On the seventh day of July in the sixth year of Jianji, it rained heavily in Zhenzhou.
The bumpy streets were littered with tents, rice cookers, equipment and other supplies.
The warriors huddled in the corner as much as possible to avoid the overwhelming rainstorm.
There is no place to hide from the rain.
The houses were demolished to pieces and turned into materials for repairing the city walls. The only houses that were still intact were filled with various important items, such as medicine, corn, bowstrings, etc. There were still faint traces inside.
When the sound of women's cries and howlings came out, they were all members of the high-ranking officials and generals in the city, as well as the family members of aristocratic families. No matter old, young, beautiful or ugly, they were all kidnapped and given to the soldiers to vent their anger.
The masters carried stretchers and took away the bodies one by one and buried them.
There was not enough space, so the many corpses had to be squeezed together. If you look closely, there seemed to be inaudible cries of pain when the corpses were thrown into the pit.
Maybe he's not dead yet, no one cares anymore, and it's good to leave in the morning.
The rain became heavier and heavier, and gradually formed a stream. The warriors soaked in the stream and almost didn't react at all.
It's been like this after being numb for a long time.
Suddenly there was a fierce sound of fighting on the top of the city. The warriors under the wall finally made some movement. Some people stood up and checked their equipment; some were still leaning there, but their eyes were wide open, looking around; some were sleeping with their eyes closed, as if it was heaven.
It's none of his business if it collapses.
"Get up! Get up!" The generals came over angrily and shouted.
The soldiers complained and slowly stood up.
There was also movement on the other side of the government office. The city gate opened with a creak, and Jiedushi Wang Rong, under his personal escort, stood at the door and watched from a distance.
He is the nominal master of Zhenzhou, but he is also a poor man who is trapped in the Yacheng and dare not come out. He can't even trust the Yamen soldiers guarding the Yamen. He works in fear all day long, but for a thirty-four-year-old man, he can't even come out overnight.
Whitehead.
He could fully imagine his fate.
Who is to blame? No one is to blame.
I can only blame this world. People have no choice. They are neither humans nor ghosts, and eventually they will be destroyed.
Yes, you clearly foresee the consequences, but you are unable to change it. You can only watch it step by step towards the worst ending. Only those who have been involved in it will understand this feeling.
"Go back." Wang Rong sighed weakly.
The yamen soldiers no longer have the arrogance of the past.
The cruel and long battle had worn away their unruliness. Many people subconsciously felt scared, but it seemed it was too late.
"The city is broken! The city is broken!"
"The summer thief is coming down!"
"Brothers, work hard!"
"They won't let us go, kill us!"
A dense crowd of people had already stood on the inner city wall. They were covered in mud and looked haggard and tired, but their eyes were filled with fierceness as they charged down with weapons in hand.
The Zhao soldiers resting at the base of the city wall were no longer indifferent. Many people gathered spontaneously without orders from officers and began the final resistance.
The Xia army attacking the city also knew that it was a critical moment, so they decisively promised a heavy reward and put in rotating troops.
The bodyguards were the first wave of reinforcements. After a year-long battle, they grew very quickly. In addition, Shao Shude was willing to give them good equipment, and their training was done by veterans on the battlefield, so their combat effectiveness was not weak.
After the more than two hundred mighty soldiers who were the first to rush down the city were all killed in battle, they rushed up and scattered the Zhao soldiers who were also at the end of their war effort.
In the streets and alleys, there were also Chengde officers leading people to come for reinforcements.
The bodyguards drove the defeated troops to create chaos, and resisted the attack from the front. At the same time, they detached some of their men and rushed to the city gate, hacking to death the remaining ten Zhao soldiers.
"Creak!" The city gate was opened.
"Kill them quickly!" Almost all the Chengde yamen soldiers in the yamen city rushed out, frantically attacking the guards and soldiers who broke into the city, trying to prevent them from opening the inner city gate.
But it was too late. The soldiers who had been waiting for a long time rushed in.
They held long spears and advanced in formation, unstoppable.
The guards and soldiers also showed their temper. The remaining hundred or so people took advantage of Zhao Bing's confusion and rushed forward bravely. They went directly to the gate of the government office and killed several thieves who tried to close the gate.
"Plop!" Wang Rong was pushed down into a puddle by several guards and soldiers, looking extremely embarrassed.
In fact, he did not resist at all, nor did he escape. There is no greater sorrow than death, which is what Wang Rong said at this time.
"Wang Rong?" Hua Wenqi, the commander of the left wing of the He Control Army, rushed over. Looking at Wang Rong who was tied up by the sergeants, he sighed: "Take him down, interrogate him, and send him to Jinyang."
After saying that, he personally led the team into the government office and took control of the government office, the treasury, Prince Zhao's Mansion and other important locations.
There is no longer any organized resistance in the government office. Being able to fight alone is considered a warrior. Most people are hiding everywhere, hoping to escape to death.
But this is in vain. The whole city will definitely be hunted down next, and every household will have to pass the customs. It will be impossible to hide.
In the evening of the same day, Lu Huaizhong, the commander of the Xingzhou camp, also entered the city.
After almost a year of siege, the last stubborn nail in the land of Hebei was finally removed.
Wang Rong supported Zhu Quanzhong and Li Keyong, blocked the swords for the three towns of Yun, Yan and Qi, and joined forces with Lu Yanwei to plunder Dizhou. When Wang's division attacked the three towns of Cangjing, Youzhou and Yi Ding, he even used
I spent all my energy, sent troops and money, and worked very hard.
Perhaps after Yi Ding was destroyed, he had plans to surrender, but before that, he might not be willing to surrender. He had always been one of the stubborn Hebei feudal towns.
Whether he was greedy or unable to control the martial artist, in any case, he resisted until the end and there was only one way to die.
"Shuai Lu, Chengde has been defeated." Li Yixian, deputy commander of the Wuwei Army, stood behind him and said with a smile on his face.
"Yes, it's settled..." Lu Huaizhong looked at the messy Zhenzhou City, as if he was seeing the devastated land of Hebei.
"Send orders to all camps to restrain the soldiers and not to kill civilians indiscriminately." Lu Huaizhong ordered.
He is not worried about the Wuwei Army. He is worried about the soldiers and local regiments from various states with varying qualities. He is worried that they will vent their anger, kill, and plunder wantonly.
Since the difficult times, there have been countless wars between the imperial court and vassal towns. No matter how cruel the battles were, there has never been such a vicious incident as the massacre of a city.
You can say that warriors are unruly and rebellious, and they like money and women, but there are really not many cases where they vent their anger and slaughter and kill the people like in the late Qin and Han Dynasties. This challenges the moral bottom line of warriors.
Those who really broke the rules were Huang Chao, Qin Zongquan and others who used the banner of forcing the people to rebel and acting on behalf of heaven.
Lu Huaizhong did not want to become the first person to massacre a city in more than a century.
"Send good news to Jinyang." Feeling relaxed, he suddenly felt a little tired.
It's not that he's physically tired, it's that he's mentally tired. After thirty years of fighting, he's a little tired.
When can we find true peace?
He looked at the excited sergeants not far away. They must be talking about how much reward they can get this time, right?
Alas, with such enthusiasm, there may be no peace in the short term. There are still too few people like him who are tired of killing.
****
When the news reached Jinyang, Shao Shude was discussing matters in Shuzhong with Erlang Shao Chengjie.
The eldest son, who is twenty-two years old, looks much more mature.
The hands are covered with calluses, especially the palms and index fingers. The calluses are particularly thick, which is a sign of long-term bow and arrow shooting.
His skin has become a lot darker and rougher. The warrior is out marching and exposed to the wind and sun, so how can he look like a pretty boy?
You can see perseverance and determination in his eyes. This is not surprising. When commanding an army to fight, you have to make a decision. Sometimes the most terrifying thing is not whether the decision you make is right or wrong, but the hesitation and dare not make it.
Decision. Considering that he often takes risks on military expeditions, he is obviously a man with ideas.
Shao Shude didn't know what he was feeling at this time. It was very complicated. He didn't even want to delve into it or reveal the innermost part of his heart.
He is obviously the successor you have deliberately cultivated. He has done generally well and has established initial prestige and achievements. What are you worried about?
Shao Shude decided to avoid such boring emotions and instead asked: "The war in Jiangxi has resumed, and the Huai army has been continuously attacking cities and territories. I want to appoint your brother as commander, and the governor's troops will repel the Huai people. What do you think? Do you agree?"
He really wanted to know his son's answer, which was also his test for his son.
What are the reasons for approving Shao Siwu as commander?
What is the reason for disapproving of Shao Siwu as commander?
"I don't agree." Shao Chengjie said bluntly.
Shao Shude's heart tightened and he asked calmly: "Why?"
Shao Chengjie was a little embarrassed, but still said: "I think my eldest brother's ability to lead troops in war is too poor. He can't do it."
Shao Shude was stunned.
He really didn't expect that Erlang would give such an answer.
He didn't know whether to be happy or worried, so he asked again: "What if I must appoint him as commander-in-chief?"
"That's okay." Shao Chengjie said: "Big brother, if you win, there will be no problem. If you lose, it won't be a big deal. Pinglu, Baoning and other troops have ulterior motives, and they don't look like pure people, so just die.
.The worst case scenario is that I will personally lead the troops and conquer Huainan and Jiangxi."
Shao Shude was speechless for a long time.
He didn't expect Erlang to be so confident...
If Dalang refuses to accept Erlang as emperor and raises an army to rebel, are you confident that he will be wiped out in one fell swoop?
He didn't get the answer he wanted, but it seemed he did.
This second son really can't deal with this old gangster.
"It's a good thing that you have such spirit." Shao Shude smiled and said, "How is the situation in Shu?"
"The Qiang people in the west have repeatedly made troubles. Although they were pacified, they are not really convinced. There will be troubles in the future." Shao Chengjie talked about the place where he fought for several years. He just heard him say: "The old Qiongnan Town
In the south, many barbarians formed strongholds to protect themselves and refused to obey the king. I challenged him once and beheaded more than a thousand people. The barbarians sued for peace, but they refused to unite the people into households. If his father did not call him, he was ready to drive back the soldiers and fight again.
The problem is that the terrain there is complicated, with high mountains and dense forests, which is too troublesome. Supplies are also very difficult, and there are many diseases in the army, so I have to think of a good way."
Beg! Beg! Beg! Shao Shude was a little confused when he heard this, and asked: "Besides carrying out a campaign of suppression, have you ever thought of any other way?"
"Beat them first and then talk. If they are not convinced, then beat them until they are convinced." Shao Chengjie said: "After we are willing to organize households and equalize the people, I will give some official positions to those barbarian heads."
Not bad! Shao Shude secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that giving a sweet date a slap in the face is not a martial artist with a head full of muscles, so he smiled and said: "If you can think like this, your father will feel relieved. Go back to Beiping Mansion to meet your mother first.
Kiss me, we’ll talk about the rest later.”
"Yes." Shao Chengjie agreed, then asked: "Master, I want to visit Luzhou."
"Go back to Peiping quickly." Shao Shude slapped the table and said.