plumnovel Chapter 218 Invitation to Battle at Pingshan: Will Lü Xiao Dare to Attend?
Chapter 218 Invitation to Battle at Pingshan: Will Lü Xiao Dare to Attend?
Upon hearing this, the excitement on everyone's faces gradually faded.
Xu Maogong's words make sense.
Although these men had a large number of troops under their command, their equipment and training were completely incomparable to the regular army of the imperial court.
Siege warfare is all about equipment and siege weaponry, and they are far behind in that aspect.
"The Taoist priest is right." Meng Haigong frowned.
"Jiangdu City has numerous granaries and is connected by waterways in all directions."
A direct assault won't work, and a siege is even less effective.
Especially since we came to this alliance in haste, our supplies are insufficient, and we cannot afford to waste time with Jiangdu City.
Supplies have always been their biggest problem.
How much food would hundreds of thousands of troops consume every day?
They didn't bring much food, enough to last only a few days.
If this drags on, they'll starve to death on their own without the imperial court even needing to intervene.
Silence fell inside the tent.
Everyone looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
Just then, a voice broke the silence.
"I have an idea."
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Cheng Yaojin, who was sitting in the main seat.
"Brother Cheng, please speak."
Meng Hai publicly stated.
At this point, everyone had no choice but to try anything, even if it seemed hopeless.
Cheng Yaojin cleared his throat and stood up.
"In the northwest-eastern part of Jiangdu, there is a spacious place called Siping Mountain."
He gestured as he spoke.
"That place is open and flat, perfect for a large-scale battle."
"We have arrayed our troops here, inviting Lü Xiao to a decisive battle. What do you say?"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Invite Lü Xiao for a decisive battle?" Li Zitong frowned. "Will he come?"
"Will come!"
Cheng Yaojin said firmly.
He knew, of course, that Lü Xiao would come.
During this time, he had been corresponding with Lü Xiao.
In the letter, Lü Xiao explicitly told him that it would be best to gather all the rebels together in one place.
This way, he won't have to lead his troops to besiege and suppress them one by one, wasting time and energy.
Siping Mountain was the battlefield that Cheng Yaojin carefully chose.
There's no need to besiege Jiangdu, thus avoiding trouble for the imperial court and the local people.
This way, he could bring all the rebels with him, making it easier for Lü Xiao to wipe them all out in one fell swoop. It was a win-win situation!
"You may not know, but I do!"
Cheng Yaojin began to vigorously promote his idea.
"Back then, with only 800 men, he ventured deep into the northern desert and dared to pursue and attack the Turkic Khan. Later, he even personally led his troops to capture the Khan! How many people in the world possess such courage and audacity?"
"Now that all of us rebel leaders are here, with over 500,000 troops, doesn't he want to wipe us all out in one fell swoop?"
Cheng Yaojin became more and more excited as he spoke, spittle flying everywhere.
"Let me tell you, given Lü Xiao's personality, he'll definitely come!"
He'd love for us to get together so he wouldn't have to search for us one by one. Let's go to Siping Mountain and wait for him; he'll definitely come!
After listening, everyone nodded in agreement.
Cheng Yaojin is right.
They had all heard the various rumors about Lü Xiao.
This person is indeed impatient and likes to take the initiative.
If he really sets up a force at Siping Mountain, he will most likely come.
"Brother Cheng is right!"
"Yes! Rather than besieging the city, let's fight a decisive battle!"
"We have 500,000 people, why are we afraid of his 80,000?"
"Exactly! And there's General Wu Yunzhao, the martial arts champion!"
The atmosphere inside the tent became lively once again.
Although Li Zitong still had some doubts, seeing that everyone agreed, he didn't say anything more.
He turned to look at his son-in-law, Wu Yunzhao, who nodded slightly, seemingly agreeing with the method.
"Then it's settled!"
Cheng Yaojin slammed his fist on the table, sealing the deal.
"Let's go to Siping Mountain and wait for Lü Xiao!"
Everyone got up and returned to their camps to prepare.
Cheng Yaojin watched the departing figures of the crowd, a barely perceptible smile appearing on his lips.
It became.
These rebels will soon be wiped out by Lü Xiao.
As for Cheng Yaojin, as a great hero who infiltrated the enemy's ranks, he will surely be rewarded!
On the city wall of Jiangdu, Lü Xiao sat leaning against the railing.
He rested his chin on his hand, gazing leisurely out of the city.
The canal meanders like a silver ribbon, with willows swaying along its banks and distant mountains shrouded in mist, appearing and disappearing in the distance.
Outside the city, in the fields, groups of people were working in twos and threes, creating a peaceful scene.
It must be said that this place is much more beautiful than Dongdu.
Although the East City is bustling, it lacks this vibrancy and gentleness.
No wonder people talk about the misty, rainy Jiangnan region; it truly is a place where people should live.
If we could build a separate courtyard here, it would be nice to stay here in our spare time.
As Lü Xiao was pondering this, a series of hurried footsteps interrupted his thoughts.
"Your Highness! Your Highness! Something terrible has happened!"
Yuwen Chenglong ran up the city wall, panting heavily, his face flushed red and his forehead covered in sweat.
Bored in Jiangdu, he led a group of men out hunting.
While we're at it, let's see if we can run into any spies of the rebels, capture a few and bring them back to claim credit.
As a result, they did encounter rebels, but not just a few, but hundreds of thousands!
The overwhelming number of people and the flags covering the mountains and fields almost scared him to death.
Even if he had a million times the courage, he wouldn't dare to lead those hundred or so men into battle!
He immediately turned his horse around and galloped back to report the news.
"Oh?" Lü Xiao turned around, looking at Yuwen Chenglong's disheveled appearance, a slight smile playing on his lips. "You've encountered rebels?"
"We've encountered it! Hundreds of thousands!" Yuwen Chenglong gasped for breath.
"Your Highness, those rebels have crossed Jiangdu and headed northwest! We wonder what they're planning!"
"Northwest direction?"
A hint of joy flashed in Lü Xiao's eyes.
Northwest, isn't that the way they came from?
To enter Jiangdu, one must first pass through the Siping Mountain area.
It seems that the fat man Cheng Yaojin succeeded in persuading them, and the rebels indeed moved the battlefield to Siping Mountain.
"Your Highness, they're trying to cut off our escape route!"
Yuwen Chenglong said somewhat anxiously.
He was truly unafraid of siege warfare; he wasn't afraid of any number of rebels with their broken swords and armor.
But the rebels didn't attack the city; instead, they circled around to the back, which is troublesome.
"Have you not heard that Heaven never seals off all paths? As long as I want to walk, the path is right beneath my feet."
Lu Xiao remained calm and composed, as if Yuwen Chenglong was referring to a few ants rather than hundreds of thousands of rebels.
Yuwen Chenglong pursed his lips and swallowed back the words he was about to say.
When it comes to showing off, besides Yuwen Chenglong, Lü Xiao is the only one in the Sui Dynasty who can rival him.
But this guy has a pretty high credit score and has never broken his promise.
If he says there's a road, then there must be a road.
"Your Highness, a cavalry force is approaching!"
Li Jing suddenly pointed outside the city and said.
Lü Xiao looked in the direction he pointed and saw dust billowing in the distance as a troop of cavalry galloped toward Jiangdu City.
The leader was a fat man, riding a horse and holding a Bagua Xuanhua axe, looking very imposing.
Beside him were You Junda, and several other leaders including Du Fuwei.