Late at night, Fan Chou couldn't sleep for a long time. The cavalry of the Xiliang Army appeared under the city. Could it be that the cities in front had fallen? If so, the speed of the Xiliang Army was really too fast and it was overwhelming. It is not ruled out that some Xiliang Army generals
They deliberately brought the cavalry to show off their power and put pressure on the defenders in the city. Regardless of the possibility, judging from the current situation, it is not good for the Bingzhou Army.
"General, I have an important meeting at my humble post!"
Fan Chou put away the book in his hand and said, "Please come in!"
"General, the magistrate of Lin County has come out of the city to surrender!" the general said urgently as soon as he stepped into the door.
Dong Yue took a breath of air and said, "Lin County was lost? What about Shang County? How is it?"
The general shook his head slightly. In ancient times when news was limited, even if a horse was galloping, it would take some time to reach Xihe County. Not to mention the Xiliang cavalry wearing light armor and running at full speed. It was difficult to achieve thousands of miles in ancient times, but for Xihe
For the Liang army's cavalry, they could still manage five to six hundred miles a day and run with all their strength.
"I think Shangjun has fallen into the hands of the enemy, so I will immediately send soldiers to inform Mr. Li and ask for reinforcements." Fan Chou thought for a moment and ordered.
"No." The general clasped his fists and left.
This time the Xiliang army rushed to attack, and the preparations of the counties in Bingzhou were slightly insufficient. According to Li Ru's calculation, even if the Shangjun was unable to support the army, blocking the Xiliang army for three months would be enough to properly manage the defenders of the counties along the way.
Unexpectedly, Dong Yue died in his own tent and Shangjun fell.
Half a month later, the second army, led by Zhao Yun, appeared at the gate of Xihe County. It had more than 10,000 soldiers and was boundless. The first army plus the second army totaled more than 10,000. The densely packed soldiers gave the city
The defenders in the city were under great pressure. Although there were many people in the city, they always lacked confidence when facing the Xiliang army. Among the princes in the world, the weakest one was undoubtedly Bingzhou Li Ru. He had a short development time and lacked
Confidant, there are no top generals in the army.
The bigger task of Zhao Yun's visit this time was to bring the baggage. How could a large army attack the city without equipment? The previous capture of Shangjun progressed so quickly that the food, grass and baggage could not keep up.
Li Ru was furious: "Trash, trash, Dong Yue is a trash!" Shangjun fell in less than a month, which caused Li Ru to disrupt his original battle plan. With the strength of Xihe County, it was impossible to resist the Xiliang army.
During the attack, almost all the troops from the three counties of Xihe County, Shuofang County and Shang County gathered in the city of Shang County. The purpose was to stop the pace of the Xiliang Army. Now that Shang County has been lost and the soldiers are dying, how can Xihe County resist?
About to lose the two counties, Li Ru was very upset. Since the princes sent their troops to Guguan and returned without success, Li Ru devoted himself to pacifying Bingzhou and eliminating unstable factors, especially the soldiers in the army.
The generals of the Liang Army could not be reused and were suppressed in the army. Groups of new soldiers became fresh blood and were injected into the army. It was bitterly cold in Bingzhou, and Li Ru was unable to organize a cavalry team. He increased taxes and Li Ru received officials.
There were a lot of complaints. When the Xiliang army ruled, some people did not have to pay taxes on the land they cultivated for two years. It was a good thing when Li Ru came. Not only did he have to pay, but it was twice as much as before. Although these two taxes
There was a great harvest in the year, but the people still had no surplus food. Under such a rule, the people naturally hoped that the Xiliang Army would come, but this idea could only be buried in their hearts. The performance of the merchants should be more outstanding. The Xiliang Army ruled Bingzhou.
At that time, due to the cement road incident, many merchants were attracted to visit. Li Ru increased taxes and added many types of taxes. The barren Bingzhou was abandoned by the merchants. The state governance of Bingzhou looked like the county under the rule of the Xiliang Army.
generally.
"My lord, after the Xiliang army captures Xihe County, they can directly attack Taiyuan County. There is no room for loss in Taiyuan. Your Excellency, it is best to send soldiers to guard the cities along the way as soon as possible." Xu Rong said.
Li Ru nodded slightly and said: "Taiyuan County cannot make mistakes, otherwise our army's many years of hard work will be in vain. If the Xiliang Army wants to capture our Bingzhou, they will definitely send troops to Pingtaowu County. General Xu, I want to send you to lead it."
Five thousand soldiers are guarding Dingtao, do you have confidence?"
"Thank you for your trust, sir. I will do my best in my humble position!" Xu Rong said.
Li Rudao: "If Ping Tao is lost, the Xiliang army will attack Jinyang, and General Xu has a long way to go!"
Xu Rong clasped his fists and promised.
Watching Xu Rong go away, Li Ru's expression suddenly became depressed. The Xiliang Army came so quickly, which made Li Ru a little unbelievable. Years of hard work, in the hands of the Xiliang Army, was so unbearable.
Attacked and captured Xihe County, the Xiliang Army entered Taiyuan, which announced that Bingzhou was about to be occupied by the Xiliang Army. Li Ru was really unwilling to give in. He, Jia Rong, was just a small general under Dong Zhuo, so he could have
With his current achievements, he is the top military strategist in the army. Could he be inferior to a small general? Li Ru was very unwilling. The failure of the allied forces of the princes to break through Hangu Pass was a knot in his heart.
"Ask Duan Xuan to come and see me!" Li Ru said calmly.
The guard clasped his fists and left. About a quarter of an hour later, Duan Yan rushed to Li Ru's room out of breath.
"I wonder what Mr. Li has to do? I am currently training soldiers!" Duan Xuan said with his fists in hand, and there was a lot of dissatisfaction in his words.
Li Ru disagreed and said with a smile: "Thank you for your hard work, General Duan. The Xiliang army has already attacked Xihe County. What do you think of General Duan?"
"Already arrived at Xihe County? Are Niu Fu and Dong Yue that stupid? Relying on the strong city wall, even if the Xiliang army cannot be driven back, they can still remain undefeated." Duan Xuan asked, considering the speed of the Xiliang army.
It surprised him a little.
Li Ru took a deep look at Duan Xuan. Under Dong Zhuo's command in the past, Hua Xiong was the number one fierce general, and Duan Xuan was the number one idiot general. He was obsessed with training his soldiers, training without risking their lives. Whenever he encountered a war,
All moved forward bravely. His reputation in the army was not prominent before, but he gradually became prominent after Dong Zhuo took control of Luoyang. After Jia Rong gathered Dong Zhuo's remnant army, he did not reuse them. This was also his dereliction of duty, which led to Li Ru's death.
Can easily poach Duan Xuan.
"Yes, Niu Fu listened to the Xiliang army's persuasion to surrender, opened the city gates to welcome the army in, and then the Xiliang army pretended to be the Bingzhou army. All the cities along the way were breached, and the troops came to the Shangjun city without any bloodshed."
"The guard general of Shangjun is Dong Yue, our general. He behaved well. The Xiliang army's first attack was completely defeated, with hundreds of troops lost. However, Dong Yue himself was unfortunately assassinated. The army of Shangjun was leaderless. The soldiers opened the city gate and surrendered.
." Li Ru's face trembled slightly. Although the Xiliang Army's victory was a fluke, the Bingzhou Army actually lost.
"The Xiliang Army is so shameless. The assassination of Dong Yue was probably at the hands of the Xiliang Army." Duan Xuan gritted his teeth and said, "What is your mission, sir? I will work hard to move forward!"
"The enemy is currently facing the enemy. I wonder if General Duan has any good ideas?" Li Ru said, staring at Duan Xuan with burning eyes.
Duan Xuan looked calm and said in a cold voice: "The Xiliang Army claims to be invincible in the world, but I don't believe it. Now the Xiliang Army is fighting in Bingzhou, and it is difficult to supply food and grass. As long as they cut off their food and grass, they will retreat when they run out of food.
When our army swarms forward, why worry that the Xiliang army cannot defeat them?"
"Having said that, there are many cavalry in the Xiliang army, so how can ordinary soldiers be our opponents?"
Duan Xuan said: "In this humble position, I am willing to lead three thousand cavalry and be responsible for cutting off the food and grass of the Xiliang army!"
Li Ru was overjoyed when he heard this, "General Duan personally went out to attack. I expected that the Xiliang army would definitely return without success."
Duan Yan chuckled and said nothing. With his intelligence, how could he not guess what Li Ru was thinking. He seemed to be obsessed with the coalition in the army. Duan Yan was not only a general, but also a wise general with endless schemes.
Li Ru appreciated it, and the trained soldiers also alleviated the shortage of troops in Bingzhou.
"The cavalry has carried half a month of dry food and will set off tomorrow!" Duan Xuan left a few words before turning and leaving Li Ru's room.
With three thousand cavalry, Bingzhou could protect his family. If these three thousand men made any mistakes on the battlefield, Bingzhou's army would no longer have the possibility of victory. Li Ru could be said to have placed all his bets on the cavalry.
At this time, the siege battle in Xihe County was coming to an end. Under the cover of Pili chariots, the Xiliang army approached the city wall again and again. The soldiers climbed up the city wall and continued to fight, causing a bloody storm.
Under the suppression of the Pili chariot, all the advantages of the Bingzhou army relying on the city wall disappeared. The Pili chariot can carry stones as big as a washbasin. Even the soldiers who are armed to the teeth cannot resist the boulders falling from the sky. How can they raise their fighting spirit?
There are also thunderbolt chariots in Xihe County, but compared to the Xiliang Army, they are somewhat ineffective. Not only are the attacks inaccurate, but the weight range of the stones thrown is also much smaller than that of the Xiliang Army. They are not the same.
Half a month later, under the successive attacks of the Xiliang Army, Xihe County, which had few defenders, was captured by the Xiliang Army. The city gate was then opened, and a large flag with the word "Jia" flew on the city.
Xu Rong was ordered to lead three thousand people and rush to Pingtao at night to try to strengthen the city wall and understand the city's defense before the Xiliang army arrived.
When the Xiliang army arrived at Pingtao City, Xu Rong was already well prepared. Seeing that the vanguard general Lu Bu could not perform his duties, he led a group of cavalry and wandered on the battlefield, becoming the eyes and ears of the army and constantly providing the army with the latest trends of the Bingzhou Army.
, in Pingtao City, Xu Rong did not dare to go out of the city to fight. With three thousand soldiers, Xu Rong could defend Lin County without any problem. He was afraid that the Xiliang Army would use some conspiracy, such as an assassination or an attack on the city at night.
Summarizing the previous battles of the Xiliang Army, Xu Rong found that as long as he strictly guarded it and did not give the Xiliang Army a chance, Pingtao would be enough to become a place of hatred for the Xiliang Army. But he got
After hearing the news about Li Ru, Duan Yan had already set off. Duan Yan's three thousand cavalry were the backbone of Bingzhou and the most elite soldiers.
Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun divided their troops along the way. Huang Zhong led 8,000 men to attack Pingtao, and Zhao Yun led 5,000 men to attack Wu County. The two commanders also gestured towards each other. Whether they were coming from Pingtao or Wu County, the ultimate goal was Bingzhou.
