He Qizhou unfolded the crumpled letter paper. On it were a few lines of cursive handwriting, which were exactly Yan Wuji's handwriting: "Ten thousand tornadoes are expected to arrive at the east gate at noon tomorrow; Hengzhou's five thousand infantry will arrive at the south gate tomorrow evening. In the city
There are two thousand heavily armored elites, most of whom are hiding behind the wall, so be careful when dealing with them."
"Just such a small number of people?" He Qizhou seemed a little disappointed, then turned to face the blizzard generals behind him and said with a smile: "Let's go to the east gate first and see if the tornado can block the blizzard!"
…
"Your Highness, don't worry. They only have 7,000 cavalry and it is impossible to surround the entire capital. As long as we can't hold on, after the tornado and the Hengzhou infantry arrive, it will definitely not be a problem to hold on for a month." Pan Shuzhi
He comforted the anxious Helian Changji.
"Although we evacuated Kuocheng, the food and grass they obtained from Mucheng is enough for ten days. As long as the reinforcements from outside the city do not enter the city, I will not rest assured. Hall Master Pan, where is He Qizhou now?"
"The rebels appeared twenty miles away from the north gate two hours ago. They sent many scouts to start circling the city to investigate. Our number of scouts is limited. Now all the scouts in the direction of the north gate have retreated into the city. It is estimated that today
It's getting late, He Qizhou should be camping outside the city."
"Palace Master Pan, could you please send someone to urge me again, so that Tornado and the Hengzhou Army can come to the rescue as soon as possible." Helian Changji still felt uneasy.
"Your Highness, the first group of people who went to rush have returned. Both armies said they can arrive at least an hour early. The second group just sent can't arrive for half an hour. The rebels are now in the northwest. If they go around to the east gate tomorrow morning
To attack, we have to walk at least thirty to forty miles, and Xiao Duo will have already entered the city by then. Even if we meet outside the city, we can send heavy armored troops to attack them from behind, which will become our opportunity to fight!"
Pan Shuzhidao.
"No, send someone to urge you again and tell Xiao Duo that you must be quick. You must not fight the rebels now. Only when they run out of food and retreat will we have a good opportunity to fight back!" Helian Changji said without doubt.
, I have clearly realized in my heart the combat power of He Qizhou's army. The combat power of the tornado with 10,000 cavalry riding a long distance is definitely not as good as the Cullen army with 17,000 cavalry, and the latter was defeated after not holding on for long. Therefore, Dragon Fist
The best way to avoid the wind is to avoid its sharp edge and be ready to strike.
"Okay, let's do it now." Pan Shuzhi was about to say goodbye and leave when suddenly a scout came to report: "Your Highness, we have discovered the direction of the main force of the rebels!"
"Tell me, where is it?"
"Forty miles northeast! About seven thousand riders in total!"
"No, they are going for Xiao Duo! They arrived at the city and then left the city. They must have known Xiao Duo's location. Quick, send someone to notify Xiao Duo and ask him to retreat quickly!" Helian Changji
screamed.
"Your Highness, even if we fly over, it's too late! Do you want to send someone for reinforcements?" Pan Shuzhi said hurriedly.
"Where are the cavalry? If you go there, you will die! Let the Hengzhou Army stop camping tonight and enter the city overnight! By the way, seal the east gate too. Alas, I hope Xiao Duo can defeat more Eastern Zhou Army
." Helian Changji said with a sad face.
"Okay, I'll send someone to deliver the order right now! Your Highness, you'd better go and have a good rest." Pan Shuzhi still thought that Helian Changji, who hadn't slept for two nights, was a little too nervous. If Xiao Duo came over, he could only ask him to turn around.
Heading to the south gate.
"Don't sleep. As soon as there is news, report it immediately!"
..."That damned prince! Even if they just brought us here to build city defenses, why did they demolish all our houses? Why not demolish the palace!" Outside the east gate, a middleman was carrying wooden piles.
The young man complained in a low voice to the elder beside him.
"Shhh - you don't want to die? It's better for you to work hard than the soldiers guarding outside the wall, right? I'll be careful to arrest you to fend off those barbaric Eastern Zhou people!" The old man hurriedly glanced to both sides and found that the soldiers overseeing the work were leaving.
Once we were far enough away, we felt a little relieved.
"Bah! Uncle, look at it. Aren't the outermost Chang Mao soldiers all young men forcibly pulled from nearby villages? Oh, the real government troops and heavy armored soldiers are all hiding behind, letting us common people die first.
How can this be reasonable? If you send me to the front, I will definitely help the Eastern Zhou people move Luchai!"
"Stop talking! I didn't let you stand at the front! Besides, there are so many supervisors and archers watching from behind. If you are really blocked in front, how dare you not fight with all your strength? The Eastern Zhou people didn't kill you, you
You might get hit by several arrows in the back! I heard that those Eastern Zhou people killed people like crazy and looted every city they passed. Forget it, let’s just help build the fence and we can survive peacefully.
It's the greatest blessing." The elder, carrying a bundle of sharpened wooden stakes, tried his best to persuade him while hobbling forward.
The middle-aged man lowered his voice again and said: "Uncle, it seems that it is not what you said. The Eastern Zhou army robbed corrupt officials along the way. They were the vassal kings and generals who exploited and enslaved the people. Most of the property they robbed was scattered.
It's given to the local people, you must ask your two sons to be careful and not to resist, they never kill prisoners!"
"Where did you hear this? Don't say such things to other people. If it is said that it was you who spread the news, be careful not to kill your whole family!" the old man hurriedly advised.
"I'm not talking nonsense. I heard it from the Zhang brothers who worked in the mill outside the city. These days, high-ranking officials and gentry have been fleeing into the capital, and many of them are settling down in the mill outside the city. The servants of these wealthy households
It was said that wherever the Eastern Zhou Army passed, almost all the slaves were freed from slavery, and many servants and concubines of officials took the opportunity to escape from the sea of misery, while those servants just suffered because they had no chance to escape."
"Really?" The old man was a little hesitant. His two sons had now been requisitioned and stood at the outermost edge holding spears to resist the horses.
"When did I lie to you? If you don't believe me, go back and ask. Many people are spreading the news. Everyone has decided that as soon as the Dongzhou people rush over, we will throw away our weapons. We will definitely not lose our lives!"
"What should the supervisors do?"
"Then you have to calculate the time. Besides, if everyone throws it away, who will the supervisor kill? You must find a way to let the two eldest nephews know about it. Well, maybe they have heard about it."
"Then I'll go to Lao Peng to inquire first. If it's like what you said, we can't let the second and third sons be stupid!" The lives of his two sons were at stake, and the old man seemed to be persuaded. The old man didn't know that the outermost line of defense was
On the battlefield, everyone seemed to be discussing this matter.
…
Helian Changji did not sleep, and was still looking at the huge map in the study room of the East Palace. After driving 100,000 people to work for nearly ten days, the largest city in the Zhou Dynasty had formed a complete defense system.
Dead objects such as iron caltrops, horses, deer and firewood, and hidden trenches formed the first line of defense about twenty to thirty feet deep, preventing the Eastern Zhou cavalry from quickly approaching the city wall;
Ten thousand spearmen, composed of common people, slaves, servants, and prisoners, armed with very simple spears and hiding among deer and firewood, acted as the second line of defense about ten feet away from the city wall, still mainly resisting cavalry.
;
The third line of defense consists of 10,000 soldiers armed with shields and scimitars. They stand in the corner, ready to besiege the incoming enemy troops at any time;
The fourth line of defense is the 6,000 archers standing behind the wall. Behind the single wall, ladders have been set up on wooden frames, allowing the archers to shoot arrows from atop the five-foot-high wall.
The third and fourth lines of defense also served as the spearmen to monitor the army. The military order given to them was that if the civilians who had been put together temporarily escaped from the battle, they could be killed on the spot!
Each of the five lines of defense, which is also the line of defense that Helian Changji relies on the most, consists of more than 10,000 relatively elite soldiers, martial arts masters drawn from various royal palaces, and 2,000 heavy armored infantry! They are all located on the wall
Inside, the task is to block the breached gaps at any time and besiege the strong ones in the Eastern Zhou army!
He Qizhou's portrait was circulated among the fifth line of defense again, and Helian Changji asked everyone to kill this coach who liked to charge into battle at all costs!
"Your Highness, something bad has happened!" The ordering soldiers broke into the study directly. This was the authority granted to them by Helian Changji temporarily.
"Say!" Helian Changji had already anticipated what the messenger would say, and his face began to turn pale.
"Sixty miles east of the city, Xiao Duo was defeated and fled. It is impossible to come back."
"Well, how long did the two sides fight fiercely? What were the casualties?" Helian Changji was more concerned about this issue.
"We couldn't get closer to take a look, and we couldn't count in the darkness. We only know that the battle ended after a stick of incense. Fortunately, the Eastern Zhou army did not attack the east gate." Ling Bing said.
"Rest on the spot?" Helian Changji frowned.
"No, most of them went after Xiao Duo, and a small number of people went south. I asked people to continue to follow them from a distance."
Helian Changji hurriedly looked at the map again, then slapped the table hard, knocking all the tea sets off the table. The frightened soldier immediately knelt down on his knees and said tremblingly:
"Your Highness, spare your life!"
"Go! Let people seal the south gate too! No, send people to ask for help from the emperor first, saying that I can last for ten days at most, and then seal the gate. Hurry, go quickly!" Helian Changji said almost frantically.
He shouted, because looking at the distance on the map, he had already calculated that it was impossible for the two armies to enter Qingcheng again, and now he had to rely on himself to survive!
…
"Your Highness, the south gate is also sealed. We have no choice but to dismount and attack!" The detective rider quickly ran to He Qizhou's side and said.
"Retreat ten miles and set up camp to rest."
"Brother He, it's almost dawn now, and the morale of the soldiers is high..." Yuwen Lingyun seemed to want to persuade He Qizhou to take Qingcheng in one go.
"Helian Changji blocked the south gate so quickly. He already expected us to win a big victory. If he attacks with full preparation, the casualties will be huge. Let's wait and find a way to cause chaos in the city first.
!" He Qizhou said.
An hour ago, an encounter came and went quickly, and the result was naturally a "blizzard" sweeping across the "tornado". After the battle began, perhaps because of the astonishing casualty ratio of five to one, Xiao Duo did not die in the end.
They dared to put the two thousand cavalry reserve troops into battle, but paid gold to evacuate. After He Qizhou personally led the army to kill them, only about three thousand people escaped, and their escape was seventy miles away.