The Jagged Cavalry of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 492 491 Jingzhou Storm (3)

The envoys were sent out, but it would take three days at the fastest to wait for reinforcements to arrive. During these three days, whether Yang Xiu could use these three thousand soldiers to defend Yangdi City was still unknown.

After all, this time Zhang Xiu came in a menacing manner, and he brought an army of [-], which was ten times the strength of the troops in Yangdi City.

However, Yang Xiu didn't have any fear, but actively made arrangements.

Yangdi is located on the plain, not on the mountain, but near the water. To the north of Yangdi City is the endlessly flowing Yingshui. A wide moat was dug around the city, and Yingshui was introduced into the moat to protect the safety of Yangdi City.

Yang Xiu arranged 1000 people at the east gate, south gate, and west gate each, and blocked all the city gates, prohibiting everyone from entering or leaving at will.In addition, Yang Xiu also specially sent yamen servants to clean the streets, prohibited all commercial activities, and did not allow the people to go out at will, so that they all hid in their homes to avoid unnecessary harm.

A series of military troops, as well as the tense expressions of the soldiers, made the people in the city feel panic, not knowing what happened.Some rich gentry in the city asked someone to inquire, and only then did they know that Zhang Xiu, the Nanyang prefect under the tent of Mu Liubiao of Jingzhou, led an army of [-] to attack Yangdi City.

For a while, the news of the enemy's attack was quickly spread in the city, and the people, wealthy gentry, and businessmen in the city almost all understood what was going on.

However, there was no panic in the city. Instead, the residents organized together reflexively and went to various city gates to ask for assistance from the army in defending the city.

Yang Xiu was very moved when he saw such a scene, but he refused the assistance of the people in the city, and asked them to go back to their homes and not go out at will. , the people will not be harmed.

However, the people were unwilling to leave, and they all expressed that they would assist the army to defend the city together, preventing the enemy from entering the city, and vowed to live and die with the city.

In the past few years when Yang Xiu was the prefect of Yingchuan, he had always enforced the law impartially. Even if his relatives violated the law, he would not be soft. Under his iron-fisted governance, Yingchuan almost never closed the house at night and never picked up things on the road. And it has won the love of many people.In addition, some wealthy gentry and businessmen also trusted Yang Xiu, which made Yang Xiu's reputation flourish in the Yingchuan area for a while, even surpassing his father Yang Biao.

When Yang Biao was young, he also served as the prefect of Yingchuan, but Yang Xiu's political achievements were even better than Yang Biao's.

Seeing that the people refused to retreat, Yang Xiu had no choice but to make concessions. He chose strong men to form a reserve team and distributed weapons to them to assist the army in defending the city.The rest of the weaker people were not willing to leave here, and they clamored to help the army defend the city. Yang Xiu was also very helpless, so he arranged for them to carry weapons from the arsenal to the top of the city, and was responsible for carrying the wounded soldiers into the city for treatment.

In addition, Yang Xiu also organized doctors in the city to be on call at any time. The wealthy gentry and businessmen all contributed money and force, and were ready to be on call at any time. Feel free to go out.

After a series of arrangements were made, Yang Xiu arranged the inner three floors and the outer three floors of Yangdi City. He also made plans to not give up an inch of land and resist to the death, only waiting for the arrival of the enemy.

……

Zhang Xiu led [-] cavalry, galloping non-stop, and was getting closer and closer to Yangdi City, which was less than ten miles away.

However, Zhang Xiu suddenly ordered to stop advancing, and gathered his soldiers and horses at Juntai, ten miles south of Yangzhai City, and temporarily set up a simple camp here for the rest of the soldiers, but he personally led ten cavalrymen, riding horses Go to Yangdi City to inquire about news.

When Zhang Xiu arrived in Yangdi City, it was already evening, under the hazy sky, there were thick clouds, the clouds were very low, and the cold wind blowing from the northwest was still howling. The surrounding trees were staggered by the blowing, and it was still bitingly cold.

At this time, the city gate of Yangzhai City was closed, and the towers were full of people, swords were on the verge of breaking out, and the "Han" banner was swaying in the cold wind, showing a chilling spirit.

Zhang Xiu took his subordinates and walked more than half a circle around Yangdi City. Every gate was tightly guarded, flags fluttered on the towers, and the defenders were very dense.

"Yangdi City has already been prepared. It seems that I am still a step too late. It is impossible to sneak attack again. What's more, all I brought are cavalry. It is useless to attack the city..." Zhang Xiu Seeing the situation here clearly, he silently analyzed it in his heart.

A while later, Zhang Xiu came to the Yingshui River and saw that Yangdi City was backed by the ever-flowing Yingshui River, and it was indeed an ingenious move to divert the river water into the moat as a defensive barrier.But Zhang Xiu also saw a glimmer of hope from it. After standing by the river to observe for a while, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and then he left Yangdi City with his subordinates, and returned to Juntai where the army was. Quietly waiting for that glimmer of hope to appear.

……

Yang Xiu led the whole city's soldiers and civilians to prepare for a first-level battle, but after waiting for more than two hours, the enemy has not yet appeared.

The enemy did not wait, but waited for the first heavy snow this winter.

When night fell, heavy snow like goose feathers fell from the sky, falling one after another, and in the cold wind blowing, it kept slapping on people's bodies, making the soldiers guarding the tower freezing cold.

At this time, the wealthy gentry in the city sent their servants to bring warm clothes to the soldiers guarding the city, and put them on them, so that they were warm, and they were bound to be able to block no matter how severe the cold weather was.

At the same time as the heavy snow fell, the temperature also dropped suddenly, as if it had been three or nine days at once. Although the soldiers guarding the city were wearing warm clothes, in such a severe cold night, there was a blizzard, and their lips were so cold. Zi, the upper and lower teeth are constantly fighting.

Yang Xiu had to take turns to change shifts, and he did not relax the guard at night, and he actively patrolled every corner of the city, passing on his only love to everyone, and warming their hearts.

Yang Xiu was wearing a thick cloak and a cloak on his head, the cloak was covered with snow, his body and eyebrows were all white, the sudden snowstorm was heavy, it only took a while , There was snow on the ground, more than a foot deep.

He inspected the east gate, south gate, and west gate successively. The accompanying personnel thought he would go back there, but Yang Xiu still walked north as usual.

On the north side of Yangdi City, there is no city gate, only a not-so-big pier. Seeing Yang Xiu heading north, the accompanying officials hurriedly said: "Master Taishou, there is nothing in the north. It's freezing cold, so we should go as soon as possible." Let's go back home, the adults of the province are suffering from the wind and cold."

"What time is it? Even if it is a bit of wind and cold, it is better than Yangzhai City being captured by the enemy. There must be no such thing as a hundred secrets." Yang Xiu continued walking to the north of the city while talking to the subordinates behind him. Said, "If you are afraid of catching the wind and cold, go back first, I will go to the pier to have a look."

All the subordinates fell silent, and followed Yang Xiu quietly, walking all the way to the pier in the north of the city.

After a while, Yang Xiu and others arrived at the pier in the north of the city. Standing on the pier, he looked at the wide Yingshui River in front of him, and saw large flakes of snow falling on the river surface. They did not melt, but piled up. He couldn't help frowning.

Just two hours ago, Yang Xiu ordered the pier to be blocked, and all ships were to enter the inner harbor of the pier and berth. Without an order, they were not allowed to set sail.At this moment, the ships moored in the inner harbor were all standing in the cold wind, no matter how the wind blows and the snow beats, they remained indifferent, and all the ships were shrouded in a layer of silver attire.

With a sound of "shua", Yang Xiu pulled out a saber tied around his waist. The sharp saber was cold in his hand, and the hilt was already covered with a layer of frost because it was exposed all the time. After feeling Yang Xiu's warm palm , the frost on the hilt of the sword melted, making his hands wet.

Immediately afterwards, Yang Xiu squatted down and stabbed at the water below the pier with his long sword. As a result, the tip of the sword touched some hard objects, unable to stab, and made a crisp sound.

"Is it ice?"

Suspiciously, Yang Xiu used his long sword to push away the snow, and was surprised to see that the water had turned into ice.

Because two hours ago, the water here hadn't frozen, the water flow was still normal, and the water in the Yingshui River was running continuously, but within two hours, the entire surface of the Yingshui River had turned into ice. .

If one night passes, under such a low temperature, the ice in the Yingshui River will become more and more frozen, and maybe at dawn tomorrow, a horse will be able to gallop on it.

Yang Xiu didn't dare to think anymore. This time Zhang Xiu brought all the cavalry. The siege battle is extremely unfavorable for the cavalry. If Zhang Xiu chooses this place as a breakthrough point, then the cavalry can easily enter the city from here. In the middle of the battle, all the defenses he arranged would collapse in an instant, and without the city walls, his army would be vulnerable to a single blow.

"Immediately dispatch [-] soldiers from the south gate, east gate, and west gate. I need it urgently, hurry up!" Yang Xiu made a decisive decision, turned and said to the subordinates behind him.

The subordinate officer said "here", and immediately passed the order. After a while, [-] soldiers came to the pier from three different places. After seeing Yang Xiu, they shouted in unison: "See the eunuch grown ups."

"You don't need to be so polite with me. You came just in time. Now is the time to use you. You divide into three groups to carry soil and come here. I want to build a city wall here!" Yang Xiu said solemnly. road.

(End of this chapter)