On the battlefield, drums and trumpets sounded one after another, and the teams responsible for attacking the city advanced and retreated in an orderly manner, continuously launching attacks around the tall Fancheng.
Since all the field forces in Fan City had been lost, the attacking front advanced directly to a position very close to the city. They piled soil into ridges and set up several arrow towers to shoot at the enemy at the top of the city.
Attack each other.
Although the Jingzhou heroes were not very obedient at the beginning of the war, and even wanted to withdraw their troops when the battle with the former division was unfavorable, but when they actually arrived at the front line, they still showed the advantage of local snakes, and proposed based on their rich experience in fighting the southerners.
Many practical and effective methods of siege.
Li Tai's well-armed elite troops were responsible for attacking the city itself, while the powerful tribes were responsible for pushing the front forward.
These local soldiers in Jingzhou may not necessarily have high combat effectiveness, but they are hardworking and extremely efficient. They can build a battle line with a complete structure of trenches and ridges within an hour.
Although the southerners' field combat ability is not high, it is mainly due to the lack of mobility. The attack power and hand-to-hand combat of their own bows and crossbows are actually not much inferior to those of the northerners, so protection on the battlefield is also very important.
Without these front line fortifications quickly built by the Jingzhou soldiers, the attack on Fancheng would not have gone too smoothly. The siege soldiers could rely on these fortifications to rest and recuperate, and launch an attack on the city at a shorter distance.
Seeing that the battle line is getting closer and closer, the defenders in the city are also very anxious. There is no shortage of soldiers asking for battle. They hope to take advantage of the enemy's relaxation to recruit warriors to come out of the city to attack, push the enemy back outwards and seize the closer and closer.
battle front.
But Liu Fanggui ignored such a request. Ever since he saw the hundreds of cavalry being slaughtered by the enemy outside the city, he completely gave up on going out to fight the enemy and just wanted to hold on to the city.
Compared with the enemy troops that were getting closer and closer, it was the personnel news sent back from Xiangyang City that really made Liu Fanggui feel desperate.
He originally thought that telling Xiangyang the news that the enemy troops had previously entered the city would make King Yueyang pay more attention to Fancheng's line of defense and increase personnel investment here. However, he did not expect that instead of letting King Yueyang pay attention to this matter, it would actually have a great impact on him.
He was reprimanded. Although the scale of the patrol force was strengthened, it still diverted many boats parked on the north bank of the Han River. It seemed that he was forced to sink the boat and fight with all his might.
Although Liu Fanggui was extremely angry, he did not dare to reveal anything unusual. The defenders in the city were already under great pressure, and his family members who stayed in Xiangyang had already been placed under house arrest by King Yueyang.
At this time, on the Fancheng battlefield, Liu Fanggui was not the only one who was feeling anxious. Li Tai, who was the offensive coach and had an increasingly obvious advantage, was also feeling melancholy at the moment.
Li Tai finished reading the letter calmly, but his heart was in a state of upheaval. He really didn't expect that his father, who had always been mentioned in his mouth, would learn of his whereabouts in this way.
He was silent for a while before he calmed down the surging thoughts in his mind. Then he lowered his eyes to Cai Dabao, the emissary from Xiangyang, and said in a deep voice: "My father had a difficult life, wandering around the world, and he was still alive but he never heard the news.
I should rush forward. But now that the two countries are at war, I dare not be foolish, filial and foolish, believe the words of the enemy country, and ignore the life and death of the soldiers.
If this matter is true, Cai Shenjun should be treated as a distinguished guest. However, it is difficult to distinguish the truth from the false. I apologize for being rude for the moment. I need to send close relatives and family members across the river to verify it before we can talk about the rest. The situation is now closed.
Chaos is not enough to discuss the matter. Please ask Cai Canjun to stay here for the time being, while my family will cross the river with your family."
In fact, even before they crossed the river to meet each other, Cai Dabao was a little worried. After all, according to Li Renlue, their father and son had only been separated for a few years. How could his son, a mere weakling, become the general of Fang Mu in the Western Dynasty in such a short period of time?
?
But when he saw Li Tai, he calmed down again. When he first met Li Renlue, he noticed his outstanding appearance and majestic appearance, so he became close friends with him because of his elegant demeanor. Now when he saw Li Tai again, the father and son's facial features were somewhat similar, and Li Tai probably
Due to his success as a young man and his powerful position, he can be said to be a step ahead of his father.
Hearing Li Tai's prudent plan, Cai Dabao nodded and said: "It should be so, what's the point of forgiving. Although Governor Li is a human being, he is also the leader of all armies. Only by prudent planning can he live up to his father and not let his father down."
Defeat the generals."
Li Tai secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that Cai Dabao was still considerate and had no intention of threatening him.
Of course he hoped that his father would not be frightened and return safely without any setbacks, but the other party chose to inform this matter at this moment of hostilities. It is conceivable that the purpose was not simple. So in addition to joy, his heart was also full of vigilance at this moment.
He did not ask in detail about his father's experience and situation in Xiangyang, nor did he intend to discuss relevant matters with Cai Dabao right now. He directly summoned Li Quji, and led several of his soldiers to immediately go to the other side with Cai Dabao's entourage to verify the truth.
Then he ordered Cai Dabao to be placed in the garrison at Xiazuo, and he himself went to watch the battle front line.
At this time, on the east side of Fancheng, a round of siege warfare had just ended, and the soldiers dragged the damaged ladder back to take a rest.
Li Tai summoned the generals on the front line and immediately asked: "Can we make a big breakthrough in the siege of the city today? Even if we cannot capture the city, can we destroy a section of the city wall or capture a gate?"
No matter what purpose the other party wants to achieve by using his father's bargaining chip, there must be a truce between the two parties. But the truce at the moment is not the best. He leads the crowd southward with great momentum, and the result is just to mess around outside Fancheng. How can it achieve it?
What is the effect of establishing authority?
Therefore, he hoped that both sides could make a breakthrough before the armistice, so as not to let the war end in an anticlimax.
As for whether intensifying the offensive will make the opponent angry and disadvantage his father, Li Tai thinks it won't.
First of all, the other party chose to inform him of the news at this moment, which itself had the meaning of showing kindness and seeking peace. Perhaps it was because his previous provocation just hit the core contradiction within the enemy, forcing the Yueyang King Xiao Qing not to dare anymore.
Blindly tough on the outside world.
Secondly, Xiao Jin may not dare to harm his father, because in the final analysis, the real target of his attack is Xiao Fan, the king of Poyang who led the army to invade. If Xiao Jin dares to harm his father, it is tantamount to taking the blame for Xiao Fan.
The pot is also directly welded to oneself, and there is absolutely no end to the fight between them.
Finally, the value of his father in Xiao Jin's eyes is also determined by how much of a threat he can pose to Xiangyang. If he cannot bring any change to the situation in Xiangyang, then his father's significance to Xiao Jin will also be greatly reduced.
Although the generals didn't know what happened, seeing Li Tai's serious expression, they all nodded and said that they would fight bravely and make a breakthrough on this day.
Because a more violent offensive was brewing, all the soldiers on the front line retreated to their camps one after another, preparing to make fires and cook a meal to recharge their batteries.
However, at this time, the scouts patrolling along the Han River in the west rushed to report that a large naval fleet appeared in the upper reaches of the Han River, seemingly coming to aid Xiangfan.
When Li Tai learned about this, he immediately frowned. This naval force must be the power of his brothers upstream as Du Youan said. He did not agree to Du Youan's plan to jointly attack Fancheng and take the opportunity to drive away Xiao Jin.
Obviously, this naval force did not come to cooperate with his military operations. As for whether they brought the ransom requested by Li Tai, there is no way to confirm it. It is probably not possible. After all, he turned around and took the Du family.
Sold.
If there was no such thing as his father, Li Tai could calmly deal with the enemy's reinforcements even if they were reinforced. But now that there is an additional local army, it will undoubtedly make the fighting situation in Fancheng more complicated. Originally, there was little hope, but now it may be even more difficult.
Capture Fancheng.
Li Taishang pondered to himself, and tall ship masts appeared on the Han River as far as he could see.
Looking at the fleet that gradually emerged in its entirety, Li Tai lamented that Du Youan's words were indeed true. This fleet alone seemed difficult to mess with. Jingzhao Du Family was really powerful on the Han River.
Looking back at the top of Fancheng, I found that the defenders did not raise their arms and shout because of the arrival of reinforcements.
His heart moved, he raised his hand and ordered: "Send the troops with gold, and all the soldiers will return to camp quickly!"
Only the elite troops for the main attack had been withdrawn before. There were still many powerful troops actively repairing fortifications on the battlefield outside the city. When they heard the sound of gold, these troops also withdrew from the front line and returned to the camp at the rear.
On the top of Fancheng City, Liu Fanggui looked at the enemy troops outside the city returning to camp one after another, leaving behind a devastated plain, but there was no joy on his face. When he turned to look at the river to the west, his anger was revealed, and it was almost difficult to express his anger.
restrain.
Finally, he walked along the city head to the water gate and saw that the Xiangyang patrolling navy and the Du family fleet going down the river to the west were about to merge, and their respective flags announced the order to open the Fancheng water barrier to allow the water fleet to berth. He suddenly
He sneered loudly, and his face became twisted and hideous due to this long smile.
"The state leader is unkind and the clan traitors are unjust. Who should we defend and fight for?"
Liu Fanggui pulled off the cage crown on his head, and his hair immediately fell down. He immediately slashed his shirt with a knife and shouted loudly: "Hang up the flag! We can't tolerate you here, so you should find another way to survive!"
When they saw the flags raised on the top of the Fancheng city and the city gate slowly opened, all the Jingzhou troops who had withdrawn to their main camp were in an uproar. They really couldn't understand why the defenders wanted to surrender when reinforcements had arrived!
Not to mention these soldiers, Li Tai was also a little stunned when he actually saw this scene. He had such expectations, and his dream was realized so smoothly. This inevitably gave him a deeper understanding of the so-called troubled times.
We know that it is not only the situation that is in chaos, but also the people's hearts.