In the afternoon, the Qingzhou rebels launched a second attack on Cheng County.
This time, Zheng Hun adopted a tactic of surrounding three gates while leaving one open, deploying 20,000 troops to attack the city simultaneously at the east, south, and north gates, leaving only the west gate open, hoping that Li Ying and Zhu Jun would abandon the city and escape.
Zhu Jun and Li Ying immediately saw through Zheng Hun's intentions and led the soldiers and civilians in the city to fight back to the death. In the end, the rebels had no choice but to retreat after leaving behind more than two thousand corpses.
That night, nearly 20,000 wounded rebel soldiers were housed in the wounded soldiers' camp on the east side of the main camp. Their cries of agony filled the rebel camp, constantly eroding the rebels' morale.
Of the 170,000 troops, only 140,000 are now capable of fighting. Zheng Hun is beginning to feel anxious and uneasy.
Inside the central command tent, Zheng Hun looked at everyone with a grim expression and said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, we are now blocked by this small Cheng County and have already missed the time to join forces with the Yanzhou rebels. If we delay any longer, I fear things may change!"
A man dressed in blue said, "What the chief says is true, but Zhu Jun is skilled in military strategy and extremely adept at defending cities. We will certainly find it difficult to capture the city in a short time! I think we might as well detour through the plains and head straight for Xindu to meet up with the King of Bohai."
Zheng Hun was taken aback: "What about Yanzhou?"
The man said, "Huangfu Gui of Yanzhou only has less than 20,000 troops. They should have no problem protecting themselves. After we join forces with the King of Bohai and capture Jizhou, it will not be too late to go and support Yanzhou!"
After a moment's thought, Zheng Hun said, "Now that things have come to this, there's no other way. Rather than wasting time and causing further damage here, we might as well turn north!"
"The chief is wise!!"
Everyone stood up and echoed, genuinely afraid of Cheng County, such a tough nut to crack.
Zheng Hun then looked at everyone and said, "If the army moves, it will surely alert the garrison of Cheng County, and Zhu Jun will definitely follow and harass us. What should we do?"
The man in blue said in a deep voice, "Chief, I believe that those wounded soldiers are no longer capable of fighting. Carrying them along will not only consume a lot of food and supplies, but also slow down the march. We might as well leave them here to mislead the enemy!"
Zheng Hun hesitated and said, "But... what if they surrender to the enemy?"
"Don't worry, Chief. There are many wounded soldiers. Even if they surrender, Li Ying and Zhu Jun will be busy taking care of them and won't have time to harass them!"
"Hmm, that makes sense, let's do it that way!"
Zheng Hun agreed to the man in blue's suggestion without hesitation.
For Zheng Hun, most of the wounded soldiers were coerced into coming here by others and were not his trusted subordinates. It was not a pity to leave them here to delay the enemy.
Seeing Zheng Hun's cold-bloodedness, the other leaders, though dissatisfied, dared not say anything and could only do as he said.
After the tents were closed, the man in blue had just returned to his own tent when he saw a man in black sitting upright at a table.
The man in black was named Wu Tong, and he was an undercover agent from the Detective Division who had infiltrated this area.
Upon seeing Wu Tong, the man in blue quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"This humble servant, Li Xun, greets Your Excellency!"
Wu Tong nodded slightly and asked indifferently, "How did things go?"
Li Xun respectfully replied, "Reporting to Your Excellency, Zheng Hun has already followed my advice, abandoned the wounded soldiers, and is preparing to change course to Pingyuan!"
"Very good. If possible, Patriarch Li should take over the task of guarding the grain supplies!"
Li Xun's expression shifted, and he said respectfully, "Please rest assured, sir, I will do my best!"
Wu Tong stood up and looked at Li Xun, laughing as he said, "Patriarch Li, please rest assured. My five hundred warriors will protect your safety at all times. After the rebels are eliminated, Patriarch Li will be credited with the greatest merit, and the imperial court will reward you accordingly!"
Li Xun's heart skipped a beat: "Thank you so much for your kind words, sir!"
Wu Tong smiled and said, "Alright, Patriarch Li, you should hurry up and get ready. I'll take my leave now!"
After saying that, Wu Tong left and walked towards a camp not far away.
Inside the rebel camp, most of the soldiers were loyal followers from various families, and their clothing varied and was not yet standardized. Therefore, Wu Tong did not attract much attention from the rebel soldiers.
Back in the camp, Wu Tong's men immediately gathered together.
After informing his men about the rebels, Wu Tong whispered, "You all need to find a chance to sneak out of the camp later. One of you go to Cheng County, and the rest of you go to a village in the northwest of the plains to find General Gongsun!"
"promise!!"
Wu Tong's men responded in hushed tones, then dispersed and stealthily made their way out of the camp.
On the other side, all the soldiers in the rebel camp, except for the wounded, who had received orders, began packing their belongings and preparing to retreat.
Upon receiving Wu Tong's message, Zhu Jun hurriedly sought out Li Ying to discuss countermeasures.
Zhu Jun said in a deep voice, "Grand Commandant, Zheng Hun is planning to abandon the wounded soldiers in the camp and detour through the plains. I think it might be possible to gather those wounded soldiers, recruit them, and then incorporate them into the army to hinder the rebel army's advance!"
Li Ying said with some concern, "Gongwei's idea is good, but there are so many wounded soldiers. If they cannot be treated, how can they be incorporated into the army?"
Zhu Jun smiled and said, "Grand Commandant, there is no need to worry. Apart from a few seriously wounded, most of the rebels are only lightly injured. They are unwilling to fight because they are afraid of battle. They only need simple bandaging and then be allowed to redeem themselves through meritorious service. They will definitely be useful!"
Li Ying nodded in relief: "His Majesty once said that professional matters should be handled by professionals. Since Gongwei already has a strategy, he can put it into practice!"
Zhu Junyi said solemnly, "Please rest assured, Grand Commandant, this humble general will certainly not disappoint Your Majesty!"
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