Chapter 203 Li Guofu's Martyrdom (Happy Spring Festival)
Ningwu Guancheng was first built in the first year of Jingtai. The current structure of the Guancheng was built during the Wanli period, including the three-story tower and brick-clad city wall on the Guancheng.
In fact, most of the images of ancient passes and cities seen by later generations are relics from the Wanli period. In particular, many of the city walls with city bricks are from the Wanli era. Objectively speaking, the middle and late Wanli periods were the key to the economic and social development of ancient China.
The pinnacle of the period, if the prosperous age is the highest standard to describe ancient society, the Wanli period should be the prosperous age among the prosperous times.
Li Zicheng and his army had been fighting hard at Ningwu Pass for two days, but they still saw no hope of breaking through this strong pass.
The soldiers who were attacking the city fell under the city wall one after another. In normal times, the camp breakers at this time would not attack the city again, but this time it was different. The attack on Ningwuguan City was the first since the founding of Dashun.
In the first battle, all the generals in Dashun, including Li Zicheng, did not want to make a mistake and kept their soldiers to attack Guancheng. The rebels became fierce and prepared to capture Ningwuguan at all costs.
Another wave of offensives was repelled by the Ming army in the city, and Li Zicheng looked ashen as he watched the bodies of thousands of soldiers being carried out of the battlefield. According to this situation, the soldiers could not fight another wave, and the limit of casualties they could bear had reached a critical point.
"Zong Min, we can't continue fighting like this. Should we consider letting the city stay?" Li Zicheng asked Liu Zongmin to express his thoughts. Although he was unwilling to end the war in such a useless way, as a qualified person
For a leader, not getting dizzy on the battlefield is an essential quality, and Li Zicheng still had this quality.
"Why is this Li Guofu so difficult to fight? Our people all climbed towards the city wall, and this guy led his men to take the city wall back again." Liu Zongmin did not directly answer Li Zicheng's question, but said it in a roundabout way.
The war was difficult. In fact, he also thought about withdrawing the troops, but he couldn't say it. Under normal circumstances, it would be okay to say it. If he said it today, it would be Dashun who suggested it. Such a heavy blow.
I really can’t carry the pot.
"Gather the others together, and let's discuss whether we should continue to fight to the death here." Naturally, Li Zicheng would not bear the blame. It was the best plan to hold a military council and let his more clever subordinates take away the blame.
When the military meeting was held, the atmosphere was quite solemn. Just a few days ago, the old brothers were in high spirits and angry. Now they all have sad faces.
Everyone talked for a while, but nothing substantial came out of the discussion. What the military generals meant in their words was that they had suffered heavy damage and could no longer fight.
"Your Majesty, I have a plan to break the great barrier in front of me." When all the military generals were frustrated, the right Prime Minister Song Xiance said that he had a way to break the barrier.
Does Song Xiance have a way to break through the barrier? Li Zicheng showed surprise in his eyes and said, "Prime Minister, has a good way to break through the barrier? Tell me quickly!"
Song Xiance straightened his fat face and said seriously: "I believe that the only way to break this city is to use the word "fire"."
"The word fire? Prime Minister, what does this mean?"
"Your Majesty, Ningwuguan is a small city after all. Let's ask the soldiers to each carry a bundle of dry firewood from the mountains to the city. After burning the pass, the army can continue to cross the pass and go north."
Burning the city? Li Zicheng was shocked by Song Xiance's vicious plan. This man actually thought of such a method, but he was extremely vicious.
Can this method be used to attack the city? Li Zicheng fell into deep thought. It was not that he was afraid that doing so would hurt the innocent people in the city, but that he felt that doing so would harm the heavens and affect his ability to conquer the world.
Because of the superstitious existence of Song Xiance and Niu Jinxing, Li Zicheng became more and more superstitious and believed in fate. A rebel leader began to believe in fate, but he didn't even think about it, how could he do his career if he believed in fate?
"Prime Minister, I'm afraid doing this will harm the peace of heaven!" Li Zicheng expressed the doubts in his heart.
"Your Majesty, what we are doing is in line with the natural times. The generals who forcefully defend Guancheng are acting against nature. We do what is just and burn the city to save the people of the world from suffering."
Everyone from top to bottom will say that after Song Xiance's nonsense, he made the story of the burning of the city fair and just.
Now that Song Xiance had found a legitimate reason to do this, Li Zicheng naturally followed the good example and decisively ordered that all the soldiers go up the mountain to cut firewood, and each man must carry a bundle of firewood to the gate of Ningwuguan. Ningwuguan is a small city with three or four hundred thousand people.
If each person carries a bundle of firewood, he can indeed burn the entire city.
"It's broken, Supervisor, the rebel army is clearly going to burn the city." Li Guofu saw the intruders coming from the city carrying firewood, and he understood what the other party was thinking, and quickly reported the matter to Chen Qiyu.
"The intruders want to burn the city? Chief Soldier, it seems that Guancheng cannot be defended. Your Majesty has a decree. If things cannot be done, give up Ningwu and withdraw to the Pianguan Pass area. The Chief Soldier quickly ordered us to take people to evacuate this pass."
"Supervisor, how many gates can there be in the world? Abandon one city today and lose another gate tomorrow. Ming Dynasty still has a few gates that can be abandoned." Seeing that Chen Qiyu was preparing to withdraw from Ningwuguan again, Li Guofu reprimanded him sternly.
Not only was he angry at Chen Qiyu, but he also had strong opinions on the emperor's strategic arrangements. How could an important city like Taiyuan be evacuated at any time? What on earth were these men in Beijing thinking?
After being scolded by Li Guofu, Chen Qiyu looked a little confused. After pondering for a long time, he said: "General soldier, what do you want? There are hundreds of thousands of bandit troops outside the city who are planning to burn the city. What else can we do?
Defend the city?”
"I will lead the troops out of the city to fight to the death, and the commander will lead his men in the city to hold on!"
After Li Guofu finished speaking, he walked down the tower, gathered his troops, and prepared to leave the city for a fierce battle with the intruders.
Why is this man so stubborn? You only have a few thousand soldiers and horses, so what's the point of leaving the city? Chen Qiyu was helpless at Li Guofu's impulsive thoughts.
After a while, Li Guofu led more than 2,000 cavalry out of the city and charged into the invading army's position.
With more than 2,000 people facing hundreds of thousands of troops, Li Guofu showed no fear and rushed straight towards Li Zicheng's central army.
The strong wind knew the strong grass, the rough and sway knew the honest minister, and Li Guofu, who was determined to die, killed seven in and seven out at the gate of Ningwuguan, until finally exhausted, he still sat on the horse with his back upright, and his whole body was pierced by arrows.
Like a hedgehog.
Yawenba
Li Guofu, who fell in the middle of the army, was surrounded by soldiers and horses who broke into the camp. They were shocked by this fierce general of the Ming Dynasty.
Chen Qiyu, watching Li Guofu trapped in the encirclement from the tower, knew that the situation was over, and with a heavy heart ordered the remaining soldiers and horses in the city to abandon the city and leave. He was a little confused and couldn't understand why Li Guofu had to die when there was clearly a way out.
(Updates due in the past two days will be made up from tomorrow)