Chapter 11 Chapter 10: The Army Suppresses the Land

Before reaching the north gate, there was a noise coming from there, as if the ground had turned over.Jin Qianshi said in surprise: "Commander, it's not good, it seems that we are already fighting." I listened carefully and said: "Go quickly, the rear army seems to be unable to resist." I patted the horse and rushed forward.The left arm is not well, but the pain is no longer there, so I think it's not a serious problem. We have rushed to the north gate, but we saw a sea of ​​people at the gate. I don't know how many soldiers are squeezing in, making a mess.Some soldiers were squeezed to the ground, the people behind didn't care about that, they still rushed in, the people on the ground were trampled and screamed in pain, but the ones behind didn't hear it, and still squeezed in desperately, but there were a few clothes mixed in. Ragged townspeople.The sky was already dark, and the surrounding torch lights were covered with wooden boards, making people's faces flickering.

What the hell is going on out there? At this time, a small officer squeezed out of the crowd and ran towards me.I shouted to him, "Stand." He stood still and looked up at me.I said, "Who are you?" The junior officer stood still unconsciously, and said: "Wu Wanling, a junior military officer, has met the general." I said, "What happened? Where is General Luo Jingwei?" Wu Wanling said: "General Luo is setting up his camp outside the city, and he is arranging for the baggage camp to set off. Who would have thought that suddenly many snake men came all over the mountains and plains. We retreated to the city, but many of the city residents who had been released earlier ran away again. Come back to the city and fight with the troops..."

I shouted: "No matter what, we must clean up the military discipline first, so that there is no chaos. Who is the highest rank in the army at the gate of the city?" Wu Wanling said: "We are the fifth battalion of the rear army, and the two ten thousand commanders are by General Luo's side, and have never entered the city." I said: "You first order that the troops at the gate of the city not to panic, let the city people advance first, and then enter the city one by one. Anyone who does not obey the order will be executed immediately." Having said that, I feel a little apprehensive.The rear army is not a place where I can give orders. If the soldiers still don't listen, I can't really kill a few people to stand up.But Wu Wanling calmed down, turned around and shouted: "Listen, soldiers at the gate of the city, enter the city in order, and anyone who dares to violate it will be killed immediately."

His voice is not inferior to Thunder Drum.With this shout, the door immediately calmed down like a flood that had been poured out.Wu Wanling shouted: "Stand! After the citizens enter the city, each department enters the city one by one." The soldiers at the gate of the city were originally a group of dragons without a leader, but now Wu Wanling gave an order, and they were in order immediately, so there was no need to kill a few people to establish their prestige. Once there is order, it will be much faster to enter the city.There were about two to three thousand rout soldiers and hundreds of city dwellers at the gate. Those hundreds of city dwellers must have left the city through the east gate and wanted to go north, but they were stopped by the snake man, knowing that they were drinking poison to quench their thirst, so they had no choice but to flee back.As soon as these hundreds of city residents entered the city, soldiers took them aside, and it was difficult to arrange for a while, so they were all locked in a dilapidated watchtower at the top of the city.Fortunately, there were only a few hundred people, and a dozen or so people were enough to guard the exit if they squeezed into an archery tower.They may also be numb from being locked up, and they walked in one by one without saying much.When they walked past me, I saw that most of those crowds were women, children, old and weak, and there were hardly any young people.Most of them carry a package, which is probably food and clothing, and valuable things can't be taken out of the city.There is an old man who even holds a pipa.

When I saw the pipa, I felt that my eyes dimmed. I don't know, how is she now?Would she know that a junior officer who had only seen her a few times would feel that way about her? At this time, Wu Wanling said loudly: "Quick, don't dawdle, come in one by one." I looked at the gate of the city, and all the city residents had already entered, and now the troops are entering the city. As soon as the citizens entered the city, the rest of the troops entered in order, and it took only a blink of an eye. At this time, the vanguard battalion has arrived.Lu Gongxing said, "General Chu, where is General Luo?"

The gate of the city has been cleared, I said: "General Luo is still fighting. What should we do?" At this time, I was also a little bit at a loss.The Dragon Scale Army and the Vanguard Battalion together only have more than 2,000 people, and the rear army itself still has 20,000 people, taking away 2,000 to guard the south gate, leaving 18,000.Even if the combat effectiveness of the rear army is not strong, after all, the number of people is much larger than ours.In the field battle, even if we add the two thousand of us, it will not help. Lu Gongxing said: "Stay calm at the gate, I'll go and bring General Luo back."

As soon as he finished speaking, the forward Zhuying rushed out of the door.I said: "General Lu, can you do it?" He didn't answer me, his horse had already left the city gate, and the wind seemed to rush across the suspension bridge.A few former colleagues had also left the city, and they nodded to me when they passed me, and Qi Lie immediately saluted me, and everyone rushed out. Jin Qianshi said: "General Chu, what should we do?" I looked at it and said, "Uptown." Thousands of people have retreated at the gate of the city, and Luo Jingwei outside the control, about less than 15,000 people.I don't know how many snake men came to attack. It is really difficult for him to win because he has to protect the supply camp and fight at the same time.

As soon as we got to the top of the city, we saw dust and smoke billowing outside the city, and an army retreated.I took a look and saw that this army was mixed with a large number of military vehicles, probably a supply battalion.I said: "General Jin, let a few people guard the suspension bridge, be careful." The supply battalion has retreated to the city.Looking at it, it was extremely embarrassing.The supply battalion is not a combat force at all, although it also has the responsibility to suppress the prisoners, after all, it is different from the real battle.After De Yang was broken in the rear, he was also wearing soft armor, but there were holes in the armor, and his body was covered with blood.

As soon as they entered the city, I called out: "Master Deyang!" Deyang raised his head, saw me, and said, "General Chu, you have to be careful, there are tens of thousands of snake people!" Tens of thousands! My heart skipped a beat.The Snakeman troop outside the south gate was also very powerful when they came, but there were only a few thousand people who actually fought.Could it be that their real purpose is to surround the city?I said, "How is General Luo now?" De Yang said: "General Luo is fighting hard. If there is no support from the general, I'm afraid I can't stand it anymore."

As if responding to my words, there was a loud "boom" in front of me, and the earth seemed to shake.About two miles to the north, a thick smoke rose into the sky, and I don't know what happened. That was the explosion of gunpowder again.Is Lu Gongxing using gunpowder?No wonder he was so confident.At the beginning, he had said that Zhang Longyou might be the key to the victory or defeat, maybe he had thought then that it would be difficult to defeat the Snake Man with swords and guns alone, so he must use that new weapon. I can't help admiring Lu Gongxing.He can make the striker camp with his eyes above the top subdue him, and he is indeed well-deserved.

Jin Qianshi took an umbrella at this time and said: "General, open the umbrella." I thought about it and took it.Now I can't move my left arm, so I can't fight with one hand, so I can only command from the top of the city.But Marquis Wu didn't know what to think, why did he send the Dragon Scale Army with only 300 people to the north gate? At this time, Jin Qianshi said: "Commander, they have retreated." The retreat was a motley team, with a few baggage carts mixed in at the front, which can really be said to be "worry".The fighting power of the rear army was really not good, there were still more than 10,000 people who retreated, most of them were crooked and armored, and they might collapse at the first touch.I felt a chill in my heart, if the rout was blocked at the gate of the city again, it would be difficult again, and even the vanguard battalion after the breakup would not be able to enter. Before I could think too much, I heard someone shouting at the gate of the city: "All the armies outside the gate, enter the city one by one, and those who are in chaos will be killed!" That was Wu Wanling's voice.I told him to put things in order just now, and he's still there.Jin Qianshi looked at me from the side and said, "This guy is pretty good." indeed.I thought.I thought of Yuan Kexiang from the Chinese army. Here, if this group of people can be recruited into the Dragon Scale Army to rectify military discipline, it will definitely improve the combat effectiveness of the Dragon Scale Army to a higher level. At this time, there was a noise at the door, and I said, "What's wrong?" Jin Qianshi looked down from the top of the wall and said, "General Luo is back. He was seriously injured." Luo Jingwei came in?No wonder Wu Wanling gave orders so effectively.In Jin Qianshi's words, there was a sense of admiration amidst gloating.All the armies originally looked down on the other army. On the surface, no one dared to look down on the Chinese army, but they were called "Young Master Soldiers" behind their backs.The commanding generals of the left and right armies are equally famous, and they all consider themselves to be the strongest soldiers in this battle.After Lu Jingyu left, Zuo Jun lost all confidence.But the You Army also felt a sense of loss after Shen Xiping's death, especially this Shen Xiping's direct descendant, the Dragon Scale Army, really felt like a bereaved dog.But they still look down on the rear army, thinking that the rear army is at most a supplementary army. When Marquis Wu left his army, he dispatched troops to the left and right armies, but he couldn't find any strong soldiers, so he managed to recruit some decent people to form the rear army.Many people have this view, and the frivolous people still call Luo Jingwei "Luo Jingwei" behind their backs, saying that the rear army is the last in everything.Now the rear army's hard work has made even the most conceited Longlin army a little bit admirable. Luo Jingwei's stretcher was carried to the top of the city.I walked over, handed the umbrella to the stretcher bearer, knelt in front of the stretcher and said, "General Luo, the leader of the Dragon Scale Army, Chu Xiuhong, came late to help the battle, and death penalty." Luo Jingwei lifted himself up on the stretcher and said, "General Chu, please get up. Jingwei's defeat made General Chu's teeth cold." His words were full of desolation. I can't say anything.Luo Jingwei was originally a brave general in the same group as Lu Jingyu and Shen Xiping. He also made great contributions to the suppression of the Hanluo Pirates, but he has not been able to be knighted.This time to suppress the rebellion, he also commanded the rear army, and generally only did some things to clean up the battlefield, but he still couldn't do much.In Luo Jingwei's heart, there must be a sense of grievance, especially when Shen Xiping died in battle and Lu Jingyu ran away, which made him feel that he might not be able to stand out.But it was a real battle, but it made his ambition disappear. I said, "General Luo, take good care of your wounds, don't think too much about it." Luo Jingwei said on the stretcher: "Hu Zhongjun." A Chinese military officer next to him knelt down and said, "Hu Shi'an is here." Luo Jingwei said: "Hu Zhongjun, you assist General Chu and must guard the north gate." Hu Shi'an said: "Obey." Just as he finished speaking, there was another sound outside the door.Just now it seemed that it was still two miles away, but this time the noise was less than one mile away. That is Lu Gongxing is fighting and retreating.With a widow of less than 2,000, Lu Gongxing is enough to be called a famous general to block the snake alone, even with the help of gunpowder.I can't help but envy Lu Gongxing. With Zhang Longyou in the Wuhou shogunate, of course he can make more contributions. At this time, there was a sound outside the door, looking as far as the eye could see, half a mile outside the north gate was crowded with people, and an army horse in front was retreating rapidly. In the heavy rain, the sound of horseshoes still sounded like an agitated drumbeat, which could not stop ringing.Listening to that sound, every time I get closer, my heart feels heavier. Lu Gongxing's vanguard battalion has also added some personnel. After this battle, it is unknown how much will be lost. Although I am no longer a member of the Vanguard Battalion, I am still very concerned about this unit in my heart. At this time, the retreating vanguard battalion was approaching.Looking over, their battle armor was soaked by the rain and glistened. How could they still use gunpowder in such heavy rain?I couldn't help being a little surprised, and said: I don't have time to think about it now, a knight rushed to the front and shouted: "Be careful, the snake man is chasing you." That was Xing Tiefeng, the centurion of the 16th Battalion of the Qianfeng Battalion.He is the son of Qing Kuan Bo Xing Li, Xing Li was originally a civil servant, and the official worshiped the Minister of the Household Department. Xing Tiefeng was his third son, but he was fond of martial arts since he was a child.He is also a member of Pu Anli's party, and I don't get along well with him at first, but when I saw him at this time, I only felt a burst of joy. Jin Qianshi had already reached the side of the suspension bridge, and just waited for the Qianfeng battalion to enter the city before pulling up the suspension bridge. The vanguard battalion rushed into the city like the wind.What makes me a little relieved is that it seems that the forward battalion has not lost many people.They were only twenty or thirty feet away when a group of snake men followed.I couldn't see clearly in the night rain, but I felt that this group of snake people was orderly, faintly different from the previous snake people. It was the first time for the snake man to attack at night.From the perspective of snake people at night, they are a hundred times more dangerous than during the day. As soon as the Qianfeng Battalion entered the city, I raised my hand, and Jin Qianshi and a few soldiers pulled the suspension bridge desperately. The suspension bridge was only half pulled, and the vanguard of the Snakeman had arrived.The group of snake men lined up in a square formation, and the first row had reached the moat. A snake man had a long body, and his upper body was already on the suspension bridge.Holding a short knife in its hand, it pierced into the wooden plank of the suspension bridge, its lower body shrank, and its body was already lying on the suspension bridge.The weight on the top of the suspension bridge increased so much, and the speed of pulling it up slowed down. It would be difficult to let it cut the ropes of the suspension bridge.Just as I was about to shout, an arrow flew out from the Dragon Scale Army, aiming at the snake man. This arrow is like lightning, even if I shoot it with Sun Bow, it is nothing more than that.I couldn't help being surprised that there are such talents in the Dragon Scale Army! Before I can marvel, the arrow has arrived.The snake man was staggering on the deck of the suspension bridge, about to straighten up, the arrow had already reached it.It moved extremely fast, the knife flattened a block, and with a "dang", the arrow actually pierced the blade, and the white arrow feathers were still trembling. Before the snake man could make any further moves, another arrow had already arrived.This arrow almost followed the previous one, the snake man was already unable to stand firmly on the suspension bridge, how could he stop it, the arrow hit his head, his body fell back and fell off the suspension bridge.Taking advantage of the lightness of the suspension bridge, Jin Qianshi has vigorously shaken the pulley to pull up the suspension bridge. The snake people outside the city have settled down.Looking down from the top of the city, there is a mass of darkness, but I don't know how many there are.De Yang said that there are tens of thousands, which seems to be no exaggeration. It seems that there are at least twenty to thirty thousand. In the past, there were only five or six thousand snake men attacking the south gate.Marquis Wu has 50,000 people guarding the south gate, and now there are only less than 20,000 left at the north gate. The number of people who can really fight is probably less than half of this number. Can they still hold it? I also have fear in my heart. At this time, Lu Gongxing said, "General Chu! General Chu!" When I looked back, Lu Gongxing had already brought Qianfengying to the city.I saluted and said, "General Lu." He looked at me and said, "This time the snake man is very different from before, so be careful." He only said this sentence, and then ignored me, and he has already assigned forward battalions on the top of the city.The Vanguard Battalion now has 1,700 or 800 people, and he has been much more effective in reorganizing this army than I have been.I don't know what he meant, but the Dragon Scale Army was placed between the fourth battalion and the fifth battalion.Maybe, let Qi Lie and I take better care of each other. After setting up the defense at the top of the city, Qi Lie came over and bowed to me, saying: "General Chu." He was promoted to be a centurion, and he matured a lot.I smiled and said, "Be careful." He said: "General, you have to be careful." He said a word and turned away.For some reason, I always feel that there is something in his words. Could it be that there is anyone in the vanguard battalion who wants to harm me?I glanced around, and the people in the Vanguard Battalion were all focused on the city.The section of the city gate is guarded by the Qianfeng Battalion and the Dragon Scale Army, and the rear army brought back by Luo Jingwei is also determined, and Hu Shi'an is patrolling around to cheer. That's why I'm suspicious.I shook my head, the snake people had gathered under the city, and it was dark. The biggest difference between this group of snake people and the previous ones is that they are strictly disciplined.In the past, the snake people fought on their own. In field battles, this kind of warfare was like a storm, unstoppable, but they restrained each other when they attacked the city. But these snake people in front of them are like a well-trained and strong army. I don't know how strong it is? The rain fell, and my hair was wet, and the rain was all over my face.I stroked it and said, "General Jin." Jin Qianshi came over and said, "Commander, what's the matter?" I said, "Who was that person who shot the arrow just now? Please come here." Jin Qianshi said: "His name is Jiang Zaixuan, he is the number one archer in the Dragon Scale Army, probably the number one in the entire army." First in the army?I couldn't help laughing a little.They don't know Tan Qing, Tan Qing definitely has his archery skills, and Tan Qing told me that he once competed with a junior officer under Marquis Wen in the army, shooting a target from five hundred paces away, he Generally, one hundred arrows hit eighty-five or sixty hits, but that man was able to hit at least ninety-odd.That kind of arrow technique can almost be called "a hundred shots and a hundred hits".Perhaps, although the Dragon Scale Army cannot be said to be the strongest soldier, it can be said to be the most conceited.I didn't say anything, and said, "Invite him to come." Jin Qianshi said loudly: "Jiang Zaixuan, Jiang Zaixuan!" A young man of short stature came over, knelt down in front of me and said, "Jiang Zaixuan kowtows to the commander." I said, "General Jiang, please get up." With only my right hand to move, I stretched out a hand to support him.This Jiang Zaixuan was only in his early twenties, and although he was not tall, he was very strong.On his back he carried a short bow, only a cubit long. Can such a short bow shoot such a powerful arrow?I used to use the sun-penetrating bow myself. Tan Qing once told me that if the bow is too strong, it will be extremely difficult to grasp the head. If the force is not proper, it will not be as powerful as a soft bow.But I'm used to that kind of hard bow, and it's really hard for me to make any progress in archery. I know that I won't be able to appreciate the magnificence of this kind of archery.This Jiang Zaixuan might be as capable as Tan Qing. People do their best.Almost all the military instructors in the military academy, including Lu Jingyu, who also taught me, said so, this is also the true meaning of the way of generals. I said: "General Jiang, your archery skills are very strong, is there anyone in the Dragonscale Army who can stand shoulder to shoulder with you?" Jiang Zaixuan said, "There are five or six." I said: "Gather them in one place and guard behind them. If the snake men attack the city, you can suppress them with arrows." Jiang Zaixuan raised his head, with a look of excitement on his face, and said, "Commander, Zaixuan is willing to fight to the death." I smiled and said: "If you can not die, it is better not to die." The Dragon Scale Army is used to charging. In the past, a sharp archer like him naturally couldn't show his strengths in the charge, so the Dragon Scale Army has such a good archer, but he also succumbs to the ranks and can only be an ordinary soldier. .I watched him lead six people up the archery tower, and I felt sad for a while. Soldiers like us, what else can we do besides killing people? At this time, the snake man under the city let out a loud roar.Snakes don't seem to know how to scream, but these snake people roar very loudly, although they are not as loud as Thunder Drum, they are much louder than me. The snake man is about to attack. I shouted: "Everyone be careful, don't let the snake man climb the top of the wall!" The rear army hadn't formally fought the Snake Man yet, and the defeated soldiers who had retreated into the city were already disorganized.If it wasn't for the vanguard and Longlin armies to bear the brunt, I'm afraid that the entire rear army would collapse immediately, and that Hu Shi'an couldn't restrain them at all. The soldiers of the Dragon Scale Army were already lining up beside the city wall, and I also walked to the side, staring down. The snakemen below the city were lined up neatly, with the first row holding large shields.Their shields are not the kind of wooden planks that the Shandu at the South Gate used to attack the city, but real shields, each of which is almost twice the size of what we usually use. The snakemen in the first row are hiding behind the shields tightly. Yes, there is no weather, and we can't even try to shoot them with arrows.It would be hard for them to resist if they proceeded at every step like this. On my right is the fifth striker battalion under Qi Lie's command.There are now more than 70 people in the fifth battalion. Qi Lie is standing on the far left of the fifth battalion, only one step away from me.When he was my guard in the past, he was still like a big boy, but now he looks like a general, and his face is actually quite calm.I said cautiously: "Xiao Lie, are you sure?" Qi Lie turned his head, smiled and said: "General, don't worry, we have the fire bomb made by Mr. Zhang, I'm afraid he won't attack." Thunderbolt?I immediately thought of the gunpowder made by Zhang Longyou.Probably a weapon made of gunpowder? At this time, the first group of snake men suddenly spread out, and a group of snake men rushed in from behind, pushing a very long cart.The cars were really just small carts with a long plank resting on them. What to do then? It immediately occurred to me that it was a bridge car! There are also bridge-building vehicles in the imperial army. They are used when crossing rivers and ditches. However, the bridge-building vehicles of the imperial army are somewhat different from this. , I'm afraid it will take dozens of people to push one car, although the snake man is powerful, it takes more than a dozen people to push it at the same time. As soon as the row of bridge-building vehicles reached the moat, Lu Gongxing yelled: "The whole army shoots arrows!" On the top of the city, arrows fell like rain.Although arrows seldom kill a snake man with one arrow, the snake man dare not be slow.Fortunately, the snake man seems not to be able to shoot arrows by nature, and it is still difficult to resist archery. The group of snake people holding shields closed like two doors, protecting the snake people pushing the cart.Their movements are uniform, like well-trained soldiers.Although the arrows rained down like a hedgehog on the shield, very few of them could hit the snakemen through the gap.The soldiers of the Dragon Scale Army couldn't help being a little impatient. I looked at Lu Gongxing who was standing on a high place, and he glanced down, his expression as usual. There must be countermeasures, otherwise Marquis Wu would not have sent only two thousand people from our two armies to aid Beimen.It has only been a few days since I left the Qianfeng camp. In the past few days, Zhang Longyou may have made a lot of new weapons, and the "fire bomb" mentioned by Qi Lie may not be one of them. The bridge-building vehicle pushed to the side of the moat, and the group of snake men pushed it violently.Their bridging cart is actually a long wooden plank resting on two small carts. With such a push, the cart in front is suspended above the moat. It's like a lever.That piece of wood was half a foot thick and two feet wide, with a groove carved on it, and I don't know what it was used for.With such a weight, the weight of more than a dozen snake men in the back will definitely not be able to hold it down. There must be something heavy in the back.It's just that this kind of design is quite exquisite, and I really can't believe that such a cannibal like a snake man can come up with such a device. At this time, I remembered the pulley I saw on the top of the flagpole at that time.The pulley is also very exquisitely made, which is not made by ordinary people. Which side does the snake man belong to?If someone is behind them, who is that person?Moreover, the snake people's reinforcements are getting stronger and stronger. If only the snake people are relied on, I don't believe there will be such a big difference in the short term. Could it be that the Shandu army is just the vanguard of the snake people to explore the way?However, when Shandu's army came, it was extremely powerful. If one hundred thousand people were only the vanguard, how many follow-up troops should there be?And when Shandu attacked, it sent only five or six thousand troops, and I don't know how to explain it. The Snake Man has placed two planks on the moat.At this time, suddenly there was a burst of shouts from the snake formation, a large flag was unfurled, and another car slowly approached behind. I don't know which sharp-eyed person exclaimed: "Siege engine!" Sure enough, it was a huge siege vehicle.The shape of this siege engine is exactly the same as that of the imperial army. They both use a huge log to mount a giant wheel, and the head is sharpened and then covered with iron.However, this siege vehicle is one-third larger than the largest siege vehicle "Invincible" of the Imperial Army. It takes two to three hundred people to push the "Invincible". Although the snakemen are stronger than humans, the side of this siege vehicle is also densely packed with snakemen pushing the cart. With such a huge siege engine, I'm afraid it doesn't take two or three blows to smash open the city gate, even hitting the city wall is enough.The snakeman drove the bridge-building vehicle first, no wonder there were concave rails on the plank, it was for the siege vehicle.Almost everyone was also chilled for a while, I looked at Lu Gongxing, and he was also a little stunned. In the past, the snake people only relied on strong attacks to attack the city, and the imperial army could not match them alone, but as long as there are many people, it is not too difficult to defend.But this time, the Snakeman was well-disciplined, with neat armor, complete with siege equipment, and well-organized siege techniques, even the strongest troops of the Imperial Army.In the beginning, although we were all a little worried, because we have defended so many snakeman attacks, we will not be too scared.But at this time, no matter who it is, their confidence is already shaky. It was so astonishing, the top of the city almost became dead silent all of a sudden. At this time, two pipa sounds of "clank" suddenly sounded from the top of the city.Then, a series of tunes.In the heavy rain, this voice came out surprisingly clearly, as if it was ringing in my ears. As if a basin of cold water poured over my head, I could only feel clear, and I could hear Lu Gongxing shouting loudly: "Who is going to blow up that snake-man bridge?" The sound of the pipa has become more and more urgent, but every note is not chaotic at all. It sounds like thousands of iron hooves galloping in the ear, but you can distinguish the sound of each hoof hitting the ground. At this time, Lu Gongxing had completely recovered the calmness just now, and his command was determined.At this time, an old man's high-pitched singing voice suddenly sounded from the sound of the pipa: "The pride soars to the sky, look up, How vast are the mountains and rivers, good man, Don't be afraid of being buried in Qingshan. " The song was sad and passionate. Although the old man's voice was old, it seemed to have great power, which made everyone's blood boil. In the midst of this song, a man shouted: "Whoever dares to fight, come with me!" Following the shout, a man hung down a rope from the top of the city and shouted: "Whoever dares, come quickly!" It was Lao Guoji! The soldiers of the Thirteenth Battalion under him were originally guarding the main city gate, and now they followed him and rushed down the city.His battalion originally had a lot of downsizing. Although there are supplements, there are only about 50 people now.These fifty or so people can all be regarded as the elites of the Chinese army, and all of them are very skilled.At this time, it can be said that there is no return to the city, but they all rushed to the side of the moat without hesitation. At this time, the siege vehicle was almost on the other side of the moat. Suddenly, more than a dozen of the snake men on the other side of the river jumped into the water and swam over.Snake people were born to be able to swim. Once they entered the water, Jiang Zaixuan and the others who were guarding the archery tower had already fired arrows without waiting for my order.Shooting arrows on the archery towers was supposed to be condescending, and they were all skilled archers. When they shot down from a row of archery towers, half of the dozen or so snake men were shot dead immediately.At this moment, Lao Guoji had already rushed to the two wooden boards. They wanted to move the wooden boards, but the two wooden boards were too thick and they couldn't move at all.Lao Guoji yelled: "Use fire and thunder!" I can finally see Firebolt! Lao Guoji and several soldiers around him took out a small jar the size of a fist from their arms at the same time, and took out a fire sickle to strike.However, the rain was so heavy that they couldn't hit it no matter how hard they knocked, Lu Gongxing shouted from the top of the wall: "General Lao, you put the fire bombs on the wooden board!" Lao Guoji still wanted to try to hit the scythe, at this moment, Qi Lie shouted: "General Lao, be careful! The siege engine is coming!" The front wheels of the huge siege vehicle had rolled onto the wooden guide rails, and many snake men were pushing forward desperately. On the top of the city, arrows were raining down, and the snake men with shields on the side were tightly protecting them. There was an arrow shot through the gap, but those snake men went on and on, regardless of the casualties. When the siege engine pressed against the plank, the two planks vibrated and rattled at the same time.Because of the rain, the car, although heavy, was being pushed faster and faster.Lao Guoji shouted: "Quickly, put the fire bomb on it first!" He rushed onto the plank, completely ignoring the approaching siege engine.Another soldier got on the other block, and the soldiers on the shore threw the mine bombs into their hands. Lao Guoji quickly placed the mine bombs in the concave rail above, and sometimes one of them accidentally fell into the water, He doesn't care. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen fire bombs were piled up on each board. The name is extremely majestic, but the Huo Lei Bomb is placed on the wooden board, which looks like two piles of small wine cans. Zhang Longyou probably modified it with small wine cans.For some reason, I wanted to laugh a little. At this time, Lao Guoji had jumped back to the shore, and he took out another fire bomb and hit it desperately. However, there was no shelter under the city, and he couldn't hit it at all.A few fire bombs were thrown from the top of the wall, but even though the board was two feet wide, it was not easy to hit it exactly.A few hit, but didn't explode, and most fell directly into the water without making a sound. Lu Gongxing shouted from the top of the wall: "Don't waste fire bombs, hurry up, shoot with rockets!" He has set an arrowhead bound with a pine arrow to the string.Those pines were burning, he drew his bow and shot down with one arrow. The arrow was unbiased and hit the pile of fire and mine bombs.But the rain was too heavy, and the flame was extinguished at once. The soldiers on the top of the city woke up like a dream, and they tied their arrows to pine lights one after another and shot them down.There are a lot of fires on the top of the city. It is known that snake people are afraid of fire, so there are torches everywhere on the top of the city.But the rain was too heavy, although many of those arrows hit the board, they were extinguished immediately. I still have a bandage in one hand, so I can't shoot an arrow.The siege engine had already arrived at the pile of fire bombs, and seeing that the giant wheel was about to run over those fire bombs, Lao Guoji shouted: "City, give me a torch!" Someone at the top of the city threw down a torch.These torches were inserted everywhere on the top of the city after they knew that the snake people were afraid of fire.Lao Guoji received it in his hand and shouted, "Who still has fire bombs?" A soldier next to him handed it over to him, and Lao Guoji took it. He jumped on the board and rushed under the wheel. He is going to sacrifice his life to blow up that plank! On the top of the city, almost everyone was stunned.Lao Guoji simply didn't take his own life seriously, he didn't care that the siege vehicle was coming over with overwhelming momentum, he ignited the fire bomb on the wooden board, and threw it at the pile of fire bombs . He was only one or two steps away from the wheel. If he failed to detonate, Lao Guoji would no longer be able to jump away, and he must have been crushed in half by the wheel from the middle of his body.Although soldiers should regard death as home, I am afraid that no one will have the courage to die like this. At this time, the wheel had already run over those fire bombs, and I could already hear the sound of the jar breaking.Almost at the same time, there was a loud noise under the wheel, and almost the city wall shook. With a "boom", a thick smoke rose from below, the board on the left broke in two, and the huge siege vehicle tilted. , fell down at once, straddling the moat, and made a loud noise of landslides and ground cracks. This time, no matter how powerful those snake men are, they probably won't be able to push the siege engine anymore. As soon as the siege vehicle fell, cheers erupted from the walls, and a roar from the Snakeman army also rang out.The team of snake men with shields climbed onto the siege engine that had fallen on the river, using it as a bridge, and rushed over.On the watchtower, feathered arrows flew down from time to time, and those snake men held their shields and rushed forward desperately. Lu Gongxing shouted: "Quick! Pull General Lao up quickly!" He had already rushed to the edge of the city, reaching out to grab the hanging rope.Only then did I see that Lao Guoji had collapsed to the side, covered in blood. Is he injured? I don't know how powerful the fire and thunder bomb is, but the sound is quite powerful.I also ran to the city wall and pulled the rope with one hand.Dozens of people in the lower city were grabbing ropes and trying their best to climb up. If it is under the city, no one will say that they can be the opponent of the snake man.Fortunately, the snake man could not climb fast on the siege vehicle, and the arrows flying down from the watchtower also prevented them from going slower. After sending all the 13th Battalions of the Forwarders who were going down to the city to the city, Lu Gongxing said, "Hurry up and send General Lao to the medical camp for treatment. The others will prepare fire and bombs, and the snake man cannot be allowed to climb the city wall." But those snakemen did not attack again. The snakemen who had already climbed on the siege vehicle saw that the imperial army coming down from the city had entered the city again, and quickly retreated with a loud gong in the snakeman camp. Advancing and retreating properly, this team of snake people is really like a well-trained strong army. I looked at Lu Gongxing, he had a worried look on his face.Maybe he was thinking about it too.When the first snake man appeared in the city, he had this kind of worry, but it's a pity that Marquis Wu didn't take it seriously at all.Now that I think about it, those snakes must have been a rebuke, and they would notify us as soon as we breached the city, so those snakes attacked at this time. If he had prepared in time at that time, or retreated in time when the snake man first attacked, he wouldn't have fallen into this situation. Seeing the snake man retreating, the rear soldiers at the top of the city cheered.They have never experienced the attack power of the snake people, and we had almost no casualties when defending the city, so they thought we had won.However, they never thought that if Lu Gongxing's vanguard battalion had no fire and bombs this time, the city would definitely not be able to defend. Snake people seem to be much smarter. At this time, Hu Shi'an came over happily and said: "Two generals, General Luo invites you to go over." His face was also filled with uncontrollable joy. Lu Gongxing glanced at me and said, "Okay, we'll go right away. General Chu, let's go." His gaze was a bit strange, but I didn't care about it, and said, "Please, General Lu." Luo Jingwei's stretcher is in an arrow tower.As soon as we got in front of him, we knelt down and said, "The last general kowtowed to General Luo." Luo Jingwei tried his best to half sit up, and said: "Two generals, please stand up." It was very difficult for him to speak, and his face was flushed with such a movement.We stood up, and Luo Jingwei said: "General Lu, General Chu, this defense of the city is all thanks to the strength of the two generals. Jingwei hereby pays tribute to the two generals." He bowed to us on the stretcher, we stood still, and bowed back to Luo Jingwei.However, Luo Jingwei's eyes were not as happy as Hu Shi'an's, and he was also a little worried. He may also know that defending the city like this is definitely not a long-term solution.In this battle, the two ten thousand commanders of the rear army were all killed, and at least five thousand troops were lost.What to do in the future, no one can say. It is a miracle that such a broken city can be defended to this day.If it wasn't for Marquis Wu, I think maybe the Snakeman's first attack would have been messed up, how could he survive?Luo Jingwei is also a famous general, he will not fail to understand this truth.可是如今有三门被围，东门也不知有无战事，冒然出去，说不定也会象这次北门撤军一样吃个大亏。而今已经失去了撤退的良机，我也不知道以后该如何是好。 路恭行道：“罗将军，我想问一下，你们是如何碰到蛇人进攻的？” 罗经纬刚想开口，便咳了两声，胡仕安一边道：“我们遵君侯将令在城外扎营，等候辎重营出城。辎重营正在出城时，斥堠兵来报，北边大路上突然开来一支大军，旗号不清。我们开始不曾想到会是蛇人，已下令严阵以待，哪知这支蛇人军来得极快，已成突击之势，虽然百般防御，仍是不敌。若非路将军及时来援，我们定要全军覆没。” 我们都有些心情沉重。蛇人的攻击力越来越强，而我们却士气渐渐低落。此消彼长下，只怕城破之日也不远矣。 我忽道：“罗将军，我想问你讨一个人。” 罗经纬道：“楚将军想要哪个？”他的话不免有点迟疑，我在这时来向他要人，不免有点挖人墙角的意思。 我道：“贵军五营小校吴万龄。” He breathed a sigh of relief.吴万龄只不过是个小校，大概他也不认识。听得我没向他要后军的中坚大将，自也没什么好紧张的。他道：“好吧，楚将军将他带走便是。” 辞别了罗经纬，回到城头，城头上还有些欢声笑语，但那都是后军的。他们认为自己是打了个胜仗，因为守城时没有伤亡。可是我不知道那些蛇人第二次攻击时会怎样。 回到自己的防区，正看见后军把那箭楼里的人赶下来。那些衣衫不整的城民一个个都面无人色，他们也不知道刚拣得的这条性命是不是还得丢在这儿，走得东倒西歪，一个后军士兵不耐烦，伸着枪柄要打，路恭行喝道：“住手！” 那个士兵看了看路恭行，有点惊慌地伸回枪柄。路恭行走过去，道：“刚才是哪位在弹琵琶？” 一个半老的女人看了看后面，叫道：“将爷，我们让那老头子不要弹的，可他不听。” 这时，一个老人正从箭楼里走出来，那女人道：“老穆，你真要害死我们了！” 路恭行喝道：“住嘴！”他快步走上前，道：“老人家，请走好。” 一个帝国军将领对共和军的城民如此客气，恐怕战争后从来没有过。那个女人有点目瞪口呆，不知道路恭行吃错了什么药。那老人看了看路恭行，叹道：“抱歉，我将愧对大公。我没想到你们这帮禽兽也会听得懂我们的葬歌。” 他的话里还是一股桀骜不驯的语气。没想到这老头子气那么大，而他唱的那歌是共和军的葬歌么？他的话一出口，边上的士兵一下将枪对准了他，只怕马上要捅他个对穿。 路恭行只是一笑，道：“老人家，帝国军和共和军，都只是人而已。来人，让他们从东门出去，每人发一块干粮，不得留难。” 他下完令，转身便走了。 我有点呆呆地。我只以为只有我才会那么婆婆妈妈的心肠发软，没想到这个铁石一般的路恭行，竟然也说出那种话来。如果帝国军和共和军都是人，那战争是谁对谁错？ 我有点苦恼地摇摇头。这时，金千石道：“统领，我们回去缴令吧？” 我道：“好吧。我去向路统领辞别。” 我走到他身后，小声叫了声：“路将军。” 他正看着在退下的前锋营，听到我的声音，转过头来道：“楚将军啊。” 我道：“我要回去缴令，告辞了。” 他点了点头，道：“是，我也得去了。”我正要走，他忽然道：“楚将军，这些日子你千万当心。” "what?" 我一时还没听懂他的意思，他已转回头，回到自己的营中点名去了。我拍了拍头，道：“金将军，我们也点名，回去缴令。” 这一趟在守城时主要是前锋营的功劳，但能让溃兵井井有条地入城，我们龙鳞军的功劳也不算小，没让蛇人抢夺吊桥，更是件大功。 金千石点了名，道：“禀统领，龙鳞军应到三百零六人，实到三百零五人，前哨士兵伍克清失踪。” 那个伍克清多半已战死了吧？每次总有一些人失踪，而过不了多久就会被发现已将腐烂的尸首。这一次只损折了一人，实在不算什么。可不管怎么说，有一个生命也就此结束了。 我不禁有些伤感。这时，耳边听得有人道：“禀楚将军，吴万龄前来报到。” 我抬起头，吴万龄正站在一边。我笑了笑，道：“吴将军，你来了？请入列吧。” 我们在退走时，罗经纬被抬着出来向我们致意，我们在上马时也都向他致了一礼。这个心高气傲的名将，这时变得象一个平常的老人一样萧然——尽管他年纪也不算很大。 回到西门，西门也是一派狼藉。还好，右军以前是沈西平统领，战斗力也够强的，来攻西门的蛇人虽然多，却不象攻北门的蛇人那样装备精良，与以前山都的差不多。右军经过一番死战，损兵两千，终于守住了城门，而且让来犯的蛇人也留上几百具尸首。柴胜相固然有点大言不惭，可他的战斗力倒也名下无虚。 我让金千石将龙鳞军安排好，自己去缴令。龙鳞军已重整了三个哨，吴万龄被我任命后左营哨官，去挑选人马入龙鳞军。龙鳞军哨官也相当于前锋营百夫长，比他原来的小校算高了一级，但这两军较为特殊，他算是一下子升了好几级了。 我打马去武侯的中军帐缴令。一路上，还能看到那些烧焦了的破房子。不知道白薇和紫蓼她们怎么样，东门尚无战报，大概她们能顺利到达五羊城吧，我也希望她们能安全抵达。 不知为什么，杀的人越多，我的心反而越软。父亲只是一个平凡的低级军官，他梦想着他的儿子能成为一个大将，因此我从小就被他送到军校去。如今，我也已经算是个中级军官了，勉强可以称得上“大将”，可是，在我心里，却更加地厌恶战争。 走了一程，我忽然听得边上有人低声道：“将军。” 那是祈烈的声音。我看了看边上，只见祈烈有点鬼鬼祟祟地钻出来，身后跟着几个什长，他们也正向我致意。我笑骂道：“小烈，你做什么？” 他却没有什么高兴的神色，道：“将军，你知道你营中有个伍克清么？” 我的心动了动。这名字正是金千石跟我说过的失踪的人，不然我还真不知道。我道：“他怎么了？” “他是武侯幕府的参军之一。” 他只说了一句话，便回到那些什长中去了。 武侯的参军？祈烈的这一句话却让我心中起了万丈波澜。武侯幕府中参军足有十几人，其中自然有高铁冲这等武侯视若股肱的一等谋士，也有刚被武侯青眼有加，名声大噪的张龙友，但不少人别人并不知道他们到底是什么人。可能入武侯幕府的都是有真才实学的人，不论名气大小。这伍克清投到龙鳞军中，那是什么意思？ 忽然，我的心象被针刺痛了一下。 武侯在怀疑我！ 那次劳国基所献的以风筝飞入蛇人营，再以火药包火攻之计，可说是万无一失，结果却是败得一塌糊涂。那时我也想过，可能是有内奸泄露了机密。可是军中有谁会向蛇人泄密呢？我实在想不通会有什么人投靠蛇人，这计策除了前锋营和中军的高级军官，谁也不知道。武侯一定也这么想，他那么急着要班师，准也有想逼着那内奸现身的用意。而我从蛇人营中全身而回，实在令人有点不可思议，偏偏那时我还老向人打听劳国基之策，准是有人向武侯报告过，也难怪武侯会怀疑我。 可是人算不如天算，以武侯之能，也万万没料到西、北两门也出现了蛇人。他这条计策，仍是失败告终。他让那伍克清投入龙鳞军，也正是要观察我的动态吧？怪不得路恭行也用那么怪异的语气对我说话，他一定也想提醒我。也怪不得，连火雷弹这等利器造出来我却连一点也不知道。 我有点兴味索然。身经百战，武侯仍要怀疑我。难道当一个名将，总是要疑神疑鬼么？ 我打着马，让马不紧不慢地走着。