Qu Zhao had mobilized over forty thousand troops. After two battles, nearly half of his troops had been wiped out by the Jinyang Army led by Jiang Jin. With the addition of the wounded, the remaining combat - capable forces were less than twenty thousand.
In the one - on - one duels of the generals, they had lost both times. In the battles of attacking the city and the night raid, they had also suffered defeats. At this moment, the morale of Qu Zhao's troops was extremely low, which was a perfect opportunity for an attack.
Everyone's faces lit up with excitement and they were all eager to have a go.
Xia Chanyi was the first to apply: "Our Dragon Shadow Guards request to participate in the battle in full force."
Xie Nanxiao echoed: "I also request to participate in the battle."
Neither of them had taken part in the battle last night, and they were itching for a big fight.
Yao Ji was also very excited and regained some of the vitality of a young man: "My lord, please allow me to participate in the battle."
Although he was not as experienced as Zhou Sui who had been on the battlefield for half a lifetime, as a person who had started killing enemies on the battlefield at the age of thirteen, he could also be regarded as an old veteran.
He had fought countless battles, but he had never felt as exhilarated as he did now.
The weapons were the best, there was an ample supply of arrows, the food was sufficient, and there was a strong backing behind him. He only needed to charge forward according to the plan.
He didn't have to worry about military rations, military pay, the pensions for the sacrificed soldiers, or the old and insufficient weapons and equipment at all.
In the past, he led the most elite cavalry, but they still faced problems such as not having enough to eat and not getting paid. In short, there were all kinds of constraints.
Now, as a military general, he only needed to do what a general should do: train himself, train the soldiers, formulate plans, and go to the battlefield to kill the enemy.
Zhou Sui was calm and confident. He had a telescope that allowed him to see at night, and besides the lord, he was the highest - ranking military commander, so he was bound to participate in the battle.
Jiang Jin was helpless. It was not always a good thing that her subordinates were so war - like. Finally, she decided to let Xie Nanxiao defend the city while the others would participate in the battle.
Although Xie Nanxiao was disappointed, he had to obey.
Defending the city was also very important. There was still Donghu Commandery eyeing them covetously. If all the soldiers went out and the city was occupied, it would be a great loss.
At this time, the atmosphere in Qu Zhao's camp was depressing.
Yan Pu carefully suggested: "We have suffered more than half of the casualties. Maybe we should retreat."
By this stage of the battle, like the soldiers, he had little confidence left. The Jinyang Army was simply too fierce.
The bodies of the Qu Zhao soldiers from the previous night had not been burned completely, and there were thousands more. He saw that the Jinyang Army was protecting the common people and going up the mountain to cut firewood today.
It was a strange and terrifying feeling, as if he would become one of those bodies on the fire the next moment.
Everyone looked at Qu Bai, waiting for his decision.
Qu Bai lowered his head in deep thought. After a long time, he looked up at the crowd and said, "Do you know that when the Jinyang Army first occupied Gefeng, only twenty thousand troops could have easily wiped them out?"
At that time, Qu Zhao didn't take the Jinyang Army seriously at all and missed the best opportunity to annihilate the enemy, giving the Jinyang Army a chance to grow.
"This spring when I led the troops to surround and kill them, twenty thousand troops could no longer do anything to them. Now, forty thousand troops can't either."
He sighed and continued, "Do you know what will happen if we let the Jinyang Army continue to develop? I think she poses a greater threat than the noble families in Ze'a Commandery. We must wipe her out before she fully develops!"
Everyone fell silent. In fact, they agreed with Qu Bai's words. The Jinyang Army, which only occupied one city of Gefeng, was already so difficult to deal with.
Now that they had occupied three counties, they didn't dare to imagine what the situation would be like when she fully developed.
Suddenly, Qu Cong gasped: "General, do you think her choice to occupy Shanguan County at this time is for the few months of rest in winter?"
Qu Bai sighed with emotion, "Although I don't know how the Jinyang Army managed to do it, last winter, they not only trained their soldiers but also produced countless repeating crossbows."
The winter in the northern region was extremely cold. Their Qu Zhao Army basically took a break to recuperate during winter. Not to mention seizing territory, they didn't even conduct regular soldier training because it could really freeze people to death!
He looked at the others and said, "So we must recapture Shanguan County before winter. Immediately send a message to the Grand Chanyu and the Grand General to reinforce Shanguan County!"
"Yes," a strategist immediately took the order and left.
There was another long silence in the tent. The Jinyang Army suddenly seemed a bit mysterious in their minds. They seemed to have extraordinary abilities.
Qu Bai looked at the dejected crowd and said, "Strengthen the defenses around to prevent a surprise attack by the Jinyang Army."
Yan Pu was startled and said, "Anyway, we still have nearly twenty thousand troops. How dare they?"
If it was an attack on the city, their twenty - thousand - strong army would surely be no match. But if the Jinyang Army came out of the city, it would be a completely different story. The Qu Zhao forces were several times that of the Jinyang Army.
In yesterday's siege battle, their only gain was to roughly figure out the approximate strength of Shanguan County.
Qu Bai's voice was filled with gritted teeth, "Has the Jinyang Army ever given us few surprises? They dare! They really dare!"
Inside Shanguan County, it was peaceful and serene at this moment. Jiang Jin and Luo Qingci were discussing the construction matters of Shanguan County.
Ding Ying rushed in and said, "My lord, as you guessed, Qu Bai sent out a distress message."
She handed two pieces of paper to Jiang Jin, with an expression of suppressed admiration and excitement on her face.
The carrier pigeons sent by Qu Bai were shot down by their scouts lurking nearby not long after they took off.
Jiang Jin looked at the content on the paper and a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. It was a pity that her strength had always been underestimated, and she didn't plan to let the remaining twenty thousand Qu Zhao troops go back.
"What a pity for the two carrier pigeons," she said looking at a drop of blood on the paper.
Ding Ying: "..."
Actually, it wasn't a pity. They had been taken by Lord Yun, who was said to be planning to roast them for a meal.
Jiang Jin looked up at Ding Ying and said, "Send a message to Gefeng and tell them to cooperate with us tonight."
"Yes!" Ding Ying bowed and stepped back.
Luo Qingci said with a smile, "Congratulations, my lord."
Jiang Jin waved her hand and changed the topic, "Just give the people in the prison water and some coarse grains to keep them alive these days. If they can provide important information, they can have a full meal."
Luo Qingci was a bit puzzled and asked, "My lord, what are you planning to do with these Qu Zhao people?"
Jiang Jin shook her head and said, "I haven't thought about how to use them yet. If all else fails, I'll let them go mining, or exchange them for some Han people."
She really hadn't thought about what to do with these Qu Zhao people. Based on the principle of not wasting, the worst - case scenario was to make them work to death in the mines.
Luo Qingci carefully said, "My lord, it's okay to exchange back the Qu Zhao common people. But isn't it not so good to exchange back the officials and soldiers?"
Jiang Jin smiled and said, "Don't worry about this. I have my own ideas."
Seeing that she had a plan in mind, Luo Qingci thought she was being a bit silly. Her lord thought much more comprehensively than she did.
Jiang Jin continued, "The wells must be dug as soon as possible. If there are no accidents, the construction in the city should start soon."
With the increase of many common people in Shanguan County, the previous wells were a bit insufficient.
Luo Qingci nodded and said, "I've been following up on this matter. My lord, please rest assured."
As the two were chatting, Yun Chengxuan rushed in excitedly. "Auntie, auntie! I've roasted some 'gugu'. Auntie, have some 'gugu'!"
Jiang Jin was taken aback. "What on earth is that?"
"Gugu, roasted gugu. It's delicious. Here, auntie, have a gugu." As Yun Chengxuan spoke, he handed Jiang Jin a blackened lump skewered on a stick.
Jiang Jin took it blankly. It took her a while to realize that this pitch - black thing was actually a pigeon!
A carrier pigeon, no less!
