The smooth progress of the war and the speed of the attack actually did not exceed Zhou Bai's expectations.
After digesting the results of successive expansions in the past two years, Daxia's national power and military strength have been greatly strengthened. There are 160,000 regular soldiers and 100,000 auxiliary soldiers, coupled with the navy, what a power this is.
Not to mention just dealing with an uncle country, even attacking an ordinary vassal country is more than enough.
Although the boundary trench zone was dangerous, Tongzhi's three years of continuous bloodletting had already allowed Xia Guo to figure out the details of the boundary trench zone.
With the cooperation of the Taoist Regiment and the Engineer Battalion, they avoided the areas where the Dingxi Army was most closely guarded and had the most military forts, and hardened a marching path.
Without deep ravines, horses and thorns to block them, the Xia army's marching efficiency was greatly improved.
Under the powerful offensive of the newly recruited 20,000 forbidden troops, those small fortresses that still block the only way to pass can at most delay them slightly and serve as beacons.
According to the regulations of the Xia Kingdom's forbidden army, 10,000 people constitute the head of a battalion. There were originally 50,000 people in the five forbidden armies, with the names of You Yi, Ta Bai, Selecting the Front, Victory, and Defeating the Enemy.
After that, Cangbei went to war with the Jin Kingdom. After the victory, they gained a stable environment for development, so they reorganized and expanded the army on a large scale, adding 20,000 people.
These two forbidden troops were given the designations of the former army's left camp and the former army's right camp respectively by Zhou Bai. After the two battalions were newly established, they received one more training item than other forbidden troops.
That is to set the western boundary trench zone as the imaginary goal, and special training on quick and effective attack methods, ranging from crossing ravines, advancing skirmishers, and various methods to capture the boundary trench military fortress.
For example, for a normal small trench military fort, the biggest threat is crossbows and powerful crossbows. The front army will concentrate on archers and attackers to focus on the firepower point, and then directly use hook ropes to climb the city.
When time is urgent, they will organize assault soldiers above the Houtian realm to attack the city forcefully. There are also some generals in the Xiantian realm who take action personally.
The boundary trench belt, which consumed a lot of manpower and material resources, did not play its due role, and the delay was only less than ten days. Moreover, with the navy controlling the ports along the river in advance, the Xia army's logistics was not weak at all.
Densely packed warships, large and small fishing boats crossed the Ningjiang River, transporting grain, grass and baggage.
Even in order to keep up with the progress of the front line, many unfavorable dragon beasts, fish monsters and other aquatic tribes in Luanjiao Gorge were driven by Jie Jing to help transport goods and act as laborers.
The three realm dragons can be said to be giants in Luanjiao Gorge. Without Dragon Palace to stop them, these water tribes have no way to appeal.
The bloodiest and most noisy walking dragon in the history of Luanjiao Gorge was caused by the Jiao Jiao, and the breath of true dragon blood, no one in Luanjiao Gorge has ever been disturbed by it.
The bloody scene of the walking dragon is still vivid in my mind. My arms can't hold my thighs, even an undignified Lifu can do it.
Of course, in order to prevent these aquatic people from becoming angry, if they work hard and don't put in their efforts, it will not be in vain.
At the end of each day's delivery, wages will be paid, including cattle and sheep from the grassland, spiritual fruits produced in Cangshan Mountain, Qi and Blood Pills that have begun to be popularized by the military, and so on.
After half a month of delivering goods, many dragon beasts and fish monsters that were once hostile to the humans on the shore began to become friendly.
In particular, after a few half-demon officially entered the realm of demon transformation with the help of feeding, Lifu's work began to become popular.
Some male hybrid dragons can even take on a second job because the concentration of dragon blood in their bodies meets the requirements, reaching the level of giving birth to dragon horses.
There are strong mares on the riverside, and if you choose, there will be ten sheep after mating. After being checked by Taipu Temple, there are signs of pregnancy, and you will be rewarded with spiritual objects and qi and blood elixirs.
After the boundary trench belt was crossed, the Xia army's offensive was overwhelming and unstoppable along the way.
The walls of ordinary military towns and passes are low and can be broken through quickly under the strong attack of the two battalions of soldiers on the left and right of the front army.
Even the county seat could not survive a day after the follow-up support from the Chinese army's siege equipment arrived.
In this kind of rapid combat operation, the garrison lived up to its name. It usually just followed the marching imperial army and received prisoners and cities.
Of the 50,000 forbidden troops sent out for this Western Expedition, Zhou Bai had 30,000 on his side, plus 10,000 personal guards. Only the enemy-breaking and white-defeating armies were allocated to Zhou Yuan for use.
In order to prevent Lu Ding from emptying out the prosperous "Gyeonggi" area, Zhou Bai chose to cross the river and attack directly. This was something that no one in Dingxi had thought of after two years of stalemate.
Although your Xia Kingdom has landed many times before, you have returned without success every time. In the eyes of Dingxi's senior officials, it is a waste of national power.
Why do you dare to fight in person this time? You are not afraid of being stopped by the river and embarrassed. Is this still a waste of effort?
However, the slap in the face comes too quickly, and when you are blocked, you are just accumulating experience.
The Xingyun boundary trench belt and the rear military town were lost too quickly, and the Dingxi military soldiers stationed in Pinghe County were rushed back to guard Xingyun County.
This is why, after entering the core area of Xingyun County, that is, the area near the capital of Dingxi, the resistance of the Dingxi Army suddenly became stronger.
However, it was precisely this method of demolishing the east wall to make up for the west wall that caused Pinghe County's defense line to collapse instantly. Zhou Yuan was able to lead his army to rush forward and jointly attack the core area of Dingxi with the main force of the Xia Army.
But in the end, the defensive perimeter surrounding Xingyun City, the capital of the country, could not last more than a month. On November 19, the third year of Tongzhi, the two Xia armies successfully joined forces at the foot of Xingyun City.
In fact, this has been a long time, which is enough to show that the Lu family, the first family in Dingxi, has deep roots in Dingxi, and that Lu Ding has indeed managed the old nest very firmly.
Several capital acropolises have all been heightened and reinforced, with high walls and deep walls, and all kinds of defense facilities are complete. It can be said that the quality of the defense of each city is comparable to that of ordinary county towns.
If it weren't for the insufficient number of soldiers and troops, as well as the declining national fortunes and unstable people's hearts, it might have been delayed even longer.
Outside Xingyun City, the "million" Xia army camped for dozens of miles, with military momentum and fortune at its peak.
Even though Xingyun City has been expanded several times, it is magnificent and majestic. It can be said to be as impregnable as a copper city and an iron wall.
But under such a siege by the Xia army, it still seemed a bit weak. After all, it was already an isolated city.
In Xia Army's camp, all the core members of the expedition gathered together to report the current situation to Zhou Bai one by one.
But the first person to speak was not the general in the front row, but the young Xiantian wearing a deputy general's armor.
The lieutenant general saluted respectfully, and then handed over a memorial: "Reporting to the king, with the help of the navy, Li Shuai crossed the Ningjiang River and entered Yongquan County from the Dingdai border not covered by the boundary trench. Xitai County, Pingwan The county has become our territory in Daxia, and it is only one step away from Yongquan County. Li Shuai asked the last general to tell the prince that he would strive to capture Yongquan County within half a month and cut off the land passage between the two states of Dingdai. .”
To be precise, this Western Expedition was a three-pronged expedition, except for Li Dingguo's route. Since there were no more than 30,000 troops and less than 3,000 soldiers, he did not expect any results.
It started as a feint attack, attracting the Dingxi Army who rushed back from Yichuan in Daizhou for support, but unexpectedly it made some progress.
Zhou Bai raised his eyebrows and scanned the memorial. It mentioned a very important point: Yichuan's Dingxi Army was indeed returning north.
However, except for some of their forces in the county town, most of Yongquan County was guarded by ordinary county soldiers and local troops. When these Dingxi troops arrived in Yongquan County, they moved the treasury and relocated the population.
Xitai and Pingwan counties were just a little poorer. When Li Dingguo crossed the river to attack, they didn't even come to fight for them.
"Do you suspect that Lu Ding has completely given up on luck? Are you no longer struggling?" Li Dingguo's judgment surprised Zhou Bai.
Lu Ding had just taken Yichuan County and had a foothold in Daizhou, and he hadn't had time to transfer domestic wealth.
According to some insider information from Xuanyiwei, most of the wealth of Dingxi Kingdom is still in the treasury, and there is no movement of the elite population.
Is it a decisive decision after judging the situation, or is there some secret?
Zhou Baijiang felt deep in his heart and said to Lieutenant General Li Dingguo: "Go back and tell your general that there is no need to force it, just try to harass the Dingxi Army's population relocation."
Then civil and military officials reported one after another, and most matters were transferred to the cabinet for handling, but there were still some major matters that required Zhou Bai to review and make a decision.
"Your Majesty, the remaining four counties of Pinghe County that have not been attacked have all been handed over. We just need to send personnel to receive them." Zhou Yuan spoke calmly, without the slightest arrogance of having just accomplished a great feat.
In his view, the attack on Dingxi was all about taking advantage of the country's general trend to suppress others, and was not worth bragging about.
"However, according to the previous selection of personnel, the county magistrate decided to select Luo Yan, and the other important county officials began to station in Pinghe County. The remaining troops must cooperate and have the vigor to kill the local snakes in the initial stage." Zhou Bai nodded slightly.
Luo Yan was the first Secretary Lang, and he belonged to the direct lineage of civil servants cultivated by Zhou Bai himself. Over the past few years, he had finally reached a high position at the county level.
The governor of Pinghe County was not appointed, so it was left to Luo Yan. Zhou Bai would be crowned the next, and he would be promoted naturally.
There are no parties outside the party, imperial ideas, no factions within the party, and all kinds of strange things.
Great men have quoted this sentence. Zhou Bai naturally would not think that Daxia would be an exception, but he could support a faction of his own.
A military commander handed over a memorial: "Your Majesty, 80,000 cavalry of the Jin Kingdom's army gathered on the Cangbei grassland, trying to attack the border of Cangbei County and force the grassland tribes to surrender. General Polu led 10,000 cavalry to fight. The result of the battle is unknown at present. The governor of Cangbei With full support, the military governor is cooperating with the grassland tribes and is now applying to the imperial court for military assistance."
"Yes, transfer it to the cabinet for processing." Zhou Bai ordered calmly.
He was not offended by Jiao Tu and Huo Feiguang's move to send troops. This was a secret order he had given a long time ago, otherwise he would not have sent the Demon Subduing Army to help.
"There are currently three county magistrates in Xingyun County, and eight powerful families are interested in joining us. Please make your decision."
"The Lu family still has a strong foundation, but there are only such a few? But now that I want to join the family, let them show some sincerity first."
…
The small court office meeting is over and the main event has just come.
Seeing Zhou Bai looking over, Lou Jinpeng immediately stepped out of the queue and reported back: "Your Majesty, there are currently more than 100,000 defenders in Xingyun City. However, the losses of military soldiers were relatively heavy before. There should be no more than 5,000 people who are above the level of physical training."
"It's just that Lu Ding has been operating for a long time, and the majority of people in the city are determined to hold on. I'm afraid it will be a protracted war."
Zhou Yuan also added: "The people in charge of the overall situation in the city are the Prime Minister Weng Kang'an and Lu Ding's eldest brother, the captain Lu Zhong. These two are the most die-hard loyalists and cannot persuade them to surrender."
"The food in the city is estimated to be enough for the entire city for three months..."
With Lu Ding's center of gravity shifting southward, Dingxi as a whole was completely powerless to resist.
However, attacking an important town in the capital is naturally not a day's work. Lu Ding has been acting rebelliously recently, but he has never been less kind to the families and people of the capital.
"Lonely." After a moment of silence, Zhou Bai spoke up.
However, the generals below looked solemn and bowed their heads in obedience.
"Zhou Yuan is in charge of the siege and no one in the city should be allowed to escape."
"Lou Jinpeng led Tabai, defeated the enemy and 50,000 garrison troops, and set out southward on the same day to defeat King Qin's army of various tribes. Then he pointed directly at Yongquan to prevent Lu Ding from continuing to move his population and wealth."
"Generals Zhou Ping and Huang Jingping led their ministries to sweep Xingyun County and suppress all injustices..."
Following a chorus of responses, the huge military tent was instantly empty, and Li Yuan appeared quietly at the right time.
"Your Majesty, all the Dingxi Taoist officials who went out of the city to investigate have been blocked back into the city. Your wishes have also been forwarded to them. Now that you surrender, you can still retain your cultivation and get a certain amount of Taoist officials."
Li Yuan saw Zhou Bai staring blankly at the map, seeming a little worried, and couldn't help but said: "I see that the fortune in the city is falling every moment, and there is no hope of turning around. You will unify Dingzhou in a few days, so why worry?" There is."
But as he talked, Li Yuan felt that his situation was too small, and he couldn't help but have an idea in his mind: "Are you worried about changes in the world?"
Zhou Bai nodded slightly and said: "Yes, this road to fighting for the dragon is not going as planned."
"Go and check now to see if that big sect knows the inside story. Don't they often talk about the Patriarch of Heaven?"
…
Three days later, Zhou Bai was sitting in the tent, feeling a little uneasy, and immediately decided to make some deductions.
[Origin Points: 600] (The dragon emerges from the abyss, showing its fangs, and the dragon elephant turns into a dragon. You gain the attention of humane will, and your origin points are increased by 200. You establish the Xia Kingdom and rank among the princes. Your origin points are increased by 300. )
One dragon elephant turned into a dragon, and the other ranked among the princes, adding a full five hundred points.
The fortune of the country has increased, the Yangshen has achieved success, and the soul realm has also broken through to spiritual perfection.
After he began to gradually master the power of luck, Zhou Bai rarely used the origin point to improve his techniques and skills.
Extrapolation!
The Book of Luck naturally flipped, and it turned faster and faster, as if it had encountered some big problem.
In view of this, Zhou Bai no longer dared to think about big secrets such as blood rain, thousands of meteors, and broken luck. He chose to deduce the reasons for the increase in calamity in the world.
The infinite darkness of the Xinghai Universe appeared, and huge immortal boats and Qingxu warships attacked each other. What followed were scenes of battles in small planes, swirling and falling, with each winning or losing...
Fifty, two hundred, and suddenly three hundred points were cut off directly. A voice appeared in Zhou Bai's mind, his soul trembled, and the book of destiny suddenly stopped turning the pages.
The deduction stopped, but the remnants of the sentence still echoed.
"The world of Qingxu is moving... The will of the world will not let the world be destroyed... It is worth it for me to exchange you for a Heavenly Emperor..."
Zhou Bai was shocked, and then went to Ningjiang Dragon Palace in person to find the Ningjiang Dragon King to test it out.
"Which Heavenly Emperor is in trouble?" The words he said when they met were shocking, leaving the Dragon King speechless.
(End of chapter)
