After receiving Yang Xiao's order, the general hurriedly responded and left.
However, Yang Xiao on the top of the city wall still had a frown on his face. Looking at Zhao Min who was calm and composed below the city, he suddenly remembered a sentence from Sun Tzu's Art of War. However, at this moment, Yang Xiao thought that the sentence in Sun Tzu's Art of War was not necessarily correct.
The saying goes, know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.
Unfortunately, in the face of absolute strength, even if you know both yourself and your enemy, you may not be able to win every battle.
Yang Xiao had compared the gap between himself and Zhao Min countless times in his mind, but after comparing them, he felt that only defending the city together was the safest option.
…
Zhao Min's strategy of tiring out the army was undoubtedly correct. The Ming army officers and soldiers in the city had been exhausted by Zhao Min in recent days. It was not yet known how much their combat effectiveness had been weakened, but compared to their peak state, it was definitely not a bit worse.
Two days later, Yang Xiao was still sitting firmly on the top of the city wall. Most of the capable generals of the Ming Dynasty and the old team from the Ming Cult period had been taken away by Zhang Wuji. Now, he was the only general left in the entire Hexi area.
Therefore, many big and small things need to be done by him personally, so at this moment, compared with other soldiers, Yang Xiao himself is more tired.
As night fell, Yang Xiao felt a little uneasy again.
It's easy to say during the day, after all, during the day, the movements of Zhao Min's army outside the city can be observed clearly, but at night, it's hard to say.
Every night, Zhao Min would throw countless kerosene into Jinyang City. The kerosene would set the houses on fire, often illuminating the city with bright lights. However, Zhao Min's army outside the city could hardly detect any movement.
It was almost midnight, and Wang Baobao came to Zhao Min again: "Your Majesty, it's almost midnight."
Zhao Min nodded gently: "Send an order to the soldiers besieging the city, do not do anything different from the past."
"Eat and drink quietly in your tent, but remember not to light a fire."
"One hour later, after midnight, you will launch an attack at the east gate of Jinyang City, and I will personally lead the troops to launch an attack at the north gate at the appropriate time. For many days, we have been making several shouts and cries that resounded through the world, both during the day and at night. I believe that the Ming army in the city has already been deceived by this sound."
"In an hour, we will launch a real attack. Yang Xiao in the city will be at a loss for a while. By the time he reacts, only one of you and me will succeed."
"In this chaotic world, too many heroes have left early, such as Chen Youliang, Zhang Shicheng, Guo Zixing and so on. Whether you and I can continue to play, and whether the Yuan Dynasty can continue to play, all depends on this battle."
Wang Baobao hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, don't worry. I will do my best. If we cannot take Jinyang in this battle, I will not live."
Zhao Min smiled bitterly and nodded: "It's not that you will not live, but that both of us will not live."
"Dadu has been lost. We don't have much territory left, and the food and wages can't last much longer. Looking back to the past, our Yuan Dynasty was rich and powerful, but now, when I, Zhao Min, am in power, it is difficult to even find a place to live."
Wang Baobao said quickly: "Your Majesty, this is not your fault. It is the successive emperors of our Yuan Dynasty who squandered the country. Even if Emperor Shun of Yuan had died two years earlier, you would have swept the world. It is a pity that the fortune of our Yuan Dynasty has been squandered by successive emperors."
Zhao Min sighed helplessly: "Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. If I let you continue, I'm afraid you will say something like, without me, Zhao Min, the Yuan Dynasty would have perished long ago."
"General Wang, please prepare here. I will also go and prepare."
As she spoke, Zhao Min picked up the wine jug and left in a leisurely manner.
Wang Baobao glanced at the moon in the sky, and then said to an attendant behind him: "Light incense."
The attendant quickly placed an incense burner next to Wang Baobao, and then he lit a tall incense stick as thick as a finger and as long as a chopstick.
This is the high incense used in the palace. One stick of incense represents one hour, and after one hour, it represents the total time.
Wang Baobao was well aware of the importance of this battle: "One hundred and eighty thousand troops have gathered here. If we lose this battle, the Yuan Dynasty will be in real danger."
…
Far away on the grassland, Zhang Wuji's 60,000 soldiers had just gone to bed after a long journey.
In the carriage, Zhang Wuji suddenly sat up straight. Zhao Linger beside him said, "Young Master, are you having a nightmare?"
Zhang Wuji asked: "What time is it now? Is it time to set off?"
Zhao Linger smiled and said, "Young Master, you must have been frightened in your dream. We just fell asleep not long ago, probably less than an hour. Those of us with good cultivation can handle it without any trouble, but the soldiers cannot. Do you want them to die of exhaustion on the road?"
Zhang Wuji closed his eyes, took two breaths, and then fell headfirst onto Zhao Linger: "Sister, I just dreamed of our child."
"It wasn't a good dream. I feel a little uneasy."
"To be honest, I now regret the surprise attack on Dadu. Now, most of the elite soldiers are either in my hands or in Zhang Dingbian's hands, and the soldiers in Yang Xiao's hands are mostly not strong. Moreover, he is the only general who is capable of fighting in the entire Hexi."
"Zhao Min is very smart. She only used a Dadu, but it resulted in a rift between me and Zhu Yuanzhang. If she fights to the death now, I'm afraid she might really be able to sweep across Hexi. At the very least, Jinyang might not be able to be defended."
"What should I do? Yang Xiao is no match for Zhao Min."
Zhao Linger smiled and gently stroked Zhang Wuji's head. His forehead was covered in cold sweat.
Zhao Linger quickly picked up the long skirt she had taken off and wiped the sweat off Zhang Wuji's forehead with it, then covered him with the skirt again.
Zhao Linger said: "Young Master, things in this world are done and there is no need to regret."
"When we set out on the expedition, we originally wanted to take advantage of the situation when Zhao Min and Zhu Yuanzhang were fighting to the death, and then seize Dadu. But who could have thought that when Zhao Min saw you coming, she would directly give Dadu to you."
"She gave up the capital of the Yuan Empire for nearly a hundred years just like that. With such courage and strategy, you have no complaints at all about being tricked by her."
"As for our Hexi, you can rest assured. We have been operating in Hexi for several years. You have reduced so many taxes for the people of Hexi. In addition, you love the people like your own children. The people of the entire Hexi have long been loyal to the Ming Dynasty."
"The three provinces of Hexi cover thousands of miles of fertile land. Even with your speed, it took you more than half a year to fight. Zhao Min is not as strong as you. She cannot swallow Hexi within a year."
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