【2nd Update】

Outside the city of Yanzhou, in the rolling yellow sand, there is a weak trumpet. The figure running on the city wall flickered in the dust. The ups and downs of the wooden stakes, slowly tamping the loess at the head of the city.

"How long is this going to be delayed? At the beginning, Shura Wucheng didn't see it slow down to this point. Gao Yongneng was fully armed, his armor was put on, and he also wore an official robe outside the armor, looking at the busy city defense construction site through the wind and sand.

Not far away, an overseer swirled back and forth among the men, occasionally with a whip. The flogged man was a little faster, but when the overseer got around, he slowed down again.

"Li Zhuan promoted a group of splashes, who only killed people and whipped them, but they didn't see the city walls repaired faster." Gao Yongneng watched this scene and complained. ，

"Say less. The strength is used on the thief. "On Gao Yongneng's side, the veteran Qu Zhen didn't have much energy to talk.

The two of them waited together outside the south gate of Yanzhou City, and behind them, several partial generals stood solemnly with their swords and did not move.

In order to strengthen and heighten the city defense, Yanzhou City is building a large number of buildings. Now, the four walls of the surrounding ten miles of the city are being started at the same time in order to speed up the progress.

The moats had doubled in size, and all the earth excavated had become part of the walls. When the city wall is completed, and then the water that is diverted away will be brought back, and Yanzhou City will be able to have a moat three zhang wide, if a few springs can be dug deep,

But the other side of the construction is the sand and dust loess everywhere. The excavated loess, when blown by the autumn wind, becomes a sky full of dust. A gust of wind passed, and there was an extra layer of yellow sand outside the city.

Gao Yongneng looked at the construction site outside the south gate with a hanging face, as long as he opened his mouth, with salty sand, he drilled straight into his mouth. In the past, it would be okay to wear a mask, but now it is to welcome Mr. Xu, and if you are disrespectful, you can still avoid it, and you won't be resentful. Gao Yongneng is not afraid that Xu Xi will take the knife on himself, Xu Xi is not qualified enough, but he has a lot of cronies and nephews, so he has to prevent being implicated.

This depression, since he can't vent in front of Xu Xi, he can only tire Qu Zhen's ears beside Gao Yongneng, "More than 10,000 people were requisitioned in Yanzhou, and another 10,000 were sent from Huanqing, why did 20,000 people go into battle together, and this city defense is only half completed?" Do you have to wait until it snows to finish it? ”

Qu Zhen sighed, talked about what was annoying in her heart, and finally accosted: "If there are fewer people, give them more rations, maybe it can be a little faster." ”

Salt production is a labor-intensive industry. Therefore, the population of Yanzhou is in the land of Yinxia, which is a big city that surpasses Youzhou and Xiazhou. But the scale of Yanzhou City is not. The reason why Yanzhou can become the source of wealth in Western Xia is that it relies on the salt pond ten miles north of the city. The castle itself is insignificant, and there is not much point in building tall walls here.

The barbarians are not good at production, and most of the salt in Qingbai Salt Pond are Han Chinese. And in the future, the salt pond will be restarted, and it will depend on the salt dices to work hard, and they can't be too harsh. Together with their families, they all have to be raised, which is a population of more than 10,000. Even if all the party members were removed, the population of the entire Yanzhou would still be nearly 30,000.

Some of these Yanzhou people fled after the official army seized the city, and the rest were driven by the official army to devote themselves to the labor of building the city. It is considered a cash-for-work payment, not only to feed them, but also to have an extra amount for them to take back to support their families.

In addition, in order to complete the additional construction as soon as possible, Xu Xi mobilized 10,000 people from the rear. I want to finish the project within 40 days.

But the people and their families combined had 40,000, nearly 30,000 officers and troops stationed in Yanzhou, and 10,000 troops in Youzhou a little to the east. The war has been going on for several months, and the people of Shaanxi are almost exhausted, and there are often times when supplies are out of supply. No one dared to deduct military rations, so the only thing that could be reduced was the rations of the people. I can't eat enough, and of course I can't do hard work, and the number of fugitive people is getting more and more day by day.

Because of this, the city defense, which was expected to be completed in 40 days, was only half completed by a month, and it would take at least another month. Gao Yongneng doesn't think anything about it

"What kind of ghost town is this place in Yanzhou?! The party members will not attack the city, and there is a difference between two and a half zhang and four zhang. Just shoot down with the Divine Arm Bow. The soldiers are good enough to eat, even the grass barracks can be defended, and there is nothing that cannot be defended in a big city with walls. I only need 4,000 headquarters, transfer all the idiots in Jingying back, and keep Yanzhou's grasp, and I can get two more percent. Gao Yongneng said indignantly, glaring at Lu's right hand.

Just a dozen zhang away, in addition to Gao Yongneng and Qu Zhen, a group of generals and colonels of the Western Army, there was also a group of men dressed in military attache uniforms, twenty-seven or eight people, who were also whispering, not knowing what to say. It was a group of Beijing camp generals from Kaifeng, Tokyo, and in Yanzhou City, 20,000 Beijing camp soldiers were their subordinates. This group of people occupied the center of the road extending from the south gate, and was obviously more powerful than the western army led by Gao and Qu who stood on the side of the road.

The Western Army and the Beijing Camp were clearly distinguished, and they did not even say a word to each other. Compared with the several captains who followed Qu Zhen and Gao Yongneng who stood silently and solemnly, the voice on the Jingying side was much louder. It was not surprising that the main generals were talking, and the officers below were also whispering. This is unthinkable in the Shaanxi Forbidden Army, which has strict military discipline.

This is the main force that Xu Xi wants to use to resist the counterattack of the Western Thief.

Seeing them, thinking about Xu Xi again, Qu Zhen and Gao Yongneng were extremely pessimistic about the war in front of them. I want to find a reason to leave Yanzhou, and I don't have to be afraid here. was so tired that he lost his reputation for a lifetime, and he would not be willing to think about it.

What about the situation in Yanzhou, the commander's merit is Xu Xi's, and the bulk of the military merit is the Beijing camp with more troops, not only does his family not have much credit to receive, but he also has to take a big risk to work desperately. For the one who named him to stay, Qu Zhen and Gao Yongneng were very tired.

They have also been in the army for decades, and have dealt with many civil servants, such as the world-famous Xia Wei and Fan Zhongyan, the young Han Qi and Han Gang, and all kinds of people. But I haven't seen a few unreliable and annoying bosses like Xu Xi.

Speaking of which, both of them would rather give up the credit of Yanzhou and stay away from Xu Xi, but the development of things does not depend on their ideas. Leading the army to guard Yanzhou, accompanying a group of Yannei soldiers from the capital, waiting for the western thieves to attack the door, is there anything more aggrieved than this?

Gao Yongneng took a sip fiercely, spitting out the disdain and resentment in his heart along with the sand in his mouth, "A bunch of waste, wouldn't it be good to play football in Jinmingchi, what credit is it to run to fight." I didn't tear up my pants and looked down, the bird goods that were so soft that I couldn't stand up still wanted to go into battle and fight with others. ”

In the distance, dust was gathering in the distance, and a small group of rangers as a guide was approaching.

Qu Zhen and Gao Yongneng closed their mouths in unison,

A moment later, Xu Xi and a thousand cavalry arrived at the city of Yanzhou.

The generals and colonels on both sides of the Western Army and the Beijing Camp greeted them together and saluted Xu Xi.

Xu Xi, who hadn't seen him for half a month, was still full of confidence, and when he saw the progress of the city defense, although his face changed, he immediately smiled confidently: "I was worried that the recent wind and sand would be too strong to hinder the construction of the city, but now I look at it, it's still better than expected." He proclaimed aloud to the generals: "Therefore those who are good at fighting will cause others but not others." The official army occupied Yanzhou, and the western thieves had to fight for their lives. Coming across the Hanhai, the people are sleepy and the horses are lacking, and the grain is difficult to replenish, so they can only hold for half a month, and the western thieves will collapse without a fight. Even if they can grit their teeth and insist, the reinforcements from Huanzhou and Xiazhou can let them go and never return! ”

……………………

The wind swept the sand and dust, and smashed it head-on. Wearing a hooded cloak and covering his mouth and nose with a mask, he lowered his head and silently rode his mount forward. Beside him, more than 400 cavalrymen were stepping on the footprints left by their predecessors, moving forward step by step.

According to the order of the imperial court, once the Western Thieves raised troops to attack Yanzhou, the Yan Yan army in Xiazhou would send troops to rescue. Although his father had other plans, it was inevitable that he would grasp the movement of the thieves at the first time and ensure safety along the way.

Chong Ge was strict in governing the army, and Chong Pu did not have much preferential treatment as his son, and was sent out to patrol the desert north of the Wuding River to prevent the western thieves from lying in ambush here, waiting for the opportunity to ambush reinforcements.

Marching in the wind and sand, it was as if he was a blind man and a blind horse, and in front of him was a yellow and misty patch, and he could not see anything except a small piece of ground under his feet. Fortunately, there is a carefully selected old horse around Chongpu, a guide who has been going back and forth in this land for decades, and knows where there is a water source in the desert. Even if there is yellow sand to obscure the vision, it can accurately guide the team of people and horses who are planting Pu, and temporarily settle down to rest in the water source in front of them, avoiding the wind and sand.

Chong Pu and his entourage wanted to rush to the water source in front of them to take shelter from the wind and sand. But the sand and dust disappeared inexplicably in their journey, and in the blink of an eye, it was no longer dusk in front of them, and the clear blue sky could be seen when they looked up.

But at this time, Chong Pu and the more than 400 cavalry under his command had no time to look up at the sky. Just on their side, an army appeared, and in the direction in which it was heading, it was also an oasis in the desert.

The two armies were separated by only a mile, and the fast horses were within easy reach. With the speed of a war horse, it can be regarded as close at hand. Fang Cai blocked his ears and eyes because of the wind and sand, and now that the wind and sand stopped, the two sides discovered each other almost at the same time.

"Which family's soldiers and horses are that?!" Chong Pu was startled, squinted his eyes and looked at the other side nervously.