Chapter 217 Attack on Xinghua City

"Lord Zuo Cheng, Taizhou has fallen this time, and Lord Zhao, who participates in political affairs, should bear the main responsibility." In the provincial government office, he said aggressively. He

Zhe Du sat in the front seat, looking a little ugly. He was so timid, which was simply hitting him in the face. After all, it was his idea to transfer the army from Taizhou.

He didn't expect that the mud legs in the salt farm had such a huge combat effectiveness that even Taizhou City was taken down. It was a strong city!

"Your Excellency, the anti-thieves are too cunning. As soon as the subordinates arrived in Taizhou, they didn't have time to lay out all kinds of city defense work. The elite troops were transferred by the timid general to attack the salt field, which was the trick of the anti-thieves." Zhao Lian said.

Xi Fuhua entered Yangzhou City with the remaining troops and immediately came to the provincial government. Taizhou City was lost. There was a saying that Zhao Lian's command was weak!

Zhao Lian had no choice but to hide this matter, so he had to come to the government office with timidity.

"Zhao Lian, tell me, what exactly is going on?" After all, Zhe Du protects his shortcomings. As long as he can find a reason, he will definitely make this big deal small and excuse Zhao Lian.

"Your Excellency, the timid general has left Taizhou with 10,000 elite soldiers, leaving only 10,000 guard troops in Taizhou, most of whom are in the camp, and there are not many soldiers left behind the wall. Because the city of Taizhou is strong, as long as the gate is closed and the suspension bridge is hoisted, nothing will be fine. But I didn't expect that before dawn the next day, the rebels in the salt field attacked.

"What siege weapons do they use?" Yan Zhe asked, after all, the anti-thieves have just started, how can they attack Taizhou? Even if the defenders are careless, can the anti-thieves fly?

"They directly blew up the gate. Before the soldiers guarding the city could react, the rebels rushed up and entered Taizhou City. I hurried to the camp. Unexpectedly, the anti-thieves acted very quickly. The camp had been taken away, so I had to follow the fleeing crowd out of Taizhou City.

"How many people are there?"

"At least more than 10,000." Zhao Lian said with certainty that the more you say, the better you can get rid of responsibility. I left Taizhou City and immediately rushed to find General Ji Fuhua, trying to take Taizhou City back while the rebels were not stable. However, I didn't expect..."

"You just want us to die!" Xiabu said angrily that although Zhao Lian's grade was higher than that of Xiabuhua, Xiabuhua was a Mongolian, so he did not save face for Zhao Lian at all: "Lord Zhao said that the rebels were easy to deal with. I was eager to take back Taizhou, so I immediately led my troops back. Unexpectedly, there was a trap! Nearly 40% of my 10,000 elite troops were killed or injured!"

"Zhao Lian, are you really so stupid?" Zhe asked. .

"Your excellency, you are wronged. This rebel is different from other rebels. Their weapons are so powerful!" Zhao Lian knew that this was related to his official career, and he must shift the responsibility cleanly: "This is not the fault of war, but the bandit gun is sharp!"

"The firearm is sharp?"

"Yes, my lord, the subordinate has investigated clearly that the firearm used by this rebel is called Tianque. It has a long range, fast rate of fire, and a high accuracy. Our cavalry troops can't rush over it at all. This time, if there were no firearms, the timid adult would have rushed in and recaptured Taizhou City. Isn't it? The timid general."

"Yes, that's it," he nodded and said, "I've been attacked by firearms since I left Taizhou City. According to my estimation, they can hit the target 300 steps away. We can't fight them at all. We can only be beaten and can't fight back. They also have a smoking stone, which will explode once it is thrown over, which is particularly powerful.

"The subordinate has investigated, and General Nassdin's whole army was destroyed, also because he encountered the other party's firearm. The fall of several salt fields is also subject to the other party's firearms. In addition to firearms, other soldiers also use a kind of stainless steel spear. Even in close combat, we can't take advantage of it. Zhao Lian said.

Xi Zhe was meditative. In this way, these anti-thieves are really difficult to deal with.

"What should we do?" Zhe asked. .

"Your Excellency, I think that we should not use force against the anti-thieves before the army in Haozhou comes back. Otherwise, even our Yangzhou may not be able to resist the sharp firearm!" Zhao Lian said.

I really want to scold Zhao Lian, grow the prestige of others, and destroy my ambition. However, to be fair, he was not absolutely sure that he could resist the sharp firearm. In the battle of the North Gate of Taizhou, before he approached the other party, there were already heavy casualties.

"No force? Did we let the rebels capture Taizhou? Then the court will be furious. Zhe Du said. .

"Your Excellency, if this rebel can be used by us, won't the problem be solved?" Zhao Lian said.

"What do you mean?"

"Your Excellency, let's recruit these rebels. They rebel. Don't they just want to get promoted and get rich? We can make them an official and give them some more money. We can calm down the turmoil without fighting.

"Anyone who dares to rebel against the court will be executed and slaughtered, otherwise, it will encourage the arrogance of the rebels!" Don't be afraid to object.

"Then please lead the troops to suppress the rebels!" Zhao Lian said. He couldn't help it. This timidity was even more arrogant, as if he didn't defeat the battle, but won the battle.

He blushed and wanted to argue with Zhao Lian, but he couldn't say it. He couldn't beat the rebels before he fled here.

" OK, then send an official document. Please ask Li Qi, the magistrate of Gaoyou, to recruit him." Zhe Du said. .

This disaster comes from Gaoyou Mansion. Naturally, Gaoyou Mansion will clean up this mess. I'm sorry that Li Qi dare not disobey.

"Write another memorial and ask the imperial court to seal Zhang Shicheng, the original Baiju Salt Farm, as the Yin of Taizhou. Should Zhang Shicheng be satisfied?"

"Your Excellency, Taizhou is so close to Yangzhou that I don't think it's appropriate."

"Is it wrong? What else can I do? Did you make him the Yin of Xinghua County? Do you think he will give up the Taizhou City that he has already got? Let him go for a while. If we surrender to the court, we will have more helpers. If we don't, we will wait for the army to come back, take back Taizhou City, and catch all these rebels!" Zhe Du said. .

"Your excellency is wise!" Zhao Lian quickly said that although he felt that this behavior was a problem for raising tigers, there was indeed no better way now, and it could only be recruitment.

A messenger with official documents quickly set out from the provincial government office and went straight to Gaoyou Mansion.

To the north of Taizhou is the new city, more than ten miles apart. When they learned that Taizhou was captured by rebels, the defenders of this small county ran clean on the same day.

Lv Zhen and Bian Yuanheng walked on the waterway, and Zhang Yang took the base camp on the land road. The troops of the three battalions were vast and marched towards Xinghua City together.

Xinghua and Baoying belong to Gaoyou Prefecture. Xinghua is in the east, and Baoying is in the north. Relying on several salt farms, Xinghua's official master can be more full of his own pockets than Baoying's.

However, at present, I'm afraid that no one is willing to be the county governor of Xinghua, including Lord Li Zheng.

Originally, life in Xinghua County was in order, but since Qiu Yi's death, everything has changed. After surviving the killing of Qiu Yi, he ushered in the robbery of the grain ship, survived the robbery of the grain ship, and broke his head in Furong Village. Then, it was Desheng Lake in his own territory, a killing port. Gaoyou's Daluhua China Su Lading hit the wall twice and even took his life. The uprising was like a broken bamboo. The three salt farms were captured, and the whole eastern part of Xinghua County became an area ruled by bandits. They drove away the big families and divided the fields for those mud legs. All this made Li Zheng very regret it very much. Now in Xinghua County, everyone knows that it is Zhang Shicheng, the Gangsi of Baiju Salt Farm, who has the final say. These things in the past. It's all made by Zhang Shicheng.

Li Zheng was very afraid. Now Xinghua County is like a crater, which will erupt at any time. Some landlords' whole family were killed by the rebels. He knew that one day it would be his turn. He wrote a request all day long and transferred himself from Xinghua County. However, Gaoyou Prefecture did not respond at all. The magistrate has long been dissatisfied with the mess of Xinghua. How could he let Li pass by? Li Zheng had to stay in the government office in fear. Every day when he slept, he had to press a knife under the pillow.

He wanted to leave, but he didn't dare to leave at all. At the most desperate time, he even thought about leaving Zhang Shicheng.

Like most cities in the south, Xinghua County also has several waterways. The city wall is not tall, and there is no moat. The waterway directly passes through the city. Many streets in the city are close to the river, and the boatman can directly transport the goods to the entrance of the street. On the river, there are many stone bridges.

Li Zheng doesn't dare to leave, but it doesn't mean that his men won't run away. Since the loss of the salt farm, many large households in Xinghua have gone. The soldiers guarding the city have also quietly deserted. To make matters worse, a few days ago, Daluhua Chihadan Battle was transferred to Gaoyoufu. Before he left, he took away more than 20 confidants here. In this way, there are only more than 200 soldiers left in the city! With such a guard force, it can be said that Xinghua City is not fortified at all. Li Zheng repeatedly applied for assistance, but to no avail. There were not many guards in Gaoyou Prefecture, and it was impossible to divide the troops to help Xinghua. Xinghua seemed to be an abandoned baby waiting for his fate in the cold winter.

The only thing that puzzled Li Zheng was that for so many days, the eastern part of Xinghua County has been very popular, but it has always been calm here. Did Zhang Shicheng let him go? Or is there another conspiracy?

After inspecting the city, Li Zheng returned to the house with his tired body.

"This is mine. You can't compete with me!"

"No, this was bought for me by the master!"

In the yard, two women smeared with powder were grabbing a string of beads and even fighting. A person's face had been scratched with a few blood stains.

" Stop it all!" Li Zheng shouted. He looked angrily at the two women in front of him, who were his two concubines.

"Wo!" The thread of the beads suddenly broke, and the beads fell to the ground.

"What are you doing?" Li Zheng looked at the thing that fell to the ground. It was a string of night pearls, which he bought from Hu Shang at a high price. Now, it has rolled everywhere.

"Sir, it's all her fault!" Their fingers are pointing at each other and blaming each other.

Now the situation outside is in a mess. When I get home, I am also uneasy. Li Zheng is very angry: "Housekeeper Ding, housekeeper Ding!" He shouted, "Shut them up!" He was really angry. Did these two unknowing concubines think that if they marry themselves, they can do whatever they want? Let's talk about it for a few days.

After shouting for a long time, Housekeeper Ding did not appear, but the two concubines looked at Li Zheng with a lot of sneer.

"Sir, don't shout. Housekeeper Ding ran away in the morning. Look, many subordinates in this house have also left. We are so kind to wait for the master to come back, help the master pack up, and wait for it to be more convenient when we escape..."

"Bang!" Li Zheng hit the concubine in the face with an ear scraper. Before he died, the two concubines began to want to share their family property? Butler Ding has been with him for more than 20 years. Unexpectedly, once there is danger, he still abandons himself without hesitation. Do you really want to scatter the macaques in the tree?

A nameless fire flashed in Li Zheng's eyes. He slowly pulled out his sword, and the dazzling sword light flashed out of the scabbard.

"Master! We dare not." The two concubines immediately knelt down and asked Li Zheng for mercy. They saw the murderous intention in Li Zheng's eyes.

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency!" Just then, a voice came in anxiously from outside.

"Capture Zhang, what's wrong?" Li Zheng turned around and saw Zhang, whom he trusted most. Now the situation is urgent, and most of the officers of the county government office have been sent to garrison the city.

"Your Excellency, put a few up from the outside, and there are thieves at the same time!" Zhang's words trembled.

"Dang!" Li Zheng put the sword back into the scabbard, leaving the two concubines who were already scared, and hurried to the head of the city with Zhang Catcher.

I pedaled on the south gate and looked from afar. There was a big word "Zhang" hanging on the boat on the river. The bow of the ship was full of soldiers, all holding spears with their hands. The girical momentum was so magnificent.

"Your Excellency, there are also anti-thief ships on Desheng Lake in the east, and anti-thieves cavalry in the north. At present, only the west side is safe. Why don't we retreat from the west!"

"Retreat?" Li Zheng stared at Zhang Catcher with sharp eyes. Zhang Catcher, who was usually more brave than others, said such words. It can be imagined that others were even more so.

However, you can't retreat. Gaoyoufu has given itself an order. The city is there, and the city is dead. Even if you escape to Gaoyou Mansion, you can't escape the punishment above.

It's better to die than to die openly. Li Zheng, who is usually afraid of death, suddenly has this kind of awareness.

"No, we should stick to the head of the city and pass the order. Those who dare to take a step back will be killed without mercy." Li Zheng said.

Zhang's head lowered his head: "Yes, my lord." However, no one can see his unwilling face clearly.

Now that the peak of anti-thieves outside is so prosperous, can this person guard this Xinghua City? He passed the order, just to increase unnecessary casualties.

"Brother, the third and fourth battalions have arrived at the designated place. Are we going to start attacking?" Shi Wenbing asked.

" OK, start attacking!" Zhang Yang rode on the horse and said to Shi Wenshan.

He was a little surprised. Originally, like the new city, the defenders had run out for a long time. Unexpectedly, Yin Lizheng in Xinghua County, although he was usually domineering and domineering, he could also adhere to the principles and stick to his post at the critical moment?

"Ban!" Another red flare rose into the sky. When Lv Zhen and Bian Yuanheng saw it, they immediately ordered to go ashore and complete the assembled troops to attack the head of the city!

The firemen of each battalion are covering behind. After several battles, they have become veterans, knowing how to cover alternately, how to break through the enemy's array quickly, and how to better protect themselves.

"Ban!" As soon as a garrison poked his head out, a blood hole appeared in his head and died.

The defenders exclaimed, how accurate it must be! They waited tremblingly for the uninvited guests, and they had no intention of fighting for a long time.

"Today, I guarded the city. After going back, everyone will be rewarded with five taels of silver!" Li Zheng shouted loudly. There must be a brave man under the reward. He can only rely on this way to consolidate his defense line.

The soldiers didn't react too much when they heard the news. They just stayed quietly and looked at Li Zheng as if they were looking at dementia. Five taels of silver? The 500 yuan rewarded the year before last has not been cashed. Besides, even if you can really get five taels of silver today, you will have to spend it.

Suddenly, Li Zheng felt a sharp pain from the back of his head. He didn't have time to react. It was dark in front of him and slowly fell to the ground.

"Quickly evacuate from the head of the city and get out of the city through the west gate." Zhang's head said.

"Yes." This time, the voice answered very simply. They had wanted to leave for a long time, but there was no chance. Now, the anti-thieves came to attack the city. After this round, it is unknown how many survived. They don't have much loyalty at all. Now when they see Zhang's head, who usually follows the county Yin, no one hesitates. , immediately run out to the west gate.

"Brother, the city is a little messy." Shi Wenbing said. The fourth and fifth teams of the base camp are charging, with the first team covering, and the second team as the reserve force.

"Yes, these soldiers defending the city looked good. Before they began to attack, they fell into chaos.

"The whole army charged and quickly stepped into Xinghua City!" Zhang Yang said that since the other party has been in a mess, of course, he should take advantage of this opportunity.

"Wen Bing, you lead the team to the west gate to destroy the escaped defenders." Zhang Yang said.

"Yes, big brother!" Shi Wenbing was excited, and he was finally able to show his skills again.

"Boom!" At this moment, the blaster had opened the gate, and the spear soldiers rushed in and immediately killed the head of the city.? What's going on? There is no one left in the city!

The spearmen looked at each other in front of each other and accumulated strength all over their bodies, but it turned out to be useless, which made them a little at a loss.

Get the order to escape, these veterans, all like oil on the soles of their feet, running fast, even unable to catch up with the horse, as if doing magic, brushing, the head of the city, there is no one!

"There's another one here!" A spearman said, and the others pointed along the tip of his spear. They only saw a man lying down next to the wall. From the sword hanging from his waist, he knew that this man should be an official.

Turning over the predecessor of this person and seeing the face clearly, they couldn't help but be happy: this person is Yin Lizheng of Xinghua County!

(to be continued)