Along the Li River.
Ning Fan, Xi Xiongtu and others stood on the high platform together, watching the ships drift towards the other side of the Li River, with a bit of anticipation in their eyes.
This battle is crucial to both Ning Fan and Xi Xiongtu.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
War drums resounded on the south bank of the Li River, thousands of sails crossed, and tens of thousands of people held bows, aiming at the gathering Yan army on the north bank. Arrows were fired like a heavy rainstorm.
"ah!"
"Hurry to meet the enemy. If the commander has orders, attack them with rockets."
"General, it's south wind now..."
With the help of the wind, the ships crossing the river were very fast, and the Lijiang River here was relatively narrow. In just one stick of incense time, the warships at the front of the fleet were already on the river bank.
"Kill!"
One after another, figures faced the rain of arrows from Yan's army and rushed towards the shore. Bao Ju and Duan Fang led the charge forward, while the other commanded the army to go ashore and form an array. The ships turned back again.
Xi Xiongtu watched all the 30,000 troops land ashore with a bit of doubt in his eyes.
"How could you cross the river so easily?"
"Firstly, Da Yan was caught off guard, and secondly, they were preparing to cross the river at the same time and attack our west bank."
"oh?"
There was a hint of solemnity in Xi Xiongtu's eyes, and he said in a deep voice: "There are only a limited number of ships on both sides of the Li River. If they want to cross the river, they won't be able to cross them all in just a few days."
"When our troops evacuated, they destroyed many ships."
"Now, I have ordered Dong Zhou to send an additional 50,000 troops to garrison on the west bank. It is not that easy for them to cross the river."
"Um!"
Ning Fan silently opened the dynamic military map and saw that the red dots on the north bank continued to gather in two directions. One side continued to move towards the west bank, and the other side moved towards the east bank to resist the large army crossing the Li River.
"Xiao Shuai, let the army cross the river!"
"good!"
Xi Xiongtu also had a look of concentration on his face, and said in a deep voice: "If we can recapture the north bank of the Li River in this battle, there will be hope for the Northland to be recovered."
"It's not difficult!"
Ning Fan silently estimated the time, looked at Xi Xiongtu solemnly, and said softly: "How many Qingqi are there in our army?"
"Thirty thousand!"
"so little?"
"More than 20,000 people died in the battle a month ago. Our Dali is already short of soldiers and horses, alas!"
"Xiao Shuai, I heard that Dayu established many horse farms in the south. How about asking the court to purchase a batch of war horses from Dayu?"
"Yes!" Xi Xiongtu pondered for a moment and nodded: "I will write a letter to Your Majesty later. However, it may not be that easy to purchase war horses from Dayu!"
"Commander, can you give me the command of 30,000 Qingqi?"
"Um?"
Xi Xiongtu's face showed a hint of concentration, and he looked straight at Ning Fan: "What do you want, Lord Shen?"
"Take Liyang City."
"hehe!"
A wry smile appeared on Xi Xiongtu's face: "There are 300,000 Yan troops in Liyang City."
"It doesn't matter."
"Without His Majesty's will, Your Excellency may not be able to interfere with military power at will. I hope you won't blame me!"
"Handsome actor!"
Ning Fan smiled and took out a golden scroll from his sleeve and handed it to Xi Xiongtu beside him.
"This is……"
"It turns out that my lord has already prepared."
"how?"
"Can!"
Xi Xiongtu sighed sadly and took a deep look at Ning Fan: "Master Shen, please remember to act within your ability. Now I am struggling to move forward!"
"If Shen cannot capture Liyang within two days, he will give an explanation to His Majesty and the opera commander."
"Why!"
Xi Xiongtu shook his head slightly and said solemnly: "Liyang City is our important town in Dali. If we can really recapture Liyang, our situation in Dali will be reversed immediately. It's just a pity..."
"Master Shen, I have entrusted these 30,000 men to you. I hope you can bring them back!"
…
late at night!
The war in the north and south of the Li River has completely begun. In half a day, nearly 100,000 soldiers from the Li River have crossed the river. However, the offensive of the Yan army on the west bank has been repeatedly frustrated. Yun Xi, the commander of Dayan, seems to have realized that things are unusual. Shore defenses were hastily deployed.
Ning Fan, however, led 30,000 cavalrymen across the river quietly, heading north under the cover of night.
"Sir, where are we going from here?"
"Liyang."
The general leading the army was Xi Xiongtu's vanguard general named Gu Yun. He was a man in his late thirties, tall and burly, serious and solemn, and good at wielding a spear.
"Liyang..."
When Gu Yun heard the purpose of this trip, there was a look of shock in his eyes, and he said with some worry: "My lord, we are going to Liyang for nearly a hundred miles. The cities along the way are guarded by Yan troops. We have a mighty force of thirty thousand cavalry. I'm afraid we'll be surrounded by enemy troops before we reach Liyang."
"Won't!"
"oh!"
Gu Yun was not talking, but Ning Fan looked confident and said with a smile: "General Gu, how are the combat capabilities of the 30,000 light cavalry under your command?"
"My lord, all the warriors who charge into battle are my most powerful cavalry in Dali!"
"The full strength of 50,000 men was reached a month ago, and they defeated Da Yan's phalanx of 100,000 men in one fell swoop."
"good!"
"This time, I will make you famous all over the world."
Gu Yun's face was calm as usual, and he didn't seem to care about Ning Fan's words. On the contrary, there was a hint of worry in his eyebrows, making him a little absent-minded.
Ning Fan looked in one direction and slowly stretched out his hand to stop the advance of the army: "Where is the general of the vanguard camp?"
"exist!"
"You led thousands of cavalry and robbed Dayan's grain transport team three miles ahead. Don't let anyone go."
"Food transport team?"
Both the pioneer officer and Gu Yun had doubts on their faces. They looked towards the dark ancient road, their eyes directly connected to the night. Not even a ghost could be seen, let alone the food transport team.
"Sir, how did you know that there was a food transport team ahead?"
"I'm proficient in the art of deducing and peeping into the sky, so I figured it out."
"grown ups!"
There was a bit of dissatisfaction on Gu Yun's face, as if he was suppressing the anger in his heart, and he said in a deep voice: "There is no such thing as childishness in the army. Although the general doesn't know how to persuade the commander, the 30,000 cavalrymen under my command are all A proud man who has shed blood for Da Li."
"On the battlefield, even if we face thousands of troops, we will not take a step back, but we are not willing to make meaningless sacrifices."
"Have you been holding these words in your heart for a long time?"
"yes!"
"Quite frankly." Ning Fan smiled without hesitation, and his expression gradually became a bit solemn: "I am bound to win Liyang City during this trip. I know that the ancient general does not believe me, let alone obey me."
"It doesn't matter, Shen doesn't need the general to be convinced."
"but!"
"Taking Liyang is related to Zuo, the country of Li. The general's request is very simple. Is it possible for the general to do it?"
Gu Yun took a deep look at Ning Fan and nodded slightly.
The vanguard general Chai Chong led a thousand cavalry to rush out first, galloping all the way towards the dark ancient road.
…
