Chapter 1 Midday

Noon, beside the Yellow River's north channel, west of Xicha.

A sturdy warhorse, armored with leather and a leather face guard, struggled to carry its master out of the northern breach. The area was already packed with men and horses, armor dense, so that banners couldn't unfurl, and the glint of weapons' edges almost formed a continuous sheet in the midday sun.

Song soldiers in heavy armor with long axes and Jin heavy cavalry surged to the front lines, hacking at each other heedless of casualties. Slightly further out, the heavy arrows and powerful crossbows of both sides, though with appalling friendly fire rates, didn't dare pause for a moment.

This breach, just over two *li* wide, had truly become a meat grinder, and it was all about who could hold out longer.

All that could be said was that this warhorse and its master were fortunate to escape the battle, especially as a heavy armored Jin knight whose objective was to break through.

However, shortly after escaping the battle, the warhorse quickly slowed down by the Yellow River, snorting and instinctively contracting its hind legs. It turned out that the sturdy warhorse's right hind leg had been sliced open at some unknown time and place, and the outer skin had been torn during the run, now hanging down on its leg. Bright red blood continuously bloomed from the exposed wound and dripped onto the ground.

Even after leaving the high-temperature core of the battlefield and reaching the riverbank, the wound was still surrounded by a thin mist in the winter chill.

The Jurchen knight on horseback looked back, clearly noticing this, but the adrenaline from the fierce fighting in the battle's core was still in effect. He hesitated for almost no time before raising the broken shaft of his long spear and slamming it hard on the horse's rump, spurring it with his heels. The horse, stung by the pain, spun in place before continuing to gallop, heading straight for a group of laborers dozens of paces away, as its master directed. The knight immediately threw down the spear shaft and took a cavalry hammer, as thick as a fist, from his waist, raising it high.

These laborers were digging a new trench under the orders and urging of several soldiers... There was no help for it; the frontline battles were intense, casualties were constant, and as more and more wounded and corpses were carried back, the laborers clearly grew fearful of the front lines. Coupled with a night of exhaustion, many refused to work any longer, forcing the Song army to use something akin to a disciplinary squad to force these laborers to the rear of the breach to continue constructing a second line of defense, intending to further impede the Jin cavalry.

As for the front lines, disciplinary squads were already being used.

Regardless, when these laborers suddenly saw a Jurchen heavy cavalry soldier, a veritable iron tower on a sturdy warhorse, brandishing a hammer and charging towards them, they scattered in fright.

The few soldiers could only hurriedly grab their weapons and try to stop him.

An arrow was the first to shoot out, embedding itself in the warhorse's neck armor.

This arrow didn't cause any substantial damage to the warhorse, but the arrowhead piercing the leather armor, especially on the neck, had a strangely effective result... The warhorse's momentum decreased immediately, and it twisted its long neck incessantly, spinning on the spot to avoid the stinging pain. During this moment, two Song soldiers with long spears seized the opportunity to rush forward, trying to use their spears to stab the Jurchen knight, who had obviously lost his long weapon, off the horse from both sides.

The Jurchen knight cursed upon seeing this, reining in his warhorse and preparing to abandon it if necessary. Unexpectedly, a thick arrow suddenly shot from behind, grazing the Jurchen knight's armor and hitting a Song spearman in the face.

The knight looked back and saw a Jin heavy armor comrade who had lost his warhorse. He was overjoyed, but with no time to thank him or anything, he simply called out, urging the heavy armor soldier to advance with him. Ignoring the warhorse's whinnies, he forcefully pulled out the arrow from the warhorse's neck, strongly reining it in, and prepared to charge again.

Seeing this situation, the other Song spearman was disheartened and simply dragged his spear as he turned to flee. The knight was even more delighted, but battlefield experience told him that the spearman hadn't dropped his spear, possibly feigning weakness, and should be left to the comrade behind him with a strong bow. Thus, he ignored the spearman and instead turned directly towards the Song archer who had shot the arrow earlier.

The warhorse flew past the archer's side, and the Jurchen knight simply swung his hammer, knocking the archer, who was clearly caught off guard and preparing to flee, headfirst to the ground from behind.

However, when the knight landed the blow, reined in his horse, and turned back, he was shocked to find that the comrade who had shot the arrow to help him had disappeared without a trace. He didn't know when or how he had died, and even his body was difficult to find for a moment.

Of course, this Jurchen knight wasn't being sentimental. It was just that he had charged here alone, and his comrade's role was undoubtedly important. The other party had saved his life just now, which was clear evidence, and he couldn't help but panic at the sudden loss of his only comrade. And as he panicked, coupled with the cold wind from the riverbank, the energy he had brought out from the main battlefield suddenly dissipated.

The knight began to have some doubts.

In fact, his concerns were correct. The surrounding Song soldiers came to their senses, saw that there was only one rider, the knight had lost his long weapon, and the warhorse's leg was a bloody mess. Someone immediately started shouting and calling out on the position, and the knight watched as seven or eight Song soldiers gathered, with bows, crossbows, spears, and shields, heading towards him.

At this moment, the knight dared not fight back and dared not return to the breach, which was like a meat grinder. He hesitated for a moment, turned his horse around, and prepared to charge towards the scattered laborers again.

But just as he was about to catch up with a more distinct group of laborers, suddenly, the warhorse stumbled, directly somersaulting in a small trench that had already been dug... The reason why this group of laborers was able to maintain a group formation while fleeing was because someone had called them to hide behind this newly dug trench.

That wasn't all. After the warhorse stumbled, because its speed wasn't fast, it didn't throw the knight out. It just made the knight's chest feel stuffy and his vision darken. Coupled with his feet being trapped with the stirrups, he lost control for a moment.

Knowing that he had reached a critical moment of life and death, the knight tried his best to clamp his horse's belly, even though he didn't have the strength to open his eyes, and pulled on the reins, trying to get the warhorse up.

And this sturdy warhorse didn't disappoint its master. Its strong vitality and years of trained obedience allowed it to use all its strength to prop up one front hoof, preparing to save its master.

But at this moment, an axe that was clearly not standard equipment, more like a lumberjack's axe, suddenly appeared, almost horizontally chopping at the warhorse's raised front hoof. The axe lodged below the warhorse's knee, blood gushing out, and the warhorse was completely unable to support itself, letting out a mournful cry and kneeling down again.

"Seize his hammer!"

The Jin knight was in great pain, but he could still hear someone shouting and panting beside him. Upon hearing this, he quickly waved the cavalry hammer in his hand, trying to stop the other party.

However, instead of stopping them, the cavalry hammer slipped from his grasp as he swung it with all his might.

The laborer who had chopped at the horse's hoof earlier, Zhou Bin, was now in a disheveled state, his eyes bloodshot. Almost instinctively, he tried his best to pick up the hammer, shouting to his fellow laborers:

"Drag him down! Hold him down! I'll finish him off!"

The laborers weren't fools either. Seeing that reinforcements were about to arrive and that this Jin armored knight couldn't move, they quickly swarmed forward. Seven or eight people grabbed his arms and helmet, successfully dragging him off the horse and pinning his limbs down.

Pitifully, this Jurchen *puli-yan*, a veteran of countless battles, had his horse stumble and was surrounded. How could he resist even if he struggled with all his might?

In a moment, he was pinned down in the trench by these laborers, in the red muddy water stained with horse blood.

"Xiao Yi, lift his mask, don't let him bite you!" Zhou Bin picked up the cavalry hammer, came to the side of the knight's head, held it tightly with both hands, and roared an order to a slightly younger laborer beside him.

Xiao Yi tremblingly, hurriedly climbed onto the knight and untied the mask, first trying to pull it down, but failing, he quickly pushed it up, revealing a face of about forty years old, with rough features, but no essentially different from the surrounding laborers.

That face stared at the person riding on him, clearly showing a panicked, pleading expression, but Xiao Yi was just at a loss.

Zhou Bin, squatting on the knight's side, saw this expression and paused slightly, but only for a moment. The village head, who had experienced too much, didn't hesitate. He raised the fist-thick cavalry hammer in his hand high, and then slammed it down hard towards the area below the other party's eyes!

After one hammer, there was a bloody mess!

After two hammers, the surrounding laborers noticed that the knight had lost all strength in his whole body, and his entire body had loosened up!

After three hammers, the Jin knight's face, who came from Guantao, was no longer just red, but black, white, red, and yellow, mixed together in a mess.

And Zhou Bin, having killed this person, didn't stop at all. He just got up, grabbed the cavalry hammer in his hand, and quickly made assignments: "Old Zhang, you take them to continue repairing the trench. Da Bao, Er Bao, you two brothers quickly strip off his armor and hand it over to the Imperial Guard officer. Xiao Yi, you come with me to report our merit to our *tun*!"

The seven or eight Song soldiers who were preparing to surround and kill this Jin knight had actually arrived dozens of steps away, but seeing the village head lure the enemy first, kill the enemy later, and then calmly make assignments after three hammer blows, they were already terrified. Where was there any thought of snatching credit?

In the end, they were vaguely led by this village head to the nearest banner to find a military officer to report the merit.

The nearest banner was two hundred paces away. The general under the banner was a commanding officer named Zhang Kui, who came from the Red Heart Army (*chixin dui*). He accumulated merit after Yaoshan, transferred out of the Imperial Guards, and was appointed in the Imperial Guard Right Army, quickly rising to the rank of commander, but he had not fought in battle for a long time and had no large-scale military achievements, so he had not been able to cross the biggest step.

Enough of the digression. Zhang Kui had actually noticed the commotion caused by the gap in the west. He coldly watched the scene just now, and then listened to the slightly nervous accompanying scholar and the village head recording the merit. After everything was settled, he mounted his horse and headed east from here.

To the east were thousands of neatly arranged Song soldiers, although not a cluster of long-ax heavy infantry, there were spears, large crossbows, knives, shields, bows, and arrows.

Zhang Kui went straight to the largest Zhang banner in this row of troops, cupped his hands, and made a suggestion.

"Slightly open a gap in the west along the riverbank, and your department will set up a net behind to wait?" Tian Shizhong, who had just returned from the front line, frowned slightly upon hearing this. "Is the area close to the river in the west unable to hold on?"

"No, it's just that this humble general sees the front line is in a stalemate, with heavy casualties, and we are stationed in the rear, unable to go forward to assist, which is unbearable in my heart." Zhang Kui cupped his hands in response.

"You're also worried that you won't get any credit, and you won't be able to mix in as a commander by the end of the Northern Expedition, right?" Tian Shizhong replied coldly. "Zhang Kui, do you think this is still a time of peace, and this place is still the Jingdong garrison area? Do you think that if one Red Heart Army commander is missing, Commander Liu will cut off the Imperial Guard Right Army's ten secret document boxes?"

"This humble general dares not!" Zhang Kui quickly bowed his head. "This humble general has no such selfish intentions, but is considering from the perspective of the war."

"Considering my ass!" Tian Shizhong finally became furious. "Isn't it just that you saw there are still troops to spare in this battle, and you had selfish thoughts? Open your eyes and take a look at me. The battle is so fierce in front. If the retreat causes the whole situation to collapse, who will be responsible? And aren't we going to attack the city after this battle? Such a big Yuancheng, more than forty *li* in circumference, with walls at least three *zhang* high in the lowest places, and seventy or eighty towers, is worth eight Daming cities... Don't know how much effort it will take? Roll back to me! Guard your department well and wait for the order to attack!"

Zhang Kui walked away in a panic.

After Zhang Kui left, Tian Shizhong darkened his face before turning his attention back to the front line, but couldn't help taking off his cowhide gloves and clenching them tightly in his hand.

As the actual commander of this battle, Tian Shizhong's perspective was of course higher. Just as Zhang Kui didn't care about the death of a single soldier, how could he care about the petty thoughts of a commander? What he cared about from the beginning should only be one thing, which was to hold the breach and ensure that the Jin army couldn't break through this line of defense.

However, from a macro perspective, this strategic objective had actually been achieved from the moment the battle began.

When two armies meet on a narrow road, they are fighting for a breath of air. Holding on is holding on, and not holding on is not holding on. And the Song army had clearly held on. Not only had they held on, but they also had enough troops to spare to deploy a second line of defense in the rear.

Therefore, under these circumstances, just as Zhang Kui started thinking about participating in the war and earning credit, Tian Shizhong, who had just returned from the front line, actually had some ideas – although he had been mentally prepared for it, the elites of the two armies were crowded in a narrow place, unable to advance or retreat, and could only consume each other's lives, which made Tian Shizhong, who had not fought a hard battle for several years, somewhat panicked. He was now worried that if this battle wasted those three thousand long-ax heavy infantry, what would he do if the foundation that his father-in-law had entrusted to him was scattered?

To put it bluntly, he was a little frightened by the front line's tragic and intense consumption.

Only, the words still had to be said back. Worrying was worrying, but the current situation was that you couldn't risk collapsing the battle line to do any replacements. You could only wait for the navy's wheel ships to pass by, and use the Eight-Bull Crossbows and catapults to start a reversal of the battle from Ali's department.

The sun gradually shifted again, and time came to the afternoon, and the battlefield became even more chaotic.

At the frontline breach, the fierce battle was still continuing. On the defense line on the east side of the Yongji Canal, Jin troops still broke through from time to time. At the same time, behind the Song army's second line of defense, no less than seven or eight hundred corpses had been placed here, and thousands of wounded were also forced to be placed here in the open, with screams and groans everywhere.

It was laughable. In the morning, the laborers, who were so panicked by these casualties that they needed a disciplinary squad to maintain order, were now much quieter when they saw more and more corpses and wounded. They just dug trenches there despite the intense fatigue.

Of course, even Zhang Kui finally got the opportunity to go into battle and fill a gap.

It was also at this time that the waterway of the Yellow River North Channel's east branch was finally cleared, and the Song army's Imperial Guard Navy wheel ships were finally able to take their positions and quickly launched a salvo against Ali's department.

This time, the Eight-Bull Crossbows on the small wheel ships, which were almost about to be eliminated, had a miraculous effect. With each shot, three iron spear-like crossbow bolts were shot directly and horizontally by virtue of the wheel ship's height. They happened to lower to the ground within the maximum range of six or seven hundred paces, and coordinated with this dense Jin army unit, making the weapon's lethality reach a certain limit.

Often one shot with three bolts could instantly incapacitate dozens of people, with blood and flesh flying and even limbs separating on the spot.

Compared to this, the catapults on the large wheel ships, which relied on parabolic trajectories, probably didn't have as much lethality as the Eight-Bull Crossbows on a single small wheel ship.

And the Imperial Guard Navy had a total of eight small wheel ships equipped with Eight-Bull Crossbows.

After the third salvo, the deaths and injuries caused by the navy's attack on Ali's department reached the total casualties of the ground operations in the entire morning.

What was even more deadly was that, facing this unexpected and visually shocking attack, the Jin army of Ali's department finally began to waver. They no longer maintained their formation and battlefield discipline, and before Ali's military orders could be conveyed, they took the initiative to gather and squeeze towards the Yongji Canal on the more inner side in order to avoid the Eight-Bull Crossbows' attacks.

For a time, a blank area of seven or eight hundred paces was vacated on the narrow ground north of the defense line, bordering the Yellow River channel on the east side.

Faced with this situation, Ali, a Jurchen veteran of over fifty years and a *wanhu*, hesitated slightly, but when he noticed that two of the northernmost large wheel ships had given up using catapults to bombard the riverbank and turned to sail directly further north, he finally made up his mind and directly rode his horse onto the extremely simple pontoon bridge over the Yongji Canal.

And soon, he came to the Shaohe banner, which was almost level with his own banner.

"Withdraw!"

Ali cut straight to the point. "Half a day is not enough, and half a day more will not be enough. Don't waste troops here in vain!"

Shaohe glanced at Ali coldly: "What kind of cavalry can't charge back and forth a hundred or eighty times?"

"There are wheel ships of the Imperial Guard Navy on the river to the east, all equipped with crossbow cannons... They can't stand within seven or eight hundred paces along the river." Ali said slowly with no expression on his face. "Although I don't know what the situation is under the city, it is definitely more powerless than us, and it can't drag many people down... If I were Yue Fei, I would definitely send a troop along the east river channel to surround us on both sides."

"It's not too late to withdraw after they come out." Shaohe hesitated for a moment, but still shook his head. "The Yuancheng there may still have troops desperately biting Yue Fei, waiting for us to pass."

"Song troops have wheel ships going to Guantao." Ali finally said the last vital piece of intelligence. "If Guantao is taken by the Song army navy along with the Song troops on the opposite bank of the river... and then a troop is sent out along the east river channel to surround and bite us, these two *wan* people of ours will really be doomed."

Shaohe finally changed color, but was puzzled: "How can the Song army have so many troops?"

"They should have transferred the elite troops of the Imperial Guard Right Army withdrawn from the three prefectures in advance... It's not 30,000 against 50,000, but 30,000 against 60,000 or 70,000." Ali was still calm. "They were outmaneuvered in terms of troop strength from the beginning."

Shaohe was filled with resentment: "Wang Bolong relied on his status and disobeyed the command of the supreme commander, resulting in greed for merit and causing mistakes!"

"Listen to me." Ali sighed. "Shaohe, I know you have an old friendship with Supreme Commander Gao, and Supreme Commander Gao used to cover up and imply that he was a Goryeo person, but in recent years he has gradually made it clear that he is a Bohai person... After Da 㚖 brother passed away, he is clearly the backbone of your Bohai people... It's normal for you to be afraid that something will happen to him. But things are not really that bad. Yuancheng is dozens of *li* in circumference, with a whole *wanhu* inside the city, plus the thousands of Bohai and Goryeo strongmen that Supreme Commander Gao collected in advance, plus the two or three *wan* of laborers conscripted later. There are also sufficient supplies and armaments. They can still defend it, especially since our reinforcements should arrive before the end of this month."

Shaohe was still emotionally unsettled, but he lowered his head and glanced left and right on his horse, and then said coldly again: "General Ali, I remember that when I was still a *xingjun meng'an*, I heard your name. You used to dare to contradict even several princes in person. Why are you so patiently guiding me now? Is it really because you are old and believe in Buddhism?"

Ali was silent for a while before calmly responding: "There is believing in Buddhism, but this matter has nothing to do with believing in Buddhism. It's just that I gradually realized later that there is no benefit in using harsh words to persuade people. It's better to treat each other well and be honest with each other."

Shaohe took a long breath and looked up at the sky without saying a word.

"Your department has suffered great casualties." Ali saw this and remained calm. "Withdraw first, and I will hold the rear for you... But since they are withdrawing at this time, they can't outflank us, and they are mostly infantry, so they shouldn't pursue us."

"Wave the flag! Blow the horn!" Shaohe finally stopped being willful and simply ordered. "Withdraw carefully! Be sure to bring the wounded with you!"

The surrounding Jin soldiers had been waiting for this military order for a long time. Upon hearing the words, they immediately went away with a bang, and Ali simply turned around to dispatch troops.

In this way, the battle suddenly ended, and the Jin army was the first to be unable to hold on... This was certainly not an accident, but it still overjoyed many Song soldiers fighting on the front lines... Many bloodshot people ignored the military orders and directly pursued out of the breach, but were immediately met with a counterattack from the Jin army, and even collapsed for a time.

But fortunately, the Song army's second line of defense was hastily raised, stabilizing the situation, and the Jin army did not linger in battle.

The end of the battle was very sudden, not only at the breach, but when the Jin cavalry under the city saw the reinforcements withdrawing from the city, they also chose to withdraw under the city's signal... And Yue Fei did not let his Back-Mounted Army (*beiwei jun*) risk crossing the Yongji Canal from the rear to block this Jin army's route back to the city. He just let them enter the city.

There were of course various reasons for doing so. For example, the northwest area of Daming City had many corner towers, and fighting under the city was easy to suffer from the city's high-altitude attacks; also, the artificial river of the Yongji Canal was neither wide nor narrow, and unlike the dense pontoon bridge laid inside the northern position, it might not be in time; also, Gao Jingshan was also a smart person, and he even let some Jin cavalry detour to the safest southeast water gate to enter the city.

But reasons are reasons after all, and not doing it is not doing it, and it was possible to do it.

This made Tian Shizhong, whose troops suffered heavy losses, especially after discovering that his long-ax heavy infantry had a death rate as high as 20%, fall into a state of extreme unease.

That's right, not resentment and dissatisfaction, but unease... After so long, Tian Shizhong, although he couldn't be said to be intimate with Yue Fei, also knew something about his temper.

"Marshal!"

In the afternoon, after hastily dispatching frontline affairs, Tian Shizhong galloped to Yue Fei's four-character large banner. Without dismounting, he hurriedly asked. "The enemy troops have collapsed greatly, and the city must be shaken. Moreover, such a large city, with a circumference of dozens of *li*, can always find flaws. Why not use gunpowder to blow up the city tonight, and then recruit daredevils to attack? Once successful, it can be successful and achieve a miraculous achievement?"

Yue Fei shook his head as expected: "Commander Tian, if that's what I planned, I should have tried my best to keep that cavalry inside the city outside just now..."

Tian Shizhong sighed upon hearing this, and then stared at the other party almost helplessly: "Then what do you want to do?"

"Commander Tian, this is what I'm thinking." Yue Fei suddenly raised his hand, and the surrounding close guards dispersed like a tide. Even the soldiers holding the large banner took the initiative to withdraw. After the surrounding soldiers retreated, the marshal of the Great Song Hebei Front Army calmly reined in his horse and faced him. "As long as we keep the gunpowder properly and don't let it get damp, then whether we blow it up today, tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, it should be the same in theory whether it succeeds or not..."

"You want to wait, to hold back the main force of the Jin army? Are you afraid that the Jin reinforcements will see that Daming Prefecture is lost, and they won't come, but will turn back to Taiyuan?" Tian Shizhong blurted out almost. "Right? You came across the river, of course, to break the city, but more to use breaking the city as a means to hold back the main force of the Jin army for the official family, right? From the beginning, you had great plans! From the beginning, you came for the main force of the Jurchen army! You want to wait until the Jurchen main force comes, and then break the city! Am I wrong?"

Yue Fei frankly responded: "Brother Tian is wise!"

"But you also saw it today. The Jin army has not lost its combat power. Two *wanhu*, our army fought with them in the open wilderness breach, and both sides suffered heavy losses. If the main force of the Jin army arrives, and our army then blows up the city, will it be in time?" Tian Shizhong was exasperated. "If it's not in time, six or seven *wan* of main force will be overturned here by the fourteen or five *wanhu* of the Jin army in the wild, will that make things easier for the official family?"

"So we have to continue to repair the fortifications, not leave a single gap, and not fight wildly in the wilderness!" Yue Fei was still calm. "Look at today's battle. If the fortifications were complete and there were no gaps, wouldn't we be able to defend properly?"

Tian Shizhong swayed on his horse, obviously understanding, but shook his head heavily: "Then how much do we have to repair?"

"Simple." Yue Fei stood on his horse and pointed to the rivers and mountains. "Yuancheng is at the narrowest point of the two Yellow River channels, only thirteen or fourteen *li* east and west. We have already started such a line of defense in the north. Why not start such a line of defense in the south, and then start a line of defense along the west river embankment, and also start a line of defense on the east river embankment, and also connect it with Daming City, and also use land boats again, so that the navy can run side by side with the river..."

Tian Shizhong was almost dizzy: "You might as well say to build a city here around Yuancheng!"

"What if we build a city?" Yue Fei clearly didn't care. "Building a city with the same circumference of dozens of *li*, or even a hundred *li*..."

"How can such a big city be defended?" Tian Shizhong was still uneasy.

"How can it not be defended?" This time it was Yue Fei's turn to frown. "Before the freeze, if there is a navy on both sides of the waterway, the main force of the Jin army will be useless, and they can only deploy north and south, but you also saw the situation today. They can't spread out their troops... It will be as stable as Mount Tai to defend."

"Of course I know, but what about after the freeze?" Tian Shizhong interrupted the other party directly with a furious laugh. "How to resist? If we can't resist, then we can only put everything on blowing up the city with gunpowder? Aren't you the most taboo about this kind of all-or-nothing gamble? What if the gunpowder fails... One army, the fate of a country, ten years of effort, will be buried here?"

"That's the key." Yue Fei pointed to the huge Yuancheng in front of them with his hand. "I asked Commander Zhang, and he told me that the freezing period is at most forty days, but it should actually be only thirty days. Let's not talk about gunpowder, let's just talk about one thing... If Gao Jingshan can defend this city with a circumference of forty *li* for five or sixty days with one *wanhu* plus more than 10,000 laborers, why can't we defend a city with a circumference of 100 *li* for three or forty days with 60,000 or 70,000 combat troops and 70,000 or 80,000 laborers? This place is not as big as Tokyo City, are our troops inferior to those Imperial Guards ten years ago? But Tokyo City was also defended for several months, and then the city surrendered from within?"

Tian Shizhong was stunned and speechless, but shook his head again and again: "Although this place has the advantage of the river between the two sides, how can a hastily built fortress compare to Tokyo City?"

"Build earth fortresses inside, surround Yuancheng, and make the troops inside unable to break out; set up earth fortresses outside, and also build trenches, set up *chevaux de frise*, and erect fences; build earth mountains in the middle, set up catapults, and divide the camp areas, layer by layer... As for logistical preparations, I have also asked Tang Huai to immediately go behind to attack the Jin army's water villages. Forty days of logistical preparation will definitely be successful." Yue Fei spread his hands in response. "Please tell me clearly, Brother Tian, why can't we defend?"

Tian Shizhong darkened his face and clutched the horse's mane without saying a word.

Yue Fei knew that the other party had been convinced, but instead narrowed his eyes and looked around: "To put it bluntly, how Taiyuan defended the city and how Yuancheng defended the city, we will also defend in the same way... Gao Jingshan sent someone to me just now and said that as long as he is in Yuancheng, Yuancheng is not something I can shake... Today, I also have a word, as long as I build a fortress here, it is not something that the Jin army can shake with the whole country! Let you come! I have waited for them for ten years!"

Tian Shizhong just gasped and looked at the other party, but gradually released the horse's mane – he had never been successful in resisting the other party.