Huainan East Road, the important frontier town of Chuzhou, the state government office.
In the lobby, Chuzhou Commander-in-Chief Yang Miaozhen paced uneasily, frowning.
Ever since Li Quan led his troops south to attack Yangzhou, her heart had never been at peace.
The Emperor of Song Dynasty worked hard to govern, and the Song army was not what it used to be, and it was no longer the wimp it used to be. Yangzhou is the gateway to Jiangnan and Jinling. With a large number of troops gathered there, it may not be that easy to fight.
The Emperor of Song personally wrote to persuade him to surrender, but Li Quan insisted on going his own way and vowed to fight the Song army to the end. I wonder if he can come back victorious?
Emperor Song, when he thought of that cold and courageous young man, Yang Miaozhen felt cold and upset in his heart.
Is it a good move to defect to Mongolia and become an open enemy of the Song Dynasty?
Yang Miaozhen couldn't help but be startled when drums and golden sounds suddenly sounded outside the house.
What's going on? Could it be that the Zhongyi Army was defeated and the Song Army attacked?
Isn't the Song army in the south? Why did it come to Chuzhou in the rear?
"Entang, something bad has happened! The Song army is coming from the direction of Surabaya, attacking both land and water. It seems that they are going to take Chuzhou's retreat!"
Surprised and suspicious, the sergeant hurriedly came in to report.
"Quick! Get on the city wall!"
Yang Miaozhen calmed down a little and walked out quickly.
It turned out that the Song army came from Huaixi and had nothing to do with the Huaidong battlefield.
Standing on the north wall of Chuzhou City, I saw countless Song Army warships coming along the Huaihe River. The soldiers marched in separate groups, turned south and entered the canal. When they arrived southwest of Chuzhou City, the Song Army on board the ships came ashore one after another. Gather in the south of the city.
Another group of Song troops marched eastward along the Huai River, disembarked one after another in the northeast of Chuzhou City, and assembled in the east of Chuzhou City. Several Song warships entered the naval station in the west of Chuzhou City from the Huai River and went straight to a dozen Mongolian warships in the West Lake.
In the southeast, northwest, the Song Army only gave way to the north, but on the sparkling water in the north, the Song Army's warships patrolled back and forth. Chuzhou City was surrounded by Song troops.
You can't see the end at a glance, it's overwhelming. Yang Miaozhen, who was standing on the southern wall of Chuzhou City, turned pale and his heart was pounding.
The Song army ambushed from all sides, not only blocking the retreat of Chuzhou City, but also probably blocking the retreat of Li Quan who went south and returning north.
Yang Miaozhen was really surprised when thunder suddenly sounded on the water of the West Lake, and artillery fire from the Song warships fired. Several Mongolian warships were beaten to pieces and scattered sawdust. The Mongolian soldiers on the decks were bloody and bloody, and they fell and screamed.
The artillery on the Song army's warships roared and smoke filled the air. Several Mongolian army warships were sunk or were spinning on the water. More than a dozen other Mongolian army warships withdrew from the battlefield, leaving behind their shouting comrades in the water and desperately heading towards the city. Cross out the direction.
The Song army's warships did not pursue them. They watched the Mongolian army's warships enter the city along the Xishui Gate, and more Song army's warships entered the West Lake. It seemed that they were going to take their time to settle down.
Yang Miaozhen on the city wall could see clearly, and he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.
How the Song Army's artillery was so ferocious was terrifying.
If there are artillery on the ship, how can we fight this water battle?
The soldiers around him were shocked and inexplicable. Yang Miaozhen came back to his senses and was frightened.
The Song Army's navy is so powerful, so wouldn't it mean that the two naval forces going south have encountered a tough situation and have little hope of defeating them?
If the Song army's artillery was so fierce in field battles, how many soldiers' lives would be needed to fill it? Can the army going south still win this war?
"Entang, do you want to report Chuzhou's military situation to Enfu? If it's too late, it will be too late!"
Lieutenant General Li Jun's words made Yang Miaozhen wake up from a dream and nodded subconsciously.
"Quick! Send someone to report to the general immediately!"
The Song army is about to encircle them, and if they don't leave the city to report the news, it may be too late.
"Send the order and get ready for battle!"
Yang Miaozhen calmly handed down the military order.
The Song army did not even persuade them to surrender, but only fought to the death.
"Entang, it seems that the Song army has no immediate plans to attack the city."
Li Jun subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief when he discovered that the Song Navy's navy began to set up camp after firing a few cannons.
Yang Miaozhen looked at it for a moment, also full of confusion.
"Is the Song army going to besiege Chuzhou for a long time? Aren't they afraid that the Tatar army will go south and block their retreat?"
She has followed Li Quan through hundreds of battles, and is no stranger to both siege and defense, and has narrowly escaped death many times. Is the Song army going to besiege Chuzhou for a long time, or is it going to encircle it and bring reinforcements?
"Send someone to report to the general again and tell him not to panic, lest he fall into the Song Army's conspiracy!"
Yang Miaozhen was decisive in killing and made another decision immediately.
"Entang, the Song army is powerful and has ferocious weapons. Why not pretend to surrender and then make a comeback?"
Xia Gu, the general guarding the west city wall, felt numb when he looked at the densely packed Song army outside the city.
The artillery of the Song army is faint, the soldiers' armor is bright, and the soldiers are fierce and vigorous, covering the mountains and fields, like locusts. The Song army made it clear that it was determined to capture Chuzhou City.
Anyway, they often used fake surrender, so it was impossible for the Song army to kill them all.
"Xia Gu, you don't have to think about it. We are going to fake surrender. The Song army has captured Chuzhou City. Do the general and the others have a way out? The Song army takes the opportunity to go south and attack from the north and south. The general is attacked from both sides. Can they still capture Yangzhou City? "
Yang Miaozhen had a straight face and solemnly warned Xia Gu.
"Tell all the troops that whether we advance or retreat in this battle will determine the survival of our loyal army. Anyone who dares to mention surrender will be shot without mercy!"
"Entang, don't worry. If the Song army wants to attack Chuzhou City, they must step over my body first!"
Xia Gu was impassioned and dismissive, with a ruthless attitude that he would rather be broken into pieces than destroyed.
Li Quan wanted to capture Yangzhou City, but it was not that easy. After so many years of fighting and killing, no one has ever captured Yangzhou City.
The loyal army all surrendered to the Mongolian army, so how could there be any loyalty at all?
Yang Miaozhen felt a little more at ease. She turned around and asked Li Jun:
"Li Jun, how long can the food and grass in the city last?"
When the Song army was besieging a city, only with food and grass could they have the confidence to persevere.
"Hui En Tang, if there are 20,000 soldiers in the city, it will last about half a year."
Xia Gu replied thoughtfully.
It seemed that Yang Miao really wanted to hold on and leave a way out for Li Quan.
"Half a year is enough! It won't take long for the Tatar army to move south."
Yang Miaozhen turned her head and looked south.
Given that the city of Chuzhou was impregnable, how easy would it be for the Song army to capture Chuzhou?
I hope Li Quan can defeat the Song army and capture Yangzhou. In this way, all the troubles disappear.
After Yang Miaozhen and others left, Xia Gu turned his head and looked at the Song Army warships and the endless Song Army outside the city, his brows furrowed and his expression complicated.
Xia Gu frowned and said nothing. Several of his confidants came over and gathered around him.
"Go, let's go and defend the city. Why are you coming here?"
Xia Gu waved his hand impatiently, but none of his confidants left.
"Second brother, looking at the posture of the Song Army, I'm afraid they are really going to destroy us. What do you think?"
Dong Simiao, an elegant and fair-skinned man, chuckled and looked around carefully.
"Second brother, look at the Song army's posture, they are surrounded like iron barrels, I'm afraid they won't be able to return to Shandong!"
Xia Kui is thick and dark, with a Shandong accent, and there is something interesting in his words.
"Lao Wu, don't talk nonsense!"
Xia Gu glanced around nervously and saw that no one was paying attention, so he whispered with a dark face.
"You don't want your life! If Entang hears it, be careful of your head!"
Xia Gu and Xia Kui are cousins, one is the second eldest and the other is the fifth. They are both generals who have followed Li Quan and Yang Miaozhen for many years.
"What can I do if I hear this? The Song army is besieging the city, and they won't survive for a few days anyway!"
Xia Kui muttered in a low voice.
Xia Gu's eyes widened, and Dong Huimiao quickly took over.
"Second brother, Xia Kui is just complaining. Don't take it to heart. But he is telling the truth. Second brother, you know."
Xia Gu snorted coldly, glanced at Xia Kui who was hanging his head and said nothing, and frowned.
"You two, you are so bold that you risk your life. It's not like you don't know what is going on now. If you want to end up like Guoan, you can talk nonsense everywhere."
Guoan Yong was the leader of several of them. He was killed on the spot by Li Quan a few days ago because he said the wrong thing. Although Li Quan said he would give Guo'an a grand burial, the generals' hearts were already in confusion.
"Second brother, Li Quan has completely changed now. Not only is he cruel and ruthless, but he also wants to risk his life with Song Jun. If this continues, we will all have to be buried with him. Emperor Song wanted to recruit us, and his glory and wealth were all ruined by Li Quan. !”
Xia Kui had a bad temper, and with the Song army approaching the city, he couldn't bear his temper and broke out directly.
"Keep your voice down! Talk in the gate tower!"
Xia Gu stopped in a low voice and strode forward with a dark face.
Xia Kui followed closely, Dong Simiao looked around and then left.
Xia Gu entered the city gate tower, poured a bowl of crude tea, sat down, and drank slowly.
"Second brother, you have to make an idea. Otherwise, you won't be able to drink any tea in a few days!"
Xia Kui's words made Xia Gu's face darken and his tea bowl hit hard.
"Who do you think wants to drink this crappy tea? Is there anything I can do?"
I am irritable and can't keep my temper. After decades, I still have the same bad temper.
"Second brother, the Song army is approaching fiercely, and all the brothers are uneasy. The Song army has strong soldiers and horses now, but not in the past. If we fight with the Song army, we will definitely die. Second brother, do we really have to wait to die? Sister-in-law and nephew, you Don’t you care?”
Dong Simiao observed the situation and continued to tell the truth to fan the flames.
"Dong San, you are so evil. You should tell me, what should we do?"
Xia Gu picked up the tea bowl, glanced at it, and then put it down in disgust.
"Second brother, you have also seen the posture of the Song army outside the city. If we insist on defending, our lives will definitely be in danger. We might as well open the city gate and welcome the Song army into the city. In this case, the brothers may still have a way to survive."
Dong Simiao said softly, Xia Gu's heart moved, but his face remained calm.
"However, Li Quan killed the envoy of the Song Dynasty and treated me well. Second brother, I can't bear it!"
Xia Gu shook his head and sighed, with a troubled expression on his face.
"Second brother, who do you think you are? Guo'an has followed Li Quan for more than ten years, and how much contribution he has made. Why don't you just kill him? Second brother, how many people have died in our Xia family, do you still want to die?" ?”
Xia Kui suddenly had a seizure.
Xia Gu acquiesced and remained silent. The scene where Li Quan killed his general Guo'an that day was still vivid in his mind.
In the past few years, many things have happened in the Three Kingdoms, and Li Quan has changed too much.
"Dong San, who is more powerful, Song Ting or Tatar?"
Xia Gu suddenly asked, as if the world was awake.
"Second brother, I can't see clearly at the moment. However, the Song army has firearms and the defense of the city will definitely be undefeated. The Song army has no shortage of war horses now. They have a large number of people. I'm afraid the Tatar cavalry won't have much of an upper hand."
"You mean, Li Quan can't take Yangzhou?"
Xia Gu looked solemn and blurted out the word "Li Quan".
With the acquisition of Mongolian war horses, the strength of the Loyalty Army greatly increased. If the loyal army went straight to the south of the Yangtze River, the Song army would have to fight in the field.
In a field battle, the loyal army should have the upper hand.
"Second brother, it's probably too much. Otherwise, the front line would have sent a good news!"
Before Dong Simiao could speak, Xia Kui couldn't wait to interrupt.
"Go, go, go, what do you know?"
Xia Gu turned his eyes to Dong Simiao and urged:
"Dong San, I can't control who wins or loses between the Song Dynasty and the Tatars. I just want to know now, can Li Quan take Yangzhou and invade Jiangnan?"
One step at a time, one step at a time, this is also the consistent rule of those who lick blood with their swords.
"Second brother, the city of Yangzhou is impregnable, and the Song army has firearms. There is no way Li Quan can capture it!"
Dong Simiao shook his head and said decisively:
"In the third year of Xingqing, on the northwest frontier, Subutai, the most powerful general in Mongolia, led his troops to attack Mianzhou City. Not to mention the failure, he suffered heavy casualties. Could it be said that the important town of Yangzhou is not stronger than the small Mianzhou City? Li Quan Can you still beat Subotai?"
Xia Gu was slightly startled and nodded unconsciously.
There are only so many people in Mianzhou City, and there are at least tens of thousands in Yangzhou City. It seems that it may not be easy for Li Quan to capture Yangzhou.
No matter how good Li Quan is, he will never be better than the famous Mongolian No. 1 general Subutai.
"Dong San, you said that the Song army has strong soldiers and horses. Why didn't they attack Chuzhou City and instead defend Yangzhou City? What do they want to do?"
Xia Gu hesitated and continued to ask.
Since the Song army had strong soldiers, strong horses, and sharp firearms, why did they not send troops northward but instead stick to Yangzhou and the south?
"Second brother, why do you have so many people? The Song army has beaten you right under your nose, and you still keep asking questions. If you want to live or die, just say a word! If the Song army attacks the city at night, it will be too late to escape. !”
Xia Kui said anxiously, his face full of impatience.
"Get out! Go and guard outside!"
Xia Gu was furious, grabbed the tea bowl and smashed it. Xia Kui quickly dodged and ran out quickly.
"Second brother, calm down!"
Dong Simiao whispered to Xia Gu.
"Second brother, fifth brother is right. If you want to find a way to survive, make an earlier decision. If you wait until Li Quan is defeated and the Song army attacks the city, you will have to be buried with Yang Miaozhen! In a word, brothers will only follow your lead. You have to Just make up your mind!"
Xia Gu hesitated for a moment and whispered softly:
"Dong San, there are 20,000 brothers in the city, and there are many who are loyal to Li Quan. We only have 3,000 brothers, and I'm afraid we won't be able to do it with Yang Miaozhen."
"Second brother is right! We are not Yang Miaozhen's opponents, there is Song Army."
Dong Simiao whispered, Xia Gu looked at him, laughed softly, and then shouted outside:
"Lao Wu, come in, I have something to tell you!"
Yang Miaozhen wanted to stick to Chuzhou City, and the trapped beasts were still fighting. He didn't want to be buried with them. He didn't want to live through more than ten years of bloodshed and bloodshed.
