Chapter 95 The Rain That Stops the War
It took the Yan troops in the north and south three full days to fill two trenches several miles wide.

The war begins.

The right general Pu Gusu commanded two thousand heavily armed infantrymen, who formed neat horizontal columns and attacked the rebel camp in dense formations.

An extremely brutal close-quarter hand-to-hand combat broke out on the fence defense line in front of the Qi County rebels.

The heavy infantry of both sides slashed with swords, stabbed with spears, hacked with axes and hammered through the fences, and the fighting was extremely brutal.

Archers took turns shooting, and arrows flew back and forth in the sky like locusts. Both sides tried their best to pour arrows on each other's heads, which were as continuous as hail and raindrops.

Some arrows hit the helmets of the armored soldiers and bounced off, while others were shot directly to the ground. Screams, shouts of killing, and the sound of metal clashing gathered together, endlessly filling the ears and reaching the sky.

The close combat entered a fierce stage from the beginning. Murong Chao, Zheng Guo, Murong Fengxian and other outsiders who were watching the battle not far away were holding their breath and watching the battle. Many generals and soldiers below were whispering about the battle situation.

Murong Chao said: "Duke Zheng, isn't it a bit...

Zheng Guo explained: "Your Highness, kindness does not lead to military success. The Right General's method of defeating the enemy is an upright battle. If you want to break through the rebels' defenses, there is no other way."

Murong Chao said: "Thank you, Mr. Zheng, for clearing up my doubts."

Zheng Guo said: "Your Highness is too polite. You are a prince, but you have a heart of compassion. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. You should make a decision when necessary."

Murong Chao nodded, "I'm grateful for your advice."

The northern army fought very fiercely, and the southern army was almost the same.

Murong Zan even came personally to within two miles of the front line to supervise the battle and urge the troops to advance.

The two sides attacked each other across the fence, while the Yan army cut down the fence under the cover of their companions.

When the rebel leader Jia Xiong learned that the two sides had begun fighting, he immediately called the Qin brothers and Yang Xianguo.

After the uprising, Murong Xuan named himself the Great General and the Commander-in-Chief of Qingzhou's military affairs. Qin Bogui, Qin Zhongyu and Yang Xianguo were all famous generals among the rebels in Qi County. They were all named Yingyang Langjiang and commanded more than 5,000 cavalry of the rebels.

Many of these cavalrymen were originally elite troops under the Qingzhou Military Governor's Office. They were captured in the battle with Gao Yuan. After Gao Huang was defeated and fled, they suddenly joined the Qi County rebels.

Most of these cavalrymen had experienced the two major campaigns against Goguryeo. They were good at riding and shooting and had rich combat experience. Even among the Yan army, they were considered rare elite troops.

When the three of them came to the central army, Jia Xiong immediately instructed: "The three generals, lead the army now, cross the moat through the reserved passage, and harass the two sides of the Yan army. Remember not to fight and be greedy for merit. After the Yan army's cavalry marches out, retreat immediately and don't get entangled."

"promise."

The three of them left in response.

It turned out that Jia Xiong sent people to dig a trench, but the trench was deep and shallow, and there was water in the shallow part. In fact, it was a passage deliberately left, so that people could wade across the moat directly.

It was right in the middle of the Yan army's north and south routes, and was only a few dozen feet wide. The Yan army didn't notice it at all, but the rebels made a mark.

The three men each led 500 light cavalry and easily crossed the trench and pounced on the Yan army that was fighting on both sides.

There were roaming scouts on both sides, and they soon found out that the rebel cavalry had crossed the trench. The Yan army also had cavalry and infantry reserved as reserves.

Qin Bogui and Yang Xianguo did not find an opportunity to attack the flank of the Yan army.

They could only retreat to the east of the trench under the cover of Qin Zhongyu.

However, because this passage was exposed, the cavalry of the Yan army followed Qin Zhongyu's troops directly to the east side of the trench, but they were greeted by the rebels' archers.

The rain of arrows directly forced the Yan cavalry back, resulting in the loss of dozens of cavalry.

Since the Yan army had discovered this passage, they would naturally not waste it. They had originally planned to send infantry to continue filling the ground and attacking, and to open up a third breakthrough point by relying on their military strength advantage.

But things did not go as planned. Just after the King of Qi gave the order to the Xiaoguo Army to attack, the weather suddenly changed.

The wind started to blow. It was already summer, and the hot weather had made the fighting soldiers extremely angry, but the cool breeze with moisture in the air sobered everyone up a little.

It is going to rain.

Fighting in the rain is very troublesome for both sides.

First of all, on rainy days, the bows and crossbows of both sides can no longer be used. The rain will soften the bowstrings and greatly reduce the power of the arrows, making them lose their lethality.

This seems to be disadvantageous to the rebels on the defending side.

However, the rebels did not have as many arrows as the Yan army, and their weapons were not as sophisticated as the Yan army, and the same was true for their armored soldiers.

In the melee in the rain, the Yan army did not gain any advantage.

As the rain got heavier, the battle became more intense and the Yan army was in a tough fight in the heavy rain.

Murong Ju stretched out his hand under the umbrella, feeling the coolness of the raindrops on his hand. He had realized that he could not break through the rebels' defense line today, and continuing the attack would only cause more casualties. He had no choice but to order the northern and southern armies to slowly withdraw from the battlefield and temporarily suspend the use of troops.

For the rebels, the rain came at the perfect time.

What they lack most now is time. There is no telling when this downpour will end.

"Hahahaha, a good rain knows when to fall, hahaha." Jia Xiong, wearing armor, walked directly out of the range of the big umbrella and let himself be wet by the rain.

His son Jia Shifu said behind him: "Father, why not take this opportunity to send light troops to pursue the enemy."

Hearing this, Jia Xiong shook his head and stopped smiling. "Although the Yan army has retreated, the commanders on both sides are not ordinary people. If our army fails to pursue and the Yan army takes the opportunity to counterattack and break through the fence, it will not be worth it."

Licheng County Government Office, serving as the temporary residence of the saint, was now heavily guarded with soldiers gathered inside and outside, and there was a guard post every three steps and five steps.

Prince of Qi Murong Ju, who had just come down from the battlefield, waited in the corridor for a while before being summoned in.

There were only the saint and the eunuch Ling Fengjin in the hall.

Murong Ju was just about to report the military situation and his own decision, "Your Majesty, I have seen you. This battle..."

Murong Ying interrupted directly: "I already know what happened in the war. Come, take a look at this."

Murong Ju took the two secret reports handed over by the eunuch Feng Jin, and his face, which was originally wet by the rain, became even paler: "If this is true, a disaster will come."

The contents of the secret report were not complicated. The first one was that Huainan Governor Chen Wang Murong Anguo attacked and captured Guangling.

The second one was that the governor of Xuzhou, Prince Qiao Murong Jian, kept his troops in Langya on hold and ordered his trusted general Han Chong to block the canal and seize all the grain and money transported north from the Yangtze River and Huai River on the pretext of military use.

Although they did not raise the flag of rebellion, their actions clearly told Murong Ying that they were rebelling.

Murong Ying's face was calm at this time. He was neither crazy nor furious. Instead, he was very cool.

This was completely different from the state he was in when he received the news that Qi County Governor Murong Xuan was rebelling.

The next words surprised both Murong Ju and Feng Jin.

"Aju, write a letter in person and ask Murong Jian and Murong Anguo what they want. We can discuss it."

Murong Ju frowned. He had never seen his brother Murong Ying show weakness since he was a child. Paranoia, conceit, and pride were the hallmarks of Murong Ying.

For rebels, the storms and rains always crush them and then root them out. There is no delaying tactics and no showing of weakness.

Unless he was facing a life-and-death crisis during the Siege of Guangwu, he would show his vulnerable side, crying bitterly and losing face, which is why he hardly showed up during this expedition.

Now, he actually asked me to revise the letter to show weakness? Has the situation really deteriorated to this extent?

(End of this chapter)