A full moon hung high in the sky, its silvery light spilling onto the ground. A sudden, noisy sound of horses' hooves broke the stillness of the night.
This was a troop of soldiers, with thousands of cavalry galloping ahead, followed by thousands of panting infantry, all looking panicked and utterly flustered.
At this moment, a cavalryman at the front of the army exclaimed joyfully:
"General Li, Anyang County is just ahead, we're almost there!"
Li Hai looked up and saw a towering city gate standing not far away, brightly lit even though it was night.
In the firelight, one could see many soldiers standing guard on the city wall.
Seeing the scene ahead and glancing back, Li Hai finally felt relieved.
A few days after Tongwei City was captured, Huaiyao City, which was nearby, was captured as well.
Li Hai's Zhucheng was not far from Huaiyao City, and Li Hai knew that his troops would be no match for Qin Ze's offensive.
Therefore, before Qin Ze arrived in Zhucheng, he led his troops out of the city early.
At this moment, Li Hai led his troops forward for a while longer and finally approached Anyang County.
"Halt! Who goes there?"
At that moment, soldiers shouted from a watchtower more than ten meters high outside the city.
"Li Hai, Commander of Zhucheng!"
"A message has already been sent!"
Li Hai replied loudly.
Immediately afterwards, two groups of soldiers came down from the two watchtowers, carrying torches.
Upon seeing Li Hai, the leading soldier immediately bowed and clasped his hands in greeting: "General Li! Are all the troops behind you your men?"
Li Hai frowned and said in a deep voice, "Of course! Why would I bring troops that aren't mine?"
The soldier gave an apologetic smile. "Yes! General Lian ordered us to be on guard, which is why I asked one more question. Please don't take offense."
Li Hai knew that his father-in-law was always cautious, so he didn't take his words to heart and simply nodded.
"General, please come with me."
Immediately, the soldier led Li Hai and the army behind him forward slowly. After passing the watchtower, they walked a hundred meters before reaching the barbican.
The soldier asked Li Hai to stop briefly and explain the situation to the guards at the gate of the barbican before turning back and leading Li Hai onward.
Upon arriving at the barbican, the soldier led the men back to the watchtower, and the soldiers in the barbican took over the task of guiding them.
Li Hai brought no more than 10,000 soldiers, who entered through the two gates of the barbican. The gates were wide, and they were all inside the barbican in no time.
Once inside the barbican, a young adjutant beside Li Hai, looking at the winding road, couldn't help but whisper to Li Hai:
"General, this is quite different from the defenses of our Zhucheng. It's so winding and circuitous."
Li Hai nodded slightly and said calmly:
"Naturally, they are different. Although Zhucheng is famous for its bamboo, it is far inferior to Anyang County."
“Anyang County is an important town with tight defenses. You see, the watchtowers are set up outside the city to observe the enemy’s situation, and the complex road design of the barbican is also to prevent the enemy from having difficulty leaving the barbican in a short time after the watchtowers are breached.”
"Although we have now entered the barbican, there is still a long way to go after we leave the barbican."
"You're still young and have never left Zhucheng before. Take a good look at the city's defenses this time. After the barbarian army comes to suppress Qin Ze and we return to Zhucheng, we'll have to reinforce the city's defenses!"
The adjutant immediately nodded. "Yes, General!"
After traveling for some time, the army finally emerged from the barbican.
Once outside the barbican, a wide moat came into view a hundred meters ahead.
Li Hai turned to the adjutant and said, "As I just said, after leaving the barbican, there is this moat. Look at those two drawbridges over the moat."
Li Hai pointed ahead and continued, "Only after crossing the drawbridge can we reach the outer city."
"The outer city is an uninhabited area, but it contains a large number of troops. In times of war, they either leave the city or climb the city walls to meet the enemy."
"The city wall is over ten meters high, and the tower on top of the city wall is also over ten meters high, and there's also that..."
Just then, the sound of a suspension bridge falling came from ahead.
"Let's go, we'll talk about it once we get into town."
Li Hai led his men across the drawbridge and traveled another hundred meters before reaching the outer city. After verifying their identities once more, they were escorted into the city by outer city soldiers.
Thus, it wasn't until late at night that they were finally settled inside the outer city.
After settling his men in, Li Hai didn't dare to delay and rushed to the Commander's Mansion.
Inside the Commander's Mansion.
Li Hai was led to the main hall by the butler. As soon as he entered the hall, he saw a man in his fifties sitting in the main seat. The man was slightly overweight, with a ruddy complexion and eyes like deep pools of water.
It was none other than Lian Xiaoru, the current third-rank general of the Annan region.
Upon seeing him, Li Hai's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately knelt down.
"Father-in-law, your son-in-law Li Hai has come to pay his respects."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lian Xiaoru narrowed his eyes and said in a nonchalant tone:
"Paying respects? You must have misspoke."
"They've fled to my Anyang County."
Li Hai's face flushed red with embarrassment, and he lowered his head, saying, "The traitor Qin Ze's rebellion this time is simply sweeping."
"Zhucheng is too small and its defenses are inadequate. I don't have enough troops either. Defending Zhucheng is tantamount to waiting for death."
"By ceding Zhucheng, we can preserve our military strength. I will bring my troops to Anyang County to lend my father-in-law a helping hand."
After finishing his speech, Lian Xiaoru scoffed, "A sweeping momentum?"
"Tell me, how exactly did he sweep through the competition?"
Li Hai lowered his head even further and said in a deep voice, "Lord Jin mobilized troops from the area around Tongwei City, totaling more than 100,000 men. They went out of the city to attack the Beiliang Pass, but none of them returned."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
