Qu Bai mused, "I suspect that Shanguan County has been captured by the Jinyang Army."
"How is that possible? This is a siege. Moreover, Shanguan County has 2,000 defending troops. Even if Gefeng really has 20,000 soldiers, it's not that easy to capture it."
The one who spoke was a very tall man named Lei Qian.
He didn't quite believe what the soldier from Shanguan County who came for help said. How could Gefeng, such a small place, have so many soldiers? Unless Gefeng had cooperated with other Han forces.
But apart from Gefeng and Ze'a County, where else were there Han forces in Fengzhou?
Qu Bai wasn't angry either. "I don't know if Gefeng has 20,000 soldiers, but the combat power of the Jinyang Army cannot be underestimated."
Lei Qian sneered. "Are you making excuses for your previous defeat?"
Qu Bai still wasn't angry. "Then you can give it a try. There's just an opportunity now."
He was the only one on the scene who had dealt with the Jinyang Army. He suspected that the general would send him to handle it. To be honest, he didn't really want to face the Jinyang Army again.
In the words of the Han people, he couldn't figure out the "pulse" of the Jinyang Army. Their fighting style really left him at a loss.
Sure enough, Lei Qian took the bait. "Let's try then. Do you think I'm afraid?"
"General, send me this time. I'll surely defeat the Jinyang Army and take back Gefeng by the way," he said, looking at Qu Shilang and requesting an order.
"Enough," Qu Shilang rubbed his temples, feeling his head buzzing.
Lei Qian, this reckless man, had no brains at all except for his strong combat power.
"What do you all think?" he looked around at everyone.
The strategist Yu Cheng slowly said, "Since the soldiers from Shanguan County saw 20,000 Jinyang troops, it should be true. After all, many refugees have flocked to Gefeng."
Lei Qian frowned. "Are you saying that these 20,000 soldiers might be new recruits selected from the refugees?"
"Most likely," Yu Cheng nodded.
Lei Qian couldn't help but frown. "What was Qu Tianshi doing? How could he not even defeat these mobs and still need to ask us for help?"
"That's also what puzzles me," Yu Cheng's eyes showed confusion. "Even if the Jinyang Army's repeating crossbows are powerful, we're the defenders. There's no way we should need to ask for help."
Qu Bai shook his head. "You haven't seen the repeating crossbows of the Jinyang Army and don't know their power. If the Jinyang Army has enough repeating crossbows and arrows, they don't need 20,000 soldiers to capture Shanguan County."
He was the only one on the scene who had felt the power of the Jinyang Army's repeating crossbows. Only he knew that sense of helplessness and despair.
Everyone fell silent. Thinking carefully now, they realized that the Jinyang Army was like a sharp knife, cutting open the gap of Gefeng in their completely controlled sphere of influence.
The important thing was that Gefeng was firmly held by the Jinyang Army, and they were forced to take a detour every time they passed by.
Qu Shilang said, "In your opinion, has Shanguan County been captured by the Jinyang Army?"
Yu Cheng shook his head. "Perhaps the Jinyang Army has excellent combat power, but the defender of Shanguan County is Qu Tianshi. There are garrisons in Zhou County and Heichun County. Especially Zhou County, which isn't too far away."
"Judging from the speed of a cavalry charge, the cavalry from Zhou County could reach Shanguan County for support yesterday morning. It's unlikely to break through Shanguan County in such a short time."
"Moreover, even if Shanguan County is really captured, we must counter - attack before they finish building their defensive fortifications. Otherwise, it will be even more difficult to counter - attack later."
This was also Qu Shilang's thought. He knew that the combat power of the Jinyang Army was stronger than that of other Han soldiers, and their repeating crossbows were also powerful. But attacking a city and defending a city were two different things.
Apart from Zhou County, there were also garrisons in Heichun County of Donghu County. With Qu Tianshi's shrewdness, since he had asked for help from their Ze'a County, he must have also asked for help from Heichun County.
All the surrounding counties of Shanguan County were within the sphere of influence of their Qu Zhao forces. If the situation was urgent, the surrounding counties would surely go to reinforce.
The location of Shanguan County was too important. If it was really captured by the Jinyang Army, with the "style" of the Jinyang Army, it would be impossible for their Donghu County to transport out supplies in the future.
Even the soldiers would have to take a detour. Coupled with Ze'a County, which now seemed to be cooperating with the Jinyang Army, it almost divided their Qu Zhao forces into two parts. This was very bad.
Having thought this through, Qu Shilang was very decisive. "Since that's the case, there's no time to lose. How many people do you think are suitable to be sent to Shanguan County?"
"Give me 10,000 troops, and I'll wipe out the Jinyang Army," Lei Qian was the first to request an order.
Qu Bai twitched the corner of his mouth. "Ten thousand? I'm afraid you'll be wiped out silently by the Jinyang Army."
Although he didn't want to go himself, he also didn't want Lei Qian and the Qu Zhao soldiers to go and get killed. They were all the warriors of their Qu Zhao.
Lei Qian glared at Qu Bai. "You..."
Just as he was about to retort, Qu Shilang waved his hand to stop him. "Enough. It's important to discuss the matter at hand."
Yu Cheng looked worried. "Ten thousand troops are definitely not enough. However, if we send a large number of soldiers out, we're afraid that Ze'a County..."
Ze'a County's "negotiation" indicated that there was a high probability of a follow - up move. Maybe they were just waiting for their Qu Zhao forces to send out troops.
Qu Shilang mused, "We just need to hold back the aristocratic families in Ze'a County. However, we must achieve a quick victory in Shanguan County and return for reinforcement as soon as possible."
"If Shanguan County has been captured by the Jinyang Army, we can consider starting from Gefeng. If the Jinyang Army really has 20,000 people, not to mention going all out, at least most of their troops should be in Shanguan County."
However, Qu Bai shook his head. "The fighting style of the Jinyang Army seems reckless, but if you think carefully, they always have a purpose in every attack and can always succeed. So, in fact, they fight very steadily."
Lei Qian frowned. "What do you mean?"
Qu Bai glanced at him and continued, "What I mean is that since the Jinyang Army is attacking Shanguan County, Gefeng must be well - prepared. It's difficult to start from Gefeng."
"Moreover, if Shanguan County is really captured, they will naturally have the strength to reinforce Gefeng. It's better to directly attack Shanguan County."
Everyone in the tent fell silent. After a long time, Qu Shilang gave an order. "Qu Bai, you lead the troops to reinforce Shanguan County this time. You must protect Shanguan County!"
Sheng Chi stood on the city wall, watching the Qu Zhao army pulling up their camps in a mighty way. A look of ecstasy appeared on his face. "It worked! Gefeng didn't deceive me!"
However, a look of worry flashed in Kong Yi's eyes. "There are at least 40,000 troops pulling up their camps. The Jinyang Army is actually so powerful!"
The Qu Zhao forces besieging Ze'a County currently had a little over 100,000 troops, probably less than 110,000. Now, a small place like Gefeng had directly diverted almost half of their troops.
If they didn't care whether the Jinyang Army would be destroyed before, now, as forces in different camps but in cooperation, they were both afraid that the other side would fall and afraid that the other side would become too powerful.
Sheng Chi, who was immersed in the joy of the upcoming counter - attack, didn't think so far ahead. At this moment, he only felt high - spirited. "Let's go back and discuss how to counter - attack."
While Ze'a County was in an uproar, the bloodstains on the city wall and streets of Chunrong County had been cleaned up, but there was still a faint smell of blood in the air.
Jiang Jin stood on the city wall, watching the sun slowly rising. A smile appeared on her face. Today was a good day. She finally had three cities!
[Today is Chinese New Year's Eve, a time to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. May you all be blessed with constant happiness, a fulfilling life, peace, joy, and all the best!]
