At noon on December 18, 425 of the Great Jin Dynasty, another army and horse suddenly appeared in the east of Cangyuan City, and this army of soldiers and horses was still playing under the banner of Qingtian Dragon Zhang Ding, and the atmosphere that Cangyuan City had just eased suddenly became tense again. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

In the Taishou Mansion of Cangyuan City, Zhao Mincheng, the Taishou of Geshan County, asked the partial general Mu Zhen with an iron-faced face: "Didn't Zhang Ding withdraw with the army of Liukou?" How will it come back? Is it really Zhang Ding's gang of rogues? Is there a mistake? ”

General Mu Zhen sighed and said: "Lord Taishou, the camp left in the east of Cangyuan City, we haven't had time to dismantle, and now it is occupied by the Liukou, we have roughly counted the soldiers and horses that the Liukou entered this camp, at least more than 15,000 people, and almost all of them are young and strong, it seems that Zhang Ding has brought back the main force under his command, it can be seen from the banner of the Liukou, it should be the soldiers and horses of the Qingtian Dragon Zhang Ding, as for why the Qingtian Dragon Zhang Ding came back, the subordinates are unknown. ”

Zhao Mincheng asked Mu Zhen with a gloomy face: "How many soldiers and horses are there in our Cangyuan City?" ”

Mu Zhen smiled bitterly and said: "After the Liukou retreated two days ago, some of the temporarily recruited young and strong men have left the army and returned home, and now we have less than 2,000 soldiers and horses in our hands, and our subordinates have asked people to recruit those young and strong men who have left again, but even if these young and strong men come back, our defenders in Cangyuan City will not exceed 3,500 people, and this also counts the guards of the Taishou Mansion and the soldiers that can be sent by various families in Cangyuan City." ”

At this time, the remaining more than 1,000 reinforcements in Quyang County have been withdrawn to Quyang County under the leadership of the leading captain Li Guan.

The 1,500 reinforcements sent by Lingcheng County also arrived outside Cangyuan City yesterday morning, and seeing that the siege of Cangyuan City had been lifted, the leading military captain of Lingcheng County immediately hurriedly returned to Lingcheng County with the soldiers and horses of Lingcheng County, and there was also a stream of thousands of people near Lingcheng County.

Zhao Mincheng understood what Mu Zhen meant, there are fifteen thousand Liukou, and the defenders of Cangyuan City are less than three or five hundred, Lord Taishou, you should find a way! Otherwise, Cangyuan City will be difficult to protect!

Zhao Mincheng turned his head to the lord Bo He Qi and asked urgently, "Aren't that Liu Ji's soldiers and horses still outside the city?" ”

He Qi nodded and said, "My lord, that Captain Liu's soldiers and horses are still in the big camp in the south outside the city. ”

Zhao Mincheng immediately said: "Hurry up and ask that Liu Ji to send troops, otherwise, with the current strength of our Cangyuan City defenders, it will be difficult to stop Zhang Ding's army of 15,000 rogues!" ”

He Qi smiled bitterly and said: "Lord, we have been dragging on for the past two days and have not paid the remaining property promised by the Seventh Master to that Captain Liu, and if we let Captain Liu send troops now, he will probably not agree." ”

"Give it to him! Go and tell that Liu Ji that only he will repel Zhang Ding's gang of rogues again, and the 10,000 taels of gold and other things will be given to him by the official! ”

Then Zhao Mincheng ordered Mu Zhen again: "You personally lead people to guard the east gate, and you must not let the rogues attack the city!" ”

Mu Zhen nodded and said: "Lord Taishou, don't worry, as long as Mu Zhen still has a breath, he will definitely not let the Liukou enter Cangyuan City for half a step, but that Captain Liu had better send troops quickly, otherwise with the current situation of our defenders, it really won't last long." ”

Then Mu Zhen immediately concentrated about 1,000 defenders in Cangyuan City at the east gate of Cangyuan City, and the other three city walls were also guarded by generals with two or three hundred people, and at the same time stepped up the recruitment of young and strong men in the city.

Fortunately, the Liukou army outside the city did not immediately attack the city, giving Cangyuan City a lot of time, and soon the number of defenders at the east gate of Cangyuan City exceeded 1,800 people, which made Mu Zhen, who was guarding the east gate, a little relieved, even if the Liukou attacked the city, he could hold out for a while.

Zhao Mincheng's subordinate Bo He Qi went out of the city to ask Liu Ji for help to send troops, and soon returned to Cangyuan City and hurried back to Taishou Mansion.

"My lord, that Captain Liu said that if you want him to send troops, you must settle the previous account, that is to say, 10,000 taels of gold, 300 war horses, 400 iron armor, 700 leather armor, 800 seven-bucket bows and 70,000 arrows will be delivered to him first, and then he will give him all the rewards for this dispatch to repel the rogues, and he will send troops to repel the rogue army outside the east gate!"

"What? He still wants to be paid again, it's insatiable! When Zhao Mincheng heard He Qi's words, he immediately said angrily.

Lord Bo He Qi sighed and said, "Lord, at this time, let's focus on the overall situation!" It would be the worst if the rogues were to storm the city, alas—"

Zhao Mincheng let out a rough breath, and then said, "What conditions did that Liu Ji put forward?" ”

Zhao Mincheng, as the Taishou of a county, and the current head of the Zhao family in Geshan, still knows the priorities, and now the army of Liukou is in Cangyuan City, but it is not the time to be angry, and it is the most important thing to repel the Liukou.

He Qi said bitterly: "Lord, that Captain Liu asked us to take out another 20,000 taels of gold, 500 war horses, 500 iron armor, 1,000 leather armor, 1,000 seven-bucket bows and 100,000 arrows, and give him together with the property he owed before, he will send someone to receive it outside the south gate, and only after receiving something, he will send troops to repel the rogue outside the east gate." ”

After a pause, He Qi continued: "When the subordinates went to Liu Ji's camp outside the city, they were packing their bags, and that Captain Liu said that if the lord did not agree to his conditions, then he would immediately lead the troops to leave Cangyuan City, and he would not give the lord a problem!" “

When Zhao Mincheng heard Liu Ji's conditions, he couldn't help but feel a pain in his flesh, Liu Ji's conditions again were the same as the amount of property he had agreed with Zhao Hanzhi, the county commander of Quyang County.

Zhao Mincheng was a little hesitant, these belongings, including the gold and other things that he owed Liu Ji before, he Zhao Mincheng gritted his teeth and could take them out, but once he took out these belongings, Zhao Mincheng's Geshan Zhao family's big house was going to break his bones, counting the property that had to be given to the Zhao family's four rooms, the golden house alone had to take out 40,000 taels, which was not a small amount of money for the entire Geshan Zhao family.

At this time, there were soldiers to report, the rogue in the camp outside the east gate was frequently transferred, and it was likely that they were about to launch an attack on Cangyuan City.

Zhao Mincheng immediately bit it, and instructed the lord Bo Heqi: "Immediately send someone from the Zhao family's treasury to send the gold and other things that Liu Ji asked for outside the south gate, hand them over to Liu Ji's people, and then let Liu Ji send troops quickly." ”

The official mansion of Cangyuan City also has a treasury, but at this time, some of the silver taels and materials originally stored in the treasury of the official mansion have been almost consumed in the previous battle to defend the city, and the property that Liu Ji asked for can only be raised from the treasury of the Zhao family.

He Qi, as the lord of Cangyuan City, not only helped Zhao Mincheng take charge of the money and grain of the government, but also the treasury of the Zhao family's big house was also under He Qi's control, and He Qi acted as the big housekeeper in the Zhao family's big house.

"Lord, gold, armor and bows and arrows can be gathered in our Zhao family's treasury, but what about the war horses? Our Zhao family's war horses in Cangyuan City, as well as the war horses in the army, add up to more than 400 left, which is not enough for 800 at all. ”

"Go and discuss with that Liu Ji, can we be a little accommodating in terms of war horses, no matter what, let's get through the difficulties in front of us first."