The battle to attack Shangjing was carried out at a leisurely pace. It seemed that Yun Zhao had no intention of accomplishing it overnight. After more than ten days of leveling the external trenches, the wide moat outside Shangjing was steadily launched to conquer the strength of the Northern Army. They The moat could be filled in directly, but considering that the moat in Shangjing was connected to the water system in the city, once the outer moat was filled in, it would affect the city. Yun Zhao directly rejected this proposal. It would be easy to fill in the city and excavate it later. The difficulty became even greater. The Northern Expeditionary Army still adopted the plan of dealing with the moat in Jiangling. The logistics team rushed to produce a large number of hollow siege vehicles and directly pushed these siege vehicles into the moat. In this way, it would not affect the Due to the flow of the river, soldiers can also directly cross the river. The only way the city can fight back is to use thunder cannons to destroy these siege vehicles. Qin Sheng's thunder cannons, which have not been used, finally started to fight back, but the price was reported to be It was huge. Every time after destroying a siege vehicle in a section of the moat, the exposed target of the Thunderbolt Cannon would be attacked like a storm. Seeing that the loss of the Thunderbolt Cannon exceeded the number of replacements, Qin Sheng frowned, but there was nothing he could do. .
Yun Zhao¡¯s current thoughts are not on attacking the city. The generals under his command are much more experienced than him on how to attack the city. His energy is now more involved in the situation across the country.
With the siege of Shangjing, the general trend of the world has been basically determined. The chess game of this world has also come to a close. Not to mention the areas that have been captured by the Northern Army, there are also other areas that have not been involved by the Northern Army. It's time to start taking sides. If they don't show anything at this time, they will wait for the arrival of the Northern Army. This is a conceivable situation.
No one at this time still thinks that the Li Dynasty has the possibility of overturning. Combined with the death of the young emperor Li Mian of the Northern Court and the Northern Expedition Army not establishing a new puppet, Yun Zhao's thoughts are already Sima Zhao's. Everyone on the street knows it.
Now it¡¯s time to rush in sooner rather than later.
For these people who can only surrender now, Yun Zhao has no slightest regard. There is only one requirement. These places must send an army, no matter how many people there are, even a hundred people will do. They only need to display their local flags. Zhao needs them to go to the capital and make their position clear to the world.
Everyone must participate in this battle to siege Shangjing.
As more and more flags were raised by the local army, the despair in the capital city became more and more intense. As Shuzhou, Bazhou and other places erected flags outside the city, people all over the country had turned against each other. Li The dynasty's territory spanned thousands of miles, and now only the isolated island of Shangjing was left.
Forced to land by war, Yun Zhao hopes that there will be some changes in the city. After all, Shangjing City has been the capital of the Li family for hundreds of years. It has been operated for hundreds of years. The name of the most powerful city in the world is not for nothing. Fight hard and you need to pay. The price is too high. Yun Zhao does not want to have to pay such a huge price at the last moment. This is not cost-effective. If he can exchange for changes in the city through external siege and strong persecution, he can scoop up Shangjing City at the minimum cost. This is what Yun Zhao is most happy to see.
Not everyone in Shangjing City wants to be swept into the rubbish heap along with the Li dynasty.
The really fierce battle started one month after the soldiers surrounded the capital. Su Dingfang's Anqing camp started first. Under the cover of countless thunder cannons and crossbows, tens of thousands of soldiers from the Anqing camp rushed across the moat like ants and faced the capital. The first frontal attack on the city wall was launched. A specially-made and lengthened ladder was built on top of the city. The cone of Meng Chong City hit the thick city gate hard, and the cry of killing resounded throughout Shangjing City.
The attack on the first day ended in vain. As Qin Sheng said, these soldiers in the city were not good at fighting in the field, but they could still come in handy in defending the city. Although the losses were slightly greater, the Northern Army did not gain much. Cheap.
The next day, it was replaced by Hu Zehua¡¯s Panshi Camp. The direction of attack was changed.
On the third day, it became Meng Yao¡¯s Lucheng Camp and changed its direction again.
On the fourth day, Quan Yifeng went into battle.
Next, there will be a main battle camp every day, with different attack points changing every day.
It seems that the Northern Expeditionary Army is looking for loopholes in the defense of Shangjing City.
Qin Sheng was not sure what Yun Zhao was thinking. If it was a test, there was no need to test it for such a long time. He would go up to one camp at a time and attack one place at a time. If the Northern Expeditionary Army surged up in one go, the troops in the city would be destroyed. With his quality, Qin Sheng will definitely be in a hurry. What makes Qin Sheng even more frightened is that almost every day, the Northern Expedition Army will change another battle camp to attack. The intensity of the attack and the intensity of the battle have not changed at all with the number of the army. And there is no slight weakening, which also means that the combat effectiveness of the main battle camps of the Northern Expedition Army is almost the same. Comparing it again in the city, Qin Sheng is in despair.
Yun Zhao is showing his strength. He wants some people in the city to take a look, think about it, and make some decisions.
Soon, there was a response from the city, but the person who responded shocked the entire Northern Expedition Army. It was actually the Cao family, and it was actually Prime Minister Cao.
The person who came here is called Cao Fang, and he is the uncle of Prime Minister Cao.
Looking at the sixty-year-old man, Yun Zhao narrowed his eyes and asked, "What do you say, Lord Chief Assistant?"
Don't ask Cao Xiang, but ask Cao Yi directly. Yun Zhao naturally knows that the only one who can make this decision is Cao Yi. In Cao Yi's life, whether he turns his hand to make a cloud or turns his hand to make a cloud, Li Jian or Li Xiao, which one is not his fault? At the hands of Cao Yi? Even the old emperor Li Jia was inevitably stabbed by Cao Yi after his death. This was a truly cunning and cunning guy. Yun Zhao was wary of him. He did not want to follow the example of these people. Hou Chen, for a person like Cao Yi, it is not too high to think highly of him.
¡°It has nothing to do with the Chief Assistant, this is the decision of General Cao, Prime Minister Cao.¡± Cao Fang¡¯s answer made Yun Zhao even more surprised and full of doubts.
"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry, because the Chief Assistant has now become a prisoner!" Cao Fang replied with a wry smile, "Speaking of which, this is still the handiwork of Your Majesty. Lou Xiang's betrayal directly brought our Cao family to dust. Now the Chief Minister Mr. Fu and Mr. Wang, Minister of War, were all detained in the palace by Qin Rouniang. Qin Rouniang even threatened their lives and asked General Cao Xiang to defend the city, otherwise he would kill everyone in the Cao and Wang family. "
"In that case, why did Prime Minister Cao surrender? Isn't it possible that he wasn't afraid that Qin Rouniang would kill them?" Yun Zhao asked.
"The Chief Assistant has said that the destruction of the Cao and Wang families is a foregone conclusion. Regardless of whether he can defend the capital or not, he will definitely not see this day. In this case, why not give the prince a big gift?" Cao Fang said.
Yun Zhao turned his head and glanced around. Han Zhong was also recruited from the north. Now, in addition to military generals, there were many more civil servants in his big tent. Wang Gui, Zhuo Yiming and others were all following him. On one side, Shewenzhuang has also returned, and there is a disabled man with broken legs and a cane sitting on the side. This person is of course Suo Wenhai.
"What did Prime Minister Cao say?" Han Zhong saw Yun Zhao looking at him and asked immediately: "What conditions does he have?" If Prime Minister Cao can surrender, it will certainly be a good thing for the Northern Army, even if he is spared his life. There is no problem. Han Zhong believes that Yun Zhao thinks so too.
"General Cao doesn't have any conditions. If he does, I just ask the prince to let General Cao leave after the city is broken. From now on, we will never see each other again," Cao Fang said.
"Just such a condition?" Han Zhong felt a little incredible.
¡°That¡¯s just one condition!¡± Cao Fang nodded, affirming.
When something goes wrong, there must be a monster! Everyone in the tent was swept by the strong wind and waves, and their hearts were full of doubts, but they couldn't find any problems.
"If the prince allows it, in three days, the south gate guarded by General Cao Xiang will be opened wide, and the soldiers there will be transferred to other places. I believe that with the strength of the Northern Army, they can be controlled in a very short time The south gate also blocked the reinforcements transferred by Qin Sheng. As long as the Northern Expedition Army entered the city, without the obstruction of the city wall, the soldiers in the city would no longer have the strength to fight. It would be easy for the Northern Expedition Army to scoop them up and go to Beijing. ." Cao Fang said: "Your Majesty, don't worry about what tricks my general will play. In fact, what other tricks can we play now? In the face of absolute strength, any tricks will be defeated."
Everyone naturally understands this truth, but they just can¡¯t figure out why Prime Minister Cao is like this?
With a few soft beeps, Suo Wenhai walked out from the shadows behind the crowd on crutches, "Your Majesty, can you allow Suo to ask a few questions?"
"Of course!" Suo Wenhai is ruthless, and although he is resourceful, he is not liked by Yun Zhao. However, this person is indeed wise, and he also made great contributions to the Conquest of the Northern Army and the annexation of the White Lotus Army. Although he is not liked by Yun Zhao, , Yun Zhao had never treated him badly, and Suo Wenhai also had the support of the Red Lady, so he had a good life in the Northern Expedition Army.
"I dare to ask Mr. Cao Fang, is General Cao Xiang leaving alone, or will he take his family with him?" Suo Wenhai stared at Cao Fang and asked.
Cao Fang panicked for no reason when he saw Suowendi's sinister eyes. "Of course he has to take his family with him. If General Cao is a single man, what worries does he have in the land? How can he surrender?" "
Suo Wenhai lowered his head, thought for a moment, and suddenly laughed, "I understand, among the so-called family members such as Prince and Prime Minister Cao, there must be descendants of the Cao family, and even descendants of the Wang family."
"You are slandering people, these are General Cao Xiang's own family members!" Cao Fang was shocked and angry, and immediately retorted.
Suo Wenhai laughed darkly, "Mr. Cao Fang, you probably don't know who I am and what I did before, right? To tell you the truth, I used to be a housekeeper in the Fourth Prince's Mansion who specialized in field work. I have seen a lot of the secret things in the courtyard. Cao Xiang is a very core general of the Cao family. Qin Rouniang detained the Cao family, how could she let go of your family? Cao Yi is already in jail, but she is still there Is it possible that this painstaking planning is for the sake of Cao Xiang, and of course it is for the sake of his Cao family's cigarettes?"
Cao Fang was sweating profusely, "General Cao's family members were naturally detained, but General Cao had his own secret room outside.For these reasons, General Cao decided to surrender."
"There is an outer chamber, but it does not belong to General Cao Xiang. It belongs to the direct descendants of the Cao family!" Suo Wenhai turned around and bowed to Yun Zhao, then retreated into the shadows.
Suo Wenhai's words immediately made everyone wake up. Looking at Cao Fang's face, they all had a sarcastic smile.
Yun Zhao chuckled, "Mr. Cao Fang, I think Mr. Suo's opinion is correct, isn't it? This is all Cao Yi's arrangement, right? It's awesome, it's awesome. Even though he's behind bars, he can still decide the life or death of a dynasty. Cao Yi's life It can be said that life is not in vain!¡±
Cao Fang¡¯s legs went weak and he sat on the ground.
"Go back and tell Prime Minister Cao that I promised him that no matter whether he takes away Cao Yi's descendants or even Wang Jinglue's descendants, I will not hold him accountable," Yun Zhaolang said.
"Your Majesty!" Everyone in the tent shouted in unison, obviously wanting to stop Yun Zhao. He cut the grass without eradicating the roots, but the spring breeze will bring new growth. Cao Yi is a wily and calculating person. If he leaves the descendants of the Cao family, something may happen.
Yun Zhao waved his hand, "You go back and tell Prime Minister Cao that since you have worked so hard to preserve the blood of the two families, it is best to be an honest person in the future. If you have any ideas, he knows the consequences."
Cao Fang was sweating profusely, but he was overjoyed. "The prince has made a promise of a thousand pieces of gold, and he will never regret it. He will burn the bridge by crossing the river."
"Yun never breaks his trust. If Yun was someone who crossed rivers and demolished bridges, unloaded mills and killed donkeys, how could he stand outside Shangjing City today?" Yun Zhao looked up to the sky and laughed, "Even if the second family of King Cao is a centipede, If they are dead but not stiff, or they may be able to stand up, no matter how troublesome they are, they can only crouch at Yun's feet."
(I broke my promise because I am very busy and am working hard to write. The finale and the epilogue will be out within two days today and tomorrow. I promise!) rs