The three thousand elite troops are Li Jingang's trump card.
They were trained by Yang Yan himself, and most of them were clan members of high-ranking rebel leaders such as Li Jingang.
These people fought bravely, were experienced, and had strong fighting beliefs, and were no less powerful than Zhao Muyun's 1,000 Yinzhou troops.
Li Jingang gave priority to equipping this team of 3,000 people with the high-quality equipment and horses obtained from conquering cities.
Whenever the rebel army encountered a tough challenge, Li Jingang would send them out to charge into battle, cut through the thorns and thorns, and go wherever they could.
Li Jingang's nephew Li Hu served as the commander of this army.
Now, Li Jingang handed over this elite force to Niu Desheng, which shows his determination to win this battle.
Niu Desheng was overjoyed and immediately accepted the order: "General, I will live up to your trust and burn all the imperial food and fodder to the ground, leaving them to starve!"
After saying this, Niu Desheng couldn't wait to receive the order and leave.
“Wait!”
Li Jingang raised his hand to stop him, "Desheng, you must remember to retreat immediately after burning the food and fodder. Don't linger in the battle and don't let the Elite Army suffer heavy casualties."
"Don't worry, Marshal. It's just burning food and grass. There won't be any problem!" Niu Desheng patted his chest and assured loudly.
"Li Kang, lead 5,000 strong soldiers to follow closely behind and ambush outside the valley entrance. If the government troops pursue the Desheng brothers, immediately respond and shoot them with bows and crossbows."
Li Jingang thought about it and said to his other nephew Li Kang.
Li Kang bowed and accepted the order: "Yes, sir!"
"Marshal, Yang Dingguo's main force of 50,000 people are all coming to attack our camp. The frontal pressure is not small!" Yang Yan reminded.
"Well, I know that. As for the positive side..."
Li Jingang's gaze fell on the center of the map. "I will personally lead 100,000 swift troops to meet the enemy, attract Yang Dingguo's attention, and engage him in a head-on battle.
"Brother Yang Yan, you will stay in the main camp and coordinate with all parties."
"As long as we can hold them back until Li Kang burns the food supplies, we will surely win this battle."
"After this victory, I will mobilize my entire army to surround Xijing and easily capture it. This way, we will have the capital to become the king of our region."
As soon as Li Jingang finished speaking, the blood of the clan brothers, sworn brothers and other generals present became excited.
Isn't the purpose of their rebellion that they are dissatisfied with the aristocratic families who continue to annex land and monopolize resources, and they are forced into a dead end, so they rebel?
"We will fight wherever the commander-in-chief orders. We dare not slack off in the slightest." Everyone expressed their opinions.
"Very good, we will meet on the city wall of Xijing soon." Li Jingang responded.
......
Xijing!
Its prosperity is second only to the capital, with a population of four to five hundred thousand, making it the second-strongest city in the Dayin Empire.
It has played a vital role in Dayin's more than 200 years of history.
Because it is located south of the river, water transportation is also quite developed, and it is an important hub for Dayin to control the western part of the empire.
For the Dayin Empire, Xijing must not be lost.
Zhang Zhongfang, the defender of Xijing, will definitely fight to the death to defend the city and wait for reinforcements. If they attack by force, the rebels will pay a heavy price.
After all, an important city like Xijing has a first-class defense system, and it is not difficult to deploy the soldiers and civilians currently defending the city.
But the rebels are not that simple. Their desire for Xijing exceeds that of all ordinary people.
Li Jingang wanted to oust Emperor Yongchang of Dayin and then sit on the throne as emperor himself!
Those who followed Li Jingang in the uprising all wanted to become Li Jingang's founding fathers.
"Everyone, please return to the camp quickly to gather your troops and follow me to charge into battle." Li Jingang said loudly.
A group of staff and generals also responded loudly.
Afterwards, Niu Desheng and Li Hu went together to gather the soldiers.
The three thousand elite troops were in high spirits, their eyes filled with murderous intent.
......
After everyone left, only Li Jingang and Yang Yan were left in the tent.
"Marshal, are you still worried about Xiazhou?" Yang Yan keenly noticed the worry between Li Jingang's brows.
Li Jingang sighed, his rough hands stroking the sword at his waist. "Brother Hou may be brave, but Zhao Muyun...this man should never be underestimated."
Yang Yan whispered, "If Xiazhou is lost, we..."
"There's no turning back."
Li Jingang interrupted him, his voice low and firm, "We have come this far. We can only move forward and take Xijing. Only then will we survive."
Yang Yan remained silent. He knew Li Jingang was right, but he still felt a little uneasy.
The appearance of Zhao Muyun's cavalry nearby disrupted his original plan. This variable may bring unpredictable consequences.
Outside the tent came the sound of orderly footsteps and the collision of weapons. Niu Desheng was gathering three thousand swift soldiers to leave.
Li Jingang walked to the weapons rack, took down a longbow, and gently pulled the string to test the strength.
"Brother Yang, do you think we can win?" he asked suddenly, with a rare hint of uncertainty in his voice.
Yang Yan looked at this hero who had risen from a postman to his present position and replied solemnly: "The people are destined to succeed. With the people's will, we will surely win."
Li Jingang smiled, a smile that was both heroic and bitter. "What a saying, 'The Mandate of Heaven rests with the people.' If that were true, the world would have belonged to the common people long ago."
He put down his longbow and patted Yang Yan on the shoulder: "Go and prepare. Either we defeat Yang Dingguo, or..."
The words were not finished, but both of them understood the unspoken meaning.
After Yang Yan left, Li Jingang stood alone in the center of the big tent, staring at the densely packed small flags on the sand table.
Three hundred thousand versus one hundred thousand seemed to be an advantage, but he knew that a real war was never just a contest of numbers.
After arranging the troops in various places, Li Jingang also had to prevent such a situation from happening again.
Li Jingang walked out of the tent and climbed onto a nearby platform.
The wind blew across his rough face, bringing with it the scent of a distant place.
He looked towards the east of Xijing City.
That was the camp of the imperial army, and it was also the place where the fate of 300,000 of us was decided.
"Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers of different races..."
He muttered to himself, tightening his grip on the hilt of the knife at his waist.
With the flags fluttering in the wind, Li Jingang stood on a high platform, the sword on his waist shining coldly in the setting sun.
He looked at the endless military camps in the distance. One hundred thousand swift soldiers had already formed up, with armor like waves and spears like forests. They were just waiting for the order to crush the government army's defense line ahead.
"Pass on my order: prepare dinner at three o'clock and send out the troops at five o'clock."
Li Jingang's voice carried through the wind to the audience, "Tell the brothers, today's blood will not be shed in vain. The gates of Xijing will eventually open for us!"
The audience responded with deafening cheers, the sound of which almost blew away the clouds.
These volunteers who came from humble backgrounds, at this moment, had burning in their eyes not only the desire to survive, but also the longing for wealth and glory - the pie in the sky painted by Li Jingang was now more real to them than the moon in the sky.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
