Dahan first prince

Chapter 241 That's the only way
For the people in Guanzhong, the few days before the autumn harvest are basically spent in anticipation, longing, and a little yearning for a better future.

But for the Guanzhong soldiers stationed in Yongcheng, the past few days have been extremely long...
"Your Highness!"

At noon on the third day when the defense of Yongcheng broke out, Liu Ying was sitting on the turret of the inner city wall of Yongcheng, watching the Huainan rebels receding like a tide, but Li Shang, the Marquis of Qu Zhou, came again behind him.

"Your Highness."

"Liaoyuantai News: The Marquis of Pingyang led more than [-] Qi soldiers in Hong County, and they arrived [-] miles east of the rebel camp three quarters ago!"

Hearing Li Shang's words, Liu Ying did not turn her head. She fixed her deep eyes on the rebel formation outside Yongcheng, frowned and let out a short sigh.

Although he had expected the situation that Yongcheng was about to face, the strength of the offensive launched by the rebels under Yingbu's command against Yongcheng was somewhat beyond Liu Ying's expectations.

It has only been three short days since the outbreak of the battle. If the first day was only fought from noon to dusk, and today it is only noon, the battle broke out in only two days.

In later generations, especially in modern warfare, two days may be enough for many variables to occur.

But in the current era, especially the cavalry did not shine in the Central Plains Huaxia, and the war was still dominated by chariots and supplemented by infantry in the early days of the ancient Chinese cold weapon era. A medium-sized battle in which the total number of the enemy and us was close to 20 people, Two days is basically the same as the "2 minutes, just 2 minutes" that people in the later generations often talk about.

A few very simple examples are enough to prove this conclusion.

——The famous battle left in history: Qin and Zhao Changping battle, from Qin sent troops to South Korea's Shangdang County, forcing South Korea to cede Shangdang to Zhao State, which led to the confrontation between Qin and Zhao, and it took three years until Qin defeated Zhao State as long as!

Even for the battle of Changping alone, it took five full months from the official outbreak to Zhao Guo replacing Lian Po with Zhao Kuo, and then to Zhao Guo's complete defeat.

Even after Mr. Ma Fu fell into the siege of the Qin army, the main force of Zhao's army, which completely lost its food roads and logistical supplies, lasted for a full 46 days.

As for the time it took for Qin to destroy the six kingdoms, although in most people's minds, it was basically chopping melons and vegetables and pushing them all the way. It took a full 17 years for the country to rule the world.

Judging from these statistics and the marching speed of today's world where "every soldier exceeds [-], he must travel no more than [-] miles a day", two days is nothing at all for a medium-scale battle.

But what makes Liu Ying feel heavy is that within two days of "nothing counts", the soldiers of the Han army stationed in Yongcheng have suffered more than 3000 casualties!

The bows, feathers, arrows, boulders and rolling logs and other defense equipment in the city were consumed by nearly [-]% in just two days!
And such a cost of casualties, as well as the rate of wear and tear of the city defense equipment, is undoubtedly unacceptable to Liu Ying no matter what.

There is still one sentence in Liu Ying's mind.

——In the era of cold weapons, if the casualties of an armed force exceed [-]% in a short period of time, the morale of the army will be shaken; if it exceeds [-]%, the morale of the army will be slackened;

But now, in just two days, more than half of Liu Ying's [-] Yuguan soldiers have been killed or injured!

In addition, the consumption rate of the city defense equipment was also far beyond Liu Ying's expectations.

If in the next few days, the defense equipment in Yongcheng continues to wear out at this rate, then theoretically, in another eight days, Yongcheng will lose more than half of its defensive capabilities!

Without bows, feathers and arrows, huge stones and rolling logs, the soldiers defending the city could only watch the rebels helplessly, except for supplementing with filthy things such as gold soup and dung water. Daying came and put the long ladders up the city wall one by one.

Afterwards, it will inevitably be hand-to-hand combat, hand-to-hand combat...
"eight days······"

"Um·········"

With a sullen face and a soft murmur, Liu Ying loosened her clothes a little agitatedly, and looked sideways at Li Shang's bloodshot eyes.

Liu Ying naturally understood the meaning of Li Shang's words.

——According to the previous agreement, after receiving the news that "Liu Ying's army was attacked by the rebels", the Hong County Qi soldiers led by Pingyang Marquis Cao Shen arrived at the battlefield on time.

But now, Cao Shen's army, which has arrived at the edge of the battlefield, is facing a very embarrassing problem.

— Camp!
The reason couldn't be simpler: Liu Ying had already learned about the arrival of Cao Shen's army through the "Yuantai", and the Yingbo rebels outside the city must have known about it.

It is even very possible that Liu Ying knew about it one step earlier!

Anyway, Yingbo is a "famous general" anyway, and he knows the purpose of Cao Shen's army.

Therefore, after discovering the arrival of Cao Shen's army, Yingbo's attention is likely to be concentrated on Cao Shen's army outside Yongcheng without any bunkers or shelters!
Of course, out of fear of the Han army in Yongcheng, there is a high probability that Yingbo will not directly attack Cao Shen's army, which is not stable.

However, he sent a small group of troops to harass and intimidate Cao Shen, so scared that Cao Shen did not dare to order the camp, so he could only order the army to be under martial law at all times. Yingbo could still do it.

As a result, things are very embarrassing.

——In order to protect Liu Ying and keep Yongcheng, the Yingbu rebels were kept outside Yongcheng, and the gates of Yongcheng must never be opened!

But in order for Cao Shen to make a move, it took half a day to a day to set up a barracks that could barely accommodate the soldiers under his command. Liu Ying's army in Yongcheng had to respond to attract Yingbo's attention!

At the very least, it is necessary for Yingbo to adopt the strategy of "waiting and watching" for half a day to one day, so as to buy time for Cao Shen's army to set up camp and gain a foothold.

But in this way...

"The day before yesterday, Jingqi, the scout sent by You Xiangguo, did you hear from me?"

Liu Ying's sudden question made Li Shang's expression darken.

"Your Majesty."

"Most of the scouts sent by the minister failed to break out of the thieves' siege, and returned without success at the end of the day."

"There are more than a dozen people who have not returned yet, and their lives and deaths are unknown..."

Hearing what Li Shang said, even though she had expected it in her heart, Liu Ying couldn't help but let out another long sigh.

At present, the biggest problem facing the defenders of Yongcheng is actually not casualties, or the shortage of weapons, armaments, and logistics.

——As the most excellent source of troops in the world today, the defenders of Yongcheng who were born in Guanzhong have an ability to withstand casualties that is comparable to that of ordinary troops.

Coupled with the existence of Liu Ying and the heavy pension system promised by Liu Ying the day before yesterday, it also made the soldiers have an extra thought of 'swearing to protect His Highness the Crown Prince'.

As for weapons and ordnance, although they are consumed a bit quickly, they can still last for ten days.

Not to mention the military rations, the food stored in Yongcheng is enough for the defenders in the city for at least two months!
What really made Liu Ying feel worried, and even a little irritated strangely, was the information.

——The current Yongcheng has completely lost all means of contacting the outside world!
The scout troops under Yingbu's command have sealed off the area within a radius of [-] miles around Yongcheng!
If there are a large number of troops, these scouts are powerless; but if there are only a dozen or even dozens of scouts, it is still not a problem.

But in this era, the only means of communication between the armies is the way of scouts and rangers interspersed with each other...

This made it impossible for Liu Ying, who was trapped in Yongcheng and surrounded by Yingbo rebels, to make any contact with the outside of the city.

——Even the news of the arrival of Cao Shen's army was seen by the watchtower at the corner of Yongcheng City, and reported to Li Shang, who then reported to Liu Ying...
"Whoo~"

"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law..."

"On the way here, don't make any mistakes..."

Looking to the west, where Zhang Ao's army was coming, Liu Ying couldn't help letting out a long sigh.

Then, Liu Ying cast her eyes on the rebel camp in the south of the city.

To be precise, it is the Huai River, which is further south than the rebel camp, and the south of the Huai River.

"Hou Yingyin..."

There was another inexplicable murmur, and Liu Ying's slack eyes finally refocused, turning back to look at Li Shang, with a touch of deliberate calmness again.

"Although Yongcheng is besieged by thieves and the letters are blocked from inside and outside, the situation in Yongcheng is not yet a dangerous place."

"——Before the war started, the king of Chu had [-] Chu soldiers each stationed in Ling County and Xu County, and the Marquis of Pingyang led [-] Qi soldiers to garrison Hong County."

"Now that the Marquis of Pingyang has arrived, the soldiers of Chu in Ling County and Xu County will also arrive soon."

Said this in a rather calm tone, Liu Ying squeezed out a relaxed smile and pointed to the west.

"Another lonely brother-in-law, Zhang Ao, Marquis of Xuanping, is leading tens of thousands of Guanzhong reinforcements on his way to help Yongcheng."

"At most ten days, Xuanping Hou's army should also arrive."

After saying that, Liu Ying couldn't help but calm down a bit, as if saying these two sentences really made Liu Ying feel at ease.

Then, Liu Ying stared deeply at Li Shang again, raised her head in the direction of the rebel camp, but did not speak.

Seeing Liu Ying's behavior, Li Shang thought for a while, and then understood Liu Ying's deep meaning, and a little smile appeared on his face.

But after a while, Li Shang looked at Liu Ying with hesitation again.

"Your Highness."

"The reinforcements from all walks of life will arrive in Yongcheng soon, and Yongcheng will be stationed together with the chariot and cavalry general Xinwuhou. Within half a month, there will be no worries."

"However, the Marquis of Pingyang led the army to arrive, and he was alone outside, and the number of dead was less than [-]. If His Highness does not help, all the soldiers under the Marquis of Pingyang may not be able to camp outside the city..."

The topic was brought back to the Qi army under Cao Shen's command by Li Shang again. Liu Ying couldn't help but smile a little, pondered for a moment, and finally turned around with a sullen face.

"You Xiangguo thinks, how can we help each other alone, so that the plight of Pingyang Hou can be eased, and we can get a chance to camp in the camp. He thinks that the soldiers of Wuyong City will be aided by foreign aid?"

Asking this question in a calm tone, Liu Ying cast her stern eyes on Li Shang's hesitant face.

Anyway, in her previous life, Liu Ying also served as the "Son of Han Dynasty" for nearly ten years. In terms of the big strategic direction, Liu Ying may have some "superior qualities".

But on top of such detailed strategies and tricks, Liu Ying doesn't have much talent.

As far as the current situation is concerned, the only way Liu Ying can think of is to open the gate of Yongcheng and put on a posture of going out of the city to fight!

Only in this way can Yingbo leave Cao Shen's army behind for the time being, and lead the army full of excitement to fight a decisive battle with Liu Ying's army!

Go up to the sky, that is, leave a small half of the soldiers and horses, and guard Cao Shen's army while "sweeping" on the flanks of the battlefield.

But in this way, the Guanzhong army led by Liu Ying will completely lose the protection of Yongcheng, and the frontal battle in the wild will also infinitely widen the gap in strength between the two sides!

If you are not careful, it will be a disastrous defeat at the level of annihilation, waiting for Liu Ying, who is now standing on the top of the city.

——If Liu Ying can still save her life and see the moment when the army is defeated...

Therefore, in Liu Ying's view, the option of 'going out of the city to fight' must never be considered unless it is absolutely necessary.

In addition, if there is any other way to make the rebels outside the city turn their attention from Cao Shen's reinforcements who have just arrived on the battlefield and are in a dilemma, back to Yongcheng, it is beyond Liu Ying's ability.

Hearing Liu Ying's question, Li Shang obviously had a look of confusion on his face.

"Slightly open the city gate..."

Seemingly saying something tentatively, before Liu Ying frowned, Li Shang shook his head and denied the idea first.

"Today the enemy is outnumbered, and Your Highness is here; relying on the barriers of the Yongcheng City, the army can still fight against the bandits. If the city gate is wide open, the army will go out and fight the bandits in the wilderness..."

In the middle of speaking, Li Shang shook his head again and lowered his head again.

After a long time like this, seeing that Li Shang was still frowning and bowing his head in thought, Liu Ying couldn't help but sighed again, and immediately stepped forward.

"Ugh······"

"It's no wonder You Xiangguo."

"The arrival of the Marquis of Pingyang's army was too sudden, and Yongcheng was surrounded by thieves, so I couldn't prepare in advance..."

Said as if comforting, Liu Ying did not forget to raise her head, and patted Li Shang's shoulders that were a little higher than her head, before turning around again, looking out of the city with a thoughtful face.

"Um·······"

"If there is no other way, Gu, there is a plan."

A little bit unsure of saying this, Liu Ying raised her head a little and looked at the scorching sun hanging high in the sky.

"At this moment, noon has passed; at dusk, it will only be three or four o'clock."

"If it can be delayed until dusk and night, the Marquis of Pingyang will be able to camp overnight?"

Hearing Liu Ying's words, Li Shang's eyes lit up slightly, and he looked at Liu Ying with a little confusion.

"It is exactly as His Majesty said."

"However, if the gates of the city are not opened and the army does not come out, how can we delay the Huainan bandits until the sun goes down?"

Hearing Li Shang's question, Liu Ying pondered for a long time with complicated expressions, and finally nodded secretly.

"That's the only way..."

After talking to herself, Liu Ying raised her head again, and looked at Li Shang with a hint of cunning in her eyes.

"I have a letter alone, and I want to marry a tattooed thief."

"I don't know if there is a brave warrior under the command of Right Prime Minister, who can take this book and send it to the hands of tattooed bandits?"

(End of this chapter)