Chapter 260 Xu You: Why can’t I control my hands?
Drums sounded in the city, and Yuan army soldiers quickly prepared for battle, checking their weapons and bows and crossbows and putting on their armor.

The auxiliary soldiers and laborers quickly moved logs and stones onto the four walls to prevent the Qingzhou army from attacking the city.

The military camps in the east and north of the city quickly closed their gates and arranged their battle array. Jiang Qi ordered the crossbowmen to guard the key points with powerful crossbows.

After five drum beats, the soldiers finally entered a state of war.

Jiang Yiqu ignored the dissuasion of military officers and climbed up to the high platform to observe the enemy situation. He glanced at the soldiers’ reactions to the enemy in the camp and couldn’t help but sigh.

If the previous elite troops were still there and had not been easily wiped out by Feng Ji and Qu Yi, he would never tolerate Xu Ziran and Gao Yuancai’s transfer of 3,000 long-serving soldiers outside the city into Du County to reorganize the military camp as soon as they arrived.

At present, there are less than 7,000 people left in the two camps in the east and north of the city. If Liu Xuande leads a large army to attack, it will be difficult to defend.

The only thing we can do now is to hope that Xu You and Gao Gan can treat the two camps outside the city as a means to defend against Liu Xuande’s attack, just as Qu Yi had asked him to build the camp wall plan before, and not abandon them like trash.

Otherwise, no matter how strong the fortress is, it will eventually be breached.

Jiang Qi turned sideways to glance at the top of the city wall and muttered to himself.

At that time, on the city wall of Du County, Gao Gan and Xu You leaned against the parapet and looked into the distance, wanting to see how many troops of the Qingzhou army had arrived.

The scouts who escaped back were already frightened out of their wits, so it was normal that they didn’t see clearly in their panic.

“Hoo ho ho…”

The sound of galloping horses shook the sky. The leading knight held up a red flag, raising dust. The rest of the cavalrymen either held horn bows or 10-foot-long spears, and came aggressively with a murderous aura.

The cavalry circled along the city wall of Du County from a distance, raising their arms and shouting: “Yuan Shao of Jizhou once recruited foreign soldiers to bring Dong Zhuo to the capital, just to fight for power and bring chaos to the world. Later, in order to seize the power of Jizhou Governor Han Wenjie, he led Gongsun Zan to attack Jizhou, which led to years of war in Hebei.”

“Lord Xuande is the descendant of Emperor Gaozu. Since he started his army to fight against the rebels, he has never broken his promise. Now he is leading a 100,000-strong army to restore order in Hebei. Anyone who betrays his side in battle will be pardoned. Anyone who cuts off the head of a sergeant in Yuan’s army will be given 50 acres of good farmland in Hebei and his entire family will be exempted from taxes for three years.”

“Cut off the head of the chief and you will get another 2,000 coins.”

“If you kill the leader of the team, you will be rewarded with three thousand yuan.”

“Behead the head of the garrison commander and you will be rewarded with 5,000 yuan.”

“If you behead a military marquis, you will be rewarded with 8,000 yuan and 100 acres of good farmland.”

“Anyone who kills the military commander will be rewarded with 10,000 coins and 300 acres of good farmland. He can choose any county in Hebei to be rewarded, and will be exempted from taxes and corvée for five years.”

“If anyone kills a lieutenant, he will be rewarded with 30,000 coins, 500 mu of good farmland, and be exempted from taxes and corvée for ten years.”

“Lord Xuande said that the military commanders and lieutenants can be hacked to pieces, and those who hold the head, arms, torso, legs and feet will be rewarded with money and good farmland. The brothers and sisters of Jizhou have made great contributions to the Han Dynasty, and today is the day to put order!”

Many Qingzhou cavalrymen kept riding their horses and shouting loudly, which made the faces of Yuan’s military officers suddenly change color.

The entire army was in an uproar over this uproar, and could not help but talk to each other, with the sound of discussion endless.

I have heard for a long time that the soldiers from Youzhou surrendered to the enemy because they were rewarded with farmland. I didn’t expect that such welfare benefits would be given to them and they could be exempted from taxes.

How can this not be exciting?!
Just as the people of Qingzhou shouted, since Liu Shijun became famous throughout the world, his trustworthiness and integrity have been known throughout the world, and he has never broken his promise to others. Now that we have made a promise, if you can achieve merit, you will be rewarded.

Thinking of this, many soldiers secretly set their sights on the sergeants and squad leaders in the ranks. The captains, garrison commanders, and military marquises were far away from them and had no chance to attack. But the sergeants and squad leaders were right beside them, and if they suddenly attacked, they might be able to chop off their heads and claim the reward.

As long as our army is at a disadvantage in the battle, we can find an opportunity to restore order and save our strength to kill the sergeant and the squad leader.

If our army is defeated, we will have a better chance to achieve success. If we are lucky, we can run into military marquises and military commanders in the chaos, and after today we can return home in wealth and glory. The only difficult thing is… now everyone has heard about it, and I’m afraid there are quite a few people who want to do this.

The burly soldier turned around and glanced at the soldier with a sparse beard next to him, then shook his head imperceptibly.

Too many soldiers’ eyes flickered, secretly gazing at the weight of the sergeant’s head, and couldn’t wait to lift it in their hands and weigh it.

“This is just Qingzhou’s nonsense to shake the morale of our Hebei army. Don’t believe it easily, don’t believe it easily!”

Sergeants and platoon leaders in Yuan’s army were patrolling the troops, sweating profusely, and shouting excitedly with red faces and thick necks.

They were highly alert to everything around them, fearing that someone in the army would be blind and easily believe the enemy’s words, and then stab them with a spear during the battle. What an unjust death that would be.

In his heart, he was secretly cursing Liu Bei of Qingzhou, asking why he only wanted to recruit the soldiers to surrender but not the military officers?
Without them, how could they effectively command these soldiers from various counties in Jizhou?

Jiang Qi, who was standing on the high platform and looking out, never expected that a simple shout from the Qingzhou cavalry would cause suspicion among Yuan’s army, and the military officers did not dare to get too close to the soldiers.

“What can we do? The enemy cavalry is at least 600 steps away. Even if we shoot them with powerful crossbows, we won’t be able to stop them from talking.”

Jiang Qi’s eyes were filled with anxiety as he paced back and forth on the platform.

It can only be said that Liu Xuande chose the right time. Xu You withheld money, food, and silk, which caused the soldiers to secretly complain, and some of the elite troops in the camp were withdrawn.

Once the Qingzhou army is able to break through the camp wall, the morale will be like a flood that cannot be stopped.

Jiang Qi’s eyes were filled with despair. Ever since Qu Yi’s defeat, the tacit understanding he had built up with his soldiers through sharing weal and woe had been completely lost in just a few words.

If he were left alone, he would probably be dead.

But at this moment, the most anxious person was not Jiang Qi, but Gao Gan, the nominal commander of the entire army. He heard all the words of persuasion to surrender clearly on the city wall of Dian County.

Gao Yuancai’s face turned pale instantly and his lips trembled violently.

Liu Bei was very good at attacking the enemy’s weak points. As Sun Tzu’s Art of War said, “The morale of the army can be taken away, and the general’s heart can be taken away. Therefore, those who use troops should avoid their sharp spirits, strike when they are tired and retreat, and wait for them to revolt.”

Xu You also stopped stroking his beard, took a deep breath, and murmured, “Attacking the city is inferior, attacking the heart is superior. Liu Xuande is indeed very good at using troops…”

Although he lamented, Xu You had already been complaining in his heart. How could Liu Bei take advantage of his greed for money and directly weaken the fighting effectiveness of Yuan’s army?

It’s too late to regret now.

At most, they could use money, silk, gold and jade to reward the defenders of Yu County, but the two camps and 7,000 soldiers outside the city would probably be completely finished.

Considering Jiang Yiqu’s military ability, facing the tens of thousands of troops from Qingzhou, he might not be able to control his soldiers anymore.

Xu You looked down at his left hand and said bitterly: “Why can’t I control you?!”

(End of this chapter)