"What?" Tian He, the leader of the Qi State, was surprised. He received the news that the Zhou-Korean coalition forces left the camp after dawn and headed south.
What are they going to do? Tian He really can't figure it out. Is it possible that Ji Jie wants to attack Linzi City with the support of hundreds of thousands of people? His brain must have been kicked by a donkey. There are tens of thousands of defenders in Linzi, not just in a moment. He can take it down, and the 300,000 troops here are chasing him from behind. Under attack from both inside and outside, he will only die by then!
Just when Tian He was puzzled, the messenger sent the second news: the southern town was occupied by the Zhou army, and fortifications were built on the spot, and their large army was heading there.
"It's broken!" Tian He finally understood that the Zhou Yan coalition wanted to establish a stable base in Qi State, and use it as a stronghold to attack the surrounding cities, which can be attacked or defended!
Lin Zibiao, the leader of the Chu army, walked in and asked, "What's going on? Could it be that the enemy is coming to kill us?"
Tian He smiled bitterly and said: "It would be great if they came here! General Lin, please look, Ji Jie has just occupied Xiaonancheng, and the large army is rushing over there. He has no intention of fighting to the death with you and me!"
"Ah?" Lin Zibiao was also surprised. He quickly turned around and found the location of Xiao Nancheng on the map. He patted his thigh and said, "It's really a terrible place there. It's located at a choke point. As long as Ji Jie is willing, he can He will lead a group of troops to attack Linzi, but we will be hindered by the defenders he left behind, making it difficult for us to rush to our aid!"
"Yeah, that's what I'm most worried about!" Tian He issued the order without thinking: "Order the army to set off and try to get to Xiaonan City before the enemy builds a stronger city defense. Ji Jie cannot be left with time to make the next move. !”
Lin Zibiao said that he led the Chu army to accompany him. It was not that he had the Qi people in mind, but that after Ji Jie occupied Xiao Nancheng, it was equivalent to cutting off his retreat to Chu. He would never allow such a thing to happen.
Chu's army numbered 60,000, Qi's 100,000, and Tian He left 20,000 to guard the camp to avoid falling into the trap of diverting the tiger away from the mountain. A total of 160,000 rushed toward Xiao Nancheng.
During the march, Ji Jie ordered many spies to be hidden along the way, and these people promptly sent back accurate information.
"Haha, Tian He must have been fooled!" Ji Jie smiled and said to the three women: "150,000 versus 300,000, I really feel a little unsure, after all, I have never fought against the Qi army and the Chu army. Oh! It’s okay now, we have 150,000, they have 160,000, and they still have to listen to the orders of two generals. It is impossible to lose such a battle!"
After arriving at Xiaonancheng, Ji Jie immediately ordered the left and right vanguards to lead their troops out of the city to ambush. A small city could not accommodate 150,000 people, and a shortage of 20,000 people would not be noticed by the enemy.
The 20,000 vanguard troops were marching non-stop, ambushing the place where the charge was launched this morning, waiting for Ji Jie's signal.
Tian He, who was on the march, received the news from the scouts and told Lin Zibiao: "All the hundreds of thousands of people are staying in Xiaona City. The frontal defense depth of a small city is limited. Ji Jie is asking for death!"
The two subjectively believed that Ji Jie had just occupied Xiaonan City and was in the territory of Chu State, so they would not hesitate to choose to garrison the newly acquired city, and would rather retreat than come out and start a fight.
"Okay, let's go and kill him!" Lin Zibiao was full of confidence.
When the coalition forces arrived outside Xiaonan City, the situation in the city was indeed the same as the news brought by the scouts. Hundreds of thousands of people were crowded in the city, and their activities were greatly restricted.
"General Lin, I suggest you and I divide our forces to surround Xiao Nancheng, and then launch a fierce attack in four directions at the same time!" Tian He said with a smile: "The enemy's movement space is limited, and they can only be beaten!"
"I agree!" Lin Zibiao volunteered: "I am responsible for attacking the North Gate and West Gate, and I don't plan to leave a reserve force. What does General Tian think?"
"Okay!" Tian He said, "I will leave 30,000 reserve troops and personally lead 70,000 people to attack the south gate and east gate. Let's meet in Xiaonan City!"
"See you in Xiao Nancheng!"
The city was extremely crowded. That was because the range of activities of the infantry and cavalry had been suppressed to an unlimited extent in order to free up enough space for the artillery. Hundreds of trebuchets were standing ready, and the artillery shells were placed on pallets. , just waiting for an order to be thrown into the enemy's formation.
"I really want to know what will happen to the Qi-Chu coalition forces who first suffered a round of bombing and then were attacked from both sides!" Ji Xueling said this.
Ji Jie glanced at her and did not answer. Instead, he waved his hand and said to the messenger: "Give me my order. As long as the enemy enters the attack range, give me a bloody bomb at all costs and let them have a taste of us." The new weapons are so powerful! Remember, the enemy’s artillery position is the first target, and they cannot be allowed to release a single shell!”
"yes!"
Tian He and Lin Zibiao also set up artillery positions, but the trebuchets they used had a limited range. What they thought was an absolutely safe distance was actually already within the range of the Zhou army's artillery fire.
As a result, their trebuchet was blown to pieces before they could be assembled, and the shell boxes scattered everywhere also exploded. In less than five minutes, the artillery of the Qi and Chu armies was completely eliminated.
"Damn it!" Tian He originally wanted to bomb Xiao Nancheng before charging to shatter the enemy's self-confidence while boosting his own morale. Who would have thought that all the shells would be wiped out before even a single shell was fired.
"General, what should we do?" the cavalry general asked.
"Charge and kill directly!" Tian He ordered.
"yes!"
Lin Zibiao almost gave the order for the cavalry charge at this incident. Tens of thousands of cavalry rushed from four directions, followed by an equal number of infantry. It was obvious that they were not very adaptable to the tactics of the new weapons, and they also Thinking that as long as the cavalry rushes over, they can suppress the bows and arrows from the city wall defenders. The infantry behind them set up ladders, then climb the city, and then win!
When they understood that victory would not be easy, it was too late.
As soon as the cavalry of the Qi and Chu army entered the attack range of the trebuchet, they were stunned by the overwhelming artillery fire. Their charge was blocked but they could not stop, because the people behind did not know how tragic the situation in front was, and they were still stunned. He rushed over with all his strength to die.
It seemed that there was only a short distance left from the city wall, but this distance became an insurmountable gap. The Qi and Chu coalition forces were advancing one after another, and the corpses were piled higher and higher. Every time they moved forward, they had to pay a huge price.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Tian He was about to order his troops to retreat when three green flares flew over Xiaonancheng, followed by two ambushing troops.
Then, the four gates of Xiaona City opened wide, countless cavalry swarmed out, the artillery fire stopped suddenly, and the cooperation was flawless.
"Damn it, I've fallen into a trap!" Lin Zibiao finally figured out the trick and ordered without thinking: "Retreat to avoid a head-on conflict with the Zhou army!"