,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jia Xu stared at him for a moment, then smiled faintly: "Xun You always likes the truth and the truth. If he did not withdraw his troops, he would definitely lower the banner and confuse us with fake withdrawals. But now the banner is still flying on the top of the city, so I am sure that Xun You must withdraw his troops. This is his bluff."

Liu Jing nodded, "In this way, the army above the city is the army deployed by Xun You to block the rear army. There are up to 10,000 people. I can suppress the entire army and conquer the camp before dawn."

Jia Xu advised him: "The governor of the state has taken ninety-nine steps. Why should he pay the price in the last step with Xun You's plan? We may not be able to take advantage of it. Now the attack on the city will lead to heavy casualties. It is better to wait a little longer. This rear army does not have much food and cannot last long. At most, they will have to withdraw their troops in one or two days. At that time, we can easily occupy the upper valley."

Liu Jing thought about it and it was indeed the case. He didn't have to hurry up. He ordered: "The whole army returns to the camp and wait patiently, and no longer is allowed to attack Cao's camp."

More than 20,000 Han troops slowly retreated, and cheers suddenly broke out on the wall of Cao's village, but Zang Ba's face was solemn. More than 20,000 Han troops did not attack him, which means that they had seen through their bottom line and were waiting for their troops to withdraw.

Zang Ba thought for a while, called several generals and ordered them, "If we retreat together and the Han army catch up, we will suffer heavy casualties. We might as well retreat in batches and retreat an army every two hours. I will lead a thousand brothers to retreat in the end."

Everyone bowed and agreed, and Zang Ba ordered people to tie thousands of grass men, put on Cao's army armor, and tied them to the wall of the village, as if thousands of people were guarding the camp.

This trick did deceive the Han army scouts. It was not until the next evening that the Han army scouts discovered that the Cao army on the city was still unmoved, and finally found that they were thousands of straw men.

When Wei Yan led the Thousand Han troops to the Cao army camp, Zang Ba had led the last thousand soldiers to evacuate one hour ago, and the Cao army camp was already an empty camp.

Although Wei Yan was resentful of not being able to pursue Cao's army in time, Liu Jing did not care about Cao's successful retreat. For him, this was not the same as the retreat of Cao's army in Fancheng. Seizing the strategic land of the upper valley was the top priority.

After capturing the Shangfang Valley, the next step was to stabilize the occupation of Shangfang Valley. Liu Jing immediately ordered the appointment of the Wudu County Governor Li Yan as the city construction envoy, leading 10,000 reserve troops and 20,000 Cao army prisoners to build the city in Shangfang Valley, and it is necessary to build the Shangfang City within a month.

At the same time, Yan Yan was ordered to be the chief general of the Shangfang Valley and lead 20,000 troops to build camps in the dangerous places of the Shangfang Valley. After ensuring that the Shangfang Valley is foolproof, Liu Jing led an army of 70,000 out of the Qishan Road and headed towards Jicheng.

That night, Liu Jing joined Zhao Yun's army at Qibei Fort, and 80,000 troops set up a camp east of Qibei Fort.

In the central army's tent, Zhao Yun reported in detail to Liu Jing about the capture of Mumenzhai and Shangqiu County, especially the performance of the Eagle Strike Army. Zhao Yun expressed without any concealment that the Eagle Strike Army made great contributions to these battles.

Liu Jing was not surprised by the performance of the Eagle Strike Army. This was his most elite army. Their excellent performance was the norm. At this time, Liu Jing was more concerned about the situation in Jicheng.

"Tell me what you said in the report that you have gained something."

Ma Chao sat aside. Logically, he had the most say in Jicheng's situation. However, Jicheng was no longer the Jicheng in the past. After Xun You's two reconstructions, Jicheng had been reborn and was not the Jicheng of the past. It is said that its solidity is even greater than Chang'an City.

Zhao Yun smiled and said, "After taking over Qibei Fortress, we caught two fortress repair craftsmen in the city, but we learned that they were also involved in the reconstruction of Jicheng. We ordered them to use wood to make a model of Jicheng. The provincial governor might as well listen to them."

Liu Jing nodded, "Take them in."

Soon, the soldiers brought in two craftsmen. Both of them were surnamed Jiang, about forty years old, and they were cousins. They came to Liu Jing tremble and kowtowed, "The little people paid a visit to the provincial governor."

"Where are the two surnames who are from?"

"We all have surnames Jiang, and we are from Tianshui County. I am my brother. The governor of the state called me Jiang Da. That one is my cousin. The governor of the state can call him Jiang Er." The older craftsman replied.

"Don't be afraid, you two, when we conquer Jicheng, we will naturally let you go home."

Liu Jing smiled and comforted the two of them. At this time, several soldiers carried in a city model of a 10-meter-sized city. This was a model of Jicheng based on the description of the uncle and nephew. This was also a feature of the Han army. Before attacking the city, a model must be made.

Originally, a new model was built every time, but it was labor-intensive. Later, I found that most cities were connected, so I made some general model parts and assembled them. In the production of some characteristics, a city was completed, which was very fast and convenient, and there were special military craftsmen who made it according to the description.

Everyone surrounded him. The older craftsman already knew the model of the city very well. He picked up the wooden poles and introduced them to everyone: "Jicheng started renovation last year. I remember that the official leader of Cao's army was personally presided over, and the requirements were very strict. Once he found that the bricks in Xicheng were not thick enough, so he was furious and scolded the supervisor for his army's sticks. He ordered them to be stripped down and renovated with bluestone."

Everyone knew that the official leader mentioned by the craftsman was Xun You, who was known for his seriousness. Zhao Yun whispered: "You don't need to introduce these, just talk about the city."

Liu Jing waved his hand, "It's okay, let him talk."

Jiang Da said again: "The old bricks in Jicheng are gone, all of them are new bricks, chiseled out of bluestone, which are very strong. The city wall is about two meters wide. Carriages can be arranged in parallel at the top of the city. After the end, Cao Jun specially used a catapult to test the city smashing, and the tiny wires remained motionless."

"How long is the city wall?" asked Ma Chao next to him.

"The circumference is about twenty miles, and four city gates are opened. There are urns and two city walls. There are more than a dozen warehouses built with stones at the top of the city, and giant trenchers are installed. I remember that there are twenty city walls on one side."

The twenty-mile city was enough to accommodate 100,000 troops. Everyone realized that attacking Jicheng would be a tough battle. At this time, Jia Xu carefully observed the city and found an abnormality. He asked, "Why is there no moat outside?"

Everyone then found that there was indeed no moat on the model. Ma Chao next to him smiled and said, "I'll answer this: Although Jicheng is close to the Wei River, it's not easy to dig water from the Wei River. Moreover, the soil below is loose. Digging a moat will cause the city to collapse. I dug it back then, but the Xicheng collapsed."

"This general is right"

Jiang Da said, "The moat incident caused a lot of controversy at that time. A big pit was dug, and the official leader even went into the pit to study it. In the end, he decided not to dig the moat, but instead built a double city wall. So now there are two city walls in Jicheng, which are five feet higher inside than outside. The two city walls are connected by wooden bridges, and there are a total of four wooden bridges."

Liu Jing also saw that this is the biggest feature of Ji City. It is actually a double city wall, and the city walls are connected by wooden bridges. Once the outer city is captured and the wooden bridge is burned, the inner city will not be able to pass. It is worthy of being a city designed by Xun You himself, and it is simply a wall of iron.

After the craftsman was introduced, Liu Jing asked them to take them down and let them rest. He stood alone in front of the city and pondered. At this time, Jia Xu slowly walked over, "Is the governor of the state still worried about attacking Jicheng?"

Liu Jing nodded, "Jicheng is the largest city in Longxi. If you don't take it down, you will have no way to seize Longxi. But it is so strong, with strong troops and sufficient food. It is said that you can hold on for a year. More importantly, Cao Cao's 20,000 elite cavalry were on the outside, and the situation was not optimistic."

Jia Xu smiled and said, "As long as you are well prepared, there is no city that cannot be captured, is the provincial governor fully prepared?"

Liu Jing smiled bitterly, "I am very prepared for the Northern Expedition to capture Qishan Road, but I am not prepared for the capture of Jicheng, so I have to admit this."

"So the governor of the state should not be anxious about attacking Jicheng. We must make a long-term plan. I suggest that the troops be increased to 150,000 to prevent the di cavalry and other Western Liangxiao people. At the same time, the construction of Shangfang City and the Qibei Fortress to ensure convenient food transfer and transportation, and then find the best camp to confront Cao's army. Winter is about to begin. It will not be too late to visit Longxi after the warm spring next year."

Liu Jing pondered for a moment and couldn't help but sigh: "The military advisor is right. Haste is not enough. At least we have completed the plan to seize Qishan Road before winter. Next, we must wait patiently and slowly chew on this hard bone."

Jia Xu stroked his beard and narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Although it seems like a hard bone, it also has weaknesses. When next spring, I will use a little trick, and Jicheng can get it at your fingertips."

Liu Jing was stunned and asked quickly: "The military advisor is out."

Jia Xu said a few words to Liu Jing with his ears, this and this.

Liu Jing was enlightened and suddenly realized. He politely said: "It is a blessing for Liu Jing to get Mr. Jia as a plan."

"State Patriarch Award"

Jia Xu smiled again, "The key is that Cao Cao's army can no longer move westward to increase troops. I think good news will come from the general, to restrain Cao Cao for us, making it difficult for his cavalry to advance westward."

Liu Jing nodded. From the beginning to the end, Nanyang was a bait, which Cao Cao had to spit out and swallow. Just like Cao Cao used Jingzhou to restrain the battlefield on the Western Front, why could Liu Jing not use Nanyang to restrain Cao Cao instead.

Just as Liu Jing captured Shangfanggu and marched into Ji County, Cao Cao led 20,000 tiger and leopard cavalry to Chang'an. He did not rush to Longxi, but stayed in Chang'an and took charge of the overall situation. In fact, after defeating Sun Quan in Hefei, the risk of Jiangdong had been temporarily lifted, and now he has full strength to compete with Liu Jing's army.

Not only in Tianshui County, but also in Zhonghe Nanyang, he knew that Liu Jing recruited troops on a large scale again after the Jingzhou Battle. His troops had reached 100,000, which was as strong as his own. Such a huge force would not only fight on Tianshui in one line. When necessary, Liu Jing would also launch the battle between Guanzhong and Nanyang to disperse his troops.

Cao Cao was particularly worried about Nanyang. He and Liu Jing only verbally reached a temporary truce. As for how long the truce will take, whether the two sides really have a truce, etc., it has not been implemented, which leaves a great hidden danger. The Han army can go north to Nanyang at any time.

Once the Han army captured Nanyang, they could go to Guanzhong on Wuguan Road, which put a lot of pressure on Guanzhong. Moreover, Cao Cao received information and hired tens of thousands of troops in Xinye, and was ready to move.

However, Cao Cao could not relax Hefei's defense at this time, which greatly dispersed his troops. There were only more than 10,000 troops in Nanyang, and it was unknown whether he could resist the attack of the Han army. This made Cao Cao feel embarrassed and he stayed in Chang'an so that he could control the defensive operations on the lines at the same time.

Cao Cao was very clear about the situation in Longxi. When he heard that the Han army captured Mumen Village, Cao Cao knew that Shangfang Valley could not be defended. Seeing that the cold winter was coming, instead of being passively attacked by two lines in Shangfang Valley, it was better to withdraw back to Jicheng and defend Jicheng to the death. The Han army would not be able to take Longxi.

It was precisely based on this consideration that Cao Cao suggested that Xun You give up Shangfanggu and withdraw his troops back to Jicheng.

It was already November, and the weather gradually became colder. That morning, the first snowfall in Guanzhong finally fell. Cao Cao stood in front of the window with his hands behind his back, looking at the snowflakes falling outside the window, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. In more than a month, the 18th year of Jian'an will be coming. When will this battle be delayed until it will end?
Chapter completed!