"I feel so weird, but I can't explain why!" Liu Mo thought to himself.
This strategic plan seems very reasonable, but it is also very unreasonable!
Brother Wei Changjun doesn't want to deal with us. There is really no fault in arranging this kind of task where we lose troops and generals and get no credit.
The question is, isn't this kind of arrangement equivalent to letting them go head-to-head with the main force of the Zhou Dynasty and give us an advantage?
Then I thought about it and arranged for us to have a head-on confrontation with the Zhou Dynasty. The Sixth Prince is not stupid. Even if he agrees to send troops, he will not use his full strength.
So, they also considered this level, so why not just throw in a few hard bones?
Or, in the face of the national justice of the Great Xia Dynasty, did you realize it?
No wonder the Sixth Prince agreed to send troops. Such an arrangement was indeed irresistible!
"Liu Mo, do you have any questions?" the sixth prince asked.
"After capturing Hetu, we have no other tasks?" Liu Mo responded.
"No!" said the Sixth Prince, "I will advance to the southwest of the Zhou Dynasty, contain the Zhou Dynasty from the flanks, and cut off their connection with the west."
Another meatless bone! Liu Mo thought to himself.
"What about the northern Zhou Dynasty?" Bai Chengzong asked. "The descendants of the Laughing King will finally be named Zhou!"
They are also a family in name, so it is difficult to say that they can cross the swamp to "King Qin"!
The Sixth Prince thought for a moment and said, "General Bai, I will leave the north to you to garrison. I will give you 10,000 troops when the time comes."
Bai Chengzong nodded in approval.
"What about the minister? Stationed in Yongxing?" Liu Mo asked.
"Although Yongxing is small, it has very important connections. There is no city wall here and there are no dangers. We must not take it lightly." The sixth prince told him. “If I conquer Hetu, I will send you another mission.
If there are no objections, please go back and rest first, and set off in three days! "
No one objected, and the battle plan was finalized.
For Liu Mo, the good news is that he will not meet a strong opponent like Yang Yizhi.
(Of course the Emperor of Zhou would let him stick to the capital!)
Three days later, the army broke out of camp.
Liu Mo led his 30,000 troops to the plain at the entrance of the Ningxi Corridor. According to the orders of the Sixth Prince, everyone rested there for a day and set off at dawn the next day.
Near noon, when the troops came to a hillside.
Zhu Min told Liu Mo that across the hillside, the front was considered the territory of the Zhou Dynasty, and standing on the high ground and looking back was the hometown of Daxia.
Liu Mo looked back and was filled with emotion.
The army marched like a giant dragon, twisting and turning on the vast corridor. The footsteps of the soldiers merged from near to far into a rustling sound like the whispers of countless streams. As the terrain got lower and lower, until the mountains of their hometown were no longer visible at all.
At this time, Liu Mo also saw some veterans making some strange behaviors and was very puzzled.
They all took out a small cloth bag, grabbed a handful of soil, put it into the bag, and carefully placed it close to their bodies, still mumbling something.
Some soldiers even turned around and bowed in the direction of their hometown.
"What are they doing? Does anyone know?" Liu Mo asked subconsciously.
"Have we forgotten the customs of the Great Xia Dynasty? Our souls have returned to their homeland!" Sun Kan answered him.
Liu Mo was shocked, "Carrying the soil of your hometown, even if you die in a different place, can it be regarded as returning your soul to your hometown?"
At this time, his right eyelid was twitching, as if indicating something bad.
"The highest level of war is to protect oneself. No matter what plots Master Wei Chang has, all I, Liu Mo, have to do is protect my troops and have the last laugh!"
~~~
Liu Mo led his army to walk along the main road for two days, passing through a scorched land. As far as he could see, there were destroyed farmland and houses, and dead fruit trees standing in the wilderness, like targets for shooters.
Wild wolves howl, the night is vivid, and the red land is deserted for thousands of miles.
When passing a village, the flag of the Zhou Dynasty was still flying on the hills, but the village itself was destroyed, and most of the houses and farmland were burned and looted. There were no living creatures, only a few wandering wild dogs, which fled without a trace when they heard the sound of people.
This was all done by the Sixth Prince's subordinates, Liu Mo thought to himself.
The army led by the Sixth Prince set off before them. Like Yang Yizhi, in order to clear out the enemy troops along the way, the Prince of Daxia did not choose to be merciful in the war.
After walking for about six days, the army arrived at its destination: Yongxing City.
The city, like the surrounding land, is very simple, and is about 2/3 the size of the old Banyan City.
According to reports from spies, there were approximately four thousand Zhou Dynasty garrison troops stationed here. Excluding the logistics troops, the number of people who can actually fight is about 3,500.
In terms of numbers, Liu Mo's 30,000-strong army was ten times larger than the opponent's and was completely at an advantage.
Moreover, the troops of Wei Changjun and the eldest prince have crossed the Ningxi Corridor and are heading south rapidly. The Zhou Dynasty will naturally deploy heavy troops in the capital. At this time, Yongxing City can be said to be an isolated city.
Attack the city with all your strength? It will probably be conquered in less than a few days. But the problem also arises, that is casualties!
In the siege battle, the defenders were at an absolute advantage, and a strong attack would inevitably cause the greatest casualties, which Liu Mo did not want to see.
Therefore, he immediately ordered to set up camp outside the range of the Yongxing garrison and not rush to attack the city for the time being.
How to reduce siege casualties? Liu Mo's plan is very avant-garde: imitate the United States during World War II.
During World War II, the United States could be said to have brought the essence of modern siege warfare to its extreme.
On the battlefield, in order to reduce troop casualties, every time the United States attacks an island, it will bomb the island almost every day as long as the weather permits.
Before landing on the island, the United States dispatched thousands of aircraft and warships to bomb the island. First blow the island country's defenders to pieces, and then send out the Marine Corps to pick up the pieces.
Liu Mo's army also had the Jianrui camp attacking the city. Everything was lacking here, except for stones.
Use local materials, dig stones, and make them into huge siege stones. Let's blast it for ten days.
Civilian casualties? Does Liu Mo need to take care of this?
Liu Mo is not the Holy Mother. Before Yang Yizhi attacked Rongcheng last year, he killed so many people in the surrounding villages, tooth for tooth, blood for blood, no one can blame others!
A round of catapult bombing, and then to persuade them to surrender. If they don't agree, they will continue to bomb.
After confirming the battle plan, at dawn the next day, before dawn, the army lined up in front of Yongxing City.
The front row of shield-bearing infantry lined up in a defensive formation to prevent the Zhou defenders from leaving the city to launch an attack.
The siege catapults were set up in the middle, and the siege catapults were lined up in three rows. Each catapult was surrounded by infantry to protect it.
"Everyone, get ready," Lu Sheng shouted, "Fill it!"
The soldiers of Jianrui Battalion began to fill the boulders in an orderly manner, looking resolutely at Yongxing City not far away.
"Launch!" Waiting for Lu Sheng's order, the soldiers pulled the crowbar, and with a jump, the huge rock hit Yongxing City heavily.
"Bang, bang, bang." A sharp roar came from the air, and then countless boulders fell from the sky, hitting the easternmost rock wall accurately at extremely fast speeds.
A crack was created in the city wall, and then, as the air pressure at the center of the explosion changed, dust and debris began to surge into the sky.
The first row of catapults had been launched and the second row of catapults were ready. Lu Sheng gave the order and the second row of attacks started again.
Boom, boom, boom, every sound shook the hearts of Daxia soldiers.
