Under the Chaoyang Gate, Wu Xiang glanced at the soldiers preparing fortifications in front of him, then at the closed city gate behind him and the sparse defenders on the city, and couldn't help but curse Wu Sangui again in his heart.
It turned out that after Wu Xiang asked Wu Ping to take Xiao Liuzi to find Li Ruolian, Li Ruolian not only sent someone to take Xiao Liuzi out of the city, but also arranged for someone to wait for Xiao Liuzi to return to the city.
It's just that Wu Xiang waited all night and didn't wait for Xiao Liuzi to come back.
Just when he was about to leave the city full of resentment, Liu Wenbing arrived with 500 cavalry.
Tell him that although His Majesty is dissatisfied with Wu Sangui, he does not want him to suffer innocently, so he specially dispatched 500 cavalry to protect his safety.
Wu Xiang felt much relieved when he saw Liu Wenbing arriving in person. He also thought that Xiao Liuzi had been gone for five or six hours, and Guan Ning's cavalry should be arriving soon.
As long as Wu Sangui arrives and His Majesty achieves his goal, there will be no more difficulties for him.
But what he didn't expect was that they had been out of the city for nearly an hour and still hadn't seen Wu Sangui.
You must know that it has been six or seven hours since Xiao Liuzi left the city. With the speed of Guan Ning's cavalry, he should have arrived long ago, so Wu Xiang couldn't help but curse Wu Sangui for being unfaithful and unfilial.
"General Wu, what are you thinking about?"
Just when Wu Xiang was angry, Liu Wenbing's voice sounded in his ears.
Wu Xiang looked back and saw Liu Wenbing looking at him calmly.
He thought that Liu Wenbing was Zhu Yuanzhang's confidant. He was so calm at the moment. Zhu Yuanzhang must have made arrangements. He couldn't help but relax a little. He forced a smile and said: "I didn't think about anything. It's just that I haven't led an army for a long time. I remembered the days when we fought in Liaodong." .”
Hearing this, Liu Wenbing smiled and said: "I have heard people talk about General Wu's heroic deeds before. It is really an honor to be able to fight side by side with General Wu today."
Wu Xiang shook his head and said: "Dong An Guo is ridiculous. I am just following the ancestors...the generals and soldiers. How can I compare with An Guo Gong's bravery and skill in fighting? He defeated the rebels at Zhangyi Gate and threw away their armor. It's really Worthy of the name of Anguo."
Liu Wenbing waved his hands repeatedly and said: "General Wu, you have misunderstood. The battle at Zhangyimen was the result of His Majesty. I am just a pawn, so there is nothing to praise."
Wu Xiang heard this and hurriedly agreed: "Your Majesty's talents and strategies are beyond our reach."
Liu Wenbing nodded and said: "Yes, your Majesty is indeed a man of great talent and strategy. It's a pity that the rebels are powerful and the reinforcements are delayed. Otherwise, with your majesty's strategy, the rebels will be killed without leaving any trace..." ..."
Wu Xiang saw Liu Wenbing's interest in talking and was quite close to him in conversation, so he asked tentatively: "Dong An Guo, we are leaving the city today. I wonder what your majesty's plans are?"
Liu Wenbing said: "Commander Wu, don't worry. Even though there are not many soldiers in the city, your Majesty has actually asked Wang Jiayan to lead 5,000 people to stand by under the city."
"Moreover, thirty artillery pieces and more than a hundred thunder cannons have been placed on Chaoyang Gate. As long as the rebels dare to come, they will be smashed to pieces!"
Wu Xiang was startled when he heard this and asked tentatively: "As far as I know, Zhang Tianlin's troops on the opposite side are at least 10,000. Even with artillery and thunder cannons, we can't hold the camp with just a few people, right?"
Liu Wenbing glanced ahead and said: "Commander Wu, don't worry, your majesty has determined that your son has arrived near the capital. As soon as his Guan Ning cavalry arrives, Zhang Tianlin has nothing to fear!"
Wu Xiang shook his head and said: "Dong An Guo, don't mention that traitor again. I have already sent people to urge him, but there is still no news. I think I can't count on him."
Liu Wenbing pretended to be panicked and said: "No way, His Majesty said that General Wu and his son have a deep love, and he will definitely lead his troops to help!"
Seeing the panic on his face, Wu Xiang didn't seem to be faking it, but he said in a panic: "Dong An Guo, you don't really place your hopes on that traitor, do you?"
Liu Wenbing said with horror: "Yes, the rebels are now besieging the capital, and there is a serious shortage of troops. It is not easy to squeeze out these thousands of soldiers and horses."
"That's all. If your son doesn't come, it's fate. I've been deeply favored by the emperor, so let's serve the country with this life!"
After saying that, he hid his face and sighed, while observing Wu Xiang secretly.
When he saw Wu Xiang's face was full of sadness and his body was trembling slightly, he couldn't help but feel startled and walked back quickly.
Wu Xiang was shocked when he saw this, and said to Wu Yong beside him: "Quickly pick a few clever house slaves to change into rebel clothes, see if they can get through, and go find that traitor to save me!"
Wu Yong also heard their conversation just now, so he didn't dare to hesitate and hurriedly made arrangements.
"Your Majesty, Wu Xiang and Wu Sangui have no connection. It seems that we can only rely on ourselves in this battle!"
At Chaoyang Gate, Shen Zhanran saw Liu Wenbing's flag and bowed to report to Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a while and said: "It doesn't matter. Wu Xiang's sudden appearance will definitely make Li Thief suspicious. Even if he sends troops, he will only send cavalry in order to achieve a quick victory."
"And we also have 3,000 cavalry, plus 20,000 elites and Chaoyangmen's artillery. It's enough to take down his cavalry."
Shen Zhanran heard this and said with some worry: "But Zhang Tianlin still has more than 10,000 men. If we are entangled by him, it may be detrimental to us if the war becomes stalemate!"
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said: "Shen Qing, you are worrying too much. Li Guo is still confronting Wu Sangui's troops, and Liu Zongmin's army is still outside Zhangyi Gate. There is no way they can come in a short time!"
"Other than that, Thief Li has no other troops to fight with. If Zhang Tianlin doesn't know how to advance or retreat, we will just eat him too!"
Shen Zhanran was a little worried at first, but seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang was confident, he was determined and turned around to arrange the dispatch of troops.
About a quarter of an hour later, the ground under Chaoyang Gate shook violently, and then thousands of cavalry were seen rushing toward Chaoyang Gate.
Upon seeing this, Liu Wenbing immediately jumped on his horse and shouted: "Musketeers and archers, prepare!"
"Pikemen, get on top of me!"
"boom!"
"boom!"
"boom!"
...
As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of cannon fire rang out from the Chaoyang Gate, immediately blowing away the hundreds of cavalrymen who were rushing at the front.
Liu Zongmin, who was in the middle army, saw this and shouted loudly: "Wang Qianhu, charge forward with the black armor cavalry and capture Wu Xiang alive!"
Wang Qianhu received the order and hurriedly led his army forward.
"hiss--"
"ah!"
"kill!"
The cavalry at the front managed to escape the artillery fire, but their horses were injured by the thorns and sharp blades in the traps, and fell off their horses one after another.
Seeing this, the musketeers and archers outside the city opened fire and arrows, killing hundreds of people in an instant.
At this time, Wang Qianhu arrived with the black armor cavalry. Since their horses were protected by iron armor, they were not afraid of the iron caltrops and spearmen, and immediately disrupted the formation of the Ming soldiers.
Seeing that the Xuanjia cavalry was too fierce, Liu Wenbing hurriedly led his troops to retreat near the moat, relying on the artillery and thunder cannons on the city to fight against the cavalry.
Liu Zongmin was furious when he saw this. While commanding the cavalry to charge, he also sent people to urge Zhang Tianlin's troops to come to help.
