December 4th, twenty-six days after the rebels launched their uprising.

Two days ago, Liu Kui led an army of 200,000 to Xindu. After resting, he headed towards Hejian.

Jibei Kingdom, Cheng County.

From the very beginning of the rebellion, the rebels from Jinan, Taishan, Qi and other places immediately gathered 50,000 troops to surround Cheng County, intending to eliminate the Yueqi soldiers under Li Ying and Zhu Jun who were stationed there. To this day, however, they have not yet been able to break through it.

Therefore, Zheng Hun, the leader of the rebel army in charge of Qingzhou, was also furious. After integrating the scholars and powerful families of Qingzhou, he personally led all the Qingzhou rebels to Chengxian, intending to take it down in one fell swoop and then go to Yanzhou to join up with the rebels there.

On the city wall of Cheng County, banners fluttered in the wind, and soldiers of the Yue cavalry, dressed in black armor, stood upright on the wall, their eyes fixed on the rebel camp outside the city.

Countless elderly people, women, and children continuously carried bricks, stones, logs, and roof beams up to the city wall.

The people of Cheng County had long suffered from the humiliation and exploitation of those scholars and powerful figures, so they naturally did their best to help the Han army, which was able to stand up for them.

Looking haggard, Li Ying led Zhu Jun and several servants up the stone steps to the top of the city wall.

Looking at the newly formed, densely packed rebel camps outside the city, Li Ying turned to Zhu Jun beside him and asked, "Gongwei, what is the situation regarding our casualties?"

"Grand Commandant, in the past few days, the rebels have launched a total of five attacks on the city. Of the three thousand Yue cavalry soldiers under my command, five hundred have been killed in battle, six hundred have been lightly wounded, and two hundred have been seriously wounded. Only a little over two thousand are still able to fight!"

Zhu Jun, with a grave expression, reported the latest casualty figures to Li Ying.

"Alas, these soldiers were carefully crafted by His Majesty to fight against foreign tribes, yet they have died at the hands of these traitors. How hateful!"

Thinking of the fallen soldiers, Li Ying couldn't help but sigh. Then, he clenched his right fist and slammed it against the battlement with a look of indignation. His gaze toward the rebel army outside the city was filled with hatred.

Zhu Jun said, "Grand Commandant, there is no need for this. These rebels have long harbored rebellious intentions. Now that we have hastily raised an army, it will be easier to defeat them. Once we have eliminated them, Your Majesty will be able to free up your hands to deal with the foreign tribes on all sides!"

Li Ying nodded, then looked at Zhu Jun with a serious expression and said in a deep voice, "I'm sorry to trouble you with the matter of defending the city. Cheng County is the vital passage between Qingzhou and Yanzhou. As long as Cheng County is there, the rebel armies of the two states cannot join forces."

Before the imperial court quells the rebellion in Yanzhou, Cheng County must not fall into the hands of the rebels!

Zhu Jun nodded heavily: "Please rest assured, Grand Commandant, as long as I am alive, I will not allow the rebels to advance even one step west!"

Li Ying nodded: "How is the training of the five thousand able-bodied men in the city going?"

"He has already grasped the basics of military orders and may be able to participate in the defense of the city!"

Li Ying then asked, "In Gongwei's opinion, can Cheng County be defended?"

Zhu Jun said, "Grand Commandant, please rest assured. Although the rebels are numerous, they are a motley crew of loyalists and servants from various families. They are poorly equipped and their combat effectiveness varies greatly."

Although our army is smaller in number, it is well-equipped and consists of elite soldiers capable of taking on ten men each. Furthermore, with the support of tens of thousands of civilians in the city, it won't be easy for the rebels to capture Cheng County in a short time!

When faced with Li Ying's question, Zhu Jun's answer was ambiguous, but Li Ying could hear a tragic sense of "the city being destroyed and people dying".

Inside the rebel army's main tent, Zheng Hun, the rebel leader from Qingzhou, sat in the main seat with a gloomy expression.

A group of scholars and powerful figures from Qingzhou sat dejectedly on either side of the tent, remaining silent.

A massive army of 170,000 attacked a small county town with fewer than 10,000 defenders, but not only did they fail to capture it, they also suffered heavy losses.

This result can be said to have severely damaged the morale of the Qingzhou rebels.

If they can't even take down a small county town with less than 10,000 defenders, how will they fight against the imperial army in the future?

This led a small number of scholars who had been coerced into having other ideas.

Seeing that no one had any will to fight, Zheng Hun's face also looked very ugly.

Zheng Hun stood up, drew his long sword, and shouted sternly, "Pass on my order: the entire army is to move out and surround the city from all sides. Today, we must take Cheng County in one fell swoop. Anyone who disobeys this order will be executed!!"

"promise!!"

Seeing Zheng Hun's murderous look, everyone felt a chill and immediately stood up to obey.

Soon, drums sounded loudly in the rebel camp, and the 50,000-strong vanguard split into four routes and headed towards Cheng County to encircle it, while Zheng Hun led 120,000 troops to hold the rear.

Looking at the large Chinese banner atop the city wall ahead, Zheng Hun shouted, "Pass on my orders: whoever kills one enemy will be rewarded with 50,000 coins; whoever scales the wall first will be rewarded with 200,000 coins and ten beautiful women!!"

With a generous reward, brave men will surely emerge. When Zheng Hun's order reached the vanguard, morale soared.

"Brothers, for wealth and glory, kill!!"

With a shout, countless suicide soldiers, their eyes red, led the rebel soldiers, carrying ladders, and charged towards Cheng County.

On the city wall, watching the surging rebel army, Zhu Jun did not panic at all. He calmly directed his soldiers and local militia to set up defenses, and countless bricks, stones and logs were piled up on the city wall.

Soon, the vanguard of the attacking force crossed the moat and approached the city walls.

"catapult!!"

At Zhu Jun's command, countless bricks and stones rained down on the rebel army below the city wall.

Apart from the suicide squad, most of these rebels were coerced into joining the rebellion. In addition, the rebels rose up hastily, and most of them only had a long sword. Very few of them wore armor or carried shields.

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