The setting sun is like blood. In Shouzhou City after the war, the gunpowder smoke has not dissipated for a long time. Countless flags of the sun, moon and stars are already broken, but they are still flying high above the city.
Counting today, the Tang army has been attacking the city for five days.
Li Jinquan stood on the city tower, frowning as he looked at the soldiers and civilians busy repairing fortifications on various city walls, feeling restless. In the distance, Bagong Mountain is shrouded in the afterglow. At a glance, the lush vegetation is full of military flags with Tang characters. The camps of the Southern Tang army have been stretched from the mountain pass to outside Shouzhou City, and war horses can be vaguely seen among them. Go, the loud noises and the dust all over the sky can't help but give people a great shock.
In the previous battle with Liu Renzhan's troops in the south of the city, Li Jinquan received a report from the city's defenders, thinking that the Tang army had bypassed the rear and attacked the city, so he accepted Ming Hanrong's persuasion and hurriedly led the army back to the city. Knowing that all this was just a cover-up by the Tang army, in fact the Tang army in the east of the city had already retreated, thus missing the great opportunity to annihilate Liu Renzhan's troops. Li Jinquan was so angry that he directly beheaded several defenders, feeling regretful.
Since when Shouzhou City was empty, the Tang army did not attack the city with all its strength, but only feigned an attack to rescue Liu Renzhan's troops. This at least showed that the main force of the Tang army had not arrived, so Li Jinquan immediately decided to send troops to Bagong Mountain and concentrate on eradicating the pillows. Border troubles.
At this critical moment, Ming Hanrong appeared again at the right time and analyzed Li Jinquan again. He mentioned Li Yuan's appearance and the defection of the Qing Huai Army. After some earnest persuasion, the always suspicious coach became very suspicious. He was about to be shaken. It was difficult to guess whether the Tang army was a suspect or an ambush on Bagong Mountain, which made him unable to make up his mind.
But the situation waits for no one, and when Li Jinquan hesitated, it seemed that things began to take a turn for the worse.
Ten days ago, at the foot of Bagong Mountain, only a short distance away from Shouzhou City, a large group of Tang Army cavalry suddenly began to gallop, which seemed to be a sign of reinforcements. After receiving the report, Li Jinquan no longer hesitated and decisively ordered to give up the Guangzhou and Luzhou areas he had obtained, concentrate all troops in Shouzhou City, and once again sent envoys to Zhou for help.
But when he saw the company camp of the Tang Army gradually approaching the outside of Shouzhou City, and then brazenly launching an attack on the city five days ago, Li Jinquan finally came to his senses.
Although he appeared calm and composed on the surface, and even vowed to annihilate all the Tang troops under his command, he still understood in his heart that no matter how strong the Shouzhou City was, it was only a mere city that could only be defended for a day. If you can keep it for a month, so what if you can keep it for a year? What he has to fight against is the entire Tang Dynasty.
Now that he is openly rebelling, how could Li Jing let him go? No matter how embarrassed the Tang Dynasty is, if it really devotes all its strength to attack, it will be like a worm shaking a tree, and it will only be a matter of time before the city is defeated. And everything he did was certainly not to allow himself to sit still and wait for death.
In this troubled world where the strongest man is the king, Li Jinquan always firmly believes that only having military power in the city is the most stable guarantee. As for who is the emperor above him, it has no meaning to him. Since they rebelled against the Tang State, the only way to survive was the Zhou State in the north. As for establishing himself as king, or lingering between the two countries, relying solely on his current strength is just wishful thinking.
At this time, Li Jinquan was quietly listening to the generals and generals reporting their battle losses, feeling increasingly tormented in his heart. In the past few days, the rebels in the city had seen all the various siege methods used by the Tang army. Ants, rockets, slings, and even chariots and crossbows were all brought out. The determination of the siege attitude was staggering. The city wall of Shouzhou is still strong, but the casualties of the soldiers in the city have exceeded 5,000.
Although the casualties of the Tang army were definitely not small, Li Jinquan did not dare to take it lightly at all, and was ready to rotate offense and defense at any time, because the opponent he had to deal with now was no longer the indecisive Liu Chongjun, but two famous generals in the world, one Li Yuan and the other Liu Renzhan.
Li Jinquan dare not forget the tradition of the Tuyuhun people, which is the admiration for heroes. Li and Liu join forces. If they are not careful, they will be destroyed and their lives will be ruined. Everything will be in vain.
"Commander, someone from the Kingdom of Zhou is here!"
Behind Li Jin's body, Ming Hanrong, dressed in black robes, hurriedly stepped onto the stone steps and said excitedly: "It's not in vain that we have waited so long, Commander, let's take a look!" As he said that, he quickly took out the magic weapon in his hand. The silk book is presented.
Li Jinquan originally wanted to go down to the city to greet him in person, but when he saw this, he asked suspiciously: "Is this?"
Ming Hanrong smiled awkwardly and said: "The envoys of Zhou Dynasty came and went in a hurry. They did not stop after entering the city. They just left this silk book..."
Li Jinquan didn't want to think too much. He opened it and took a look. The handwriting on the silk book was neat. In just a few lines, apart from commending Li Jinquan for abandoning the dark side and surrendering to the imperial court, it was nothing more than promotion and encouragement, giving the loyal military governor and longevity. As the governor of the state, he was appointed as the right servant of the inspection school and appointed as the envoy to Huainan, responsible for attacking the Tang Dynasty.
Li Jinquan calmly closed the silk book and asked, "Did the envoy say anything else? When will the reinforcements arrive?"
Ming Hanrong responded hesitantly: "This man didn't say much. He only said that your Majesty hopes that the commander will continue to hold on to Shouzhou. After the army conquers Yanzhou, he will definitely go south to join our army..."
Ming Hanrong was aware that the word "Guo Wei" a few hours ago had now become the word "Your Majesty". Li Jinquan obviously did not pay attention to details, and he had no patience at this time. He threw the silk book to the ground and angrily said: "Hold on and hold on, in the end, it is just empty words! Guo Wei just wants to wait for us and the Tang army to lose. It’s just a matter of sitting back and reaping the profits! I don’t care what kind of military governor you are!”
Regarding Li Jinquan's statement, Ming Hanrong knew that he could not deny it. After all, which emperor in the world would trust a military commander who had rebelled twice and held military power? He just continued to hold his hands and said: "Also, the Northern Expeditionary Army of the Tang State has been defeated at the gate of Xuzhou City. Now it retreats to Xiapi City and is isolated and helpless. It will be destroyed sooner or later. Commander, the current situation is that the only way is to surrender to the Zhou State. There is no other way!"
Unexpectedly, Li Jinquan did not look happy at all, but was still angry: "You damn surrender! What's the use of the Zhou State if they don't give a single soldier? Even if the Tang State's Northern Expedition army was defeated, the Tang Army under Shouzhou City had no intention of retreating! Han Rong, as you have seen in the past few days, the Tang army's siege momentum has become more and more fierce, and our army's casualties are increasing day by day! I only regret that my commander was negligent and allowed the Tang army to occupy the important place of Bagong Mountain. Its grain, grass and baggage are moving freely, but our army can only be trapped here..."
At this point, Li Jinquan suddenly clenched his knuckles and gritted his teeth and said: "It's better to give it a try than to rely on others! I will gather all my troops tomorrow and go out of the city to fight the Tang army!"
"Commander, please don't be impulsive! The city of Shouzhou is impregnable and has plenty of food and grass. As long as our army holds the city and holds on, the Tang army can't do anything to us! The Tang army has been attacking fiercely for days, and they are counting on a quick victory. When the commander leaves the city, isn't he going to the city? Have you been fooled by them?" Ming Hanrong asked anxiously.
"That's all!" Li Jinquan stared at the busy traffic in the Tang Army's camp outside the city, and then said: "Send my military order to recruit all the men in the city between the age of fourteen and under sixty. The young ones will all go to the city to guard the city, and the old ones will be sent to guard the city. Use it as a sign to repair the city wall! Anyone who dares to disobey will be killed!"
Ming Hanrong quickly obeyed the order and turned around to go down to the city. Not long after, heart-wrenching cries could be heard everywhere in Shouzhou City...
