Under Dongping City, the number of bandits increased to 20,000.
Twenty thousand people, just Li Xingxi's vanguard, formed a mighty formation under the city tower.
In Dongping City, a feeling of panic is gradually spreading.
"Don't worry, General Cao's army already entered the city to garrison yesterday!"
"Although there are many enemy forces, our army is elite. Our army will win this battle!"
Li Niu recruited several generals and went to the city to spread the news and try to change public opinion.
But as long as someone walks to the top of the city and sees the densely packed bandit army in the east, he still feels a little scared.
And only a small number of people know that Cao Su left the city not long after arriving at Dongping City yesterday. Now, there is no Cao Su army in the city. It is still composed of Li Niu's 3,000 elite soldiers plus the original 2,000 government troops.
City defense army.
That's all. Five thousand sergeants, according to Cao Su's requirements, must stop Li Xingxi in Dongping City for more than three days.
Three days is not a long time, but when I look outside the outer east wall, I see enemy troops everywhere, and I don't have much confidence at all.
It's just that Li Niu was strict in running the army, and Cao's army was very disciplined, so no one dared to disobey.
Li Niu didn't sleep all night and arrived at the east wall section of Dongping City early in the morning.
After the arrival of more than 20,000 troops, a large amount of energy and blood power has been gathered in the east wall section, but the enemy has no intention of attacking the city yet.
A centurion under his command reported to him: "Since the fifth watch of the day, the enemy has been making fires to cook, and there are still a large number of enemy troops arriving in the distance. The general looks over there, it is the enemy's siege.
instrument."
Siege equipment was built on site, and Li Xingxi moved across the two states. The army under his command had already broken away from the category of a general "peasant rebel army."
Especially the vanguard army, which is the elite of the army, is wearing iron armor. There are also siege professionals in the army to assist the left army in building siege equipment.
For example, Cao Su's army lacked talents in this field.
His army basically focuses on field combat, and there are relatively few talents who specialize in siege equipment.
Of course, with the combat power of the Pingbei Army, there are few in the world who can defeat it in a field battle.
And once the field battle is defeated, defending the city is not a long-term solution.
Li Niu had very good eyesight and could see at a glance that behind Li Xingxi's army, a huge siege tower made of logs was being built.
However, Dongping City lacks defensive equipment. Except for some close-range ballistas, there are no defensive weapons that can cause actual damage, which makes defending the city even more difficult.
He looked worried and looked to the southeast silently, wondering where the general was now...
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Li Xingxi is in charge of the Chinese Army and is setting off from Jincheng today.
As soon as we arrived in Mojiang, there was a report from Tan Ma.
"Report to the general, news of the horse expedition last night."
Tan Ma hung the news on his horse, rushed to Li Xingxi's army, and then passed the news to Li Xingxi.
Although Li Xingxi is just an ordinary farmer's boy, he began to dominate Youzhou and Liaozhou after the Wanpingjun uprising. After several years, he is now considered the largest force in Youzhou and Liaozhou.
He has many generals under his command, top-grade warriors, and monks in the alchemy stage to assist him.
With the help of Weng Xiao, a monk in the alchemy stage, Li Xingxi also established his own intelligence system.
Tan Ma delivers all kinds of information to his ears so that he can make the most correct decision.
"Mr. Weng, what do you think?"
Li Xingxi gave the news to the middle-aged scribe at the side. The scribe took a look at the message and found that it said "Cao Su's army arrived at Dongping City last night, and the defenders of Dongping City increased."
Weng Xiao's eyes narrowed slightly: "This Cao Su came so fast."
Li Xingxi smiled: "Cao Su's men are mostly elite cavalry. In the past, he led tens of thousands of cavalry across Xizhou and defeated the Demon King of Breaking the Boundary. If there had not been a struggle with the imperial court, Cao Su would never have come to Youzhou."
"The more cavalry he has, the more mobile his army will be. I am not surprised at all that he can quickly rush to the aid of Dongping City after receiving the news."
Li Xingxi hoped that Cao Su would fight him in Dongping City. As long as the cavalry mobility of Cao Su's army could not be used, he could advance layer by layer.
This is also one of the reasons why Li Xingxi deliberately made some noise in Mojiang and made Youzhou nervous.
As long as Cao Su is trapped in Dongping City, it will be up to him, Li Xingxi, to decide whether to fight or let go.
"I'm afraid Cao Su won't enter Dongping City to defend it so easily."
"Cao Su is also a famous general of his generation. How could he not know this truth?"
Li Xingxi wanted to force Cao Su to fight in Dongping City, but he didn't expect it to be so effective. Cao Su actually came to Dongping City. He always had an unreal feeling and was worried that Cao Su had other plans.
"No matter what Cao Su does, as long as we capture Dongping City, we will have the first stronghold to enter Youzhou."
"After Dongping City, the road is smooth and we can easily reach Youzhou Mansion. Once our army appears in Youzhou Mansion, will Cao Su still be able to sit still?"
Weng Xiao's eyes flashed, and he said pitifully: "The general can also destroy Dongping City first, and then cut off the heads of the Northern Army in Dongping City and pile them outside Youzhou Mansion. By then, Youzhou Mansion will surely be
Big chaos."
"As long as Youzhou Prefecture is in chaos, Cao Su's foundation will be gone and this battle will be won."
The strategy proposed by Weng Xiao was not something that an ordinary Taoist could explain. After hearing this, Li Xingxi felt that it was a bit too harsh.
But he had long been accustomed to Weng Xiao's style of doing things, and after hearing this, he silently kept this plan in mind.
"Speed up!"
Li Xingxi shouted loudly.
Under Li Xingxi's urging, his army began to speed up across the river.
A few hours later, Li Xingxi's army also crossed the Mojiang River and began to move towards Dongping City.
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Two days later, it snowed heavily.
South of Jincheng, Heyong County.
A heavy snow drifted from the north and quickly covered the entire world.
The world is vast, and the Mojiang River is completely frozen. The thick ice allows war horses to gallop on the ice.
Of course, no war horse dares to gallop on the ice. The balance is too difficult to control and it is easy to fall.
Cao Su lay in wait in the woods for two days.
It wasn't until it snowed heavily that day that he led his troops out of the woods.
Everyone led their horses and carefully stepped across the Mojiang River, and easily entered Liaozhou on the opposite side of the Mojiang River.
If there are no horses, some boats can be used to send people across, but Cao Su's army is all cavalry. In addition to people crossing the river, the cavalry also needs horses to cross the river. If the Mojiang River does not freeze, Cao Su will not be able to find so many.
Ships come to deliver war horses.
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Therefore, Cao Su could only wait until the Mojiang River froze.
If the Mojiang River does not freeze, then Cao Su will take another route and attack from the south side of the Mojiang River.
This directly turned into returning to aid Dongping City instead of cutting off Li Xingxi's army.
"Everyone, success or failure depends on this, follow me!"
After Cao Su mounted his war horse, he raised his arms and shouted angrily.
His inner energy was strong, and his voice spread easily throughout the army. The soldiers in the army responded with excitement. Then Cao Su took the lead and led the cavalry to sprint towards Jincheng in the north.
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Outside Dongping City, corpses lay everywhere.
It has been guarded for two days. Since the bandits formally attacked the city two days ago, Dongping City has been completely plunged into flames of war.
Li Xingxi's army was huge, but the defenders of Dongping City were only five thousand.
If five thousand men and horses want to resist the opponent's 200,000 troops, it is tantamount to throwing an egg against a stone.
There were uncoagulated blood stains everywhere on the city wall.
In two days, the number of 5,000 soldiers was reduced rapidly, and now there are only 3,000 soldiers who can still stand on the city wall for defense.
"General, we can't hold it any longer."
Under Li Niu's tent, a centurion burst into tears. One of his arms was broken, and his path to martial arts was completely lost.
Li Niu was also covered in blood and had many stains on his body. He gritted his teeth and said, "Stand for one more day. The general ordered me to wait for three days. Could it be that we can't even fulfill this order?"
"What can we guard against? What else can we guard against?"
Among the centurions, there are also many who are resentful.
Li Niu was furious, pulled out the halberd in his hand, and suddenly pressed it forward, covering the centurion's shoulders.
In the life-and-death fight, Li Niu's martial arts progressed rapidly, and his combat prowess at the seventh level of strength realm is now second to none in the entire Dongping City.
The centurion was pinned down by Li Niu's halberd and immediately fell to his knees on the ground.
Li Niu stared at him and said word by word: "Hold by your life! I didn't even retreat, why are you retreating?"
"Anyone who withdraws again will be dealt with according to military law!"
Outside Dongping City, in Li Xingxi's military tent.
All the generals and officers under Li Xingxi's tent are here.
In the military tent, some dancing girls were found, swaying gracefully, and the soldiers drank and ate meat, laughing happily.
"Commander, Dongping City has been beaten like this. If Cao Su doesn't come, I don't think Cao Su will come at all. Tomorrow I will personally lead a force to attack and destroy Dongping City!"
A burly general asked for orders.
Li Xingxi shook his head and said with a smile: "There's no rush."
"Dahu, don't ask for orders anymore. Our commander has already made a plan. Just enjoy the singing and dancing."
Next to the burly general, a general with a goatee took a dancer's waist and pushed the dancer towards Dahu with a smile.
Dahu frowned and reached out to stop the trembling dancer.
The dancer showed fear on her face, but she still sat down obediently and took out a wine jug to pour wine for Dahu.
Dahu, who was rejected, sat down with a depressed look on his face, picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.
Next to Li Xingxi, the middle-aged scribe Weng Xiao whispered: "Commander, it's almost done."
"Cao Su is afraid that this is really a false shot. Dongping City... he should have given up."
After two days of fierce attack, Dongping City suffered heavy casualties, and the result was like this. According to legend, Cao Su, who had entered the "Dongping City Defense", did not even have a ghost, so Weng Xiao concluded that Cao Su must have given up on Dongping City.
Li Xingxi actually thought the same thing, and sighed slightly: "Cao Su is indeed very unimaginable. If he abandons Dongping City and defends Youzhou Prefecture, there is nothing I can do. It is said that Youzhou Prefecture has high walls and thick walls.
An army of 300,000 cannot attack it."
"A real man can break things off if he can, and Cao Su can be considered a ruthless man, hahaha!"
After Li Xingxi said this, he laughed loudly.
Weng Xiao also laughed. After Li Xingxi slaughtered the defenders of Dongping City, he would pile their heads into a mountain and throw them at the gate of Youzhou Mansion to see how Cao Su could appease the mood in Youzhou Mansion.
You must know that Youzhou Prefecture is different from Dongping City. It is a super big city, and the relationships within the city are complicated.
Governments, families, and sects have all kinds of forces gathered together. How can it be so simple to get a bowl of water to be smooth?
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South of Jincheng, Cao Su divided his cavalry into three.
He personally led five thousand cavalry and set out from the center to directly harass Jincheng.
Hong Ding and Ma Chao, each leading more than 2,000 elite cavalry, flew out from both wings. Ma Chao was responsible for burning the boats at the ferry, directly attacking Li Xingxi's retreat road, and also attacking the grain road.
Hong Ding directly bypassed Jincheng and went deep behind Jincheng.
After Jincheng, there are two small cities, called Jiu'an and Chidong respectively. The attacks on these two small cities will sound the alarm to Jincheng first. If Jincheng's soldiers and horses can be mobilized, then Cao Su may even
You can directly try to attack Jincheng, maybe you can capture Jincheng in one battle.
Therefore, after the two wings flew out, Cao Su's middle army marched the slowest.
More than five thousand cavalrymen advanced slowly through the wilderness, and by the time dawn came, they could already see the outline of Jincheng.
"General, Jincheng!"
Beside Cao Su, Shi Yong, the captain of the personal army, pointed into the distance and said.
At this time, in Jincheng, the defender received two messages.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "What, the ferry was attacked?"
"What, there are enemy traces in Jiu'an?"
Overnight, two pieces of news came, and the guards of Jincheng were stunned.
Isn't Marshal Li attacking Dongping City? Who appears near Jincheng to attack the Northern Army? Cao Su?
The Pingbei Army had insufficient food and grass and average military strength. This was a problem that Li Xingxi had analyzed in the army early on. Therefore, based on this little military strength, Li Xingxi judged that Cao Su could only defend passively.
But now, the enemy troops appeared near Jincheng and slapped him hard in the face.
The general was one of the two high-ranking warriors who had fought against Cao Su. His name was Ying Fan. He was a child who grew up in a grassland tribe in northern Liaozhou. He had followed Li Xingxi since the Wanping Army uprising, and had been mixed up until now.
"Send a message to the commander immediately!"
Ying Fan was also regarded as one of the warriors who followed Li Xingxi in the north and south. He had rich battlefield experience and made the first response immediately.
At the same time, he ordered martial law in the city and the four city gates were closed tightly. No one was allowed to enter or exit without his warrant.
The merchants and people in Jincheng were surprised. They were not well informed and didn't know what happened.
Until noon the next day, the rumble of horse hooves was heard from the west direction of Jincheng.
The sound of horse hooves sounded like thunder across the plains.
When the Jincheng defenders took a look, they saw countless cavalrymen galloping past in a black line to the north. These cavalrymen in black armor were all majestic and murderous.
After crossing the west side of Jincheng, the cavalry galloped around the city.
Jincheng is located to the east of Mojiang River. Although it is a large city, there is no danger to defend it.
The rumble of iron hoofbeats spread throughout the city.
However, none of these cavalry came to the city to call for formation. After a circle, they ran directly to the east.
East? Jiu'an? Chidong?
Ying Fan, the garrison of Jincheng, had an ugly expression on his face. He could clearly see the appearance of these cavalrymen. They were clearly members of Pingbei General Cao Su.
Cao Su really led his army to attack. When General Li Xingxi led the Chinese army to attack Dongping City, he detoured directly to the rear and appeared on the main road of Jincheng.
"General, what should we do?"
Among the guards, some looked at the numerous cavalry and suddenly showed fear.
The cavalry galloped across the battlefield, creating a huge momentum.
After all, the quality of the army under Li Xingxi's command is still not comparable to that of the Pingbei Army.
Ying Fan could feel the anxiety among his subordinates.
"It doesn't matter. Our city wall is high and thick. I think the enemy troops are just cavalry. How can we attack the city?"
He gave a reason to convince everyone. When everyone heard it, it seemed to make sense, and they immediately relaxed a little.
However, at this moment, a general suddenly raised a question.
"Oh no, General, Chidong!"
Chidong!
As soon as this name came out, everyone's expressions suddenly changed.
Although Chidong City is a small city, it is where Li Xingxi stored grain and grass, and is where the granary belongs to his army.
The cavalry of the Pingbei Army may not be able to attack Jincheng with its high walls and thick walls, but judging from their momentum, Chidong, which has a small city, will definitely not be able to stop it. If Cao Su had touched the granary, how could he have fought this battle?
"Quickly, send me another letter and give it to the Marshal!"
Ying Fan almost shouted, and then looked at the Pingbei Army retreating in the distance with an ugly expression.
Not long after, another piece of bad news came. In the south of the city, a large number of Pingbei troops appeared again, and the number was immeasurable.
"How many people from the Pingbei Army came? How many people do they have?"
"Cao Su, it's so crazy..."
Ying Fan had never seen such a lonely throw.
He killed Wang Zhao first and wanted to fight them to the death.