Chapter 541 The lowering flags leave the city

Chapter 541 The lowering flags leave the city

On the battlefield, drums and horns sounded one after another, and the teams responsible for attacking the city advanced and retreated in an orderly manner, continuously launching attacks around the tall Fancheng.

Since all the field forces in Fan City had been lost, the attacking front advanced directly to a position very close to the city. They piled soil into ridges and set up several arrow towers to shoot at the enemy at the top of the city. Attack each other.

Although the Jingzhou heroes were not very obedient at the beginning of the war, and even wanted to withdraw their troops when the battle with the former division was unfavorable, when they actually arrived at the front line, they still showed the advantage of local snakes, and proposed based on their rich experience in fighting the southerners. Many practical and effective methods of siege.

Li Tai's well-armed elite troops were responsible for attacking the city itself, while the powerful tribes were responsible for pushing the front forward.

These local soldiers in Jingzhou may not necessarily have high combat effectiveness, but they are hardworking and extremely efficient. They can build a front with a complete structure of trenches and ridges within an hour.

Although the southerners' field combat ability is not high, it is mainly due to the lack of mobility. The attack power and hand-to-hand combat of their own bows and crossbows are actually not much inferior to those of the northerners, so protection on the battlefield is also very important.

Without these front line fortifications quickly built by Jingzhou soldiers, the attack on Fancheng would not have gone too smoothly. Siege soldiers can rely on these fortifications to rest and recuperate, and launch attacks on the city from a shorter distance.

Seeing that the battle line is getting closer and closer, the defenders in the city are also extremely anxious. There is no shortage of soldiers asking for battle. They hope to take advantage of the enemy's relaxation to recruit warriors to come out of the city to attack, push the enemy back outwards and seize the closer and closer. battle front.

But Liu Fanggui ignored such a request. Ever since he saw the hundreds of cavalry being slaughtered by the enemy outside the city, he completely gave up on going out to fight the enemy and just wanted to hold on to the city.

Compared with the enemy troops that were getting closer and closer, it was the personnel news sent back from Xiangyang City that really made Liu Fanggui feel desperate.

He originally thought that telling Xiangyang the news that the enemy troops had previously entered the city would make King Yueyang pay more attention to Fancheng's line of defense and increase personnel investment here. However, he did not expect that instead of making King Yueyang pay attention to this matter, it would actually have a great impact on him. Give him a scolding. Although the scale of the navy patrolling the river was strengthened, it still diverted many boats parked on the north bank of the Han River, forcing him to sink the boat and fight with all his might.

Although Liu Fanggui was extremely angry, he did not dare to reveal anything unusual. The defenders in the city were already under great pressure, and his family members who stayed in Xiangyang had already been placed under house arrest by King Yueyang.

At this time, on the Fancheng battlefield, Liu Fanggui was not the only one who was anxious. As the offensive coach and his advantage was becoming more and more obvious, Li Tai was also feeling melancholy.

Li Tai finished reading the letter calmly, but his heart was in a state of upheaval. He really didn't expect that his father, who had always been mentioned in his mouth, would learn of his whereabouts in this way.

He was silent for a while before he calmed down the surging thoughts in his mind. Then he lowered his eyes to Cai Dabao, the messenger from Xiangyang, and said in a deep voice: "My father had a difficult life and wandered around the world. He died as a man but did not hear the news. I should rush forward. But now that the two countries are at war, I dare not be foolish, filial, and stupid, and believe the enemy's words and ignore the life and death of the soldiers.

If this matter is true, Cai Shenjun should be treated as a distinguished guest. However, it is difficult to distinguish the truth from the false, so I am sorry for the rudeness. Please forgive Cai Shenjun. I need to send my close relatives and family members across the river to verify it before we can talk about the rest. At present, the position is in chaos, and it is not enough to discuss the matter. Please let Cai Canjun stay here for the time being, while my family will cross the river with your family. "

In fact, before they crossed the river to meet each other, Cai Dabao was also a little worried. After all, according to Li Renlue, their father and son had only been separated for a few years. How could his son, a mere weakling, become the general of Fang Mu in the Western Dynasty in such a short period of time? ?

But when he saw Li Tai, he calmed down again. When he first met Li Renlue, he noticed his outstanding appearance and majestic appearance, so he became close friends with him because of his elegant demeanor. Now when he met Li Renlue again, the facial features of father and son were somewhat similar, and Li Tai was probably more distinguished from him because of his youthful ambition and dominance. It can be said that my father is better than his predecessor.

Hearing Li Tai's prudent plan, Cai Dabao nodded and said: "It should be so, what is the meaning of forgiveness? Although Governor Li is a human being, he is also the leader of all armies. Only by prudent planning can he live up to his father and his father." Negative soldiers."

Li Tai secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that Cai Dabao was still considerate and had no intention of threatening him.

Of course he hoped that his father could return safely without being frightened and without any setbacks, but the other party chose to inform this matter at this moment of hostilities. It is conceivable that the purpose was not simple. So in addition to joy, my heart is also full of vigilance at this moment.

He did not ask in detail about his father's experience and situation in Xiangyang, nor did he intend to discuss relevant matters with Cai Dabao right now. He directly summoned Li Quji, and led several of his soldiers to immediately go to the other side with Cai Dabao's entourage to verify the truth. After that, he ordered Cai Dabao to be placed in the garrison of Xiazuo, and he himself went to watch the battle front line.

At this time, on the east side of Fancheng, a round of siege warfare had just ended, and the soldiers dragged the damaged ladder back to take a rest.

Li Tai summoned the generals on the front line and immediately asked: "Can we make a big breakthrough in the siege of the city today? Even if we cannot capture the city, can we destroy a section of the city wall or capture a gate?"

No matter what the other party wants to achieve by using his father as a bargaining chip, there must be a truce between the two sides. But the truce is not the best at the moment. He led his people to the south with great momentum, but ended up just rubbing around outside Fancheng. How can he achieve the effect of establishing prestige?

So he hopes that both sides can make a breakthrough before the truce, and don't let this war end up in a whimper.

As for whether strengthening the offensive will make the other party angry and then disadvantageous to his father, Li Tai thinks it shouldn't.

First of all, the other party chose to inform him of the news at this moment, which itself carries a meaning of showing goodwill and seeking peace. Perhaps it is because his previous provocation just hit the core contradiction within the enemy, forcing the Yueyang King Xiao Zha not to be tough on the outside anymore.

Secondly, Xiao Zhao might not dare to harm his father, because the real target of his army was Xiao Fan, the King of Poyang, who had led the army to attack. If Xiao Zhao dared to harm his father, it would be like taking the blame for Xiao Fan and welding it directly to himself, and the two would definitely fight to the death.

Finally, the value of his father in Xiao Zhao's eyes was also determined by how much threat he could pose to Xiangyang. If he could not bring any shock to the situation in Xiangyang, then his father's significance to Xiao Zhao would also be greatly reduced.

Although the generals did not know what had happened, seeing Li Tai's serious expression, they all nodded and said that they would fight bravely and make a breakthrough on this day.

Because they had to prepare a more fierce offensive, the soldiers on the front line withdrew to the camp one after another, preparing to make a fire, cook and have a full meal to conserve their energy.

However, at this time, the scouts patrolling along the Han River in the west rushed to report that a large-scale naval fleet appeared in the river upstream of the Han River, and it seemed to be rushing to Xiangfan.

Li Tai frowned again after learning about this. This naval force must be the power of his brothers upstream mentioned by Du Youan. He did not agree to Du Youan's strategy of jointly attacking Fancheng and taking the opportunity to drive away Xiao Zhao, so this naval force was obviously not coming to cooperate with his military operations. As for whether it brought the ransom requested by Li Tai, it is impossible to confirm. I think it should not be, after all, he turned around and sold the Du family.

If it weren't for his father's incident, Li Tai could deal with it calmly even if the enemy reinforced. But now there is another local army, which undoubtedly makes the battle situation in Fancheng more complicated. There was not much hope in the first place, and it may be even more difficult to capture Fancheng now.

Li Tai was still pondering, and tall ship masts had appeared on the surface of the Han River within his sight.

Looking at the fleet that gradually revealed its full picture, Li Tai sighed that Du Youan's words were indeed true. This fleet alone looked difficult to deal with. The Jingzhao Du family was indeed powerful in the Han River. At the same time, he looked back at the top of Fancheng City, but found that the defenders did not raise their arms and cheer for the arrival of reinforcements.

He was moved and raised his hand to order: "Sound the gong to withdraw the troops, and all the soldiers will return to the camp quickly!"

The troops who were withdrawn before were only the elite troops of the main attack. There were still many powerful troops active in the battlefield outside the city to repair fortifications. When they heard the gong sound, these teams also withdrew from the front line and returned to the camp in the rear.

On the top of Fancheng City, Liu Fanggui watched the enemy troops outside the city return to the camp one after another, leaving behind a devastated plain, but there was no joy on his face. When he turned to look at the river in the west, his anger was revealed and he could hardly hold it back.

Finally, he walked along the top of the city wall to the water gate, and saw that the Xiangyang patrol navy and the Du family fleet downstream from the west were about to meet, and their respective flags announced that the Fancheng water barrier would be opened to allow the navy to dock. He suddenly sneered loudly, and his face became twisted and hideous because of this long laugh.

"The state lord is unkind, and the clan thieves are unjust. Who should we defend and fight for?"

Liu Fanggui pulled off the cage crown on his head, and his hair suddenly fell down. He immediately drew his knife and cut his shirt, shouting loudly: "Hang the surrender flag! Since this place cannot accommodate us, we should find another way to survive for our sons!"

When they saw the surrender flag raised on the top of Fancheng and the city gate slowly opened, the Jingzhou troops who had withdrawn to the camp were all in an uproar. They really couldn't understand why the reinforcements had arrived and the defenders had to surrender!

Not to mention these soldiers, Li Tai was also a little stunned after seeing this scene. He had such expectations, and his dream was achieved so calmly. This inevitably gave him a deeper understanding of the so-called chaotic times. What was chaotic was not only the situation, but also the human heart.