Lou Su rode his horse and looked at the Shaanzhou City ahead. The city was already in dilapidated condition, with gaps appearing in several places. The number of Song troops on the city wall also decreased a lot. Now it is no longer as difficult as it was a few days ago for the Jin army to ascend the city. From time to time, Jin troops ascend the city. But they were quickly driven down or killed by the Song army.
After watching for a while, Lou Su said: "The defenders in the city are exhausted, and they are not like they were in the past few days. As long as we use a little force, the city may be destroyed! According to the strategy, let your sons work harder to accomplish this great feat. !”
Zhe Ke begged: "Marshal, it has been more than a month and a half since the siege, and our troops are really exhausted. How about our army retreat and rest for a few days, and order the Bohai Khitans to use their lives. How about rotating it in two or three days?"
Lou Su said: "I heard that a large group of Song troops are coming from the direction of Guozhou, and there are quite a few of them. The rest of the army should stay behind to prepare Song reinforcements."
After finishing speaking, he said to Xiao Haohu on the side: "According to reports, thousands of people from the Song Dynasty came from the south and have arrived in Lingbao County. Tomorrow you will take your troops to the west of Shaanzhou to meet the enemy, and do not let them get close to the city. .As long as we persist for three to five days, Shaanzhou will be defeated!"
Xiao Hao crossed his hands and said yes.
Lou Su said: "The reinforcements are coming from the south. After thinking about it, the only ones with large armies are Wang Xiaolie in Dengzhou and Xiangyang. Apart from him, where can there be reinforcements in Shaanzhou?"
Zhe Ke asked: "Wang Xiaolie only had a few thousand troops last year, and he chased Yang Jin to Dengzhou. How many troops can he have in one year?"
Lou Su said: "Dengzhou and Xiangyang are both rich places with money and food. They can recruit many troops in a year. If it weren't for Wang Xiaolie, who would come to save Shaanzhou? But don't be afraid of him. One day With such great ability, what kind of army can he train in one year? I have tens of thousands of elite soldiers under the city of Shaanzhou, so why be afraid of a local military leader! Once we capture Shaanzhou, we can destroy the reinforcements together! "
The rest of the generals promised together.
In Lou Su's heart, his current army is enough to sweep across Shaanxi Road. If it weren't for Shaanzhou being really difficult to attack, why waste time here.
At this time, the famous generals recognized by the Jin people as good defenders in the Song Dynasty were Xu Huiyan, the former Jinning Army, and Li Yanxian of Shaanzhou. This was not the first time Lou Su attacked Shaanzhou, but the previous times ended in failure. This time the army was assembled and determined to go to Shaanzhou.
It was rare for the Jin army to surround a city with tens of thousands of troops. This situation will only occur in large-scale offensive battles such as Taiyuan and Jingshi. With Lou Su's identity and tens of thousands of troops, it shows that he attaches great importance to Shaanzhou and Li Yanxian.
Starting last autumn, the Jin army invaded the south on a large scale. To the east, the Jin army was searching mountains and seas, and to the west, they were attacking Shaanzhou. After capturing Shaanzhou, the Jin army can attack Shaanxi with confidence and stabilize the Hedong Road. For the Jin Army, as long as they break the city, it is worth paying no matter how high the price is.
Wang Xiaolie decided to rescue Shaanzhou, firstly because of its important location, and secondly to show his strength and boost the morale of the Song army. The determination of the Jin Army to attack Shaanzhou was actually underestimated. Today is the seventeenth day of the first lunar month, and Shaanzhou is already in danger. Zhang Jun's one thousand cavalry, including the 300 people who entered the city, plus the food they brought, actually only defended Shaanzhou for two days longer than in history.
Shao Ling's five thousand troops will arrive outside Shaanzhou City tomorrow. If they cannot give strong support to Shaanzhou, they still cannot change the overall situation.
On the morning of the next day, Xiao Haohu led 10,000 Khitan Bohai troops and marched five miles west of Shaanzhou City. Set up a formation to meet Shao Ling's army.
At noon, Shao Ling's army arrived ten miles west of Shaanzhou City, and Tan Ma had already clearly investigated the situation in Shaanzhou.
Shao Ling frowned when he heard that the Jin army was blocking his way. If you can't get close to Shaanzhou, how can you help Li Yanxian?
Letting the army continue to move forward, Shao Ling summoned Zhang Jun and several of his generals to discuss countermeasures.
After listening to Shao Ling's introduction, Zhang Jun said: "If we fight with the Jin army in front, it will not happen overnight. In Shaanzhou City, Li Kuan really can't hold on. Yesterday, I saw that the city has been damaged in many places. Every day There are Jin troops entering the city! "
Shao Ling nodded: "Shaanzhou is like this. It is true that we cannot have a stalemate with the Jin army and must send people into the city as soon as possible. However, the horse scout reported that there are ten thousand Jin troops five miles ahead. No matter how brave I am, I dare not say Kill them all in one afternoon."
Zhang Jun nodded and said no more. Zhang Jun knew from the battle with Wanyan Huonv's thousand cavalry a few days ago that the Jin army was by no means comparable to the insurgent army like Yang Jin he had encountered before.
In fact, looking back now, the Jin army that Wang Xiaolie met in Yong'an nearly two years ago may not be real Jurchens, but more likely a servant army. The small army encountered in the front may be Jurchens, but the ones fighting in Gong County behind are probably not.
At this time, the Song Dynasty army often cast a dark eye on the composition of the Jin army. It was often when the Jin army began to attack the city that they realized that Jurchens were in front of them. Many times, even after running hundreds of miles away, I still can't figure out who is attacking me.
Because the Khitans hated the Song Dynasty for betraying their alliance, they joined forces with the Jin Dynasty to attack the Liao Dynasty before its demise. They especially hated the Song Dynasty. The Khitans who surrendered to the Jin Kingdom often did not hate the Jurchens, but hated the Song Dynasty deeply. The Khitans, who had some status in the Jin Dynasty, often encouraged the Jin people to go south to attack the Song Dynasty.
Xu Yang said: "As the saying goes, when two armies are fighting, they should cooperate with each other and win by surprise. If you want to enter Shaanzhou City, you should think of a strange plan."
Shao Ling sighed: "It's easy to think of a trick to enter Shaanzhou City, but the difficult thing is whether the army outside the city can block the Jin army's attack. There are tens of thousands of Jin troops outside Shaanzhou City, and we only have five thousand people. Even if we divide one thousand When people enter the city, the remaining four thousand people are also in great danger."
Zhang Jun said: "My brother is right. According to what I have seen outside Shaanzhou City these days, the combat power of the Jin Army cannot be underestimated. Not to mention the Zhen Jurchen, the other Khitan, Bohai, and even the Han'er Army are extremely ferocious. I heard that the Fuzhou Army attacking the city now is Zhe Keqiu. They have been attacking day and night for seven or eight days. There are piles of corpses under the city, but they still press forward during the attack. I have never seen them so powerful before in this dynasty. ."
Xu Yang said: "According to what Zhang Tongzhi said, there is no other way now but to send troops into the city. If not, what if we have been in a stalemate with the Jin army in front for several days and the Jin army suddenly breaks the city? Shaanzhou has not been broken, and the Jin army can only Dare to divide your troops to deal with us. Once Shaanzhou is defeated, the whole army can press forward."
Shao Ling thought for a while. Said: "You're right, there is no other way, we must send troops into the city! Even if there is a slight disadvantage, there is no harm in retreating. The observation army will arrive in two days, and then there will be no need to be afraid."
Zhang Jun said: "Don't worry too much. We have thousands of troops, can't we hold on for a few days?"
Shao Ling said nothing. He lowered his head and thought for a while, then said decisively: "Xu Yang led five hundred troops, brought more food, and went from the south of the military formation to the outside of Shaanzhou City in advance. I will lead the army to fight the Jin Army in the afternoon. I don't know what the outcome will be. You Don't worry about it. Wait until the evening, when the Jin army is slacking off, and you lead troops into the city. When we fight in the afternoon, I will specially attack the right wing of the Jin army to make it easier for you."
Zhang Jun said: "The Jin army is currently besieging the city very tightly. If that's the case, I'm afraid it will be difficult to enter the city."
Shao Ling sighed: "What else can I do? The Jin army divides its troops to stop me, and is not allowed to come within five miles of Shaanzhou. Without this method, there is no way to enter the city. Even if some people are sacrificed, people must enter the city. The army enters Only when you reach the city can you calm down your observation mind."
