On the fourth day of the eleventh month, the situation in the southwest changed drastically.
The three armies of Shanhai City split up and attacked together, encircling Xunzhou County with the force of a thunderbolt.
In the east.
The Dragon Xiang Army led by Bai Qi unleashed a monstrous massacre along the way. Anyone who resists stubbornly will be killed without mercy. There was a city that had sworn to never surrender. When the city was breached, all the citizens were slaughtered by the army.
White bones howled and smoke filled the air.
The fire in the city lasted for three days and three nights before it was extinguished by a sudden downpour. Perhaps even the heavens did not want to see such a tragedy again.
The world was in an uproar when the news came out.
The name of the God of Slaughter once again intimidated the people.
The Hell's Blood Army made all the cities in the eastern part of Xunzhou County uneasy. After the battle, the defenders in the cities abandoned the city and fled before Bai Qi's army arrived.
The citizens who stayed behind did not dare to tarry. They fearfully opened the gates and surrendered.
The Dragon Xiang Army led by Bai Qi did not do anything to those who surrendered.
Countless people surrendered after the news came out.
As a result, the Dragon Xiang Army was invincible. No one could stop them.
Hong Xiuquan was furious when he heard the news. He beheaded the three generals who had abandoned the city and hung their heads on the city gates. Only then did the situation improve a little.
Even so, Bai Qi's army continued to advance triumphantly in the east.
In the west.
The Leopard Army led by Han Xin carried out a nimble battle strategy. Strictly speaking, this was the first time Han Xin had led an army to attack a city.
In the previous two battles, they had either been defensive or surprise attacks.
Han Xin's ability to command troops was superior to that of attacking cities.
Perhaps because of Bai Qi's provocation, Han Xin used his full strength this time. He could lure the enemy out of the city, launch a sneak attack, launch a frontal assault, or surround and annihilate them. He could flexibly choose different tactics according to the situation.
They swept through the city like a hot knife through butter.
The westward march this time had a trace of Han Xin's astonishing momentum when he led a lone army to sweep through four countries in one fell swoop. No matter what kind of predicament he faced, Han Xin could think of a way to deal with it.
The name of the War Immortal spread like wildfire.
The eastern and western armies were like a pair of peerless geniuses, shining brightly in the southwest sky. The entire southern part of Xunzhou groaned in pain under the iron hooves of the army.
In the north, Ouyang Shuo's troops were steadily advancing.
Lin Yi had led the Janissaries away from the main force early in the morning, charging forward like a storm and blocking the road from Xunzhou to Guilin.
After several bloody battles, the two most important passes had completely fallen into the hands of the Imperial Guard Division.
The strength of the Imperial Guard Division once again made the enemy tremble.
Ouyang Shuo led the three Barbarian Mountain Divisions, reaping the spoils of war along the way.
Compared to the armies from the east and west, Ouyang Shuo was much dimmer. Fortunately, there was still Pei Ju to give advice from the side, so they wouldn't lose too badly.
Even so, the northern side of Xunzhou County was in a constant state of emergency.
After all, the four Regiments led by Ouyang Shuo were all ace Regiments. Not to mention the Divine Martial Guard as the vanguard.
Under the pincer attack of the three armies, Xunzhou County was in imminent danger. In the short span of a week, nearly half of Xunzhou County had fallen into enemy hands, a city falling almost every day.
The three armies were about to approach Tianjing City in the center of Xunzhou County.
In an instant, Tianjing City was in a state of emergency.
Panic spread and fermented in the city.
Some of the citizens in the city were already packing their belongings, ready to evacuate to the west at any time. Affected by the war, the prices of goods in the city rose continuously.
The price of rice alone had tripled in one day.
The rise in prices spurred the citizens to rush to buy.
It was a vicious cycle, and the prices became more and more outrageous as time went on.
Faced with such a situation, the ruler of Heavenly Country really had no experience. He could only use the army to forcefully suppress and kill the big merchants who were waiting for an opportunity to hoard goods.
In a day, two merchants were sealed up by the government.
In this way, although the prices of goods were temporarily stabilized, it made the people even more anxious. Some merchants were afraid of being caught in the crossfire and began to secretly transfer their goods, fleeing Tianjing City.
Before Hong Xiuquan realized it, the goods in the city were already disappearing at a speed visible to the naked eye. Using the super trading platform, they were all sold out.
Other than the panic among the citizens, the court was not at peace either.
As bad news came one after another, the civil and military officials could no longer sit still.
In the court of Taiping Heavenly Country, there was endless debate about this.
The civil and military officials all had their own opinions on whether to abandon the city and flee or to defend it. Without a doubt, the civil and military officials were in favor of peace and wanted to retreat, while the military officials were in favor of war and wanted to fight to the death.
Neither side could convince the other, and in the end, it was up to Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan to decide.
The crux of the problem was that Tianjing City was the capital of Taiping Heavenly Country, and its significance was extraordinary. Unless it was absolutely necessary, it could not be given up easily. Because once they gave up Tianjing City, it was equivalent to declaring the end of Heavenly Country.
Even Hong Xiuquan did not dare to make such a decision.
In the end, after two days of debate, Hong Xiuquan decided to call back the Western Punitive Army and prepare for a life and death battle with Shanhai City in Tianjing City.
At the same time, Hong Xiuquan also arranged for people to secretly rush to Guilin County in the north to arrange a retreat route.
As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows.
After being reborn, Hong Xiuquan was no longer a rigid person. He knew to leave a way out for himself.
In addition to calling back the Western Punitive Army, Hong Xiuquan also ordered the garrisons to quickly rush to Tianjing City to rescue the king. Those who dared to disobey would be killed without mercy.
In an instant, the garrisons of the three counties were all gathered in Tianjing City.
From the looks of it, Hong Xiuquan could still defend Tianjing City.
No matter what, Tianjing City was where his blood and sweat were, how could he give it up so easily?!
In addition to calling back the army, Hong Xiuquan finally made a decision on how to deal with the criminal Yang Xiuqing.
After the court meeting that day, Yang Xiuqing received an edict from the Heavenly King to move out of the military camp and return to the residence to reflect on his mistakes. Without being summoned, he was not allowed to leave the residence.
This was equivalent to saying that Yang Xiuqing was under house arrest.
Such an ending was already a great favor from the heavens.
Perhaps, to Hong Xiuquan, when the Heavenly Country was in danger, he did not want to kill a general for nothing and disrupt the morale of the army.
No matter what, Yang Xiuqing's loyalty to the Heavenly Country seemed to be witnessed by heaven and earth.
In the smoke of war, the entire Tianjing City was shrouded in an undercurrent. As the army of Shanhai City approached, this undercurrent became more and more turbulent, but also more and more obscure.
Everything seemed to be overshadowed by the war.
Only on the day of its outbreak would one be able to truly witness its power.
November 7th, Lingxi City.
On top of the city wall, Bai Hua finally heaved a long sigh of relief as he watched the Taiping army retreat like the tide.
After a series of battles, the Taiping Heavenly Country's Western Army, under the command of the famous general Shi Dakai, continued to advance tenaciously, slowly but steadily attacking the city. Until two days ago, when the army even approached the headquarters of Lingxi City.
Seeing that Lingxi City was surrounded by the Taiping army, Bai Hua's brow furrowed.
Just when the soldiers thought that a bloody battle was about to break out at the top of Lingxi City, the menacing Taiping Army unexpectedly chose to retreat.
The root of all the problems was naturally the summons from Hong Xiuquan.
Slightly calming his emotions, Bai Hua turned to the surrounding generals and cupped his fists. "Thank you all for your help. On behalf of Lingxi City, Bai Hua is deeply grateful!"
The opposing generals included Zhang Liao and Cao Can of Lingxi City, Luo Shixin of Shanhai City, Dragon-Seeking Acupoint and Qin Qiong of Dragon-Seeking City, and finally the adventurer group led by Bright Moon Illuminates the River.
Even with such a grand lineup, Shi Dakai still led his troops to attack Lingxi City.
Shi Dakai was indeed worthy of being the number one general of the Taiping army. Of course, the three generals who followed Shi Dakai, Xiao Chaogui, Feng Yunshan, and Li Kaifang, were not easy to deal with.
"Lord Bai Hua, you are too polite. We are only following orders."
Luo Shixin was the first to speak on behalf of Shanhai City.
"That's right. The Alliance of Mountains and Seas is a family. There's no need to be polite."
Dragon-Seeking Acupoint also spoke at the right time.
During this period of time, whether it was the Siege Lions or the Dragon-Seeking Acupoint, they seemed to be quietly adjusting their positions in the alliance.
Before this, the two of them were still confident that they could stand on equal footing with Ouyang Shuo.
But now, seeing that their side was not doing anything, Shanhai City was becoming more and more powerful. The two of them vaguely respected Ouyang Shuo a little.
Precisely because of this, when Ouyang Shuo asked him to rush to Lingxi City's aid, the Dragon-Seeking Acupoint nodded without hesitation and did not add any other conditions.
In the current alliance, only Bai Hua and Feng Qiuhuang had the confidence to stand on equal footing with Ouyang Shuo. And after experiencing this battle, Bai Hua's attitude would probably undergo a subtle change.
In the future, Ouyang Shuo's position in the Alliance of Mountains and Seas would become more and more secure.
"Everyone, don't just stand there. Come, let's go back to the manor to chat!"
The one who spoke was Cao Can.
Ever since he joined Lingxi City after the Battle of Giant Deer, Cao Can's role in Lingxi City was equivalent to that of a prime minister. He was in charge of the affairs of the territory and was deeply trusted and appreciated by Bai Hua.
That night, Bai Hua hosted a banquet in the manor to entertain the generals. The allies who rushed to reinforce were also rewarded with money and wine. The entire Lingxi City was filled with a joyous and peaceful atmosphere.
Since Shi Dakai had led his troops to retreat, why didn't the army of Lingxi City follow him? Even if they could not defeat him, they could at least delay the return of the Taiping army and buy time for the army of Shanhai City.
There were naturally reasons for this.
Firstly, Shi Dakai was not an ordinary person. Even if he led his troops to retreat in a hurry, he would advance and retreat in a measured manner. He would not give the enemy any chance to take advantage of him.
Secondly, it involved Ouyang Shuo's overall strategy.
Rather than chasing after the Western Army, Ouyang Shuo suggested that the army stationed in Lingxi City should play a big game. (To be continued.)
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