Jiuxi

Chapter 522 Chapter 520 [Prologue]

It was early spring in the fifteenth year of Qi Jianwu's reign.

The battlefield on Moyang Road in Beiyan entered a state of full stalemate.

On the east and west fronts, the Jingzhou Army still maintained a certain degree of oppression. They did not relax their harassment of the Jingzhou Army's garrison. At the same time, many Jingchao cavalry frequently attacked southward, cutting off the Jingzhou Army's logistics lines from different directions.

At this time, the Feiyu Army was unable to do anything, and this time the Jingzhou Army's cavalry did not stop at the same time as before. They carried out the battlefield cutting with extremely determined momentum, gradually causing the Jingzhou Army to fall into a situation where they were fighting on their own.

Especially in the area from Yongqiu City to Baimaguan, the loyal cavalry of the Emperor Jing Dynasty swept through the area, completely cutting off the connection between Yongqiu City and the south.

On the seventh day of the second lunar month, Wang Qingyugong of Changshan County of the Jing Dynasty personally led 70,000 soldiers, starting from Bai County and crossing the West River Valley to the northern suburbs of Yongqiu City.

Flags were fluttering, thousands of troops and horses were flying, and they were full of momentum.

According to common sense, taking the initiative to attack when the enemy's foothold is not stable may achieve unexpected results. This is also the reason why many famous generals throughout the ages have defeated the large with the small and the weak over the strong.

But Li Tianrun did not do this. It seemed that he had made up his mind to defend Yongqiu and use the most clumsy means to deal with the powerful main force of Jing's army outside the city.

The generals looked in the direction of his finger and saw countless people in simple clothes like ants on the northeast side of Jingjun's camp.

Qiu Jixun frowned and said, "They want to build mountains of earth?"

Qiu Jixun and others nodded frequently.

They looked down upon the Yan army, which could not even be strong on the outside but capable on the inside, but they would never underestimate the strength of the Jing army. After all, this army had annexed Zhao State a year ago.

Li Tianrun's eyes narrowed slightly. Although he kept hammering and reminding Qiu Jixun and others, telling them to be extremely vigilant to avoid being caught off guard by Jing Jun, he had another thought in his mind.

In the long years of more than ten years, Jingjun's strength may not be as strong as it was at its peak due to a large number of veteran soldiers leaving the army. However, under the adjustment of Emperor Jing and Qing Yugong, they continued to learn the skills of Qi people. Now those who are assembling the army outside the city are Or the siege equipment made by logging on-site is evidence of this.

Above the North City, the soldiers of the Qing Xu Army who were responsible for guarding this area were waiting in full formation, and the city defense facilities were leak-proof.

Now under Li Tianrun's reminder, they will treat it more seriously.

Li Tianrun nodded and said: "Yes, to deal with a fortified city with towering walls like Yongqiu, piling up mountains of earth outside the city wall is a very effective method. It can not only smooth out the height gap between the two sides, but also minimize the situation inside the city. Look closely. Since Qing Yugong dares to take risks and get close to the city, he naturally has a complete strategy on how to break the city. You must not be careless. "

"Yes, Grand Governor."

As if the previous scene was happening again, the main force of Jing's army laid siege to the city and set up camp. The only difference was that they had powerful cavalry, which could completely cut off the defenders from the other Jingzhou troops on the periphery, turning Yongqiu into a city. Lonely city.

On the city wall, Qiu Jixun, the commander of the Xu Army of the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Zhan, the commander of the Heyang Army, and Qi Shouzhi, the captain of the guard camp, followed Li Tianrun and observed Jingjun's camp from a distance.

All the generals responded in unison.

He knows the more than 20,000 soldiers and horses under his command very well, and with the support of Yongqiu city wall, even if it falls into a more critical situation, the Qi army will eventually be able to defend the city.

Not only Jing Jun would feel a headache for such a fortified city, Qi Jun would also have the same mentality.

Yongqiu is the most important strategic point south of Heluo. The city wall is more than five feet high and built with rammed earth. It can be said to be indestructible in this era.

Li Tianrun continued: "Have you seen those people in the Northeast?"

This is the reason why Li Tianrun only besieged but not attacked before, and it is also the reason why Qing Yugong can safely launch offensives on the east and west fronts. Without the existence of Zhu Zhen, a senior internal agent, Li Tianrun would definitely be in a dilemma now.

"After so many years of experience, Jing Jun is no longer what he used to be."

Li Tianrun stopped, raised his hand and pressed it on the wall, and said slowly: "At the beginning, they only knew how to fight in the open field, and when they encountered a slightly stronger city, they could only rely on human lives to attack it. Such siege methods would cause great losses. In order to encourage them, they Soldiers, venting their anger and intimidating others, often carry out crazy killings after the city is broken. Now it can be seen from the outline of those siege equipment that Jingjun is already learning the strengths of our army, instead of relying solely on cavalry to conquer the world. "

The inner city, the urn city, and the outer city are interconnected layer by layer, with gate towers, arrow towers, main towers, turrets, watchtowers, parapets, crenels and other facilities. It is an extremely reassuring layout for the defenders, but for the siege To put it simply, it is like a nightmare.

The problem is, can't Qing Yugong see through this?
What kind of support did he have that would make him willing to join the game and start a decisive battle with the Qi army in Yongqiu City?

Was it because of Emperor Jing's coercion that he had to submit, or did he just want to lead his troops here to make an attempt, and if it failed, he would simply withdraw to the north?

Li Tianrun tapped his fingers lightly on the wall, and a person's face appeared in his mind.

At the same time, in a heavily guarded house somewhere in the city.

"I want to know, when did you start working as an internal support for Qi Jun?"

Niu Cun, the former general of Moyang Road who put on an ordinary gown, stared at Zhu Zhen, the former general manager of the military and horse capital, who appeared in front of him.

The fall of Yongqiu dealt a huge blow to Niu Cunjie, and all his past ambitions for glory and glory were gone. If Zhu Zhen hadn't risked the lives of his own soldiers, he might have killed himself long ago.

Even if he survived, he was no different from a walking zombie during this period. In just a few days, his hair turned gray, like snow falling on a green mountain. He is an extremely pure person, or he only pursues utilitarianism. Qing Yugong gave him a stage to display his talents, so he did his best to work for Jing Dynasty. However, the tragic defeat of Xifengyuan and the fall of Yongqiu made him lose all his ambitions. He felt that he had become the laughing stock of the whole world.

Therefore, when Zhu Zhen appeared again, his eyes quickly turned red.

Zhu Zhen sat opposite him and said calmly: "Is this important?"

Niu Cunjie asked: "What do you think?"

Zhu Zhen pondered for a moment and said: "It has been from the beginning."

Niu Cunjie was silent.

After a long time, he laughed at himself and said: "Actually, I was suspicious of you because I still remember a past incident."

"What's the matter?"

"The year before last, during the Qi Army's first Northern Expedition, you proposed to me that Li Yingcheng be stationed in Xinchang City and control the defenders at Panlong Pass in the Southern Qi Dynasty. In the battle of Leize Plains, Jingzhou Feiyu's majestic camp passed outside Xinchang City, and then Appearing in Leize Plain became the last straw for Jing's army. Li Yingcheng had no reaction to this. Afterwards, he said that he did not dare to lead his troops out of the city. After all, Xinchang was a very important strategic point, and even if he did, he would leave the city. We can’t stop Fei Yuying.”

Niu Cunjie's tone was gloomy, and he continued: "If he could have blocked Feiyu Camp a little at that time, the victory of the Leize Plain battle is still uncertain. After all, Li Yingcheng made no mistakes on the surface, and I can only remove him from his military post. , drove him back to Heluo. From that time on, this matter has been a thorn in my heart, so it is difficult for me to completely trust you.

Zhu Zhen suddenly understood.

That time he also received a secret message from Wang Chulong, asking Li Yingcheng to avoid fighting at the critical moment, thus facilitating the Qi army to annihilate the main force of the Jing army in Leize Plain.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but asked with some curiosity: "Why is the general willing to trust me again?"

"General...hehe."

Niu Cunjie laughed expressionlessly and said quietly: "In the battle of Xifengyuan, you acted honestly and did not do anything inappropriate. At that time, I was thinking that maybe that incident was just a misunderstanding. After all, I later found out The Ministry of Affairs did not find out anything about Li Yingcheng. If I had known this, I should have killed you with one knife."

Zhu Zhen did not get angry and said calmly: "General, we in the army have never been afraid of life and death. Even if you killed me at that time, the people I arranged would open the city gate for the Qi army."

"Daqi?"

Niu Cunjie narrowed his eyes and asked, "Why are you doing this? How many benefits has Qi Ren given you?"

Zhu Zhen met his gaze, shook his head and said: "It's no good, just because I am also a Qi person."

Niu Cunjie was stunned.

Zhu Zhen took advantage of the situation and asked, "Is the general from Jinglian?"

Niu Cunjie subconsciously retorted: "This is not important. Do you know what life was like for my family twenty years ago? The emperor was in power, the people were in dire straits, and they almost sold their sons and daughters to survive!"

Seeing his angry expression, Zhu Zhen sighed softly and said slowly: "So what happened under the Jing Dynasty? Does the general know about the dozens of cities in the North that were massacred by Jinglian people?"

Niu Cunjie was speechless again.

After a long time, he asked in a low tone: "My hands are stained with a lot of blood of Sergeant Qi's soldiers."

In fact, when Zhu Zhen walked in, he knew the other party's intention. The reason why he had been unwilling to change the topic before was simply because he knew that even if he was lucky enough to survive, he would not be able to become a general of the Qi army like Zhu Zhen. .

Zhu Zhendao: "General, since Governor Li has not killed you, he is preparing to give you another chance. If you can grasp it, you will not only survive, but you may also be able to lead the army again."

Niu Cunjie lowered his head, obviously caught in an extremely fierce battle between heaven and man.

He asked in a deep voice: "What opportunity?"

Zhu Zhen felt relieved and said gently: "Captain Li was sure that Qing Yugong must have a back-up plan. From the beginning he allowed our army to besiege Yongqiu to now leading troops to counterattack Yongqiu without hesitation. These seemingly abrupt actions There must be a deep reason behind this rash decision. To put it simply, it is impossible for Qing Yugong not to make arrangements in the city. This must be his confidence that no matter what arrangements he makes in Yongqiu City, he will not be able to leave the general. "

He paused slightly and said sincerely: "As long as the general tells the secrets in the city, Governor Li will accept you, and you can become a member of the Qi border army. You might as well think about it, is Jing Jun really Invincible in the world? Is it true that the Daqi frontier army can't defeat them? Daqi can give you the same stage as Jingjun. The most important thing is how many choices do you have now? "

There was a long silence in the room.

After an unknown amount of time, Niu Cunjie slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. He looked up at Zhu Zhen and said, "I want to tell Governor Li face to face."

Zhu Zhen stood up immediately. He, who was always calm, could not hide his excitement at this moment, and said quickly: "Okay, I will go and inform the Governor immediately!"

Less than half an hour later, Li Tianrun, surrounded by a group of elite soldiers, walked into this ordinary-looking house.

At this time, the sun was shining brightly and its brilliance filled the earth.

(End of this chapter)