Chapter 309: Drowning in battle, preparing to kill Gao Yao!

Chapter 309: Drowning in battle, preparing to kill Gao Yao!

Moreover, the attempt to incite local officials to revolt did not go smoothly. Those important figures who were really capable of making a big move behind the scenes were almost all discovered by Gao Yao in advance and arrested and imprisoned; and those officials who had not yet been arrested and were willing to rebel against Gao Yao were mostly insignificant people, whose influence was minimal and could not shake the entire situation at all. Therefore, from the actual effect, these rebellion actions were no different from failures.

Among all these situations, the most surprising thing to the mysterious Yi Xiaochuan was the complete defeat of the Chu army. You know, that was a powerful lineup composed of the brave Xiang Yu and the wise Fan Zeng! But who would have thought that such a powerful combination would be defeated by Gao Yao so easily. In fact, the mysterious Yi Xiaochuan was not completely unprepared for the possibility of the Chu army being defeated. After all, there was a clear gap in military strength between the two sides. His initial plan was just to hope that the Chu army could successfully hold Gao Yao back for three months. Even if it was only more than two months, it would be enough.

But the outcome before his eyes made the mysterious Yi Xiaochuan unable to sit still any longer. Because even though the forces of both sides were almost equal, in less than two months, the Chu army had suffered a crushing defeat on the front battlefield, and had even begun to enter the final stage. This situation forced the mysterious Yi Xiaochuan to reflect deeply, and he had obviously greatly underestimated Gao Yao's true strength, and also seriously ignored the powerful force contained in the entire southern border.

Now is the situation that the mysterious Yi Xiaochuan least wants to see. If they really fight head-on, many things can no longer be hidden. Gao Yao's performance so far has obviously exceeded his expectations, and he has reached a point where he has to fight. The advantages he originally expected no longer exist.

"Waste, all of you are a bunch of useless trash, get out of here!" The mysterious Yi Xiaochuan roared angrily.

"Yes..." Hearing these angry words, the subordinates were silent, not even daring to breathe, for fear of angering this hot-tempered boss again. They could only nod their heads in agreement, and then left the tent in disgrace.

Not long after these subordinates left, a loud report from a personal soldier suddenly came from outside the tent: "General, General Li Xin is here!"

When the mysterious Yi Xiaochuan heard this, his expression changed slightly, but then he took a deep breath, forced himself to suppress the anger in his heart, and quickly returned to his usual calm and composed appearance.

"Ahem...let the old general in." He said after coughing twice.

"Yes!" The guards took the order and left.

After a while, an old man with white hair and beard but still a very strong body walked into the tent steadily. He was wearing heavy armor, and his steps were steady and powerful. He exuded a mighty aura of a veteran of many battles. There was no doubt that the person who came was the famous Li Xin.

The mysterious Yi Xiaochuan had to stand up and greet Li Xin in person when he saw him, and said with a smile on his face, "Old General, you are here, please take a seat quickly."

Li Xin smiled and nodded, and responded: "Well, it doesn't matter. The war will start tomorrow. I wonder what your opinion is on this war?"

Li Xin's seniority is equal to Meng Wu's. There is no one else around at this moment, so it is reasonable for him to address Meng Yi as his elder.

"Old General, in my opinion, we should fight quickly and decisively. Right now, there are great risks in our army's logistics supply. If the battle continues for a long time, it will definitely be extremely disadvantageous to us. Therefore, I plan to directly launch a drowning battle tomorrow to first weaken the prestige of the Southern Border Army!"

Listening to the mysterious Yi Xiaochuan's words, Li Xin nodded first, but then shook his head and said, "Well, drowning is indeed a good strategy, but you can't do it yourself. As the commander of the three armies, you have a heavy responsibility. How can you take risks easily? It's better for me to go."

"Old General, your bravery and great military exploits are well known to everyone, and you are still as powerful as ever. But I have to admit that you are old, and I think I still have some courage. This drowning battle should be handed over to me. Moreover, you are highly respected and have great prestige in the army. If I am really defeated, as long as you are in charge of the army, the three armies will still be as stable as Mount Tai and invincible; on the contrary, if you encounter an accident, it will inevitably lead to chaos in the army, and the consequences are disastrous!"

"Well, let's put it this way. We'll see what the specific situation is tomorrow. We'll see what kind of generals the Southern Border Army will send out and then decide which general to send out. I'll be responsible for supporting you."

"Thank you, old general!"

At this time, the mysterious Yi Xiaochuan no longer cared about whether to cover up or not. Tomorrow, the mysterious Yi Xiaochuan would think of one thing. If Gao Yao was stationed in Xia County at this time, he would find a way to provoke Gao Yao to fight. He planned to kill Gao Yao in one go and eliminate the trouble forever.

On the other side, after a long and arduous journey, Gao Yao led his army and finally arrived in Xia County. In order to prepare for the upcoming fierce battle, Gao Yao made a major decision in advance - to relocate most of the people in Xia County.

Today, Xia County has lost its former bustling and bustling scene. Most residents have been evacuated to safe areas, and only those who have stayed voluntarily with firm beliefs are left. There are about 20,000 of them, and their origins are quite complicated, but most of them are people who are forced to leave their homes and come to the southern border to seek a livelihood because they can't survive in other places.

These people knew the hardships of life in the outside world and how difficult it was to fill their stomachs. Compared with the hard times they had experienced, the southern border under the rule of the imperial court was like a paradise. Here, Gao Yao promised to provide everyone with sufficient food so that everyone could eat their fill. Moreover, for those who were willing to work, even if they did not have enough money to pay the rent for the time being, they could cultivate the land first and repay it when the harvest season came.

Because of such benevolent policies and generous treatment, when the people learned that the imperial army was approaching, they chose to stand up without hesitation and spontaneously assisted Gao Yao in defending the city. They knew that if the city was breached, not only would their hard-earned stable life be shattered in an instant, but they would also be likely to fall into a desperate situation of displacement, hunger and cold again. So whether it was helping to make fire and cook, or carrying heavy strategic materials, they did their best to complete every task without complaint.

"Ding Feng, obey my orders. You will be responsible for guarding the South Gate. Zhao Feng, the task of defending the West Gate will be entrusted to you. Duan Peng, you will be in charge of the North Gate. As for the East Gate, this general will be in charge personally!" Gao Yao stood in the center of the lobby of the county government office in Xia County, assigning combat tasks in a loud voice.

Everyone responded in unison: "Yes!"

In fact, Xia County had already made full preparations for the defense of the city. All kinds of supplies were available and piled up like mountains. In order to prevent the enemy from using insidious means such as poisoning, Gao Yao did not hesitate to spend a lot of manpower and material resources. Not only did he store a huge amount of water in the city, but he also dug groundwater to ensure a continuous supply of water.

In addition, there are countless supplies for defending the city. The most important one is the catapult installed on the city wall. These catapults are fixed on the city wall in a special way. Although the number is limited, their power should not be underestimated.

"Everyone must strictly implement the rotation system. During the rest period, personnel should be divided into three different batches to rest in turn. They must not relax at all and must remain highly vigilant at all times. At the same time, it is also necessary to ensure that every soldier has enough rest time to recuperate and be ready for the next battle." Gao Yao gave the order loudly again.

"Yes!" The soldiers responded in unison again.

When the light of dawn quietly climbed over the horizon the next day, Gao Yao, as usual, stepped onto the city wall before daybreak. He knew that he had a heavy responsibility on his shoulders, so he did not dare to slack off in the slightest.

Gao Yao chose to stay in the east for a reason. Due to the special topography of this place, the imperial army would usually choose to launch an attack from the east. Although it was also possible to attack from the north, that would depend on the specific situation of Xia County at that time.

At this moment, the sun was rising slowly from the east, and the golden sunlight gradually spread over the earth. Gao Yao's sharp eyes were fixed on the distance, and suddenly, he saw smoke and dust rolling in the sky in the distance, covering the sky and the sun, obviously a large-scale army was on the march.

Seeing this, Gao Yao raised his hand without hesitation and decisively issued orders to the soldiers behind him. Then, "Dongdongdongdong, Dongdongdongdong..." the dull and powerful sound of war drums suddenly sounded, like bursts of thunder exploding in the air. This exciting drum sound instantly spread throughout the city and could be clearly heard in every corner.

The soldiers who heard the drums moved quickly, and they were all in high spirits and ready for battle. Some held their weapons tightly, staring ahead with determined eyes; others checked the fortifications on the city walls to ensure that they were foolproof. At the same time, the rumbling drums also became a signal, which conveyed the news of the enemy's attack to the defenders in other parts of the city at the fastest speed.

When the imperial army gradually approached Xia County, Gao Yao finally realized what an elite army was. Compared with the Chu army he encountered in Wushang County before, it was a world of difference! The momentum displayed by these imperial soldiers in front of him was not on the same level at all. Their neatly arranged square formations, like tofu blocks, marched towards Xia County in a mighty manner, and their majestic momentum was shocking. There was no doubt that this was the real Qin army that had conquered the six countries!