Duolun had just kicked out the generals who had been scolding him all morning, and was sitting alone on the felt mat sulking. At this time, a guard suddenly came to report that Mr. Lao Jianhua Lao was here.
Hearing this, Duolun quickly stood up and welcomed the dusty Lao Jianhua into his tent.
"Mr. Lao, why are you here? Has Princess Yingyang been rescued?"
Lao Jianhua took the hot goat milk presented by the guard, took a sip first, and then shook his head: "General, don't mention it. This matter is difficult to explain. The people of Shengtang played tricks and made a fake girl named Yinas. The princess came to lie to us, but fortunately General Kunli Mingtai saw it through on the spot, otherwise they would have succeeded."
Doron frowned and said, "Yinas? It's actually her?"
"What? Does the general know him?" Lao Jianhua put down the goat milk and asked curiously.
Duolun nodded: "Not only do we know each other, but we are also very familiar with her. Yinas and I grew up together. Not only do they come from a noble family, but they are also the disciples of the Martial Saint."
Lao Jianhua: "So, she is General Yun Qianxue's junior sister?"
"That's right. Yun Qianxue, Ge Shuxuan, and Kunzhe are all fellow disciples of Yinas," Duolun replied absently: "So... Her Highness the Princess is still in the hands of Shengtang? "
Lao Jianhua heard the worry hidden in Duolun's tone, and was afraid that he would ask why he didn't continue to be with Kunli Mingtai, so he quickly said: "Lao doesn't think so. Since the person Shengtang wants is me, then There is no need to add extra trouble to the princess. So, they used Inas to pretend to be the princess, maybe because His Highness is not in their hands at all. "
Duolun hesitated for a long time and had no idea about exchanging princesses. He simply changed the topic and said, "Forget it then, let's beg the God of Fire to bless His Highness. Mr. Lao, you came just in time. Hurry up and make plans for me. This time I will But I suffered a hidden loss at the hands of the Shengtang people!"
Lao Jianhua was most afraid that the other party would be entangled in exchanging hostages. After hearing this, he immediately felt relieved: "General, don't worry, Lao has a clever plan."
-
There were more than thirty generals and officers standing in the Turkic commander's tent, filling the tent to the brim. Duolun sat in the middle, with Geerhan, the leader of the Ghost Alliance, on his right, and Lao Jianhua, a scribe dressed as a scribe, sitting on his left.
At this moment, everyone was listening attentively to Mr. Lao's talk.
Just listen to Lao Jianhua's calm sermon: "This defeat is really a small defeat, and you generals don't need to take it to heart at all. It's all because the Zhenjiang Army repeatedly deceived us, harassed us all night, and launched a despicable attack at dawn. It was a sneak attack that succeeded by chance. If they fought openly and openly, how could they be the opponents of the coalition?!"
Most of the officers present were injured and looked a little embarrassed. After hearing what Lao Jianhua said, everyone nodded repeatedly, saying that they were heroes and looked down upon those who used conspiracies and tricks.
Lao Jianhua smiled and continued: "Although we suffered nearly 8,000 casualties, we still have an absolute advantage in strength compared to the defenders of Metasequoia City. As long as we can fight steadily from now on, victory will definitely belong to us! "
"Mr. Lao's words make sense," Duolun couldn't help but feel confident after hearing this: "I just don't know of any good strategies for defeating the enemy and breaking the city?"
Lao Jianhua nodded slightly: "There are two general strategies. One is to re-siege Metasequoia City, surround it on three sides, attack on one side, and concentrate on attacking one place. Although we have strong troops, the shortcoming is that we lack the siege. Equipment. Instead of dividing the troops to attack, it is better to focus on one point. Lao has already found out that the person currently in charge of the overall situation in Metasequoia City is a captain named Li Jiangyao from the Zhenjiang Protectorate. General, please think about it. How many troops can a small captain command? There are only one or two thousand people in total. Let's set up a posture outside the east city gate and give him a wheel battle. The soldiers of each battalion take turns to attack and rest, and they There will be no peace for a moment. With such a tired strategy, three or four days will be enough to bring down the defenders!"
Geerhan, who was sitting across from him, slapped his thigh: "Yes, they used tricks to disrupt the coalition's position, so I will let them taste the feeling of not being able to sleep!"
Lao Jianhua nodded: "The second one is to give the people of Metasequoia a way out. We informed the merchants and people in the city and gave them three days to leave the city quickly. During this period, we will not stop them. But once the three days are over, , the coalition forces will launch a large-scale attack, and after breaking the city, they will massacre the city and kill all the chickens and dogs without leaving a trace."
"Why didn't I think of this trick before?" Duolun was very excited: "If we do this, everyone in the city will be wiped out immediately, and the morale of the defenders will also be greatly reduced. Isn’t the little Metasequoia City ready to capture the wheel battle that the gentleman mentioned?"
-
In the Metasequoia City Guards' Mansion, Li Jiangyao and all his subordinates were worried about the situation in front of them.
Not long ago, an envoy from the Turkic Horse Bandit Coalition came to hand over a document, stating that the two sides were fighting and that no civilians would be harmed. Therefore, the commander of the coalition was merciful and decided to let the people in the city leave the city as soon as possible to escape. Otherwise, if the time limit is missed, the consequences will be at your own risk.
At the same time, hundreds of long arrows wrapped with the same notice were shot into various parts of the city, causing the news to spread throughout the entire Metasequoia.
The Turks' tactic of pulling people out of the cauldron was really terrible. The confidence and morale that Li Jiangyao had worked so hard to build up in the whole city was in danger of being destroyed by the enemy.
Ma Mu hurriedly walked into the main hall and said hurriedly: "Sir, we have to think of a way quickly! At present, there are five or six hundred businessmen of all races gathered at the west gate, and they are all noisily leaving the city. Du Jian They are almost overwhelmed."
"If they want to leave, just let them go." Li Jiangyao said slightly distressed: "It's going to rain and my mother is getting married. I can't force the people to die with us, right?"
After hearing this, Ma Mu, Lin Feng and others looked at each other in confusion, not knowing what to say for a moment.
At this time, Shen Lie, who was sitting aside, coughed twice and said, "Brother, can you let Shen say a few words?"
Mr. Shi, the director of Nilin, wanted to express his opinion. Li Jiangyao could not ignore it and nodded quickly when he heard the words.
Shen Lie smiled calmly: "My lords, Lieutenant Li is kind and upright, and does not want to drag down the innocent people in the city. There is nothing wrong with this. However... I wonder if you have thought about it. Once this hole is opened, The consequences will be disastrous. The desire to survive is human instinct. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, no one is willing to risk their lives in a meaningless struggle. Therefore, if the people are allowed to leave, within three days, most of the entire population of Metasequoia City will be gone. "
He paused for a moment and saw that everyone was listening attentively, so he continued: "Don't think that only businessmen who do business will leave. As long as they can save their lives, local residents will also escape. You know, this time it's just like you resisting the horse bandits before It’s different. Horse bandits are a cancer in the Ghost Desert of Western Xinjiang. Everyone hates them and hates them. Therefore, facing the horse bandits, the whole city can share the same hatred and unite as one. However, now there are not only the ghost alliance Geerhan, but also the Turks. The Iron Pigeon Army, in this way, has become a war between the Holy Tang and the Turks, and between countries. For the people, whoever occupies the metasequoia has just changed the owner, and does not necessarily become a victim. And when the people They all fled for their lives, will the local defenders still fight tooth and nail? I am afraid that even the soldiers in the Protectorate’s Mansion will have their military morale shaken."
Li Jiangyao said helplessly: "Master Shen, I understand what you said, but I can't block the city gate and prevent them from leaving. This does not mean that it directly cuts off the people's livelihood and immediately alienates the enemy. It’s a plan.”
"You are right, this is a stratagem to alienate each other." Shen Lie nodded slightly: "It is precisely because of this that we cannot start chaos without fighting."
Lin Feng was a little curious: "It doesn't work either now or not, so what should I do?"
Shen Lie: "Little Colonel Lin, you should know what I do, right?"
Lin Feng had already learned about Shen Lie's true identity at this time, and was slightly startled: "I have heard about this in my humble position. Your Excellency is to protect the emperor."
"Haha, what you said is so tactful." There was murderous intent in Shen Lie's eyes: "What our Nilin Division is best at is the art of infiltrating Yongjian. If the Turks and Lao Jianhua are allowed to succeed easily, wouldn't they fall into the Nilin Division? Lin’s reputation? He knows how to drive a wedge, wouldn’t Shen be able to rebel? "
Li Jiangyao's eyes shone when he heard this, and he quickly came closer to ask for details, wanting to see what good ideas this master of conspiracy had.
-
More than a dozen teams of messengers, carrying swords and flags on their backs, beating gongs, shouted everywhere in the streets and alleys of Metasequoia City:
In order to protect the safety of the people, the governor of Metasequoia City and the governor of Zhenjiang decided to allow everyone to leave the city for refuge. However, in order to prevent the Turkic horse bandits from taking the opportunity to cause trouble, the people leaving the city must obey the command and leave the city in batches. At the same time, the Zhenjiang Army reminds everyone that the Turks are ferocious and cunning, and this time they have joined forces with the notorious Ghost Alliance horse bandits. Once the merchants and travelers leave the protection of Metasequoia City, they must be careful about their own safety.
Upon hearing the news, everyone in the city cheered and expressed their gratitude to Lieutenant Li for caring about the people and loving them like a son.
Some local residents who were originally hesitant to leave the city were moved by the defenders' righteous deeds and decided not to leave for the time being, but to stay and support the Xinjiang Army.
But even so, there are still a large number of merchants and people, one after another, arriving at the place designated by the city guard to leave the city - Metasequoia West Gate.
In the blink of an eye, seven or eight thousand people gathered here, making it a large area of darkness. Following the instructions of the garrison officers and soldiers, everyone lined up in an orderly manner, verified their identities, and were released in batches out of the city.
From noon to evening, six groups of people left successfully.
However, just as the seventh group of nearly 300 people were driving their oxen, horses, and families, and were preparing to set off, there was suddenly a burst of noise and chaos outside the city gate ahead.
People couldn't help but stop, stand on tiptoes and look forward, while also talking about what happened.
"What's wrong? What do you mean over there?"
"I heard that someone escaped back!"
"Escape back? Why?"
"I don't know. I just heard someone shouting that they were ambushed and they are dead!"
Hearing that someone had died, the fleeing people waiting inside the city gate couldn't help but panic and crowded forward noisily, hoping to find out the situation as soon as possible.
It didn't take long, and suddenly a barrage came out of the crowded crowd, and only five or six people were seen being carried and carried into the city.
Those people were all seriously injured. They were covered in blood and looked very scary.
One of the leaders was recognized by many merchants. He was Samour, a famous old merchant in Metasequoia City.
At this time, Samour's head was tied with a bandage that could not stop the blood from leaking out. He cried: "They are all dead, they are all dead! Oh my God! Open your eyes!" After that, he couldn't breathe and fainted on the spot. Die in the past.
The onlookers were startled and asked each other what was going on. A boy next to Summer was slightly injured and told everyone the whole story while sobbing.
It turned out that their team was the third group to leave the city this afternoon.
Unexpectedly, as soon as everyone went west for less than thirty miles, they suddenly encountered a large number of Turkic troops and ghost alliance horse bandits.
As soon as those guys show up, they kill everyone they see without saying a word.
He and Samour's father were walking at the end of the team. When they saw something was wrong, they quickly turned around and ran away. Not only were all the goods and money lost on the road, but they were also chased by horse bandits and killed several of their companions.
Fortunately, Samor was familiar with the surrounding terrain. Even though he was seriously injured, he still led everyone to escape death and escaped back around the trail.
As soon as these words came out, the whole Ximen exploded.
The people who had planned to leave the city were furious and sent greetings to all the ancestors of the Turks and horse bandits. At the same time, I couldn't help but secretly feel lucky that I was ranked at the back, otherwise the situation would have been equally disastrous.
Samor and other seriously injured people were carried by soldiers of the Xinjiang Army and rushed to the City Guards Mansion for treatment of their injuries, while the other caravans and people dispersed in the blink of an eye, needless to say.
Leaving the city? Not even close to a hammer! Do you think you have a long life?
