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Chapter 412: Lu Youxian's Defeat (asking for monthly votes)
Li Guanyi and his troops moved all the civilians in the outer area of ​​Zhenxixiong City who had not been taken back to the inner city out one by one, registered them, and did not harm their lives. Instead, they sent a group of soldiers to move them to different cities in the Western Regions for temporary settlement.

Food, wine and meat were also transported into the city.

Pojun did not fight at all. On the one hand, he arranged garrisons in the city and continued to defend the city according to Lu Youxian's defense measures to deal with the reinforcements from the State of Chen. On the other hand, he held a banquet in the area between the outer city and the inner city.

The meat was stewed directly under the gate of the inner city. The aroma was surging and extremely tempting, and it kept drifting into the inner city with the wind. The soldiers and civilians in the inner city were already panicked, and their wills were shaken by the extremely tempting aroma.

He and his men were inside the city, holding their ground stubbornly, and the reinforcements were intercepted.

The food reserves in the inner city were far from sufficient and could only be used for emergency purposes. The soldiers and civilians in the city had to control their daily quotas, and Po Jun seemed to have anticipated this and only used wine, meat and delicacies as weapons, in an attempt to attack the hearts and minds of the people and disintegrate the defenses in the city.

Ye Chongdao, veteran generals such as Zhou Xianping led the supporting troops to arrive.

However, they were blocked outside the city by the city defenses built by Lu Youxian before. General Wang Shunchen, a sharpshooter who could shoot thousands of arrows alone, led the Hundred Guards Camp and personally guarded the place.

There were also hundreds of people led by Gongsun Huaizhi and Pan Wanxiu, who were in charge of defending the city.

With only tens of thousands of people guarding the outer city, Chen's reinforcements were blocked. Chen Dingye learned that the city of Zhenxi might fall. Some officials suspected that Lu Youxian had defected and surrendered. Chen Dingye was furious: "Lu Youxian has a heart as hard as iron, he will never betray me!"

"Keep sending reinforcements!"

"If fifty thousand doesn't work, then one hundred thousand. If one hundred thousand doesn't work, then two hundred thousand!"

"You must bring Lu Youxian back to me!"

"We must defend this heroic city of Zhenxi and never let Li Guanyi rise to prominence!"

Chen Dingye's eyes turned red. The Chen army continued to move forward. Along the way, they mobilized 200,000 farmers to perform forced labor. The last general who could defend the country must not fall into Li Guanyi's camp.

It was only at this time that the generals of the State of Chen felt more deeply the horror of Lu Youxian.

Even they could not conquer the entire city defense system built by Lu Youxian. Coupled with the deployment of top-notch archers, the army of the State of Chen suffered many losses under the city of Zhenxixi.

It can’t be broken. It can’t be broken at all!
If you raise your sight, you will see that the Zhenxixiongcheng Fortress, which was built according to the terrain, has gates on both sides. It was originally the core city for defending the Western Regions. But at this moment, Li Guanyi's troops occupied the outer city of the fortress.

The supplies and logistics arranged by Yan Daiqing were continuously transported from dozens of cities centered on Anxi City to ensure the stability of the city's defense; and the coalition forces, which had just experienced the battlefield in the Western Regions and were in high spirits, relied on the city defense built by Lu Youxian himself to fight against the State of Chen.

This place almost became a front-line confrontation between the State of Chen and the Tiance Prefecture.

Both sides were trying to seize this key fortress. If Chen State controlled the area represented by Zhenxixiong City, it would block the connection between the Western Regions and the Southwest, and would control the neck of the Western Regions. Once Li Guan broke through this city, he would be able to dominate the Western Regions and swallow up the world.

Both sides fought here.

At this moment, smoke was rising from the areas between the outer city and the inner city, and the smell of delicious food was everywhere. Laughter and joy never stopped, and the sounds and fragrances spread to the inner city.

The soldiers guarding the city cursed: "Eat, eat, eat, all you know is to eat."

"I can't eat you to death!"

But he subconsciously reached out his hand and touched his belly, and felt a wave of hunger that seemed to want to swallow him up - it had been more than ten days since Li Guanyi's troops occupied the outer city, and there was not much food prepared in the inner city.

What's more, there are civilians in the city.

The defenders and the civilians had to consume a large amount of food and fodder for their daily rations. Simply being stuck inside soon began to run out of money. In the past few days, the rice porridge they made had become so shiny that it was almost like thin porridge.

Once the logistics were cut off, not only was there widespread resentment among the people, but the morale of the soldiers in the army also began to decline every day, and there was even a hint of mutiny.

Fan Qing also organized soldiers to shout every day: "Surrender and you won't be killed!"

"There's food to eat when you come down!"

On the other side, every night, Chen Wenmian led the soldiers of the Canglang Guard to sing the songs of the Chen State. Under this tremendous pressure, the hungry people in the inner city burst into tears when they heard the local accents of their hometown.

But even in such harsh circumstances.

Under the leadership of Lu Youxian, the remaining 10,000 defenders and more than 100,000 civilians in the inner city still resisted several attacks, fought tenaciously, and were full of a strong fighting will.

But even the most determined general had reached his limit at this time. The food and grass in the city had been exhausted, the people had only one meal a day to fill their stomachs, and the soldiers could have two meals a day, but it was difficult for them to recover to their peak combat effectiveness.

The general could hold on for a short time because of his strong physique as a warrior, but there was no way he could hold on for a long time. The reinforcements from the State of Chen barely managed to contact Lu Youxian, hoping that Lu Youxian could continue to hold on for a while.

However, all attempts to deliver food into the city by various means failed.

The Archer General shot and killed many flying monsters.

On this day, the generals of Zhenxi Xiongcheng gathered together. They all looked much more disheveled than they did more than a month ago, with untidy beards, dark circles under their eyes, and bloodshot eyes.

They could still argue at the beginning, but now, they no longer even have the desire to argue.

Under this circumstance, Lu Youxian implemented an extremely strict rationing system.

Relying on his strong personal charm in the army, he managed to hold on for a month. At this moment, the generals no longer had any other thoughts and only hoped to hold on for a while longer. One general said in a hoarse voice:
"...General Ye Zhongdao's reinforcements failed in their attempt to break out. Hey, our city is really well built. But it's also true that no matter how good the Ye Chi cavalry is at charging, this city is targeting the Western Regions, which is equivalent to targeting all cavalry."

"They have no choice. There is nothing they can do about it."

"what should we do……"

Another general, Zhao Yizhou, said: "Li Guanyi's troops did not attack violently, and the defense of the inner city is even stronger. Our army's morale can barely hold up, but we don't have enough food..."

"If we continue like this, we will collapse due to logistical problems."

Everyone was silent.

They have been struggling for so long, and they all know that this place has contributed so much to the changes in the world situation, and they are absolutely unwilling to hand it over so lightly.

I always hope that I can hold on for a while longer, and hold on for a while longer.

With the national strength of Da Chen, as long as they hold on and wait for the reinforcements from Chen to rush into the outer city and then rush out from the inner city, they can defend this place. But the key point is that they have no food.

The soldiers no longer have the ability to maintain adequate combat effectiveness.

Lu Youxian remained solemn and said calmly: "Kill the war horses... Reduce the standard of fodder provided to the generals to the same level as that of the soldiers, two meals a day, and the civilians one meal a day, in order to maintain the combat effectiveness of the army."

"Those who are still able to fight can eat meat, otherwise they can only eat rice porridge."

Everyone looked at each other and nodded.

"promise!"

They held out for another ten days. Even the Po Jun was shocked by their terrifying tenacity. Even the bark of the trees in the city was pulled out. The faces of the Chen soldiers defending the city were thin, their bones were exposed, but their eyes were like torches.

Although his spirit is strong, he cannot hold on for too long.

Zhao Yizhou remained silent for a long time, took off his helmet, half-knelt on the ground, and said:

"General, this leaves us with only one last resort."

Lu Youxian asked: "What?"

Zhao Yizhou was silent for a moment, then said, "There are still civilians in the city."

Lu Youxian's pupils contracted, and Zhao Yizhou gritted his teeth and said, "Whether this city falls into Li Guanyi's hands will determine whether Da Chen can maintain its current situation. Once this city is lost and Qin Wuhou rises, Da Chen will be humiliated."

"General, the people can all be used as food, enough to sustain for several months. By then, the morale of Qin Wuhou's army will collapse, and Dachen will be able to recover. With the combination of the two, we can still defend this place and Dachen!"

"General!"

"The country's borders cannot be lost in our hands!"

"Even if we fail, the fact that Qin Wuhou surrounded and attacked us, leading to cannibalism, can also tarnish his reputation as a benevolent man!"

"Even if we bear eternal infamy, we cannot betray our country!"

"General!"

Zhao Yizhou kowtowed and choked with sobs. Lu Youxian remained silent for a long time. He walked out and looked at the inner city. The inner city was no longer as prosperous as it was in the past. Instead, it became quiet and lonely. In order to stop consuming, people lay on the ground.

Only the children had enough energy to raise their hands and catch the butterflies in the wind.

Lu Youxian was still wearing armor until this moment, and his battle robe was already covered with blood. They recognized this famous general of the State of Chen and looked at him. Lu Youxian walked through the inner city step by step. People stood up, with respect and trust on their faces for this general who had protected them in wars more than once.

Lu Youxian closed his eyes.

Dachen, Dachen...

I am Da Chen.

He held the sword in his hand, and the hometown that came to his mind was the waterway where he ran when he was young, and the branches extending from the yard, laden with heavy fruits, and people coming and going, talking and smiling.

The fruits are crisp and sweet, and the sound of the wind carries laughter. My Dachen is a place of flourishing culture, number one in the world. It occupies the southern part of the Central Plains and is rich in all directions. Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Mohism are all present. Even the peddlers selling pulp and tea in the market can recite a few lines of poetry.

"General..."

Lu Youxian opened his eyes.

He looked at the road, and saw crowds of people standing up and looking at his people.

They were much thinner, but there was still respect in their eyes, which was the trust and recognition of Lu Youxian. They said, "General, can we win?"

A child started crying. Her mother was too embarrassed to comfort her and said apologetically, "I'm just hungry."

Lu Youxian looked up and saw countless people looking at him on this not-so-long road. They were expecting him to come. But Lu Youxian suddenly thought of the strategy his general had mentioned.

Using the people in the city as food, they could sustain themselves for several months and reverse the situation.

How can we abandon our country, how can we let our country be humiliated, how can we let our country lose its border fortresses? !
Lu Youxian held his sword. He was also a general who would build a Jingguan with the heads of the enemy troops after defeating them. The weapon in his hand had also been used to tear the enemy apart before. However, at this moment, the sword felt so heavy.

Finally, Lu Youxian loosened his grip. He took out his share of dry food from his arms, handed it to the crying child, and said:
"...I will protect you all."

………………

Inside and outside the city of Zhenxi, Fan Qing and Qibili were both having trouble keeping their spirits up. They looked at the majestic city with admiration on their faces. Qibili whispered, "...It's been forty days, plus the previous siege. We had an army of 300,000 and attacked a city defended by 50,000 people, but we couldn't take it down in two months."

"We have all come out, and we also have Mr. Zhou Pinglu's plan."

"Mr. Wen Qingyu's strategy, as well as Mr. Pojun, Chen Wenmian, my lord, you and me, General Wang Shunchen, General Yue Qianfeng, and General Li Zhaowen, have all come, but have been stopped for so long by a Lu Youxian."

Fan Qing said: "In terms of defending the city, this man is already the best."

Qibi said: "If we continue like this, our morale will be hard to sustain. After two months of siege, we have achieved nothing and our morale has been somewhat affected. If there is another month, I am afraid we will have to consider other methods."

Fan Qing nodded. Morale is not something that always exists. It will rise or fall due to various reasons. When morale is low, forcing a city to attack will be counterproductive. But at this moment, a crisp sound was suddenly heard.

Fan Qing and Qibili's expressions suddenly changed. They saw that the inner city of Zhenxi Pass was slowly opening.

？ ！！

The Qilin Army changed instantly, and the alert army moved forward, with spears held horizontally, long swords unsheathed, bows drawn, and crossbows held horizontally. This was only because of a man in front of them, who was wearing ink-colored armor and whose battle robe had long been stained with blood in the battle, and the blood had dried and turned black.

Fan Qing whispered: "Lu Youxian..."

In silence, Lu Youxian, a famous general of the State of Chen, walked out.

Behind him were the hungry people, the fortress of the State of Chen, and the angry and sad generals: "Lu Youxian, what are you going to do!!! What are you going to do!!"

Zhao Yizhou's voice was shrill and angry.

The wind blew over, and Lu Youxian's hair flew. He looked at the Qilin Army with weapons and armor standing in front of him, and at Li Guanyi and Chen Wenmian who were rushing over. This solemn and famous general loosened his grip and the sword in his hand fell.

The weapon that had intercepted the Wolf King, cut off Jiang Su's forces, and stopped Li Guan's army fell to the ground. The immovable god stretched out his hands, and his knees, which had never bent, fell heavily to the ground. He knelt on the ground, closed his eyes, and said in a hoarse voice:
"...Lu Youxian."

"Kaicheng, surrender."

slam-la-

The Qilin Army in front of Lu Youxian spontaneously retreated, and no one was willing to bear the kneeling of this divine general. Li Guan took a big step forward, stretched out his hand, supported the famous general, and said, "General Lu, please stand up quickly!"

Lu Youxian pressed Li Guanyi's arm and looked at him:

"Please, treat the people well..."

It was a battle, the inner city was completely opened, and Li Guanyi's troops immediately entered. Zhao Yizhou was angry and unwilling, but was still captured. The civilians were brought out and fed with thin rice porridge to ensure their lives.

Li Guanyi was extremely polite and courteous to Lu Youxian, treating him as a distinguished guest. Zhou Pinglu also went to ask for forgiveness. Lu Youxian remained silent for a long time and just said, "Gentlemen have a saying that those who know the current affairs are heroes. This gentleman is indeed a hero."

When the general spoke of such things, he actually did not have much resentment. He just sighed and lamented. He also knew that Zhou Pinglu was just one of the causes of his failure. Even if Zhou Pinglu had not been there, there would have been others.

Zhou Pinglu only said: "In the whole world, the princes of Chen and Ying are all the subjects of the Red Emperor."

Lu Youxian smiled helplessly and said, "He is quite eloquent."

"Even I can't blame you for such a noble cause."

The news of Lu Youxian's surrender was spread.

Zhou Xianping, Ye Zhongdao and others had to evacuate. The Qilin Army had begun to expand its influence around Zhenxi Xiongcheng with the city as the core. The Qilin Army was stationed in towns and villages around Zhenxi Xiongcheng.

This war of attrition and siege that attracted worldwide attention ended in a way that no one expected.

The general who was best at defending the city ended up opening the city and surrendering.

This was the last barrier blocking Li Guanyi's forces in the Western Regions. The defeat of the famous general Lu Youxian determined the final winner of the Western Regions. With the surging momentum, Li Guanyi could vaguely feel that the fortune of the southwest was attracting him.

Lu Youxian met with Ye Buyi, Zhou Liuying, Gong Zhenyong and others. It would be more accurate to say that it was Pojun who ordered these generals of the State of Chen to appease the mood of this top general. Li Guanyi's troops were extremely short of a general like Lu Youxian.

"Humanoid fortress!"

"As long as he is given enough time and logistical support, he can build a fortress that can stop 99% of the world's generals. Moreover, as long as Wen He is put under his command, then the only problem of breaking through his fortress will not be a problem!"

Pojun is determined to defeat Lu Youxian.

There are many famous offensive generals in Qin Wuhou's Qilin Army. In addition to Li Guanyi, there are also Chen Wenmian, Li Zhaowen, and Fan Qing can also be considered one of them.

In terms of defense, only Fan Qing can be used.

How can just one Fan Qing be enough?
By the time the world is divided into three parts, the borders of Li Guanyi's sphere of influence will be extremely long.

We need such a famous general to be stationed here.

However, during this period of time, Ye Buyi, Li Guanyi, Pojun and others frequently visited Lu Youxian and treated Lu Youxian with great kindness and courtesy. However, Lu Youxian still refused to give any advice to Li Guanyi's troops and just acted like he was enjoying his retirement.

Ye Buyi did not think that he could convince this resolute general so quickly. After visiting him this time, he just stood up and said goodbye, saying:
"Then, General Lu, I will not bother you any more and will take my leave today."

Lu Youxian personally stood up to see him off, and finally looked at the young general and said, "You are all smart people who know the situation. The world is in turmoil, and it is your era. I am almost fifty years old, and I can't keep up with this turbulent era after all."

Ye Buyi remained silent. He was always a fierce person, so he asked directly:
"General Lu, do you think we are traitors?"

Lu Youxian said: "I know that His Majesty has let you down."

"The world is so vast, and all the countries in the Central Plains are vassal states of the Red Emperor. It is difficult to clearly define treason among them. In the eyes of the Central Plains, as long as they do not defect to the Turks or Tuyuhun Dangxiang and then attack the Central Plains, it does not count."

"In troubled times, everyone has their own standpoints, and I am not qualified to judge you."

“Who knows what is right or wrong when you are in it?”

Ye Buyi nodded, said goodbye and left.

"The water shield and sea bass from Chen State are in season. We have sent someone to bring them back. We can prepare a dish from your hometown for you then."

"Hahahaha, ok, I'll wait."

Lu Youxian watched them leave and stood alone in the courtyard arranged by Li Guanyi, listening to the sound of the wind. He stood there alone, feeling desolate and lonely, only drinking and not eating meat.

After drinking several jars of wine, his face was tipsy. With his eyes closed, he seemed to hear the sound of the wind from his homeland. He suddenly became angry, drew out his sword, and danced with it in the wind. His sword moves were wild and domineering, and full of heroic spirit.

The last sword pierced through the fallen leaves disturbed by the strong energy, and was held flat in front of him. Then it was taken back and placed in front of his eyes. Lu Youxian gently brushed the sword with his palm and saw his own eyes and the white hair on his temples.

He suddenly thought of the past.

A dull boy in his youth, he joined the army and conquered the world.

When he was young, he married a girl from a neighboring family and was stationed in one city after another, protecting the people in each place. His favorite thing was to take off his armor, wear only casual clothes and relax in the city where he was stationed.

It’s just a pity to see how the people are living and hear the sounds of peace and tranquility.

The hometown and homeland in my memory have gradually become blurred. As we can see now, the situation of Dachen is hopeless and cannot be reversed.

Lu Youxian stroked the sword with his palm.

He who knows the times is a hero. The world is changing drastically, and there is no right or wrong.

There are those who judge the situation and those who stick to their own principles.

If the world was full of talented people who could judge the situation, wouldn't it be too boring? !
The world is surging like a tidal wave, and I am just a mantis trying to stop a chariot, overestimating my own capabilities.

Then just overestimate your own abilities!
"Gentlemen, be the ones who can judge the situation!"

Lu Youxian raised the long sword in his hand, as if the newly forged sword blade was placed on his neck. The invincible general in the world lowered his eyes slightly, as if he had returned to his youth and saw the motherland where he grew up.

Da Chen, Da Chen.

There were sounds of piano and flute, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Mohism, and the culture was flourishing, the best in the world. The military was so strong that people from all directions were afraid of it, but the people lived in peace and security, and even the vendors selling things on the street could talk about poetry.

Dachen, such a brilliant name, such a magnificent past.

The ending of this name.

It shouldn't end with some conspiracy or sneakiness!

The general's temples finally showed white hair, and he heard the songs of his youth again. He smiled slightly, then suddenly exerted force, and the sword tore open his throat as easily as tearing open the enemy's body.

A surge of passion gushed out.

The long sword was stained with blood and was against the ground. The general held the sword and did not kneel down this time.

He stopped the Turks, resisted the Ying State, suppressed the south of the Yangtze River, fought in the Western Regions, pacified the Wolf King, cut off Jiang Su, and defended against the 300,000 troops of Qin Wuhou with 50,000 troops for two months. This was the end of Lu Youxian's life.

The god-like general who was best at defense opened the city and surrendered in the last battle.

Defending the city serves the country, opening the city serves the people.

It's war.

Zhou Liuying, Ye Buyi, Zhou Pinglu, Gong Zhenyong and more than 40 other generals, big and small, were all subjects of Qin Wuhou. They were brave and good at fighting, and had made great military achievements. Qin Wuhou knew how to appoint people to the right positions, and the harmony between the monarch and his subjects was a good thing, which spread thousands of miles away.

General Chen Lu Youxian.

Martyred for the country.

(End of this chapter)