Jiuxi

Chapter 917 915 [Edge]

On July 22, Dajing Changshan Prince Qing Yugong personally led 60,000 troops and left Tongbai to march southwest.

On July 26, the army arrived at Yanwu City and joined the Miegudi and Guyuk tribes stationed in the city.

On July 28, after integrating the troops on the western front, Qing Yugong led his elite division to continue southward, directly approaching Gaotang City, the outermost position of the Qi army on the western front.

Just five days later, at noon on the second day of August, Liu Shouguang, the Grand Commander of Jingzhou who was personally guarding Yongqiu, received an urgent military report from Fan Wendi.

When Liu Shouguang received the military report, he didn't even have time to swallow the food in his mouth.

He said vaguely: "Read it quickly."

Mao Ruozhi, the chief clerk of the Governor's Office, quickly read the military report: "Reporting to the Grand Governor, the enemy launched the first round of tentative attacks on the morning of July 29th, and then launched six consecutive rounds of attacks in the afternoon of the 29th and the morning, noon and evening of the 30th, all of which were repelled by our army. The enemy's offensive was extremely fierce. Qing Yugong personally commanded the central army, and his soldiers were as brave as tigers and wolves and were not afraid of death. Fortunately, our army was well prepared, with sufficient food, fodder, weapons and city defense equipment. The soldiers worked together and were still able to defend the city."

Liu Shouguang frowned.

Mao Ruozhi observed his expression and whispered the last sentence: "However, the enemy is almost crazy and does not care about its own losses. I am afraid that our army will not be able to hold on for a long time. I hope the Grand Commander will make plans as soon as possible."

Liu Shouguang's appetite was gone. He put down his bowl and chopsticks and walked to the map, his expression becoming increasingly heavy.

Gaotang City is located in the northwest border of Jingzhou. Originally, there were two barriers in front of it, Yanwu City and Qiliu City. However, in order to lure Wuyan Shu into the trap, the Qi army stationed there reluctantly gave up the city.

As a result, the Qi army's defense system on the western front had obvious loopholes, and Qing Yugong naturally would not ignore the opportunity before him.

To the east of Gaotang City is Xifengyuan, which is the battlefield where Li Tianrun led his troops to defeat the Yan army led by Niu Cunjie. Beyond Xifengyuan is the outer defense line of Yongqiu.

In other words, because of the existence of Gaotang City, the Jing army could not directly threaten the security of the Yongqiu defense line. Taikang to the north of Yongqiu also played the same role.

Liu Shouguang certainly tried everything he could to save Gaotang City, but the problem was that he was powerless.

Most of the Beijing troops brought by Zhang Xu were on the Taikang defense line in the north, and several thousand were left behind on the eastern front. Liu Shouguang had only more than 60,000 people. Excluding the garrisons deployed at various strategic locations, the only mobile force he could mobilize was about 10,000 infantry.

This small number of people going to support Gaotang City is like a drop in the bucket, and Liu Shouguang knows very well that Qing Yugong is good at besieging a point and attacking the reinforcements.

As for the Dingzhou Army...

Liu Shouguang knew that the main force of Jing Army was divided into two routes heading directly to Dingzhou. The pressure on Lu Chen's shoulders was unimaginable. Moreover, Lu Chen had reminded him before he went back that Jing Army was very determined this time and he must be prepared to be in a difficult situation for a long time.

Even so, when he truly felt the ferocity of Jing Jun, the haze in Liu Shouguang's heart was still too thick to dispel.

As the governor of a state, he is responsible for defending the borders and his every decision may affect the overall outcome.

After thinking for a long time, Liu Shouguang said in a deep voice: "Reply to Fan Wendi, if you are unable to hold on, you can retreat to Xileng Pass."

Mao Ruozhi replied solemnly: "Yes, sir!"

Fan Wending received Liu Shouguang's reply on the evening of August 4th. The reason why the messenger was able to enter Gaotang City smoothly when the Jing army was attacking fiercely was because Qing Yugong adopted the strategy of surrounding three sides and leaving one side. The Jing army did not surround the entire Gaotang City, but only deployed a small number of cavalry scouts in the south of the city.

On the bloodstained city wall, the soldiers looked dazed, staring blankly at the setting sun in the sky.

Open your eyes, be on duty, face the enemy, fight, close your eyes, either wake up from your sleep and embrace the repetitive fate, or never open your eyes again and leave this world unwillingly.

If Lu Chen had not personally commanded the Battle of Taikang and achieved a great victory, planting a spark of hope in their hearts, it would have been difficult for them to rely on willpower to get through such a difficult time.

Psychological pressure is one thing, but physical fatigue is also difficult to relieve.

As the strongest army of the Jingzhou Military Governor's Office, the Guangji Army has been shouldering the most difficult tasks for many years, including the previous Battle of Taikang, where they used their flesh and blood to slow down the advance of the Tiger and Leopard Battalion of the Jing Army, thus creating conditions for Lu Chen to personally lead the Long Sword Army to launch a counterattack.

Even though Liu Shouguang immediately replenished the Guangji Army's troops after the war and allowed them more than half a month to rest, they were still unable to completely eliminate their physical and mental fatigue.

After taking over the defense of Gaotang City, they were faced with a strong attack from Jing's army.

In just seven days, the soldiers could not remember how many times they had repelled the enemy's attacks. They only knew that their hands holding the swords began to tremble, their steps became heavier and heavier, and they no longer had the boiling blood they had when the battle just started.

A young soldier with chapped lips looked at Fan Wending who was approaching and asked with courage: "General, can we defend this city?"

The team leader who was saluting next to him changed his expression slightly, and immediately scolded in a low voice: "Meng Kai, shut up, what nonsense are you talking about in front of the general!"

Faced with a powerful enemy, a small soldier actually felt afraid of fighting. This was a serious crime under military law. The captain actually wanted to protect this young fellow.

Fan Wendi raised his hand to stop the captain, and looked at the young soldier. He saw the confusion in his eyes, so he slowed down his tone and asked, "What do you think?"

Meng Kai lowered his head, and he realized that he shouldn't have been so rash. His comrades beside him looked at him with some sympathy and empathy.

Fan Wendi walked closer and said in a gentle voice, "Speak now, I won't blame you."

Meng Kai met the commander's peaceful gaze and said with some difficulty: "I don't know what to say, I just don't know when this war will be over. I haven't been back to visit my mother for a long time..."

The wind blew, and it seemed to carry the bloody smell of the battlefield.

Fan Wendi looked at the equally depressed soldiers around him, including the captain who scolded Meng Kai, and felt the depressing atmosphere that had actually existed for some time. He suddenly raised his hand and patted Meng Kai on the shoulder.

"I don't know when this battle will end, and I don't know how long we can hold out, but I can tell you clearly -"

Fan Wendi was not passionate, but his tone was firm enough, and he said solemnly: "I firmly believe that the final victory of this national war will belong to Da Qi. Since twenty years ago, the enemy has been thinking about destroying Da Qi. Not only did they fail to do so, but we have taken back a lot of territory, just like Gaotang where we are now. In the past twenty years, countless Da Qi men have sacrificed their lives and shed their blood, and there are also heroes like Duke Rong, Duke Wei, Prince Huai'an, and Governor Liu who led us to fight against the powerful enemy."

The soldiers looked at him quietly.

Fan Wending smiled and said to the young soldier in front of him: "No matter how difficult and tortuous the battle is, victory will definitely belong to Da Qi. We will definitely return victorious, just like your name."

Meng Kai raised his head and suddenly opened his mouth to reveal a bright smile.

The sun rises and the moon sets, and a new day arrives.

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Without any surprise, the Jing army launched another offensive.

Under the royal flag of the central army, Qing Yugong looked at the siege in the distance.

He had sufficient troops at his disposal, so the various units of the Tianjing Army took turns to fight in the city, maintaining a high level of pressure and making the Qi army in the city suffer.

However, this crude and simple tactic was equally difficult for Jing's army, because they would have to pay a greater price to attack the city from behind. Most of the time, they had to use their flesh and blood to consume the arrows and various city defense equipment of the defenders, and there were not many opportunities for them to actually climb up the city wall and engage in hand-to-hand combat.

If Qing Yugong had not been in charge personally, the generals under him would definitely not be so obedient and honest.

As Qing Yugong's right-hand man, Mie Gudi was very familiar with this situation, so after repeated hesitation, he whispered, "Your Majesty, should we suspend the offensive?"

Qing Yugong looked at him calmly.

Mie Gudi explained: "The enemy is isolated and helpless. We may be able to break their will by attacking and suppressing them. If we continue to attack and suppress them, it may be counterproductive."

If he had not followed Qing Yugong for many years and knew the prince's mind well, he would definitely not dare to say such words.

As expected, Qing Yugong did not rebuke him. He just continued to look ahead and said calmly, "Do you know what our army lacks the most now?"

Mie Gudi said sincerely: "Please teach me, Your Majesty."

Qing Yugong narrowed his eyes and said, "It's not a victory, but a regain of the determination that has been lost for many years. Twenty years ago, our army was able to capture Nanjing so quickly because of this determination in our hearts. This is the soul of our army. Twenty years have passed, and our army has been intoxicated in the dream of being invincible and has long lost the courage to sweep everything away."

Mie Gudi was silent, with a hint of shame in his eyes.

Qing Yugong continued, "Of course, I know there is a more reliable way to capture this city, but without this tempering, it will be difficult for my men to transform. I deliberately surrounded three sides and left one side open to give the Qi army a way out, so that they will not fight to the death. If our army cannot win even in this way, is there any need to continue this battle? Only by tearing the powerful enemy apart in one go can the warriors of Dajing become tigers and wolves on the grassland again, rather than lambs that have been raised for twenty years."

Mie Gudi took a deep breath and said seriously, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Qing Yugong said no more, and no one noticed that his hands were clenched into fists in his sleeves.

The Jing army finally did not let him down. After eleven consecutive days of hard fighting, the Guangji army, which suffered heavy losses in manpower, finally could not hold on any longer.

On the eighth day of the eighth month, the remnants of the Guangji Army withdrew from Gaotang City with difficulty at dawn, announcing that the first line of defense in the west of Jingzhou of the Great Qi had completely fallen into the hands of the Jing Army.

Qing Yugong did not stay too long. Under his order, the Jing army was divided into two parts and continued to advance.

One part, led by the great general Miegudi, commanded 20,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry, and stationed in Xifengyuan, pointing to the Yongqiu defense line in the east.

The other part was led by Qing Yugong himself, with 40,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry, and quickly approached Xileng Pass.

This is the most important pass in the western part of Jingzhou.

To the south is a 300-mile plain area with almost no obstacles along the way.

Directly to Pingyang Prefecture.

(End of this chapter)