Daqin arrests alchemists, what does it matter to me as a qi refiner?

"If this continues, people will freeze to death."

"Zhang Ji is forcing us to withdraw from Luanping County."

"Damn Zhang Ji, I will never coexist with him."

"Why are you so irreconcilable with Zhang Ji? You can't kill him."

"Humph!"

"Stop making noise, the general is here to inspect the camp!"

"Shut up, shut up!"

Surrounded by soldiers, Yang Ling came to the center of the parade ground and shouted, "Brothers, we are in danger now. We can only fight bravely to survive. Today, we must not only recapture Luanping County, but also recapture our lost homes!"

Yang Ling continued, "Although Luanping County is small, it has a special terrain and is an important town for the Jin army. The city is surrounded by cliffs. The tributary of the Luan River is just outside the city. If we want to escape, we can only choose to cross the Luan River!"

Yang Ling pointed at the Luan River and said, "Now the banks of the Luan River are covered with reeds. According to the scouts' investigation, the enemy has built trenches on both sides and buried tripwires, chevaux de frise and other defensive works. It will be difficult to cross the river."

"In that case, let's just give up crossing the river and attack Luanping County directly. Although Luanping County is small, it has abundant food, which is enough to ensure that we can hold out until reinforcements arrive."

"That's right. We will line up on the bank of the Luan River and wait for reinforcements. When the reinforcements arrive, we will attack the city at night."

"Yes, attack the city at night!"

Yang Ling continued, "The walls of Luanping County are very solid. Even if we take them all down, we will have to pay a heavy price. This is not worth the loss. So I decided to attack only the Luanping city gate tonight to attract the enemy's attention. After the reinforcements arrive, they will attack the city from the front."

"The general is wise!"

"The general has a brilliant plan!"

Yang Ling waved his hand slightly to signal everyone to be quiet, and continued: "I have decided to attack the city in batches tonight. The sixth and seventh teams will be responsible for attacking the southern city wall of Luanping County, the eighth team will be responsible for attacking the western city wall of Luanping County, and the ninth team will be responsible for attacking the northern city wall of Luanping County!"

"Here!"

Yang Ling continued, "Remember, the main direction of the attack is still the north wall. This is the farthest from the Luan River, so our chances of successfully capturing the city are higher. Of course, while attacking the north wall, we must not relax, because there is still a threat from the Jin cavalry on our flanks."

"I will obey your orders!"

Yang Ling then asked: "Do you have any questions?"

"General, I think the terrain on the other side of the Luan River is not suitable for a large army to cross the river. We should dig deep trenches above, below, left and right of the Luan River to block the Luan River."

Yang Ling laughed and scolded: "Nonsense!"

"Well, what the general means is..."

"If we dig trenches all over the Luan River, wouldn't that block the river? If so, how can we cross the river?"

Guo Ye said: "The width of the Luan River is only a few feet. We can land smoothly with rope ladders. There are hillsides on both sides of the Luan River. In this way, we can rely on the cover of the hillsides to attack the city and capture the stronghold."

"Inappropriate, inappropriate!"

"What's wrong?"

"The other side of the Luan River is full of dense forests, which is not suitable for large-scale combat at all."

"What should we do? We can't fight with empty hands, right?"

Guo Ye rolled his eyes and said, "Actually, we have other options."

"What options?"

"There is a large forest to the north of the Luan River. The forest is quite large, enough for us to hide our troops. I think it would be better if I personally led 500 cavalrymen to make a feint attack in the east, while the rest of the brothers sneak into the forest and hide."

"You mean for us to be bait?"

Yang Ling nodded and replied, "That's right. The Jin soldiers have already ambushed archers on both sides of the Luan River. As long as our cavalry rushes out, they will definitely pour down arrows. If that happens, our losses will be huge!"

"what do you mean?"

"You can hide in the woods. When the enemy runs out of arrows, we will rush out and defeat the Jin army's archers. In this way, the enemy archers will not be able to cause harm to us, and we will be able to win smoothly."

"What about you?"

"I am the leader of the vanguard camp, so I will naturally lead the charge. After I defeat the Jin army's commander and the enemy becomes panicked, you will suddenly charge out to kill the enemy and save the country."

Yang Ling's plan sounded like it would work, but it was rejected by Zhang Liao.

He tried to persuade him earnestly, "General, I know you are skilled and brave, but this is too dangerous. Captain Wan is right. There are cliffs on both sides of the Luan River. You are in a dangerous place. I am worried that you will be in danger!"

"All our soldiers on the front line are at risk of death. How can I, the leader of the vanguard battalion, be an exception?" Yang Ling said in a steady tone, "No need to say more. Just follow my instructions."

Seeing that everyone was about to refute, Yang Ling continued: "Don't forget, we still have to stay in the camp to prevent the Jin soldiers from attacking."

Guo Ye reminded: "General, we can send scouts to Luan County to investigate the situation and determine the movements of the Jin army before taking action."

Yang Ling said: "The scouts are only temporary personnel, and their detection range is limited. Besides, the Jin army will definitely strengthen its vigilance against Luanping County. I estimate that the Jin army's scouts have already ambushed on the other side of the Luan River. If our scouts show up rashly, they may fall into a trap!"

"But."

"That's it!"

"promise!"

Guo Ye sighed, "What a pity, my physical condition is not good, otherwise I would fight alongside you. But it doesn't matter, as long as I am here, the Jin army will never step into the Luan River."

Yang Ling said: "Today we attack Luanhe City, tomorrow the Jin soldiers will definitely counterattack. Everyone must be on guard!"

"Here!"

The next morning, Yang Ling led 5,000 cavalrymen and quietly marched to Luan River.

Last night, Yang Ling and his 5,000 elite soldiers had already figured out the surrounding terrain and were ready to launch an attack in the evening.

They arrived at the Luan River, took a short rest, ate and drank their fill, and then started cooking.

Yang Ling brought a lot of cooking utensils this time. In addition to rice and meat, there were also vegetables and fruits.

Although the cooking utensils are simple, the taste is still quite good.

After Guo Ye finished his breakfast, he washed and changed his clothes, then walked to Yang Ling's side and asked in a low voice: "General Yang, do you think the Jin people can guess that we are going to cross the river?"

Yang Ling shook his head and said, "It's hard for them to guess. After all, we didn't carry any supplies or heavy weapons when we crossed the river this time."

"Will they send out cavalry to intercept us?"

"I don't think so." Yang Ling said, "We are now digging trenches above and below the Luan River. If cavalry want to cross the river, we must dig trenches from top to bottom, which requires a huge amount of manpower and material resources."

Guo Ye said: "I don't think so. Everything is subject to change. Maybe the Jin army will really send cavalry to intercept them."

"You mean, the Jin soldiers might ambush us on the way when we cross the river?"

"It's hard to say, but I think there is a possibility. So, we must be fully prepared." "What are you talking about?"

"Of course we arranged the personnel and set the traps in advance. Captain, you don't even know how to set a trap, do you?"

"I don't understand this, but with so many of us, isn't it a bit of a waste to set up a trap?"

"Wasteful? Haha, who says it isn't? But we are few in number, so we have to be careful and cautious."

"Oh, I see. You have considered everything."

Yang Ling asked again: "What about our food?"

"Food cannot be used lightly. The Jin cavalry is very fast, and it is inconvenient for us to transport food and fodder. Captain, please do not take any risks."

"What about our armor and weapons?"

"I think we should not bring armor and shields when we cross the river this time, but wear iron products instead. That way, even if the Jin soldiers are good at horsemanship, it will be difficult for them to jump over, and they will only fall to their death in vain."

"Well, that's a good idea."

"As for bows and arrows, don't bring too many. The Jin people are good at archery on horseback, and their bows and arrows have a very long range. Even well-equipped cavalry like us can't stop their arrows. I suggest that everyone's backpacks be filled with iron weapons as much as possible."

Yang Ling frowned slightly and said, "Isn't this a bit exaggerated?"

"I can't really explain this. I just think that since the Jin army is good at riding and shooting, we should be cautious. Captain, what do you think?"

Yang Ling thought of the fierce battle last night and nodded in agreement.

After they finished their discussion, they dispersed to prepare.

Yang Ling organized the remaining 4,000 militiamen into a team of 500 people, which was commanded by Yang Ling himself and was responsible for building fortifications on the riverbank.

In fact, in ancient wars, the most vulnerable to damage were fortifications. Because the ancients did not understand what bunker protection was, they simply laid wooden boards or stones on the ground and considered them fortifications.

That's why Yang Ling ordered the militiamen to build a wooden bridge on the river beach.

Yang Ling's goal was clear. He planned to use the wooden bridge to block the Jin soldiers' retreat and at the same time buy time for himself to cross the river.

Then he found Guo Ye and told him his plan in detail, and warned him: "We are short of heavy artillery now, so it is not suitable for a head-on confrontation. This time when we cross the river, we will use gunpowder and poisonous smoke to deal with the enemy. Do you understand?"

"I will finally understand!"

Guo Ye thought to himself, this must be the legendary air-dropped bomb. Regardless of whether it was an air-dropped bomb or not, this move was really ruthless.

If the Jin soldiers knew that Yang Ling was going to use poisonous smoke against them, they would probably be so scared that they would wet their pants.

However, the disadvantage of this method is that it causes great damage to the environment. Yang Ling's strategy is indeed powerful, but it also depends on who the opponent is.

If there were more Jin soldiers, it might be useful. For example, the Jin army in front of us only had 5,000 people, but they were the main force of the 30,000 Jin soldiers.

Not to mention hundreds of barrels of poisonous smoke, even hundreds of barrels of arsenic cannot kill them.

The only way is to take advantage of the terrain and entangle the enemy in a narrow area so that the enemy dare not take even a single step beyond the line.

Then we can take advantage of the opportunity to launch a surprise attack and have hope of winning.

However, this problem is no problem at all for Guo Ye.

Don't forget, he is a man with the skill of "Even Gods Can't Escape", and he is absolutely confident in this regard.

Two months later, Yang Ling led an army of 30,000 and successfully crossed the river.

When the Jin soldiers saw that they did not withdraw immediately after crossing the river, they thought they had been completely defeated and planned to fight a decisive battle on the river bank.

So, the Jin army immediately pressed forward, trying to seize the commanding heights on the river beach - the wooden bridge.

Unfortunately, they still underestimated Yang Ling's strategy.

Yang Ling had long anticipated that the Jin soldiers would seize the bridge, so this time when crossing the river, except for leaving 500 soldiers to guard the camp, the remaining 5,000 troops were all gathered on the east side of the bridge.

The two sides engaged in a fierce battle. Yang Ling's 5,000 soldiers fought fiercely with 30,000 Jin soldiers on the river beach.

The battle was extremely brutal.

The Jin soldiers had the advantage in numbers and attacked desperately. But how could they gain any advantage on someone else's territory?
Gradually, Yang Ling's military formation stabilized and gradually compressed the Jin soldiers' range of activities.

Yang Ling even built a simple tent on the river beach as a temporary resting place.

As the battle continued, both sides suffered casualties, but the winner was still unknown.

Before they knew it, it was getting dark. Yang Ling ordered his troops to stop resisting and sent out scouts to investigate the surrounding situation and find a way to escape.

Not long after Yang Ling sent his men away, an unexpected situation occurred.

The people they sent to scout the surrounding environment were ambushed by the enemy and were completely wiped out.

Then, deafening shouts were heard from the other side of the river, and the Jin soldiers launched a massive attack.

Yang Ling was horrified and said, "How could this happen? I clearly ordered people to gather intelligence around us, and no one fell into the enemy's trap!"

Guo Ye smiled bitterly and said, "Yang Wanhu, I'm afraid we're in big trouble this time. Look carefully, the enemy's flag is not quite the same as ours."

"Well, it's a little weird, but I can't really tell what's wrong with it."

"It should be a golden banner."

"What?"

Guo Ye sighed: "Our opponent should be the famous Jin army commander Wanyan Sheng."

"How is this possible? What is Wanyan Sheng's status? He is the emperor of the dynasty. How could he personally lead an expedition to Liaoxi County?"

"I don't know about this either, but I think Wanyan Sheng must have come to the vicinity of Liaoxi County and crossed the river tonight."

Yang Ling said: "I still don't quite believe Wanyan Sheng crossing the river. But if he really crosses the river in person, we will be in danger!"

Guo Ye smiled bitterly and said, "Wanyan Sheng is the commander of the Jin army. If he goes to the battle personally, it will be useless for us to try our best! Brother Yang, you should think of a solution quickly."

Yang Ling pondered for a moment and said, "Brother Guo, now we can only rely on your Immortal Escape skill to help us delay time and wait for reinforcements to arrive, so that we can turn things around."

Guo Ye looked embarrassed and said, "My skill has a limited validity period. If I use it, we must return immediately. Can we hold on during this period of time?"

"I don't think so. We are about seven or eight miles away from the city wall. It will take two or three hours just to travel there, not to mention fighting the Jin army here. In such a short time, Wanyan Sheng will be able to come from Liaoyang Prefecture and we will probably be wiped out."

Guo Ye gritted his teeth and said, "Well, I will use the Immortal Escape now!"

"Wait!" Yang Ling hurriedly stopped him, "Brother Guo, calm down first."

"How can you ask me to stay calm? We are at our wits' end. Are we going to sit back and watch Wanyan Sheng take over the city? Even if I have to sacrifice my life, I will never allow this to happen!" (End of this chapter)