Chapter 676 Decapitation Operation
Just as Gu Nanxi and the Taoist priests around him were secretly uniting, the fighting in Xinzheng County, Henan County was in full swing.
Yuanniang wanted to capture Xinzheng County before Xie Yunzhang, the magistrate of Xiangzhou, came to Henan County, so she led her troops to attack several times. Even Yang Lan fought hard in the siege.
However, Ding Ze, the governor of Henan County, armed Xinzheng County like a turtle shell. No matter whether Yuanniang used soft or hard tactics, she could not pry open the turtle shell.
Yuanniang sat in the military tent, her brows furrowed, her mind full of complicated thoughts.
I have finally gotten this job, I must do a good job!
Yunniang sighed, thinking that if she couldn't take Xinzheng County, her situation would become increasingly difficult.
Xinzheng County is now like a meat grinder. One third of the troops they brought with them have been lost, and there is no way to replenish them.
Henan County, which had suffered from floods, ice and snow disasters, was in a state of depression. There were few people and little food produced, which resulted in few soldiers to be recruited.
Even the refugees fled towards Kyoto and Xiangzhou, because they believed that the north would be colder and less prosperous than Kyoto.
Suddenly, footsteps were heard in the military tent.
Mei Tang lifted the curtain and walked in. Seeing the fatigue that could not be concealed on Yuanniang's face, he sighed secretly.
There were faint bluish-gray marks under Yuanniang's eyes, and the scars on her face were shocking.
She raised her head, her eyes were cold and bright, as hard as a sword, and could not be moved by mountains and seas.
"Are you ready?"
Mei Tang took a deep breath: "All the gunpowder has gathered together."
The unusual atmosphere in Xinzheng County made Yuanniang and Meitang alert.
In addition to Mei Tang, there were several other middle and lower-level officers who hurried over.
Fatigue was evident on everyone's face, and the tent was instantly filled with the smell of sweat.
Yuanniang: "According to the spies, Xie Yunzhang's vanguard has already arrived in Xinzheng County."
There was a slight buzz in the tent, but it soon became quiet.
"General, what do you want to do?" Yang Lan's left hand drooped weakly, and the blood seeping from the bandage on his arm had dried up.
Yuanniang licked her lips, her voice hoarse: "We can't wait any longer. The longer we delay, the more disadvantageous it will be for us."
Whether or not Xinzheng County can be occupied is crucial to the situation in the entire Henan County.
If they can take Xinzheng County, they can stay in the county town and compete with Xie Yunzhang.
If not, they could only retreat to other counties, redistribute their troops, and build defense lines, which greatly weakened their own advantages.
Xie Yunzhang obviously understood this, so he sent a vanguard of 2,000 troops to Xinzheng County.
Fortunately, it was snowing heavily and the roads were difficult to travel on, so far less than a thousand people have arrived successfully.
But no later than the morning of the day after tomorrow, another thousand people will arrive in Xinzheng County.
There is not much time left for Yuanniang and others.
Yuanniang had already prepared for a desperate fight: "I will send a death squad to sneak into Xinzheng County and behead Ding Ze and the generals of the front army."
After the beheading, the death squad will split into two, one group will go to the granary, the weapons depot and other places to set fire to cause unrest, and take the opportunity to open the city gate from the inside out.
Yang Lan: "How to sneak into the county town?"
Ding Ze was determined to be a coward. How could he enter the county town if he sent soldiers to patrol the city wall for twelve hours?
Yuanniang: "It depends on us."
Yuanniang planned to use all her gunpowder and launch a large-scale attack on Xinzheng County. If she could break through the city gate, that would be the best. If not, she would just attract firepower for the suicide squad.
Yuanniang felt a little regretful. If she had brought enough gunpowder or a Yunzhou cannon this time, she would have captured Xinzheng County long ago.
Unfortunately, due to the series of wars this year, the military workshop’s inventory had long been consumed and production could not keep up with demand.
Everyone had no objection to this plan, and the only thing left was to select the members of the suicide squad.
At the same time, the defense of Xinzheng County not only did not relax due to the arrival of reinforcements, but became even tighter.
The wealthy families in the county town rushed to dig cellars.
These cellars are about three meters deep, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, with a bottom made of green mud and covered with tiles. They are neatly built and can store six thousand shi of grain.
All the guards in the rich families were requisitioned by the governor. In order to speed up the work, they could only spend some money to hire poor people living in shacks.
These people were all landless proletarians who were trapped in the city and unable to leave due to the blockade of the county town.
The governor did not trust these people and refused to employ them. Without the employment of the rich, these people would have starved to death or frozen to death in a few days.
Ding Ze would inspect the city wall every day without fail.
Seeing Ding Ze so nervous, Tian Wei, the general sent by Xie Yunzhang, couldn't help but laugh and said, "Sir Ding, you look like a frightened bird. The people in front of you are just a bunch of rabble, not the Duke of Yun. What's there to be afraid of?"
Tian Wei looked down on civil servants like Ding Ze and became panic-stricken when faced with war.
The trenches outside the county town have been dug, the city walls have been reinforced, and food and fodder have been fully stockpiled. With the addition of the 1,000 reinforcements that he brought with him, can't he hold out for two days?
As long as we can hold out for two days, once the remaining front troops arrive, Xinzheng County will be impregnable.
The moment Lord Xie arrives with the central army, we can launch a counterattack and take back all the land occupied by this mob!
Ding Ze knew that Tian Wei looked down on him, but he still insisted on his own opinion. Only after he was sure that the soldiers on the city wall had not slacked off did he agree to go down the city wall.
"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, General Tian. The enemy is so brave and full of tricks. If I hadn't been well prepared, Xinzheng County would have fallen into their hands long ago! Now that General Tian is here, I can finally sleep peacefully. When Lord Xie comes, I can completely relax."
Tian Wei found it hard to understand how a governor could say such words. Is the other side so powerful?
Captain Tian saw that Ding Ze seemed to have lost a lot of weight, his clothes no longer fit him, and there was still a dark spot under his eyes, so he comforted him, "Don't worry, Lord Ding, leave the fighting to me!"
Ding Ze was worried, not at all!
Although there are more soldiers in the city than outside the city, Ding Ze will not be at ease as long as the number is not three or five times more!
At first, he did not take the group of refugees and the female army seriously, but he was cautious by nature and worried that the Yun Kingdom Guild would make a feint to the east and attack in the west, so he made sufficient preparations.
Later, after being almost attacked by them several times, Ding Ze no longer dared to be careless.
Fortunately, the hard times are finally coming to an end!
Ding Ze took Tian Wei to take a look at the granary and armory, and then returned to the governor's mansion to host a banquet.
The entire Xinzheng County is still operating normally.
A civilian worker who was digging a trench accidentally fell into the ditch and broke his leg. He wanted to seek medical treatment, but the clinic in the county town was full of injured soldiers.
When no one is watching, the laborers responsible for repairing the city walls will find ways to be lazy and slack off.
After the bright moon hid in the dark clouds, Xinzheng County also became dim.
Dark and quiet, just like every night before.
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