Zhu Ke led the main force of the Qi army along the south bank of Diyan Lake and invaded Duanshui County from Hengye County, surrounded and occupied Shuigu City. Cao Jun commanded Ding Kui to order the troops to retreat and organize defenses on the front lines of Tianhe City and Huining City.
Ding Kui withdrew his command to Duanshui County, leaving 50,000 Cao troops to build defense lines in Tianhe City and Huining City. Xu Dao was responsible for supervising the battle.
"Helian Yuxun asked, how is the current situation in Duanshui County? Can you hold back the main force of Qi Army, or how long can you hold it off?" Ruan Xingzhu held the jade talisman of the messenger, wanting to show it to Ding Kui himself, but it was difficult to do it in front of everyone.
Can't give.
Ding Kui turned to Su Fan and asked, "Do you know how many troops the enemy has come?"
"Well, judging from what we have observed so far, there are no less than 50,000 enemy troops approaching from the direction of Tianhe City, and there are estimated to be 100,000 enemy troops outside Huining City." Su Fan was unable to determine the number of Qi troops.
Ao Yu felt Ding Kui's gaze, so he said: "There was interference from the forbidden magician that night. The troops on the water could not tell. There were about 50,000 enemy troops on the ground. It is hard to say whether there will be more behind.
"
"Based on road traffic capacity and time, Zhu Ke has been able to bring 100,000 people from Route 6 so far. The navy landing on Route 6 will not go too far, so it can be ignored. In addition to the original defenders of about 70,000, we will temporarily
We have to face an army of 170,000 people." Ding Kui could only rely on himself.
"It is comparable to our army, but the enemy's attacks are concentrated in Tianhe City and Huining City. My subordinates believe that our army's reinforcements cannot arrive in time." Liang Chong agreed with Ding Kui's calculation.
"How about continuing to retreat?" Su Fan felt the pressure from the enemy.
"No!" Ding Kui objected, "There are four cities to be defended in the back. We must concentrate our troops on Tianhe City and Huining City. Brother Yu, Xingzhu, and I will return to the front tonight. You can mobilize troops for me in the rear.
Let me and Zhu Ke compete against each other."
Due to the early attack, it was easy for Cao's army to gather 100,000 people in Tianhe City and Huining City. Ding Kui personally visited the defense line and withstood the Qi Army's fierce attack for a day. The first batch of reinforcements arrived, and Tianhe City and Huining City
Fifty thousand Cao troops were stationed respectively.
Ding Kui, Ao Yu and Ruan Xingzhu stayed in Huining City, while General Shi, Xue Fu and Xiahou Xun went to Tianhe City to fight against the sixth-level masters in Qi Jun's formation.
To the north of Huining City, a handsome young man stood on the commander's platform, with a few soldiers next to him and no other officers.
He asked: "Is it Ding Kui who is using dragon-shaped fighting energy on the opposite side?"
The soldier replied: "Yes, sir, the man next to him is named Ding Yu and the woman is named Ruan Xingzhu. They are both Shaodian people."
"What's wrong with Shaodian people? They fight against me with all their lives." The young man seemed to be asking himself, but no one answered.
In the minds of others, no problem can trouble this young man.
"Well, maybe he is afraid of our Tongbei Empire. Being here shows that he has good vision." This young man is Zhu Ke.
"Although I knew he had some tricks, I didn't expect his tactics to be so changeable and he would be a troublesome opponent." Zhu Ke has been paying attention to Ding Kui's tactics. It can't be said that he admires them, but it has exceeded his expectations several times.
"Report!" A soldier ran up to the commander's platform, "The enemy general Ding Kui wants to interview you."
"Hahaha, not grand enough, just thinking about useless things. Tell him that I have prepared food and wine in the cell and am waiting for him. Huh! He Lianyu wants to have an interview, but he can still consider it. I'm not good at manliness, so if I see him doing it
Well." Zhu Ke's expression fluctuated from clear to dark, making people unpredictable.
The first half of his words were conveyed to Ding Kui, who raised his hand and rewarded Bi Qiao with a Dragon Kill Nine Changes, then jumped out of the battle circle and led his people back to Huining City.
"Instruct the headquarters to stop sending reinforcements to the front line and strengthen defenses in the cities behind." Ding Kui immediately ordered after returning to the city.
His order was very timely. Reports of the Qi army's sneak attack came from the rear that night. Fortunately, Cao's army was well prepared and defended the city, losing only the surrounding villages and towns.
Su Fan went to Liang Chong privately and said, "Ask for help from the base camp. The number of Qi troops who have invaded Duanshui County has exceeded 200,000. I feel that Lord Ding is too stubborn and has quarreled with Zhu Ke."
"This is not a question of stubbornness. Judging from the entire battle situation, Zhu Ke led the main force of the Qi army into the Duanshui County war zone, and the main force of the coalition forces could free their hands and feet to attack other strategic locations.
The worst thing we can do here is to lose Duanshui County and not wipe out all your troops." Liang Chong objectively analyzed the situation.
"If Duanshui County is lost, Xu Dao and I will lose our heads!" Su Fan was anxious. Liang Chong did not have to bear any responsibility for the loss of territory. He and Xu Dao could share the credit and bear the responsibility, and did not want to lose the already achieved results.
"There is merit in supporting the main battlefield from the side, don't worry! Our Lord Ding will not let you suffer, not to mention that is only the worst case scenario, we may be able to hold on." Liangchong was more optimistic.
He continued his analysis: "The victory of the Qi army's attack was its suddenness, but it was also defeated by its suddenness. They had no time to prepare siege equipment, so Master Ding led his troops to defend Tianhe City and Huining City, and also ordered the rear to strengthen defenses, causing the Qi Army It can capture some villages and towns but cannot capture the city.
An army of 200,000 eats, drinks and defecates, which requires a huge amount of supplies. Except for Shuidi City and Shuikou City, all military supplies in Duanshui County are in the hands of our army. The Qi Army must solve this problem first, otherwise they will not be able to stay outside the city. Seeing that Severe winter is approaching, and Qi Army's logistical support will have major problems.
The Qi Army may be able to solve the above problems through time, but time is their biggest problem. The main force of the coalition forces can withdraw from other battlefields at any time and transfer to Duanshui County. The two closest legions of Cao Army can arrive within three days. What do you think? Will Duanshui County be lost in three days?"
Su Fan calmed down. Liang Chong's analysis made sense. As the commander of the army, he could understand it. "How about I go back to the rear and take charge of defense?" He was worried about the empty rear area.
There were 100,000 Cao Cao's troops on the line between Tianhe City and Huining City, 40,000 on the line between Shengong City and Tunsha City, and less than 40,000 Cao's troops on the county and south areas.
It is reported that the Qi army that attacked the rear has about 50,000 troops, but these troops have seven or eight target cities to choose from, and they may be able to attack places where there is no strength.
Since the headquarters moved back to the county town, Ding Kui's order strictly prohibiting entry and exit has been revoked. Liang Chong has no reason to object to Su Fan going to the rear. This is in line with Ding Kui's order to strengthen defense.
Discussions are also taking place at the coalition base camp, mainly between He Lianyu and Xu Ying.
"Is Duanshui County the most important place?" He Lianyu asked a question.
Xu Ying replied slowly: "It doesn't count. Every inch of land is the most important to me. If we have to prioritize it, I hope it is a bigger place."
He Lianyu sounded a bit harsh but could understand that most people who lost their country thought so.
"The current three cities in Duanshui County are not under the control of our army, and one or two may be added in the short term. In terms of area, it should be the smallest one. I believe that the two commanders Leng Li and Mou Xun can capture a larger territory. , provided that the base camp sends them more troops." She put forward her own idea first.
Leng Po and Mou Xun were the commanders who attacked the other two strategic locations, commanding the Meng Army and Cao Army respectively.
"Ding Kui is fighting against Zhu Ke alone in Duanshui County. If we ignore him, the world will criticize our king for deliberately framing him. This is not in line with our hospitality." Xu Ying was worried.
"Grrrr, I kind of regret sending him to Duanshui County." He Lianyu suddenly laughed, "It made me look like I was avenging a private enemy, deliberately not sending reinforcements, and killing someone who claimed to have defeated me."
"No, if Ding Kui hadn't been in Duanshui County, he wouldn't have been able to lure Zhu Ke there, let alone hold back the main force of the Qi army. There would be nothing we are discussing today." Xu Ying also had a smile on his face.
Like He Lianyu, his treatment of Ding Kui is easy to cause misunderstandings. People will not analyze it carefully. They are most likely to magnify a doubt and no one will listen to your explanation. Evil conspiracy theories will dominate.
He Lianyu glanced at Xu Ying with deep sympathy and said: "I do not support the rescue of Duanshui County. If senior insists, I will not object. Ding Kui has not yet shown his true strength. He has hidden things in his belly."
What a bad idea."
Xu Ying waved her hand and said: "Haha, little girl! Xu is old and cannot bear the heavy burden. You can't pass the responsibility to me. Duanshui County faces the Diyan Lake and may be attacked by the enemy navy at any time.
It is a place that is easy to attack but difficult to defend.
Even if the Qi army is defeated, they will still have to deploy a large number of troops to defend. Zhu Ke's purpose is not necessarily to occupy the land, so his purpose is only to destroy our army. However, siege warfare is the worst option, so we should
Defend city by city and fight a war of attrition.”
"Then it would be better to send Commander Xu Zhuo to replace Ding Kui, and I will add two more divisions to Commander Xu." He Lianyu immediately wrote a military order.
"Ah! Alas, I was fooled by this girl of yours, so you were waiting for me here." Xu Ying patted her forehead.
Ding Kui is an advisor to the army and can temporarily command Cao's army. Over time, it will cause many problems. The mission to Duanshui County this time is to capture the entire county, but after Zhu Ke designed a counterattack, he could not complete the mission. He Lianyu immediately
The only consideration was to bring Ding Kui back. His previous remarks were to lure Xu Ying into suggesting a defensive war.
Ruan Xingzhu, who was far away on the front line of Huining City, immediately received a message informing Ding Kui that Xu Zhuo was about to come to take over his command.
"What do you think? As soon as I leave, you guys will follow me. Will He Lianyu transfer the sixth-level masters from other war zones?" Ding Kui was not convinced.
In the past two days, he and Zhu Ke were playing battle formation command. Each day they sent two thousand people to line up and fight outside the city. The fight was evenly matched, with each winning or losing.
"It's almost the end of the year." Ruan Xingzhu only said one sentence.
"Okay." Ding Kui calculated the time and it was time to go home. "Zhu Ke was held back by me. The other war zones should be able to win the final victory. Overall, I won. This trip is considered a success."
"I've never seen you so competitive before. There are many talented people in the world, do you want to defeat them all? How can you advance?" Ruan Xingzhu mustered up the courage to accuse Ding Kui.
"That's right! It's important to advance as early as possible." Ao Yu clearly supported Ruan Xingzhu.
"Didn't I promise you?" Ding Kui was unable to refute.