The first clearness after the snow is sunny, and the red sun shines on the white snow, making it even more beautiful.

On Puban City by the Yellow River, the Pei-character flag flutters in the wind and makes a sound.

Under the flag, Pei Xingyan and his brother Pei Xingjian stood on the city tower, frowned, and looked at the vast snow that had not yet been melted, with a thread of black on the vast snow.

Pei Xingyan, who was named as the enemy of ten thousand people, pressed the horizontal sword with his hand, and his fighting spirit rose in his eyes, and turned around and was about to go down the city.

Pei Xingjian frowned and turned to look at Pei Renyan, "Where are you going in the second brother?"

"The general comes to stop the enemy, and the water comes to flood the earth. Of course, I want to meet this Li Shimin. I never think this kid has any skills. He just climbed to this position today by betrayal and betrayal. Today, I will take him away." Pei Xingyan's words were full of contempt for Li Shimin. In his opinion, he was of the same level as Chen Pojun. Li Shimin was just a soldier under Li Shimin. He climbed up with Chen Pojun's nepotism, and later he became the Duke of the County and the General by betraying Chen Pojun.

Now, Li Shimin, who had a bone in his back, actually killed the king and plotted against him. He suffered a great loss in Taiyuan. He had not settled his previous accounts, but this time he came to him. Then he would not let him go no matter what. It would be his honor to be able to die under his own spear.

"reckless!"

Pei Xingjian glared at his younger brother, "Did you forget the decree that Your Majesty gave when he went north? I am the one who stayed in Puban City. You are just the deputy general who assisted me in defending the city. You must obey me in all matters in the army."

Although Pei Xingyan was known as the enemy of ten thousand people, he was even more afraid of this elder brother Xiuwen than when facing his father. He stood there with a horizontal knife, but he still didn't dare to go downstairs and turned back to his elder brother. He said anxiously, "But this Li Shimin's anti-bone thief has led his troops to the doorstep. We must not ignore him and let him take the city away?"

"Planned and then move." Pei Xingjian said calmly, "Your Majesty and his father led the army northward. At this moment, they should have confronted the Li family by the Fen River. The Li family had been avoiding fighting before and did not go out for more than a month. But now, Li Shimin led his troops to suddenly appear here. Then don't you find it strange?"

"What's so strange about it? It must be that the old fox Li Yuan dragged down His Majesty and his father and the others. Li Shimin, the anti-bone thief, led the light cavalry all the way south. He just wanted to seize our Puban, cut off our retreat, and intercept our grain route."

Pei Xingjian also felt that this should be the case when he heard this. They went north from Jianghan and successively seized several counties, from Jianghan to Henan and to Hedong, which was a thousand miles away. After the army passed the Yellow River to Hedong, Puban was already their first important city on the north bank of the Yellow River. Once Puban lost, the Jianghan army that went deep into Hedong might be locked up in Hedong. They lost contact with Henan and could not even get the food and grass transported from the rear. More importantly, Puban City was also one of the three channels that His Majesty and his father and general had planned to defeat Li Yuan and seize Guanzhong after defeating Li Yuan.

Puban is so important, Your Majesty knows it, and Li Tang naturally knows it too.

After pondering for a while, Pei Xingjian said, "I have sent a messenger to Longmen. Before I get the situation with Your Majesty, we must stay in seclusion."

"What, you want me to learn from that turtle, but I can't hide it? I can't do this. Li Shimin's anti-bone thief came to report to the scout, but only 20,000 people, why am I afraid of?" Pei Xingyan almost jumped up when he heard that he was not allowed to go to fight.

"Li Shimin has 20,000, and we only have 5,000. The difference in troops is huge, and the situation is unclear now, so we cannot fight rashly. Our mission is to defend Puban, as long as he does not come to attack the city, let him come and go. If he comes to attack, we should fight back. But we can only fight back according to the city and not leave the city, do you understand?"

"Is it a military order?"

"good."

Pei Xingyan nodded helplessly. Although he was still a little unwilling to accept the orders, he had to obey the orders. Now, he only hopes that Li Shimin will come to attack the city immediately.

Li Shimin ran to the city with 20,000 troops. Seeing the door closed and being tightly closed, he couldn't help but frown.

Waving the whip, Li Shimin pointed at the Puban City Road, "Three days, I will only give you three days at most. No matter what method is used, I will take Puban City within three days."

Chai Shao looked at Puban City carefully for a while, "Puban is backed by the Yellow River, and its north and south sides are sandwiched between two cliffs, leaving only the east side of Guancheng. The city is nearly five meters high, the city gate is covered with iron, and there is also a moat that is three meters wide and more than meter deep in front of the city. The sturdy city is afraid that compared with Taiyuan, the flag guarding the city is also seen, and it is impossible to ask, the two heroes of the Pei family, Pei Xingjian and Pei Xingyan. Pei Xingjian is always in strategy, while Pei Xingyan has the courage to have ten thousand enemies, one is literary and one is military, and the two brothers are stationed at this supporting pass, which is indeed a strong enemy."

Li Shimin looked at this majestic pass with a serious face.

"If we have no choice, even if we pay more damage, we must seize this pass as soon as possible. If Yang Ming sends troops to help, it will be even more difficult. The army has been delayed too much time, and the longer it delays, the more difficulties we will have in entering Guanzhong. Time is too late, and when necessary, the hero can cut off his arm!"

Chai Shao said in shock, "Erlang, you are crazy. These 20,000 troops are already our entire force. Without these 20,000 soldiers, what will you fight with Dalang then? This is the foundation of your life and you cannot lose it."

Li Shimin's face was full of solemnity, "You don't need to persuade me, I have already figured it out. How can I finish my eggs after the collapse of the nest? Now it is already the time for my life and death of Li Tang. If my father and son are not united at this time, how can I talk about the great cause in the future? As long as I pass this level first, I will have a future. In order to get into Guanzhong, even if all the 20,000 brothers are compensated? As long as you and other brothers are here, sooner or later, we can raise a team of 20,000, 50,000, and 100,000 people."

Chai Shao looked at Li Shimin seriously, and seeing that he was indeed firm in his eyes, he no longer advised him.

"The Qin Duke has an order that the first person to attack the city will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold, promoted to three levels of official positions, and a thousand acres of land. Those who get two Pei's heads will be rewarded with the same reward. After destroying Puban City, all the money in the city will be returned to the army."

Under heavy rewards, there has always been no shortage of adventurers.

When the troops arrived at the city, Li Shimin did not order camping and rest, but immediately issued a siege order to make rice. After the meal, the order to attack the city was about to be launched and a heavy reward was issued. Before the siege, all the soldiers were rewarded with half a pound of good wine to help the courage. A part of the troops was sent to cut down trees nearby and to make various siege equipment on the spot.

After a meal, many of the first batch of simple siege ladders have been made.

The suicide squads who had drunk strong liquor to boost their courage, each with the gold and silver they had just received in their pockets, shouting, carrying shields, and carrying sandbags, and rushed towards the moat. They struggled to fill bags of sand into the river.

On the top of the city, flags are waving, war drums are thundering, and thunder are thundering.

Arrows on the city are like locusts, densely packed like rain.

The Tang army cavalry carried the cavalry's small round shield and could not block the whole body. Even the large wooden shield that was quickly made could not completely prevent the rain of arrows. The sound of arrows breaking through the air kept coming, and Tang army fell to the ground from time to time.

The Tang army was not willing to be outdone. Countless shield formations had gathered under the city. Behind the shield, countless archers were facing the city, coming and going.

The Tang army craftsmen behind had already made a long wooden ladder that could completely cross the moat. Hundreds of soldiers blocked their upper bodies with shields, and carried the long ladder forward like ants.

"Take the stone cart and smash the long ladders that build the river." Pei Xingjian stood on the city tower and saw dozens of long ladders coming up. He immediately knew that Tang Jun wanted to build a bridge directly on the moat and immediately ordered.

Flashes of mechanical sounds sounded, and hundreds of catapults hit the long ladder like long centipedes. The huge stones could directly break the long ladder from it and fall on Tang Jun, which could instantly smash the person into meat sauce.

You have Zhang Liang's plan, and I have a ladder.

The Tang army and the Jianghan army attacked and defended each other, and they showed all kinds of wisdom and tricks. On the battlefield, arrows and stones flew everywhere, and the war drums were like thunder.

Puban City has only one special terrain that can be attacked, which allows the defenders to concentrate their superior forces to defend without taking other things into consideration. It also gives the Tang army the siege to be determined and will attack the East City.

One team replaced, the other team immediately replaced, and the Tang army launched an uninterrupted continuous attack.

By the afternoon, the craftsmen in the Tang army had already made many rough catapults. Although they were simple, they added tremendous pressure to the defenders in the city.

The moat had been filled with corpses, and even under Puban City, the corpses were piled up very high. Some people simply stepped on the corpses and climbed on ladders. They were shot down by arrows from the city, and quickly joined the ranks of those corpses. The moat was filled with blood from purple ground, and under the sunlight, it was filled with disgusting smell.

The whole city and the city had become hell on earth. The Tang army siege had already red eyes, and they were blindly ruthless in the rumbling war drums. The soldiers guarding the city had even more red eyes, arrows, wood beatings, rolling stones, hot oil, catapult carts, and crossbow beds. Everything had become a killing weapon in the hands of the defenders. Every breath and every moment, one Tang army after another fell down, increasing the height of the corpse mountain under the city.

Three hundred steps below the city, although Li Shimin only had one arm, he still held a drumstick and kept beating the cowhide drum. Next to him, there were hundreds of war drums in rows. Hundreds of drummers had already taken off their robes in the snow, slapped their upper body, and beat the hammer with heat on their bodies. Among them, Li Shimin's one arm beat the drum, and the fog rose, and the hideous scars raised with red and purple were discolored.

The winter wind blows, the war drums beat, and the offensive is like a tide that has not stopped! (To be continued)
Chapter completed!