As soon as Yuan Xicai said hello, there were noisy sounds from the city wall of Yecheng, and the Montenegrin soldiers on the city wall also lit up their torches one after another!
Seeing this, Tai Shici immediately stood in front of Yuan Xi, raising his gun on guard. Xu Chu and the other tiger guards also drew their weapons and stared at Tao Sheng and the others with vigilance.
Yuan Xi looked closely and found that the sound was coming from the south of the city, but there was no movement around the forest. He then suppressed the throbbing in his heart and ordered, "Everyone put away your weapons. It is none of our business. It seems that there is a problem in the city." .”
"Second Young Master, it seems something happened to the tunnel we dug in the south of the city. I have to go back quickly. Tomorrow night I will raise a fire as a signal and open the city gate to welcome the army into the city." Tao Sheng also said after hearing this.
Yuan Xi nodded in agreement, and then discussed some details with him before returning to the camp with Xu Chu, Tai Shi Ci and other personal entourage.
Although it was late at night, as soon as Guo Jia, Xu Huang, and Han Meng heard the news of Yuan Xi's return, they immediately gathered in Yuan Xi's Chinese army tent to meet Yuan Xi and discuss important matters.
"It's not good, young master!" Guo Jiachen reported, "Something happened to the tunnel dug under the city. A large amount of water flooded in before the foundation of the city wall was dug. Li Zhi and the others tried various ways to drain the water, but not long after digging to the foundation of the city wall, A small piece of the city wall collapsed, and instead of opening the gap, many people were buried inside."
After listening to Guo Jia's report, Yuan Xi didn't pay too much attention to this matter. Instead, he told the story of Tao Sheng's dedication to the city and asked the opinions and suggestions of several people present.
Xu Huang stroked his beard and said: "It would be best if he really surrenders and offers the city gate, but we have to be careful, and the other city walls will have to make enough noise."
"Young General, everyone. It's not good. Zhang Yan personally led tens of thousands of the main force back to Yecheng to aid." Gu Yong hurriedly entered the account and said.
Yuan Xi and others had anticipated the possibility of Zhang Yan returning to Yecheng, but Zhang Yan's return to Yecheng was too fast. After all, there are tens of thousands of Jizhou soldiers stationed in Handan. If they pursue Zhang Yan's main force, Zhang Yan will not be able to escape so quickly.
There must be some inside story that Yuan Xi and others don't know, but this is not the time to delve into it.
"Which way did Zhang Yanjun go?" Guo Jia asked anxiously.
"Zhang Yan did not take the straight road between Liangqi and Yecheng. Instead, he took the small road between Weihe and Zhangshui. If Zhang Wenyuan hadn't been careful and sent many scouts, he might have slipped away under his nose. What happened next? How should I respond?" Gu Yong said.
Hearing this, Yuan Xi and others were also deeply uneasy. If Zhang Yan rushed to Yecheng, the total number of Black Mountain troops would be much larger than that of Qingzhou troops, and the offensive and defensive momentum would completely change. At that time, they would not be able to Speaking of siege, even field battles cannot defeat the Montenegrin army in one fell swoop, so it is very difficult.
"How many days' march does Zhang Yan's army have from here?" Yuan Xi asked, suppressing the annoyance in his heart.
Han Meng thought for a while and replied: "I will also walk through that road at the end. If you hurry, it will take you three days to reach Yecheng."
Yuan Xi's face was gloomy and he ordered, "Let Zhang Liao and Zhao Yun take turns to attack, and use all their strength to stop Zhang Yan's march. They must delay it for more than three days, otherwise military law will be dealt with."
"Sir, General Zhang and the others have already gone. It's just that it will take a lot of effort for the four thousand cavalry to cross the Wei River, and Zhang Yan is the best at running and attacking. I'm afraid this cavalry's method of harassing him will not be of much use to him. ." Gu Yong continued.
Yuan Xi frowned, waved his hand, and ordered: "Let the soldiers in front of the city wall withdraw and rest. The whole army will take turns to rest, and wait for Tao Sheng to open the city gate and recapture Ye City with all his strength."
Yuan Xi wanted to capture Yecheng before Zhang Yan arrived, so he had no choice but to take a gamble and see if the Yuan family could be taken care of by fate, but even if they entered the city. In two or three days, he was not absolutely sure whether he could win the street fight. However, he had a bold idea in his mind.
At daytime the next day, the Qingzhou Army stopped attacking the city, and all the sergeants withdrew to the camp to rest. The sky also became gloomy and sultry, and the silence had a chilling air before the war.
Seeing Yuan Jun's strange behavior, Sui Gu led his soldiers to patrol the city wall, and he looked irritable. Due to the weather and also, he felt an inexplicable feeling of anxiety in his heart.
"Commander Sui, you caught a good one!" a Montenegrin Army general on the city wall claimed the credit. After saying that, he asked his men to bring a middle-aged man in linen clothes and three Montenegrin soldiers.
Sui Gu pointed at them and asked, "Are they all done carefully?"
The general pointed at the middle-aged man in Mai and said with some satisfaction: "He is a spy of the Qingzhou Army. He bribed these three scum and wanted to send a message to the outside of the city. I also captured this letter."
He waved a silk book and handed it to Sui Gu.
Sui Gu took it, looked at it, and handed it to a scholar behind him. The secretary looked at it for a while and said: "It's a detailed operation arranged by the Qingzhou Army in the city. This secret report is to report to them that our army has deployed its troops and plans to capture Yecheng by cooperating internally and externally."
"Commander Sui, spare your life. We are deluded. That's why we took his money. Spare Xiaodi for once!" The three Montenegrin soldiers knelt down and begged.
Sui Gu sneered. Suddenly, he walked up quickly, pulled out the ring-headed knife from his waist, cut off the neck of a soldier, opened the throat of another soldier, and finally stabbed the tip of the knife into the heart of the last man. After all, the blade of the knife had been licking blood for many years.
"Kill those who collaborate with the enemy! Take down the spy and interrogate him to see how many accomplices he has. Wake everyone up, and send two more people to the patrol patrol!" Sui Gu ordered.
At this time, there were also people gathered on the city wall. Many generals of the Montenegrin Army were watching. Tao Sheng in the crowd also saw this scene and couldn't help but become worried.
At dusk, Tao Sheng came to the eastern section of the city wall, and several riding governors and Yamen generals quietly gathered around him.
"Sir, Suigu has added more manpower for patrolling. Will the plan still go ahead as usual?" a riding supervisor asked carefully.
"It's just that the effect of the surprise attack is not obvious anymore, but as long as the city gate is open, everything else has nothing to do with us. The Qingzhou Army should have great confidence in defeating Sui Gu and the others." Tao Sheng said lightly.
"Sir, I'll do it with you! The people on duty tonight are all brothers we can trust. As long as you give your order, our brothers will obey your orders."
Tao Sheng agreed, comforted a few people, and then asked a few of them to go down to prepare. He paced back and forth anxiously, waiting for midnight to arrive.
There was a resting shed set up by the soldiers beside the city wall. Tao Sheng walked to the shed and sat down.
Late at night, there was a sudden sound of footsteps coming from the rear. Tao Sheng became alarmed and stood up suddenly to be on guard. When the group of more than a hundred soldiers approached, he saw that the one in front was Yu who had recently suffered a defeat.
"General Yu Du, what brought you here?" Tao Sheng stood up to greet him and asked with a smile.
Yu Du held a wine jar in his hand and said carelessly: "It's so hot in this day. Brother, I'm thinking about how long the night is. I just wanted to ask you for a drink, but after asking around, I found out that you, Brother Tao, are not at your residence. Here comes the patrol."
Tao Sheng thanked him and said: "I caught Xi Zuo in the daytime, and Sui Shuai asked to be more vigilant. I don't dare to slack off! No, don't worry, I will come and take charge personally."
Yu Du put the wine on the table in the shed, then asked his soldiers to put a few dishes in the food box, and motioned Tao Sheng to sit down, "It's such a hot day, let us brothers take a few sips."
Tao Sheng was anxious, fearing that he would stay for a long time, so he quickly declined and said: "General Yu Du, look at this drinking while on patrol. If Commander Sui finds out, I'm afraid neither of us will get anything good to eat."
Yu Du's eyes widened and he said angrily, "Who the hell is that guy Sui Gu! How dare he interfere with me!"
After saying that, Yu Du ignored Tao Sheng's refusal, forced him to sit down, and then poured wine into the big pottery bowl. He also asked the surrounding soldiers to retreat to a distance. It seemed that they had important matters to discuss.
Tao Sheng clinked the bowls with Yu Du in embarrassment and took a sip of wine. Yu Du greeted again: "This is the food I just broke open the largest Heshun Winery in the city and asked the chef to prepare it. With the Qingzhou soldiers laying siege to the city, we won't be able to eat anything good."
Tao Sheng followed Yu Du and took a few bites. The food was excellent. The wine was also aged for many years, but he was not in the mood to taste it at all. He tentatively said: "General Yu Du, what's wrong with you? If you really think that I am one of your own, just tell me."
Yu Du took a sip of wine, then slapped the table and said in a hateful voice: "I am Qi Sui Gu. Who the hell is he? With just a few words from Yan Shuai, he took the initiative in everything. I think back then When I rebelled and went to Montenegro, he was still a pawn under me!"
Tao Sheng pretended to be sympathetic and patiently listened to Yu Du's complaints, and finally understood the reason for Yu Du's anger. Last time Yu Du annexed Zhang Bai's cavalry team. But as soon as he returned to Yecheng, Sui Gu secretly acted mischievously. Taking advantage of the fact that Yu Du had just conquered the hearts of the people and had not yet surrendered, he sent people to bribe several generals from Zhang Baiqi's old department. As a result, nearly ten thousand people rushed to Sui Gu's command.
"I'm not telling you, what Sui Shuai did this time was too cold to the heart of the generals. There is no other way to win over people. He is cheating on his brothers behind his back. He is going against the will of the people! Please relax. After Yan Shuai comes back, I will tell Yan Shuai together with you to let Yan Shuai make the decision." Tao Sheng comforted.
Yu Du took another sip of wine. He said angrily: "It's no use telling Yan Shuai, he always protects Sui Gu! Let's not talk about this troublesome thing and talk about something else."
Yu Du invited Tao Sheng to drink again, and the words gradually opened up. Yu Du was a rough man, and he wanted to talk in a roundabout way, but Tao Sheng immediately heard that Yu Du was here to win over him.
Yu Du lifted up the pottery bowl and said, "Brother, you have been a minor official, read a book, and are knowledgeable. But look at what Sui Gu did to you? It doesn't matter if he doesn't listen to you, there are more. I can't bear to exclude you for taking away your credit for this time."
Tao Sheng probed softly: "General Yu Du, you are an old man in the Black Mountain Army, but since your last defeat in Yanzhou, you have been ostracized in every possible way. I also feel sorry for you! But I don't know what your plans are, but you want to find another one." Go somewhere else?"
Yu Du shook his head and said quietly, "Brother, don't say this. Although I am dissatisfied with Sui Gu, I am convinced by Yan Shuai."
"Then general, are you willing to succumb to Sui Gu?" Tao Sheng continued to ask seductively.
Yu Du's eyes widened and he said: "Who is willing to be under him? I am here to ask for your help, brother, to take back what belongs to me."
"General, what do you want to do?"
Yu Du wiped his neck and said: "When the Qingzhou soldiers attack the city tomorrow, we will kill him! Then we will collect his soldiers, and we will need your help, brother."
Yu Du quietly stretched his hand to the hilt of the knife at his waist. He was a man with unsophisticated thoughts. Now he was forced to become ruthless. More than a thousand of his soldiers were lying in ambush nearby. If Tao Sheng vetoed it, he would Will kill Tao Sheng and annex his team.
Yu Dudi also had a simple idea, and Tao Sheng was also rejected by Sui Gu. With Tao Sheng's help, he could successfully recruit all the Black Mountain troops in the city. At that time, he would just blame the Qingzhou army for Sui Gu's death. Just get by. Even if Zhang Yan knew the truth, there was nothing she could do.
Tao Sheng's mind changed quickly. He wanted to drag Yu Du to join the Qingzhou Army, but it was obvious that Yu Du was not interested in this proposal. On the other hand, Tao Sheng wanted to use Du's hand to get rid of Sui Gu, so that the Black Mountain army would be in chaos and the Qingzhou soldiers would easily capture Yecheng.
Tao Sheng hesitated for a while and said, "I don't agree with Suishuai's approach, but I'm afraid I won't be able to harm him!"
Yu Du snorted and said sternly, "He is unkind and unjust to me. Brother, just help me subdue his soldiers!"
Tao Sheng pretended to hesitate. But under Yu Du's burning eyes, he finally said: "Okay, General Yu Du, you can do it for Commander Sui, and I will take the lead in joining your command tomorrow."
Yu Du laughed loudly. Pull out the sword from your waist. Tao Sheng was shocked and thought he had been seen through. But Yu Du cut his finger with the tip of the Huanshou knife and dripped the blood into the wine in the pottery bowl.
Only then did Tao Sheng realize that Yu Du wanted to make a blood alliance. He took the Huanshou knife, cut his finger, and dripped the blood into the wine. The two of them each took a sip of blood wine, and after discussing some details, Yu Du returned to his residence.
Tao Sheng quickly stood up. When he came to the city wall, he asked urgently: "What time is it now?"
"It has just arrived at noon, sir!" said a confidant general.
"Quick! Get the big basket and send someone to tell the Qingzhou Army to postpone the dedication of the city!" Tao Sheng said anxiously.
On the opposite side of the Qingzhou Army, Yuan Xi was leading his personal guards. Follow the main force.
"Major General, the time is up, why is there no movement from the other side?" Han Meng asked doubtfully.
Yuan Xi didn't know that he could only ask everyone to be more vigilant to prevent the other party from cheating. But two moments passed. There was no movement at the city gate yet. Not only Yuan Xi, but also Xu Huang, Guo Jia and others were all anxious and hesitant, fearing whether this was a trick by the Montenegrin army.
"Major General, there is a man hanging out of the city. He wants to see the Major General in person." The soldiers in front reported.
Yuan Xi asked him to bring someone forward, and they saw that the man was one of the two followers who went out of the city with Tao Sheng to meet Yuan Xi last time. For safety reasons, Tao Sheng's close confidant did not bring the handwriting with him. He recounted Tao Sheng's plan.
Yuan Xi frowned when he heard this. If, as Tao Sheng said, they could instigate Sui Gu to follow Yu Du and take advantage of the chaos to let the Qingzhou soldiers enter the city, then they could take Ye City effortlessly. But the situation changes again and again, and it may be a trap. Do you want to take a gamble?
"Go back and tell Mr. Tao that our army will pretend to attack the city tomorrow and wait for him to surrender the city gate." Yuan Xi said calmly.
Tao Shengdi's confidant agreed, then turned towards Yecheng and quietly returned to resume his life.
Yuan Xi narrowed his eyes and stared at the city wall, then waved his hand. He said in a deep voice, "The whole army obeys the order. The whole army quietly returns to camp!"
"Nuo" "Nuo" everyone took the order and gave their orders. Han Meng, Guo Jia, and Xu Huang followed closely behind Yuan Xi.
"Major General. Do you really believe that Black Mountain bandit?" Han Meng asked in a muffled voice.
Yuan Xi rode forward, but he remained silent. Belief or disbelief could not be judged on one side. If you want to bet on this crucial battle, you cannot make a rash decision.
"Young General, as long as he lets go of the city gate, he can capture Ye City. Is there any trap?" Xu Huang asked.
"If you are planning it, you can really lay a trap and wait for us to rush in." Guo Jia continued, "We can dig trenches and deep pits within a certain distance of the city. After letting the first part of our army enter, at the city gate Throw earth and rocks to fill up the city gate, so that the soldiers and horses who enter will become turtles in the urn and be slaughtered by them."
Han Meng took a breath of cold air and said with fear, "That's really damn vicious. Once you enter the city, you can't advance or retreat. Fortunately, Mr. Guo has seen through it, which is a great blessing for our army."
"General Han, this is just Fengxiao's guess. Tao Sheng may not be a trap. At least the spies didn't come out the day before yesterday, and there was news of major construction work in Yecheng." Yuan Xi said, he still tended to take a risk, because he delayed Sorry.
Guo Jia also agreed: "From all indications, there is no flaw in what Tao Sheng said. As long as the plan is careful, it is still worth a try."
"Then according to what you just said, Mr. Guo, if you knew it was a trap, how could you defeat him?" Han Meng asked.
"It's not difficult. We can send a group of elite troops to secure the city gate first, and then immediately climb the city wall. As long as we firmly occupy a section of the city gate and wall, we won't be afraid of what tricks they will use!" Guo Jia said.
Yuan Xi held the hilt of the sword tightly and said decisively: "If he dares to use tricks, we will defeat him!"
Yuan Xi has already made plans to confront the Montenegrin Army head-on.
On the second day, Qingzhou soldiers formed a large battle formation south of Yecheng.
The war drums sounded, and several ladders built again were pushed to the city wall by the Qingzhou Army. The Black Mountain Army had some experience this time and was able to calm down a little. They waited until the ladder was pushed to the city wall and the Qingzhou Army soldiers emerged, and then they fired arrows and stones.
Yuan Xi led Xu Chu's four thousand Suwei infantry to suppress the central army. formation, but their position was still towards the east of the city.
On the city wall, Sui Gu put on a piece of refined armor, waved a machete and shouted, commanding the Montenegrin soldiers to shoot arrows in defense. For a long time, they withstood many charges from the Qingzhou Army, but the arrows were consumed a lot and the soldiers were tired.
Sui Gu commanded vigorously, unaware of the approaching danger.
Yu Du rushed to the city wall with a hundred soldiers. He looked around, then came to Sui Gu and whispered, "Shuai Sui, I caught a spy who said there was a spy who defected to the Qingzhou Army! Now! Let the commander-in-chief handle it."
"What are you talking about!" Sui Gu said angrily, "Who dares to collaborate with the enemy? Say it quickly! I can't spare them."
Yu Du handed him a letter, pointed to it and explained: "It says that there is someone here who wants to join the Yuan family and the Qingzhou Army. Look, Shuai Shuai, that's the name..."
Although Sui Gu was illiterate, he was attracted by Yu Du's words. Sui Gu pointed to the letter with his left hand and pulled out a short sword with his right hand. Suddenly, Yu Du stabbed the weakest part of Sui Gu's back, and at the same time he took out a feather arrow from his body with his left hand.
"Ah!" Sui Gu screamed, immediately attracting the attention of everyone around him.
Yu Du took the opportunity to push Sui Gu down, blocked Sui Gu with his body, and at the same time inserted an arrow into his chest, and shouted: "Commander Sui has been hit by an arrow, hurry up and call the doctor! Hurry!"
Sui Gu's mouth was bleeding and he was dying and could not speak coherent words. The people nearby gathered around. Seeing the arrow on Sui Gu's chest, they preconceptionally thought that he had really been hit by an arrow.
Yu Du shouted to the generals on the city wall: "Hurry up, brothers, and I will take Sui Shuai down to heal his wounds!"
After saying that, Yu Du picked up Sui Gu and hurriedly got off the city wall. Everyone didn't know what was going on. Except for a few of Sui Gu's cronies who followed him, the rest of them were anxious to stabilize their troops.
Yu Du carried Sui Gu to the medical center he had found in advance, and asked the doctor to prevent Sui Gu's cronies from visiting on the grounds of diagnosis and treatment.
In fact, Sui Gu was already dead before he arrived at the hospital. The doctor, who was bribed and coerced by Yu Du, treated the wound on Sui Gu's back so that it looked like he was dead with an arrow in his chest. And reported the news to Yu Du and Sui Gu's cronies.
Several of Sui Gu's trusted generals panicked when they heard the news, and gathered around Sui Gu's body and howled.
Yu Du also howled hypocritically a few times. After everyone came to their senses, Yu Du asked: "Shuai Sui is gone now, but we have to kill the Qingzhou traitor and avenge him!"
"Revenge! Revenge!" "Kill the Qingzhou people!"
Yu Du added: "But now we should push someone out to lead everyone in revenge, right?"
A general named Liu Shi said angrily: "Shuai Sui just died. Do you think you want to seize power and replace him?"
Yu Du also shouted angrily, "What do you mean by that? I won't take anything away from you, but when it comes to seniors, you can yell in front of me!"
Liu Shi pulled out his saber and said angrily, "Who do you think you are? You are a defeated general! How dare you seize the position of commander in chief!"
Yu Du was so angry that he also pulled out his sword and said sternly, "Let's see if I don't kill you, kid!"
Although several generals nearby were not convinced by Yu Du, they did not want the two of them to kill each other, so they stepped forward to persuade the two of them.
Yu Du was annoyed. According to the pre-plan, Tao Sheng should come here to help him at this time, and the two of them also mobilized some of their best soldiers to surround the area.
At this moment, something unexpected happened.
"Wait a minute!" A person shouted outside the hospital: "Yu Du is the murderer who killed Sui Shuai!"
Koto.
"My lord, urgent message!" A soldier suddenly walked in and said loudly.
"So urgent?"
Zhou Yu suddenly felt a little uneasy in his heart, and his expression moved slightly as he opened the secret letter.
"That's it, what a big gesture!" He looked carefully, his expression changed drastically, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.
Zhou Yu had never known what the local Jin gentry family was doing recently. Now he understood it, but it was a bit too late.
"Pan Zhang, Ding Feng!" Zhou Yu shouted angrily.
"Here!" Pan Zhang and Ding Feng, who were on guard outside, changed their expressions slightly and walked into the lobby quickly.
"Wen Gui, have you figured out all the Bai family's strongholds outside the city?" Zhou Yu took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and asked.
"Whether it's Tibetans or granaries, we've figured it all out!" Pan Zhang nodded.
"good!."
Zhou Yu quickly wrote down the document on the desk, then stamped his personal seal, handed it to Ding Feng, and said: "Chengyuan, my personal guards will lead you. You take my document and go to see Sun Bi. Ask him to pull out two thousand county soldiers and bring back all the people of these families, as well as food."
"promise!"
Seeing the cautious and serious look on Zhou Yu's face, the two people hurriedly responded and hurried out.
