"Master, I don't understand. Why did you decide to send troops to rescue Jicheng?" Early the next morning, Qin Longyang and Liao Hua were organizing military affairs in the conference hall. With the troops assembled, Liao Hua finally couldn't help but ask.
"Why?" Qin Longyang looked at Liao Hua with interest. "Yuanjian, what's your opinion? Feel free to speak."
"I think, firstly, this time the Xiongnu have surrounded Jicheng with an army of seventy thousand. Compared to the fifty thousand Yellow Turban Army before, it's a completely different scenario. Not to mention Jicheng, they probably have their eyes on the entire Youzhou region."
"But even if we add all the town's militia and soldiers, we only have twenty to thirty thousand men, putting us at a numerical disadvantage. Secondly, Liu Yan nearly killed you last time in Jicheng. Why help him now?"
"Heh," Qin Longyang chuckled softly and slowly stood up. "Yuanjian, do you know the difference between 'personal vendetta' and 'national crisis'? Liu Yan indeed treated me maliciously, but if he hadn't taken us in when we fled to Jicheng, where would Qin Longyang be today?"
"Moreover, the ones surrounding Jicheng now are the Xiongnu. If Jicheng falls, the unarmed civilians will be slaughtered. How can Youzhou have peace? How many people will be displaced? How many innocent lives will be lost if we stand by and do nothing? Think about it carefully. Can we just stand and watch this time?"
"This!" Liao Hua was deeply moved, feeling a burning flame igniting in his heart. "I was foolish. The master's righteousness is so great. I will give my all to help destroy the traitors!"
"Your loyalty and courage are well known to me, Yuanjian. The time is late; call the generals and advisors to discuss the battle strategy."
"Yes!"
Soon, the generals and strategists entered the conference hall.
"Everyone, listen to me," Qin Longyang began to lay out the plan once everyone was seated. "The Xiongnu have invaded our Central Plains, and Jicheng is in grave danger. The people of Youzhou are in deep trouble. As Han officials, how can we stand by and do nothing? Today, at the request of Lord Junlang, I will send troops to reinforce Jicheng. I hope everyone will give their all!"
"We will follow the master's lead to fight the Xiongnu and protect our Central Plains!" the generals shouted in unison.
"With the help of all of you, how can we fear the seventy thousand Xiongnu soldiers?" Qin Longyang looked enthusiastically at the generals. "Sun Lang, how is the training of the formation I asked you to practice?"
"Master, the spear formation training is almost complete, but the soldiers still lack some real combat experience. I believe this expedition will transform them!"
Qin Longyang nodded in satisfaction and ordered, "Gao Lan, Liao Hua, hear my command!"
"We are here!" The two stepped forward.
"I order you two to lead ten thousand troops through the Ju River to Jicheng and be responsible for transporting food and supplies."
"Yes!"
"Xianhe," Qin Longyang continued, addressing Jian Yong, "you will act as the deputy general and join them. If anything happens, the priority is to secure the supplies. You have absolute control over troop movements!"
"Thank you for your trust, General Qin!" The fact that Qin Longyang entrusted him, an outsider, with the authority to move the troops showed great trust, making Jian Yong immensely grateful.
"Guan Yu, Sun Lang, Huang Shao, you three will follow me with twenty thousand troops to flank and attack the Xiongnu from Shanggu County."
"Yes!"
Thus, the tasks for the various generals , but nothing was mentioned about the military advisor Xi Zhicai. The two exchanged a knowing smile, and Qin Longyang said, "As for the rest, I will trouble you, sir."
"At your service." Xi Zhicai nodded in understanding.
"There is no time to lose. The longer we delay, the more danger Jicheng is in. All generals, prepare to set out!" Qin Longyang rose and called out, and the generals responded.
In less than half an hour, the thirty thousand soldiers outside the city had finished organizing into formations, with each general on horseback at the front of their respective troops. Qin Longyang and Xi Zhicai then appeared on horseback at the city gate, having just discussed their plans in detail.
With Xi Zhicai's talents, Qin Longyang would never let him stay in the small Zhuojun as a mere administrator; leaving him behind was just a ruse. The two stopped, and Xi Zhicai took a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Qin Longyang.
"Master, I've written down my thoughts over the past few months. If everything goes as expected, the whole of Liaodong will soon be yours." Xi Zhicai smiled mysteriously. Qin Longyang, taking the letter, smiled and said, "With the help of the military advisor, the world will soon be at peace!"
"You're too kind, Master. It is my duty to share your worries as your advisor. I wish you a great victory!"
"Hahaha, thank you for your kind words!"
The two exchanged bows and parted. Qin Longyang rode to the front of the army, where the thirty thousand well-prepared soldiers were eager and passionate. Knowing they were about to battle the Xiongnu, their morale was high.
"Soldiers! Words are unnecessary!" Qin Longyang drew his sword and pointed it towards Jicheng, shouting, "Three armies, hear my command! Set out to destroy the traitors!"
"Ha!" The soldiers shouted in unison, full of battle spirit. The forty thousand troops divided into two main groups, each led by their generals towards their respective directions, with the same destination: Jicheng.
Meanwhile, at Jicheng... Just as dawn was breaking, a deep and solemn horn sounded outside the city, like the tolling of the bell of death. The hungry and thirsty defenders struggled to their feet, looking desperately at the city walls. In the pale yellow morning mist, a dark wave marched steadily towards the crumbling city.
"The Xiongnu are attacking!" a soldier shouted, pointing at the figures emerging from the fog. Another round of Xiongnu assault had begun. Several cloud ladders and siege equipment were quickly brought towards the city walls, and the defenders hurriedly drew their bows and arrows to retaliate.
With a whoosh, a strange-sounding arrow flew out of the fog, hitting a captain dead on. The captain fell silently to the ground. But it wasn't over. Immediately, a shower of arrows followed that first one, covering the sky and then raining down on the defenders.
After several rounds of arrows, the defenders were half dead or wounded. Wu Ju was also struck by several arrows. He could only watch helplessly as the enemy set up cloud ladders against the walls and began climbing up one by one.
"Brothers! Hold on! The reinforcements will be here soon, just hold on a bit longer!" Wu Ju gripped the arrow stuck in his chest, yanked it out along with a piece of flesh, and after a brief bandage, he grabbed his large blade and charged forward to repel the Xiongnu trying to climb the walls.
The soldiers were moved by Wu Ju's courage. The remaining few hundred men, including the injured and disabled, began to fight back with all their might, blocking the gaps in the walls with their bodies and forcing the Xiongnu to retreat repeatedly.
"Report!" Suddenly, a bloodied messenger rushed in from the south gate. "General Wu! The Xiongnu have suddenly shifted their siege. The ones attacking the west gate have surrounded the south gate. General Wang has fallen!"
"What!" Wu Ju was shocked. The south gate was in critical danger! "Hold your ground! The reinforcements from Zhuojun will enter through the south gate. We just need to hold on until they arrive!"
"Yes!" The messenger left, but another soon arrived. "General! The south gate... the south gate has fallen!"
The Xiongnu general Batu learned from spies that reinforcements from Zhuojun were coming. He ordered his forces to shift the encirclement to the south gate. Unexpectedly, the temporary commander, Jiang Yiqu, panicked and was killed by his deputy. The defenders at the south gate opened the gates and surrendered, allowing the Xiongnu to storm the city.
The defenders, who had once protected the civilians with their lives, now turned against them. The unarmed people of Jicheng were massacred, fleeing towards the north gate. However, the situation was no better there. With waves of Xiongnu attacks, the defenders' casualties were skyrocketing, and Jicheng seemed on the brink of collapse.
"General! Look!" Suddenly, a junior officer pointed to the east. Wu Ju followed the direction and saw dust rising in the distance. Listening carefully, he heard the sounds of battle from the east. Wu Ju was overjoyed; the reinforcements had finally arrived!
"Report..." As expected, a messenger arrived from the east gate. "General, Lord Ding Yuan's reinforcements from Bingzhou's Jinyang have arrived at the east gate. They are currently engaged with the Xiongnu. We are saved!"
"Hahaha, Heaven bless Jicheng!" Wu Ju laughed heartily, wiping the blood off his face. "Brothers, the reinforcements are here! Counterattack!"
The news of the reinforcements arriving invigorated the troops, and the soldiers gathered their courage and launched a counterattack. The advantage the Xiongnu had established was quickly broken, and the city walls they had painstakingly captured were retaken.
Meanwhile, outside the city, Qin Longyang's forces had come to the rescue from the east. Ding Yuan, seeking an opportunity to meet with Qin Longyang, also sent reinforcements, dispatching the generals Zhang Yang and Zhang Liao with fifty thousand elite troops from Jinyang.
From the south, Gao Lan and Liao Hua arrived with their troops, but they were a step too late. Seeing the city gate already open, they felt a chill of despair.
"This is bad! It seems we didn't make it in time. Given the situation, we must split our forces. I will lead some men to escort the grain and supplies into the city. I ask that you two generals hold off the Xiongnu for a while," Jian Yong quickly issued orders, and the two generals bowed in acknowledgment.
Jian Yong took a thousand men and led the grain and supplies away from the battlefield, while Gao Lan and Liao Hua set up a formation outside the city, calling out for the Xiongnu to come out and fight.
"Master!" Inside the city, the Xiongnu, who had just slaughtered half the city, looked fierce and bloodthirsty. A messenger, riding a fast horse, arrived before Batu. "A force of Han reinforcements has arrived outside the city, demanding to fight our Xiongnu warriors."
Batu sneered, looking disdainfully at his sword. "These mere Han men dare to challenge our Xiongnu warriors? Men, follow me out of the city to meet them!"
"Ho ho ho!" The bloodthirsty Xiongnu shouted, brandishing their swords and spears as they followed Batu out of the south gate. As both sides stood before each other, Batu laughed wildly at the sight of the opposing forces. "Just these Han men? Aren't you afraid that our Xiongnu warriors will trample you into the mud?"
"Villain, shut your mouth!" Liao Hua stepped forward with his sword. "You barbarians dare to invade our Huaxia lands! You think our Central Plains is defenseless? Today, by the order of my lord, we shall annihilate you and hang your heads on the city walls, so that none will dare to covet our lands!"
"Hmph! You're just a stubborn dead duck! Attack!" Batu, enraged, ordered a charge. The Xiongnu cavalry, numbering in the tens of thousands, surged towards Gao Lan and Liao Hua's troops like a tidal wave.
The battle was supposed to unfold as Batu had imagined, with the enemy quickly overwhelmed. However, what happened next left everyone stunned.
Gao Lan's soldiers had formed into three ranks of spearmen, with long spears pointed forward, resembling a wall bristling with spikes. The Xiongnu, unfamiliar with this formation, charged in, only to find themselves impaled. The front line of Xiongnu riders fell, impaled by the spears, piling up and obstructing the advance of the following troops. The Xiongnu cavalry's combat effectiveness plummeted, while many of Gao Lan and Liao Hua's soldiers were thrown by the impact.
Seeing this, Batu cursed, drew his sword, and personally joined the battle. Gao Lan and Liao Hua, having waited for this moment, exchanged a glance and moved forward with sword and spear.
Facing this tough opponent, the Xiongnu lost their will to fight, and the battle became a stalemate. The generals fought fiercely, and although Batu was tall and skilled, he struggled against two opponents. Soon, he was at a disadvantage and was captured alive by Gao Lan, who saw an opportunity and swept him off his horse with a spear.
With the defeat of their leader, the remaining Xiongnu soldiers fled in disarray. Gao Lan and Liao Hua led their troops into the city, clearing out the remaining enemies. Meanwhile, on the eastern front, a fierce battle raged for half a day. Fortunately, Gao Lan and Liao Hua's forces flanked the Xiongnu, leading to the near annihilation of the tens of thousands of Xiongnu soldiers, leaving corpses strewn across the field, with the cries of men and horses echoing in the air.
The Xiongnu leader, Prince Uluozhen, was killed by Guan Yu, leaving only a thousand survivors to flee north in panic. On Qin Longyang's side, Zhang Yang's unit suffered over ten thousand casualties, while Qin Longyang's losses were fewer than seven thousand.