bookrandom Chapter 2163 Advance!
Chapter 2163 Advance!
Li Guangbi finished speaking in one breath, took a heavy breath, and then hissed:
"General, you must make a decision quickly! Of the three city gates, two have already fallen, and one is about to fall. This city cannot be defended!"
Guo Ziyi did not respond immediately.
He slowly turned around, walked to the window, and pushed open the window frame.
Outside, the sky had completely darkened, but the night sky over Jianghuai City was illuminated by the firelight, turning it a deep red.
Those were the campfires lit by the Chu army after they stormed into the city, the burning houses in the street fighting, and the bleeding wounds of this century-old fortified city.
The wind blew in, carrying the smell of thick smoke, the stench of blood, and the faint sounds of shouts and screams from afar.
"It's only been one day..."
Guo Ziyi's voice was so low it was almost inaudible: "From dawn to dusk, in just six hours, two city gates fell."
He closed his eyes, as if he could see Ran Ming's reckless charge outside the East Gate, the moment Feng Mulan's iron cavalry broke through the city gate outside the South Gate, and the scene of Han Xing's 100,000-strong army surging in like a tide outside the West Gate.
Angry? Of course I'm angry.
He guarded the Jianghuai region for thirty years, and the city was never breached.
He once repelled the Rouran cavalry, blocked the Khitan army, defeated the Scorpion Clan cavalry, and caused countless famous generals to perish beneath these city walls.
But today, just one day, only one day—
"General!" Li Guangbi called out anxiously when he saw him remain silent.
Guo Ziyi opened his eyes, the anger in them now replaced by a deep weariness and a resigned calm.
He walked back to the sand table, moving his finger from the east gate to the south gate, then to the west gate, finally stopping at the location on the sand table representing the last line of defense within the city. That was the central barricade of Jianghuai City, the last line of defense that could be held.
"Pass the order."
Guo Ziyi finally spoke, each word uttered with extreme difficulty: "The garrison at the West Gate, retreat into the inner city."
Li Guangbi trembled: "General, you mean..."
"Abandon the outer city and defend the inner city."
Guo Ziyi pointed his finger heavily at the center of the sand table: "Concentrate all the remaining troops to the inner city defense line. Take all the food, weapons, and wounded that can be taken; what cannot be taken... burn it."
"But Commander, the inner city can only hold a maximum of 50,000 people! We still have over 100,000 troops..."
"Then let those who can retreat retreat, and those who can't..." Guo Ziyi paused, "cover the rear."
When those two words were uttered, the air inside the Marshal's Mansion seemed to freeze.
Covering the rear means that those troops who cannot retreat into the inner city in time will become expendable, sacrificing their lives in street fighting to buy time for their allies to retreat.
Li Guangbi's lips trembled; he wanted to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.
"Li Guangbi," Guo Ziyi suddenly called his name.
"The end will be here."
"You go to the west gate personally to direct the retreat."
Guo Ziyi stared into his eyes: "Remember, fight and retreat at the same time, do not retreat in disarray. If the Chu army pursues closely, set fire to the streets and alleys along the way and use the fire walls to block them."
"And... what about the common people?" Li Guangbi's voice was dry.
Guo Ziyi remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Those who can be brought into the inner city, bring them; those who cannot... let fate decide."
Li Guangbi closed his eyes.
When I opened my eyes again, all that remained was the resolute determination of a soldier carrying out orders:
"This humble general... obeys."
He stood up, gave Guo Ziyi a deep look, and then turned and strode away.
Guo Ziyi was the only one left in the Marshal's Mansion.
He walked to the wall and took down the sword that had been hanging there for thirty years.
The sword was drawn, its cold light gleaming, reflecting his graying beard and the last embers of flame still burning in his eyes.
"Chu Ning..." Guo Ziyi murmured to himself, "You think that by breaching the city gates, you've taken Jianghuai?"
He sheathed his sword, his voice suddenly turning cold: "The real bloodbath is only just beginning."
Outside the window, the night grew deeper, and the firelight blazed brighter.
The outer city of Jianghuai City is falling.
But there is still one last line of defense in the inner city.
There were also tens of thousands of soldiers who were willing to fight to the death.
And then there's Guo Ziyi, the last sharp sword of the Tang Dynasty.
Retreat is for the sake of a more brutal defense.
This battle of offense and defense is far from over.
Outside the city, in the Chu army camp, the candlelight inside the imperial tent cast Chu Ning's long shadow on the tent wall.
The commander of the Imperial Guard knelt on one knee and reported the latest battle report: "General Ran Ming of the East Gate has breached the barbican and is currently engaged in street fighting with the Tang army in the inner city. Although the casualties are considerable, the battle line is slowly advancing."
"Consort Feng's 30,000 cavalry have completely taken control of the southern district and are sweeping northwards."
"General Han's troops at Ximen encountered fierce resistance from the Tang army, but half an hour ago, the Ximen garrison suddenly began to retreat, seemingly tightening their defenses..."
Chu Ning sat upright behind his desk, toying with a jade military tally in his hand. After listening to the report, a slow smile appeared on his lips:
"Guo Ziyi is indeed shrewd. Seeing that the outer city was difficult to defend, he decisively withdrew his troops and retreated to the inner city. He intends to fight us in street battles and a war of attrition."
He stood up and walked to the hanging map of Jianghuai city defenses.
On the map, the outline of the outer city has been marked with cinnabar for most of it, leaving only the central area in blue, representing the Tang army.
"Street fighting..."
Chu Ning traced the blue area with his finger: "Narrow streets and dense buildings make it difficult for cavalry to maneuver and limit the vision of archers. This kind of terrain is most suitable for the Mo Dao team."
He turned around and looked toward the side of the imperial tent.
There, a middle-aged general stood quietly.
This man was eight feet tall, with a face like a red date, phoenix eyes, and silkworm eyebrows. He wore heavy black armor and a dark green cloak draped over his shoulders. He was Guan Yun, the commander of the Chu army's Mo Dao Battalion.
Behind him, ten captains of the Mo Dao (陌刀) team stood solemnly like iron towers, each holding a three-meter-long Mo Dao, the blades gleaming with a cold, eerie blue light under the candlelight.
"General Guan Yun," Chu Ning said.
"Your subordinate is here." Guan Yun stepped forward, his armor clattering softly, and knelt on one knee.
"Progress is going well; the outer city has been breached."
Chu Ning walked up to him: "The upcoming street battles will be the time for the Mo Dao team to show their skills."
Guan Yun raised his head, his phoenix eyes flashing with a sharp light: "Your Majesty, please rest assured! In street fighting, the Mo Dao is king. This humble general will lead the Mo Dao Battalion to slaughter the Tang army until not a single soldier remains!"
"it is good!"
Chu Ning clapped his hands: "I will give you 20,000 Mo Dao soldiers, plus 5,000 heavy infantry for cover."
"Your mission is to break in from the east gate, advance westward along the main street, and join up with Feng Mulan's Xuanjia Iron Cavalry to cut off and encircle the remnants of the Tang army."
He paused, then added, "Remember, the Mo Dao team is a powerful weapon for breaking through enemy lines, but it moves slowly, so we must proceed cautiously and not be reckless."
"When encountering barricades or roadblocks, let the heavy infantry go first; when encountering Tang archers, let the shield bearers provide cover."
"Your Mo Dao only needs to deliver that fatal blow the moment you engage the enemy."
The Mo Dao team was meant to be used at the most critical moment. He believed that this strike would surely crush the Tang army inside the city!