A lowly soldier becomes king, I slaughter my way through the late Tang Dynasty!

Dingzhou, Anxi.

Despite his illness, Li Yinqiang stood on the city wall, gazing at the densely packed Khitan cavalry in the distance.

Luo Yunhui said in a deep voice from the side.

"There were about 20,000 cavalrymen, and the leader was Yelü Ruan, the nephew of the Khitan emperor."

Li Yin nodded.

"There is no need to worry. The people, money, and food have all been moved to the city in advance."

As long as we hold our city and refuse to fight, the Khitans can't do anything to us.

Every year after the autumn harvest, the Khitans would do this.

The border towns had long since learned their lesson; once the autumn harvest was complete, they would fortify their defenses and rely on the city walls for defense.

At most, the Khitans will retreat once they have seized enough food within a month.

only.

The space in a city is limited, and not all people are qualified to enter the city to take refuge.

Many civilians still have to hide in their simple homes.

If the Khitans discover them, the consequences will be dire.

The man was killed on the spot, while the woman was taken away as a trophy.

But there's nothing we can do about it.

Li Yin gave the instructions.

"Give Niu Ben and Li Rui each an order, instructing them to hold the city firmly, refuse to fight, and wait for the Khitan to retreat on their own."

Luo Yunhui nodded and immediately ordered someone to do it.

Niu Ben was stationed in Yi County, Yi Prefecture, with 5,000 soldiers under his command.

Before Li Yin's order arrived, he had already fortified the city's defenses and forbade any battles.

The Khitan cavalrymen ran rampant outside the city, constantly hurling insults.

Niu Ben remained unmoved.

He knew that holding the city was the best course of action.

As for the people and property that couldn't be moved into the city in time, there was nothing he could do.

Let the Khitans take it.

at the same time.

The same scene unfolded in Chengdejun's territory.

Du Chongwei was only interested in pleasure and was extremely afraid of war.

When the Khitans came to raid his territory, he was eager to tighten his defenses and hold the city.

However, he performed even worse than Li Yin and Niu Ben.

Li Yin and Niu Ben managed to organize in advance, allowing a large number of people to enter the city for refuge.

Du Chongwei was afraid that the Khitans would arrive too quickly and the city gates would not be closed in time.

He completely disregards the people!

Upon learning of the enemy's presence, he immediately ordered the city gates to be sealed off, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving.

This resulted in many families being locked out of the city!

These people cried out to heaven and earth in vain.

On a vast, open field, they had no way to hide.

When the Khitan cavalry arrived, they slaughtered them at will, like pigs and dogs.

Seeing this, Du Chongwei remained unmoved and continued to hide inside the tortoise shell.

And amidst this scene of cowering and defending.

A light cavalry unit, however, quietly and deliberately left the fortified city.

He Jingsi, leading five hundred Imperial Guard cavalry, felt his heart pounding like a drum.

Looking at the desolate scene around him, He Jingsi couldn't help but say.

"The intelligence says that Yelü Ruan was the one who raided Hebei, and he had at least 20,000 cavalrymen under his command."

"Li Youxiang, we only have 1,500 cavalry. Are we really going to engage them in open battle?"

Li Rui, riding a black steed, replied.

"Of course, how can new recruits become veterans if they don't experience combat in the field?"

He Jingsi gave a bitter smile.

So, 20,000 Khitan cavalrymen—such a formidable force!

In the eyes of this Jade Dragon General, it was also used for training troops!

"Li Youxiang, forgive my bluntness, but the way we've dealt with the Khitan raids in the south in the past has always been to hold the city and buy time."

Li Jieshuai and Niu Zuoxiang did the same thing, and Chengde Army and Anguo Army should have done the same.

"No one in the last hundred years has probably taken such a proactive approach as you."

The voice just fell.

Zhao Kuangyin then laughed from the side.

"Uncle, don't compare ordinary people to General Li."

He Jingsi was taken aback, then smiled.

Yes, what others take for granted seems to be different when it comes to Li Rui.

"Alright, now that we're out of the city, I won't waste any more time on this nonsense."

"Li Youxiang, I and my five hundred cavalrymen will henceforth be under your command."

Li Rui nodded slightly.

"That would be best, Commander He. Rest assured, I am not one to treat the lives of my soldiers as a joke."

Since they dared to venture out of the city to fight in the open, they must be confident of victory.

Upon hearing this...

He Jingsi blinked, unsure how to respond for a moment.

A sure-fire victory?

The enemy is a people on horseback, the ancestors of cavalry.

And the number of people is as high as 20,000!

There are only 1,500 people on our side.

Moreover, the thousand cavalrymen of the Guangfu Army were all new recruits!

That's it...

Is there still a sure chance of victory?

He Jingsi couldn't help but have some doubts.

……

On the Khitan side.

Yelü Ruan, young and ambitious, led 20,000 men straight to Dingzhou!

His goal was simple.

Kill Li Rui!

Although the purpose of heading south was to plunder grain and supplies, Yelü Ruan was not content with that.

He is determined to kill Li Rui!

the reason is simple.

That bastard Li Rui has inflicted too much damage on the Khitans!

All the Khitans hated him to the core.

Whoever kills Li Rui will surely gain immense prestige among the Khitan!

Yelü Ruan greatly desired this prestige.

He was not only Yelü Deguang's nephew, but also a strong contender for the next Khitan emperor.

If he could kill Li Rui.

With this prestige, he is very likely to secure the heir to the throne ahead of time.

and so.

After Yelü Ruan marched south, he immediately assembled his troops.

Ignoring the vast Anxi County, head straight for Boling County!

Let's go all out and kill Li Rui first!

however.

Yelü Ruan never expected this.

The city defenses of Boling County, which is neither too big nor too small, are incredibly strong!

The three concentric circles of trenches clearly indicated that preparations had been made in advance.

The outer perimeter was surrounded by countless barricades and barbed wire buried in the ground.

These were the cavalry's nightmare.

Besides.

On both sides of Boling County, towering arrow towers were specially built.

Not only could they keep an eye on the Khitan cavalry's every move, but they could also create crossfire.

Yelü Ruan Guang's teeth ached just looking at this defensive formation!

"Damn it, wasn't Boling County supposed to be just a medium-sized county? Why is its city defense layout even more complex than Anxi County's?!"

The deputy general standing to the side was also completely baffled.

"In previous years when we raided southwards, we never saw these things in Boling County; they must have been newly built."

Yelü Ruan was so angry he wanted to grind his teeth.

"It must be that damned Li Rui! Send a few men who can speak Mandarin to come and challenge him, and give him a good dressing down!"

Not long after.

Outside the layers of defensive fortifications, dozens of Khitans, speaking broken Chinese, continuously hurled insults and provocations.

The insults were quite vulgar.

only.

On the city wall of Boling, Zeng Feng, as the captain of the garrison, was completely bewildered.

"What are you babbling about?"

Wei Ping and Wang Qicai were equally baffled.

"I don't know, it's too far."

The three shrugged and decided to ignore it.

"It's probably not something nice to say."

"Let them curse. The general has ordered that we not engage in battle."

"Hey, you bunch of Khitan barbarians, if you've got the guts, come and attack the city with real swords and spears. Let's see if I can't crush them!"

……

The Khitans cursed for three whole days.

Boling County remained unmoved.

Yelü Ruan was so angry that his face trembled, but he was helpless!

"Li Rui! You coward!"