It turned out that just before sunset, as night fell, the soldiers in Jixian City obeyed Yan Rou's orders and instead of fighting on the city walls, they retreated into the city to engage in street fighting.
The town of Jixian has over a thousand households, with houses interspersed and roads crisscrossing. Under the cover of night, they can preserve their strength while killing the enemy.
When Zhang Chun's rebels found that the resistance on the city wall had become weak and powerless, or even ceased to resist, they climbed to the top of the city wall.
They occupied the city walls, opened the city gates, and poured in like a tidal wave.
Zhang Chun was overjoyed to hear the news.
With Jixian as a fulcrum, they could change from being attacked from both sides to a situation where the city of Jixian and the main camp outside the city were mutually supporting each other.
This would give them a geographical advantage in the upcoming decisive battle.
Moreover, the city contains civilians and officials from Youzhou, which can be used to check and threaten the imperial troops outside the city when necessary.
"Issue my order that the Emperor lead his troops into the city to defend it. The two factions of King Qiuliju and Khan Murong shall be stationed on the left and right sides of Ji County respectively, forming a stable triangular structure."
"In this way, we can both attack and defend, and fight a war of attrition and a protracted war with the imperial army!"
Thinking of this, Zhang Chun immediately sent his personal guards to deliver a message to Zhang Ju, Qiu Liju, and Murong Mohuba.
He believed that the great news of capturing Ji County would surely sweep away the gloom of their repeated setbacks.
Ji County was, after all, the seat of Youzhou. Taking it meant that Youzhou had been nominally captured.
The guards obeyed and left. Zhang Chun first ordered the two 10,000-strong Xianbei and Wuhuan units that were assisting in the attack on the city to withdraw.
He then ordered his nearly 10,000 men to quickly enter the city, clear away obstacles, and reinforce the city's defenses.
Zhang Chun, also in high spirits, rode his horse towards the south gate of Ji County, surrounded by a group of rebel generals.
By this time, one or two thousand people had entered the city and gone into the city's alleys.
Suddenly, shouts of battle erupted in Jixian County, which had been relatively calm, followed by raging fires in many places.
The first two thousand rebel soldiers who entered the city were caught off guard. They were first killed by arrows from the Youzhou army that ambushed them in the alleys, and then burned and blocked by the fire.
On the other side of the sea of fire, in the darkness, the enemy was in the dark while we were in the light. The rebels suffered heavy casualties, leaving behind hundreds of corpses, and retreated to gather inside the city gate, not daring to go forward.
When Zhang Chun arrived, many parts of the city were already engulfed in flames, with thick smoke billowing out.
He was completely dumbfounded!
The soldiers and civilians of Youzhou in this city are too ruthless. They would rather destroy Jixian than leave it to the rebels!
Looking at the flickering flames, Zhang Chun felt a strong sense of frustration.
"Strategist, what's going on?"
Zhang Chun stood at the city gate in a daze for a long time. Zhang Ju also arrived with a large army. When he saw the scene before him, he was dumbfounded.
"Liu He and Yan Rou are truly ruthless! Why do the people of Ji County listen to them so readily and abandon their homes?"
“Our uprising was to overthrow the corrupt Han Dynasty, but the people under Liu Yu’s rule are more inclined to support him.”
"Strategist, why is this happening?"
Looking at the raging fire in Ji County, Zhang Ju felt a strong sense of déjà vu, just like when he and Zhang Chun had once raised their voices and received a great response.
But why has the fight turned out like this, with the people no longer supporting them?
In the past few days, bad news has spread like wildfire in places like Yuyang, Shanggu, and Youbeiping. Zhang Ju's 100,000-strong army is already discussing the matter privately, and people are filled with anxiety.
People would occasionally escape at night, leaving those left behind in a state of panic and morale plummeting.
Zhang Chun was surprised that Zhang Ju was so depressed before the great battle, and asked a profound question.
But he wouldn't tell Zhang Ju that it was actually because they allied with foreign tribes, conquered the counties of Youzhou, and divided Shanggu, Daijun, and Youbeiping among the Xianbei and Wuhuan that they gradually lost the hearts of the people.
He also wouldn't tell Zhang Ju that the Xianbei and Wuhuan people oppressed and killed Han people in these three prefectures, plundered their property, wantonly raped Han women, and treated them like sheep.
This righteous army, which originally united the poor and suffering people of the Han Dynasty to resist the imperial court, turned into traitors who colluded with foreign tribes to invade Youzhou in just a few months.
"Your Majesty, they have been temporarily deceived by Liu Yu. Once we win this battle and completely occupy Youzhou, they will realize the truth."
Zhang Chun dared not look Zhang Ju in the eye, and looked elsewhere as he spoke.
"All right!"
Zhang Ju seemed to understand something from Zhang Chun's expression. "Strategist, the city is on fire and we cannot enter. What should we do now?"
"Occupy the walls of Ji County and send out some troops to fight the fire while advancing!"
"The rest of the army is stationed outside the city."
"Even Jixian, which is now a ruin, can bring us a huge advantage."
"At least for now, we don't have to worry about Liu He and Yan Rou launching a sneak attack from behind while we are fighting the imperial army."
Zhang Chun said through gritted teeth.
"Follow the strategist's plan!"
Zhang Ju didn't say anything more.
......
In an inconspicuous abandoned manor ten miles outside Ji County, Liu Wei, Tian Yu, and others were still waiting for feedback from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, without taking a break.
After the order is issued, whether the army commander receives it and understands the commander-in-chief's strategic intentions is crucial. If they do not return to report, then the information loop is not complete.
Moreover, the locations of the troops in the northwest, southeast, southwest, and northeast are at varying distances from Ji County. If Liu Wei wants them to arrive at the rebel camp around Ji County at the same time, there must be a specific order for them to arrive.
For example, the army of Zhang Liao, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, which is furthest from Ji County, needs to move out early tomorrow morning in order to coordinate and synchronize with the other three parties.
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