Who are you?
Lin Feng looked at the enemy general in front of him, who, despite being captured, still glared angrily and seemed to possess an extraordinary air, and asked in a deep voice.
Li Hu stiffened his neck, spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, but did not answer.
A captured soldier of Li Hu, under intimidation, confessed in a trembling voice:
"He...he is His Majesty's nephew, General Li Hu..."
A glint of light flashed in Lin Feng's eyes!
Li Hu!
Li Jingang treated his nephew like his own son, and was a famous and fierce general in the Xijing Army!
This is an unexpectedly big fish!
He dared not delay and immediately dispatched his most capable general with two hundred elite soldiers to remove all items that might lead to Li Hu's suicide, guard them closely, and escort them back to Xijing at top speed. He also reported this unexpected gain to Zhao Muyun in detail.
Inside the Xijing Grand Commander's headquarters, Zhao Muyun was filled with regret and worry because Guo Luo reported that only Yang Yi had been killed, while Yang Yan had been rescued by Yang Chao.
Yang Yan was a man of great political influence and skilled in military strategy.
His escape and entry into Jiannan is tantamount to letting a tiger return to the mountains, which will surely become a major threat.
Just as he was looking at the map, pondering how to deal with the potential threat from Jiannan, news came that Lin Feng had escorted Li Hu to his destination.
"What? Li Hu has been captured alive?"
Zhao Muyun was stunned at first, almost thinking she had misheard. After confirming that it was true, she slammed her hand on the table, overjoyed.
"Well done, Lin Feng! It's truly a stroke of luck! This achievement is no less than conquering a city!"
He knew all too well Li Hu's value.
This is not just about capturing an enemy general, but also about seizing one of Li Jingang's fatal weaknesses!
Li Jingang had few male heirs, so he doted on and relied heavily on this nephew, practically grooming him as his successor.
Having Li Hu in hand is strategically valuable, in some respects, even more so than capturing or killing Yang Yan!
"Immediately detain Li Hu in secret! Find the best military doctors to treat his wounds, ensure he has enough food and drink, but guards must watch over him every 24 hours! Absolutely no mistakes will be tolerated!"
Zhao Muyun quickly gave the order, her tone serious and leaving no room for doubt.
What he wanted was a living, intact Li Hu.
Then, he looked at Shen Qian, who was standing to the side: "Shen Qian, inform Miss Bingbing to immediately use all our 'eyes' and 'ears' in the capital to spread the news that Li Hu has been captured alive."
Shen Qian understood immediately and bowed, saying, "Your subordinate understands! I will definitely let Li Jingang know about this."
A cold and meaningful smile appeared on Zhao Muyun's lips.
He knew that although this card might not be enough to make Li Jingang retreat immediately, it had undoubtedly planted a sharp thorn in Li Jingang's heart, a thorn concerning family ties and the choice of successor.
This thorn in our side might be exchanged for a large amount of food, weapons, and warhorses in future negotiations.
It might even force Li Jingang to make unexpected strategic concessions at a critical moment, giving Hedong a valuable respite or opportunity to launch an attack.
......
Just as the situation on the western front showed a subtle turning point due to the capture of Li Hu, the battle on the eastern front of Hedong had entered its most tragic and critical stage.
Li Jingang was clearly enraged by the fall of Xijing and ordered Niu Desheng, Li Bao, and Li Biao to launch a fierce attack on the southeastern gate of Hedong at all costs, in an attempt to reverse the decline and even to relieve the siege of Wei by attacking Zhao.
Luzhou, Huguan.
This natural barrier of the Taihang Mountains, known as "a pass that can hold off ten thousand men," is now transformed into a living hell.
Beneath the gate wall, corpses were piled up almost to the same level as the low wall, layer upon layer, emitting a nauseating stench of decay.
Blood soaked every inch of the land in front of the pass, congealing into a dark red, viscous swamp, making it difficult for the soldiers who followed to advance.
Li Bao and Li Biao drove their soldiers to attack like madmen.
The massive battering ram, wrapped in wet cowhide, was carried by dozens of strong soldiers and mechanically rammed against the iron-clad gate again and again.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
Each impact was like a giant hammer striking the hearts of the defenders. The gate trembled violently, the beams behind it groaned under the strain, and dust fell in clumps.
On the walls, the whistling of arrows, the crashing of rolling logs and stones, the screams of soldiers falling from arrows, the wails of the dying, and the desperate shouts of officers...
They intertwine to form a brutal symphony of war.
Wang Ben, the commander of the rear army of Hedong, was covered in blood. Several broken arrows were stuck in his armor, and a wound on his left forehead had the flesh turned outward, with blood covering half of his face.
But he still stared with bloodshot eyes as he ran and shouted from the city wall.
"Hold on! Hold on for me! The Grand Commander has recaptured Xijing! Our reinforcements are on their way! Let these little brats from Fengchao see how tough the bones of the men of Hedong are!"
His voice was hoarse and strained from shouting, yet it carried a fierce courage that inspired every exhausted and wounded soldier around him.
The scalding hot liquid poured down from the city wall, drenching the enemy soldiers climbing the ladders, and immediately a chorus of inhuman screams erupted.
The logs studded with iron nails were pushed down, crushing along the ladder and sending up sprays of blood.
With a determination to die with their troops, the defending soldiers threw lit thunderbolts into the dense enemy ranks…
Huguan, a formidable pass guarding the southeastern gateway to Hedong, has suffered numerous cracks in its walls and is on the verge of collapse under the relentless onslaught of wind and rain.
But it still stood stubbornly and miraculously, using countless lives to wear down the enemy's morale and strength.
At this very moment, in Zezhou, along the Great River defense line.
Compared to Huguan's strategic location nestled against the mountains, Zezhou's defense relied more heavily on the natural barrier of the mighty river.
However, under the relentless attack of 50,000 troops commanded by the fierce General Niu Desheng, the natural barrier was riddled with holes.
On the north bank, most of the fortresses and camps painstakingly built by the Hedong army have been breached.
Amidst the ruins, the corpses of soldiers from both sides lay intertwined, and countless broken halberds and tattered flags were stuck diagonally in the scorched earth.
Zhang Huan led his remaining troops to retreat to the last few strongholds that formed a defensive triangle. Using their dwindling numbers of ballistae, they desperately blocked the river, delaying the enemy's crossing.
However, Niu Desheng demonstrated the ruthlessness and decisiveness expected of Li Jingang's top general.
He gathered all the boats, large and small, within a radius of a hundred miles, and even demolished houses to build rafts. Under the frenzied cover of hundreds of catapults and powerful crossbows on the shore, he launched wave after wave of amphibious assaults.
The scene on the great river was extremely tragic.
Countless boats were hit by arrows, caught fire, and sank into the murky river amidst billowing smoke.
The raft was smashed to pieces by the boulder, and the soldiers on it fell into the water like dumplings being dropped into boiling water, instantly swallowed by the turbulent river.
The sounds of shouts of battle, arrows piercing the air, stones being thrown, ships colliding and breaking apart, and the cries for help from those who had fallen into the water all blended together, creating a deafening cacophony.
The river water was stained a light red.
It seems we're about to reach our breaking point.
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