Horse on the World

Chapter 993 Persuade to surrender
The defenders in Fengtai and Yangquan began to retreat, but the Dingzhou army on the opposite side did not take the opportunity to pursue them. Instead, they spent their time repairing their roads. Concrete roads with a width of more than ten meters stretched forward non-stop. .

When Guo Fengxian left Fengtai for the last time, he heard the shouts and cheers of thousands of Dingzhou soldiers several miles away, and he could faintly hear the cry of long live. The Dingzhou Army will launch a thunderous offensive next.Luoyang City will usher in the first foreign invasion in hundreds of years. Will he be as indestructible as he looks?
Luoyang was besieged, and Tianqi has become a little nervous these days. When he went to court this day, he was wearing a helmet and armor, wearing a military uniform, holding a saber, and shouting on the high steps to leave the city. Going to fight Li Qing to the death, all the civil and military officials in the hall were silent. Tian Qi's rampage made them even more worried about their future. Everyone was confused about where the way out was.

There are no more generals in Luoyang, which also allowed Xiang Ping, who was defeated in Pinggu Fugu, to come out again to regain military power. With Qiu Zhi, Qu Yongjie, Zhou Tong killed in battle, Zhang Aimin surrendered, Luoyang court, except for Xiang Ping, no one had ever had Guo Fengxian and Zhan Degong did not have the experience of commanding hundreds of thousands of troops. There are no tigers in the mountains, and monkeys are called kings.

The defensive strategies of Guo Fengxian and Zhan Degong in Fengtai and Yangquan gave Xiangping inspiration. Between the various positions extending out for more than ten miles outside Luoyang City, there are densely criss-crossed trenches, and bastions of various sizes stand tall. During this period, the craftsman camp in Luoyang worked day and night to build heavy weapons such as trebuchets and eight-ox crossbows.

The moat surrounding Luoyang is nearly 20 meters wide, which is also a natural barrier of Luoyang. On this side of the river, a set of eight-ox crossbows are hidden behind the parapet, and the hundred-shot crossbow, which is powerful against infantry, is also well protected. It was camouflaged, and on the city, on the wide city wall that could accommodate eight horses running side by side, there were dense catapult ladders.Under the city wall, all the houses close to the city wall have been demolished, leaving a blank area with a width of several hundred meters.

"Your Majesty, it is absolutely forbidden to go out of the city to fight!" Shang Haibo walked out wearily, and said to Tianqi, "Our elite troops have been exhausted in this year, and the current [-] soldiers in the left and right battalions will no longer be able to fight." In addition, the Imperial Forest Army and the Palace Guard Army, although they are also elite, have never experienced the baptism of cruel battlefields, and they can still display their combat effectiveness if they use them to defend the city. If they go out of the city to fight, they have no chance of winning. In the past ten years, they have never stopped fighting, and their soldiers and civilians are veterans who are used to fighting. We can't put the last troops into the field to fight the battle that must be defeated."

Tian Qi looked at him with red eyes, "Is the only option is to defend the isolated city? In the end, it's not a losing situation."

"Your Majesty, we still have one last chance to reverse the general trend!" Shang Haibo raised his head, "This is also our last chance."

"What do you mean by chance?" Tian Qi asked.

"As long as Li Qing dies, as soon as Li Qing dies, and the Dingzhou army has no leader, and Li Qing's sons are backed by forces, if Li Qing dies, they will inevitably fight among themselves over the issue of heirs. This is our chance." Hai Bo said every word clearly.

Tian Qi sneered, "Shang Shoufu, this is your clever plan. Li Qing is just outside the city, but how do we kill him? Send an assassin? Or send an army to raid, do you think it is possible?"

"We have a chance to kill them." Shang Haibo looked at Tianqi firmly.

Tian Qi stared at Shang Haibo for a while, then waved his hand suddenly, and said: "Xiang Ping, Guo Fengxian, take credit, and you, you, a few of you stay, and the rest retreat!"

A few important officials were ordered to stay, and even the eunuchs and maids serving in the palace were driven out, "Shang Shoufu, what can you do, can you tell me now?" Xiang Ping asked.

Looking at the people in the hall, Shang Haibo paused and said: "Your Majesty, my lords, do you still remember the blueprints of those Shenwei cannons that Commander Yuan Fangyuan exchanged his life for?"

Xiang Ping jumped up all of a sudden, "You mean, we have already built the Shenwei Cannon? Well, let's drag the Shenwei Cannon to the head of Luoyang City. With this thing, I would like to see how the Dingzhou Army can defeat us Luoyang City?"

Shang Haibo smiled wryly and said: "The Shenwei Cannon has been manufactured, but the quality of the steel he required is too high. We have tried everything possible, but only a very small part of the steel that meets the quality has been refined. With this little steel , we built [-] cannons, and there are no more. Compared with the huge city of Luoyang, these [-] cannons are a drop in the bucket, but compared to Dingzhou, where hundreds of cannons bombarded together, it is even more unbearable One blow, I'm sure, as soon as our cannons show up, they will immediately blow them up with concentrated firepower, and everyone knows that the Shenwei cannons are too heavy, and once installed, it is too difficult to move."

"So, we only have one chance to use these twenty cannons, and they will lose their effect after only one or two rounds of firing."

"You want to use him to bomb Li Qing?" Tian Qi asked.

"That's right!" Shang Haibo said fiercely: "No matter how we attack the outer positions, we can't show these cannons. When they start to attack Luoyang City, I don't believe that Li Qing will not show up. Even if it is to boost morale, he It will also appear in the army formation and within the range of our Shenwei cannon. At this time, our Shenwei cannon is aimed at him, and twenty cannons shoot together. This is our only chance. The only way to bring the dead back to life and reverse the situation of the battle Opportunity."

"Once Li Qing dies, will his generals still be in the mood to attack Luoyang? I'm afraid they will be worried that Dingzhou will hold them accountable. At this time, they will definitely think of protecting a new master. Being able to overwhelm the world will buy us time, and we will have another chance, and once Li Qing dies, will those forces that have taken refuge in Li Qing now serve Dingzhou wholeheartedly?"

"Okay!" Tian Qi patted the table and said: "Although it is a gamble, for us, there is still one chance to bet, so that's fine. Generals, this matter is related to the peril of our Great Chu. It is related to your wealth and life, so I hope you will rot him in your stomach, Shang Shoufu, and you will be fully responsible for this matter. Luoyang's survival will be determined in one fell swoop!"

"Wei Chen understands, I will definitely succeed!"

Pinning all their hopes on the sudden death of Li Qing, Guo Fengxian and Zhan Degong, as veteran generals, felt a little unreliable. The Shenwei cannon is powerful, but it also has a problem of hit rate, unlike Dingzhou The army, after using the Shenwei cannon many times, has accumulated a group of quite experienced gunners. The Luoyang side has just mastered this technology, so they can guarantee a one-shot hit?With a shooting range of several miles, the chance to hit a single target is really unreliable.The two looked at each other, and they both smiled wryly, but seeing the excitement of the several ministers, they were in a lower position, and it was an extra grace to be able to stay in the palace. Pour cold water at this time?

But if you think about it carefully, this is indeed Luoyang's only chance. If you can't kill Li Qing and cause civil strife in Dingzhou, and let Dingzhou calmly besiege the city, one day the city will be destroyed. The food and grass reserves in the city, supplies Reserves will always be used up one day, and the millions of people in Luoyang City are a huge burden.A few days ago, the warehouse in Luoyang was attacked and burned down, which not only caused Luoyang to lose millions of shi of grain, but also showed that Dingzhou's penetration of Luoyang had reached an astonishing level, and no one knew whether they would attack the next target.Now the whole city has implemented a wartime rationing system. Every family is given a daily quota of food, just to save their lives. The food of all families has been forcibly confiscated, but those who resist will be killed on the spot immediately, but this is also It can only be an expedient measure, and the food will always be eaten one day.And it is no longer possible to have reinforcements and assistance from outside.

Zhan Degong returned to his General's Mansion with a heavy heart.

"Master, Mr. Xie Kexie, Minister of Industry, is here. I have been waiting for you at the residence for half an hour."

"Master Xie Kexie?" Zhan Degong was taken aback, he didn't know this person, how could he meet him for no reason, "What did he say, is there any official business?"

"I don't know. Mr. Xie said that he would have an interview with him." The family replied.

Zhan Degong was extremely strange, this Xie Ke had never met him before, so why did he have an interview with him.

"Go, take a look!" Zhan Degong strode towards the living room.

A young official dressed in a fourth-rank official uniform was sitting there leisurely drinking tea. When he saw Zhan Degong coming in, the young official stood up, clasped his fists smartly, and said, "General Zhan, Xie Ke from the Ministry of Industry is very polite. .”

Zhan Degong waved his hand, "Master Xie, you are very polite. Mr. Xie came to visit us today. Is there anything I would like to teach you?" Zhan Degong asked with a smile.

Xie Ke glanced at the family member by the door, Zhan Degong smiled slightly, without any intention of avoiding him, Xie Ke blinked, and said straight to the point: "I'm here to persuade you to surrender!"

Like a thunderbolt hitting Zhan Degong's ears, he was slightly taken aback, and the family member at the door was also startled, took a step back, and with just one turn, he could run out the door and call for the guards to come in and get him.

After all, Zhan Degong is a veteran general. After being surprised for a moment, he regained his composure. Looking at Xie Ke who was smiling and nonchalant, he shook his head and said, "Are you from Dingzhou? When did you join Dingzhou?" What? You are so courageous, could it be that you are tired of living?"

Xie Kelang laughed and said: "Xie is living a very healthy life, and he wants to live for another few decades! The general learned that Xie did not take refuge in Dingzhou, but that I was originally from Dingzhou. Master Qingfeng, the head of the Dingzhou Supervisory Council, has been lurking in Luoyang for eight years."

(End of this chapter)