The brutal siege continued on the seventh day. Tuotuo attacked day and night for seven days. Zhang Shicheng led the Gaoyou soldiers and civilians to defend the city for seven days.
Under Gaoyou City, corpses piled up like mountains, and the strong smell was like the legendary Iron Tree Hell.
Looking at the top, half of the city tower has been destroyed by the return cannon, and the ruins are shocking and shocking.
A large number of wounded people had no time to carry them away, so they could only lean against the wall and moan helplessly.
For seven days, Zhang Shicheng slept for less than five hours in total. His eyes were red, his lips were blistered, his voice was hoarse, and his breath was full of foul odor.
Not to mention the majesty of His Highness Prince Cheng, even if it is inferior to that of an ordinary beggar... But he smiled, baring his yellow teeth.
"Brothers! Tuotuo didn't take down Gaoyou in one go! He can't beat him! We can't die!"
Zhang Shicheng yelled like a madman.
He does have reason to be happy. Gaoyou City is so big that even a million-strong army cannot rush to the city at once. Although the Yuan army is powerful, it has its limits.
After seven days of fierce fighting, the Yuan army also needed to rest and regain their strength.
It also gave Zhang Shicheng a good opportunity to restore his troops.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the battle in Gaoyou is about to enter a stalemate.
That's not to say that the battle won't be brutal. On the contrary, it will even be three points more brutal. It's just that there won't be a situation where you can go straight to the fortified city in one go.
Zhang Shicheng can take a good breath, but before taking a rest, he must find someone who can guard the city for him.
Of course there is nothing wrong with my brothers, but the two of them fought side by side with Zhang Shicheng and were more tired than Zhang Shicheng and needed more rest.
Zhang Shicheng looked around and picked out a person named Li Boxheng. He was one of the eighteen carrying poles who worked with Zhang Shicheng back then.
He is also an important cadre of Zhang Shicheng, but the two of them had a little friction not long ago.
"Lao Li, come here."
Zhang Shicheng pulled Li Boxheng and asked him to sit in front of him. Zhang Shicheng looked at him carefully, which made Li Boxheng feel uncomfortable.
"Your Highness, if you have any orders, I will die without mercy!"
Zhang Shicheng smiled and said, "Let me ask you something. I heard someone say that you said that Miss Xue Jiao is a fairy-like figure. Even if she can sleep for a night, she will also benefit from death. But is this true?"
When Li Boxheng heard this, he was scared to death!
He quickly waved his hands to deny it, sweating uncontrollably.
This Xuejiao girl was an oiran from Yangzhou, not only one of the best, but also one of the top three icons. Zhang Shicheng conquered the city, and Yangzhou also fell into his hands.
As a subordinate of Zhang Shicheng, Li Boxheng heard people talking about this Xuejiao girl, so he naturally wanted to get her hands on her, so he made such remarks.
But before he could make a move, Miss Xue Jiao was taken into the palace and was said to be Zhang Shicheng's concubine.
This is very reckless. Who would be a serious prince who would choose people from brothels? The Eight Beauties of Qinhuai, no matter how beautiful they are, are just playthings in the hands of literati. They cannot be promoted to the stage, nor can they enter the palace. As for the Ming Dynasty
When the spring breeze blows by the lake, it becomes even more of a pheasant's wishful thinking of turning into a phoenix.
However, Zhang Shicheng was a grass-headed king and didn't care about this at all. He took a girl named Xuejiao to the palace. Not long after, the Yuan army moved south, and Zhang Shicheng fell into an unprecedented crisis.
"Your Highness, I, I, I must not dare to have any wrong thoughts. Your Highness, please spare my life!" Li Boxheng lay on the ground and kowtowed.
With a smile on his face, Zhang Shicheng stretched out his hand to pull Li Boxheng up, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Old Li! What kind of friendship do we have? We are carrying a pole together to conquer the world. Apart from my chair, what do you want?"
Whatever happens, there will be whatever!”
Li Boxheng was panic-stricken and had no idea what Zhang Shicheng meant, so he could only keep accusing him.
At this time, Zhang Shicheng sighed heavily, and then said to the people around him: "Go, carry Xuejiao here, and send them to Lao Li's mansion. We will marry them and enter the bridal chamber tonight!"
Li Boxheng was stunned and his mind went blank for a moment.
What, His Highness wants to give Xuejiao to himself?
How is it possible? That is His Highness’s treasure!
Isn't it because the ear is broken?
And even if it is true, can I want it? Do I dare to want it?
Li Boxheng fell into an unprecedented tangle and panic...but Shi Naian next to him heard the clue.
What a powerful King Cheng.
This is a must-see meeting to imitate King Zhuang of Chu!
As a lord, he did not care about the fault of his generals for teasing his beloved concubine. A few years later, his generals risked their lives to save her.
If King Cheng is so magnanimous and bestows beauty, Li Boxheng will not fight to the death for King Cheng!
If this is the case, Gaoyou may still have a chance of survival!
Shi Naian greatly praised him, saying that he was so wise and magnanimous, and his future was indeed bright.
In the evening of that day, Zhang Shicheng personally escorted Li Boxheng into the bridal chamber and enjoyed the service of the top three beauties in Yangzhou. Li Boxheng felt that his life had not been in vain and it was finally worth it!
But he didn't dare to indulge in pleasure. At midnight, he climbed up with his waist in hand, put on his armor, and went to the city to guard.
When Zhang Shicheng in the palace heard that Li Bosheng was coming to the city, he finally smiled and fell on the bed, snoring like thunder!
With Li Boxheng desperately defending, and with the united efforts of Gaoyou's army and people, the Yuan soldiers' offensives were defused one after another. All the efforts to raise mountains of earth and dig tunnels were ineffective.
Tuotuo gathered his artillery twice to break down the city wall. Li Boxheng led the dead soldiers to rush out, destroying it twice and risking his life to save it.
Gaoyou survived for half a month.
Tuotuo was furious. Since Gaoyou could not be defeated for the time being, he would attack the city, cut off all peripheral connections, and surround Gaoyou City. Even if he was trapped, Zhang Shicheng would be trapped to death!
The troops of the Yuan army turned to the smaller city... At this moment, the city was also busy registering and recording everyone, in addition to the people in the city, especially foreign merchants and guests passing through the city.
It is necessary to register in detail and no one can be missed.
If anyone lies or detects anomalies, they must be dealt with seriously.
This trick was actually used by Zhang Ximeng when he was in Haozhou.
In the face of strong enemy pressure, if you want to defend the city, you must work together from top to bottom without any loopholes. Every person and every grain of food must be clearly understood.
Otherwise, once a traitor appears, it will be troublesome.
Geng Bingwen carefully inspected the young people gathered into the city and assigned them to hundreds of households to prevent them from getting together. In addition, he also issued an order requiring all residents in the city to be registered and all visitors from out of town to be registered. In short, no one could be spared.
This work may seem complicated, but it is actually not difficult.
After all, ** is just a small town with less than 20,000 people. The locals know everything about it, and the outsiders know exactly which inns they live in.
There is an old merchant shop, which is the largest inn in **.
In the east courtyard of the inn, there lived three masters and servants, a hostess, a maid, and an elderly coachman... They also suffered a sudden change and were trapped in the house, unable to get out.
At this time, a group of Zhu Jiajun found the yard, and the coachman blocked the door.
"Master Jun, it's a convenience. My master doesn't want to see anyone. Please keep it... and give the brothers a bag of tea to drink!" As he said that, he handed a gold ingot to the leader, the general flag.
But what surprised the coachman was that the soldier didn't accept it, but he didn't get angry either. He just said kindly: "Old man, don't misunderstand us. We are just registration personnel and have absolutely no other intentions. Don't take any chances. Please cooperate."
.”
The coachman frowned, "Brothers, can't you just be accommodating? Or is there not enough money?"
As he said that, he took out two more ingots.
The soldier didn't even look at it, and said coldly: "Gold has a price, but in troubled times, what does gold mean? This little thing is useless here! Old man, if you dare to bribe us again, be careful what I use.
You will be charged with bribery!"
The coachman was startled. Is it really strange? Bribery is considered a crime? Then he should kill the nine tribes along the way.
"Master Jun, it's really inconvenient for my master, so please be generous and give us a way to survive!"
"No!" the soldier said with a straight face: "If there is a loophole, there is danger. We can't make fun of the city defense master. Please cooperate! If not, we will have to arrest people!"
When things got to this point, the coachman had no choice.
He could only turn around and go back. Not long after, two women came out, a hostess and a little maid.
The woman was wearing a fox fur and a hat, so her appearance couldn't be clearly seen. She was just tall, light-footed, and graceful. Just looking at her figure, she was a stunning beauty.
The little maid next to her looks like she is only thirteen or fourteen years old. She has not yet grown up, but she is still a bit of a beauty.
The soldier glanced at them, blushed slightly, and asked quickly: "What are your names, where are you from, why are you here, where are you going, and what will you do..."
The soldier asked several questions in succession, and the coachman became more and more frightened and could only look at the hostess.
The woman was calmer than him, "My name is Zhou Huiniang. I am from Yangzhou. I originally wanted to go to Chuzhou... I am a performer. I have no other strengths except playing the pipa."
The soldier listened and wrote down in his notebook. When he heard that he could only play the pipa, he shook his head and muttered: "How come you can't even wash and rinse!"
The woman was slightly startled, but she still didn't say anything, just remained silent.
After the soldier finished recording, he added: "By the way, I saw you have a carriage?"
The woman nodded, "There is such a car. If the military master wants it, you can take it."
The soldier snorted, "Who do you think we are? King of the Mountain! Let me tell you, this is requisition. When the battle is over, we will return it. If it is damaged, we will compensate you in full."
As he said that, the soldier took out another note and wrote crookedly that he wanted to borrow a car and return it after the war. If there is any damage, he would pay compensation according to the market price...
After he finished writing, he handed it to the woman. The woman did not take it, but the coachman did.
"You wait here, I'll catch the carriage."
Soon the carriage came over, the soldiers took it, thanked them, and then turned and left.
Zhou Huiniang was holding the IOU in her hand and couldn't help but be fascinated.
"Uncle Jiang, you said we went to seek refuge with Master Wu, did you do the right thing?"
It turned out that the driver's name was Jiang San. He touched his forehead and sighed: "Girl, this Zhu Jiajun is really a bit unusual!"
Zhou Huiniang was originally a singer from Yangzhou, ranking higher than Xuejiao. Her appearance was first-rate, and she was even more amazing at playing music, chess, calligraphy and painting. She was good at all kinds of things. Even talented people and celebrities could not beat her.
However, with the rise of Zhang Shicheng, Yangzhou was no longer in Taiping... She inquired a lot and thought a lot, and later heard that there was a Wu squad leader in Chuzhou.
He himself is a great hero in heaven and earth. He often plays himself on the stage and is very popular. He invites famous actors from all over the world. When he goes to Chuzhou to act on stage, he can actually earn a military salary like a soldier without having to be bullied.
There won't be any mess.
Zhou Huiniang was tempted, and she also felt that she could not stay in Yangzhou, so she brought the coachman Jiang San and the little maid to Chuzhou. Unexpectedly, as soon as they arrived, war broke out.
What is the way forward?
What will happen to those old acquaintances in Yangzhou?
Zhou Huiniang felt sad and couldn't figure it out, so she couldn't help but take the pipa and continue to play... Until the evening, suddenly the registered general flag came back. He was much more polite than the first time and still held it in his hand.
With three wooden signs, I still saw the coachman Jiang San first.
"Old man, here are three brands. You can use them to get free food. Don't lose them."
Jiang San took it and quickly agreed.
The soldier paused and then whispered: "Is it your master who played the pipa just now?"
Jiang San immediately became alert, "Master Jun, do you have something going on?"
The soldier scratched his head, "No, it's nothing else. I just thought it would be nice if your mistress could play for the big guy. We used to watch Wu Datou's show, but now there are all Tatars outside.
I'm afraid no one will be able to perform. If it's inconvenient, it doesn't matter, I, I'll take my leave."
The soldiers left in a flash. Jiang San couldn't help but shake his head. What happened to this soldier? It was as if he was afraid of them...