At dawn, the four gates of Ling County were tightly shut. County Magistrate Luo Wei anxiously patrolled the city walls, his official uniform stained with blood.
Luo Wei, who had been transferred to the county magistrate for less than half a year, still had a lingering fear when he thought of the battle yesterday evening.
Although it was a routine probing attack by the Wuhuan people, Ling Zhi, which only had 300 county soldiers stationed there, paid the price of more than half of its casualties. The people who helped to defend the city also suffered considerable casualties. If it were not for Xu Wu's cavalry assaulting the rear and the soldiers and civilians in the city rising up to resist, Ling Zhi City would have fallen by now.
Outside the city, the camp that the Wuhuan had built overnight was almost complete.
Under the light of dawn, a small group of cavalrymen ran in all directions, clearly preparing to pillage the nearby villages.
Luo Wei's brows were knitted together, and he felt a little flustered. This was the first time he had faced a large army. He, who had always been calm in the face of chaos, had no choice but to wait.
At this moment, county captain Yao Lei came over from the other side. Seeing his bloodshot eyes, Luo Wei asked,"How is the situation in the Wuhuan camp?"
Yao Lei wiped the sweat off his forehead and said,""It has been built. Judging from its scale, Wu Yan will send no less than twenty thousand soldiers this time. In my opinion, it is better to let the people find an opportunity to evacuate.
After the new prefect took office, he dismissed the county soldiers, which reduced the already stretched army. An important city like Lingzhi only had 300 county soldiers stationed there, and Feiru and Haiyang had only 50. Sigh…"
Luo Wei said helplessly,"It's only the prefect's fault for being diligent in government affairs and loving the people. In order to make the people rich, he had no choice but to reduce the expenditure of the county soldiers." County Officer Yao continued to patrol the four cities. I went to the city to appease the people. I hope that the reinforcements from the prefect will arrive soon!”
Yao Lei accepted the order and left. Looking at his back, Luo Wei could not help but sigh," Hero Han, the new prefect loves his people like his own son and will definitely become a famous official. If you stay, you will definitely be put in an important position. Why must you travel thousands of miles to Jingxiang…"
After the construction of the camp near the water outside the city was completed, only small teams of scouts were coming in and out. There was no sign of any rush to attack.
At noon, a large group of Wuhuan soldiers arrived one after another. The cavalry, infantry, and horses stretched out for more than ten li.
Looking at the endless army, Luo Wei kept wiping the sweat off his forehead. The soldiers guarding the city became silent. Everyone knew the consequences of being surrounded by such an army.
Yao Lei had sent seven or eight batches of messengers to Yang Le to move the troops, but they had not returned with a single word.
Ling Zhi City endured a long day in a mysterious and tense atmosphere.
When night fell, Luo Wei once again climbed up the city wall and looked out. Red clouds covered the sky, and a group of wild geese flew south. Against the backdrop of the withered trees, there was a sense of desolation and vastness." Hero Han, I hope that the reinforcements from the prefecture are as you said."
In the same night and sunset, in the same autumn wind, Fei Ru City welcomed Gao Shun's 1st Light Cavalry Regiment and Liu Ping's 2nd Crossbow Regiment.
The 2nd Crossbow Regiment entered Fei Ru and took over the city defense. They strengthened the city defense while preparing to support Xin Yang and Ling Zhi at any time.
Gao Shun led his troops around Fei Ru and joined up with the 1st Heavy Cavalry Regiment on standby in the south before heading towards Ling Zhi.
They had been marching in secret all the way. When they were still a hundred miles away from Ling Zhi City, the vanguard cavalry battalion discovered a small group of Wuhuan scouts. Li Jun, who had been promoted to battalion commander because of the bandit suppression battle, immediately issued an order according to the situation."First Company Commander, immediately send someone to report the military situation to Commandant Gao and inform the Second Company and Fifth Company on the flanks to expand the search area and be careful of the enemy cavalry.
Third Company and Fourth Company spread out from both sides and surrounded him. First Company followed me to grab his butt.”
The hundred-odd cavalry following Li Jun then split into three groups to surround them.
When Gao Shun received the report, the battle had already ended.
There was nothing special about it. When the Wuhuan scouts discovered the Han cavalry in front of them, they also discovered the cavalry flanking them from both sides. With a burst of powerful crossbows, they shot the stunned Wuhuan soldiers off their horses and captured them.
They learned that Wu Yan had dispatched a total of twenty-seven thousand men, including fifteen thousand cavalry. The leading general was the most famous warrior under Wu Yan, Chi Mule.
Gao Shun immediately informed Liu Heng of this situation and his own thoughts, then ordered the two cavalry regiments to change their course to the north, and let Xu Wu's 2nd Light Cavalry Regiment secretly march northeast. The two of them bypassed the Wuhuan's main force and met up behind them.
Not long after nightfall, the scouts found the Wuhuan main force entering the camp outside Ling Zhi City.
In order to obtain first-hand information on the battlefield, Gao Shun personally led several riders through the dense forest to the location where the Wuhuan had set up camp.
The walls of the camp were made of wooden fences, and the tents inside were arranged in a semicircle. Except for the outer circle, which was relatively neat, the inside was a mess of varying density, revealing the habits of the nomadic people.
Probably because they were overconfident, or because they had a strong military force, or because they simply didn't understand, there were no horse traps, bridle ropes, trenches, and other fortifications outside the camp.
The Wuhuan soldiers were probably tired from the journey. Other than the sounds of laughter and noise coming from a few places, the entire camp was quiet. Only the scouts were still busy going in and out.
Gao Shun saw everything and hid in the dense forest an hour later.
Fortunately, the highway connecting Liu Ping to Heyang had been completed. Otherwise, Liu Heng's crossbow regiment would not have been able to reach Lingzhi before midnight even if they had taken a carriage.
The crossbowmen led by Liu Heng walked on foot in Fei Ru, leaving behind ten carriages to carry arrows.
As the Wuhuan scouts had been wiped out along the way, there was a gap in the east of Lingzhi that lasted for six hours. Therefore, the crossbowmen secretly moved to Lingzhi City without any obstruction.
At midnight, when Luo Wei heard that reinforcements had arrived, he immediately opened the city gates to welcome them. Unexpectedly, he saw the prefect personally leading the army. He asked anxiously,"Why did the prefect personally lead the army here? There are nearly 30,000 Wuhuan soldiers in the north of the city. If we attack this city, it will be difficult to hold on. What if the city falls?"
Liu Heng got off his horse and pulled Luo Wei up. He looked at him carefully and said,"We haven't seen each other since June. I didn't expect Brother Luo to still be the same, hehe. But why is your official robe so sloppy?”
Luo Wei continued to persuade him," Please come to Yangle to command the battle. The Wuhuan soldiers will attack the city in a day or two. Luo Wei swears to live and die with you. Can you do that, Governor?"
"Don't worry, Brother Luo. Ling Zhi City will be fine, and I won't let the Wuhuan break into the city." Liu Heng laughed.”
Then, he ordered the guards beside him,"Immediately order Xiao Gang to strengthen the guards in Haiyang and Yangle and do a good job in receiving the refugees."”
Liu Heng then said to Luo Wei,"Take advantage of the Wuhuan's slack and immediately send the old, weak, women and children to Haiyang." "Remember, only the old, the weak, women, and children are allowed to stay in the city. The other men must stay in the city to help repel the enemy, regardless of their status.”
Luo Wei admired Mayor Liu for his boldness despite his young age.
When they first met, Luo Wei thought that Liu Heng was most likely a playboy who was greedy for pleasure and ignorant. He did not expect Liu Heng to be even calmer than him in the face of the Wuhuan army. Luo Wei sighed in his heart."The so-called calm and composed in a chaotic situation is probably used to describe Governor Liu in front of me!”
At this moment, Liu Heng walked into the city." County Magistrate Luo, immediately call Yao County Lieutenant to the county government to discuss the battle strategy. At the same time, organize the young and strong people in the city according to the military system of the Great Han Dynasty and hand them over to the officers of the Bow and Crossbow Regiment for training.
This time, I have brought the remaining weapons and armors of Xuantu Prefecture after the soldiers were dismissed. I will distribute them to the young and strong people after they are finished.
In order to defeat the Wuhuan and protect the border, we must show the courage and determination to face death. As parents, we should face difficulties with a smile. Only in this way can we give the people confidence and hope!”
After hearing these words, Luo Wei stood there in a daze for a moment. Then, two streams of tears rolled down his face. Liu Heng's thin figure was immediately drowned in tears.
Luo Wei nodded lightly and said excitedly,"As the prefect has ordered, I will immediately gather the people in the city!"”
Dozens of carriages loaded with supplies, weapons, and armors entered the city, followed by archers under the command of the officers.
At this moment, Yao Lei rushed over after hearing the news. He saw Luo Wei standing at the city gate in a daze and was about to open his mouth to call out. However, his opened mouth could not make a sound because of what appeared in front of him.
Luo Wei was slightly surprised to see Yao Lei's appearance. Coincidentally, he heard the sound of deliberately low and orderly footsteps, so he turned his head to look at him. Unexpectedly, he looked exactly the same as Yao Lei.
Under the city gate, the archers marched forward in neat rows. The steel-armed bows and crossbows emitted a unique blue glow of metal under the moonlight. The black armor and red clothes that could be vaguely seen in the haze were awe-inspiring. The eyes behind the mask were filled with determination and loyalty, revealing the confidence and fearlessness of young people.
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