Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 141 Forgot Gongda's Promise

On the top of Xiuwu City, Yang Chou, with his messy beard, stood on the observation tower, looking towards Piyuan and Lanqiu.

Seeing that the Qingzhou army was attacking Lanqiu in several directions, and soon there were cavalry blocking the passage to Xiuwu County, they guessed that Liu Bei wanted to attack Lanqiu with all his strength and was not trying to lure him over.

Yang Chou slammed the parapet fiercely and said angrily: "Liu Bei took advantage of my small number of soldiers and dared to deal with me calmly. If I had hundreds of cavalry, why would the people of Qingzhou be so rampant?"

He took in the soldiers from Gong County and Huojia County plus the troops of the He family, a total of more than 3,000 people, and the cavalry was transferred away by the prefect Zhang Yang.

Now the situation has changed. Liu Xuande attacked the city too quickly, and the fleeing soldiers caused panic among the people. Even if they were killed, it would be difficult to stop the rumors from spreading secretly.

Many people were frightened. They believed that defending each city would give Liu Bei an advantage. With only a few hundred soldiers scattered around to guard the cities, how could they resist the 30,000-strong army of Qingzhou?

Zhang Yang then changed his strategy and sent people to Henan Yin to recruit county soldiers. He then recruited the troops of the gentry and wealthy families, and gathered the troops of the two counties to fight a decisive battle with Liu Bei at Xiuwu.

The Qingzhou army crossed the Qi River and arrived at the south bank, which meant that half of the land of Henei County had fallen into Liu Xuande's hands, and the enemy's offensive was unstoppable.

Yuan Shao, Liu Dai and the Huns were all no match for Liu Bei. Zhang Yang did not think that his military strategy was better than that of Yuan Benchu ​​and others, but he had no choice but to fight.

Liu Bei had already accused Zhang Yang of crime and was about to lead his army to conquer several counties in Henei. When Zhang Yang saw the manifesto that night, he racked his brains but could not find any reason for offending Liu Xuande.

It can't be that it was really because he occupied the Heluo area. Liu Biao and Liu Dai were also members of the royal family, and they never attacked him.

Since defending the city will not consume the enemy's soldiers, the two armies should have a decisive battle. If defeated, just ride away on one horse. There are examples of strong armies being defeated in historical records. What if you win?
Zhang Yang thought silently.

……

Liu Bei had no time to care about what Yang Chou in Xiuwu City and Zhang Yang, the prefect of Huai County, were thinking. He had only one goal, which was to capture Lanqiu as soon as possible.

"kill!"

"Kill!"

There were shouts and cries of killing everywhere under the small city of Lanqiu. Because its city walls were built on a mound, it had a terrain advantage, and the battering rams built by the craftsmen were still not tall enough.

The soldiers placed ladders directly on the battering rams to the city wall, and the people below also raised the ladders and rushed up.

The soldiers used shield carts to block the rocks and logs thrown down from the city walls, but many people were still hit and screamed.

The soldiers of the Sound Shooting Camp shot crossbows from the top of the city walls, which made the Liangzhou soldiers dare not show their heads easily and they could only carry them and throw them down by hand.

"Boom..." Another shield cart was smashed by stones. The soldiers were buried under wood and rubble, wailing in pain.

The psychological defenses of Guo's troops collapsed, and people kept throwing down their weapons and fleeing.

The auxiliary squad leader ordered several people to hold up large shields to protect against flying arrows, and then ordered people to rescue their comrades buried under the rocks. The wounded soldiers were brought to the back one after another.

More auxiliary soldiers saw this tragic scene, but still gritted their teeth and rushed forward.

In sharp contrast to Guo's troops, the retreating deserters of Guo's army were blocked by the soldiers of the Xiandeng camp, and dozens of them were killed in succession before their escape was stopped.

The head of the Guo family felt his heart bleed when he saw this. He wanted to plead for mercy but he saw Liu Bei looking at the top of the city wall with a solemn expression. Dian Wei, who was guarding nearby, turned his head as if he noticed something, and the head of the Guo family dared not speak again.

People on the city walls were fighting desperately, and people below the city walls were fighting desperately too.

The attack had lasted for two hours without interruption, and the small town, which was only two hundred steps wide, was surrounded on all sides by rolling logs and rocks, but it had not yet subsided.

Liu Bei hesitated to send his troops into the battle because he did not see any signs of the enemy's decline.

I glanced sideways and noticed that Higurashi was tilted.

Liu Bei frowned, and in a moment he had made up his mind, so he said, "Raise the flag and sound the gong three times, then take off the armor and camp to rest."

There are five ways to retreat: one is to fight slowly, two is to stop, three is to retreat slowly, four is to turn around, and five is to retreat quickly. The smaller the city, the less troops can be deployed. The enemy built earth walls and fired rockets into them, but they did not catch fire.

Liu Bei somewhat understood the feeling that Kong Ming had when he was attacking Chencang.

He then ordered the military officers to find Ran and a group of craftsmen. When the craftsmen who were with the army heard that the siege on the city was not going well, and the envoy suddenly sent people to find them, they all looked at each other in surprise.

Ran couldn't help but say a few words to comfort them, and only then did the craftsmen step onto the platform as if relieved.

Liu Bei pointed at the ram and asked, "Can the machine be made another ten feet taller, and another ten feet wider and longer in front?"

“It can be expanded further, but there is a risk of collapse.”

The craftsman first measured it, then discussed it for a while, and then answered cautiously.

Liu Bei laughed and said, "It's okay. As long as we don't fall down on the way forward, the wooden pillars on top of the battering ram will support the city wall and it won't fall down easily."

"Once the battering ram is pushed down, I will trouble you to expand it so that the soldiers can breathe easy and break through the city." Liu Bei said with a bow.

Upon hearing this, the craftsmen bowed and said, "Your Excellency, you are too kind. We will try every possible means to stabilize the ram and prevent it from collapsing in the middle of the road."

The military tent was crowded at night, with military commanders, marquises, and garrison commanders all gathered together.

Liu Bei ordered his scouts to attack Xiuwu County. Bao Xin led the infantry and cavalry of Ruichongying and brought the armed chariots to the passage blocking Lanqiu, allowing Zhang Fei to be the first to enter the camp and capture Lanqiu again with the improved battering rams.

The auxiliary soldiers are weak in night combat and are all kept in the barracks without moving.

Xun You and Guo Jia stayed in the military camp to make orders, while Taishi Ci led the Huben cavalry and light cavalry to keep an eye on the Liangzhou bandit army in the direction of Piyuan.

Liu Bei personally led the Armored Battalion to hold torches for the central army to supervise the battle, and the soldiers beat the war drums. If half an hour had not passed, he would personally lead the Armored Battalion to attack Lanqiu.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's worries about the siege disappeared instantly.

All the generals, captains, military secretaries, marquises, and garrison commanders were excited and eager to get started.

If a small town of only a few hundred people also needs envoys to go first to attack it, wouldn't that make them seem useless?

I felt so ashamed of the envoy's kindness over the years that my face felt hot.

At worst, you can sacrifice your life. After we capture the city wall, I will behead the rebels and display their heads in public to avenge you.

Military officers of all ranks stood up excitedly with red faces and red necks, accepted the order and bowed and left.

"Warfare requires courage. Your Excellency's method of provoking the enemy is very clever, instantly dispelling the gloom that has prevented us from conquering the enemy during the day."

After Guo Jia and other military officers left, he couldn't help but bow and praise.

Xun You also nodded.

Liu Bei quickly wiped his sword with a cloth and asked his personal guards to put on armor for him.

After hearing what Guo Jia said, Liu Bei thought to himself, "I'm not trying to provoke him, I'm just telling the truth."

If the soldiers really cannot attack, then they can only fight bravely and take the lead.

Other generals liked to provoke their opponents, but Liu Xuande always kept his word. If he said he would fight to the death, he really meant it, otherwise why would the generals have such a violent reaction.

Liu Bei caught a glimpse of Xun You still beside him, and suddenly stopped talking when he remembered an agreement.

(End of this chapter)