, "We can't expect them to hold Xiao Ding off for long, so what we need to do is to capture Xingqing Mansion as quickly as possible.

. This is Xiao Ding's home base. After taking over Xingqing Mansion, the Western Army's rule in the northwest will be over. Most of the Western Army's subordinates are Dangxiang people, Tubo people, Uighurs, and Xi people. These people have a strong influence on Xiao Ding.

Loyalty or not is not a question. They are just a combination of interests. If it is beneficial, they will stick together, but if it is not beneficial, they will scatter. So everyone, stop thinking about things and do your best to win over Xingqing Mansion, this vast land.

It will become your pasture, and all the people here will become your slaves."

The Liao army's shouts of long live made the city walls of Xingqing Mansion seem to tremble slightly.

Nearly 100,000 people shouted at the same time, and the momentum was extremely shocking.

On top of the city, everyone's faces looked a little pale.

Zhang Yuan stood in the middle, his gray goatee curling up and down as if he was smiling. On the left stood Tuoba Yangwei, and on the right stood Redjin.

"Yeluxi really doesn't pay attention to the area around Xingqing Mansion. He doesn't even have the slightest interest in Xingping Mansion. He just wants to concentrate all his efforts on taking down Xingqing Mansion!" Zhang Yuan said with a genuine smile. "Sometimes, people are too

Being smart is really not a good thing."

"That's because he's not really smart!" Tuoba snorted coldly.

Zhang Yuan laughed heartily: "It's also because of the manager's outstanding military exploits that people like Ye Luxi can't help but fall into the trap. If it were anyone else, it wouldn't work!"

All three people laughed.

Everyone thought that Xingqing Mansion would struggle hard in the coming war and persist until Xiao Ding returned, but the three people in the city knew that was not the case.

It is not Xiao Ding who wants to defeat Yelu Xi, but them.

"Yeluxi lost about five thousand elites and tens of thousands of young men along the way!" Zhang Yuandao said: "Compared with the power in our city now, they are still very powerful. General Lei, the next matter of defending the city depends on you.

Yes, General Tuoba and I will only obey your orders."

Lei Jin bowed and said: "I don't dare, the long history is serious. Lei will definitely do his best to defend the city, and he doesn't dare to be negligent in the slightest."

Lei Jin's headquarters was specially transferred back to carry out this offensive and defensive battle of Xingqing Mansion. Regarding matters such as defending and attacking the city, Lei Jin was much more professional than Tuo Ba and showing off his power.

Tuoba prefers to ride a war horse, fight with people with a scimitar, and defend and attack cities. He is indeed not proficient in these fancy things.

"General Lei, there are many experts in siege among the Liao people, and their infantry are also quite elite!" Zhang Yuan reminded: "You must not be careless."

"How can you be careless? If you are careless, your own head will be gone!" Lei Jin laughed and said: "Don't worry, Chang Shi, this is a major matter of wealth and life. From Lei Mou down, whoever dares to slack off will have to ask him

Have a taste of military law."

Xingqing Mansion prepared for this decisive battle for several months.

After the Liao army arrived at the city, even though they were very anxious, they did not make any other move for three days except for the cavalry to circle the city and test it.

But such Liao troops made everyone in the city more vigilant.

The Liao army was not in a hurry to attack, they were just building siege equipment.

They accompanied the army and brought with them quite a few craftsmen.

The Liao army, which was neither impatient nor impatient, was naturally more powerful.

Three days later, under heavy fog and with the sound of military drums shaking the sky, the camp gate of the Liao army's camp, which had been silent for three days, suddenly opened. The Liao army's cavalry jumped out from inside and headed straight to the city. From the rear, the Liao army's infantry lined up.

, among their queues, various large siege equipment stood out.

The Liao people started out as cavalry, and now the cavalry is still their unique skill, but their infantry is not a weakling. Especially in recent years, after the Han people in Liao have integrated into the Liao Kingdom, the combat effectiveness of the infantry has also been reduced.

The year is bullish.

Under normal circumstances, in the current Liao army, the cavalry commanders are all Khitan people, while the infantry commanders are Han generals. In fact, the craftsmanship skills of the two sides are not very different. There is a big gap.

In fact, it is still materials and money.

Just like smelting steel and iron, both sides can do it, but the quality of the Song Dynasty's side is better. In this way, the weapons they make will naturally be sharper, and the armor will naturally be stronger.

Just like the divine arm bow, couldn't the Liao people know how to make it?

Over the years, how many divine arm bows have fallen into the hands of the Liao people? Many craftsmen who can make divine arm bows have also been captured by them, but the Liao Kingdom has never developed the divine arm bow into a powerful combat effectiveness. The final reason

, but the materials cannot keep up. The God Arm bow produced is of inferior quality and high price, has no cost performance, and cannot form effective combat effectiveness at all. It is not as good as the bow feathers used before.

However, if you want to improve iron and steelmaking technology, all aspects involved are too wide. Without the accumulation of technology, it is impossible to do it. In addition, the Song Dynasty spared no effort to block these technologies, and the Liao Kingdom had no way to achieve a breakthrough.

It's even harder.

It is not without explanation that the emperor of the Song Dynasty hid the craftsman camp in the imperial city.

Of course, we cannot build high-tech things, such as siege cloud city, siege towers, and siege vehicles. Although they are not as numerous as the ones in the Song Dynasty and have wider uses, they are better than a stupid, stupid and clumsy one.

use.

Such stupidity can sometimes have unexpected effects.

There was no temptation. The opening scene was overwhelming. Under the cover of dark clouds of feathered arrows, the young and strong Liao people and the civilian men carried sacks and followed the shield bearers, running towards the moat. Dropping the weapons in their hands.

sack, and then ran back. As for whether he would be shot to death by the city, it all depends on God's will.

In such siege battles, the most casualties are often the young and strong civilians. In the eyes of the commander, their only value is to consume the opponent's bows and arrows, and to pave the way for subsequent elite troops in such a fatal attack.

A way to attack.

Shouts suddenly arose from both sides. It was the cavalry coming around from the two doors on the side, one on the left and the other on the right, cutting each other like a pair of scissors. It was these young and strong civilians and those big shield soldiers that these cavalry killed.

.

The Liao army was also prepared for this. As soon as the cavalry in the city protruded, the Liao army was intercepted by cavalry. The confrontation between the two armies was extremely short and cruel. After a rush, half of the people on both sides fell.

Above, while the cavalry in the city circled around the city and entered the city again, the Liao army galloped away and returned to their own formation in a large arc.

Battles like this will happen again and again throughout the siege.

Life is like grass on such a battlefield.

Generals will ignore casualties. In their eyes, they will only see whether each tactical goal will be achieved.

Ordinary soldiers will ignore death, because if you take a step forward, you will die, and if you take a step back, you will die. Why, they are both dead, so what else is there to think about?

In such a scenario, everyone can no longer be considered a real person.

They were like two packs of grinning wild dogs, biting each other crazily until one of them could no longer hold on.

On the first day, the moat was filled in.

The next day, the Liao army's siege tower touched the city wall for the first time.

On the third day, the Liao army's commando team climbed up the city wall with the help of countless siege equipment and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the soldiers in the city.

Although every day will end with the final defeat and retreat of the Liao army, there is no doubt that the Liao people are getting closer to their goal day by day.

The Liao army is also in a hurry!

It is difficult to provide food and grass. In the fields outside Xingqing Mansion, the grain is not mature yet. It can be fed to animals, but not to people. News has spread north of Hengshan. Xiao Ding defeated the Song army and even became the leader of the Song Dynasty.

Zhang Chao, the imperial lieutenant who was in charge of the six border affairs, was also beheaded by Xiao Ding on the battlefield.

The people of Song Dynasty were bound to give in. As soon as their side ceased fighting, Xiao Ding would turn around. At that time, even though Yelu Xi was not afraid of Xiao Ding, it was hard to say who would win and who would lose.

Yeluxi must first capture Xingqing Mansion. In this way, even if Xiao Ding immediately turns around, Yeluxi will have the confidence to have a good talk with Xiao Ding.

Yeluxi did not want to suffer a tragic defeat after merging with Xiao Dinghuo under the Xingqing Mansion.

Such a victory is worse than nothing!

I guess Yelujun is watching a joke in Xijin Mansion!

We captured Xingqing Mansion and raided Xiao Ding's lair, so we were not afraid that Xiao Ding would be disobedient.
To be continued...