knife

Chapter 213 Crossing the River
In Zhang Quanyi's eyes, this strategically important place in Hedong is now naturally not clean.

There are old and powerful families that have been entrenched here for a hundred years or even longer, such as the Shi family of Fenzhou, the Feng family of Shangdang, the Gou family of Xinzhou, and the Han family of Yizhou. Of course, there was also the Liu family of Jinyang and the Wang family of Taiyuan, but the latter two are no longer around.

Aside from the aristocratic families, there were also those who occupied the mountains and robbed and plundered, like Yang Lixin, and those who were more secretive. They appeared to be law-abiding citizens, living in clans and building fortresses to defend themselves, but in reality, they were bandit leaders in the Hedong region, like Jiang Shu.

Of course, to be a bandit leader, one's martial arts skills must be exceptional.

The most powerful Xuan Yuan Rank 9 expert in Hedong Road is Jiang Shu.

Normally, it's extremely difficult to find fault with someone like this. Sometimes, even if you know the guy isn't honest, if you don't have the chance to crush him, you have to be wary of his subsequent retaliation.

This time it's different.

Previously, he had used the various families of Hedong to his advantage, but this time, he joined He Zudao's side, so the Hedong families would definitely want to kill him as soon as possible.

Things that were impossible before, can now be done.

Jiang Shu and He Zudao are two Xuan Yuan Ninth Rank experts in the city.

But there are four Xuan Yuan Ninth Rank experts gathered here from the major families of Hedong. Is it possible for two against one?

If that doesn't work, then wait until the Taihang army arrives. The experts that the Grand Chancellor has placed there will be enough to crush all the Xuan Yuan Ninth Rank cultivators.

With the thunderous sound of drums, another wave of attack began. Feng Jun, the current head of the Feng family, was still vigorous despite his age. As a former general in the Qin army, he organized and coordinated tens of thousands of troops with ease. Wave after wave, round after round, his own troops took turns fighting, maintaining high pressure on the city while keeping their physical strength and combat effectiveness at their peak.

They're all talented people!
However, when selfishness takes hold, the more outstanding a talent is, the more they become a scourge to the world.

Looking back at the city wall, Zhang Quanyi's only question was why He Zudao's main force had not yet appeared.

Is the plan to let these newly organized armies wear down the allied forces before delivering a fatal blow? Given He Zudao's character, he's absolutely capable of doing it.

Compassion does not command troops!

In the eyes of such a general, soldiers are just numbers, merely tools to achieve his ultimate tactical goals; he doesn't care how many die.

Zhang Quanyi was too lazy to look anymore, so he decided to go back to camp and get a good night's sleep.

Whether he died inside or outside the city, it was a good thing for him.

At night, the spies that the Black Ice Guard had planted in the city would find a way to come out, and then they would know exactly what the situation was like in the city.

I exhausted myself trying to persuade these guys a while ago.

Fortunately, it was successful in the end.

After this battle, Hedong was cleaned up.

Zhang Quanyi returned to his military tent and immediately fell asleep.

He's quite relaxed now, minding his own business.

Inside the city, however, a tense atmosphere had already permeated the entire city.

Yang Lixin was only wearing a pair of underwear, and a doctor was bandaging him with trembling hands.

His injury was quite serious, especially the last arrow. If it had been an inch to the right and slightly higher, it would have hit his heart, and he would have been dead.

"Captain, how long does General He intend for us to hold out in the city?" Yang Lixin asked. "If our elite men pretend to be garrison troops for too long, the enemy will inevitably see through their disguise. Besides, we're fighting with our own loyal men now; if one dies, we'll lose one more."

“A day and a night!” Jiang Shu glanced at the other party and said, “The sun hasn’t set yet, it’s still early! We’ll lure the Hedong coalition here, keep them occupied, and then the General will lead the army outside to launch a fatal attack on them. This is the established strategy.”

“But Feng Jun is like a madman. The battle started this morning and we’ve been fighting ever since, without even a moment to catch our breath. Captain, if they don’t stop tonight, how long will it last?” Yang Lixin stood up, looked at the bandaged wounds, nodded in satisfaction, and gave the doctor a thumbs-up. “Go on, take good care of our wounded. I guarantee your family will not only be safe, but also enjoy wealth and honor.”

The doctor nodded repeatedly, trembling, then turned and ran out as if his life depended on it.

The number of people who died in Taiyuan was no less than that in Jinyang.

However, He Zudao did not kill indiscriminately. Those who had a skill or expertise were spared from death.

Craftsmen are always invaluable highly skilled professionals, regardless of the era.

Doctors, in particular, who can cure diseases and save lives, need to be given special protection.

"Can you still fight?" Jiang Shu reached out and pressed on Yang Lixin's wound.

Yang Lixin winced in pain, but gritted his teeth and laughed, "Captain, we outlaws, as long as we have a breath left, we can still fight!" "Alright, then go get a good night's sleep. Feng Jun will be even crazier in the second half of the night!" Jiang Shu said. "As long as we hold out until dawn, it will be their end. After annihilating these bastards, Hedong will be ours. At that time, you will no longer be the mountain king, and I will no longer be the bandit leader. We will be the masters of Hedong, and we will take everything we want from Hedong. Moreover, by seizing their property, we can organize more troops, train more skilled fighters, and then march south. Don't you want to go to Chang'an and see where the emperor lives?"

"Of course I want to!" Yang Lixin chuckled. "I also want to sleep with the emperor's woman."

Jiang Shu laughed loudly: "Look at your pathetic self! When that time comes, you can have as many princesses as you want."

In Taiyuan, only a small number of He Zudao's elite garrison troops remained, commanding these hastily assembled soldiers to guard the city walls.

In open field battles, these men would most likely have been routed by the Hedong Allied Army. Regular warfare is completely different from brawling and fighting. But with the formidable walls of Taiyuan as their support, things were quite different. With the Southern Garrison in charge at crucial moments, these tens of thousands of makeshift troops managed to withstand the Hedong Allied Army's relentless attacks for an entire day.

Zhang Quanyi was awakened by the stirring sound of war drums.

Stepping out of the tent, it was as bright as day.

On and around the city walls, countless torches, lanterns, and bonfires blazed fiercely as the Hedong Allied Army, with the Han family of Yizhou who had rested for most of the day, launched another fierce attack.

"General!" A shout came from afar. Zhang Quanyi beckoned to the people who were hurrying towards him, then turned and went into the tent.

"What did you say? He Zudao isn't in the city at all? And the Southern Garrison isn't here either?" Zhang Quanyi stood up abruptly.

"They're not here!" said the Black Ice Guard spy who had just emerged from the city. "The garrison troops inside the city are all disguised as bandits. The city has been under the strictest lockdown for the past ten days. If it weren't for the intense fighting today, we still wouldn't be able to get out."

"He Zudao isn't in the city, so where is he?" Zhang Quanyi paced back and forth inside the tent, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

The spy whispered, "General, could it be that He Zudao is secretly watching us, preparing to deliver a fatal blow while we are in the midst of our siege?"

"If that's the case, then that's good!" Zhang Quanyi murmured. "That means He Zudao is still part of our plan. I was afraid that guy had caught wind of it. Those people in the city were just pawns he threw out to lure us in. He himself had already run away!"

The spy's expression was one of surprise and uncertainty: "Should we report this intelligence to General Feng and the others?"

"Of course not!" Zhang Quanyi suddenly stopped, his face gradually turning ferocious. "Don't forget, they are also targets we need to eliminate. The more Jiang Shu and Yang Lixin we can take down in the city, the easier it will be when our main army arrives!"

"But if He Zudao can't come, then this plan can only be considered a failure!"

"Killing these people from Hedong is half the battle won!" Zhang Quanyi clenched his fist. "With He Zudao gone from Hedong, and given his current strength and reputation, he can only be a bandit wherever he goes, greatly reducing his threat. Moreover, even if we deal with these people from Hedong, we can still say it was He Zudao who did it."

The spy nodded: "That's all we can do! Hopefully He Zudao hasn't gone far and will attack our army at dawn, so that he'll fall right into our trap."

"hope so!"

On the riverbank, countless soldiers sat on the ground. This place was not far from Taiyuan City, only fifty li away, but the terrain was very clever. It was hard to find that so many troops were hidden here unless you got close.

He Zudao chose this place as his starting point for plotting his move.

If there is real danger, cross the river immediately.

There is no danger; it's just my own needless worry. If we launch an attack on Taiyuan City from here, it will only take half a day.

If Jiang Shu and his men hold out for another half a day, there shouldn't be any major problems, except that more people will die.

But those that survive will inevitably be the strongest.

The quality of an army is more important than its quantity.

He Zudao was unwilling to have any burdens in his army.

The sound of rapid hoofbeats came from afar. He Zudao stood up and looked in the direction from which the sound came.

Although he appeared confident and in complete control on the surface, he was actually extremely anxious inside.

The unanswered questions burned like a fire in my heart.

"General, a large force of imperial troops has been spotted in the Taihang Mountains. They are advancing towards Taiyuan in three routes, numbering at least 20,000 to 30,000!"

He Zudao looked up at the sky and took a deep breath.

Sure enough!

Damn you, Kou Zhong and Wei Zhengdao, I will tear you apart!

"Order the entire army to cross the river!"

(End of this chapter)