Fortunately, the Qin army did not continue to advance after occupying the first line of Shicheng, while the rout army obeyed the call of the defenders and did not attack the foot of the mountain, but went directly down to the valley. The barracks in the valley, which were already ready for battle, gave way to these routs, and did not let them break up their formation. The tide of the battle has stabilized slightly.

The defense of the Danshui line was handed over to the generals of the various armies, and Zhao Kuo immediately sent military envoys to order the defenders at the foot of the mountains to immediately dig trenches and build fortifications, preparing to meet the attack of the Qin army. When Bai Qi stepped on the moonlight to ascend the stone city, Zhao Kuo had already arranged to dig up the two foot of the mountain and build a high fortress to resist the onslaught of the Qin army from top to bottom. If the Qin army attacked the troops in the valley directly, it would be bogged down in a quagmire, and the troops guarding the foot of the mountain would have a chance to attack and retake the stone city.

Zhao Kuo's work is heavier than Bai Qi's. The sudden influx of nearly 200,000 Zhao troops made it difficult for the already crowded camp in front of the mountain to turn around, and vacating the necessary space for the army to assemble and dispatch became a task that must be completed tonight. Zhao Kuo ordered all soldiers who did not have weapons to go to the granary to transport food, and then stay in that camp to serve as a supplementary soldier. The soldiers who still had their weapons were concentrated in the camps in the south, organized in a unified manner, and reassigned to the combat area. In this way, the battalions sent away the routs that had crowded around their camps, leaving room for battle.

In front of the granary, those who could not carry a stone of grain were moved to the valley at the foot of the mountain to the south, and every tenth of them were given a stone of grain, each of whom carried it on his back, and camped outside the wall. The soldiers who could pick up the grain carried the grain to the camp for five hundred stone each. In one night, the porters picked two times before they finished. The soldiers of each battalion looked at the 500 stone of grain and the additional 200 or so additional soldiers, and a sense of foreboding came to their hearts.

Sure enough, Zhao Kuo gave an order: each battalion will receive ten days of rations, and break Qin within ten days!

There were about 20,000 or 30,000 Zhao soldiers concentrated in the camp in the south, and most of them were halberd soldiers, with only a few shield soldiers and archers, and almost no spearmen. They only got three days' worth of food!

Zhao Kuo stayed up all night, inspecting, training, and rectifying all over the position. Now his voice was hoarse, his eyes were red, and he was in the camp to the south! This is not a formed army, but a defeated army that has broken down from behind the mountain. Unlike the others, they carried weapons when they fled. Seeing Zhao Kuo and his entourage coming, everyone knelt up blankly.

Zhao Kuo walked among them and shouted in a hoarse voice: "The day before yesterday, there were people who fought here, Shu'er halberd, Ting'ergan, and raised the bow!" ”

About half of them raised their weapons.

Zhao Kuo shouted again: "Stand, front!" Right column! ”

The men stood up, took a step forward, and lined up on the right.

Zhao Kuo shouted again: "The rest of the stands, left column!" ”

The rest also stood up and lined up on the left.

Zhao Kuo said: "Shiwu Chang is out of the above!" ”

Only a handful of people did not come out. Those who can escape in an emergency and still carry weapons are generally the chief of the Shiwu.

Zhao Kuo said: "Hundreds of people will come out!" ”

Only a dozen or so came out this time. More than 100 people either broke away from the troops, or chose a safe road to flee back, and ran blindly with the rebels in ignorance, and there were not many who still carried weapons with them.

Zhao Kuo said: "Shame and shame! The Qin people are only 20,000, and 200,000 are like pigs, since Zhao feudalism, there has never been such a humiliation! Fathers and elders are burdened with food, wives and children are leaning on the door, why don't you look forward to this? Whoever is my man, be ashamed of the snow! ”

Zhao Jun below was agitated and shouted: "Swear to be ashamed!" ”

Zhao Kuo pointed to the Qin Bi on the opposite side and said, "The Qin people are there." I should strike it and be ashamed of it! Those who cherish their lives will be relieved and returned to the outside of the wall! "Of course, no one will really lay down their arms and leave, not even if the thought flashes through their hearts.

Zhao Kuo said: "All those who fight with them swear an oath!" ”

A doorman stepped forward and held high a big flag, Zhao Kuo said: "Whoever fights with him, swear to die with him!" There are those who have died, and their children and grandchildren have abandoned them, and there will be no blood to eat for eternity! He cut a bloody hole in his finger and squeezed the blood on the flag.

The officer on the left came first, and each of them spilled blood with his fingers. Then there are the officers on the right, the soldiers on the left, and the soldiers on the right. Some people are resolute and decisive, some people are cowering, but they have all fulfilled their blood vows! For some reason, when everyone finished dripping blood, everyone was full of strength.

Zhao Kuo asked a dozen or so hundred people to raise their weapons in front of him, and ordered: "Whoever has the same weapon, stand behind!" ”

The arms are thus separated.

Zhao Kuo ordered: "After eating, all fight!" ”

Immediately all the troops took up fire and food in the camp, and each of them had a full meal. During this period, Zhao Kuo called these more than ten hundred generals together and instructed them the specific battle plan and the tasks of each person. Everyone waited for the day, looking at the full moon from afar, knowing in their hearts that they would never see the moon rise again, and it would be the brightest and roundest moon of the year.

As the drums sounded, the battalions began to count their troops. In fact, everyone didn't have a good rest that night. The loss of Shicheng made it impossible for the two armies of Qin and Zhao to face each other directly.

Where to put the main point of attack, this night, Zhao Kuo asked himself this question more than once. It stands to reason that if the defense line of Shicheng is lost, Shangdang, and even Handan will be directly exposed to the Qin army, and it is the key to seize Shicheng with all its might. However, Zhao Kuo believed that the Qin army's actions were actually to contain his own attack in the south. He believed that as long as the Qin army broke through the barracks set up at the mouth of the valley and threatened the Duan clan, the Qin army would collapse. And at this time, he turned around and went to recover Shicheng, which was in the hands of the Qin army!

He sent people to sneak out separately and report to Handan. At the same time, it was decided that the determination would not change and resolutely attack the Qin army at Taniguchi! He believed that Taniguchi's Qin army was also the end of the strong crossbow, and as long as he worked harder, he could break through! Although the Qin army copied the retreat of the Zhao army from the rear and cut off the Zhao army's lines of communication, it seemed to have an advantage. But Zhao Kuo knew that, first, there would be no reinforcements; second, there will be no grain or grass to come; Third, it is impossible for him to return to Handan. With these three "can'ts", the Qin army cut off the retreat, which is not so significant, but gives Zhao Kuo the opportunity to attack from all sides and attack the Qin army. When the Qin army was cowering in the barrier of the valley, the Zhao army could only send one or two hundred thousand people to attack the barrier every day, and the advantage of troops could not be brought into play. Now, isn't it an opportunity to give full play to the superiority of one's own forces? Whether it is offensive or defensive, at least the troops on the front line of Shicheng have a place to use, and they will no longer waste food and grass! If he struggled to open the road to Duanshi despite the fact that the back road was cut off, the Qin army would be defeated in capturing Shicheng!

He sometimes wondered if he took advantage of the transfer of Gaodu's troops to Shicheng and made a surprise attack on Gaodu, would it have a miraculous effect? But the thought was only a flash in the air. He was incapable of handling the attack, and it seemed that no one under his command could take on the task.

Today, Zhao Kuo wants to use super-saturated troops to fight to the death with the Qin army!

The battalions that were organized at the time of the southern flanks went out of the battalions to line up under the guidance of the flags they had temporarily found. This time, the Zhao army did not put the surprise soldiers in the camp again, and only attacked when necessary, but placed them on the two flanks, and due to the lack of depth available for the array, the front of the entire battle array was stretched to nearly ten miles long.

The Qin army in the south also quickly moved out of the camp and formed a formation. At this time, Zhao Jun had already begun to persecute Xiaoshanbao. It was not the regular soldiers who occupied the hill, but the odd soldiers on the right flank. There are nearly 10,000 people in this wing alone.

Since the attack was full of halberd soldiers, the Qin army adopted a normal formation to launch. At a distance of 100 paces, the formation stopped, and the archers in the back row fired the first arrow. Three hundred arrows caused only some confusion for a brigade of 10,000 men. Zhao Jun quickened his pace, passed the hundred steps in a very short time, and then pounced on the shield soldiers of the Qin army. - at the cost of hundreds of soldiers wounded.

The halberders and spearmen of the Qin army carried their weapons on the shoulders of their comrades in front of them and extended their shields. When Zhao Jun pounced, countless halberds and spears stabbed out. Zhao Jun erected the halberd in front of him and spun to pounce on the shield. It's a life-threatening style of play. Most dodged the first stab and threw themselves in front of the shieldmen, pressing their bodies against the shieldmen while slashing their weapons at the enemy. - Without exception, they were all stabbed by each other's spears or halberds, but their casualties opened the way for their comrades behind.

The Qin army occupied the defensive position, and all the formations were kneeling on the ground, and the Zhao army pressed, the Qin army could not get up, and the Zhao army behind rushed up, and all kinds of weapons hit the Qin army. Zhao Jun's lifeless style of play put great pressure on Qin Jun, Qin Jun fell one piece, and almost all the rest who had time to stand up were injured. Unable to retreat due to their companion's injury, they had to resist desperately, hoping to free their companion. But there were more Zhao troops who came up, almost surrounding them. Officers at all levels were anxious, shouted loudly, and fought desperately. And most of the Zhao Jun's side were Shiwu chiefs, who also shouted loudly, stubbornly facing the blade.

Just as this group of people was scuffling, the Qin army of the second formation arrived and threw themselves into battle with a shout. The spears and halberds came out together, stabbing down a piece of Zhao army, and the surrounded Qin army also rushed out of the encirclement with a shout, and retreated. There was still a corpse left behind.

The second formation, witnessing the lesson of the first, took an offensive stance, and stabbed nimbly with spears and halberds. After rescuing his own soldiers, he occasionally shot with a bow and arrow. The several rotations of the vanguard of the Zhao army were not allowed to get close, but they were severely traumatized. The wounded vanguard was in a hurry, so he simply threw away the halberd, and held the spear or halberd that pierced him with both hands, allowing them to pierce back and forth on his body, and crushing them under his own weight. The soldiers in the back rushed up again, and the Qin army, which had lost its weapons, suffered a serious blow and dispersed. And those fallen Zhao troops, many of them still held the enemy's weapons in their hands.

Zhao Kuo stopped the drums and used the horn to make the strange soldiers form a team, ready to meet the third formation.

The third formation shot arrows from a long distance, and the Zhao army, which was in the whole formation, fell one by one, but the others seemed to continue to line up indifferently, and then, to the sound of drums, rushed towards the third formation of the Qin army.