Although Yidu is not very far from Dizhou, it is also hundreds of miles. If you ride alone, you can reach it in a day or two; If you are marching in large groups, it will inevitably be a little slower. Therefore, although Deng She sent the first batch of reinforcements on the night when Ji rushed into the city, it still took a little time to reach Dizhou.

In the city of Dizhou, Luo Guoqi and Ji Zong looked around and wanted to wear it.

For two days and one night, the two of them did not see each other, and slept for less than two hours in total.

Luo Guoqi is okay, he has the experience of serving in the army in Liaodong back then, and he can endure it; Ji Zongzhou is otherwise, a person in his forties and fifties has always been pampered, and he has never been on the battlefield in person, and his body can't bear it first; Secondly, when a strong enemy is approaching the city, the city will be broken at any time, and the psychological pressure will not be bearable.

In just a few days, he had aged a lot.

Ji Zongzhou looks good, his appearance is dignified, his appearance is good, and he is well maintained, although he is about fifty years old, his hair is still black and shiny, without half a white one, and the bun has always been neatly combed, with his steady bearing, he is dignified. But now, if someone you know sees him, you are guaranteed to be surprised. Maybe you won't recognize him at all. Needless to say, his bloodshot eyes and haggard face alone took most of his beard in just a day or two.

The dress that had always been clean and neat was now as messy as his bun and beard. Because of the rain on the head of the city for days to supervise the battle, the robe draped outside the armor was muddy and bloodstained, and the left sleeve did not know when there were two cuts, which were about to be hung by the battlements, revealing the fluffy thread inside. Four or five paces away, he could smell a rancid, foul smell coming from him.

His voice was also hoarse.

When I walked, my steps floated, and if I didn't have a strong spirit, I was afraid that I might fall down at any time.

"How many days has it been since Ji Chong left the city?"

"It's been almost three days, and I should have sent an urgent report for help to Yidu."

"What's the news of Yidu?"

"There has been no news yet. However, based on humble estimates, with the lord in Yidu, the speed of sending troops will definitely be very fast. Perhaps the reinforcements have already set off and are on their way to Dizhou. ”

"What's going on over there, Lord Luo?"

"The Tartars went mad, day and night, and onslaught. Lord Luo had a very hard time coping with it, and the military report sent in the morning said that the casualties among the soldiers were extremely high, and more than 400 people had been killed in battle in just two days. If you go on at this rate, you won't be able to get to the day after tomorrow, and the reserves will have to go. It's just that fortunately, the line of the moat is still in the hands of our army. ”

Ji Zongzhou turned his head and looked at the north of the city for a while.

After such a distance, the shouts of killing can still be faintly heard. As the rain gradually stopped, the firearms were slowly ready to use, and from time to time puffs of white smoke could be seen from afar, which was the firing of artillery and firearms. Sometimes I felt a shock under my feet, but it was the artillery and catapults of the Yuan army that hit the city wall.

Compared with the northern city wall, the western city wall where Ji Zongzhou is located is relatively quiet.

The Yuan army did not seem to have any intention of attacking here, but only deployed three or four thousand troops seven or eight miles outside the city, and every half an hour, or an hour, they would pull out catapults and other objects and put them for a while. Occasionally, they would send thousands of people to wave their flags and shout, and they would retreat after attacking for a while.

It seems to be dangerous.

However, Ji Zongzhou and Luo Guoqi did not dare to take it lightly, and they must not neglect their defenses and send their men to help Beicheng because they seemed to be "no danger". Because, no one knows whether the Yuan army will suddenly "turn from virtual to real". If the military horses of Xicheng were just divided into Beicheng, and the Yuan army suddenly changed direction and stormed Xicheng, wouldn't it just fall into the enemy's plan of "diverting the tiger from the mountain"?

"The Tartar also knows that Yidu will definitely not sit idly by. We are waiting for help, but they want to break through Dizhou before the arrival of Yidu reinforcements. In this case, how can you not stop attacking? ”

In a word, both sides are buying time.

"Your Excellency, you've slept less than an hour since last night. While the Tartars are not attacking the city, why don't you go and rest for a while? ”

Ji Zongzhou sighed and said, "Success or failure is only in these few days, and I don't know when the lord's reinforcements will arrive." At such a critical and critical juncture, how could the old man sleep? After a few more words, he felt a pain in his throat, and commanded his attendants, saying, "Go and fetch me some water." ......, there is no need to make a fire and burn it again, just scoop a spoonful of cold water from the battlement over there. ”

I never realized that cold water can be so sweet and delicious.

"Gu Dong Dong" drank the water in one go, and Ji Zongzhou wiped his mouth. The attendant tugged at his sleeve and tried to wipe the water stain that had dripped onto his chest. He waved his hand unhesitantly, signaling that he didn't have to, and said, "What's a little water stain?" ......, the Tartar's flag has moved! Go to the south battlement and take a look! ”

On the west wall of the city, with Ji Zongzhou's order, the war drums were quickly beaten.

The soldiers who had been sitting at the battlements and resting against the city wall stood up one after another, erected their guns, pulled the sassafras, put their bows and crossbows, and prepared for battle. The rain fell, washing away their armor and weapons. In the distance, the Yuan army set up a position and slowly approached. The atmosphere was solemn and solemn.

Ji Zongzhou walked out of the shed, came to a battlement nearby, held the city wall, and watched from afar.

Judging from visual inspection, the men and horses used by the Yuan army this time are still up and down 1,000 people, 800 foot soldiers, and 200 cavalry. Foot soldiers were used to attack, and cavalry was used to defend. In the middle of the march, a large flag in the middle is constantly shaking from side to side, and many small flags around echo each other to adjust the formation.

It's getting closer and closer to the city.

Ji Zongzhou saw that there was an open area between the vanguard camp of the Yuan army and the city, which was the main battlefield of the previous encounters, and the corpses were scattered all over the place, most of which were flooded by muddy water. There are also many pits that have been smashed by catapults, and they are full of rainwater. There were also bodies in some of the pits.

One of them, all from the neck down, was completely submerged in muddy water, only the head was exposed, there was no hood, and the hair was scattered. Perhaps it was because of the screams before he died, or because he couldn't stand the pain before he died, so his mouth was wide open. A gray thing came out of his mouth.

Ji Zongzhou only felt sick to his stomach for a while, almost retched, and reluctantly swallowed the sour water.

That thing was a mouse. Drilling out of the mouth of the deceased, the probe looked left and right for a moment, and about found the approaching Yuan army, frightened by the murderous aura, "squeaked", and ran away quickly.

"Your Excellency?"

Ji Zongzhou calmed down, turned his gaze away, and refocused on the formation of the Yuan army. He is a civilian official, he does not know how to fight, and he is also self-aware, and he is willing to give up power and not interfere with the guards to defend against the enemy.

At this time, when he heard the inquiring instructions from the general on duty, he nodded slightly and said, "When the Tartar is within range, you can act cheaply." ”

The colonel took the order and ran to the command platform, waving the military flag. Officers at all levels moved when they saw the flag, and military orders, passwords, and orders one after another suddenly sounded, and the soldiers came out of their swords and wound their arrows one after another.

With a gust of wind and a whistling sound, the Yuan army's catapult started first.

Boulders fell from the sky, right in the middle of the city walls. Rubble flew, and the sound of killing was loud.

Ji Zong watched the battle with his eyes, although there was light rain in the sky, but he was like a deep fire hell. And the only thing that can comfort him at the moment is that Ji Chong has left the city.

……

Ji Chong, who left the city, returned to Dizhou five days later. It happened that Ji Zongzhou had just repelled another feint attack by the Yuan army, and when he heard the news, he couldn't believe it.

Luo Guoqi sent someone to ask him to go to the north city wall quickly, gather the generals, and discuss the news that Ji Chong brought back.

Ji Chong's armor was covered with blood, and the right shoulder was probably hit by an arrow, and maybe he was wounded by a spear or sword, so he bandaged it with a cloth so-so, and the blood soaked out. Because when entering the city, it was necessary to break through the barriers of the Yuan army, so the bun in the hood was also messy, hanging down a few strands, and scattered on the face.

In front of Luo Guoqi and the generals, Ji Zongzhou couldn't say anything, he just glanced at Ji Chong complicatedly, went up into the hall, and sat on the side.

"Master Ji, I never expected that in the door of your Confucian son, you could give birth to such a general! This is a letter from the Lord, please read it. ”

Luo Guoqi's face was full of praise and praise, and he handed Deng She's letter to Ji Zongzhou. Ji Zongzhou unfolded and watched, and saw that the first half of the text was that reinforcements had been sent, and there was no need to worry about it in the city. There are a few more sentences in the back, and Ji Chong, who is dedicated to speaking, roughly wrote: "Ji Chong sent the military information to Yidu in time, and it was a great achievement." Because the generals of Yidu were not familiar with the situation in Dizhou, he volunteered to go back to Dizhou with the reinforcements, enter and leave the city, and assist the reinforcements in contacting the city. Courage is commendable, and the true Confucian generals are also planted! ”

Ji Zongzhou smiled bitterly and said: "For the general to be born and die, before serving the lord, it is also my duty." Ji Chong is a child, where can he deserve such praise? The lord praised falsely, and he was ashamed. "Respectfully return the letter to Luo Guoqi.

"Ji Chong, tell your lords and generals about the situation outside the city."

"Yes. Outside the city now comes the first batch of reinforcements, which are under the command of General Wang Guoyi, all of whom are cavalry, with 4,000 people. Arrived in the morning. Now they are encamped thirty miles away. There are still two groups of follow-up military horses, and most of them are cavalry, and after their arrival, the total number of military horses galloping to aid Dizhou can be around 14,000. The lord's plan was not to attack first, but to try to contain the flanks of the Tartars as much as possible, so as to relieve some pressure on the city, so that the generals and adults would have the strength to deal with the battle in the north of the city. ”

"And then?"

"Then, all three groups of military horses waiting for reinforcements will arrive, and then launch a general counterattack."

It is still the tactic of first using the fortified city to exhaust the Yuan army, and then using the fresh army to counterattack with all its might. It's just that the time for sending reinforcements has been brought forward a little.

"I wonder when the next two batches of reinforcements will arrive?"

"Within five days."

"In other words, that is, I still need to hold out in the city for five days?"

"Exactly."

"Guys, do you have any questions?"

Everyone in the hall talked about it.

"Hold on for five days? It has only been two or three days, and the number of casualties is approaching thousands. If we hold out for another five days, regardless of whether we can hold it or not, the casualties of the soldiers alone will surely be extremely serious! ”

"This is no small matter! At present, there has been a large-scale attrition of the battalions on the front. Judging from past experience, if the casualties of a battalion leader are about 30%, it will have a great adverse impact on morale; If it gets 40% or 50%, there is a chance that there will be a rout. Although it is said that our Anliao Army is the elite of Haidong, and the quality of the soldiers is far stronger than that of other battalion leaders, but like now, if the attrition situation is not controlled and continues to deteriorate, the morale of the army will be very worrying! ”

"Moreover, reinforcements from outside the city have arrived, but they have not moved, and they will not help in the battle. Although reinforcements arrive, it will boost morale in the city; However, the refusal of reinforcements to help in the war will certainly make the soldiers dissatisfied. The lord's plan is based on the overall situation, and it should be so. But the soldiers, as individual individuals, sacrificed their lives, watching the casualties of their comrades day by day, over time, there may be changes. ”

"The walls of Dizhou are not too strong. After a few days of bloody fighting, the Tartars have almost filled the moat. When the barrier of the moat is lost, our army will no longer have a field position to defend, the elite of the Tartars will be forced under the city, artillery, catapults, and crashing cars, and the city wall will probably not be able to stand it! ”

"The other day, the people of the city began to spread rumors. Now the Tartars have said that if our army does not surrender, we will slaughter the city when it is broken. Even if the soldiers can hold it, even if the city wall can hold ,......, lord, I'm afraid the people in the city won't be able to hold it! ”

These discussions, to be honest, are all about facts, and they do have these problems.

Luo Guoqi was silent, listening to them quietly, and when the hall was quiet again, and no one spoke anymore, he slowly got up, looked left and right, and said in a deep voice: "I accept the favor of the Lord and guard Dizhou, which is where my duty lies, and life and death have long been put aside." But it hurts to remember that the kings and the soldiers in the army sacrificed their lives, anointed the grass and fields, and did not reward the honors! Now, the reinforcements from outside the city have arrived, and they only need to hold out for another five days to echo inside and outside, launch a counterattack, and defuse the crisis. When the time comes, I don't have to worry about the possibility that you may 'reward or not'. The difficulties you are talking about are indeed all there, and I understand them. However, 'mercy does not command the soldiers', I understand, does not mean that the main guild can understand. Victory is in sight, but there is cowardice, just ask you, how can you see the Holy Lord! If you want to retreat, I want to die! ”

Luo Guoqi's words were very particular, the first half was emotionally moving, and at the end he made up his mind. "If I want to retreat, I want to die." The ten words are sonorous and forceful, and they are categorical.

The generals had no objections, they all stood up, bowed and clenched their fists, and said: "Since the adults want to fight to the death, the last generals are willing to obey." ”

"Military order, transfer reserves to prepare. If the front line cannot support it, the rear team will go into battle. Even if you beat people to death and die, Dizhou City must be guarded for five days! ”

Among the generals, there are those who love soldiers, and they are mixed with the soldiers all the year round, and they can't help but have feelings. has already seen his subordinates follow one another and suffer heavy casualties, and now that Luo Guoqi's military order is another one, it is conceivable that the casualties in the next five days will inevitably be greater, and it is even possible to empty the camp head.

This is not a military order, this is a death order. knew that he was sending his soldiers to die, and he had to do it as a last resort. Therefore, while receiving orders loudly, some generals could not contain the surge of emotion, and tears wet their eyes.

Luo Guoqi saw it in his eyes, and couldn't help but feel sorry for it, and sighed secretly, but the expression on his face did not move, his face sank like water, and he reprimanded sharply: "Man, big husband, you should focus on state affairs and world affairs." The lord said: 'The rise and fall of the world is the responsibility of the husband.' 'A thousand heavy burdens are shouldered. Death is death, why cry and cry, follow the woman's state? An Liao Army, shed blood without tears! ”

"Whoa!"