Chapter 385: Enemy Attack, Full Army Alert

"If he really comes to fight to the death, we naturally won't be afraid, but the casualties might be hard to control."

Bai Ting replied, "Especially if he drives hungry and tired soldiers as the vanguard to consume our army's arrows and physical strength, and then launches a surprise attack with elites, or uses extreme means like fire attacks or poison smoke, it is indeed troublesome."

"What's more troublesome is Western Liang."

Yan Wu looked around at everyone and said: "Wei Wenlie and Si Wushuang are not blind; Wei Xi Yuan's final counterattack, no matter the result, will be the best time for them to intervene."

"If our army fights until both sides are injured with Wei Xi Yuan, the Western Liang iron cavalry can drive straight in and sit back and reap the benefits. If Wei Xi Yuan collapses, they can also take the opportunity to seize Chang'an, and even Guanzhong."

Jiang Jinshi's eyes were focused: "Therefore, we must be fast! The moment Wei Xi Yuan makes this final gamble is when he is at his weakest and most unable to look after other things. Chang'an must be extremely empty now! What remains are just some old, weak, sick, and officials who are terrified all day long."

Everyone looked at each other; the steps should be taken ahead of Western Liang?

"Everyone, the moment Wei Xi Yuan exhausts all his strength for a final gamble is when he is at his weakest and most unable to look after other things. Chang'an must be extremely empty now! What remains are just some old, weak, sick, and officials who are terrified all day long."

Jiang Jinshi's gaze swept over everyone: "My plan is! Advance on two lines, combining reality and falsehood!"

"The first line is the front battlefield, which will be the responsibility of Bai Ting, with Han Xiao, Jiang Ze, and Zhang Honghong assisting."

Jiang Jinshi began to deploy, "Your mission is only one! Defensive counterattack, completely rout Wei Xi Yuan's final attack. This battle does not seek a quick victory, but seeks a complete victory, completely solving this hidden danger at the minimum cost!"

Several people accepted the order solemnly: "This subordinate obeys the order!"

Jiang Jinshi's gaze turned to the eager Luo Feng, "The second is the surprise attack line! Luo Feng!"

"This subordinate is present!" Luo Feng stepped forward.

"I will give you 15,000 of the most elite light cavalry, carrying ten days of dry rations, equipped only with light armor, cavalry bows, sabers, and fire oil!"

"Your mission is not to go to Tongguan, nor to directly touch Wei Xi Yuan's main force."

"I want you to bypass the front battlefield, cross the river secretly from the northwest side of Shuoning, then travel south along the Luo River, then turn southeast, and strike directly at... Chang'an!"

"Bypass the battlefield and raid Chang'an?"

Luo Feng's eyes lit up; this plan was very bold, but he liked it!

Jiang Jinshi nodded and continued: "Your goal is clear! Once you arrive at Chang'an, if the garrison is unprepared or empty, immediately seize the gates and take the city!"

"If the garrison is prepared, then surround without attacking, occupy the vital points, and bluff, creating a posture that our main army will arrive at any moment, intimidating the whole city."

"At the same time, immediately send troops to seize all vital passes, warehouses, and armories around Chang'an, especially the roads to the east leading to Tongguan and Western Liang! You must not let the Western Liang army get close to even a step!"

"You must raise the biggest flag of our Beijiang Ming Army outside Chang'an city, letting the whole Guanzhong know that the spearhead of our Ming Army has reached the feet of the Son of Heaven! You should know what kind of shock this will cause!"

Luo Feng cupped his hands and roared in a low voice: "This subordinate understands! I will definitely not disgrace the mission! Even if it is a mountain of knives and a sea of fire, I will plant the Lord's flag on the Chang'an city tower!"

"Remember!" Jiang Jinshi emphasized again, "Your mission is to seize the opportunity, open a channel for the subsequent main army, and intimidate Western Liang, not to fight to the death with the Chang'an garrison."

"If the situation is impossible, or you find that the Western Liang army has arrived first, immediately preserve your strength and lean toward Tongguan or our main army direction; you must never fall into a dead end alone!"

"This subordinate accepts the order!"

Jiang Jinshi knew that once he and Wei Xi Yuan fought this final battle, Western Liang would definitely have actions, and Wei Wenlie had always been thinking about Chang'an, so he would definitely move troops to take Chang'an at that time.

But how could Jiang Jinshi let him have his way?

I am fighting to the death with Wei Xi Yuan here, and you get all the benefits; that is not Jiang Jinshi's style.

Then it would be better for me to send troops first; as long as the battle here starts, Luo Feng will go to seize Chang'an first.

Then the Ming Army main force that defeated Wei Xi Yuan will immediately move south to occupy the key hubs, ensuring that the channel between the capital and Beijiang is opened.

Of course, the Ming Army definitely couldn't eat up such a large piece of territory all by itself.

When Western Liang discovered that Beijiang had already occupied the capital, they would definitely react quickly and take over the remaining land of Da Qian one after another.

And by then, without Da Qian, there would only be two sides left on this chessboard.

This hard battle was absolutely unavoidable, and neither side even had a chance to sit down and negotiate.

But how to fight with Western Liang, and how to fight, had to wait until Da Qian was removed from the chessboard first.

In the next few days, the Da Qian army indeed began to have movements, launching several probing attacks on the front line in succession.

Wei Xi Yuan seemed to have completely abandoned his reason, driving thousands or even up to ten thousand soldiers every day, mostly with numb and crazy eyes, in loose formations, surging toward the camp and trenches carefully constructed by the Ming Army wave after wave.

They carried crudely made scaling ladders, pushed a few simple ramming vehicles, and under the hysterical scolding of officers and the swords of the supervision team, shouted and launched charges.

Such probing attacks would definitely not achieve results; Wei Xi Yuan was using the soldiers' lives to probe the weak points of the Ming Army's city defense.

The Ming Army's response was calm and efficient; relying on deep and wide trenches and city walls, the archers shot in turns in an orderly manner, splashing dense rain of arrows toward the charging crowd.

From time to time, heavy bed crossbows fired giant crossbow arrows, tearing the charging formation apart or nailing the fragile ramming vehicles to pieces.

Rolling logs and stones were pushed down from the top of the wall, smashing the Da Qian army into chaos.

Every time they charged, they left behind large patches of corpses and wailing wounded in front of the Ming Army's defensive line, but they could hardly even fill the trenches, let alone climb the city walls.

The Ming Army's defensive line seemed solid as a rock, but Han Xiao, Bai Ting, and others had no joy on their faces.

They knew this was just an appetizer; Wei Xi Yuan was using the cheapest cannon fodder to consume the defenders' physical strength and arrows, numb the defenders' nerves, and look for weak links in the defensive line.

"The dog Emperor is determined to use human lives to fill a path."

Han Xiao stood on the Shuoning city wall, looking at the court army's camp, "The grain in his army definitely cannot support this kind of consumption. It seems the total attack will be in these few days, and... it will definitely be by any means necessary."

Bai Ting nodded: "They have had many movements at night these past few days; we must be more vigilant at night."

Two more days passed, and at night, the court army suddenly launched a night attack.

There was no premonitory drum sound, and even fewer dense torches.

From all directions of the court army camp, all the soldiers poured out!

They did not all surge toward Shuoning main city, but split into several torrents, rushing toward Shuoning city, as well as several important satellite cities and grain transfer points in the surrounding area, all at the same time!

Wei Xi Yuan was actually going to bloom in all directions at the same time, making the Ming Army unable to look after one thing while losing another!

"Enemy attack! Full army alert!" ===== CHAPTER 386 =====