The sun slowly set in the west, the Jin army left countless corpses in front of the city, and the attack finally stopped.
Several Song army generals went to the tower and looked at the Jin army outside the city with Li Yanxian, exuding a soaring heroic spirit. Heroes, this kind of heroism should stay on the battlefield, face the mountain of corpses and rain of blood without frowning.
Yan Ping said: "Today the Jin army came to attack with ten troops, but it was nothing more than this! If the Jin people don't retreat, they will all be buried under this city!"
Everyone said yes together.
At this moment, Jia He hurriedly came up from the city. He crossed his hands to Li Yanxian and said: "Good luck today! We repelled the Jin attack and found some beans in the cellar of a house. I have already ordered the soldiers to cook them and will eat them with the soldiers later!"
Li Yanxian said: "God help me! The Jinlu have been besieging the city for more than a month, and the food and grass in the city have already been exhausted. Thanks to the single-minded efforts of the army and the people, they have been eating chaffy vegetables to survive until today. We have run out of food. Is it possible that the Jin army has enough food and grass outside the city?" As long as we hold on, Jinlu will definitely retreat!"
The golden man outside the city slowly retreated, and the setting sun cast countless rays of light on the horizon. The sky and the earth are lined with gold, and corpses pile up like mountains under the city. A few crows circled in the air, landed in a deserted place, and watched people warily.
After a while, the beans were cooked and carried up to the tower. Li Yanxian took a spoon, scooped up the juice, and drank it in one gulp. He praised: "Good! I haven't had food in my mouth for many days. These beans are really rare and delicious in the world! You all have a bite, and take the rest to the guards of the city!"
Yan Ping said: "Observe and eat some. How can you survive without food for many days?"
Li Yanxian said: "I have always been strong, just drink some juice and I will be fine. You guys eat the beans and rest early to prepare for the fierce battle tomorrow!"
At this moment, Song Yan pointed to the distance and said strangely: "Observe, see if there is a Song flag there?"
Everyone looked in the direction Song Yan pointed and saw a Song flag sticking out high in the glow of the sky. A Song army rushed towards the retreating Jin army.
Looking at the flag and the roaring Song army, Li Yanxian was stunned for a while. He said: "Could it be that Lieutenant Qu was thinking about it and sent troops to Shaanzhou? As long as there are reinforcements, it will be difficult to defeat the Jinlu!"
As we got closer, we saw that although the army was powerful, it didn't seem to have much strength. It's just that they saw the opportunity and fought out when the Jin army was retreating. And they were all cavalry, coming and going like the wind, killing the Jin army and scattering them all at once.
Li Yanxian held the city head with his hand and looked at it for a while. He ordered in a deep voice: "Hurry and prepare to open the city gate! It looks like they are going to enter the city!"
Yan Ping made a promise and quickly walked down the tower. When he arrived near the city gate, he ordered his soldiers to prepare to open the city gate.
With just a cup of tea, the Song army arrived in front of the city. A man stepped forward and shouted to the city tower: "General Shao Yun, on orders from Zhizhou, went to Dengzhou to ask for reinforcements! Dengzhou's reinforcements have arrived! Please watch and open the city gate!"
Shao Yun was originally a subordinate of Li Yanxian, and most people here knew him. Hearing the shout, Yan Ping hurriedly ordered the city gate to be opened.
Shao Yun and the three hundred knights dismounted, carried the salutes from their horses on their shoulders, and poured into the city. As soon as he entered the city gate, Shao Yun said to Yan Ping who was standing next to him: "According to the order of King Dengzhou to observe, we went into the city to deliver food. There is not much food and grass in the city, so horses and other cavalry will not come in. You can quickly close the city. Door, let the rest of the cavalry leave!"
Yan Ping couldn't see what was going on outside. After listening to Shao Yun's words, he ordered his soldiers to close the city gate.
Li Yanxian felt strange when he saw that two to three hundred soldiers had entered the city and the rest of the cavalry did not dismount. I saw a horseman standing out from the crowd and reaching the forefront. He said loudly: "I am Zhang Jun, who is under the control of Wang Kuan. I was ordered by Kuan to deliver food and assist in defending the city outside the city. In three to five days, General Kuan will personally lead the army to Shaanzhou! Li Kuan will work hard for a few more days. Wait for my army to come and fight Jinlu!"
Li Yanxian saw that the general outside the city was very young, but his attitude was calm and his expression was very natural. He was not an ordinary person. Haruka raised his hand. Said: "Thank you, General! I will defend Shaanzhou City! Wait for your family to observe and help him wash away the dust!"
Zhang Jun smiled. He bowed to Li Yanxian and turned his horse around. He pulled out his mace and shouted sternly: "Kill out!"
The remaining 700 cavalrymen led many empty horses, and the sound of killing was loud.
When the Jin army was retreating, Zhang Jun, who was suddenly killed, broke up the formation and was reorganizing there. Unexpectedly, Zhang Jun turned around in a moment and came to kill him again. The formation was out of order for a moment, but Zhang Jun easily rushed out again.
Lou Su and Zhe Keqiu had already taken off their armors and returned to their tents. When they heard the shouts of killing, they put them on again. Zhang Jun had already broken out of the encirclement, and the two of them only saw a puff of smoke. When he asked his subordinates what happened, they couldn't help but get furious.
Zhe Keqiu said: "It has been extremely difficult in Shaanzhou City these days. I think we can break the city in a few days. Now that reinforcements have arrived, it will be difficult to tell. Where do these people come from? It doesn't look like they are from Shaanxi." "
Lou Su said: "There are many Song troops around, and thousands of people can be sent to many places. Don't worry too much!"
Zhe Ke begged: "Marshal, these are nearly a thousand cavalry! Apart from Zhai Xing, who among the surrounding forces has such a strong military strength?"
Lou Su shook his head after hearing this: "Zhai Xing can't even enter Luoyang City, how can he get to Shaanzhou? He must have come from somewhere else."
The two discussed it for a while, but couldn't figure it out. We can only send out reconnaissance cavalry to find out the whereabouts of the escaped cavalry. As long as the traces are caught, these people are not a big threat. Lousu has an army of tens of thousands, but it is easy to defend against thousands of people.
Pinglu County under the jurisdiction of Shaanzhou faces Shaanxian County across the Yellow River. The state government is located in Shaanxian County on the south bank of the Yellow River, somewhat similar to Xiangyang. It is located at the junction of Shaanxi, Jingxi and Hedong roads, and is the main route from Beijing to Guanzhong. There is ancient Hangu Pass in Lingbao County, dozens of miles west of the city. Due to the erosion of the Yellow River and changes in its course, Hangu Pass at this time is no longer as important as it was in ancient times.
This place is located at the intersection of the Qinling Mountains and the Yaoshan Mountains, with very little flat land. But because of the important geographical location, there are many counties set up.
Zhang Jun escaped from the encirclement of Lousu army and stationed near Chousangdian in Lingbao to the west. It is located in the center of Guozhou and Shaanzhou, which is convenient for harassing the Lousu army and contacting Shaoxing of Guozhou.
At this time, Lingbao County had been occupied by the Jin army, but there were not many troops stationed there and they were unable to attack Zhang Jun.
In Shaanzhou City, Li Yanxian felt like crying when he looked at the grain bags that Shao Yun and a group of soldiers took off their backs. Shaanzhou City has been without food for many days, and even wild vegetables and tree bark have been eaten. All the officers, soldiers and civilians in the city are guarding here with their strength. If reinforcements don't come, we won't be able to hold on for a few days. The three hundred soldiers entering the city this time are still a small matter, and the food is really life-saving.
After taking off the grain bag, Shao Yun said: "When we passed by Guozhou, we collected the remaining grain from there and brought it to the observation team. The tens of thousands of troops under observation by the king will arrive in a few days, so the observation team can rest assured."
Of course Li Yanxian had heard of Wang Xiaolie's name. However, the two were far apart and had no contact. During the siege of Lousu, Li Yanxian mainly asked Zhang Jun of Shaanxi for help. Later, I had no choice but to send a letter to Zhai Xing, but there was no reply. Unexpectedly, Wang Xiaolie, who was thousands of miles away, finally sent troops, and the entire army was dispatched.
Yan Ping directed the soldiers to fetch water and cook rice. When the soldier lit the fire, it took a long time because his hands were shaking.
Seeing that the fire was lighting up, Lu Yuandeng stepped forward and said to Li Yanxian: "Seeing that the observation is fine today, I feel at ease. When I heard about Jinlu's siege these days, I wish I could fly to Shaanzhou with wings on my back——"
Li Yanxian stepped forward and held Lu Yuandeng's hand: "Thank you for your concern! We have reinforcements today, so why worry about Jinlu anymore!"
Lu Yuandeng nodded heavily. He took out a small package from his arms and opened it to find ten or twenty dates. Turn around and hand it to the soldier next to you, and put it into the cooked rice. He said to Li Yanxian: "It's been a hard life observing these days. It's inconvenient to come here this time, so I brought dozens of dates with me to replenish my health."
Li Yanxian looked at the rice being cooked with tears in his eyes and nodded.
Lu Yuandeng is somewhat similar to Cao Zhiyan. He was originally a monk and later joined the army as a good man. He was an old subordinate of Li Yanxian. Originally, they followed Shao Xing to guard Guozhou. When Shao Yun and Zhang Jun passed through Guozhou, they entered Shaanzhou City together.
At this time, the sun had set, and a moon appeared, casting a cold light. The officers, soldiers and people in the city gathered around several pots, their faces reddened by the firelight. Having not eaten food for many days, everyone’s eyes were particularly bright.
The lights were brightly lit in the Jin army camp outside the city. Judging from their appearance, they had no intention of withdrawing their troops.
Song Yan said: "Look, the Jin army is going to attack the city at night today! They can't attack during the day, so are they more brave at night?"
Yan Ping laughed and said: "The Jinlu were just emboldening themselves! When they saw reinforcements coming, they knew that Shaanzhou was difficult to defeat. Attacking at night was just a show of determination. We have three hundred more soldiers, and everyone is full. , are you still afraid of them?"
Li Yanxian chatted with Shao Yun and Lu Yuandeng about Songcheng's experiences these days, and said, "Who will lead the troops and horses entering the city?"
Shao Yundao said: "I haven't seen you for many days, but I forgot to introduce the general who commanded the army. It was my negligence." As he said this, he pulled a young general next to him. "This is General Zhang Chi from the Wang Observation Army, and the soldiers entering the city are his subordinates."
Zhang Chi was a little shy. Cross your hands and sing a promise to Li Yanxian.
Li Yanxian looked at Zhang Chi and saw that he was about twenty years old, with a rather strong body and a somewhat restless expression. Said: "I just saw that the commander outside the city, Zhang Jun, is not very old. Looking at this General Zhang, he seems to be in his twenties."
Zhang Chi said: "From observation, I am exactly twenty years old this year."
Li Yanxian nodded, feeling strange in his heart. The generals in Wang Xiao's hunting army are too young. Although many generals rose up after the invasion of the Jin Army, most of them were in their thirties or forties. It's really rare to see someone like this in Wang Xiao's hunting army.
There are not many actual combatants in Wang Xiao's hunting army. Many low-level generals have outstanding training performance after joining the army and were selected into the officer camp. Those who studied well in the officer camp were quickly promoted to fill the rapidly expanding army. Zhang Chi learned well in the officer camp in the second half of the year and became a grassroots general.
