The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 228: Le Cheng defeated Yan and became famous, Ren Tu came to Qi to see Ying Zi

The Yan army's response to the Hu people was to build a city.

Although Yancheng is rough and lacks aesthetic appeal, it is famous for its solidity.

Once the city was built, it would mean that the territory of Yan State would expand by fifty miles.

The Hu people are a nomadic people who live by following water and grass.

The Hu people were good at field battles but not good at attacking cities, and most of their tribes did not even have siege equipment.

To build a city, the State of Yan only needed a small number of elite troops to resist the attack of the Hu people.

It is much easier to expand territory by building cities here with the Hu people than to expand territory by fighting with the countries in the Central Plains.

Therefore, although the State of Yan made almost no progress in the Central Plains, its area continued to expand.

The State of Yan had been expanding to the northeast.

Shanggu County, Gucheng.

The newest city built by the State of Yan and the northeastern gateway of the State of Yan.

On top of the city wall of Gucheng.

The border troops of Yan State had serious expressions and were on high alert. They were obviously elite troops.

But their numbers were very small, and the distance between the two armies was fifty steps.

If it were in the Central Plains, this force would be far from enough.

But in the desert, the people to guard against were not the Central Plains people who mainly engaged in siege warfare, but the Hu people who were excellent in horsemanship and good at night combat but could not attack cities.

This amount of troops is enough.

No one in Yan State thought of it.

One day, the northeasternmost part of this country, Gucheng, located deep in the desert, will be attacked by the Central Plains.

into the night.

A moment.

Stones fell from the sky like rain.

There is a ladder hanging on the wall.

Le Cheng came well prepared, with a lot of large equipment such as catapults, crossbows, ladders, etc.

Under the cover of night, they approached Gucheng and staged a standard Central Plains siege battle in the depths of the desert!
The 3,000 Yan troops in Gucheng were caught off guard. Although they fought bravely, they were defeated due to their shortage of manpower and insufficient preparation.

As the sky was about to brighten, Le Cheng stood on the top of Gucheng City.

His face was full of excitement; he had made a good start!
As long as there is a city to defend, there is no need to worry about the 70,000 Zhao troops encountering the main forces of the Hu people such as the Xiongnu, Linhu, and Donghu, and being wiped out.

Le Cheng watched the sun rise and greeted the first ray of sunshine.

The gold color spread all over his face, which looked thirty years younger than Lian Po.

He looked in the direction he came from and said sincerely:

"Thanks, Li Mu."

In order to ensure the smooth journey of the 70,000 Zhao troops in the desert, Li Mu took the initiative to attack for the first time in more than two years, attracting the attention of the Huns in this area.

The blood of 157 Zhao soldiers was used to create a blood-red safe path for Le Cheng.

Le Cheng only stayed in Gucheng for three days to recuperate.

Leaving behind the sick and wounded, and adding two thousand more soldiers to defend the city.

Le Cheng led the remaining Zhao soldiers to attack other cities in Shanggu County.

Yan's deployment in Shanggu County was sufficient only to get close to Zhao and guard against Zhao's Zhulu City.

Cities like Huai'an and Xuanhua, which were defending against the Hu people, had no more than about two thousand people each.

How could two thousand people resist the fierce attack of tens of thousands of Zhao troops?

In less than three months, the entire Shanggu County was declared to have changed hands.

Le Cheng captured Shanggu County and focused on strengthening the defense of the fortress Junduxing to prevent a counterattack by the Yan army.

Jundu Pass, also known as Jundu Mountain, is the northernmost passage among the Eight Passes of Taihang Mountains.

The State of Yan originally had a large number of troops stationed at the eastern exit of its military capital Xing to guard against the nomadic peoples in the mountains.

Later, the State of Yan built a city and occupied this area, creating Shanggu County.

Junduxing was one of the important roads leading out of the Yan State to the north, and became a passage within the Yan State. Its geopolitical importance was greatly reduced compared to before.

The Yan army had less troops stationed there than in the city, so it was easily conquered by the Zhao army.

Now that Zhao controlled Shanggu County, Jundu Xing became a battleground for military strategists.

Le Yi deployed a large number of troops here, built barriers and created a defense line.

Cut off the connection between Shanggu County and Yan State and close the door to the north for Yan State.

As a result, the State of Zhao spanned the Taihang Mountains from north to south.

At this time, Taihang Mountain was known as the "backbone of the world" and was towering and steep.

Zhao took most of it.

Sitting on the spine, looking down at the State of Yan.

In simple terms, it means taking advantage of the high ground and attacking the low ground.

As soon as the battle in Shanggu was stabilized, Le Cheng returned to Handan for supplies, and then led tens of thousands of people to go out to support Zhao Cong.

At this time, Zhao Cong was already on the verge of death, with only 8,000 soldiers left.

During these three months, Zhao Cong almost died several times. In the first month, the Yan army did not react, and Zhao Cong looted the towns near Wuyang and became self-sufficient.

In the second month, the Yan army came from all directions to encircle and suppress Zhao Cong.

Zhao Cong was in dire straits as he hid from the Yan army. The people of Yan gave him the nickname "Zhao Rabbit".

In the third month, the living space shrank dramatically, having a hot meal a day was a luxury, and non-combat casualties increased exponentially.

Zhao Cong regretted countless times that he should not have accepted this fatal mission.

Until the day before he met Le Cheng, he still cursed Le Cheng for not being a good son.

By the Yi River.

The main general met the deputy general, and Le Cheng met Zhao Cong.

Zhao Cong, whose hair was as messy as weeds and whose body was not clean at all, punched Le Cheng in the face, who was wearing distinctive armor:
"You are not a human being!"

Le Cheng first rubbed his slapped cheek, then gently grabbed the angry Zhao Cong and hugged him tightly:
"It's too late."

Zhao Cong pushed Le Cheng away with both hands, his anger still lingering:
"Can we go down to Shanggu?"

Le Cheng nodded heavily:

"The Upper Valley of Yan, including the six large cities of Zhulu, are all Zhao's territory!"

"Hahaha! Yan Gou! Come and catch your rabbit grandfather again! Come on!" Zhao Cong roared, laughing until tears came out.

One of them was standing unsteadily and his body was tilted.

Le Cheng was quick to support Zhao Cong.

Zhao Cong grabbed Le Cheng's arm and said weakly:
"I account for at least half of the credit for Shanggu."

Le Cheng nodded, without objection.

If Zhao Cong had not attracted Yan's local troops in advance, Yan's support for Shanggu would have been delayed by a lot of time and manpower.

Even if Le Cheng was able to capture Shanggu County, it would be a miserable victory.

As the military doctor he brought to take care of Zhao Cong, Le Cheng's eyes fell on the Yishui River which was getting colder.

Winter is approaching, and the State of Yan cannot be attacked during the winter.

The battle of Wuyang must also be won quickly!

"Pass the order! March to Du Kang!" Le Cheng gave the order.

Du Kang was one of the few places in Yan State, where most of the land was barren and rich in resources.

The terrain of Du Kang is flat and there is no strategic location to defend.

Moreover, it does not border the State of Zhao and is the hinterland of the State of Yan.

Under such conditions, the defense of Du Kang can be imagined.

Guarding against bandits and eliminating mountain robbers is easy.

But when faced with the elite troops of the Zhao army...

Le Cheng penetrated deep into the State of Yan and successively captured the two big cities of Linle and Longdui in the Du Kang area with an unstoppable force!

When the Yan army gathered to attack, Le Cheng took advantage of the situation and turned around, crossing the Tang River and the Beiyi River.

The Zhao army launched a surprise attack and captured Fenmen City south of Wuyang.

Le Cheng used Fenmen City as his base and marched towards the second capital of Yan State, Wuyang City!
At this point, Lecheng’s strategic intentions have all been implemented.

Outside the Great Wall, he swallowed up Shanggu County of Yan State, used Taihang Mountain as a stronghold, and waited for an attack on Yan.

In the Central Plains, the Yan army was driven around in circles and eventually reached Wuyang, the secondary capital of Yan.

Last time, Lian Po withdrew from Yan State because of lack of supplies.

This time, Le Cheng has supplies from Fenmen City, and he has more bargaining chips than Lian Po last time!
A month and a half later.

Qi State, Linzi, Jixia Academy, the residence of the chief priest.

After listening to the white-haired old man in front of him describing the battle situation, Ying Chengjiao's heart was surging and he smiled bitterly.

[How could Le Cheng, who is not well-known in history books, be so powerful...]
"Zhao State is really full of famous generals... Our strong enemy is Zhao!"

"Famous general? Le Cheng is nothing but a famous general! Zhao Kuo is better than him!" The white-haired old man lowered his head to drink tea, his words full of contempt.

Ying Chengjiao was helpless:
"If someone else said this, I would definitely say, "If you can do it, go ahead."

"Sir, when you say this, I have nothing to say."

The old man looked up, raised his eyebrows, and spat out the tea leaves:

"It's not salty or sweet, but bitter. What kind of tea is this?"

His facial features are three-dimensional, as if they were cut by an axe or a knife.

The wrinkles on the old face were washed out by the blood of soldiers from various countries.

Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period.

Two million soldiers died, half of them were elderly.

The butcher, Bai Qi.

"Boy, the king wants me to lead the troops." The old man's eyes seemed to be bloodshot, and he smiled with white teeth: "I also think that it's the right time!"

The boy was shocked:

"Mr. Bai! You promised me that you wouldn't fight the first battle!"

"I have promised to come to Qi in person to hear what Ying Zi has to say." The old man raised his eyelids: "If it is really a bird saying...you can listen to it, isn't it fair to be treacherous in war?"

(End of this chapter)