The Devil's Tribulation

Chapter 491: The Situation of Great Zhou's Neighboring Countries

The Great Zhou Dynasty was in Yongguan.

There were 500,000 defenders guarding the four gates, with the South Gate having the least troops, because the Yue State only surrounded but did not attack. The intention was obvious, that is, to deliberately leave one gate open for the panicked people, and even soldiers and officers to escape.

If all four gates were blocked, the people in the city would have no choice but to fight back. Even if they took the city, their casualties would certainly not be small.

Before Wei Qing arrived, some soldiers did escape, but this situation has never happened since Wei Qing arrived.

The first battle was difficult, but in the end the Yue army was repelled, and not even a single Yue soldier was allowed to rush onto the city wall.

Wei Qing was in the temporary headquarters of Juyongguan. Wei Qing sat in the main seat, listening to the soldiers' report on the battle losses, with his eyes closed and no words spoken.

There were more than a dozen generals sitting below, all covered in blood. Some had injured arms and thighs, which were tied up with cloth strips. However, they were all in good spirits, and some even looked a little excited.

Being able to follow Wei Qing into battle is the dream of many generals of the Great Zhou. If one can be favored by Wei Qing, he or she will be promoted to a high position. Isn't that the case with Sun Erleng?

Even though Sun Erleng is in charge this time, if it weren't for Wei Qing's backup, he wouldn't have been in charge.

The Great Zhou Emperor Zhou Zhixiong planned to attack the Great Chu, and Wei Qing participated in the whole process. Naturally, the Great Zhou Emperor would consider the first person recommended by Wei Qing.

After the soldiers reported the damage, Wei Qing slowly opened his eyes and said calmly, "You all should go down and rest. There won't be any major movements in Yue in the next few days. Take good care of your injuries."

The generals withdrew, and the Third Prince asked hurriedly: "General Wei, although we have repelled the attack of Yue Kingdom this time, the situation is still unfavorable to us. Why don't you have other arrangements?"

Wei Qing sighed and said, "I have made all the necessary arrangements. Now we need to maintain morale. The more lightly I speak, the more at ease the generals will feel."

The Third Prince was thoughtful, his eyebrows wrinkled unconsciously. This time he and Wei Qing came together to guard Juyong Pass. This was his father's trust in Wei Qing, a test for him, and an opportunity for him.

If the Third Prince wants to win some political capital in this battle, he must perform well. If he just sits in the city and watches the soldiers fight hard, even if he wins, he will not get what he wants.

Wei Qing saw what the Third Prince was thinking and said with a smile, "Your Highness, don't worry. As long as Sun Erleng finishes his work, we will certainly do you a great deed here."

The Third Prince's thoughts were seen through, and he said somewhat embarrassedly: "General Wei is right, I am too anxious. In this offensive and defensive battle, is there anything you can teach me?"

When he followed Wei Qing to the battlefields in the past, Wei Qing would explain some key points to the Third Prince every time there was a battle. However, after this battle to defend the city, Wei Qing didn't seem to want to say anything, so the Third Prince asked this question.

Wei Qing smiled and said, "A city defense war is nothing more than that. With our preparations, the Kingdom of Yue can only use brute force to attack, and compete with each other in terms of manpower and morale. We have already prevented any unconventional methods such as water attack, fire attack, and digging tunnels. We only need to defend the city in the first few large-scale sieges, and the rest is a competition of morale. There is no need to talk about skills."

The third prince nodded and said, "No wonder Liu Qingxuan sent troops to attack the city without hesitation. It turns out that the teacher has blocked all other routes."

Wei Qing smiled and said, "Liu Qingxuan is quite a man. He performed well in several battles in the Northern Kingdom. Otherwise, he would not have been able to take this position."

The North Country is poor, but its people are tough and often harass the border of Yue. Basically, the two countries fight each other every year, as if they have made an appointment. Unless Yue gives some food to the North Country every year, there will be no end to it.

The situation of Qi was similar. It also bordered the Northern Country, but Qi did not fight a life-and-death battle with the Northern Country. It just opened up trade. Qi had salt, vegetables and tea that the Northern Country urgently needed, while the Northern Country had iron and copper mines. The two countries complemented each other.

However, there were many frictions between the two countries, and most of them were concessions made by Qi. But Qi had another neighboring country, Qiong. This Qiong was really as its name suggested. Seventy percent of the land in the country could not grow crops. There was nothing but salt. It was really poor.

Not only are they poor, but they are also very unreasonable. When there is a disaster or disease in the country, they ask for help from the neighboring countries. If they don’t give it to them?! Then they go to war! The North Country is really arrogant, and the Qiong Country is really desperate~

Therefore, the Northern Kingdom is still very strong in military affairs. Liu Qingxuan grew up in that environment, so naturally he would not be bad. This time, bringing 5 million troops to attack Juyong Pass, which has only 500,000 defenders in the Great Zhou, is a good opportunity for Liu Qingxuan to make a name for himself.

Wei Qing considered several neighboring countries together, rather than just considering the countries bordering the Great Zhou.

As long as he can hold back Yue, the northern kingdom will definitely not remain indifferent and will most likely take advantage of Yue. Although Qi is also attacking another city of Zhou, it is just a lot of noise but little action, and the eldest prince can definitely handle it. Not to mention Song, which has stationed 3 million troops on the border and has not dared to move a single soldier until now.

Wei Qing knew what Song was thinking. Song was ranked second to last among the countries, only slightly better than Chu. But behind him was the poor Qiong State, which was eyeing them covetously and stationed troops on the border, just to see if the situation would change and if there was a chance to take advantage.

Wei Qing briefly described the situation of several neighboring countries. The Third Prince seemed to be thinking about something. He stood up, bowed, and said, "Thank you for your guidance, teacher. I have benefited a lot from it."

Wei Qing stroked his beard and said, "Your Majesty is still too impatient. Otherwise, wait for another two years until Chu's national strength decreases a little, and we won't have to face such great pressure."

The third prince agreed, "I think so too. However, as your father's son, I can understand your desire to expand your territory."

Wei Qing smiled and said, "Yes, Your Majesty has been restrained by those old ministers for too long. Now that he has broken free, he wants to show his strength. Otherwise, in two years, when the national strength of the Great Zhou reaches a higher level, we will not need to guard Juyong Pass."

As the two were talking, a guard came to report: "General, the Yue Kingdom has begun to mobilize its troops again, and it seems that they are planning to attack the city again!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Qing slowly stood up and asked in confusion, "It's only been three hours, and they're attacking again?" But after thinking for a moment, he immediately smiled and said, "So that's what's going on. Liu Qingxuan wants to use the 'tiring out the troops' strategy. Send out an order, have the Yue army get one mile closer to the city wall, and then have the archers shoot. Don't worry about anything else, just take turns and rest as usual."

Wei Qing then turned around and told the Third Prince, "Have your three thousand body builders ready, just in case."

Although it is expected that Liu Qingxuan is using the strategy of tiring the troops, we cannot completely ignore it. If Liu Qingxuan sees that the defense of the Great Zhou is lax and takes advantage of the situation to attack you by surprise, then things will be serious.