Chapter 774: The Sound of Drums and Horns Shows Its Sharp Edge (46)

After more than half a year of peace in Hetao, the war suddenly broke out again, but this time, it was the Zhengdong Army that took the lead in provoking the war. The independent cavalry division led by Helan Yan was the vanguard, and more than 15,000 cavalrymen launched an attack on Jingyuan. Behind him, nearly 20,000 infantrymen of the Second Army Luo Weiran followed closely, and nearly 40,000 troops rushed straight to Jingyuan with great momentum.

Zhengdong Prefecture has equipped Hetao with a complete military, political and civil system, with Xu Yuan as the highest military officer and Sun Xiao as the highest civil officer. The two cooperated well and mobilized all the troops in a very short time. They were ready for a large-scale attack on Donghu. The large number of people who had settled in Hetao were even more excited about this war. These people dared to settle in Hetao in the years of war. They were either very brave or could not survive in their hometowns. When these people came to Hetao, they suddenly saw the spark of hope for a better life, and they were all very motivated. For them, war was a shortcut to accumulate wealth in a very short time. You can sign up to be an auxiliary soldier, help transport logistics, stand guard, nurse the wounded, or follow the army closely and plunder the remaining supplies after the army has passed. For all this, the Protectorate can actually give you credit. After the war, you can convert your credit into silver or land. In short, as long as you participate, you will gain something.

It is still mid-July, and there are still two or three months before the autumn harvest. For a while, Hetao is full of county sentiment, and a large number of people have joined this vigorous East Expedition. On the road to Jingyuan, there are people in various costumes everywhere, driving horse-drawn carriages, mule carts, pushing wheelbarrows, and even carrying loads.

The enthusiasm of the people greatly relieved Sun Xiao's pressure on transporting logistics. It also freed up a lot of troops to fight. Compared with the powerful mobilization ability of Zhengdongfu in Hetao, Donghu is far behind in this aspect. The Donghu government had never expected that the situation would change so quickly. It seemed that after waking up from a night of sleep, the situation had deteriorated beyond measure. The allies who had just signed the alliance were defeated in the blink of an eye, and the Eastern Expedition Army, which seemed to be angry, rushed forward with thunder.

Since the last defeat, Thorpe has been sending reinforcements to Jingyuan and Ningyuan. By July, 10,000 cavalrymen from Alundai had stationed in Jingyuan, and 15,000 cavalrymen from Wususutan had stationed in Ningyuan. In addition, there were more than 20,000 Yan troops from Kumamoto. But these troops were obviously not enough when the Eastern Expedition Army's Hetao garrison came out in full force. Thorpe personally led 10,000 palace guards to Yulin, which was also his last resort, but the result of the hasty deployment was a huge increase in logistics pressure. In order to supply these tens of thousands of cavalrymen, the country was already complaining.

The Hetao War was overcast, and Gao Yuan's attention. But it seems that he has not put it on this place yet. He led the two cavalry divisions of the Young Guards without stopping and entered Yuyang.

Zhou Changshou knew that he was finished. This time, he lost everything in the gamble. Now he and Kong De are still in a stalemate. Although Kong De's troops have been defeated by him many times, they still have not been entangled with him. When the thousands of expeditionary troops led by Naba appeared on one side of the battlefield. He already knew that the whole city and other places were finished. The dog-day expeditionary troops,

really betrayed the previous alliance. Biting back.

Just as he began to contact Kong De and was ready to compromise with Kong De in exchange for Kong De to join forces with him to wipe out Ye Zhen's forces in one blow, Gao Yuan led 10,000 cavalrymen into Yuyang, completely extinguishing his last fantasy.

And with Gao Yuan's arrival, Ye Zhen also sent out a large army. Now the Zhao army led by Zhou Changshou has been trapped in the three-sided siege of Kong De, Ye Zhen, and Gao Yuan. Except for Kong De's ambiguous attitude, the other two aspects are obviously ill-intentioned.

At this time, Kong De's mood was also complicated. When Zhou Changshou sent someone to contact him, he was willing to let Kong De leave on the condition that both sides stopped fighting. If possible, both sides would join forces to deal with the Eastern Expedition Army. At present, the Eastern Expedition Army had become a common enemy of both sides. He was not without temptation, but the Eastern Expedition Army had already seized the whole city and five other cities. If he wanted to fight the Eastern Expedition Army, he would have to attack the city by force, which was not worth the loss. He could consider the other party's proposal to let him leave, but this was not so simple. If the other party did not give up, he would not be so easy to accept. Although Zhou Changshou was facing a desperate situation, he still had the possibility of defeating him. If he was allowed to take Yuyang, everything would be fine. Kong De had to consider the risks involved.

Just when he was hesitating, Gao Yuan's cavalry entered Yuyang and the arrival of Jicheng's special envoys completely extinguished his thoughts. Even if Zhou Changshou joined forces with him, they had no chance of winning under the double attack of Ye Zhen and Gao Yuan. If his troops were wiped out, he would lose all his value and his future would become bleak. Now, following Jicheng's order, he preserved his strength and withdrew to Tianhe County. He not only retained his reputation for righteousness, but also preserved his strength. Dayan was about to fall, the expeditionary army was aggressive, and the chaotic times had arrived. In this chaotic world, what could make him feel more secure than holding tens of thousands of troops in his hands?

After making up his mind, Kong De immediately reached an agreement with Gao Yuan and Ye Zhen. The three parties worked together to force Zhou Changshou to surrender. Then Gao Yuan let Kong De return to Tianhe. Although he lost Yuyang, he preserved his strength and pitted the Zhao army, the old enemy of Dayan. Why not? As for the future, he could only take it one step at a time. As long as he had soldiers, he would have room for advancement and retreat. Whether Jicheng gained power or Gao Yuan took power in the future, he would have to give some face to himself who had a large army.

"I will never surrender. Even if I fight to the last soldier, I will never surrender to you." Facing the messenger sent by Gao Yuan, Zhou Changshou roared angrily.

"General Gao, with a benevolent heart, cannot bear to see the soldiers of both sides die or get injured. General Zhou, you are also aware of the current situation. Although your army still has soldiers that can fight, it is already surrounded, with no food or reinforcements. How long can it last? General Zhou, are you going to watch these men who followed you die in a foreign land? This was originally the good intention of my general. As long as your army is willing to surrender, our army will never make things difficult for you. We will definitely protect the lives of everyone from the general to the soldiers. But since General Zhou is unwilling to accept it, I can only go back and report. I just hope that General Zhou will not regret it." The messenger sneered and left after saying this.

Zhou Changshou's reason was on the verge of collapse. He was originally a cautious general who was very careful with his troops. However, with the unclear death of Zhao Mu, the big tree covering his head collapsed. The worry about the future finally made him take risks. This was the only risk he had in his life, but it was this time that made him fall into ruin.

He would never surrender. This would not only make the Great Zhao lose face, but also make the dead Zhao Taiwei die with regret. What's more, once he surrendered, even if he saved his life, he would be afraid that what awaited him after returning to Zhao would be a fate more terrible than death in battle. If he died on the battlefield, maybe the King of Zhao would treat his family well in order to appease the soldiers at home.

Fight to the death! This was Zhou Changshou's last wish.

Zhou Changshou wanted to fight to the death, but Gao Yuan was not willing. A trapped beast will still fight. Facing an opponent who is already in a desperate situation, Gao Yuan would rather take down the opponent without bloodshed. Moreover, he has to make good use of Zhou Changshou as a bargaining chip!

Dai County, Nanzhang, Zhao Qi met the special envoy sent by the Eastern Expedition Army.

In Dai County, Zhao Qi was already riding a tiger and it was difficult to get off. Although after the Eastern Expedition Army moved its focus, he gathered heavy troops and once again conquered Hefeng and Jianli, and took down the important town of Nanzhang in Dai County, which seemed to have achieved a great victory in military terms, he himself understood that it was wishful thinking to want to take down Xiling City.

The people of Hefeng, Jianli, and Dai County now regard the people of Zhao as their enemies. Small-scale riots are happening one after another. The cavalry led by the infantry of the Zhengdong Army are roaming around and can't catch the main force of the opponent at all. If they are not careful, they will be pounced on and bitten. In Xiling City, the capital of Dai County, more and more soldiers have begun to gather and train. The entire Dai County has been destroyed, but because of the support of Zhengdong Mansion, Dai County can fully support a long-term large-scale war with him in terms of logistics and supplies.

The question is, can I still hold on?

In Hedong, the Qin army led by Li Xin was making more and more moves. Jing Rufeng had to deal with it with all his strength, and he could not provide any support here. Zhao Jin of Hedong County had repeatedly asked him to end the war against Dai County immediately and turn his full strength to deal with the Qin people. In the direction of Wei State, Qin General Lu Chao led tens of thousands of troops to attack Wei State, and within a few months, he had occupied half of Wei State. Wei State sent an envoy to Handan almost every day, begging Zhao State to send troops to rescue.

The lips and teeth are cold, if Wei State still exists, it can still contain a large number of Qin troops. Once Wei State is completely destroyed, Zhao State will also be in danger.

No matter from which aspect, this war against Dai County must be ended. What Zhao Qi needs now is to end this war decently so that he can give an explanation to King Zhao.

How to end it decently has become the issue that Zhao Qi considers most now.

It was at this time that the special envoy from Xiling City came to him. The man is called He Tianju, a civil servant sent by Zhengdong Prefecture to Xiling City to assist Zhao Yong in handling government affairs.

As the war progresses, Dai County becomes more and more dependent on Zhengdong Prefecture, which also makes Zhengdong Prefecture penetrate Dai County more and more deeply. Up to now, almost all the civil and military affairs of Dai County are controlled by Zhengdong Prefecture. In addition, Feng Fayong, who is stationed in Shannan Prefecture, has clearly told Gao Yuan that he will follow Gao Yuan's lead. It is only a matter of time to take Dai County into his pocket. (To be continued)