Jia Xu made the final decision.

The whole army withdrew to Pengcheng.

In fact...

The topography of Pengcheng is not conducive to defense.

Before, relying on cavalry, the enemy did not dare to attack.

Now more than 50,000 reinforcements from the Western Shang Empire are coming. They are all very powerful mechanical soldiers, which greatly makes up for the shortcomings of Ju'an.

He can fight a strong encirclement and annihilation battle with the mobile corps.

This is a huge threat to Jia Xu.

...........

Inside the Residence Tent.

Yuan Sheng reported to him: "Commander, the enemy army has withdrawn. ”

"I expected that." Ju An smiled: "Jia Xu wants to trap me alive." How did he know that our elite troops would arrive at the most critical time. ”

"It's still the commander wise."

Yuan Sheng smiled back and said: "We waited for work at ease, and let Jia Xu make noise outside the camp for a month, the soldiers were tired and tired, and the combat effectiveness was sharply reduced. And we, most of the troops, are resting in the battalion.... ”

"Huh. Yuansheng went to order the 465th Brigade, 467th Brigade, 468th Brigade, and 138th and 139th Divisions to build defensive positions outside Pengcheng from tomorrow morning. Gradually reduce the range of activities of the enemy's troops. When our reinforcements arrive, we will launch a general attack. ”

"Yes."

Yuan Sheng left.

Ju'an's troops consisted of fourteen brigades.

Together with the guard regiment, the regiment directly under it, the artillery regiment, etc., it is equivalent to fifteen brigades.

Now to fight a counterattack, he directly sent nine brigades, totaling more than 27,000 people.

This is almost catching up with Jia Xu's infantry army.

In addition to not being able to deal with cavalry, the strength is not weak.

Juan sent his troops out.

Command posts were built at the front.

And to exclude the strength of one brigade, from his command post to the east, one zhang each, put two soldiers, and stand guard all the way. Get ready for the oncoming reinforcements.

In the Western Shang Empire, the tens of thousands of troops he commanded were just a ragtag army within a ragtag army.

Above him there was the commander of the divisional field army, and under his hands there were elites.

However, the army of the division, no matter how elite it is, cannot defeat the central army of the Western Shang Empire.

Ju'an faced the elite of the division, and naturally had to take a respectful attitude.

A few hours later.

Pengcheng was surrounded.

Jia Xu built three lines of defense on the periphery of Pengcheng.

Three brigades of troops were stationed in the city.

The rest of the troops were outside the city, guarding the roads and trenches according to the set defensive line. The fifteen-mile radius has been turned into a defensive line.

Town.

In the government.

Tai Shi Ci had just returned from patrolling the city, and arched his hand: "Sir, the enemy has surrounded Pengcheng. ”

"Hmm."

Jia Xu's face was unshocked.

He already knew the news.

We're trying to figure out how to deal with it.

"Where is General Zhang Liao?" Jia Xu asked.

"On the cutting edge."

"Call him back, and the three of us will have a meeting."

"Yes."

Tai Shi Ci sent people to the front line overnight to recall Zhang Liao.

"The situation is becoming more and more unfavorable for us. In particular, the enemy's reinforcements, which are about to arrive, will form an encirclement of our Pengcheng. I have an army of 100,000 troops, and although they are numerous, they are difficult to hold.... ”

"Sir." Zhang Liao said: "Why do you want to raise the morale of others and destroy your own prestige? When I look at the troops of the Western Shang Empire, it is nothing more than that. We have enough troops, so why not fight it? ”

"The enemy has just arrived, and the spirit is in full swing, and it is not good for me to engage them at this time." Jia Xu said: "Even if you want to fight, you have to delay it for half a month." ”

"I didn't invite you here to discuss the enemy."

"It's to let you improve your position and hold Pengcheng within half a month."

Zhang Liao said: "The last general feels that this is not too difficult. In positional warfare, we have an advantage. Our artillery, protected from enemy fire by position, is able to provide constant fire. Our cavalry can make up the gap as quickly as possible. Even if they are penetrated by the enemy, the cavalry rushes up, and they can push the enemy back and give our troops in the rear time to build positions. ”

"Hmm."

Zhang Liao's strategy is very beloved by Jia Xu.

With artillery as the main firepower, cavalry blocked the battlefield.

It can better defend the risk.

But.

Thinking of the mechanized corps of the Western Shang Empire, the speed of moving forward was beyond imagination, and Jia Xu was still not sure.

Tai Shi Ci said: "What is the use of us holding our position? His Majesty can't send reinforcements, and Xuzhou will still be lost. ”

"Say it again..."

"If the enemy army does not besiege Pengcheng and turns to fight Tan County, what should we do? To save or not to save? ”

"General Xu Huang led a division of troops to defend Xiapi. Now it's only a small part of the enemy's fighting, and it's still able to stop. In case of encountering the enemy's main force, his situation will also be very bad. ”

........

The question raised by Tai Shici is very important.

It's something that must be faced at the moment.

Jia Xu pondered for a moment and said, "I will ask Your Majesty for help, and we will first plan to hold Xuzhou for two months." For two months, the enemy will not be allowed in. Two months later... If we don't have reinforcements yet, go to war with the enemy. ”

"No."

Zhang Liao and Tai Shici nodded one after another.

...........

Xuchang.

The special forces units trained their commander Jia Heng for a whole month.

Jia Heng was brought back to life.

All over his body, he was covered in wounds.

However, in order to be recognized by the soldiers, he did not complain.

Even if it costs you your life, you have to persevere.

this day.

Xu Ding received the message.

The Western Shang Empire sent reinforcements to Xuzhou.

This news is no less than a bombshell for Huaxia Kingdom.

Because the Second Army is the main force on the front, the main force cannot fight the enemy. What role can the troops in the rear play.

Xi Zhicai, Guo Jia, and Lu Su were all called to the imperial study.

Xu Ding revealed this news to them, and then said: "The situation is becoming more and more serious, we must immediately strengthen the combat effectiveness of the First Army, and in the shortest possible time, go to the front line to block the enemy's attack." ”

"Otherwise, Xuzhou is in danger!"

Xi Zhicai said: "Back to Your Majesty, according to the prisoners we captured the enemy, they confessed that the Western Shang Empire had nearly four million troops, of which more than one million were called elites. Although we were held back by other big powers in the Five Yuan World, it was enough for us to send a partial army at will. ”

"I think we should find a way to prevent people from the Western Shang Empire from coming here."

Zhicai said that he got to the point. This is also what I think about and dream about day and night. Xu Ding pointed to the map behind him: "You look at the location of Jiangdong Wu County, it is very close to the Yangtze River. If we have a powerful naval army, from the Yangtze River to the back of Jiangdong, and raid Wu County, we may be able to capture there. ”

Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai both have bright eyes1.

"It's a pity..."

Xu Dingdao: "It's easy to capture, but it's extremely difficult to defend. Especially now, the enemy has added hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses, half of which are mechanized corps, and their combat effectiveness is far stronger than ours. "Nest of beauties

"Even if we can capture Wu County now, we will definitely not be able to defend it."

"So... This plan can only be postponed. After defeating the main force of the enemy, it will be carried out. ”

Guo Jiadao: "The most important thing now is to hold the Central Plains. And to hold the Central Plains, you have to increase your troops. The First Army is already being formed, and we have to speed up the process. ”

"Hmm."

Xu Dingdao: "Fengxiao, you are in charge of this matter." I'll give you a month. Can it be done? ”

"You can do it."

"Okay."

Xu Ding handed over the reorganization of the group army to Guo Jia.

"Zhicai, you are the Minister of the Military Aircraft Department, you should manage the six departments and do a good job in logistics. The grain, grass, and money needed at the front line cannot be missing. It must be distributed in full. After Jia Xu left, Xu Dingchao said to Xi Zhicai.

"Yes."

Xi Zhicai has always been the Minister of the Interior under Xu Ding.

It is not only in charge of internal affairs, but also in charge of the military.

Especially in times of war, you have to be in charge of logistics.

..........

Time passes imperceptibly.

The armies of Hebei, Guanzhong, and Nanyang all arrived in Xuchang one after another.

Under the deployment of Guo Jia, the reorganization began.

The number of the unit is still the First Group Army of China.

It has four integrated infantry divisions, one field brigade, plus regiments directly under the group army, guard regiments, artillery regiments, and reconnaissance battalions. A total of 54,000 people.

Originally, there were not so many troops.

But counting Sun Jian's old troops in Nanyang County and the troops who captured Cao Cao, it was just enough.

The reorganization is complete.

Xu Ding went to the barracks to take a look.

The overall feeling for him is not bad.

The soldiers who joined the army were all veterans of a long war, and there was no problem with the quality of the soldiers, but the difference was experience.

To compensate for this.

Guo Jia gave two plans.

The first is to gather all the generals at and above the battalion level and go to the military academy en masse, where Xu Ding will personally give lectures and explain the concept of the new army's operations.

The rest of the soldiers, under the leadership of Guo Jia, mastered basic combat skills.

The second is to prepare for an exercise.

At the end of the training, a simulated exercise will be conducted on a real combat scale.

Quickly familiarize the soldiers with the new battlefield.

In the meantime...

Cheng Pu was defeated in Xiangyang.

He was beaten back to Nanyang, and guarded Neijiang and Fancheng with Huang Gai and Gan Ning.

In Qianjun, due to Lu Xun's successive victories, the enemy did not dare to carry out a large-scale attack. Let only three divisions of troops, be pinned down there.

The rest were transferred to Xuzhou.

The whole battle situation.

Only Xuzhou Pengcheng is tight.

Jia Xu's Second Army, which was beaten by the mechanized corps of the Western Shang Empire, had no temper.

plus tens of thousands of troops with Ju'an, to cover the mechanized corps.

The combat effectiveness of the Western Shang Empire is beyond imagination.

Jia Xu led an army of 100,000 and originally wanted to preserve his strength and defend Pengcheng. But now he found that he couldn't break through even if he wanted to. Really blocked by enemy forces.

Pengcheng is already in a state of stubborn defense.

If you are not careful, you are in danger of being breached.

this day.

Graduated from Xuchang Military Academy.

Guo Jia said: "Your Majesty, the matter of the exercise has been prepared. When did it start? ”

"No more drills..."

"Not really?"

Xu Ding said: "The war on the front line is tight, we must hurry to Pengcheng to rescue the Second Army." You must know that the Second Army is the main force of our Huaxia Kingdom. If something happens to them, we're done. ”

"The minister understands, but..." Guo Jia sighed: "Our newly reorganized First Group Army is very poorly equipped. More than half of the soldiers were armed with muskets and grenades. With such equipment and no combat experience, how can you win? ”

"It's better than nothing, right?"

Xu Ding also has no choice.

No matter how bad the equipment is, it has to be sent to the front.

No matter what, Jia Xu's 100,000 people must be rescued.

"It's a real adventure to go into battle now. However, His Majesty has already decided that the minister is willing to lead the army to meet the Western Shang Empire. Guo Jia arched his hand.

"I'm going with you!" Xu Dingdao.

"Xuzhou is too dangerous, Your Majesty should stay in Xuchang."

"If I can't win this battle, even the whole world will belong to the Western Shang Empire, what am I going to do in Xuchang?" Xu Ding got up and said, "Even if it's Longtan Tiger's Den, I'm going to break through." Whether it's victory or defeat, I'll see it with my own eyes! ”

.........

Five days later.

The whole army is fully equipped.

Under the leadership of Xu Ding, Guo Jia, and Lu Su, he went to Xuzhou.

He was accompanied by the First Army's Fenglin Volcano Special Forces Unit, led by Jia Heng, who participated in the operation.

"Your Majesty, the minister is leading the army for the first time, and he is also leading the special forces of the Wind Forest Volcano. It's scary. Jia Heng sat in Xu Ding's military vehicle and suddenly felt very worried.

"You're about to go into battle, how can you be afraid of battle?" Xu Ding took a deep breath and said, "You are the commander of the special forces, and whoever is afraid of war, you can't be afraid of war." Because the more you are afraid, the bullet will hit you, and on the contrary, you destroy the enemy, and the one who eats the bullet is the enemy. Do you understand? ”

"Yes. Chancellor understood. Jia Heng regained some confidence.

Rushing for several days on end.

Soon arrived at the front.

About 100 miles away from the enemy, set up camp.

Xu Ding called Jia Heng and said, "Your special forces unit is participating in the battle for the first time, and the enemy still doesn't know about you, and he doesn't have any defense. I have given you a task that you must complete. ”

"Your Majesty, please."

Jia Heng bowed his hand and listened carefully.

Xu Ding said: "Along the way, I have been studying the enemy's formation. Their troops are all built against the mountains, and it is estimated that they want to have a stable rear. Therefore, in their rear, there should not be many troops, and the defense is relatively lax. I want you to lead the Fenglin Volcano through the mountains south of Xuzhou and directly to the rear of the enemy, and your mission is... Destroy enemy rear headquarters and kill enemy commanders and important generals. ”

This task is beyond Jia Heng's imagination.

The difficulty and danger were not something he could have predicted.

Maybe you can't come back after going to drink.

But...

From the moment he joined the special forces, he was ready to fight. Although he was a little apprehensive when he was about to fight, he was determined to die at all.

Jia Heng immediately said: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, Fenglin Volcano will definitely complete the task." ”

"Hmm."

Xu Ding pulled him and explained many special forces operations and matters that need to be paid attention to.

And laid out a route for them to retreat.

"Once you've completed your mission, you're going to send a flare. I will lead three or four divisions to attack the enemy from the flanks at the first opportunity, firstly to cover your troops, and secondly, to take advantage of the paralysis of the enemy's chain of command and defeat them. Xu Dingdao.

"I understand."

Jia Heng went to prepare.

In order to increase the chances of victory for the special forces, Xu Ding sent some fine works to Pengcheng. Try to get in touch with Jia Xu. As soon as the flare goes off. The 100,000 troops stationed in Pengcheng all began to counterattack to the south.