In Yanling County, the artillery fire continues.

After a morning of shelling, they didn't know what the effect was, but they saw that many of the destroyed battlements had been turned into sandbag bunkers. So a small siege was launched near noon, and the result was the same, and it was quickly beaten back.

Li Zicheng looked at the wounded who were wailing under the city wall, and reluctantly ordered to continue firing. This time, not only did they hit the city, but they also specially transferred more than 20 artillery pieces to bombard a section of the city wall in the south of the city, intending to collapse a section of the city wall. As for digging tunnels, they haven't prepared yet, because they have already seen that there seem to be cracks in the walls, so there is no need to dig tunnels.

However, not long after noon, He Jin and the others ran back from the east in embarrassment.

"What's going on?" Li Zicheng found He Jin and the others, and asked dissatisfiedly: "Didn't you let you go to Fugou?" How did you run back?! ”

He Jin said in frustration: "We fought a battle outside Fugou County. Li Yan's troops were really powerful, and we couldn't rely on them when we attacked them, and the shells and arrows were impenetrable. There are also a lot of shells that can explode, and they wrap people in one go, and few come out. ”

"They have cannons? Are you field? Li Zicheng asked. Fugou is also the same as Yanling, it is Li Yan's new county seat, there should be no artillery, and there will not be many people.

Dang Shousu replied: "There are quite a few of them, four or five thousand, who are waiting in formation outside the city. ”

"And you're still attacking?" Li Zicheng scolded dissatisfied.

He Jin explained: "It's that I didn't listen to the opinions of the party generals and wanted to weigh Li Yan's catties. Unexpectedly, Li Yan's troops were even more powerful than they said, and they were beaten as soon as they went up. Later, when they withdrew to regroup the troops, they fired two more rounds of artillery and killed the Lin brothers (Lin Yangyang) under the banner in one fell swoop. ”

Liu Xiyao snorted angrily and said: "Don't listen to persuasion, let him stay away from the banner, don't listen." A round of artillery rang out, half of the body was lost, and the soldiers were also killed and wounded. ”

Dang Shousu continued: "Later, Leader Lin's team broke up first, and our side was also in chaos. Originally, they retreated more than 20 miles to collect the troops, but the officers and soldiers had horses and soon caught up. When the men saw the officers and soldiers catching up, they all ran back in a hurry. ”

Li Zicheng frowned and asked, "Cavalry?" How many? ”

Dang Shousu shook his head and clarified: "It's not cavalry, some are mules, some are old horses, and there are donkeys." I saw that they dismounted after them had caught up, and prepared to fight on foot. ”

"The cannons are also coming up?" Li Zicheng then asked.

Dang Shousu nodded and said, "I should follow, I didn't see it clearly, anyway, there are a lot of mules and horses." ”

Li Zicheng asked He Jin and the others to rest, and hurriedly sent scouts to the east to check. After that, he returned to the camp tent, invited Liu Zongmin and others over, and specially asked Shi Jincai to come over.

After everyone understood the whole thing, Li Zicheng asked Shi Jincai: "Shi Jincai, tell me, what kind of reputation is Li Yan doing?" How many such troops does he have? ”

Shi Jin thought for a while, and then said uncertainly: "These should still be infantry, but they can move on mules and horses, it should be to make the troops march faster." As for how many, this is not known. ”

Liu Zongmin suddenly asked: "The gun carriage you said hasn't come out yet?" ”

Shi Jincai reluctantly defended himself: "I told the carpenters, they are still trying, mainly because the legs of the gun carriage are easy to break." When I was under Li Yan, I was an infantryman, and I was not familiar with artillery, but I had only seen it. ”

Li Zicheng coldly ordered: "Send a message to the old battalion, and order the carpenter to get out the usable gun carriage within two months." If you make it, you will be rewarded, if you can't make it, you will be killed! A hundred other whips! Let them elect the leader again, and continue the system until it is made! ”

Gao Yigong hurriedly persuaded: "No, the craftsmen can't kill indiscriminately." ”

Li Zicheng waved his hand, stopped Gao Yigong's continued persuasion, and said coldly: "It's just that it's too good to treat them!" Give food and drink, give gold, silver and cloth, no need to fight, no need to fill in trenches, life is so good! Only grace is not enough, but also might! With knives and whips chasing after them, they will be able to be more diligent. ”

At this time, a scout came to report: "Report to the general, twenty miles away, I found the troops of the official army, six or seven thousand men and horses, setting up a barracks." ”

Liu Zongmin said: "Six or seven thousand men and horses, if the camp is built, it will be difficult to deal with. ”

Yuan Zongdi said in a depressed mood: "Sending people over is just a siege, and if you want to fight down, I don't know how many casualties will be suffered." ”

"The point is that I don't know how many such mules and horses Li Yan has," Li Guo said: "If there are too many, will there be another one from the north tomorrow?" In that case, we'll be dragged here. ”

Li Zicheng still wanted to knock Kaifeng down this time, as for eliminating Li Yan, he wanted to, but the old brothers under him didn't want to consume too much strength. Therefore, he can only take the path that everyone can accept, and he has no intention of fighting to the death with Li Yan.

He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Then let's not fight here, go around and take Kaifeng directly, how about it?" ”

"You have to leave twenty or thirty thousand people here to watch, right?" Liu Zongmin reminded: "The newcomers, plus the seven or eight thousand people in the city, are too big a threat to our back road when they are gathered. ”

Li Zicheng nodded: "Well, Li Guo stayed and surrounded them." Let's bypass Wei Shi and Tong Xu and go straight to Kaifeng City. As long as we can break through the moat, we can use the tunnels left over from last time to blow up the city walls. If Li Yan is interested, he will take over the world of the Zhu family with us. If he still dares to resist and enters the city without cannons, his little people will not be enough to stuff our teeth. ”

Liu Fangliang reminded: "Then you have to inform Cao Cao, let him quickly surround Zhengzhou, and can't let Chen Yongfu escape into Kaifeng." Now there are Liu Zeqing and Li Yan in Kaifeng, and there are already 40,000 or 50,000 soldiers, plus Chen Yongfu, even if the city wall is blown up, it will not be easy to fight. ”

Liu Zongmin nodded and said, "Well, I have to inform Cao Cao first." ”

Li Zicheng looked at the others again, and there was no objection, so he patted his thigh and said, "Okay, then it's decided." Cao Cao is easy there, and Xinzheng is also an empty city. You all go back and get ready, and then you will set out overnight. The key is to be fast, first to seize the outside of the West City. What about the location map of the tunnel? ”

Li Guo took out the map from his arms. He had brought this thing with him before he set out, and he wanted to use this secret thing.

Li Zicheng took the drawings and instructed: "You can transfer a few more people who were digging at that time, it will be easier to find them." ”

"Okay, I'll let them come over in a moment." Li Guo agreed.

The matter was settled. To be honest, if there was no tunnel left at the beginning, Liu Zongmin and the others would not be willing to go to Kaifeng City to fight with Li Yan. Now seeing that a hard-fought situation is about to be formed under Yanling City, a detour has become their common choice. With the least cost, in exchange for the maximum result, this does not need to be taught by others.

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