first minister

Chapter 339 The Imperial Master in White, strategizing

This is a difficult day for people in and outside the city.

But fortunately, no matter how difficult the day is, it will eventually pass.

But the bad thing is, you don’t know if the next day will be more difficult.

For Ma Lirong, who was called to stand on the city wall again, he felt that this day was even worse.

Because the rebels actually came for reinforcements again.

An infantry team of 3000 people came again from far behind with vigorous steps!

Although he couldn't see the expressions on the faces of a group of men and horses rushing out of the camp, he could guess that it must be the smiles that should have been on their faces.

Then, reinforcements entered the camp, and the rebels were filled with cheers.

The city walls of the prefecture became increasingly silent, and the silence was the panic at the moment.

Ma Lirong suppressed his uneasiness and said comfortingly: "It's just two or three thousand. Now there are only 1 people. Ten thousand people want to take over the city that we have been running for more than ten years. It is just a wishful thinking. There is no need." Leave him alone!"

This time, everyone did not cheer up as he expected.

Because of a very simple reason, from behind the rebels to Huaishang, it is completely beyond their control. The rebels could come two thousand yesterday and three thousand today. Who can guarantee that they will not be able to come five thousand tomorrow? Thousand, then ten thousand, and finally wrap up the city of Longshou Prefecture directly?
It is said that the city is strong and well-defended, and it can definitely be defended, but that is just an imagination. If this can be calculated in a war, there will not be so many surprises.

And even if we want to defend it, how many people will have to die?

Is it the same thing to prepare for an siege by 6000 people and to prepare for an siege by tens of thousands of people?
Others can have a steady stream of reinforcements, but what about us?
Hey, yes, we can also call in reinforcements!
That afternoon, the night was dark, and bursts of smoke rose from the rebel camp.

The smoke rose and dispersed like a mist, covering the entire rebel camp, and also turned into waves of haze, lingering in the hearts of the defenders.

After confirming that the rebels would not launch an attack today, several lieutenants came to the governor's residence.

"Ask for help?"

Ma Lirong sat in front of the table with the map of Longshou State, looking at everyone with some confusion.

"Yes, Mr. Ma, there are more and more rebels. With only these 3000 people, we may not be able to resist them!"

"Yeah, it's not like we have no one."

The two lieutenants spoke one after another, but Ma Lirong pondered and shook his head, "No."

He looked at the people who suddenly changed their expressions and explained: "First of all, three thousand defenders plus the city defense, and so many people, are enough to deal with at least [-] troops."

"Secondly, I know that you are worried about casualties and feel that there is no need to rely on just a few people without sacrificing so many people. But have you ever thought about the problem that the other party only has two counties and can still come over? How many people? I have sent people to Guangling Prefecture with handwritten letters stamped with the seal of Prefecture Mu, asking them to pay attention to Huaishang. Sishui Prefecture and Yunmeng Prefecture will not be able to squeeze out so many soldiers and horses to Longshou Prefecture in the short term! "

"The last one, we are not sure that they will definitely attack the city. What if we bring in all the reinforcements and they turn around and attack the weak areas?"

His eyes swept across the faces of several people, "So, the plan for now is to use this strong state city as bait to catch this big fish, and then slowly consume them to death under this city."

"Everyone, I am also in this city with you, sharing life and death!"

After everyone heard this, they looked at each other and were unable to refute, so they had to retreat angrily.
-
"How about it?"

In the camp, Bai Yunbian eagerly came to the Chinese army's tent and looked at Mr. Zhao, the owner of the village, with a look of anticipation.

Mr. Zhao, the owner of the village, glared at him angrily, "Do you think the other people are fools like you? Are you fooled so easily?"

Bai Yunbian was stunned, "If you can't do it yourself, why should you blame others for being too good?"

Mr. Zhao took a deep breath and looked at Ye Hongluan beside him, "Girl of the Ye family, either you plug his mouth, or I sew his mouth shut, you choose one!"

Bai Yunbian snorted, "Pingwuwuwu!"

Ye Hongluan tore off a piece of skirt and stuffed it into Bai Yunbian's mouth, then said apologetically: "Old owner, please tell me."

The old village owner Zhao looked at the people in the camp and said, "Don't worry, everyone. We need to know that our opponents are not mediocre. It is impossible for us to make them fall into the trap with just one move."

He paused, "So, next, everyone will obey the order!"

Everyone's expressions suddenly became solemn.

"Bear security!"

"The end is here!"

"You take 2000 people from your headquarters, change your clothes tonight, sneak out of the camp, and don't light any fires. Rest twenty miles east of the camp, raise the flag tomorrow, and then pretend to be the arrival of reinforcements!"

Xiong Baoquan stood up and agreed with clasped fists.

"Zhuang Dexiang! You lead 2000 men from your headquarters, replace them with the finest armor and war horses, sneak out of the camp tonight, lead [-] horses, wrap their hooves with bits, and do not use fire. Take a rest twenty miles south of the camp. , before tomorrow, raise the flag and pretend that reinforcements have arrived!"

"Yes!"

The soldiers brought from Yunmeng Province by Master Zhao immediately came out and responded in a deep voice.

"General Ye, obey the order!"

Ye Hongluan was stunned for a moment before he realized it was him. He quickly released his hand from Bai Yun's mouth and stepped out, "The general is here!"

"You lead the Cao Gang to patrol the outside of the camp. No one is allowed to leave the camp without an entry or exit order to prevent the news from leaking! This matter is particularly important and must not go wrong!"

Ye Hongluan nodded and cupped his fists in response.

After everything was settled, Mr. Zhao said in a deep voice: "Everyone, please remember that this matter is extremely confidential and no leaks should be allowed! We will return to camp tomorrow and we will discuss the follow-up in detail!"

Everyone agreed with a roar, and then everyone went about their duties.

After Mr. Zhao settled these things, he did not sit idle. Instead, he led people directly outside the camp.

He ordered people to cut down wood and built a bunch of facilities outside the camp that no one in the city had ever seen.

Anyone who has stayed in the labor camp outside Jiang'an City will know that this is the pulley that Xia Jingyun originally dedicated to the general prisoner.

In the evening, several pulleys that had been made first were successfully erected first, bringing basket after basket of soil swayingly. At almost a speed visible to the naked eye, two blocks were built in front of the "rebel" camp. A slope.

On the third day, early in the morning.

When Ma Lirong and several lieutenants stood on the tower, they almost shouted "Fuck!"
In front of the rebel camp opposite, the two earth slopes from last night turned into two high earth walls after one night.

The two earthen walls were like two doors, which together completely blocked the view of the rebel camp from the city.

Ma Lirong stared at the two earthen walls with obvious solemnity in his expression.

"Mr. Ma, what do you think they are doing?"

"Such an earthen wall can be built in one day. If these ants invade the palace, won't we perish?"

Ma Lirong said coldly: "Otherwise, if they were to build a city close to the city wall, the sharp crossbows and arrows of our officers and soldiers would not be able to make it so easy. However, now we really need to know, what is their intention behind this earth wall? for what."

Just when he was doubting, a deputy general exclaimed: "Look!"

Everyone followed his hand and saw a team of nearly 3000 people appearing at the end of the line of sight to the east of the rebels.

"how is this possible!"

Ma Lirong exclaimed, "They only have two counties! Where did they mobilize so many soldiers and horses!"

But facts speak louder than words. No matter how they do it, the two to three thousand reinforcements are real.

In the rebel camp, after the scout reported the news, a group of officers immediately rode out, communicated with everyone, and then happily introduced the reinforcements behind the earth wall.

The crowd fell silent.

The other side actually has reinforcements!
Several lieutenants looked at Ma Lirong, hesitated to speak, and finally let out a long sigh.

And Ma Lirong's face became terrifyingly gloomy as he watched the reinforcements enter the camp behind the earth wall.

But it's not over yet.

At the end of the day, everyone on the city wall once again saw in shock that a wisp of smoke gradually became clear to the south and behind the rebels.

Looking at each other, they immediately felt a bad premonition in their hearts.

No way?
However, things in the world are often like this, whatever you are afraid of will come.

A cavalryman wearing armor appeared in the field of vision first, and then a large number of elite cavalry swarmed in, filling their field of vision and filling their hearts with horror.

The armor on his body is excellent, and on the flag held high above his head, there is a large scarlet character embroidered on it: [Zhuang].

In the tense silence of the people at the top of the city, the strange general who led him even rode forward directly, came under the city wall, looked at the defenders on the city wall, and shouted proudly: "Listen to the lackeys of the regicide in the city. Here, I am Zhuang Dexiang, the general who is under the command of the Jiaodong County King of Yunmeng Prefecture! You guys should save the dog's head. In three days, I will break into the city and get it!"

"Yeah! That's too much!"

One of the lieutenants was so angry that he grabbed a bow and arrow from the side and shot it out. Unfortunately, the cavalry general was prepared for it and dodged deftly. He continued to taunt: "Sneak attack? Sure enough, the lackey of the regicide can do it. Something! Bah!"

After saying that, he rode directly back to the camp. Behind him was a rain of arrows falling feebly.

The cavalry turned into the camp behind the earthen wall, and loud and high-pitched cheers rang out from the rebel camp, which was in sharp contrast to the silence on the city wall.

Counting today's reinforcements, the rebels already have a total of [-] people.

The area of ​​the camp has probably nearly doubled.

Do you still need 3000 people to defend your side?
"Mr. Ma, please ask for help!"

A lieutenant finally couldn't help but mention it again and spoke again.

There are a total of six counties in Longshou Prefecture, and there are only two counties on the opposite side. There are still four counties on our side, so we have enough backup!
It would be fine if there were only a few rebels. Now the rebels are about to soar to 2 people. Isn't it stupid to have to use [-] to carry them out?Others can come to reinforce us, why can’t we?

"Yes, Mr. Ma, while the rebels haven't yet laid siege to the city and it's easy to get out of the city, hurry up and write for help! If we wait until the rebels completely siege the city, we won't be able to enter the city even if we send reinforcements!"

"That's right, let's add at least 5000 people, right?"

"Pei County, Hongque County, and Gaocheng County to the west, and Yuanliang, Huanglong, and Nangang Counties to the north are all not far away. They all have troops stationed there. Each city has [-] soldiers and two to three thousand troops, which is enough for everything. Need it!"

Ma Lirong frowned and said nothing. He was still worried about a problem. What if the rebels not only wanted to attack the city, but also planned to encircle the point and call for reinforcements?
He told everyone his doubts, and then said: "We only have 3000 people, but they have more than 1 and nearly 2 people. If he doesn't attack the city, we will be happy to fight with them. I'm afraid the first one will be unable to fight." them."

"But what if the rebels want to attack the city? If we don't increase our troops before encircling the city, then the reinforcements will not be able to enter the city even if they want to save us!"

Immediately, a general refuted Ma Lirong's words, and for a moment, the atmosphere on the city wall became somewhat solemn.

"Sir, general, look!"

A city wall soldier suddenly shouted, and everyone looked sideways at the rebel camp. They saw a cavalry team of several hundred people coming out of the camp and starting to move around the city wall, stopping from time to time to face the city wall or the arrow tower. Waiting for the ground to point and point, it is obvious that arrangements for the siege of the city have already begun.

"Mr. Ma, give me a thousand soldiers and horses, and I will go out of the city and capture them! This battle will be won!"

"Ridiculous!" Before Ma Lirong could speak, another veteran deputy general on the side yelled: "Since they dare to come out, it means they are safe. We only have these three thousand soldiers and horses now. You rush out rashly, and you can't do anything." What should I do if it’s damaged?”

Ma Lirong's mouth twitched when he heard it. Hey, the implicit meaning behind these words was to persuade him to seek help.

He sighed and pointed to the earth wall in the distance, "Is there a way to see what is behind this earth wall?"

This mysterious earth wall and the situation behind it are also another concern for him.

A deputy general said: "I will send a few capable scouts later to spy on the news."

Ma Lirong shook his head and said, "It's a flat river just past this place. Since the rebels are encircling us like this, they will definitely send people to take strict precautions, but they will only lose their lives."

A deputy general's eyes suddenly lit up, "I have an idea!"

A moment later, four or five military men formed a circle on the city wall, holding a long wooden stick firmly.

A thin monkey-like man climbed up slowly along the pole.

"Damn it, stop shaking!"

The skinny monkey crawled a little and shouted in fright.

The people below immediately replied: "Somewhere is it shaking? Can't you hold it firmly? Hurry up!"

The thin monkey had no choice but to climb up fearfully, for the military order and for the reward of 20 taels of silver.

He slowly came to the top of the wooden stick, tightly wrapped his legs around the wooden stick, put up an awning with his hands, and looked up towards the rebel camp.

A deputy general below asked anxiously: "How is it? Can you see it?"

"Saw!"

"what's the situation?"

"General, can I come down and talk?" A gust of wind blew, the wooden stick swayed slightly, and the thin monkey's voice trembled.

"It's right up there! Tell me what's going on!"

"They cut a lot of wood and are building siege engines!"

Ma Lirong's expression changed and he immediately took over the topic, "How many repairs have you made?"

"It has been repaired a lot, and the wood is piled up like a hill!"

The deputy general immediately said: "Mr. Ma, the rebels want to catch us off guard!"

Ma Lirong pondered for a moment, "Follow me back home and write a letter asking for help!"

The lieutenants were immediately overjoyed and nodded in agreement.

Amidst the hurried footsteps, the thin monkey asked tremblingly, "Sir, can I come down?"
-
In the "rebel" camp, Mr. Zhao and Bai Yunbian sat together at the top, and everyone was separated on the left and right.

Among the people, there was a table with a map spread on it.

"Zhuang Dexiang, you lead five hundred soldiers and horses, sneak out quietly at night, and set up an ambush on Ma Tou Mountain between Peixian County and Zhoucheng."

"General Ye, you lead five hundred soldiers and horses. You also sneak out at night and set up an ambush in Xifeng Town between Hongque County and Zhoucheng. You must wipe out all the reinforcements from the other side."

"I also led a thousand soldiers and horses to set up an ambush at Qianfengling between Gaocheng County and Zhoucheng to strangle the opponent's reinforcements."

"General Xiong, your subordinates are familiar with Longshou Prefecture's terrain and military matters. We need to allocate 200 elite troops from your subordinates and divide them into three teams of [-] people each. They will be handed over to us as guides. .”

"At that time, after ambushing the reinforcements sent by the opponent to the state city, they will immediately change into the opponent's clothes, pretend to be defeated, falsely open the city gates, and then quickly control the three cities."

"This formation is jointly managed by County Magistrate Bai, Mr. Su, and General Xiong. We are bluffing the attack on the city. We must ensure that the people in the city are stabilized before the news of our success comes."

Everyone nodded solemnly, and saw that the situation was moving towards the expected plan step by step. Everyone was excited. Even Bai Yunbian didn't murmur anything about being beaten, but just thought silently, this is obviously my home court, this old thing He really knows how to overwhelm guests and usurp the host, that's all. I have a lot of them, so I won't care about him.

At Qianfengling, two messengers rode through the official road with the moonlight above their heads.

But they didn't know their whereabouts, and they all fell into the eyes of the ambush soldiers in the forest on both sides.

Mr. Zhao said softly: "Let the soldiers have a good rest. The enemy will arrive in two hours at most."

Sure enough, within two hours, a burst of noise woke up the night sky.

The sound of hoofbeats and footsteps gradually sounded from far to near.

Dozens of sergeants stood on both sides of the road, resting their hands on rolling logs and stones, nervously listening to the orders from above.

"put!"

When a shout suddenly sounded, rolling logs and stones rolled into the official road, blocking the road with a terrifying momentum.

Not only that, a shower of arrows also shot out from the forest, using sharp arrow tips to greet the unsuspecting reinforcements. Howls and panic were the unprepared response of the reinforcements.

When the blocking infantry in the front and the harvesting cavalry in the rear appeared, the sergeants on both sides descended from the mountain like tigers, burying all the reinforcements in the night.

When the night returned to silence, hundreds of lives disappeared forever in the forest.

This is war, either you die or I die.

Pity and mercy are the most useless things here.

Therefore, none of the sergeants mourned for the enemy. They quickly took off their clothes, put them on, and then led the remaining prisoners towards the city of Gaocheng County.

In Gaocheng County, the prefect Hong Fangzheng was sitting in his house with his clothes on, looking quite worried.

On the left and right below, sat the captain and the county magistrate respectively.

The captain whispered: "Sir, Lord Zhou Mu took away 1000 troops earlier. We only had 1000 troops left in the county. Now we have sent 700 more troops out. If the thieves come, what should we do?"

Taishou Hong sighed, "So what? Now Mr. Xiao is called the Deputy Prime Minister, but he is actually the Prime Minister. Ma Lirong is his most loyal confidant, taking charge of everything in the state. He writes letters asking for help, but we still dare to sit back and ignore him. Can’t do it?”

The captain whispered: "What I mean is that behind us is the Bird Tail Valley, which is the main route to Zhongjing. In this name, we should send fewer people."

Governor Hong shook his head and said nothing.

The county magistrate had no choice but to explain to the captain in a low voice: "In some things, attitude is very important! To put it bluntly, as long as we show our loyalty and cooperation to Mr. Ma, even if we lose the city in the future, we will be promoted and make a fortune in the future. Possibly, but if you offend him, even if you have done meritorious service in defending your territory, you will inevitably be suppressed by his hatred in the future, or even lose your official position. The debt cannot be settled that simply."

The captain was stunned when he heard this, let out a long sigh, stamped his feet, turned around and went out.

The county magistrate looked at the prefect and said, "My lord, he has always been impatient. Please don't be angry with him."

Taishou Hong also sighed and waved his hand, "I can't sleep anymore. If Lifu is fine, please accompany me to walk on the city wall."

After saying that, the two of them walked out, and the captain saw this and followed silently.

The three chief officials of Gaocheng County were walking slowly in the night until they were awakened by a commotion.

I saw a group of defeated soldiers rushing back in embarrassment and standing under the city wall, "Lord Captain, I am Liu Da! It's not good! We are ambushed!"

Taishou Hong lay on the city wall and looked at the people below in shock, "Is this?"

The captain's face was as dark as water. He looked at the familiar face reflected next to the torch and slapped his hand on the city wall. "There was an ambush on the way to the city. These rebels are really cunning!"

The prefect and the county magistrate were both panicked. They looked at the captain eagerly and asked: "What should we do?"

"Let the defeated soldiers in first, so you can get more manpower to defend the city!"

He glanced at the torch biting behind him and said solemnly: "Open the city gate! The whole city is on alert! All the soldiers in the county must assemble!"

The sergeant on the side immediately went to convey the order, and soon the whole city was in motion.

At the same time, a gap opened in the city gate, and people outside the door rushed in in a hurry.

"What a hurry!"

Before the soldier who opened the door finished shouting and cursing, a sharp sword struck him.

The screams were immediately drowned out by the shouts of killing.

　There were a lot of things going on over the weekend, so I was delayed and the update was late.

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(End of this chapter)