Jiuxi

Chapter 524 Chapter 522 [Tianyan Four-Nine]

Jingjun's offensive started on a sunny morning.

Qing Yugong knew that he did not have much time and could not launch a long-term siege in the face of a city that was easy to defend but difficult to attack like the Battle of Pingzhao.

Even if the Huaizhou Army in Xiao Wangzhi's hands is dragged to Dingzhou and the other units of the Jingzhou Army need to defend the east and west fronts, Southern Qi will at least have the Beijing Army that can be sent to the frontier for support.

If Emperor Qi was decisive enough and sent the Beijing army and the Forbidden Army to northern Xinjiang, Qing Yugong could only choose to withdraw north, because Emperor Jing had no plans to send out all his troops to fight Southern Qi for the time being.

Therefore, Qing Yugong gave Tian Jue a clear answer to recapture Yongqiu within a month.

This is the shortest time it takes for the Southern Qi capital army to rush from Yongjia City to the border.

In the warm spring breeze, Jing Jun's catapult took the lead.

Countless flying stones hit the city wall. Even if the defenders could avoid it in time, the gravel shot out was still extremely lethal. Anyone scratched by the gravel would be either dead or injured.

When the catapults stopped and Jingjun's infantry advanced in formation, the defenders immediately fired back with crossbows.

This was a test battle that was far more intense than expected.

Jing's army advanced through the cover of ram chariots, and a large number of ram chariots and large ladders approached the towering and solid city wall of Yongqiu in an orderly manner.

The Jing army sent 15,000 elite soldiers, under the command of Daxiang Yinhe Shilie of the city defense army. Qing Yugong also sent 5,000 elite cavalry to help defend the east and west sides to avoid being surrounded by the Qi army's own infantry.

If Li Tianrun hadn't made a clear and firm judgment before the war, Qiu Jixun would have even suspected that Jingjun's first battle was not a test, but a general attack with all his strength.

The sound of killing shook the sky.

Fan Wending, the commander of the Guangji Army, was a rare general. Li Tianrun often let him take charge of his duties, but now he was responsible for leading the defense on the western front.

Both sides were going back and forth. Although there were not many casualties at the moment, a chilling atmosphere permeated the world.

Iron and blood suddenly burst out.

Under the influence of the general Xu Gui, the Anping Army was best at fighting in the wild, so in the previous battle of Xifengyuan, Li Tianrun gave him the important task of raiding the Yan Army's center.

Also in the Battle of Xifengyuan, the Xu Army of the Qing Dynasty blocked several rounds of attacks by the Yan Army with one force, and the formation never relaxed, laying a solid foundation for the successful surprise attack of the Anping Army and Feiyu Army at the last moment.

Until they came into close combat with Jing's army, as Jing Lian's people continued to approach the city, the intensity of the fighting immediately increased.

Faced with a city wall more than five feet high and a steady stream of rolling logs and stones, Jing's soldiers did not flinch. They relied on a carriage to approach, and then climbed up with the help of a large ladder.

Qiu Jixun continued to issue orders to adjust and supplement the guard strength in each area.

As time went by, after the initial stage of resistance, the defenders gradually gained the upper hand.

Now with the advantage of Yongqiu City Wall, the soldiers of Qing Xu Army were able to defend more easily, but Qiu Jixun did not show a relaxed look.

If the Anping Army is an extremely sharp and invincible spear, then the Qing Xu Army is an indestructible shield.

On the city wall, Qiu Jixun, the commander of the Qing Xu Army, stood in armor, observing Jing's army's offensive with an expressionless face.

Li Tianrun has three main elite forces under his command, namely the Guangji Army, the Qing Xu Army and the Anping Army. These three armies are powerful and have their own characteristics.

Qiu Jixun looked around and saw that Jing's army was like ants covering the ground outside the city, using more than 20 large ladders to threaten the city wall.

Because Jingjun was not weak at all, even if they were in a disadvantageous position of attacking from their backs.

The catapults used by the front army did not have much impact on the morale of the defenders. After all, the Xu Army of the Qing Dynasty has always been famous for its defense. Most of the soldiers have experienced at least five city defense battles. They are well aware of the power and shortcomings of this attack method. .

After all, the strength of both sides is similar. Perhaps the elite soldiers of the Jing army attacking the city today are slightly stronger, but the Qingxu army has the advantage of being in a dominant position. This is a fact that exists in any battle to attack and defend a city.

The three passes were raised, and the second batch of Jingjun replaced the vanguard and continued to launch a strong attack on Yongqiu North City.

Inside the tower, Li Tianrun asked Xue Huaiyi to take his pulse while listening to the soldiers' reports of the situation outside in time.

After pondering for a moment, he said calmly: "I am sending an order to Qiu Jixun, telling him to pay attention to the gaps between Jing's army rotations, so that the reserve forces can be exchanged with the forwards in time, and not to be stingy with defensive equipment as before."

The soldiers took the order and left.

Li Tianrun looked at the map hanging on the wall in front of him, and gradually came to understand Qing Yugong's plan.

Under the guidance of Niu Cunjie, the Guards Battalion had found the exit of the tunnel not far below a certain section of the city wall in the East City. From the situation in the tunnel, we can know how much effort Qing Yugong put in.

The tunnel is large enough to accommodate four people walking in a row. If the defenders' vigilance drops due to a series of hard battles, and the elite troops of the Jing army break into the city at a specific time, such as before dawn, it is possible that the city gates can be opened with the help of internal and external forces.

Of course, Li Tianrun has already made detailed arrangements. Once the elite Jing army enters the tunnel and approaches Yongqiu City, disaster awaits them.

"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, Commander Qiu has received the military order. He humbly informed the Commander-in-Chief that the Jing Army's offensive is very fierce at the moment, but the Qing Xu Army can protect the city without any worries."

"understood."

Li Tianrun nodded slightly, looked away from the map, and whispered to himself: "Is the tunnel your last resort?"

This sentence is obviously asking Qing Yugong outside the city.

The current situation seems to be quite favorable to the Jingzhou Army.

After Niu Cunjie surrendered sincerely, he and Zhu Zhen were responsible for appeasing the gentry and people in the city. The two finally found their original tacit understanding and handled the matter properly. The city became much more stable than when the Jingzhou Army first entered. . According to his admission, except for that tunnel, Qing Yugong had no other back-ups in the city.

Li Tianrun was not a fledgling, and of course he would not give absolute trust to Niu Cunjie. He did not stop after finding the tunnel. The guard battalion almost explored the inside of the four walls step by step, especially those close to the city gate. area.

At the same time, Li Tianrun was still reviewing the battle cases recorded in history books throughout the ages, making detailed comparisons of the situation in Yongqiu City, and trying to find the missing means of siege.

Not only is he thinking, but all the staff are also thinking, and there is no unexpected discovery yet.

In short, the current Jingjun army can only attack Yongqiu by force.

Li Tianrun closed the file in front of him and tapped his fingers on the table.

There were constant screams and killing sounds coming in from outside, but he seemed to be completely immersed in his thoughts.

The two armies engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand battle on the top of the city, while behind the Jingjun position outside the city, Qing Yugong stood on the carriage, calmly observing the battle situation in the distance.

Several Jingjun generals were standing beside him.

These generals had already expected the difficulty of storming Yongqiu, but at this moment, watching the soldiers in front of them fighting for their lives, they still felt a little heavy.

"Instruct He Shilie to withdraw in half an hour."

"Follow the order!"

A commander shouted in response.

Qing Yugong immediately stepped down from the carriage, and the generals followed him step by step.

Arriving under the flag of the Chinese Army Commander, Qing Yugong stood with his hands behind his hands and walked slowly, turning a deaf ear to the commotion in the distance.

After a while, he stopped and said calmly: "Go and call Pucha and Wulinda."

"Follow the order!"

In fact, these two people were not Qing Yugong's direct subordinates. Pucha was the commander-in-chief of the Zhongyi Army's 10,000 cavalry, while Wu Linda was the commander-in-chief of the Changsheng Army's 10,000 cavalry.

Tian Jue had come to the front line with an imperial edict, and he was accompanied by 20,000 cavalrymen who went south. They were elites specially mobilized by Emperor Jing to assist Qing Yugong in his battle.

After the two arrived at the central army, Qing Yugong interrupted their salutes and asked directly: "What do the two generals think of the current war situation?"

Pucha said without hesitation: "Inside Yongqiu City——"

Qing Yugong interrupted him: "I am not referring to Yongqiu, but the entire battle situation, including Moyang Road and Dingzhou to the east."

Pu Cha was startled for a moment, thought for a while and said: "Your Majesty, judging from the current situation, both Li Tianrun and Xiao Wangzhi want to hold the line of defense. They think it is more cost-effective to trade Yongqiu and Moyang Road for northern Dingzhou. If our army Unable to recapture Yongqiu, this battle obviously ended in failure."

Wu Linda was a confidant of Marshal Sa Gai of the North Academy. He was actually very reluctant to come here to follow Qing Yugong's orders. He just didn't dare to disobey Emperor Jing's imperial edict. Seeing that Pu Cha had already given his opinion, he agreed lukewarmly. Said: "The general will agree with this proposal."

Qing Yugong said calmly: "Your judgment may not be wrong, but based on my understanding of Li Tianrun, this person will definitely not passively defend. If he wants to drag our army to Yongqiu, and then deploy troops to surround this place, It is still relatively dangerous for our army.”

The two looked at each other, and it was Pu Cha who asked again: "Your Majesty, all the units of the Jingzhou Army of Southern Qi have traces to follow. As long as they leave their current station, our army's rangers will definitely find them."

Qing Yugong turned to look at Yongqiu City in the distance and said calmly: "The 30,000 Southern Qi capital troops have already moved north. It will take a few months for them to reach the border, but this does not mean that our army is safe. If I hadn't If he guesses wrong, Xiao Wangzhi will definitely not miss this opportunity, after all, he used this trick three years ago. "

Wu Linda was slightly confused. After all, Pu Cha was a general promoted by Emperor Jing himself. He was no stranger to past battles. His tone gradually became more solemn: "Your Majesty means that Xiao Wangzhi pretended to attack Qingtian City, and then sent the main force of the Huaizhou Army to march westward for a long distance. , and finally joined forces with the Jingzhou Army in the Jianghua City area? "

"Yes."

Qing Yugong nodded, and then said: "It is not impossible for Xiao Wangzhi to use his old tricks again. He can lead the elite Huaizhou Army to leave the defense line of Jishantun in Dingzhou and penetrate all the way from the southwest corner of Leize Plain to Behind our army, although this may lead to the breakthrough of Jishantun's defense line, as long as I can be trapped under Yongqiu City, the benefits of this decision are obviously greater. "

Pu Cha's heart trembled, and he quickly calculated in his mind, and soon realized that the concerns of the prince in front of him were likely to become reality.

He asked a little eagerly: "Your Majesty, what should our army do?"

Qing Yugong took a breath and said slowly: "Even if Xiao Wangzhi doesn't come to Yongqiu and he leads the Huaizhou army to raid the eastern front and attack Shubulie and Tuomanwulu's troops from behind, This will cause our army to be completely passive. As for our current plan, I need an elite cavalry to rush eastward, insert it diagonally from the north of Xinchang City on the east line, and set up defenses along the southwest corner of Leize Plain. I only need to block Xiao Wangzhi. But if Xiao Wangzhi does not show up, I will make other arrangements."

He looked at the two people in front of him calmly.

Pu Cha said seriously: "Your Majesty, the general is willing to lead the army!"

Wu Linda's lips moved, but in the end he remained silent.

Qing Yugong didn't pay attention and said to Pu Cha: "Okay, I will leave this important task to the general."

Pu Cha said: "I promise not to let any soldiers of the Huaizhou Army of Southern Qi enter Moyang Road, otherwise I am willing to come and see you!"

Then he strode away.

Qing Yugong glanced at Wu Linda and said calmly: "General, please lead the Changsheng Army cavalry to continue to cruise south and set up defenses."

Wu Linda took the order and left.

At this time, the sound of gold ringing sounded in Jingjun's formation, and the soldiers in front began to retreat in an orderly manner.

Qing Yugong raised his eyes to look at the majestic Yongqiu City, with a cold and stern look in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)