In fact, Yang Shifan's plan was just as Pan Mei observed. He was arrogant and careless, secretly gathering elite troops, building siege weapons, lying in wait, and launching a fatal blow when the opportunity came. Now, Yang Shifan has been planning for several days and feels that the opportunity has come.
Of course, the development of the situation did not leave much time for him. The Han army at Sanjiangkou is increasing its troops, but here in Liyang, tens of thousands of imperial troops are marching southward, which always makes people feel heavy and uneasy.
However, Yang Shifan's plan did not seem to be recognized by everyone, and it was difficult to appease the hearts of his generals. One of the generals, sitting at the side, said directly in a not very smooth Chinese: "The general's plan is certainly surprising, but judging from the performance of the defenders, they are extremely elite and well-armed. Guard Pan Mei is not an easy person to deal with, so she may not be able to detect the general’s plot!”
This general's name is Qin Zaixiong, the leader of the Yao people in Chenzhou. He is not tall and has a dark face, but he has a strong temperament. He has been under Zhou Xingfeng for some time. In addition to being brave in battle, he is also very strategic.
At this time, Yang Shifan was immediately dissatisfied when he heard him questioning himself, and stared at him with frowning eyebrows: "What does General Qin mean? Could it be that he is too timid to fight?"
Upon hearing the question, Qin Zaixiong was not polite and responded with a bit of anger: "I, the Yao warriors, have always dared to fight. I have risked my life several times to attack the city, and I have lost hundreds of soldiers before and after. I serve Zhou The commander-in-chief has sent orders to help in the battle, and the general said this, it is so chilling!"
Seeing that Qin Zaixiong was a little agitated, Yang Shifan calmed down. After pondering for a while, he changed his attitude and said to him: "This general made a mistake! According to General Qin's opinion, what should we do?"
Qin Zaixiong was not polite and said directly: "General, it has been ten days since we attacked Liyang. The city is strong and the defenders are tenacious. It is difficult to break through. There have been more than three thousand casualties before and after. Now the imperial army is in Jiangling, and there are also enemy troops in the public security. But after they finish resting and move south, we will be in danger if we are defeated again. What I mean is that since Liyang is moving south quickly, we should preserve our strength as soon as possible, retreat to Langzhou, and surround Dongting Lake with Zhou Jie Shuai to prevent the Han army. !”
Qin Zaixiong's words also aroused the recognition of a group of Chu generals. Seeing this, Yang Shifan became even more dissatisfied. Sensing the change in his general's thoughts, his expression became more serious. Yang Shifan looked at Qin Zaixiong and said solemnly: "What the general said is reasonable, but I was ordered by Commander-in-Chief to come north to attack the city. I have made no achievements and have no orders. How can I withdraw my troops without permission?" .
Furthermore, given the current situation, a hasty withdrawal of troops would only cause turmoil in the morale of the military. The Han army in Jiangling is indeed something to worry about, so we need to hurry up. I have decided to launch a general attack on Liyang tomorrow morning and defeat it in one fell swoop. If we succeed, we can defend it. Even if the Han army goes south, we will be able to stop them in Liyang! "
"General Qin, your troops and our elite troops have been recuperating for many days. We are waiting for a moment of success. Tomorrow, we will attack together without reservation!" Yang Shifan looked at Qin Zaixiong.
Meeting his eyes, Qin Zaixiong couldn't help but frown, as if he had doubts. He thought for a moment and said, "There is a shortage of food and ordnance in my camp and they need to be replenished!"
"Don't worry, General. All the newly arrived military supplies will be transferred to your department. I will distribute a batch of weapons to you from the right camp. The General's men are all warriors. They should fight with sharp weapons!" Yang Shifan said immediately, generously. look.
"Thank you, General!" Qin Zaixiong's face relaxed and he nodded, accepting the offer.
Seeing that Qin Zaixiong had been dealt with, Yang Shifan stood up and said in a loud voice: "The rest of the generals will return to their camps, strengthen their troops, and repair their weapons. Tonight, we will take out all the food and wine in the camp and have a feast. Tomorrow morning, we will attack the city with all our strength." Success or failure depends on this!"
"yes!"
He worked hard to boost morale, but of course, Yang Shifan himself had no idea what the effect would be. When the generals left the tent, Yang Shifan couldn't help but sigh heavily, his face full of solemnity. This was also a defensive move for him.
"General, Qin Zaixiong is suspected of disturbing the morale of our army. Why are you so polite to him and allocate food and ordnance to him?" A close officer beside him couldn't help but asked after thinking about the military discussion just now.
Yang Shifan smiled coldly: "No matter what, the combat power of this Yao people is still considerable. Qin Zaixiong also has some bravery. We will still need to rely on his strength to attack the city tomorrow!"
"How is the baggage situation in the army?" Yang Shifan turned around and looked at the military academy.
At the mention of this, the officer's face suddenly became solemn and he responded: "General, I went to check and found that the food in the camp is only for five days. If we reward the three armies tonight and let the soldiers have a full meal, I'm afraid it will be difficult to support them." Three days!”
"Call Wu Ling and ask them to transport it to Liyang again!" Yang Shifan said immediately.
The officer shook his head helplessly: "Wuling doesn't have much food left, and the teams below that collect food are often resisted. Recently, civil unrest has been spreading in the state, and we can't suppress it!"
Hearing what he said, Yang Shifan suddenly showed an autistic expression, his whole face was almost twisted together, and sighed: "You see, the situation is like this, and we are still talking about retreat. Even if they retreat to Wuling, without food and weapons, the Han army will Once it comes, how can we resist it?”
The situation in the rear was very bad, but the deterioration of the situation was far beyond Yang Shifan's imagination. Even on the front line, he seemed to be able to feel the irritability, chaos and despair in the rear.
However, perhaps influenced by Zhou Xingfeng, there was also a ruthless streak in his character. Yang Shifan slapped the military case and gritted his teeth and said: "Tomorrow, we will fight to the death. There are plenty of food and weapons in Liyang City. If we can get them, It’s enough to last us for a while!”
Seeing Yang Shifan's determined look, the officer hesitated for a moment and then asked in a low voice: "General, what if it's still difficult to break the city?"
Turning his head suddenly, his eyes like a hungry tiger released a dangerous message, startling the officer. With a straight face, Yang Shifan said coldly: "If this is the case, then we will all be captured by the Han army..."
"Why, do you want to surrender too?"
Upon hearing this, the officer immediately became excited and hurriedly said: "The general will not dare!"
"It doesn't matter if you want to surrender, it's understandable!" Yang Shifan said quietly: "However, I have followed Commander Jieh in raising troops for many years, and I will never surrender until the last moment! Besides, our family and children are all in Changsha... ..”
This time, when going north to resist the Han army, Zhou Xingfeng placed all the families of officers above 100 generals in Changsha City, under centralized care and protection. There is no need to explain the purpose.
Looking at Yang Shifan with a cold expression, the officer couldn't help but feel a little lower. He was lamenting in his heart, not to mention that Liyang was still firmly in the hands of the Han army. Even if it was really captured, how long could it hold back the Han army?
It wasn't long since I came to Liyang from the north. Although I only experienced one city attack, the ambition of many Chu soldiers had already been worn away. The thought of that behemoth in the north is somewhat despairing.
As for Yang Shifan, after pondering for a long time, his inner uneasiness became inexplicably high. He couldn't help but get up and wander anxiously in the tent for a while. He took a deep breath, turned his head suddenly, and ordered: "Gather the Chinese army and Yao soldiers together, I want to give you a lecture!"
On the north bank of the Lishui River, more than five thousand soldiers lined up with different expressions, but they all stared at the Lishui River. The atmosphere was tense and condensed. That floating beam is not very strong, but it is the life channel for the Chu army to retreat to the south bank.
However, at this time, a heat wave was rolling on the Lijiang River. Yang Shifan directly ordered it to be burned, along with some of the transshipment ships, and he had to cut off his way back. Yang Shifan was imitating the Overlord of Chu, breaking the cauldron and sinking the boat, hoping to strike a decisive blow.
The effect was naturally achieved, at least all the Chu soldiers showed a little despair in their eyes. As for how much fighting power this despair can inspire, it is difficult to know.
The thick smoke on the Li River attracted the attention of Liyang City. After hearing the news, Pan Mei went to the city to look around. After thinking for a moment, she laughed loudly: "Yang Shifan is going to fight to the death. It's a pity that he is knowledgeable and decisive enough. It’s just asking for your own death!”
However, the development of things is often unexpected. On Yang Shifan's side, the way back was cut off, creating a desperate atmosphere of "burning the cauldron and sinking the boat". The iron hoof from the north ruthlessly destroyed his ideas and plans.
When he learned that thousands of Han cavalry had surpassed the defenses he had deployed in Luanhe Village and headed south towards Liyang, Yang Shifan immediately became paralyzed. At that time, on the Lishui River, the Fuliang ships had not yet been burned. The morale of the Chu army plummeted uncontrollably, and Yang Shifan spurted out a mouthful of old blood.
They chose a vast field to station temporarily, far away from Liyang City, forming a cornering position to clamp down on the Chu army and form a pincer attack. Shi Yanchao did not make any unnecessary moves and directly ordered to rest and recuperate. After all, he had marched for more than a hundred miles.
At the same time, people were sent to continue to investigate the situation of the Chu army and get in touch with Pan Mei. After receiving the results, I was very happy. This time I went south, I really wanted to eat meat. I even had a feeling that I could break it without waiting for Li Jun.
