"Li Cunhui, you are a thief!" Li Cunzhang gnashed his teeth and cursed at the top of Youzhou City.
"This thief..." Li Sien's tone was much more "gentle".
Li Cunhui persuaded him to surrender in Nancheng yesterday and went to Xicheng today. His throat was almost bursting with screams, which greatly shook the morale of the army. The west city wall of Youzhou was roughly located on the north-south line of Baiyun Temple and Xiaohong Temple in later Beijing.
The sergeants on the top of the city looked lazy. It's not that they were slacking off on purpose. In fact, if the Xia people attacked the city, they would still stop them. In the past few days, the Xia people had attacked the city many times.
But they were all driven off with all their strength.
The people of Youzhou are strong and the martial arts is strong, and the Tutuan countrymen and their like can make do with fighting in the field, let alone defending on the top of the city.
Their laziness is mainly reflected in their mentality, that is, they are unwilling to work hard for Li Keyong. They are still fighting now, mainly for the sake of money.
"Let's go." Li Cunzhang sighed and said, "The Xia people will not attack again today."
Li Si'en followed him silently, and they went downstairs together.
"Grandpa." As soon as Li Cunzhang came downstairs, he saw his son Li Yanqiu walking over, looking a little panicked.
"Why are you panicking?" Li Cunzhang asked angrily.
In his opinion, even if there is turmoil in the city, one should not be so panicked. That will only let people see the truth and make it more difficult to deal with. These thieves and warriors are very skilled. You must not show it in front of them.
Any weakness or hesitation.
"Some people are clamoring for a reward. They say that the Xia soldiers attacked last night because they fought bravely and drove the enemy down the city. They should be rewarded one more time." Li Yanqiu said.
"Absurd!" Li Cunzhang said angrily: "Less than ten days after the reward was issued, there is another trouble?"
Li Si'en was speechless when he heard this. He had never seen such a person with such insatiable desires.
"Where are your soldiers?" Li Cunzhang looked at his son and asked.
Li Cunzhang's personal soldiers totaled 500 people, and they had recently been handed over to his son to lead. They were his most trustworthy and trusted soldiers - most of the 500 soldiers came from the Shatuo Tribe and the Zhaowu Nine Surnames.
"Bing? They're at the back." Li Yanqiu didn't know why.
Li Cunzhang was very angry at his stupid son.
"We already have soldiers, why not hunt down and kill the rebels?" Li Cunzhang asked: "If we start now, we may only need to kill dozens of people. If we delay for a day, we will need to kill hundreds or thousands of people. If we delay for a few days, the entire army will rebel."
, do you dare to kill?"
Li Yanqiu's face turned pale instantly after being scolded like this.
"Incompetent!" Li Cunzhang pushed his son away, walked to the soldiers, and said, "Come on, follow me to see who has the courage to rebel."
The soldiers agreed with a bang.
"Why don't you come here and lead the way?" Li Cunzhang turned his head and cursed angrily.
"Oh!" Li Yanqiu trotted and quickly followed him.
Li Si'en did not follow him, but returned to the military camp.
Five hundred people walked along the side street in a mighty manner.
There were sergeants in twos and threes on the road, and they were astonished to see them. Then rumors started to spread quickly in the city - it was definitely not a good thing, especially at such a sensitive moment like this.
"That's it!" After walking for a while, Li Yanqiu stopped in front of a mansion and said.
"Huh?" Li Cunzhang looked up and confirmed again. Sure enough, it was Chen Mansion.
"Chen Mansion" is the residence of Chen Que, the former governor of Tanzhou. Chen Que was from Yan. After Li Luoluo became the envoy of Tanji Yingping Town, he also served as the governor of Tanzhou. Chen Que returned to Youzhou and became an idle official in the shogunate.
"It's right here." Seeing that his father didn't believe it, Li Yanqiu said anxiously: "The local braves who want to reward you are gathered in the Chen Mansion."
At this moment, the door of Chen's mansion opened. As soon as a few careless warriors went out, they were so frightened that they shrank back when they saw a large group of soldiers.
Li Cunzhang no longer hesitated and said: "Kill in and leave no one behind!"
Li Cunzhang knew very well that warriors have insatiable desires. At this time, if you give in and give in, you may be able to live in peace for a few days. But after a few days, when they see that you are easy to bully, they will definitely join forces again and clamor for rewards. You will never be able to satisfy them.
The only way is to use a sharp knife to cut through the mess before they can connect more people, and use thunderous and bloody methods to kill all those who dare to take the lead and scare those who are ready to make a move. Only in this way can stability be possible.
Live the situation.
Naturally, the people in the military capital only followed Li Cunzhang's orders, and had no sympathy for the Yan people. After receiving the order, they swarmed in, killing and beheading everyone they met, and screamed and cursed for a while.
Absolutely.
When Chen Que got the news in the backyard, he didn't even have time to grab a weapon and climbed over the wall to escape. However, before he could get over, he was shot down with an arrow.
"Li Cunzhang, why are you killing people indiscriminately?" Chen Que was hit by an arrow in his vest, and the corners of his mouth were covered with blood foam. He turned over with difficulty and asked him.
Li Cunzhang didn't talk to him at all, only waved his hand and said: "Hurry up!"
The soldiers stabbed him with their spears, and Chen Que screamed in pain. Before he died, he still stared angrily at Li Cunzhang.
"Take the head and declare to the whole army that anyone who makes trouble with pay will be killed without mercy!" Li Cunzhang ordered.
After saying that, he pulled his son Li Yanqiu over and said, "Check the Chen family's belongings and send them to the treasury. In a few days, my father will give rewards to the sergeants."
"Ah?" Li Yanqiu didn't understand.
He just started killing people because of the reward issue. Why will the reward be paid again in a few days?
Li Cunzhang didn't bother to explain to him, so he turned around and left.
******
The news that more than thirty people under Chen Que were killed for "making noise and causing trouble" quickly spread throughout the city.
Everyone was speechless looking at the bloody heads hanging everywhere on the street.
"Huh!" Zhang Dalang turned around with a frosty face and went back to the barracks.
"What exactly did Chen Que commit?"
"What else can happen? Fan Heigou from Youdu County took the lead in arguing for wages and approached Chen Que. Chen Que was so greedy for profit that he persuaded him and started to connect people."
"Isn't Fan's black dog too dark? Didn't the reward just come out a few days ago?"
"Hehe. Who made him lose all his money in gambling? He feels unhappy and wants to get some more."
"Grass!"
Everyone laughed and cursed together.
"Bang!" Zhang Dalang kicked over a matza.
"Zhang Dalang, what are you doing? Could it be that you also lost all your money in gambling?" Someone was startled, stood up and cursed.
"Hmph! I saw that you were about to die, but you didn't know it. I wanted to remind you with good intentions, but I didn't expect that your good intentions turned into a donkey's liver and lungs." Zhang Dalang sneered.
Everyone was speechless and looked at him in surprise.
"Don't you see?" Zhang Dalang continued to sneer: "Li Cunzhang doesn't want to pay the reward anymore, he has no money."
"How dare he!" someone said angrily, "If you don't pay the reward, just rush into his house and get it yourself."
"That's right! There are so many of us, why are we afraid of him being an outsider?"
"Why didn't he dare?" Zhang Dalang asked back: "Today, the father and his son brought five hundred Shatuo soldiers to kill Chen Que. Did anyone stand up to resist?"
Everyone was stunned by his question and didn't know how to answer for a while.
"What? Are you scared when you see these Jin soldiers with tall noses and deep eyes?" Zhang Dalang asked: "More than a hundred years ago, Jimen killed Hu, but tens of thousands of people were killed. How can it be said that only 500 people are killed?"
Li Cunzhang's five hundred soldiers are better said to be Sogdians than Shatuo people. Their appearance, with their high nose and deep eyes, is indeed very different from the Han people in the Central Plains - let alone Han people, they are also very different from many Hu people. .
In the past, An Lushan rebelled. His family was half Hu and half Han, and the number of Hu people was extremely prosperous. In addition to the Turks he directly controlled, his backing was also the Sogdians who were optimistic about and invested in him. At its peak, it was said that there were 500,000 people. He also provided "50,000 soldiers" during the Anlushan rebellion. At the same time, the Sogdian barbarians rebelled in Hexi and gathered 60,000 troops, which shows the prosperity of the household registration.
After Shi Siming killed An Qingxu, An Lushan's old base was under the control of Ashina Chengqing, and he competed with Shi Siming for Youzhou. Shi Siming relied on Han generals to stabilize his power, and Ashina Chengqing was forced to surrender.
But after Shi Siming was killed by Shi Chaoyi, the balance in Youzhou was broken, and civil strife finally broke out.
Ashina Chengqing and Kang Xiaozhong, who were left behind in Youzhou, summoned Turkic and Sogdian warriors to fight against the Han generals led by Gao Jiuren and Xin Wannian. The Turkic and Sogdian soldiers were numerous and well-equipped, but their combat effectiveness was weak. The Han generals won over the Han army. , and united with the Khitan, Goguryeo, and Mohe ethnic groups who had long been bullied by the "white people". Therefore, although their troops were small, their fighting power was strong. As a result, Ashina Chengqing was defeated, and "thousands of people died" and was forced to escape.
Gao Jingren ordered the massacre of those with "high noses, deep eyes, and thick beards" in the city, regardless of men, women, old or young, and killed tens of thousands of people, or even more.
This is the famous "Jimen Killing of Hu" incident, which can be regarded as a bloody purge of the Han, Khitan, Mohe, and Goguryeo yellow races against the Turkic and Sogdian white forces that An Lushan and his son relied heavily on.
More than a hundred years have passed since this incident, and the Sogdians in Youzhou and Liaodong have long been honest. When Zhang Dalang mentioned it at this time, some were confused, some were excited, and some were shuddering.
"What? You don't dare anymore?" Zhang Dalang said with a smile: "Aren't you fed up with the birdiness of Jin people? Li Keyong slaughtered so many people in Youzhou, and your relatives and friends were among the victims, so I won't avenge you.
Already?"
"Zhang Dalang, what you are talking about is too big..." someone said hesitantly.
"There are only about twenty of us. If we stand up but no one responds, wouldn't we be asking for death?"
"Li Cunzhang is a very vicious person. He is Li Keyong's loyal lackey. I have wanted to kill him for a long time, but I was afraid that no one would respond."
"Yes, what can we achieve alone?"
Although everyone was hesitant and asked a lot of questions, Zhang Dalang was not worried but happy after hearing this. He laughed and said: "Don't worry, we are not the only ones who are dissatisfied with Jin people, there are many, I will go find someone tonight.
"
Everyone's eyes lit up, and the atmosphere suddenly became lively.
Zhang Dalang glanced at them and struck while the iron was hot to encourage him: "After we have accomplished this, we will plunder for three days, and then we will surrender to the city with the heads of Li Cunzhang and his son. I heard that Shao Shude, the sage of Great Xia, has arrived. He has captured Youzhou. He is so happy that he will not take it into account.
Compared to us looting the treasury, this matter is over. Now we have money to take it, and we don’t have to die. How much better?"
"Yes! Yes! It's Zhang Dalang who has the brightest head."
"If this comes true, we will recommend you to stay in Youzhou. After the Great Xia Saint enters the city, he may even give you an official position."
"Haha! We only seek wealth, Zhang Dalang, you still have wealth."
"Hurry up and get in touch. I also know some fellow villagers. Let's go find someone together."
Zhang Dalang couldn't help but laugh, feeling extremely proud. The great wealth was right in front of him, how could he not be happy?
For more than a hundred years, many soldiers have relied on this trick to reach the sky in one step. Today, it is finally my turn to be Zhang Dalang!
******
On December 20, the third year of Jianji, the wind and snow were slightly lighter.
Xia Bing's offensive became more intense day by day, and the number of attacks on the city walls became more and more frequent. It was gradually becoming difficult for the defenders to cope.
On this day, many local villagers came outside the city.
They showed no intention of resting and charged towards Youzhou City while shouting.
In the wind and snow, as if they didn't need money, the Xia people's Tuan Tuan peasants rushed up in batches, and fell sideways in batches. The casualties were so heavy, but they had no intention of retreating. Li Cunzhang couldn't do anything until they hit the back.
Instead of leaving Jingsai, who had just been sent down to rest at the top of the city, Lu Long's second army warriors pushed forward again. Even his own soldiers started fighting at the top of the city, and would kill wherever there was a crisis, trying their best to stabilize the city.
Stay in position.
At Haishi, Li Cunzhang, Li Yanqiu and his son, who had been fighting for most of the day, descended from the city, followed by more than a hundred soldiers.
Their armor was in pieces and their faces were full of exhaustion. When they came down from the tower, their legs were shaking a little, obviously they had lost their strength.
"Send two more groups of messengers out of the city tonight." Li Cunzhang turned to his son and said.
"Okay." Li Yanqiu responded numbly.
The battle has been going on to this day, and he no longer has any hope for the reinforcements from Hedong. The fate of the father and son seems to be becoming more and more clear, that is, they will die together with Youzhou.
Yes, my father will not surrender.
Together they killed the Datong army envoy Duan Wenchu who rebelled, and together they fought against the imperial army. After the defeat, they fled north to the Tatars together. His father was a die-hard loyalist to the King of Jin and one of the most trusted adopted sons of the King of Jin.
My father would not surrender, and neither would he.
It's just that - this is so unacceptable! Li Yanqiu followed his father in a daze, his eyes almost losing focus.
The soldiers in the Jinbingdu were breathing heavily and silently followed Li Cunzhang and his son.
They have no way out.
On weekdays, they are popular and domineering, and have done countless evil things. They know very well what kind of virtue they are in the eyes of the Yan people. Once they are defeated, they are afraid that they will be eaten alive.
It was too late to regret at this time, so we could only follow the left-behind father and son to continue fighting until there were slim reinforcements, although many people were saying that there would be no reinforcements at all.
The sound of chaotic footsteps sounded at the end of the side street. After a while, there were footsteps from the other end, and there were also the sounds of drawing a knife and drawing a bow.
"Huh?" Li Cunzhang was startled. When he raised his head, he saw more than a hundred people rushing towards him.
"You—" Li Cunzhang touched the hilt of the sword at his waist.
No one answered him at all, only dense arrows flew towards him.
"Ah!" The sound of arrows piercing the air was also heard from behind, and the soldiers screamed and fell to the ground, bleeding profusely.
Li Cunzhang was hit by two arrows.
He reluctantly pulled out the arrow, and as soon as he took out the sword from his waist, he saw several long spears stabbing out of the darkness and going straight into his belly.
More and more people rushed up, and there were fierce fighting sounds from behind, left and right, but this had nothing to do with Li Cunzhang. He fell to his knees on the ground, and just as he was about to say something, he was struck on the head with an iron mace.
