My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

On the battlefield outside the city, the Liao army continued to blindly pile up its forces using human wave tactics, attempting to overwhelm the Han army with its numerical superiority. However, every step forward came at the cost of heavy casualties.

Meanwhile, at the north gate of the city, the Han soldiers, taking advantage of the terrain, put up a difficult resistance and desperately delayed the enemy. Even as their defensive line was constantly being compressed, not a single soldier retreated.

Su Pi lived up to his reputation, possessing considerable military talent. Upon seeing the situation, he immediately adjusted his deployment and once again commanded the Liao army to launch wave after wave of fierce attacks, each one more intense than the last.

Although the Han soldiers fought hard, they could not withstand the overwhelming human wave attack of the Liao army. Their defensive line continued to shrink, and casualties gradually increased.

Meanwhile, the fighting inside the south gate continued unabated.

Deng Ai and Wei Yan took the lead, brandishing their weapons and fighting fiercely in the battle. Their bodies were covered in the blood of the enemy, but their eyes remained sharp as knives, showing no fear whatsoever.

Ma Su, seated on the city tower, calmly directed the heavy cavalry to launch a charge. The heavy cavalry was unstoppable, and the Liao soldiers had no way to resist them, only able to flee in disarray, utterly powerless to fight back.

Thus, the battlefield inside the South Gate became a difficult tug-of-war, with both sides exchanging blows and suffering casualties. Neither side could completely suppress the other, and the battle was difficult to break in the short term.

The most surprising thing in this battle was the surprise attack by the private army.

They were agile and swift, like ghosts, always able to launch surprise attacks in places the Liao army did not expect, and would retreat after the attack, never lingering in battle.

This flexible guerrilla tactic caught the Liao soldiers off guard, making them uneasy and causing their morale to gradually decline.

As time went on, the Liao soldiers suffered increasing casualties and their numbers gradually decreased under the dual attack of the Han army and the private army. Their original numerical advantage was slowly being worn down.

Song Qi, standing at the front lines, grew increasingly anxious as he watched the stalemate in the battle.

With the Han army's defenses proving difficult to breach and private troops constantly harassing the city, quickly capturing Fangcheng has become his biggest challenge.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, his eyes quickly scanning the battlefield as he carefully analyzed the current situation and pondered a way to break the deadlock.

He knew that in order to concentrate his forces to break through the Han army's defenses, he had to first deal with the harassment from private troops so that his soldiers could fight with peace of mind.

After a moment's thought, Song Qi made a decisive decision and issued a stern order:
"Soldiers on both sides, immediately divide your forces and quickly wipe out the harassing private army to clear the way for your retreat!"

His voice was loud and clear, penetrating the noise of the battlefield and reaching not only the Liao soldiers but also the private army not far away.

The private army soldiers were well-versed in guerrilla warfare. Upon hearing the order, they did not hesitate at all and immediately scattered and retreated, quickly hiding in the surrounding streets and woods, disappearing without a trace.

The Liao soldiers who rushed out ultimately found nothing, not even a shadow of the private army, and could only return disappointed.

Seeing this, Song Qi's expression turned even more grim, and his brows furrowed.

This troop mobilization not only wasted precious time and failed to kill a single private soldier, but also further dampened the morale of the Liao army.

Song Qi was furious, his fists clenched, and his eyes filled with hostility.

But just then, a cold arrow suddenly shot out from the shadows, hurtling toward his chest.

Those were arrows left behind by a private army.
Song Qi's heart tightened suddenly. Before he could think it through, his body instinctively lurched to the side.

A cold glint flashed through the air as an arrow grazed his shoulder armor and pierced the neck of his warhorse.

The warhorse let out a long, mournful neigh, its front hooves buckled to the ground, and its massive body slammed heavily onto the earth. Song Qi couldn't regain his balance in time and was thrown off balance by the momentum, crashing heavily onto the road.

He gritted his teeth and pushed himself up from the ground. His helmet slipped off, his hair was disheveled, and his eyes were filled with raging anger, which was about to burst out of his chest.

"Men! Kill these private soldiers!"

He roared fiercely:
"Kill these cowardly scoundrels, leave no one alive!"

Hearing their commander's roar, the Liao soldiers, who had paused briefly, charged out again with a roar.

But they forgot that Fangcheng was the home ground of private armies. These private armies, raised by wealthy merchants, had grown up in this city and knew every alley and every corner inside the city like the back of their hand, even better than their own palms.

The private soldiers were agile and nimble, using the houses as cover to move nimbly through the streets and alleys, as elusive as ghosts, sometimes hiding in corners, sometimes flashing into narrow alleys, and disappearing in an instant.

The Liao soldiers were exhausted from running around searching and chasing after the private army, but they couldn't even touch the hem of the private army's clothes, let alone kill a single one.

Seeing the disheveled state of his soldiers, Song Qi's anger intensified, and he let out another roar that shook the streets.

All of this was clearly seen by Ma Su on the city wall. He stood with his hands behind his back, his smile growing even brighter.

Ma Su looked up at the battle scene outside the city, his gaze sweeping over the corpses of Liao soldiers scattered all over the ground, and a deeper smile appeared on his lips.

At this moment, the open ground outside the city was already littered with corpses. The Liao army had paid a heavy price, but they still failed to break through the city gates of Fangcheng, and could not even touch a corner of the city wall.

He knew in his heart that as time went by, the Liao army, having failed to break through the defenses, would eventually run out of supplies and be exhausted, and the outcome of the battle was already becoming clear.

Song Qi repeatedly ordered the pursuit and killing of the private army, but to no avail. Little did he know that these seemingly scattered private armies were the key to the outcome of the battle.

The existence of private armies put the Liao army in a dilemma:
On one hand, they had to face the fierce defense of the Han army on the city wall head-on and fight a bloody battle.

On the other hand, they also had to be constantly on guard against the private army hidden in the shadows, fearing that a hidden arrow would suddenly be shot from a corner, or that they would be killed by the private army that suddenly rushed out. Their minds were always in a state of high tension.

What troubled the Liao army even more was that the private army's tactics were flexible, including close-quarters combat with short blades that could kill with every move, as well as long-range archery that was precise and ruthless, posing a deadly threat to Liao soldiers at any time and place.

Over time, the Liao soldiers became increasingly fearful and panicked. Even during rest, they dared not relax for a moment, fearing that they would be the next to fall.

Seeing the low morale and fearful demeanor of his soldiers, Song Qi finally calmed down a bit.

A moment later, a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. He suddenly waved his hand and ordered his many elite cavalrymen to gallop in all directions within the city.

Upon seeing this scene, Ma Su's smile froze instantly, his heart sank inexplicably, and a bad premonition arose within him.

But he knew in his heart that the number of Han soldiers was limited, and they were already stretched thin guarding the city walls. They could not make any rash moves and could only watch helplessly as the Liao cavalry surged into the streets of the city like a tide, unable to stop them.

The Liao cavalry were all highly skilled horsemen, extremely fast, and moved through the streets as if on flat ground. Their goal was clear: to completely wipe out the private army.

The cavalry was indeed far faster than the private army fighting on foot. Those private soldiers who were slower and failed to hide in time were trampled into mincemeat by the galloping hooves, and screams of agony rose and fell.

Fortunately, the narrow and winding paths within the city were like a maze, allowing many private soldiers to cleverly evade the cavalry's search and escape with their lives.

Nevertheless, the private army's offensive was completely contained, and they could no longer harass the Liao army as flexibly as before.

Immediately afterwards, Song Qi dispatched a large number of Liao infantrymen to patrol and search the streets and alleys of the city, completely blocking the private army's activity range and minimizing the chances of the private army appearing.

He knew that although doing so would reduce the number of troops attacking from the front and weaken the momentum of the siege, it was better than letting the entire army fall into endless panic and be gradually worn down by the private army.

These roaming Liao soldiers were primarily tasked with searching for and killing private armies. They not only searched the streets thoroughly, leaving no corner unchecked, but also climbed onto rooftops to carefully examine every possible hiding place for private armies.

Under such a thorough search, the number of assassinations within the city gradually decreased, and the harassment from private armies also became increasingly weak.

With the threat of the private army eliminated, the Liao soldiers finally felt relieved, and their long-suppressed morale exploded, unleashing an unprecedented offensive momentum as they charged towards the city walls.

Caught off guard, the Han soldiers on the city wall gradually found it difficult to withstand the sudden and fierce attack from the Liao army. Their defensive line involuntarily retreated slightly, and the situation instantly became dire.

Upon seeing this scene, Ma Su and Fei Yi on the city tower frowned deeply, their expressions growing increasingly grave.

Now that the private army has been contained and can no longer restrain the Liao army's offensive, the Han army has fallen into a passive position. The two men had no time to think and gathered together again to urgently discuss countermeasures to resist the Liao army's attack, trying to reverse the current unfavorable situation.

Before long, news of the Liao army's search and killing of private soldiers reached the fourth floor of the Da Liao Ward.

A soldier rushed in and reported:

"Reporting to the Grand Marshal, the Liao army first dispatched a large number of cavalry to hunt down private soldiers in the city's streets and alleys, completely clearing out the main streets."

"Then, infantrymen were dispatched to guard the streets and alleys, and they carefully wiped out the private soldiers hiding on the rooftops. Now, the private soldiers can no longer cause panic among the Liao army, and even their hidden arrows cannot be fired smoothly. They have lost their ability to harass."

Upon hearing the news relayed by the soldiers, the wealthy merchants present fell into a deathly silence, their faces grave and speechless.

Their private army was a force they funded at great expense, and it was their only means of self-preservation in the chaotic world. It was no exaggeration to say that it was the apple of their eye.

If they had a choice, they would never let these private soldiers die in vain, but now that the war situation is critical, they have no other choice.

They knew in their hearts that most of their private army consisted of civilians recruited temporarily, without professional military training, and their combat effectiveness was limited. They were only good at dealing with small groups of bandits on ordinary days.

However, when faced with well-trained regular soldiers like the Liao army, they had no chance to fight back and were doomed to die.

The thought of their private army possibly being wiped out filled the wealthy merchants with unbearable sorrow, and their eyes all turned to Xiao He.

After listening to the soldiers' report, Xiao He frowned, slowly closed his eyes, and fell into deep thought.

Xiao He also clearly felt the gazes cast upon him by all the wealthy businessmen present.

He stood silently with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed, his mind racing as he searched for a way to break the deadlock.

They could not allow the private army to be wiped out in vain, thus betraying the trust of the wealthy merchants, but they also had to defend the city and contain the Liao army's offensive.

A moment later, Xiao He slowly opened his eyes, the confusion in them fading, and spoke in a deep voice:
"Then abolish the order for harassment by hidden arrows and let the private troops do as they please. There is no need for a direct confrontation. As long as they can protect their own lives, they can create as much panic as possible in the Liao army."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers below immediately bowed and obeyed the order, loudly replying, "This humble general obeys the order."

Upon hearing this order, the tense nerves of the wealthy businessmen present instantly relaxed, and they all breathed a sigh of relief, their solemnity and worry dissipating considerably.

They knew perfectly well that their private army consisted mostly of untrained civilians. If they were to confront the well-equipped and well-trained Liao army head-on, it would be like throwing an egg against a rock; they would be doomed and have no chance of winning.

Xiao He's words, "Feel free to do as you please," acted as a reassurance, completely putting the minds of the wealthy businessmen at ease.

They understood that this meant the private army's fighting style had completely changed; they no longer needed to fight to the death or directly confront the Liao army's strength.

At the same time, the private army's objective became simple and pure. There was no need to kill many Liao soldiers; all that was needed was to harass them from the shadows, create panic, and disrupt their deployment.

This put the wealthy businessmen at ease.

After all, when they usually give tasks to their private armies, they are used to only specifying the objectives and letting the private armies do as they please.

This is the kind of combat that private armies excel at. They don't need rigid commands; they rely on their familiarity with the city's streets and alleys to be flexible, mobile, and able to achieve surprise victories.

The wealthy businessmen exchanged glances, their eyes filled with satisfaction.

At this time, the main force of the Liao army outside the city was still frantically besieging the Han army at the city gate. The Han soldiers, under the cover of the city wall, fought hard and held the city gate, preventing the Liao army from advancing an inch.

Meanwhile, the private army within the city, after receiving Xiao He's orders, completely shed their restraints and no longer deliberately concealed their attacks. Instead, they unleashed their full potential, flexibly carrying out harassment attacks according to their usual rhythm.

The private army, already as agile as ghosts, became even more nimble and agile without the constraints of orders, moving swiftly through streets and rooftops, their movements unpredictable.

Instead of fighting head-on, they launched a surprise attack on the Liao army when they were unprepared. After succeeding, they immediately withdrew, giving the Liao army no chance to react. Their combat effectiveness increased significantly compared to before.

As the private army exerted its full strength, the death toll of the Liao army began to surge, with screams echoing everywhere.

More and more Liao soldiers were ambushed by private troops while on patrol and fighting. Some were hit in vital areas by short arrows shot from the shadows and died on the spot.

Some were suddenly attacked and killed by the private army at close range, without even a chance to cry for help.

What caught the Liao army off guard was that after quietly eliminating the Liao soldiers, the private soldiers would immediately remove their armor and put it on themselves.

With the addition of armor, the private army not only had an extra layer of protection, but also gained more confidence, their fighting spirit became stronger, and the frequency and scope of their harassment increased.

Soon, the Liao soldiers in charge of the patrol urgently reported to Song Qi and Su Pi:
"General, the private army is launching frenzied attacks on our soldiers throughout the city. Their movements are elusive and impossible to defend against, plunging our army into panic once again!" (End of Chapter)