Yang Chengyi is now worried that the Beggar Gang disciples can't withstand the joint forces of Western Xia and Jin.

  Yang Chengyi asked Hong Qigong: "How does the Beggar Clan plan to defend the city?"

  Upon hearing this, Hong Qi's face showed a hint of embarrassment, and he scratched the back of his head before saying: "As for marching and fighting, our Beggar Clan is not proficient in it either. We can only follow General Li Zhihou's deployment."

  Yang Chengye asked: "What kind of person is Li Zhihou?"

  Hong Qi said: "Li Zhihou was the top scholar in the previous autumn examination, with extensive knowledge and experience in military deployment. Moreover, he is also Zhang Jun's brother-in-law."

  As for Zhang Jun, Yang Chengye was still relatively familiar with him and was also a good hand at marching and fighting, but later things changed greatly, so that his reputation was not very good.

  As for Zhang Jun's brother-in-law, Yang Chengye was skeptical, the previous winner of the Imperial Examination should be a scholar, probably not much different from Zhao Kuo and Ma Su who were good at talking on paper.

  It's no wonder that during the Song Dynasty, literature was valued over martial arts, to the point where it was difficult to find capable military generals, and many scholars who didn't even have the strength to tie up a chicken took to the battlefield.

  Yang Chengye said to Hong Qi, "Brother Hong, when the Western Xia and Jin states come to attack, their primary targets will be the North City Gate and West City Gate. Let's go take a look at these two city gates."

  Hearing this, Hong Qi's eyes lit up and he asked: "Brother Yang, do you understand military formations?"

  Yang Chengye smiled and said, "I roughly understand."

  The Art of War by Sun Tzu, the Thirty-Six Stratagems, The Methods of Sima Rangju, Taizu's guerrilla warfare and mobile warfare, Yang Chengyu has read them countless times, even on TV he has watched them no less than a hundred times, defending a city is just a piece of cake.

  Yang Chengye remembered that the most effective defender of the city was Yuan Chonghuan in the late Ming Dynasty. Shanhaiguan was under his command, and Nurhaci never conquered it until his death.

  Hong Qigong excitedly took Yang Guo for a stroll on the city wall, not only visiting the North Gate and West Gate, but also strolling around the South Gate and East Gate.

  Yang Chengye saw that the soldiers guarding the city were lazy and listless, one by one weak and spiritless, and some even leaned against the city wall to doze off, and he couldn't help but shake his head.

  The only thing that comforted Yang Chengye was the beggar gang disciples, although their clothes were tattered, they were all spirited and had sharp eyes.

  "Brother Hong, relying on these soldiers to defend the city is probably not enough to keep it safe!" Yang Chengye said to Hong Qi.

  "Ah!"

  Hong Qizhen sighed: "This can't be helped, the elite in the city have all been transferred to the southeastern coast, only these are left, but there are many people, as many as 50,000."

  "Fifty thousand?"

  This number was somewhat unexpected to Yang Chengye. The Art of War says, "If you have ten times the strength of your enemy, surround him; if five times, attack him; if double, divide him; if equal, fight him; if less, evade him; and if not, avoid him." Thus, a small enemy is captured by being firm, while a large enemy is captured by being caught off guard.

  There are 50,000 soldiers in the city. In other words, if Jin and Western Xia want to attack Xiangyang, they must have an army of 250,000, otherwise it will be impossible to gnaw down this hard bone.

  However, with the current national strength of Jin and Western Xia, they are still unable to gather so many troops. Don't forget, they also have to guard against the Mongolian desert's fierce tiger.

  But with the current state of Xiangyang's garrison, trying to resist the joint forces of Jin and Western Xia is no different from a fool's dream.

  Seeing Yang Chengye's face getting worse and worse, Hong Qi hurriedly asked: "Yang brother, is there anything wrong?"

  Yang Chengye pointed at those soldiers and said: "Brother Hong, do you think such an army can withstand the joint forces of the Jin and Western Xia?"

  At these words, Hong Qiu was suddenly shocked, and it wasn't until now that he thought of this problem.

  "How can this be good?"

  Hong Qi was also anxious, he never thought that the imperial court's army would be in such a state.

  At this time, Yang Cheng asked Hong Qigong: "Brother Hong, how many Beggar Clan disciples can you gather at present?"

  Hong Qigong thought for a moment and said, "At present, there are 5,000 disciples who have arrived in Xiangyang. More disciples will be arriving continuously, and by nightfall, I estimate that another thousand can gather."

  Yang Chengye fell into thought for a moment before saying, "It seems there's no other way."

  "Hong Qigong hastily asked: 'Brother Yang, have you come up with a good plan?'"

  Yang Chengye whispered a few words in Hong Qizhen's ear and finally said, "The most urgent thing now is to get the command of Xiangyang's garrison."

  Hong Qī said with difficulty: "This is a bit of trouble, but it's not impossible."

  Hong Qi finished speaking and pulled Yang Chengye to rush to Xiangyang General's Mansion.

  Xiangyang General's Mansion, a middle-aged man with a pale face and no mustache, his complexion was deathly pale, his eyes were puffy, he sat at the dinner table drinking wine, appreciating the courtesan's dance.

  On both sides, there was a woman with revealing clothing accompanying them for drinks, chatting and laughing, having a great time.

  This man is the highest commander of the Xiangyang garrison and the current general of Xiangyang, also Li Zhihou, Zhang Jun's wife's brother.

  "Report to General, Beggar Clan's elder Hong Qigong requests an audience!"

  At this time, an orderly came in and reported to Li Zhihou.

  Upon hearing this, Li Zhihou's face showed dissatisfaction, and he waved his hand to dismiss the courtesans. The two women beside him also left with a hint of resentment.

  Li Zhihou tidied up a bit and ordered his personal soldiers: "Let him come in."

  Before long, Yang Chengye and Hong Qi walked in under the leadership of their personal soldiers.

  As soon as Yang Chengye entered the door, he felt a strong smell of wine and powder hitting him in the face, and couldn't help but frown.

  Seeing Hong Qi, Li Zhihou stood up and clasped his fists in greeting: "So it's Elder Hong who has arrived. How magnificent!"

  Hong Qigong cupped his hands and said: "General Li, this time Hong has led the beggar gang disciples to help you defend the city."

  Hahaha

  Li Zhihou smiled and said: "Old Man Hong is really a timely rain!"

  "It's better to meet by chance than to make an appointment. General, I have already prepared a banquet here, and I invite Elder Hong to join us."

  Hong Qi waved his hand and said: "General Li, there's no need for dinner. I'll introduce you to a friend."

  Hong Qi pulled Yang Chengye and said: "This is Hong Mou's sworn brother Yang Chengye, who is skilled in martial arts and has a good understanding of military strategy."

  It was then that Li Zhihou noticed Yang Chengye beside Hong Qi.

  Yang Chengye was dressed in a scholar's attire, with a full and dignified demeanor, sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, and a hint of a smile that seemed to be there but not quite, truly a handsome appearance.

  "It's actually Young Master Yang, I'm truly sorry for the disrespect!"

  Li Zhihou clasped his fists and said to Yang Chengye.

  Yang Chengye looked at Li Zhihou, his face was pale, obviously a sign of excessive indulgence in lust. Looking at his puffy eyes again, it was clear that he had been staying up all night, and he was indeed a dissolute debauchee.

  However, Yang Chengye did not show it and still cupped his hands: "I have seen General Li!"

  Li Zhihou smiled and said: "Alright, alright, please take a seat, both of you."

  After the three men sat down, Hong Qi asked Li Zhihao: "General Li, this time Jin and Western Xia joined forces to attack Xiangyang, what strategy do you have against them?"

  Bang

  As soon as Hong Qihou's voice fell, Li Zhihou slammed his hand on the table and shouted angrily: "Mentioning this makes General Ben furious beyond control."

  "I thought Xiangyang City had high walls and deep moats, with strong soldiers and abundant food supplies. Who would dare to come and offend it?"

  "Unexpectedly, Han Shizhong took away 30,000 elite soldiers, and now there are only 50,000 weak and disabled soldiers left. To say nothing of the joint forces of Jin and Western Xia, even if Jin came to attack alone, they would not be able to withstand it!"

  All respected readers, if you like it, please don't hesitate to cast your monthly tickets and recommendation tickets, and collect it while you're at it. Thank you!

  (End of chapter)