Zhang Xuan is not optimistic about Du Fuwei's army, although the Jianghuai army is famous for its good fighting bravery, such as Wang Shichong's 20,000 Huainan army, Du Fuwei also had a relatively good fighting army, but basically has been disabled by himself, although the number of troops is large, in fact, there is no difference from the miscellaneous army of the Wagang army, it is only hastily patched together in the past year, and the training, equipment and combat experience are far inferior to the soldiers of the Sui army who have experienced a hundred battles.

If on the plain, Zhang Xuan is completely sure that he will defeat the enemy in a battle, it seems that Du Fuwei also knows this, he refuses to defend the city, to delay and wait for change, but for Zhang Xuan, he does not want his elite soldiers to die under the city of Hefei, the so-called good fighters have no outstanding merits is this truth, with the smallest loss to defeat the enemy, has become the first law of the Sui army's warfare.

For the siege, the Sui army has enough experience, the Sui army has attacked Liyangcang, which is very similar to Hefei City, and knows how to capture this seemingly tall and strong city, but it has a fatal loophole.

However, although Zhang Xuan despised this army with no superiority in strength, he attached great importance to tactics, and on the one hand, he actively prepared for war, Zhang Xuan ordered the Sui army to build a section of the city wall on the north bank of Chaohu Lake that was exactly the same as Hefei City, and concentrated 20,000 troops for night battle and city training, and on the other hand, Zhang Xuan sent someone to send a letter to Du Fuwei, urging Du Fuwei to surrender to the Northern Sui.

The Sui army is actively preparing for war, Du Fuwei did not sit still, these few days, the wind direction in the Jianghuai area began to turn to the northwest wind, which is extremely unfavorable to the Sui army's warship navigation, against the wind and water, the Sui army's logistics and transportation is about to be interrupted, which makes Du Fuwei see a ray of hope, Du Fuwei also began to prepare for war in an all-round way, the craftsmen in the city worked day and night to make trebuchets and stone cannons, part of the damaged city wall was also replaced, tens of thousands of soldiers were gathered to train to defend the city.

At the same time, Du Fuwei sent several messenger soldiers to Chang'an in several ways to ask for help from the Chang'an court, if the Tang army could launch an eastward crusade, it might be his hope that Du Fuwei could survive.

Early in the morning, Du Fuwei led dozens of generals to inspect the city to prepare for war, he walked to the battlements and pointed to the outside moat to the crowd: "Although the moat is very wide, it can block the enemy from attacking the city with siege weapons, but there is also a big problem, that is, the enemy's warships can sail in, and the warships are like a nest car, which is conducive to boarding the city, but fortunately, the water is not wide, and it is impossible to sail into the big ships above 2,000 stones, and the threat of warships below 2,000 stones to the city is much smaller. ”

Everyone nodded, Du Fuwei said: "The key is to deal with the warship, if the warship has sails, then we can use rockets to shoot, if the warship has no sails, I think the most effective weapons are trebuchets and stone cannons, hundreds of stone cannons and trebuchets are launched at the same time, no matter how strong the ship will be sparsely beaten, of course, you can also use rockets, ten thousand arrows are fired at the same time, 10,000 rockets are fired at the warship, and the big ship will also be ignited, in short, there are many ways, I hope everyone can brainstorm, let us hold the city." ”

Speaking of this, Du Fuwei turned back to a scribe and said, "Zuo Changshi, tell me your opinion." ”

Zuo Changshi is called Zuo Youxian, is a strategist, Du Fuwei was named the queen of Huai by Emperor Tai, so he appointed Zuo Youxian as the chief of the Huai Wang's mansion, for him to deal with all kinds of paperwork and miscellaneous matters, and occasionally for Du Fuwei to give advice.

Zuo Youxian stepped forward and bowed and said: "Back to His Royal Highness, the opinions of the humble position are similar to those of His Royal Highness, but the humble position is more concerned about the food problem, at present, we can maintain the grain for a month and a half, but we must consider the follow-up plan, the humble post suggests that all the grain in the Hefei market be collected first, it is estimated that you can get fifty or sixty thousand stones of grain, and it can last for a month, if it is consumed with the enemy army for a long time, then the food rationing must be implemented." ”

Du Fuwei thought for a moment and said, "It's okay to collect grain from the market, but it's not allowed to take the food of the civilians in the city. ”

"I understand that I will not disturb the people for the time being."

Du Fuwei nodded, and said to Wang Xiongdan, the general next to him: "You bring some soldiers to assist Changshi in collecting grain." ”

"Obey!"

At this moment, a soldier hurriedly stepped forward, bowed down and saluted: "Your Highness, a scribe from the Sui camp has come to send a letter to Your Highness, saying that it is a personal letter from their commander to His Highness." ”

"Where is the faith?"

The soldier rushed away, and in a moment brought up a young civil servant who delivered the letter, it was Lu Han, Lu Han bowed and saluted, and handed a letter to Du Fuwei, "This is a handwritten letter from the marshal of my family to His Royal Highness King Huai." ”

Du Fuwei took the letter, only to see that it was written, 'Zhang Xuan, the regent of Sui, to His Royal Highness King Huai! ’

Du Fuwei smiled at everyone: "This is actually a letter from Zhang Xuan to me, what do you say will be in it?" ”

"Your Highness, don't read this kind of letter!" The crowd shouted.

Fu Gongyou next to him said in a low voice: "Your Highness, let's go back to the palace and take a closer look!" ”

"Not necessarily!"

Du Fuwei opened the letter, read it briefly, and sneered: "Zhang Xuan is persuading me to surrender, allowing me to be a lieutenant and confer the title of Duke of Huai, hum!" He thought it was good, thinking that I was a three-year-old child, and gave in with a little sweetness. ”

Everyone laughed together, and some people said angrily: "Emperor Tai still crowned His Royal Highness as the King of Huai, but he Zhang Xuan didn't even give him a county king, and he didn't have any sincerity at all." ”

"Not bad! If he is sincere, he should withdraw first, and while actively preparing for war, he will persuade me to surrender. ”

After speaking, he tore the letter to shreds and threw it down the city, Lu Hanhuo straightened his waist, glared at Du Fuwei fiercely and said: "My handsome family treats him politely, but he is so rude, is this still the behavior of King Huai?" What's the difference with mountain bandits? ”

Du Fuwei was furious, drew his sword and pressed it on Lu Han's neck, "You kid is tired of life, you dare to insult me, it seems that this human head is not wanted, kneel down for me!" ”

Lu Han stretched his neck and said: "If you want to cut it, you can cut it, and if you want me Lu Han to kneel down to you, the Jianghuai thief, dream!" ”

Du Fuwei suddenly struck with a murderous intent in his heart, and slashed at the opponent's neck with a sword, at this time, Fu Gongyou grabbed his arm and said loudly: "Your Highness, the two countries are fighting each other, and if we don't kill them, we can't be laughed at by the world." ”

Several generals originally drew their swords and prepared to kill the Sui army envoy, hearing Fu Gongyou's words, everyone quietly accepted the sword, you must know that Fu Gongyou is the second person in the Jianghuai Army, everyone respects and fears him, Du Fuwei also has to give Fu Gongyou this face, he hates to accept the sword, "If it weren't for the big brother's face, I would have slaughtered this bastard today!" ”

Du Fuwei turned around and rushed away angrily, looking at Du Fuwei's distant back, Fu Gongyou couldn't help but sigh secretly, in fact, they can Sui Jun talk about and keep the Jianghuai Army, take 10,000 steps back and say, even if the negotiations break down, it will delay time, but Du Fuwei actually tore up Zhang Xuan's handwritten letter, the matter has been done, where is there any room for relaxation, it is still too young and vigorous, and it wants to save face and kill people.

Fu Gongyou was in a bad mood, and he didn't want to say anything, so he ordered the soldiers to send Lu Han out of the city, and he himself returned to the official room

On both sides of the riverbed near Chaohu Lake, tens of thousands of Sui soldiers are dredging and dredging, the silt washed from the upstream for thousands of years is finally blocked near the mouth of the lake, from the mouth of the lake to trace five miles, the riverbed is covered by thick silt, so that the river narrows abruptly, which is also the main reason why the river can not sail into the warship of more than 3,000 stones, but once the riverbed of five miles is dredged, the boats of 3,000 stones can sail into the riverbed, and the soldiers are under the city of Hefei.

These details can only be discovered after careful observation, Du Fuwei only knew that the water could not sail into the warship of more than 3,000 stones, but why it could not sail in, he did not know, and it was these details that determined success or failure.

10,000 soldiers carrying baskets full of mud on both sides of the river, the soldiers continue to dig out a large number of human bones from the mud, these bones are the former Qin soldiers who died in the battle of the river, hundreds of thousands of Fu Jian's soldiers were buried at the bottom of the river, more than 200 years have been washed by the river, some have been washed into Chaohu Lake, but there are also many bones piled up at the mouth of the lake.

Jang Hyun stood on the shore and watched the soldiers busy, the excavation of the silt has entered the third day, and the project has been completed sixty percent, and it will be completed in two more busy days.

At this time, a personal soldier pointed to the north and said, "Marshal, Lu is here." ”

Zhang Xuan turned around, only to see more than a dozen cavalry rushing towards this side, the leader was the one who went to send a letter to Du Fuwei to join the army to engage in Lu Han, only to see Lu Han's face full of anger, Zhang Xuan knew Du Fuwei's attitude, needless to say, Du Fuwei not only severely rejected himself, but also humiliated Lu Han.

This is expected by Zhang Xuan, if Du Fuweiken surrendered himself, he would have surrendered a long time ago, and he would not have been his face to this day.

(To be continued.) )