At this time, Yang Longting's army had reached Black Rock City and camped ten miles away from the city.
The troops were divided into four groups.
A group of soldiers, led by Li Shanyan, totaled 10,000 troops and surrounded the east gate.
The second line of troops, led by Qi Delong, totaled 10,000 troops and surrounded the west gate.
The three groups of soldiers, led by Qi Deqiang, totaled 10,000 troops and surrounded the north gate.
Twenty thousand Chinese troops, led by Yang Longting, attacked the south gate.
It is said that a siege requires shortages. Yang Longting is a seasoned veteran of the battlefield, so he would not understand this truth. Knowing this, he still put up such a formation, and it was obvious that he did not even give Xue Banchuan a chance to escape.
Fifty thousand people eating horse chews every day is an astronomical figure. As the saying goes, the three armies have not moved, food and grass go first, and a steady stream of supplies arrives every day.
Yang Longting knew very well that war is not just about military affairs, but also about economy, politics, people's hearts, etc. If logistics can be done well, half of the battle will be won before the war begins.
So he paid special attention to the issue of food and grass.
Today's grain transport team arrived a little late, but instead of bringing Yang Longting the necessary grain and grass, they brought Luo Tie's body.
Looking at Luo Tie's body in the tent, Yang Longting was silent for a long time, and the air around him seemed to have become much colder.
The team that failed to transport food knelt outside the tent for a long time, their bodies trembling.
"kill!"
This was the first word Yang Longting said after seeing Luo Tie's body. With a wave of his hand, dozens of heads fell to the ground.
Then, Yang Longting wrote a letter to Cheng Dalei and ordered it to be sent to Toad Village.
He only wrote five words in the letter: "You are not afraid of death!"
Soon, he received a reply from Cheng Dalei, which was in six words.
"If you want to fight, then come and fight."
After reading the letter, Yang Longting was furious and immediately ordered troops to break the Toad Stronghold and then kill Xue Banchuan to take revenge.
Then, he quickly calmed down.
Cheng Dalei is definitely going to kill him. Whether he kills Luo Tie or not, this matter will not change. But killing him now is definitely not an option.
It always seemed a little awkward for the army to come back to attack Cheng Dalei after they had just set up camp. Moreover, if Xue Banchuan took the opportunity to sneak attack from behind, Yang Longting would be in a position where he would be attacked from both sides, which was a taboo for military strategists.
Moreover, Cheng Dalei still holds his own food channels in his hands. If he cuts off his own food channels, the 50,000-strong army will be in dire straits.
With this said, it seems that Cheng Dalei is unlikely to be offended.
Yang Longting was both ruthless and ruthless. Without such profound academic attainments, he would not have become the king of Youzhou today.
So, Yang Longting wrote another letter to Cheng Dalei. The content of the letter was briefly stated: I know that you killed Luo Tie. You killed him well, he killed him right, and he killed him like a croak. The following offenders should be killed according to the law.
There is no reason to explain. If you don't kill him, I am about to kill him. I want to reward you with something, and those grains will be my reward for you. Of course, it would be better if you can come and work with me.
After sending the letter, Yang Longting soon received a reply from Cheng Dalei, in which Cheng Dalei returned to his previous attitude.
"The light of the rumor-mongering north, the backbone of the empire, His Royal Highness the King of Youzhou, whom I will always admire:
After receiving your letter, I asked everyone in the village to read it together. They were all impressed by your wisdom. Many people shed tears and felt honored to read this letter.」
"...Of course, I really want to serve the king, but I am seriously ill and can't even get out of bed. I can only pray for you in my heart and wish you success."
The signature is: Your loyal younger brother, the eternal admirer of the King of Youzhou, Cheng Dalei, the general of the Qingniu Mountain Camp of Youzhou.
When reading this letter, Yang Longting did not feel as sick as Li Shanyan, but felt a slight chill through the letter paper.
He closed his eyes and recalled the first and only time he met Cheng Dalei. He was bent over and wrapped in a tattered coat, and his words and demeanor were flattering, including the gibberish letter he delivered to the Youzhou Royal City.
He looks very much like all the villains in the city who are good at flattery and profiteering.
There is no doubt that I was deceived by him.
Those letters delivered to Youzhou City were regarded as a joke by everyone, including Yang Longting. But while they were regarded as a joke, they subconsciously despised Cheng Dalei.
Living to this day, Yang Longting understands better than anyone else that there is no shortage of fierce people in the world who dare to confront others head-on. At the same time, there is no shortage of nameless corpses in mass graves.
In this world, tough guys don't live long, but no one will look down on them if they keep bowing their heads.
What I am afraid of is being strong when I should be strong, and bowing my head when I should be bowing my head.
Yang Longting is this kind of person.
Could it be that Cheng Dalei is also this kind of person... Perhaps, he is a person more worthy of killing than Xue Banchuan.
No matter how many things there are, just appease this thief first, wait until Black Rock City is destroyed, and then get rid of this thief on the way back.
What Yang Longting has to do now is to attack the city.
…
Xue Banchuan in the city was not defenseless. Logically speaking, when Yang Longting's army was approaching, the big families in the city should have opened the city gates to welcome Yang Longting as he entered the city. They did not want to live or die with Xue Banchuan.
But this has not happened until now. The reason is that before that, Xue Banchuan invited the big families in the city to the city lord's mansion and held a dinner.
At the banquet, Xue Banchuan raised his glass and burst into tears before drinking, and said: Yang Longting is not a thing, he wants to kill us all, but don’t worry, I will protect you, from now on everyone will live in the City Lord’s Mansion, I
Live and die with you.
It was euphemistically called protection, but in fact it was detention. To imprison the wives, children, and children of the wealthy families in the city, Xue Banchuan became ruthless and had one meaning: if he wanted to live, everyone would live together, and if he wanted to die, everyone would die together.
Some of their children are serving in the military, so there is no way to rebel at this time. After all, their parents, wives and children are in Xue Banchuan's hands.
If he really took refuge with Yang Longting, there was no doubt that Xue Banchuan would kill his wife and children.
Ruthlessness is a quality that no one of the great figures of this era lacks.
Facing Yang Longting's overwhelming army, Xue Banchuan had only one attitude: no fight.
Anyway, I have a wife and children here who can live on the hot bed, but you have come from afar. If you don't have food for a day, you will be blind. Let's all consume it and see who can consume it better than the other.
In addition to not fighting, Xue Banchuan also has another strategy: spreading rumors.
It was widely publicized in the city: Yang Longting is not a thing. He has been lustful since he was a child. He has not spared any of his sisters, aunts, aunts... any woman in the family. It is said that because he was too lustful since he was a child, he has become a woman when he grows up.
No, his wife always sleeps with others, and he watches from the sidelines to satisfy a certain sense of excitement. Otherwise, how could he still not have a son...
This kind of words spread to Yang Long's capital camp through various means. Rumors are so widespread that no one believes them, but there are always one or two brainless people who hear them and say: Oh
, no wonder no wonder.
Rumors don't hurt anyone, but they disgust you.
There is no doubt that this strategy was devised by Cheng Dalei.