"I have met His Highness! I have met Xianggong Ning!"
Seeing that it was Li Deren, Yang Daquan, who was training new recruits, quickly shouted "Have a rest" and saluted Li Deren and the other two.
"Thank you, General Yang!"
Li Deren nodded and said happily.
In organizing and training the new army, these Song generals tried their best, but they spent countless efforts.
"Your Highness, there is nothing to say about hard work when it comes to your duties!"
Yang Daquan raised his head and chest and answered solemnly.
"Okay, okay!"
Li Deren smiled and nodded repeatedly.
These generals of the Song Army had no idea how powerful they were, but their momentum alone made people feel excited.
General Yang?
Ning Zining glanced at Yang Daquan disdainfully, his eyes full of confusion.
It's just a rebel army, what kind of general is he?
Li Deren walked a few steps and stopped in front of a young man with an immature face.
"On the battlefield, you will live and die, are you afraid?"
Li Deren patted the young man's shoulder, which was not yet strong, and asked softly.
"On the battlefield, if you advance or retreat, you will live and die, don't be afraid!"
The young man shouted loudly, with an impassioned expression on his slightly immature face.
Either advance or retreat, life and death!
Li Deren nodded. This may be what all the soldiers in Lingzhou City are thinking about.
"What about you? Are you afraid?"
Li Deren took two steps and faced the rough man in tattered clothes.
"I lost my head and got a big scar! Don't be afraid!"
The rough man said in a low voice, his expression unchanged.
Li Deren nodded, faced the recruits, and suddenly shouted loudly.
"Brothers, the Tatar army is coming, Genghis Khan is coming, are you afraid?"
"Don't be afraid! Don't be afraid! Don't be afraid!"
The recruits raised their spears together and shouted together, their voices soaring into the sky.
Li Deren nodded, raised his right hand again, raised his arms and shouted.
"Brothers, defend Lingzhou! Defend Daxia!"
"Defend Lingzhou! Defend Daxia!"
The recruits raised their spears again and shouted together, everyone's face turned red.
"Defend Lingzhou! Defend Daxia!"
The Xixia people watching on the sidelines also clasped their fists and roared, their voices high, and the entire teaching ground became a sea of anger.
Li Deren pumped his fists and shouted together with everyone, and strode forward. He and Ning Zining passed in front of the recruits' queue, turned back frequently, and left the training ground.
The military morale was available, which made him enthusiastic and more confident in defending the city.
"Mr. Ning, a battle is going to start at any time. How are you preparing your armor?"
These newly trained soldiers may not be able to fight in the field, but they are more than enough to defend the city. They will be fighting soldiers after fighting a few times.
However, he just noticed that most of the recruits were not wearing armor and were shivering in the cold wind. Wearing armor on the body can protect you from the cold, and can effectively protect you and enhance your combat effectiveness.
"Your Highness, don't worry. When we go up to the city for defense, make sure everyone is wearing armor and no one is left behind!"
Ning Zining said with a smile, not taking it seriously.
Lingzhou is an important military town in Xixia, with fifty to sixty thousand soldiers stationed for a long time, and there are mountains of armor and weapons. It is more than enough to supply 10,000 new soldiers.
"Why do we have to wait until we go to the city to fight? It's freezing cold. Wearing armor can keep out the cold, and it can also allow the new recruits to adapt to the battlefield. Let's take off the armor quickly."
Li Deren glanced at Ning Zining in surprise and frowned.
When the country is in ruins and the family is in ruins, the same stupidity and bureaucracy remain. Can those young people who serve the country and join the army secretly hide their armor and weapons?
Of the 200,000 people in Lingzhou, only about 10,000 young men and women can be selected, and most of the rest are women and children. As for those young people of appropriate age, most of them had been killed by the Tatar army.
No matter what, these descendants of Daxia must be preserved.
At this time, we must not dampen young people’s desire to serve the country.
"Your Highness, I will handle this matter this afternoon."
Ning Zining's old face turned red secretly, and he quickly agreed.
After being aloof for a long time, he was afraid that people's hearts would be unstable. Once he put on his armor and took up arms, he might cause commotion.
"Mr. Ning, if we recruit another 10,000 new soldiers, can we supply weapons and armor?"
The new recruits were very capable, which also gave him inexplicable confidence.
"Your Highness, if we add another 10,000 new soldiers, not to mention the combat power, there may be problems with the supply of food and grass. According to the 30,000 soldiers, plus the rebel army of 5,000, the food and grass can last until the end of May. Before the weather gets hot. , the Tatar army should retreat. If we add another 10,000 soldiers, I am afraid they will only be able to hold on until the beginning of April at most."
Ning Zining's soft words elicited a sneer from Li Deren.
"Ms. Ning, do you think you won't die in the war? Thank God if half of these 30,000 soldiers can be left by then! What's more, Genghis Khan came with an overwhelming force, will it be so easy to retreat?"
Li Deren's words made Ning Zining suddenly enlightened, and he quickly replied:
"Your Highness, I will issue a military order right now and let all common people between the ages of 15 and 50 join the army. Ten thousand people should not be a problem."
If half of the people defending the city died, doesn't it mean that Lingzhou City can be defended?
Li Deren nodded and wanted to say something, but finally did not speak.
The Mongolian army is approaching the city. At this critical moment, it is lucky to be able to defend Lingzhou City. He had no time to care about whether the people would be fed and clothed, or whether they would die of cold, starvation, or disease.
"Brother Cao, what is this?"
When he came to the weapons inspection and looked at the waist-high two-wheeled vehicles in the open space, Li Deren asked curiously.
"Your Highness, this is an artillery cart. It is used when defending the city on the city wall. When the artillery is placed on it, the angle can be adjusted and it can also block the wind and snow, which can effectively kill the Mongolian army attacking the city!"
Cao Youwan patiently explained to Li Deren.
The more than two hundred chariots he brought over were suitable for field battles and fighting on city walls. Some of them were not of the right height, so he had to re-make or modify them. Fortunately, Lingzhou is the Xijing of Xixia. There are many vehicles and equipment, and there are also many carpenters, so he will not be distracted.
"300 steps! That's the same as the Divine Arm Bow!"
Li Deren nodded slightly, feeling even more excited.
It is said that the Song army is invincible in defending the city, and it turns out that they are quite capable. These more than 200 artillery carts are equivalent to more than 200 divine arm bows, which greatly increases the firepower of defending the city.
"Brother Cao, if Lingzhou City can be defended, I will treat you to drunkenness for three days and three nights."
Thinking of the 200,000 people in the city, Li Deren was worried and unconsciously expressed his feelings.
If Lingzhou City is destroyed, Zhongxing Mansion will have no southern barrier and can only sit back and wait for death.
"Your Highness, if we are united as one, we are not afraid that Lingzhou City will be breached. Even if the city wall is broken and there are street fighting, I am afraid that the Tatar army cannot withstand so many casualties. If they want to flatten Lingzhou City, they have to follow our eight I stepped on the corpses of thousands of brothers.”
Cao Youwan's words made Li Deren and Ning Zining's blood boil with excitement, and they nodded heavily.
To destroy Lingzhou City, the Mongolian army had to exchange blood and corpses. The Song army was so confident that they, the Xixia generals, had no reason to retreat.
"Brother Cao, the Yellow River will freeze in the next few days, and the Tatar army will cross the Yellow River and encircle Lingzhou City. The war is imminent, so please help Brother Cao to defend the city. Thank you very much!"
Li Deren looked solemn and bowed.
The life and death destiny of the Xixia people required the blood and sacrifice of the Song people, which deserved his respect.
"Don't worry, Your Highness. I'm still saying the same thing. If the Tatar army wants to break the city, they have to step over my body."
Cao Youwan cupped his fists and returned the salute, with the same solemn look on his face.
How dare he neglect his duties and not take the military orders given by the emperor seriously!
"Yishi Cao, you are indeed a good man!"
Ning Zining said calmly.
"Your Highness, these rebels are not ordinary people. Who are they? Can't even the old minister tell them?"
When Li Deren and the others came out, Ning Zining couldn't help but asked quietly.
"Ms. Ning, I said they are reinforcements from the Kingdom of Jin. Do you believe it?"
Li Deren smiled slightly and said it.
"Ms. Ning, please take off the armor quickly. I'll go to the state office to take a look at the weapons. The war is coming, so we can't take it lightly!"
"Golden soldiers? Only ghosts believe it!"
Watching Li Deren leave, Ning Zining was stunned and said something resentful.
The Kingdom of Jin had too much time to take care of itself and was wavering between war and war. How could it have the thought and ability to take care of Xixia?
Could it be said that this was a private soldier secretly trained by the deposed prince, and was used as a last resort when the country was ruined and the family was in ruins?
