The walls of Qianzhou City now look like countless ants are clinging to them.
The ants are trying hard to climb up, while the ants above are desperately attacking down.
Every moment, someone screamed and fell down the wooden ladder.
Every moment, someone is falling from the top of the city.
The general was shouting hysterically, and the soldiers opened their mouths. They didn't know what they wanted to shout, they just roared loudly.
Perhaps, this is their last voice in this world.
Blood was flowing down the city. A rebel leaning against the city touched his head, looked up, and shouted excitedly: "Damn, this is the river of blood!"
The rebels are crazy.
Further away, Wei Ming said calmly: "There are many foreign races in southern Xinjiang who don't have enough to eat. They can form a large army with just a call from the Duke. I only want Qianzhou."
With these words, the rebels attacked more and more fiercely.
Several cavalry came to the central army.
"The Duke's army will arrive soon."
Wei Ming's eyes turned red and he shouted: "The Duke will be here soon. Before the Duke arrives, if we can't break Qianzhou, I will kill you!"
The rebels roared and rushed towards the city, seeing breakthroughs being made in several places.
The defenders were fighting back, and a man who looked like a civil servant came up the opposite direction, brandishing a horizontal sword.
"Who is that person?" Wei Ming asked.
People around him said: "Zhang Yuan, the governor of Qianzhou."
"The Duke wants to take more prisoners. The higher the official position, the better. Capture him alive."
More than ten warriors went to the top of the city and surrounded Zhang Yuan.
"kill!"
Zhang Yuan's swordsmanship was good, but in the eyes of these tough soldiers, he was a bit immature.
After several encounters, the horizontal sword was chopped off, and then two warriors suppressed him.
"Hold Zhang Yuan."
The city is cheering.
The morale of the defenders dropped sharply and they retreated steadily.
Zhang Yuan, who was pinned down, struggled hard, but these warriors were stronger. He suddenly opened his mouth and bit hard.
"Well!"
A warrior who was holding him down was bitten in the throat and struggled wildly.
"Pull him away!"
After some pulling, Zhang Yuan did not let go.
"Let go and spare your life."
A fierce soldier said.
The red eyes stared at the warrior, with determination and ridicule in them.
Kill me!
The warrior raised his sword.
How many people are really not afraid of death?
It's okay to go away suddenly. How many people are not afraid of being slashed with a knife?
But those eyes were full of expectation.
Come!
Kill me!
puff!
With Wei Ming's orders, the warriors did not dare to kill Zhang Yuan and cut off his arm with a single blow.
Zhang Yuan opened his mouth, and the warrior on his body was pulled off. When he looked carefully, he saw that his throat had been bitten off. He was rolling his eyes at the moment, and he was dying at the sight.
"Hold Zhang Yuan."
The warriors reveled in the carnival.
Zhang Yuan stood up suddenly and stabbed the knife horizontally into his lower abdomen.
The credit they had gained was gone, and the soldiers were furious and cut Zhang Yuan's body into pieces with swords.
"Your Majesty!"
The defenders' eyes were splitting when they saw this scene.
No one retreated anymore, and the defenders rushed towards the rising rebels one after another.
They went on and on, treating death as if they were home.
When Shi Zhongtang's army arrived, on top of the city, the last defender raised his sword and roared.
"Qianzhou, still there!"
"Fire the arrow!"
A hail of arrows covered the sergeant.
"My lord, I am fortunate to have lived up to my command."
Wei Ming welcomed Shi Zhongtang.
"Good job."
Shi Zhongtang narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the generals.
A group of warriors who had just returned knelt down to salute, raised their heads, and their eyes were all red.
"My lord, massacre the city!" Wei Ming knew what these warriors wanted. "More than a thousand people were killed and injured. The warriors are all angry."
"After Qianzhou, Chang'an will definitely be shaken. Subsequently, Yuezhou, Anzhou, Jianzhou and other places will be shocked. The massacre of the city at this moment is to encourage them to resist."
Shi Zhongtang was a little annoyed, "My mind is full of thoughts of killing and looting. Is this an army? This is a horse thief."
Wei Ming and others knelt down to apologize.
Shi Zhongtang's face brightened a little, and he helped Wei Ming up, "I value you and want you to be the leader in the future. But Old Wei, we are conquering the world, not robbing it."
"Yes." Wei Ming lowered his head.
"The massacre of Huangzhou is a warning to the following counties and counties. If they surrender earlier, then everything will be fine. If they resist stubbornly, they will commit murder."
Shi Zhongtang watched the soldiers at the top of the city cut down the big flag and hoisted his own stone flag up. He smiled and said: "Shi Gongming is cautious, but greedy. Knowing that our side is unstoppable, he will definitely take action impatiently. Yan Dong
If they rebel, the defenders in Daizhou will not be able to reinforce Chang'an, which will help our army attack Guanzhong."
"The Duke is wise." Wei Ming's eyes were filled with admiration.
Inducing him with benefits, and even calling him brother-in-law with Shi Gongming, all this was just Shi Zhongtang's plan.
If Shi Gongming stood still or even sent troops to help the king, the subsequent rebel offensive would inevitably become more and more difficult.
As soon as Shi Gongming moved, the prefectures and counties east of Guanzhong were no longer able to reinforce Chang'an.
In this way, it is equivalent to Shi Zhongtang having an extra army out of thin air.
This is temple calculation.
There was a sudden uproar in the city, and then a column of smoke rose.
"What happened?" Shi Zhongtang said with a cold face.
"Go and ask." Wei Ming ordered.
More than ten people rode into the city and came back soon.
"My lord, they are massacring the city."
Shi Zhongtang said coldly: "My general's order is useless?"
"The Duke."
A general came to report, "The common people resisted, and the warriors were furious..."
This situation is not uncommon, but an army with strict military discipline will not be unable to control its emotions.
Two men came back and reported: "Two sergeants broke into people's homes. When they saw a beautiful woman, they killed her family and raped her. Then..."
This kind of thing only needs a beginning, and the follow-up will be uncontrollable.
Shi Zhongtang looked at the general and said, "Kill him."
"No!" The general wanted to get up.
As soon as the shout came out, the man beside Shi Zhongtang drew his sword and swung it with lightning speed, which made Wei Ming's heart tremble.
He Zun said softly: "My lord, it's still too late to stop you now."
Shi Zhongtang shook his head, "If I stop you now, the soldiers will definitely blame me."
Half a day later, the city was infested with ghosts, and Shi Zhongtang sent troops to expel the rebels who were eager to kill.
More than ten soldiers were tied and kneeling outside the city, and the few remaining people in the city were driven out.
Shi Zhongtang stood facing the city gate and sighed, "I raised the army just to protect the Qing Dynasty and bring peace to the Tang Dynasty. But these beasts are killing people. I..."
Plop!
Shi Zhongtang knelt down and lowered his head, "It's all my fault!"
The people quickly knelt down.
"Execution!" He Zun shouted.
Two sergeants with sticks stepped forward.
puff!
The stick hit Shi Zhongtang hard on his back.
Those people were panicked.
Shi Zhongtang's body trembled.
puff!
puff!
After twenty sticks were finished, Shi Zhongtang stood up tremblingly without anyone's support, pointed at the dozen people and said: "These are the leaders, kill them."
More than ten heads fell to the ground, and the eyes of the people were filled with gratitude.
"Thank you, Lord."
The look on He Zun's face when he looked at the survivors didn't look like they were fake.
Wei Ming chuckled behind him and said: "When the Duke was in the army, his subordinates were unruly and disobedient to him, a foreigner, so he found an excuse to make those who disobey him fall into the siege of the rebels, killing most of them. Afterwards, the Duke ordered himself to be punished with a stick... Those soldiers who were lucky enough to survive became devoted to him from then on."
This is a heroic approach.
He Zun frowned slightly. What he hoped more was that Shi Zhongtang could change his mentality to that of a king.
It’s not that the benevolent are invincible, but the methods must be upright.
He walked over and said softly: "My lord, from now on it is better to restrain the military discipline."
Shi Zhongtang said nonchalantly: "Don't worry."
He Zun thought: If you look at history, this kind of thing has never happened to any successful dynasty in the stage of conquering the country.
"Qingshi Banban!"
He Zun advised.
Shi Zhongtang's eyes became more gloomy, "Okay."
He Zun was very happy, "The Duke of our country has been following his advice like a stream of advice. Given time, we will surely be able to flourish again."
"Where is the Duke?"
A group of cavalry were anxiously looking for Shi Zhongtang.
"Call." Shi Zhongtang said.
A cavalryman was brought.
"My lord, there is news from Chang'an. At the end of the fourteenth year of the Qian Dynasty, Yang Xuan claimed to be filial to the emperor's youngest son and raised a flag in northern Xinjiang, calling for rebellion."
Shi Zhongtang: "..."
He Zun: "..."
For a long time, He Zun said in disbelief: "The youngest son who respects the emperor?"
Shi Zhongtang's eyes were bright, "Are you of the right age?"
"Back then, the child was sent away before he was poisoned to show his filial piety to the emperor. But now..."
He Zun looked up, with a look of horror in his eyes, "It's him!"
"Northern Xinjiang unified the northern land and gained momentum. Logically speaking, he should have rebelled, even in the name of Qingjun. But Yang Xuan never moved. At first, I thought he was afraid of Chang'an's reputation for righteousness. He does not dare to raise troops. At this moment, it seems that he is watching the chaos in the world with cold eyes."
"He was unwilling to stay in Chang'an to enjoy the glory and wealth, which shows that he had a big plan." He Zun said, "This man is the Duke's great enemy!"
"The youngest son who was filial to the emperor raised an army to fight against the rebellion, and his reputation for justice changed in an instant. What will the people of the world think of Li Mi? This will help us attack Guanzhong."
Shi Zhongtang saw an opportunity.
This is the result of looking at things from different perspectives.
Therefore, one is a hero and the other is a counselor.
He Zun said to Wei Ming: "The Duke of Guo really has outstanding vision!"
Shi Zhongtang walked slowly beside him, and Wei Ming's eyes became filled with eagerness, "This is the lord I am willing to assist!"
The army took a short rest and set off again.
Shi Zhongtang looked at the north and said faintly: "That is a powerful enemy."
He Zun said: "The Northern Xinjiang Army is quite powerful."
"Since the army was launched, the army under my command has been overwhelming and has no opponents. I feel lonely."
Shi Zhongtang's eyes were full of passion, "This world is not lively enough, and there are no opponents. In this way, even if I am in the ninth heaven, I will only be in the cold. Li Xuan? You came just in time!"
He galloped forward, and the rebels cheered.
"Wan Sheng!"
"Wan Sheng!"
Shi Zhongtang raised his hand in response, triggering even more enthusiastic cheers.
Looking at his heroic appearance, He Zun praised: "The Duke is so majestic and heroic, can Li Xuan be as good as him?"
…
Yuezhou.
Shi Zhongtang's envoy has arrived.
"Tell Lord Xiao that Huangzhou is stubbornly resisting and blood will flow into rivers. If Qianzhou does not surrender, all of them will be reduced to powder. What happens to Yuezhou depends on Lord Xiao's thoughts."
The words reached Xiao Bian, the governor of Yuezhou.
"Most of Shi Zhongtang's subordinates were from foreign races. They had no family and country in their eyes, only killing and looting. They massacred Huangzhou. After breaking Qianzhou, the general could not control himself and massacred Qianzhou. Envoy, I will cross the state... …”
In the lobby, the officials were chattering away.
Xiao Bian looked carefully and found that most of them showed timidity.
An official said: "Qianzhou Zhang Shijun died for his country, which can be a model for our generation."
Well!
Everyone was a little embarrassed and their eyes flickered.
Xiao Bian was pondering.
He has a bright future, and his father-in-law said that he can get him back to Chang'an in just half a year.
But the rebels are not far away, and they can't wait for half a year or half a month.
If he escapes, he will most likely be exiled when he returns, and life would be worse than death.
If we hold on, we can see how ferocious the rebels are in defeating four states.
Yuezhou can’t stop it!
What about surrender?
Judging from the current situation, the government soldiers everywhere are completely corrupted. Otherwise, how could the rebels progress so fast?
What if...the Tang Dynasty is gone?
Xiao Bian's heart jumped a few times.
He looked at the officials under his command and said slowly: "Listen to what the traitor's envoy said and just refute it."
The official said disappointedly: "The messenger should be executed!"
"What you said is that when two armies are fighting, they will not be killed until they are envoys."
Xiao Bian waved his hand.
Someone went.
Later, the messenger entered the city with a smile.
He looked ahead calmly. When he arrived outside the prefecture, the messenger said calmly: "Is there no one to greet you?"
Since the rebels started their troops, they have been in every possible direction, and the envoy's attitude has also become arrogant.
Just as the accompanying official was about to speak, a figure flashed from the side.
Then the sword flashed.
puff!
The sky was filled with blood, and the officials were sprayed all over their faces.
The messenger's head disappeared, and his headless body shook a few times before falling heavily in front of him.
"There's an assassin!"
A big man was surrounded.
He calmly abandoned the sword and said, "I, Yang Jin, come from Huangzhou."
The messenger was killed.
Xiao Bian's face was ashen. When the assassin came in, he shouted, "Kill."
Yang Lue said in a deep voice: "I came from Huangzhou. Without me, the city of Huangzhou would have been destroyed in half a day."
"Are you that Yang Jin?"
Huangzhou held on for a long time, and Xiao Bian said it was very impressive at the time. Later, the rebels offered a reward for the capture of a big man named Yang Jin, and the news came out.
"Is this the Battle of Huangzhou that you commanded?" Xiao Bian asked.
"It's me."
Yang Jin tapped his chin and chest, "I bring a letter from Lord Jin."
Someone took out the letter and handed it to Xiao Bian.
In the letter, the governor of Huangzhou highly praised Yang Jin's bravery and commanding ability, saying that he had the talent of a general.
The messenger was killed by him.
If you want to surrender again, it's too late.
He did it on purpose... Xiao Bian looked at Yang Lue with complicated eyes. Knowing that he had no way out, he stood up and smiled: "I was looking for a general to guard him, and the strong man came at the right time!"
Yang Lue killed the envoy just to delay the rebels and buy time for Li Xuan.
Xiao Bian made up his mind to resist, and his goal was achieved. He immediately saluted, "Dare you disobey me?"
A small official came in and said, "Your Majesty, there is news from Chang'an."
Could it be that the father-in-law is trying to get me back?
OK!
"Say!" Xiao Bian was in high spirits.
"In December of the 14th year of Daqian, Yang Ni claimed to be filial to the emperor's youngest son in northern Xinjiang, named him King of Qin, and claimed to fight against rebellion."