The five strategies Li Ran had previously decided to defend the city could be described as step by step and extremely solid, making him in an invincible position.
Gan Loach also tried to imitate cats and tigers, and tried to shoot fire into the city, hoping to start a fire and cause chaos in the city. However, because the roofs and city walls were covered with wet mud, they all failed.
After several attacks on the city, the enemy troops returned without success. At this time, morale was low. Of course, Li Ran wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to further seize the initiative.
However, although Wang Zichao knew that his intelligence was the best in the world, he still had some doubts.
Li Ran also knew what Wang Zichao was thinking and continued:
"Now they actually hold people hostage and threaten them. Although these unjust acts are cruel, it also shows that the other side is striving for a quick victory. Now that we have been defeated, if we cannot attack for a long time, we will lose the morale of the army. What's more, they
The most difficult thing now is supplies. In order to rush to the capital as soon as possible for reinforcements, they travel lightly, so they must not be able to raise much food and grass. This is an opportunity we can take advantage of."
"If we can attack their food roads at night and burn their food and grass, their army's morale will be shattered, and then our army will be able to win without a fight!"
When Wang Zichao heard this, he couldn't help but nodded.
"Sir, it is indeed a clever plan, but the food route is so important, they will definitely guard it closely. What should we do if we go to attack at night and fall into their trap?"
Li Ran had actually already considered this.
"Gan Loach is a man with great ambitions and few talents. He has many soldiers but unclear control, and his generals are arrogant but have inconsistent political orders. Now that the enemy has been in chaos, as long as we divide our troops into three groups and attack from two groups, we can only go straight to the food road along the way and wait for it to be intercepted.
Food and grass are the key to a big deal! And with this food and grass, there is no need to have many people along the way, just a hundred people who are good riders are enough. There is no need to dismount, just burn the food and grass along the way, and send another team to meet them. By then, they will be able to escape intact.
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"And the other two groups of troops invaded his camp, making Gan Loach unable to see each other. This can also ensure that this move has a better chance of winning!"
After Wang Zichao heard this, he couldn't help but take a deep breath.
"In that case, just do as you please, sir!"
Li Ran hesitated for a moment and then said:
"Your Highness, how is Gong Jian's situation?"
The prince's face looked as usual.
"Chao Nianji said that I didn't do anything to him, but this boy actually tried to hang himself! It's really abominable! Thanks to the timely rescue, he didn't die completely, but he is currently dying and has no food or water. I'm afraid he will die soon.
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"Gong Jian has played a great role, but I would like to meet him again!"
The prince said respectfully:
"Actually, if you feel it is necessary to do such small things in the future, you can just do them. There is no need to do anything more..."
Li Ran smiled and said:
"Haha, he was originally a prisoner, so we should make it clear when we meet with him... In addition, this prison is heavily guarded. How did he get the silk cloth to hang himself? I wonder if Your Highness has considered it."
The prince shook his head.
"This person is an accomplice. I originally thought that this person's death would not be a pity, so I didn't think too much about it. Could it be that the DPRK was careless again?"
Li Ran smiled bitterly and said:
"The world is in chaos, and it is normal for people to have careless thoughts. Your Highness does not need to blame yourself for this."
Li Ran retreated, and before meeting Gong Jian, he found Sun Wu and Fan Li again, and whispered a few more words into their ears, instructing them about the night attack tonight.
After the two of them heard this, and after each of them had identified the refugees, they went to meet Wang Zichao to receive military orders.
Li Ran came to see Gong Jian alone. At the moment, he was just lying on the bed, not eating or drinking. Although he was awake, his face was ashen, without any energy, and he was just staring at the roof blankly.
】
Li Ran sat by the bed, looked at him quietly for a while, and then said:
"Master Gong, are you worried about your family records in Gongyi or your position as the head of the Gong clan?"
When Gong Jian heard what Li Ran said, she suddenly turned to look at him, and then sighed.
"Hmph! No matter how powerful you are, I'm afraid it's beyond your reach! Jane is heartbroken now, and you can't even think of getting anything from me. Otherwise, if I bear the name of a traitor, I'm afraid everyone in my family will die.
No guarantee!"
Li Ran nodded in agreement:
"What Mr. Gong said is absolutely true. Now that your entire clan is in the hands of Danqi, it is only natural for your Excellency to be so worried. And now that His Highness the Prince has obtained the capital, although he is still unable to fight against Shanqi's branch, as long as he is in the
If we win this battle with Gan Loach and then take Gan Yi, the situation will be different."
"Besides, the princes have always had a reputation for being virtuous, how can they be compared to the Shan and Liu clans? Now they are suspected of regicide, which can be said to be a heinous crime! As the saying goes, 'If you are in a good way, you will get many help, but if you are not in a good way, there will be little help.'
Defeat is almost certain!"
"When Gongyi is included in His Highness's pocket, who can protect your whole family?"
"Furthermore, if you die like this, what will Shan Qi do? He will definitely appoint another person from the Gong family as his successor. Will it be your turn to be your heir?
Therefore, for your heirs, only if you are alive can your heirs have hope!"
After some lobbying, it was obvious that Gong Jian had been swayed by Li Ran's words, but he still said:
"It's just that Jane doesn't want to serve the prince! Although he is the eldest son, he is a concubine after all. Although the prince died of illness, Prince Meng has succeeded to the throne. As a clan member, he does not think about how to serve the Zhou family.
He went so far as to create such a chaos that many members of the clan died because of it. How can such people who are driven by selfish desires be the people's favorites?"
Li Ran thought deeply for a moment.
"You and I are having a private conversation today. Your Excellency only needs to tell me about the layout of the single flag and the specific situation of Chengzhou. There is no need to discuss anything else. If your Excellency can recruit the truth, you can help our army achieve a complete victory."
, then when the situation stabilizes, His Highness will definitely send you back to Gongyi, and you can continue to be the head of the Gong clan and the official of the public clan. I don’t know what your wishes are."
Gong Jian looked sideways at Li Ran.
"really"
"Haha, a gentleman's words are hard to catch up with!"
The deal proposed by Li Ran can be regarded as a win-win situation. Li Ran can use the information provided by Gong Jian to arrange the single flag in advance and focus on it, which can also facilitate future plans.
Gong Jian himself can save his life and ensure the safety of his clan.
Gong Jian had obviously been targeted by Li Ran and closed her eyes.
"Your Excellency, please rest assured that Jian will not commit suicide now. However, Jian must tell the truth and please defeat the Gan family's army that came to encircle and suppress you. Then come and find me again!"
Li Ran knew that he wanted to wait and see, to weigh whether Wang Zichao could really defeat Gan Loach and form a rivalry with Shan Qi.
"Okay. However, I dare to ask Mr. Gong, but there is actually something else I don't know. I hope you can tell me the truth. I don't know... how did you get the silk cloth?"
Gong Jian smiled bitterly.
"The prison was damp and dim, and it was difficult to distinguish between day and night. Jane was so disheartened that she could not notice this. All she knew was that someone suddenly appeared, and there was a foot of white silk in the cell. Apart from that, as for other things,
I don’t even know what that person looks like or when he was sent to you!”