Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Chapter 320 Ximen Hall's Battle Strategy - An Impregnable Wall!
Dong Chuan took the lead and led his army in hot pursuit.

Seeing how easily the Daqian army was defeated, he naturally became excited and shouted for battle.

For a while,
The rebels were in high spirits and relentlessly pursued the Daqian army.

Everyone is willing to kick a dog when it's down.

On the battlefield, when things are going well, casualties are usually small, but the gains are great.

Therefore,
The rebels naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity to gain military merit.

but,

Fortunately, under Guo Feng's leadership, the Daqian army retreated in an organized manner and did not fall apart.

Therefore,
They looked disheveled, but because they retreated early, they were not caught by the rebels.

Although the rebels held on tightly, they were unable to launch an attack.

The rebels pursued them relentlessly all the way to Yunxi City.

call--!
Guo Feng led his army into Yunxi City and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Defend the city!

If the rebels were to attack the city at this point, everyone would have no way out but to fight to the death.

In this way, the combat power will more than double.

Lin Rui and Meng Ying led their troops and quickly entered Yunxi City.

After the city gates closed,
Guo Feng led all his generals to prepare for battle in the defensive fortifications.

Dong Chuan led his army all the way to the outskirts of Yunxi City, only to find that the Daqian army had already entered the city.

Although the city walls of Yunxi City look very simple.

but,

At this point, the Daqian army's situation was completely different after entering Yunxi City.

The dark, gaping cannon muzzles on the city wall exude an indescribable sense of awe.

Dong Chuan observed for a moment from a distance using binoculars.

He hesitated for a moment, then did not attack the city, but instead led his army to retreat ten miles away and set up camp.

Next,
He sent people back to Tongshan County to mobilize troops and transport artillery shells and Japanese field guns!
He had only brought a few artillery pieces with him during the forced march to meet the enemy.

He postponed the attack on the city until all the Japanese field guns and shells were in place before preparing to attack Yunxi City.

call--!
Seeing the rebels retreat, they did not launch an attack on Yunxi City.

Generals Guo Feng, Lin Rui, and Meng Ying all breathed a sigh of relief.

A moment later, Guo Feng arranged for people to take stock of the battle losses.

Fortunately, the retreat was swift. Although they were in a sorry state just now, the casualties were only a little over 5,000.

Most of them were Zheng Bing's light cavalry.

Next,
Guo Feng convened a meeting of all his generals to discuss how to deal with the rebels' attack.
The entire council chamber was completely silent.

Everyone looked up at each other, and the atmosphere was somber.

It was only at this point that Guo Feng and others realized they had seemingly overestimated their own fighting capabilities.

Before the troops were dispatched from Ezhou, everyone was full of confidence and wanted nothing more than to crush all the rebels in Tongshan County.

but,

They've only just made contact with the rebels and they've already been utterly routed.

What should we do now?
Should we retreat back to Ezhou, or continue to defend Yunxi City?
The walls of Yunxi City are dilapidated. Even with the Krupp infantry cannons for defense, they certainly cannot withstand Dong Chuan's army.

Although Dong Chuan led the rebel army to garrison ten miles away and did not attack the city for the time being.

but,

Perhaps tomorrow morning, Dong Chuan will launch a full-scale attack on Yunxi City.

Guo Feng felt extremely bitter. He could sense that all his men were afraid of the rebels and their morale was very low.

Once the rebels launch their attack on the city.

Therefore, all the soldiers stationed in Yunxi City would likely abandon the city and flee.

That's right,

If the city gates of Yunxi City are breached by enemy artillery, the morale of the army will be thrown into chaos.

Today's rout has already proven this point; all the soldiers are terrified of the rebels.

Lin Rui and Meng Ying were so frustrated they felt like they were about to vomit blood.

Originally, they followed Ximentang in Xianning Prefecture. After each battle, they would clean up the battlefield and earn a lot of military merits.

The key point is that there is absolutely no risk involved.

The main fighting force was Ximentang.

But now, with Li Qiong's transfer order, they have been brought under Guo Feng's command.

This is a huge problem!

Not only would they not gain any military merits, but they would also have to face attacks from the rebels.

If things go wrong, his entire army could be wiped out.

At this time.

Meng Ying took a deep breath and said:
"General, it's definitely not possible to go back to Ezhou now; we won't be able to explain this to General Li Qiong."

"How about we retreat back to Xianning City?"

Xianning City has a strong and well-equipped Ximentang garrison.

Meng Ying and Lin Rui both felt that no matter how strong Dong Chuan's rebel army was, they would definitely not gain any advantage under Ximentang's cannons.

Therefore,
Given the current situation, retreating to Xianning is the best option.

"but--!"

Deep down, Guo Feng didn't want to return to Xianning.

He was hurt by Chen Jie's words "get lost".

He doesn't know how to face Chen Jie if he goes back to Xianning now.

Just as he was hesitating, someone came in to report that Chen Jie had delivered a letter to General Guo Feng.

"Send me a letter? What does that mean?"

Guo Feng frowned slightly upon hearing this.

Is it because they heard I'd lost a battle and want to humiliate me?

The attendant handed the letter to Guo Feng.

Next,
Guo Feng unfolded the letter, his gaze becoming intriguing.

Chen Jie seemed to have anticipated his defeat.

In the letter, Chen Jie demanded that Guo Feng lead a large army to Xianning Prefecture immediately.

Ximentang will plan a location behind Xianning Prefecture for the Daqian army to station.

After Guo Feng finished reading the letter, he showed it to Lin Rui, Meng Ying, and the other generals under his command.

A few minutes later, everyone looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

Guo Feng took a deep breath and said to his generals:
"What are everyone's opinions? Should we go to Xianning Prefecture, stay in Yunxi City, or go straight back to Ezhou?"

Guo Feng himself was undecided.

Lin Rui thought for a moment, then said in a deep voice:
"General, since Ximen Tang has invited us to Xianning Prefecture, I think that returning to Xianning Prefecture is the wisest choice for us in the coming days!"

Meng Ying, who was standing next to him, nodded in agreement:

"That's right, Ximen Tang currently only has 10,000 troops stationed in Xianning Prefecture!"

“We still have more than 70,000 men left. Ximentang must need us, which is why they invited us to jointly defend Xianning Prefecture.”

"Dong Chuan's rebel army numbers 100,000, and their fighting strength should not be underestimated!"

Upon hearing this, Guo Feng lowered his head and fell silent.

He knew perfectly well that Meng Ying was saying this on purpose, purely to save face for him.

With just over ten thousand men, Ximentang easily captured Xianning Prefecture and routed Sun Zhong's 80,000-strong army.

They defended the city and didn't need to use their tens of thousands of troops at all.

Should I go or not?
Guo Feng recalled how he had belittled Ximen Tang to the point of worthlessness in front of Li Qiong.

In order to claim credit, he even took the initiative to step forward and lead his troops to attack Tongshan County.

Now look what happened, they suffered a defeat and slunk back to Xianning Prefecture.

Where can I put my own face?

After this great battle, upon returning to Ezhou, General Li Qiong would certainly not let him off so easily.

I will definitely have to take responsibility for this defeat.

but,

Since Chen Jie had invited him to temporarily station himself in the rear of Xianning Prefecture, he thought of Chen Jie's invitation.

Then,

Next, Dong Chuan's rebel army attacked Xianning Prefecture, and Ximentang will become the main force to resist Dong Chuan's rebel army.

Regardless of the final outcome of this great battle, the responsibility will fall on Simon.

Even if we win the battle, I will still gain some merit because I am stationed in the Xianning Prefecture area, even though I did not participate in the war.

After thinking about it,

Guo Feng felt that leading his army to Xianning Prefecture was the wisest choice.

Even if they lose, they will eventually retreat back to Ezhou.

General Li Qiong didn't have much to say; the responsibility for the final defeat would definitely fall on Ximentang.

After making up my mind.

Guo Feng nodded, took a deep breath, and said:
"Alright! Let's set off immediately for Xianning Prefecture!"

"Since the Governor has invited us back, he must need our support!"

-

"Quickly! Increase the marching speed!"

Guo Feng, riding his warhorse, kept urging the army to leave Yunxi City.

He was getting anxious, and cold sweat kept pouring down his forehead.

He never expected that Dong Chuan would attack Yunxi City so quickly.

Fortunately, he did not linger in Yunxi City, nor did he intend to spend the night there.

otherwise,

If I had been half an hour later, I wouldn't have been able to leave.

He led his army out of Yunxi City and headed straight for Xianning Prefecture.

These rebels don't know what happened; they've already abandoned Yunxi City.

What do they want?

Is the relentless pursuit of him a deliberate attempt to annihilate all of his subordinates?
If you're so powerful, why don't you attack Xianning Prefecture?
Guo Feng rode his fast horse and was the first to retreat.

He observed the direction of Xianning Prefecture through his binoculars, feeling very uneasy.

Didn't Ximentang say that he had arranged for his troops to be stationed behind Xianning Prefecture?
Why isn't anyone here to meet us?

at this time,

Several scouts in camouflage uniforms emerged from the direction of Xianning Prefecture.

They rode their warhorses up to Guo Feng, clasped their hands in greeting, and said:

"General Guo, our young master has instructed that Ximen Hall has prepared a camp for you to encamp in the rear of Xianning Prefecture!"

"Please lead your troops to leave the front of Xianning Prefecture immediately, and leave from the side. Do not enter the defensive fortification area of ​​Xianning Prefecture."

"The rebels will arrive in Xianning Prefecture within half an hour. The rest of the battle will be left to our Ximen Hall!"

Upon hearing this, Guo Feng immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that Ximentang already has a plan to deal with the enemy.

He didn't say anything more, urging everyone to leave from the side of Xianning Prefecture and enter the rear camp of Xianning Prefecture.

On the way,
Guo Feng observed for a moment with his telescope and saw that Ximentang had set up a lot of defensive fortifications in the front direction of Xianning Prefecture.

Three miles from Xianning City, a trench was dug every hundred meters.

The trench is three meters wide and two meters deep.

Above the trench was a mud wall more than a meter high, made of sandbags.

In front of the trench, many horse-drawn carriages were erected, restricting the charge of the warhorses.

What surprised Guo Feng the most was that there were no defensive fortifications at all in the middle of the passage.

Many heavy machine guns were mounted on the city walls of Xianning Prefecture.

Guo Feng couldn't count the exact number, but he felt that heavy machine guns had been set up on the flanks and main gate of the city wall.

in addition,

Inside the city walls, rows of dark cannon muzzles pointed upwards, unlike any cannons Guo Feng had ever seen.

but,

The dense array of cannon muzzles looks very intimidating, but I wonder how powerful they are?

The entire defensive fortification shows that within a few kilometers of Xianning Prefecture, only a zigzag road remained.

Other areas seem difficult to traverse.

What kind of defensive formation is this?
Guo Feng put down his binoculars, feeling somewhat puzzled.

He didn't understand the purpose of the defensive fortifications that Ximentang had built in Xianning Prefecture.

quickly,

He led his troops from the side of Xianning Prefecture into the encampment area.

He saw Chen Jie leading the elite of Ximen Hall, standing not far away, calmly watching his arrival.

(End of this chapter)