Fenghou

Li Cheng felt depressed and asked someone to invite Yao Bing, his aide.

"Did you see today's siege?"

Yao Bing shook his head and said, "I watched the battle from the sidelines. Frankly speaking, it's not very ideal. With today's state, we definitely won't be able to win Chengji County."

Li Cheng sighed and said, "I feel the same way, but there is nothing I can do. The Song army's defense is really impenetrable."

Yao Bing smiled and said, "If we have enough resources, we still have hope to break through Chengji County."

"What do you mean by resources, sir?"

"Oil and gunpowder!"

Li Cheng was stunned for a moment and said, "Do you have gunpowder and kerosene? Our trebuchet has been destroyed. How do we use it?"

Yao Bing said slowly: "The last time our gunpowder ship exploded, to be honest, I was shocked. I went to the scene the next day, and two ships were blown to pieces. One ship contained three thousand catties of gunpowder, and the other One ship contained [-] catties of gunpowder, and other ships also had a lot of gunpowder, but none of them exploded, but only burned. Later I learned the reason. The gunpowder of other ships was placed outside, covering a layer of fire. Cloth, and the two ships were installed in the cabin, which is equivalent to a large powder keg, so they exploded.

I was thinking, if we make a very strong and sealed big box, put three thousand catties of gunpowder in the big box, and then detonate it near the gate of Chengji County, it will definitely blow up the gate of Chengji County If we blow up the inner and outer city gates, will our army be able to rush into the city? "

Li Cheng felt as if he was waking up from a dream, and he slapped his fist and said: "Mister is too right, don't blow up the city gate, blowing its water gate is enough to blow down the city wall."

"So the transportation of kerosene and gunpowder this time is very important. I believe that Chen Qing will definitely do it."

"But Weishui City is in our hands, how will their cavalry pass?"

"Either take the waterway to go there, or go south to the North Immortal Pass, and you can go around from there."

Li Cheng nodded, "Sir, you are right. Although I have made arrangements, I am not afraid of [-], just in case. I still have to send troops to respond!"

……

At Jingzhao Weishui Wharf, more than 20 large ships loaded with military supplies set off. The large ships went westward against the current. Although the southeast wind was blowing, the wind was not strong enough, so there must be trackers on the shore to pull the fibers.

Hundreds of trackers chanted and walked on the shore, pulling more than [-] large boats slowly with long ropes. There were also [-] puppet Qi cavalry guards on the shore, strictly protecting the safety of the fleet.

In addition to cavalry and trackers, there are nearly a hundred boatmen who are responsible for steering and stabilizing the sailing of the boat.

The boss of the boat is a man in his thirties, with his upper body bare on the bow, revealing his bronze-colored muscles. There are twenty soldiers on each boat, guarding the safety of the boats.

Finding an opening, the boss of the boat walked to the stern and smiled at the boatman who was pole-pulling: "Let me do it!"

"No! No! I'll do it."

The boss of the boat also picked up a long pole to assist the punting. Seeing the soldiers resting in the cabin, he lowered his voice and said, "I just got off the cargo ship to check. It is true that there is only kerosene, not the gunpowder you mentioned."

"Do you have the key to the cargo compartment?"

The boat boss laughed and said, "The key has already been handed in, but I still have one more. There are three keys in total, and I only handed in two."

"Have keys to the other twenty or so ships?"

The boss of the boat nodded, and he gave a few more precautions, then turned and left.

The name of this boatman is Wang Miao. His real identity is Dutou, the scout of the Song Army. Not only him, there are 25 scouts in total, one person on each boat. , did not see gunpowder, only [-] barrels of kerosene.

The news from the ship's boss just confirmed their guess. There was only kerosene on board, and the gunpowder was transported by another route, most likely by land.

Wang Miao sent one of his subordinates to spread the news last night, and what he has to do now is to burn the ship and all the kerosene.

But it was more difficult. During the day, each large ship was strictly guarded by [-] soldiers. At night, all crew members had to go ashore, and there were only soldiers on board. What's more, the entrance of the warehouse was locked by a big lock, and it was impossible to enter.

But today the boss of the boat went in to check for water leaks, but Wang Miao had already seen the opportunity. The boss of the boat had the key to unlock it.

……

At night, the boat rested on the shore, and the boatmen were driven to sleep on the shore. Two thousand cavalry were not far away from them. They carried small tents, and the soldiers rested in the small tents, but five hundred cavalry were still patrolling the shore.

Not only are the cavalry patrolling on the shore, but there are also ten patrolling soldiers on each large ship, just at the entrance of the cargo hold, and are heavily guarded.

The boat boss found Wang Miao, handed him a bunch of keys, and whispered, "Each key has a number on it, corresponding to each ship, so don't make a mistake."

Wang Miao nodded, "Thank you!"

"You're welcome, when are you going to do it?"

"I'm afraid there will be no chance at night. I plan to make an appointment at the same time for lunch tomorrow to check whether the cargo hold is leaking. There will be no communication between the soldiers guarding the ship."

The boat boss grinned, "I will ring the bell at noon tomorrow, and you should ring the bell as a signal!"

Chapter 542

At noon the next day, it was not time for lunch yet, but the soldiers on the ship ran to the stern impatiently, waiting for their meal. The roast mutton eaten at noon today weighed half a catty each, and it was burnt like golden honey. The soldiers were so greedy that they salivated.

The soldiers at the stern huddled together, Wang Miao gave the old ambassador a wink, and then walked towards the bow.

"Dang! Dang! Dang! Dang!" The bell rang, which was the bell for lunch and a signal to start together.

Wang Miao thought about an excuse all night, but now he found that there was no need for an excuse at all. There was no one at the entrance of the cargo hold, and they all went to eat. He took out the key and opened the iron lock, and then opened the heavy door. Big wooden cover.

At this time, there was a scream in the distance. It should be that his subordinates acted forcefully. Not everyone was so lucky to be able to open the cargo hatch cover directly.

Wang Miao didn't have time to think about it, and jumped down. The cargo ship was full of densely packed large wooden barrels, all of which were filled with kerosene.

Time did not allow him to take a closer look, he pulled out his dagger and stabbed it hard, a jet of black kerosene sprayed out, he stabbed several times, and the ground was immediately covered with kerosene.

He took out the fire folder and ignited it, threw it on the ground, with a bang, the ground was covered with flames, Wang Miao turned and ran to the deck, only to see shouts in the distance, and black smoke from most of the ships.

"Jump the ship!"

Wang Miao saw that the boss of the boat was covered in blood, and waved to him desperately. He was desperately resisting the rush of enemy soldiers.

At this time, a spear pierced the chest of the boss of the boat fiercely, and the boss of the boat screamed and died immediately.

Wang Miao's eyes were red. He endured the grief, jumped off the boat and disappeared into the water. A dozen soldiers rushed up and shot arrows into the water.

At this moment, someone shouted, "Fire! The cargo ship is on fire."

I saw thick smoke billowing in the cargo hold, and the smoke was coming out. The soldiers on the ship were terrified and shouted: "The ship is docked! The ship is docked!"

One after another the big ships docked slowly, and four of the 25 large ships were not successfully burned. The kerosene of the other 21 ships was all ignited, and the cavalry on the shore watched them burn to nothing but their skeletons.

In the end, the puppet Qi army only kept [-] barrels of kerosene. This kerosene may be useful for small-scale battles, but it is almost insignificant for a big city like Chengji County.

However, the Song Army scouts also suffered heavy losses in this battle. Only 25 of the 12 Song Army scouts survived, and the remaining [-] Song Army scouts died with the enemy.

……

On the south bank of the Weihe River, a small convoy of [-] carts, escorted by [-] soldiers, was heading west at high speed. They used a catty of gunpowder, they built plank roads openly, and kept warehouses in secret. It seemed that they boarded a big ship and walked by water, but in fact they took land, just to deceive the scouts of the Song army.

From the current point of view, their strategy is still relatively successful. Most of the ships carrying kerosene were burned on the Weihe River, but the convoy carrying gunpowder remained unscathed. It seems that they were not discovered by the Song army scouts.

On this day, the convoy arrived at the edge of Heshangyuan. The rolling hills and ravines in this area are the best places for ambushes, so the convoy is more careful.

That night, the convoy, which had been resting for a day, was ready to travel at night. The soldiers stood up one after another, fearing that they would catch the grass clippings on their bodies. The drivers yawned and walked lazily towards the cart.

Just then, 'whoosh! ' With a sound, a flaming powder arrow hit a cart and was nailed to a barrel.

"There are enemies!"

A soldier shouted, and the soldiers fell down in fright, and then hundreds of gunpowder arrows shot towards them, but the target was not the soldiers, but fifteen carts.

"It's over!" The leading general yelled in fright.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The gunpowder barrels exploded continuously, and the smoke filled the air immediately, deafening. Several coachmen were killed on the spot, and the rest of the coachmen lay on the ground, covering their ears and yelling.

When the explosion stopped and the gunpowder smoke cleared, the fifteen carts had disappeared, and mules lay bloody and bloody on the ground.

The leading general shouted: "It's on the hill on the left, kill me!"

Two thousand Puppet Qi Army soldiers rushed up the hill, the hill was empty, there was no one there, there was a large pine forest in the distance, and the ambushed Song army had already retreated into the pine forest.

……

Five days later, the puppet Qi army's plank-walled camp had been completely built. Thousands of soldiers stood on the high wall and patrolled. The Song army could no longer harass the puppet Qi army, and the Song army's harassment completely stopped.

But at this moment, a bad news came from Guanzhong. Their kerosene and gunpowder were all attacked by scouts of the Song army, leaving only [-] barrels of kerosene, and the other kerosene and gunpowder were all destroyed. Burned up.

The news made Li Cheng furious. He drew his sword and slashed indiscriminately in the big tent. This was his only hope of breaking the city. He sent 4000 people to guard it, but they were still destroyed by the Song army. These idiots did more than fail , Everyone should be killed.

Li Cheng was so depressed that he got drunk that night. His staff member Yao Bing had never seen Li Cheng lose his temper so much, so he had to go to the deputy general Guan Shigu to discuss.

Guan Shigu sighed and said: "If you really can't attack, then retreat! As long as you can keep the main force, even if Wan Yanchang is dissatisfied, the emperor can explain it."

Yao Bing shook his head, "I've already felt it. Chen Qing will never let us retreat easily. If we retreat, he will definitely come out and fight us decisively."

Guan Shigu was startled, "Will it be like this?"

Yao Bing nodded, "When we attacked the city, Chen Qing didn't kill us, so his intentions were obvious. If he wanted to surrender, he would not be able to just defend the city. The two armies must fight to defeat us. I guess he is waiting for an opportunity, and when our morale is low and we are about to retreat, he will attack."

Guan Shigu thought for a while and said, "Is it possible to use his mentality to fight an ambush?"

Yao Bing smiled wryly, "He has deployed a large number of scouts around us, and our every move is under his control. How could there be an opportunity to ambush, General Guan, we can only fight and fight him head-on. We have no other ideas. Reality."

Guan Shigu nodded slowly, "You are worried that Li Dutong's state will affect the final battle."

"Exactly! I would like to ask General Guan to persuade him to cheer him up. Even if the siege fails, we still have a chance for a decisive battle. We can defeat the Song army in one fell swoop and achieve our goal."

Guan Shigu pondered for a while and said: "Okay! I'll go and persuade him."

……

Guan Shigu walked into the handsome tent, Li Cheng was still pouring himself a drink, seeing that it was Guan Shigu, he waved and smiled and said: "Old Guan came just in time, let's have a drink!"

Guan Shigu stepped forward and said solemnly: "The opportunity to defeat the enemy is here, why is Li Dutong willing to give up the opportunity?"

Li Cheng was startled, raised his head and laughed loudly: "General Guan must have drunk too much!"

Guan Shigu went up to snatch his wine glass, looked into his eyes and said, "You order the troops to withdraw now, and within fifty miles, Chen Qing will lead the army to chase them out. At that time, it will be a decisive battle between the two armies. 10 people, isn't this an opportunity to smash the enemy army?"

Li Cheng was stunned and said, "Why did he chase him out?"

"Then why didn't he use fire oil to burn all [-] troops to death when you attacked the city? Could it be that he has the heart of a Bodhisattva? Don't you forget what his nickname is?"

"Human devil!"

Li Cheng blurted out, and he nodded for a while, "Then what should I do?"

"Cheer yourself up first, stop drinking, prepare well for two days, and then withdraw!"

"I see!"

Li Cheng stood up and ordered sharply: "Come here, take away all the wine and food!"

……

About five miles away from the enemy's camp, Tang Qian, the scout commander of the Song Army, stood by the woods and looked in the direction of the camp.

He turned around and asked his subordinate Yang Rui, "How sure are you?"

Yang Rui thought for a while, "About fifty percent!"

"Only [-]% sure?"

Tang Qian shook his head, "If the confidence is so low, I will not agree to let you go."

Yang Rui was in a hurry, and hurriedly said: "The general will listen to me, and then the general will make his own judgment."

Tang Qian laughed, "I knew you were more modest, so tell me! I'm listening."

"Before I served as the commander of the Jingzhao Defense Army under Li Cheng, there were 2000 people under my command. These two thousand brothers are currently in the camp. Yesterday I contacted an old member of the army. He is from my hometown and I single-handedly selected him. My confidant, he happens to be on guard outside, and is willing to help me get into the camp. As long as I enter the camp, with my martial arts skills, I will be able to attack the grain and grass."

Tang Qian pondered for a moment and said, "The key is whether your old department is reliable, and will he betray you for wealth?"

"Don't worry, general! I know him very well. His parents died at the hands of the gold man, and his wife was ruined and died by the gold man. Moreover, he is also from Qingshui County, Qinzhou. He came to me because he was desperate. For revenge, he will definitely do his best to help me."

Tang Qian frowned, "With such deep hatred, why did you still join the puppet Qi army instead of joining the Song army?"

"He joined Liu Kai's army, but he couldn't get enough to eat, and he was defeated repeatedly. He was a little discouraged, so he came to me and wanted to have a full bowl of food."

Tang Qian pondered for a long time and said: "According to what you said, the chance can be increased to [-]%, and there is still a great risk, but it is not as good as a tiger's den. I will go with you. The two of us cooperate with each other, and the chance of success is greater." It will be seventy percent."

"I'm determined to die, in order to repay the authorities for not holding me accountable, so the general won't have to go."

Tang Qian patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile: "How can I be promoted to commander if I don't go, and how can I give up the position to you if I don't get promoted to commander? We bear the risk together, and we receive the credit together, how about it?"

Yang Rui was moved and nodded, "Then let's go together!"

Chapter 543 Turning point

Yang Rui's old department and fellow countryman was called Wang Xin, who was young and was a deputy commander. He had 300 people under him, but these 300 people were not Yang Rui's old department, most of them were the puppet Qi army from Luoyang.

Although Wang Xin was a little unhappy that Yang Ruiduo brought one more person, he did not refuse in the end, and incorporated Yang Rui and Tang Qian into his army and became his direct subordinates.