The gate of Lingzhou City slowly opened, and the soldiers of the Song Army meandered into the city. Yu Jie was caught in the crowd, wiping sweat and looking at the Lingzhou City Defense carefully.
The iron armor inside his clothes was hot, making him uncomfortable and sweating profusely, but he still had to endure it like the soldiers.
The army dressed up in disguise and headed north out of Xiaoguan. During the 400-mile journey, they stayed day and night, firstly to avoid the heat, and secondly because they did not want to encounter the Mongolian army. When encountering the Mongolian army's rangers, they would either gather together and annihilate them, or drive them away from a distance.
The 400-mile journey took seven days to reach Lingzhou City.
Lingzhou City is 10 meters high and is covered with huge city bricks. Under the city wall is a sheep and horse pen, with the Yellow River to the west and a five or six meter wide moat around it. Looking at the circumference, it is about eight or nine miles, which is about the same size as Jinling City. It can be regarded as a middle city.
There were only 10,000 Song troops, but the Xia troops on top of the city were so nervous. Knowing that they were not enemy troops, I was immediately relieved. It can be seen that the Xia army's combat effectiveness is not strong due to the prolonged peace or the depletion of military strength.
Genghis Khan was able to kill all sides not because the Mongolian army was so powerful, but because his opponents were too weak.
There was no hero at that time, so Zhuzi became famous.
Yu Jie's heart subconsciously felt a surge of pride.
Without enough cavalry, field operations may not be possible, but if you defend a city and rely on firearms, how can you be afraid of a bird's egg?
Those in front were driving carriages, while the Song troops behind were lining up in a queue, marching in unison, and except for the sound of footsteps, there was no noise at all.
Li Deren, who was on the top of the city, could see it clearly, and goosebumps appeared on his body unconsciously.
These Song troops are well-trained and subconsciously arouse a sense of fear.
"Which of you is the leader? The prince calls you to come up!"
A young Xixia officer came down, with a dark face, bald hair, and gold rings in his earlobes, looking very arrogant.
Zhang Zhongxia in the back was slightly embarrassed.
The Xixia officers were carefree and carefree, a bit like the way they were when they were struggling to make a living in Lin'an City.
"That's two villains!"
Yu Jie and Cao Youwan walked over. Cao Youwan spoke in Dangxiang dialect and put a bag of money into the hands of the Xixia officer.
"I'd like to trouble the general to introduce you to me. The tea, brocade and other things will be sent to the general's residence."
He went to all the trouble to come to the rescue, and even had to apologize and bribe him, which made him curse in his heart. This is a great job to do.
Yelimo stuffed his money bag, smiled happily, and a flower bloomed on his dark face.
"You're a very sensible boy! If anything happens in the city from now on, just come to me for help. No one will dare to bully you!"
Li Deren asked the Song army to enter the city. He was only slightly surprised by the size of the caravan, but did not expect that it was the Song army coming for reinforcements.
"That's nature! That's nature!"
Cao Youwan nodded repeatedly, locked eyes with Yu Jie, and followed Ye Limou up the city wall.
I heard that Xixia likes meat, so it is especially fond of tea. When I saw it today, it was true.
After entering the city gate tower, most of the heat had dissipated. Li Deren dismissed everyone, leaving only Li Deren, Luo Shichang, Yu Jie and Cao Youwan who were sweating profusely.
Even Ning Zining, the magistrate of Lizhou, was excluded and went down to prepare for the garrison of the army, not to mention Yelimo, a small officer.
Yeli Mou was slightly surprised and got off the city wall.
Li Deren, the highest official in Lingzhou, entertained him personally and was accompanied by important officials from the imperial court. It seemed that these two guys had quite a lot of background. I hope these two guys know each other better and don't cause trouble for themselves.
"Your Highness, this is General Yu Jieyu, the commander-in-chief of Lizhou East Road in the Great Song Dynasty. This is General Cao Youwancao, the deputy commander-in-chief of Lizhou East Road. General Yu, General Cao, this is your highness."
Luo Shichang smiled broadly and made a brief introduction.
Lizhou East Road is under the capital control and Lizhou East Road is under the deputy capital control!
Li Deren was in awe. The two generals of the other side's frontier army personally came to help, which can be said to be full of sincerity.
"Your Highness, how long will the food in the city last?"
Yu Jie asked softly, looking Li Deren up and down.
The deposed prince was so polite and fluent in Chinese that he seemed to be a wise man.
"Two generals can last for about half a year. If you add cattle and sheep, you can last for a year."
Li Deren told the truth and was also observing Yu Jie and the two.
Emperor Song was so bold. It was really surprising that a young man in his twenties was the head coach of the border army.
Yu Jie nodded slightly. What he didn't know was that when Li Deren said that food would last for a year, he actually meant supplying the soldiers in the city, not the people in the city.
"Your Highness, the Tatar army's westward invasion this time is to destroy the Great Xia Kingdom. By then, the surrounding fortresses will only be poisoned. Before the Tatar army arrived, the walls were fortified and the fields were cleared, and food and livestock were moved into the city. , to prepare for future wars.”
The emperor said that he would stay until next summer, and this food and grass was the key.
"The general is absolutely right, I will make arrangements now."
Li Deren nodded and expressed appreciation for Yu Jie's words.
Mongolia invaded Xia five times in a row, and most of the people outside the city were killed. If grain and livestock are not moved into the city, it will only be an advantage to the Mongolian army.
"Your Highness, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty sent us here. All the officers and soldiers in the army have written suicide notes, and few of them plan to go back."
Yu Jie looked at Li Deren and Luo Shichang seriously.
"When our army fights, we will help the soldiers of the Xia army participate in the battle as Daxia people, take them by surprise, and inflict casualties on the Tatar army. The identity of our army cannot be exposed in the short term. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
Li Deren and Luo Shichang looked at each other and nodded.
There should be a reason for the Song Army's move. They didn't care whether it was a Song Army or a rebel army, as long as they could defend the city.
"Don't worry, general, I'll take care of this matter. No one will know about it except the three people in the room."
Li Deren took out the letters between Zhao Hong and Xixia Princess Li Weiming and tore them into pieces in front of him.
The people of Song Dynasty went through life and death in Daxia, even if they risked their lives, there was nothing else they could not agree to.
"Thank you for your support, Your Highness! The general will definitely work hard and fight to the end to protect Lingzhou City!"
Yu Jie and Cao Youwan stood up and bowed respectfully.
"I cannot thank you enough for your kindness! I would like to thank the Emperor of Song Dynasty, the two generals, and all the warriors of the Song Dynasty!"
Li Deren did not dare to be negligent, stood up and returned the salute solemnly.
"I, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, have asked us to help His Highness defend the city until June of next year. I hope that Your Highness can hold on and wait for me, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, to personally march and send troops to help."
Cao Youwan was worried and solemnly reminded Li Deren.
Once the Tatar army attacked the city fiercely, Xixia could not bear the surrender of Kaicheng, and they would regret it.
"Next summer?"
Li Deren was greatly shocked. He thought for a moment and then said:
"Don't worry, two generals. Unless the Tatar army steps over my corpse, there is no way they can break through Lingzhou City!"
Emperor Song will indeed send troops to rescue him, but I don’t know why he has to wait until next summer?
However, the arrival of 10,000 soldiers of the Song Army to the rescue had already put his mind at ease. These Song troops are dark and strong, and they look like elites in the army at first glance, and their hopes of defending the city are greatly increased.
"Okay! Since His Highness and the two generals are here, I will take two thousand soldiers to Zhongxing Mansion to report the matter to the emperor in secret, so as to prevent the Tatars from blocking the traffic."
Luo Shichang said with a smile, as if he remembered something again.
"Your Highness, help me prepare more rhubarb. I will take it to Zhongxing Mansion in case of emergency."
A few of Emperor Song's mysterious spells have already worked. Whether the other ones will work will naturally be known when the time comes.
Li Deren nodded in agreement, feeling confused.
Is there an epidemic in Zhongxing Mansion? Why do we need so much rhubarb?
"Your Highness, Mr. Luo, if the Tatar army comes to attack Lingzhou City, please do not ask for help from Zhongxing Mansion. Our army will do our best to defend Lingzhou City and prevent the Tatar army from breaking through the city."
Thinking of Zhao Hong's instructions at Lizhou Camp, Yu Jie reminded Li Luo and Li Luo of the matter.
The Zhongxing Prefecture sent troops to reinforce, but it was just a sheep entering the tiger's mouth. There was no return, and the sacrifice was in vain. There were eight thousand soldiers of the Song Army in Lingzhou City, and he was confident that the Mongolian army would not break the city.
This is not the time to be vague.
"Lingzhou City is the barrier of Zhongxing Mansion. It only has 20,000 defenders. How can it be defended? If Zhongxing Mansion doesn't send reinforcements, Lingzhou City will inevitably fall. General, this is a dilemma. If Zhongxing Mansion sends reinforcements, I can't stop it."
Li Deren looked shocked.
Even if he doesn't ask for help from Zhongxing Mansion, if the imperial court wants to send troops to rescue Lingzhou City, can he stop it?
Moreover, when a hundred thousand Mongolian troops besieged the city, how could Lingzhou City be defended?
Yu Jie and Cao Youwan looked at each other, and Yu Jie had no choice but to speak.
"Mr. Luo, General Cao will take two thousand brothers to Zhongxing Mansion with you. Here in Lingzhou City, General Cao will lead the other eight thousand brothers to defend the city."
If the Zhongxing Mansion did not send reinforcements, it seemed that he had to meet the Xixia Emperor and help defend the city.
As for Lingzhou City, we can only entrust it to Cao Youwan.
"Your Highness, Lingzhou City has our soldiers to help defend the city. It can definitely be done. The 20,000 defenders, coupled with the strong people in the city, and my 8,000 Song Dynasty soldiers, are enough to keep Lingzhou City safe and sound!"
Cao Youwan was impassioned and encouraged Li Deren.
The emperor confessed that the Zhongxing Mansion was the focus of this war. If Zhongxing Mansion surrenders, Lingzhou will be defeated.
On the other hand, if Lingzhou City falls and Zhongxing Mansion loses its barrier, it will be self-defeating.
"Cao Youwan, just help His Highness defend the city. Don't go out to fight in the city, and don't be instigated by others. Don't be impulsive in everything, remember His Majesty's teachings, and be sure to protect Lingzhou City!"
Yu Jie solemnly warned his lieutenant, feeling a little uneasy.
When he went to Zhongxing Mansion, the Tatar army would definitely cut off the traffic. In Lingzhou City, he could only rely on Cao Youwan and Li Deren.
Cao's friend Wan Yong was brave, but he was too impulsive and a little indecisive. He was afraid of sending troops rashly and missing important events.
"General Yu, please do as you wish. Don't worry, General Yu. I and General Cao will definitely be able to defend Lingzhou City and will not leave the city easily. On the Zhongxing Mansion side, we have to rely on General Yu and Xianggong Luo."
Cao Youwan solemnly accepted the order, and Li Deren nodded subconsciously. These Song troops were so tough and courageous that the Xia troops in the city were not as good as them.
He, the guard general of Lingzhou, cannot pretend to be a coward.
As for whether Lingzhou City can be defended, let's fight first and then see.
"Your Highness, how many soldiers are there in the city, are they enough to defend the city?"
On the city wall, watching Luo Shichang and Yu Jie leading people away, Cao Youwan turned his head and asked Li Deren softly.
One hundred thousand Mongolian troops besieged the city and 25,000 garrison troops seemed to be too few.
"General Cao, there are only 20,000 garrison troops in Lingzhou City. Including the ministries and government officials, there are only 25,000. What the general means is..."
Li Deren looked at Cao Youwan suspiciously, not understanding what he meant.
There are 25,000 garrison soldiers, and the real soldiers are only over 10,000, so their combat power is limited.
The arrival of the Song Army was just right.
"Your Highness, what I want to say is that if there are not enough soldiers in the city, I and my brothers can help Your Highness train the troops."
Cao Youwan clasped his fists in salute and spoke softly.
Speaking of military training, the military training method created by the emperor was enough to form an army in a short period of time. If Li Deren asked the Song generals to train troops, they would be obliged to do so.
"Training!"
Li Deren was confused and nodded.
The Song Army's momentum was extraordinary and frightening to watch. It might be useful to ask them to help train troops.
