Chapter 9 Chapter Thirty-Nine

Faster than I estimated, on the seventh day, the snake-man's high platform had already built up to fifteen feet.Snake people are much stronger than us. The Giant Axes of the Forward Battalion are all strongmen, but they are far inferior to any snake people. Snake people are faster than us when they do this kind of work. Too many, I estimate according to human standards, naturally not allowed. On this day, the vanguard battalion is on duty during the day.I was watching the actions of the snake man at the top of the city, when a soldier came over and said, "Controlling, Lord Wenhou has an order, ordering you to gather at the temporary tent immediately."

Marquis Wen was the commander-in-chief of this battle to defend the city.Since I rejected King An Le, Marquis Wen has not seen me again, and this is the first time. When I got to the account, I found my seat and found myself sitting next to Lu Gongxing, just behind Tu Fang and the commanders of the other four sects.Since the south gate of the imperial capital is the main battlefield, Tu Fang is the main general this time, and I am actually on the same level as the deputy general of the south gate Lu Gongxing, and my status is actually higher than that of Tu Fang's deputy general Pu Anli.When I sat down, I seemed to be able to feel Bu Anli's threatening gaze behind me.

Marquis Wen sat at the head, and a shelf was set up beside him, covered with a green cloth, which was of no use.After everyone arrived, Marquis Wen said loudly: "Generals, please stand up and salute the emperor and the statue of the court!" It is a tradition in the army that only the portraits of the Great Emperor and Na Tingtian are hung in the army, not even the emperor of the current dynasty.Although it was proposed to add a portrait of the emperor before, it is not easy to deal with it, because that Tingtian has a supreme status in the minds of the soldiers. There is a saying in the army that "the emperor is passed down from generation to generation, and there is only one military sage". It cannot be listed behind that court, so it is simply not listed.

We stood up at the same time and gave a military salute to the portraits of the Great Emperor and Na Tingtian.When we sat down again, Marquis Wen glanced at us and said slowly: "Warriors of the empire, the final decisive battle is coming, and now assign tasks." Today is May 9th, it has been a month and a half since the Snakeman besieged the city, and no real battle has taken place yet.I heard Marquis Wen say that he would put all his eggs in one basket and fight a decisive battle, but I didn't expect it to be so soon, but everyone else was surprised.Because the Snakeman's offensive has always been relentless. From the time when Gaojiu City was broken to Beining City, it has been like a broken bamboo. Famous cities have fallen one after another. Everyone has the impression that it is absolutely impossible to fight in the wild with the Snakeman. They can only take a defensive position. .When Marquis Wen said that he was going to attack the Snakeman, all the generals who had fought against the Snakeman lost their voices "Ah", and Tu Fang stood up and said loudly, "My lord, I have something to say at the end."

Marquis Wen glanced at him and said, "Master Tu, please listen to me before I finish speaking. Mr. Zhang, please come in." A person came out from behind him, it was Zhang Longyou in long gown.I haven't seen him for a long time. He has become darker and thinner now, but he is also very energetic, with bright eyes, as if he was a different person from before.He took out a silk book from his side and hung it on the wall, saying: "Sir, should I explain it to the generals?" Marquis Wen nodded with a smile, "Okay, tell me." The silk scroll he hung was a picture of a black cylinder with two wheels underneath, and the words "Shenlong Cannon Atlas" written on the side.

This is exactly the Shenlong Cannon that Marquis Wen took me to see that time, but the appearance is a little different, and it has probably been improved.Most people have never heard of this thing, and they don't know what it is. Zhang Longyou pointed to the map and talked, and he didn't know when he became so eloquent. When he finished speaking, everyone gasped.Because I heard from Zhang Longyou that the range of the Shenlong Cannon can reach 80 steps now, and within 80 steps, the broken iron ejected from it can smash five layers of cowhide into pieces.Five layers of cowhide, that's the standard for an extremely high-end shield. During normal training, those who can cut through one layer of cowhide are regarded as top-notch. There are only a few people who can cut through three layers of cowhide with one knife, probably only Chen Zhongpu Anli and other supernatural beings I can do it, and my strength is not too small. With the power of Baipi Dao, if I use my whole body to chop, I can cut through three layers of cowhide at most.The power of this Shenlong cannon is as powerful as a hundred generals. If Zhang Longyou is not bragging, then this can be regarded as the most powerful weapon in history.Although the Thunder Crossbow is powerful and has a long range, after all, there is only one arrow at a time. When the enemy army rushes in, the Thunder Crossbow is useless, and the Shenlong Cannon is so powerful in melee combat that it can just supplement the Thunder Crossbow.

After listening to Zhang Longyou's words, Tu Fang said suspiciously: "My lord, is there really such a powerful weapon? Why have I never heard of it before?" Marquis Wen smiled, and said, "Your Long, take out that test cowhide and show it to Lord Tu." Zhang Longyou said: "Yes." He lifted the shelf on the side, pulled out a roll of cowhide from it, and said, "My lord, this is the result of our experiment." As soon as the cowhide was opened, everyone who saw it exclaimed again, and those sitting behind all stood up and looked forward. Zhang Longyou called two soldiers to come and pull the cowhide away, saying: " This is five layers of cowhide, hanging eighty steps away, please look."

It is no longer cowhide, it has been beaten full of holes.Last time I heard Zhang Longyou say that the Shenlong Cannon can pierce three layers of cowhide in fifty steps. It seems that it has been improved and its power has nearly doubled.Tu Fang touched it with his hand and sighed, "It's really amazing! Alas." His last sigh was very depressing, Marquis Wen said: "Master Tu, what did you want to say just now?" Tu Fang cupped his hands and said: "My lord, Tu Fang originally wanted to tell my lord that you must never fight in the wild when dealing with snake people. But seeing such a sharp weapon, Tu Fang felt that he was a frog in a well, and he was not good enough to speak to the world. Please forgive Tu Fang for being rude. crime."

Among the thirteen uncles, only half are generals, and Tu Fang is one of the only remaining generals among them.Even if he said that, even though others still had doubts, they still dared not speak more.Marquis Wen slapped the table, stood up and said: "Generals, with the help of this dragon cannon, is the snake man enough to fear?" The horror of the snake man cannot be offset by a powerful weapon.But I didn't dare to talk too much, the emotions of everyone in the tent suddenly became aroused.According to the rules in the army, no noise is allowed, but they seem to have forgotten the prohibition, and only talk about the dragon cannon.Marquis Wen smiled slightly, but didn't stop it.

The three armies can win the command, but the individual cannot lose the will.The morale of the army is the most important. As long as the morale is high, even if you are at a disadvantage, you can still fight to the death.The imperial army had suffered too many defeats, and it was too miserable, but Marquis Wen boosted the morale with only a few words.Regardless of whether the Shenlong Cannon is really useful or not, at least those generals have confidence in their hearts. A general said loudly: "My lord, with this sharp weapon, we will be able to kill all those monsters, I'm afraid they will do something wrong!"

The man's words were rough, but there seemed to be a kind of magical power, everyone got excited, stood up, and shouted: "Snake people are nothing to be afraid of!" After they had finished shouting enough, Marquis Wen stood up and said loudly: "Generals, the future of the empire rests on your shoulders. Now assign tasks to the armies." After listening to Wenhou's assignment of military tasks, I still feel a little uneasy. Unlike other generals, because I knew that Marquis Wen intended to send troops to fight the snake man, I was not as excited as them, and I was not so superstitious about the power of the dragon cannon.The Shenlong Cannon is indeed extremely miraculous, but when we were in Gaojiu City, we also had the Fire Thunder Bomb and the Skyfire Flying Dragon Arrow, but in the end we still couldn't escape the doom of the entire army being wiped out.Marquis Wen bet all on the Shenlong Cannon, I still don't feel at ease. At this time, Marquis Wen shouted loudly: "General Chu Xiuhong of the Qianfeng Battalion obeys the order!" I stood up and walked forward, knelt down and said: "The last general obeys the order." "General Chu, the general attack will take place in three days. The monsters will definitely attack with all their strength. The responsibility of guarding the Shenlong Pao will be borne by the Vanguard Battalion." My heart trembled, and I said, "The final general will obey the order." A few generals who I knew nearby, such as Pu Anli, all gave a "hey", and when I stood up, I saw some expressions of contempt on their faces.They also know that Marquis Wen thinks highly of me, and now Marquis Wen's trusted generals, from the second general of Water and Fire, are counted towards me.In this battle, Deng Canglan has been missing since the settlement of Juluo Island's barbarians. Although Marquis Wen didn't say anything, we all know that he has other important tasks, and Bi Wei is undoubtedly the general in command of Shenlongpao.Now that they heard that I, Wenhou's No. 3 general, was only given the duty of a guard, they naturally felt that Wenhou wanted to take care of me.They didn't expect that if the Shenlong Cannon was not fired, the Snake Man would rush forward desperately. It would be an extremely difficult task to protect the Shenlong Cannon. If I hadn't practiced Great Ax Warrior, Marquis Wen might not have entrusted me with this task. As soon as I retreated, Marquis Wen said: "In this attack, the first attack is the most important, there must be a brave general who is unstoppable, first destroy the vigor of the snake people, and lead the snake people to the center. This made me think about it, and I only felt that it was too dangerous, which general would dare to take it?" The tasks assigned by Marquis Wen just now were all left and right assists, defending the rear, etc., and he didn't say this order until then.I always thought that the task of the first attack must be for the forward battalion, and Cao Wendao was asked to train the giant ax warrior to increase the attack power during the strong attack. Unexpectedly, Marquis Wen did not give me this task.Among the generals in the battalion who have not yet received orders, apart from Tu Fang and Lu Gongxing, there are a dozen other generals who have no missions yet. They looked around and paused in their tents. Suddenly, Pu Anli shouted: "My lord, the last general willing to go." Ever since Pu Anli married Princess Tang, it has been rumored that he will take over the Marquis of Wu.His father is a Shangshu and an earl, if this agreement comes true, Pu Anli will have a higher title than his father.This time he is the second lieutenant general of the Chinese army's main general, Tu Fang, and the third general in the Chinese army, but Marquis Wen has never assigned him any missions, and Pu Anli must have been a little annoyed. As soon as he finished speaking, a general came out from behind and said: "My lord, the last general Bai Shaowu is willing to accept this order!" That Bai Shaowu was originally sitting behind me, at most he was just a general.Before he could reach Marquis Wen, Pu Anli snatched it away, knelt down and said, "My lord, please give me this order." Marquis Wen looked at the two of them and said, "General Bai, what position do you have?" That Bai Shaowu was only in his thirties, he was quite heroic, but compared to Pu Anli, who was as tall as a god like a god, he was a circle smaller.He knelt beside Pu Anli and said, "The last general, the leader of the 19th Battalion of the Central Army, is in command of Bai Shaowu, please give me your orders." Both are the sixth rank among the thirteen ranks of martial arts, one rank lower than the general.According to the military position, the general should lead five thousand soldiers, but due to the lack of military strength in the empire, the current generals at all levels lead very few troops. My general is in a special situation. There are 10,000 soldiers under his command.In the final analysis, the 10,000 soldiers were the 20,000 soldiers under the command of the second prince, and they were divided into two groups with Lu Gongxing.Although there is only one rank difference between Du Tong and Xia General, promotion in the army has always been known as the three gates of "Heaven, Man and Ghost". Soldiers are more likely to die in battle. In the past, 20 centurions from our vanguard battalion followed Wuhou on the southern expedition. When they were defeated, one-third of the centurions died first. The ratio of loss was much higher than that of the soldiers. This layer is called "Gate of Hell".When you reach the middle and fourth ranks, you are responsible for commanding, although you have to go to the front line, so the level from the capital commander to the lower general is the "gateway".In the upper five ranks, there are two ranks. Marshal, senior general, and deputy general are senior generals who will no longer be in battle. Although partial generals and lower generals are also generals, they are not far from the middle and fourth ranks, so they are from partial generals. When it comes to the deputy general, it is called "Tianmenguan".At this time in the army, apart from the crown prince as the marshal, Marquis Wen is only a general, Tu Fang is the deputy general, Lu Gongxing has made outstanding achievements, and due to his seniority, he is not allowed to be appointed as the deputy general, but he has already performed the duties of the deputy general. There are not too many partial generals, and there are only about twenty in the entire empire. Marquis Wen looked at Pu Anli and said, "General Pu, your proposal to attack the noble has already come down, and I should no longer assign you to charge into the battle. In case something goes wrong, I really can't explain it to your lord Pu. Please ask General Bai to take the order." Is Pu Anli really going to attack the Marquis of Wu?Although no one dared to speak, there was a "buzz" in the tent for a while.Pu Anli raised his head, blushed and said in a loud voice: "Marquis Wen, don't worry about these trivial matters. As a soldier, Pu Anli has been smashed to pieces for the country, and he will not hesitate to do so. Please give me your orders." Marquis Wen stroked his beard, and said: "This battle is related to the survival of the empire, and the victory or defeat of this battle will be tied to the leader of the first attack. This trip is very dangerous. Once you lose, you may not be able to return. General Pu Do you want to think again?" Bai Shaowu said: "My lord, after General Pu becomes an important minister, there must be no accidents. Although the last general is incompetent, he is confident that he has unstoppable courage. Please give me the general order." Pu Anli jumped up suddenly, and shouted: "Surnamed Bai, what do you mean by that? Pu Mou's fame was earned by me on the battlefield with a knife and a gun, and it has nothing to do with my father. I dare not say ten thousand Personally, if I fight against you, I can pick you with one shot." Pu Anli is now on the same level as me, and he is still only a general. If he wants to attack Wuhou, he may feel that he will not be able to convince the crowd, so he is even more afraid that others will say that he got to this position through connections.At this time, I suddenly felt a little sympathy for Bu Anli, and felt that he was not what I thought before.Although I have always been at odds with Pu Anli, I have to admit that Pu Anli is indeed a brave general. When he was in the vanguard battalion, he always took the lead in every battle and charged forward. Maybe he felt that as a son of an official, he must not be among us civilians. Disgraceful in front of colleagues of origin.When he was in the Qianfeng Battalion, he did not rely on his family status to pretend to be a military leader. Although I did not get along with him, I am still convinced that he is in the current position.But Bai Shaowu's words just now were meant to be ridiculed, with Pu Anli's character, how can he bear it.It's just that Bai Shaowu's military rank is lower than Pu Anli's, so he can be considered outspoken. At this time, a flash of inspiration suddenly appeared in my mind, and it became clear immediately.This must be another killing two birds with one stone by Marquis Wen. Pu Anli's father, Pu Zhi, is in the Minister of Industry, the Minister of Punishment, Bing, Household, and Industry. The most powerful minister of the Ministry of War, Lu Xiang, is the second prince. Although it is not obvious that he is with the second prince, his son Xing Tiefeng is very close to the second prince, whether openly or secretly, Xing Li probably belongs to the second prince's side.The remaining Minister of the Xing Ministry, Wei Zongzheng, was stern and selfless, and he did not attach himself to anyone. There was only one Minister of the Ministry of Industry, Pu Zhi, who had not yet made a clear attitude.Wenhou is naturally above the four Shangshu, but if the four Shangshu are integrated, then their power is enough to compete with Wenhou.Marquis Wen let Pu Zhi's beloved son take the lead, probably because Pu Zhi already intended to fall to the side of the second prince, and Pu Anli had already decided to attack the Marquis of Wu immediately. Force alone.This time Marquis Wen asked Pu Anli to take the lead. If Pu Anli came back safely, Marquis Wen could make a big gift and bring Pu Zhi back again.If Pu Anli dies in battle, this unreliable "Marquis of Wu" will be defeated, and the situation that Marquis Wen is most worried about will not appear. At worst, there will be only one Pu Zhi who is devoted to the second prince, and at most it will be the one with Marquis Wen A situation of balance. Marquis Wen is really far-sighted.He has never assigned Pu Anli any mission. At this time, among the generals in the tent who did not receive orders, Pu Anli has the highest official position and sits at the front. This Bai Shaowu is probably arranged by Marquis Wen. This move is clearly for Pu Anli. Going to die, but Pu Anli has been plotted by Marquis Wen without knowing it, not to mention him, the people watching beside us also feel that Pu Anli has been volunteering. Marquis Wen said: "Two generals, please don't get angry. As far as martial arts are concerned, the two have their own strengths, but General Pu dared to face the Snake Man's envoy without falling into the army. He is truly a brave general in our army. It's just that , General Pu is indeed..." I laughed to myself, thinking that with Pu Anli as such a brave and foolhardy general, it would be no problem for Marquis Wen to plot against him.With Pu Anli's character, it is impossible to back down again, and Marquis Wen has to burn another fire.Sure enough, Pu Anli raised his head and said: "Sir, if the country is destroyed, where is the family? How many soldiers fought bloody battles, Pu Anli is a warrior, how dare he fear the sword and avoid the sword, please be sure to give me this order." Although I wanted to laugh at Pu Anli, I couldn't help but be moved by his powerful words.When Pu Anli and I were centurions, they were rude and uneducated people, and they could not leave the three-character scriptures all day long. After becoming a general, they actually spoke with great dignity. Marquis Wen thought about it again, and said loudly: "Excellent, Marquis Tang has a spirit in heaven, and he will be proud of having a son-in-law like General Pu. General Pu, accept the order!" Pu Anli was overjoyed, and said: "The last general will obey the order!" "In this battle, General Pu leads 5,000 people from his headquarters to lead the attack. He is not winning with one blow, but destroying the vigor of the snake people. The victory or defeat of this battle rests with the general." Pu Anli received the general order and said loudly: "The final general will get the order." When he stood up, Thunderstorm in the tent seemed to cheer.Pu Anli's rhetoric made everyone's hearts warm.The son of an important official like Pu Anli did not back down, so what else can others say?Everyone's emotions are like a pile of fire, which is poured with a bucket of oil until it rises into the sky and burns blazingly. Back at the forward battalion, Cao Wendao was still instructing the giant ax warriors to practice.Because there are fifty warriors new here, they can't go through the eight formations yet, so Cao Wendao arranged the giant ax warriors in the middle, separated the snake people with the eight formations, rolled them to the center, and hacked them to death with the giant ax warriors .This kind of tactics is actually an all-or-nothing style of play, but I am confident that with this elite army, even if the Snakemen attack with an absolutely superior force, we will definitely be able to fight one for another. And in my heart, the faint fear of Marquis Wen that I have always had has emerged again.Marquis Wen's foresight is really terrifying, almost every order of his has a deep meaning, Pu Anli was sent to the Jedi by him without knowing it, Tu Fang would not say that Lu Gongxing is the second prince's confidant, and it seems that he has no idea at all. Did not notice. I hope this is me trying to save the belly of a gentleman with the heart of a villain.What I am fighting for now is not the empire, not the emperor and prince, not the clan ministers, but the millions of people in the empire. Even though Marquis Wen is still using tricks, those tricks are still for the millions of people . Cao Wendao told the giant ax warriors to rest, and Qian Wenyi and Qian Wenyi came over and said, "Control, what is the mission that Marquis Wen gave to the Vanguard Battalion?" I said, "It's the Guardian Dragon Cannon." Cao Wendao frowned and said, "Shenlong Cannon? What is this?" Because Shenlong Pao has always been a secret, it was not made public until today. I have never mentioned it to Cao Wendao before. This is the first time they have heard of it.I told them about the Shenlong Cannon, and Qian Wenyi said in shock: "Is there really such a powerful weapon?" He immediately laughed and said, "No wonder Marquis Wen has a plan in his chest. It seems that we are sure to win this time!" I said: "God's will is unpredictable, and it can't be said that the victory is certain. With such a powerful individual combat ability of the Snake Man, we have not been able to defeat us until today. Did we expect it at the beginning?" Both Cao Wendao and Qian Wenyi were silent.Indeed, the complete annihilation of Marquis Wu's Southern Expeditionary Army was our eternal nightmare. At that time, I really felt that the world had been destroyed, so I was born with an irresistible monster like a Snakeman.But it's been almost two years. Although the Snakemen went all the way north and hit the Wuyun City, we were not as helpless as we expected. In Tianshui City, the Xifu Army was able to kill that Snakeman.Thinking about it this way, we haven't even seen the true power of the Shenlong Cannon, so we really can't say that we are sure of victory. Cao Wendao suddenly laughed and said, "Controlling, Lord Wenhou didn't let us charge, probably because he was taking care of you. He was afraid that he would kill you, a good guest of King Anle who has not yet passed the door. He is not easy to explain in front of King Anle." The princess and I stayed alone in the room for a while that day, Cao Wendao and the others had already been guessing wildly.Fortunately, both Cao Wendao and Qian Wenyi can be regarded as gentlemen. If it was Jin Qianshi of the Dragon Scale Army back then, he would have guessed that the Princess and I took advantage of the opportunity to turn things around in the room.I sneered and said, "Don't talk nonsense, this responsibility is quite heavy, don't think that you are staying behind." When I think of Jin Qianshi, I can't help but feel a little unhappy.Jin Qianshi is lustful and greedy for drinking, and his temperament does not suit me, but at that time he worked hard under my command, he was really a rare good companion.My heart throbbed when I thought of the scene of him being dismembered by snake men on the day Gaojiu City was broken. Now my mount is also called Fei Yu, Jin Qianshi, you should know it too, right?I raised my head and looked at the sky in a daze. Jin Qianshi, if your heroic spirit is here, come and fight side by side with me again, and let me avenge you. Seeing my face change, Cao Wendao hurriedly said, "Tong Zhi, I was joking, don't take it to heart." I patted him on the shoulder and said with a faint smile: "Brother Cao, Brother Qian, you are all my good brothers, no matter what you say, I will not blame you." Cao Wendao was okay, but Qian Wenyi was a little embarrassed.I knew that he remembered betraying me back then, although I didn't mention it, he still seemed to have a pimple in his heart.Just as he was about to say something to comfort him, he swallowed the words again. Let him leave a pimple, let him know that I have never forgotten, and let him remember my magnanimity. At this moment, a soldier came over and saluted, "Controlling, a gentleman is asking to see you." grown ups?I was taken aback, and said, "Is it Lord Wenhou?" The soldier shook his head and said, "No, just one person." I also laughed.Marquis Wen is now at the most critical juncture. If there is anything, he will send someone to call me, and he will not come to see me.So who is it that comes to see me?Just as I was thinking about it, I heard someone shout: "General Chu." That's Zhang Longyou!I laughed.Just now I had no chance to talk with Zhang Longyou in the camp, and I didn't see him after the meeting, so he came over.I walked over and saluted, "Mr. Zhang, what brought you here?" Zhang Longyou's face was a little heavy, and my heart also sank, I whispered: "What happened?" Zhang Longyou looked around and whispered: "Brother Chu, let's talk in your tent." I said, "Okay, okay, this way please." I asked Cao Wendao and Qian Wenyi to continue training and brought Zhang Longyou to my tent.When I walked to the door of the tent, I suddenly remembered the idea just now, and my pace slowed down. Isn't that just Wen Hou's art of controlling people?Not only is he heart-to-heart, no doubt about the employment, but also every step must leave a way out, in order to have room for turning around.I have been with Marquis Wen for a long time, and before I knew it, I also used his tricks. At this time Zhang Longyou coughed behind him and said: "General Chu, go in." I must have been a little anxious to see that I didn't go in, so I came back to my senses and hurriedly said: "Come in, come in. Mr. Zhang, I'm here But there is no wine, so I can only treat you to tea, ha ha." Zhang Longyou followed me into the tent and sat down.I asked the guards to come in and make a pot of tea, Zhang Longyou took a sip absently.The tea was just brewed and it was still very hot. He probably got burned a bit, and he breathed "xixi". Does he have anything to say?I said to the guard who came to make tea: "You go out first." As soon as the guards left, Zhang Longyou put down his cup and said, "Brother Chu, what task does Lord Wenhou assign you?" Zhang Longyou left after explaining Shenlong Cannon, and he didn't know what task I got.I smiled and said, "My lord asked me to guard the Dragon Cannon." Zhang Longyou frowned, I knew he must think this task was a bit too easy, maybe he thought that Marquis Wen didn't treat me well enough, so he hurriedly said: "The Shenlong Cannon is so powerful, the Snake Man must lose his sharpness after suffering a loss." Pointing at Shenlong Cannon, this task is also very urgent." But Zhang Longyou acted as if he didn't hear it, and said blankly: "Yes, yes, I thought that the adults would always consider your safety and send someone else." I don't know what he meant, as if he knew that I had this task, he hurriedly said: "What's the matter? No matter how dangerous this task is, it is not as dangerous as charging. Bu Anli got the task of the first attack." Zhang Longyou looked around and said in a low voice: "The first attack is to lure the Snake Man to one place. It is indeed an urgent task, but he can retreat at any time. But it is not so simple to guard the Shenlong Cannon." I said: "Of course, if it was simple, your lord would not entrust it to me." Thinking that Marquis Wen gave me such an important task, I couldn't help but feel a little proud. Zhang Longyou shook his head and said: "The power of the Shenlong Cannon is indeed great, but it also has two fatal weaknesses. One is that it cannot move well. A Shenlong Cannon weighs several thousand catties, and I only made twenty of them in total. When the snake man attacked, it would be very difficult for the twenty dragon cannons to pull back the city." I couldn't help but startled.Indeed, I have never thought of this, but Marquis Wen also said that this attack is like a desperate gamble. If it fails, then the empire, or the human race, will be over. Even if I can't stop the snake man, I will die a little earlier than others That's all.I smiled and said: "No one dies. If you sacrifice your life for the country, you deserve to die. What's more, the dragon cannon is so powerful. If the snake man wants to rush to the front, he will probably die first." Zhang Longyou shook his head again and said: "You don't know, because the Shenlong Cannon is too powerful, it takes three catties of medicine for one cannon. You also know the gunpowder. I tested it during the experiment, and a Shenlong Cannon can only fire three cannons in a row at most. After firing three cannonballs, the cannon barrel was burnt red, and it was impossible to refill it with gunpowder, or it would explode by itself.” The Shenlong Cannon actually has such a fatal weakness!I was taken aback, Marquis Wen couldn't possibly be unaware of this weakness, but he didn't say it, probably because it was to make the soldiers believe in the power of the Shenlong Cannon.I was worried, but after thinking about it, I said with a smile: "Mr. Zhang, you are also a smart man, and you were confused for a while. If it burns red, don't you pour some water to cool it down?" Zhang Longyou smiled wryly and said, "Of course I have thought about it. But the cannon barrel is made of iron, and once it is watered after it is hot, it will burst immediately. It is impossible at all, and we can only let it cool down naturally." I scratched my head, feeling a chill in my heart.I originally thought that with the power of the Shenlong Cannon, there would not be too many snakemen rushing in front of me. At that time, with the eight formations and the giant ax warrior, it was really easy to deal with those snakemen rushing up. If Zhang Longyou hadn't come to tell me , I never thought that the Shenlong Cannon could only fire three cannons in a row.In this way, it is really difficult for me to guard the Shenlong Cannon.I frowned and said, "Why didn't Lord Wenhou tell me?" Zhang Longyou smiled wryly again and said: "Brother Chu, I heard from Marquis Wen and Bi Wei that when it was absolutely necessary, you could fill the Shenlong Cannon with medicine and let them explode by themselves, and use it as a big fire bomb." I'm afraid, at that time, he would rather sacrifice you than give the snake man a fatal blow." I can't help but be aghast.The fire bomb is just a small pot, and its power is extraordinary. If the Shenlong Cannon is used as a fire bomb, when the pieces of iron are blown up, the snake man will certainly not be able to escape, and so will us soldiers who fight with the snake man. There is no place to die.Although I know that Marquis Wen can give up everything in order to achieve his goal, I have always secretly hoped that I could replace Zhen Yining in the Marquis Wen's heart, and that Marquis Wen would not sacrifice me. In an emergency, I can also be abandoned. I remained silent, and Zhang Longyou was probably afraid of my wild thoughts, so he quickly stood up and said, "Brother Chu, you don't have to worry too much, this is just a last resort. Alas, I just hope that the snake man can be bluffed by the Shenlong Cannon, and don't act aggressively." It's good to attack." That is impossible.I said to myself.Although the snake people are very human-like, they may also know how to be timid, but they are still more like wild beasts, often rushing up desperately.Once severely injured by the Shenlong Cannon in a field battle, the Snakeman will definitely attack desperately, and if he wants to destroy the Shenlong Cannon, he will not escape.If Marquis Wen really had a winning strategy, he wouldn't have told me that it was "all or nothing".It's just that I didn't want to say such depressing words to him, so I just smiled and said: "Don't worry, Mr. Wenhou will definitely have a perfect plan." Zhang Longyou looked at me, seemed surprised by my composure, and said after a long while: "Brother Chu, when I first met you in Gaojiu City, I felt that you were quite different from other people, it seems that you are indeed so." He thought After thinking about it, I added another sentence: "You have changed a lot, you are becoming more and more like a general." I couldn't help laughing and said: "Brother Zhang, you are becoming more and more good at flattering." This joke made Zhang Longyou laugh too, he shook his head and said: "Shame on you, don't forget that I am now the head of the Tufu, Wailang. If you are an official, if you can't flatter, then what kind of official should you be?" The first time I met Zhang Longyou, he was still a childish young man. In the past two years, his appearance has not changed much, but his personality has changed greatly.I patted him on the shoulder and said: "We are good brothers who escaped from Gaojiu City together. If I say thank you again, it's a bit of a privilege, but I still want to say thank you." A strange light flashed in Zhang Longyou's eyes, he also stood up and said: "Brother Chu, you have to take care, come back triumphantly, I will treat you to a drink." I smiled and said, "Ha, your salary is pretty good now, but you were never willing to entertain guests before." Zhang Longyou blushed slightly, and said with a smile: "Brother Chu, don't scold me. Because of this Shenlong Cannon, I haven't come out a few times in almost a year, and I will definitely make up for it in the future." Because Zhang Longyou is reused by Marquis Wen, I seldom see him. We said that we will always be brothers when drinking together at the Shuzhong Guobei, but I always feel that I get along better with Xue Wenyi. Even Wu Wanling, who has been fighting on the front line, It seems that he is more gregarious than Zhang Longyou.In fact, in the bottom of Zhang Longyou's heart, he must have taken those of us who have lived and died with him very seriously, otherwise he would not have come today. Some people want to say everything, while others bury everything in their hearts. Zhang Longyou must belong to the latter. I held his hand and said, "Yes, I will definitely come back to drink your wine. Haha." Although I was laughing, I could hear myself choking up a bit. At this time, there was a sudden commotion outside, mixed with Cao Wendao's scolding.I was taken aback. The Vanguard Battalion has always been known as the elite. Although Wu Wanling was not there, I led the troops according to the "Victory Strategy", and the military discipline was always strict. There was never such a noisy thing during drills.I let go of Zhang Longyou's hand, went out, and shouted: "What happened?" Cao Wendao came over, his face flushed, and he came up to me and gave a military salute: "General Chu, a recruit actually killed his comrade with a knife!" In the past when Marquis Wu ruled the army, he secretly encouraged soldiers to duel with each other, thinking that this would increase the bravery of the army. This trend still exists in the imperial army, but since I led the army, I have explicitly ordered soldiers not to duel with each other, and those who violated the military law will be punished.Hearing that someone dared to take the risk of killing and injuring his companion, I also felt a surge of anger in my heart, and said, "Who is it?" Cao Wendao raised his hand, and a man was embraced with his hands cut behind him, and a soldier next to him covered his shoulder, and there was still blood running down his shoulder, so it must be the injured soldier.I looked at the assailant and said, "What's your name?" The assailant soldier raised his head and said, "Controlling, Jian Zhonglan of the Seventh Battalion." I was surprised that this person's name was so elegant. I looked carefully and found that Jian Zhonglan was very young, only fifteen or sixteen years old. He was probably one of my recruits when I was in Xiongguan City. He also looked very handsome. I didn't expect to strike so hard.I looked at the wounded soldier and said, "Go to the medical camp to bandage and heal immediately." The soldier agreed, and was supported by the other two soldiers.I asked the soldier who was holding Jian Zhonglan's hands to release him, and said, "Jian Zhonglan, why did you attack your companion?" Jian Zhonglan raised her head and said: "Controlling, my subordinates have a plan to defeat the enemy. I just talked to Zhong Tao about it, but he laughed at me for thinking wildly, and even insulted my biological parents..." A soldier beside him interjected, "Jian Zhonglan, don't talk nonsense, Zhong Tao just spoke about your Di Ren's mother, he didn't speak ill of your father." Is Jian Zhonglan's mother Di Ren?I looked at Jian Zhonglan, but the Di people and the Central Plains people were almost the same in appearance, and there was no difference.I said: "Even if he insults his parents with words, you shouldn't do it. Military Law No. 5, whoever kills or injures his companions, no matter what the cause is, those who commit minor crimes are punished, and those who commit serious crimes are killed. Don't you know? Go and apologize to him, and then Come back and lead the fight." Jian Zhonglan said: "I'm not going! He said I'm a Diren bastard..." He spoke so forcefully, I also felt angry in my heart, and said: "Jian Zhonglan, don't you want to be beaten, would you rather be beheaded?" I just want to scare him, as long as he softens, I can just hit him with a few sticks casually.Unexpectedly, Jian Zhonglan stiffened his neck and said angrily: "Why should I go to apologize to him? I would rather be beheaded!" This Jian Zhonglan is really too clueless.I became angry and shouted: "Jian Zhonglan, if you continue to do this, I will have to beheaded." The snake man is just outside the city, I don't know how long my life is, there must be many of these soldiers战死在沙场上，我实在不想动用军法中的斩刑。虽然军法中说什么“杀”的多了，我却还从来没用过。 简仲岚也怒道：“统制，你赏罚如此不明，算什么统制！” 这个简仲岚实在太不明白事理，边上曹闻道也听不下去，喝道：“简仲岚，你怎敢如此对统制说话！” 简仲岚叫道：“我不管！就算是帝君，我一样要说！他辱我母亲，我恨不得一刀把他的头砍下来！” 边上的士兵都有点骚动，我没想到这简仲岚居然还如此强硬，当即举起手喝道：“推下去！马上……” 我正要说“斩首号令”，有个人忽然从我身后伸过手来，搭在我的手上。我扭头看去，正是张龙友，他向我摇了摇头，小声道：“楚将军，这小卒大有气概，他这条命还是留着杀蛇人吧。你还记得当初你那护兵么？” 张龙友的话很温和，我的心却象被刺了一下。他说的是祈烈，当初我在前锋营当百夫长时的护兵。后来我调到龙鳞军当统领，祈烈就继我为百夫长。当武侯因为高鹫城绝粮，决定斩杀城中妇女以人肉充作军粮时，祈烈为了一个女俘，不惜以张龙友为质，威胁武侯。那时我去劝过祈烈，但祈烈在知道此举无用后，绝望得杀了那女子后自杀相殉，我一直引为深憾。张龙友又提到了这件事，我也不由得又想起了祈烈。 那时我的情形与祈烈差不多，我也想过不惜一死也要保护我帐中的女俘，但最终还是借醉逃避了。我没有做到的，祈烈却做了出来，如果那时我也和祈烈做了同样的事，也许我也早被武侯斩杀了吧？ 张龙友一说起祈烈，我嘴边“斩首”这两个字便说不出来了。我看了看那简仲岚，他仍是傲气十足地看着我，我微微吐了口气，道：“既然你不愿赔礼，那就加倍责打。拖下去，十军棍。” 军棍其实主是枪杆，很沉重，特别是把人摁在地上，一棍打下去，当时便能出一条淤青，十棍打下去，后背两腿就会黑紫一片。我本来不想把他打这么重的，只消他赔礼，打个五棍便最多了，那个被他砍了一刀的士兵也多半可以心平，谁知他会如此倔强。 十棍打完，简仲岚已站都站不直了，边上有个士兵扶着他过来，他勉强向我行了一礼道：“谢楚将军责打，但我是绝不会赔礼的。” 这简仲岚年纪不大，如此之硬也令人赞叹。我正有些不知该如何收场，那个叫钟涛的士兵正好回来了，他冲过来道：“统制，请你不要责打小简了，我这张臭嘴也不好。” 这钟涛身上吊着白布，没想到他会给简仲岚求情。我看了看东倒西歪的简仲岚，他疼得嘴唇都失了血色，我低低叹了口气道：“送简仲岚去医营医治吧。” 军棍打下后，他后背两股全是血泡，得及时放出淤血，才不至于有什么后患。简仲岚向我行了一礼，一瘸一拐地便走，钟涛连忙过去扶住他，小声道：“小简，对不住了。” 这钟涛甚识大体，总算圆满解决了这事。我扫了一眼周围的士兵，喝道：“弟兄们，我们身在行伍，当有同袍之谊，如今大敌当前，万事皆以战事为先。自己一军兄弟，纵然旁人偶有失言，也不能对兄弟动武器。再有这等事情发生，定要斩首号令全军，以儆后患。” 前锋营都是些精壮汉子，有些年纪比我还大，他们看了看扶着简仲岚的钟涛，同时低声道：“遵命。” 处置好此事，让曹闻道和钱文义接着领他们操练，我向张龙友笑了笑道：“张兄，我带兵不严，这等危机关头还会出这等事，让你见笑了。” 张龙友却没有什么取笑的意思，喃喃道：“令行禁止，令行禁止！楚将军，你可渐渐已有古大将之风了。” 令行禁止，这是《胜兵策》中提得最多的话。这话原文是“为将之道，令行禁止，虽误亦行。”也是说，既使这命令是错误的，也得执行。 在军中，威严比明察秋毫重要得多，要统御士兵，便要在士兵中树起绝对的权威，只有这样，这支队伍才称得上具有战力。可是，我却实在不喜欢这样。 可也只能这样吧。