Chapter 333: Forty thousand elite soldiers surround Qi Yanzhou
After Chen Kui finished speaking, he looked at his confidant beside him.
"Go and give one piece of this compressed grain to the selected 50,000 soldiers and tell them that this piece of bread is equivalent to ten bowls of rice. Eat it in small bites, drink plenty of water, and eat sparingly. Just don't starve yourself at other times, and eat a full meal when the enemy attacks."
The food and fodder are limited, so if we arrange it this way, we should be able to spare some rough bread.
So that the remaining 120,000 soldiers would not starve to death.
After hearing what Chen Kui said, the confidant looked at the rough cakes in the box and his eyes almost popped out.
He didn't believe that such a small piece of bread could be worth ten bowls of rice.
But military orders were as heavy as a mountain and he could not question them.
"Yes, General!"
Soon, the compressed grain was distributed to the soldiers.
No one believes that a small piece of cake can equal ten bowls of rice.
Until they obeyed orders, ate a small bite, and drank a lot of water.
"I'm really full, my belly is bulging!"
"Could it be that I drank too much water, so I feel bloated?"
"We drink water every day to fill our stomachs, but we don't feel bloated like we do now."
Drinking water alone will make your stomach bloated, but you won’t feel full.
Now is the state after having a full meal.
In other words, this small piece of compressed food in your hand is really equivalent to ten bowls of rice!
"It's over. I didn't listen to the general. I just took a big bite and finished most of the day's meal. I won't be stuffed to death, right?"
"You can eat five bowls of rice in one meal. You won't die if you have two more bowls. Hahahaha..."
There had been no laughter in the military camp for a long time.
The laughter dispelled the long-standing gloom and boosted morale.
After hearing this, Chen Kui on the tower laughed and said, "Those guys don't know how to be low-key. They don't know that others have nothing to eat!"
The words were reproachful, but the tone was light.
When there is no food, defending the city is a torture.
The soldiers were not afraid of death, but they were afraid that they would not be able to die on the battlefield and would have to starve to death.
So, Chen’s army needs laughter!
A smile also appeared on the face of the confidant, and he saluted Chen Kui with his fists clasped.
"General, eat some more compressed food and then go to rest. The barbarians may attack at any time, so you need to conserve your energy."
Chen Kui shook his head. "You stay on the tower and pour more water on the wall. I'll go to the barracks."
He had to discuss the troop deployment diagram sent by Qi Yanzhou with the 50,000 soldiers before the barbarians attacked the city.
As a result, before we finished discussing the formation diagram, the siege horn sounded.
Whenever Chen Kui heard this voice before, he always felt panicky, fearing that the Chen family army would not be able to withstand the attack of the barbarians and Linzhou City would be breached.
Now he was eager to try, and wanted to use the formation diagram he just talked about to defeat the barbarians.
"Prepare for battle!"
"Yes, General!"
The deafening sound reached outside the city and into the ears of the Western barbarians.
Leader Battelle knitted his thick brows together as he listened to the powerful voice.
"Why do I feel that Chen Jiajun is different from before?"
The deputy general guessed, "Chen Kui is already at the end of his strength. He knows he can't survive tonight, so he wants to give it a try."
"It doesn't sound like a tragic final kill, but rather a bit...exciting. Could it be that the Chen family army has managed to gather food and fodder?"
"Impossible. The general controls the area within a radius of 20 miles. If anyone sends food to Chen's army, we will definitely find them and rob them."
Bartel thought so too.
He raised his arm and waved it forward, "Attack, teach Chen's army a lesson, let them know that it's useless to resist stubbornly!"
The deputy general quickly clasped his fists and leaned forward, "Yes, General."
The dark night was lit up by rockets flying from outside the city into the city.
The Chen family army had already put up shields to block the arrows.
When the arrows hit the shield, making crisp and frequent "ding" sounds, a dull creaking sound was heard.
"It's a trebuchet, everyone be careful!"
Chen Kui came hurriedly, stood at the battlement of the city wall, looked at the wall reflecting the firelight, and raised the corners of his mouth.
"It's a good opportunity to see if the frozen wall is more resistant to impact."
Before he could finish his words, a large irregular rock hit the base of the wall.
There was a loud bang and the ground under my feet shook slightly.
Chen Kui clearly felt that the shaking was not as violent as before.
"I didn't expect that pouring water to turn it into ice could be used to defend against enemies!"
After saying this, he called his confidants.
"Shoot the poison arrow!"
Ye Chutang not only sent Chen Kui compressed food, but also some poison.
The wind direction tonight is very suitable for poisoning.
Although the 50,000 soldiers of the Chen family army had enough food, they were still weak and needed to fight a quick battle.
"Yes, General."
"Also, add some poison to the kerosene, smear some phosphorus powder on the outside of the oil barrel, and fight back with a slingshot."
"I obey your command!"
The phosphorus powder was also given by Ye Chutang.
When the oil barrel falls and hits the ground, the phosphorus powder will ignite, which in turn ignites the kerosene.
This way, there's no need to go through the trouble of shooting the rocket, which is difficult to succeed.
Chen Kui felt the vibration under his feet and looked at the kerosene burning in the distance, feeling indescribably happy.
Ever since the barbarians invaded, he had been suppressed due to the shortage of food and grass, and 20,000 soldiers had died.
There were even more wounded soldiers, nearly 30,000.
Tonight he finally had the strength to fight back, allowing him to let out the anger that had been suppressed in his heart.
Seeing that the fire in the enemy camp was growing bigger and bigger, Battelle replaced the boulders with kerosene.
The kerosene barrel hit the city wall, was ignited by the rocket, and was immediately extinguished by the sand.
Battelle shouted angrily: "Move the slings forward, I want to burn the city!"
He originally didn't intend to capture Linzhou City so quickly, and wanted to lure Qi Yanzhou to come for support.
But he suffered heavy casualties tonight and must fight back!
Just as the deputy general was about to agree, the vanguard came to report.
"General, something terrible has happened. The Chen family army seems to have been poisoned, and many of the vanguards have fallen."
As soon as he finished speaking, someone else came to report.
"General, the Chen family army must have added poison to the kerosene. Many people died wherever the fire passed."
After hearing this, Bater was so angry that he picked up the bow and arrow and pulled the bowstring to its full length.
With a "swoosh" sound, a sharp arrow pierced the night sky and shot towards the city wall.
But because the distance was too far, even if he used all his internal strength, the arrow could not hurt Chen Kui.
Seeing that Bater was full of anger, the deputy general asked, "General, do you want to call for backup?"
Chen's army suffered countless casualties, and now has only 150,000 people at most.
They were a group of people who were too hungry to even lift a knife or a gun.
They have 100,000 soldiers and horses, and with another 50,000, they can immediately flatten Linzhou City!
Bater looked towards the direction of Linzhou City and gradually calmed down.
"Something is not right with the Chen family army tonight. Let's withdraw our troops first and find out the reason."
He didn't want to reveal the fact that there were reinforcements until it was absolutely necessary.
Moreover, he didn't know how much poison Chen Kui had, and the wind direction tonight was conducive to poisoning, so withdrawing troops was the best option.
"Yes, I will notify you to withdraw the troops immediately."
Soon, the sound of the horn of retreat resounded through the sky.
The barbarians retreated quickly, just as they had done when the Tathagata came.
Seeing this scene, Chen's army cheered deafeningly.
Chen Kui's heart dropped, and he said to his confidant: "Don't be careless, the barbarians may come back, let's take a rest."
He hadn't slept much in the past ten days and needed a good sleep.
***
Over the next three days, the barbarians attacked the city from time to time.
There is day and there is night.
Bart wanted to find out why Chen's army suddenly had the power to fight back, but found nothing.
When he was considering exposing the existence of reinforcements and flattening Linzhou City, he learned the news about Qi Yanzhou.
"General, the scouts reported that Qi Yanzhou was spotted with about 20,000 soldiers and horses twenty miles southeast of Linzhou City, coming to support the Chen family army."
"With only 20,000 soldiers and horses, Qi Yanzhou is too arrogant and doesn't take the Western Barbarians seriously at all!"
The deputy general felt that this was a perfect opportunity to encircle and suppress Qi Yanzhou.
"General, since Qi Yanzhou is seeking death, let him die, and then take his head to negotiate with Nanling."
Bater had never had direct contact with Qi Yanzhou, but he had heard many rumors about him.
The undefeated god of war of Beichen Kingdom, who often defeats the larger force with the smaller one on the battlefield and has rich experience in fighting the enemy.
Both Beiman and Nanling suffered great losses.
Qi Yanzhou dared to lead 20,000 people into Huxue, he must have something to rely on!
Bater felt that the 20,000 soldiers and horses seen by the scouts were most likely Qi Yanzhou's strategy to lure the enemy!
"Let's investigate further. Qi Yanzhou must have brought more than 20,000 reinforcements to Linzhou City."
The deputy general also knew that he should not underestimate Qi Yanzhou.
But opportunities are rare, and if you miss them, you will never get them again.
"General, there are only 60,000 troops stationed in Tianshan County. Qi Yanzhou can only transfer 30,000 at most. They are no match for us at all."
Bater snorted coldly, "Don't forget, there is also the Qi Family Army!"
Although the Qi family army had been disbanded long ago, as long as the Qi family members spoke up, they could recall many people.
"Even if we add another 20,000 Qi's troops, there are only 50,000 of them. It will be enough for Nanling's 100,000 troops to deal with them."
"You underestimate Qi Yanzhou. Without more than three times the number of troops, no one can be sure of victory!"
Deputy General: "Then add Dongsang's 50,000 troops."
"The Dongsang people are the smartest. They will only hide behind and take advantage, and will not take risks."
"General, how about we add our 50,000 reinforcements to encircle Qi Yanzhou? At the same time, we can also launch a final attack on Linzhou City. What do you think?"
Bartel didn't want to put all his cards on the table.
"Go call General Sun. I want to discuss this with him."
The deputy general felt that Battelle's decision was inappropriate.
"General, General Sun has set up camp 20 miles away. In the time it took me to go back and forth, Qi Yanzhou has already arrived with his troops."
"As long as he dares, this general will wait for him to come!"
He did not dare to transfer the troops besieging Linzhou City to encircle Qi Yanzhou, for fear that Chen's army and Qi Yanzhou would attack him from the front and back, leaving him vulnerable to attack from both sides.
Therefore, the people of Nanling had to take action against Qi Yanzhou, and his soldiers would serve as support.
Seeing that Bater had made up his mind, the deputy general had no choice but to obey the order and leave.
The other side.
Qi Yanzhou brought a total of 30,000 soldiers and horses to Linzhou City.
He led 20,000 of the troops.
The remaining 10,000 soldiers were dispersed by Chen Ruoyun and hid in the dark to provide support.
And Ye Chutang has already entered Linzhou City.
She went to Chen’s army’s granary first.
The granary has been empty for a long time, not even rats come in.
She put half of the food and winter clothes that Qi Yanzhou had prepared for Chen Kui into the granary.
The reason why she didn't put all of them in was because the supplies were in her hands and she had more say.
After putting away the food and winter clothes, Ye Chutang sneaked underground to the Chen family's backyard.
The housekeeper had been waiting in the backyard, waiting for the next batch of food.
When Ye Chutang appeared, he was dozing off with his head nodding.
"I'm Ye Chutang, Qi Yanzhou's wife, and I want to see General Chen."
The sudden sound almost frightened the butler.
He didn't know Ye Chutang and was wary of her.
"How...how did you get in?"
"I can make eight boxes of compressed grain appear in the backyard, so I can certainly appear as well."
Apart from the housekeeper, only Chen Jiajun knew about the compressed grain.
The housekeeper looked at Ye Chutang's stunning appearance and immediately believed her identity.
"Mrs. Qi, please wait in the front hall. I will go and ask General Chen to return home immediately."
The Chen family was not far from the city gate.
It only takes an incense stick of time to ride back and forth.
Ye Chutang waited for a while before he heard the rapid clatter of horse hooves.
Then, Chen Kui appeared in front of her.
"Mrs. Qi, is it really you? Are you here alone?"
As he spoke, he looked around but didn't see the person he wanted to see.
"Are my daughter and my wife all right? When will the next batch of food and fodder be delivered?"
He has been very frugal.
However, the barbarians often invaded, and the 50,000 soldiers needed to maintain sufficient physical strength, so they could not save much food.
Today, there is very little compressed grain left, and we will soon face the prospect of running out of food.
Ye Chutang glanced at the anxious Chen Kui and drank his tea slowly.
After putting down the cup, she got straight to the point.
"General Chen, the Qi family has no obligation to support your troops. You just ask for food and fodder. Isn't that a bit too much of a given?"
Chen Kui's face turned red and he coughed lightly to hide his embarrassment.
He knew what Ye Chutang and Qi Yanzhou wanted.
"Madam Qi, as long as the Qi family helps the Chen family army overcome difficulties, the Chen family army will obey the Qi family's orders in the future, but they must not do anything that harms the world."
Ye Chutang raised his hand to push the strands of hair behind his ears, and asked with a smile: "Is overthrowing tyranny and establishing a new dynasty considered as something that goes against the will of heaven and earth?"
Chen Kui didn't expect Ye Chutang to ask so directly.
Although he did not want to get involved in power struggles, the Chen family army was already in a desperate situation and had no choice.
“Since it is a tyranny, overthrowing it is a good thing.”
The implication is that if the emperor came to his senses and was willing to put the people first, he would not participate in the plan to establish a new dynasty.
In his view, a change of dynasty would not only result in the death of many soldiers, but would also cause disaster to the people.
Therefore, if the country is stable and the people live and work in peace and contentment, he will not send troops to rebel.
Ye Chutang knew that Chen Kui was upright and had a simple mind.
Seeing that he left room for maneuver, she did not force him to change his words.
Because she knew very well how selfish the Dog Emperor was.
The three-year tax exemption was a delaying tactic when he was forced into a desperate situation.
It won't be long before he will find ways to make money to satisfy his extravagant and licentious lifestyle.
Thinking of this, Ye Chutang said, "General Chen, swear an oath."
Chen Kui immediately raised his hand and swore.
"I, Chen Kui, swear to heaven that as long as the Qi family does not do anything that harms heaven and earth, the Chen family army will follow the Qi family, obey their orders, and never betray them. If they disobey, heaven will strike them with lightning, and their descendants will be cut off!"
Ye Chutang waited for Chen Kui to finish his oath and said, "Food and winter clothes are already in the granary."
After hearing this, Chen Kui was overjoyed and immediately raised his hand to bow.
"Thank you, Madam Qi. May I know how much food and winter clothes you have?"
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