Chapter 346 The saddest way to induce death in history is the death of Chang Xi!
In less than three days, the Taishan bandits stationed in Linyi, Haiqu, Juxian, and Yangdu led their troops to Kaiyang one after another, with a total force of more than 28,000.
now.
Zang Ba Military Camp.
Central army, big tent.
Zang Ba was wearing armor and was sitting at the top, with his brothers below him lined up on both sides.
And standing next to him was Chang'an doctor Li Ru.
Zang Ba glanced at the brothers present with his stern eyes, and said in a low and powerful voice: "Brothers, maybe you have also heard the news that the Nanyang court, together with Tao Qian, sent troops into Langya."
"Well, I heard about it."
At that moment, a muscular man frowned and said, "But it seems that it's because our Langya sneaked into the direction of Chang'an for assassination. They entered here to prevent accidents."
"Brother!"
The man frowned and asked tentatively: "You summoned our brothers, are you going to assist the court and prepare for the assassination in the direction of Chang'an?"
Zang Ba turned his head and glanced down. The speaker was his right-hand man Sun Guan: "Brother, don't think about things too simply. If you just want to catch a traitor, do you still need to use a large army?"
"this......"
Sun Guan frowned.
If you think about it carefully, it is indeed a waste to mobilize a large army to catch the assassin.
If we know its precise location and send two county soldiers, we can handle it.
And if you don't know its specific location, even if there are 100,000 troops, it is just a decoration and has no use.
"Brothers."
Zang Ba let out a long breath, glanced at everyone, and said loudly: "The Nanyang imperial court sent troops to station in Langya. The real purpose is not to catch the assassins, but to attack us."
"ah?"
All the generals in the tent were immediately surprised.
Especially Sun Guan, his eyes were as wide as bells, and he was shocked: "This... how is this possible? We have an agreement with Tao Qian, why did he suddenly attack us?"
"That's right!"
Zang Ba took up the conversation and said coldly: "We did have an agreement with Tao Qian, but at that time Tao Qian could make his own decisions, but now that he has submitted to Nanyang Hanting, he naturally has to obey the orders of His Majesty the Nanyang Emperor."
"If His Majesty the Emperor of Nanyang can accommodate us, we can naturally live in peace. Now he has sent Zu Mao, Xu Rong, and Cheng Pu into Xuzhou, and Tao Qian has sent Cao Bao to station in Tan County."
"Brothers!"
Zang Basen's cold eyes were full of anger: "The imperial court's knife has been placed on our necks. If we don't resist, we will have no choice but to let it slaughter us. Are you willing to do this?"
"I don't want to!"
"I don't want to!"
"I don't want to!"
Immediately, all the generals in the tent shouted in unison.
General Sun Guan shouted loudly: "Brother, we are only loyal to you. We will do whatever you ask us to do. We will definitely listen to your orders!"
"That's right!"
Wu Dun took another step forward and said sonorously: "Since Nanyang and the Han court are incompatible with each other, we will fight them to the end. Even if we fight to the death of one soldier, we have nothing to fear."
"This is war, why should we fear it!"
Immediately afterwards, General Yin Li raised his head and shouted: "The worst we can do is perish together. We have been living happily for so many years and have already made enough money. I will always follow my eldest brother."
Li Ru, on the other hand, was secretly relieved. Fortunately, he did not kill Zang Ba in the first place. Otherwise, it would not be so easy for Chang Xi, the Taishan Bandits, to defeat the diehards.
"good!"
At this moment, the superior Zang Ba nodded with satisfaction.
Except for Chang Xi, this group of brothers who crawled out from the dead together did not let me down: "Since everyone is willing to follow me."
"Then, I, Zang Ba, have to tell you the truth!"
Immediately, he turned to look at Li Ru, waved his hand and introduced: "This is Li Ru, the doctor from Hanting in Chang'an. He brought the emperor's edict. As long as we can capture Xuzhou, we will have high officials and generous salaries, and we will be granted the title of marquis."
No less!”
"ah?"
Suddenly, the generals were shocked.
Especially Sun Guan, his eyes were as wide as bells, and he was full of shock: "Brother, so you are saying that there are indeed assassins sent from the direction of Chang'an? And you have..."
"kindness."
Zang Ba interrupted Sun Guan and said with absolute certainty: "I have indeed surrendered to the Han Court in Chang'an, but if it weren't for the Han Court in Nanyang that couldn't tolerate us, why would I, Zang Ba, be like this?"
"If brother is not willing to follow me, I, Zang Ba, will never force you. You can leave now, but the army must stay with me. We can get together and part ways, and we are still brothers."
"What do you mean, brother?"
Sun Guan immediately patted his chest and promised: "We crawled out of the dead together. That is a brother who has passed his life. Even if I follow my eldest brother to wander around, I, Sun Guan, will never complain."
"good!"
Zang Ba was deeply moved: "This is my good brother Zang Ba."
As soon as he finished speaking, Sun Guan frowned: "But eldest brother, Qiu County's three thousand troops are nothing, but they still have Cao Bao's twenty thousand Danyang troops."
"I think my eldest brother knows better than anyone how powerful the Danyang soldiers are. If they take advantage of our army's attack on Jiqiu to steal our retreat, with our small force, I'm afraid we won't be their match at all."
"That's right!"
Another Yin Li sighed and said with deep understanding: "They should cooperate inside and outside, we are definitely no match. Instead of all of them dying here, why not we go to Qingzhou and still survive there."
"right!"
Wu Dun nodded affirmatively: "Since we are bound to lose, we might as well flee to Qingzhou and become the king of the mountain. We can still live freely. We have done nothing else in these years and have saved a lot of money, which is enough for us brothers to work hard for two years.
.”
However......
Zang Ba waved his hand to interrupt and said loudly: "Don't worry, we don't have to leave Xuzhou. We will definitely win this time. Tao Qian is the one who should lose!"
"Ah? This is..."
When Sun Guan was puzzled, Zang Ba already explained: "Because Cao Bao is also from Hanting in Chang'an. As long as we start a battle here, he will immediately bring troops over. By then, we will join forces and there will be nearly 50,000 soldiers."
A horse is as small as a hill, how can it be defeated?"
hiss-!
All the generals gasped: "Is Cao Bao from Chang'an Hanting?"
Zang Ba nodded: "Yes! And once we take action, Zhang Kai of Pengcheng will also take action. He will kill Tao Qian and frame it for Xu Rong and Cheng Pu. We will join forces with Cao Bao to counterattack.
Thieves are at your fingertips in Xuzhou."
"Very good!"
Sun Guan and others were ecstatic.
One second ago, they wanted to run away and temporarily avoid the imperial court.
But they never thought that at this moment, they would already have an absolute advantage.
At that moment, all the thieves in Taishan no longer had any worries. They were all in great spirits. They cupped their hands and said in unison: "Brother, please give the order quickly. We can send troops at any time to attack Jiqiu County."
"very good!"
Zang Ba was overjoyed and said loudly: "In that case, you and others will go back to camp and prepare. Early tomorrow morning, we will rush to Jiqiu County to kill Jiqiu City. We must capture Jiqiu City in the shortest possible time."
All the soldiers shouted in unison: "Here."
Immediately.
He bowed and left the tent.
Zang Ba sighed and turned to glance at Li Ru: "Military advisor, where is Cao Bao..."
Li Ru nodded and said: "General, don't worry, Ru has sent people there. As soon as we besiege Jiqiu County, they will come to help immediately. At the same time, we will send people to inform Zhang Kai to assassinate Tao Qian."
Although everything is going smoothly, for some unknown reason, Zang Ba is always feeling uneasy, as if something big is going to happen somewhere.
call-
After taking a long breath, Zang Ba said softly: "I hope everything goes well."
Li Ru was full of confidence: "General, don't worry, King Hongnong may have guessed that you will rebel, but he certainly wouldn't have thought that we had already bribed Cao Bao. This man has been silent for half a year. If he had been exposed, something would have happened." Already."
Zang Ba nodded: "Well, I didn't expect that Cao Bao would be one of yours."
"No!"
Li Ru shook his head: "They are our people. Now you and I are both from Chang'an and Hanting, and so is Cao Bao."
Zang Ba sneered and said with a slight embarrassment: "Yes, he is one of ours."
******
The rising sun appears in the east.
That is Qiu County.
County government.
Zu Mao sat at the head, and under him were civil and military officers, who were arranged on both sides.
At this moment, He Qi is reporting: "General, currently two Langya Pai have been manufactured, three Yaksha have been manufactured, twelve mobile ballistas have been assembled, and the Semen Tool Cart is being manufactured. It is estimated that it will be completed in another half a day. One."
Zu Mao nodded and said favorably: "Hurry up, especially the mobile ballista. The parts I have brought are enough to assemble forty of them, so the craftsmen must not relax."
"General, don't worry."
He Qi nodded affirmatively: "My subordinates have already told me that they are making it day and night, and all the wood they need has been prepared. Even if the thieves come and kill us now, we will be prepared."
"Report—!"
At this moment, a long announcement sounded outside the hall.
Zu Mao looked up.
However, he saw his own scouts hurried into the palace, leaned forward and said, "General, the latest information is from the direction of Kaiyang. Zang Ba has led 30,000 troops and is coming to kill him."
"So fast?"
Zu Mao was stunned for a moment and asked in surprise: "How far are they from here?"
The scout handed over his hand: "About five miles."
"Explore again!"
"Here."
After repelling the scouts, Zu Mao glanced at everyone and ordered without hesitation:
"Now that the thieves have arrived, we will follow the plan agreed upon in advance. The general will personally guard the north gate, the Xu county lieutenant will guard the south gate, the Kan county magistrate will guard the west gate, the He county prime minister will guard the east gate, and Hou Sima will lead the elite of the army to guard the south gate at any time. Doors provide support.”
All the soldiers raised their hands in unison: "Here."
Zu Mao waved his hand: "Let's go!"
Immediately.
He led the crowd to close the door and headed straight to the city.
Before Zang Ba arrived, Zu Mao controlled the mobile crossbow according to the instructions: "Do you understand? The operation process is as simple as this. One person is responsible for loading the crossbow arrows, and the other is responsible for turning the crossbow hand."
"As soon as the bow string is reset, immediately adjust the direction, three points and one line, and launch an attack on the enemy, especially those on horseback, shoulder, and armor. Give me a hard hit. Do you understand?"
The soldier frowned: "General, what is three points and one line?"
Zu Mao almost lost his temper and took the instruction manual: "You don't understand three points and one line, which is the target, the center of sight, and your eyes. As a crossbow gunner, you have only one task, which is to search for the target. Do you understand?"
The crossbow gunner responded sonorously: "Here! Target, aim, eyes, three points and one line, I understand."
Zu Mao took a deep breath and said, "Just remember! Try to hit strategic targets. Those soldiers are not your responsibility."
Crossbowman: "Here."
...
While Zu Mao was giving guidance on the use of various instruments.
Suddenly, the soldier beside him raised his hand and pointed outside, shouting a reminder: "General, look, they are coming."
Zu Mao turned around and looked.
really!
At the end of the field of vision, a black line gradually became thicker, followed by a dark cloud, like a dark cloud shrouding it. On the fluttering banner, a big "Zang" character was dazzling.
"Coming!"
Zu Mao took a deep breath and tried to stay calm.
He stared at the soldiers and horses outside, visually assessing the distance of the enemy's approach.
Five hundred steps!
...
Four hundred steps!
...
Three hundred steps!
...
Two hundred steps!
...
Zu Mao pushed the crossbow gunner away, adjusted the direction of the crossbow according to the requirements of the operation manual, aimed at the burly figure under the banner, and slowly moved his hand towards the trigger.
Peng!
There was a loud noise.
The crossbow arrows tore through the air, with a sharp cry, and rushed straight towards the enemy troops in formation.
Zang Ba, who was about to lead people to observe the situation of each sect, saw a cold light coming towards him before he could rein in his horse. Before he could react in time, the crossbow arrow whizzed past him less than two feet away.
puff!
The guard soldier beside him was hit by an arrow. The huge force carried his body and flew out of the horse, knocking down four or five people one after another before he stopped his retreat.
"ah?"
Zang Ba was shocked and subconsciously crouched on his horse.
The Taishan thieves around him all did the same thing, and even Li Ru himself hurriedly buried his head in the back of the horse's neck.
Sun Guan shouted at the top of his lungs: "Brother, what kind of weapon is this? The range is so far?"
Yin Li was even more frightened, his face turned pale: "I'm afraid it must have an effective range of three to five hundred steps, otherwise it wouldn't be so powerful. What kind of weapon is this?"
Peng! Peng!
As soon as he finished speaking, two more arrows roared out.
Suddenly, the soldiers behind Zang Ba were forced out of two ravines.
It was only two arrows, but it took the lives of five or six soldiers and injured more than ten people!
"Damn it!"
Zang Ba snarled his steel teeth and waved his hand: "Retreat slowly! Retreat slowly!"
Sun Guan, Yin Li and others all followed suit and greeted: "Retreat slowly—!"
Others don't know much about this weapon, but how can they hide it from Li Ru: "General Zang, this is a new weapon invented by King Hongnong. It is called a ballista. I heard that the effective range is three hundred steps."
"Three hundred steps?"
Zang Ba was so shocked that his eyes nearly popped out.
"That's right."
Li Ru nodded affirmatively: "Although there is an effective range of three hundred steps, there must not be many ballistae in Jiqiu City. As long as we are three hundred steps away, they will not be able to shoot us so easily."
"Our army has 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers and horses. If we let the soldiers attack Jiqiu City, they won't be able to hold on for long. Listen to me, victory is within easy reach. Now that you have taken this step, there is no possibility of going back!"
"Damn it!"
How could Zang Ba not know this?
Once you embark on the road of rebellion, here in Nanyang Hanting, it is equivalent to being on the blacklist. If you cannot win, there is only one dead end waiting for Zang Ba and other Taishan thieves!
Zang Ba could no longer care about that much. He led his troops back more than 350 steps, then turned his carriage and faced the city in front. He gritted his teeth and shouted:
"Where are Sun Guan, Yin Li, and Wu Dun?"
"The end will be here."
"You each lead your own troops and horses, go to the west gate, south gate, and east gate to conduct feint attacks to contain the enemy's forces, and wait for Cao Bao to lead the Danyang troops to arrive for support."
"Here."
"Where is Chang Xi?"
"The end is here!"
A trace of ferociousness flashed in Zang Ba's eyes, and he shouted coldly: "In the direction of the north gate, you are responsible for the attack. Bring your troops and horses, and charge forward immediately. Anyone who disobeys the order will be killed without mercy!"
"I......"
Chang Xi's eyes were as wide as bells.
Of course he knows.
Zang Ba asked him to take charge of the main attack, not to gain military merit, but to avenge private revenge, and wanted to use him as cannon fodder.
However, when he was about to speak angrily, Li Ru on the side shook his head and interrupted directly: "General Chang, if you don't rush up with troops, why are you standing there in a daze?"
Zang Ba's eyes were piercing, he pressed the sword on his waist and said coldly: "What? Do you want to disobey this general's military order?"
Chang Xi gritted his teeth, suppressed his anger, cupped his hands and said, "Here!"
Immediately.
He turned over and dismounted, changed into a foot soldier, raised his sword, and shouted sternly: "Brothers, follow me and attack Jiqiu City at all costs."
All the soldiers shouted in unison: "Kill—!"
Have to admit it.
Changxi does have two brushes.
He at least knew that the target of war horses was relatively large. If he led troops to charge, he would definitely become a target for the ballistae. It would be better to become an infantry, which would be safer if he wore armor.
Looking at the advancing troops, Li Ru said softly: "General Zang, you are going too far in this way. You promised me that we would unite sincerely before taking Xuzhou."
"Is there any problem with my arrangement?"
Zang Ba had a good reason and retorted without hesitation: "Apart from me, among the four armies, Chang Xi has the largest number of troops. If he is not the main attacker, who will be the main attacker?"
call-
Li Ru sighed helplessly.
Zang Ba's reasons were very good, and he could not refute: "But Chang Xi fights with emotions, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to do his best."
However, Zang Ba did not hesitate, and his murderous aura suddenly burst out: "The army has its own military laws. If you are arrogant and submissive and don't fight with all your strength, then just follow the military laws. How easy it is!"
Well......
Li Ru was too lazy to say anything.
He knew that Zang Ba's anger would be repaid, and it would be useless to talk too much.
As for Chang Xi, he can only seek blessings for himself, but cannot save himself.
Peng! Peng! Peng!
Continuous sound of crossbows sounded, and ravines appeared in Changxi's army formation. Every time an arrow hit, several people were killed, especially those who raised their weapons and shouted, and there were many casualties.
Chang Xi, who was directing the battle, tried his best to hide his figure, but as the distance got closer, the chainmail armor on his body became too conspicuous, and he suddenly became a concentrated target for the ballistae.
Peng!
An arrow whizzed in.
Chang Xi was so frightened that his face turned green, and his soul almost flew away. He kept walking and Saya ran sideways, but the soldiers beside him had no time to dodge. Five or six people died in a straight line.
"Come forward!"
"Everyone rush up to me!"
"As long as we destroy them, there won't be such a thing."
Chang Xi shouted at the top of his lungs, but with a loud sound, another arrow flew towards him. His eyes were as wide as bells, and he flew forward suddenly, rolling three times in a row before avoiding the arrow.
"hateful!"
Chang Xi chewed it secretly, and in his heart he greeted Zang Ba's eighteen generations of ancestors one by one seventeen or eight times. The anger in his heart burned fiercely, as if he wished he could lift the lid of the heavenly spirit.
Although he keeps running wildly, the biggest advantage of the mobile crossbow is that it can move and adjust the direction at will. This is different from the traditional bed crossbow.
No matter how he tried to evade, he fled from west to east, and then from east to west. The crossbow arrows chasing him didn't stop at all, one after another, and they didn't even give him a chance to breathe.
Even the crossbow gunners at Qiuchengtou, who were constantly chasing, gradually mastered the aiming method of the crossbow. It was not only three points and one line, but also the need to predict the opponent's position and hit his progress.
This is how a mature crossbow gunner should master the aiming method of the crossbow. Only in this way can he truly improve his hit rate.
"Fuck! Another arrow."
"It was close. I aimed more accurately this time."
"Aim them all for me and then hit them."
"..."
The continuous progress of the crossbow gunners suddenly made Chang Xi feel the pressure below.
He can feel it clearly.
Every time he dodges, the arrow is getting closer and closer to his position. Once, the arrow is only three or five inches away from him. It is a crossbow arrow as thick as an index finger. Once it hits him, he will not die. , but also half-disabled.
"Damn it!"
Chang Xi cursed secretly.
He knows that the odds are stacked against him, so he spends most of his time protecting himself.
Although many soldiers had already rushed to the city and launched an attack at this moment, the crossbow arrows chasing him still did not change their target, and the further he moved forward, the harder the enemy surrounded him and killed him.
puff!
Chang Xi, who had just dodged a crossbow arrow, had not had time to stabilize his body when another crossbow arrow came roaring towards the direction where he was about to land.
Although Chang Xi had expected it, he seemed to have no time to dodge. He could only draw the sword in his hand and wave it towards the sky. There was a clear clang, and the arrow hit the Huanshou sword. The huge force actually smashed the blade. Take it off the palm of your hand and roll it back.
However, precisely because of this, the crossbow arrow was able to change its direction, whizzing past Chang Xi's side, hitting the pursuing soldier with one arrow, and shot through his chest on the spot.
Chang Xi didn't dare to stop, and continued to rush forward, but before he could go far, another crossbow arrow shot out from the side, and it was still his foothold, whizzing towards him.
But this time...
Chang Xi, however, had no Huanshou sword to stop him. The moment he landed, he immediately jumped forward, but was still not spared. The crossbow arrow hit the side of his thigh and penetrated directly.
"ah-!"
Chang Xi gritted his teeth and roared, the pain was unstoppable.
But before he could get up, three arrows roared towards him, directly blocking all directions in which he could retreat. One arrow hit his chest, nailing him to the floor, and the other two arrows flew past his side. Submerged into the corpse not far from it.
"Zang Ba! I, Chang Xi...even if...I am a ghost...I will...not...let it go... .you!