After marching for less than two days, they heard the rumbling of cannons ahead. They were almost at Ji Ning City.
General Lin was leisurely discussing with Gao Qiu about Jinling and Hangzhou, where the buttocks of the prostitutes were bigger, when he saw Hu Bugui hurriedly rushing over, reporting, "Reporting to General, twenty miles ahead is Ji Ning City. The armies on the left and center had already surrounded the north and east gates of Jining. The navy had also sealed off the south gate's escape route to Weishan Lake. The three armies had already clashed with the White Lotus Army guarding the city. As long as we march north and surround the west gate, we can surround the White Lotus Army in the city and make them unable to move. "
Ji Ning City was close to Lake Weishan and was the northern origin of Lake Weishan. With the navy blockading the city, the White Lotus Army naturally had no way to escape.
Lin Wanrong sneered, "Blockading the city by the navy? Can you believe that? When we were in Pei County, weren't we also on lockdown? Didn't the brats of the White Lotus Cult sneak up on us along the lake surface and ambush us without us knowing? "
Du Xiuyuan, who was beside him, said, "General may not know, but ever since the attack on Pei County, Marshal Xu has already thoroughly investigated the Lake Weishan Navy and appointed a new governor. This time, it is impossible for the bandits to escape from Lake Weishan. "
So Old Xu has done this before, why didn't I know? It seems that the old man really didn't deliberately use me as bait. Lin Wanrong nodded, "If that's the case, tell the brothers to slow down. There will be a camp every five miles, and a fire every ten miles. Everyone move slowly."
Hu Bugui said in shock, "General, how can this be done? Right now the three armies are attacking the city and waiting for us to surround them. "
"Surround? Surround my ass. "Lin Wanrong smiled." Surround and then attack the city? "
Hu Bugui said doubtfully, "Aren't we going to attack the city?"
Lin Wanrong smiled and said, "Big Brother Hu, although I have never been to Jining, this White Lotus Sect has been entrenched in Jining for many years. If this city could be taken down so easily, would there still be a need for Grand Marshal Xu to personally lead a hundred thousand troops on a crusade?"
Hu Bugui was from Ji Ning. Wen Fang nodded and said, "General is right. The White Lotus Sect has been entrenched in Ji Ning for many years. They have long established Ji Ning as an iron bucket. The city was sturdy, easy to defend and hard to attack. Moreover, this was the last stronghold of the White Lotus. All of their elites were gathered in the city, so they would not easily lose it. If they insisted on attacking the city, the resistance they would encounter would be extremely tenacious. Our army will definitely suffer heavy losses. "
"Your analysis is quite reasonable, Old Hu," said Du Xiuyuan with a smile. Looks like you've become smarter recently. "
Hu Bugui said proudly, "Of course, following General Lin, how could I not be smart?"
Lin Wanrong laughed and scolded, "You guys stop flattering me. Hurry up and slow down the march, let our brothers eat and drink and have a good rest. "
Du Xiuyuan said cautiously, "The three forces in front are all looking forward to our right flank to surround Ji Ning. Why does General want our brothers to slow down?"
Hu Bugui also said, "That's right, did General Lin forget that Grand Marshal Xu said that whoever attacked Ji Ning first would be the one to request the greatest merit in front of His Majesty?"
Requesting merit? I really didn't care, but Hu Bugui, Du Xiuyuan and the others still had to rely on merit to be promoted. Lin Wanrong said with a smile, "Big Brother Du, let me ask you a question. If you were the head of the garrison of Ji Ning and saw that there was a large army besieging from three sides and only the west side was quiet, how would you feel? "
Du Xiuyuan carefully thought for a while, then said, "Then I would certainly not dare to take it lightly. No movement does not mean there is no danger. On the contrary, the more there is no movement, the more vigilant we should be. If I were the garrison, I would definitely leave some capable forces to guard the west side. Oh, I understand, General means that we will block the west side and not attack. Not only will it reduce the sacrifice of our army, but it will also restrain the enemy and make them not dare to send all their forces to the other three sides. "
Lin Wanrong said with a smile, "You are only half right. If we besiege the White Lotus army and do not attack, it will be a huge pressure on them. They will first panic, and their fighting power will naturally be weakened. Of course, our brothers from the other three sides may have some complaints about us, but half of our ten thousand brothers are cavalry and not suitable for attacking the city. If the other five thousand infantry soldiers join the attack, the White Lotus army will inevitably mobilize all their forces to defend. Even if the city is breached, we will certainly suffer heavy casualties. This business was not worth it. Why don't we guard the west gate and from time to time do offensive and defensive drills so that these bandits do not dare to act rashly. This can also appropriately reduce the pressure on the other three sides. There will always be people who will understand our painstaking efforts. "
"Offensive and defensive drills?" Du Xiuyuan said, "What do you mean by offensive and defensive drills?"
Lin Wanrong smiled mysteriously and did not answer. Instead, it was Hu Bugui who said, "What if the enemy chooses to break through?"
"Breaking through is good." Lin Wanrong said with a smile, "Our five thousand cavalry have not been put to use yet. I can't wait to do something like waiting at ease. If they really dare to break through, we will surround them with cavalry and attack the city with infantry, without delay. Hehe, wouldn't it be us brothers who enter the city first? "
Du Xiuyuan finally understood the true meaning of this. General Lin was indeed far-sighted, it was really a wonderful plan.
Lin Wanrong led the troops on the right side and slowly advanced forward. The twenty miles of journey took them until noon. At this time, the other three sides were beating war drums and shouting to attack the city.
Looking from afar, the city of Ji Ning was indeed unusually strong. The White Lotus troops guarding the city had their heads wrapped in white muslin, holding swords and spears in their hands as they fought fiercely against the soldiers attacking the city with ladders. These White Lotus troops were well-trained, and although there were only ten thousand of them, they relied on the high city walls to forcibly push back several batches of soldiers.
Lin Wanrong recalled what Xu Wei had said before in the barracks, saying that the White Lotus Sect only had five thousand people, and that they were all a motley crew. Now it seemed that this was completely false. The White Lotus Sect's troops added up to at least ten thousand people, and they were definitely not a motley crew. He did not know where they had recruited these troops from.
The White Lotus troops immediately tensed up when they saw the army coming from the west side. Thousands of soldiers stood on the city walls, not daring to slack off in the slightest.
Lin Wanrong ordered someone to bring a chair, put a teacup on it, and leisurely sat on the chair, drank a few mouthfuls of tea, and yawned a few times facing the west gate of Ji Ning. He suddenly shouted, "Saint Li, where is Saint Li — —"
"Here!" Saint Li hurriedly replied.
Lin Wanrong said, "Aim those five Shenwu Cannons at the west side of the city wall and fire a few times. Tell these bastards that my brave and invincible right flank army is coming."
The Shenwu Cannons had played a huge role in this attack on the White Lotus. It turned out that the Shenwu Battalion's ten cannons were far from enough, so Xu Wei transferred another twenty cannons that had just been modified from Anhui and Shandong, and transported them to the front lines. During the reorganization of Feng County, Lin Wanrong's right flank army was divided into five gates, and so was Zuo Zongyou's left flank army. Only Tong Cheng's middle flank army had more cavalry, so Xu Wei allocated twenty heavy cannons to them for use in attacking the city.
Saint Li turned the cannons and aimed at the west gate of Ji Ning. Amidst the loud bangs, large chunks of dust fell from the west gate, and several White Lotus soldiers who were hit by the cannons fell from the city.
Lin Wanrong gave Hu Bugui a meaningful look, and Hu Bugui dismounted from his horse, shouting, "Boys, charge with me — —"
The thousands of elite cavalry and three thousand infantrymen behind him let out a deafening roar, but they followed behind him and charged.
The White Lotus soldiers guarding the city hurriedly fired a rain of arrows, which landed far away on the ground and did not hurt the soldiers in the slightest.
Halfway through the charge, Hu Bugui suddenly waved his hand, and the soldiers behind him stopped. The formation changed, the cavalry returned to the cavalry, and the infantrymen returned to the infantrymen. They no longer charged forward, and unexpectedly began to train unscrupulously in front of the defending army.
The White Lotus soldiers guarding the city did not dare to slack off in the slightest, nervously watching the movements of the imperial army. Who would have thought that in a short while, the soldiers in front of them had finished their training and were lining up neatly to return to camp.
The defending army had just breathed a sigh of relief when suddenly there was another burst of earth-shattering cannons. It was the divine cannons of the soldiers roaring angrily again, blasting the city gate into pieces. When the cannons stopped, Du Xiuyuan led another wave of soldiers and horses to charge up, but he also imitated Hu Bugui and changed the formation halfway through the attack.
The White Lotus soldiers were at a loss, but they could not slack off, because no one knew when this training would evolve into a real siege. For a moment, the city was in a state of panic, and the White Lotus soldiers were extremely anxious.
Lin Wanrong grinned. I have plenty of cannonballs, I'll ask Saint Li to keep firing day and night, so that you can't rest. The tens of thousands of soldiers were divided into three groups, taking turns to drill. Let's see if you're afraid or not, defend or not. Damn it, don't say that I have more people, I'm bullying you, so what?
Hu Bugui turned back, dismounted from his horse, and said with a smile, "General really has great foresight. Our real and fake battle did not injure a single soldier, but those bastards of the White Lotus Sect are constantly nervous, I'm afraid they're scared to the point of wetting their pants."
The other three sides were filled with the rumbling of cannons, and the sounds of fighting became more and more intense. It was evident that they had entered the stage of attacking the city.
"Reporting to General, the commander of the Middle Army, General Tong Cheng, has sent someone to ask us to cooperate with them in attacking the city!" a messenger reported.
"Reporting to General Tong, just say that our army is conducting a siege drill," Lin Wanrong said.
Seeing the messenger hurriedly leave, Hu Bugui said with a smile, "I only found out yesterday that Di Canghai, whose leg was broken by us, is actually the brother-in-law of this General Tong. Di Canghai's sister is Tong Cheng's most beloved third concubine. "
Really his brother-in-law? Damn it, I just casually guessed, I didn't expect to guess correctly. This General Tong really has a good reason to stand up for Di Canghai. Lin Wanrong cast a few glances in the direction of the Middle Army, only to see more than twenty giant cannons firing at Ji Ning City. The bursts of fire were blinding, and the dust swept up by the explosions shrouded the top of the city walls in smoke. This General Tong's firepower is really damn strong. If he were to fire a few shots at me, no matter how good my martial arts are, I would still die.
The ten thousand soldiers and horses drilled back and forth several times, and the White Lotus soldiers defending the city became more and more nervous, not daring to relax.
Hearing the rumbling of cannons and sounds of fighting from the other three sides, Hu Bugui said anxiously, "General, this Ji Ning City is about to be breached. If we don't attack the city, the credit will be taken by others — — "
Before his voice faded, there was a burst of earth-shattering shouts. The west gate of Ji Ning City opened, and a group of people rushed out.
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