He had an inexplicable apprehension.

The battle has been in a stalemate, and it has dragged on for too long.

The strength of the army is sufficient, the total number of infantry plus cavalry exceeds 200,000, and the follow-up troops are still arriving, Hu Jin can fully understand the urgency of His Majesty the Tiger King to go to Red Moon City, but he is really speechless about this———— because of the terrain restrictions, the attack surface of Red Moon City is narrow, and at most three thousand to five thousand infantry can be put in each time, and any more is just a waste.

To the west are rolling mountains, steep and difficult to climb.

The river to the east is called the Pantuo River, which is the river that originates from the territory of the Niu tribe in the upper reaches, passes through the mountains in the form of an underground dark river, and converges with other direct currents in the territory of the Lu tribe to form a large river with abundant water. Meltwater from distant glaciers in the north, mountain springs between lofty mountains, and dark river fractures formed by the crust of the earth's crust all converge and flow into the tigers, lions, eagles and other downstream tribes in a furious and swift manner, and finally into the sea.

Relying on the mountains to eat the mountains, relying on the water to draft, of course, the tiger tribe also has a large number of civilians who fish by the river, strictly speaking, there is no shortage of boats, especially the number of sampans that come and go vertically and horizontally on the river, but the hull size of this kind of boat is small, there is no protection, coupled with the turbulent flow of the Pantuo River, the fishermen only fish and catch shrimp in the near-shore area, and rarely sail to the center of the river, let alone go upstream...... Once captured by the deer tribesmen, even if there was no war dispute between the two tribes at the time, these captives from the river were either reduced to slavery or killed on the spot, deboned for meat.

The Lu people have always attached great importance to river defense. Although they did not have a naval army, they built a large number of towers along the shore, plus some small villages were set up along the coast, on the one hand, they could divert water for irrigation, and on the other hand, they could monitor the situation on the river, especially the adjacent position of the territory of the Tiger and Deer tribes on the waters, and the Deer people set up a lot of heavy ballistae purchased from the Niu Clan, whether they threw stones or heavy arrows, which were enough to have a lethal suppression effect on small fishing boats...... For many years, the Tiger people have never taken advantage of the water.

Again, the key factor is the boat.

The Tiger Clan also thought about upgrading their boats and building large river boats to replace the sampans. But the deer people are not fools, they desperately concentrate their efforts on piling up all kinds of long-range weapons in the river defense area, there are more than 300 catapults alone, and there are an astonishing number of ballistas...... Just one hundred and sixty years ago, as many as 200 or more Tiger Clan warships forcibly attacked from the rivers and mountains, and were defeated by the deer tribesmen who were strictly defended, and almost all the troops were wiped out.

Since then, successive generations of tiger kings have never thought of attacking from the waterway.

That's not their technical forte.

Hu Jinzhong stared at the animal skin map like this for nearly two hours.

Eventually, he gave up on the idea of finding another breakthrough. The deer people did an excellent job of defense and were impeccable. There is no road on the west side of the mountain range, so there is no need to think about it on the water, and to win this battle, we have to follow the old method and use human lives.

As for the problem of logistics supply, don't worry about it yourself. Spring ploughing has ended, and it will soon be the height of summer. People eat and chew, and all problems are arranged by His Majesty in the middle, so there is no need to worry about this. Again———— just do your part honestly.

……

It was late at night.

The mountain col south of White Deer City was shrouded in darkness. Although Lu Qingxi was here last time, he was still unfamiliar with his surroundings. Of course, there are still differences, the last time I came was winter, and now the sky is full of stars, and you can see the brilliant galaxy when you look up.

Everything here was controlled by the Ox Clan, and Stormtooth led the army to push the outer defensive line to more than fifty kilometers south of Buck City. Strictly speaking, including the mountain col, as well as several nearby peaks, are now under the sphere of influence of the Thunder Bull Clan.

Tianhao was still the only one in the room.

As soon as the guard closed the door from the outside, Lu Qingxi immediately walked forward quickly, staring at a pair of red eyes through the light wooden table, and let out a hoarse roar at Tianhao.

"Help me! You have to help me! I can't hold it anymore! ”

His eye sockets were deep-set, and in the light of the candles, he showed clear black circles, and his eye sockets were bloodshot, not because of hatred, but because he had not rested well for a long time.

"I have recruited all the young men to go to Red Moon City. The attack of the Tiger Clansmen was too fierce, we suffered heavy casualties, and the fortress was full of wounded and corpses. ”

"I have enough food to feed for six months, but the salt and grease are gone. There are not many animals in the territory, and there will be problems if they continue to slaughter, and there will not even be enough cattle to transport. ”

"I need weapons, especially bows and arrows and heavy ballistas. Otherwise, I won't be able to stop the Tiger Clansmen. ”

Lu Qingxi had been chattering like a poor prisoner who had just been released from confinement. His hair was unkempt, his expression was gloomy, and the skin on his face was far less smooth than the last time they met, with some wrinkles and even faint patches of light color.

During this time, he aged quickly.

Lu Qingxi knew very well that he had to win this battle.

Although the Ox people in the north are eyeing the Tiger people, the biggest problem in front of them is the Tiger people. As long as he holds the defense line of Red Moon City, Lu Qingxi is willing to pay any price for it.

The human psyche can change dramatically in an environment of despair. From the king of the stag to the king of the deer in the real sense, Lu Qingxi has experienced too many things. He knew that he had been fooled and became a tool in the hands of Tianhao, but the result of disobeying orders was that all secrets were made public, and he was ruined and became an eternal sinner in the history of the Deer Clan.

I can be shameless, but I can't accept the end of being scolded after death.

Although the entire clan was almost on the verge of collapse, Lu Qingxi had a wonderful idea, he had to keep Bucks City no matter what, this was his last bargaining chip, and it was also the last clan population who really wanted to stay and be firmly controlled after losing hundreds of thousands, nearly a million people.

Like a rich man who once had a huge fortune, he wasted unscrupulously and ate nothing, until the safe and bank account were empty, and only the last house was left to live in, and then he suddenly had the fanatical idea of keeping this last possession.

Tianhao sneered and did not speak.

He knew Lu Qingxi's feelings very well.

In fact, Tianhao didn't want the Red Moon City defense line to collapse.

He needed time to digest the deer people he had captured last year.

Although the spring ploughing has ended, there is not much grain stored in various places. Considering the next plan, it is obviously not so cost-effective to send troops to capture Bucks City and annex the last Deer Clan territory now. Inviting the Raging Bull and Bison to fight together, and giving them a large number of prisoners, is not just about getting support, but more importantly, about food.

In the past few months, Tianhao has continuously received a large amount of food from the Raging Bull Department and the Bison Department, which can sustain the consumption of 500,000 people for nearly a year.

It was only a matter of time before the Thunder Bull Clan grew, but the target now was by no means the Deer Clan.

Therefore, the deer clan can't fall for the time being, and Lu Qingxi, a cunning and greedy guy, must exert his residual heat. Tianhao ordered a large amount of food to be allocated from Rock City, including dried fish and pickled fat, as well as crossbow arrows, weapons, etc...... All of them were transported to White Deer City, and the exchange of gold and silver was completed in the form of gold and silver transactions.

"Do you think I'm a fool?" Tianhao sneered gloomily: "The grain and cured meat you were given last time were enough to last for three months, and that was the share of a full 100,000 people. ”

Lu Qingxi replied very quickly, he was obviously prepared: "It takes strength to fight, soldiers are not civilians, they consume a lot every day, I have to feed them." ”

"Even if you raise a bunch of hungry ghosts, you won't need so much." Tianhao sneered: "I know what you're thinking, don't think about food, I won't give you an extra grain of rice or a piece of meat." If your soldiers feel hungry, let them eat their own. By the way: grind the bones into powder and don't waste them. ”

"You're pushing me!" Lu Qingxi roared angrily: "Without your support, I can't hold Red Moon City at all." ”

"If you can't keep it, you can't keep it! What does that have to do with me? Tianhao shrugged his shoulders, spread his hands, and let out a contemptuous sneer: "That's not my territory, even if the Tiger Clan captures it, it's a problem between you and them." ”

Lu Qingxi gritted his teeth hard, grinding it in his mouth so loudly that he made a vicious threat: "Red Moon City is the most critical fortress between the Deer Clan and the Tiger Clan. Once controlled by the Tiger Clan, as for White Deer City in the north, there will be no obstacles. ”

"I know." Tianhao replied lightly: "It's a big deal that I will give up White Deer City, and the whole army will return to Rock City, and the Tiger Clan will give it to them if they want." ”

After a pause of a few seconds, he cleared his throat and uttered a subdued, poetic voice: "My greatest virtue as a person is that I love peace. I don't like to fight...... It's true! ”

Lu Qingxi felt the urge to spurt a mouthful of blood from his chest.

He felt that he was shameless enough, but he didn't expect to meet an opponent in what he was best at, and it was the kind that he couldn't overcome.

He decided to change his approach.

“…… Well, I apologize to you for what I said before. It's as simple as lowering his posture, Lu Qingxi lowered his head, no longer angry, and his tense face looked very calm: "But no matter what, please help me." ”

Tianhao put his hands behind his back and looked at him indifferently.

"You're a smart guy, but sometimes you're really stupid." Given that the two sides are still in a state of cooperation, and the collapse of the deer clan is not in his own interests, Tianhao decided to accept it when he sees it. With a smile on his face, he said calmly, "I'm also having a hard time with food, and the portion I gave you last time is enough, don't be so lascivious, you have to save some food." ”

The latter refusal was very clear, Lu Qingxi knew that this was Tianhao's bottom line, he could only curse secretly in his heart, but there was a look of regret on his face: "You should always give some support in terms of weapons, right?" What is most lacking now is bows and arrows. ”

"I can give you 200,000 arrows, which will be shipped next week." Tianhao said seriously: "This is the greatest support I can give you at the moment. The old rule is that things cannot be given for free, and gold and silver are exchanged. ”

"I don't have any money anymore." Lu Qingxi's face was full of urgency, angry and angry, but he didn't stomp his feet and curse: "Last time I bought grain from you, I already took out all the gold and silver, including ......"

Tianhao interrupted him with a smile: "All? Are you sure? As far as I know, there are two tons of gold hidden in the vault under your palace, and there is also silver, but the amount is a little less, about five tons. ”

Lu Qingxi felt an extremely terrifying cold chill emerge from his back.

This is his biggest secret, and even the henchmen around him don't know it. The last time he carried the gold and silver transaction, he killed all six people who knew the inside story, and the secret vault key was hidden in the dark compartment of the wall of the dormitory, and no one could open it except Lu Qingxi himself.

"You're still rich." Tianhao's smile contains a profound philosophy: "When is it time, they still hold on to them and refuse to let go." Take it out, and I can give you some more cured meat, and the number of bows and arrows can be increased a bit. ”

Lu Qingxi completely lost the courage to continue talking.

Yes, courage, not interest.

It's like a gambler whose hole cards are seen through, no matter how he plays, he loses.

"What exactly do you want?" After a long time, Lu Qingxi raised his head and let out a hoarse and helpless empty shout: "You robbed me of everything, why can't you leave me a part...... Even if it's a little bit! ”

Tianhao replied quickly: "Okay, I promise you, Buck City and Red Moon City are yours, and my claim for the Deer Clan ends here." In fact, there is no need for what you are asking, I said last time, I only want White Deer City, which is the southernmost part of the territory of the Thunder Cow Tribe. ”

Lu Qingxi trembled, and he suddenly sobbed in a low voice.

“…… Please...... Don't be so cruel. For the sake of the gods, don't take this last bit of me away. I'm the deer king...... It's the king of the deer clan......"

He did not have the majesty of a king, like a poor man who had been stolen by thieves for many years, facing hunger and cold, and having no means of living.

"Don't cry." Tianhao smiled and comforted: "I have promised not to take away the one that belongs to you again." Since you brought it up, I definitely won't refuse. ”

Lu Qingxi wiped the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand and sniffled vigorously: "You swear?" ”

"We're friends." Tianhao smiled, his tone was gentle and friendly: "I won't lie to you. ”

……

The Pantuo River was dark at night. It was a cloudy day, with no moon and no stars. The slow-flowing river water "rattled lala" softly, like a lullaby, making the soldiers on duty drowsy.

A large group of river boats sailed from the north, down the river, and crossed the defensive line set up by the defenders of Red Moon City at the river pass, heading south.

A deer soldier sitting behind the battlement suddenly opened his eyes, listened carefully for a few minutes, quickly stood up, ran quickly to the guard tower, and reported to the head of the hundred people on duty: "My lord, there seems to be a boat on the river. ”

The head of the hundred people glanced at him with a somewhat strange expression: "How do you know?" ”