The Liao people moved quickly.

It's amazingly fast, so to speak.

The night before, the news of the Liao army's southward march had just been received through the beacon fire, and in the early morning of the next day, the first northern cavalry of 1,000 men appeared on the northern horizon......

Almost in half a day, looking outside Taigu County, there was already smoke and dust from the Khitan cavalry galloping on horseback.

Overwhelmed, all over the mountains, and so on, adjectives can be used on the enemy troops outside the city.

He Sheng stood at the head of the city at the north gate, and when he looked out, he only felt that his feet were weak, and the armor on his body seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, and it was almost difficult to stand firm without using the spear in his hand.

"I'm afraid there aren't thirty or fifty thousand, right?" His heart was cold, and his voice to himself was unconsciously amplified by the sound of hooves like rolling thunder outside the city.

"No, it's about 10,000."

The sudden sound behind him startled He Sheng, and he turned his head sharply, only to see that an official in a wide robe was standing behind him at some point.

Behind this official, there is a group of tall and short officials, old and young, the county lord of this county is among them, very inconspicuous and good, and the commander who makes He Sheng afraid to see him on weekdays only stands outside. And the surrounding robes and brothers, team leaders, ten generals, and all heads all bowed down and saluted.

The official in front of him was not very old, and he looked very kind with a slight smile, but He Sheng knew him, and he had seen him many times in the past few days. He opened his mouth and stammered: "Han ...... Han ......"

'Don't hurry up yet!' He Sheng's immediate boss frowned behind the most gloomy and grinned, anxious to panic.

He Sheng couldn't see so much at all, his legs trembled violently with his legs, and the hand holding the spear was also released in a trance.

Han Gang grabbed the crumbling barrel of the gun and drank in a low voice, "Stand up straight!" ”

Han Gang's voice seemed to be magical, and He Sheng's body immediately straightened up. is quite tall, wearing heavy armor, and with such a straight chest, he immediately has a bit of momentum.

Han Gang smiled and returned the spear to the little soldier, who was only seventeen or eighteen. Walking to the city wall, looking down at the people and horses outside the city like ants, "There are more than 10,000 people and horses, and there is no bank and no bank." Thirty or fifty thousand soldiers and horses can be 100 miles wide when they walk horizontally, and 80 miles can be dragged out in a vertical row. There is only such a big place under Taigu City, and the Liao thieves and horses are only 10,000 at most. Even at the end of the day, the number of Liao thieves under Taigu City will not exceed 20,000. ”

The civil and military officials who followed behind Han Gang all showed thoughtful expressions when they heard this, and soon, the officials who had experience in war nodded one by one.

If it is to attack the enemy's territory, grain and grass will naturally be raised on the spot. The daily consumption of 350,000 cavalry requires thousands of stone bundles a day, which is not supported by a few villages. It must be scattered to collect, and at the same time it is necessary to guard against enemy troops, and it is still too little to spread out a hundred miles of frontage. Even if they marched in a column in the middle of the country, there were enough military rations along the way, and the 350,000 cavalry could be dragged out of the old man.

If the Liao people want to capture a county such as Taigu City safely, they need at least forty thousand troops. More than 30,000, nearly 40,000 troops must be taken out. The Liao people who entered the territory of Taiyuan Mansion can indeed take it. But with so many troops, and more than twice as many horses, it is impossible to gather under a county town.

Chen Feng was relieved that he was only concerned about the military affairs, "It's only 10,000." ”

"More than 10,000 cavalry is already a lot. How many families are in the register in Taigu County? Huang Sheng was relatively much more experienced, and lowered his voice to remind Chen Feng, "There are only more than 1,000 households!" A thousand households occupy such a large piece of land. Now ten times the population, twenty or thirty times the number of war horses gathered under the city. ”

Chen Feng's face immediately tensed.

Han Gang didn't care, he was asking the name of the little soldier: "What's your name." ”

When did He Sheng encounter such a situation, the high-ranking Zaisuke would actually ask him for the name of this military man, and he became nervous again, and his tongue seemed to be frozen, "Xiao ...... Small...... Villain. ”

The commander behind him was so anxious that he was sweating. But Han Gang's smile was even kinder, like a spring breeze, "Don't be afraid, don't be in a hurry, speak slowly." ”

The amiable Han Gang relieved He Sheng, "The villain's surname is He Mingsheng." The family is in sixth place. Usually call the villain He Liu, He Xiaoliu. ”

"Surname He, Ah ......" The young man in front of him is surnamed He, which makes Han Gang feel a little close.

Huang Shang in the back suddenly widened his eyes: "Is it a celebration?" The victory of the victory? ”

He Sheng hadn't read a book for a few days, but his name was still known: "It's the gratifying He, the victory who returns from victory." ”

Huang Shang raised his eyebrows, happy on the top. As soon as he turned around, Taigu Zhixian took the first step, shook himself towards Han Gang to the end, and laughed loudly: "Congratulations on returning victorious!" Pivotal, this is a good intention! ”

Taigu Zhixian said this, the civil officials and military generals were like a stick, and they were ecstatic one by one.

This is indeed a good sign.

The officials congratulated Han Gang one after another, and the eyes that looked at He Sheng were different, no longer insignificant soldiers, but as if they were auspicious from the sky.

He Sheng was stunned, not knowing how to react.

Han Gang also nodded and smiled, although he was not superstitious, he also liked such coincidences. He asked He Sheng more kindly: "Zhilu Dao, what preparations have you made in the city to meet the Liao thieves going south in the past few days?" ”

The one who wants the same wins. If you want to have the same desires, you can't hide and deceive the soldiers below. Since Han Gang made up his plan, he has informed all the news that can be told below. If everyone knew the weaknesses of the Liao army and the arrangement of the envoys, the confidence would naturally be different.

"I said it, my uncle said it."

"Your uncle?"

"My fifth uncle is the left ten general of Pontus." He Sheng seemed to have opened his mind, and his tongue became flexible, "In the past few days, the villages outside the city have filled in the wells, the grain has been burned, and a cart of manure has been poured upstream of the Taigu water, so that after the Liao dog comes, there is nowhere to find water to drink, nowhere to find food to eat, and people and horses are starving to death of thirst!" ”

"It's hard to starve to death. Liao Gou must know that we will treat them well, and at least bring a few days' rations with us. However, after running for dozens of miles, whether it is a person or a horse, they have to drink saliva after stopping, and the dog from Liao is no exception. Han Gang's words caused a chuckle and paused, "Without water, who can support it?" ”

If you want to siege a city, the first step is to besiege it. Without controlling the area outside the city walls, it is impossible to attack the defenders at the head of the city with peace of mind. However, before the Liao army moved south, the area around Taigu City was completely under the control of the Song army. Han Gang concentrated the small amount of cavalry in his hands around Taigu County, so that the Liao army's distant scouts within ten miles could not stay for a long time, and the core guard circle in the city was even more blocked outside.

The Liao army knew almost nothing about the changes in the inner circle during this time, but if they wanted to attack the city, they had to set up camp near the city. And everything that Han Gang arranged around Taigu County during this time was all to make it impossible for the Liao people to camp smoothly.

Although he used himself as bait, he never thought of putting his life in the hands of outsiders. Whether it is the Liao people or the reinforcements from the south, he will not.

"Camping is about the terrain, but water still has to come first. There was no food or drink, and no matter how well the camp was located, it could not be safe. Han Gang shouted to his soldiers in the noise of people outside the city, "The place where you camp must be close to the water source. But within ten miles the wells were filled in, and the rivers were polluted. The Liao thieves could not attack the city, and after dark, they had to withdraw from the camp for ten miles, start the next day, and then advance ten miles to attack the city. Even if it is cavalry, there are many people, and they are in front of the enemy, and it will take nearly two hours to advance and retreat. How many hours or two can be wasted in a day? It's not impossible to dig a well temporarily, but is it too late? Reinforcements will be coming in three or five days. ”

"Taigu County is not very big, and it is enough to surround Taigu County, five thousand cavalry. If you want to attack the city, even if you take turns to attack the city day and night, it will only be 20,000 at most, and any more will be a waste of manpower. However, when the Liao thieves attacked the city, they had to guard against reinforcements from the south, such as Qi County and Pingyao in the southwest, and they had to leave a group of soldiers and horses to prevent the western army coming up along the Fen River. In addition, it is necessary to detour to the south of Taigu again to beware of reinforcements from Kaifeng. ”

"The strength is weak, the Liao people have to attack the city, defend against reinforcements, and find food and water, how long can they hold out?"

It's a rare sight.

Huang Shang looked at Han Gang, who was speaking loudly, and sighed secretly in his heart. Few generals trusted their soldiers so much. Through the trust in the soldiers, in turn the trust of the soldiers.

It's a mouthful, but it's a fact that is happening right in front of your eyes.

After being convinced by the soldiers from the bottom of their hearts, it is natural to defend the city and even win the victory. In that case, it will not be in vain that you will do your best to achieve it.

Huang Sheng looked left and right, the staff members around Han Gang were now led by him after Zhang Qi went south.

Zhang Qi left Taigu County after receiving the news last night. Han Gang personally sent him out of the south gate. The southern battalion must be controlled by a credible and well-equipped staff. After all, they were not the generals of the Western Army, and Han Gang could not give them the full trust he had in Wang Sunsin, Zhao Long, or Li Xin.

By the morning of this day, the news of Anron's arrival at the camp came back, and Huang Shang was relieved. After all, it was a night walk, and it was not impossible for a team of Khitan horses to emerge, or to stumble and fall off the horse.

After a few days of getting along with Zhang Kai and communicating many times, Huang Sheng and Zhang Kai have a little admiration for this person. also understands that Han Gang's attention to Zhang Qi is not entirely because of Zhang Di.

And Han Gang's requirements for Zhang Kai are not too much. It was enough to lead the reinforcements slowly forward and protect yourself in the siege of the Liao army. As long as the reinforcements are safe and secure, and they are advancing steadily, they can put enough pressure on the Liao army.