Thousands of civilians from behind had already arrived, and the siege equipment had also been pushed to a place not far from Zhishui County.
Of course, none of the confiscated armor and scattered war horses can be pulled away. You must know that these things are the foundation for the Xu family's army to live and work.
In the forest, Xu Mu and several generals were sitting together.
"So, what my lord is saying is that at least 50,000 to 60,000 troops from the nine counties in central Shu were sent to Yuguan?"
Not only Yu Wen, but also many generals of the Xu family army raised their heads in disbelief.
"That's true." Xu Mu smiled, "However, this is the military counselor's clever plan, and I don't dare to take credit for it."
Without Liangzhou's tens of thousands of troops, without foreign wars, the first interception, and the mighty hundreds of thousands of people, they would never have been able to win.
"My lord, if Liangzhou passes the Yuguan Pass, it will be a great opportunity for us." Dou Tong spoke excitedly.
"It's a bluff at most." Xu Mu sighed. He knew without even thinking that there was no way Liangzhou would risk the casualties of their soldiers to help attack Yuguan.
"I don't have much time, so I'll tell you straight away."
"There are less than 3,000 defenders in Zhishui County. There are siege supplies. We still have nearly 30,000 people, so we should be able to break the city."
Xu Mu picked up the dead branches and continued paddling on the wet mud.
"After conquering Zhishui County, Yu Wen, Dou Tong, and you will each lead ten thousand people, gather new troops along the way from the north and south, and attack the city pass in the middle of Shu. I estimate that under such a general trend, we will sacrifice
There are many dog officials in Shuzhou in the city."
"General Xu, even if these dog officials sacrifice themselves for the city, they should be killed!" Han Jiu was beside him, his voice was excited. They had been oppressed for a long time and hated corrupt officials the most.
"Don't kill me yet." Xu Mu smiled, "Kill him later. If we kill him right after we offer the city, the people behind him will probably fight to the death to resist."
"See you soon, my lord."
Xu Mu continued to speak calmly, "Everyone must remember that you must not offend the people along the way. As I said before, the trust of the people is the foundation for us to establish our foothold in Shuzhou."
"In this way, after Yu Wen and Dou Tong split into two groups, I will lead the army in the middle group and go along the official road. In front of Chengdu County, I will wait for the three groups to join forces."
"This is the best opportunity. If we miss it, our Xu family army will run away in panic like a lost dog."
"The world is so filthy. Xu Mu invites you to work with me to build a true kingdom of heaven."
"I am willing to die for the Lord!"
…
In Chengdu County, two Shu kings were sitting in the palace, listening to the military reports from the front line, and could not stop trembling all over.
"Dou Zhu, your Zhishui County in western Shu is about to be besieged. Get a fast horse and run back. Maybe you can return to the city and boost morale."
Dou Zhu, the king of Western Shu, waved his hands hurriedly after hearing this sentence.
"Dou Gang, don't tell jokes. If I go back now, I will be throwing myself into a trap."
"Your four counties in western Shu are almost gone."
"Your five counties in central Shu cannot be defended. There are still 40,000 Liangzhou troops outside Yuguan!"
"Look, let's watch the monkey show. There are many things to worry about, so you and I should rejoice for a while first."
When the monkey show was called, the two kings of Shuzhou watched it for a while, then became upset and furious, and dragged the monkey performer to behead him.
"As soon as Zhishui County is defeated, the five counties in central Sichuan will be invaded. Bai Ren, a loser, pretends to be the son of a famous general!"
The king of Shu was cursing and cursing. Suddenly something occurred to him and he hurriedly called his attendants.
"Admiral Bai Lin, are you still in Chengdu?"
"King, the general has been ill for a long time. This morning, I received news that Bai Ren died in battle. I heard that he was vomiting blood."
"Don't worry about this. Send me the king's order and ask General Bai Lin to put on armor and go out immediately. There are still 20,000 troops in Chengdu. I will hand them over to him."
"King, the general is already seventy years old, and he is seriously ill and is bedridden——"
"What do you know! He is the number one general in Shuzhou. Even if he goes to war on his bed, he is still a big deal!"
…
The General's Mansion in Chengdu.
Bai Lin, who was in his seventies, did not lie down to fight. After vomiting blood for half a day and receiving the king's order, he remained silent and asked his slaves to help put on the armor.
He joined the army at the age of nineteen and became a general at the age of forty-eight. He spent most of his life in the army.
The only child he had on his knees also died on the battlefield two or three days ago.
"Why are these Shunan thieves so vicious and trying to kill my son?" His old wife walked in, her eyes red and swollen from crying.
Bai Lin was neither sad nor happy. He turned his head and uttered a sentence.
"Don't cry. I will teach him personally in the next life. Please don't interfere, okay?"
"I've said it before. If you want to be a general, you should be taught with a sword, not with preserves."
The servant helped tie the robe and armor and burst into tears.
Bai Lin walked out of the room, and the cool breeze blew up his white hair and beard.
The seventy-three-year-old Shuzhou general's face suddenly darkened.
"Everywhere you look, there are pigs and dogs. I, Bai Lin, am the last strength of the nine counties in Sichuan! If you want to enter Sichuan, please step over my corpse!"
…
The smoke of gunpowder filled the sky, and the light wind and rain filled the air endlessly.
"General Bai Lin?" Xu Mu, who was standing at the city gate of Zhishui County and received the military report, looked gloomy for a moment.
As he expected, there were only a handful of defenders, so it was not difficult to break through Zhishui County. At present, Yu Wen and Dou Tong had each led a large army and began to attack the city and plunder the territory.
"Han Jiu, this Bai Lin, is Bai Ren's father?"
Han Jiu, who was wearing a general's robe and armor, nodded anxiously.
"Indeed, he is the only general in Shuzhou."
"How you are as a person."
"I don't know what to say... However, when the young prince came to Shu, he didn't see any princes. He only drank and talked with the general all night. I heard that Bai Lin was an upright man and didn't want to join the palace as a courtier.
It will only be activated during a war."
"It's a pity that he is useless." Xu Mu frowned. The person who can make Yuan Tao look at him with admiration will definitely not be an ordinary person.
At this time, let alone subduing the famous generals, killing Bai Ren would have meant a fight to the death.
"General Xu, people from the nine counties in Shu often say that General Bai Lin is the last character in Shu."
"Know."
Turning around, Xu Mu looked at the dead silence of Zhishui County.
All the wealthy businessmen and their officials had fled, leaving only a few fearful common people who occasionally opened the windows and looked at the Sichuan soldiers outside.
"Han Jiu, how many of you are willing to join the army?"
Han Jiu ran to the bottom of the city wall, and soon ran back with a face full of joy.
"General Xu, there are more than 4,000 people in total who are willing to follow General Xu."
"Han Jiu, how about calling me Lord?"
Han Jiu was stunned for a moment, his face suddenly turned ecstatic, and he knelt down and worshiped Xu Mu.
"Han Jiu pays homage to the lord!"
"Come on, you have made great achievements along the way. When the time comes, you will definitely be rewarded."
In such a large Shu state, there are too few generals relying only on people like Dou Tong and Yu Wen. Although people like Han Jiu are a bit mediocre, they can be regarded as figures with their courage to serve the people.
"Han Jiu, I will leave it to you to lead the new military camp this time. Don't let me down."
"Don't worry, my lord, I will die if you don't obey me!"
Xu Mu exhaled and looked into the distance at the gate of Zhishui County. If the military report was correct, the general Bai Lin would come straight to him with 20,000 people.