How could Huang Taiji, who knew many ancient battle examples and was even more familiar with "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", not know about the Battle of Chencang City?
Wei general Hao Zhao, with only a thousand soldiers, was able to hold out against Shu's army of tens of thousands for dozens of days, thus causing Zhuge Liang's second Northern Expedition to fail.
Tomorrow, even if we can capture the city, I don’t know how many warriors will fall.
The old slave hummed and said, "Gather all the generals and make arrangements tonight. After a night's rest, we will attack the city with all our strength tomorrow."
………………
Tomorrow, a bloody battle is inevitable.
Xiong Tingbi stood on the top of the city wall, gazing into the distance in the dim light of the falling night.
The construction of siege engines seemed to have stopped, and the Later Jin generals who had come to conduct reconnaissance had already returned to their camp. These signs all indicated that the enemy was not far from attacking the city.
Old slave, after so many years, we are finally going to fight face to face!
Xiong Tingbi narrowed his eyes, and there was actually a bit of eager anticipation, which was really strange.
But the mood was like that. Xiong Tingbi looked forward to seeing the old slave frustrated and angry, and looked forward to seeing the tragic scene of the Jiannu corpses scattered around the city.
"Kill, kill, kill!" Shouts came from the bottom of the city, and Xiong Tingbi turned his head.
Those were new recruits in training. Every five new recruits were led by a veteran. They all carried spears and had only one move: stabbing forward.
Shoulder to shoulder, under the shouts and commands of the veterans, accompanied by shouts of killing, several long spears thrust forward, pulled back, and thrust again.
"Kill!" Zhao Mengzi stabbed out with all his strength. As a burst of air burst out of his chest, he felt that it was better and stronger than the last time.
Everyone in the city, both military and civilian, was mobilized, knowing that a major battle would determine their fate.
It's life or death. This city is the hope of life; its capture means death. Forced to no choice, what else can I say? For my family, for myself, I have to fight.
The so-called shared hatred of the enemy, the so-called unity of purpose, is almost always an outburst caused by circumstances that force people into a desperate situation.
Besides being forced by the situation, there was also the fact that a huge reward would surely attract brave men. Anyone who went up to the city to join the battle, regardless of whether they killed the enemy or not, as long as they did not avoid danger, would be rewarded.
"Stop!" the officer at the front of the team gave the order, then glared at the new recruits, making them feel uneasy, and then said in a deep voice: "The general has ordered that night training be canceled tonight and that we should rest up. Tomorrow..."
We are going to fight in the city tomorrow!
After hearing the order, the new recruits all understood what was going on. They stepped up their rest and ate hearty meals early to keep their spirits high for the fight!
Feelings of nervousness, anxiety, and fear are unavoidable, but they can also help you grow quickly on the battlefield. Even if you just throw a brick at the enemy below from the top of the city wall, you will no longer be a weakling when you return to the city.
Zhao Mengzi returned to the dormitory with his comrades. They were all requisitioned houses, and they lay down in a mess, and soon they could hear snoring.
"I really want to go home and take a look," Zhao Mengzi said, staring at the ceiling in the darkness with his eyes wide open. It took him a long while to suppress the thought in his heart, and he didn't know when he fell asleep.
………………
It was another fresh and sunny day. Sitting on the throne in the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the young emperor had a blank expression on his face, but his heart was not as cheerful as the weather.
Thinking of the bloody battle that might break out in Guangning City, Zhu Youxiao couldn't help but feel a little worried.
Of course, there is also good news. Li Sancai has been arrested and brought to the capital overnight and imprisoned in the Governor-General's Office.
Mr. Wei, the supervisor of the East Factory, is currently counting Li Sancai's property in Tongzhou. The first batch will be shipped to the capital this morning.
Because the morning court was postponed, Zhu Youxiao believed that some officials might get wind of it. But this was exactly what he hoped for: the louder they jumped out, the more painful it would be to be slapped in the face in the future.
Yesterday's personnel arrangements were all approved by the cabinet. This was all in accordance with normal procedures, and there was no major problem with the emperor's decision.
What's more, now is the time to compete, there is no need to cause trouble for the emperor and affect the struggle for the power of the imperial examination.
"Your Majesty, I think it's inappropriate to select military candidates from the Imperial College," Censor Fang Kezhuang said, stepping out of the class. "The Imperial College focuses on teaching classics and history, and asking students to abandon literature and pursue military studies is a difficult combination."
Zhu Youxiao pursed his lips and said calmly, "Even though students have no achievements, they still have to take the imperial examination to enter the government. Isn't the military examination also an imperial examination? How can we discourage those who are determined to fight for the country?"
"Besides, whether or not to take the military examination is not something I force you to do. It's entirely voluntary." Zhu Youxiao looked at Fang Kezhuang and said, "Mr. Fang, is there anything wrong with this?"
"Your Majesty, your wisdom. I have no objection." Fang Kezhuang bowed and withdrew.
Zhu Youxiao cast his gaze towards Sun Chengzong, who was acting as the Minister of War. His expression lightened slightly as he spoke, "Our dynasty once established a military academy, but it was not formally established. It was later abolished, and I deeply regret it. Sun Qing, please hand this matter over to the Ministry of War and see to it as soon as possible."
"I obey your order." Sun Chengzong bowed and accepted the order.
Zhu Youxiao nodded, then turned to the Minister of Revenue, Li Zongyan, and said slowly, "I have read Mr. Li's memorial. Since the Ministry of Revenue is in dire straits, I will allocate 500,000 yuan from the treasury. Hundreds of thousands of Liao people have entered the pass, and they must be properly accommodated. No unrest can occur."
"Your humble servant is terrified," Li Zongyan said, bowing. "The Ministry of Revenue is in dire straits and cannot help Your Majesty with your worries."
Zhu Youxiao gave a wry smile and said, "The financial crisis has been going on for a long time. Increasing revenue and reducing expenditure are imperative. In my opinion, the key is to increase revenue. Minister Li should give this some thought."
"Yes, I will keep your imperial edict in mind." Li Zongyan lowered his head slightly, looking very ashamed.
Zhu Youxiao regained his expressionless face, as if trying to maintain the dignity of an emperor. Only he knew that he was too lazy to speak anymore.
Moreover, he also noticed that several officials had strange expressions on their faces, hesitant to speak. They probably knew that Li Sanyuan had been imprisoned, and wanted to plead for him, but they didn't know why Li Sanyuan was imprisoned.
I just won’t tell you, I won’t even tell you how much property was confiscated, I’ll just wait for these idiots who think they are “righteous” to pop out.
Seeing that no one was going to submit any more memorials, Zhu Youxiao was about to get up and leave, ending this morning court session.
"Your humble servant impeaches the Minister of War Zhang Heming for eight major crimes..." Censor Zhou Zongwen suddenly came out and made a report.
Zhu Youxiao sat back down, blinked his eyes, and didn't speak immediately.
"I impeach the Minister of War, Zhang Heming." Zhou Chaorui joined the motion. "He protected Wang Huazhen and marginalized Xiong Tingbi, leading to the disastrous defeat at Shaling and the siege of Guangning."
Censor Xie Wenjin, Imperial Censor Hui Shiyang and others also came out to impeach Zhang Heming, listing several crimes against him.
This is the ultimate theory of Jiao Zhang, concentrated fire attack, right?
Zhu Youxiao once again witnessed the power of the censors. With so many mouths, they were enough to scold officials with poor psychological quality back home.
He glanced at Ye Xianggao, but saw that he had a gloomy face and lowered his head slightly, as if he was out of the matter and said nothing.
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