Han Dang is stronger

Chapter 96
After retreating from the Yishui trail and returning to Xiapi, Gongsun Qing hastily recruited more than 500 recruits in Xiapi to supplement his immediate county soldiers in order to quickly replenish his troops, restoring the number of Donghai County soldiers under his command to About 500 people, plus the original thousands of county soldiers in Xiapi, Gongsun Qing actually had more than [-] troops of the Qin army that could be used to defend the city. It can also be said that it is more than enough.

Of course, the combat effectiveness of the newly recruited soldiers is naturally inferior to Gongsun Qing's original main force. At the same time, because a large number of chariots, horses, weapons and armor were lost on the Yishui Xiaolu battlefield, Gongsun Qing couldn't take the army out for a while. The equipment is restored to its original peak state.But fortunately, Xiapi is rich, and there are a lot of weapons such as knives, swords, bows and crossbows in the county library. Gongsun Qing is not so poor that he must let Qin soldiers go into battle empty-handed or with farm tools. More than one weapon is available, and the number of the most critical crossbow bolts is enough to support multiple battles, but the amount of armor is obviously insufficient. Fortunately, this has little effect on the defense of the city.

The troops are sufficient, and the weapons and equipment are barely passable. The terrain of Xiapi City makes Gongsunqing feel at ease. The north is the wide and deep Yishui River, the south is the open Sishui River, and the west is the Yishui River and Sishui River. All the places where the rivers meet must rely on boats to cross the river, and only a small amount of troops are needed to guard the three directions to ensure nothing goes wrong.The only city wall at the east gate of Xiapi that was attacked by the enemy was only about two miles long from north to south. Even if the Qin army took turns to guard the city, they could easily have a soldier guarding each crenel. The moat under the city was nearly three feet wide and deep. More than ten feet and a half, making it difficult for the attackers to surpass.

It is precisely because of such a favorable location that Gongsun Qing is so confident in defending Xiapi and retreating the young commander-in-chief that after receiving the news that Xiang Kang led the army to the eastern suburbs of Xiapi, Gongsun Qing released his troops. Such wild words, "Let that traitor Xiang Kang let his horse go, I want to see how many rebels he has to die before he can break through the moat of Xiapi! I also want to see, his rebels die Before the light dies, will it be possible to break through the city walls of Shangxiapi!"

The soldiers of the Qin Army were as confident as their commander, Gongsun Qing. While the young commander was setting up camp, when a sentry of the young commander was roaming around under the four gates of Xiapi to investigate the enemy's situation, the soldiers of the Qin army not only did not panic at all. On the contrary, they continued to abuse and provoke on the city wall. Some particularly rude soldiers of the Qin Army even jumped onto the arrow stacks and urinated openly at the sentry rangers of the Young Marshal Army.

They couldn't even touch the city walls. Of course, the Rangers of the Young Marshal Army had nothing to do with the arrogant Qin soldiers on the city wall. The military sentry probing the ranger can only sneak away in a desperate manner.However, after the cavalry of the Young Marshal Army had gone far away, the soldiers of the Qin Army on the city wall were surprised to see that the cavalry of the Young Marshal Army had directly fired Xiang Kang's commander's banner, telling them clearly that this time The young general who personally led the team to visit the four gates of Xiapi was Xiang Kang himself!

Gongsun Qing, who was in the Xiapi County Temple, also received this report soon, but Gongsun Qing was not too surprised. After a little regret for missing a rare opportunity to capture the thief first, Gongsun Qing scolded again with a sneer: " Dog thief! Do you think that you can find the loopholes in the city defense of this officer by peeking at the four gates of Xiapi yourself? If you can find it, come quickly, this officer has been waiting impatiently for a long time!"

"Junzun, it's better to be careful." Xiapi County Magistrate Xiao Su kindly reminded: "Xiang Kang's rebel is notoriously scheming, and he came to visit the city in person, and he will definitely not miss nothing. I'm afraid there will be some action soon. The officer thinks that we'd better be careful and take precautions."

"Just talk useless nonsense." Gongsun Qing scolded, and then said: "This traitor is good at stealing chickens and dogs. We just need to keep an eye on his camp, prepare for night defense, and don't take risks to fight. No matter how many tricks you can let that traitor have, you won't be able to play. Don't worry about the others, the more you worry, the easier it is for that traitor to take advantage of it!"

Xiao Jing obediently agreed, and Gongsun Qing sent an order to the four gates of Xiapi, ordering all the ministries of the Qin Army to strictly guard the city and strengthen night defense work, and also asked the gate guards to go to the city every one and a half hours at night to inspect the city, and then no longer I understand, and go back to my room to sleep with great peace of mind.

It was night, and the north wind was blowing, and the temperature dropped a lot. As a result, the soldiers of the Qin army stationed in the city had walls and houses to shelter from the wind, and they didn't suffer too much.However, the soldiers of the Qin army stationed on the top of the city wall had had enough of living crimes. All of them were blue and pale from the cold, sneezing, stomping their feet and rubbing their hands. As unlucky as myself, the mentality of the soldiers of the Qin army in the city is still much more balanced-after all, these soldiers of the Qin army still have the opportunity to take turns to the city to rest in a shelter, don't they?
The night passed quickly, and early the next morning, when Gongsun Qing was still eating a good breakfast, a soldier came in outside the door and reported that the young commander had dispatched an army to attack Xiapi Come to the east gate.Gongsun Qing was stunned when he heard the news, and said in doubt: "This is the beginning? Impossible? The thieves arrived in Xiapi yesterday, and there was no time to prepare siege weapons. How could they launch a siege this morning?"

After asking that Minglai was no match for a team of 500 men, Gongsun Qing's astonishment eased, knowing that it was absolutely impossible for the Young Marshal's army to attack the city with such a small force, and Xiang Kang's sending troops must have another purpose.But out of curiosity, Gongsun Qing hurriedly wiped off the oil stains around his mouth, and led a group of people to the east gate of Xiapi, and climbed the wall of the east gate where the wind was howling, to check the situation of the young commander's troops.

The soldiers of the Young Commander who came from the west of the camp marched very quickly. As soon as Gongsun Qing reached the wall of the east gate, the Young Commander had already arrived at Lixu outside the East Gate of Xiapi. In the middle, the young marshal lined up to fight directly, and then arranged a centurion with long shields to cover a 50-man team of crossbowmen, and came directly towards the moat.Gongsun Qing couldn't help but be baffled when he saw it. He asked suspiciously, "One hundred long shields, covering fifty crossbowmen? The long shields of the thieves don't cost money, what a waste?"

It's strange, but of course Gongsun Qing will not tolerate the crossbowman of the young commander's army bullying the city to release arrows, directly threatening the safety of the defenders on the city. After casually ordering the Qin army general guarding the east gate, Qin Jun The crossbowman immediately entered the combat position, and just when he saw the young commander's soldiers entering the range, he immediately fired a volley of arrows, covering the heads of the young commander's soldiers with dense rain of arrows.

It's a pity that the young commander's army has too many long shields, and two long shields are definitely more than enough to cover three soldiers, so the Qin army's arrow rain didn't help much, it just shot and wounded some particularly unlucky young commanders The soldiers, the young commander trotted forward with their shields raised, and quickly approached the moat outside the east gate of Xiapi. They used long shields to form a temporary fortification, and then the young commander hiding behind the shield did not move. Without hesitation, he immediately cast a rain of arrows on the city.

"Junzun, be careful!"

For Gongsun Qing's personal safety, the loyal soldiers ignored Gongsun Qing's struggle and opposition, and forcibly pushed him to the dead corner of the crossbow behind the arrow pile. Most of the crossbow arrows went directly over the city wall, flew into the city and fell, only a very small number of arrows hit the city wall, and at the same time, sharp-eyed soldiers of the Qin army shouted, "There is something tied to the arrows of the rebels! It looks like an arrow book!"

"Quickly pick one up and give it to me!" Gongsun Qing roared, struggling to stand up, but the soldiers still held him tightly, because the crossbowmen of the Young Commander under the city were still hiding behind their shields and loading their crossbows, It is possible to fire a second wave of crossbow bolts.

When a crossbow arrow with a white cloth tied to the front was handed to Gongsun Qing, the crossbowman of the Young Marshal Army released the second round of feather arrows, and still shot the arrows into the sky above the city wall, letting the arrows fly into the city and fall. The sharp-eyed soldiers of the Qin Army saw clearly again that the second round of crossbow arrows shot by the Young Marshal was also tied with white cloth!Obviously, the Young Marshal wanted to send some news to the soldiers and civilians in Xiapi City through these arrows!
"What the hell are the thieves doing? Why are there so many arrow books coming in?" Confused, he tore off the arrow book that had just been delivered, and when he glanced at the content of the arrow book, Gongsun Qing's expression was visibly startled, and then gradually widened. He opened his mouth, his face gradually turned blue, and finally he yelled in disbelief, "Irrigate the city with the water of Jueyisi?!"

"Junzun, the thieves under the city have left!"

The voice of the soldier's report pulled Gongsun Qing's frightened soul back to his body, pushed the soldier away and quickly stood up to take a look. After seeing the young generals under the city release two rounds of arrow rain and about a hundred arrows, Sure enough, he retreated under the cover of the long shield, but Gongsun Qing didn't care about it at all, he just yelled: "Quick! Send people into the city! Take all the arrows and books that the thieves shot into the city!" Come back! No one is allowed to open it, anyone who dares to read the contents of the arrow book, the military law is in charge!"

It was already too late. When Gongsun Qing issued this order in a hurry, many letters that had been shot into the city with crossbow arrows by the young generals had already been opened, and many soldiers and civilians in Xiapi already knew that the young generals were preparing to send them to the city in three days. Dig the dams of Yishui and Sishui, and divert the river to flood Xiapi!However, if the soldiers and civilians of Xiapi who helped the Tyrant Qin did not want to suffer from the flooding of the city and be soaked in the icy river in the winter, there are only two ways, one is to leave the city and surrender!The second is to kill Gongsun Qing and surrender in Kaesong!
The terrain of Xiapi City is a bit low-lying, and it is surrounded by the Yisi River on three sides. After more than ten years of continuous reinforcement and repair of the embankment, the people of Xiapi had a little rest. However, they were still damaged by floods several times during the period, and they never dared to forget the disaster of floods.At this time, the young commander-in-chief blatantly threatened to dig the dam to divert water to irrigate the city. Of course, the soldiers and civilians who saw the book of arrows were out of their wits. Like wings, it quickly spread throughout the city of Xiapi, causing great panic among the soldiers and civilians in Xiapi city.

Even Xiapi county magistrate Xiao Cong was scared away by the three souls. Just as Gongsun Qingcai returned to the county temple with a pile of arrow books on his face, Xiao Cong immediately went up to him and asked with a pale face. : "Junzun, I heard that the rebels are going to dig rivers to fill the city in three days? Is it true? Didn't I hear that the rebel Xiang Kang has some hypocrisy? How could he have such a vicious heart?!"

"Really, how could I know?!" Gongsun Qing roared with a black face, and then roared: "I just want to ask you now, if Xiang Kang's rebels really broke the dams of Yishui and Sishui , Will Xiapi City be flooded?!"

"Junzun wants to hear the truth, or lies?"

Xiao Cong really likes to talk nonsense, so he couldn't help but say another sentence at this time, after being slapped heavily by Gongsun Qing, Xiao Cong covered his face and said: "Reporting to the county lord, you will be drowned. The terrain of Xiangxiang is low-lying, and it is most likely to be flooded. If the rebels really broke through the Yisi Second River, then the east gate with a relatively high terrain may be better, but the other three gates will definitely be flooded. Once the flood enters In the city, more than [-]% of the houses and streets in the city may be submerged in water, or even deeper."

"Then why are you still staring blankly? Why don't you hurry up and organize people to block the other three gates with sandbags?!" Gongsun Qing roared again, and shouted again: "Also, tell your people to go to the city Search for the arrow books of the rebels in the city, and all the arrow books that the rebels shot into the city must be confiscated to me! Anyone who dares to spread the contents of the rebellion's arrow books will be punished!"

He was so flustered that Gongsun Qing didn't notice that his orders were somewhat contradictory. When he saw that the county magistrate Xiao Jing hurriedly stopped people from filling the city gates to prevent floods, the rumors that the young commander was about to flood the city with rivers Not only was it not suppressed, but it also spread more widely and rapidly.So it was just at noon, and almost everyone in Xiapi City knew about this incident, which caused panic among the people and confusion in the army, including the soldiers of the Qin army on the city wall who had no intention of defending the city, and quietly just discussed it. You can say anything.

"Brother, you are a thieves outside the city, will you really dig the embankment and flood us with water? Can they really do such an outrageous thing?"

"How is it impossible? They are thieves, what can't they do?"

"Then we are not finished? The flood has entered the city, where we live, what to eat? It is already winter, hiding on the city wall every day, how can we bear it?"

"If you can't bear it, don't you have to bear it? Who told us to be unlucky, when we encountered thieves besieging the city and preparing to beat us? There is only one way to avoid suffering, and that is to go out of the city and surrender as the thieves said. How about it? Do you have the guts? ?”

The previous voice was silent, and it took a long time before he asked in a low voice: "Brother, what about you? Do you have the courage to leave the city quietly and surrender to the thieves?"

The companion known as the big brother did not answer, neither did he have the guts to answer, and because the generals of the Qin Army's grassroots patrolled here, they dared not continue to talk about this matter.And similar situations can be seen everywhere not only among the soldiers of the Qin army on the city walls, but also among the soldiers and civilians in the city. There was such a possibility—can you find a chance to kill Gongsun Qing, and take Gongsun Qing's head to ask for credit from the Young Marshal?

The matter was not over yet. In the afternoon, the young commander suddenly sent a team of light cavalry to beat gongs and drums on the Yishui dam in the northwest of Xiapi, shouting loudly to attract the attention of the soldiers and civilians in the city, and sent people to the city to threaten , Said that the self-army was going to dig a dam there and divert water to submerge Xiapi City.The defenders in the city were of course even more panicked when they saw it, but Gongsun Qing was furious, and immediately sent cavalry out of the city from the east gate to fight with the cavalry of the young commander, but unfortunately the cavalry of the young commander did not want to fight at all. Pay attention, just after seeing the cavalry of the Qin army attacking, they immediately fled back to the camp of the young marshal from the opposite direction, and the cavalry of the Qin army did not dare to chase too much.

In the evening, several cavalrymen from the young marshal rushed to the foot of Xiapi city on horseback, and shot an arrow book to the foot of Xiapi city with crossbow arrows. Trembling all over, it turned out that the arrow book written by the Young Marshal Army was written directly to Xiapi County Magistrate Xiao Cong, citing the examples of Qin Dynasty officials who surrendered to the Young Marshal Army before, and urging Xiao Cong to follow their example and quickly find an opportunity to kill Gongsun Qing , Take Gongsun Qing's head to Xiang Kang to ask for a reward.

After the wrath, there was endless fear, because Gongsun Qing knew very well that under the life and death threat of flooding the city, it was hard to guarantee that some people under his command would not be rebellious because they were greedy for life and fear of death. Whatever he did, the least consequences would be to cause turmoil in the city and create opportunities for the young commanders to take the opportunity to break the city.At the same time, Gongsun Qing has also clearly discovered that his army's morale has been completely messed up. The soldiers have no fighting spirit, and there will be no fighting spirit. As long as there is a slight disturbance, it may completely collapse at any time!

At this point in the matter, Gongsun Qing certainly regretted his previous decision to stick to it, but it was too late. The main force of the young commander's army had already approached the city, and there was no chance to withdraw directly to Tancheng. There are three options left. One is to bet that Xiang Kang will not be so harmful to the world and will not really dig the dam to divert water to fill the city; Send troops to fight to the death with the young marshal's army, fight to the death!
It was night, Gongsun Qing tossed and turned and couldn't sleep, and was so worried that he didn't close his eyes all night.On the same night, more than a dozen soldiers of the Qin Army sneaked down the city wall and disappeared into the depths of the night.But on the next morning, the young marshals sent out cavalry again, carrying tools, to dig soil on the dam northwest of Xiapi City. The Qin army on the city panicked and loudly called the police, and there was an uproar in the city. Gongsun Qing had no choice but to send out troops When they came to stop them, the young commander's cavalry feigned defeat and fled, leading the Qin army to the eastern suburbs of Xiapi. The young commander's camp also took the opportunity to send troops to fight.

The defeat in the field battle made the soldiers and civilians in Xiapi city completely desperate. In order not to be flooded, the people of Xiapi even elected several elders who were highly respected in the city to directly negotiate with Gongsun Qing face-to-face, demanding that Gongsun Qing Qing released the people out of the city, and let the people go out of the city first to escape for their lives.Gongsun Qing was very hesitant, he could not let go of his promise, and he was afraid of causing a civil uprising, so he did not dare to forcibly expel or directly arrest the representatives of the people and put them in prison. Stay calm and wait patiently for yourself to break through the thieves and keep Xiapi.It's hard to talk about it, and it's hard to fool a few representatives of the people who rely on the old and sell the old.

The death penalty is only a reprieve, and it won't last for a few days. Knowing that he and the Qin army are not very popular, Gongsun Qing is of course very clear. If Xiang Kang really made up his mind to dig the dam and flood the xiapi, then there is no need to wait for the young commander to send troops to attack. In the city, the people in the city must first break out a civil uprising, either open the city gates and bow to the robbers, or directly chop off their own heads and surrender to the young commander.So with no other choice, Gongsun Qing had no choice but to grit his teeth and make up his mind. He summoned all the generals and issued an order: "Be prepared today, dispatch the main force tomorrow, and fight to the death with the thieves! Do your best to defeat the enemy in one battle and capture Xiang Xiang!" Kang rebel!"

After saying that, Gongsun Qing added another sentence in his heart, and said secretly: "If you really can't beat it, you should retreat to Tancheng, and you can't stay in Xiapi, a dead place waiting to die."

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(End of this chapter)