Chapter 681: The Ma Family's Surprise Attack

Sizhou.

At the time the Anti-Yan Coalition gathered at Lu City.

After several days of preparation, Ma Han led one hundred thousand troops and arrived at Qin Pass.

Standing on Qin Pass, looking toward the direction of Qinzhou, Ma Han's expression was agitated.

Ever since Qinzhou and Yongzhou fell into the hands of the Northern Di, his heart had not been at peace for a single day.

Although he was now under the command of Yan Wang, Qinzhou and Yongzhou had, after all, been lost while in the hands of his Ma Family.

Furthermore, the Ma Family originated in Qinzhou, and in his heart, Qinzhou would always be his homeland.

More importantly, after the Northern Expedition, the Northern Di still allowed Ma Jin to garrison Qinzhou; his father's death was not unrelated to Ma Ji and Ma Jin, and this grudge was one he had to settle.

Previously, he lacked the ability to retake Qinzhou and Yongzhou, but now things were different.

At present, his one hundred thousand troops were equipped with the same Rifled Muskets and Artillery as the Prince's Personal Army.

Yan Wang had also sent over the most advanced Yellow Gunpowder and Wooden-handled Hand Grenades currently available.

At the same time, during this period, officers from Yanzhou had been continuously training the Ma Family Army.

Although according to the officers, the Ma Family Army was still slightly inferior to the Prince's Personal Army.

But he believed that in the war to retake Qinzhou and Yongzhou, the Ma Family soldiers would certainly be fearless and fight bravely to kill the enemy.

Because many of these soldiers were from Qinzhou and Yongzhou, and that place was likewise their hometown.

He had been suppressing a surge of anger in his chest all this time.

"My Lord, it is time to depart." Without knowing when, Dian Zhang had arrived at Ma Han's side.

In this campaign, Ma Han served as the main general, and he served as the Vice General.

Nodding, Ma Han descended from the city wall.

At this moment, the city gates swung wide open.

He rode his horse outside the city gate and reached out to point forward.

The Ma Family soldiers formed into neat ranks and slowly marched out from the city gate.

The order Yan Wang gave him was to take Qinzhou and Yongzhou as quickly as possible, and before the Northern Di could react, capture Xiao Pass to completely sever the connection between the Northern Di and Southern Liang.

To retake Qinzhou and Yongzhou, Southern Liang would have no choice but to withdraw its troops to provide rescue.

If that happened, the so-called Anti-Yan Coalition would shatter, leaving only the Xie Family and Han Family to face the Prince's Personal Army.

If Southern Liang and the Northern Di gritted their teeth and refused to return to save them, they would adopt the next strategy.

Taking advantage of Southern Liang's empty defenses, they would strike directly at Wuguan and advance toward Xiangcheng.

With Southern Liang in crisis, he would like to see if the Southern Liang army participating in the alliance could sit still.

Thinking of this, a trace of a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

Ma Jin and the Southern Liang established by Dou Wei were both enemies of his Ma Family.

Now, he was finally able to swing the sword of vengeance at both of them.

"Take Rang City within two days, take Xian City within four days, and take Xiao Pass within ten days," Ma Han thought to himself.

Then he shouted: "Forward at a trot, immediately!"

Just like the Prince's Personal Army,

in order to travel light, the Ma Family soldiers took off their Armor, wore only simple thin clothing, and carried their ammunition and bags of Roasted Flour on their backs.

Because the Ma Family soldiers had also been practicing five-kilometer cross-country runs every day during this period, the soldiers' endurance had improved significantly.

Under his command, the Ma Family soldiers began to trot, each of them looking very relaxed.

Suddenly, clouds of dust rose on the dirt road.

As soon as the Ma Family soldiers left the city, they were immediately detected by Ma Jin's Cavalry.

The Cavalry returned and immediately brought the news to the general garrisoning Rang City.

"Close the city gates immediately!" the Rang City garrison commander ordered, having the soldiers block all four city gates with giant stones and Sandbags.

At the same time, he dispatched Cavalry to request reinforcements from Xian City.

At present, stationed in Qinzhou and Yongzhou, in addition to the two hundred thousand troops Ma Jin had recruited after the Northern Expedition, there were also eighty thousand Northern Di Cavalry.

Because Rang City faced Qin Pass directly, Ma Jin had stationed one hundred thousand troops there.

The remaining troops were mainly stockpiled in Xian City.

After all, the only thing they needed to guard against was Ma Han's troops.

After a day of trekking, the Ma Family troops arrived outside Rang City.

During the last Northern Expedition, facing Rang City, his Ma Family troops had never been able to capture it.

This made him feel very ashamed.

This time, he arrived under the walls of Rang City once again, but he was filled with boundless confidence.

Because his Ma Family troops were no longer the Ma Family troops of that time.

Under the strict training of the Prince's Personal Army officers,

the Ma Family Army had long since transformed from sheep into a pack of wolves.

"Attack the city!" Surrounding three sides of the city wall and leaving only one side for an ambush, Ma Han issued the order.

Dian Zhang received the order and left.

At this time, he ordered the soldiers to approach the city wall in a Skirmish Line, firing at the Ma Jin soldiers on the city wall within range, especially Ma Jin's Artillerymen.

Thousands of soldiers spread out under Dian Zhang's command and headed toward the city wall.

"Boom, boom, boom..." Seeing the Ma Family soldiers approaching, the Artillery on the Rang City walls opened fire.

The Ma Family soldiers did not feel fear; as they advanced, they searched for obstacles to dodge the attacks from the city wall's Artillery.

Because each soldier was spaced far apart, the fifty pieces of Artillery on the front city wall did not cause many casualties among the skirmishers.

Instead, under the artillery fire, the skirmishers raised their Rifled Muskets and aimed at the busy Artillerymen on the city wall.

"Bang, bang, bang..." The sound of gunfire from the skirmishers' hands rang out.

Immediately, the Artillerymen who were loading fell, and the firing speed of the Artillery on the city wall slowed down significantly.

This encouraged the skirmishers; he continued to stare at the city wall constantly, shooting whenever an Artilleryman showed their head.

At the same time, some skirmishers with Hand Grenades hanging from their waists moved in an S-shaped pattern, continuously approaching the city wall.

Arriving within fifty meters, they threw the Grenades up.