On the other side, Nie Chen was also making intensive preparations. He arranged all the soldiers to train in the barracks. The weapons were fully equipped and the entire army was ready for war.
Now, there are 8,000 troops in the county and 8,000 people in Qingfeng Village, a total of 16,000 people. They only wait for two days for the road to be dry before launching a decisive battle against the county guard. The victory will be decided in one battle.
On the morning of the third day, Nie Chen summoned the entire army for general mobilization before the war.
The shadow guards of Qingfeng Village also came over to tell Nie Chen that Da Zhuang had gone down the mountain with his troops and was expected to arrive at the county seat at noon for a decisive battle with the county guard's army.
When Nie Chen heard this, he became energetic and stood on top of Nancheng, waiting for noon to arrive.
Weng Qiuchan, Wang Hao, Lin Guang, Ma Niubai, Qi Huan and other leaders all gathered on the city wall, chatting with laughter and bragging about how many people they wanted to kill.
However, only an hour had passed when a scout from the north suddenly came to report.
The scout galloped to the bottom of the city wall, knelt on one knee and shouted,
"Reporting to my lord, a hundred thousand troops are coming from the north. Please make preparations early!"
As soon as these words came out, everyone on the city wall was stunned.
A hundred thousand troops?
Coming to attack the city?
"Where did the 100,000-strong army come from? What's going on? Tell me clearly!"
Nie Chen shouted.
"My lord, the barbarians are vast and boundless. There are at least 100,000 people. They are rushing towards us. Looking at the flag, it is Qi Yanliu from the Qi Yan Department who is personally leading the troops to kill us!
There are only thirty miles left from us now, and they will arrive at our side in the afternoon. "
The scout shouted in panic.
Nie Chen felt a buzz in his head, as if the sky was about to collapse, and he almost fell to the ground.
He immediately told himself, calm down, must calm down! At this time, anyone can panic, but he cannot panic. He is the lord, the leader of everyone, and everyone's eyes are looking at him.
If he panics, the morale of the army will be lost.
Thinking of this, Nie Chen smiled and said,
"Qi Yanliu is here to avenge Qi Yansong, and he really dares to come here to repay an army of 100,000 people.
Isn't it just a small 100,000 people? Deal with him! "
Lin Guang frowned and said,
"Lord, that's 100,000 people. For this plan, we should immediately withdraw from the county and return to Qingfeng Village. We will cooperate with the strong 8,000 troops and rely on the favorable location to stop the enemy!"
Qi Huan also nodded and said,
"Yes, let's go first, go back to Qingfeng Village, hand over the county seat to the county guard, and let him fight the barbarians desperately, and we can reap the benefits.
When the barbarians and the county guards are almost done fighting, we might as well come out to clean up the mess. "
Nie Chen immediately shook his head and said,
"No, we can leave. Can the people in the county leave with their families? We can receive the news, and Liu Hu can also receive the news. He will not be stupid enough to resist the barbarians.
As long as we dare to leave the county, Liu Hu will definitely not go into the city to resist the barbarians. He will also leave. He will even send people to be guides for the barbarians to guide them to attack Qingfeng Village.
Liu Hu doesn't care whether the people live or die. "
"Transmit my military order to leave a small number of soldiers on the south wall to guard the city, while the main force will guard the north wall, and some troops will also be deployed on the east and west walls.
In addition, inform Da Zhuang and ask him to lead his troops to the county seat at full speed to defend the city together.
March at full speed to bypass the county guard's army. If Liu Hu wants to intercept, don't be reluctant to fight, break through at full speed, with the main purpose of defending the city! "
"As you command!"
Qi Huan immediately sent people to notify Da Zhuang.
"Let's go to the North City Wall with me!"
Nie Chen led the generals and rode towards the north wall on fast horses.
Under Wang Hao's deployment, the soldiers were properly arranged. The arrows, crossbows, and trebuchets originally prepared at the south city gate were all moved to the north of the county seat, preparing to block the 100,000-strong army outside.
"Wang Hao, how much hope do we have that we can withstand this defensive battle?"
Nie Chen asked.
"Can't stop it."
Wang Hao said expressionlessly.
"What? Why? Not even with eight thousand strong people?"
Nie Chen looked at Wang Hao in disbelief. Wang Hao was the best at defensive battles, but he didn't even have confidence?
So how can we fight this battle?
Wang Hao turned to look at Nie Chen and said,
"Lord, with such a huge disparity in military strength, it is only a matter of time before the city is breached. It only depends on how long we can resist. It is simply impossible to stop them permanently.
I used to fight defensive battles and was able to withstand it because I told the soldiers that King Anton's army would come to support and would definitely come to rescue.
Relying on this determination and reasonable arrangements, the soldiers were able to resist.
But now, do we still have reinforcements? The barbarians to the north are our enemies, and the county guards to the south are also enemies, and they are all waiting to eat us alive.
In this case, the morale of the soldiers will not be high because they see no hope.
Unless we have enough food and grass to defeat the enemy, it is difficult. The food and grass in the city can last us for two months at most, and there are so many people who need to eat. We cannot last for two months.
Behind the enemy is the grassland, and their food, grass, materials and meat can be continuously supplied.
We are alone now and there is no hope. "
Wang Hao's words made Nie Chen feel heavy in his heart.
They seemed to be really in dire straits.
Wang Hao said,
"Lord, even if we retreat to Qingfeng Village, the result will still be the same. Moreover, there are fewer people in Qingfeng Village and the walls are short, which is even more disadvantageous for defense. The enemy is coming for us, not the city.
Our only plan for now is to defend the city and wait for a turn of events.
To be disrespectful, I think it was a bit inappropriate to kill Qi Yansong before. "
Nie Chen shook his head and said,
"The leader has passed away. We will no longer investigate and discuss his merits and demerits. The plan for now is to think about how to resist the enemy."
"Let's wait for Dazhuang to arrive first."
The gloom in everyone's hearts was heavy, like a big stone pressing on their chests, making them somewhat breathless.
Nie Chen's eyes were fixed on the north, waiting for the moment when the enemy troops arrived.
Before noon, Da Zhuang ran to the top of the city panting, hugged Nie Chen and said,
"Greetings, my lord."
"Dazhuang is here, why is it faster than expected?"
Nie Chen quickly helped him up and asked.
“After hearing the news that the barbarians were about to attack the city, I immediately led my men and marched over at full speed.
It's just that when I came here, I didn't know that I was going to fight the barbarians. I didn't bring any baggage or food. I only brought people. Now they have nothing but the weapons on their bodies. "
"It's okay. It's good that you can come. Let's defend the city first and stop the enemy troops first. When you came, did the county guard send out troops to intercept you?"
"No, the county guard has been holding back."
