Chapter 349 Daydreaming
Wu Yong's so-called method is actually to consume people.

Of course, he was not fearless of consumption. Just like Song Jiang when he attacked She County, he adopted the tactics of human wave and fierce attack.

In order to reduce the impact of artillery on morale, the tactic of surrounding three sides and leaving one was changed to an attack on the city from all sides.

If the thousand defenders wanted to run away, they would have done so long ago.

If you hold on and don't want to run away, what's the point of leaving a way out?
If we retreat to another place to continue the resistance like Sun Li did, wouldn't that be asking for trouble?
In addition, Wu Yong also suggested increasing the frequency of night combat, which would not only make the artillery lose its field of vision, but also offset the shortcomings of high temperature combat during the day and low efficiency.

Wu Yong's suggestion this time was exactly what Song Jiang wanted. After all, he had the advantage in military strength and the initiative was in his hands.

You can fight however you want, and the opponent can only cooperate.

There are many people and they are arrogant.

On the day Song Jiang arrived in Licheng, he dispatched troops to launch a fierce attack in the afternoon and at night. Although he attacked Shexian for ten days, the casualties were not great because there were few regular defenders.

So, with nearly 25 troops besieging Licheng, the military strength ratio reached a boastful 1:. If it weren't for the men brought by Li Zhong and the crucial artillery, it would have been lost almost that night.

The most fatal thing was that Wu Yong changed the tactics, but Sun Xin and others only deployed artillery at the east, south and north gates based on past experience, leaving the west gate without artillery a loophole. Fortunately, Sun Li was in charge of the command in person, so they avoided being defeated like a loser in a game of Landlord.

Of the 2,000 regular troops in Licheng, 500 were killed or wounded in one night. The situation was once very grim, but fortunately, Licheng was larger than Shexian and there were more people in the city than in Shexian.

If there are sufficient reserve troops, defending the city can still play an important role as long as time is spent on simple training. After all, the vision is poor at night, and if you can't shoot arrows, you can throw stones and other objects.

Of course, Song Jiang ordered the battles to be fought in the evening and at night, and the army had to stop to rest during the day to avoid the heat. The weaker side was not entitled to rest. They had to use the daytime to recruit young and strong men for intensive training to fill the vacancies in the garrison.

Fortunately, there were two more defenders, Sun Li and Li Zhong, otherwise Sun Xin and his wife alone would have been unable to handle the situation.

During the day on May 15th, there was no peace in Licheng. The old soldiers were resting in groups, and training in groups on the city walls. Li Zhong also transferred artillery to the west gate.

Although rest time was sacrificed, the results achieved were significant.

In the evening of that day, Song Jiang still adopted the strategy of attacking from all four gates at the same time and deployed a large number of elite troops at the west gate. As a result, before it got dark, the artillery on the city wall kept bombarding downwards as if it were free.

Unlike yesterday's sporadic threatening shots, today's continuous shooting clearly shocked the enemy, resulting in a change in momentum between the attacking and defensive sides. The attacking side was not as fierce as yesterday, but the defending side was more excited than last night.

The reason for this was the mentality of the defenders yesterday. They were afraid that one less shell would be needed for every shell fired, so they wanted to increase revenue and save money. As a result, the effect was not obvious. Once the shells were fired regardless of the cost, the pressure on the defenders would naturally be reduced.

On the morning of the 16th, Song Jiang called all the generals together to analyze the reasons. He frowned and said in a deep voice: "Who can tell me why? With the same attack method, why did we not only have more casualties last night, but also fewer people climbed up the city walls? Why?"

"Captain, could it be the artillery fire in the evening?"

"artillery?"

Before Qin Ming could finish his words, Song Jiang interrupted and scolded him, "You also know that the artillery fire is concentrated in the evening, but the defenders only fired occasionally at night, which is not much different from the frequency of the previous night. However, our attack is not as good as the previous night. I want to know where the problem lies?"

"This"

"Taiwei, calm down."

Wu Yong understood Song Jiang's anger and knew that he knew the reason and was just looking for someone to vent his anger on, so he continued to comfort him:
"The defenders fired four cannons at once yesterday. No matter how many shells they had, they couldn't withstand such a firing. We just need to survive this period and the city will be captured in no time. In addition, our military strength is relatively limited. To capture Licheng, we must either go north or south. If we divide our forces, we will be easily defeated one by one."

"Is it even necessary to think about it?"

Song Jiang interrupted Wu Yong and said solemnly, "I am the commander of Zezhou, Huaizhou, Weizhou and Xiangzhou. Now the only place left is Zezhou. Naturally, I will go south first to join hands with Hu Yanzhuo to attack Lin Chong and take the place that should belong to me. I will have enough strength to go north to recover my homeland. Of course, Luzhou under our feet was also conquered by us, so we can't give it to outsiders."

Although he did not mention the Jin people by name, he had already been secretly communicating with them, and the court's attitude towards the Jin people was also ambiguous, so the generals were not surprised and it was basically an open secret.

Those who still follow Song Jiang are either his die-hard confidants and loyal followers, or they are forced to do so.

Regardless of whether they already had families or were granted marriage and family after Zhao Gou ascended the throne, they were all settled in Yingtian at this time. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they were hostages. Therefore, even if they had patriotic feelings in their hearts, they could only succumb to reality.

As soon as Song Jiang finished speaking, Wu Yong reminded him in time: "Since the general wants to take Zezhou, it is dangerous to seize Licheng too quickly. If we go directly to fight Lin Chong, Wu Song will lead his troops to cut off our retreat. What should we do? And if Dean Dai invites reinforcements (the Jin army), it will take seven or eight days at the earliest. This is also our deadline for breaking the city. It is not appropriate to take it too early or too late."

"No." Song Jiang swallowed and asked curiously, "If we break the city earlier, won't we have to worry about Wu Song's reinforcements? And we can replenish food and grass after breaking the city. I don't understand..."

"Surround the point and attack the reinforcements."

Wu Yong waved his feather fan and continued to explain: "Although Hedong has nearly 100,000 troops, they are mainly deployed in Yanmen, Pingdingjun, and Zezhou. No matter how many reinforcements Wu Song can bring, they are not as many as ours, so even if we keep Licheng as bait, it may not be a bad thing."

"Okay, but the enemy's artillery fire is fierce, and I don't want to cause too much damage. The military advisor must think of a solution."

"Only when attacking can we disperse a little and attract the defenders to use up all their shells."

"Row."

Song Jiang nodded his head in affirmation, then stood up and said to everyone, "When we attack in the evening, everyone should follow the instructions of the military advisor. Now everyone should go back to the camp to rest. If it doesn't rain tonight, we can continue to fight all night long."

"Yes!"

We stayed up all night last night. Although we were divided into ten groups to attack in turns, we were like oxen and horses entering a construction site for the first time. The sound of artillery shells and shouting of killing were like the sound of pump trucks and pile drivers. No matter whether we were on the battlefield or resting in the camp, these sounds never stopped when we closed our eyes. We had to get enough sleep during the day.

So, except for the patrol personnel and the guards on duty in the camp, everyone was sleeping soundly in the camp.

Under the scorching sun, the snoring in the military camp drowned out the chirping of cicadas in the trees.

Although Song Jiang did not command the whole night, he slept very lightly due to his position, so he also took a nap in the big tent. This time he slept very soundly and fell into dreamland unknowingly.

In the dream, I rode a tall white horse and wore golden armor on the battlefield. I first helped Zhao Gou recover Hedong, then went south to capture Bianjing. Zhao Huan was captured and surrendered. Then I led my troops north to fight against the Jin people, drove them out of the Great Wall, and restored the territory of the former Song Dynasty.
In the dream, Zhao Gou returned to the capital of Tokyo Bianliang and summoned all the ministers in the Daqing Hall. He stood in the front row in the center of the hall, less than ten feet away from the emperor. Behind him were his confidants Wu Yong, Hua Rong, Qin Ming, Dai Zong, and on his left and right were civil and military officials such as Huang Qianshan, Wang Boyan, Yang Weizhong, and Zhang Jun.
In a dream.

Zhao Gou suddenly left the throne, walked straight down the steps to him, held his hands, and said solemnly: "You have fought for me in the east and west, and finally recovered the ancestral homeland. The merits you have established are no less than those of Taizu, the founding hero. What kind of reward do you want? I will satisfy you!"

"I am terrified. I have received Your Majesty's grace, and I will repay it with my life. I dare not ask for any reward, but my brothers will."

Song Jiang was about to praise his brothers for their achievements, but when he turned around, he only saw Wu Yong and Bai Sheng. The rest of the people suddenly disappeared inexplicably. "Hey, where did everyone go?"

Just as he was wondering, Zhao Gou's voice came from behind him.

"You have helped me to succeed the throne, recover the country, stabilize the empire, and build up the country. Ordinary titles and rewards are not worthy of your merits, so I want to bestow upon you the title of king. Song Jiang, please listen to me. Today, I will confer upon you the title of King of Jin, and you will guard the northern border for the Song Dynasty!"

"King of Jin? Be crowned king?"

Song Jiang turned around with a surprised look on his face, but the whole palace was already cheering. "Congratulations, Your Majesty, congratulations to the King of Jin!"

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, and Prince Jin."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Your Majesty's kindness is beyond my ability to repay!"

"you deserved."

Song Jiang still had the standard posture of lying on the ground with his hips raised. At this time, Zhao Gou took the initiative to bend down to help him, "Prince Jin, get up quickly!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty"

"Captain? Wake up!"

"Your Majesty, Military Advisor? Why is it you?"

Suddenly the voice changed and the scene in front of me changed. I saw Wu Yong shaking his big face above and shaking himself with his hands.

"What's wrong with me? Is the commander dreaming?"

"dream?"

Song Jiang was originally sleepy, but when he heard the reminder, he immediately became interested and murmured, "So it was just a dream?"

"General, get up quickly. There is important military information!"

Wu Yong ignored Song Jiang's distraction and helped him up from the camp couch while solemnly saying, "Scouts have found enemy troops on the mountain across the Zhang River. They are flying the flags of Yan and Xuan. It should be the reinforcements from Shangdang and Zezhou. We must stop them from entering Licheng!"

"What did you say? The reinforcements from Zezhou have arrived? Lin Chong is here so soon? What is Hu Yanzhuo doing?"

Song Jiang sat up with a start and asked a barrage of questions.

Wu Yong quickly replied: "Don't worry, Taiwei. Although Zezhou has sent reinforcements, Lin Chong should still be restrained. Don't forget that there is no Lin character on the banner."

"Yes." Song Jiang slapped his thigh fiercely, "The flag with the character Xuan on it is Xuan Zan. This guy is under Lin Chong's command. I was just half asleep."

"Most of the generals are resting, so I will let Hua Rong and Suo Chao lead the troops first. They should be able to block Yan Qing's way, but if we want to eat or defeat this reinforcement army, we may need to send more troops to support them. It would be best if the general personally goes to command them."

"What are you waiting for? Go and recruit the troops!"

"Brothers fought hard yesterday, don't wake up those who are still resting. Besides, we can't all go with the tens of thousands of troops. If we give Sun Li and others a chance to catch their breath, the past two days of fighting will be in vain."

After hearing Wu Yong's reminder, Song Jiang nodded seriously, "That makes sense. Then take 10,000 people to support them first. If it's not enough, we can send more troops. The military advisor will stay in the big tent, and I will take Lu Fang and Guo Sheng with me."

"Alright."

"correct."

Song Jiang suddenly remembered the dream he had just had. Only Wu Yong and Song Qing were behind him. He couldn't help but want to ask a question or two, but when the words came to his lips, he knew how to open his mouth, so he hurriedly waved his hand and smiled awkwardly: "It's okay, I just had a strange dream, and I wanted to ask you about its meaning, but I don't think it's a big deal."

"What you think about during the day you will dream about at night. Anyway, Hua Rong and Suo Chao have already set out, so there is no rush to send troops. I know a little bit about interpreting dreams. If the commander doesn't mind, why not tell me about it?"

It was Wu Yong's first sentence that made Song Jiang too embarrassed to interpret the dream.

Could it be that he was crowned a king in his dream? Or the same title as Yang Chang? Isn't this pure jealousy?

But Wu Xuejiu's expectant look made him more imaginative if he didn't say anything.

Song Jiang thought about it carefully, cut off the second half of the dream, frowned and said: "I dreamed of a man in golden armor and a white horse, who fought for Your Majesty to unify the country and drove the Jin people out of the pass, and finally returned to the capital to be awarded a title after achieving success."

"Golden armor and white horse? Isn't this Yang Chang?" Wu Yong blurted out.

"hiss"

Song Jiang took a deep breath and asked in an argumentative tone: "Couldn't it be someone else? It's true that Yang Chang likes to wear golden armor, but there are many people wearing golden armor, and there are countless people riding white horses. The key is that the man in the dream didn't charge into battle. Maybe it was another general? Oh, right, the young general Yue Fei who went to Jiangnan to suppress Fang La also seemed to like to wear this way."

"It must be Yang Chang!" Wu Yong said firmly.

"why?"

"What you think about during the day will come back to you at night. Commander Yang has been bullying us over the years. Now we have finally broken his defense, but we have been delayed in She County for so long. The commander has put too much pressure on himself."

"Hehe, maybe."

Song Jiang smiled awkwardly. He was not satisfied with Wu Yong's interpretation of the dream, but he was too embarrassed to argue. He then said goodbye and left the tent.

What you think about during the day, you dream about at night? Nonsense.

I clearly had this dream at noon, so how could it be related to Yang Chang?
Later, when they were on the march, Heisabalang was still struggling with the interpretation of the dream. He thought that if he couldn't interpret it, he shouldn't. It would be understandable if the emperor was Zhao Huan, but it was obviously His Majesty himself. Would he confer the title of king to the traitor Yang Chang?

I really hope that dream is true
No, how could I dare to hope to be crowned king? I never dared to dream before, but why did I dream about it now? Could it be that there is a chance?

If I really think it's like in my dream, Your Majesty might really consider it. After all, Yang Chang was granted a title after he recovered Hedong.

Work hard and make progress!
Song Jiang was walking while thinking, and before he knew it he had walked halfway, and he did not notice Lu Fang coming to report.

"Captain, commander?"

"Huh? What's the matter?"

Seeing Song Jiang come back to his senses, Lu Fang clenched his fists again and said, "Reporting to the commander, the scouts reported that the Hua defense has intercepted Yan Qing's reinforcements. The two sides are facing each other on the north bank of the Zhang River. The enemy does not seem to have many troops, only about 5,000."

"After working so hard for so long, only five thousand?"

Song Jiang's mouth twitched as he commented coldly, "Hurry up and tell Hua Rong not to fight back or too fiercely, and try to draw the enemy north."

"This is."

"I want to get behind Yan Qing and attack this group of reinforcements from both sides. I heard that he is the general manager of Luzhou's army? Commander Yang entrusted everyone with important tasks. Yan Qing was originally a servant of Lu Junyi. Now the servant has more power than the master? He can be named King of Jin with such ability to employ people? It's incredible!"

(End of this chapter)