The news of the great victory of the Jieyi Army's sailors was also known to the Qi army on Xishan Island. On Xishan Island, the Qi military offices and local heroes all understood that they were not the opponents of the Jieyi Army's sailors.

Therefore, the government and Haoqiang on Xishan Island gave heavy benefits to Qin Shouyi, who was responsible for attacking here, and hoped that the sailors of the Jieyi Army could maintain the current relationship with Xishan Island. Let's not say that the task of the Jieyi Army Water Division this time is to take here, and it must be taken. Even if the other party promised heavy profits, Qin Shouyi did not dare to guarantee that the other party would definitely agree.

Therefore, Qin Shouyi unceremoniously refused the heavy benefits promised by the rulers of Xishan Island, and demanded that Xishan Island immediately surrender to the Jieyi Army. However, Xishan Island strongly rejected Qin Shouyi's proposal, and the two sides began to officially fight.

Because in addition to the Qi army on Xishan Island, there are also water bandits involved. Therefore, the primary goal of the righteous army is set on them. The nests of these bandits are all on the edge of Xishan Island, or on the surrounding islands. Their strength is not as good as the three teams that were co-opted by Yan Mingfeng of the Qi Army, how can they be the opponents of the Jieyi Army's water division?

Although only half of the sailors of the Jieyi Army were involved in this operation, they were all regular sailors. Moreover, most of these water bandits are also assisting in the defense of Xishan Island, and the lair is empty. As a result, part of the sailors of the Jieyi Army were preparing to land in the southeast of Xishan Island, and part of them raided the lair of these three water bandits who had already been found out by the Jieyi Army. Needless to say, these three bandits are completely history.

Of course, it doesn't mean that the sailors of the Jieyi Army wiped out all three water bandits. This is also impossible, after all, most of the water bandits are on the islands. But for the bandits, without the warship, can they still call the bandits? Therefore, these water bandits can only be called bandits at most in the future.

After the defeat of the Qi Army's water division, the Jieyi Army's water division once again showed its fangs, which was also known to other water bandits. At this moment, they also received an order from the sailors of the Jieyi Army to surrender within a time limit. There are only a few bandits from all walks of life who are willing to surrender for the reason. Except for those who had no choice but to become water bandits and were on the right path, or those small water bandits whose development was not going well and even survival was a problem, the other water bandit leaders were afraid that they were unwilling to surrender to the sailors of the Jieyi Army.

But then again, since the rise of the Righteous Army's sailors and the beginning of the struggle with the Qi army to dominate the waters of Taihu Lake, this caravan to and from the waters of Taihu Lake has become increasingly scarce. Whether it was the merchants in the north, south and west of the Qi army, or the trade between the Qi army and the Jieyi army, they were all frightened because of the tension between the two sides in the waters of Taihu Lake.

After all, they are bold on weekdays, even when the Qi Military Office strictly prohibits it, they still dare to go back and forth with the Qi army and the Jieyi army, but at this moment, they don't dare to act rashly. Both sides are armies, armies that are about to fight, and if they are encountered, who knows what will happen?

Therefore, the lives of all the bandits in the waters of Taihu Lake are now beginning to be embarrassed. Those who occupy the area along the lake, but the nest is on the land, these bandits are just a means for them to make a fortune or protect themselves, not the only one. But the situation of the bandits who occupied the islands of the lake, who made their living by plundering and collecting caravans, was much more difficult. Except for those who occupy larger islands, they are either able to cultivate farmland on top of the islands and be self-sufficient. The bandits who occupy the island and live purely from caravans will suffer a lot.

Therefore, the arrival of the righteous army in the festival made it impossible for some water bandits to sustain themselves. The other water bandits were also affected by the rivalry between the Jieyi Army and the Qi Army in the waters of Taihu Lake.

It is precisely because the nests of some water bandits are close to the land, and because some water bandits are organized by the powerful above the boundaries around Taihu Lake. For example, the Li family in Donglou Town, which Hu Le had surrendered before, and the Xu family in Xinqiao Town, which was destroyed by Hu Le, were both local heroes and strongmen, and they could not only obtain some illegal income, but also provide protection for themselves in addition to guarding the transport caravans they came and went. After all, in troubled times, you have food and soldiers in your hands, don't you worry about it?

And the three bandits on Xishan Island are behind the private soldiers raised by the heroes of Xishan Island. It is also because of this that these bandits will give up their advantage in the water, land ashore, and assist the local government in defending Xishan Island.

When the first town of the Jieyi Army's sailor division launched an operation on Xishan Island, the surrounding bandits who received the order to surrender within a time limit were all paying attention to the actions of the Jieyi Army's sailor division here. If the Jieyi Army's sailors take Xishan Island, then in the central part of the Taihu Lake waters, the Jieyi Army will no longer be invincible. And they have no choice. If the Jieyi army can't take here, then the Jieyi army has an enemy here. And for these bandits, they have one more choice.

Although Xishan Island is not a small place, and the Qi army also has soldiers, there are no civil officials like county commanders here. Of course, there is no land for the population of a county above the land. However, in the past, this was the station of the Taihu Lake Water Division under the rule of Dayan, and after it was taken over by the Qi army, there were thousands of people stationed here as the rule of the Qi army. After all, no matter what, this is also a place under the rule of the Qi army, and it cannot be given up.

Meng Shan, the guard general of Xishan Island, is a garrison captain under the rule of the Qi army, and at the same time, he is also the head of the powerful Meng family on Xishan Island. Of course, the Meng family also gradually became the number one powerful in Xishan Island because of the fact that Monshan had been stationed here for several years.

When Meng Shan learned that the sailors of the Jieyi Army had defeated the water bandits who had recovered from Yan Ming's harvest, he immediately knew that the situation was not good. Yan Mingfeng was among these water bandits in Zhao'an, and many materials were transported to the water bandits through him. Now that the main force of the Jieyi Army's sailors is here, how can he, Xishan Island, which is alone in the middle of Taihu Lake, stay out of the matter?

Sure enough, after hearing the news of Yan Mingfeng's defeat, before he could report this information to Suzhou Mansion, the sailors of the Jieyi Army appeared in front of him. The connection between Xishan Island and Suzhou Prefecture was also officially blocked by the Jieyi Army's naval division.

Monsan immediately ordered his subordinates to prepare for defense, and at the same time greeted several other heroes who were dominant on Xishan Island, asking them to assist in the defense. These heroes know very well that if the Jieyi Army takes this Xishan Island, then they will not have a good result. is not only ruining their family and wealth, but what they have done on Xishan Island over the years will also become an excuse for the sailors of the Jieyi Army to attack them.

You must know that the Jieyi Army calls itself the Righteous Army, and they implement the system of the Zhao Army, so heroes like them are the targets of the Jieyi Army, so after saying hello to Monsan, they immediately began to participate in the defensive work. The three water bandits are the private soldiers established by the three more powerful heroes on Xishan Island. Now that the Jieyi army has reached the doorstep, they can't care about those warships, and they all retreat to the island, preparing to guard against the attack of the Jieyi army's sailors.

"Three days, less than three days, two days to be exact. The strength of our naval army was destroyed by the sailors of the Jieyi Army in this way. Our warships have now become trophies of the Righteous Army. In the Meng Mansion, one person said to the others with a heavy face, "Now the offensive of the Jieyi army is very fierce, although it has not yet begun to land on the island, but, judging from their previous offensive, it is very difficult for us to defend. ”

Meng Shan, who was in his thirties, sat on the main seat with a calm face, and after listening to what the head of the Wang family said, he said in a deep voice: "If you lose, you will be defeated, after all, we have already transferred most of the forces of these three water bandits to the island." The sailors of the Jieyi Army are determined to attack this place, so our goal now is to establish a defensive line on the island. In addition to the landing dock, in this central place, we will continue to make the proposed city taller and thicker. ”

"In addition, I would like you to contribute all the various bows and crossbows that you have in your home to defend the city. If you can't keep this place, even if you hide a lot of things, you will only be able to save the rebels in the end. If we can hold on to this place and not be conquered by the sailors of the Jieyi Army, the money will always return to us. If the Suzhou government hears the news and supports, after the arrival of the army, you will all be meritorious officials. ”

"Captain Meng, you say, will this Suzhou Mansion send reinforcements? Also, we have lost contact with Suzhou here, will Suzhou know about our situation here? If you wait until the Jieyi army kills the island, and the Suzhou Mansion gets the news, it will be too late. A slightly chubby middle-aged man asked eagerly.

Hearing this, Meng Shan was also anxious in his heart, and immediately said in a deep voice: "Suzhou Mansion will definitely know the news, the people sent by the Qi army and the water bandits they recruited were defeated by the Jieyi army, how could they not know?" I wouldn't believe that there were no spies in the surrounding waters. Therefore, it is imperative that we keep the island in our hands. Otherwise, even if reinforcements arrive and we lose here, it will be useless. ”

Although Mon Shan looked relatively calm, he knew in his heart that it would be difficult to hold on here and wait for reinforcements. It can be said that the possibility of waiting for reinforcements is minimal. In the absence of the existence of the power of the Jie Yi Army's water division, this Xishan Island is a lonely city. Is the current Qi army capable of defeating the Jie Yi Army Sailor? Monsanto was very skeptical about this.

If it weren't for the fact that he was the defender here, if it weren't for the fact that he was the biggest hero on Xishan Island, if it weren't for the rise of the Meng family, but he had done a lot of shady things, I was afraid that he would have already surrendered to the Jieyi Army.

"Lord Captain, you don't think this will work, as far as we know, while the Jieyi Army is taking action against us, it has also begun to force other water bandits to surrender within a time limit. It's just that because we are officially hostile here, the Jieyi Army has slightly postponed the deadline. However, for these water bandits, they absolutely did not want the Jieyi army to win, and they were even more unwilling to surrender the Jieyi army. ”

"So, can we get these bandits to help us defend this place? After all, if we win, they will have another choice, and they will not be forced to surrender by the Sailors of the Jieyi Army. In addition, we can also promise to let them replenish supplies here. These bandits have money in their hands, but without food and supplies, it is useless for them to have money. ”

In addition, Shen Tuxiong, who is now stationed in Suzhou Prefecture, also wants to form a sailor in the waters of Taihu Lake to fight against the increasingly powerful Jieyi Army. We brought these bandits over and let them fight against the Jieyi army, and also forced them to choose our army. In this way, it can not only solve the problem of Xishan Island, but also make a great contribution to the Qi army's fight against the Jieyi army. He Yongfeng, the head of the He family, who was second only to the Meng family, suggested in a deep voice.

For He Yongfeng, he, like Monsan, did not want this Xishan Island to be captured by the Jieyi army. Because of this, he buried the water bandit he had worked so hard to pull up. In order to establish a fleet that has been guarding the He family, he has invested a lot of money in it, although several other families have also invested, but where can he compare to him? Despite this, in order to protect Xishan Island and prevent his family business from flying back to annihilation, he could only give up the part of the side branch. It was also because of these bandits that he thought of using other bandit teams to come to the hostile army of the rebels.

Listening to He Yongfeng's words, Monsan couldn't help but be stunned, and immediately overjoyed. If what He Yongfeng said can be realized, then there will be tens of thousands of more soldiers in his hands to guard Xishan Island, and there will be no problem. Even if some of them were annexed, it would make them tens of thousands or nearly thousands of soldiers. As for wooing the navy for Shen Tuxiong and letting him go to hell, his mission in Mengshan is to defend this Xishan Island and protect the Meng family.

"Okay, this works! Immediately let people contact the bandits from all walks of life and tell them that if they don't want to be swallowed up by the Jieyi Army, don't want to lose their belongings, and don't want to change from a human being to a small soldier under the command of others, then come to our Xishan Island and help us defend here. After the Sailors of the Jieyi Army retreated, we allowed them to buy supplies on Xishan Island. As long as they don't plunder the merchant ships that go out of our Xishan Island, Xishan Island is their backing and their logistics base. ”

As soon as the Monsan military ordered, he immediately arranged for manpower to contact these bandits. Now that the Jieyi Army has annihilated the forces of the three water bandits related to them in the waters of Taihu Lake, they are digesting the results of the battle at the moment, and they are asking for the details of the investigation of Xishan Island, and there is not much time left for him to Monshan.

At this moment, the sailors of the Jieyi Army are indeed exploring the situation on Xishan Island, exterminating three water bandits, capturing dozens of warships, and killing thousands of soldiers. But Qin Shouyi also learned from these soldiers about their relationship with the Haoqiang of Xishan Island, and also knew that Xishan Island had now mobilized the Haoqiang within it and was ready to defend it to the death.

Through inquiry, Qin Shouyi also found that the strength of this Xishan Island was greater than he expected. In addition to the 1,000 Qi soldiers, there were 1,500 young men. And this 1,500 young man is actually a private soldier trained by Captain Mengshan of Xishan Island. Moreover, it was trained in the mode of regular soldiers. Even, they are more brave than the soldiers. After all, the soldiers of the Qi army are the strength of the Qi army, and this 1,500 young and strong people are the private soldiers of the Meng family, and they are the power that belongs to his Mengshan. It is also the existence of more than 1,500 private soldiers that Monsan is capable of suppressing the various powerful clans on Xishan Island.

Moreover, these more than 1,500 private soldiers of the Meng family, under the condition that Mengshan used training to defend Xishan Island and serve as a reserve for soldiers, should equip them with the standard armor and equipment of the Qi army.

On Xishan Island, in addition to more than 2,500 soldiers, other heroes and powerhouses have also launched their hidden strength, so that the guards of Xishan Island have more than 6,000 people, almost 7,000 people. In addition, they are equipped with strong bows and crossbows, and have their own weapon forging workshops.

After receiving these news, after Qin Shouyi took down the forces left in the lake by the three water bandits, he only briefly tried it, and did not immediately take a full-scale offensive action. While arranging for his subordinates to continue to attack and coerce the landing dock, Qin Shouyi reported these situations to Li Qingping on Leishan Island.

"I thought it would be an easy thing to take down here, but I didn't expect it to be a tough nut to crack." Li Qingping, who got Qin Shouyi's report, couldn't help but muttered to himself coldly.

"Let the men and horses of the first town except for the clippers who are watching those water bandits, and the rest immediately rush to Xishan Island to join the second town. Since this is a hard bone, then smash him hard, so that the bandits in the surrounding waters know that surrendering to the sailors of our Jieyi Army is their only choice. Then Li Qingping made a decision and was ready to concentrate his forces and take this place.

"Governor, in this case, why don't you let these bandits who were surrendered by us before also participate in it, these bandits' combat ability is still good, what they need is the military law and military discipline of our righteous army and the cooperation of each other. Training is better than actual combat, let them mix with our men and horses, let them have a good look at how they should fight. Li Ziran suggested to Li Qingping.

After pondering for a moment, Li Qingping smiled and said, "That's fine, in this way, it can also allow them to integrate into our Jieyi Army sailors faster." In addition, they joining us can also increase our strength, and also reduce the proportion of losses of our direct subordinates. Anyway, the pawns of the first and second towns are our direct forces. And these newly acquired water bandits, especially the three water bandits who surrendered before, are still much worse for our cohesion. ”

"After this battle, we will have many more soldiers under our command. We have already integrated these surrendered soldiers in front of us into us, and we can better train the strength of the Righteous Army in the future. Rapid expansion, if they can't integrate well with our people, there will inevitably be some problems. ”

"General Li, this new soldier who is in training will be handed over to you. After bringing them there, they will be mixed into the two towns of you, and let them learn the combat methods of the regular navy with our people. ”